Epilogue: Lost Forever In Your Kiss

"One thing's for sure; Sparky sure knows how to throw a party."

Toph was "looking" around the room, bare feet firmly planted on the cool tile floor, a glass of something alcoholic that she'd filched in one hand and her other firmly clasping Aang's. Her voice practically oozed satisfaction, and why shouldn't it? After all, she'd just won a bet three years in the making, although at this point, Sokka had to admit he didn't mind paying up.

It was his sister's wedding day. She and Zuko had vowed to love each other for eternity, to care for the Fire Nation as if it were there own child (which line had every single one of their non-Fire Nation friends rolling their eyes), and to keep each other safe from harm, among other things. Sokka had sorta let his mind glaze over as the Fire Sage droned on and on and on...

He'd made sure to pay close attention, however, when Gran-Gran mounted the low podium on which Katara and Zuko stood. When she gave her blessing to the wedding, the union of Fire Nation and Southern Water Tribe, it wasn't just tradition and page after page of memorized lines; every word was from the heart, and meant as both a blessing and a warning: take care of my granddaughter, or else.

He'd wondered, very briefly, if Zuko was picking up on the subtext of Kanna's speech, but judging by the sharp look he gave her when she finished, he got the message loud and clear.

That one look, however, was the last time Sokka saw Zuko without a huge grin plastered across his face. He and Katara both radiated a happiness that seemed natural on his sister but startled a great many people who thought the Fire Lord's emotions only ranged only from stoic to mildly pleased. When Hakoda shook his hand after the ceremony and called him "son," welcoming him to the family, those who didn't know him well would have been further startled to see the gleam of tears in the younger man's eyes.

A whole lot of people got teary eyed, in fact; even stoic Yuri and Kinzo, Katara's personal guards, were spotted openly weeping at the ceremony's conclusion.

Not Sokka, of course; if he was spotted sniffling and wiping his nose surreptitiously on his sleeve, it was because of all the…dust. Yeah. Dust. That was it.

The sound of laughter from the circle of dancers in front of him distracted him and brought a grin to his face. His wife blew him a kiss as she danced by, kicking up her heels and obviously enjoying herself very much. She was surrounded by a group of other Kyoshi Island warriors and a few young Fire Nation men brave enough to join in.

None of them, however, better even think about putting a finger on his wife. He offered up a fearsome scowl to one young guardsman who seemed about to do just that; fortunately for them all, he thought better of the idea and zeroed in on another member of the group instead.

Good. The scowl melted away and a goofy grin spread across his face as he watched her, even as his thoughts wandered the paths that had brought them all to this moment.

Three years had passed since Zuko had tried—and failed—to break up with Katara "for her own good." Three years of change for all of them, some good—like finding Zuko's mother—and some bad.

Like, for example, Sokka breaking up with Suki. That had been a rough time, and although in the end they remained friends, for a while it seemed like that would never be possible. Still, even good came from that eventually, since it was because of that that he finally realized that Ty Lee didn't just have some schoolgirlish crush on him, that she really, truly loved him.

The way he had grown to really, truly love her.

The way Zuko and his sister really, truly loved one another.

That had been a bitter pill to swallow, once he realized that the two of them weren't just infatuated with each other. That their love was the kind that would last. But swallow it he had, and now he was related to the Fire Lord. Weird how life turned out.

Weird, but good. Ty Lee danced up to him as her circle undulated near the edge of the crowd; laughing, he allowed himself to be dragged away from where he'd been lurking near the food.

oOo

Katara watched with a fond smile as her brother threw himself enthusiastically into the line of dancers that was weaving its way around the room, hands tightly clasping those of his wife. His marriage to Ty Lee had been unexpected and unconventional, to say the least; the two of them had run off together during a diplomatic mission to the Earth Kingdom and been married by King Bumi himself. Who was currently monopolizing Uncle Iroh in a corner not too far from where Toph and Aang were standing, hand in hand and munching on something that looked vaguely pastry-like from this distance but couldn't be further identified unless she got up and went over to them.

Which she fully intended to do, but not just yet. Right now she was having too good of a time basking in the glow of finally being married to Zuko. Just thinking about it brought a dreamy smile to her lips, and she turned her attention back to her husband.

