She felt so much warmth in his arms, and though this moment wasn't nearly as intimate as what they'd just shared, she felt even more at home with him now than she ever had before. All barriers had been torn down and they were free to live for each other. His guilt would fade with time, and she knew the deep wounds would heal eventually. Even he was not meant to suffer eternally.
Slowly, she became aware that he was waking and soon his eyes opened and met with hers. "Good morning," he whispered, and she smiled, kissing his forehead. "How long have you been awake?"
"I just woke a few minutes ago," she said softly. He scooted upwards and kissed her cheek, then trailed down her jaw and came to a stop at her neck.
"Did tell you how beautiful you looked yesterday?" he asked softly. She smiled.
"Several times," she answered.
"You still do," he replied, kissing her face again. "I love you." She smiled and kissed him back.
"I love you."
He rested his head on her chest and she wrapped her arms around him, sharing a few more minutes of peaceful silence before lazily climbing out of bed to get ready for the day.
Zuko watched her silently as she dressed herself, a part of him wanting to reverse the process if only they weren't supposed to meet the Aang and Katara to discuss what course of action to take next. The decision they had to make now was whether to return to Ba Sing Se to aid Sokka, Suki, and Toph since there had still been no word on the Dai Li, or if they should head to the Fire Nation first and send reinforcements into that city. He had hoped that the Dai Li would have been dealt with by now, but since there was no word on it there was a chance that they were more than Sokka and the others could handle.
"You getting dressed?" asked Jin, turning to him with a warm smile. He returned it and nodded.
"Yeah," he said, rising from the bed to grab his clothes. "Just zoned out for a minute." Jin turned to the mirror to finish her hair, and when she was done found Zuko buttoning up his shirt. Slowly, she approached him and finished it for him, a certain tenderness in her gesture, and he felt more like they were husband and wife just in this simple act. When she finished she leaned up to give him a kiss.
"We should get going..." she said softly.
"Hmmm..." he murmered kissing her againd and she giggled, taking his hand to lead him out of the bedroom.
"C'mon, you," she teased as she tugged him along.
----
"You guys!" cried Katara cheerfully as Zuko and Jin entered the dining hall, hand in hand. "Look who just showed up!" She was pointing eagerly to three people who sat across from her and Aang, and Jin let out a gasp as Zuko smiled.
"You're back!" she cried, running over to greet them with hugs.
"Yeah," said Suki with a smile. "It took a lot less time than we thought so the Earth King sent us off on his fastest ship to get here."
"Hey-hey," said Sokka with a smile, accepting a hug from Jin. "Look who's feeling better!"
"And married too!" pointed out Suki.
"I know! Way to invite us!"
"Sorry," said Jin. "We wanted you there, but there'll be a celebration in the Fire Nation later you guys can go to."
"As long as there's cake," teased Sokka.
"Plenty," said Zuko, stepping up to Jin to take her hand again.
"That's all I ask," said Sokka and Toph smiled.
"Congrats you guys," she said and Jin smiled.
"Thanks. So when did you get here?"
"About an hour ago," said Sokka, yawning and stretching as he spoke. "We were kinda up all night."
"Well c'mon then," said Katara. "Let's get you some rooms so you can sleep." She and Aang led them off and Jin smiled, leaning in to Zuko a little more.
"Well that worked out well," she said with a smile and Zuko nodded.
"I'm glad they're all right"
----
The remainder of the day was spent lazily. Sokka, Sukki, and Toph slept through most of it while Aang and Katara disappeared somewhere together. Zuko and Jin stayed with each other most of the day, walking hand-in-hand to further explore the North Pole. Zuko smiled to himself as he looked around. Katara had been right, it was beautiful. A little cold, but they had been given warm coats to wear, and they had each other.
As they walked along the icy paths and wandered around the tribe, Jin gradually moved closer and closer to him, seeming to be growing cold, and after a while, when they'd wandered to an isolated edge which looked out on the entire tribe, they sat together just to admire the view. "It's so beautiful..." whispered Jin as she rested her head on his shoulder.
He kissed her head and pulled her closer to him. "Tomorrow, we'll head home. You and I will have our own thrones..." she smiled, clearly liking the sound of that. "...and I'll get to see my mother again." He paused and smiled sadly. "Is it pathetic of me to miss her?"
