Author'sNote: Right...I know it isn't an excuse. But I apologize for not updating in over a week. Sure, I've been fair busy and dolling out hard yakka all the time and sleeping less and less...But bloody oath! I was a Northern Territories Ranger for goodness sake! I had to catch rogue crocodiles that used to figure out when campers would fall asleep in their tents and snatch them up in the middle of the night! And had to sleep amongst them and 23 of the world's other most deadliest animals, as well as escape with me own life! I should very well be used to Restless Sleep! There is no excuse worthy enough to appease you good people...except that I've been working on a bit of a lemon. I know, I know! I should've been working on this bloody chapter first thing! But crikey have I been wanting to surge to me primal side! Oh don't come the raw prawn with me! You know you all love a good sourface every once and again ;) But I'll keep diligently at these next few chapters! Things are going to come along quicker after this!

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"So, what did you and Altjira talk about anyway? Obviously you guys were having some sort of conversation."

Zuko frowned, and thanked his stars that Sokka couldn't see well in the dark. It wasn't something he hoped his friend would ask, though he understood the guy had a right to know. He stopped walking and put his left hand on the back of his neck, rubbing it distractedly. How could he possibly break it to him?

"Sokka...I think that...errrrrmmm..."

He sighed out, unconsciously making the wind around them flow through the trees and rustle the leaves. It wasn't Zuko's choice to make, but he felt it was the RIGHT choice. He braced his friend by the shoulders and stared him directly into the eyes, the light coming from his pupils dazzling the warrior into a hypnosis.

"Sokka, you need to go to Azula tonight. She is having a difficult time, and though she doesn't want to see you, you need to demand that you WANT to see her! You are HER man and she is YOUR woman, and damnit, you two are having a child together. She may not like that fact, but she is tough and she can get through anything, and this entire situation should be no different. You go to her, Sokka, comfort her, support her and be there for her. She may not admit it, but she needs you."

The tribesman stood rigid and set his jaw firm. He looked, for all the part, like a digger who had just been given a dire mission from his General, and accepted readily, "You're right, Zuko! I should go to her. Nothing in this world can keep me away, even if it is Azula, herself! That's MY KID and MY GIRL and I will have a say in whether or not I get to see them, born or unborn! It's a damn long walk, one that I honestly would rather take a trolley to, but I'll walk it anyways!"

Sokka set out in a prompt march, turning in the opposite direction that Zuko's house was in. He knew Sokka understood directions well, and his attempt at trying to squirm out of Azula's wrath didn't go unnoticed. Zuko grabbed his friend's arm with his left and waved his right arm in a wide circle, enveloping both in a cloak of fire.

The tribesman let out a shrill screech as he felt his body shift and twist unnaturally. He was thrown into nothingness and yet, it felt like an massive amount of energy surging through his veins all at the same time. No amount of movement could quench the rapid spasms his body wanted to make. For the entirety of the moment, he could still hear himself screaming, and it sounded like he was falling down a long tunnel as he was doing so.

When the rush ended, Sokka felt himself thrown roughly onto the ground. His back connected with solid earth and knocked the breath from his lungs. Sokka's hands clutched at the grass and dirt underneath, holding desperately on to anything so he wouldn't fall of into the sky. He lay there, squirming uncontrollably as his body and lungs spasmed back into normal movement. When he finally regained his breath, he gasped and glared up at Zuko, who was standing close by with a flame in his palm. The tribesman's shoulders, arms, and hands were still shaking with jolts of energy as he focused on the bender.

"When...ehh...my body...eeeey...goes back...to normal...'mm gonna KILL YOU ZUKO!...y'aye!"

The Fire Bender broke out in a fit of laughter, extinguishing his flame as his put his hands on his knees and watched his friend shivering, "Now I know why Altjira was laughing when I made my first flight. But you look...ridiculous!"

Zuko laughed harder as Sokka got up, his shaky joints reminiscent of a rickety old man. Maybe it was the lingering alcohol in his system, but Zuko hadn't laughed so hard in a long time, that it almost made him feel ashamed.

"I'm sorry Sokka...ahahahah! That's the first time I've ever taken someone on a flight with me. 'Jira said humans would have a bad reaction, but that it could be done. Your natural bodies weren't meant for transition like that. Maybe, I'll just carry you next time?"

