Hey howdy hello. Welcome to the third chapter of Just Keep Breathing.

So, last chapter I forgot to mention that the next day was my birthday, so updating was my birthday present to myself. Just throwing that out there.

There's quite a list of music for this chapter. First is Back to December by Taylor Swift. Some of it fits and some of it doesn't. You get brownie points and a chapter dedicated to you if you find the lyrics in the dialogue. Second is In My Veins by Andrew Belle. I love that song, and I wrote a good deal of this to it. And last is Another Day by Paramore.

Just Keep Breathing

Chapter 3

Katara woke up only to notice that Sokka was now reining Appa and Aang was asleep next to her where Sokka had been last time she'd looked.

Everyone else was asleep, and she was glad of it. She had had enough of petty conversation and she was sick of having to keep up her end of it. She would much rather sit in silence and watch the night sky fly by and think to herself.

She inhaled deeply and then pulled all of her hair over her shoulder as it tickled her nose. She began braiding the long, thick mass, not bothering to tie it at the ends, knowing that she would be falling back asleep very shortly, and having her hair tied up would only bother her.

Having her hair pulled back and braided made Katara think about the past and how much she missed it. Things had been so simple then, so straightforward. There hadn't been any lovers' spats or out of control hormones that complicated things.

So much had changed since then. Distantly, Katara realized that, even though she had enjoyed her time with Aang more recently, she missed the past. The present had her caught in its tight fist, crushing her with the complications it presented. She just wanted to go back to being a sweet and innocent fifteen year old girl in love with Aang before the talks had started and everything had changed.

She didn't want to be this twenty year old woman wondering if she should marry the man she was clearly in love with.

Sighing, Katara turned to look at Aang. In sleep, he looked so peaceful, hardly like the hardened and angry man he currently was. He looked innocent, and, though he clearly had the defined and muscular body of an eighteen year old, he looked twelve again. He looked so serene that Katara just wanted to scoop him up in her arms and cuddle him and let him sleep there until all the evils of the world had vanished and it was just the two of them.

Sighing, Katara turned away from Aang and curled back up, ready to fall back asleep. She knew they still had a few hours left of flight left until they reached their destination of Gaipan, and she was still tired.

When she woke back up, it was light and the air around her felt heavy. It took her a moment to realize that this was because Appa was not soaring through the skies. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes to better her vision and look at her surroundings.

Katara put her hand on her stomach as she vaulted over the side of Appa's saddle and landed on the gravelly ground below. She didn't feel well, like she had eaten something bad and it was coming back for revenge. She took a deep breath trying to steady herself, hoping that it was just the sudden change it altitude after living in a different one for so long.

Katara looked around quickly to see if anyone else was around. When she saw no one, she began walking towards the big meeting house in the center of town, knowing that it was where everyone else would be.

But before she could get to the meeting house, she spotted Zuko sitting nearby.

"What are you doing there, Zuko?" she called to him skeptically. It looked to her as if he had been waiting for her.

His eyes came up and he looked at her with a kindly smile. "You were still asleep and everyone agreed that it would be a bad idea to leave you, but we didn't want to leave you alone. I'm sitting halfway between where you were and the meeting house so if there was any trouble either way, I could get there quickly."

Katara regarded the Fire Lord for a brief moment before sitting down next to him like an intimate friend. She leaned her head against the wood of the building behind her and closed her eyes.

"I don't need protecting, you know."

"I know."

The both of them were silent, neither of them willing to breech the subject of Aang. They both simply sat there for a long, quiet moment and listened to each other's breathing.

"I've been taking self – defense lessons," Katara finally said, moving her head so that it no longer rested against the building and scootching so that her back did instead.

"Really?" Zuko replied. "Why? You were a master waterbender at fourteen, and you've only gotten better with time. Why do you need self defense lessons?"

