Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar

A/N - Sorry for the long wait. University decided to throw all the books, articles and whatnot in my face because it can. So I hope you like it. Enjoy :)

It was over. Or so she thought, she hoped. Aang had gone off on a ramble about-ugh! Who knew what? All she knew was that he tried to deflect her decision and so she did the only thing she could do: hang up. She had hung up her phone, thrown it on her bed and stayed by the window, looking at Sokka's reflection.

"So…"

"Sokka, not now."

She heard him release a sigh before she heard his footsteps closing in on her. "How are you feeling?"

Katara bit her lower-lip. The hoarseness of his words told Katara that Sokka knew what she was feeling. Even when she, herself, did not know what she was feeling.

She had broken up with Aang. She had broken up with her long-term boyfriend over the phone. How it had all come crashing down so fast, she did not know. All she knew was that it was over. And although she was supposed to be happy because it meant that she could steer her focus elsewhere, something in her twinged. Something in her was telling her that her decision was unjust and cruel. That she had been too brash with her wording. That Aang was hurting more than she was. And that if anything happened to him, it would all be her fault.

"What are you sulking about? You are free. Isn't that what you have wanted? Isn't that-"

"If I'm free,"she started, rubbing her elbow. "Why does it hurt?"

She tried to control the uncomfortable sensation in her nerves as the tears began to stream down her cheek.

"Was I too harsh?" She cried. She hugged her frame, hoping for her trembling shoulders to stop.

Sokka placed a hand on the shoulder furthest from him, pulling her into his chest. He released an audible sigh. "No. Breakups hurt. But that hurt won't last forever." He looked at her. "Especially when the heart, your heart, is stringing for someone else."

Her eyes widened by the sheer certainty in his eyes. "Sokka." She breathed before she saw him give a small smile.

"You can't hide shit from your big bro, Katara. Not now. Not in a million years."

Her lips pursed, forming a straight line. Her eyes fell from his as she looked over at her desk where her laptop was. It was there she was going to hold her video chat with Zuko in less than an hour. "Sokka, I don't… I-" She faced the floor. "I don't know what my heart wants anymore."

"No, you do. You're just afraid to move on because you just came out of a relationship."

When she was about to say something, Sokka spoke again. "All I'm saying is, take your time. But know that you ain't got all the time."

With that, Sokka gave Katara's shoulder a tight squeeze before he left the room. After taking a moment to marvel at the starry night, she settled by her desk and got comfy as her signal was connecting to Zuko.

And all it had taken for her worries to fade away was a: "Hey Katara, Zuko here."

"Zuko." She breathed.

She had hoped that she would be able to pull off a happy face. She had thought that the worries that faded the second she heard his voice would not resurface but they had. And they came back with questions. Was it truly over between her and Aang? And if so, how was she going to approach Zuko about this? Scratch that, how was she going to… how was she going to make her and Zuko happen?! She… had never been in a situation where she had to make a move. And this someone she was trying to pursue was Zuko. Of all people! He- She- What was she going to do?

"Hey." Katara opened her eyes to find herself facing her desk and not her screen. Since when had she? When she looked up from her desk to the screen, the concern in Zuko's eyes warmed her heart for some reason.

"Sorry, I- I just spaced out a bit."

Without a second to waste. "Talk to me."

If just she could jump into his arms as she had always done when she was experiencing such feelings of overwhelm, she would! But for now… all she had was a screen.

"I just…" She trailed off. Something she usually didn't do. It was something... Aang used to do.

She took a deep but quick breath. "It's just- My dad's got a new girlfriend and…" She sighed again.

"It's too early?" He said in a low voice.

Katara nodded. "I don't know if I will even meet her this Christmas but- I don't know. I'm just so confused right now!"

She rubbed her temples with fingers in frustration as her face found her desk again. Her dad's girlfriend. Aang. The breakup. Zuko. Zuko… Zuko.

"Katara." His voice sounded as though there was a light at the end of a dark tunnel. And whenever his voice called her name, she couldn't help but raise her face to his level again.

"I know it's hard. But you know what I want you to do?"

She shook her head from one side to the other. She watched him giggle which made her heart flutter. And just like that a smile emerged on her face.

"I want you to pretend that I'm there, making this," he pulled a face which made her chuckle, "face."

