Disclaimer: i don't own LoK

A/N: No, you are no imainige this, you are not seeing things, this is not like that time you were riding a pink unicorn over a field of cotton candy plants while you battled the evil lord Zenderhoff. This is an update!

Chapter Five: A Kiss

There were many things in Skoochy life that he very well could have never done and he would have been perfectly fine… knocking on Councilman Tenzin's door at quarter to eleven with his eldest daughter drugged and passed out in his arms was definitely one of them.

He had never seen someone so upset before that all they could bring themselves to do was sputter out "How… Why!... What's… Who are… Where's Sa… When did…?" finally the man took a deep breath and settled on "Explain. Now…"

Skoochy looked at the girl in his arms trying to decide exactly what to say…

"Jinora passed out…" he stated bluntly

"I can see that…" said her father… rubbing his temples as he spoke.

After a long silence, Tenzin must have realized that the stranger holding his daughter was still standing at the door with her in his arms and reluctantly motioned him inside.

Skoochy looked around nervously for someplace to lie her down on, there didn't seem to be much furniture in the room, but then again airbenders weren't known for having many earthly possessions in the first place. Finally Skoochy settled for the low-lying table in the center of the room, making sure to rest her head on one of the floor pillows he had grabbed from around the table. He knew that with whatever the greaseball had slipped her she was sure to have a terrible headache in the morning…

He looked over Jinora, who was sleeping far too peacefully for it to be natural; he wasn't sure what he should tell her father. Skoochy knew for a fact that the councilman would never willingly allow his daughter to go to a speakeasy, and it was obvious her father wasn't used to his daughter coming home drugged. Sighing, Skoochy ran his fingers through his hair nervously; all of his thought seemed to point to the same conclusion: tell the truth…

Councilman Tenzin was still looming by the door looking between Skoochy and his daughter.

"I want to know exactly what happened, everything…" he repeated. Skoochy felt himself freeze up for a moment as he tried to find his voice. Usually giving information was easy now he felt like he was choking.

"I had gone to Arashi's…" he started, watching her father cringe at the name. Skoochy wasn't sure what the councilman had heard but he knew the juice joint's reputation was far worse than the place itself. Though the news Skoochy was recounting to him now would probably only confirm at least some of the things he had heard. "When I got there I saw Jinora and Sachio…" there was a moment of misplaced relief on her father's feature at the mention of Jinora's boyfriend. "They were for lack of a better word, necking…" said Skoochy, silently hoping the councilman was privy to that particular slang word. "I turned to leave, but then I heard Jinora telling him to quit it." There was a second of confusion that crossed over the councilman's face before it was quickly replaced with subtle resentment. "There was something off with her voice, she sounded so weak, like it was hard for her to breathe and talk at the same time…" Tenzin took a deep breath beside him reminding Skoochy who he was talking to.

"I went over to the bar and told him to stop it…" Skoochy paused for a minute thinking over everything he'd heard Sachio say. They weren't words that her father needed to hear and honestly he'd rather not repeat them. "There were some words said and her goof left…"

Tenzin paused knowing there must be more to the story.

"He, her goof, had slipped Jinora a Mickey; I don't know what exactly was in it but it was strong enough that she could hardly stand…" Skoochy looked over Jinora's form. Her breathing seemed to be less shallow now and there was some color in her cheeks again. He gently brushed a strand of hair from her face.

"When she wakes up she probably have a headache… you should give her some jasmine tea with lime; it helps…." Skoochy continued awkwardly, wondering if her father would press for any more information on what had happened with Sachio.

"I see…" said the airbender calmly, studying the young man carefully. looking between Skoochy and his daughter, he asked. "So what exactly is your part in all this…"

"I'm her friend." Skoochy felt the words on his lips, he desperately wanted them to be a lie, but they weren't, they couldn't be, not now. "A really good friend" he repeated.

"I've never seen you before…?" Tenzin stated but there was a question in it, he wanted to know why.

"I know…" said Skoochy unable to offer any other response. A moment passed before he added, "Usually we meet in the park…" Tenzin gave a 'hmmm' of disapproval.

"That explains her lack of focus during meditation recently…" he said like he was trying to figure out how his daughter had known someone he hadn't known about. Skoochy took a second to reassess the situation; him included, it seemed like Tenzin didn't know his daughter as well as he thought he did.

