It Was Winter

by Leiria

ZUTARA! Don't read if you object! Fluffy alt. ending to the series. Katara and Zuko are apprehensive before returning to the Fire Nation and express feelings for each other. 1st half of my first ATLA fic. Very fluffy. M for lime/lemony goodness Kat. POV

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters related to it. They are the property of their creators and Nickelodeon (and whoever else is involved with all of the copyrights and stuff like that). I make no money, this is purely because I enjoy the characters and world and all that other fun stuff. Again: I make nothing from this. Enjoy.

It was winter when I met you. Winter the first time I saw your face. Winter was always my favorite season. I was always surrounded by my element. Water, frozen or otherwise, was all around me. I could manipulate it. Not very well when I first met you, but I knew I'd get better with time.

I hated you so much then. You came to my tiny village and demanded we deliver the Avatar to you. You took my grandmother, displaying her as a lookalike for the Avatar. It was because of your arrival that my brother and I left our village. We had a mission, so did you. Your mission was to stop ours and ours was to stop what your great-grandfather, Fire Lord Sozin, started. Aang didn't want to do it. He didn't want to be the Avatar.

You caught up with us again and again. Hunting us and trying to capture or kill Aang. Now, at the end of our journey, you have joined us. You went from hunter, to reluctant ally, to friend. I've seen the change in you. I've watched your struggle to stop being so bad. I know what your choices have cost you even if only through my own choices and their costs.

Tomorrow, you and I return to the Fire Nation without the help of my brother or our friends. Aang is nowhere to be found. My thoughts between the two of you have torn me apart inside. How can I deny what I feel for you any longer? Even knowing what he feels for me, even knowing what he wants with me and that he's only doing this because of me, I choose you.

It's a sleepless night for me because tomorrow we could all be dead. Sokka and Suki are bundled in the same sleeping bag under the same tent and Toph is hiding in her earthly cocoon. You and I have elected to sleep outside, under the stars and next to the fire. You and I. Always you and I.

I sit up because I can't sleep. You stir under your blankets and turn towards the fire. Most nights you do that. I don't think you realize it. I don't think you've noticed how you move closer to any sort of flame. I think it must be the Firebender in you.

Your scar shows prominently in soft light of the dying flames. The dark contrast is stark against your pale skin. Your skin has always reminded me of moonlight. Pale, almost luminescent… I've often wondered if it's as soft as it looks.

Your golden eyes open and their color is almost completely washed out in the firelight. Your own inner flame seems to sparkle in your eyes even though I know it's only the fire reflecting in them. Here we are, at the end of summer, and I wonder if we'll survive to see another moonlit night. I wonder if there will be any pieces of this world to put back together once we face Azula. I wonder if Aang will surface in time to defeat your father.

"Katara?" you ask as you sit up. "Are you alright?"

I blush as I look away, caught red-handed like a child sneaking treats before dinner. "I can't sleep," I say, staring at my sleeping bag. Somehow, I never really noticed it was blue before. The color of my element, my tribe, of myself. I've finally taken back my Water Tribe clothing and I feel that it has somehow diminished in the time I spent wearing Fire Nation reds.

"Are you worried about Aang?" you ask.

I look back at your face, dying to tell you that I almost couldn't care less about Aang in this moment. Right now, my only worries lie with you surviving tomorrow's battle. I nod anyway. "What if he doesn't come back?" I softly ask, only for the sake of conversation. Aang won't abandon us this time. Not if he hopes to have a chance at the life he seems to want with me.

"He will," you promise, shifting so that you're now sitting more comfortably. There's something in your eyes that worries me. Fear. There's something you're not telling me. Something that could change everything.

The silence between us grows with things unsaid. I look back at my sleeping bag, you gaze at the fire. After a few minutes have passed between us, I look back at you while you lay down, staring at the sky with your arms folded under your head. I silently curse myself for not having the courage to tell you how I feel. Will this be my only chance? Will we have a tomorrow for me to tell you? If you die, I'll regret everything I never said. If I die, will you regret anything?

I rest my forehead against my knees and you sigh heavily. My heart is thundering in my chest and still I keep my mouth shut. You turn towards the fire, but it's not the fire you're looking at. I can feel your eyes on me even without looking. There's a heat to your gaze and I wonder if you notice when I'm staring at you.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see you open your mouth to say something, but you close it again without speaking. I turn my head and look at you. Again, the unsaid words pass between us as I wonder if you can possibly feel what I'm feeling.

