Hey There,

Welcome to day 3 and post three of this mini-arc. Hope it is reaching you all very well! But enough of my yammering, let's get this tougher part going.

Special thanks to Rose-Aki, for your wonderful reviews and encouragement! God bless you!

Standard disclaimers Apply- I don't own, nickelodeon, Avatar the Last Airbender, or any of the other trademarked things mentioned below. I am merely borrowing all of these things for my own plots and amusement. Most will be returned unharmed.

Dedicated to that special fellow writer, who has bravely posted from the heart every single time. Even when those characters paired off in their mind aren't canon. Your talented depth of heart is amazing! You know who you are, and this one is for you!

Enjoy!

"They Forgot!"

Chapter 14 - Gatecrashing

(Zuko's Perspective)

By the time I got downstairs. Aang was already giving us a lift back to Mai's house. He didn't really need to come along. But after missing out on the meeting that took place the other day (Sokka had gotten to witness it). That last monumental conversation with these terrible people. Aang was insisting on Avatar backup and support. I could tell he really wanted to see what Mai would do. I had to admit, I was wondering too.

I thought for sure that we were gonna need to figure everything out. As a group, what to do and say. Suki and Ty-lee had been preparing that same way too, but Mai was already snapping to action, she already knew exactly what needed to be done. Everyone else around us was at a loss, she simply asked me and Aang to follow her lead. Suki and Ty-Lee were asked the same. I couldn't very well go without any of my protectors now, could I… But I know they were coming for Mai just as much as me this morning. Everyone else was to remain on the island. Katara had planned some side activities during the stormy day. Just in case any other surprises popped up.

All other plans were on hold till we returned in a few hours…

Then just like that, we were airborne on top of Appa, rushing back towards our city. I was hoping Mai would share a little bit of her plan en route. But she was stealthily silent, and even I know better than to mess with that expression. Even when I'm the one who put it on her face.

Aang asked me multiple times, "Is she okay?" And "Do you think she's okay?" I had to keep assuring him, that she was. That she gets like this whenever she has to deal with these people. Her arms and legs were crossed and she looked ready to kill. Even though I could still remember how kind she had been when I broke the news to her. I couldn't help kicking myself. For making her have to make this trip in the smack middle of her birthday weekend.

SO STUPID!

Why didn't I see it before, that telling her parents ANYTHING would ultimately lead to this moment? Where there's a mess Mai has to clean up, a mess I made. I was disgusted with myself. I didn't even notice it when all the familiar buildings and businesses started to flash by. We were home and we were close to the Governor's manor before I knew it.

Ty-Lee and Suki were both trying to chat Mai up too. But she never spoke a word, she was storing it all for her fight. I tried to talk to her too, but she was too wrapped up in her thoughts to even hear me. Suki and Ty-Lee ended up once again picking apart the Governor's guarding systems. Because apparently, the manor's roof was a free for all, not smart security at all when you have so many connections. Who travel to you by airship, that your roof has a built-in landing pad, and a deserted welcoming station.

Needing to comfort her somehow, some way, I took her hand. And she told me, the only thing she said the whole ride. "Don't let go."

"I won't," I promised. "I'll be right beside you. Just do whatever you have to do."

She nodded and didn't speak again until we were standing on the roof of her house. She looked towards the huge clock tower in the middle of town square, and asked us all to "Please wait another fifteen minutes." For her father to be in the middle of his daily press meeting. She had mentioned she would need to disgrace him publicly, hadn't she? Leave it to her to have most of her father's public appearances memorized better than he did, so she could shadow them whenever she was home.

Suki and Mai popped over to the palace and brought some more Kiyoshi backup. While we were waiting, and Aang checked on a few White Lotus outposts keepers he knew. Just to make sure everything was exactly how we'd left it on Friday. Thankfully everything on that end checked out.

