A/N: A lot of people were surprised by Julie's reaction to Zuko in the last chapter. So I'm going to address that first and foremost. I think we've all noticed throughout the course of the story that Julie is by far not the most rational person in the world. She tends to act and react impulsively, and given how confused her own emotions are regarding Zuko at the moment, it was inevitable that she would say what she said to him.

But no, she isn't really afraid of him; just of her own feelings. Of course, she didn't make that even remotely clear, so naturally Zuko went and blew it out of proportion. Thus, the Incident. It was meant to be dramatic, and it was necessary for the plot to keep flowing seamlessly forwards. That being said, I hope you enjoy this chapter and REVIEW IT please.

Seriously, I'll cry if you don't. And who wants to be responsible for my tears...? That is, unless you're a mean, evil person who kicks puppies and likes to frighten small children. Don't be a jerk! READ and REVIEW!

Chapter Thirty-Three: In Denial

(Iroh's POV, third person)

When Zuko hadn't returned to his meal, Iroh wasn't immediately concerned. After all, given everything that was on the young man's mind, it was more than likely that he simply forgot about dinner. It wouldn't have been the first time he had to be reminded to eat something.

...especially given that he had gone chasing after Julie. Iroh smiled to himself as he recalled the interest and concern in his nephew's eyes as he wordlessly got up out of his chair and followed her down the hallway. He had remembered acting the same way back when he was that age, when he had met his future wife for the first time. As a matter of fact, she was the one who had gotten him so interested in tea. He chuckled to himself at the memory.

It was true, Julie didn't seem to have any wealth to her name. She also seemed to have a far-reaching list of personal quirks and unresolved issues that Iroh suspected ran as deep as the blood in her veins. However, given all of that, he couldn't help but notice the improvement in Zuko's temperment the more time they spent around each other. The more Julie provoked him, the less easily provoked Zuko became. The girl was teaching him how to be patient without even realizing it.

And, he reflected, Zuko seemed to be good for Julie in the same way. They had a lot in common, so the unintentional banter came naturally to them. Iroh noticed it more and more often. It came during meals, while sparring against each other...they were constantly batting words at each other like it was a contest.

His smile widened. I'm starting to wonder who is the more stubborn of the two...Julie, or my own nephew.

Iroh heard the footsteps on the stairs and paused with his tea-cup on the way to his lips. He recognized Zuko's heavy tread on the metal and waited for him to come back inside; but blinked in mild surprise as the young man barrelled past the room without even a glance inside. In that split second, Iroh caught sight of the unspeakably hard expression on his face and felt his heart sink.

Oh, dear. That must not have gone well...

"Nephew," he called, getting up and following the Fire Prince down the hallway. "You haven't finished your supper."

"Forget it," Zuko snarled over his shoulder. "Give it to the bullsharks for all I care!"

"Um...did...something happen?"

There was a tense moment as the young exile stopped dead in his tracks. He shifted his attention to his concerned uncle; slowly, the anger drained from his face, leaving only traces of frustration in the midst of all the confusion and weariness. He didn't say a word as he looked away.

"I guess I can take that for a yes," Iroh sighed. He walked around so that he and Zuko were eye for eye, giving the younger man a searching look. "What happened with Julie, nephew?"

Just barely, his face twitched. "It doesn't matter. That girl is...she isn't worth all of this. I don't care what happens to her anymore."

"Did you two get into another fight?"

Zuko didn't answer. At least, not right away.

"I followed her because she looked...upset. About Zhao."

"I had gathered that much," Iroh replied gently. "And I take it that she wasn't in a very...receptive mood."

He narrowed his eyes, staring down at the floor. "If you have the right face, she is."

There was a pause.

"She trusts all the wrong people for all the wrong reasons," said Zuko slowly, his voice low and brittle. "People who haven't earned it...people who don't deserve it as much as...other people. Just because of this scar on my face, she thinks that I'm some kind of monster." He grimaced. "She said that I frighten her."

Iroh's sagely eyebrows went up. Way up.

"Um...well..." he coughed into his sleeve. "That's not good, I guess. But then, Julie does tend to say the opposite of what she really means. Even you have noticed it, Prince Zuko."

"I could care less what she really means. I'm done with her." He started walking again, this time at a more harried pace. "I was a fool to think she was anything but a lowly, narrow-minded, self-centered street brat. So I'm through with the distractions. At next port, she can get her things and leave...good riddance."

"Nephew...I am certain that she...that this is all just a misunderstanding. Perhaps you should reconsider..."

