A/N: Woohoo! Chapter Fifty! And I kept my promise about the fluff! I thought it would be appropriate to post it today due to the subject matter.


Capital Island had experienced record snowfall and cold this winter. A Water Tribesman would have scoffed at it, but in the Fire Nation, usually only the mountainous areas got temperatures below freezing. The people who lived at sea level were just not equipped to handle the cold. Dozens of people froze to death, and things were difficult even at the palace, which had been built to cope with the summer heat…and not the other extreme.

Firebenders had at least some protection, but bending was strongly discouraged during pregnancy, since the increased body temperature might hurt the baby. So Azula was nearly as helpless as her nonbender husband.

The third morning of their confinement indoors, Azula woke up quite late in an exceedingly bad mood. The water pipes had burst, and people were supposed to be fixing it, but they were going so slowly that Azula imagined them slooooowwwly welding one pipe, then giving up and going on a tea break for the rest of the day. In the meantime, the royal family had to drink bottled water and use chamber pots. And Azula needed to do the latter several times a night due to her condition. At first, she thought she wouldn't mind this because she wouldn't have to walk all the way to the bathroom, but those things got filled really quickly.

Now her head hurt, her pillow had a huge damp spot where she'd drooled on it in her sleep, and she needed to pee again, but had to hold it until the servants got their lazy butts in here and emptied the pot.

So she just lay on her side, stewing away, until she heard Tom-Tom begin to stir. He sleepily slung an arm over her.

Without thinking, Azula snarled, "Don't touch me."

Tom-Tom jerked his arm away like he'd been stung by a buzzard wasp. Great. Now he was miserable too! This was the last thing they needed.

So Azula took a deep breath, and then said, "I'm sorry. I'm just at the end of my rope here."

Always obliging, Tom-Tom answered, "It's okay. I know things have been rough for you. But they'll get better."

Azula snorted and told him, "You forgive much too easily." Tom-Tom chuckled.

Just then, they heard someone pounding on their door, and without opening it, Zuko shouted, "Pipes are fixed! It'll take a few hours to get hot water back, though."

Honestly, couldn't he have sent a servant to tell them? Zuzu would never learn proper decorum.

Well, at any rate, Azula didn't need hot water to do what she urgently had to do.

When she returned, Tom-Tom said, "See? I told you."

Azula made a very rude gesture at him, but couldn't refrain from cracking a smile.