He chuckled again as he helped Sokka stabilize on his feet. The warrior narrowed his eyes and gave Zuko another glare, but proceeded to brush himself off, feeling dirt and blades of grass clinging to the flesh of his back. He felt a sudden stabbing pain on his arm, making his right side twist in discomfort. He leaned towards his right as his arm suddenly when limp, the onset of pain too much for him to bear and he collapsed back onto the ground.

Zuko quickly lit a flame in hs hand and went to his friend's side, humour immediately replaced by concern.

"Sokka! Are you alright? What's wrong?"

The tribesman gestured to his immobilized right arm, holding it up closer to the light. A hideous looking purple and red mark suffused the better portion of his forearm, shaped in the appearance of an engrossed hand print.

Sokka blanched visibly at the burn, pain coming to a full tilt. Zuko immediately took hold of his friend's arm and hovered his hand over the print, matching it completely. He could have hit himself for it, as angry as he was. But he didn't have time, the wound needed to be healed. He bent the flame in his hand and set it hovering in the air, like the water ball Sokka had seen him manipulate when he was discovered back in the dojo.

He pulled moisture straight out of the air around them and pressed it into the mark, feeling it seep into Sokka's flesh. It only took seconds for the burn to fade and disappear completely. The Fire Prince let go and hung his head, ashamed at his forgetfulness. Sokka was neither a bender, nor was he immune to the effects of fire bending.

"Sokka...I'm sorry. I should have known, I should've used a different method of bending..."

The tribesman held up his right arm, inspecting it. It felt completely fine, and the healing session was nothing like Katara's healing. On more extreme wounds, the general activity took a length of time and left her tired. But this one took only seconds and his arm felt better than what it had been before the incident.

"Zuko, don't worry, man. Look, it's all healed. You fixed it. This time, it happened, but next time, we'll know."

He winked at his friend in the flame-light dancing in front of them. He knew the bender didn't mean any harm and truly felt sorry.

"It's me, we're talking about here. I'm generally the fall guy anyway. When I'm around the others, I get beat up with their bending all the time, but they usually mean it! No worries, mate. I'm right, now."

Zuko thought back on all the times he had seen Toph hit Sokka with some earth bending, and how many numerous times his sister had used water bending on him. An accidental burn didn't seem so horrible now.

"Still, I should have thought about it before I put you through that. I've never taken anyone in transition before, but I should have thought about the consequences. I shouldn't have grabbed you by the arm..."

"So, is that what bending is like? Like the transition?" The warrior tried to distract his friend, but was also curious on the subject, "I honestly didn't even feel pain until after my body had settled, but when I was on the ground and shaking like that, it was as if my body couldn't contain the energy. It was...incredible."

"That is what fire bending is like. Benders use the chi in their bodies to bend, to willfully manipulate the elements. Fire bending, however, is taking the chi, the energy itself, and using it to create fire. That's why we have high body temperatures and high metabolisms."

He met his friend's gaze and noted the eager look in Sokka's eyes, how he seemed to absorb every word.

"The reason you were burned was because energy transfusion generally comes out of the hands, where a major point of energy is stored and released. I wasn't actually burning you with fire bending. You were hurt because your energy was fusing with mine at our connection points, my hand and your arm, and your flesh couldn't withstand it. Had I been holding onto your shirt, I probably could've manipulated your energy anyways and taken you with me. But you weren't wearing one, and I sure as all hell wasn't going to hold your hand."

The warrior sat with his knees up and leaned forward onto them, thoughts running through his mind, "So, what you were doing was kind've like energy bending? Bending my energy?"

Zuko thought about and nodded, "Yea, sort of. Everything in the world is made out of stored energy. Even things like rocks have energy, and that's how Toph earth bends. It's the same with all the other elements. But fire bending is a release of all the stored energy. Generally, unless you are me or Altjira, you can only manipulate it."

"So what do you and Altjira do?"

"In laments terms, we can create energy. Everything else on the world can store it, but they cannot create, nor destroy energy like we can. Living things eat and grow, which is taking energy from one thing and storing it for use in another. When you don't have enough energy stored, what happens?"

Sokka yawned out, "You get tired?"

"Exactly, and the same goes for Altjira and I because we are still technically living things. But if we didn't want to sleep or eat, we could just create our own energy, or stop all use f of energy completely."

