I slept over twenty-four hours; I didn't wake up until two mornings after the fight against Jing and Ling. The only reason I woke up was because Katara shook my shoulder lightly. "C'mon, wake up," she said softly. I groaned, not wanting to open my eyes and be blinded by the light of the morning. I heard Katara set something on the table beside my bed before speaking again. "Mae, you need to wake up!"

I pulled the blankets over my head. "It's bright," I moaned, pulling the blankets back down just enough to peek out at my teacher. She looked alright, considering the burn she had received during the battle against the twins. Her usual water tribe dress had been the one burned, so she now wore a light green earth kingdom dress trimmed in yellow.

"I know it is," Katara said gently, though her hands were on her hips in a very motherly fashion. "But you've been sleeping for well over a day; you need to get up and get some food in you."

"Over a day?" I sat up suddenly. Had I really been asleep over a day?

Katara nodded, letting her hands drop to her sides. "Yeah, this is the second morning since the fight. Uncle Iroh thought you might like some tea," she said, motioning toward the bedside table. On it was a larger than average tea cup, steam rising from its depths. I could smell honey and lemon with the vague spice of ginger. I smiled before reaching out and taking hold of the tea cup.

"Thanks," I said softly before taking a sip. The tea was good; Uncle Iroh had just earned a hug. "So, how's everyone doing? No one was hurt too badly, were they?"

Katara shook her head as she sat down on the edge of my bed. "No, I was actually hurt worse than anyone else, but you completely healed my burn. Everyone one else had minor cuts and burns that I took care of after you passed out."

I took another sip before lowering the cup, cradling it gently in my lap with my hands. "How's Jai?" I asked, my voice barley a whisper.

I could hear a smile in Katara's voice. "He's doing much better. Uncle Iroh has advised him to not over exert himself, and has him doing minor bending practice." I gave Katara a confused look, not entirely sure what she was talking about. "Like, Jai has to use his breath of fire to heat metal and shape it. He's made several trinkets – birds, flowers, he even made a little boat."

I smiled, my mood brightening. "How's Aang doing? He was really worried about you after…after you got hit."

Katara looked a little shocked and slightly confused, but her cheeks turned a faint shade of pink. "H-he's fine," she said. "He uh…he stayed with me until that next morning."

I gave her a sly smile. "Oh really?" Katara didn't catch my humor, so I quickly cleared my throat before speaking again. "He really cares about you Katara. You know that right?"

Katara was silent, her gaze falling to her hands which were folded neatly in her lap. "I know that," she said. "I mean, we're…together, I'm just…I don't know…not confused just…"

"Uncertain?" I offered. When Katara nodded, I smiled again, shaking my head slightly. "I understand the feeling…though I'm sure it's slightly different for you. I mean, you're in a relationship with the most powerful man in the world…No pressure, right?" Katara laughed a little at my sarcasm. "Look, Katara…I know I'm not much older than you, so I can't offer you a lot of wisdom, but…I do know a bit about how Aang really feels about you. He's loved you for a long time, Katara."

Katara blushed deeply, wringing her hands together. "I-I know that too-"

"Then don't worry," I said softly, reaching out and putting a hand on her shoulder. Katara looked up at me and I gave her a bright smile. "I mean, sure, more than love is needed to make a relationship work in the long term, but…loves the most important part." I patted Katara's shoulder lightly. "You and Aang..? You're meant to be; trust me. All you have to do is let go of your uncertainty and…just take the plunge."

Katara smile and nodded to me lightly. "You're right," she said, standing from the edge of my bed. She started to walk from the room, but quickly turned around and came back to my bed side and hugged me tightly. "Thank you Mae."

I smiled and hugged her back. After a moment, the young water bender released me and swept out of the room, a smile in her eyes and an even bigger smile on her face.

XD XD XD

Later that day, after I had finally gotten out of bed, bathed and dressed in a nice earth kingdom dress similar to Katara's, I walked out into the garden where the battle against Jing and Ling had occurred. I was surprised to see that there wasn't that much damage to the garden foliage or the nearby buildings. The only true indication to the fight was the charred remains of the tree beside the turtle duck pond. When I looked beneath it, I saw Jai and Aang sitting, conversing with smiles on their faces. I smiled myself as I walked over to them. "Hey you two," I said with a small wave.

