Chapter 1: An Unexpected Reunion

Hey guys! Sorry I'm getting distracted from FNH, but this idea popped in my head and I had to get it out. I'm not sure if this would make a good story or not, so here's the plan. If you guys choose to read it, then if you want me to continue it let me know. If not, then I'll just leave it as it is as a one-shot. It's totally up to you guys. Also, I should mention the ages start as follows: Aang: 13 Katara: 14 Sokka: 15. This will change later in the chapter. Thanks!

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.

Young Aang woke up with a smile on his face, knowing what day it was. It was his best friend's birthday, and he couldn't wait to spend the whole day with her. Despite her birthday being in the middle of the school week, her father made sure to give her the day off, wanting to ease things since she was still grieving the early death of her mother.

She was better than she was a couple years ago, but there was still an obvious sadness in her stature as he would spend time with her. He wished he could take her pain away, but even though he too had lost a parent, nothing he did seemed to make it better. So instead, he vowed to just be there for her whenever she needed him.

Getting ready quickly, he made sure he had on a good set of clothes for the warm day and grabbed his gift to her: An old penguin figurine. He had found it at a pawn shop and had thought of her because of what she had told him her mom used to call her. He just hoped that it would bring back happy memories and not make her cry. He hated seeing her cry.

Satisfied with his appearance, he made sure he had his gift with him and walked downstairs, seeing his guardian already up for the day.

"Goodmorning, Aang," Gyatso greeted him as he stirred a bowl of oatmeal and set it in front of him. "Are you excited to spend some time with Katara?"

Aang nodded with a smile as he dug into his morning oatmeal. "Yeah! We're gonna have a lot of fun!"

Gyatso chuckled and dished up some oatmeal for himself. "Well, don't worry. I've called the school and told them that you won't be coming in today." Aang grinned at this before he quickly finished his oatmeal. "Wow, you really are excited, aren't you?"

"Yep!" Aang agreed with a big smile. Looking at the time, he saw that he had to go. Checking to make sure he had everything one more time, he put his now empty bowl in the sink and gave Gyatso a hug. "I'll see you later, Gyatso!"

"Aang, wait!" Gyatso called after him as Aang started walking out the door. Aang stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder.

"Yeah?"

Gyatso sighed and shook his head. "Never mind. We'll talk about it later." Aang looked at him in confusion, but Gyatso just gestured for him to go. "We'll talk about it later, Aang. You have a good day!" he called over his shoulder before he went into the living room to watch some tv.

Aang, still confused and wondering what exactly Gyatso wanted to talk about, finally decided to just let it drop for now. He supposed he would find out later. Shaking it off, he finally walked out the door and closed it behind him, ready to go see his best friend.

Fortunately for him, his best friend was right across the street, making it easy to be on time for going over to her place. Making sure to check both sides of the road before he moved as Gyatso had told him to, he quickly crossed over it and made it to his destination. He smiled as he saw birthday decorations all around. It made him happy to know that her dad was putting in the effort to give her a good birthday.

Taking a deep breath, he gently knocked on the door, still holding the small, wrapped box that held his gift to his best friend behind his back. A few moments later, he was greeted by none other than the one he had been hoping to see.

"Happy Birthday, Katara!" he told her with a big smile on his face. Katara returned his smile and pulled him into a hug, making him blush before he hugged her back. Unfortunately for him, the hug didn't last long before she pulled away.

"Thanks, Aang!" she smiled back at him before noticing that he was holding his arms behind his back. Being ever the detective, she noticed how he was a little nervous and could guess why he was likely hiding whatever it was that he was hiding behind his back. "You got a present for me?"

He blushed and rubbed his neck nervously. "Um… yeah," he admitted as he finally moved it from behind his back and held it out for her. Still smiling, she took it from him and tried to guess what it was by shaking the box, but it didn't seem to help her figure it out. She was tempted to just open it immediately, but she knew her father wouldn't allow it.

"Thanks!" she finally replied, still trying to guess what it was before she gestured for him to come in. He followed her in as they made their way to the kitchen where her father and brother were getting the cake ready.

"We're having cake already?" Aang asked in surprise as he saw them putting the candles in place.

