The next morning Iroh and Zuko arrived first at the breakfast table. They exchanged the usual "firebenders-rise-with-the-sun" expression followed by pleasantries about the cooler weather and the blend of tea that Iroh had brewed. As they sipped said tea in companionable silence, Zuko reflected that he did feel more relaxed on this little Ember Island vacation. Perhaps a Fire Lord should get away more often.

"Uncle, if we're both here, who's running things back home?" Zuko wondered if it was bad that this thought didn't strike him until just now.

"Oh, the council will manage in our absence, I'm sure," Iroh replied.

"The council can be quite divided at times. It's a wonder we get can anything done." Zuko sighed as he remembered the heated discussions from many a morning meeting he'd had recently.

"It is definitely an interesting mix of people," Iroh agreed.

"You can say that again. Let's see, there's Satoru who is such a bigot, but I can't get rid of him because he is the High Sage. Then Lady Za Jei as military advisor who is just a combative as her title suggests. Piandao does a good job as peacemaker, but you can't compromise on everything. And Jee just sits there and points out how wrong everyone else is."

Iroh chuckled. "And yet, somehow you're supposed to get advice from these so-called advisors."

"I know, I know, I'm supposed to draw wisdom from more than one source."

"Hmm, I don't think that's entirely applicable in this scenario. You can learn just as much from the unwise as you can from the wise. Working with a group of dissenters will better hone your skills as a leader than having a council that agrees with you all the time."

"I guess. I mean, that's partly why I assembled the group in the way that I did. But still… a little agreement would be nice every now and then. Sometimes I just think it would be easier… if it were just me."

"Easier, perhaps. But not the best. And you've never been one to choose the easy path, Zuko."

"Yeah, but is it the best?"

"I think the council will evolve as your leadership does. And as the Fire Nation does. Time will tell. But for now, do what you've always done in those meetings. Speak your mind…. And speak for those who can't speak for themselves." Iroh smiled warmly and placed a hand on Zuko's shoulder. Then he went to refill his cup and found that the tea pot was empty.

"Let me, Uncle."

When Zuko was in the kitchen making more tea, Katara gave him a sneak-attack hug from behind.

"Hey, sleepyhead," he said.

"Mmm, I slept great. Did you?" Katara didn't remember him waking up in the night with any bad dreams.

"Yeah, I slept fine." In truth, Zuko hadn't slept much at all. He was afraid that if he fell asleep, that whatever pathway Katara had unblocked with her healing water would refresh his nightmares with new images he'd never faced before.

Katara started rubbing his shoulders but was pleasantly surprised that his muscles didn't feel as tight as they usually did. Perhaps the vacation was doing him some good after all. Her fingers trailed down, lingering at his lower back. He sometimes held tension there after swordfighting. She began to rub small circles with her thumbs. He flinched.

"Zuko, wha—?" She lifted his tunic to reveal a bruise on the small of his back. She realized it must have been from where her heels dug into him when they were in the cave. "Oh, Zuko, here, let me…"

She reached for the sink, but he grabbed her wrist. "Don't, Katara."

"But, why?"

"Just stop trying to fix me, OK?"

She jerked her hand away at the forcefulness of his voice. "But, it was my fault. I just wanted to—"

"Just because it's painful, doesn't mean it's from a bad memory… and… and… not every bad memory needs to be remembered, either."

"Zuko, I—"

"Just forget it." Zuko then brushed past her and stormed out.

"Hey Katara?" Aang poked his head inside the library where she had been looking for something interesting to read to take her mind off Zuko. She had discovered that Ursa maintained an impressive selection on herbology.

"Yeah?"

"Did you know Zuko is throwing angry fireballs on the beach?"

Not surprising. "No, why?"

"Is he OK? Did he have another nightmare?" Aang came into full view, and Katara thought he looked taller than she remembered.

"No, he's probably just letting off steam. In fact, you should go spar with him. It's been ages since he's done any firebending training."

"Spar with an angry Zuko? No thanks! Besides, I haven't been training, either."

"You haven't?"

"No… I guess there hasn't been much time lately. With the search for airbenders and all."

"But Aang, aren't you supposed to master all the elements as the Avatar?"

For a boy who smiled so much, the frown looked very out of place on his face, Katara thought. His tone of voice was quite uncharacteristic, too. "It takes years to master the elements, Katara. Excuse me for wanting to take a little break after the war."

With that, Aang stormed off, too, and Katara realized that she'd managed to anger and alienate her boyfriend and best friend in the span of an hour. Could this day get any worse from here?

As fate would have it, yes, things could get worse. When Ursa returned from her outing into town, she revealed a flyer that she'd found, and a heated discussion ensued over lunch.

