Disclaimer: Neither Avatar: the Last Airbender nor its characters belong to me, nor will they ever

They left the next morning on the same ship they had taken on their honeymoon. This time, she was accompanied by Qi Na and Aeza, who were both nervous and excited about their first trip out of the Fire Nation.

"Do they know I'm coming?" she asked Zuko, tucked into his side. They were lying in bed on the fifth morning of their trip. They would arrive at the South Pole in another three days. While Zuko remained busy with paperwork, his schedule was calmer while they were at sea, and messenger hawks were relatively few and far between. Accordingly, it did not take much convincing on Katara's part to keep him in bed longer most mornings.

"Who?"

"My family, of course."

"Oh. Actually, I'm not sure. Initially, the plan had been to send a Fire Nation representative. So I don't know if they even know that I'm coming." He looked down at her. "Does that bother you?"

"No, actually. I kind of like the idea of surprising them." It had been almost a year since she left her home in the Southern Water Tribe. So much had changed. "And I'm really excited to show you where I grew up."

"You are?"

She nodded. "Yes. I mean, the last time you were there, you didn't stick around long enough to see much except for Sokka's wall, which you pretty much destroyed on sight—"

He growled and rolled her on to her back. "Do you have to bring that up? Please don't bring that up in front of Sokka. If I have to hear him drone on about that wall one more time, I'll—"

"You'll what?" she challenged.

"I'll be very unhappy, wife."

Katara's heart skipped a beat at the endearment. She loved being Zuko's wife. "Well, I wouldn't want you unhappy, husband."

He smiled slightly and pressed a kiss to her neck.

They spent most of their journey making up for their lackluster honeymoon, but Katara could not contain her excitement when they finally pulled into the Southern Water Tribe's port.

They disembarked with little fanfare. Since no one knew the Fire Lord was arriving, only a small group of Water Tribe representatives waited for them at the end of the dock. She recognized a few faces from her father's council. It was quickly apparent that they recognized the Fire Lord. The men stood straighter and bowed respectively when she and Zuko came to a stop before them.

One man, who Katara recognized as one of her father's advisors, named Tonn, stepped forward. "Welcome, Fire Lord Zuko. We were not expecting you."

"I apologize for any inconvenience. The decision to come myself was made at the last minute."

"No inconvenience, my lord. We welcome you. And Fire Lady Katara, of course," he said, bowing to Katara. "Please, allow me to lead you to the council's hall. Chief Hakoda is waiting for you."

They crossed the small, growing village quickly, drawing the attention of everyone they passed. Katara, Zuko, and their small retinue of firebending soldiers stood out, the reds of their attire stark against the white of snow and ice. It brought Katara immense pleasure to see small children run up to gawk and stare, their eyes wide with awe. There was a time not too long ago that the sight of soldiers in red would have sent the children—and adults—running in fear.

When they arrived at her father's tribal council hall—which was really just an abnormally large tent that was used for formal meetings—Tonn opened the tent's flap and bid them to enter. But Katara stopped, tugging on Zuko's arm subtly.

He stopped and looked down at her.

"Would you…would you mind if I went in first…alone?"

Zuko's expression softened and he shook his head. "Of course not. Take your time."

She smiled, fighting the urge to push to her toes to press her lips to his. "Thank you," she said quietly before turning to enter her father's tent. She could see her father sitting at the low table in the center of the room, surrounded by some of his men. They were discussing something and did not notice her entry right away. She took the opportunity to try to steel herself, to blink away the sudden stinging in her eyes.

Finally, someone noticed her. "Hakoda."

Her father looked up, his eyes growing wide when he spotted Katara. "Katara?" he asked, standing swiftly.

Rooted in place, she just nodded. Her father quickly crossed the room and pulled her into his arms. She buried her face in his chest as she held back her sobs and collapsed against him.

"I've missed you so much," he told her quietly.

"I've missed you, too, Dad."