Her husband. The word sent a pleasant shiver down her spine. Unlike many noble couples, they'd actually agreed to wait until their wedding night to, um…have their wedding night. So as soon as the sky darkened and the last of the official toasts had been raised and speeches made, the two of them would be able to leave the rest of the celebrants and retire to the royal bedchamber and finally make it their own, as husband and wife.

That thought sent another pleasant chill down her spine as well as bringing a heated blush to her cheeks. As if reading her thoughts, Zuko reached over and took her hand in his, stroking her palm with his thumb. She squeezed his fingers in response and turned to drink in the sight of him in his wedding finery.

She spared a moment to wonder if they'd be able to dig each other out of their various layers of clothing without asking for help, then stifled a giggle at the thought that he'd probably just burn them off if he had to.

"What's so funny?" Zuko asked as he leaned closer and lifted her fingers to his lips for a soft, lingering kiss. Nothing undecorous, nothing the crowd couldn't witness, but coupled with the expression of fierce longing in his eyes, enough to bring another blush to Katara's cheeks.

"Just picturing the two of us trying to fight out way out of these ridiculous outfits later on," she replied, pitching her voice so that only he could hear her. She still couldn't get over how bold he made her feel, especially when they were alone together; keeping that "not until we're married" vow had been really, really difficult at times.

But here they were, with only a few measly hours left to wait; then they could spend the rest of their lives together, sleeping in the same bed every night, being together whenever they wanted…well, whenever their responsibilities would allow them, she silently amended.

Zuko gave her a smoldering look. "Just remember, Firebending can come in very handy with stubborn fabric," he replied, just as softly—and exactly as she'd thought he would.

She felt as if she were on fire already, her cheeks flaming and the flush spreading well below her dresses' bodice. But one of the Fire Sages was rising to his feet while a servant rang a small gong; time for part two of what she privately dubbed "The Endless Boring Speeches" part of the day.

Before she could paste her polite smile on her face, Zuko swooped in for a lingering kiss that promised so much and left her nearly breathless. "I love you kissing you," he murmured, touching his forehead to hers when the kiss ended. "I could get lost forever in your kisses."

"Me too," was Katara's inarticulate response, then the crowd finally fell silent, the musicians laid down their instruments, and the second round of speeches began.

Katara spent the entire time in blissful contemplation of her wedding night—and how she planned to spend the rest of her life getting lost in Zuko's kisses as well.

The End

A/N: I wanted to throw one little curve ball into the fairy-tale ending for my story, which is why Sokka ended up with Ty Lee instead of Suki for his happily-ever-after. Just one last little surprise before saying goodbye. Thanks to all my readers and reviewers for their patience; it's amazing how difficult a silly little epilogue can be to write! Now I can focus on finishing my story "After The Happily Ever After" and, yes, another Zutara story I have in the works but won't post until it's nearly done, called "One Door Closes." Ta!

Here are the credits for the song titles I used in the story, in case anyone is interested!

(Na Na Hey Hey) Kiss Him Goodbye – Steam

Kiss the Rain – Billie Myers

Kiss Me Deadly – Leeta Ford

Kiss Your Past Goodbye – Aerosmith

It's In His Kiss – Aretha Franklin

Shut Up and Kiss Me – Mary Chapin Carpenter

Sealed With A Kiss – Bobby Vinton

And Then He Kissed Me – The Crystals

Passionate Kisses – Mary Chapin Carpenter

This Kiss – Faith Hill

Kiss and Say Goodbye – The Manhattans

Kiss and Tell – Justin Bieber

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang – The Subways

Blowing Kisses In the Wind – Paula Abdul

A Kiss Before Dying – Candlebox

Butterfly Kisses – Bob Carlisle

Dangerous Kisses – E-rotic

Kiss On My List – Hall & Oates

Kiss Me Crazy – Kaci Brown

Unexpected Kiss – Den Kozlov

Kiss Me, Stupid – The Chesterfields

Miss Your Kiss – Chris Rea

Every Little Kiss – Bruce Hornsby & the Range

Lost Forever In Your Kiss – Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton