A/N: If you're wondering how/why I am posting so fast, I finished this. That's why.

Day Three, Part Two

Aang and Katara were understandably fidgety the remainder of the drive. They hesitated in even touching each other for fear that an accidental glance might set off another series of confusing flashes. Neither of them was eager for that to happen again given the fact they had yet to recover from the last one.

Not long after their abbreviated kiss, when they were still trembling with shock, Gyatso had come to find them. By all accounts oblivious to their distress, he had jovially informed them both that it was time to leave. His eagerness to resume their road trip didn't leave Aang and Katara with a lot of time to discuss what had happened between them…not that they would have known what to say had they had the opportunity. Instead, they had merely shuffled back to the car together in a speechless haze. That had been ten minutes prior and neither of them had spoken a word about it since.

Yet, the fact that they weren't talking about it meant very little. They were most certainly thinking about it. In truth, that was the only thing either of them could think about. How could they not? They had shared a kiss, a wonderfully explosive kiss…and it was almost like their world had shifted with it. They sat rigidly alongside one another, locked in tense silence and emotionally isolated from the other by their wildly rambling thoughts.

Aang's first inclination was to shrug the whole thing off. Yes, it had been strange. Yes, the brief experience had shaken him to his core. Yes, he was still obsessing about it. But…in retrospect, was it really so earth-shattering, he reasoned to himself. Seeing himself transition from a child into an adult and locked in numerous kisses of varying degrees of passion with Katara had been a head trip. Not only had he seen the visions, but he had experienced the emotions from each blinking frame as well. Though the emotions had been ridiculously brief at the time, they had also been equally potent.

Still, there had to be a logical explanation for what he had seen. When Aang thought about it, he could readily admit that he had been more than a little keyed up over the prospect of kissing Katara again. His heart had been racing. His palms had been clammy. He had even felt a bit light-headed. It was possible that his emotions had been heightened enough to manifest themselves in the freaky vision he had seen. Of course, that didn't entirely explain why or how Katara had seen the same thing. Then again, perhaps that needed no explanation. He was the Avatar after all. Since learning his identity three months prior, and even before that, Aang's life had been slowly degenerating into one weird, spiritual event after another. He had long since acclimated himself to spirit shenanigans. In hindsight, what was one more?

But just as Aang was talking himself down from the whole thing, Katara was becoming more anxious than ever. Unlike Aang, she subscribed to a different theory altogether. Unlike Aang, this wasn't her first experience with the strange…flashbacks. Katara wasn't entirely sure what to call them, but she knew that was what they felt like. Once before, when she had pressed a quick kiss on Aang's cheek she'd felt a similar sensation. Suddenly her mind was filled with a plethora of other times when she had innocently…and not so innocently…kissed his cheek. Katara recalled feeling stunned in the aftermath.

They were like memories, only impossible ones because they pictured events that had never happened to her, events that were, in fact, thoroughly foreign to her. She would almost put them on par with her "man on a floating island" dream and she had been having that one for years! One time might have been a fluke, Katara thought to herself, but two times? That wasn't a fluke at all! Something odd and unexplainable was happening between her and Aang. Katara was no longer in denial about that. Yet, finding a delicate way to approach that fact without sounding like a complete lunatic thoroughly eluded her.

She chanced a careful glance over at Aang. Currently, he was staring out the window at the passing countryside and smiling to himself. He didn't seem the least bit stressed out about the situation and, his lack of concern made Katara even more reluctant to make an issue out of it. Maybe it wasn't a big deal. Maybe it was simply one of those things that came with kissing the Avatar. Rather than push the issue then, Katara decided to play it by ear and cautiously follow Aang's lead instead.

Inevitably then, they both took the path of least resistance. They simply didn't talk about it. They played car games to pass the time, told each other embarrassing childhood stories, exchanged edifying bits of knowledge about their respective cultures and even napped a bit. However, throughout all of that, they scrupulously avoided the subject of their earlier kiss and they didn't reference the strange flashes at all. By the time they finally reached Aang's parents' farm just before the noon hour, both Aang and Katara were considerably more relaxed, if not actively avoiding the inexplicable connection between them. Then again, discussing the matter inevitably took a backseat as Gyatso pulled along the dirt road that would eventually take them to the main house.

