Catching up with everyone finds them feverishly preparing for the annual ball and that includes Katara and Zuko who are together sprucing up her dancing skills… among other things. Amazing how many times a car can break down on the way home from practice, isn’t it? Thankfully, there were so many dark, deserted alleys and parking lots to park in while they waited for help…

 

Teo and Azula are also practicing. Well, if you call teaching him how not to crush her feet practicing. Even with his difficulties, he progresses well and Azula is shocked at how much she enjoys helping him master the dance moves. The only hitch is when he has to have the chip implanted in his spine adjusted. However, he recovers quickly and by the ball is ready and raring to go… along with falling deeper and deeper for his teacher…

 

Meanwhile, Haru is feeling pretty neglected. Azula is so busy “practicing” with two other men he starts getting pissy. He manages to convince her to blow off class on Wednesday , with her ending up spending the night. Of course, they still refrain from consummating the relationship.

 

The siblings are having a different time with their practices. Things start innocently enough. They practice in the mornings at the teashop before class and her job. After only a few days of a work perfecting a rather risqué tango, Zuko begins to have odd dreams… Dreams where he is saving Azula from Haru. Unfortunately, they are not as noble as he would prefer, for every dream ends with him receiving more than just a chaste “thank you” kiss… Azula is unaware of the gradual change in his thoughts, but she can’t ignore him pressing her to a wall and kissing her after Thursday’s late night dress rehearsal… RED dress.

Thankfully, Teo made an impromptu visit or who knows how far things would have gone. The chagrined siblings do try to resolve things the following morning and once again share…“one last kiss”. Déjà vu, anyone?

 

 

Ozai is busy the week of the ball, trying to get the ill-equipped son of his college roommate, Teo to take Azula to the ball. At least by barring that brute Haru and giving Azula a proper gentleman, Ozai had some hope of salvaging his plans. If not, Pat Robertson is on speed-dial. Of course, he would never mention the fact that he is sleeping with childhood sweetheart Ziva, whose latest fight with her husband has sent her flying back into Ozai’s willing “board room”.

 

The night of the ball was starlit in more ways than one as local celebrities and the social set grace the country club’s ballroom. The Hakoda siblings are a little overwhelmed at the overt opulence but adjust their masks and enter into the lion’s den with heads held high. Katara relaxes when she spots a certain red-streak haired musician and a different kind of tension fills her. How to ditch Hahn will be the question of the evening. Sokka figures after a foray or three to the buffet he and Suki can find some nice dark corner to… chat for the remainder of the evening. 

Zuko is anticipating a far from wonderful night and is already starting to medicate himself with some of the champagne that freely flows from ornate golden fountains that line the room. He can even spare a smile for his gloomy date Mai, now. He is determined to enjoy himself and put any thought or lingering guilt over what he and Azula have done out of his mind. Azula, however, can’t get past what she nearly let happen. She tries to keep a happy face on for Teo, who looks like he just won the lottery, but she is finding it difficult especially in the face of the total snub she is getting from all of her former “friends”.

 

Teo isn’t the only one grinning like a man in love. Aang is practically floating on air as he escorts whom he considers the most beautiful woman there into the ballroom. Ozai is feeling like a man in control of the world as he has the perfect excuse to have the lovely and seductive Ziva on his arm. His poor indisposed wife… surely she wouldn’t mind him accompanying one of her closest friends to the ball while her husband Lex is away on business? Why it is the very height of human kindness!

 

This will be a night few will forget.

 

As the evening progresses, secret rendezvous’ are planned, countless glasses of expensive alcohol are consumed, and our happy little bunch has loosened up quite a bit.

 

The Azulon siblings perform their passionate tango with a perfect precision that speaks more about their training and much less about the nerves that had Zuko gulping down a shot of whisky and Azula’s hands shaking just before they walked onto the dance floor. She is thankful when the torture is over and she can find her seat. Now if only Haru would stop sending her text messages every twenty minutes. Zuko, irritated over his father’s blatant (to him and Azula at least) display of his affair, has been visiting the bar more and more as the night draws on. This leads him to flirt a little more than he should with Katara. Thankfully, Kat's vacuous date is paying more attention to his reflection in the elaborately framed mirrors in the hall and Zuko's is more interested in mocking the overstuffed peacocks posing as society than in dancing with him. During their one and only dance, the secret lovers take the time to make arrangements to meet later for a more private session.

