A/N: Sorry, couldn't resist... I all ready wrote it... :-p
The girls all went through the familiar hallways of the palace, and with a nod at the two guards at the doorway (Mai and Zuko hated it, saying that they could watch out for themselves, but it was the advisers who insisted, saying that with the political uprisings it would be remiss of them not to ensure the Royal couple's safety), they entered the rooms of the Royal couple.
"Yow, GLOOMY! How're you holding up?" yelled Toph as she entered Mai and Zuko's bedroom.
Mai was sitting up on bed, with a handkerchief balled up in her fist, nose red, and eyes glaring at the blind girl and the girls walking behind her, "Gee, How do you think?... Zuko sent you, didn't he?".
With that Toph sat on the bed, punched her lightly and grinned, "That's the spirit! And yeah, Zuko sent us"
"He told us you threw one of your knives at the palace physician? Is that true?" Asked Ty Lee as she came over and hugged her ailing friend before also sitting down at her bedside.
"I was just trying to teach him a lesson, Ty" came Mai's nasal reply, which Ty Lee just rolled her eyes at. "That must have been some lesson, I'm surprised Zuko got away unscathed"
"I see it wasn't for a lack of trying" commented Suki, who had, along with katara examined the wall of the suite.
Katara gestured at the wall, giggling, there were about 6 well-aimed knives across the wall and one more at the door.
"He was annoying" said Mai shortly, as she received a hug from katara and Suki, who like the rest of the girls sat down on the bed too. "you should have seen him last night, it was as if he had never seen a person catch the COMMON cold, he even made me soup last night declaring that the chefs didn't know how to make it just right ".
"Aww, he's just worried about you", katara said, now already bending some water, "I think its sweet". Mai merely raised an eyebrow, "you would, wouldn't you?". Instead of replying, Katara slowly healed Mai.
After a few minutes, Mai felt loads better. The stuffiness in her nose and ears were relieved and her slight headache was gone.
"Thanks Katara" Mai smiled slightly at the waterbender before getting up and maneuvering her way past various friends to get off the bed.
"Where are you going? I think Zuko wanted us to chain you to the bed and ensure you got rest…or something along those lines", Ty Lee merely lied down on the fluffy pillows Mai was resting on, and eyed her friend through lazily opened eyes.
"I feel filthy and I want to bathe before going down and doing my duties as firelady" came Mai's as she was heading for the bathroom.
"I think Zuko all ready cancelled your meeting with the other ladies of the court last night" Ty Lee yelled.
They heard Mai groan in frustration and mumbling something. They suspect it was about Zuko.
After her bath, she found the other girls asleep on her bed. She smirked at the scene and rolled her eyes. Still amazed at the difference 3 years could make. During the war, no one can fathom that men and women from different nations could live in harmony, and yet, there it is, 4 women from the 3 different nations sleeping peacefully.
They must have had a long trip. With nothing else to do, Mai sat on one of the armchairs in the room, and read a scroll while waiting for her friends to get up.
A couple minutes past until she was surprised by an uncharacteristic sound, she looked up to see Toph on the ground, clearly having fallen off the unfamiliar bed. Mai let out a snort and was biting on her lips to keep from smiling too much. She then gazed down at Toph's unseeing eyes and instead of an offended frown she was expecting, Toph wore a confused frown before turning to a more surprised one and finally becoming a look of pure joy.
Mai was confused by this development of course, but she was more shocked when she saw Toph waking everyone else up rather unmercifully as the rest landed on the floor.
"What was that for?!"
"Couldn't you have been more gentle"
"This is not good for my aura"
"SHUT UP!" yelled Toph, to stop further comments from everyone else. She turned to look at Mai who was still sitting on her chair, now with a raised eyebrow and a questioning gaze. Toph approached her and grabbed her hand to a standing position. She smiled so widely at Mai and pinned her unseeing gaze at Katara "Use your bending and see, katara!"
Katara rolled her eyes at Toph and did as she asked anyway, she'd find out soon what she was so excited about. She bent the water about Mai and after a few moments katara let out a gasp of surprise and the water she was bending suddenly fell on the floor.
Without further ado, Katara launched herself at Mai, soon quickly followed by Toph.
Mai, who was trapped in the hug, shared a confused look with Ty Lee and Suki. "Ugh, you guys want to share the joyful news?... You know, to us nonbenders who have no idea what's going on.." came Suki's voice.
"Yeah, I'd like to know what I'm being hugged for too..", Mai glanced at Katara and Toph.
"You're pregnant!!" came the voices of the two benders. And for a few moments, Mai was frozen on her spot, "I'm wha –I' what?", before being subsequently attacked by Suki and Ty Lee too.
"But? How would you know that? I didn't even miss a period yet" came Mai's baffled voice.
"Two heartbeats Mai, yours and someone else's" Toph looked up at her and grinned, "a strong heart beat too, IT- for lack of better term, is healthy"
"Its probably not even a month-old yet", said katara, "I think you're sick now because you're pregnant, the changes in your body causes congestion to the ears and nose, I should know, I helped Gran-gran around the southern water tribe for years"
"Oh, so I'm pregnant" came Mai's dazed voice, "I'm still taking it in", her friends gave a chuckle.
"Yeah, we see that" came Katara's teasing tone, "wait 'til Zuko finds out, he'll flip"
With those words, Mai was brought back down from the clouds and to the world of the living. She smirked to herself and gazed at Ty Lee, her oldest friend, her eyes twinkling in merriment.
Ty Lee grinned back, "I think this would just be it -- Zuko's downfall!"
After a few moments, the others caught on, they each shared a grin and walked arm in arm towards the 'war' room.
A/N: My favorite chapter...
Disclaimer: Still don't own the Avatar...damn...
