"Make a U-turn at the next light."

"Turn around."

"Turn left at Second Street before turning right."

"Recalculating your route," the GPS repeated for the twelfth time in the past six minutes, not that Zuko had been counting of course.

Zuko shifted in his seat and cast a glance over at Katara in the driver's seat. He gulped as he saw her tightened grip on the steering wheel and the consistently increasing number on the speed dial. Zuko coughed. "Uh, Katara, I think that was our turn." Zuko jabbed a thumb behind him, gesturing to the passing streets.

"I know where I'm going, Zuko. I don't need your input." Katara stared resolutely at the road in front of her, but her eyes were glassy like she was unseeing.

Zuko held up his hands in surrender and unplugged the GPS. "I'll let you drive then."

It was still pouring outside. The windshield wipers squeaked back and forth, adding a rhythm to the coophone. Katara leaned forward in her seat like a grandmother on a rampage. There was no one on the roads late at night except for the truck drivers who never seemed to stop. The streetlights on the vacant streets, just off in the distance, looked like small ghost lights. Zuko felt like he was sitting inside of a dripping painting.

"Do you want me to drive?" Zuko asked quietly.

"I can do it," Katara insisted as she tightened the grip on the steering wheel.

"I know you are fully capable, I just wanted to offer if you were getting tired," Zuko defended.

Katara sagged at his words, but shook her head. "No, I can do it," she repeated.

If it were possible, it started to rain harder. With Katara's water bending, some of the rain was propelled away from the car, but while driving, Katara could only do so much.

They passed by several signs for rest stops and diners, their neon lights like beacon's in the dark haze of the rain. Zuko pulled out his cracked phone and turned on his data to look at the weather radar. A big red cell was coming their way and he noticed all of the red, purple, and yellow that muttered the radar surrounding the little arrow that was their car on the map. "Uh, Katara, I really think we need to pull over for the night." He zoomed out and it looked like the storm was going to last all night.

"I said I can do it myself!" Katara snapped.

Zuko hit himself on the forehead. "No, there is a large storm cell right on top of us that will be dangerous to drive through, oh mighty waterbender." Katara glanced over at Zuko, analyzing him. "Trust me," Zuko insisted; "trust me on this one, Katara. I'm exhausted from today, and I bet you are too, but you're too headstrong to admit it."

"I'm not the one who refused to join the good side time and time again," Katara bit back, her eyes fierce.

Zuko rested a steady hand on her knee as she turned her attention back to the road, the steering wheel jerking with the wind. "Yes, okay, I know I was stupid when I was tracking you guys down, but don't make the same mistake I did because you pushed yourself too far."

Katara bit her lip and didn't do anything other than drive for a few moments. Finally she reached over and turned on her hazards and started to slow down. She took the next exit, which happened to just be a rest area. She and Zuko remained silent as the rain pounded on the roof overhead. "I hate you," Katara said miserably, but without any heat.

"I know you do," Zuko responded, gripping his phone a little too tightly. The small camper slided a little on the wet pavement, but Katara kept a firm, yet tired grip on the steering wheel. She pulled them safely into a parking spot in an otherwise empty rest area.

The safety lights turned on automatically as she put the vehicle into park. She turned the key in the ignition off and they were plunged into darkness. Lighting shot through the sky, quickly followed by thunder, making them jump. Katara fell back against the back of her seat, biting her bottom lip as a sob tried to sneak out. Zuko looked away politely, ignoring how she stubbornly rubbed her eyes, wiping away the tears and frustration of the day.

Zuko unbuckled. He hovered a hand over Katara's shoulder, hesitant. "I'm going to start on some dinner," he mumbled, his voice low. He got up and turned on the small light over the small little kitchen that was pushed into the side of the narrow and small camper. He banged around the small kitchen, stumbling over their bags that sat behind the two front seats. There were a few belongings of the rest of the gang shoved into the cabinets around the kitchen, but Zuko was looking for food and something to cook with. Eventually he found a pot and a can of soup and some sketchy veggies. He drummed his fingers against the side of the counter, glaring at the dials on the small little stove. Zuko decided on one of the stitches finally, and scooped the soup paste out of the can with a plop. While the soup was being warmed up, he took out a cutting board and a random knife in one of the drawers and set about cutting up the vegetables. He moved his knife unbearably slowly, but he was able to carefully cut the vegetables properly without too much trouble. He slid the vegetables cutting into the boiling soup and he stirred the mixture carefully. Within his mind, his thoughts were everywhere as he tried to come up with some conversation starters or some common ground to start a conversation with Katara. The storm roared above the roof of the car, and the wind shook the sides of the vehicle roughly at random times. Zuko squinted out of the front windows and watched the storm roll in through the darkness that had settled over the valley they had parked in. When Zuko squinted, he could see a river in the distance that was pregnant with all of the additional water.

