The healer was a small woman, but she was quick and effective. By the time she was done, Aang felt almost like he did before he disappeared. His limbs were no longer sore, and his headache was gone. He still felt tired, but his hunger was the only thing that needed immediate attention. He was brought vegetable dumplings and hot, jasmine tea by a servant. When his stomach was full, the tiredness set in. They were walking back to Katara's room to rest when two angry looking guards found them.

"Avatar Aang and Master Katara, we've been asked to escort you to the Chief's palace immediately," One of them commanded.

Aang could feel Katara fuming beside him. If he didn't respond quickly, he knew the guards would be face down in the snow below them. So, he quickly replied, "Let's go," and looped Katara's arm in his.

His pace was fast now that he had control of his body again. It felt good to be able to move without feeling like he might fall over. Now, he was practically dragging an irritated Katara behind him. She was muttering under her breath about the Chief, but Aang's mind was too busy racing to listen.

What would he say? Chief, I'm sorry I was too weak to take away Azula's bending. Please let us stay. No, that was absurd.

He needed to apologize. Then, he could explain himself. He was too weak at the time to take away Azula's bending. If he did it then, she may have killed him, and that wouldn't have solved any of their problems. Now, he was feeling better and with some rest, he may be willing to try again.

The walk to the palace was short because of their fast pace. When they reached the Chief's chamber, everyone else was there. They were seated before Chief Arnook in a semi-circle, like usual, in silence. Katara sat down beside Tenzin, and Aang sat next to her.

The Chief's voice was somber and full of hidden resentment. "Thank you for joining us, Avatar Aang."

"I'm sorry for running off, Chief Arnook. It won't happen again." Aang tried to sound sincere, but he wasn't completely sorry. He had fled. It's what he did when times got tough, and it was a bad habit that needed breaking.

"You're right, Avatar. It won't happen again because you and your friends are leaving. Today," The Chief's voice was cold and hard.

Aang's eyes went wide with concern as the scanned the rest of the room. Iroh and Zuko were looking down. Their expressions were shameful. Toph was pale at the uncertainty to come. Sokka, Suki, and Ursa were staring at the Chief with wide eyes. Katara rubbed Tenzin's back as if to tell him everything would be okay.

Where did that come from?

"Chief, I'm not sure that is the best-"

"That was not a request, Avatar Aang. The Fire Nation ship is in the harbor, and I see no reason for it to stay any longer." The Chief's voice was raising. Aang could tell that this topic had been heavily debated. "Your belongings have been loaded, and Azula is ready for transportation. Some of my best guards will accompany you on your journey back."

"But Azula is unstable and unpredictable!" Aang cried. This was a nightmare, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"Even if you had taken her bending away, she would still be unstable and unpredictable. The best thing you can do is get her to the Fire Nation and in a permanent cell until her trial."

Trial? Aang made a mental note to ask someone about that later.

Chief Arnook rose, and they all followed. "It was a pleasure seeing you all again." He bowed and left the room.

Once he was gone, the group all turned to each other. Everyone was too afraid to speak. Iroh sensed their hesitation and was the one to take charge. "Let's head to the harbor."

So, they did.

When they reached the harbor, ten water tribe guards were waiting for them by the ship. Two of them were hold onto Azula's arms. Silently, she was led onto the ship before them and led to the lowest level to a holding cell.

The captain of the ship met them once they were on board. "Hello, Firelord." He bowed.

Zuko bowed back as a sign of respect. He was sure to show all of his servants' respect. "Thank you, Captain Hayato. I will take it from here."

The captain bowed once more before leaving.

Zuko turned to his friends. "Aang, Appa is on the deck. We will all be staying on this level. I'll show you to your rooms."

They followed in him in a sad silence. No one felt like talking about the failures of the day. It felt like they were walking to their death. The hallway was long, and there were many doors. Eventually, Zuko stopped walking. "We'll meet on the deck in 30 minutes for dinner. Until then, these are your rooms. This room is Toph's. Across the hall is Uncle's." The two of them departed quickly. The rest of them continued down the hall. "This room is Sokka and Suki's. Across the hall is Katara and Tenzin's." Zuko paused for a second before awkwardly adding. "Aang, you're more than welcome to join them, or the room beside theirs is yours."

