Chapter Twenty

This feeling in his chest was warm. Aang was unsure what to call it, but as he and his mother lay on the grass near the beach, it became apparent that this feeling was nice. For two years he had wanted to be reunited with his family, and the fact that his mom was there made everything that much more real.

They had done nothing but talk and laugh as they explored her part of the city, Aang not sure whether he wanted to reveal what had happened that night. She knew about the kidnapping but not the finer details. It wasn't that he didn't want her to know; it was just the fact that what he had gone through was still traumatizing. The dreams slowed but they haven't stopped. He had made some headway in his recovery, but the limits were still there.

At the moment they were talking about the one person they both miss: Aang's dad and the time he had gotten a chameleon on his head.

Aang was laughing so hard his ribs hurt. "I remember that day," he said with a grin. "We were at the zoo and this little chameleon decided to use Dad's hair nest to hide."

Linda covered her mouth, snorting a little through her nose. "The little creature was smart, though. I still can't believe how it managed to get away from the keepers."

Aang shrugged, grinning. "It was hard to see it, but the keepers managed to get a hold of it in the end."

She was grinning back at him, and time seemed to have turned back to the times when they were a whole family, before everything had gone to hell. They had decided to stop at the beach before going to get some food. It was nice to be there, to feel the sun on his face, to breathe and just be.

His mother sighed and he looked over at her. The smile had gone from her face, brows pinched together as if in pain. Feeling concerned, Aang sat up and grabbed her hand. "Hey, what's wrong?"

The torment in her gaze when she looked at him was heartbreaking. She sat up as well, brushing some grass from her hair. "It's just..." Releasing a hard breath, she rubbed at her eyes with her free hand. "We've lost so much time."

Heart twinging, he looked down at their hands. Yes, they have lost time together. Dad was gone, probably being used like Aang had been, and they didn't know how to get him back. Except for one thing: Aang's memory. He knew where the place was, he knew what the Mistress looked like. There was a drawing in the back of his sketchbook.

But he hadn't felt ready to give it yet.

He didn't feel any loyalty to the woman who had abused him. The truth was, he was scared, scared of seeing her, of reliving the moments of that first time, the feeling of her finger around his neck as he was forced to have sex with her. Aang didn't want to see her anymore; he'd rather forget she ever existed. Yet he felt that the time was coming to give the drawing to Hakoda so they could find out who she was before storming the pleasure house.

Taking a deep breath to push it away for now, Aang squeezed her hand in comfort. "I know, but at least we have now, Mom. I can't be touched here; Katara and Sokka have helped me, and Suki has been teaching me self-defense so nothing like that could happen again. We're not going to lose anymore years together."

At least he wanted that was the case. With learning to fight and the Rivers' protection, it felt like nothing could harm him while he remained in the city. He tried to believe that he was safe, but there was always the possibility that the Mistress would find him, watch him, to look for a weakness that would be his downfall. It wouldn't shock him if she was planning his retrieval, but he had to hope that she would not find him.

If she touched anyone else, he would fight.

Linda sniffled, wiping her eyes and giving him a watery smile. "I guess you're right, sweetheart. It's been hard, that's all. Losing you, then with your father leaving, it's been hell for me. I don't want that happening again." Her voice was shaking by the time she finished talking and she clenched her eyes, face downward.

He pulled her into a hug, which she returned eagerly. "It won't," he said determinedly. If nothing else, there was no way she was going to lose her son, not again, and he will do everything he could to fight, to be there. Even if, or when, the Mistress found him.

His mother looked at him with such hope it made his heart hurt, but he wasn't going to let anything else rip him away from her again. "Maybe you're right." Standing up, she extended her hand to him, which he took, and got to his feet. "Come on, Aang. Let's get some food."

(***)

After she had taken him to this awesome restaurant where he got veggie rolls and pasta, which Linda lovingly rolled her eyes at, Aang decided it was time to go home. It was getting dark out and he didn't fancy a trip through the it; it still left unpleasant shivers in his body at the thought.

