They drove back in silence.

King Bumi had died three years ago. When they had all gone to him lying in state, they had wondered what would happen next. Most of the others were worried about Aang, who was seeing the last link to his childhood slip away. But Zuko and Toph had known and they were somber for other reasons.

All of the colonies had to be disabled at the end of the war. And when Kuei had gone a step further - gifting the Yue Province to create Republic City - the rest of the Earth Kingdom had brought up a suit that established independent kingdoms. Emperor Kuei held Ba Sing Se and oversaw the Court of Kings. Previously, when a king had passed, the Earth King could effectively hand it off to another person; there had never been a line of succession before. Now that the kingdoms were independent, that lack became an issue.

And Bumi had produced no issue.

Zuko wracked his brain as he thought. Who had become the new king of Omashu? Had Azula and his father planned some intrigue? Had they gained a co-conspirator within the Earth Empire?

Would he rather she be stuck in an unhappy marriage over the possibility of danger?

The back and forth of the argument sucked his mood down. He had just been in Omashu; if the king was marrying his sister, why hadn't he heard of it? There were lines that he had laid a long time ago and none of them had picked up on this. So either the Earth Empire had pulled ranks and shut out his spies, or else Azula was up to something.

Multiple times during the ride, Zuko grabbed his phone, going so far as to switch it on, but did nothing with it.

He wondered more about what his father had said at the end of dinner.

Katara had reached out to shake his hand, to reassert herself as someone equal to Ozai if not more respected. He took it, cautiously, and with obvious disgust. But before letting her hand go, his grip suddenly tightened.

"Where is your ring?" Ozai asked.

"What?" Katara said. Ozai gestured to Katara's other hand.

"Is my son so poor that he couldn't buy you a ring?" He asked. Katara pulled back her hand and looked at Zuko.

"I wanted her to pick out the ring." He replied evenly.

"Always with a ready answer, aren't you Zuko?" Ozai asked.

"No need to proffer one when it's the truth." Zuko said. The two men stared at each other as Katara eased closer to Zuko.

"I'm just surprised Zuko. You hadn't shown any inclination to marry before." Ozai remarked.

They hadn't spoken directly in close to a year.

Zuko looked down at his phone again before clenching his fingers over it.

"Zuko." Katara started softly. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine Kat." Zuko said sharply.

"I shouldn't have said-" Katara went on and Zuko cut her off with a look.

"I know I asked you to wait until after the wedding, but it is an exciting time." He said and put his hand on her lap. "I'm sorry I didn't tell my family sooner."

Katara's brows pulled together for a moment, in confused thought, but her eyes flicked to the side. Seeing the driver, Katara sighed and her shoulders sank a bit.

"I'm glad you're not upset." She said. Zuko pulled her over and kissed her hair.

"Never with you." He murmured and put his arm around her.

When the car dropped them back at the B and B, Zuko stood outside till the vehicle had disappeared down the drive.

"Katara?" Zuko asked, still watching the twin red lights moving in the darkness away from them.

"Mmm?" Katara intoned.

"Can you get the owner for me?" He asked and finally faced her. "I'm going to have to do something she won't like."

They both went inside but as Katara went looking for the owner, Zuko continued upstairs. He knocked on Toph's door and waited, leaning against the doorframe and looking back down the hall toward the stairs.

"What's up Hot Pants?" Toph asked as she opened the door.

"Your team has been working exclusively on this house right?" Zuko asked and leaned over, looking at Toph from the corner of her eyes.

"Of course." Toph said and crossed her arms over her chest. "Why? What's up?"

The owner, a middle aged woman that had a name Zuko could never pin to memory, crested the stairs with Katara behind her.

"What is going on?" She asked with a thin line of irritation in her words.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but did any other contractors work in these spaces recently? Anyone other than the Bei Fong ones?" Zuko asked.

"Well, yes. We had some electricians from the Fire Nation come in, because they were actual electricity-benders." The woman replied. Toph inhaled sharply and Zuko closed his eyes with a sigh.

