Chapter 84: The Labours of the Day

"The baby's coming!"

There was silence for a long second and then Sokka exclaimed, "What? Now? Can't you hold it in or something?"

Katara rolled her eyes at his ridiculousness. She said, "Sokka, calm down. I helped Gran Gran deliver lots of babies back home."

"This isn't the same as delivering an arctic seal! This is a real… human… thing!"

She rolled her eyes ever harder. "It's called a baby and I helped her deliver those too. Aang, get some rags. Sokka, water. Toph, I need an earth tent. A big one."

Aang and Sokka rushed over to carry out her orders. Toph nodded and proceeded to bend a large earth tent around the small family.

Out of the corner of her eye Katara saw Zuko struggling to his feet. She pointed at him and glared.

"Zuko, stare where you are. You were still recovering from Azula's attack and you just nearly drowned. Stay down."

Zuko glared back but stopped moving.

Katara nodded. "Suki, come with me. I might need another pair of hands."

Suki nodded back and accompanied the Waterbender into the earth tent.

Toph walked over and dropped down besides Zuko.

She reached into her pocket and removed a small cloth pouch. She offered it to the Firebender. "Jerky?"

Zuko eyed it but took a piece. He chewed the end of it and said casually, "This smells like the stuff Sokka likes."

Toph nodded, also casual, as she removed a piece for herself. "I know, right? He really needs to keep a closer watch on his stuff. There's all kinds of unscrupulous people around."

Zuko snorted and kept eating the ill-gotten jerky.


Zuko, Toph, Aang, and Sokka were all sat outside the large earth tent.

Katara yelled, "Sokka, I need that water!"

The Tribesman grabbed the small pot of water and rushed in. The others heard a groan and a faint thud. Toph smirked.

Zuko said, "He fainted, didn't he?"

She nodded. "Yup."

Zuko sighed and reached into his pocket. He removed a copper piece and handed it to her. "I've got to stop making bets with you."

She nodded again, smiling widely. "Yup."


Toph was leaning against one side of Zuko, and Aang was leaning against the other. Sokka was laid on his back, feet elevated on a rolled up blanket, and a damp cloth on his forehead. Occasionally he made a groaning noise.

"How long is this going to take?" Toph complained.

Zuko smirked. "From what I've heard, a first-time pregnancy can take hours. Sometimes more than a day."

Aang's eyes widened dramatically. "A day? That's… insane!?"

Toph nodded, a vaguely grossed-out look on her face. "I know, right? Yeesh. If ever there was a reason not to get pregnant."

Zuko frowned down at the girl. He really didn't want to know how much she knew about the process of becoming pregnant. For all that her parents brought her up in a sheltered environment, she knew far too much about far too much. He blamed the Earth Rumble.


They were all still sat there, waiting.

Then, there was a wailing cry. They all perked up.

They heard Katara shout, "It's a girl!"

Zuko smiled. Toph asked Sokka, "So, you want to go see the baby or are you going to faint like an old lady again?"

Aang and Zuko both laughed. Sokka went a little red.

He said, "No, no, I'm good this time."

The two stood up and went to enter the tent.

Zuko and Aang stayed seated. Zuko said, "You don't want to see the baby?"

Aang shrugged, not meeting his gaze. He muttered, "You're not."

Zuko sighed. "I… don't think Than and Ying would appreciate my presence around their newborn."

Aang looked up and frowned at him. Zuko elaborated, "They saw me Firebend."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Oh."

Katara stuck her head outside. She sent an apologetic glance at Zuko and then said to Aang, "Aang, you have to come and see this."

Aang sighed softly but stood up. He entered the tent.

He heard Toph remark, "She sounds healthy."

"She's beautiful." Katara gushed.

Sokka ruined the moment with, "It's so… squishy-looking."

"Sokka!" Katara chastised.

Aang looked down at the baby girl and couldn't help but smile. She was beautiful.

Than said, "What should we name her?"

"I want our daughter's name to be unique." Ying said. "I want it to mean something."

Aang cleared his throat a little. He could feel his eyes filling with unshed tears.

He said, "I've been going through a really hard time lately. But you… you've made me hopeful again."

Ying smiled at the Avatar. "That's what I want our daughter to be. Hope."

Than smiled at his wife and daughter. "It's perfect. Hope."