TWENTY-SEVEN ; HEAT OF THE MOMENT

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one month later ;

     "SCULLY."

Eleanor groans, angry that anyone would have the audacity to wake her up.

"Scully, wake up."

The use of a nickname that hadn't been mentioned in weeks and the sound of Zuko's urgent whisper finally registers in her brain. Eleanor furrows her brow as she opens her eyes, immediately meeting Zuko's blue ones.

She had spent the past month avoiding him — looking elsewhere when he happened to walk nearby, forcing away the thoughts of going to him to say hello — and now he is here, leaning over her with frantic eyes and messy bedhead.

Eleanor props herself onto her elbows and he promptly leans back, watching as she glances around before returning her gaze to him.

"What are you doing here?" Eleanor whispers.

"We need you, Scully."

She sighs, starting with, "Zuko..." before he cuts her off.

"I know you wanted out. I know. But this is different," he says. The look in his eyes manages to persuade Eleanor on its own. "Please, just come with me. You know I wouldn't bother you if it wasn't important."

Eleanor glances at her sleeping family before she nods, pushing back her blanket. Zuko offers her a hand and she takes it, pulling herself to her feet. They look at each other for only a second until Zuko turns around and begins weaving through the sleeping civilians, Eleanor following. Both of them are dressed in their pajamas — Zuko's being black sweats and a light blue t-shirt and Eleanor's an oversized sweatshirt and shorts.

"What's going on?" Eleanor asks him in a hushed voice.

"I can't explain it here. Atticus woke us all up and told me to get you. I've never seen him look so worried."

Eleanor keeps an anxious look on her face as she continues to walk behind him, toward the lockerrooms. Once they make it past the maze of sleeping people, he slows his pace slightly and Eleanor promptly steps aside to walk beside him.

Neither of them says a thing as they walk, both of them looking straight ahead and Eleanor fumbling with the sleeves of her sweatshirt.

Zuko opens the door of the locker room for her and gestures for her to go inside. She does, giving him the smallest of smiles as she passes. Atticus, Bender, Indiana, and Robin are all waiting inside, sitting on benches or leaning against lockers. Everyone is in their pajamas.

The boys study Eleanor and Eleanor studies the boys, looking for changes that occurred in the past month. They look happy to see her, save for Bender, who seems to be glaring.

"Glad you could make it, Scully," Atticus tells her. She nods once, crossing her arms. Zuko stands beside her, not daring to steal a glance. Atticus clears his throat before continuing. "I've recently received news from Ripley in New York City. Someone's been taking the camps hostage for their resources."

"What?" Eleanor exclaims, along with the other boy's murmurs as they all share wide-eyed glances.

"Ripley said they look like some sort of SWAT team on acid, but she can exaggerate. Point is, our organization is no match to stop them from taking our shit, but that doesn't mean we're going to sit around and do nothing. We're not just gatherers anymore, folks."

"Why are you telling me this?" Eleanor questions. "Why'd you have Zuko bring me here?"

"Because you're still one of us, Scully," Atticus replies, looking at her from his place on the bench. "And we're gonna need another opinion on what to do. But, if you're dead set on it, you can go."

They all look at her. She shifts slightly, standing up a bit straighter and continuing to look at Atticus as a symbol of her decision to stay. Zuko looks at her, a small smile on his face.

"What are the other camps saying?" Robin asks Atticus. He redirects his attention to the group and Eleanor promptly relaxes.

"That these guys are much bigger and more powerful than us, but that they only took the food and water. They didn't hurt anyone, far as I know."

"So, what are we gonna do? We should just let them take it and go — " Indiana starts.

"No, fuck that," Bender says. "That's our shit. It has taken us ages to stack up that pile, man. It's rightfully ours."

"Yeah, I'm with Bender. These people will die if we don't stop them," Robin adds.

"What, six on a few dozen?" Zuko comments. "That's suicide."

"Why don't we try to rally up more volunteers?" Robin proposes.

"And start a panic? That won't go over well," Indiana says.

