Zuko woke up with a yawn, stretching his arms over his head. He immediately regretted opening his eyes to the sun—he was clearly hung over. The previous night was a little fuzzy. He remembered playing strip poker and walking Katara to her room. He couldn't remember walking to his own room though.

Shivering a bit in the cold, Zuko concentrated on the fire within. He made it flare brighter, warming his body. A contented sigh echoed in the darkness of the room. Zuko stiffened in surprise. Someone was in his bed and he couldn't remember who.

Reaching a hand out in the darkness, Zuko traced a feminine body, resting on the curve of the woman's hips. Moving his hand up, he met an elbow and moved his hand onto the arm it was attached to. He continued to see with his hands, feeling long, tousled hair. And…hair loopies? Katara!

Zuko gasped and pressed himself against the wall. The memories from the night before rushed back. He saw himself climbing into bed with Katara, and he heard her voice telling him she had always liked him. Heard her calling him passionate and attractive. He had to get out of here before she woke up.

Katara stirred, wrenching Zuko from his memories and stopping him from fleeing. The waterbender groaned in pain, her own hangover hitting her with all of its strength. Zuko put a hand back on her forehead in order to calm her hangover and hopefully get her back to sleep

"Zuko?" Katara murmured. She was still groggy from sleep and was trying to figure out if what had happened last night was real.

"I'm here Katara. I'm right here." Zuko whispered in Katara's ear, not sure why he was acting as he was, but sure he wanted to. He knew that he should get up and leave and not whisper in her ear like they were in love. He should leave.

"What happened last night?" She asked, opening her eyes to look up at Zuko in the newly dawning light.

"We played strip poker. Once everyone else left, we drank an entire bottle of firewhiskey between the two of us. I tried to bring you back here to go to bed and you wouldn't let me leave. I stayed and tried to help you sleep like you asked. You told me that you liked me and found me attractive." Zuko recapped the previous evening for her, sitting up against the wall as he did so. Katara pulled herself into a sitting position next to him, their arms barely touching.

"I-I did?" Katara asked him horror. She had told herself she would never express her true feelings to Zuko. It would make things too complicated. She also couldn't believe she was so drunk. It was her first time drinking and she let herself co completely.

"You did. Among other things." Zuko smirked at Katara, a teasing look in his eyes.

"Other things like what?" Katara asked.

"Well…you think I am attractive and passionate. You like my bending and find it graceful. You wish you could bend like me." Zuko nudged her lightly with his arm, his eyes still full of the teasing look.

"Oh spirits I didn't." Katara put her face in her hands, mortified. "I'm so sorry Zuko!"

"Don't worry about it Katara. You were absolutely smashed." Zuko smiled down at her half hoping she would admit she had been telling the truth.

"Thanks Zuko." Katara put her head on the banished prince's shoulder, glad she could avoid telling him her true feelings at least for the moment. "I must have just been talking crazy."

The sun moved in its upward path, shining straight through the open window.

"Ugh it's so bright!" Katara clapped a hand over her eyes, her hangover not treating her well at all. It was her first one and she was not handling it well.

"Do you trust me?" Zuko asked, standing and holding a hand out to Katara. He tried to maneuver himself to stand between her and the sunlight.

"Forever." She whispered, standing and grabbing his hand. She was so focused on how rough they were from working and living alone that she barely noticed the pounding behind her eyes.

Zuko pulled her up, ripping a strip of cloth from Katara's blanket when she was on her feet. He hushed her protests with a look and tied the cloth over her eyes, blocking out the light. Picking up Katara, the firebender ducked out the door.

Glancing up and down the hallway, he saw that everyone was still in their rooms with the curtains drawn. Next door, he could hear Haru snoring. It must have been early to keep even Suki and Aang asleep. Usually they were up practicing or meditating respectively.

Carrying Katara down the hallway and into the main chamber, Zuko walked quickly around a corner and down a rocky path of rubble he had constructed. He had followed the path weeks ago but had only made it entirely passable recently. It had been his secret place for a long time, but he owed it to Katara to share it with her.

Hanging a sharp left at the end of the rubble path, Zuko shouldered through a curtain of vines. The long green cords fell back together with light slaps that blocked the light and sound out. He set Katara down on a bench, removing the cloth from her eyes.

"So what do you think?" He asked her nervously. This had been his place for so long that he was growing fond of it.

Katara gasped. She was in a spacious room, almost as large as the hall where they ate and spent most of their time. One side of the room had been invaded by fallen rubble. The other sides were covered in ivy and other plant life, muffling the glare from the sun. The effect was an eerie, greenish light that pervaded throughout the entire room. The only entrance was the small door Zuko had used, the former door having caved in. On the far side of the room, a few stones were stacked, creating two small tubs. Only one of the tubs had water in it; the other was cracked beyond repair except by an earthbender.

Zuko had clearly been fixing up the room. A chair of sorts had been constructed from a few rocks covered in moss and a blanket. A small hole in the leaves let in enough light to read a scroll and relax.

"Zuko! This is beautiful!" Katara stood, walking to the center of the room and turning to take it all in. "Why didn't we find this room?"

"The door is caved in so Haru and the others would not have found it. And the plants made it look like there was nothing here. I was exploring one day and discovered it. I can warm the bath over there. It's a good way to relieve stress. And I thought it might help with our hangovers." Zuko rubbed the back of his neck. He had wanted to bathe on his own but knew that Katara needed the relief as much as he did.

"Wow. Thanks Zuko." Katara walked over to the pool and dipped her fingers into the still water. It was absolutely freezing. She was thankful Zuko could warm the pool as it would save them both from certain hypothermia. Katara stepped onto a rock by the edge of the pool and dropped into the icy tub. She was used to a cold bath having lived in a winter wasteland most of her life but this was something else entirely.

Zuko quickly followed suit, eager to get the water warmed. From the pinched look on Katara's face it was far too cold to be bearable. He immediately turned his internal heat as high as was safe and released the warmth into the environment around him. The water warmed quickly, steam rising off in layers.

Katara She sighed at the warmth. It was wonderful to be out of the cold. She could already feel her headache subsiding and the hangover faded into a bad memory. It was then that she realized she had her hand on Zuko's muscular forearm and was stroking it with her fingertips.

"Um..sorry." She mumbled, tucking her hands into her lap and looking away.

"It's alright Katara. But can I ask you something?" She could feel Zuko's golden eyes looking at her face but refused to return the gaze, far too embarrassed.

"Of course Zuko." She said, lifting her hands the bend the water between them. She needed a distraction from this awkward situation.

"Do you love me?"