Lei usually enjoys watching the sunset, but for today, as he's on his early morning boat trip back to Republic City, he's currently enjoying watching the sunrise over Kyoshi Island. Though it was not as beautiful as the sunsets he's accustomed too, it painted a different image of his home. It was like Kyoshi Island is a bright and shining mecca. It will always be his home, and Lei will know that wherever he goes or wherever he ends up in his life.

It's crazy how he arrived home just the day before yesterday, and now he's on the way back to the big city again. Of course, the trip back home was certainly not a waste. He learned a great lesson from someone he would have never expected to help him. Thanks to Koji, Lei opened up, with the help of some pressure from Jia of course.

Jia...

He thought of her last night. How to apologize, how to explain things, how to explain himself, he thought about it all. Then, it all came down to one conclusion. People may have seen it already when it comes to his feelings for Jia. A "best friend," he would tell everybody. A "best friend," he would tell himself.

That conclusion, he couldn't tell her face to face. That is exactly why he left a note for her. Sure, it may sound shallow. Sure, he may be showing a sign weakness again, but he'll admit, he's not strong enough to tell her in front of her face. Looks like he's pulling one of those "tell them and avoid them" maneuvers.

He hopes things don't turn sour. No, he wishes the exact opposite.

But for now, he'll just let things unfold, for he has already set the plan in motion.

Now, he has other plans.

His parents.

Jia, the pretty girl with a smile always on her face, was not quite in the best of moods today. How could she be? A pain from a best friend can hurt a lot.

Her mother would be one of the first persons to notice Jia in a different mood. Before she went to work, Ty Lee had to gain some insight on this.

"Honey, you haven't eaten breakfast yet," she told her daughter who's laying in bed.

"Not hungry yet mom," she told her mother. With her mind being distracted, it was hard to get hungry.

Frowning, Ty Lee replied, "Okay, just hurry before the afternoon comes. I'll see you after work okay?"

"Yep. See you later mom."

Walking out of her room, Ty Lee prepared to leave the house to the dojo. She missed having Suki there. As for the case with her daughter, she knew something was up. She was aware Lei came back, and why is it that her daughter is unexpectedly sad all of a sudden? It has to do with Lei, she assumed. So that would mean something happened to Lei, and that would mean something happened over at Republic City.

Thinking about it made her stomach hurt. Something bad definitely happened. She wanted Suki to get along with Sokka again, and she wanted Lei to meet his father. Now, it seems that life for them took a bad turn. Ty Lee can only hope that things are not as bad as they seem.

Just then, once she stepped out of the house, she saw a letter laying on the mat, right in front of the door.

It was from Lei.

Thinking it might be some sign of hope, she grabbed the letter and rushed to give it to her daughter.

"Jia, honey, there's a letter for you."

Sitting up and looking at her mother curiously, Jia took the letter from her hands.

"I have to rush to work now honey. See you soon. Love you!"

"Love you too mom," she spoke quietly, distracted by Lei's name written on this letter.

Once her mom left the room, Jia opened the letter and read.

Jia,

You were right.

I do push people away, especially the ones who love me. Especially the ones I love.

My whole life, I tried to find the easiest solutions to my problem. I grew up without a father, and I realize I didn't want one. As I got older, I thought I was perfectly fine without a father.

Want to know the truth though?

I was doing Sokka a favor for not letting myself in his life. Before and after I met him, I thought it was best that I should never be in his life. I feared the possibility that he may not be the man I pictured as a father.

And that's my problem. I expected a father to be perfect, but I ignored the fact that no one is perfect.

I did Sokka a favor by staying away from his life, because I know I would make things worse. I can't handle my emotions sometimes, and my anger often gets the best of me. Especially in a situation where I meet my dad for the first time. If I stayed, I know my emotions might take over, and next thing you know, not only would I hurt Sokka, but a bunch of other loved ones too.

And that's the situation with you as well. I don't want to hurt you, because nothing hurts me more than seeing you in pain. A pain caused by me. A pain caused by the fact that I can't handle my emotions.

That's why I push people away. It's easier to stay away from problems when you stay out of other people's business.

But Koji made me realize something.

Pushing people away will only hurt them even more.

What kind of fool am I to stay from the people I care about? The people who want to help me.

So as you're reading this letter, I want you know to something.

As you are reading this now, I am currently on my way to Republic City to make things right, but I'm going to say one thing to you in a letter because I admit, I don't have the guts to tell you face to face.

Truth is, I love you Jia. More than a best friend.

I've always loved you. You're beautiful, caring, and loving. You always knew how to put a smile on my face. As the days go by, I find myself falling for you even more.

