Jia's room was quiet enough to hear a pin drop when they returned. Sokka knew he had to think quickly. If Azula was telling the truth, and Jia's dad was going to take Aang away to be sold, that meant they had to get him back before he left the house.

"Right," he said, turning to his friends. Zuko's betrayal hung like a cloud over them but there was no time to dwell on that now. He paced across the rug, trying to clear his head. "We need to come up with a plan, right now, if we're going to get Aang back before it's too late."

Toph tapped her hand against her hip as she thought, the wood clattering loudly in the silent room. Between the two of them, Katara was uncharacteristically still. Sokka wanted to comfort her, but he knew any attempt right now would only set her on edge even more. They deliberated in silence.

Finally, Katara spoke up, her strained voice barely containing her distress. "He's probably at the front of the house. There's a shelf opposite the shoe rack. Jia and her mom leave me there sometimes when they're about to take me out."

Sokka caught her eye and they both swallowed. Jia's room was right at the back of the house, leading out to the garden. If they wanted to get to Aang, they would have to go through the living room and past the kitchen, both of which were normally in use at this time of day. And that's if Aang was even there in the first place. If Katara's hunch was wrong – if he was literally with Li - then they were plainly out of luck.

Toph looked up suddenly. "I can get my ants to check if–"

Before she could finish, Zuko burst into the room, eyes wide and demeanour dishevelled. He panted, his eyes flitting between the small group of toys gathered on the rug. "I just saw Li come back to the study to get his car keys." He looked at them gravely. "He had the bag – Aang – right in his hand."

Katara stood with a start. Sokka clenched his fists with renewed determination. That meant they had even less time than they thought, but there was a silver lining to this reveal – it would be easier to get to the car without being seen. "The back door is locked," he said, looking at Zuko. "We've gotta find a way to get outside and get to the car."

"My whip!" Katara interjected. "We can leave through the window if we use it to climb down on the other side."

The toys wasted no time, all hoisting themselves up Jia's dresser, one after another. The other side of the window proved to be an easier task; all they had to do was hold onto the whip and slide down to the paved garden path below. Sokka followed Katara down easily, though Toph, with her fingerless hands, had a little more trouble. Zuko did it all expertly. Sokka wondered how he'd learnt to do that. Not exactly the kind of skill you would expect a pampered prince to have.

In their rush to save Aang, no one – Katara, to be specific – seemed to question that Zuko too was coming along. Sokka was wary, but he knew a good ally when he saw one. Those swords on their own were more than likely to be helpful. He would just keep an eye on Zuko, that was all. One shady move and he would be out. He glared at Zuko when he caught his eye as they scuttled along the side of the house, to make sure he got the message.

Sokka caught up to Katara and the two of them turned the corner to the front yard just in time to see Li throw the bag in the trunk of the car. He closed it with a loud slam and marched to the driver's seat. "Quickly!" Katara shouted. The toys ran across the front of the house and leapt up to the trunk, clambering for purchase against the steely surface of the car. They began heaving up the lid but to no avail.

"It won't work! It's already locked!" Toph said.

Zuko, who had fallen back as they approached the grimy back of the car, hoisted himself up on to the bumper hesitantly. "Let me try."

Sokka let go of the handle, and reluctantly, Katara did too. Zuko drew out his swords and the other toys watched with curiosity as he used the fine point of one sword to pick the lock of the trunk. Sokka pleaded silently for it to work. The lock rattled promisingly, but it didn't give.

"We're running out of time," Katara said with a strangled huff.

"I'm trying!" Zuko said, refocusing his efforts. But he was getting shakier.

Sokka hopped down and looked around for another way in – but the car doors were closed. No sooner had he finished circling the car did the engine roar to life, giving the toys only seconds to make the choice to stay or go.

To remain at home or to rescue Aang.

Sokka rushed back to the trunk. Toph was covering her ears with her hands at the onslaught of sound from the engine revving, but she didn't move. Zuko was still picking the lock, getting more distraught by the second.

"Sokka!" Katara said, crouching, "Grab my hand." Sokka leapt again. The adrenaline wasn't enough this time but Katara caught him, swinging him over the bumper. They all held on for life as the car swerved out of the driveway and out onto the road.

