Wanna know why this took so long?

Because I forgot I uploaded it on here too... its already finished on tumblr cough cough

Enjoy~

When Katara returned, she was greeted with the sight of Aang feeding Momo.

She almost didn't want to disturb him looking more at ease then he had in days, but he spotted her and beckoned her with his smile.

He sat Momo down on the porch and met her halfway, taking her hands in his and together they moved to the side of their temporary estate for a sense of privacy.

They lined themselves against the tan stones of the wall; they leaned back and tilted their heads up to the skyline ahead, close enough that only their shoulders touched.

"You left early." Aang started awkwardly.

Katara nodded slightly, "Sorry about that. It was just something I thought I should handle on my own."

"I know."

Katara smiled. Of course he knew.

"I was wrong though. This is something we should both take care of."

Aang turned his head to her, and they were eye to eye. Her tone was definite, it was something Katara had already made her mind up on and Aang was glad, because he had made up his mind to be a part of this too.

He listened patiently throughout the whole story. How she and Nutha used to be, how Nutha was now according to Niyok, why she'd acted so strangely after Nutha had called her out the other night, all of it.

Katara swallowed the lump in her throat as she finished catching him up, "I know what I said in Yu Dao, but I didn't think we'd ever actually ever really be separated. I think this is my wake-up call that our relationship really is just like any other."

Aang shook his head and turned his body to pull her in slightly, "We may not be as important to other people, but I've never thought we were like any other relationship."

Katara blushed despite herself, "Aang, be serious."

She hugged him close and felt his smile on her temple, "I am being serious. You and me… we're special, Katara."

Katara caught the swoon that was just itching to come out. 'Dream Guy' had nothing on Aang, that was for sure, but he could lay on the charm later. She moved to rest her chin on his shoulder.

"What do you want me to do?" She asked.

Aang sighed, "Well, I don't want to cause a rift between you and your childhood friend. Those kinds of friends are important too."

"… Yeah… but something like this… I don't think it can be that way. We've all changed; I think it'd be selfish of me to want the old Nutha if this is just someone she's become. I don't know what happened in her life after all, I don't want to just ignore what she's gone through."

It was a scary thought now, but Katara knew if her circumstances had stayed the same, she could've been on the same wavelength as Nutha seemed to be on. Back then there certainly wasn't anything to make her like the Fire Nation that took her mother or the Earth Kingdom that took her father, and if she had stayed in the same life maybe what had rubbed off on Nutha would've rubbed off on her too.

The arms of the young man tightening around her now were constantly keeping her leveled, keeping her head on straight much more than he realized.

"I'll agree with anything you decide Katara, but… just know, I don't think I could be as strong as you were back then. After all this, I don't know what I'd do if-"

Katara cut him off. As long as he was beside her, that was that. She could do anything.

She'd already decided it wouldn't come to what he was going to suggest, so there was no reason to say what had been on her mind the entire walk back. Katara wanted this very kiss to seal that thought away forever.

'What would I do… if we ever had to part?'

For the rest of the day, Aang didn't want Katara stressing out anymore than she had to. When they'd calmed down enough for her to tell him the plan, he realized the real fight would begin as soon as the refinery workers were done for today.

So for right now, they weren't the Avatar Aang and Master Katara of the Water Tribe gearing up to defend themselves, they were Aang and Katara, a couple in love and spending time together; laughing, flirting, ultimately strengthening their bond.

They sat in the same spot on the side of the house, with the added comfort of Aang bending the ground beneath them into stools and mini table-like shapes and Katara throwing pillows on top and bringing out tea for a finishing touch.

"Oh yeah!" Aang exclaimed, "Remember when we were in Wan Shi Tong's library, and we were talking about where we wanted to go for vacation?"

Katara nodded into her teacup.

"When do you want to go to the Misty Pond Oasis? I know we've been all over the place lately, but now that we have an opportunity to schedule stuff, I was thinking we could try—Katara?!"

Aang rubbed her back worriedly to help Katara get over the swift choke of her tea.

Katara waved his distress away and looked at him embarrassedly. It occurred to her a long time ago that she was becoming… attracted to the mature side of Aang.

Of course he didn't need to know that.

But this was the first time he'd ever surprised her with it as lately Aang was constantly fulfilling the Avatar duties or his Air Nomad duties. For him to suddenly turn it on after making jokes mere seconds before struck something in her that was much more prevalent now that she was his girlfriend.

"I-I'm okay, just drank a little too fast," She chuckled nervously, hoping he'd write off her blushing, "the um, Misty Pond Oasis? You remembered that? Aang I didn't even remember that."

"I figured you would. I guess I just remembered to do the remembering for both of us." He shrugged it off, as if it wasn't the sweetest thing Katara had ever heard.

It had an automatic dazing effect over her. Katara placed her hand under her chin and swirled her finger lazily over the teacup rim, "How about when all this is over?"

"All of this?"

"When we deal with my problem, and we deal with this place… let's just go. Even if we're only gone for a day, even if we can only go for a couple of hours we could drop Toph off at her academy, drop Sokka off with Suki, drop the acolytes back off in Yu Dao or send them on another Air Nomad field trip and just go."

Aang smiled. He'd never heard her sound so nomadic or this new expression on her face, but he was sure it was making him fall in love with her again. If left to their own devices Aang was pretty sure they'd do nothing but turn up the 'oogies' ten-fold, and he had no problem with it if she didn't. Even if it was only for a few minutes, even if they only got halfway there the fact that Katara wanted it to be just them sometimes was more than tempting, it was what Aang always wanted.

He reached his hands across the table and took hers in a firm grasp, "Yeah. I'll definitely remember this plan." The words were blissfully sighed out.

They were completely lost in each other and only when Katara was this immersed in love was when everything finally clicked in her mind and she knew exactly what she wanted to say.

Right after she said the only thing that mattered now.

"I love you Aang."

Aang completely melting at her words was what she would remember about that late afternoon, not the whistle of the Earthen Refinery chiming the early workers out.

Katara thought despite everything she would've still been tense when the time came, but she'd never felt more ready.

See you in a few days/a week for the Final Chapter~