The Sun Warrior Chief watched the young Fire Lord assume the first stance of the Dancing Dragon. A moment later a figure made of flames materialized on the opposite side, in the exact same stance. He sucked in a breath, realizing that this must be the Avatar. It was working.

Osulf couldn't sleep. He decided to talk a walk, see if he could calm his racing thoughts. When he saw the infirmary door open and Aang slip out, he decided to follow her, see where she went. He followed her down to the cargo hold. Wasn't this where Dr. Wu said she'd gone the day before looking for him? She slipped into the room with the statues. What did she want with the statues? When he reached the room he noticed the statues had been rearranged. They were now in a large circle. Who could have rearranged them? The damn things weighed almost a ton each! She walked up to the first statue and mimicked it. What the hell was she doing? She paused, smiling for a long moment. Osulf's eyes widened when he saw a figure form on the other side, in front of the matching statue. It looked like it was formed out of gusting wind. What was going on?

The Fire Lord began to perform the Dancing Dragon, the fiery figure becoming more obviously the Avatar with every new stance. The room seemed to be…twisting almost. As the lovers matched the statues, he could see the stone walls being overlaid with metal ones. Across the room, he could see a man, clutching a door frame as he watched the Avatar.

Osulf stared in shock as the room began to warp, as stone walls began to overlay the metal ones. The figure made of wind gained more color and form with every statue Aang matched. Her eyes were still closed, she was still smiling. How could she match the statues so perfectly with her eyes closed? She was at the second to last statue now. Osulf was beginning to feel nauseous as the sensation of the room twisting only grew worse. Aang was at the final statue, and her fists met the other person's. Osulf could see him as clearly as he could see Aang. Both of them had had their eyes closed as they danced, and when their fists met, their eyes flew open. Aang's face lit up when she saw him. Apparently she knew him. Maybe this was the mysterious Zuko she had mentioned? She grabbed his hands, then stepped towards him and vanished. He fell to his knees as the other room abruptly vanished.

"Held og lykke og megen lykke, unge dame." ("Good luck and much happiness, young lady.")

Zuko finished the Dancing Dragon, his eyes flying open when fists bumped into his. Aang! She was finally home! Her face lit up when she recognized him. "Fire Lord Zuko! Take a step back, and bring the Avatar with you. Quickly! You are between the worlds; it's not safe to linger long!" The Sun Warrior Chief's words jerked Zuko out of his admiration of Aang. Grabbing her hands, he took a step backwards. She followed him, then threw herself into his arms and kissed him. He held her tight, kissing her until they both had to come up for air.

"Spirits, I've missed you, Aang."

"I've missed you, too, Zuko. I didn't know if I would ever see you again. I think that was the worst part of being banished. Not knowing if you and the others were even still alive, if taking away Ozai's bending was enough to save the world."

"I'll tell you all about what you missed on the way home. You can tell me what's been going on with you when we're there. That way you'll only have to tell it once."

The Sun Chief Warrior smiled at them as they walked out of the Chamber of the Sunstone. "You are a lucky man, Fire Lord Zuko. Avatar Aang, it is wonderful to see you again, and if you ever decide to leave him, I'm available." Zuko tightened his grip on her waist slightly as he spoke. Aang was his.

"Um, thanks? I'll keep that in mind." He winked at her.

"The Masters want to see you. While you are talking to them, we'll find you some more comfortable clothing." Aang did look uncomfortable in the heavy clothing.

"You can calm down, Zuko. I have no intention of leaving you, for him or anyone else. Besides, I think he was joking. Remember when he told us we couldn't leave because we knew about the Masters?" They were walking up the stairs leading to Masters' caverns now. "I wonder what they want."

"Maybe to make sure you got home OK. We'll just have to find out when we get there. I'm sorry I got jealous, Aang."

"I know. It's OK. You're going to have to trust that I'm not going to leave you for the first person that comes along, though. I didn't wander for seven years through a frozen hellhole just to dump you."

The Masters came out to greet them as soon as they reached the platform. They were each carrying a large, oval ivory thing in their claws. Aang realized what the things were first.

"Eggs! One of them is female and they're showing us their eggs! The dragons aren't going to go extinct when Ran and Shaw die!"

