A week later

"Ursa was hoping you'd be willing to meet with her." Mai delivered the news with a wry look. She knew what Katara was about to say.

"Ugh! What? She doesn't have the balls to talk to Zuko?!"

Mai mused that she was mostly right. "Obviously, she doesn't have balls."

Katara frowned and stood from her desk. "Fine. I'm doing this for Zuko, though. Not her."

"I would expect nothing less," Mai replied evenly. "While you're gone, I'll try to organize your desk." She tisked and added, "who thought you'd be this messy."

That got a smile out of Katara. "Hey, that's why I hired you."

"And I thought you hired me because half the council would piss themselves if I looked at them sideways. They're always on time for meetings with you."

"And why can't both be my reason?" She teased.

"Shit, I like you, and it's so annoying." Mai then said, "go. Your mother-in-law awaits. I'm sure she'll have some excuse as to why she's the victim."

It was no secret to Katara that Mai, one always willing to judge another, didn't like Ursa. She remembered how Azula was, still a bitch, but a kinder one, when Ursa was around. She blamed Ursa for Ozai being left to have full control over raising Azula.

Katara sighed and tried to mitigate some of Azula's anger. Not that she had much of a leg to stand on in the matter. "She did save Zuko. She couldn't control being sent away."

Mai sighed, "how many people have Uncle hidden in the caves below the palace? She could have had a place in their lives by coming to visit."

"And you and I both know Azula would have told Ozai in a second."

"So? You stood up to him! You stood your ground because you love Zuko, and you fought for him! She had two children here! Why wouldn't she do the same thing?!" Mai was pissed because she was struggling to hold back tears.

"That's not why you're mad."

Mai hissed out, "Shit, you're going to pull this crap on me again! Fine, why am I mad?!"

"What are you talking about with 'pulling this crap'?"

Glaring at Katara, she said, "this crap where you see through me and actually see what's bothering me. It pisses me off that you see it better than I do."

"When Azula died, Ursa didn't even remember that her daughter existed. Neither of her parents mourned her."

"Fuck you!" Mai then stormed out of the office crying. Katara had hit the nail on the head perfectly.

Chief Hakoda frowned at the Fire Nation messenger that stood before him. He didn't know what to make of the man, and he assumed an attack was coming at any second.

Instead, he was surprised when the man bowed and then handed him a scroll closed with a red wax seal and tied with a red ribbon.

"And what's this?" Chief Hakoda asked.

"A message for you, Sir."

He slipped the ribbon off and broke the wax seal. He then unrolled the scroll and grew pale at the first line.

Chief Hakoda,

We, the Fire Nation, call a secession to our hostilities, and we are making a bid for peace.

He looked at the messenger. "Is this serious?! Ozai would never….." he trailed off, watching the man smirk and shake his head.

"Look at the signatures, Chief Hakoda."

He did just that, and it surprised him more than the potential end of the war. It was signed by Fire Lord Zuko and Fire Lady Katara.

"My daughter is the Fire Lady?!"

Sokka lay naked on his back, laughing. "You're such an idiot, Suki!"

She shook her head in amusement at him. "I'm the idiot!? I'm pretty sure that title belongs to you in this relationship." Suki was lying next to him naked too.

He rolled over and grabbed her breasts, hovering over her. "Yup, until yesterday! You're so dumb!"

She rolled her eyes at him dramatically. "You know there is something deeply wrong with you, Sokka."

"That's my point!" He said, smiling like he won something.

He trailed his finger between the slick folds of her wet pussy. "You and your dopey self married me yesterday. I seriously question your judgment."

"And you think I'm the idiot —you cute moron." She couldn't help but smile.

"Hey, I'm the damn lucky bastard who got an amazing woman, with bad taste in men."

Suki completely adored Sokka. She knew he was joking around and being playful. He had her laughing and entertained. She loved him for it. There was no way her life would ever be boring by his side, and he'd always make her smile. She also loved how lucky he said he was to have her.

"Man," she said.

"What?"

"Not men, a man. You're the only one I want. And speaking of taste…." She moved down, and he hissed through his teeth as she took his cock in her mouth. He grabbed her hair and arched his back in pleasure as she worked his cock.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me." Ursa then shifted uncomfortably.