"Don't worry; she meditates plenty" he said honestly "but..."

"What?" he asked, as concern rang through his voice.

"She doesn't seem to have a lot of people to talk to…"

"What do you mean; she doesn't have anyone to talk to? Her mother and I tell her she can talk to us about anything, she has three siblings, and her br…" he stopped short of saying the last word deciding he wasn't worth listing with the rest.

"Listen, Councilman Tenzin, I know I shouldn't be one to judge on other peoples families, I've never really had one fort myself but… Jinora… she's the type of doll who genuinely cares about her family, much more than herself. There not a time I haven't seen her studying or spending time with that greeseball… she was trying to be a good daughter but along the way something kinda got balled up."

"Don't you dare imply I wanted something like this to happen to her!" as he spoke his tone be cane pointed and his face grew red with anger.

"Sir, I swear that not what I meant… I meant that Jinora needed someone to talk to…"

"And that when she found you is that what you're saying, that you believe you can protect my daughter better than I can…"

"No, I believe you trying to protect her is the problem…"

"Get out" Tenzin spoke through clenched teeth "Get out here now."

"Spirits! But sir that's not what meant, I just…"

"Get out…" Skoochy left reluctantly. When he got to the docks he couldn't help but feel like a greaseball himself. He'd questioned her parent protectiveness of her, but honestly he understood it. They had every right to be selective of her friends, boyfriends, social outings all of it, but he couldn't justify how it all let her end up with someone like Sachio. He placed a sharp kick to one of the wooden supports of the dock in frustration. He wasn't going to make it back to Republic City tonight. He was broke and the ferries didn't run this late. He couldn't go back to the dormitories after what he'd just said to her father. Quite literally he was stuck. He sat in the edge of the dock letting his feet dangle over the edge; letting the exhaustion that he'd been holding off for hours set in.

Skootchy wasn't sure when he'd fallen asleep but he was sure it was somewhere in-between when he was kicking himself for being such a wet blanket, and debating whether he should go back up there and announce to a likely still knocked out cold Jinora that he had feelings for her.

When he woke to the sun rudely hit him in the face and his face felt sticky with sea salt, he found himself confronted with a vaguely familiar voice.

"Are you still here, Pally?" Skoochy looked around before spotting the person talking to him

Skoochy groaned finally sitting up. It was the ferry man from the night before. The man was scratching his head and staring at him, probably wondering why he was sleeping on the docks.

"What happen? Did your fem get home safe…?" Skoochy rubbed his face standing up before replying

"She's not my fem were just friends…?" the man raised his eyebrows as if to say "really"

"Pally I've seen a lot of couples In my life time and if you two aren't together then I don't know who is…?"

"We're not." Skoochy said getting annoyed this was none of that man's business why was he telling him this…

"Why?" Skoochy sighed this man just couldn't quit it.

"She has well had a boyfriend and honestly I'm just not right for her…"

"What makes you say that…?" Skoochy looked at him

"I'm a nothing but a no good street rat, I didn't have a job that was legal until a few weeks ago, and Jinora can do a lot better…"

"Okay, pally listen their a lot of people in this world that aren't worth nothing, I mean I hardly think them worthy to eat dirt but any man who loves a woman enough to care about her safety rather than his own heart is worth something. Pally look at ya you wouldn't still be here if you didn't care about her…" Skoochy raised an eyebrow.

"I'm still here because I had no money to get a ferry ride back and none of the ferries were open by the time I left anyways…" the man clapped him on the shoulder.

"Well, that may be part of it but trust me if you wanted to leave you could have and you don't want to…" Skoochy looked at the man. He was hardly used to telling random stranger his life story but it seemed like he was getting better at it since he met Jinora. After he met her nothing seemed unusual anymore. If a woman like her existed anything could happen.

"Okay, listen, if you really want a ride back I'll give you a freebie this time…" the man said in a low whisper "but if you care about her like I'd like to think you do you won't be leaving until you got things straight with your fem." Skoochy considered it for a moment but honestly he wasn't sure which direction would be better. But the longer he thought the more he realized only one of the directions had Jinora and that was all the assurance he needed.

"I think I'll stay here…" the man clapped him on shoulder

"Attta boy! Now can you move off the dock I think I see some customers" he said pointing to a group of acolytes that seemed to be consumed in conversion as they walked down the docks. They eyed him curiously as he past them and made his way back to the main hall linking the dormitories.

