"Iroh, we miss you around here," Katara told her uncle-in-law. "You should visit more often."

"Ah, Katara," Iroh sighed. "It does an old man's heart good to see you and my nephew with your gorgeous children, but as much as I love you all, I think if I spent more time here, Zuko would lock me up in my room."

"Don't be silly Iroh," Katara chided playfully. " We would all love to have you here for a while."

"Mommy." Katara and Iroh looked up to see Kya standing in the doorway in her pajamas holding her favorite stuffed moose lion. Katara set her cup down and held her arms out for the little girl. Kya threw herself into her mother's arms.

"Honey, what are you doing out of your room?" Katara asked her. "You're supposed to be in bed."

"I can't sleep without a story!" Kya insisted. Katara frowned and exchanged a glance Iroh over Kya's head.

"I thought Daddy was going to tell you a story."

"Daddy said he had too much work to do." Katara's eyes narrowed suspiciously. Zuko made it a point to make time to do things like tell his children bedtime stories when they asked. For him to deny Kya meant that he was up to more than signing papers, and Katara was sure she knew what. A glance at Iroh told her that he had a hunch as well.

"Iroh," she said, turning towards him. "Could you put Kya to bed for me? I have to…talk with my husband." With a knowing smile, Iroh lifted his niece and carried her out of the room.

"Katara," he said, looking back from the door. "Go easy on him."

"No promises, Iroh." Iroh shrugged. He had done what he could. He smiled at Kya in his arms.

"How about I tell you a story about your father when he was a little boy?" Kya responded with an enthusiastic yes. Katara watched them leave and went up to Zuko's office.

Katara dismissed the guards and tried the door. Locked. She knocked at the door a few times, but she didn't hear anything inside. She looked at the lock and thought for a moment before she bent a small stream of water into the lock and froze it. The lock ruptured and Katara kicked it out. As she suspected the office was empty.

"Zuko," she growled in frustration. The window was open and Katara figured that was how Zuko had gotten out. Further investigation revealed the clothes he was wearing earlier on the floor. Katara went to his bookshelf and found the switch that Zuko thought no one knew about and confirmed her suspicions. The Blue Spirit costume was missing.

"That ridiculous, irrational, overbearing…man!" Katara muttered. With a huff, Katara left the office and went to her and Zuko's room. She would have to find him before Ursa realized that he was following them.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Sneaking through the shadows was second nature to Zuko, though he hadn't been out as the Blue Spirit in years. His natural stealth hadn't failed him, and he crept gracefully and silently along the roof of the shops that lined the street where the fair was being held. Below he had a clear view of Ursa and Kazulon. The guards, he noticed to his chagrin, weren't immediately surrounding them. Instead there were two or three trailing them at a distance while the others had set up a perimeter around the street. Zuko didn't like it. It would be too easy for someone to sneak past and attack his daughter. Or even worse, Kazulon might feel comfortable enough to actually put his arm around Ursa. Zuko made a mental note to talk to the guards about their so called protection.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Kazulon shivered and looked around. Something felt off.

"What's wrong?" Usra asked, looking at him in concern. Kazulon shook the feeling off and smiled at Ursa.

"It's nothing," he said. "I just-I just felt like we were being watched, that's all." Ursa frowned and looked around herself. With a laugh, she pointed out a merchant sitting in a booth not too far from them. He was looking directly at them and grinning earnestly. Around him was a dazzling display of homemade jewelry and other small items.

"I think he wants us visit his stall," she told Kazulon. "I'll bet that's what you were feeling." Kazulon laughed uncertainly.

"Sure, maybe. Do you want to have a look?"

"Um…sure." Ursa blushed as Kazulon took her hand and led over to the stall.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Zuko's eyes narrowed behind his mask watching the two teenagers below. Kazulon had taken Ursa to the jewelry stall and they were looking over the merchant's wares. Zuko scoffed. Even from the distance he was at, he could tell that the jewelry was cheaply made with rhinestones and sterling silver chains. It was well below the quality that Ursa was used to. No way she would find anything she liked. Kazulon was wasting his ti-

In the stall, Ursa had chosen a necklace and Kazulon paid for it. Shyly, Ursa handed Kazlon the necklace and turned so he could put it on her. Zuko looked around frantically. Where were the guards? Kazulon fastened the necklace and his hands lingered on her neck and shoulders much longer than they needed to. Zuko stood up and reached for the twin swords strapped to his back and he was preparing to leap down behind the young couple when a mist blocked them from his view. He heard someone jump lightly onto the roof behind him and he spun around, swords drawn, to face the new comer.

His opponent approached him, wearing a black disguise just like his, only instead of an elaborate mask, the new comer had a simple black hood and veil. Piercing blue eyes glared at him from an eye slit and Zuko lowered his swords slightly.

"Katara?" he asked uncertainly. Instead of an answer, Zuko found himself frozen to the spot with water from a barrel on the ground. First his feet, then his arms were encased in ice. Zuko glared up at the waterbender.

