Morning light shone through the windows, casting yellow light across the room. Suki's back was faced away from the sun's rays; the rim light giving her the illusion of a halo. The dust descending in the light around her looked like heaven itself was raining down on her. He thought it silly to think such a thing, but even dust looked good with her in the picture.

Sokka had been awake for some time now and decided against waking her up.

He watched her instead. She looked so peaceful, even while being - by nature - a more restless sleeper. Receiving kicks and slaps from her throughout the night was the price he paid to sleep next to her. Though she didn't lack payment from him either; he apparently snored like a drunker. So he figured they were even.

Placing his hand underneath her balled-up fist he wove his fingers with hers and lifted it to place a kiss on her knuckles. Her face scrunched and he thought it adorable. He chuckled and placed another kiss on the inside of her wrist, receiving a noise from her this time.

She has to get up soon anyway. He reasoned before continuing to tease her out of her slumber.

He traveled the length of her arm, placing little kisses every so often, and finally making his way to the nape of her neck. She started stirring and he laughed as she tried to push his face away. "Sokka," she muttered in a child-like whine. "-Too early for that. Go back to sleep."

"You have to get up," he whispered, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "-You're heading home in a couple of hours, and you still haven't packed."

She made a sound that resembled a growl. Brushing his hand away from her face, Suki nestled herself comfortably into his chest, winding her arms around his waist. "Not ready."

He nodded in understanding.

She was fully awake; he could tell by the way she was breathing. Pulling the covers over her shoulders, he rubbed her back through the material in a comforting gesture. He tried taming her hair but knew he was most likely messing it up more. She sighed and lifted her head to look at his face. Searched her eyes, Sokka tried to read her.

He knew almost instantly. He was feeling the same way. Grabbing her hand again, he kissed her palm reassuringly. "It won't be long this time. I've learned that no matter how hard the world tries to keep us apart, we're just too stubborn to listen."

Her lips tugged into a smile, and she nodded. "You're right about the stubborn part, for sure."

"Hey. Are you trying to tell me I'm thick-headed?" He pouted playfully.

"You have been since the moment I met you. And I don't expect you to stop anytime soon."

"Woah woah, hold up! Are you talking about the time you tied me up for no reason, threatened to feed me to a giant, snake demon; or when you flattened my face with a floor?"

She smirked at him deviously rather than respond.

"You little -" he guffawed and tackled her, pinning her by the wrists and blowing a wet raspberry against her neck.

She shrieked in laughter, before expertly spinning them to be the one on top. He was far stronger than she was physically, but she knew how to evade and use his strength against him. Grabbing his fingers, she twisted them with light pressure and he scrunched his face in discomfort.

"Oww oww, hey! That's dirty," he said - remembering the first time she had done this specific move on him. It was right after he had won his first match against her and put her on her butt. "-You're a sore loser."

"Escape or surrender," she purred innocently before bending his fingers back just a little more.

A few more whines left his mouth as he tried to wiggle himself out of her grasp. He stopped; finding out quickly that he wouldn't be able to remove his fingers without causing himself more pain.

He almost smirked at a thought, but he'd have to put on a bit of an act to succeed. He had to throw her off-guard. Putting on his best 'sweet' face, he asked - locking his eyes with hers and lowering his pitch. "Take it easy, baby. You're not going to be this mean to our kids one day, are you?"

Her eyes widened and her mouth parted some. Got her. Her hold on him loosened just enough for him to slip his fingers out of her grip. She released a startled gasp as he flipped her over onto her back, pinning her once more.

Sokka smirked down at her in victory as she pouted her lip, giving him the tiniest of glares. "And you said I played dirty?"

"Hey, I learned from the best," he said, leaning down and kissing her. He freed her wrists and moved his hands up her arms and to her shoulders. Her expression softened enough for him to see past her rouse of irritation.

He bent down to kiss her again but stopped at the sound of a door opening. "Come on, lazy-bones! You should've been up - oh!" Ty Lee bit her lip and froze.

"Ty Lee!" Suki yelled. She lifted herself just as Sokka was scrambling to get off her - accidentally knocking their heads together. "Oww!"

