A/N: Hello everyone! I finished another chapter that I'm very happy with and I hope you'll like it too. Someone recently asked me why the story is rated M. This is simple, I don't wnat to offend anyone with the "graphic" way I write the more romantic scenes; that and there was a part in the previous chapter where Emilia was about to get raped. I don't want to offend anyone with the way i write and I intend on making it a it more graphic and detailed in the future.

But for now, enjoy the story :)

Life had gotten much better after that. Living in the city didn't seem so bad anymore and the people even seemed to be getting nicer. Serving tea wasn't so bad; at least it wasn't flipping hamburgers or dealing with stupid little kids who didn't want to sit in the high chair. Zuko had seemed to mellow out a little too. He hadn't gotten angry over anything in a while but he did have to stop Emilia from beating up Jin when she came into the shop and started hitting on Zuko. All in all everything seemed to be getting better. Emilia was even starting to like living here as opposed to her home in Reno. She missed her family every day but Iroh was as good a father as hers was if not better and Zuko was always there for her too.

It had been all of two months since they'd first arrived in the city and going to the tea shop every day had become routine. Emilia was currently at the market getting some supplies for the house and the shop. It had become a second home that she was always stuck doing the shopping for. She didn't mind doing it though; the last time she let Iroh go shopping he had forgotten the list and only bought two of the many things they needed. She tried to get Zuko to go with her once so he knew what to do and where everything was when they needed something but he complained the whole time. Emilia decided she was going to do all the shopping from now on. She was on her way back to the shop when something fell on her head. She grabbed it and looked at it, her eyes getting wide. It was a missing poster for Appa. Emilia almost had a heart attack as she ran back to the tea shop. When she arrived she saw Zuko climbing off the top or a building with a piece of paper in his hand.

"You found one," Emilia said a little disappointed. Zuko just looked at her and smiled.

The two walked home in silence after Emilia had dropped off the groceries for the shop. She was racking her brain with ways to try and stop him from going through with what he was going to. It was obvious that he was going to try and find Aang, but it was dangerous for him to. The Dai Li would capture him and do lord knows what. He would be in even more trouble if they found out he was the Fire Lord's son.

"So I was thinking about names for my new tea shop," Iroh said as the duo entered the house. "How about The Jasmine Dragon? It's dramatic, poetic; it has a nice ring to it."

"That's a lovely name Uncle," Emilia said, sitting down at the table with the groceries. Zuko approached too and pulled the flyer out of his shirt.

"The Avatar is here in Ba Sing Se and he's lost his bison," Iroh looked at the flyer as a look of disappointment befell his face. He took the flyer and frowned a bit.

"We have a chance for a new life here," Iroh told his nephew as he went to the window. "If you start stirring up trouble it could ruin all the good things that are happening for us." That probably wasn't what Zuko wanted to hear.

"Good things that are happening for you," He said. "Have you ever thought I was more out of life than a nice apartment and a job serving tea?"

"There's nothing wrong with a life of peace and prosperity," Iroh told his nephew. "I suggest you think about what it is you want from your life and why."

"I want my destiny," Zuko replied.

"What that means is up to you," Iroh told his nephew as he walked away. Emilia watched him as he walked into the balcony and rolled her eyes. She followed him and stood in the threshold of the door as he leaned on the ledge.

"You're fighting a losing battle," Emilia told him. "What do you hope to gain from catching the Avatar?"

"I've told you already," Zuko said in his monotonous voice.

"What if I told you it was your destiny to betray your uncle and throw him in jail? Would you go after it then?"

"I would never do that to him," Zuko said, whipping around to face her.

"And what if I told you your destiny is not to capture the Avatar?" Emilia asked, not letting her voice get too high. Zuko looked at her and leaned in the balcony in front of her.

"I'll get him this time, I know it," Zuko said. Emilia let her head hang and shook her head. He was stubborn as a mule.

"Fine," Emilia said finally. "But don't expect me to be there to pick you up if you fall again." With that Emilia walked back into the house to help pack their things.

