AN: An eternity later, this fic is updated! I don't know for how much longer I'll update to FFN, given that the stats are broken and update alerts only seem to half work. So while I may still continue to update on FFN, it may just not take precedence. But you can catch me under the same username over at AO3 so don't be a stranger!

On This Side of Oblivion

Chapter Three

Wishful Thinking

When Katara would later reflect on the events that happened at the docks, she would assume she had fallen ill, fever clouding her memory, judgment.

But she knew what she saw, the spectral, ghoulish form of a demon-faced man, wielding twin blades with a fearsome level of skill. She knew for a fact that she had seen the blades pierce through the police officers' stomachs before wrenching free, disemboweled before her very eyes. The sight had been enough to make her eyes water and vision swim but she forced herself to hold it together.

She was torn between engaging with this man or following through with the mission.

Katara didn't have to think long, because before she knew it, alarms had been blaring and it seemed like the shouting from the police officers, before their untimely ends, had been enough warning to garner attention from others.

Seeing that the choice was made for her, Katara turned back to assess her entourage huddled together, fear coloring their faces. She grimaced, fighting the urge to calm them down and reassure them that there was nothing to worry about. Right now, they didn't have the luxury to decompress. Besides, Katara wasn't sure if the demon-man was friend or foe. Sure, he had taken down two unexpected police officers, but that didn't mean he wouldn't turn his blades on them.

Chancing a glance, Katara looked over her shoulder as she ushered the group together, moving them toward the waiting ship.

The man remained where he was, his twin blades extended on either side of him, dripping the slowly coagulating blood onto the wooden docks. He made no move to follow her, but she knew he was studying her behind that blank, expressionless mask. It made her recoil, but Katara also knew he had, intentionally or not, bought her time.

Whirling away, Katara threw up another cover of mist around the group, safely ushering them toward the ship that would get them out of Republic City, hopefully deep within the Earth Kingdom by the end of the week. Katara didn't bother to conceal her bending, assuming that at this point, the stranger had already seen her waterbend. Besides, she reasoned, would he actually have been able to identify her in a lineup? With her face painted and hair pulled back into a tight knot, she didn't at all resemble the beloved Cerulean Lily.

Hiding in plain sight, as it were.

But then a thought pricked at her, reminding her that she didn't know who he was either. Katara batted the thought away while she secured passage for the group, turning to offer them a tentative smile.

"You'll be safe on the ship." She didn't offer more than that. She didn't think she could. Taking a look at her hands, she noticed the slightest bit of a tremor.

The captain of the ship approached, his brow furrowed. "Should we be concerned about all that commotion? What happened?"

"Republic City police were patrolling despite what our intelligence told us. They shouldn't be a problem though." Something told her that the masked man would be handling the rest of them. "I would wait just a bit before heading out, otherwise we might be drawing unnecessary attention."

The captain seemed bemused by the response but quickly sprang into action with the rest of the rebel crew, and Katara knew it was time to take her leave.

She tugged the hood of her cloak up higher, opting to keep herself shrouded with the cover of night rather than using more of her waterbending. She had already taken enough risks tonight.

Katara started when she noticed the bodies again that had littered the docks, as though she had already forgotten, already written it off as a nightmare. Her mind screamed at her to get away, put as much distance between the scene as she could. And now that the adrenaline was leaving her body ever so slowly, Katara could feel the shakiness in her limbs more clearly.

She swallowed the lump in her throat as she made her way out of the docks, twisting through the crooked alleys of Republic City. She didn't bother to question what had happened after the alarm had sounded.

The only thought that kept running through her mind was the fact that the police had been there when they shouldn't have. So either someone had intentionally compromised her or someone else had discovered something going on.

She had to tell Jet.

She didn't want to tell him, but he had to know. He was responsible for their unit, and if he didn't know, it would be a problem. A big one. She refused to think about the deeper implications…of whether or not someone had sold them out. She couldn't for a second believe that Sokka had intentionally fucked up the patrol schedules. He had been doing it for the last few years now and had yet to mess it up. But perhaps the source of his information had been the culprit?

Katara forced the thoughts out of her mind.

Regardless of the reason for the events of tonight, it didn't change the fact that she needed to get to Jet as quickly as possible. Sitting on this information could cost them even more.

Katara rounded a corner before springing back, shock coursing through her at the sight of the demon-masked man.

She didn't hesitate to leap further back, allowing herself to slide into a defensive stance. He knew she was a waterbender, so what did it matter if she used her abilities to defend herself?