Sokka sat upright quickly, his left hand shooting up, "What?! If you didn't have to eat or sleep, then you wouldn't have to grow, and if you didn't have to grow, then you wouldn't get old! You could- "

"Live forever."

The two teens sat quiet for a while, Zuko knowing all about it already, and Sokka letting the thought sink in. When the dust off his bones was already gone, Zuko would still be sitting here, not much older than what he is now.

"Not entirely." The Fire Prince knew what his friend was thinking, much to Sokka's shock.

"Like I said, technically, Altjira and I are still living things, we were still born. We can still eat and sleep and keep living. It's only when we want to, can we create energy. Instead of allowing myself to drown and die, I could just shut off my breathing, shut down my entire system and put it in suspension. I could still move because I'd be creating my own energy."

The warrior shook his head, awed at the thought of all the power Zuko held at the tip of his fingers. Sensing another thought in his friend's mind, the bender continued.

"I love. I love my mother, my uncle. I even love my sister. I love having you and Toph and all my other friends in my life. And most of all, I love Katara. I want to be with her for the rest of our lives. But, Katara is human. And all living things, eventually, come to an end. I don't want to live forever if she isn't with me. So I live."

"I know how ya feel, buddy. Right now, Azula's in her room, all by herself and she doesn't want to see me. But I know I'm going to go in there, despite what she says, because I want to see her. The things we do for our women. It's what makes us men."

"Yea, I wouldn't mind finding Katara right now, but she is at her get-together. I'll figure something out. You go inside and see your girl. I'll probably just go meditate or something."

He got up to leave but Sokka stopped him, "Hey, wait! I was going to ask you! We all have energy, we all have chi and we all have will. So why can't I bend?"

Zuko smirked at his friend and stood up, holding his hand out to help Sokka to his feet, "Because. Like some people can dance, some people can draw, some people can sing or play instruments, not all of us have the same abilities. For instance, Azula can bend blue fire, but other Fire Benders can't. She can also generate lightning, and besides our father and our uncle, no one else can. Simply put, some of us can, some of us can't."

The warrior tilted his head and looked at the ground in thought, then looked at his friend questioningly, "But all those things can be taught..."

"Yea but most of those things are natural talent. Talent people are born with. Just like being able to paint a masterpiece comes easy to someone, bending fire or water comes easier to others. People of a certain nation have been bending the same element over so many generations, that the ability eventually becomes inherited."

He saw Sokka's right eyebrow begin to arc slowly as he went into deep thought.

"Others choose not to bend, whether purposefully or unconsciously, so the ability becomes dormant in them. It's like what Aang said and how they were teaching us in the Air Nomad schools, all Air Nomads can bend, but some choose not to further develop the ability. I mean, you may have the ability to water bend, but it is dormant in you because you chose to do other things or because the talent just didn't come naturally to you, like how it did for Katara."

"Well, why can't we chose the element we want then? Who says a Water Tribe guy shouldn't be able to bend fire, simply because he is from the Water Tribe?"

Zuko shrugged but knew the answer any way, "As I was saying, it's because the Nations are generally surrounded by the known Element. The Generations practiced to develop bending the element, so that's why we are the nations we are. Naturally, Water Tribe would have developed water bending abilities, and cut out the will to bend the other elements. The Avatar bends them because it is Spiritually inherited, not genetic.

"Look at it this way, you and Azula are from different Nations with different inherited abilities. Same as Katara and I. Azula, being the only bender, and also having strong bending abilities, could pass along fire bending to your child. As for Katara, she came from two non-bending parents, yet she is a powerful water bender. Her bending talents could be so strongly developed, we could end up having a child that is a water bender. I mean, I sure didn't start off as a strong fire bender. My father didn't even think I could bend..."

Zuko looked away from Sokka then, the memory flashing through his mind. This time, though, it didn't matter. Ozai had no idea about his son now.

"Zuko...you have the ability to do anything. You can read people's minds, you can see into their souls. Katara told me you even knew about what our parents wanted for her before she ever told you anything. You bent my energy. Is there any chance at all that you could teach me how to bend?"

The bender recalled every instance where Sokka had felt inadequate amongst the others, when each one was showing off their abilities. He tried so hard to seem as important, but Zuko could always sense the true feelings of his friend.