With barely any sound, you rise from your blankets and walk away from the fire. You're separating yourself from us again. I can't let that happen so I get up and follow your footsteps. Tracing your path, I find you at the top of a ruined wall.

"What's wrong?" I ask, standing a few feet away from you.

As if I've startled you, you turn and stare at me for a moment. "I can't defeat Azula without you and I don't want you to be there," you softly reply. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"I don't want you to get hurt either," I say, stepping closer to you. I meet your eyes and I can feel the electricity pass between us. In an instant, I know that you feel for me what I feel for you. Now all I have to do is find the courage to say it first because I know it will never get said if I don't.

"Katara…I…."

I hold out my hand to you and for a split second, I'm afraid you won't take it. Then, as if you can't keep yourself away any longer, you take my hand and pull me towards you. Suddenly, I'm wrapped in your arms and I can't stop myself from crying. It's as though everything is hitting me all at once, right here and now. The last thing I want to do is cry on your shoulder, but for the first time, I feel safe. I feel like I can cry and you won't care.

Your arms hold me tighter and I do the same to you. "Don't leave me," I whisper.

I feel your breath on my neck, moving passed my hair and sending shivers down my spine. How is it that I can be so warm and have goosebumps running down my arms?

"Why would I leave you?" you whisper in my ear. "You're the reason I'm here."

I smile despite myself. "I am?" I ask.

I feel you nod. "I came to you because I knew Aang needed a teacher, but I left the palace because I missed you. After being in prison with you here, I couldn't stop thinking about you. When I went back to the Fire Nation, I felt like I lost a piece of myself."

"I felt that way too," I agree. "And I was so confused when you came back that I didn't know what to do. I was so angry because you betrayed us and left without ever stopping to think about it."

"I know," you say softly. Your arms tighten a little more around my shoulders and I wonder if what I feel is the same as what Sokka feels with Suki. Of if this is what he felt with Yue. I briefly wonder if I'm dreaming and if I am, I never want to wake up. Waking up would mean that I would have to face a reality where I'm not standing in the circle of your arms with my head cradled against your pounding heart.

I look up because I have to see your face. Are my feelings reflected there? Do you see me the way I see you?

Slowly, your face moves closer to mine. I haven't been kissed that many times, and none of them have had my stomach so tied up in knots or my knees ready to collapse from under me. I raise my face to yours and our lips meet in the gentlest kiss I've ever experienced. Your lips are softer than I had imagined. Your hair in my face feels like water would if it were more solid. I've always admired the liquid grace you carry around you. Not many people from the Fire Nation can move the way you do.

Our mouths part and your tongue brushes against mine. It feels like velvet and suddenly the world is spinning around me, ready to knock me off of it. How many people have experienced an earth-moving kiss? How many people can stare at a person for days and days before they notice that they love each other? I didn't notice until we saw that play on Ember Island—was it really only days ago?

I move my arms around your neck as yours travel to my waist. I rise up on my toes to reach you better. Love me, my heart begs. Never let me go. Never let this moment end!

Before I was ready, you pull away from me but you don't move far. Far enough that I can see the look on your face from the fire ten feet away. "Is this a dream?" you ask.

"I hope not," I whisper before we kiss again. Once more, I swear I can feel the earth moving beneath my feet.

The dawn arrives with us standing on the rocks of Ba Sing Se. I think it's the best sunrise I've ever seen because it's the first one where I'm in your arms. We stand together a little while longer, until we hear movement coming from our camp, and then we walk back down to the slowly dying embers of our abandoned fire. With a flick of your wrist, the flames come blazing back to life and I get ready to cook breakfast. If we haven't slept, we should at least eat.

Sokka and Suki emerge from his tent minutes later. She blushes as she rushes away. Sokka watches her go with a smile I've never seen on his face before. As he sits down between us around the fire, everything that happened during the night seems to have evaporated. Even if we wanted to, we couldn't tell anyone what happened. We both know that they would never understand.

As I prepare breakfast, you wonder off to be by yourself again, or so I think until I see you go into your uncle's tent.

When you return, the five of us fill the silence with idle chitchat. None of us want to admit that this could be the last time we see each other. Who would want that? Then, when breakfast is over, we find ourselves placed on the crossroads of destiny once again.

I hug Sokka because I'm afraid for him. If I lose him, I have no idea what I'll do. He's been my rock for so long that I feel like I'm losing a piece of myself as we say goodbye for what could be the last time.

