They had just finished raising the last one to the top of the igloo when Sokka came wandering in around from the front. He was swinging his machete in one hand; idly, he trailed it along the top of the ice fence, knocking off the snow that had accumulated there. "Couldn't find him, Dad," he called as he rounded the side of the igloo. "I looked everywhere. Maybe he got lost and froze to death." Sokka did not sound overly distressed at the prospect. "We should tell Katara—"

He fell silent as he caught sight of Zuko. His face fell. "Never mind," he said, clearly disappointed.

"You're just in time, Sokka," Hakoda told his son, stepping forward. "Zuko and I have just finished putting the boats on top of the lodge, and we are about to go inside to see if Kanna needs help in the kitchen yet." We are? Zuko wondered, looking up at Hakoda. "I'm sure your grandmother could use some help. Come on."

He started around curving wall of the igloo again, gesturing the two youths to follow; they lingered behind, eyeing each other.

Sokka looked at Zuko with open hostility. "What are you doing back here? The last I remember, Iroh basically sent you to your room."

Zuko drew a breath. "I'm sorry about what I said," he managed to make himself say; he didn't like the idea of apologizing to Sokka at all, but he knew he had to.

"You oughtta be." Sokka did not look appeased. "Especially after I risked my neck to pull you out of the ocean. I don't appreciate being called 'Water Tribe filth' by a guy I put my life on the line for. I guess I'm funny that way."

"I said I was sorry," Zuko repeated, feeling himself start to bristle.

"Yeah, and I said you oughtta be." Zuko felt his grip on his own temper start to slip a notch, but Sokka stopped, visibly catching himself. "Apology accepted," he said after a moment. He looked at Zuko. "Maybe….maybe I was a little rough on you too," he admitted grudgingly after a moment. He looked as if the admission hurt. "I'll admit I wasn't thrilled with the idea of having to babysit a completely incompetent Fire Nation on my first whale hunt ever."

Zuko let it pass; he only nodded in return. "Thank you for pulling me out of the ocean."

Sokka shook his head in disgust. "Don't mention it. It's not something I want spread around." He turned his back on Zuko and started off; Zuko's legs were slightly longer, and he caught up to Sokka easily.

"Why did you do it?"

"Why did I save you?" Sokka asked, glancing at him with one raised eyebrow. "You actually think I would leave you to die?"

He looked insulted, and Zuko felt himself flushing. "Well, I know—I mean—I know you don't like me—"

Sokka's lips traced his final words. He stopped in his tracks, turning to look at the Fire Nation boy. "No, Zuko," he said roughly. "I don't like you. In fact, I don't think I ever will like you. On my best days, I might be able to tolerate you, no more. If or when Katara ever finally comes to her senses, wonders what she ever saw in you, and sends you packing, I'll be thrilled—probably throw a party. But…."

Here Sokka paused, looking intently at Zuko. His expression was very sour indeed. After a moment he sighed. "But, until such a happy day comes along—as little as I may like it," he added grimly, "you're family. And in the Water Tribe, that means something. You don't back out on your family. Not ever. Not that I expect you to understand that."

"Thank you," Zuko said again, moved in spite of himself.

"Don't thank me. I'm not doing it for you."

"I know. Still." He paused. "What you said about family in the Water Tribe….In the Fire Nation, it's, uh….not like that."

"Yeah, I'd noticed. And you call us barbaric." Sokka cast a jaded eye on him. "Don't worry. I'm not by any stretch of the imagination expecting you to live up to that level of devotion. Toward me or Katara."

"No—that's not what I mean, I—" Zuko shook his head in defeat. "Never mind."

Sokka gave him another glance, then snorted. After a moment, he said grudgingly, "So Dad had you helping him to put the boats on top of the lodge?"

At Zuko's nod, he gave an edged smile. "Figures. That's what he always did with me when he wanted to talk to me man-to-man—he'd take me out back to do yard work. 'Sokka, help me put the boats up.' 'Sokka, let's go fix that crack in the ice fence.' 'Sokka, come and help me clean out the coldbox.' You got off easy." He fixed Zuko with a dour eye. "He ought to have made you re-surface the igloo."

Zuko could not remember Ozai ever talking with him "man-to-man." "What does that involve?"

