Chapter 11: Only 14 Weeks Left

"You're doing fantastic!" Aang said as he passed the flame to Azula.

She caught the flame, drawing it to her with one hand, then pushing it back with the other. The flame came toward Aang faster than he was expecting, and he took a few steps back, slowing its pace as he went.

"Of course I am," Azula said, speeding up the flame again. "I'm a prodigy."

This time, when Azula sent the flame to him, it was with a decidedly evil smirk, and she practically threw it. Aang held up his hand, disintegrating it rather than returning it to her. She stood, triumphant, with her hands on her hips, and Aang couldn't help smiling. When she set her mind to something, she made sure it got done. Despite telling him to come up with a practice routine for her, she'd shown up at their first meeting with her own agenda. He did succeed, with Katara's help, in convincing Azula to wait until her back was healed, but she completely took charge and vetoed everything he suggested when the did begin to practice. Aang had been mad until he realized that Azula was in her element; she was in control and loving it, and he couldn't find it in his heart to deny her this.

"Should we do our cool down, now?" he asked.

Azula nonchalantly shrugged, and they moved into mirrored stances. Aang lead the exercise, taking deep breaths, holding them, and slowly exhaling. He focused on the movement of the wind around him, and it was honestly the best he'd felt in months. He was surrounded by the peaceful push of his element, and he let his mind wander as his body went instinctively through a series of airbending steps. He opened his eyes and saw that Azula was mimicking him almost perfectly, though she kept trying to put too much power into every move.

"Careful, or you'll lose your balance," Aang said, coming to stand behind her.

He adjusted her stance, twisting her shoulders and pulling her arms closer to her body.

"Three seconds," Azula warned.

Aang backed off, holding his hands up. "Sorry."

So Azula still got fussy about being touched. It's not like he didn't already know that. "It should take the pressure off your back, though."

"My back is fine," Azula said, rolling her eyes.

While he'd been close to her, though, Aang had felt her muscles twitching and straining to support her. It was most evident in the way she trembled as she moved through the slower routine; airbending was passive in nature, and putting too much power in it disrupted the solid stance. When he shifted her body, the awkward weight distribution was solved, and she was no longer shaking. She was solid, firmly planted, and there was no danger of her tipping over. Whatever her words, he would know the truth. Azula hated to show weakness, or that she wasn't as strong as people thought she was. Maybe she'd eventually confide in him the way he'd confided in her. Even if she did claim the only reason she was listening was because she needed his help to get off the couch.

"I knew I would find you here," Iroh said, walking into the garden as the two came to a stop. "I hope I'm not interrupting your morning routine."

"No, we were just finishing," Aang said.

Aang reached over to their food basket, and deposited a sticky bun into Azula's waiting hand.

"Niece—"

"It's not for me, it's for the baby," Azula said, shoving half the thing in her mouth.

Iroh was about to argue the point, but Aang only held up his hand. It was no use arguing with Azula about her sticky buns. She loved those things just as much as Zuko loved his custard, and would eat them at every meal if Aang hadn't made that deal with her. Four sticky buns a day; when she ate them was up to her.

"Yes, well, I've got good news!" Iroh said, as he nodded toward the palace and started walking. "Toph should be coming back today."

Aang stopped, falling behind Iroh and Azula. While Azula was sounding excited about the impending arrival of her best friend, Aang wasn't so sure he liked the sound of that. He groaned, dropping his head into his hands and wishing the world could end, just for a little. Toph had no idea what was going on between him and Azula. She didn't know about the revenge sex, and she didn't know that Azula was pregnant. There was really only one way Aang envisioned this going, and that was not very well at all.

"Uh, are you sure?" Aang asked, hurrying to catch up as they moved into the palace proper. "Maybe she's going to stay a little longer—"

"Don't be an idiot," Azula said, looking at him over her shoulder with a sly smile. "Toph will find out sooner or later. You'd better just suck it up and take your beating now rather than later."

"What about you?"

"Toph is always on my side," Azula said, laughing.