"I wonder if the Sun Warriors are going to let us tell anyone else? I bet Uncle would love to hear about this."

"We'll have to ask them." The Masters, having displayed two of their precious eggs, turned and headed back inside their caverns. "I guess that means we are free to leave now? It's hot up here." Zuko didn't think so, but then he was used to this kind of weather. His clothes were also much more climate appropriate. He was dying to know where Aang had been, but he had agreed to wait until they were back home to hear about it.

"What did the Masters want to tell you? Aang, Ham Ghao will show where you can change." Ham Ghao did not seem thrilled about this. The Chief glared at him, and he led Aang off to where some women were waiting.

"They wanted to show their eggs. Once they had done that, they went back inside."

"Their eggs?" He sounded surprised. Zuko nodded and would have said more but he was distracted by Aang rejoining them. He had never seen her looking so beautiful. She was dressed simply, in an unadorned skirt and matching top, with a jeweled necklace, but somehow she made it seem more elegant than all the fancy robes in the Fire Nation. The Chief chuckled softly at his reaction. "I hope you realize just how lucky you are, and don't do something stupid to blow it with her," he said softly.

"Hi, Zuko. How do I look?"

"Um, er…" He blushed.

"He means you look beautiful, Avatar. He's just a little tongue-tied at the moment." Zuko shot the man a grateful look. Aang laughed.

"Thank you for your hospitality and assistance in helping me come home."

"It was our honor, Avatar Aang. We'll send a message when the eggs hatch."

"Can I tell my uncle that Ran and Shaw are having children?"

"Yes, you can. You two had better get going if you're going to make it back to the capital by nightfall."

Aang snuggled closer to Zuko while flying on Appa. "You promised to tell me what all happened while I was gone," she prompted him. He smiled at her.

"Everyone survived the Comet. Ty Lee joined the Kyoshi Warriors. Mai wanted to get back together with me, but she accepted it when I told her I had met you, and we're just good friends now. Uncle reopened his tea shop in Ba Sing Se. Azula…lost her grip on her senses after Katara and I defeated her, so she spent several years in a mental hospital. My mother returned to the Fire Nation after she learned Ozai had been dethroned, and I had been crowned in his place. Sokka and Suki broke up about two years after the comet. They remain good friends. Katara and Azula have been dating for about a year now. Toph and Sokka started dating about two years ago. Sokka's considering proposing to her, but that's supposed to be a secret."

"Then why did you tell me?"

"I wasn't going to. It just popped out." She had forgotten how cute he was when he was annoyed with himself. That little goatee he'd grown only helped matters.

"What about Momo?"

"He misses you. Although that certainly hasn't stopped him from enjoying life at the Fire Nation Palace. Appa lives there too. He has his own special stables."

"Thank you for taking such good care of them, Zuko."

"Of course, Aang."

"Did your uncle hate you like you feared he would?"

"No. He wasn't even angry with me, just sad that I had lost my way." That definitely sounded like Iroh. She rested her head on his chest, trying to decide how best to sum up seven years of wandering in the snow. His heartbeat was steady and comforting and she was soon asleep.

"Aang? We're almost there." She sat up, blinking slowly. Appa had barely touched down when they heard Toph shout that Zuko was back. Zuko jumped down and held up his hand to help her down.

"You're such a gentleman. Being Fire Lord is good for your manners," she teased.

"TWINKLETOES!" Toph's deafening shriek echoed around the courtyard. She raced across the courtyard and tackled Aang. "You've grown!"

"Well, of course I did. Did you think I was going to stay a twelve year old forever? You've gotten pretty tall yourself."

"Not as tall as you. Did you about me and Sokka?"

"Zuko told me you two were finally dating."

"Huh? What do you mean, 'finally'?

"Toph had a crush on Sokka almost from the time she joined the group. How did you not notice?"

"Sokka never noticed, either. I think it's a guy thing." Katara and Sokka reached them. Katara hugged her tightly. Sokka gave her a hug as soon as Katara let go.

"What's a guy thing?"

"Being oblivious when someone has a crush on them."

"Considering how long Zuko was completely unaware of your crush on him, it's highly possible. That or Zuko and Sokka are just clueless idiots."

