Two baby's wailed as twenty year old Zuko was sitting on a chair rocking himself as the two one month old infants cried. He knew they were fine, they were fed and changed but he didn't know what else to do.

Tears ran down his face over the dried spots where others ran down before as he sat in the chair with a stick of tobacco in his fingers, he didn't light it, he was exhausted.

He didn't know how to be a parent. He didn't know how to be someone for them.

"I can't do it, I can't do it," he leaned forward and covered his face as he covered his ears.

"Zuko?" A new voice came in but he didn't bother looking up. He didn't care. He was so tired.

But the infants crying stopped. His ears rung at the silence.

"Hey kid," a foot kicked at the young mans ankle. He looked up seeing Kataras father holding one of the twins and Zuko looked over seeing the other was flipped over to sleep on his stomach instead of his back.

"Chief Hakoda? What are you doing here?" Zuko rasped, his mouth was dry, he was so thirsty.

"I've been looking for Katara," Hakoda laid the baby back on the bed when he fell back asleep.

"She's not here," Zuko told him as his jaw clenched.

"I don't know where she is, I need her, I need her so bad now," he trembled and Hakoda looked at the twins laying on the bed sleeping.

"I don't want to ask but I have too... Katara was gone for a year, she hasn't been here with you has she?" Hakoda asked softly.

"You already know the answer," Zuko rubbed his eyes, the bags under his eyes were dark and his eyes were red.

"The twins both of yours then I'm guessing?" Hakoda inhaled a deep breath.

"Meet your grandsons," Zuko scoffed leaning back in the chair as he bounced his leg.

"I can't take care of them, Hakoda I can't do this alone, what the fuck am I doing?" He started to breath faster as he heard one of the boys whimper. He couldn't take the crying, he was going insane.

"What, You want me to take them? Raise them in the tribes?" Hakoda snorted shaking his head.

"Please, you had two children, you know how, please you'll do so much better-I don't want them to grow up with me, I'm not better than my father," Zuko broke down with shaking shoulders.

"Why? They're your children, Zuko your all they have," Hakoda narrowed his eyes, he had to be realistic with the kid even if it's not what he wanted to hear he had to hear the truth.

"I don't know how, I'm going to hurt them or fuck them up like me, I can't be a father Hakoda, please please please help me I'm begging you," Zuko wiped his face but more tears ran down his face.

"Kid, go take a nap, wash up, eat something, we'll talk after," Hakoda touched the back of his head.

"I'll take care of the twins for a bit but you need some rest, you look like shit," he smirked a little.

"I'm so sorry, thank you," Zuko felt humiliated but he was so tired, it's been days since he was able to sleep for longer than two hours.

"Call it payback for saving my daughters life," Hakoda nodded softly and Zuko looked at him with glossy gold eyes.

"So what's the names of my grandsons?" He asked as Zuko got up.

"Ren and... aito," Zuko gulped a little.

"Katara wanted a different name for him but I like aito more," he rubbed his eyes and Hakoda looked at the infants gently.

"It's not like her to leave when things get hard, and I never would think she'd leave her own children, she's always been the mother kind of friend, she's always stepped up," Hakoda whispered gently as aito opened his eyes and he saw they were blue.

"There was suppose to be a third, she was a stillborn and Katara almost died too... I understand she needs time but I thought we were doing this whole parent thing together, I've never been around baby's and my mother abandoned me and my father is... I don't have a clue how to not be like them," Zuko felt another tear run down his face.

"I need her Hakoda, I can't do it alone," he whispered covering his mouth.

"Go get some sleep Zuko, I promise it'll clear your head," Hakoda insisted and Zuko looked at the twins laying down, Ren was sleeping as aito had his fists in his mouth.

"Thank you," he inhaled a deep breath.

"Dad look!" Aito ran ahead and did a cartwheel to show off as Ren cheered proudly.

"That looks awesome, maybe you both can join the circus one day," Zuko teased as Ren held his hand while they walked to the town together. Zuko was able to sneak off with his boys away from the old friends that were waiting.

"Take it easy, I'm glad you feel better from yesterday but I don't need you getting to dizzy Ai," he told him as aito ran back and grabbed his other hand nodding knowing to stay close when they were in the village.

"Do you guys want anything specific for dinner this week? Aito you need to eat more now that your feeling better, protein to get you stronger," Zuko looked around for food as he held a small hand in each of his.

"Can we make dumplings?" Aito asked looking at some of the toys one merchant had.

"I thought you guys didn't like my dumplings?" He looked at the twins confused.

"No we like the steamy ones, they're always gooy and yummy, with soup!" Ren agreed and Zuko rolled his eyes a little.

"Next thing you tell me is that you don't like my jook," Zuko pouted a little. The four year olds looked at each other mocking a gagging face behind their fathers back.

"No dad we love the jook," Ren said sarcastically. "We just like dumplings more,"

"Well since we'll be on the road more soon we can do dumplings tonight," Zuko didn't catch on the sarcasm but heard the two snickering.

"Wait so we're going with you?" Aito asked confused.

"Yay no babysitter!" Ren jumped excited.

"I-I uh.. I can't leave you guys behind so you'll have to come with to a safe place, probably with your grandpa," Zuko pursed his lips. He didn't like the idea of keeping them at the pub alone with yuna, at least maybe the white lotus can keep them safe.

"We have a grandpa?" Ren made a face.

"Is it the one that you want dead?" Aito looked up at him innocently.

"No that's his sister," Ren corrected and zukos eyes widen realizing they knew about his family a little more.

"No wait it's both, both are bad," aito nodded and Ren agreed.

"Right, aunt and grandpa gotta go I guess, at least we don't know them," Ren put a hand on his chin.

"Spirits you two don't talk like that, they're not our family no, grandpa I'm talking about is my uncle, he raised me because my dad wasn't nice to kids," Zuko stopped and knelt to them making sure they knew the difference.

"That's why your friends want to kill him?" Aito sniffled a little rubbing his freckled nose.

"Can you not be brutally honest? People are going to think your little sociopaths," Zuko looked at them unamused and they both grinned.

"I don't like that you two have a silent language between the both of you, makes me think your plotting against me," he said flatly and ruffled their hair when he stood up making the boys cackle and hold each other's hands as they followed Zuko.

"How are we getting to your uncle, pops?" Ren asked as he gripped aito's hand.

"I'm probably guessing they have appa with them, he's a fuzzy flying monster, you could fit in his nose," Zuko smirked back at them.

"Like a badger mole?" Ren's eyes widen.

"Wha- no," he put his face in his hands. Children's logic baffle him.

He bought a bag of almonds, cashews and dried berries for the three of them to snack on knowing it was close to lunch. He handed Ren the bag but when aito reached for the food, ren slapped his hand and went around to the other side of their father.

"Hey, kid, you share that," Zuko stopped him.

"Aito has dirt on his hands," ren whined.

"Ren i saw you eat dirt last week," aito said flatly.

"You ate it too!"

"You lied and said it taste like chocolate!"

Ren snickered knowing he was right and remembered the betrayal on his brothers face last week.

"Don't eat dirt," Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh.

"And don't eat random plants, I don't want to supervise you two when your outside so you don't eat a plant that your not suppose too," he sighed taking them bag of nuts back and poured some in both twins hands for themselves while he held the big bag.

"Your telling me you never ate dirt?" Ren didn't believe him.

"No I never ate dirt, I stayed close to my mother usually, I'm pretty sure your aunt convinced her friend to eat a flower though," Zuko thought about it for a minute.

Ren grinned mischievously at aito at the idea.