((AN: Yeah, another little chapter all too soon xP This actually came up as an idea about the same time as the previous one did, and my muse was bugging me to write it. My muse is rather sporadic though, so chapters won't often be so quick in coming, I assure you. :B

First of all, I wanna say thanks a lot to everyone who faved, alerted, and gave comments. You guys are quite awesome, and it's nice to see support from fellow Avatards and good writers in their own right. ^^ I look forward to every bit of critique or observation given to me.

Also, I can almost feel the collective groaning. I know that just about everyone and their mothers have tackled the issue of Aang's having to "repopulate" the Air Nomads, and a few have also had the same idea as this...but I decided that yeah, I wanted to try my hand at the scenario and give my variation on how my favorite pair would handle it, because it -is- an interesting subject to tackle. Suffice it to say, you'll have to read for yourself to see. x3 Enjoy!

All and sundry here belong to Mike and Bryan, as per usual.))

It had been about two months after the initial news…and it was long confirmed that indeed, Master Katara of the Southern Water Tribe was pregnant; much to the happiness of Avatar Aang, her eternal beloved.

It didn't take very long either for the world to become stirred by the news. Descendants of the Avatar were often held in quite high regard through the years, and it was always a big deal when it came into being. This event was no exception, as the news caused ripples through every corner of all Nations. There were so many letters of congratulations sent from everyone they ever knew throughout their journeys, that it was nearly impossible to read through them all in one sitting.

The publicity wasn't lost on the original members of the group, either, since they were considered as close as family to the powerful bender. Sokka and Toph in particular both milked the praise they were getting, while the others begrudgingly reminded everyone that yes, they knew about it and to stop bugging them already.

But along with the praise, there also came a stirring of concern from some groups as to what it meant. Specifically the concerns came from the different Sages from the Avatar Temples dotting each Nation, who voiced it in turn to their rulers and who thus voiced it to their ambassadors. Soon, several meetings came to pass in order to discuss the future of a world being rebuilt after 100 years of turmoil…namely, the future of the Air Nomads, which had thought to have come to an abrupt end at the hands of Fire Lord Sozin.

News of one upcoming meeting finally reached the Avatar himself through summons delivered via messenger hawk from Ba Sing Se's royal palace. Thus, the growing family knew exactly where they were going to stay next for a short trip; in the apartment located in the upper ring of the sprawling and always-breathtaking Earth Kingdom capital city.

Thus, one cool evening in early spring, Aang was sitting attentively near the head of a long rectangular table that made up the Earth King's council chamber. Not many were attending…other than King Kuei himself and his guards and advisors (and of course his pet bear, Bosco), there were at least two or three representatives that were Sages from different temples, dressed in the colors representing their respective Nations. A few members of the Order of the White Lotus were present as well, since the group after the war had long become a driving force in the restoration of the world. Iroh himself wasn't present…but Pakku was among them, which made Katara a little more comfortable in that regard when facing the elderly leaders. A seat next to Aang was prepared for her; as the Avatar's wife and a capable ambassador of the Southern Water Tribe herself, her position to him was as an equal, which they both also appreciated.

Silence befell the room as the king called for attention. "First of all, I would like to give my sincere congratulations to my two young friends on their wonderful new addition. I wish your family prosperity and health in the years to come."

As the council voiced their agreements, the couple bowed their heads politely at the respectful gestures. "Thank you," Aang replied. "It's greatly appreciated."

A smile lingered on the king's face before he cleared his throat and idly adjusted his glasses. "Now, on to the matter at hand. The representative from the Temple of the Earth Sages will now speak."

"Thank you, your Highness," a strong, elderly man said as he stood, his aged emerald eyes scanning the rest of the room before falling on Aang. "Avatar," he started respectfully. "The Sages call this meeting together because we are all rather concerned. As you very well know, the state of the world is still quite fragile. Though efforts at rebuilding and relocating have proven very quick and as painless as possible thanks to you and your comrades, there are still matters of world balance that aren't so easily fixed. Namely, the Avatar Cycle. With you being the last Airbender in this world as far as anyone knows, when the Cycle goes through its pattern and returns to the element of Air in the future, it may very well stop."