He pulled back and cradled her face in his hands, wiping her tears with his thumbs. His eyes ran over her, inspecting for health or happiness or something similar. "Look at you. You're beautiful. Are you all right? What are you doing here? I thought…"

"I came with Zuko to help with the construction negotiations."

Hakoda smiled. "Excellent. Is he here with you then?"

"Yes, he's waiting outside."

He pressed a kiss to her forehead before releasing her. "Good. Bring him in, we'll get the preliminary discussion over with, and then we'll take you home to see everyone."

Katara smiled. Returning to the tent's entrance, she waved Zuko in. He had to bend over to fit through the low flap, and her heart stuttered at the sight of him, so tall and formal and regal. He immediately greeted Hakoda with a bow. Some of her father's apparent joy waned as he looked at Zuko, but he responded with a bow of his own.

"Chief Hakoda."

"Fire Lord Zuko. Welcome."

"Thank you. I apologize for the lack of notice regarding our arrival."

"You brought my daughter to me. No apologies necessary."

Zuko's stiff posture relaxed a bit, and Hakoda gestured to a spot at the table.

"Please sit. I thought we would have some preliminary discussions about the challenges we are currently facing with the construction efforts, and then we can reconvene tomorrow afternoon so that you may have the opportunity to speak with your men about their concerns."

"Very well," Zuko said, holding a hand out to help Katara sit before seating himself next to her.

Hakoda's brow furrowed subtly as he watched them, but then his expression cleared as he got down to business. He—with occasional input from his men—described the problems they were facing with reconstruction efforts. A lot had changed since the end of the war. The village was growing rapidly. The population was exploding. There was great need for new homes as well as public buildings, commercial space, and schools. But whereas the Northern Water Tribe was flush with well-trained Waterbenders, the Southern Water Tribe had only a few, none of whom were particularly skilled builders or architects.

Katara listened as her father described the efforts of the men Zuko had sent: well meaning but overall not particularly useful, in large part because they were not familiar with specific requirements for building in the ice and snow. Inflexible, he called them.

Zuko listened without interrupting.

When Hakoda was finished, Zuko just nodded. "I will discuss your concerns with my project leader. Hopefully we can come up with a mutually agreeable solution."

Hakoda dismissed his men, who shuffled out quickly. When they were alone, he said, "Let's get you home before your grandmother finds out you're here through the rumor mill."

Katara giggled. "She's going to be so surprised." She laced her arm through Zuko's and followed her father from the tent. But Zuko stopped suddenly. She looked up at him, her brow furrowed. "What is it?"

"You should go alone. Have some privacy."

"What? No. I want you to come with me."

He frowned. "Why?"

"Because they're my family, and you're my family, too. I want everyone together."

Zuko's gaze softened and he nodded wordlessly, allowing her to tuck her hand in his arm and lead him through the village. Her father had a weird expression on his face again but he did not say anything.

"It's changed so much," Katara observed, noting the new homes and unfamiliar children playing in the snow.

"We've had almost fifty births in the last year, and we've also had more Northern Water Tribe citizens move here, as well," Hakoda told her.

"That's amazing. How are Sokka and Suki doing?"

Hakoda just laughed. "You'll see. And don't volunteer for diaper duty unless you plan on doing it for the rest of your trip."

Katara laughed but felt a sudden ache in her chest. She pressed on her sternum absentmindedly.

When they arrived at her father's house, Katara was surprised to see it had nearly tripled in size. "What happened?" she asked.

"Well, space was tight when Sokka and Suki arrived a few months before the baby was born. And then your grandmother came to stay and help after he was born. And then Pakku was upset that your grandmother was away every night…"

"So everyone lives here now?"

"Yes," he father sighed.

Katara just laughed.

"Sokka!" he father called.

The flap swung open a few moments later to reveal her brother. His eyes grew wide as they landed on her. "K-Katara."

She smiled slightly. "Hey, Sokka."

"Tui and La," he breathed before sweeping her into his arms. "You're here."

"Yeah."

"Spirits, I—I can't believe it."

"Aren't you going to let me in? It's cold out."

