You'll Always Be Beautiful

Whenever Aang arrived home at the Southern Air Temple, he got a feeling of relief. Though it was just him and Katara living there, the satisfying feeling knowing that he and the Air Acolytes had brought new life into the temple was everything and more. As he landed Appa outside the temple grounds, he was surprised that he didn't see Katara there to greet him. Well, she was currently six months pregnant with their first child, so that took up a lot of her energy. Still, it would be great to see her even if she wasn't there as soon as he arrived. When Aang entered the temple, he made his way to the kitchen where Katara was making a cup of tea. From the look of her appearance, it would seem that she had just gotten up. Her hair hadn't been tied in its usual braids, and she was still wearing her nightgown. Upon seeing Aang, Katara smiled, happy to see him.

"Hello, Aang!" she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "How was your time with Zuko?" Aang had left for a few days to go to the Fire Nation to see Zuko for a while. Zuko had been Fire Lord for thirteen years now, so he and Aang worked closely on any new projects. The latest was the development of a city that would encompass all Four Nations. There was still a lot of planning to be done, but Aang and Zuko had a general idea of what they wanted.

"It's great! We're actually going to be starting to build next week," Aang answered.

"That's great! I'd love to help you guys, but with my condition, I think I should take it easy for a while," Katara said gesturing to her stomach, which had grown very large.

"You know I'd love to have you help, but you're right, you have to think what's best for the baby," Aang pointed out.

"I know, but there's a lot of struggles with being pregnant. I'm so excited to be a mother, but I can't but have certain feelings," Katara said.

"Like what?"

"Well, I usually take pride in my appearance, but these past six months I've looked awful. I look like some disheveled woman on the streets. Not to mention I feel awful as well. I feel like a bloated whalewasp."

Standing there in the kitchen looking at his wife, Aang couldn't help but disagree. Though it was true she didn't look like she usually did, Aang still thought Katara looked just as beautiful as ever.

"From where I'm standing, I'd say you're beautiful," Aang said.

Katara blushed. "Well, that's very sweet of you to say, but I know that it's not true."

"Hey now, who is the one who is always trying to get me to look on the bright side? Looks like I'm the one playing that card on you now."

It was true. Whenever Aang doubted himself or had deep regrets for his past actions, such as running away from the Southern Air Temple shortly before the Fire Nation wiped out the Air Nomads, Katara was there to comfort him. In all honesty, she was the only person in the world that could do that. Not even his other friends had that ability. Now standing here and watching Katara doubt her beauty, Aang realized that the comfort skill went both ways.

"I mean it, Katara. You'll always be beautiful to me. During our journey for me to master all the elements, I remember thinking to myself: how lucky am I to know such a beautiful woman."

Katara smiled. "You always did have a way with words, Aang."

"I do when it comes to my Forever Girl," Aang teased.

Aang wrapped his arms around Katara, bringing him close to him. With her large stomach protruding outwards, they couldn't hug each other like they usually did, but Aang didn't mind. As long as he could hold Katara, that's all that mattered.

"The last time Sokka saw me he said I looked like I was about to pop," Katara revealed.

Aang rolled his eyes. "That sounds like something he'd say. Just wait till he and Suki have their first child, he'll regret saying things like that."

"Oh, he regretted it after saying it to me. You know how I have little patience for his teasing," Katara remarked.

Aang laughed. He could just picture Katara water whipping Sokka for such a comment. During the time they spent talking, Katara almost forgot about the tea she made.

"Would you like a cup of tea?" she said. "Iroh sent me one of his recipes, so I thought I'd try it. It's delicious!"

"Knowing Iroh, I wouldn't expect anything less," Aang said. Katara poured him a cup of tea, and the two sat in the kitchen together, enjoying each other's company. As Katara told him more about her day, Aang looked off down one of the many hallways in the temple. In his mind, he imagined their children running around like he did when he was a kid over a hundred years ago. Before too long, he would see that again. But as much happiness as he had for his current life, he sometimes dwelt on "What If's." Some of these "what if's" included never meeting Katara. He tried not to dwell on that one too much, because the thought of a life without Katara, the woman he loved more than anything, was unbearable. It was amazing that in his lifetime, he was loved by someone like her. The monks used to say that miracles didn't exist, but Aang disagreed. It was a miracle that Katara came into his life, changing it in ways that he never imagined. As he sat there gazing off into the distance, Katara noticed he wasn't paying attention.

"Aang, are you OK?" she asked.

Aang snapped back to the present, giving his wife a smile. "Of course. I was just thinking about how wonderful it will be when our child arrives."

"You're not the only one. I think about that all the time. He or she is such a blessing."

Aang took another sip of tea, before Katara spoke again.

"Hey Aang,"

"Yes, Katara."

"Did you really mean what you said that I'll always be beautiful to you?"

"Of course, I did, Katara. It's true too! You're beautiful now and you always will be. I'd battle anyone who said otherwise."

Katara laughed, amused at the strongness of his devotion to her. When she was young, she often dreamed of the man she would marry, but never in a million years would she think she would marry the Avatar and her student.

"Thank you, Aang. That means a lot to me."

"You're welcome, Katara. Hey, you've been cooped up in the temple for the past few days, how about we go for a ride on Appa. You know, to take your mind off things."

Katara placed a hand on her stomach, giving it some thought. "Ok. That sounds nice."

Aang walked with Katara out to the ground and helped her get up on Appa.

"I hope I don't weigh too much, Appa," Katara said.

"Not at all. Besides, Appa's pretty strong, right buddy?"

Appa let out a small noise in response, causing Aang and Katara to laugh. Using his airbending, Aang propelled himself into the air and onto Appa. With a quick, "Yip Yip" Appa soared into the air. As they flew over the clouds, Katara felt relieved with the wind in her face. It was nice to get out. Just for fun, Aang steered Appa into a cloud, causing them to become drenched with water.

"Aang! Why did you do that?" Katara asked, bending the water out of her clothes and hair.

"I just thought you'd like to be in your native element," Aang chuckled.

"Well, I love waterbending, but I prefer not to get wet at the moment."

Aang turned around, flashing Katara a smile. "Well, I was right."

"About what?"

"Even when you're drenched with water, you're still beautiful."

Katara smiled, her heart bursting with love for the man she married as they soared high in the sky. It was great to have Aang home.