A/N: I was thrilled when I got a review on this little fanfiction that keeps chugging up the space mountain. My little engine has on repeat: I hope someone is reading this, I hope someone is reading this... AND Then, a glorious review plus follow arrived in my email station. My little engine crossed that mountain with a glorious, happy puff-puff of Someone IS reading this, so thank you SoulessRobot. I kept my promise, and you are written into this chapter, hope you like the shout-out :)

Disclaimer: It may be a new year but I'm keeping with the same story. I have no ownership to Marvel's Guardian's of the Galaxy, Avatar the Last Airbender, Star Wars, and The Muppets.

The bar has the usual look of scum and a fresh coat of reprobate. The crunch of glass mingles with the general din and occasional brawl. In the corner on a small stage, a band plays a catchy tune with a non-threatening beep, bop, boop beat to it. The band members' bulbous bald heads and tiny black eyes rock back and forth with their instruments, swaying to their own beat unrelated to the actual time signature of the song. The musicians' clone-like appearance is complete with matching black turtlenecks. A bar on the far side is manned by a cuddly bear, wearing only a polka-dot tie, along with the drinks, he serves up jokes. While the bear may seem cute in a non-scary way, his jokes can really mess you up.

Sokka glances around and feels the comforts of his fellow miscreants. It's good to be home. He notices that Zuko is scowling more than usual. Sokka knows when a guy needs a drink. In fact, Zuko would benefit from several drinks. "Zuko, there is the bar over there."

Zuko scowls more intensely. "So."

Sokka wonders how much of the cyber mechanics have helped or hindered Zuko's logic processes. Sokka tries again with a more direct and clear approach. "So, why don't you get us some drinks. You should try the SoulessRobot. The reviews in Bounty Hunter Esquire gave it five nova stars; you will totally thank me for it."

Zuko glances suspiciously from Katara to Sokka. It doesn't look like they are plotting against him. Katara is more concerned about scanning the whole bar. Sokka seems either to be inspecting the female aliens in the bar or smirking about some private joke.

Both siblings make Zuko irritated. Both are not focusing on what's important. Zuko isn't here for some girlfriend expedition; he can't help looking at Katara when he thinks that. His unintentional reflex only makes him more irritated but this time with himself. No, Zuko is here on Nowhere for the prize that will win him his freedom from Thanos. It doesn't help that Zuko is also suspicious that Sokka is not-so-secretly teasing Zuko about the drinks from a bartender that is a naked bear, that has to be a health code violation in itself. Zuko demands. "Sokka, what is so funny?"

Sokka looks confused. He is even more sure that he needs to get Zuko to loosen up and fast if Sokka is going to get any fun accomplished, like with that group of girls in the far corner. "Oh, only the fact that I don't see Momo and Apa."

"That's not funny." Zuko narrows his eyes. "I don't believe you. It looked like it to me that you were checking out the females in the bar."

Sokka waggles his eyebrows. "Can't I do both, check out the available girls and look out for Momo and Apa?"

Zuko doesn't think that Sokka is capable of multi-tasking. "I'm not sure?" Zuko feels slightly confused so covers it up by demanding. "Besides, I don't see what is so funny about Momo and Apa not being here at..."

Sokka interrupts, "Yet, Momo and Apa aren't here, yet. Which means..." Slapping Zuko on the shoulder, Sokka states with seriousness. "You see Zuko since you started chasing us across the galaxy, we..." Sokka states clearly, "By we, I mean mainly me, I haven't had any serious downtime. It has been a fight, flee, fix, fight, flee, blah, blah, blah kind of week."

"I wasn't chasing you. I was chasing Katara." Zuko glances at Katara who narrows her eyes in one corner of the bar toward a spiky hair bounty hunter chewing on a straw. Zuko stares at the bounty hunter and already doesn't like the conceited guy lounging against a wall, casually talking to the most famous bounty hunter in a galaxy far far away, Boba Fett.

Sokka sighs with frustration and thinks that Zuko is more seriously boring than his sister, and Sokka honestly hadn't thought that could be possible. "It doesn't matter." Sokka smiles mischievously. "What does matter is that while we wait for Momo and Apa we have time to set our watches for...wait for it..."

