A. N. : Attention mesdames et messieurs, attachez votre ceinture, please fasten your belt because this chapter is one I have been waiting to write ever since I decided this would be a Long Fic. It is the 30th chapter, I have oficially begun my 3rd notebook for this fic and we are soon going to get to the 3rd Book. That's some holy triangle if you ask me.

Rocks are flying suddenly.

The dust settles and there's Uncle – with the Avatar –

Katara jumps into the Avatar's arms and Uncle grabs both Zuko and Jet for a hug. Jet struggles to get out of it, but Zuko is too shocked to react. Uncle and the Avatar. Great. So now they're not just assumed traitors, Uncle managed to become an actual one too.

And while father might really never want him back, going against the whole Nation is not in Zuko's plans.

Uncle looks at him. Says they need to talk. Gestures for the Avatar and Katara to go ahead. Jet lingers here a bit longer, before joining them.

And damn, Uncle sounds so proud of him that Zuko has a really bad feeling about all this, and he is right – Uncle switches to his wise old man voice and tells him to choose Good –

But before he can really process what was said, the crystals move, grow, and trap Uncle, and Azula comes in. And as usual she knows exactly what's inside his mind – he isn't a traitor, even if father doesn't want him he can't betray his country – and she speaks of redemption and needing him and maybe, just maybe, father would accept him if he helped Azula take Ba Sing Se –

Lies. Lies lies lies Azula always lies father might accept him but he will never love him, Zuko's home is gone and no Avatar, no city will bring it back.

But he still isn't a traitor. He can't just join the Avatar or whatever Uncle wants him to do – Uncle is probably thinking of the Greatest Good for The World, but really Zuko doesn't care because what did the world ever do for him ? Everything keeps blowing up in his face all the time, so why should he do anything ?

Right. He doesn't have to join the Avatar – he can just sit back and wait until the fight has ended. Yeah right, and if Azula wins – and she always does – he will be arrested, Uncle will be arrested, Ba Sing Se will fall for good and then –

Smellerbee and Longshot and Jet – spirits that idiot is probably facing Azula right now – and all the refugees and everyone he's come to know, the people in the streets and at the market, and Lin – Lin, what will happen of Lin, what will happen of everyone –

And really, Zuko couldn't care less about the world or doing the right thing, but he can't risk Lin's life because he's afraid, she is all he has, his only chance at not fucking up everything, and he can't lose that.

He's already lost too much.

So he runs, runs to fight for the tiny family he's made for himself.

When he gets there he sees Katara and the Avatar holding their own against Azula, with Jet standing on the sidelines, a dagger in his hand, waiting for an opening. They look at each other and Zuko nods – they are on the same side. Jet nods in return and goes back to watching the fight – or he would if a stone pillar didn't distract him.

Dai Li agents appear from everywhere. At first there's only one. Then two. Then ten. Then Zuko is too busy avoiding rocks to bother counting. He shoots fire punches, ducks under the crystals flying around, suddenly he is up against blue flames and Azula looks like she just had to swallow dozens of rattlewasps when she looks at him – there's a wave and then Azula is gone and there are so many Dai Li and he thinks he sees Jet kick one of them in the face but he can't be sure and Katara is on the ground when did that happen and there's a light –

It's like at the North Pole. The Avatar is glowing and they all stop fighting, even if they don't know what's happening – Zuko knows and he's fucking terrified –

Lightning strikes and the Avatar falls down.