"I've thought about that as well," Aang nodded with a serious countenance to him. "It's a dire problem, and I know the world needs the Avatar to stay in balance. I have already thought of several solutions that would make it possible for there to be enough Airbenders in the future for the Cycle to stay alive."

He felt Katara's hand discreetly slip into his, and he spared a glance into her calm eyes with a warm smile. "Including raising a family with my wife and increasing it through our bloodline."

The Sage cleared his throat. "Yes, well…that is the very method that we have come to call this meeting for."

The couple turned their attention to the old man, their shared expressions quizzical. Does he have something against this? Katara wondered.

He thoughtfully ran his hand over his beard as he continued. "I carry no offense to your wife, Avatar…but you will need to think about just how importantly this situation needs to be rectified. Two people cannot restore a Nation alone…and even if you try as much as possible, one can never predict the future and that of your descendants. Because Master Katara is a Waterbender, there is still a lessened chance that Airbenders will be borne of you."

"Yes, but that doesn't matter to me," Aang assured, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. "Whether they become Airbenders, Waterbenders, or even carry no bending at all, I'd love my children with all my heart, and no less."

The Sage nodded slowly. "Be that as it may, Avatar…we cannot carry the future of the Avatar Cycle and the world itself into a guess. We have to have some kind of certainty. So, after a long debate about it, we propose a…" his eyes closed, and he appeared as if his next words tasted like bile on his tongue. "…An alternate solution on you."

"Alternate solution?" Aang echoed, quirking his eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Beside him, however, Katara easily caught the intonation in the Sage's words. She cringed and tried to keep the churning sickness from what he was even thinking of saying from overcoming her. Don't say anything yet, she reminded herself, trying to soothe the boiling tide within. You know how these old men get if you speak out of turn. Just wait…

The Sages and each of the others in the room let their expressions fall, trying not to betray their own opinions on the matter. But Aang noticed that some of them seemed a little sick.

As he took a deep breath, the old Earth Sage began his explanation. "If no Airbenders come of your union with your wife, you could consider siring Airbending children…with other women."

A couple of surprised gasps broke the silence of the expansive chamber; both of which came from Kuei and Pakku, who were closer to the couple than anyone else in that room. To say they were disgusted was an understatement.

But nothing could compare with the open-mouthed glare that Katara was giving the Sage, and the slowly-boiling fire that seemed to come from behind Aang's storm-gray eyes. They could barely comprehend what they'd just heard, and when they finally did, they didn't dare try to believe it.

Still, the Sage kept speaking. "The women would all be non-benders, to increase the chances. And I am quite certain that we could find many who are willing…"

After a few seconds of enduring his speech, each word a spear to his heart, Aang rose to his feet and fixed the Sage with an unshakable stare, which stopped the old man right in the middle of his explanation. Katara watched the Airbender, noting that she'd only ever seen that venomous look in his eyes once before…fixed upon the Sandbenders when Appa was stolen all those years ago.

"You're telling me…" he began, his voice even and containing the anger he felt right then, "That for the good of the world, I'd have to do this?" His words quivered. "To relinquish my beliefs…and betray the woman I love more than anything…"

"Believe me, Avatar, it was no easy thing to propose," one of the Fire Sages respectfully interrupted. "We all feel the same way, considering how some of us are married ourselves. But this is an unusual and desperate circumstance for the world, and it may require equally desperate measures to repair."

"What you propose is unacceptable!" Aang practically roared. "Blasphemous! I mean, I know where you're coming from, but did you seriously think that I'd go through with such a thing? Did you even think at all?"

"Avatar Aang, be reasonable!" the Earth Sage pleaded. "The sake of the world must come before the sake of anything else, here."