"Or this face". He pulled on his cheeks. This time she laughed. And continued making the silliest of all faces. Some familiar, some new. But all that mattered was that her room was filled with his voice while making a fool out of himself. For her. She knew that this was something he didn't, and wouldn't, do for others. She just knew. And although she was laughing uncontrollably, tears still made their way down her cheeks and she found herself hugging her trembling self.

"Katara?"

"I miss you, Zuko." She whispered.

"Huh?" He closed in on his screen. "I couldn't hear that."

"I wish you were here." She said through a shaky voice.

When he leaned back against his chair, he gave her a wide smile. "I wish I was there with you, Katara."

While she was trying to relax her nerves, he spoke again. "Do you want to sleep together?"

Her head shut up. And from the look on his face, he was oblivious to the implications those words held ."Instead of saying goodbye, we let the chat continue. Into our sleep."

She smiled again and nodded. "I would like that."

When Katara had calmed herself down, she moved over to her bed with her laptop and got comfy. When she had settled she looked at her screen again to find Zuko in bed as well… shirtless. She gulped the naughty thoughts down with all the memories of sleeping next to him.

"Comfy?" He said. She smiled and nodded. "Well, then. Sweet dreams, Katara."

"Sweet dreams, Zuko."

She knew her heart desired Zuko. She knew that if Zuko asked her to be his girlfriend, she would say yes in an instant.

Her mind could get quite creative. So why, when she heard Zuko's voice again, did she think that that wasn't the real thing? Was it because she was on the verge of sleep? Or was it because she actually heard Zuko, thinking that she had fallen asleep, whisper:

"I can't wait for you to come back so you can be mine."

She didn't know. But she knew that would fantasize about Zuko saying that line to her in her sleep.

"Ma', I want a husband like Pa'."

Katara heard her mother giggle uncontrollably from behind as she was braiding her hair. They were sitting outside in the garden and Katara was picking at the flowers in her tiny grip.

"I'm sure you'll find a person like Pa'."

The young Katara pouted. She tried to steal a glance from her mother but failed. Instead she said. "Ma'."

"Yes, dear?"

"You and Pa' will be together forever, right?"

This time she received a round of laughter from her mother. Her mother had to pause the braiding to contain her laughter. "Will you be sad if Pa and Ma' were no longer together?"

Katara twisted to her mother with tears threatening to fall. "You and Pa' will-"

Kya brought Katara into an embrace. "-will be together, forever. With you and Sokka."

Although the tears fell, they were tears of joy. Katara returned the embrace as wide as she could with her tiny arms. "I love you, Ma'"

"And I love you, Katara."

When Katara opened her eyes, her background was no longer Zuko's beautiful face. It was of the sea, her background wallpaper. She knew that he had other stuff to do but she had hoped to at least wake up to him, hear his voice and then… be happy. For the rest of the day.

Sokka had written to her that they were having a visitor over and she wasn't stupid to think that it wasn't none other than her father's girlfriend. Because of this, Katara had been curled up in her bed anticipating the worst. The only time she had left her room was to prepare the dinner because she knew that the men in her family couldn't cook to save their lives. What if she didn't like her? What if she didn't look like their mother? What if Ursa turned out to be an evil stepmother like in the movies? What if Katara actually liked her. What… what would her mother think? That she has been forgotten so quickly? No!

She heard a knock on her door. "Katara, our guest is here. Are you ready?"

Her heart dared to jump from her chest when she heard the voices belonging to her father and… that other woman. Her grip on her pillow tightened.

Ma'...

She couldn't do this. She didn't want to meet a woman that wasn't her mother. It was too soon! She- She heard the door to her room open. And before Sokka reached her bed, she threw the pillow at him. "No!"

"Katara, it-"

She rolled away from where her laptop was, curling into a ball. "I don't want to meet her!"

When Sokka didn't respond, she continued. "How could he do this?! This is too cruel!"

"You don't think this is hard on me, too?"

She closed her eyes to block his voice out. "Did Ma' not mean anything to him?-"

Sokka took a step closer, raising his voice. "You know that's not true!"

She shut up from her position, locking eye contact with Sokka. "Then why?! Why is another woman at his place, if that's not true!?"

Sokka narrowed his eyes. "He's allowed to move on! Ma' would want that-"

Through anger, sadness and a twinch of loneliness. Katara's voice sounded in the most unstable tone she had ever heard from herself. "You don't know anything about Ma'! You never knew her as well as I did!"

. . .

"That doesn't mean I didn't love her as much you did."

His words. Barely a whisper to the soul.

