A/N: This is not a new story. Once upon a time, I had a series of some Avatar one-shots posted in one file as part of a prompt set for a community on LiveJournal. I dropped my prompt claim, so I removed it from my fanfiction account. However, I have some one-shots from that collection that I'd like to keep on my account, so I'm just going to post a few of them as standalones and not as part of a prompt set.

Disclaimer: Avatar: TLA is not mine.

Originally written June 2009

As soon as Appa touched down outside the Fire Nation palace, Katara slid off his back and hit the ground running. Aang airbended himself down and gave a burst of speed to catch up with his wife.

The guard at the doors swung them open immediately upon seeing the two racing figures. "Avatar Aang, Lady Katara. Firelord Zuko is waiting for you in the royal quarters. If we might get you an escort-"

"We know the way," Katara said quickly, not slowing her pace.

"Thank you!" Aang called over his shoulder.

It wasn't long before they had made it through the twists and turns of the palace and come to the wing where the royal family's private rooms were. Aang spotted Zuko as soon as the palace guard gave them entrance. He was pacing up and down the corridor, frantic and desperate. As soon as he noticed them, he ran forward and grabbed Katara's arm. "What took you so long? Hurry up!"

Neither Aang nor Katara bothered to tell Zuko that they'd come as fast as they possibly could, or to tell him that they were hurrying. Aang could imagine the fear that must be driving his friend.

They shoved through a door into a large bedroom. It smelled of sweat and blood, and the source of this came from the bed on the far side of the room, where Mai was lying, eyes closed, looking far too pale and sickly. Several women-palace healers, no doubt-were tending her.

Katara pushed through to Mai's side, her water already out, and Zuko swiftly ordered the healers to wait outside. They obeyed while Katara lowered her water-coated hands toward Mai's body.

"Well?" Zuko demanded, crowding over Katara's shoulder. "Can you heal her?"

Katara's hands hovered over Mai's abdomen. "I'm working on it."

"Can't you work faster?"

"Zuko." Katara's voice was one that assured and commanded calm at the same time. "I will do everything I can. What I need from you is to just let me work, okay?"

Mai's bloodshot eyes cracked open, but she didn't seem aware of where she was or what was happening. "Zu…ko?"

"Here." Zuko dropped down onto his knees next to the bed and clasped Mai's hand in his. "Katara's here, Mai. She's going to help you."

Mai only blinked. Her lack of a dry, sarcastic response just showed how sick she was. "Baby?" she croaked.

"He's safe and healthy. You did it, Mai. You just have to hold on. Do you hear me? You'd better not leave me now."

Finally, a hint of Mai's attitude showed its head as she muttered, "Idiot. Would I…let go?" Her eyes drifted closed again.

"Mai!"

Katara's hands continued to move slowly and assuredly over Mai's stomach, her attention unwavering.

Zuko buried his head in the hand not holding Mai's. "I knew we should have waited. I knew we weren't ready for this."

"Where's your baby, Zuko?" Aang asked quietly.

Zuko dragged his hand across his face. "With one of the healers."

"Go and get your son, Zuko," Katara told him, just as softly. "He needs you right now, not a nursemaid."

Zuko stiffened, and then his shoulders slumped. "Mai refused to have a nursemaid at all." He looked down at Mai for a long moment, and then set her hand carefully on the bed. He straightened and took a step toward Aang, but paused behind Katara. "Fix her, Katara. Please."

Aang grasped Zuko's shoulder. Zuko's eyes met his, and he nodded slowly. He walked toward an adjoining room, and Aang followed him through the door into a nursery. It had a cradle in one corner and a cushioned chair in another. The room was full of all sorts of baby trinkets and toys. Aang recognized the blanket that Katara had made, now wrapped around a tiny, sleeping bundle.

The woman holding the baby gave a sort of half-bow when Zuko entered. Before she could speak, Zuko cleared his throat. "I would like to have my son."

"Of course, Firelord Zuko." The healer gently transferred the child into Zuko's arms, and then asked, "Is there anything else I might do for you?"

"No. You can wait outside."