Sokka blinked and shook his head. "Of-of course! Come in. Spirits, I can't believe you're here. Dad—oh, man. Dad! Did you know about this?"

Hakoda laughed. "She surprised me, too."

"Come on. Come on in, guys. Zuko! Hiya, buddy!" Sokka greeted, patting the Fire Lord on the shoulder roughly.

"Hi…buddy," Zuko greeted with a grimace.

They walked into the kitchen together, and their arrival startled Suki, who was standing over a large, steaming pot, an infant strapped to her chest. Her eyes grew wide as she smiled. "Katara!"

Katara smiled at her friend and stepped forward to hug her. "Suki! I've missed you!"

"I've missed you! It's been so long."

"And who is this?" she asked, peering at the dark-haired child.

"Oh my goodness! This is the first time you've met him." Suki unfurled the wrap and lifted the child. "This is your nephew, Suruk."

Katara's eyes began to sting as she took the tiny boy into her arms and cradled him to her chest. "Suki," she crooned. "He's beautiful. You did a wonderful job."

"Hey," Sokka snapped indignantly.

"You both did," she relented.

Suki peered at Katara. "Are…are you crying? Katara, what's the matter?"

She attempted to blink the tears from her eyes. "No, I…I'm fine. It's just—" Her voice broke, and suddenly everything she'd been feeling over the last few weeks rushed back. She started to cry, her emotions overwhelming her. She had missed her family.

She felt Zuko come up behind her and place a comforting hand at the small of her back. For a moment, she wished they were alone—that she felt free to throw her arms around him, that he felt free to comfort her. But they were not, and she knew he would not be comfortable showing affection in front of her family.

"I'm okay," she said, using one hand to wipe her face. "I just…really missed you all." She pulled the baby closer to her, sniffing his sweet baby scent. "How have you all been? How has parenthood been treating you?"

"Well, let's just say your father and Gran-Gran help a lot." Suki stroked the baby's dark hair affectionately. "He's still not quite sure about a sleep schedule, and he loves being held. It's more work than I thought it would be. Come on, let's get out of the kitchen and sit down."

Suki led them to the living room and Katara sat down. She adjusted Suruk so that he was laying in the crook of her arm. He was sound asleep. She took his little fist in her hand, marveling over his tiny fingers and tiny fingernails, the softness of his skin. He stirred slightly, stretching. His eyelashes fluttered against his chubby cheeks.

"I could stare at him all day," she said longingly.

"You say that now. Wait till he poops and starts wailing. I keep telling Suki she's clearly eating something he's allergic to—"

"Sokka!" Suki cried, smacking him in the stomach.

"I'm kidding," Sokka said, but he stared at Katara, waved a hand under his nose, and mouthed, "Not kidding."

Katara ran a finger over the delicate shell of the baby's ear. "How was the birth, Suki?"

Suki hesitated. "It was hard. I was glad your gran was here."

That was disheartening to hear, but she asked, "Where is Gran-Gran? And Pakku?"

"Gran-Gran went to assist with a birth a while ago," Suki said.

Hakoda said, "And Pakku runs Waterbending lessons in the afternoon."

"How long are you here, Katara?" Suki asked.

Katara looked at Zuko, who was sitting across from her. He was just observing them quietly. "About a week. We're here to help mediate the disputes between the Water Tribe builders and the men Zuko sent to help."

"Ah. That," Sokka said, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked at Zuko. "I didn't know the Fire Lord mediated small disputes like that."

Zuko cleared his throat. "Typically, I don't. But I saw an opportunity to bring Katara…home. For official purposes, of course."

"Of course," Suki said with a smirk. "Well, whatever the reason, we're glad you're here. Does Sokka need to help you with your luggage?"

"What? Oh, no. We're going to stay on our ship," Katara answered.

"What? No, you can't!" Suki said, looking stricken. "Stay with us, we have plenty of room. For you both."

Katara looked at Zuko. His expression gave nothing away, but he said, "Whatever you want, Katara. It's up to you."