I even hug Toph because I'm worried about her as well. And Suki because she's become a sister to me in the short time she's been traveling with us.

You and Sokka grab each other's arms and hold tightly as you meet each other's eyes. I can see the unspoken conversation you have. He's letting you know that if you let anything happen to me, he'll personally hunt you down and kill you himself. You're promising that you'll die before that happens.

We climb up onto Appa while they stand on the ground and watch. With a wave that Toph can't see and one last spoken farewell, we leave, heading straight for the heart of the Fire Nation.

It's sunset when you face Azula alone in Agni Kai. Though I'm terrified, I can't help but feel awed by the way you move your body as you fight her. There are Waterbending movements and steps from the Dancing Dragon in your technique. Some of your movements are ones that I came up with on my own which tells me that you've watched and studied my own style. If your life wasn't in so much danger, I might smile at the realization.

Then you taunt her, dare her to strike you down with lightning. I watch as her eyes move from you to me and hold my breath as she moves. I watch, unable to move as the lightning arcs across the field, heading directly to me. Suddenly, you're between the lightning and me. Your failure to redirect it leaves you almost immobile on the ground. When I see you fall, my only thought is to get to you but Azula has other things in mind. She stops me every time I try so I run from her, hoping that by running away from you, you might just live long enough for me to find a way to stop her so I can heal you.

I succeed by sheer luck and while she is chained to the ground, I run to you. Your face is contorted in pain. It makes the scar twist like a monster trying to force its way out of your body through your face. I immediately go to work, healing your wound. I watch your face as the pain lessens and I hope that it's because what I'm doing is working, not because you're dying.

After a moment, the light dies and you breathe a shuddering sigh. "Thank you," you say in a voice that is so weak that I hope I've done enough. I cradle your head and shoulders in my arms because I'm not sure if you're going to live yet or not. Your eyes open at the movement and we stare at each other for a moment before I'm overcome with the urge to kiss you. I don't stop myself this time. I lean forward and once more our lips meet and the earth moves beneath me. We break apart only because Azula's screams of rage and frustration and failure and despair are so loud that we can't help but turn to her. We look upon her with pity. She truly is crazy and I wonder what happened in her life to make it so.

I look back at you because I can't stand to watch her anymore. You look up at me and sigh as you close your eyes. I brush the hair away from your face and find that your skin is damp. I look up again only because people have arrived to take Azula away and get you medical attention. You've won the battle. You are the Fire Lord now. You can end this war or you can keep it going and Aang will have to stop you as well. As they carry you away, I know you can go either way. You've always struggled with being good. Now that you have so much power, can you keep doing it? If you turn on us, what will I do? After last night, how can I simply walk away from you? I wonder, not for the first time, at my own moral compass and if it can lead me in the right direction or if I'll stray with you.

I follow them and sit by your bedside as the healers work on your battered body. Well into the night, the women look at me. "He'll live," they say. You don't hear them because you've been unconscious for hours. I nod as they walk away and stop myself from climbing into the bed with you and curling up against you. Instead, I curl up in on myself and rest my head against the back of the chair, wondering where Sokka and the others are. I fall asleep like that because I've been pushed beyond the limits between not sleeping and the exertion of the fight.

I wake up when someone lifts me from my silent vigil. For a fleeting moment, I wonder if it's you.

"Go back to sleep," someone says. I don't recognize the man's voice at first. When I'm laid down on a bed softer than any I've slept on, I look up again to find that it was you after all. I smile, believing for the first time that you really are going to live, and reach for your hand as you draw it away from me.

My touch freezes you. For a moment, you just stare at our hands. Then, suddenly, you're almost on top of me and we're kissing. My body screams for more and my mind screams for me to stop and push you away because this isn't proper. I don't because of how it felt to think I'd lost you forever.

You, on the other hand, show more restraint than me for the first time since we met. You pull away and I know that we have to talk about what's going on between us before another moment passes. Who starts this conversation? How do we form the words? What is there to say when your heart and mine seem to communicate perfectly?

"Katara, I…" you softly say.

I nod. "I know," I reply, knowing what you're trying to say even though I really think I could be getting the wrong message.

You shake your head. "Let me say it," you say. I know that this is the moment that will determine whether or not you continue this war or allow it to end peacefully. Our eyes meet and I see a weaker version of the fear I saw in them last night. There is a part of you that wonders if I'll reject you. More than that though, you're afraid of what may happen if I don't.

