More new readers! Welcome to glowriana and yourdyingwish! And since I don't say it enough, a huge thank you to everyone who is reading this and has added it your story alerts and favorites list. It really cheers me up!

So this next post is highly influenced by Glee and the original songs Get It Right and Pretending. I've been re-watching the first season as well as re-watching the amazing Klaine kiss scene over and over and over... (yeah, I'm a really big Klaine fan). So if any Gleeks and/or Klaine fans are reading this, you'll recognize Zuko's speech to Katara. Obviously, I don't own those words, nor do I own the quote I borrowed from The Princess Bride.

Enjoy!

If there was one thing Katara prided herself on, it was her sense of duty. No matter what was going on in her personal life, she tried her hardest to not let it get in the way of her work. So when one of the Ambassadors from the Earth Kingdom asked for help on setting up hospitals in some of the smaller villages, Katara immediately volunteered. The fact that the job would get her out of the Fire Nation for a couple of months had nothing to do with her decision.

Nothing at all.

"Oh who am I kidding?" she asked herself as she took a break from packing. Only in the privacy of her chambers would she let the truth invade her mind. Ever since she had broken things off with Aang, things between her and Zuko had been off. Their professional relationship was the same as it had always been, but there were times that Katara saw something more hidden in the depths of his eyes.

They hadn't really talked about what happened that morning, other than Zuko offering her his silent comfort after Aang had stormed from the room and Katara had collapsed in tears over what she had done. She didn't regret ending things with Aang; it was something that needed to happen. She had known that the love she had for Aang wasn't going to blossom into a romantic love at any point in the future for a while. She loved him like a brother, plain and simple. No, she didn't regret breaking up with him, she just wished it had happened under different circumstances. But the fact that he thought her capable of going behind his back and cheating still bewildered her to no end.

The fact that he may be right about her feelings for Zuko also bothered her. She loved Zuko as a friend, there was no doubt of that. But was there more to their relationship, as Aang had implied? Katara didn't know. She had mistaken her friendly love for Aang as romantic love, and look at where that had taken them; she was not about to repeat that same mistake.

She needed time away. Time away from Zuko and time away from her feelings. She needed to throw herself into a project and get consumed by her work. Only after that could she even hope to try to understand her feelings for Zuko.

Speaking of Zuko…she had a sinking feeling that he was the one who was knocking on her door. By now word would have reached him that she was leaving for the Earth Kingdom on the next airship.

You can do this, she told herself as she moved to stand in front of the door. She pulled it open, and sure enough, there was Zuko.

"Hey Katara," he greeted with a nervous smile.

"Hi."

"So, um…can I come in?"

"Oh, right. Of course," Katara said as she stepped aside.

Zuko strode inside, and then turned to face Katara. "So. You're going to the Earth Kingdom."

Katara nodded. "Yeah. Ambassador Lee has great plans for the hospitals, and with my healing experience, it just makes sense for me to go lend a hand."

"Sure," Zuko agreed. "How long will you be gone?"

"I'm not sure," Katara said with a shrug. "At least a month, maybe more."

"Oh," Zuko said dejectedly. "Look Katara, about last week – "

"I really don't want to talk about that," Katara said as she moved back over to her packs.

"But I do."

"Can't this wait until I get back?"

"No," Zuko said firmly. "I have to say this. If one of the reasons you're taking this job is what I think it is, then I need to say this." He crossed the distance between them until he was so close that Katara could…

"Katara, there is a moment when you say to yourself 'Oh, there you are; I've been looking for you forever.' Being with you that night…that was a moment for me. About you."

Katara's eyes widened in shock and she knew a blush was staining her cheeks.

"Actually, there have been several moments," Zuko continued. "Watching you make it rain that day by the turtle duck pond, and…if I'm honest with myself, the moment I opened my eyes and saw you smiling through your tears when you healed my lightning wound. But that night last week, there was something. Maybe it was seeing you so vulnerable, maybe it was that you asked me to stay, or maybe it was learning that the thought of losing me scared you that much; I don't know."

He took a deep breath and moved even closer. "The truth is…you move me, Katara. And I – "

Katara's heart didn't want her to stop him. It wanted to hear those words, because they were the same words it wanted her to say to him. But her mind knew she couldn't handle those words right now. So her mind made her say, "Pause."

It came out in the barest of whispers, but Zuko heard her as clearly as if she had shouted the word. He stumbled back, not bothering to hide the hurt in his eyes.

"I just can't," she explained in a strained whisper. "Not right now. I need time. So pause. Please pause."

Zuko stared at her for what could have been seconds, minuets, or hours, Katara didn't know. But finally, he nodded his head and said, "As you wish."