Hi, it's been a long time. Sorry. I don't really have an excuse. I thought this chapter wasn't as ready as it was. It's still not perfect, but I thought it should be put up anyway. Have fun!

Maybe there was some place they could go. Somewhere in the Earth Kingdom. A nice small village. She could be a healer, everyone needs a healer. And Zuko could be…well Katara wasn't quite sure yet. But he would be something. They could have a family—easily kept safe and fed. They could have a little yard where she would grow herbs and vegetables, and Zuko would teach their son how to firebend. And, she would yell at them if they destroyed her garden. It would be perfect. This little paradise.

"Katara. Katara." Zuko tapped her shoulder.

"Hmmm?"

"What about this?" Zuko held up some weird fruit Katara had never seen before.

"What is that?"

He shrugged.

"Right," Katara took it from him, and placed it back on the stand. "I don't think Toph will want to eat that."

Zuko kept looking at the other offerings the vendor had placed on display. He would lift one up and ask for Katara's opinion. She would nod and let him place it in the basket, or shake her head and explain how it was the wrong choice. Zuko knew Katara would refuse to let him carry the basket, but he would simply pick it up the next time she placed it down.

"Why don't you just go see what the guy selling the swords has?" She hoped he would get the message that he didn't know the first thing about food. Although she was amused how he would put the information to memory and try again.

"Where's everyone else?"

"I don't know. I'm no one's babysitter."

"It was your idea to go to town."

Zuko turned red and looked away. "I wanted to spend time with you." He said embarrassedly.

"Really?" She smiled up at him. She loved these moments when she could see how sweet Zuko could be. Grabbing his arm she rose to her toes to kiss him.

Zuko pulled away. "Not here."

Katara opened her eyes slowly. "Why not?"

"There are people looking."

"Seriously?"

"Yes. I don't want to kiss you in front of other people."

"Is it because I'm Water Tribe?"

Zuko's mind froze. "What? What does that have to do with anything? I just don't like being…affectionate in public."

"Well why not? It's normal. It's not like someone's going to try and kill you. Oh no! You kissed the girl you love! What a crime."

"She's right; no one's going to hold it against you." The old woman selling fruit encouraged.

"Right…" Zuko grabbed Katara's arm to pull her away. "Look, people know that I'm here. And I don't want them catching wind of us." He pointed a finger at her to keep her from arguing. "It has nothing to do with you being Water Tribe. It's because I'm the Fire Lord, and everyone wants me to get married."

Katara's anger fell away from her, and a small amount of shame began to spread. "So you don't want to marry me?" Her tease came out a little harsher than she meant.

He shifted uncomfortably. "I didn't say that."

"There you guys are!" Haru called to them. "C'mon everyone's ready to go."

Both were thankful that Haru wouldn't tease them as they followed him. As they passed the old fruit vender, Zuko grumpily placed a kiss on Katara's forehead. "Thank you."

"What flavors did you get?" Aang was looking into a box Sokka was carrying.

"I think there's some fruit stuff. I don't know, you're typical wines. But this…" He pulled out several bottles until he found the right one. "This one is made from komodo-mare's milk! It's super rare!"

"How much was that?" Katara stepped in line with her brother, her arms crossed.

"Don't worry. I worked the price down." Sokka breezed past her.

"Sokka…we only have so much money to spend here! That's why I made a budget. You're always bad with money."

"Katara, relax." Zuko finally felt safe to step into one of the sibling's arguments. "I have more than enough money. It doesn't really matter how much you spend. Think of it has helping the local economy."

"See!" Sokka pointed at Zuko. "Your boyfriend will take care of it."

But she was still grumpy. That evening she burnt the rice, and the meat was overcooked, and the vegetables somehow became a soup with the water. Suki assured her that there was some salted fish they could eat and sent Katara to the family room to be with everyone else.

"Hey, come on and eat!" Suki yelled at everyone to come into the dining room. "I salvaged what I could of the rice."

"Thank you." The group chorused.

"I'm bored," Toph bitched after their meal. She had picked over most of it, and wanted something to do so as not to think about roasted Airbender, or filet of Kyoshi Warrior.

"I bought wine!" Sokka jumped up. He ran out of the room, bring back with him the box full of clinking bottles. "We can play a drinking game."

"Why?" Katara asked. She never understood Sokka's new obsession. Back home only the men would drink, and it was rare. Whenever they did, it was into a stupor; and they would brag long into the night about battles and great hunts. Liquor held no interest to her.

"They are fun." Everyone turned their attention to Zuko. "What? I can't ever drink?"