Katara tosses over shoulder dryly. "Party time."

Sokka throws his arms up in the air. "Geez, Katara, I was trying to create suspense, aka a mood."

"I'm not in the mood for messing around long in this dump." Katara is trying to locate Momo and Apa, so they can blast off from Nowhere to Somewhere Else, which is in the next galaxy. She is anxious the more time they spend in this cabbage head, the more time they have to run into people that have scores to settle. It doesn't help that she has already seen someone that she wished she had never met before. She doesn't want to party; she wants to get out of here. "Sokka, you did radio Momo and Apa, didn't you?"

Sokka thinks a little party time might help his sister, too. "Of course I did, but you know how Momo and Apa are, they show up when they feel like it and right now they don't feel like showing up."

"Great, just great!" Katara is frustrated with the situation and especially her brother. She looks at him and knows that Sokka might have planned on purpose for Momo and Apa's delayed arrival. Everything has gone wrong with this job from the beginning, and things don't seem to be getting better as time goes on. "Sokka, I don't like this. Let's find someone else that will get us..."

Sokka interjects before Katara can do what she does well, clip a good time short with her practical intuition. "Listen you two, why don't you go get a SoulessRobot at the bar." Sokka realizes the group of girls dressed in military green suits are Khoshi warriors.

Katara could stand for a drink but doesn't want to admit that to her brother. "I don't want one."

Sokka gives a look to his sister that states: I know you, little sister, this is your big bro talkin'. "Are you sure?"

Katara did feel thirsty. "Well, maybe one drink, but I'm not going to go up there with that crowd." She indicates to Fozzie Bear who has slain two rather burly bounty hunters with his latest joke. "There isn't enough cactus juice in the galaxy that can make me forget Fozzi's last jokes which I can still remember two-hectare clips ago."

Zuko perks up. This might be his chance to show his usefulness to Katara personally. "I could go up there."

Sokka sometimes can't believe how easy it is to play people. "There is a good idea, buddy."

I'm not your buddy." Zuko growls. He says with a gentler gruff. "Katara, do you want a drink?"

Katara is rather surprised by Zuko's almost pleasant demeanor rather than his typical moody and sullen one. "Yes, that would be nice."

Zuko nods, looking very pleased. He strides purposely over to the bar and Fozzie Bear.

Katara waits until Zuko is out of earshot. "Sokka, we've got a problem."

"I know, Zuko is a bigger party pooper than you."

Katara ignores that slight. "I'm talking about the item, that's our current problem. Where did you put it?" Since she got out her major concern, she clarifies. "I'm not a party pooper."

"Yeah, about that, we don't have it." Sokka shrugs. He really didn't want to have this conversation with his sister, when what he really, really wants is to go check out that group of Khoshi warriors. "And yes, you are a party pooper."

Katara's current list of pressing problems have rearranged into a state of absolute horror. "What are you talking about, what was all that on the ship?"

"Oh, that was a bounty hunter to bounty hunter courtesy." Sokka shrugs. "First, Zuko won't leave. And I mean, if he wouldn't dump us when he could have on Admiral Zhou's ship, we are never going to get rid of him. And so I knew that I couldn't leave the item on the ship with Zuko, and I knew that Zhou would search our ship, so I hid it at the safest place that I could find."

Katara slumps shoulders with relief. "You scared me, now where is the item?" When Sokka didn't respond, Katara's fear closes around her. "Sokka, please tell me you know where the item is." Folding her hands in prayer, Katara chants silently to the spirits.

"I never said I didn't know where it was; I said that we don't have it."

Katara pushes down her exasperation and says as sweetly as possible. "Then, dear brother, please tell me where it is."

Sokka answers distractingly. "It is on the transport ship that is heading to Boiling Rock." Sokka waves at the group of girls, who turn their white faces with red and black makeup appreciatively in Sokka's direction.

"What?!" Katara laughs and then realizes her brother's penchant for practical jokes. She playfully punches Sokka in the arm. "Ha, Ha, Sokka, you got me good."

