Upon reaching the palace, Katara found herself whisked off to the royal infirmary, where no less than three serving women she'd never met before and five doctors attempted to find something wrong with her. Zuko had been whisked off as well, but where he had ended up, Katara knew not.

After what must have been an hour of fuss, Katara was diagnosed with a hangnail.

"What do you mean I need rest?" Katara left off a second, considerably ruder, question when Zuko entered the chamber, followed by his own covey of doctors.

Zuko opened his mouth, then shut it, grinning wryly at Katara, "everyone out."

"But, Fire Lord, your bride, she is not well," the eldest and most pompous of Katara's doctors took it upon himself to speak.

"Katara, are you well?" Zuko asked her, trying to conceal his exasperation and failing.

"I'd be better if these," Katara paused to reign in her tongue, "doctors quit fluttering. They don't seem to realize just what healing I am capable of." Katara couldn't help it; she had to say something with a little bite.

Zuko gave the pompous one a look and then turned to look every person in the face while he said his piece, "as your Fire Lord, I order you all to get out of this room, immediately." Katara had heard Zuko speak threateningly many times, but she suspected that nowadays the threat was considerably emptier.

Apparently the physicians did not share Katara's suspicions, in the end, only one of Zuko's doctors remained. He was pale and shivering, but Katara had to give him credit for standing up to his Fire Lord, "My Lord, you have not allowed me to see to your health yet, and I-"

"Out," Zuko shouted angrily, glaring at the man in a way that would have been very unpleasant had Katara been the recipient.

The man let out a squeak and ran through the open door.

Zuko shut and latched the door, then let out an exasperated sigh, "I lost them for a while, but they found me again while I was on my way here."

Katara glared at Zuko, "you lost me as well."

Zuko looked properly ashamed, but didn't say anything.

"Well?" Katara prompted.

Zuko shifted uncomfortably.

"It should start something like this," Katara didn't try to hide the sarcasm dripping off her tongue, "After I abandoned you, Katara, I…"

"I met with my Uncle." Zuko walked over to one of the cots and sat heavily, "We searched the body for any evidence of the Lao Hu."

"Body?" Katara asked, surprised, "The man who attacked us?"

"You didn't mean to kill him?" Zuko stood.

"What? I didn't kill him, I froze him. Most are fine after they thaw," Katara had taken the time to thaw the man before being whisked off to the infirmary, although he had still been unconscious. While studying healing with Yugoda she had learned that freezing people caused permanent damage and even death without proper application of Water Bending to unfreeze them. Of course, Fire Benders had been known to thaw themselves with their natural energies, conscious thought or no.

Zuko stilled, his worried look changed to one of dread, "how long until he wakes?"

"You didn't lock him up," Katara stood as well, suddenly worried.

"No," the color drained from Zuko's face. Then he shook himself, regaining his usual authority, "follow me."

After a brief scuffle over the lock, Katara and Zuko ran from the infirmary, Katara right on Zuko's heels.

"Where is he?" Katara asked urgently.

"With my Uncle," Zuko stated grimly, and they both sped up.

Zuko led Katara out of the palace and into a small outbuilding that seemingly acted as the royal morgue. Katara knew the bodies of royals were kept at the Fire Temple before cremation, which explained the dilapidated state of the building, but it was obviously still usable.

"Uncle!" Zuko slammed the door open.

Iroh looked up from where he had been leaning over the man, "Zuko, this man is alive. It is a good thing that I heard his breath before I disposed of him." Iroh looked slightly unhappy at the thought of cremating a man alive, and perhaps would have looked even less happy if the man had not attacked his nephew.

Zuko let out a sigh of relief, covering his face with one hand and leaning against the door jamb.

Katara stepped into the tiny room, "do you want him awake?" She had every intention of being there if Zuko wanted to question their attacker. Katara had a sneaking suspicion she would not have been included had Zuko realized the man was alive sooner. In fact, Zuko himself shouldn't have been involved. Katara frowned, why was Zuko not delegating the tasks of searching dead bodies and questioning prisoners to others? She knew he was worried about traitors among his guards, but surely he had a few he could trust?

Zuko shared a glance with Iroh, then looked to Katara, "this isn't a very secure area, it would be better if he awoke in a prison."

