Zoe stared out to the blackened sky. There were no stars out tonight, as if even they had gone into hiding as the Fire Nation swarmed in over Ba Sing Se. There was a rustling in her robes and Zoe realized Huan was still in there! She pulled her out quickly and the little rabbit-hen blinked her eyes dazedly at Zoe…she had been asleep the whole time. Zoe's burnt arm throbbed painfully, but she barley felt it. She laid Huan in her lap and turned back out to the night.

She felt empty, dead. The pain in her heart was so great that it made her fried arm feel like a minor scratch. A single tear fell from her eye and she knew she was being selfish. Ba Sing Se had fallen and what she cared most about was that she had betrayed Zuko…no, no he'd betrayed her, he didn't care about her, and he didn't…love her. Another tear fell and she wiped it away angrily.

"Let me heal that." Said Katara suddenly, she laid Aang's head down gently and crawled over to Zoe. They'd been flying for an hour so far, escaping from the fallen city and no one had spoken; everyone was mulling in their own despair. Zoe had already discovered that Katara was a healer as she had somehow managed to save the Avatars life with a spoonful of water from a tiny bottle around her neck. "I'm sorry, I didn't realise you were wounded."

"Don't apologize." mumbled Zoe, a little taken aback by her compassion; she was expecting them to be a little less trusting. Then she realised how much her arm had been hurting as she felt immense relief wash over her at Katara's watery touch. "Thankyou." she sighed.

"Who are you?" Katara asked, her innocent blue eyes kind.

"My name's Zoe." she replied, she felt like she was in a dream, she was detached, the words flowing out of her mouth without meaning and they held no emotion. She was dead, like a zombie. "This is Huan." She gestured to the furry bundle in her lap.

"I'm Katara," she introduced, "that's Sokka my brother, Top-"

"I know I already met them." She interrupted a little rudely.

"Oh, uh, Ok." She paused for a moment, a small frown appearing on her face, "umm, well this is…the Earth King and his…bear Bosco"

Zoe gave a brief bow whilst sitting and he smiled. A bear… weird.

"This is Momo." She continued and a cute little lemur chirped and Zoe released a tiny smile. "You're sitting on Appa and this is…" her voice caught and Zoe heard the grief that she'd been trying to hide. "Aang…"

More silence followed as no one knew what to say.

"So you're an air bender?" said Toph finally.

Zoe looked at her without feeling, "Yeah…" she said, staring to the sky again.

"How can you be though?" Demanded Katara amazed, but Zoe could tell she was only talking to get her mind off another certain air bender.

Zoe sighed, "Well I had a mum and a dad and they loved each other very much so…" she started to say sarcastically, but Katara interrupted angrily.

"That's not what I meant."

Sokka chuckled slightly and Zoe rolled her eyes, "how should I know?" she snapped, she didn't mean to be moody, but…well no; she did.

Katara sighed and moved back to sit with Aang's head in her lap.

Zoe was glad she'd stopped questioning her. She leant back so that she lay with her head facing the sky. The others were clinging on to the bison's fur; scared to fall off, but not she, she felt at home in the air. She closed her eyes and her minds eye was filled with a pair of smouldering golden eyes.

She snapped her eyes open again, breathing quickly and she felt nauseous as her stomach flipped almost violently. She couldn't sleep…she couldn't close her eyes…he would be there otherwise…

Zoe tossed her feet in the sand, glancing over at the emotional greeting that Katara and Sokka were having with their father, jealousy building up inside her. She scowled.

"What's up princess?" Toph was standing next to her, digging her own feet into the sand.

"Nothing." murmured Zoe.

"Is it Sparky?"

"What?" Zoe looked at the earthbender as if she were mad.

"You know, Prince pout-"

"Don't talk about him." hissed Zoe through her teeth, her fists clenching by her sides.

Toph was silent for a moment then she said, "The Earth King's gone, he road off on his bear."

"Great." replied Zoe unemotionally. She didn't care.

"Ok, seriously. I liked you a lot more the first time I met you."

"Well, sorry to disappoint you."

"Come on grumps, stop mulling in self pity. Let's go meet these guys dad."

Zoe sighed in annoyance, but followed the earthbender grudgingly.

