3: Two days later

Suki pulled her head out of the bucket on her lap. Stars danced in front of her eyes. Katara knelt beside her on the floor and pressed a cup into her hands. "Here, have some ginger tea! Iroh taught me how to make this back in Ba Sing Se. Ginger helps relieve nausea." Suki smiled gratefully and took a sip.

"Good morning, everyone!" Said a cheerful voice. Katara and Suki looked up to see Sokka at the door. He held out a line with several fish attached. "I caught breakfast! And it's fresh!"

Suki turned green and stuck her head back in the bucket. Katara glared. "Sokka!"

"What? We live on an island, Katara! We eat lots of fish!" Sokka argued. Suki just vomited.

Sokka found Aang outside, grooming Appa with a giant broom under the pavilion where the bison was being kept. Thick white fur rained around him. "Women!" Sokka kicked some fur. "You try to do something nice, but no!" He made his voice high-pitched. "'Sokka, don't bring that fish in here! You're making Suki sick!'"

"Don't worry," said Aang, continuing to brush. "Morning sickness only lasts about three or four months."

"Months?" Sokka groaned, then winced as a big chunk of fur fell on his head.

Suki seemed better a few days later. Sokka found her and Katara in the living room; Katara was on the sofa and Suki was sitting on the floor under her belly. Katara had pulled up her shirt enough to expose her stomach. Suki had a few bowls of color and was decorating the swollen mass.

"Suki? What are you doing?"

"Belly painting," she answered, adding some blue. "It's a fun pregnancy activity…Hey!" Sokka moved her aside to take a look.

"Why'd you paint Oyaji?"

"It's not Oyaji!" Suki argued. "It doesn't even have a beard! It's a baby!"

"So why'd you give it a ponytail?"

"That's its forehead! I just messed up a little!"

"Uh huh, sure."

"Hey guys." Aang came in. He was carrying some firewood. "Why are you painting Admiral Zhao on my wife's stomach?"

"It's a baby!" Suki snapped.

"So why'd you give it a ponytail?"

Suki shot him a dirty look as Katara laughed. "I can't wait to see what this looks like."

There was a grumbling sound. Everyone looked at Suki. "Was that the Unagi or your stomach?"

"I am hungry," Suki admitted, stroking her belly. She smiled. "You know what I'd really like?" Sokka shrugged. "Honey berries!"

"Honey berries?" Sokka cried. "But honey berries have thorns! Huge, giant, thorny thorns!"

"Ok…" Suki sighed as she grabbed a cloth to wipe off her fingers. "I just wanted something sweet and delicious and in its peak season. I guess I'll have to go through my whole pregnancy craving the one thing I could only get right now…"

"All right, all right!" Sokka stood. "I'll get you the stupid berries!"

Suki beamed, but Aang looked concerned. "If you're going out, you better hurry up. It's going to storm in an hour."

"Don't worry," Sokka said over his shoulder. "I'll be back in a flash!"

The paint was dry and Katara stood. There was a mirror next to the doorway and she studied the picture Suki had drawn. "Well, I think it's a beautiful picture, Suk…Uhhh…" She groaned, grasping her stomach.

Aang was at her side in a second. "What is it? Is it time?"

"Don't be silly," Katara straightened up. "I've still got a little more than four weeks left. The baby just stuck its feet into my ribs, that's all."

Aang put his hand on her back. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

Suki grabbed Katara's arm. "I know! Why don't you pick out dinner tonight?"

"All right."

"I've got a big book of recipes I've collected from everyone in the village…" Aang watched them go into the kitchen.

He sighed. "Only four weeks left."

It took Sokka ten minutes to walk from the outskirts of the village to the patch where the honey berries grew near the woods. They looked remarkably like blueberries, except they were a shiny gold color and instead of fruity pulp, they were filled with succulent honey.

Sokka knelt down and opened his sack. He eyed the giant briars, but steeled his resolve. "Come to Papa!" Using his thumb and forefinger, he carefully loosened each berry from its stem and put it in the bag. After he had gotten about thirty, he gave a satisfactory smile. "There!" He tied the bag and patted its bulging side. "Well, that was easy!"

There was a thump and a growl. Sokka gulped and turned. A huge bear was standing on its hind legs, snarling at him.

Sokka screamed and tripped…right into the honey berry bush and its thorns. He screamed again and jumped out of the bramble. He tore away from the woods' edge, the bear behind him, roaring and snapping the whole time.

Katara was washing the paint off her belly when the rain started to come down. "I hope Sokka's all right," she said as she tossed the washcloth in the basin.

"He'll be fine!" Said Aang confidently. He was bent over the fireplace, stacking the logs he'd fetched earlier. He lit them using a small jet of fire from his fingers.

Suki was sitting at the table, chopping daikon. "Besides, how much trouble can someone get into collecting berries?"

There was a loud clap of thunder that made all three jump in fright. The door swung open.

"Sokka?" Katara cried in disbelief. Her brother was wet and dirty with scratches on his arms, face and legs. Still, he held up the bag of berries with pride.

"I got 'em!" He said triumphantly. "I got the honey berries!" He set the sack on the table next to Suki's radishes. "I had to wrestle a bear to get them, but it was worth it! Sent that overgrown groundhog crying for its mommy!" Suki smiled and untied the pouch. "Yep, no one messes with Sokka!"

Suki reached in and pulled out a berry. She popped it in her mouth. "Mmm…" Her face suddenly twisted and she spat out the fruit, choking.

"What's wrong?" Asked Katara.

"These aren't honey berries!" Said Suki. "These are sun berries!"

Sokka's face fell. "Say what?"

"Sun berries!" Suki pulled out another berry and held it up for everyone to see. "They look like honey berries, except they have no honey inside, just regular pulp, and they taste bad!"

Sokka slapped his forehead and slid into a chair. "You've got to be kidding! They don't taste like honey at all?"

"Not so much honey as they do bug guts." Said Suki as Aang picked out a berry. He sniffed it and tossed it to Momo who crammed the fruit in his mouth. He coughed and spit it on the floor.

"Huh? I thought you liked bug guts, Momo!"

"I can't believe it!" Sokka interrupted angrily. "That stupid bear chased me for nothing!" Aang, Katara, and Suki looked at him. "What?"

"Chased you?" Said Suki smugly. "I thought you wrestled the bear!"

Sokka turned pink as he realized his blunder. "I did…I mean…" He laughed embarrassed. "I might've exaggerated just a little…"