AN: Alright, here we finally address Katara's bending and some Zutara at the end. Big thanks to Ms. K216 for stimulating my brain for this one! As always, let me know what you think.

Azula has been gone longer than expected, or so I hear the guards muttering in the corridors. I hold my head just a little bit higher, proud that my father's evasive tactics were more than a match for the Fire Princess.

Not only are the other staff visibly relaxed in her absence, but Jet and I can continue meeting. It's never in the same place twice and more often than not, we're discovered. His ruse of hormonally charged kids in love is so effective that the guards are no longer surprised to find us. In fact it's a game of sorts, from what I gather.

After he planted that question into my mind about bending, I couldn't help but try. I had felt outrageously stupid, trying to swirl my hand nonchalantly above my cup the next day in private. Lo and behold, I was a genuine waterbender.

Did my father know? Did he care? He hadn't ever mentioned testing me for bending, probably because there was no one in the South to teach me. He taught me only what he could—good old fashioned fighting. With or without a weapon, I am a force to be reckoned with. Jet could tell you himself, after having an unfortunate "accident" with his hand. That's what you get for being too handsy, buddy. I'm only a little sorry.

Instead of making out, Jet is trying to coach me in waterbending. Admittedly he's only seen a waterbending scroll in passing, but that's more than I have. Mostly we just make stuff up and see if it works. It's incredibly frustrating and I often wonder if all bending is this hard. I've seen Zuko practice before and he makes it look so...easy.

Earlier today I watched him closely. Not to find holes in his defenses as in the past, but to copy his technique later and apply my waterbending. He rarely has any down time recently and as a result I hardly see him. I can't be sure, but I think it's been a few days since we last spoke. It's no small wonder I was invited to watch him practice, AKA, show off.

"What did you think?" He asked after he was finished. Sweat had been trickling down his face, making tiny tracks of salty water over the too smooth skin of his scar. It made me think of sweatbending, which I promise to only attempt in an emergency. Yuck.

"You really charred those dummies," I had said, motioning to the what was left of the sacks. There were only a few scorched tatters left on the ground and something in the back of my mind clicked. The memory scent of burnt flesh filled my nostrils and I tried not to gag. Zuko didn't kill my mother. He didn't singe her hair and scorch her flesh. Firebender does not equal killer. Well, for the most part.

"They had it coming." He had smiled then. Just a tight, thin smile, but it was all mine and it lifts my spirits a little. I can still remember the loud thumping my heart made, but that could've been because I was remembering my mother. It is so close to the anxiety I used to feel when sneaking out to meet Jet, but I have grown complacent. The guards don't seem to mind but I try to keep out of sight anyway.

In a way I am glad not to see Zuko so frequently. The mere thought of him sends my body into the jittery, anxious mode I thought was reserved for danger. Yue assures me this is what it's supposed to feel like, having a more than friendly interest in someone, but I can't help thinking it's strangely appropriate. Our coupling would assuredly result in nothing but danger.

"You're losing your edge, Kat."

I'm about to punch the shadow but lucky for Jet, I recognized his voice. Instead I rest my fist where it would've landed, right below his diaphragm.

"Am I?" My voice is light but I press my fist into him a little more to emphasize my point: I could still kick your butt any day. He just grunts but we both know I'm right. "And don't call me that."

"Your brother is still in isolation for the time being," he reports softly as we enter a small courtyard, ignoring the last phrase. The grass is cool under my feet and we sit in the dark shadows of a tree. My body mechanically assumes the position of a lover; my head on his shoulder and our fingers laced together. It is a habitual disguise now.

"What do they plan to do with him," I wonder aloud. Neither of us have come up with an answer yet. The silence continues in the darkness and I assume we're having the same thought. His fingers twitch around mine in a restlessness that is unusual for him. "What's wrong?"

"I heard talk in the kitchens today. They say...there's a spy in the palace."

Immediately my heart is in my throat. I am stiff with sheer terror until he squeezes my hand.

"It's only a rumor," he says quickly. "They can't know much if anything, if they only suspect one."

"Shut up," I hiss. "What if someone overhears us?" I am so frantic that the water in the nearby pond starts to slosh restlessly. Never before have I been so aware of my element reacting to my emotions. I can hear him trying to calm me down but my mind is in hyperdrive until he grabs my face with his free hand.

"Katara, listen to me. Everything is fine, it was only a rumor. You know how kitchen maids like to gossip." His voice was firm but calm and he was so close I had no choice but to look him in the eye. Eyes so black they could've been dark, dangerous sea water.

When he kissed me I didn't pull away, thinking that we had been discovered. But I didn't hear a knowing chuckle from an onlooker or the clink of armor.

