A/N: OMG? Is this true? Is Reunion finally being updated? Am I hallucinating? No dear reader you are not. I'm sorry about not updating in... well a long time. I've had a lot of personal stuff lately and I'm sure that it's not only me who was freaking out about finals, but that's all done with so I can now focus on finishing my story! Thanks for those who reviewed. You are awesome! I had a lot of fun writing last chapter, but when writing this chapter, I was a bit apprehensive about the change I made. I hope you like it. Oh, and also since it has been a long time, I encourage you all to go back to the last chapter and reread it so you remember, but if you don't want to, here is a reminder:

Groaning, the door was timidly opened. "Katara?" A shy voice asked.

Her eyes ripped open. She was suddenly very awake. Cautiously, being careful not to move too quickly, she turned around and was met with the familiar gray-brown eyes she had used to love and know so well staring at her from across the room.

"Aang?"

Disclaimer: Roses are red, violets are blue, here's the disclaimer. Haha! You can't sue!

Disclaimer to the disclaimer: Yes, that's right. I loved a disclaimer SO much, I copied. Go ahead and shoot me now...

Aang

Flying was definitely the best thing in the world. He really felt sorry for any one poor soul that didn't have the opportunity to experience this much joy. Technically he was a bender of all the elements, the only balance in the world, but he knew that he was always an Airbender at heart.

A sudden gust of wind and he was now awkwardly tilted sideways. Using the air currents, he straightened himself parallel alongside his flying bison. Gliding at about 700 feet in the atmosphere, everything was visible to Aang.

Ahead of him, the sun's rays glinted off the bright blue ocean and waves crashed against the rocky shore. Leading up to the capitol was a twisted road, winding around the rolling hills and rivers distancing the city from the port. Looking downward, he could see every detail of the busy marketplace. From up here people looked barely larger than a peanut. Children playing, parents working, and visitors arriving were just some of the many things happening below him. Glancing over to the royal palace, he saw a similar scene.

Tiny specs, whom he assumed to be servants, were frantically dashing around busy as bees preparing for the festival just days away. To say that he was ecstatic would be an understatement. It would be the first time in too long that everyone would be together. Not worrying about silly meetings that his advisers had carefully planned and set aside for him, just having fun and seeing all of his true friends. Every single one of them...

Plums of purple smoke alerted him to the south side of the palace signaling the need for his assistance. Groaning in defeat, he landed on Appa's worn saddle and grabbed the reins, "Yip, yip."

The bison complied with a lazy moan, beginning his descent. Soon, the once faraway market was close enough to see individual booths and fat-fingered, little children excitedly pointing upward at the gigantic beast. A soft gentle breeze ruffled through the sea of red. Aang, trying to enjoy his last few minutes of peace and solitude, closed his eyes and turned his face towards the bright burning sun.

However, right before he did, an abnormal color caught his eye. In the midst of all that crimson, there had been a speckle of brilliant blue. Frantically, his eyes flew open, bald head craning, he leaned over the edge of the saddle searching for the familiar hue, a jolt of electricity rushing through his veins. He was looking to see her luscious hair, to hear her infectious voice, to swim in the depth of her eyes... But there was nothing to be seen, nothing to be heard; for the distinguishable shade had long been lost amongst the crowd.

Try as he might, contacting Katara had been harder than he originally thought. Zuko said that she had arrived just the day before, since then Aang worked vigorously to free up his busy schedule to go and see her. He had even gone to such lengths to tell her servant that he wanted to visit, but she hadn't come to see him yet. Though he had seen Toph, Sokka, and Suki before noon in the dining hall. After having to deal with the boredom and static dispositions of his high ranking acquaintances, talking to them had been refreshing; even if, when he did leave, he had not succeeded in meeting her.

A soft groan rippled throughout Appa's body as he finished his descent, his six legs touching down on the ground. Aang reluctantly returned from his daze to the real world to see one of his advisers rushing up to greet him.

"Avatar," Bei took a slight bow before proceeding, "your afternoon meetings are about to begin. I'm here to brief you before they do. Now the first one is just your regulatory meeting with other council members and advisers, the second one however is going to be dealing with planning out the security for the celebration..."

She continued with a smile and turned around, starting towards the direction of the entrance of the palace, her mild pink robes twirling in the wind.