Li sped through the road, rushing past rows of grey houses, past the orange afternoon sunlight peeking above them, until it turned into small road filled with shops. It wasn't busy, however, unlike the shopping streets they caught glimpses of on the television sometimes. Sokka's curiosity was piqued as he had never even seen a main street as jumbled-looking as this one, but it was hard to feel excited, given the reason they were here. The toys were silent throughout the ride.

Eventually, the car came to a screeching halt outside a ramshackle storefront and Li got out. The toys hid under the car while Li retrieved the bag, and then followed him as discreetly as possible, scurrying into the shop before the door swung closed. A bell dinged from somewhere inside as they entered. Sokka surveyed the shop quickly: there were rows upon rows of shelves packed with colourful toys, hanging lights, lanterns and decorations. Boxes stacked precariously high from the floor gave the shop a cluttered and cramped air, despite the fact that it was probably five times the size of Jia's room. His eyes fell on the corner nearest to the door which housed a selection of swords and a few other stick-shaped gadgets Sokka wasn't familiar with. Reminding himself not to get distracted, he ushered Toph and Katara behind a large dollhouse. When he looked for Zuko, he saw the prince had already snuck all the way to the counter and was leaning against it mere inches from Li's legs as he talked to the shopowner.

Sokka had no idea how he managed to get over there so quickly and silently. Show off.

They watched as the owner inspected Aang, his eyes hovering curiously over the toy. Sokka had laughed his head off when he saw the gloomy, serious expression Aang had in that commercial, but seeing it frozen on the kid's face now didn't seem so funny. After what felt like hours, the man set Aang down, nodding. He fetched a wad of cash from behind the counter and handed it to Li who took it happily ad strode out. As Li left the shop, Sokka turned to his friends. They wore identical expressions of worry. Katara's eyes were heartbreakingly wide. Sokka put his hand on her shoulder as she turned and watched the car gear up and leave through the window. He couldn't help the frown that turned his face as his sister slumped against him. Jia's favourite, lost again.

But they were all still here. No, they weren't lost at all. They just weren't going anywhere until they had Aang. They'd worry about getting home later. Sokka caught Katara's eye and they nodded resolutely to each other.

"We should split up," Sokka announced once Zuko caught up to them.

Zuko nodded. "Someone needs to distract that guy so we can get Aang-"

Katara was glaring right at him. "If you think we're going to let you go up there to Aang–"

"I– it wasn't– I wasn't trying to sell him!" Zuko yelled, exasperated.

She crossed her arms. "Why are you even here? To cause more trouble?"

"You're not listening to me, Katara! I didn't––"

Sokka tuned them out. He had noticed that the shopowner had picked up the phone, and he was talking animatedly to whoever was on the other end. "Cut it out, you two!" He pointed towards the counter.

"Yes, yes," the owner said into the telephone, casually flipping Aang over with his free hand. "Well, I can't fix it, the batteries are fine. Seems like an issue with the circuit. No, I don't have the parts." He flipped the switch on Aang's back to on and off and on again. "Tell you what, I'll send it off to the warehouse when I finish up today," – he checked his watch – "in about, uh, half an hour. I'm expecting a hefty price for this one if we can get the lights working... Yep, original."

Zuko and Katara were both gaping in horror. Sokka swallowed. Half an hour?

"No, no, no," Toph was muttering. They watched the owner put the phone down, pick up Aang, and lock him away on a high shelf inside the cabinet behind the counter before dropping the key in his pocket.

Katara whispered firmly, "Sokka, you and Toph distract him somehow. I'm going to go up there and get Aang." She flipped her braid behind her and squared her shoulders, her hand on the handle of her water whip.

"I'm coming with you," Zuko said quickly. "I can unlock the cabinet."

Katara narrowed her eyes. "Because you managed that so well last time." But she relented when Toph and Sokka both turned pleadingly to her. It was their only option right now. "Fine," she conceded, "but you stick with me and do what I tell you to."

Zuko looked like he wanted to argue, but he thought better of it and simply stiffened his posture and nodded.