Hakoda chuckled a little. "Well, we have a busy schedule today. First we have cake, then we have presents, then we're going to go to a water park!" All of the teenagers cheered at hearing this, making him smile before he put the two main candles in the center: The number fourteen. "I can't believe my little girl's turning fourteen already," he said in disbelief.

Katara laughed a little. "Dad, I'm only turning fourteen. It's not like I'm sixteen yet."

Hakoda shook his head with a sad smile. "But it seems just like yesterday when I was holding you in my arms. Though I suppose I could still do that now," he grinned as he swooped her up and held her, making her giggle.

"Okay, put me down!" she laughed. He laughed as well and did as he was told. Taking the now ready cake, he set it in front of her and lit all the candles as they all crowded around her and sang to her. Once they had finished, Hakoda said.

"Make a wish, sweetheart."

Katara looked around the room and, after her eyes settled on Aang for a moment, looked back to her cake and blew out her candles, hoping that her wish would come true. They all cheered and Hakoda got some paper plates and plastic forks for the cake. While they ate, it was then time for presents, which Katara was excited to open.

As she got through her presents, she couldn't help but think about her wish. Though she knew it was a longshot, she really hoped it would come true. Shaking off these thoughts, she finally got through them all except for the one from Aang.

"Hey!" Sokka pouted with his arms crossed over his chest. "You didn't get me a present for my birthday!"

Aang smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Sokka. I didn't have any money to get you any. I had to mow the lawn three times to get this." Sokka still didn't look very happy, but decided to be quiet. Katara rolled her eyes at her brother. Even on her birthday he would want presents.

Finally opening the box, Katara gasped as she saw the beautiful penguin figurine, feeling both happy and sad at what it reminded her of. Regardless of her mixed feelings, she knew Aang had put a lot of thought into this gift and decided to thank him for it. "Thank you, Aang," she told him as she moved over to hug him, squeezing him tight.

He was surprised at this sudden contact, but enjoyed it as he hugged her back, making her smile as she once again thought of what she had wished for. Once they finally pulled apart, Hakoda told them to get their swimsuits and sunscreen. Aang ran back to his house quickly to grab his before they went to the waterpark for the rest of the day. It was the best birthday Katara had yet.

After the day was done, Aang had wished Katara a happy birthday and gone home, knowing Gyatso would want him home for dinner. As he walked inside, he could smell his favorite food cooking: Steamed tofu. He normally would be excited about this, but he remembered that Gyatso had wanted to talk to him about something earlier, and now he was making his favorite food. This did not seem to be a good thing at all.

Now wary, he made his way into the kitchen and set his swimsuit in the basket of dirty clothes before walking into the kitchen to find Gyatso whistling while cooking. After a few moments, Gyatso finally noticed him and put on a big smile. "Well, how was your day, Aang?"

"Good," he started warily, wondering just what was going on.

Gyatso noticed his wariness and decided that staying it off wasn't going to help. He would just have to get it out, delicately and carefully. Taking a deep breath, he put the now ready tofu on a plate and set it down in front of Aang. "So, Aang, I have some… news to tell you."

"What kind of news?" Aang asked even more warily, becoming scared at the look of pity in Gyatso's eyes.

"Well… I have got a job offer that I cannot refuse," he finally said, taking Aang by surprise, but this didn't sound so bad. So why did he sound like he was about to ruin his day?

"That's great, Gyatso! So why do you look upset?" Aang asked him, once again wary as his fear started to spike as he wondered if this was what he thought Gyatso was saying.

Gyatso was silent for a moment before he let out a long sigh as Aang's fears became reality. "Well, the only problem about the job is that it's in a different town. In a different state."

Aang's eyes widened at this, though he knew he shouldn't be surprised since he had been suspecting that this was the case, but he still couldn't believe it. "What? We can't move! Our whole life is here, Gyatso!"

"I know, Aang. But this job will help make sure that you can go to college when you're older," Gyatso tried to be as reasonable as possible. "I know you love your friends here, but I'm thinking of your future, Aang."

"I don't want to go to college if it means I have to let go of my friends, Gyatso!" he argued.

