"No." Toph insisted. "I'll wait here. I changed my mind."

"You can't change your mind." Aang said exasperatedly. "Come down. It's not that bad."

"No." Toph growled. "I have avoided snow successfully my entire life and I do not intend to start stepping in it now. Maybe it doesn't bother you, Twinkletoes, but it makes my vision frosty."

"Toph, that doesn't even make sense." Aang said. "Just wear shoes. I'll help you get around." He was dressed from the tips of his toes to the top of his bald head. His feet were clad in fur lined boots, stitched with waxed, waterproof leather. From his shoulders to his knees was covered with a custom made orange and yellow fur parka, the hood drawn up against the chill seeping from the snow around him and off of the ocean. He stood just short of the gangplank, trying to reason with the similarly dressed Toph, who was sticking one exploratory toe into the dazzling snow.

"Oh great, like I'm some big helpless baby that needs to be led around in front of everybody." Toph snapped.

"Well then why did you come in the first place?" Aang said, a little louder than he meant to. "You knew what it was going to be like."

"'Cause I didn't think you'd actually get here and go through with it!" Toph exclaimed. "I thought you'd freak out and turn around as soon as we sighted giant spikes of ice."

"Icebergs." Aang sighed. "Fine. Stay here."

"Oh no." Toph declared, shaking her head. "I'm not letting you face Hakoda alone. You'll just screw it up. Make a bad impression."

"He's met me before, Toph." Aang was beginning to get annoyed with her. The village could clearly see their ship; they were being rude. "So let's go."

"I'm not wearing shoes."

"Fine."

"Carry me."

"What?! How is that any less humiliating than being led around?" Aang demanded.

"Not like a baby, dummy, like a horse."

"…"

"Ugh. You're so slow. Turn around."

Aang presented Toph with his back hesitantly and grunted when she hopped on, her long hair blowing against his scalp in the frosty wind. "Toph, I don't think-"

"Onwards, great Avatar of burden. The melon lord commands it!"

He couldn't help chuckling at the memory of their Fire lord impersonator from years ago. "You're hardly a melon lord, Toph." He said, shifting her weight so she leaned forward over his shoulder, her arms wrapping around his neck. "You're more like a melon sack. Full of melons."

"Clever, Twinkletoes." She said drily. "Let's go!" She kicked him like she would kick an ostrich horse, giggling when he groaned and moved forwards, too relieved to have company to reprimand her.

The village was much different from what he remembered from eight years ago. The wall was actually a defendable structure. The igloos that had been handcrafted were now sculpted and smooth, constructed by master waterbenders from the North Pole. A smaller version of the Spirit Oasis had been constructed on the outskirts of town, though its waters were frosty instead of warm. Their ship was docked on an icy pier beside several merchant ships, merchants that had never even thought of venturing this far south to trade before the Hundred years war had been won and Katara's fame had brought attention to her home.

"Where do you think Sokka is?" Aang said as they were admitted to the village by a pair of weaponless guards. The Southern water tribe was wary, but not hostile, and the guards were friendly but aloof. They waved Aang through as if he were any other traveler, their attention turning to the spice merchants coming in behind them.

He remembered wistfully the days when a large crowd would gather at the announcement of an Avatar sighting. Now only a few children stopped to point at his tattoos, left exposed by Toph's pulling on his hood, while their parents smiled and bowed to him. Katara, he knew, would have gotten a much larger welcome, but without her at his side he was just the Avatar arrived for another peace visit. Just the Avatar. Just Aang. Could he be just Aang?

Toph snorted in his ear. "Follow the smell of cooking meat and we'll find him."

Aang nodded in agreement, smiling. Sokka hadn't really changed. Even fatherhood hadn't done much to mature him, despite Suki's best efforts. Aang tried to remember when he had last seen Sokka. It had been years; Sokka had a bunch of kids now. Or was it only two? He couldn't remember. A wave of guilt hit him at the realization; the duties of the Avatar really had taken up a lot of his time recently.

