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Healed and Hunted

Thrill

Chapter Nineteen

Central Processing, CCPD

Kat

Though she had joked with Lee about it, she hadn't actually considered getting arrested. It was an odd feeling to be sure. Since it had happened, all she could think about was how she was going to explain it to Kyoshi. And then, after she somehow managed that, how she justified it to the world.

It was not only Aang they would be watching, when the time came. Everything any one of them did- get thrown in jail, for example- would reflect badly on the Ava.

She didn't need to call anyone. They had all been at the hospital. They knew what a fit she had thrown when the doctor refused to let her see her brother. There had been no excuse, it had simply been a discriminatory issue. Suki said she would be by soon, that there was no need to worry. Suki was going to push for an expunging, since this wasn't her fault.

"Follow the red line," the officer told her. She nodded and went on her way. She was to sit and show she could behave, at least for a little while. If she was good and played nice with the other kids, she would be placed in a cell with other offenders. Kat took her seat and waited, patient and unconcerned.

She looked over and noticed something- the red line was only for those with red I-bands around their arms. The nonnie criminals sat somewhere else. She was horribly, morbidly amused at the fact. Even criminals, hardened or otherwise, were afraid of Inheritors.

Kat glanced up at the television and squinted, not sure if she was seeing correctly. It was Aang, on the screen. He was standing...outside of some government building, accompanied by Suki and Toph.

The words running beneath them read Ava speaks out against arrest. Kat groaned outwardly, regretting her temper. Had she always been so careless? Even after Sokka warned her, she continued to be a nuisance.

"Crazy, isn't it?" asked a woman beside Kat. The woman's voice sounded craggy, like she had been smoking six packs a day for the past fifteen years.

"What?" the Water Inheritor asked blankly, having no use for conversation.

The woman waved a hand at the television. "The Ava, speaking up now. Gone for four hundred years, and just now..."

"He was lost," Kat hissed, "But he's doing what he can, for now."

The old woman laughed, sounding more like coughing than actual laughs. Kat hoped she choked on one of her shriveled black lungs.

"Katara Ulva, Southern Water Tribe," was called, and Kat nearly jumped. How long had she had a last name?

She stood and walked over to the man who beckoned her. He had dark hair and eyes, his face was set into a decidedly unhappy frown. He was staring at her like she had personally murdered his dog.

"That's me," she decided to announce. He sighed and told her to follow him. The man lead her to a room labeled Interrogation C.

She sat in the chair calmly.

"You know why you're here?" an inspector, or detective asked. Kat wasn't sure if there was a difference or not. Was one higher than the other?

She gave a weak shrug. "I yelled and became irate in a hospital. I refused to leave. I was escorted here by police officers."

The man rolled his eyes, as if he had expected such a smart ass answer. Except, she wasn't being sarcastic. That had been an honest answer.

"The doctor is accusing you of attempted murder and kidnapping," he replied without inflection. Kat

blinked and waited for him to continue.

When he didn't she said, "That's slightly ridiculous."

"I agree. But the fact is, you were seen yelling and becoming very upset. That in addition with the red band on your arm, it might just hold up." He watched her for a reaction.

She gave none, instead leaning back in her chair, relaxing. She at least gave the appearance of apathy. She was worried, naturally, of going to court. With so many cases nowadays ending in the I-suppressant, there was a real chance of losing everything.

"Who was I trying to kidnap?" she asked simply.

The detective snorted, "Your brother, apparently. The doctor says he had reason to believe you had come to remove your brother without him being fully ready."

Kat sighed, "Did anyone tell him how crazy that sounded? My brother was shot, and I came to visit. They didn't let me past the front doors."

The man scribbled something on his notepad, and Kat could only wonder what was going to happen now. It was one thing to fight discrimination, another to fight attempted murder.

"Wait, who was I supposedly trying to kill?" she wondered.

The detective didn't look up, "The doctor said you threatened him, that you came armed and planned to take his life."

