A/N I'm aware of how late this is. I have no words to express how sorry I am.

OK, this is set three months after the first chapter, Zuko and Katara have been together for two and half months, and Iroh is a boob, leaving himself only three legal months for them to get engaged in for him to win the bet (Ok, I'm covering my mistake. I made the bet, and then decided on the 18 year old law. Shoot me) this is a filler chapter of sorts, to bridge the gap and get everyone to the fire nation for the party first and establish some things, and then i promise (hopefully) that the new chapter is not too far away and will be the birthday party J Btdubs, elder Zhao, not releasing him; he's not escaping, or anything. He is locked away, no-one yells at Katara and gets away with it in my fanfiction. So, enjoy :D

Chapter 13

"Aang, can you just hurry and land this huge hairy unsafe flying lump?" Toph grumbled loudly from the saddle on Appa's back. Appa gave a low rumble in response to her, "Sorry buddy, but you are not comfortable, especially right now"

Aang patted his old friend on the head, and they dropped below the cloud line. In the distance, they could see the Fire Palace, where Katara and Zuko waited for them to arrive.

"Seriously, Appa, faster!" yelled an impatient Sokka. He was cuddled up with Suki in a corner of the saddle, which was too full and uncomfortable.

"Chill out guys, he's doing the best he can with all these extra people" Aang said

Smellerbee spoke out, "We were all capable of making our way here ourselves, you didn't have to put Appa through this."

Appa rumbled low again. Aang released the reins, Appa knew where to go, and turned to look at the incredibly full saddle. Toph, Sokka and Suki had been his first pick ups; he had also then found Haru, and offered him a lift to the joint birthday party for the Fire Lord and Katara. Next he had found Teo and the Mechanist, who were flying somewhere behind them in a modified airship, called an air-o-plane, that the Mechanist had built, and they had picked up the Duke and Pipsqueak. Appa was also carrying Smellerbee and Longshot, and his old friend King Bumi, who was giggling on the edge of the saddle. Aang knew that somewhere already in the Fire Nation were Hakoda, Pakku and Katara's Gran Gran, Bato and some of the other Southern Water Tribe kin, and Chief Arnook, travelling together. King Kuei he also knew was on his way, with Basco, and a number of the other Kyoshi Warriors as protection, including Ty-Lee. Toph had told him the Boulder and the Hippo would be there when they arrived at the Palace, having passed through her town a few days before Aang had picked her up.

Aang also expected the rest of the old masters and members of the White Lotus to be there; Uncle Iroh had moved back to the Fire Palace following the year anniversary, leaving Master Jeong Jeong, and Master Piandao to arrive, seen as Aang had Bumi with him.

Aang smiled to himself, looking at the group of friends in the saddle. He spun back around, taking the reins up again, and lowered Appa further down as they approached the palace.

Katara was standing on the balcony of her room, which from the palace's vantage point over the city, allowed her to see everything. However, she had drifted off into a daydream about the party that was happening tonight to celebrate her birthday, which had practically been turned into a formal council occasion as Zuko had insisted that they have a joint party because his birthday was simply a week after hers. She was determined to make the best of it; all her friends and family were coming, and it had been a long three months since she had seen them all and so much had changed. More than that though, Katara was excited for tonight as Zuko had told her in one of the few private moments they had had in the past few weeks that he was going to use tonight to ask her father's permission for her hand in marriage. Zuko couldn't formally ask her to marry him for three more days when he turned eighteen, but after all the time she had already waited, Katara could wait three days more.

She snapped out of her daydream, imagining dancing with her friends, her brother, her grandfather and her father, and Zuko, and spotted a white furry ball, with a light brown arrow at the front, flying towards the palace.

It could only be Appa, carrying, according to Suki's hurried letter, a large number of her friends.

She bent an ice slide off of her balcony, and into the garden below, and skidded through an archway and back inside, into a corridor, and all the way down until she reached the main atrium, where she crashed into Zuko, leaving a meeting.

"They're here!" she yelled excitedly in his face, before spinning and running out of the main palace door, and down the steps into the reception courtyard, where Appa had just landed, leaving Zuko looking windswept.

She ran into the arms of the first person on the ground, Aang, who appeared to have grown taller still.

The initial shock of the impact wearing off, Aang pulled her tighter into the hug, having desperately missed his friend.

"Happy birthday Katara" he whispered into her ear, shocking her with his new, if somewhat lately bloomed, deep voice. She took a step back from him, looking him up and down, before announcing,

"Whatever happened to that 12 year old boy from the iceberg?"

She took another step, tore her eyes away from Aang and turned to Appa, hugging his face, and snuggling into his cheek. She hadn't realised until today how much she missed everybody.

Momo landed on her shoulder, and began chatting in her ear, as she straightened up, and Zuko appeared beside her, taking her hand in his and squeezing it slightly. Sokka appeared in front of the couple, with a look on his face. Katara rolled her eyes. Sokka raised a hand and pointed a finger at the Fire Lord;

"I take it you got my note," Zuko nodded, "Good. I mean it. She annoys me all the time, but she is still my baby sister. Hurt her, and you answer to me" Sokka threatened

"Yeah, me too" came the calls from Toph, Suki, Aang, and a number of their other friends. Katara simply rolled her eyes again, and then looked up at Zuko, who was already looking down at her.

