A/N: I know… I know… This is way overdue. I'm sorry it took so long to post, but I've been really busy with the Holidays and such, trying to find a job, and all those other little inconveniences of life. But anywho… I did finally finish it, so I hope you enjoy.

Oh! And I almost forgot, I'm starting a new oneshots series featuring our fav. couple, Katara and Aang, so if you have any requests/suggestions I'd love to hear them! Just PM me or give it to me in a review!

Making Plans

Aang groaned inaudibly, either out of boredom or impatience he wasn't sure… but it was definitely somewhat out of annoyance either way. He drummed his fingers mindlessly over his knee caps as Sokka sighed heavily at his side.

"Are you sure we're at the right dock?" Aang asked for what must have been the third or fourth time. "It's been over an hour now…" He stretched his arms up over his head in an attempt to relieve some of the stiffness that was setting into his muscles.

Sokka nodded, "Yes Aang… We're at the right dock…" He sighed again as he glanced at the setting sun, noting the bright orange and yellow glow that was making its way across the sky. "I'm sure they'll be here any second."

Aang matched his disinterested expression as he relaxed his arms back to his lap and turned his eyes to his hands. The waiting was killing him, and the lack of conversation that had accompanied them the past few hours was only making him more uncomfortable. Despite their earlier revelations, neither Aang nor Sokka had made any attempt to delve deeper into Aang's feelings for Katara. The silence was stiffening and rather nerve racking…

Aang spoke up suddenly, keeping his focus on his hands as he spoke. "You're okay… with me being in love with Katara." He said it as a statement instead of a question, because it was a revelation he had only recently reached when he realized that Sokka had not pummeled him when he'd found out.

"Yeah…" Sokka answered, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, you never seemed to think much of Katara's boyfriends when we were kids…" Aang thought out-loud.

Sokka chuckled as he turned to Aang, "Neither did you."

Aang smiled as he nodded, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Sokka paused before he responded, "Aang, ever since my dad left me in charge of our village, I stepped into a role that I'd never taken with Katara. I had to protect her… I've spent the better part of my life protecting her." He smiled as he placed a reassuring hand on the Avatar's shoulder, "I trust you, Aang. I know you'll take care of her and do right by her. She cares a lot about you and I know you'd never do anything to hurt her."

Aang nodded with a thoughtful expression as Sokka's hand dropped back to his lap. "I love her Sokka…" Aang smiled as he said it, his mouth tugging into a boyish grin at the sound of the words. "I've always loved her." Suddenly, the universe seemed to spin into a brighter motion and the air seemed a little cleaner. It felt invigorating to finally put his feelings into words…

"Does she know?" Sokka asked suddenly, bringing Aang from his thoughts. He paused, and Sokka started to ask him again thinking Aang must not have heard him.

"I've got to tell her…" Aang said into his lap before looking up to Sokka with bright eyes. "I've got to tell her Sokka."

"How?" Sokka asked matter-of-factly.

Aang wrinkled his brow, "What do you mean how? I've just got to tell her…"

"Aang…" Sokka lowered his voice to display his serious female knowledge. "You can't just tell her. You've got to do something great. You've got to make it… special."

"Special…" Aang repeated quietly… He wasn't quite sure what Sokka meant. He'd grown up a monk and hadn't had too much experience with the opposite gender since then. "I guess I'm in new territory here, Sokka. I've always just done what came naturally."

Sokka chuckled at the helpless expression on his young friend's face, "Don't worry Aang. This situation calls for my expertise…"

In the warm glow of the fireplace, the snow and ice that had blown in a few hours ago didn't seem quite as chilling. Katara closed her eyes and relaxed into the cushions beside the hearth, wrapping her fingers around her tea cup and breathing in the sweet scent of honey and jasmine.

"Just when I think it couldn't get any colder here…"

Katara smiled good-naturally as she opened her eyes and peered over the rim of her cup.

Toph slumped into the small chair on the opposite side of the fireplace, her arms folded across her chest, her eyes staring derisively into the fire. "This has to be the miserable icy place on the planet", she mumbled.

"It's not that bad," Katara answered, snuggling further into her cushions. "It's actually kind of nice."

"Nice?" Toph exclaimed as she hugged her arms across her chest tighter, shivering despite herself. "Are you nuts? It's freezing!"

"We've got a nice fire going, just go get yourself some hot tea and you'll warm up," Katara sighed contently to emphasize her point. The steam rising from her tea dissipated from her breath, and suddenly the thought of moons, water, and slow wet kisses filled Katara's mind. She smiled unknowingly in her dream-like state as she pictured herself wrapped in tattooed arms on the surface of her steamy cup of tea.