But Zuko had already reached his room. At the end of Iroh's sentence, the crown prince ripped open the door, slipped inside, and slammed the door in his uncle's face (as he was prone to do every now and then). The older man just sighed heavily as he stared at the slab of metal barring his entrance.

"They definitely have a lot in common," he murmured, running his hand across his forehead tiredly.

"Anything else you want to teach us?" Suki asked with a quiet laugh.

Sokka lay struggling on the ground, tied up with his own belt. His face flushed a dark shade of red as the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors gathered round and giggled at his helplessness. Hearing how he was being made light of, he narrowed his eyes, trying and failing to salvage what remained of his dignity.

"Let me up!" he yelled. "I'm warning you...you...girls...!"

"What are you going to do?" one of the so-called girls sneered. "Dance at us?"

More laughter. Sokka flushed even redder as he heard his own taunt about their "dance lesson" thrown back into his face. His brow furrowed as he struggled to find the notch in the belt to undo the strap. Either he'd get himself free, or accidentally snap his neck trying...which might actually be preferable, given his current predicament. As his fingers were searching, however, he was startled when Suki herself knelt down beside him and loosened the belt for him.

"Okay, that's enough," she called to her warriors. "I want to see all of you go through your drills at least ten times before sunset. Let's move!"

Reluctantly, the crowd of green-clad girls dispersed, leaving Sokka and the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors alone. She shook her head as she turned back to shame-faced Water Tribe boy.

"Good thing they're so disciplined," she commented. "If they were any rowdier, they'd probably all want turns hog-tying you."

Sokka glared. "That was just luck. I was going easy on you."

"How generous of you."

Hearing the unmasked skepticism in her voice, he flipped himself up into a sitting position. "You know what? You're lucky you're a girl! If I had been going all out against you, you wouldn't have stood a chance!"

Suki narrowed her eyes at him. "Maybe I should have let the girls hog-tie you," she said slowly. "Did it ever occur to you that women could be just as strong as men? Maybe even stronger?"

"They could be," Sokka conceded arrogantly, in spite of his current position on the floor. "But they aren't."

She scowled. "What's your problem?"

"I'm not the one with the problem. You are. Who do you think you are ambushing a guy and calling yourself a warrior?"

Her eyebrows shot up. She looked like she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You were the one swaggering into my dojo looking for a fight," she snapped. "I'm trying to be nice and give you the benefit of the doubt since you're friends with the Avatar...but you're being downright insulting. Not just to me, but to our heritage as Kyoshi Warriors...and everything we stand for...!"

"Oh, so it's tradition then to sneak up on people and attack in cold blood? Or is it just that time of the month?"

Suki's face flushed. "Get out," she whispered.

Tightening his jaw, Sokka rose dramatically to his feet, prepared to stomp right out of the dojo and never look back...that is, until he heard the titters erupt from the group of female warriors. As he felt the draft from the open door, he looked down and saw his pants swaddled around his ankles.

Suki stood up and twirled his belt innocently with her finger. But her eyes were still hard with anger, and it took all the playfulness out of the gesture. Sokka reached for the belt, but the Kyoshi Warrior easily kept it out of his reach.

"Are you deaf?" she said in a low voice. "I told you to leave."

"Not without my belt...!" he protested.

The resulting CRACK of the leather strap sent Sokka stumbling backwards as it missed his face by inches.

"OUT!"

Gulping, he hastily hiked up his pants and backpedaled out of the gym. All the way back to his room, he was assaulted with the curious stares of the villagers and the foul memory of what it sounded like to be laughed at by a group of fan-weilding girls. He never felt so embarrassed or ashamed in his entire life.

(Julie's POV...finally)

It was the morning after (what Ayla was calling) my "trainwreck-of-a-conversation" with Zuko. It was impossible for me to sleep all through last night. Every time I came close to falling asleep, my mind would automatically jump back to his face, to the sound of his voice when he had demanded to know if I was afraid of him. I kept wondering what I would say to him this morning; and like the coward that I was, I kept trying to think of excuses not to show up to this morning's meditation session.

But it was hopeless. After procrastinating as long as humanely possible, I finally had no choice but to drag myself out of the hold and down to the meditation room in the lower parts of the ship. I was a complete mess when I finally arrived there. I was pretty sure I was late too, on top of everything else.

"What the...?" I said, stopping in my tracks. "It's...empty."

Finding the room abandoned like this made my heart sink, slowly...like an egg yolk on the windshield of an SUV.

"Maybe he overslept," Ayla suggested half-heartedly. I could tell that she really didn't believe this to be the case. I frowned, trying not to feel hurt at this blatant snub and failing miserably. "Or maybe they found the Avatar...maybe he's just busy."