"Katara!"

"You don't think I'm a clueless idiot, do you, Aang?"

"You have your moments. You both do."

"All right, Twinkles. Spill the beans. Where have you been all this time?"

"Wandering around in the snow. I'll tell you the entire whole story later. Right now I want a good long bath."

"You were wandering in the snow for seven years?"

"Yep."

"I'll take you to my room so you can get that bath, Aang." An hour later, bathed and dressed in Air Nomad clothing, Aang followed the servant to the dining room. She appreciated the fact that Zuko had gone to all the trouble of having Air Nomad clothing made in a variety of sizes so that she would be able to find something that fit. The only people in the dining room were her friends. Good. She didn't really want to have to tell her story to a bunch of strangers. Or Azula.

"All right, Twinkles, we've waited long enough. Tell us!"

"Can she sit down first, Toph?"

"I suppose." Aang took the seat had saved for her right next to him. "Now that you're sitting down, start from the beginning." Zuko opened his mouth to protest, but Aang shushed him.

"I disappeared from Ember Island because I was summoned by a creature called a Lion Turtle. While there I talked to some of my past lives, trying to figure out a way to defeat Ozai without having to kill him. Roku told me that I could take away his bending, but that would be a price since it went against the order of the world. I wouldn't be able to see Zuko for seven years. I thought this meant that I would be blind for seven years or something. If I'd known that meant I'd disappear again I probably wouldn't have done it. When I took away Ozai's bending, there was a bright blue light that shot up to sky. The light took me with it.

"I woke up freezing cold in a snow bank. I used Firebending to keep myself warm until I could find a way to keep warm. There was no plant life I could find, so I had to teach myself how to hunt, how to cook the animals I caught, and how to make clothes that would keep me from freezing. I met spirits who helped me with a lot of that.

"I saw some creatures that looked like Bosco, only they were pure white. They were mean, too. I avoided them as best as I could. I also met a spirit the others called a 'Windigo.' The Windigo was mean too, so I avoided that as best I could. He was afraid of my Firebending so that helped." Aang had decided to gloss over how close she had come to freezing to death on multiple occasions. Or how exactly she'd learned the white bears and the Windigo were dangerous. "The spirits I met told me how to make special goggles that would shield from the glare of the sun on the snow and ice. They also taught me how to navigate by the stars. I have no idea where I was, but none of the stars were the same. It was also night for months at a time. The spirits told me that was normal. Most of the spirits I met seemed to be the spirits of people who had died. The Windigo was the only nature spirit I met. I met another spirit, called an Adlet. The other spirits didn't seem to like him very much. The Adlet kept me alive while I tried to learn how to hunt, and to keep myself safe. He would bring me food, and guard me while I slept. If I slept too long and started to shiver he would wake me up. And you can stop looking so jealous, Zuko. Nothing happened. He was just nice to me.

"After a while I was having trouble keeping a firm grasp on my sanity. I was also having trouble remembering you guys, or who I was. The Adlet helped me remember you guys by asking questions. Lots of questions. The other spirits asked questions too. It got easier to answer their questions after a while, because I remembered you guys better." She'd also decided not to mention the fact that she had started mumbling 'I am Aang. I am the Avatar. I am the last Airbender. I defeated Fire Lord Ozai. I love a Firebender named Zuko and he loves me' under her breath whenever the Adlet or other spirits weren't around. She could tell by their faces that they were worried enough about her.

"I found a huge ship a few days before I came back home. There were two men standing on deck, although I couldn't understand a word they were saying. I frightened one of the men by jumping onto the deck. He pulled out a strange weapon and shot me. The other man got me help, though. I woke a while later in a hospital on board the ship. The healer spoke the same language that I did, although he was the only one who could. I explored the ship and found statues that were exact replicas of the ones in the Sun Warrior City. I put them in the correct order using my Earthbending, and then did the Dancing Dragon the next night. When I was done, Zuko was right there in front of me. He pulled me back into our world. If you want to know what happened after that, you can ask him." Everyone just stared at her for a long moment in shocked silence. Then Toph spoke up.

"You have the weirdest adventures when you disappear, Twinkles."