Then, Zuko turned and left. He felt awkward, so that had to be awkward. He had to tell one of his best friends that it was okay to sleep with the girl they both loved. That was rough, but it was his reality now. Zuko quickly made his way down the hall and into his master suite. Then, he collapsed on the bed in defeat and sorrow. Today was not his day.

Meanwhile, Katara and Aang stood in the hallway. Tenzin had run inside the room to inspect it, but his parents had remained behind. Neither one of made eye contact.

Eventually, Katara said, "You can stay with us if you want, or you can have some time alone. It's up to you."

It's up to you. Aang felt like those words were a test. She was testing him, but he didn't know what the right answer was. On one hand, he would have loved to get started on becoming part of their family. On the other hand, he felt like it was too soon. He still had mixed emotions about being with Katara. He still had questions he needed to ask, and right now didn't seem like the time.

Very slowly, he said, "I think I'll go to my own room to rest for a while."

Katara gave him a small smile, but he saw a hint of disappointment in her eyes. "Okay, I'll come get you for dinner." Then, she slipped into her room and shut the door behind her. Inside, she let out a deep breath. Not smothering him was going to be hard for her.

Aang also let out a long breath once she was gone and felt relieved but also sad. His heart and brain were confused. He walked slowly to his room down the hall and went inside. He dropped onto the bed with a thud. Sleep was no stranger to him, and he eagerly welcomed it.

A knock on the door woke Aang from a precious dream. He and Katara were standing on a balcony in Ba Sing Se. They were watching the sun set, and Katara was in his arms. Her lips were on his, and everything felt right again.

Then, the knocking pulled him from it. The grey ceiling of his room was not as beautiful as the sunset or Katara. He groaned as he got up from the bed and made his way to the door. He felt even more tired than he was before.

He opened the door to find Tenzin and Katara smiling at him. "It's dinner time, Daddy!" Tenzin exclaimed and grabbed his father's hand. Tenzin quickly pulled his father down the corridor.

Aang couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. He liked being called daddy, but he still couldn't believe that he was a father. He could get to teach his son airbending, meditation, play ancient games with him, and give him his tattoos once he became a master.

This was a dream come true.

But he still felt like he had awoken to a nightmare.

He had missed out on so much- Tenzin's birth, naming him, his first steps, and his first word. He had so much he needed to ask Katara. He desperately wished that he was there for her, that he didn't make her feel like an embarrassment to her homeland. He had a lot of making up to do- to Katara, Tenzin, and the world.

When they emerged on the deck, the sun was beginning to set. The days were short in the North Pole, and the air was still frigid as they sailed away. Aang could feel the strange chill beginning to disappear, but a bit of it lingered. The sunset was beautiful, but not as beautiful as it was in his dream.

Tenzin led him to a small taken set up on the floor. There were pillows for them to sit on, and everyone else was already seated. He quickly sat down next to Tenzin, and Katara sat on the other side of him. Iroh poured them some tea from the pot as the other's welcomed them.

Zuko signaled for the meal to begin, and the first course was set in front of them. It was Fire Nation cuisine, and Aang was pleased to be served all vegetarian alternatives. The conversation was light and funny. For the first time since he had woken up, Aang was enjoying himself. Every now and again, he would catch Katara looking at him out of the corner of his eye, but she wasn't staring at him. He felt like he could breathe again.

When the second course was served, the conversation shifted. The tone was no longer enjoyable. Instead, it had shifted to Azula. Zuko was explaining her trial to Aang, and he felt like it was a good plan, other than the death option. He was proud of his friend for coming up with such a mature plan.

When he was done explaining, Toph started a new conversation. "I think I need to go back to Ba Sing Se and check on the Academy. I can't let those lily livers go soft!" She chuckled, but her words were sobering. She had a life. Zuko would return to being the Firelord, but what would everyone else do? Iroh and Ursa could stop traveling and return to the Fire Nation, but what about Sokka, Suki, and Katara? Their lives had revolved around Azula for five years, and now it was over. They were free.

But it felt like they had arrived in Hell.

"I would also like to visit Ba Sing Se," Iroh chimed in. "That was the next place I was going to take Ursa for her training."

