A/N: Welp! It's about that time. Big changes are about to take place in the lives of our protagonists and we're about to meet a new member of the gaang. This is a short chapter to get you going until I get to the other necessary things that must occur in this Alternate A: TLA Universe. Let me know what you think, of course, and Happy Reading!

Disclaimer: Babies are lovely, babies are cute, they're never nasty or mean. I'd build a home for all the lost babies if ever I were the queen... Fanfiction is for babies and birthin' 'em...

Chapter 16-A New Hope

The next morning was hectic and stressful after Katara and Aang's exciting misunderstanding. It gave Zuko much to think about during the night concerning the best way to end the war. There was enough trauma between them all to last several lifetimes. More lives didn't have to be lost in this war if they were able to remove the one element causing the death and destruction in the first place: His father. Ozai was the common denominator of suffering. He was the one with the inherited dreams of grandeur and world domination. Many people in the Fire Nation honestly don't share his sentiments anymore after they discovered the personal cost of war. The only people who still want it were the ones still profiting from it. It was time to bring the people's suffering to an end. He had to end it for all nations including the Fire Nation and for his family. He had no desire to raise his son or daughter under the banner of war with the fear of death always looming over them.

Zuko and Sokka devised a brilliant way for Aang to practice an assault technique that would make it easier to defeat Fire Lord when the time came. It was an all-hands-on-deck type of maneuver that would give Aang the access to Ozai he needed to stop him and his insane plan to destroy the world. Zuko made it clear to everyone that his father intended to raze the Earth Kingdom to the ground with fire on the day of Sozin's comet so he had to be stopped at all costs. There was no sparing the Fire Lord because he had no intention of sparing anyone or anything even to his own destruction. Aang felt a growing unease in the pit of his stomach when Toph introduced herself as the Melon Lord and began launching pitch-covered fire rocks at the assault team. Everyone knew their roles and that the final blow to the "Melon Lord" belonged to Aang, but the only person who didn't think he could follow through with his part was the very one the exercise was created for. Every part was flawlessly executed and each warrior paved the way for Aang to have direct contact and take out the Fire Lord in effigy easily.

But when it came down to the last moment, Aang couldn't follow through. Though the dummy was a melon on a stick, Aang couldn't make the separation between the Fire Lord the person and the Fire Lord the evil that threatened the destruction of the world. Sokka took his sword to show Aang just how easy it was to end the conflict by cutting the Melon Lord in half. Aang blanched. It wasn't that easy! The Fire Lord wasn't a melon he was a person— another living being that had a life he couldn't take. There was nothing any of them could say to convince him that taking any life was worth it and he flew off in frustration to the other side of the island. The gaang stood around bewildered by the reticence of the Avatar to fulfill his duty. To them, there was no question of whether or not it was the right thing to do because this one person stood between the peace of the world or its ultimate destruction. Zuko shook his head in disappointment and walked back to the beach house to check on LaLa.

When he arrived, his wife and Mei Wei were sitting and folding laundry together by the clothesline. "Hola, mi amor. How did it go with the training?" Carla asked as Zuko walked up to them. By the look on his face not very well. "Zuko, Que onda? What's going on?" she asked furrowing her brow. Zuko reached down and stroked her cheek. "Aang ran away. When he was confronted with the reality of his duty, he couldn't do it. I guess some things are just destiny..." he said sadly. Carla knew exactly what he meant. She held her husband's hand resting against her cheek and sighed. They already knew the story as it should be and knew that Aang was reluctant to go against his teachings. Mei Wei was thoughtful. "He's so young. Too young to be thinkin' about war and death and killin'. You all are. It's all upside down. Everything Aang knows and believes is wrong for the world right now. Can ye blame him for runnin'? She said more as a statement than a question. She put her hand up to her mouth. "He'll fulfill his obligation one way or another, give him time," she said. Zuko sighed heavily. "I know. I know he will, but what will his decision cost us? Cost the world? I'm going to go take a shower." he said sadly.

