Once again, thank you all so much for your feedback on the last part! It definitely keeps me motivated to keep writing :) I don't have a whole lot to say about this chapter, I hope you enjoy it!

Katara stood silently. She hadn't been able to sleep, her mind too full of thoughts and worries about the imminent battle. They were going to be leaving Ember Island the following morning. After that everything was going to be different. Aang would be coming to face to face with the Fire Lord soon enough and if everything went as planned, the war that had been going on for so long would finally come to an end.

Aang. Katara's stomach twisted at the thought of him. He had made his feelings for her quite clear, and though she couldn't reciprocate, she also didn't have the heart to tell the young boy exactly why.

The reason being on the other side of the very door she stood in front of.

She wasn't sure what she was doing, to be perfectly honest. All she knew was that she'd been in her own bed, tossing and turning, agonizing over what was to come in the next few days. Finally, she'd given up on sleep and ended up right outside his room.

She hadn't yet knocked. Knowing he had a big day ahead of him (all of them did, really) she didn't want to wake him up. Still, he was the first person she had thought of when she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep without talking to someone. Ever since the night she had seen him on the beach, things had been different between her and Zuko. Well, things had actually been different ever since the night in the tent – but that was beside the point. It seemed as though their relationship was ever changing. Before she had felt awkward whenever he'd looked at her – now they stole little looks and smiles whenever they could.

It was a wonder that anyone had yet to catch on.

Finally, she knocked softly on the door. Loud enough that Zuko could possibly hear, but not so much that it would wake anyone else in the house.

He answered almost too quickly. Opening the door just a crack, and then wider once he realized who was before him.

"Katara," he said, eyeing her.

"Hey," she replied, suddenly feeling very shy. This was probably due to the fact that he was wearing next to nothing. "Sorry if I woke you," she continued, blushing a little.

"You didn't wake me," he said, his tone soft. "I couldn't sleep."

"Yeah," Katara breathed, understanding that all too well. "Me neither."

They both stood in the hall for a moment, neither knowing what to say to the other. Katara didn't want to just barge into his room if he didn't want her there. Zuko wasn't sure he should be inviting her in. It wasn't entirely clear to him what she'd come to visit him for.

"Sorry," Katara muttered, still feeling somewhat awkward. It was strange. All those times they'd been with the entire group all she'd wanted was to get him alone. Now that she had, she hadn't the faintest idea what to do or say. "I just um, wanted to see you..."

She reached up and lightly touched his hand with her own. They both watched this interaction before finally making eye contact with each other. Katara's eyes were pleading. Zuko's eyes were confused and almost afraid.

He opened the door a little wider to allow her to enter his room. Careful not to make any noise, Katara walked slowly through the room. She eventually sat down on the side of the bed, where Zuko joined her. He was mindful to keep a good amount of space between them.

Katara dug her nails into her knees and focused all her attention on them. "I'm nervous about tomorrow," she confessed, her voice dark. "Everything is going to change."

Knowing that she was right, Zuko didn't have any idea how to go about comforting her. He wasn't even sure he should. "I know," was all he said.

Katara sighed. "I mean, I guess not exactly tomorrow. There's still a few days until the comet comes. But we're leaving here tomorrow and..." she paused, trying to find the right words. Looking up at Zuko again, she found him watching her, waiting for her to continue. His expression was lost, and she wanted so badly to know what he was thinking. Was he as nervous and terrified as she was? He always seemed to be in another place whenever the group talked about the impending battle.

She wanted so desperately for him to open up and tell her everything that was hiding behind his brooding eyes. This desire was in vain of course, Katara knew Zuko well enough to know that he kept everything he could locked deep inside.

She slid over closer to him. "I just felt safe here," she finished, looking at him for some sort of confirmation that she was in fact, safe in the beach house. Before Zuko had the chance to respond, Katara started talking again.

"I'm so scared," she said, her voice shaking. "I'm so scared that we won't be successful. I'm so scared that something will go wrong. I'm so scared that something will happen to one of us..." Tears trickled down her face as she spoke. Everything she'd been holding in had come spilling out. Somehow, he seemed to have that effect on her. She was the one who mothered the rest of the group and the person that the others could come to when they needed comfort. When Katara was with Zuko, she allowed herself to need someone else – she allowed herself to lean on him.

Zuko nodded. He had seen far too much to be able to tell Katara that everything would be fine. He knew better than that and frankly, so did she. War was unforgiving and they were both well aware that there was a strong possibility that everything wouldn't be fine. That something could conceivably happen to one of them.

But when he looked at Katara, and how she was finally allowing herself to see the gravity of the situation, he knew that he would do everything in his power to protect her.

"I won't let that happen," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. He leaned down slightly and brushed his lips lightly against hers. "I promise I'll keep you safe."

Katara parted her lips slightly and deepened their kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close. Perhaps what she needed wasn't to talk at all. Maybe it was to feel something – something other than fear, anguish and worry.

