"Have you lost your mind?"
"So, because I decide to do what I need to do to keep this city safe, I must be crazy?"
"I can't believe you. I can't believe you would do that."
Zuko watched Iroh pace behind the desk, alternately running his hands over his hair and cursing, shoving his fists in his pockets. He broke his word to Mai, not that she would ever find out about it. What to do about The Moustache would be the least of their problems if The Governor decided to wage war against Smiling Aang and the Bei Fongs.
By the end of that meeting, Zuko had been surer of his course of action than he'd been of so many things before. He knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he could not cross the line and stand at Mai's side. It would mean losing too much, and as he held the lighter Katara had given him in his hand, the world had been illuminated. Meeting with Mai was a necessary step, and nothing Iroh could say would ever make him regret it. He needed to look in the face of evil to remind himself just how different he was. His mother's words were spoken out of anger, pain, and a strong desire for revenge, but neither of them had known what that lifestyle was really like. There was a reason those men his father brought home carried guns and scars; they were competing against the higher ups, those with real power who posed a real threat. They were likely protecting themselves just as much as they were hunting others.
Zuko couldn't risk keeping what Mai told him about hostile takeovers and threats against Smiling Aang a secret. It had taken the better part of a day for him to decide whether he should leave out the source of his information or completely come clean, but Zuko had finally decided on full disclosure. If he kept quiet, more people would die, and he refused to have that sitting on his conscience.
"What if someone saw you?" Iroh asked, leaning across the desk in the private meeting room. "Did you even think about what could happen to you?"
"I'm not an idiot," Zuko countered, stepping away from Iroh. "I know what the hell I'm doing. It would have been just as bad for her to be seen talking to me."
"You are so lucky that I don't take your badge away—"
"You want it?" Zuko pulled the badge out of his pocket and threw it on the desk.
Iroh had been raging at him for the better part of ten minutes, berating him for making such a stupid move, for even considering turning to the mob. Zuko didn't care. Let Iroh rant because that meeting had erased all doubts. That meeting had coiled the hate so tightly in his stomach that he would gladly and vigorously investigate every suspected mobster in the city for jaywalking to get them off the streets. For the first time in his waking hours, Zuko had seen the chalk outlines and his children's destroyed bodies. The image had been so real, and he could remember the smell of the blood and the gore so vividly that it sent him to the bathroom where he'd thrown up twice.
"You're so quick to demand my badge," Zuko said, gesturing to it where it lay on the desk between them. "Pick it up and never give if back to me if you're so sure about it." Zuko leaned forward, snarling and lowering his voice. "Just remember that there are twenty detectives out there who've done worse than I have, and none of those have come to you. They would have no problem stabbing you in the back. Literally."
"I'm doing this to protect you, Zuko. This…brashness will get you killed! What about your family?"
"Protect me from what?" Zuko yelled. "That's not your job. You and I protect this city, that's what we do. We lay our lives on the line because someone has to, and if I didn't put my life on the line, if I didn't bring this back to you, where the hell would any of us be? Dead, that's where. And don't you dare throw my family back at me. You don't get to play them like some trump card to guilt me into doing what you want me to do."
The two men stood across from each other, breathing heavily. Zuko was not afraid of any disciplinary action because he knew there would be none. The information he'd turned over to Iroh was too valuable, too important in their fight to just be pushed aside, and for that Zuko would accept the yelling and his uncle's disappointment. He'd seen clearly, seen the path that he needed to take, and he wasn't afraid of stepping down that road.
"This isn't Atlantic City," Zuko said stepping back, his arms open wide.
"Pray to all that you hold dear that Katara never finds out."
"The only way she'll know is if you tell her."
Iroh started, looking up at Zuko, who only raised an eyebrow in challenge.
"That was incredibly foolish of you, Zuko. It could have been a trap. It could have ended in so many ways…" Iroh shook his head and sunk into a chair.
"No, it couldn't have. The Governor had a reason for authorizing that meeting, and I don't give two shits what Mai says about doing a favor for Azula. The Governor wanted that meeting, and he won't stop at me. He's probably already been courting some of the other officers."
Iroh pinched the bridge of his nose. "Jet?"
"No. Jet's loyal to Haru. Maybe some others in The Pit, but not Jet."
The two were silent for a while before Iroh pushed Zuko's badge toward him. Unsmiling, Zuko picked it up and put it back in its pocket, the weight familiar and welcome. That weight had a new importance, and Zuko kept it clutched in his fist.
"What's your next move?" Iroh asked, staring at the spot where Zuko's badge had been.
"I'll head your operation. In exchange, I want more freedom."
"To do what?"
Zuko smiled when his uncle looked at him. "Clean this city up."
"I'll see what I can do."
.O.
To say he felt exhilarated and refreshed and brand new would be an understatement. Katara was flipping through a magazine in the living room, relaxing on the couch, when he got home, and Zuko felt so light. She barely had time to speak, let alone close her magazine, before Zuko was pulling her close to him, his hands on her hips, and his mouth on hers, enjoying the simple pleasure of having her so close to him. Even though she gave a yelp of surprise, Katara didn't falter, her hands going to his shoulders as she pulled herself closer to Zuko, and he tightened his arms around her protectively, lovingly.
When he pulled away, Katara was smiling, running her hands over his cheeks.