"No, I just didn't think you did fun things." Aang said.

Suki snickered to herself. She had caught herself before blurting out that Zuko does Katara. To keep from questions being asked she went to get glasses for everyone.

Ty Lee's eyes lit up. "Yeah! I remember that one time when you got so drunk that you—"

"Shut up Ty Lee!" Zuko glared at the girl. He pulled on his hair.

"Stop it or you'll go bald" Aang elbowed the Firebender.

"So what games do you know?" Toph reclined in her chair.

Ty Lee pursed her lips. "Well there's 100 shots; whispers; never ever; truth, dare, shots; boat race; vegetables; questions…"

"There's always kings." Zuko noted. "But that's a bit complicated. I say 100 shots."

"This is so weird." Sokka whispered to Suki who had missed the conversation. The Kyoshi Warrior just shrugged and passed out the glasses. Sokka went round after her filling everyone's cup. "Explain the game."

"Every 100 seconds you take a shot. The goal is to get to 100." Ty Lee sniffed her liquor. "Who wants to count?"

Toph seriously thought about being the counter, but then she would miss out on the fun of drinking. However, she could watch everyone make fools of themselves, and she would still remember in the morning.

"I will." Aang volunteered. "Everyone ready? Start!"

Zuko, Ty Lee, Suki, Sokka, Toph, and Haru downed their share. They slammed the cups down waiting for Sokka to refill them. "C'mon." Sokka snorted at Katara. "Drink up!"

"I'm not sure." Katara stared down at her cup.

"Just give it a try. If you feel you need to drop out early you can." Ty Lee encouraged.

"10 seconds!" Aang warned.

"Drink!" Everyone commanded her.

Katara knocked back her drink. The group had a good laugh at the face she made. She felt the liquid burn her throat and sink into her stomach. "Why do you like this?"

"Go!" Another round gone.

"For the fun of it." Zuko stated. "It's not something you wanna do often."

"When did you do stuff like this?" Sokka eyed the Firebender.

"Last time I was here."

"Right, it was after that party we went to." Ty Lee giggled. "That was so much fun. Too bad Mai couldn't be here. She gets really chatty when she drinks. She knows all the best gossip."

"She can say more than a sentence?" Katara asked. She had hung out with Mai a couple of times but the girl always seemed a little standoffish. Katara had figured she was just really open with her close friends.

"She wouldn't shut up!" Zuko laughed. "The worst was watching Ty Lee try to climb the rafters. You couldn't stand still if your life depended on it."

Ty Lee giggled. "Mai couldn't stop talking. It's how I learned that Zuko likes to—"

"Shut up Ty Lee!"

"So weird." Sokka took his shot before Aang could yell "Go," again.

Katara tried to keep up with everyone else, but around the sixth shot she was feeling way to dizzy to continue. Thankfully she wasn't the first to drop out. Toph being the smallest of them was hit the hardest by the alcohol, and currently slept with her head in her arms on the table. The universe had played some kind of joke on the short Earthbender, she had only three shots. Katara couldn't be sure but she thought they were somewhere close to twenty.

"You know," Ty Lee hiccupped. "Zuko used to be pretty. Like girl pretty." She thought she was whispering this information to Katara. "I used to be so jealous. I had this little piggy nose. But now it's cute. He was like a poculinde doll. We used to dress him up."

"What happened?" Suki leaned into the girls' conversation.

"Zuko used to be pretty…" Katara snickered.

"The scar!" Ty Lee and Katara came to the same conclusion.

"What?" Sokka and Zuko broke their staring competition. Neither one of them could remember why or when it began. "I win." Sokka glared at Zuko out of the corner of his eye. His only response was a shrug.

"Go!" Sokka, Zuko, Haru, Ty Lee took their shots. Suki mournfully pushed hers away.

"The scar…" Ty Lee fell into a fit of giggles. "It…" Thinking was difficult. "Makes him manly."

"Scars are manly, eh?" Sokka scratched his chin. He played with the stubble before remembering his train of thought.

"Yeah!" Katara almost shouted, jumping up and pounding her fist on the table. "Ty Lee said Zuko was girl pretty." She missed Zuko snapping that he was never girl pretty. "And now he's manly. Kinda sexy." If her face was not red enough from the drinks, it grew into a deeper shade. Silently and slowly she sat back down.

Suki and Ty Lee nodded.

"Dude. Dude. Duuude." Sokka turned to Zuko. He waved his arms around. "Scar me! No wait…I can't take your scar. It's like your thing. It's Zuko. But I need you to scar me. We could be like mangled budies." He went into a hunt for the best place to show off a scar. Sadly his exaggerated movements made him fall off the chair. He lay on the floor whining until…

"Go!"

