Disclaimer: AtLA is property of VIACOM and Nickelodeon. No profit is made from this story.

Funnily enough, the day after Katara and Toph had been talking about the potential arrival of their new niece or nephew, a hurriedly written letter from Sokka had confirmed that what they had been talking about had indeed happened.

The letter had been addressed to Katara, but she had waited for Toph to come in for her daily visit until she actually read it.

'Dear Katara,' she read, 'last night Suki had her baby – it's a girl! She's got your blue eyes – don't ask me how that's possible – and Suki's red hair, I think she's beautiful but then again I'm very biased.

'I have a feeling that Toph will be listening to you reading this, so tell her that I'll pay up next time you two visit, which will hopefully be soon since Suki wants you guys, Zuko too, to come down and visit Saika. Yeah, Suki got to choose the name, she was named for Suki's mom, but you'll hear the full story later.

'Anyways, Suki and Saika are both fine, but a little tired. Write back as soon as you can, tell us when you can visit. Any time is good. Love, Sokka, Suki, Dad, Gran Gran, Grampakku, and Saika.'

Katara looked up, pleased to see that Toph was smiling.

'Well, well, well,' she said. 'Isn't this a coincidence?'

'What do you mean?'

'You said you wanted to go to the South Pole. Now you have your chance. Do you think Sparky will want to come?'

'Probably,' said Katara, 'but I don't know if the Fire Nation court allows time off to go niece-visiting.'

Toph flattened one palm, and punched it several times. 'They will when I'm done with them,' she said confidently.

For a second Katara almost felt sorry for the poor suckers.

*

'A girl?'

'Yes,' said Katara, 'she's been named Saika. The letter would have taken several days to reach the Fire Nation, so I'm guessing she'd be about a week old now.'

'Everyone at the South Pole must be excited,' remarked Zuko. 'It's been a while since there was a child born there, right?'

'Only in our tribe,' said Katara, 'but that's enough cause for celebration. Anyway,' she said, getting to the point, 'in his letter, Sokka asked if us three – you, Toph and I – would come down to the South Pole to visit everyone. I think he wants us to come soon,' she added.

'Okay. How does leaving a week from today sound to you?'

'What?' Katara wasn't sure if she had heard Zuko right. Maybe the poison had done something to her hearing.

Zuko looked up innocently. 'Do you need more time to pack?'

I don't know. Maybe I will, seeing as you didn't burn my old clothes. But of course Katara didn't say that.

'Sorry,' she said, 'I just didn't think that the court members would let you leave so suddenly. Are you sure you're allowed to do this?'

'Probably,' said Zuko. 'I don't think anybody would have a problem if I leave Uncle in charge.'

'Do you think he won't mind not coming? You know how much Iroh loves children …'

Zuko smiled, and for some reason Katara was reminded of a weasel-fox. 'He doesn't mind. I already asked him.'

'Wait – but – how?'

Zuko pulled out a scroll that was covered in familiar messy handwriting, and after the second's thought it took Katara to realize Sokka had written two letters, she grinned.

'So a week from today then?'

'As long as the physician says you're all right to travel, then I don't see any reason why we can't go.'

'Oh please,' said Katara over her shoulder as she left Zuko's office, 'you sound like my father.'

'At least you're lucky enough to have one who cares.'

She froze. Good one, Katara.

'And by the way, Admiral Nasou is here again.'

'I know. Toph told me.' Is he mad? Did I hurt him? She turned around so that she was facing Zuko. He looked all right …

'This time he brought several officers of his with him. Did Toph tell you about the factory explosion?'

'Yes.'

'Well he's brought all the paperwork involved and there's going to be a meeting tomorrow in the conference rooms. Admiral Nasou said he wanted you to be there, but since there was the poisoning attempt I could probably get you out of it.'

Katara bit down on her lip, thinking. 'I think I should go,' she said at last, 'at the very least I'll be good moral support. Maybe I'll even be able to help,' she suggested hopefully.

'Be warned that this sort of stuff will go on for hours.' Zuko sighed, his shoulders slumped. 'Did Toph also tell you that Admiral Nasou is asking for thirty-thousand pieces of gold?'

An old thought resurfaced from the depths of her memory. The Fire Nation doesn't have that money.