The healer bowed at both Aang and Zuko and left the nursery. Zuko stood stiffly, and it was evident from his posture and from the expression on his face that he had probably never held an infant before. He looked afraid to even move.

Aang peered at the baby and a smile stretched across his face. "Zuko, he's beautiful."

Even in the middle of Zuko's fear and turmoil, the look he gave Aang was incredulous. "My son is not beautiful. He is handsome. Striking."

"Adorable," Aang inserted. He reached out and brushed his fingers over the baby's tiny forehead. He was a tiny miracle. All babies were miracles, but for Zuko and Mai, it was a very special one. Mai's pregnancy had been extremely difficult; Katara had been called to the palace for her on several occasions. Mai and Zuko almost hadn't been able to make it to Aang and Katara's wedding a few months earlier.

To get the message earlier that day that Mai was hemorrhaging and the healers hadn't been able to completely stop the bleeding had been nothing short of horrifying. Now, Aang could only hope that Katara would be able to make a difference. "You're not going to break him, Zuko," he told his friend now.

"I feel like I am," Zuko muttered. Walking slowly and carefully, he stepped back into the bedroom. There at the doorway, he stood with Aang as they watched Katara continuing to work on Mai. "You know what she told me right when he was born? Before…before-"

Before she started losing blood. "What did she say?"

"She told me he would even look good in orange." Zuko's jaw tensed as he swallowed. "Mai hates orange."

It seemed like an eternity of waiting before Katara sank back with a sigh, bending her water back into her pouch. "She's going to be all right."

Aang let out a breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding, and Zuko just seemed frozen.

"She's going to need recovery time. Giving birth is hard enough, but Mai lost a lot of blood. I'm going to have to do some more healing sessions." Katara wiped sweat off of her forehead. "But she'll be okay."

Zuko's feet finally found motion, and he carried his son across the room, where he sat on the edge of the bed beside Mai. He stared down at her and whispered, "Thank you, Katara."

Aang hurried forward to wrap and arm around Katara, helping her to her feet. "We'll give you some time alone," Katara said, squeezing Zuko's shoulder. "I'll be close if you need me." She put an arm around Aang and leaned into him as they headed out of the room, back into the hallway. The three healers that had been dismissed were hovering outside, and they all beamed when Katara assured them that the Lady Mai was going to be fine.

"Are you okay?" Aang asked as Katara's eyes closed. He steered her to the wall, and she slid down against it. He joined her on the floor, gaze fixed on her face.

"I'm fine, Aang. Just a little tired. Mai…she was so close to being gone. If we hadn't already been in the Fire Nation…if we hadn't arrived when we did…"

Aang took her hand. "But we did. There's no point dwelling on what could have happened."

"I know." Katara's took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It's just hard. After everything Zuko and Mai have been through, it's not fair that they should have anymore worry or pain like this." Her fingers tightened on Aang's. "I'm just so glad we got here in time. No child should have to grow up without a mother." She shot him a quick look. "Non-monk children, anyway."

Aang pulled Katara close and kissed the top of her head. She played absently with his fingers for a minute before looking back up at him and whispering, "I get scared sometimes, too." She didn't elaborate, and she didn't really need to. They had talked about it a lot before they got married. He knew how Katara struggled with fears that her children would grow up without their mother if something were ever to happen to her.

Aang smiled. "Did you see their baby, Katara?"

"I got a glimpse of him. He was beautiful. But don't tell Zuko I called his son beautiful." Katara finally gave a small smile of her own.

Aang shrugged. "I already told him I thought so."

"I bet that went over well."

They shared a grin, and then Aang said, "Life is beautiful, Katara. I don't have to tell you that it's not always easy, and we both know that it can be full of pain and heartache. But it's also full of healing and laughter. We might not ever know what's coming next, but life is always worth it."

Zuko stepped into the corridor then, his arms empty of his son. "Mai's awake. She wants to see you, Katara."

Katara stood quickly to her feet, and Aang rose with her. They both looked at Zuko's expression of relief and happiness, so very different from the terror and desperation that had been there only a short time earlier. She glanced at Aang and nodded. "I know."