A/N: I actually finished this story! It's not too often that I'm motivated enough to write a whole chapter-fic. And it had been in my head for months, so I'm glad to finally get it onto paper...figuratively speaking.

In time, Eska found that there were some aspects of pregnancy she actually enjoyed. Her changing form was one of them. She showed early, and the belly was very prominent on her petite frame. She had to be careful with her movements in public, even with her outer robe on.

She developed a habit of admiring her new shape in the mirror before she went to bed at night. Her hands would run over the curve of her belly and the new fullness of her breasts. Her body was sustaining the baby now, and was already making preparations to continue to do so after its birth, and that felt like a small miracle in and of itself. Why any woman would trust the well-being of her infant to a wet-nurse was beyond her. She had every intention of doing all the breastfeeding herself.

And Eska didn't even mind the stretch marks. Much.

About two weeks after she discovered she was pregnant, she felt the baby move for the first time. There were a few occasions where she wasn't sure whether it was movement or just gas, but the first time she was certain of it happened to be in the middle of a very onerous state dinner. She had to fight to keep the usual bored and neutral expression on her face. Desna, however, would not be able to feel it for nearly another month, to his disappointment.

She also liked the adventure of sneaking into the library in the middle of the night and studying books on pregnancy, childbirth, and child care, using only a flashlight for illumination. Desna joined her some of the time; he was intent on helping to raise the baby in any way he could. In their rooms, they practiced folding diapers until they were both sure they could do it with their eyes closed.

But there were definite drawbacks to Eska's gravid state as well. The nausea had subsided, only to be replaced by the worst back pain she had ever experienced in her life. When she sat on her throne, she often had to bite her lip to keep from crying out in agony. Desna tried his best to help her, but he was not a professional healer. For the first time, she felt some sympathy for Mother, whose problems during pregnancy had been even worse; so bad that she'd had to be on bed-rest most of the duration.

And there was the constant fear of getting caught. People asked her multiple times why she and Desna were wearing their coats indoors. Her response was always, "Because we feel like it." After a while, everyone seemed to take the hint and stopped asking. But she still noticed odd looks being thrown in her direction every now and then.

One thing worked to her advantage: Mother had withdrawn from court life for several months due to her protracted time of grieving for Father. Even when she started rejoining them, she was somewhat distracted, and less likely to notice anything amiss with Eska.

There had been one close call, though. Eska had been craving pickled fish, and apparently the servant who delivered it was new to the palace and did not know she was to knock on the door and immediately retreat, leaving the food for Eska to collect. Thus, she was still there when Eska opened the door wearing only her nightclothes. Naturally, Eska was furious, but she decided to spare the terrified woman's life (killing her would just lead to talk anyway), after swearing her to absolute secrecy. And, as far as Eska knew, the servant kept that vow. It was sheer luck that no one else happened to be in the hallway to observe that scene.

Afterwards, she was careful to put her coat on even when opening her door for a few seconds to retrieve food…just in case.

One night late in Eska's second trimester, she woke once again with a pounding heart. It had been one of those dreams again, and her groin ached from unfulfillment.

She huffed and tried to go back to sleep, but the ache persisted. Finally, she thought, why not? She was already pregnant, so it wasn't like she had any purity to preserve.

She pushed up her nightgown and removed her underwear, and her fingers tentatively ghosted over the area. Everything down there was swollen and very sensitive due to the pregnancy. Her hips gave an involuntary jerk from even that light touch. It didn't take her long to find the spot that felt even better than the rest of it.

Eska wasn't quite sure exactly what would happen; even the most salacious books in the library were rather vague on the details. At first she thought that the urge would go away after a while, but instead it increased, with a sort of pulsing sensation that gradually became more regular and intense. She closed her eyes and pretended that it wasn't her that was doing the touching.

At this point she wouldn't have been able to take her hand away even if she'd tried. Finally, after what seemed like forever even though it was probably only a couple of minutes, she gave a sharp moan of relief.

Once she had recovered, Eska realized that now she felt rather...gushy down there. Curious, she tested out a finger, and found that it slid inside her painlessly and with very little effort.

That was it? That was what had been missing; why the Avatar had found pleasure in her encounter but Eska hadn't? Maybe she should have let Bolin keep touching her after all. This was another area in which she would have to improve the library's resources.

After rearranging her clothing and making a trip to the bathroom to clean up, she had been planning to go back to sleep, but felt compelled to step out on the balcony. The moon was full, and she felt its tug. She decided she had a score to settle.