"Aang! Toph!" A pleasantly female voice called to them and Aang turned, grinning widely as he spotted Suki making her way to them. She was hugely pregnant, her belly prominent even through layers of soft white fur. Aang slid Toph off his back, ignoring her squeals of outrage at the cold, and embraced Suki with both arms. She laughed and held him tight, her arms barely reaching around his broad shoulders. "I didn't know you were coming."

Aang released her, one hand reaching back to grab Toph's, unconsciously keeping track of her. She latched onto his arm with both hands, crushing his arm with a death grip. "It wasn't exactly planned." Aang said, yelping as Toph squeezed harder. He turned to glare at her and saw a small, smug smirk.

"Up, Twinkletoes."

With a resigned sigh, Aang lifted her onto his shoulders. "She's blind in the snow." He explained to a laughing Suki. "Where's Sokka?"

"He's eating lunch in the smokehouse with his father."

"Told you so." Toph whispered, bopping Aang on his head.

"C'mon." Suki said, taking Aang's sleeve. "I'll lead you there."

Aang shifted Toph again and struck out after her as she waddled towards the East end of the village. "How far along are you?" He asked.

"Any day now." Suki answered breathlessly. "Sokka's really excited."

"That's great." Aang said, meaning it. Children were a blessing, one that he longed to have. "Any guesses whether it's a boy or a girl?"

"Sokka, of course, is hoping it's a boy." Suki said, grinning. "And I think he's right, since our first two were boys and he thought the same. But me," she smiled down at her belly, rubbing it affectionately through the furs. "I'm really hoping for a girl."

"Getting tired of all the mini Snoozles running around?" Toph joked, laying her head on Aang's shoulder.

"Exactly." Suki replied. "They're eating everything. Like locusts."

Aang and Toph laughed as Suki lead them to a rounded building, smoke and smells of cooking meat drifting through a hole in the top. This building was made with wood instead of snow and was incredibly warm as they stepped inside.

They found Sokka sitting at a low table beside his father, two small boys sitting quietly beside him. Aang was shocked to think that Sokka almost looked like an adult. At twenty four he was tall and muscled, his hair grown out from its shaved wolf tail to his brush his shoulders, the top half pulled sharply back into a longer tail that was knotted and braided to form a tight coil. A small batch of beard grew under his bottom lip while stubble covered his cheeks. Hakoda looked the same to Aang, if a little older and a little tireder. The ever-present shadows below his eyes had grown deeper but his blue eyes still flashed as he looked up to see who was at the door, his eyes tearing away from the man seated opposite from them across the low table.

"Aang! Toph!" Sokka scrambled to his feet and flew across the room to slam into Aang, nearly toppling him over onto Toph. "What are you doing here? Did you send a letter?"

"No." Aang gasped, pounding Sokka on his back. He couldn't breath. "Surprise."

"I love surprises." Sokka cried, hugging Aang tighter. Toph cackled and jumped down from Aang's back.

"I can tell." Aang wheezed. "Ribs…cracking."

Sokka let him go with a deep laugh; a man's laugh, Aang thought. The two children who had been sitting beside Sokka came running up, laughing and jumping up at Aang, trying to touch the strings of his hood as their father gripped Toph with the same bone-crunching hug, wincing when she returned it tenfold.

"Back, fiends." Sokka said, chuckling, setting the slender girl on the snowy ground. "Aang, this is Akiak," the taller one waved, his smile revealing missing front teeth. "and Haki." The shorter one shyly looked out from behind his brother, waving a small chubby hand before ducking back behind Akiak. "And you of course remember my father."

Hakoda joined them at a slower pace, the beads in his hair clinking softly as he extended his hand. "Good to see you again, Avatar."

"You too, sir." Aang said, clasping his hand firmly. "The village looks great."

"Yes, it's been awhile since you've been here, hasn't it?" There was a slight reproof in Hakoda's mellow voice, but his eyes sparkled. "The Northern waterbenders have really put a lot of effort into our rebuilding. But it would have meant a lot more if a Southern waterbender could have been present."

Aang squirmed slightly, feeling an embarrassed blush spread across his face. It was one of his and Katara's biggest arguments: He needed her, she wanted to help her people. He had convinced her years before that she would be of more use to the world travelling with him on the peace missions, and he had thought she agreed. Once in awhile it would be brought up in a smaller argument and flare and burn and send them to separate sides to fume. But they always came back together, and that was what was most important. Right?

