The Serpent's Pass Fin

"And nothing hurts anymore, I feel kinda free. We're still the kids we used to be. I put my hand on the stove, to see if I still bleed. And nothing hurts anymore, I feel kinda free." - Chloe George

Trigger Warning: Depictions and references to the birthing process and to aftercare post-childbirth that may be uncomfortable for some readers.

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The first rays of the morning light illuminated the Serpent's Pass all too soon and it was time once more to keep moving.

Aelita had found the rest of the camp sleeping by the time she stumbled in exhausted herself, but she had willed herself awake until the sounds of her friend's sobs couldn't be heard anymore. Aang spent his night alone on the ledge, letting himself feel all of the pain, anger and sadness he had been running from since they made it out of the library. By the time morning came, he didn't feel good yet, but he did feel better.

The events of the previous day were left behind as the group packed up their camp and continued on. They walked in relative peaceful silence until they reached a part of the pass that dipped down beneath the water of the lake.

"Everyone single file," Aelita called out from the lead. Lifting her arms she split the water wide enough to reveal the covered path, the family of refugees tucked safely between the team members. "Aang, I'm gonna need some help."

Katara couldn't help but smile when she realized she had been passed over for the Avatar. She watched as Aang handed his staff to her brother and the monk helped Aelita create an air pocket around the group of people. Sure, it easily could've been her, she was almost as close to the back of the line as he was, but Aelita had asked for Aang and that was a positive sign in her mind.

The words spoken yesterday out of anger couldn't be taken back, but Aelita had noticed the shift in her partner's demeanor when he walked into camp this morning. More than anything she wanted him to be okay, needed him to be okay just to remind her she wasn't the monster she was starting to worry she was. Aang was the grounding that kept her sane and reminded her that every choice she made was for the greater good, and when he was like this he couldn't be her voice of reason. Was it a selfish reason to want him to be okay? Sure, but it helped the Akira keep a level head and it was far from her only reason. At the end of the day to two had a bond like no other, and she'd move heaven and earth just to keep the people she loved happy. So she shoved the thoughts that screamed in her mind aside and tried to help them both move on as quickly as possible.

The family of refugees was awestruck as they watched fish of every size and color swim by in the waters that surrounded them on each side. It was like looking through a two-way mirror close enough to reach out and touch.

Mushu and Momo planned to do just that. They sat opposite of one another on Sokka's shoulders and jabbered quickly as their breakfast swam along. It seemed as if the vote came down to Momo as the swimmer, the lemur jumping through the air pocket into the lake water while Mushu pointed out fish close by. A large shadow skirted through the water next to Momo as he closed in on his catch and the smaller animal panicked. He dove quickly back into the air pocket to cling to the warrior's head, Mushu hopping on the shoulders of the others like stepping stones until he reached the safety of his human.

"What is it, buddy?" Aelita asked, slowing to a stop as she saw the shadow. It circled the group of travelers once entirely before disappearing into the lake once more.

"What the hell was that?" Jin asked tentatively from her spot close to Toph. She didn't notice the hair standing on the back of the earthbenders neck out of sheer panic from the unknown.

"I don't know," Aang said. "But it's gone now."

As if the spirits were watching in spite, a massive flash of green scale pierced through the pocket of air. The shock of it all broke the concentration of Akira and Avatar, and a wall of water came crashing down around the group. Quick on her toes Toph dug deep past her fear and lifted a pillar of rock straight up through the lake until the humans and small animals stood above its surface once more. Too close for comfort was a beast of a giant serpent, something that looked like a cross between snake and dragon with angry eyes that seemed as if they could breathe fire. It thrashed about with a deafening shriek as it studied its newfound prey.

"I think I just figured out why they call it the Serpent's Pass!." Sokka said as he moved to cower behind the Kyoshi warrior. "Suki, you know about giant sea monsters, make it go away!"

"Just because I live near the unagi doesn't mean I'm an expert!" She hissed with her hands on her fans.