"Because I'm terrible at hand to hand combat. It's different fir firebenders because your stances are more aggressive and more about defense. Waterbending is meant to be offensive, and if I can't bend for some reason, I want to know that I'll be able to fight and defend myself."

Zuko cocked his eyebrow. "I'd never thought of that. But it makes sense. I picked up dao swords for when I couldn't bend. I can't believe that that never occurred to me.

Katara nodded. "I'm able to defend myself now, and that's good."

Zuko looked curiously at the waterbender beside him. "No offense or anything, Katara, but why are you telling me this?"

Katara shrugged. "Because you said you were here to protect me if anything happened. I just thought you should know that I can defend myself almost no matter what and that you don't have to worry about protecting me."

XXX

Katara and Zuko didn't move.

The sun was setting around them and Katara remarked that they had been sitting three talking with each other for an awful long time, doing nothing but talking. Zuko agreed, asking where the time had gone.

Katara stretched her arms out in front of her, waiting until they made a satisfying popping noise and then lifted herself off the ground. She told Zuko that they had missed lunch in all of their talking and she was hungry and didn't want to miss dinner as well.

Zuko told her to go and he would catch up to her later. She nodded and walked off, her arms swinging gracefully back and forth by her side.

Zuko ran his fingers through his dark hair trying to collect his thoughts. He and Katara had never really been friends, even if they had gotten along better than some of the friends he knew. They had never really tried to be friends, he realized, and he didn't have to wonder at why. They didn't hate each other, but to call them friends would have been overstating things.

All that had changed in one afternoon. He had never thought that Katara would open up to him like that, never thought that she would bare her soul to him and try to be his friend. And yet, she had made the choice to spend the entire day sitting and talking with him, ignoring he baser instincts and skipping lunch just to talk to him. She had chosen to become intimate friends with someone she had once hated and then been indifferent to.

Zuko's thoughts were interrupted when he heard light footsteps approaching and looked up to see the Avatar – Katara's boyfriend, he quickly reminded himself – standing in front of him.

"Did she stay on Appa all day?" he asked, and though his tone was polite, Zuko heard the accusation behind his disinterested words.

"No, she came down at about noon and sat down and talked with me."

Zuko saw the jealousy flash through Aang's gray eyes, and the malice that was gone before it registered. Aang was a kind and gentle person, even through all he'd had to endure, and Zuko was his friend. He would never hurt his friends.

"I love her, Zuko,"

Zuko stood up, stunned at how sincere Aang's simple words were, and clapped the younger man on the back. "She loves you, too. She's just a little confused right now, but she loves you. Just give her some time."

Aang sighed. "You're sure she loves me? Because right now, I don't really feel like she does."

"Aang," Zuko said, his tone serious. He was a little annoyed that the Avatar was questioning Katara's love of him. "Katara went to talk to you almost every night for almost five years without fail, even when you shooed her away. Yes, I'm sure she loves you. If she didn't, I'm sure she would have gone back to the South Pole by now."

Aang smiled, though it was clear that his heart wasn't in it. "So, are you two friends now?" he asked, motioning towards the meeting house where he knew Katara was.

Zuko shrugged as they started walking. "You would think that five years would make us friends, but it didn't. I do think she likes me better now, though. Honestly, I think she only tolerated me because she knew you trusted me, even after the Southern Raiders thing."

"I don't think that's entirely true," Aang disagreed. "I mean, yeah, it was defiantly like that in the beginning, before you went off to go find Yon Rha, but I think that after that, she at least trusted you, and not because of me."

"Maybe, maybe not. All I know is that is she watched us every time we practiced firebending, without fail, and I'm pretty sure it was because she didn't trust you to be around me without supervision."

Aang chuckled, clapping Zuko on the back. "You know, I'd forgotten she used to do that. So maybe you do have a valid point. But what about now? Friends?"

Again, Zuko shrugged. "I think so. We actually have more in common than I thought. She's not quite as serious as she looks."

