A. N. : Writing in the train is hard, especially when you can't check what you wrote in the older chapters so that the characterization doesn't suck too much. Especially with such a complex character as Jet (yes, he is back from his little trip in Jet Land).

Jet ran away.

He ran away and that's not something he does – strategic retreat, yes, letting Smellerbee take him away from a baby firebender, okay, it's not running it's prioritizing.

Except that's not what he did just now.

He saw Lin crying and rekindling the fire and he ran away because it was too much –she's a firebender, Li is a firebender Li is a prince and not even Li at all and they fought back to back anyway and it's wrong, everything is wrong and twisted, and now he realizes it has been ever since Lin threw these sparks at the station –

Fire is death and destruction and all his nightmares, it's shouldn't also be a child laughing and a doting almost-father and someone he trusted with his life and who didn't stab him in the back, it shouldn't be a boy who cries in his sleep and who understands how it feels to have his world burned to ashes.

Everything is wrong and twisted and Jet can't kill the prince, can't kill the son of the man making the world bleed, can't kill the one person who gets it, and he hates it, hates being so weak, hates not being able to scream at not-Li for being a monster – they've really always been the same haven't they – hates being scared to get too close and burn, hates wanting to erase this damned day and pretend nothing changed.

Jet doesn't pretend, he lies and lies again and is in control, and when he isn't he kills or screams or hurts, he doesn't just – stand around doing nothing but stare at the problem, not knowing what to do, wanting to get closer – but what for – but scared to do so – fire it's fire it hurts – he doesn't run away when the world throws in his face a reminder of how much he hates and how he can't do anything about it.

But he did run, and now he's standing with his feet in the water, looking at the dark shape of a ship slowly sailing away. Some guys are hurrying to the other ships and swearing loudly – he didn't even know these words existed.

The girl who made friends with Li – Zuko, Suko whatever, it doesn't matter – grabs his arm and asks if he can turn her so she'll face the front of the stolen ship – did she really call him stalker ?

He does and – whoa, what – she makes a huge dune, almost like a dock, except it's not and it stopped the boat.

She makes a comment on how wet sand is easier, whatever that means, and starts walking toward the ship, dragging Jet along. She is Toph and he is an idiot – if he has a problem he should just face it head on instead of running away like a stupid airbender.

She'll even let Jet punch sparky if it helps. And she'll cheer from the sidelines if he decides to answer in kind.

Uh. Jet guesses he's supposed to feel thankful for the advice – if you can call it that – but really he just feels terrible. If a blind kid saw right through him that easily, he might as well set his head on fire so everyone can enjoy the show of him breaking down.

The people who stole the ship jump down on the dune. There's two of them, one huge and the other very tiny, and it's dark but he could recognize them anywhere, and he only realizes he started running when he bumps into Toph – she shouts but he doesn't care because his kids are here and he can take care of them instead of going mad on his own and spirits he missed them –

He hugs The Duke and laughs, and The Duke laughs too and Pipsqueak looks so surprised it's hilarious. Jet is laughing like a madman but he doesn't care.

He is home.