"I'm gonna go knock over some porcelain," Toph said simply. "I saw some on show by the entrance." When Sokka and the others turned to her in disbelief, she added, "just a teacup or something! Jeez." And she marched off.

Moments later, they heard the expected crash in one of the aisles. The shop owner looked up, startled, and then puttered away towards the source of the noise with a broom. Sokka nodded to the others. "That should give you guys a few minutes." There were a lot of items in this place so he hoped it wouldn't be too hard to keep the owner distracted, but what worried him was Katara and Zuko – if they would be able to work together on such a time-sensitive task without arguing. But neither had objected, and Sokka was coming to realise that Zuko was just as determined as his sister, and fast, too. They had a chance.

Zuko scaled the cabinet in silence. The moment the others had left, Katara had turned without a word towards the counter. She still didn't believe he was really here to help, which made Zuko want to tear his hair out a little. As they drew closer to Aang's shelf, he was half convinced she was going to draw in her whip before he had finished climbing, and watch him fall to pieces.

She did stand back and let him unpick the lock, however, clinging to the handle to give Zuko way. He got to work straight away, his head bursting with a thousand thoughts.

Even if he didn't know what Azula had really been planning, and even though it felt like Katara wasn't being fair to him given all that happened, Zuko was still wracked with guilt. If it wasn't for him, Aang wouldn't have gone to the study and Azula wouldn't have figured out he was an Avatar. There was no denying that he was the reason Aang had been kidnapped.

It was like everything that happened after he decided to leave the dollhouse was just one disaster after another.

Maybe he should have stayed.

A loud click from inside the lock jolted him out of his thoughts. Zuko's heart rose as he completed the turn with the point of his sword and the cabinet door swung open. He rushed in behind Katara, but he knew immediately as he stepped inside that something was wrong. Aang didn't come up to meet them, like Zuko expected he would.

"No," Katara whispered, leaning down. Zuko's stomach sank as his eyes fell on what she was looking at: Aang was lying on his face. His batteries were gone, and the battery compartment which took up most of his back was unscrewed. Several coloured wires were hanging out. Aang was as still as a toy resting in a human's hand.

Zuko clenched his fists and cursed this whole, horrible situation. Even if they did manage to wake him up in time, if Aang stood up now, all that would happen would be that anything else loose in the wiring would fall out. It was too much of a risk to take him anywhere like this.

For a long moment, Katara only stared down at the unconscious Aang. Zuko saw her form tremble ever so slightly, and then she turned back to look at Zuko. She picked up the screws that were in a small pile next to Aang's body and brought them to Zuko. Her eyes were wide and expectant in a way that seized Zuko's heart, and Zuko knew what he had to do. He took the screws from her. The two of them worked silently, Zuko putting the screws into each corner of Aang's backplate one by one, while Katara carefully tucked the wires inside. Aang would probably lose some – more – functionality as a toy, but this was the best they could do.

When everything was perfectly tidied, Zuko placed the tip of his sword into the nearest screw and began to twist. It was finicky and much smaller than any lock he might pick, but the screw turned all the same. Katara watched him intently, and he really wished she would stop, he was nervous enough as it was.

He was just about to tell her as much when Katara's head jerked towards the direction of the aisles. The shopowner's voice could be heard, humming absently as he approached. He had probably finished sweeping up Toph's distraction by now. The sword in Zuko's hands shook. Katara stood up and began pacing, looking like she was a second away from tearing her hair out.

Zuko squeezed his eyes shut and the sword dropped to the ground with a clatter. There was no way they were going to get Aang out in time like this.

"Right. What can we do next?" Sokka whispered next to Toph.

The two of them were peering out from behind a castle tower, in one corner of an entire display shelf full of buildings and contraptions all constructed out of toy bricks. Though Toph was wary at first of being so far from the ground, the complex structures provided the perfect hiding spot due to their busy outlines. Sokka said it would be the best place to watch the owner from and monitor his whereabouts – they could climb swiftly from one structure to another, all the way to the topmost shelf, from which almost the entire shop could be surveyed. And since it was situated near the front of the shop, just behind the counter, it would be easy to tell if the owner was approaching where Aang was being kept.