Gyatso let out a long sigh. "I'm sorry, Aang, but it's already done. We will move in a couple months." Aang pushed his plate of steaming tofu away from him and ran upstairs to his room, unbelieving of what he had just heard. His home, his friends, Katara… he was going to lose them all.

After a few hours of frustrated screaming into his pillow and some crying, he was too worn out to do anything else. Knowing there was nothing he could do about it, he decided that he would have to tell his friends about the situation he found himself in tomorrow.

The next day, he got up earlier than usual, knowing that they would have to go to school, but he didn't want to tell them at school. He wanted to tell them now, and hopefully they would be able to spend as much time together as they could before he would have to leave. Knocking on their door, he waited for a few moments before the door was opened by none other than Katara. "Aang?" she asked tiredly with a small yawn. "What are you doing here?"

He smiled sadly. "I need to tell you something…"

A couple months later, it was the day that Aang was supposed to move. When he had broken the news to Katara, she had been heartbroken, which was why he had chosen to tell her the day after her birthday. He didn't want to ruin what had been a perfect day.

But what he didn't know was that she was heartbroken for more than one reason. This wasn't what she had wanted. This was the opposite of what she had wished for! How could Gyasto do this to them? She wanted Aang to be with her for all her life, and now he was moving away. This wasn't what she had wanted at all.

But she knew she couldn't do anything about it, no matter how badly she wished otherwise. So, knowing that they only had a short amount of time left together, the three spent as much time together as possible. But it still wasn't enough when the time came for them to say good-bye. There was still so much that they had planned for their lives, and now they weren't going to be able to do any of it.

Aang smiled sadly as he put the last box in the moving truck and walked over to Katara and Sokka who were watching him with sad eyes. None of them really knew what to say, as they were all sad about him moving.

"Aang! Say your good-byes! We need to go!" Gyatso called over his shoulder as he got in the moving truck.

Aang didn't even bother looking over his shoulder to respond as he gave Sokka a fist bump and a quick hug before he turned to Katara who tackled him in a hug. He smiled sadly and tried not to cry as he held her close, just wanting to at least keep how she felt in his arms in his memory.

"Don't forget about us, okay?" she sniffled a little, discreetly wiping a tear away before putting her hand back on his shoulder and hugging him tighter.

"Never," he whispered back, him doing the same as a treacherous tear slipped down his cheek. They held each other for a few moments before Aang knew he had to go. Smiling sadly at her, he waved to them and started walking away when Katara called out to him.

"Wait!"

He stopped in his tracks and turned around only to find Katara tackling him into another hug, his response to hug her back immediate. This one was shorter, but as Katara pulled away, she leaned in and pressed a soft, warm kiss to his cheek, instantly making his face catch on fire. After she finally pulled away, the young waterbender smiled sadly at him and let him walk the rest of the way to the truck. Just as he was about to climb in, he looked over his shoulder one more time and mouthed "See ya" to them before he finally allowed himself to get in.

The two siblings watched sadly as their friend backed out of the driveway and out onto the main road, Katara's eyes never leaving his until they were too far away. Letting out a long, sad sigh, Katara watched the moving truck until it was out of sight and turned around to find her brother giving her a sympathetic look.

"It's going to be okay, Katara. I know we'll miss him, but it's going to be okay. You'll see."

Katara didn't say anything, she just walked mutely by him and went up to her room when her father tried to comfort her. First she had lost her mother, now she was losing her best friend and crush? Sighing sadly, she dug her face into her pillows and fell into a light sleep, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to spill down her face.

The truck ride was silent as the two airbenders made their way to their new home, which Gyatso had told him was in a small town in the next state over. Aang still wasn't very happy with Gyatso. It was because of him that this was happening at all, but he knew he didn't have a right to complain. Gyatso didn't have to adopt him when he was younger, he just wished that Gyatso would have listened to him. He was going to miss them a lot.

Gyatso noticed his complete silence and looked at him sadly. "Aang, I-"

He cut himself off when he knew that Aang wasn't going to respond. Though he understood why Aang was upset, he was thinking of Aang's future first. Friends were all well and good, but Gyatso wanted to make sure he had a bright future ahead of him, and he couldn't do that if he couldn't afford to pay for his college.

