The following afternoon, Flarry and Flarrietta were in their usual spot playing chess as Theo's system kept the pipes from leaking. Then there came a slight rumble above and a trinkle of water leaked out through the system and out of the shop, but the two still heard and saw it.

"Your ceiling is leaking again.", Flarry reported.

Bernie glanced up.

"More leaks?", he asked firmly.

"Don't worry.", Ember said.

She came over with Theo and they quickly fixed the leak.

"I'm sure the problem will be fixed soon.", Theo put in.

Ember and him got down before they noticed the clock read that it was almost three. They remembered Wade would be waiting for them.

"And since we're all good, I'm also going away . . ."

Theo thought fast.

"Oh yeah, we got a delivery made at three sharp!", he added pretending to look frantic, "We can't miss this one!"

As Ember passed her mom, Theo noticed her sniff the air and her face brighten.

"Do I smell something on . . . Ember?", she asked growing excited.

Theo ignored her and helped Ember get out of the shop fast, a small Earth element came out in front of them causing them to pause.

"Clod?!", Ember asked.

Theo frowned. Ember and him had encountered Clod many times before as he tried to flirt with Ember though Theo could tell he didn't have a shot.

"We're on a delivery Clod. What do you want?"

"I grew another one.", Clod answered as he lifted his arm to reveal a small flower which he plucked out and handed to Ember, "My queen."

Theo rolled his eyes. Couldn't this kid see he was out of his league and Ember wasn't interested? Ember must have read his thoughts cause she took Clod's flower and incinerated it in an instant.

"Oops, sorry.", she said to him, "Theo and I gotta go."

Theo hurried off with Ember holding on before Clod could work out what she said heading into Element City. As they approached the Alkali Theater, Theo stumbled as he was low on electricity.

"You go on ahead.", Theo told her, "I'll catch up."

Ember looked a bit nervous, but she went on ahead. Theo gained enough strength to walk alongside her again as they got a view of Wade standing outside the theater with "Tide and Prejudice" on the marquee above. Wade started tearing up when he saw Ember making Theo think he wasn't used to having a girl accept him on a "get together". He quickly wiped his eyes, took a breath as they approached and held his arm out as if to ask her inside. Ember gave a smile as she and Theo went passed him, but Theo noticed out of the corner of his eye that Wade got a little giddy before joining them. Inside, the lights dimmed and Ember's light shone a little too bright by the way some were giving dirty looks. Ember closed her hoodie closer around herself dimming the light as she shrank into her seat, but Wade didn't look phased. After the movie, the trio walked around Element City before a photo booth got Theo's attention.

"Hey, why don't you guys get a couple photos?", he suggested, "Something to remember this day by?"

Wade looked on board as Ember shrugged. The booth wouldn't hold Theo with the duo, but he didn't mind it. After a couple minutes, Wade and Ember came out and Theo retrieved the slip of photos only to see four sets of eyes among a bright light background. Later, they got into an elevator that would lead to an observation deck overlooking the city. Before Theo could get in with Wade and Ember however, a bunch of other pedestrians got in and the elevator got too crowded for Theo to get in.

"I'll meet you up there.", he told them.

He got outside and used his electromagnetism to levitate himself up to the roof. It would take a while, but he would get there eventually. He took his mirror out and it showed him Ember and Wade in the elevator. Wade looked Ember's way but then looked away when she looked his way.

"The phase of shy glances.", he thought to himself.

When he got close to the observation deck, he noticed Ember and Wade were already there with a bunch of others too. The kids backed away from Ember a bit, but Theo had a hunch that Ember knew what to do. She took off her hood revealing her full head before she took a breath and blew out some smoke rings which made it look like the huge buildings in the distance had silly faces. Theo saw the kids applaud while noticing that Wade was looking Ember's eyes with watery, adoring eyes but pretended not to notice and look away scratching his neck when Ember looked his way.

/

The following day, Ember and Theo were working the shop again though Ember was busy with a notebook working on designs for a new sign. Theo decided to let it be as she took a glance at the photo strip of her and Wade. Theo was just about to go back to stocking some more stuff when a customer came by and lit a sparkler without paying.

"Well Ember, you going to flare up again?", Theo thought to himself as Ember took the sparkler back.

