A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long. As I've stated before though, this story will never be unfinished. Despite how infrequent updates sometimes are, I'm always working on the newest chapter here and there when I have time. Thanks to those still reading and I hope you enjoy!

Katara was a nervous ball of energy as she sat on top of Appa with Aang. While the night wind of Republic City whistled past her, she couldn't help but think about what tonight entailed. It had been about a month since she had returned to Republic City from the South Pole and it felt surreal that the day that she and Aang would announce themselves to the world was happening.

Aang's plan to reveal to the public that they were an item made all the sense in the world. Love Amongst the Dragons was going to be performed in Republic City for the very first time in the city's brand new amphitheater. Katara had never heard about the play before, but apparently, it was huge in the Fire Nation due to getting massive support from none other than Firelord Zuko.

She was all dolled up with a dress she purchased as an impulse buy when she was hanging out with Suki. It was green with gold embroidery and far too expensive than she would've liked, but after spending 15 minutes looking at herself with it on deciding whether or not to buy it, Suki pleaded with her that she had to have it.

Aang was dressed in his usual formal orange and red Air Nomad robes and loved to announce to her that the simplicity of Air Nomad attire was one of the many benefits he and the Acolytes had over everyone else.

The plan itself was simple enough. Go to the play as an obvious couple and let the news spread like wildfire. The amphitheater housed around three hundred guests and there would be no doubt that the buzz of the evening would be centered around the two of them announcing themselves. This did make Katara question whether it was wrong to upstage the play, but Aang assured her that this would make the play a must see going forward.

While hearing people gossip about them would be a bit annoying, it was odd, yet thrilling that they would be doing something together as an official couple out in public for the very first time. It was safe to say that their relationship was serious by this point and finally being able to do normal couple things in public excited her to no end.

As all these thoughts ran through her head, she glanced over at her boyfriend on top of Appa's head who was looking far more stoic than his usual chatty self. She gently nudged his shoulder to draw his attention.

"Everything alright?," she asked softly. "You look like you're about to head into battle."

He chuckled lightly. "Yeah, I'm fine. I guess I'm just a little nervous."

"You, nervous!" She could understand if this was any other person, but Aang? She had never met someone so calm and collected in what many would consider stressful situations. "I'm the one who is supposed to - who is nervous."

"What, I can't be nervous?" he replied defensively.

She shook her head. "It's just, you never are and this is your plan."

He let out a sigh. "I know. I shouldn't be. It's a good nervous though. This is a big moment for us. I'm not nervous about if things go wrong or if people will say nasty things about us. After tonight, things will feel different between us."

Despite feeling similar to him, it didn't quite make sense to Katara how Aang was feeling this way. "What do you mean by that?" she asked with a bit of a chuckle. "The only thing that's changing is the public will know."

"I don't know how to describe it other than we'll look back on this day as a significant chapter for us."

She felt that too. But to hear him echo that heightened the magnitude of the night. "Ok, now you're making me way more nervous."

"We don't have to-"

Katara's finger instantly met his lips to stop him from continuing. "We're doing this."

Aang smiled and gave her a little nod and the two sat in comfortable silence the rest of the way. When they got close enough, Katara's jaw dropped at the sight of the amphitheater. She had seen it in passing, but at night, with a full crowd eager to see a renown play was another beast altogether.

They made sure to arrive extra early to ensure the most amount of people would see the two of them together. It didn't take long for the crowd to turn their attention to Appa soaring in the night sky. Instinctively, the crowd made an opening large enough to allow Appa to land.

"You ready?" Aang asked once they landed.

She nodded and he picked her up bridal style and airbent them onto the ground. That made the crowd look at them peculiarly. But once Aang grabbed Katara's hand and interlinked their fingers, the oohing and aahing began.

Now that the moment was actually happening, Katara felt so embarrassed. Not for being intimidated by the crowd, but for making a spectacle out of a simple date. She side eyed a few people throughout the crowd as she and Aang walked towards the entrance and they acted like they were seeing someone walk on the moon. It was impossible to make out what anyone was saying, but it sounded ok for the most part.

Once they finally reached the entrance, the ticket clerk was a bit starstruck and Aang had to politely ask him for their tickets. After fumbling around for a few moments, the clerk handed their tickets and they proceeded past the doors inside where another attendant was waiting for them.