"No," said Jin. "I miss my parents too. Even my brother I guess."
"Oh..." he muttered. "That's right, you have an older brother." He could remember the night a long time ago when she'd warned him about her protective brother. She'd only been teasing then, but a part of him was still warry.
"Don't worry, you'll be fine." She sighed a little and sat up. "I'm just worried how my parents will react when they find out about us."
"They wouldn't approve?" he asked softly.
"It's not that, it's just... I know it'll hurt them when they find out I lied... and even though they'll be able to go to the party at the Fire Nation, they'd still have killed to be here at my actual wedding." She seemed very sad as she spoke, and Zuko rubbed her back gently. "The last thing I wanted was to hurt them."
"Then we'll take a detour to Ba Sing Se first," said Zuko. "I'll come with you to meet your family, and we'll tell them everything... together. We'll tell them the full story, tell them why we kept it a secret, and hopefully they'll understand."
"You know you don't have to..." said Jin softly.
"Yes I do. I'm your husband. Any troubles one of us takes on we both take on together, remember?" She smiled and nodded. "Besides, your family is my family now."
"Lucky you," she said sarcastically and he laughed.
----
They departed early the next morning, and everyone, except for Aang, slept through most of the ride. When they landed at last in Ba Sing Se, it was near sunset, and Zuko and Jin were the only ones to get off there, telling the Aang to inform Ursa and the rest of the Fire Nation of the marriage and that they would be arriving soon.
When they landed, Jin was practically crushing Zuko's hand, she was so nervous. "Ah! Jin!" he grunted and she let go.
"Sorry!" she whispered, looking embarassed. As they approached the door she added, "Oh, I hope this goes well..."
Reaching out nervously, she knocked, not feeling sure enough to just open the door to her own house. They waited nervously and the door was cracked open just a little. A young man peered out at Zuko first, then his eyes strayed to Jin and widened. "Jin?" He practically threw the door open and Jin gave a yelp as her brother launched himself at her and swooped her up in a crushing bear hug.
"Jin!" he cried and she coughed.
"Koji!" He set her down and stared at her with a wide smile. "I was so worried... Mom! Dad! Get out here!" Jin turned to Zuko who was smiling in amusment as she rubbed her aching ribs. Koji stepped aside and her mother was the first to step out and Jin sucked in a breath. Her mother looked older, her face worn from worry and sadness and her eyes seeming darker. Jin knew immediatly that she was the cause of that and felt a rush of guilt even though her kidnap had not been her fault.
"Jin!" she gasped and Jin threw her arms around her, tears flooding her eyes.
"Hi, Mom," she said softly and looked up to her father who was smiling at her. "Hi, Dad," she sobbed, her voice giving way. Her mother was already weeping tears of joy and Jin sobbed, completely forgetting about her husband who was standing around awkwardly, wondering what to do with himself.
"And who are you?" asked Jin's father finally.
"He's a firebender," said Koji, pointing to Zuko's clothes. "Can we trust him?" he added, staring at Zuko suspiciously.
"I mean no harm," Zuko stuttered quickly, and Jin stepped out of her mother's embrace and stood next to Zuko.
"He's all right, you guys," said Jin, wiping tears away. "He saved my life, actually."
"Then it appears we are in your debt," said her father.
"Uh... could we come inside? There's something Zuko and I need to talk to you about," said Jin nervously.
"Of course," said her father and they entered the house one by one, taking seats in the living room to talk. Jin sat down next to her mother, her brother sitting on the other side and her father sat nearby. It wasn't until Zuko began to sit himself down across from Jin that Koji finally spoke up.
"Wait a minute... Zuko? As in Firelord Zuko?" Zuko froze, glancing at Jin, trying to find the answer in her eyes if the fact that they knew of him was a good thing. Jin hesitated, then nodded.
"Yes," she said, and all eyes fell on Zuko, who couldn't quite decide who to look at. Jin quickly turned to her father and shook her head. "Dad, you've got to believe me, he's good." Her father turned his head to Zuko and he looked at him without judgement.
"I've heard of you, Firelord Zuko," he said.
"Just Zuko is fine..." muttered Zuko. He was nervous and Jin had never seen him this worried before. It was almost comical.
