Here it is...Finally!
You guys have made my days. Thanks so much.
I will be doing some more Avatar...beware!!
The End.
Four months Later - Kyoshi Island
"Mai-Mai, it's Mai-Mai!" The enthusiastic shouting was followed by gurgling and then a thump as foamy unable to control himself at finally meeting The Mai or Aang's wife depending on who was telling the story, fell to the ground.
Mai pasted a smile on her face that was threatening to become a grimace. "Why did I never stop them from calling me that?" she asked through gritted teeth.
Aang contained his mirth secretly grateful that his years of meditation had taught him self control. "It was to stop them calling me Aangy, remember. Besides at least they like you now and aren't cowering in fear like they did the first time."
"That was entirely your fault. If you had not decided to surprise me I wouldn't have secured all those people against the nearest wall." She crossed her arms annoyed, "like I'm supposed to be okay with tons of teenage girls climbing all over you."
"They were just being friendly. I never pegged you for the jealous type, if I'd known I would have hidden your weapons," he replied. "Though the expressions that flickered over your face were pretty funny."
He grinned, widening his eyes to keep the tears of amusement from rolling down his face. "Secured? Is that what were calling what you do now?"
"I'm laughing on the inside," she said dryly her smile brittle and ready to crack.
Aang was spared from further digging his own grave by none other than Suki. The Kyoshi woman extended her hands out to Mai in greeting but wisely kept her distance from Aang. Aang rolled his eyes in his wife's direction and Mai innocently smiled back.
Suki stepped aside and their portly host bowed to both. "Avatar Aang, Lady Mai. Welcome to Kyoshi Island. It's an honor as always."
"The honor is ours, thank you for the gracious welcome." Mai responded smoothly.
It was times like these that he couldn't quite tell if she was being sincere or ironic. Considering both of them had been complaining about being away from home, he would guess the latter.
"It is a shame that our time here will be short." Mai remarked as the man gave them a tour of Kyoshi.
"I was under the impression that since the avatar's visit was long overdue that perhaps we would be accorded more time." The man's voice had gained a bit of anger.
Mai nipped the argument before it could evolve further, "naturally Avatar Aang will do what is necessary to help and is most reluctant to only visit your beautiful island in times of stress. A relaxed visit would no doubt be more feasible in a few months time."
The man preened, "of course. A lengthy relaxed visit would be much better. We would be happy to make a permanent quarter for you here."
"It's been a long journey and I'm sure Aang would be more helpful if he could rest a moment. I'll take them to their rooms." Suki supplied deterring the man from further conversation.
"We have a most urgent problem if you could but spare a moment, I'll be happy to postpone all other business until tomorrow." The man's persistence was commendable but as much as Suki wanted things fixed even she could tell that Aang was ready to drop where he stood.
Mai practically sagged at the mere mention of a meeting. He knew she was more tired than he so she was urged to go with Suki and rest. "I can wait," she protested but he squeezed her hand. "Go rest, I'll be back soon."
Mai allowed herself to be dragged away. "He is so nice to me sometimes it makes me want to hit him," Mai said to Suki. "Not literally but I hate knowing he probably won't come back until morning and I'll spend most of the night without him next to me."
Suki looked at her wistfully. "At least its not all the time."
"I'm sorry, I'm so tired that all sorts of stupid things are coming out of my mouth. It's just I worry about how much he pushes himself. Anyway so how have you been?"
"I've been good. The island is doing a roaring trade. We've had a lot of tourist attention lately. Especially from retiring Fire Nation soldiers. That's kind of our problem. Too many egos not enough command. Here we are." Suki led Mai to a spacious hut close to the old shrine of Kyoshi. "If you need anything let me know."
"Thank you, Suki and likewise. If you need someone to whatever…" Suki's lips twitched and she bowed.
Perplexed Mai decided to corner the warrior woman later. Right now she just wanted to lay down. That proved harder once she got into their quarters. It was impossible not to examine the room, it was very scenic with large windows that faced the lake.
Mai was drawn to the moonlight spilling onto the floor. It gave the view a dreamlike quality. She stood by the window admiring the moon's reflection on the crystal like surface. They had obviously gotten the best one, Aang hated when people gave him perks. In her opinion he deserved that and more for just being him, but then she was a bit biased.