Her eyes narrowed as he slowly stepped closer, hands raised with his palms facing her, as if to signal he was harmless. Which was a fucking lie because Katara had seen with her own two eyes how easily and efficiently he took care of those Republic City police officers. He had sliced through them with a finesse borne out of years of practice.

"I'm not here to fight you."

His voice held a rough edge but was surprisingly younger-sounding than she expected, almost boyish. He couldn't have been much older than her, based on his voice alone.

"And how do I know that?" Katara murmured in response, afraid that if she spoke for too long or too clearly, he might know who she was. He might even be the reason she was currently in this predicament. Whoever was under that mask could potentially be the culprit behind tonight's near-failure. But Katara couldn't fight the fact that his voice didn't ring any bells.

"You saw what I did to those cops. Republic City has been needing a facelift, and I'm just doing my part." After a beat of silence, he continued. "And I think you're of the same opinion?" His voice lilted, as if in question, but he also sounded confident in his assumption.

"Why did you do it? What do you have against Republic City?"

"What does anyone have against Republic City?" The masked man shot back. "I'm sure that if I enumerated my reasons, you'd find yourself agreeing with me."

Katara gave a short huff of laughter. "And you think that's enough for me to let my guard down? Be serious."

"I'm dead serious."

Katara could've sworn there was an edge of humor, a dark reference to the police he slaughtered. She repressed the urge to shudder, refusing to let this stranger rattle her any more than he already had.

"I'm afraid we're done here," Katara snapped, an air of finality to her words. She eased out of her defensive posture but made no move to pass him by. Instead, she slowly backed away, keeping her eyes glued to his still form.

"Then meet me at Republic City Park, near the turtle duck pond, this time tomorrow night."

"You're out of your mind," Katara muttered before quickly darting off.

The man didn't bother to follow her.

"You're not going alone! Out of the question!"

Katara fought to pinch her nose for the umpteenth time as Sokka continued his protective older brother tirade. Never mind the fact that he had no authority over her and she was plenty skilled in the art of defending herself, both with her bending and without. As a non-bending Water Tribe member, Sokka had made it his mission to ensure Katara knew how to rely on more than just her waterbending.

"We can't just all show up either and ambush him without a second thought! Come on, Sokka. That would be stupid." She petulantly folded her arms, unable to keep the childish retort locked away.

She hadn't meant to have Sokka present when she told Jet what had occurred earlier in the night, but Katara knew she couldn't afford to sit on this. She had shown up at Jet's residence, barrelling into his office breathless and thrumming with energy as the night fully sunk in and hastily relayed what had occurred, heedless of the fact that Sokka was poring over maps spread out on the desk before the two men.

"Well, it can't be any stupider than you waltzing out there tomorrow night. 'Oh, thank you Mr. Murderer for saving my life, shall I let you kill me next?'" Sokka uttered in a falsetto voice.

"That doesn't sound anything like me, you ass!" Katara snapped.

"Oh, doesn't i-"

"Katara should definitely meet him."

Katara and Sokka both stopped, turning to stare at Jet who had been sitting at his desk deep in thought, fingers steepled together.

"What?" Katara and Sokka sputtered.

"We're meeting him," Jet rose to his feet. "But Sokka's right, you can't go alone." Katara made to protest but Jet cut her off. "You can't go alone, so I'll be going with you."

Sokka's indignation found a new target. "You're kidding! The last thing you should be doing is getting involved - with all due respect," Sokka hastily added. "If he's a spy or some other enemy, then revealing yourself could be huge trouble."

"You're probably right, but I'd like to see this man for myself." Jet's dark eyes glimmered in the low light. "Who knows how useful someone like him could be to our cause."

"You don't mean to seriously recruit him, do you?" Katara asked.

"I mean to do nothing. Not yet at least."

Katara frowned. She knew that at best, Jet was an optimist and at worst, prone to taking bets she wished he wouldn't. There was a part of her that worried Jet was becoming too comfortable, too confident with his status. He had been doing this for a few years now with little to no interference, but Katara didn't believe their luck was limitless.

Tonight alone had been proof of that.

But whereas Katara saw the flaws, the places where the seams in their plans fell apart, Jet only saw opportunities.

Sokka frowned but nevertheless rolled up the map that had been splayed on the desk. He tucked it into his bag and hefted it onto his shoulder before turning to make his leave.