Zuko peaked into the fridge and pulled out two pudding cups and brought them up to the front, leaving the soup to simmer a little longer. He offered one of the cups to Katara, tapping her shoulder tentatively with it. "Here; have some."

Katara looked up and wiped her eyes tiredly, giving him an apologetic look. "Thanks," she offered.

Zuko fiddled with the plastic lid of his pudding cup, watching her from under his eyelashes. Foregoing the spoon, Katara squeezed the pudding cup and poured the contents into her mouth. Zuko picked at his own pudding with his spoon, taking turns staring pensively into the chocolate mixture and up at Katara. "So...master waterbender hey?" Zuko asked, dying of curiosity.

Katara looked guilty, not meeting his eyes. She tucked her wet, frizzy hair behind her shoulder and frowned.

"I don't remember you being that good when we last fought," Zuko said, trying to break the tension through self-deprecation. "I'm glad I'm on your side now." He let out a weak laugh and glanced up at Katara to look for her reaction.

She gave him a carefully guarded look, as if unsure of what he wanted. She wiggled her fingers at him, pulling just a little moisture out of his shirt. Katara let the water droplet hang in the air for a moment before she flicked it away so that it landed in the soup. She gave him a weak smirk. "You should be glad."

Zuko sat down on the ledge of the passenger seat and licked his lips. "I am," he said honestly. "I don't know where I would be today, if it wasn't for you...and Aang...everybody." Katara looked at him questionly, waiting for him to elaborate. He rubbed the back of his neck. "You were, kinda the first person who believed in me." Zuko let out an embarrassed laugh. "I know I was shitty at the time for going and helping my sister go after you guys, but...you helped me begin to realize how crappy my life made me to put it lightly."

Katara looked at him with open curiosity. "By talking about our mothers?" She gave him a skeptical brow twitch.

He shook his head, realizing that maybe he should have started with a different question, but he always had the tendency to begin with the deep conversations to bypass the small talk. He got up to grab two bowls and turn off the stove to give himself something to do. He poured their soup into the two bowls as he continued. "Kind of...I just never looked at my life like I was...the victim?" Zuko huffed. "No, that's not the right word for it; I mean like I never saw my life, or life in other nations from an outsider's perspective so I never thought that people have also experienced what I have gone through." He offered Katara her bowl, avoiding her gaze as he sat down properly in the passenger seat. "It was humbling, I guess, to know I wasn't...alone." Zuko stared into his soup and returned to silence, unsure of what to say next.

Katara made a strange noise, causing Zuko to look up. She was looking at him with wide, yet guarded eyes as if she was afraid to trust him again. "I'm sorry I couldn't heal...you know." She gestured to his scar vaguely. "I would have, just to let you know."

"Thank you," Zuko murmured. They both took a large slurp of soup.

"I'm glad you're with us now," she whispered so quietly Zuko thought he had imagined it. "And thank you for today. I don't know what came over me," she said shamefully. She crossed her legs and curled in on herself.

"You want the pain to go away," Zuko said in understanding.

Katara nodded, wiping at her eyes unsuccessfully. "No; I feel like I won't ever move on from her death. Every time I close my eyes, it's like I've lost her all over again. I lost a part of me that I feel like I will never find again," she admitted.

"You have," Zuko said. She looked at him with a bewildered stare, but he held up his hands and explained himself. "You lost your childhood and the feeling of being safe and carefree. I think you were exposed to the war too early...all of us were." Zuko swallowed. "We lost a part of our innocence when we learned the world wasn't fair." He touched the bottom edge of his scar briefly before playing it off by pushing his bangs away from his face. "We will always search for it, I think." He looked up at her again. "I'm sorry, that's not really comforting is it?"

