AN: Hey guys, you exceeded expectations! J

Thank you so so so much for all of the reviews, favourites and alerts.. I know I say it every single time but it does mean a lot!

Hearing your opinions on what is going to happen with Azula being in the story was interesting :P I guess you will all just have to wait and see!

So I just figured out my page breakers don't show up when I post the chapter..? Weird. So I'm just going to write ATLA ATLA ATLA instead.

DISCLAIMER: Yadah yadah, don't own AtLA, don't sue me please.

ATLA ATLA ATLA

Wow.. His eyes are amazing. Katara nodded at whatever Jet just said. She wasn't paying attention at all. She was too busy noticing the way his bright chocolaty eyes shined underneath the florescent lights. Her eyes trailed down his straight nose, to his moving lips. Yum.. I'd like to kiss those lips.

"Katara? Hello..?"

Katara snapped out of it. "Huh? Oh, sorry! I just zoned out for a second there…" Katara trailed of with an awkward laugh. Then she felt her phone vibrating. She rummaged through her tote, pushing aside tubes of lip gloss and random pieces of paper that hadn't found their way to where they belonged- the garbage.

Zuko:

Eat lunch with me?

Katara couldn't help but smile.

Sure, want to meet at the table by Jin's Juice?

Zuko:

Yeah sounds good. See you in 5.

Katara tossed her phone back into her tote. "Sorry Jet, but I have to go! I'm meeting my friend for lunch. So.. I'll talk to you later."

Jet smiled and nodded. "Sure thing."

Just when he stepped forward for a hug she stepped back. Both laughed awkwardly. Katara moved closer, exactly when Jet moved away.

Finally Jet just opened his arms and Katara sank into them. Katara smiled, hugging him tightly. She felt warm and safe in his arms.

Before she could really enjoy it she forced herself to step away. "Bye Jet!" She called over her shoulder, racing for the Courtyard.

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"Zuko?"

"Yeah?"

Katara stared down into her chicken ceaser salad, stabbing it with her fork. "I have a confession to make."

Zuko raised an eyebrow, taking a drink of his coffee.

"You see…" Katara began. "Remember the round of president we played, the one that was the last time that Sokka was allowed to be the dealer?"

Zuko nodded, still not understanding.

Katara continued. "And remember when you and Sokka ran outside to get the mail- I still don't understand what it is that you guys ordered that got you so excited- and Toph and Aang went to the kitchen to get snacks?"

"Yes. Where are you going with this Ka-"

"Well when all of you guys were gone, Suki and I cheated. She guilted me into giving her my ace. She said that she would help me next time."

Zuko's eyes widened. "I knew it! I knew you guys had to have cheated! Next time we play, Suki's bum and you're vice bum."

"What?" Katara exclaimed, a little too loudly. "B-but, I was president last time!"

Zuko smirked. "Well not anymore, you little cheater."

Katara stabbed at her salad angrily. "You know, I was going to give you some of my chicken. Not anymore, jerk."

"Well I was going to give you some of my cupcake.. Not anymore, Conniving Katara!"

She gasped. "This is so not fair! It's Suki's fault, she made me feel bad for her and I just had to help her!"

Zuko just shook his head at her. "That's sad, Conniving Katara. Now you're blaming other people for your crimes?"

Katara's mouth dropped open. "I-no- that- ugh!"

Zuko had to hold in his laugh.

Suddenly overcome with anger, Katara leaned over and snatched Zuko's cupcake.

"It's mine now, jerk." She sneered.

"Hey!" He reached over to get back his property but she just moved back, holding the food away from him.

Zuko jumped up, crossing his arms over his chest angrily. "Give it back Conniving Katara!"

Katara smirked and shook her head from side to side slowly, teasingly. She took a step back, drawing the cupcake to her mouth and raising an eyebrow at him.

Zuko reached across the table and snatched her salad. He picked up her fork and used it to collect her last piece of chicken.

"Fine. If that's the way you want to play this game, then that's the way we'll play it."

His voice was hard, but there was a layer of mirth beneath it. It made Katara's eyes widen and her lips twitch the tiniest bit. Because she realized it then- being with Zuko was more than just interesting or unpredictable. It was fun.

"Zuko! Stop being a jerk, give me my chicken!"

Zuko's smirk mirrored the one that was on her face just moments again. "Oh, you mean this chicken?" He waved the poultry around before bringing it near to his open mouth.

Katara yelped out his name and grabbed his arm with her free hand.

Zuko couldn't hold back a laugh. "Okay okay.. Truce? I get my cupcake back, you get your chicken back."

