Disclaimer: Like everyone else, I don't own ATLA. Why? Because it belongs to Mike and Byran. That's why.

A devastating thunderstorm passed through the day after I'd talked to Aang. Having been in the collage workout room when it struck, I waited it out by candle light with the other unfortunate people to be stuck inside with me.

You see, the entire campus was up to date. This collage was the original prototype for the future standard. Its technology was state of the art, and everything was run by computer. Teaching, in some cases, was completely done on computer. Which thankfully wasn't my case. I may be the youngest teacher on campus, being only twenty four, but at least I wasn't the only teacher who still did the hands on teaching. Besides, tutoring, at least, was still done the old fashioned way.

That storm had damaged not only fences and power lines. It had taken down trees, and lifted shingles off of house. The school had been spared with everything but the power outage. And because the power had failed, and the backup generator hadn't kicked on, me and eight other people had been trapped inside the workout room. Stupid electronic doors.

So we'd sat in the dark, huddling around a flickering scented candle, and I'd personally gotten to know some of my students. For once in my life, I was glad to have known somebody that smoked. Bryce always had matches on him, and by chance, someone had just come from a candle store with a purchase. Sadly, the guy that had bought the candle for his girlfriend had grudgingly contributed her gift so that we could see what was going on. Six hours went by until the power came back on and we could ride up the elevator to ground level. Stupid, stairless workout room. Once we realized we were stuck, we groaned.

Thankfully, Eva had brought her purse instead of leaving it in the locker rooms. She pulled out a deck of cards and soon, all of us were having a good time despite the situation.

Except for Paul. His candle melted into a lump, and his girlfriend most probably would have been insulted to receive it. He'd gotten another one to replace the spicy orange present. I think.

That week passed swiftly after that, and repairs were started. Saturday eventually came, and I was shocked when Zuko suggested we take a jog together. Which I had totally been up for. We jogged for a while, only stopping because it had gotten too dark for me to see. That had probably been the first time Zuko had been remotely likeable. He hadn't said anything negative, and he'd even been pleasant conversation.

My property had been lucky, having only a few downed trees, and fallen limbs. Thankfully, only two of them had been near the house. Otherwise, one might have gone through. The nearest one had fallen thirty feet away, which had thankfully, fallen away from the house. I can't believe I actually got everything cleared before the weekend ended. By myself, I know for sure I wouldn't have been able to do all the work.

My next Sunday off, the following day, I was caught totally unprepared. Hey, I was expecting just a handful of people to show up to help me out. What happened was this:

"Hey, Ms. Katara!" A rough voice laughed. I opened the door, recognizing it to be that of a teddy bear like student of mine nicknamed Pip Squeak. I smiled, opening my door-

-and I could only return the greeting with a small hello. A chorus of voices filled my porch. Several trucks in different stages of ownership were parked near my modest little Kia. I was stunned. Over fifteen people—my students plus Aang—were grinning.

Bryce, Brent, Eva, and Jay—all of which had been trapped inside the upscale workout room with me when the electricity had gone out in the town, were here. We shared a smile, and they shook their heads in remembrance as The Duke—someone else that had been with us—climbed up the stairs of my porch.

Geez, you'd think we'd known one another for more than just a semester, the way we got along now, when all we'd done was calm down two panicking people and wait out a power outage. (The Duke was one of them.) And we'd talked to pass the time as we'd played cards. Once the lights went on, and they'd gotten to see who I was they'd been shocked.

They hadn't connected my first name and my last name. Or my voice to my name or my appearance, for whatever reason. (Did I really look that different with my hair pulled back differently?)

Anyway, most of the people that showed up were boys, wearing old work clothes, ready to get to work. Turning to Aang, I heard Zuko scoot almost inaudibly back away from the door entrance of the house, slinking into the shadows to watch. I let it go, swallowing.

My first reaction was to whistle. Just how had Aang gotten them to willingly come on a great day to sleep in? After discussing this with Aang, it came to my attention that Zuko's mumbles still filled my head even as Aang organized groups.

This is more than just a couple of people. Did counting change since I was human? I could hear the irritation, which must be accompanied with a show of teeth. But I wasn't sure, since I couldn't see him, much less locate which part of the house he was in.

"Aang, how exactly…?" I hugged him back, pausing to rub at a stain in his shirt. I wasn't sure, but it looked to be old. Probably from a pizza splatter that never got cleaned up. Not properly, since this was Aang that was wearing the shirt.

He motioned back at the kids. "Easy. Katara, all I had to do was mention how you needed help."

Everyone's grin got bigger. All but mine. My eyes narrowed, and my jaw dropped. "You can't be serious. Aang, it was that easy?"