I hold your hand, trying to give you the strength to say what you have to say. You stare at our hands before you meet my eyes again. "Can you lead a country?" you ask. "Can you live with not being able to go back home very often?"

I nod. I know my place is here beside you. It has been ever since you took my mother's necklace. "I want to," I reply. "Zuko, I…" Do I say it now? Do I let the words come out here and now? Your gaze bores into mine and I know that if I don't say it, something terrible could happen. "I love you," I whisper.

"What about Aang?" you ask.

I sigh. "Aang is like a brother to me," I say softly. "Ever since Sokka and I found him I've taken care of him, like I took care of Sokka after our mother died. I never had to do that with you. You and Suki were the two people I didn't have to take care of. How could I be with Aang when I know what kind of person he is on the inside? Because he's the Avatar, he expects the world to be handed to him. I can't do it."

"Even though he did everything for you?" you ask. I wonder how you know that.

I nod. "Especially because of that," I reply. "Besides, he wouldn't have put his life on the line to save me like you did. He would have just gotten me out of the way."

"Do you really believe that?" you ask.

I nod. "It's happened in the past," I say. "He'll find some way to keep me from being hurt without actually getting in the way himself. He probably would have put up a stone wall to stop the lightning."

"I can't do that," you say. "The only thing I could have done was get between you and the lightning."

I shake my head. "You could have pushed me out of the way," I say. "Or you could have hit the ground near me with enough of a blast to knock me out of the way. You chose to save me by putting yourself in danger."

Our eyes meet again. I reach up and touch the side of your face that isn't scarred. "Don't push me away, Zuko," I whisper.

Your eyes close and a look of pain crosses your face before it disappears and you lean into my touch. Another moment passes and you open your eyes. Slowly, you move in for another kiss. I decide in that instant that caution should be thrown into the wind. If you want to, I'll let you because I want to.

You pull away again and I realize your hand is resting on my thigh. It sends electricity coursing through my body and I can hear my heart pounding in my own ears. It's loud enough that I wonder if you can hear it too. I wonder if your heart is pounding as fiercely as mine.

A knock on the door breaks the moment, shattering it into a thousand tiny pieces that may or may not ever come back together. You stand and turn as the door opens. Aang, Toph, and Sokka supported by Suki walk in. Sokka sees me sitting on the bed and I can see the question in his eyes. He looks at you accusingly but you shake your head. Nothing happened to me.

He notices the bandages on your chest then. I notice his leg is broken. Aang's face flushes with something close to anger.

"Your father lost his ability to Bend," Aang says, looking at you and no one else. "I took it away."

"You—what?" you ask.

"Energybending," Sokka says, clearly in a good mood despite his injury. I briefly wonder what the healers gave him. Perhaps the Fire Nation has a plant that takes away a person's pain. "You should have seen it."

"So what happened with you two?" Toph asks as Suki guides Sokka to the edge of the bed I'm sitting on. I sit up. "What happened with Azula?"

"She's in chains waiting for transport to a mental health facility on one of the other islands," you reply. "Whatever sanity she clung to was snapped when Katara beat her."

"Katara took down Azula?" Sokka asks, looking at me. "How awesome is that?"

I smile shyly and look up at you. "I couldn't have done it without Zuko," I softy say. "He did most of the fighting."

"What happened when you got here?" Suki asks.

"Azula challenged me to an Agni Kai," you answer. "For the right to be Fire Lord. I accepted because there was something different about her and I knew I could take her. Then she shot lightning at Katara and I got in the way. I failed at redirecting it, so I technically lost, but Katara stepped in and finished the fight. She saved my life."

"Wow," Toph says as she sits down on the floor. She turns her face in my direction. "How did you do it?" she asks.

"I froze us in place as she was about to attack me and then chained her to the grate below us," I reply. "Then I did what I could to heal Zuko."

Aang looks at you. "So what are you going to do now?" he asks. "Katara winning the fight means she won the right to be Fire Lady if the rules are the same now as they were a hundred years ago."

"What?" I ask, stunned to hear this.

You look at me. "It's true," you say. "You finished the fight which means that you won what we were fighting for. You have the chance to be the ruler of the Fire Nation now."

I shake my head. "I can't lead a whole country," I say. "It's yours," I say, meeting your eyes. And mine if you'll have me, I silently add.

You smile. "Thanks," you say. You sigh as you sit down in a nearby chair I hadn't noticed until that moment. Aang, the last one standing, chooses to sit on the floor, like Toph. I suddenly wish they would all leave. I was enjoying the time I had alone with you without interruptions.