Katara bit her lip, thinking. "Okay but, I get half of your cupcake and you get half of my chicken."

Zuko nodded quickly and smiled a little. "Deal."

So both of them sat back down. She cut Zuko's vanilla cupcake into two perfect halves with a plastic knife, and Zuko used another knife to cut the chicken.

When both finished eating, they walked out of the Courtyard together.

"I hope you know that you're still Conniving Katara."

Katara looked up to glare at him. "Shut up Zuko."

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Toph's breath smelt like lemon-lime gum. When she talked, he could see the wad of green gum in her mouth.

"What is wrong with you? Obviously I-"

"Can I have a piece?" Teo suddenly interrupted.

Toph tilted her head to the side, confused. "What are you talking about Four Eyes?"

Teo smiled. "Can I have a piece of your gum?"

The black-haired girl crossed and uncrossed her legs, tapped her chin, narrowed her eyes then turned her jade gaze to him.

"I don't know. I haven't deemed you worthy yet."

Now it was Teo's turn to be confused. He stretched his long legs in front of him, staring at his dirty high tops. He grinned, remembering how Toph and him had bonded over their mutual love for converse.

"What do you mean?" He asked her, looking at her from behind his messy hair.

Toph blew a bubble of green gum. "I don't hand out my precious gum to just anyone, naive little boy. The question is, are you worthy enough to taste some of this citrus-y goodness?"

Teo laughed. She always made him laugh. He nudged her yellow-converse-clad foot with his own. "Look at this, Toph my pal. Do you see this? Our feet our friends."

Toph grinned. "That's very true Four Eyes. My yellow-converse-feet want to have conversations with your grey-converse-feet."

He scrambled across the grass so he was sitting opposite her. He placed his foot flat against hers. Her feet were much, much smaller than his.

"My grey-converse-feet think your yellow-converse-feet are tiny."

"My yellow-converse-feet are yelling that your grey-converse-feet are simply too big. Poor things are intimidated."

Teo laughed loudly. "Please, I know your feet love my feet."

Toph blew her bangs out of her eyes and grinned. "Right again, Four Eyes. My feet cannot deny that they are impressed by your feet."

Teo nudged her right big toe with his left big toe. "Does this make me worthy?"

"Very much so."

Teo sat next to her again. She reached into her bag and pulled out the packet of green gum. Taking her time, she pulled out a piece and placed it in his eager hands.

"There you go. You better thank your feet, they are the only reason why you earned this."

Grinning, Teo leaned over and patted one of his feet affectionately. "Thank you feet for being so awesome and having a great taste in shoes."

Toph nodded approvingly. "Good, good. Feet really do need some praising sometimes."

"I definitely agree." Teo said seriously. "People always talk about how they don't like feet or that feet are gross, but I personally find them great."

"Smart kid you are, Four Eyes."

"Hi guys!" Aang came running up to them, dark brown hair blowing in the wind. He dropped to the ground in front of them with a heavy sigh.

Toph's eyes narrowed. "You are late again, Twinkle Toes. You're lucky that my feet had Teo's feet for company. Otherwise, I would have sat here and died a painful death of extreme boredom. Shame on you."

Aang just grinned. "I know I'm sorry. Here, I got you something to make up for it."

He reached into his backpack and pulled out small white paper bag. Toph's eyes widened in recognition. "Yay! Good boy, Twinkle Toes!"

He tossed her the paper bag and she caught it with excited hands, ripping it open to reveal a large M&M cookie.

She wiped imaginary tears from her eyes. "These are the moments. The moments where you really make me proud, you Air-headed fool."

He smiled proudly. "Kay Toph let's get going. We need to catch the train!"

"Right right," She mumbled, a piece of the cookie already in her mouth. "See you later Four Eyes, make sure your feet text my feet 'kay?"

Teo grinned and nodded quickly. "Sure thing. Bye guys!"

As they walked, Toph ate her cookie with a smile. "Four Eyes isn't bad, eh?"

"Yeah he's cool." Aang agreed, daring to reach for a piece of her cookie.

She slapped his hand away and kept talking.

"Come late tomorrow again too, okay? I need another cookie. And my feet need to have more conversations with his feet."

Aang looked down at her, a little confused. "Uh.. Sure? Whatever you say."

Toph punched his shoulder affectionately. "You're a good boy, Twinkle Toes. Keep it up."

ATLA ATLA ATLA

What kind of thunder was this? This was not normal thunder. First came a flash of lightening that illuminated the entire room. Then a deep rumble that seemed to shake the walls. Rain pounded angrily on the windows, as if demanding an entrance.