Even though I stayed with her and held her hand. Mai still didn't speak again till we were all face-to-face with her family. The walls were still covered in remnants of Tom-Tom's alphabet (Even though, most of it had been scraped off and smeared around). This was still the place where the scroll printers were all there awaiting a statement from the Governor. Something to do with one of his new worthless policies. Their little press meeting came to a screeching halt when all of us walked in.

You can imagine how worthless the Governor's word became when I alone, walked in. Followed by the Avatar and the rumored future Fire Lady and upwards of a dozen Kiyoshi warriors. He might as well have stopped talking altogether... That doesn't mean he could take a hint. He'd tried to keep talking till the very last minute.

I bet the rumor started right here, no doubt. Days prior, probably before we even got out of sight.

Both people were visibly sweating and not making eye contact with Mai or me. We were both giving them the stare-down. Mai was so livid, the hand I was holding onto, shook. Her grip on my hand never loosened as Mai and I were both rushed with hundreds of questions about our upcoming wedding. Even Aang and my Kiyoshi protectors were getting questions. But all of us let Mai speak for our group. We were all merely her backup today. As she'd asked us to be.

Her first words were, "Do either of us look happy? Like newly engaged people usually are? Am I sporting an engagement necklace? Don't you think if the Fire Lord had really asked me such a question? Some more evidence would be presented to back that idea up. My parents were misinformed; The Fire Lord joined forces with my friends to throw a full birthday party and a celebratory trip for me. Friends that I have been forced to abandon this morning, just to set the record straight. Since my family has never celebrated a single birthday I've had. They only thought the Fire Lord must have ulterior motives for such plans. But as you can all see, they were wrong."

Aang spoke up next, "A tropical storm hit the island we're staying on. So the news scrolls didn't reach us till this morning, they were all stamped with yesterday's date. Otherwise, we would have been here sooner."

Tons more questions followed but before Mai or any of us could answer them. Her hand slipped from mine and she got that look... like something was up. I noticed she kept staring up at the ceiling, and at different people gathering in the crowd of reporters. I tried to reach for her again, but Suki and Ty-Lee stopped me and pointed out that they were on alert too. Ty-Lee even whispered, "Something's up, Mai sees it too." Before all of my own guards sprung into action. Surrounding Aang and me, or giving Mai some coverage too. Surrounding her and the place where her parents were sitting on throne-like chairs.

Without a word, Mai jumped in front of her parents, knife in her hand.

Abruptly Aang and I were both rushed by some of the people who had been posing as the press. They were hitmen, hired to attack Mai's father. Seeing a clean shot at the Avatar and myself. They were stupid enough to try for it. Aang took out two of them, while I got two more. A few more were caught by my Kiyoshi protectors.

Just when we thought it was over a cloaked figure fell out of the ceiling and pointed a blow gun at Mai. Before even her lightning reflexes could react, she was hit in the neck with a sickly mustard yellow-coated dart covered in black feathers. I called out to her as I was held back by Aang and some of my own guards. I could barely make out Aang telling me, "He's an Assassin. He could take a shot at you too." But he sounded far away.

I still told Aang, "I-DON'T-CARE! MAI! MAI, ARE YOU OKAY?"

I couldn't see her, but I heard her say, "I'm fine." Her tone sounded strained, which could have meant she was in pain. Ty-Lee walked over and helped her back up while I was still being restrained.

Even though she had been knocked backward and could be hurt. Mai had still managed to pin down her shooter to the marble floor with her knives in a blink. Her mother exclaimed, "Mai! Not our marble floors."

Aang whose usually great at diplomacy, in any situation. Was saying, "Really? She's worried about the holes in the floor, right now?"

While I asked, "WHAT-ABOUT-THE-NEW-HOLE-IN-MAI'S-NECK?"

Her mother defended her choice by saying, "Well, I can't do anything about that hole, I can only wish she wouldn't destroy our public rooms in her uncivilized process."

