Katara watched her friends dancing and laughing and smiled. It was Sokka and Suki's engagement party and they'd rented out a small bar for friends. Sokka had proposed a few months ago and the couple could barely keep their hands off each other.

"Are you gonna come dance?"

Katara looked up and saw Aang standing there with a large grin on his face. She didn't want to but she didn't have the heart to tell him no.

"Sure."

She took his extended hand and he led her out onto the dance floor. He placed his hands on her waist and they started to sway.

"Aang, I don't think this is the type of song to slow dance to." Katara laughed.

The music playing was loud and fast and everyone else around them seemed to be busting out the best moves.

"Technically, you can slow dance to any song."

She rolled her eyes and he smirked. Aang pulled her closer and she rested her cheek on his shoulder. Katara and Aang had recently started dating, it had only been a few months. Apparently, he'd had a crush on her since they first met but she was with...she forced herself to stop. She hadn't thought about him in almost a year. He had tried calling her once but that was six months ago and she didn't pick up. Their breakup last year had almost killed her. She spent days on end crying and never left the house. Suki and Toph would come check on her every single day and would take turns spending the night.

Katara had even started having nightmares and would wake up screaming and crying in the middle of the night. Toph eventually got tired of her moping around and basically forced her to get up and get her life back on track. The pain had subsided and the hole in her chest slowly started to heal. That's when she started dating Aang.

"What are you thinking about?" He whispered.

"You," she muttered.

"Oh, yeah? What about me?"

Katara pulled back and looked into his big brown eyes. He was smiling so hard it looked like his cheeks hurt. She felt a pang in her heart. He looked so sweet and so happy. She wished she could share his feelings. Aang was so sweet and attentive and on the outside looking in he would be the perfect boyfriend but something was just...missing.

"Just about how thankful I am for you."

They kissed and that elicited loud cheers and whistles from their friends.

"Oh, stop! You guys are ridiculous!"

"Katara?"

That voice sent a chill down her spine and she froze. She knew that voice. The crowd fell silent and Aang's mouth dropped open. Katara was afraid to turn around, she felt like she would burst into a million pieces if she saw him. She tightened her grip on Aang and kept her eyes trained on the wall behind him.

"What are you doing here?" Suki hissed.

"Uh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt. I saw your announcement online and I just wanted to leave this gift."

"Get out of here, man. I don't want to have to throw you out." Sokka said.

Zuko laughed awkwardly and she heard him set something down on one of the tables.

"I'm sorry I interrupted your party. Congrats."

She heard him walking away and finally felt like she could breathe.

"Is he still there?" She whispered.

"No, he's gone."

"I need some air."

She rushed past Aang and ran outside. It had started to rain and she walked out into the parking lot and turned her face to the sky. The rain on her face felt good and hid the tears falling down her cheeks. Even hearing his voice made her feel like she'd been punched in the gut.

"Katara? Are you ok?"

She whipped around and saw Zuko standing next to his car in the rain.

"Leave me alone."

She had to leave. She couldn't stay here anymore. For a brief moment, she contemplated asking Aang for a ride but the thought of facing him right now made her sick. She would just walk home. It wasn't too long of a walk and she needed the time to think anyway. Katara walked away from the bar and out onto the sidewalk. She heard the sound of a car pulling up behind her and she walked faster.

"Get in. I'll give you a ride home."

She let out a harsh laugh. "Yeah right!"

"Katara, please. You'll get sick if you keep walking in this weather."

She sighed and looked over at him. He looked concerned and he seemed sincere. Plus, she was already shivering and walking another 4 blocks in this weather didn't sound fun.

"Fine."

Zuko unlocked the door and Katara slid into the passenger seat. It was the same as it was the last time she was in here. It smelled overwhelmingly like his favorite cologne. The two sat in silence for a minute before Zuko pulled into the street.

"How have you been?" He muttered.

"Fine."

"That's good."

She turned to face out the window.

"So..you and Aang, huh?"

"Yes."

"Cool. I'm, uh, happy for you."

She turned to him and glared. "He's nice to me and he doesn't cheat on me with his coworker."

Zuko winced and nodded. "I deserved that."

"Yes. You did."

"Listen, Katara-"

"No! You listen!" She was fully facing him now and her heart was pounding. "You broke my heart. What you did, ruined me. Do you know how many days I spent crying over you? Do you know how long it took me to get over you? And then you just waltz into my brother's engagement party with some lame excuse about a present?! Fuck you, Zuko."

His amber eyes widened and he gripped the steering wheel.

"You think I don't know what I did? I regret it every single day. I think about you every day. I have since we broke up. I miss you Katara, and hurting you was the stupidest thing i've ever done. If I could take it back I would."

"But you can't, Zuko! You chose her over me."

Zuko slammed on the brakes and stared at her. She could see he was crying too.

"I would never choose Mai over you. Ever. The night everything happened, I broke it off with her. I got a new assistant and I haven't talked to her since. Don't you dare say I chose her over you."

Katara threw her head back and laughed. "You already did. The second you decided to sleep with her, you chose her over me. And then you show up tonight out of nowhere."

"I admit it, the only reason I came tonight was to see you. Then I saw you kissing Aang…."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot I wasn't allowed to date even though we broke up nine months ago."

"That's not what I meant."

"I don't care what you meant. I'm happy now and I'm with Aang."

Before she could turn away, Zuko grabbed her face and kissed her. At first she was so shocked she didn't know what to do. Her lips melted into his and she shakily reached up to his face. She knew what she was doing was wrong but oh god she missed him. Images of Zuko hunched over Mai flashed into her mind and she shoved him off her. They sat there staring at each other breathing heavily.

"That was a mistake." She whispered.

"Do you love him?"

"What?"

Zuko reached up and took her face in his hands. His eyes were wild and he was shaking. His touch was so warm and familiar and she'd missed it so much.

"Do you love Aang? If you do, I'll drive you home and leave you alone forever. But if you don't please just give me another chance."

Her big blue eyes peered into his and she struggled to come up with an answer. Of course she loved Aang. He was sweet and funny and basically worshiped the ground she walked on. But there was something missing. There would always be something missing because he wasn't Zuko. Zuko was her first love, her first time and the first man she ever thought she was going to marry. There was a tie between them that could never be broken, no matter how much she tried to deny it. All she wanted to do was hold him and tell him just how much she loved and missed him but something was stopping her. She would never be able to forgive what he did.

"Zuko.."

"Katara, I know I fucked up. It's my biggest regret. But I'm begging you. Please baby, just give me a chance."

"I can't."

Zuko looked like he had all the wind knocked out of him. He slowly pulled his hands away from Katara's face and placed them back on the steering wheel. The rest of the ride was silent and it took all her strength to stop herself from having a breakdown in the front seat. Zuko pulled up to the apartment building and stopped the car. They sat there for a moment, listening to the rain falling down on the car.

"Thanks for the ride home."

"Of course. It's not a problem."

She sighed and looked over at him. He was crying and trying very badly to hide it. She reached up to touch his cheek but pulled her hand back. She sighed and got out of the car and back into the rain. As soon as her door closed, Zuko sped off. She slowly made her way up the stairs to her apartment and opened the door. It was cold and dark which meant Aang was still at the bar. Katara closed the door and slid down to the ground. All her pain and sadness came out now and she sobbed on the floor, wrapping her arms tightly around her stomach. She still loved Zuko, she always did and she always will.