A/N: Sorry for the delay! Korra kind of got in the way but I didn't forget about this. I wanted to update before the end of August and I did! Also this is the longest chapter yet.

Disclaimer: I don't own.

Katara rolled over in bed, too restless to sleep. She managed to sit through all of Ty Lee's questions earlier about what she would want to do on a date (it really was up to Ty Lee, she'd never actually been on more than a handful) and slipped away at the right time. Zuko, to her surprise, had actually been working all day and hadn't even made it to dinner with her. She wasn't sure if that was on purpose or not, but she was rather happy about it. She was beginning to feel the predate tension build between them. It was already affecting her sleep and made her want to kick him for having it not affect his.

She decided misery loves company and kicked him in the shins, hard. "Ow!" Zuko screeched as he sat up. "What in Agni's name did you do that for?"

"I wanted to talk to you," Katara said innocently.

"Can it wait till morning?"

"No, you get up before me and its highly possible you'll be avoiding me till our date," she sneered.

"When have I ever avoided you?"

Katara opened her mouth to reply and quickly closed it. Even when she shunned him he still followed her around and took every opportunity presented to him to talk to her. "Fine. I can't sleep until we talk about this."

"What is with you and talking?"

"I happen to think communication is the best thing for a relationship. Plus I always feel better once I've talked things through." He snorted. "What, do you think I'm lying?"

"I think you like, to put it nicely, voicing your concerns."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"When you think you're right you like to shout it to the world." That earned him another kick in the shins. "I'm not wrong!"

"Whatever. But you have to be feeling nervous about this or at least a little weird."

He shrugged. "What's the worst that can happen? We're already married."

"The worst that can happen is we end up not talking again and I have to spend weeks here without you talking before we sign the stupid papers ending our marriage!"

"That might actually be a relief."

She picked up her pillow and started hitting him. "You arrogant, annoying, spoiled, prince!" She punctuated each word with a hit.

Zuko lunged, grabbing her wrists to stop the blows. He used his weight to push her back, pinning her down with her hands above her head. "First," he said, his face inches from hers, "I'm Fire Lord now. Second what you just did could be considered attacking the Fire Lord and that's bad. Third fine I'll talk if you promise to let me sleep."

"Let go of me then." Zuko let go and sat back on his knees. "Ok, so, uh, see."

"Now you're tongue tied?" She hit him again. "Stop that! Look, tomorrow isn't going to be weird unless you make it weird. Let's just pretend it's, you know, that it's just another meal we have to have together or stupid activity we have to do because we're married."

That did sound rather appealing. "So you're saying treat it like nothing special, like something we have to do cause we're married?"

"Exactly."

"Do married people date?" She asked.

"I don't know. My parents weren't close at all. Did yours?"

"I'm not sure. I mean, Sokka and I were sent to Gran Gran's every so often and sometimes for the night. I thought it was just because she was lonely."

Zuko smirked. "Or because they wanted alone time."

Katara flopped back on the bed and covered her head with the pillow. "Urgh!" She said into it. "I know they did that but I don't want to think about it!" She lifted the pillow off her head. "Besides, do you want to think of your mom and Ikem doing that?" Zuko looked horrified. "Oh so you don't, do you? You know, your mom is still young. You could have another little sibling. Maybe a little brother this time?"

"Stop!"

"Come on, don't you want a new sibling?"

"Fine then my hypothetical little brother will a year or two older than his niece or nephew."

"Azula's not going to have kids anytime soon."

"Azula's not married."

It took a second for Katara to process the words. "You take that back!"

"No."

"Yes!"

"No."

"Why not?"

"It made you stop worrying about our date."

"I-you-that was way too clever."

He lay back down and rolled away from her. "I heard Uncle do it once. I didn't think it would work but it was worth a try. Sleep."

"Good night to you too," she muttered, feeling better at the very least.

Zuko did, in fact, wake up before Katara and did leave her sleeping. However he needed to deal with the apparent food shortages, the over stock of rice on military bases, how to effectively trim down the military presence on said bases while not creating too many jobless soldiers, and possibly implement Katara's idea of a police force in certain towns. Fairly easy work.

