A/N: This is overall a fairly calm slow burn with some 'dealing with old trauma' sprinkled in. Much healing happens and there's a bit of steaminess at the end :) Hope you enjoy the ride! If you've made it this far, you deserve it. Also, there are some therapy scenes and—well—I did my best haha. I have no training or education in psychiatry, so please don't judge too harshly XD

If you're reading along with Daughters of Mara: Book 2, keep in mind that this fic will have more frequent updates as the chapters are broken up differently. When in doubt, read the first half of DoM2 first!

Something wasn't right. As Koko walked down the hall, slowly passing each door and reading the numbers on them, she couldn't figure out what was unsettling her.

The sound of one door creaking open made her stop and turn back.

"...Hello? Is someone there?"

Nothing happened for several long seconds, then the sound of rusty, creaking metal wheels reached her ears. From the open doorway emerged a gaunt old woman in a wheelchair. She was exactly as Koko remembered her from fifteen years ago: scowling and grouchy.

This is…wrong. "You shouldn't be here," Koko found herself saying in a haunted voice. "You're dead. What are you doing here?"

There was no response, but the wheelchair began to shake violently until it finally exploded outward, metal shards flying everywhere. Koko turned away and tried to shield herself with her arms. When she looked back, there was nothing but a pile of scrap and ancient, dried-up bones. The skull stared up at her with reproval, as if to say: Who are you? Do you even know?

Koko couldn't look at it any longer and started to stumble backward. Suddenly, she was running down the hall. Doors whizzed by her, each one flying open as she passed.

"Koko!"

"Koko, come back!"

"Kiriko!"

"Kiko! Kiko!"

"Kiri Kiri Koko!"

That last voice was laughing, mocking. A child's voice out of the deep past. She ignored them all and kept running, but the names all blended together until they were indistinguishable—a garbled noise that grew louder and louder until it blared, unceasing, from all directions. She crushed her palms against her ears and—

Koko woke with a start and sat bolt upright in bed. That awful, grating noise was still there. What…? Her groggy mind struggled to push the dream away and catch up with reality as the sound permeated her entire being, pulsing through her.

Alarm… It's the alarm…!

With that thought, she threw off the sweat-soaked sheet and leapt out of bed. Her body was primed and ready for a fight, adrenaline coursing through her. She was calm, but intrusive thoughts kept pushing through.

Shit. Shit! How did they find us already?!

Valen and Zenya… Are they okay?

There was no time to make herself presentable; she had to get outside now and find out what was happening. Barefoot, hair hanging loose, she went straight for the front door.

"What's going on?" Shylo asked in a groggy voice from where he slept on the sofa.

"I don't know. Stay here." Two seconds later she was outside and searching the street for danger. There was no one there.

"Attention residents of Oldtown: Please remain in your homes with the windows and doors locked. This is not a drill."

The voice echoed around the city. Its message was new to Koko. She'd heard the alarm before, whenever the system was tested, but this was real.

Not until she'd run an entire block did she remember her bending still hadn't come back yet. Nearly four days had passed since they said goodbye to Jinora. Never before had Koko's fire taken this long to return to her.

She tried again, knowing it was futile. Dammit! Should've grabbed my knife.

Too late for that. The only thing she could do was head for the train station, which was the most likely point of entry for intruders. And as her bare feet slapped across the rough pavement, it became clear that she was headed in the right direction. Subtle tremors rippled under her, growing stronger the closer she got.

The hour was late enough that the streets were empty of residents, fortunately. Everyone would be safely shut in their homes, hopefully heeding the warning that played on a loop every thirty seconds.

Saph, you better stay put and don't try to be a hero!

In her heart, Koko knew that Saph was unlikely to try and do anything. She was far too scared. That was usually a worrisome problem, but right now Koko was grateful for it.

There were city police in the streets now, running in from all directions but all headed the same way: towards the train station. A few glanced at her with curiosity or amusement or appreciation, but fortunately, no one said anything. Fortunately for them.

"Does anyone know what's happening?!" she bellowed to the nearest guy once she was close enough to be heard over the noise.

He looked at her sideways, one eyebrow cocked curiously. His gaze flicked down, but just for a moment. "Only that there's an intruder in the tunnel."

"An intruder? Just one?" What in the name of the Spirits is going on? Koko asked herself, baffled.

Off to her left, she caught sight of Nik approaching. His attention was focused ahead so he didn't immediately see her, but when he finally glanced over, he did a double-take.

