Katara was cradling the tiny baby, letting it sleep in her arms. Aang was still out, somewhere getting Sokka and Suki to safety. The war was over, but there was still tension in the 3 nations. A group of elite earth benders were recoiling to the fire nation for the war that ended only 10 years earlier. The world had suddenly become a very unsafe place.

She had only given birth three days ago, all on her own, alone in the eastern air temple. Aang had set off 8 days ago to get them, because the earth benders destroyed Suki's village. He's coming back soon Katara told herself. She couldn't name the baby without him. The little girl wont be named without her father.

Hurried, with worry, she set the baby down in the cradle in her room in the Southern Air Temple. She quickly scrawled a note to send to Aang. Katara tapped on the cage of their messenger hawk, Yuki. She put the note in the little pouch, and sent it out the window to find Aang.

A day later, Katara was bathing the little baby. She heard the growl of Appa. Racing outside with the wet, bare baby in her arms, she saw Appa touching down in the field. But the sight she saw wasn't what she wanted.

Sokka was holding a badly hurt Suki. He looked at Katara with tears streaming down his face. She knew it.

Katara, still holding her a baby, dropped to her knees. Her husband was dead. Her only love was dead. The man who saved the world was dead. Sokka hoisted down Suki, who was still unconscious, and went over to comfort his sister.

Aang was dead.

She pushed Sokka away when she saw Suki. Giving him the unnamed baby, she healed Suki's wounds with water. Suki gasped for air, and her eyes fluttered open. The bleeding coming from her chest went away, and she reached for Sokka. He gave Katara the baby back, and held her hands. Then retreated to Appa for a moment, coming back with a 3-year-old boy in his arms. Bringing Katara's nephew to Suki, the boy hugged his mother. Katara continued to cry.

A little girl, Katara's older daughter, Menjiing, came out of the temple, rubbing her eye of sleep. The 4-year-old looked upon the scene, looking for her father. But saw nobody with arrow tattoos. Menjiing stepped towards her mother, a sign of strength and courage to her, but saw only the figure of her mother, broken, crying. Menjiing didn't know why her mother was crying.

Katara grabbed Menjiing and hugged her. She hugged her till Menjiing squirmed.

"I-I will name her Reina. Aang, I hope you approve of her name." Katara spoke for the first time. A gust of wind swept through the vast garden. Katara felt as if somebody had kissed her cheek. Her tears came faster now.

Aang knew Reina was born, and that she was safe.

10 years later

Katara stewed sea prune soup till the smell engulfed the hut. She had moved to live in the Southern Water Tribe shortly after Aang died. She felt that being farther away from the Air temple would be better for her and her daughters. Katara learned that Menjiing could not bend, contrary to what Katara believed about two benders breeding to have a bending child. She did know, however, that Reina was a bender. She was a water bender, and was learning the art directly from Katara.

In all the years since Aang's death, Katara never asked Sokka how Aang died. So she paid a visit to her brother, 3 huts away from her own. He, Suki, and their son, Sen, came to live in the Southern Tribe to watch over Katara, worried about her mental health. She was never the same after Aang's death.

It took a lot of mental strength to even leave her hut. She didn't want to know about her husband's death, but yet, she was starving for information.

14-year-old Menjiing came home from fishing to find her mother rolled up in a ball, in the doorway to their hut.

"Mom?"

"Uh, yes honey?" Katara stood up instantly.

"Are…you ok?"

"Fine. Just fine…will you come with me for a moment?" Katara grabbed her daughter's wrist and dragged her to Sokka and Suki's hut. She could do this if she had Menjiing with her. It was much more comfortable for her. 10-year-old Reina was out with some little friends.

Katara called into the hut, and Sokka opened the sealskin flap that was their front door.

"Sokka. I know we've all avoided this before, but I need to know what happened to Aang."

Sokka stood there with a surprised expression. But he still let his sister and niece into his home. "It's not a day I would like to remember.

