"Sparky, Snoozles, are you two awake yet?" Toph called loudly as she barged her way over.

Zuko stirred and groaned, burying his face in Sokka's chest. After their discussion the previous evening, he and Sokka had fallen asleep intertwined with each other. It had been one of the best nights of Zuko's life.

Sokka groaned into his ear. "We're up, Toph, we're up."

"Speak for yourself." Zuko grumbled. Nevertheless, he untangled himself from Sokka, sitting back against Appa.

Katara and Aang made their way inside as well, with the other three just behind them.

"Toph, are you bothering Zuko?" Katara asked.

"Hey, what about me?" Sokka protested.

"I'm not bothering anyone," Toph huffed, "Right, Sparky?"

"I'm fine, Katara." Zuko said.

"Zuko, you were shot with lightning yesterday," Katara said, coming to kneel beside him, "I'll be the judge of that."

"How'd you survive that, anyway?" Aang asked, sitting down with them.

"My uncle. He taught me how to redirect lightning."

"Cool!" Aang grinned.

"Where is your uncle anyway?" Sokka asked.

"Gone."

"Oh, Zuko, I'm sorry."

"No, he's not dead. He had already escaped by the time I got to the prison. I don't know where he is now."

Sokka put his arm around Zuko's shoulders and squeezed gently. "We'll find him."

"I hope so." Zuko sighed.

Katara cleared her throat. "Zuko, can I see your stomach? I want to give you another round of healing, just to be safe."

"Sure." Zuko rolled up his shirt and let Katara coat his skin in water.

"Well, as far as I can tell, you're not suffering any ill effects from the lightning. But I want you on bedrest for at least all of today. You put your body through a lot, and I want you to take the time to recover. I also want you to count kicks. If you don't feel 10 movements in an hour, call for me immediately. The baby seems fine now, but I'd rather not take chances."

Zuko nodded. "Thank you."

"Any time. Now, I hope you're hungry, I'm going to make breakfasts."

Zuko was hungry now that she mentioned it. He felt a little sick, too. Hopefully getting something in his stomach would fix that.

As soon as Katara moved, Toph cuddled up to his side, nuzzling against him. "Don't ever do that again Sparky."

"I'll try not to." Zuko sighed. He relaxed back against, one arm coming up to embrace Toph. His free hand slid into Sokka's. He hadn't realised he was falling asleep until he was being poked awake.

"Hey, sleepyhead," Sokka chuckled, "Breakfast time."

Zuko opened his eyes with a yawn. His little cuddle pile with Sokka and Toph and been joined by everyone else; Aang, Katara, The Duke, Teo and the Earthbender with the moustache. Zuko really needed to learn his name.

"Here." Katara passed him a bowl of rice.

His stomach rumbled eagerly. "Thanks."

"Hey, Zuko, is it okay if we do more Firebending training? I- I'm going to need it if I ever want to defeat the Firelord."

"Not today." Katara said.

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Yes, I know. Bedrest. But yes, Aang. I need to teach you how to redirect lightning. It will probably come in useful."

"Yeah."

"Wait," Katara said, "You're not actually planning to hit Aang with lightning, are you?"

"Of course not," Zuko scoffed, "I can't bend lightning and we don't have the luxury to just wait for a convenient storm. I managed it, and I'd never practiced it before. Uncle wouldn't shoot lightning at me."

"Yeah. Can't imagine why not." Sokka said dryly.

Zuko ignored him. "I'm sure you'll be able to do it. Uncle invented the technique from studying Waterbenders. It's all about the flow of energy. Since you are a Waterbender, you should be able to manage it pretty easily."

Aang nodded along with every word he said. "Thanks, Zuko. That means a lot. And… I'm really sorry you had to fight your father."

Zuko blinked in surprise. "Why? It wasn't your fault."

Aang's eyes glistened with tears. "It is my fault. I didn't find the Firelord, so you had to face him instead. I failed and you paid the price. You almost lost your baby because of me."

Zuko shook his head, setting his bowl down. "Aang, I didn't have to face my father. I chose to. I found his bunker by accident as I was leaving the prison. I knew he was in there. I needed to confront him. You didn't fail at anything. I made my choice. I have to live with that."

Aang flung himself into Zuko's arms. The Firebender pulled him close and scented him. As Zuko hoped, Aang calmed down, sniffling away the last of his tears.

"Thanks, Zuko."

"Go and eat your breakfast."

Aang nodded with his trademark happy go lucky grin. "Of course, Sifu Hotman."

Zuko grimaced. "Please don't call me that."

Sokka roared with laughter. "It suits you so well, though."

Zuko glared sideways at him, focusing on devouring his rice. The more he ate, the less sick he felt and the hungrier he felt.

Eventually, everyone finished. Aang, Toph, Teo, The Duke and the Earthbender quickly ran off to go explore the temple. Katara went off to do…. whatever it was that Katara did all day, leaving Zuko and Sokka alone.

"So, is there a new plan to defeat my father?" Zuko asked.

"Oh, right, you were asleep when we decided that. Well, technically it's the old plan. Aang's going to master all four elements and defeat the Firelord before the comet. You know about the comet, right?"

"Sokka, everyone in the Fire Nation knows about the comet. Especially Sozin's great grandson."

"Oh, right."

"Do you think he can do it?"

"Aang? Absolutely. He's got three elements down already, and he has a pretty great Firebending teacher."

Zuko snorted. "A Firebending teacher who's the size of a whale."

"A very beautiful whale."

"Still a whale."

"Zuko, you'll do great. Aang's going to do great. Now what do you want to do today?"

Zuko shrugged. "What can I do on bedrest? I probably shouldn't sleep all day." He sighed. "I miss my theatre scrolls."

Sokka broke into a wide grin. "You're a theatre nerd? That's adorable."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "If you say so."

"So… what do you want to do?"

Zuko shrugged. "We could just… talk. Get to know each other a little better."

"Sounds great. So… favourite colour, favourite food, favourite animal, embarrassing childhood memory. I'll go first. My favourite colour is blue, my favourite food is seal jerky, my favourite animals are penguins and my most embarrassing childhood memory is when I got two fishing hooks stuck in my thumb."

"Two?" Zuko repeated.

"I got one stuck and tried to use another to get it out. It didn't work very well."

"Right…"

"Your turn."

"Uh… my favourite colour is…. yellow. My favourite food is… I don't know. I really want some fire flakes and I've been wanting them for months, but I don't know if that's because I really like them, or if it's just a pregnancy thing. My favourite animals are turtleducks. And Appa." He gently gave the furry body behind him a pat. "And my most embarrassing childhood memory is…. I don't know. I have a lot of those. I was always embarrassing myself. But probably when I threw a bit of bread at a turtleduck. I was copying what Azula did. The turtleduck was fine, but she bit me. Which was fair, but I felt really, really bad about it."

Zuko found himself tearing up at the story. And it wasn't just because of the memory of his mother. He just felt so, so bad about hitting the turtleduck. Maybe it was because he was nearly a parent now too.

"Zuko?"

"Sorry, I'm fine. I don't know why I'm crying."

Sokka pulled him into a hug. "It's just the hormones. No need to apologize."

Zuko just nodded.

