A/N. Sorry I didn't post earlier, I had some eventful days lol!

I don't own Avatar the last Airbender.

"Tara, wake up!" Aang's voice whispered happily in her ear, and she opened her eyes, seeing the big grey eyes of the airbender staring at her.

"What?" She groaned. Early mornings were nothing for her, and certainly not one when she had been wide awake during the night. As the airbender had softly snored through the night, she had been lying there, thinking about what her father had said. He… Had been right. It was infuriating, but it was true.

And to be honest… He agreed with her, no? Aang would be in terrible danger if something happened to any of their friends, for he would move heaven and earth for them… But for her? It was maybe a bit unhealthy how they acted around that problem, but it was true. Either one of them would do anything to keep the other safe…

"Zuko has overslept… I'm free, as long as I don't wake him up." Aang's voice whispered once more beside her, and Katara could feel an arm snake around her waist. All the worries of the night seemed to disappear as that happened, and she smiled.

"Hmm… Meaning that we can sleep in, for once?" Each time Aang had gone for Sun Meditation, she had woken up and had not been able to catch some more sleep after that. Two days ago, she had opted to go talk to her dad… And since then, it had been… Well, her nights were devoted to pensive contemplation.

"Sleep in… Or…" The airbender whispered, and she heard the grin in his voice.

"It would be a nice way to wake up…" The waterbender smiled back, stretching her arms and legs widely. There was no need to worry about anything at this moment… So…

"I thought so too…" Aang murmured into her neck, and she felt the lips of the airbender on her skin.

But before anything else could happen, the temple buildings shook, and an explosion sounded in the distance. Katara jumped up, looking to Aang, whose eyes were wide in realization. Only one kind of people would throw bombs at a ruin. People who knew that the ruin was inhabited.

They had been found.

"Shit!" She exclaimed, quickly pulling her dress over her head, not bothering with bindings and other accessories. Grabbing the bag they had prepared for this, with some essential clothes and other necessities, she threw it at Aang who caught it without thinking.

"Maybe it's just Sokka making stink bombs or something of the like?" The airbender spoke softly, as if the thing that had made the explosion could hear them. And she heard the slight hesitation in his voice. It was clear to her that he was trying to convince himself that it was nothing.

Insistent knocking sounded on their door, without halting.

"Aang! Katara!" It was Zuko's voice, wide awake. Rolling her eyes, because she was still not used to the prince using her name, she threw open the door. The firebender nearly hit her with his fist, that he had been using to knock the door as hard as he could.

"What?" She spoke irritably.

"Airships." Was the only response the scarred man gave. Widening her own eyes, Katara knew what that meant. Soldiers and perhaps even firebenders would attack them.

"How many?" Aang called behind her. Turning around, she saw a look she hadn't seen many times in his eyes. Anger.

Anger?

Oh Tui and La… Soldiers were going to enter the Air Temple… Oh no…

"Three. If I heard correctly. Meaning at least four hundred soldiers. We can't fight that, we have to flee. As you said before, remember?" Zuko spoke to the airbender, ignoring the fact that she was standing between them.

Aang had indeed given that as a condition for him to agree to the plan of fighting the Fire Lord before the Comet. And she had understood why he had done so. He was everything except a coward. But to fight that many soldiers… They would all lose sight of each other during the battle. And if he was hurt… she didn't know if she would be able to stand that.

"Come with us." The airbender walked past her, grabbing her hand in the process. As they began to half walk half run towards the Great Terrasse, Katara could see the smoke blending into the morning mist. Probably from the explosion… But it had been too calm after that… So, what was happening? And how did the prince know exactly how many people were attacking?

Because he had led them here?

No… the firebender wasn't that good an actor. And why would he have put this Mai person in danger? Perhaps it was all a big ploy to make them trust him. Had to be.

"Where did the explosion happen?" Aang asked the firebender behind them.

"Above us. They have put out their engines, so I suspect they are going to the staircase."

Indeed, there were steps carved into the rock, leading up to the plain above them. If it was the case, they could probably block it off… Couldn't they?

"Bend the steps away!" She whispered to Aang, who nodded. It was the only way to keep the temple as safe as possible. If Fire Nation soldiers were coming… Who was to say what was going to happen? If four hundred soldiers attacked… Spirits, these halls would once more be the place of bloody massacre…

But not of them. Not their friends.