Ty Lee covered her mouth to keep herself from laughing, and also to cover her blush. "I'm sorry, did I catch you two at a bad time? I can come back later if you'd like?" Suki burned bright red, her hand still rubbing her forehead. She slung a pillow directly at Ty Lee's face. "Get out!"

She caught it with ease but kept her face behind it to hide her smirk. "Okay. I'll see you at breakfast." Spinning on her heel, she made her way towards the door, but not before shouting over her shoulder, "-glad the date went well!"

The door clicked, and Sokka broke out into little fits of laughter. Suki had her entire face covered with her hands; she was shaking her head in disbelief. "I'm going to kill her."

"Hey, at least it was just Ty Lee. It could have been worse," he said while lifting himself out of the bed to find his shirt, just in case, anyone else stopped by.

"I don't think you understand, -" she said, meeting his eyes. "-If she knows, they all know."

Everyone had gathered together for breakfast. Most of the leaders would be leaving today, so a vast display of food had been set out for their send-off.

Sokka cast his gaze to his oblivious friends sitting next to him; they chatted casually back and forth. His hands were sweating; he hadn't told any of 'the gaang' members that he was staying in Republic City, or that had asked Suki on a date the night before.

He could feel every one of Suki's warriors staring at him, biting back smiles and giggles. Suki had been correct about Ty Lee's capability to keep her mouth shut, or lack there-of rather.

Suki was currently avoiding the eyes of him and her girls - eating with the most neutral expression she could muster. He tried to do the same, but their faces and silence were far too distracting. He could only hope they wouldn't speak what was on their minds. He didn't want to cause Suki more embarrassment.

Katara saying his name pulled his attention away; she had a curious brow lifted. "You've been quiet almost all morning. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah! I'm great," he said quickly, clearing his throat and taking a large sip of his drink.

Zuko made a face at him and chimed in, "you sure? You've hardly touched your food all."

"That's always a cause for suspicion," Toph added.

Sokka was about to answer them, but Ty Lee beat him to it. "I doubt Suki's going to eat her sweet buns. I'm sure she be more than okay with you having them, Sokka." Ty Lee smirked innocently at him, avoiding the daggers Suki was glaring into her.

His cheeks started turning red at her tease and he made a couple of noises that were only the start of words. His friends and his sister noticed his reaction; looks of confusion marked their expressions.

Toph took note of his rising heart-rate as well as Suki's. She raised her brow and started grimacing. "Woah woah, hold up. Did you and Su -"

"Alright, alright! You guys caught me! I might be hiding something from you, but I was just - ugh - w-waiting for the right time to tell you the news!"

"What is it?" Katara asked as Toph said over her, "spit it out, dunder-head."

"...You can tell us anything," Aang added, putting a comforting hand on his wife's shoulder.

"Well, -" Sokka began, casting a brief - and hopefully reassuring - glance over to Suki before averting his attention back to his friends solely. "-I've decided to stay here in Republic City!"

Their excited faces brought warmth to his heart and relief. He answered a few more of their questions, and eventually - they let the topic rest.

He waited some time before checking on Suki. Her shoulders were relaxed, and she took a moment to meet his eyes. They had both agreed after the incident with Ty Lee that morning, that they wanted to wait a while before telling their friends about their reuniting. And our engagement. Sokka thought, accidentally letting a love-struck smile spread across his face. She couldn't help but return it, but she quickly averted her eyes to avoid further speculation between them. She did give Ty Lee another threatening glare, and the woman merely smiled back - giving her a wink.

Sokka quirked his brow when he noticed Ty Lee covering her mouth where only Suki could make out what she was saying. Suki's face tinted a deep shade of red, and the two warriors beside her hid behind their fans to stifle their blushes and laughter.

He could only imagine what the woman had said to his poor fiance to gain such a reaction.

Feeling a kick to his shin, Sokka almost audibly yelped in surprise.

He looked to Zuko in confusion, but his face fell when he saw the look on the Fire Lord's face. Mai - who was currently sitting beside him, across from her husband - snickered quietly in knowing as well.

Zuko raised his brow, glanced over to Suki, then looked back to him. Asking his question in silence, and bringing his teacup to his lips in a casual gesture.

