A/N: Since the Lotus is a British car, the driver is on the right side. Mainly because I need that set-up for this next scene.

Pakku was a retired professor, and in a word, he was tired. Reconnecting with the love of his youth had helped, but there were days when he struggled to find purpose. His friends, Iroh and Bumi, encouraged him to find a hobby, and he'd dabbled in gardening and yoga, but he needed to teach. The instructor in him just couldn't let that go. Then when Iroh started talking about all the conversations he had with clients as a driver with The White Lotus, Pakku's interest was piqued. He drove with them for a while, took off some time for his wedding and honeymoon, and then it wasn't long before he slipped behind the wheel of the sleek Elise again.

On his first day back, a frantic father-to-be plopped down in the passenger seat next to him.

"The airport, I presume?"

"Yes, yes. I would ask you to get there as fast as you can, but it won't change how fast my flight can make it home, so…"

Pakku could tell the man was Fire Nation, but thought there was something awfully familiar about him. The account didn't have a name on it. The service had been ordered by an agency, of sorts.

"In a hurry?" Pakku knew this wouldn't be a problem. The Elise was built for speed.

"Um, yeah." The man sighed, visibly trying to relax while at the same time tensing back up again. "My wife just went into labor."

"First baby?"

"Yeah."

"A most unfortunate time to be away from home."

"I wasn't going to come. She insisted she would be OK. The baby is not due until next week. She's a doctor, so I guess she thinks she knows these things."

"Heh. Well, women do know those things. But babies tend to have schedules of their own."

"We just… we made a birthing plan and everything. I'm supposed to be there to help with the massage. I just don't want her to be in too much pain."

"Babies don't stick to plans, either."

The man made a noise of frustration and ran a hand through his hair. Out of the corner of his eye, Pakku thought he saw discoloration on the other side of the man's face, but he couldn't be sure without taking his eyes off the road. What was it? A scar, perhaps?

"I missed my daughter's birth," Pakku said after some time. Iroh had advised never to disclose too much about oneself. Listen. Offer wisdom and advice. But don't make the conversation about you. It should always be about them. Pakku thought this made perfect sense, but he also sensed this young man might need something to take his mind off his own situation.

"Agni, I don't want to miss it."

"Well, I hope you make it on time. But you'll be there for her life, and that's what really matters."

"How did you know we're having a girl?"

"Oh. I didn't. Sorry, I was just thinking about…"

"What happened?"

"She left me. I didn't even know she was pregnant until some time later. My daughter died before I got a chance to meet her."

"She died at birth? Oh dear Agni…" The man started breathing heavily.

Pakku quickly realized his mistake. He should have taken Iroh's advice. "No, no. She died later… as an adult. I didn't even know I had a daughter until I met my granddaughter. So, that's why I say it's important you be there for her throughout her life. It might devastate you to miss the birth, but I can tell you love and support your family. Birth is just the beginning of the long, hard, amazing, and beautiful process of parenting."

"But I don't want to start off on the wrong foot. I'm so afraid of fucking it up anyway."

"You will fuck up, son. But you won't fuck it up. You have a birth plan for spirits' sake. The rest will fall into place."

"But I thought you said babies don't stick to plans."

"I did, didn't I? And they don't. Just be there, son. That's what kids want. They don't want fancy toys or tons of scheduled activities. They just want their parents to be there for them."

"Aw, fuck. I'm trying to get there, so I can be there."

Pakku decided he was really bad at this advice thing. Next time, he would just turn on the radio when someone got in the car.

"You're missing the point! Look, I don't speak from experience because I wasn't able to be there for my daughter. My tribe, my family, and my own pride drove away the love of my life, and if I could do it all over again, I would have done whatever it took to hold on to her, to show her how much I loved her. I was lucky to be able to reconnect with her later in life, but only after our daughter was already gone. So, perhaps that is the best thing you can give your child, an example of true love through the relationship you have with your wife"

The young man didn't speak for a while. Pakku was about to reach for the radio knob when he finally did.

"I can do that. I may not know how to be a father, but I love my wife. I used to worry about my nation, my family, and hell, even myself being obstacles in our relationship, but we've overcome that. And…we work well together. So, if I miss the birth, I bet Katara will just hand me the baby and then roll over and get some much-needed sleep. Maybe that's better anyway. I'm honestly a little scared of all the screaming—"

"Wait, did you say Katara?"

"Yeah, why?" The young man turned to face Pakku, and now the scar was in full view.

"Fire Lord Zuko?"

"Do I… know you?"

"We met… a long time ago. During the war."

"Master Pakku?"

Pakku then regretted even more what he had said. He never told Katara that she was his granddaughter. Maybe driving for The White Lotus again had been a bad idea. He could almost see the dots connecting inside the young Fire Lord's mind.

"But you're married to Katara's grandmother. So does that mean—"

"Yes. Yes it does."

"Does Katara know? She's never said anything about it."

"She doesn't. I always thought it should be Kanna's place to tell her. Katara and I didn't exactly start off on the right foot, and we're OK now. Maybe it's best not to complicate things."

"Well, if it means anything to you, Katara talks about the example of a loving relationship she sees in you and Gran Gran, err, sorry, Ka-Kanna? Anyway, so even if your daughter never got to see it, your granddaughter does."

"That… does mean something. I appreciate you saying that."

"She calls you Granpakku sometimes, too, so she thinks of you in that way, even if she doesn't know the truth. So, I don't think it matters if she knows or not. A few people who have been family to me lately haven't been blood related at all, so…"

Pakku wondered if Iroh ever got a return side of advice or if he was always the one dishing it out. This had been a most unexpected experience to say the least.

"Here's the airport, son. Now… go! I hope you make it in time."

"Thanks, Master Pakku. For the ride. And the talk. I really do feel better!"

After Fire Lord Zuko had shut the door, Pakku remembered he was supposed to say something at the end of every ride. Through tear-brimmed eyes, he said it to no one in particular, "The driving forces of the White Lotus are philosophy, beauty, and truth. We value the journey as much as the destination."