While Jet and On Ji talked, Aang explained that Katara's heart had stopped beating for about three hours, and how the doctor had wanted to remove the IV; but Aang hadn't let him, hoping against hope that Katara would live. He also explained about what had happened to the dark eyed teenager, saying that he was going to live. Katara can tell from the way her boyfriend talked that he felt guilty for hurting Jet in the first place. Aang doesn't like hurting people, and knowing that he had almost taken someone's life ate at him. He had been raised to respect life, not destroy it.

Aang had stopped by Jet's room after the dark eyed teen had surgery. "I was on my way back here after getting something to drink when I heard muttering. Out of curiosity, I had walked into the room quietly, where the noise was coming from, and saw Jet lying there asleep. He looked almost... fragile. I was about to leave when I heard him whisper, 'I'm sorry.' I had stared at him as he started tossing and turning, repeating the words over and over again. Then I had left, feeling upset. His face... it had despair written all over it. I think he was sorry for all the trouble he had caused."

Katara sighed. "I'm not that surprised if that's the case. Before the battle between you two, he gave another chance to spare me if I joined him. I knew he was telling the truth when he had said that he didn't want to kill me. But I had refused again because I knew he was still going to try to kill you." She shook her head. "I'm not sure what, but Jet was actually gentle with me, like he really didn't want to resort to murder. Something in him had changed."

Aang bit his lip and pondered her words before saying, "So besides the, you know..." He gestured at her collarbone. "Besides that, Jet didn't harm you?" Katara shook her head and he ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. "Then I'm not mistaking it. Before we had started fighting, I saw something other than anger in his eyes. At first I couldn't be sure; he kept attacking me. But now that I think about it,that was regret and sorrow I had seen. When he had stabbed you, Jet's face cleared up. At the moment I hadn't cared. All I had seen was you."

Katara grabbed her soul mate's hand and gave it a squeeze. She was struck speechless, and she tried to come up with something to say, but her mind was blank. Finally she replied, "It must have been hard for you to watch that, me being in pain. I'm sorry you had to see that. But, Aang, I couldn't bear the thought of you being hurt. The dagger would have killed you. I couldn't let that happen. I had already lost my Mom; I couldn't lose you too. I'm sorry for scaring you."

Aang took a shaky breath and nodded before looking into her eyes. "It was scary. What you had done had made my world lose its color, and I thought I was dying with you. I had tried so hard to keep you awake, Katara; but you had lost too much blood. And when your heart had stopped, it felt like mine had too." He looked at her pleadingly. "Please don't do that again. What would our friends think if I had let you die? You're too young, and I'm responsible for protecting you. I'm not trying to sound demanding, but your safety is more important than anything else. Promise that you will never do that again, okay? Promise me!"

Katara had not broken eye contact the whole time he talked. She saw fierceness in his gaze that had never been there before. A fire of sorts, and she had the feeling that he was blaming himself for her sacrificing herself to save him. Katara took a deep breath, considering her words carefully. "Aang, I'm not sure I can promise that. Don't be upset," she added when his eyes hardened and he looked away. "I was thinking about your safety. You're more important than anything or anyone else. There wasn't time to think; I just acted. If there had been time, I would have tried to come up with something else. But the point is, there wasn't."

Aang still refused to look at her, upset more than angry. All he wanted was for Katara to promise to stay out of trouble. But he supposed she would object. He's not angry; he just wanted to protect her from danger. Her having almost died had nearly killed him as well. Aang didn't know what to say, so he remained quiet. Katara sighed and decided to try another tactic. "Aang, what I did was an act of love, as well as protection. I know you're upset about what happened, and that you wish it hadn't is understandable. But maybe you should ask yourself this: If our roles had been opposite, and I was the one about to get stabbed and there was no time to react except for an instant, what would you have done?"

He shuddered as he thought about it. The truth was he would have done the same thing she had. He didn't want to admit it, but Aang knew she was right. That was one of the reasons he loved Katara so much, because she was stubborn when it came to protecting the people she loved. But seeing Katara lying in a pool of her own blood was horrifying; not to mention sickening. He never wanted anything like that to happen again.

