I don't own anything...yet

The last thing she saw was Aang's sweet face as she leaned in to kiss him. She realized she really like Aang. She could see her entire future before her as they stood together on the balcony looking over Ba Sing Se. She knew she would marry the powerful Avatar. She knew they would have many more grand adventures to follow. Eventually, they would settle down and have a few children, perhaps continue the massacred air bender population. Their future was bright.

She couldn't even remember her former life at the South Pole. She could barely water bend there. Her water bending was actually looked down upon. She realized how small her tribe had been, offering her few options for a future.

As she and Aang looked out over Ba Sing Se before locking lips again, her world there began to go dark. She felt like she was drifting away from her wonderful life. Cold began to surround her.

When she woke up she was in her igloo in the South Pole. Everything was…normal. Had it been a dream? She put on her old jacket that she remembered discarding at the North Pole long ago in the dream. She rushed out of the igloo to find Sokka outside, sharpening his knife.

"Sokka!" Katara ran to him. "Do you remember it all?"

"Do I remember what?" he asked with a confused look.

"We found the Avatar! We went to the North Pole with him where I learned to become a water bending master. Then we went to the Earth Kingdom so Aang could find an earth bending master. And then we tried to defend Ba Sing Se from falling to the Fire Nation, but we failed. Then you planned an invasion on the Fire Nation. It failed though! Then Zuko, our enemy, joined us to teach Aang fire bending. You saved dad from that prison in the volcano! And I avenged mom, but I decided to let the man go. Then we saved the world from the Fire Nation on the day of Sozin's comet! You took down a ton of fire nation air ships, while I helped Zuko defeat Azula to take back his rightful place as Fire Lord of the Fire Nation. And Aang! Aang defeated Fire Lord Ozai and saved the world. And then Aang and I…Aang and I…"

"Whoa, whoa, Katara," Sokka slowed her down, "Have you been eating bad seal blubber? Who's Aang? When did you become a 'master' at water bending? I think you've been doing your magic water too much."

"Sokka, no it happened!" Katara insisted. It had to have happened, right? It all felt so real.

"You must have dreamt all of this." Sokka shook his head continuing to sharpen his knife.

Katara knit her eyebrows together. "It felt so real…" she muttered to herself.

"Yeah well I doubt you and I would be the ones to defeat the Fire Nation."

"I was a master water bender though," she continued to insist, "watch this!" Katara made a stance and tried to make octopus tentacles around her that helped her so well when battling the Dai Le in Ba Sing Se. She failed though, miserably, accidentally freezing Sokka's feet to the ground.

Sokka sighed angrily. "This…is why…." he huffed as he used his knife to chop the ice off of his legs, "I need…a warning…when you decide….to practice your magic bending."

Katara looked down. She had known the move so well her in dream. What had happened?

Once Sokka was free, he began collecting his fishing gear. Katara had an idea. "Are you going fishing?" she asked eagerly.

"Did you want to come?"

"Yes! I can help you steer the boat."

When they took off on the canoe Katara began guiding them toward the iceberg where they had found Aang.

"Katara, where are you steering? The fish aren't as good here," Sokka protested.

"Uhm…I know a place where there are tons of fish."

"Well, you're going too fast for me to catch them."

They finally arrived to where the ice berg had been. There was no iceberg though. "I don't understand…he was here," she said looking up sadly.

"Katara, there aren't even fish here," Sokka complained, "Who are you looking for?"

"The Avatar…he was here….in my dream."

"Right, so you were going off of a dream to look for the Avatar. No one has seen the Avatar in years. He probably died years ago with all of the air bending monks."

"You're right." Katara gave up at believing her dream had been real. She would never find the boy in the iceberg, who she had gone on many adventures with. She would never know Aang, who she had fallen in love with and had seen a future with.

She looked sadly over at Sokka, who was muttering as he steered the canoe back to an area with fish. He would never become a master swordsman. He would never know Yue, or Suki. Maybe it was for the best.

As sad days passed for Katara, she realized she had to stop mopping around. She needed to reclaim her life with or without Aang. She knew she would never become a master of water bending in the South Pole where she was the only water bender.

"Gran Gran," she approached her grandmother one particularly chilly night. "I'm going to start making my way to the North Pole."

"What?" Sokka stepped in. "Have you thought this through? You've never been out of the South Pole in your life."

"Sokka is right, Katara. How will you get to the North Pole?" her grandmother asked.

"I'm not sure, but I'll find a way. I'll take the canoe. There's nothing here for me. I need to learn how to master water bending. I'll come back one day and keep the tradition running in the South Pole, but for now I need to get out and see the world."

Gran gran listened intently. "They won't teach women water bending in the North Pole."

Katara smiled silently toward her Gran gran. She touched the necklace passed on to her by her mother. "I know a way to convince them."

Gran gran nodded seeming to understand her granddaughter and her need to do this. "I agree, it is time for you to find your own path. There is nothing here for you. Sokka, I think it would be best if you went with your sister."

