Alright before I begin this chapter I want you guys to know that you might be a little angry with me for the path that I'm taking in this story. I just feel like it's the more realistic thing that would happen.

PS: Thank you guys for all of the amazing comments :)

Anyways, enjoy!

...

Katara helped Aang walk through the hallways until she stopped at her bedroom's doors.

"Our bedroom? I mean, your bedroom?" the monk asked with a puzzled look. "Yeah, um before we go in there's something that I have to tell you. And I don't know how you're going to react."

Aang suddenly began to fear the worst as she continued. "Aang, you were gone for a year." She paused. "Okay? A whole year. And a lot of things happened in that time-" The waterbender was suddenly cut off.

"Katara, if this is your way of telling me that you're with someone else. I understa-" The hair loops girl looked up in surprise to his accusation. "What? No! No, that's not-"

"Look, I was gone for a long time, you didn't know if I was going to come back, and you felt lonely. I cant exactly blame you for that." Katara covered her face in her hands in irritation while he continued talking. She didn't know how to tell him that that wasn't the case at all. "And considering what happened before I disappeared, I get why you would-"

"I'm pregnant!" Katara finally yelled out and it definitely got the Avatar to shut up. "I mean, I was pregnant. But I'm not anymore, because... you know... I gave birth."

Aang had a widened mouth and eyes while she was talking. "I'm sorry. You're going to have to repeat that again, cause I don't think I heard you right."

She sighed deeply, "I was pregnant and I gave birth a couple of months ago." The suddenly the couple of months part kicked in.

"Wait, it's mine?!" Aang asked while he pointed to himself and a this is crazy look on his face. "Yes, you idiot! Who else's would it be?" She began to chuckle but then stopped when she saw he wasn't laughing.

She stared at him while he still had a shocked face. "Come on," the waterbender told him as she grabbed his hand and pulled him into the bedroom.

She slightly opened the door and laid her eyes on Liang's crib. As she stepped inside she let go of Aang's hand to grab her.

Aang stared at her with an open mouth as she took a small baby from a crib. He watched as Katara comforted the baby and did a shushing sound to keep it from crying.

She turned to face Aang with a soft smile. "Aang, this is Liang." He looked down at the baby girl in Katara's arms and his eyes softened at her sight. "As in Avatar Liang?"

The waterbender chuckled, "Yeah, I really liked the name when I first heard it." While she was talking Aang slowly took the baby from her arms to get a better look at her, before Katara even got a chance to notice. "No, wait!"

Aang then looked up scared that he did something wrong while holding her. Katara's face changed from worry to shock, "She's not... crying." Aang gave her a puzzled look and chuckled, "What?"

"Um, she has this thing of crying every time someone other than me holds her. Especially if she's never met them before." She explained and then grew a soft smile to seeing him holding her. "I guess she must know."

The airbender continued to look at the baby that he held in his arms. He scanned every inch of her face and couldn't help but fall completely in love with her.

"She has your hair," he commented. Katara then got closer to him, "And your eyes."

"Really?" The monk asked in a happy tone. He kept staring at this beautiful baby that was now apparently, his daughter. "She looks so much like you."

Katara faced him with a raised brow and chuckled, "Seriously? To me she's always looked like an exact replica of you."

"I still can't believe this. I mean, how old is she?" He asked Katara with a worried look on his face. "Um, she's five almost six months old."

"Five months! I missed all of that!" He complained while turning to face his daughter in sorrow. "Hey, don't say that. That wasn't your fault. What matters is that you're here now and you're able to be with her. There are still so many things that you'll be able to witness." Aang smiled at Katara's words knowing that she was right.

They remained in this position for a while, Aang holding Liang while Katara was beside him. Suddenly, Katara got the urge to kiss him lightly.

However as her lips touched his and she continued to pursue with the kiss, she didn't seem to be getting the same reaction back. Once she realized this she slightly pulled away and stared at him in shock.

Katara's lip began to quiver as she looked into the airbender's sad eyes. "Why- Why aren't you kissing me back?" Katara asked in a low voice with much agony filling her words.

The airbender looked down, "Katara-" He placed Liang in her crib once again and turned to face her. "Katara I-" he then stopped himself not knowing how to phrase his next words.

"Aang... please just tell me." He took a deep breath, "Katara, I don't think I'm ready to be with you."

