There are several stories written by several authors (including myself) trying to fill in the "gap" and explore how Aang and Katara got past the scene in Ember Island Players to the kiss in the final episode. I was intrigued by a scene in Rast's story, "The Price of Falling", where Zuko and Iroh work to help Katara and Aang realize their love for each other is mutual. This is another offering looking at that subject….

The Return

As the sun faded from the sky and the stars started to come out, a lone figure could be seen sitting, watching the sky. Zuko came trudging up to her with food and drink.

She didn't seem to notice him at first, until he cleared his throat and sat down with the tray between them.

"I thought you might be hungry," he said as he took the towel off the tray, exposing some fruit, cold turkey-pigeon, and bread. "I brought tea, too," he added, pouring a cup for each of them.

Katara ignored the papaya (she hated papaya), taking a pear instead. She began to eat it, never taking her eyes off the horizon.

"What do you think happened to her, to Mai?" she asked as she ate the fruit.

Zuko frowned a minute as he seemed to gaze inward at some memory. "I don't know. Considering she opposed Azula, she was probably thrown into prison, if she's even…I don't know. I hope she was just put into prison. Her uncle is the warden there, after all."

As he said this, Zuko sighed. "I miss her so much, and I'm so afraid that she's been hurt because of me. I hope she understands why I had to do this."As Zuko was talking, a tear found its way down Katara's face.

"I thought I was being wise, telling Aang that there were more important things than having a relationship with him in the middle of this war," she said. "I never realized what I was saying. I never thought it might mean we would never have a relationship, that I could never tell him I loved him if he didn't make it back." This last came with a sob as the initial tear was joined by others, flowing freely down her face.

Zuko looked at her, compassion clearly evident on his face. "Aang will overcome my father. I know he will. It's his destiny."

"I know Aang will prevail," Katara said, her voice sounding watery through her tears. "But what if he doesn't survive? What if it takes him giving his life to overcome your father? That's what I'm most afraid of, that I will never get a chance to tell him how…how much he means to me." As she finished saying this, the moon came out from behind the clouds. Katara seemed to feel the moon's presence; she suddenly lifted her head and cried out, "Yue, please, please bring Aang back to me." Her voice fell to a whisper and she seemed to collapse from fatigue. "Please, bring Aang back to me…"

Zuko grabbed her before she hit the ground, wincing as the wounds from his battle with Azula were pulled by the stretching and exertion. He took his outer robe and folded it, laying the master waterbender's head on it, quietly telling her as he did so, "Aang will return, Katara. You are the reason he has done all of this. He would never leave you." Saying this, Zuko sat down a little further away to continue Katara's vigil.

Looking up at the moon, he reiterated the young waterbender's request. "Please, bring him back. I don't think she could continue if he doesn't…." He sighed, unable to finish the thought aloud, and continued to watch the sky.

oooOooo

As the airship limped back towards the Fire Nation, three teens were conferring amongst themselves as a fourth young teen sat apart, watching the clouds float by.

Suki watched the young airbender while she spoke to the other two. "I think whatever is wrong with Aang must have something to do with why he seemed so on edge before he left us back on Ember Island."

"You may be right about that, fan girl," said Toph as she listened as best she could with her feet (the metal and sounds of the wind seemed to interfere with her ability to "see" with earthbending). "It's hard enough to get a good read on Aang at the best of times, but right now I just can't seem to concentrate, what with all this air noise and such."

Meanwhile, the subject of their discussion was trying to meditate. Normally, he would have been able to go into a meditative state relatively easily, what with being up in the sky and the sound of the wind flowing past and the smell of clouds. Yet that was part of the problem - the smell of the clouds. They smelled of moisture, of water. They smelled just like…her. That was the reason he needed to meditate, to seek peace. His heart was beating in his chest like a bird which had been caught in a net. It seemed like it would break in two. Yet what hope did he have? He hadn't been lying when he said she was his anchor in this world. It seemed as if he had nothing left to live for without any hope of her love. All he had to look forward to was a long life of loneliness, of emptiness. It seemed as if he had saved the world only to find there was no place in this new era of peace for him. At the same time, he could no more think of harming himself than he could of ending Ozai's life. Now it seemed as if he would forever be like someone standing outside the house, looking in the window and seeing everyone else's happiness, never to experience that same happiness himself. Why was destiny doing this to him? Every other Avatar had been married. Everyone else had that special someone, the one who made them whole, to spend their lives with. There was no question about finding someone other than Katara to fill that place for Aang. Compared to her, all other girls faded into the distance. She was ingrained into his very being. How could he live without her? Maybe that was his destiny. To win the war and then to just fade away, to let the next Avatar take over.

As he contemplated this, the events of the past days finally took their toll. Aang's eyes began to close, and he slowly slipped into sleep.

oooOooo

As she slept, Katara began to dream about Aang. She saw him and his journey from afar, as one who is an observer and not a participant. She saw herself and Sokka as they found Aang. She was once again dazzled by his gray eyes, his tattoos, and his captivatingly open expression of joy and wonder. As she saw this, her thoughts turned to what Aang's children would look like. Would they have the same open expression of delight in, and love of, life? She saw Aang every time she worked with him on his waterbending, how he blushed and seemed to seek out opportunities to obtain her favor. Then her dream changed. She suddenly saw her life without Aang. The long days of drudgery stretching into even longer months and years of emptiness.

From where he was sitting, keeping vigil, Zuko heard the young waterbender whimper. He turned to look at her and saw her tracing out the pattern of an arrow on the makeshift pillow her head was reclining upon. Zuko turned back to his watch and murmured to himself, "You'd better come back, Aang. All of us would miss you, but Katara would be lost without you."

oooOooo

As Aang finally slept, he began having dreams of Katara. She seemed to be walking away from him. He would call to her, but she would never stop. She just kept walking. Then other young men showed up: Haru, Jet, nameless water tribesmen, Fire Nation nobles. All of them older than him, all better looking, all rich and debonair.

Toph, whose hearing was far better than either Sokka or Suki's, was the first to hear the softly spoken cries.

"Katara, please come back. Please don't leave me. Please, I love you." This last was even quieter than the rest.

"Hey, Suki, I think I know what's bothering Twinkletoes."

"Oh, what is it?" Suki replied.

"Not here, where Captain Boomerang might hear it. Come on over here, closer to Aang."

As the two young women neared the sleeping airbender, they saw him shudder. A few tears leaked from beneath his eyelids, then he breathed out the words in a shuddering breath so soft they almost couldn't hear them, "Katara, please don't leave me. You're my anchor. I have nothing left if you leave me…"

Suki gasped and her eyes became watery. Only her training as a warrior prevented the tears from flowing freely down her face.

Toph was made of sterner stuff. She didn't cry or cry out. Instead she simply muttered, "Ah, Twinkletoes, you have it bad." as she shook her head.