It's kind of horrible but whenever I'm hideously busy I get this sudden drive to mop up half-done fics. Sorry this last chapter took so long, it took a bit of simmering on the backburner for me to figure out exactly how I wanted to make it work.

Katara

"—not sure if Katara would be willing to," Aang is saying, frustrated. "I mean, when you guys saved Chief Hakoda and the others, I thought she might come around, but…" he sighs.

On hearing her name, Katara quickly ducks back into the shadows. She didn't catch a glimpse of the speakers, but she has a pretty good idea who Aang is talking to.

Zuko. Simmering at the thought of them talking behind her back in the middle of the night like this, she settles in to listen.

But it's Toph who answers. "You're not giving Her Sweetness enough credit for stubbornness, Twinkletoes. She's like an earthbender when she's made up her mind about something, and she thinks she's made up her mind about Zuko. She just needs time to wear down."

And then Sokka too. "Yeah, just give her time. Eventually she's going to realize that she and Zuko are a lot more alike than she thinks."

Katara has to bite her fist to keep from scoffing out loud at that.

"Like what?" Aang says despairingly. "I can't get them to see eye-to-eye on anything."

"Well, for one, they both really believe in you."

"…Thanks, Sokka. I sort of thought you all—"

"You're saying it wrong, Snoozles," Toph says. "Of course we believe in you, Twinkletoes. I've seen what you can do, and I know you can beat the Firelord. But when I first came with you guys, it wasn't because of the war or because you were the Avatar. It was—well, a lot of reasons. Adventure, getting away from my parents, having friends. The war stuff all kind of sank in later."

"Yeah," Sokka admits. "Look, Aang, it's taken me a while to get used to all this—spirit-y magic stuff—"

"Spiritual mumbo jumbo," Toph provides helpfully.

"It's not mumbo jumbo," Aang snaps, but Sokka isn't willing to be sidetracked.

"Right, but what I'm saying is, I didn't believe in that kind of thing until I saw it for myself. But Katara, when she found out you were the Avatar—she was ready to abandon our whole tribe, even me, to help you. She would have gone to the ends of the earth for you before she'd even known you for a week."

"Zuko's done the same thing," Toph picks up the thread, uncharacteristically quiet. "He made a big leap of faith in coming here to help us. To help you, Aang, even though he didn't really know you, or if you would even let him. He came because you're the Avatar. And he burned all his bridges behind him."

"And come on, have you heard him going on about destiny and balance and stuff? He's as bad as Katara raving on about hope all the time," Sokka says, apparently incapable of not getting a few jabs in there, but his voice becomes serious again. "They're both true believers, Aang. I think they both believe in you as a friend, but they also believe in the Avatar. And eventually they're going to realize that it's something they have in common."

Katara's had enough. Shaking her head fiercely, she turns silently on her heel and stalks back to bed. To say Zuko could possibly want to help Aang as much as she does! To compare the sacrifices she's made to what that spoiled Prince—her home, her family….

She falters for a moment, doubting herself.