Sorry for not updating sooner, things have been wild I guess. Kind of? I HAVE A NEW KITTY. It's my third cat, and her name is Gallifrey, she's all mine. She's a cutie too. Calico mixed with a tabby cat. I love her, and she absolutely loves to lay on you and cuddle. Hmm, shout out to bs13 who never fails to review and bring a smile to my face with every chapter. Once again, I'm sorry for not updating! I'm serious when I say things are crazy. Work, it turns crazy around Christmas. You're all amazing, and I have NOT given up on this story, Christmas rush is just a huge rush! Maybe I'll give you a special Christmas update :D Like, Christmas based, so yeah, enjoy the update, and stay beautiful every single one of you3

The day was a cold one for republic city, and most people were hiding away in their homes from the nip of the wind. Happily sealed in a tamed ball of air, a couple strolled through the streets, undisturbed by the high winds or the people.

"It's so quiet" Katara whispered, looking around her, they were on their way to meet with Fire Lord Zuko and a few of his guests. Even though he had a nation to run, he made visits to his friends, even if they were short. They weren't meeting at Air Bender Island this time, but in a small tea shop that rested on the border of town. It was quiet, and undiscovered by most people. It was also a branch of the Jasmine Dragon situated in the new town.

Most people were unaware of that fact as well, but as correspondents of Iroh, the Avatar and his friends had known since Iroh had decided to make it. "I wonder what Zuko has to say" he said quietly and Katara rolled her eyes, Aang had been worried since he received the letter, worrying that something may be wrong. There was nothing of course that had gone wrong, they would have heard of it before.

"Stop worrying yourself sick Aang, Zuko is probably just stopping in for a visit. You know how he is; he does come at the most… Odd times." His visits were never planned in advance, just given a couple of days notice before he showed up. For a Fire Lord, he was rather disorganized sometimes. Yet he was strong, and he loved his citizens. He truly was twice the man Ozai had ever been.

Aang chuckled and wrapped his arm around Katara "I know," he said, the knot in his stomach not undoing at her words. "I guess I'm just a bit stressed out."

"We can take care of that after we have tea with a friend" she told him, stopping and putting a hand on his cheek, turning him to face her. "Until then" she whispered "try and just put on a smile, there's nothing wrong." She lightly kissed him on the lips and began walking again; they were silent for a few minutes until they reached the shop.

It was nearly noon, when they were meant to meet him there, and Aang briefly considered turning on his heels and running despite the fact that Katara may skin him alive when she got home. She felt him tense up and put a hand on his back, lightly pushing him through the doors. "Everything will be fine" she said as they stepped in. Zuko and Mai were sitting in a corner booth, his arm around her shoulders. She looked almost as dull as she always did, which was less so than during the war.

Zuko brought out the better side of her, and she kept him grounded as the fire lord. Fire Lord, and Fire Lady. They made a good pair, they truly did.

Mai half smiled when she saw them walking forward and Zuko got to his feet, placing his hand on his chest and bowing his head to Aang.

Aang did the same before walking forward and hugging his old friend, anyone could tell the man was a bundle of nerves. Aang had never been very good at hiding his emotions, and that was something most people couldn't see changing. He may have grown up around monks, but he really was a very emotional person. "It's good to see you again, Zuko" he said, stepping away as him and Katara greeted the couple and took their seats. "It's been a while, have you been busy?"

They had gotten married two years ago, and since their brief breakup over Zuko keeping secrets, they had only become stronger. They challenged each other which was one of the reasons they got along so well. Neither person would have done well with someone who did as they were told all the time. The Fire Lord needed someone to stand up to him, tell him when he was wrong. Mai needed someone that made her see something good in the world, and he did that.

"Busy doesn't quite cut it, things are still trying to be smoothed over with the earth king, and this one demands most of my time other than that." He smirked at Mai who lightly pushed him, resisting the strong urge to roll her eyes.

She cracked a smile "he's exaggerating" she informed the other two. "I like my alone time just as much as he does." They were both smiling by now, a sight rarely seen to most people.

Katara smiled and pulled her legs on the chair, crossing them comfortably as she watched the others "if I recall, Mai, your father has been assigned as the leader to another village, am I correct?" She asked, watching the other girl and assessing her reaction.

"Yes, thanks to Zuko. They're living comfortably there." She nodded "my brother has grown so much, although I don't see him very much anymore."

"Is it very far from you?" She asked in response as the two boys talked in hushed tones; they were probably talking about something important that wasn't to be overheard by others, that, or they were simply sharing stories. The two didn't often like others to hear their conversations. Anything between the fire lord and the avatar could cause trouble if taken out of context.

