The darkness of the night covered the Western air temple. We all sat in a circle while Zuko prepared tea. I lit a fire in the middle of the circle so we could all see.

"No one can make tea like Uncle. Well (Y/N)'s is pretty good too..."

"Damn right it is!" I chipped crossing my arms.

"Umm anyway...hopefully I learned a thing or two. Would you like to hear Uncle's favorite tea joke?" Zuko finished.

"Sure." Katara said.

"I like jokes!" Aang exclaimed.

"Bring it!" Toph added.

"Okay well I can't remember how it starts, but the punchline is- leaf me alone-- I'm bushed!" Zuko reminisced to absolute silence, "well it's funnier when Uncle tells it."

"Right... maybe that's because he remembers the whole thing." Katara sassed while Zuko handed out the tea cups.

We all exchanged polite chuckles as I began sipping on my tea.

"It's nice to get a chance to relax a little. It hardly ever happens." Toph relaxed as I noticed Sokka approaching Zuko.

After some words were exchanged they both stepped away from the rest of the group. I was going to follow them but I'm sure if it's something important Zuko will tell me. At least I think he would right?

"So did I ever tell you guys the story of when I threw Zuko down a stairwell?"

~

"(Y/N)... wake up."

"Zuko? What is it this time?" I complained as my eyes tried to adjust.

"I need to tell you something important."

"For the last time Zuko... we can't cuddle it's the middle of the night, Toph can sense movement, and I'm not planning on traumatizing a blind child today."

"No- that's... nevermind. I'm going to be gone a few days with Sokka." He muttered trying not to be overheard.

"Dang your leaving me for your side piece Sokka? I'm a little hurt, but have fun I guess."

"Stop joking around (Y/N)! His father was captured in the invasion and we think he's at Boiling rock prison. I'm going to help him. I just wanted you to know before I left."

"I'm coming too." I smirked standing up from my bed.

"What no you can't- it's not a good idea." Zuko argued grabbing my hand.

"You got to have your little adventure with Aang. It's my turn to have a fun mission! Plus I got experience with prisons remember? Plus if you don't let me go I will literally set you on fire." Zuko blushed as I winked extenuating my eyelashes.

"Okay fine. Let's go, we're taking my war balloon, Sokka should already be there."

~

Cool air swept my hair as we soured through the clouds on the War balloon. Zuko and I took turns keeping the balloons source of fire. Sokka awkwardly muttered,
"Pretty clouds."

"Yeah... fluffy." Zuko replied as Sokka began to whisle, "What?"

"What? Oh, I didn't say anything. You know, a friend of mine actually designed these war balloons." Sokka replied.

"No kidding?" I teased accidentally on purpose putting my arm around Zuko.

"Yep, a balloon ... but for war."

"If there's one thing my dad's good at, it's war." Zuko awkwardly stated bending more fire to keep us a float.

"Yeah it seems to run in your family..." Sokka joked.

"Hey, hold on. Not everyone in my family is like that." Zuko defensively replied sharpening his glance.

"I know... I know you've changed."

"I meant my uncle. He was more of a father to me. And I really let him down." Zuko sighed. I clenched onto his hand tighter.

"I think your uncle would be proud of you. Leaving your home to come help us? That's hard." Sokka admitted.

"It wasn't that hard." Zuko crossed his arms looking at me.

"Really? You didn't leave behind anyone you cared about?"

"Well (Y/N) was already gone, after she finally admitted we were dating too! I waited for like 3 years to hear her say that.." Zuko blushed.

"I wasn't exactly in a rush ya know? No offense Zuko but your obsession with the Avatar wasn't exactly the most attractive thing in the world." I teased back kissing him on the cheek, "but I guess now you're pretty cute."

"I-umm I-th-thank you." Zuko stuttered trying to remember how to speak.

"My first girlfriend turned into the moon." Sokka sighed.

"That's rough buddy."

~

Night fell upon us. Zuko kept the fire tended while Sokka and I slept.

"There it is!", Zuko spat waking both Sokka and I, "There's plenty of steam to keep us covered. As long as we're quiet, we should be able to navigate through it without being caught."