I reminded her, "You mean this ROOM, this tiny cramped parlor we're in right now? You think a few holes made by knives capturing your husband's attempted murderer would ruin it?" Aang was holding me back and trying to calm me down, but I fought around him and kept shouting. "You think Mai can really do anything to destroy this sh*t hole?"

I would have kept going! I would have kept telling them off but I heard my name, and locked eyes with Mai finally. She told me, "I'm alright. It's okay. Calm down."

Only then did I listen.

Only then could I hear anything.

Mai turned to face her parents and falsely curtsy, "My Apologies, Mother. Next time I'll be certain to catch Father's possible murderer in the hall. Or where I'm certain the flooring is cheaper than the marble."

Her mother's face squinched up, "There's no need to be a smart alike, Mai."

Aang said with relief, "Glad you're not hurt, Mai."

Suki and Ty-Lee apprehend the guy who'd fallen outta the ceiling before anyone else was hurt (and before I could reach him). While they were handling the low life, psycho was sending air kisses at Mai. My fiancee continued to glare holes into him till he was out of sight. I headed straight for Mai the moment my guards let me pass between them. She was yanking the dart out of her own neck and smelling it, to identify the poison. I freaked out because blood went everywhere when she did this.

Mai explained, "Don't worry, the tip is designed to do that. It's fine." Aang helped tear some of the excess fabric off his orange and yellow tunic and placed it to Mai's neck anyway. She thanked him too.

I grabbed a hold of Mai and asked, "What was that he hit you with."

She told me, "The short answer is a poisonous dart that would have killed my father or mother. It's one of them I'm immune to, so no worries."

Aang asked, "What about the longer answer?"

"That we'll talk about more when we get back out of here," Mai explained. While she did her best to hide something from me and Aang. I couldn't decide if she was trying to hide pain, anger, some reaction to whatever toxin had just been put in her body or anything much worse. But the look she shot me, told me this answer had been for more than Aang's question.

I finally hugged her, Aang asked. "You can tell what poison it is from the smell?"

Mai hugged me back as she told Aang, "Some are completely undetectable, but I've trained and studied for ages. This one was easy to pinpoint."

As I hugged her, I whispered in her ear "Do you have any idea how scary that was for me?"

"Probably as scary as I would have been if the tables turned." She whispered back.

Aang suggested, "Shouldn't we let a healer check you out just to play it safe, Mai? You're still bleeding pretty bad, even if you aren't affected by the poison."

"No," Mai insisted. "This stuff hasn't bothered me since I was seven. I'll be fine, but if we hadn't been here. The Governor wouldn't have been so lucky."

"Clearly," Aang agreed, before saying something else I didn't hear at all. I know she has done this many times for her father before. That was one of the perks to having a father everyone feared. I had never had to deal with things like this the way Mai always has. I even know she's immune to a list of poisons taller than me, but this was the first time I had seen her in action this way. My heart was in my throat. I hated how close all of this had come. It was absolutely terrifying and I wished to never have to witness anything like it EVER again.

When Aang noticed how quiet I'd gotten he slapped me on the back telling me. "Everything's okay, buddy. She got him. It's okay."

Leave it to Mai to completely botch an assassination attempt. To still be bleeding and still not forget her reason for being here. While I was still standing there slack-jawed and shell-shocked, she turned to her parents to demand. "Tell them the truth. You were misinformed and it was just a birthday party, nothing more."

Her father stood up and insisted anyway, "But Mai! He did tell us!"

"And you're wrong, so start telling the truth, or it'll get a lot more embarrassing from here." She insisted.

When even that didn't work, Aang and I both started to discredit everything rumored over the last few days in these halls. With all of the remaining actual members of the press. So the Governor was forced to retract his statement. Before Mai came back over to where Aang and I were still standing. I hugged her again asking her, "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine, but tell me, am I still bleeding?" She asked turning to show me the place where the dart had left a gaping wound. Just under her face really, a maid who had been standing nearby had found a rolled-up bandage tucked away in a nearby drawer. The elderly lady's maid even realized, "It's probably left over from the last time this happened, miss. But that wound had been in your forearm, not your neck."