 

Sokka thinks that he could get used to the high life if this is how they eat. He is finally lured away from the dessert table by a sweet treat that is just to his taste. Suki is tired of watching him stuff his face and has plans to show him another way to occupy his mouth. They find a cozy changing bungalow by the pool and aren’t seen for the rest of the night.

 

In keeping with his jester’s mask, Aang manages to create a bit of a stir as he executes a perfect one-handed handstand in the center of the dance floor before bouncing up to kiss an oblivious Toph. The soft, surprised smile on her face and gentle blush is all the applause he needs. Her puzzled question only adds to the sweetness of the moment to him.

 

 

The ball winds down with everyone eventually drifting home in, for some, an alcohol induced haze. Zuko and Katara manage to meet up and he is grateful that sobriety is edging up on his consciousness because he has plans tonight and a determination to obliterate all traces of any lingering attraction to Azula from his mind.

Teo is having difficulty keeping his emotions to himself as he watches Azula sigh once more on the limo ride home. He can tell she is troubled and attributes it to her boyfriend not being able to attend. That thought only adds to his glum mood. She is taken and he needs to get that through his head… no matter how badly he wants to just take her in his arms and kiss away her sorrow. He wouldn’t dream of risking their blossoming friendship by revealing his ever intensifying feelings, but a boy can dream, can't he?

 

Aang feels like he has been flying all night and his feet still haven’t touched the ground. Toph was a wonderful date. She knew all of the little secrets about people “Servants talk.” And he managed to make her laugh with his ebullient and uproarious descriptions of the more “colorful” guests in attendance. Getting to kiss her and hold her in his arms was the wind beneath his wings. He is in love. And it looks like she is getting there as well.

 

 

By Sunday after the ball Haru is going out of his mind with worry. He hasn’t heard from Azula since Thursday afternoon. Countless ignored text messages and unanswered answering machine pleas later he is at his wits end. He knows she is ok. He called Katara and casually asked about her. So that morning he got a ride over to her place determined not to leave until he saw her. Using the spare key she keeps under her doormat (Tsk tsk. So careless, Kitten…) he let himself into her apartment only stopping to read the note tacked to her door telling her uncle that she would be out until eight.

 

With several hours to kill, he started looking through her things. Not really finding anything incriminating he settled down to watch some TV. Noticing a blank and empty DVD case on her player he presses play. Any information he can gather about his love can be used to tie her ever closer to him, even her preferences in movies. (Bootlegs?) He is shocked and sickened by what he sees. The quality isn’t clear enough on the silent black and white display for him to make out what they were saying but it is, without a doubt, security footage from the teashop featuring Azula and Zuko in a disgustingly compromising situation.

 

Rewinding, pausing, and playing the DVD over and over again sometimes in slow motion (What are they saying?!) he can see them practicing their dance moves, the expressions on their faces changing with every frame and then later… to his horror, Zuko kissing her on one of the couches downstairs. It is obvious to him that she didn’t want the kiss and ends it by pushing him off of her but the damage is done and Haru swears he will have his revenge on Zuko for daring to touch what is his. He can only speculate what occurred when they two ventured beyond the scope of the tape and went upstairs. (Transcript of the actual security tape available upon request)

 

A quick call to his ever accommodating mother ("I forgot my laptop and need to do some homework while I wait. Can you please bring it over?") and he is soon copying the DVD. This may be just what he has been looking for to get Zuko out of their lives. But first he needs to let Azula know that this kind of behavior is unacceptable. He knows she will learn eventually.

 

In other news…

 

Ziva tells Ozai she's pregnant , and the two of them cook up a devious plot to deal with the little problems of their respective spouses...

 

Haru ever-so-carefully manipulates Azula into confessing what's on the security DVD that he's already watched over and over again. Overcome with remorse, she's desperate to make things up to him. Later that night, the siblings have yet another spat ,while the next morning; Haru uses that footage as a threat to get Zuko to stay away from Azula

 

But Ozai still isn't content to leave his daughter to slum with that no-good musician, and announces his latest plan to separate the pair to Zuko -- he's arranged for the band to get offered a slot on a major two and a half month overseas tour

 

Due to her failing grades, it was “suggested” (demanded of) Katara go and visit a dear friend of the family, Professor Pakku, for some much needed focus.

