Hey There,

Welcome! Day three and we're finally to that gushy stuff these two need. So without further ado...

Special thanks to the new readers who have favorited this story or put it on you story alert. Also thank you to those who just put me on their favorite authors list or put me on their author's alert list. That really is the highest honor! Thank you so much!

Standard Disclaimers apply - I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender, Nickelodeon, or MTV. I am merely borrowing all of this stuff for my own plots and tales. Most will be returned unharmed

Dedicated to that friend who probably needs this fluff as much as our stars do! God bless you, and this one is for you!

"They Forgot"

Chapter 23 - The Monster Keeper

(Zuko's Perspective)

Aang was right.

Of course, he was.

My father would have loved to have known he'd gotten to me. So I tried to not let him wreck the whole night. I tried to not let everything he had planned keep repeating itself over and over in my mind. It would make me sick, if I kept on thinking about all of the 'what if's and 'could be's. My Uncle and Sokka had prevented today, I needed to get back to the here and now where everything was alright and everyone was safe.

Even if it is just for now... and these worries would never be over.

I also needed to stop going over all of the steps in my head, that I had taken today. Hoping I hadn't missed a single one in securing my father's imprisonment. If I kept doing that over and over, I could still make myself ill. So I decided to put it all at the back of my mind and go spend the rest of the night with my girlfrien- I mean, fiancée. And let her help me forget about it for a while.

But when I got up to my room… she wasn't there. Just a note saying:

"I hoped I would be back before you read this. But I'm just grabbing an overnight kit and checking on my brother. Hopefully, I'll be back before you can even miss me. -Mai"

I can't even put into words how panicked I had been when I first didn't see her note. I had to un-ludge my heart from my throat for the eleventh or twelfth time today! So while she was off checking on her brother (something I couldn't even be mad at her about. Because I wanted to check on him too honestly, I was glad she was doing it and he isn't even my brother yet… officially). I noticed between all of the traveling and time spent inside of that dungeon had taken more than one toll on me. I stank.

So I took a quick bath and tried my best to be in better shape when Mai returned. When I came out, ready for bed though. Mai surprised me by not just having her overnight bag slung over her shoulder. She also had a soundly sleeping Tom-Tom dozing on her other shoulder.

Before I could ask her a thing she shushed me and mouthed, "I couldn't leave him."

So we put him in the room that used to be mine, it still had some of my toys in a corner. And it wouldn't be the first time Tom-Tom found himself there. Or woke up there, I always kept it ready in case of any younger guests. But particularly him, I try to keep it ready for nights like this one. I helped Mai slip him under the covers of the bed, lit the fireplace so he'd be warm and lit my old night lantern that would burn all night and not let him be in total darkness. It just cast a little light right where he was resting.

Then we both soundlessly left. She only spoke once the door was closed.

"I'm sorry," was the first thing she said, "I just couldn't leave him there. He was in my hideaway waiting for me all freaked out and crying. And I didn't speak before now, because he's becoming a light sleeper like me. I didn't want to take the chance of waking him up again."

"No no, you did right. I'm glad to see him, I'm glad he's here." I told her as we walked back to our room holding onto to each other. Me all ready for bed and Mai was still dressed the same as before. I shared, "When I read your note I was wishing I could have gone with you. I feel like Tom-Tom's a lot safer here with us."

That was when Mai shared the other reason she felt this way. When she'd gotten home her own head guard had informed her that one of Tom-Tom's personal guards had been outed as an Ozai Loyalist. He'd been helping with whatever efforts had been happening outside that Uncle and Sokka had seen. He'd been caught and sent off to prison by Mai's father personally. It was probably the most useful thing Mai's father had done in ages. But Tom-Tom had figured out that those bad people were coming after him and his sister. So of course, he was hysterical.

With everything else that had taken place today. This was just too much for Mai. She finished her scary story with, "So I grabbed my bag, my brother and I got the hell out of there. Our remaining guard is handling things, and informing my parents where we are, if they ask."

I told her, "I'm glad you did. I couldn't have left him there either."

I wanted to hug her, hold her and tell her everything was going to be alright. But I also knew things wouldn't feel better till my father was securely locked away in his new prison. While I was caught not knowing what to say. Mai noticed I had changed and was ready for bed. And she stopped me claiming, "Let me go get this prison smell off of me before I start getting war flashbacks. It took a solid month to get the smell of the Boiling Rock out of my nose after we left."

"The little bit I was stuck there it took a week at least to go away for me too." I admitted, before adding. "And that was when I was living like an air nomad, outside all the time. I still had the smell of that place in my nose too." Not to mention I had just done the same thing to feel better.

