Previously, on Avatar: Team Azula went to Ember Island and the Gaang escaped Combustion Man. Then we moved through Ember Island Arcade, The Avatar and the Fire Lord, The Runaway, Monster Slayer, and The Puppetmaster. And now we have scenes from Nightmares and Daydreams.

A/N: A quick note about smuttiness: The challenge for this fic was to present an edited version of the original that could have actually been plausible airing on Nickelodeon, so I'm trying to keep it Nick-appropriate. My more mature readers can fill in the blanks, but keep in mind the characters are still 12-17 years old. So we're keeping it pretty K+, even though I changed the rating to T just to be safe. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. This episode originally written by John O'Bryan.

Book 3: Fire; Chapter 14: Nightmares and Daydreams

Zuko stood in the colonnade at the front of the palace, looking over the front grounds. He could see Mai's house just outside the gates. He thought back to a couple of weeks ago, when they were still together and he would visit her regularly.

Zuko was getting dressed with the help of palace servants.

"Fresh fruit, Prince Zuko?" a servant offered.

Zuko held up his hand and shook his head, politely declining. The servant handed the fruit bowl over to a comrade standing by.

"May I wash your feet, sir?" another servant bowed.

Zuko declined his offer as well.

"Head massage?" asked the first servant again.

Zuko shook his head again.

"Hot towel?" Zuko paused. He took one of the towels and wiped his forehead before proceeding on his way.

The palace gates opened before him to reveal an adoring crowd waiting and cheering for him. He gave a small wave to the citizens. A large woman jumped out of the crowd waving her arms senselessly, and a couple of guards carried her away. Zuko gave a small amused smile. His royal station was fully reestablished in the eyes of his people; he was their Crown Prince, heir to the Fire Nation throne. His father had truly restored his family honor and it felt great to be adored – revered, even. Zuko turned to walk across the courtyard, only to be stopped by a voice behind him.

"Prince Zuko, is something wrong?" A palace servant was speaking to him. "You didn't take the palanquin." Four other servants bowed in their positions at the bars of the palanquin, ready to carry him to his destination.

"I'm just going to Mai's house," Zuko answered. "It's not far."

"It's not a prince's place to walk anywhere, sir," insisted the elderly servant.

Zuko shrugged and got into the palanquin with a satisfied smirk. He was thoroughly enjoying all the benefits of being back home. The servants lifted it and walked about 20 paces to Mai's house. Zuko peeked out of the curtains to see Mai standing on the step; she waved and went into the house to wait for him.

Zuko's heart swelled as he thought about the citizens cheering for him. But what were they really cheering for? Uncle had talked about cleansing the sins of their family. Certainly, there were many. Did the people recognize this? If they revered his father also, would they still honor Zuko if he went against his father?

Zuko was still mulling over his uncle's words, and the revelation that while Fire Lord Sozin was his patrilineal great-grandfather, Avatar Roku was his matrilineal great-grandfather. When he wasn't distracting himself with the comforts of his royal lifestyle, his mind was working overtime trying to grasp the significance of having another venerated ancestor on his mother's side to rival the one on his father's. Uncle seemed to think this meant that Zuko's destiny was more than just becoming the next Fire Lord; it was to end the war and restore balance. But then what of the Avatar? Was that not his job? Puzzling through all this was giving Zuko a headache. He decided to turn his thoughts to other things.

With Mai's house still in view, he let his mind wander back to reflect on their relationship. He walked through the halls as he considered. A smile played at his lips as he remembered the physical part of their relationship. There had been advantages to her parents still governing Omashu, and Mai's house being empty except for a few servants. The only good part of their relationship had been the physical part. One thing Mai rarely rejected was his touch, and she was always wanting to kiss – and more. But she was never willing to listen, or to open up and talk to him. When he tried to connect with her emotionally, she shut him down every time. It soured the physical experience to have such a lack of acceptance and understanding between them. A flash of memory shot through Zuko's mind – Katara touching his scar in the Crystal Catacombs. She listened, and cared. Zuko shook his head as if to shake off the memory of Ba Sing Se. He was the future Fire Lord. He couldn't afford to be thinking about a waterbender, especially not her, not after what he did.

