Author's Note: For a full appreciation of this chapter, you should first read "Weathering the Storm" and "Healing Invisible Scars." This second one is only available on AO3 because it's explicit.

This chapter is mildly censored here on this website, to comply with its guidelines. For the full version, see AO3.

Zuko landed Appa on the palace grounds in the afternoon after a day and a half of nearly continuous flying, stopping only once, to sleep briefly on an island when Appa needed it. Joshu came out to greet him, but the young Fire Lord wouldn't let his assistant draw him into a discussion of the cabinet ministers who would be eager to meet with him immediately. There was only one person he wanted to see. Joshu said that Mai wasn't in the palace, but was likely at her aunt's flower shop. Since he had to go looking for her anyway, he decided to clean himself up before he left the palace in search of his girlfriend.

Zuko showered, shaved, and washed his windblown hair. When he emerged from the bathroom, he wasn't sure what to put on. He was sick of the rough tunics he'd been wearing for the past month and a half, and had an impulse to dress up, to show Mai how serious he was about this moment. His most formal attire was ceremonial in nature, though, and he wanted to come to her as a man, not as Fire Lord. His crown and aggressive shoulder piece might almost make it seem as if she weren't allowed to say no. He decided on a suit that he might have worn to a night at the opera, a well-tailored, expensive outfit, but not one that emphasized his position as royalty. Venturing into Mai's adjoining room to sneak a peek at his right profile in her mirror, he thought he looked as good as he ever did, straight and correct, a vigorous young man richly attired. A suitor ready to press his suit.

Then he noticed something on the dresser. A red sparkle. He picked up a ruby earring, and his heart sank. She took it off? The idea hurt physically, and made him dread the answer he was about to receive. Nevertheless, he knew he had to ask the question, and do it well. Not only was it his solemn obligation, it was his best shot at happiness. Maybe if he said the right thing, he could change her mind, and she'd take him back. Stiffening his resolve, he put the earring in his pocket, next to the ring. He kept rehearsing the words of his apology and proposal in his head. He'd have to call on all of his persuasive skills for what would probably be the most important speech of his life.

Zuko asked his butler to call the chauffeur for his most formal carriage, and rode to the flower shop owned by Mai's aunt. Her mother lived there, so it would have been the first place he'd have looked for her, even without Joshu's hint.

He walked into the flower shop. "I'm looking for Mai," he announced awkwardly.

His girlfriend's mother, Michi, stood behind the counter, mouth open in surprise at the sight of him. But her shock turned to a flustered kind of ebullience almost instantly. She bustled to the front of the store, turning the sign in the window to 'CLOSED,' even as a customer approached the door.

"Mai!" She called out excitedly, disappearing into the back of the store. "Mai, he's here!"

Zuko shifted his weight and rubbed his sweaty palms on his pants. He touched the ring in his pocket and said a quick prayer to Agni.

In another minute, Mai appeared. She wore an apron over her burgundy dress, and her silky hair was arranged in its usual style, buns and bangs. The sight of her made his pulse pick up and his chest grow warm.

"Took you long enough." She said in a wounded, standoffish way, crossing her arms.

"I'm so sorry," Zuko begged forgiveness, approaching her tentatively. "I wanted to come. I wanted to be here. With you."

"I know, you had to save Aang." She rolled her eyes and sighed. "How is he?"

"Fine." Zuko answered. Her concern for their friend, and her acknowledgement that he'd had a duty to the Avatar, seemed a good sign. "Physically at least. He feels guilty, and is still beating himself up about what happened to Uncle, and the spirit attack victims. He and Katara had a huge fight, and I think that was even harder on him than the whole spirit kidnapping thing, but they've finally started to make up."

"And how's Iroh?"

"Basically completely healed. Strong as ever. Back in his tea shop." Zuko paused, afraid to ask. "How have you been?"

"Mad. Frustrated. Impatient. Lonely." The edge of resentment in her words chilled and grieved him.

"I'm so sorry." He repeated.

"You're here now. Fix it." She challenged him.

"It's not too late?"

"The clock is ticking." She warned.

"How can I make it up to you? I never meant to break a promise-"

She sighed. "And yet you did. I get it. Finding the Avatar is more important than spending time with your girlfriend, even on her birthday. More important than keeping your word. Aang needed you more than I do."

