Sorry I've been away so long, folks! Lots has been happening since the last chapter:

1) I'm engaged! My fiance, boyfriend of 8 years, proposed on Aug. 15. I said yes! No date set, but hopefully, something like Til Death Do Us Part will ensue. Well, maybe not so much...

2) The inspiration for this story has been born! My nephew, Avery Hendrix, was brought to the world on Aug. 21. He joins his older sister, Bowie, in bringing me crazy ideas and no end to insanity.

Physicality

When it came to pregnancy, Katara was hands-down, without a doubt, most definitely the better off of the two royals residing in the palace. Having lived in the isolated and closely-knit Water Tribe community, spending long, dark days and nights among the women and their talk, her exposure to "the condition" meant she knew a lot about what to expect with the changes in her body, knew that the changes were dramatic.

Azula, on the other hand, having never even allowed a pregnant woman to cross her path because she thought they were "unsightly" didn't have a clue what the hell her body was doing to her.

"What in Agni's name is THIS?" she screamed, rubbing furiously at the long, dark brown line running along the centre of her bulbous belly from the naval southward to places left unexplored.

"Relax, Azula," her sister-in-law soothed. "It's normal, see?" Katara parted her maternity robes at the waist to reveal her own markings, though hers were much darker against her tan skin.

"It's not normal! Pregnant women are supposed to be radiant and beautiful and glowing and…and-and-and pregnant with joy!" She raked her nails across the meridian on her tummy. "They're NOT supposed to grow arrows down their bellies!"

"What's wrong with arrows?" Aang asked defensively.

The women sent him a withering look, and he retreated to whence he came.

Man, he thought being the Avatar and saving the world would earn him a little respect…

The Waterbender sent her Firebending sister a patient smile. "It's just something that happens. Some women even get dots all over their stomachs. It'll fade…" she paused thoughtfully "…although, on some women it doesn't…"

Azula's yellow eyes went huge."What!"

"Call it a badge of honor," Katara amended quickly.

"Badge? As if all these stretch marks won't be enough?" Azula pulled up her shirt even farther to reveal the pale, jagged-looking ribbons of skin encircling her waist. She rolled her palms over her considerable girth, moaning, "And all this weight I've put on…"

"Will disappear soon enough." Katara folded the princess's hand in hers. "Azula, what's important is the baby's health, and so far, your body's doing everything it can to make sure he or she has the best start. It'll all be worth it, trust me."

Tears welled in Azula's eyes and she lowered her chin to her chest to hide her shame. "I just…it's just…" she sniffed "…I want this thing outta me!" she wailed.

Genuine remorse flowed through Katara. Not unpredictably, she empathized more and more with her diabolical sister-in-law with each passing day. Call it hormones.

She squeezed her in-law's shoulder. "Oh, there, there…"

Azula sniveled, "I'm ugly and blotchy, and I'm huge and round like a panda-tortoise…"

"Don't say that. You're beautiful…"

"But none of the men are telling me that!" the princess sobbed.

Katara scowled. And why weren't the men praising Azula's gloriously pregnant beauty? Wasn't that just like a man? Leaving their seeds and then just fluttering off to play their games and plan their wars…

Well, she'd fix this.

"Zuko!"

The Fire Lord jumped at his wife's piercing screech, causing him to spill his tea across the documents he was reading. He was about to admonish her for barging into his study the way everyone seemed to these days, but was instantly silenced by the stormy look in her blazing eyes.

"Go tell your sister she's beautiful," she commanded. "Right now."

"I…what?"

"Azula needs reassurance. Her body is going through some drastic changes, and her confidence is waning. Go tell your sister she's still beautiful and that if you weren't already married to me, that you'd jump her for sure."

He didn't need to have tea in his mouth to spit it out across the room. It was quite a perplexing feat, given the spray radius and the fact that he hadn't drunk any.

He spluttered, "I am not—"

"And take any man you meet with you, and make them tell her she's gorgeous. In fact, order them to ask her out. That ought to pull her out of her funk." A wicked gleam lit her lightning-blue eyes.

Calmly, Zuko wiped the fine mist of tea away from his lips and gathered his wits. "Katara. I love you. I love that you're trying to take care of my sister, though why my mother isn't around to keep her under wraps—"

"She's busy planning the baby showers," Katara explained shortly. She appealed to her husband, "Zuko, moods are important to the baby's development. And right now, Azula's craziness is affecting my mood." A threat vibrated through her words like the distant rumble of thunder. "So for our baby's sake, be a dear and tell her she's hot or something."

As he resignedly hustled out of the room, spurred on by the image of Uncle Iroh advising him to "just smile and nod", Zuko wished he could opt for the "or something." Because there was no way he'd ever go and say something like that to his sister.

"Wow, Azula, you look hot," he found himself saying thirty minutes later. Katara watched him keenly from behind the sniffling princess. She encouraged him with an eager nod.

The fire princess rubbed at her face. "You don't have to pretend, Zuzu," she mumbled halfheartedly. Dark circles hung beneath her eyes. "I look like a three-ton walrus-bear."

"No, seriously," he went on awkwardly, "you look…uh…" He looked to Katara for help. She was miming something. "Hungry?"

Katara frowned fiercely and repeated the eating motion, biting, chewing and smiling.

"Edible!" Zuko blurted. "You look as edible as…uh…a bowl of fire flakes." It was the first thing that came to mind. He'd been craving them lately.

The cloud over Azula's head darkened. The Fire Lady waved at her husband: No! No!

He realized his error. "I mean, not that you look like a big, round bowl or anything. I mean…"

Katara slammed the heel of her hand against her forehead as Azula started wailing again.