So, it's been a while. Sorry about that. I've been fighting with myself to finish this chapter, as it's fairly crucial to the rest of the story, but I couldn't come up with a good way to connect anything. I've also realized that I focus FAR too much on physical details (especially eye contact/expressions) when I write, so I'm trying to branch out a bit.

Please note that this was written before Season 3 or 4 of Legend of Korra, so there are going to be some inconsistencies. I tried to smooth a few out (such as adding in that Bolin and Opal dated, the wonderful storyline with the Red Lotus, etc) but some of them are just going to have to end there.

I know that Mako was promoted to Detective in season 2, but for the sake of this story, I'm pushing it back because for one, I wanted to demonstrate how HARD he had to work for it, and two because I started the story when Season 2 was just a baby and he was still saying things like "Good thing the police were here". I was pretty much completely disappointed with Season 4, so I'm mostly ignoring that it happened. I LOVED season 3, however, so...

If all goes well, there should be a few more (and better) chapters of this and my other stories coming up sometime soon.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

During the eleven years that Mako had been on the force under Chief Beifong's direct supervision, much had changed. He started when he was eighteen and just two weeks ago he'd passed his twenty-ninth birthday. He'd seen officers come and go, some having left for better opportunities, others passed in the line of duty. While he'd played his part in more arrests than he could count, raided drug dens and criminal hideouts, and pulled hostages from the line of fire, he'd had days where stuck in the office. Some days, he was questioning a lead or comforting a witness. Other days, he found himself imprisoned at his desk by mountains of neglected-and-much-hated paperwork with little want to complete the daunting task and a habit of letting his mind wander instead.

Unfortunately, this was a day when he felt like a prisoner to his desk—and as usual, Chief Beifong was not a kind warden. Thankfully, this was also one of those not-so-uncommon days when she was otherwise occupied and her door acted as a barrier to the almost empty precinct. Leaving Mako with ample time to catch up on any paperwork—or napping, daydreaming, reminiscing, slacking off—that he found the time for without his co-worker's poking their noses in on him.

And considering the papers on his desk must have weighed more than a small komodo rhino, he wasn't in any rush to get to them. So wander his mind did.

Eleven years ago, they had been in the midst of a Equalist rebellion. Within the span of a few months he got in deep with a shady dealer, met the Avatar, became part of an unstoppable and renowned probending team, and met the beautiful but troubled heiress, Asami Sato. From there, things began to escalade quickly. He dated Asami, he kissed Korra, he broke Bolin's heart. He became involved with the efforts to bring down the tyrannical Amon, met one of the highest ranking Generals in the United Forces and the sooner-in-the-future-than-they-realized-at-the-time future Fire Lord. He broke Asami's heart, broke Korra's heart, and had his own head tossed around by the two girls for months (though, now that he wasn't so clouded, he recognized that it was entirely his own fault).

Then he betrayed Korra. He pushed aside the voice in his head that told him to stay loyal to her and her cause (because after all, she was the Avatar—but she was Korra, and Korra didn't always think things through). So when he broke up with her, Asami stuck her foot back in the door and when news of Korra's assumed death reached them, Bolin was too grief stricken for Mako to do anything but try to save his brother from himself.

They won the war against the North. He knew they would; the United Forces weren't considered the strongest military in the world for no reason, and with Korra unleashing unimaginable spiritual energy, it was inevitable. After that, things began to turn around. Of course, there were still bumps and snags, such as fighting for Korra's life against the Red Lotus, Bolin and Opal falling in love and then breaking up, and Asami discovering that he'd been cheating on her (again) and calling their relationship quits for good that time (she and General Iroh got together not long after, so he supposed that worked out essentially well), but they all made it through intact and closer than ever.

Asami and Iroh married and Bolin and Korra finally got together. For the first time in his life, he was the only single one in his immediate group of friends, and it was a role he was ill-equipped to handle. When Iroh became Fire Lord, Mako's world was suddenly rocked by a striking and unnerving girl who was a decade younger than him (and therefore off limits) and also the Fire Lord's sister (so definitely off limits). Asami gave birth to a son and Lin became a grandmother and before Mako could remember to blink, ten years had passed since Korra came into their lives and suddenly, she and Bolin were exchanging vows and the young woman who was so absolutely forbidden was pursuing him like a tiger snake, wound so tightly around him for an instant that he forgot how to breathe before she dropped him hard to the ground to pursue other revenues. And the fall left Mako dazed, distracted, and determined.

