A/N-Lin and Kwan are my OC's. They are the children of Sokka and Suki. In this story, Kwan is 8 and Lin is 4. Minor Zuko OCC.

Baby-sitting

"It's only for two weeks and a half weeks sweeties. You'll have fun."

"You can't have fun in the Fire Nation."

"Sokka, shush! You'll guys will have fun with your Aunt and Uncle."

Suki and Sokka walked their children up to the Fire Nation palace. As usual Lin was holding on tight to her mother, while Kwan walked a few steps behind his parents. Sokka had to head up to the Northern Water Tribe for a Water Tribe meeting. They thought the kids would be to much of a hassle to bring them up, so Suki thought it was a good idea to drop them off at with Katara. Sokka shot down the idea right away. Not that he didn't mind his sister watching his kids. It was her husband.

Sokka knocked on the door. He let out a sigh, the door opened slowly. "Hello, Zuko."

Zuko stood in the doorway, staring back at Sokka. It was a silent awkward moment. "Sokka." He said

"Sokka! Suki." Katara said running past Zuko and hugged her brother. "We are so happy to be watching the kids this week! Aren't we Zuko?"

"Yes." Zuko said.

"Well I believe you met Kwan before." Suki said, "Kwan you remember you Aunt Katara?"

"No" Kwan said bluntly

"He's gotten so big? He is, 7?"

"Eight." Sokka said, "And this little girl is, Lin."

Lin let out soft whine as she buried her face in her mother's dress, "She's a bit shy." Suki said.

"She's cute." Katara smiled, "Well Zuko and I will make sure that they have a fun time."

"What did I just say..." Sokka stated before he got a look from his sister. "Well, Lin," He bent down and kissed her on her head, "Have fun. And Kwan, "He looked to Kwan, knelt down, " Be good for you Aunt Katara." Zuko coughed, "not so much for Zuko."

"Sokka." Suki hissed

After goodbye were said, Katara lead Kwan and Lin into the palace. Katara turned around to see Lin's eyes where filling up with tears.

"Sweetie,"Katara said, "I'll be ok, mommy and daddy just went away for a bit. But your Uncle Zuzu and I are going to look after you."

"Don't teach them to call me that." Zuko said.

"Can't you be at little happy that they are letting us sit their kids."

"That's because Aang had some sort of Avatar mission in Ba Sing Se, and Toph went with him." Zuko said as he began to walk away, "You think your brother would actually leave his kids here."

"Zuko." Katara said standing up from comforting a crying Lin. Katara looked over at Kwan, he hadn't said anything. "Hey Kwan, I bet you want to hang out with your Uncle Zuko, don't you?"

"No" Kwan and Zuko said at the same time.

"Well I'm going to take Lin and we are going to do girl stuff." Katara said as she picked up Lin, who buried her face in Katara's robe. She walked up to Zuko, "Come one, it might give you good points with Sokka."

"That's a good thing?"

Katara gave Zuko a harsh look as she walked away. Leaving Zuko and Kwan standing in the entrance way. The boy said nothing, he just kept staring at Zuko.

"My mommy says you're the Fire King." Kwan said finally

"Fire Lord." Zuko corrected as he turned to walk. He knew Kwan was trailing.

"My daddy says you're an angry jerk with a pony tail."

" And what does your dad have."

"A wolf tail." Kwan said, "There's alot of fire."

"It is the Fire Nation."

"I live in the Southern Water Tribe."

"I know."

"Are you a Waterbener?"

"I'm a Firebender." Zuko was growing more annoyed with Kwan by the second."Your Aunt Katara's a waterbender."

"I can't bend."("Thank goodness")" What's with your face?"

"No more questions." Zuko snapped.

"I bet if we had a race I could beat you."

"That's great."

"Ready GO!" And away Kwan went. He flew past Zuko. Zuko closed his eyes and placed his hand on his head.

"You owe me so much Katara." He began to run after the kid.

"I'm winning" Kwan yelled

"We are not racing!" Zuko said as he caught up to him.

"Yea, but I'm winning!"

Zuko finally grabbed Kwan by his shirt. Kwan flew back as he kept trying to run away, trying to break Zuko's grip.

"Listen here Kon."

"Kwan."

"Whatever. I have things I need to do today. And I don't want you getting in my way. Got it?" Kwan smiled and nodded. He grabbed his wrist and dragged him away, "I swear to Agni, you are you're father's son."