Katara smiled. Moving across the room, she sat next to Zuko. "Want to hold him?" she asked.

"No—"

Sokka warned, "Katara—"

She placed the baby in his hands. He held him at arm's length. Although clearly uncomfortable, his grip was firm and steady, and the baby was old enough to support his own head for the most part. "Aw, look at you. You're a natural," she teased.

He handed the baby back to her without saying a word. She smiled at him, and she could see him fight the urge to shake his head and roll his eyes at her. Instead, he stood and told her he would go get their luggage and inform his crew of their plans to stay in the village.

Suki elbowed Sokka, who said, "I'll go with you."

Katara watched her husband and brother leave, unconcerned.

Soon after, her father stood. "I have to get back to work, but I will see you at dinner tonight," he said, kissing her head before leaving.

"Finally," Suki said when they were alone. "Oh, Katara, how are you? Really? We miss you so much."

"I'm good. Really. I'm really…happy."

"You and Zuko seem close."

Katara blushed. "We are. We've grown a lot closer."

"Found some common ground?"

"Yes."

"Good. I'm glad to hear it. I know you were a bit unsure when we left."

"I was back then. But a lot can change in a year."

Suki laughed. "You don't need to tell me."

Katara was helping Suki in the kitchen—which consisted of holding Suruk while Suki cooked—when her grandmother came home. Suki took the baby so Katara could fling herself into her grandmother's arms.

As tears fell freely from her eyes, her grandmother chastised, "Now, now, none of that."

"I missed you, Gran-Gran."

"I missed you too, my dear. Let me take a look at you." Gran-Gran pulled back to look at Katara. "You look healthy. Are you eating enough?"

Katara smiled. "Of course."

"Come. Sit. We have some catching up to do. You can only say so much in a letter."

Katara took the baby from Suki so her sister-in-law could work in the kitchen in peace as she and her grandmother sat in the living room. Katara spoke about her education and school projects. About her friends Raike and Laike. About their trip to Ember Island—minus the intimate details, of course. But she could not bring herself to tell her grandmother about her miscarriage. It was still too painful to talk about. Too private.

"And where is that husband of yours, hm? I assume he came with you."

"He did. He and Sokka went to get our things from the ship."

"Good. And how are things between you?"

Katara has the feeling that she might just need to sit everyone down together and tell them all at the same time that things between her and Zuko were good. "They're good, Gran."

Kanna looked at her knowingly but just nodded and said, "Good."

Between the three of them, they finished dinner and had it ready by the time the four men, including Pakku, returned home for the evening. Sokka and Zuko carried their things to a room in the back while dinner was laid out on the table, and when everyone was seated, Katara took a moment to watch everyone as they ate and conversed freely. She missed her family so much, and it was surreal being back here, especially with Zuko at her side.

"So how's the Fire Nation?" Sokka asked around a mouthful of food. "Is it terrible? Do you miss the Southern Water Tribe?"

Katara rolled her eyes. "Of course I miss the Southern Water Tribe, but I don't miss the cold. I much prefer the Fire Nation's temperate weather these days."

"I miss temperate weather," Suki sighed.

"You should come visit us soon," Katara said. "I was actually writing to invite you all for a visit when Zuko proposed we go on this trip. That is, when Suruk's old enough to travel."

"I would love that," Suki said with a large smile. She pressed her nose to Suruk's, who cooed and reached for his mother's face. "Then Auntie Katara can babysit you."

Katara smiled, excited at the prospect, but something inside of her stuttered. Pressing her fingers to her sternum, she gathered some dishes in the guise of cleaning up in order to escape to the kitchen. She dumped the dishes in the sink and grabbed the counter as she took deep, steadying breaths. But the pain, the panic continued to build.

"Katara."

She looked up to see Zuko standing in the entryway of the kitchen, and her eyes filled with tears. He immediately pulled her into his arms, and she pressed her face into his chest. He held her as the tears flowed silently.

"I'm sorry," Katara whispered.

"You have nothing to be sorry for." He pulled back to take her face in his hands and wipe her tears with his thumbs. "Are you all right?"