It was the late at night and Iroh and Emilia had been packing all day. She was excited they would get to move to the nicer part of the city. Where they were now was nice too but it would be nice to know that the people around them would have a little more respect for one another as opposed to the people here. That guy who tried to rape her popped into Emilia's head again and made her shutter. She tried to keep her mind on anything besides that. She had laid down to bed when she heard a noise coming from the living room. She swallowed her breath thinking it was some kind of burglar so she reached over to wake up Zuko but he wasn't there. She rolled her eyes knowing now that the person in the living room probably wasn't a burglar. She got up and went in to living room and saw someone in black sneak out the window. She rolled he eyes again and went down the stairs into the street. Sure enough she saw a shadow in the alley their apartment faced meaning Zuko was still there. She walked into the alley and saw the 'Blue Spirit' making a dash out of the alley in her direction.

"Out of my way," he said.

"Or what, you'll cut me up with your swords?" Emilia taunted. "Come on, let's just go back to bed." Emilia's grabbed Zuko's hand but he ripped it out of her grasp. She looked back at him with a shocked look and he took the mask off his face.

"I'll be back by morning, I promise," Zuko said brushing a lock of hair out of her face. Emilia grabbed his hand and placed it on her cheek nuzzling it a little. She looked at Zuko and gazed into his amber colored eyes for a moment before turning her head and kissing his palm.

"Even if I tell you you'll fail you'll still go won't you?" Emilia questioned softly. Zuko turned her to face him and placed a soft kiss on her lips before putting the mask back on his face.

"I'll be home in the morning," then he left. Emilia let out a sigh and went back up to the apartment. She knew Zuko was an idiot but he was a proud idiot. He knew exactly what he wanted and was going to whatever he had to to get it. It was one of his major flaws but it was something rather admirable. When she returned back to the apartment Iroh was already up and getting dressed. She wondered if he had been awake the whole time or if her leaving had done it.

"He left not too long ago," Emilia said, startling him a little bit. "If you hurry you can catch him."

"Are you not coming?" Emilia shook her head.

"No, I'll stay here and pack some more. We are still moving you know," Emilia told him. "Besides, what he needs to hear isn't from me this time." Iroh smiled at her and patted her on the back before going out the door. Emilia went to lie back down and sleep for a few more hours before she had to get up but she just couldn't bring herself to fall asleep. Her mind was filled with one too many things at the moment and it was making her head hurts. She decided to heat up some tea and try to calm down. She was confused about what to do at this point. She wanted to talk to her mom; she always knew what to do. She was always there when she needed to talk or vent or something but now she didn't really have any sort of female figure in her life.

After drinking the cup of tea Emilia decided to try to sleep again. She lay down in the bed and curl up with Zuko's pillow hoping it would help her fall asleep. She felt something crinkle in the pillow case and thought it was one of those stupid fliers. She reached in to pull it out and throw it away when she realized it wasn't a flier; it was a letter.

Emilia,

I know I've been a bit of a jerk in the past and I haven't really given the best impression on myself but just hear me out. I know it's stupid to give you this instead of actually say it to you but if I try to tell you then I'll freeze up and get nervous or angry and I don't want to do that since we've been pretty friendly lately. I really care about you and I don't think of you as just a companion or "my little fortune teller." You're my best friend and you mean so much to me, the thought of losing you is something I can't stand to think about. Well I guess what I'm trying to say is, well, when we get back to the Fire Nation I will help you find your family but I hope that you'll stay with me too. What I mean is

It cut off after that and the paper was crinkled up so he must have given up on the note. Emilia felt like crying and a lump was forming in her throat. She knew she couldn't just sit here and do nothing; she had to go find Zuko too. She locked up the apartment before she left and made her way to Lake Laogai where she knew they would be.

It was getting to be the early hours of the morning and Emilia was sitting against a cliff side waiting for Zuko and Iroh to come back to the surface. The sun was starting to come up when someone started coming out of the hole in the ground enterance. She stood at the lakes edge where the path met the enterance and waited for them. Zuko dropped his mask in the water and began walking in Emilia's direction. His step picked up when he saw her until he was full on running at her with a grin on his face. He wrapped her in a hug and held her tightly.