After her neck had been properly bandaged up, Mai thanked her maid before asking me in a hushed whisper. "Did my necklace show at all when she was bandaging me up? She's kind but word could get back to parents if she saw anything."

I assured her in matched volume, "No, your cut's too high, it's almost under your face more than on your neck. It never popped out the whole time. I was even the one making sure that she didn't get a peek down your dress' collar."

"Good." She said with relief. "We can't go just yet. I need to wait for all of these people to leave before I can-"

Mai was interrupted by a ball of energy nearly knocking her to the floor. I managed to catch her before she went completely down. It was her baby brother attacking her, yelling, "SISSY! Your HOME! And ZUZU! Hi!"

I rumpled his hair which was the exact same color and shine as Mai's and said, "Hey there little man."

He pulled back from Mai, to wave at the Avatar calling out, "AANG-Y! AANG-Y's here too!"

"Hey buddy! Where were you hiding?" Aang greeted.

Tom-Tom pointed out, "I was there!" He was gesturing toward a secret doorway that was still left open. He'd crawled through it from the nursery, and let it end here. He's more clever at five than his parents are as adults.

Tom-Tom's focus came back to his sister and he asked her, "How are you home? It's not Mums-day or Twos-day? Zuzu said you'd be gone till den?"

Mai complained, "Tom-Tom! No! Bad!" Then she got down to his level on her knees saying, "What did I say to you about greeting people this way?"

"It's rude… and it hurts!" He remembered.

"That's right," Mai said, While Aang chuckled behind me.

Aang complimented, "She has such a way with him. It's cute."

"It is," I agreed.

Mai was even straightening out his clothes as she told her brother, "Now, how are you supposed to respectfully greet a visitor?"

Tom-Tom bowed perfectly, even did the proper 'flame-in-hand' gesture customary to the Fire Nation perfectly. Saying, "Please to meet you."

"That's pretty good," Mai said, before correcting, "And it's 'Monday,' 'Tuesday,' and 'I'm very pleased to meet you.'" Then Mai said, "Okay," and threw her arms out, "And how do you always greet your sissy?"

He attacked her again with a hug and bunch of kisses! Saying, "MY SISSY'S HOME!" Then he shocked us all by saying, "Happy Birthday!"

"Thanks Runt." She said giving him a light noogie.

Then he surprised everyone even more by pulling a tiny box tied up in ribbon out of the big pocket sewn to the front of his tunic. He said, "SHH! I sneaked it, and hid it. I wanted to gives it to you on your b-day. But Zuzu took you with him too fast."

"Tom-Tom, who helped you get this?" Mai asked seriously. She didn't know quite how to react.

Her brother wiped at his nose and sniffled as he said, "Ka-ra-ra." But Mai knew as I did, that was how he said, "Katara." Remind me to thank Katara later, because the look on Mai's face right now… priceless. Aang must have been thinking something similar because he looked way proud of his own girlfriend. Then Tom-Tom got impatient and told her, "Open it, silly."

So she fully sat down on the ground in front of him, and united the ribbons. When she opened the box inside was three new sets of earrings. All shaped like a flame, One set was blood ruby, the second was obsidian, and the third was onyx.

The little dude said, "Is it right? Aren't those right? I thought they were your three favorites… are they right?"

She nodded, "They are, and they're perfect," she smiled before hugging him and saying, "Thanks little brother… maybe you're not always a little spore."

"Eh, don't mention it," he said before he touched her bandage and asked, "How did you get hurt there?"

"Protecting your father," I (Zuko) said, as Aang and I crochet down to talk to him too. "She was protecting your father and got cut."

Aang went on to explain, "Somebody tried to hurt him, but your sissy jumped in the way."

