"Tatiana?" A voice said above her head. She felt herself coming into consciousness. She opened her eyes to see a face swimming in front of her. "You're awake! You're alive!" Katara almost screamed.

Tatiana felt like she was potentially nailed too the bed. Wait, in a bed. Where am I? "Where am I?" she asked as she struggled too set up. Katara smiled excitedly.

"You're staying at an abandoned home… well we think it's abandoned. Because nobody was staying here when we came. It's at your village." Katara said. Tatiana nodded.

"Where is Sokka and the Avatar?" she asked worriedly. She didn't want to have saved them only to have them recaptured again.

"Aang is out with Momo and Appa… the flying bison," she said to Tatiana's questioning look. "And Sokka- will want to know that you're awake!" she exclaimed and jumped away from the bed and yanked open the door.

Tatiana took a moment to look at her surroundings. A white flannel bed with a pink, green and, blue quilt over it met her eyes. "Ani's house!" she gasped as she looked for Ani's dresser and mirror. Hanging on the wall was an embroidered design of forest wildlife. It was signed with Ani's Aunt's signature at the bottom right corner. It had been a birthday for Ani two years ago.

Rapid footsteps signaled the arrival of Sokka. Tatiana sat up as she saw Sokka enter the room.

"You're awake!" he said joyously as he hugged her. She smiled and hugged him back. "Are you hungry?" he asked blushing slightly. Tatiana smiled again.

"Yes!" she said as he helped her out of bed.


They had stayed at Ani's house on the outskirts of the village until nightfall where they snuck into the forest. Aang had stopped by her barn and salvaged all of her things for her. Their camp was a little way into the forest at least a good few miles from her old home. A fire lit the darkness of the small clearing. Sokka, Aang, Katara and, Tatiana sat around the campfire in a friendly silence.

Aang stretched and yawned before falling back on Appa's tail and going to sleep. Katara pulled the sleeping bag over her head and began to breath more slowly, signifying sleep.

Tatiana glanced at Sokka. Since she had recovered from her most recent bending excursion she had been reluctant to talk that much about it. Talking about it would only bring up unwanted questions. She sighed and shifted closer to Sokka.

Sokka looked down at her before putting an arm around her shoulder. When he had informed Aang and Katara about how Tatiana had come to be here and everyone was up too date, he had refrained from telling them anything other than the specific details. Which did not include the kissing. Although Katara probably guessed, and Aang probably wouldn't care he still didn't want to tell them that while they had been held captive by rogue fire benders they had been off smooching in the moonlight.

Tatiana looked up at him, the green of her eyes reflecting the fire. He sighed and pulled her closer. She rested her head on his chest. Everything was so quiet and peaceful, that they both hindered from talking and just sat and soaked in the beauty of the stars.

After a while Tatiana looked at the adjoined gear on Appa's back. She couldn't stay with them. It wouldn't be fair to her or Sokka. "I can't come with you." she said meekly. For a while Tatiana thought that Sokka hadn't heard her, or was asleep.

"I know." he said solemnly. The fire crackled and a log split in the fire sending dying embers to land in the sand. Rather symbolic, she thought as a lone tear slipped down her cheek and landed on her skirt.


Aang and Katara where putting the sleeping gear on Appa's back. Tatiana decided too go after Sokka. He had been quiet this morning. She knew what was on his mind. Tatiana walked into the forest in search of him.

She found him sitting on a log with a small pile of nuts and berries on the ground in front of his feet. He looked up and smiled as she approached. She walked over and sat beside him. Sokka clasped his hands in front of him between his knees.

After an almost awkward silence, in which Sokka coughed once and Tatiana shifted her feet she cleared her throat.

"You know, I don't expect you too stay with me. I know that you belong with the Avatar and your sister. That's what your purpose is right now." Sokka looked at her in agreement.

"I didn't expect you too come with us." he said. She looked at the trees around them.

"After the war is over, things will be more quiet. You'll be able to find me and I'll be able too find you." she covered his hand with hers. "I'll be in Omashu, looking for my family." she said.

"And I'll be with Aang and Katara." he said looking over at her. She sighed and clasped his hand in hers. His skin was only a few shades darker than hers. She looked into his eyes again. She could never forget those eyes, even if time changed each other over the next few years she would still be able too recognize him by his eyes.

Their lips met in a final kiss before they separated paths. Tatiana knew that whether it be a year or ten, she would wait for him. And he would wait for her.


Saying good bye too Katara had been a tearful exchange of goodbyes.

"I hope you find your family Tatiana. We'll see each other again." Katara said as she wiped at her eyes.

"Good luck with water bending." Tatiana replied, tears swam in her own eyes as she said good bye. "Take care of Sokka. And the Avatar." she whispered. Katara wiped at her eyes again and climbed onto Appa's back. The Avatar waved at her with his pet lemur perched on his shoulder, and she waved back. Sokka was turned around all the way waving. Tatiana smiled and waved back at both of them, a pang in her heart giving away her true feelings. She would give anything to have them stay, or to go with them. But not right now. I still have some things to do here. She thought as another tear slipped out of her eyes and landed on the ground.