Sokka beckons to the girls, and they mime they are staying right where they are, but that Sokka could join them. He wants to get Zuko's attention to add some more drinks to the order. Sokka waves his hand at Zuko, who is standing with his arms folded stubbornly in front of him, glaring at Fozzie Bear. Sokka mutters out loud. "What is Zuko doing? I need him to tack on some drinks for that gaggle of Khoshi warrior girls, and he is completely ignoring me."

Katara moves in front of his brother to block his distraction. "Sokka, you are joking right, about the item, please tell me you're joking?"

"Katara, I wouldn't joke about that." Sokka shakes his head in frustration that Zuko is still ignoring Sokka's obvious waving. "I'm going to have to go over there and get the drinks ordered. Zuko is not a good wingman."

Katara cries, "Why Sokka, why would you do something that is so, so, so..." She honestly can't think of a word that would describe the epic idiocy of sending the item to Boiling Rock.

"Listen, when you don't have a lot of options, you choose the best one out of the bad ones." Sokka shrugs, "Besides, Momo and Apa love to break into things so it won't be that much of a problem."

Katara sputters, "But what about breaking out of Boiling Rocke?"

"Katara, I can only handle so many problems at once." Sokka places his hands on Katara shoulders and speaks reassuringly to her, staring into her worried blue eyes. "Don't worry, I've got it handled." Katara nods, not knowing what else she can do. Sokka drops his hands and heads to the bar.

Katara sits down in a seat that is empty next to her. She calls out. "Don't forget about my drink; I need it!"

Sokka walks over and throws his arm around Zuko's stoic shoulders. "Buddy, what's happen'?"

"Will you stop calling me, buddy." Zuko glances at Katara who looks rather sullen. Sokka notices Zuko's look and indicates. "Katara is fine. She is just bummed out about some news. You know how women can get, all girlie about details."

Zuko mumbles gruffly but half-heartedly, too. "That's why I don't have a girlfriend."

"It shows." Sokka catches a girl approaching the bar with two long braids. She looks very familiar. He can't place her. "Speaking of girls, I've got one or two or three that I need to talk to, so where are we on that drink order?"

Zuko hates to admit his failure, but he hadn't been able to persuade Fozzie to pour drinks without a joke. "I can't get the drinks, alright."

Sokka is wondering how Zuko has made it this far in the cut-throat world of bounty hunting without knowing a few tricks of the trade. "Did you tell Fozzie a joke? He won't sell to newbies without knowing if you have a sense of humor or not."

Zuko looks even more sullen. "I don't know any jokes."

Sokka shakes his head, not exactly surprised by Zuko's information. He calls out to the Bear who is talking to a purple, hooked nosed weirdo. "Fozzi, give my friend and me eight SoulessRobots, put it on my tab."

"Wokka, Wokka, Sokka!" The giant brown bear with a curious pink polka dot tie. Before pouring the drinks, he slaps an arrow on top of his head, making it look like the arrow went through his head. He quickly slides four drinks, one after the other down the bar so Zuko has to run and catch them. Fozzie hands Sokka his four drinks while saying, "Hey Buddy, old pal, I used that chicken joke you told me, the chicks really went for it."

Sokka threw back his head and guffaws. "Good one, Fozzie."

Zuko manages to catch the sliding drinks before they fall onto the floor. Taking the drinks, Zuko heads over to Katara, while Sokka maneuvers over toward the Khoshi warriors. Just as Zuko is ready to sit down next to Katara, a spiky-haired guy with a piece of straw lifts two drinks out of Zuko's hands. Jett downs one and slaps the other one on the table in front of Katara, sliding into the seat across from Katara.

Katara barely looks up, "Jett, not in the mood."

"Katara, in all the gin-soaked outer rim joints, you came into this one." Jett pushes the drink toward Katara. "Come on, for all times sake, share a drink with me, we use to be very good friends."

"We weren't friends!" Katara says quickly, looking up at very angry Zuko. Katara is thirsty and rather angry with herself that she fell for Jett in the first place, so she can understand Zuko's expression. Katara can't believe she was ever swayed by Jett's obvious dubious charms. She takes the drink and swallows it quickly, the buttery rum aftertaste makes it very palpable. "Jett, you betrayed me, stealing that job right out from under me."