I love you Jia, and I'm a fool for pushing you away.

-Lei.

And when Jia finished reading her letter, she felt a tear escape her eye, and she could have sworn she felt a smile on her face.

Sokka sat on the couch in the living room. He didn't have that much of a good sleep, again. Suki was still asleep in the bedroom, but the couple still hadn't exchanged a word ever since their last incident. It's like they're avoiding each other, but one is expecting the other to say something first.

The Southern Water tribe warrior thought back to the good old days, when they were young. Things weren't so dramatic, and everyone loved each other. Boy how he missed those days. They saved the world and they saved each other.

Sokka missed the days when he was a young hero. Was it really that long ago? He thought back to how he looked like all those years ago...

...and he saw Lei.

His son, created by him and Suki.

His son, with the beautiful purple eyes his mother has.

His son, the young man he wanted to raise, but never had the chance too.

His son, who seems to be just fine living his life without a father.

And it was that last statement that hit him hard. It probably even hit him harder than the statement before that. Heck, just that notion hurts more than the punch in the face he received back at the dojo.

Just when he was lost in thoughts, he heard the bedroom door open.

His love is awake, and there she is walking into the living room.

Still so beautiful. Always has been, always will be.

His Kyoshi Warrior went to the kitchen looking to prepare breakfast. Just then, Sokka trailed right behind her without her knowing, and once she reached the kitchen counter, he surprised her with a hug from behind.

Finding comfort in his arms, she relaxed in his warm embrace.

"I'm sorry," he whispered into his ear.

She turned around, looking at his sincere blue eyes, and kissed him. It was a long, sweet kiss. A kiss after an apology always felt so great.

Once they parted from their kiss, they smiled warmly at each other. She brought him back over to the living room, letting themselves sit on the couch with their hands still interlocked.

"I'm sorry too," she told him as well.

Sokka was surprised, "Why are you sorry?"

Suki took a deep breath, as if bile was going to come up her throat. She swallowed and told him, "Everything you said was right."

Not wanting her to be hard on herself, Sokka replied, "Suki, please don't take that ser-"

"No Sokka," she cut in, "If only I told you I was pregnant, I knew you would certainly come back to me. We would've been a family, but I let my fear and stupidity get in the way. I was afraid of getting hurt again. I was afraid we were going to continue fighting in front of our child. I was afraid of not getting to be with you again while you had to go off to fulfill your duties, and it was that damn logic that prevent me from telling you about Lei. If I did tell you, we would have avoided this mess."

Sokka stared at her for what seemed like the longest time. Then, his gaze shifted away, indicating he was contemplating his thoughts as well.

Finally, he grabbed her hands tighter and spoke, "Thanks for the apology Suki, but I consider myself at fault as well. I was an egotistical idiot always traveling to places to achieve something, even when I didn't need to. Somehow, I thought I needed to. My mind was so focused on being the famous warrior I was, achieving accomplishments and garnering praise. Yet, I seemed to have neglected you. You were the love of my life, and still are. That was when our marriage fell apart. And after I left, I should've came back. Eighteen years, and I never came back once. Clearly I missed out. So let me say as well and again, I'm sorry Suki."

This time, it was Suki who stared at him for awhile.

Instead of awkward tensions or serious drama, both had the look of shame and sympathy plastered all around their faces.

For Suki, she did the first thing she thought of. She kissed him.

As for Sokka, he let himself enjoy her soft lips as he kissed back vigorously.

There was simply no time for sad tears or talks of shame. They needed each other's love, because that's the only thing that can guide them through tough times.

Before they continued, Suki stopped and had a final statement, "Let's just forget about what we did in the past and focus on what to do now." She spoke through soft words as kindly and sincerely as ever.

"Couldn't agree anymore," he said as he kissed her back.

It was a strong, powerful kiss. Nothing intimate, but still affectionate. Full of want.

Sokka and Suki loved each other intensely. Whatever happens, they will get through it together.

Especially for the sake of their son.

Later that evening, Sokka made a trip to Air Temple Island.

Rekindling his feelings with Suki was easy because nothing would break their love, especially an argument.

Fixing his relationship with his son, that will be a hard one.

For now, he'll think of that later. There's one other young person who Sokka needs to talk to.

"Well Sokka, he's over there by the courtyard."

"Thanks Aang..."

The Avatar didn't have to use his knowledge of chakras to know that his water tribe friend is having problems with some.

"Sokka, I'm sorry for what happened, but I'm glad you're taking steps to fix this."

"I don't know Aang," he told him nervously, "Bumi, Lei, it's totally understandable to why they're mad at me. They're young too, so they might not be so accepting of my apology."

