The night did not seem to have an end. Or at least, that was how the people were behaving. From under the snow, Kyoshi bloomed to cradle the party. As they had all assumed, the entire town was now a part of the wedding, and people from the edges of the island had shown up to partake. Everything that had been pared from the wedding feast, or was leftover or passed over, was put out. People ate and drank together at the long tables, discussing the match of bride and groom. Suki looked radiant, glowing in the firelight and warm from drink. Sokka was a mothfly, drawn to her and looking lovesick. They were well matched, the two together, perfectly suited in their adoration.

Zuko shied away from them, awkward around such affection. He had never seen a healthy couple, and had been just as uneasy when Katara was still with Aang. It gave him a sour stomach, as if their happiness was a facade and he was waiting for the terror and anger.

It also made him feel inadequate.

He had stayed with Mai for so long because he knew she tolerated his ineptitude in regards to relationships. She was fine with his passiveness, unwilling to make a stand in fear of looking like a tyrant. He was scared of feeling content.

Zuko wondered how that would ultimately manifest with Katara.

The drinks and the late hour chased his fears back, and he was pulled into a men's dance some time after midnight. They all moved around a bonfire, singing and clapping to a song Zuko had never heard before. As they moved in a chain around the fire, a massive log crumbled and shot sparks and embers into the air. They floated up into the black winter sky and Zuko stepped out of the line to watch them. They glowed red and gold amid the ice white stars and his jaw dropped.

He could never get the pixels on his screen to look like this. The lenses on his cameras were world renowned, but just this minor swath of sky made his heart beat faster. The sheer blackness of space was both flat and immensely deeps. It went on forever and the stars he saw may have died thousands of years ago. The embers burned out and the sparks gave up, yet the ghosts of the stars lingered.

A hand slipped into his own and Zuko looked over. Katara too stared upward, a small smile pulling on the corners of her mouth.

The music was like a dull thud from another room, though it was all around him. Katara faced him and the bonfire was reflected in the dark rings of her eyes. His hands, moving faster than his brain, took hold of her face, gently cupping around her jaw. Zuko bent toward her and kissed her, smelling smoke and tasting wine.

As Katara yielded to his touch, Zuko moved an arm around her waist to pull her in while his other hand went to the back of her head. He held her as if she was going to turn to water and fall from his grasp. Breaking for a moment, Katara gasped and Zuko took in a breath. Vaguely aware of the public, anything would have made him step back, but Katara threw her arms around his neck and he kissed her again. His body responded to her touch and there was an urgency in their touching.

"We should go." She murmured into his ear and Zuko groaned. Still, grabbing her hand, they made their way through the crowd and back to the bed and breakfast.

As they stripped in her bedroom, between desperate kisses, Katara smirked before gently biting his earlobe.

"Third time's the charm." She whispered. Zuko grunted as he picked her up and tossed her onto the bed.

Katara wasn't interested in his supplication. She instead made a service of his pleasure, and Zuko was stunned into silence as he watched her move over him. Her hair would veil her face and he would only see a glittering eye, or the curve of a cheek. Katara was made of curves and glittering sharpness.

Zuko molded himself to fit her in every way.

And after, they slept.

The next morning, they were jolted awake as someone pounded on their door.

"Six hours till showtime!" Toph called. Zuko laid back down, putting his hands over his eyes.

"How much sleep did we get?" He asked.

"I don't wanna know." Katara groaned and pushed on his side. "C'mon 'n' shower with me."

That got a response that belied Zuko's fatigue.

Everyone was in full panic mode when they made it downstairs. Coffee cups outnumbered breakfast plates, and barely anyone batted an eye at the two of them. If they had noticed what had transpired the night before, they certainly didn't care at that moment. Still, Zuko gave Hakoda a wide berth.

The flowers had made it to the venue yesterday, but the bouquets were just delivered that morning, and Suki had apparently started to cry. Both Katara and Fei Hong, the Maid of Honor, split off and took Suki outside. Hakoda and Zuko calmed down Sokka, assuring him that this was not her having second thoughts.

Once that was settled, the party was officially split. Before Zuko got into the car with the other men, Toph pulled him aside.

"Even though you made me sleep in your room, I got you a present." She said.

