Music is my muse, I wrote this while listening to Forever by Fireflight. Listen to it if you can, it adds to the flow and the story line. You don't have to though. P.S. this is supposed to take place sometime after the fall of the Fire Lord. And Toph is not present. :) Enjoy! Love, Katie

Don't own Avatar or Fireflight.

Forever Girl

Aang shivered as he rolled over in his bed. The wind was howling loudly outside. Winter was coming and he could feel it in every bone of his body. He wrapped the small blanket he had around his body tighter. He could finally the heat starting to travel up his body as he fought off another shiver.

Just then Katara's loud, blood curdling scream came from down the hall. He raced as fast he could from his bed. Not really caring that he was only partially dressed or that he would probably get a cold as a result. Not running fast enough he finally burst into her room.

When he got to her he saw that Katara was sitting straight up in her bed. A small sliver of moonlight was dancing upon her face which was ghostly pale and covered with wet sticky tears. Another cold wind blew through the house and Katara shivered, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Katara, are you all right?" he asked quietly as he sat next to her. But she turned away from him.

"Hi Aang," she sniffled wiping her nose on her sleeve.

"Katara, are you okay? I thought I heard you screaming."

"Oh," she whispered.

Her wet eyes studied his warily. He knew instantly that she was hiding something from him.

"What happened?"

"Nothing," she lied.

"You can tell me," he encouraged softly.

"Aang, I'd rather not. It's sort of embarrassing." Katara admitted shyly.

Aang wrapped his left arm around her cautiously and brushed a little tear off of her chin with his right index finger.

"Come on, you can tell me."

She laughed for a moment, but then pursed her lips unhappily.

"Promise you won't laugh?"

"I promise," he assured.

"I had a nightmare. I've actually been having them for the past few nights. But this one was the worst."

Aang tilted his head to the side and smiled reassuringly.

"The Fire Lord was never defeated and I am in the catacombs of Ba Sing Se being held against my will. Tai Lee has taken my bending away so I completely weak and powerless. You and Fire Lord Ozai are engaged in a battle shooting fire at one another. Just as you enter the Avatar state he shoots you down with a bolt of lightning. You fall down, down, down," she had started to gently cry again, but she was trying to hide it.

"The l-light in your eyes goes out, and you stop moving. All the while Ozai is laughing and happily declaring himself 'The Indestructible Phoenix King, the Destroyer of the Avatar!' And I'm completely helpless as your soul leaves your body. And then he turns to me," then she paused, looking at him skeptically. Aang pulled her closer to his body. "Don't worry, I'm right here," he whispered. She sniffled and hiccupped lightly. "And he turns to me and says, 'you said you would protect him, you said you'd watch over him, you failed. You failed. I've destroyed him just like I destroyed your mother and you can do nothing to save him'. He turns back to you and lights your still breathing body on fire….a-and…" Katara cried loudly as she flung her face into his shoulder and began to bawl.

Aang squeezed her shoulder tightly. Her beautiful scent drifted off of her hair, into his nose like a gentle sea breeze infused with something flora.

"I-It just felt so real, I- thought you were dead!" She stuttered. "It's just so real, every time it's been so real," she mumbled through her tears as she buried her face into his chest.

"Shhh," he whispered, as he wrapped her in a tight embrace, his head lying lightly on the crown of hers. "You are the most powerful bender I know, that would never happen, and it didn't happen. I'm alive. I'm right here," he kept saying this to try and get the poor girl to stop crying, but it didn't seem to help. Finally about five minutes later, she seemed to have recovered a little. She looked up, and Aang noticed how unrecognizably red her eyes were.

"I keep waking up certain that I lost you."

"I'm not lost, and I'm not going to be, you're stuck with me."

"To see you hurt, it just, killed me."

"I know," he replied.

"I hated feeling powerless."

He gently lifted her chin and smiled down at her.

"You're not powerless."

"I was then; I didn't know what to do. Aang if it wasn't for that Spirit Water from the North Pole, you would've died."

"But you did save me," he argued. Clearly this nightmare had affected Katara more than she was letting on. She kept going back to what could've happened, instead of what did happen. "And Ozai is no more, everything is fine."

"Aang," she choked though her tears. "It's not fine, when Azula did that to you, I wanted to kill her. I promised myself before you woke that if I couldn't save you I'd find a way to get her back."

This surprised Aang and his face must've shown it because Katara twitched uncomfortably. "I'm not all good you know," she whispered. "I almost killed that man who killed my mom."

"But you didn't," he whispered.

"I know, but I still wanted to."

There was an uncomfortable silence for a minute and then she hiccupped. "I'm afraid I'll lose you again. I mean I regret using blood bending, more than you know. But when I saw Azula I couldn't help but wish it was a full moon so I could use blood bending," she flushed. "Because she made me so certain that I lost you."

This made things a bit awkward. Ever since the kiss on the balcony at the Jasmine Dragon they had been inseparable. Even though Aang had told her countless times that he loved her, she never really admitted the same to him. She hinted at it, gave him small nudges in that direction, but she never would say it out loud.

"I'm here Katara, I'm here."

She sniffled again and shivered as her hands ran up his arms. They sat like this for a while, in complete silence minus the occasionally sniffling and wheezing of Katara.

"Promise me you won't do that again Aang, ever."

He laughed.

"I promise."

There was another moment of silence and then she sighed deeply against him.

"I-I, love you Aang," she finally whispered quietly. The words hung in the air like a beautiful perfume.

He couldn't help but smile as he gently kissed her cheek. His eyes found her lips and he bit his lower lip, contemplating his next move.

"And I love you," he whispered.

Then he ever so gently touched his lips to hers. Her exquisite taste mixed with the salty taste of her tears entered his mouth as she pressed her lips against his tighter. She wrapped her arms around him. As her last few beautiful tears were falling softly onto his cheeks, he couldn't help but smile.

When she pulled away, she was blushing immensely. She ran her thumb along his face, wiping the trace of tears she had left. The skin where she had touched was pleasantly warm. He felt wonderfully lightheaded.

"I'm going to try and get some more sleep. You should too Aang," she softly urged. He nodded as he kissed her forehead.

"Good night Katara, sleep well."

"I think I will," she said quietly as she took his hand in his. "Thank you Aang."

"I'm just down the hall if you need me."

She nodded and brushed her lips against his. This silly little light contact made the lightheaded feeling return full force. He took a few deep breaths to get acquainted with his surroundings again.

"You've got to stop doing that," he whispered quietly. For a moment she watched him curiously. Then he stood up slowly. "I'm going to go now."

He bowed for a moment and kissed the top of her head. "Goodnight," he whispered as he walked out of her room, closing the door quietly behind him. He rested against the door, letting the euphoria settle in.

He sat down across the hallway from her room. He wasn't going to go anywhere. He'd always be right there when she needed him to be. For the rest of his life he was going to be watching over her. Reminding her of how much he owed her, how much he loved her. He felt his lips gently. The taste of her kiss still lingered there, like gentle dew after the rain.

He smiled and sighed happily. She was his forever girl and she always would be.

-x-

"Sometimes I feel so cold, like I'm waiting around all by myself.

Loneliness gets so old. I'm in the lost and found, sitting on the shelf.

been stuck for way too long.

(I hear your voice)

You're who I'm counting on.

Oh, tell me you're here,

that you will watch over me,

forever

Oh, take hold of my heart;

show me you love me,

forever."

-Forever by Fireflight.