Tenzin's sharp rap on the wooden door made Korra groan, burrowing deeper into her sheets and pillows.

"Korra," he called through the door. "Pema, the children and I are going into the city this afternoon. You'll want to get up if you want to leave with Asami and the Ferret brothers. They're heading downtown in a few minutes."

"Tell them to go without me," Korra drawled.

Tenzin chuckled. "Just be up in time for dinner."

"Can do," she mumbled into the pillow. She heard his footsteps receding and snuggled up into Naga's warmth. The polar bear dog stretched out beside her, a low rumble sounding in her throat as she settled back down. She licked Korra's cheek.

"Gmph. I'm not getting up yet."

Another lick. A blast of hot air over her face. Grumbling, Korra rolled out of bed and stretched. "Fine. I'll get you food, and then will you let me sleep?"

Naga rolled her eyes and gave her a pointed look, as if to say Haven't you gotten enough beauty sleep already?

Korra shoved her in the shoulder, and the polar bear dog rolled over with a playful grunt. Tying her bed-messy hair back, she slipped on her boots and headed out the door. Like she'd expected, the air temple was quiet. Tenzin and the others had already taken Oogi over to the city. Yawning, Korra stepped up to the balcony rail and peered out across the bay. The island ferry was slowly chugging away, no doubt with Asami, Bolin and Mako aboard. Sweet. She had the island to herself for the day.

Stretching her hands high over her head, she sauntered down to the dining hall, Naga on her heels. A scrawled note lay on the short wooden table, next to a wrapped bundle. Korra stooped to pick up the note, and smiled.

Korra—

Went to town. This is for you. Hope you're up by the time we get home. Love.

—Pema

Korra bent to unwrap the little bundle, grinning when she saw her favorite meal: egg rolls, rice dumplings and a chocolate biscuit. Naga nosed at the bundle, grumbling. Korra pushed her nose away.

"Uh uh. Not yours. Come on, girl, I'll get you some breakfast."

Naga snorted. Lunch, she would have said.

"Yeah, yeah," Korra muttered, guiding her friend along with a hand at her wide shoulder. Korra stooped beside the icebox, rummaging around until she pulled out her private stash of beef. The air acolytes were all vegetarians, so Korra didn't have to worry about anyone sneaking off with her and Naga's food. Tearing off a large chunk, she shut the icebox with a click.

"Here you go," Korra sang, tossing the meat through the air toward the polar bear dog. Naga caught it and began snapping away, giving her an appreciative woof around the mouthfuls. Korra laughed and turned back toward the bay, crossing her arms over her chest. She breathed a deep sigh, inhaling the sweet scent of the wind over the water. The breeze carried the faint sounds of the city with it, satos honking, tires squeaking, laughter and voices too faint to make out. A soft smile touched her lips. She'd never get used to hearing these sounds. In her little Water Tribe village when she'd been small, there had been only silence, and the occasional howl of wolf-bears out in the distance. Then, in the White Lotus compound, the high concrete walls had blocked out most natural sounds. Sometimes at night she'd hear the sounds of the other members of the compound training, yelling and grunting as they landed kicks and fireballs into each other's faces. Korra's smile widened. She could get used to this.

Naga snuffled behind her, nuzzling her shoulder blade in search of more food. Korra chuckled and rubbed her fuzzy muzzle.

"Nope. That's all till dinner. Be grateful."

Naga grumbled, but didn't press for more. Instead, she threw out her paws and stretched, arching her back. Her tail began its steady thumping on the floor.

"You want to get out of here, don't you?"

Thump, thump, thump.

Korra grinned, ruffling her best friend's ears. "So do I."

Thump, thump, thump!

Korra tugged on her harness, hauling her to her feet. "Come on. Let's go for a run."

Swinging astride her broad back, Korra clucked her tongue and the two of them were off. Korra laughed, loving the feel of the wind on her faces, roaring in her ears. They raced down the steps from the air temple in four quick bounds, tearing down the beach along the front of the island. Salt water splashed up around Naga's churning legs, hitting Korra in the face. But she just laughed, opening her mouth wide to taste it, throwing her arms wide. Naga woofed, soaring over the sand, and turned to race back up the beach.