"I doubt it," I replied, not even bothering to conceal the sound of my voice. At this point, I could care less who heard me talking to Ayla. "Anyway...it's not like I care or anything like that. Screw that."

Instead of waiting outside the chamber like a lost puppy, I decided that it was high time for me to have some fun. I forced myself to be enthusiastic at the prospect. After all, there was no reason this should have made me miserable. I hated meditating. I hated Zuko. Being rid of both of them should make my life much more pleasant and less like something out of a bad fanfic.

So I rejoiced. For the rest of the day, I made sure to do all the things I had wanted to do, but couldn't because of Zuko's rigid high-seas dictatorship. And first up on that list was spending some time with Kuba. He was the one person on this ship free of alterior motives; the only person I knew who wasn't out to use me for some grand plot. Up until last night, I had included Shen-Long in that roster; but his startling fixation with Ayla had me unnerved. And given Bo-Fen's sudden appearance at just the right moment, I doubted that she was ignorant either.

So that left Kuba. I found him skulking in the pantry, as usual, scrounging around for an extra bite to eat. I knew that this was because he didn't trust anyone enough to believe he would be fed every night; his snatching of rations was purely an insurance policy.

"You had better have saved some of that for me," I joked as I stepped inside, gesturing at the bag of fire flakes he was examining. He jumped, wheeling around with wide eyes.

"Julie?"

I grinned. "It just so happens I have the day off," I told him before he could ask where Zuko was. "Want to hang out?"

He gave me a broad smile. "Hell yeah. Oh! And I almost forgot...here..." he reached inside the sack tied to his back and showed me the eelhound egg I had given him to watch over. "It moves around a lot. I think it's going to hatch today...or maybe tomorrow."

I looked down, tentatively taking the egg and holding it close. I felt strange, being in possession of something so helpless. It made me somewhat anxious; what if I was holding it too hard and the shell broke? What if it accidentally slipped out of my hands?

"It's fine," Ayla assured me. "If you're really worried, check for his heartbeat with your bending."

I can do that?

She seemed to smile inside of me. "Try it."

I sighed, rubbing the shell of the egg and trying, again, to block out the sound of her voice. It was hard to do given the fact that the egg itself was a visible reminder of what Ayla could do if she was motivated enough. That was one memory I'd never be able to repress.

I closed my eyes and let my breathing slow. I found it a lot easier to synchronize myself with the unborn creature inside the egg than the gambler I had won it from. It was darker and quieter on the ship, and the egg's chi didn't resist mine. Rather, it seemed to stir and respond to my probing. I sucked in my breath as I found a tiny pulsing heartbeat throbbing against my palms.

Hey. Maybe Energybending wasn't so bad after all. At least, when you're doing it on an animal instead of a person, it is. It wasn't anything like the last time, when I got violently ill after that one attempt on a human being. Actually, feeling the baby's pulsing chi was kind of...soothing.

"Do you think it's actually an eelhound in there?" Kuba asked, interrupting me. "I've never seen one before."

Reluctantly, I tore my attention away from the egg and shrugged.

"Either way, it'll be ours," I told him. "We'll raise whatever it is that's inside until it gets big and strong. Wouldn't it be cool if it was something like a dragon?"

"It's probably a platypus bear," the boy replied with his usual blunt realism. "But that's cool too. If it gets big enough, we can ride on its back and have it scare our enemies. I think that'd be great."

I smiled, though inside I didn't really feel like smiling. I had just considered leaving the so-called eelhound in Zuko's bed just to mess with him, and even an indirect thought about that bastard left me feeling depressed. Kuba seemed to notice how my smile didn't quite touch my eyes.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine. Just a stomachache."

"Oh. Okay, then." He still stared at my face, looking for clues for whatever was wrong with me. "Um...well...I figured that since the egg is going to hatch soon, we should ask that Shim guy about how to take care of the eelhound. He seems to know about that kind of stuff."

I nodded. It was a perfect idea. A distraction was just what I needed right then and there.

You probably guessed by now, but just in case I'll tell you anyway. Shim accepted Iroh's offer, and is now our official healer-physician-type-person. He had been given the vacant room on the second floor below deck, back towards the infirmary. Lately, he had been happily swamped with work, fixing up the men who were still wounded from the Brotherhood Incident.

I felt a thrill at the idea of going near the infirmary, if only because Zuko had given me strict orders to stay the hell away from there. Remembering our conversation last night, I shook it off as more of his paranoia towards the crew; thinking they were going to cut my throat or something. Well, clearly he could care less now, and I really did want to be prepared for the egg's hatching. So I swallowed whatever reservations I was feeling and followed Kuba to Shim's quarters.