"Ma'am, I'll pay for all the damages." He said as he pushed away from the wall.

"What damages?!" She balked. Zuko grabbed his cellphone as he and Toph walked into his room. Toph ripped off the plasti-plate over the lightswitch and Zuko dipped his fingers into the wall like he was plucking harp strings.

"Zuko!" Katara yelped as she lurched forward. The cellphone in his hand crackled as he diverted the electricity through him and out his other hand. He felt it curl in his chest and he amplified it as much as he could, sending it back through the current he established.

As his cell phone exploded, the lights in the room - really, in the entire B and B - lit up in a blinding light. Then, like popcorn, there came the rapid popping as bulbs shattered and other, smaller bursts as devices in the room also exploded. The owner started yelling as they were plunged into darkness and the air started to grow stale at an alarming rate. Zuko ignored her and systematically went through his luggage, shorting out all of his devices and frying any information saved therein.

"Do you think he bugged everything?" Toph asked.

"I have no idea, but better safe than sorry." Zuko replied, tossing his dead laptop onto the floor.

"Chang…" Katara winced as the owner got off some very excellent swears as Zuko and Toph walked up.

"I am so sorry Chang, but the Fire Nation had bugged this place and I needed to take care of it quickly." He said and bowed low.

He was surprised to feel the slap cross the back of his head. Standing back up, he rubbed his head, though it was more surprising than painful. The woman looked up at him, huffing.

"You are going to replace each and every bulb AND get the electricity back on." She said and then, turning sharply on her heel, stomped down the stairs.

Zuko was impressed she made her way in the dark.

The three of them got everything cleaned up and put to rights before Sokka and Suki returned. Getting the electricity back on involved a generator that Zuko started up with his bending and the application of a taser that Toph wielded with sadistic glee. She called her contractors, finding proper electricians to come in the morning.

The generator went to the essentials, so the kitchen and air system were the only things on. Chang had locked herself in her small bedroom on the first floor, but could be heard muttering from two rooms away. Zuko lit candles and the fireplace in the large living room, where they all ended up congregating.

"So," Sokka started as he and Suki cuddled together on the couch. "I assume your dinner went well?"

Katara walked into the living room holding onto wine glasses in one hand while the other floated along two wine bottles and three beers. As she set everything down, Toph used her bending to pull off the beer tops and handed Suki and Sokka one while taking the third for herself. Katara poured wine into the glass, pulling it out with a waving hand, as she handed it to Zuko.

"Azula is apparently getting married." Katara said and took her seat next to Zuko. Toph sat in a large armchair perpendicular to them all, bringing her ankle up to rest it on her knee and leaning back leisurely.

"That's news to me." Toph remarked and took a drink.

"Which should not be the case." Zuko grumbled as he swirled his glass.

"You'd be a lot better as a Master of Spies if you would actually utilize your massive communication network." Toph pointed out.

"That's unethical." Zuko said and took a sip.

"Ethics? In spying?" Sokka interjected and Zuko rolled his eyes.

"So who is Azula being wedded to?" Suki questioned.

"The new King of Omashu." Katara answered and Suki sucked air in through her teeth.

"While that's not ideal, what's the problem?" Toph asked.

"Apparently, in order to secure the Nakamura line, the ministers have accepted the offer of any Firebending child born of either Azula or myself will be named my uncle's successor." Zuko said. The group fell silent and awkwardly played with their respective drinks.

"Seen Mai lately?" Sokka asked and was immediately elbowed in the gut.

"Well, actually, my family now thinks…" Zuko drifted and caught Katara's eye. She sighed and then shrugged.

"They think Zuko and I are engaged." She finished. Sokka choked on his drink, covering his mouth and nose. He visibly swallowed hard on the beer before succumbing to a massive coughing fit.

"Zuko," He managed hoarsely as he set down his beer can. "Are you sleeping with my sister?"

"That is none of your business." Katara stated as Sokka wiped his running eyes.

