Chapter 13

She was cold despite the temperature of the water she was in and her eyes were screwed shut. Shaking her head slowly back and forth, she was so lost inside her own head quietly panicking that she didn't hear her friends exclaim at first.

"Shit! Ka..Katar..a.. c c calm d d down!"

Her eyes flew open and she instantly regretted it. Of course she was cold, in her distress she had spontaneously frozen the bath. Taking a breath, she melted the water and focused hard for a moment to heat it again. She wasn't as good at it as a firebender but she could do it. Damn, Damn! She was pregnant! While her friends gasped at the sudden change in temperature again, she had found her voice.

"Of course! Damn. That explains so much. Shit but this is horrible timing. I can't have a baby now! We are in the middle of a war, and like hell am I going to sit the fighting out. Ugh I didn't even think about the tea or my blood or anything. I have been so distracted. So stupid! The first time since my last moon's blood was the night before the comet, and then Zuko was injured and we didn't again until two weeks ago and that would be too recent for there to be a heartbeat. Oh shit." Tears were falling now as she thought about it longer. "One of my best friends was dying and I was busy getting pregnant! I'm Water Tribe, this baby could be the next avatar." She laughed without any humor. "Wouldn't that just be rich." She started to sob then as Suki reached for her.

Tactful as ever, Toph suddenly threw her head back and laughed.

"That would be hilarious! Then you really would be the avatar's mommy! You always acted like it before." Suki and Katara glared at her but she of course, was blind.

"You said it was before the comet though?" Suki asked.

Katara shook her head and wiped her face.

"You don't get pregnant right away, it can take up to a few days even. I was mostly kidding Suki...but then again…" She remembered what she had felt weeks ago when she'd been hurt fighting off the Fire Nation soldiers. "The day we were nearly caught, I was injured. When I heal I have to focus on a person's chi paths and there was something off with mine. I'm rubbish at meditation and I didn't have a chance to really think about it further. Then we found dad and I forgot. Being pregnant would explain that. And… Well for the last few weeks I have been feeling... Well the only way I can explain it is the way I feel on a full moon. Anxious, stronger, I feel a much greater pull towards my element than I normally do. I don't think that is normal for a bender when they are pregnant. Surely not. No, that would be ridiculous."

"I mean, you are Water Tribe and you could have conceived this baby right after Aang died. It's not… totally ridiculous. Would there be any way to tell?"

"I don't know Suki, maybe I could ask our tribes shaumaness. She may know, but that can wait." Katara sank into the bath, tugged on her hair and groaned in frustration. "Oh Tui and La how do I tell Zuko? Dad is going to want me to marry, and Sokka.. He is going to kill Zuko."

Suki looked at Toph who too was smiling and they burst out laughing. Katara glared but they carried on.

"You're right! I think he knows you two have been together, especially if what he tells me about your tribes customs is true, but he tries so hard to remain ignorant. His baby sister would never do anything like that and Zuko is much too honorable. Spirits bless him."

Toph laughed again before asking about her father. If their tribe was so lax about sex before people got married why would he care if she was married? Surely babies were common when everyone was sleeping together.

"Well, people don't usually sleep together unless they care about each other, it's not like we just crawl into whatever igloo is available. Usually if a baby is conceived a couple would stay together. I mean, men always have to be able to prove to a woman's father he can provide but the way life is at home, if you can't do that you die anyway." She shrugged and ran a hand down her face. What would Zuko say? This was just great. Maybe she should meditate after all. Standing from the bath, Katara asked Suki to show her where they were staying.

"I need to think for a while before I see Zuko. I have no idea how to tell him. What if he is angry?"

Toph scoffed, "Are you kidding? That guy has 'dad material' written all over him."

It was Suki and Katara's turn to scoff.

"Are you joking? Are we talking about the same, 'I'm never happy,' Prince sulks-a-lot, Zuko right now?" Suki couldn't help the laugh that followed.

Katara thought about it. It was true that he was moody and sulky sometimes and definitely awkward until you got close to him. He didn't exactly have the best example but somehow she thought that wouldn't matter. If anything she guessed he would be a very loving and protective father. He had seemed to do ok with the children from her tribe in the weeks they'd been traveling with them. They had all found him exceedingly interesting once they got over their shyness and he had seemed to enjoy their company. She shared these thoughts as they dressed and headed for the rooms King Bumi had them staying in.

"None of that matters because I am sure he isn't any more ready than I am to become a parent!" They reached the rooms and Katara decided she needed to be alone for a while. Making her excuses she closed herself in her room and retreated to the bed, proceeding to sob hysterically for several minutes. Getting a hold of herself eventually she sat up and tried to meditate again as Aang had shown her.

oOoOoOoOo

After following Sokka and the rest of the water tribe to the stone dwellings and saying a few farewells, he made his way up to the palace. He was exhausted and had dust everywhere. A bath sounded amazing, preferably with Katara if she hadn't already had one. He wondered if that would be something Toph would consider a 'girl time' activity. It hadn't taken long to get up to the palace since the water tribe was staying rather close and there were attendants around that seemed to have been informed he'd be coming. Katara was nowhere around so he headed down to the palace baths on his own. Once he was clean he went in search of her in earnest. He ran into Suki and Toph first when he reached their shared suit of rooms. Suki paled when she saw him and Toph was unusually tight lipped when he tried to talk to her, but they did at least tell him where to find Katara.

