a/n Wow. The response I have gotten is astounding. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Wow. Just wow. Your support means everything to me!

The point of view in this chapter overlaps a little, but I hope in subsequent chapters things will run more smoothly. As far as updating goes, I'm still trying for weekly, but as you can tell I didn't make the deadline with this chapter. You can probably expect updates every 7-10 days, but I guess only time will tell. Anyways, enough talk. I'm sure you'd rather read the update!

Disclaimer: Nope

Chapter 2

-Katara-

A few minutes ago, she had been asleep in the car, but now she was wide-awake. She recognized him instantly, despite a large burn on the left side of his face. Sadness spread through her as she wondered how he got his scar; it only looked a few years old.

Zuko stood there next to Sokka staring at her like she was a ghost.
"Hi," she said awkwardly, too surprised to say anything else.
"Hi," Zuko replied just as awkwardly. A silence fell between them as they just stared at each other. It had been over 10 years since she'd seen him. Many years ago, Zuko's family and her family had been neighbors. This was back when her family was happy and whole. She remembered almost every second of their childhood together. They had been each other's first kiss, granted they were only 5 and 6 years old at the time, but still... It had been hard when he had to move away with his family. He had been her best friend. Now he was a grown man, a very handsome one too even with his new scar. She looked at him, seeing how else he'd changed. He no longer had the round face of a boy, but a man's face with a strong jaw and a smoldering gaze. There was an odd spark when she stared into those amber eyes. It was such a strange and instant connection she soon averted her gaze and tried to shake off the feeling.
"So..." Sokka said filling the silence, "you needed help with your bag?"
"Uh, yeah, that's right," she replied, trying to regain her wits.
"Oh?" Zuko asked surprised, "Are you working here this summer?"
"Uhmm…yeah..." she replied slowly, not knowing what else to say.
"Sorry, I guess it was kind of obvious...bags..." His rambling made her smile. It was oddly adorable. "I better go find my uncle." He said abruptly and without further explanation he picked up his duffel bag and left.
"Okay, bye Zuko." Sokka called after him. Then he turned to her, "What was that all about?" She shook her head and shrugged. She was still trying to process seeing him again. What were the odds?
"You kids coming?" Called Gran Gran, effectively ending their conversation.

Soon the bags were out of the car and they were saying their goodbyes.
"Goodbye Gran Gran," Sokka said as he bent down to hug the old woman.
"Goodbye Sokka," she replied, stretching up to reach him, "Stay out of trouble."
"Ha! Er… I mean yes ma'am," he said with a goofy grin. Gran Gran shook her head and turned towards Katara.
"Goodbye, Katara," she said as she pulled the girl into her arms, "You'll be okay?"
"Yes, Gran Gran, I'll be fine," Katara assured her as they released each other.
"Did you know that boy?" asked Gran Gran, eyes lit with curiosity. Gran Gran had come to live with them after Zuko's family had left, so she'd never met him.
"Long ago," Katara said with a sad smile. She hoped working with him wouldn't be too weird. She genuinely wanted to get to know him again.
"Well, as long as he's a nice boy… Just be careful."
"Gran Gran!" she gasped, shocked.
"What?" her grandmother chuckled, "Didn't you see the way he looked at you?"
"How do yo-"
"I was watching from the rearview mirror…" Gran Gran grinned sheepishly and Katara just shook her head in disbelief.

-Zuko-

Finding his uncle had been easy. The man's boisterous laugh could be heard from even outside the main lodge. Zuko felt on odd sense of coming home when he walked into the building. His Uncle had his back to Zuko and was standing next to a girl dressed solely in pink. They were both looking at a napkin that had been preserved behind glass and hung on the wall. Zuko knew what it was immediately. It was a drawing his cousin had done years ago when they were in a restaurant. The lines and labels in pen created a layout for buildings and underneath the doodles were the words "Camp Kyoshi."

When the main door closed with a soft thump behind him, Uncle turned and smiled. Zuko walked over and was immediately pulled in for a hug. He just had to smile and give his head a small shake. Uncle really hadn't changed. After Uncle finished hugging him, he waived the girl in pink back over.
"Ty Lee, come meet my nephew, Zuko," Uncle said, smiling proudly.
"Oh! So you're the famous nephew we've heard so much about! It's very nice to meet you Zuko!" Ty Lee gushed, extending her hand.
"Nice to meet you too Ty Lee," he replied, shaking her hand firmly. She giggled.
"Just Ty is fine. Only Iroh calls me by my full name." Something must have caught her eye, because she quickly turned to look out one of the front windows, "Oh! Sorry! Be right back!" And with that, the whirlwind of pink rushed out the door.

-Katara-

The camp was picturesque with its mountains, trees, and lake. The trail followed the lakeside before turning sharply and heading up a hill. The main lodge rested atop the hill with cabins lining the path. They were half-way up to the main lodge when she had to turn around and look at the lake. It was so beautiful. She couldn't help but think the place belonged in a fairytale book.
"You know there's a monster in that lake, right?" Sokka asked, noticing that she had paused.
"Ha. Ha. Very funny Sokka," she replied, rolling her eyes and turning back around.
"I'm serious!" he said as they started walking again, "The Unagi eats the nonbelievers."
"That's nice Sokka. I hope you tell that to all your campers." In response, her brother did the very classy move of sticking his tongue out. Just then, a girl dressed head to toe in pink came bursting out of the main lodge.
"Hi Sokka!" she beamed, coming up short right in front of them.
"Hey," he smiled back.
"You must be Katara!" the girl said, vigorously shaking Katara's hand, "It's so nice to meet you! I'm so glad you'll be joining us! I'm Ty Lee, but everyone calls me Ty." Ty said, still smiling from ear to ear.
"Hi Ty," Katara greeted. She was slightly overwhelmed with the enthusiasm her fellow staffer had. "It's nice to meet you too."
"I heard a lot about you from Sokka. I think we're going to be fast friends!"
"So you worked with him last year then?"
"Yeah, I worked at the camp last year, but it was so much fun I decided to come back."
"That was basically Sokka's reason for coming back too. Funny, though, I don't remember seeing you on the last day of camp last year." Ty's smile wavered.
"Uhm, yeah I couldn't stay until the end last year. I had to deal with some things at home..." Her voice faded.
"So is Iroh in the lodge?" asked Sokka, before the awkwardness could set in. Ty gave him a grateful smile.
"Yeah, he is," she replied, regaining herself. Sokka and Katara resumed walking up to the lodge while Ty walked backwards so she could face them. Katara was amazed that she never stumbled. "Oh!" Ty said suddenly remembering something, "Did you know Iroh's nephew will be working here this year?"
"Really?" Sokka seemed excited and surprised, "No, I didn't know that. Did you meet him? What's his name?"
"I just met him briefly before I saw you guys walking up." She replied, "His name is Zuko." Sokka and Katara stopped in their tracks. Ty frowned. "What's the matter? Do you know him?"
"Yeah, we do actually," Sokka answered, still stunned.
"Didn't this director guy ever mention his nephew's name?" Katara asked her brother in disbelief, but he shook his head.
"He always just referred to him as his nephew. I guess we'll have more to talk about now."
"Uh-huh," she agreed absentmindedly. It was crazy. Not only would she be working alongside Zuko, but he was also the director's nephew? Things like this didn't happen except in Hallmark movies.

-Zuko-

He watched them through the window and had to smile. Even from afar, he could see Ty bouncing with energy.
"Is she always like that?" he asked Uncle. The old man smiled.
"Yes, but it comes in very handy. One needs a lot of energy when dealing with the campers." Uncle was silent for a moment, a sad look glassing over his eyes, "In truth, I'm glad to see her so happy. She was unable to stay through camp last year due to some problems at home." Zuko felt a pang of empathy before Uncle clapped him on the back. "Now, I think those will be our last two staff arrivals so we can begin introductions. The chairs are already out if you want to grab a seat." Uncle gestured to where the dining tables had been pushed aside and a square had been made with four of the small benches. Zuko nodded absently, thinking about the latest arrivals.

He felt bad for leaving them so quickly earlier, but he didn't know what else to do. He had made a fool of himself and his ears burned slightly at the mere memory. Hopefully the initial awkwardness (and surprise) had faded and they could actually catch up. He had thought about her off and on over the years. He hated to admit it, but he always had a thing for the neighbor girl. That's why when she dared him to kiss her when they were kids, he didn't hesitate. Then everything changed when his father got a new job and they had to move away. His thoughts grew darker thinking about his father and he found himself gritting his teeth.
"You okay Zuko?" Ty asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"Yeah, fine," he lied. She gave him a brief smile.
"Mind if I sit here?"
"Huh?" he hadn't been paying attention. He quickly glanced around and noticed every other seat (besides the one his Uncle had claimed) was taken. "Oh yeah, sure." He scooted over a little to make room. The benches were built for two campers or about one and a half staffers, but since Ty was so petite it wasn't a problem.

He looked around again at the others. It wasn't a very big crew, only five other staffers. His gaze immediately seemed to fall on Katara. She was smiling as the boy she sat next to talked. From what he could make out, the boy was telling her some kind of story about his old school. Zuko felt a twinge of jealousy, which was ridiculous. Yet, there was something he didn't like about the guy.

Zuko was still staring when his Uncle took a seat and the chatter stopped.
"Welcome everyone!" Uncle greeted, "It's so nice to see a few familiar faces and a few new faces. This first week is all about training. You'll learn about the program I've outlined for this year, how to handle the campers when they arrive, and we'll organize some skits and songs to perform for them during the campfires. Since we will all be working closely together, how about we go around and introduce ourselves? Maybe you can start with your name, if you've worked here before, and staff position." Nobody said anything for a second. "I'll go first," Uncle suggested and everyone nodded in agreement, "My name is Iroh, but I'll also answer to Uncle, especially with my nephew around." All eyes turned to Zuko and he felt his ears go red. Thankfully, Uncle took the pressure off by resuming his introduction, "I started this camp five years ago with the financial support of the camp's benefactors the Beifongs. It was my son's dream to open a camp like this and I'm so glad I've been able to bring that dream to life, even if he isn't here to see it… Now, who's next?" Sokka, who sat to Uncle's left, shrugged.
"I guess I'll go," he said, standing up while Uncle nodded encouragingly, "My name is Sokka, this is my second year at Camp Kyoshi, and I'll be a counselor and in charge of arts and crafts." The boy next to Katara sniggered, "Don't knock it 'til you try it." Sokka added as he sat down. The girl with chopped off brown hair sharing a bench with Sokka stood up.
"Hey everyone," she announced, "my name is Suki, this is my first year at Camp Kyoshi, and I'm going to be the cook this year." She sat down with unexpected grace. Suddenly it was Zuko's turn. He stood up slowly, trying not to look at Katara.
"Hi, Zuko here," He said with a dumb wave. He groaned internally. What a stupid thing to say. "I've worked here before, but the last time was two years ago and I'm going to be a counselor and teach outdoor survival." He quickly sat down, but not before glancing at Katara and seeing her smile.

Ty wasted no time and leapt to her feet.
"Hi!" she smiled, "I'm Ty Lee, but everyone calls me Ty. This is my second year working here and I'll be a counselor and teach basket weaving!" She started to sit down, but jumped back up, remembering something, "Oh! I'll also be leading the early morning Tai Chi if anyone wants to join me!" With one last smile, she drifted back down to her seat.

Next was Katara. She stood and smiled shyly. Even in cutoff jeans and a t-shirt she – he shook his head to stop the errant travel of his thoughts. He hadn't seen her in a decade for Christ's sake. He didn't even know her anymore (but he wanted to).
"Hey, I'm Katara," she said with a little wave and somehow it didn't look dorky when she did it, "This is my first year at Camp Kyoshi, and I think I'm going to be a counselor, but I don't know what else…" She awkwardly sat back down, her voice drifting. Uncle quickly picked up the conversation.
"Since Katara was so recently hired, she hasn't selected another position." Uncle explained, "Katara, did you have any particular position you wanted?"
"Uh, I don't know. Whatever is fine," she replied with a shrug, "I'm not picky."
"Well," Uncle said thoughtfully, "It's going to be a wonderful summer on the water. Perhaps you'd like that? Are you CPR and First Aid certified?"
"Yeah, I took a class through my school."
"Perfect! Besides acting as a lifeguard, you'd be teaching kids canoeing."
"That sounds great! I love canoeing." Even though Zuko couldn't see her face, he could sense her smile.
"There is another water staffer," Uncle began, gesturing to the boy beside her, "But perhaps I'll let him introduce himself." The dark-haired boy got to his feet, the remnants of a smirk still on his face.
"Sup?" he asked with a nod to no one in particular, "So this is my first year here and my name is Jet."

a/n So...how did I do? What do you think of the staffers? Did you think their positions fit their personalities? Were you surprised by Jet? Was the POV too jumpy? Is this too many questions? Yes. Ha! I hoped you liked the chapter and I'd greatly appreciate a review. Thanks for reading!