His mom was more than willing to let to him stay the night, but he told her that he had made plans for tomorrow with Katara, Sokka, and Suki, which all three of them were going to the arcade. When she looked thoughtful on the drive, since she insisted she she took him home, he had a thought.

"Hey, Mom, how come you haven't met them?"

She glanced over at him for a moment. "What?" she asked, perplexed.

"Katara and Sokka," he replied. "I mean, you've lived here for two years, but only ever saw Suki. Why didn't want to meet the others? They're nice."

Linda sighed. "It's...complicated, Aang." She paused for a long moment, chewing her cheek slightly, before continuing. "I guess the short of it is that I didn't want to see how happy the Rivers family is, despite the mother dying."

Yeah, Aang could get that, but still. It couldn't have been healthy to stay where she was, working online for book editing, even if it was a huge paying job. Money didn't mean much when someone was alone. At least, he was grateful for, that she had somewhere to live and food to eat. Not to mention Suki coming to visit every now and then. He had to remind himself that Linda was not complete by herself.

"At least meet them, Mom. They saved my life."

At a stoplight, she looked over and said, "They didn't get you out of wherever you were." Bitterness slightly coated her words, as if she resented them for this. But that was impossible; they didn't even know he existed.

"No, but someone did. I just don't know who." He looked at her pleadingly. "Come on, Mom. Please? They're my family, too. They found me when I was struggling to find you, nursing me back to health. I'm alive and doing better, because they let me, a stranger, into their home." He grabbed a hand that was resting between them. "You'd really like Katara," he sang.

Something in his voice made her face soften into a small grin. "Katara, huh? What makes her so special?"

Thinking maybe he shouldn't have said her name in such a fashion, Aang flushed in embarrassment. "Well, I mean... she's pretty nice," he mumbled.

Linda raised a brow, amused. "Pretty nice? Is that all you've got, Aang?" she teased as the red light changed to green. But then she sighed, looking thoughtful, and he prayed that she didn't fully catch on to the fact that Aang was starting to fall in love with the girl. "Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt," she said slowly. "If it means that much to you, honey, I'll meet your friends."

Grinning, heart full of gratitude, he squeezed her hand. "Thanks, Mom. I promise, you'll love them."

(***)

It wasn't too much longer afterwards that they reached the Rivers' house. Linda had grown quiet, nervous, as if she expected something bad to happen. But Aang was determined to show his friends to his mother, families together as long last. They have been separate for so long. It was time to be one family.

After parking the car, they weren't even out of it completely when the front door opened and three teenagers came out. Seeing his friends made his stomach leap and his heart flutter, he was so happy to see them. Sokka made it to him first, gently encasing his head in a hold. "Hey, bro!" he said exuberantly, messing with Aang's hair.

He laughed, easily escaping. "Quit it, Sokka!" Man, it felt good to his best friend again.

Suki bounded over to give him a big hug. "I missed you, little brother."

Aang hugged her back just as tightly. It may be only dusk at that point, but he had missed his friends. "Me too, sis."

She pulled back and punched him not-so-lightly on the shoulder. "Big ego much?" she said, smirking.

Rubbing the spot, he faked a glare in her direction. "Not funny, Suks."

As she was chuckling, Sokka took her hand and pulled her close, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Aang's mouth fell in astonishment as he pointed at the pair. "Are you guys together?" he exclaimed.

Sokka blushed deep enough that his darker skin couldn't hide it. "It just happened," he slowly said.

Suki rolled her eyes. "Would you believe it that Sokka was the one who made the move?"

Eyes bugging out, Aang goggled at him. "Seriously?" he asked numbly. Truth be told, he had known that the two had liked each other as more than friends, but it was weird, seeing his best friend and sister together. Still, the sight of them gave him hope. Maybe someday he could have what they clearly do.

Unconsciously, he met Katara's blue gaze, and that feeling of warmth expanded within his chest. She blushed but smiled at him. More than anything he wanted to know if she thought about them as a couple. He couldn't understand how the feelings are so strong already, but he was still afraid to admit them.

Katara was a young woman, and sooner or later she will have those urges for intimacy. Aang was still unready for something like that. So all he did was smile back at her and returned the hug she gave him.

