a/n I apologize for not getting this chapter completed earlier! This week has been crazy, but hopefully relief is in sight. Thank you so much for your continued support of this story!
In this chapter, we get a tiny glimpse into what Toph and Aang have been up to, but mainly follow Zuko and Katara towards the Eastern Air Temple.

Chapter 35 ~Out of the Woods~

-Katara-

She had forgotten whose woods these were, but seeing a hog monkey trap quickly reminded her. The sooner Zuko and she could get out of these woods the better. As they walked, they came closer to where the treehouses were. Thankfully, the treehouses were far off the main road, so hopefully she wouldn't have to see them. If she saw them, she'd be forced to relive the unpleasant events that had happened there. It wasn't like anyone would be in the treehouses either; they were scattered for the time being. So it wasn't like she was ignoring them. Just-
"Katara," Zuko said, pulling her out of her thoughts and they stopped walking. She turned to look at him. "Are you okay?" he asked.
"I…" she started to say, but she couldn't lie to his face so she looked away, "I'm fine." She heard him sigh.
"It's these woods, isn't it? You know them."
"Zuko…" she glanced back at him, "I-"
"I don't want to force you to tell me something when you're not ready." He interrupted.
"Thank you," she appreciated his patience so much.
"Just when you are ready…I'd like to know." She knew he wanted to help her and (as she had pointed out to him) they had to communicate properly for that to happen. But saying what had happened aloud would unearth all the emotions she tried to burry and make it all real again. She took a deep breath.
"Did you ever meet Jet?" she asked. Zuko's eyes widened.

-Zuko-

Oh yes, he had met Jet. In a weird way, Jet and he had a lot in common. They were both outcasts and driven fighters, but Jet was far darker than Zuko. Without Uncle, Zuko could have ended up like Jet, prepared to stop at nothing to regain himself, but he hadn't.
"Yes," he replied, his tone clipped. "I met him on my way to Ba Sing Se and then again in the city." He never really liked that guy. Especially now since he guessed Jet had done something to hurt Katara.
"Well he used to live in these woods with the Freedom Fighters." She explained. So there was something about these woods that made her uneasy. He waited for her to continue, "Sokka, Aang, and I stumbled into a Fire Nation camp that the Freedom Fighters were just about to ambush. When I saw Jet…being a leader, strong…I… at the time I…" Zuko could guess where this was leading and he couldn't help the pang of jealousy he felt. "Jet took us back to their camp and showed me around. I don't know. I guess I liked how stable he was? He knew what he wanted and how to achieve it. He was the 'bad boy' who could show up Sokka. It was a childish, but I thought it was love at first sight and I was stupid enough to believe he felt the same." She started walking down the path again. He followed her but at a safe distance. Soon she began speaking to the air in front of her. "That night he took me back to his room and…" Her voice was breaking.
"It's okay. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
"I do, I want to." She said and turned back to look at him. They stood close together, so close he could have reached out and touched her, but he didn't. He wanted to give her space. "It's just hard. I've tried to forget about it…about him kissing me then pulling my clothes off and then well…" Zuko felt like he was going to be sick.
"Did you want that?" he asked. "Did you want him to make love to you?" She laughed but it was cold sounding. Empty. Then her face became ashen.
"I did." She whispered. The pit in his stomach didn't go away. "But he didn't."
"What?" Zuko asked, confused. But she just shook her head sadly.
"There was no love behind what he did. I told him I hadn't been with a man like that before, but he didn't go any easier on me. It hurt so badly. I…" She looked down at the ground still trying to hold it together, standing on her own, and no tears. Yet she looked so broken. He couldn't speak. His hands clenched into fists at his side. He hated Jet. What a vile thing to do. A person's first time shouldn't be rough and dispassionate. She deserved so much better than that scum.
"I'm so sorry Katara. I'm so sorry that happened to you." he whispered. She looked up and he all he could see was pain in her eyes.
"That wasn't the worse part." She took a shaky breath. "After he was done, he left me there, all alone. In the morning, he tried to blame what had happened on all the firewhisky and… I believed him. I didn't tell Sokka because I desperately didn't want him to be right about Jet. Later Aang and I did what Jet asked and filled the river. He didn't tell us that it'd flood the town. After we finished I looked for Jet. He was with the others planning, but with one whistle they scattered and we were alone. He said I should be…rewarded for my work and he convinced me to…" She didn't say it, but Zuko knew what she meant, "…but it was just the same. Worse, even. When I asked him to stop…he struck me." Her hand involuntarily went up to her cheek, as if she could still feel the burn. "He tried to apologize later saying he was 'lost in the moment' and whatnot. But it was too late, I was already broken." She wasn't looking at Zuko anymore, but staring back at the ground. "After I learned about the town and confronted him, I finally saw him for what he was. It seems stupid that I didn't see it before, but I was so… blinded… infatuated. Just like with Yon Rha, I wanted to kill him… I froze him to a tree and had him right where I wanted him, but I couldn't do it. Sokka showed up and Jet started recounting our times together, in detail. Sokka was reaching for his boomerang when Aang flew in and stopped him. Instead, Sokka knocked Jet out and the three of us left." She was silent for a moment, "I have never told anyone this before. Sokka is the only other person who knows." Zuko wasn't sure what to say. She kept looking at the ground as if ashamed.
"That scum didn't deserve you." Zuko said and gently reached to tip her head up, "I'm so sorry for what he did."
"It wasn't your fault." She whispered. It wasn't, but he still felt bad.
"It takes a sick man to abuse a woman like that." He'd make sure Katara never had to experience that again. "Are you okay?"
"No. Yes? I don't know. I'm sorry. Just seeing these woods again and thinking about him…it makes me feel…helpless."
"You are not helpless. You are so strong. You are a master bender and an amazing woman."
"Then why couldn't I stop him?" she was close to tears. The repressed hurt she felt was now finally coming out.
"You are not to blame. He is. He should have stopped when you told him to."
"But I should have seen him for who he was from the beginning." She was rambling now, sobs starting to distort her voice, "I shouldn't have let him fool me. I shouldn't have-"
"Shh," he soothed and pulled her into his arms. "I've got you. You're safe."

