I don't claim to own any aspect of Avatar: The Last Airbender. This work has been written without permission and isn't intended for any profit.

This story originally spawned out of this idea that I'd been saving for a long time. I absolutely loved it, so I excitedly started writing. But then I got about half a page in and started to hate it. I kept writing anyway, and lo and behold, by the end I loved it again. So if you're keeping score, I guess that means I love this story. Which is absolutely true.

Fireflies

The evening had scarcely fallen and sure enough there they were, doing it again. Right outside the house. It had been this way for as long as she could remember, ever since she had been a little girl. She smiled slightly as she thought of the times when she would go outside and join them.

But not anymore. Song had been happy then. Now it just didn't feel right. The war was over and yet there was still a hole in her heart to fill, one that wouldn't go away until her father finally returned. And the fireflies continued to dance, filling the garden outside with their warm, ethereal light.

Song sighed as she leaned against the windowsill, watching the spectacle. She felt like the girl at the ball who couldn't find a partner.

"Song? Dear, are you still awake?" Her mother approached her from behind and took a seat beside the girl.

Song's gaze didn't leave the window. "I'm not tired."

"Apparently not," her mother laughed. "I thought you'd gone to bed hours ago."

Song didn't return the laugh, though she did allow a small smile. That was all she would allow nowadays. It just didn't seem right. The war was over, so why wasn't her father home yet? It wasn't fair. She found herself silently cursing the firelord; Zuko, whoever he was. He was the one behind all of this…

No. She banished the thought from her mind and forced herself to think about something else. Hate would only make it worse…only make it more painful. Her smile returned as she watched the fireflies. Their dance was eternal—a never-ending waltz to a tempo only they could feel, to a tune only they could hear and understand. Song sometimes thought that if she listened hard enough, she could hear the melody to which they twirled and spun so gracefully. But so far, she'd heard nothing.

"You miss him, don't you?"

Song turned to her mother at this inquiry, not sure of what to say. After a noticeable delay, she said, "Yes. So much." Her voice was soft, level.

Her mother smiled warmly, and Song could almost feel herself in her father's arms right then and there. The power of a mother's smile never ceased to amaze her. "I miss him too," her mother said gently. "But I know he'll come back. You have to hold on to what you have, Song. And right now, I have you…and I have hope. And those are two things that I wouldn't give up for anything in the world." She gave her daughter a small hug and got up. "I'm going to bed. Don't stay up all night, okay?" She turned and retreated to her room.

Song's gaze returned to the fireflies, though now she felt an altogether different mix of emotions than before. She wasn't sure quite how to explain it. She had her mother, and she cared about her. And she had hope… Spirits knew she had all the hope in the world. And she cared about that. Maybe her mother was right…she knew what was important, and she had to hold on to it and never let it go.

Slowly, she got up. Maybe I'll go and visit them again, she thought. Just this once. A soft, warm breeze blew through the open window and around her body in a gentle caress, as though it approved of her decision. Song appreciated the encouragement and slid open the broad wooden door leading to the front garden.

As she stepped out onto the porch and then down onto the smooth, time-worn stepping stones that formed a trail through the moist grass, Song's mind was flooded with memories of warm summer nights, long ago. As a little girl, she'd run and jump and spin around until she was dizzy, laughing as the fireflies would follow her in her elaborate steps. She would lead, they would follow. And sometimes her father would join her, picking her up and whirling her round and round in her arms, the sound of his laughter in perfect harmony with hers. And she'd laugh as she retreated back into the sanctity of her home, waving at her friends, promising she'd be back the next day.

But one day she didn't return. That was the day the Fire Nation raided their village, taking all the men as prisoners. Song was waiting that night for her father to come and dance with her, but he was nowhere to be found. She asked her mother where he was, saying that the fireflies wouldn't wait for them. Her mother turned away, tears in her eyes, and could only say that she didn't know.

Song never danced with the fireflies again.

And now, as she crossed the garden to the wooden fence that marked the edge of their land, the fireflies seemed to beckon her, calling for the dance that they had been waiting for so long. But she couldn't answer. There was something missing now.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered to no one as she reached the fence.

She spotted the small hut next to the path that led to their house. It had once housed an ostrich-horse, several months ago. It was then that she remembered Lee and his uncle. When she'd talked to Lee, she felt like he could understand what she was going through. The boy had lost his father as well, and she took pity on him. His scar seemed to reflect all that he had been through in his life—his struggles, his hardships, his perseverance over all that had stood in his path. But in the end, he had stolen the animal, and Song was crushed—she'd really grown to like the young man. But heartbreak was nothing new for her by then.

She sighed as she stared into the empty hut, a pile of straw still filling a corner of the structure. They hadn't bothered to replace the animal. Maybe someday—

"Hello Song."

Thoroughly startled, Song spun around to come face to face with him. The person she'd met all those months ago…the one who'd betrayed her trust, and the one who she definitely hadn't expected to see again, much less holding her ostrich-horse's reins in one hand.

"It took me a long time, but I tracked him down," he said with a small smile. He handed the reins over to the girl without another word.

Song wasn't really sure what to say. She numbly took the reins and tied them to a wooden post just outside the hut. Finally she found her voice. "Lee? Why did you come back?"

He sighed. "I wanted to apologize for what I did. It was wrong of me. I was confused back then, but that isn't an excuse. So I'm here to make things right." He paused as though debating whether or not to go on and his hand instinctively reached up and touched the left side of his face. "Oh…and my name isn't Lee."

Song's gaze fell and met the ground at Lee's feet. She was torn between so many feelings right now. She wanted to slap Lee, yell at him for hurting her like that. She wanted to hug him for apologizing so gallantly. Most of all, she was confused. But her mother had taught her something important that evening…she needed to stop hating if she was to hold on to what she held most dear to her. "I forgive you, Lee," she said softly. "But who are you, really?"

"He'll come back," Lee interjected as though he'd completely ignored what she'd just said.

"What?" Song was even more confused than before.

"Your father. You'll see him again," Lee said resolutely. "I know how hard it's been for you all these years, and I'm sorry for what you and your mother have had to go through. One day soon he'll come marching back through this gate with his head high and proud, ready to meet his family again. I promise you that." He stopped for a moment. "The firelord promises you."

Song was dumbstruck. Her gaze was fixed on Lee's eyes, and she could feel the tears coming. Quickly she looked down as they fell, not wanting him to see. She had to be strong now…didn't she?

And then, something occurred to her, and she looked up, saying, "It's you! You're the firelord. You're—"

Lee was gone.

Song stood frozen to that spot for what seemed like a very long time. For the longest time she didn't know what to think. But she felt different. She felt warm now, as though a small fire had been lit inside her. It spread all over her body and she smiled wider than she had in a long time as she wiped away the last stray tears.

The walk back across the garden was different as well. She was at peace now—she could put away all of the bitter anger that she had held before. And as she stood in the middle of the garden, the gentle breeze blowing all around her, she could feel it melt away. And as it did, she could have sworn she heard music.

She looked around. The fireflies still waited for her to take the lead.

Slowly but surely, as though she'd been waiting for this moment ever since her childhood, she began to dance. Her movements were slow and deliberate at first, but they soon sped up and became ever more elaborate as she swayed, spun, and pirouetted along with her old friends. "I've missed you," she whispered softly.

The breeze continued its accompaniment. It sifted gently through the trees and the grass, creating a song of rustling leaves as the foliage sang merrily in a rapturous tune.

Song laughed as she lost herself in the melody.

Song is one of my all-time favorite secondary characters from the show…so yeah. I've wanted to write a story about her for a long time, and I finally got the opportunity!