Hi. I know its been a skinny minute, but I've been busy this week. I usually try (emphasis on the word TRY) to update a couple times a week, but I have a job and family, so that can't always be done. I'm a really busy woman you know. I'll do my best to get one up a week, but I promise nothing.

Anyway, good old Mary Kate wrote a little something based on my version of Ursa, Zuko and Granny Ursa. I love it so much, now I consider it a companion piece. If you plan on understanding what's going on in chapters 19-21 I suggest you read it. You can see it here : / / mary -kate -serafin. deviantart dot com / gallery /38755567# /d5h2xs4 (FYI DupreeRose is me)

As always, characters by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, Story by Me.

.~.

Alone

One winter morning Lee was working at the pier when he saw the Avatar's children headed toward him on their normal trek to school. They were right on time, five minutes early for the ferry. Bumi was being silly, as always and Kya was singing a little ditty to herself. As she got closer Lee realized it was 'Secret Tunnel' and laughed to himself. The difference today was that Tenzin was with them.

When given the option by his parents to go to the Republic City Academy he declined. He didn't see the point in going to school when his parents were teaching him all he needed to know and Lin was all the friends his age he needed.

Lee marveled at the eight year old and fondly remembered that he'd been there when Tenzin was born. "Have you decided to go to school too Tenzin?", he asked when the children were close enough.

"No," the little boy said matter-of-factly, "we'll be spending a few days with Uncle Sokka in the city."

"Yeah, Warrior Time all weekend long!" Bumi cheered as Tenzin rolled his eyes.

Lee smiled, Well, I hope you guys all have fun." he said and walked to the end of the pier to another Air Acolyte, Mushi, an told him quietly, "The children are leaving the island." Mushi looked at Lee and nodded and then went to spread the news.

Lee and a few other Air Acolytes had learned the hard way not to go within a half mile of the house when the children were gone. On more than one occasion they had seen the air and water benders in compromising positions during these absences, both inside and outside the home. Whenever the acolytes saw that all three of the kids were leaving with bags in tow and without their sky bison the warning would go out by simply saying, "The children are leaving the island."

.~.

As the children got older it became harder for Katara and Aang to find time alone together, especially since the women had 'the talk' with Kya. It had gotten worse a few months before when Aang had a similar talk to Bumi and his son responded by saying, "You stay away from my mother!"

Katara was getting tired of having to sneak around with her own husband in her own home, so she asked Sokka if he could take the kids for a weekend. Of course she told her brother that it was because she needed a break and Aang could use the rest.

.~.

Aang returned home late like he had been doing for the past few weeks. The gang element in Republic City had gone from being a nuisance to being a serious problem, and often the avatar didn't make it home until long after dark because he was dealing with one problem or another.

The overly tired man feed Appa and dragged himself across the yard with two things on his mind, dinner and sleep. It appeared that he was finally going to have a weekend off and he fully intended to use it to get some much needed rest.

He walked into the door, fully ready for the onslaught of noise and rowdiness that his home was whenever he walked in, but as he opened the door he noticed that the place was strangely quiet, it was also dark. The only light seemed to be coming from the hallway and the kitchen, "Hello?" he called out, not sure if everything was okay.

"Hi Aang, you're home earlier than usual. How was your day?" his wife called from the kitchen.

"Same old, same old," he said as he sat in the chair closest to the door and pulled off his boots and cloak, "I'm just really tires. Have the kids gone to bed already?'

"The kids are spending the weekend with Sokka."

The air bender perked up a little bit, "I saw Sokka earlier today, he didn't say anything about it."

"I told him not to." Katara said coyly, "Aang, are you hungry?"

At hearing that phrase a mischievous smile crept across the Avatar's face. The was their code, one they'd made up when they were young, newly married and had lots of boring, seemingly unending meetings to attend. After a break was announced Katara would turn and say, "Aang, are you hungry?", and they would end up hidden away in some closet, storage room or empty office for a while, then reenter the meeting looking slightly disheveled. Nobody ever really noticed except for their friends. Zuko would just cut his eyes and shake hid head at them while Toph would nudge Aang knowingly an smile or say "Way to go Twinkle Toes." Sokka was either completely oblivious or in a state of denial because he always wondered where it was they were going to eat.

.~.

As the Avatar crossed he living room he answered his wife's inquiry with his usual response, "Aren't I always." He turned the corner to find her leaning against the wall, draped in one of his training shirts. Aang slid one arm around his love's waist and pulled her to him, "This looks better on you than it ever could on me.", and he placed a deep kiss on her lips.

When they separated Katara tugged at Aang's sleeve, "This isn't fair, I feel under dressed. Now either you need to take some of this off, or I'm going to put something on."

The man lifted his head and hummed playfully, as if he was thinking. Katara shrugged and trued to step away, but he still had her by the waist, "Oh no, no, no, no, "he laughed, "okay, how much do you have on?"

Katara pulled the front of the shirt forward and looked down as if she didn't know what she had on. "Hmmm, let me see.", she joked. Aang tried to look too, but she pushed him back gently. She released the shirt and looked up at him, "It seems that its just this.", she said, holding the tail of the garment on either side.

"Um hum," he said, scanning her body from top to bottom and back up again, "but I'm so tired. I think I need your help."

She looked up at her husband and smiled. With out looking down she slid her hands under his tunic and released his drawstring, letting his pants slide sown to the floor, followed closely by his underwear, "Mow we're even," she said.

"No, we're not," he snatched his shirt off quickly, leaving himself bare before his wife.

She looked down, and back up with a raised eyebrow, "I thought you were tired."

"Never too tired for you My Love.", he pressed a hand against the wall above her head and leaned in to kiss her. She reached up and pressed her fingernails lightly into the tip of the arrow on his hand, then drew them softly down the tattoo's path down his arm. She smiled into his kiss as he shuttered under her touch.

"That's not fair," he whispered as he smiled against her lips.

"We all can't be as fair and virtuous as you, Monk."

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her again. She only called him 'Monk" for two reasons, if she was extremely angry with him, or times like this. "So you think I'm a virtuous monk? That's not what you usually call me."

"Okay, maybe you're a lecherous monk."

.~.

In the twenty years that they'd been married Katara had learned to enjoy and appreciate so much about sex that the actual act. She loved to look at the beautiful contrast in the colors of their skin. She delighted in the moments that he'd adjust up to his knees and glide his hands gently up and down her legs as he admired the way they moved together. Katara relished in the times that she looked down and saw a calm, relaxed smoothness on his face as he lay back with his hands on her hips and watched her move above him. But the thing she found the most pleasure in was the one that was the most sporadic, the times that he would completely lose himself and slip into the Avatar State.

.~.

The first time it happened, their first time, it startled her. She gasped as the room filled with the glow from his tattoos. When she did, he opened his eyes and spoke to her, quietly, in the voice of the Avatar State with his in the forefront, "Don't fear me My Love. I would never do anything tot hurt you. Don't worry, I have not lost control of the Avatar State, I've just lost myself in you…Please, take it as a complement."

When they were done and she was laying in his arms Aang spoke an explanation into her hair, "It happens to all Avatars, its just the spouses of the air benders are more likely to notice it because of the tattoos."

"So I'm your spouse now?", she asked, snuggling deeper into his chest.

He fiddled with the shiny new charm around her neck, "You are, just not officially yet, but that will change soon enough."