"Sokka, you're a great guy. You are who you are without being a bender. Since I don't count any more, you're the best in our swords training. You're also one of the smartest in our entire class. Never having to bend, meant you got to develop your ingenuity and craftsmanship skills. Why should it matter whether you can bend or not? You're just as important as everyone else, if not more so. You bring us all together. Would you really want to be a water bender like your sister?"

The tribesman pulled a wry face, debating the idea, "Water bending...doesn't seem manly enough. And I'm a genius. I know. But should I really be limited by my physical handicap? Toph is blind, and she can bend. Not to mention, she's a real smartass. She's got brains and brawn. I just want to know what it's like. I always felt like fire was more my style anyway..."

Zuko shook his head and smiled, gesturing toward the house, "You're funny...really funny. Go inside, Sokka. I'll talk with Altjira and see what we can do. Personally, I don't think fire bending is in your future, but we'll see."

He left the tribesman grumbling to himself and walked off the estate grounds just as Sokka was heading towards the back entrance. After a momentarily quiet walk, he felt the presence of his companion appear behind him and braced for the dragon to alight on his shoulder. The night fell silent as Zuko walked on, holding a mental conversation with Altjira.

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She remembered the few days after the very first night. All she could think about was how he moved, how he felt and how he sounded. Thinking back on it made her shudder with anticipation. She had been so tired that day, that she was sure this next time would be magnified tenfold. Not to mention, the pent up frustration would probably add to it. Why did Zuko have to be so...traditional?

Must be a Fire Nation thing.

When her frustration was at it's worst, being around him was almost unbearable. She wanted to feel his weight on her, his warm touch and gentle caresses. The protection she felt when he was near set off an imbalance of hormones and made her all too emotional. She was a water bending master, for Tui's Sake! She was perfectly capable of taking care of herself!

Oh, how she missed Zuko so much. But after tomorrow, everything would change. She no longer had to worry about being without him, even if it was only one night away...and wishing he were here...to save her from this lame party...and sweep her away into the night in his big strong arms.

"Katara? Are you alright?"

Amala had noticed the way Katara lost interest in what the others were talkng about. The water bender wasn't even looking at the group, instead, leaning with her face in her palms, eyes unfocused with a far away look on her face.

Katara's eyes moved to note the young nun but remained unfocused, she was completely lost in her own thoughts.

"Katara..."

Amala bent a crisp gust of air into the girl's face, immediately catching her attention.

"...mmm-ay! What?..."

The air bender smiled politely at her friend and waved a hand slowly in front of her eyes.

"You ok in there? You seemed sort of...lost? Are you thinking about tomorrow?"

Though it was intended as an innocent enough question, Katara curled inside herself, blushing rapidly. The young nun didn't poke fun at her though, and keeping a gentle smile, inquired further, "I understand. If I were getting married, I'd probably be completely engulfed in it as well, even though our Elders teach us not to be. But I can't help it. I've always wondered about love. What's it like?"

Katara returned Amala's smile and reach out to grab her hands. It was so nice to be able to confide her feelings in someone as trusting and consolidating as Amala, though Katara suspected much of her consideration had to do with her pure innocence. But she was a comforting shoulder and a good person.

"Amala...love is...Love is like waking every morning to the beat of your heart. Like feeling it for the first time. So eager to be awake to see him. When you're in-love, you feel like you can't hold steady or breathe until he's near you. And when he is, you want to jump into his arms and let all your worries go. To let him protect you and care for you. And when he says just the right thing, you feel like your heart will stop just so he would have to start it all over again..."

Now, both girls were tilting their heads in unison, looking out with silly grins on their faces. Oh yea...Amala definately knew.

"...I miss Zuko..."

The air bender caught herself and looked back at her friend, who seemed more dispirited than a moment ago.

"Hey. It's alright, Katara. You'll see him tomorrow. Tomorrow is your big day! Of course you'll see him. You're lucky. Probably the luckiest girl I know...at least you have a 'him'."

Katara was struck for words. This entire time she had been lost n her own little love world, and completely neglecting to consider her friends around her. What were their lives like? Maybe they weren't so into a relationship like hers, or just didn't care enough to be rooted, but then again, none of them have a guy like Zuko. There were no other guys like Zuko in existence, actually.

