Chapter 14

"I just don't understand how he can have so much hair."

Katara shook her head in a daze, removing wad after wad of Appa's thick, shaggy coat with each downward stroke of the brush. The bison gurgled in contentment with each combing motion, happy to have his spring coat coming in nice and soft, shedding his winter one with gusto. Aang chuckled, setting down a bucket of hay and mixed vegetables, before approaching his old friend and giving him an indulgent scratch on the flank. Outside the stables, the beginnings of a gentle spring rain had begun to fall, filling the air with the sound and fresh scent of water.

"I would think you'd be used to this by now," he joked. Katara pinned him with a wry look.

"I'm used to it, but that doesn't make it any less astounding. You could make a whole other bison with all of this."

She suddenly squealed at the feeling of his arms encircling her from behind, lifting her off the ground and swinging her away from the shaggy beast. He buried warm kisses into the crook of her neck, causing her to swat at him half-heartedly through her giggles.

"Ack! Aang, stop! I'm covered in bison fur!"

He shrugged carelessly. "So?" he murmured against the hollow of her shoulder. "I'm always covered in Appa's fur. Never bothers me."

She anchored his forearms around her waist, closing her eyes in contentment. "Still. It's gross."

"It's not gross," he reminded her, trailing his kisses up her ear now and over her temple. "It's just – "

"I know, I know. A part of spring." She tossed him an arch look over his shoulder. "I'm still messy though."

"Looks like we're just going to have to go inside and wash you up," he whispered mischievously against the shell of her ear. She cocked one eyebrow at him, the corner of her mouth turned up in a smirk.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

He swept her hair over her shoulder, pressing a kiss to the base of her neck. "I would. Very much."

A half hour later they were fresh out of the shower, still damp but smelling of lavender and cherry blossoms, Katara standing nude in front of the vanity in their bedroom gently running the hairbrush that Earth King Kuei had given her years ago through her wet, tangled waves. She could feel her husband's intense stare on her from across the room and smiled when Aang stepped up behind her, naked as well, to favor her with a fond, boyish grin in the reflection.

His warm arms wrapped around her naked middle, his hands smoothing over the soft skin of her belly and hips as he rested his chin on her shoulder. He turned his face into her wet hair, pressing soft kisses there, trailing them down to the soft spot just below her ear. She let out a low, longing groan in response, letting the hairbrush drop back down onto the vanity to allow her to hug his arms to her tighter.

They both opened their eyes, their gazes meeting in the mirror. He nuzzled her, taking a deep breath, and sighing helplessly into the loosened strands.

"You are so beautiful, Katara," he whimpered, and in that moment it was abundantly clear the power she held over him. She had him completely at her mercy, and both of them were well aware of that fact.

She turned to face him, wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him down into a long, deep kiss, a languid exchange of breath and sighs and tongue. They both leaned into the dresser, the passion between them building with the length of the kiss, and the next thing she knew she had perched herself on the edge, her legs parted to wrap around his waist, their bodies pressed flush together, one of his hands plunged into her hair to hold her head steady as he kissed her like a man famished.

Suddenly she broke the kiss, nipping delicately at his lip. She could plainly see that he was shaken and overwhelmed, and her whole body felt alive with what felt like currents of electric energy. She cupped his face in her hands, his gray eyes dark and yearning.

He reached up to brush the curling tendrils framing her face back with trembling fingers, his forehead pressed to hers. He swallowed roughly at the silent command in her eyes.

"What do you want, baby?" He whispered.

She paused for a moment, feeling her stomach dip, before very slowly sliding off the dresser. He stepped back slightly to give her more room, and she once again turned around in his arms so that they were both facing the mirror. Their gaze met again, and something extremely deep and intense seemed to lock their eyes together. Without words and without ever taking her eyes from his, she very slowly bent over the dresser, resting her forearms on the smooth mahogany, her dark hair tangled and loose and framing her beautiful face.