Kuba knocked, completely at ease. We waited for a moment before the door was pulled open.

"Oh, it's you," said Shim, smiling at the company. He stepped aside and gestured for us to come in. I hesitated, but Kuba accepted the offer without the slightest hint of worry or doubt. It really made me wonder, given that the last time I saw these two together, they had been facing each other with knives (well...Kuba's knife) drawn.

"He's okay, Julie," Kuba told me, pausing when he saw that I wasn't following anymore. "He's a bit of a weirdo, but he's not a creeper like some of the other people on the ship. He won't hurt you."

I looked dubiously at Shim. "You said the other day that you knew a thing or two about eggs?"

"I had a cousin who worked with animals. They were something of a fascination with him, actually. I just picked up a tidbit of knowledge here and there just by watching him go at his studies."

I frowned at his use of the word studies. "Um...he didn't kill the animals, did he?"

"Oh, no," Shim replied cheerfully. "He bred them. Tried to make new species out of pre-existing ones."

Ew. Hybrids. Still, that explained how he knew anything about the egg. I decided that I could afford to worry about the man's relatives and their personality quirks later. However, I was still cautious as I stepped over the threshold and entered the room.

Shim hadn't had much time to decorate, and he didn't have many possessions to clutter what little shelf-space he had. The room was actually a little cramped, so I quickly took a seat in a flimsy folding chair closest to the door. Kuba was already perched on Shim's bed, his legs swinging over the edge of the mattress. It was in one of those moments that I remembered, with a jolt, that Kuba was only nine. I knew it was crazy, but the kid sometimes acted like he was going on fifty.

Right now though, he looked around the room with a child's face, alight with mild curiosity. I felt myself smile at the sight.

"What did you want to know about the egg?" Shim asked, immediately dropping into his professional facade.

I blinked. "Well...for starters...could you maybe tell us what it is? I mean, the guy who owned it before was making it out to be an eelhound egg...but..."

"I see what you mean. Let me take a closer look, then." Shim put a hand on the shell and pulled it back, surprised. "It's warm...!"

I gave a start. "Is that bad?"

"No...just odd. Eggs can't put out their own heat. That's why they need to be incubated until they hatch. Right now, though...it feels like some kind of warmth is radiating through the shell." His eyes skimmed swiftly to me. "Did you do anything unusual to this egg, Julie?"

I thought about how I had Energybended to check its pulse, but I wasn't sure that I wanted Shim to know about that.

"Um...no. I didn't."

"Hmm..." he said slowly, scrutinizing the egg. "Well, eelhounds are rumored to be warm-blooded reptiles. That would explain the heat. Other than that anomaly..." he trailed off, knocking gently against the shell with his knuckles. He placed his ear against it and listened for a minute or two. "The shell is hard enough, which indicates that the occupant inside is strong and healthy...or at least, that the mother laying it was."

"Will it hatch tonight?" Kuba asked.

"Well...it's a possibility. If not, then definitely within the next few days."

"Um..." I spoke up, feeling stupid. "How do you...um...hatch it?"

Shim smiled at me. "You get a towel. It's a sticky business, hatching a newborn animal. You'll also want some fresh milk to feed it. That might be a problem, given the fact that we're currently out in the middle of the ocean."

Wonderful.

"When the creature hatches, you need to make sure its kept warm and feed it as soon as possible. You should send someone to get me when that time comes. I can't make any promises since I only deal with human ailments, but I can at least tell if the infant is healthy or not. We can decide what to do with it afterwards."

"Thanks," I said with genuine warmth. Slowly, I was being disarmed by Shim's casual yet friendly ambiance. "I appreciate the help."

"Please," he replied, brushing off my gratitude like a speck of dust. "Medicine is my passion. I should be thanking you for giving me something to work with."

I paused. That almost sounded creepy.

"You're...welcome...?"

Shim smiled at my discomfort, sensing the cause with the intuition of a healer. "I always have a habit of running into reluctant patients," he laughed. "I don't know why people get so worked up over such simple medical proceadures...but I can assure you that I always do what I can to help. Remember that if you ever need anything, Julie."

"Sure," I said, when really I was thinking no chance in hell. "Um...Kuba, we should probably go."

The boy shrugged and made his way over to the door. I got up from my chair and followed him, glancing back at Shim one last time before ducking out into the hallway. Seeing us leave, he had gotten up to gather what few supplies he had as he prepared to head over to the infirmary again. From what I heard, he was going to have to take a lot of late shifts for the next couple of days. That was how backed up the infirmary was.