In that moment, Katara felt like she just got struck by an arrow to the heart. "Wha- What do you mean?"

"What happened before I was captured... the argument we had... things don't just magically get fixed because I was gone."

"Aang, I understand that what I said hurt you and-" she was then cut off. "No, actually I don't think you do."

Katara looked up to face him, "Katara, your words hurt me. Okay? They hurt me." He paused and tried to stop the tears from flowing but it was too late.

"I was captured by some crazy man who claimed that I ruined his life. I was struck by lighting for the SECOND time in my life. I was tortured so much, I cried blood. My soul, was literally taken out of my body and trapped in a small box! And your words, somehow managed to be the most painful thing I've had to suffer through."

The Water Tribe girl stared at him with a loss of words. "Katara, what you said to me. About not seeing yourself marrying me, about looking into the future and picturing yourself with another man. After everything we've been through together, do you have any idea how that made me feel?"

"Katara, I love you more than anything. And I don't know, I guess I taught that you felt the same way about me too." She finally came close to him and cupped his cheek while tears streamed down her face.

"Of course I do! Aang, I need you to know that I truly didn't mean what I said. And I'm not just saying that because of what happened to you. I regretted saying those words, the second they came out of my mouth. Please Aang, I need you to believe me."

He held her face in his hand and wiped away a tear with his thumb. "I believe you."

She then grew a soft smile to his words. "But Katara-" And with just that the smile went away.

"-I spent what felt like five years living in my mind. And you wanna know what happened to me while I was in there? I had dreams, actually not dreams, nightmares. Constant nightmares that would never end, of you telling me things. Hurting me and breaking my heart, over and over and over again. And for all of that time, that is all that I could think of when I taught of you. Throughout that whole experience, I felt so lonely." He admitted while still holding her face.

"I'm just asking you to give me time. Time to adjust to all of this. To me being back, to a year having gone by, to the fact that we have a daughter now-" Aang now let go off her cheek and turned to look at his baby.

"Look, I know this makes me selfish but-" The Avatar was then cut off. "No, it doesn't."

"No, if anyone here is selfish it's me for expecting that after everything I put you through, that you would just forgive me like nothing happened. Because things did happen. I hurt you, and I think that I will carry that burden with me for a long time. So if you need time, it's yours. It's the least I could do." She stared into grey eyes with a frown of sorrow covering her face.

"Thank you," he said softly. The airbender took a deep breath as he realized that it was now morning. "I should go back to the healing room. Zuko told me that some healers would be there to help me."

"Alright," she agreed in a low voice. As he walked out the door she stared at the floor in despair. Katara then turned to face him, "Aang-"

The Avatar turned at her call out, "Hmph?" She took a deep breath before saying her next words, "Can I just ask you for one thing?"

"What is it?" The waterbender walked closer to where he was. "Can I- Can I kiss you?" He widened his eyes for a second and quickly looked down with a frown not knowing how to respond.

"Please, just before this whole time thing starts." She begged in a low voice. The airbender then nodded slightly.

Katara got closer to his face, and now their lips were inches apart. Before beginning to kiss him however, she breathed in his scent. She wanted to remember the feeling of him being this close.

They rubbed noses and closed their eyes while continued to appreciate the other's presence, before giving in. Katara slowly began to caress his upper lip.

At a steady rate they continued kissing, it was to the point where they were sharing each other's breaths. Aang put his hand through Katara's hair to hold her close, and now deepening the kiss more.

Once they released from each other's mouths, Katara placed her head on his chest and single tear dropped from her eyes. He put his arms around her and placed his head on hers.

After a good time of being locked in that position of feeling safe in each other's embrace, they let go. Aang walked out the door and headed back to his healing room.

Katara stared at the door, hoping that somehow he would come back in and kiss her. And he would tell her that he didn't need time, because being away from her much longer would kill him. But at last that didn't happen.

She reached into her pocket and took out the betrothal necklace he had carved out for her. She turned it around and read through the inscription on the back, "Love is brightest in the dark."

She held it close to her chest and smiled. Because now things weren't the same as before. Aang was here, he was alive, he met Liang and loved her, and they had just had a passionate kiss that she was sure wasn't going to be the last. He just needed his time, and she was going to give it to him.