"Hey, bounty hunters code, thought you knew that being a part of Toph's crew." Jett holds out his hands and says charmingly. "We seemed pretty friendly when we were in that treehouse on Endor."

Katara speaks sharply, blushing and avoiding looking back up at Zuko. "Jett, exactly, what do you want?"

"Me, just visiting good friends." Jett takes the straw out of his mouth. "But word is out that you might have something in your hands that could cause a bidding war."

"As I said before, we're not friends." Katara narrows her eyes. She can say this truthfully. "Besides, we don't know anything or know anything about anything, so there."

"You must know something to not know anything." Jeff puts the straw back in his mouth and leans back in his chair.

Katara feels herself melting, that was the same pose that Jett seduced her in before. She must remain focused. "Jett, blast off, will you."

Zuko takes both drinks in quick succession and slams the empty glasses on the table. "You heard the lady, blast off!"

Jett leans forward and points his thumb at Zuko. "Katara, I thought you had taste, don't tell me this flyboy is your new boyfriend."

Zuko sputters while blushing. "I'm not Katara's boyfriend."

"Don't sound so horrified or anything." Katara gripes, folding her arms.

Zuko panics. "I didn't mean it like that."

Jett smiles. "Katara that means your free. I'm between girlfriends, too, wide open to possibilities."

Zuko narrowed his eyes. He really doesn't like this guy at all. "but Katara and I are together."

Katara glances up surprised. "We're together?"

Jeff moves the straw around his mouth and says shrewdly. "It doesn't sound like the lady is so sure about your relationship status, and I thought you said that you weren't her boyfriend."

"That's because we don't need twenty-first-century relationship labels. We know what we mean to each other." Zuko leans toward Jett. "Is that clear enough?" Holding out his hand to Katara, he says intently. "Right Katara."

Katara slaps her hand into Zuko's. "That's right!"

There hands touch and the music suddenly comes on with a roving spotlight on a wide open dance floor. Zuko spins Katara to him. The music is a familiar tune that has a twentieth-century seventies beat, similar to "Stayin' Alive." Zuko and Katara perform steps that are in sync, perfect rhythm to the music. Other couples follow their immaculate choreography. All the couples on the dance floor move to a routine that matches beat for beat; everyone is going with the dancing flow but also surprised by their motions and how well they compliment each other. Zuko and Katara turn and spin, while the other couples dance around, creating a uniform accompaniment. Sokka and the Kyoshi warriors join the other dancers, too. Each girl uses her fan while dancing, circling around Sokka.

Sokka shouts, "I told you would thank me for the SoulessRobot!" .

Katara shrugs and goes with the in-step dancing. She asks Zuko coyly, "So, are we dating now?"

Zuko spins Katara out and then back again, dipping her and pulling her upright, inches from his face. "Perhaps?"

Katara stares at him. "I know you have an inflated ego, but you don't have to lie to me."

Zuko lifts Katara up and lets her slide down his body. "My ego is no bigger than yours."

Katara lowers down into the splits and then Zuko yanks Katara next to him as the music crescendos to a stop. Katara answers breathlessly. "My ego is backed by honest hard work."

Zuko stares at Katara's red lips. He replies gruffly. "I would say we have more things in common than you think." Katara closes her eyes, waiting for Zuko's kiss.

Sokka yells excitedly. "Suki!"

One of the identical girls says irritatingly, "It took you long enough."

"It's been a while, and you all kind of look alike." Sokka tries to defends himself, which doesn't help him at all.

Katara is distracted and glances away, startled with herself she had wanted Zuko to kiss her.

The woman in the green and white face with red-rimmed eyes flutters her fan and then whips around and kicks Sokka in the gut. "I forgot to tell you to thank you for blowing my cover and getting me fired."

At that moment Momo and Apa stroll into the bar, Sokka flying into both of them.

Momo's eyes glow, and he bellows. "Fight!"

A/N: Apa and Momo are HERE! It only took me 16 chapters, honestly, longer than I thought to get to them, but I hope worth the wait. Hey potential reviewers, leave me a happy little gift, and you might see your username in the next chapter. As Fozzie Bear says: Wokka Wokka!