At that, the pupils in his eyes shrank to pinpoints in his emotional fury. "You're telling me to put the need of the world, for something that would not be important again until hundreds of years later, over my happiness and that of my wife!" Aang snarled. His eyes and arrows suddenly took on a blinding white glow, and the air in the room started swirling violently.

At once, Katara's hand shot out to grasp Aang's wrist as his nails scratched the table. At her touch, a shudder crawled through his body before he calmed himself again, willing the brief showing of the Avatar State away. The wind settled and his tattoos returned to their sky-blue shade again, leaving the rest of the room dumbfounded. They'd expected him to be upset, but not in such a volatile manner.

He turned his gaze to Katara briefly, his expression apologetic. But she gave him the warmest look in return, voicing all of her comfort and gratefulness for his actions in defending his feelings for her.

Once she knew that he calmed down again, the Waterbender stood up from her seat and placed her hand comfortingly on his shoulder. "Sit down, Aang. I'll handle this."

The Sage's eyebrow quirked. "With all due respect, Master Katara, usually wives accompany their husbands to meetings with little say in these matters."

Aang felt her fingers flex as she heard the elderly man's words, and he saw a familiar determination rise in her, betrayed by the scowl on her face. Hiding an inward grin and knowing that Katara would surely freeze him in place if she could, he replied to the Sage for her with a hand held up. "Actually, you'd do well to hear what Katara has to say. This…issue…of yours concerns her as much as it does me."

"He is correct," Pakku chimed in. "As her grandfather and former teacher, I know and trust Master Katara's judgment fully, as should we all…she is one of the world's saviors, after all."

The Sage sighed and sat down again. "Very well," he begrudgingly admonished. "You have the floor, Master Katara of the Southern Water Tribe."

She nodded and politely waited for Aang to sit down. Then, she promptly slammed her palms on the table, startling everyone and making sure that she had their full attention. Her gaze fixed squarely on everyone in turn, but especially on the Earth Sage that had proposed the idea in the first place…her husband could have sworn that she could have Bloodbended him into submission.

"You have a lot of nerve," she hissed, "Suggesting such a thing to Aang, when I'm sitting right there with him, and basically ignoring my feelings about it…and then telling me what I can and can't say. If you have an ounce of respect in you, you'll listen to me. Because I'm pretty certain my opinion counts here too.

"Yes, I too admit that the fate of the Avatar is of prime importance to the world. And I know that everyone just wants to help, even if this is all that you could come up with.

"But for what it's worth, I've always trusted and hoped that things will turn out the way destiny wants it to. He returned and saved the world, and he's now giving all of his power to restore it while he balances having a family too. Just as my hope for the world was confirmed with him, I also know that my hope for the Airbenders will be confirmed. Because I'm here to make sure of it.

"Two people can't build a Nation themselves, no, but they can build a community that will over time grow into a village, or a tribe, or a city…or perhaps a Nation. Time…that's all it takes…and we have enough of that. More than enough."

Katara paused to take a deep breath, her hand settling on her lower stomach, where she knew the very future that they spoke of was still taking the time it needed to grow. None dared speak against her, and so she regained her voice. "So I don't want to hear any more about this from anyone. It's a completely idiotic thing to make a meeting for. Aang and I can handle it, together, and we know it…and that's what matters."

She took another breath before her composure threatened to overwhelm her again. "I'm done. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need some air." With a quick bow of her head, Katara turned her back and strode towards the exit, all eyes following her without breaking until she disappeared.

Once she did, the congregation seemed to let out a collective breath. Pakku had a grin on his face, remembering well how Katara could adequately defend her beliefs and having proudly observed that she hadn't lost a single step.

Kuei too was awed. "That is quite an unbreakable spirit you have in a wife, young man."

Aang's small smile was one of pride as he scratched the back of his head. "Couldn't stop her if I wanted to. And in this case," his expression fell, "I definitely didn't want to."