Sokka moved to pull a damp Mushu from Aelita's grasp and held him up high in the air. "Oh great and powerful sea serpent, please accept this humble and tasty offering. Thank...ow!" He cried out as he flailed his arm wildly, the ferret clenched on for dear life.

"You deserved that!" Aelita scolded as she stole her friend's back and tucked him safely into Jin's arms. Aang was already on the move, glider in the air as he made a beeline for the serpent in an attempt to catch its attention. "We'll distract it. Get everyone across Katara, go!"

She didn't leave her friend anytime to object before she took off skirting the top of the lake on a makeshift board of ice. Katara worked nearly as quickly, creating a bridge of frozen water that connected the small makeshift island they stood on to the main strip of the pass. As Aang and Aelita sent various waves of fire and air at the serpent that still felt too close the others ran across the bridge of ice, Sokka helping Ying along with Than on her other side while Suki covered Jin. When their feet touched solid ground they looked back to see Toph the only one still far behind.

Fuck this day and fuck this pass. This was the last time Toph ever trusted Hot Shot to play tour guide. She could barely see more than her own body's length in any direction around her and the unholy sounds coming from the serpent she could hardly make out was enough to make even her skin crawl.

"Toph, come on, it's just ice!" Sokka shouted back to her.

The earthbender felt forward with one foot grazing the ice but when her mental image only got fuzzier she quickly decided against any further action. "Actually, I'm going to stay on my little island, where I can see!" She shouted back, only to have her voice drowned out by the sounds of the serpent crashing down into the water after a well-timed hit by Aelita, close enough for the splash it made to soak the earthbender. "Okay, I'm coming!"

"Go help the others." Sokka urged his sister as they saw the angry beast lunge at Aang with every intent to kill. Luckily the monk was the quickest of the team and nimble in the air on his glider. "I'll get everyone somewhere safe. Go!" He encouraged. Katara didn't need any other persuasion and was quickly skating over the top of the lake to join her friends. Sokka turned his attention back to Toph still inching slowly across the bridge, only having made it about halfway. "You're doing great! Just follow the sound of my voice!"

"It's hard to ignore." She muttered to herself. What she wouldn't give for some cactus juice right about now.

"You're almost there!"

From the sky Aang let go of his glider and dove straight down, letting his prized possession fall into Aelita's hands. As he pierced the surface of the water he pushed the air from his feet and created a massive tidal wave that slammed into the beast and knocked it off its center. Aelita swung the open staff in her hands and used it as a fan for her flames, bending violet fire around the cloth to spread the attack far and wide to do as much damage to the large beast as possible. Direct hit. The serpent screamed as it fell and the Avatar threw himself out of the water and back onto the glider his friend tossed up.

The serpent went down hard and went down fast, directly onto the bridge of ice Toph stood on. The earthbender had nearly made it when the impact of the blast caused the entire structure to shatter, sending the girl crashing into the water.

Toph panicked as her senses went haywire and water-filled her mouth. She flailed her arms and kicked with all her might to no avail. "Help!" She choked out. "I can't swim!"

Aelita watched as her friend slipped below the water's surface. "Toph!" She yelled, her fear seizing her. Images of the light fading from Yue's eyes flashed through her mind as it went to the worse possible case scenario. She passed Katara on her way to Aang as she raced towards her friend, cutting through the water faster than any ship.

"Hang on Toph, I'm..." Sokka was pulling his boot off when he saw Aelita dive down where the other girl went under. "Never mind."

A moment later the two girls spouted out above the surface of the lake, the younger of the two coughing up water. The last thing she remembered hearing was Sokka's voice calling out for her as she slipped under.

"Oh thank you Sokka, you saved me!" A mile wild smile spread across her face before she leaned over to kiss the cheek of her hero.

"Why don't you ever kiss me like that?"

"What the fuck!"

"Hold still Toph or I'm gonna drop you." Aelita gripped her surprised friend.

"At this point, I think I'd rather you did."

