Author's note: Sorry I haven't updated lately, had a lot going on. I hope to update more often if time allows. Thanks for being patient!

Disclaimer: I don't own ATLA... yada... yada...yada...

Chapter 34

Everyone chatted excitedly throughout supper after learning why Tenzin was able to bend water as well as air, except for Katara who seemed unusually quiet and had barely touched her food. Suki had all but forgotten about Sokka's gleeful reaction when he found out that Aang had spoken to Yue, and was enthusiastically planning Kya's training with the Kyoshi Warriors, and was even considering allowing Sokka to train her in the ways of the sword when she was old enough to wield one, of course.

" Katara? Are you okay? You've barely touched your food." Aang whispered with a concerned look on his face, gently squeezing her hand.

" Yeah... I'm fine. Just a bit tired... with all of the excitement and all." She assured him with a weak smile, knowing very well that she felt anything but fine. She had been stifling the urge to vomit the entire meal.

" You sure? You look kinda pale." Aang replied quietly.

" Positive." She said smiling brighter and with more enthusiasm, then she took a bite of her noodles to reassure him. Seconds later she stopped chewing and her eyes grew wide as she quickly jumped up from the table and bolted out of the room, knocking her chair over in the process.

" Katara!" Aang shouted as he raced after her, finding her kneeling in the middle of the back yard ferociously expelling the contents of her stomach into a wooden bucket poised in front of her.

" Katara? What's wrong? You are not okay... maybe I should take you into the village to see a doctor." Aang said anxiously, feeling her forehead with the back of his hand to see if she was feverish.

" No! I mean... I'm okay... really, Aang. I've just got a touch of the flu or something, I'll be fine." She said reassuringly, then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

" I don't know... you don't look fine." He replied furrowing his brow as he helped her to her feet.

" Really, Aang, I'll be fine. I think I've just let myself get run down with everything that's happened. After a good nights sleep, I'll be as good as new... really." She said weakly, not sure if she was trying to convince him or herself, and still very nauseous.

" Well... okay, but you're going straight to bed." He said with conviction as he swept her off of her feet and carried her back in to the house, then stopped in the middle of the living room. " Um... Katara... Where exactly is your room?" He asked sheepishly.

" Oh... it's down the hall, the last one on the right." She replied, still fighting the urge to vomit. She was pretty sure she knew what was causing the nausea and vomiting, but wasn't quite ready to enlighten the others yet.

Aang made his way down the hallway to Katara's room and gently placed her in the middle of the bed, then removed her shoes and helped her out of her dress until she was wearing nothing but her undergarments. Despite the fact that in all probability she was pregnant with their second child, she still blushed at her nakedness in front of him.

Aang pulled the covers down to allow her to slip beneath them, then covered her up and walked into the bathroom. Returning a few minutes later with a pitcher of water, a cup, and a wash basin. Then proceeded to gently wash her face with the warm water. She knew that he had used firebending to heat the water, because he had returned so quickly and smiled softly at his tenderness and concern for her.

" You think we should go check on Katara?" Sokka asked his wife in between bites. " She looked pretty green around the gills when she ran out of here." He added, then took a huge bite of noodles.

" No... I think she'll be fine, Aang's with her." Suki said, trying to hide her suspicions concerning Katara's abrupt departure from the dinner table. She had thought that she heard Katara in her bathroom vomiting early that morning when she went to see if she was ready for breakfast, but had decided that it was probably her imagination and shrugged it off. But now she was beginning to wonder if there was something that she was hiding from them, since the only time she had ever seen Katara vomit was when she was pregnant with Tenzin. ' Surely not... ' She thought to herself with a quirky grin on her face.

" What?" Sokka asked, noticing his wife's expression.

" What do you mean, what?" Suki asked innocently.

" What's with that look on your face? What are you up to?" He asked suspiciously, cocking an eyebrow.

" I'm not up to anything. I was just thinking about something." Suki said with her brow furrowed, trying to look offended by his presumption.

" Well, then, what were you thinking about?" He asked suspiciously.

" Oh... um... I was thinking about... what... Yue meant when she said they were expecting ' great things' from Kya. You think she'll be a bender?" Suki replied, trying to sound convincing.

" Wow! I never thought of that!" Sokka exclaimed. " You think she'll be an earthbender, or a waterbender?" He asked excitedly.

" Well, I suppose it's possible she could be either one since there are waterbenders in your family, and earthbenders in mine." Suki said.

" Sweet! Maybe she'll be both since me and Y- " Sokka said, stopping himself before he finished his sentence.

Suki shot him a dirty look, knowing exactly what he was about to say. " I doubt it." She said irritated.

Sokka just grinned weakly then focused his attention on the food in front of him, tearing into it with renewed vigor.

" Suki, I... " He started to say after a few minutes of silence, but was abruptly cut off.

" Shut it, Sokka!" Suki shouted angrily as she shoved away from the table, then stood up and stormed out of the room.

Sokka quickly followed, only to have their bedroom door slammed in his face when he reached their room. " Suki... come on... I only meant -" He said woefully, but was once again cut off.

" I said, SHUT IT!" Suki shouted angrily.