"I know now that Mother lied about you," she announced to the sky, feeling vaguely foolish. "I found a book in the library that interviewed witnesses to your demise. They said you expired in the arms of Master Katara's nonbender brother, who was not your betrothed. So it appears you were not as perfect as Mother made you out to be."

There was no answer. Well, honestly, what had she been expecting? That Yue would come down and forgive her and wrap her in a spiritual embrace? Eska shook her head, but continued talking.

"I also understand that what I did to Bolin was wrong. No 'Yes, but…,' just 'Yes'. And I can't take it back, but I hope I can at least partially atone for it by being a good mother. I don't want to treat my child like my mother treated me."

Well, she'd finally admitted it. Out loud, no less. She felt the baby stir within her.

"Will I be capable of doing such a thing?" she asked, mostly to herself. "People have always thought I'm heartless; perhaps I am."

Having run out of things to say, Eska turned to go back to her room, feeling a bit better from getting that off her chest. For a split second, the moon appeared to shine more brightly and she thought she saw a ghostly figure out of the corner of her eye, but it was gone when she tried to get a better look.

On the morning of her seventeenth birthday, Eska lay in bed and marveled at how much things had changed in a single year.

When she had turned sixteen, had she had any inkling that she would be co-chieftain within the year? Certainly not. Pregnant? Possibly, but she would have assumed it would have been within wedlock.

Well, at any rate, she and Desna had a busy and tedious day of celebrations ahead of them. She heaved herself out of bed to prepare. Lately, she had been taking showers, since she was worried if she lay down in the bathtub, she might never be able to get herself out again. After she was clean and groomed, she looked at herself in the mirror. The photographers would be everywhere, and it was getting harder and harder to conceal this enormous protrusion.

"I don't suppose it would be possible for you to shrink just for today?" she asked her bump. She received a vigorous kick to the ribs in response.

"I thought not," she said. She couldn't imagine this unborn child getting any bigger than it already was, but there was a whole month left, so somehow it would.

Eska managed to get dressed on her own (naturally, she couldn't let any servants assist her), and crammed her swollen feet into shoes. She checked again in the mirror, and decided that her belly would only really show to someone who was specifically looking for it. That would have to do.

She met Desna out in the hallway, and they walked very slowly and carefully to the audience chamber.

The day was every bit as horrid as Eska had feared. They had to sit through countless speeches extolling their virtues (which were obviously both false and insincere), were presented with hundreds of gifts that they had no use for, and a dinner which lasted for hours. At least the courtiers had given up on expecting them to look happy.

In addition, they had to endure the delightful company of Mother, who was mostly back to her old self now. At one point, Mother's attendant whispered something to her, to which Mother said loudly, "Of course not! Stop spreading those foul lies!" It seemed like half the court's heads turned at that outburst. Eska turned away and busied herself with inspecting the large pile of furs which was Imnek's gift to them.

By the time it was all over, Eska was about ready to weep from exhaustion. She and Desna had decreed that the festivities were not to continue past midnight (which was itself a compromise; they'd originally wanted to leave by eight, but the councilors had balked), but when the court did not disband at a speed which was to their liking, they up and left. Eska would have to reprimand them later for their flagrant rule-breaking.

Once they were in the peace and quiet of Eska's room, and after Desna did a healing session on Eska's back and feet, the twins exchanged their personal gifts to each other. While rummaging through the library's archives, Eska had found a cache of very old sewing patterns that she thought were perfect for Desna. (Eska didn't think of taking them as stealing, since the whole library belonged to them now anyway...and she had at least asked first.) And they seemed to be very much to his liking. Apparently, some of them were so old that they were no longer featured in modern books, which had been a source of anguish for him. Eska didn't understand much about the specifics of these heretofore missing patterns, but she was glad she could have been of service to her brother.

And then it was time for Desna's gift to her. Eska tore off the paper, and saw that it was a book: Dangerous Ladies: The Story of Princess Azula and Fire Lady Mai.

"It's new," Desna informed her. "I checked, and the library doesn't have it yet."

Eska was at a loss for words. So she hugged him instead…well, as much as she could manage with the baby in the way. She knew Desna was well aware of how rare and special a hug from her was.

The next month crept by at an excruciatingly slow pace. Eska was uncomfortable for every second of every day; she was so huge that she wondered how her skin could still contain her. She had taken to having the stuffed turtleduck in bed with her again, and used it as a sort of support for her belly. It seemed like this was the only way she could get any sleep…in between getting up ten times a night to use the bathroom, that is.

The twins spent most of their spare time hemming diapers. They wanted to be sure there were enough to last until more could be ordered after the baby's birth, and they thought it was better to err on the side of caution. Eska tried her best to do her part, but sewing was hard for her even under the best of circumstances, and now she had her clumsy sausage fingers to deal with. Desna could do twice as many in half the time…and his stitchwork continued to be impeccable.