"This is it," Aang announced with a nostalgic smile, "Home sweet home."

Without thinking about it, Katara made a reflexive grab for his fingers. "Suddenly, I feel very nervous."

Aang blinked at her in surprise. "Why are you nervous? My parents are going to adore you. Don't you know that?"

Katara arched a single eyebrow in unconcealed skepticism. "Adore me?" she scoffed, "A girl you just met three days ago? Somehow, I doubt that, Aang."

"Has it only been three days?" he whispered, "It feels like a lot longer than that. I feel like we've known each other a lifetime, Katara."

Her heart fluttered in her throat. "Me too," she whispered back.

The car rumbled to a stop then, preventing them from saying anything further. Katara took in a shuddering breath, prompting Aang to give her slender fingers an encouraging squeeze. He smiled at her. "You ready?"

She jerked a nod. "I think my imagination is the worst part."

"Don't worry, Katara," Gyatso said, "Tenzin and Lasya are the most welcoming people you'll ever meet."

"Just know that if my mom tries to give you a basket filled with fruits and vegetables, it means she likes you," Aang warned her as they climbed from the car.

Katara was still choking over that when they stepped onto the sun-bleached, wooden porch and Gyatso knocked on the door. Nervous and cautious, Katara respectfully hung back when Aang's parents' threw open their front door and enthusiastically greeted their only child and their oldest friend. In an instant, the air exploded with laughter and tears as the family exchanged hugs and kisses.

While they were preoccupied with peppering their son's face with kisses, Katara took a moment to study Tenzin and Lasya, thoroughly curious about the two people who had produced a son as amazing as Aang. He was a striking combination of them both physically though Tenzin and Lasya seemed to be wildly opposite. Aang's father was dressed in the traditional robes of an Air Nomad monk. His tattooed head was cleanly shaven, his amiably handsome features partially concealed behind a long, dark beard. His mother, on the other hand, was dressed in garb that Katara would liken to a hippie. Her long, wavy hair was threaded through with braids and glossy beads. She, like her husband, wore her arrow proudly but, like her son, the tip was only visible beneath her hairline.

In addition to that, Lasya was a slender woman with a very diminutive stature and delicate bone structure. She looked as if a strong gust of wind could blow her over. But, according to Aang, no one commanded the element better than his mother. She was a very powerful bender, having received her own tattoos when she was only fourteen years old. Until Aang had been born, she had been the youngest master in the recorded history of their nation.

Tenzin, in contrast, was tall and lean with finely muscled limbs that somehow didn't appear gangly in one of such impressive height. He also was a formidable bender, but it wasn't something he sought to advertise. He was a very humble, if not serious and dedicated man. Aang had clearly inherited his father's body type and humility, but his free, laughing spirit and unreserved smile…those had come exclusively from his mother.

Lasya was in the middle of giving a protesting Aang yet another hug when she finally caught sight of Katara standing just beyond him. Her wide, gray eyes brightened with interest. "Well, hello there," she greeted with a ready smile, "And who do we have here?"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you for the last five minutes, Mom," Aang sighed in mild exasperation, "I didn't come alone today. I brought a friend. This is Katara. She's…uh…she's very special to me."

Despite her son's very careful wording, Lasya's mouth curved up in a knowing smile. "Did you hear that, Tenzin?" she asked her husband, though her smile never wavered from Katara, "Your son has a special friend. What do you think about that?"

"Oh, Mother…" Aang groaned under his breath.

Tenzin grunted, not as giddy over the prospect as his wife. He shot Aang a stern look. "And how is it that you've had the time to make friends, Aang?" he asked softly, "You should be focused on your training, son. This is a very serious time for you and the world. We have discussed this again and again."

"I know, Dad."

"I didn't raise you to be irresponsible," Tenzin chided him.

"Please don't chastise him, Tenzin," Gyatso interrupted gently, "You know how diligent Aang is about his training, but he needs this time. He shouldn't lose his childhood."

"I'm not shirking my duties, Dad," Aang vowed, "I promise. I will live up to my potential as Avatar."

"I know you're a good boy," Tenzin sighed, "I just worry for you, Aang. This will be a difficult transition. I don't want you to make it harder for yourself by alienating the monks. You have to be more obedient."