Ember flared for a moment, but then calmed down before happily handing the sparkler back to the customer who took off smiling. Theo looked amused while Ember took another look at the photo strip. Then Bernie came up startling them both as Ember quickly hit the photo strip and plastered a forced smile hoping her dad would be none the wiser. Luckily, Bernie gave a thumbs up showing he hadn't and he headed toward the back. Ember sighed in relief and Theo then gave her a knowing look.

"Hey Ember, can you help me with this one?", he asked, "I'm feeling a little drained."

Ember knew he was just saying that so that they would have a reason to leave. As they did, Theo could have sworn he saw Mrs. Lumen sniff around the counter Ember was at before lifting her notebook and seeing the photo strip.

"Who is this guy?", she asked growing in excitement.

Theo now knew Mrs. Lumen wouldn't stop until she found out who Ember was hanging out with. When they met up with Wade, it was now outside an outdoor café. A waiter came by with mugs of a pink drink which he gave the trio. Wade downed his making himself turn pink for a while. Theo tried to drink his, but the liquid made him spark and spas for a minute, but he managed to reconstruct himself. Although he felt pain, the look of Ember and Wade chuckling slightly made him forget about it. Ember tried to drink hers, but the liquid evaporated before it touched her lips. Before Ember could feel bad, some music started playing and people around them started dancing. Wade got up and started sloshing his liquid body to the rhythm as Theo felt his foot tap. Wade looked Ember's way and although she was hesitant at first, she joined in as Theo did as well. As Theo moved to his dancing, he saw Wade stretched like a stream around Ember's flickering moves. Then people started coupling off and dancing together causing Ember and Wade to pause. Wade looked Ember's way and held his hand out as if to ask her to dance. Ember froze. Theo could tell she really wanted to, but how could she? Her heat could boil him for crying out loud.

"Just go for it Ember.", Theo silently prayed, "Can't you see he wants you to?"

Then a pair danced too closely to the couple and accidentally knocked Wade into the fountain that was in the center of all the dancing. Theo was a bit worried, but was relieved when Wade reformed on top of the fountain and posing while spouting water out of his mouth as if he was part of the fountain's structure. Theo saw Ember grin in amusement. Before Wade came down and rejoined her.

"I'll say this much Wade Ripple.", Theo said mostly to himself, "You're one of a kind."

Theo then remembered a delivery he had to make and zipped off to do so and was back at the café only to see Wade and Ember were nowhere in sight.

"Ember must have gone back to the shop again.", Theo decided, "Still, she and Wade are getting closer every time they're together."

He then decided to head back to the shop himself and the moment he was there, Mrs. Lumen was seen sniffing around which made him quickly duck into an alley nearby.

"Great, she's on to us."

/

The following day, Theo was more than a little tense. Mrs. Lumen was still seeming like she wanted to know what was going on. Theo had seen a couple of her matchmaking sessions and had a feeling she wouldn't approve. As Ember started out the door, he managed to get his system back into place as leaks started to ease before Mrs. Lumen took him aside.

"Theo, would you mind watching Ember for me?"

Theo looked interested.

"Why?", he asked, "She seems fine to me. Besides I probably have a basement to organize."

Mrs. Lumen looked his way smiling sweetly.

"Theo, you've done more than enough for us all this week. You deserve more time off."

Theo felt a bit better, but knew Mrs. Lumen would be on to Ember.

"Okay.", he told her, "Maybe Ember just found an outlet for her attitude or something like that."

Mrs. Lumen frowned.

"Don't get sassy Theo. I know love when I smell it. My nose always knows."

Theo didn't want to stay around and headed out to try and find Ember. Luckily he was able to catch up to her before she got on the Wetro on the way to Element City.

"Ember?"

Ember looked his way and noticed Theo's expression.

"You okay?", she asked him.

Theo thought fast.

"Yeah, just. . .just forgot to take an observation for when I have to go back to my community."

Ember gave a weird look and Theo prayed she wouldn't put two and two together. So Theo thought of something else.

"So, you seem to like hanging out with this Wade Ripple character."

Ember looked surprised as she blushed a little.

"Theo!", she said firmly trying to keep her blush down, "I just want to make sure Gale cancels out those tickets he wrote so my dad's business won't get shut down."

Theo looked a bit surprised, but chose to drop the subject as the Wetro started to stop. As the doors opened, they saw Wade nearby clearly waiting for them.

"Oh, you guys made it.", he said clearly eager to engage in more time with them.

Ember managed to hide her concern as Theo gave a friendly smile.

"So Wade, where's the next place we're going?"

Wade looked thoughtful for a moment, then he snapped his fingers.

