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Mel is not in Metropolis. Neither Hana nor Loo are, either.

This is important because everyone on approved babysitting duty, who aren't off exploring the country in a flying car, is. In Metropolis, she means. Having fun.Without her.

So she'll just have to make her own fun.

and by 'make her own fun', she means 'sit on theCooper porch and carve out new throwing stakes', while the girls attempt to see how many toys they can throw off the porch in the course of an afternoon

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"They burn of colds really quickly," Mel says. "Don't know whether all Firebenders have super immune systems, or if they got it from me, but I'm glad for it."

"The babies are Firebenders?" Katara peers at her quizzically. "You don't look Fire Nation."

"Yeah," Mel says, suddenly remembering this might be a problem. "I'm not. They get it from their Dad. He's not here."

"Oh."

Katara considers this.

It feels like she ought to get upset about it, but they're such sweet babies. And the whole thing, Fire and Water and enemies and things, Prince Zuko and his chasing and the Avatar ... it's all sort of far away now.

"Is that why the golden eyes? It's pretty, on them. They're very pretty girls."

"They are." Mel wastes no time on modesty. "And yeah. Loo had eyes like mine when she was born, but she grew out of them."

Katara smiles happily and reaches out to pet Hana's head when the little girl crawls up to her. A couple of fine dark hairs stir, but that's about the extent of it; it still makes Katara smile, though.

"How did you meet their dad? Was it here?"

Hana loves it! She giggles and leans backwards to grab Katara's hand, falling over in the process.

"Somewhere like here," Mel says. "Another world which sucked people in."

"There's more than one of them?" Katara frowns. "Is that how there are two of my brother?"

It makes sense, she just doesn't like it much.

"Yeah," Mel says. "That's how I met my..."

No wait. she can't call him brother yet. She knows that much.

"my Sokka. We met in the same world that I met my husband in."

"It's all a bit strange."

Katara's going for the Understatement of the Year Award.

"But I suppose it's good, if it works out, right?"

"If it works out," Mel says. "It didn't for everyone."

Like, uh, Katara.

"Well, sometimes things do," Katara says optimistically. "They must have for you. The girls are so cute."

She ruffles Hana's hair more, giggling at the toddler's antics.

Hana squeals in delight and falls over backwards over and over again like one of those wind up yappy dog toys.

Mel grins.

"Better than I ever thought anything would."

Katara is giggly and happy at Hana. These babies are the BEST FIRE NATION BABIES EVER. Well, Hana is. Loo is probably too, it follows.

She tries blowing a kiss, and manages to stir the air just a little.

"We found a Fire Nation baby once," she tells Mel, absently. "Sokka and Aang and I. Well, it found us."

Loo wants to play now! She disentangles herself from Mom and crawls foward.

"Really?" says Mel. Sokka never mentioned that. "What happened?"

"We were escaping from Omashu with the refugees," Katara explains, beaming at Loo and holding out intangible arms to her. "And the governor's son came too. I still don't know how. He was really cuuuute. He liked playing with Sokka's club."

"Well, he's great with kids," Mel admits, watching Loo try to grab Katara's hands and not liking that she can't.

"Took to them better than I did, and i'm their Mom."

Katara giggles.

"When we were at home, before we met Aang, he taught all the little kids to fight. Well, he tried to. They loved playing warrior with him."

"That, I knew," Mel says. "He's already talking about what he's going to teahc the girls."

"Don't ever tell him I said so," Katara says, giggling again and putting her hands down flat on the ground so Loo at least doesn't fall hard when she lunges, "but he's really a good teacher. He's very patient with little kids."

She looks sad for a moment, missing him, and then giggles again.

"Make him teach them to do war braids by practicing in his hair, he looks so silly."

"Even if I hafta cut off mine to make his the only hair left."

Mel gives a faintly sad smile, thinking of Zuko's hair. He'd look great with Hana braiding it.

Katara misinterprets the sadness, of course.

"No, no, don't do that. Your hair's lovely. It's all ... strange colours. Is that because you're spirit-blessed? I know the yellow-haired people aren't, but yours isn't yellow."

"I dye it," Mel says, pushing it back tightly to show her roots.

"Zuko usedta say I was spirit blessed, though. Dunno if I'd put it like that."

Katara waves one hand through each twin's hair, giggling at the tickles. It's like bubbly water rushing over her hand.

"That's a very nice thing for Prince Zuko to say," she says doubtfully.

Oops?

Mel smiles enigmatically. "He's all right when he unclenches."