Chapter 19

Jet watched as three small children came running toward the firepit. Katara knelt down to embrace a little grey-eyed toddler as he ran to her. "Bumi! How did you get here?" she asked in a teasing voice.

"We flew on Appa with Uncle Aang!" a little blue-eyed girl chimed in. Toph and Mai came out of the cave just as Aang walked up with another couple. It only took a moment for Jet to see the blue eyed kid with a ponytail there inside the man in blue, his dark hair pulled back with a leather tie just like always, only without the shaved section.

"Sokka!" Jet exclaimed, rising to offer his hand. Sokka reached forward to take his forearm in a strong grip.

"It's good to see you again," Sokka began with a wide grin. "I mean it—we thought you were a goner for sure. I'm glad to see you alive!" Then he turned to the beautiful young woman standing beside him. "This is my wife, Suki. Suki, this is Jet."

Jet gave her a very respectful bow, and she responded in kind. "It is very nice to meet you, Jet," she said with a smile.

"The pleasure is mine," he responded suavely.

"All right, enough pleasantries," Sokka rejoined, putting his arm possessively around Suki and glancing around at the rest of the group. "Hey, Zuko! How are you making it? Aang said you've had a pretty rough time lately."

"I'm fine," Zuko answered, rising to greet them.

"Hey, don't get up on our account, buddy," Sokka assured him. Jet noticed that Zuko made a real effort to stand as long as he could, but soon was seated again.

Everyone gathered around to exchange hugs and greetings, the children crawling over whoever's lap was closest. Aang and Sokka brought out a huge load of food, bedding, and other supplies.

"Looks like you've brought enough gear to stay a month," Toph exclaimed.

"We are not staying here a month," Zuko answered firmly. "Two days at the most." Toph didn't comment.

"Aang, did you think to get me some ginger candy?" she asked. Aang passed her a small package. Toph shook a piece out into her hand and began to suck on it gratefully.

"I went to see Longshot and Smellerbee," Aang said, sitting next to Jet. "They were really glad you're okay and said to tell you that when you get back they're planning a little get together."

"Yeah," Sokka interjected. "When I told them that the Duke fished with me, they got really excited. So we borrowed a hawk from Mai's major domo and sent out a message to the Duke to come up to Omashu. He's going to stop at Madame Wu's and pick up Pipsqueak on the way." Then Sokka turned to Mai, "Hope you don't mind us borrowing your hawks."

"No, I don't mind," Mai responded easily.

"So when will the Duke and Pipsqueak get to Omashu?" Jet asked with interest. He hadn't seen them in forever. The Duke wouldn't be a kid anymore. He'd be a grown man. Jet wondered if he'd even recognize him.

"They ought to be here sometime in the next couple of weeks," Sokka replied. "Longshot and Smellerbee decided to stay in the city and wait for them. Smellerbee was really excited."

"I bet she was," Jet replied. The rest of the group began to chat around him as he considered the prospect of a reunion of the Freedom Fighters. It had been such a long time ago when they'd broken up.

After their first run-in with Aang, Katara, and Sokka over flooding the village, Pipsqueak and the Duke along with several others had decided not to stay with him. Apparently, the sight of the flooded village and the thoughts that all those people would have died at their hands had made a serious impact on them.

He'd been pretty angry at the time at what he'd seen as their betrayal of him and of the cause they'd fought for. But before long, he'd begun to realize that they were right. By the time he'd decided to make a new start in Ba Sing Se, only Longshot and Smellerbee still stood beside him. Smellerbee stayed because she was in love with him and Longshot stayed because he was in love with her.

But at the time he'd been too wrapped up in himself to see any of it. It was only after nearly dying at Lake Laogai, that he'd truly begun to value the friendships he had. And to regret the ones he'd lost.

Out of everybody in the group that had chosen to leave, seeing the Duke walk away from him had hurt the most. They'd all raised each other, but the Duke was different. Jet had found him in a burned out village when he was only a baby, barely walking.

A few years later when Pipsqueak joined them, he and the Duke became like brothers—weird brothers, but brothers. But as the leader of the group Jet had always been the closest thing the Duke had to a parent. Now, he was coming back. Jet wondered what he'd say to him.