He looked her in the eyes again with sadness. Squeezing her hand he said, "Okay, you got me there. I would have done the same thing. I would have taken that dagger if it meant that you would live to see another day." He lifted her hand and kissed her palm. "I'm not mad, Katara; I just don't want you to get hurt on my account. Can you at least try to stay out of trouble? Please? That's all I ask from you. It would make me feel better."

Katara bit her lip, pondering his words quickly before nodding. "I will try to stay out of trouble." Then she grinned. "But trouble always seems to find us. You're like a magnet!" she added as a joke.

Aang had to chuckle at that a little. Leave it to Katara to lighten the mood. He leaned forward and kissed her cheek lightly. "I love you." Katara replied by kissing him on the mouth, lingering there for a few moments before pulling away. Aang's eyes widened when he realized something they had overlooked. "Oh! You know what? The doctor doesn't know you're okay yet."

She pursed her lips thoughtfully; then nodded. "You're right. With everything going on, we forgot to tell the nurse too."

"I'll have her come in," he replied as he reached for a button.

A few minutes later a woman in her forties came into the room, brown hair streaked lightly with silver in a neat bun. She was looking down when she came in, so she didn't notice the girl sitting up in bed. "Was there something you needed?" she asked in a gentle voice before looking at Aang with concerned green eyes. Movement on the bed drew the woman's attention, and she gasped, hand over mouth, when she saw Katara trying to get into a more comfortable position.

The woman quickly walked over and automatically started fluffing the pillows, trying to make the girl feel better. She was still staring at Katara with a mixture of disbelief and joy. She swallowed and cleared her throat, wringing her hands together like she wasn't sure what to do. Finally she said, "God watches over you, child. Bless Him. Bless Him." She frowned worriedly. "But, forgive me, for this is most unusual, you were dead. Spirits guide us. How are you alive?" There was awe and a little bit of fear in her voice and face, like the woman had an unpleasant thought as to how this girl was alive and breathing.

Katara took a deep breath and looked Aang in the eye, squeezing his hand in a loving gesture. "I guess I'm just lucky," she answered the nurse quietly. Aang smiled tenderly and gently kissed his girlfriend's forehead.

The woman stared at them, and she could tell their relationship was something that went deeper than that. She suspected that the girl had protected this young man in some way. She wondered what kind of battle they had been in to receive those wounds, but she knew better than to bother them about it. She smiled kindly and said, "I will get Dr. Emerson now. He would want to see this miracle." She walked out of the room, still muttering in awe at this miracle of life.

Aang watched her go before looking back at his soul mate. He ran his hand through her hair, just gazing at her, Katara watching him just as intently. The heart monitor beeped strongly, filling them both with happiness and strength. Their breathing echoed, relishing the feel of air filling their lungs. Aang licked lips before saying, "I'm glad you're back."

Katara smiled. "It's good to be back." Then she looked at his neck. It was bare. She frowned. "Where's the necklace?"

He looked a little confused before, grinning, he pulled his hand away and reached inside the shirt and pulled the beaded necklace she had made for him from under the material. He fingered the tiny fathers as he said, "Safe and sound. I kept you with me the whole time. That reminds me, you're missing a couple things." He reached into the pocket of his pants and pulled out her mother's necklace and the promise ring. Katara gasped, her hand going to her throat as if to confirm her fears. She looked questioningly at him. "They took them off when we got into the ambulance. I was sitting by the stretcher you were on, watching as they put a mask on you. Then the medic noticed the jewelry, and he took them off and handed them to me. I held onto them, praying that you would be okay." He cleared his throat and moving closer commanded gently, "Sit up."

Katara sat up as best she could, and Aang clasped the necklace around her slender throat, then motioned for her to lie down. Then he grabbed her hand and slipped the ring onto her finger, the band and jewel glinting in the light. Grabbing both of her hands, he moved his face closer to hers, staring into her soul. A desire too strong to ignore overcame him, and Aang closed the distance to kiss her. Katara closed her eyes in contentment, relishing the feeling.