Aang gave a goodbye pat to Appa, who was being led away by the caretaker, and jogged to keep up with Bei. Once she finished, they marched down the hallways in silence for a few moments, the boy's arms swinging as he walked.

"Did you have a nice flight? It was a clear day today, and by the way you were slow to react to our signal, you must have been pleasantly distracted up there," Bei politely added. Aang always liked her, she was the only one who really talked to him as a person, not the all powerful bridge between the mortal and spirit world avatar.

Aang sighed and averted his gaze, "Yeah, I was pretty distracted..."

Bei gave him a meaningful look but didn't question him and they continued their trek in silence passing guard after guard, making turn after turn. To Aang, the palace seemed endless, every corridor connecting to another, a never ending maze where, if one wasn't too careful, it could lead you on forever, searching for a way out. He wistfully remembered the openness and freedom provided by the air temples.

The first gathering had been a regulatory one. Just a normal discussion of the state of the nations as a whole, mainly focusing on the topic of rebounding population of the water tribes. On which, Aang stiffened ever so slightly.

Formalities usually took up the entirety of the meetings, causing him to doze off more than once just to be nudged by a helpful Bei standing behind him.

"...have always been disproportional sizes when comparing one of the three other nations to the Earth Kingdom; their size is seemingly astronomical. So, throughout history we always used the Fire Nation as a comparison for demographics, and between those states, the Water Tribes, even when combined, only came to about half... Anyways, through our research we were able to gather an optimistic estimate and we believe that the rebounding populace of the four nations shouldn't be a worry of the immediate future, I mean other than the Air Nomads..." A skinnier gentleman trailed off and finished under the intimidating glare of the Avatar, readjusting his glasses, he took his seat at the intimate table.

Aang warned people against discussing the future of the Air Nomads and so far his advisers had been admonished enough to know not to address the topic, but lately, they were starting to stress the subject.

The airbender opened his mouth to once again remind them, but was interrupted when a servant scurried into the room.

He bowed, "Avatar, the undercover lieutenant Wu returned from his mission and is requesting an audience with you to debrief."

Bei straightened, her eyes darted to the Avatar's face which was suddenly very attentive, "Thank you, please tell the lieutenant we are on the way."

The servant nodded and turned away while Aang stood up and thanked the stunned advisers; falling into step with Bei he said, "Wu wasn't supposed to be back until later this month. Do you think something went wrong?"

"I don't know, but if it did then we will soon know" Bei said rounding the corners of the palace, two guards marched in front of them leading the way, "either way we need to inform Fire Lord Zuko that you won't be attending the security meeting until later on."

His heart sank at this news, he had been planning to go and see Katara in between meetings, "Will you have a message sent, to Miss Katara's servant...Jae I think?"

The adviser gave him a curious look, "Yes of course, Aang, what is it exactly that you want it to say?"

Bei headed off to deliver the information, promising she would catch up later. He continued on following the soldiers; corridor after corridor, hall after hall, all the while wondering what had caused the lieutenant to return early when he was assigned to such an important mission. Finally, he was led into a small, dimly lit room at the very corner of the palace. There were only four chairs surrounding the rectangular table, two of which were currently occupied by an adviser of Zuko's, Chin, and a rugged man whom he recognized as Lieutenant Wu.

Exchanging bows, the men offered Aang a seat while maintaining the already present tension.

"I'm sorry that this is so unexpected, but I can only stay for a little while until I have to go back in." Wu started, "I was passing by our rebel leaders tent a few days ago and heard some shocking news."

Aang leaned his arms forward on the table and shared a worried glance with the other man, "Go on."

"From what I could tell, he was speaking with a scout who was sent out to the capitol city for a mission. They were talking about getting the maps for their next attack, and from the landmarks they were mentioning it is definitely near if not in the capitol," Wu finished with a serious expression.

Aang's heart twisted with fear. The rebel groups hadn't been too much of a problem so far, he'd only gone out to deal with them once or twice; but if they were becoming large enough to perform this level of damage, something would have to be done soon.

"Do you have any idea when this aggression should take place?" the other man said while pulling out the blueprints for the palace.

"No," Wu said, "there weren't any dates mentioned. Though it does seem kind of convenient that he anniversary of the end of Sozin's war is days away. He's even told us that we are to being moving to a new location soon."