Determined to never again let a woman have that sort of power over him.

Which, if he really bothered to wonder on it long enough, was probably why Zhu Li had left him—though it could have been that she walked in on him with another woman (he couldn't remember her name, but he distinctly remembered a shock of strange red hair that was meant to be alluring but he could only find to be disturbing). After she walked away—walked, last he'd heard, back into the expectant and waiting arms of the eccentric Varrick— there had been a string of women (not as many as Korra and Bolin liked to accuse him of, but enough that his neighbours stopped asking questions about the young women coming and going from his apartment at odd hours of the night). Yet, even with all the distraction that work and various meaningless flings provided, he still found himself fixating, without fail, on one thing—on one woman—in particular.

Completely involuntarily, in his defence.

And now here she was, standing before him in the police station with a monstrously large pandog at her side that, on four legs, stood almost taller than her waist. The dog wore an innocent and far-too-cute expression on its dual toned face as it wagged its tail back and forth happily—and he didn't trust that smile for one second. Mako looked between the large beast and its petite owner and slowly set down the papers that he had been absentmindedly flipping through.

Which was convenient, now that he considered it.

"Nice dog," he extended in lieu of a greeting.

Anzu smiled, though the gesture was nowhere near as exuberant as the blinding smile that had become the ghost haunting his waking and sleeping mind. She scratched the soft fur behind the beast's ear. "His name is Mako," she announced with that familiar mischievous glint lighting her golden eyes.

There was the woman he remembered.

Mako frowned. "Of course it is." With a forced effort not to roll his eyes, Mako straightened the papers in front of him with immaculate precision before he folded his hands across his desk and turned his full attention to the tenacious princess. "As always, it's a delight to see you, your highness."

"And you as well, Michi." He knew, without a doubt, that no matter how the conversation was going to go, that this would have happened sooner or later—and he wasn't so sure that he was relieved to get it over with so soon. "You look very handsome in your uniform."

"So what is it that brings you down here today? Do you have a thing for men in uniform? Or did you come just to show me your dog whose name you're all too happy to remember?"

He did think about trying not to sound bitter, but in the end decided it didn't serve his purpose.

"Actually, no." The princess let out a small chuckle—and was that sarcasm he heard in her tone? In a distinct break of character, Anzu's bright face wilted as she lowered herself into the chair facing his desk. Her delicate hands settled on the wood surface, and though they did not shake, her face betrayed her nerves. "Look, Michi, as much as I'd love to say that I am here for personal matters, that isn't the case. I'm here on business today—to be honest, I had no idea you were on duty."

"I'm working overtime. We're shorthanded because of the Years End festival." He almost laughed at him himself—being the only available officer in the precinct aside from the Chief somehow went beyond being shorthanded. Why he was the one stuck managing the office, however, was beyond him.

After all, Chief Beifong herself had remarked that his 'people skills' left something to be desired.

He had plans to attend the festival with Fuyumi from the bakery down the street, but at the last minute Beifong had informed him all officers still in the city were required to report for duty. Not that he was complaining, to be honest—attending the festival would surely only mean being dragged around from one ride to another in the cold and snow by a fairly intoxicated and overexcited Bolin while Korra watched casually making snarky remarks. Fuyumi from the bakery would awkwardly try to keep up but would inevitably fail because she was too nice and too quiet and too shy to not be thrown by Korra's pushy attitude, his own lewd whispered remarks, and Bolin's boisterous and excruciatingly honest drunken babble.

And the truth was, Mako just didn't feel like going through that again.

Snapping from his musings, Mako turned his attention back to the Fire Princess, his blazing eyes raking over her porcelain face curiously. Her brows were drawn in concern and he didn't think he'd ever seen her worry her lip with her teeth before, let alone see her worry.

Mako leaned in. "Is everything alright, Princess?"

"Yes, it's fine." Anzu coughed out a dry laugh. "Honestly, I'm only here because of my uncle—he made me promise that I'd visit Chief Beifong before I went anywhere within the city." Though she would deny it, Anzu rolled her eyes tiredly. "He can be a little…overprotective."

"I didn't take you as one to need protection."

"Believe me, I'm not." Anzu sighed deeply and Mako could almost swear he saw dark circles shadowing her eyes (which must have been his imagination, because she was much too put together to allow herself to show fatigue). "However, I respect my uncle too much to deny him this simple request—I know he makes it with the best of intentions, after all."