"Oh please," Katara snorted, "three benders on one who won't have full use of his brain yet? This is as secure as it gets." She stepped forward, reaching out to place her hands on the would-be assassin's temples. She was perfectly well aware that Zuko wasn't moving anyone to a prison.

A hand grabbed her wrist. Katara turned to Zuko and glared at him with all her might, "are we in this together or not?"

Zuko let Katara hold his gaze for a silent moment, she defiant and he unreadable, before he let her go, looking away.

Iroh had watched the entire transaction carefully, assessing. Katara met his eyes next, tilting her chin up defiantly, then returned her gaze to the unconscious man. With barely a touch his breathing hitched and he opened his eyes.

Katara stepped back, letting Zuko take over.

"Who are you?" Zuko glared down at the man.

"Baojia," his voice was slow and his throat dry. Baojia obviously hadn't recovered the full use of his faculties.

The questions and answers weren't terribly interesting, or at least not unexpected. The gist of it was that Baojia hated Water Benders and was doing the Fire Nation a favor. Katara ignored it when Zuko lost his temper and scorched the man, as she herself was annoyed by his bigoted answers. One tidbit seemed to incense Zuko especially well: while Baojia was not a member of the Lao Hu, he was a member of the palace guards. Katara did not expect loyalty from the guards, not yet, but Zuko had been raised to expect such. Having assassins among his guard must really have rankled, especially when he was trying so hard to root out the traitors. Katara allowed herself a sideways glance at Zuko, watching him try to reign in his anger; it probably didn't help that he was trying to protect someone he loved.

Katara jumped. Someone he loved; she still wasn't used to it. He didn't seem affected, like he hadn't felt the change from apart to together at all. In fact, all their togetherness or love or whatever it was from earlier that day seemed to have disappeared. Katara frowned to herself, was now really the time to be thinking about that? They were questioning a prisoner. Something the guards should have been doing. Katara held in an angry sigh, today had not been a very good day; she could hardly expect things between Zuko and herself to improve on days like this.

"Katara, would you," Zuko trailed off, gesturing at Baojia.

Katara looked up, surprised, "yes?"

Zuko cleared his throat and shifted his body so that his motions wouldn't be visible to the rest of the room, "would you mind?" Zuko hit his fists together and motioned to Baojia again.

"Ah," Katara nodded. She cut the blood flow to Baojia's brain for just long enough to send him back into darkness. Then she used a healing technique that required a more careful effort and sent him into a true sleep, one he wouldn't wake up from for some time. Katara had learned the technique the second time she had visited the North Pole, hoping to gain the ability to cure the kind of insomnia she had seen in Aang prior to the eclipse.

"I will take care of him," Iroh volunteered, a look of distaste gracing his features, "I can probably get a cart from the kitchens."

"Will you be safe?" Zuko asked, tense.

"He will stay asleep unless you toss him out a window or set him on fire," Katara shrugged, "it's safe enough."

"I trust my uncle to take care of this," Zuko didn't even use Baojia's name when referring to him; "I also trust that his friends and any blackguards among my men will be displeased at his capture."

Katara was taken aback by the bitterness in Zuko's words, "aren't there people you trust among your guards? Your army?"

Zuko let out an angry sigh, tendrils of smoke coming out his nostrils, "yes, there are many I would trust at my back, but until I know who would side against me the danger is multiplied many times over."

"I see," Katara frowned, watching Iroh pick up Baojia's limp form with relative ease; the older man allowed himself only one small grunt of effort. He really had kept most of his musculature after the war.

Zuko opened the door, glancing out. When he pulled his head back in he nodded to Iroh, "the usual number of guards, one every twenty feet on the wall, facing out. None walking through our area right now."

"Once you've gotten in, there really isn't much you can't do in secret," Iroh shook his head, seemingly disheartened by the lack of security.

Katara half-smiled at the irony, but Zuko looked even stormier.

Iroh shuffled out of the morgue, and when Zuko made to follow, Katara stopped him with a hand on his sleeve.

Zuko glanced at Katara, then back at his uncle, and closed the door, cutting Iroh completely from view, "what is it?"

"You can surely send Baojia to prison with an escort of guards, why ask your uncle to do it?" Katara found Zuko's distrust of his guards to be a little extreme. "You must trust them enough for that, you doubled their numbers for our betrothal."