They circled the island in a matter of minutes. Once they climbed the steps again to the air temple, Naga was pooped, and so was Korra. The polar bear dog collapsed at the top step, and Korra rolled off with a groan, settling down with one arm draped behind her head, the other twirling in Naga's long white fur. The two of them both let out an exhausted, contented sigh. Her eyes trailed down the ancient carvings on the high domed ceiling. The wind soughed over her hair, skittering it across her face. Korra let her eyelids flutter closed. She'd needed this. The sweet release of freedom, running with her best friend, feeling the wind in her hair, rushing over her face, through her veins. She sighed. Yes, she'd missed this. But it did little to dim the burning in her heart. A weight had settled over her in the past few days. Nothing she did would shake it. A relaxing evening with Pema and the kids, a training session with Tenzin, not even a good hardy earthbending spar with Bolin. She didn't know what it was. No. She knew… but she couldn't understand it. Hadn't she put him behind her? This wouldn't stand. She couldn't go on like this. But as much as she fought to banish the thoughts, put the feelings out of her head, bury them deep down, she couldn't.

With a soft groan, Korra sat up. She couldn't allow herself to continue this train of thought. Naga looked up as she left, but didn't move to follow her. Slipping back into her room, Korra moved to sink back down to her bed.

But there was somebody already sitting on it.

Korra reeled back with a shriek, stumbling over her nightstand and landing gracelessly on her butt. The deep laugh resounded around the room, chilling her blood and making her heart leap all at the same time. A firm hand clasped hers, lifting her to her feet. She stared straight into Amon's mask. His golden eyes gleamed from the painted slits, sending a fire through her she hadn't felt since her release. But fear also pounded in her chest. Was he here as Amon… or Noatak?

"What," she gasped, jerking back from him. His grip on her wrist did not break. "Are you doing here?"

"I came to see you," he said simply.

"And so you snuck into my room and waited on my bed like some creepy stalker, with nobody here?"

He chuckled. "Precisely. I had to wait until the island cleared if I wanted a chance to talk with you."

Korra tried to fight the way her heart was reacting to him, but found she couldn't. "What do you want?" she demanded, trying to keep her voice from trembling.

But before she could pull away, he slid his mask a few inches up his face and yanked her forward, covering her mouth with his own. Korra gasped, struggling in his grip, but he was unyielding. Her fists, pressed up against his chest, turned flat-palm, clutching his shirt. Cursing herself for her weakness, she kissed him back, pouring into him all the uncertainty and confusion and passion she'd felt in the last seven days. His arms slid behind her waist, pressing her into him with so much force she lost her breath. His kiss was wild, like a starving man, and Korra found herself losing touch with reality, lost in the heat. Finally, he drew back, without releasing her, and looked down at her with smoldering golden eyes.

"Does that answer your question?" His low, husky voice sent a thrill through her.

Korra couldn't speak. She just swallowed once, shaking from head to foot. Then she lunged upward, fisting her hands in the back of his hood, and kissed him with all her might. His mouth parted her lips, sending a blazing warmth through her she never thought herself capable of feeling. His hands slid down through her hair, the fingers raking her scalp, the thumbs tracing along the line of her jaw. Korra felt herself melting into him, hardly aware of herself anymore, only aware of his heartbeat against hers, their breaths in perfect synchronization, the blazing fire threatening to consume her.

"Oh, sweet merciful spirits!"

The two of them broke apart abruptly. Korra turned to see Bolin standing, jaw dropped, in the doorway. The bottom dropped out of her stomach.

"Ko…" he gasped. "Korra?"

Without a second's hesitation, Amon cut the distance between them and flashed out his arm. Bolin dropped with a soft cry. Korra screamed. Amon turned and clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Calm down," he snapped. "I only tapped a chi point. He'll be up in an hour."

Once he released her, Korra dove to her knees, pulling Bolin's head up into her lap. His face looked blissfully slack, unaware of anything in the world. She looked up and glared at Amon. "You didn't have to do that!"

He looked down at her with narrowed eyes. "And what would you have done, Avatar? Stood there and tried to explain why he found you locked in a romantic embrace with your greatest enemy?"

Korra growled, shifting Bolin's form beneath her arms. "Fine," she grunted. "Well, help me with him."

Sighing, Amon brushed her aside and scooped up Bolin's floppy deadweight like a sack of flour. He glanced at her. "Where do you want him?"

"Um." Korra looked around, suddenly frantic. She moved out the door, beckoning him to follow her. "The guest room's just down here. We'll stick him on that bed." She glanced back at him. "You said he'll be up in an hour?"