Aang loosed a whimpering moan, his hands tentatively yet hungrily reaching out to smooth over the impossibly soft skin of her back. His fingers danced delicately down each notch in her spine, traced each rib bone, caressing her in worshipful adoration before landing on the swell of her hips and backside. Never breaking their shared gaze, he smoothed one hand over the firm, smooth flesh of her buttocks and slid two fingers deep inside of her without preamble.

Instantly, she bit down on her lower lip, her eyes fluttering closed as he began to slowly yet firmly stroke in and out of her warm, tight heat. She moaned in satisfaction before forcing herself to open her eyes again, not wanting to lose sight of him. His free hand caressed her hair, smoothing down over her shoulder and along the swell of the side of her breast as she began to thrust her hips back against the hand working inside of her. She dropped her forehead down against her wrists, her moans growing choppier, hungrier, and then lifted her head to pin him with a dark, demanding stare. It was startling enough to make him stop short, swallowing hard.

"Take me," she growled.

Her tone was so un-Katara like, so commanding, that Aang couldn't help but freeze for a moment in shock. But no sooner had he processed her orders did that shock begin to morph into something else – something equally dark and primal, an almost rabid desire to serve her entirely, to shed all inhibitions, to give her everything and anything she asked of him. Still keeping his eyes glued to hers, he slid his hand from between her legs, grasped her hips, and roughly pulled her back against him, penetrating her deeply.

Katara let out a choked cry, tossing her head back, her eyes threatening to close, but he could tell she was forcing them to stay open, to keep looking at him. One hand stayed grasping her hip while the other slid up her lower back, up her spine, between her shoulder blades and took a firm yet gentle hold on her beautiful neck. She gasped his name, and he slid out of her almost entirely before roughly plunging back in.

He started slow, pulling all the way out and then burying himself completely up to the hilt, delighting in the way her breath hitched in her chest with every piercing penetration. But soon, it wasn't enough, and he began increasing his tempo, thrusting into her with hard, deep strokes, keeping his eyes locked with hers.

Her choppy whimpers of pleasure increased as she thrust back against him equally, harder and harder, rougher and rougher, clearly wanting more, craving it. Her hands shot out to grip the edge of the mirror and the dresser, reaching for something, anything to hang on to as he drove into her fiercely again and again, moving his hand down from her neck to between her shoulder blades to pin her to the wood. His other hand lifted her hips up, tilting them, giving him full access to that sweet spot inside of her, hitting it with each piercing foray into her.

"Yes!" Katara screamed, letting loose a noise that could only be comparable to that of a savage animal. Her wanton response was so overwhelmingly erotic that Aang was certain he was going to die on the spot. Each gasping breath she drew brought him closer and closer to the edge. "Oh, spirits, Aang! Like that! Just like that, don't stop, please!"

Their gazes still fused, he leaned over her, sucking greedily on the skin of her shoulder, sinking his teeth into the back of it. One hand slid up to grab a fistful of her hair, not at all hard enough to hurt her but just strong enough to tame. He gently tugged at it, coaxing her to keep her gaze meeting his own.

"You like that, baby? You like it nice and hard like this?"

She whimpered uncontrollably, nodding her head, biting down hard on her lower lip. "Yes! Just like that! I love it!"

She loosed what almost sounded like a sob, and finally succumbed to the temptation to close her eyes as his thrusts became less rhythmic, messier, unfocused. There it was again – that whimpering, helpless little sound, and she knew he was just as close as she was. His other hand reached down between her legs to press hard against her clit, causing her to release a keening cry of pure pleasure, and she once again dropped her forehead down onto the dresser, too overwhelmed to keep her head up.

Her husband was having none of it. He buried his face deep into her hair, thrusting uncontrollably, and could barely choke out his desperate plea:

"Please, Katara, baby, open your eyes," he gasped. "Look at me. I want to see your eyes when you come. Please."