It was quiet for a few moments while the police officer read over his files. Kat wondered what all was in there. How much of her childhood had ended up on those papers? How many bad decisions would it take for the detective to write her off as trouble?

"Katara, do you have an attorney?" he asked.

She nodded. "My sister-in-law, my brother's wife, who was with me at the time."

"From Four Nations? Those are good people. Good at what they do," he said absently.

Kat had to know. "Do you know them, sir?"

He glanced up at her before answering, "They saved my son's life."

Kat wondered which case it had been that had secured the police officers good faith. She appreciated that the man was human enough to see that not all arrests were warranted. His personal experience may have colored his vision, but it was enough for her. She relaxed just a little, knowing she and her family were not on their own on this one.

The door swung open and a very nervous rookie shot his head through the crack. "Chief, you gotta see this."

The chief of police excused himself and walked out, leaving a very scared Inheritor behind. Kat wanted something to do, but doubted her bending would be welcome at such a time. She tapped her fingers and waited, but the minutes dragged on.

The Ava was the next one to walk through the door, followed by a camera crew.

Hot Spot

Lee

It was weird to be in a bar and not try to pick up women. It was odd to not want to. He wasn't waiting for her to call. He wasn't so pathetically gone yet, but he had nothing better to do. He was nursing some cold alcohol, not even sure of what he had ordered, when he noticed the news.

"Hey, turn it up," Lee said. The bartender nodded and did as requested.

"My sister was arrested earlier today when she tried to visit our brother in the hospital. Our brother was shot this week at his place of business by a protestor and was badly injured. The hospital denied her entry to our brother's room, and called the police citing that she had come to kidnap our brother and kill the doctor who had saved his life." It was Aang, Katara's brother. The Ava.

As he saw the blind woman in the screen, he could only assume that Kat had been arrested. He was sincerely amazed. He grabbed his phone to call and realized he only had her number. Calling her would be pointless. At least for the moment.

Instead, he paid for his drink and ran to his motorcycle. He knew the police station well, and knew the fastest way to get there. Lee raced to the station, unsure of what he was planning on doing. He was certain the Ava had things under control.

Nearly two blocks away, he had to pull over. The police had created a blockade, Inheritors had flocked to the scene and were causing traffic troubles. Lee sighed and parked in an alleyway. He snuck past the police- practiced habit- and tried to worm his way through the crowd.

People were packed in like sardines, all screaming and yelling. He could barely hear himself think. Occasionally a chant would break out, some Avanglists crying out for their messiah. He made a note to ask the Ava what it felt like to be a walking deity.

He was sweaty and tired of people by the time he reached the station. The Ava was up on the stairs, turning to leave. It was only chance that they happened to see one another. The bald man held out a hand and several girls screamed. Lee climbed up atop the mass of people and tried not to turn around.

"Suppose you saw the news?" the Ava asked, laughing.

Lee nodded. "She told me this might happen, but I didn't actually think..."

"None of us did. Glad you came. Definitely make her feel better." The Ava led the way, taking his blind fiance by the hand.

The police chief met them inside, wary and suspicious. The camera crew behind them made everyone uncomfortable.

"We're here to post bail for-" the Ava started, but the police chief raised a hand.

He seemed tired. "I know. I was just talking with her. Edmund can take you to her."

The Ava spared Lee a glance and walked on, following a young looking police officer. Lee wasn't sure, but the police chief seemed to remember him. That, he thought, was never a good thing. He was sure he'd never been arrested or sent directly to the chief.

"Aang? What's going on?" Lee heard from inside the interrogation room. Her voice, calm and steady, made him smile. It was better than music.

"We posted bail. Time to go home," the Ava replied. The camera crew had wormed its way between the people inside and the people outside. As much as Lee wanted to see her, he was going to wait. He didn't have to stand for very long.

She was shoving her way out of the room, gently getting out of the way all the lights.