She shook herself of her thoughts when Toph cleared her throat rather loudly. The blind Earthbender only said one thing, though Katara new what she was asking, "Twinkle Toes?"

How is it that Toph is always so perceptive to what's going on around her? Katara thought as she smiled meekly, feeling the warm blush rise in her cheeks as she diverted her attention to the flames lapping at the wood in the fireplace. She laughed lightly as she answered, "How'd you know?"

"You make it too easy," Toph said with a smirk.

Katara wasn't sure if she should take that as a compliment or insult, so she decided not to respond to it.

"So… Tell me again why you can't tell him how you feel?" Toph asked suddenly, earning her an unnoticed sideways glare from her older friend. "I mean, what's the worst thing that could happen?"

Katara sighed, this time in annoyance, "It's not that easy…" She paused, reflecting on her situation further. "In fact… it's actually very complicated." Toph started to object, but Katara was suddenly spilling over with her frustrations, "It's probably the most un-easy thing that's ever happened to me really! Not only is he my best friend… he's the Avatar!" Suddenly, the soothing tea she had been sipping on didn't seem quite as appetizing anymore. She sat it on the hearth disgustfully.

Toph picked at her nails disinterestedly, "You're in love with a great guy, what's so un-easy about that?"

Katara opened her mouth to respond with something equally enlightening, but paused when she realized how incredibly simple it sounded in such few words… In love with a great guy. She frowned as she gathered her bearings, "It's not like he can just abandon himself and runaway with me you know… It's not like we'd have a 'happily ever after'. He'll always have enemies, and he'll always have duties."

"Hm…" Toph hummed shortly, "I never knew you were much into 'happily-ever-after's, Katara. Although…." She paused for dramatic effect before smirking to herself, "I've never heard a story more fairytale than yours and Aang's." She laughed lightly as she stood up and started towards the kitchen, "I think I'm ready for that tea now…"

Katara chewed on her lip as she tried relaxing back into the cushions… Why am I fighting this so hard? She thought as she picked up her tea again, painfully noting the absence of steam on the rim of her cup. Why am I so afraid of this?

In two days…

Aang awoke the next morning with the thought very vivid in his mind… Two days left. Two days until the wedding… Two days until I tell the girl of my dreams how much I love her…

He opened his eyes to the sound of distant bells, smiling to himself as he sat up and stretched his arms up over his head. Sokka was still snoring lazily in the bed across from him. Aang wrinkled his nose at the thin line of drool oozing from his friend's mouth before getting out of bed and making his way across the room to the balcony overlooking the docks below.

Early dawn was making its way across the small Earth Kingdom village, and few people had gotten up as early as he to see it. Not that he really meant to rise before the sun this particular day… He'd just found it more and more difficult to sleep these past few days. However, although the hours were short last night, he felt much more rested than previous mornings.

Aang sighed and rested his forearms against the railing, leaning over and watching the town spring to life below him. The warm breeze whipping around him felt harsh and empty against his skin and he somehow found himself very anxious to get back to the cooler climate of snow and ice. "I sure hope Sokka's plan works…" he mumbled to himself as a distant orange glow broke the eastern horizon.

"Of course it will work!"

Aang jumped at the sound of his older friend's voice behind him as Sokka yawned loudly, stretching his arms up high above his head before slinging one across Aang's shoulders. "When have I ever steered you wrong?" he grinned widely, jostling Aang softly.

"Well… there was that time that you're instincts led us right into that Fire Nation camp… "Aang smiled good-naturally, counting on his fingers as he spoke, "and the time you tried to lead us through the Serpent's Pass instead of taking the peaceful ferry… And ya know…" he pointed his fingers accusingly at the young Warrior, though the smile he wore did little to prove his seriousness, "…you even tried to ban me from the village the first time we met!"

Sokka pulled his arm from Aang's shoulder and signaled him to stop, "First of all… if I recall correctly, my instincts were also right on target about Jet. And we ended up having to go through the Serpent's Pass anyways. And as far as banning you," he paused to nudge Aang's ribs playfully, "I'm still not sure that wasn't such a bad idea."

Aang laughed, rolling his eyes dramatically and holding up four fingers now, "Well… What about the Cave of Two Lovers? You were convinced it was all a hoax, but it got us to Omashu safe a sound."