No, Katara wouldn't allow that. She refused to go down without a fight. If that was what the Fire Nation wanted, they could get it. No way in the cold hell of Tui that she would allow people to hurt her friends. Not her brother. Not her father. No one.

"Go warn the others, my love." Aang spoke, turning towards the canyon wall to bend away the steps.

The waterbender bit her lip. On the one hand, she didn't want to leave Aang alone, and certainly not with Zuko! But on the other… She needed to be sure that the others were not hurt or worse… And she bit her lip even harder when she realized the airbender had called her my love. He did that only in certain situations… When he worried. About… About her.

And he had said it with the prince standing next to them. Who didn't look all that surprised.

He had known.

Katara began to run. Over the bridge, towards the corridor where the others slept. Too late, she realized that her father, Sokka and Suki had actually changed rooms, and were in the guest house. Well, perhaps Aang would think of that, or they would have heard them talk. She had to warn the others.

Crossing the Great Terrasse, the waterbender entered the corridor.

"Fire Nation soldiers!" Slamming an open hand against the first door she saw, she shouted. Behind the wood, muffled sounds could be heard. Well, at least there was one or two people awake. She went to the other door, but before she could even touch it, the door opened and a completely dressed and awake Toph stood in front of her.

"I heard. They are walking above us. We need to close off the entrances." The blind girl rolled up her sleeves.

"Aang is already bending away the staircase." Katara answered, as the door on which she had knocked opened and the Duke, Haru and Teo appeared. She resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow. Hadn't they agreed on sleeping in pairs? Why was Toph alone?

Choosing not to ask, she turned back to the earthbender.

"Not enough. There are tunnels. I didn't tell you, but there are. And too many to bend away. I think those tunnels were made by the Fire Nation when they attacked this place. The soldiers above us know. They are not moving towards the stairs." Toph's misty eyes were set on an angry gaze, and Katara's heart was gripped by a cold fist.

They can enter.

"Come with me!" She quickly spoke and turned around. Marching out of the pathway, Katara's eyes wandered to the mosaic on which Jinora was depicted. If this place was compromised, they could not stay here any longer… And perhaps, it was better. For everyone.

As she closed the distance towards the bridge, she saw Sokka stand next to Appa, already throwing stuff into the saddle.

"Dad and Suki?" She asked as they drew closer to her brother.

"With Aang and Zuko!" He answered, a frown on his face, "Normally, we'll have some extra time if the stair is destroyed!"

Ah, so the others had told him about that plan.

"There are other ways in!" That idea made her fear. The stairs, even if they were not destroyed, would have been easy to defend… But if there were tunnels, through which rows and rows of soldiers could file in… Well, that would make their life infinitely more complicated.

"Fuck!" Her brother threw his hands in the air, clearly irritated, "How many?"

"Too many." Toph stepped forwards, a hard look in her eyes.

Meaning that any moment, the Fire Nation could be marching in. This was the moment they had been afraid of thinking about… Sure, she had known they had been living a fantasy, in which the Fire Nation was a distant enemy. But, of course, they would be searching for them. And even if the Temple seemed a bad choice as a hiding spot, they were bound to check on it one moment or another. And that moment was here.

"The stairs are gone." Aang's voice called out, and, turning around, the waterbender saw him march over towards them, followed by the prince, Suki and her dad. Her father had a worried look on his face, but seemed to be attempting to hide it.

"There are tunnels." Toph repeated her discovery, and Katara watched Aang's calm demeanour crumble. Just for a moment. But it was long enough for her to realize he had understood.

The Fire Nation had dug tunnels towards the temple to attack it a hundred years ago. And through these tunnels, the grandsons or great-grandsons of the men who had done that were now marching to finish them off. And it terrified him.

"Who will be leading them?" Sokka asked, turning towards the firebender.

"Depends. Shinu is Ozai's lackey, he is a possibility. Then there is Hezu. He is a friend of my uncle, but also the commander of the domestic army… Let's hope for Shinu. He is an idiot that will just charge in. The other one is the clever one." The firebender spoke.

What did it matter! Fire Nation soldiers were going to enter this place! It was not important who led them! Katara knew that if there was a fight, it would quickly dissolve into hand to hand fighting, and that strategy didn't matter that much in such battles.

"Flee on Appa?" Haru suggested, even though Katara heard it was rather reluctantly.