Even if she thought back to three months ago, or even to her childhood, she couldn't imagine life without him. Maybe he had superior abilities, but he had caught her eye the first day she met him. She had been so worked up over him that she had even gotten angry. Then he had drowned and came back to her. She knew he was somehow changed, obviously his eyes were, but he still held her eye.

And when he had kissed her. That apologetic kiss that told her everything would be all right, that she would never have to worry about anything ever again and that he would always be there to protect her. Forever.

She felt sad. Not just because she had only seen Zuko briefly today, but because her friends would never understand how she felt. They would never know.

Katara pulled Amala to her and gave her a comforting hug, "Don't worry. You may have been taught and raised to be a certain way, but, you can't hide from what your heart wants. You'll find someone. And your heart will lead you to happiness. Just trust in it."

The air bender smiled another innocent smile and pink tinged her cheeks. She looked through her loosened henna bangs with big grey eyes that reminded Katara of the storms that would pass along the ocean when she traveled on the ship to the Earth Kingdom.

"I think I might like someone..."

Katara's eyes widened into a delighted smile as she squeezed her friend's hands. But before she could ask as to who or what she meant, a slight feeling gripped her chest and tugged at her heart. She turned her head to look down the hall of Ty Lee's house. She could barely make out the sharp rapping sounds of something hard striking a glass pane in one of the rooms.

Her heart fluttered in her chest as she began to rise from her seat and let Amala's hands slip from her grasp.

Zuko.

She didn't know how she could tell, but she knew it was him. It had to be.

She excused herself quickly, saying she had to use the restroom and hurriedly left the party goers. She rushed down the hall and swung sharply into a deserted room just in time to hear the last few taps on the window. She Closed the gap between herself and the wall and opened the window, leaning out from the window sill into the night.

A warm softness embraced her face and she felt her lips being massaged by an eager mouth. Her eyes had instinctively closed, and when they opened, the brightest pair of gold eyes ever belonging to a man greeted her.

"Zuko-"

She barely breathed the word out before he was kissing her again, holding her now-unsteady body up in a hug against his strong chest. He threatened on pulling her completely out of the room but decided to gently push her back in, following easily through without any effort. She regained her stance and wrapped her arms around his bare torso.

"I missed you so much! I hate having to be away from you for reasons like these."

Zuko smirked and rubbed his hands across her back, "Love, it hasn't even been a day. You saw me this morning and then had to do all your errands today. We were just busy, that's all."

She kept a tight hold on him, as if any moment he might disappear, "It isn't a good enough reason for me. You could've been there, had you told everyone. They all have to listen to you."

The Fire Prince chuckled lightly, looking at her through hooded eyes, "No one has to listen to me, and I wouldn't force anyone to anyways. But I'm here now Katara. I had to come see you, I missed you too and knew you would be missing me just as much. Though, you still have a party to attend..."

She rolled her eyes and shook her head, lips pursed in agitation, "Party? That get-together is the worst I've ever been too. All they are doing is gossiping about everyone else. I think Toph is passed out from sheer boredom and if it weren't for Amala, I would've frozen everyone in their seats and escaped!"

"That bad, Ay? Well, if it were up to me, I'd say ditch the party and stay with me...but traditionally, we aren't supposed to sleep in the same room..."

Katara's eyes were wide and her heart slammed into her chest. Was he suggesting...?

Hormones surged through her system, urging her into action. She wrapped him into a tight embrace, crashing their lips together. But as soon as it happened, broke away, rushing out of the room, leaving Zuko perplexed.

"Katara!..."

She heard his muffled whisper and smiled as she made her way back into the room with the guests. The water bender quickly put on a facade of illness, bending some water from a nearby plant and coating her face with it.

When her friends looked up at her, she kept her eyes low and breathing steady. Ty Lee immediately noted that something was wrong and was quickly at her side.

"Oh my gosh, Katara! Are you ok?! What's wrong?"

Katara reached out to steady herself, hoping Toph wouldn't "see" right through her act.

"I don't...I don't know, I don't feel all that well. I'm really tired. I think maybe I should go home and get some rest."

She turned to Amala, who was standing behind her. The girl had a concerned look on her face, but Katara smiled slyly and winked. The air bender understood right away and held her hands up.

"Katara is right. Tomorrow is a very important day for her. She needs her rest if she wants to be one-hundred percent tomorrow. It's probably just some pre-wedding jitters."