Chuckling with relief Aelita pushed against the lake and shot them towards the shore of the pass where the rest of the nonwaterbenders were waiting. Meanwhile, Aang and Katara trapped the serpent in the heart of a whirlpool the two had made running on the surface of the water. The serpent was tossed wildly in every direction in disorientation until finally, it fell backward, slamming hard into the side of the pass the humans had come from. Accepting defeat it slipped beneath the surface of the water to nurse its wounds as Aang flew him and Katara to join the rest of the team.

"Nice work." Aelita complimented her partner with a nod as they landed, Sokka embracing his sister happy to see her safe.

"Thanks, you too." Aang returned the gesture.

After a quick once over on everyone both two and four-legged alike by the healers the group set out back on track on the pass, hoping for no more surprises. The next stage of the journey was filled with quiet but pleasant conversation after a tense morning. The mood shifted entirely when the tops of tall protective walls could be seen in the distance.

"There's the wall!" Sokka cheered, running a little way ahead of the others. They could reach it from here within hours. Finally, things were starting to look up. "Now it's nothing but smooth sailing to Ba Sing Se."

"Oh no!"

"Dammit, what now?"

"Sokka!" Katara scolded her brother before rushing to Ying's side, the woman clenching her swollen stomach.

"The baby's coming!" The mother-to-be cried out as the pressure continued to build inside her.

"What? Now?" The warrior panicked. This was not anything he was prepared to deal with. "Can't you hold it in or something?"

"Sokka calm down." Aelita rolled her eyes, coming to Ying's other side to help hold her steady. "Just about every culture in this world teaches women how to deliver babies or at the very least aid in the process. You're surrounded by women right now. We'll be okay."

"She's right." Katara agreed. "I helped Gran-Gran deliver lots of babies back home."

"This isn't the same as delivering an arctic seal! This is a real...human...thing!"

"It's called a baby and I helped her deliver plenty of those, too." The younger sister rolled her eyes before setting to work and taking charge of the situation. "Aang, get some rags. Sokka, water. Suki, kindling so Aelita can make a fire. Toph, I need you to make an earth tent, a big one."

Toph obliged and lifted a large flat sheet of rock up and around Ying and her caretakers.

"Family stays, everyone else give us space." Aelita encouraged and the team scattered. When Ying groaned again and her knees began to shake it was clear there was no time to waste. This baby was coming whether anyone was ready for it or not.

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Under the light of the midday sun, the ferry carrying hopeful refugees approached the safety of Ba Sing Se's walls, closed until a group of earthbenders would open a passage just large enough for the boat to fit through when it was close enough. Jet found his new friend standing at the bow of the ship, the two young men still practically strangers to one another but so alike in so many ways. The freedom fighter joined the other as they took in the sight of the distant city closing in.

"You know, as soon as I saw your scar, I knew exactly who you were." Jet's voice cut through the silence.

Zuko arched his brow slightly. Could this boy possibly know who he was?

"You're an outcast, like me. And us outcasts have to stick together." Jet continued, leaning back against the rail of the boat to look at Lee head-on. He suspected the names the other boy had given for him and his Uncle were fake but the fighter assumed they had their reasons. He wouldn't push it, at least not now.

So Jet didn't know the truth, at least not Zuko's real identity. Still, it had him thinking. Had anyone ever really known who Zuko genuinely was, on more than just the surface level? Hell, did he even know who he was? He used to think some people did, but both of the women that came to mind were long gone. Zetzu should've, they were twins, after all, two halves of a whole, but it was clear even they were strangers.

"We have to watch each other's backs." Jet continued. "Because no one else will."

Something inside of Zuko tugged at his heartstrings, the part of him he had spent so long trying to ignore that wanted nothing more to just belong.

To somewhere.

To someone.

Could anyone other than his Uncle have his back? He had given up on that hope weeks ago when he had finally given up on Aelita. Zuko was tired of watching her walk away, exhausted of watching her pick everyone and anyone other than him. She was the last person other than Uncle to have his back, but even she had left.

Dammit, there his mind went again. He couldn't let this keep happening to him.

"Then I guess you'll just have to move on. Take care of yourself, Zuko."