Katara grimaced. 'I'm sure that Iroh will come up with something.' Looking at Zuko, she could tell that he didn't really believe her – neither did she.

'The meeting starts at sunset in the western conference room. Tell Toph that she's welcome to come if she wants to, but I advise against it.' Something that resembled a smile crossed Zuko's face.

'I will,' promised Katara, leaving the room for the final time.

*

Of course, despite Zuko's warning, Toph insisted that she would go to the meeting with Admiral Nasou, regardless of how boring it would be.

The girls only had about five minutes until they had to leave for the meeting. Toph was sitting on Katara's bed, cross-legged, deep in thought. Katara was sitting on a chair, looking down at her dress. It was a simple red one, normal Fire Nation style – which was exactly what was bothering her.

'Toph,' she asked, 'do you think I wear too much red these days?' Only after the words came out of her mouth did she realize what a stupid question she had asked. Of course Toph wouldn't know, she was blind for spirits sake!

'Sweetness? Clothes and all of that stuff look the same to me when I pick them up. If you want fashion advices go ask Zuko.' The girl's tone was joking – Katara was relieved. She hadn't offended her friend. It had never occurred to her that this sort of thing happened to Sokka all the time.

'Sorry,' she sighed, 'it just hit me. I've been wearing Fire Nation clothes for ages now. Maybe that's why Zuko didn't burn my Water Tribe ones.'

Toph groaned loudly and pointedly. 'This whole Water Tribe clothes not being burned thing is so old! Can't you just go and ask him already?'

Katara said nothing, her chest all of a sudden feeling very tight. Of course Toph didn't really understand, as much as she tried. 'Come on,' she said softly, 'it's time we left.'

*

Admiral Nasou was just as Katara had remembered from his last visit to the Fire Nation. As Zuko had said, the man had brought several other Earth Kingdom men with him, as well as a good armful of paperwork.

Thirty-thousand pieces of gold …

They both sat at a table with Zuko and Iroh. On the directly opposite side of them on the huge table sat Admiral Nasou and his men, their tan and green uniforms standing out against the rich red-brown tones of the conference room.

And although there were a number of other Fire Nation officials in the room, Admiral Nasou continued staring at Zuko with his brown eyes narrowed, face brutally cold, fists clenched. Katara glanced at her side to where Zuko sat. Her eyes widened with surprise when she saw that the Fire Lord's hands were shaking ever so slightly. Whether it was from fury or fear, Katara didn't know.

Is it just me, or are things a little tense around here?

Without really thinking, she stretched her arm across and put on hand on top of his to halt the trembling. Their eyes met and she gave him what she hoped was an encouraging smile, before withdrawing her hand, resting it patiently in her lap. Katara looked up, seeing that the last Fire Nation officers had entered the room and taken their seats. She took a deep breath to steady herself, noticing that Zuko was doing the same, hands still shaking.

Admiral Nasou and Zuko both rose from their chairs at exactly the same time. There was absolute silence in the room.

'Fire Lord Zuko,' said the admiral, first to speak, mockery brimming on the edge of his voice, 'yesterday we spoke of the money the Fire Nation owed to the Earth Kingdom. Today my men have arrived with the necessary paperwork for you to sign. Do you have the required witness?'

Katara knew that, according to Fire Nation rule, if Zuko was to sign a document as important as this one – thirty thousand pieces of gold – he would have to have a trusted relative or close friend at his side and sign the document as well. Basically, it was the witness's job to say that Zuko was sane at the time of signing the paperwork, and fully aware of what he was doing.

'I do,' said Zuko, glancing briefly at his uncle, 'my witness will be my uncle, Iroh, Dragon of the West.'

Admiral Nasou nodded once, his lips pressed into a thin, stubborn, line. 'Here are the papers.' He made a gesture with one hand, and the green-clad man seated at his side stood up and took them over to Zuko's side of the table. 'All you have to do is –'

'Pardon my interruption, Admiral Nasou, but I am afraid to tell you that my nephew has given me next to no information on this little project of yours. Would you mind taking a few minutes to explain this to a forgetful old man?'

Katara twisted her neck around to look at Iroh so fast that she thought she might have pulled a muscle. The man's face was completely serious, not a trace of dishonesty in his gold eyes. But everybody – or at least Zuko, Toph, and herself – knew that Iroh was lying through the back of his teeth.

