AN: Working on the next proper chapter while we speak, but it'll be a day or two more until it's done, and I realized this scene was effectively a stand-alone, sooo… *grins* Blame the comment by Sephiroth Cresent-Valentine. Quote, "I can't wait to see Hakoda's reaction to the newest family member," end quote.

Just a little bit of Water Tribe fluff to tide you over while I type. We're headed into the final arc of Season One after this, woo! Toph is so ready for this season to be done. So is Jet. So are the Dai Li.

Also, there has been some alarm regarding the last chapter. So: Teo is very much still alive (though everyone at the Northern Air Temple minus-his-dad thinks he's dead; that's the cover story for why he's suddenly gone). Might I take this moment to appreciate that everyone expressing their concern did so with some manner of "it was really unclear" Jet's-death-joke. You're all awful-wonderful people.

ALSO also! I'm now cross-posting with AO3! Same username.

ALSO ALSO also! New story. Zuko/Aang Season One friendship fic, "Cheating at Pai Sho." In which the Avatar joins Zuko's quest to find the Avatar, and Zuko doesn't join the Gaang; the Gaang joins Zuko. 'Nough said.

With no further ado...

Chapter 28. Interlude: Bato Was Grinning

Bato was grinning. This was Hakoda's first and last warning, and it went unnoticed in the cheers and backslaps and welcome-backs of an injured tribesman rejoining the fleet, fit for battle once more.

Bato was grinning like the time he'd switched Hakoda's wine for sea prune juice, and made him spit-take on Kya at their wedding. Bato was grinning like the time he'd forgotten to tell Hakoda that the leopard-caribou they'd killed was a mother, and Hakoda had woken up to a kitten-fawn mauling his elbow and his two children asking can we keep it Uncle Bato says we can can we can we? Bato was grinning in a way that implied he was about to add a new story to this list, one that deserved place-of-pride as a crowning achievement.

Bato was still grinning as he finished regaling the Tribe with inappropriately hilarious nun-themed exploits, and turned to Hakoda. With, it should be emphasized, a grin.

"I met your children."

That, Hakoda had not expected. "Sokka and Katara?"

"Do you have any others?" Bato. Grinned. And grabbed Hakoda's arm, and steered him towards his tent. "It's best you hear this first."

Hakoda nearly missed his next step. "Are they all right?"

"They had their own run-in with a firebender, let's just say." Bato was trying not to grin, but Bato was still grinning. Hakoda finally noticed. It set his mind at ease in one respect, and made him deeply uneasy about a whole new rainbow of other options.

Bato's story started with the South Pole and the Avatar, and Hakoda both wanted to strangle his children and his encouraging-this-behavior mother, and also hug them close and tell them how brave they were and how proud he was, and also to never storm a Fire Navy ship again.

Bato's story continued across Kyoshi and the Earth Kingdom, with Ozai's recently banished spawn in pursuit. The same one who'd been on their village in less than a day after the Avatar appeared, the same who'd defeated the Avatar in single combat and claimed Omashu for the Fire Nation. The one that drunken Fire Nation citizens in every port town were either toasting or starting bar fights over, depending on how many Ozai loyalists were in the room. Hakoda's fleet had been eager to make the prince's acquaintance, because he was by all accounts on the smallest ship the Fire Navy possessed, nominally unsupported by the rest of his nation, and in dire need of having this spirit quest of his brought to an end before it reached the conclusion his countrymen were already rallying around. Hakoda had rather mixed feelings about hurting a twelve year old, but if he'd had the chance to snuff the flame of Sozin or Azulon, Ozai or the Dragon of the West in their cradles… Some things had to be done. At the South Pole, they knew that.

But Bato kept talking. And grinning.

His story ended with a clap on the shoulder, and two words Hakoda had wanted to hear but not until his hair was much, much grayer. Though the words certainly helped accelerate that process.

"Congratulations, Grandpa! ...Hakoda? Don't pass out." Bato kept his hand on his friend's shoulder, to stop the Chief of the Southern Tribe from listing to the side.

"...My son is either a tactical genius or an idiot." Either way, Hakoda should not have left him unsupervised for two years. And, in retrospect, also taught him that kidnapping was wrong. "You said they're going to the North?"

"Yeah. Your daughter and the Avatar need a waterbending master. ...Seriously, don't pass out."

Maybe it was time to request aid from their sister tribe again. If he happened to meet any forcefully adopted grandsons while he was there—

Well, first he needed to have a talk with his son.

AN: Replies to guests:

Unnamed, ch 27: Oh my gosh you are new to AtLA fics? I am your introduction? *puffs with pride* If you like funny awesome semi-crack with the occasional epic long fic mixed in, Boogum is a good bet. If you like serious with a side of beautiful writing, check out AvacadoLove. If you like StarGate as well as AtLA, "The Dragon King's Temple" by Kryal (that was my intro to AtLA, and holy hell I still reread it regularly.) Short and effin' amazing fics whose writing quality I can only aspire to, google up attackfishscales and suzukiblu. Also pretty much everyone in my favs list, just sayin'. Also, if you keep commenting, do feel free to pick some random name. You might have gotten yourself an intro credit right up with Sephiroth if you had. I hope the Hakoda-finds-out was everything you'd hoped for, and glad you're enjoying the read! (And I may or may not steal that "He's not Prince Zuko, he's… my son!" scenario at some point.)

m, ch 27: Oh god. The chin-monster has claimed more victims. WHEN WILL THIS MADNESS END. (Glad you liked. ^_~)