"Whoa-oh!" He let out a low whistle. "Tui and La. You should dress like that more often!"

Between her unsettling dream, the fear that something awful was about to happen, and the grating noise of the alarm, Koko was over it.

"You can just fuck right off, Nik!" she snarled, slowing to bear down on him threateningly. "I don't have the patience for your bullshit right now!"

He actually seemed taken aback by her outburst. A sullen, defensive look spread across his face and he put his hands up. "Sheesh. It was a joke. Not my fault you're ha–" He stopped and coughed into his hand. "Never mind."

"What are you even doing here?"

He didn't get a chance to answer before the ground trembled again, much more violently this time. The nearby buildings shuddered on their foundations. Suddenly, Koko had an inkling of what might be happening.

Nik was left behind in favor of an all-out sprint the rest of the way to the train station. A shrill scream cut through the noise of the alarm. It sounded not unlike a wild animal caught in a steel trap—pain and fear and primal rage. The source, pinned to the ground with earthbending, was currently surrounded by half a dozen people.

"What are you doing to her?!" Koko demanded after confirming that it was Zenya's face peeking out from the stone that held her flat against the ground on her stomach. The sounds coming from her mouth were gut-wrenching. "Let her go!"

"We're not hurting her," a uniformed woman said in a tight voice. It was Captain Leila—one of the people in charge of the police in Oldtown. She seemed to be focusing most of her attention on Zenya and was sweating profusely. "She already hurt some people and destroyed the train."

"Can't you see she's terrified?! She's just a kid!"

"You think you can do better?"

Koko pushed through the ring of earthbenders and crouched down. "Hey. Zenya. It's me. Look at me."

Zenya could barely move her head, but a light of recognition did appear in her eyes. The screaming transformed into crying, which was almost as noisy.

"Well, that's something," one of the others muttered. "At least she's not fighting us anymore. Shit, she's strong."

"She doesn't know what she did," Koko said. "She doesn't understand. Probably thinks you're all trying to kill her. You don't know what she's been through."

"She knows you, then?" Leila asked.

"Yeah."

"We'll let her go, but if she starts up again, she's going right back on the ground."

The stone around Zenya crumbled into nothing. Her reaction was immediate, but not what anyone expected. Before Koko could get to her feet, Zenya threw herself forward and held on tight, still crying.

"Uh– Okay…" Now what?

Koko wasn't at all used to being a source of comfort like this. Zenya had mostly ignored her during their travels, preferring to spend her time around Saph and Shylo. But she was starting to calm down, so Koko awkwardly draped one arm around her shoulders and fervently hoped Valen would show up soon.

Unfortunately, Nik caught up first. "Aw, how sweet. Why don't I ever get such gentle treatment?"

"Because you're an asshole and I don't want you to touch me. Actually, I don't want anyone to touch me, but I'm not sure I have a choice at the moment." Her legs were starting to hurt, crouched down on one knee on hard stone. This was getting old, fast. "Where's Valen?" she asked Leila.

"Who's that?"

"Her father. Someone must've told him what's going on…? I'm assuming she got her bending back and made a run for it. Figures."

"I don't know what the fuck is happening, aside from the fact that she mangled the tracks and sent a few people to the medical center. No one can get in or out except on foot. He's probably on his way, though. Could be a while. It's a bit of a jog."

Great, guess I'm on babysitting duty. Again.

"Whoa, what happened? Is she okay?"

Koko turned toward the unexpected but familiar voice. "I thought I told you to stay put?"

Shylo shrugged but didn't provide an explanation, mostly because Zenya made a beeline for him. "Was that you causing all those earthquakes?" he asked with a smirk, following it up with a couple of hand gestures.

"She's deaf?" Leila said. "Well, that explains a lot."

Koko didn't bother to correct her. Instead, she found a bench and fell onto it, grateful enough for Shylo's presence that she didn't feel the need to further reprimand him for leaving the house.

There was no danger. No attack. No blue sage army invading. But even with her knowing all that, the tension took its sweet time leaving her body.

Twenty minutes passed. Nik got bored and left—to Koko's immense relief—and the alarm stopped—much to everyone's relief. She got up to pace, more restless with every passing second.

Finally, Valen showed up. He burst through the half-broken doors of the train station and looked around frantically. "Zenya!? Zenya!"

Something odd happened in Koko's stomach when she caught sight of him—not a sick feeling, but definitely uncomfortable. Vaguely familiar. A voice in the back of her mind tried to tell her what it was but she shoved it away.