"Mangled…?" Zuko said the word slowly, it wasn't clear if it was because he was so drunk or so angry.

"Yeah you know. Mutala…mutchu…mu…tal. Fucked up Face Buddies!"

"Ugh! No more." Ty Lee threw her cup away. "I wanna go down the beach!"

Zuko finished off his shot. "I'm out!" He stood up, grip tight on the back of his chair. He walked around the table, throwing Ty Lee over his shoulder. If it weren't for the fact that he had to keep himself steady on the furniture Katara would have thought he never drank a drop. The girl struggled in his arms, screaming that she wanted to party. "Time for bed Ty. Goodnight." He left the room.

"I wamt to go the beach. We could swim. Naked. We could all swim naked. Remember? Last time?"

"No. That was stupid. We're not going to the beach."

"Yes we can!" Suki tried to stand.

"No." Zuko's tone was firm. He took Ty Lee out of the room, her whining still audible from the hall.

"Ok." Suki sat back down. Sokka comforted her.

"I win!" Sokka jumped up.

"Uh…no you don't. Haru's still playing." Aang pointed out.

Katara stayed with the group until a winner was declared. Haru beat Sokka in the twenty seventh round. Maybe. Who knew how long they had been playing? By that point she was feeling pretty sober and decided that she could walk back to the bedroom by herself.

Zuko was already in bed, but had left a candle lit for her by the door. She smirked to herself as she pulled on one of her nightgowns out of the chest of drawers. Zuko had to know she moved some of her things into his room, but he never said anything; so she decided that meant he didn't notice. Sliding into bed she wrapped an arm around him. "Night," she whispered against his back.

"Night."

Katara pulled away. "Why are you still up?"

He rolled onto his back to look at her. "I don't go to sleep drunk."

"Oh…" An awkward silence followed. "Is something bothering you?"

"No." He snapped.

"Really? Cause you seem kinda…tense."

"Just go to sleep." He turned his back to her.

Katara sat in the bed waiting to see if Zuko would fall asleep first. Instead he sat up to look her in the eye. "I was never girl pretty."

She tried not to smile, but it wasn't until she caught the look in his eye that told her this was more than a bruised ego. "Ok."

"I used to look like my father."

"Oh."

"Sometimes I wish I didn't have this scar, but then I would look like him again." The bitterness in the voice made her flinch.

She knew if she tried to hold him he would only pull away, so she took his hand. It was so small a gesture that let him feel supported without being overwhelmed. "I stand by what I said earlier. I like your scar."

Zuko quickly grabbed Katara's wrist, placing her fingertips upon his scar. He smiled slightly when she didn't pull away. She looked at him making sure he wanted her touch. He closed his eyes, relaxing into her touch. "Ba Sing Se was the last time I let anyone touch it." His smile deepened, "You're the only person I've let do this."

Her fingers traced over the harden creases of his skin from the corner of his eye to his ear. "Thank you." She knew the story behind it, and she could never get over the horror of Ozai's twisted view of punishment. And without it she didn't think Zuko would have become the man she knew and was greatly proud of. But it still caused him so much pain. "How much can you feel?"

"A little," his voice was low.

Katara parted her lips to speak, but slowly closed them. She clearly decided to ask by the nod she gave. "Do…do you still want me to remove it?"

His eyes snapped open, "No."

Zuko was amazed to see her face brighten. "Good." Katara caught herself smiling and blushed. Cautiously she leaned forward placing a kiss on his temple. There was a faint smile on his face. Katara kissed his scar again, and his hands on her waist encouraged her. Somehow Katara knew she wouldn't stop Zuko or encourage him to hold back when things became too heated. And that knowledge made her kiss him with a freshly lit passion.

Zuko had to smile. He knew Katara was not scared off by his blemish. Being with her in the Crystal Caverns proved that. But she was the only person he wanted to have any contact with it. And, she was doing more than he would have asked. He drew his hands up her back. Her kisses were pushing his desire to feel her flesh against his own. He pulled her down for a kiss.

How they ended up with him above her they would never remember. When asked later by Katara all Zuko would be able to answer was how the fabric of her nightgown felt in his hands. How she smiled and kissed his face. And how she had maneuvered him between her legs. Katara remembered the feeling of his hands on her hips and how they shook when he slid his fingers between her folds. Their nervousness pressed them on. He tried to ask her if she was sure, but she kept his lips silent with a kiss.

