Author's Note: I just want to let you all know that I am officially moving exclusively to Archive of Our Own, so this will be the last update I post on this fic here. Sorry for any disappointment or inconvenience, but at this point, I feel like that is what's best for me. Thank you all for your wonderful reviews, and for reading my stories! I really appreciate each and every one of you, and I hope to see ou on ao3!

Two weeks passed by with a hurricane intensity but the like the fleeting passage of cherry blossoms in bloom. They were some of the happiest in Katara's life. She almost felt like it was all a dream.

She saw a side of Zuko that she had never seen before, one that would leave small gifts outside her bedroom door when he left for work before she woke, one who was would bring her home her favorite pastries from the tea shop, one who helped her cook dinner and cleaned up after without uttering a single complaint. He would rub her shoulders after a long day of work, and even though he wasn't very good at it, it always made her feel better.

He'd take her for walks through the city in the cool evening air, and they would talk, about their childhoods and their mothers. Zuko was so beautiful, as she had always known he was, ever since she'd dared to take a chance on him.

The spaces between their conversations were peppered with kisses. Some were short and sweet, others were more heated and passionate. Sometimes she accidentally brushed against him while they made out and she could feel just how much he liked it, but he never tried anything more than to kiss her, and Katara was fine with that. She thought of the pennyroyal tea, but she was far too young to take that step in a relationship.

Iroh was wholly supportive as well. Katara was certain that she had never seen him happier in all the months they had been together now.

Things were starting to feel good. Katara felt hopeful, like the future was brighter than she had believed it could be. It was only a matter of time before she found her friends, but she was confident that Zuko would choose her, choose the Avatar.

Zuko was hers. He had made that clear time and time again. He had told Jin about his feelings for Katara, and the girl seemed to accept it, although she frequented the shop less often now. Katara was okay with that.

He was hers. She liked the sound of that.

Early one morning, there came a frantic knocking at the door. Katara was pulled from sleep by the intrusion, her expression twisting into a scowl. It was far too early, but it did sound kind of urgent, so with a sigh, she pulled herself from her bedroll and padded out into the living room.

Zuko was already at the door. She took in his shirtless for a moment (the muscles of his back were far too attractive) before she peered around him out the door. Katara saw two of the children from down the hall standing in the doorway. Both children had wide, panic filled eyes.

"Is everything okay?" Katara asked.

Zuko looked back over at her, his brow knit. "I think something is wrong with their mom?"

The oldest of the two children looked at Katara. "The baby is coming! The baby is coming!"

Katara's eyes widened. "Oh spirits."

She was spurred into action. Katara hurried towards the door without even bothering to put on her boots. She looked back at Zuko.

"Wake Iroh," she told him. "Bring me hot water and clean towels."

"Uh…"

But Katara was already gone, sweeping down the hall with the children following behind her. She had helped Gran deliver plenty of babies in the South Pole. And she was a healer. She could do this.

The two kids led her into their apartment. It was identical to theirs, and it was sparsely furnished as well. Well-worn toys littered the floor. A toddler sat playing with a wooden spoon, looking up at them with mild interest.

"Mama's in her room," the younger child who had come to fetch her said.

Katara wasted no time as she hurried into the room. She found their neighbor, Lien, sitting up in bed, her hands pressed to her swollen belly and her face twisted into a mask of pain as she went through a contraction.

"Lien, it's me, Katara," she said as she came into the dim room. "I'm here to help."

"Thank you," Lien rasped. Her teeth were gritted with pain. "My children—"

"They're fine," Katara assured her. "Let's get you laid back and we'll check in on things, okay?"

Katara helped Lien lay down before she examined her. She was relieved to see that it wasn't quite time for the baby to be delivered yet, which was good. Just as she was wondering where Iroh and Zuko were with the towels and hot water, she heard someone knocking at the apartment door. Then she heard Zuko and Iroh come in.

"Here, we brought what you—oh spirits!"

Katara looked over her shoulder to see Zuko looking quite green. She quickly covered Lien with a blanket before she got up to take the towels and water from him, pushing him back into the living room.

"Thanks. Try not to hurl," Katara said dryly.

Zuko's eyes were on the ceiling, and he was still looking like he was about to either pass out or throw up. "Sorry—just—wasn't expecting—"

"Why don't you send Iroh in? You can keep the kids occupied. They probably need breakfast," Katara said.

Zuko nodded jerkily before he turned on his heel and went back into the living room. Katara went back to Lien.

"We'll get you through this," Katara told her assuringly.

Lien grabbed her hand and squeezed. "Thank you, Katara. My husband—he's off fighting in the war. Most of our family is scattered around the Earth Kingdom. It's just me and my children."

"I'll take care of you, I promise." Katara squeezed her hand back.

Iroh came in then. Katara turned towards him. He looked a bit out of place, but thankfully it didn't look like he was about to lose his breakfast like Zuko had.

"I do not know how much help I will be," Iroh said slowly as he stopped by the side of the bed. "I was there when my son was born, but that was many moons ago."

Katara offered him a grateful smile. "That's okay. I was actually hoping you would be moral support for Lien. You've got a warm, comforting aura about you and I think that would be really helpful."

He offered a short bow. "Then that is what I shall do."

"Thank you," Lien said thickly. Katara couldn't tell if the tears in her eyes were from pain or gratitude, or maybe both. "Thank you both. And Lee, too."

Lien labored for most of the day. Katara kept track of the amount of time between each contraction. Iroh held her hand and offered soothing words of encouragement. Zuko kept the children in the living room. He made a simple breakfast of rice and sliced mango, and he cooked lunch as well.

