A/n: I am only doing a disclaimer. I own nothing. If you have read this far and have a brain, you know where this is going. Happy reading!

Autumn surrounded the city with beautiful oranges, reds, and yellows of dying leaves and cooler winds off the bay. The sun was getting further from the earth, right at that sweet spot between perihelion and aphelion. Temperatures were mild, sometimes a little chilly. As the weeks rolled on from summer to autumn though, Katara's pleasure was dissipating and her patience was being spread thin. Out of everything that had been happening she knew one thing for certain; Aang was avoiding her.

There had been fewer and fewer morning wake up calls to her house. Fewer bending sessions. Fewer meals together. Just over all less time together. When she was with him he seemed distracted, looking at her in a weird way that was unnerving to her. She tried to keep calm about it. She reminded herself that he was the avatar and was busy with the whole world and that she really couldn't ask for 100% of his time. This calmed her a little but there was still something bizarre about the situation.

Katara was dressed for the day and decided to head down to City Hall and talk to Sokka, hoping to catch him available. She snuck in the main door and walked off to the left to go upstairs to Sokka's office. She rounded the corner and was surprised to find him standing in the doorway of his office and Aang in the hall. They both stopped talking abruptly when Aang turned his head to see her walking towards them.

"Oh, hey Sweetie!" He said with a little too much enthusiasm. She frowned and looked between them.

"Hey, I thought you were going to Ba Sing Se today? What are you doing here, talking to Sokka?"

Aang looked to her brother and back to her before smiling again.

"I was just, uh, getting some things cleared up before I left! There were some issues with…" He trailed off and looked to Sokka. His face was blank and no help. Aang's eyes widened and Sokka sighed.

"Trading." He said flatly.

"Trading!" Aang repeated quickly. "There were some issues with the trade routes that I needed to help with and now I am done so…" He turned back to Sokka and shook his hand. "Thank you for the help."

"Wait, I thought you helped him, not the other way around." Katara said and crossed her arms.

"Right! Thanks for letting me help Sokka. It was, um, helpful?" She said and rubbed the back of his neck. Sokka patted him on the shoulder and changed the subject.

"Have a good trip. Be careful."

"Okay thanks." He said and Sokka gave him a firm hand shake by the arm, waving goodbye to his sister and going back into his office, closing the door. Aang looked to Katara and smiled and shrugged.

"Okay, so I guess I need to get going. Appa is on the roof." He leaned in to give her an kiss and she put a hand on his chest to stop him.

"What is going on with you lately?"

His puckered lips came to a frown and he put a hand on her waist.

"What do you mean?"

"You have been avoiding me. And when you are around me you've been… odd."

"No I haven't! I've been really busy, honest! And what do you mean odd? Odd how?"

"Like that whole thing between you and my brother just now. That was just… it felt like you were using code with him or something. You're hiding something from me."

"I'm not hiding anything." He said and looked away from her. She grabbed his chin and turned him back to her.

"And now you're lying to me? When did that start?" She was furious but her tone was hurt and he flinched, sighing.

"Sweetie. Just trust me." He asked and his eyes were soft and pleading.

She wanted to hang onto her rage. She wanted to yell at him. He had never lied to her before. Her rage was quickly going to turn into tears.

"You don't stop by my house anymore. You are never at the temple when I show up. The Acolytes have no clue where you go, they assumed all this time you were with me. I barely get to see you because you're so 'busy'. And now, on top of all that, you are lying to me. Are you even going to Ba Sing Se?" She said and her voice faltered. He gripped her hand and framed her face.

"I am going on a trip, but no, I am not going to Ba Sing Se. And I can't tell you where I am going. And I can't take you with me." He said slowly and she closed her eyes and her heart sunk. A tear fell from the corner of her eye. In her head a thousand sirens where screaming that something about this was wrong.

"Aang… are you," She took in a breath. She could barely think of the question, let alone ask it. "Are you seeing someone else?" She asked and her lip quivered. Aang looked appalled.

"NO! Katara, no! That is not what is going on!" He took her face in his hands and came closer to her and kissed her on the lips. She pulled back and tears still flowed from her lashes.

"Then what is going on?"

"Do you love me?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"Just answer me, please."

She took a moment and wiped her eyes. She exhaled and tried to steady herself.

"Yes, Aang, I love you." She said and put her arms to her side. He smiled and pressed his forehead to her, holding her arms.

"Good. I love you too. And I promise you are the only person for me." He separated from her and stood in front of her.

"This trip will only take a few days. Maybe four if I get sidetracked. It's a very in-and-out operation. I will be home, to you, in no time." He said with a soft smile and she nodded.

"You have to trust me okay? I would trust you with my life Katara, I have before. I am just asking for trust this one time and after this I will never ever be secretive again. I will tell you everything when I get back, I just need to go right now if I am going to be back as soon as possible."