"I don't think strategically speaking that placing an attack during that kind of celebration with that kind of tight security would be sufficient. Your leader must know that, so what would be to his benefit if he were to fail in front of a large portion of the Fire Nation?" the adviser's hand ran over the papers as if trying to predict the opponent's plan of action.

"Are you kidding me? He's got years of experience and an abundance of resources. You think he's going to sit by and let an opportunity like this pass by? If he were to succeed, he opens up doors for all of the rebel cells and then we're talking mass riots, skirmishes, even the escape of Princess Azula!" Wu said incredulously.

Chin's face contorted into a slight grimace, "Only a lieutenant with such limited experience as yourself would say that; you cannot possibly think that a small rebel group would choose to waltz into the palace expecting it could even have a chance of victory."

Wu clenched his fists in anger, but restrained himself from saying anything.

"The real problem is what are our options now?" Aang said attempting to break up the dispute.

"We postpone the celebration," Wu responded.

"Or we could go ahead with the festivities for now, heighten the security of course. If the lieutenant hears any new information he can contact us and we could always cancel later if necessary," Adviser Chin responded.

Both men turned towards the Avatar, awaiting his decision. For a couple of slow moving minutes Aang closed his eyes and thought about the paths laid in front of him, knowing full well that disaster could lay ahead if he choose the wrong one.

Aang stood up, "I think it's in the best interest of the people of the Fire Nation to continue with the ceremony. If we alter the plans now, only days before, it could instill fear in the general population. Zuko will also be questioned for his reasons; and this celebration is not just a huge party, it is a great symbol of peace where the whole world rejoices for the end of violence. If you hear any concrete news that directly links this transition of your leader's army to the celebration contact us immediately. Seeing as the security of this event is now vital I'm going to the meeting with the high generals making sure that they are informed of its importance."

He turned and headed for the door when a thought occurred to him, "No one, other than you two, Fire Lord Zuko, my adviser Bei, and myself is to know of this threat. No doubt your leader has his spies watching the city and if he does choose to attack we want him to think he has the element of surprise. Thank you Lieutenant Wu for informing me, I wish you luck on the rest of your mission." With a bow, Aang left the room.

Bei met him outside, and after filling her in about the previous discussion, they set off for the security meeting. A guard had just informed them that they should be arriving in a couple of minutes when Bei remembered, "Oh, and Aang I sent the message to the servant Jae and she confirmed that Miss Katara had received word.

A shot of nervous entered his stomach, he had completely forgot about Katara. His heart soared. He would finally see her! Wringing out his clammy hands, Aang marched down the hallway, the following guards attempting to match his pace. Jumping erratically, his heart refused to still, only adding to the already building tension in his body. He couldn't comprehend why he was reacting in such a way; it was just Katara, the beautiful, heartbroken girl he had left with no explanation for his actions.

Zuko's voice echoed throughout the corridor as the procession approached two rustic doors. Closing his eyes, Aang briefly took a meditative breath. He could do this, he thought, he would talk to her after the meeting and explain everything, she would understand...

Mustering what was left of his battered calm, Aang's feet made their way into the war room, almost skipping with excitement. A small group of people, respectfully standing upright, awaited his arrival.

Nameless faces were before him, only a few officers were recognizable to him including the Firelord of course; but these people of importance held him no interest. Aang was searching for the one face whom he had chased in his dreams and evaded him in reality.

Desperately, his eyes searched the room in hopes of seeing her. She was supposed to be here, she was involved in the ceremony two days from now; he briefly noticed the familiar faces of a couple of his friends, and in the midst of all the silence he thought he heard the faint thud of a door being shut.

Breaking from his stupor, the Avatar realized everyone was still standing, unsure of how to proceed. Turning a slight shade of pink, Aang gave a small smile, nodded, and took his seat near the head of the table.

Zuko turned his attention back to the slab of cement and told the general to continue. The avatar's eyes inconspicuously roamed the room searching for Katara, but came up short until he noticed an empty spot between Suki and Toph reserved especially for her.

Sokka suddenly sat down, glancing around before noticing the Avatar, a disgruntled frown upon his face. Aang pulled his eyebrows up and gave him a questioning look. Sokka's eyes darkened and he shook his head before turning his head towards the presentation.