"Sorry about that." Zuko said.

"You should apologize more for the fact that you two also kept me awake." She added. Zuko blushed and coughed, turning his face away.

"Here." Toph said and held out a white box. Zuko took it and, upon seeing the logo, frowned.

"I can't be seen with this." He said and glanced at her. Toph chuckled and flicked her hands at him.

"I just want you to know what it really is." She replied. With a sigh, Zuko took off the lid and scoffed.

The phone looked exactly like the Salamander Stone phone his company was about to release.

"You should not have the schematics for this." Zuko said and connected the lid to the bottom of the box.

"I don't. It's a Badgermole phone with an SS cover." Toph said. "I only got a crappy picture of the new phone."

"I'm still upset you got one of your people on my floor." Zuko took the phone out and turned it on with his thumb. The screen illuminated and the Badgermole icon flashed for a blip.

"This one isn't bugged." Toph stated.

"I appreciate you Bai Fong." Zuko flicked the screen up and quickly perused the apps. It was a very basic set-up, and would work for a temporary phone.

"So far, only the main group has this number, and it also connects to our sat network." Toph added and then crossed her arms high over her chest. "And you're welcome."

"See you at the wedding Toph." Zuko said and Toph shrugged. Getting into the car, Zuko watched as Toph hesitated, before she moved back toward the house as they pulled away. Sokka, Hakoda, and Possum were discussing something involving Water Tribe stuff, so Zuko went through the phone contacts.

Blind Bandit was the first entry. An unconscious laugh came out and Zuko went through the rest.

Ponytail, Sokka; and Zuko hovered over the third.

Sugar Queen.

Zuko clicked on her profile and burst into laughter. The other men stared at him and Zuko turned the laughs into a coughing fit and edged closer to the door.

Under "nickname," Toph had entered "The Future Mrs. Sparky."

Hey, Toph got me a phone. :Sparky

Zuko pocketed his phone and turned to the others.

"Do we have anything to do before the ceremony?" He asked.

"Not much. We need to get dressed and then the photographer is going to take pictures. By the time he's done, the ladies should get there. Then we wait till the guests file in." Sokka said.

"How is everyone feeling?" Zuko went on. Hakoda chuckled lightly and rubbed the back of his neck.

"A lot of us may have overdone it last night." He admitted. The buzzing in his pocket startled him and Zuko pulled out his phone.

"Stop texting my sister!" Sokka yelled and Zuko laughed as he unlocked the phone.

Sugar Queen: Good. You can tell me more about how much you love me. ;)

I don't recall saying that. :Sparky

Sugar Queen: You calling me a liar?! :O

I can't take you seriously if you use the faces. :Sparky

Sugar Queen: They're cute, like me.

You are cute. :Sparky

Zuko hovered his finger over the keyboard, hesitating. He knew it was weak, but it was easier.

And I do love you. :Sparky

Sugar Queen: I know.

As the morning progressed, Zuko and Katara kept texting. The group - sans Sokka and Suki - started a Quick Chat story, sending pictures back and forth of various freakouts and meltdowns. Toph's phone was fitted with a top notch recognition software that buzzed or made notification sounds when certain images came into view. Her pictures weren't always the best, but she still managed to snag a couple of good ones; she captured a photo of Fei Hong, Katara, and Suki in their slips all taking a shot of some clear liquid. A half empty bottle on the counter behind them hinted at multiple previous rounds.

Her caption was simply "the dress approaches." Which was oddly ominous.

There really wasn't a lot to do when they arrived at the venue. The suit shop had set up a temporary shelter that doubled as both a changing room and workspace. They all got into their tuxes and the tailor made any needed adjustments. Zuko made sure to move his case from his coat into his inner tux pocket. After all this, if he lost the rings he would just find a hole to lay down in.

He kept waiting for time to slow down, to demarcate the important event, but it never did. Time kept rushing forward and after the photos came the immediate staging. People started to be seated and Aang went over the ceremony one more time with Sokka and the wedding planner. Then, all of a sudden, Zuko was lined up next to Sokka and the music started to play.