"I know. The first thing we ever really did together was penguin sledding, right before we sent off that trap in the old Fire Navy ship. She taught me how to catch them because they kept running away from me."

Zuko laughed at the mental picture. "I can just imagine a twelve year old you riding a penguin, and I have to say, it's a pretty interesting picture."

"We did it again," Aang told him. "For old times sakes' when we went up there before the talks. It was just like the first day I met her."

For a second, Zuko didn't say anything. He suddenly felt welcome by Aang and Katara and their friends for the first time since they had left Ember Island five years ago, but he didn't know on what standings of friendship they claimed.

"Was it love at first sight?"

Aang looked at Zuko oddly for a moment, curious as to why he was asking, and then smiled. "Yes. I knew from the second I saw her that there was something there, and I was always truing to impress her from then on. Even as a goofy kid, I knew I loved her."

"Wow, that's pretty intense, especially for a kid. You were only twelve."

"I know. It makes me wonder if it was an Avatar thing or not. I should ask Roku next time I talk to him."

Briefly, Zuko looked amazed. "You talk to Roku?"

Aang laughed at the expression on his companion's face. "That is an Avatar thing. I can talk to my past lives when I need their guidance."

"Wow. This Avatar stuff never ceases to amaze me."

Aang rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you really have no idea. It can get really crazy."

"Yeah," Zuko agreed. "I can attest to that. I wish you could see yourself in the Avatar State."

Aang shuddered, a quick but obvious movement. "I'm glad I can't. I've heard it can get pretty scary, and I'd probably loose my nerve to use it if I saw myself in it."

Zuko nodded and looked ahead at the meeting hall. "Do you think they've started dinner yet?" he asked as they climbed the stairs and took their shoes off before entering, something practiced in many, but not all, Earth Kingdom cities.

"Nah," Aang replied. "Sokka helped save this town from Jet once, but the Elders have never met me. I doubt they've started without the Avatar there."

They entered the meeting house and their eyes were greeted with a long table filled end to end with food, a place set for the Avatar at the head of the table. Aang shrugged at Zuko and strode to his place, sitting down with Katara and a pretty Gaipan girl on either side of him.

"Honoured Avatar, we are glad to have you as a guest in our modest town. Please accept this humble feast we have prepared for you as a token of out gratitude."

Aang nodded and thanked the Elder, though the feast was far from small. He told the gathered council that he was glad to be in Gaipan, and sorry that he and his friends were to leave after the feast if they were to make it to Ember Island the next morning. He promised them that the next time he was in the area, he would come and stop for a longer visit.

Almost as soon as Aang stopped talking the girl next to him introduced herself. She told him that her name was Noni, and that she was an important person in her town. Aang only looked at her for half a second, enough to decide that she was pretty (though nowhere near as pretty as Katara) but annoying.

He tried to make pleasant conversation with the girl – his only other option was to talk to Katara – but she was so vapid and flirtatious that he constantly found that he was ignoring her without realizing it.

Katara watched the whole thing with a critical eye, hoping that Aang wasn't going to return this girl's attentions. She wasn't speaking with Aang, but he was still her boyfriend, and he wanted to be her fiancé. Flirting with other girls was not okay, no matter how mad he was.

But Katara's imagination was running away with her. Aang was barely talking to the Noni girl, much less flirting with her.

When Aang looked up at Katara, though, she was suddenly very engrossed in the plate of food before her, focusing on her food and nothing else. She wished that someone, preferably Zuko, as he was the closest person to her that she actually knew, would speak to her and rescue her from the embarrassing glance that Aang was giving her. When no one answered her silent prayers, she began eating with more gusto than was necessary.

But there was only so much she could do after dinner was over and the plates had been cleared. She folded her hands gingerly in her lap, feeling awkward, hoping to be saved from the uncomfortable situation.

When she looked up, Zuko met her eyes and smiled gently at her, and she smiled back in gratitude.