"Forget it." Sokka pointed up to the sky. "It looks like we're about to have visitors."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been Appa Sokka had pointed at, as they saw when they made it around to the front yard; Appa landed right in front of the entryway, snorting out plumes of white vapor. Aang and Toph were on his back, along with Suki, and Zuko was surprised to find that Aang had picked up Katara and Iroh as well.

"We met them down by the docks," Aang explained, airbending himself to a soft landing; he turned to offer a hand up to Toph, who climbed down Appa's side very carefully.

"Toph, you need to put on shoes," Katara was scolding her; she leapt lightly down off Appa and caught the blind earthbender in her arms.

"It makes it harder to see," Toph complained, squirming. "Let me down, Katara!"

"Not unless you promise to put on shoes. This is the South Pole. The snow is ankle-deep. I know shoes interfere with your seeing, but frostbite would probably do the same thing. You don't want to lose your toes."

"Suki!" Sokka's cry was echoed by the Kyoshi warrior, leaping lightly down over the side; the two warriors ran toward each other, and Sokka caught Suki up and swung her around, kissing her passionately. Suki was kissing him back just as hard; then she hooked a foot behind his ankle and tossed him, laughing. Sokka bounced to his feet, laughing too, and tried for a trip, but Suki swayed out of the way. "Not quite. You're getting better though!"

"Man, did I miss you, Suki," Sokka was saying. "I'm so glad you're here. Come on, you've gotta meet Dad—"

He took Suki by the arm, escorting her into the igloo. "Watch your head—it's a low entrance," he cautioned, pushing aside the entrance hangings. Suki, giggling, followed him in.

"Here, Aang," Katara said, handing Toph to Aang. Aang staggered under Toph's weight, and Toph clutched at the little airbender convulsively. "Take her inside and give her my old boots—you can find them in my room under the bed."

"Katara!" Toph squalled indignantly.

"Sure, Katara—how do I know where your room is?" Aang asked.

"Dad will know, if you can pry him away from Sokka and Suki." She made a shooing motion with her hand. "Go on now."

"Twinkle Toes, put me down!" The tiny earthbender was cursing ill-temperedly as Aang hauled her into the igloo.

Zuko and Katara were suddenly left alone outside, with Appa and Iroh. They glanced at each other sidelong.

Iroh looked at the two of them for a long moment. "What a day!" he said briskly. "I think I will go inside and see if I can't warm up a bit."

He gave Zuko a pat on the shoulder and scrambled into the entrance, ducking to fit. Zuko and Katara stood, looking at each other, for a moment longer. The air between them seemed to tremble with the unsaid.

"I talked to Iroh—"

"I talked to Hakoda—"

Both of them were startled into laughter as they spoke at the same time. Somehow after that it was easier.

"Katara, about what I said….I acted like a jackass in front of your family, and I didn't mean it—"

"I know you didn't," she said, nodding. "I kind of understand why you said it, too." She smiled up at him, and he thought dimly that he had never seen eyes so vividly blue as hers were. "I'm very proud of you for going on the whale hunt, Zuko," she told him quietly.

"Your dad said the same thing," Zuko brought out.

"Did he?" Katara's eyes widened. She looked impressed.

"Well—I think he was just trying to be polite." Polite or not, he still said it.

"Nope." Katara shook her head. "Dad never says anything he doesn't mean. If he said he was proud of you, that's what he meant." She grinned fetchingly. "Did he say anything else?"

"He said…." Zuko swallowed a bit. "He said that…this was my home now. That I was family." He called me "son." "Even Sokka—he wasn't happy about it, but he said…."

"Of course," Katara nodded at once, firmly. "You're Water Tribe now, Zuko, and that—"

"That means something," he finished with her, remembering what Sokka had said.

"Right." Katara smiled. "Sounds like you really won Dad over—and Sokka too." She raised her eyebrows. "I knew you could do it," she added warmly.

She knew I could… Zuko paused a moment, to savor the sensation, then drew a breath. "He also said, uh…." He tried to speak lightly, but he was closely watching Katara's face. "He said that we could come back and live here if it didn't work out in the Fire Nation."

Katara smiled, but a shadow crossed her face, and she said nothing. Zuko's heart sank.

"You know," he began, trying to warn her, "that in the Fire Nation, they still….they still think—"

"I know." Katara had guessed what he was talking about. "That's one of the things I was talking to Iroh about." She bit her lip, looking pensive. "He said that we needed to be prepared because it would be very difficult, perhaps even more difficult than we had thought."