"Yeah, Indiana's right," Eleanor says with a nod. "If we tell them all now it'll turn into a big free-for-all. But that's probably what their endgame is — make us think they're harmless by just taking our shit and then leaving us in a panic. Either way, it's us who's got to deal with it."

Looking at Atticus, Zuko says, "Got a plan?"

"Honestly, nothing I can think of will end in everyone getting out alive."

"Ideas, then?" Zuko says, looking around.

"We hide it all," Bender replies. "Lock it up. Tell 'em we don't have anything."

"They'll call bullshit," Robin says.

"Then we fight 'em!"

"No," Atticus says with a shake of his head. "If the others are right, it'll only end in a massacre."

They fall silent. Eleanor studies her toes, wishing she at least put shoes on.

"We're running out of options, guys," Indiana says.

"Fuck it, it's our job to help these people, right?" Indiana says. "We go out, guns blazing."

"Absolutely not," Zuko replies. "Scully's got family." Eleanor looks at him with a soft expression.

"And besides, I bet these guys aren't the only ones. There'll be more," Atticus declares. "No use in sacrificing ourselves for no reason."

Robin scratches his head before saying, "Then our only option is shut our mouths and let these people come. We can get more shit, anyway."

"That's fucked up," Eleanor says in a quiet voice.

"Unless you have any other ideas," Zuko declares in a gentle but ominous voice, looking at her with kind eyes. She shakes her head.

"Fuck," Bender groans.

"That's settled, then," Atticus says. "When they come, keep everyone safe and calm. Best if we stay in the shadows and observe, make sure no one tries anything. Agreed?"

"Agreed," they mumble.

"Until then, get dressed and try to get some rest. They won't be here by morning at the very least, depending on who they hit first," Atticus says. He looks at them all before saying, "We're part of something much bigger now."

He waits a moment before standing up and walking away, disappearing behind a row of lockers. The others don't dare to look at each other as they begin to disperse, too.

For a second, Eleanor doesn't know what to. She has yet to move, as does Zuko. But then she remembers her family asleep at the other end of the camp, and that she doesn't have her clothes with her, and that he expects a conversation.

Eleanor tries her best to not acknowledge Zuko's gaze following her out of the locker room as she walks toward the hallway, eventually escaping into sudden silence. She can't talk to him, especially not now.

So, she shoves her hands unto the front pocket of her sweatshirt and continues walking, missing their old moments together more than usual.

Eleanor reaches her family, the dim glow from the lanterns placed around the room allowing her to see them relatively clearly. Her mother and Tim are sleeping soundlessly, his arm around her for comfort. Despite the peaceful state of sleep, Mary Ann's eyebrows are slightly furrowed. Her youthful appearance had begun giving away to a tired, concerned expression — she constantly worried about her children and was still troubled over the deaths of her parents.

Robbie's mouth is slightly open as he snores. Eleanor has always admired him for being so relaxed. Despite everything that had happened, he stayed optimistic and encouraged the others to fight on.

Her gaze shifts to her sleeping father. His expression is blank; Eleanor wonders if he is dreaming at all. They had gotten much closer over the past few weeks, making her wonder why she never tried to love him ages ago. But then again, he was a bit of an asshole before the aliens came. 

Nonetheless, she's tremendously thankful now. She's thankful for their conversations, and for putting the past behind them, and for being able to laugh at his jokes and accept his hugs without feeling awkward.

Eleanor smiles. No matter what may happen in the next few hours, she has that. She will always have that.

She silently rummages for her old dark jeans, tank top, and bomber jacket before grabbing her boots and straightening up. Eleanor looks at her family one last time before walking away. There was no way she would be able to get any more sleep.

Eleanor gets dressed in the office-like room next to the locker room, smoothing the old attire with the palms of her clammy hands, before she quietly walks into the locker room. Zuko is the only one sitting in the main area, tying his shoelace. He looks up at Eleanor as soon as she steps inside.

Zuko tightens the lace and glances around him before standing up and walking toward Eleanor. He awkwardly motions for her to go back outside and she complies, her eyebrows knitting together. He joins her and she promptly turns to look at him.