Sokka leaned forward and rested his forehead against the door, silently berating himself as he listened to his wife's muffled sobs behind their locked bedroom door.

Early the next morning Suki made her way to the kitchen to start breakfast, her eyes still puffy from crying most of the night before. As much as she tried to convince herself that Sokka loved her and only her, there was still the nagging suspicion that he still had feelings for Yue deep in the recesses of her mind. She was suddenly brought back to reality as Katara entered the kitchen from the rear door leading to the back yard.

" Oh... Hi, S-Suki. I didn't think anyone w-would be up... yet." Katara stammered. " You look terrrible, what's wrong?" She added with concern, walking over to her friend and placing her arm around her. Suki didn't answer and immediately started sobbing.

" Let me guess... my brother has something to do with it. What'd he do this time?" Katara asked angrily.

" N-Nothing... " Suki sobbed.

" Yeah, well it doesn't sound like nothing!" Katara replied harshly. " He didn't hit you or anything did he? Cause I'll waterwhip him a new a- " She added.

" No! Nothing like that!" Suki interjected. " Sokka would never do anything like that!" She added quickly, wiping the tears from her eyes.

" Come on, tell me what happened." Katara said softly as she pulled a chair away from the table for her friend, then sat in the one next to her.

" Well, after you ran out during supper last night... me and Sokka were talking about Kya... wondering if she could be a bender or something... cause of what Yue said to Aang about them expecting ' great things' from her and all." Suki said sniffling. " And Sokka said he wondered if she would be able to bend earth and water since him and Yue... well, you know." She added tearfully.

" He is such a jerk! I can't believe him... He actually said that?" Katara shouted angrily.

" Well... sort of. He stopped himself before he said her... name." Suki said sadly.

" You just wait 'til I get ahold of him!" Katara exclaimed, then sat fuming for several minutes before Suki spoke, breaking the silence.

" Katara... are you... you know... pregnant?" She asked curiously.

" Huh?" Katara asked, dumbfounded by the abrupt change of topic.

" Are you? I heard you vomiting yesterday morning, and I suspect that's why you ran out in the middle of supper last night, am I right?" Suki queried.

" Uh... oh... well... um..." Katara stammered, unable to answer.

" Come on, Katara, it's me. There's only one other time you vomited like that, and you know when that was." Suki said matter-of-factly.

" I think so." Katara said softly.

" For real? Seriously? That's awesome!" Suki shouted happily hugging her friend. " I'll bet Aang is smitten!" She added enthusiastically.

" Ssshhhhhhh! Keep your voice down!" Katara said under her breath. " He doesn't know!" She added.

" What? You're kidding me! Why not?" Suki asked in a hushed tone.

" Because... I don't know... I'm afraid." Katara replied, biting her lower lip nervously.

" Of what?" Suki asked.

" What if he doesn't want another child? What if he's not ready for that?" Katara asked frantically.

" Well, I'd say he shoulda thought of that before he started plowin' your field every - Hey, Aang!" Suki shouted as Aang appeared in the kitchen doorway, sleepily rubbing his eyes. " Good morning... there... buddy..." She added nervously.

" Good morning... buddy?" Aang replied, cocking one eyebrow and stopping abruptly in the doorway.

" Psssst... Hey, Aang... you think it's safe for me to go in there?" Sokka whispered from behind him.

" Huh? Why wouldn't it be?" Aang whispered over his shoulder.

" Suki and me got in to a fight last night. Does she look... mad?" Sokka whispered nervously.

" No, she looks like she's up to something if you ask me." Aang replied quietly as he eyed the girls suspiciously, but loud enough for them to hear.

" Why don't we get started on breakfast, Suki?" Katara said smiling, quickly getting up from her seat.

" Yeah, why don't we?" Suki replied smiling brightly, following Katara's lead.

After breakfast the girls washed the dishes while Aang and Tenzin practiced airbending in the back yard, with a few beginning waterbending moves that Tenzin attempted with some difficulty. It was apparent that airbending was his dominant skill, as he fumbled through the waterbending moves without successfully completing them. Sokka was a few yards away showing Kya some simple moves with his sword as she sat completely oblivious to what he was doing, quietly chattering to a beetle that she had found nearby. Katara and Suki joined them in the back yard once the dishes were dried and put away.

" Would you like some help showing Tenzin some waterbending moves, Aang?" Katara asked with a sly grin. Then she kissed him on the cheek, causing Aang to blush a deep shade of crimson which Katara found absolutely adorable.

" Are you sure you're up to it? How are you feeling?" He asked concerned.

" I feel fine. I told you that all I needed was a good night's sleep." She replied.

" Well, then, I suppose so." Aang said. " I'll leave things in your capable hands, Sifu Katara." He said softly in her ear in a deep, sexy voice. Then planted a hot, steamy kiss on the side of her neck, causing Katara to shiver, then he turned and walked away.

" Hey! Where are you going?" She shouted to his retreating form.

" I've got something to do!" He shouted over his shoulder, grinning mischieviously.

" Like, what?" She shouted, giggling.

" All in due time, my love!" He shouted back, smiling widely. " All in due time." He said out loud to himself as he started jogging, it was about time he finished that betrothal necklace.