"Let's at least discuss this a little more in depth tomorrow beforehand, okay?" Sokka asked before exiting. "It's late, and I need to figure out where exactly the plan went wrong tonight."

A heavy silence draped the remaining pair, though perhaps it was only Katara who felt stifled. She knew Jet was well aware of her concerns, but she also knew he wasn't prone to giving into her either. It had always been a point of contention between them - though there were few and far between. She wished he would take more care for his own well-being, but Katara knew that to Jet, playing it safe meant he wasn't being a good enough leader, taking enough risks. Though she found that kind of thinking unfair to himself, she couldn't blame him for arriving at that conclusion, given his past.

Still.

Katara released a breath.

"You know we only care about you, right? Besides, from a purely logistical standpoint, there's not a whole lot of sense in you meeting with this person and associating with the Painted Lady. If you do that, and this person turns out to be against us, then what?" At his silence, she pressed on. "Think about how much of our rebellion efforts rely on you. We've been able to make the kind of strides we have in large part thanks to you and your businesses. Imagine what people would say if they knew you and your business were fraternizing with the rebellion? Doesn't that worry you at all?"

Jet leaned against his desk, fishing out a cigarette and dangling it between his lips as he then reached for his lighter. Katara watched with growing impatience as he went through his ritual of lighting the cigarette, taking in a few puffs, and closing his eyes in thought. She knew he wasn't ignoring her, that he was in fact taking into account everything she had just said. But it still irked her to be left hanging.

He finally ground out the cigarette on an ashtray and unfolded his arms, slowly making his way to where she stood by the door.

Jet lifted his hand up to gently cup the side of Katara's face. She felt her cheeks warm and lowered her eyes, never quite used to the intensity with which he looked at her.

"Fine. You're right," his voice was soft and husky. "I won't meet with this mystery man tomorrow night. But you won't go alone." Katara breathed a sigh of relief. They could figure out the details later, but at least he was seeing reason.

It seemed that every now and then, she did win a few battles with him.

"Now please tell me you're staying tonight," he whispered in her ear, and Katara shuddered, allowing herself to finally relax to his touch.

They exited from his study and made their way to his bedroom, a place that was slowly becoming more and more familiar to Katara than her own room.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and met him more readily for a kiss. They continued this way, his arms wrapped protectively around her waist, Katara lost to the feeling of his warmth, his familiarity.

Katara had always felt a pull toward Jet. She wasn't quite sure when she had started to find herself consumed by thoughts of him, but there was a moment of clarity where she one day realized that she wasn't just in awe of his ideals, his will to fight, but enamored by the personal side of him that he seemed to only share with her.

They had grown closer and closer over the years, and Katara had struggled to shove down her feelings, to keep things strictly professional. But then there had been a moment a few years back not unlike tonight in which they had been working closely together in the late hours of the night, and Jet had made his own emotions very clear. Katara had felt like a pipe about to burst with the revelation that she no longer had to keep hiding this part of her around him, to know that he had at least felt some level of attraction toward her as well.

Jet slowly guided them toward the bed, and Katara let loose a laugh when her back met the soft blankets. They quickly undressed and Katara fell back against the mattress again, legs wrapped firmly around his waist as he planted his hands on either side of her head.

As Katara gazed into his eyes, she felt a weight being lifted. She wasn't sure if this was love but she knew that she relished the peace in these moments, where it was just the two of them, the world at large falling away from her mind.

Soon he was inside her and Katara lost herself to the physical sensation of following his rhythm, glad to let her thoughts finally take a backseat and with it, all her fears and stress of tonight's earlier events.

Feeling a rare surge of boldness, Katara wrapped her legs tightly around his waist and pushed so that Jet was on his back. She smiled coyly, continuously rolling her hips against his as she pressed her hands against his chest. He laughed, anchoring her to him with his hands on her waist as Katara moved faster, picking up the pace.

Katara let out a moan as she felt him quiver inside her, her muscles threatening to give in from the exertion.

And then it was over in a rush, Katara having been pushed over the edge as she came soon after him. She fought to catch her breath before collapsing in a heap on top of Jet, laughing softly as he placed a hand atop her head, moving her hair to one side. He slowly slid out of her and grasped her tightly as he rolled them to their sides.

Throwing a blanket over them, Jet curled tighter around Katara and she let out a contented hum.

Sex was great, but it was the moments after that made Katara feel light as a feather. If she could remain like this forever, she thought she would take that opportunity. But she knew this was fleeting, that soon enough, dawn would approach and they would all have to fall back into reality. A reality that was filled with unknowns. If Katara thought about the future too long, her fear began to overtake her, making her believe that the worst outcomes would come to pass.