"Okay." She said and gripped his robes, pulling him down into a quick but rough kiss. She bit his lip and sipped her tongue into his mouth, tasting him for the first time in what felt like forever. He hummed and gripped her body close to him but she quickly cut him off, pulling away and breaking the kiss.

"You had better think of me every second you are gone." She said through half-lidded eyes. He exhaled shakily and gulped, nodding.

"With a kiss like that, how can I not?"

She smirked and kissed his forehead.

"Okay, I need to go. I love you."

"I love you too." She smiled and his hand lingered in hers as he backed away to the roof access stairwell. She sighed once he was out of sight and turned to her brother's office door. She reached for the handle and it was locked. She made a very angry grunting noise and beat on the door.

"Sokka!"

"I'm busy. Come back later." He lied unamused through the door.

"You are not busy! Unlock this door right now!"

"Why?"

"We need to talk!"

She heard shuffling behind the door and a click as he turned the door open. He stood in the door way and smirked at her.

"And just what would you like to discuss?"

"How about what you and Aang were really talking about?"

He shook his head and crossed his arms.

"Not gonna happen."

"Sokka! This is important! Something is going on and I don't like it! You shouldn't know something about my boyfriend that I don't."

"Oh I know a lot about him that you don't." He smirked again, rubbing it in. "But you don't have to worry. Aang will be back in a few days and everything will make sense."

"Listen you, I can't wait a few days! I'll go crazy! Just tell me now or… I'll get your wife to tell me. You tell Suki everything!" She tried to corner him. He laughed.

"I haven't told her this. And I don't plan to. And by the time you try to spin this into me lying to her, Aang will be back anyways." He leaned against the doorframe. Katara groaned and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Katara, relax. It's going to be okay."

She fumed and huffed, walking away from him and not really knowing what else to do. She stomped down the stairs and flew through the main doors with unnecessary roughness. She pushed through her classic temper and power walked from city hall to the market by the bay. By the time she was there, her anger was gone and her feet were sore. She leaned against a pole and looked out to the bay, the late morning light glinting off the water and Air Temple Island looking more like home than ever. She crossed arms and let a hand loose to gently bend the water under the dock, making her own ripples and shadows.

"A few days." She sighed, dropped the water, and tucked her hand under her elbow. She started to walk through the market, grabbing a basket and stocking up for a few days. She got fish, fruit, vegetables, and some junk food of course.

She finished shopping and made her way back home, trying to think of ways to pass a few days' time, knowing she would be checking the clock every few minutes until his safe return. Katara sighed as she entered her home and kicked off her shoes. She took extra care to put the food away in the proper cupboard or ice box and left her basket by the door.

In Aang's absence, she had let her house get dusty and unorganized. She noticed the pile of shoes, the film of lint on the book shelves, the books out of order, crooked furniture. It wasn't exactly a cowpigsty but it could be better. She took off her outer garment and hung it on the coat rack, grabbing a ribbon and braiding her hair down her back and tying it off. She stood in her bindings and leggings and started to get to work.

X

If day one had been painful, days two and three were excruciating. It was morning on the third day. Her bath for the day was already over. Her hair was dry. All clothes had been washed, dried, folded, and put away the previous day. Breakfast was consumed and dishes clean. The whole house was spotless. Not a trace of dust was left from floor to ceiling. Her closet was organized by casual to formal attire. Each piece of furniture and knickknack and souvenir was put in place with precision. She was laying on her already made bed and feeling the air come through her open window. She had never felt more like screaming in her life.

She lay in the silence, trying to calm herself for so long she thought she was imagining things when a quick rapping came at her door. Her eyes flew open and she all but ran to the door, seeing him with a serene smile on his face that made his charm overflow. She smiled and hugged his neck, Aang picking her up and spinning her in a circle. When he put her down she framed his face and kissed him so heatedly he was sure his ears were steaming. His head was spinning and he could barely breathe. She was hungry for his touch and kiss and so much more. He pushed her back and smiled, leaning his forehead against her while he tried to get centered again.

"I take it you missed me." He gasped.

"So much." She said and tried to catch her breath.

"Don't you want to know why I was gone? You seemed so interested when I left."

She laughed and nodded.

"Yes, come in and tell me everything." She turned to walk inside but Aang grabbed her arm.

"Let's go to Air Temple Island. I'd rather talk about it there."

She raised her eyebrow and was about to question him.

"Trust me." He said and kissed her lips softly. She smiled and broke the kiss.

"Okay." She said softly and closed the door behind her.

He guided her to Appa who was waiting not far from the house. She sat with Aang on the head and they flew off to the island. The trip was silent. She was getting anxious but his face wouldn't betray anything less a smile. He looked so peaceful. So at home. She wondered if all of the nonsense of him avoiding her was going to be over. She had never seen him so… content. Whatever had happened had clearly been to his benefit. Which should have calmed her but it really just raised more questions in her mind.

As they landed in the plaza, he helped her off Appa and held her hand, watching Appa fly off to see Amhi.