Around the fire, everyone was so relaxed. This group had managed to stay together—to even bring more people in. Mai was now one of their number, and maybe in a small way, so was he.

Just down from him, Sokka's wife Suki asked Toph for a piece of her candy. "That stuff is so good for morning sickness," she sighed. "I don't know how I'd make it without it."

Toph just gave her a little grin and passed her the bag. "Wait a minute," Suki began suspiciously. "I practically lived off this stuff when I was pregnant with Toma. You've gone through at least three pieces already. Is there something you ought to tell us?"

"No, not really," Toph replied easily. "I just love this stuff. Zuko got me hooked on it."

Then Jet saw Zuko frown a little.

"Guys, I think dinner is about ready," Aang announced.

Jet reached out to roll the cassavayam out of the coals to cool as the rest of the crew began to make preparations for dinner. Without intending to, he began to listen in on Toph and Zuko as they talked.

"Why didn't you tell them?" Zuko asked Toph quietly.

"We haven't had a chance to talk about it ourselves yet, Sparky," Toph replied. "I wasn't sure if you even remembered."

"Of course I remembered, sweetie," Zuko answered, caressing her cheek with his hand. "You go ahead and tell them if you want to." Then Toph leaned forward to give him a soft kiss and a huge hug.

Once the group had settled again to eat, Toph looked up at Zuko, a question in her eyes. Then Zuko nodded and reached out to take her hand.

"Okay, Suki, you guessed it. We're expecting!" Toph shrieked joyfully.

Jet thought he'd go deaf for a second at Suki's squeal of joy. Mai also beamed happily for them, but didn't resort to squealing. Katara must have known already because she just gave them a happy smile of her own.

"That's great!" Sokka boomed. "Big Daddy Zuko, how crazy is that?"

"It's not a bit crazy, Sokka," Suki exclaimed, giving him a light clout on the shoulder. "Zuko is going to be a wonderful father."

Sokka laughed. "Man, I remember when Suki was pregnant with Zutara. I was scared to death. I kept making these lists of everything I had to teach the baby. How to fish, how to make winter clothes, how to tie knots. I thought I'd go crazy."

"Then poor Toma came along," Suki said with a grin. "A boy! Sokka had a warrior's wolf tail shaved into his hair before he was two hours old. He's had his ice-dodging ceremony planned forever."

"It's never to early to plan," Sokka retorted sagely. Then he looked across the fire. "So, Zuko," he continued, stretching back to put his arm around Suki, "what kind of Fire Nation traditions have you got planned for this little one?"

Zuko looked a bit taken aback. "I hadn't really thought about it," he replied.

"Surely, there's some big father/son deal you guys do—like going ice-dodging," Sokka continued. He gave Toma's wolf-tail a little flick.

"I guess there is," Zuko replied uneasily. "I haven't given it much thought."

"Well, it's never too early to plan these things. Aang, have you got something special for Bumi? Some airbender ceremony?" Sokka asked curiously.

"We have this solo flight we go on. But it's more of a master/student thing than a father/son thing," Aang replied as he peeled the hot skin off his piece of cassavayam. "But I guess I'll still be the one to take Bumi—unless maybe Teo does part of his glider instruction. For a guy who's technically not an airbender, Teo sure can fly."

"Jet? Earth kingdom?" Sokka pressed on around the fire on his apparent quest for cultural enlightenment.

"I don't really know of anything. My growing up wasn't exactly traditional," Jet replied. "I'll probably be a rotten father. All I know how to teach a kid is to fight dirty and hide from the authorities." He gave a self-conscious shrug and tried not to think about it.

Once everyone had eaten dinner, Jet rose out of habit to begin cleaning up the campsite. After a few minutes, he realized Sokka was at his side.

"Hey, I hope I didn't put you on the spot," Sokka began earnestly. "I wasn't trying to open old wounds or anything."

Jet assured him that he was fine.

"I think maybe I got a little too close for comfort with Zuko too," Sokka continued, glancing back over toward the fire where Zuko stared moodily into the flames. "It's easy to forget that he didn't have the easiest childhood either."