"Sorry, they're just actually trying to go to sleep and I didn't want to have to whisper," Zuko tells her, his blue eyes looking back and forth between her gray ones. "What's up?"

"I didn't feel like sleeping. Thought we'd, y'know, hang out."

"Hang out?"

"Yeah. For old time's sake."

Zuko gives her a grin and she smiles.

"Yeah, okay," he says. "Wanna go in the office?"

"Sure," Eleanor says with a nod. 

He smiles once more before the two of them walk side by side down a hallway perpendicular to the main one, stopping in front of a room. Zuko opens the door and steps inside, walking over to a lantern and lighting it with a match from his pocket. Eleanor allows the door to shut behind them.

Zuko leans against the desk and looks at Eleanor, who is looking around with crossed arms.

"Everything okay?" Zuko asks.

"Yeah," Eleanor replies, shifting her gaze to him. "Just a bit anxious, that's all."

Zuko continues to look at her for a few moments, appearing to consider whether or not he should say something.

"Do you remember that day we were driving back from the raid by the mall, and you told me how much you missed music?" Zuko says as he stands up and walks behind the desk.

"Yeah?" Eleanor says expectantly, slightly narrowing her eyes.

"Well, I found this a while ago, and I've been spending the last few weeks debating whether or not I should come by and tell you about it." 

Zuko looks at her with a smile on his face as he takes an object out of a drawer and holds it up for her to see. Eleanor's eyes brighten fantastically and she grins at the sight of Asia's self-titled album. The record appears to be a bit scratched, but intact nonetheless.

"No way!" Eleanor exclaims as she steps closer. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't think you wanted to see me," Zuko says with the smallest of shrugs. He sheepishly looks up at her — something very uncharacteristic of him. "Did you?"

"What kind of question is that?" Eleanor asks, smiling at him. He grins.

"Want to listen to it?" Zuko questions, gesturing to the record in his hand.

"Did you find a record player, too?"

Zuko doesn't answer. Instead, he sits on the desk and motions for Eleanor to sit beside him. She does, her legs crossed and facing him.

"I will admit, I do not have a record player, and even if I did, we'd have no way to get it to work," Zuko says. Eleanor gives him an odd look. "What? We'll just have to use our imagination a bit, that's all. Any requests?"

Smiling, Eleanor says, "Heat of the Moment, obviously."

Zuko flips the album to the proper side and promptly positions the cut-out center of the record on his extended pointed finger. He clears his throat, glances at Eleanor, and nods before spinning the record on his finger.

Eleanor bursts into laughter as soon as Zuko begins to loudly sing the beginning guitar solo of Heat of the Moment. She manages to compose herself enough to join him in singing the lyrics, grins on both of their faces when they're not pretending to be serious.

Both of them eventually forget the lyrics, humming the proper tune through their smiling lips before their laughter gets the best of them and they're forced to stop.

"I don't know about you," Zuko starts as he wipes a tear, "but I think that was better than the original."

"Oh, for sure," Eleanor replies with a giggle.

Their laughter finally subsides enough to where they can look at each other without chuckling. Smiles linger on their faces as Zuko sets down the record and folds his hands in his lap, his eyes wandering over Eleanor's face.

"I've missed you, Scully," he tells her.

"I missed you, too."

"It really did take everything in me not to come by your camp, or stop you when I saw you around."

"I wish you did," Eleanor tells him. He smiles at her, but it quickly fades.

"Why'd you leave?"

Eleanor looks away from him, saying, "That's complicated."

"We've got the rest of the night," he replies. She gives him a small smile.

"There was a boy," she tells him with a lighthearted sigh.

"Oh, no." Eleanor chuckles, causing Zuko to smile.

"Yeah. He was my best friend for years. Called ourselves the Dream Team and all that," Eleanor continues, her grin fading, but only a bit. "He saved my life more than once when the invasion started. I loved him more than I've ever loved anything else. He loved me, too. But then he left, and my family has done a good job at convincing me that he couldn't have survived on his own." 

She pauses. 