"We could break one of these," Toph said, slapping the wall she was leaning against. It didn't budge at all; the bricks where interlocked perfectly. It was crazy how far toys had come since her time.

Sokka frowned. "No," he said slowly. "It's too close to the cabinet. What if he sees them? We can't risk it."

"Well, genius, you're the one who wanted to be stationed close by–"

"I know, I know." He grimaced, "And I'm starting to see why that wasn't such a good idea, but I have another plan. There's a boomerang in the next aisle."

Toph would have groaned if they weren't supposed to be keeping quiet. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Sokka pointedly ignored this question. "Keep an eye out," he said. "I'll be right back."

" Really? "

"Oh, you know what I meant."

Toph listened to Sokka's footsteps padding down to the bottom shelf, before quickening towards what she presumed was the boomerang aisle. Or whatever category boomerangs belonged to. She was sure there wasn't a whole aisle dedicated to them. Kids had more sense than that, surely.

When a minute had passed, Toph thought she heard a low, muted grumble from the owner as he approached the front of the shop. It was followed by the sound of a door opening a few yards from her, and she was sure he was stacking away the broom. Toph listened carefully.

When another minute passed, and Sokka still hadn't returned, she began to worry. The door swung open again and the owner's footsteps were louder, heading straight for the counter this time.

"Sokka," Toph hissed. She concentrated hard, but it was difficult to tell where anything was from up here. Normally with a few taps of her feet, she would be able to sense through the floor pretty well, but for all their sturdiness, these bricks weren't anything like continuous ground. Her foot only stomped out a thin, short vibration, and all she could rely on was her hearing. "Sokka, where are you?"

The steps became louder.

She was half a second from toppling over one of these towers when a thunderous crash, probably five or even six aisles down, stopped her. The owner rushed away towards the sound with a yell, his footsteps thundering away in the opposite direction. Toph whistled a sigh of relief.

"Yes!" That was Sokka. He was panting, but his voice beamed as he leapt up the shelf of bricks and clambered up into the castle again. "I told you guys, didn't I?" he said, once he had settled down again, "practice does make perfect."

"You did that? That was all the way to the back of the shop! What did you knock down?" Toph punched his arm triumphantly. This might have been the most impressive thing she had seen in years. And she wasn't easily impressed.

Sokka stood up again, presumably to peer into the distance. "A huge mirror!" he said gleefully. That'll take a long time to clear up." He squeezed Toph meaningfully on the shoulder, "And that means," he said carefully, " no porcelain figurines have been hurt in the process."

Toph shrugged. "It was a teacup," she insisted.

Katara could swear she felt even the cabinet under her feet shake.

"It's not going to work," Zuko said finally, standing up. "Doesn't matter how long the owner is occupied if we're still only on the first screw."

They should have tried something else, then; he should have said it earlier. Katara swallowed back her retort. She shook her head to clear it. Think.

This was no time to be getting angry. The distraction Sokka had created – her heart leapt for joy when she saw the boomerang flying across the room – gave them ample time. But Zuko was right, that would be worth nothing if they couldn't find a way to get Aang down in one piece. Katara looked around the cabinet frantically for what felt like the hundredth time. It wouldn't be possible to put him in a box or any sort of container, because climbing down the water whip was the only way to reach the ground safely from here. They could tie the whip around his torso, temporarily, to hold all the pieces together. But then how would they get down–?

She stopped in her tracks. It was still possible to tie him together. If Katara could use a scrap of her clothing, or something similar, then the whip would still be free. She ran over to Zuko, who was still hopelessly trying to work the screws. "Zuko," she panted. "I have an idea."

When he turned to her, she was taken aback by the desperation in his eyes. "We can bandage the pieces together so Aang'll be able to get up."

Zuko nodded. He was already yanking away the useless screw.

Katara knelt down and brushed her hands over her lap, feeling her clothing for any kind of way in – a snag, a catch, anything she could use to tear the fabric. She noticed that Zuko was staring at her with a puzzled expression on his face. "I'll tear off strips from my tunic," she explained, "we can tie them together to secure his back."