"Give or take."

Korra led him into the spare room, and motioned to the bunk. Amon stooped and lowered the earthbender's heavy form onto the mattress none too gently. Korra moved forward, straightening the blankets over him, tucking two pillows under his head. Bolin looked so helpless and childlike laying there, she felt another pang of guilt.

"What do you propose to do with him now?" Amon demanded. At Korra's blank look, he waved an exasperated hand. "He saw us, didn't he?"

Korra's face blanched. She looked down at Bolin's still form, her mind working as she struggled for a solution. Then, she had an idea. A crazy one albeit, but it would work. Ducking out of the room, she left Amon standing there with a fist on his hip, darting down the hall to the icebox. Rummaging through it, her groping hand closed around the little glass bottle. Pulling it up, she raced back down the hall, slipping back into the room. She leaned over Bolin, swallowing back her growing guilt, she unstopped the bottle, tipping it over his inert form. The liquid pattered over his tunic, soaking in. Korra dipped her fingers into the tip of the bottle, then reached out and swiped them across his lips and down his chin. They left a yellow-brown stain across his pale skin. Her guilt grew. But how was she supposed to know Bolin was still on the island? Tenzin had told her he'd gone with Mako and Asami to the city for the whole afternoon. With a frustrated sigh, Korra tucked the little bottle into his hand, closing fingers around it.

"Cactus Juice," Amon snorted. "You really think that'll work?"

"Hey," Korra snapped. "Bolin gets into it sometimes. He'll wake up, smelling like Naga's rear end, and nobody will believe him if he starts spouting off stories about us." Korra rolled her eyes to the ceiling, snaking a hand back through her hair. "I can't believe we got ourselves into this. This is stupid. He wasn't even supposed to be here. And neither were you." She turned to look at him, fighting the way her stomach quivered at the sight of those golden eyes. "What are we doing, Amon? You and I both know this isn't going to work out. We can't keep seeing each other. It's got… got to end."

She hated herself for the way her voice faltered at the end. She dropped her eyes to her boots, unwilling to look at him. For a long moment, the only sound in the room was Bolin's raspy breathing.

"You want it to end." Amon's voice was soft. "Do you deny the reaction you have to me? You can't lie to a bloodbender, Korra. I can feel your heart racing, even now."

Korra crossed her arms over her chest, as if to shield her heart from him. "I…" She swallowed. "I don't want it to. But we can't go on like this. We're enemies. If Tenzin or—or Mako—found out…" She shut her eyes, shuddering as she imagined their faces. "We just weren't meant to be, Noatak."

Something vulnerable and pained flashed behind his golden eyes at the sound of his birth name. He sighed, clasping both this hands behind his head as he looked at the floor. "So this is it, then. You wish to be enemies once more."

"I don't wish it. It's just… the way it's got to be."

"I understand." His voice took on that cool, hard edge it used to have. "I'm sorry I let this drag on for this long." Straightening, he let his arms fall to his sides, fixing her with a cold stare. "The next time we meet, Avatar, there shall be nothing there." Korra winced at the use of her title. So, they were back to that again. Amon must have mistaken her expression for something else, for he added, "You needn't worry. All memory of our time together will be erased the moment I step off this island. Until then…"

He stepped forward, curling and arm around her waist and pulling her to him. Korra shut her eyes against the sudden burning behind her lids as he lowered his mouth to take hers. The kiss was soft, slow, full of longing and pain. Korra clutched his tunic with trembling fists, aching for him to just hold her like this, to never let him go, though she knew she had to. When he pulled back, he straightened his mask, and walked past her without another word. Korra kept her eyes clenched shut, listening to the sound of his footsteps fading away.

After a few moments, the air temple was silent once more. Korra held her breath, trying to still the quaking inside of her. But it would not be stilled. Slowly, she let herself sink to her knees, burying her face in the mattress beside Bolin's lifeless arm. All the pain, confusion, anger and tumult inside her rose in a bitter, gut-wrenching sob. She finally let herself release the tears blocked up inside of her. They flowed out, dampening the sheets and burning in her eyes.

She sat like that for a long time, just crying into the bed. Then, with infinite slowness, she stood up, dried her eyes, and walked back out the door to her room.

"It never happened," she whispered to herself as she collapsed onto her bed. She let herself sink face down onto the pillow. She felt oddly still inside. Numb. Like stone.

It never happened.