A/N:

Greetings, dear reader!

I've been out of the Avatar fanfiction game for a few years now. I rewatched the series and just got this rush of 'what if'? So many things could have happened between the end of the show and the comics. Sure, the creators told us Aang and Katara got married and started a family.

But what about the in between?

There is a story to be told there. For me, I need some sort of resolution. This story has been clanking around in my head for a while so I finally had to put fingers to the keyboard to get it out.

I'm open to reviews and critique. That's what this platform is for. Please don't be afraid to reach out, either by review or PM. I like to keep the lines of communication open.

At some point I will be introducing a few OC characters. They may or may not affect the bottom line of this story, I haven't quite decided.

So, I'll leave off here. Read. Review. Tell me your thoughts.

Laters, baby!

Iset Black

The Sacrifice

Chapter 1: The Question

Ember Island Royal Palace, Golden Lotus Dining Hall

"Shhh...!" Her harsh whisper reverberated against the silk cloaks that lay between them.

A few yards away, the celebration went on. Joyful laughs and energetic music pulsated outside the thin reeds of the closet door behind them. People milled about, just outside the confines of the closet they had chosen as their brief escape from reality.

Outside of their private sanctuary raged the celebration of peace and prosperity, of the future, of the balance of nature and the world as they knew it.

Delicately, her lips met his in a kiss of desperation. Her lips met his with a smile. A secret smile. A secret all their own.

Since the war had ended, they hadn't had a moment all their own. Since the war was over, it had been finding peace between feuding factions of smaller Earth colonies and larger Fire Nation cities. He was the mediator and she was the voice of reason. Politics had dominated their lives for what had to have been a few years now.

Outside of their personal nirvana, the celebration continued. All of their guests had been enjoying a mixture of cocktails from the Earth Kingdom and a gargantuan spread of food provided the by the Fire Lord, Zuko, himself.

The celebration wasn't just about the new found peace between the lands, but of the 17th birthday of the Avatar, a monumental event in itself.

17 marked the age in which an Airbender became an adult. It also marked the age in which an Airbender was able to chose a spouse and to start a family all their own.

His hands roamed over her body. Waves of excitement coursed over them both. Together they had fought against every enemy that could be thought of. They had conquered the corrupt Fire Lord Ozai. They had resorted a balance to the world that hadn't been seen for at least a hundred years.

Between awkward declarations of love and arguments of jealousy, they had seemed to overcome it all.

Today was the day to make it official.

His hands, usually smooth, were now calloused. While his hands were rough, his touch was gentle. Their lips locked again in a desperate kiss. Gently, his hands cradled her cheeks. He moved his finger to twine into her hair. His finger wove into her tight locks and urged her closer.

Their bodies met with a hunger neither had experienced before.

"Thank you for joining us tonight-" The words boomed from outside of their secret escape. The crowd began to roar in approval. From the muffled outside, the pair could make sense of what was happening.

While in his arms, the girl listened to what silence that had befallen the crowd just outside. "Tonight, we are celebrating not only the peace of our nations-" The male voice paused, and the crowd raged in approval.

"But the coming of age of our Avatar-"

The crowed boomed at this declaration.

She laid one more kiss upon his lips before pushing him back slightly. "Aang, he's announcing you!"

With a sudden burst of both anxiety, excitement, and shock, Aang pulled away from her.

"Katara..." His voice was muted as he pushed against her neck with his face.

"Aang..." Her voice was a strange mixture of stern and excited as she pushed his body from hers.

"If they find us like this..." She trailed as she tried to gaze between the reeded slots of the closet door.

"Okay, okay..." He responded in defeat. Quietly, he withdrew from her and twisted the knob of the door and silently slid out.

The crowed continued it's applause of approval as Fire Lord Zuko spoke. "Tonight, we celebrate not only the Avatar, but the man he has become. Please join me, Avatar Aang!"

The crowd erupted into joyous celebration as a spotlight was cast onto Aang. The teen scurried toward the stage.

Immediately he was next to Zuko, thanks to a few deft airbending movements. The crowd grew louder from his demonstrations of power.

Zuko smiled at the Avatar and took a step behind him, allowing him space to address the crowd. A smile spread across the Avatar's face as he regarded the large gathering of people. Taking a moment to compose himself, the Avatar began to speak.

