Hey all! As I said at the end of This Isn't Real, I'm working on a new story and here it is! It takes place during Season 2 and pretty much branches off after the events of Return to Omashu. This is just the prologue - the actual chapters will be much longer. We are diving in head first here, but don't worry, all will be explained in time ;) I hope that you enjoy this one, and please let me know what you think! :)


Katara shuffled in her half asleep state. She pulled the covers over herself and tried as best she could to get comfortable. She was curled up on her side, facing the wall the bed was pushed up against. She kept her eyes closed and relaxed her breathing. Within a minute, she began to fall asleep again.

That is, until she felt the unfamiliar jab of someone's leg in her back. What in the world?

Her eyes shot open as she realized exactly what, no, who that was. Feeling her heart speed up, she sat straight up in bed and looked to her left. All suspicions and fears were confirmed, he was indeed beside her.

Zuko.

He was still sound asleep, but that didn't stop Katara from shaking him. Somehow, she contained the scream that was threatening to rise from her lungs. Why was he in the exact place he wasn't supposed to be? All the relaxation she'd had moments before was gone and replaced with... well, it was replaced with the fact that Zuko was sleeping beside her – so peacefully like nothing was wrong. Like this was a completely ordinary occurrence! Which it most certainly was not.

She shook him more forcefully, biting her lip in anger. Finally he began to stir.

"What...?" he mumbled as his eyes lazily opened. Upon noticing her, they widened with the same fear and shock that Katara's held. "What?" This time the word was much more sharp as he realized the situation he was in. Not good.

"My thoughts exactly," Katara replied, through gritted teeth. "What are you doing? What did we do? Get out of the bed, Zuko!"

He quickly obliged, scrambling down to the floor. Katara breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing he was still wearing the same clothes as he had been the night before. "I don't know how that happened," he defended himself, holding his hands up. His face was still riddled with fear and confusion.

Katara held her head in her hands. She didn't know either – it would have been so much easier to blame Zuko than to think that maybe, just maybe it had been an accident. After all, was it really so bad? It wasn't like they had done anything, they were both still completely dressed. No, this had to be the work of the plum wine they'd had at the celebration the night before...

Still, never again.

"It was just the wine," Katara said shakily, looking down at him. He looked terrified, sitting there on the wooden floor. Briefly she wondered if he really feared her that much. He hadn't acted like it in the past. Then again, in the past he'd had a ship and an army. Now he had nothing. In fact, the only thing they had was each other and their false identities. Even if he tried firebending in this place it probably wouldn't end very well. "We had too much wine and we were too tired to think straight," she finished, eyeing him.

Zuko nodded, not taking his eyes off her. Even though Katara had calmed herself, he was still worried she was going to lash out at any second. "Too much wine," he confirmed, even though he wasn't so sure he believed that.

Frankly, neither did Katara, but there was no way she was going to admit that to him, or even to herself.

She sighed and got up off the bed. "Look, I'm already awake so let's just get on with the day and forget this happened."

Zuko watched as she exited the small bedroom. Forget it happened? That was unlikely. If anything, he was going to constantly remind himself about it to make sure that it never happened again. To make sure he never got that kind of look from Katara again. He shuddered. No, he would definitely never forget that. If looks could kill, he would have been dead before he'd even woken up.

Sighing, he stood up and followed Katara. So much for all the progress they'd been making.