He knew she'd meant for it to be a light peck, but she'd stopped before pulling away, as if unsure. And then hesitant and unsure, she tilted her head to get another angle on him and parted her lips on his, melting into Zuko's warmth. Zuko initially froze, his brow lifting and his eyes falling shut, before he lifted a hand to her hair, pushing it back and kissing back lovingly.

What if everything you ever knew …

Why, this looked very important - it was contained in an air-tight container he'd found in a refrigerator, so it probably reacted with oxygen or carbon dioxide, or it got airborne and was dangerous to human beings. That sounded like a lot of fun. Maybe he could open it in a crowded place and kill a whole load of people. Maybe it was a neurotoxin. Ooh, that sounded like fun!

Was coming undone?

Azula's hand reared back and she slapped him. Nobody paid attention, caught up in their own hells. "I won't hear any brother of mine speaking that way!" she hissed darkly. "Figure something out!" she grabbed his shirt, trying to be the picture of collected, cool determination and threat, and failing rather horribly.

Zuko stared into his sister's eyes for a moment and just sighed, hanging his head and shaking it. "Like what? There's no way out. We're going to die, Azula."

"Good Morning Dahlia Coast!" he exclaimed in a sickeningly nonchalant tone, "It's seventy degrees with a cloudless sky, but it looks like mass panic and a chance of death later on towards lunchtime, however this can all be avoided by keeping your trap shut and doing just what the guy with the gun says!" he grinned at the crowd as they stepped back from the stage.

What if there was nothing you could do to stop it?

Katara caught her own breath on a horrified gasp that stopped before it got out of her chest. She fought against Aidan's grasp to get to the bomb in an instinctive, last-breath attempt to stop it. His grip was too tight; too desperate. The bomb made a fizzling noise that echoed through the global silence that had taken the hall by force. There was a click and a hiss, and then … deafening silence.

…

…

…

Coming this Winter …

"Oh my god, I'm so glad you're okay!" she heard her father's voice, and strong, supportive arms wrapped around her, squeezing her in a hug. Katara found herself overcome with relief for her own survival, and grabbed her father back, squeezing into the hug and burying her face in his chest. "You're okay, you're okay …" she heard her father whispering at a chant.

Your favorite story is back …

"Hey, turn that up!" someone yelled to the nurse standing by the television on the nurse's workstation.

The nurse rolled up the volume on the television, where a man with a shaved back hairline and a braid of ebony hair over his shoulder, with some classic villain facial hair on his seedy looking face, and beady little green eyes, was sitting behind the desk of the oval office, a grin on his thin lips, a small spatter of blood visible on the dark fabric of his green robes.

Suki and Sokka began to pay attention to the news.

'This is your … new … commander in chief speaking, of the Dai Li Party government; that which has taken America by storm. My name is Long Feng, leader of the Dai Li Militant Government now in charge of these United States, as well as several other countries across the globe.

'All major cities are hereby informed that curfew is imposed at six PM, and once we are satisfied that it is being followed, we may move it back to nine PM. Curfew lifts at six AM; you can go to work as per usual, unless stated otherwise. Cures USA is now under Dai Li control, as are all broadcasted news stations and newspapers …'

Your favorite characters are back …

"What are you doing in my home?" came a sharp snap from behind her.

Katara whirled and saw an open door leading into a bathroom, where she could see Lydia in a bathtub. Katara flinched at first and then stepped closer, tentatively. Lydia was thankfully wearing clothes in the tub and Katara stood in the doorway, gazing upon the blonde girl. She was so pale. So damned pale."What's happening to you?" she heard herself question meekly.

Lydia stared up at Katara and clenched her teeth. "Me? Oh, nothing. Just freezing to death," she stated with distaste. "Don't just stand there, Marina. Go help Poquita fill kettles, or something!" she shuddered in the water, and Katara could hear that Poquita woman coming into Lydia's bedroom from behind her.

In the Final season of the trilogy.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but are you aware that it's past curfew?" she heard a voice from beneath the man's conical hat.

Katara screwed up her face, hugging Ollie tighter, involuntarily. Curfew? "What?" she heard herself question, as the wheels of her mind began to turn. "America's a free country, we don't have a curfew," she stated, more to herself than to him. What, was he some kind of wacko or something? He didn't sound American.

"As of one 'o clock today, a curfew is imposed on all major cities in the United States. If you were not informed, you have been now. I am Agent Fong of the Dai Li. Allow me to escort you to your home, miss," he bowed briefly and then moved toward her.

