AN: Thank you so much everyone! I am glowing with excitement and happiness about the response. I'm so, so happy people are enjoying this and I just couldn't stop writing since I posted the last chapter! And I'm already writing Chapter Three. Even though I'm so happy about 30 reviews and all the favorites and follows, I'm not the type of person who would ever ask for a certain amount. I'm writing this because it's something I always wanted to read, but I am really happy if people go on the journey with me. :)

The first act of Zuko's was digging up anything he could find from his family stock of baby items. They might have been dangerous, and knew he should find someone to examine them at some point, but for now, she needed somewhere safe to rest.

After he took care of that and had Ty Lee's bags taken to the living quarters, and he asked for all of the rooms to be cleaned, since he could barely remember how to blink, much less remember how many rooms were in his house.

Now, the baby was settled, and Zuko and Ty Lee were unsettled.

Izumi, or Sparrowkeet, or oh Agni what was Zuko supposed to do about this, was staring at her uncle from the cradle he found her. He thought it was Lu Ten's, maybe Azula's?

She was cute. Definitely cute, and definitely either his, his sister's, his father's or his uncle's. Given that Ty Lee was the one who showed up with her, father was in prison very far from the Earth Kingdom and Zuko refused to think about Uncle making a baby, he settled just fine with the Azula explanation.

Even if it was a shady story, Ty Lee was not the type to tell a decent lie.

Zuko used to think that Azula might have been one of those rumored Volcano Spirit babies. They were evil spirits that were responsible for deadly eruptions and other calamities, and also would breed with human women, and it would result in beautiful babies that would win over the powerful.

Yes.

They were cute and untouchable. And showed no signs of human life until at least seven years old.

Yes. Okay, well, maybe she had a heartbeat, but it could have been metaphorical.

And they would grow up to be very persuasive, to the point of toppling empires.

Yes. Those exact words.

Tell Zuko that he was crazy like mother did as she laughed at him and his silly overactive imagination. There was no ruling out that Azula was half evil Volcano Spirit, and maybe her baby was too.

No matter what the situation, Zuko clearly had a baby on his hands, no matter which way you sliced it.

"Are you gonna put me on trial?" Ty Lee whispered and Zuko suddenly noticed that she was also staring at him.

They were both staring at him, and it was actually pretty creepy.

"I didn't even, that didn't occur to me," Zuko remarked as he came to the realization that Ty Lee had been consorting with a war criminal and the most wanted person in the world. "No one would convict you, you know? It doesn't matter."

Ty Lee blinked and nodded, and then let out a very wispy sigh. Zuko joined her at the last minute, although with a pained groan. They both stared for a moment, neither sure what they were supposed to do as the baby watched, alert, completely unaware of the problem she poses.

No, Zuko thought, she's a baby, not a problem.

Izumi was his niece, and he was going to give her all he could. Maybe Azula was not just trying to shrug off her mistake on her very gullible plaything; maybe she actually wanted to give the newborn more than a fugitive could offer.

Well, that was not at all the Azula that Zuko knew, but it was the Azula that Zuko liked to imagine existed somewhere beneath the metal creature Ozai created.

"We obviously can't go around telling everybody she's Azula's. They might convict her," Ty Lee said shrilly and while Zuko thought it was an exaggeration, he also did know that it would not do the baby any favors.

"Say she's yours," Zuko dared to suggest. He knew Ty Lee probably had already come to that conclusion, even if she would play dumb until he was the one who said it. "And mine. It wouldn't surprise anyone, believe me. Or at least after they got over a brief shock."

"Right," Ty Lee said quietly. She swallowed. "Right, right."

That implied a lot about the future, and their potential future, but neither wanted to discuss it.

"When's the last time you talked to anyone we know mutually?" Zuko asked slowly and Ty Lee thought he was either referencing Mai or Suki, but given the fact she was skirting lightly around the fact that she was fucking Azula in the woods for a few years, it was fair enough.

"Over a year, I think. Save for letters." Ty Lee nodded once. "I was trying to start over in my small town, you know? I was going to see you guys again but you ─ ohhh, you mean could anyone say I wasn't pregnant? No. It's very, very believable."

"Good," Zuko said, and he never thought that would be the response to be faking getting a girl pregnant out of wedlock.

Ty Lee licked her lips, a little nervously, and Zuko's stomach did a back flip.

"Why are you doing this for me?" Ty Lee whispered. "You don't have to do this for me, Zuko."