"The situation has," Zuko paused, "changed. Dramatically."

"How so?" Katara narrowed her eyes at him.

"One of the reasons I was absent from you for so long when we returned was because one of my generals found out where the Lao Hu relocated their supplies," Zuko sat down on a dusty chair. "There were over a hundred sets of weapons and armor. That is nearly a fourth of the palace guard, day, evening, and night guards included. I had thought no more than ten, twenty at the most, could have infiltrated the palace, and now I know differently." Zuko's eyes shifted from where they had rested on the far wall and bore into Katara's own, "you might have to leave."

"And go where?" Katara asked, stunned. She hadn't remembered there being so many kits when she had found the secret room, although she really hadn't counted.

"Probably Ember Island. We might only be prolonging the time until we have to come up with a solution, but I need to know that you're safe," Zuko ran his hand through his hair, which had been taken out of its knot for their excursion into the city. "I don't know why they haven't just killed us both in our sleep," he added, angry.

"They're waiting for something, they must be," Katara frowned, wondering what the Lao Hu could possibly be waiting for. Then she frowned even further, catching something strange in Zuko's grammar, "Zuko, if I were to leave, you would be coming with me, right?"

Zuko was silent, staring contemplatively at his boots.

"Zuko?" Katara allowed some of her anger to sharpen her words, "we're in this together, aren't we?" Now that she thought about it, Katara hadn't heard Zuko promise her anything when he had been apologizing last night. No promises about being less overprotective, or about keeping her completely in the loop. She had been too caught up with the horror of admitting she loved him to keep their argument going.

"Katara, I-" Zuko cut himself off.

"What?" Katara shot out bitterly, her epiphany acting like a flame for her already hot temper.

"I have to take care of the Lao Hu," Zuko looked very obviously uncomfortable, "and I want you to be safe."

"And did you stop to think that maybe I'd want you safe as well? But that isn't going to happen, safety is something neither of us can expect right now, and at the very least we will be here for each other." Katara glared at Zuko, then added, "Your laws make us equals, right? Well, as your future wife, I refuse to go anywhere without you."

"Katara," Zuko sighed, "I can't leave, I'm the Fire Lord. And while our laws make most married couples equal, that is not so for marriages within the royal line. I will always be your better within the law, because I am the one who carries the blood of past Fire Lords in my veins."

Katara knew in the back of her mind that what Zuko said made sense, but the thought of being sent away made her less inclined toward civility, "so you can just send me away?"

"I would never force you to leave," Zuko stood up, glaring at her, "I wouldn't do that to you."

"Really? Because you're implying that you would," Katara snapped back at him.

"Well, I wouldn't," Zuko looked almost sullen.

"Good," Katara was still angry.

"I said I wouldn't."

"I heard you the first time."

"You don't believe me."

"No I don't"

"Ugh!" Zuko raised his hands in exasperation, "I won't send you away. We might not be equal in the law, but I swear to you, we will be equal in the palace."

Katara was silent for a while, then she smiled sweetly, "ok, I believe you. And I'll hold you to it." She didn't trust him completely, he had developed a protective streak since she had traveled with him, but at least now she had his word and could use it in her next argument. Katara almost frowned at the thought; she was getting entirely too comfortable fighting with Zuko. Hopefully they'd settle their differences before being married; she didn't particularly want to argue with him every day for the rest of her life.

Zuko looked like he wanted to punch something, preferably something highly flammable, "fine."

Zuko and Katara stood for a while in angry silence before Katara broke it, attempting to set things right, "look, Zuko, I'm sorry." Katara sighed, "I don't want to fight with you, I-" she let herself trail off.

"You what?" Zuko let some of his own bitterness leak into his words.

"I love you, you know that, right?" Katara stepped forward, putting her arms around Zuko. She couldn't expect him to play peacemaker every time.

Zuko jerked out of her arms, then his eyes widened, "I didn't mean to-"

"Of course not," all of Katara's warmth had been pulled from her when Zuko had shoved her away. She quickly walked past him and out of the morgue, slamming the door behind her.

"Katara," Zuko followed Katara out of the morgue.

Katara sped up a bit, aiming for the main body of the palace. She had to fight back angry tears; Zuko's rejection had struck at her insides with surprising force.