Footsteps followed, and then came the closing of a door.

And Katara was alone. In her room. Again.

Hakoda had heard everything. He- once those words from his daughter echoed through his mind, all he heard was a door shutting followed by footsteps. But they weren't nearing the kitchen. They were headed for his son's room and then he heard a door opening and getting slammed shut..

Hakoda braced himself as- "Should I come at another time?"

He turned to Ursa and grabbed her hands. "I'm sorry, I-"

She gave him a sympathetic smile and shook her head. "It's okay. It's not easy for either of them and I don't want you to pressure them."

He gave her hands a tight squeeze. "Just wait, okay?"

She nodded before Hakoda headed off to Sokka's room.

"Son?"

Sokka's voice was hoarse and muffled from planting his face in his pillow. "I loved Ma' just as much as her."

Sokka felt his father's hand on his shoulder. "I know. And she loved you with all her heart. I'm sorry if this is too soon."

Sokka lifted himself, not looking at his father. He got off his bed, standing by his door. "It's not me you should be apologising to."

And with that Sokka left. Before Hakoda knew it, Sokka's voice sounded in the kitchen and he heard the sweet laughters from Ursa.

Hakoda grinned. "Ma' would be proud, Sokka."

When Hakoda was standing outside of Katara's door, he took a deep breath. Once he exhaled, he knocked on her door before opening it. "Ka-"

"Go away!"

"Katara, I- Uf!" Hakoda's head fell back from the impact of the pillow thrown at his face. He shook his head to orient himself before walking to her with a grin.

"What's so funny?"

He chuckled. "No, this reminds me of the time you and Sokka were outside playing and," he chuckled again. "he hit you in the face with a snowball."

Katara pouted whilst her eyebrows furrowed. "So?..."

Hakoda had taken a seat next to Katara, with his arms leaning on his laps and his fingers entwined. "I remember how you cried your way to your room. When I came to comfort you, you shot that pillow like a catapult. It actually hurt."

He saw how Katara tried to suppress a chuckle and instead chuckled through her body.

"I remember how much your mother laughed at this story. And even years after she would still find it funny. Whenever she laughed, I would laugh as well." He rubbed his hands. "When she smiled, I would smile. When she was annoyed, I was annoyed."

He braced his chest forward in an attempt to do… something. But he wound back to the same position. "Whenever she got mad, I got mad. Whenever she cried," he released a lifeless breath, "I would cry."

"Dad-"

His voice had gone dry and yet the lump in his throat glided down with ease. "So when she wasn't there to… do any of those things I- I didn't know what to do with myself."

He heard the whimpering noises from Katara, and he knew that if he looked her way, he too would let the waterfall stream down his cheeks.

"I miss her, Pa'" She cried in a low tone.

"Me too." His lips wavered at his own words. He knew that he couldn't speak those words into existence. He refused to. If he said those three words, it would make the reality a truth. And he didn't want it to.

"If you do then why?" Katara sniffed her tears in.

Hakoda shrugged, feeling his eyes getting heavy. "Because…" He took a deep breath. "Kya told me so."

"In a dream. Right after her death." And this time, Hakoda locked his eyes with Katara. "She told me not to let her death get in the way of my happiness. She told me:

'When you find something that makes you happy, seek it. I have no choice but to move on. And so should you'

He rotated his body so it faced her, he took her hands into his. "I know it's hard. It's hard on us all. But we have to keep moving forward. For ourselves. And for Ma'"

"You're not alone in this, Katara." A voice from behind sounded.

Katara avoided Sokka's eye contact as he made his way in front of both of them. "You really think Ma' would like for you to be holed up like this?"

Katara shook her head through the tears. Sokka kneeled down to her level. "Then take that step forward. Who said you had to take it alone?"

She turned her face to Sokka with a new set of tears. "Sokka, I'm sorry." And before she knew it, Sokka tugged her into a tight embrace. Hakoda followed with and said. "We'll take that first step forward. As a family, with Kya."

Once Katara had decided on what to wear, she made her father and brother leave the room. When she was all dressed they made their way to the kitchen. Before she took a step into the room, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

As she released it, she opened her eyes to find a woman- No, the woman in Zuko's portrait. In his room. The woman in that portrait whom Zuko held dear to his heart and was longing to meet. The woman who left her family for… god knows what and as a result left Zuko all alone. The woman who caused Zuko so much pain. Pain that he never deserved! That woman-!

"You're Zuko's mother!"