Zuko opened to door to the throne room, Kwan stared at it in amazement. His head snapped around in every direction. Zuko could feel him twitching in his grasp. Zuko sighed, this wasn't even an a day into this and already he wanted to kill this child. He let go of Kwan, and feared what he might do.

"So this is where you rule?" Kwan asked as he ran around looking at everything.

"Yes."

"Do you ever kill anyone one in here?"

"Why are you asking so many questions?"

Kwan shrugged. "Why does my daddy hate you?"

"No more questions!" Zuko snapped again. He started to walk up to his throne.

"So what did happen to your face?"

That was it, that was the straw that broke the Camelephant's back. Zuko turned around and walked right up to the child. The flames behind him rose."Listen here you little brat, I have had it up to here with your annoying questions. Just go into a corner and do everyone a favor and shut up." Zuko turned around. He took a deep breath as the flames descended. Zuko closed his eyes. He hear something he hadn't heard all day, silence. Zuko turned his head to look at Kwan. His eyes here starting to fill up with tears, Kwan quickly snapped around as he ran away. Zuko sighed, "Now his father is going to hate me more."

It was a difficult trying to find Kwan in the palace. Which made Zuko wonder, he's been living here his whole life practically, why couldn't he find this child. He asked every single servant that he saw if they had seen the boy. But no one had. Zuko walked up to, who he thought was, another servant.

"Have you see a little water tribe boy?"

"Zuko?" Said the "servant" as she turned around. Zuko gulped as he discovered it was Katara. He looked down to see Lin with Katara old hair-loops in her hair. She let out a soft whine and hid behind Katara's robe. "Where's Kwan? You didn't lose him did you?"

"Uhhh...no." Zuko stuttered, "We are...Uhhh...Just...Ummm, playing Hide-and-go-Seek. Yeah, we are just playing." Zuko smiled nervously

Katara eyes narrowed. She never did like seeing Zuko smile. She always thought it was kinda creepy. Plus when he did, Katara knew nothing good can come out of it."Alright." She said , as she watched Zuko walk down the hall, then quickly turned and ran down the next hall. "What is your uncle and brother up to?"

Zuko continued to run through the palace. He had to find Kwan. Not only was he scared of what Sokka would do, but what Katara would do if she found out he lost Kwan.

"For the love of Agni, where is that boy!" Zuko said placing his forearm against the wall and resting his head on it. He let out a sigh and continued to look. He went outside to the palace courtyard. It was the last place he had to check. He knew inside him this should have been the first place to look. He remember when he was young he use to come out here and sit by the turtle duck pond, waiting for his mother to come comfort him.

And sure enough, under the tree facing the pond sat Kwan. His knees up in is chest, looking at the pond. Zuko walked over to him, and sat down next to his nephew. Kwan looked up and scooted over.

"You hate me don't you?" Kwan said, his voice muffled, as he was talking through his knees.

"I don't hate you." Zuko said. There was a brief pause. "It's just..." Zuko sighed, "You just remind me so much of your father. And your father and I never got off on the right foot. We met in a very bad way."

"How?"

Zuko did not want to get into this, especially with a eight year old. "Well, I attacked his village, tied your aunt to a tree, attacked your mother's village, caused the fall of Ba Sing Se that happen ten years ago, "He took a pause and looked down at the child, "I wasn't such a nice guy. And your father isn't the very forgiving type."

"Oh." Kwan closed his mouth, he kept staring at Zuko, "So do you hate me?"

"Well, you are your father's son." Zuko said, " But I don't think so."

That's all he said, and it was the last thing said for a while. It was quite, but a peaceful quite. Zuko enjoyed the silence. After a while of sitting there, Zuko looked over, Kwan had fallen asleep. Zuko smiled. He might not have become best friends with the child, but it was a start. Zuko looked back to see his wife coming toward him with a sleeping Lin in her arms.

"How'd long has she been asleep?" Zuko asked

"She just feel asleep." Katara smiled. She sat down, with Kwan in between her and Zuko, she laid Lin down next to her brother. "So how was it with Kwan."

"Like spending a day with an eight year old version of your brother."

Katara laughed, "Makes you want kids of your own?" Katara said slyly

Zuko's head turned slowly to his wife, "Why?"

"Well, what if I said we were going to have out own children?"

"Are they going to turn out like Sokka?"

"No."

"I'm happy with that."

THE END!