Katara shook her head. "No, it kind of helps. I understand what you're saying and I think I agree. I had to take the roll of a mother when my mom died and I lost the freedom to just do anything without worry. I was taking care of Sokka and Dad, and then Aang and Toph. I just want a quick fix that will somehow fix this...imbalance in me." Katara chewed on her bottom lip and looked Zukoo deeply in the eyes. "When did it happen for you?"

Zuko scratched his scalp. "That is a loaded question, and I don't think tonight's the right time to give you the whole story. It's too dark for your ears tonight." Zuko gave her a sympathetic look. "Let's just say I lost my honor and my face on the same day...when I was thirteen."

"I was six," Katara said. She reached out and rubbed the top of his knee comfortingly. "Not that it's a competition."

Zuko let out a weak laugh, letting the air slip out of him. "If it were, I think you would have won ten times over."

Katara gave him a look he couldn't decipher. "I wouldn't say that. I may not know everything, but I'm here whenever you want to talk about it."

Zuko looked back at her, holding her gaze. It was surprisingly easy to get lost in her soft look. "Thanks," Zuko murmured, turning his attention to his soup, scraping the bottom of the bowl with his spoon.

They were lulled back into silence as they finished their soup and settled to just listening to the storm bang against all sides of the camper. The kitchen light flickered with the lightning around them. Zuko got up and checked the old control panel of the camper, checking the number that correlated with their battery. "We're almost out of power." He turned off the kitchen light and turned the power completely off. Lightning split through the sky, accompanied by a deep rumbling that shook the car, spooking them both. "We might need to wait until it's sunny tomorrow morning to charge the battery up again," he explained.

"Sorry," Katara blurted out.

"Why're you sorry? You didn't cause the rain storm." Zuko settled back in his seat and fiddled with his phone, flipping it around in his hands.

Katara frowned. "No, but I made us stay later and track down Yon Rha. We should have gone home sooner. I feel so stupid." Katara rested her head against the headrest. "I don't know what I thought I would do once I met him," she admitted in defeat. "Did I really think I could kill him?"

Zuko took a moment before answering. "I think it's easy to want to lash out when you're hurt. You want everything to be fixed, and you want someone to pay." Zuko looked over at Katara. "Trust me; I know."

"Do you think I did the right thing?" Katara asked quietly.

Zuko shrugged. "It's not my choice to make. Only you can decide what you did was right or wrong."

Katara nodded and looked down at her lap. "Yeah, but that's a hard choice to make."

Zuko nodded, putting a hand on her shoulder, letting his warmth radiate onto her shoulder. "But you always tend to choose the right one. Don't worry too much about it. I think we should get some sleep. We won't be able to do too much with this storm around us. We certainly can't get back to the rest of the gang tonight."

Katara hummed and untangled herself from the front seat and led the way to the back of the car and Zuko helped her pull the double bed out, setting up the pillows and blankets. "I'll take the front seats," Zuko announced once they were done setting the bed up.

Katara laughed and gave him a weird look. "That sounds uncomfortable. Why don't we just share the bed?"

Zuko shook his head almost comically big. "No, that's your bed. I'm good," he said almost squeakily.

Katara laughed, her face melting into a kind smile. "It's not my bed; don't worry so much. I don't mind sharing." She patted the bed again. "I swear I won't bite."

Zuko gave her a reproachful look, almost saying 'you sure about that?'. Katara gave him another blinding smile, lighting up the dark camper with her soft glow. Zuko felt his heart beat frantically against his chest. He knew this was a bad idea. He knew it would be a bad idea to sleep in the same bed as this amazing girl who he may or may not be harboring feelings for. No, not at all. Zuko finally shrugged; it wasn't like he was going to get any sleep anyway with the storm. "If you say so," he replied quietly.

He grabbed his designated blanket and carefully, oh so carefully, crawled onto the bed. Zuko was careful to keep a respectful distance between the two of them as he crawled towards the far end of the bed, pushing himself up against the window. Katara stayed on her side of the bed as well, but she hovered a little closer to the imaginary middle line in the bed's mattress.