They broke apart slowly, eyes still closed; then once her breath her was back, Katara kissed him more firmly, and he followed suit, not complaining. She slowly raised her arms, careful of the IV in her arm, and tangled her fingers into his hair, pulling him closer. He had to stand up and place his arms on either side of her to avoid discomfort.

Then he felt her tongue beg for entrance and, shuddering, he allowed her invasion in. His mind was numb with pleasure, his blood singing to him. The feeling was amazing. He broke away and slowly kissed her throat, his lips lingering over her pulse. Then someone cleared their throat and he jumped away, embarrassed at being caught red handed.

Dr. Emerson walked into the room, a clipboard in one of his arms. "I would appreciate it if you two saved that for a different place," he said sternly although there was a twinkle in his eyes, contradicting his words. It was obvious to him how much these two teens love each other.

Aang swallowed, his face beat red as he sat back down, avoiding eye contact. Katara was breathing a little heavily, her heart doing somersaults. How embarrassing to be caught while making out. A muffled giggle came from the door and Katara saw the nurse standing there, trying to stifle her smile and failing. Dr. Emerson waved a hand at her. "That will be all, Miss Joy. Thank you. I will let you if I need help. You are dismissed."

Miss Joy, smiling, said, "Yes sir." She walked out the room, leaving the flustered couple alone with the doctor.

He cleared his throat and walked over to Katara's other side. "Normally I would ask how you were feeling, but from that little... action, I would say you're doing just fine."

Katara turned even redder, but smiled a little goofy grin. "I'm feeling wonderful. Thank you."

He nodded, bringing a blood pressure measuring device down. "Good, good. Glad to hear that. Hold out your arm please." She did so, and he wrapped the armband around her free forearm; then started adding pressure. He looked at the gauge and wrote on his clipboard before releasing the air and putting the machine back in the basket.

Then he used his stethoscope to listen to her heart, counting using his watch to make certain the machine wasn't fooling with him, and nodded in approval, writing on the board. Now he said, "I'm going to check on your wound. So be very still; better safe than sorry." Katara nodded and grabbed Aang's hand. Emerson pulled down the corner of her gown, and gently peeled of the white bandage. Katara winced but stayed still as she was told.

When the bandage was gone, it was Aang's turn to wince. The mark left by the dagger was huge, and had at least twenty or more stitches. It was red, angry looking, and at least three inches long because of the angle the knife sunk in. He didn't want to know how deep the wound actually was; it would just make him sick again.

Dr. Emerson walked over to the supply closet and took out salve, new bandages, tape, gloved, and scissors before walking back to the bed. After sanitizing his hands again, he put the gloved on before opening the salve. Then opening the jar, he scooped up some of it and gently applied it to the scar. Katara gritted her teeth as a burning sensation rippled from the scar all the way through her body, and she clenched Aang's fingers, making them purple and numb. Fortunately it only lasted a few seconds before the cooling process began, and Katara released her breath on a blissful sigh and relaxed against the pillow.

The doctor finished his examination by cutting a length of bandage, placing it on the scar, and taped it in place. He wiped his brow, threw the gloved away, put the supplies back, and wiped his glasses with a handkerchief. After putting them back on he said, "Everything seems to be in order. How do you feel now?"

Katara opened her eyes tiredly. "I feel fine; just a little sleepy. What was that cream you had used?"

"It's a special salve made from healing herbs. I got it from Gyatso's clinic the last time I was there."

Aang smiled, proud of his uncle. "My uncle can up with some pretty strong potions. He's a miracle worker."

Dr. Emerson nodded. "He is very wise about these kinds of things. You should be proud." Aang nodded, still smiling. Gyatso was very wise, and the boy was happy to have him around. Emerson put the pen in the holder. "Okay. Since everything checks out alright, now would be a good time for rest. I can tell you're getting tired. I'll come in later to see how things are going, but I believe you're going to be just fine."

