Greetings, avid readers!

I'd like to start with thanking all the reads, favs and follows in this story. Even if silent, your support means a lot. As for the ones that took their time to write a review, thank you as well!

Welcome all to the last chapter. Thank you so much for walking this road with me. For all the support, for all the reviews, favorites, etc. For the DMs, for the love that you've shown me. Thank you.

My weekly obsession is... endings. In general. I usually don't like them, nor do I like to write them, but I've come to think of them as new opportunities for something new to blossom. I might stop posting for a while, I started reading again. Who knows?

thatwritermadeofpotatoes, thank you so much for your kind words. I hope you enjoy this final chapter, made with a light heart and hope for the future. I'm glad you liked Ahria, the little spitfire has a special place in my heart. All my OCs do. Hope to see you for one last review!

Dommie, I want a box of chocolates. The box of chocolates that you promised me last night. I hope you like it!

Brain Fart, thank you!

This is my first try at a Avatar fanfiction. Go easy on me. Reviews and flames are always welcomed, for they keep my cat and I warm at night.

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar nor any of the characters. Such credit should go to Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. I do own a... certain amount of characters that will be recognized further into the story.

Thank you, and enjoy the chapter!


Chapter XXV: The First Forever


X—X

"Heard you were freaking out."

Katara raised her head to see Toph walk inside her room and close the door behind her. The short young woman looked beautiful in her beige kimono dress. The hems and bottom had green geometric patterns, a dark green belt molded her thin waist, and the lime green shawl was wrapped around a single arm. Her long hair was done up in a large bun, and Katara pitied the sanity of the person who had gotten Toph in such a beautiful dress.

She scoffed.

"Out of all the people to come to calm me down, you?"

"Meh." She plopped down on a chair, raising one foot to rest it on the table. "Suki is handling an already tipsy Sokka, Zuko is... well he can't come, and Twinkle Toes and Skipper haven't arrived yet."

"Tell Sokka that, if he ruins my wedding day because he can't hold his alcohol, I'm crashing his." she glared.

"I will." Toph started picking at her toenails. "Why are you freaking out?"

"Because-!" Katara hid her face in her hands. "I love him."

"One should hope."

"And I want to be with him."

"That's the whole point of this."

"And I can't wait for the rest of my life with him to begin."

"So far so good."

"But-UGH!" Katara hid her face in her hands once more.

"I'm not following."

"I just... want to be married with him!"

"That's why we're here!"

"But it's not that!"

"Oooh. I get it."

"You do?" Katara peeked at the young woman.

"Yeah. You couldn't give two shits about this fucking clown show you have to put on for the sake of his nation, soon to be yours too. If it were up to you, you'd just... get hitched and be done with it. What matters to you is being together, not... the wedding celebration in itself."

"...yeah." She raised her head. "Exactly. What do I do?"

"Suck it up and deal with it."

"Toph!"

"Listen, Sugar Queen! If you wanna be with him, you have to do this. What is the difficulty of putting up with this shit show for a couple of hours if the endgame is exactly what you want?" Toph rolled her eyes. "I swear, you're complicated as fuck."

"But that doesn't help my nerves!"

"... will a drink help?"

"...yes."

"Great!" She got up and walked to her. "Gonna need to get the girls to help you get in that dress, huh?"

"Zuko told me usually the maids do it... but I was hoping you would."

"Aang and Ahria just touched the ground. Suki is already on her way here."

"How do you know they arrived already?"

"You didn't hear Appa?" Toph raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, yeah. Right." she giggled. "Could you please go get them, Toph?"

"Be right back."

It was not long before Katara saw her door open and in entered Suki and Ahria, both smiling brightly and giggling. Suki looked beautiful, donned in a forest green dress with touches of dark green at the hem and underskirt, and a white sash around her waist. Her hair was down, the front pieces locked behind her hair by a blue ume flower.

Ahria walked in after her, closing the door. She looked great in her short-sleeved yellow kimono dress that reached the middle of her shins and had a large side slit that went all the way up to her hip. The underdress was pale beige, covered her feet, and had long angel sleeves. Her hair was tied in a thick loose braid, with little flowers at every twist.

"Heard you were having some troubles." Ahria walked to her with a skip in her step. "Let's get you ready for the rest of your life, mkay?"

Katara smiled tearfully at her and nodded.