"I know," he said honestly. "But it's the right thing to do, and I like to think that maybe my sister does have a heart instead of some kind of vacant, spiraling abyss of darkness, and wanted better for her than she could do."

"She could've come home," Ty Lee said so viciously that she recoiled in her seat at her own words.

Ty Lee felt naked and exposed, feelings she was so talented at hiding now revealed. No, it was strictly sexual, purely fun and games. There was not a single speck of romance and it cauterized any emotional wounds.

But maybe they were too deep to heal that easily.

"Yeah, but you just asked me if I was going to put you on trial for..." Zuko found he definitely could not say that. "Kissing her." That probably sounded worse, kind of like a ten year old. "I would be afraid too. I really hate to say this, but I'm glad she's alive."

Ty Lee wrung her hands and then her Sparrowkeet started making little noises that demanded attention.

"Well, I'm not so good at this yet," Ty Lee admitted as she began to examine the little one in her cradle. "But I can teach you what I know."

"I do have a mother, and some friends who have kids."

And so, Zuko realized, it was time for an announcement of Zuko's secret affair, a baby shower, a probable marriage engagement he was not going to bring up to Ty Lee until she looked less frazzled, an eventual wedding and...

The gross, cold, tactical, Fire Lord Zuko knew...

A funeral too.

Just like Ty Lee's first night with Izumi, Zuko's was the hardest too.

She was not quite as loud in the night as she was when Ty Lee first got her and had no idea what had even happened. Zuko was in as much of a shock, but he did manage.

They talked, mostly. They began with simple chatter about life after they lost regular contact.

Then it moved to nostalgia, but none of their happy memories lined up as well as they would have liked them to.

At last, they did discuss Izumi.

"Why are you offering this? I only came to let you know, and call me racist or awful but I think the Fire Nation is the only place I want to raise my-a child," Ty Lee said honestly, her voice so sweet, girlish, innocent.

She was exactly the type of person Azula would like to play with. Zuko saw how Azula looked at her though, and there were expressions that did not line up so well with his childhood accusations of her being an evil supernatural being.

Azula felt for Ty Lee.

Ty Lee felt for Azula.

That was why, Zuko knew, even if Ty Lee was not responsible, Azula did this to her. It would be a pointless act of spite; they both knew Azula could think of much better things. But they knew that they would probably never have a chance to ask her.

Even though Ty Lee had many dreams of her that were so vivid. Her dreams of Azula were quite rare, and many of them erotic. Missing her was impossible once she tricked her mind into believing their pretend game.

Now it was very tangible.

"I am offering," Zuko said slowly, and they both were torn from silent contemplation. "I am offering because it's the right thing to do. Izumi is my family, okay? Let's say you got knocked up by Azula's demon powers." He hoped Ty Lee would laugh, but she was gazing at him expectantly and listening intently. "It's my family. My uncle raised me after I got stranded. It's natural that I would do the same."

"But calling her yours..."

"No. I would never do that in another situation. But we both know that this is the best and easiest thing to do. That baby is pretty new, and I think I am panicking out of my mind because I have nothing to base fatherhood on and am pretty sure I have already somehow traumatized her, but I'm going to do whatever I can to be a really good dad. The first good dad in my family to that little Sparrowkid."

Ty Lee smiled.

Zuko did mean that. It was the most natural thing in the world for him to spare any more suffering in his family.

Maybe Azula meant that too, but he doubted her ever having good intentions.

Thankfully for Zuko and Ty Lee, the first three guests' visits coincided. Mai arrived, Zuko's mother, and Katara.

"So, you sprung this on us, huh?" Katara said, squinting at him. The other two woman were sitting in utter silence already, and Katara was the only one comfortable enough to smash a hammer into it. "Aang is still at one of his meetings, but he cancelled one to come visit. I cleared my afternoon, because I love you that much." Katara then smirked. "Okay... no, I just wanted to see your baby."

She hugged Zuko after rattling all of that out, and then went to take a seat and pour herself the remainder of the pot of tea. Zuko probably should have had more made, but he was honestly only expecting either Katara or Aang to make it on the first day.

"Welcome, to my Surprise Child Out of Wedlock Party," Zuko said, not sure if he should sound sarcastic, enthused or somewhere in between. He came off stilted and uncomfortable, which anyone could expect. "In case you are all wondering, I didn't know until three days ago, or I would have told people. She just showed up."