Without a word Zuko got up from the bed. Katara remembered the feeling of dread filling her stomach as she watched him walk away. But she would always keep his next actions deep in her heart. Zuko opened the curtains. "Stars," he blushed. Katara smiled at him, stretching out her arms. He eagerly returned to her.

He bit his own lip as he pushed in. Her body was tighter than he expected and he tried his best not to hurt her. She gasped under him, her fingers digging into his arms. He couldn't control the gasp that left his lips when he felt her completely surrounding him. She wiggled her hips, adjusting to the feeling of being full. It was odd, Katara had always been told to expect pain, but it was just a different sensation.

Zuko redirected her attention to his lips upon her neck, causing her to coo and pull him closer. He took this as a sign to work their bodies together. She held him tight and close, her hands running the length of his back before stroking his face. His breath upon her neck caused her to shiver and arch her body to meet his. He tried to take his time listening to her moans and gasps, learning what made her bite her lower lip. But the more he listened and the more he felt her body respond the harder it became to hold back.

"Katara…" He could only gasp out her name.

She relaxed her grip to look into his face. She rocked her hips with his. It was a poor attempt to move her legs. She stretched them out before wrapping them around his hips preventing Zuko from pulling back as much as he would like. He dug his fingers into her hips, and she could feel his panicked growl against her breast. She couldn't read the look he gave her, but he seemed to breathe a little slower now that he couldn't thrust as deeply as before. When she went to kiss him she had to bite his lip. His hips pushed against her clit, and she squeezed her eyes shut every time they met. Zuko was glad she had wrapped her legs around his hips. If she hadn't, he would not have felt her body squeezing him tighter. Or hear her whimpered cries as her body trembled. When Zuko growled and bit her shoulder, Katara could feel him burning her. His hands were hot and he held her to him, as he released.

Katara shook her head. She felt Zuko move off of her, so she curled up by his side. With the flick of her wrists Katara removed the mess they had created between her legs and out the window. She groped around for the covers. In the small bits of light she could see the surprised look on his face. "Are you alright?" She pulled the covers up to her chest.

Zuko tried to catch his breath before answering. "Yeah…I just…I just never thought that would happen." He pulled her closer, loving the fact that she didn't mind being against his sweaty body.

"Uh…Zuko…" Katara pulled back from him. She looked down through the blankets between them. "You're…uh…still…"

"Yeah…" The Fire Lord rolled onto his back, the heels of his palms rubbing his eyes. "It's just been a while." An evil smirk came over his face. He got on top of her, nipping at her neck. "You want to go again?"

"Oh…"

A giggle from the window caused the couple to jump. They peered through the dim room to see what the noise was. The outline of fingers gripping the base of the window and a head greeted them. It laughed again before saying "I see you…"

"TY LEE!" Zuko fell out of the bed. He frantically tried to find his pants, while Katara pulled the blankets up to her chin.

What the Firebender and the Waterbender would remember was how they chased a drunken Ty Lee through the house, causing the others to wake up early to the pain of early morning hangovers.

Katara laid breakfast out on the table. She got looks of gratitude from blurry red eyes, as much as they could show emotion that wasn't exhaustion and a desire to sleep. Toph was lying on the ground, refusing to get up. This didn't make a whole lot sense, but it seemed like Toph had woken up before everyone else and finished the remains of their drinks before going back to sleep. "Shut up, damn earthworms," she would occasionally growl. Katara walked as softly as she could, and placed Toph's food on the floor for whenever the Earthbender was prepared to she came to Ty Lee she slammed the plate down in front of the whimpering girl.

"Ow…" she pouted. "What did you do that for?" There was no way Ty Lee would have ever been able to dodge the daggers in everyone's glare. "Why won't anyone talk to me?"

"Wa…it. Wai..t." Sokka lifted his head from the table. He cradled his throbbing forehead. "Why were you chasing Ty Lee? And what did she see?"

Suki who had not payed attention to a single thing Sokka said stared at him. "Sokka? What. What are you doing?"

"Keeping my brain from falling out."

"Oh ok. Here." Suki reached over to him, cupping her hands over his head. "Let me help."

Did you enjoy? That's really the only time I'm going to write their sexy-times out. Too lazy to do it again. It's pretty much rinse and repeat. I was having a conversation with Puppy
(my boyfriend) one time about Ty Lee doing the whole "I see you..." and it just needed to be there. Looking ahead I'm not really sure when I'll update next, I have chunks that are just unwritten, like the ending. I know what I want to do, just don't know how to go about it. But don't worry the end is at least two chapters away. Plenty of not detailed sexy-times ahead. And then some angst.

Oh and can't you see Zuko totally being against PDAs?