Eventually, he stopped crying over the turtleduck. Talking to Sokka was nice. Easy. They had so rarely had the chance to just talk to each other before; both the adventures and their friends making it difficult. As much as Zuko loved them, socialising was hard work. But Sokka was different. They talked for hours, and could have talked for hours more, had the others not come back in for lunch.

And if the temple wasn't exploding.

Sokka pulled Zuko to his feet and dragged him behind the fountain. Aang, Toph and Katara were already hiding there.

"What's going on?" Zuko cried as the temple shook again.

"It's Combustion Man!" Sokka yelled back.

Well, wasn't that just great.

Aang ran out, kicking up a whirlwind. Combustion Man just leapt through it and fired another blast. Aang leapt back to the fountain. Combustion Man jumped closer. Katara pulled the fountain water up. Out of it shot shards of ice. Combustion Man deflected them with his metal limbs. While he was distracted, the group dashed behind a pillar for better cover. Sokka held Zuko close to him, shielding him from the blasts.

"He's going to blast this whole place right of the cliff side!" Toph exclaimed.

Katara stuck her head around the pillar- only for another blast to explode next to them.

"I can't step out to Waterbend at him without getting blown up," She said, "And I can't get a good enough angle on him from down here."

"I know how to get a good angle on him." Sokka exclaimed. He moved around Zuko and Katara to the edge of the pillar, boomerang raised. He poked his head around. Zuko flinched as a blast hit right in front of them.

"All right buddy, don't fail me now." Sokka said. He flung it out. Then he grinned, stepping out to catch it. "Yeah, boomerang!"

The grin faded as Combustion Man clambered back to his feet. He swayed, but he was still standing.

"Aw, boomerang."

They dived back behind the pillar. But the next blast was different; it exploded further away from them. Aang, Katara and Aang rushed out, while Toph held Zuko back. There was silence.

"It's safe." Sokka called out.

Zuko charged out, straight to Sokka's side. The ledge Combustion Man had been standing on was gone.

"You did it, Sokka," he grinned, "Boomerang worked after all. You hit his third eye. It must have messed with his Firebending."

"Yeah, boomerang!" Sokka cheered. He grinned at Zuko and kissed him cheekily.

Toph mimed a gag.

"I think we might have to set up camp somewhere else." Katara sighed.

Fortunately, the temple had no shortage of courtyards accessible to Appa. Lunch was quickly made. Zuko sat stretched out on Sokka's sleeping bag to give Appa some time for himself. Sokka sat right beside him. Zuko leaned against him, trying to find a position easy on his back.

Generally a good day.

Making tea was one of Zuko's favourite hobbies now. Toph had found a tea set in one of the rooms and had given it to him eagerly. Going through the motions of brewing was relaxing. Zuko was starting to understand why Uncle spent so much time on it.

"No one can make tea like Uncle, but hopefully I learned a thing or two. Would you like to hear Uncle's favourite tea joke?"

"Sure." Said Katara.

"I like jokes." Said Aang.

"Bring it." Said Toph.

Zuko carefully stood up, Sokka helping him balance the tray of cups. He walked around the circle handing them out. "Okay, well, I can't remember how it starts, but the punchline is 'leaf me alone- I'm bushed'."

Crickets.

Zuko sighed disappointedly. "Well, it's funnier when Uncle tells it."

"Maybe because he remembers the whole thing," Katara said, not unkindly, "Now sit down and put your feet up. I thought I told you bedrest."

"I've been on bedrest all day." Zuko protested.

Katara raised an eyebrow.

"Well, we were being attacked. I think that's a good enough reason to move."

"And it's a good reason to relax now. The last thing you need is more stress."

"Let me just finish handing these out."

"It's nice to get a chance to relax a little," Toph said, "It hardly ever happens."

Zuko nodded along. He shuffled down to Sokka and was just about to hand him his cup, when Sokka stood up.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a second?"

Zuko's heart thudded nervously. Had he done something wrong? Did Sokka not want to be with him anymore? Zuko put the tray down, following Sokka away from the group.

"So, what's up?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

"If someone was captured by the Fire Nation, where would they be taken?" Sokka asked carefully.

Well. At least Sokka wasn't about to break him with him one day into their relationship. He sighed. "You're talking about your father aren't you?"

Sokka nodded. "When the invasion failed, Dad told us to escape, while he and the others were captured. I just want to know where they might be."

Zuko's heart sank. "I can't tell you."

"What? Why not?"

"Trust me. Knowing will just make you feel worse."

Zuko turned to go, but Sokka grabbed his shoulder.

"It's my dad, Zuko. Please. I need to know what I put him through."

And if that wasn't painfully familiar. Zuko wished more than anything that Sokka didn't have to feel that pain. But there was nothing he could do. "It's not good, Sokka."

"Please." Sokka begged.

Zuko wilted. "My guess is they were taken to the Boiling Rock."

"What's that?"

"The highest security prison in the Fire Nation." The heartbroken expression on Sokka's face hurt to see. "It's on an island in the middle of the boiling lake. It's inescapable."

Sokka turned away with a scowl. "So where is this place?"

Oh no. Zuko could see the gears turning in Sokka's head. "Why do you need to know? What are you planning?"

"Nothing."

A pause. Like Zuko was going to believe that. But Sokka waved him off, putting on his casual mode. "Boy, you're so paranoid."

For good reason. "It's in the middle of a volcano between here and the Fire Nation. You guys actually flew right past it on the way here."

"Thanks, Zuko." Sokka yawned and wrapped an arm around Zuko's waist as they started walking back towards the group. "Just knowing makes me feel better."

"Yeah, sure it does." Zuko muttered under his breath.

Zuko's suspicions were proven correct almost immediately. At the crack of dawn, he heard Sokka shushing Appa as he climbed up into the saddle.

"Not up to anything, huh?"

Sokka yelped in surprise, falling to the ground with a thud. Zuko peered down as Sokka glared up at him.

"Fine, you caught me. I'm gonna rescue my dad. You happy now?"

"I'm never happy." Zuko snarked.

A concerned look passed over Sokka's face before he brushed it away. He started gathering up the things that had spilled out of his bag. "Look, I have to do this. The invasion plan was my idea. It was my decision to stay when things were going wrong. It's my mistake and it's my job to fix it."

Zuko sighed and carefully slid down Appa to join Sokka on the ground.

"I have to regain my honour. You can't stop me, Zuko." Sokka tried to push past Zuko. Not that it was hard. Sokka barely grazed him, but Zuko was unsteady on his feet all the same. He was also getting rather annoyed with Sokka's stubbornness and low blow.

"You need to regain your honour? Believe me, I get it. I'm going with you."

Sokka whirled around in shock. "Absolutely not. I have to do this alone. Besides, you're pregnant. You're in no condition to storm a Fire Nation prison. You got struck by lightning barely two days ago. You need to stay here where it's safe."

"How are you going to get there?" Zuko retorted, "On Appa? Because not only did you forget I sleep on him before trying to take him, last time I checked, prisons don't have bison day cares."

Sokka sighed in defeat.

"We'll take my war balloon." Zuko said.

"What part of you're pregnant did you not understand? There is no way I'm taking you to a Fire Nation prison."