"Fair point, but think about this:" Sokka leaned forward and stared at Katara with serious intent. "I don't want you to break my best friend."

"We only just started seeing each other Sokka." Zuko said. "We're on one full day now."

"Not to derail this awkward train of conversation, but what's the big deal?" Toph questioned.

"I have no idea if Azula's marriage was planned. If she has found an ally in her husband-to-be then she might produce a Firebender sooner than anyone would like." Zuko said.

"I didn't think you of all people would put stock in someone's parentage when it comes to character." Suki remarked.

"It's not that. It's the implication that there is some other plot happening in Omashu. I need to know who this king is, when he was picked, and why." Zuko said.

"What if there is no plot Zuko?" Sokka asked. "It could be politics and not a global domination plan."

Zuko leaned back into his seat with a sigh, rubbing his forehead.

"I know, I know. But this all seems too convenient. And too quiet." He said. Katara reached over and touched his arm. When he lowered his hand, they looked at each other and smiled.

"It'll be okay." She said.

The rest of the night was talking about the wedding. Aang would be flying in sometime in the morning in advance of the rehearsal dinner. Starting around midday, all of Kyoshi would turn into a massive outdoor party. Sokka and Suki laughed, setting bets on who would get drunk first and how many people would be hungover at the actual wedding.

Toph left first, getting a text mid-sentence and grinning as she listened to it. She excused herself and nearly danced to the door.

"Business?" Sokka asked.

"Pleasure." Toph replied and the door shut on their stunned silence. Katara giggled, setting them all off in a smattering of snorts and tittering.

Sokka went up next, leaning bodily on Suki as he kissed her goodnight till she shrieked and playfully pushed him off.

Suki left about a half an hour later, promising Zuko she would go straightaway to her own bedroom. Steadying herself on the banister, Zuko and Katara watched her take swaying steps upstairs.

Katara leaned more against Zuko, pulling her legs up and onto the couch, tucking her feet under her.

The fire had warmed the room nicely, and the occasional pop shifted embers under the rack. Zuko loved the way wood embers looked. They glowed with a softer fire and were more tempting to handle than coal. He had, in fact, handled many of them and was almost disappointed that he couldn't interact with it naturally.

Not that he wanted or needed anymore burn scars.

Katara yawned loudly and shifted only slightly to produce an arm, bending it around to pull more wine out of the bottle and into her glass.

Zuko stroked her hair, but had to shake his fingers loose when her curls ensnared him. He recalled how midway through her first year in her internship, she had cut her own hair in a fit of annoyance. For a long time in her lab, she had to wear a full body clean suit and constantly fought with her hair to keep it pulled back and tucked under. So she had cut it off, not telling anyone till she had shown up to a virtual chat talking about the upcoming summit. The summit had been weighing on Zuko's mind for weeks up until that call, but it seemed to disappear when he saw Katara's shorn hair.

She looked amazing, but he was momentarily devastated. For the entirety of the call, he could only remember looking at her face, how the shortened curls were somehow tighter bound than when it was long. Her hair was so short that there was no real length to it, though she could run her fingers through it, and the waves stuck out in a spiralling spray. It fit under her cap now, and she didn't have to worry about a breach.

Months later, the hair had regrown, though not to the length she had when they first met.

Zuko frowned and took a larger drink of his wine.

He had to remind himself that they had never actually met. They were forcibly introduced when he ransacked her village.

Or when he tied her to a tree.

Or in…

Zuko squeezed his eyes shut and finished his wine.

"What are you grumbling about?" Katara asked. She watched him lean forward, reaching out his fingers toward the wine bottle. He started to whine as his fingers flicked at empty air, inches away from the bottle. Katara heaved a great sigh and pulled out more wine, depositing it into his glass before she finished the breath.

"It's nothing." Zuko replied and sat back in his seat. He adjusted his arm on Katara and let his hand rest on her shoulder.

"So why haven't you asked me about Omashu?" She asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I have been living there for almost two years now."

