Katara sat by Aang's side, holding his slightly cooler hand in her own, staring at his sleeping face. He'd been unconscious for a week straight, barely moving but breathing steadily. The doctors said it was shock, multiple wounds that caused blood-loss, exhaustion from the fight, that put him in this state. All of that combined... It was no wonder he still slept. He had been through so much during that final fight with Azula, she wouldn't be much surprised if he stayed comatose for a while longer.

If not for school, she would have practically lived in that hospital room. But as Sokka had already told her, life continues, even when bad things occur. She shuddered at the image that had stamped itself on her mind: Aang laying in her arms, bleeding from a wound that could have killed him, barely coherent.

But, surprisingly, she also felt terrible for Azula.

The young woman had been a victim, as Aang had stated a week ago. It had taken a couple of days to come to terms with it, but he was right. Ozai had been the beginning of the end to a young life full of potential, turned into a slave in a way. She hadn't asked for this, either, anymore than Aang had. Katara sighed, carding her hand through his freshly washed hair. If anyone understood that kind of pain, it was him.

It was also good that he forgave before she died. It was closure, something they both had needed when the end was nigh. Katara was still unsure if it was deserved, but she was grateful it had happened. If nothing else, at least Aang got it. He had every reason to hate her, but instead he forgave her for something she had done, all because of what Ozai had forced on her at such a young age. At least they were free from that torment. Now all any of them could do was wait until he woke up.

A knock at the door pulled Katara away from her thoughts. Wiping the unexpected tears, she cleared her throat. "Come in," she called softly.

The door opened to reveal Toph, the last person she had thought would come here. The half blind girl had a forlorn look on her face as she went to the chair opposite of hers. She sat down with a sigh, gazing at the boy who had a hand in saving her life. "Any changes?" she asked gently.

Katara looked at the hand she was holding, sighing. "Not much, Toph. The doctors say he might be in a coma for a little while longer, but..." She shrugged, tears prickling at her eyes. "Who knows what will happen? The trauma alone..."

Toph connected her hands, resting them under her chin, contemplating the boy in front of her. "He saved us, all of us. Not just the group, but other people that suffered because of this situation. The world owes him."

The older girl replied, "Aang wouldn't want that. He would shrug it off, saying it was something that had to be done. But I know he will be upset about ending a life of his own volition."

Jeez, how was Aang going to get through that? Despite knowing he had gotten closure in the end, he would still be distraught about the whole thing. Killing someone, even in defense, was never an easy thing to accept. She knew how that was like, since she had killed the Viper for the very same reason. Still she had nightmares about the encounter. The urge to cut herself was there, but dim, since she knew that it wouldn't solve anything.

If that happened and Aang found out about it, he would be so upset with her, wanting to help in overcoming that obstacle. But Katara refused to go back to those dangerous ways. Not now, not when the bigger fight has yet to come. No matter what happens in the future, they will survive and build a life together. They also have their friends and families behind their backs, forces of good that can outweigh the bad.

Toph said, "I can't imagine everything he had through while under Azula's thumb." She cleared her throat, looking down as she twiddled her thumbs. "I wanted to apologize, too."

Katara looked up in surprise. "It wasn't like you asked to be kidnapped."

Toph shook her head, tears swimming in her gaze. "All those things I said at the beginning of the year... I wish I could take all that back, knowing what I do now. I never realized that he had been a sex slave." Taking shaky breath, she reached down to clasp his hand. "I shouldn't have been so mean." Her voice was little more than a whisper at that final sentence.

Katara reached over with her free hand to place it upon the paler one, wanting to comfort the distraught girl. "I believe he will forgive you for that."

Toph met her gaze. "You think so?" she asked shyly, but hopefully.

She smiled softly. "I know so." Because he was just like that. How did she get someone so wonderful?

It was at that moment that a faint voice reached them. "I do forgive you."

The girls reacted by jumping before looking down to see Aang's gray eyes sparkle warmly at them. "You're awake!" Katara said with a smile of relief, swiping his hair again.

"I guess so, though I still feel like I've been hit by a train." He shifted slightly, grimacing. "No running around for a while, it seems."

Toph shook her head, tears escaping her eyes. "You have a lot time to recover now, Twinkle Toes."

