Sokka had been snoring peacefully for a while now. Zuko was between wakefulness and sleeping when Katara gasped and sat up suddenly. A second passed and then she began to sob uncontrollably, quietly. Zuko had never been good with understanding girls. He went with his gut instinct and sat up.

"Are you Ok?" he said it quietly, Barely above the sound she was making.

"Zuko?" She started to try and get control of herself

Still going with his gut he got up and went to sit with her across the fire. Her took her into his arms. The sobs started up once more with more force. As she buried her face in his chest. He smelled of woodsmoke and pine needles, outdoor smells that was nothing like the perfume in her dreams. They stayed like that for about an hour as Katara cried herself out.

She sat up as her sobs subsided, and looked up into Zuko's eyes. They were so like the eyes of her tormentor, and yet so different. They had the same base colour as His eyes, but they had darker and lighter flecks in them that gleamed in the coals of the had no cruel streak in his eyes either. they were all concern and seriousness.

"Better?"

His voice was very unlike his fathers. Again there was no cruel streak and it was silky and not as deep. She leaned up and kissed him. Zuko was taken completely off guard and after a beat he kissed her back. He deepened it, and started to lay her back.

"Stop." Her voice was husky with lust, but there was also fear in her voice.

There was no question that she wanted him. Wanted to feel his skin against hers wanted him to do... Well, everything. She was still just so afraid. Zuko understood what she meant and stopped immediately. He had always felt an attraction for her, even when he was chasing them. After she had opened up so completely about what had happened, the desire to protect her from the world was over-bearing, this just made him want her and want to protect her stronger.

He sat them both up and kissed Katara on the forehead, as he placed her between his legs so she could lean back on him.

"I'll wait for you." He told her simply. "I will wait and I will never let anything happen to you.

They fell asleep like that, Katara wrapped in his arms, and feeling for the first time that everything was almost completely right. The only thing missing was Aang and Toph.