Aang followed Zuko in silence as he practically ran back to the formal lounge. Zuko burst through the door to find everyone waiting for him. He could hear them asking questions, but he ignored all of them. Instead, he ran to his daughter, scooped her up, and hugged her like there was no tomorrow. His actions received panicked looks from the others, but little Ursa giggled with joy.

When Aang finally entered the room, all the eyes turned to him. He caught Katara's questioning gaze and gave her a small nod.

That was enough for everyone to settle down. They knew what that nod meant. It really was Ursa, Zuko's mother. She was really there. Azula was telling the truth for once.

After a few moments, Zuko and a guard take Tenzin and Ursa to the dining room for a snack. The two children were completely oblivious to the tension around them and excitedly left the room.

For a few moments, there was nothing but silence. No one wanted to ask the first question. Instead, they waited for Zuko to speak. Eventually, he said, "Yes, that woman was my mother."

Everyone's jaw dropped, including Iroh. He remembered when Ursa left. He wasn't present for the argument that caused her to leave, but he remembered his own father dying and the lack of reaction from his brother. The death of the Firelord was all that was on anyone's mind at the time, so their wasn't a lot of attention on Ursa's leaving.

Iroh knew that Zuko wasn't going to say anymore without being prompted, so he volunteered himself to be the source of his nephew's anger should it come. "Zuko," he spoke in a soft, soothing voice. "Why is she here?"

Zuko looked at his uncle with anger and sadness in his eyes. Internally, Zuko didn't know which one he felt more. "She heard about Azula's trial and her fate. She came to offer me another solution." Zuko paused, still unable to process what he was about to say. "She said that Aang could take her bending and memory away. Then, Azula could live happily ever after with her and her nomad family." The last part was bitter. The candles on the walls danced to life and burned with power. Maybe Zuko wasn't as good at keeping his anger in check as he thought he was.

Once again, all eyes turned to Aang. The Avatar just shrugged. He had nothing to add as he was still unsure of what just happened in the other room.

Iroh asked, "Aang, what do you think about that proposition?"

Aang shuffled his feet nervously. "Well, I haven't really had time to think about it."

"That is true," Iroh agreed with him. For once in his life, Iroh was too shocked to think of an analogy or wisdom to give the young crowd. "I'm sure you will need to consult this decision with your past lives."

Aang nodded. "I will, but only if Zuko gives me the okay to."

Zuko wasn't listening. Instead, he was thinking about feeling the turtleducks with his mother by the pond. How could she have another family? How could she just forget her other children like that?

"Zuko?" Iroh called out to him softly. Zuko met his uncle's gaze and blushed when he realized they were waiting for him to speak.

Unsure of the question, Zuko decided to ignore it. "What will my advisors think? They wanted to publicly execute Azula. I can't ask them to let her walk away from all of this."

"Do we have to tell them?" Sokka asked, thinking before speaking.

"How do you suppose we sneak her out of here?" Zuko snapped at him. Then he took a deep breath before saying, "The palace is being watched like never before right now."

"There has to be a way," Aang said in his usual optimistic way. "I could fly them out on Appa at night."

Zuko looked at his friend. "While that is a possible idea, have you thought about what that means for you?"

Aang heard his words, and they finally hit him. Aang would have to take away Azula's bending and her memory… and then they would all have to trust that the nomads don't make her into a killing machine. "Right…" Aang trailed off. He hadn't thought that far in advance.

"Even if we could sneak her out," Suki started. "What would we tell the public? They're expecting a public execution."

"How about this?" Sokka asked and began pacing the lounge. "We tell the public that we're going to do a private execution here at the palace. There can still be a funeral for her and everything. That way, the whole world thinks she's dead. Aang will fly her and Zuko's mom out of the Fire Nation and to… wait," he stopped pacing. "Where has she been living? On a lionturtle?"

Zuko huffed. "You know, I'm not sure about the whole lionturtule thing. She said she lives with a group of nomads, and they change their location a lot. In fact, she needs an answer soon, or else she won't be able to find them again."

"Wow, that's secretive," Toph lightly joked.

"Okay, Sokka," Katara changed the subject to play devil's advocate. "If your plan were to work, what would you tell the world leaders and members of the White Lotus?" She crossed her arms and looked expectantly at her brother. He was the plan guy.

Sokka placed his hand on his chin to help him think for a minute. "You know, I think the best thing to do here is to be honest. That way, a select few people do know she's alive in case she… remembers later."

Aang nodded. "I think that's a great idea, Sokka."

Zuko hadn't made up his mind yet, and the others could see it on his face. He looked at Aang and asked, "Is it even possible to erase someone's memory?"

Aang's positive attitude dropped. He didn't know. If it were an option, his past lives surely would have told him about it before… right? "I'll have to ask the past Avatars."