"So what are you going to do?" Aang asks again. "The war isn't over until you say it is."

You shake your head. "The war is over," you say. "It's time the Fire Nation pays for what its done and helps rebuild the world."

I smile because now I don't have to worry about betraying everyone I love to be with you. My moral compass wouldn't have helped me if you had chosen to continue the war. I would have followed you, I realize that now.

"It's going to be hard," Aang says. "We have a lot to do."

You nod. "We can do it," you say.

Eventually people are ready to go to bed. You have the palace's staff show people to their rooms as they are ready to be led away. Aang, we both seem to realize, refuses to leave until you do. It's irritating because you and I still have things to talk about. Eventually, you give in and leave. Aang looks at me as though he has something more he wants to say, but he quietly follows you. I sigh as the doors close behind him and lay back on the bed, wishing you were here with me. I fall asleep as the lights from the candles burn themselves out. If you return, I'll never know.

Morning arrives and with it is your coronation as Fire Lord and the announcement of the war's end. The people are gathered from all three surviving nations and they cheer. You promise that the Fire Nation will use every resource available to it to help the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes in any way they need. You ensure that everyone knows that this day belongs, not only to you, but to Aang and the rest of us who helped this day arrive. They see us standing with you and I can tell that some of them wonder if one of the women at your side will help you rule your kingdom. I can't help but wonder myself, even if we did broach the subject last night.

When the celebrations end, we make plans to leave for the Earth Kingdom. Ba Sing Se holds your uncle's reclaimed teashop and he's invited all of us to come in for a chance to try his House Special, free of charge. We agree and travel together. As we fly through the night, most everyone sleeps on Appa's back. Aang, guiding Appa through the sky, is awake and holding the reins. You sit with your knees up and your arm over the back of the saddle. I sit opposite you with my legs curled under me and my arms folded over the edge, resting my chin on them.

I look to you and find that you're watching me. Even though it's dark out here, I can see the starlight reflecting in your eyes. The moon is nothing but a slim crescent and it seems close enough to touch.

"Where are you going after Ba Sing Se?" you ask, your eyes boring into mine in the darkness.

I sigh. "I don't know," I reply. "I may just stay there."

"You could always come back to the Fire Nation," you say softly, hinting at what you really want. I want to hear you say it.

"Do you want me to?" I ask.

You nod. "I would like that," you say.

"What will happen if I do?" I ask, silently praying that Aang cannot hear our conversation. The knowledge that he doesn't have my heart will crush him, I know that better than anyone because there was a moment where I feared I would be on that end of things.

You reach across the back of the saddle for my hand. I watch as our fingers meet followed by palms. You squeeze gently and I feel as though I'm the one who can fly, not Aang or Appa. There are butterflies in my stomach as our eyes meet again. "Anything you want," you whisper, squeezing once more before letting my hand go.

I smile. "Anything?" I ask.

You nod. "Stay with me." You whisper the words so softly I almost can't hear them. It's more the movement of your lips that convey your message to me. I nod because I can't seem to find a voice and my mouth no longer seems to know how to form words. There's a fire in your eyes, a burning hunger that ignites a flame inside of me that burns to my very core. Something low in my body tightens and begs for you to release it. A chill makes me shiver as I look away because I won't be able to stop myself if I keep looking. This is neither the time nor the place for that look in your eyes.

Aang decides that Appa needs to sleep before we can make it to Ba Sing Se. We land in the middle of a wooded clearing and the others wake up long enough to set up their gear and go back to sleep. Aang curls up in Appa's fur like usual and you and I set up our sleeping gear next to each other. I can feel your eyes on me as I unroll my sleeping bag and I decide to make a trip down to the river to cool the fire you've ignited in me. As I step into the river in my underclothes, I hear footsteps approaching. I know without looking that they belong to you and I look because it's hard for me to keep my eyes from you when you're around.

You stop at the edge of the river. "May I?" you ask. I nod and you discard your shirt and boots. I turn away as you shed your pants because the last time I saw you in shorts I wasn't aware of my attraction to you.

The water moves around me as you wade through it. I turn to see you when the water has met your chest. You're still moving closer to me and I can feel the heat despite the river's chill. Almost too soon, you have me in your arms. Because I know Aang is still awake and could possibly hear us, we swim behind a large boulder. There is a ledge that acts as a seat for me as you stand between my knees, your hands cupping my face as we kiss again and again.