"Yes, sir."

Lasya tugged on her husband's sleeve. "Gentlemen, can we please take this conversation inside the house?" she suggested with a sympathetic glance at a shivering Katara, "Our poor guest is freezing!"

"My apologies, Katara," Tenzin murmured contritely. He politely gestured towards the door and ushered her forward. "Please, come inside so that Lasya and I might get to know you better."

Once they were warmly ensconced in the family room, Tenzin and Lasya introduced themselves to Katara properly and then fell into an immediate quizzing on where she and Aang had met. They weren't suspicious or unduly judgmental with their questions but instead seemed genuinely interested in learning the details of her friendship with Aang. Every so often, they would glance over at their son and note the faint blush on his cheeks and an indiscernible expression would flitter across both their faces. It was an odd combination of affection…and sadness.

Katara quickly noted that while they were very protective of Aang, particularly Tenzin, they also very clearly admired their son and adored him a great deal. The feeling was wholly mutual too. Even when he didn't agree with his parents' assessment of his choices and actions, Aang always listened respectfully while they spoke to him. He made his argument when the time came for him to speak but he was never impertinent when he did so. Basically, he was quiet and thoughtful and the epitome of a dutiful son.

Her grandmother Kanna had often told her that she could always learn how well a man would treat her by the way he treated his family. Thus far, Katara had discovered nothing but truth in that wise proverb. Aang was probably one of the most even-tempered individuals she had ever met. He made no attempt to silence his parents as they regaled her with one embarrassing childhood story after another. He grunted and grumbled and shielded his face in apparent shame but every so often Katara would catch a glimpse of the merry gleam in his eyes and she knew that he was happy. No wonder he spoke of the time he spent with his parents so fondly. She ached to realize that moment would be the last he would share with them for years to come.

After they were done acquainting themselves, Lasya excused herself to the kitchen so that she could begin serving the lunch she had prepared. She was surprised when, rather than bringing her family and guests their meals as she had intended, the four ended up being her undesignated helpers in the kitchen instead. Consequently, they ended up enjoying the majority of their meal in the kitchen rather than the formal dining room. The lunch was simple and consisted of a light fruit salad and plain, white rice but it felt like a feast to Katara, not because she was starving but because the atmosphere between Aang and his family was so very lively.

Conversation never abated. Laughter flowed freely and continually. Love punctuated every word that was spoken. For Katara, it felt like being home again in the South Pole surrounded by her own family. She sat there with Aang, Gyatso, Tenzin and Lasya and she felt like she was home. She felt like she belonged.

When they had finished with their meal, Aang offered to clean up the kitchen while Gyatso, Tenzin and Lasya retired to the family room for tea and conversation. Katara offered to stay behind and assist him, imagining that Tenzin and Lasya would want some private time to catch up with Gyatso. She helped Aang put away the leftover food and, once they were finished with that, split the dishwashing duties. It was decided that she would wash while he would rinse and dry. Having had experience with her brother washing dishes, Katara didn't expect for things to run smoothly but she was pleasantly surprised by how efficiently she and Aang worked together. She soon learned that he had plenty of experience in that area.

Katara passed him a freshly scrubbed plate. "So…no dishwasher, huh?"

"Nah," Aang replied as he rinsed away the clinging suds and blasted the dish dry, "My mom's old school. She always said she didn't see the point of having a dishwasher when she had me. I spent all of middle school with very pruney hands."

"Aww…poor you."

Aang shrugged. "Eh, I didn't mind it that much. My mom and I usually did it together so it gave us a lot of time to talk. I liked that. Besides, I'm a dishwashing master now."

Katara nudged him with her hip. "There's that modesty again," she teased.

"I prefer to think of it as being honest and having a healthy self-confidence."

She rolled her eyes at him. "You really are full of it." They shared a soft exchange of laughter before Katara abruptly fell silent. Her brows drew together in a pensive frown. "I like your parents a lot, Aang," she said, "They've made me feel very welcome."

"I told you so."

Katara nibbled her lower lip. "But…well…should I be worried because your mother hasn't offered me fruit yet?" she blurted, "You said that if she liked me, she would do that and so far she hasn't. Is that a bad thing?"