There was another uncomfortable silence that drew between them in the next few minutes. Zuko stayed completely still against the side of the camper, while Katara continued to shuffle, adjusting her blankets or pillow. Thunder cracked overhead, making them both jump. The wind shook the vehicle again, making the pots and few materials inside the camper shake in their spots. Zuko could see Katara looking over at him in the darkness. From what he could see of her, she looked nervous and tentative, like she was trying to get the courage to say something.

Finally: "Do you want to watch a movie?" Katara asked.

Zuko tilted his head in confusion, pointing to the black tv in their vehicle.

Katara shook her head and leaned down over the bed to grab something from her bag that she had stashed under the bed. She brandished a portable dvd player and a small collection of movies. "Whenever there was a winter storm when I was little, my brother, mother, father, and I would watch one of these movies," she said as way of an explanation. In her lap she had the four movies: Shrek, Barbie's Princess and the Pauper, Hook, and Monster's Inc.

Zuko's eyes widened in recognition and he grabbed Hook instantly. His face lit up like a little boy and he practically bounced in his seat. "I love this movie! Oh my gosh can we watch this please please please!" He pleaded with big, round eyes.

Katara laughed, her nose scrunching up cutely. "Of course, lol." She gently took the old dvd case out of his hands and opened it with a snap. Zuko excitedly watched over her shoulder as she took out the dvd and pushed it into the drive of her portable dvd player. She glanced over her shoulder at him and Zuko noticed a small dusting of pink on her cheeks. "Why do you like the movie so much?"

That got Zuko talking like Katara had never seen. He talked about his love for each of the characters, but mainly Captain Hook and Rufio. He described the world that he dreamed of living in as a kid but also the story and the memory-like feeling to the film. "I watched it a lot as a kid. My mom said that I used to watch the movie every day." Zuko laughed at the memory. "I really like the ending though…" Zuko trailed off before finally confessing: "I always wanted a dad like Pan."

The home screen for the movie played in the background and Zuko could feel Katara's eyes on him. He was afraid to look up after confessing something he hadn't really talked about before. Zuko felt a hand rest on his knee, the warmth spreading across his leg. When he looked up he saw a sad look in Katara's eyes, but she also looked like she was trying to understand.

"I loved the movie too, when I was little," Katara said. "On rainy nights Sokka and I would crawl into my parents' bed and watch these movies." She gestured to the other three movies. "My dad really loved Hook, but I didn't really understand it when I was younger. When my mom was killed...and my dad had to work all the time, I guess I finally understood the movie." Katara took a deep breath and Zuko made himself wrap his own hand around hers. He squeezed her hand softly, earning him a gentle smile. "I still love the movie, but it makes me wish for when my family was happy."

"Your family is strong," Zuko interjected. "If you three want to be happy again, I know you will." Zuko playfully pushed his elbow against Katara's. "The Moons are very persistent, let me tell you."

Katara let out a relieved laugh and playfully nudged him back. She hit play on the movie and the two settled down to watch the movie, interjecting comments here and there. As they settled into their seats, Zuko found himself leaning more and more into Katara, and he found Katara doing the same.

When Zuko's favorite characters entered the screen, Zuko cheered their names under his breath, making Katara laugh. "Why do you only like the two characters who have their name chanted?" she laughed, her head bumping into his chin.

Zuko blushed. "I never noticed that…"

"Zuko, Zuko, Zuko, Zuko!" Katara chanted, getting herself into a fit of giggles.

Zuko scowled at her, but the scowl easily turned into a smile. "Who are your favorite characters then?"

Katara ducked her head and murmured something.

Zuko leaned closer to her, turning so his good ear was closest to her. "Who?"

"Rufio," Katara murmured.

Zuko smiled and leaned back into the stack of pillows that was their nest. "That's what I thought," he smirked.

Katara pushed him back, scowling. She pressed against his chest, getting into a comfortable position. Her curls tickled the base of Zuko's throat. Katara was settled squarely against his chest and seemed to feel comfortable in his presence, the complete opposite to how she had been earlier that morning. Zuko wasn't quite sure what to do with his arms, though. Right now, his arms were just awkwardly lying against his legs, but his right arm was at an awkward angle to avoid touching Katara's lower back with how she was positioned. Zuko licked his lips hesitantly and took a brave step and moved his right hand to hover over Katara's side. He eventually settled with his hand pressed against her shoulder. The skinship felt natural, and Katara must have felt the same way as she hummed at his warm hand.