He started. He didn't like the sound of that. "But I need you more-" He protested.

She interrupted. "Seems like you got by without me ok. You had your friends. The whole team." Her voice took on a sarcastic edge, perhaps showing some resentment at her exclusion. "And I survived without you, too."

"You moved out." He stated.

"I didn't move out." She contradicted him.

"The paper said you did."

"It also said you jilted me. Is that true?"

"No."

"See, we both know better than to believe that bullshit."

"But you're here." He pointed out.

"I started sleeping over here, yeah." She admitted with a shrug. "There was no point staying in the palace without you there. I was sick of being alone, so I decided to spend some time with my mom and Tom Tom." She said it in a reasonable, matter-of-fact way. He couldn't fault her for doing what she needed to do to take care of herself in his absence, regardless of how it might have looked to others, or the worry it might have caused him.

"You left this behind." He held up the earring.

"No, I didn't." She pulled her hair back, revealing the ruby still in her ear. The sight of it made his knees weak with relief. "That's a cheap replica. They're being sold in the markets now. Nozomi gave it to me as a joke. She said I should wear it in my other ear to even me out."

"Then-you still-" He stuttered, unable to believe that he might still have a chance.

"One thing that helped was this." She pulled a scroll out of her sleeve and showed it to him. He unrolled it and saw that it was really three pieces of paper. He saw Uncle's flowing characters on the top page and started reading it.

My Dear Lady Mai,

I wish you a very happy eighteenth birthday! I hope I will be with you soon to celebrate an official announcement that we have all been awaiting for a very long time!

I thought that you might enjoy reading these two letters that Zuko sent me almost three years ago. Surely you already know that his heart is yours, but I thought his jubilant, boyish words would bring a smile to your face.

Zuko blushed, realizing what letters Iroh must have sent. A quick glance at the pages confirmed it. Mai is a revelation...I am overcome with wonder and humility and appreciation and joy…...I'd rather die than fail to do right by her... I am completely in love.

"Well, this is embarrassing." He muttered.

"Don't be embarrassed." She snatched the pages out of his hands and tucked them back into her sleeve for safekeeping. "Those letters are what got me through this, and half the reason I'm hearing you out right now, instead of slicing you to ribbons."

Maybe Uncle had saved him yet again. "You mean you still want me to ask?"

"If you make me wait until my next birthday, I really will use you for target practice." He noticed a familiar tension around the edges of her mouth that only appeared when she was failing to fully repress a smile.

Breathless with hope, he took her hands and knelt before her. "My lady." He looked at her hands in his and kissed them. "My only love. I can't live without you. I am already yours. You have pierced my soul. I'm going to love you for the rest of my life, regardless of what you say next." He pulled the ring out of his pocket and held it up, offering it to her. "Marry me. Please, Mai."

Her eyes didn't move from his, didn't even glance at the ruby he was presenting her. She took her hands from his, and framed his face with her fingers. He felt her pulling him up, and stood, letting her bring him in for a firm, slow, and thorough kiss. He knew every smooth, sweet contour of her mouth because she was his home; her taste made him relax and melt into blissful desire.

She ended the kiss before he was ready to let go of her lips. When he opened his eyes, he saw hers offering him fond, frank acceptance. "I love you, Zuko. I gave you my heart a long time ago. It's like I've been walking around for weeks with a hole in my chest."

"I have, too. But, Mai, I need an answer."

"Yes, you idiot! But don't you dare leave me alone that long ever again." She poked his chest with a sharp finger.

To conciliate her, he put the ring between their chins, so she couldn't ignore it anymore, baring his teeth in what he hoped was a winning smile.

She took the ring out of his fingers, marveling at how the gem caught the light. "Wow. What a rock." The rectangular ruby sparkled in its garnet-encrusted setting.

"If you don't like it, there are several more you can choose from." He informed her nervously. "I had this one made out of a stone from a necklace that originally belonged to Fire Lady Ilah's grandmother. I thought it would match the earrings..."

"I won't be able to do much with my left hand wearing this big, heavy thing. There goes my career as an assassin." She said wryly.

"You mean you'll wear it?" He asked eagerly.