"No, we are NOT going to see the Ember Island Players again," Aang said emphatically.

"I second that," Zuko agreed.

"But it's The Boy in the Iceberg: Abridged and Revised, which means it will be shorter and less painful. Plus, they should get the ending right this time," Sokka said.

Ursa ran her fingers over the flyer. "It's been ages since I've seen a play. It says here, 'New revised ending: see how Fire Lord Zuko comes out on top and saves the day.'"

Zuko let out an exasperated noise. "So, they still got the ending wrong because it was Aang who saved the day, not me. And I'm sure what they mean by coming and topping is how many threesomes I'm a part of."

"Zuko!" Ursa flashed him a look of shock. "You didn't!"

"Of course I didn't. Mom, I thought you knew me better than that." He rolled his eyes.

She laughed. "No, not the threesomes. I meant, you didn't go see the late night showing, did you?"

"Yup, he sure did," Toph piped in. "He even took innocent twelve-year-old kids with him."

Ursa looked disapprovingly at Zuko who then shot a glare at Toph. "You were hardly innocent, Toph," he grumbled.

"Well, I'm proposing that we go see the matinee. Good clean fun. Like we used to when you were a kid, Zuko." Ursa gave a hopeful smile. Katara recognized the expression as something very similar to what she'd seen on Zuko's face before.

"Well, the acting wasn't too terrible. And the effects were quite good." Sokka shrugged. "I think it could be fun."

Zuko and Aang groaned in unison.

"If everyone will just relax and take things in stride, I think it will be lots of fun," Iroh said. His words seemed to seal the deal. They were going whether they liked it or not.

When they arrived at the theater, they noticed a long line was forming for the other play that was being performed that day. Zuko didn't want to disappoint his mother, so he had begrudgingly gone along with the plan, but the prospect of a different play intrigued him.

He leaned in so that only his uncle could hear him. "I think I'm going to take Katara to the other play if that's OK. We don't ever get a chance to go on a proper date, so…"

"Very well, Nephew." Iroh handed him some money. "Enjoy."

Zuko grabbed Katara's hand which surprised her somewhat since he had seemed to be avoiding her up until that point. "Come on, let's go," he said.

Once they were in line, they could read the poster's description of the play, "Forbidden Love: The Story of a Nobleman and a Peasant and how they overcame all odds to be together."

"That kinda sounds like the story of Kuei and Song," Katara observed.

"Yeah." Zuko pulled his hood more tightly around his face. The last time they were here, he was an outcast. Even as the banished prince who had betrayed his country, he could hide in plain sight among the costumed fans. This time, not so much.

At the box office, Zuko leaned in close and whispered, "How many does a private box seat?"

"Six, sir," the clerk replied.

"Then I'd like to buy all six seats in whichever box is your most private."

Katara noticed the way Zuko's eyes darted back and forth as they ascended the stairs, and he looked almost… devious.

Private box, hmm.

"Zuko! Don't tell me you have some… fantasy… about a theater box, too, because… I won't… I'm not…"

"Shhhhhhh. No, Katara. I just don't want to be seen, that's all. I forgot how easily I might be recognized. I just want to enjoy the play… with you… without any unnecessary attention."

"Oh. OK."

Admittedly, it was nice to have the whole box to themselves. When the lights dimmed, Zuko did lean over and give her a kiss. Then, the curtain rose, and a narrator spoke.

"Love knows no reason, no boundaries, no distance. It has a sole intention of bringing people together to a time called forever. In a tale of forbidden love that brings together the Fire Nation and the Water Tribe during a fragile era of peace in the world, we bring to you the story of Kuzo and Takara."

Katara's heart skipped a beat, and she felt Zuko go rigid beside her. This was a play about them.

The first act opened with Kuzo yielding to his father in an Agni Kai. He received the traditional "mark of dishonor" on his shoulder and was told to go out into the world to find his honor and not come back to the family estate until he did. The young boy then left his home as a noble in the Fire Nation to travel the world, embarking on many life-changing adventures.

While exploring in the South Pole, he met a waterbender named Takara, and they shared a bond over the mutual loss of their mothers. She decided to travel with him, and their relationship deepened. He rescued her from the clutches of pirates. She saved him from freezing to death in the North Pole. At one point, he started to feel conflicted about his identity and expressed a desire to go home. They had a fight and parted ways in Ba Sing Se, but they soon reunited in the Western Air Temple where he confessed to her that home just wasn't the same anymore.

During the intermission, Zuko and Katara didn't say much. They'd held hands throughout the play and gave each other squeezes at significant moments during the plot. They both silently agreed that while the storyline was clearly an adaptation, it hit much closer to home than A Boy in the Iceberg.