Aang laughed out loud. "Wow, you're really cute when you're flustered," he teased, "Give her time. Trust me, Katara. She likes you."

"How can you tell? She seems like a naturally gracious person."

"She is gracious, but she's also not shy about voicing her opinion," he said, "If she had a problem with you, she would have made it known by now. And, if she didn't, my father certainly would. You saw him. He didn't blink twice about scolding me in front of you."

"Don't feel bad about that. I could tell he was coming from a place of love. He wasn't trying to embarrass you, Aang."

"I know that," he sighed, "But he and I can be polar opposites sometimes. I don't see the world the way he sees it."

"And how's that?"

He smiled down at her. "As one incredible adventure after another."

Katara swiftly averted her eyes, feeling them well up with his candor. "Is that how you see me?" she wondered hoarsely, "As an adventure?"

Aang gently cupped her cheek and brought her gaze back to his. "I think you're the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me, Katara." He stroked his thumb delicately over the ridge of her cheekbone. "Please don't be nervous anymore. My parents love you." He refrained from adding, "Just like I do," but somehow that avowal remained unspoken between them nonetheless.

Both a bit stunned by the heavy implication of it all, Aang quickly dropped his hand and he and Katara resumed their task of washing dishes. However, the entire time, each was acutely aware of the other. In a desperate attempt to restore the lighthearted atmosphere between them, Katara instigated a subject change.

"So…exactly how long have your parents been together?"

"Twenty years."

Katara blinked in amazement. "Wow. That's a long time."

"Yeah, well…they're in love."

"It shows," she murmured with a soft smile, "They seem like they complement one another really well."

"They do," Aang agreed, "I don't think they know how to be apart. That's the reason they chose to leave the temples in the first place."

"That must have been really hard for them."

"It was. My mother was raised at the Western Air Temple. That was all she knew. And my father…he imagined that he would one day be appointed as one of the Southern Air Temple's elder monks."

"And then they met each other and that all changed," Katara concluded with a growing smile.

"Yeah, it changed. At first, they tried to maintain a long distance relationship, but eventually they found it too difficult and they left the temples to be together. My parents still respect the teachings of our people very much. They love that life, but living it wasn't worth being separated from each other."

"You sound like you agree," she noted softly.

He regarded her with a solemn look, his entire heart reflected in the gray depths of his eyes. "That's because I do."

Katara cleared her throat and resumed washing dishes once more, her knees trembling with the intense feelings he stirred within her. "Has anyone ever told you that you're a real smooth talker, Aang?" she joked lightly.

"You'd be the first."

She flicked a handful of bubble foam at him. "Somehow, I doubt that."

"I wouldn't do be so willy nilly with the bubble throwing if I were you," he warned her in a laughing tone.

Never one to back down from a challenge, Katara scooped up another foamy pile and, with a very deliberate smile, blew it at him. "And what are you going to do about it, tough guy?"

Aang snapped back, holding the rinse nozzle aloft in menacing threat. Sudsy bubbles dangled adorably from the tip of his nose and rested in fluffy bundles atop his head as well. Katara couldn't help but giggle at the picture he presented, not at all threatened by his defensive poise.

"Don't do something you'll regret, Aang."

He applied just the barest hint of pressure to the trigger. "Who says I'll regret it?" he challenged archly.

"You wouldn't dare!"

Aang raised a single brow. "Wouldn't I?"

"You want to think about this very carefully, Avatar Aang," Katara told him even as she began to back up several steps, "I'm a waterbender. You may be the Avatar, but as of yet…you have no skills. This won't end well for you. You don't want to go there."

The corner of his mouth turned up in a crooked smile. "Actually…I think I do."

It was a calculated risk on his part and one that proved not to be his favor. The instant Aang squeezed the trigger, Katara thrust out her hand to block the spray. The sprinkling cascade of water Aang had meant for her was quickly turned back on him in a spilling halo. Within seconds, he was soaked through. He yelped as the cold water doused him, leaving him drenched and shivering. Katara clamped both hands over her mouth in order to stifle the uncontrollable giggles that bubbled from between her lips.

"I…I tried to…warn you…!" she chortled merrily, "Oh, you should have seen your face!"

Aang walked over to the sink and calmly wrung the water from the hem of his t-shirt. "You're pretty pleased with yourself right now, aren't you?"