His gray eyes twinkled. "I seem to recall overhearing what they'd do for you, Katara. Remember how collage boys are? I used to be one, so I know how to work with them." This seemed to be an inside joke that only my male students understood. Because I surely didn't. The girls rolled their eyes, and I shared a knowing look.

Hey, just because I was their teacher didn't mean much. I was only twenty-four. Jay and her sister were older than me. (They were my favorite students.) Both of them were here, green eyes curiously looking around my home, and talked with each other about the decoration. Out of good manners, they stayed to the front part of the house as they looked around. Someone called from the porch, and suddenly, the kitchen was empty except for me and the girls. Excitedly, they looked around, now having enough breathing room to do so.

"Katara, how did you get this place?" Eva asked, disbelief in her big eyes. "It's…perfect! How did you afford it? Oh, wow."

Outside of class, I insisted they call me by my first name. Unless there were other staff members around, I didn't object to informalities. I pulled up a chair as people awaited orders, glancing around as they straggled back into the house. It didn't take a blind person to realize that all of them had wondered how I lived. Apparently, it was more than they expected. "It's funny you ask. Eva, I can honestly say it was by pure luck. That and it seemed the previous owner couldn't wait to head east."

I'll say. Wonder why though. Must be because of the added benefits. Zuko spoke up from somewhere in the house, a smirk in his voice. Make sure no one comes to the back part. I'll tear them up into little pieces if they come to close.

I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes, and sighed. He wouldn't do it. Zuko was only kidding—

A breathy sound entered my mind, as if someone were giving into sexual pleasure. Mmmmm….. What tasty snacks unsuspecting collage kids make…

Startled, I looked up. He wouldn't. Would he? Half believing him, though completely unsure, I got everyone out of the house. There was no way I was going to be the one to contact family members. What the heck was I going to tell them? "Oh, I'm sorry. My housemate wasn't feeling to social. He...sorta…kinda ate them because they tried to pet him. He's not a cannibal though. Um…err… That sounded bad. Let me start over. Oh, did I mention my housemate's a two-hundred pound man trapped in a wolf's body?"

Like my previous experience with having to include Zuko with people, that was a definite no. No one, student, friend, or real estate agent, would possibly understand. For Zuko's sake—as well as my own—life was just easier not explaining Zuko to people.

But besides that, I committed this moment to memory. My friends and my students were taking time out of their day to help me with my land. Most everyone had coordinated their outfits to school colors, not realizing this at all until I mentioned it, varying in different shades of green.

Now that everyone was outside, I relaxed a bit. It was a cool day, cloudy, and just right. A slight breeze lazily came around, settling over in a steady consistency. Asking Aang to speak for me, I told him what I needed done. His voice enthusiastically carried, and a part of me settled in relief as I counted everyone off.

Then someone mentioned payment. "Fine, then." I faced the volunteers. Something was off that I didn't seem to get. "How many of you are here because you think you'll be paid? Ah, see, Aang, that's where you're wrong. I'm really sorry, but I can't pay any of you."

Somehow, we worked out an agreement. The one that mentioned this received glares from the others. Idiot, they seemed to all think. Later, I found out that they'd all volunteered willingly, knowing they probably wouldn't be paid. But in seeing that…

In return for every hour they worked here, that would rack them up an extra free point on a quiz grade, and next Friday off. (Though I wasn't really sure if the first one was legal or not, I would make it happen.) That deal made both sides happy, with only minimum complaints.

Then we realized we needed equipment. None of which I had on hand or even in the back shed.

I told you this wasn't a good idea. Zuko sounded bristled. Stupid, certainly you realize that every one of those boys is expecting… And—Good Agni, woman! Are you blind? Pull your shirt up! You're giving them the wrong idea.

I ignored him as I realized what he meant. A smile tugged at my lips, and I went to the kitchen to grab my plans. Purposely, I did not fix my clothes, catching a glimpse of glowing yellow eyes from down the hall way. He backed up until I couldn't see him, though I had a feeling he still had everyone in view. Wouldn't have surprised me if he did, in all honesty. That was just Zuko for you.

I jogged back outside, and closed the door.

In the next ten minutes, groups spilt up and worked together as a team.

Seeing my neighbor in the distance with his livestock, Aang notified me we were all headed in that general direction. He said something about having seen heavy duty machinery on his way to my place that could help everyone clean up my yard. I agreed, and all of us went. Several miles down the road and several trucks piled with people later, we reached my neighbor's land.