"How cute is it, on a scale of one to ten?" Mai asked and Zuko was not sure if she was sarcastic either. "I need to know. Ty Lee said that if her baby was anything less than an eight she would leave it somewhere, so I think we should keep on that."

Zuko just squinted for a second. "No. When did she say that?"

"Two... three years ago."

"Spirits, I thought you meant when she was twelve."

"I know," Mai replied as if it were not troubling. "When she was twelve she said she would settle for no less than a ten, and she would drown it if it were less than a six, so I think she made some progress."

Zuko nervously glancing over his shoulder was fairly amusing. "Like an eight or nine, probably. She's easily as cute as me. Probably cuter. Have you ever read those stories about those little babies that are half evil spirit and they're super cute so that no one harms them even though they slowly eat your life-force to become powerful and immortal..."

Katara's laughter interrupted him as he realized what he was saying.

"It's okay to be nervous," his mother said quietly. "This could be so much worse."

"I agree," Mai said. "This is easily the best Surprise Child Out of Wedlock Party I've ever been to. And yes, I have heard stories of those evil babies, but you probably don't have too much to worry about as long you don't ever try to harm it and bend to its persuasive will."

"Those aren't real...?" Katara hated that she was asking, but after all of what she had seen in her life, she actually was not sure if they were going to check on this or not.

There were stories about snow children, in Katara's tribe. The Fire Nation's legends probably were more grotesque and violent.

"Oh, yes they are," Mai said as Zuko was distracted by Ty Lee finally arriving with Izumi.

"You're messing with me again."

"I'm not," Mai said very quietly. "Because I am one."

She looked away and Katara sighed.

Ty Lee grinned and decided to say as little as possible.

A few visits later was Iroh. He was thrilled, and spent most of his time talking to Zuko, and Izumi loved him.

It was the most pleasant visit, at last until Iroh pulled Zuko aside.

"Are you going to marry that girl, nephew?" Iroh demanded in the voice that still kind of scared Zuko. "You'd better."

"I am," Zuko said without hesitation.

Iroh looked at him with eyes that meant he knew more than he wanted to say. Like he looked at Zuko every time he tried to lie. But he said nothing, and Zuko decided it was just paranoia.

Life moved on.

The succession of people they told moved quickly. Much too quickly, and Ty Lee and Zuko began to have memorized their lines and facial expressions. It was one of the few things they had in common, and the only thing they talked about outside of the care and keeping of Izumi.

One night, though, after two months of madness, belated baby showers and visits from family and friends who pried for details Zuko and Ty Lee made up on the spot and wrote down for later like horrid actors, they were themselves.

It felt weird.

"I have so much old wine and fancy things that I never bothered with. See, people always bring it to me as gifts, and I was never sure how to offer unless I had stuff right on hand, or someone grabbed hard liquor and demanded we do shots," Zuko said as he went and opened a cabinet that Ty Lee assumed held either books or a collection of dead spider-flies.

But it was rather ancient rice wines.

"I feel very fancy and special," Ty Lee said honestly with a grin. She looked weary, as Zuko did too, but she very happy accepted the glass he poured her. "I always hated that we weren't better friends."

Zuko neglected to mention that Ty Lee wanted to be friends with everyone, and that was why, in the end, she wound up friends with no one.

"So, I gave you that fancy wine for a reason."

"I figured," Ty Lee said as she set her crystal glass gently atop her thighs.

"We kind of have to get married."

"Well, I knew that. I thought you just didn't want to talk about it."

"I thought you didn't want to talk about it." Zuko laughed, even though he was not that sure what there was to laugh about. "There is something I know you don't want to talk about. I... I'm a leader and I've had to make some cold decisions by now. Even if sometimes I hate them. If we're going to cover this up all the way..."

Ty Lee cocked her head to the side. She did not understand for a second. So Zuko had to continue, "We've done baby showers, now a wedding... but before the wedding, I think we need to do a funeral."

"Who died?" Ty Lee gasped before it hit her like a hard punch in the face. "You can't do that!"

Zuko shook his head. "We have to."

Ty Lee had a thought, though. It was a bad one, it was a destructive one, it was one that could ruin the one actually good thing she was doing for someone.

Azula could not resist her own funeral. Ty Lee could not, and Ty Lee did not have Azula's ego.

"I guess we have to," Ty Lee whispered, and she had gotten pretty good at lying.

