A/N: Yeah, it's been forever :(. I've been working 40 hour weeks ever since school ended and this isn't even that long. I'm kinda weighed down with stress, but I'm getting my wisdom teeth pulled on thursday so hopefully the downtime required afterwards will give me some writing time as well. If all goes well, I wanted to write a part 2 to this, except I'll probably post it in "Awake" instead for reasons that will become obvious once you reach the end of this chapter lol. I hope everyone had a great holiday season and enjoys their New Years celebrations tonight!

I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender.


Katara strolled down the now empty street, feeling rather drained. It had been a long day, she'd been helping nurses at a Ba Sing Se hospital with her healing abilities during her and Aang's stay here and while her work was rewarding, it was also exhausting. She could've sworn she hadn't slept this little since the end of the war. Her lower back ached slightly from standing for such a long time and by now she was more than ready to go home, where she hoped to see Aang. Of course, there was no guarantee he would be there as he often had meetings that lasted all day, but she couldn't help but hope. She knew she would feel better as soon as she saw him. To her happiness, she saw the lights on in their apartment when she finally reached the front door, opening it and stepping inside.

Aang wasn't in the main room, she noticed as she plopped down exhaustedly on one of the sofas, but a pleasant smell was wafting in from the kitchen and she thought she heard the sound of footsteps in the next room.

"Hey." Aang appeared in the entryway to the kitchen, giving her a warm smile in greeting. Instantly, she felt herself relax and found herself smiling back. It was only then that she noticed that Aang was wearing one of his long, formal robes over his normal clothes. She raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you all dressed up?" She questioned. "And why are you home so early? Wasn't there a meeting today?" Instead of answering her right away however, Aang only mirrored her quizzical expression.

"Are you serious?" He asked tentatively. Katara rested her forehead in the palm of her hand, closing her eyes for a moment. Had there been something she'd forgotten that was going on tonight? Did Aang have to go somewhere and bring food? Did she have to go with him? Try as she might, she couldn't think of anything. She groaned, frustrated. She hoped she hadn't forgotten anything important...

"Yes." She answered with a sigh. "What's going on?" Aang's smile fell.

"Katara…" He said gently. "It's your birthday, remember? I made mango tarts to surprise you and…" he trailed off. Katara's eyes widened. Had she really been too busy to remember her own birthday? Nevertheless, Aang only smiled again.

"Well." He said cheerfully. "I guess it is a surprise then." Katara couldn't help but laugh as Aang extended a hand to her to help her off the couch. "Happy birthday." He said warmly, kissing her cheek and giving her hand a squeeze. Despite her tiredness, Katara felt a surge of happiness and stopped Aang to hug him tightly.

"Thank you." She murmured, pressing her lips against his in a brief kiss. "You're the sweetest, you know that?" Aang only grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. "I try." He led her by the hand into the kitchen where she sat again and he placed one of the tarts in front of her, watching as she lifted it to her mouth and closed her eyes softly as she bit into it, letting out a hum of contentment. Though she supposed it was rather selfish, she couldn't help but feel relieved that neither she nor Aang didn't in fact have to go anywhere tonight and that they could just stay here together. She didn't think could have forced herself to go out again.

"I love you so much." She sighed. Aang smiled and sat beside her, resting a hand on her back.

"Long day?" he asked. Katara nodded.

"I'm exhausted."

"Too exhausted to come outside with me for just a little after you're done with that?" Aang asked. Katara opened her eyes and gave him a small smile.

"I'm never too tired to spend time with you." She murmured. Aang blushed slightly but beamed nonetheless, waiting patiently for Katara to finish her food before taking her hand again as they headed for the back doors of the apartment which led to a small garden behind the building. It was only then that Katara paused.

"Wait a minute, I need to change." She said suddenly. Aang raised an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about? No one's gonna see us." Katara shook her head.

"I'll be right back, I promise." When she reached the room she shared with Aang, Katara opened her closet door and pulled out one of her formal dresses, a blue silk gown with golden lily patterns and collar fastenings. The fabric was soft and comfortable, and the dress made Katara feel simple but pretty rather than flashy and overdone like many of the other girls at the formal events she sometimes attended with Aang. She also knew that he liked this one. Only a few minutes later, she stepped back out, a smile on her face. Suddenly, she didn't feel as tired. Aang beamed when he saw her.