We entered the steam coming up from the prison. The prison sat in the middle of a boiling lake, sweat dripped down my skin as we got closer. The balloon started falling rapidly as Zuko and I both blasted as much fire as we could,
"We're going down! The balloon's not working anymore!"

"The air outside is just as hot as the air inside so we can't fly!" I chirped trying not to slip.

"So what are we supposed to do?' Zuko panicked as the balloon began to tip on one side.

"I don't know! Crash-landing?" Sokka suggested.

The balloon skated against the boiling water splashing Sokka's arm. The balloon crashed onto the edge of the island throwing us out with it.

"How are we gonna get off the island if the balloon won't work?" Zuko questioned looking at the heap of material absolutely demolished from the crash.

"We'll figure something out. I suspected it might be a one-way ticket."

"You knew this would happen and you wanted to come anyway?" Zuko said shocked.

"My dad might be here. I had to come and see."

"Uncle always said I never thought things through. But this? This is just crazy!" Zuko complained throwing his hands up.

"Hey, I never wanted you or (Y/N) to come along in the first place. And for the record, I always think things through. But my plans haven't exactly worked. So this time I'm playing it by ear. So there!" Sokka pushed the balloon's remains into the boiling water.

"What are you doing?" Zuko questioned rushing over to Sokka.

"It doesn't work anyway, and we don't want anyone to find it."

I watched as the balloon sank into the pits of the steaming water,
"I hope you know what you're doing. There's no turning back now. "

~

After some effort we were able to break into the guard's storeroom. We each put on a guards uniform (of course I changed it a separate area because it would be awkward as all heck if I didn't) and proceeded into the hallway,
"I hope these disguises work.."

"We just need to lay low and find my dad as soon as possible."

Suddenly, a swarm of guards rushed past us,
"Guards! There's a scuffle in the yard. Come on."

We blended in with the guards and followed them into the prison yard. The prisoners were gathered in a circle around a prisoner and a guard,
"I didn't do anything! I'm going back to my cell."

"Stop right there Chit Sang!" The guard exclaimed bending a fire whip.

Zuko stepped forward to help but Sokka grabbed his arm,
"We can't blow our cover."

"I've had it with your unruly behavior!"

"What did I do?" Chit Sang argued.

"He wants to know what he did. Isn't that cute?" The bully guard teased turning towards us. We all silently panicked but tried to keep our cool.

"Uh... very cute sir."

"Super cute!"

"I've never seen anything so cute in my life."

"You didn't bow down when I walked by, Chit Sang!" The guard walked over to Chit Sang in disgust.

"What? That's not a prison rule." He argued.

"Do it!"

"Make me." Chit Sang stood his ground.

The guard pretended to walk away but the guard turned back at him with a fire whip. Chit Sang deflected the attack. A cruel smile crossed the guards face,
"Tsk, tsk. Firebending is prohibited. You're going in the cooler. You! Help me take him in." He pointed at Sokka.

"Meet back here in an hour..." Sokka whispered before heading off.

~

As the guards dispersed from the yard, Zuko and I decided to follow some to not look suspicious. We ended up into what looked like the guard's break room. We headed to the buffet and grabbed some food, we might as well eat if we can.

"Hey, new guys! I know it's the rule to have your helmet on at all times, but this is the lounge. Relax." A male guard smiled at us.

"But what if there's an incident? If I'm not prepared, someone could strike me on the head." Zuko stuttered.

"Yeah my skull is the best in the country! I'm not taking any chances." I added trying not to laugh.

All the guards at the table laughed,
"Give it a week, they'll loosen up."

"Can the new guy ask you veterans a few questions about the prison?" Zuko questioned as we both sat down at the table.

"No, you can't date the female guards..."

"Trust me, you don't want to!" The male guard retorted. The female guard threw a teacup at him in response.

"No that's not it. The Boiling Rock, it holds the Fire Nation's most dangerous criminals, right?" I stated as the other guards nodded, "So what about war prisoners?"