As they took off in the air as Katara settled in front with the Avatar a brief wind sent the leaves blowing around her. She kissed the palm of her hand and raised it in the air. Without conscious effort the leaves lifted into the air behind her to form a heart.

Sokka sat in Appa's saddle watching the heart hang in the air, the leaves slightly moving. If this is the right thing, then why do I feel like that's my heart hanging in the air? He thought as he waved harder than ever back at Tatiana.

When Appa was but a speck in the setting sun Tatiana grabbed her things and walked out of the clearing into the soothing darkness of the trees.


The dark figure entered the market place, slipping between the shadows and creeping behind buildings. The street was deserted except for the lone strolling figure making it's way into the heart of the market place.

They stopped at a small building and disappeared into the shadows of the alleyway. The figure slipped around behind the edge of the building and slid a knife down the edge of a concealed door.

The door crept open and the figure stepped slowly inside closing the door behind them. A small lantern was briefly illuminated by the streak of moonlight that slipped through a black curtain attached to the door. The figure reached up and grabbed the lantern off of a dresser beside a pair of spread scissors.

A small ghostly light illuminated the room as the figure unhooked a pack from their shoulder and pulled out a folded parcel. The figure set it on the front desk and rummaged in their black shirt for something.

They pulled out a folded letter and set it on the parcel. A small jingle of money was heard as the letter was lain on the parcel. The figure turned around and dimmed the light of the lantern as they walked towards a set of shelves.

Pairs of clothes lay folded on the wooden shelves. The figure picked out two shirts and two pairs of trousers to match. The clothes disappeared into the wide folds of the figures shirt as they blew out the lamp entirely and set it on the table next to the spread scissors.

The door opened again and the figure slunk out of the shop and headed for the shelter of the shadows once again.


The old crone opened her shop door in the early morning. A bag of repaired clothes hung out of her belt. She opened the door wide enough to emit a girl of early twenties into the shop behind her.

"Grandma, you really should get a different lock." the girl said smoothing back her head of auburn curls. The crone cackled as she dropped the sack of clothes too the floor and took into stock that something was not amiss. She scratched her head and walked too the counter.

A parcel that had not been there night before when she had closed up now occupied the usually empty space on the counter. On it was a piece of much scrunched paper. She looked at her granddaughter and then read it too herself while her granddaughter went to the back to get the scissors.

I regret to inform you that our previous engagement did not go as planned. I was taken into retreat, much that I lament you had no knowledge of. I found on my retreat that this would much suit you for trusting one such as me. I pray that you not judge others as to what you thought I did. Continue to thrive in business, as well as in life. And do not think that it more than covers our deal, for you will be at fault. I have now more than you bargained for. And now I must say that it has truly been a pleasure having business with you.

The old crone raised an eyebrow and looked down at the folded parcel. She unfolded the brown paper and gasped.

In the parcel was a gorgeous dress made of Fire Worm silk and a scarf of Water Sheep's wool. Two of the four most sought after materials of the cloth making industry. With tears in her eyes the old crone lifted the dress out of the paper fully and exclaimed over the softness of the material. How much had this cost? From where had it come?

"Grandma! We're missing two sets of clothes!" said her granddaughter from the shelves, a charcoal stick and a piece of parchment in front of her nose. The old crone laughed and grabbed her granddaughter off of the stool she was sitting on.

"Grandma what are you doing?" she asked as the parchment and charcoal stick dropped to the floor.

"Nothing child! Do you know what I have found? A dress of Fire Worm silk and Water Sheep's wool!" her granddaughter began jumping with her grandmother with joy.


Tatiana lifted the lid of the fire nation submarine lid and climbed in. Her processions where in the submarine with her. Three weeks worth of food was piled behind changes of clothes, quills, and other things. One of many water sacks was hanging out from inside of a backpack.

Tatiana smiled as she steered the submarine out of the trees and into the water. As she entered the water with a faint splash she unrolled a map of the earth nation in front of her.

"By the looks of things," she said to herself, "I should be their by next week." Tatiana rolled the map up and set it behind her. She was headed for Omashu and nothing could stop her.

As the sun rose in the distance the water was calm and reflected the beautiful reds, oranges, purples and blues of the sunrise. Perfect. She thought as she headed on a steady eastern course towards the Earth Kingdom Capital.

(A/N: It's over… I can't believe it's over! Well… probably not over as I might write a sequel. Please tell me if you would like a sequel in your review. Congratulations to me on 300 and 40 hits on this story. I'm really excited and somewhat sad about finishing this story. Yes I know I am a big baby and I need to get a life. The point is that I have no point and that I think that my fantasy world is often much more interesting than my reality. Thank you, for reading thus far. I hope this answered many of your previous questions. I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I did writing. Alecia a.k.a :crouching bunny)