"How hard could it have been? Prince of the Fire Nation, running around all over the world," Jet replied, a touch of envy coloring his voice.

Sokka turned to look at him. "How much do you know about Zuko?"

Jet paused to think. "Actually, practically nothing. Up until a few days ago, I knew him as Li—just another refugee," he admitted.

Sokka gave him a quick history of Zuko's family history. Jet gave a little whistle of sympathy.

Off to the far side of the clearing, Toph and Aang were deep in discussion. Then Aang called out to Jet. Leaving Sokka to finish disposing of the trash, Jet walked around the fire to join them.

"Toph tells me that you're a bender," Aang began. Jet shook his head, but the avatar continued seriously. "She also says that you can hear the earth."

"That's not bending. It's just a quirky sense I've got," Jet explained. The sooner these people got the idea out of their heads that there was anything special about his little talent, the better.

But Aang wasn't dissuaded. "Jet, we've been looking for someone who can listen to the earth. Someone who understands neutral jing—the art of waiting. That someone is you," Aang stated firmly, fixing Jet with his cool, gray gaze.

"Whatever you guys need to do, surely Toph can handle it," Jet replied, backing away as graciously as he could. "She's a much better listener than I am, not to mention the best earthbender in the world."

"Jet, this is a job I can't do," Toph replied evenly.

"Okay," Jet replied cautiously, "just what kind of job is it? There's not much I'm good for, but I guess I can do a little listening for you."

Aang looked him squarely in the eye and told him.

Across the fire Zuko looked up as he heard Jet yell, "You've got to be kidding!"

"No, we're not," Toph said firmly, placing one hand on Jet's arm.

Jet shook it off, putting Zuko on alert. Nobody treated his wife roughly. But Jet just turned and walked back into the cave and began stuffing his things into his pack.

"Jet, wait a minute," Aang said as he approached the angry mercenary. "Just hear us out."

"Hear what out?" Jet snapped. "You two are insane. There's no way I could be king of Omashu."

All around the cave, voices stopped as everyone took in what he'd just said. Jet looked around and gestured to where five pairs of eyes stared at him in amazement. "See?" he retorted sharply. "They all think that is the most ridiculous thing they've ever heard."

"Wait just a minute," Sokka interjected. "Surprise does not equal ridicule."

Jet turned to face him. "So, you think I'm actually qualified to be the next king of Omashu," he stated sarcastically.

"If Toph and Aang think you're the guy, I have to trust their judgment," Sokka replied. Katara and Suki nodded in agreement.

"Then you're all nuts!" Jet cried in exasperation. "There's no way I could be a king—not of Omashu, not of anything. People are born kings. Like Zuko here. He was born to be Fire Lord. I was born to be a nobody. My parents were farmers."

"King Bumi wasn't born king," Aang stated evenly. "He was just an ordinary kid when I knew him. But he was chosen to be king because he listened to the earth."

"Then surely there's some noble's son out there who can do it," Jet retorted. He turned to Mai. "You know everybody who's anybody in Omashu. Help them find somebody born for the job."

Mai just looked at him sadly.

Aang took another step forward toward Jet. "Maybe you were born for the job. Maybe it's your destiny."

At the word destiny, Zuko could feel himself bristle. That word had dealt him nothing but misery his entire life. First, it was his destiny to find the avatar and kill him. Then, it was his destiny to help the avatar. Now it was his destiny to be Fire Lord one day. To bring his children up to follow him in fulfilling their own destinies. He had too many destinies.

But Jet apparently didn't have enough, as he shouted, "I don't have a destiny. Great people have destinies. I don't."

"Everyone has a destiny, Jet," Aang answered softly. "We all have a higher purpose."

"Oh, yeah," Jet snapped, "then let me tell you about destinies. My parents didn't have a destiny. They died when they were only a year or two older than I am now. What about the man who killed them? What was his destiny? To kill my parents? What about Fire Lord Ozai? What was his destiny? To send him there to do it?"