His heart sank for a second time that day. Would he ever be able to explain himself? Would he ever have his second chance?

The pressing issues of the meeting prevented him from dwelling on this matter; and with great reluctance, he turned his attention to the back of the room.

For the rest of the meeting, Aang listened intently making sure that there were no obvious weak points in security. Taking in mind the rebel leader's usual strategies, he advised the generals on layout and distribution of guards, and by the end of the meeting, three additional groups were assigned by the Avatar for extra perimeter protection. This action was rewarded with skeptic looks from generals and acquaintances alike, but when the meeting was finally over, Aang was sure that the palace would be safe.

While the people around him shook hands and excitedly chatted about the upcoming event, Aang stood up and meandered over to his friends. Trying to keep his composure, he gave a friendly tap on Toph's shoulder, which with, she answered in a resounding punch. The Avatar winced but smiled all the while as the nearby nobles gaped at the exchange.

Toph propped herself up on her toes to whisper in Aang's ear, "She went through that door, and by the way she was going, she was headed towards her room."

He paused, shocked at how insightful she was, causing her to frown and punch him with more force, "Don't just stand there Twinkletoes, get a move on."

Aang blushed slightly at the nickname but gave her a fleeting smile and muttered a thanks before swiftly making his way towards the door she had pointed out.

Pushing the door open, he headed down the corridor; his muted footsteps barely disturbed the unnatural calm that was present in a deserted hallway that would lead to the outside guest houses.

Upon entering the neighboring building, Aang recognized it to be laid out the same as his own; just one carpeted hallway with three or four rooms branching off. Cluttered and smelling of must, the first doorway led into a cleaning supply closet. Aang moved to the next door which was held slightly ajar. The animal skinned packs and messy room indicated that this was most likely the room Sokka and Suki shared. Another wooden door was all that was left in the carpeted hallway.

He strode over with the same determination, but paused at the doorway. Hesitantly, he lightly tapped on the door to assure he wasn't intruding and was answered by a muffled whisper. Cool bronze metal met his fingertips as he turned the knob with ease. The room was filled with darkness and he briefly thought of lighting a candle but decided against it when he saw the outline of a curvy figure underneath the sheets of a bed.

His heart rate accelerated when he realized who it must have been and he took a silent gasp when she moved her head under the fluffy pillow.

"Katara?" he asked hesitantly not wanting to startle her. His attempt went in vain though, for as soon as he spoke out her frame froze. Slowly, with deliberate movements, she turned to face him.

"Aang?" her honey voice said causing his body to melt.

Katara

Shock lit her face as she took in his signature pale form; he was fashioned in a simpler version of the robes that he wore the day after Sozin's comet. These clothes offered a better view of his new lean muscles causing a slight heat to rise up into Katara's cheeks, but when her gaze finally met his stormy gray eyes her heart ached.

She had missed him, that much was true. She had missed the childish antics, yet the way he could be so mature with things of consequence. She had missed the way he could turn anyone into an optimist, even her brother, but was also vulnerable to a point that he relied on her too. Katara had denied this ever since the day they had been separated, but seeing him in front of her now, she knew she could no longer lie to herself.

"Hey," Aang finally said with a deeper voice that still held youthful substance.

"Hi," she whispered in response, her voice failing her.

A chilling silence filled the room and Katara noticed how Aang's silhouette hovered in the doorway, unsure of how to proceed.

She felt an odd urge; a sudden need to comfort him, but she pushed those feelings aside and bravely said, "Here, sit." She motioned towards the end of her bed. Glancing around the room, he finally closed the door before accepting her invitation and sat down near the newly adjusted Katara.

Another uncomfortable silence fell upon the pair. Katara felt as though she couldn't hold his gaze for more than a moment; her blue eyes were too skittish.

"So, how've you been?" she said lamely, determined to break the tension.

"Good, um..." Aang chuckled, running his palms down his thighs, "not that much action since the end of the war, how about you? Do you still live in the Southern Water Tribe?"

Katara smile held some falseness to it upon learning how little he knew about her, "Yes, I teach waterbending to the few students we have down there. It has been so much more fun; the village is really improving. I just wish I could visit the others more often. I heard about the rebel groups that are attacking the earth kingdom, how is that?"

