Disclaimer: Don't own.

A/N: This actually didn't turn out at all how I wanted it to. As in I had an entirely different idea for children. I have a pretty good idea for d and f, e however is not happening. This is where I also warn about these not being in chronological order and that updates should be regular but might not be. I should be working on my thesis. I did pass my language exam though! Thanks to all my reviewers!

He stopped creeping at the shuffle of a phantom foot. His hands waved behind his back to warn his two little protégés to halt as well. He waited and listened. Thinking the possible person had moved on, he turned to look at the boys following him. They were looking at him with wide bright eyes and he brought a gloved finger to his covered mouth, reminding them to keep quiet.

He turned the corner, knowing this was going to be the hardest place to sneak past, seeing that no one was there he-

"Daddy?" Zuko looked down to see his three-year-old daughter poking her head out of her room, eyes wide and bottom lip trembling. He turned quickly to the two following him, motioning them to hide while pulling the cloth covering away from his mouth.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" He asked as she ran to him and attached herself to his legs and beginning to cry. He bent down to pick her up, noticing how strong her hold on his legs was.

"I had a dream where a h-h-hippo-cow was going to e-eat me like Uncle Sokka said!" She wailed into his shoulder.

"Shhh," he soothed, "I'm here, nothing can get you," he turned around while rubbing her back. He noted that the younger of his two boys had decided that hiding half behind one of the pillars in the hall was a good idea while the elder crouched mostly out of sight behind a vase. Good, at least they're trying he thought as he began to bring his daughter into her room. "I'll tuck you in and-"

"N-n-no! The m-m-monster will get me in there! I want you and Mommy!" She was sobbing into his shoulder and all he wanted to do was comfort her but he still had other things he was supposed to be doing. Like making sure his sons stayed where they were hiding.

Down the hallway the door to his rooms opened and Katara emerged, looking to see what was wrong. He had always wondered how she knew whenever one of their children started crying. "Zuko, what's wrong?"

"She had a bad dream based on some story Sokka told her," he said while the little girl began to lunge at Katara.

"Oh baby, tell me what's wrong," Katara soothed as she took her daughter in her arms. She also took in the completely black outfit Zuko had on and how she had missed him leaving their rooms. She gave him a look that he knew meant, "don't move, you are in trouble" while slightly bouncing the girl in her arms.

"The hippo-cow is going to eat me Mama!"

"Uncle Sokka is in a lot of trouble if he told you that. But right now I'm going to tuck you into my bed, where I know there aren't any hippo-cows, and you're going to try to go to sleep while I talk with Daddy out here for a little, all right?" The girl nodded, latching her arms around Katara's neck to hold on.

Zuko knew he was out of options. He couldn't leave. If he did he would still have to face her in the morning and Katara left to her own thoughts for a night was not good for him. Without turning around he commanded "stay where you are," to the hidden boys. Both went back to their hiding places as they had began to emerge when their mother left.

Katara returned with a determined look in her eyes. Zuko stood his ground; he had done nothing wrong. He was Fire Lord he could sneak around his own Palace if he wanted to! He could even teach his sons how to do it as well! He would even try teaching his daughter when she was old enough. As Katara stalked closer about half of his bravado left him. Katara could be scary when determined, especially when she was also ready to chew out her brother for giving her child nightmares.

"You can come out now," she said in a deathly calm voice. The boys knew this voice; it was the voice that meant, "you should brace yourself because you will get a lecture that involves the phrase 'I'm very disappointed in you.'" The younger of the two had only heard this tone once before but he had not liked it then. They scurried out to stand on either side of their father, heads down and shoulders slumped. "Why don't you tell me what you three are doing?"

"We were just sneaking-"

"Dad said he knew how to-"

"I was teaching them some of the stealth-"

"Children!" Katara commanded.

"Thank you, dear, as I was-"

"That includes you too Zuko." Her voice was like the ice she could create. All three males of the royal family gulped. "Now, I can see that you were trying to sneak around. Would this have anything to do with the midnight food festival I distinctly remember telling you three that the boys couldn't attend?"

"No, of course not, dear," she bristled at his term of endearment, "I was merely teaching them what I knew."

"Which would explain why you're dressed in black too."

"Yes."

"And why you were out here when Kyra came out."

"Of course."

"And why you were trying to sneak past our door to leave the Palace through the passageway off the family wing."

"That's correct." He responded without thinking. He cursed his inability to think before speaking as she smiled triumphantly.

"Boys, did your father promise to take you out tonight, even after I said you couldn't go?" Both nodded, there was no lying to their mother. "You know why I told you you couldn't go, right?" Again they nodded. "Will you ever start a bending match at the dinner table again?" Both shook their heads, biting back comments of 'but he started it!' Now was not the time to argue about that.

The younger of the two, who desperately wanted to go, broke their silence. "Please Mommy, I really want to go! I promise to hold Dad's hand the whole time!" Katara's hard expression softened at his plea.

"You both know if I let you go that you two will still be helping washing dishes in the kitchen, right?" They nodded. "All right, you can go, as long as you stay with your father and if I hear about either of you two running off you will be helping for a month in the kitchens." Each boys face broke into a huge grin. "Now go get changed, if you're going you should at least go in your normal clothes." They took this as a dismissal and turned and ran to their rooms to get changed. "As for you," she rounded on Zuko, "after you change you're going to wake up Sokka and take him with you."

"But he'll want to stay forever." Zuko groaned.

"It's part of your punishment for trying to sneak the boys out. And part of Sokka's as well because you're going to make sure to be back before midnight, all four of you as well as making sure he only eats one sample from each vendor." Zuko scowled at his wife. "Come on, the boys will be back soon. You can even have them wake Sokka up if you want," she said before kissing his check.

He was going to be stuck babysitting his children and brother-in-law for the next few hours. He was pretty sure Katara knew the best punishments.

A/N2: Longest letter so far! I'm sure Kyra has been used for a steam-baby before. In case you're wondering, I do have names for the boys. The elder is Irzan (yeah, it sucks, but I wanted it to have a z and still be sort of named for Iroh) and the younger is Marukku. I epic fail at names.