"Yes… who could forget that..." Sokka mumbled with a disgusted look on his face. "If I ever see a badger mole again, it'll be too soon…"

Aang blushed slightly for reasons Sokka didn't understand as he turned his attention back to the horizon. "Right…" Aang paused to clear his throat. "Anyways… I'm just not so sure about this… plan of yours."

"Not sure?!" Sokka scoffed. "Come on Aang! It's fool proof!" He threw his hands up in the air wildly, and Aang couldn't help but recognize the old light in Sokka's eyes that was always there when he was scheming something. "Trust me… I know about this kind of stuff."

Aang raised his eyebrows questionably, "Is that so?"

"Hey, who's the one getting married in two days?" he answered smugly, arms crossed decisively.

Aang sighed, not taking his eyes off the horizon. "Okay Sokka…" he turned to his friend with a stern look on his face that didn't quite fit him. "But if she thinks I've gone crazy and runs out of the room screaming…"

"I know I know…" Sokka interjected with a smile. "Older brother takes the rap… I got it!"

Katara spent the better part of the day worrying.

Worrying about the weather; it still hadn't stopped snowing…. Worrying about the wedding; how would they ever be ready in time?... Worrying about deadlines at work and classes left to teach; she'd been so distracted by recent events, she'd hardly worked on her lesson plans… but mostly, worrying about Aang.

Would he be okay? Did the Bei Fong's still hold a grudge for the Avatar 'kidnapping' their daughter? How does he really feel about her? Would he really come back or had he decided to leave again? How is she going to tell him her feelings for him? What if he doesn't feel the same?

She felt ragged and exhausted by the time she and Toph left to meet them at the prairie tundra at dusk. But the second she recognized the outline of Appa on the horizon, all her worries and concerns seemed to dissolve within her. She awaited their descent with bated breath, without any attempts to subdue the growing smile that was spreading across her face as her gaze landed on the bald monk sitting behind the reigns.

Her smile grew, if possible, as Aang airbended himself from the great beast and started helping the Lady Bei Fong to the ground. As soon as her feet had connected safely, he turned to Katara with a smile to match. Neither missed a beat, and within seconds they were in each other's arms again.

Katara breathed in Aang's familiar scent and wrapped her arms around his neck tighter, assuring herself that he was actually there. She suddenly realized how worried she really had been about him actually returning…

"Katara…" Aang said, voice strained from her embrace. "I can't really breathe…"

Katara loosened her grip a little and chuckled as she looked up to see his playful grin staring back at her, "I'm just glad you made it back safe. The weather…" she paused, reaching out a hand to collect a few falling snowflakes, "It hasn't stopped snowing since you left."

Aang smiled warmly, pulling his eyes from hers to admire the way the snow frosted her hair and lashes in little crystal drops. She closed her eyes as he brushed his fingers along her hairline, smoothing a few stray wisps from her face. "Nothing could have kept me away- umph."

He was interrupted as a snowball crashed into the back of his hood, sending little icy pellets all around him. He cocked an eyebrow at Katara's smirk before turning around to see Sokka bouncing another projectile playfully in his hand. "Sorry man… I just couldn't resist," he grinned, a rather satisfied tone in his stance as he moved to throw another ball of snow, though this one was aimed at his sister.

However, before he could release his weapon, he was hit in the face by a rouge snowball. He scowled, wiping the snow from his eyes and sputtering as he turned towards his attacker.

Toph smirked through long black bangs. "Sorry hun… I just couldn't resist," she said mockingly with a fake sweet nature that seemed eerie coming from Toph.

"Aren't we supposed to be on the same team?" he said with a hint of mischief in his voice.

"Aren't you supposed to be an impenetrable warrior with excellent peripheral vision?" she teased as she readied another snowball.

The Bei Fong parents gasp in unison as Sokka barreled after their daughter, tackling her into a nearby snow bank. Aang came up beside them, placing a reassuring hand on the Lord Bei Fong's shoulder, "Don't worry…"

"They do this all the time," Katara added to the Lady as Toph and Sokka's yelling and accusations turned to laughter.

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A/N: So… I just had to do the little snowball fight at the end, since it's the holidays and such. And correct me if I'm wrong, but I totally see Toph and Sokka's relationship this way. That's how it is in the show, all the teasing and arguing, and I just don't think that they'd ever really grow out of that.

I know it lacked in fluff, but I promise I'll make up for it. I haven't yet decided if the next chapter will start the wedding or not. I kind of think that I still need one more before that. If you have any suggestions I'd love to hear them in a review!! And don't forget about the oneshots, if you have requests/suggestions…