Grace woke up and rolled over, hugging her blanket close. Then realized she hadn't fallen asleep there.

"W—" Why did I wake up here? She thought.

Grace sat up and looked around. This was the same room. She wasn't kidnapped. But why was she here? Rubbing her eyes she got up and slowly headed toward the deck.

There he was, looking out at the water. Then she noticed land was barely in sight behind the boat.

"Kitare!" She called.

He looked down. "Good morning." He called back, but with little emotion.

"Why didn't you take me to the Avatar?" She held back a smile, she was happy he hadn't taken her to them.

"Taking you to them would have been complicated. It wasn't a good idea. I should have been thinking strait."

Were they alright? She thought. "Were they all alright? No one was hurt right?"

He shook his head.

"So…" She didn't know what to say to that.

He then went over to the ladder and climbed down. Grace tensed. Soon he was only a couple steps away.

She then thought about the necklace around her neck. "Do you want—" She barely touched it's small cold shape when he shook his head.

"I meant it when I said it was yours." He was looking at her. She didn't want to look at him, but couldn't help it.

He stepped a bit closer, Kitare and her were barely apart. Why was he so close? "So, do you want me to—" He leaned in and Grace gasped.

They stood with their lips still for a moment. His were warm, firm, but gentle, like he was holding back in the kiss.

He pulled back. "You—" he paused; stepping back, "Can stay." Kitare, turned; but didn't look back.

She watched, still slightly leaned over from the kiss, as she watched him walk down below deck.

"That…" She sat on the deck her legs up by her chest, arms resting on her knees, then she lay on her back. "Is a new…awesome catch to things…"

Grace sat in her room for the rest of the afternoon, until she heard a grumble from her stomach and headed for the kitchen next. She found some bread, cheese, and some other bits that she didn't want to bother with. Kitare had been making great food, but she didn't feel like making anything or trying to figure out how to make anything turn out without burning it on the weird stoves or food.

She headed back to her room, laying on her pillow and thinking. What

would she do when she sees him again? Maybe she should wait. Knowing her she would stumble on her words and make it totally weird between them.

She thought of one of her favorite songs and sang while she thought of home. She would be going to school if she were home…be spending time with friends, surfing the internet…hanging out with her nephews and brother. It was hard to think about them, seeming so far away. But here, it was her, and Kitare. That hadn't been the greatest thing when she had first got here, but now she looked forward to what would happen next.

And fell asleep.

Grace woke with a start, sitting up she felt sweat on her face, a nightmare lingered. Then she remembered the invasion, what she had been dreaming. "The invasion…The invasion! How could I have not thought of it?" Grace jumped up and ran for the den. She had to tell Kitare. "Kitare! Kitare!" She yelled, bursting through the door. He was already up and halfway across the small room.

"What? What is it?" He asked, taking her shoulders and shook her when she didn't answer right away, his eyes intent on her panicked expression.

Grace took a deep breath, then it hit her. He was Fire Nation. She still wasn't sure if he was lying to her about not being after the Avatar. "I…had a nightmare."

His features calmed and then had concern mixed with annoyance. "You ran here yelling because you had a nightmare?"

Grace felt as if she could cry. "No. Just…" She backed out of his grip.

"What is it?"

She turned to leave, "Never mind."

He grabbed her arm. "Grace talk to me!" He yelled.

"Are you…are you for this war?"

He let her go. "Grace…"

"Tell me!"

His eyes looked right through her. There was still care in them, but for someone else. "I am Fire Nation. I have a duty—"

Grace slapped him across the face. "Stop making excuses! Tell the truth."

He felt his cheek, red from the impact. Although Grace wasn't sure it did even any damage physically.

"I have to do this."

She couldn't believe this. He had showed signs that he wasn't for this war. "No, you don't!"

He ran a hand through his loose hair, "You don't understand."

"Then let me."

"My mom and sister. If I don't do what she wants, they won't have what they do, she'll send them away. I would be a disgrace, and never get to see them again."

Grace stepped toward him, "If you are for this war, a lot of people will never see their families again."

He threw his arms up, "What can I do? Top of my class, years of training and I'm still only one person!"

"Then help the Avatar! He's the only one now that can end the war. But he can't do it alone, help him."

