A/N: Something different this time, just to keep you all properly entertained :) 

The song is Please Notice by Christian Leave 

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Set between Sokka's Master and The Beach

Aang POV:

"This place looks promising!" Katara exclaimed enthusiastically, pointing at a rocky dip in the flat topography and trying to hide that she was just as tired as the rest of them, but trying to keep up moral.

"I'll take your word for it." Toph grumbled, picking at her toes with a sour expression.

"I think it could work," Aang agreed. "What do you think Sok-? Oop. Never mind." Sokka was fast asleep, snoring softly and clutching his schedule loosely in one hand, and his safely sheathed space sword in the other.

"I think we all need a break." Katara declared, shaking out her arms which were tired from water ending clouds around Appa with Aang. She looked out at the steadily lowering sun. "It'll be dark soon anyway."

Aang nodded. He was tired too. Every day seemed to blur past faster than it's predecessor, and the reality of his near future was starting to sleep it's way into his thoughts. He peeked around at his friends. Toph had apparently moved on from her toes, and was now picking at a scab on her forearm. Sokka's mouth was wide open as he snored, occasionally muttering random food related comments. And then there was Katara. Her hair was messy and beads of sweat were rolling down from her hairline as she swung her arms around to keep the clouds around them. Aang was sure he was in about the same shape. 

They'd been at it for a really long time. The whole landscape was jagged and gray; seemingly perfect for cover. But that went both ways unfortunatly for Aang and Katara. They didn't know what kind of patrols and/or outposts the Fire Nation had stationed there just yet. It was better to play it safe and fly. At least, that was what Aang had been repeating to himself over and over ever since his arms had gone numb forever ago.

"Are you good to handle the waterbending while I land Appa?" Aang asked her, feeling more than a little bit guilty about leaving the extra weight for her.

Katara's eyes were reinforced in steel when she glanced at him. "I got it."

Aang nodded and hopped down onto Appa's head. The sky bison descended in a careful spiral before touching down onto the gravelly surface. The area was low on the earth, rocky walls rising around them, curving their serrated claws up towards the fading light. Better yet, they had pretty  much landed right on top of a giant swimming hole! Aang grinned. This was going to be fun.

The thick mist around Appa dissolved as Katara plopped down. She put her elbows on her knees, breathing hard. Toph put one foot flat on the ground before whacking Sokka on the shoulder. "Rise and shine, Snoozels. We're here."

"Huh?" Sokka said, still mostly asleep. "Possum chicken?!"

Toph whacked him on the head harder than before. "Time's a wastin' buddy boy!"

Sokka spung awake and yelped. "What was that for?"

"It's for being a lazy headed hog monkey. Now move it!"

"Yeah, yeah." Sokka got up with a yawn.

Aang held out his hand to help Katara up. "Are you ok? You look kind of pale."

"I'm fine." she sighed, letting him help her up. "Just tired."

"Well you're in luck," Aang informed her with a smile. "I'll have to consult Sergeant Schedule over there, but I'm pretty sure we don't have anywhere to be for the next day or so. I guess we can just relax!"

Katara smiled back like she couldn't help it. Aang couldn't help but notice that despite her somewhat disheveled state, she was still so beautiful. He jerked his head away before she could notice the blood that was rushing to his cheeks.

He helped her off Appa's back and went to talk to Sokka. "What do our next few days look like?"

Toph sighed happily. "We're not goin' anywhere Twinkletoes." She had made herself a reclining beach chair out of earth and was taking full advantage of it.

Sokka eyed her in annoyed disbelief. "We most definitely could be going somewhere! Where's the schedule? Aha!" He took a long look at it without speaking.

"What'd I tell ya?" Toph said smugly, her fingers laced behind her head. 

Sokka's face got a little red. "Something could still come up, you never know!!"

"Save it for someone who cares, Snoozels."

Sokka sputtered in outrage.

Aang shot Katara a thumbs up.

The remainder of the evening was spent with lot's of laughter and an equal amount of eye rolling. Sokka and Toph went at each other relentlessly, which proved to be extremely entertaining. By the time they were all ready to turn in for the night, Sokka was snoring before his head had touched his sleeping bag. 

Aang's eyes fluttered closed easily, but despite the fact that he'd spent hours constantly waterbending, and his body was tired and sore enough to make every movement flinch-worthy, he slept rough. 

He woke up when the moon was still high overhead. After what felt like forever of trying to force himself back into the fog of sleep, he got up. By then, his eyes had adjusted to the dark and he was careful not to disturb the others.  Safely away, Aang hopped up onto a tall rock on the edge of the water. He leaned over to seeing his reflection on the dark water. He reached up and ran his fingers through his hair. It would never get less weird.  

"I kind of like it." said a voice from behind him. Aang jumped and jerked around in surprise. Katara sat down next to him. 

"Did I wake you up?" Aang asked her.

"It wasn't just you."

Translation: he woke her up. Aang winced. "Sorry."

She smiled softly. "No need to apologize. I needed to talk to you about something anyway." 

"Shoot." 

"It's just that tonight," she looked back over her shoulder. "We were having so much fun together. Do you... Do you think we'll still be like this after the war?"

Aang tilted his head. "I don't see why we wouldn't be."

Katara sighed. "But, like, we won't need to be traveling as much anymore, and I don't know what Toph plans to do. If she plans to stay with us, that is. I want to believe that we'll be like this forever, but everything after you defeating the Fire Lord seems so shaky and uncertain. And even the things leading up to it I'm not so sure about. Sorry, I know I'm probably not making much sense, but I just don't want everything we've built here," she gestured back to where Toph and Sokka were still sleeping. "To be messed up by the plans of what we're going to build out there."

He loved her. Aang's mind did a double take. Where had that come from? It had exploded into his train of thought as he listened to her. That had been exactly what he was afraid of. All the little things that made him hesitate. And she understood, because she felt that way too. He took her hand, very conscious of how she would react. "I don't know about what's going to happen in the future with the war and all that, but one thing I do know, is that I've found my family with you and Sokka and Toph, and I couldn't imagine my life without you guys in it."

Despite their awkward position of sitting next to each other, Katara hugged him. "You're our family too Aang. We're going to stand by you."

Aang's eyes stung. Something about moment, maybe it was the weight of the words that had been said, or maybe it was the feeling of Katara's arms hugging him, or maybe it was just that he was tired, but something about it made him think that it was the perfect moment to tell her. All he had to do was say the words he had been rehearsing in his head for months. How hard could it be? "Katara? I need to tell you something."

"What is it, Aang?" The moonlight had turned her silver. 

"I-" Just say it! "I-I think after we relax tomorrow, we need to find a village. We're running low on supplies, I'm pretty sure." MONKEY FEATHERS!!! 

Katara shrugged. "Ok." 

"I'm going back to bed." Aang mumbled. He let go of her hand, got up and walked back over toward the others. He flopped on Appa. Stupid stupid stupid. 

He heard Katara get back into her sleeping bag shortly after. WHY COULD HE HAS JUST SAID IT? WHY WAS IT SO HARD? Aang pressed his palms to his eyes. There were no answers to why he always screwed everything up, and it drove him crazy. The day he managed to wrestle up enough courage to tell her would deserve some sort of holiday. He buried his head in his arms. Not today. Maybe tomorrow.