As they finished Hook, the two of them became sleepier, slipping farther into their nest of pillows. Katara fell asleep first, her tiny snores making Zuko smile softly. He let his arm hang over her shoulder, now hovering around her middle. She clung to his hand in her sleep and pressed into his chest. Zuko attempted to pull away, but that only made her grasp tighten. He ended up holding Katara's hand back, his cheek pressed into the curls on top of her head.

The rain was starting to patter to a stop when Zuko woke up in the night. There was still thundering overhead and lightning flashed behind the window shades every once in a while. Zuko curled up reflexively around his pillow as he tried to go back to sleep. His pillow made a noise as he pulled it towards him. Zuko opened his eyes blearily. Pillows are not sentient beings that make noise.

Katara was wrapped around him, still in sleep. Her head was resting against his chest. Most of her tightly curled hair was pressed against the base of his chin. Zuko stilled as he zeroed in on the feeling of her breath tickling his neck. Her face was slack with sleep, and a little drool was glistening at the corner of her mouth. She looked cute.

Zuko shook his head sleepily and rested his head against Katara's. He wrapped his arms around her protectively and let out a sigh. Katara moved briefly, settling closer against him, turning her head a little. "Zuko," she murmured, her words barely discernible.

"Hmm?" Zuko hummed.

Katara was quiet again, so Zuko closed his eyes and listened to the storm hit the top of the roof.

"Thank you," Katara said, mumbling into his arms.

Zuko looked down at her, his arms squeezing her lightly like he was making sure she was real. "What?" he whispered back.

"Thank you for being here."

He stared down at her for a long time, not replying. Judging by her breathing, she was still awake when he murmured: "I would do anything for you."

The two of them were quiet for a long time, neither of them falling asleep. Without warning, Katara twisted in Zuko's embrace so that they were now chest to chest, her face now slightly below his. She met Zuko's widened gaze with her own half-lidded ones. She wormed her arms around Zuko's chest, lacing her fingers together. Zuko was frozen; charmed to just lay there and watch Katara as she looked at him carefully.

Since it was dark in the camper, neither of them could see much of each other. Only when lightning struck could they see hints of their eyes, noses, and chins. Zuko felt rather than see Katara lean impossibly closer. Her eyes skittered around his face, noting his different features. It looked like she was tracing his features with her eyes, committing them to memory like an artist sketching a scene. She could add more detail and definition later. Zuko only watched her eyes, counting the colors he saw reflected in the blue irises. Katara's eyes halted on his lips a few times, but scampered away each time. Zuko felt just as scared.

Katara leaned forward, but nestled her head over his shoulder in a hug. She didn't pull away, and only tightened her grip on him. "I was wrong about you," she whispered. "I should have forgiven you sooner." Her syllables clung to the tongue of her mouth, each consonant ending with a little pop of sound. "I'm sorry."

Zuko's chest tightened and he closed his eyes as he buried his head in her shoulder, melting into the hug. "I was an asshole. I don't blame you."

He could feel her shake her head. "You were an asshole, but you're not, and I don't think you've been one for a while. I'm sorry I didn't see it sooner," she confessed.

Zuko fought the urge to shrug. "We all have our own baggage," he said, remembering a similar conversation with his uncle. "You shouldn't have to carry anyone else's."

Katara huffed. "How about we share it?" Zuko felt a tiny little thumb rub between his shoulder blades comfortingly. "That way we don't have to carry it all by ourselves."

Zuko's lips quirked into a smile, knowing she couldn't see it. "Sure...I'd like to try that."

Katara nodded and nuzzled further into his neck, making Zuko twitch a little. "Sorry, am I tickling you?" she asked.

"No." Zuko forced himself to relax and lower his shoulders. It was just Katara. A few weeks ago she had threatened to kill him, but now he felt that she cared just a little. It was comforting to think he could have someone his own age to lean on. He had been alone so long, it was nice to think maybe that didn't have to be the case. "It's okay, just go to sleep," he whispered gently.

"You'll still be here tomorrow?" she asked in a small voice.

Zuko nodded against her head of hair. "If you will."

"Deal."

"Deal."