"He can't carry that many people…" Aang spoke softly, rubbing his knuckles against the sides of his head.

"We could fly down and get the airship. Flee on that." Katara spoke up. That would allow everyone to flee, and make sure that they would keep an ample part of their supplies…

"They would just follow us. Appa is much faster than an airship…" Her brother countered, and Katara resisted the urge to kick one of the small pebbles on the floor. Then, they would have to fight! It was just four hundred soldiers! They had some of the best benders and fighters that there were to have! She didn't care! Perhaps they would die, but at least they would not make it easy!

"Then, there is only one option… Split." Her father suggested. Whipping her head around towards the older man, she couldn't believe her ears. No way her dad would suggest that.

"Sokka, Toph, Katara, Zuko and Aang on Appa, and as the Fire Nation soldiers begin to follow you, Haru, Suki, The Duke, Teo and I take the airship and head north. It is open waters, and we could try and reach the North… And link up there?"

That was… Suspiciously like the idea Aang had suggested when they had first arrived here. But they had agreed that they couldn't bring war to the North Pole… And that they wouldn't separate.

"I won't go there. Soldiers will follow us there and besiege Agna Qel'a once more…" The airbender spoke but lifted his head towards the left. Towards an empty space. His silver eyes widened slightly as he perched his head, as if he was listening to something.

"Down!" He shouted. From the corners of her eyes, Katara saw the others crouch and lie down, as the terrasse began to shake. As she looked at Aang, the airbender began to whip his glider in a wide circle. The wind picked up, with a force she wasn't used to feel from his airbending. The terrasse continued to shake, but now, there was also a slight metal creaking.

From high above the walls, high metal gates slammed down onto the tiled floor. Raising her eyebrows, she realized that the terrasse, thanks to the gates, was now split into two, with the outer part cut off from the buildings itself.

The Air Temple had defences…

That surprised her. Katara had never expected the Air Nomads to actually build defences into their holy places. Had this place been attacked before? And if so… how had Aang known these gates were there, in the ceiling?

Before she could even think about it, the wall on the left, behind the gated, erupted in a great plume of smoke. There had been a mosaic on that wall, representing bisons and the temple… At least it wasn't the Nun Mosaic… The force from the explosions made the building shake, and the waterbender could hear rumbling above them.

"Watch out!" An arm slammed into her, making her roll over several feet toward the left. Disoriented, she could hear Momo screeching, as shouts and screams came from behind the gates. Looking at the person who had pushed her, she saw it was Zuko, lying half over her.

"Get off!" She nearly punched him in the face as she stood up. Glancing a look at the place where she had been crouching, Katara saw rubble from the ceiling at the exact place she had been… Trying to ignore the fact that the firebender had saved her… She turned back to the scene in front of her.

The part of the Terrasse behind the gates was being filled with men in the red uniforms of the Fire Nation Army… And they seemed confused. They had probably expected to surprise them sleeping, bursting into the temple with the element of surprise and kill them. But they were faced with wide awake enemies, who had prepared defences. And their plan was now null and void.

She walked over to Aang, who stood, facing the soldiers with a resigned look on his face.

"We have to leave… Drop the others off at the airship in the valley, and then we flee on Appa." The airbender nodded, apparently agreeing with the plan her father had come up with… And… Well, even though she didn't like it at all… It was the only way.

"They are going to separate my family… Again…" Anger bubbled inside her.

The Fire Nation had done immeasurable harm to her family! Her grandmother had not even known what peace was! She and her brother had not been able to even know about the rest of the world until Aang arrived! Her father had gone to fight them, and she had missed him growing up. And… And they had taken away her mother. One of the most important people in her life… And now, they were doing it again! Would she see her father again? Or would this be farewell?

"I can create a tunnel towards the bottom of the canyon, through there." Toph interjected, pointing to a stretch of wall on their side of the gate.

"Do it." Sokka spoke through gritted teeth, clearly as annoyed as she was with this choice. But there was no choice… Not really at least. As she starred at the Fire Nation soldiers that were crowding the other side of the iron gates, Katara couldn't help but find it odd… Why weren't they attacking, and just starring?

A hand gently closed around her arm. Tuning her head around, Katara saw it was her father.

"This isn't forever… I promise. This time, I mean it." Her dad whispered, smiling sadly at her. The waterbender didn't know what to say. Sure, these last few months, he had done some stupid things… But she knew it had come from good intentions… Even their conversations from a few days ago. He had just tried to make conversation… About the wrong things, but still… He just wanted them to be safe.