For a moment, everyone was speechless. Zuko felt disappointed, but he hid it well. Besides Azula, they were the only family he had left. It was going to be hard enough to lost Katara and Tenzin, but now he was going to be truly alone.

Instead of voicing his fears, Zuko said, "You three can return to Ba Sing Se together by taking the smaller vessel. Then, you can travel to the trial together."

Iroh, Ursa, and Toph agreed. "We'll leave first thing in the morning," Iroh decided.

"Why not now?" Ursa asked. Ba Sing Se was one of her favorite places to visit. It was like the Earth Kingdom version of the Fire Nation Capital.

"We need to rest. It's been a busy day." Iroh yawned. The conversation seemed to pick back up as dessert was served. Sokka was commenting on his favorite Fire Nation desserts.

Katara stole her hundredth glance at Aang. She promised herself that she would discretely watch him to see if he was okay. He had been unusually quiet, not speaking unless spoken to, but he had a silly grin on his face. It was more genuine than the one he wore this morning.

When she wouldn't take it any longer, she leaded over and whispered, "How are you feeling?"

Aang turned to her and tilted his head in confusion. "I'm fine."

"Really fine or faking fine?"

Her words irritated him. In fact, everyone was irritating him. Ever since his nap, all he wanted to do was go back to sleep. The laughter and Azula talk made his head began to lightly throb again. "I'm really fine."

"Okay," she nodded. "I was just checking. If you're not, let me know, and we can leave."

Aang nodded back at her and tried to refocus on one of the many conversations going on at the table, but he couldn't. He was too busy thinking about all the things he had missed. He didn't understand some of their jokes or new slang words. He watched Zuko avoid looking at Katara, and he watched Sokka joke with the little boy beside him. He was a stranger to it all.

When they were done eating, the dishes were cleared, but no one moved. They continued to talk and joke for a long time after. It wasn't until Tenzin asked him if he wanted to see his bending that they finally left the table.

Sokka and Suki were at the bow, gazing out over the water. They seemed to be in an intense conversation. Zuko, Iroh, Toph, and Ursa had continued making travel plans on a bench. Katara led Tenzin to the middle of the deck, too afraid to move to one side in fear of him blowing himself overboard.

It was there that Tenzin began showing Aang all of his cool tricks. When he had run out, Aang began to show Tenzin basic stances and techniques. Katara watched them from her own bench and silently reminisced on the days where Aang had been the student.

He hadn't changed much, she thought. He was still hard working and somewhat focused. He liked to have fun and distract Tenzin only to teach him a lesson about not getting distracted. She enjoyed just watching them and felt like the missing piece of her had been found.

Aang was exactly what she needed.

When the sun had finally disappeared, the lights of the ship began to glow. It was then that Katara got up and interrupted the lesson. "Okay guys, I think its time that we start getting ready for bed."

"But Momma, I'm having a lot of fun and learning a lot of things."

"I know you are buddy, but you can't learn it all in one day. You can start again tomorrow."

"But Daddy, I was having fun." Tenzin pleaded with puppy dog eyes at Aang. Katara rolled her eyes as she watched Aang fall victim to them. He looked at Katara to rescue him.

Aang swallowed hard when he realized she wasn't going to help him. "You should listen to your mom."

"It's time for your bath, Tenzin." Katara put her hands on her hips. He was never this difficult. He loved baths and loved sleeping.

"I don't want a bath. I want to play with Daddy more." A tantrum was building in the small boy.

"Katara, a few more minutes wouldn't hurt, right?" Aang asked softly. He was trying to find the best of both worlds. After all, it is the Avatar's job to make peace.

"No, Aang. That's not alright," she seethed. Why wasn't he on her side for this? He had never been a parent before, so why was he trying to undermine her? Katara took a deep breath to calm her crazy side. She was the one that needed to get some sleep. "Tenzin, bath now," she ordered.

Tenzin whined before marching towards the door to the hallway. Katara glared at Aang.

"Katara, come on. A few more minutes would have been okay."

Her eyes went wide, and her face grew red. "Aang, I think I've been a parent longer than you have, so no. A few more minutes would not have been okay. Why weren't you on my side for this?"