Unable to deny him anything, she let loose a sobbing gasp, her eyes watering from the pleasure before forcing her head up and opening her gorgeous blue eyes to meet his once again. The rawness, the exposure, the vulnerability was almost impossible to process. In that moment, neither one had ever looked more beautiful to the other.

"Aang," she whimpered thickly, her throat closing with emotion. "I…you…"

Suddenly she let out a reverberating cry as her orgasm slammed into her, her inner walls contracting violently around him. It was a cross between a sob and a scream, raw and aching, and try as she might to keep her eyes locked with his, eventually she was simply unable to, and her lids fell shut as she rode out the waves of pleasure. She felt him thrust once, twice, then a third time so hard one of her glass bottles of cream fell and shattered onto the floor, his whole body constricting and convulsing as he savored the rhythmic beating of her slick muscles. He cried out hoarsely, certain that he'd never experienced such a powerful climax in his entire life as he fell over her back, both of them slumping against the dresser completely, totally and thoroughly spent.

They lay there for a long while in panting silence, exhausted and dripping with sweat, their breath ragged and choppy. They both continued to whimper, and Katara felt her whole body shaking more violently than she could recall in any recent time. He gasped into her hair, trembling and spent and shocked, and she felt his hand slide down her arm towards hers, seeking out her fingers, interlacing them with his own.

"Katara," he whimpered desperately, pressing soft kisses into the hair at the nape of her neck. She gripped his hand tighter, and finally lifted her head to regard him. He did as well, their watery gazes meeting in the reflection.

"That was…that was…" The words were broken and garbled and uttered with great difficulty, as it was hard to speak around the rapid beating of her heart. Aang swallowed hard, nodding.

"Yeah…"

After a few more moments, he finally found the strength to lift himself from the warm expanse of her back, pushing himself upright with jellied arms. She moaned at the loss of his warmth but simply could not move for fear of collapsing. He noticed her struggle, and gently reached forward to assist her, lifting her from the dresser, holding her tightly and slipping from her body as he did so. Once again, she moaned at the loss of him inside of her, but continued to grip tightly onto his arms holding her up. Both of them were visibly quaking from head to toe as he continued to press soothing, sweet kisses into her hair and onto her temple.

"It's okay," he whispered softly. "I've got you, baby. I've got you. Shhhhh."

She nodded, her breath hitching in her chest, and her voice was tight with emotion when she spoke. "I…I can't move," she confessed.

In one, smooth motion, he picked her up, carrying her on his own still-shaking legs over to the bed. He lay her down gently, climbing in next to her, pulling her against him face-to-face and intertwining her legs with his. She instantly snuggled into his warmth, resting her forehead against his bare shoulder with a groan, feeling his strong arms wrap around her as he continued to soothe her with sweet, soft kisses against her face, hair and neck. His hands smoothed up and down her warm, bare back, sifted through her hair, and after several minutes her breathing began to calm, her shaking subsiding.

She was suddenly so tired she simply couldn't keep her eyes open any longer, and if Aang's drooping eyelids were any indication, he was in the same boat. He tucked himself into her body, his fingers grazing down the soft skin of her neck, which was dotted with several dark bruises from the past day and a half. Even through his fatigue, she saw him blush, which caused her to favor him with a small smile. No words were spoken as he buried his face against her collarbone, clutching her tightly.

"I love you, Katara," he mumbled sleepily. "I love you so much."

She brushed soft kisses over his eyelids. "I love you, too," she whispered tenderly, before cradling him against her and surrendering to her fatigue.

He was lying on his back when he came to, twisted and sunken into the warm bed sheets. Once the fog of sleep had cleared, the first sensation he noticed was light, soft kisses peppered across his chest. Humming contentedly at the gentle ministrations, he lifted his head slightly, opening his eyes to see his wife pressing her lips to his skin again and again, her soft hands smoothing over the sparse hair on his bare chest. With a drowsy smile, he lifted his hand to sift through her dark hair, causing her to look up at him and favor him with a loving grin.