That actually encouraged Katara. It showed some level of self-consciousness.

Katara realized it was good that this conversation came now. Two days ago she made the decision to not expect too much out of Ursa. The woman had lived in a hell of a marriage and had to kill to keep her son alive. She made a monster of a man, the Fire Lord, in order to preserve Zuko. Even Azulon, the man who ordered the death of his own grandson, thought Ozai was unfeeling for his request to usurp Iroh right after his son died. Still, she would meet her where she was. Or at least listen to what the woman suffered.

Sitting across from Ursa, Katara said, "things may be… strained between us at the moment, but you are and always will be my mother-in-law. I respect that."

Ursa picked at her right thumbnail due to nerves. "I've been thinking about what you said."

"Out of anger."

"What?"

Katara calmly replied, "I was angry when I spoke to you. I said it out of anger."

"But you meant much of it."

"Yes."

Ursa frowned. "I killed and gave up everything for Zuko."

"Yes, you did, and it was an amazing act of sacrifice. Then what? You chose to forget your children because… why?"

"It hurt too much!"

Katara let out a slow breath. "I'm finally listening. I judged you by standards that I hold myself up to, and that was wrong." She had trouble sometimes remembering that some people were just weak, and they did the best they could.

"You don't understand," Ursa pleaded with her voice.

"I think I do. You were banished and sent away from your kids, so you made a new life and erased everything about the old one. You fell in love for the first time again with the same man from your youth. You ensured your own happiness."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

Katara said, "my mother was killed in my place when I was a child. It destroyed my father, and he left on a mission of vengeance against the Fire Nation, leaving my brother and me for over a decade. I would never choose to forget my mother or the pain I went through. She's too precious to me. I would rather live with the pain of her loss than losing the memory of her completely. And even with that pain, I carry, I found deep love and happiness. That's how I choose to live."

"Ozai didn't give me a choice."

Katara didn't make a comment. Mai was right. Ozai wasn't the boogie man. Katara had managed to stand up to him. She idly wondered what stopped Ursa from really doing the job right and making Zuko Fire Lord at a young age.

She then knit her brow in confusion. "Wait, how does it feel to know Ikem chose to forget your love or that you even existed? He went and saw the Mother of Faces long before you did?"

That offhanded question made Ursa gasp and tear up. "Oh…. Now I see your point."

In the end, when they had discussed everything, it had been an awkward conversation. Still, Katara had embraced Ursa when it was done.

She didn't agree with what the woman had chosen to do, but it wouldn't stand in between them. Ursa still loved her son, and that was all Katara needed to like the woman.

One night Kenji knocked on Toph's door. He was up for sex with her again, and he was hoping she was in her room. Katara had made it VERY clear to both of them that they could fuck as much as they wanted in the privacy of one of their rooms.

Toph answered the door, cocked her head, and laughed at him. "You just can't help yourself."

"Naw. I should be embarrassed, but I'd rather skip that and head right to the sex. That is if you'll let me in for some play time."

She motioned him in. "Come on in, muscle-for-brains."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "You don't have to be insulting."

She reached down his pants and grabbed his hard cock. "But you're so dumb." She pumped his cock. "Or else you'd notice I've never turned you down once. I like the sex a lot too."

As she swiped her thumb over the tip of his cock he moaned and said, "should I change my request when I show up at your door then?"

Toph chuckled at him. "You can just knock on my door and announce it's time to fuck." She began jerking him off, pumping his cock, making him lose the thread of the conversation.

He then shoved his pants down, batted away her hand, and thrust his cock in her mouth. "Suck my big dick." She worked his cock sucking and deep-throating until he came in her mouth, and she swallowed.

He pulled his cock out of her with a plop. "Toph. Can we… I would like to share a room with you. I don't want to have to make the long walk to you in the evening. I'd rather roll over and thrust my cock in you." He really hoped she'd say yes. He wanted things from her that he never expected.

She pondered that and said, "you'd have to continue being faithful to this thing between us. You're not moving in and sneaking out to another woman's bed."

"Why would I ever-"

"The thrill of it," she said, interrupting. "That and you seem like the type to get cold feet for any kind of relationship."

