Chapter Fourteen

Katara slowly opened her eyes. Everything was a mass of fuzzy, spinning blobs. She blinked as her head began to clear and the blobs started to resemble objects. She sat up, holding her head, and looked around. She was sitting on the ground at the edge of a thick forest. Above her the sky was black and thunder rolled and waves were pounding the shore at her feet.

"Zuko!" Katara cried, jumping up in alarm.

"Katara!" An answering shout rang out from the forest. Prince Zuko came running out of the forest.

"What happened?" Katara asked, glancing at the clouds as they rolled by.

"I'm not sure. We must have been washed up on shore. The last thing I remember is hanging onto a piece of the mast in the ocean."

"This is the worst storm I've ever seen. I wonder when it's going to end."

"I don't know. I looked for the others but apparently we're the only ones here. I was afraid you weren't going to wake up." His dropped his gaze until he was staring at the ground.

"I'm tougher than that." Katara said softly, lifting his chin until he was looking at her again. Prince Zuko smiled. How could I have ever thought of her as an enemy?

"So what do we do now?" asked Katara. She looked around. "There doesn't seem to be anyone else here, or anything else for that matter. Just a bunch of trees."

"I found a cave a little ways from here. It won't be very warm but it will give us shelter from this storm. Let's stay there for the night and tomorrow we can figure out what to do next."

"Sounds good to me." Katara hadn't realized till then just how tired she was.

Prince Zuko took her hand, turned, and led her into the forest towards the cave. Soon they reached a large cliff and Katara spotted the small cave at its base. They went inside and collapsed on the ground in exhaustion. After awhile Katara got up and headed for the cave's entrance.

"I better get some fire wood while it's still light. You can light it when I get back."

"Ok. Don't go to far though. I don't know who or what might be hiding on this island."

"I won't" Katara smiled to herself. Uncle Iroh was right. Zuko is really a good person once he lowers his defenses.

Later that night they sat in front of a blazing fire that filled the cave with warmth and cast flickering shadows on the walls. Katara rested her head against Zuko's shoulder. It gave her comfort. When he was there she felt like nothing bad could ever happen. But something bad will happen if the Avatar succeeds in stopping the fire nation. A small voice in her head said. You will never get to see Prince Zuko again.

"Zuko?" Katara asked softly.

"Yeah?" He looked down at her as she rested against him.

"What will we do if…..if Aang," Katara stopped herself. He's not Aang anymore. He's the Avatar. The enemy. "If the Avatar," she corrected herself, "discovers our secret?"

Zuko was silent for a minute. "You know," he said slowly, "I've been thinking about that. I don't want to pressure you to do anything you don't want to but," he trailed off, choosing his words carefully, "I think…..I think we should join forces. We could work together to capture the Avatar and help the fire nation win the war. I mean, we wouldn't kill him. I would spare his life for your sake. He would merely be my, our, prisoner. Who knows? After the comment comes and the fire nation gains complete control then we may be able to let him go. He can't do any damage after that."

Katara said nothing. Everything Zuko had just said was spinning around in her head. Catch, prisoner, control. Could this really be the answer? Something didn't feel right. Something in her conscious was saying this was not a good idea. Images of her, Sokka, and Aang flashed through her head. But they were quickly replaced by pictures of Zuko and memories of their first kiss. Thinking about spending the rest of her life with him filled Katara with a kind of joy she had never felt before and the thought of helping him to triumph woke the tiny part of us that wonders what it would be like to be on the other side, to fight for the bad guys.

Finally Katara looked up at him. "I think you're right." She said softly. Her voice got louder as she began to feel more certain that she was making the right decision. "Yes. You are right! I will help you and the fire nation to defeat the Avatar. Then peace can be restored to the world, the way it was meant to be. As long as we do not kill the Avatar. That would seem to….drastic."

Prince Zuko smiled happiness apparent in his face. "I'm glad you will help me. Oh, I almost forgot. I have something for you." He put his hand into his pocket and pulled something out. "Close your eyes." He said. Katara did. He placed something in her hand and closed her fingers around it. "Ok. Open them."

Katara opened her eyes slowly and gasped in shock. "My mother's necklace!" she said breathlessly. "I thought I'd never see it again!" Tears formed in her eyes and she rapped her arms around Zuko in a tight hug.

"I had forgotten about it until last night when I saw it on my dresser. I'm sorry that I didn't give it back to you before. I hope you will give me the chance to give you more gifts than that when this is all over and we don't have to keep this a secret. I love you Katara."

"I love you too." She whispered and closed her eyes as their lips met in a passionate kiss.