Sadly as gorgeous as it was, she began to feel a bit unsteady.
She was not accustomed to so much light and would never get to sleep if she didn't remedy it. She went around every window and pulled the sashes. Cozily ensconcing the room in all consuming darkness.
"Much better." She let her weary body drop onto the bed but bolted upright as the door creaked open.
"Relax it's just me," he said easing his way in. His solitary candle brightened his path. "I like it."
He put down the single candle by the table. She heard the rustle of his clothes but the flickering light revealed only parts of his tattooed body. "You're not supposed to be here," she yawned too bone tired to seek him out.
"I know, they took pity on me. I'll have to get up extra early tomorrow but it's worth it. I wanted to sleep like we used to before, I feel like I never see you. " Aang made himself more comfortable extending his arm so she could curl up against him. "Are your headaches bothering you again?" That was the usual reason for her to be in total darkness.
"A little bit but I missed the temple. This is the closest we've gotten to anything resembling our room. I can't believe we've been traveling for close to a year," Mai said sleepily.
"I know but we have one more trip to see Zuko and then we can go home for a while. Oh by the way thank you for dealing with him so quickly. If you hadn't I have no doubt I'd still be talking to him. I know politics are hard. I don't know what I would have done without you."
"You're a born diplomat. You would have done just fine. You know very well you don't need me. You just keep me around to have someone to bug." Mai answered already sliding into slumber.
Something in the way he so possessively squeezed her, that coupled with knowing him as well as she did put her on alert. "I always deal with him, exactly why are you thanking me?" She spoke up now fully awake. "Are you ok?"
She could hear the laughter in his voice, "have you noticed we always want to have a heart to heart right before we go to bed no matter how tired we are?"
"Yeah, it's becoming a tradition. You could use a few more hours of sleep. I don't care how boundless your energy is. You have been pushing yourself too hard these past few months," she scolded him. "So are you gonna tell me or should we go back to sleep like decent people."
If it hadn't been so dark she would have seen his face lose its humor, "we have to see Zuko and Katara at the annual Fire Festival in a few weeks. The last time we saw them was at our wedding four months ago. I'm ok with Zuko but worried about Katara. She was so down, like she's been left behind while the rest of us have moved on."
"I've been corresponding with Zuko for a while. He's kept in touch with her. Haven't you been writing to her too? Is there anything she's written to make you more concerned besides the obvious?"
He sighed, "no. Her letters are fine but what can you really tell from that. Zuko has Jin and we have each other. I just would like her to have someone too."
"That's understandable but you can't fix everybody's lives no matter how much you may want to. She has to do it for herself, Aang. You shouldn't be worried. She knows that you'll be there for her if she needs us, that's the most we can offer."
"I'm not worried." She propped her head up on his chest, "but if you really don't want to handle it you can use me as an excuse."
"How's that?" Aang asked.
"Tell them I'm pregnant and I tend to get grouchy so we can leave."
The candle flame flared wildly then went out. She could hear him attempting to breath normally, in fact she could feel it. The flame popped back into life as if nothing untoward had occurred. "What?!" was all he managed to impart.
Apparently he had to be told again, "Aang, I'm pregnant." She immediately restrained him as he sat up abruptly. It was a good thing since he would have hit the roof for sure and she didn't mean it figuratively.
His heart was drumming beneath her hand and his breath was coming in gasps. "But…but…we've not really had time…to…I… mean…we have… but it's always…"
"Breathe. You're babbling. Breathe and calm down otherwise we're gonna have to explain to everybody why the hut is missing its top," she joked but had crawled onto his lap to keep him on the ground.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier? All this time you've been traveling with me. What if you had gotten hurt? or if we had gotten stranded somewhere? or…?" Millions of horrible scenarios ran through his poor unprepared mind. His hands splayed across her back as if searching for an injury.
"Mai, how long?"
Her hands rested on his shoulders, "three months I think. Why do you think I've been wanting to go home so badly? I want to prepare it for the baby."
"A baby…our baby …wow." It dawned on him that they had created a new life and he whooped with joy. He airbended both of them off the mattress and she clung to him as they agilely circled the room in his air sphere.