"So, Katara, how does it feel to be traveling again?" he asked, and Katara could feel the awkwardness that had been present only moments before melt away.

"I don't seem to be taking it very well," she replied sadly. "I didn't feel so great when we got here, but that's probably just because we've been in Ba Sing Se for so long that flying just didn't agree with me. What about you?"

Zuko shrugged. "I always hated flying, and this time wasn't any different."

Katara snickered. "Gee, Zuko, what don't you hate?" she goaded him sarcastically.

"I don't hate you."

Katara froze in that instant, though Zuko didn't notice. She recalled that he had once told her that he and Mai used to play a game in which she would tell him that she didn't hate him and he would reply that he didn't hate her, too, and it was really just them telling each other 'I love you'.

Katara willed her expression to be calm, and she forced her features to be composed. Zuko hadn't noticed what he had said or what it implied had had any effect on Katara; he was too busy munching on a grape.

Katara could feel Aang's eyes on her again, even though Noni was chattering away at him on his other side, and an awkward blush formed on her cheeks.

Making a point not to look at Aang, Katara replied to Zuko, "I'm glad you don't hate me. That would make it hard for us to be friends."

Zuko raised his eyebrow, and Katara wondered if he was being flirtatious or if he had always been that way and she just never noticed. "What, we're friends now?"

Katara laughed, still desperately trying not to look at Aang. "Yeah, I'd defiantly say that we are."

XXX

Katara quickly glanced at Aang as she prepared to hop off Appa's saddle. It had been a long day of flying full of tense and awkward silences, but they had finally reached Ember Island.

Katara threw the last of the luggage from the saddle and jumped off after it and dragged all she could through the sand and in to the house. She avoided Aang's glance just as thoroughly as he avoided hers.

"Hey, Sokka, Zuko!" Katara yelled as soon as she was in the house. "Come and get your stuff! I refuse to be your nanny!"

Zuko turned the corner with an apple in his hand and a smirk on his face. "Yes, Mother, as you say," he said as he picked up his one bag.

Katara rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I doubt you would talk to your mother like that."

"Agni, Katara," Zuko chuckled. "Sokka wasn't kidding when he said you act like a mom."

Katara looked at Zuko with a devious expression on her face and lightly smacked his arm. "Sokka has no idea how unmotherly I can be."

Zuko had an alarmed and shocked expression on his face. Katara laughed as she patted his shoulder. "Don't look like that, Zuko, that has nothing at all to do with you." She called after Sokka again and grabbed her bags and headed up to her room, leaving a flabbergasted Zuko behind.

What neither of them knew was that Aang had been just around the corner the entire time, watching the exchange. His ears were red with anger and his eyes were narrowed in jealousy. He made a mental note to confront both Zuko and Katara, though he thought it wisest to speak to them separately.

He felt betrayed, and hot tears came to his eyes and rolled down his cheeks. He understood now why Katara had rejected his proposal; because she was seeing Zuko on the side – probably something that had started as the result of Aang's lack of empathy for the past five years.

Aang turned to go up the stairs with tears still falling quickly and steadily down his face and rounded the corner that lead to his room. He was regretting the choice his younger self had made in his pick of rooms – his was the closest to Katara's. The chances of them running into each other were that much greater with rooms so close. Even if his room did have the best view and a nice balcony, he wasn't sure he wanted it anymore.

Memories of his previous stay in the room five years before haunted his memory. Though those had been different times, they were eerily similar to the present.

Images of the night they had all gone to see the Ember Island Players slammed themselves mercilessly into Aang's mind, and the hurt that they had caused and how they were strikingly similar to her rejection of his marriage proposal.

Aang sat down on the mattress and put his head in his hands. He thought things had been going so well with Katara. After years of being nothing more than a hollow shell of himself, Katara had woken him up and he had thought that she had been waiting up for him.