He asked me, "Again?"

"Afraid so," I nodded

Then he turned back to Mai and asked her, "Does it hurt?"

Mai assured him, "No, I already forgot about it." But I could see from the way she was trying not to move her head. She was lying, trying not to worry the kid.

Then Tom-Tom asked her as he swung her hands back and forth. "Are you happy today? You look much happier than before."

"I am happy now, Tom-Tom." She let him know. "Thank you for remembering."

Like any kid, He reminded her, "My birthday's this summer. I'll be this many!" He said holing up six pudgy fingers. "I has to start counting on my other hand now!"

Mai laughed, "I know it is, and we'll have so much fun then."

That was when Mai seemed to realize we weren't done here. We still needed to set the rest of her family straight. So she stood up, took her brother's hand and led him back toward his nanny who had just walked in acting like she'd been frantically searching for her charge. Mai explained, "But I'm not here to stay yet, I'm still going back to play with my friends till Monday or Tuesday like Zuko said."

"But THEN you're home to stay?" He asked.

"Yes, then we can work on your letters some more, okay? Just not on any more walls." She promised, handing him back to his nanny and asking her to "Please return him to the nursery." The little guy waved to all of us as he was once again taken somewhere safer than here. Would this room ever be a safe place for him to be?

As the room had finally cleared out and only The Governor, His wife, Aang, Mai and I remained (with the few remaining Kiyoshi guards). Mai b-lined back over to her family to demand, "What could you have been thinking? Starting such a rumor? Going to the press with my personal matters? Have you both lost your minds?"

"Mai." Her mother chided, "I hardly think this is a conversation to have with such guests in our home."

Can you believe that? First, she's more upset about the knife marks on her stone floors than she is about the hole in her daughter's neck. Now she's worried about keeping up some lousy sense of decorum in front of Aang and me? Just because we're both a bit higher on the social ladder than they are. If I didn't have to hold Mai's alarmingly cold hand (afraid it's from blood loss), I probably would have had flaming fists.

Mai let her know, "These guests wouldn't be in our home right now if it weren't for your actions. They would be far away having fun, but here we are. Now explain to me, what could possibly possess the two of you to include my life in your press release Friday."

"It wasn't idle gossip this time or a rumor!" Her father insisted, "Fire Lord Zuko stood here and told us he was planning to ask you during your trip." He looked at me as if he wanted me to confirm this. As if there was any way in hell I would help him out right now. A snowball had a better chance in hell.

Her mother tried to soothe again, just as ineffectively, "I tried to make your father hold out till the day you were returning. But he was excited, he wanted to-"

"Excited?" Mai interrupted. "You mean to tell me the Fire Lord's gift to me was ruined over father's excitement?"

They both had enough of a soul to look concerned, as her father asked, "Did it ruin his gift?"

"Would I have come rushing back here if it hadn't?" She lied so well, she literally fooled her own mother.

Mai's mother tried to ease the tension. "Well, that wasn't our objective to ruin anything, dear. But now that you know his plans, have you given him an answer?"

I couldn't stay quiet, I spoke up, "You spoil something as sacred as a proposal and you're STILL not bothered to apologize to Mai or me? Which of my relatives left you with the impression a Fire Lord could be treated this way? Or even a potential Fire Lady? Just because my approach may be more benevolent than my ancestors, doesn't mean I intend to become anyone's doormat."

"Forgive us," The Governor said after being prompted, "Both of us… But since the question is out. Mai has said yes, hasn't she?"

Mai said flatly, "You think you get to know after the stunt you just pulled, dream on."

Her father pleaded, "Mai dear, I only-"

Mai cut him off, "You wanted to be sure to trap me. In case I said no or couldn't answer Zuko right away. You didn't care about my feelings or wishes, you only cared about what you could get from such a union. Did you think that would work, that I wouldn't sell you out? That I would just sit there and let this happen? To me and to Zuko?"