"How about Mineral Lake?", he suggested.

Ember looked a bit unsure, but Theo looked on board instantly.

"Sounds like fun.", he said, "A pleasant walk, a pleasant talk, and maybe even-"

"Theo, did you remember that delivery?", Ember asked quickly hoping to get Theo away.

Theo gave her a wink before he started off.

"You two go off and have fun.", he said over his shoulder, "See you at the lake."

As soon as he was out of sight, Theo shot off to the shop like a shot. As soon as he showed up at the shop, Mr. Lumen was about to put a delivery list on the counter before noticing Theo walk in and smiled his way.

"Wow, you must have known about this huh?"

Theo smiled nervously.

"You should thank Ember. She informed me."

Mr. Lumen looked amused as Theo headed out with the delivery.

"Good daughter.", he thought to himself.

/

Theo hurried with the deliveries hoping to catch up with Ember and Wade at Mineral Lake. Even when he was working, he still could hear the comments hurled his way.

"Hey, watch your speed!"

"He's always shooting off like some land surge."

"Better hope those deliveries don't burn up from that friction!"

Theo just ignored them like he usually did and once he was done, he headed towards Mineral Lake though he only got there to see Ember and Wade on the other side. Mineral Lake was like any other lake sitting in the center of the city, but colorful crystals of various sizes sticking up around the edge of it. As much as he wanted to get over there, he had burned up most of his speed and was reduced to walking over the bridge to their side while he built up his charge again. He couldn't make out everything at first, but then he got close enough to hear the couple and chose to keep out of sight for the moment. Ember stepped on a green crystal and instantly her fire turned a beautiful emerald green color. Wade was stunned.

"Whoa. How'd you do that?"

Ember took a moment to pick up a loose crystal the same color as the one she was on.

"It's the minerals.", she said to him before looking his way smiling as an idea came to her mind, "Watch this."

She stepped off the crystal she was on turning her usual orange color again before jumping onto a large purple one and the moment she touched it, her whole flaming body became a gorgeous purple color.

"Awesome.", Wade said as his smile got bigger.

Ember then turned and jumped from one crystal to another making musical sounds as she went from cerulean blue, blazing red, back to purple, then yellow and so on til she set herself on top of two large ones and half of her became green and the other purple.

"Wow.", Wade said before an idea came to him, "Watch this!"

Theo and Ember observed as Wade started sprinting into Mineral Lake and then skidded causing a spray of water to go up into the air. As the sunlight shone upon the droplets, creating a beautiful rainbow.

"Oh, that's sweet.", Theo thought before noticing that it was fading, "Can't let it go so soon."

Theo conjured an electromagnetic field that made Wade's rainbow stay longer when he noticed Ember was aglow as she and Wade made eye contact.

"Well, well. Guess Water guy is starting to grow on Fire girl.", Theo thought to himself smiling.

Unfortunately, Theo felt the strain and let his field go down which caused the rainbow to disperse, but Ember and Wade didn't care as Wade came in from the lake and Ember down from her crystals. Theo didn't have time to make out what they said cause he was catching his breath again.

"Man, I'm really straining myself chasing these kids.", he thought before he managed to pull himself together and get up to look where Ember and Wade were only to find that they weren't there.

"Hey, where'd they go?", he asked.

As if to answer him a while later while he was heading back to the shop under darkening skies, he felt his mirror vibrate and took it out to see it had a split screen. Wade was on one side and Ember on the other. Wade was heading back into his apartment complex with that dreamy look in his eyes while Ember was looking at her reflection in the water the Wetro caused under the track. Theo felt strong enough to get to her, but chose not to as Ember's hand didn't touch the water and she headed back to the shop. Then the mirror went back to normal and Theo headed back to the shop himself. Luckily Mr. and Mrs. Lumen weren't around and Ember noticed him as he came in.

"Hey Theo, when did you get here?"

Theo sighed.

"Just recently.", he admitted, "We better hit the hay before we open up tomorrow huh?"

Ember didn't argue with that and soon, they were both out for the night. Unfortunately early the following day, Theo felt his mirror vibrate again.

"Now what?", he asked as he pulled it out.

The mirror showed the sandbags Theo, Ember, and Wade had stacked suddenly sprung a leak and more leaks formed.

"That's not good.", Theo said beginning to get worried, "I have to warn Wade."

And quickly, he got dressed for the day and opened the window so he could zip out and head into Element City towards the Water District quickly.