Besides, what he hadn't told him was that this wasn't any ordinary job. In fact, it wasn't a job at all. Rather, it was his new business venture. Normally, as air nomads, they wouldn't do anything more for money than they had to, but he knew he didn't have many years left, and he wanted to make sure that before he died, Aang would have the means to have a good life. He loved him as a son, and though he knew this was hard on his young charge now, he knew this was what was best for him.

Taking a deep breath, he continued driving in silence, knowing that despite Aang's sadness, this was truly what was best for him. Or so he hoped.

Aang let out a sigh of relief. He had just gotten out of a business meeting and was relieved that it was finally time for him to relax. It had been a while since he had gotten some time off, but now things were stable enough to where he could let his managers run his company.

Over the last ten years, Gyatso had built his company up to the point where it was a major success. How he had managed to do that in such a short time, Aang had no clue, but it proved to be worth it in the long run.

After they had moved, Aang had dully spent the rest of his public school experience in the local school. He had made some friends, but no matter what, he could never forget about his old friends. Their memory would be burned into his mind forever. Especially Katara.

He then had gone to college as Gyatso had told him to and received a bachelor's in business, but he had gotten it a year early due to being well-practiced in it by Gyatso. After that, Gyatso had shown him how to run their family business and, a year later, died of a heart attack, leaving Aang the business.

So he had indeed set Aang up for success as he had hoped to, but now Aang was all alone. His friends from his school had all gone to college somewhere else and did not have any intentions of coming back to their small town, leaving him alone. He had tried dating over the years, but with the memory of Katara etched in his mind, it never got past three or four dates.

But now he had some time to himself. It was rare that the company would actually need his input, but there were some issues that they needed him to clear up, and he did so with great ardor. It made him happy to know that he was helping others, even if he was getting paid to do it, anyway. Then again, he would be getting paid regardless, so he supposed he should give himself a pat on the back.

Now that his work was done, he went back home and took a shower, feeling like he needed to wash off the corporate stink that he felt was all over him. Tonight, he would celebrate his accomplishments and enjoy the fact that he had time off from his "job" by going to a bar and having some drinks. There was only one bar in his small town, and he knew everybody there.

Normally, he wouldn't drink as much as he had, but leaving his friends behind had taken quite a toll on him over the years, and the best way he could figure to help was to take a load off. Walking into the bar, he was greeted by the familiar cheer that he heard every Friday night. He was well-known there for getting the party started.

As he walked over and sat down on a bar stool, he was greeted by a familiar face as he saw his best friend Zuko pouring a glass for a man to his right. "Hey Zuko," Aang greeted him with a smile.

"Hey Aang. Your usual?" he asked with a raised brow. Aang nodded and he reached into a cooler behind him and produced a bud light as he popped the top off and handed it to him. "So, how was your business meeting?"

Aang took a long sip of his beer and let out a satisfied sigh before putting the bottle back down. "Not bad. We got everything sorted out, so now I get some free time." He took another sip of his beer. "You know I could probably get you a job at my company if you wanted. I can't imagine you like working here."

"Actually, I do," Zuko disagreed as he poured a drink for another man on the other end of the bar. "It's simple and I make some good friends," he said with a pointed look at Aang, making him laugh. "If it paid more, it would be perfect."

The young airbender thought about that for a moment before he saw the owner of the establishment sitting not far away. Getting up, he walked over to him quickly and sat down in front of him. "Hello Mr. Adams."

Zhao nodded to him. "Mr. White."

"Would you consider selling this bar to me?" he got right to the point.

Zhao's eyes widened in surprise at this. "Well, for the right price I would. What did you have in mind?" Aang leaned in to whisper in his ear and his eyes widened even more. Getting up quickly, he walked to the backroom and came out a minute later with the paperwork needed to own the place. "You've got a deal."

Aang smiled and wrote a quick check to him before Zhao signed over his right to the bar and thanked him before going back to Zuko. Zuko looked at him in confusion, only seeing that Zhao had brought out some papers that Aang now had in his pocket. "What just happened?"

"Oh, I'm your boss now," Aang grinned, making Zuko's eyes widen in surprise. "And lucky for you, you get a pay raise for being a good employee. How much do you get paid now?"

"Ten dollars an hour," he admitted as he poured another drink.