She sniffled and nodded. "Just…sad," she said, feeling silly and weak.

"Is…is it the baby?"

She hesitated then said, "Partially. Even though I didn't know until…until it was too late, I miss it."

Zuko leaned down to kiss away her tears. "What can I do?"

"Just hold me."

They stood silently in the kitchen as Zuko held her close and Katara felt her panic recede. When she had calmed, she pulled back to look at him. His expression was stoic but his eyes, filled with concern, searched her face. She pushed to her toes to press her lips to his in a chaste kiss, but she had missed the free affection they showed at home, and the kiss quickly deepend as her eyes slid shut and her arms wrapped around his neck.

"Um, Katara?"

Katara pulled away quickly at the sound of Sokka's voice. Taking advantage of Zuko's tall frame, she hid herself behind him. She looked up to find Zuko looking more annoyed than mad or embarrassed or nervous. "What, Sokka?"

"Um, what are you doing?"

"Nothing. Go away, Sokka. We'll be out in a minute."

"But—"

"Sokka!" she snapped.

"Spirits, fine," he said, and she could hear him stomp away.

Zuko just smirked and shook his head. As he reached to wipe the remnants of her tears away, he asked, "Are you all right?"

She nodded. "Better now."

"Good." He hesitated before saying, "You know, if it's too much, we can stay on the ship."

"No, I'm all right. I just have…moments."

He nodded. "Whatever you need, Katara."

Katara's chest constricted at his words, but she just pressed a kiss to his cheek before leading him back to the table.

Kanna was telling everyone about the twins she had helped deliver earlier, but when Katara sat down, Sokka snapped, "What were you two doing in there?"

Katara felt her face flush when her father's gaze landed on her and bounced between her and Zuko, who was shoveling seaweed noodles in his mouth. She cleared her throat and said, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what were you doing?" Her brother was glaring at her, his arms folded tightly across her chest.

Katara glared back at him. "You have eyes, Sokka. You know what we were doing."

"Ugh, gross! Now I have to gouge my eyes out. Where we eat, Katara? Really?"

"We were nowhere near the dinner table, and we were kissing, not having sex," Katara snapped angrily, seeing her dad flinch in her periphery on her last word.

Although her face felt aflame and she could clearly see Zuko's discomfort, she shut Sokka up, at least momentarily. He seemed just as shocked and embarrassed as she felt, but his overprotective tendencies were getting old.

But in an attempt to un-shock the rest of her family, she took a deep breath and said, "Look, recently I've been…struggling with a few things. While I really am enjoying my life and roles and responsibilities in the Fire Nation, I've had to make a lot of adjustments, and I have periods where I feel…very overwhelmed and experience extreme homesickness because I miss you all. But Zuko," she said, taking his hand, "has been…a huge support. We have a wonderful relationship and he's been…a great comfort to me. So you are going to have to stop vocalizing your discomfort if you see me show my husband some affection. We're all adults here. You don't see me covering my eyes and griping everytime you kiss Suki, do you?"

When Sokka did not answer, Kanna said, "And you two have a baby, so we all know you do more than kiss."

"Gran-Gran!" Sokka shouted in horror, his face bright red.

Suki and Hakoda just laughed, and the tension in the room dissipated. Normal conversation resumed, but instead of releasing Zuko's hand, she tucked it under the table, resting their entwined fingers on his knee. He did not say anything, but he squeezed her fingers and held her hand through the rest of dinner.

After dinner, they continued to sit around the table and catch up on each other's lives. Pakku spoke proudly about all the new Waterbenders he was training, and even Sokka was working on training young men in the fighting techniques he had learned traveling during the war.

When they retired to their small room after everyone had gone to bed, Katara asked, "You don't mind staying here? I know the bed's not what we're used to," she said, eyeing the thin pallet and pile of furs.

"It's fine, Katara. It beats a damp campsite or the saddle of a sky bison."

She smiled, and when he laid down next to her, she burrowed into his side to siphon his natural warmth.