"Well, he is your uncle. What is family if not protective?"

She looked right through him, a deep humming sound resounding from her throat. "Yes, I suppose you make a fair point."

He couldn't help but stare right back at her—maybe he was trying to memorize the colour of her eyes, though he'd seen them before. Or maybe he was trying to figure out how it was that she managed to draw the attention of anyone she pleased with just a smile. He hadn't realized she was talking, or that he was staring at her mouth, until she cleared her throat.

"Sorry, I—sorry. Can you repeat that?"

Anzu smirked sardonically. "It's reassuring to know that the police are as vigilant as ever. What do you know of the royal family, Michi?"

The name was like nails against glass to him. Mako leant back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest. "I'd say I know about as much as the newspapers and history books tell—and the little that I listen to from Korra and Asami. But that would be all."

"Well, I do hope you only hear good things," Anzu said with a chuckle in attempts to lighten her own attitude. "What you may not know is that in the seventy years since my grandmother married into the family, there have been only three waterbenders born. And today, I am the only one still alive."

In quiet surprise, Mako's sharp eyebrow climbed. "I had no idea you were a waterbender. If anything, I would have assumed you to be a firebender."

As though his words had concealed some silent challenge, her eyes narrowed. "Because I'm the princess? Or because of the colour of my eyes?"

"Actually, because of your…moxie. You have more fire in you than more than half the firebenders I know."

Anzu seemed amused by his confession. "Funny—my Gran always says the same thing. She likes to theorize that my spirit is all firebender and that I was born a waterbender for irony. Anyway, that's not the point. Waterbenders in our family have a short life expectancy. Nine years ago, my cousin was murdered in this city by a group of radicals while visiting for a charity event and ever since then, my uncle's taken on the role of my personal body guard—I think he believes that if he can protect me, he can atone for his daughter's death. Which wasn't his fault, anyway, so I don't quite understand his need for atonement."

Mako started to respond, but Anzu leaned in and pressed a finger against his lips.

"I didn't tell you that for sympathy or anything of the sort—it happened a long time ago. In fact, I didn't even need to tell you about it at all. I have a tendancy to…ramble."

"I don't mind," he said with a small smile. And it was true—he realized that on some level, he didn't mind her rambling. Maybe, he thought, it was because he liked watching her speak. "I am sorry for your loss, though."

The furry pandog made a sound that (maybe) resembled a sneeze, drawing Mako's attention away from the princess as the beast moved its head to rest on Anzu's lap, panting in content. Throwing a distasteful glare at the animal, he wondered if she cared that it was most likely shedding on her skirt. And possibly drooling.

No, definitely drooling.

He seemed to get his answer though, when she ran her fingers through her pet's fur affectionately. "Anyway, though I detest being fussed over, as the last waterbender of the royal family, I'm very much at risk of befalling the same fate, and this would greatly ease my family's worry." Anzu looked at him with a soft smile playing along her lips. "It's come down to a choice between seeking out security or possibly meeting my own untimely demise—and it's not a difficult decision."

"So you need a bodyguard." Mako looked from the young woman to the large animal licking at her hand and he pondered whether the animal was inadequate as a guardian for her to be employing security.

"It is my uncle's request that I seek out personal protection while I'm visiting the City, yes."

"I'm surprised that you don't travel with a personal guard in the first place."

"I usually visit Republic City with my brother. Have you ever visited Caldera, Michi?" Since Anzu didn't give a long enough pause for him to respond, the question must have been rhetorical. "The security is impeccable—we house the western division of the Kyoshi Warriors as well as the Yu Yan archers and our own private police force, which has been expanded greatly within the last twenty years, particularly due to multiple assassination attempts on my family. In the entire world, there are few places that come even close to equal in safety. I've never needed my own guard so I do not have my own personal guard and I prefer it that way. I may be a princess, but I'm just as equally a person and if my people do not have their own security, then I don't want people following me around in fear that I might shatter.

"Which brings us back to why I'm here. Can you help me, officer?" She presented him with her most impressive—but not tawdry—pout and batted her thick eyelashes (which was, surprisingly, even more effective than when either Asami or Bolin did the same) and Mako nearly melted to a puddle of spirit-goo at her feet, willing to follow her every whim.

Nearly, but he still had his dignity.

He straightened his back and rose to his feet. "Actually," Mako tapped the gold-gilded name plate that sat proudly on the corner of his desk, "it's detective, now."