"What?" Sokka said in disbelief.

"Thank you, Gran gran." Katara ran to hug her grandmother.

Sokka and Katara left the next day for the North Pole. They travelled by canoe, eventually finding a dock. They met a kind fisherman that would give them a ride to the Earth Kingdom. Katara watched as they passed Kyoshi Island. She looked at Sokka sadly, knowing he would never know Suki, a girl he probably would have ended up with.

Katara still had hope for her brother though. Perhaps Yue would be at the North Pole. He could try to win her over again.

Katara and Sokka voyaged through the Earth Kingdom in the hopes of reaching the North Pole. Along the way they encountered a few Fire Nation troops. Katara realized how lucky they had been the first time to have Aang and his Avatar power. She missed Appa too. He had helped them covered so much ground in so little time.

They hired a boatman to take them out to the Northern Water Tribe. He wasn't sure where to go, but just headed North. Just as Sokka was losing hope of finding the tribe, their boat was assaulted with ice.

"What's going on?" Sokka yelled defensively.

"It's the Northern Water tribe!" Katara said excitedly.

Katara and Sokka were welcomed kindly by the Northern Water tribe people.

Princess Yue was indeed the Princess. Katara smiled to herself as Sokka watched her with instant affection. At a ceremony honoring Katara and Sokka's arrival, Sokka even asked her if she would like to do an "activity," to which the princess gracefully accepted.

After a bitter fight Katara finally convinced Pakku to train her water bending, when he discovered who she was related to. She quickly mastered the bending, recalling every move from her dream.

As the months carried on, Yue decided she could not marry the man she was betrothed to. Her father agreed to allow her to have her pick. When she chose Sokka, her father believed it would be a good chance to reconnect with their sister tribe. He funded a group to reach out to their troubled sister tribe. Katara was among those who went to the South Water Tribe.

The journey home went faster than the journey away. When they finally arrived, Hakota and the other men of the tribe had returned from the Earth Kingdom, realizing they could not stop the Fire Nation from controlling the kingdom.

"Dad!" Katara happily greeted him. She filled him in on her and Sokka's adventures. She told him about how Sokka was a master water warrior, happily engaged to the Princess of the Northern Water Tribe. She then told him how she had mastered water bending. Her father could not have been prouder.

Later at night, finally home in the South Pole, Katara sat in bed and thought about that dream that had changed her life. She thought about Aang. Where could he be? The Fire Nation was continuing to approach victory. Would he arrive to save the day? How could he master all the elements so quickly though? Perhaps he had passed away with the other nomads during the genocide. The advancing Fire Nation troubled Katara, but she knew there was little she could do besides try to help in defending her tribe and try to build it up to be an opponent of the Fire Nation.

Years later, Katara met a boy that had emigrated from the Northern Water Tribe. His name was Hakuyo. He had been one of her classmates in the Northern Water Tribe. He was very brave. He had successfully courted Katara after years of trying.

On the night before her marriage day Katara thought of Aang. She had really loved him. She thought they could have had a real future together. Instead she felt she was settling. As she felt asleep that night she saw the family and life she could have had. Aang and Katara went on many adventures. He built a city called Republic City and they lived together on Air Temple Island. Together they had three children. Their first child Kya was a passionate water bender who had a talent for healing. Their second son, Bumi, was a wild boy and an excellent fighter like his Uncle Sokka. Their last child, Tenzin, an air bender, was calm and calculating. She had been sad when Aang had passed, but helped to train his follower, Korra.

As her future faded away from her, Katara tried to keep a hold of it. She failed. An older Aang appeared before her. "Katara," he said to her as a spirit.

"Aang," she said breathlessly, "I-I knew you were real!"

Aang looked kindly upon her. "You need to aid in ending this war. Sozin's comet may have nearly ended this war, but you can still keep fighting. As long as you still have hope you can always help people. Don't stay here and do nothing with your great powers. You need to travel, continue to learn, unite people to stop the Fire Nation. I wasn't there to stop them, and I won't be there for a while. It's up to you to spread hope."

Aang began to fade away. "Aang wait!" Katara called out.

He returned to kiss her one last time. Before he left her he told her, "Your hope is the thing this world needs."

When Katara woke the next day she ended the wedding to Hakuyo, finally having realized her destiny. She began travelling through the Earth Kingdom spreading the message of hope. She united people in a way unimaginable. The Earth Kingdom, who had lost all hope before, began fighting back against the Fire Nation. As the years passed, they managed to push the Fire Nation out of the Earth Kingdom. The world finally found balance.

Katara felt accomplished. She had spread Aang's message and had succeeded. People began believing she was the Avatar due to her ability to unite the world. She merely laughed at their accusations telling them she could only water bend.

She encouraged the formation of Republic City. Sokka and Yue moved to the city so Sokka could serve on the council. The city formed beautifully. Katara felt relaxed and finally returned to the Southern Water Tribe to teach water bending to the youngest generation.