 

A distraught Toph has been in seclusion due to the news about her father and her eccentric grandmother has come to take her off her mother’s hands for a while.

 

Numbers down by two the gang heads to the beach for a surf competition that will give Teo an opportunity to show off for Azula for once. Unfortunately, things do not go as planned. He was gravely injured in a freak surfing accident but is expected to make a full recovery due to his father’s genius. He will be better than ever now that he has his new chip implanted, but not everyone is having such a great time…

 

Ozai’s diabolical scheme to eliminate Ziva’s “problem” has come to fruition. Lex is dead. He drowned in a boating “accident” while the couple enjoyed a second honeymoon, his wife being the sole “witness” to the completely unanticipated event. Sadly, the only one who seems truly devastated by this is Toph. She has gone into seclusion to mourn, aided by her zany and caring grandmother Esme. She does seem to be coming out of her funk a bit, enough even to admit to Aang that she is in love with him. She also has made a new friend while visiting London and has been doing her best to come to terms with both her father’s death and her mother’s new beau… Ozai.

 

Using his wife’s “tragically deteriorating mental health” as an excuse to start divorce proceedings, Ozai has clearly moved on. His children are unaware of his decision to replace their mother with Ziva and perhaps even them as heirs with the twins she is now joyfully carrying. She would now do anything for her beloved Zai Zai… Even with his plans in action he still is holding out hope of reclaiming his shining star Azula from the miscreant she calls a boyfriend. His latest machination is sending Zuko and The Goblin Kings on an overseas tour that will extend until the end of the summer. He hopes that the long separation will do the trick in breaking up the pair. What he has failed to take into account is that his daughter shares his stubborn desire to claim what she considers hers.

 

With a desperate plea, Azula convinced Haru to take what he has wanted from the beginning… Azula herself, in marriage. The two absconded to Reno where they were quietly wed in a quaint little chapel. Azula thinks it's a dream come true; she has no idea that marriage is merely the first step in Haru's plans for a nightmarish sort of happy-ever-after...

 

Meanwhile the rest of the band, particularly Zuko is hunting them  down.

 

With Katara in a veritable prison in the artic, Zuko has been feeling quite lonely. The news of the tour cheers him but when his sister tells him of her new status as Mrs. Furtado his mood takes a major plunge. This is not helped by Haru’s smug and gloating expression.

 

Teo too is saddened by the news of Azula’s marriage. He will do his best to support her though, even as his heart is breaking.

 

Sokka is overjoyed at the prospect of the band becoming the big success he always knew it should be. The send-off party they hold Sunday is everything he always dreamed of… pretty girls included. Suki is sad to see him go and spends as much time with him as she can, making plans to call and write… hoping he finds time to stray away from his fangirls long enough to write back. But hey, it was good while it lasted and there are many other fish in the sea if she so desires. Perhaps she should spruce up her dating skills instead of just her... other skills while he is away. And who knows what will happen when he gets back. Now if only she could shake this odd feeling that something isn’t quite right…

The siblings also spend some time alone saying goodbye. Once again promises are made and vows broken, with them parting ways in what is sadly becoming the typical fashion… entwined in each other’s arms, sharing a bittersweet kiss.

 

Haru doesn’t take too kindly to his new bride walking off into the sunset with his biggest rival, brother-in-law or not. He decides a brief taste of the worry and despair he is experiencing may be just the thing to bring her to her senses. Without a word to anyone, he walks away in the opposite direction, finally ending up in a desolate and deserted part of the beach well off the beaten path. The perfect place for what he has in mind and exactly where he intended to be. He is nowhere to be found when Azula returns and her irritation quickly turns to anxiety when he cannot be located. Images of the aftermath following his motorcycle accident blurring her vision, she frantically searches the shoreline, eventually finding him standing on a dangerously rickety pier looking out over the sea. It will take much pleading and many tears to get him to accompany her back to the party and a quiet place they can be alone, so she can display the proper penitence for her indiscretion.

 

The scene at the airport is one of joy and sorrow as final farewells are made.