~

After lunch, I spotted Sokka on the observation deck of the yard. Zuko and I hurried towards him,
"Hey there fellow guard. How goes it?"

"Zuko? (Y/N)?"

"Shh! Listen we asked around the lounge. There are no Water Tribe prisoners. I'm afraid your father's not here." Zuko stated lifting up his mask.

"What? Are you sure? Did you double check?" Sokka scrambled.

"Yeah we're sure." I crossed my arms.

"No... no!" Sokka groaned in defeat.

"I'm really sorry Sokka." I frowned.

"So we came all this way for nothing? I failed... again."

"Ah what would Uncle say? Sometimes clouds have two sides, a dark and a light... and a silver lining in between. It's like... a silver sandwich. So when life seems hard... take a bite out of the silver sandwich!" Zuko said trying really hard to cheer Sokka up.

"Maybe we haven't failed after all!" Sokka exclaimed looking down into the prison grounds

"That's the spirit! I can't believe that worked... I didn't even know what I was saying!" Zuko declared crossing his arms proudly.

"No, what you said made no sense at all. But look! It's Suki!" Sokka pointed toward a brown haired girl.

"Prisoners back in your cells!" A guard called ringing a large bell.

~

Zuko and I waited outside Suki's cell as she reunited with Sokka. We wanted to give them some personal space. A female guard approached us I quickly knocked on the cell door as a warning to Sokka and Suki,
"Excuse me. I need to get into that cell."

"No you can't go in there! The... lights are out. The prisoner could sneak up on you." Zuko awkwardly muttered clearly making it up on the spot.

"Step aside fools!" The guard smirked I grabbed her arm and pinned her to the wall, "Hey hey, what are you doing?"

Zuko and I fought off the guard in time for Sokka to quickly dash out. The guard called to him,
"Guard help I think they're imposters! Aah arrest them! Get them off me and arrest them!"

Sokka separated us from the guard and proceeded to slam us on the ground,
"You're under arrest. Don't worry I'll figure it out." Sokka told us before restraining Zuko. The female guard we attacked then restrained me.

~

Zuko and I were put in separate cells. I bided my time waiting for our next break. It soon came in the form of cleaning, we were made to mop the floors around our cells.

"(Y/N) we're over here!" I heard Zuko call as Suki mopped next to him, "bad news the warden knows who I am... he's Mai's uncle and he's mad that I lead her on... for some reason."

"What? Oh great... hopefully we figure something out soon." I sighed as Sokka stepped toward us.

"Oh good you guys have met." He crossed his arms.

"Actually we met a long time ago." Suki replied.

"We did?" Zuko questioned.

"Yeah you guys kinda burned down my village."

"Oh, sorry about that. Nice to see you again." Zuko awkwardly stated.

We stepped closer to the shadows to get some coverage before we discussed our escape plan,
"So, listen, I think I have an escape plan. I checked out the coolers again, and the point of them is to keep firebenders contained, right?"

"Yeah..." Zuko and I said insink.

"So, they're completely insulated and sealed to keep the cold in. Well, to keep the cold in, it also has to keep the heat out, right?"

"Just get to the point Sokka!" Suki complained.

"It's a perfect boat for getting through the boiling water."

"The cooler as a boat? Are you sure?" Zuko questioned as we exchanged worried glances.

"I'm telling you, it'll work. I walked around the perimeter. There's a blind spot between two guard towers. It's the perfect launching point. I already tested it out. We'll roll the cooler into the water and just float with the current. It'll take us straight across. As long as we don't make a sound, no one will notice. And bing-bang-boom, we're home free."

"But how are you going to get the cooler out?" Suki asked trying to think through the plan.

"Yeah, how are you going to get the cooler out?" Chit Sang said from the stairwell before dropping down.

"What? We didn't ... w-we didn't say that." Sokka said flustered.

"Yeah, you heard wrong." Zuko reassured.

"I heard you hatching an escape plan, and I want in." Chit Sang insisted.

"There's nothing to get in on." I crossed my arms.

"Yeah, the only thing we're hatching is ... an egg?" Sokka grinned causing us all to sigh heavily.