Sokka thought about playing it off, but Zuko's rising smile was contagious. If anyone should know, he didn't mind it being Zuko. Sokka mirrored him with a lift of his drink and gave him a crooked smile.

The two friends lifted their drinks once more in silent celebration and took a drink.

Dipping his pen into the ink vessel a final time, Sokka finished his letter to his father. They had remained in contact via Messenger hawk the past few months. He loved that they still kept in touch, and knowing that things were going well back home.

As if to make his presence known then; the bird began screeching and flapping his wings in excitement. Sokka chuckled and scratched his back. "Not yet, Genki. I need to write one more to momma."

He bobbed his head at the familiar word, bouncing happily on his perch.

Suki had once written a letter of her own saying that the excitable bird had taken a liking to her, and since then Sokka had referred to her as 'momma' when talking to him. Genki was smitten with the Kyoshi Warrior, and Sokka suspected it had something to do with the treats she would sneakily give him. "You always seem plumper after your visits with her."

He took to the paper again, writing out his letter to his fiance. Though it had been 4 months since their engagement, only a few people knew of it. He had only recently included Katara, Aang, and Toph to the list, but aside from that - he was still known throughout the city as a single bachelor.

Things were still messy since the attack; the cause of it being a dispute between benders and non. He wanted to keep Suki out of it as much as possible - as he was beginning to grow a reputation as a supporter of the Avatar. He had been called many things, mostly revolving around the term: traitor. He wanted peace and prosperity between not only non-benders but benders as well.

It was safe to say: his community wasn't taking all-too-kindly to his outlook.

Finishing his second letter, he placed them both in Genki's pouch. Taking him to the upper deck of the ship, he hoisted the bird into the air.

Sokka watched him take off, and he let a lightness fill his chest. The bird grew smaller until fading completely into the mass of land only a few hundred feet out. Kyoshi Island was just starting to come into view, and Sokka couldn't contain his excitement. He felt very much like Genki - excited to see 'momma'.

Genki soared through the bitter air, the cold breeze finding his feathers. He had traveled this path many times before, but seeing the piece of land always made his wings pump harder. Letting gravity do some work, he fell to the top of a snowy hill. Making his descent, he flew the rest of the way to the dojo where she could usually be found.

Finding his window, he landed with a dramatic squall. Ty Lee saw him first and neared him. "Genki! Hi, sweet boy," she purred, playing with the plumage on his head.

Suki lifted herself from the opposite end of the room, paint jars nestled in her arms. At the sight of her, he began flapping and calling out again. She giggled and walked over to him. "What are you doing here, buddy? Do you have something for me?"

Giving him his appropriate amount of pets, Suki unraveled his canaster and pulled out the letter with her insignia stamp. Her eyes widened after a moment of reading, and she turned to Ty Lee with a smile. "I've got to go!"

She didn't explain further but ran past the girls entering the dojo for their morning lesson. They turned to watch her go, then looked to Ty Lee for an answer. She was just as confused as they were and shrugged her shoulders. "Guess I'm sifu today."

Suki ran hard. Genki was flying just above her; she could make out his silhouette on the ground in front of her. Ignoring the townsfolk's stares, Suki zipped past them towards the beach. As she got closer, she made out the shape of the boat and how near it was to shore. The snow under her feet turned to sand as she made her way along the coast.

Leaning over the edge; Sokka quickly saw his hawk and a woman trailing behind him at the other end of the beach. He was so tempted to jump off the boat then and meet her halfway. He thought better of it as the water would most definitely be freezing cold this time of year. Instead, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Suki!"

He was pleased to hear the distant sound of her shouting his name in reply.

As soon as they were docked, Sokka ran off the boat towards the shore - hopping off the dock rather than going around. She was already a third of the way across by the time they ported, so he didn't have a long ways to go. He fumbled along the sand in his clunky boots.

They finally slammed into one another, the force nearly knocking him over as he held onto her tightly. They laughed and he spun her around, exciting more giggles from her. Genki soared around them in circles, chirping happily.

"What are you doing here?" Suki finally asked between pants. "-I was supposed to meet you -" he silenced her with a kiss. She pressed herself into him closer, seeking his warmth.