"Yeah, Sugar Queen would have whipped this place into shape in two seconds flat." Toph gestured with a sweeping motion of her hands, emphasizing her point. "Oh well."

Aang glared at her.

"So what brings the Avatar to my home?" Hakoda asked. Suki moved to stand next to Sokka, smiling when he kissed her cheek.

"Well, um," Aang rubbed the back of his head. "I, well, I wanted to, I mean it can wait…"

"Twinkletoes wants to ask your permission to marry your daughter." Toph said inflectionlessly, staring at her nails. Her remark was met with Aang's fuming silence, Sokka's stifled snort, and Hakoda's stern gaze. "What's there to eat?"

"Your timing is interesting." Hakoda said, turning to indicate the man who had been sitting across from them at the low table. He rose, brushed his robes off, and joined their small circle. He was an older man with squinted eyes and fluffy white hair, wrapped in several layers of fur. "This man just arrived from Ember Island to make the same request on behalf of the Fire Lord."

ooo

Katara sat blinking dumbly at Kutzo's back through the bars of her wooden cage as he walked away from her. He wanted to kill Zuko. And do what? Restore the powerless Ozai to the throne? The Nation would never accept him, she knew that much. Zuko had brought the Nation back from Ozai's tyrannical warpath brink and into a time of peace and prosperity that hadn't been seen since the years before the Great War. His reparations to the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes had won him secure allies in both nations, especially in the Southern Tribe where his friendship with herself had won him many friends and admirers. The Northern Tribe had been slower in their forgiveness, but Zuko had kept a diplomatic distance and hadn't forced himself on them. Katara snorted, trying to imagine honorable and reserved Zuko forcing himself onto anyone. She had practically begged him to sleep with her last night.

The thought sent a thrill through her bones, sending a blush across her cheeks as she was embarrassed in front of herself. She hadn't meant it like that, obviously. But either way, Zuko wasn't the type to continuously show up where he wasn't wanted. Except in battle of course, she amended quickly, smiling. He had always showed up where he wasn't wanted when he was chasing them. but that was a different matter completely.

She huffed to herself and shook all over, trying to direct her thoughts in a more useful direction. Escape. She had to warn Zuko that a trap was waiting for him, not to mention the who pro-Ozai gang that was milling about in front of her. There had to be at least fifty of them, all wearing the red armor of the old Fire Nation army. The armor was scratched and mismatched, clearly scavenged instead of newly forged. Were there more of them? No one stuck out to her as a leader. Small groups picked up packs while others saddled several ostrich horses with light tack. They couldn't be too far out from their base if this was all they brought with them: not even a tent as far as she could tell.

Two of them approached her cage and she scrambled to her feet, her green dress sticky with grass and dirt. They stopped short of letting her out, instead looking her up and down.

"You clean up good for a peasant girl." One of them growled, his voice deep and smug. "Once we have the Fire Lord maybe the boss will let me keep you. For my good behavior." He laughed and it was a chilling, grating noise.

"Who's your boss?" Katara demanded, wishing she could freeze them to a tree. She had received such threats from men before; they didn't rattle her anymore. She was confident in her abilities, even if she hadn't practiced in…a long time.

"Shut up." The other man sneered, striking at the bars with an armored forearm. Katara did not flinch, refusing to give him the satisfaction. He grunted with derision and motioned to two other armored figures. They joined him and together the four hoisted the cage to their shoulders. Katara stumbled and collapsed to all fours as the bars beneath her rose. Her feet slipped through the open spaces and she stifled a yelp, shifting so she was braced against the swaying of their pace. The cage wasn't tall enough for her to stand up or stretch out, just enough for her to crouch awkwardly, holding on to the bars to keep from falling over.

Ahead of her she could see the ostrich horses take off; scouts most likely, she reasoned. The forest they were travelling through was thin with year old saplings sprouting from a blanket of needles. She kept an eye open for water as she swayed back and forth, but no luck. She could feel the ocean in her bones but it was too far. If she really concentrated, she could call it, but the jolting sway of the cage would eternally jolt her out of any focus she could muster.