Aang waved in return as I sat down. "Glad to see you're up and about, Mae," he said with a small laugh. "We were beginning to think you'd never wake up."

Jai nodded in agreement as he concentrated on the piece of metal in his hands. It was a long flat piece, which he heated to make it pliable. Once he did that, his hands moved quickly, bending the metal into the shape of a shamrock. "Finally," he sighed after Aang cooled the metal with a quick cooling breath. "I've been trying to make one this shape all day." Jai held the metal shamrock out to Aang. "Here Aang; thanks for the advice," he said.

Aang smiled. "No problem Jai; thanks for the advice you gave me," The young air bender stood quickly, cradling the metal shamrock in his hands. "I'll see you two tonight," he said before walking away, heading back inside the palace.

I waved at the Avatar as he left before glancing back to Jai. "What did the Avatar need advice about?"

Jai smiled as he reclined back on his elbows. "Aang's got it bad for Katara; you know that. I just told him to-"

"Take the plunge?"

Jai nodded. "Yeah…how did you know that?"

I waved my hand at him lightly with a playful smirk. "Ah, just call it 'woman's intuition.' So, what's happening tonight?"

Jai heaved a sigh before speaking. "The big celebration commemorating the year anniversary of the defeat of Fire Lord Ozai. There's going to be fireworks, a big feast and even dancing."

I cringed slightly; dancing had never been my forte. "Should be tons of fun," I said. "Have you seen Uncle Iroh? I've got to give him a 'thank you' hug."

Jai pointed in the direction of the palace. "Last time I saw him, he was with Zuko trying to finalize plans for the fireworks show."

"Okay, then," I said, quickly standing. I turned to look at Jai. "So…I'll see you tonight then?"

Jai laughed a little. "It's a date."

XD XD XD

That evening, there was an excited hum about the entire palace. Katara brought me a very pretty Fire nation dress to wear; it was similar to the one she wore when they had all been in the Fire nation prior to Ozai's defeat, but – thankfully – it was more modest. It didn't show my stomach and was more like a tank top; it also had a shorter skirt, falling just below my knees. I was grateful for that; it was unbearably hot in the Fire Nation.

After dressing and fixing my hair to where it hung down around my face in the nicest way possible, I walked out of the room that I shared with the other girls. They had all gotten ready earlier and had gone off to meet the guys for the feast. They had promised to save me a seat, so I wasn't very worried. I walked through the halls, following the sounds of talking and laughter that were coming from the largest and most formal dining hall of the palace.

I turned a corner, but quickly jumped back when I saw Aang and Katara standing there, appearing to be deep in conversation. I peeked around the corner, watching them and eavesdropping; despite the fact that I knew it was rather rude.

"Aang, what is it?" Katara asked, giving him a concerned look.

"There's something…that I really need to tell you Katara," Aang said, trying his best to meet her gaze, but managing not to. His grey eyes darted about, from the walls to the floor, never stopping. "It's really important and I-"

"Wait, Aang," Katara said. "I've got something to tell you too…"

The couple both continued to speak, their voices slowly growing louder as they tried to make themselves heard. I fought the urge to laugh as their frustration began to build and show on their faces. Deciding to help the two along, I lowered my voice and yelled toward them, "Just kiss her already!"

The couple stopped talking long enough to look around, trying to see who had spoken. When they didn't find anyone (because I was smart and hid behind the corner), they looked back to each other. Katara started to speak, "Aang, I-"But was cut off by Aang's lips crashing over hers. Katara's eyes were wide for a moment before she let them drift close and wrapped her arms around Aang's neck.

When they finally pulled apart, Aang placed his hand on Katara's cheek. "Katara, I…I l-love you and I want us to stay together…always."

Katara nodded slightly as she looked up into Aang's eyes. "I'd like that Aang…"

I smiled as the couple exchanged a few final words, embraced and then walked away, to – I assumed- the feast. I gave a contented sigh and smacked my palms together, ridding them of the 'dirt' from my 'hard work.'