Broad shoulders heaved as he gasped for breath. His thin undershirt was drenched in sweat and sticking to him. The long, wild hair was gone, replaced by a cropped style and a tidy beard. He was once again the young man from her past, instantly recognizable.

He didn't seem to notice her at first. Instead, he and Zenya were having a silent argument. The anger on his face battled with relief and concern, while she seemed belligerent.

For a minute or so, Koko just stood there, unable to look away. Her hands were inexplicably clammy. There was a heat in her gut that she didn't want to think about, but it began to expand. When it reached the tips of her fingers, entire body on fire, she finally realized that the feeling was a build-up of chi.

In something very near a trance state, she tilted her head upward and exhaled a small but powerful breath of fire. Release.

Valen was blinking at her in surprise when she looked back down. He swallowed hard. She hadn't scared him, had she? Surely not.

"My bending just came back," she said by way of explanation. "Finally."

"Oh– Uh– That– That's good."

Why is he stammering like an idiot?

But when his eyes darted away from her in what anyone could read as embarrassment, Koko glanced down at herself—mostly bare legs and a thin tank top that left little to the imagination—and realized what the problem might be.

Well, he did say I still looked good, she thought wryly, though with more annoyance than humor. At least he's being more polite about it than Nik.

"What– ah– What are you doing here?" he asked.

"They sounded the alarm. I thought someone was attacking."

"Oh." He frowned down at Zenya. "I need to make her understand what she's done, and I've got an idea of how to do it. Can you get me into the medical center?"

Koko thought she might know where he was going with that. Her feet, without being told to, took her a few steps closer to him. "Yeah."

Valen spotted Zenya almost immediately when he finally entered the city after an exhausting jog. He could only appreciate the urban wonder before him for a moment; the incredible sights were secondary. She was there, safe, sitting on the ground with Shylo.

His shouts got her attention, and whatever look was on his face must've convinced her to come over, if reluctantly. She knew she was in trouble.

'Bad!' he signed, satisfied that she wasn't hurt. 'Very angry!'

'Earthbending. See Saph safe.'

'You break! You hurt!'

A sudden plume of roaring fire caught his eye and he jerked his head up to find Koko firebreathing into the air above her. But that wasn't what made his mouth fall open. There wasn't anything unusual about seeing her bend, even if this display didn't have an obvious explanation.

No, what made him stop and stare, slack-jawed, was what she was wearing—or rather, not wearing. Even after spending a month on the road with her, taking care of her when she was recovering, he had never seen her dressed in what barely passed as clothes and was dangerously close to being underwear.

When the flames dissipated and she looked down calmly, their eyes met.

"My bending just came back," she said. "Finally."

"Oh– Uh– That– That's good." Heat and blood were beginning to pool in a very bad place and he quickly averted his eyes. The best cure for unwanted physiological reactions was to think of Kyori, which now resulted in a double whammy of grief and guilt. It did the trick. "What– ah– What are you doing here?" Pull yourself together, man.

"They sounded the alarm. I thought we were being attacked."

"Oh." The whole city had been put on alert in the middle of the night? As if the damage Zenya had done wasn't enough. They're gonna kick us out for sure. He frowned down at her. An idea had begun to form in his mind before seeing Koko; now it was gaining momentum. "I need to make her understand what she's done, and I've got an idea of how to do it. Can you get me into the medical center?"

Koko seemed eerily calm. Maybe she was just relieved to have her bending back. With any luck, that would improve her mood. She took a couple of steps toward him.

"Yeah." Closer, then she stopped. "Nani should be there. She can help us."

"Oh, good! I haven't seen her yet."

Unfortunately, getting there wasn't quite that simple. A police officer, who appeared to be in charge of the situation, came over to talk to them.

"Are you two even cleared to be down here?" she asked.

"Officially? …No. But that guy on the surface—Turak?—he let me in and said he'd arrange for us to stay overnight with Zenya's family. And they'll deal with us in the morning."

"I'm gonna need to confirm that. Wait here."

Shylo ambled over after she left. "So…I guess the excitement's over, huh? Everything's good?"

"For the moment," Koko grumbled. "Go back to Nani's house." She frowned suddenly. "Did you lock the door?"

"Uh…"

"This isn't Jupa, Shylo. You can't leave homes unlocked."

