A/N: Whoohoo! Chapter 100! o(^-^)o I know it's been a while since I updated, but things have been rather hectic lately, so I didn't get much of a chance to finish working on this and post it until now. XDD This was a piece I had originally planned way back when this collection had less than 10 chapters and it was modified and written for Kataang Week 2012, but I've modified it again since then and posted it here. Admittedly, I'm a little sad to be marking this collection as complete, because working on it has been so incredibly fun, but I am starting a new oneshot collection ASAP, so I'll still have somewhere to post all my oneshots. If anyone still has requests, feel free to send them to me; I'll make note of them and add them to my new oneshot collection once I start it. ^-^

Now that I'm (somewhat) done being sentimental, a HUGE thank you is very much in order. I'm still a bit baffled by all the support and feedback I've gotten, because I don't quite know what I did to deserve such amazing followers! 8') Thank you all so much to everyone who read, reviewed and/or supported this collection in any and every way. I can't tell you how grateful I am and how much it means to me! You're all amazing!

~Cassidy Alice

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, including the title (of both the collection, as mentioned before, and this particular oneshot) which was inspired by Shania Twain's lovely song of the same name. ^^

C. Forever and For Always

And there ain't no way I'm letting you go now
And there ain't no way and there ain't no how
I'll never see that day,

'cause I'm keeping you forever and for always
We will be together all of our days
Wanna wake up every morning to your sweet face- always

~ Shania Twain, Forever and For Always

A warm, golden sunlight was pouring into the room, when Katara woke up. Flopping back against the soft mattress, Katara glanced out the window, watching the sunlight dance in patches across the floor of their room, as a gentle breeze from a partially open window rustled the curtains. Beside her, Aang was sleeping peacefully, no doubt tired after last night's events and Katara couldn't help smiling, recalling the wonderful wedding and reception they'd had the night before. Everything had gone off according to plan and the night had been more wonderful than she had ever imagined. But now, alone at their small island cottage, the reality of it all seemed to hit her. She and Aang were married. She laughed to herself, just thinking about it. Next to her, Aang stirred and sat up, rubbing his eyes drowsily and trying to make sense of what Katara was doing.

"Is something wrong?" He wondered, yawning and giving her a sleepy smile. Katara just gazed up at him before tackling him in a hug, causing him to fall back on the soft mattress.

"We're married," she laughed, her voice muffled by the fabric of his robes.

Aang just hummed, wrapping his arms around her and smiling. "Did you think it was a dream?" he wondered.

She shook her head, strands of her hair tickling his skin.

"No, but it seems so surreal," she said, smiling up at him. "I dreamed of this day ever since we got engaged, but this is so much better than what I envisioned it to be."

Aang simply nodded, yawning in content again.

Katara laughed, wriggling out of his grip and rushing to change out of her nightgown and into her everyday clothes. Ten minutes later, she was refreshed and ready, and Aang raised an eyebrow upon seeing her.

"Going somewhere?" He asked.

She nodded, hurriedly brushing her hair. "To make breakfast," she explained. "You sleep in. I'll call you when it's ready."

Aang grinned and simply flopped back down, grinning to himself as he thought about everything that had happened. Their wedding the day before had been wonderful; the ceremony had gone off flawlessly and they'd spent several happy hours celebrating with family and friends at the reception. As Katara had said, it seemed surreal to think that they were married now. They'd been fantasizing about it for the longest time, but now that "someday" had come, it almost seemed too good to be true. Just thinking about Katara and knowing that she was his forever as he was hers, made him feel giddy with excitement.

In the kitchen, Katara was experiencing much of the same sensation. Her hands twitched with the faintest of tremors as she prepared their breakfast and she kept laughing to herself. She'd imagined that being married would feel wonderful but she felt elated beyond comparison. There was simply no way to describe how she was feeling that didn't require her using every word synonymous to overjoyed. And as she prepared their morning meal, she reveled in how positively wonderful she was feeling. But as soon as breakfast was ready and the table set, she suddenly felt nervous. Staring at the meal laid out on the table before her, Katara was suddenly unsure if it would be suitable for Aang. The airbender wasn't a picky eater and he enjoyed everything she made but suddenly she was worried that her cooking had failed her and perhaps she'd forgotten a certain ingredient or added too much of another. So, by the time Aang had gotten ready and wandered to the kitchen to see what his young wife was up to, Katara had whipped up several new dishes and was in the process of making another. She was furiously stirring something and adding something into the mix every now and then, muttering under her breath. Aang watched her for a minute before making his presence known to her.

"Katara, what're you doing?"

The waterbender yelped in fright and nearly dropped the bowl in the process.

"Aang, I didn't see you," she said, grinning sheepishly as he wiped some flour off of him that she'd tossed in the process.

"So I noticed," he laughed. His eyes wandered over the small kitchen and he glanced back at Katara. "What's all this?"

Katara followed his gaze and bit her lip, observing the mess she'd created.

"I'm so sorry it's such a mess. I'll clean it up, I promise," She said hurriedly, worried that the airbender may have been just the slightest bit upset. "I was just trying to make breakfast and…"

"It's alright, Katara," he laughed. "I was just wondering what you were doing."