Katara's left gun was out in a split second. Her right arm was still a little choppy since her injury, and she wasn't taking any chances. Dai Li? What the hell? "Hey, stand back or I'll shoot," she warned darkly, her golden gun gleaming in the sunlight. Only then did Katara realize how completely deserted the park was. Nobody was around at all. "I don't know who you think you are, but if there had been a curfew imposed by the American government, I'd have heard about it."

Get ready to laugh.

"It's not constant. Auras don't fluctuate this way. It's melting between red and a purplish black …" Ty Lee made a motion around her head and then shook it. "I never should've left," she then gasped as if she'd realized something. "I think she's trapped," she whispered suddenly.

Mai stared apathetically at Ty Lee. "Trapped," she repeated skeptically. Then she sighed, deciding to humor her friend. "Okay, trapped by what?"

"I don't know!" Ty Lee suddenly flung her arms around Mai, catching the taller girl off guard. "But there has to be something we can do to help her!"

Get ready to cry.

Once she was dressed, she lifted the keys from the pants pocket and let herself out of the cell, and ran toward the desk in one corner of the holding room, checking all the drawers fro medications and drugs confiscated from prisoners. She found some Xanax and some antidepressants and pocketed them - Aidan only needed to guess what she'd been arrested for - and then she swallowed back something Aidan figured to be a painkiller. He continued to watch her warily.

The girl stopped and eyed him skeptically, unconsciously hunching her shoulders to hide her figure from him in the heavy jacket she'd struggled off of one of the police officer's bodies, debating with herself briefly. Then she moved toward him and slipped a key into the lock of his cell, turning it and pulling open the door. Then she grabbed his chains roughly and went about unlocking them, saying nothing.

Get ready to fangirl like you've never fangirled before.

Ursa blinked at him for a moment, before nodding tiredly, her fatigue catching up to her. Even after all that … her mind still dwelled on her children. God forbid they didn't make it … oh, gods forbid; that wouldn't happen. It couldn't. It just couldn't. She couldn't forget the way Azula's breathing fluctuated in her sleep, or the way Iroh had described Zuko sprawled on the tile floor to cool down.

As if he'd read her thoughts, Ozai sighed heavily and spoke, "Of anyone, you should believe in them the most; you should be the one who knows they are strong enough to survive this," he told her sternly, as the second binding came free and she rubbed at them wordlessly. He didn't know if he was just trying to comfort her with empty words, or speaking true, but he told her this just the same.

Ursa slowly put her arms around his neck and put her forehead to the side of his neck. Then she began to cry into him.

Ozai, not knowing what else to do, stood there and let her.

Life Was Like A Box Of Chocolates

Toph choked a miserable, heart-wrenching, graceless sob and squeezed her eyes shut, hunching over and crying hard, tears falling into her blanketed lap. She tugged wildly on her restraints to rub at her eyes but couldn't get free. "I-! Hate you!" she screamed hoarsely, "Get out! Get the fuck out!" and she sobbed even harder, her black bangs falling over her face as she cried. She inhaled sharp, gritty breaths between sobs.

Aang shook his head in horror and lifted his hands to grip his head. 'No! No, no, no, no! Oh, fuck, Toph … Toph, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, this is my fault, I'm so sorry …' Aang's mind ran loops in his cranium and his eyes were so wide he felt they wanted to pop out of his head. Toph was crying her - soon to be useless - eyes out in front of him and he could do nothing, and say nothing, to help her.

…

Life Was Like A Metaphor

"… After you sent Katara to save the day?" she continued harshly, "you cowardly, yellow sack of shit," she spat into the room, hearing her voice bounce back on the tile walls of her hospital room. "I don't need your fucking help, Aang. Blind or not, if I want to get away from my folks, I'll do it. And I'll do it on my own."

Aang made a tiny noise under his breath of defeat. "I'm just trying to help you, Toph. I don't know what … what it must feel like to lose-,"

"Are you deaf?" Toph snapped dryly, "I don't want your help, and I don't want your charity, but more than any of that … I don't want your pity."

…

…

But now …

Katara would've laughed, if her lungs weren't so cold that it hurt to breathe. "I-it hurts," she reached out trembling fingers until she found Kelly's sleeve and clenched her fingers on it. Kelly pulled Katara closer, her hands rubbing on her back and arms to try to built up some heat from friction. "It … fucking hurts," she added, gritting her teeth.

Kelly nodded, and breathed a sigh, "I know. I know, Katara," and she looked out the window into the hallway to see Hakoda looking in, listening to a doctor talking about Katara's condition. Hakoda smiled weakly, and Kelly just looked back to Katara, focusing on building up some heat for her. She wasn't going to let Katara die. She'd find a way to help her. Katara had to make it through.

…

…

…

Life Is Like A Lyric.

…

COMING JANUARY 2012