"Katara, please," Zuko ran in front of her, grabbing her shoulders, "I didn't mean to-"

"I know that," Katara jerked out of Zuko's hold, "it's late, I'm tired and I need to sleep, that's all." She wouldn't look at him when she started past him again.

Katara was forced to stop when Zuko's arms circled around her from behind. "I was just startled," Zuko mumbled in her ear.

Zuko's sudden intimacy made Katara jump. The arms at her collarbone and waist she could have ignored if he had just kept his mouth away from her ear. His breath on her neck seemed suddenly very intimate.

"Please get off of me," Katara sounded more nervous than angry.

Zuko caught on. Reluctantly he let her go, then spoke gently, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"You," Katara didn't turn around, "you didn't, I just, I just want to sleep." She couldn't move except to wrap her arms around her chest; shame rooted her to the spot. It was stupid to be afraid of Zuko, he wasn't going to hurt her. Wasn't she supposed to be angry with him?

"Katara, it's ok," Zuko kept his voice low, trying to soothe her frazzled nerves, "I'm sorry I scared you."

He didn't sound very penitent, more like a handler trying to coax a lemur out of hiding. Katara summoned up her anger and blanketed her voice with it, "I'm not scared."

Katara felt Zuko's hand on her shoulder, "Katara, please, I'm sorry."

Katara remained frozen. This was so stupid, just one minute earlier she had been trying to hold him, and now she was freaking out when he tried to hold her back? What was wrong with her?

"You want to talk about it?" Zuko dropped his hand, concern lacing through his voice.

"No, just!" Katara turned around looking Zuko in the eyes, "just leave me alone, I'm just tired and, and it's been a long day. I'm just tired."

Looking him in the eyes might have been a mistake. It was hard to be angry at Zuko when his concern for her was written all over his face, a delicate frown marring his already scarred features. But Katara was still angry. If she wasn't angry at Zuko, then who was there to be angry at?

"I'm just tired," Katara's voice finally sounded as tired as she was trying to convince Zuko she felt. She turned from him and started again toward the main building. This time he didn't try to stop her.

Katara stepped through the small side door Zuko had lead her through not so long ago. She knew the way to her rooms. If only she knew her way through her thoughts as well. She had been nervous with Aang, but that was nothing to this. And this? This was stupid. It wasn't like Zuko was asking her to hike up her tunic and drop her leggings, which would have been nerve-wracking, he was just trying to apologize. She had kissed him, why would she be nervous now?

Katara made a disgusted noise at herself, and heard an answering noise echo back. Someone was ahead. She would have continued on if she hadn't heard what came next.

"We have to attack now, the Water Tribes are sending warriors. They could completely ruin our plans," a man pleaded, he sounded young, early twenties at the most.

Katara froze, then crept a little closer to the corner.

"Idiot, this hallway isn't secure," someone else hissed, a woman, her voice fully matured.

Katara couldn't hear much else; they had started to whisper and were moving steadily away. A few words stood out, mostly "the," "and," and "Lady."

When their footsteps were sufficiently faded, Katara rounded the corner, bent on following them. She ran as silently as she could until she hit the next corner, and stopped to listen. Footsteps were to the left. She risked a small peek around the corner and was just in time to see someone entering a room. When the door was closed, Katara ran forward, prepared to break in and bust some heads if she had to. First thing first though, Katara placed her ear at the door. She could hear mumbling, but the door was too thick. She held in a frustrated sigh and attempted to look in through the lock. Too small. Katara was preparing herself to break in when she heard more footsteps.

Katara ran back to where she had come from, very silently cursing whoever it was with her every breath.

The footsteps didn't stop at the door. Katara was forced to backtrack even further, until she ended up right back at the door that would lead her outside and then to the morgue. She didn't want to see Zuko again. But he would have left by now, right?

As silently as she could, Katara opened the door, luckily it was well oiled, and slipped outside. Only when she had the door shut did she allow herself a sigh of relief. She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes briefly, thinking about what she had heard.

"Katara?"

Katara opened her eyes, startled, "y-you're still here?" She jumped away from the wall.

Zuko was standing right where she had left him. Guilt slipped briefly through the cracks in Katara's mind, then relief. Zuko was the one to go to with information about the Lao Hu. They could work through whatever it was between them later.