Eska wanted nothing more than for the baby to come out and end this torture, but when it was finally time, she found herself unprepared. When Eska woke up that day, she thought that she was just experiencing particularly bad back pain, but then she started feeling contractions during morning audience.

Could this really be it? She'd calculated her due date, and it was still a week off. Lately, she'd felt some cramping off and on, but nothing this regular. And she'd seen something in her underwear yesterday, but the books said that was no guarantee that things would start right away.

Well, if the baby had decided to come a bit early, Eska certainly wasn't going to complain.

For several hours, the pain was manageable…then it suddenly got a lot worse during lunch. When she felt a small gush of fluid, she thought that was probably her cue to leave. She waited until everyone was finished, so as not to make as much of a scene, and excused herself, saying that she was unwell.

It dawned on her that she'd never really thought of how she was actually going to go about having this baby. She had just assumed that she'd do it herself…the books said some women did.

Desna showed up at Eska's room just a few minutes after she herself got there, right when she was in the middle of a contraction.

"I think it's time," she told him in a perfectly calm voice as soon as she could speak again.

"Do you want me to send for the doctor?" he asked.

"No. You must return to the audience chamber and continue in your duties. I'll manage fine on my own." The thought of strange people meddling with her and telling her what to do made Eska's skin crawl. No, it would be much more expedient to go it alone.

Still, Desna hesitated.

"If you're sure…" he said.

"I am."

So Desna reluctantly left, and Eska was on her own. She hadn't realized how tedious this process would be. She had nothing to do but walk around her room over and over again (another tip from the books). She supposed that her water had broken, but instead of the dramatic flood she'd been expecting, it was more like a disappointing, slow dribble.

By suppertime, the pain was so great that Eska had been forced to retire to bed. She'd gotten a towel to bite down on to muffle her cries.

Desna came back to check on her, and seemed concerned that the baby hadn't come yet.

"Is it supposed to take this long?" he asked.

"The books said the process could encompass a full day or even longer," Eska said through a mouthful of towel.

Desna was quiet. Finally, and rather unexpectedly, he said, "I don't like this. What if something goes wrong?"

"Nothing will go wrong," Eska assured him. She had thought Desna would have had more faith in her than that! Honestly, men were so worthless in these situations. She wondered what Bolin would have done had he been here. Probably by now he'd be passed out cold on the floor, and everyone would have had to step over him.

For a while longer, Desna sat with Eska and held her hand. But the sight of his sister in pain seemed to ultimately be too much for him to bear.

"I'm retrieving assistance," he informed her as he rose and walked towards the door.

"Don't you dare."

But for once, he ignored her.

Eska had been halfway convinced that her baby would die, as Princess Azula's firstborn had. And Desna had likely been more than halfway convinced that Eska would die. Nevertheless, both Eska and her new daughter survived.

The birth itself was easy…at least, as far as evacuating a melon-sized object from one's body could be called easy. Desna needn't have worried after all. But he did manage to find a midwife who was not nearly as tedious as Eska had feared.

As for the baby…it had felt very heavy in the womb, but Kinalik turned out to be a tiny little thing. When she was weighed the next day, she was just shy of six pounds. But she was scrappy, and had a healthy cry. She was also quite striking in her appearance, with skin the color of milky tea, lots of hair, and bright green eyes.

Most unfortunately, some guards had been alerted by Kinalik's first cries, and had caught a glimpse of Eska with her legs splayed and the baby still attached to her by the cord. They immediately ran to get Mother, who naturally was incensed. Mother actually got up out of her wheelchair-something she almost never did anymore-to let Eska really have it. Eska let her know in no uncertain terms that she no longer held any power over her…but Mother's words still stung.

Eska was back for morning audience the very next day; she was determined to not miss a single session. She wished that she could take Kinalik with her, but the baby was too young to be in a setting with that many people. So they hurriedly found a servant who seemed trustworthy to act as a temporary nurse.

Aside from Mother, not a single person at court acted the slightest bit surprised that Eska had given birth. Perhaps she had not concealed her pregnancy as well as she thought she had.

Although there had been no problems with the birth, the recovery was another story. First Eska contracted an infection that, while not life-threatening, was persistent and took weeks to fully disappear. And almost as soon as Eska got over that, her mental health took a turn for the worse.