His elation was soon replaced by very real concerns and he returned them to the bed. "That's why you been so sick lately. Why didn't you say anything? I would have cut short our visits and taken you back home."
"Exactly why I hadn't told you. Your avatar duties are part of our lives and I can deal with that. I would have felt lonely without you puttering around the temple and driving me nuts like you do now," she replied fingers softly trailing his jaw. "I like traveling with you."
Her answer made him feel a bit better. Aang decided now was the time to bring up something that had been rattling around his brain for a while. "I had meant to ask you before. I kinda had this idea of living at the Southern Temple where I grew up instead of the Western one. Would that be alright with you?"
"Why that one? You said it was too painful the last time we visited." She studied his face for clues. 'Did he want her to say yes?'
"Ever since we were there, I've had all sorts of visions about it. I keep seeing it full of airbenders, full of nomads but I keep seeing you there. Healing and teaching."
"Healing? I wouldn't mind. I'm sure there is all sort of different plants that I can use there. It would be a nice change. Is this your wish?" She knew it was where he had found his mentor's body and the first real evidence of the Fire Nation's war. "Will the memories---?"
"New memories need to be made. Monk Gyatso would not want me to dwell in the past. He would want the place to thrive and be full of life as it was before. I want the taint of the war gone and there is no better way than by raising a new era of airbenders," he explained.
He sat back down carefully so as not to jostle her but she couldn't resist asking him. "Airbenders, you sure? No chance of a little firebender?"
"I doubt it. All airbenders breed airbenders unless there's something you need to tell me." He raised an eyebrow mimicking her favorite expression of displeasure.
"Fat chance of that." She realized how far they had come to be able to poke fun at something that had spiraled their lives out of control almost two years ago. "The only reason I ask is that my family happens to have a lot of firebenders that's all," she retorted.
"I hope so, I don't want to have to go after Toph. Sokka probably wouldn't appreciate it and I'd have to make more female friends just in case she cheated too. As a backup of course."
She growled something along the lines of over her dead body, but it was muffled by his tunic. He loved teasing her. She made it too easy. Going back to her original question he responded, "fire is a skill not my element so I don't think so but if it happened it would be weird."
He made a face and she laughed kissing his scrunched up nose. "They could always learn to throw deadly objects like you. Are you up to teaching two little benders?"
"Sure why not. I would love several but let's get through this one first."
"Mai, there's two already." He grabbed her hand focusing his energy on her abdomen. She gasped as he lit up, it was remarkable to see the lines that crisscrossed him come alive. She looked into his gray eyes and felt the two tiny heartbeats hidden by her own.
"Oh…I wasn't sure."
He laid her down delicately, gently blowing the bangs obscuring her lovely eyes. The candle danced and traced the shadows on her face. "This is our new start, Mai. A second chance."
She drew him down and that was all the encouragement he needed. They took their time exploring and relearning each other. Mai was still fascinated by how and where his tattoos interconnected and she spent quite some time exploring them.
He briefly lost control of his own body and the spirit of every avatar blessed their union like they had for every avatar before him. He recalled how much she enjoyed being kissed. At least she did until he found and toyed with a flirtatious mole on the side of her hip he was sure he had never seen before.
It was nearly dawn by the time they fell asleep. It was certainly past noon when she uncoiled from him and resumed nuzzling his neck until he woke up squirming away. "Morning," Mai had discovered long ago during the course of their lovemaking that Aang was quite ticklish and was using this information to an unfair advantage.
"Stop, Mai. Stop." he flipped her over and she squealed. He kept his weight off her, mindfull of her belly.
"Aang, I won't break you know!" He laughed and slid off but didn't let her get far from his side.
"I recall you saying that yesterday," he smirked in satisfaction as she turned beet red.
"I seriously wonder where you learned half that stuff since you were raised by monks," she retaliated. He flushed also and she remarked aloud that his embarrassment spread everywhere.
"My people were very knowledgeable about a lot of subjects. I should take you to the libraries in the Eastern Temple. Then you'd really be surprised." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
"I bet they were. I do love learning about new things and if they are going to be my people as well, I should know as much as possible about them." She nipped his lip and he rolled out of bed.
