A/N: I apologize for any proofreading errors. As usual all reviews are welcomed, read, and appreciated. If any of you have any plot suggestions I'd like to read them. Everyone's input is welcome.
Lee was avoiding Uncle Mushi as best he could in the tea shop. It wasn't working out so well. In his defense Uncle had been sneaking around even if it was his apartment too. After a heated argument where many, many insults flew they had reached an agreement. Uncle Mushi slept in the day room and their martial activities would take place when no one was home and Uncle Mushi would make a lot of noise every time he entered the apartment. Lee was amendable to that. Jin on the other hand locked herself in the communal bathroom and refused to come out. Eventually she did and they stayed away from Uncle Mushi for the rest of the day. And the next day. And the next week. And the week after that. It had been almost a month since he had met the Avatar and he still hadn't shown up to teach Jin. Well, Jin was sort of teaching herself. Uncle had shown her a few fire bending forms and she was adapting them to her air bending.
"I heard the Avatar tried to assassinate the Earth King." Whispered a customer to another. Lee had been hearing rumors like this for weeks. This one probably wasn't true. If the Earth King has been assassinated then something, anything, would have happened. They would have publically crowned his heir or something.
"I heard he's taken control of the Earth King with spooky avatar powers." Said the customer's companion. Hmm…not regulars and dressed too nice for the lower ring. Middle Ring people probably. More and more of them had been coming in.
"Either way they won't like take it lying down." Said the customer with a nervous glance out the window. Nobody in the lower ring knew who the Dai Li answered too other than the Earth King or what their original purpose was but the fact that they were powerful and dangerous earth benders as well as spies was known. The people they captured came back wrong if at all so they did some kind of mind bending as well. If they went rouge they could do untold damage.
"I'm taking a…trip…to Gaoling with my family. We would be honored if you would join us." Said the first customer. Lee listened as best he could. People were leaving the safest most peaceful city in the world. This was getting bad. He went to the back. He had to serve tea. It was what he did. A tapping at the window drew his attention.
"Jin, what's wrong?" said Lee. Jin looked worried about something. He didn't like how the Avatar broke his promise and he certainly didn't like how he hurt Jin. There was no honor in breaking a promise and there was no life without honor.
"I'm scared Lee." Said Jin. Lee climbed through the window and held her. Uncle Mushi could handle things for a few minutes. He wasn't that old.
"I know. I'm getting worried too. People are leaving Ba Sing Se." said Lee. Jin was worried about hat but it wasn't what she was referring too. she had spoken to Mushi about Lee being arrested by the Dai Li and Mushi said that Lee was definitely different but not nearly as bad as some people had been. Uncle Mushi had been confident that Lee would get back to normal and still care about Jin.
"Lee…do you like babies?" asked Jin. Lee shrugged. They were alright he supposed. He didn't have much experience with them.
"I like them alright I guess. Why?" asked Lee. Jin looked at him and his mind slowly clicked into gear. He wanted the earth to open up and swallow him. How could he, they, him, her, them, be so stupid? If Jin had a baby then she'd either have to stay home with it and not work or pay some to watch it during the day and they'd still be out money they needed to survive.
"Lee…do you hate me?" asked Jin in a small voice. Lee held her close. He could never hate her…she was Jin. He loved Jin. He'd love their child too. Maybe it would be another air bender. Yes…this could work out.
"I could never hate you. I love you." Said Lee. He held Jin for a while until he heard some excited proclamations coming from within the shop. He helped Jin through the window before coming through himself.
"My own tea shop?! This is a dream come true!" said Iroh. He really meant that. He had always wanted his own tea shop and now he was getting it even if it was through his contacts. Something was happening in the upper ring and he needed to be there. He was going to sincerely regret leaving Pao's but sometimes in life people needed to make sacrifices.
"Don't go! I'll make you senior executive assistant manager!" said Pao throwing himself at Uncle Mushi's feet. Lee felt bad for him; he and Uncle were the only thing keeping him in business. The man couldn't tell tea from hot leaf juice.
"Young man, your life is about to change for the better." Said the well-dressed merchant. He was definitely from the upper ring. He took Jin's hand. Wow, the upper ring. He didn't have to worry about money anymore. He and Jin could have as many children as humanly possible…or maybe two or three.
"This is incredible!" said Jin. She'd go and rub it in her mother's face...or calmly share news of her good fortune. Then she'd get to the rubbing. Serves her right for calling Lee a worthless colony mutt bastard. They were going to upper ring people! She self-consciously pulled her toes in closer to her feet. She was going to live in the upper ring.
"We'll never have to worry about supporting our offspring again." Said Lee before he caught himself. Uncle Mushi looked like he aged ten years in a second. Patrons of the shop offered them congratulations. There had been a small wedding ceremony in the shop and all who wanted free tea and small cakes were welcome to attend. Jin didn't consider it a real wedding since her mother hadn't shown up. She hadn't seen her mother in weeks.