"You realize that I could just melt the ice, right?"

"You could," Katara said, confirming her identity. "But do you really want to make me angrier than I already am?" Zuko scowled and didn't answer, but he also didn't melt the ice. Katara went up to him and lifted the maske off of his face.

"Zuko, I hope you understand how ridiculous you're being right now."

"He was touching her neck!" Zuko nearly shouted. Katara hissed at him to be quiet and looked over the edge of the room to see if anyone had heard them. No one had and Katara turned back to Zuko, taking the mask off of her face. Her hair was plastered to the sides of her face and sticking up at odd angles in the back.

"If Ursa knew what you were doing, she'd never speak to you again. What were you thinking?"

"I was just trying to protect my daughter," Zuko said stubbornly. "I won't apologize for that. Could you unfreeze me now? I'm losing feeling in my hands." Katara glared at him, but released him from his bonds. Zuko flexed his hands , and then put his swords up. Katara watched him closely to make sure he didn't try anything.

"I can't believe I actually have to babysit you." She sat down on the edge of the roof and motioned for Zuko to join her. With only a moment's hesitation, he sat down beside her.

"How'd you know I'd come?" Zuko asked Katara. He held his hands up to his mouth and blew on them to warm them up. Sighing, Katara grabbed one of his hands and rubbed it between hers to increase the circulation.

"You're not as complex as you think," she told him. "Kya told me you hadn't told her a story and I figured it out from there."

"Sold out by my youngest!" Zuko complained. "I don't believe it."

"Don't blame Kya, Mister!" Katara scolded him. "You were way obvious. I knew you were up to something. I bet you thought I didn't know that this was hanging in your closet." Katara grabbed Zuko's mask and held it up to her face. Zuko turned away and scowled again. He had thought she didn't know, but he would never admit it.

"I knew you knew," he insisted irritably, taking his mask back. Katara tried to stay upset with Zuko, but she could never resist his pout. She leaned against his shoulder and a he wrapped his arm around her.

"It's hard, isn't it?" Katara asked after they had been sitting there a few minutes.

"What's hard?" Zuko replied.

"Watching them grow up." Katara lifted her head and looked down the street to the stall were Ursa and Kazulon were buying food. Zuko saw them, too, but he didn't answer Katara. "Do you remember the day Ursa was born?"

"Of course I remember," Zuko sniffed. It was Katara's most difficult labor. Zuko remembered sitting outside of the palace infirmary and hearing her screaming for hours. He wanted to be with her, but the doctors insisted he wait outside. It was the only birth Zuko had missed.

"You were so upset that you couldn't be there," Katara said thoughtfully. "I remember you promised that you'd never miss any other important event in our children's lives and that you'd always protect them. I was so proud that you were my husband and their father."

Zuko smiled slightly and buried his face in Katara's hair. Katara wrapped her arms around his midsection and held him close.

"You've done a great job with them," Katara assured Zuko. "But they're growing up. We can't protect them from everything. All we can do is be there when they need us."

"They don't seem to need us so much anymore," Zuko said sadly. "Lu Ten will be seventeen soon. Old enough to go to the military academy. Ursa's becoming a young woman. I don't know what to do."

"We still have Rokuda and Kya," Katara reminded him. Zuko sat up straight and smiled at Katara.

"Yeah, we do, don't we?"

"Hmm-mm." Katara took Zuko's hand and played with it, distractedly. "And maybe one more after that." Zuko froze once more. He had to check to make sure that Katara hadn't trapped him in ice again.

"What?" he asked. Katara took the hand she was playing with and rested it on her stomach. She looked up at Zuko and smiled brightly.

"I was going to save the news for tomorrow at dinner," she told him. "We're having another baby." Zuko stared at her for a long moment and Katara started to shift nervously under his gaze.

"Say something!" she demanded. "I thought you'd be happy about-"

"Marry me, Katara." Katara looked up at Zuko in confusion.

"What?" Zuko caught her face in his hands and kissed her.

"Marry me?"

"Zuko, we're already married," Katara reminded him. Zuko grinned a goofy grin that only Katara had ever seen. He stood up and helped her to her feet.

"I know, but I'm so in love with you right now that I want to marry you again." Katara laughed at Zuko and threw her arms around his neck.

"You are so cute!" she said. "Let's go home." Immediately Zuko's face fell. He turned back to Ursa and Kazulon.

"Why can't we just-"

"Zuko," Katara warned him.

"I'm not going to-"

"No!"

"But what if-" Now Katara took Zuko's face and made him look her in her eyes.

"Zuko, Ursa can take care of herself,"she said. "We are going to leave them alone, ok?" Zuko agreed begrudgingly. Then he noticed Katara was shivering a bit.

"Wait, what are you doing out of the palace in this weather? That's not good for the baby! And you're climbing and carrying on in your condition? What were you thinking?"

Katara giggled and let Zuko lead her home, though she stopped short of letting him carry her.

'It's going to be a long nine months,' she thought happily.

The End