Anzu's brow slowly climbed and with an air of irrelevance, she picked up the metal trinket he'd been referring to. She studied it lazily as she twirled it between her hands and then looked back up at Mako. "Fancy. But they spelled your name wrong, Michi."

No, they hadn't. Mako cleared his throat and smiled at the young lady, oozing the charm and geniality that he didn't want to express. "I'll go run this by Chief Beifong. I'm sure that an arrangement can be made for you."

She returned his smile with just an extra splash of garishness and she saluted him (perhaps a bit too sarcastically) as she would if they were in the United Forces. "I eagerly await your return, Detective."

-/-/-

Chief Beifong didn't so much as spare him a glance when he entered her office. "What about you?"

"Sorry?"

She stilled her pen against the desk and her face darkened in the shadows. Beifong did not appreciate being interrupted. "Did I stutter, Detective? Or are you so swamped with your plenitude of casework that your ability to hear me correctly has diminished? If your workload is too much for you to handle, I'm sure it would be no problem at all for Shu to take a few items off your agenda."

How she could speak so deliberately and in one breath, Mako would never understand.

Mako scratched the back of his neck—here he was, almost thirty, and still being chewed out by his boss like a nineteen year old rookie all over again. "I just didn't think that—"

"Tell me, Mako, how many cops, other than me, are currently on the premesis?"

"Just myself, but—"

"If I recall correctly, you personally escorted Prince Wu for a number of months. Do you think yourself above providing protective services now that your title has changed?

"No, that's not—"

"Because you aren't." Beifong picked her pen back up and began scribbling furiously on the papers before her, the sound unnerving to his sensitive ears. "I'm reassigning you as the Princess's personal security officer for the remainder of her stay in Republic City. You are to watch her at all hours of the day, including standing post outside of her room during the night. All your other cases are suspended until the Princess arrives home safely in the Capitol. Any harm that may befall her in the meantime, I will hold you personally responsible for. Do you have a problem with that?"

For the first time since he'd entered her office, Lin's bright green eyes snapped straight to him and bore through his exterior. Mako felt a bead of sweat drop from his brow.

Dear Agni, she was terrifying.

"No problem at all, ma'am."

"Good." As quickly as her attention had been diverted to him, she returned to virtually ignoring him again. "Now get out."

-/-/-

"I really do appreciate this, you know," Anzu said, just above a whisper as Mako joined her at the remote two-person table outside of his favourite tea shop in the city. He placed a cup before her and a platter of steaming dumplings between them before taking his own seat. Anzu picked up one of the dumplings and began to pick at it. "I know babysitting a princess isn't your idea of a good time."

But he hardly considered guarding her 'babysitting'—working for Wu, on the other hand, definitely fit the bill.

"I don't mind," Mako responded. "It beats the alternative, which is sitting around waiting for Beifong to yell and send me off on some menial task like…scolding a kid for swiping festival food from a vendor." He worked the hardest out of everyone in the department (which, granted, had earned him the promotion to detective, albeit seven years later than he'd hoped) but still, Beifong was hardest on him and often sent him out to do basic chores that even Hahn, the screw-up-rookie who'd only been employed there for a month, could easily do.

"Regardless, I'm sure you'd rather be somewhere else doing anything else." He noticed her eyes trail to the pretty hostess with big brown eyes that was seating a couple somewhere behind them, and he realized that she'd seen his eyes lingering on her minutes before when he thought he had been subtle. "Taking a pretty girl to the festival, probably."

"Whether you believe me or not, I find your presence preferable to that of angry gang members who would like nothing more than to see my dismembered head rolling at their feet—which is actually what I could run into at the festival." Mako frowned when his dry attempt at humour did not even illicit the slightest reaction. "That sounded funnier in my head. Look, I'm not saying you're wrong, but it's not as bad as I thought it would be."

"Even though you think I'm a spoiled little princess?" She rolled her eyes.

"I never said you were spoiled. I believe in holding off any judgment until I get the chance to know you better. One date and a cup of tea in between a few minutes of small talk spread out over a decade does not constitute any knowledge of you as a person."

"Really?" Her blazing eyes met over the rim of her teacup, eyebrow arched delicately. "I figured a great detective such as you would had me pegged by now."

"Believe me, Princess, if I'd pegged you, it'd be something you'd never forget."

Funny, usually the charming-smile-and-one-liner worked. Well, at least a little.

