I got this up faster than I thought I would! Yay for inspiration!

Well, the inspiration for this chapter came to me after being outside all day, just knowing it was going to rain soon. I could feel it in the air, and it got me thinking how Katara would react to feeling the impending rain, and this is what I came up with. This chapter also serves to start the move towards Zuko and Katara becoming a couple. Because let's face it Zutara fans: they should have ended up together after their fight with Azula. Just saying.

On we go! (I still own nothing)

The air was heavy with rain the next time it happened. Normally this type of weather would put Katara in a great mood, but it had been threatening rain for the past month without any luck, and the lack of rain had done just the opposite. Add on to that an extremely long and difficult day of negotiations and you had one annoyed waterbender.

Unfortunately for Zuko, he had no idea that she was in a less-than-friendly mood.

"Katara?"

"What?" she snapped.

Zuko paused in the doorway of her office, taking in Katara's frenzied state. Stacks of papers were everywhere and Katara was frantically searching through the biggest stack on her desk. Strands of hair had escaped from her braid, there were dark circles under her eyes, and she had that half frantic, half crazy look on her face that she only got when she was taking on too many things at once.

"What's wrong?" he asked immediately.

"Everything!" she cried out, still searching through the stack of papers. "Negotiations were crazy today! I don't know why I ever tried to defend Palo to you," she said, naming the Northern Water Tribe Ambassador. "You were right, he is insane!"

"Katara – "

"And don't get me started on Sokka!" she continued on. "He just won't let up on all these wedding details! I thought it was the bride who was supposed to get all worked up over every tiny detail!"

"Katara – "

"He actually had the gall to insist that I do all the cooking for the wedding! Can you believe that? As if I don't have enough on my plate already. I'm supposed to be reporting on the progress of the rebuilding to the Southern Tribe and of course I can't find the blasted report!"

"Katara – "

"And to top it all off, it still hasn't rained! Having all this water hanging in the air for the past month has been driving me crazy! I need it to rain!"

"KATARA!" Zuko finally shouted.

"What?" she demanded, meeting Zuko's gaze for the first time.

"Pause."

"I – what?"

"Pause," Zuko repeated.

"But…we aren't arguing about anything."

"Well I'm instigating a new use of our pause clause," Zuko said as he stepped over to Katara's side. "It can also be used when one of us sees that the other is overworked and desperately needs to take a break."

"But I can't – " Katara tried to protest.

"Pause," Zuko said firmly. "Or do I need to make it an order?"

Katara removed her hands from the stack of papers. "Like you could actually order me around," she said teasingly.

Zuko merely smiled. "Come on, we're going outside." He grabbed her hand and led her to one of his favorite places in the palace: the turtle duck pond. It always calmed him down; maybe it would help Katara do the same.

The two friends settled down by the water's edge and glanced hopefully up at the dark sky. A roll of thunder sounded, but no water fell.

"Have you ever tried making it rain?" Zuko asked. His worry that Katara would find the question absurd vanished at the look on her face.

"You know…I never actually thought about that," Katara admitted. "I can stop the rain, you've seen me do that, but I never thought about starting it. Zuko, you're a genius!" She gave him a quick hug, then leapt to her feet and moved into her waterbending stance. She reached up towards the water she could feel in the clouds above and gave the slightest of pulls…

It was as if the storm had been waiting for her to do just that. In the next instant a torrential downpour was drenching everything in the courtyard.

"Finally!" Katara shouted gleefully as she let her element soak into her skin.

Zuko was content to just watch her revel in the rain, not caring how soaked he was getting. Seeing Katara like this, so relaxed and carefree, caused Zuko's growing feelings to flare up, but he stubbornly pushed them aside. She was with Aang, and he was with Mai. They had both made promises to their partners, promises that were not easily broken.

And though he knew he loved Mai, why was he finding it so hard to keep his feelings for Katara at bay?

A/N: Hope you all liked it! Again, if anyone has any ideas for things Zuko and Katara can argue about, I'd love to hear them!