Act Two: When the word of his father's corrupt business dealings reached him, Kuzo knew he had to do something. His sister, Luza, still lived at home, and he was worried about her. Takara said she would help him, and together they traveled back to the Fire Nation. When they arrived, they discovered that Luza had overthrown their father by exposing his crimes and having him arrested. However, she ran the estate even more shrewdly than their father had, and Kuzo felt he had no choice but to challenge her to an Agni Kai for his rights to the estate.

During the siblings' fateful duel, Luza saw Takara watching as a bystander and decided to target her instead. Without hesitating, Kuzo jumped in front of his sister's lightening to save Takara's life and in turn, sacrificed his own. Takara then fought Luza to the death, and afterward stood at her fallen lover's side to deliver a lengthy, heart-wrenching monologue about love, loss, war, and peace.

When the curtain fell, and the lights came back on, Katara just stared blankly at the stage. It ended so tragically, but overall, the play was really well done. She made a motion to start clapping but then realized that no one was applauding, yet. Maybe it's inappropriate after a sad ending like that.

Zuko stood abruptly and whispered, "Hey, let's go. Maybe we can get out of here before anyone sees us."

That's a good point. Especially since we're the stars of the play, essentially, Katara thought.

But before they could get very far, an announcer came on stage. So, they stayed rooted to the spot, listening.

"Ladies and noblemen, I hope you enjoyed this afternoon's performance! I have a couple of important announcements before you leave. First of all, today's matinee was our first ever sell-out crowd for this show!"

The audience applauded then, and the man waited before speaking again.

"I have heard that certain events in the capital may have something to do with that, so we'll be sure to keep following the news from there."

Katara could sense Zuko's pulse quicken at this statement. What is he talking about exactly?

The announcer continued, "I wish I could give credit to our playwright, but the script came to us anonymously. It was only signed, 'Forget who I am, I am not important. But remember who they are, for their story is forever.'"

There was a collective response of "awwws" and "mmmms" from the crowd. Katara felt Zuko shifting his weight between his feet as if he was poised to take off running.

"But we do have a special visitor with us today!"

That would have been the cue to run if they truly didn't want to be seen. But it was too late.

"Fire Lord Zuko has honored us by attending today's performance. Thank you, sir, and on behalf of the Ember Island Players, I hope you enjoyed the show." The man bowed and then raised a hand, gesturing toward their supposed "private" box.

Katara was impressed that even though Zuko had gone paler than she thought possible, he managed a genuine smile followed by a bow and then a wave to the crowd. Out of the corner of his mouth, he murmured, "Bow, Katara."

Oh, right. She did, and there was an eruption of applause once more.

When they caught up to everyone else in the theater lobby, it seemed that The Boy in the Iceberg had not improved much despite the attempt at revisions.

"I'm just going to forget that ever happened," Toph said with her arms folded across her chest.

"I told you guys," Aang groaned. "Next time you'll remember this was a bad idea."

The man who had made the announcements then wedged himself in their group to make his formal introduction as the theater's manager. He apologized for the other play's disappointment, but then brandished eight complimentary tickets to the next day's showing of Forbidden Love if everyone wanted to come back.

He turned to address Zuko directly. "Fire Lord, may I ask if you have any suggestions or requests for the play?"

"It's fine. The actors are very talented, and it's well-written, too," Zuko said in a very noncommittal tone. When everyone kept looking at him expectantly, including the theater manager, he added, "Err, um… yes. I do have one request. Do NOT make a late night showing out of it. Contrary to popular belief, I am NOT into threesomes."

The manager laughed. "Of course, of course. Although a late night version would probably dispel that rumor, don't you think? Show people what you're really into?" He then flashed Katara a sly grin. She didn't like the sound of that or the way the man had just looked at her.

"No. Absolutely not. Fire Lord's orders. And don't you forget it."

A/N: Threesomes! So, if you haven't guessed, Emletish spices things up with the Ember Island Players and a "late night showing" of The Boy in the Iceberg which is obviously a bit saucy. OK, a LOT saucy. I think reading her rendition of the play may be the most I've ever laughed at fanfiction. So, check it out, Not Stalking Zuko, Chapters 22-24, Embarrassment in Three Acts.

I think there might be other fics out there where the EIP put together a play about Zuko and Katara. I know the plot to my play isn't super great. The focus isn't so much on that plot, but the surrounding plot, where Zuko and Katara are starting to get more public attention as a couple. And because of their kiss at the parade, the gossip has already started spreading about the Fire Lord's love interest (therefore creating heightened interest in this particular play).

The interesting question is... who wrote the play? Hmmmm.