"The Lao Hu," Katara cut herself off when the door opened.

"Fire Lord, Lady," it was a pair of guards. They bowed deeply and continued past them, weaving around a few outbuildings and continuing on along the wall while Katara and Zuko watched in silence. Katara suddenly felt incredibly stupid. They were only guards, she hadn't been running away from Lao Hu reinforcements, she had been running from help.

"The Lao Hu?" Zuko prompted once the guard was out of sight. He didn't seem to be affected by their earlier conversation at all; his focus was entirely on business now.

Katara shook herself, trying to remember that their personal problems took second tier while the Lao Hu were about, "I heard them, two of them, talking in the hallways."

"Where?" Zuko ran forward, jerking the door open, "show me, Katara."

His determination was catching, "follow me." Katara brought them both at a jog to just outside the room where at least two the Lao Hu were meeting.

Zuko had no qualms about kicking in the door.

Unfortunately, whoever had been inside had vacated in the short time Katara had taken to find Zuko.

"Damn it," Zuko swore, punching the wall.

Katara watched him as he ran his hands through his hair angrily, then shouted out his displeasure with an accompanying fire blast.

"I'm sorry, I should have gone after them myself," Katara's own anger was more subtle, evidenced only by the heat in her words. What had she been thinking? She could have taken four guards, even four benders, running had been stupid.

"No," Zuko turned his angry eyes on her, "no, you shouldn't have. You,"Zuko cut himself off and took a deep breath, licking his lips, "you did the right thing, coming to me. You shouldn't try to do anything alone, not against the Lao Hu."

Katara blinked, angry now at Zuko, "I didn't mean to go to you, you just happened to be there when I exited." She snorted, "And why should I have to go to you? You never come to me. If you had any information on the Lao Hu, I'd practically have to torture you to get it."

"I'm going to keep you informed, I said I would" Zuko exclaimed, exasperated.

"But will you keep me involved?" Katara shot out.

Zuko glared at her, "yes, yes I will. I've been involving you, haven't I?"

"Unintentionally, yes. You wanted to send me away, Zuko," Katara threw her hands up in the air, disgusted.

Zuko looked around, then grabbed Katara's wrist, dragging her into the room the Lao Hu had inhabited only minutes earlier. Once he had the door firmly shut he whirled on her, "Fine, you caught me, I don't want to endanger you," Zuko looked absolutely furious, seemingly with himself, because he wasn't looking at Katara while he spoke, "What's so wrong with that?"

"Nothing," Katara shouted, "what's wrong is that you can't seem to respect me while you spend your time trying to protect me. We're nearly equals in battle and in wit, why can't you see that?" Katara could feel tears coming up, and was disgusted with herself. She didn't want to cry while she yelled at Zuko, but it always seemed to work out that way anyway.

"Katara don't, don't cry," Zuko let out a disgusted sigh and ran his hands nervously through his hair again, "I'm sorry."

"No, you're not," Katara resisted the urge to punch him, "people who are sorry make an effort to change, so far your efforts have been focused on continuing to insult me while pretending to keep me in the loop."

"I have been making an effort, I told you about the Lao Hu, didn't I? You've been involved," Zuko turned away. "It doesn't seem to matter what I do to keep you safe, you manage to find the danger all on your own anyway."

"I shouldn't have to, we're getting married, we're supposed to share everything, not hide every little unfortunate thing away from each other," Katara turned away as well.

"You're one to talk," Zuko muttered bitterly, "what are you hiding from me Katara? Not nervous about us, are you?"

Katara whirled back around, "that's different, and you know it."

"How so? I thought we were supposed to share everything, not hide away every little un-"

Katara slapped him.

Zuko looked into Katara's eyes, stunned, and she looked back, angry.

"Shut up, Zuko. You're not going to guilt me into letting you get away with this," Katara took a deep breath, then decided, "tell me now if you think you can include me, because if you can't, I'm leaving." Katara's stomach completely disappeared from her middle, making her want to curl up into a little ball to protect what she still had. Apparently Zuko wasn't doing much better; he gasped and leaned back against the wall.

"Katara," Zuko started, then closed his mouth.

"Do you want me or not?" Katara choked out, "because I know I want you, but if you can't respect me, then I know I can't stay here."