That she hadn't wasn't all that surprising, and Aang thought that maybe he could and would have accepted the situation if she hadn't led him on once he had come around. She had played him. She was with Zuko. She wanted nothing to do with the last airbender.

Aang flung himself back on the mattress, lying on his back with his legs hanging over the side and his arms sprawled out on the bed and tears spilling from his eyes.

He fell asleep like that, there on an expensive bed that was his but not, his long legs draped uncomfortably over the side. He dreamt, but it was mostly troubled, Katara's pretty face floating through with different expression that troubled Aang. Aang's unconscious mind dredged up the painful memory of the night of Katara's no, a memory he had been trying to repress, and even in his sleep the anguished tears fell.

When he woke, the light had shifted, and the sun was steadily sinking below the horizon. He went out to the balcony to look out on the beach and the beautiful pinks and purples in the sky.

It didn't take Aang very long to realize that there were two people walking down the beach, a couple out on the fine sands laughing and giggling, the sunset a romantic background for the barefooted lovers.

It took him less time – a split second – to realize that the couple was Katara and Zuko.

Aang was so angry that he didn't realize what he was doing. Seeing them walking down the beach laughing and happy while he was holed up in his room was the last straw. He couldn't take it anymore. He would have the truth, or else.

Aang all but blasted down the stairs, trying very hard to control himself so that his anger so that he didn't go into the Avatar State. His hands were balled up in fists at his side and his face was contorted in rage and pain.

Katara and Zuko were so wrapped up in their happy conversation that they didn't notice the angry airbender storming towards them at first. But when he stepped in front of them, even in the failing light, it was hard not to notice the scorned man with pain, confusion and anger in his eyes.

"Aang? What's wrong?" Katara asked, reaching towards him, but he jerked away and glared at Zuko.

"Get out of here, Zuko," Aang demanded in a low hiss. "My girlfriend and I have something we need to discuss."

Zuko looked vaguely offended and Katara didn't fail to notice Aang's emphasis on the word my. But Zuko didn't argue, saying only that they had been talking of Aang before he had walked up and Zuko turned and walked away.

Katara opened her mouth to speak, a little angry with Aang for treating Zuko so harshly, but Aang put up his hand and silenced her.

"Don't say anything, Katara," he spat at her, and she visibly recoiled at his words.

"I understand now why you can't marry me," he proceeded, his tone still angry and somewhat vicious. All I want to know is why you told me you loved me when you're seeing Zuko."

Katara looked at the tattooed man in front of her with wide eyes and her jaw fell open with her shock. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"You think I'm seeing Zuko?" she asked after a long moment, her tone incredulous.

Aang's eyes narrowed at her. "I've seen you with him, Katara. Don't try to pretend."

Katara felt the odd urge to laugh, but suppressed it, knowing that it wasn't appropriate. "Aang," she said. "Just because I've been hanging out with Zuko doesn't mean I'm seeing him on the side. I'm not cheating on you with Zuko. I love you."

"No, you don't," Aang retorted. "You love…"

Katara cut him off by lunging quickly forward, grabbing his face and kissing him so fiercely that Aang was stunned and dropped his defenses. She held him there for a minute, just kissing him, and then released his face and stepped back a pace.

"I love you, Aang. Zuko and I were talking about you and all the good times I've had with you. We were talking about how much I love you and what I should do to apologize to you. And I want you to know that I want to marry you. I love you and I want to marry you."

Aang looked at Katara with wide, unbelieving eyes. He didn't know if he should believe the woman standing there in front of him, the woman he had accused of cheating on him only moments before. He stood there looking at her, unable to move or speak, and Katara grew impatient.

"Do you still want to marry me, Aang?" she asked awkwardly, fearing the answer would be no.

But the question snapped Aang out of his trance, and he looked at Katara like she was insane. "Of course I want to marry you, Katara." He said plainly. "I love you and that's never going to change. You have the power to mortally wound me I love you so much but no matter how much you hurt me, I will always take you back. And I'm sorry I came at Zuko like that. It was uncalled for."