They travelled through the forest for what felt like hours. Katara listened to them talk around her as her eyelids grew heavier and heavier. Kutzo came to talk to her several times but she turned her back on him until he went away. He called Zuko a traitor; he was a traitor. And a liar. And a pretender. If he hurt Zuko, she'd kill him.

The cage thumped unceremoniously to the ground as night began to fall. They left her far outside of their camp circle, on the outskirts of the glow of their fire. She glowered as they created a great fire and began to cook their dinner, laughing and talking among themselves. She slid to the back of the wooden cage as Kutzo approached, a bowl of stew in his hands.

"Chi Lin," He sighed as she turned her back on him. "C'mon. Why are you so mad?"

She turned around with a glare. "Really?"

"I'm trying to feed you!" He exclaimed, offering the bowl to her with a spoon outstretched in his other hand. "I want you to believe what I'm saying."

"That Fire Lord Zuko is a traitor and deserves to die?" Katara spat. "I'll never believe that."

"Why do you have such faith in him?" Kutzo asked jovially, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "He stole the throne. He overthrew his own father, fine, but he did it with the Avatar. He betrayed his Nation. He doesn't deserve to live."

"How did you lose faith in him?" Katara returned. "When he restored peace to the world? When he brought honor and family back as the focus of your nation? Or maybe when he found a way to keep the Fire Nation rich even when war ships and weapons and armor suddenly fell from high demand?"

Kutzo cocked his head sideways. "What do you mean 'your nation'? It's our nation."

Katara sighed through clenched teeth. "Obviously. He's the son of the Fire Lord, he's the rightful heir."

"He was banished and returned to steal the throne." Kutzo said, rising to his feet. "You'll see eventually."

"If not Zuko then who?" She called after him. "Ozai is powerless."

"There are others." He called back, turning to look over his shoulder, flashing her his sparkling smile. "Once we get rid of Zuko, the Fire Nation will rise again."

Katara muttered under her breath and took the stew, retreating to the back of the cage to eat. Flicking her eyes towards the fire, she summoned a small whip of water from the bowl, leaving behind the spices and chunks of meat and vegetables behind. She twirled it around her fingers, looking contemplatively at the closest soldier.

"I wouldn't do that."

Katara yelped and dropped the bowl, turning to look behind her. "Zuko." She breathed. She gripped the bars between them with shaking fingers. "How did you find me?"

He glared at her. "It's becoming second nature."

ooo

Zuko stared back into the blue eyes of the girl in the cage in front of him. She was in that cage because of him and his honor twinged. Because of his…indiscretion the night before, they had taken her.

"You need to get out of here." She whispered fiercely, her eyes flicking between his. "They want to kill you."

"I heard." He growled. The ideology was one he had heard before: he was a traitor, not the rightful heir, worthless. For the most part it failed to irritate him, but when the renegade delusionals interfered with the life of one of his friends, he had to step in. "Wait until it's dark. You can get away while they're sleeping."

Katara narrowed her eyes at him and Zuko cringed. "What do you mean I can get away? We can both get away. I'm not leaving you here."

"Katara," Zuko said, his raspy voice pitched low. "Do they know who you are?"

"No." She frowned. "They think I'm a peasant girl from the colonies…but why-"

"Katara," He gripped the bars of the cage, his fingers brushing against hers. She didn't move when his fingers overlaid on top of hers. "If these rebels figure out who you are, they will kill you too. I've heard these claims before. The Avatar is as much a target as I am. They'd use you as bait until Aang came for you and then kill you both."

"You don't know that." Katara retorted, but Zuko could see the doubt in her eyes.

"It's what I'd do." He murmured, inching closer to the cage, his eyes glowing golden, catching the light from the distant fire.

"If I remember correctly, you already have." She whispered, poking his fingers.

He smirked slightly. "I'm very devious."

"Never would have guessed." Katara returned his smirk.

He glanced at where her fingers lay coiled beside his. Hers were dark, scarred and callused, with short fingernails encrusted with dirt. But still feminine, slender. Anyone who looked at her should be able to tell she was no peasant; she was a warrior.

"Zuko?"