"Do you really know that, Katara?" Zuko asked quietly.

"Yes. I know that a relationship without mutual respect will never work," Katara answered, just as quietly.

"No, Katara, do you really love me?" Zuko rephrased his question.

"What?" Katara gasped, looking up, "of course I do, don't you know that?"

"No. Not really. You're keeping secrets too, Katara," Zuko slid to the floor and settled his head in his hands, shading his eyes.

Katara allowed herself to sit as well. What was she supposed to tell him? She didn't even know what she was feeling, or why. She didn't really like it that he had used their closeness, closeness that they had barely begun developing, to attempt to garner forgiveness, but that wasn't why she had jumped when he had wrapped his arms around her.

"I don't mean to keep secrets," Katara sighed, unsure.

After a small silence Zuko looked up, "I want you to stay with me, I want you to marry me."

Katara took a moment to process Zuko's answer to her earlier question, "and you'll do as I ask? You'll include me, and respect my talents?" Her stomach had returned and was now twisting around within her body.

Zuko didn't answer for a long time, then, finally, "yes, I will. Respect, trust, these things are important to me as well, and I won't lose you because I denied you anything you should have had from me, as a person and as my wife." He looked right at her while he said it, and Katara could hardly deny the truth of his words, not when he practically radiated sincerity.

"Thank you, Zuko," Katara closed her eyes. She was so happy to hear his words, but at the same time she dreaded what was coming next.

"But I want you to promise me something too," Zuko was probably still looking at her, but Katara didn't meet his eyes, "I want you to promise me that you'll let me in, that you'll stop hiding the way you feel from me."

"I can't just-"

"Yes you can. I love you, Katara. You don't have to hide anything from me," Zuko's words held heat, but not from anger.

"I'm not trying to hide," Katara came a little too close to whimpering for her liking, "I don't know what's wrong."

"Then let me help you figure it out," Zuko said gently, standing.

"Zuko, please," Katara put her head in her hands, "I don't know, isn't it enough that I'll figure it out eventually?"

"No, because it involves me too," Zuko stepped toward her, "don't shut me out."

"I'm not," Katara sunk a little further down into her hands.

"Look, you're hiding from me now," Zuko knelt in front of her. Katara could feel his body heat, but instead of being comforting, it just made her nervous.

"Zuko we," Katara forced herself to look up, "we're getting married."

Zuko almost chuckled, "I know."

"Doesn't that," Katara looked a little further up, into Zuko's eyes, "doesn't that scare you?"

Zuko looked surprised, and then hurt, "no, not really."

"Well, I find it absolutely nerve-wracking," Katara let her words pour out, "it's so new, and so important, and I'm not even a little bit used to the idea, even though I want to be with you." Katara looked down again. "And, and we have to, we have to have children, eventually. I'm not ready for that." As much as she liked children, Katara wasn't quite certain she wanted to experience conceiving them, not with anyone, not yet.

Zuko moved Katara's hair, which had become loose sometime during the day, out of her eyes, "you have pretty eyes, you know."

"What?" Katara looked up, shocked at the sudden change in their conversation.

"I love your eyes, I love it when you look at me," Zuko sat cross-legged, his knees touching Katara's.

"Yours are nice too," Katara replied, confused, "kind of intense, usually in a good way."

"I'm nervous about being married. About raising children, and about protecting you while at the same time respecting your abilities and freedom. I don't know how to be a husband, but I want to learn how with you," Zuko touched Katara's cheek lightly.

Zuko seemed a little more worried about being a father than about conceiving. Did she really want to bring that part up right now? "Zuko, I think you'll be a good father, I think you'll be good at everything, I'm nervous about other things."

"Other things?" Zuko asked, confused.

Katara could feel her face going crimson, "Zuko, other things." There was no way she was going to keep letting him enjoy her eyes if this conversation kept up, Katara looked away.

"I have no idea what other things you're worrying about if you don't tell me what they are," Zuko hinted dryly.

"I don't know if I want to have children, because," Katara paused, too embarrassed to go forward.

"Katara, you'll be an excellent mother," Zuko let out an exasperated sigh, "what could possibly make you think otherwise?"

"Zuko, I've always wanted to be a mother," Katara was about ready to melt into the floor, "It's um, conceiving one that sounds, um."