Zuko shivered. Jet was right. His father's destiny had been to rule the world with Azula at his side. His great-grandfather's destiny had been to destroy all the Air Nomads—to wipe them from the face of the planet and to begin a war that would last over a hundred years and end hundreds of thousands of lives.

Zuko looked up into the face of yet another victim of his family's destiny. "I'm so sorry," he said.

"You ought to be," Jet replied savagely. "Look at the harm the Fire Nation's destiny did to the entire world."

"Hey, leave Zuko out of this," Toph snapped. "This is about you—not about him."

"It's about being a king," Jet retorted angrily. "Maybe--despite everything--Zuko's still got a destiny that will help him do a good job as king. He was born to do it. But not me." Then he looked up at the group, his dark emerald eyes flashing as he repeated, "I don't have a destiny."

When several voices chimed in to contradict him, Zuko stood and shouted, "Leave him alone. Let him make up his own mind about this. Maybe that's his destiny—to actually get to decide for himself what his destiny is!"

Then he walked down the path as far as he could before his legs gave out and he had to sit again. Cursing his weakness, he sat there on the hard, rocky ground and tried to catch his breath.

Away from the fire, the night air was a little chilly. He tried to bend a little heat into himself, but without luck. He barely had the energy to sit up, much less bend. He was almost too tired to be angry—almost.

After a few moments, Toph sat down next to him. She had a blanket across her shoulders. "Want to get under with me?" she asked.

He shook his head no. It would do him good to get cold.

They sat together a few more minutes, and despite his best efforts not to, he began to shiver. Without a word, she pulled the blanket around him as well and scooted over close, her hand on his knee.

Sometimes he wondered if his talented, lively wife wasn't some kind of earthbending healer. Her touch seemed to draw part of the anger away from him. He sighed.

"Are you sure you want to be with me?" he asked her as he put his arm around her and leaned his cheek into her hair.

"Of course I do," she said. "You're the most wonderful man in the world. Why wouldn't I want to be with you?"

Zuko sighed. He knew a thousand reasons why she would be better off to run from him as fast as she could. But instead of running away, she came to sit with him. She wanted to be with him. She was having his baby.

What kind of destiny would that baby have? What purpose would he find for his life? Was there something about the blood that ran in his veins—the blood of tyrants, of murderers—that would make him follow a destiny of conquest? Of war?

Uncle had tried to teach Zuko all his life about another destiny—one that didn't involve conquest. And at long last, he'd listened to him.

But what about this baby? How could Zuko ever measure up to Uncle? How could he be wise enough and good enough to teach this baby how to pursue his other destiny?

And what would that destiny be?

Back at the fire, Jet had watched Zuko storm away—as far as he was able to make it. Now he felt bad. He hadn't meant to react that way. They'd just taken him so completely by surprise.

"You people have a very warped idea of destiny," Aang was saying sadly, almost to himself.

Jet just walked to the fire and sat back down, his head in his hands. Someone sat next to him. He glanced up to see that it was Mai.

"So, big news, huh?" she asked dryly. "You seemed thrilled."

Jet couldn't help but laugh. "I noticed that you didn't immediately chime in that it was my destiny," he replied.

"I don't make those kinds of decisions for people," she said. "I agree with Aang. You people have a very warped idea of what destiny actually is."

"So, fill me in," he stated, turning to face her fully. "Just what is destiny?"

"Your destiny is your higher purpose, not just your big plans for your life," she began. "We all have a destiny. But most people don't ever pursue it. They're too scared, too greedy, too shallow, or just too busy to bother."

"How do you even know what it is, then?" he found himself asking.

"When you quit looking at yourself and what you want and you start looking at other people and what they need, you find your destiny," she replied easily. "Like I said, most people aren't able to take their eyes off themselves and their own lives and their own needs."

She looked into the fire for a moment, then said, "It's kind of funny though. When you start working toward your destiny by looking around you, all the things to worry about in your own life seem to just work out on their own."

Jet looked at her, impressed. "I had no idea you were such a philosopher," he said with a little grin. "So just how did you find your destiny?"

Mai looked out across the fire and into the darkness where Zuko sat next to Toph. "I got my first glimpse of my destiny when I realized how much I loved Zuko," she answered quietly.