Disclaimer: AtLA is property of VIACOM and Nickelodeon. No profit is made from this story.

It turned out that Katara's first day of 'work' did not start with reading about grain prices. It started with a fallen scroll shelf.

One of the guards had knocked it over, but nobody knew – even the guard himself – exactly how. All of the scrolls had fallen to the ground, and the back of the shelf had been completely torn away, pinning a second guard under it. The man was fine, apart from several rather deep cuts, which Katara promptly healed.

Before …

Despite the fact that she had known the mission would be dangerous, and that Aang had promised her that he would stay safe, Katara went to see Aang before he left.

'It's me,' she said, entering the room without knocking.

Aang had been staring out of the window, Momo curled around his shoulders. 'Oh, hey,' he said, a smile on his face as he turned around to see her.

Katara smiled. 'So … I kind of came to visit you to say goodbye.'

The corner of Aang's mouth twitched. 'But everyone's saying goodbye later.'

She kissed him on the lips, and then they embraced.

'I'll come back,' said Aang. 'I promise.'

Now …

For several nights after the Great Scroll Shelf Fiasco, Katara had slept peacefully. But this night her dreams were haunted by horrifying images … Aang dead in Zuko's arms … Aang shrieking in pain as the lightning bolt hit him square in the chest … Aang's eyes, glassy and lifeless …

Once upon a time, when Katara was five years old and her mother was still alive, she had woken up screaming from a nightmare – only to find herself safe and sound in bed, her mother's arms wrapped around her.

But this time, nine years later, when Katara woke up the nightmare hadn't gone away.

***

Two weeks after Katara had started helping Zuko with his paperwork, Toph decided to visit.

'Hey Sweetness, hey Sparky,' she said, strolling casually through the office door, earthbending the guards trying to restrain her through the window.

Katara heard Appa roar in the distance.

'What – what are you doing here?' Zuko could not hold back his surprise, quickly jumping to his feet.

Toph didn't have time to reply, several fully-armored firebenders had run into the office. Already, they had each pulled their fists back, prepared to firebend.

'Wait – stop!'

Zuko was too late.

There was a sudden rush of immense heat as eighteen blasts of fire all charged at Toph. The girl cried out in pain as a good fifteen of them made contact with her body, the other three hitting the walls, the floor, setting the room alight.

Katara's reaction was delayed, the blinding light and intensity of the flame's heat slowing her down. Yet somehow she made it to Toph, her knees smacking into the ground, cradling the girl in her lap, at the same time bending water out of her waterskins, pressing a water-gloved hand to Toph's chest, spreading the silvery water over her body.

She was concentrating too hard to pay attention to what was going on around here, only Zuko's enraged shouts at the guards. Several times the room grew overbearingly hot from his flames and she felt as if she were on fire, but eventually it would always cool down.

Minutes passed – the Toph's burns began to heal. The guards left the room. Toph stirred, coughed, and slowly stood up.

'Jerkbenders …' she muttered weakly, at the same time spreading one palm and punching it with her fist, 'when I see them again …'

Katara laughed shakily, trying to convince herself that perhaps things weren't so bad. Toph begun brushing herself down, although Katara could see that her hands were shaking.

Then she realized her legs had stopped working.

'Zuko…?'

He looked down at her, but didn't say anything.

Katara grimaced. 'I don't think I can stand up. My legs are all numb.'

'Oh. Okay.' He knelt down beside her, scooping her legs up under his arms.

'Zuko, what are you – Oh!' Katara cried out in surprise as Zuko carried her, bridal-style, out of the office and into the hallway.

Then she looked down and saw that the midnight blue cloth of the pants she wore under her dress was now stained a deep black – from blood. Maybe it had been the flames, maybe not. She didn't know, and probably never would.

All of a sudden Katara felt very light headed.

'My legs feel wet.'

Then everything went black.

*

Before …

Zuko had been tying some bags to Appa's saddle when she went to see him.

'Zuko, we need to talk.'

'Right now?' Zuko had never been a whiner, yet there was no denying the slightly irritated undertone to his voice.

'Yes – right now.' Katara stood by Appa's side, arms crossed, waiting.

The Fire Lord jumped out of the saddle and ran down Appa's tail. They faced each other.

'What is it?'

Katara blinked back tears, determined to stay firm.

'You're not the only one who fought Azula, Zuko. I was there. I know how powerful she is, and I know that you and Aang lied to everyone to give them some peace of mind.'

'Katara –'

'No, stop. Aang told me that he's going to be fine, and no matter how much I want to believe him, I need you to promise me something.'

'What?' Zuko's voice was skeptical.

'Bring Aang back to us – to me – in one piece. Do whatever it takes.'

She could tell that Zuko understood.

'I promise.'

***

Katara woke up in her bedroom. The first thing she was aware of was that she was only in her underwear, secondly, that her legs were bandaged from her ankles to mid-thigh.

What had happened?

For about half a minute Katara tried to remember what had happened. Why was she in bed?

Then she remembered.

Toph's unexpected arrival, the guards burning her. Healing Toph – and, somewhere along the line, getting burnt herself. Passing out while Zuko carried her out of the office.

Oh spirits – what if she hadn't done a good enough job? What if Toph had collapsed? What if Toph was –?

Don't think about it.

Blearily, Katara looked around her room. Everything looked the same, nothing had been moved around. Zuko was sitting at the foot of her bed. She blinked several times, and her vision focused.

'…Zuko?'

His head shot up.

'Katara!'

The sound of his voice made her head throb. Katara groaned.

'What's wrong?'

'The whole noise thing isn't so good right now.' Katara's voice was dry and rasping.

Zuko dropped his voice to a whisper. 'You've been unconscious for five days.'

Wow. What happened to me?

'Is Toph okay?' croaked Katara.

Zuko nodded. 'She's fine.'

'You don't have to whisper now,' said Katara. To her relief, her head had stopped throbbing every time Zuko spoke.

'Okay,' said Zuko, his voice going back to normal volume. 'What else do you want to know?'

'My legs.'

'Oh.' Zuko looked down, refusing to meet her gaze. 'I burned them.'

There was silence. A part of Katara desperately didn't want to believe that it was true – but it had to be. Sparky had burned her while she was healing Toph; he'd lost control of the flames.

She had trusted Zuko and had been burned.

After …

Of course she had to attend Azula's funeral, even though Zuko and Sokka had both repeatedly told her that she didn't have to go if she didn't want to.

She was wearing the green dress that she had kissed Aang in, her hair fastened back in traditional water-tribe style. As Azula's body was being cremated, she had to step back from the intensity of the heat.

'Rot in the spirit world,' murmured Katara under her breath, reaching up to feel her mother's necklace, 'rot in the spirit world for the rest of your life.'