She slipped it onto her finger. "It fits."

They kissed deeply again, as his apprehension started to turn to elation. He was about to suggest going back to the palace so they could make love, when something caught her eye over his shoulder, and he turned around to see what it was. Her mother, aunt, and little brother were peeking around a doorframe, spying.

"Come on out, you three." She called. "Want to see my new jewelry?"

There was a squeal, as her family rushed to them, exclaiming over the ring.

"It's really official, then?" Mai's mother asked her, glancing between her and Zuko.

"Yes. We are finally, officially engaged." She answered.

"Took you long enough," Aunt Mura muttered, just loudly enough for Zuko to hear.

"I'd, um, like to take Lady Mai back to the palace." He announced awkwardly, hoping to make a quick exit.

"Of course. That is where she lives, after all." Michi responded. "I told her she shouldn't spend too much time over here, or people would think she had moved out. I told her to write you back. You can't play hard to get with the world's most eligible bachelor, I said."

"Mom!" Mai rolled her eyes, mortified.

"Mai can play with me as much as she likes." Zuko replied, then blushed at his words' accidental double meaning. "No other girl ever had a chance. I'm glad I won't be a bachelor for much longer."

"So romantic!" Mura appeared entirely won over, eyes filled with tears and fingers fluttering over her mouth. "Can I-"

"Yes, you can provide the flowers for the wedding." Mai answered, taking off her apron and handing it to her aunt. "As long as you let us leave now."

The older women cleared the path to the door, pulling Tom Tom out of the way. The couple made their escape to the waiting carriage and ordered the chauffeur to return them to the palace.

"I was terrified you'd say no," Zuko admitted between kisses in the backseat.

"I know," she answered smugly, craning her neck to the side and directing his mouth there. "I wanted you to feel just as anxious as I did."

"Joshu told me. I deserved it. But now-"

"Now there's no reason to hold back."

They told the chauffeur to pull up to the side door, the one closest to the royal family's private residence, in the hopes that they'd be able to sneak right into his bedroom without being detected by anyone who could delay their consummation.

But the plan was thwarted when Ursa discovered them. They happily shared their news and accepted her fawning congratulations. However, their appreciation for her enthusiasm for their marriage died when she went straight into planning mode, launching immediately into a discussion of the engagement party they would have to throw. Before they knew it, she was bustling them toward the sitting room, babbling about invitations and dates. When they came to the fork in the hallway between the bedrooms and the reception rooms, Zuko halted, rather than allow his mother to pull him from his course.

"Mom." His decided voice got her attention and made her turn around. "Mai and I want to celebrate."

"Yes, dear, that's what we're discussing." She smiled naively. "Your engagement celebration."

"Privately."

"Oh." She blushed, realizing. "Well, um, we can talk about this later."

"Tomorrow." Zuko answered, to ensure that they wouldn't be interrupted in a couple hours by a knock.

"Or the next day." Mai put in. They both blushed at the implication that they might require over 24 hours alone in his bedroom to become reacquainted, but the idea only made them the more keen to begin.

Ursa nodded and bowed, leaving the newly engaged couple alone.

Afterward, they lay together in his bed. Zuko draped his arm around his fiancee's shoulders, and her left hand found its customary place over his heart. The new ring on her finger caught both of their attention then, and he took her hand in his, holding it out so they could both admire the way the ruby looked between her knuckles, and her fingers intertwined with his.

"The final fruition of the agreement we made when you first moved in." He reminded her, grinning with satisfaction.

"That deal always was entirely one-sided." Mai mused. "You gave me a place to stay for the present, on the condition that you would offer me a home for the rest of my life. I never knew what you were getting out of it."

"A beautiful woman in my bed?" Zuko suggested, as if it were self-evident.

She shook her head. "That was never part of the arrangement, remember? You made a point of that. It was all my choice."

"Yeah, but it wouldn't have happened if you weren't living with me in the palace." He argued.

She shrugged. "Maybe not as soon, or as often, without the opportunity. It would have been a lot less convenient if I were still living with my parents. But I was not going to be able to resist throwing myself at you for long."