"Hi," he whispered, his expression completely infatuated. She giggled.

"Hi," she replied softly, her eyes sparkling before she lowered her head once again to continue her nipping ministrations. He continued stroking her hair as her kisses began to descend, over the lean, hard muscles of his abdomen and down further still into the grooves of his hips. He hissed with pleasure, his hips reflexively lifting slightly off the bed to meet her tender touch. His stomach tightened with anticipation as Katara made it abundantly clear where she was headed and what her intentions were. When she glanced up at him again, her eyes were half-lidded and heady, her lips swollen.

He stroked her cheek with his thumb with a rough swallow. "You know you don't have to," he whispered.

She merely smiled, laying her hand over his and pressing a kiss into his palm. Then, without another word, she lowered her head once again, pressing her soft lips against his rapidly-hardening genitals, feeling him swell and stiffen under her touch. He groaned at the contact of her mouth against him, his fingers reflexively bunching into her hair as her gentle hand reached up to wrap around his throbbing arousal. He let out a cry as she began to stroke him, firmly and slowly, gliding her warm hand up and down his length. He bit down hard on his lower lip as his hips began to buck weakly, his breath hitching in his chest.

Pleased at his reaction, Katara watched his eyes fall closed in rapturous abandon, then pressed her lips to the swollen tip of him. She gently kissed the head, lapping up the sticky drops that had already started to form there, eliciting another aching moan from her husband before she took him entirely into her mouth, engulfing him with wet heat.

Aang hissed enthusiastically, letting out a hoarse cry, one hand bunching in her hair and the other gripping onto the sheets as he thrust weakly up into her mouth. Katara's slow, steady rhythm began to build into a faster, stronger tempo as she gripped him firmly at the base of his erection, squeezing him gently while she sucked with practiced ease. She made sweet, little noises as she lavished him with her mouth and hand, and they were so arousing Aang was afraid it was going to end far sooner than he wanted. He smoothed her hair away from her face so he could watch her, his breath coming in shallow, ragged gasps. She was incredibly gifted at this, always had been, and every single time seemed to be better than the last.

Katara smoothed her other hand up his hip and over his chest, her head bobbing in a firm, steady rhythm as her fingers reached for his. He immediately detangled his hand from the sheets, grasping hold of her own and clutching it to him desperately while she worked him with her warm, sweet mouth. Despite his sexual haze, he managed to press an adoring kiss to her fingers, the hand in her hair applying stronger pressure against the back of her head as he felt his self-control starting to slip away. She could feel him cresting, could feel him trying so hard not to thrust too hard or too deep, and that only intensified her desire to make him lose himself the way he always did for her.

Relaxing the muscles at the back of her throat, she released the base of his arousal and engulfed his entire cock into her mouth in one swift motion. Aang cried out her name, gasping and writhing, absolutely certain that he was about to die. At her aggressive insistence, all self-control was lost. He thrust deeply and quickly into her mouth, squeezing her hand and her head in equal measure with each stroke upwards. Katara, desperate to be as close to him as possible, released her grip on his hand and wrapped both arms underneath his bottom and around his waist, hugging his hips to her tightly as she sucked him hard and fast. Both of his hands combed through her dark waves, each exhale an ecstatic cry of pleasure, and he knew he wasn't going to last.

"Sweetie," he gasped, "I'm going to…"

The warning was needless. If anything, it made her more determined still to send him over the edge. In that moment, there was nothing she wanted more than to feel him explode inside of her mouth, to drink him down hungrily and take that part of him into herself forever. She sucked him greedily, and it took only a few thrusts more before he was arching up into her mouth, letting out a long, keening cry as he filled her mouth with the hot, pulsing spurts of his climax. She drank down every last drop, continuing to slide her tongue over him until she felt him begin to soften, heard him hiss with pleasure at the friction her tongue created against his sensitive, softened flesh. Finally, she released him from her lips, but she wasn't done yet. She continued to press adoring, fervid kisses everywhere between his legs – his softened member, the dark hair above it, the soft flesh beneath it, the grooves of his hips, his inner thighs – over and over again until she exhausted herself, finally laying her cheek against his upper thigh in an attempt to catch her breath.