"Either you take me, or you don't go at all. I will not hesitate to set Katara on you. And she will definitely freeze you to a wall." With that, he stalked away.

Sokka sighed before hurrying after him. "You're still pregnant. What are you going to do about that?"

"Don't worry. I have a plan."

Zuko led Sokka to his war balloon. Sokka reluctantly helped Zuko inside- probably a desperate attempt to ease his Alpha chivalry.

"So, what is this plan?" he asked sceptically.

From his satchel, Zuko pulled out a bottle of clear liquid. "Scent blockers. I managed to pick some up in town when we were at- that inn."

Sokka nodded with a grimace. "Okay. But even if they can't smell you, they can definitely see you."

"That's where I need your help." Zuko said. He took a long roll of bandage wraps out of his bag and handed them to Sokka. Sokka stared dumbly as Zuko rolled up his shirt.

Zuko sighed. "We're going to bind my stomach to hide the bump. It's not perfect but it'll do for now."

Sokka looked at him in horror. "But won't that hurt? And what about the baby?"

"It will be uncomfortable, but the baby will be fine."

Sokka frowned and hesitated.

"Just do it. Please. We'll be fine."

Sokka sighed heavily and they tied the bandages around Zuko's middle.

"Is this enough?"

"No, it needs to be tighter?"

"Are you sure? I want you to be able to breathe."

"I'm fine, Sokka. But it needs to be as tight as possible."

Sokka wrenched the wraps tighter and tied them with a huff. "How do you feel?"

"Fine." Actually, Zuko was a little woozy and light headed and the baby was absolutely hammering his insides. But he was fine. He just needed a moment to adjust. He rolled his shirt back down and glanced at himself. He still looked like he'd packed on a few pounds, he wasn't so obviously pregnant now.

Zuko stoked the flames into a roar, trying to ignore the faint nausea creeping up on him. Sokka seemed to see that he needed a distraction.

"Pretty clouds."

"Yeah. Fluffy."

Sokka started whistling.

"What?" Zuko sighed.

"What?" Sokka said, "Oh, I didn't say anything. You know, Teo and his dad designed these war balloons."

"No kidding."

"Yup. A balloon, but for war."

"If there's one thing my dad's good at, it's war." Zuko huffed, sending more fire into the engine.

"Yeah, it seems to run in the family."

Zuko growled. "Hey, hold on. Not everyone in my family is like that."

"I know you've changed."

"I meant my uncle." Zuko said sadly. "He was more of a father to me. And I really let him down."

"I think your uncle would be proud of you. You haven't done anything that would let him down. You've been doing one amazing thing after another."

"I'm 16, pregnant and unmated. And I took so long to rescue him, that he had to get himself out of prison, which I got him into in the first place. He kept looking after me when I was pushing him away and I just- every time I try to repay him, I fail."

"Zuko, you haven't failed at anything. And if your uncle cares about you at all, he'll adore your baby just as much as we do."

"Thanks," Zuko smiled tentatively, "Now please tell me you have a sob story of some kind. I don't want to talk about me anymore."

Sokka pondered for a moment. "My first girlfriend turned into the moon."

That… was not what Zuko was expecting. "That's rough, buddy."

Sokka pouted. "We're dating. Don't call me buddy."

"Sorry."

"It's fine. Now come and sit down. You should stay off your feet for as long as possible."

"Sokka, there's not enough room for us both to sit down. It's not fair to make you stand the entire way."

Sokka rolled his eyes and patted his lap. "Just sit down."

Zuko stepped close and cautiously lowered himself onto Sokka's lap. Sokka's warm arms embraced him, holding him steady.

"You're really warm." Sokka said.

"Firebenders run hot." Zuko mumbled, tucking his head into the crook of Sokka's neck.

"Cool. Now tell me all about your uncle. I need to know what to expect when we find him."

"Okay. Well, what do you want to know?"

"Whatever you want to tell me."

Sokka sored loudly. Zuko chuckled. He didn't have the heart to be annoyed; not when he was so relieved Sokka still wanted to be with him. He wasn't sure, not after their argument that morning. But everything was okay. Sokka didn't reject him. Zuko had gotten up to stoke the fire and stretch his legs when he saw something in the distance.

"There it is."

"Huh? Huh?" Sokka grunted, staggering over to Zuko. Zuko felt bad about how numb Sokka's legs must be.

"There's plenty of steam to keep us covered. As long as we're quiet, we should be able to navigate through it without being caught." Zuko said.

The descent started fine, but Zuko quickly realised they were starting to fall. No matter how much fire he put into the balloon, it wasn't responding. "We're going down. The balloon's not working anymore."

"The air outside is just as hot as the air inside, so we can't fly." Sokka realised.

The balloon tilted alarmingly. Zuko clutched desperately at the sides. He was not going to throw up, he was not going to throw up. "Ugh! So what are we supposed to do?"

"I don't know," Sokka hissed, "Crash landing?"

It didn't seem like they had much of a choice. Zuko squeezed his eyes shut as they scraped over the boiling water. Heat didn't normally bother a Firebender- but knowing what that water could do certainly did.

They dropped lower, skating through the water. Boiling water splashed against Sokka's hand. He clapped a hand over his mouth to cover his yelp.

The balloon struck land. Both boys tumbled out of it painfully. Sokka spat grit from his mouth and hovered by Zuko's side, helping him up.

"Are you okay? The baby?"

Zuko was going to have some impressive bruises the next day, but he was fine. Inside his belly, the baby kicked away irritably. "We're fine. We're both fine. You?"

Sokka nodded. "Yeah."

Zuko turned to look morosely at the half sunk wreck of the balloon. "How are we gonna get off the island if the balloon won't work?"

"We'll figure something out," Sokka assured, "I suspected it might be a one way ticket."

"You knew this would happen and you wanted to come anyway?"

"My dad might be here. I had to come and see. I'm just sorry I let you come too."

"Uncle always said I never thought things through. But this? This is just crazy!"

"Hey, I never wanted you to come along in the first place. I told you not to. And for the record, I always think things through. But my plans haven't exactly worked. So this time, I'm playing it by ear. So there!" Sokka snapped. He groaned as he touched the hot metal of the balloon. Zuko rushed over to check on him. Sokka pushed the balloon into the water.

"What are you doing?" Zuko hissed.

"It doesn't work anyway, and we don't want anyone to find it."

"I hope you know what you're doing." Zuko huffed. They both turned to look up at the fortress towering sinisterly above them. "There's no turning back now."

"I hope these disguises work." Zuko muttered as they snuck out of the armoury.

"We just need to lay low and find my dad as soon as possible." Sokka said.

Almost immediately a group of guards ran past. One noticed Sokka and Zuko lurking. Zuko prepared himself for the worst. He had some luck after all, because all the guard yelled was, "Guards! There's a scuffle in the yard! Come on!"

Zuko and Sokka exchanged brief glances, before running after the guards. The armour was heavy, especially combined with the weight of Zuko's belly. It took all of his concentration not to waddle or waver on his feet. He just hoped he wouldn't have to run too much.

When they emerged from the corridor, the prisoners were gathered in a large circle. The guards pushed their way through the crowd. Zuko and Sokka followed uncertainly. In the centre was another guard and a prisoner.

