Ahhhh! Sorry for the wait! But unfortunately I think the one update a week thing will become regular, it seems I have a ton of prjects due all the time! I hate school. Anyways. Once again, I don't think the ending of this chap fits with the rest of the story, it's not too cheesy or badly written like some of the other ones, just unfitting. Remember I'm always open to requests!

No. Katara had refused to believe it when she'd first seen it. She felt lost, confused, angry, but most of all, shocked. She just couldn't seem to grasp the concept. It wasn't supposed to happen this way. Gran gran wasn't supposed to die before Katara saw her again! When the messenger had given her the letter she had thought her eyes were deceiving her. It wasn't until she heard her brother's comforting words and saw her own tears on the letter that she realized it was all too true. Time seemed to freeze at that moment, before the girl let out a cry of grief, and without further warning bolted from the house. She didn't know how far she ran before she stopped, collapsing on her knees onto the ground and sobbing loudly into her hands. It was almost like loosing her mother all over again. Gran gran had cared for her and Sokka throughout a large part of their childhood, and even when their mother was still alive, she had been there. And now she was gone. Forever. Katara cried harder and allowed her tears to splash into the small pond at her knees. Why couldn't she at least have seen her dear grandmother one last time, just to say goodbye? The world is cruel sometimes, she reminded herself. Too cruel. Even though she had been separate from Gran Gran for months, it didn't dull the pain in the slightest, Katara felt lonely now, being the last woman in her family. If she were in a better mood she might've told herself that she and Aang could have a daughter someday, but now, she didn't feel like thinking that way in the least. Instead, she cried harder, her slender form wracking with sobs that she no longer had control of. She barely even noticed when rain began to pour from the sky and thunder boomed in the distance.

Aang opened his eyes, looking blearily around his room. He was still weak from his battle with the firelord, and under Katara's orders, he was on bed rest. He groaned. Where was she anyways? She was with him almost every time he woke up, until the time he went back to sleep. The boy shrugged it off, as much as he liked Katara's company, he understood if she needed some time by herself. After a few minutes of simply sitting in bed however, Aang got bored. He kicked his blankets off of his legs and climbed out of bed, only to realize he'd stood up way too fast when the blood rushed to his head, making him dizzy. He sat back down for a moment before rising again, this time successfully making it out of the small bedroom. Almost the second he stepped out however, he was met with a sight that he'd thought he'd never see. Sokka, the warrior was…crying? No it couldn't be, and where was Katara?

"S-Sokka?" the airbender asked. The older boy's head jerked up and he hastily wiped at the tears on his cheeks.

"Gran Gran's dead Aang." He muttered in a voice that cracked. Oh no. Aang felt a pang of guilt in his heart, knowing that he was the reason Sokka and Katara had not been able to see their grandmother in her last year. He felt horrible. Toph for once wasn't making fun of Sokka, instead she was rubbing his back in a caring manner, looking at her feet.

"Sokka…I'm really, really sorry, this is all my fault, I shouldn't have-" Sokka cut him off.

"It's not your fault Aang, go find Katara for me, it's not safe for her to be out there in that storm." He requested. Aang nodded, pulling on a dark red cloak before heading outside into the rain. It was only then that he realized he had no idea where Katara was. Perfect. He thought to himself. He looked down, and to his relief saw footprints in the mud, most likely belonging to the one he sought. He smiled weakly, wondering how Katara would react when she saw him. Would she be angry at him? Would she just be sad and cry? Or would she simply be sitting there calmly, trying to relax herself? He knew either one of these would break his heart. He hated seeing Katara upset, especially when he knew he'd played a part in making her that way. He also didn't like intruding on her personal moments, and this seemed like such a private thing, like the death of the monks had been to him. He hadn't gotten any sleep the night after he'd seen Gyatso's skeleton, he'd been too busy crying, and nothing anyone said to him made him feel any better. Was this how Katara felt now? He didn't want to intrude on a family thing, it felt like something that should stay between her and Sokka.