Kuba tugged on my hand, bringing me back to the present. I sighed and let him pull me down the passage way while my mind see-sawed back in forth between my confused thoughts about Zuko and my worries about hatching a newborn eelhound. I fretted silently, not even noticing where we were going until I felt my guide stop short, listening to the muffled darkness around us.

I had, had time to grow adjusted to the constant blackness that enveloped the walls below deck, but it had taken me a while. Kuba on the other hand seemed perfectly attuned to navigating those dark spots, and did so with an ease that almost irritated me. Now, though, he looked unsure of himself. He bit his bottom lip as his eyes darted to the stretch of hallway behind us. His shoulders were tense.

"Did you hear Shim leave the room?" he asked in a voice barely below a whisper.

I blinked, then shook my head no, slowly.

"Damn," he muttered. "I think someone's following us."

I froze, turning to scan the pitch black we had emerged from. I couldn't see for a damn, but I was familiar enough with the layout of the ship now for this not to bother me much...until now. I had become so used to this place that it rarely occurred to me anymore to be cautious around my shipmates. Zuko's words played back for me in my head, making me shiver.

"I would have thought that even you would have noticed what everyone thinks of you now..."

"A lot of people were...angry at you," Kuba told me quietly, as if reading my mind. However, he was still looking around for our stalker. "When the Brotherhood showed up, I mean. A lot of people got hurt trying to protect you, and half of them wouldn't have bothered if they weren't already following orders."

"I wasn't the one who invited them on the ship," I hissed back, angry in spite of myself. Damn Zuko.

"He said that he only did it because he was worried about you," Ayla reminded me. "He cares about you...more than you realize."

I swallowed. I did not need to hear this now. Especially not now.

"Did you hear that?" Kuba whispered, wheeling around and looking in front of us this time. I felt my heart lurch from the shock of this sudden motion. We both waited in silence, freezing when footsteps suddenly reached our ears.

"Who's there?" I called out.

We both sensed that there was more than one person approaching us in the dark. I felt my heart as it started picking up in a frantic rhythm. Even Ayla couldn't ignore my fear. She didn't know what to do, either.

"They're going to hurt us, aren't they?" she whispered fearfully, cringing at the thought. I couldn't think of consoling her. I was too busy trying to remember how to make my legs move.

I squinted as a dark shape loomed in front of us. Kuba drew his knife while I stood there like a total gimp, holding my egg. All of the reasons I could come up with for them to spare me evaporated when I realized that by defying Zuko, I had all but rescinded any means of protection he had offered. It had never occured to me how vulnerable I really was without him or his Uncle.

"Let's make this quick," said a voice behind me. I flinched away from it, not realizing that we had been surrounded.

An ambush.

"Whatever you're selling, we're not buying," I snapped, getting into the defensive posture I had learned from Zuko during our sparring sessions.

No, don't think of Zuko. Think of surviving. I needed to think of kicking the crap out of the guy in front of me and finding an ally...someone besides Kuba. I half-glanced back at him, wondering if he even knew how to use that knife he carried. At the same time, I knew if he used it on any of Zuko's men, he'd be as good as dead. No way would he escape unpunished.

It was a mistake to take my eyes off of my foe. The moment I had turned my head, he lunged. I only caught sight of his shadow lurching at me from the corner of my eyes. Then I felt the stinging blow as his fist collided with the back of my skull.

I don't remember what happened after that. I had blacked out.

A/N: Soooooo...a couple of things I want to clarify as this chapter comes to a close. Yes, I know I made Sokka a total jerk. But the mental image of Suki chasing him out with his own belt kind of popped in my head, and I couldn't resist going with it. However, I felt like Suki needed the right amount of provokation to actually pull a stunt like that since she tends to be more collected than the rest of the Gaang. Fortunately it doesn't take much for Sokka to run his mouth or to push her buttons. Lol. I love Sokka!

As for Julie, she is in full-on denial. She knows she screwed up big-time with Zuko, but she refuses to even think about it. What you see here is a desperate attempt to have as much fun as possible...and failing miserably. Instead, she just ends up worried sick over her egg, and then ambushed by a group of unidentified assailants below deck. Alors!

And for the record, Zuko means what he says when he tells Iroh that they're through. He has no intention of fooling around with her anymore now that she seems to be judging a book by its cover. But will he regret his decision when he finds out that something happened to Julie?

Okay, nuff said. REVIEW! DO IT NOW! DO IT FOR THE CHILDREN!