Author's Notes: Thank you all to those who reviewed. You motivated me to update faster considering I was going to wait until next week. Oh and yes I understand there is a lot of angst and drama, but that may change soon...or at least another genre is gonna be added soon temporarily.

Azula swiftly stood up and loudly said, "What?!"

"It says the Northern Water Tribe approves of this since it would strengthen the ties between their nation and ours," Iroh explained. "He says that he'll happily take the child in, as his--but he says it won't be a problem considering the child is most likely his--"

Azula snatched the letter away from her uncle and read it, "That arrogant imbecile!"

Zuko joined his sister, "There's no way Uncle that she's going to marry that pompous jackass. I don't care if the marriage would strengthen the alliance between our nations." The prince was outraged at Hahn's boldness to even fancy himself with Azula. Who did he think he was? "He only wants Azula for the benefits she comes with."

Azula laughed, "His? Tai Shan his? As if! Didn't you inform everyone Uncle that Tai Shan's father is Sokka?"

"I wasn't aware you wanted it known," Iroh told her.

"Sokka knows now, so what's the point? Leave Hahn to me--I'll write the bastard. And sometime after Tai Shan returns, we'll have a formal party. A formal announcement that introduces him to the world as a prince of the Fire Nation, since he didn't have one when he was born, and at the same time a welcome home party. " she stormed out of the meeting room, but not before adding, "For once I agree with Zuko! As if I would ever marry Hahn of the Northern Water Tribe!"

Ursa looked at her children. She was glad that they relationship was good, even if her relationship with her daughter wasn't. Zuko was finally playing the protective older brother card with Azula; and she for once didn't outright push away.

Sokka,

What do you mean Tai Shan's too distant with his peers? Maybe it's them who are too distant! Did you think about that?! Tai Shan's perfectly fine the way he is--thank you very much! I sure hope you're taking good care of our son! So what did your grandmother and father say when you told them about Tai Shan? How are they taking it? How's Tai Shan? Tell him I send him my love, I think of him often and I miss him.

Azula, Princess

Did she miss him? Did she think about him often? Did she love him? Sokka banged his head against the wall, wondering why he even bothered. Why did he continue to indulge in thoughts like those? In addition, if he really really wanted her like he thought he did--and like everyone thought he did, what was he waiting for?

Idiot, he told himself. Azula no longer loved him. She had gotten over him and moved on. There was no room in her heart for him anymore.

He should move on too. He should try harder to move on. After all, there was a special someone waiting for him; and it wasn't fair to her.

"Dad!"

Sokka's head turned so swiftly that he had whiplash. He saw Tai Shan running up to him and embracing him warmly. It was the first time that Tai Shan called him "Dad" ever. Sokka wept tears of joy as he placed his arm around Tai Shan.

The boy murmured, "Thank you so much for giving me this."

Sokka smiled, happy to have introduced his son to a new type of life and happiness that the Fire Nation couldn't give to him. "It's nothing son. You deserved it."

"Azula why don't you just go and see him?" Ty Lee told her. "You know you want to!"

"Azula," Uncle Iroh called to her as the girls turned the corner to see the newly crowned Fire Lord standing there. "We need to talk."

Ty Lee smiled for her and excused herself as Azula watched her go. The princess reluctantly went to her uncle. "What is it?" she asked. Maybe he was there to tell her that the Earth Kingdom changed their minds and they wanted her in exchange for an alliance.

Surprisingly, however, he asked her about her welfare. She answered that she was well and wondered if he was going to bring the bad news then. They sat down on the lone bench in the hallway. Iroh told her how the war changed people: the Avatar and his friends, Zuko and Mai, and even her. "Falling in love with someone isn't always going to be easy... Anger... tears... laughter.. It's when you want to be together despite it all. That's when you truly love another. I'm sure of it."