He knocked on the door cringing when the sound rang louder than he'd expected, only to continue the expression when he was met at the door once again by Jinora's father… Councilman Tenzin. Skoochy swore he'd stopped breathing for a few second, but it seemed to return to normal as some semblance of and apology tried to spew from his mouth.

"Councilman Tenzin, I know this is not the best time and I know you don't want to see me after what I said last night which for the record I did not mean it's just…" Tenzin held up a hand for him to stop.

"What you said last night was true at least partially… perhaps Jinora was feeling pressure to be the perfect daughter but I swear I didn't want anything like this to happen. You know as well as I, if I knew Sachio's intentions with my daughter I would have had him throw in jail for even thinking such things" the thought of Sachio in jail almost made Skoochy smile but her tried to contain it so Tenzin could finish. "Jinora told me everything… when she woke up; I was more disappointed in myself that her… or you" he added. Skoochy looked up at Tenzin meeting his eyes.

"I've seen charmers like Sachio millions of times no one's supposed to know how much of a greaseball they really are… He would have fooled anyone… I didn't mean to suggest I protect your daughter better… you raised one swell girl, she can definitely hold her own but she does need other people in her life besides family…" Tenzin nodded

"Can I see her?" he asked hesitantly, waiting for a straight out no or for Tenzin to tell him once again to leave, but Tenzin just nodded and motioned him to one of the smaller dormitories near the back.

"Jinora… there someone here to see you?" said Tenzin watching as the girls head whipped around quickly to face him just a second before she ran over to him and wrapped her arm around his neck in a hug.

"Skoochy… I thought you left…"

"Not gonna happen, Dollface" Skoochy said holding on to her tightly. From the comer of the room Tenzin gave a small cough. Taking the hint Skoochy pulled away.

"How are you feeling Dollface?"

"Like I was run over by a satomobile…?

"Well, I might take a while for that to wear off but it will…?"

"You know I should thank you, I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been there to stop Sachio" Skoochy felt his voice caught in his throat as he thought about exactly what could have happened.

"Well, Jinora trust me I wouldn't let anything happen to you…"

"I know."

"I just… I thought I could trust him to…" Skoochy wanted to contradict her tell her a guy like Sachio couldn't be trust as far as you could throw him but her didn't .

"Everyone makes a few bad judgment calls but without them you can never make a few good judgment calls."

"I don't know I just wish I could have never met him or at least never dated him, but…"

"But, what?"

"Then I wouldn't have met you?"

"And you think that's a fair trade, dating a grease ball for meeting a no good street rat"

"Dating a lame-brained no good greeseball in exchange for meeting you, yes." Skoochy wasn't quite sure how to respond. His jaw fell a little slack at the statement. Her father seemed to have left the room and she just stood there with a coy smirk on her face.

He felt there need to kiss her, make her forget about Sachio and what he had done to her. He wanted to capture this moment like a photograph so he could forever look back on it and remember how Jinora said he was worth it. He wanted to tell her he loved her from the day he met her, but as always Jinora had a way of getting the last word. She leaned toward Skoochy wrapping her arms around his neck so their faces were a centimeters from touching.

"The answer is yes so kiss me…" she said. Skoochy looked in to her molten eyes he closed the distance between them for the first time. It was greater harmony than any night club canarycat could carry. It was the feeling Skoochy had only read about in books and scoffed at it for being unrealistic, and perhaps the situation was unrealistic, but neither of them wanted to return to realty any time soon.

When the need for air finally surfaced, they broke apart. No more than a few seconds later, Jinora spoke.

"You know the book I was reading?" Skoochy nodded, a wide grin plastered on his face.

"You were right; they do end up together" Skoochy smiled wide and met her lips for another kiss.

A/N:

Song: But don't stop reading now there's another chapter!

Sister: What! Another chapter, after so long, this is finally finished I can't believe it!

I mean I thought this writer was dead but now I will hear the end of this tale before the New Year greeeeaaat!

Song: To anyone reading this you can thank my wonderful sister who told me that I had to complete this before the New Year. She actually said to complete all my unfinished stories but that might be physically impossible still I'll try for some stories. No promises but a Happy New Year to all.

Read and Review -Song