A few items on the bookshelf on the far well fell off the ground and onto the fluffy white rug in the corner. Toph covered her mouth to muffle her scream. The thunder was trying to be an earthquake, she decided.

She peeked from over the safety of her duvet at the girl in the bed opposite hers. Katara slept on her side, facing Toph.

Another flash of lightening came and Toph scrambled under the covers.

Stop being such a baby Toph, toughen up! It's just a storm. No big-

A loud, long roar of thunder assaulted her ears. The room shook and one Toph's framed drawings fell off the wall and landed at the foot of her bed.

That's IT!

Toph jumped out of the bed and ran out of the room. She stood alone in the hallway that lead to the other end of the house, shivering while rain fought the floor-length windows and the intimidating white flashes of lightening lit the room for seconds at a time. Making up her mind, Toph took of down the hall.

She threw open the door that lead to her destination.

Zuko was lying on his bed, staring at her. She stared back at him in the doorway, eyes wide and panting.

He sat up and racked his fingers through his messy dark hair. A flash of lightening allowed him to get a good look at her.

She looked like a scared little girl. Her long hair a mess, all over her face. Her bony white knees poked out from under her light grey shorts, resting shakily above her slender calves.

Zuko yawned tiredly. He scooted over a little and patted the spot on the bed beside him.

When thunder rumbled again, she raced for the bed and dived inside beside him, pulling the covers over her head.

"I didn't know you were scared of-"

"Shut up Sparky."

Zuko smiled and rolled over, lying on his side.

ATLA ATLA ATLA

Katara woke up to a loud, slamming sound. She blinked tiredly, only to be shaken into consciousness when a clap of thunder rumbled through the room. Automatically, she looked over at the bed opposite hers. But the bed was empty. The covers were thrown back haphazardly, as if she had been in a hurry to get out.

Katara rolled of the bed and ran for the door. She knew how afraid Toph was of thunder storms, and she wanted to find her and make sure she was okay. She checked the living room first, then the kitchen. Then she checked the bathroom she shared with her.

But Toph was not to be found. Sometimes when there was a thunder storm and Toph and her were having a sleepover, Toph would climb into bed beside Katara. But Katara's bed was a twin so it wouldn't have been possible for the two of them to fit in the bed comfortably.

Suki! Suki had a queen-sized bed, she had to be there. So Katara hurried to Suki's room and opened the door. Suki's bed was occupied by not one, but two bodies. Katara breathed a sigh of relief. Her motherly instincts took over and she drifted closer to tuck them in. But she got near, she noticed that Toph was not the other body in the bed.

Katara recognized the hair-much shorter than Toph's. The strong, masculine shoulders and blue sleeve-less shirt.

Sokka?

Katara raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest. She would be having a talk with these two later, that was certain.

She left the room and continued her search. She quietly opened Aang's door. He was alone, fast asleep on his bed. She smiled at the serene expression on his face and closed the door as silently as she had opened it, leaving him in peace.

The last place was Zuko's room. It was at the very end of the hallway, the darkest corner.

She tip-toed across the wooden floors to the room. When she had entered the others room, she had done so without a trace of guilt or uncertainty. But when it came to opening Zuko's door, she felt like she was trespassing.

Taking a breath, she opened the door. She found Toph curled into Zuko's back, sleeping soundly. Being the light sleeper that she was, Toph's jade eyes flashed open and she sat up and stared directly at Katara.

"What are you doing here?" Katara hissed.

Being a little louder than necessary, Toph replied. "I should ask you the same, Sugar Queen!"

Toph's loudness caused Zuko to stir and rub his eyes. "Wha..?"

"Come on Toph, let's go back to bed. Stop disturbing Zuko!"

"I am NOT-"

"Shh!"

Toph continued in a lower volume. "I am not disturbing Sparky!"

"Yes you are!" Katara exclaimed.

"SHH!"

"Sorry. Yes you are."

Toph crossed her arms over her chest, glaring. "Stop nagging me Katara, you are not my mother! And Sparky doesn't mind, right Sparky?"

Katara turned to Zuko. "Tell her to leave Zuko!"

"Well it's not really a big-"

"Zuko!"

"Shh, Katara!"

"Okay okay! Don't be stupid Zuko, she can't stay here." Katara whispered harshly.

Toph laid back down on her side, facing Katara.

"Go away Katara. Nobody wants you here."

Katara was fuming. "Get here right now Toph!"

"Katara, people are trying to sleep!"

"I don't care!" Katara yelled. She stomped to the bed and grabbed Toph's arm.

"Let go of me Sugar Queen!"

Katara yanked hard on Toph's arm. Toph slapped her friend's wrist and scrambled away, closer to Zuko. This caused Katara to fall down onto the bed.