Azula's head shot up and she looked at her uncle in disbelief. He was giving her advice, he was helping her, and his words rang true. She stood up and thanked her uncle quickly before running off to find the meathead she was in love with. She found him in the garden. "Sokka," she panted.

He looked at her with sad eyes, but his features soon changed into one of indifference. "We need to talk."

They did, Azula agreed, but she knew from his expression that it wasn't going to be a happy one--or at least end happily. She was right. She allowed him to talk first and in his speech toward her, he shattered her already broken heart. He told her that he was furious that they were used by her; he was hurt by her actions; and that their relationship couldn't be repaired because of her actions. He couldn't be with her. Azula realized that they couldn't repair their relationship if one was unwilling, so she allowed him his freedom.

"Well this is interesting," Aang mused.

"What?" Toph asked. She concluded that he was holding a piece of paper, by the noise it gave off.

"Well Hahn didn't take the news well," Azula began. "Being rejected, finding out that he never slept with me, and being told that Tai Shan was never his was quite a blow to the boy."

Ty Lee laughed. "Well Hahn seems the type who can't take rejection well anyways Azula."

Kana placed her great-grandson to sleep, before talking to Sokka. "It's been such a nice day."

"Yeah I suppose so," Sokka fed more wood to the fire.

"He's got to visit more often. I don't want this to be the last time I see him," she told her eldest grandchild.

"No it won't be. I'll make sure of it. I'll talk to Azula," Sokka reassured the elderly woman.

"I would like to meet this young woman some day," she commented that Sokka was surprised. She looked up at him and smiled. "Like you didn't know. Come on, me and your father should meet her. We need to know the woman who gave you such a wonderful son."

He smiled, "I'd like that too. Who knows? Maybe I can ask her to come here one day. Or if you and Dad ever have time, you could go over there."

"She must be something," Kana continued. "For you to be totally enchanted by her even after seven years."

Sokka looked away. "Gran Gran...she doesn't care for me anymore." Hakoda then entered the igloo quietly and sat down in between his mother and son.

"Or maybe she was just a woman with a wounded heart," Kana continued. "After all, you two didn't leave on the best of terms right?" .

"Yeah...so?"

"Did you give her any reason to think that you didn't love her anymore? Maybe she didn't tell you because she was afraid of rejection--maybe she believed that you would forsake them...or maybe she couldn't bear to see you because of what happened during the war. After all, a woman in love doesn't always have the heart to take seeing him after they've broken up," Gran Gran continued.

Sokka looked down. He always thought that his grandmother wouldn't like the thought of him and Azula together, but he was proven wrong. It seemed that his family was all right with whomever he chose as long as he was happy. Unlike with Azula's father, who cared less about what his daughter wanted. Even after Ozai's death, Azula still cared. She was remorseful at the fact that she betrayed her father by falling in love with a Water Tribe peasant--an enemy who best friends with the Avatar and bearing his child.

Azula, no doubt, loved Tai Shan, and would never take back anything she did; but also it seemed she was trying to redeem herself.

It was pointless.

She no longer loved him, and she made it clear that being married to him was the worst idea she could ever go through with.

"So we're not going to tell him?!" Katara hissed harshly as she read the letter from the Northern Water Tribe over and over again.

"No. I don't think it's a good idea," Aang said. "I'm gonna write a letter to Iroh about it first. "

"And we don't want Meathead to go crazy," Toph explained to her female friend. "Besides, Hahn and Azula? Azula would never agree to it."

"So where are we going next Dad?" Tai Shan asked as they packed their things to get ready for another journey.

"Kyoshi Island."

A/N: Yeah Sokka's being a stupid, stubborn mule. Oh and the quote that Iroh says in the flashback, "Falling in love with someone isn't always going to be easy... Anger... tears... laughter.. It's when you want to be together despite it all. That's when you truly love another. I'm sure of it," is not mine. I found it on a quote site and it doesn't say who originally said it.

I hope the flashback helps understand why Azula isn't rushing eagerly into Sokka's arms.