"Hey," he said. She hadn't even looked up.

Kat jerked her head up, "Huh?"

Their eyes met and she covered her mouth with her hands.

"Happy to see me?" he asked with a smile.

She stared for just a few more moments before nodding once. She stepped forward and put her head on his chest. He was only a little surprised.

"How did you-?" She looked up.

He grinned, "Oh, you know us scholarly types. Always watching the news."

She snorted and nudged him out of the way. People were snapping pictures like crazy. Lee wanted sunglasses to block the light.

"I told you," Kat said when they left the narrow hallway.

Lee offered her a hand. "You did."

"Why did you come?" She was staring forward, watching the press surround them like animals. Lee felt like he was on display. Kat grabbed his hand and let their arms fall between them.

Lee pulled their hands back up and kissed her knuckles. She tensed for the slightest moment. He appeased her with a joke, "I left you alone for one day, and you end up in jail. Clearly you can't handle being without me."

"Oh, clearly." She didn't sound annoyed.

One of the people with camera shouted, "I know you! You were the concession girl."

Kat's face crinkled, but she didn't acknowledge the comment. She walked a little more quickly.

"So, is this why you wouldn't fight? Is this the real reason you gave up?" they shouted.

Lee looked around, trying to find who was speaking. It was impossible to pinpoint one person in the crowd. Kat kept staring forward, pretending as if no one was speaking.

"Just ignore them and keep walking," Kat whispered.

They found the exit and Lee saw Toph waiting with another woman. Kat ran forward and dragged him along, throwing her arm around the other woman without letting his hand go. He gulped, hoping whoever she was hugging wouldn't be offended.

"Suki, this is Lee. Lee, this is my brother's wife, Suki," Kat introduced.

Suki seemed like a severe woman. She immediately gave Lee a once over that made him fight to repress a shudder. She seemed to see more than all the cameras around them.

"This is him?" Suki asked.

Lee looked to Kat. The girl nodded.

"Hmph. Well things are settled. Let's get out of here," Suki said, being curt and to the point, not choosing to dwell on Lee.

"We'll, I suppose I should go. I'll see you on Saturday, Kat." Lee tilted his head as a goodbye.

Kat frowned, "You just got here. Can't you stay?"

"Ahm..." Lee pretended to think for a moment.

Kat rolled her eyes. "Kyoshi would really like to see you again."

Lee smiled then. "Couldn't disappoint her, now could I?"

"I'll see you guys at the house," Kat said. She bit her lip and waited for Lee to lead.

The two of them managed to squeeze out of the police station and down the stairs. The outside waited with thunderous applause for their freed captive. Or, as some of the signs claimed, the Kat-tive. Lee had never seen so many people massed so peacefully. Though the mob seemed close to slipping into madness, the presence of the Ava seemed to pacify them.

They walked on, and Lee nearly laughed at the Ava.

"Thank you all for your support. But, everything's over now. I would greatly appreciate it if we could all go home now." The words were carried on the wind, to everyone's ear.

"How far away did you have to park?" Kat wondered, once they were completely free of the crowd. The cameras and photographers had been lost in the knot of people, for which Lee was not ungrateful. He liked being alone with her much more.

Lee smiled. "Well, they put up road blocks. So many people came to see you in jail."

"Ah... yes. They do that a lot." She cleared her throat. "Really. We can barely go anywhere."

"Sounds annoying. They were...everywhere." Lee could barely remember.

Her eyes landed on his bike. "You get...used to it... Is that...yours?"

"Yes it is. Ready for a ride?"

He looked at her set her shoulders straight. Kat muttered something about bison, of all things, before she looked at him. Her eyes seemed very unsure.

"Scared?" he wondered, issuing a challenge.

One corner of her mouth lifted. "Never."

The way she screamed, though, made Lee wonder.

A/N: Well, I can't make any excuses for this icky chapter. I hope ya at least enjoy. See you next time! I hope. (: