** Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or stories of Avatar the Last Airbender.

**Warning: This story will include smutty lemons, mild violence, and language…if those are not things you enjoy reading then I would advise moving on to another story. Thanks.

**This story will take place after Aang is struck by lightning in the end of Book 2 battle of Ba Sing Se. However, in an effort to meet a more mature audience in this story Zuko is 18, Sokka is 18, Katara is 17, Aang is 14, and Toph is 14…making them two years older than in the show.

**This story has been heavily edited from the original posting…I hope it is to everyone's liking and look forward to any and all reviews!

Chapter 1:

Katara held Aang in her lap as she used her Spirit Water to heal him from being struck by Azula's lightning. 'Please don't let him be dead. Please, please no,' she begged silently. Sokka steered Appa over the Ba Sing Se wall, flying as fast as possible towards the ocean in an attempt to put as many miles between them and their enemies, Azula and Zuko. After what seemed like hours, though it'd only been mere minutes, Aang moaned and opened his eyes for just a moment before passing out again from the pain. Katara breathed a sigh of relief, thankful he'd survived, before moving him into Toph's lap so she could move freely to the front to speak with Sokka about their destination.

Just as she reached the edge of the saddle, fireballs begin streaming through the air forcing Appa to growl and swerve. She leaned over the side and found a myriad of Fire Nation soldiers standing upon a deck at the ships' harbor. Her heart dropped as fear engulfed her 'Not again, not while Aang is hurt…he isn't even conscious,' she thought.

"Hang on!" Sokka shouted as he tried to help the sky bison weave through the smoke and fire, unconsciously tossing Toph, Aang, and Katara around the saddle. Katara attempted to grasp the edge of the pillion, but her sweaty palms couldn't maintain a good grip. Just as her hands slipped down the leather once more, three fireballs sailed straight towards them in perfection synchronization. To avoid being struck, Sokka pulled back hard on the reins and steered Appa straight up to avoid the collision. Katara's eyes went wide as she tumbled backward over Appa's back, out of the saddle, and began falling through the air.

Though everything happened in a matter of seconds Katara took it all in; the three large fireballs barely missing Appa's tail, Sokka's face scrunched in concentration as he tried to save everyone, and Toph holding on for dear life to both the saddle and Aang. She reached out…scrambling to grasp the harness, Appa's hair, anything…but her fingers couldn't prevent her fall. The air whistled and rushed around her, swallowing her scream, as she fell slowly backward and down into the icy waves.

The force of which she collided with the water took her breath away. Pain pierced every inch of her body as she struggled to move…to kick…to propel herself to the surface. Her hands were outstretched, reaching for the light above as her lungs screamed in protest, begging for breath. As the pain peaked, her vision began to blur and darken around the edges.

The Fire Nation soldiers upon the deck watched as a body dressed in blue fell from the sky, landing with a hard splash into the vast sea. They were unable to tell who had fallen, but knew they had to reach them…just in case it was the Avatar.

All the while, Sokka continued to climb higher and higher to escape the fireball range when suddenly he heard Toph screaming his name. "Sokka! Sokka! Stop! You need to Stop! Katara!" Sensing the urgency in her voice, he immediately leveled out the bison and turned toward the panicking Earthbender.

"What are you saying about Katara?" he asked as his eyes swept around the saddle and saw that Toph was holding Aang and that Katara…Katara wasn't anywhere. Sokka searched around the saddle again and then over each side of Appa to see if maybe she was hanging onto the beasts' long white fur.

"She fell out" Toph stated pointedly. "When you jerked Appa straight up she fell backward. I heard her pass me, but I was barely hanging on to Twinkle Toes and the saddle" she exclaimed with frustration.

Sokka stilled from the shock and looked down to try and see if his sister had missed the ship. To see if she was safe…she had to be safe for him. 'She could waterbend!' he thought, hoping he could see her abilities from where they lingered. But as he looked down to the harbor, he couldn't see anything happening. The soldiers had halted their attack and the water looked unnaturally still. As he searched in vain for a sign that his sister had survived, Toph's words sliced through him and the silent building panic within. "If she survived, they'll have taken her hostage already. We can't take them…not without Aang! And if you haven't noticed he's a bit out of sorts."

Sokka held tightly to Appa's reins, trying to make a choice; risk their lives, Aang's life, the war, and possibly the world to save his sister, or leave and try to break her out another day? 'If she survived,' his mind whispered cruelly. His eyes burned as he held back tears, refusing to believe she was gone…she couldn't be, she was the strong one…not him.

The answer was obvious he knew, but it didn't make the decision any easier. He exhaled slowly and focused on the sky ahead of them, "We have to save Aang" he uttered flatly, "she's strong and can make it, Toph. We will come back for her, but…we can't...w-we can't risk the lives of thousands for j-just hers. She…she'll understand." A tear slid down Sokkas' cheek as he softly murmured "Yip, yip" urging Appa towards the open ocean. Toph didn't respond as she slumped back against the saddle and clung to Aang while silently praying that Katara would be alright.

XXX

The sky bison was out of range, but as a gift for Azula, two soldiers dove into the water to apprehend the fallen figure. After a few minutes of searching, they grasped the Waterbenders' arms and dragged her to the main ship.