"I figured something really bad was happening and it wouldn't matter much either way." He caught Zenya's attention and gave her a friendly smile before signing, 'Bye.' "Well, I'll head back so no one burgles the place. See ya…"

Bit harsh… Valen mused to himself. Zenya had clearly been comforted by Shylo's presence there and Koko was coming down pretty hard on him about a very understandable mistake. Valen almost said something to her about it. Almost. But he was so tired. Too tired to argue.

So they stood there in awkward silence until the policewoman came back.

"Turak confirmed your story," she said with a disgruntled frown, "but I want you to know that she's on thin ice. She's obviously out of control and I won't allow that in my city. One crack, one little rumble, and I'll personally haul her ass—and yours—back to the surface."

"I understand," he said stiffly. Yet another person was criticizing him. It was getting old. "I'll make sure she understands the seriousness of what she's done."

"You better. And if you don't, I will."

Yeah, good luck with that.

On Koko's request, she and the other officers agreed to escort them to the medical center. While Zenya didn't appear to be particularly remorseful, she at least seemed content to come along without protest. Most of her attention was on the city before them. How strange it must be for her to see something like this.

Valen himself had other things on his mind. There was something about what Koko had said before that was sitting funny: 'She can help us.' Why 'us'? Why had she worded it like that? Sure, he'd asked for her help, and it wasn't a surprise that she'd offered it freely. But now she was acting like they were a team. Like this problem was one she'd decided to carry with him.

You dumb bastard, he told himself scornfully. Don't start over-analyzing. Don't even put those ideas in your head. If you let your mind go down that road, there'll be nothing but frustration at the end of it. Even if she were receptive—and she isn't—you already know you don't want to put yourself in that position. To risk having your heart ripped to shreds again.

He'd said that to himself so many times. A mantra. A ward against this harsh world. Alone in the cave with no other adults around, it had been easy. No temptations. Now…things were a little different.

Koko stayed quiet as they walked. She seemed to be stewing on something.

I wonder if she likes my haircut… The thought shot through his mind before he could pin it down and strangle it. Nothing wrong with being attracted to her, I guess. Who isn't? Blind people?

They soon found Nani in the ER, finishing up a healing session on a uniformed man. He seemed more or less out of it, hopefully from painkillers. The second she spotted Valen across the room, she lit up and rushed over with tears in her eyes.

"Ah, Spirits," she mumbled into his shoulder while they hugged. In a low voice, next to his ear, she said, "I'm so sorry about Kyori and…the others."

"Thanks."

Her cheeks were wet when she pulled away. The soft smile was full of sadness. "And I'm sorry I couldn't come see you earlier. It's been crazy here, working night shift, plus I didn't want to intrude on your reunion with your family..."

She looked just as he remembered, but with faint lines around her eyes and mouth, and a few gray streaks in her hair. They were all getting older.

"You know I wouldn't have minded."

"I know, I know." She sighed and shifted her attention. "This must be Zenya. Wow, Koko. You weren't kidding about—" Her brows shot up when she glanced at Koko. "Spirits, I can't believe you left the house in that state."

Koko rolled her eyes and turned to Valen. "We came here for a reason, right?"

"Right. Yes. I heard some people were injured when Zenya broke into the city…?"

"Yeah," Nani confirmed, "but nothing too serious, thank goodness." She motioned for them to follow her back over to the bed where she'd been working. "A few broken bones and some other minor injuries."

Valen turned Zenya to face him. 'Hurt! Bad! You hurt him! Break leg.'

She looked balefully at the man in the bed. 'Scared,' she signed half-halfheartedly. 'Danger.'

'You danger!' His frustration was losing steam, though. How could he be mad? She didn't understand anything and it wasn't her fault, especially after being hunted by an army of deadly enemies.

Her face crumpled into tears. 'I kill.'

'No.' He knelt down and grasped her shoulder with one hand; for once, she didn't shrug away. 'No kill.'

'Yes, kill many.'

Did she mean before? With the blue sages? How could he explain to her that what she'd done had been necessary for survival? Maybe not good, but certainly justifiable.

'Safe here. No kill. No danger.'

Zenya dried her tears and nodded. 'I good.' That was always what she said when she was sorry for throwing a tantrum and promised to behave—for a little while, anyway.

'NO earthbending here.'

That certainly made her balk. 'Here? Room?'

'No. All. Underground.'

Her hands did something inscrutable—a sign he'd seen a handful of times but never understood.

"What are you two talking about?" Nani asked with fascination.

"I think I made her understand what she did. She feels bad. But…I don't know what that sign means. She made it up herself."

"What was the last thing you said to her?"

"I told her she couldn't earthbend while we're here in the city."