Zuko looked from her and back to Aang unconscious on the ground, several times. His brows were drawn seriously, inspecting them both. "No– don't. Stop."

Katara released the hem of the tunic in confusion.

Zuko pressed on, "We can't use that. The fabric isn't good enough."

Katara was gobsmacked. "What?"

"Realistically, it won't tear right. Just look at how torn it is already—"

Katara rose to her feet. Really? He was going to bring that up? At a time like this? "Zuko, I swear-"

He held his hands up. "I like your idea!"

"So?"

He advanced on her, his eyes blazing with determination. "Use mine instead." And with that, he wrenched away the front of his outer robe. Katara heard the pop as the threads pinning each layer of silky fabric to the next tore, and then Zuko was right in front of her, holding out his sword for Katara to take.

Katara stared. Oh.

That's what he had meant.

"Here," Zuko said. He glanced back at Aang against, the sword dangling insistently in his hand. Katara couldn't tear her eyes away from the destruction of his expensive robes, a sight so jarring that for a moment, she forgot to move. "It's too strong to tear. The sleeves are attached to me so you'll have to do with cutting it like this."

Yet Zuko couldn't seem to care less.

"Yes," Katara said slowly. Then she unfroze, closed her gaping mouth, and took the blade from his hands.

When Aang awoke his mind was hazy and clouded. It took him a few moments to realise he was in a toy store. The memory came crashing back – he had been brought here by Jia's dad, after they visited his study, after Azula trapped him.

Azula – and Zuko. Aang found he couldn't move, and when he tried, a loud rattle from deep inside his battery port told him clearly that he shouldn't attempt it again. He tried to lift his head and look around. The last thing he remembered was the ravenous eyes of the shopkeeper as he inspected Aang thoroughly.

His only thought now was how he would get back to his friends.

He couldn't become a shelf toy again. No. It didn't matter or not if he was an Avatar, if he was as precious as that commercial said. He had a life now – real friends, and a pretty amazing kid for an owner; a home.

He raised his head to peer out of the glass he was lying next to, and realised he was high up in the air. Something tugged on his arm when he attempted to move it – a familiar-looking silvery rope, the remainder of which was thrown over the edge of the cabinet.

The water whip. Katara. She was here.

He twisted his head gingerly to see if he could figure out what was going on in the cabinet, only to meet Katara's eyes across the spacious shelf. Her face dark with worry but her eyes widened with relief as they met Aang's. He cracked a smile.

"Aang! You're awake!" She rushed towards him. "Wait– don't move. We're just figuring out how to get you down. You're not all screwed together." He nodded the best he could; he was holding still but he couldn't bring himself to be worried about his state, not when Katara was right here. Besides that alarming rattle, he felt pretty sturdy, too; he glanced down his torso to see expertly knotted strips of burgundy cloth binding him together.

If she was in the shop too, it meant there was a way to get back. It meant he wasn't going to be left here alone. "We?" he said sluggishly.

Katara quickly glanced down before looking at Aang again. "Zuko's here."

"Zuko–" Aang began, a flare of panic in his chest. And then, "Zuko? I thought–"

Katara's brows furrowed, confusion and care fighting in her expression. "He came to rescue you too, Aang," she said finally. "He's our friend. He saved you."

As if on cue, Zuko trudged into his line of sight. He looked more like a scavenger than a prince. His outfit was all torn up, the shredded remains of his once-rich robes hanging limply from the stitching near his shoulders. Only one sword was in its usual place at his belt; the other, Aang noticed belatedly, was hanging in Katara's loose grip.

What was going on? "What–" Aang began, raising his head with puzzlement, but something clattered hard inside his back, the sound reverberating loud enough to make him dizzy. He fell back, his head ringing.

Katara looked alarmed. "Stay still! Oh, Aang. Like I said, we're deciding how to get down. Zuko will go first, and then I'll send you down so he can catch you. I'll go last to make sure nothing goes wrong on this end."

Aang nodded hazily; her words had begun to swim. Still, he knew he would be okay in Katara's hands, and doubly so if Zuko was here too. The last thing he thought before his vision went black again was just how lucky he was to have friends like these.