"Wow, you're pretty adorable when you pout," Katara said, turning his earlier words to her back on him. He responded to that by pouting further, a fact that made her laugh harder. "Oh, stop looking at me like that," she sighed good-naturedly, gamely bending the water from his clothing. "See?" she said as she sloshed the water into the sink, "Good as n—,"

The remainder of her statement was abruptly smothered by his lips. One minute, he was standing near the sink looking as if she had kicked his polar bear puppy and the next he was yanking her close and kissing her. They both tensed in anticipation, awaiting the sudden onslaught of images with some measure of dread. When they didn't come, however, Aang and Katara relaxed into one another. They skimmed their hands over one another in tentative caresses, their tongues stroking with indolent hunger as the kiss deepened.

Aang gradually pressed Katara back into the sink, fitting instinctively into the space she made for him. Katara wrapped her arms around his neck and rubbed against his body in unconscious need. She smoothed her hands down the slope of his back, her fingers coming to rest in the small indentation just above his buttocks. He groaned into her mouth, his need for her growing, his body stirring with arousal. The instant his erection began to crest, Aang reared back from Katara with a soundless gasp.

She blinked up at him in dazed confusion. "What? Why did you stop?"

"I want to show you my bison!" Aang blurted.

Katara fixed him with a narrowed look. "That had better not be a euphemism for something else."

Aang expelled a nervous laugh that was quickly followed by a hot blush. "No…uh…I meant my actual bison," he stammered in clarification, "I thought you wanted to meet him."

"I…I do." She peered at him dubiously. "But you don't want to do that now, do you? Don't you want to finish what we were doing?" Katara didn't wait for his answer, but started to rise up on her toes to kiss him again. Aang, however, dodged her efforts and shrugged out from her arms altogether. She surveyed him with a hurt frown. "Is something wrong?"

"No, it's not wrong," he replied, "That's the problem. It's right. It's too right."

Katara's wounded feelings promptly gave way to bewilderment. "Is that supposed to make sense to me?"

"I like kissing you, Katara," Aang explained, "The problem is…I'm not so sure that I can stop with kissing."

Blue eyes flared wide with chagrined innocence. "Oh."

"I want you," he confessed in a breathless whisper, "A lot."

She drifted forward a step. He did as well. "I want you too," she whispered back.

"That's why I need to show you my bison," Aang insisted, "If I stay in this kitchen with you, all of my self-control is going to go right out the window."

Katara offered him an impish smile. "And that would be a bad thing?"

"Yes, it would be a bad thing. I'm supposed to leave in a few days, Katara," he reasoned, "You and I only just met. That's not fair to you."

Unavoidably reminded of their unhappy situation, Katara had little choice but to concede Aang's point. They had only known each other a short while and, very soon, they would be going their separate ways. Would it really be a good idea for them to give full rein to their raging hormones? Aang was being prudent, something she had encouraged him to be in the first place. Besides, she should be grateful that at least one of them was being levelheaded about the whole thing, Katara thought.

Both frustrated and impressed by his sense of nobility, Katara acquiesced and thrust out her hand for him to take it. "Very well. Lead the way, mighty Avatar."

Once they were bundled up in preparation for the falling temperatures outside, Aang and Katara made their way into the family room to alert Aang's parents of their intentions. On their way out to the stable, Aang tried to prepare Katara for Appa's massive size so that she wouldn't be overwhelmed when she saw him. Katara took his caution in stride, rather casual about the whole business until she stepped into the stable and actually saw his pet with her own eyes. She was greeted by possibly the largest animal she had ever seen in her life. Aang grinned at her dumbfounded expression as he strode over to greet Appa with a loving nuzzle.

"Katara, I'd like you to meet my sky bison. This is…"

"…Appa," she finished breathlessly, stumbling forward on shaking legs to greet the shaggy beast. "I know. His name is Appa." She buried her face in his fur, cooing to him as if they were the oldest and dearest of friends. Though she had literally just met the animal, Katara felt like she hadn't seen him in years.

Aang went utterly still. "How…how did you know that? Did I tell you already?"

Katara floated a gentle caress over Appa's snout before lifting her confused gaze to his and shaking her head. "No, you didn't tell me," she answered quietly. "I just knew. Just like I know that he loves moon peaches and that he hates being underground and that he sleeps better when you're tucked against his flank."