"Okay, well, I come with you or the warden hears about this egg, too." Chit Sang threatened.

"I guess we have no choice..' Suki frowned.

"Okay you're in. Now first we need someone to unbolt the cooler from the inside." Sokka stated.

"Oh, I can get you inside."

~

I watched as Zuko bumped into Chit Sang. Hopefully they can act.

"Hey! What are you, stupid? Watch where you're going!" Chit Sang shoved Zuko back.

"Hey, you watch who you're shoving!"

"I think you mean whom I'm shoving!" Chit Sang shot back as the fake fight escalated. A group of prisoners began to cheer the fight on as Chit Sang threw Zuko to the floor.

"need backup over here!" Sokka called to the other guards.

Chit Sang and Zuko kept fighting until Zuko began to Firebend,
"No firebending! Into the cooler!"

I watched as a guard escorted Zuko to the coolers. Hopefully Zuko can get the bolts lose enough.

~

Suki, Chit Sang, and I waited for Zuko and Sokka by the shore. The plan was for Sokka to get Zuko out of the cooler after Zuko successfully unbolted the screws. It was dark so we at least had some cover.

I looked up to see Zuko and Sokka roll the detached cooler down the hill. Chit Sang, Suki, and I helped. Sokka noticed the 2 extra prisoners waiting by the shore.

"Took you guys long enough. This here's my girl and my best buddy, they're coming too." Chit Sang insisted.

"Fine. Everybody in the cooler. Let's go." Sokka commanded pushing the cooler into the water. He then lifted up a rock to reveal where he hid his water tribe clothes.

"Are you sure you wanna go? You're the one who said you wanted to redeem yourself. Redeem your honor. Rescuing your dad is your chance." Zuko stated his embody hair flowing in the wind.

"Your dad?" Suki questioned.

"If I had just cut my losses at the invasion, maybe we wouldn't be in this mess. Maybe sometimes it's just better to call it quits before you fail." Sokka admitted turning to us.

"No, it's not. Look Sokka, you're going to fail a lot before things work out." Zuko replied remembering his own experience.

"That's supposed to make me feel better?"

"Even though you'll probably fail over and over and over again ..." Zuko continued.

"Seriously not helping."

"You have to try every time. You can't quit because you're afraid you might fail." Zuko finished grabbing Sokka by the shoulder.

"Hey, if you two are done cuddling, can we get a move on?" Chit Sang asked pointing to the cooler boat.

"No, I'm staying. You guys go you've been here long enough." Sokka declared looking into Suki's eyes.

"I'm not leaving without you, Sokka."

"I'm staying too." Zuko added

"Guess that means I am too." I sighed leaning on Zuko a bit.

"Not me, I'm out. Let's roll, baby." Chit Sang said before sailing off.

"We gave up our only chance of escaping. I hope we haven't just made a huge mistake."

~

Just as we were trying to get back into the prison a familiar bell rang,
"Guards! Secure the perimeter and lock down the prisoners! Now!"

"The plan failed! They're caught!" Sokka exclaimed.

"Get the fugitives and throw them in the cooler!" I heard the warden call in the distance, "This is a lockdown! We have new prisoners arriving! Everything must be completely secure!"

I focused on the gondola stationed high above. If there were any new prisoners they would probably be brought in there.

"This is it." Sokka stated, I could hear the tension in his voice. We all kept our eyes on the gondola waiting for it's doors to open,
"If my dad's not there, we've risked everything for nothing."

"We had to." Suki comforted Sokka by grabbing onto his hand.

"Come on come on!"

The doors opened and a large tattooed man stopped out,
"Is that him?" Zuko asked.

"My dad doesn't have a nose ring. Where is he?" Sokka's eyes were glued on the new prisoners as each one stepped out "That's it? That can't be it."

"I'm sorry Sokka." Suki frowned.

"Oh no.."

Zuko reached for my hand and clenched it tight. We'll figure this all out somehow.

"Hey you! Get off the gondola." A guard called. I glanced back up as a final man stepped out.

"Dad."

To be continued... (hope y'all enjoyed the chapter! )