Zuko desperately wanted to bang his head against his desk in frustration. Last night he thought he finally figured out how to make it all work. In the harsh light of morning his plan looked almost impossible. While ideally he could just make everyone do what he wanted and release rice to people he knew that could only last for so long. Zuko rubbed his temples, trying to ignore the headache he could feel forming, and regain his focus. This was going to work. It had to work.

"Nephew I brought you some tea," Iroh said as he waltzed into Zuko's office without knocking.

"I don't think I need any," Zuko said.

"Nonsense. You always need tea and I have just the right one to help chase away all aches and pains." Zuko marveled at how Iroh knew exactly what was bothering him but he'd been doing that for years now. Zuko assumed his uncle knew him better than anyone. "I hear you have a date in a little while."

"Don't remind me," Zuko grumbled.

Iroh raised an eyebrow. "You're not looking forward to it?"

"Yes," Zuko said before he could stop himself. "I mean, it'll be a nice break from this."

Iroh looked over the documents Zuko gestured to. "Ah, I see. Still having trouble deciding what to do with this whole mess?"

"It's been four years and it's not getting better," Zuko complained. "Every time I try to bring it up in a council meeting someone tries to change the subject or they debate amongst themselves until I still them all to shut up and leave."

"You know you can just tell them what to do, right?"

"But I don't want to do that. I don't want to go in an issue orders and wait for them to find a way to undermine me. You said I have to listen to people to be a good leader and I'm trying."

Iroh sipped his tea. "Have Katara sit with you again."

"How is that going to help?"

"She knows her way around people and knows how to convince them to do what she wants. She's not as tactful about it as Azula was but she's just as good. She has fresh ideas and a need to help people."

Zuko rubbed his chin. "What about when she leaves?"

"If she leaves then you'll at least have some of them on your side."

Zuko looked down at his papers again. "If you think it will work then I'll try."

"Good, now to the more important business of your date."

"Uncle please don't try to do my hair again."

"But it looked so good the last time! Besides this is your second chance with her."

"Everything should be set up! But if you do need anything there's a guard right here," Ty Lee motioned to the little alcove just off the path. The guard smiled and waved. "He's here in case someone tries to do something stupid or if you need anything. He's also here to tell me if you two decide to cut this short and leave as soon as I'm gone." Katara was really beginning to hate Ty Lee's smile. Not to mention any scheming she learned from Azula.

"I'm sure we'll be fine," Katara said as she took Zuko's hand. She tried not to notice how he stiffened at the gesture.

"Well I sure hope so. Now have fun!" She said with a gentle shove down the path. Katara looked over her shoulder to check if Ty Lee was watching them. She was, all be it standing on her hands. As they approached the beach Katara quickly let go of Zuko's hand.

"It looks like she did think of everything," she muttered. There was an umbrella with a blanket and picnic basket underneath, keeping everything out of the sun. Ty Lee has also supplied what appeared to be swimsuits and towels for them as well. Not that Katara was going to use them, she'd be just as happy in her underwraps (which she thankfully had on under her Fire Nation outfit). "Well we might as well get this over with."

"I'm so glad you're excited for this," Zuko said as he walked past her to sit down.

"Listen I know you want to this as much as I do but we're here and we're here-"

"This has been your refrain for awhile. Sit down and eat." He opened the basket and pulled out some spring rolls. "Oh good, I like these."

"You're just going to take this?"

He sighed. "Yes and maybe have a little fun. I know you don't like plans that aren't of your own creation." Katara opened her mouth to protest but he quickly continued. "But I happen to think this might not be a bad idea. We get a do over of our date."

"Fine," she said as she sat next to him. "But if this turns out as bad as the last one we can just agree to never, ever do this again."

"Done. Sesame noodles?" Katara took the bowl from him. They were cool and tangy, just what she wanted.

"I could get used to this," she commented as she held the noodles out of Zuko's reach.

"Not sharing? You always do that now let me have some."

"I share and I meant not cooking for myself. It's actually kind of nice."