 

Gran Gran and her son smother the pride of their clan with embarrassing but cheerfully endured hugs, Sokka and Suki embrace, and Teo watches Azula with poorly disguised longing in his eyes. Aang manages to distract him with jokes, quickly hugging the other boy before practically dancing onto the plane. Haru’s parents bid a tearful farewell to their only baby and Iroh even manages to gather Zuko into a hug that is not as unwanted as it appears. Together, Iroh and Aunt Wu are trying to do their best to make admirable substitutes for his conspicuously absent parents.. After the siblings briefly hug and Haru theatrically demonstrates his undying love for his wife with a passionate kiss that has most of the crowd looking elsewhere, Gyatso ushers the rest of the group aboard.

 

As they watch the plane take off, Aunt Wu is filled with unease at what she glimpsed slithering behind Haru’s eyes as he glanced up at Zuko while kissing Azula. Something is seriously wrong there. She truly hopes that this is not confirmation of what she has suspected for some time now…

 

The Goblin Kings are finally off on tour.

 

But not before some hilarity on the 17-hour plane ride over. Sokka, the Mack Daddy extraordinaire, is making the best of things and trying to earn frequent flyer points with the flight attendants. The Mile High club is something he aspires to be a VERY active member of. Plus it gives him the opportunity to use all the incredible lines in his repertoire.

 

He has extra incentive to be out of his seat since, barely an hour into the flight and SEVERAL rum and cokes later, a very alcohol induced amorous feeling Haru decides to call his new bride. It takes her quite some time to get him to promise to stop lubricating his senses... and spiking his libido. Zuko is very thankful that she does so, as he is forced by the seating arrangements to be an unwilling witness to all of Haru’s, nauseating (in his opinion), declarations of affection. He really should be grateful that Azula got Haru to stop drinking before he started hitting on anything that moves.

 

She eventually soothes her man by telling him about the special surprise footage at the end of the “private movie” that they made prior to him leaving. Zuko will soon learn there are worse things than listening to Haru using his bedroom voice while talking to Azula on the phone…

 

Meanwhile, Ozai is moving forward with his plans to make the widow Bei Fong the new Mrs. Azulon. He holds a press conference announcing his agonizing decision to dissolve his marriage of twenty-five years with a clearly mentally disabled Ursa. His skillful way of presenting the divorce to the jaded audience is, not surprisingly, greeted with much approval and even some sympathy for the poor billionaire trapped in a marriage with a woman who can no longer recognize or love him. He is, however, too savvy to say whether he has any plans to remarry.

 

At least to the public, in private, his affectionate and endearment filled emails portray his intentions to make, the soon-to-be-showing, Ziva his blushing bride. He also let Aunt Wu know that her housekeeping skills are about to be put to the test as he wants a complete redecorating of the mistress’s chambers and the nursery.

 

His children do not take the news very well. They intend to do all they can to stop what they consider a travesty of justice and the vicious slander heaped upon their helpless mother.

 

This is just one more worry for an overworked Azula. After graduating Summa Cum Laude and receiving her bachelor’s degree she is taking an accelerated course to achieve her Juris Doctor in two years rather than three. Between work and school, the perfectionist is finding it difficult to keep her head above water. Adding to the stress, is her new husband’s request that she start apartment hunting. He is concerned about her safety living in the center of the city alone. Surely his suggestion of a secluded apartment on the outskirts of town will be safer and far more private?

 

Thankfully, Teo is there to help her move. He even ends up staying overnight at one point and pampering her after a slight mishap involving an ironing board. She is glad her husband has no idea of any of this. He just… wouldn’t understand. Of course, she has no idea that he is well aware of her activities thanks to the handy keyboard sniffer he secretly installed on her laptop prior to leaving. Even overseas Haru is carefully monitoring every keystroke she makes and is taking note of everything she would rather keep from him. Such as the relaxed and flirty emails that she regularly exchanges with Zuko, and the fact that her brother is still bankrolling her.

 

Aang is as loving as usual in his relationship with Toph, showering her with unexpected, though not unwelcome flattery. She has a way of putting things in perspective that sets his mind at ease. He is more giddy than usual, as Toph really seems to be warming up to him. Her admission of love has him flying higher than a 747. Not to mention the excitement from the tour. There's so much to see and do, and so many fans!

And said fans are speaking out. The Goblin Kings are the next up and coming band, and the fans know it. New blogs and fansites are being created every day. But we can't forget the die-hard fans that stuck with the band from the beginning, with local fan, Song, stirring up a bit of a dispute with her latest blog entry.