Carla grabbed his hand before he got away. "How about a nice bath instead? I bet the soak would do you good," she suggested quietly. Zuko chuckled. He knew Carla loved soaking in the tub with him and was making the suggestion for the both of them. "You know, that sounds like a wonderful suggestion, mi pajarita. I'll go draw it and come back for you. Mei, keep an eye on LaLa until I return?" he said with a smirk. Mai grinned like a Cheshire cat. "I'll keep both eyes on her. Though I doubt highly she can get into much trouble between now and a tub filling up." she teased. LaLa looked between them incredulously. "I'm right here! You two make it sound like I'm about to start a revolution or something. I'll have you know-" she stopped right in the middle of her sentence with a squeak. She looked up at Zuko wide-eyed and panicked. "Santo Dios! Oh, Zuko...I," Carla couldn't finish her sentence but Mei knew that look. "Oh, my gods. It's time, isn't it? Zuko, yer bath will have to wait, go get Katara. I think you're about to be a father..." Mei whispered breathlessly with a nervous smile. Zuko was paralyzed for almost a full 20 seconds before it registered fully. "I'm about to be a... Dad. Holy Sh—I gotta go get Katara!" he practically screamed and took off running. Mei shook her head. "That's what I just said..." she replied more to herself as she watched him run off to the training field.

Mei looked at Carla who was trying to stay calm and smiled. "Alright, Lovin' let's get you up and out of those wet things. I know yer bag of waters broke. Things will be moving along pretty quickly I suspect." Carla's hands trembled as Mei helped her up out of her chair. She felt awful about her wet chair and the big wet spot in her dress but it was inevitable since that's what happens sometimes in the cycle of life. She hoped her labor wouldn't be an all-day and night thing as she heard sometimes happens with first babies. By the time Zuko got back to the bungalow with Katara, Carla's cries could be heard from the courtyard outside of the house. Zuko's heart dropped with each agonizing groan. He hadn't felt like this since they were last at the house of Chun Hei and Song. Katara gave Zuko a sympathetic look and put her hand on his shoulder. "If you come up with me, you can only stay with your wife for a little while. We're going to make sure we take good care of LaLa. I promise, OK?" she said gently. Zuko took a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair. He wasn't' looking forward to seeing his wife in this state but he wanted her to know he was there. "I'll be good Katara. I just want to see her even if for a moment." Katara nodded and walked into the house. When they entered the bedroom, Carla was in the midst of a contraction. She doubled over her knees groaning and gripping the sheets to the point her knuckles were white. She cried out calling for Zuko as tears streamed down her face. Mei stroked her back gently and spoke in soothing tones. Mei Wei had gotten Carla changed into a thin cotton gown better for birthing and was patting her forehead with a cool damp cloth. She continued to speak to her softly and encouraged her to breathe through her pains. Zuko watched helplessly as the contraction eased and Carla fell back on the bed panting and breathing through gritted teeth.

Zuko sat quickly on the opposite side of the bed to Mei Wei and took Carla's hand gently. Carla reached up and grabbed Zuko by the shirt front. "Zukoooo! Ahhhh, Gods, this is so hard. I don't think I want to have a baby anymore..." she cried while twisting his shirt and collar with the pain of each contraction squeezing her from back to front. Zuko stared incredulously thinking to himself that it's a little late to want that now but quickly realizing that the pain may be prompting her to say those things. He patted her hand and tried to loosen her grip on his shirt since he was getting choked slowly as her pains intensified. She groaned as the pain climaxed and fell back on her pillows as it waned. Carla looked over to Mei. "Mei! How much longer do I have to do this? It hurts... It hurts so bad!" she choked out with a sob. Zuko's heart broke with her cries and his face crumpled on the verge of tears. He hated to see his wife in so much pain. Mei looked over at Zuko with sympathy and a look that assured him that this is normal. She glanced at Katara who wiped her hands on a towel as she completed her check.

Katara spoke plainly, "Well, it looks like it won't be much longer. La La, you're already far along in the process. Maybe another hour or two, maybe less. You never can tell with these things, but you're almost ready to greet your little one." she said with confidence. Mei nodded and gave Carla another pat with the damp cloth mopping up the excess sweat trying to fall into her eyes. The same sweat that now soaked her hair and gown plastered to her skin. "Soon my dear," Mei said with a small smile. Somewhere in the recesses of her mind Carla had a moment of deja vu. She remembered her frequent dreams of her giving birth and vaguely remembered saying and hearing these very things, but they weren't useful to her now as her pain is just as real and painful as in her dreams. Mei moved Carla's hair out of her face and tried distracting her with stories and anecdotes. Carla attempted to listen but found it increasingly difficult.