Katara stepped forward and embrace her boyfriend – fiancé. "It's okay. I'm sorry that you gave me all your love and all I gave you was goodbye."

Aang wrapped his arms around the woman who had just agreed to be his wife and returned her hug in kind. "You came back, and that's all that matters."

XXX

Sokka looked suspiciously at his sister and Aang as they walked into the kitchen with their hands clasped and smiles on their faces. Sokka raised his eyebrow at Aang, who only grinned, and Sokka sunk back in to his chair.

"So, have you guys finally kissed and made up?"

Katara rolled her eyes at her brother. "Yes, we have, and you're now looking at your future brother - in - law."

Sokka chuckled. "Well, good, coz Zuko invited Mai and I can only take so many people being miserable at once."

Aang and Katara exchanged a quick glance. It was no secret that Zuko had left Mai in the Fire Nation while he went to the meetings in Ba sing Se, where he had been for the better part of five years while Mai had remained in the Fire Nation. Zuko had not seen Mai in so many months that Katara wondered if he even remembered what his girlfriend looked like.

Katara was about to voice her thoughts when the Fire Lord in question entered the kitchen, walking over to the stove near where Katara and Aang were and taking the lid off of a pot of what would be jook in the morning.

"Hey," Katara greeted the firebender. "When's your girlfriend getting here?"

Zuko smiled politely at Katara. "She should be here by tomorrow. Why do you ask?"

Katara rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "Just curious. I could use another girl around. I lack female companionship."

"Hey! I resent that!" Sokka exclaimed. "You just insulted Suki! She's a girl!"

"And Toph, too," Zuko offered.

"Toph doesn't count," Katara declared. "She's like a man in a girl's body. And Suki is too busy sucking face with my brother to have girl time with me."

Sokka stuck his tongue out at his baby sister. "Like you don't make out with your boyfriend."

Katara turned to Aang, seemingly melting into his side like she belonged there and gently putting her hand on his face. Her thumb traced the strong lines of his face and she could feel it when his lips curved into a smile. She moved her thumb to his lips and traced their lines before reaching up and kissing him full on the mouth.

"You're right, Sokka," she muttered against Aang's lips, not even bothering to turn and look at her brother. "I DO like to make out with my boyfriend."

Aang put his hands on Katara's waist and pulled her closer, as close as he possibly could, and it caused Katara to smile against their kiss. She gently ran her hand over the stubble on his head that was on its way to becoming real hair.

"You know," Katara murmured, barely moving away from Aang's mouth, brandishing her fingers over his dark hair. "I really like you with hair."

Aang blushed and laughed, breaking the romantic spell of the moment and returning Katara to the world where her brother and Zuko were still in the kitchen watching them.

"That's not polite for company, Katara." Sokka told her.

Katara stuck her tongue out at him. "Shut up, Sokka!" she exclaimed. "You can't talk! Do you think that I can't hear you and Suki going at it at night?"

Sokka looked nonplussed as he regarded his sister. "Hey, what can I say, I'm a stud. I can't help it if Suki wants me."

Katara snorted out a laugh. "Yeah, well Aang's a real stud. What if we did what you and Suki get up to at night, hmm? How does that make you feel?"

Sokka blanched visibly, and Katara smirked.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Now stay out of my business."

Aang watched Katara walk out of the kitchen and was torn over whether he should follow her or not. Not wanting to make it appear like his girlfriend had complete control of him, he elected to stay, but Zuko and Sokka gave him grief anyway.

"Is she always like that?" Zuko quietly asked Aang.

Aang laughed. "With Sokka? Yeah, pretty much. He pushes her buttons, always has."

"Hey!" Sokka exclaimed, sitting up from his slouch in his chair. "She started it!"

"Um, no she didn't." Aang said. "It really was your fault."