Those were the last things Aelita had spoken to him before she left him standing in the rain as he watched her fly away. When Zuko asked her what he was meant to do if she died she told him to move on.

Fine.

The Akira may still be alive somewhere out in this world besides the Avatar but as far as Zuko was concerned, Aelita Kenshin was dead and she would never hold him back again.

Lee met Jet with earnest eyes. "I've realized lately that being on your own isn't always the best path."

The other boy smiled and clapped his new friend on the back as the ferry moved closer to the wall slowly opening before them. Despite the cordial interaction, Zuko couldn't shake the feeling that something about Jet would never sit right with him.

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Hidden from sight by the cover of mountains Zetzu admired the beast of a machine before him.

"I must admit War Minister." The Lord smirked as he took a step back to further take in the beautiful sight. "You've truly outdone yourself this time."

"Thank you, Your Grace." Qin reveled in the praise. "Though please, the credit is all yours. This was your idea, after all, I'm just the builder."

"It was my idea sure, but you made it all a reality and even better than I ever imagined."

"I'm glad things meet your approval, Sir. I'm almost certain we'll run into no issues or hurdles along our way."

"Almost certain?"

"Yes Sir, no one has ever set foot far inside the outer wall of Ba Sing Se before, not even your Uncle General Iroh during his long siege. General Kenshin made it back to the original line that Iroh held before the initial retreat, but even he was forced to fall back after our supply lines were interrupted. That says a great deal about the strength of the Earth King and his men, but I'm confident in my mechanics. I truly believe we have a chance to be successful."

"Oh, how wonderful." The Lord purred as he stalked closer to Qin until their faces were nearly touching. A sly grin crossed the combustion bender's face much to the confusion of the older man, the latter suddenly very uncomfortable. "I'm so pleased you're confident in yourself, Qin. You see, failure was never an option." Zetzu moved until his warm breath could be felt just centimeters away from the older man's ear and his voice dropped down to a whisper. "This drill will be successful today War Minister because your life depends on it."

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"It's a girl." Katara popped her head outside of the stone tent after what had honestly been a relatively fast and easy delivery, but one that felt like hours to everyone else. Both mother and baby were doing beautifully, the sound of newborn cries fading into soft suckling as Aelita helped position the child on Ying's chest. Katara smirked as she noticed the small knot on her brother's head as he sat with Suki, Toph, and Aang. "You good now?"

"A guy faints one time and you never let it go." The warrior tossed his hands in the air. "Forgive me for just trying to bring you the water you asked for and not expecting to be met face to face with a baby halfway out some woman's..."

"Spirits, Big Mouth we get it." Toph cut him off. "I'm blind and for once I'm grateful for it so that doesn't mean I wanna listen to you describe the scene."

Aelita knelt to wash off the blood and birthing custard from her hands in the makeshift basin of water she and Katara had used. As she scrubbed her eyes drifted to the happy family across the rocky shelter, her gaze sticking on Than in particular. There was something about the way he looked at his new child with more love and adoration than she had ever truly recognized before that just felt so bittersweet.

Had it been that way for her father? Did he look at her like that the day she was born? Had he watched her that way her whole life and she just hadn't noticed? Did he whisper sweet words of encouragement in the ear of the woman he loved while she brought his child earth-side? Did he ever feel as happy and complete as Than looked now?

Aelita let out the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding and pulled her now clean hands from the water. She hated that she caught herself in these moments still, not knowing if she should feel guilty for missing her dad or not. Maybe she just missed the man she had built him up to be, she wasn't sure. It had been so easy before to only remember the good, to tell herself that he was proof her people were good and that he died for something he believed in so the pain of it all at least meant something. Zhao's words still haunted her mind all too often and when they did any happy memories Aelita had of her father were burned away. Had he really been capable of doing all of the awful things she had spent so long telling herself he would've never done?

Pushing herself for her feet Aelita told herself that these feelings were all a part of the process and like the scars on her arms, they too would heal with time. Until then there were happier things to focus on, like a smiling new mother looking gratefully at the Akira.