"What was that for," I frowned, pulling away.

"To keep your mind off the bad things," he whispered. Something had changed about his voice that I couldn't pin down, but instinct knew. Rationally I knew that Jet was a charmer, a seducer of women and likely men too. The body is rarely rational, though, and I felt myself giving in to the temptation of letting my mind go for a while.

I had only ever kissed him, but I'd say he was a good kisser in anyone's book. I wondered lightly how Zuko would kiss, what would his mouth taste like against mine? It was easy to pretend in the darkness that the man with me was the Fire Lord himself, and it was a temptation far harder to resist.

Instead of well tanned skin on the hand that ran down my side, it was the paleness of Fire Nation royalty. My body was pressed into silken robes instead of rough spun wool. My fingers clutched at black hair instead of brown.

We didn't even stop when we were interrupted this time. I was too far into my fantasy to come out and I can only assume Jet just didn't care. Only the sound of the door shutting brought me back to reality. I was disappointed to see it was still only Jet in front of me.

"You sure know how to keep a girl entertained," I panted from below him. I don't remember moving but everything was a blur in the heat of the moment. His forearms rested on either side of my chest and propped him over me.

"I can make you more than entertained," he purred, kissing down my neck and stopping to suck at my collarbone. My back arched involuntarily as I gasped. It was safe to say he knew way more about my body than I did.

"Ah, no," I meant to say, but it came out as more of a moan than actual words. There was no denying my physical attraction to this guy who knew all the right buttons to push to make me putty in his hands. I bit my lip to keep from making any more encouraging noises as he fondled one breast and swirled his tongue around the other nipple through the fabric of my shirt. The endorphin rush was undeniably sweet but I knew I had to get out of there. It was eerily familiar to the time Zuko had "done his Lordly duty" with me, and that was enough to sober me up.

"Stop," I insisted, clutching his arms. There was little authority I had on the ground like this, but he obeyed without question. I couldn't read his face, so heated with the lust of the moment. I sat up and he was forced to do likewise. "I don't think this is a good idea."

"If I had a coin for every time I heard that, I'd be Earth King," he smirked.

"My mission..."

"Doesn't say not to have a little fun."

"I...I like someone else," I confessed. The smirk slipped fluidly into a suspicious frown. Never trust anyone who can go from one to another so quickly.

"Don't tell me it's the Fire Lord." I could only nod a little. I guess it wasn't a long shot, but it was incredibly embarrassing to want him and I knew it. "I heard what he did to you. Everyone knows it. I would never do that to you," he said.

"I know, I know, I can't—"

"Let's ditch this place. Just you and me," he interrupted, clasping my hands in his. "We'll run away and have lots of little rebel babies and live to fight another day." He was so sincere he must've been thinking about it for a while.

"My brother, my people—"

"Who cares—"

"I care," I growled fiercely. This seemed to satisfy him which in turn confused me.

"That was a little test. Can't jeopardize the mission just because you have feelings for the enemy." He rolled his eyes as if I was the crazy one.

"He's not like the others, he's different," I insist.

"Did it ever occur to you he's as good at acting as I am?"

This thought gives me pause. Of course I had considered an act, but I hadn't known Jet then. He set a new standard for acting. I would have to reassess Zuko. He helped me to my feet and adjusted my clothes for me, patting my hair straight like a parental figure.

"Were you even interested in me?" The question is out of my mouth as soon as I think it.

"Oh Kat, you're one in a million," he says as he pats my cheek. "If you survive this, let's reunite and make a few dozen babies."

I make a face at him and he winks at me.

Before we split up in the palace, he grabs my arm and gives me some advice.

"Be careful. When you play with fire, you're bound to get burned."

I don't meet up with Jet again. We agreed to meet if anything changed for Sokka but the Princess is still away and he's still in isolation. I try not to dwell on it.

Zuko seems troubled the last couple of times I've met with him, but when I try to ask he waves it off as nothing. A moody Zuko is nothing new, but maybe it's something I should be worried about too. Like that spy rumor Jet mentioned.

One day we have lunch together and I distractedly pick at my food, wondering how to lure Zuko to the good side permanently. In a perfect world it would be easy: we confess our undying like for each other and run off into the sunset. Kinda like what Jet proposed, only more ideal.

"Katara." His voice is sharp and I'm shocked out of my day dream.

"Hm?" I was going to put on an innocent act but it's clear I missed something important in the conversation we're supposed to be having.

"Are you even listening to me?" He definitely sounds frustrated, but like an edgy kind of frustrated. Tense. "What are you thinking about."

"Nothing," I shrug. The lie slips easily from my mouth, but Zuko sees it for what it is, I can see it on his face. "Just...stuff."