-Katara-

She tried to stay strong. She fought back the sobs as hard as she could; because she knew when they started, they wouldn't want to stop. But she was weak. She wasn't able to see Jet for who he really was until it was too late and now she wasn't able to control her tears.

In a way, it felt good to cry. She had never cried over what happened with Jet before. She just tried to forget about it and move on because falling apart meant needing to be put back together and before Zuko, she had never trusted anyone with that task.

He held her until her eyes could cry no more. She sniffed loudly as she pulled back to look at him.
"Sorry," she whispered, her voice hoarse, and nodded towards the dampness on his shoulder.
"Don't be," he replied and reached to cup her face.
"Wait," she said and he instantly stopped. His eyes widened, probably fearing he had done something wrong. She stepped back just a little and with a few flicks of her wrists, she bended all of her tears out of his shirt. Then she went back into his arms. There was a look of relief on his face.
"You know I will never hurt you, right?" he asked, hesitantly putting his hands on her waist.
"I know, Zuko. I love you too." She put her arms around his neck, leaned up, and kissed him.

-Zuko-

He sat outside in the street with a long distance hawk on his shoulder while Katara wrote a letter to send to Aang and Toph. They decided Turpan would be a good place to wait for Aang and Toph. It was Fire Nation so they could send a messenger hawk to the Eastern Air Temple. Zuko estimated it'd take a day or two for the hawk to reach Aang and Toph and about another two days before they arrived. In the meantime, he would be alone with Katara. Even though they didn't need to remain undercover, they decided to. It was also kind of nice to act like a normal couple, even if it was just for a few days. Usually he hated the idea of waiting around, but with Katara… He couldn't help but smile.
"Ready?" she asked, exiting the building, and standing beside him.
"Yup," he replied, carefully getting to his feet. "You?" She nodded and handed him the scroll. He took it and slipped it into the canister on the hawk's back. "Eastern Air Temple." He instructed the bird before launching it into the air.
"What do we do now?" she asked.
"Do you want to get a hotel?" he suggested. It was only late afternoon, but they were tired.
"Yeah, good idea," she smiled and laced her fingers with his. He raised their entwined hands to his mouth and gently kissed the back of her hand. He was looking forward to a few days of relaxation with her.

-Toph-

She sat alone with her feet dangling over a cliff's edge, the afternoon sun warming her. Lately, inside was chaos. The temple had been peaceful until Azula arrived yesterday. Now the halls echoed with her screams. They sounded more like an animal than a person. Occasionally she'd stop screaming and start sobbing. Toph wasn't sure which she preferred.