Aang was confused. He knew that he was nowhere near ready to parent Tenzin, but he didn't understand why Katara was acting so crazy. "I don't know," he shrugged.

"Exactly," she hissed. "You don't know. I do. From now on, you have to side with me. I'm his mother."

Aang felt his own anger begin to boil. "I'm his father."

"You've been his father for one day, and you were missing for most of it. That doesn't count. I've been doing this for five years." Her voice was loud and full of hurt.

Her words stung, and Aang's face showed how much they had hurt him. Katara immediately felt sorry. She sighed and said, "I'm sorry, Aang. I didn't mean that. It's just… It's been a long day, and I think it would be better if Tenzin went to bed now instead of being cranky tomorrow."

Aang looked at the floor and mutter, "Yeah, okay." He turned away from her and walked towards the railing of the ship. He felt all of his insecurities return. He wasn't a good boyfriend, and that made Katara turn down his proposal. He wasn't a good Avatar, and he caused a hundred years of suffering for some people. He caused even more suffering for letting Azula run wild for five years, and now he couldn't take her bending. He wasn't a good father, and Katara would realize that soon and not want him anymore.

He was shaken from his thoughts when he felt a hand touch his shoulder. When he glanced back, he realized it was Katara. Her face was full of regret.

"I'm sorry," she said sadly. "I've had Tenzin to myself for five years, and its going to take some time for me to let someone else parent him."

"It's okay, Katara." His tone was not convincing, even he didn't believe it.

"Aang, I-"

Aang whirled around and snapped, "What, Katara?" A full day of trying to be okay was broken. He was broken, and now Katara was going to be his target. "I'm sorry I ran away for five years and came back as a sixteen-year-old, but it's not my fault. I need time to adjust without you going all nuclear on me."

Katara's eyes went wide and began to fill with tears. Aang never yelled at her.

He continued, "I don't know how to be a father, and I hope that I can learn, but that won't happen in a day… or two days… or three days. You've had five years -five years! – to wrap your head around this. I've had one day. I've had to learn about five years in one day, and it's a lot. So, no, I'm not okay. I'm not fine, and I don't know what the hell is going on!"

His rant left him out of breath, but it made him feel better… until he looked at Katara. When he really looked at her, her face had fallen, and she looked crushed. She was holding back tears, which caused her tanned face to turn a light shade of red. She was looking at him, but she couldn't see him. When the first tear fell, she turned away and ran. She didn't stop, she didn't look back. She ran from him.

And he caused it.

The deck was silent. The guards were expressionless, and the servants had vanished. The only other people on the deck were Sokka and Suki.

When Aang realized they were still there, he gave them a defeated look.

Their eyes were wide, and their mouths were wide open. They couldn't believe the fight they had just witnessed. At first, they tried to ignore it, but it was too loud. They were yelling too loud to ignore it. They couldn't believe that Aang had burst like that, but they couldn't blame him. It was a lot.

Suki ran after Katara while Sokka stalked his way towards Aang. Aang suddenly felt the need to hide, but there was no where he could run. He could jump overboard, but he would get crushed by the ship. So, he had to stand there and take Sokka wrath like a man.

"What did you just say to my sister?" Sokka demanded in a threatening tone.

"Sokka, I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me."

Aang's words made Sokka ease up a bit. He had always had a soft spot for the kid, and he understood the stress Aang was under. He put a hand on Aang's should, which made Aang flinch. Sokka raised an eyebrow at him and said, "Look, Aang. I know today has been a lot on you, but it's been a lot on Katara too. Five years is a long time to do something by yourself.

"At first, she was very protective of Tenzin, even with me and dad. You just have to give her time. As for you though, you have to be willing to let some things go. Sure, you missed out on five years, but you're here now, and that's all that matters. Don't let the past ruin the future."

"Wow, Sokka. You're really grown up." Aang gave the man a small smile.

Sokka shrugged. "I've spent a lot of time with Iroh over the years." His words made both of them chuckle.

"Man, I really messed up." Aang hung his head and thought about the look on Katara's face. He never wanted to see that look again.

"You're both tired. Just apologize tomorrow, and I'm sure she'll forgive you."

"Thanks, Sokka."

