"Uh, we're not together," Aang said a little confusedly.

"Oh don't be modest," chuckled Poppy. "Toph said that she wouldn't ever break up with the Avatar. Isn't that right, dear?"

"WHAT? I DIDN'T SAY THAT!" Toph choked out. "I meant I wasn't ever going to break up with the team again!"

"But you mentioned the Avatar, sweetie."

"No, I said Team Avatar!" Toph sighed, smacking her face.

"Alright, alright, settle down now," sighed her mother.

"Aang, can I talk to you for a second?" Katara finally asked Aang, this being the first time she talked to him since last night. Then the two of them sneaked outside to talk in private. Poppy and Lao looked at each other as they left the dining room.

"What do you want to talk about?" Aang asked.

"Well, you tell me," Katara said, crossing her arms and arching her eyebrows.

"About what?"

"You know. I overheard Guru Pathik telling you about-"

"Oh that. He said that if I couldn't unlock the last chakra until I let go of my feelings for you," Aang explained. "I guess I never really thought about it. I haven't used the Avatar State ever since the War was over."

"Well, do you think it's right for us to keep on going as a couple? I mean, after all, it is sorta my fault that-"

"It's not your fault," Aang interrupted. "If it's anybody's fault, it's my fault that I wouldn't be able to enter the Avatar State. But there is good news. I talked to Monk Gyatso as well."

"Monk Gyatso was in the Spirit World?" Katara wondered surprised.

"No no, I was actually dreaming," Aang chuckled. "He said the guru meant that I had to let go of you only when it came time to enter the Avatar State. Not let go forever."

"So all this time, that's what he meant?"

"Yes. I was kinda getting worried since you were acting a little strange when I finished talking with him," laughed Aang.

"I know, it's silly of me to be so sensitive," Katara chuckled. "Sorry for misunderstanding."

Suddenly, there was a face hiding behind the door, listening to their conversation the whole time.

"At least you're not as understanding as Sokka is," Aang laughed, and Katara laughed with him as they went back into the dining room.

Sokka had just slipped back into his seat and Katara noticed this.

"Man, this stuff is so good," Sokka said quickly as he took really big bites of his noodles and then choked on them.

"Whoa, slow down Sokka," Suki giggled as she used her chopsticks and ate from his bowl. She eventually found a nice long noodle to help him with and then began slurping it. The end of the long noodle just happened to be in Sokka's mouth, and you know what happens next.

"Ha ha ha," chuckled Zuko as he was thinking about him and Mai doing the same thing. He started slurping a noodle himself and looked at Mai, but Mai just shook her head and said, "Don't even think about it," causing him to blush.

"Avatar, may I have a word with you in private?" asked Lao in a serious tone of voice.

Sokka and Suki exchanged glances, and Zuko looked at Aang. He wasn't, like, drawn to Aang in any way, but he did think of him as a good friend. So as the Avatar and Fire Lord, they would each share comments and talk government or just guy talk quite often with each other.

"Um, sure," Aang said, noticing the queer looks all around.

He scooted his chair back and got up and walked into another room with Lao Bei Fong, and Toph just sat yawning. Sokka had stopped eating, and Katara just shrugged as Aang walked out. Then an awkward silence filled the room. Everyone had sorta stopped eating or had just strangely paused for a few seconds. Even Momo had paused from nibbling and chewing on a piece of fruit.

"Err, how are things doing in the Fire Nation, Fire Lord Zuko?" asked Poppy, trying to lighten up the situation.

"What?" Zuko asked, being drawn to his full attention now. "Oh, um, good I guess. Still trying to help the other nations recover from the War, though."

"Yes, and how is that coming along?"

"What coming along?"

Then Mai whispered something to him and punched him in the arm.

"What was that for!" Zuko whispered, rubbing his elbow. Mai sighed and shook her head at him. "I mean, um... we've made some real progress since the end of the War. So it's going fine I guess."

Meanwhile, Lao Bei Fong and Aang were in the other room talking.

"I want you to take good care of our daughter. She means everything to us, and whatever happens to her is your responsibility," said Lao.

"I will," Aang said.

"Now, I know you don't like Toph, but at least treat her with the respect she deserves."

"I will," Aang said again as he turned to leave the room. "Trust me."

"Thank you, Avatar. It's just a shame that you couldn't have chosen her instead of that Water Tribe peasant..." Lao trailed off, and Aang's face dropped at those words.

"What did you just say?" he asked, turning around right as he got to the door.

"Err... it's a shame that you couldn't stay longer," Lao said, clearing his throat and standing up from his chair. He walked right past Aang to the door, but Aang wouldn't just let him away with that remark. So he slid in front of him and blocked the door, causing Lao to feel a bit nervous.

"Katara isn't a peasant!" Aang said without realizing that he had taken his fighting stance.

"What?" Lao chuckled. "Oh alright, I only wanted my daughter to have the best husband for her future. And I just always thought that the Avatar would be the perfect one for her."

"I am not going to marry Toph," Aang said sternly. "I hate it when people only want me because I'm the Avatar. If I wasn't the Avatar, then you'd care nothing about me. You're a disgrace and you only care about your honor and wealth! My friends and I are leaving this place now!"

Then he quickly opened the door and ran back into the dining room to get the others. When he got back to his chair so fast, Katara was wondering what he and Lao were talking about.

"What is the matter, Avatar?"

"I'm sorry but we have to go now," said Aang in a bit of a rush.