–X–

Zuko fidgeted nervously inside his Fire Lord robes. His hair was pulled so tightly in a topknot that his scalp was starting to hurt. Everything was done up to her tastes, from the fire lilies to the touches of blue lace around. He knew she loved him, he knew she would never leave him, but the wait was positively killing him.

He eyed Sokka from the corner of his eye, wolf tail braided down and wearing a lighter version of his Chieftain robes that he often used in diplomatic visits to the warmer countries. Aang on the other hand, stood next to the water tribe warrior, donned in his best airbender robes and with a smile on his face – and a scruff darkening his defined cheeks.

He looked up to see Ahria, Toph, and Suki sneak inside the venue and walk back to their seats, giddy and cheeks flushed. He hid a smirk and took a deep breath when the music began to play. He looked up and felt his heart plummet to his feet and summersault three times. She began walking to him, bright blue eyes locked with his, and a gentle smile on her painted lips.

She looked breathtaking. Her hair was done up in a bun with a few locks framing her face. The betrothal necklace rested around her neck, and her dress... oh her dress. It was white and long, the voluptuous skirt dragging a little behind her, the sweetheart neckline pushing her breasts up. The detached white angel sleeves were topped with golden armlets with blue and red encrusted jewels. It was all topped with an opened red vest with a golden lining. The obi fastening vest was blue and had white details, and the obi-jime was purple with a golden obi-dome.

The second she stepped up to him and took his hand, everything else disappeared. The voice of the minister, the décor, the cheers and cries of their friends and family. The annoyed grunts of the councilmen, not having gotten their way, but happy nevertheless for the happiness of their prince. The final words, forever binding them as husband and wife. But he did see her blinding smile when he pulled her closer by the waist to kiss her senseless.

.

"Hey there."

Toph frowned when she felt Ahria sit next to her. The earthbender rolled the amber liquid in her glass and drank half of it. She could feel Zuko and Katara sitting at the main table, the waterbender dancing happily as she ate. Aang sat with Iroh, the two chatting quietly. And Sokka and Suki were on the dancefloor, laughing and twirling each other around.

"Left your boy toy?"

"Yeah, because I saw a friend sad."

"I ain't sad."

"... why don't you just ask for one dance?"

"Can't dance." she declared, drinking the rest of the alcohol.

"It would be one last piece of him before you have to let him go."

Toph froze. She swallowed hard, clutching the glass in her hand. The floor was smooth enough that she could 'see' almost everyone, and her long dress – the dreaded thing – covered her bare feet. So, better than everyone, she knew everything that was happening. She felt her own heartbeat pick up and shook her head, grabbing the neck of the bottle on the table.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yeah. Yeah, you do."

"...I can't. He chose his path."

"And you don't want one last bit?"

"No."

She felt her reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Maybe in another life."

Toph smiled softly. "...maybe."

"Wanna dance?"

"I will step on you."

"I'm an airbender." Ahria rolled her eyes. "I can hover."

Toph laughed out loud and she grinned, standing up and reaching out a hand. The earthbender rolled her eyes and took it, letting the young woman lead her to the dancefloor.

Katara walked to the orange-clad young man, smiling as his eyes lit up at the sight of her. She followed his line of sight to see Toph and Ahria dancing around clumsily, but having the time of their lives. She looked down to see his stretched hand, and took it, letting him lead them to the floor. They began dancing, Aang leading her in a smooth dance, and she let herself relax in his arms.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Still stressed. I wish I didn't have to go through this. I could just... sign a paper and be done with it." she giggled.

"Ah, but Zuko seems to be loving this."

The two turned to see Zuko trying his hardest to escape the clutches of a teasing uncle. Katara giggled. "Clearly. I'd save him, but I honestly don't want to."

Aang chuckled. "I'm so happy for the two of you. I'm sorry for being the reason why you didn't get together sooner."

"It wasn't just you, Aang. We all had a part to play in this. But we're here now. And you have Ahria."

"I do." he grinned. "Ah, I really do."

"Are you happy?"

"I couldn't be happier."

"Can I ask for some Avatar wisdom?" she bit her lip.

"Trust what you have. There will be doubts, sometimes not enough time for each other. Remember where you came from, why and how you fell in love." he declared. "Know that even the smallest gesture is enough. There's no need for grandeur. You will always be enough."