"When that guy in the grocery store had a knife to my throat, all I thought about was him. And I'm torn between letting him go if he really is dead or continuing to love him and wait for him, since he promised me he would come back." 

She looks down, her hands picking at a string on her jeans. 

"I can't forget about him, not if he could still be out there."

Zuko remains silent for a few seconds, absorbing her words.

"There was a boy for me, too," he says. 

Eleanor recalls him telling her he was bisexual a while ago, as well as her initial surprise — she had never met a bad-boy type like Zuko. 

"Anyway, I was completely in love with him, too. We were going to go to art school together, move out to NYC, the whole thing. But he was taken by one of those things. I just didn't know what to do, y'know? What with my whole family already gone and all. But then I met Bender, who introduced me to Atticus."

Eleanor continues looking at him, sympathy expressed in her slightly furrowed eyebrows.

Zuko looks at her and says, "What I'm getting at is that we're allowed to keep loving them. Even if they are gone, we allowed to remember them. And when I'm around you, Scully, I feel like I could accept his death and move on. Still love and remember him, but move on. As soon as I saw you I knew things would be different. You actually made me smile, and laugh, and joke around.... The past month was hell without you. When I'm with you, I feel like a door has been opened. I was just stuck before."

Eleanor gazes him in silence for a few moments.

"I don't think about him so much when I'm with you," she tells him. "And I think that's why I pushed you away. I felt guilty."

"You don't have to," Zuko replies.

"I know that now."

Eleanor looks at him — his pink lips, and messy brown hair, and blue eyes.

It wouldn't be so bad if I kissed him, she thinks.

Despite the situation, Eleanor is suddenly consumed with the thought of just that. A young lady with an impressive reputation, she had never gone a couple weeks without physical contact with a boy, let alone months.

For someone with such a well-known reputation — everyone in her high school knew about it, as did Taron, and even her mom had a hint — Eleanor certainly had a lot of integrity. She established that she was not one to be trifled with by humiliating the first guy that had his way with her and thought it would be okay to make a degrading comment to her in the hallway.

The guys of Liberty High quickly realized that Eleanor was the most unconventional slut in New Jersey; they couldn't even say the word. She wasn't easy, she wasn't trashy. She just thought of sex as a normal thing — to her, it wasn't sacred or unspeakable. It was natural. To hell with the word 'slut.'

So, guys felt special when she gave them attention. Eleanor was cool and hot, and they respected that as much as a teenage guy could. She gave them the best night of their life, and then she never spoke to them again, save for normal conversation in class. The deserving ones received a smile of acknowledgment in the hallway; if you didn't get one, it was forbidden to attempt to get her attention.

Eleanor Ferrier was quite the enigma before the war; she smoked, maintained a 4.0 for three years, drank, was a complete dork when it came to things she was passionate about, slept with cute guys, and listened to classical and punk music.

The contradictions worked well for her. She was seen as a femme-fatale-in-training, and now she feels like a helpless dork who can't move on and misses the stupid high school boys that would do anything to get her attention.

But the beauty of opinions and impressions were that they could change. She was needed to make a rational decision and wasn't thought of as a naive teenager, and she had finally mended the relationships with her family, and she had learned how to shoot and fight, and she is with a gorgeous boy who thinks the world of her, and she feels alive, and for once she isn't thinking about Taron.

"This might be wildly inappropriate given the situation, but I'd really like to kiss you," Zuko tells her.

Eleanor replies by leaning forward and pressing her lips to his, her body relaxing out of blissful content when he puts his hands on her cheeks.

She quickly finds that Zuko's touch is rather addicting. Her confuddled emotions — relieved to not be thinking about Taron yet also a bit guilty, anxious about what the morning may bring, worried for her family, desperate to be touched by someone who wants her — lead her to forgo any rational thinking and wrap her arms around Zuko, pushing him down onto the desk and laying on top of him.

The tension they refused to address for the past few months has finally been set free and neither of them has any intention to lock it away.

They kiss each other feverishly for a few more seconds until Zuko suddenly pulls away, looking at her with dilated eyes as he says, "Wait, are you sure you want to do this?"

"Uh huh. Do