The proposal came first, and it was not the most romantic in history.

"They've staged most of these in history," Zuko had explained, and Ty Lee did believe him.

She was certain that they carefully arranged marriages, like Mai narrowly escaped twice, and then pretended it was something cute and romantic. Ty Lee did enjoy the proposal, and, even though she had all of those stupid, stupid dreams that should have died in the Boiling Rock, she did not really care who was clamping gold around her wrist as long as everyone was watching.

The only downside of everyone watching was that they both went in for a kiss, and it turned into a weird hug, let-me-spread-my-saliva-across-your-cheek-by-accident sort of fumble.

But nobody said a cold word.

Well, except for Mai.

In a muddy town, Azula found the announcement, and felt this acidic and inexplicable rage. Why should she care what Ty Lee did with herself? She was just a whore anyway, and all they had over the past three years was a game Azula liked to play.

Princess Azula enjoyed stringing Ty Lee along, enjoyed the trysts in secret, remorselessly drank in the way that Ty Lee was willing to risk everything just for a taste of Azula's lips. Oh, Azula, Azula who she so hated.

Hated enough to marry Zuko.

And Azula should have hated her too. She had every right to, and she thought that she did, despite the sweet, dark, foolish games they played. These, this anger was so far from justified that she did not understand why she had walked away from the crowded bulletin board with the announcement still crumpled in her hand, tightly clasped in it like it held her soul.

When she got back to her home of the week, she pried it from herself and unwrapped it, smoothed it out and then slowly, very slowly, burned it and watched the ashes fall onto her floor, glowing orange for a fleeting second before dying out and blending in with the rest of the dirt.

She did not look for a moment longer at the ashes, because she did not want to acknowledge the fact that she had not felt so betrayed in what felt like an eternity.

Azula tried not to venture out again, but the itch of knowing she must move on struck and struck hard.

When she walked out?

She found an announcement that brought her a pleasure far less confusing than the pain of the first one.

It was a very solemn announcement of her funeral.

If the proposal a few weeks ago meant anything, it was quite clear that Ty Lee and Zuko were not going to be making out any time soon. Or possibly any time. But there was a very hesitant kiss that did mean or feel like very much.

But it happened anyway.

They bumped into each other in the hallway. Zuko was just going to bed, and Ty Lee had just finished at last lulling her little Sparrowkeet to sleep. Stepping around each other awkwardly in the very dim lamplight, his hand resting very briefly on her arm. Frozen there for a moment.

The tentative kiss revolved around the face that he reminded her of someone else. And Zuko knew that, he knew that and he tried not to feel bad about it, not to feel the combination between the small, shameful pleasure in stealing something from her for once, but the guilt as well, that Ty Lee deserved better than either of them.

"I know you." Ty Lee had said so long ago that it felt like a memory from a half-forgotten dream. He thought maybe it was true at the time but it definitely was not anymore.

Ty Lee never remembered saying that, even though she relived that night more often than she had ever admitted. She thought about if, perhaps at some point it all went wrong, or maybe that it was the first time things went right.

"I'm sorry," Ty Lee whispered and he knew, oh he knew that she soon had to admit how deep her feelings ran for Azula.

Izumi probably did not help any of that, and Zuko did not want her for himself. No, he refused to let himself be that kind of fucked up person. But he did pity her.

It must hurt to be in love with a ghost.

It hurts just as much, Zuko thought, to be in love with no one at all.

Ty Lee knew she was right about Azula's funeral, and so she spent days without sleep in her little Sparrowkeet's room drafting just the right note to try to lure Azula. So long as Azula did not truly believe that Ty Lee was somehow in love with Zuko and marrying him, she would have to come.

They would see each other again, and Ty Lee knew just the place.

The two are playing outside when they are young. The meadow is so gorgeous, and enough out of sight that they can pretend they are alone, even though eyes never leave Azulon's granddaughter. Their laughter echoes, and Ty Lee knows she is special because she makes Azula laugh.

Azula!

Laughing.

They are a little older, and they are sparring, play fighting. Laughing. Vicious. Playful insults that just sound like warbled half-remembered slurs. Then they tumble, Ty Lee's back hitting against the rocks concealed in the bright green grass.

Azula has her pinned, straddled.

That feelings is new.

Ty Lee took a deep breath. No. She refused to fall in love with a memory and be a fool like that. She would pour that love into her little Sparrowkeet, but in a much, much healthier way. Ty Lee had love to give, she wanted to nurture Azula, and now Azula had given her that chance.