"Aang and Appa had just landed in the village, in the midst of an attack. We raced to get to him, but the rebels got in our way. Suki was hit by a rebel's earth bending. That's how she got stabbed in the chest. Sen was too scared to do anything. I just carried him and half-dragged Suki to try and get closer to Aang, who was fighting off the rebels. He managed to get us into Appa's saddle, but then we were hit by a surprise attack. The rebellion had rouge water benders on their side, and one of them sent a wave of ice that impaled Aang through the stomach. He was killed instantly, and he had no chance of going into the Avatar state.

"I knew there was no point in trying to help him. I had to get Suki and Sen to safety. Appa took off, and I watched Aang's body become engulfed in ice. I'm so sorry Katara."

Katara's face was blank. She knew. She knew how her husband died. And so did Menjiing. Her face was awestruck. She was terrified of the violence, but was also intrigued by the fact that there were so many benders. She wanted to be a bender. She wanted it more than anything in the world. She almost wanted it more than she wanted her father to be alive.

"Thank's Sokka." Katara stood up, almost robotically, and left the hut. Menjiing quickly followed her.

"Mom!" Menjiing shouted to her. Menjiing had dark skin, short brown hair, and purple eyes. She was really the spitting image of Katara. The only difference was that Menjiing was not quite as beautiful. She was pretty, but not as beautiful as Katara.

"What?" Katara turned and spat back at her.

Menjiing recoiled at her mother's hostility. Her mother sometimes got like this, and would need to be calmed down with her own time. Katara often left the village to a special, almost hollowed out iceberg. Her mother wouldn't tell her why she went there. She just left sometimes. For hours, even days at a time. Katara was an emotional wreck.

"I love you. Remember that." Was all Menjiing said before she ran off to the center of the village where she would, in envy, watch the water benders practice.

Katara closed her eyes and walked back to her own hut. She finished cooking the sea prunes and waited for her daughters to come home.

Reina soon walked through the door. Her coat was soaked, and her shoes make squishing sounds on the fur floor. "Hello Mommy!" she sang and kissed Katara on the cheek. Reina shed her wet coat and boots and put on her dark blue dress. Skipping back to the kitchen, she took a bowl of sea prune soup and slurped it down.

"Your father hated sea prunes." Katara smiled at her youngest daughter.

"Well, I do too, but you put so much work and love into it, that for some reason your sea prune soup is good." Reina smiled back and put away the bowl. She took up a book that she had of Katara's drawings. They included pictures of Appa, who is now dead, and Momo, who is also dead. Pictures of Firelord Zuko, his wife Princess Mai, Zuko's uncle Iroh, Toph, Sokka, Suki, Tai Lee, Azula in prison, an illustration Yue, of Katara and Sokka's dad, and many more of the original gang's old friends. Reina's favorite picture is one Aang made of his best friend and teacher, Monk Giatso. She liked his flowing robes and how his necklace looked. She liked that necklace.

"Mommy?" Reina called.

"Hmmm?" Katara looked up from a painting she was making of Reina.

"Did daddy have a necklace like this?" Katara looked at the wooden medallion that Reina pointed to.

"Yes, sweetie, he did."

"Can I see it?"

Katara froze. That necklace was still in their chamber room at the Southern Air Temple, and they had no way to get there, now that Appa had died.

"I-I-I don't know where it is honey." Katara stuttered. All of Aang's possessions were still in the Air Temple. His necklace, his robes, his bison whistle, his glider…

"Can we look for it?" Reina asked sweetly.

"It's not possible honey. We'll never be able to find it." Katara shuddered at the thought that all her husband's earthly possessions were forever locked up there.

"Oh. Ok…" Reina closed the book and hopped over to the bedroom, where her pet wolf was sleeping.

Katara looked upon her daughter. She's so much like her father in every way. There's something about her that I can't put my finger on, but she's special. Very special…