The tribeswoman looked up in what she hoped was her best self-pitying look and began making her way to the door. Ty Lee frowned but nodded her head.

"We understand, Katara. You probably stressed yourself out. Here, we'll escort you home."

As her friends began to stand and approach, she put her hands up in reproach, racking her mind to come up with a plausible excuse to go alone.

"Wait!...err...no, it's ok. I'll be fine, I promise. I just need to quiet time and then a good night's rest. Everything will be alright."

She looked around, easing as the girls seemed to accept her explanation. She apologized for having to leave but ushered herself out quickly, waving good bye as she left. In a hurry, she departed Ty Lee's property and searched around the darkness for Zuko.

Luckily, it wasn't long before she spotted his tell-tale eye glow in the shadows. He put his arms out as she ran and threw herself onto him.

"Woah, everything alright?"

Katara silenced him with a deep kiss, pressing her body closely against his to feel the warmth he radiated.

"Everything is just fine now. All day long I wanted to hold you so close," she kissed him again and he smiled into her lips, "and now I get to. Let's find a cart and go home, sweetie."

Zuko grinned charmingly, feeling the cacophony of vibrations his soon-to-be wife was emitting. He tilted his head to the left, gesturing her to follow him.

"Actually, I have a better way to travel. But I've only ever taken someone with me once, and I accidentally forgot a key factor, though I did solve that problem."

He took her by the hand and led her in between two houses. Summoning water, much to Katara's extreme delight, he swirled the liquid slowly above his hand, creating a small funnel.

"Bend the water Katara, coat the tip of your hand in it."

She smiled and took the element from him, doing as he said. When her hand was gloved, Zuko reached out and interlaced his fingers with hers, then withdrew. Katara's eyes shot open with surprise as Zuko's fingertips became translucent. It flowed up his arms as Katara began to realize he was turning into water.

"Zuko!.."

Before she could fully comprehend, her body dissolved into weightlessness. Everything around her was cool and calm, so much at ease and yet she felt like a surging storm. The push and pull of the ocean a few miles away was nothing compared to how she, her own body, felt.

When she sensed the ocean, she felt everything within the radius of her abilities, but ocean water contained salts and particles, making it heavy and difficult to precisely maneuver. It took a strong push and pull to fully control a wave. But she did sense hHe kinetic energy the water contained, how it fought against her control.

But right now, she felt like she was the energy. Like she was the waves as they crashed against the rocks, like a waterfall surging over a cliff, or like the rainstorm clouds as they rolled across the sky. She didn't feel the limits of her arm lengths, or the limits of the rest of her body for that matter. Instead, she easily imagined how water spilled onto the surface of an area and spread out. Absolutely free.

The crashing feeling of energy eventually come to a close when she felt her feet touch hard ground. Unused to the immediate stop, her body collapsed, but Zuko had already prepared for the reaction and caught her as she toppled.

"I've got you!" He smiled as she looked up at him, dazed and grinning, "I know, the feeling will wear off soon. Your brother twitched for a long time, but we had a bit of an accident. He's fine now, though because he was a non-bender and unused to surges in his chi, he was burned by the energy contact at his arm. Thankfully, you seem to be fine."

He checked her over, searching for even the slightest bit of discomfort, but found none. When she finally regained control and quit twitching, she looked around at her surroundings and then at her hands. She blinked a few times to thoroughly focus her vision and looked up at him.

"So what happened? What was that? That had to have been one of the greatest feelings I've ever had."

He pulled her close to him with a grin and rested her head on his bare shoulder, "It's had flight transition. I used your chi to turn you into your element and bent you to move with me. We turned into a mist. Are you sure that was the greatest feeling you've ever had?"

She raised her head to look up at him, an eyebrow arched, "I said one of the greatest feelings I've ever had...one."

The couple kissed and started making their way into Zuko's house, giggling and chuckling quietly to theirselves.

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When Sokka had managed to access the unlocked backdoor, he always found it unlocked but credited himself for his infiltration skills, he slid into the back room unnoticed and worked his way into the hallway. Azula's bedroom was looming closer and his hands began to fidget with trepidation. Would he be able to withstand her wrath?