"I may have gone a little overboard," she admitted, surveying the five or six dishes she'd prepared. "I didn't know which one you'd like, so…" She trailed off, leaning against the counter but failed to notice the flour bowl teetering over the edge. It fell to the ground and for a split second, the kitchen was filled with flour. When it had all settled, Katara was staring at the scene in horror. Moaning in frustration, she sank to her knees and began cleaning.

"I'm sorry," she apologized.

Aang knelt before her. "For what?" He wondered, helping her clean up the mess.

"It's not even lunchtime and I managed to mess things up. This day was supposed to be perfect."

Aang chuckled, wiping some flour off her face and giving her a quick kiss. "It is perfect," he said, helping her up. "And the day isn't over."

"But I ruined breakfast already," Katara grumbled. "I guess I don't know how to be a good wife."

"That's not true and you know it," Aang laughed. "You're the best wife ever and you haven't ruined everything." He gently pulled her out of the kitchen and towards the table where their breakfast awaited.

"Sorry," she said, as they seated themselves and began eating. "I guess I just got carried away. I was worried you wouldn't like any of this, so I just kept making more dishes."

"You know I like anything you make," Aang said. "So don't worry about it."

"Easier said than done," Katara said. "I don't know how to be a wife; I never had much of an example to follow, considering my mother died when I was so young."

"You don't have to be anyone but yourself," Aang said, smiling at her. "Besides, it's just me."

Katara smiled back. "But doesn't it feel just the slightest bit weird?" she wondered. "I mean, it's as if nothing has changed and yet everything has."

"Yeah, but it doesn't feel weird to me."

Katara simply laughed. "So, what's on the agenda today?" She wondered.

Aang's eyes twinkled. "You'll see."

Katara raised an eyebrow inquiringly but didn't question him. As soon as breakfast was over and the table cleared, Aang took her hand and led her outside. The small cottage they were staying in was located on an elevated island, nearby former Earth Kingdom colonies, formed by several cliffs converging to form a grassy plateau of sorts and littered with trees that formed a small forest. It was too small for a city, but too big for just the two of them, but made the perfect spot for a honeymoon. Their cottage was a modest little house, safe and snug, and afforded them a stunning view. The forest bordered the house along the back and continued on until a certain location, at which point it gave way to the cliffs that comprised most of the island. From the front of the cottage and from their bedroom, Aang and Katara could discern the sea and had their own private beach to enjoy, further down. Along one side of the island, a piece of land jutted out and curved inward, providing them with a private lagoon and a small inlet perfect for bathing and swimming. It was to this lagoon, the young Avatar led his wife and they spent the morning and the better part of the afternoon, swimming in the lagoon and walking along the sandy beach before having a picnic lunch in the grassy plain that stretched out before the house. After finishing their lunch and relaxing for a bit, they spent the rest of the evening exploring the island. An hour before sunset, Aang took Katara to one of the highest points of the island, where the forest that ran along the tall cliff side towards the back of the island gave way to a small clearing that jutted out a little from the island. From there, they could see the ocean stretching endlessly for miles and the jagged peaks of two twin mountains marking regions of the Earth Kingdom not too far away. They spent the evening in the clearing, having a candlelight dinner and simply talking about anything and everything. As soon as their meal had finished, Aang instructed Katara to close her eyes.

"I have a surprise," he said. Katara closed her eyes and didn't open them until she felt something light in her outstretched hand. She gaped at the scroll in her hand and then at her husband.

"A scroll? My surprise is a scroll?"

"Open it," Aang instructed.

Katara did as she was told and was somewhat amused to find a beautifully drawn sketch of an island, not unlike the one they were on currently. In the sketch, the island was clearly inhabited, as a long dock extended out from the private beach and a few boats were sketched idling in the waters. From the docks, a long a path zigzagged upwards towards a plateau. At the center of the plateau, a tower, reminiscent of the towers of the Air Temples rose upwards to great heights. A large house that consisted of several wings was drawn to the left of the tower and to the right, some unidentified buildings and a large open area decorated with the yin-yang symbols. Upon further inspection, Katara noticed that the strange markings around the large yin-yang symbol were meant to be steps and the area was to be an amphitheater of sorts. The entire island seemed like some place out of a fairytale and Katara turned her gaze to Aang.

"Why'd you show me this?"

"Do you like it?" He wondered.

"It's beautiful," Katara admitted.

"How would you like to live there?" Aang asked, grinning at her.

"On an island as big as this?" She demanded, gesturing to the one in the drawing. "I mean, I'd love to, but where is this island?"

"It doesn't exist yet."

"Doesn't exist yet?" she echoed. "Aang, what're you talking about?"

"This island in the sketch is based off of this island. It's actually a blueprint for our future home."

"Future home?" Katara parroted.

Aang nodded. "Sokka and I were talking the other day, and we think this place is perfect for us to live."

"Live?" Katara said. "But why here?"

Aang flicked his gaze towards the twin peaks that towered over the bay that separated the island from the mainland.

"The location for Republic City has finally been decided," he explained.

"And?" Katara prodded.