"You can't think you're barren," Zuko started, righteous anger tinting his words, then he stopped, "oh."

Katara's head was almost in her lap at this point, and her face would probably never be the same.

"Oh," Zuko repeated, then sat back. "Oh."

Katara almost worked up the courage to glare at him, but didn't get up the nerve before Zuko started laughing.

Katara looked up, shocked, noticing that Zuko's face was also fairly red. Probably more from the laughter than the embarrassment, Katara thought pessimistically.

"Katara, that's what makes you nervous?" Zuko asked, incredulous.

Katara really did glare at him now, "well it's not like it means anything to guys. In case you didn't know, women tend to have a little more trouble, particularly the first few times, and when their stomachs start to go round as a side effect."

"Katara, we don't have to do that anytime soon, it's not like I'm going to force you," Zuko shook his head, trying not to grin. "I mean, yeah, it'd be really nice if eventually we had, uh, children, and it'd probably give the advisers heart attacks if we told them we refused to be intimate, but, Katara, is that really what's worrying you?"

"I knew you'd think it was stupid," Katara muttered, angry at herself for letting him convince her that she shouldn't have a few secrets.

"It's not stupid, Katara," Zuko sobered up.

Katara looked away, equal parts embarrassed and annoyed.

"Come on, I don't think it's stupid," Zuko shifted his head a bit, trying to catch Katara's eyes again.

"It is too," Katara mumbled, "you aren't worried."

"I'm worried about anything you're worried about," Zuko gave up trying to catch Katara's eyes and reached for her chin. He had this thing about not completely forcing her to look at him that always managed to win her over.

Of course, she met his gaze with a glare.

"It'll be ok, Katara," Zuko frowned a little.

"Says you," Katara tilted her chin up, defiant.

"Katara, I love you, and I will never ask you to, uh, conceive children with me, ok? You can ask me when you're ready," Zuko did that intense thing with his eyes, that thing Katara both loved and hated at the same time.

"We've done this before, haven't we," Katara remarked dryly.

"As I recall, it worked out pretty well," Zuko grinned.

Katara sighed, "I'm still unsure about this, Zuko."

Zuko looked thoughtful for a moment, "I think maybe I am a little too."

"Liar," Katara grumbled.

"I'm not lying," Zuko shook his head, "I'm nervous too. I just hadn't really thought about it."

Katara could believe that. She sighed, "so what about the Lao Hu?"

"No subject changes," Zuko chided, shocking Katara, "we were about to get to the part where I tell you how much I love you, and how beautiful you are, and how much I look forward to becoming your husband, and eventually a father." Zuko took Katara's hands in his own, ignoring her indignant noises. "And then you would squeak over the part where you would be a mother, and then I would do this to make you feel better," Zuko kissed one of Katara's palms, "and then you would blush over my audacity," Zuko brushed a hand over Katara's flaming cheeks, "and then you'd let me do this." Zuko leaned forward, he had somehow gotten his hand behind Katara's neck without her knowledge, and she was forced to lean forward too.

Katara knew what was coming next, but she really didn't have the will to prevent it. Zuko's lips met hers in what probably wasn't the most passionate kiss the world had ever seen. It simply was what it was, an expression of affection that needed no knocking of teeth or sliding of tongues to convey the feelings beneath.

When Zuko let go of her neck Katara stayed with him for one moment longer, then leaned back, sighing.

"I'm tired," Katara grinned, "for real this time."

Zuko chuckled, then stood, taking Katara with him, "I'll walk you to your rooms."

Author Note: You can thank my Ashley for the timing of this chapter. It would have taken me considerably longer if she hadn't sat me down and watched me type over three-thousand words (she read it pre-edit though, and then it took a week for me to get my readers and my computer back together for the final review). I do believe I haven't worked that hard at writing since I had to turn in a paper about Tim Berners-Lee to the local college (I was a mere junior in High School at the time, and scared out of my wits about the quality of my writing). Really. If you say "Thank you, Ashley" in your reviews, I'll pass it on. She almost denied me food!

Aren't you happy I included the kiss in writing this time? You should know that as a complete prude, I nearly died while writing various kissing scenes down on a practice page.

Poor Zuko and Katara, I really did intend to give them a break from all their fighting…until I gave up less than a hundred words in. :)