"Okay, everyone, I hope you all had a great lunch." Hakoda said, bringing the meeting to a start. "Now what we need to discuss is who is going with Avatar Aang to the North Pole to represent us."

"I'm going," Katara said without a moment's hesitation. Aang smiled at her.

Master Pakku cleared his throat. "That is all and well, Katara, but we need some representatives too."

Katara's hackles rose. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means," he continued, "that you have forgotten our customs once again. A female representative of the Southern Water Tribe would not be accepted by my people. I'm sorry, Katara."

"He's right, Katara," Sokka said slowly. "Remember how they wouldn't even teach the girls waterbending when we were there a few years ago? I can't imagine they would take any female seriously in politics." Suki elbowed him. "Hey! I'm not saying I agree with it, I'm just laying down the facts."

"Well," Suki said. "If we're listing who's going on the trip I might as well get this out of the way and sign myself up too. I need to get back to my Kyoshi warriors. Aang said that the new rebel troops are marching towards Kyoshi Island. I need to be there."

Aang nodded gravely. "Don't worry, we'll get you back to Kyoshi Island in time."

"Thank you, Aang." Suki smiled.

"All right then, we need two representatives from our tribe. I will put in my two candidates, my right hand man, Bato, and my son, Sokka." Hakoda nodded at his son, who flushed at the honor.

"I second that," said Nuka. "With their military experiences and Sokka's familiarity with both our Sister Tribe and the Fire Nation, I cannot agree more." The other Elders murmured their consent.

"All right then, so that's me, Bato, Sokka, Suki, and Katara." Aang frowned. "A little heavy for Appa, but it shouldn't be a problem."

"Wait," Master Pakku interjected. He sounded startled. "Did I not say? I'm coming along too."

"What? You didn't say –"

"I will be needed, Aang, If you are successful in this treaty, then there isn't a moment to lose for our military to go to the Earth Kingdom. I must go too."

Aang sat down on the furs hard. "Six people? Six adult people? Along with supplies and everything until the North Pole…" Aang shook his head. "That's not going to work." Aang's gray eyes grew huge, and he and Katara's eyes met.

"No." Katara looked around her, and she was met with pitying faces. This only seemed to anger her more. "You'll need me to fight, and heal!"

"Master Pakku is more than capable of that, Katara," Hakoda said sadly. "I'm afraid –"

"Aang." Katara's eyes were pleading as they filled up with tears. "Aang, please. There's got to be another way."

"I'm sorry, Katara." He refused to meet her eyes. "You know Appa can't carry that amount of weight, and everyone else has a specific role to fill. But don't worry, I'll come back –"

Katara didn't wait for Aang's idea. She didn't want to hear it. With a great slice of her hand, the young waterbender exploded one of the walls and strode through the million icy shards that rained down upon her.

Aang jumped to his feet and leaped over the heads of the Elders. "Wait, Katara!"

She twisted around to face him. "I am not being left here again! I've waited here for too long, waiting for you! Do you even understand what that's done to me, Aang? Being stranded here for six months while the people I swore to protect are out there dying?"

"I know, Katara, I know." Aang held out his hands in surrender.

"No, you don't know! You don't know what it's like to wake up alone, abandoned by the one who you thought loved you –"

"I do love you," Aang snapped.

"And then banished to a place where you can't help anyone, after being evacuated from a city against your will, knowing full well by doing so you were abandoning those people to death! I had to give up, without even a choice in the matter! You don't know how that feels!"

"Fine. I don't know how that feels, are you happy now? Why don't you just blame everything that went wrong on me, and we can be done with this!"

"No." Katara's hands were shaking with fury. "We can't be done with this. You left me for six months. Six months, Aang! And now you're leaving me again, only after a few days? And you think I can just get over what happened, plus this? Why did you bother to find me when you came here? What's the point of seeing me for only a couple of days? Oh, I see," Katara continued, heat raging in her stomach so strong she felt like she was going to be sick. "Is that why you suggested I spend the night with you? So you can just sleep with me and then leave me here again for another six months? An entire year?" Katara knew she was going too far, but she couldn't seem to stop. "Is that all I am to you now, Aang? Just a nice lay before you go off on your next adventure?"

Silence. Katara looked up, suddenly aware that she had been overheard by all the Elders of her village and her family. Sokka's mouth was wide open with horror, and Hakoda's expression was not far different.

Blushing to the roots of her hair, Katara shoved his chest. "Well, you can just forget it," she hissed. "Forget everything. Forget –" Katara choked back a sob. "Forget us." She pushed him once more for good measure and then weeping, dashed off into the falling snow.

Aang dropped to his knees and his whole body crumbled into a heap. The Elders of the tribe all exchanged uncertain glances.

"I think it's time for another short break," Hakoda said. He cleared his throat. "Sokka?"

Sokka was already walking to collect the broken boy in the snow. He pulled Aang's arm around his shoulder and lifted him up. "Come on, Aang," he said. "You're not as light as you used to be, so you're going to have to give me a hand." Aang didn't respond at all, and just let Sokka drag him into the nearest tent.

Hakoda pushed the family tent flap open, and his heart broke when he saw his daughter. She was bent over, crying so hard she was nearly whimpering, her eyes red-tinged with sorrow.

"Katara," he sighed.

"What is so wrong with me?" she sobbed.

Hakoda sat down and pulled Katara against his chest. "Oh, sweetheart. You were just upset. Aang will forgive you."

"No. That's, that's not what I'm asking, Dad. What's so wrong with me that everyone I love just leaves me? First Mom, then you –"

"Katara, we've talked about this."

"Then Aang, and now even Sokka is leaving me in this wretched place."

Hakoda brushed her hair back from her face and tried to shush her.

Katara seemed to recover a little. "I just feel like I'm the one always left behind. Always."

"Katara, I'm sorry you feel this way," Hakoda said. "I really am. I hope that someday that you'll see that none of us ever chose to leave you, it was only a consequence of the right choice we had to make. But there is no room for you on that sky bison, and I'm sorry to say you'll have to stay here for a little bit longer."

"Then I'll find my own way." Katara stood up and started to collect supplies.

Hakoda reached out and took her by the wrist, forcing her to drop the sleeping bag she was rolling. "Katara," he said in his best, 'let's be reasonable' voice.

Katara's body slumped to the ground. "All right, Dad. Can you go get Gran-Gran for me?"

Hakoda nodded and left, relieved that he had been able to talk some sense into Katara. However, when Hakoda returned with Gran-Gran, he realized how wrong he was. The tent was empty.