Katara came down the aisle first and a shard of ice jammed itself down his throat to pin his guts to the ground. The wedding colors were evergreen and teal, and Katara looked fantastic. Her hair was pinned up in a messy sort of way, with white flowers dotting here and there. For an instance, Zuko hoped she was walking up to him, but she only smiled at him before breaking to the left.

He didn't stop watching her till he heard Sokka's choked gasp. Turning, Zuko smiled and felt a similar sort of overwhelming joy, bringing a tear to his eye. Suki was dressed in white with the brilliant green accents, and her face done in Kyoshi makeup. Weddings had changed over the decades, and many of the old rituals had been lost even in these small places. But Suki wasn't the type to let go of such a meaningful part of her life just to fit some other view of a bride.

Zuko still thought she looked stunning.

He didn't drop the rings, and he did brace Sokka as Suki read her vows. Aang pronounced them man and wife, they kissed, and everyone cheered. As they walked out, Zuko taking Fei Hong's arm, he winked at Katara and trailed down the aisle after the bride and groom.

The caravan then drove to the reception.

The wedding party, plus Toph and Aang, ended up in the first limo. Katara reclined against Zuko as she pried the cork out of a bottle of sparkling wine and the loud pop seemed to dislodge the last bit of nerves among everyone. The laughter was borderline hysterical, but Katara's scientist hands kept steady as she poured into the tall glass flutes.

Since this was a point of transition, the group was trying to find its new equilibrium. The concept of Suki and Sokka being together wasn't new, but marriage was normally a portend of other, more drastic life changes. The group did not want to split apart, and they had only last dealt with this after Zuko's formal sentencing and expulsion from the royal family. They all recognized that things were going to change, and not a one of them really wanted that to happen.

So they told stories of the past.

They inevitably talked about Zuko's first introduction, a topic that made him more sullen than usual.

"It's just so hard to imagine now." Sokka said, looking at Zuko. "I keep seeing the present you back then, and it just doesn't make sense."

Zuko knew he was blessed that his friends saw his attack on their village as a one-off. He himself had struggled over it ever since, seeing it as a specific example of the wide-spread terror his family had inflicted.

He had driven tanks into a settlement of a decimated population, people the Fire Nation had made refugees of in their own homes.

But Sokka, and seemingly Katara, just saw him as a tortured child.

"Hey, cheer up." Katara said and elbowed him sharply in the side. "At least you never used another person's body against their will." She spoke with the same bitter false humor that Zuko often used, and it made him feel worse. He had rationalized Katara's bloodbending in much the same way she and her brother had rationalized his behavior.

"We should probably go to therapy." Zuko remarked.

"Are you going to pay for that too?" Sokka shot back and the group laughed.

Between them all, they buffeted Fei Hong with the entirety of their story. The covert missions that seemed laughable now when they remembered they had been teenagers, the altering of medical documents to fake a plague, the impossibly surreal moment when they had managed to lose a flying sky bison, and Toph manifesting the true strength of her metalbending by pulling drones out of the sky en masse.

Zuko's thread was lost among the others, and he mentally connected their points in his own timeline. His being captured with his uncle, his brief reconnection to his family, his hiding in an Earth Kingdom town where he had shamefully lied about being a fugitive Earth soldier.

Katara told the parts about the crystal catacombs, being much kinder than he deserved. They both left out the final Agni Kai with Azula.

The stories stitched them together, each assuring the rest that this life they spent together would endure. Zuko prayed that it would.

The reception was held in a large banquet hall. At the wedding, there hadn't been much activity beyond the central rite, and yet Zuko had managed not to notice his family sitting in the rows of chairs. At the hall, even with the noise and clamor, somehow his eye was immediately drawn to the people in red. Zuko excused himself, thinking no one would notice, but before he even stepped away from the group, he felt a hand on his arm.

"You can't leave your fiancée." Katara said before linking her arm through his. Zuko patted her hand his other and leaned in to kiss her.

"I love you." He whispered.

"And I love you." She whispered back and quickly kissed his lips again. Turning her face forward, she set her expression into something stern. "Now let's go uncover some conspiracies."

Zuko snorted but they walked arm in arm over to the Fire Nation contingency.

He froze when the crowd shifted and exposed the others standing with them.