"Maybe she wants to know why…?"

Valen could only gape at Nani in astonishment. "Thirty seconds you spend with her, and you managed to make that leap?"

"It was just a guess."

"A good one." He turned to Zenya and repeated the sign. 'Why?'

'Why why why? Why no earthbend?'

He was so overcome with emotion—relief, pride, and inadequacy in equal measure—that he suddenly pulled her into a tight hug. Whatever the leaders and protectors of this city may think of Zenya, bringing her here had been the right decision. She deserved the chance at a normal life just like every other kid.

The affection wasn't well-received. She quickly squirmed away and repeated her question.

'Stomp,' he instructed. 'Big stomp.'

She slammed her bare foot into the stone tile floor, but seemed confused. 'Big big cave. Many many people.'

'Yes, many people. Earthbend hurt. Break.'

Her face fell into something between despondency and sullenness. 'I hurt him.'

'Yes. You good?" Are you going to be good?

When she nodded, Valen felt a huge weight slide off his shoulders. So much had happened. And now she was understanding him! It was incredible. How much more might she be able to learn with someone who had the knowledge and training to teach her?

"Okay. I think she gets it," he told Nani and Koko. "I think she's going to behave."

He was just about to comment on Koko's skeptical expression—a challenge that he couldn't ignore—when Zenya continued.

'See Saph?'

That wasn't a question he knew the answer to. "Where is Saph's family staying? Near the Beifongs?"

"Yeah, they're all in the same building," Nani confirmed.

Zenya's face lit up when he told her the good news. All evidence of her previous bad moods—the anger, the sullenness, the depression, the tantrums—melted away with that smile.

"Are we done here, then?" Koko asked with the air of someone who wanted to leave five minutes ago.

Valen nodded. "Yeah. I think it's time we all got some sleep." Was she ever going to relax a little? Clearly, getting her bending back hadn't improved her mood by any significant margin. "Let's go. Thanks, Ran– Ah, I mean Nani. Takes a bit of getting used to," he added with a chuckle.

She gave him another big hug. "I'm so glad you're okay."

I'm alive. Not so sure I'm 'okay'. But he forced a smile for her benefit.

Koko couldn't even look at him. She was just irritated. She didn't know why she was irritated, which only made it worse. Perhaps it was Zenya. While she seemed calm and compliant at the moment, Koko didn't buy it. Valen was too soft with her. One short conversation about how she'd hurt a guy, then she cried and all was forgiven.

Is he really so naive to think that she won't cause more problems the next time she gets upset?

They said their goodbyes to Nani and left, headed for a large apartment building alongside their police escort. When it was in view, someone bolted outside—someone who should not be outside alone, especially so soon after the alarm.

Predictably, Zenya ran off as soon as she saw Saph.

"Wait–!" Valen called before swearing under his breath.

Koko rolled her eyes. Yep. Exactly. I knew it.

They chased after her but weren't fast enough to prevent Saph from literally getting knocked down, though she didn't seem to mind.

"Saph! What are you doing out here?!" Koko snapped. "That alarm was not a joke!"

By that point, Jojin had made it outside, too. Saph looked between them. At least she had the common sense to look abashed. Not that it stopped her from making excuses.

"The alarm had already stopped, and then I saw her, before I came outside. I knew there wasn't any danger."

"It was impulsive and reckless," Koko muttered, though without much force. Jojin was there; Saph was his problem to deal with now.

"Yes, it was," he agreed with a sharp look in his eyes, which seemed to upset her more than Koko's rebuke.

"Sorry…" she mumbled.

His expression inexplicably turned to amusement. Koko felt like she was missing something in their interaction. They were close, she was pretty sure. That's what Nani said—that Saph had a tighter bond with Jojin than she did with Mara.

Koko shook her head with a sigh, accepting that she didn't know a whole lot about fathers and daughters. That thought inevitably led her to Valen and Zenya, the latter of whom was now hovering at Saph's side with a contented smile while the men chatted.

"Alright, everyone inside," Koko interrupted. "I'd like to go back to bed at some point tonight."

When they reached the second floor, where Saph's apartment was, Mara was there waiting for them at the top of the stairs. She immediately started berating Saph for running off and then followed it up by demanding why Koko had brought Zenya here.

The nerve of this woman, Koko growled to herself, though Valen spoke before she could. With that reprieve, her thoughts drifted back to an unpleasant conversation with Mara, days ago:

"Do you have any idea what it was like for me to find out that you had not only taken Saph from Jupa, but then took her from here into certain danger? Do you? Do you know what it feels like to have a child taken from you, twice? One of those times by someone you're told is trustworthy? And then I find out that you fucking LOST HER?!"