Kenji shrugged, "gosh, the word relationship used to make me break out in hives." He grabbed her body and pressed her to him. "I won't screw this up. I can't lose the hot sex."

He lied, and he fucking knew it. It wasn't just the sex that he wanted from her. But he was sure she had relationship cold-feet too. At least the kind of relationship he wanted with her. He was patient, though, and also knew that a committed sexual relationship would more than suit his purposes. After all, she was all his, and that was what he really wanted.

Toph smiled, "speaking of hot sex. Wanna fuck?"

"So much, yes!"

Much to the amusement of everyone who knew Toph and her tough exterior, she was done for. Kenji never moved out of her room. He even managed to eventually nag her into marrying him. When she finally agreed, she insisted she would NOT wear a dress at their wedding.

Haru had sent for his mother, and with the weather and bad roads, it had taken a while for her to arrive. He didn't tell Aya she was coming until the morning she was due to arrive.

He had already sent word to the harem that she was to be pampered, primped, and dressed in fine clothes. She wasn't part of the harem now since she was officially his betrothed.

Aya had insisted on not marrying right away since she wanted his mother at the wedding. Secretly, the idea made her sick. She was afraid his mother would object strongly to her. Still, she knew it wouldn't stop Haru from marrying her. What she worried about was a rift being formed between him and the mother he loved. She didn't want to be the cause of that.

Haru, in a stroke of brilliance, had enlisted Katara's help. He asked her for ideas on how to get his mother to approve of him marrying a former whore over a politically connected woman. When she called him a moron, he'd been confused, but he was relieved she accepted.

Later he would reflect on how she was right and that he really was an idiot. Katara had handled everything perfectly, and his mother was thrilled by the union.

So it was that he was leading his mother down the hall in the palace toward the room Katara had insisted he take her too. He was puzzled still over her insistence that no matter what, he was to introduce his mother to Aya first and only Aya.

"And what family is this Aya from?" His mother asked as they made their way to the specified room.

"Um… well not any you'd have heard of….."

She gave him a sharp look. "I only want the best for you. What are you doing? You have influence now and more pull on the council than you ever dreamed of —than I ever dreamed of! Why would you throw that away?" She sighed, "I'm not even mad. I'm just so confused."

"Mother, you'll love her. Surely all the power in the world doesn't matter if she's not kind and loving."

"I found women like that for you. Four, in fact."

He stopped and looked at his mother. "I promise I'm not being foolish."

He then made forty more steps to the door. And as he opened the door to the room, he heard Katara and Aya giggling together. As he and his mother stepped in, he realized he really was an idiot.

He obeyed Katara's instructions and finally understood them. He said, "Mom, I'd like to introduce you to Aya."

Aya bowed her head respectfully to his mother and said, "it's an honor to meet you."

Haru appreciated what was happening. Aya was sitting next to Katara on a plush sofa, both of them were impeccably dressed, and Katara had forgone wearing her Fire Lady crown for now. That detail amused him.

Aya squeezed Katara's hand and then stood with Katara soon following. She continued speaking, "I look forward to getting to know you. Haru loves you deeply, and you're such an amazing mother to him. I hope to become close with you too."

He could tell his mother was flattered and found Aya charming. That pleased him.

Aya then motioned to Katara and said, "I would like to introduce you to my friend-"

Katara scoffed, "best friend. You wound me, Aya." She then cracked a smile.

That left Haru reeling. He was frantically searching his brain for when that would have happened. Or, he pondered, could she be exaggerating?

He blinked and thought about the facts. Aya was the very first woman she trusted in the Fire Nation. And if he thought about it he realized she didn't mention any friends left behind in the Southern Water Kingdom. It was that moment he realized that he really was a huge idiot.

He almost laughed as she looked at Katara, not comprehending who his betrothed's best friend was.

Aya said, "fine. Best friend." She then looked at his mother and said, "I would like to introduce you to Fire Lady Katara, Fire Lord Zuko's wife."

Katara smiled and reached out her hand. "I'm so excited to get to meet you! And I'm looking forward to getting to know you well. After all, you'll soon be Aya's mother-in-law."

And just like that, Haru watched his mother realize that family connections weren't the only important ones to have. His betrothed was close friends with the most powerful woman in the world.