As he continued walking, Zuko came to a sitting room with a couch where he and Mai had spent time together. He paused a moment at the door, then walked in and looked down at the cushions, closing his eyes as he recalled lying there with Mai.

"Tell me," he asked her, "if you could have anything you want right now, what would it be?"

"Hmm," she considered. "A big fancy fruit tart, with rose petals on top."

"You know, being a prince and all, I might just be able to make that happen," Zuko said with a smile.

Mai chuckled. "That would be impressive."

Zuko sat up and addressed the servants at the door. "Do you think you could find a fresh fruit tart for the lady, with rose petals on top?"

"Excellent choice, sir," a servant replied as he bowed and departed to fetch the tart.

"I guess there's some nice perks that come with being royalty," Mai said, and she pushed Zuko back down onto the couch with her.

Okay, so his relationship with Mai had been more than just physical. She had also enjoyed the perks of dating a prince. Zuko couldn't help but wonder if she had really loved him at all, or if she just wanted his status and his body. But that was not fair. Mai was a loyal friend; she just didn't know how to handle emotions. Or how to accept simple gifts, or kind gestures, or … he sighed. He hoped there was someone out there for him that he could really confide in both regarding matters of state and personal issues, who would accept him for who he was, that he could really build a relationship with based on mutual love and trust in every area. Someone he could laugh and – dare he even think it – play with. Unbidden, his thoughts drifted to Katara again, and their brief moment of playful teasing before she tried to heal his scar. He looked down at the couch and imagined reclining there with Katara instead of Mai. Just for a moment, could he allow himself to indulge this fantasy? Now that he was single, what could it hurt? Then he felt butterflies rising up in his stomach and pushed the thoughts away.

Zuko heard familiar footsteps approaching. He didn't need to look to know that he'd chased those thoughts away just in time.

"Revisiting old memories?" Mai asked from behind him.

Zuko turned and gave her a half smile. "Not that old; it's only been a couple of weeks."

"We can still go back," she said, taking a step closer. Zuko looked away, but she placed a hand on his cheek and turned it back. "I miss you," she confessed.

Zuko covered her hand with his and gently removed it from his face. "Mai, we gave it a good try," he said softly, "but I think we're better as friends. You can always come to me with anything. You know that."

Mai frowned and snatched her hand away, clearly not happy with his response. She looked as if she were about to speak, but a servant approached before she had a chance.

"Prince Zuko," the servant bowed as he held out a small scroll, "a summons from your father the Fire Lord." The servant bowed again and left.

"What is it?" Mai asked as Zuko read over the paper.

"I'm being summoned to a war council," he replied.

"Oh, that," Mai said, as if it were old news. "Azula mentioned it. Sounds boring."

And this is why we're not together, Zuko reminded himself. To Mai, he just shrugged. "Duties of the Crown Prince, I guess."

"Yeah, I guess," she replied, resuming her usual blank tone.

...

Aang woke gasping from his second nightmare. "I've gotta be ready," he panted. He rose and began pacing around a herd of sleeping koala sheep. Katara woke and went after him.

"Aang, it's the middle of the night. You need to go back to sleep."

"But I forgot my pants and my math test," Aang answered, sounding slightly panicked.

Katara took a deep breath for patience and grabbed Aang's shoulder to hold him still.

"Aang, sleep," she insisted. "Please."

Aang rubbed his eyes and bowed his head in submission. He let Katara walk him back to the camp to attempt sleeping again.

...

Zuko was invigorated from his workout, but he was also a sweaty mess. He headed to the bathhouse by way of the royal spa. Azula reclined in a chair with her head resting on the edge of a pool, her hair swirling in the water as servants combed it.

