The day started out simple enough.

For Aang, it was a slightly cloudy day, though the sun was mostly out and beaming down. It had been hours since finding out who the Mistress was, but it still bothered him that the one woman had to be someone his friend grew up with.

Until her death.

When he had met Zuko, he had been such an angry person, mostly towards himself because, despite the changes, him and Azula used to be close, almost inseparable. They started separating emotionally right up until the divorce and, apparently in grief, Ozai had crashed into a tree, destroying the engine which caused an explosion.

But now Aang and his friends knew the truth. Ozai and his daughter had faked their deaths. It made him wonder if they had been doing this illegal activity far longer than he believed. The line had to start somewhere and, hopefully, it would end with Azula.

Taking a deep breath, he paused outside the alley where the panic attack had occurred. As it was early evening that Saturday, the sun was still glowing brightly and the people were put enjoying the weather, it seemed that the light would not be coming into darkness.

Shivering, he went in. Aang wasn't sure why he had decided to come here, really, but for some reason he felt that he had to. Maybe it was a way to close the door on what had happened then, to let go of the trouble the place held. Though he didn't remember anything after passing out, it was made clear that something would have had his friends not found him when they had.

He thought about Hahn, the boy who was about to shoot something into his system. Even now, the forensics team could only establish that the fluid was some kind of poison; they were still trying to understand where it came from. Why would a guy he had never met before try to possibly kill him? He doubted Azula would let anyone do that besides herself.

It was strange to think of the woman as Azula. For many reasons, her name made him fearful, despite knowing who she was now. The Rivers and him knew her identity, but if anything, that was going to make her harder to locate. She was dangerous, but that didn't make her stupid. She was coming after them, him especially, to tie up lose ends before ultimately resuming her empire of prostitution.

Taking a deep breath, his lungs tight with the thought, Aang was about to leave when something caught his eyes at the end of the alley. Both ends were open, sunlight marking the openings, but there was something...ominous about the far end.

Feeling adrenaline kick up in hi body, Aang moved his hand to the pocket of his jeans in reassurance before calling out, "Who's there?"

There was a moment of silence, then a tall, somewhat slim figure came in, hands in the air. The figure came closer to him, causing Aang's heart to accelerate feverishly, His hand went into the pocket. "Who are you?" he demanded, managing to keep his voice even.

The person came into the light that managed t enter the alley. "You do know, right Aang?"

The moment the face registered into Aang's memory bank, he stumbled backwards with a gasp of shock. "No," he whispered.

"Yes," said the man, keeping his voice calm, eyes staring at him intently.

Aang felt slight bit of anger slice through his fear. "You're one of the kidnappers."

The man, Lee, grimaced in regret. "I'm sorry about that," he said softly, looking disturbed. "I didn't have a choice."

Taking another step back, he brought out the item from his pocket, keeping it concealed. "What do you want?" he growled.

"I only want to talk," he replied, glancing over his shoulder. "I've been looking for you for some time now. I don't mean any harm."

Despite how calm the man was, Aang knew there was someone else with him. It could mean only one thing: Azula was planning on taking him again right at that moment. Even now someone could be creeping up on him in order to take him out. Not again; last time he had been powerless to stop the kidnappers.

Now he had a fighting chance.

It was now he flicked the switchblade and raised it, the glint of steel a mere blur. "Don't come any closer!" he called out, letting anyone who was within earshot to stand back. "I don't want to hurt anyone, but I will fight if I have to."

Lee eyed the knife warily. "Please, just listen. I'm not here to take you to the mistress."

Aang stared at him, gritting his teeth, brow furrowed. "I know who she is. Her name is Azula Wildfire. She's supposed to be dead but instead went into hiding."

Lee looked surprised at what Aang said. "It's Hellfire, now, actually."

Narrowing his steel grays, he said coldly, "I don't give a fuck what she calls herself. And I don't buy for a minute that you're not working for her."

Looking down, he sighed, slightly lowering his hands from their high height to his shoulders. "I know that's hard to believe, and I know you feel threatened, but just hear me out, okay?"

There was a pause, a tension in the air that was thick. Aang watched the man carefully, looking into those warm eyes, and relaxed marginally. Taking a calming breath, knife still raised, he said, "Start talking."

That was when Lee, who reintroduced himself as Bryan Gleeson, told of how he had come to be in a place like the pleasure house. Of On Ji, who had drowned because she resisted taking on a client who choked women for fun. Aang remembered her; very pretty, with bright eyes. It had been terrible, watching that day. She had been there a year longer than him and they had become friends of sorts, or at least acquaintances. It had been tragic when she was killed.

After the story, Bryan took a breath. "After the drowning, I wanted to do all I could to bring down the whorehouse." At some point he had lowered his hands, staring at the ground. "But I realized not long ago that I needed help." He met Aang's eyes, determination shining brightly. "My first step was freeing you."