"What are you doing?" I nearly jumped out of my skin as Suki manifested behind me.

I leaned against the wall, my hand pressed tightly over my heart. "My gods, Suki don't ever do that again! I think I'm going to have a heart attack!"

Suki gave me a sad smile. "Sorry," she said, wrapping her arms around herself as if she were cold.

"What's up?" I asked her, gathering my wits back about me and stand up from the wall. "You seem kind of down."

Suki shook her head slightly, her short hair whipping her cheeks gently. "It's nothing, I just…well; I wanted to ask you something." I motioned for her to continue; she took a deep breath before speaking. "Well, you see, Sokka and I had a stupid fight a while back, and…Well, I want to tell him I'm sorry, but I'm just not sure how."

"How about starting with saying 'I'm sorry'?" I asked. "I mean, I'm assuming you guys fought about living arrangements, right?"

Suki gave me a bewildered look. "How did you know?"

I shrugged. "It's an easy subject to fight over; I mean it's a big step, living together. Personally, I think you should just tell him, 'I'm sorry,' and that you want to try and work things out."

Suki nodded slightly. "It's just so hard, you know?"

I nodded back to her. "Trust me, I know…I've found that out the hard way on this trip, believe you me. Now c'mon, we've got a feast to get to."

Suki nodded, a small smile on her face and began leading the way to the dining hall. We turned down the hallway where Aang and Katara had had their little Kataang moment. There was a large set of double doors at the end, which were wide open, revealing small round tables and a large open area for a dance floor. I could hear music being played; there were some people dancing, but most were either mingling or sitting and eating.

Once Suki and I were through the doors, I caught sight of Sokka, standing and talking with Zuko. I grabbed Suki's arm and dragged her over to the two guys. "Hey Sokka! Hey Fire Lord Zuko! Sokka, Suki's got something to talk to you about. Zuko I…uh…need to talk to you about something…over there! Way over there!" With all that out of my mouth in the span of a second, I pushed Suki toward her boomerang boyfriend and grabbed Zuko's arm and dragged him away.

"What the-Mae, where's the fire?" Zuko said as I dragged him away. He wretched his arm from my grasp. "What has gotten into you?"

I stared at him lamely, not knowing what I should try and say to him. "I, uh…." I gulped slightly before pulling dialogue out of my ass. "I love you, man, let just face facts," I said, hugging Zuko lightly. I looked toward where Sokka and Suki were standing. They were talking, standing rather close, slight blushes on their faces. Awesome! Mission complete!

"O…Kay…" Zuko said, hugging me back lightly. I'm pretty sure he had a very confused look on his face. "So uh, did you actually have something to talk to me about?"

Oh gods, pull something out of your ass, quick! "I uh…" I pulled back from him, and was – Thank God! – struck by my topic of discussion. "I… think that you need to take a Fire Lady!"

"What?"

"I mean, as the Fire Lord, it's important for you to think about what will be best for your country, and…" I swallowed, my throat suddenly very dry as I tried to come up with a legitimate argument. "And I think that it would be good for you to take a Fire Lady. And I honestly think that there would be no one better than…" Shit! What's her name again? "Mai! There's no one better than Mai!"

Zuko raised an eyebrow at me. "You?"

I shook my head roughly. "No, the other Mai! Your girlfriend Mai! The Mai with an 'I' not an 'e'!"

Zuko nodded slowly, clearly thinking I was insane. "Are you feeling okay?"

I nodded, waving a hand lightly at the very confused Fire Lord. "Oh yeah, I'm fine! I've just apparently come down with a bit of matchmaker fever. So uh…yeah, you go and find Mai, and I'm going to uh…" I pointed to a random spot across the room. "I'm going to go over there!" And then I ran, leaving Zuko looking rather confused and slightly annoyed.

I made it to the other side of the room in record time. I managed to find a bare spot on the wall to lean against and catch my breath. I ran my eyes along the crowd, trying to pick out my friends. I saw Uncle Iroh, Toph and Ty Lee sitting at a table, eating and laughing happily. I saw Aang and Katara dancing together, putting on quite a show for anyone who wanted to watch. Sokka and Suki were among the spectators, looking very happy as they stood hand in hand.