He found her in her room, sitting cross legged in the middle of the floor. She heard him come in and her eyes snapped open and she fixed him with a worried look. Something twisted in his gut.

"Hey Katara. How was your 'girl time?' Are Toph and Suki alright?"

She looked miserable as she stood, nodding. "We had a bath, they're good I guess."

Zuko, growing more concerned the longer he looked at her, walked to where she now stood and took her face in his hands. Her eyes were red and her cheeks tear stained. She wouldn't meet his gaze and after a moment a fresh tear slid free.

"Katara what's wrong? Has something happened? Is everything ok?"

More tears followed the first and she shook her head, burying her face in his chest. He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her.

"No Zuko, I am not ok. I... Zuko I..." He held her face so she'd look at him and wiped her tears as she took a steadying breath.

"Zuko, I'm pregnant."

She stared at him, obviously waiting for him to say something but he seemed to have forgotten how to do anything but blink stupidly. What had she said? She was..pregnant? He supposed that was usually something that tended to happen when you were in the habit of having sex with someone. Closing his eyes he waited for the dread to overwhelm him, and was surprised when it didn't. Zuko had always known he'd have children someday, he would need an heir after all, but it had always been a distant thought. Now though, he loved Katara and he'd meant it when they'd promised to face whatever came together. When he opened his eyes she was biting her lip and looked dangerously close to tears again. Running his thumb along her lip he tugged it out from her teeth and gave her a small smile.

"I guess it's a good thing Sokka met us here, maybe he can teach me how to build an igloo." She frowned, confused at his seeming change in topic and soft chuckle. "You said that if I were to ask your father to marry you I would have to have one. Do you think I should ask for his help now or after we tell him I got you pregnant?"

She looked up at him intently for a moment before shaking her head and laughing softly. Smiling at him now, she relaxed into his arms.

"Is that all? This is terrible timing, we're at war for La's sake and I wasn't planning on doing this for a few years at least. What are we going to do Zuko?" Katara smacked her forehead against his chest and groaned. Zuko leaned his cheek against the top of her head and smiled. She hadn't seemed to be upset that she was having HIS baby, more that she was doing it now. His baby. Agni, that was strange to think. Thinking about becoming a father eventually made him think about his father, then the feelings of dread he'd expected before did indeed overwhelm him. Ozai was hunting him, and by extension Katara. They were traveling with a large group of water tribe through contested territory and he had the largest target of all on his back. Holding her tighter, he knew he would have to leave her like he'd planned after all. A protectiveness he'd never known before surged through him as he thought of his father getting his hands on Katara, on his family. He would not allow that. She was going to be furious with him. He pulled back, taking her face in his hands again.

"Katara, I love you and I wasn't kidding, I will ask your father to let me marry you if you will have me. I have known that was what I wanted since before the comet and this doesn't change anything." She smiled at him and he leaned down to kiss her fiercely before pulling away to finish what he had to say. "My father is doing everything he can to find me, and the way we are traveling right now it won't be difficult. I know the kinds of men he's likely sent after me and I won't let them anywhere near you Katara. I will travel to Ba Sing Se alone and draw his attention away from you. No don't look at me like that, please let me finish. I know you're perfectly capable of taking care of yourself, you're brilliant and powerful and honestly scary, but this isn't just about you now. I have even more to lose now." Leaning back he slid a hand down her still flat stomach. "I have everything to lose. You have your family besides me Katara but you are all I have, and now you are mother to my child. I will not allow my father to get his hands on you. The things he would do to you if he knew…" His voice broke and he squeezed his eyes and shook his head to rid himself of the images. "I have been thinking about doing this since we were almost caught three weeks ago but I couldn't bring myself to leave you. Now I know I have no choice. Please Katara, let me do this. Let me protect you this once."

Zuko looked imploringly into her eyes, she was angry he could tell. Staring up at him for two full minutes, he thought she might start yelling at him but she didn't.

"I understand Zuko, I do. Promise me something though? Promise you will take my brother with you and that you will both make it safely to Ba Sing Se. I do have my dad, and my gran and my people but Zuko you are my family now too. I love you and I don't want to face this without you." The tears that had threatened earlier fell now and her voice came in a whisper. "Promise that you won't be reckless and that you'll come back to me."

He kissed her hard then, promising all that she had asked and that he would speak to Sokka.

"We can talk to Sokka and my dad later. Right now I need you Zuko. Take me to bed."

He did.