Several contractions later, Carla was at the point of transition. Katara knew from the tell-tale trembling in Carla's legs and the intensifying contractions that she was almost ready to push and deliver the baby. She looked up at Zuko sharply. "Zuko, this is the point where I need you to step out. Carla needs to be able to concentrate on her work. As I promised we will take good care of her, but I need you to do your part now," she said nodding towards the door. Zuko looked down at his wife who was clearly in more pain now than before. She wanted him to leave? Katara barked, "Zuko, you have to go! Please..." Zuko huffed and struggled to let go of his wife's hand. It felt counterintuitive to walk out as his wife's cries intensified, but he knew Katara meant what she said. It wasn't customary anywhere in the world in any of the four nations for men to be in the room during delivery as it was considered bad luck. He wondered briefly if that's why his grandfather Azulon and his uncle Iroh lost their wives. He quickly shut the thought out of his mind and only focused on the positive for the outcome. Zuko trusted the two women with his family and walked out quickly before he changed his mind.

As he shut the door behind himself, Carla called out for Zuko desperately and he wilted. He slid down against the wall to the floor and put his head in his hands. He couldn't take it anymore. Hot tears slid down his face as he listened to his wife cry out over and over. Suddenly Zuko felt a strong hand on his shoulder and looked up red-eyed and blotchy to see Sokka sitting with him. "LaLa's going to be fine, buddy. My sister has delivered a lot of babies and she knows what she's doing. Did you know Katara once delivered a baby on the Serpent's pass before?" he asked. Zuko shook his head wide-eyed.
Sokka smiled and went into a tale of how they were trying to get to Ba Sing Se and encountered people who had their tickets and passports for the ferry stolen. This was back before Suki was captured and sent to the Boiling Rock. The gaang was forced to walk the Serpent's pass to get to the city another way even though they had their tickets and passports. This was also during the time Appa was missing he added. They went to escort the young man, his pregnant wife, and the young man's sister to the city. He described while on the path how they were attacked by a Fire Nation ship and a serpent on the pass at the same time. There were floods on the path too and the wife of the couple that was with them went into labor right then and there on the pass! Zuko was enthralled as he listened to the story. "Did this really happen?" Zuko asked quietly. Sokka smirked knowing Zuko was finally distracted from what was happening behind him. "As sure as I love meat on a stick it happened," Sokka replied.

Zuko chuckled a little and looked back sharply when he heard a particularly loud scream from his wife. Sokka hurried back into the story to help his friend focus on something, anything else at the moment. He made the story dramatic and intriguing complete with sound effects and onomatopoeia and even little hand puppets which were really just his fingers but whatever works... Just as he finished the story about the baby girl born to the couple and that they decided to name her Hope because of how the little girl's birth gave Aang hope, the two men heard a sharp cry coming from Zuko's bedroom. Was that-? Zuko looked at Sokka excitedly and breathed a sigh of both relief and surprise as he waited for someone to come out and tell him what was going on. Mei Wei poked her head out of the room suddenly. "Congratulations, Daddy. You have a beautiful baby girl! Once Katara finishes up with her work, we'll bring you in so you can say hallo."

Zuko was chuffed. He stood up happily so he could go share the news with the rest of the gaang. He looked at Sokka grinning from ear to ear. "It's a girl...I have a daughter!" he said pointing to himself with growing excitement. "I'm a father now, I'm a—Oh..." Before he could finish his thought Zuko passed out and slumped into Sokka's hands. Sokka looked around for somewhere to put the overwhelmed new father. "Ah, this is great," he said not attempting to hide the sarcasm. "New dads, Am I right?" he said looking over at Toph who sensed things were over and walked up just in time to feel Zuko go down. She shrugged and said, "Meh, you've seen one, you've seen them all. I'm going to go visit Carla and the munchkin..." leaving the unconscious and surprisingly heavy Zuko and the struggling Sokka in the hallway.