When the introductions were over everyone was staring at Zoe. "What?" she snapped, glaring at all of them. She knew she shouldn't take her anger out of them; they had saved her, taken her with them, healed her, and trusted her. "I'm sorry." She sighed and looked down.

Katara walked over to Zoe and offered her a small smile. She was too kind, it was freaking Zoe out. "Why are you trusting me so easily?" demanded Zoe suddenly, her rudeness reappearing.

"Who said we were?" said Sokka with a raised eyebrow, walking over to her too.

"Sokka." scolded Katara with a frown.

"Hey, I'm just saying…" he raised his hands in defence. "This is the girlfriend of Zu-"

"Shut. Up." snarled Zoe menacingly, her eyes flashing.

Sokka retreated warily. "Look, I can tell that we weren't the only ones betrayed in Ba Sing Se." said Katara, tactfully avoiding mentioning who had done the betraying. "You helped us out in there, so I think we can give you a chance. That is of course if you want to come with us?"

Zoe looked at her in surprise. "Thank you." She said shocked. "I…I would like to stay if I can."

Zuko felt like he had eaten something rotten and it was sitting in his stomach like a dead weight, the rot expanding like it would slowly consume him. He gripped the metal frame of the ship roughly. His eyes turned to the moon which he immediately regretted as it seemed to shift and converge into two large, shining silver eyes and his grip on the metal tightened. He was so angry, there was fury welling up inside him ready to burst, but it was more than fury it was an overwhelming feeling of loss that was eating his insides, but he hid it, ignored it, covering it with more anger. The metal beneath his fingers began to soften and melt, but he didn't relinquish his hold.

"Aren't you cold?" asked a monotone voice that belonged to Mai.

"I've got a lot on my mind." replied Zuko, trying not to snarl. "It's been so long, over three years since I was home. I wonder what's changed…I wonder how I've changed…"

Mai yawned tactlessly, "I just asked if you were cold; I didn't ask for your whole life story." She walked over to him and put an arm around his shoulder and a hand on his cheek. He felt nothing from their presence.

"Stop worrying." She crooned, turning his head to kiss him. Zuko kissed her back, but was confused; why wasn't she kissing him with her usual fervour, energy and emotion? He opened his eyes to face two very pretty, but dull grey eyes.

Oh, he thought, because it was Mai not….

He turned his head away.

Zoe sat miserably in their camp at Chameleon Bay away from everyone and well away from the fire. Everything that happened kept replaying in her head. Iroh gone, Zuko betraying her, the Avatar nearly killed…

Zuko…his voice echoed through her head: 'I never wanted your love!'

Zoe squeezed her eyes shut and stood up quickly. Her legs carried her down to the shore and she stood in the shallows. What was it that he wanted then? When he held her? When his lips were on hers, sometimes softly sometimes urgently? When he bought her Huan? When he looked at her so tenderly she almost convinced herself that he cared about her…?

Those tender eyes currently haunting her head suddenly turned fierce and cold. 'I want my destiny!'

"WHY!" screamed Zoe into the night, her voice breaking and hot tears spilling from her anguished eyes. She glared at the sky as if expecting it to explain to her why Zuko had left her, why he had betrayed her and his Uncle. "I thought he changed!" she shouted to the stars, her feet kicking to water furiously and taking her deeper. "I thought you changed…" she moaned, her voice cracking, falling to her knees, the water lapping her waist. The pain in her chest was so great she couldn't even breath, her chest heaved with each painful sob and she wanted to die, wanted the ocean to suck her in and never take her back.

"Zoe!" cried Katara and her splashing foot steps came up behind her, her hands pulling at Zoe's shoulders trying to get her to stand up. "Zoe, get up; it's OK."

"No!" sobbed Zoe like a child, "he's gone, he left me, why, why?"

Katara pulled her to her feet finally and Zoe latched onto her, throwing her arms around her neck. "I thought he changed!" she sobbed into her shoulder, "I thought… he cared… about me…" and that was all her voice could get out through her constricting throat, even her sobs were struggling to get out and she thought perhaps her wish for death would be answered as she was certain this pain must kill her.

Katara soothed her gently, tears of her own springing to her eyes, "I know." She whispered in her ear, "I thought he changed too." And they stayed there, ankle deep in the sea, and Zoe realised she had made a new friend.

