Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or the song "Who Do You Love, I Hope" from Annie, Get Your Gun by Irving Berlin.

Author's Note: I just couldn't resist doing a lighter look at Aang and Katara's relationship early in Season 3, especially before The Awakening airs in two weeks. I still think Enlightenment will turn out to be my most accurate prediction, but here's just a cute story with a cute song. It's actually a duet, but I don't think it's too confusing to follow.

Who Do You Love, I Hope

I've got the question,
I've had it for days,
--I've got the answer, dear.

Aang was recuperating at the Eastern Air Temple after his near-death experience at the hands of Azula. Guru Pathik was conspicuously absent. Aang wasn't sure exactly what that meant, but he was glad. Whether the Guru knew about his failure or not, Aang had a feeling that he needed to take the next few steps on his own.

Judging from the growth of hair sprouting all over his head, Aang had apparently been unconscious for several days after his initial, misty view of Katara's face. Sokka told him he might as well keep growing it, since anonymity was going to be of greater importance now than it ever was.

Sokka, as usual, was busy strategizing about their next move and trying to figure out what to do with the Earth King, who clearly wasn't going to be much good in a fight. As pessimistic as the warrior could be, he was also extraordinarily adept at turning even the most desperate circumstances to his advantage. Aang privately believed that Sokka actually looked for problems so that he'd have something to solve.

Deciding that the immediate matters were well in hand, therefore, Aang spent most of his time thinking about Katara. This was easy to do, as she was nearly always close by in the days following his awakening, while he was regaining his strength. Finally, a big question just seemed so pressing on his mind that he couldn't put it off any longer, even though he didn't have any idea how to begin asking it.

I'll put the question
In one little phrase,
--I'll say what you want to hear…

Aang stopped Katara one day as she headed off for some errand or other. He decided to start the conversation somewhat obliquely.

"Katara, I…there's something I've been wondering."

"What's that?" she asked, her expression curious.

"I've been thinking about it a lot. Even while I was, well, sleeping, it was in my visions. I'm not really sure how to put it, though."

"You know you can ask me anything." There was an unusual earnestness in her tone here, possibly the result of what she had seen in the caves under Ba Sing Se. They hadn't really talked about it, and now wasn't the time, either. "Why don't you just say it?"

Aang nodded and drew a deep breath.

Who do you love, I hope?
Who would you kiss, I hope?
Who is it going to be?
I hope, I hope, I hope it's me!

"I guess it's just…what do you think about love?" Aang tried. It sounded ridiculous, and Katara blinked, clearly caught by surprise. Aang had been wanting to get Katara's view on what the Guru had told him, but he didn't want to just come right out and tell her what had been said.

"I'm not quite sure what you mean, but I think love is great," she managed. "Why do you ask?"

"What I mean is, when you were younger, did you ever think about the type of person you might fall in love with some day?" He was veering awfully close to dangerous territory here, and Katara's eyes narrowed at him speculatively. Aang tried to maintain a neutral expression.

"Sure, I thought about it," she said slowly. "It wasn't like I had many options, though, until you came along." Now, it was Aang's turn to stare, wondering if he could possibly have heard in that statement what he thought he had.

"Probably every girl wonders who she'll marry," Katara went on. "I'm no different. Don't you remember how obsessed I got about it when we met Aunt Wu? You must have thought I was really silly."

"No, I didn't," Aang protested. "I mean, I was curious, too."

Who do you want, I hope?

Who do you need, I hope?
Who is it going to be?
I hope, I hope, I hope it's me!

"You were?" Katara actually seemed surprised by this. "What did she tell you?" Aang hesitated before deciding to tell the truth, if only a part of it.

"She didn't see any romance in my future," he confessed.

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"But later, she said that I could make my own destiny. That gave me hope, but recently, I'm not so sure anymore."

"Really? Why not?"

"Maybe, as the Avatar, I'm not supposed to be attached to any one person. I just put the people I love in danger. Maybe it's better if I let everyone go." So there it was. Not completely specific, but still clear enough, he thought, for Katara to offer an opinion. When she did so, however, it was not in her usual, vehement way.

"I can't believe that," she remarked quietly, somehow more convincing in her quiet assurance than if she'd spoken more forcefully. "I don't believe that."

"Why not?" This was the crux of the matter, and Aang really needed to know.

"Because without love, you wouldn't be you, and what good would that be to anyone?" Before Aang could puzzle out the meaning of that cryptic statement, Katara changed the subject. "What about you?"