Kitare stared at her, wondering where all of this was coming from, when she wasn't even from his world. "How?"

"There's an eclipse."

He looked confused. "What?"

"An eclipse. Fire benders lose their bending during it; it covers the sun for only a few minutes."

"What does this have to do with the war?" He thought for a moment, "They're going to attack aren't they? The avatar and his friends."

Grace's face lifted, he was going to help, she had been right. "Yes. It's only a few days away. I'm not sure exactly when though."

"The capital is only a few days away."

Grace smiled in surprise, "You're serious?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

She jumped up and down and hugged him. "Wait, the Fire Nation…Capital? Like where the Fire Lord is?"

He nodded. "Yes. I have connections with them. And that is where the Avatar will be heading."

"Well ok. But how will you explain me? I mean, I'm not from here."

He put his hair up into his pony tail all of a sudden with a cocky smile on his face, "I will take care of it."

The next day, Grace found dinner by her nightstand. And fell back asleep not much later. She woke the next morning early. She didn't realize it was a new day until she got out onto the deck and it was barely daylight, the sun not even over the water yet. She knew that sleep wouldn't be an option now that she was up and awake.

Kitare had been out on deck training every morning. Then she remembered how she had bended the water in the river only a few days ago. She headed to the kitchen. Determined, she grabbed a big bowl of water, and went to set it in the middle of the deck.

Taking what she remembered watching from the TV show and Kitare, she took a deep breath. Concentrating on the water, she placed her feet arms length from the bowl, arms out in a comfortable position, one elbow slightly in, while the other almost level with her shoulder, hands not tense, but ready to try. With another deep breath, she lowered her hands down, then lifted them up, fingers downward, imagining them bringing the water up with them, pulling her fingers together as if to grab the water. It merely rippled.

Slightly disappointed she sighed, and put her hands back into position. She tried a few more times, getting it barely over a inch or two. Before she took another deep breath, she felt warm strong easy hands over hers. Grace gasped and opened her eyes. She was going to spin around to face him, but he kept her hands in his.

"You have to clear your mind. Connect yourself with the water." He whispered to her ear.

"I'm trying," she managed to say, feeling her face flush.

Moving his hands over hers again, he shifted his weight into a better position to help her, although she tried to make his helping not become nerve wracking.

"Try again."

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and imagined the water lifting with her hands. He let her lead, and then she felt him move her hands toward the side. She went with it and then felt his breath on her ear. She felt a splash of water on her foot as she lost her concentration.

"You let it go." He said, letting her hands drop.

She stared at the water at her feet. A big splash or so had left the bowl and trailed onto the black deck. "I lost my concentration." She said, turning to him.

"Clearly you did." He said in a soft voice.

Grace tried to put her hands in her pockets, but found none in her fire nation pants. Crossing her arms she answered, "It's kind of hard not to when you're standing that close."

He smirked. "You didn't like it?"

She looked at him, "I didn't say that."

"It's a shame you aren't learning to bend until now." He said.

Grace was disappointed, that usually meant that he was turning is back on feelings; changing the subject. Again. "Yeah, I mean, I could probably teach myself a few things…but that would be about it." She said, looking down at the now almost dry deck. The sun soaking it up.

Kitare seemed to think for a moment. "I could teach you. It would be hard, I'm a fire bender so the movements would be off. But the basics I could show you."

She looked at him and smiled. The idea was exciting, this wasn't just anything, "That would be amazing! I don't know anything about being connected to elements or anything…I mean, this would never happen where…"

He stared at her, knowing how she felt, and yet didn't. He was still in his own world. She was far from hers, however the confusing situation worked. "You will see your family again." He said, thinking of his own too. He changed the subject, trying to make her take her mind off it, "And it's not just about being connected with the element," he said, taking her hands. "It's opening yourself to it, and believing you can." He kissed her on the cheek, "I'll be right back."

He returned not too much later with a bowl of something and a string of leather.

"Here, you should eat." He said, handing her the bowl of noodles, then the thin piece of leather. "That's for your hair. It's going to be hot out. And if you're going to train, you'll have to stay cool."

She shoveled some of the noodles into her mouth, and realized she probably looked funny. Chop sticks weren't easy to handle. "When do we start?"

"Now."