Katara nodded and he left them, closing the door softly behind him. Aang played with Katara's fingers. "I'm glad this is over," he said quietly.

Katara didn't need to ask what he meant. She nodded. "It's strange though. Now that the war is over, there won't be any more fighting; at least, not the kind that we had to face."

Aang nodded. "It's weird, now that I think about it. After all this time, it's strange to think that we're done. Do you know what I mean?"

She looked at him. "Yeah. It's going to be weird not training or planning every day. From everything we went through, it's going to be hard to change back to the way things were."

He touched her cheek with the back of his undamaged hand. "I don't think that's possible. We can't turn things back around to where they had been. But we can make a better future from the mistakes that were made. We can do it; I know we can."

Katara smiled sleepily. "Sounds good." She yawned hugely, and she had a hard time keeping her eyes open.

Aang sighed and kissed her temple. 'Get some sleep,' he said gently. 'We'll talk more when you wake up.'

Her blue eyes started closing. 'Stay with me,' she murmured.

'Always.' She was asleep before he could say anything else, and Aang sighed again, watching her relaxed face. He played with the beads around his neck before slowly standing up and quietly leaving the room. He had a visit to make.

Toph sat in her room, looking around at the expensive furnishings and paintings, along with other useless stuff that never really appealed to her. Being born blind, the Earthbender had never cared for designer clothes or makeup. She just wasn't that kind of person. But she had to admit, some of the glass decorations were beautiful, especially when light hit them and made colors dance.

A knock sounded on her door, and Toph's heart started pounding, knowing who it was even before she quickly made herself blind again. Taking a deep breath she called, "Come in!" Poppy Bei Fong opened the door to her daughter's room. Once inside, the woman closed the door softly and sat next to the girl.

"Was there something you wanted to talk to me about, Toph?" she asked with concern in her voice. When her daughter had gotten home, she had pulled Poppy aside to tell her to meet Toph in her room after dinner. Now the gentle faced woman wondered what was wrong.

Toph took a deep breath before starting. "Mom, if I told you something about me that seems... out of the ordinary, would you think I was... weird or abnormal?"

Her mother frowned, moving her daughter's jet black bangs away from her pale eyes. "What is this about, sweetheart? Is it about your blindness? I thought you didn't care about that."

Toph shook her head, bangs falling back into place. "I don't. But it's not about that, not really. Please Mom; this is important. Would you think I was strange if you knew something different about me?"

Poppy thought carefully, wondering if something had happened that made Toph this serious. She sighed. "No, dear; I wouldn't. You are my daughter, and I can never think of you that way. We are all different from one another, and it would be foolish to think in such matters." She grabbed Toph's hand and added, "You can tell me anything, Toph. You know that, and you have to believe it. Tell me, and I promise to listen."

Toph took a breath and began. "I want you to know that despite my blindness, I'm not as helpless as you think. Because of it, my senses have grown stronger, and in doing so, I can hear, smell, and feel better than most people. The feeling is where it's most accurate." She licked her lips. "Mom, as weird as this is going to sound, the secret I've been keeping is that... I can feel vibrations through my feet. It allows me to find my way through areas and around people. It can even help me recognize my friends and family. I'm sorry I've never told you, but I didn't want you to think I was crazy. Also, if Dad found out, he would have put me somewhere so that I can get rid of this 'madness'. You have to believe me Mom. It's important that you do."

Poppy stared with wide eyes. Where was this coming from? Was Toph doing this to get attention? That didn't make sense; if Toph wanted that, then all she had to do was ask. The woman sighed and said, "I'm not sure what to say, Toph. Are you telling me this to get attention?"

She groaned in exasperation. The girl knew this would happen, but she wasn't going to give up. "If you don't believe me, I'll prove it to you. I'm going to plug my ears, and I want you to walk anywhere and stop there, without saying anything." She took out the green ear plugs she had bought in order to get a good night's sleep from the couples around her, from her pocket. Plugging them in, Toph then motioned for her mother to move while she stood up. Good thing the place was made of stone. The rug will make her vision fuzzy, but Toph will be able to find her Mom easily.