"I didn't do anything." the prisoner said. He was a great, hulking Alpha. Zuko fought against the instinct to back away. Sokka moved in front of him slightly.

"I'm going back to my cell."

The guard sent a fire whip licking at the prisoner's heels. "Stop right there, Chit Sang!"

Zuko stepped forward to intervene, but Sokka's hold on his arm held him back.

"We can't blow our cover." Sokka whispered. There was a protective glint in his eye. He didn't have to say "and it's not safe for you" for Zuko to know what he meant.

"I've had it with your unruly behaviour." The guard snarled.

"What did I do?" the prisoner- Chit Sang asked.

"He wants to know what he did. Isn't that cute?" the guard jeered. He leaned towards Zuko and Sokka. Zuko felt sick. When they didn't reply, the guard scowled, lifting his visor.

Zuko kept his face impassive. He had practice at that. "Uh, very cute sir."

"Super cute." Sokka echoed.

Satisfied, the guard stalked towards Chit Sang. "You didn't bow down when I walked by, Chit Sang."

"What?" Chit Sang snorted, "That's not a prison rule."

"Do it!" the guard snarled.

"Make me." Chit Sang challenged coolly.

The guard smirked, walking away. Fire ignited in his hand and he blasted a fire whip towards Chit Sang's turned back. Zuko bit his lip to quell the building whimper. Sokka squeezed his arm.

Chit Sang turned, blasting the fire straight back. The guard kicked it away. He clucked his tongue, reeking of smugness. "Firebending is prohibited. You're going in the cooler."

He pointed at Sokka. "You! Help me take him in."

"Meet back here in an hour." Sokka whispered as he hurried away.

Agni, Zuko hated this.

He ended up on break. Okay, food. Food was good. He still felt light headed. He was probably just hungry. He hadn't had time for breakfast.

"Hey, new guy!" Someone called out, "I know it's the rule to have your helmet on at all times, but this is the lounge. Relax!"

Zuko forced himself not to flinch or panic. "But what if there's an incident?" he stuttered, "If I'm not prepared, someone could strike me on the head."

The group burst out laughing.

"Give it a week," said an Alpha woman, "He'll loosen up."

Zuko cautiously sat. "Can the new guy ask you veterans a few questions about the prison?" he asked diplomatically.

"No, you can't date the female guards." The Alpha woman said.

"Trust me, you don't want to." Grinned a Beta man.

The Alpha threw an empty cup at his head. The Alpha man next to him burst out laughing.

"No, that's not it," Zuko interrupted, "The Boiling Rock. It holds the most dangerous criminals in the Fire Nation, right?"

The group nodded.

"So what about war prisoners?"

Sokka was easy to spot on the balcony above the yard.

"Hey there, fellow guard. How goes it?" Zuko said.

Sokka pulled his visor up. "Zuko?"

"Shh! Listen, I asked around the lounge. There are no Water Tribe prisoners." He lifted his own visor to meet Sokka's eyes. "I'm afraid your father's not here."

"What? Are you sure? Did you double check?"

Zuko really, really wanted to take the pain out of Sokka's eyes. "Yeah. I'm sure."

"No," Sokka whimpered, "No!" He banged his fists furiously against the metal wall.

"I'm really sorry, Sokka."

"So we came all this way for nothing? I put you in danger for nothing? I failed… again."

"Ah, what would uncle say?" Zuko groaned, "Sometimes clouds have two sides, a dark and light, and a silver lining in between. It's like a silver sandwich. So when life seems hard, take a bite out of the silver sandwich."

Sokka's face lit up and he looked out over the railings excitedly. "Maybe we haven't failed after all!"

"That's the spirit," Zuko grinned, "I can't believe that worked. I didn't even know what I was saying."

"No, what you said made no sense at all. But look," Sokka said, pointing down at the yard, "It's Suki!"

Zuko didn't know who that was. He followed Sokka's finger to a girl with short brown hair sitting on a rock.

"Prisoners! Back to your cells!" A guard yelled. A bell started ringing and Suki walked back to the cell block with the other prisoners.

"Who's Suki?" Zuko asked. He wasn't sure if he wanted an answer.

Sokka grinned and squeezed Zuko's shoulder. "Don't worry. She's just a friend."

Agni how did Zuko get roped into this. He waited outside Suki's cell, while Sokka was catching her up on the situation. What was taking him so long? A guard was coming up the stairs. He knocked on the door to warn Sokka.

The guard was approaching Zuko directly. Oh no. "Excuse me. I need to get into that cell." She said.

Oh no. Not good.

"No, you can't go in there. The… lights are out. The prisoner could sneak up on you."

She scowled. Angry Alpha. Not good. "Step aside, fool!"

She reached out to shove him. He grabbed her arm and pinned her to the door.

"Hey, hey! What are you doing?" she yelped. Then she was pinning him. He bit back an agonised gasp as she pushed his front against the metal.

Then she was yanking him back. It felt like his spin was going to snap in half. He couldn't help but groan feebly.

"Guard help! I think he's an imposter!" she yelled. "Aah! Arrest him!"

It was Sokka who grabbed him, and mock pushed him to the ground. Zuko attempted to make it more believable, but all he did was actually fall.

"You're under arrest!"

Then he was hauled upright and Sokka was whispering in his ear, "Don't worry, I'll figure it out."

Zuko didn't fight as he was marched down the corridor. His baby was still kicking, so hopefully it was fine. But the horrible thoughts swirled in his head anyway. He'd put his baby in danger again. How could he call himself a parent when he was so stupid, irresponsible and reckless. He didn't deserve this baby. It would be better off without him.

The thought brought tears to his eyes. His hastily pushed it down. He would not cry here.

He was stripped of his armour and given a prisoner's uniform to wear. The baggy cloth helped hide his belly, as was more comfortable than the restrictive armour. Thankfully, he was given a minute of privacy to change. At least he could keep his secret a little while longer.

The cell door swung open. The stench of Alpha filled the room. The man wore a golden headpiece and carried himself with an air of superiority. The warden of the prison then.

"well, well, well," he said, "I never thought I'd find you in here, Prince Zuko."

"You know who I am then."

"How could I not? My niece was heartbroken to hear you'd turned traitor."

"Your niece?"

"Mai. I believe you two were acquainted before your banishment."

"I never meant to hurt her."

"Quiet! You're my special prisoner now and you best behave. If these criminals found out who you are- the traitor prince who let his nation down- why, they'd tear you to shreds."

Zuko wasn't exactly sure how patriotic criminals would be to the nation who imprisoned them; but it wasn't a risk he was willing to take.

He had done enough of that.

"So what's in it for you," he drawled, crossing his arms, "Why don't you just tell my father and collect a reward?"

"Oh, in due time, believe me, I intend to collect." The warden turned and slammed to door shut behind him.

Zuko clutched at his belly, tears scalding his cheeks. "I'm sorry, Firefly. I'm so sorry."

He didn't have long to himself before he was dragged out for cleaning duty. As it turned out, mopping was extremely difficult when you couldn't bend at the waist but had to pretend that you could. His back was already complaining.

He didn't intend to be next to Suki, but it ended up working out. Sokka appeared and grinned when he saw them. "Oh good. You guys have met."

"Actually, we met a long time ago." Suki said.

"We did?" Zuko asked.

"Yeah, you kinda burned down my village."

Zuko winced. He was pretty sure she was one of the Kyoshi Warriors. Contrary to popular belief, he didn't make a habit of burning down villages. He wasn't that cruel. "Oh, sorry about that. Nice to see you again."

They carefully backed behind the stairs and crouched down. Zuko bit back a groan of discomfort.

"So listen," Sokka said, "I think I have an escape plan. I checked out the coolers again. The whole point of them is to keep Firebenders contained, right?"

"Yeah…" Zuko said slowly.

"So they're completely insulated and sealed to keep the cold in. well, to keep the cold in, it also has to keep the heat out, right?"

"Just get to the point, Sokka." Suki said.

Zuko wanted to growl at her. When had he gotten so protective over Sokka? Suki was Beta. She wasn't even that threatening.

"It's a perfect boat for getting through the boiling water." Sokka explained.

Suki and Zuko exchanged looks.

"The cooler as a boat?" Zuko repeated, "Are you sure?"

"I'm telling you, it'll work." Sokka smiled. Zuko found himself swept up in the beautiful expression.

"I walked around the perimeter. There's a blind spot between two guard towers. It's the perfect launching point. I already tested it out. We'll roll the cooler into the water and just float with the current. It'll take us straight across. As long as we don't make a sound, no one will notice. And bing, bang, boom, we're home free."

"But how are you going to get the cooler out?" Suki asked.

"Yeah, how are you gonna get the cooler out?" asked a deep, rumbling voice from above them.

Zuko flinched, looking up.

Chit Sang stood on the stairs, staring down at them. He nimbly jumped through the railings and landed heavily beside them.

"What?" Sokka yelped, "We didn't- we didn't say that?"

"Yeah, you heard wrong." Zuko growled. He would not be intimated or submit.

"I heard you hatching an escape plan and I want in." Chit Sang said.

"There's nothing to get in on." Zuko said warningly.

"Yeah, the only thing we're hatching is… an egg?" Sokka said.

Zuko and Suki let out joint sighs of exasperation.

"Okay, well, I come with you, or the warden hears about this egg too." Chit Sang said.

"I guess we have no choice." Suki sighed.

"Okay, you're in," Sokka said, "Now, first we need someone to unbolt the cooler from the inside."

He held out a spanner. Zuko took it and tucked it onto his clothes. Sokka glanced at him questioningly. Zuko nodded. He had his breath of fire. He'd survived the North Pole. He's be fine. His baby would be fine, safe and warm inside his belly.

"Oh I can get you inside." Chit Sang grinned.

If Chit Sang touched his stomach, Zuko was going to kill him. He walked backwards, taking deep breathes to calm himself. Chit Sang grunted as he knocked into him.

"Hey, what are you? Stupid? Watch where you're going."

The big Alpha grabbed his shoulders. Zuko grabbed back. Physically, he was no match for Chit Sang, but he didn't have to be. It was a fake fight. He repeated the phrase over and over again in his head.

Chit Sang threw Zuko away. Zuko managed to land on his feet, but it was a near thing. "Hey, watch who you're shoving!" he yelled. He shoved Chit Sang's chest, pushing him backwards.

"I think you mean whom I'm shoving."

They locked hands with exaggerated grunts and groans of effort. If they escaped, Katara was going to kill Zuko.

They broke apart briefly. The cheering started up. Then Chit Sang was throwing Zuko again. Zuko's back hit the ground with a hard thud. Agni, where were the guards when he wanted them.

"I need backup over here!" Sokka yelled over the din.

Zuko twisted out of the way as Chit Sang threw himself to the ground. Dizziness was starting to build in Zuko's swimming head. He wasn't going to last much longer.

He punched a blast of fire at Chit Sang's feet. The burly Alpha dodged easily.

"No Firebending," barked a guard, "Into the cooler!"

Finally.

Two guards tackled him to his knees and dragged him towards the cooler.

The baby was still kicking. Firefly was still okay.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Firefly was still squirming away inside of him. His limbs and fingers were starting to numb with chill, but he was okay. He curled around his belly, focussing all his heat there. He wasn't sure how long he'd been in there. He could last. He had to.

He had a baby to protect.

The doors creaked open. Sokka stood in the doorway, looking more beautiful than ever. "I can take you back to your cell if you've learned your lesson."

Zuko raised his head. He releases a puff of fire to show that he was alright. "Yes, I have. Completely."

He stood. The bolts and screws he'd undone and collected in his shirt jangled as he moved. Sokka grinned. He leaned in close and pulled up his visor. "I got Suki and Chit Sang out of their cells a few minutes ago. They'll be waiting for us at the shore.

Footsteps.

"Someone's coming." Zuko yanked Sokka in and pulled the door too. They stood in silence, listening to the approaching voices. Sokka peered through the crack in the door.

"Yeah, new arrivals coming at dawn."

"Anybody interesting?"

"Nah, just the usual. Some robbers, couple of traitors, some war prisoners. Though I did hear there might be a pirate."

"No foolin'."

Sokka cast a horrified look towards Zuko.

"War prisoners," Zuko said softly, "It could be your father."

"I know." Sokka said grimly.

"Well? What should we do? Are we going ahead with the plan or are we waiting another night?"

"I don't know." Sokka moaned. "Is it right for me to risk your freedom, all of our freedom, on the slim chance that my dad is going to show up?"

Zuko reached out and squeezed Sokka's hand. "It's your call, Sokka."

Zuko hated this. Surfing down a cliff, with a rolling hunk of metal on his back had to have been the worst experience of his life. His back hurt, his feet hurt, his head hurt, everything hurt. Sokka was trying to take as much of the cooler's weight as he could, but it didn't take away the fear that any moment, Zuko would slip and his baby would be crushed.

Chit Sang and Suki rushed up to help.

"Took you guys long enough." Chit Sang complained. He nodded to two figures on the shore bellow. The woman waved, but the man just sulked. "This here's my girl and my best buddy. They're coming too."

Zuko scowled.

So did Sokka. "Fine. Everybody in the cooler. Let's go."

They pushed it across the shore, towards the water.

Sokka lifted up a rock, revealing his Water Tribe clothes underneath.

"Are you sure you wanna go?" Zuko asked, "You're the one who said you wanted to redeem yourself, redeem your honour. Rescuing your dad is your chance." Not that Zuko wanted Sokka to stay at all. He just wanted Sokka to be sure. He didn't want to see Sokka living with the same regrets he did.

"Your dad?" Suki repeated.

"If I had just cut my losses at the invasion, maybe we wouldn't be in this mess. Maybe sometimes, it's just better to call it quits before you fail."

"No, it's not," Zuko said "If you had abandoned the invasion, you would have left me behind with no hope of finding you again. Look, Sokka, you're going to fail a lot before things work out."

"I didn't think of that," Sokka sighed, "But that's supposed to make me feel better?"

"Even though you'll probably fail over and over and over again-"

"Seriously, not helping."

"You have to try every time." Zuko put a hand on Sokka's shoulder. "You can't quit because you're afraid you might fail."

"Hey, if you two are done cuddling, can we get a move on?" Chit Sang interrupted.

Zuko scowled.

Sokka took a deep breath. "No, I'm staying," he turned to Zuko and Suki, "You guys go. You've been here long enough."

"I'm not leaving without you, Sokka." Suki said.

"I'm staying too." Zuko said.

"Zuko, please. You have to go." Sokka urged desperately.

"Not without you. If I couldn't save my uncle, I'm going to help you save your father. I'm staying."

"Not me," said Chit Sang unnecessarily, "I'm out." He pushed the cooler into the water and jumped in. "Let's roll, baby."

They floated away into the cover of steam.

"We gave up our only chance of escaping," Sokka said, "I hope we haven't made a huge mistake.

Zuko was clinging onto the side for dear life. He was dizzy, couldn't see his feet and above a drop that would most definitely kill him. Why did he always get himself into these messes.

Dawn was just cracking on the horizon when alarm bells started ringing.

"The plan failed!" Sokka cried, "They're caught!"

They stepped up the pace in climbing. Zuko was trying not to gag. The nerves were twisting is already sensitive, uncooperative stomach. He was not enjoying it.

"The gondola's moving!" Sokka exclaimed. "This is it. If my dad's not there, we risked everything for nothing."

"We had to." Zuko murmured, squeezing Sokka's hand.

"Come on, come on!"

The gondola doors opened. The first prisoner stepped out.

"Is that him?" Suki asked.

"My dad doesn't have a nose ring." Sokka said.

More and more prisoners filed out. Zuko couldn't see Hakoda anywhere.

"Where is he?"

The flow of prisoners trickled and stopped.

"That's it? That can't be it." Sokka whimpered.

"I'm sorry, Sokka." Zuko murmured.

"Oh no!" he moaned.

Zuko wanted to cry. He wanted to rescue Hakoda. He wanted to get out of here with his baby still safe. His hand twitched towards his belly, but he kept it still. He wasn't ready to reveal his pregnancy to Suki yet.

"Hey, you!" a guard barked. The three of them looked around in horror. Had they been caught? "Get off the gondola!"

Zuko's eyes widened hopefully. He waited with baited breath as another figure stepped off the gondola.

A familiar figure.

"Dad." Sokka whispered.

Zuko squeezed his hand.

Now all they had to do was escape.

Sokka hurried away towards the guards by the gondola and pushed his way through.

"Guess we'd better get back to our cells before someone notices we're gone, huh?" Suki said.

"Yeah."

Getting back in was a lot easier than getting out. Zuko just hoped he could get some sleep. The last time he'd slept had been briefly on the balloon ride over and that was a full day ago. He was exhausted.

He got about two hours, in the end. Not much but enough to keep him going for a little while. He'd just been too tense and on edge to get any proper sleep.

"Zuko, are you there?" Sokka hissed through the narrow slit in the door.

Zuko staggered over to it and peered out. "I'm here."

"I just got done talking to my dad. We came up with an escape plan together."

The sudden voice startled them both. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just telling this dirty lowlife what I think of him!" Sokka said.

"Well, you'll have to do that later. He's coming with us." The guard said.

"Why?" Sokka asked.

Nothing good.

"Because we have orders straight from the warden. That's why." Said another guard.

"Could I just get 10 more seconds to rough him up a bit?" Sokka said.

"Fine. 10 seconds." The guard huffed.

Sokka quickly slid into the cell and dramatically punched the pillow Zuko held up for him. "Take that! And this!"

Zuko grunted and yelped with the hits obligingly.

"We have a new plan," Sokka whispered, "But it's gonna need a big distraction. Be in the yard in one hour."

The cell door started to open. Sokka snatched the pillow out of Zuko's hands and grabbed hold of him. Zuko lost his footing and flailed against Sokka.

"Alright, that's enough," the guard ordered, pulling them apart.

Zuko clasped his hands to the back of his neck- not submissive, he was not submitting to anyone- and let himself be marched away from Sokka.

"What are you doing?" he demanded. "Where are you taking me?"

The guards didn't answer him.

He was shoved into another cell unceremoniously. He cried out as he hit the chair in the middle. He was just grateful it was his chest that took the blow, not his stomach. "I didn't do anything wrong."

A voice from the corner of the room startled him- one he hadn't heard in a long time. "Come one, Zuko. We all know that's a lie."

"Mai?" he gasped.

"Get of the floor, Zuko." She huffed.

He clambered up and slumped into the chair. "How did you know I was here?"

"Because I know you so well." She said.

"But how-"

"The warden's my uncle, you idiot."

Zuko groaned. How did he forget that.

"The truth is, I guess I don't know you. You could have come home. That's all you wanted, and then you threw it away."

"It was the right thing to do."

"We wanted you to come home. And then you rejected us."

"Mai, this isn't about you. This is about the Fire Nation."

"Thanks Zuko. That makes me feel all better."

"Mai, I never wanted to hurt you," he climbed to his feet and met her icy eyes, "But I have to do this to save my country."

"Save it?" she scoffed, "You're betraying your country."

"That's not how I see it."

She crossed her arms and scowled. She sniffed the air and her eyes widened a fraction in surprise. And a fraction was a lot of expression for Mai. "Zuko. You're-"

Zuko knew that she had discovered him. The scent blockers must have been wearing off. "Yes. Now shush. It's not something I want to broadcast here."

"Fine. I think you're crazy, but fine."

A guard appeared in the doorway. "Ma'am, there's a riot going on. I'm here to protect you."

"I don't need any protection."

"Heh. Believe me, she doesn't."

"I'm sorry, but I'm under direct orders from your uncle to make sure nothing happens." The guard said, stepping into the room.

Zuko blasted fire at his feet. In the guard's confusion, he barrelled past. Mai lunged for him, but he slammed the door shut, locking her inside.

She glared furiously at him. Her eyes glimmered with tears. His did too. Mai had been like a sister to him throughout his childhood- far better than Azula had been. It hurt.

He ran.

His baby came first.

He managed to see Sokka, Hakoda, Suki and Chit Sang through the smoke of the riot. He charged his way across the yard. He kept his focus entirely on them, just hoping he'd make it to them before his legs gave out. Someone tried to grab him from behind. Without breaking stride, he slammed them over his shoulder.

"Zuko!" Sokka gasped in relief, before composing himself. "Good. We're all here. Now all we need to do is grab the warden and get to the gondolas."

"And how do we do that?" Zuko asked.

"I'm not sure." Sokka said.

"Ugh! I thought you'd thought this through!" Zuko groaned.

"I thought you told me it's okay not to think everything through!" Sokka cried.

Zuko was too damn tired for this. He just wanted to get out of here. "Maybe not everything, but this is kind of important." He doubled over, clutching his head. He felt awful. Sokka gasped worriedly, hands hovering over Zuko's shoulders.

"Hey, uh, fellas?" Chit Sang interrupted, "I think your girlfriend's taking care of it."

Zuko raised his head to watch Suki charge across the riot. She bounded across the shoulders of the other prisoners.

She scaled the wall, somersaulting onto the platform. She easily fought through all the guards attempting to stop her. Zuko was starting to wonder how she hadn't managed to escape on her own.

The she was climbing up to the next platform: where the warden was. She grabbed his arm, fist raised to his face. Then she had his hands tied behind his back and his hairpiece gagging him.

