Aang paced back and forth, down the long throne room, up to the throne itself, then back to the door. This was his second day back in the Fire Nation capital city and he was getting anxious. He had been so excited to come back. He had found a pretty good solution to the problem of Azula, Zuko could start to run his country without worry from his sister, and Aang could finally have some alone time with Katara.

But when he got to the palace, he was informed that both Zuko and Katara were gone…to a wedding. Aang knew that Katara wasn't the kind of girl to wait around while he went off on his Avatar duties, but he still felt hurt that she wasn't here. And in the back of his head, in a tiny corner that he tried to ignore, he was jealous of Zuko. The Firelord practically took his girlfriend on a date! Aang tried to tell himself that everything would be fine, that Zuko just didn't want to show up alone to his ex's wedding. But he had seen how Zuko would look at Katara, and Zuko was definitely Katara's type. Aang spent a lot of time studying the kind of guys Katara seemed to get interested in…Jet, Haru… Zuko fit right in.

That last thought stopped Aang in his tracks.

Aang didn't have long to dwell on his unpleasant thoughts. The heralds were announcing the return of the Firelord. Aang breathed a sigh of relief. Katara was back. They could spend some time together, work things out. He realized he hadn't been the best boyfriend, but he was going to make it up to her.

Unfortunately, the herald was announcing the Firelord's return to the city…and it was a big city. Aang would have to wait at least an hour for them to make it up to the palace. He resumed pacing the throne room, hoping the guest he had brought with him was finding her rooms comfortable. After all, they would need her to solve the problem of Azula.

Katara was having difficulty meeting Zuko's eyes. They travelled next to each other and it felt at once too far away, and far too close. Their kiss the night before hadn't lasted very long, but Katara had never felt anything like it. She heat rose in her cheeks and she turned her face away so Zuko wouldn't see. Although, she hadn't really looked at him all morning, so she didn't see his blushes either. Zuko had stayed the night with her, and she slept with his arms wrapped around her. It was the best sleep she could ever remember having. After her mother…sleep was not something she looked forward to. But sleeping in his arms, she could grow to like that. Despite how awkward waking up was, Katara didn't regret what happened, even when she thought of Aang. But her current boyfriend didn't occupy her thoughts that morning. Instead, she daydreamed about living her life with Zuko.

She glanced over at Zuko and finally saw his blush. She answered it with one of her own and a slight smile. Maybe they could find a way to sneak off together? It would be difficult to find time to be alone once they got back to the palace. Katara sighed. No, they would not be able to find time today. She finally looked at her surroundings; they were almost to the palace.

The caravan slowed to an agonizing crawl before stopping completely. Katara sighed again. Of course there would have to be some sort of welcoming ceremony. She readjusted to get more comfortable and once again drifted into daydreams.

Zuko was happy. Truly, deeply happy. But he tried not to dwell on that fact. Past experience taught him that when he was at his happiest, disaster was about to strike. He guessed it had to do with balance. The world liked balance, right? So of course, he could never be too happy.

So while Zuko was happy, he was also quite terrified. Because at this level of happiness, the disaster was going to be catastrophic. And yet, he found he couldn't exactly get himself to care. For him, the disaster was definitely going to be worth it.

They reached the city's outer gate in the middle of the afternoon. The pomp and circumstance given to his comings and goings was getting repetitive. Fire Nation royalty was steeped in ceremony. Zuko wondered if it was always that way, or if it came from the hyper-nationalism of the war. He supposed it didn't really matter why so much ceremony existed – he was going to have to go though it either way.

Despite the long delays in getting home and the niggling feeling that things were going to go horribly wrong at any point, Zuko was happy.

Katara was so lost in her daydreams and fantasies that she didn't even register they were at the palace. She was in a daze, unconcerned with what was happening around her. Maybe she could sleep in Zuko's arms again tonight? It was a pleasant thought. And one that made her feel extremely guilty. Whatever pleasant thoughts were in her head vanished and she felt the dread rising within her.

They continued their journey to the palace in silence, though it wasn't the comfortable silence from before. She could feel the bitter tension in the air. They reached the palace and began the long climb to the entrance.

Zuko led Katara away from the crowd, and she went easily. He brought her to the throne room, currently empty and probably their best bet at a little privacy. With the rush of unpacking and getting the royal retinue settled back into the palace, no one was going to be entering this room.

The moment the door closed behind them, Katara reached out and grabbed Zuko's hand. It was something she had wanted to do all morning. He raised her hand to his lips and with a smile, brushed her knuckles with a kiss. She blushed once again.

They were startled out of the moment by a choking sound. Katara's eyes grew wide as she saw Aang. Utterly speechless, he stood gaping at them before his jaw clenched and his eyes locked on Zuko.

Katara could see it now. Aang was angry and hurt and would lash out. Normally, she would be the one to comfort him, to make him come back to earth. But this time, for the first time, he was angry with her. She couldn't stop him. He would lash out at Zuko, and Zuko would defend himself, and two people who held so much power being at odds would be a disaster for the world.

Nothing happened.

Something should have happened. Aang's attack would have been precise, as would Zuko's defense. They had to motion and the momentum, but nothing happened.

Aang dropped his arms with a sigh.

"I guess I had better introduce you," Katara looked around to see who Aang was addressing and noticed a woman dressed in black. At first glance, she appeared young, perhaps twenty. But the longer she looked, the more Katara was unsure of her age. Twenty-five? Forty-five? Sixty-five? Her eyes were dark, black, like she only had pupils. And she made Katara uncomfortable. Her skin began to crawl and she was overcome with the feeling that she needed to run, to get as far away from this woman as possible.

Acting on instinct, she immediately released the stopper on the canteen of water she always kept at her side. But instead of the water lashing out at the woman, it splashed to the floor.

Their bending was gone.

For those of you who were following this story before...I'm super sorry about the crazy long delay. For those of you who just found this story...welcome! And if I don't update, just hound me and tell me to get on it!