Sokka glared at Aang. "Wow, she's got you whipped, huh?"

Aang cocked his eyebrow. "Uh, no, she doesn't. I do what I want. And you did start it by mocking her about kissing me."

"I don't know, Aang. It does kind of sound like you're Katara's mindless slave."

"If that were true," Aang countered, "than I would have followed her out like a baby mooselion when she left just now."

Zuko shook his head. "That proves nothing. If she called you right now and asked you to go see her, you'd do it."

"Yes, I would," Aang agreed. "But that's because I have manners. I'd do that for anyone who called for me."

"That only proves our point more," Sokka argued. "You're just a pushover in general."

Aang rolled his eyes. "You can think what you want, Sokka, but I'm not whipped."

"What are you bunch of weenies talking about?"

The three boys turned to see Toph leaning in the doorway with a devious smirk on her face. She had heightened hearing - of course she had heard the whole conversation. She knew what the had been talking about.

"Something I defiantly think you don't need to know about." Aang said quickly, even knowing that she had heard the whole thing.

Toph continued to grin. "I don't know, Twinkle Toes, I think you're pretty whipped."

"Your opinion doesn't count, Toph," Sokka announced offhandedly. "You've got everyone whipped."

Toph shrugged, walking over to the counter and grabbing and apple from the fruit bowl that was sitting there. "That's true. I am pretty amazing. Having everyone whipped is part of that."

Zuko snorted in amusement. "Gee, that's not arrogant."

Toph shrugged again, flicking a piece of apple from her tunic. "Eh, maybe, but it doesn't matter. I could kick your sorry ass any day of the week."

"Hey, now," Aang warned diplomatically, seeing the heated look forming on Zuko's face. "Behave, you two. This house has already suffered enough damage because of us. It doesn't need anymore."

"Yeah," Zuko said. "If I weren't so attached to the pace, I would have had it torn down. It was pretty expensive to get it fixed back up."

Sokka laughed. "That is entirely your fault, oh great and powerful Fire Lord. If you hadn't attacked Aang, you wouldn't have had to pay for the fire damage to the hallway."

Toph chuckled. "He has a point, Hothead."

Zuko just rolled his eyes. "If I hadn't attacked Aang, I probably wouldn't be Fire Lord now."

Aang looked at Zuko curiously. "How do you figure?"

"Because if I hadn't, you probably wouldn't have know that you had to fight my dad before the comet. Do the math."

"Can't argue with that logic." Toph said.

"What logic are we arguing with?"

The four turned to the sound of Suki's voice. Sokka smiled and motioned for her to come to him. She smiled and obeyed, walking up to her boyfriend and then sitting down in his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kisses him, earning a groan from everyone else in the room.

"I'm out of here," Aang declared, and he quickly walked out towards the beach where he knew Katara would be.

End Chapter

Well, that was a lot of words. But then, that was my goal. I'm trying to make my chapters longer.

So, yeah, don't kill me for going traitor to the Kataang cause there for a while. The Zutara was needed to progress the plot, and I think I did it rather flawlessly, thank you very much.

This chapter was almost a good five pages longer because I almost wrote the flight from Gaipan to Ember Island, but I didn't because it just wouldn't have flowed right. I also originally had Katara have a dream about Aang marrying the Noni girl, but I also scrapped that because of the flow. Oh, please note that Gaipan is the town Sokka saved from Jet's flood incident. In case you didn't know.

Also: No, Katara is not pregnant. Her brief illness was just what she tells Zuko she thinks it is. Besides, she's still a virgin in this story. She and Aang may keep almost changing that, but they haven't gotten around to it. Yet. I still haven't decided if I'm up to writing the actual deed, so yeah.

I think that's it. Stay tuned; next time there's another Kataang sexual encounter. Give me your feedback and I'm likely to update more quickly. And remember, if you find the lyrics from Back to December in the dialogue, you get the next chapter dedicated to you.

- Pidge