Rightfully, I was voted as spokesperson, even though I was terrified that I might get shot for trespassing. Which was kinda sad. I lived with a man eating creature, and I was scared of a little bullet. That didn't cross my mind until much later, when time had passed.

Wandering, I was fortunate to have found him close to his barn. The neighbor, whom I met, was friendly. I didn't have to worry about getting shot. Thank God.

Having gotten my neighbor's permission to use his tiller, John Deere tractor, and many other landscaping tools, I guess I can admit that that was the beginning of our friendship too. His name was Haru. He was tall, and well built. His hair was unusually long for a man, tied back with a hair tie. The way his eyes had sparkled, I'd blushed. (Haru was handsome. Very handsome. And single. That detail had remained ringing in my mind.) He was nice, and even offered to help. Politely, I declined, but thanked him again. He shrugged it off, saying he'd always be here if I needed help. We parted, and my rowdy bunch of students carefully shared the equipment, promising him they'd be sure to put everything back.

Man, I loved living in the country. Haru, my closet neighbor, owned hundreds of acres. His ranch—yes, he owned a ranch—was thriving. (Which I'd benefit from in time. When winter ended, I'd find my fridge so full of regular freebies from Haru, that I would eventually start bringing them to school to give away.)

In the brief encounter I had with him in the privacy of his home, he'd told me of an upcoming deal that he was interested in that had him nervous. He'd just blurted it out once I'd said Good morning. Anyway, how the deal was set up, was such in a way that he would lose quite a bit if he wasn't lucky, but gain double of whatever he put in. It was so worrying him, that he'd asked my opinion before I'd even asked his permission to use his things.

Before Bryce came in to inform us everything was loaded, we'd talked about that for a few minutes. (Bryce was a punk student of mine with a wicked sense of humor.) It seemed to be a promising deal, so I suggested that he do whatever felt right. He nodded, and I smiled as he watched us roll down the road to my place with everything loaded in the truck beds and we jogged after the vehicles.

Upon arrival, Aang's group went to clearing out dead foliage, grinding up stumps, and clearing the fallen trees. They went to work, following Haru's instructions to the dot. Brent—a boy with a boyish grin and bright eyes—and his group went to work tilling the sections for new plants. I would glance up every once in a while, and just watch as their teamwork would start good natured bantering and rough housing.

And my group was planting seeds, watering, and trimming up some of where the trees had jagged limbs. We all put our heads together, and figured out how to transplant the blackberry bushes while the other guys did other various tasks. Once at a reasonable point, the groups combined for a half hour as thick working gloves were passed around. Eventually, the bushes were relocated to a shadier place, and only minor scratches were received.

When the clouds cleared, and the sun beat down unmercifully in August heat, the guys started to remove shirts. Sweat dripped from everyone as we tossed around towels to mop our brows.

For a few minutes, we—me, Eva, and Jay—admired the lean, toned bodies of healthy boys on the edge of manhood. Some even showed off, flexing. The three of us giggled, blushing out of merriment and appreciation at the good natured flirting.

Zuko fussed at me for slacking on the job, appearing momentary on the porch. His eyes were hard, and I had actually gotten enough practice at interrupting his body langue to read his agitation. But at what, I wasn't exactly sure. Why was he concerned if we had a little fun out here? It wasn't like we were doing anything unproductive, so why was he so wound up?

He melted back into the shadows, dispersing back into the bowels of the house. A little while later, and we'd stopped to take a quick break, I decided to check up on him. When no one was watching, I stepped up back into the house, concerned.

I found Zuko in the den, lying on the rug. Except for the rising and falling of his chest, he could have been mistaken for a sleeping statue. Getting to my knees, I watched him. He ignored me, intentionally showing how angry he was at me. It was either that or he really was asleep. I sincerely hoped it was the latter.

I felt terrible, all of a sudden. It was my fault he was having to hide away back here. It wasn't reasonable that he was having to spend his day like this.

"It's only for another hour or two. They'll be gone before dinner, I promise." I sighed softly. I was waiting for him to snap at me for getting so close to him, but it didn't come. He really must be sleeping then. I just knew the chewing out was going to come later when everyone else was gone and he'd woken from his nap. I stayed there for a minute, my eyes roaming over his large body. Even weeks after I'd moved in, I couldn't get used to how unusually attracted I was to him. At first, back in the first few days, I'd been ashamed and sickened with myself, because he wasn't even human! But…. Yet I found myself wanting to be close to him, and to sink my fingers into his incredibly soft looking fur.

He didn't acknowledge me, so I did the unthinkable. I placed a kiss on his head. Against my face, his head was soft, and part of my urge to touch him eased.

Lingering, I slowly leaned back, only to find gold eyes watching me.