So Mai disappeared with a promise of a quick return.

But I wasn't alone for long at all, I was sitting on the bed and just resting when I heard the main door to my room push open. Even though I didn't see anyone who could have done it. No guards or advisers, then I noticed the tippy top of a little head. It was a very sleepy Tom-Tom, waltzing in rubbing at one eye and asking, "Sissy? ZuZu? …. Somebody?"

I let him know, "I'm up here, buddy."

Even though I doubt he could see me over the edge of my bed. Without using a step up or anything, he was next to me in an instant. His favorite toy was tucked under his arm and his face was still pink and puffy from sleep and crying so much. Other than that he looked perfectly okay and my chest felt a little lighter with relief.

I asked him, "How in the world did you climb up here so fast? Are you secretly a lemur like Momo and you've been hiding your tail, all this time?"

"Nooooooo," he drew out, "I'm a boy."

"So is Momo," I reminded him.

"A human boy!" He insisted.

"Are you sure, that was impressive." I tried to lighten things a little. For the both of us.

"Yes!" He insisted before he remembered why he was here. "Where's Mai? Is she here or are all the giggling girls down the hall, lying?"

"Your sister's here, she's just getting ready for bed, she's using my bathroom. Is there anything I can do to help?" I asked, honestly glad that I got to see him and talk to him after what could have happened today. To him specifically.

"Hmm, weeeeeeeeell." He considered holding his chin like Mai did whenever she thought hard. It always amazed me how their resemblances hid till moments like that. "The only one who can... usually is my sissy. She's the only other person who sees them."

"Sees what?" I had to know where this was going.

He looked all around before cupping a hand over his mouth and whispered. "The monsters that hide under people's beds and eat them."

"Monsters? And your sister sees them?" I repeated, making sure I'd heard him right. I'd had the same fear as a kid. So I told him the same thing my mother had told me. "There are no monsters in the palace."

"Really? None? You've seen 'em too?" He asked in amazement.

"Yes, but only after I was banished. I never saw any while I lived here. Do you want to know why?"

"Yeah!" He asked all excitedly.

"Because all of the Fire Lords before me were way worse than any monster, beast or demon. They were all scared away long before any of us were born and they've never returned sense. Even though I'm not as bad as my ancestors, they've all stayed away. Because they were all that terrifying."

He let out such a big breath of relief he ended up flat on his back when he said. "That's a relief. I was afraid I'd brought the monsters who live under my bed with me. But if that's true I bet they were all too scared to come here."

"Is that what your sister says too?" I had to know what Mai's philosophy was, my bet was that it was darker than mine.

Tom-Tom shared, "Sissy says the monsters are only there because they don't has any place else to go. She met most of them in her travels all over the world. Sissy says the ones she let's stay are nothing to fear, for she's way scarier than all of them combined. She keeps them all in line and most of my bedtime stories Sissy tells me. Are about each monster, because they're all her friends."

Yep, that sounds more like something Mai would do. Now I wished I knew about some of her monster tales. Before Tom-Tom could share some of these stories. He asked me, "Are you awake 'cause you're waiting for my sissy. Or are you awake 'cause your mad at your Daddy?"

I couldn't lie to him, I admitted outright. "Both, little man. But I'm trying to forget what my father did and your sister is probably the only person who can help me do that."

"Sissy is good at stuffs like that. And I'm mad at your Daddy too." He said plopping down beside me.

"Believe me, after the day we all just had, I don't blame you." I pat him on his back while he fiddled with his toy.

Tom-Tom gave Mai credit. "Sissy says she's spent so much time mad at both our mommy and daddy. She a pro, and I believe her." I couldn't help it, I laughed. He was so different but there were sometimes that you saw the family resemblance so strong in another way. It cracked me up. Then he added, "Mai always makes me feel better, even when I feel like I'll never smile again... Are you sure you have to take her away?"

I let him know, "I would never take your sissy away from you. You will always be her guy, no matter what. But I am going to marry her and when I do, she's going to be living here with me. You can see her whenever you want, she'll be the new Fire Lady."

"Like Lady Ursa, I like her." He said happily, before asking again. "Does she HAVE to live here?"

"Yes." I had to make this clear now, "If it was up to me, she would already be here. But we have to wait, and that's no fun at all."

"I'm glad you gotta wait, I want to keep her too. Sissy's really the only one who cares about me. What'll I do when she's gone?" He asked not making eye contact, the same way Mai does when she's asking questions she's uncomfortable with. Or afraid to know the answer.