"Oh," he stumbled as ice ran through his blood, "yeah, we caught them all. There's nothing to worry about." He hoped she wouldn't catch the fake sounding tone at the end of his statement. He knew he could trust Katara, but he also made a promise. Besides, it would just worry her to know the troubles they were having with the rebellion.

The pairs' mouths remained shut, neither having anything to contribute. Aang's eyes wandered, never gazing at one thing for too long; but his eyes would always seem to come back to hers, as though they were anchored by her watery blue depths.

Katara kept her gaze off to the side, as if too afraid to even look at the Avatar. Instead, she twirled her fingers around in intricate patterns on the bedsheets. Eventually, her hand brushed over Aang's, and she instantly retracted biting her lip and pulling a piece of chocolate hair behind her ear.

"Sometimes,", Aang sighed and looked towards the wall before saying, "it makes me think; and all this responsibility automatically placed on my shoulders makes me sad that I even left."

Taking a shaky breath, he closed his eyes and clenched his jaw.

Katara broke from her mild daze and turned to meet Aang's frustrated features, "Why did you leave?" She whispered asking the obvious question.

He looked up to meet her soft eyes. Knowing that he couldn't lie to her, he just hoped she would understand. Pressing his lids together, Aang took a filling breath and said, "Katara, listen, about that...It's just that I'd thought it'd be easier without you to-"

Katara blinked, "What?"

The young boy's eyes widened in horror as he realized she had misunderstood, and quickly replied, "No, Katara, that's not what I-"

"Oh, no Aang. It's just fine. I didn't know I was such a burden to have around," her eyes squinted as she lashed out in rage.

Aang recovered trying to defend himself arms desperately half raised, "Of course not, it's just that-"

"Just that you would rather go through the trouble to evade me and Sokka just so you wouldn't have to deal with having me around?" Katara's voice broke and treacherous tears began to fill her ocean blue eyes.

"Katara, please just listen," Aang placed one of his outstretched arms to soothingly rest on her shoulder; Katara's frame shuddered and recoiled from his heated touch, her back pressing against the multiple plush pillows and headboards.

Warm water streaming down her face, she bit back her already quivering lip and whispered in a wavering voice, "Just go."

Aang's brow was creased and his mouth lingered open, hesitating, deciding whether to push the subject or retreat. Choosing the latter, he lowered his gaze, stood up and silently made his way out of the room but not before glancing back to take in the distraught Katara, eyes tightly pressed together to prevent anymore tears from falling. He shut the door and made his way out of the building. Once he was outside, he let out an exasperated moan, startling the lemur who had come to greet him, letting the stinging hurt of rejection seep into his heart.

Inside, Katara's ragged breaths became inconsistent and began to hitch in her throat, the first of many sobs was uttered to her embarrassment before the door had shut. Her body began to shake with her cries, and a flood of emotions hurried to overload her system. Hurt. Rejection. Stupidity. All fighting to gain control; as soon as one would seem to have conquered, another pulled back to rear its ugly face. Finally, she gave up. Limbs falling loosely, slightly bouncing on the enlarged mattress, though her tense muscles never fully relaxed, her eyes fixated straight ahead until they drooped into a less than peaceful sleep.

A/N: Woah, that was hard to write... I had to keep going back and adding more descriptions. I hope you enjoyed it :) I'm not going to ask you if it was worth the wait because, truth be told, it probably wasn't... Anyways, the next chapter will be up soon I promise. Oh! And since you all had great patience, I have a surprise for you... A SNEAK PEEK!

"Katara, wait. No!" Aang yelled holding his arm up, racing after her.

Her feet suddenly were immovable, a heavy weight pressing down on them. A glance revealed her shoes and lower calves were completely encased in rock. Dread coursed through her as she could feel him coming closer. Pathetically, she crouched and pulled on her leg, desperate for it to be released, but it would not budge. Closing her eyes she slowly stood up and awaited Aang's arrival.

Uh, oh... Also, no one ever does this, but I'd love it if you guys guess at what will happen. It gives me ideas, and creeps me out at how accurately people guess, or just tell me what you want to happen. Who knows? Maybe it will...

Reviews are appreciated.

-gretlcascade

P.S. Btw, in case anyone was wondering, this chapter is over 3,000 words. The longest I've ever written so I hope that helps with the wait...