"What was that for?"
"Because I love you."
"Well, if that's the way you express your love, I think you should do it more often," she said, smiling softly, a light blush on her cheeks.
Zuko laughed and nuzzled her neck, placing little kisses along her jaw and behind her ear. She let out that delicious mewl he hadn't heard enough of lately as she ran her fingers through his hair, and Zuko resolved that he'd make her mewl like that every night for the rest of their lives.
"Really, Zuko, what's gotten into you?"
Katara stepped back, breathing heavily, her hands against his chest, and the soft, loving look on her face made Zuko regret those months he'd been too negligent of his family. He'd been so caught up in saving and protecting them that he hadn't spent enough time with Katara and the children. It had been clear in their words and the way they threw themselves at him when he was around that the children missed their father. There were the fun years before too much responsibility settled onto them, and he knew he'd hate himself if he let these simple moments pass him by. His family deserved better treatment than he'd been giving them. Zuko ran his thumb over Katara's lips and she kissed it.
"When this is over," he said softly, "we should all go on a vacation. The whole family. I'm sorry I've been so distant since this mess started."
"You don't have to apologize. I know why you're doing it."
"Guess what I'm doing now."
Zuko couldn't hold back his excitement rising in him again. It was Christmas, and his uncle was finally, finally, giving him the thing he wanted most. Zuko held Katara by her shoulders, and that badge was still a palpable weight in his pocket. Only now, that weight was power, real power, to do something, to fight back against every shadow, to bring a little more light into their lives again. Zuko took Katara's hands in his, squeezed them, kissed her cheeks then her eyes then her lips, never being able to kiss enough of her, and know that all he had to do was ask and she would give him more.
"Seriously, Zuko," Katara said, stepping back, skepticism replacing that loving look. "Should I be concerned?"
"I accepted Uncle's offer," Zuko said. "I'll head his FBI team. These people… I'm not even sure they're people some of the time. But I'm going to do something about them."
Katara blinked at him for a few seconds, unsure, before throwing her arms around his neck and squealing in delight. She hugged him so tightly that Zuko was sure she'd cut off his air supply, but he didn't think twice about hugging her just as hard, lifting her off her feet like he'd done when they were dating.
"Oh, Zuko, I'm so proud of you!"
This time, it was Katara who initiated the kissing, and since they had the house all to themselves, they weren't terribly inclined to stop.
.O.
As Zuko walked from the train station to the precinct, he noticed several of Aang's Blue Arrows hanging around the area. Zuko smirked. This many Blue Arrows could only mean that Aang would be around soon, if he wasn't already. Zuko was letting his mind sink into a new mode of thinking. If they were going after these mobsters for things like tax evasion, the quickest way to hit them would be to look at their businesses; it was common practice to have a legitimate business as a front for the illegal dealings. He made a mental note to have Jin make a few calls for him. There were some favors he could cash in on just about now.
Zuko stopped at a news stand to pick up a copy of The Tribune. The front page boasted a full page picture of Haru being arrested at his family home by police officers. In the background, neighbors looked on in shock, and quite a few looked on in dismay. Funny. The Moustache, the most harmless of all the gangsters, would be going down on the more serious charge, while the hardcore thugs like The Governor and Smiling Aang would be taken away for tax evasion. Dismantling Haru's gang would be far easier than trying to dismantle The Big Three, and they'd have far more time to do it. Petty theft could get most of those guys off the street. The real gangsters, however, wouldn't go down so easy. They would put up one hell of a fight, but Zuko was glad to bring the fight to them. For once, he had the power to do that.
The Pit was literally buzzing with conversation when Zuko walked through the doors. News had quite clearly spread about Zuko's new position at the head of this task force, and several of the detectives gave him hearty slaps on the back as he passed and shouted congratulations. Should the case look like it's gaining a bit of publicity, Zuko figured he could count on more than a few of the detectives trying to call in favors. No matter. He'd be able to use the help, and it would look like a department wide effort to clean up the city.
A room had been set aside for the FBI agents to work in, but as Zuko neared his desk, he could see all the agents crowded around it, apparently waiting for him to get in.
"So you're the inspector's nephew," said one, leaning against Zuko's desk with his arms crossed.
"I'm heading this operation, that's who I am," Zuko retorted, resenting the implication but not missing a beat. "What's your name?"
Zuko sized the man up, with his short black hair and nondescript black suit. He had 'Fed' written all over him with a cocky attitude to match. Zuko had no intention of letting these guys run the show; it was his, had been placed in his hands. He knew this streets and the atmosphere one thousand times better than they did. They weren't going to run over him.
"Xin Fu," the older man replied.
"Division politics has no place here," Zuko said, waving away Xin Fu's haughty attitude.
Zuko was about to head into the room designated for the ridiculously named Operation Soap Bubbles when a few forms on his desk caught his eye. Tentatively, Zuko picked them up. A note from his uncle had been clipped to the front, telling him to use these forms sparingly; he could justify them to the higher ups, but not if Zuko was using them cavalierly. A small smile grew into a smirk, and Zuko couldn't help that deep feeling of elation that came over him.
"You better be happy my uncle is the inspector for this district," Zuko said to Xin Fu and the other, brandishing the papers. "He basically gave us a blank check."