Aang lay there spent, love thick and heavy and spilling over in his chest, and he reached for her desperately, pulling her up his body so that they were lying flush in each other's embrace. She was still winded, but despite it could not stop returning his deep, fervid kisses with all the passion she felt inside of her. Finally, he pressed a warm, long kiss to her forehead, snuggling as close as he could, breathing in her scent as her heart rate began to calm, as her gasps began to morph into slow, even inhales and exhales.

"Can we just stay like this forever?" he whispered vulnerably. She smiled at him, sweeping up his hand and pressing soft, nibbling kisses to the tips of his calloused fingers.

"Forever," she pledged thickly.

A few hours later, she was lying on her back, him settled over her hips as he kissed her stomach in worship. She giggled at the ticklish sensation, causing him to chuckle as she slid on up to a seated position, cross-legged on their bed, leaning against the headboard. Following her cue, he curled up next to her, laying his head in her lap, his large hands smoothing around her waist. She squirmed, ticklish again at the feeling of his soft lips against her belly button, and gently framed his head, smoothing her palm over the very beginnings of stubble that had started to form on his scalp. She bit back an amused smirk.

"Looks like someone's been neglecting his shaving routine," she commented wryly. He turned to glance up at her.

"Looks like someone's been completely distracting me from my shaving routine," he volleyed back playfully.

"Guilty as charged," she admitted without the slightest bit of remorse. Aang laughed into her belly, taking a moment to appreciate the more pronounced roundness of her abdomen and hips since the births of their children. The extra curves and fuller roundness of her body did nothing but accentuate how incredibly breathtaking she was to him, and the knowledge that those changes had come from giving him their three beautiful babies just made her more so. He smoothed his hand up and down her thigh, sighing blissfully as she continued to cradle him to her.

He closed his eyes, leaning into her touch, absorbing himself in her presence when she suddenly whispered his name. He turned in her lap to regard her. "Hm?"

She seemed a bit timid about what she was set to ask, but managed nonetheless. "Do you ever…have you ever wondered what this would be like with…with someone else?"

He seemed genuinely confused at the inquiry, blinking up at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Her cheeks were red, and she suddenly appeared massively insecure. Her voice was tight, as though she were afraid of his answer. "I mean…the only woman you've ever been with is me, and the only man I've ever been with is you. And maybe…when I was really not doing well…maybe you might've thought about –"

He gripped her tightly, cutting off her rambling. "No. Never," he said flatly, and it was clear by his fervent tone that there was no room for argument. She smiled timidly at his ferocity, feeling a wave of relief wash over her, but couldn't resist pressing nonetheless. She knew that she was probably being ridiculous, but for some reason desperately needed the validation nonetheless.

"Really?" She ran one hand down his cheek, her voice barely above a whisper. He turned in her lap to press a sound kiss to her belly.

"Katara," he said gruffly, "there is no room in my heart for any woman but you. It's been that way since I was 12 years old, and that is never, ever going to change." Another kiss, a bit higher, between her breasts. "Ever."

She felt her eyes fill at his sweet sincerity, framing his face to plant a soft kiss on his lips. "I feel the same way," she whispered back.

They spent the rest of the day tangled together in bed, the rain continuing to fall steadily outside, leaving the soft warmth of the pallet only to prepare dinner. When night fell, it seemed too fast for them, too soon – the kids would be back in the morning and their weekend of paradise would regrettably come to a close, to be replaced by real life once again.