Glancing down, Aang was somewhat surprised to find his knife lowered. He wasn't sure when he had done so, but while hearing the tale of Bryan's woe, it had become apparent that he posed no danger. "So it was you who took out the bars from the prison window."

Bryan nodded. "It was. I couldn't leave you there." He sighed. "And also I wanted to tell you something...about your dad."

Heart thumping at those words, Aang felt his throat his constrict. "Is it bad?" he asked softly. Was his father even alive? Where was he? Had Azula taken him into hiding as well? He took a deep calming breath in order to stop the shaking without much success. "Please tell me he's okay," he whispered hoarsely.

Bryan once again looked at the entrance to the alley at the opposite end and waved a hand. It was then that another figure came out. Once more it was dark, so Aang couldn't see the face yet. But the physique looked familiar, the gait slow but steady, and the height was as he remembered.

Heart suddenly pounding, Aang watched as the face of Joshua Windstorm entered the light. The two silver eyes stared together, shock and hope and despair mixing in. Despair was present due to the fact that they had lost time, missed out on birthdays, Christmas, and just days when they hung out. In two years they had lost so much, but both were hopeful that they could continue and make up for those lost years.

Seeing his dad after so long of hell and of roller coaster rides in the emotional department, seeing him brought forth a wave of happiness he hadn't quite believed himself capable of. That same emotion was reflecting in his father's eyes, brightening up the world to almost blinding iridescence. Time seemed to stall as they watched each other.

Tears streaming down his face in a quiet torrent, Josh took on step closer, raising his arms, and said, "You're alive."

A smile came to Aang's face as he dropped the knife and cried, "Dad!" while also running to meet his father. When he finally felt those strong arms holding him against a broad chest, Aang decided then and there that he was content to stay where they were. Burying his face into that comfortable spot, the sobs began. They were quiet but strong, shaking his entire frame. Josh ran his hand through his hair in a relaxing manner, nuzzling his head. They stayed that way for a very long time as Aang stopped sobbing so roughly.

Guilt churned his stomach as he looked at his dad, and the words spilled out. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

Josh touched his cheek, silencing his son. Wiping away the tears, he smiled sadly. "None of us meant it, Aang. You didn't do anything wrong. Okay? This whole thing is not your fault."

Aang, feeling overwhelmed, barely heard his father. He replied, "But if I hadn't been lost in my own thoughts, I could have run. They would never had gotten me and you wouldn't have had to spend those years in that place. Mom wouldn't be alone."

Josh hugged him again, sighing. "But we're okay now. We got out, thanks to Bryan here."

Aang had almost forgotten about him, and turned to Bryan in gratitude. "Thank you so much."

Bryan blushed but gave a slight grin, bowing his head in acknowledgment. "It was my pleasure, Aang. At least something good came out of this mess." He took a breath and met their gazes once more. "I should probably leave, now that you guys are together again."

Josh asked, "Where will you go?"

Bryan shrugged. "No idea, actually. But Azula is still at large. Maybe I can spread the word about her without drawing attention to myself. If she catches me, I'm dead."

The mention of that madwoman made Aang shiver, and when he tuned to his dad, he wasn't surprised to see the grim look on his visage. "Be careful out there," he said to Bryan. "Me and Aang will watch our step, too."

Aang nodded his agreement, feeling a slight coldness in his stomach. If Azula caught him, too, there was no doubt in his mind he was mincemeat.

Bryan nodded and turned to walk away before pausing. "Good luck, guys. Maybe when this is over, we can hang out. Start fresh, even." He met Aang's eyes when he said the final words, and he understood. They were no longer enemies but survivors, who had lost much in this personal war with Azula Wildfire.

He gave a small smile and a nod. "Yeah, sounds like a plan."

Bryan grinned before leaving, hands in his jeans pocket, and the other two watched until he had disappeared into the crowds.

Aang looked at his father after a couple of minutes of silence. "So now what do we do?"

Josh took a deep breath, closing his eyes. Keeping them that way, he said, "I'd like to see Linda." Re-opening them to gaze at his son, he asked, "How is she?"

Aang smiled, thinking of her. "She's better, though she told me once that life without us was hell on earth for her. I think she would be glad to see you, seeing as we talked about you a lot since reuniting."

There was a distant look on his face, as if remembering good times from the past. "I miss her, and I still love her, Aang."

He grinned at the words, knowing this reunion was going to be a good one. He walked over and picked up his knife, closing it and putting in back in his pocket. "Well, let's not keep her waiting. Come on, I'll take you to my home here. I got my driver's license earlier this week, so I can take you to Mom."

Josh groaned as they began walking, eyes sparkling. "You, driving? That's scary, son."

Aang rolled his eyes, grinning, and nudged the older man. "Come on, I'm a good driver. You'll see. On the way to Mom's, I'll tell you how I came to be here."

His father smiled back, looking pleased. "I'd like that."

And so, reunited after two years of isolation, father and son walked away from the alley, into the San Fran sun, quelling the shadows that tried to follow.