AND AN UPDATE! Thank you for all the reviews/faves/alerts. it means a lot!

soooo...as I'm sure you all know... this chapter has SEX! woohoo...

Disclaimer: dont own ATLA or the song "If I Never Knew You" (yes...from Pocahontas...)

OK: so i used a Disney song for part of this... This song gives me chills! look it up on youtube, but make sure you listen to the Mel Gibson and Judy Kuhn version from the movie. not the end credit one.

I'm done rambling. Enjoy!
-TSA

Chapter 27:

"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage." ~Lao Tzu

What were the words used to describe a goddess? Skin as smooth as porcelain? Lips as red as a rose in full bloom? Eyes that sparkled like stars of the night sky? While all those seemed so romantic in his mind…he was glad that the only one that fit her was lips as red as a rose in full bloom. If I never knew you, if I never felt this love I would have no inkling of how precious life can be. Her skin was rough to the touch, pale from the lack of time she spent in the sun. He remembered first meeting her and how tanned she was. And he'd never be able to forget those eyes, the ones a deep emerald green that beheld her powerful cunning and unchallenged pride.

He loved her eyes so much…

Sitting at the side of her bath, watching, mesmerized, by the way she ran a cloth down her leg as she lifted one from the water and pointed her toes to the ceiling. He reached out to her and ran his fingertips across the water that rushed down her skin. And if I never held you, I would never have a clue how at last I find in you, the missing part of me. She giggled quietly while sitting up further in the tub to reach a hand out to him. He kissed her fingertips, licking the water droplets away. Lifting his eyes, he stared at the tattoos across her neckline, such intricate twists where thorns stuck out.

"How did you come by such markings?" he muttered.

She leaned over the side of the bathtub, pressing his palm against the tattoo, "I was born with it. The nurses said it was a gift from the Spirits…"

In this world so full of fear, full of rage and lies I can see the truth so clear, in your eyes, so dry your eyes. He sat up on his knees and stole a kiss from her, "I would like to know what else marks your body…"

Briar rose from the water, orchid flower petals falling from her body while she was ringing her hair out over her shoulder, combing through the knots with her fingers. She grinned as Zuko stared in awe, his eyes beholding her naked body. He stared for what felt like ages until she held her hand out to him. Taking her hand, he pulled her from the bathtub, sighing as those long legs stepped over the ledge and she was finally standing before him. When her hands slowly pushed his robe from his shoulders, he held her face in his hands and kissed her deeply, holding her for dear life.

If only she knew what he felt when he kissed her. He wished she could hear all those unspoken confessions that ran through his head the moment their lips touched. And I'm so grateful to you; I'd have lived my whole life through lost forever, if I never knew you. He always lost himself to her, and he was sure she knew the control she had over him. That was what had made it so easy for them to fall in and out of love with each other. All because they surrendered themselves to one another by just a simple caress… It was sinful, but he'd have it no other way. He didn't know what tomorrow would bring for them, and he couldn't force himself to care at that moment.

Following her into her bedchamber, he smiled at the way the moonlight shone through the windows where curtains fluttered from the evening breeze. Her skin glowed against the candles lit, bringing a passion to her eyes that he thought only a fire bender could have. But no, this incredible earth bender was crossing the lines that divided their nationalities. I thought our love would be so beautiful; somehow we'd made the whole world bright. She was everything. Earth, Air, Fire, Water…she embodied them all.

He leaned against the bedpost as she laid across silken sheets the amber color of his eyes.

"Why are you so beautiful?" he muttered. It was the first time he'd seen her truly caught off guard. Her face beamed a dark shade of red while she tangled her fingers in her hair in pursuit of a response. But she simply bit her bottom lip. Zuko laughed a little, walking to the edge of the bed and tilting her chin up so her eyes met his, "I didn't mean to startle you."

"Your words…they just sound so…so…" She lost herself, palm pressed over his scar. He leaned against her touch and closed his eyes, "…genuine…" I never knew that fear and hate could be so strong all they'd leave us were these whispers in the night.

"They are, Briar." He slid next to her on the bed, arms wrapped around her waist to pull her against himself, "They are…"

"Then forgive me for being speechless-" He interrupted her with a kiss that made her sigh. Shaking her head, she averted her eyes from his, "You leave me breathless."

But still my heart is saying we were right.

"I don't think you realize what those words mean to me."

Zuko rolled over top of her, trailing kisses across her neckline tattoo, listening to her unsteady breathing. He could feel each tremor of her body beneath his while his hands moved across each inch of bare skin. He wanted to explore every inch, appreciate the beauty she possessed instead of just ravaging her. Her skin was covered in goose-bumps as his fingertips slid down the side of her waist, memorizing the way her hips curved out and led to strong thighs. She made a mewling sound when he gently brushed the inside of her legs where he had once explored her.

A kiss to silence her, he brushed his thumb over one of her pert nipples until she began to writhe beneath him. She was moaning senseless things between each kiss, arching into him when his mouth closed around the tender mound. Her hands were buried into his hair as he painfully and oh so blissfully suckled her breast. His tongue darting against the hardened flesh was driving her to madness already. As he drew away from her to stare at her flushed face, he felt the chill of the night's breeze embrace him, beckoning him to delve into the warmth of her body.

With her dwindling strength, Briar sat up and kissed him, hands craving him. She traced the lines of his abdomen and down to those strong lines that made a "v" below his waist. Each caress made him hiss, made him shiver against her. But they both wanted control, wanted to take things slow as agonizing as it may have been. She untied the sash at his waist, pulling the edge of his pants down to follow those strong lines she had admired since he showed up late to breakfast in her palace with his robe untied.