She tried not to think about that as she straddled his lap, him sitting up against the headboard, holding her steady with his arms wrapped tightly around her as she rode him in a slow, steady rhythm. Her hands gripped the wall behind him, then moved to cradle his head as she ground against him, hearing his whimpers as he buried his face deeply into her neck, his senses completely overwhelmed by her. His hands wandered up to tangle themselves in her hair as he murmured her name.

She pulled back to look him in the eyes, her forehead touching his, never breaking her rhythm. He swallowed thickly.

"I love you," he whispered. She took hold of his beautiful face, kissing the bridge of his nose, then the tip of his arrow.

"I love you," she replied fervently, her warmth breath against the skin of his forehead.

Soon they were rigid in each other's embrace, tumbling over the edge together with a shared moan of pleasure before sinking down into the softness of their bed. They stayed locked in their embrace, almost as if they believed that if they held each other tightly enough, the next day wouldn't come.

"OH, LOOK AT THAT! WE'RE HOME! I SURE HOPE YOUR MOTHER AND FATHER ARE READY TO SEE US!"

Suki's extremely loud and overly-insinuating cry pierced the late morning, causing Aang to laugh wryly as he took another sip of his jasmine tea. As it turned out, there was no need for his sister-in-law to worry; he, as well as Katara, were both quite clothed and ready to receive their children, whose squeals of excitement could already be heard at the front door. Despite his sadness at their private weekend ending, he had to admit he was looking forward to seeing the kids again. Underneath it all, he had missed them.

Katara came into the kitchen, fresh from her shower and also chuckling at Suki's warning call. She had no time to respond, however, because at that exact moment Bumi came bounding into the kitchen, running straight to his mother's open arms.

"Mommy!" he squealed, throwing his arms around her neck as she giggled, lifting him up into a big embrace. She pressed enthusiastic kisses to his small face as she hugged him tightly.

"How's my big boy? Did you have a fun weekend with your sister and Uncle Sokka and Aunt Suki?"

"It was so neat, Mommy! They took us to the caves and there were all these rocks!"

The three in question waltzed into the kitchen at the sound of their names, Sokka cradling Tenzin on his hip and Suki carrying the bags. Kya, who looked tan and refreshed, ran to her father, who immediately scooped her up into an equally fervent embrace.

"Dad! You should have seen it! We have to go back sometime and you can earthbend in there and it would be so cool! Bumi and I collected so many neat crystals!"

Aang lifted his eyebrows. "Really? Wow! What did you do with them all?"

Sokka grunted wryly, gesturing towards one of the bags Suki was holding. "What do you think is in there?"

Katara laughed heartily. "All of them?!"

Suki shook her head, placing down the duffles. "Nah. Just one. The rest is their stuff and some food we're sending home with them. Kya and I baked yesterday because of the rain. We also did a lot of arts and crafts," she explained. "A lot."

"We made cookies and cakes and bread, Mom!" Kya chirped excitedly.

"Sounds delicious, sweetheart," Katara indulged, pressing a kiss to her daughter's head. Aang, in turn, pressed a kiss to Bumi's. "How was Tenzin?"

"Oh, easy as pie," Sokka remarked. "Although he is crawling everywhere. You should see how fast he can go. It's astounding."

"It's true," Suki remarked contemplatively. "Way above average for that age, actually." She favored the couple with a smirk, unable to resist ribbing even just a little bit. "And how about you two? Did you have a nice weekend?" Her tone was undeniably cheeky, and the deep pink blushes on both of their faces were all the answer she needed.

"What did you and Mommy do, Daddy?" Bumi asked innocently. Sokka coughed, clearly uneasy. Despite the heat in his face, Aang smiled at Bumi and ruffled his hair.

"We had fun too, buddy! We –"

"Yeah, I'm sure you did," Suki interjected brightly. Aang and Katara both pierced her with a quelling look, and she bit down on her lower lip to keep from laughing.