They followed the attendant who was trying his best to remain calm as he escorted them to their suite. Being the Avatar meant that they would have their own VIP suite in the upstairs balcony which was definitely a plus. As they walked, Katara couldn't help but admire the beautiful atmosphere this amphitheater provided.

"Here we are," the attendant announced and opened the door for their suite. "If there is anything else I can get you, please do not hesitate to ask."

"We should be ok, thank you for your hospitality," Aang replied and handed the attendant a tip. He gave the attendant a small bow of gratitude and took Katara inside. When she sat, she let out a contented sigh.

"This seat may be the most comfortable I've ever sat in," she said dreamily.

"Nothing beats sitting on top of Appa," Aang replied as he squirmed in his seat to find the most comfortable position, "but this will do."

"I think everything went as well as we hoped." She looked around and saw all the people below her getting seated before turning her attention back on Aang. "And now I can do this without having to worry about anyone seeing us."

She leaned across her seat to kiss him and it certainly felt different. It was difficult to describe since they had kissed countless times already. But with them now being public, in the atmosphere the theater provided, and with them all dressed up, it definitely felt like the next chapter of their relationship was well underway.

"So," she said as she settled back in her seat. "What is the play about again?"

"The play features the Dragon Emperor, bound to mortal form by the Dark Water Spirit, and forced to adopt the alias of Noren. The humble experience results in Noren falling in love with a mortal, and through this love he is able to break free of his curse," Aang concluded dramatically.

"And this really is Zuko's favorite play?"

"Yeah," he replied with a grin. "Does that surprise you?"

"A little," she admitted, which elicited a big laugh from Aang. Katara too couldn't hold back as she joined in the laughter. "I'm not saying that guys can't like a play like this. It's just that Zuko doesn't strike me as the theater type."

"It certainly isn't something you'd expect out of him, but he is easily the biggest theater nerd I know. He got that from Ursa. She even starred in this play as the mortal who falls in love with the Dragon Emperor. It's how she and Noren bonded."

"And what do you think of the play?"

She saw Aang cringe and laughed. "I liked it the first few times I saw it, but after seeing it a dozen times by now, I can't say that I have the same enthusiasm to see it again."

While she was a bit sad that Aang wasn't overly enthusiastic about the play, she was. In the Southern Water Tribe, plays were more about the communal experience and the culture rather than providing the audience with any sort of masterful production value. To see what a renowned play was all about was definitely going to be a treat.

Once the lights dimmed thanks to the firebending attendees, Katara let out a small squeal of delight. She loved the beginning of the play from the story, the dancing, the costumes, the singing, and the music. There was no doubt in her mind that this play was genuinely one of the best in the entire world.

But as it went on, she found herself losing interest. The effect of the stage production had lost some of its charm and the theatrics of the actors and actresses were starting to wane on her. The darkness of the theater also didn't help matters in the slightest.

Before she knew it, her posture in her seat had slumped and her eyes suddenly felt heavy. Noticing that, she sat up straight and forced herself to keep her eyes wide open. 15 minutes and one extended monologue later though, she found herself in a similar position. This time though, she figured there wouldn't be too much harm in closing her eyes for just one second.

A nudge brought Katara to the brink of consciousness, but not quite enough to fully open her eyes.

"Katara," she faintly heard a voice say and felt another little nudge. Still though, she felt no urge to open her eyes despite being conscious now. "Katara, wake up."

This time, the voice was louder and the nudge was firmer. As her eyes finally started to flutter open, she felt groggy and was unsure of exactly where she was. But once her vision was clear enough to see her dress and the suite they were in, she bolted upright. She sat up just high enough to see that the crowd was dispersing and the majority had already left.

"What's going on? Where's everybody going!?"

She felt Aang's hand on her shoulder. "Relax, everything is fine. The play is over."

She gawked. "What. What do you mean the play is over?"

He let out a small chuckle. "I mean that the play is over," he replied playfully. "That's why everyone is leaving."

While what Aang was saying had to be true, it still left Katara dumbfounded. "That doesn't make sense. I closed my eyes for a second."

"I'm sure you did, but that second must've turned into an hour. And um, you got something on the left side of your bottom lip," he said while gesturing to the area in question.

Katara reached up and was horrified to discover that it was hardened from the drool that must've occurred from her little nap. "Spirits, this is so embarrassing!" She then proceeded to frantically scrape the area with one of her nails. "Did I get it?" she asked pleadingly.