Quickly pulling her arms around the older man, she pressed him against him. She had hugged him before since meeting up… but this one felt as if it was the first truly genuine one, and not one born out of duty…

As she stepped away from the hug, her father's eyes met hers, and Katara could swear that the sad smile on his face changed into a sad grimace, just for a second, as he gazed into her eyes. And she knew why… She had her mother's eyes… She didn't say anything about that, for if she found someone with the exact same eyes as Aang… Spirits, it would break her heart each time.

Her father turned away, walking towards Sokka, shortly hugging him too and then, marching towards the tunnel that Toph had just punched into the wall. Teo, the Duke and Haru were already waiting there, but Suki stayed with them… And to be honest, Katara had hoped she would. It was nice to have her with them.

As they filled into the tunnel, Toph closed it behind them to make sure no one could follow the group. And then, and only then, Katara turned back to the soldiers behind the gates, trying not to let her tears show.

"Shit." Zuko grumbled behind them, "I know that regiment."

That didn't sound good… Stepping towards Aang, she put a hand on his arm.

"Go. Take Appa and go." The firebender walked past them, not even looking back, "It's a family visit."

Oh no! Not Ozai! The Fire Lord only left the Caldara to visit foreign countries! And…

And to lead his armies in case of an important campaign.

Aang.

She reinforced her grip on the airbender's arm, and she could feel the tense muscles in his arm, as he kept his eyes trained on the soldiers. It was weird. Normally, he would be a whirlwind of activity, but now, he was just standing there, silent as a statue. Only his eyes moved, looking from one soldier to the next. As if he was counting. Or making sure not one did something unexpected.

"Zuko, come back!" Sokka shouted, as he began to climb into Appa's saddle. If the firebender wanted to sacrifice himself to save them, so be it! Better that than any of them! Aang already know the basics of firebending, and it was because of that that she had tolerated the prince. So, if he insisted in sacrificing himself to keep the soldiers at bay, while they fled… Who was she to say no to that?

"I'm here! I know you are here for me!" The firebender shouted, and the soldiers began to create a space in the middle. A lone figure walked up to the empty space. The figure was too small to be a man, or at least, a person like Ozai… She couldn't imagine the Fire Lord being small…

Azula.

The anger that had simmered inside of her flared up. This was the one person she hated. The Fire Lord, she detested for the fact he was responsible for the war. Zuko, she tolerated, but she hated him all the same for the things he had done during the winter. But Azula?

Oh… Azula was a whole different story. She had captured her in Ba Sing Se. The princess had toyed with her feelings. Had tried to use her as a bargaining chip. And then… She had killed Aang. Killed. Cold-blooded and without any mercy. She had defeated the Invasion. She had conquered Ba Sing Se. She had ruined any plans Katara had for the future.

And Katara had made a promise.

Next time she would see the princess, Azula would die. She would kill that bitch.

"You!" She muttered, too angry to shout. Katara kept her promises… And she would take a pleasure out of keeping this one. The princess couldn't have heard her, but still, the ember eyes that had been fixed on Zuko glanced towards her.

"Ah… How sweet. Don't worry, your turn will come after I deal with dear Zuzu… Oh… Aang? You remember what I told you when we talked last? I didn't change my plans…" Azula smiled at the airbender, then turned her attention to the firebender in front of her.

The tense muscles in Aang's arm seemed to be made of rock, and Katara had to grith her teeth. An empty threat. That was all it was. It was not like the waterbender would let herself be captured by the princess.

"Come." The airbender's voice was hard, and unyielding. He turned around and walked towards Appa, where Toph was already sitting on the saddle while Sokka was helping Suki climb up. Katara took a step towards the bison but hesitated a moment.

Behind her, she could hear fire crackling, and knew that the two firebenders were probably exchanging blows. So. Zuko was really on their side. But Katara still couldn't stand it. She wanted to be the one to kill Azula. Aang had always talked about forgiveness and kindness… But no. Not for Azula. Not for the one that had tried to kill him. Threaten her. Not for the one who had ruined their future.

Looking at her brother, who now extended a hand towards her to pull her up into the saddle, she felt her heart harden. Apparently, her emotions were clear on her face, because her brother's eyes widened considerably.

She turned around.