 

But not everyone is really enjoying themselves on this tour. Any down time away from the concerts and publicity projects, Zuko is miserable. Haru has not let up on the, as Zuko describes it, "torture." The special video made by the happy couple is grating more and more on his nerves with every playback and rewound scene. Why do the hotel walls have to be so thin? Something Haru seems to be all too aware of… Now if only Zuko could find a way to repay him…

 

Haru stops his particular brand of torment long enough to disappear for a few hours to work on something special for Azula, much to the irritation of his wife who keeps trying to reach him. Zuko, however, is taking the momentary absence well. He uses the wonderful Haru-free time to catch up on his much lacking sleep schedule. Sokka too is enjoying the brief respite from the clacking of keys that can last half the night while his roommate IMs his wife.

After Haru finally calls Azula back he claims to have a "surprise" waiting for her, and she is eagerly anticipating it. He also used the conversation to cautiously probe into some disturbing family related issues that were raised in her last “private” journal entry. He is now more determined than ever to get her away from those people who have damaged her so severely. Hearing her suffering and being so far away from her, unable to help, is slowly chipping away at his sanity. The only outlet for his upset is finding new ways to make Zuko suffer.

 

Back at home, Azula has decided that Teo needs to get out more, and immediately sets him up with the teashop’s newest employee, Suki. Teo is seriously hoping that she will be a welcome distraction to his own self-induced brand of Azula torment.

 

Suki has admitted that Teo is, as Azula says, “A hottie”. She is quite willing to go out with him… and maybe more. Jet too has realized that with the band out of town all these ladies are bound to get… lonely. And what kind of guy would he be to neglect them in their hour of need?

 

Katara is really starting to believe that Pakku was born a few hundred years too late. He clearly missed his calling as a professional torturer. Between mucking out stalls, cleaning fish, and the rigid lesson schedule she is coming close to considering ritual suicide as a real alternative to continuing. She doesn’t know yet that a rescue may be in the works…

 

But the biggest news, at least as far as Zuko and Azula are concerned, is the discovery of the attraction to each other that they desperately are attempting to keep a secret. Aunt Wu has figured out their predicament, but she is willing to try and help. Understandably, the siblings are a bit wary at first, but Aunt Wu has never let them down before, and her offer as someone for them to talk to will be welcomed in the future. But Aunt Wu is a little concerned. Azula and Zuko are trying to resolve their "issues," but she knows the longer that this goes on, the worse it gets, and she worries that this will be a case of “absence making the heart grow fonder” rather than “out of sight, out of mind”.

 

It is now a full two weeks since the guys left and things are not as peachy keen as they could be.

 

Azula is finding the simple life a bit less enjoyable now that the reason for her rebellion is gone. That may explain her new habit of complaining to Zuko somewhat. If only she knew that Haru is reading every line…

 

While Haru loves being able to keep tabs on Azula, it does create a bit of a quandary; how can he help her with problems that he isn’t supposed to know about? Go behind her back of course! He decides to ask Iroh to give her some time off, but sometimes even manipulative geniuses make plans that backfire, as he will soon find out.

 

Implementing a plan that came to him while she complained, Zuko has asked Uncle to deliver a special surprise for his darling sister, a brand new car. Of course outdoing Haru has nothing to do with it… nothing at all…

 

After a chemical explosion cancelled classes at the campus, Azula was coerced into a day at the beach by Suki and Teo. Along with a shanghaied Toph they spent the day relaxing until Ozai showed up to spoil the fun. Thankfully, Azula managed to stall him long enough so that Suki could rush Toph back to the hotel where Ozai has her and her mother ensconced.

 

Now if only Azula had thought to check the messages her frantic husband kept leaving on her turned off cell phone.

 

Haru does manage to finally get in touch with his missing wife but the reunion is anything but sweet. Between his anger at her forgetting about him, her anger at him for making her decisions for her and trying to get her time off work, AND her confession of kissing Zuko at the farewell party this is one IM that he would rather forget. The keyboard sniffer he has carefully installed on her computer gives him access to everything she does, but it only manages to complicate matters for this conversation. He sees that she is simultaneously IMing Zuko and can read every word of it. Even though she spends the time trying to find a way to convince her brother that it would be best if they didn’t see each other, Haru is NOT HAPPY. What he will do to get rid of this menace to his relationship with Azula is anyone’s guess.