The rest of them hurried up to the platform. Zuko didn't have it in him to shake off Sokka's worried hovering. Hakoda had the same concerned look in his eye. His gaze kept darting between Zuko's haggard looking face and his reduced belly. Zuko didn't have time to deal with that now.

"We've got the warden. Now let's get out of here." Suki said.

She hadn't broken a sweat, but the others were all panting from running after. Zuko was leaning more and more on the wall the longer they stood still.

"That's some girl." Said Hakoda.

"Tell me about it." Sokka huffed.

They rushed towards the gondola, the warden slung over Chit Sang's broad shoulder.

"We're almost there!" Suki called.

Thank Agni. Zuko was already starting to fall behind. He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep going for.

The two gondola guards blasted fireballs at them. Zuko pushed Sokka out of the way. He deflected their attacks easily. More guards appeared, readying for another assault. He wouldn't be able to block that many attacks.

"Back off!" he yelled, "We've got the warden."

The guards paused. They lowered the stances and moved to the sides of the bridge.

"Let's go."

The group moved slowly. Zuko lead the way, eyes darting from soldier to soldier and ready to strike.

Zuko turned to face the guards as they reached the gondola and the others climbed inside.

Zuko turned the lever. The gondola slowly started moving. He glanced between the lever and the gondola.

"Zuko! What are you doing?" Sokka yelled.

Zuko kicked the lever. It was difficult, but he broke the metal rod. Sokka's face was desperate. Zuko charged towards the gondola. It had already left the ground.

Fireballs volleying over his head, Zuko launched himself from the railing. For one terrifying second, he thought he wouldn't make it. He braced himself for the plummet into the boiling lava when his hand met Sokka's. The Water Tribe boy strained to pull Zuko up. Hakoda rushed to help and Zuko managed to scramble inside.

Sokka clutched at him fiercely.

"What was that?" he cried.

"I made it so they can't stop us." Zuko said through heavy pants.

Sokka sighed. "Just don't ever do that again."

"We're on our way." Suki said.

"Wait, who's that?" Hakoda asked.

Zuko followed his gaze and groaned miserably. Azula. Ty Lee stood at her side. "That's a problem. It's my sister and her friend."

Hakoda's eyes widened as he remembered the conversation he and Zuko had had when they first met.

The thick wires were never going to be a problem for Ty Lee. She ran across them with the greatest of ease.

Azula propelled herself upwards with incredible jets of blue fire. She clamped a pair of hand cuffs to the line and ziplined towards them.

"This is a rematch I've been waiting for." Suki growled.

"Me too." Said Zuko, trying to convince himself. Did Azula know about his pregnancy? Had their father told her?

Sokka frowned.

Zuko winced. If Azula didn't know, he wasn't going to give her any reason to suspect. If she did, she was going to go for him without hesitation. He didn't have a choice.

He had to fight her.

He, Suki and Sokka climbed up onto the roof of the gondola. Zuko gave the slightest shake of his head when Sokka moved to put himself in front of Zuko. Sokka frowned but moved back all the same.

Ty Lee vaulted onto one side of the gondola. Azula landed on the other. They were pinned in.

Azula smirked. With an elegant flick of her leg, she sent a wave of fire towards Sokka and Zuko. Zuko punched it out with his own fire.

He could hear the sounds of Suki and Ty Lee fighting behind him. He didn't have time to worry about it.

He put himself in front of Sokka, deflecting away Azula attacks. He didn't have a choice but to stay on the offensive.

Sokka darted out. Azula dodged and struck back with a blast of fire. Sokka ducked behind Zuko. Zuko deflected it, punching his own blast towards her. It was almost pitiful how easily she deflected it.

But it distracted her enough to let Sokka push her backwards with the tip of his sword. Zuko fired of several quick rounds at her. She dropped onto her hands to dodge. She scowled.

She kicked a huge blast towards them. They dived out of the way. Zuko felt the intense heat rush by him.

Zuko deflected more and more of Azula's blasts. His mind whirled with desperate plans to beat her and escape. The gondola groaned and shuddered to a halt. It rocked dizzyingly back and forth. Sokka was sliding towards the edge, scratching and clawing to try and hang on. Zuko grabbed his hand and helped haul him up.

Ty Lee jumped onto the gondola's pulley. "They're about to cut the line!" she yelled. There was tangible fear in her voice.

Zuko winced. He had never spent much time with Ty Lee, but she'd endeared herself to him with her sunny attitude and sweet smile. She hadn't presented the last time he'd seen her: now she had a sugary sweet fire lily Omega scent. He didn't want her hurt.

He didn't want to die either.

He didn't want anyone here to die, not even Azula. But what could he do?

Azula looked outraged. Her gaze fell on a gondola coming from the other end and she schooled her expression. "Then it's time to leave." She smiled poisonously. She blasted herself away, landing neatly on the other gondola. "Good bye, Zuko."

Ty Lee followed her. As the two gondolas passed by, they stared at each other. Azula wore a look of triumph, while Ty Lee just looked sad.

This couldn't be it for them, could it?

Zuko jumped back inside the gondola, yelling, "They're cutting the line! The gondola's about to go!"

"I hope this thing floats." Hakoda grimaced. There was no disguising the fear in his eyes. He looked desperately for Sokka.

Zuko understood.

Secret be damned, he pressed his hand to his belly. The baby moved under the skin. Zuko hoped against hope that somehow he'd live to see his baby born.

The gondola started moving again. Zuko, Sokka and Suki crowded around the closest window.

"Who is that?" Sokka exclaimed.

Zuko squinted and gasped. "It's Mai!"

"The gloomy girl with the knives?"

"I don't- what is she doing?"

The gondola trundled further and further away until it reached the dock at the edge of the cliff. Sokka pulled Zuko away from the window and out of the gondola.

Hakoda directed Chit Sang to throw the warden back in. "Sorry, warden. Your record is officially broken."

They ran over the rocks.

"Well, we made it out. Now what?" Suki asked.

Zuko ignored her. He staggered to a halt and turned to look back at the prison.

Sokka tugged on his arm. "Zuko, what are you doing?"

"My sister was on that island."

"Yeah and she's probably right behind us, so let's not stop."

"What I mean is she must've come here somehow." Zuko strode to the edge of the cliff and pointed at the air ship on the docks below. "There. That's our way out of here."

Zuko was tired. Zuko was really, really tired. It was a long way down to the docks. The first way they'd found was a steep stair case carved into the rockface. There was probably another way down, but no one could be bothered to look. It was a bad idea to waste time anyway. Sokka stuck close by Zuko's side as they made their way down. He squeezed the Omega's arm every time Zuko started looking too out of it.

Suki led the way, but she and Chit Sang cast confused, worried glances behind them. Hakoda kept eyeing the two. Sokka recognised the look as one that said they would most definitely talk about this later.

"Come on Zuko," he aid quietly, "Just a little while longer."

Zuko grunted and glared at him. "I'm fine."

"Sure you are."

Eventually, they made it onto the airship. Zuko got them into the air and gave a quick crash course on how to pilot it, before slinking away to a quiet corner. Sokka followed. Zuko wavered on his feet, grabbing at the walls in a futile attempt to stay upright. His eyes started to roll back into his head. Sokka dived for him and carefully lowered him to the floor. He listened to Zuko's gasping breaths and frowned.