"I'm glad you found your mother," she murmured, her warm breath tickling his neck.

Suppressing a shiver, he hugged her harder, closing his eyes and reminding himself that his was as close as the were going to get, even when it hurt to admit the truth to himself. "Thank you," he murmured back.

Once the hug was done, he turned to his mother, who was watching kind of nervously, but there was a fond look in her eyes as she gazed at her son.

Pulling Katara forward, he made introductions. "Mom, this Katara and her older brother, Sokka Rivers. This is my family." He walked over and grasped her hand, to show that there was nothing to fear. "Guys, this is Linda Windstorm."

Katara smiled softly and reached out a hand, which Linda took almost reluctantly. "It's great to finally meet you, Mrs. Windstorm. We've heard a lot of great things about you."

She blushed but smiled, looking somewhat pleased. "Thank you, Katara. I've heard the same about you, though you seem to have quite a temper."

The girl laughed before saying, "It's true, but don't worry, most of that temper is for Sokka." She smirked in his direction.

He frowned. "Hey, why do you have to bully me?" he exclaimed, folding his arms in a childish manner.

Linda chuckled, looking at Aang. He could feel he was grinning because his cheeks hurt. But when his mother spoke, he paid attention. "They seem like nice people, sweetheart. I'm glad you found them." The sincerity in her voice throbbed in the air. She really meant what she just said.

He positively beamed at her comment. "And I'm glad I have you here with me, Mom. Both of my families."Hugging her, Aang could help but add, "Don't worry about Dad." This was something that they spoke about a bit earlier, but now he could give his honest thoughts. "He's alive, and we will find him."

Lind tightened her grip on his shoulders and he could feel the tears leaking onto the skin of his neck. "I know," she whispered before pulling away. Katara was there, hand raised, seeming to have patted his mother's shoulder to get her attention.

She asked, "Would you like to stay for something to drink? I know it's a long drive back to your home. I could pack a snack too if you would like." Her smile was gentle, her gaze soft, as if she knew what they had whispered about.

Linda cleared her throat, back away a bit. "Thank you, dear, but I'm alright. I'm still full from lunch." That wasn't hard to believe, considering how much she had eaten. Aang had gotten the feeling that she hadn't eaten like that in a long time.

"Oh, okay," Katara said, still smiling. "At least let me make you some tea. We have this special mint chocolate that you might like."

Lind chuckled and said, "Thank you. That...actually sounds lovely."

Katara beamed and practically pulled Linda into the house, the others following in laughter.

Sometime later, when it was completely dark and the tea was gone, Aang and Linda left the house to her car. Katara had insisted on packing a small snack for the road, so now Linda had a baggie of homemade trail mix. Pulling her son into a hug, Aang could tell that she was really starting to recover. Even with his dad still missing, at least they had each other now.

Pulling back, she said, "You were right, Aang. Your friends are wonderful."

Smiling he squeezed her hand. "I'm glad you met them, though as you saw, Katara is a force to be reckoned with."

Laughing she replied, "Yes, she certainly seems powerful in her own right." The smile vanished as she gazed back at the house. "I've heard about it before, from Suki, their mother being dead. It's a heavy burden for one so young to carry."

Aang understood what she meant. No child should have to go through losing a parent that was so precious. They shouldn't have had to shoulder responsibilities that adults usually take on. But all he said was, "Katara and Sokka are strong. They survived. They will keep doing so." Hugging her again he added, "Don't worry so much."

She sighed, squeezing him back. "I know, I know." Pulling back she smiled. "Come visit anytime, alright? At least call every now and then."

"I've got your number," he promised. He watched her get in the car.

Before she left, Linda had one more thing to say. "Aang, I'm really proud of you." Putting the car in reverse, she left the lot and started down the road towards her house. Aang stood there until the taillights disappeared. He sighed in contentment, hands in his jeans pockets. And right then everything he had accomplished came to mind.

"You know what?" he whispered after her. "I'm proud of me too."

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! Here's a new chapter to commemorate this occasion. I'm going to do my best to give weekly updates as the story is firmly planted in my brain. Be prepared, though, some of it fluff, others dark. Hope you enjoyed!