Mai shrugged her shoulders "about a day's ride." She told her, looking out the window next to them. There was almost nothing surrounding the building save for grass and some trees. It gave it a nice atmosphere to sit and take tea in. There were two other people in the tea house, sitting at the opposite side of the room. There was also a couple of workers lingering around, waiting for someone to make a new order. "I prefer it that way anyways; to be honest, I love my family, but having them too close to home can be a bit overwhelming sometimes. Absence makes the heart grow fonder."

"Zuko" Katara said quietly, looking to the dark haired man. He had his arms folded over his chest and was leaned back slightly, looking at her. He nodded his head to show he was listening, and then moved his arms to his sides, one of them taking Mai's hand. They had grown comfortable enough around each other that a small show of affection like this wasn't much. "Have you gotten any word about your mother?" The man had sent multiple parties out to find her, and had even tried to get Azula to sweet talk their father into telling, but even though it had been four years since the beginning of the hunt, they had only gotten bum leads.

Zuko looked down at the table, leaning forward with his free arm on the table. He looked at the two of them, nervously biting the inside of his lip. "I think we've gotten something, but I'm not sure. That's part of the reason I came here." He looked around, then back at Aang. Katara knew Aang would agree to help his friend, no matter the cost. Aang wouldn't hesitate if Zuko were in need. The Fire Lord had so many times been there for him; the two seemed to be in a never ending circle of favors. They didn't mind at all; but their female other halves worried each time one of them went to help the other with something dangerous.

Aang was silent, urging Zuko to go on; his eyes spoke all that needed to be said. "They need you, I need you" his voice was almost a whisper. "It's in one of the ancient Fire Nation cities. They're nearly abandoned, and the perfect place to hide someone. No one ventures there, and the soldiers won't unless they have an escort. To be honest, I don't blame them. The stories of this town are frightening. They say there's an ancient beast that guards it, of course that could have been a rumor made up by my father, but we'll never know until we're there. You're the only person I trust enough to go with my troops, and my duties as Fire Lord won't allow me to go there." He looked pained at that admittance, that he couldn't be the one to save his mother.

There was an almost uncomfortable silence around the table as people absorbed what had just been said. Katara and Aang both looked shocked, there had been word that all the ancient fire nation cities had been wiped out during the war; another lie of Ozai no doubt. "I'll do it" Aang told him, he couldn't deny his curiosity over what was happening there, a beast, he had faced many of those in his 18 years. Nothing could have been waiting there that he didn't already know about. The soldiers guarding her must have been some of the ones still loyal to their old lord.

Katara looked to Aang and set her hand on his "it could be dangerous" she whispered. His eyes were an emotion she couldn't determine; but what she did see in them was his determination. It was a fiery look that he only wore on certain 'occasions.'

"I know" he replied, squeezing her hand lightly to reassure her.

She looked down and bit her lip "what if something were to happen, and you got hurt."

"Katara, I've been through worse I'm sure; Ozai was hard, his soldiers can't be any worse than that." He chuckled and she cracked a smile, although nervous, she knew he wasn't going to back down from this.

Mai whispered something to Zuko and he nodded "I have a meeting with some of the sources tomorrow, and if we want to be back in time; we should be going. I'll send you a message when the time comes."

The two stood and said their goodbyes before walking out the door. Katara looked scared "Aang, you have to back out" she said when the others had left.

"I can't do that Katara" he said, trying to meet her gaze. She wouldn't look him in the eyes so gently he grabbed her chin and aimed her face to meet his. "I'll be okay, I'll have soldiers with me; I'm the Avatar. I'm in control of the state, this will be a breeze."

"What about the beast?" She asked, still watching him when he dropped his hand.

He smiled and kissed her forehead lightly "forget about it Katara, it's probably a lie made up by Ozai to keep people away anyways." He pulled away and got to his feet "let's go home, I'm sure it's going to be a long night of thinking for you." She really was always overthinking things, and that was okay; she worried a lot too. It was something you got used to over time, you got to overlooking the motherly attitude and realizing it was just care.

The way home was quick, Aang didn't want to waste time. They used the glider to get there, going over the city. "It's beautiful up here" Katara whispered breathlessly as she looked down over the buildings, holding on to the glider for dear life. She may have been dating an air bender for years, but flying wasn't natural to her, and she was still trying to get used to it.

A few minutes later, they landed, Katara trying to find her balance. It took her a second to shake off the feeling of the ground going out from under her, and she hung on to Aang's arm until it passed.

It was a few moments before a laughing voice spoke "Well, look who finally decided to join the party."

Once again, I am SOOO SOOO sorry! And I'm sorry it's short, I'm exhausted and I really wanted to get this out for you all 3