He shivered with every knowledgeable word. "Katara…how are you doing this? What's going on?"

"I don't know!" she cried hysterically, "I don't know how I know these things, I just do! You're the Avatar! You tell me what's happening!"

"How should I know?" he retorted in a defensive tone, "You're the one with all the answers! I'm lost right now!"

"Great," Katara muttered, "As if my life weren't weird enough. First with the weird dreams and now with these odd premonitions! What's next? I'll start glowing and levitating?"

For a second time in a five minute span, Aang found himself too stunned to breathe. "Wait a minute…" he said slowly, "Did you say that you have dreams? What kind of dreams?"

"Why do you ask?" Katara wondered warily.

"Because I have strange dreams too…from the time I was twelve years old," he whispered, "Remember when I told you that I always felt different from everyone else? That's why. I've seen strange things in my dreams for years now."

Katara relaxed in gradual stages. "Things like what?"

Aang favored her with a faint smile. "I asked you first."

"Well, for starters, I dreamed about your bison," Katara confessed finally, "I didn't put it together until I saw him just now. The night before my interview…the night before we met, I had a nightmare that I was riding a sky bison and we were trapped in a violent storm. I know now that bison was Appa. I lost control of him and we both plunged into the sea and…we died."

When she was done speaking, Aang looked as if he might topple over. He actually groped for Appa's flank and leaned into it heavily in order to brace himself. "You're not going to believe this, but…" he began in an almost incredulous tone, "…the night before I met you, I had the same dream…only I was an old man and I was already dying. I was thrown from Appa's saddle as he tried to regain control in the storm and then there was nothing. I suppose I died too," Aang concluded in morbid consideration.

"Did you see me in your dream?" Katara asked anxiously.

He shook his head. "Did you see me?"

Katara's shoulders slumped in disappointment. "I didn't," she confessed, "Still, it has to mean something that we had the same exact dream literally the day before we met."

"I think so too," Aang murmured. He regarded Katara pensively for a moment before he said, "You mentioned earlier that dream was just the start. Have you had other dreams, Katara?"

"It's nothing really special," she replied with a shrug, "Since I turned fourteen, I've been having a recurring dream about a solitary man, an airbender. He looks to be in his mid-thirties, but I can't be sure because his face is partially shadowed. I know that he's bearded and he's dressed in the ceremonial robes of an Air Nomad but not like any robes I've ever seen before. It seems like he's in the middle of a forest and…he's meditating on an island that seems to be moving."

Color rapidly drained from Aang's features with her revelation. "This man in your dreams…does he happen to be glowing, Katara?" he asked her almost fearfully.

"Yeah, he does," she confirmed in a short gasp, "How did you know that?"

Aang sank down into a nearby pile of hay, his knees too weak to support him any longer. "Because that man is me," he whispered, "I've had that same dream since before I received my airbending tattoos. The glow that you see is the avatar spirit. It's all the combined force of all my past lives focusing their energy through my body. The monks told me that dream was the first sign I had that I was the Avatar." He raised haunted eyes to her face. "I have no idea why you would see it too."

"What does that mean?"

"I'm not sure."

Katara stumbled forward a few steps and dropped down next to him. "Aang…what's happening between us?"

"I don't know," he sighed, "I don't understand any of this." When he finally found the will to look at her again, his eyes were dark with shame and sorrow. "I'm sorry, Katara. I never meant to bring so much chaos into your life."

"You didn't."

Aang responded with a bittersweet smile. "We both know that's not true. I've complicated things for you. You practically said so a few minutes ago."

"I wasn't talking about you. My life was already complicated long before I met you, Aang," Katara murmured, "It's only since you've become a part of it that everything has started to make sense."

"How do you mean?"

"For years I believed I was having some random dream about some random airbender that I would probably never understand," she explained softly, "…but I was wrong. I've been dreaming about you this entire time. We really were destined to meet each other."

"Katara, I don't—,"

She sealed her mouth to his in a fervent kiss, cutting off the remainder of his protest. When she was sure she had sufficiently stolen his breath, Katara pulled away and favored him with a gentle smile. "Do you have any idea how happy you've made me?"