"Did you miss me?" Emilia asked wrapping her arms around him too. She looked back at Iroh who was giving them a thumbs up and a grin that seemed to say "I'm finally getting grandchildren."

"I did," Zuko said; his voice low. Emilia smiled and kissed him on the cheek before pulling away and taking his hand.

"Let's go home."

The walk home seemed longer than it should and Zuko seemed to be dragging his feet. Emilia just ruled it out as him being tired but something else seemed to be wrong. She squeezed his hand to silently voice her concern and he squeezed back to assure her he was fine. He seemed really exhausted when they got home and Emilia was going to make sure he got to bed right away.

"You did the right thing," Iroh said as they walked in the door. "Letting the Avatar's bison go free."

"I don't feel right," Zuko said, grabbing his head. His eyes looked heavy and he had started leaning on Emilia for support.

"Hey, get a hold of yourself hot head," Emilia said doing her best to support his weight. He was a little too heavy for her because when his legs buckled under him his whole body went down and he took Emilia with him.

"Zuko!" Iroh exclaimed as he ran to his nephew's side.

"What's wrong? Is he gonna be okay?" Emilia asked frantically.

"Just help me get him to bed," Iroh told her. She did as she was told and ran to the kitchen to start looking for some kind of medicine and water.

Zuko had developed a bad fever in the few hours he'd been in the bed. Iroh had taken the liberty of undressing him in an attempt to keep his fever down and had been putting cold cloths on his forehead. Emilia wished she knew how to water bend so she could hold the whole bucket of water on his face to cool him down. He had stirred in his sleep a little making Emilia's face pick up.

"You're burning up," Iroh said to his nephew. "You have an intense fever; this will help cool you down." He put the cold wash cloth on his head and Emilia gently ran her fingers through his hair so his head didn't get too hot. She had thought about cutting it again but decided against it.

"So thirsty . . ." Zuko said trying to sit up. Iroh pushed him back down and brought a bucket of cold water over to him.

"Here's some clean water to drink," Iroh said; spooning some of the water out for him. "Stay under the blankets and sweat this out." Iroh lifted Zuko's head to give him some water but he took the ladle and poured it down his throat. Zuko reached over to the bucket and drank it too but missed most of it and it ended up on the bed and his body. He laid back down after that and Iroh covered him back up. He gave a worried look to Emilia who gave him a worried looks back. She looked back down at him and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek.

"You'll be okay," Emilia whispered hoping he heard her.

Zuko was out for the rest of the day and most of the next. He was burning up and sweating like he was on fire. His face distorted a lot like he was having a bad dream and that worried Emilia even more. She wished she could go into his head and push all the bad thoughts aside.

"He's going to be okay," Iroh assured her as he poured some tea for the three in the room. "You should know this is not a natural sickness, but that shouldn't stop either of you from enjoying tea." He handed Emilia a cup and helped Zuko sit up so he could drink some too.

"What's happening?" Zuko asked his voice a little worried.

"You're critical decision," Iroh told him. "What you did beneath that lake; it was in such conflict with your image of yourself that you are now at war within your own mind and body."

"What's that mean?" Zuko asked.

"You are going through a metamorphosis my nephew," Iroh said. "It will not be a pleasant experience but when you come out of it you will be the beautiful prince you were always meant to be." Zuko had laid down and fallen asleep again after that. Iroh had left to do some shopping and Emilia made sure he remembered the list this time. Zuko still had a fever and Emilia was doing her best to keep the cold cloth on his head but she was worried he would get too cold and it would make him even more sick. She had never really been good at taking care of people.

It was about the next morning before something good happened. Everyone was asleep when Zuko screamed and shot out of bed. Emilia jerked awake and so did Iroh. Zuko seemed a little out of breath like he'd had a very bad dream or something. He looked around the room and his uncle and Emilia before running his fingers through his hair and throwing the blankets off.

"I'm okay," he said before laying back down. Iroh and Emilia looked at each other and shrugged before laying back down to go to sleep.

