Title- Take a Chance

Pairing- Aang and Katara One-Shot

Summary- Katara struggles to admit what she really thinks about Aang when she knows there's so much at stake. Will she tell him how she really feels about him? And does Aang feel the same way, or will he tell her they can't be together even if it's what he really wants?

Author's Notes- Just to let you all know I wrote this before the past finale came on T.V. I'm just a little late putting it up is all. Please leave reviews, for they are appreciated. But please no flaming for this is my first fic posted, and I hope you all enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar-The Last Airbender or any of the characters from the show.

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Suki walked over toward Katara and greeted her warmly, "Hey how's it going?" Katara happened to be staring out into the distance, but took notice of me and simply said, "Oh, hey it's you". She turned back around and I suddenly understood what she was staring at.

Aang and Zuko were practicing their daily fire-bending routines in order to prepare for the big battle that was to await them soon. They had been at it for days, but Aang refused to stop until he had nailed this one move. Katara stared longingly at Aang and sighed deeply.

"Katara, is something wrong", I asked. She turned and smiled at me half-heartedly, "No, of course not. Why would you think that?"

"Look Kat, I've known you for a long time and I can tell when something's bothering you," She looked down at the ground.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but if you need help with it, I'm here for ya."

Katara grinned then said, "Alright, but just don't tell any of the others, OK? It's hard enough telling you this." Suki nodded.

"Well… before the Eclipse, when Sokka, Toph, and my father went inside the submarines after we had shared our goodbyes, Aang and I were the only ones left."

She paused before continuing, "We talked for what seemed like an eternity and it was hard enough saying our goodbyes as it was, and then… he kissed me."

I gasped. She had never told me any of this before. I thought she could trust me with this kind of stuff. Just then, Katara started crying softly into her hand.

"I love him, but I just don't know what to do. I mean he must have so much on his mind right now, what with mastering the elements before the Comet comes and defeating the Fire Lord.

"He must be on overload right now. I just don't want to give him another burden that he doesn't need, to carry into war with him."

She wiped a few tears from her eyelashes.

I slowly took in what she said and pondered this briefly for a few moments. Then, it hit me! I'm going to make her realize that Aang loves her just as much as she loves him and would want her to show it to him. Darn it! Love is a Strength that can help you, not a weakness that will doom you. All I have to do is not make it too obvious what I'm trying to accomplish here. Katara's pretty smart, and I don't want her to catch on.

"Katara", she had stopped crying and turned to look at me. "Did you ever think that Aang just might love you back, as well?"

(Katara's Thoughts) She had only imagined that Aang had kissed her at the fact that he might not see her again. She had never considered that there may have been more to it than that, was there? Suddenly, all the pieces of the puzzle came together and she knew the answer to everything. He loved her, there was no other explanation. The necklace, the glances he had given her when he thought she wasn't looking, the kiss; it all fits. She was still hesitant about what to do, however.

"Katara, are you alright?", Katara snapped out of her thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, yeah I'm fine I was just… thinking." She started to softly hum an Old Water Tribe Hymn.

I smirked, there was only one thing left to do now. I whispered in her ear, "Tell him". She stopped singing.

"What?"

"Kat, I know you love him and through all the hardships you've been through together, if anything, him knowing would take some of the weight off of his shoulders."

Realization dawned upon her. Katara knew what she had to do now. For once, she was going to take Sokka's advice and trust her Instincts. She got up from her spot and ran across the Temple over the moss-covered tiles towards Aang, and he noticed her coming at him full speed.

"Katara?" He didn't have time to speak any further as she met him halfway in a fierce hug. He smiled and asked her, "Katara, what's going on?"

Everybody had stopped what they were doing and watched the two of them, looking anxious as if wondering what was going to happen next. She let go of their embrace and turned to look him in the eyes. She just didn't really know how to begin.

"I have something to tell you", she said. He had a hunch as to where this was going but remained silent.

"And there's no other way I can say this, so I'll just say it," she paused again and took a deep breath before continuing,

"Aang… I love you."

Aang was a little shocked to hear this from her, but he had wanted this for so long and just had to tell her how he felt. But instead of telling her, he showed her.

He brushed a loose strand of one of her dark brown wavy locks behind her ear and gazed into her eyes, then captured her in a passionate kiss. They received numerous catcalls and jeers, especially from Toph and Sokka. Suki elbowed him in the gut and muttered, "Shut Up!". Toph took the hint and receded her pursuit on the couple.

Katara had never wanted this kiss to end, but she knew that they both needed air soon, so they broke apart. Aang looked into her beautiful ocean-colored orbs again and whispered,

"I love you too, Katara. And I always will."

Katara smiled and happy tears filled her eyes. She never thought that this could've turned out better than she had hoped. When she got the chance, she would have to truly thank her friend for everything she had done for Aang and herself. For them, this was the happiest they had both felt in a very long time.

Suki looked over at Aang and Katara from her spot on top of a large rock and gave them a satisfied smile.

"Well, it looks like my work here is done."

THE END