"It's here," he said, pointing to the piece of land that jutted out from the mainland into the bay. "Once construction starts, I'll probably need to start coming here more often. It'll be so much harder on you if we keep travelling back and forth if we lived elsewhere and the last thing I want is to leave you behind for months at a time while I'm here. I figured, if we lived here, we wouldn't have to be apart for so long."

Katara glanced at the drawing again and smiled. "Did Sokka draw this?"

Aang laughed. "His art skills haven't improved much since we were kids."

Katara laughed. "I'd love to live here, Aang. As long as I'm with you, I don't mind where we live."

Aang grinned. "It'll be nice once we have a bigger house here. See this little piece of land?" he asked, pointing to a small outcropping. Katara nodded. "That's where we are now. It thought it'd make a nice spot for a meditation pavilion."

Katara glanced at their surroundings. The sky was a vibrant mix of reds and pinks, stained in various places by hues of orange, blue, and purple. The waters of the bay sparkled in the sunset and Katara smiled.

"It's perfect for a pavilion," she said, drinking in the beautiful scenery around her.

"I also thought about maybe converting the place to a temple of sorts. It'd be lonely here with just the two of us, but if we made it a temple, the Air Acolytes could live here and I could continue to teach people the ways of the Air Nomads so my culture and heritage wouldn't die with me."

"That's a wonderful idea," Katara exclaimed, taking his hands. "We should do it."

"It'd require a lot of work," Aang admitted. "And we'd have to make sure the Acolytes are willing to do this, but it seems possible."

Katara laughed. "I'm sure we can make it happen. And who knows? In a few years, maybe there'll be little airbenders running around here."

"Or waterbenders," Aang said, pulling her to him. Katara settled into his embrace and sighed.

"Do you want children?" She asked, tentatively.

He nodded in affirmation. "Not just because I'm the last airbender, but because I like children. And I want whatever makes you happy and, even though we haven't really talked about it, I know you've always wanted to start a family."

Katara nodded. "I have. And I'm sure this place would seem so much brighter than it already is if we had kids running around."

Aang nodded, laughing with her. "It would."

For a while, the two fell silent, watching the sunset fade as a multihued twilight blanketed the skies. Katara shifted beside Aang and rested her head on his shoulder.

"What if none of our children are airbenders?" She wondered, feeling his hold on her tighten.

"It's not your job to bring them back," Aang replied, planting a kiss on her forehead.

"I know that, silly, but I'm being realistic. What if we don't have any airbenders? What're we going to do?"

"What can we do?" Aang wondered. "I'm not leaving you to 'try my chances with other women.' That's not an option, so I guess there's not much we can do. The monks used to say the world will always find balance in the end, so if airbending is destined to survive, I guess it will, regardless of whether or not we have any kids who can airbend. Besides, I'd love them regardless of what they can or can't bend."

Katara simply held him tighter. "I am so glad I married you."

Aang chuckled and they fell back into a comfortable silence, watching the moon rise in the star-studded sky and listening to the peaceful sounds of the waves lapping against the shore.

"Seems hard to believe how far we've come, doesn't it?" Katara wondered. "It seems like just yesterday Sokka and I found you in that iceberg and you were asking me to go penguin sledding."

Aang hummed in agreement. "It does. Seems hard to believe our adventures are over. But, in a way, I guess we'll be having new adventures."

"Nothing like being chased all over the world by Zuko or landing ourselves in scrapes," Katara laughed.

"Or racing against time," the airbender added, laughing softly. "To be honest, I'll kind of miss those adventures. I wonder if the future will be half as exciting."

Katara shrugged. "I don't really know, but with you, I'm sure it's bound to be. After all, we'll have new adventures like you said."

"Yeah, but how many times will we be able to travel the world again and travel like we used to?"

"Not very often, I guess," Katara admitted. "But, I'm sure there will other adventures. Newer and different ones that are just as enjoyable, right?"

"Right." He replied, smiling lightly.

Katara sighed wistfully and ran a hand through her hair.

"Aang?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you ever think forever isn't long enough?" Katara asked, fiddling with strands of her hair.

"All the time," the airbender admitted. "When I'm with you, I feel like forever really isn't long enough to enjoy everything life has to offer."

Katara smiled, grateful that the night hid the telltale blush on her face. It was heartening to know that he craved more than forever with her as she craved with him.

"Do you think things will always be this wonderful, this perfect?" Katara asked at length, nestling deeper into him despite the warm night. "Do you think we'll always be this happy?"

"Are you scared we won't?" the airbender wondered, smiling down at her. He felt Katara shrug beside him and chuckled. "I really don't know what the future will be like. I can't promise it won't be full of ups and downs; there's bound to be challenges and hardships. But we'll face them together, like we always have."

Katara simply hummed in agreement.

"But I can promise one thing," Aang said, smiling and leaning down to kiss her.

"What?" the waterbender demanded, gazing up at him with a hauntingly beautiful smile dancing on her lips.

"I'll always love you."

"Forever?" Katara wondered, thinking about how right this all felt.

"Forever," Aang promised. "And for always."

I'm keeping you forever and for always.

I'm in your arms.

The End