Energybending had seemed like the perfect solution at the time. Winning the battle without having to spill a man's blood, doing it his way.

Years later, Aang wasn't so sure. Was it truly better to take a man's power than to take his life?

Zuko had hoped Ozai's loss of bending and time in prison would put him on a better path, and during the last few years of the former Phoenix King's life, he seemed to be going in that direction. Ozai would never be the good man his son and brother were, but he'd mellowed in his old age, even (grudgingly) acknowledged Zuko as the superior Fire Lord.

But there were many ways it could have gone wrong.

"What if he broke out of prison and tried to start another war?" he asked. "What if the lion-turtle was wrong and all I did was take his bending away temporarily?" He shuddered. "Or what if I'd done it wrong, or his aura was stronger than mine...? I could've killed myself!"

Katara sighed, placing their seven month old son in his cradle, and sat behind him on their bed.

"I wish you would stop doing this," she said, rubbing his shoulders. "Any of those things could have happened, but they didn't. You saved the world your way, and that's what matters."

"I just don't know...all the Avatars of the past told me only justice could bring peace, I kinda feel like I let them down by not listening," Aang said.

"You wouldn't have been able to master the Avatar State if you had," Katara reminded him.

"True. Still, I did a pretty dangerous thing. It could've been me lying on the ground weak and powerless that day."

"But it wasn't." She moved to sit next to him, and he leaned his head against her shoulder. "Aang, don't waste time going over all the what-ifs. Focus on what was, what is, and always will be."

"I know..."

"You ended the war without taking a man's life," Katara said. "The world has been at peace ever since then with no sign of any future wars." She cupped his cheek in her hand and tilted his face up, pressing a brief kiss to his lips. "And I love you."

"What was, what is, and what always will be?" he repeated.

"Now you're getting it!" she laughed.

"Thanks, Katara. Even now you still always manage to talk some sense into me," he said.

"Good. Now, let's move onto more important matters, should we?" Katara smirked. "I think it's high time Gyatso had a little brother or sister, don't you?"

"Think we'll get lucky and have twins this time?" Aang asked hopefully. She gave him a look.

"Only the one who doesn't have to carry them would call it lucky!"

"Hey, the Air Nomads aren't gonna repopulate themselves. Hey, what if we have-"

"If you say triplets, I'm sleeping on the couch tonight," she warned. "That's definitely a 'what if' I don't want to think about."

"Hehe, sorry?"

As they continued to banter, Avatar Roku watched from a distance and sighed.

Crazy kids. I'm glad Ta Min and I were never that silly at their age.