"Hello, Zuzu," she greeted him. "If you've come for a royal hair-combing, I'm afraid you'll have to wait," she teased.

"Not at all, Azula," he answered. "I'm heading to the sauna."

"Looks like you could use it." Azula never missed a chance to send a barb his way.

Zuko ignored her and walked through the colonnade along the side of the spa to the sauna. He secured the door to ensure privacy and stripped down in the antechamber, wrapping a towel around his waist. As he entered the steam room, Zuko took a deep breath of the moist, warm air. He sat on the wooden bench and tried to relax in the cleansing steam. But Zuko found he could not sit still; his mind was too restless and movement helped him think. Zuko stood, thankful that the slatted floor was designed to avoid slipping, and began moving through the stances of his most basic firebending form. As he moved, he thought back to his early training sessions, as well as training with Uncle on his ship. He thought back to the last war meeting he was in and the slip-up that led to his banishment. And he thought about agni kais and combat situations he'd been in – sparring with other firebenders, his first encounter with the airbender, and his battles with Katara. He was impressed with how rapidly she improved from her feeble attempts at waterbending in the South Pole to truly becoming a master after her time in the North. She was so fiercely protective of her friend the Avatar – like the mother turtle duck protecting her baby. And spirits, she was beautiful. He wished it had been harder to fight against her at Ba Sing Se, but he was so consumed with his own rage that he was ashamed to say he hardly gave it a thought. Although, he admitted, it had hurt when she accused him of lying. Had she suspected that their time together was all a ruse? He'd had to set her straight on that point, but unfortunately it didn't change anything. They were still on opposite sides and the Avatar had to be contained.

Then you're lying to yourself. Her words came back to him. Was he lying to himself? And then his uncle's words: It's time for you to choose good. And what had he chosen? Look into your heart and see what it is you truly want. Zuko didn't know what he wanted anymore. He felt the guilt and shame rising up in him again for betraying Uncle. He let out a powerful fire blast in his anger, and then sat, head in his hands, trying to calm the confusion swirling around him and clear his mind.

The sauna heat was becoming stifling. Zuko returned to the antechamber and went into a door next to the steam room that led to a bathing pool. He stepped in and let the cool water refresh him before firebending the bath to just the right temperature.

...

It was late afternoon and Zuko was making his daily visit with the turtle ducks when he heard Azula's voice and Ty Lee's giggle. He looked up to see the two girls walking through the breezeway nearby. Ty Lee detoured to turn a few cartwheels in his direction.

"Are you ready for the big meeting?" she asked.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Zuko answered somewhat curtly.

"Well I mean, just think about how things went the last time," Ty Lee said with furrowed brow.

Zuko sighed. "I know."

"So you're really not worried?" Ty Lee gently pressed.

"All I have to do is not speak out against anyone," Zuko replied. "This is the chance I've been waiting for to prove to my father that I can be the son he wants me to be."

Ty Lee shrugged and twirled away saying, "Well, see you later!"

The following day, Zuko was in his room with servants dressing him in formal attire for the war council. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves, and walked out into the hall just in time to see Azula walking by.

"See you in there, Zuzu," she said smugly over her shoulder. Zuko waited a moment for her to pass, and then walked to the council on his own. Azula would only make him nervous if he tried to engage with her now.

...

After the meeting, Zuko exited the throne room in a daze. He walked through the hall, reflecting on what had just happened. When he got to the meeting, everyone had welcomed him. His father had saved him a seat in the place of honor. He wanted me next to him, Zuko reflected. I was literally at his right hand. Zuko stopped at the portrait of his father and studied it. During the meeting, he had been the perfect prince – the son his father wanted. Now, he looked down from the portrait and closed his eyes. But I wasn't me, he realized. And in that moment, less than twenty-four hours before the eclipse, Zuko knew exactly what he had to do.