The Avatar placed a hand on his shoulder, "Don't back off now Sokka. You'll fix this. You always do."

Giving his brother-in-law a small smile, Sokka began walking towards his nephew sitting on a bench, while Aang walked back inside.

As for Bumi, the second he turned his head towards the sound of footsteps, he noticed his uncle walking towards him.

Uncle... He thought with a grunt. He didn't want to address him as that anymore.

Once Sokka sat next to him, Bumi turned away, not daring to look him in the eye.

"Bumi, I don't know what else to say besides I'm sorry."

"Trust me uncle, that's all you can say. Too bad it'll never be enough."

Sokka shut his eyes. This will be harder than I thought.

"Bumi, I know what I did was wrong. I'm sorry you lost a friend. I'm so so-"

"You disappoint me uncle," the teenager hissed.

Those words hurt.

"You of all people," Bumi continued, "I would never expect someone like you to do this."

Judging from his tone, Sokka obviously knew how upset Bumi was. However, Bumi's tone was marked with disappointment and hurt, as opposed to Lei's tone of anger and betrayal. Either way, they both affected Sokka just as much.

"I decided to stop my hobby of sword fighting," Bumi told his uncle solemnly.

Sokka was taken by surprise.

"I lost interest in it for awhile now," the teenager continued, "I never told you, but now, it's easy to tell you for some reason."

Every pause Bumi took felt like an eternity for Sokka. It was hard to hear his nephew telling him this. It may seem like insults coming from his angered mind, but truly, Bumi was hurt. Sokka can easily sense it.

His beloved nephew, whom he bonded with the ways of the sword just as he did with Lei, now confessed he dislikes swords. In a way, it was like an analogy to their relationship falling apart.

"I always looked up to you uncle. I've always wanted to make you happy. You and dad are some of the best role models ever. You, were one of the best role models ever."

Sokka could hear his voice crack, and his own voice wanted to crack too while he tried to speak, "I'm so sorry Bumi. I'm stupid, I'm foolish. I wish I can gain that status back, but I know I can't."

"I tried my best to understand, uncle. I tried to understand why someone like you would do this. No matter what type of reasons I come up with, I can never dawn on the fact that you risked ruining a family. A family of a friend of mine. Why uncle?"

This time, Bumi looked at him. His eyes were begging for answers. Begging for an understanding. An understanding that would take this pain away from him. An understanding that he knows he'll never truly understand.

Sokka looked down, for he knew there was only one answer, "There's no good reason for what I did Bumi. I was foolish, arrogant, lonely, and I let temptation lead my way. I did a horrible thing, and I know I can never take it back. I committed a bad act, and now I have to live on with it for the rest of my life. Even worse, I hurt the people around me."

To Sokka, honestly was the best policy. In this case, it was hard to tell whether Sokka was stating this to Bumi, or himself.

As for Bumi, he looked down as well, finding it hard to look at his uncle. Everything about his image just seemed to change.

"Bumi..." Sokka placed a hand on his nephew's arm, "Do you hate me?"

No response.

"Bumi, I lost a son. I can't handle losing a nephew too."

Bumi felt tears forming in his eyes, but he will not dare let them fall. "You were the best uncle ever to me, but when I heard about this, I just want to hate you. I don't necessarily hate you, but I want to."

His nephew stated that with a cracked voice, while Sokka sat next to him full of pain. The pain of his mistakes, and the pain that his mistakes affected his nephew and son, it was all overwhelming.

"Is it too late for me to get another chance?" This time, Sokka's voice also cracked. He is not going to lose his beloved nephew either.

"I know you may look at me differently. I know you don't like fighting with swords now either. I know things will be different, but can I still be your uncle? Can I still prove to you that I can still be the best uncle ever? I love you so much Bumi, and I can't lose my nephew."

A tear fell out of Sokka's eye, and Bumi noticed.

Sokka stretched his hand out to Bumi, "Please Bumi? I already lost a son."

Seeing that he can't look back now, Bumi hoped for some good fortune. He will always be mad at Sokka because he's the reason why he lost a friend, but Bumi himself knows that anger is never a good thing to keep inside of you. His father told him that.

In response, Bumi took his uncle's hand.

They both shook hands.

Sokka felt relief, while Bumi hoped for the best.

For Bumi, if he were to be honest, he did not feel comfortable. His image of his uncle completely changed. It'll be hard to gain that image back, but Bumi unconsciously decided to give it a shot.

Then, another familiar voice came.

"Glad to see things worked out."

Bumi and Sokka turned to see Lei facing them.

"Bumi, can I borrow my dad for a minute?"