Aang slowed as he watched Azula. She'd been laughing more often lately, and it was never an odd, forced laugh, or an evil you're-about-to-die laugh. It was always light and pleasant. Azula might attribute this lighter mood to hormones, but Aang thought—hoped—that it was something a little more. He hoped that maybe it was because she was happy. Despite everything that happened, he really did want her to be happy.

"What time does Toph's ship get in?" Azula asked, returning her attention to her uncle.

"Sometime in early afternoon."

"Good. I'll have time for a bath and a nap before then."

Azula split from them, heading to her room to take one of her too hot baths. She gave a brief wave as she turned the corner, and Iroh laughed, placing his hand heavily on Aang's shoulder.

"She is a remarkable girl, isn't she?"

"I don't know what you mean," Aang stammered, pulling away.

"Only that she has changed more in the past twenty-six weeks than she has in the past five years."

"But that's something she did on her own."

Iroh folded his hands inside his sleeves, and turned to face Aang. Aang decided he most definitely did not like the way Iroh was looking at him. His smile was slightly smug, slightly knowing, as if he'd foreseen this end long before anyone else. As if he'd expected everything to turn out this way.

"And what of your own changes?" he asked.

"What changes?"

Iroh gave a mock sigh, his shoulders drooping comically. "Well, I suppose we can hardly expect a river to know its own course."

"Your problem is that these scrolls are too old," Azula said, dropping her feet into Aang's lap as she reclined on a mountain of pillows. "They were written before the war, and have been made thoroughly irrelevant by everything that's come afterward. Even Zuzu doesn't read them."

"Yeah, but I thought there might still be something Kuei could use."

"The Fire Nation's political structure was very different before Sozin's reign," Azula said, waving away Aang's point. "For one, the Fire Sages played a much larger role in society. You can only use these as a teaching tool if you know what you're doing."

Aang rolled his eyes, momentarily halting in massaging Azula's feet. "Sorry I'm not some political genius."

"I don't suppose I can hold that against you," she said. "We'll just have to work overtime to fix that before you go back to Ba Sing Se."

"If you were my wife—"

"Have you written to them lately? It's irresponsible not to check up on a city that's on the verge of civil war."

Azula fixed Aang with a pointed look. She was sure she'd never know what made Aang think that getting married was a good idea. He could ask until he had no breath left, but she'd still say no. If he kept it up, though, she just might send him to Zuko, who was sure to laugh in his face. Whether that would actually stop him or make him push harder, though, she didn't know. Azula retracted her feet, stretching her legs out under the table as she thumbed through another book before pushing it at Aang.

"This is what you need to be giving Kuei. And just shoving a book at him and telling him to memorize isn't going to help, either. What you need is—"

"What the hell is going on here?" Toph screeched, slamming her hand into the wall with a loud bang that made Aang fall out of his chair. "I leave for a few months and…what the… What happened…?"

When words failed, Toph just pointed, her finger shaking. Azula waited for her best friend to say something else, but she didn't, and it was really just a comical thing. Azula tried, but she couldn't help the laughter that bubbled out of her, making her shoulders shake. She covered her mouth to stifle the sound, but it didn't do any good. Toph already knew.

"Oh, go ahead, laugh," Toph said, heading out of the library. "Once I get my mind in order, I'm demanding an explanation!"

It was with no small amount of reluctance that Aang went down to dinner that evening. With Toph back, he knew there would only be one topic of conversation, and he wasn't sure just how he felt about being the center of attention when it came to that. He wasn't disappointed, either. When he entered the dining room, he took his seat next to Azula, and tried to avoid looking at Toph, who was sitting to Zuko's left. Azula was completely unfazed by Toph's hard stare. No matter how hard he tried to ignore her, she just stared at him the whole dinner.

"Have you started thinking of names for the little one?" Iroh asked, turning toward Aang and Azula.

"We don't even know the gender, yet," Azula said, pouring herself another cup of tea. "It's going to be pretty hard to pick names. I suppose we could always pull names from the family—"

"How about not, unless you're going to go pretty far back," Zuko said hurriedly. "You can't toss bad luck on the kid before it's even born."