"Thank you for joining us tonight. Without you, this would not have been possible." Aang began, his voice booming across the now silent crowd.

At this point, Katara had made her way from the closet and was standing off to the side of the crowd, a smile plastering her face as she watched Aang address the people. Before he continued, his eyes met hers. She hid a faint smile, her cheeks taking on a pink hue.

Seeing him in this light, addressing such a large group of people never got old for her. At first, it had been daunting. Of course they had been in the public eye since he had been released from his icy prison. But this... the public events and large dinners was another thing entirely.

During these events, she was used to being greeted and introduced as his date. Of course, their relationship was public. But the public treated it as nothing more than a casual affair. She was the girlfriend of the Avatar, no matter how much her war contributions had affected the final outcome of the battle with Ozai.

She was a waterbending genius in her own right, a master of her craft. No matter how much campaigning, still she was seen as nothing more than a companion. A female companion at that.

Katara cringed internally at her own thoughts and focused on Aang and his speech.

"Today, I stand before you as not only the Avatar, but by my peoples' definition - as a Man." The crowd was silent as he continued.

"The seventeenth year of an Airbending nomad marks a special event. In the eyes of my people, the seventeenth year was special, it was the year a boy became a man."

The crowd, still ever-silent, watched as Aang rummaged within his orange and red cloaks. Finally finding was he was searching for, Aang revealed what looked to be a silken strip of cloth with a pendant attached.

Katara's breath hitched in her chest as she regarded the men on the dais, her cerulean eyes widening.

"Today, I ask my partner - my partner in war, in peace, my Sifu in waterbending, my soul source of inspiration in this life..."

The crowd began to whisper as Aang continued.

"To join me, as my wife." Aang held the silken peace towards the crowd, the turquoise pendant glimmering against the firelight of the sconces around them.

With his words, the crowd was silent for but a moment. As his words registered over the people, the crowd erupted with such a joy that it rattled the room around them.

Gently, the crowd pushed the stunned girl towards the stage. Still in shock, she took a gentle step toward the dais. Her blue eyes locked with his amber ones. Still in shock over his declarations, Katara froze for but just a second.

Of course, his proposal in itself was not shocking. They had been together as a couple for a few years now. The timing, however, was something she had not been expecting. What she had not been expecting was a spectacle. She had been expecting him to ask her at some point... but not this early, or as public.

Still in shock, Katara gingerly stepped onto the dais and stood next to Aang.

A smile unlike anything she had ever seen overtook Aang's features as he fastened the piece around her neck.

Without another word, the crowd boomed it's approval. Out of the woodwork of the dais, her brother and friends descended upon them with shouts of approval.

Aang pulled Katara towards him and brought her in for a kiss. With a hesitation she couldn't quite register, Katara craned her face away from his. With this, his lips met her cheek.

A stunned shock rolled over the Avatar, yet he retained his composure in front of the crowd.

Zuko placed a hand on her shoulder and beamed a smile at the couple. Suki, Sokka, and Toph brought both Katara and Aang in for a hug.

After a few joyous moments, the crowd began to go back to it's festivities and their group of friends dissipated as well.

A look of concern overcame Aang's face as he regarded Katara. "Is there something wrong? Was the pendant wrong?" He asked as he took one of her hands in his.

A desperate smile formed on her lips as she took her hands in his and guided him off the dais.

Once they had found a quiet place, Katara brought her hand to the new pendant and looked up towards him.

"Is this really what you want?"

Her words were jarred him, brought him back into reality.

A sadness and shock ran over Aang as he regarded the waterbender before him. This had been planned for weeks, to align with not only his people's customs but also the peace that had been gained between the nations.

"Is this what you want?" He asked, taking her hands in his own.

Katara hesitated, and looked towards the glittering light of the sconces.

"Of course. But... is this the right time?' She questioned, it seemed not only towards him, but towards herself. Slowly, she withdrew her hands from his and brought them to her neck, unfastening the choker he had tied there moments before.

Her gaze cast at the floor, Katara now held the necklace in her hands and brought her eyes to look at the jade pendant. It was carved with the symbols of both of their people - the jets of air and the waves of sea.

A pang of guilt rang in her chest as she closed her fingers over the pendant and dropped it back into his hands.

"I - I can't... " She hesitated as she took a brief glance upward at him. Instantly she registered the pain in his eyes as he looked down at the necklace in his hands.