"I would like to have a word with you in the back, nephew." Said Uncle Mushi as he grabbed Lee by his sleeve. What followed was a tense conversation followed by a resolution. Lee didn't know why his uncle was so upset, they had money now. They could support his and Jin's children. Maybe Uncle Mushi was upset because he had lost his own son. Iroh wasn't happy. It was always one step forwards two steps back and one to the side with Zuko. Well, statistically one of their children would be a fire bender and that child would be the heir. His or Zuko's; should Zuko become unable to take the throne. He prayed to Agni to grant the child the ability to fire bend.
The few weeks were filled with moving and preparations. He had taught some of what he knew of brewing to at least keep things moderately successful. Decorations were purchased for the new shop and a name was debated. Uncle Mushi wanted to call it the Jasmine Dragon but Jin pointed out that the name screamed Fire nation. Jin wanted to call it Cup Full of Love because it was memorable and sounded nice. Lee didn't know who to side with so he made himself scarce during these arguments.
Jin had been down lately. Her mother had moved without telling anyone where she was going. Jin hoped that it wasn't the Dai Li; if it was her mother would have just come back different. Lee was sort of different but he did have a temper. That was good…right? It hadn't been directed at her, mostly at Uncle Muhsi. She had to admit that Uncle Mushi id get on her nerves sometimes with all of his proverbs and such. Well, it was better than living with her mother that was for sure.
Iroh didn't know how to feel. That was becoming more and more common as the weeks wore on. He was truly excited to have this shop and truly happy that his nephew had found happiness. He was also happy that his nephew had found happiness as well. If it did come to Iroh to ascend the throne he'd leave this shop to Zuko and tell everyone he had gone crazy. With Ozai as a father it was believable. He was also happy that the Avatar had left Ba Sing Se. His nephew didn't need that kind of aggravation and neither did Jin in her condition. He had to admit he liked the girl. She was decisive, driven but not too crazy Azula lengths, and she genuinely cared about Lee. He still prayed and left offerings every single day to Agni that their child would be a fire bender.
Soon the shop was opened for business. They had a staff of servers so Lee handled brewing most of the time. He felt…wrong…not serving. He was Lee the tea server. He brewed and came home and brewed and came home. He didn't do much for fun. He tended to Jin and read everything he could about child rearing. He was a man now and men didn't have fun. They worked and took care of their families and played Pi-Sho because it was boring. Jin's belly was getting big now, he liked that. There was a tiny little person growing in there. Life was good. Of course the other shoe had to drop.
"C'mon Mo-Mo, we have time for one cup of tea before we see the Earth King." Jin knew that voice. She looked up from the book she was reading, child birth was truly disturbing, and stared. She didn't stick out much as the other ladies were staring as well at the water tribe girl with the animal hanging off of her. Jin got up and went to warn Lee. He was supervising the shop that day.
"Lee…the water tribe girl is back." said Jin over heating in her long heavy robes. How did he stand it back there? Half Fire Nation, right. Lee looked alarmed. He was alarmed. Why his shop? She could reveal Jin as an air bender. The Dai Li might have been gone but he didn't want to paint a target on shi pregnant wife's back.
"Hide back here and don't stand for too long." Said Lee. He watched her as inconspicuously as someone with half his face burned could. She was being waited on and sat there with that ridiculous monkey thing hanging from her shoulders. He decided not to talk to her. She might start a brawl right there in his shop and then he'd lose everything. Yes, waiting and listening was the best option.
"Thank you." Said Katara as she was served her artic thorn-rose blend tea. She ignored the looks that these upper ring snobs were giving her. One girl in a ridiculous yellow dress even got up and left as she entered. Katara didn't care, she was doing more for the Earth Kingdom than these upper class dolls ever would. She'd have to bring everyone to thins place when they came back. Strange name, Cup Full of Love. She drank her tea and went to the palace to war the generals. She saw Suki and was about to tell her everything when she noticed the golden eyes. Fire Nation eyes. She ran.
"Well now, you're smarter than I give you credit for." Said Azula chasing her. Her scary friends followed in hot pursuit. If only she had some water. The water in her water skin wouldn't be enough to stop them.
"Where's Suki and the other Kyoshi warriors?!" said Katara. She summoned the water from her water skin. She didn't know what kind of damage she'd do like this but she had to try. If she could just get away she could warn everyone.
"What, no hello? I suppose you people aren't familiar with proper manners anyway." Said Azula as she lazily shot fire at her. Katara thought for a split second and then threw the plans into the flames. They were incinerated instantly. Azula couldn't know the invasion plan. Katara dodged the knives being hurled her way and the jabs from the pink girl. She wiped the sweat from her brow when a though occurred to her. People were full of water, she just had to find it. She pulled the sweat from the knife girl's body and froze her solid. The pink circus freak actually looked a little worried. Katara tried to do the same thing to the pink girl and was so wrapped up in what she was doing she didn't see Azula coming. She came to in the crystal catacombs under the city.