Aang shook his head. "Here, let me." He took a finger and lightly licked it to lubricate it before rubbing the finger on the cracked skin. "Got it."

"Thanks," she mumbled and tore her eyes away from him in embarrassment due to feeling like a toddler . "You could've woken me up when you noticed I fell asleep."

"I could've," he agreed. "But I think I zoned out myself," he finished while rubbing the back of his neck.

Katara let out an ironic laugh. "Thank the Spirits we have this suite to ourselves. I can imagine the headline if someone saw us." She paused and got into her "reporter" character. 'Avatar Aang's new girlfriend can't bother to stay awake for the couple's first date and the Avatar couldn't care less. Must be some relationship!'

Aang laughed loudly and suddenly the embarrassment she felt was totally gone. While Aang was not shy about laughing, she loved the fact that he laughed hardest at her jokes. She had enough interactions with men flirting with her to know the difference between fake and genuine. Aang's was the real deal.

"That would certainly be less than ideal," he conceded and slung an arm around her shoulder. "At least we accomplished our big goal. And we can probably cross going to the theater off our list for date night ideas. So I would still say that this night was a huge success."

She sighed in agreement as she placed her head on Aang's shoulder and let out a soft yawn.

"Tired?" he asked. Another yawn escaped her lips before she could answer. "I've been noticing that from you lately."

"Are you stalking me?" she teasingly questioned.

"Yeah," he responded instantly and squeezed her tighter. "Hopefully not too creepily though."

She let out a soft chuckle and nuzzled further into him. "I guess you're right though. I have been a bit tired lately."

"I've been too. I think we're due for a vacation."

Katara let out a snort. "Sure, let's just head out tomorrow," she said ironically. When Aang didn't reply, she realized he wasn't joking and sat upright to look at him. "Wait, are you being serious?"

He nodded. "I mean, not tomorrow but why not? Things are a bit slow at the Council and we don't have to hide anymore."

"I guess going on a vacation wouldn't be the worst thing in the world." She sighed and relaxed in her seat, imagining just the two of them at some resort with a glass of wine in their hands without having to deal with any crowds. "Where were you thinking of?"

"Ember Island," Aang replied. "It's got some of the best weather this time of year and the people there are accustomed to high profile people like us."

Katara chuckled thinking about the two of them sticking out like sore thumbs amongst a bunch of rich snobs. "Sounds fancy. Where exactly is this island?"

"The Fire Nation."

The mere mention of her stepping foot in the Fire Nation felt like someone dumping a bucket of cold water over her. But maybe it was time she finally went. While she'd never forget the atrocities the Fire Nation brought on to her people and the entire world, the people directly responsible were either dead or behind bars.

Her father and brother had both been in the Fire Nation for Water Tribe business and both had explained to her that the initial uncomfortableness of being in the place responsible for the near extinction of their people was heavy, but the feeling passed and eventually, it was just like being in any other Nation.

"Ok, let's do it."

The next morning, Katara awoke in her bedroom nestled into the warmth of Aang's bare chest. She smiled triumphantly as this was the first time since they've slept in the same bed together that she was up before him. And that was something she was definitely going to announce proudly the second he woke up.

Carefully, she untangled herself from him and made her way to the front door. While she would never admit it to anyone, she was eager to read what the paper had to say about her and Aang being together. She was preparing for the worst, but was hoping that whoever wrote the story would at least be respectful.

As expected, the paper was on her front door step. She picked it up, made a pot of tea, and sat on the couch to read it. When she opened it, she was stunned to see that the main picture wasn't of Aang or the two of them; it was just her. What was even more surprising as she began to read it was that the content was highly respectful of who she was and focused entirely on the good she had done in her young life and not what she is to Aang.

The story talked about how she was the one who freed the Avatar, how she was the sole remaining survivor of Southern Water Tribe waterbenders, how she mastered waterbending so quickly that she became the youngest honorary member of the White Lotus and helped liberate Ba Sing Se during Sozin's Comet, and finally, the story concluded with everything she had done to help rebuild the decimated Southern Water Tribe and everything she has done as Republic City's newest Councilwoman.

"How'd it turn out?" Aang asked, emerging from the hallway.

She smiled and looked up at him. "I think it's pretty good."