Note: Yeah, I am crazy with the updating. It's because I can't stop writing. It's like a disease... Thanks for all the nice things you all are saying. As a result, I am still powering forward. -R

Chapter Thirteen

Katara sat on the soft velvety red cushion with a cup of tea in her hands, her gaze on the fire burning cheerily in the Fire Lord's hearth. Her slippers were on the floor in front of her, forgotten, as she'd tucked her legs underneath her in a picture of comfort. The book she'd picked from his bookshelves was forgotten, lying open on the cushion next to her. She had a bit of a headache and was sure reading by firelight wouldn't have helped, but she wasn't able to focus anyway.

It was long after dinner was over and she'd let herself into Zuko's study to wait for him. Zuko had given her permission to wait for him there on those nights when he couldn't join them for dinner. She didn't know what was keeping him but didn't mind the wait, though she had to stifle yet another yawn. There was a pleasant quiet in his study that she couldn't find anywhere else, but the reasons for it were something she couldn't put her finger on.

They hadn't missed any of their nightly meetings so far and she wasn't about to start now. There was also a sense of her day being incomplete if they didn't have their conversation. She'd learned a great many things about him, not only from what he shared but from his reactions to what she shared. She'd shied away from it before, but lately, Katara couldn't help but think of him as a friend. Iroh had been right about his heart; the Fire Lord was sometimes short-tempered, often gruff, and always suspicious, but she saw past all that now to the man inside. And she found that she respected that man. She could only hope he felt the same way about her.

The doors finally slid open at some time close to midnight and she was half asleep where she sat. Zuko was shocked to see her there but underneath the surprise, there was exhaustion. His dark hair was pulled back from his face into a long ponytail and he was dressed as if he'd been traveling. He was in his red tunic and pants, and there was a great deal of dirt on them.

"What are you still doing here?" he inquired before she could ask what had happened to him. "It's late."

"I didn't how long I'd been waiting," she said sleepily, putting a hand on her forehead.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, fine. Where have you been?"

"Overseeing some things," he answered cryptically. "You should go to bed, Katara. You look exhausted."

"Not without my information."

At that, he gave her a tired smile. "Stubborn until the end. I won't be picky and point out that I did just technically give you some information by answering your question. How about this? I hate my birthday."

"Really?" she said, perking up. "I love birthdays."

"That doesn't surprise me," he said, going to his desk and rifling through the papers there. "I don't like the fuss."

"Don't they have a huge festival here in your honor?"

"I really don't like the fuss," he repeated.

Katara laughed. "When I was little, my mom used to make the neighbors line up on our little street—such as it was—and have a kind of festival for me. They'd have their tables out with treats and gifts, and everyone would be wearing party hats, even my dad. We had the best time."

"It sounds like it," Zuko said and though he was frowning, like he usually was, there was concern underneath it as he studied her face. "Go to bed, Katara."

She ignored him though her headache was reaching critical proportions. Idly, she undid the golden beads in her hair and held them in her palm. He watched her as he stood by the side of his desk, a wrinkle between his eyebrows.

"I got these on my eighteenth birthday," she said. "They were my great-grandmother's. She passed them down to Gran-gran, then down to Mom, but since she died, my dad kept them for me. When he gave them to me, it was like she came alive for me again and I felt connected to her, daughter to mother. One day, I suppose I'll pass them down to Maiko."

That stopped Zuko. "Why not your own daughter?"

Katara smiled wanly. "Some people might be able to have two families or a harem or concubines, but I don't think I can. My heart isn't big enough or strong enough to leave one for the other."

"I don't want to...I can't let you go, Katara, but I don't want you to stop living your life," Zuko said helplessly.

"I'm not stopping," she said. "Maiko and Lu Zuo...I love them. Even though it's only been...gods, it's only been a month and a half. I'm making this work for me the only way I know how."

"I just don't want you to regret not having your own family," he said, going back to shuffling through his papers, though Katara wasn't so sure he was going to find what he was looking for from the violence of his actions. "I know you love my children and they love you, but..."

"They're not mine? You're wrong."

He laid both hands on his desk, suddenly still. "I misspoke," he said, his voice low and unsure. "There's time yet for you to get used to the idea of having two families. Don't write anything off yet."

Katara put a hand over her eyes. "You know me well enough by now to know I won't change my mind about this."

He looked at her over his shoulder and was about to argue the point, but stopped when he saw the sweat beaded on her forehead. She was sitting close to the fire, but not close enough for that, and he could see that her hands were trembling.

"Katara, are you alright?" he asked again.

She looked up at him with watery eyes. "No...I don't think I am."

He rushed forward as she began to fall and he caught her before she hit the ground. Katara was vaguely aware of being scooped up in his arms, and his bellowing for a doctor before she blacked out.

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Over the next few days, Katara floated in and out of consciousness. Sometimes when she woke, Zuko was there, arguing with a man she didn't know or Iroh was there with a soft cloth for her forehead. Other times, they were both there, whispering quietly and she couldn't hear what they were saying. At one point, Azula was there, standing at attention as she received orders from her brother. Through it all, Katara felt as if her head was going to split open and she was given some foul-tasting liquid that would help her sleep again.

She was pulled back to life by the sound of a familiar voice arguing loudly with Zuko. It was a struggle for her to open her eyes, but Katara managed to get one open wide enough to see Toph's green-clad figure standing at the foot of her bed, her face close enough to Zuko's to be considered a challenge and from the expression on Zuko's face, he was taking it as one. It was easy for Toph since she was nearly as tall as he was and from the words Katara could catch, they were arguing over how many guards should be posted outside her room.