"I heard you joined forces with the avatar in the final war, is that true?" Zuko nodded. "And all the young women that were kidnapped, they said that you were with the avatar and his friends leading the escape. Is that also true?" Again, Zuko nodded. Jin could almost see his pulse racing and she wanted to sit beside him and take his hand to calm him, but held back, knowing that action in front of her parents so quickly would probably not go over well.
"If you truly are the Firelord they say you are... then you are more than welcome to be in our home," Jin's father said, and Zuko breathed out in relief. Jin smiled a little, feeling that they had gotten over one obsticle, and could only hope that the final ones would go as smoothly.
"So where have you been then?" asked Koji. "All the other girls were free like weeks ago and you never turned up!"
"Yes, where were you?" asked her mother concerned. Jin gave them a sad smile.
"I'll tell you guys everything, I promise. Just let me start from the beginning and hold tight. It's a looong story."
"Well we have time," said her father and Jin nodded. She began from the very beginning when she first met Zuko, or Lee as he was then called, and gradually told about how she'd run off to find him, how she wound up fighting in the war, and how Zuko proposed to her that night in the Fire Nation.
"Bracelet? What bracelet?" asked Koji. "I've never seen you wear one!"
"I kept it hidden," explained Jin.
"We couldn't let anyone know about the engagement because it wasn't safe," said Zuko, speaking up for the first time. "Not even the avatar and his friends knew. I wanted Jin to be safe," he added, glancing at her.
"Then where is it now?" asked her mother, pointing out Jin's bare wrist.
"It was stolen," said Jin. "But I'm getting to that. Just be patient."
She continued, talking about her kidnapping which took place while Zuko was returning from Omashu and told about the Dai Li's twisted plans for her and the other girls in the prisons. Her mother gasped at one point in horror, but Jin reassured her that she was all right. She then told of the final attacks and their sudden emergency trip to the North Pole, and she stopped there, looking around at all of them unsure.
"You poor thing!" cried her mother, after a moment. "All these horrible things! And I couldn't protect you."
"I'm all right, Mom," said Jin softly. "I was healed and everything's okay."
"That still doesn't explain why he's here," said Koji, pointing to Zuko.
"Koji!" scolded Jin's father. "This is our Jin's fiance and the Firelord as well! You will show him your respect."
"Actually, we're not engaged anymore," said Jin softly, and her mother turned to her in concern.
"What happened? You broke it off?" she asked.
"Not exactly..." said Jin, and she stood up, crossing over to where Zuko was, and he stood with her, taking her hand in support. "Mom, Dad, Koji... please don't get mad at me... we weren't exactly expecting it to go this way... but I'd like you to meet my husband." Koji's jaw dropped and Jin's mother stared at her in shock. Her father said nothing.
Jin began to panic and Zuko simply gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. They waited patiently, and finally Koji broke the silence. "So... you got married?" he asked. "Just like that?"
"Yes," answered Zuko.
"I wanted you all to be there... I really did. I missed you guys so much. But... we just had to do it then. I know you probably don't understand..."
Jin's father stood up and turned to Zuko. "I'd like a word with you, if I may," he said softly. Zuko nodded, seeming braver now and he stepped outside along with Jin's father. Once they left Jin turned to her mother.
"Are... you made at me?" she asked. Her mother looked her in the eye and shook her head.
"I'm not, Jin," she said softly. "I'm glad you're all right... it's just so much so soon... I need a moment..." She stood up slowly. "I think I'll make some tea for everyone. That might be best." She left and Jin sighed, turning to her brother.
"What about you?" she asked.
"Me?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. She nodded and he shrugged. "Well... you caught me off guard, and it will be embarassing to tell people that my little sister got married before me..." Jin smiled a little and Koji beamed at her. "But I'm glad you're all right too. You really did give me a scare." He was sincere, not teasing as he'd almost always been. "I'm glad you're back." A film of tears went over Jin's eyes and Koji sighed, opening his arms to her for a hug. "Oh, c'mere, you!" He hugged her tight and she smiled, wondering what Zuko and her father were talking about.
----
(A/N: Yeah so this part took longer than expected and if I threw in the conversation between Zuko and her father, this would be the never ending chapter. R&R, and I really do promise this is almost over.)