Azula looked thinner than Zuko thought she ought. Her face was somehow more sharper with the angles of her cheeks standing out prominently. Her nose, which had always been thin and long, seemed more like a knife blade. Yet somehow, the way the light caught on these angles, she looked beautiful. She had their father's beauty, one that caused an icy grip to slither through the bowels.

The green and gold robes she wore looked bizzarre on her, especially with the top knot bound in a red ribbon. Katara squeezed his arm and he wondered if he saw his sister as she once had, as a disguised insurgent.

The man with Azula was nondescript. As much as he fought against his racist upbringing, Zuko thought he looked much the same as every other Earth Kingdom man of that age. A round face, dark eyebrows, and block of facial hair that seemed to have been stamped over his mouth. There wasn't anything beguiling about the man; no suspicious glint of the eyes, no fierce set of his jaw. But he didn't look like the doughy generals Zuko had seen in the army.

The King of Omashu looked too plain to be where he was, so his very presence made Zuko suspicious.

"Nephew, come and join us!" Iroh called. Zuko tensed, but heard Katara let out a breath before squeezing him again. They moved forward, and he was able to relax a little as he felt Katara take easy, swaying steps.

"Why didn't you tell me Azula would be here?" Zuko snapped as they approached. Katara sighed as Ozai bristled.

"Don't embarrass yourself, child." Ozai hissed and Zuko turned to glare at him. The pair locked eyes for a moment before Zuko broke away, turning now to the king.

"Pardon my rudeness," Zuko said and bowed deeply. "My years in exile devastated my manners." Ozai made a brief gurgling noise and Katara coughed discreeetly behind him. Zuko then brought her gently forward.

"May I introduce Master Katara, of the South Pole." He said as Katara put out her hand. "She has recently graced me by agreeing to marry me."

Li Jing watched Katara for a second before shaking hands with her. Katara always navigated political interactions in this way; many older politicians viewed her as naive and uncouth, while the savvy ones understood the power play.

She had saved the world, if they weren't going to bow to her then she was going to treat them like commoners.

"A pleasure to finally meet you King Li Jing." Katara said.

"I do apologize for not meeting with you when you were in residence at Omashu. I hadn't realized there would be so much travel involved with being king." Li Jing replied. "Congratulations on your engagement, Master Katara."

"Congratulations to you as well. It seems we are going to be family soon." Katara said, looking over at Azula. "Azula, I hadn't expected to see you again."

The pocket they had created themselves in the middle of the party was suddenly empty of air. Zuko almost started to laugh, seeing the strangled expression on both Ozai's and Iroh's faces.

"Yes, we did all assume my imprisonment would be more, restricted." Azula said evenly.

"How did you two meet? At a prison mixer or something?" Katara inquired. Now Zuko did laugh and Iroh heaved a great sigh.

"I had actually met with the princess when I had gone to visit Ba Sing Se." Li Jing answered.

"She's not a princess." Zuko said quickly. When Li Jing glanced at him, Zuko gave him a sardonic sort of smile. "Just like how I'm not a prince."

Li Jing gave him an easy smile in reply.

"Of course, you're right. But among family, I believe some niceties are permissible." He smoothly turned and held out his hand. Azula placed hers in his and they looked at each other. Zuko wouldn't call it a loving look, but Azula's usual face of displeasure or disgust was also absent.

"She will always be a princess to me." Li Jing added.

"How cute. She was very princess-like when she tried to kill me." Katara said. Clapping her hands together before clasping them, Katara looked around the small group.

"Well, this was horrible and I'm now going to excuse myself as part of the wedding party and go actually enjoy some part of this evening." She turned to Iroh, who looked oddly shamed and embarrassed. "Iroh, usually a pleasure, not really sure what happened here, but maybe we'll get tea soon."

Katara put her hands on Iroh's shoulders and kissed his cheek. As she stepped back to Zuko, she nodded to the others.

"I'll see you three in court, I'm sure." She stated and Zuko choked as Iroh blanched. He didn't want to ask her to clarify which court.

"Come on Zuko, I'm hungry." Katara said with finality and started to pull him away. Zuko gave the rest of his family a small, two fingered salute, before swinging into a turn and following Katara back to the long tables.

