Zuko woke up long before the sun rose, which was unusual for him. He usually rose with the sun, not before. He lit the candles around the chamber and looked at Katara's side of the bed. He wasn't too surprised to find it empty. He knew she had been upset the rest of the day about her brother and Suki leaving. Not bothering to check with the guards outside the door, he went straight out to their private garden because it was one of Katara's favorite places.

At first, he didn't see anything out of the ordinary, but as he wandered around the pond, he saw a strange patch of green under one of the oak trees. The green was pressed down like something very heavy had recently been sitting or a strong force of something had made the grass bend that way. Zuko studied the area more closely to see if he could figure out what had happened there. After a few minutes of studying, he came across the betrothal bracelet that he had given to Katara shortly before their wedding had been announced on the ground near the edge of the flattened grass ring. He had given her the bracelet instead of the traditional necklace because she still wore her mother's necklace. Knowing instantly that something was wrong as she never took off the bracelet, even to sleep, Zuko ran back inside and immediately told his guards to fetch Toph to him.

Zuko paced the length of his bedchamber as he waited for Toph to come. After what seemed like days, Toph entered the room without bothering to knock.

"What's wrong?" She asked immediately as she walked in.

"Katara is missing." Zuko replied quickly. "Can you see if you can find her somewhere in the palace?" Toph just nodded and focused her energy on the palace.

"No, she isn't here that I can feel. How do you know she is missing and has not just wandered off somewhere?" Toph questioned.

"I found her betrothal bracelet in our private garden. It was near this strange ring of flattened grass."

"Oh, no." Toph said. "Aang has taken her."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I have heard and felt grass and other plants bend when he uses his airbending to push off from the ground. He must have had to push a lot of air down to get him and Katara up in the air quickly and quietly." Toph explained.

"He must have heard about the pregnancy" Zuko started pacing again. "God, I hope he doesn't hurt either one of them. How do we go about this, finding her?"

"I think an even bigger problem is how do you keep it from getting out that the Avatar stole the Fire Lady." Toph stated.
"My uncle and the White Lotus. They have friends all over the world." Zuko had a guard go wake his uncle."

"You know, if you keep sending your guards to wake people up, they are going to think something is up." Toph said seriously. "Of course, after what they have probably overheard in here, you might be safe from gossip."

"For now, we will just say that the Fire Lady is ill and doesn't wish to be disturbed."

"And why doesn't the Fire Lady wish to be disturbed?" Iroh asked as he entered the room, also without knocking. Zuko waited to respond until the door closed and was grateful the Toph didn't open her mouth too soon either.

"From what we can tell, Katara has been kidnapped by Aang." Zuko told his uncle. Iroh's face paled a bit at that announcement.

"Oh, dear, that is bad. How can I help?"

"I guess at first we need to see if anyone will spot Appa in the coming hours after daylight. We need to know which direction they are going to even start a search."

"I will make some inquiries quietly once dawn hits." Iroh replied. "If anyone has spotted Appa, I will know about it as soon as possible."

"Should I send a hawk to Sokka's ship and have them turn around and come back?" Iroh inquired.

"Honestly, it might be a good idea. Just tell them something unexpected came up or something. We may need their help before this is over."

So hawks were sent to the boat carrying Sokka and Suki and also Iroh's friends and other contacts. Everyone was told to keep this situation as quiet as possible. No one told why they were seeking out the avatar to try to keep suspicions to a minimum. Zuko did not need another war on his hands, this time with Avatar.

Iroh heard quickly back from his closer contacts that no one had seen the avatar's sky bison in their area. By the end of the first day, Sokka and Suki had made it back to the city and were told in strict confidence what had happened. To say Sokka was angry was an understatement. Suki did her best to calm him down. Zuko could understand his anger, as his own bubbled just beneath the surface.

"How could he do this?" Sokka continued to fume. "I knew Aang could be stupid when it came to his love for Katara, but not this stupid!"

"Sokka, keep your voice down." Suki hissed for the hundredth time. They were all in the private sitting room of the Fire Lord with guards right outside the door.

"I am sorry, I am just so mad." Sokka sat down back and tried to breathe through his anger. The door opened then and Iroh entered.

"Zuko, I have some news."

"Oh, thank the Gods." Toph said from her chair. It had been two days at that point with little news on the avatar's whereabouts.

"I have just received a message from Fung from the Misty Palms Oasis that Appa had been spotted yesterday headed east." Iroh told them

"But there is nothing beyond the desert, no civilization." Zuko protested.

"There is the old Eastern Air Temple beyond the desert. It would be a good way to keep Katara out of sight and away from massive amounts of water." Iroh continued.

"It will take weeks to get there by boat." Zuko sighed. "I can't be gone for months. Not at this time."

"Yes, you can. I will stay here and do what needs to be done for the Fire Nation and your efforts to help restore what we destroyed. If anyone asks, you and the Fire Lady had gone on a vacation to see your in-laws or something. Use the underground tunnel to get to the harbor unseen and go after her. " Iroh stated firmly. There was no room for argument in his words. "I will see that an air balloon is loaded onto the ship so you can reach the temple when the time comes. So gather whatever you might need, children, and prepare to leave when the sun goes down."

Zuko didn't bother to argue with his uncle. He was right in all he said and Zuko wasn't about to leave his wife in the clutches of her former boyfriend.

So the preparations were made. The Fire sages were told that the Fire Lady was missing her family and she and the Fire Lord were leaving for an extended period of time. They were not happy at all but didn't fight Zuko when he let his anger at his wife's kidnapping show for just a few seconds. His show of anger shut down any further arguments. Zuko hated to intimidate his people like that, but if they had any chance to keep the peace, no one could know the truth.

Zuko, Sokka, Suki, and Toph made their way through the underground tunnel and onto the boat Iroh had arranged for them just after sunset. Zuko stood on the deck of the boat looking back at his kingdom and then turned to face the open water before them and prayed that he would see his wife again soon.