Poppy hesitated; then walked around for a few moments before stopping at the far corner of the room, farthest away from the girl. Toph concentrated, and she picked up the faint heartbeat of the woman. Taking a breath, Toph strolled confidently to where her mother stood, not hearing a thing. Poppy's eyes became huge when her daughter walked unwavering to her side. Toph took the plugs out and crossed her arms, and stated, "Found you."

Her mother gaped at her in astonishment before walking back to the bed and sitting down hard. Toph joined her, and her mother, after opening and closing her mouth several times, said, "You were telling the truth. I'm sorry that I did not believe you." Toph shrugged and Poppy delicately cleared her throat. "Was that all you needed to show me?"

She shook her head. "There are a couple more things that you need to know. Just don't freak out when I tell, okay?" Poppy took a deep breath and agreed. Thus Toph explained what had transpired for these last couple of months, telling the story from the very beginning of their journey. Poppy could only stare in bewilderment and amazement as Toph recounted the fights, the plans, the training, power discoveries, even the final battle between them and the Black Mamba. Toph Bended a pebble she had brought with her to prove of her Earthbending. Then she told of Katara's fatal accident. As she talked about her sister friend, the Blind Bandit let the tears fall, uncaring that her mother was watching.

"I don't even know if she's alive. The last time I felt her was when the ambulance people was putting her inside, and I could have sworn my heart stopped when they had to drag Aang away from her in order to get her up the stairs. I've never felt or heard him so heartbroken. It was like a force all its own. He had managed to run up the stairs and enter the vehicle. No one had said anything when he did that, considering the circumstances. Then they were gone, sirens wailing."

Tears trickled down Poppy's smooth cheeks at the thought of someone dying at the hands of those monsters. She hoped the girl will survive, especially after saving Aang's life. "You haven't heard anything from Aang?"

Toph lowered her head. "No." Then she wiped her face. "But I hope Katara does live, or all of us will never be the same. We became a family, Mom; a very close one. She was the protective one, Aang was like a Dad, and the rest were siblings and relatives. I don't want to lose any of them."

Poppy hugged her daughter close to her side, feeling her pain. "They seem very important to you. Let's hope Katara does make it. She was a very brave young woman." She took a breath and asked, "What else do you have to tell me?"

Toph sighed and slowly straightened. Then she said, "Well, this may come as a shock, so I think it would be better if I showed you." She closed her blind eyes, and warmth occurred under her lids with a thought. Then she let out a sigh and slowly opened them, revealing her emeralds.

Poppy gasped and backed away a little, and Toph stared at her mother for the first time ever. The woman reminded her of a flawless China doll, with pale skin, slanted eyes, a waterfall of black hair and a gentle bone structure. Her Mom pointed at her, unsure if she was surprised or scared. "Your eyes," she murmured. "They're beautiful. But how..."

"I'm getting to that. Just be patient. It started with a dream..." Toph told Poppy about grandma Georgina and how she had had the same Earthbending abilities that Toph has now. Then she told about the Cherokee phrases that will make Toph blind or see at will. "The only setback about seeing with my eyes is my feet won't be able to. Grandma told me it was okay to tell you because you would understand better. She didn't want Dad to know."

Poppy pursed her lips. "That's not surprising. They were never close, if memory serves. And the Earthbending would explain how she always got the best soil." Toph chuckled and Poppy smiled; then frowned questionably. "There's something I don't understand, though. Why didn't Lao inherent these powers? He had her blood."

"Because if he did, she had said he would have become a tyrant."

She snorted. "That's not surprising either. He would do whatever it took to get more money, even though we have enough."