Zuko's mind raced. Katara kept kissing him and the more she did it, the harder and harder it was getting to stop her. Still, he knew that he couldn't in good conscience do anything with her without clarifying first. "Katara," he spoke gently, placing his hands on her shoulders. "What are we doing?"

Katara looked away. "I don't know," she said, her voice soft. "I just wanted... I don't know..." she trailed off, collecting her thoughts for a moment. "I just wanted to be here with you. It's stupid, ever since...well you know, ever since then I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. I just needed to come see you and be here with you before we all leave tomorrow."

Zuko searched her face. Her expression was less distraught than it had been before. Now she was fixated on him, almost begging him to feel the same way.

There was no question about that fact that he did.

"I'm glad you came," he said, leaning in to kiss her again.

There it was. The admission of feelings and attraction that had been resonating between the two for the past couple of weeks. Katara moved in closer to him as he planted light kisses on her lips. She tried to shake off any awkward feelings she had based on the fact that they were both wearing hardly any clothing.

Those light kisses quickly became more lustful and Katara found herself pulling Zuko down on to the bed with her. She found it was better to not think and just act. Spirits, it was easy to not think and just get swept up in the moment when she was with him.

She sighed as Zuko's hands slid down her bare sides. It would seem as though he was afraid to go any further with her. She was the one calling the shots – he went along with whatever she did, but she needed to be the one to initiate it.

Breaking apart from him for only a moment, Katara took that opportunity to readjust herself. As soon as her head landed on the fluffy pillows beneath her, she looked upwards. Zuko hovered over top of her, and just looking at him set her heart a flutter once again. The war was long forgotten as she allowed herself to get lost in his kisses.

His bare skin on hers was something that she wanted more of. Katara guided Zuko's hand to the top of her bindings, gently nudging him to take them off. He quickly obliged and closed his eyes as he enjoyed the feeling of her soft breasts against his chest.

Katara could feel him getting harder through the thin fabric of his underwear. She wanted so badly to reach downwards and touch him, but shyness once again got the better of her. So instead she just continued to kiss him, her hands placed on the small of his back.

Still, she wanted more. She wanted to be closer to him and to feel every part of him. Knowing she wasn't going to get anywhere unless she was a little more daring, she slipped a hand inside his underwear and let it rest on the side of his leg before moving any further.

This time it was Zuko who pulled away, albeit only slightly. He looked down at Katara as her eyes watched him, waiting for him to do something. Anything. That wanting look in her eyes was driving him crazy.

"Zuko," she said softly. "Why are you stopping?"

That was a good question. One that Zuko wasn't entirely sure of the answer to. He didn't want to force Katara beyond the point where she was comfortable... but she seemed to be doing okay. In fact, it seemed as though she was more comfortable than he was. That was probably part of it – he was nervous as all hell. All fantasies and daydreams aside, it was hard to believe that this was actually going to happen.

"Nervous," he admitted, feeling somewhat awkward about it.

"Me too," she said. "But... you do want to...right?"

There was no denying that. He leaned down to kiss her once before speaking again. "Are you sure?"

Katara nodded. "I'm sure."

There were more kisses before Katara stripped off the last of her clothes. When Zuko did the same she blushed a little, but quickly regained her composure. Her breath was still shaky, but all things considered she was doing just fine.

Katara drew in a sharp breath as he entered her. Pangs of pain shot through her and Katara had to remind herself to continue breathing. Eventually the initial uncomfortableness subsided and Zuko kissed her forehead lightly.

It took them a couple of minutes to find a steady rhythm. There was an air of awkwardness and neither of them quite knew what they were doing. Finally, they were used to the new sensations and Katara arched her hips upwards as he moved against her.

Her nails dug into his back and his lips planted kisses all over her neck and shoulder. She buried her head in the crick of his neck and bit her lip to keep from making any noise. The warmth of his naked body entangled with hers was almost too much for her to take.

Zuko continued to move at a steady pace as Katara clung to him. He made sure not to go too quickly – the last thing he wanted was to make too much noise and wake someone up. Still, he had little control over the fact that everything Katara was doing was making him feel really, really good. He moaned softly, kissed her again and tried as best he could not to break away.

The sheets underneath the two of them were growing more and more dishevelled by the minute. Katara clutched on to them as Zuko moved quicker and quicker. She could tell he was nearing the edge. "Agni, Kata–" he groaned as the orgasm washed over him. "Oh..."

Zuko collapsed on top of her, breathing heavily. Katara felt woozy as she held him close, feeling his heart pounding in his chest. A couple of tears sprung to her eyes as the emotions of what they had just done hit her. Never before had she felt so close to another person in her life.

After catching his breath for a couple of seconds, Zuko moved to lay beside her. He brushed some loose strands of hair away from her face as her eyes began to close. Katara didn't say a word. She was sure that if she spoke she would tell him she loved him; and though what they'd just shared was intense she knew it was far too soon for those words.

Instead she snuggled up close to him before falling asleep. The next few days were sure to be eventful, but at that moment Katara just felt relaxed and safe.