The long-haired brunette thought the excruciating agony piercing every one of her nerves would never end and began to welcome the cold…the darkness…the peace.

Just as the burning sensation in her lungs seemed to ebb away…pain…pain worse than before broke across her chest. She tried to cry out but there was something blocking her throat…something slowly rising up as the pain proceeded to spread across her torso. Her eyes fluttered and opened as a gruff voice screamed at her "Breath! Come on…just breath, girl!".

Water bubbled up in her throat and she rolled to cough it out as the man's heavy hand slapped her on the back to help expel the salty liquid. "Good, good. We need you alive. Princess Azula will be most pleased that we caught someone traveling with the Avatar" he chuckled mirthlessly as she tried to focus on her surroundings, but all she could make out was a blurry face with a wicked grin before everything went black once more.

Sounds of men rushing back and forth shouting orders at one another, roused her from blissful oblivion. She laid upon a cold hard metal floor with her hands bound tightly together. Visions of the previous night flashed through her mind. Zuko's sadness as they discussed their mothers. The feel of his scar beneath her fingertips as she made the mistake of trusting him. Azula's attack and Zuko's imminent betrayal. Aang…her and Aang fighting for their lives against Zuko, Azula, and over a dozen Dai li agents. Aang being struck by lightning and falling as Katara rushed to catch him. Flying on the back of Appa while healing Aang's scarred body. The Fire Nation's fireballs. Falling…falling into deep icy water and then coughing it up in front of a blurry soldier.

Katara opened her eyes and focused on the hard iron shackles biting into her wrists. She shook her head in an attempt to clear the fog and looked around to see iron bars in front of her and a chain leading from her hands to her feet, also clad in irons. 'How long have I been here?' she wondered idly to herself.

She sat up as best she could and shivered in her soaking wet blue dress. Attempting to warm herself, she tried to bend the water from the fabric, but the shackles bound her hands so tightly together she was unsuccessful. Again, and again, she tried, but nothing seemed to work. Leaning back against the wall she felt panic and fear engulf her senses. She'd been locked in a cell on a Fire Nation's ship not knowing for how long, unable to bend, freezing in her clothes, and in desperate need of food and water. Her throat burned from residual salt and bile as she tried to steady her breathing. 'What will they do with me? Toss me in prison? Ex-execute me? Ensl-slave me?' Horrific images flooded her mind as she waited on the cold metal floor trembling with fear.

On the deck in the setting sun, the soldiers assembled for attention while Princess Azula ascended the ramp with her brother, Prince Zuko, following close behind. The soldiers saluted their superiors as the commanding officer stepped forward, bowing low in greeting the Prince and Princess. "Evening your Highness, I hope your stay in Ba Sing Se was to your liking."

"It was, indeed, Commander Chan. My brother and I have been reunited and we have apprehended a traitor in the process" she gestured to her uncle as he was brought onto the ship in stone bindings by the Dai li agents. "What news do you have for us?"

"Your Highness, we saw the Avatar's sky bison fly overhead and attempted to shoot it down. We were unsuccessful," Azula scoffed "but a young water tribe girl fell during the assault. We have her in custody below." Zuko's eyes widened as Azula grinned wickedly. Images of Katara in the crystal catacombs invaded the Prince's mind…her tenderness and gentle touch.

"Bring her here" Azula demanded with a deadly calm. The Commander nodded to two soldiers who quickly disappeared below deck to retrieve the girl. Fear for the little Waterbender ebbed into Zuko's mind; he knew just how cruel Azula could be. He wondered what she planned to do…torture and kill her? Give her to the men on board for entertainment? Save her for their father? Anger and something akin to jealousy rose in his throat like bile.

After only a few moments, the two men returned with Katara in tow, bound in iron shackles and dripping wet. Zuko frowned as he witnessed the goosebumps rising upon her damp skin and the way she shivered in the cool wind. She looked bedraggled with her dark hair falling around her shoulders while loose tendrils whipped back and forth in the wind. He was assaulted by the catacombs once more, where she had reached out to caress his face and offered to heal his disgraceful scar…before his sister offered him his honor on a silver platter.

Though part of him felt sorrow for betraying Katara, a bigger part was relieved to finally be heading home after so many years. Zuko glanced at his sister and recognized the menacing smile stretching across her face, the glint in her eyes caused him to worry for the bender before them. Without explanation, he felt an overwhelming need to protect the girl from Azula's cruelty. Confidently, he stepped towards his sister with a look of twisted rage upon his face.

"I've been chasing them around the world for months. Each time they have eluded capture and embarrassed me in front of my men, let me have her. I think I have earned some spoils of this war and the years I've lived in exile" he spat. He ensured his face was contorted in a cruel mask of hatred as Azula eyed him apprehensively.

"Fine Zuzu, you can have her, but she's your responsibility and you'll answer for any mistakes she makes. Understood?" Zuko nodded curtly. "Make sure she doesn't escape or mess up my ship" she ordered before turning to speak with Commander Chan about their departure. The black-haired Prince stepped forward and grasped Katara's upper arm before marching off to his room, dragging his unwilling prisoner behind.