"Wow. You didn't have to…" He murmured. Katara only linked hands with him again and leaned her head on his shoulder, nudging him playfully.

"Come on." She said. "You're all dressed up and handsome, so I have to at least try to look nice after all you've done this evening."

"You always look beautiful, Katara." Aang replied easily, causing her to blush. He'd said it a million times, but she still couldn't help the way her heart skipped each one of them.

"Thanks." She said softly. They were silent for a moment before Katara spoke again. "So…" She began. "What did you want to take me out here for anyways?"

"You'll see." Aang answered, his eyes sparkling excitedly. "Close your eyes." Katara did so with a small smile.

"Whatever this is Aang, I just want you to know that you didn't have to do anything for me just because it's my birthday." She told him. Aang only took her free hand in his own and began leading her forwards.

"And you know that I still will no matter how many times you say that." He laughed. Katara shook her head.

"What am I going to do with you?" She wondered, though a smile was tugging at the corners of her mouth. Aang shrugged though he knew she couldn't see it.

"Whatever you want to. You can open your eyes now, by the way." Katara complied, only to bring her hands to cover her mouth upon taking in the view before her.

"Aang..." she breathed. Before her stood a beautiful fountain with four pools stacked on top of one another, each one overflowing and spilling into the next one down until it reached the base, a shallow pool carved in an oval shape. Aang grinned proudly and motioned her closer.

"Look." He urged, pointing to the base, where Katara noticed her name was engraved. "Aang...did you make this?" She asked in wonder. Her husband nodded.

"I figured since we come here so often you should have a nice spot to waterbend in private. I know it's not easy for you at the public fountains because of all the people around and stuff...so I made you this." He hesitated, shifting his gaze sideways in an attempt to gauge her reaction. "Do you like it?"

Her vision blurring slightly with tears, Katara threw her arms around him before she cupped his face in her hands and kissed him soundly. He grinned at her when they parted.

"Is that a yes?" Katara only laughed tearfully and nodded.

"It's beautiful...how did you even do it?"

"It took me a little while to get it to look nice, but actually building it wasn't too bad. It's pretty much just earth and waterbending." He said modestly. "It was worth it for you. I know these past few months have been kinda stressful so I thought something like this might help." Katara beamed.

"It's wonderful Aang." She said earnestly, at last daring to touch the stone where her name was carved. "What did I do to deserve it, though?" Aang shrugged.

"Just being you." He took a moment to simply gaze at her, taking in her beauty, the way her tan skin glowed under the moonlight, the radiant smile on her lips and the sparkle in her blue eyes. Suddenly, he had an idea, and he smiled, extending his hand to her. "Dance with me?" He requested softly. There was no music and Katara couldn't even remember the last time they'd had the opportunity to dance together, but there was no way she could refuse the look on Aang's face. She nodded, placing one hand into his and the other on his shoulder, feeling his rest on her waist. They moved slowly together, Katara allowing Aang to lead her, push and pull. She rested her forehead against his, allowing herself to fall into his gray eyes and get lost in their depths.

"Happy birthday." He murmured to her when they stopped, the night air silent around them except for the sound of running water.

"Thank you so much Aang, for all of this..." Katara whispered in reply as they sat on the edge of the fountain, hands still linked.

"I hoped you'd like it." He grinned, leaning over to place a kiss on her forehead.

"I love it." She answered sincerely, briefly bending a sphere of water out of the pool and guiding it through several snake-like figures before releasing it back into the water. They sat in a peaceful silence for a bit before Katara stirred beside her beloved.

"Actually..." She said suddenly, a hint of mischief in her eyes. "There's still one more thing I'd like." Aang looked slightly surprised as Katara was not normally the type to ask for anything, but he listened nonetheless.

"What is it?" Katara grinned, blushing slightly.

"Well..." She started. "This one's more for both of us. I have to thank you properly after all. Come on." She stood up, and a look of realization crossed Aang's features, followed by a faint blush and a soft smile. He got to his feet as well, slipping an arm around her waist.

"As you wish, my lovely wife." They entered their apartment once more and Katara paused, capturing Aang's lips in a kiss before proceeding the rest of the way to the room they shared.

"You know..." she whispered. "Maybe it's a good thing I forgot it was my birthday, otherwise I might've invited Toph or something." Aang only laughed, giving her an affectionate squeeze before shutting the door behind them.