Is it the baker who gave you a cake?
I saw the look in his eye.
Is it the butcher who brought you a steak?
Say that it is and I'll die!

"What about me?" Aang echoed, thrown off by the sudden question.

"I mean, did you ever think about falling in love and getting married?" she clarified.

Not until I met you, Aang desperately wanted to say, but he didn't. Instead, he shrugged and replied, "Not that much. I was just starting to notice girls before…" He didn't need to provide the long litany of things that had happened following his twelfth birthday, an event that was more than a lifetime ago in more ways than one. Katara nodded in her understanding way, and there was a pause.

"You've met a lot of boys now," Aang put in, going back to something Katara had said earlier. He didn't want to specifically name any of them, especially given what had recently happened to Jet. "Did you, um, learn anything or change your mind about what you were looking for?" Katara chewed her lower lip thoughtfully.

"I've learned that what you think you want isn't always what you need," she decided. "Also, you can sometimes get so busy looking for something that you don't notice it's been right in front of you all along." This was probably the third mystifying thing Katara had uttered, but it somehow made Aang brave enough to continue on.

Who do you love, I hope?
Who would you kiss, I hope?
Who is it going to be?
I hope, I hope, I hope it's me!

"Remember the Cave of Two Lovers?" he asked brashly.

"Of course I remember," Katara responded cautiously.

"Well, all the stuff I said when we were stuck in there…I lied," he admitted. It finally felt like it was time to wrap up this outstanding issue. "The truth is, there's no one else I'd rather kiss than you." His voice had grown very quiet as he made the confession.

"Really?" Katara whispered, and her eyes appeared to be inexplicably filling up with tears.

"You're the only one, actually," he confirmed. He was quickly rewarded when Katara threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"Me too," she said simply. Aang took a moment to process this.

"Wait. You mean, you really wanted…"

"I - yes. I was just…"

"Afraid I didn't feel the same way," Aang finished for her. Katara nodded as she pulled back from him. Everything was falling into place. Aang wondered if he ought to try kissing her now, but it felt a little too awkward and forced.

Is it the blondie who acted so shy?
I heard the things that she said.
Is it the redhead who gave you the eye?
Say that it is and you're dead!

"You know, I'm not the only one who's met other people on this trip," Katara pointed out then, drying her eyes and raising her eyebrow at him.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, what about the other girls?" she asked pointedly. "Like Meng and the girls on Kyoshi Island?" Aang grinned, pretty confident now that she was just teasing him.

"What other girls?" he demanded. Katara laughed and smiled back at him.

"Good answer," she acknowledged. This time, when she leaned in, her intentions were obvious. Closing his eyes, Aang moved to meet her in their first real kiss. It was all that he had dreamed it would be, and even more. There was obviously no chance of letting her go now, but none of that seemed to matter anymore.

"I love you," he blurted out when they parted. Katara sighed and settled into his arms.

"I love you, too, Aang," she responded. Holding her, Aang didn't think he needed the Avatar State when he had Katara. Somehow, they would find a way through all this. Together.

Who do you love?
I hope?
Who would you kiss?
I hope?
Who is it going to be?
I hope, I hope, I hope,
I hope, I hope, I hope
I really hope it's me.
I hope it's me!

--

Member of the Boomeraang Squad: charleegirl, Jesus.Lives, Liselle129, Strix Moonwing, Avatarwolf, MormonMaiden, libowiekitty, Snows of Yester-Year, La Vixen de Amor, chocolatecoveredbananacheese, Aangy, and honorary member SnakeEyes16

Author's Note: Don't you just want to say "Awww"? I did while writing it, and that's unusual for me. Counting down until the new season now!

Review responses:

joehalo15: Considering that Iroh had been out of town for almost three years at the time Ursa left, it seems highly unlikely she was pregnant by him. Interesting idea, though.

Wishing Only Wounds the Heart: Not at all familiar with that song, but I'll consider it if I can find the lyrics.

redskin122004: I suppose I could participate in that, but I'm not very savvy about the forums on this site, so I might need some help in easily finding it and posting to it.

intricate designs: Thanks!

Kumori Doragon: No, I can't see where "Popular" would work. I do like "It's a Grand Night for Singing," from State Fair. The show was originally written for television, but there has been a stage version done. However, there aren't very many words, so I'm not certain what the story would be.

Aangs fangirl1214: You always seem to be one chapter behind, so I'm going to let you catch up before I really respond. Catch you later!