"We had a picnic and went swimming and spent some time with Appa," he finished brightly. Technically, none of it was a lie. Bumi grinned as Katara placed him back down on the floor.

"Oh, oh! I have to show you something!" He trotted over to one of the bags, reaching inside to pull a paper out of its side pocket. He ran to his father's side and presented it to him proudly. Aang took it, grinning widely.

"Wow! What's this?"

"Open it!"

Aang obliged, and was greeted with a messy display of fluffy balls of cotton glued to the paper with crude stick-like lines sticking out of it. In the middle was a messy arrow.

"It's Appa, Daddy!" Bumi chirped proudly. "See! I put the arrow and everything! Do you like it?"

Aang felt his throat constrict with pride and emotion. He pulled Bumi close, enveloping him in an exuberant hug and pressing a kiss to his hair.

"I love it, Buddy. I'm going to put it in me and Mommy's room. Thank you."

"We have to show it to Appa too!"

"We will. I'm sure he'll love it."

Meanwhile, Kya had sidled over to her mother, looking a bit shy. "I made you something too, Mom," she whispered. Katara knelt down before her with a warm smile.

"Really?"

Kya reached into the pocket of her skirt, pulling out a necklace made of crystals and rocks. "It's from the cave," she explained. "I used all the blue ones I could find." She was now blushing very deeply, which was rare for her bossy, outgoing daughter. She felt a lump form in her throat as she reached for the jewelry with trembling fingers, turning it over in her hands.

"Do you like it?" Kya asked. Katara reached for her, peppering her face with adoring kisses, and there was something about the moment that was incredibly healing and deep. There was a time, not even a few months ago, where try as she might, she would not have been able to feel anything in this instant. And now, she was so full of love and pride for her little girl she felt she was going to burst.

"I love it, sweetheart," she whispered thickly, clasping the jewelry around her neck. It clashed horribly with her wedding necklace, but she couldn't care less. Now, she could have all of the loves of her life with her, wherever she went.

Sokka and Suki favored the family with a fond smile. "You guys okay then?" Sokka queried.

Aang and Katara shared a profound look, and while they knew Sokka's question was meant to ask if it was okay to leave them for the day, Katara's reply meant much more than that.

"Yeah, Sokka. We're wonderful."

Kya and Bumi yelped and squealed, splashing each other over and over again and laughing as they waded around in the knee-deep water on the shores of Yue Bay. Tenzin, who had seemingly tired himself out with all of his crawling, dozed soundly on the blanket beside them. The sunset was stunning that night, streaking the sky with oranges and purples and yellows and reds, and the parents watched their children with besotted expressions as they played and frolicked without a care in the world.

She sat between his legs, his arms wrapped tightly around her as they watched, protecting her against the chill that was beginning to set into the early summer evening air. She seemed lost in watching their kids laugh and play, and it brought a tender smile to his face. His pressed a kiss into her hair.

"Katara?"

She turned to look at him, her face full of love and happiness. "Hm?"

"Are you happy?" He whispered.

If possible, her grin grew even wider. She shifted around so that she was seated between his knees, framing his face in her hands and pressing a long, lingering, soft kiss to his mouth. When she pulled back to look at him, her eyes were shining and alive.

"Yes, Aang," she whispered back. "I'm very happy."

The End.

A/N: Thank you all so much for reading so faithfully and for your reviews! This was a privilege to write and was honestly a huge undertaking. I really gave it my all so it's so nice to see that others enjoyed it too. Also, thank you to the several other fandom writers who offered support and encouragement while I wrote this, posted recs and links to it on their tumblrs, and otherwise were just totally awesome.

And of course, a very special thank you to DJNS for trusting me with what is inarguably the most beloved and well-known Kataang fic in the entire fandom, Tales of Republic City. I hope that you felt this little fic supported your piece and I can't tell you how appreciative I am of your willingness to share your work with others and let them collaborate and explore with it. You rock, lady!