"Thank you." she carefully wiped her tears and cupped his cheek. "You'll always be my best friend."

"And you mine."

"May I step in?"

The two looked to see a nervous Zuko. Katara grinned and Aang nodded. He released Katara and took her hand. She grabbed Zuko's one and placed it on top of Katara's. "Take care of each other. Love each other. Be happy."

The tears she had managed to dry came back in full force. Zuko simply bowed his head. "Thank you, Aang."

–X–

The party was dwindling down behind him as he stepped out to the balcony. The cool air of the night relaxed his shoulders, and he took a deep breath. He looked ahead to see his syrup-brown-haired beauty leaning on the railing. She picked at the flowers in her hair, an act that had Aang smiling. She had said she didn't want the flowers, so Aang had personally picked them and frozen them so that they would have to die.

He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her petite waist. He rested his chin on her head, and she relaxed in his embrace. They stayed like that for a while, simply enjoying each other's company and warmth, as they looked up to the starry sky with a big and bright full moon. Aang smiled and pulled her closer.

"The moon shines especially bright tonight."

"It does."

"Yue must be happy."

Aang frowned. "You know Yue?"

"No. But I had a dream a few nights ago. Of a young woman of snow-white hair and ocean blue eyes blessing a future day to come." she declared, and he kissed her hair.

"You think this is the day?"

"I think she is blessing the future. Not just today."

She turned around in his arms and he eased himself sideways so that both had a part of them bathed in moonlight. He admitted he had turned them that way so he could see her under the moonlight. He loved how her eyes shone and glittered like the stars above them. She raised her hands and cupped his cheeks, thumbs brushing over the dark hairs on his face.

"Too long?" he asked.

"No. I like it." she smiled, noting how defined his facial features were thanks to the beard. "Kinda scratches me when we kiss sometimes."

"I'll trim it a bit." he leaned down to brush his nose against the line of her jaw. "I want you to feel good."

He pressed a kiss to her pulse point and sighed. "You look so beautiful."

"You're a danger to my frail little heart." Ahria tilted her head back.

"You kicked a crew of rebels all by yourself two weeks ago... and you're frail?" he pulled away to look at her.

"I didn't say I was frail. I said my heart is frail with you," she smirked. "Plus, they tried to take Momo. Of course, I put them to the ground."

"And the fact that they were stealing from the people and harassing benders?"

"Bonus points." she shrugged.

Aang laughed. "I love you."

"I'm awesome," Ahria smirked.

"You sure you don't mind?" he turned serious and leaned in. "Travelling all over the world with me? Not being at home for months? Just... aiding me in my Avatar duties?"

"That's my dream. Sure I love everyone back home, I want to be with them, but... my life is what I make of it. And I've always wanted to travel. To know, to discover. Being with you is a bonus."

"Marry me."

Ahria let out a surprised giggle. "Really?"

"Why wait?"

She looked at him, but Aang never wavered. He had expected that kind of reaction. They had never dwelled too much into the future. They just knew they wanted to be together, so they were. Plus, with his duties, he hardly had time to have a serious conversation with her. He did not think they needed, they knew they wanted to be with each other.

Her eyes met his and she noticed he did not laugh alongside her. His eyes were gentle but determined. She shuffled on her feet and frowned, letting her hand fall to his. He took it and brought it up, kissing the tip of the blue arrow on the back of her hand. She hadn't gotten the full tattoo, just the arm that touched her scarred shoulder.

"You're serious."

"Of course I am."

"We never talked about this."

"I know."

"And you want me, a simple airbender, to marry you, the Avatar."

"A simple Master Airbender that, the first time I met her, I believed the Spirits to have tricked us, for I saw her bend water, earth, fire, and air." he smiled. "The woman that stole my heart. The woman who, time and time again has proven to me what love is. A simple airbender that caused a revolution and brought home the airbenders."

"You talked to them. You convinced them to admit the war was over."

"Yet, the people followed you." she blushed, and he smiled. "What do you say?"

"Yes," she whispered. "Of course."


A/N: Well. I guess this is it. It's been a journey, and it's with a smile that I say farewell to this story. Took me some time, some ups and downs, but I do hope you enjoy this ending I deliver. Wish you all the best, and...

Lots of love from this weirdo,

LoneeWolf :)