A/N: Hey! Thought I'd update earlier than expected cuz I got some nice reviews. amazing what nice feed back does to your creativity juices. lol. This fic is a little bit more dramatic than the last one and I guess you could say this was the two before they became mommy and daddy. I like it. Hope you guys like it.

xox

"Zuko... We can't keep doing this..." she whispered hoarsely, sweat dripping from her brow. She lay on her back, as did he right next to her. All around them was quiet except for their harsh breathing. She seemed to find herself in this position a lot lately, especially after the fire lords' plot had been foiled in the spring. Now, their little band of rebels was working to get the rest of the world to join their revolt.

He lay back on the ground, gasping, his eyes closed. "If you were to give me the avatar we wouldn't have to go through this." he said in between gasp for air. He was hot, everything was hot. Sweat glistened on his body and he, for once (at least that night with her), wished that he wasn't naturally warmer than everyone else.

She sighed at his stubbornness. Rolling her eyes and her body to the side she looked at the banished prince with her wide blue eyes. "Oh please... You only use that as an excuse." she said, tugging her warm fur trimmed parka over her body. She smiled at the Prince, his eyes were still shut and he seemed to be tired, very tired. She scooted closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder, readying herself for what she knew he would say next.

"What are you blabbering about?" he said in a quietly, rough (sexy) voice. He rolled the side causing her head to connect with the ground and him to chuckle lightly. She glared back up at him and he laid his head on his arm, using the other to run his hand over the creamy brown flesh on her back.

She rolled onto her stomach, welcoming his hands smooth menstruations. It felt nice, warm and soothing. Crossing her arms on the ground, which was covered by her blue sleeping bag. She laid her head on her arms and smiled at the fire bender lazily. "Hmm..." she said closing her eyes at his soft touch. It felt so nice. His hand slipped under her parka and ran over her lower back, in between her shoulders, all over. "You know," she started, not opening her eyes as she said this, "Even if I did give you the avatar, which I'm not so don't get any ideas, you would still be knocking-" she didn't get to finish.

"First of all," he said as he laid his head onto her back, loving the feel of her alluring and exotic skin. "I wouldn't have to knock."

"Oh, really? Why is that?" she asked, feeling his hands move over her back and arms.

"You'd be in my palace so there." he said childishly. "I wouldn't have to knock."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"And what makes you think that I would be in your palace?" she asked rolling onto her back. She had to look at him, see if he was serious or not.

Because she moved from her position did not mean Zuko would stop. He merely now moved to lie on her stomach and rubbing that flesh instead of her back. Either way he was a winner in this situation. "You can't resist me." he said cockily.

Katara giggled at the feather light touches over her gut. It felt good but it tickled. She didn't know if she'd be able to stand it for long. Then suddenly, she knew she wouldn't have to. She heard the voices of Aang and Sokka coming on their way back toward the camp.

"Get dressed!" she squealed quietly, grabbing her cloths and quickly beginning to through them on.

"Why?" he asked drowsily, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her back down to the ground.

"Zuko, their back! Get up! Get dressed! NOW!" she commanded.

Zuko let his head roll back in exasperation. "Shit." he cursed as he got up, throwing on his pants.

They both got dressed within one minute, obviously very practiced at this. "I thought they said they'd be gone for a few hours."

"Well, maybe it has been a few hours. It's not like we were keeping track Zuko."

They finished cleaning up their mess and had only minutes to spare.

She looked behind her. She could see their shaped forming beyond the trees. "You've got to go. Quickly or they'll see you." she said her eyes pleading with him to listen.

He looked down at her and gave her one last kiss. Soft, sweet and quick.

"You'll see me again." he didn't have to say that. She knew she would. She always saw him again. He always said that though, like a tradition. Something that would never change. Something...Right.

"I know. Now go." She said, softly pushing his shoulders toward the woodier.

Then he was gone, leaving Katara looking at the woods he'd fled into. She sighed softly and a small made its way onto her face. She sat down next to the fire and looked into the woods the way Zuko had left. She absent mindedly began running her hands through her long dark hair which was still down and thought of the next time she and Zuko would meet.

"Heyah Katara!" the energetic air bender said as he came bolting through the woods. "Sorry we took such a long time but we finally found everything we needed."

Katara turned towards Aang and continued to smile. "That's great Aang! So what's for dinner?" she asked, sitting down next to the fire he had started for her.

"Well," started Sokka, "We've got something special for you. It's a surprise though so no peaking over." He grinned at the expression on her face. He liked doing nice things for her. He was her older brother and as such sometimes had to act like it.

"Alright" Katara said as she lay down on her sleeping bag. The one he'd laid down on with her so many times before. She smiled and rolled onto her side, toward the woods. It had been so long since they first started their quest to defeat the Fire Lord. And they had done it. They had stopped him from using the commit to end the war in his favor, and now they were starting a rebel force to go against the fire nation and maybe win the war.

And in the three years that had passed, Zuko had ended up working with their little band of heroes several times. And during those times they were together she had slowly fallen in love with him. Somehow through everything he had fallen in love with her too. But they told no one. It would be horrible if Aang or, God forbid, Sokka found out about her little relationship. One day, maybe they could live together happily and not show their love in secret. Maybe...

xox

Zuko slowly climbed up the side of his ship, careful not to alert anyone to his return, because then they'd know he'd left. He pulled himself over the side and onto the deck, where he looked around and saw no one…

Except his uncle of course.

His uncle looked at him questioningly. He didn't have to say anything; Zuko knew what he was thinking. Unlike Katara's family and friends, his uncle was not so blind. He knew what was going on. He'd known since he first time he'd left in the middle of the night and then saw her the next day when they ended up battling for the avatar. He'd known but did nothing except warn him every time he caught him.

"Zuko..." the elderly man's voice said, warning all over it.

"Yes Uncle? What is it? Another proverb about something completely off subject?" Zuko asked grouchily. He hated when they had to cut there meetings that close to being ruined. He hated when his uncle caught him sneaking back on the ship. He hated that he had to slink around under the cover of night to see her. He hated that they couldn't be.

"I have given you plenty of wise words to try and sway you from your youthful recklessness." The elderly man said, a touch of anger in his voice.

"So what is it you want me to do? Forget her and the way I feel? Leave the one thing that makes me happy? Of all the people I thought you might understand Uncle." Zuko said quietly, returning his uncle's anger.

Iroh sighed and looked at his nephew with gentler eyes. He knew of his pain. He knew… "Zuko, you know that I do not wish for you to be unhappy. And I know you can't disregard the way you feel about her-"

"Then why do you look at me with such accusing eyes?" the young prince asked, looking slightly betrayed.

"You are setting yourself up for nothing but pain in the future my nephew." Without another word, Iroh left, leaving a shocked Zuko in his wake.

xox

Iroh sighed as he entered his room. He filled the little teapot with some hot water and put a few bags of tea under its lid. He would need all the aid he could get sleeping.

xox

A/N: I want to reply to my first two reviews cuz they are what inspired me to write this so quickly.

apollo'sinspiration- Thanks so much! That's a good idea about the line. I might do that… And I hope you like this one like you did the last one.

beanrox- I think your right. Lucky here he isn't sleepin' on the couch. lol. Hope you liked this chapter like you liked the last one. Here though, Iroh a little more wise than smooth.

Latté

Tokyobabe2040;