Anzu fell silent. She ripped half of her dumpling away and tossed it towards her pandog, who gobbled up the treat eagerly.

"I'm sorry if that offended you," Mako amended. "I wasn't trying to. I keep trying to be a funny guy—but I'm not…funny."

"I've never been in a position with someone who didn't have any preconceived notions about me." Anzu gazed down into her half-empty teacup and forced out a smile. "It's become a comfort for me, actually—if they think they know who I am, I can either live up to their expectations or shock them with how wrong they were. But if you don't have a thought, then I don't know what I should be. I don't often get the chance to simply be myself."

The very idea that she assumed he had no thoughts about her humoured him greatly.

Mako leant across the table, and his guilt shone through his amber eyes. "If it helps, I have plenty of thoughts on you. But I won't presume to know who you are."

"And just what are your thoughts on me?"

He smirked. "Reserved for another time."

Anzu quirked her head to the side, honestly curious at what he had to say. It wasn't often that people were so blunt with her—and she found it to be quite the refreshing change. "Why is that?"

"I've learned my lesson more than once about passing judgement on someone I hardly know."

She couldn't help but crack a smile at the ideas forming in her head. Anzu pushed the plate of dumplings towards Mako. "So you're saying you're presumptuous?"

He picked up one of the small dumplings and ripped it in half. "You could say that. When I met Korra, I thought she was just another rabid fan girl for the Fire Ferrets. Imagine my embarrassment when I realized she was the Avatar and I was just a jackass."

Anzu hummed tonelessly. She leant in closer to keep the conversation low. "What are the Fire Ferrets?"

"It's the name of the Probending team Bolin and I were in." Usually, when people asked about the Fire Ferrets, Mako would grow offended easily. He was quite defensive of his old team—but she was the Fire Princess. He didn't expect her to be interested in Probending, much less have heard of their team.

Anzu's finger dragged in small circles across the porcelain edge of her teacup. Mako thought he heard a chuckle erupt from her mouth, but her face betrayed nothing. "Cute name. I don't think I ever saw your team play. I was always a huge fan of the White Falls Wolfbats. I sunk into a deep depression the day their bending was taken away and they had to disband."

So she did know Probending.

A sour look settled over the man's face. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that." The rivalry might have been years in the past, but his feeling of dislike for the rival team had yet to diminish. Especially with the increasing number of times that Tahno had appeared in their lives since the end of his reign—he was worried about his old pals, he'd say.

"Pretend away," the princess waved her hand in dismissal. "Was Korra the only instance?"

"No. But probably among the worst. Another would be Asami—even though I met her because she ran me over with her moped, I had her down as a spoiled rich daddy's girl who couldn't handle herself. And up until about the time she saved all our butts during the Equalist rally, I was convinced I was right."

"You seem to have a knack for misjudging women."

"Yeah, that's been pointed out a few times." He popped the dumpling into his mouth, hoping the topic wouldn't carry on any longer.

Anzu twirled her spoon in her teacup and rested her chin on her hand. "You know, Asami and I are a lot alike. I mean, she's been with my brother off and on for almost ten years now and she was the first female role model I had to cling to who was remotely close to my age. In a way, she sort of raised me. You say you don't think of me as a spoiled princess, but if you thought that of Asami…" She looked up through her thick lashes, a playful glint in her eyes. "What did you think about me when you met me? Spare no details."

At his hesitance, Anzu laughed. "Please, Michi, I'm genuinely curious."

Mako's teeth clenched and he moved away almost imperceptibly, as though some core instinct had sensed danger. "I thought you were the most stunning woman I'd ever laid eyes on. And then you talked to me, and you became the most confusing woman. But you were very, very young. I decided then and there that I wanted nothing to do with you."

He had no reason to lie to her.

"Fascinating," she whispered. She leant across the table until her face was so near his that he could smell the mint tea on her mesmerizing, full lips. "Tell me, then, how did that work out for you?"

Did she really want to play this game?

Mako leaned across the table as well, until they were hardly a hand's length apart. "The next time I saw you, you pulled me from my cocoon of warmth out into a horrible blizzard, forced me into a romantic dinner and tried to get me drunk so you could have your way with me. Then you didn't talk to me for three days and the next time I saw you, you already had new man-candy on your arm."

In a feigned display of shock, Anzu covered her mouth with her hand and gasped. "Oh you poor dear, I'm quite the player, aren't I? I hope I didn't hurt you too badly."