Mortified, I jumped to my feet, and fled the room. The door slammed behind me, and I momentarily held a hand over my eyes to hide my embarrassment from any curious eyes. No one noticed me. I willed myself to calm, and I walked back with everyone to finish up. My ears were red for hours after that.

Along with the help, we accomplished more than I ever would have gotten on my own. The guys were whooping as they raced to haul dead tree limbs, racing each other to the burn pile. Even Aang was smiling, starting up a bout of 99 bottles of bear on the wall. It didn't last. At 70 something, Eva—everyone's grateful for her interruption—had called everyone in for iced tea.

The day ended much too quickly, and soon, I was waving the caravan goodbye. Before heading home, they assured me they would return the equipment and thank Haru again for me.

While driving away, Aang honked the horn, and took down the dusty driveway, leaving me alone with Zuko.

Whom I'd embarrassed myself royally in front of. I'd just made everything in between us awkward, hadn't it?

Man, was I a fool.

If nothing, the progress was more than a single person could have completed in a day. Fresh flowers had been planted. The grass had been cut, and the land for the vegetable garden tilled. Seeds had been planted. Every fallen limb and fallen tree had been cleared, taken to the far corner of my plot of land to be burned. Stumps had been removed. Blooming bushes had been transplanted. Progress was obvious, and my gratitude abundant.

So I climbed the stairs to my porch, and let myself in. I was covered in dirt, grass strains, sweat, and more dirt. I was more than ready for my shower. I kicked my shoes off in the utility room, and shucked my clothes off to my underwear, tossing the clothes into the hamper.

Since it was already past the line, why not pretend there wasn't any awkwardness? I mean, really, what was my embarrassment to anyone else but me? Zuko wouldn't care. He probably had lost any respect for me by my earlier crossing the personal boundary. All it had been was a kiss, but I felt so badly for mishandling the borderline.

I was suddenly thankful that the house wasn't a two story home. Besides being a lot to look after, it would be amazingly empty for just me and my housemate. The downfall was that Zuko would be able to see what I was about to do if he so happened to be at the right place at the right time.

In only my underwear, I made my way for my shower, passing by the den without a glance. Silent, the house was dark and still, the sun having descended just breaths ago. Reaching for matches that were kept in the bathroom cabinets, I lit some candles, placing them around the bathroom in clusters.

The soft glow cheered me up a little, and I closed my eyes to just draw in a reassuring breath. I needed to calm down or I wasn't going to get any sleep tonight. I had classes to teach tomorrow. My students didn't need me flustered and agitated just because I was mad at myself for a stupid mistake of mine. Some other coworkers would understand a bad day, but I wasn't ready to show them that I was riled up and unsettled in any way this early in my job. There wasn't much slack for new teachers anymore. One either had their act together or they didn't. Especially a young literature professor majoring in old world specialties that was fresh out of one of the country's most prestigious universities like myself.

Peacefully, water filled the shower, and I stepped in, letting the spray hit my body. I flicked open the shampoo bottle, and started cleansing myself. I washed up, ridding the day's toiling away until the last of the dirt was down the drain.

I studied my reflection in the fogged up mirror, sighing in disappointment at my features. I wasn't really attractive, was I? My eyes were pure blue, and my skin was thankfully cleared of acne that had plagued my teenage years. That was at least a small comfort. I had once been an example of misery thanks to genetic acne. It had only been right after high school that it had been manageable, and finally disappearing all together after I started studying for my college degree.

As of today's date, I've only dated one guy in my life. He had been a real jerk, too. Jet had only dated me out of pity, as I later found out, and for the fact that my brother was his school's rival captain in basketball. Since then, no guys seemed to like me. And I was already at the reasonable age to start considering a family, if I really wanted to be honest. But…right now, I couldn't imagine what guys would want me. I just wasn't girlfriend material with the drought I'd had since high school.

I'd grown my hair long after high school. For me, it was more than just a symbolic statement. It was my crown and glory. It was my tribute to my mother's beautiful hair. Gently, my wide toothed comb was guided through tangles with my steady hands, and I snagged out several strands of hair. They were disposed of in the waste bin under the sink, and I placed the comb on the bathroom counter. Glancing up one last time, I tried to offer the reflection a small, comforting smile. My reflection returned the same disappointed look I'd given it, echoing my features precisely.

I wrapped a towel around me, opening the door. Turning around, I leaned down to picked up my underwear and wet wash cloth. I straightened up, the towel having slipped. Adjusting it, it started to step out the door-

-only to find golden eyes looking at me. Golden eyes which belonged not to a wolf, but to a man. A very naked, sinfully beautiful man.