Her lips drifted from his, and she laughed when he moved to claim her again, but she was pressing kisses across his neck, biting at his collarbone to leave a small mark. His hand at her hip tightened, nails digging into her skin as she drifted down to press a kiss over his heart. She left him then. In a flash, her warmth was gone and he shivered as the breeze blew out a candle across the room, making all the other flames flicker like the glare of lust in her eyes.

Climbing back over her once he kicked off his pants, he kissed along her jaw and down her neck, biting at the pulsing veins from where her breathing was hitching. She yelped, though the way her arms came around his shoulders encouraged him to suck and bite at her skin until his own mark had formed. She was his, and he wanted everyone to know it.

"If only I could mark you permanently…" he growled.

She sighed wistfully, "Mhm…and where would be the proper place to mark me…?"

She closed her eyes as he moved down her stomach, though she nearly jumped when he bit the side of her hip. Her stomach twisted with desire – what was so arousing about that?!

"Right there…" He gave her a wink, though his smirk left when he saw that her hands were holding the head of the bed, stretching her muscles until they were taut. Her chest as heaving, her thighs quivering, and her skin slickened from sweat. The sight was enthralling, "I want you…"

Those words would have seemed so strange at another time, but she understood him. As she always did…

"Then take me."

As if she had unraveled him in a single sentence, he crushed her into a kiss, a fight of dominance. Tongues and teeth working furiously to taste each other, Briar was grinning at the prospect that she was winning until he pushed her further into the bed sheets, tongue ravaging the crevices of her mouth. She was intoxicating. From the jasmine of the tea she had drunk and the orchid smell of her skin, he was losing himself to the deafening beats of his heart.

Everyone was captivated by the smell of orchids…especially him.

Parting her strong thighs, his fingertips caressed the inside of her thigh, massaging her nether lips while she muttered incoherent words, though her body seemed to urge him to continue. He felt the wetness of her entrance, gently circling it with the tip of his finger before sliding inside of her. He carefully moved a second digit inside of her, scissoring them while pushing as far inside of her as he could. She mewled about being close, mewled his name until he slipped his fingers out of her.

He wanted her now, and he was afraid he would lose it if he waited much longer. Drawing her legs against his waist, he pressed himself against her until she arched into him, hands braced on his chest as she pushed him back.

"What's wrong?" he whispered.

"S-Sorry…" She was blushing again, "I was just alarmed at…at…" She chose not to continue, figuring the way she stared at his waist was enough to explain everything.

"Would you rather not-?"

"It's not that!" She forced herself to laugh at her silliness, "I want to feel you first."

Zuko lifted a brow until her hand snaked between them. He moaned when her fingers slid along his length, slowly at first. He leaned into her shoulder, hissing in her ear while her hand wrapped around him, moving up and down his member, feeling him stiffen and his body go rigid. Breathing heavily against her, she released him before he lost himself for which he was grateful. When her legs moved up around his waist, he saw a grin on her face as he gathered back his wits and held her hips.

His lips captured hers desperately as he carefully pushed inside of her. At first she gasped, arching into him with a look of discomfort on her face, but she eased her body back against the sheets so as not to alarm him. Her body felt a hundred degrees hotter as he pulsed in and out of her wet sheath. She was delectable, so tight and warm around him that the thought alone could make him come undone. He wanted to be deeper, wanted to move faster, but he was afraid of hurting her.

But he should have known better than to think his beautiful betrayer would settle for anything less…

Her moans of encouragement were for his ears alone, and he was more than happy to oblige to her needs. They were so entangled in each other, they could taste sweat in their kisses. Each breath was a struggle with how tight their chests were pressed together. The room was sweltering hot, the night breeze not enough to offer them solace. Senseless words escaped their lips as control left them. He was thrusting harder and faster, hearing only her muffled cries of ecstasy until sweet release washed over him.

He could finally hear his racing heartbeats, hear her panting as he slowly moved inside of her until her body hitched and she welcomed her release. Her face was beautiful with the way it contorted, her mouth open as she gasped and her eyes squinting shut. Muscles weary and head swimming, Zuko untangled himself from her and rolled to her side. How tired he was from such a thing! A smile graced his lips when Briar rested her head against his chest and drew circles around his abdomen with her fingertips. Regardless of how hot he felt, he wanted her to be as close to him as possible.

And I'm so grateful to you.

"I love you, Zuko." He wasn't sure he had heard her, so he sat up and looked down at her face to assure that she had spoken. There were tears in her eyes, which he gently wiped away as soon as they came spilling down her cheeks, "I love you so much."

I'd have lived my whole life through…

"I love you too, Briar." He hugged her tightly, "I always have and I always will…"

Empty as the sky…

"I'm sorry for everything-!"

He silenced her with a kiss, not wanting to hear her confessions. Never knowing why… He no longer wanted her to feel guilty, "I forgive you, Briar. Hurt me, heal me, remember?" He kissed her forehead as they curled up under the bed sheets, "You don't have to apologize anymore."

She nodded her head as she nestled up against him. She was happy to fall asleep with a smile, though her thoughts betrayed her throughout the night. The following day would determine her destiny. And for the moment, she wanted to live just to have another night in Zuko's arms. If for nothing else, let her live for that chance.

Lost forever if I never knew you...

Soooo... what did you think? I was really playing with Briar's sensitive side that's started to come out. Zuko's just the only one who knows about it...

this chapter took me a while to write. I wanted to genuinely LIKE it. not just toss it aside as just another sex scene I've written. haha. the next chapter should be long unless i split it up. there are lots of events to cover as i'm sure you know what's next!

review please!

-TSA