"Walk with me." He said and let go of her hand. She followed him closely as he led her passed the main structures of the island. They avoided the dining hall, the dormitories, the temple and his home. He led her through bushes and followed a foot path down towards the cliffs, where she had never been before. Just before the path turned down to the cliffs there was a beautiful tree with a raised and level stone under the branches, perfect for two people to sit under. He turned to her and took her hand, leading her to the stone and sitting down with her. He smiled and looked down at her hands, the light coming through the fall leaves giving the air around them an orange glow.

"Katara," He finally spoke and looked from their hands into her eyes. "How much do you love me?"

She smiled and tilted her head. His voice was so soft and even she didn't know why he was asking it.

"Aang, It's hard to describe."

"Try."

She exhaled and looked down at their hands.

"Whenever you leave, it's like I'm lost. I feel like my life is on hold until you return. When you avoid me it makes me so angry but it also hurts because I love you so much and I just want to always be with you. I love kissing you. I love when you hold me. I love how strong you are but you never use that against people. I love how genuine you are. I love how much you care. I love everything about you. I didn't think I could ever love someone this much…" She trailed off and squeezed his hand. She looked into his eyes and his cheeks were burning red with ears to match.

"What about you? How much do you love me?"

"I'm glad you asked." He smiled and took in a breath. He seemed nervous.

"When I was young, it was revealed that I was the Avatar. When I was told that, my whole life was changed. I ran away from home. I ended up frozen in a block of ice until Zuko found me. When I was told what had happened in my absence, I promised myself that I would do anything to become the Avatar the world needed. I would train until I couldn't feel my own body, if that was what it took. And I did that. I became the Avatar in less than a year and defeated Firelord Ozai and helped to restore the world the best I could and make this wonderful nation for all people. I thought that was it. I was going to live a life of service and duty to the world and that's what my plan was."

He paused and looked to Katara.

"Until my friend told me about a certain waterbending master who had terrible trouble with men." He smiled. She chuckled and he continued.

"The stories he would tell me were incredible. I couldn't stop asking about you. I needed to know more about you. Suddenly any time I saw Zuko, I saw it as an opportunity to ask about you. One day he said I should just meet you. He was joking of course, but I took him up on his offer. On that day, when we met last spring, I realized that there is not a full life without love. That night, after our first date, I couldn't sleep. I felt so hollow without you by my side and though I barely knew you I felt like I had been waiting y whole life to meet you. And every day after that this feeling has only increased. It's like my life before you was just preparing me for a real life. A life with you."

He reached into his robes and pulled out a familiar sight; a cyan pendant on a navy silk choker. Katara was blushing and her heart was beating so fast. She felt like this wasn't real. This had to be a dream.

"Katara. Every morning I wake up, my first through is about you. And when I go to bed I dream about you. I want you by my side for the rest of my life. My life would be so empty without you. I want you to be my best friend until we pass from this world."

She felt tears welling up in her eyes. He cupped her chin and made her look away from the necklace and into his eyes.

"Princess Katara of the Southern Watertribe, will you please honor me and be my wife?"

She had to chock back a sob and nodded.

"I will. Aang, I love you. Of course I will marry you."

He smiled and had to choke back a sob himself. He looked down at the necklace and back to her.

"May I?"

She nodded and laughed, tears streaming down her cheeks. He stood and came behind her and she held up her hair for him. He looped it around her neck and closed the clasp, coming in front to see her.

"How do I look?"

"More beautiful every day." He smiled and pulled her in for a kiss. She leaned back onto the stone and he followed her, kissing her and hovering over her body. She had never been so excited and so happy. He pulled back and looked down at her with her hair spilling over the stone, the pendent against her skin so perfectly.

"I can't wait to tell everyone." She said and his face was wiped of the smile.

"Um. I'm sorry but a lot of people already know."

"What?" She said and sat up, making him sit back where he had been.

"Who knows?"

"Well, I had to ask Sokka so he knows. Everyone on this island knows; notice how no one is around?"

She looked around and, with him mentioning it, she realized she had not seen a single person.

"I sent everyone off the island for the day. I wanted this to be alone time between you and I."

"Okay… who else knows?"

"Your father and your grandmother. They are on the way right now for the wedding next week."

"Next week!?" She squeaked and crossed her arms.

"They really shouldn't be traveling during the icy months. It's a bigger risk of ship damage. Plus I knew you would want something small so there is hardly any planning you have to do."

"How were you so sure I was going to say yes?"

"Because I love you and I know you love me. Besides, could you really say no to this."

He leaned in and kissed the side of her neck. She sighed and archer her neck, grabbing his shoulder. His tongue touched her skin and she whimpered under him, desperate for more. He smiled and stopped, pulling back.

"Fine, fair point." She smiled as she tried to calm her body down.

"But you still get to tell Suki and Toph and Zuko. So that should count for something."

She smiled and threw her arms around his neck.

"I love you so much Aang."

"And I love you." He smiled and kissed her hair.