Return of the Prodigals

When the ex-Fire Lord and Fire Matron returned to Fire Nation royal palace, it was with little fanfare and much trepidation. Ozai was still seen as very much the unstable power-hungry tyrant he'd been before he was overthrown. But it seemed a year traveling with his no-longer-estranged wife had settled him some—he followed docilely behind Ursa, carrying her numerous overstuffed bags.

"No, no," she told the servants who rushed to help, beaming at her husband, "Ozai's my big, strong man. Aren't you, Ozai?"

He simpered and nodded his meek agreement, eyes glinting with deadly affection.

After settling in, the whole clan gathered in one of the sitting rooms. As a precaution, Iroh made sure all hot liquids and sharp objects were removed from the premises beforehand.

Not that it would have made a difference if violence erupted...Firebending and all.

Zuko both dreaded and relished his parents' return. On the one hand, he wasn't eager to have his father under his roof once more, and had entertained thoughts of throwing him back into his lavish cell in the dungeon. On the other, he'd done a lot of good for the nation in the year since his wedding, and was eager to share his achievements and good news now that he had an heir on the way.

Maybe Dad would even congratulate him...

Of course, Azula had an heir on the way, too. And though she'd been the one who'd initially requested that her parents come home, she was now uncertain and a little aprehensive of how they'd react to the news.

The thing was, the letter Iroh had sent off to his sister-in-law had only hinted at a pregnancy—Ursa had correctly assumed her son's wife had finally gotten with child, and for that, she was grateful. But the revelation at this meeting came as somewhat of a shock. She'd heard the rumors on her way into the Fire Nation, but only now, gazing at her gray-faced, browbeaten daughter, did she give in to her surprised dismay.

"You're pregnant." Ursa's tone was flat and remote.

Azula stared at her feet, scuffing one toe along the floor. "I didn't plan on it…"

"Obviously!" Ozai snapped, throwing his hands in the air. He sat forward, frowning, anger curling his lips as he prepared to go on; but in the next moment, he deflated, his words stopped up his throat, and he sat back, confounded, blinking back his disbelief.

"It was an accident!" The words were wrenched from her broken soul and everyone could hear the exasperation and dismay behind the princess's admission. Azula didn't have accidents: she had well-intentioned, fate-disrupted plans. Still, she drew herself up like a true princess, chin jutting mulishly. "But it's my baby, and I'm going to keep him. No one can tell me otherwise!"

Pride and sympathy lit Ursa's eyes. "Of course, sweetheart." She got up and wrapped her arms around her daughter. "It'll be fine. You'll be okay."

Folded in her mother's embrace, Azula lost all composure. "Oh, mom..." she sobbed, gobbling up the crumbs of affection scattered to her, "I know I'll be with you here…"

Zuko watched the mother-daughter drama from the sidelines, standing with his uncle and the four members of his sister's harem—the four potential fathers who'd been processing the news for the past few days.

"Hey, Mom, you know, Katara's pregnant, too," he chimed in brightly. "And she's being a good girl and resting in bed and everything. Just like she's supposed to."

"Hmm? Oh, that's nice." Ursa was hugging the princess, not really paying any attention to her son.

The young Fire Lord huffed. "This is complete donkey-bull," he muttered. "Azula always lies. Doesn't anyone else in this place remember that?"

"Hey, give her a break," Sokka snapped. "She's obviously upset."

"I didn't think you cared," Haru remarked sharply. His tone was deadpan, but a threat vibrated beneath it, the tremor a prelude to greater upheaval. His eyes narrowed minutely at Sokka.

"I don't… I mean, I do, but—" Sokka clamped his mouth shut to keep from jamming his foot any farther in.

"Huh. It's not like she cares back, anyhow," Jet chimed in, shrugging his shoulders languidly. "I mean, who has she really cared about among all of us?"

"Guys, keep it down," Aang whispered nervously. "Ozai's looking our way."

"He's trying to figure out which of us is the father." Jet smiled and waved to the ex-Fire Lord.

Ozai cut his eyes at him, unimpressed. He didn't wave back.

"You better hope he doesn't figure it out," Iroh said in warning. "My brother is not the forgiving type, and now his precious prodigy daughter has been, how do I put this..." he tugged his beard thoughtfully "...knocked up."

"You know, Mom, Katara and I are thinking about naming our child Ursaka if it's a girl," Zuko declared loudly, still trying to recapture his moment of glory, now slipping away from him like so much sand through his fingers.

His mother shushed him with a wave.

"Well, Zuko," dear old Dad drawled, lips pulling up in a sneer, "I never thought you had it in you."

"Neither did I," came the simultaneous chorus from the harem. The four young men blinked at each other.

"Let me be the first to say congratulations." Ozai's leer broadened, sending a chill through the room. "I do hope Katara carries to term."

Zuko glowered at him as Ozai sat back and went on. "Isn't this exciting? Why, I remember the days when I was eager to be a father for the first time, too…" A wistful look stole across his face, but it was quickly blotted out by a dark shadow. He sighed heavily. "Let's just hope you're not as disappointed as I was."

"Ooh, diss," Jet snickered.

"Really, Ozai," Iroh remarked, sipping from his travel mug, "I would think that you'd be happy about becoming a grandfather."

Zuko's father scowled. "I'm not a grandfather yet," he snapped.

Iroh's face bloomed with nostalgic mischief as he went on, "All the toys you'll get to buy your grandchildren, all the places you'll take them out to... Remember how I used to take Zuko and Azula out to Ember Island? Ah, those were the days…" His eyes clouded with sadness. "Me, I can't wait to have little ones running around the palace again, making mischief and wrecking up the joint..."

"I'd think Aang does enough of that on his own already," Haru grumped.

"Hey!" The Avatar had never heard the Earthbender act so grouchy before. What was his deal?

"You're just jealous that I'll get to be a grandfather while all my hair is still black," Ozai said airily. A melodramatic look of shock lit his face. "Oh, that's right! You won't ever be a grandfather because your son's dead."

Everyone within a hundred miles winced.

"Too far," Jet mumbled.

But Iroh looked unperturbed. "At least I don't lie about dyeing my gray roots."

"Oooh, comeback!" the freedom fighter whooped.

Ozai looked angry. "Well, at least I'm not a fat, old has-been general who's living off his nephew!"

The Dragon of the West lifted a brow. "And that would make you…?"

"Whoop-pah!" Jet crowed. "You got served!"

Cold blue fire engulfed the room, lashing around the squabbling men.

"Would you children take your stupid bickering outside!" Ursa blasted, a blue inferno raging in her eyes and lighting up a demonic halo around her. Everyone shrank back at her vehemence. "Your negative energy is affecting my grandchild!"

The men tucked tails and scurried out.