He raised his eyes to hers at her whisper. "Hmm?"

"What are you going to do?"

"I'll figure it out." Zuko said. "You need to get back to the Western air temple." Before your boyfriend shows up and finds you gone and comes to kill me…

"Zuko." Katara sighed, glancing over her shoulder. The camp was beginning to quiet. "You don't have to do this on your own."

"No." He said firmly. "This is my fight. These people are after my life, my throne. I don't need you getting involved in this."

"You always do this." Katara exclaimed, quieting herself when he glanced sharply at her. "You always go off on your own without thinking. You think you have to do everything by yourself to keep me safe, or to keep Aang safe, or whoever safe, but you end up putting yourself in danger." She glared at him. "I heard you won't even let anyone guard you when you go out into the city."

Zuko glowered. "I don't need anyone else." He ducked his head, the lines in his jaw working. "And I don't know who I can trust in the Capital."

Katara frowned. "Why not?"

"It's just a feeling." He murmured, not wanting to delve into the small details he noticed. Papers moved. Food just a slight taste off. A missing shirt, then missing robes, then missing slippers. She would tell him that he was being paranoid. "Their fire is out."

As he spoke, the bonfire was doused and darkened with a sizzle. Katara glanced over his head to where the moon hung low in the sky, a fingernail against the starry black night.

"Aang can help you." Katara said, watching as Zuko rose to approach the front of her cage. "I can help."

"How can you help?" He asked softly, concentrating on picking the lock. Toph had taught him the skill years ago, and he found it quite useful in the palace when investigating the quarters of noblemen who had expressed lingering loyalty to his father. They had locked secret doors in the most varied places.

"I could guard you."

He glanced at her as the door's lock sprung open. She was gazing back at him serenely, her face impassive. Did she mean it? Did she realize what it would mean if he accepted?

"You're guarding Aang."

Katara shrugged. "He doesn't really need me to do that. He is the Avatar." She reminded him.

"I realize that." He rasped, hunching down to wriggle inside the cage to sit beside her, the bars uncomfortable on his legs. He bent his knees so his feet rested on the floor. Better; now only his rear hurt. "He couldn't stay long at the Palace. The world needs him."

"I know." Katara answered, looking down at her hands clasped together in her lap. "I'm just…ready for something new."

Zuko looked at her sideways, his head lolling back to rest on the bars. "You could go home."

She smiled. "Is that what you're ready to do?"

"No." Zuko shook his head slowly.

ooo

Katara regarded Zuko silently, waiting for him to continue. But he just fell silent, his eyes closing as he leaned back. She looked over him, running her eyes from his head to his toes. He was dressed almost completely in black, with a red collar peeking out from under his hood. His boots, usually shined to a near-metal brilliance, were dulled with what she could only guess was mud.

"Why did you leave the Fire Nation, Zuko?" she asked, turning so she rested against the back bars of the cage so she faced him, her boot clad ankles sliding beneath his bent knees.

Zuko glanced down at her feet, sticking out on the other side of his knees, her brown leather boots soft and comfortable. "I didn't leave."

"Well you're not there now." Katara jibed, crossing her arms. "Why not?"

"Everyone needs a break." He murmured.

"Zuko, for as long as I've known you, even before we were friends," She said. "you've dreamed of being the Fire Lord. Is it not what you expected?"

"No. It is." He answered, finally looking at her. "It's everything I've wanted since I was a child. Assuming the responsibility that I was born for has been the greatest feeling." He frowned. "But, as my council continuously reminds me, there are certain duties expected of a Fire Lord."

"Like with any leader." Katara nodded, still confused.

"This…duty they want me to perform, I thought I would have years to perform." He looked over at her, pale face sharp in the dark. "I thought I would have more say. I'm the Fire Lord. I should have control over my own life."

"So to escape this duty that you're not ready for," Katara said slowly. "you ran away to the Western air temple to babysit a sick girl?"

"A sick ally." Zuko amended. "Not just a girl. And I didn't run away."

Katara felt her cheeks heat. "Well it sounds like you did. As the leader of your country, you should be ready to accept anything that is required of you."

"I accept it." Zuko murmured, looking away from her. "It's inevitable. Just not yet."