He arched a brow, staring at her. "Twinkle Toes?" he complained hoarsely. "Seriously?"

The girl shrugged, unabashed. "You're pretty light on your feet."

Katara chuckled, squeezing his hand. "That's true, Toph."

Aang rolled his eyes slightly. "I never thought you two would be friends." But he was smiling as he said this, taking the bite out of his words.

Toph snorted, "Funny, neither did we, right Katara?"

The older girl grinned, back. "Never in a million years would I have even dreamed of the concept."

All three shared laughter at that last comment, but it wasn't long before the heaviness of the past came back to them. Aang in particular seemed weighed down by the memory of his fight. He took deep breath before asking, "How long was I was out?"

"A week," Katara murmured.

His gray eyes closed in exhaustion. "A full one?"

It as Toph who answered, her voice surprisingly gentle. "Yeah. Everyone's been worried for you."

"My parents, too?" he asked in a small in voice. Katara knew he hated it when people worried so much for him, considering how bad his life had been as a slave. Aang hadn't been able to view himself as someone worth loving or saving. Despite forgiving Azula, there would always be a part of his being that felt undeserving of forgiveness himself.

"Them too," Toph said, grasping his shoulder. "They'll be glad to see you awake."

Opening his eyes, he looked her way. "What about you? How are you holding up?"

Toph bit her lip, seeming to contemplate her words, before shrugging. "Well, you know, being a kidnapped person... Just another day."

Aang simply stared at her, and Katara could tell that he wasn't buying her lie. Katara voiced what he was thinking. "Toph, what you went through...you don't have to put a brave face on it and say it was alright."

"Yeah," Aang croaked. "Take it from someone who was prisoner once. Holding your emotions in will only break you later."

Toph took a deep breath and released it as a sigh, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "I guess so, but it's hard to face what happened."

Aang took her hand, squeezing reassuringly. "Just be grateful that it didn't progress further than what it had. At least you don't have that pain to bear."

Katara placed her other on top of theirs, feeling a bond form between the trio. The tears flowed strongly from Toph's eyes, making the emerald one gleam like a gem in sunlight. Despite her earlier misgivings about the girl's character, Katara knew that once she made a friend, she would do everything in her power to keep them. To protect them the same way they did, her, Sokka, Suki, and Aang. Their struggle from before made them stronger. They would only continue to grow more so.

Aang looked over at her, causing Katara's heart to leap into her throat. "Once I'm out of here, there is something I have to do."

Katara furrowed her brow in confusion for a moment before remembering hearing about Azula's final words. She needed her family to know the truth of what had happened to her and Ozai. Smiling softly, she nodded in understanding. This was something he wanted to do alone.

There was another knock on the door and in entered Aang's parents, who, upon seeing their son awake, rushed over. The girls got up and backed away towards the door as the family had a reunion after a week of almost nothing. There were many tears as Aang and his parents embraced, and while it soothed Katara to watch, it also made her heart ache, knowing that her mother would never be able to hug her or Sokka again.

While the family was preoccupied, the girls left the room, heading for the cafeteria. Though food was the last thing on her mind, Katara was hungry, and with everything that had happened, it was needed to eat. Once they each had some food, chicken soup for her, grilled cheese for Toph, they sat at the big window that overlooked the lake.

Looking out at the sun glittered water, she thought about the last week. With it being Saturday, people were swimming and having a good time. It felt like she was...disconnected from the rest of the world, because of the events that had occurred. Ever since meeting Aang, her life has been turned upside down. Trouble came to their neck of the woods, threatened their lives, and brought an ugly side of people to her mind.

And yet... Katara can't bring herself to regret for ever helping her boyfriend. He has gone through worse than anyone she has met. Aang was a strong person, with a good heart and sharp mind. Now they were all safe, thanks to him, but the burden on his shoulders was enough to bring tears to her eyes.

"Hey," Toph said softly, jolting Katara out of her thoughts. "You know him better than I do, but I think you agree when I say that he will pull through this. He's a tough guy."

Katara sighed, wiping her eyes before looking up. "Yeah, you're right. He's stronger than anyone else I know. But I hope he realizes that we are there for him, no matter what the situation."