"And once you'd reached the age of consent, my conscience would not have required me to refuse your advances. But this would have been my intention all along." He indicated the ring again. "Even under those circumstances. Before I made love to you, I would have made sure you knew I wanted you for always, and wasn't using you." He took a deep breath and shifted her a little closer. "I suppose the deal we made so long ago benefitted me because I got to continue to date you, and it eased my guilt for destroying your reputation. You wouldn't have been able to find another respectable match after living with me; as a man in our sexist society, and as Fire Lord, I had no way to similarly ruin myself, so offering you first right of refusal was the best I could do to put us on an even footing. My promise to propose was all I had to give you to try to make up for the way you lost your family. And it was only what I wanted anyway. When you told me you wanted me to ask, it made me believe that someday this moment would come, and that made me immeasurably happy. Almost as happy as I am now."

Mai stiffened and pulled apart a little. "Before we make this public, there's something I should tell you." She said, looking at their hands together, moving her fingers nervously between his.

"Yeah?"

"I went on a date with this guy and let him kiss me."

So the article had been true. He expected to feel pain at the confirmation, but didn't. A kiss seemed so trivial compared to the commitment they'd just made, and the union they'd just experienced. "That's all?" He asked.

"Yeah, that was it. His name was Kei Lo. He came in to the flower shop and bought a bouquet, then turned around and gave it to me. I was just so bored and starved for attention and mad at you, I went along with it." She explained, her brow furrowed with regret. "He really seemed to like me, and that just felt nice. But a kiss was clearly going too far. So I'm sorry."

"Did you like it?" He wondered.

"No, it felt all wrong." She wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Too wet, like Tom Tom. And then he tried to call me 'babe.'"

Zuko laughed aloud at the disgusted look on her face.

"You forgive me then? You're not going to take it back?" She asked, holding up her hand with the ring on it.

"Of course not. You wouldn't have done it if I hadn't broken my word first, right? If I'd proposed on schedule?"

"Right."

"Then it's half my fault. And you don't have any desire to see this guy again?"

"Not at all."

"Then I'd be pretty dumb to care." And hypocritical, he added to himself. "You're with me now. You chose me, and I trust that."

"That's a relief." Mai relaxed into him, resting her head on his shoulder. "I just kept thinking about how jealous you were on Ember Island, and how much worse this was….."

"I was an insecure teenage brat back then. I thought you were sure to leave me for a guy with a normal face as soon as you could. That was before…..everything." He took a deep breath. "I have my own confession. After I saw the article about your date with Kei Lo, Katara and I…...had a moment. We almost-almost-" He had barely restrained himself from kissing her on the lips, and he was afraid that if he had, it would not have been as unappealing and meaningless as the one Mai had shared with her date. Though incomplete, his sin was worse: Katara was a close friend with whom he had an abiding connection, and she would always be a part of their lives, while Kei Lo had been a random person she would never see again. Besides, Mai had been jealous of Katara in the past, during their breakup before the comet.

"But you didn't." She clarified, looking at him sharply.

"I didn't." He confirmed. "I thought of you and stopped. But I did tell her I loved her."

"What?" Her eyes were stricken.

"Meaning as a friend, or a sister. That's how she took it, and how she returned it."

"I need to hear the exact words."

He repeated what he and Katara had said to each other, and added, "Then I kissed her on the forehead. Like I do to Kiyi."

"And when were you planning on telling me about this?" She challenged him. "Would you have ever told me if I hadn't confessed first, or if I hadn't done anything?"

"Of course I would have." He assured her. "But I'm not sure when. Definitely before the wedding, or before we see Katara and Aang again."

"But not before you proposed, or before we had sex." She pointed out, crossing her arms.

"I couldn't quite figure out how to fit this into our conversation at the flower shop. It seemed like you wanted me to go ahead and ask the question. And then we were both so eager to make love...I'm sorry if that was wrong, and I really hope it doesn't change your answer." He swallowed his anxiety about that possibility, then pointed out her own omission. "You didn't tell me about your date until afterward. I had to read about it in the newspaper. I asked you to marry me before I even knew whether that story was true, or how far it had gone."

"Because you owed me the proposal first of all, before anything else." She justified herself.