"Would you like to hold her?" Ying offered the strong girl. Aelita and Katara both had been so calm and steady during a what she was certain would always be the rawest and emotional time of her life, and Ying would never forget either's kindness.

"It would be my honor." Aelita bowed and let the older woman hand her child as the others walked into the tent. Aang hung back near the door, letting Sokka brush past him.

Holy shit.

Sokka's heart skipped a beat when he saw the smile on Aelita's face and the light flood her eyes as she held the newborn close. What he would give to relive this moment again and again.

Sokka had never thought much about kids. Sure, he knew as the future chief of his tribe there would be some sort of expectation for him to have at least one, but that was about as far as he tried to let his mind wander on the subject. Any more thought than that terrified him. Children terrified him. Shit, to be completely honest Sokka barely even knew his own parents. It had been so long since they had lost their Mom he was starting to replace her face with Katara's, and even his Dad had been gone for some of the biggest years and moments of his life. Sokka didn't have much to go off of in regards of examples of how to be a Dad, so the thought of any woman holding his child in their arms made every hair on the back of his neck stand straight up.

But suddenly if he replaced any woman with Aelita the thought became a whole lot less terrifying.

Suki watched as Sokka naturally gravitated to Aelita's side, noticing as one hand steadied the small of her back and the other moved to support her arm that rested under the baby's head. The movement was so subtle, so instinctive she wasn't sure if anyone else had caught it other than her. Any sadness she felt last night gave way to genuine and content acceptance. What was meant to be would be, and she said would be happy either way.

"She sure sounded healthy from out there." Toph complimented in the only way she knew how.

"She's beautiful." Suki chimed in.

"It's so..." Sokka looked for the right words as he watched the sleeping child from over Aelita's shoulder. "Squishy looking."

"Squishy is not a compliment Sokka. Spirits, I hope you learn to be more intentional with your words before you have any kids."

"I guess you'll just have to teach me then."

"What should we name her?" Than asked his wife as the Akira handed his child back to him.

"I want our daughter's name to be unique." Ying pondered out loud, not realizing just how much her words spoke to the Avatar along the wall. "I want it to mean something."

Aang wiped the corners of his eyes but this time the tears were one of joy. When they first left the desert he had convinced himself it was better not to feel anything at all than it was to live with the pain of losing his best friend. Instead of coping he had really just been driving himself mad and had he not had a friend like Aelita, he would've missed out on the beauty of this moment he hadn't known he so desperately needed.

"I've been going through a really hard time lately." He admitted out loud. "But you've made me...hopeful again."

"Aunt Ying, Uncle Than, I know what my cousin's name should be." Jin draped her arms over her aunt's shoulders. "Hope."

"That's a perfect name." Ying agreed as she squeezed her nieces hands. "Hope."

"Hope it is." Than agreed. "Our little Hope."

Aelita's eyes moved to Aang as she felt his energy change and his aura call out to her, relieved that even after their tension their connection to one another was still growing stronger by the day. The monk nodded his head towards the door and the two dismissed themselves to slip outside.

"I thought I was trying to be strong," Aang told his friend in the comfort of their solitude. "But really I was just running away from my feelings. Seeing this family together, so full of happiness and love, it's reminded me how I feel about Appa."

Aelita nodded and a sly grin crossed her face when she noticed her friend staring through the opening of the shelter at a blue-eyed waterbender. "And how you feel about her?"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves here." He blushed.

"Why not? It'll take time for us to gather up our reinforcements once we have a meeting with the Earth King before we can sail against Ozai. Come on, got any big plans after the meeting?"

"Well, all the guys in the Southern Temple quartet are dead, so no."

"Exactly. If you asked her on a date like a normal teenager I'm sure she'd say yes."

"That's why I don't ask."

"Too shy or too scared?"

"Too busy."

"That's fair."

"What about you and Sokka, care to elaborate on that?"

"We're talking about you not me, don't try to change the subject."

"Secure Ba Sing Se and help me win this war then find me a date."

"I'm multitasking."

