A week after Sozin's comet, the eight teenagers responsible for ending the war sat on the steps of the Fire Nation palace, watching the sun set.
Following the defeat of the Firelord, Aang had watched as one of the airships had descended towards him bearing his friends, alive, safe, and happy, waving and pleased to see him. It also bore the news that the fleet had proclaimed Zuko the new Firelord, much to his own surprise. The comet blazed away, leaving the planet behind on its great cosmic journey as it left the skies a pleasant blue colour.
"Aang! We did it! You did it!" No sooner had the airship landed than he was engulfed in an enormous group hug; with Katara at the forefront, naturally.
"How did you do it?" She asked. "Go into the Avatar State, I mean. Before the battle you were beating yourself up about not being able to do it, and now here you are."
"Roku appeared to me; he told me something that changed my perspective on the Avatar state. Basically, I had been doing it wrong before."
"It seems you did a good job on him," Suki remarked, breaking away from the hug to kneel over the now ex-Firelord. "I take it he's been disposed of?"
"Well... he's kind of... unconscious?"
Suki recoiled from Ozai.
"You mean he's still alive?"
"He is still alive, but he's been defeated. He was knocked out. Toph, why don't you restrain him?"
"I have to do everything around here," Toph grumbled as she stomped off to rip a huge chunk of metal out of one of the gangways on the airship, before using it to trap Ozai's hands and feet to make sure he couldn't bend.
"So what do we do with him?"
"We should lock him up. But first..."
Aang reached down and removed Ozai's headpiece. "I believe this is yours, Firelord."
Afterwards, they had embarked on the airship for the journey back to the Fire Nation, having dispatched messenger hawks ahead of them. Azula and Ozai had been stuffed in the brig, and Zuko stood on the bridge with the Fire Nation Captain Sato and his uncle Iroh, making preparations for their arrival. Sokka and Suki had vanished off somewhere, and Aang wasn't sure he wanted to know where.
Meanwhile, he stood on the top of the gasbag, soaking in the newfound peace and patting Appa. Appa getting shot by Azula's lightning had been one of the only downsides of what had been a pretty successful day's work, but Katara had been on hand to heal him, and for that he would be forever grateful.
Speaking of Katara, he heard a noise behind him and turned to see her climbing out to join him.
"How does it feel?" She asked him.
"How does what feel?"
"How does it feel to have accomplished your goal?"
"It feels good. But given it was your goal too and you accomplished it just as much as me, I'm sure you already knew that."
"I had got the idea, yes."
"Well, there is something else I would like you to know. Something important."
"Go on," she said, her eyes shining.
"When Roku appeared to me that day, what he said that got me to realise how to open the chakra and unlock the Avatar State was to tell me that I didn't have to let go of earthly attachments, only to know when to put the world first. Other Avatars didn't, and they managed fine. What was holding me back before was fear of letting go of people; Sokka, Toph, Suki, Zuko, even Mai and Ty Lee."
He laughed. "And I would not have thought I would say that when we met them."
He then looked Katara dead in the eyes, and with all the confidence and sincerity he could muster, continued.
"But what really scared me was the fear of losing you, Katara. Because the thing is, and I understand you may not feel the same, I love you."
There. It was out in the open now. Katara's eyes widened.
"I could never admit it before, but if I can fight the Firelord I can tel-"
Aang never got the chance to finish that sentence, because Katara threw herself at him and began kissing him. The suddenness of it initially surprised Aang, but soon enough he relaxed into the kiss.
It was several minutes before either of them thought to come up for air.
Upon reaching the Capital, Zuko had tossed his father into a cooler, which was apparently a type of prison reserved for powerful firebenders that they used at the highest security prison in the Fire Nation, that dampened their bending. Azula had gone into a regular prison.
Of course, Zuko had immediately freed everyone who had participated in the Invasion of Black Sun, and there was many a happy reunion. Aang watched happily as Suki ran to hug her Kyoshi Warriors, Katara and Sokka embraced their father, and the Earth King hugged that pet bear of his.
Zuko had also, very publically, taken the Earth King and Water Chiefs Hakoda and Arnook to the signing of a peace treaty between their nations. Zuko had called it a "Peace with Honour", and hailed it as the start of a new age of peace, prosperity and international co-operation. By restoring all nations to their pre-war borders, the treaty obliged the Fire Nation to pull out of all their conquests, but they would otherwise not lose any territory.
Afterwards, they had retired to a secluded place, on the steps of the Fire Nation palace to watch the sun set, and to talk of the future.
"So, what's next for you?" Aang asked, as he leaned against Katara and Sokka tried not to look. Sokka had been perfectly supportive of their relationship; after all, he had seen it coming a mile off, so after one mention of oogies and one solemn threat that should Aang hurt Katara that he would come down on Aang like a tonne of bricks, Avatar or no Avatar, he smiled and wished them luck.
"Firelord stuff," replied Zuko. "The Fire Nation won't rule itself, and someone's got to clear up Ozai's mess."
"Then it looks like it's Firelady stuff for me too," Mai said. Zuko squeezed her hand and they smiled at each other happily.
"I'm not done travelling the world yet," Aang decided. "There is still much to do, and the world needs its Avatar. Besides, it will be nice to see the world without everyone trying to kill me for a change."
"I've said I was sorry," Zuko replied.
"If the world needs its Avatar, then the Avatar needs his friends," Katara stated. "Count me in."
"I'm coming too!" Sokka interjected. "The world needs boomerang!"
"Some day, I will go back to Kyoshi Island, but they can wait a while." Suki put her arm around Sokka. "Somebody needs to look after him."
Sokka did not even try to protest.
"I suppose I'm coming too, then." Toph joined in.
Aang looked out over the Caldera, at the darkening sky above them, and smiled. Their problems would not end with the war, he was sure, but with his friends, and his girlfriend, by his side the future looked incredibly bright.
He looked eagerly forward to tomorrow.
Author's Note: Well, that's it. It's over. Victorious is officially finished. This has been about three months of my life, updating nearly every day, apart from one period when wasn't working at least. It will be odd not writing this story now. I am immensely grateful to all those who have had the patience to sit through my first attempt at FanFiction, and all those who reviewed it too.
Maybe in the future one day I'll come back and write a post-war series set in this timeline.