"Well you're royalty," Zuko said matter of factly.

"Now I am and it's kind of nice."

"No you always were."

Katara almost choked on the noodles. "What?" She said before coughing violently. Zuko patted her back and poured her a glass of whatever drink Ty Lee had packed them. She soon found out it was lychee juice as it soothed her burning throat. "I'm not royalty unless I'm married to you," she finally said.

"Isn't your dad Chief of the Southern Water Tribe?"

"Yes and?"

"Well that makes you a princess, right? Like Yue was."

"How did you know about Yue?"

Zuko's good ear went a little red. "Well I had to learn about all the other royal families in the world."

"To know who to terrorize when you finally conquered them?"

"Uh."

"And yet you seemed surprised when you found out about my dad?"

"See we didn't really know a lot about the Southern Water Tribe," Zuko tried to explain.

"Really? I know the Fire Nation raided us often and took all our waterbenders before my parents were even born."

"Really?" Zuko asked.

Katara stared at him. "Did you...did you not know?"

"What I learned was that Fire Lord Azulon subdued the South Water Tribe. That was it. Most of the battles I learned about usually had some tactical advice in them. So no, I didn't know and I'm sorry that happened."

"Well I guess you did help break my dad out of prison and you did send supplies to help us rebuild. I guess I won't hold that against you."

"How gracious of you, Princess Katara."

"Fire Lady Katara and I don't think princesses ever had to mend clothes or clean them."

"Well the Fire Sage drawing up our marriage contract was quick to offer you the title."

Katara grinned. "So you have to take back calling me peasant then."

"I already did." Then he winced. "And there is actually a protocol for holding royalty hostage."

"I'm guessing it doesn't involve tying them to a tree."

"No, they get locked in a cell but there's always a ransom offer. Kuei escaped before Azula could issue one."

"You owe me."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Fine, what do I owe you?"

Katara's finger tapped her chin as she thought. "Hmmm...how about you promise to sign our annulment?"

"Really that's all you want?"

"Just promise."

"Fine I promise I'll sign our annulment, happy?"

"Extatic. Now what else is in there, I'm still hungry." Zuko pulled out some pigen buns and moon peaches. They ate the rest in silence, which only made Katara remember exactly what they were doing. She told herself to stop the stupid awkward feeling that was growing. She stood and began to take off her outer layer of clothing. "I'm going swimming," she told Zuko as she flung her top down.

"Shouldn't you wait awhile after you eat?"

"Waterbender," she replied as she stepped out of her pants and skirt. "But I'll understand if you have a sensitive stomach."

He stood and began to untie his belt. "I'm coming too."

"I thought you didn't like swimming."

"Why would you think that?"

She shrugged. "When we were at your beach house before the comet you didn't go swimming at all."

Zuko folded his arms over his now bare chest. "Excuse me if I was more worried about Ozai's plan to burn the Earth Kingdom to the ground!"

Katara laughed as she raced to the water. She dove in once the water was deep enough, relief filling her as she embraced her element. She popped up and stuck her tongue out at Zuko who was standing in the shallows. "I thought you went to the beach all the time," she teased as she rode the waves closer to shore.

"I'm playing it safe," he told her. Katara stood, the water coming just to her waist. She smirked as she sent a huge wave at Zuko. "No fair!" He screamed after spitting out water.

"Entirely fair," Katara said. Zuko retaliated by tracking her. She got on to her knees and sent more water at him. He grabbed her by the waist and threw her over his shoulder. "Hey!" She shouted as she bent ice to the ocean floor. Zuko tripped and they both ended up in the water again. Staring at each other Katara reacted first and tackled him. They wrestled all the way to the shore where Katara firmly pinned Zuko down. "Never mess with a waterbender in her element," she said with a smirk.

Zuko reached up and kissed her. It sent a jolt down her spine and she relaxed her grip on his wrists. She sighed as she moved her lips against his before jerking back. "What in La's name was that for?!"

"It felt right at the time." Was all he said.

This was all Zuko and Katara and fluff.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, alerted, and waited patiently for an update! I can't believe this is at 100 reviews now!