"You guys okay?" Sokka asked as he and the other members of their rag-tag team popped out of the tent, giving the family a little more time and privacy before they'd have to move on. Unfortunately, this pass was too dangerous to stop in for long, but Toph was certain she could earthbend up some kind of thing on wheels she could push along so Ying could still rest the final stretch of the journey.

"Yeah, I am now." Aang nodded, choking down the blush that spread across his cheeks when he looked at Katara. "I'm sorry about the way I've been acting lately."

"There's no need to apologize, Twinkle Toes." The youngest girl assured. "We get it."

"We'll stay with the family and get them safely into Ba Sing Se. Why don't you fly on ahead and start looking for Appa?" Katara offered up.

"Thank you." Aang accepted quickly. "All of you. I promise I'll find Appa as fast as I can. I just really need to do this."

"We know buddy." Sokka clapped his friend on the back. "See you in the city."

"Say hi to him for us," Aelita added.

Katara pulled the monk in for a quick hug before he went. "You'll find him, Aang."

"I know. Thank you, Katara. You ready, Momo?" Aang glanced down at the lemur who happily chattered a goodbye to his friend Mushu, the two having happily napped through the whole birthing ordeal until now. Feeling confident the two nomads took to the sky and towards the wall in the distance.

Katara and Aelita snuck away to check on mother and baby while Toph stepped off to figure out transportation, Sokka watched as Suki gathered her belongings.

"It's been really great to see you again, Sokka." She said as she threw her bag over her shoulders.

"Whoa, hold on." He held up a hand to stop her. "Why does it sound like you're saying goodbye?"

"I came along because I wanted to make sure you got through the Serpent's Pass safely." She explained. "But now I need to get back to the other Kyoshi Warriors."

"So you came along to protect me?"

"Something like that." She chuckled as she pushed on his shoulder playfully. "Sorry if I put you in an uncomfortable position."

This time Sokka pushed her lightly as a friend would. "You talk too much. It's fine, I promise."

The two embraced for a moment before parting ways as friends, heading in opposite directions with no tension between them.

The hopeful feeling in Aang's chest only continued to swell as he and Momo skirted the outside of the outer wall and landed on its top. The great wall stretched on for miles in either direction with no obvious end in sight, thick enough for several men to stand side by side and still have room. From here he could see the next wall and the many houses and farms that dotted the land spanning between the two structures, the heart of the mighty city still hidden from view. Every so often lookout posts rose up slightly higher than the rest of the wall and there were so many of those the monk was honestly surprised no one had bothered stopping him yet, even if they recognized his arrows like many often did. A pillar of billowing dust caught Aang's eye and he turned back to the vast lands that surrounded Ba Sing Se.

Suddenly it made sense why no one was preoccupied with him. Barreling towards the walls was a massive machine that appeared to have some sort of brute drill mounted to its front and a Fire Nation insignia gleaming on its side.

"Sorry, Momo," Aang muttered to his friend on his shoulder. "Appa's going to have to wait."

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Sad girl days are over friends.

Well, for now at least. At the beginning of the month we successfully hosted the first safe in person youth camp since our states original lockdown. It was stressful, it took so much time and planning and an unholy list of modifications to make it happen, but I'm happy to say we had ZERO sicknesses and the teens LOVED it. That program by far held the bulk of my attention for a while but now that it's come and pass and I've had time to mentally decompress an unfortunate tragedy that happened to one of our staffers at the end of the week - unrelated to the program - I'm back on my grind and doing a lot better. It was so worth it, youth development is one of my greatest passions, but I'm beyond relieved and happy it's done.

Thank you all for being patient and being you. You are all wonderful and so appreciated.

And of course a big, Happy Pride to my fellow gays and they's! You are seen, you are valid, you are loved and you are strong. 🏳️‍🌈

Now back to our regularly scheduled program friends! How do you think things will go down when our girl is face to face yet again with the Royal Family?

Who's growth thus far has been your favorite?

What ship are you rooting for?

Who's your favorite either original character or edited character? (One that's slightly different than how they were written in the show.)

On with the show friends, let's go!