Azula thought, a piece of sesame chicken halfway to her mouth. In the end, she nodded, conceding the point. "Fair enough. But it's got to be a good Fire Nation name."

"Of course," Zuko said. "But not Lee."

"Of course not." Azula smirked. "There are a million Lees in the Fire Nation."

"What are you hoping for? A boy or a girl?" Zuko asked.

"I'm hoping it gets out of me, that's what I'm hoping."

"Come on, Azula, you can't just call the kid…kid." Zuko shrugged.

"Maybe—"

"Do we have to talk about this?" Jun yelled, slamming her hands down on the table, her face slightly red. "Is there no other topic of conversation that you people could possiblycome up with?"

"Yeah, maybe we should talk about something else for a change," Aang said.

While he wasn't opposed to baby talk in general, and he knew that certain things did need to be decided, he wasn't too keen about having that conversation with Toph boring into his skull. He pushed the food around on his plate with his chopsticks, not looking at anyone. He also didn't like that Zuko and Azula were dominating the conversation, like he didn't have a say in things. Maybe he didn't want a Fire Nation name. Maybe he wanted an Air Nomad name.

"There, there," Iroh said, patting Jun's hand. "There's nothing wrong with a little baby talk."

The look Jun shot him made everyone in the room wither. Aang swallowed past the lump in his throat, even as Iroh forced a smile, and Jun's look darkened. The two were having some old conversation without words, and for the moment, Aang forgot all about Toph and her death glare. Finally, Iroh caved, holding up his hands.

"Maybe we could talk about something else," Iroh said. "I'm sure Aang and Azula have a handle on things."

"No," Toph interjected, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair. "Just because you don't want ideas planted in his head is no reason to rain on anyone else's parade, lady."

"By all means, go ahead and ignore me, kid," Jun growled. "Just remember, it's going to come back to haunt you."

"I'll take my chances."

Toph returned her blind, penetrating stare to Aang, and he shriveled again, wishing someone would say something in his defense. He looked between Katara and Ursa; usually they played mediator when things got out of hand. Neither of them, however, were looking like they might want to end the conflict anytime soon.

"Like hell you will—"

"So," Toph said. "Think of any names, yet?"

Aang loosened the collar of his shirt. "Look, Toph, I know I probably should have written you and told you—"

"Oh, we're way past that. I just asked if you—"

"Hey. Back off," Jun said, emphasizing the words. "He doesn't want to talk about it, ok?"

"Whether they want to talk about it or not is irrelevant," Ursa finally said, her eyes fixed on Jun. "It's something they need to discuss, and I see no harm in bringing up the subject. Zuko's right. They can't call the baby, 'kid' or 'child.' He or she will need a name, and the nursery needs to be decorated appropriately, too. Babies are a lot of preparation."

"Oh really?"

"Whatever issues you and Iroh have, I'm sure you can work out on your own without projecting them onto Aang and Azula."

Aang's hands went clammy, and he vigorously rubbed them on his pants. Dinner sat on the table, forgotten, and Aang had the distinct impression that this conversation had less to do with him and Azula than he thought. He studied Ursa, even though he knew he would be able to glean nothing from her outward appearance. She'd always hid her true emotions well, her voice soft and level, and her face serene. Even now, she picked up her teacup with perfect poise and a steady hand. He was pretty sure the truth of her emotion rested in her eyes, much like it did with Azula, who was sitting back and finishing her meal with apparent indifference.

"Well," Zuko said into the silence, "I've got some work I need to do before it gets too late, so I'll see the rest of you later."

"Coward," Azula muttered as her brother passed her.

"I pick my battles."

The door closed behind Zuko with a soft click, and Aang slid down in his chair, hoping that he could escape unnoticed. Ursa's sharp eyes flicked to him.

"Please sit up in your chair, Aang."