"Toph?" Katara croaked.

Katara didn't know how they managed to hear her soft voice over their argument, but they stopped in unison and Toph let out a relieved breath, bracing her hands on the bed.

"Sweetness!" she sighed. "You scared me. Don't ever do that again."

She went to Katara's side to help her old friend sit up. Katara rubbed her eyes, feeling weak and starved as consciousness slowly returned.

"How long was I out?" she asked groggily.

"Almost a week," Zuko said.

"I'm hungry," she said.

"I'll have some lunch sent," he said. "But you should eat slowly."

"What happened, Zuko?"

Zuko and Toph exchanged a look that wasn't lost on Katara. Her grip on Toph's hand tightened.

"Tell me," she said.

"You were poisoned," Zuko said gently.

"Poisoned?" Katara repeated shrilly. "Are you serious?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

"Now is not the time to argue with her, Fireball," Toph retorted. "Take it easy, Katara. He's got half the palace in interrogation rooms trying to find out who did this to you. In the meantime, try to get your strength back because you're going to need it."

She handed Katara a cup of the same stuff she'd been drinking all week and Katara couldn't help making a face.

"It's good for you," Zuko said, much in the same tone she was sure he used on the children.

Closing her eyes, Katara took it all in one gulp and Toph turned her attention back to the Fire Lord.

"Make sure someone you trust supervises that lunch," she said, pointing a finger at him. "She can't take another dose of whatever it was that almost killed her in the first place. Anything that comes into this room should be checked..."

"Arrogant of you to assume you can order me around," Zuko said, flaring up. "I asked you to come here to be with her, not to be her personal guard so stop acting like some rabid wolf-dog. And stop calling me 'Fireball'."

"No," Toph said. "No to all of the above."

Zuko threw Katara a look and was about to say something but thought better of it. Turning so fast that his robes nearly knocked over the vase by the door, he was gone. Toph turned her face back to Katara, an amused smile on her face. She hadn't changed much from the tough little twelve year old who'd helped save the world, and if anything, had become more cheeky. She ran her family's businesses with the same enthusiasm she did everything else and had a reputation for being as unmovable as her element. Since she'd become head, the Bei Fong family fortune had grown nearly ten-fold and Toph was sitting pretty, figuratively and literally. Katara studied her friend's expressive face, thought that she only seemed to grow more beautiful with time and was once again sorry that Toph couldn't see it for herself.

"It's fun to get him riled up. His heart starts beating so fast that I half-expect it to explode," Toph was saying. "Plus it finally got him out of here. You'd think he didn't have a kingdom to run."

"What do you mean?"

"If I'm your personal guard, he's your personal nurse. What happened there, Sweetness? He never really cared all that much about other people before, wife or not."

Katara looked down at the bottom of her now empty cup. "He probably feels responsible."

"As well he should. If he and his crazy uncle didn't come up with this scheme to lure you to the Fire Nation as his bride, we wouldn't be in this mess. I'm not your only visitor, by the way, and with Fireball out there, I'm pretty sure he'll be right in..."

Right on cue, Sokka came bursting into the room and in three steps, he had Katara engulfed in a bearhug.

"I'm going to kill him," he was muttering. "I'm going to kill him and hang his head up on the throne room so that everyone will know that messing with the Water Tribe means Fire Lord heads as throne room decoration."

"Sokka," Katara said, calm washing over her. "I'm so glad you're here."

He held her at arm's length, blue eyes identical to her own raking over her face. He looked haggard but relieved now that she was awake. Katara had to admit couldn't deny that having her brother there made her feel a little bit better.

"You look like death," he commented. "Let's get some food in you and sun on you...or maybe moon would be better."

"She just woke up, Sokka," Toph scoffed.

"So what? Being bedridden won't make her better and besides, it'll show whoever did this to her that she's made of stronger stuff. Right, Katara?"

"Sokka, how about we take it a little slow for today," Katara said, already feeling tired from all the attention. "We can sit outside tomorrow."

Sokka gripped her hand tightly. "Dad's really worried about you. He wanted to send guards, but Zuko wanted only me to come. He said he had the guards covered."

"Yes, he does because I'm here," Toph said confidently. "Don't worry, Katara. We'll take care of you."

Zuko came back into the room, followed by a maid carrying a tray.

"Have some miso soup," he said. "You need to eat something."

Toph put an arm around her to help her stay sitting upright, and Sokka took the bowl from the tray.

"Open up the icewall, Katara," Sokka encouraged. "Here comes the trade ship!"

Katara managed a weak laugh. With the help of her brother and her friend, she managed to eat all of the soup. Zuko stayed at the foot of the bed, his eyes not wavering from her face. His entire posture screamed tension and he looked exhausted, but he stood tall. Underneath it, she could see anger, anger that someone had gotten close enough to do this. She was sure that was what enraged him about the whole situation. With this act, it was obvious that his family was not as safe as he thought it was.

"I'll be alright," she assured him.

"That's more than I can say for whoever did this to you," he said menacingly. "I'll leave you to Toph and Sokka. I've got some work to do."

"Wait, Zuko," she called.

He turned.

"Can I see Maiko and Lu Zuo later?"

"In a while," he said with a small smile. "They missed you."

Katara sank back against her pillows and closed her eyes. She didn't see the concerned look Sokka and Zuko exchanged. With a nod at the other man, the Fire Lord took his leave.

"We'll be right here if you need us," Sokka whispered as he tucked her in.

"I know," Katara sighed and drifted off.