Aang grinned again. "Well, now you make fifteen an hour. That should be enough for you and Mai to start your family now, right?"

Zuko looked at him in disbelief and almost tackled him in a hug before he composed himself. "Yeah, that'll be perfect. Thanks, Aang," he actually smiled. Aang rarely saw him smile. It was both weird and good to see his friend smile.

"No problem, buddy." He finished off his beer. "But as your new boss, I would like another beer, please." Zuko rolled his eyes with a laugh and got him what he wanted.

"As you wish, boss," he said jokingly before getting him his beer and then moving on to the next customer. Aang couldn't help but laugh at himself for his somewhat impulsive decision. Not that he was regretting it, but it was certainly not what he had been planning for the day. But now he owned a small bar, and he supposed it would be a benefit that he could have as much of the product as he wanted. He looked at everyone in the room. "Next round's on the house!" They all cheered, making him smile as he took another sip of his beer.

As he looked around the room, he noticed a small group of guys around the jukebox watching something. Or… someone it looked more like. He couldn't make out any details other than the fact that there was a shadow dancing, meaning that someone was officially drunk.

Zuko noticed his friend focused on something and looked to see as he realized what was happening. "Oh, did you hear? We have some new people in our town."

Aang's eyebrow arched at his friend. Nobody ever moved there, they usually moved away. Except him of course, but that was besides the point. "Oh? Know anything about them?"

"Only what they look like," he admitted as he cleaned a shot glass and put it below the counter. "One's a big guy with tanned skin and he's got his hair up in a ponytail. He looked like a hipster to me," he chuckled.

Aang laughed with him. "Okay, so we've got a hipster in the town now. Who's the other guy?" he asked curiously.

But to his surprise, Zuko shook his head. "Not a guy, a girl. The one who's dancing over there right now," he pointed to where Aang had been looking. Aang tried looking again, but the men in front of him were thoroughly blocking his view of whoever the girl was.

"So what, they're married or something?" Aang wondered as he took another sip of his beer.

Zuko simply shrugged. "No idea. All I know is that the girl is pretty, and right now very drunk." Another chorus of cheers came from the men watching her dance as Aang's curiosity simply became too much for him. Standing up, he looked over the men and felt his heart stop as he partially recognized the woman he was looking at, except she was different. She was now ten years older, but she was even more beautiful than she was all those years ago.

"Katara?!" the young airbender gasped in surprise.

"You know her?" Zuko looked at him in even more surprise.

Aang nodded mutely for a moment, still trying to register the fact that she was here. What was she doing here? And why was she getting drunk at a bar? Shaking off his surprise, he watched as a guy got closer to her and started talking to her.

"Come on baby, why don't we go back to my place?"

Aang grit his teeth before he walked quickly over there and moved the guy out of the way. "I don't think so, Hahn. Why don't you go home?"

Hahn smirked and crossed his arms. "You can't kick me out," he said smugly while leaning up against the wall. His eyes widened in surprise as Aang took out the papers Zhao gave him.

"Yes, I can. But I'll make a deal with you. If you leave now without any struggle, I'll let you take a bottle with you on the house," he offered. Hahn thought about it for a moment before deciding this would be his best bet. He walked up and ordered what he wanted before leaving, making Aang sigh in relief. He didn't want to fight him, but he would have if need be.

Turning to the still drunk girl, her eyes lit up as she struggled to stay standing. "You look… familiar. Do I know you?" she asked before her legs gave out and she collapsed into him.

"Now's not the time for that, Katara," he sighed, seeing that she was too drunk to drive herself home and, considering he didn't know where she was staying, he wasn't sure what to do.

"How do you know my name?" she drunkenly asked and laughed a little. "You know what? I don't care. You're too cute to be mad at." She kissed him on the cheek, making him blush before she leaned into his ear, whispering pretty loudly since she was too inebriated to notice. "You want to go home and have some fun? I've always wondered what sex was like." The guys around her heard this and drooled at hearing that she was a virgin, but Aang gave them a stern look and they backed down.

He still couldn't believe that she was here, but he decided that he would have to wait to find out why. Right now, she needed somewhere she could sleep off the alcohol. Taking one of her arms, he put it around his shoulder and slowly walked her out of the bar, making sure to keep her on track as she stumbled.