Toph threw her arms up. "That's what I said!" Poppy laughed and hugged her daughter again, both smiling, starting to feel closer than they had ever been. But the girl sobered quickly and said, "But you have to promise not to tell Dad. He would throw a fit if he knew, not because he would believe us, but because he would think we're nuts. You won't tell him, right?"

Poppy lifted her daughter's head to stare into her beautiful eyes, still amazed by what the girl had accomplished and learned. "I won't say anything to him. And if he does find out, I'll do everything in my power to support you."

"Promise?"

Poppy held out a pinky, and when Toph lifted an eyebrow, she shrugged and simply said, "My father and I used to do this when I was growing up. This is to make sure the promise remains unbroken. Yes Toph; I promise I will keep this conversation between us." Toph grinned and wrapped her pinky around her mother's. Then yawned and Poppy said, "Get some sleep. Maybe tomorrow will bring news."

Toph nodded and her Mom was about to leave when the girl's cell phone rang. They looked at each other and Toph stood up, walked to her dresser, grabbed the phone and, seeing that it was one of her friends, answered on the beginning of the fourth ring. "Hey. What's up?" Pausing, she listened; and her eyes went huge with disbelief. "Really?... Are you serious?... When?... Okay, yeah. I'll tell them... Uh huh ... Okay, see you soon... Later." She hung up and stood there, completely stunned by the news, hardly daring to believe.

Poppy hadn't moved, and now she asked, "Who was it?"

Toph turned to her with a grin and wet eyes. "Looks like our prayers were answered. That was Aang. Katara's alive."

After making the call to Toph to give his message, Aang continued down the hall, looking for the room. His heart was pounding with nervousness, and his mind took in tiny details in order to distract itself; the tiles and their designs; the colorful splashes; and everything in between. Before long, he was in front of the door, and heard soft voices talking to one another. Steeling his nerves, Aang knocked.

It was quiet for a moment or two before the door was opened to show a girl with bright brown eyes. They blinked at him and stared. He said, "Hi, On Ji. Can I come in?"

On Ji stared at him before nodding. "Yeah. Come in." Walking into the room, much like Katara's own, Aang saw Jet sitting up, looking at him with a slack jaw before turning his head away. On Ji looked from one boy to the other, fidgeting. This made her nervous, this uncomfortable silence. Clearing her throat she said, "I was just about to leave to get something to eat. I didn't want to leave him alone though; especially after what had happened during the battle. Can you stay with him until I come back?" Aang nodded and she smiled gratefully. "Thanks. I won't be gone long. There's a twenty-four hour restaurant just around the corner." On Ji walked over to Jet and kissed his cheek before leaving the room with a respectful nod to Aang, closing the door softly.

When she was gone, the two males looked at everything but each other. Then Aang took a breath and sat down in On Ji's chair. He bit his lip before starting. "Hey." Jet nodded but didn't say anything. Aang looked down. "Listen. I wanted to apologize for what I did to you. I could've killed you, and the guilt has been unbearable. I'm sorry for doing that to you. No one deserves to die; especially that way. I hope you can forgive me."

Jet sighed; then shook his head miserably. "You have no reason to feel guilty, Aang. You were just doing what you thought was right: protecting Katara. If anyone should be begging forgiveness, that should be me. I was the one who stabbed her, even though it was an accident. I was the one who continued my father's work. I killed and stole things." He rubbed his bruised side. "I wish that being thrown into the wall had killed me. I deserve no less for what I did."

Aang winced. "Don't think like that, Jet. No one deserves that fate; not even you. Besides, you've changed; I can see that now. What would On Ji say if she found out your thoughts about dying? It would kill her too. She loves you."

He smiled, a real smile full of love and happiness. "I love On Ji too. I love her so much that I would do anything for her." He finally looked at Aang with shining eyes. "I don't want to die now. She gave me reasons to live; reasons I thought were impossible to have." Jet frowned sadly. "I'm sorry for stabbing Katara. If I had thought first before I acted, she wouldn't have gotten hurt. Is she..."

The gray eyed teenager smiled. "No; she's alive. She's going to be okay."