"Your family sucks." She said. Zuko stopped and tugged on her, swinging her into a turn as well till she faced him. Holding her as if they were about to start waltzing, Zuko kissed her deeply.

"I was disowned and disinherited remember? Not my family." He said.

"You know they're up to something, right?" Katara asked. Zuko sighed, felt his shoulders fall, and shook his head.

"I just don't know what. I keep telling myself that because my uncle is involved, it can't be that bad." He said. Katara's eyes searched his face and she looked concerned.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to now introduce to you, the wedding party!" The DJ called out over the speakers and Katara perked up.

"Come on Zuko, we still have the party to get through." She said.

The wedding feast almost seemed to be a mirror of the night before. There was no bonfire, and the foreign groups brought in a sort of formality to the event, but there was still more drinking and more dancing. The Quick Chat group, still excluding Sokka and Suki, turned into a scavenger hunt of sorts as they all sought to find embarrassing examples of drunkenness. Toph was winning the streak since she was able to sneak up on people who were trying to hide in compromising positions with one another.

Fei Hong won by virtue of capturing a picture of every time Toph attempted to square up to a representative of every single world government. One of which being a double feature with Toph approaching Hakoda and the next of her being unceremoniously held under his arm.

Katara suggested that Toph had thrown the situation in her favor and Toph responded by spamming their chat with every instance of Katara and Zuko trying to kiss discreetly.

That started Aang off on his typical reply of highly outdated memes.

Zuko remembered the night Sokka had introduced Aang to memes. Being over one hundred, Aang came from a time when people had a phone in their house, sure, but it ran through switchboards and operators. The concept of the Internet had been a struggle, but Aang had adapted quickly.

But now they were being punished by Aang digging up ancient references and machine gunning them into as many situations as possible.

Katara started a seperate chat with Zuko, though they spent the night in close proximity. She would take pictures of Azula and Li Jing, or Ozai and Iroh, and send them to Zuko with captions involving the word "suspicious" and a varying amount of question marks and exclamation points.

It was a blase way to digest the information, but so was the nature of their generation. It ultimately allowed Zuko to put it to the side, understanding that it was a thing he would have to deal with severely.

Zuko stepped outside, feeling his body heat radiating out into the cold night air. Katara, tied to him by some invisible means, followed him out after only a few moments.

"I love you." He said, watching her step closer. The sudden smile, at once both surprised and knowing, made his heart swell. He reached out to her, pulling her to his chest, and held her.

"So you've said." Katara murmured, relaxing in his embrace.

"You're the only one I can trust with this." Zuko continued. Katara craned her neck back, looking at him quizzically.

"What? Your love?" She asked and Zuko chuckled.

"I meant the intrigue." He said and kissed the tip of her nose.

"You could trust the group with it." Katara said and laid her head back on his shoulder.

"In that they wouldn't betray me, of course. But not to actually deal with it." Zuko said and put his head on hers, looking back into the hall. "I couldn't even ask."

Sokka was dancing with Suki, and they held each other just as closely as Zuko was holding Katara. They swayed together, their eyes closed, looking perfectly at peace.

"Katara, I do love you, more than I thought I was able capable of." He said.

"I love you as well Zuko." She said simply. Zuko shifted so that Katara stepped back and looked at him.

"Katara," He started, holding tightly to her hands. He looked at them, the thin, graceful fingers and the brownness of her skin, looking more human that his calloused, pale hands.

"Katara," He began again and looked at her. Her sea blue eyes had a tide of their own, and he felt pulled toward them. She just watched him, waiting for him.

Kneeling down, Zuko kept hold of Katara's hands.

"Will you spy for me?" He asked and Katara laughed. She fell on him, putting her arms around her neck as they tumbled backward.

"I thought you'd never ask." She replied.

"So you will?" Zuko questioned, making Katara laugh again.

"Of course I will." She said and kissed him. "Every Agni Kai. Every time. I'll go with you." Zuko put his hands on her face.

"And we'll marry." He spoke and dotted her face with kisses as he did. "We'll topple a conspiracy."

"Yes."

"We'll have children."

"Yes."

Zuko stopped, feeling afraid.

"Will you?" He asked, beginning to tremble. From fear. From love.

"Zuko, yes." Katara huffed. "You have to trust me."

And so he did.