As they got outside, Aang decided it was time to find out where she was staying. "So, Katara, where are you staying?"

She took a moment to think about it, but due to her drunkness, it took several moments for her to respond. "I… don't remember. Everything's fuzzy right now." She looked up at him. "You look really familiar. Are we going to have some fun?" she asked hopefully, a small burp escaping her mouth.

He let out a long sigh. "Um… sure." Since she didn't remember where she was staying, he couldn't just leave her out here where somebody could get her to do something she would regret. Taking a deep breath, he guided her to his car. "Come on, we'll go back to my place."

She smiled drunkenly and allowed him to help her into the passenger's seat before he went over and got in the driver's seat. The young waterbender stared in amazement at the interior of the car. Everything in it was top of the line, from the cupholders to the touchscreen music player.

"Are you rich orrr something?" she slurred.

Aang laughed a little and smiled at her. This wasn't how he had been expecting to see her again, but he was still happy to see her regardless. "Yeah. Something like that." Fortunately for him, the drive from the bar to his place wasn't long and they arrived within the next few minutes.

Pulling into the parking lot, he turned the car off and walked to the other side to help her out. With some difficulty, he managed to get her out and helped her up the stairs to his condo. Finally reaching his door, he unlocked it and helped her get inside. "Wow," she breathed as she looked around. "You have a nice place."

"Thanks," he laughed a little. "Come on. Let's get you to bed." He led her down the hallway and into his room. Moving the blankets out of the way, he helped her lay down and, just as he was about to tuck her in, she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him into a kiss. Taken by surprise and enjoying the kiss, he kissed her back for a few moments before he realized what he was doing and forced himself to pull away, but she didn't seem fazed.

"Wow. If a kiss is that good, then sex must be great!" she drunkenly laughed before attempting to pull him to the bed again. He refused, however, making her pout. It nearly broke his heart to see her pout at him like that, but there was no way he was going to take advantage of her like this.

"I'm sorry, Katara, but not now. Why don't you get some sleep?" he suggested gently as he covered her with the blanket.

"But I don't wanna," she complained, her blue eyes searching for any sign that she could convince him to do what she wanted to.

He smiled sadly and shook his head. "Not now, Katara. Get some sleep and we can talk in the morning." He could tell that she wanted to argue more, but the alcohol finally caught up to her and she started to close her eyes.

"Okay," she murmured tiredly before she finally fell asleep. Letting out a sigh of relief, he admired the peaceful look on her face and, against his better judgement, placed a soft kiss on her forehead, making her smile a little. Satisfied, he grabbed some pajamas from his dresser and got ready for bed. Once he was done, he grabbed a spare blanket and a pillow and opted to sleep on the couch. As he closed his eyes, he couldn't help but feel happy, for he had finally seen her again. Tired from a long day, he fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Katara woke up with a killer headache. She groaned as she sat up and pressed a hand to her head as if that would help ease the pain she felt in it. Taking a deep breath, she took in her surroundings and realized she was in an unfamiliar place. Now fearing the worst, she looked down at herself and was relieved to see that she was still in her clothes. So she hadn't done anything stupid.

With a still throbbing head, she forced herself to get up to see if she could figure out where she was. Moving over to the door, she peeked through it and her stomach growled as she smelled fresh bacon being cooked. It had been a while since she had a home cooked meal. Finally walking out, she made her way down the hall and looked around until she found who she was looking for.

"Goodmorning, Katara," he greeted her pleasantly as he flipped a pancake, not looking back at her. "Did you sleep well?"

Katara looked at him weirdly. How did he know her name? Shaking it off, she decided to reply. "As much as I could be drunk," she laughed weakly, wincing as another wave of pain surged through her head before she forced herself to think. "But who are you? How do you know my name?"

He actually laughed. A pure, honest laugh that sounded all too familiar. Where had she heard that laugh before? "Wow," he finally responded. "And here I was thinking you would remember me," he teased slightly. Putting the pancake on a plate, he turned off the stove and turned around to her, making her gasp in surprise. "It's good to see you again, Katara."

She stared at him in absolute shock, fixed in place from how different he looked from the last time she had seen him. "Aang?"