Toph smiled a little bit and nodded. "Absolutely." She took a bite of her grilled cheese, chewed thoughtfully, then swallowed. "You know, I'm going to be honest with you. I've always been jealous of you and Sokka."

Surprised, her eyes widening, she blurted, "Why? There's no reason for jealously." It shocked her to think that her ex-enemy was as such.

Toph looked down, picking at the bread. "To me there is." Taking a steadying breath, she began, "After finding out I was partially blind, my parents wanted to keep me hidden. Why? I'm not sure. Maybe they were ashamed about it, maybe embarrassed. All I know is what they told me. They wanted to protect me, but sometimes..."

When she paused, Katara took a moment to process her words. In a way, it sounded like they wanted to control the girl because of this disability. What kind of parent would do that?

Toph continued. "No matter what I said, about anything, or of the things I wanted to do, they used my blind eye as an excuse to limit me. That I wasn't ready, that the world was dangerous, blah blah blah." She snorted, shaking her head. "That was why my father kept making me watch the news, to show how bad the world is."

A question came to mind. "If your parents are so protective, why were you allowed in school?"

"Because I wore them down. I told them, 'How am I supposed to learn unless I take an active role?' They didn't like it, but in the end they agreed, under the condition that someone accompanies me every day."

"Was someone with you on the day you were taken?"

Toph sighed, dropping her half finished sandwich. "Actually, I managed to give them the slip that day. About an hour later, one Azula's lackeys caught me. After we had escaped from the underground, I found out that my shadow had been found dead near a pond. Whoever killed him had to have been incredibly strong, because Arnold was like a freaking bodybuilder. His death was by drowning..." Her voice trailed off, tears forming in her eyes, and Katara's heart broke for the girl.

Leaving her soup, she moved over to the other side and hugged Toph, who leaned against her shoulder, shuddering sobs leaving her. Toph spoke in a choked voice. "All I wanted was one day to myself...and it killed someone I cared about."

"Shh," Katara soothed, hand smoothing black hair in gentle strokes. "There was no way you could have known. It's not your fault, none of this is. Nobody blames you for his death; for all we know, it was planned the moment Azula knew you and Aang had become friends."

"But she didn't need to have him killed. But if I had stayed, I could have tried calling the police. I would've-"

"Toph," Katara said gently, raising her head to make the girl meet her gaze. "There's no point in worrying about it. It's over for good. Azula can't hurt anyone anymore, her lackeys are gone. If they ever come back, we will be there to fight them, together. You have my word."

Toph stared at her for a long moment before hugging her. "You may be a Madame Fussy Britches, but you really are an amazing person."

Katara hugged her back tightly, promising to help her newfound friend in any way she possibly could. After the hug ended, she asked, "Is that why you were jealous of us?"

Toph nodded. "Seeing you out and about without an escort of some kind made me feel caged, while you guys were free to be who you are, free to do what you want. To explore and have fun, to be goofy or serious or to have a good time. It made me want that, too."

"Well," Katara mused, rubbing her chin, "perhaps when the heat dies down, we can all go the amusement park. Or a picnic. It's been a while since we went."

Toph laughed. "Good luck telling my parents that one. I'm pretty much incarcerated."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind," she replied with a grin, then they looked out the window in comfortable silence...

Until Toph murmured, "And, Katara?"

Removing her gaze from the window, she met the other girl's eyes. "Yeah?"

A sincere smile graced her lips and she said a heartfelt, "Thank you."

And that day ended with friends sharing one more warm hug.

Hi everyone! Merry Christmas to all of you! First off, thank you for your patience and understanding. I'm doing better now, and with it being Christmas, I wanted to give this next chapter as a gift, not just a story progression. After my dad passed away, it felt like a dark shroud was hanging over me, blotting out my willingness to keep going on anything. But thanks to the fans, my friends and family, and some neighbors, I was able to get through the worst of my grief.

I wanted to give a big shout out for my readers for their condolences and kind words:

Ashley Barbosa, Rocketman1729, and Gabriella N Gonzalez. You guys are but a few who give me strength to keep writing. I hope you've enjoyed this one, as I have another chapter coming soon (sooner than this one, lol). Again, I appreciate what you guys have said to me. From the bottom of my heart, thank you, and have a wonderful Christmas.