Writer's Note: While researching Suki for "The Silk Fan", I came across this excellent picture of Suki in different outfits throughout the show, as well as three other outfits that she had never worn, but that suggested a childhood outfit, a wedding outfit, and something that, to me, looked like a Fire Nation soldier, Kyoshi Warrior style, outfit. Seeing it hatched this little plotbunny, but alas, I saved the picture without getting the name of the artist. So if it's you, and you're reading this, you're awesome, and thanks!

Warning: Occurs five years post-series and contains spoilers. It also references the fic "Don't Panic" and "Hold Onto Me".

"Zuko, I have a proposition for you."

Zuko stared, going bright red. "You have a what for me?" he choked out, his voice strangled. At his side, Mai snickered.

Suki sighed, giving him a look that would make any glass of any dairy product into instant cheese. "You're kidding me, right? You actually think I'm coming on to you?"

Zuko looked away, his face still red. "I don't ever know what to think around you people!"

Suki had to struggle to keep herself from laughing, to be honest. After five years of getting to know the Fire Lord, a relationship that had obviously started out less than stellar, it was always a great thrill to realise how incredibly wrong her first impression of him had been.

So, so incredibly wrong, she thought, her lips twitching a little. So far from the truth; that while he has his moments of astonishing clarity and political prowess, he is, by and far, a huge dweeb.

Sokka had tried to tell her. She had thought he was just being rude. Now she knew the truth.

I owe him money.

Mai caught Suki's glance and smirked, not saying a word. Suki really liked Mai, another one who had proven her first impression not exactly right. Oh, Suki knew that Mai was a formidable opponent, a strong warrior, and an intelligent woman; that much was evident in their battle against each other. But what she hadn't known about then was that Mai had been tethered to ideals that she thought had been correct, and only the threat of losing not only the one she loved, but her own country's integrity and humanity had been able to lift the cowl from her eyes. And once that happened, all that she used to fight against Aang and his group was use to fight for them. And that was something Suki would never, ever forget.

Now, in these later years, while it started off shaky, the two women were able to form a fantastic friendship. They had much in common, and the things they didn't kept the friendship interesting (oh, the debates...), and they became even closer when Zuko's life was almost snuffed out a year ago (the first – and last - time she had seen the older girl cry).

Suki's visits to the Fire Nation weren't as frequent as the others from their group (like, say, Toph, or Aang and Katara), but she visited enough to keep from being a stranger. This visit, however, she knew was out of the blue, especially since she was dressed in full Kyoshi Warrior regalia, something that she never felt the need to do around her friends as much.

"I'm not here to get you into bed, Zuko," Suki said now, her voice flat. "First of all, no thank you, and second of all, do I look like I want to become a pincushion?"

Mai grinned. "Thank you for that," she agreed.

Zuko sighed, effectively chastised and feeling stupid about it. He shifted a little and looked away. The receiving room was smaller than the throne room, but it was large enough to, especially in these later years, make Zuko wary of larger spaces. Suki knew that he hated using it, but she had insisted, and he had relented.

"So why are you here, then?" he wondered.

Suki slowly lowered herself down to her knees, placing her palms onto the ground before her. Zuko and Mai looked over as one, wearing expressions of confusion and surprise. Suki didn't complete the prostration, but she did tilt her head down slightly. She was coming not as a subject, not as an equal, but something in between.

"Fire Lord," she said, her voice different; it was stronger, clearer. It was a voice she used only when issuing commands. "Lately, with these newly won years of peace, animosity has risen against you, despite your noble attempts to bank the fires of hatred. You are brave, and you are strong, but you are not invincible. You almost lost your life."

Her words were met with silence. She didn't look up, but she could feel the tension, feel the discomfort that came with being reminded of such a hard time.

"Therefore, I have come as the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors, and not as a past comrade. Fire Lord Zuko, Lady Mai, I have come to offer my services and those of my four closest Warriors as personal honour guards here in the Palace," Suki pushed on, feeling her heart racing. "We cannot risk losing you to selfishness, to carelessness. My warriors are elite, trained by myself, and would risk their lives for you, their past enemy, for this peace. Please, accept this protection and allow us to preserve your life for the sake of the world."

Silence. All she could hear was her shaky breathing, her racing heart.

She was scared, really. She and her Warriors, the ones who had broken from Kyoshi to join the battle in the Earth Kingdom for Ba Sing Se and beyond, were unable to emulate once they returned to the Island. While it was home, the isolated life that they had once led in ignorant bliss seemed to be nothing but greys after a while.

Suki had tried to power on, really and truly, for several years. It was when she witnessed with her own eyes the attempt on Zuko's life did she realise that she wasn't where she was supposed to be at all.

Her Warriors were quick to agree. Ty Lee was also eager to join. Suki left that up to her. Despite their own personally antagonistic past (I'm surrounded by reformed enemies), Ty Lee was showing the iron-willed stuff of a real Kyoshi Warrior. Privately, Suki was actually modelling her as a replacement for her leadership, which was why she not only left the choice up to her, but was incredibly pleased when Ty Lee decided to stay on the Island instead.

Suki, however, knew that she had to do the actual asking alone. As leader, as warrior...and as friend.

The silence was unbearable, but she kept her head down, her mouth closed. She knew better.

Then, finally, Zuko said, very softly, "You would do that? Despite the risks?"

Suki looked up. Zuko's face was drawn, not with anger, but with sadness. Beside him, Mai's face was carefully blank, but deep within her eyes rested a light of respect. Both were staring at her with an air of what, she realised, was deep and utter gratitude.

She was stunned, quite honestly. She was also ashamed. I should have done this years ago...

"Yes, of course," she said without thinking. "You know how much you both mean to me, to us." She then blinked, feeling her cheeks go red. "I mean..."