"You should do so before we talk to the others," Iroh added.


"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Chief Arnook exclaimed as he banged his first on the table before him. His response was greeted with a loud roar of similar protests.

Aang and Zuko had called a meeting with the member of the White Lotus and the other world leader to discuss the fate of Azula. They had constructed a plan to tell them and followed it very closely. Instead of creating a conversation, they had thoroughly ticked everyone else off.

Iroh sat next to Zuko and Aang with his hands in his lap. Even he didn't have wisdom to share on this subject. There was nothing he could say to calm the people before him because this plan was such a curveball to him too.

Zuko on the other hand was rubbing his temples and wondering where they had gone wrong. Surely this was a better than killing someone. Why did these men want there to be bloodshed?

Aang was staring into the angry mob with an emotionless expression. It was the same expression he had worn at the trial, and he felt like it would be the best face for this situation. He was finally willing to take Azula's bending away, and the hypocrites in front of him wanted more.

"Enough!" Zuko finally commanded. The group quieted down because of his outburst. The Firelord hadn't been this rash in years. Zuko prided himself with being civil in meetings and a hot head when he was alone, but he had had enough this time. "My sister is not a source of entertainment for you people. Her death was supposed to incite justice and be an example to the remaining rebels and Ozai supporters, not for your pleasure."

"But Firelord," King Kuei interjected. "Her death will give us a peace of mind. For all we know, these nomads could tell her everything and use her as a weapon."

Zuko narrowed his eyes at the king's words. "A peace of mind is an unattainable goal because someone will fill her shoes. Being kept on your toes is what makes a great leader and not a weak one." Zuko's words were directed at the time King Kuei was taken hostage for being too comfortable.

"As for Azula being used as a weapon, you have clearly never met my sister or mother. Even under the influence of my father, she was not his pawn. She had an agenda of her own- to become the next Firelord at any cost, even betraying her own father. My mother committed treason in order to save my life. I don't think she would risk undoing years of progress for my sister."

"But you can't be sure," Chief Arnook scoffed.

"No, I can't. But she is a Fire Nation citizen, and I have the right to do whatever I see fit with Azula. You are lucky I didn't send her away already without consulting you first."

"Avatar Aang," Saruk, Chief of the Southern Water Tribe, called. "Are you sure erasing her memory will work?"

Aang nodded. "I have spoken with my past lives and learned the technique." Short and simple, he thought to himself. That was his philosophy going into this meeting. He had to keep a collected mind, or else he would lose his temper.

"If someone were to mention who she was to her, would she regain her memory? What about muscle memory for fighting?"

Aang had also asked this question to numerous past Avatars. "No, she will never be able to remember her life as Azula, even if someone were to give her a detailed book about her life. It would all be foreign to her. As for fighting, she would have to be trained again, but her muscle memory would allow for quick learning."

An unsatisfied rumble came from the crowd.

"Enough!" Zuko exclaimed as he slammed his own fist on the table. His outburst resulted in a slight jump from Aang and Iroh. The rest of their guests went silent immediately. Some of them had seen Zuko be a hot head when they were young, but the Firelord had done a great job at keeping his emotions at bay during his reign. But, that was over now.

With a huff, he said, "I am going to allow the Avatar to wipe Azula's memory and take her bending away. Then, she will be sent with my mother to live with the nomads. The people in this room along with my close friends are the only ones who will ever know about Azula still being alive in case we see signs of her becoming a problem again. We are going to display a board in front of the palace gates that say she was executed in private. A funeral will still take place. That is final!"

His rant with greeted with silence... and then a slow clap from Chief Arnook. This was followed by Master Fung, Master Pakku, Chief Saruk, and then everyone else in the room. Confused, Zuko looked to Aang for help. Aang, equally confused, shrugged his shoulders at the Firelord.

When the applause died down, Chief Arnook explained, "Well done, Firelord Zuko. In the last decade, you have done an excellent job at mending relationships with other nations, repairing the Fire Nation's image, and ruling your nation. But, we all feel as if you are too timid, too scared of becoming your father."

King Kuei interjected and said, "You are so scared of upsetting another leader or nation, that you have let us walk all over you. I have learned at trusting others too much can lead to negative consequences. The public execution of Azula was a test per se."

"A test?" Zuko growled in a low voice.

"Zuko," Iroh warned under his breath.

"The public killing of my sister was a test to see whether or not I am fit to run a nation?! What? Were you all planning a coup?"

"No," Master Pakku said with a scowl. "We wanted you to stand up to us, to tell us no."

"Uncle," Zuko said in disbelief. "Did you know about this?"

Iroh shook his head at his nephew. "No, I did not. It seems that the Order of the White Lotus has been meeting without me."