I couldn't find Zuko or Mai anywhere…I hoped that that meant that he had taken my pulled-from-my-butt advice and had dragged Mai off to…propose? I wasn't sure if that was the right term.

"Hey."

I almost jumped out of my skin for the second time that night. Jai had come up on my left like a freaking ninja.

No seriously, he was dressed in a black fire nation outfit, so he did sort of look like the classic Ninja. He wore a formal tunic with long sleeves, pants and some nice shoes. He had a slight smirk on his face as he watched me try to recover from my second near heart attack of the evening. I pointed a finger at him and attempted to look menacing. "If you people don't stop scaring me to death, I'm going to nun chuck someone in the face!"

Jai laughed slightly as he looked me over. "Good to see you too," he said, reaching up and running a hand through his short hair. "So, uh…I've got something for you."

I cocked my head slightly as Jai reached into his pants pocket. "Turn around," he told me. I huffed, but obeyed, turning my back to him. He reached around me, lowering a necklace around my neck. "I made it…while you were sleeping yesterday."

I looked down to see a well crafted metal sparrow hanging from a leather cord. The bird itself was amazing, with beautiful miniscule details. I ran my fingers over it lightly. "Jai, you made this? It's…you…wow."

Jai laughed as he turned me around to face him. "I thought you would like it," he said. He reached and pushed a strand of hair out of my face. "Listen, I just wanted to…to tell you… I'm glad we're friends again, and…I was wondering…" He stooped down slightly to look into my eyes. "When we get back home…erm…would you be willing to…start over with me?"

I cocked my head at him slightly before smiling. "I could get Kayla to set us up on a blind date if you want," I said semi-sarcastically.

Jai laughed, hugging me tightly. "It's a date," he said, taking my hand and pulling me away from my hiding spot along the wall. "C'mon, let's go hang out with the others."

XD XD XD

Turns out that Zuko did propose to Mai; they came back into the hall with slightly goofy (and very uncharacteristic) grins on their faces.

We eventually got all of the gaang together, sitting at a particularly large round table. "I'd like to propose a toast," I said, holding my glass up to gain everyone's attention. "First: to amazing friends. You all are the best and I know that I speak for everyone when I say 'You rock.' And second…to the soon to be Fire Lord and Lady!" There were calls of agreement and support as we all drank (though it wasn't alcohol).

After I took my seat, Jai stood up, holding his glass up. "To second chances!" He said, before downing the rest of his drink.

"Here, here!" Sokka said, taking a drink and then wrapping an arm around Suki's shoulders. I smiled and took a sip of my own drink. Jai smiled at me as he retook his seat and we all began eating. The meal was delicious, a wide variety of the many different meats and vegetables that were available in that world. I sat squeezed between Aang and Sokka; on Aang's other side was Katara, then Toph, then Uncle Iroh, Zuko, Mai, Ty Lee, Jai, Suki and then finally Sokka on my right.

We were all eating and lightly conversing when Aang turned and looked at me. "So, Mae, I was thinking that starting tomorrow we could begin trying to figure out a way to send you and Jai home."

My heart fell. It was true, I missed my home world, and I wondered if I was missed in return, but…if the truth be told… "I'm not sure I want to go back," I said softly, earning a concerned look from Aang and then from Katara. "I mean, I miss home, but…I would miss you guys when I went back. You're some of the best friends I've ever had."

Sokka slapped my back in a light hearted manner. "Hey, we would miss you too!"

Aang patted my shoulder gently. "Don't worry, I'm not saying you have to go back right away. I mean, we don't know how to get you back yet. I just thought we should start trying to look into it."

I gave a half hearted smile. "Yeah, okay then."

XD XD XD

A few more hours passed and the festivities ended after an amazing fireworks display. We all went our separate ways to our rooms. Zuko, Mai and Uncle Iroh went to their specified rooms closest to the living quarters of the royal family. The rest of us walked together through the halls until we reached the hall with our rooms. The couples split up, saying good night to their significant others. I started to duck into the girls' room with Toph and Ty Lee when Jai caught my hand. "I uh…" he started.