Jun draped an arm over the back of her chair. "You think I'm projecting my problems onto them?" She raised an eyebrow in Ursa's direction. "I'd say you might be overcompensating."

"For what?"

The air in the room had become tense the moment Jun slammed her hands on the table. Aang knew something was incredibly wrong when Iroh paled, and Azula perked up. Toph was no longer smirking, her face serious, and her feet planted on the ground. Even Katara seemed to come alive; Aang noticed the subtle way her fingers moved, and the tea in his cup began to ripple.

Ursa didn't repeat her question, and Jun just sat, smiling. For a long while, the two women regarded each other, and Aang wasn't really sure just what happened to make everything go downhill. There was really no reason for emotions to be running so high; well, at least not for everyone else to be so emotionally charged. If it was Azula, he could understand, but she hadn't seemed to be tightly wound at all since they started their bending practice. Aang risked taking his eyes off the warring women to look at Azula. One hand was resting on her stomach, but her eyes were bright and alert. They were moving almost constantly, observing, taking in the situation. He'd seen that same look in her when they fought under Ba Sing Se during the war, but now there was no maliciousness. She wasn't in a bending stance, not ready to shoot him down with a bolt of lightning. She looked first at Jun, probably having assessed her to be the bigger threat; Ursa wasn't a fighter, and Aang knew that Jun kept daggers on her person at all times. He'd seen her remove them at the instruction of the palace guards before entering the throne room to speak with Zuko.

Jun's smile grew—wider and more malicious. "One of you has to make up for Ozai's shortcomings."

Several people moved at once, and Aang didn't think he would ever be able to say without any doubts who moved and who didn't. The only thing he could say for sure was that Azula gave a sharp yelp of surprise, ripping her hand away from her stomach, and pushing back from the table. The moment she stood, she started to fall, and Aang was there, and arm around her waist, as she grabbed her head. When he looked up, everyone was crowding around them, Katara at the front, her hand gloved in water.

It was Ursa who spoke first, though.

"Are you alright?" she asked, reaching for Azula's hand and checking her pulse.

"I'm fine," Azula said, shaking loose of her mother's grip and pushing Aang back. "The baby moved, and it surprised me, and then I stood up too fast and got a little dizzy."

"Your heart's beating pretty fast," Toph said, frowning. "Oh wait, never mind. I guess one's the baby's heartbeat. That's so weird."

Toph smiled a little half smile that reminded Aang very much of Zuko, and she slowly put her hand out. Azula huffed, but let Toph put her hand on her stomach, and Toph smiled a little wider before laughing.

"Ok," she said. "I can see why that startled you. That's so weird."

"I don't think it's weird at all," Aang said, as Katara guided Azula to a chair.

"Of course not, Twinks."

When Toph smiled at him, it was such a soft, sweet smile, that it startled him. It didn't last long, but in those brief seconds, Aang saw something completely different in Toph. She was right. He had been a fool.

Toph! Of course this story couldn't exist without Toph! She and Azula are so alike personality wise that it's hard for me to see them not being friends. Wether she admits it or not, I can see Azula looking to Toph as an example of how to retain her personality, but still function while being "reformed." They've got the same kind of blunt honesty and complete confidence in their strength, except that Toph's brand of personality has been accepted, but hers rejected. I think being so close to Azula for so long and the distance with which he can examine her would make Aang rethink a lot of his relationship with Toph. I would have loved for Toph to end up with Aang, because I think she could do the same thing for him that Azula is doing in a very roundabout way. I just don't ever see that happening because he missed his chance while he was still pining away for Katara. Now that he's growing and gaining some clarity, he's able to see all the things in Toph that he missed, and there's going to be some regret, there. Also, I couldn't resist a little Ursa/Jun fighting. Jun's just in a general bad mood because of Iroh and baby talk, and Ursa is the natural target. Everyone suspects/knows that something went on between Ursa and Iroh. Ultimately, the lesson we need to take away from this chapter is that Zuko picks his battles, and he knows that he doesn't want to be anywhere near Ursa and Jun when shit goes down.