A few days later Zuko's fever had finally broken so they were able to move into their new apartment. He was still a little groggy which was strange because he'd done nothing but sleep for a week. Maybe having a fever took more out of someone than you would think. Iroh was in the kitchen cooking some breakfast and Emilia was arranging the living room for the third time since they'd been there. She must have inherited her sense of design from her mother because she had rearranged their whole house time and time again. Zuko came out of the back room with a yawn; he seemed to be doing much better today.

"What's that smell?" he asked as he approached his uncle.

"Juk," Iroh said simply. "I'm sure you wouldn't like it." Emilia's stomach growled at that moment and she went into the kitchen to see Zuko smelling the contents of the pot.

"Actually it smells delicious, I'd love bowl Uncle," Iroh looked at him strangely before glancing at Emilia who had a similar look on her face. She shook her head and shrugged not exactly sure what she was supposed to say.

"Now that your fever is gone you seem different somehow," Iroh said as he scooped out some of the food and put it in Zuko's bowl.

"It's a new day," Zuko said simply. "We've got a new apartment, new furniture, and today's the grand opening at your new teashop. Things are looking up Uncle." Iroh's face softened and he scooped Emilia some food too.

"I don't know what you did with our pouty prince, but leave him there," Emilia said sitting at the table. "I like this new Zuko."

"Thanks Emilia, love you too," Zuko said with a smirk. Emilia stuck her tongue out at him and ate her breakfast.

The Jasmine Dragon's grand opening was more popular than the three expected it to be. People were almost lined up to get inside and they were kept very busy. There were even people to serve the tea for them instead of them having to do it. Emilia congratulated Iroh several times since the day started telling him every time that it was amazing to think that he could own his own business. She still volunteered to work in the back and supervise saying that the workers would need a gentle woman's touch to move smoothly. It was all going pretty well and life was looking up for them all.

"Guess who?" A voice said as a pair of hands were placed over Emilia's eyes.

"Iroh?" Emilia joked and turned around in Zuko's arms. The prince smiled at her and took her lips in a very sweet kiss. Everything was so different about him today; it was like he was a completely different person.

"What's gotten into you today?" Emilia asked with a giggle as Zuko led her to the back room. He led her to the wall and pressed her back against it before dipping his head down and laying kisses along her neck. She let out a few sighs and moans before he lifted his head and ran his thumb over the mark he had just made. He looked at Emilia with a look that made her stomach do summer saults. Without thinking she grabbed his collar and pulled him down to kiss her. There was nothing needy about his kiss; it wasn't as intense or as fiery as the ones before. This one was very sweet and passionate.

"You know, I wasn't just messing with you this morning when I said I loved you," Zuko said when they pulled apart. He rested his forehead on Emilia's and took her hand and placed it on his chest over his heart. It was beating rather quickly and it felt like it was going to explode out of his chest.

"Say it again," Emilia instructed.

"I love you," Zuko said as he planted another kiss on her lips. Emilia kissed him back and wrapped her arms securely around his neck.

"You wanna know something Zuko?" Emilia asked in a whisper. "I love you too."

The two had gotten back to work after that. Zuko tried to sneak a kiss in every chance he got and Emilia was more than happy to give him a peck or two. Iroh gave them a few looks from time to time and reminded them that work wasn't the place to conceive grandchildren. Emilia's face turned a thousand shades of pink and it got even redder when Zuko told his uncle that they would just go home and do it. The day had finally come to an end and the trio were cleaning up the tea shop when a man came in with a scroll for Iroh.

"A message from the royal palace," the man said as he handed the scroll to Iroh. He read it for a moment before a surprised look befell his face.

"I . . . I can't believe it," Iroh gasped.

"What is it Uncle?" Zuko asked.

"Yea, what's it say?" Emilia inquired.

"Great news," Iroh exclaimed. "We've been invited to serve tea to the Earth King!"

"Uncle, that's wonderful!" Emilia exclaimed and hugged him. He ran to the back of the shop; probably wanting to decide what kinds of tea he wanted to serve the Earth King. Zuko kept sweeping and Emilia looked at him with a smile.

"Life's looking up for us, huh?" Emilia said grabbing hold of Zuko's hand and kissing it.

"Don't tell me you didn't foresee this," Zuko said with a smile. Emilia shook her head and pulled Zuko into her arms.

"I told you before; I can't see everything."