Only one way to find out. He remembered what Zuko had told him, how he needed to stand his ground and show her he was the man she needed. He exhaled forcefully and willed himself to her door, grabbed the handle and turned.

It opened.

Pushing the door slightly, he peered into the darkness. Nothing stirred, so he figured Azula would be asleep. He slid through the tight entrance and shut the door behind, cringing at the audible click of the handle. He managed a few steps into the room before a force knocked him off his feet and sent him crashing to the floor.

"What are you doing here!"

Blue light erupted all around as Azula stood towering over him in her red sleeping robes. Flames danced at her fingertips as she held her hands in a claw-like position. Her face was twisted in a snarl and her hair flared up like a mane from the waves of heat streaming from the fire. Sokka cursed Zuko for sending him here unprotected.

She's going to incinerate me. I'm going to die, right here, right now. Good bye cruel world. Zuko, I don't care if you are some kind of god-like being, I'm going to break out of the spirit world and haunt you forever.

"I...I love you Azula!" A sudden unknown courage swelled into his chest and pushed him to say the things that were on his mind.

"And it doesn't matter to me that you don't want to see me right now! Because...because you...you're MY girl!" he pushed himself off the floor, a new glint shining dangerously in his eyes. He grabbed the fire princess by the arms, trying to keep well away of the flames in her hands.

"You are carrying my child, Azula! And I'm going to damn well be there for it every day of it's life, I'm going to be it's father and I'm going to love it with all my heart!"

Sokka pulled her close and caught her lips in a passionate embrace. She dropped her flames and tried to pull away from him, but a strange emotion overcame her, causing her lip to start trembling. The tribesman held her close and hugged her warmly, then parted their lips just for a moment.

"And, I want to do the same for you. You're the only girl I've ever loved and the only girl I ever want to be with. You're so smart and so talented, and strong enough to take on anything the world throws at you. Even this, Azula. I know I'll never feel what you are going through, but at least I can be there for you."

He smiled and felt his heart pound against his chest as she relaxed and melted into his arms. Bringing his mouth close to her ear, he kissed her cheek and whispered to her, "You may not think it is much, but I will do everything in my power to provide for you both! and to best father and best husband I can be!"

They stood embracing in the darkness of Azula's room, Sokka holding tightly to her body, which had begun to shiver. He didn't know if fire benders could get cold, but he began to rub her back in long, soothing strokes from her shoulders to her waist.

Sokka flinched suddenly as a boiling hot pain appeared on his shoulder, feeling it drip down his shoulder in a long path. Was Azula crying?

It didn't matter, he was here for her now.

"Baby, please. I just want to be here for you. Let me do what I am supposed to do as a man and take care of you. I know you are completely capable of it, but... I can't handle being away from you. I love you."

Azula gripped his body with her vice like hands, her fingertips becoming hot against his skin. Just when it was getting to be unbearable, she let go and took a step back, bringing her hands up and producing a blue flame.

Sokka stood looking at her in the cerulean light, eyes unblinking as she looked down at her hands. With her left hand holding the flame, she took her right and opened the front of her robes, revealing her taught and muscular stomach, completely unblemished. She put her hand on her skin and made a gripping gesture before looking up at Sokka.

"Even after the way I've been treating you, and my crazy mood swings, and how horrible my body is going to look in a few months...you still want to be with me?"

Sokka huffed and smiled, placing his left hand at her right. He knelt down on his knees and brought his face to her midsection, leaning forward to kiss her stomach.

"Azula. Nothing in the world could make you look horrible. You're the most gorgeous, perfect girl on earth. And even seven months from now, when you're ready to burst, you'll still look as beautiful as ever. As far as "crazy mood swings" go, you're a girl, it's expected. My sister has crazy mood swings all the time, and she wasn't even pregnant! We'll get through this together, everything is going to be fine."

He put his left ear up to her belly and listened to the sounds within, smiling as she put her right hand on his head and ran her fingers through his hair. He leaned his head back and looked up into her eyes.

"You should be excited. I can tell already that she's going to be a exceptional bender, just like you."

Azula scoffed and took his hand to pull him up, "Please. My son will be more than just exceptional. With someone like me teaching him bending, he'll be another prodigy. Our children and grandchildren will leave their marks on the world and everyone will know what an amazing and incredibly powerful bloodline they were born of!"

"I never doubted it from the beginning!"