 

Meanwhile, Ozai, in a move right out of some trashy romance novel, proposed to a “surprisingly” pregnant Ziva at a well-orchestrated press conference. Not everything went smoothly though as he received some not so happy news. He has a new son-in-law.

 

Zuko discovered the news he had no desire to tell his father is no longer a secret when Ozai called him irate and disappointed in his apparent failure to keep Azula and Haru apart. He did manage to mollify his father by telling him about the band’s success and even agreed to attend the wedding. I wonder what his sister will think of that…?

 

Azula did make an attempt to talk to her father about his plans to drop her mother in favor of what she considers the flavor of the week, but to no avail. The wedding will continue.

 

Toph is also none too pleased with her mother’s seemingly instantaneous leap from widow to new bride. Spilling the news to Aang helped a little and it gave him a chance to tell her of the band being signed to a recording contract.

 

Now that Ozai has a new daughter to plan for, there is a lot to take care of. He has laid down the law to Toph and she is afraid of what could happen next. Little does she know, he has some help. The young housekeeper, Meng, thinks enough is enough. This spoiled rich girl gets to have everything she wants, and that includes Aang! This has to stop, now. And much to her delight, Ozai is calling on an old connection with an even older lineage. Poor Toph…

 

The car is finally finished and delivered, and taken completely off guard by Zuko’s magnanimous present, Azula forgets everything she ever said about stopping what was going on between them and calls him. Fortunately she was summoned back into work before she could make things even worse. Her regrets will come later. Sadly, that means little to Zuko, who spends the next few hours after she hangs up trying to calm his over-heated blood.

 

He was largely unsuccessful as the minute he fell off to sleep the dreams began. He didn’t need to worry about waking up embarrassed thanks to Haru, who had been trying to write in peace after the others went to bed only to over hear some mumbling coming from the back of the tour bus. Having been privy to snatches of Zuko talking to Azula earlier he was already in a foul mood and now hearing Zuko clearly dreaming about her in such a way was the last straw.

 

An enraged Haru quickly put Zuko’s dreaming to an end, slamming the drop down bunk he lay on into the wall sending him toppling onto the lower bunk and then the floor.

 

The ensuing fight was short and brutal with Haru finally taking a bit of the fury he feels out on his rival. Thankfully, Aang was there to break up the fight. Sokka was still a little ticked though, as his bunk was below Zuko’s. The insults and taunts hurled between the combatants did manage to awaken a bit of curiosity in Sokka though... Were they arguing about what he thought they were?

 

Katara has discovered that it isn’t just Pakku’s barbaric teaching practices that are from the dark ages. Apparently, his marital ideas are from there as well… 0_o

 

Katara manages to email Zuko before attempting escape from her Alaskan prison. As one might imagine, he is not too excited about Pakku’s obvious interest in his girlfriend, and tries to reach her, only to find it impossible to get a hold of her. He prays she is ok, and a few days (and a few worried voicemail messages) later, he finally gets a hold of her. But only to find out that instead of going home, she will be arriving soon to visit him. Hope he finds a way to hide all those bruises from Haru. At least he doesn’t have new ones from her brother who finally found out just why Zuko hasn’t been dipping into the groupie pool. Sokka handled the news that his baby sis was dating Zuko with surprising aplomb. Wonder what he will think when it is right in front of him…?

 

Suki is feeling pretty good after her trip to the beach with the gang but even that had its shadows. That doesn’t stop her from reaching out to Teo though. Shame she can’t shake this stomach virus…

 

After missing a day of work, a concerned Teo calls Suki to check up on her and see if their next date is still on. Despite feeling sick earlier, Suki seems significantly better and the date goes smoothly. Well… almost smoothly. On the way to her apartment, Suki keeps dozing off in the car but wakes up enough to invite him upstairs into her apartment. But before anything can get started she falls asleep again, and Teo doesn’t have the heart to wake her. Instead, he just tucks her into bed and goes home alone.

 

The next morning, even more concerned seeing that she’s missed yet another day of work, Teo calls Suki again and makes the suggestion to go see a doctor.

 

It is only a few days later when Suki finds out the truth about her “stomach flu,” and calls Toph in a state of hysterics. How will she ever break the news to Sokka…?