Another full moon. Another perfect summer evening. Another mission completed.

I can't believe she's keeping me waiting. I've been standing in this stupid cave for almost twenty minutes now. If she doesn't show up in the next minute-

Light footsteps stop my thoughts cold. I press against the cave walls, making sure my mask is kept in the shadows. All I can hear is my breathing echoed in my heavy mask and the crash of the surf onto the cliffs. I am waiting for the figure to pass in front of the entrance, my fingers flexing, itching to grab my swords.

I am so focused on the ground level that I almost miss the dark shape that hurls itself in from the cave's roof, landing with a splash next to me. Before I can turn, my feet and hands are frozen to the wall.

"Who's there?" she calls out. Of course. Attack first, ask questions later. I smugly ask myself who she could have possibly picked that trait up from.

"Who do you think?" I reply, wishing I could break free from her bonds. But the full moon's light is illuminating the beach, and I know that she is unstoppable on nights like these.

A gloved hand gently lifts the mask from my scarred face. "Well, well, well. Look what I've got here." I see a flash of white and assume it's her smile. "Good evening, Blue Spirit. Or should I say Fire Lord Zuko."

"You know which one I prefer." My longing for her is growing by the second, and I pull in vain at my icy shackles.

"And you should know better than to try to fight me tonight."

"You should also not keep me waiting so long after a mission. I thought I was going to have to come back for you."

"You? Save me? I'd like to see that."

"You did see it, remember? That day at the Western Air Temple, when my crazy sister tried to blow us all up?"

I can barely see her eyes roll. "I could've jumped out of the way. I was about to, actually, until you slammed into me."

"Once again, I'll take that as a thank you."

"I don't believe you ever said 'thank you' to me when I pulled you out of that crazy free-fall on to Appa," she countered, taking a step closer.

"I thought my heroic leap in front of Azula's lightning bolt counted."

"It would've, if your stupid stunt hadn't nearly killed you, causing me to beat your sister for you and save your life. So you still owe me a thank you."

"And how would you like to be thanked?" I could hear my voice deepening, and prayed she wouldn't keep me hostage for much longer. When I'd mentioned the lightning, her hands had come to rest on my chest, and I wanted that touch on my bare skin.

"Come find me and I'll let you know." With that, she darted out of the cave, releasing me moments after she was out of sight. I picked up my mask and made myself walk out slowly, giving her time to find a good spot on the abandoned Earth Kingdom beach. But the sandy beach was empty. I took a few more steps forward-

-and was attacked from behind. "You get sloppy when you're needy," she purred, her weight pushing me into the still-warm sand.

"And you become the worst tease when there's a full moon," I muttered, trying not to get anymore sand in my mouth. She slides onto the sand next to me, and I notice that she has already left her clothes in a pile not too far away.

"I want to go swimming," she decides moments before launching herself up, giving my face a good coating of sand in her exuberance.

I sit up, brushing away the tiny flecks and watching her. Her skin glows in the moon's luminescence, her wild hair shining white at times as the waves dance around her. The way her body twists and turns, the sheer beauty of her bare skin exposed in the moon-lit water, is more than I can take. I rush to add my dark clothing to her pile before diving in to join her.

We dance in a sort-of slow dance for a while, me mesmerized and her swaying to a song only she can hear, her eyes closed and her head swaying from side to side. At last, her silent song ends, and she clings to me, head nestled under my chin as I continue to take us in a small, slow circle.

"Zuko?" I hum in reply. "How long have we been married now?"

I add up the dates quickly. "One year and four months, almost to the day. Why?"

I feel her shrug. "Just wondering."

She's lying. I pull her away, keeping my eyes on hers. "Tell me."

Her mouth opens and closes twice before she can finally spit it out. "I want a family, Zuko. I want to be a mother. The mother of your children. I want it more than anything."

"Are you sure?" I cup her face in my hands. "I'm not saying that I don't want that, as well, but once we commit, there's really no going back. You won't be able to come on mission anymore-"

"I won't have to stop for a few more months, and if I conceive soon, that will be winter and nobody really does anything bad in winter. And I can always sneak away for quick mission around home-"

I cut her off with a kiss. "No. You have to stay safe. For our child. If they have to be raised by only one parent, it has to be you."

"And why is that?"

"Because if you were gone, I wouldn't be able to function anymore."

She stops any other thoughts with her kiss, and the same hunger I'd felt a few moments ago is back with a vengeance. Her legs wind around my torso as I grab onto her back, fighting my way back to shore. We almost topple over as her tongue slides between my lips, distracting me in the worst possible way.

Just before I lower her down, she pulls back. "Wait wait wait," she gasps. "Not on the sand. Lay out the clothes." We both rush to make a quick bed, and as soon as we're satisfied she drags me down over her.

As the kisses between the young couple deepen, two people stand on the cliff overlooking their "secret" beach.

"I think it's time we stop spying now," says the elder, his gravely voice slightly deeper than normal. "And we need to keep this to ourselves."

His companion is not listening. Her head is tilted, as if listening to something far away. Abruptly, the man wraps his large hands around her waist, hoisting her onto his shoulders.

"No peeking!" he orders, holding the protesting earth bender's feet tightly to his chest to avoid any bruising her kicks might cause.

A/N: I hope you liked this one too! Drop me a note to tell me how you felt, you have no idea how motivating any kind of critique is!