"That's true." That was one reason he had dropped to his knee so quickly. He'd pondered this issue on the ride over, as he planned out what he'd say, and felt stuck between his desire not to spoil the proposal, and his horror at the thought of her accepting under false pretenses, and then rescinding. In the end all he could do was follow her lead, once they were in a room together, and there had been no easy opening for this revelation.

She took a huffy breath, exhaling hard through her nose. He thought that might mean she'd decided to move on, but didn't feel very gracious about it quite yet. "It wouldn't have happened if I'd been there? If I'd written you back?" She verified gruffly, turning back to the incident with Katara. "Or if Aang had never disappeared?"

"Absolutely not. We were both so lonely. But even thinking I'd already lost you, I found I couldn't….." He touched the ruby on her ear. His voice lowered tenderly. "I told you a long time ago that I already felt married to you in my heart, and that bond was still there, holding me back, even though I hadn't seen you or heard from you in weeks."

Her eyes softened and she smiled a little. "It's weird, but that somehow makes me feel even more secure than if you'd never told me you…..wavered."

"I mean, I do care about Katara, and I always will, so it was nice to put that out in the open." He went on. "Sometimes now, it's like she's everything I always wished Azula could have been for me. Like she somehow took my sister's place when she defeated her and saved my life. Under happier circumstances, I could have said the same words to Katara in front of both you and Aang, even with less clarification, and it would not have been a big deal."

"I suppose that's true. Maybe I don't need to skewer her after all."

"I'd rather you didn't."

"And speaking of Azula, when I visited her last week, she greeted me by saying, 'Please tell me you're here to kill me.'" Mai's bright tone belied the dour words.

"That's a good thing?" Zuko squinted skeptically, confused.

"It was a private joke between us."

"Oh. That is a promising sign, then."

"I complained about you, and she listened, and even joined in." Mai elaborated. "She seemed a lot more…..coherent. Like she understood who I was, and where we were, and what was going on around her, for once."

"Do you think our mom's visits have helped, then?" Zuko wondered. "The doctors told me how they set it up so they could talk without showing her new face….."

"Maybe that's been the difference. It will be great if she can finally be herself again. I miss her biting wit."

"Me too. But if she's sane, that means she'll have to accept that she got beaten by a waterbender from a poor village, and that I'm Fire Lord now." Zuko pointed out. "Azula always hated losing. I figured she kind of chose madness over admitting defeat."

"Maybe we have to help her see that life can still be good for her even if she's not in charge. That her friends and family love her even though she can't order us to."

"And even though she tried to kill us both." Zuko muttered.

"It's a lot to forgive, but I think I'm ready for that. Are you?"

He nodded.

"And if we can forgive Azula, then we can certainly forgive each other. But should we be worried about these….near misses?" Mai fretted, twisting the ring on her finger. "We both just almost cheated, and now we're suddenly ratcheting up the commitment? Maybe we're too young for this."

"I'm not worried unless you are, but I'd be fine with a long engagement if you think that's wise." Zuko answered. "I think these incidents only happened because of an unusual situation that will be even less likely to repeat itself after we're married. And now that we've talked about it and reaffirmed our commitment, I feel like we're stronger and more secure than ever."

She smiled. "Ok. I like that. I'm glad you feel that way. I do trust you."

"I trust you, too."

"Then I think I'd rather not wait." She jutted out her chin, decided. "Let's go ahead and make it official. Because this was the plan all along. The only reason we ever delayed was because of my age."

"Right. I would have eloped with you the day your father kicked you out, if it had been legal. This has been settled for a long time, inside where it counts." He touched his temple to hers, then brushed their cheekbones together. "You gave me the greatest honor of my life," he whispered, leaning in for another kiss.

But she surprised him by pulling away, as if she had just remembered something. "I have something to give you, too. Wait here." She got out of bed, stark naked, and walked to her adjoining room, returning with a box. Sitting up on the bed, he opened it.

"A knife!" The blade had a silver sheath and a carved handle of dark wood.

"Piandao helped me make it. You had that dagger that your uncle gave you, but then you gave it to that Earth Kingdom boy. I thought you needed one with a new motto."

He pulled the blade from the sheath, and read "Seeking Honor in Justice". It seemed fitting that she had put the purpose of the rest of his life into a few simple words. "It's perfect, my love."