Katara frowned, intensely curious. "Do you have to raise taxes or something?"

Her eyes widened when Zuko laughed. Not his usual quiet snort of amusement or the brief chuckle he gave when Aang fell over backwards that one time while trying to ride a komodo rhino blindfolded. An actual laugh. "I wish it was that simple." He said, his raspy voice light.

Katara huffed and shivered. The sun had sunk long ago, and she was finally beginning to feel the light chill brought on by summer nights. The green dress she was wearing was not very warm, made for summer days and bright sunshine. Her feet were warm, thanks to her boots and Zuko's proximity.

"Cold?"

"Not really." She said, grimacing as another shiver passed through her. "Maybe a little." She admitted to Zuko's smirk. "I'll be fine."

Zuko stared at her for a moment before turning his head. "You could sit closer."

Katara felt her cheeks heat and scowled at herself. She had spent the past night pressed up against him, and now she was blushing like a girl. "Okay." She said, pushing aside her qualms. There was no alcohol this time as an excuse; there would be no forgetting.

She rose slightly and crawled closer to him, watching as he didn't move a muscle as she pressed up beside him, amazed at the warmth that radiated from him even through clothing.

"Are all Firebenders as hot as you?" She asked. She had always been curious.

Zuko snorted. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, Katara."

Katara gasped and glared up at him, seeing his broad smile in the dark. "That's not what I meant." She exclaimed, sure that her face was entirely red. "I meant-"

"I know what you meant." He said, laying a hand on her knee to calm her. His glove was hot against her skin where the dress had fallen back, exposing the tops of her knees. "And I don't know."

"Well you seem really hot." She said. "Almost unnaturally."

Zuko started laughing again and she punched him in the arm, blushing furiously. "I thought boys were supposed to grow up once they started running a country." She whispered fiercely. When he didn't stop laughing she retreated to the corner to pout, wrapping her arms around herself against the sudden absence of Zuko's warmth.

"I have grown up." Zuko chuckled, holding his palm out to her. "Please come back."

Katara glared at him but he didn't lower his hand. Sulkily she took it and edged back closer to him. Looking into his face she saw a sparkle of mischief in his eyes and punched him in the shoulder again. "You're making fun of me!"

Zuko pulled on the hand in his and yanked her forward, turning her so she sat between his legs, her back pressed against his front, his head on top of hers. "I wouldn't dare." He murmured in her ear. Katara felt her breath go shaky, her heart skip beats. She raised her fist to knock him in the knee, but he wrapped his arms around hers and lowered his chin to her shoulder. "No more punching."

Katara growled at him and he smirked, raising his head off of her shoulder to recline again, pulling her back slightly with him.

ooo

He thought she smelled like rain the morning after a great storm, when the woods and grasses were still damp. A sweet, inebriating smell that relaxed him. He felt her ease slowly in his embrace, wriggling slightly to adjust better. In small increments, her head reclined against the hollow of his shoulder, a firm weight just above his heart.

"Zuko?"

Her voice vibrated against him, a high timber that sent light butterflies across his skin. "Hmmm?"

"I don't need you to save me." Her voice was firm, with a slight edge to it.

"I know." Did she really want to argue this? Hadn't she proven time and again that she was as fierce as any warrior? Did she think he hadn't noticed?

"You…what?"

Zuko rolled his eyes and looked down at her upturned face, her blue eyes shining through the night. "I know you don't need me to save you."

Her mouth parted, her brows rising. "But…then…why did you come?"

"The same reason I came to the Western air temple when I knew you didn't need someone to watch over you." He murmured. Her eyes grew, widening in anticipation of what he was going to say. He wanted to tell her that it was because each moment spent with her was an adventure. That when she was by his side, he felt like the old Zuko, the Zuko who fought with twin blades and his fists, instead of the Zuko that now fought with a quill and parchment. But he couldn't. it wouldn't be fair. Not to either of them. "Because you're my friend."

ooo

Katara wasn't sure what she expected him to say, but that wasn't really it. She half expected him to reveal a big secret, or a nefarious motive. But that was silly.