"Don't take it personal," Jeong Jeong told Iroh. "We couldn't risk you telling the Firelord about our test. He had to learn it on his own." He turned his attention to Zuko. "You have mastered patience, but never let anyone take away your fire."

Zuko couldn't believe his ears. All this time, he had spent tiptoeing around trying not to upset the other nations. Because his father was an unfit ruler, Zuko had feared it would be hereditary. But, they wanted him to be more outspoken? They wanted him to voice his oppositions more?

"So," Chief Arnook said pulling Zuko from his troubled thoughts. "We respect your decision, Firelord."

There was a mumble of agreement from the others.


"That was as confusing to you as it was to me, right?" Zuko asked Aang while the left the meeting room.

"For sure," Aang replied as her laughed and patted his friend on the back. "Let's do this."

After gathering the group, they had all assembled outside of the Receiving Hall. Inside, Azula was chained to the ground in a metal box courtesy of Toph. Only her upper torso and head her free. To keep things quiet, Aang had requested that they be indoors when he took Azula's memory and bending. Zuko agreed because the light from energybending could be seen for miles.

Katara turned to Aang one final time and pleaded, "If you don't feel comfortable, you don't have to do this."

Aang smiled at her protectiveness. "Katara, I will be fine. I'm ready this time."

Katara returned the smile and reluctantly let go of his hand. Then, he entered the Receiving Hall.

Outside of the hall, the small group began to mingle as a way to avoid what was really going on inside the next room. Sokka, Suki, and Zuko were planning a celebration for later that night. Toph and Iroh were chatting away about something only they understood. That left Katara and Ursa.

Katara was perfectly content with staring at the double doors until Aang was in her sight again, but Ursa had other plans. The older woman approached her and spoke in a soft voice, "Master Katara?"

Katara ripped her eyes away from the doors to look at Zuko's mother. "Yes?"

"I know that you are involved with the Avatar, but I've seen the way my son looks at you."

Katara gave her a confused look, unsure of what she was referring to. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Ursa gave her a soft smile. "It seems my son is in love with you."

Katara looked away from her curious eyes. She knew he was. She had known for a while, but her heart had always belonged to Aang. Now that he was back, she fully intended to get her happily ever after. "I don't know about that," she blushed.

"I do. I may have been gone for a while, but a mother always knows. You will one day know when Tenzin is in love."

"I hope that's a long time from now," Katara tried to ease the tension that was building, but it didn't work.

"I also see that you give that same look to the Avatar, but he is scared of something."

Katara sighed. She knew that Aang still wasn't over her turning down his original proposal, but if he asked her today, she would say yes without a doubt. "Yes, I hurt him a few years ago, but he disappeared in the Spirit World, so it feels like it was just yesterday."

"So you've had time to reconsider, but he hasn't."

"Yes," Katara replied distracted by the blow and orange lights that were coming from under the door. After a few moments that felt like forever, the blue light won. Katara released a breathe that she didn't know she was holding.

"Have you told him that?" Ursa continued to pry.

"Many times."

"I can see that my son cares for you both greatly, and he treats Tenzin like his own. You do the same with Ursa. When this is all over, someone is going to be hurt. You should think carefully about who that should be."

Katara opened her mouth to reply, but a door opened and stopped her train of thought. Out stumbled a tired Aang, and Katara ran to catch him. "Aang!" She called out to him.

"It's done," he told everyone. Guards and the others filed into the Receiving Hall to check on Azula, but Katara and Aang stayed outside of it.

"Are you okay?" She asked him. Her voice was full of worry.

His greys eyes met hers, and he smiled at her. "I'm better now. Do you think we could go lie down? I'm tired."

She smiled back at her love. She had already known which one she'd choose. She had always known it. There was no choosing. She loved and still loves Aang. "Of course." Then, she pulled one of his arms around her shoulders and helped him back to their room.


That night, Zuko held a celebration for his friends, some of the Fire Nation noblemen and their families, the world leaders, and the members of the White Lotus. There was a buffet, a band, talks about a greater future, and dancing. When the fun had died down, the group had returned to their formal lounge for an "after party." After putting Ursa and Tenzin to bed, the grown ups finally had a chance to talk about the crazy last couple of days.

"Wait," Aang interrupted Toph's retelling of one of their journeys during the Hundred Year War. "How did you guys get Ursa and Azula out of here?"

"I took Appa and flew them to the ocean." Sokka explained. "Big Ursa had a boat waiting there."

"Big Ursa?" Katara joked as she raised her eyebrow at her brother.

"Yeah, we have to have a way to tell them apart when we talk about them. Big Ursa and Little Ursa." His explanation gained a laugh from the group, but no one opposed his suggested. Now that they knew Zuko's mother was alive, they were probably going to talk about her.