"Suki," Mai broke in, her voice a little thick. "Really. We're all friends here." Her hand held Zuko's tight, so tight that her long nails indented into his skin, but he didn't seem to notice, or mind. He held her hand back just as tight. "You don't need to be all formal."

Zuko, however, seemed to understand. "Yes, she does," he replied. "She's not asking as a friend; she's asking as a Kyoshi Warrior." Slowly, Zuko got to his feet beside his wife, standing up to his full height before Suki.

Suki kept her eyes on him, noticing, almost from far away, how much he had grown into his role, his destiny, as Fire Lord. Even without the robes and ornaments that he wore now, just looking at him closely enough would tell anyone his identity. It was a far cry from the wary, confused young man she had gotten to know all of those years ago.

"I need to know that you would be willing to fight for me, with me, and in my name," he continued, his voice calm and clear. Beside him, Mai looked right into Suki's eyes, her expression so careful that it was almost terrifying.

"Yes," Suki agreed, her eyes falling back to Zuko's. "Last year, and two years before it, can never be allowed to happen again."

Mai's eyes narrowed, her hand going to her side, and Zuko's eyes shut for longer than a blink.

Indeed, the ones who have seen the most suffering, outside of Aang, are truly these two here.

"I ask you this, because the need for protection is something I have been putting off for, I think we can agree, far too long," Zuko continued, a faint smile touching his lips. "Inactivity has made me sloppy, something that I should have learned, truly," and here he looked back at Mai, who sat still as a stone at his side, "when it hit me the hardest."

"You can trust me," Suki replied.

Zuko looked back at her, the smile wider. "I know I can," he agreed. "But..."

Suki couldn't help it; she knew her face fell.

"Suki, I know you trust your women," he said, the smile gone. "I know you chose them yourself, trained them yourself, but I cannot trust them like I can trust you. If you were to do this, it would be alone."

I wasn't expecting that.

She honestly had no idea what to say. Her mouth was dry, her eyes wide. Slowly, she sat up, placing her hands on her knees. "My warriors-,"

"Are your warriors, I know," Zuko agreed. His face was impassive, but his eyes bled out his emotions; he was conflicted, but also desperate. He needs me here, doesn't he? "And I know that what I'm asking for is alot. But, Suki..." And here, he actually looked away. "Things have gotten serious. I need someone I can trust with everything I am. Only a few people fill this role, and you're one of them. It would have to be you, alone."

Suki nodded slowly, her eyes lowered. She stared at her hands. Wouldn't it make more sense to have strength in numbers? Wouldn't it be safer to have more than one person here?

"And it's not like I don't expect you to have a life outside of the Palace," Zuko added, making her look up. "You and Sokka are still together, right?"

Suki's hand shot up without control to her neck, where the necklace he made her (not a betrothal necklace, but one of commitment, of devotion...) lay underneath her clothes. She jerked it away, embarrassed. "Yes, we are. But he knows I'm here. And he agrees, and knows what it entails."

"Wouldn't that be a problem?" Mai broke in. "Wouldn't he miss you, or his home? Or both?"

Suki smiled. "Yes," she agreed. "But he and I...we've been apart before. He knows I'm a Warrior. He knows what it means."

Wait a second... Suki's smile faded. Her eyes darted from Mai's to Zuko's and looked closely. He looked tired, and scared, but he also looked...preoccupied. His eyes kept flicking away when he thought she wasn't looking, from her...to Mai.

"You're pregnant," Suki blurted out. Her hand shot to her mouth and covered it, but the damage was done: both Zuko and Mai jolted, turned red, then looked at each other in shock.

"Well," Mai said finally, her voice dry, "She is a master of that kind of thing."

"Suki," Zuko's voice was soft, but pleading. "This can't leave this room. We just found out, and if the word gets out to the wrong people..."

"Zuko," Suki laughed a little. "I know. I understand. Congratulations, both of you."

Mai smiled. "Thank you."

Zuko sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I didn't want to tell you until after, so that you wouldn't think I was manipulating you or something. Katara has been accusing me of doing that to people lately, and it really, really irritates me."

"She's right, though," Mai said, smirking.

He turned and glowered at her, and Suki took this opportunity to break in. "Zuko, I have to speak to the other girls, but...I think, understanding the circumstances, what you're asking for is acceptable."

Zuko looked relieved. He sat down in one move, heavily, as if he couldn't support his own weight anymore. Mai placed a hand on his shoulder, and he leaned in close.

Inwardly, Suki smiled. I guess the Fire Lord-Kyoshi Warrior hats are off, now.

Mai turned to Suki. "So..." she said, looking a little shy, to Suki's surprise. "When...do you think you can start?"

Zuko nodded. "The fact that you even requested it today suggests that it's not merely good timing."

Suki smiled wider. She had thought the same thing. "I can start within the week."

Mai and Zuko looked at each other. Zuko closed his eyes, and Mai touched his cheek. "That would be good," he admitted, reaching into his robes. With stiff fingers, he pulled out a crumpled piece of paper and held it out. "As Royal Guard, you're entitled to see this."

Suki got to her feet and took it. She opened it, and saw in jerky characters, bad grammar, and horrific clarity, what was a death threat. She stared, her mouth dry yet again. Wordlessly, she looked up at Zuko, who was smiling faintly, unhappily. "Not merely good timing," he repeated.

Suki nodded. She rolled up the paper, placed it in her belt, and very carefully, knelt down and prostrated before them both, all the way.

Zuko made a sound, akin to a protest, but Mai shushed him. Suki raised her head, then got back to her feet and bowed, placing her hands in the Fire Nation way. "I won't let you down."

Zuko smiled, this time for real. "I know," he said softly. "I know."