The old Earth Sage shook his head with a snort and eyed Aang. "Avatar, do you not have adequate control over your wife?"

Aang grimaced, standing up to face him and the rest of the congregation again. His voice was calm, agreeable, but stoic. "Sir, when I married Katara, I never agreed to 'control' her. My vows were to cherish, love, and stand by her for the rest of our days; and considering I was doing that all along, I'd argue that a ceremony to confirm it wasn't even necessary. We care for and protect each other equally, and I know that's what a marriage should truly be about, rather than what you and your old traditions must believe. I love her and trust her judgment with everything I have; because without her, I wouldn't be standing before you now. She released me into this existence again, and she kept me alive countless times. I will always be grateful, and the world should be grateful too.

"Besides, for all the knowledge that the Sages possess, they do forget a few facts about bending and the Avatar spirit, which I'd hoped to also bring up today. Namely, that just having a family with bending skills does not determine who becomes a bender; you have to have a spiritual connection within you as well. And try to remember that humans never could bend from the beginning; they were taught. As my people learned from the sky bison, yours learned from the badger moles, and the Fire Nation from the dragons, and the Water Tribes from the moon. The spirits willed it once, and perhaps they could do so again for Airbending. Who better than the Avatar to convince the spirits? You never know."

He had a point, the Sages noted, some of them even mentally kicking themselves for forgetting many of their spiritual lessons and history.

"Another point, I thought about when you were speaking of Katara being a Waterbender," Aang continued. "There is the possibility that we'll have Waterbender children as well as Airbending children, and that would be just as important for restoring the world's balance. Before I returned to the world, Katara was the last Waterbender of the Southern Tribe. Hers was almost the next Nation to become extinct; so surely, more Waterbenders to carry on the Southern traditions of her blood and her teachings would benefit things just as much…we're talking about restoring every Nation for balance, not just mine."

"The Avatar has a point," Pakku supplied, with the Sages from the Water Temple nodding their agreements. "With the help of my brothers and sisters from the Northern Water Tribe, we have helped immensely to rebuild things at the South Pole, but truly, there needs to be two sister Tribes, one at each end of the world, with Waterbenders. The Southern tradition would have died along with Katara."

Aang cast a grateful smile toward his former Master before continuing. "But for now, I urge you to heed Katara's words and mine. She is right; one family could in the end make a difference. One way or another, I will give the world Airbenders again, that much I promise. But for all that it's worth, it only matches my desire to simply do what I've dreamed of since I first fell in love with my wife: to raise a family in a world that I made peaceful again." His eyes briefly closed. "And I can feel that the Avatar spirit agrees with me. So you need not worry. I saved the world from Ozai and kept my spiritual needs and my vows intact at the same time. There's no reason that I can't do it again."

The Sages from each of the Nations in turn looked uncertain, but as his words sunk in, they had an impact on their thoughts and met each other's murmured agreements. The White Lotus members seconded the Avatar's statement without hesitation, and after, so did the king.

At that, Aang politely excused himself from the meeting as well and followed Katara's footsteps to the exit. Behind him, he could hear Kuei dismissing the council for the night, and for that, he couldn't be more relieved that it was over.

Aang wandered the hallways of the Earth Kingdom palace in his thoughtful silence, his shoes barely making a sound on the polished brown floor. The sun was setting outside, and its light from the rows of windows caused the ravishing patterns on each wall decoration he passed to almost shine. But still, he was too mentally exhausted from the emotions released in the meeting to pay attention to his surroundings.

He wasn't too far down the hall from the council chamber before he wandered past a corridor that intersected with another hall down the way. It was narrower and had fewer lights, but he could still see every detail of it, and paused to stop upon catching the one person he wanted to find the most standing within.

Katara was leaning on the wall in the shadows, one arm clutching the other while her hand was wiping the remainder of a tear from the corner of her eye.

She looked up however when Aang approached. "Hey," he smiled. "Are you okay?"