He sighed happily against her lips before parting. Placing his gloved hand against her cheek, he finally took notice of her appearance. His eyes widened, "Suki! Why aren't you wearing a coat? It's freezing out!"

He didn't wait for a response from her before slipping his own off to wrap around it her shoulders. She huddled closer to him despite her pride warning her not to. "As soon as I got your letter, I ran out of the dojo before grabbing it."

Hugging her tighter - stealing warmth from her as well - he chuckled as he laid his cheek against her hair. "I leave you for four months, and I get back to this? Whatever should I do with you?"

"We could quit standing out here in the cold, and you could warm me up?" She countered, kissing him again. He merely hummed his approval at her suggestion and bundled her close to his hip as they traveled back to the dojo.

"I missed you."

She nuzzled her cold cheek against his chest. "I miss you, too. But that still doesn't tell me what you're doing here? I was supposed to travel up to Republic City this weekend."

"I couldn't wait. I needed to see you. That, and I got all my work done early and I had nothing better to do."

She shook her head at him. "You're something else."

"I know. That's why you love me."

"Of course," she teased before returning to her questions. "How's Katara doing?"

He shuddered voluntarily for dramatic purposes, "Cranky. My sister is a terrifying pregnant woman. I almost feel bad for Aang."

"She's about to have a baby, Sokka. What do you expect?"

"I dunno, something less along the lines of a horrifying, hormone-monster? Just wait until you see her." He said, nudging her with his hip. "Just promise me, when we decided to have kids - you won't loathe the very ground I walk on just because I ate the last moon peach?"

She blushed at his words - as joking as they were, and tried to hide it with a playful tone of voice. "I make you no promises. Moon peaches are special, and I don't know if a pregnant-me could bear the loss." She giggled.

He stopped and she accidentally stole his coat away before stopping herself. She stared at his dumbfounded face, looking at him with worry. "Sokka? What's wrong?"

He shook his head, still looking dizzy as he closed the distance between them. "S-Sorry," he stuttered, rubbing her arms. "I ugh - I hadn't ever -" he cleared his throat with a laugh, and tried again. "-Sorry, I had just never pictured you like that before. It ugh - it kind of threw me for a loop."

She smiled at his honesty and his crimson blush; thinking him endearing. She blushed herself at the way he was looking at her. "How about we get married first, and then we can worry about that?"

He scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Well, it's just - we've never actually talked about it before. I never really thought to ask." He paused, and bit his lip. "-Do you ...want kids?"

A wave of nervousness overtook her; this was a loaded question that she wasn't sure how to answer. Yes, she had thought about what it would be like to have kids and settle down. But her commitment to her work came first at the moment. She loved being a Kyoshi Warrior, and she wasn't ready to give it up just yet. That, and she had more specific reasons behind her hesitation, though she wasn't ready to release that information. Not even to him.

She found herself picking at her nails. She placed her hands at rest beside her legs to stop their assault. "I - I don't know," she finally said. "-We have responsibilities we need to think about first."

Sokka took a moment to ponder her answer before speaking again. It wasn't the uplifting response he was hoping for, but he knew she was thinking realistically. He hoped his face wasn't showing too much of his mixed emotions; he attempted a smile. "Yeah, you're right. Look at you - being the voice of reason, as usual."

Nestling into him, Suki wound her arms tightly around his waist. She breathed him in, taking in his familiar smell as he bundled her up. She sighed heavily, knowing he was dishearted.

"Come on, let's head up so we don't freeze to death," he offered with a loving smile, letting the subject come to a rest.

We'll cross that bridge when we're both ready.

Only 2 chapters left people! This is not a drill! *internal screaming* Before tomorrow's chapter gets posted though - I just wanted to say another thank you to both MusicDrivenLady and SukkaShipper (as well as those who have favored and followed). Your comments seriously make posting so much more fun in the morning. I was very nervous about posting this story, to be honest. I haven't written in quite some time, and y'all's support means so much to me. So thank you all again. Until tomorrow, lovelies!

And as for the necklace from yesterday's chapter - I have a drawing of Suki wearing it on my Deviantart account (DisneyFreak010) under the title '23 Years Old'. :)