She simply did not seem able to bond with Kinalik. It seemed like her daughter screamed every time she was placed in her arms; she possibly sensed how ill-prepared Eska was to be a mother. Desna had taken over a lot of the care while Eska was sick, with the result that now Kinalik seemed a lot more comfortable with him than she was with Eska. Usually, whenever Kinalik was held by Desna, her crying stopped almost immediately. And when she did cry, Desna never lost patience with her or got angry. Eska did, almost every day.

In addition, Eska's nipples were cracked and sore from the constant breastfeeding, and her frequent usage of a breast pump only exacerbated the matter. Her concentration at audiences and meetings slipped, and she was so fatigued and overwhelmed that she sometimes even forgot to bathe regularly.

And Mother was no help. Even if she had offered, Eska would eat her pillow before she would ever leave Kinalik alone with her.

Even so, she was reluctant to give her daughter's care over to a nurse, since she felt that would be like giving up. Originally, they had offered the position to Akna the midwife, but she had turned it down. She had offered to help them in their search, but Eska had been slow to follow through on any leads.

Eska suffered in silence for a long time, not feeling like she deserved any help for being so ungrateful, but things finally came to a head when Kinalik was a month old.

The three of them had been in Desna's room. Eska was pacing around with Kinalik draped over her shoulder, trying once again to get her to stop crying. She'd really wanted to try doing it herself this time, but after Desna had offered a tip for about the millionth time, Eska snapped.

For a second, she had a terrifying urge to dash Kinalik's brains out against the floor. Instead, she shoved her into Desna's arms.

"If you know so much, how about you be her mother?" she shouted. "At least she doesn't hate you!"

Then, before Desna could answer, she fled to her own room, shaken at how close she'd come to doing something she'd sorely regret. She slammed the door, flung herself on her bed, and started sobbing.

She heard someone, presumably Desna, pounding on her door, but she ignored it. Finally, she was left alone, and cried until she ran out of tears.

For hours, she didn't move, and eventually fell into a fitful doze. Some time later, she was woken up by more knocking.

"Go away, Desna," she mumbled. But it wasn't her brother's voice who answered.

"Eska? It's me. Akna the midwife."

Spirits bless Desna. Somehow, he'd known exactly who she needed to talk to. So she let Akna come in.

Akna sat by the bed and asked, "Now what's wrong? Your poor brother was frantic!"

"Kinalik despises me," Eska muttered. "Just like her father."

Akna didn't try to correct her, which Eska appreciated. Instead, she simply said, "Why do you think that?"

So Eska did what she would have never dreamed of doing under any other circumstances, and told her everything…all the way back to their fateful trip to the South. She needed someone to listen to her who wasn't her brother.

"My, you've been through a lot, haven't you?" Akna said.

"If you tell anyone, I'm feeding you to the dolphin piranhas," Eska warned.

But Akna was unflappable. All she said was, "Well, if I told anyone, I think I'd deserve that!"

"Good."

Then Akna continued, "Now, I need to tell you something very important. Can you look at me?"

Eska didn't do eye contact, so she settled at looking in Akna's general direction. This seemed to be adequate.

"This is not your fault, all right?" Akna told her. "It's a medical problem, and one that I've seen many times. You just need some help to get back on your feet. Now, if it's all right with you, I wanted to try something."

Eska blinked at her, but said, "You may proceed."

Akna walked over to Desna's room, and Eska heard her ask him a question. Shortly after, she returned with a soundly sleeping Kinalik in her arms.

"I'm not going to force you to hold her if you don't want to," Akna said. "But just try to really look at her for a bit. See how beautiful she is? With that smooth skin and that little button nose and the hair that sticks up on the top?"

Eska did as she said, and tentatively reached out a hand to stroke Kinalik's cheek. She was struck all over again at how this baby was a seamless combination of her and Bolin. She might not have her old boyfriend, but at least she had this part of him.

"I…I think I want to attempt holding her now," she said. Akna carefully transferred Kinalik over to her. She was worried that Kinalik would just start crying again, but, although she stirred and made a little snuffling sound, she stayed asleep.

Desna ventured, "I thought you might be interested to hear that she continued to cry for half an hour after you departed. Then, as soon as I had placated her, she fouled her diaper and started crying all over again."

"I see," Eska answered gravely, but she couldn't help a bit of a smile.

"There you go!" Akna said brightly. "Things may be difficult right now, but I think they'll turn out just fine in the end!"

A/N: I was originally going to have Yue and Eska actually talk, but couldn't figure out how to do that without it being really cheesy.

A more detailed account of Kinalik's birth can be found in my fic "Wise-Woman". Just in case anyone was annoyed that I left out that scene!

And I also wrote a short epilogue, which I decided to post as its own chapter.