"I think if I ever hurt her Sokka, you won't get the chance to hurt me. She'll have me pinned and scarred before I could run."

Sokka walked past the couple, and slapped Katara on the shoulder, "That's my baby sister"

Suki sauntered from around the back of Appa where belongings were being unloaded;

"Snoozles, you have stuff to get," The warrior rushed back past them in a cloud of dust, "I've nearly got him trained," The Kyoshi warrior laughed, "Zuko, do you think you can tear yourself away from Tara for a while? I'm sure she's in need of a girl's afternoon." Zuko lifted Katara's hand, kissed it, and dropped it, then leant in to kiss her cheek. Katara went quite red and then scurried off with Suki.

"Wait up!" shouted Toph, who ran after them.

Zuko gazed after the girls as they walked away, when Sokka dropped a bag near his feet and looked at him.

"Zuko, I need some advice"

"Kumi, can you bring us some tea please?"

Kumi nodded to Katara and scurried from the room. The three friends sat cross legged on the floor of Katara's bedroom.

"So Sugar Queen, you and Sparky then. Seriously, your heartbeat is off the charts. What does he look like? I bet he is smokin', pun intended."

"He's so beautiful; I just want to smother him in chocolate!" Suki burst out, causing Toph to roll backwards, while howling with laughter.

Katara looked dumb struck.

"Oh come on Tara, don't tell me you haven't thought about it? Not even a little?"

"Not so much the smothering in chocolate, but just touching him, and all those perfectly toned abs, and..."

"Can I touch him as consolation for not being able to see him?"

"No!" Katara said, a little too quickly.

"Ooo, the future Fire Lady is possessive" Toph goaded

Suki had rolled onto her back, legs in the air, and was laughing so hard that she began to cry.

"I'M NOT...I'm not possessive, just...protective"

Suki controlled herself, and looked at Katara quite seriously,

"I think he can protect himself Tara, he's a big boy" That set Toph off laughing again.

Katara buried her head in her hands, and shook it as her friends laughed.

"As long as those that have to give permission have, then I'm fine with it" Zuko said to Sokka; the warrior beamed at Zuko

"Thanks Sparky. By the way, I don't really mean it, I know you won't hurt my sister, I can see it"

"Thanks Sokka" Zuko breathed a sigh of relief, and smiled

"No problem. It'll be nice to have a brother..." Sokka trailed off, as Zuko's eyes widened, "Oh come on Sparky. It's obvious. Dad will be overcome in the next few days"

"Let's sort you out first"

Zuko and Katara had not seen each other since the morning; Suki and Toph had kept Katara occupied, while Zuko had spent a little time with Sokka, then been called to a meeting.

Zuko lay in his room, once again waiting to enter his own party. He had just closed his eyes, when he heard his door open and close lightly, and light footsteps pad across the room. He opened one eye, and grinned up at Katara.

"Hi"

"Hi" she grinned down at him.

He pulled himself into a sitting position, and she sat sideways on his lap, linking her arms around his neck. Her blue eyes looked lovingly into his golden eyes. He noticed her dress.

"New dress?" he asked

She nodded, "A gift. For my birthday, from Gran Gran and Pakku. Do you like it?" her eyes twinkled

Zuko gulped hard, "Uh-huh. It's ah, very nice." He started to notice how the fabric clung to all the right places, and how curves had grown in, and how Katara was definitely no longer the girl he chased around the world. He gulped hard again.

Katara gave a small laugh and smiled at him.

Zuko gulped again, as a knock came to the door.

"Oi, Fire Lord Sparky Pants, you in there?"

"Errmm, yeah Sokka. What is it?"

The door handle turned but wouldn't click; it was locked. Zuko looked at Katara who wore a sheepish smile.

"Open the door jerk bender!"

"I'm getting dressed Sokka! Is it important?"

The water tribe warrior paused.

"Nah, I guess just nerves. You gonna be much longer getting to this party?"

"I have to wait until everyone else arrives again."

"Yeah, okay. I guess I'll see you there then?"

"See you in a while Sokka. It's gonna be fine" he added to calm the warriors nerves.

The couple heard Sokka's loud footsteps head away from the room. Zuko looked at Katara with mock disappointment.

"Locking the door Lady Katara. I'm so disappointed in you. One would think you were a simple water tribe peasant and not due to become Fire Nation royalty"

She kissed his pulse point on his neck, and let her lips ghost across the rest of his neck as she spoke;

"Zuko" she whispered, "I'm a simple woman with simple needs. All I need is you"

Zuko was pulling at the fabric on her dress, trying to be as close to her as possible, when she suddenly stood up and walked towards the door, as if to leave.

Zuko huffed and let some steam out; "One day, you're going to have to stop teasing me"

She unlocked the door and stepped through it, smile plastered on her face, "Make your birthday come sooner then" and she was gone, leaving Zuko frustrated and hot under his collar

A/N No hate. Simple woman, simple needs. I love her and him and them, and eugh, so perfect.