Her eyes really seemed to almost dance—like flames coming from a pool of honey.

Unconsciously leaning just a smidge closer, he gave his most impressive pout, paired with his own less-than-impressive puppy eyes. "I had to eat my weight in ice cream and truffles, but with time and enough people telling me how pretty I am, I realized I didn't need a princess to make me feel good about myself. I just had to let myself believe I was worth it."

"I really shattered you, didn't I?" Anzu pretended to wipe a tear from her eye. "How awful; I had no idea I was such a cad."

"It's been a long road, but I healed eventually."

Her eyes flickered to his lips when he grinned.

Mako leaned back in his chair—definitely not because he realized how intimately close they had been.

Silence stretched comfortably between them. Snowflakes drifted in the breeze and caught in Anzu's raven hair and lashes, turning the tip of her nose and her cheeks pink with the chill. She exhaled sharply before raising her cup to her lips and when she pulled her coat tightly against her body. Mako's eyes zeroed in on her bare hands, studying the pale complexion.

"Are you cold?" he asked.

She laughed. "Not at all. Are you? I can spare my jacket if you need it."

Just as she knew he would, he fell prey to her bribing. "I don't think it would fit me, but thank you. I'm not cold either." She smirked, and Mako just knew she was thinking of the time they'd trekked through the ice in the South. He shook his head sharply at the memory (and the embarrassment he felt at his part in it). "You may be surprised to know that I'm fine, seeing as it's not below negative here."

"It was summer the last time we saw each other," she pointed out. Her tone was teasing, but her eyes were soft. "But, I will ease up on you. In all fairness, I have to say that despite all the turmoil I caused you, your first impression of me was much better than mine was of you."

"Is that so? What was yours?"

"Well, you see, the first time I met you, you stumbled into the hotel with my brother holding you up because you were so drunk you couldn't walk on your own." It was obvious that he hadn't the slightest idea what she was talking about, and Anzu smiled as she finished the last sip of her tea. "I was thirteen and it was the night before my brother and Asami's wedding."

Mako frowned. "You were there?" He was surprised to find he had no memory of her from that time. "I hardly think that counts as a first impression. We never officially met."

Anzu laughed again—he tried to ignore that she pulled her hood over her head, since she insisted on not being cold.

"Technically we were introduced. Once by your brother, once by mine, and once by Asami."

There was no way he would have forgotten.

"It doesn't count." He refused to accept that he'd made such a fool of himself right off the bat.

Anzu rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine. The first time you remember, you seemed like an insincere jerk." She crossed her arms and levelled her gaze at him, as if challenging him to keep second-guessing her. "While I may know now that you're not—an insincere jerk, that is—two years and one cup of tea later, I knew everything I did need to know." She shrugged a bit at his offended expression. "You can't blame me; a girl needs a little mystery, so there was nothing more to be gained."

Mako had definitely not expected her to say that.

"That's hardly fair. You didn't give me a chance."

"Are you sure?" Anzu smiled sarcastically and rose to her feet—beside her, Mako the Pandog rose as well, the ever diligent watchdog. "We went for a romantic walk under the Southern Lights and you took me to dinner on my birthday—was that not a chance?"

It wasn't a chance he wanted at the time. Mako idly wondered—when was it that he decided he wanted one?

She gathered up the simple leash that connected her to her pet. "Besides, Michi," she sighed, "here we are years later, and you still haven't changed my mind."

She turned away and her words created what felt like an acidic burn deep in his chest, like something he hadn't felt in a long time. He jumped to his feet and tucked a few crumpled Yuons from his pocket underneath his chilled teacup. In three long strides, he caught up to her and extended his arm, which she slipped her hand into elegantly.

As they departed the small tea shop, Mako found himself glancing down at the princess more times than he wanted to admit.

Finally, he couldn't hold his tongue any longer. "So what would it take?"

"To change my mind or to give you a chance?" She responded immediately, as if she knew exactly what he'd meant—and she had, because she'd been pondering the same question since the topic had been aired.

"Either." Both.

She chuckled. Mako wondered for a brief moment if she could read his thoughts—which, of course, was ridiculous.

She stopped and looked up at him through the soft snowfall. "Ten dates. If you can change my mind in ten dates, then I'll give you a chance."

Then and there, Mako decided that he would change her mind and in doing so, he'd finally be able to get her out of his. He'd finally have her right where he wanted her and once he did, he could be rid of her once and for all.

There was no way he could lose.