I can't stop the moans and sighs that escape me and you can't seem to stop them from leaving your mouth either. We press ourselves more closely together and the feel of your stomach against mine sends the world spinning even faster. Instinct takes over and I want more. Your hands keep moving to the skirt and shorts that cover my lower body and then move away as though you're catching yourself before things go too far. As your mouth leaves a trail of fire along my neck, I move your hands to the waistband of my clothes and you freeze. With a startled look in your eyes, you pull away from my neck and look at me. We're both breathing heavily and I nod. You blink in surprise and I move my body closer to yours, angling myself so that I know we match up perfectly. I feel the shudder pass through your body as you throw your head back and let out a moan. Your hand around my arm tightens almost painfully, like what's happening to those things low in my own body. I can feel a throbbing, begging for the release I know you can give me.

Your mouth captures mine again and you hook your thumbs into the waistband of my clothes. They're wet so they don't come off very easily and the sudden exposure to the water makes my breath catch in my throat, cutting off the sound I almost make.

Your shorts come off a moment later and you stand between my legs again. With a kiss and a guiding hand, I feel you start to enter. I hold my breath because I've never felt anything like this before. I clutch your shoulders and you push passed the physical barrier that signified my purity. I bite your shoulder to keep from crying out as the sudden pain makes me dizzy. You hiss because you weren't expecting it. Neither of us move for a moment and when the pain fades, I meet your eyes. We can't get any closer physically than we are right now but it feels like it's still not close enough.

Slowly you start to move. I gasp and my head falls back, narrowly missing the rock behind me. I arch my back and meet your movements while bracing myself with one hand on the rock next to me and the other still clutching your shoulder. I can feel a pressure taking over and building inside as the pain lessens with every thrust of our hips. Our moans and sighs are lost to the sound of the river rushing passed us. A brief thought that the current wasn't moving this fast a few moments ago is quickly abandoned as you lean forward and kiss me again.

Suddenly the pressure is released and I can feel a heat welling up inside of me. Panting, we hold each other in the afterglow. The water is suddenly much cooler and sends a shiver down my body which, in turn, sends a shiver down yours. With another kiss, you step away from me and I feel the loss of you like a physical ache. I reach for my shorts as you reach for yours Wordlessly, we dress and leave the river. My legs are shaking so badly I can hardly support my own weight. You wrap an arm around my waist to help me keep my balance and we dry by my Waterbending. In continued silence, we dress and start to walk back to the camp.

You stop me by reaching for my hand and turning to look at me. You kiss my cheek and whisper three words in my ear that make this night absolutely perfect. I smile, repeat the words and thank you for being in my life before we continue to the camp. Before we arrive, you let go of my hand because you understand that they can't know just yet.

You climb under your blankets as I slide into my sleeping bag. We reach for each other's hand at the same and I fall asleep to the feel of your thumb rubbing circles across the back of my hand. Peace, I'm sure, has never felt this good.

We wake first in the morning and pack up our gear as the others slowly open their eyes and do the same. Instead of lighting the fire and getting breakfast ready as we have for months, we climb up onto Appa. The soreness between my legs makes this a bit more difficult for me and you offer your help. No one seems to notice the change between us, nor do they notice how my movement is stiff. You do, I see that in your eyes, but you don't say anything because that would draw their attention to us. That is the last thing either of us want.

When we arrive at Ba Sing Se, your uncle greets us with a large smile and breakfast is served. You serve us tea as the day wears on and sunset arrives with Sokka painting a picture of all of us that looks like none of us. While we laugh, I feel removed from all of them. I step outside because so much has changed so suddenly. After a moment, you come outside and walk up to me. Your arm wraps around my waist and I suddenly don't care what they think. I smile as I rest my head on your shoulder. In the sunset, we kiss and know that we have the rest of our lives to look forward to with each other.

AN: This is my first Avatar: The Last Airbender fic. Please, keep the Katang/Zutara ship-war off the comments, they will be deleted. I've never agreed with Katang so yeah... Um...I hope you liked the story, I have a companion piece to this that is pretty much the exact same story told from Zuko's POV. I'm still waiting for the okay on that one from my beta. BTW, thanks to Hyperoo for doing that for me! ^_^ Don't forget to review! (Also, I'm saying it was winter even if it wasn't in the Tribe because it was still winter in Kyoshi Island a few episodes into Book 1. Forgive me if I'm wrong.)

Update: The second part of this is up, it's called When I Met You so go read it and review. ^_^