At some point, the faint noise she heard coming from the temple stopped altogether. Guru Banana-Beard must have finally managed to calm her Toph thought. Now Aang was running towards her. She knew it was him by how far apart his steps were; he was practically flying.
"Toph!" he shouted. She stood and turned.
"Yes Twinkle-Toes?" she asked.
"I just got a messenger hawk!" he said excitedly. He was so excited he didn't even comment on the fact that she called him 'Twinkle-Toes.'
"I'm assuming you're going to tell me what it says now, right?" It wasn't like she could read it herself.
"Oh yeah!" she heard a scroll unroll, "It's from Katara. It says, 'Dear Aang and Toph, Zuko and I are fine and I hope you guys are too and everything is going well with Azula…. We're currently at the Lotus Blossom Hotel in the Fire Nation Settlement of Turpan and we were thinking you could come get us on Appa. Hope to see you soon, Katara."
"Do you know where Turpan is?" Toph asked him. She wanted to avoid unnecessary airtime. Just because she was used to flying around on Appa, didn't mean she liked it. Personally, she preferred the giant war balloons because at least she could see on those ships. But Aang couldn't leave Appa behind. So when they set out for the Eastern Air Temple of course they took Appa (and Momo, of course).
"Yeah," his tone was suddenly serious, "It's kind of near Jet's Forrest." Oh.
"I see." She replied, solemnly. She hadn't known Jet very well, most of their time together he was brainwashed, but he had died to save them.
"Anyways," Aang said, trying to be cheery, "I was wondering when you want to leave." Always so considerate.
"Uh, whenever I guess," she shrugged. It wasn't like she was doing anything. Besides hiding from Azula's screams, Toph had been relaxing. She sort of wanted to practice her metal bending, but there really wasn't any metal at the temple and she hadn't brought any with her.
"Well Appa is ready when we are."
"Does Guru Banana-Beard have Azula under control?"
"Oh... Right." Aang deflated slightly, before remembering something. "Yugoda should be arriving today-"
"So maybe we can leave once she arrives." Toph finished.
"Exactly!" she could hear his grin and she smiled too. His happiness could be infectious.

Her smile faded after a moment. She had never begrudged being blind much before, but now she wished her eyes worked. If only, so she could see his face. It didn't matter to her if he was 'handsome' or not. She just wanted to see his expressions, see him smile, laugh, frown, and cry. Normal couples could read each other's expressions, but she had grown accustomed to his footsteps, heartrate, and breathing. Still, she didn't think it was the same.
"What's on your mind?" Aang asked, pulling her out of her thoughts.
"Nothing." She answered quickly. She didn't want to be the sappy blind girl whishing she could a boy's face (even if it was true). He took a step closer and she could faintly feel his breath on her.
"What's wrong, Toph?" he asked gently.
"Nothing's wrong. I'm fine." She replied and turned away from him, "You should probably check on Azula." He didn't push the matter, turned, and left.

Once he was gone, she sat back down and tucked her knees under her chin. She was going soft, an utter sap. She never thought she'd miss Sugar Queen and Captain Angry, but it'll be nice to see them again. Maybe she'd talk to Katara…about stuff.

-Katara-

She didn't know how much she'd miss a bed until she flopped onto the soft sheets in the Lotus Blossom Hotel. She heard Zuko chuckle behind her, but she was too comfortable to open her eyes.
"Funny am I?" she asked, still not opening her eyes.
"Maybe a little," he replied and she could hear his smile. Suddenly she felt his hands on her feet and she peeked through her eyelids to see him carefully removing her shoes.
"That's better," she sighed, "Thank you."
"You're welcome." The bed bowed as he crawled up until his head was next to hers. She rolled onto her side to give him more room and face him.
"Hi," she whispered.
"Hi," he replied with a smile and reached over to caress her face.
"Hmm," she hummed contently and closed her eyes. She felt his hand wander down to her shoulder then farther to her waist. She opened her eyes to see him staring at her. It felt so nice to love him and be loved by him. They had already gone through so much individually she knew that together they could overcome anything.

a/n After all the previous drama, I thought I'd let Katara and Zuko have a little R&R.
From the very beginning of my story I had Katara be the more *ahem* experienced one, so this chapter also aided with that backstory. What did you think? Was Jet too OOC? Let me know what you thought in a review and thanks for reading!