I gave him a small smile and then a light hug. "I'll see you in the morning Jai."

Jai nodded after I released him. "I uh…if you don't want to go home, when the time comes…well…maybe we…you and I could…start over here?"

I smiled again, squeezing his hand lightly. "I'd like that," I said. "We can always get Ty Lee to set us up on a blind date."

Jai smiled; he stooped down slightly and gently pressed his lips to my forehead. "It's a date," he said before pulling me into a tight hug. "Sweet dreams Mae," he whispered before releasing me and turning to go into the boys' room.

"You too, Jai," I said before turning and walking into the girls' room, closing the door behind me.

I heaved a small sigh, feeling very tired after the long and eventful day. I walked over to my bed. Ty Lee was sitting on the bed to the left and Katara on the right. Toph was sitting beside Ty Lee, picking her toes. "I saw that," she said snidely as she flicked dirt out from under her toe nails.

"Saw what?" I asked, walking over to my bed and taking a seat before pulling my shoes off. I glanced over at Suki who was leaning against the wall and gazing out of the window. I thought about Toph's statement for a moment before shaking my head. "Wait a minute, you can't see!"

"That's beside the point New Girl," Toph said, switching from picking her toes to picking her nose. "You and Lover Boy are almost worse than Twinkle Toes and Sugar Queen over there."

"Hey!" Katara said in annoyance as she began taking her hair down. "I thought we agreed no more 'Sugar Queen'…"

Toph and Katara began bickering lightly as I changed into some light night clothes and got into bed. I smiled as my friends went about their business, talking as they prepared for bed. Before I even knew it, I drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

XD XD XD

"Katherine Mae, if you don't wake up, I'm going to get your father to come and get you up!"

I shot forward in my bed, very confused and disoriented. I was in my bed back home, surrounded by the pink walls of my bedroom. My dog – a brindle boxer named Bristol – was looking at me, her head cocked to the side slightly. I looked around, trying to remember how I had gotten there. Hadn't I just gone to bed in the Fire Nation, my friends in the other beds in the room?

I looked down at myself; my sleep clothes from the Fire nation had been replaced by my black 'Wolf Pack' tee shirt and grey work out pants. My wrists had my many different bracelets, from my 'rock' silly bands to my Saint Jude bracelet. I patted my chest. I heard the jingle of my two usual necklaces, but also felt a different one. I pulled it out and looked at it.

My heart almost stopped. It was a metal sparrow on a leather chord. "Oh my gods," I said softly, reaching onto my bedside table and grabbing up my cell phone. I flipped it open, dialed the number and pressed it impatiently to my ear. "C'mon, Jai…Jake…just pick up the phone." As it rang, I chanted 'pick up'. There was a small click and an automated voice.

I sighed and waited for the beep before leaving my message. "Hey Jake, its Kate. Listen, I just had the most…unbelievable dream, but…"But I don't think it was totally a dream. "Just call me back as soon as you can."

I closed the phone and sighed, holding the sparrow lightly in my fingers. "No way was all that just a dream," I said softly.

I heard my mother call to me from the den outside my room. "Kate, you need to get dressed!"

I sighed before getting out of the bed. No way, I thought. No way was all of that just a dream.

End

There you have it folks! The ending of 'Adventures in Avatar Land!' I really hope you have enjoyed this story!

Don't worry, I get the feeling that Jai and Mae might return to Avatar land in the future. (I sure hope so! That place is fun!)

I would like to say that, despite reconciling in the dream, Jai and Mae (well actually, Jake and Kate…that is, Jake and I…you get it, right?) haven't actually reconciled. In fact, we haven't spoken in several months. I'd like to think that somehow, Jake might read this and understand how much he is missed. I'd also like to think that he would realize how sorry I am for any disagreements we have had.

Jake, if you ever do read this, I hope you'd be willing to be my friend again. I love you and miss you greatly…And I would like you to know that a part of me will always be 'Your Kate.'

Thanks again to my amazing readers and my even more amazing reviewers. I hope that you all will check out my other stories and leave you opinions.

Until next time!

I remain your humble provider of entertainment ~ BBTM