There was silence for a moment. Zuko shifted his feet in the snow and exhaled, long and slow. This thought had been preying on his mind too. After a moment, he forced himself to speak the question that had been on his lips since he had seen her with her father. "Katara," he asked awkwardly, "do you want to stay here?"

Katara stared at the snow-covered ground. The shadow did not leave her face. "You have to be the Fire Lord."

I don't want to be the Fire Lord, he might have said. It was strange—he had spent so long trying to capture Aang, at least partly so that he could get his throne back. Now that the prospect of ruling was staring him in the face, however, he suddenly realized that he had absolutely no desire to actually be Fire Lord. Not least, to be Fire Lord of a country that had thrown him out once and that was now under occupation by the Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom soldiers. He couldn't tell it to Katara, though; how do I tell her that I'm scared to go back?

"I could…If you want me to, Katara, I could abdicate," he settled for, part of him hoping she would say yes. He ignored the fact that there was no one for him to abdicate in favor of. "I could give up my throne and we could stay here…."

"I couldn't ask you to do that for me," Katara said quietly. "You have a duty, Zuko, and I don't ever want to put you in the position of having to choose between your duty and me. That's not fair to you." She swallowed slightly. "Iroh said that even though it would be very hard at first, he thought it would turn out all right eventually."

"Did he?"

"Yeah." She paused. "He said, among other things, that the Fire Nation respected nothing so much as strength and if we could just be strong enough, eventually they'd come to accept us." She shrugged and gave him a weak smile. "It sounds about right to me."

Zuko nodded, thinking it sounded right to him too. His uncle had unerring political insight, Zuko knew from experience; if Iroh says it's all right, then it usually will be. They were silent for a moment longer, then Katara looked up at him, and the shadow fled from her face, to be replaced with a look of such tenderness that it warmed Zuko's heart.

"At least, we can give it a try," she murmured. "After all, if you were willing to go on a whale hunt for me…."

He stepped back, feeling himself flush a bit. "The whale hunt wasn't such a big deal," he heard himself fumbling, trying to pass off the experience.

"Yes, it was," Katara replied firmly. "And…." She drew a breath. "If….If you could be that brave for me, then I can be brave enough to face the Fire Nation nobility for you."

Zuko looked down at her, seeing the pride and admiration in her eyes. He thought of the same pride that he had seen in Hakoda's eyes, of Sokka's grudging acceptance. She wants me. They want me. I have family now. Slowly, hesitantly, he began to let himself believe it; he was no longer an outcast. It was hard, coming to realize that after so long; it was strange, to feel wanted.

Suddenly, words were trembling on his lips, words that he never thought he would have dared to say. Now or never. With a sudden rush, he forced them out.

"Katara, wh…." His heart faltered, and he had to stop.

"Yes?" she asked quietly.

"Wh…." He drew a breath, remembering what she had said about his courage. "What you said about…..about after the wedding." Katara was silent, but looked at him questioningly. ""After the wedding, how you would h…."

"Heal you?"

He closed his eyes and nodded, grateful for Katara's gentle words, and glad that she knew him well enough to say what he could scarcely bring himself to say.

"Yes, I remember," she continued. She came forward and put her arms around him.

This is Katara, he reminded himself. Katara would not laugh at him or mock him. She would not scowl at him in disapproval or tell him he was a disgrace. She would understand. He drew a breath, then another one.

"I want you to do it. Before we return to the Fire Nation."

She studied him for a long moment. "Are you sure?" At his tight nod, her smile widened, and she reached up to touch his face. "All right," she whispered. "I love you, Zuko. It'll be okay. I love you."

And I love you too, Katara, he thought, but the words caught in his throat somehow, choking him when he tried to say them; his eyes were suddenly stinging. He held her instead, trying to show his feelings through his embrace; she stretched up to kiss him, when the hangings to the igloo's entrance were swept aside.

"All right, Katara, I got your stupid mukluks and now I can barely see, are you happy? Kanna says come inside this minute or else you'll miss dinner, and—" Toph paused, frowning. "Am I interrupting something?"

The two of them stepped apart. "No, Toph," Katara assured her, smiling. "We were just going in." She squeezed Zuko's hand tightly and he squeezed her hand back, and the two of them followed the little earthbender inside.