"We should get up," he said attempting to recover his composure since she had called his bluff. "Otherwise we'll spend all day here. I'm surprised nobody had come to get me yet." Aang slipped on his pants and was surprised to see her resting on her side admiring him. "What?" he asked self consciously.
"You are really handsome especially when you've got that stunned look on your face." Mai sat up, slipping the blanket under her arms, "maybe they remembered that we're technically newly wed."
"We are aren't we. It's still hard to fathom. Yesterday it was just you and me and in a few months it will be two more. Wow, me and you parents." He shook his head sitting down heavily beside her.
She ruffled his hair, "I hope they have your hair---we don't have to shave their heads do we?"
"Hey!" he shouted indignant. "I'm bald most of the time and you never minded," his little tirade was cut short because when she kissed him like that it was really hard to concentrate on anything else.
'She did that on purpose…wait…did what?'
Fire Nation - Festival - Ember Island - Two months Later
"Why did we agree to watch these stupid people again?" Aang elbowed Zuko.
"Don't worry, I had a---word with the writer. He's fixed a lot of things. You'll like the changes." Zuko supplied. The curtain lifted and the house lights went out. Everything pretty much followed what the old play had done.
A few minor details had been changed. Aang was happy to see that he was no longer played by a girl though the new Avatar wasn't all that good either. "Come on, I was never that scrawny." Aang complained, this was fairly aggravated by both Mai and Katara muffling their laughter.
Sokka was loving the new Sokka. He not only told horrible jokes about meat but he had expanded his repertoire to include jokes about the endless amount of ladies interested in the Sokka.
Mai did receive a bit of her own medicine as a dour older woman played her and made passes at the very young looking avatar. Katara couldn't control her laughter when Haru exclaimed, "Mai, you cradle robber."
Zuko scooted farther away from Haru just in case Mai had her weapons on her, though Aang had promised him that he had searched her personally. Something that Zuko had told Jin who then smacked him for giving her such a mental image.
The crystal caves of Ba Sing Se came up far too quickly. Four occupants sat up in their seats but that scene had been changed as well. Mai had never known about it and she questioned Aang who explained that what was happening was accurate. Zuko had told Katara about the sharing of the memories and she sat back.
Mai eyed Katara but the waterbender was taking the scene in with a strange detachment. "I almost let him die. If I had used the water. Aang would have died." Katara said releasing the guilt she been carrying all these years.
Zuko and Aang looked at each other, no wonder she had been torn between the two of them. Aang noticed that they added when Katara hugged him and he glared at Zuko. "Jealous, were we?" Mai whispered.
He sank into his seat instead. 'Why do I always get the worst of it?'
Every other scene went about the same, though thankfully they left out the kiss at the invasion and only showed a fallen Ozai being handed to his son, Azula wasn't shown past the second act. The last scene was at the Jasmine Dragon with Sokka wiping up a masterpiece of still life while the older and much more sculpted forms of Zuko and Aang looked on. Even Sokka had gained a more masculine form.
Several ladies directly in front of the stage sighed at the three muscular men winking at them.
"It's close but I don't recall you being so popular." Mai said to a pleased Aang. "I assume you're happy now." She crossed her arms, it was bad enough with having the Avatar fans but now she would have to deal with Aang fans. She really hated Ember Island.
"I'm just glad I'm not scrawny anymore or a girl. Give me a break, Mai. I at least look half decent this time." He threw her the dark wide eyes that gave him an angelic look.
"I hope you searched her well," Zuko mumbled out of the side of his mouth.
"You and me both." Aang grinned at his not amused companion. Mai relented but still managed to make him really glad he had not been too friendly with the girls who had accosted him and Zuko earlier.
"That is not how it happened. I was on the balcony and---"
"And?" Haru prompted.
"Nevermind. Anyway alot of things were changed. Like how come they didn't show the fight at Ba Sing Se? Zuko, I thought you said they were gonna be more accurate?" Katara turned on the surprised monarch.
"It's called artistic license, Katara." Sokka responded gaining a thankful gesture from Zuko.
"Isn't that called lying?" Jin asked innocently.
"Great, everybody is a critic." Sokka snapped but was shut up by a mouthful of fire flakes which Toph had generously provided.
