Rie discovered that, after she entered the portal, time had slowed, but hadn't stopped. It was a week since the night it all started and her family was fit to be tied. Her grounding forgotten, Mrs. Vanguard questioned Rie about her location for the past week. Knowing her mother would never believe her, Rie said she must have hit her head and forgotten the way home. Afterwards, things returned to normal. Beth was annoying, the Vanguard parents played favorites, and Rie was sulking and attending practice with Sensei Koru. (He had stayed on.) It was all good.

One day at school, Rie's class had to take aptitude tests. Rie was at lunch with her friends and discussing the results.

"Maid! Maid! Do I look like some fancy French Maid to y'all?" Jackie exclaimed.

Her boyfriend, Chris, acted like he was scrutinizing her. "I'd let you clean my house anytime, Jackie." He was rewarded for his flirting with a shove off of his seat. Everyone laughed as he pulled himself up.

"Hey, Marie," Rie's friend, Belle, said, "what'd you get on your test?" (Belle never called anyone by their nickname.)

"Ha, martial arts sensei probably," Chris joked.

Rie smiled as she shook her head. "Gypsy matchmaker."

The whole table cracked up. "What? Girl, they switched your papers wit' someone else's. You ain't no matchmaker!" Jackie exclaimed.

Rie grinned. "Oh, I've made some impossible matches before. Which reminds me," she said looking at her watch. "I've got a wedding to go to with Sensei. He should be right…about…now."

Right on time, Sensei Koru showed up with Rie's things. "Ready?" he asked, smiling. Rie nodded and left.

Katara of the Water Tribe was in a fit. "I can't do this!" The two years that had passed had increased her beauty, and Katara was suffering from pre-wedding jitters.

Her trusted friend , Rie, laughed. "I said the same thing, and look what happened. I helped you fall in love."

Katara smiled as Rie pulled her hair back. "I remember. You can't really forget the cure-all."

Rie laughed. "Hey, it worked faster than any Water healing you could have pulled off, didn't it?"

The bride had to agree. Rie finished the last minute preparations and told Katara she was ready to go.

Rie stood aside as Aang completed the wedding ceremony. (It was way different for the ones in Rie's world.) As the matchmaker, Rie was asked to hand the groom his family's emblem. In honor of Katara, instead of just the traditional headpiece, Rie also handed the groom a carved necklace.

"With these symbols, Katara of the Water Tribe becomes Fire Lady Katara, wife of Fire Lord Zuko," Aang, now fourteen, said. His girlfriend, Mei Su, one of the Air Nomad refugees of the Eastern Air Temple, smiled. (Sokka was still single.)

As the newlyweds kissed, Rie smiled. "Sometimes," she muttered, "I guess fire and water do mix."

I had a blast writing Out of this World. I'm already working on a fanfic with Sokka as the main character. It's probably going to be a bit longer than this one, but I'm not sure. Of course, it will be a romance. What can I say? I'm a hopeless romantic. (Rie will probably not be in the next one.)

Thanks to all of you who read and a special thanks to those who reveiwed!

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