But Admiral Nasou didn't know that. The man sighed loudly, and turned to look at the man seated next to him. 'Lieutenant Ryuu, would you care to explain?'

The man nodded. 'Three years ago,' he began in a clear, steady voice, 'the Fire Nation laid siege to an Earth Kingdom town: Sho Lei. In doing so they exploded an arms construction factory, which, at the time, was holding several large units of oil which was being used to power the Earth Kingdom's machinery. The factory, as long as many houses in the same vicinity, was completely destroyed in a massive explosion, killing and maiming hundreds of people.' Lieutenant Ryuu stared across the table with cool green eyes. 'There are many families in Sho Lei who have lost loved ones, and now have no reliable source of income. The Earth Kingdom wants to compensate for these people's losses, but we feel that it is the responsibility of the Fire Nation to do so.'

Again, the same thoughts flashed through Katara's head. Thirty-thousand pieces of gold. Money the Fire Nation doesn't have. She looked at Iroh, who appeared to be deep in thought.

Come on, Katara, think! There has to be something … there has to be an answer …

'May I see the numbers of the injured?'

The paperwork was shifted across the table. Iroh made little pretense of reading them, she knew that he already knew the numbers. The man's forehead was creased into a deep frown, his eyes narrowed.

Admiral Nasou loudly cleared his throat. 'If you wouldn't mind, General Iroh.'

Iroh smiled benignly. 'Of course, Admiral Nasou. Please forgive me.' The old man stood up with the scrolls in his hands, and walked across the room to personally give the scrolls back to the admiral.

Only then did Katara realize that Iroh had done this only so he could shoot Zuko that last glance. From where he stood behind Admiral Nasou's back, it would have been impossible for the man to see the urgent message that Iroh was sending his nephew.

I am so sorry, nephew. There is nothing I can do.

Suddenly, something was gripping Katara's hand. She looked down – of course it was Zuko. His face was only a façade, his eyes were burning and his jaw was set – Zuko looked every bit the determined Fire Lord. But then there was what Admiral Nasou could not see, his hand firmly clutching Katara's for support. And he was still shaking.

'The Fire Nation is willing to meet your demands. We will send the money as soon as we can.' His voice was devoid of all emotion – only Katara, and perhaps Iroh too, knew what he was really feeling. She squeezed his hand.

Katara looked up. The only possible word that came to mind to describe the look upon the admiral's tanned face was 'smug'. She noticed that Zuko's other hand, the one that wasn't firmly holding hers, was now clenched – the shaking had now subsided.

Admiral Nasou smiled once, thin and meaningless, before he stood up, nodding in respect to Iroh.

'Thank you,' he said once, his voice cold, brown eyes gleaming with malicious pleasure.

Now Katara truly hated the man. The Fire Nation wants to help the world rebuild – can't you see that? She wanted to stand up at him and shout, because this wasn't really about the Fire Nation's 'responsibility', it was about long-ago prejudices that Admiral Nasou and the Earth Kingdom had refused to forgo.

You were like them once. You wanted to make Zuko pay.

She was halted mid-thought when the small voice entered her head. Although she wanted to deny it, there was truth in those words. She had wanted to make Zuko pay for her mother's death. She had wanted to watch him go through her own excruciating pain.

You wanted it to be him instead of Aang.

All of the signs were there: her throat had become tight and sore, everything had gone blurry as she tried to hold back the tears. But Katara wasn't going to let herself cry.

No. I've changed.

Admiral Nasou or Zuko must have said something that had concluded their meeting, as the conference room had begun to empty. A minute passed, and the only people left in the room were Zuko, Iroh, Toph, and herself. The unspoken question hung in the air.

Where are they going to get the money from?

Then Zuko stood up as if to leave, but on an impulse, Katara pulled him down into his seat. He still hadn't let go of her hand.

'No,' she said firmly, 'we're going to work this out together. You don't get to run away this time.' She glanced at Toph, who was nodding her head in agreement. Iroh seemed pleased.

It was impossible to tell what Zuko was thinking, and, bar those fleetingly rare moments of sudden insight, it always had been. Then he swallowed, and nodded.