Zuko and Azula were indeed fighting, throwing fire at each other through the gates, but some of the soldiers were busy melting parts of the gates to create holes through which they could attack them and get to them.

She took several steps, but before she could even approach the two firebenders, an arm closed around her waist. Looking down, she saw it was Aang. Katara would recognize his tattooed pale arm anywhere.

"Let me go!" She shouted, trying to pull herself from the grip of the airbender.

"No." He answered, sounding strained as he tried to keep her in his arms.

"You know what she did!" He had to understand! Aang never tried to stop her when she took a decision! He had always respected her choices!

"And I know what she is capable of! Tara… Please…" He sounded so very tired, as if it was physically draining to do this.

"No!" She managed to escape his grip, but only for two steps, when she was once more held back by the airbender.

"Aang, let me go!" He had never been like this! He had never forbidden her from doing what she thought was right! And this was right! Taking revenge on Azula, and taking out the one that did most of the planning against them? How could that be a bad thing?

In a backward part of her brain, Katara knew the reasoning of the airbender. He was afraid for her, what would happen if she lost against Azula, what it would mean for the world and for him and her… But that voice of reason was drowned by pure rage. Azula had killed the man she loved! He had survived, by some miracle… But the fact that she had made her feel that sense of loss… That, no. That she wouldn't forgive.

"No." Aang spoke through gritted teeth, as he began to pull her towards Appa. Hitting his arm with her fist, the waterbender new she was fighting a lost battle. The airbender had been training for months, and was well aware of his own strength. She considered herself fit and quite strong, but she was no match against Aang.

Still, she tried.

Keeping her eyes on the princess and Zuko, she saw that the scarred prince was forced back by a salvo of blue fireballs. She could help! Disgusted by the fact she wanted to help the firebender, Katara pulled once more at the arm around her, only for the right hand of the airbender to grab her hands together and forcing them against her.

"Katara, we need to go!" Aang shouted in her ear, as the metal of the gates creaked loudly under the constant smelting of the soldiers.

"One ice spike! I could end this all!" Katara answered, also shouting.

"We would still have to fight the soldiers!" Aang yelled.

"So what!" They could do it! "At least we'll have the satisfaction of taking her down with us!"

Her feet lifted off the ground, and she felt how Aang jumped up, helped by his airbending, to land on the saddle. He dropped her, hard, next to Sokka and Suki. Then, he went to the bison's head.

"Zuko!" He shouted.

Why had he stopped her! She could have changed so much, just by killing that cruel bitch! No one would mourn Azula! One well-aimed ice spear, and it would have been over! Ozai would have lost his most loyal lieutenant! It would have been worth it!

Suddenly, a wall of red, orange and green flames went up in front of the gates, and from the smoke it created, the prince sprinted towards them. She had lost her chance… As Sokka was helping the firebender up, Katara glared at Aang's back.

He had done what he thought was right, but Tui and La! She loved him because he never tried to stop her, whatever she did. They talked about it! They took decisions, together!

"Get us out of here!" Zuko shouted next to her, and she resisted the urge to punch him.

As Appa jumped into the air, the flames parted and soldiers began to shout, running towards them. It was a lost cause, even if she would try to get down, Katara felt her brother's eyes on her, as if he was anticipating her train of thoughts.

So, she decided to settle in the back of the saddle. Glaring once more at Aang while the fire began to spread in the temple behind them.

Answers :

Handler : Yeah, they are super sweet and so on, but I can see the unhealthy way they are dealing with their problems. Instead of communicating, they are taking decisions for themselves and each other without consulting the other involved. Which kind of explodes in Aang's face here…

Bbacon : Yeah, Hakoda is really balancing between trying his best and being an absolute wreckage. At least he tried…

Rak :Indeed, That is really an important point now that we are heading into conflict territory… But I love writing the different POV's, so that the readers can see the opposing views that are eventually going to clash...

Alyssa : I'll see for the title, for now the work title is Embers of Autumn… I won't say if it is positive or negative, spoilers…

Jjsmith103 : He is really trying his best to be a good parent, but seen that his children are quite grown up, he has to realize that he can't have a say in their life, and certainly not if they won't let him… And indeed, their love for each other is great, but contradicting… Because in this chapter, both are shown : Katara would kill to avenge the worngs did to Aang, while Aang would willingly flee for their lives if it means Katara would be safe… Even if he has to fight her.