"Enough of this."

He reached under Zuko's shirt and quickly starting unwinding the bandages around Zuko's stomach. Zuko inhaled deeply, his belly heaving as he tried to pull in more and more oxygen.

Suki gasped. "He's pregnant?"

Sokka nodded.

"What was he doing in that prison then?"

Sokka sighed. "I tried to get him not to come, but he was pretty stubborn about it."

"Is he alright?" Hakoda asked.

"Fine," Zuko wheezed, "Just tired."

Sokka rolled his eyes. "Yeah, we're gonna let Katara be the judge of that."

Zuko groaned.

There wasn't much to do once the initial excitement was over. Sokka sat on the floor with Zuko's head pillowed in his lap. The expectant Omega was breathing much easier, but still didn't have the air to carry out a conversation. That was fine. He was quite happy to just listen to Sokka talk. Sokka rambled on and on, occasionally stopping to ask Zuko how he was and petting Zuko's hair. Zuko drifted in and out of sleep for the most part.

"One hell of a first date, huh?" Sokka grinned softly.

Hakoda looked over, one eyebrow quirked in amusement. "Date?"

Zuko groaned, while Sokka blushed. "Yeah…"

"So when did this happen?"

"The day of the invasion, after we escaped. And no, the baby's not mine."

"Hmm."

Zuko drifted back to sleep.

"Come on sleepyhead. Time to wake up."

Zuko prised his eyes open. Sokka was looming above him, poking his arm. "'Mmm up…" Zuko slurred sleepily.

"We're back at the Air Temple. Can you stand?"

"Yeah. I might need some help though."

"That's okay." Sokka said.

Very carefully and slowly, Zuko sat up. Sokka stood and gently helped Zuko to his feet. Sokka wrapped an arm around Zuko's waist and led him to the door. "Come on. Let's get Katara to look you over."

Zuko sighed defeatedly. "There's no getting out of it, is there?"

"Nope."

The ramp unfurled. Katara, Aang and Toph were standing outside, battle ready. They relaxed in confusion when it was Zuko and Sokka who emerged, not a horde of Fire Nation soldiers.

"Sokka? Zuko? What happened? Where's the war balloon?" Katara asked. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You didn't go fishing, did you?"

Sokka chuckled sheepishly. "No. We kinda maybe sorta broke into a Fire Nation prison."

"Why would you do that?" Katara demanded. She froze wide eyed, when the other three stepped of the ship.

"I'm new," Chit Sang waved, "What's up everybody."

"Dad." Katara gasped, her eyes glimmering with happy tears.

"Hi, Katara." Hakoda smiled. He stepped forward and embraced her tightly.

"How are you here?"

Hakoda chuckled. "I got broken out." He nodded at Zuko and Sokka.

Zuko untangled himself from Sokka and pushed him towards Katara and Hakoda. Hakoda pulled him close and nuzzled his head.

"Seriously," Toph groaned, "You guys didn't find any meat?"

Zuko shook his head. "Sorry Toph."

"Wow, you sound rough, Sparky."

"I'm a little tired."

Katara pulled free of her father's hold, staring at Zuko critically. "I'll bet it's more than that. Come on."

She took Zuko's wrist and pulled him over to Appa. He obediently laid down and rolled up his shirt. Katara immediately frowned.

"What did you do here?"

"I- I bandaged myself to hide my pregnancy."

Katara palpated his stomach carefully, her hands shimmering with water. "It doesn't look like you've done any damage, but that was pretty dangerous. This whole plan of yours was. What you went through during the invasion was bad enough, but adding this to it-"

Katara's tirade halted when Zuko burst into tears.

"I know, I know, I know! I was stupid and reckless, and I nearly killed my baby and I know that! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Sokka bundled him into a hug. Zuko huddled against him, sobbing brokenly into Sokka's chest. It was an intense cry, but a short one. Soon, his sobs faded to sniffles and he slumped against Sokka.

Sokka carefully laid himself down, bringing Zuko down with him. Zuko was mostly on top of him, but the Firebender was comfortable and dozing slightly.

Sokka was thankful that Katara had had the sense to move everyone away to settle in Suki, Hakoda and Chit Sang and let Zuko have his privacy.

Zuko breathed in Sokka's scent. It helped calm him a lot. His eyes ached from the crying, but he felt better after it. His hand settled against his belly. For the rest of his pregnancy, he was going to stay out of danger and rest. He might have gotten lucky with the baby's safety, but that luck would run out eventually. And his baby's life was not something he was willing to risk.

Sokka's chest was rumbling. He was probably rambling again. Zuko sighed and shifted.

Only to see Hakoda sitting right there.

He startled and jerked upright, moving away from Sokka. "Chief Hakoda. I'm so sorry. I didn't see you there."

Both Hakoda and Sokka were giving him confused looks.

"Uh, Zuko," Sokka said, "Dad's been there for a few minutes. How did you not see him? We've been talking this entire time."

Now it was Zuko's turn to look confused. "I was lying on my right."

"And?"

Zuko gestured to his scar. "I can't see or hear very well out of this side."

Hakoda grimaced sympathetically. Sokka looked outright appalled. "How is this the first time I'm hearing about this?"

Zuko shrugged, ducking his head. "I thought it was obvious." He gestured to his scar again, this time highlighting the disfigurement of his eye.

"Oh. I'm sorry."

Zuko shrugged. "It's fine. I've had time to adjust."

Sokka pulled Zuko back into a hug.

Zuko hissed and pulled away. "Sokka, not now."

Sokka tracked Zuko's nervous glances between him and his father. "Zuko, Dad doesn't care. Do you, Dad?"

Hakoda shook his head. "Absolutely not. I think you two are good for each other."

Zuko startled. "Really?"

Hakoda nodded. "Why wouldn't I?"

Zuko gestured wildly to his scar and his belly. "I'm the Fire Nation prince, I chased Sokka all over the world, I look like this and I'm pregnant with another Alpha's child."

"Being from the Fire Nation isn't inherently a bad thing. What's been done wasn't your fault. Yes you've made mistakes, but you were a scared, hurting child and you've more than atoned. Scars don't take away from beauty. I may not know the story behind your baby, but if Sokka can accept it, so can I. Besides, you clearly both adore each other. What more can a father ask for?"

Zuko's eyes hurt and his lip trembled. He flung himself off Sokka's lap and into Hakoda's waiting arms.

So this was what fathers were supposed to be like.

It was nice.

Hakoda held him close, rubbing his back gently.

"Sorry." Zuko mumbled into his chest.

"It's okay. Kya was weepy when she was pregnant too. Especially with Sokka."

Zuko hummed. He peeled himself away from Hakoda and wiped his eyes. "Thank you."

Hakoda smiled warmly. "Any time Zuko. I'll leave you two alone now. Katara's making soup. I suggest you eat some before you go to sleep. You need to keep your strength up."

Sokka and Zuko nodded in unison. Hakoda left and Zuko settled back against Sokka.

"Your father is nice."

Sokka laughed. "Yeah, he is. I'm pretty sure he's planning on adopting you."

"That's nice," Zuko yawned, "Wake me up when the soup's ready.