"Hey airbender." Zoe jumped violently.

"Sokka! Don't sneak up on me while wearing that…horrible…" she couldn't express her hatred for the fire nation guard outfit. "And can't you think of a better nickname?"

"Yeah, I'm thinking on it." He removed his visor and smiled. Zoe rolled her eyes. After about three days spent at Chameleon Bay it had become over run with Fire Nation ships and so their little gang and the watertribe warriors had captured a single ship (It was that or fight them all). Zoe never thought she would be back on a Fire Nation ship in her life.

She'd had three weeks so far to get used to it, but she still did not like it.

"So how's Aang?" she asked for something to say.

"Still out of it, but Katara says he's getting stronger everyday, though I have no idea how she can tell that." replied Sokka, glancing at Zoe from the corner of his eye. "So…can I ask how you ever began to travel with Z-"

"Why do you want to know Sokka?" Asked Zoe dryly, looking away from him.

"I'm just curious…you don't seem like the type to be a Fire Nation ally-"

"That's because I am not."

Sokka raised an eyebrow at her, "which would explain your attitude to the fact that he-"

"Hey Sokka, I'm really thinking you should shut up now." Zoe tried to put it nicely.

"Are you always this grumpy?"

"Yes." snapped Zoe.

"See, I feel like you aren't. I think Zuko's influence rubbed off on you." Zoe growled angrily when Sokka had managed to get the name out. "I reckon you have this kind 'fun' air about you, and normally you're pretty happy!"

"Wow, really Sokka? That's amazing." Said Zoe sarcastically, "and I feel you have this kind of 'I'm an idiot' air about you, so for both our sakes, let's hope each other is wrong, hey?"

Sokka glared at her, she was good at this. "Fine" he said in defeat holding his hands up, "have it your way, but I'll work you out eventually."

Zoe rolled her eyes and shook her head, a tiny smile hooking the corner of her mouth. Suddenly a load of commotion started on the deck of the ship and Zoe came to see what it was. People were calling out things and Zoe caught 'Twinkletoes' and 'Aang'. Her mouth dropped; was he finally awake? She ran over to the bunch of people crowded around the door to the inner ship.

Sure enough, there he was, skinny, small little airbender his top half covered in bandages and looking like he had been struck with something very heavy. His head was covered in some fuzzy brown hair and Zoe thought he looked very cute, in a little brother sort of way.

"Uh oh." Said Toph as Aang swayed on the spot, "Somebody catch him he's gonna faint!"

Katara had leapt forward just in time to get her arms around his falling body and catch him before he hit the hard, metal floor. Everyone moved out to give him some space and Katara just stayed with his head on her lap, stroking his hair lightly. Zoe looked away. A feeling of loneliness threatened to overwhelm her and she felt cold, freezing; she shivered. She could feel warmth somewhere to her right and saw a torch hanging from its banister, flames dancing atop it. She walked over to it mesmerized by the familiar heat. She closed her eyes and held out her hand to the flames, "Zuko…" she whispered, caressing the hot tresses of fire. She leant in closer, her hand moving to the centre of the flame and it hurt, it burned, but she craved it, craved the heat…

"Zoe!" shouted Sokka alarmed, "What are you doing?"

Zoe jumped back and felt immense pain in her hand. She looked down; it was red and blistering already. "Ouch…" she said vaguely.

"Are you insane?" demanded Sokka, pulling her over to Katara quickly, "what did you think would happen if you stuck your hand into the heart of a flame?"

"It was warm." Moaned Zoe, "take me back to it." She said sadly.

"Zoe." Said Katara softly, "give me your hand."

Zoe sighed and allowed her to take the blistered end of her arm. Katara pooled the water over her hands and they glowed as they moved over Zoe's. As soon as it was healed, the pain disappeared, but Zoe wasn't happy. She liked the pain; she preferred it to the other type of pain she had still pounding in her chest.

"Come on." Said Sokka softly, and Zoe was surprised by the tenderness in his voice. "Let's go inside."

A/N thanks heaps for the reviews! They're wonderful! I hope no one was too OOC in this or anything...I haven't written these guys much so hopefully I can keep them in character for the rest of the story. Anyway, please review if you feel so inclined XD