"Well-" Her father faltered. "You've never been easy to predict or understand Mai. I was just hedging our bets a little. I meant no harm."

"You call trapping someone, into something against their will 'intending no harm?' You think that hedging your so-called bets, won't have repercussions? Bad ones, when they reveal how twisted you actually are? Let me burst your bubble, it did." Mai spelled out for both of them. "It was underhanded, malice and cruel, even for you."

Her father asked right back, "How is it 'trapping' someone when it would be securing the happiness of so many? The Fire Lord included? He expressed to us both in this very room that he intended to ask you, during this trip. How would anything about that be considered imprisonment? You've been dating for years, it's not like you were sent on a blind-date with some stranger."

Mai took a breath through her nose, before saying. "When nothing you just asked in that whole statement was about me. This is my life, my choice and not yours. It's not so many's happiness, it's mine. And it's up to me… no one else."

I looked at Aang and he was shaking his head in the same amazement I felt written all over my face. Mai is amazing, and these idiots don't even realize how lucky they are to have her. Even after she saved both their lives minutes ago. They still can't seem to even acknowledge that she's a person.

She went on, still gripping my hand, "Regardless of what your motives were, none of this has anything to do with either of you. It's between Zuko and me, you don't get to decide my life for me. So while I'm away and still celebrating with my friends. You two can remain in the dark about my choice a little longer."

She turned to leave, turning me and Aang with her. When she thought of something else to add. So she said over her shoulder, "Oh and when Tom-Tom grows up and he finds the girl he loves. If you even try to do anything like this to him. I will do everything I can to ensure he's never put in my position. Not even close."

Then she walked out and didn't stop walking till we were back on the roof. Till Appa was in sight, it was there that I stopped her and said, "Hold on, wait a minute. Are you okay?"

"Yes." she said simply before telling me. "I just need to get out of here… now."

"Okay, we'll just wait for Ty-Lee and Suki real fast." I told her. Helping push her up onto Appa. Aang was already standing in the saddle offering her a helping hand to pull her the rest of the way up. She wasn't going to take it till nearly fell and had to count on Aang's help to climb up.

Aang said, "Don't worry, we'll be out of here in no time. Are you sure we shouldn't speak to a healer before we go-"

"Yes!" Mai insisted, "I don't need a healer, I can wait for Katara. What I need is to get the hell away from here as soon as humanly possible."

Aang saluted, "You got it!"

But I had a feeling looking at her, it wouldn't be soon enough. Her hands were always cool to the touch, but right now they were cold. Her dress' high neckline was stained in darker blood stains trailing down too far. I was more worried about the blood loss hurting her even if the poison didn't. As we waited for Ty-Lee and Suki, she went back to the sullen silence from the ride here. Which I had expected, it was the most normal part of this whole experience.

I wished so much that she would talk to me. But I knew Mai would only talk when she could. Right now, she was nowhere near that place. She always got too quiet like this whenever she argued with her family. Today she'd done more than her fair share of that.

I wanted to help her somehow, I wanted to scream, to punch a hole in something. I wanted to tell those terrible people I was never bringing her back. I also wanted to thank Suki and Ty-Lee for taking that blow-dart piping coward out of the room so quickly. Because they didn't want me to get ahold of him. Murdering a sicko like that could potentially kill the whole peaceful reign I've been going for so far as Fire Lord... but it could have been worth it.

No matter how much I wanted to just throw things, I knew none of that would help Mai. So I did the only thing I could do for her right now. I sat right by her and I held her hand. I knew she would talk to me when she could.

For once Aang wasn't the only one thinking we couldn't get back to Katara fast enough.

That's All Folks!

But don't worry the next chapter will be getting posted tomorrow! Yay! Hope to see you there, if you get a chance please review. I would love to hear from you, Till then, Hope you're having a great day and Much Love!

~DarcyBeDippy85