The worst being that she would lose everyone she loved. That they were ultimately fighting for nothing.

So before she could allow herself to get to that mindset, Katara pushed the covers higher up, allowing herself the small luxury of peacefully drifting off into what would hopefully be a dreamless sleep.

Hours later, the early morning rays of the sun slipped past through the curtains, forcing Katara to blearily open her eyes. The familiar weight of Jet's arm was draped across her, and she slowly extricated herself, turning to see he was still fast asleep. She smiled softly, reaching out a hand to gently brush the fringe of his hair aside. Seeing him like this always made Katara's heart swell. It wasn't often Jet allowed himself to look vulnerable, so Katara savored these moments that existed just between them, almost as if it were a side he shared for just her alone.

Jet soon began to stir, and Katara leaned back with the covers wrapped around her.

"Good morning," she whispered in a sing-song voice.

"Morning already?" He gave a grimace, pretending to fall back asleep before lunging and grabbing Katara so she fell back next to him. She yelped before laughing fully. "I don't suppose I could keep the Cerulean Lily a little longer?"

Katara rolled her eyes halfheartedly. "Only for a little bit. I have to train with Suki soon, and then I have rehearsal later.. I can't be the Cerulean Lily for too long if I'm late for another practice," she flicked his arm.

Jet gave a snort. "Nonsense. They could get rid of you, but then who would take your place?" He shook his head. "No, I'm afraid the Jade Lotus is stuck with you."

Katara grinned. "They should feel so lucky, huh?"

"You know," Jet leaned back against his pillow, eyes staring up at the ceiling. "I meant to tell you, but I saw the strangest thing the other night at the club."

"Oh?" Katara turned on her side, propping her head up with her hand. "Do tell."

"I saw the disgraced Fire Lord's son. Zuko, I think his name was."

Katara sat up a bit straighter, all mirth evaporating. "Zuko? At the Jade Lotus? Are you sure?"

"Positive. He was there with some Fire Nation scum." Jet paused, a humorless smirk gracing his lips. "The bastard even had the nerve to stare at me. Like he wanted to taunt me."

Katara's thoughts began to swim. The idea of the Fire Lord's son being in their territory, prowling around the Jade Lotus, set off alarm bells. Why didn't Jet sound more worried?

"Why do you think he was there? I mean…it's not that Fire Nation officials don't frequent the Jade Lotus, but the Fire Nation's son? That's a little too close for comfort, isn't it?"

Jet only shrugged. "Maybe. But rumor has it he hasn't been in the Fire Lord's good books for a few years now. People even say his own father disfigured him. Kicked the shit out of him and left him to hang dry. To my knowledge, he hasn't been spotted in any high profile spots ever since."

Katara shuddered. While she didn't have any love for the Fire Nation or their ruling family, she couldn't help but feel pity for a son experiencing nothing but disdain, perhaps even hatred, by his own father. She simply couldn't imagine family behaving that way.

"Still…" she continued warily. "It can't mean anything good for us." She paused again, fingering the blanket. "Are you sure it was him? If he hasn't been seen in public for a while, maybe it wasn't him after all."

Jet sat up straighter. "I'm certain it was him. I've seen the bastard around once or twice before his father fucked him up. Even though it's been a minute, I'd recognize him anywhere, scarred or not."

Katara took a deep breath. "Okay. Okay, so we're just going to stay on the alert. Maybe it was just a one off."

"I'm still going to increase our spies at the Jade Lotus. If he shows up again, we need to start tailing him. Regardless of whether or not he's an actual threat, I'm not taking chances with him skulking around." Jet paused to reach over to the nightstand, grabbing a lighter and another carton of cigarettes before shaking one loose and lighting it. "And Katara, I hate to ask this of you, but if he does show up again…" he trailed off, lips moving around the cigarette dangling between his lips.

Katara's eyes shuttered.

And this, she realized, was where the fantasy of them often ebbed. Because while she saw him first as a person, as a man she had come to have deeper feelings for, and secondly as a rebellion leader, Katara knew he did not make the same calculus. She was a spy and rebel soldier first and foremost, and that would always take precedence.

"You want me to get close to him."

The look in Jet's eyes confirmed everything Katara had been thinking.

Rolling her shoulders back, Katara held her head up resolutely.

"Got it."

AN: Thank you for reading!