All thoughts stopped suddenly however, when the boy saw her. She was kneeling in the mud, her head buried in her hands and her slender figure shaking with sobs. Never had Aang seen her so distraught. Her clothes were splattered with dirt, her hair in a tangled mess, she didn't even seem to notice the rain falling on her. What she did notice however, was the warm hand that Aang placed on her shoulder.

"Sokka told me." He murmured.

"I'm sorry." Instead of a spoken reply, Katara flung arms around the boy, hugging his body close to hers as if to comfort herself.

"A-Aang…" she sobbed.

"Aang." Aang returned the embrace, rubbing her back in what he hoped was a comforting manner. She rested her head against his sopping chest.

"Wh-what are you doing here? You should be in bed, you could get sick." She said once she managed to catch her breath. Aang raised an eyebrow.

"So could you, you're soaked." He retorted. Katara didn't reply, she just sobbed and Aang hugged her closer, resting his head on her shoulder.

"C'mon Katara, we should get back, Sokka's worried about you." He murmured in her ear. She nodded and wiped at her eyes, though it was to little success as it was still pouring rain and she couldn't bring herself to stop crying. Aang offered his hand to help her up and she accepted it, not releasing it when she was on her feet. As they walked, Aang felt chills begin to run down his spine, and he shivered, sneezing after a moment as well. Katara was no better. The cold rain brought goose bumps to her skin and she recognized the symptoms in both herself and Aang of catching a chill. Right now though, she couldn't care less, all that she could seem to think about was Gran Gran, and how she would never see her again. Why oh why hadn't she written her a letter even once? Why had she left with Aang without a meaningful goodbye? She didn't know the answers, and that only made her feel worse.

"Ummm, Katara? We're here." The girl looked up to see Aang nervously fiddling with his fingers, standing in the doorway of the house.

"Sorry." The waterbender whispered in a hollow voice as she followed her friend inside. The first thing she saw was her brother with his head in his hands and she felt more tears form in her eyes. It seemed like her entire world was falling apart, everything seemed so…broken. When she looked at Aang, she saw a flash of pain cross his face and mistook it for his injuries acting up.

"C-come on Aang…you should still be in bed…" She placed a hand on her friend's back and walked with him to his room, not even caring that they were both soaking wet.

When the boy had obediently plopped into bed however, the gnawing feeling of loneliness inside her only grew and she felt the urge to be near him again. She took a deep breath, then wiped fresh tears from her cheeks and spoke.

"D-do you mind if…could I just lie with you for a while?" she asked somewhat nervously, unsure of how her friend would react. Aang tried to hide the blush that spread across his cheeks as he nodded, moving over to make room for his friend. She settled next to him and he tentatively reached an arm out to put around her shoulders in an attempt to comfort her. The two lay quietly together for a while, the only sounds being the rain outside and Katara's occasional sniffle. Then a question formed in Aang's mind. He opened his mouth to ask Katara, but then closed it again, thinking that this may not be the best time to talk about it. As he continued to ponder it in his mind though, the curiosity became too much.

"Katara?" He asked hesitantly.

"Can I ask you something?" The waterbender bested a smile.

"Sure you can Aang, what is it?" Talking to Aang seemed to be the best way to help keep her mind off her grandmother's death at the moment.

"What's it like…to have a family?" The boy wondered.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to." He then added hurriedly. He saw a momentary flash of pain in Katara's eyes before she answered him, lacing her fingers with his.

"I don't think Gyatso was too different from having a father, but basically it's great. Family loves you no matter what you do, and you can always count on them to help you if you need it. They don't judge you and they make you feel better when you're upset." She explained, blinking back the tears that formed in her eyes in memory of her mother and grandmother. Her hand subconsciously went to the pendant that hung around her neck.

"I'm sorry you had to loose that, I guess I don't really understand since I've never had a family. I wish I could help…" Aang placed a hand on Katara's shoulder, he hated to see her so broken, but it didn't seem like there was much he could do. She smiled a little and placed her hand on top of Aang's.

"You already have." She murmured.

"You're my family too Aang, remember?" She pulled her friend into a tight hug, holding his body close to her own. She'd be fine, she decided, as long as she had Aang.