Family

Zuko watched the friendly banter from the shadows. He sat on the outskirts of the group, not really part of the circle, making no sounds. While they had accepted him (for the most part) he didn't think they were quite ready to let him into their fireside fun. So he sat off to the side, slightly behind the blind earthbe—Toph (he wasn't used to using their names)—and partially hidden in the shadow of some statue.

Working with them, instead of against them, had given Zuko an opportunity to get to know each person, and for them to get to know him. The Avat—Aang — seemed to have fully accepted him, and was catching onto firebending well. With Sokka, the Water Tribe warrior, things were a little more tense. But once in a while, the two boys could set aside their prejudices to joke around and have fun together. Toph, the blind earthbender, had been the first to trust him since he had arrived. She had been the one to vouch for him, and to understand that he was sincere. Zuko sometimes forgot she was blind, because she saw so much.

And then there was Katara.

Someone who wished he hadn't been born even more than Zuko himself (sometimes). The waterbender had been hostile from the first moment he had revealed himself to the group. She had been the first on to trust him, long ago, and then he had blown it. And now she still did not trust him (with good reason).

He offered to clean the dishes, wash the laundry, help with making food… But she probably thought he would break something, lose her underwear, or poison everyone. Which he wouldn't, but obviously she thought otherwise. Not matter what he did, Zuko could not make her change her mind and trust her again. Or so he thought.

Which is why he was mildly (okay, extremely) surprised when she told him join the circle that night around the campfire. He tried to control his expression as he scooted forward to sit next to Toph, across the fire from Katara. He watched her face for the rest of the night, trying to understand her sudden change in attitude.

Slowly, the group began to thin out as the younger ones went to bed. Eventually it was just the original group from the very beginning, plus Zuko. Soon, Sokka started snoring, and Katara had to whack him in the head to make him get up and go back to sleep in a real bed, rather than on the ground. Eventually Aang excused himself for the night, and then Zuko was alone with the waterbender.

They still sat on opposite sides of the campfire. Zuko thought the space was awkward, but wouldn't want to move closer unless Katara told him to. He shifted where he sat, afraid to break the silence. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. "Why are you being nice to me?"

Katara, who had been looking down at her hands in her lap, looked up. She caught Zuko's eyes through the orange blaze.

When she did not answer, he said, "I thought you hated me."

That made her smile, just a bit. "I did. But that was back then. I was naïve, and I didn't understand. But I get it now. You have changed."

That made him smile. "Yeah, well, you know…" He trailed off, his gaze flickering off to the side.

"I've forgiven you, Zuko. For what you did in Ba Sing Se."

He looked up, startled. "What, that's it? Just, like, forgive and forget? You're not gonna give me any grief for it?"

"Forgive, yes." She smiled in a friendly way. "Forget…" She shook her head. "Not so much. I don't think I'll ever forget what happened down there."

"Neither will I." It was true, but probably for different reasons. He resisted the urge to touch his scar, knowing it would ruin the moment.

"Remember when I told you about my mom, and you told me about yours?" Without waiting for a response, she continued, "My mom is gone and I don't know if my father is alive. Sokka is really the only real family I have left that I'm sure about."

"I'm sorry. That's something we have in common."

She met his eye and they both laughed. Then she scooted around the fire to sit closer to him. She drew her knees up against her chest. Their shoulders brushed, and then Zuko leaned back on his elbows. Katara kept her face toward the fire, where he couldn't see it, and smiled sadly.

They sat in companionable silence.

Then she looked back over her shoulder at him. "I'd offer to heal your scar again, but I don't have the Oasis water anymore."

He sat up and turned to face her. "Really?" he asked with interest.

She also turned so they were sitting face to face and nodded. "I used it to heal Aang after Azula shot him with lightning."

"Oh, that's good, then."

She frowned. "I thought you wanted me to heal it."

"Well, yeah, I did. But I meant it's good that you healed Aang."

"Oh." She looked down and bit her lip, silent for a moment. Then she lifted her head and met his eyes. Slowly, she lifted her right hand toward his face. She paused with her hand halfway between then.

He closed his eyes and leaned forward, showing his acceptance. She extended her arm so that her hand touched the scar. She brushed her fingers under his eye before cupping his cheek in her hand. He sighed and leaned his head against her hand. Katara found herself leaning forward toward him.

The sound of footsteps approached, and she pulled back so fast he nearly toppled over into the fire. Aang appeared around the corner. "Oh, hey, guys. I was just coming to see if you were still out here."

Katara hoped her blush was not visible from Aang's distance. "Yeah, we're still here. We were just going to leave now." She glanced at Zuko.

He caught the meaning. "Um, yeah, we were. Thanks for coming to get us, though. We'll just put out the fire and be there in a minute."

Aang smiled brightly. "Okay! I won't wait for you then. Good night!"

"Good night," they chorused.

Katara held her breath until Aang had disappeared into the shadows before letting it out in a sigh. She smiled at Zuko. "Wow, major déjà vu tonight, huh?"

He nodded, not returning the smile. If only he had waited just another minute or two… "Yeah… Um, I guess we should put out the fire and stuff."

Katara blinked. "Oh, right! I mean, yes, we should." She stood, pausing a moment before offering her hand to Zuko. He accepted it gratefully, pulling himself to his feet. He waited for her to move, and his hand lingered in hers. She looked up into his eyes, and he held her gaze.

Then she cleared her throat. "Um, we should probably—"

"Yes, we should—"

"Um… Zuko? You can let go of my hand now."

And he took a big step back and stared at the ground, clasping his hands behind his back, his face reddening. "Right, sorry… I guess I should… put out the fire…" He raised his arm toward the campfire, and they were plunged into darkness. Then a tiny flame appeared floating in the air. Zuko raised his hand so the fire illuminated his face. "I'll take you to your room… you know, so you can see where you're going, and—"

"Zuko," she interrupted, smiling. "I get it."

He nodded, not trusting his voice. He led the way to the hall where they were all sleeping. He stopped in front of Katara's door.

She opened the door but lingered in the hall for a moment. "Thanks, Zuko."

He shrugged. "It's the least I can do."

"Listen… I know you feel kind of… out of the loop or something, but you really are one of us now." She gave a half smile. "We're like a family. And you're part of it now." She touched his shoulder for a brief second, before slipping into her room and shutting the door.

He raised his own hand to cover the spot where she had touched him. He stood there for a while after that. One of us… like a family… you're part of it. He smiled. He hadn't been part of a real family since… He didn't even know how long. It was nice to be part of a family again. Especially part of Katara's family.