"I got her back, didn't I?" Koko protested. There was no point in answering the other questions. Nothing she could say would satisfy Mara.

"You never should've left her alone in the first place!"

"What did you want me to do? Chain her to my side twenty-four hours a day? She's not a toddler. She has to have a little bit of accountability for her own actions, just like when she got captured in Dao-Shu after stealing food. Was that somehow my fault, too? In Makapu, I left her somewhere very safe. She made a decision. And that decision probably saved Zenya's life. Saph is the Avatar. You need to accept what that means."

Koko had stalked out of the room after that and didn't really know if her words made any difference to Mara. They were certainly having an effect now, but on Koko herself.

Saph may be afraid, but Zenya makes her brave. Makes her take risks she wouldn't otherwise take. It's worth remembering.

As Valen fully expected, Zenya's mood immediately deteriorated when Saph tried to say goodnight. He stepped in quickly as soon as he saw that familiar pout form.

'Saph stay here. You, me, up there. Sleep now.'

'See Saph morning?'

Valen hesitated before answering. Could he promise that? Did he have a choice? 'Yes.'

That assurance seemed to be enough, fortunately, and Zenya allowed herself to be led up a flight of stairs. Expecting another silent walk with Koko, he was surprised when she cleared her throat softly. Another second or two passed before actual words came out.

"Uh, listen. Sorry I've been…kind of a bitch lately."

"Oh, uh–" He blinked, shocked, and tried not to stammer. "It's fine. But thanks."

"I know your life hasn't been easy. That she's not easy. But you protected her all those years. I'm the one who changed that by steamrolling into your life."

What had spurred this sudden change of heart? Listening to Mara yell at Saph? Whatever it was, Valen was touched by her sincerity—even if it was grudgingly given.

"No," he said firmly. "I don't think that's true. I think she would've gone outside and that blue sage would've found her no matter what. If you hadn't been there, I probably never would've found her. And…I'm really sorry for what it cost you."

Koko groaned. "Not you, too. It's bad enough that Saph feels like it was her fault. I never should've let that bitch sneak up on me."

Valen spared a sideways glance, carefully keeping his eyes on her face rather than…elsewhere. Was that it, then? Was she beating herself up for lowering her guard? For losing a fight with some random nobody? Maybe that was why she'd put all her walls back up after the two of them had spent a week getting used to each other.

"You were focused on Saph. I remember what that fight was like. Chaos. All I could think about was Zenya. I wasn't watching my back at all. I just got lucky."

"It wasn't luck. It was her. You weren't watching your back, but she was. She has a warrior's instinct."

The saddest part about this conversation was that Zenya had no idea what they were saying. She was fully in her own head right now. Zoned out. Valen wanted her to know how proud he was. That he wasn't just angry. But pride wasn't an emotion he knew how to convey with his hands.

"How, though? I didn't teach her that. Sparring isn't fighting."

"No, but she has the muscle memory and reflexes. The rest—keeping a cool head in a fight, applying skills in a practical way—a lot of that comes with experience, but some people are just built that way. Maybe it's in her blood."

"In yours, too."

The comment only made her scowl and he looked away with regret, though unsure why she was upset. But they'd arrived at the apartment, so that was the end of the conversation. Kian must've heard their voices because she opened the door with a warm smile and ushered them inside.

"We've been expecting you. We're a bit full in here but it'll do for a night or two."

In all the fuss with the rest of the family, it took Valen a minute or two to notice that Koko had neither followed them inside nor said goodbye.

Koko quietly left with a growing sense of disquiet in her gut that she blamed on fatigue. Interrupted sleep followed by a surge of fear and adrenaline had her more unsettled than usual. And then Valen hammered in the last nail by reminding her of her violent past. After her sincere apology, that knocked the wind out of her.

His comment hadn't seemed malicious. Thoughtless, perhaps, but what did he actually know? Had Opal and Bolin told him anything? Koko doubted they would do that. But maybe Nik had spoken to him. It was possible Nani had let slip some details over the years…

Shylo was passed out on the couch when Koko got back to the house. Sleep didn't come as easily to her. The artificial light of morning was already creeping through the curtains when she finally drifted off.

There were no nightmares this time, but Valen's face—neatly trimmed and just as painfully good-looking as he had been years ago—was behind her eyes when she woke up a few hours later.