Zuko paused with the glass almost to his lips and consciously thought about blinking. He lowered his glass.

"I honestly didn't think about it." He said.

"You don't think a lot about what I can do for you, huh?" Katara asked. Zuko chuckled and brought the glass to him mouth.

"I think quite a lot about that actually." He remarked around the lip of the glass before taking a sip.

"I mean, do you think I actually have anything that can help you?" She questioned.

"Haven't you been busy with your internship?" Zuko asked in reply.

"I'm also the daughter of the Chief of the South Pole, and I helped save the world, in case you hadn't heard." Katara said.

"I was aware of that actually."

"I dined at the palace in Omashu."

Zuko jolted forward and almost lost his wine.

"You did?" He asked.

"I did. The problem is, it wasn't with the King. He had a minister invite me, to welcome me back to Omashu." Katara said.

"So you…" Zuko drifted, his mouth not willing to give sound to his thought.

"So I have an in." Katara shifted before sitting up, putting a hand on the cushion and leaning in toward Zuko. "I could-"

"No." Zuko set his glass down next to the wine bottle and turned to Katara. Looking down at her hands, he gently took one of hers into his own and used his free hand to take her wine glass. Placing it next to his, Zuko took up her other hand and stared at them for a moment. When he looked her in the eyes, he felt a chill run down his spine.

"I cannot have you in the middle of this." He said.

"Do you think something is going on with Azula?" Katara asked.

There was the truth; he could tell her he didn't know, that he didn't have a shred of proof to confirm his worst fears.

Zuko lifted a hand and reached out toward her face. His fingers hovered next to her skin, outlining the curve of her cheek without actually touching her. The flames from the fire rippled in the reflection of her iris. A log shifted and split, shooting up sparks and scattering gems of glowing mercury.

Katara kissed him just as his fingertips brushed her cheek.

Zuko pulled her around as he manuevered them, trapping her between his body and the back of the couch. Her arms went around his neck as he braced himself with one foot on the floor. Zuko's hand was caught under her but he kept it there, feeling the weight of her and fighting the urge to pick her up.

Her tongue parted his lips and Zuko's knee buckled. The room glowed brighter as he deepened the kiss. Her breast rose and fell with her panting breaths and Zuko gripped the back of the couch to keep himself from falling onto her.

"So what are your thoughts on what I can do for you?" Katara asked.

"I can't ask you to spy for me." Zuko said. Katara laughed lightly as she ran her hands up the back of Zuko's head, running her hands through his hair.

"You refuse to answer the question I'm asking." She remarked, looking past him as she spoke. Zuko lowered himself so that he could kiss the tip of her nose.

"I don't like giving the wrong answer." He said. Her eyes flicked back to his.

Zuko couldn't remember falling but suddenly he was tasting her mouth again, breathing in the scent of her skin, and his hands went to her hips. Pulling her down, Zuko urged Katara to put her legs around him. The taste of wine had soaked into her tongue and it seemed sweeter there.

The room was baking with heat and Katara's hands tugged his shirt upward. Zuko sat up and took it off, pausing for a moment as Katara splayed a hand over his abdomen. Her fingers fanned under the scar where he had taken lightening into himself. As Zuko slowly lower himself back down, Katara's hand move over his hip and onto his back as he took the other one and kissed her fingertips.

They froze as they heard the high groan of the floor as someone stepped across it. Zuko sucked in and the room went dark. As Katara sat up, smoke curled from behind his teeth and out of his nose.

"I don't know how you do that." She whispered sharply.

"You're a Bender aren't you?" Zuko whispered back, cloaking his voice in the cloud of wood smoke. Katara coughed and waved the smoke away.

"One, I didn't see any fire being bent. Two, you're going to get cancer." Katara picked up his shirt and thrust it at him as she hissed the last word. Zuko laughed softly and got dressed.

"That is highly likely." His head popped out of the top and Katara moved closer to him to smooth down his hair. "And there's still a debate if fire is strictly the output of a chemical reaction and if so, we can actually control that part. Meaning I just sucked in a lungful of gas, swallowed a fire, and extinguished it."