"And turn over the sheath, I put another message there."

He examined the sheath, and saw engraved some familiar words, "Make me yours already." His heart caught, and for a moment he was breathless, the memory shooting through his whole body. He looked up at her in wonder.

"Did you mean…..to use this to propose to me?"

"I wanted to be ready to force the issue, if you forgot, or waited too long." She clarified. "Or, better, to give you a gift in return for the jewelry I figured you'd be giving me. I made it months ago, anticipating my birthday. It would have gotten rusty waiting for you, but I made it extra sharp instead."

"So is that what you've been doing all these weeks? Sharpening this blade, and selling flowers?" He wondered.

"And keeping up with your correspondence-"

"You didn't respond to a single one of my letters!" He objected.

"I mean, the official royal correspondence, the business of the realm." She explained. "And taking your place at cabinet meetings. And my regular target practice. One of your official portraits got ruined, sorry."

He winced, then shrugged. "If that's what you needed to do to take out your anger with me….."

"That wasn't all I needed to do for that purpose. I had a lot of anger."

"I'm sorry-"

"I'm over it. Clearly. But here's another thing I did as a therapeutic and time-killing measure." She leaned over and picked up one of the throw pillows that they'd pushed off the bed in their haste to rejoin their bodies, and handed it to him. It was black, covered with red embroidery thread. At second glance, he realized that the embroidery spelled out words. "Get the fuck back here this instant, you fucking asshole…..." The profane rant continued along those lines, wrapping around the pillow as her womanly art cursed him with startling originality. He couldn't help laughing.

"I didn't know you knew embroidering."

"All the girls at the Royal Academy learn it." She shrugged. "It's boring as hell. But my mom insisted that I should work on my trousseau….." She rolled her eyes.

"That's intriguing," he grinned, remembering the elaborately stitched nightgown she had worn the first night they had made love.

"I put all kinds of messages for you on my new bridal lingerie," she whispered in his ear. "Dirty puns, insulting endearments, explicit instructions…."

He groaned at the thought. "Then it's a good thing we didn't decide on a long engagement. I really don't want to wait to see that."

"And while you were gone, I didn't only use needles for embroidery." She segued to tell him another new accomplishment. "You've heard of Sir Sharpstain?"

"The tattoo artist?" He was surprised. "I didn't notice any ink on you…."

"Not on me. I took a beginner's course at his studio. I remembered how much you liked it when I did this," she touched his ear. "But I don't think you'd look very respectable with any more piercings. Tattoos, however, can be hidden. I was thinking I'd sign my name right here." She pinched his rear.

He gulped, definitely interested, recalling how hot submitting to her needle had been when she had pierced his ear. "That would be fitting. And if we turn out to enjoy the process, you could put a giant dragon on my back. No one would ever see it but you."

"A real artist would have to stencil it, but I could do the painful part for you. The sexy part. Big tattoos take a long time to complete."

"Would you want me to return the favor?" He offered.

"You're going to mark my body in other ways." She assured him. "Stretched skin, spider veins, widened feet. The changes won't be as pretty as your ink."

"Oh, Mai," he moaned, hands touching her abdomen. "When you carry my child, you will be the most radiant woman who has ever lived."

"Even more than on our wedding day?" She asked skeptically. "You know that has to come first."

"Of course. How soon?" He asked eagerly.

"I think our moms have basically planned the whole thing for us," she informed him. "Ursa had nothing to do while waiting for you either. She came to the palace for my birthday and our engagement, as it had been planned, but when you didn't show up, she just started wedding planning. I was too mad at you to participate in much of it, so she just took control, and of course my mom was eager to help. They have the whole thing almost ready. Even the guest list and seating chart. I hope you like red and gold."

"All I care about is that you're my bride. I can't wait to start our life together."

Author's Note: I am slightly changing my posting schedule. I have been updating every other day, but now I will move to posting on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. One reason for this is that A. D. Curtis is updating their new AU story, "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle" on Tuesdays, so you can read that instead of my story for your ATLA fix. I highly recommend it!

Next chapter, to be posted Wednesday: Aang and Katara have the talk she promised him. Maiko got one reconciliation chapter, Kataang will have the next three in a row, and a couple more later as well.