I haven't uploaded in a month. Sorry. Ugh. But now I have a nice and shin-splintered (possibly fractured) leg, so I'm sure I'll be able to upload lots. 2-6 weeks without basketball. Just peachy. No wonder this seems so angsty to me.
So I've been reading a marriage counseling book...because counseling books intrigue me in general...it's called Love and Respect by Emerson Eggerichs...and it made me think... "we know Katara loves Aang...but does she really respect him?"
So this is my response to that question. I must admit, t'was interesting getting into a guy's mind. Not that I'd like to change my gender or anything. It's just different. How fascinating. =P I'll tell you right nowe though, this is a wierd fic. Not my usual fluffiness.

Inspired by: Avatar, the book Love and Respect, the song "Dive" by Steve Curtis Chapman, and the songs "Little Bit of Morning", "Mercy Came Running", and "Build a Bridge of Love" by Phillips, Craig & Dean
Disclaimer: I own none of the above mentioned. The story and poem, per se, are mine.

Drowning

Aang was drowning.

That was the problem, why all of his fights with her seemed to go wrong. In a Sink-Or-Swim situation, Aang seemed to be sinking down, down, down into the depths. But now? Now he really needed to breathe.

She was intoxicatingly beautiful, that much was true. He was all eyes when she stepped out of the water after an excuciatingly hot day, her skin glistening as the water seemed to melt off of her warm body and slide down her limbs. Wild brown hair with gorgeous blue eyes that seemed so tender, so loving. So passionate.

One step into the ocean.

And she would tease him about it, whenever he looked at her that way. Yet he felt as if he couldn't help it...she might even be doing it on purpose, for all he knew. Irresistible.

Two steps; in the shallows

She would almost always give him love, show her affection for him. He could count on that fairly often. She drew him in like a mother. Although he was supposed to be the man, the masculine one, he didn't mind too much. Gentle reminders of what was happening today: a meeting here, an appointment there. Hastening over to him after a long day when he came back, typically exhausted.

Wading into the deep.

She kept him steady, though it shocked him to find that sometimes she seemed so fragile and unsteady herself. Her moods would change shockingly fast. From loving to caring to fretting to insulted to angry to contempt to forgiving to loving again. And Aang had no idea of what he had said or done wrong, or how to fix it. One huge tidal wave that he had no control over.

Waves lapping at the knees,

Oh, she loved him all right; he knew that. But sometimes he didn't think she really liked him. She was filled with endless amounts of love. Yet somehow, it seemed her temper or his forgetfulness would always get in the way.

Sea hugging the waist.

Maybe that was why she seemed so determined to keep him safe. She cared too much, perhaps more than she needed to. All her conversations about what was going on in their marriage. Was their really something wrong with their marriage here? Because the way she said it made it sound to Aang as if there was a crisis! It was almost as if...as if she wanted to fix him. Call him proud, but Aang rather liked the way he was. Didn't she? Wasn't that why they married—because they loved and admired and respected each other?

Treading water now; kicking

And as Aang remembered all of their past fights, he tried to picture himself: He wasn't saying very much. Just letting her rant, blow off steam. But it felt horrible, with her yelling and his silence. Why was she treating him this way? Was she really that perfect, and was he really just that incompetent? He didn't want to yell back at her; surely that wasn't what she wanted either! Yet she seemed to be almost asking for it! It was no wonder that he turned around to be alone.

Breathe in the cool salty air:

No she wasn't perfect. But Aang was sure he wasn't either.

Perhaps that was it? That they were just different? Maybe they could find a compromise of sorts? As the Avatar and an airbender, Aang was all about peacemaking. Trying to see where the problem stemmed from, what started it all. And maybe that was why...why they had all of their fights. Because Aang knew he was a very well-meaning person, but maybe he didn't know how to say so to her? Because maybe she had all the right intentions, but didn't quite know how to tell him that?

In his mind's eye, he pictured it: just her and him. And a sort of river in-between the two of them. And they were both shouting at each other, yet neither could hear what the other was saying. Such a vast expanse that they needed to cross that river. Needed to meet halfway.

Suddenly, Aang knew what he had to do.

Inhale, Exhale. Inhale,

That night, while walking back from the beach dunes, Aang began to think about what to say. He had walked out of the house after another argument, avoiding her by jumping on his glider and setting off into the air—a place she couldn't follow him. Now after hours of alone-time in the refreshingly cool ocean water, he was ready to come back. Willing to face whatever sort of rage she might have. And he was pretty sure she would be furious with him.

Standing at the front of the door, he took a deep breath and knocked on the door. It opened to reveal: her. She looked at him with wide blue eyes.

Dive.

"Katara, I—Oomph!"

Before he even had a chance to say anything, the waterbender knocked him over in a breathtaking hug, tipping them backwards off the steps. Quickly summoning a gust of air, he softened their fall. Looking at her again, Aang heard her sobbing uncontrollably into his shoulder, wet tears already leaking through his multiple layers of clothing. He stroked her back and hair in what he thought was a comforting gesture, completely bewildered.

"Katara...?" He asked tentatively.

"I am so...so...sorry, Aang!" She said, crying so hard she was shaking terribly in his arms. "I didn't know you would...and then you left, and the house was empty, and...made me realize...don't know what I would do without you...I need you so much..."

She looked miserable. She sounded as if she hadn't eaten since he left—albeit since just this afternoon. Aang couldn't believe he had this affect on her.

"Katara...?" He asked her again quietly. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Her tears slowed down as he waited for her response patiently. Glancing up at the doorway, flooded with light, he saw his little girl staring back at him. He looked down at his wife, who seemed to be choking on her words.

Softly, whispering so he could barely hear, Katara told him, "Can we talk about it inside? ...Please?"

Aang had hoped they would be able to forget it had ever happened. Still, he nodded, gently helping them get to their feet with a rising cushion of air. Looking down at their little girl, the airbender beckoned her into his arms. She came.

"Missed you, Daddy."

He kissed her forehead.

"Missed you, too."

Carrying her inside, Aang looked at his wife. She wiped a stray tear from her eye. He held her hand, and she smiled up at him. Walking inside again, they settled their firstborn into her bed, reassuring her that everything was fine before she drifted off to sleep. The two of them then went downstairs where they would have a long talk. Yet this time, Aang felt renewed with hope. Certain that this time, he could see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Sink or Swim? No.

They would build a bridge.

***
Let's build a bridge of love together
One stone of hope at a time
Let's span the sea that comes between us
So join your hand and heart with mine
~Phillips, Craig & Dean

Like it? Hate it? Please comment!

EDIT: To elaborate on this book, Love and Respect, it goes on to say that Love is the primary drive and need for women, and Respect is the primary drive and need for men. And that each should be given unconditionally. Considering that I can see the effects happening in my own parent's marriage, I saw no reason why it wouldn't work with Kataang. After all, they're human too.