"Cancer." Katara repeated and stood up. She looked out of the living room into the hall, but no one came into view.

"I feel like a teenager trying not to get caught with my boyfriend's hand up my shirt." She said

"Technically, you had your hand up my shirt." Zuko said. Katara smirked and slapped his chest lightly with the back of her hand.

"Come on, we should go to bed." She said. Zuko followed obediently behind her and as they walked into the hall, it was like they had stepped back into the house. They had successfully sealed themselves off in that room, in that moment, and now Zuko was aware of the space around him.

The floor did creak under their steps and they both moved gingerly up the staircase. They both paused in the upstairs hall, with the sound of their breathing and the soft woosh of the air system stirring the drowsy night. Zuko opened the door to his room and saw with amusement that Sokka was spread full eagle across the entirety of the bed. Katara leaned around him and snorted seeing her brother tangled up in the blanket and his mouth wide open.

"Come on," Katara said and stepped away, holding the hem of his shirt. "Toph isn't coming back tonight." Zuko closed the door and they both walked into her room across the hall.

They were shy now. Not two full minutes from writhing over each other like snakes and Katara was coy. Zuko looked away from her, wordlessly disrobing.

"So what were you thinking about earlier?" Katara asked while Zuko draped his shirt over the back of a chair.

"What do you mean?" He inquired and undid his belt.

"When you got all grumbly." Katara said.

"Shoot, I need to grab some shorts from my room." Zuko muttered.

"No need." Katara replied and Zuko turned. Katara, pantsless but wearing a long t-shirt, walked to her suitcase. She flipped the top up and dislodged a pair of blue sweatpants.

"Here." She said and tossed the pants at Zuko. He looked down at them, horrified, and looked back up at her.

"Who's are these?" He questioned. Katara laughed and put her hands behind her head, under her hair.

"They're mine. Purchased by me and worn exclusively by me, till this point." She said. Zuko shook out the pants; they were easily a size too big for him.

"These are mens sweatpants Katara." He stated.

"They have a drawstring Zuko." She shot back. Fluffling out her hair, she moved to the bed. "I like being comfortable."

Examining the pants, he found that the cuffs were worn in odd streaks all the way around, but especially at the heel. She obviously had to roll up the cuffs to wear them.

"Fine. Thank you Katara." He said and tossed the pants over his shoulder as he pulled off his belt.

"So what made you grumbly?" Katara repeated.

"I grumble about a lot of things."

"So make a list."

Zuko didn't answer as he stepped out of his pants and put on the sweatpants. They smelled like floral laundry detergent, though they looked grungy. He stayed silent while he picked up his pants and straightened them out before draping them over his shirt.

"I've hurt you Katara, and I don't really know if I deserve to come back from that." He said, addressing his clothes.

"It's been years Zuko. We've all forgiven you." Katara interrupted herself to laugh. "You're the best man at my brother's wedding and you knocked him on his ass the first time you saw him."

"It's not like we bumped into each other on the street and I punched him." Zuko said and peered over his shoulder. "I almost killed you."

"Really?" Katara asked derisively. Shocked, Zuko turned to her.

"What?" He asked.

"When you fought an Agni Kai with Zhou, before you ever attempted any sort of redemption, did you kill him?" Katara asked.

"Well, no." Zuko said.

"Your sense of anger and rage at that age doesn't go through inflation like money Zuko. You may have felt like you would have killed us, but every opportunity when you really could have, you didn't. I don't think you had it in you." Katara explained.

"I feel a little offended." Zuko said and scratched the side of his jaw. "That's probably not a good thing."

"You were a violent, messed up sixteen-year-old. It's been almost ten years. You're allowed to enjoy things now." Katara said and held out her arms. "Now keep me warm Firebender."

Zuko leapt into the bed and pushed himself into Katara's embrace.

Outside, the snow started to fall.