"Because I've brought all kinds of weirdness into your life?" Aang wondered dubiously.

"Because you filled in all the missing pieces," she whispered, "Now I know it means something. I'm not just some freak who has crazy dreams."

Aang gave a wry shake of his head. "Has anyone ever told you that you are a very odd girl?"

"That works out then," Katara replied glibly, "Because I happen to be falling for a very odd boy."

Although he waged a mighty battle to keep from grinning, Aang lost the fight. "You're falling for me?" he asked in a wonder-filled tone.

Katara pressed her hand to his cheek. "It would probably be a lot less confusing if I showed you…"

This time when she kissed him Aang was ready for her and eager to respond. He sighed against her lips, nipping at them tenderly before slowly parting them with the tip of his tongue. Katara moaned aloud at the first warm strokes and then eagerly mimicked his languid caresses, touching her tongue to his again and again. They shifted closer, needing to eliminate all space between them, but the bulk of their winter jackets prevented them from attaining the intimacy they wanted.

Soon the rising heat in their bodies rendered them impervious to the frigid temperature within the barn, prompting them to shed their outer layers. Every precaution that Aang had raised while they were in the kitchen became moot. Now that he was kissing her, there was no way he could stop. Aang and Katara broke their kiss just long enough for him to hastily shrug out of his own jacket. Even that brief break in contact was too much for Aang and, seconds after flinging his coat away, he was pulling Katara back into his arms.

They kissed again, fumbling and trembling and panting with pulsing desire. Aang wedged his trembling hands between their straining bodies, his slender fingers graceless and clumsy as he unfastened Katara's coat. They both groaned aloud when he finally pushed the heavy wool from her shoulders and they could press against one another fully, with nothing between them except the ribbed cotton of her shirt, her satin bra beneath it and his thin t-shirt. They rose on their knees together in the hay, kissing wildly, their lips meandering across cheeks and ears and throats before coming together again in a burst of ravenous need.

Aang strummed his fingertips along Katara's collarbone, tracing the ridge of bone before slipping lower and sliding inexorably over the soft swell of her breast. The instant he touched her, Katara gasped sharply. Aang immediately yanked his hand away and reared back to regard her with a contrite expression.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"It's okay," she said. But her inability to meet his eyes directly made Aang wonder if she meant it.

"I shocked you," he surmised gruffly.

"Yes," she confirmed in a whisper. But then she shocked him by sweeping up his hand and placing it right back against her breast. "That doesn't mean I want you to stop."

Aang palmed the underside of her breast, caressing it lightly as he started to lower his head to kiss her again. Just before his lips made contact with hers, however, the sound of his name being called in the distance penetrated his lust addled senses. His eyes collided with Katara's in a wide-eyed stare of pure panic. "Monkey feathers! That's Gyatso!"

Realizing that they were only seconds away from being discovered, Aang and Katara quickly scrambled away from one another in a mad dash to retrieve their discarded coats and regain their composure. Gyatso entered the stable just as they finished wiggling back into their jackets. He took one look at the hay clinging to their knees, their wildly disheveled hair, flushed faces and glassy eyes and knew exactly what had gone on between them.

"Aang, we're going to be leaving in a little while," he said, "Your mother has a basket for Katara and then she and your father want to have a little time with you both. You should take this opportunity to spend a few hours with them since it will be some months before you see them again."

"Sure," Aang agreed, barely able to make eye contact with Gyatso, "Katara and I were just about to head back to the house." Behind them, Appa emitted a low growl, as if he was calling Aang out on his lie. Aang shot his beloved pet a quelling glare before turning back to regard Gyatso with as much innocence as he could muster. "We should probably get back there then," he said, reaching out to grab Katara's hand in a thoughtless gesture. Aang was eager to get out of there before his mentor could launch into the lecture he knew Gyatso was itching to give. "We'll see you inside."

As the older airbender watched Katara and Aang skip off towards the house hand in hand, he turned to regard Appa with a doleful sigh. "He sure picked an inopportune time to fall in love, didn't he, Appa?" The sky bison emitted a mournful bellow of commiseration, clearly lamenting the heartbreak his master would inevitably face when the time came to tell Katara goodbye. "Yes," Gyatso averred sadly, "I was thinking the same thing."