"She won't be gone, you'll see." I tried to explain. "We'll both be right here. You can come here anytime you like and Mai will visit you all the time. Even if you can't sleep like tonight and need Mai's help. She'll still be here for you, and I'll do my best to be here for you too. Not just as your friend, but as your big brother-in-law. Because when you marry someone, you tie yourself to that person for life. So my family becomes Mai's family and your family will now be mine too."

"Are you sure you like my sissy THAT much though?" He asked.

I couldn't help but smile as I let him know, "There isn't another person on Earth I love more than your Sissy. I've known it for a long time."

When he still doubted it, I tried a different approach. "Did I ever tell you how I got this scar?" I asked pointing at my left eye.

"You're Daddy did it to you, in an agni-kai. I'm mad at him about that too." Tom-Tom remembered. "Daddy's aren't supposed to scar their kids, they're supposed to protect them, or at least TRY to, like my Daddy."

"Right, you remember, but did I ever tell you about what your Sissy did for me back then?" I asked.

He shook his head back and forth, "Uh-AH!"

First I explained, "I was so ashamed, I thought I was so ugly. Imagine every mirror, everywhere you turn, you see this big terrible mark that you can't hide or bandages on top of bandages. It was horrible."

He stood up and put his cold little hands on the mark I was talking about. "Did it hurt a lot?"

"Terribly, and I got a fever that could have killed me from it too. I wouldn't let anyone in to see me, I couldn't handle how anyone would react. The only one who stayed with me was my Uncle, he sat in a chair and stayed with me the whole time. Mai kept trying to get in to see me, and I kept telling them to not let her in. But you know your sister, she wouldn't take no for an answer. So she snuck in and looked right at me, when the healer was changing my bandages. She saw the whole ugly thing when it was fresh and I really thought she would scream or run away at the sight of it. But do you know what your sister said, when she saw me so sick and hurt?"

"What'd she say?" He asked.

"She took one look at me, the ugliest I'd ever felt and told me. 'I've seen worse.'"

He agreed, "It really isn't that bad."

"Now it isn't, you should have seen it back then." I tried to describe how swollen and awful it was. "I've had time to heal and grow since. But your sister was lying, she hadn't seen worse. She said it to make me feel better, and she sat beside me in that same place where you were sleeping earlier and let me know this scar is just mark. Nothing else, it didn't change who I am and it didn't change how she felt about me. She saved my life, and she's saved it several times since then too."

"So you HAS to marry her, because you love her... and can't be without her the same way I can't." He said like he finally understood.

"Yes, I need her with me if I'm gonna be the best person I can be. The best Fire Lord I can be... See what I mean?"

"Yeah! I thinks so." Tom-Tom finally grinned. "Just know I need her too, and don't forget!"

"Yes sir." I saluted.

As if on cue, that was the moment Mai reappeared, hair down and dressed for sleep. In a long elegant nightgown tonight and warm black robe tied tightly. This is exactly why I'm always telling her that she's already a Queen. She really is.

Mai asked Tom-Tom, "What are you doing up, you little nuisance?"

"I thought I heard my monsters, Mai!" He told her right away standing up in the bed and walking over to her. "I thought I accidentally brought them to Zuzu's Castle. But Zuzu says there aren't any in the palace. That all the Fire Lords before him scared them all away. I bet his daddy was the worst too, even though I'm still mad at him."

She locked eyes with me and nodded her approval of this story. "That's likely, but your monsters are still tucked away under your bed in your room. I checked before we left, now come on." She lifted him easily and said, "Back to bed. You've missed out on enough sleep as it is."

"Can you tell just one of my monster's stories? A new one, I haven't heard? They're all new to Zuzu, he didn't get to know monsters till he was ban-tished." He was asking as Mai was carrying him back to bed. I popped up and followed, opening the door for them.

First Mai corrected him 'banished.' Then she said, "No, not tonight, you need more sleep." She was firm with him, but I could tell. She really didn't want to do this in front of me. She was making the same face she did when she was avoiding her reflection. When she was feeling embarrassed or didn't want to let her hair down. I had to nix this while I could, and while Tom-Tom was here to help.

Luckily, I didn't even need to coax Mai to change her mind. Tom-Tom could pull on her heartstrings and help her abandon those insecurities even better than I could. He asked Mai, "Puh-lease Sissy. Just one quick story? I promise I'll go right to sleep and stay asleep."

"Not tonight, I'm too tired." She claimed, still making that face. I remembered how little she'd slept both nights before this and I doubted she napped anytime in between either. She had to be tired.