When it was almost time for Lien to push, Katara went out into the living room. She was shocked to see Zuko sitting cross-legged on the floor, the eldest children tucked beneath his arms and the youngest in his lap. She could hear his voice, low and husky, and she realized that he was telling them a story.

"...and the turtleduck asked the dragon, 'When will my wings let me fly as you? I wish to touch the sun too'," Zuko said. "And the dragon looked at the turtleduck and said, 'why would you wish to traverse the skies? They are dangerous. Your pond is safe, and you have all you can want—food, water, shade, family. That is a good life.'"

Zuko looked up and saw Katara standing there. The corner of his lips pulled up in a smile, and she returned it, even though she was tired.

"You should take them to our apartment," Katara said quietly. "It's almost time."

Zuko nodded in understanding before he looked down at the kids tucked around him. "Why don't we finish this story at my apartment? I think we have some mochi."

At that, the children grew excited. Zuko scooped the smallest one up in his arms and slung him around onto his back for a cow-piggyback ride. He walked over to Katara and pressed a brief kiss to her lips as the eldest children headed for the door.

"It's getting late," he remarked.

"You can put them to bed in my room," Katara told them. "We'll come back once Lien has the baby and I know that she'll be fine."

She watched Zuko leave with the kids, taking a moment to marvel over how well he had done with them. She hadn't known that he had a knack for kids. But the children had taken to him, rarely whining or complaining throughout the entire day, and he'd kept them entertained enough that they hadn't worried about their mother.

Then he was gone, and she returned to Lien' bedroom. As this was her fourth child, Lien was handling it very well. She knew what to expect, and she powered through her contractions with deep breathing exercises and with controlled grunts and gasps of pain. Katara admired her strength, really, and hoped that whenever she brought a child into the world, she could do it as beautifully as Lien.

"Let's see where we're at," Katara said as she settled on the foot of the bed.

Lien's first daughter was born late that evening, shortly after dusk. She came into the world as Lien let out a feral scream, and Katara had barely held the infant in her arms before she began to cry, loud wails that were surely heard throughout the tenement. Tears streamed down Lien's face as she laughed, relieved for her healthy child.

"You have a beautiful daughter," Katara told her as she wiped the baby down with a warm damp cloth. "With good, strong lungs."

"She is wonderful," Iroh agreed as he patted Lien's hand.

Katara drew the remaining fluid from the baby's lungs before she wrapped her in a clean blanket and handed her to her mother. Lien put the baby to her breast to feed and Katara went about getting everything cleaned up so that Lien's older children could come visit their mom and new sister.

Iroh surprised her by putting a hand on her shoulder and saying, "Go home and rest, Master Katara. You've done enough."

Katara looked between Iroh and Lien. She couldn't go yet, could she? The baby had been delivered and seemed to be healthy, and Lien's bleeding was already slowing, so there was really no reason for Katara to stay.

"Okay," she said with a tired sigh.

She and Iroh gathered up the soiled linens in a sack so that she could wash them in the morning. She was bone-weary as she made the short trek to her own apartment, her shoulders sagging and eyelids drooping. All she could think about was sleep.

Zuko was sharpening his dao blades when Katara came in. The room was dim, with only a handful of oil lamps to push back the shadows. He looked up at her and immediately set his swords aside before he came to take her load from her. Then he gave her a questioning look.

Katara nodded. "The baby is fine. A girl. She's healthy. And Lien is doing great, too. Iroh sent me back here to get some rest."

Zuko wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "You should. You've had a long day."

"Yeah." She yawned. "How are the kids?"

"They're sleeping. They were great," Zuko replied. "They're very excited to meet their new sibling."

Katara let out a tire chuckle. "That's good. Should we wake them, or…?"

Zuko shook his head. "No, let them sleep. You can use my bedroll tonight."

"Where are you going to sleep?" Katara asked around a yawn.

"I'll sleep on the floor. It's not a big deal," he said.

She peeked up at him from beneath her eyelashes. "Or...you can share it with me. If you want."

He licked his lips before he met her gaze. "If you want."

"I do. It's been a long day."

He kissed her cheek. "Okay."

Katara went into the washroom and changed out of her clothes before she took a quick bath, washing the filth from her skin. She left her hair loose as she padded back out into the living room. Zuko was already in the bedroll, and a shiver of heat ran down her spine when she saw that he was shirtless. Not that she blamed him—summer was fast approaching, and the days were getting longer and warmer. Their apartment was often stuffy, and she had spent a few nights sleeping only in her sarashi when it was warm enough.

She went to him and slipped into the roll, slotting herself against him. Katara tucked her head into the crook of his shoulder, and Zuko wrapped his arm around her. She felt his lips on her hair a moment later.

"You're incredible, you know that?" he murmured.

"What for?" Katar asked sleepily.

"You just...helped bring another life into this world. It's just...well, it's amazing," Zuko said quietly. "I don't know. You're just...amazing."

Katara flushed pleasantly at his praise before she burrowed deeper into his side. "You did great with the kids today. You're amazing, too."

"Keeping a couple of kids entertained is nothing compared to what you did today."

"Maybe not, but still. It helped a lot." Katara leaned up and kissed the corner of his jaw, breathing in his familiar scent, like woodsmoke and spices. "So thank you."

They fell into a comfortable silence. Katara listened to his soft breathing and the rhythmic beating of his heart. She found herself lulled by it, like it was a lullaby. She was on the cusp of sleep when his soft voice pulled her back from the edge.

"The baby doesn't have anywhere to sleep," he said. "I didn't see a crib or anything."

Katara hummed drowsily. "We can look for one tomorrow."

"Yeah. Okay."

She drifted off to sleep soon after. She slept so heavily that she didn't hear when Zuko slipped out of the bedroll, grabbed his dao swords, and crept silently from the apartment.