As she looked up at him, she could read the unspoken words on his face. Something that he wanted to say but couldn't, or wouldn't. She wondered if he could read the same on her face: that she was glad he came. She hadn't been scared, but his presence was calming. Even though his head was probably the only one hotter than hers (barring Toph…), it always felt like a silent reassurance when he stood beside her, like everything would work out alright because they were together, and nothing in the world could stop them.

With a feeling of cool water running over her, Katara realized that she didn't feel that easy confidence around Aang. It was always marred with the remnants of their last argument, the tense feelings of a night spent apart, of words left unsaid. Of course she cared deeply about Aang, but that sense of invincibility, the feeling that she could face anything with him and still come out side by side, just wasn't there. Not anymore. Not for a long time. Not since the night her Gran had died, and she faced it at Zuko's side instead of Aang's.

She didn't say anything to his comment, just laid her head back down onto his chest. His pulse was steady under her ear, a rhythmic thump thump thump without pause. She listened inside herself to find her own pulse, and found the same rhythmic thump thump thump.

"Our hearts beat the same." She whispered, wriggling one arm loose from his 'no more punching' grip to lay her palm on his chest.

"Hmmm?" His voice was a rumble against her head, a deep full sound.

She shook her head slightly and closed her eyes, letting her palm drop. She felt him shrug and lay his chin on top of her head.

ooo

Katara woke at Zuko's nudging hand on her shoulder. Blinking bleary eyes, she raised her head and cursed herself mentally. She was sitting practically on Zuko's lap, covered with the cloak he had been wearing the night before, leaning into him with knees bent over his own, his arm slung low around her waist to keep her up, her own hand resting above where she knew the scar Azula had given him was. His other arm lay draped across her belly, joining with his other hand. He was so warm, and his eyes were piercing into her soul.

She sat up quickly, pretending to stretch, and barely missed punching him in the nose. Zuko reared back and banged his head on the wooden bars, letting out a small groan. She started to apologize but he held a hand to her mouth, silencing her as his other hand rubbed the back of his head.

"They'll be awake soon." He murmured, his voice low. "The sun is about to rise."

Katara turned to the East, seeing the first fingers of dawn stretch out over the trees. She turned back to Zuko, still aware of his hand gently covering her mouth. "Sorry." She mouthed against his palm.

Gooseflesh spread up his arm in little bumps. He cleared his throat, his eyes flicking back towards the camp. "You need to get out of here."

A frown instantly covered her face and she shook her head. "I'm not leaving you."

"This isn't your fight, Katara." Zuko growled. "I don't care where you go or what you do, but you cannot stay here." His voice softened. "I heard what those men said to you."

Katara's eyes widened. "I can take care of them."

"Yes, you can." He agreed. "But I need to find where this leads."

"You think they're going to their leader." Katara realized.

"Yeah." Zuko said, finally removing his hand. Katara's lips felt cold.

"I'm not going far." She warned, starting to crawl towards the cage door.

Zuko caught her hand and pulled her back, ignoring her protests as her knees banged against the cage bars. "Take this." He handed her his cloak.

"You'll be cold."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "I'm never cold. It will help you hide."

Katara took it, her eyes searching Zuko's. He looked calm, not at all like a crazy person. "You really want to do this?"

Zuko nodded. He reached up behind him and let his hair fall down, and suddenly he was the Fire Lord again. His face lost its softness, hardening to sharp cheekbones and pointed chin. His eyes lost all traces of anything other than power and hard regality. "I'll find you."

"Not if I find you first." Katara whispered, flinging the black cloak around her shoulders.

"Deal. Go." Zuko said, glancing towards the camp.

Katara, with a last look over her shoulder, fled from the cage, hearing it snap closed behind her as Zuko locked himself in. She darted into the bushes, crouching down among the bushes. Zuko was watching where she had gone. He turned back to the front of the cage as the first members of the camp approached him. Katara held her breath.

A.N.: Long one! Sorry for the delay….there was a craft fair...and then a gingerbread festival…and actual work to do….

In the interest of getting this up quickly, I just want to say THANK YOU! To everyone who reviewed my story, and encouraged me after a nasty review last chapter. It really means a lot, what you all said. I promise to respond to you individually next chapter. 3