"Was it that servant you've been hanging around with? We're you thinking about him?" If it would've been possible, I'm sure steam would be coming out of his ears. I try not to laugh at the image, because what he's talking about finally makes sense.

"Oh, Jet?" Now I'm uneasy. What if someone heard us talking about spies that night? Or had seen us trying to puzzle out waterbending?

"I don't care what his name is. Stop hanging around him." His manner was so curt and strange to me and I had no idea what he was getting at. Plus he hasn't accused me of anything yet. Silence is best when you're the ignorant party.

"You and your...kissing," he said, throwing up his hands and beginning to pace around the room. Ah, now everything makes perfect sense.

Zuko is jealous.

"Don't try to deny it," he continued, his voice bordering on shrill. "I have plenty of guards who have seen you. Multiple times!" He stopped his pacing at the far end of the room with his back to me and I could see his fists clench.

"I'm surprised you even care." I have to play this right or everything I've worked for with him is all for naught. He acts as I expect, turning around with a mix of shock and confusion. Good, I've got him right where I want him. "I mean, you've been ignoring me so much. I thought you forgot me or got bored w—"

"I can't help that I've been busy," he explains, walking slowly towards me now. He's trying to take it all in, I can see the gears turning in his head.

"Men change their mind all the time," I reply, reproachful as I cross my arms and look away. "I'm just another play thing in your toy collection. They all say so."

"Who says so?" He's crouched at my side now, I feel his hand hover over my shoulder before settling down.

"The other girls. Everyone." I still don't look at him. Let him think that I believe he's discarded me. It's all to my benefit. And really, how much of this is a lie? I longed to see him in the back of my mind, the only place such pining can fester within me.

"They're wrong." I finally can't help myself, I have to look at him. My breath catches. Have I ever seen him like this? Such desire, such intensity in his eyes? I'm floored by the rawness of this emotion and all I can do is blink dumbly. I mean, I must look dumb just blinking up at him. "Katara...I—I—" I can see him grow more flustered and pink by the second, but his next move catches me off guard.

If I had to choose, I'd rather kiss Zuko all my life than Jet. His mouth is soft and unsure at first and I want to giggle like a little girl. Men are always so clueless about romance it's laughable. Any woman could tell I would reciprocate the Fire Lord's feelings, but that was a man for you. It's only when I lean into the kiss that he becomes eager, holding our bodies as close together as two people can be sitting on the floor.

I want to resist, want to run far away and never look back. Logically this is all wrong. I have a mission, a duty to the world. Too bad they put their faith in such a weak girl. Besides, with any luck, this will burn itself out like Yue said it might. I try to stay in my right mind instead of escaping into the physical contact as I had with Jet. Losing myself in Zuko is a luxury I cannot afford.

In the back of my mind I compare the only two guys I've kissed. Neither is bad, but I'm loath to admit that Jet probably has more experience and therefore is better at it as a whole. What Zuko lacks in experience he makes up for in exuberance and it gives me a courage I didn't experience with Jet.

It's such a thrill to imagine him kissing me and opening my eyes to see it's true. Things are starting to get interesting when a serving maid interrupts us. We spring apart and the young maid looks almost as embarrassed as I feel. She clears away a half eaten meal in rushed silence and then it's just us again.

"I like you." He looks so determined but that face could also belong to someone who just ate very bad fish.

"No, really?" I feign a dramatic shock and his face lightens before becoming darker again.

"The only person who should make me feel this way is my wife..."

"Oh, I'm sorry for interrupting your happy marriage. Y'know, the one where you two choose to live on different continents?" I don't mean to be so terrible and biting, but he hurt me first. That's how things work: tit for tat, an eye for an eye. He flinches because it's true.

"I'm just saying, it might be a problem in the future if this is public knowledge. You," he frowned, searching for the right words. "You're a weakness. A chink in the armor. My family will use it against me. Azula," he shuddered. "Can do nasty things."

"It's not like we're getting married, calm down," I try to joke but my throat is too dry to sound convincing. It is a little disheartening, being the side woman, but I'm thinking of a future that keeps me in the palace for the rest of my life. That's not right, I know I have to complete my mission and then I can go home...to what? Who? I don't even know if my family will survive. He's all I might have at the end.

"Let's just enjoy this," I try again, because right now that's all we've got. It's too much of a risk to bring him into the mission now, but maybe later. How long will I keep putting this off?

He has other duties to attend to and takes his leave with a shy peck on the lips. He's red to the ears but I am hardly better myself. I have until tonight to rethink my strategy and how to get back on track. He said he would call for me then. I can observe him more closely to see if he's acting then, since I've completely forgotten.

As soon as I kill the Phoenix King, Zuko and I can be free.