"Thanks," they all said.
"Anytime." She replied.
The air was nice as the group stepped outside. The lights of the fireworks blew up in the sky and the play was quickly forgotten. Zuko and Jin sauntered out followed by Toph who was holding onto Sokka. Then finally Haru and Katara who stood a bit far apart.
Aang was the last to leave as he helped Mai rise from the seat. The nomad clothing was excellent for hiding a pregnancy but was murder to get up in if you were in that condition. He navigated her carefully down the wooden steps and onto the beach where everybody was waiting. All were lost in the starry night.
Mai could never seem to stay mad at him for too long as evidenced by the slipping of her hand into his.
"Everything is gonna be different now, isn't it?" Aang said looking up at the night sky.
"Different could be good." Sokka replied just as Katara leaned against him.
"New people, new experiences. Change can be good if its among friends." Haru said cautiously taking Katara's hand. She inclined her head a little moving away from her brother.
Zuko quoted, "Friends from different nations who will lead this generation into a new more stable era."
"That was beautiful, Zuko." Jin replied.
"Uncle said it to me a year ago. He always said we choose our destinies, they don't choose us. We choose to be here by everything we do that leads to this point. To the Fire Nation." Zuko hollered.
"To the Water Tribes," Katara and Sokka exclaimed.
"To the Earth kingdom." Jin, Toph and Haru shouted.
"To the Air Nomads." Mai joined in.
"To no longer being the last Airbender." Aang announced placing a hand on Mai's stomach.
The shocked silence reigned for all of two seconds before Katara stepped forward and threw her arms around Mai, "I'm happy for you." She leapt off the startled woman and turned to Aang. Lowering her voice so only he could hear, "at another time I would have been wishing it was me, but now I know where I belong and I am happy for you both."
She stepped back, "I guess the pressure is off now, Zuko."
Katara's display was enough to unfreeze the rest of the group and they all joined in congratulations. "That's very nice to hear," Zuko clapped Aang hard on the back making the monk stubble a bit. "Now the councils will be so happy they'll leave me and Jin alone."
"He hopes. Congratulations." Jin said exchanging embraces with both Mai and Aang who had become good friends with her during her transition from Earth Kingdom citizen to Fire Lady Jin.
"Well, since we are announcing stuff we might as well fess up. Your mini-twinkletoes will soon have a little rocking playmate." Toph said gaining a kiss from her sister in law.
"That's great, Toph. I can't wait for them to start bending." was the reply from soon to be Uncle Aang.
"All I can hope is that he's not a bender so I can show him to be a master swordsman." Sokka pronounced leaping about with his imaginary sword. "I'll be so proud."
"Ignore him, he is an idiot. I'm sorry Toph. I can only hope the idiot genes aren't hereditary." Katara said patting the blind earthbender sympathetically.
"What about you Katara? Any exciting news?" Sokka motioned his head to Haru.
"Haru and I are promised and soon to be engaged." Katara said softly and she too was squeezed by the group. Haru was soon dragged into the center of it. "We're still discussing some details but we would like to be married in a couple of years."
Haru nodded, "we have to still travel to the Water Tribe and formally ask Hakoda but after that---." Zuko and Aang shook his hand and Sokka gave him a good old fashioned friendly punch to the arm, at least that's what he believed it was, with Sokka one never knew.
"So its official, every year no matter what we are doing. We all come back to the festival and then Ember Island." Zuko asked looking at the faces all around them.
"No matter what." They all said in unison.
Toph added to the merry mood, "how about some sand sculpting? I haven't done that in a while." She ran down the beach not bothering to see if anybody had followed.
Haru and Sokka raced after her dragging a protesting Zuko. "I don't even like sand, Jin. You know I hate sand. Come on guys!" he was heard shouting.
"Go ahead." Mai said to the man bouncing beside her. 'That was her Aang.'
"You're awesome." He pecked her mouth and ran after them, "wait up guys. I been practicing Toph. I can probably do all of the Earth Kingdom now not just Ba Sing Se."
"You're on, baldy." Toph yelled back.
"Children!" Katara, Jin and Mai all shouted, turned to look at each other and laughed.
The End.