'Fine.' He looked at her momentarily, and even though it lasted only a second, their gazes locked together. 'What do you have in mind?'

'Well …' Katara took a deep breath. 'It's a bit radical, but … I was thinking … how about you melt down some stuff? I mean, the palace is really nice and everything, but all of those gold statues and decorations you put everywhere aren't really needed. So I thought you could melt them down. That would help, right?'

'You're completely mad. You know that, right?'

And although Zuko's words where somewhat unkind, Katara wasn't offended – because Zuko was smiling and he still hadn't let go of her hand.

***

The next week passed quickly. In between helping Zuko with the whole melting-down process, seeing the physician for check-ups, and spending time with Toph and Appa, Katara found that she had very little time to herself. Before she knew it the packing had been finished and at tomorrow's sunrise they would be leaving for the South Pole.

Katara had decided to wear the Water Tribe clothes that Zuko hadn't burned. What Toph had said earlier now made sense – this had been going on for far too long. She might as well just force an answer out of Zuko, whatever it was, so this could just end once and for all.

It felt odd wearing her dress again, especially with the long sleeves underneath it – it was always warm in the Fire Nation since it was so close to the equator, so having long sleeves on dresses was pointless.

For a few minutes Katara debated over what to do with her hair. These days she usually just pulled it into a bun at the base of her neck or, for meetings and ceremonies, wore it in traditional Fire Nation style. But it would look odd if she had Fire Nation hair and Water Tribe robes. Eventually Katara decided that, if she was going to cause a scene, she might as well wear hair loopies since she had never been one to do things in halves.

It felt unusual to be braiding her hair again, leaving out the two front sections to be pinned back later. At first the hair loopies seemed almost annoying, hanging there in front of her eyes. Katara had to remind herself that she had worn her hair like this every day for years on end – yet all of a sudden it felt uncomfortable and strange. Had she really lost sight of Katara of the Water Tribes? Had she become Katara of the Fire Nation?

She firmly shook her head, her hair loopies swinging from side to side, gently batting her cheeks. No matter where she lived or what colour clothes she wore, Katara knew she would always be Water Tribe at heart.

***

Even though it was early in the morning, it was too warm to be wearing her parka, so Katara held it in her arms. She was standing at Appa's side – Toph next to her – waiting for Zuko and Iroh to arrive.

'I thought that firebenders rose with the sun,' grumbled Toph, scuffing the ground with one food. Appa growled. 'And it's hot enough outside, so where are they?'

Katara didn't say anything, keeping her eyes gazing steadily at the horizon – at the door that Zuko would be walking out of, hopefully, in a few minute's time.

'Oh, he's coming.'

She swallowed. There was no turning back now.

The second Zuko saw her, his stride broke and he stood still, completely rigid. Iroh must have sensed a problem, as he stopped by his nephew's side, gently placing a hand on Zuko's arm, a concerned look on his face. However, it was shaken off, and Zuko continued walking. It was now absolutely impossible for Katara to tell what he was thinking.

He stopped a few steps away from Katara, and for several seconds they simply stood and stared.

'I asked you to burn these. You said you would.'

Zuko's gaze locked into her own, and a part of her just couldn't pull away. Maybe she was too weak to leave, maybe she was strong enough not to. Katara sensed Toph moving at her side, about to speak to Zuko, but she put a hand on the girl's hand and pulled her back to her own side, all the while never leaving Zuko's gaze.

'I'm sorry.' His words were short and simple. 'I tried but I just couldn't do it.' He raised and lowered one shoulder in a half-hearted shrug.

Then Toph elbowed her in the side, and Katara understood that this was the only answer she was going to get from Zuko – for now.

Katara took a deep breath. 'Okay,' she said. Then, over her shoulder to Toph: 'let's go.'

There was the goodbye to Iroh – she was surprised when the old man briefly embraced her, and then she climbed up onto Appa's saddle – Toph in the driver's seat – and with one 'yip-yip' from their driver Appa soared into the sky and then the Fire Nation disappeared as the three soared into the sky, the Fire Nation behind her for good.

UPDATE:

No, in case you're wondering, I haven't abandoned Now and Then. Life has just been ridiculously busy lately, but another chapter is in the works and will hopefully be up soon. Sorry for making you all wait.