That was the exact opposite of what Zuko wanted. Although he was happy to learn what actually happened to his mother, he was not elated that Azula got his happily ever after with her. Azula would wake up on a boat with her mother and be told about her amazing life. Meanwhile, Zuko could remember all of his terrible childhood.

Sokka and Suki stood up before the others and coughed to get everyone's attention. "We have an announcement we would like to make," Sokka said once he had all the eyes on them. He grabbed Suki's hands and look her in the eyes.

"Suki and I are going to retire on Kyoshi Island to raise a family..." He trailed off as Suki rolled her eyes at the hopeless romantic he was.

It took a moment for everyone to understand what he was implying. It was Katara that finally asked the question they were all wondering. "Suki, are you pregnant?!"

"Yes!" The girl squealed, unable to control her excitement. Katara jumped up from her seat beside Aang and hugged her brother and sister-in-law. The rest of the group followed suit and congratulated the couple.

Katara went to stand beside Toph while the others gushed about another baby being added to the group. She elbowed the girl in the arm.

"Ouch!" Toph exclaimed. "What was that for?"

"You know what it was for."

It was true, Toph knew exactly what Katara was trying to say. Her own heart began to pound in her ears. "I am not telling everyone."

"Why not?" Katara asked putting her hands on her hips in annoyance.

"They're gonna ask me questions," Toph said in a small voice. She was scared. For the first time in her life, she cared about what others were going to think.

Feeling empathy for the girl, Katara grabbed her hand and squeezed it."Toph, you can tell them now or in nine months, but you're going to have to tell them eventually."

Toph sighed and knew that Katara was right. No matter how long she wanted or tired to ignore it, she was going to have a baby. "Fine. Can you get their attention?"

"Absolutely. I'll be right here the entire time," Katara smiled. "Hey guys, Toph also has an announcement to make."

The room went silent, and Toph could feel everyone's eyes on her. Her cheeks turned red, and she silently cursed herself and Katara's pep talk. "Okay, no one can ask me any questions. Got it?" She demanded in a typical Toph fashion.

The room agreed, and she continued. Awkwardly, she announced, "I am also pregnant."

The room remained silent for a few seconds. Besides Toph and Katara, every jaw in the room was dropped. No one was expecting that to be Toph's announcement. It almost seemed like a joke.

Sensing Toph's uncomfort, Katara glared at the rest of the group. Nope, it wasn't a joke. It was Suki that made the first move. She mimicked Katara's earlier actions and squealed in delight before rushing forward to embrace Toph, chatting away about their children being the same age. The others followed suit in a confused daze.

Aang made his way over to Katara. "Did you know?"

Katara shrugged at him. "She told me a few days ago, but only because I got it out of her."

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked, faking a pout.

Katara giggled at the expression. It was cute on him. She replied, "Because you have no poker face. She would have known I told you, and then I would have been a human punching bag."

"Hey!" He exclaimed. "I'm not that bad. In fact, I've been working on hiding secrets a lot lately." His hand snuck into his pocket and clutched the necklace he had made all those years ago. He was waiting for the right moment to propose, but it never came. After this afternoon with Azula, Aang knew that he didn't want to wait any longer. He couldn't wait any longer.

"Oh yeah?" She teased. "What secrets have you been keeping?" She was genuinely curious. It wasn't like Aang to not tell her something.

"Hey guys," Aang called out to the others while holding his eye contact with Katara. "I also have an announcement I'd like to make."

"Are you pregnant too?" Sokka laughed at his own joke. Suki immediately punched him in the arm to get him to shut up.

"No, I'm not and neither is Katara." Aang smiled at the red tint that had taken over Katara's face. She definitely wasn't expecting him to do that. For the first time since he woke up, Aang wasn't scared to ask Katara the question she had been dying to hear.

In fact, it was Big Ursa that had given him the confidence that he needed. Before he took Azula's memory and bending away, she had pulled him aside to lecture him about the looks he was giving Katara. Ursa could tell that Aang was guarding his heart. She could sense his fear, and Ursa knew that wouldn't be good for him to be bearing when he faced Azula. She told him, "If you won't love her the way she deserves to be loved, then someone else will. Don't let someone take your spot again."

So, he wasn't going to let that happen ever again. Slowly, he slipped the necklace out from his pocket and presented it to Katara. "Let's try this again," he said with a smile. "Katara, will you marry me?"

Katara gasped and put a hand up to her mouth. Through the tears building in her eyes, she could see that it was the same necklace he had proposed with all those years ago. It was the same necklace she had carried with her for the last five years. This was what she wanted. "Yes," she whispered back to him without any hesitation.


THE END