"Aww, but this is only my third serving," Sokka whined as the rest stood up from their seats, murmuring to themselves in concern.

"What happened in there?" whispered Katara to Aang, who closed his eyes and sighed deeply.

"I don't wanna talk about it right now," he answered solemnly.

Toph said goodbye to her parents, and they all thanked them for the meal. Aang waited outside with Appa and Momo and didn't intend to ever have another conversation with Lao again. Katara was the first to come outside, for she was eager to sit and have some alone time with Aang.

"So tell me what happened in there," she said, scooting a little closer to him.

"Well, I went in and he started going on about how wanted me to marry Toph just for an honor of having a connection with the Avatar I guess," Aang sighed.

"Don't worry about him anymore," Katara said, holding Aang's hand.

"He called you a Water Tribe peasant, and then I guess I sorta lost my temper."

"What? Oh no he didn't," Katara smirked, folding her arms. "Well, I'm glad you did what you did. At least you didn't unleash the Avatar State on him. That would have been really bad."

"Thanks, Katara. You always make me feel better," said Aang. He was happy to know that he always had a friend with whom he could share his thoughts and troubles.

Sokka came out of the house with a medium-sized bag filled with money, and Zuko came out with Mai close by his side. Suki thanked the Bei Fongs one last time for their generosity and then hopped on Appa. Lao and Poppy's understanding of Toph is still uncertain, even though they had learned to trust the Avatar enough to give their daughter the freedom she always wanted. Aang's anxious "yip yip" seemed to wake Appa up from his peaceful dreams of Air Nomads and other bison as well as Guru Pathik and Aang sitting together and meditating.

"Goodbye, Toph!" called Toph's mother, who stood at the door waving and crying at the same time. Lao stayed inside for a somewhat fear of what the Avatar might do to him due to their previous confrontations. He always held a respect for all Avatars but this one, not so much after what had happened to Toph.

They headed to the northern Earth Kingdom to visit Teo and his father, the Mechanist. Aang and Zuko talked about political issues in the Fire Nation, and Sokka enjoyed tossing his coins around and listening to the rhythmic jingling they made. Momo lay curled up in Aang's lap sleeping, and Aang sat on the top of Appa's big furry head.

"Oh man," sighed Sokka to himself.

"What's wrong?" asked Suki curiously as she scooted closer to him on the saddle. Zuko and Mai were sitting together now in each other's arms.

"I forgot about Hawky!"

"That's just too bad Sokka," said Toph sympathetically, causing Sokka to melt.

"I MISS YOU, HAWKY!" Sokka cried, throwing his hands up in the air.

Katara climbed to the front of the saddle behind Aang and sat there thinking. Aang was lost in his thoughts and didn't notice her until she sighed.

"Hey Katara," he said cheering up a little when she climbed over the saddle and sat with her feet against Appa's head as she sat on his neck beside Aang.

"Ya know," Aang started, "ever since I met you on that iceberg, I got to thinking... What am I going to do about the generations of the Airbenders?"

Katara blushed when he asked this question, then just simply answered, "We have several years before we have to worry about that."

"Ha ha, that's good," Aang laughed heartily as he lay the reigns down and Momo scurried down to his shoulder from the top of the saddle.

Katara blushed as Aang sat there, gazing into her sparkling sea of blue eyes. Then he closed his eyes and puckered out his lips, causing Katara to giggle insanely. But there was no hesitation in her heart when her turn came. She leaned in and placed her lips gently on his, and together they sat there in the afternoon with their lips alternately absorbing the other incessantly, with each one's arms wrapped around the other and heads tilted. Aang hadn't felt this happy in a hundred years, and he wished this could go on forever and ever.

Sokka peeked over the edge and was scandalized to see the Avatar making out with his sister.

"Ew! Oogies! STOP YOU TWO!" he exclaimed, waving his arms up and down at his sides while standing on his knees.

"Ugh, brothers," mumbled Katara as Aang sighed dreamily when they finally let go for a breath of air.

"Ha ha, sneakative-Sokka-pants," laughed Toph to herself as she fiddled with his coal in her hand, making shapes such as mustaches, stars, and the Eiffel Tower.

"Very funny, Sokka," smirked Katara just a few minutes later. She stood on the saddle with her hands on her hips, rolling her eyes at her brother's idiocy.

"What?" he asked, jerking away from Suki's lips.

"Oh I get it, so when WE kiss it's a crime against nature but when YOU kiss it's okay?" Katara huffed as she sat down with her legs crisscrossed.

"That's different!" Sokka protested as he scooted away from a giggling Suki. "Suki and I are good kissers but when it comes to you and Aang, it's all EW and mushy and gross!"

"Practice what you preach, son," Toph said, making Sokka turn red in the face.

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?" he started as he stood up.

Aang steered Appa upwards to avoid a cliff from a mountain, causing Sokka to fall backwards.

"AAAAAAH! OW! Aang! What did you do that for!" Sokka exclaimed as Suki rushed over to help him up.

"Are you okay?" she laughed when they were all upright in the sky again. Sokka looked at Aang and did the finger-to-eye thing at him and then Katara.

"Hey, let's face the facts, dating only ends up hurting people. Am I right, folks?" Toph laughed at the thought of Team Avatar being a group of married couples.

"Ha ha ha, you've never dated, have you?" Zuko chuckled as Mai snuggled up closer to him.

"Nope," Toph said rather proudly as Momo skipped across the saddle, collecting pieces of gold which had tumbled out of the bag when Appa was dodging the cliffs.