Jet released the breath he had been holding and grinned a little. "Great. That relieved me of some of my guilt." Then the smile melted and sorrow took its place. "But I still want to apologize to you; for what I did, but also for what my father has done. If he hadn't become obsessed with money, he wouldn't have done all this. I'm sorry about your parents. They would have been proud of what you had done."

A lump formed in Aang's throat and he cleared it. "Thank you. Your Mom would be proud of you too." He looked at Jet with open curiosity. "What was your mother like?"

Jet's brown eyes turned distant as he recalled the memory of his Mom. "She was the sweetest woman anyone could've known. She used bake every weekend, filling the house with enough sweets to give to every charity in town. My Mom used to tell me stories about knights and dragons, fantasy stuff. Whenever I was upset or angry, she would hand me a treat and comb my hair with her fingers. She was the best person in the world. Everyone looked up to her."

Aang frowned, looking down. "I know what you mean. My Mom used to take me to the park every time I was upset or bored. My Dad used to accompany her when I was in plays and stuff. They would do anything to make me happy." He gazed at the teenager before him. "How can someone like your Mom be with someone like your Dad?"

Jet scowled darkly. "Probably through trickery. Edwardo was a schemer; he didn't care what he did or who got hurt as long as he got what he wanted. I wouldn't put it past him if he had raped her. Ever since I was little, I had seen him beat her mercilessly. He even had hit me; only not front of her. It wasn't until I was fourteen that he..." His voice trailed off as he remembered pain; pain he never wanted to feel again.

Aang thought about the guy's unfinished sentence. When he understood the meaning, he paled. "Do you mean... Are you saying... Did he... did he rape you too?"

Jet clenched his hands and jaw. "Yes," he pushed through gritted teeth.

"But you were just a kid; barely a teenager!" Aang protested. "How can someone, even their own parent, do that to a child?"

Jet gave a humorless laugh. "Someone with a sick mind." He looked at Aang sheepishly. "I guess I have to thank you for putting him in jail. I never thought about the freedom I had since he was gone. So, thank you."

Aang smiled a little. "All in a day's work, I guess. I couldn't let that man hurt anyone else. I just hope he stays in prison." Jet nodded in agreement. He didn't want that monster out to do more torment than the world could take. It would not be right. After everything that man had done, it wouldn't be fair to have Edwardo wreak more havoc on people.

He was surprised when Aang held his hand out to him. "We've been through a lot, and I don't want us to fight anymore. Can we start over? Can we be friends, or acquaintances at least?"

Jet stared at the hand, then him, and back again. Taking a deep breath, he slowly raised his hand and grasped Aang's firmly. He shook it with a small smile. "Yeah, sure. Let's drop the past."

Aang smiled. "And look to the future." They released hands and Aang stood up. "I have to go; I promised Katara I would be there when she woke up. Are you going to be okay by yourself?" He didn't want to leave Jet unless here knew the guy was going to be okay.

Jet nodded. "I'm good. But can you keep our conversation quiet? On Ji doesn't know, and I don't want people to pity me."

"Don't worry." He crossed his heart. "Your secret is safe with me." Just then On Ji came in and nodded to Aang. He nodded back and said, "Well, I'll see you guys later. Bye Jet."

"Later, Aang."

He left the room and walked down the hall, his mind reeling. He had learned quite a lot about his former enemy; learned what he had gone through. No wonder he was violent; that was all Jet had learned when he was younger. And to be raped by his own father... Aang shuddered, glad his parents hadn't been like that.

When he got back, Aang saw Katara still asleep, her chest rising and falling smoothly, the heart monitor beeping evenly. Sitting down, he watched her peaceful face, grabbing her hand in order to feel her pulse. He was exhausted, and was ready to sleep with Katara's face in his mind. Aang counted himself lucky and blessed to have her and the rest of his friends. They mean more to him than anything in the world.

Eyes growing heavy, Aang put his head on the mattress, and fell asleep with a peaceful sigh, without any worries to be concerned about. Everything was just right.