The Waterbender answered by drawing in a long shaky breath and forcibly grabbing him by the collar of his shirt, surprising him with a powerful kiss to his lips. After a second, he closed his eyes and returned her affection with gentle urgency, embracing her tightly and just wanting to lend her his comfort.

She let go after a few moments, breaking the kiss with slight hesitance. Aang blinked. "Wow," he laughed softly, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. "What was that for?"

Her answer was muffled against his neck as she laid her head against his collarbone. "For being the most amazing husband anyone could ask for," she admonished, her voice wavering as she clutched at his shawl and held him as tightly as he did with her. "What were those old gasbags thinking?"

"Honestly? I think their hearts might have been in the right place," he admitted, shaking his head with pity. "But I think that they were rather blind to their priorities. The world needs to focus on important things that won't take too long to accomplish." He lifted her chin and placed a warm kiss on her cheek, right under one of her eyes. "I'm glad you set them straight. I was just waiting for you to freeze that guy solid."

"Heh, you have me beat; I had to get you out of the Avatar State again," she forced a light laugh. "But, you set them straight better than I did. People seem to forget that no matter how much political power they might hold, the only person with more than enough real power is the Avatar. And, also, I stuck around outside the door to hear everything you said after I left."

She pulled away slightly to meet his eyes, staring into those expressive, soft gray orbs and becoming lost in the unspoken love he sent back to her. "How in the world do I deserve you, Aang?" she whispered.

The Airbender blushed and put on a sheepish smile in response, pulling her into his embrace again and affectionately nuzzling her cheek. "You do. It shouldn't even be possible to question it. You and only you."

She had no reply; but the moisture on his skin courtesy of another of her tears told him more than words could muster.

With that quiet moment exchanged between the couple, they strolled hand-in-hand through the palace hallway towards the exit. The sun had finally dipped below the horizon once they stepped out of the door and into the massive courtyard of the palace.

"Well, anyway, the meeting's over a bit earlier than planned," he muttered, looking at their surroundings in thought. "We have the rest of the evening. You wanna go have dinner? Maybe visit Iroh at the Jasmine Dragon, or…" he interrupted himself with a sudden yawn. Wow, I'm a bit more exhausted than I thought.

Katara let out a quick laugh, bumping his shoulder briefly with hers. "I suppose we could just go back to the apartment."

"You're tired too, huh?" he said, giving her a warm smile. "It's been a rough day."

"That's part of it," she admitted and turned to regard the Avatar. The rosy tint on her cheeks betrayed her thoughts moments before she spoke them aloud. "Mostly though…I feel like going back, locking the door to the bedroom, and showing my husband just how much I appreciate him."

He only went one step further before he froze and whirled his head around to look at her, a rush of bright crimson appearing to match the blush that his wife was giving him right back.

After a second, he sported a toothy grin while his half-lidded eyes hid a sensual sparkle. "Well then," he whispered with a chuckle, "I guess that's settled."

Suddenly, Katara yelped as he bent down and swept her off her feet, tightly carrying her in his arms as a rush of air swirled around his legs and helped him leap high over several rooftops with the first solid jump. That same feat of Airbending carried him almost higher and higher with every step, leaping across rooftops with an almost urgent swiftness.

"AAAH!" the Water Tribe woman yelped as she held on to Aang's robes, trying to keep her eyes closed as the scenery rushed past far too quickly. Her blood rushed faster than her heart could keep up with. "Aang, you're crazy!"

"Yep," he answered over the rush of air in her ears, smirking as he kept his eyes ahead of him. "But hey, you married me."

Despite the fear she felt at first, almost flying through the evening sky and over great heights with this impulsive Airbender, she settled into an easy comfort when she knew that he clutched her with every ounce of his strength and would never let her go. Thus, he graced her with the beauty of the painted twilit heavens and a grand view of Ba Sing Se's upper level with each flying rush.

I married him, she echoed in her mind, her arms tightly wound around his neck as her smile widened. And I'm so glad that I did.