Back to my old room again, I hung in the doorway and listened to this kid negotiate. It's no wonder this is a political family, he was GOOD. He knew just what to say so Mai had to perform. But the promises made and deals dealt wouldn't be forgotten either. They shook on their agreement and I was called over to join them. I got to sit on my old bed and was treated to one of Mai's Monster stories. All told by the "keeper of the monsters," leave it to Mai to claim such a title. Even if "Fire Lady" is such a stretch for her, this wasn't. She snatched it up proudly and lived it so entirely. I couldn't help but know she would do the same as my partner, whenever that was finally official.

Since sharing my own story with Tom-Tom, I kept remembering different things I'd left out. About that traumatic and traumatizing time in both my and Mai's lives. I'd really considered myself a monster, after being so altered. I would still feel that way too, if my Uncle and Mai hadn't been there. If I was a monster after all, I hoped Mai wouldn't mind keeping me too.

Since Tom-Tom was still reeling from all the Water Tribe things Sokka taught him earlier today. Mai told a story about "Isolde the Enchanted Snow Creature" who had accidentally been created by a waterbender in the North Pole. When he'd bent water that he didn't know came directly from the spirit world. This beast supposedly kept making Tom-Tom's bedroom so cold lately. Blowing out the fire in his bedroom fireplace the moment Tom-Tom was asleep at night. So his guards had kept having him warm up at alternative places in the mornings before school. Saying this new monster was the cause instead of a cruel oversight committed by their house staff. Or the approach of winter making everything a little colder each day...it was brilliant.

True to his word, he fell right to sleep on my shoulder this time. We both kissed him goodnight before we both eased him back to laying down on his own. But when Mai went to stand back up. Her last few nights of nearly no sleep had finally caught up to her. And she whispered to me, "I can't move. You go, I'd better just stay here."

If I wasn't a selfish monster myself, I would have left the siblings be. But I HAD to be with her, while I could. So I scoped Mai up and carried her back to my room. Back to our bed, and I laid her there before climbing in myself. This time she was the one who got to sleep finally. After watching her struggle so much over the last two nights before this one. I was so glad to see her rest.

Laying there with her, and not sleeping you would think I would be miserable. But just like when we had pulled her into that airship earlier. When I could stop holding on to her somehow or take my eyes off of her. She was again, the only thing keeping me together. As long as she was here, beside me, warm and soft. As long as I could hear her breathing evenly. I could see she was safe, she wasn't in danger. And that was the only way my heart could keep beating.

If something had happened to her today, to Tom-Tom, Azula, even Azula's husband (who I don't know so well yet), Mother, Ikem or Kiyi had been hurt by him. If Uncle, Sokka, and of the rest of team Avatar had been hurt either, I couldn't have lived with myself. It would have all been too much, and I would have never forgiven my father. Or anyone helping him to any capacity... but worse than all of that. If something had happened to any of the people I care about. I would have never been able to forgive myself. Not even if I lived to be a hundred.

As if she could sense just how dark my thoughts were getting, I suddenly felt her hugging me close. As she told me, "Even though I know you're laying here and not sleeping. Your mind seems miles and miles away."

"I guess it is," I sighed.

"Where are you off to?" she asked sleep still in her voice.

"Nowhere pleasant." I shared.

She knew what to do, to pull me back from the storm roaring between my ears. She rolled over fully on top of me and pinned me in place in the bed and sat up on top of me. She said matter a factly. "Cut it out. We've somehow snuck in the last two nights together, this is our third in a row. Who knows when we'll get a chance like this again? Are you gonna try to make the most of it or do I have to play dirty?"

I felt like I needed to apologize to her, so I told her. "I'm sorry Mai, you're right. We're usually lucky if we get one full night together, and this is our third." I slammed my head back on my pillow. "But I can't help but think of what could have happened and what could have been. And how I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself if something had happened to any of-"

That was when all speech and rational thought was cut off by her lips meeting mine. If this had just been a normal kiss, it would have still stopped me in my tracks. But Mai was putting everything left unsaid into that kiss. All of the emotion, fear, and 'could have been's. She unleashed it all into that contact and pressed me in place using every inch of her body to do it.

When she finally broke it off to let us both breathe. She hugged me tight and pressed her body against mine again. Cuddling and moving in ways that shouldn't be legal. Saying, "Come back to me... Let me help you forget it all, just for tonight. Be here with me and no place else. Let me keep the nightmares and problems away tonight. They can have us again when we have to let go. But just for now, be with me... Please. And let me make it go away... Please... I can only help, if you let me in."