"Toph!"

"Katara stop, it's okay I don't mind her being here. You guys need to quiet down and-"

"SHUT UP! ALL OF YOU. I AM TRYING TO SLEEP!"

The three of them paused and turned their attention to door, where Sokka stood with a murderous expression on his face. Lightening flashed behind him, giving him a frightening, crazed look.

"You're the one screaming Sokka!"

Sokka's eyes narrowed in thought. "Katara? What the hell are you doing in Zuko's room? What is my sister doing in your room Zuko?"

Zuko didn't answer. He opened his mouth, but couldn't find the words. He looked between the angry Sokka and the angry Katara and felt the sudden desire to run for it.

Katara sat up, glaring at him. "You're one to talk, Sokka. I saw you lying in Suki's bed!"

Sokka was thankful for the dark. Otherwise, she would have seen his cheeks flush red.

"I… I was protecting her! So she wouldn't get scared!"

Katara rolled her eyes. "Suki's not afraid of thunder storms. Nice try. You probably went crawling into her bed for your protection."

"No I didn't!"

That was a start of another noisy argument, this time between the two siblings. Toph rolled around and pulled the covers over her head to block the noise out. Zuko hid his head under a pillow, thoroughly annoyed that his sleep was being interrupted by the arguing siblings.

After some time, Suki showed up to try and drag Sokka away.

"What were you doing with my brother Suki?" Katara demanded.

"Nothing," Suki insisted, tugging on Sokka's arm desperately.

They all had seemed to forget about the storm raging outside, which was progressively getting worse.

"We should camp in the living room Sparky." Toph muttered to the annoyed guy beside her.

"I'm actually considering killing them all." Zuko admitted.

Katara was right in poor Suki's face, refusing to leave the girl alone. "You are one sneaky girl, Suki! Acting all innocent, when really you're sneaking my brother into your room!"

Suki gasped. "Katara, stop it! That's not what happened."

"Liar! You are a liar! Just like in president, when you CHEATED!"

Suki took an angry step towards her. "It's not like you're innocent either, you helped me!"

Aang the peace-keeper stumbled into the room. "What's going on here?" He muttered sleepily, rubbing at his eyes.

"Suki is smuggling men into her room." Katara answered "While Toph is choosing to invade the personal space of other men."

"If you don't shut up right now, Not-So-Sugary-Queen, I am going to throw you out of this room right now!" Toph yelled at her.

Aang yawned. Why was this madness happening now, in the middle of the night? Was he the only one who valued sleep?

"Can we just all go back to bed?" He asked sleepily.

Before anybody could answer, the loudest roar of thunder heard that night entered the room. Blinds shook crazily and a cracking noise was heard outside, before a loud snap.

The six of them stood completely still.

"I think.. I think a tree just fell onto the porch." Sokka was the first to speak.

Leaving his pride behind, Sokka jumped into the bed beside Toph. Suki followed his example. Katara ran around to the other side to squash in next to Zuko (she was till angry at Suki) and Aang raced after her.

All six of them lay squashed in Zuko's big, king-sized bed.

"Sokka your elbow is in my face."

"Stop hogging the covers Katara!"

"Get your foot off of my leg!"

"Oh sorry Zuko, didn't realize that was your leg."

"Who's leg were you aiming for, Twinkle Toes?"

"I wasn't aiming for anyone's leg!"

"Riiight."

It took a while, but eventually they all fell asleep, save for Zuko and Katara.

"It's always you and me, huh?" Zuko whispered, turning over so he was on his side, facing Katara's back.

"Yup. Always stuck with you."

Zuko poked her back playfully. "You like it."

"Whatever you say Zuko, whatever you say." Katara's voice was heavy with sleep, and Zuko knew that she was going to pass out any second.

Her chocolate curls were pulled up into a ponytail. His eyes were trained on the back of her neck. He had a strong urge to lean down and kiss it.

When he was certain she was asleep, he did just that. "Sweet dreams, Conniving Katara."

What he didn't know was that Katara was actually still conscious. She had not yet finished the walk across the bridge to dream world. "Sweet dreams Sparky." She muttered back before drifting into sleep.

ATLA ATLA ATLA

Woo chapter 5! I hope you guys liked it! I know right now the story might seem a little disorganized but don't worry, in the next few chapters it will be settling into a flowing plot. You'll see ;)

Suggestions and critique is definitely welcomed! Don't be shy! And as always, I'd like some reviews!

I got about 13 reviews for the last chapter. How 'bout we aim for 15 next chapter? ^_^

Till next time,

- Tk