Sokka patted Aang's back. His voice turned serious as he said, "Don't do it again, or I'll have to punch you for hurting my sister."

Aang eagerly nodded. He did not want that to happen, and he did not want to hurt Katara again.

"I'll go check on her, tell her you're sorry, and that you want some space. It always works with Suki," Sokka flashed him a toothy grin.

"Okay, Sokka," Aang agreed as they began to head for the door.

Meanwhile in Katara's room, she had started a bath for Tenzin. He was grumpy and mad at her for making him stop playing with his dad, but as soon as he saw her red eyes, he apologized. "I'm sorry, Momma. I didn't mean for you to get mad at Daddy." His own eyes began to fill with tears.

"It's okay, baby. Daddy and I had a small fight, but its okay now."

There was a knock on her door, and she turned off the bath water. She quickly opened the door and saw Suki standing there. She let her in and returned to the bathroom. She stood by the door, and Suki sat on her bed. Tenzin had already formed bubbles and began to play with toy ships, so she decided to let him play for a bit. At least he wasn't crying anymore.

"Are you okay?" Suki asked her quietly.

Katara sighed and shook her head. "I don't know why I got so angry."

"I do. Katara, you have to let Aang in and learn to parent with him."

"I know," she sighed again. "I'm just scared."

"Of what?" Suki knew that Katara had a hard time letting anyone help with Tenzin. It had taken Suki and Sokka months of pleading before Katara let him stay the night with them. She knew that it was because of Aang's disappearance that Katara thought Tenzin would be taken away from her as well.

"I don't know," she shook her head again before looking at Suki. "I can't believe he yelled at me. He's never yelled at me before."

"I'll be surprised if Sokka doesn't kill him. He practically had steam coming out of his ears," Suki laughed at her husband.

Katara wasn't laughing. Her face had gone pale at the idea of her brother defending her and hurting Aang. "He wouldn't."

"No, he wouldn't," Suki smiled at Katara. "Aang would win if they fought."

Katara smiled. She knew that Suki was trying to cheer her up. "Aang's too passive. He wouldn't fight back."

"That's how he would win! He'd dodge a punch, and Sokka would fall overboard or hurt himself," Suki laughed loudly at the thought.

Katara let out a sad chuckle too. "Then Aang would have to save him, and Sokka would be forever in his debt." Both girls laughed loudly for a moment. Then, Katara soberly said, "What do I do?"

"About what?"

"About him? He's not taking any of this well. He ran away, Suki. He ran away and almost died! Now, he's yelling at me. What do I do? How do I help him?"

Suki didn't have an answer. Luckily, a know on the door save her. She shot Katara a scared look, but Katara waved her hand at the door, as if to tell her to open it. Suki skipped to the door and cracked it open. When she saw that it was Sokka, she let him in.

"Katara," her brother stared. He found her peering round the bathroom door and gave her a small smile. "I talked to Aang."

"And?"

"He's sorry that he yelled at you."

Suki scoffed. "He better be!"

Sokka gave her a weird look that made Suki giggle. "I told him that he needed to be patient with you when it comes to parenting. Then, I told him to go to bed and that I would tell you to give him some space."

"Well," Katara crossed her arms. "He can have all the space he needs."

"Katara-"

"No, Sokka. I mean it. He can have all the space he needs because I don't know what to do anymore. All I've done today is try to help him. I tried to put his mind at ease that I didn't hate him or the proposal. I literally saved him from an evil spirit, and that's the thanks I get?"

"It's been a rough day for him too," Sokka pleaded with her. Sometimes his sister could be so stubborn.

"I know it had, and I asked him if he was okay a million times. I was the only one that told him he didn't have to face Azula. I knew he wasn't okay, but he insisted that he was." Tears were forming in her eyes again.

"It's gonna be okay, Katara," Sokka tried to comfort her. "We'll get through this together."

Katara glared at him. She was done playing nice tonight. "Yes, well if you'll excuse me, I have a five-year-old that needs a bath." Then, she went back into the bathroom and slammed the door.

Sokka and Suki shared a mutual look. They didn't know what to do, but they knew that they shouldn't push Katara anymore that night. So, they left her room and closed the door behind them.