After that, I can't even put into words what it was like. It wasn't just making out, or cuddling, or anything else... it was all of it. And I never wanted to have to let her go. I never wanted to leave home again, and I certainly didn't want to hop on another airship and fly out of here. I forgot I would be doing that this morning. What I had been so upset about, what had happened, I forgot my name. All I saw, all I knew was Mai and she was everything to me.

When I was capable of speaking again I let Mai know. "If this is how you play dirty, feel free to do it anytime you want."

She teased directly in my good ear, "I may be asking to get that in writing later too."

Like before I told her, "We'll put it in our vows, I'll never mind you playing dirty. As long as I get to have my turn too."

I said before I pinned her in place and said, "Now, let me keep away your nightmares and dark thoughts for a little while."

Nuzzling her face with mine, she warned, "I don't know... all of my thoughts tend to be dark. Think you can handle that much of a challenge?"

I nodded, and got close as I could. Inches away from kissing her she did that sexy deep chuckle at the back of her throat and said, "Well, since you asked so nicely." Then I was the one hopefully returning everything that she'd just given me. It was kissing, cuddling, snuggling, loving and touching. It was healing that we both needed so much. It was by far the happiest I'd been in a long time. Probably since we had to come home from Toph's island. And even when we broke apart again for air. We held each other so tightly, I could feel her heart slamming just as loudly as mine against her ribs. Not only were our hearts both racing but they were perfectly in sync as well.

And looking into her amber eyes, I'd never felt more in tune with her. Then I did in that moment, I kissed her forehead and she pulled me back down lower. She fit her body against mine again, like interlocking puzzle pieces, and let me know. "I'm gonna need a little more than that."

Our lips met again, but just before we could completely get lost again-

Tom-Tom called, "SISSY! I can't find the bathroom! I gotta go or I'm gonna has an accident in Zuzu's nice bed." He said while doing the little dance in the hall to show how serious he was.

We jumped apart and Mai was quickly jumping up to handle her little brother's problem. Telling me to, "Hold that thought."

"Oh! I'm holding it." I told her trying to pull myself together.

Never had I ever not been glad to see Tom-Tom, but right now. He was killing me. And I suspect his sister too. I know she was probably only gone a few minutes, but I was clawing the walls waiting for her. I was right at the door when she finally came back through it. Still gorgeous, she smiled to herself about something. When she saw me her smile turned from that settle upturning of the corners of her mouth. To become this sexy, heated smirk that was having an effect on my heart rate. She leaned against the door when it was closed and asked me. "Now where were we?"

I took her hands in mine and pulled her to me saying, "Right about here." Then I kissed her softer and made it last. When we stopped I added. "only we were in our bed, and I wasn't planning on letting you go until I have to."

"Your bed." She corrected.

"No, it's our bed and has been for some time. You know that." I insisted while she tried in vain to straighten our clothes which were wrinkled and twisted on both of our bodies.

"You wanna go back? I know you're having trouble sleeping. Did you want to find some other place to-"

I stopped her right there, "Oh no! You are my Queen and you need your rest. Allow me to escort you to a place that is already completely ours. Even if the rest of that plan is happening so slowly."

I picked her up and carried her back as she wrapped her legs around my waist. She asked me, "What plan?"

"The plan where I'm all yours and you're all mine," I said somehow. Even as her legs squeezed me tighter and she was making me crazier by the minute.

She held onto me just as tightly as I held onto her. We fell together in a tangle of limbs and love and I never wanted to find a way out. After facing so many things today. I was glad to say that I was more sure than ever before that marrying this girl would be the best thing I'd ever done. And the sooner I tied myself to her in every way. Was the sooner that we could be like this and no one. Nothing could ever come between us again.

Mai waited till we were paused again, to say. "But I'm already yours, and you have my heart remember? That doesn't just work one way."

"No, it doesn't." I affirmed, "You're the future Fire Lady, Monster keeper, and the keeper of my heart all in one. I won't let you claim any less than that."

The rest of that night was a haze that kept the nightmares away much longer than just that night.

I was able to escort my father to his new prison the following week with ease. And his endless escape attempts all came to a screeching halt. But I knew better than to believe he'd given up, or finally accepted defeat. I just wasn't letting those worries eat me alive anymore. And I couldn't have done any of it. Without Mai's hand tucked into mine.

That's all for this chapter!

But don't worry readers! I will be back with one more post tomorrow or the next day. I have a doctor's appointment today and if they draw blood I may need a day to recover. But I will post it as soon as I can, that is a promise. Thank you so much for sticking with me this far. If you can please write in and review, I would love to hear from you. As always, hope you're having an AWESOME day. Take Care and Much Love!

~DarcyBeDippy85