Of course, Ty Lee had to see her.

At least one last time. She did have the note, and it was torn from something shoved under a poster in her room. Azula would be the only one to recognize its significance, and Ty Lee knew that Azula would mock Ty Lee for being so obtuse about it, but that risk was one Ty Lee was very willing to make.

She smiled and smiled and her little Sparrowkeet loved how happy her... her mother was.

Azula could not miss her own funeral, of course. There was a part of her that knew it could be a trap, but there was another part of her that knew she was more than capable of going unnoticed. Caldera knew her best, but she knew Caldera best as well.

And nobody, save for those who set the trap, would be on the search for a dead girl, would they? Zuko always was a fool, even if he really did think she was dead.

Oh, would mother cry? Azula had not even thought of that until she found her ideal, secluded and shrouded vantage point. At least six escapes. Good.

She watched with a rapt expression and pleasure in her eyes.

Mother did not cry. Well, Azula thought she liked that better than if mother would have... perhaps...

The service was quite respectful, actually. It was more dignified than Fire Lord Azulon despite the empty pyre. The people, the populace of the Fire Nation were genuinely crying and in true mourning of someone they once loved, which Azula found... both odd and somewhat arousing. She was not quite sure which, but it did heighten her senses for some reason.

Of course, the Azula they remembered was one who marked the end of an era. She was a Fire Nation sweetheart whose disgrace never was public. Zuko had the what Azula later realized was decency, to erase her. After her flame burned its brightest, he quenched it with a pinch of his fingers.

Azula was certainly deserving of more, but she knew she had been beloved more than anyone else, before she became not the Perfect Princess but the Crazy Princess. Slowly, Azula receded further into her hiding place as fires burned brighter and songs louder.

Slowly, Azula noticed the only eyes that were looking for someone in the crowd. It was not Zuko, nor the Avatar, nor any of his other friends Azula assumed were springing a very far from clever trap. It was Ty Lee. The only person who could assume Azula was not decomposed in a ditch.

No.

Ty Lee waited in the meadow for a very long time.

Azula never even found her note.

Neither of them knew what would have happened if Azula had, but maybe they were better off not knowing.

Azula paced as she examined every weak point in the palace she had memorized as a youth. They had only become easier to exploit. Zuko should have been more paranoid than Ozai, but Azula tried not to care.

She did wonder for a long time if she should leave a note. Azula had a half-made one before she decided to leave. Nighttime was more difficult to hide in, she had learned. In the day, everyone had somewhere to go, and the streets were packed.

Again, like always, she vanished.

Ty Lee was not worth it, said the logical part of her.

But the part of her thrilled by her funeral and fixated on how desperately Ty Lee was clearly looking for her (because only Azula could warrant that) thought that maybe she was.

The wedding came so quickly that Ty Lee barely noticed what was happening. Around her was a whirlwind that she tried to enjoy and savor but could only taste for brief moments without experiencing the bitterness that this was just a tiny bit off from how she had imagined this going.

Her little sparrowkeet took up energy that she could have expended worrying about how ridiculous this marriage of convenience was. It was the most grateful she had been for her surprise and sudden fall into motherhood in a long time, as awful as that felt.

Ty Lee was thinking about somebody else during the wedding, because how could she not be?

Zuko did not deserve this and Ty Lee hated herself for that. They danced, she promised herself that they would have an amazing wedding night to make up for it, but that did not make her feel much better.

"You've done way more for me than you needed to," Ty Lee said as they danced. The Fire Lord who married his secret mistress. "I feel guilty."

"Don't. I'm doing this because it's just right, Ty Lee."

"I don't understand what that means," Ty Lee snapped.

Zuko sighed, unsure how to explain. He saw Izumi, and saw she was his blood. He saw Ty Lee and her pain, and knew she was his friend. Maybe he could chalk some of it up to loneliness. Maybe he could chalk a lot of it up to seeing Izumi's eyes. Maybe he could chalk more of it up to wanting what was hers...

No. No. Zuko was doing this because it was the right thing to do. Izumi needed to be provided for, and Ty Lee clearly wanted the best life for the baby she was not prepared for. Uncle would have done it. The fact that, if told it was specifically Azula's, father might have done it, Zuko thought he should not have to explain his actions so often.

"It means what I've said, okay? Don't worry so much."

If only that were possible for either of them.