Zuko looked down at his wife and pushed the fear aside that was rolling through his body and looked over at the Fire Nation Healer. "Take the baby over to the table and clean her, keep her warm…... do not leave this room." He growled.
The Fire Nation healer nodded, gently picking up his daughter. Zuko reached to pull Katara further up his chest, her arms and body limp. He looked to the Old Water Bender, "How do we help her?" He demanded, "We will help her." He said, his voice harsh.
The Old Water Bender nodded down at him, "We will." She said softly, "The sack of life that kept your daughter alive …. It was attached to the inside of your wife… sometimes it rips away, leaving a wound inside the mother." She paused taking a breath as she continued to bend the healing waters over Katara, "That was the ripping pain that your wife felt, why her labor was so hard…when the baby came out, so did the blood that was held inside." She took a deep breath, "She is losing to much blood inside right now…. I am trying to heal her, but what I am doing is like putting a small patch on a torn off limb."
Zuko nodded looking down at Katara, "What do I need to do?" He asked pushing away the fear, the terror to only work on a solution.
The Old Water Bender took a breath, "I think we need to seal the wound." She said softly, "I have never had a mother survive this type of birth." She whispered down to him, making his heart stop.
Zuko paused his breath hitching, "Then she will be your first." He said fiercely, "How do we seal the wound?" He demanded.
The Old Water Bender shook her head, "Because it is inside, you will have to burn her through her skin." She whispered.
Zuko pulled back in horror, "You want me to burn her?" He whispered.
The Old Water Bender gave a small nod, "Yes, we must seal the wound before she loses any more blood…. I fear that if she loses any more, she will not make it no matter what we do." She whispered.
Zuko closed his eyes pulling his wife close, the thought of burning her skin was like a burn to his soul. Yet if it came between burning her or losing her there was no choice. "Where do I …... how do I?" He whispered.
The Old Water Bender gave a soft nod the called over some of the Fire Nation Healers, "You must help her float, but she must stay in the water so I can keep healing her." Zuko helped the healers pull Katara up so her stomach visible. Zuko sat up and kneeled next to her, "Do not put any heat in her until I tell you where, then when I point to the area…. You must burn though her skin, cutting off all of the blood vessels. … that is the only way the bleeding will stop." She said.
Zuko looked up at the Old Water Bender, "Through the skin?" He asked in horror.
The Old Water Bender gave a nod, "She will lose a little blood, but it will stop the constant flow inside her."
Zuko took a breath, holding Katara up as the Old Water Bender never stopped her hand moments, working hard to find where the blood was coming for. After a few moments she nodded, "Here." She pointed at her lower stomach close to her hip bone, "You must burn her hard enough to go through the skin into her womb… it will not be pretty…. It will be painful… for you." She said.
Zuko looked up at her and nodded, "I can do this." He said, his hands going to hover over her stomach, and he took a breath, "I can do this." He whispered to himself this time. "Please…... I cannot lose you." He closed his eyes thinking back to their first fight, from so long again.
"Please."
-/-
"Uggghhhhh." Katara yelled, "Why are you being so stubborn?"
Zuko pushed his fingers into eyes, taking a deep breath. "Katara…. That will never work." He looked up at his wife from his throne who was pacing in front of him, "It has never been done before."
Katara paused looking at him carefully, "Just because It has not been done doesn't mean that it cannot... Or should not…. Our people are hurting." She growled.
Zuko smiled in spite of the current fight he and his wife were having, "Our people?" He said softly.
Katara narrowed her eyes, "Yes Fire Lord Zuko… OUR people…. When you and I were married… they became our people." She said.
Zuko gave her a soft nod, "So they are." He said, "But that still does not change the fact that it will never happen."
Katara threw her hands in the air, "Why are you so unwilling to try?" She asked, stopping to put her hands on his hips, "Is it because you do not trust my judgment?" She asked softly.
Zuko frowned standing up and walking down the stairs to rest his hands on her shoulders, "There is no one that I trust more then you Katara…. But bringing a Water Bender Healer to live in the Fire Nation…. It has never been done… no water bender will want to live here after everything that has happened…... and the Fire Nation will have problems with another water bender coming here. … we will have to find another way to help the hospital."
Katara pulled away from him, anger coming back, "So you will not even try…my ideal is not worth trying?" she asked sharply.
Before Zuko could reply a servant ran in the throne room and bowed, "Sir, you are being called to the meeting with the earth nation."
Zuko sighed, "Yes… yes…. Tell them I will be there within a few moments." Zuko watched as the servant ran out the door before turning back to Katara, "I love that you have this ideal… and I love that you are passionate about OUR people…... but I do not have time to go to the Northern Water Nation to beg for help that will not come, I have too much to work on here….. to rebuild here." He walked over and gave her lips a quick brush before following the servant out the door.
He put the fight out of his mind the rest of the day and it wasn't until dinner that he realized that he had not seen his wife the rest of the day. When he walked into the dinning room, he could not find her anywhere. With a frown he asked one of the servants who told him she was in their chambers and had been most of the evening.
Worried she was feeling ill, he quickly walked down the hall to their rooms. But it wasn't until he pushed the door open did her realize that his wife was not going to let their fight go. He looked around the room full of people as they packed trunk after trunk.
"Wife." He called over to her, as he watched her fold one of her dresses before putting it into the trunk that was sitting on their bed. "Where do you think we are going?" He asked.
Katara looked up at him with one of her plotting smiles, "Nowhere my love…..." She said carefully.
Zuko narrowed his eyes, "So why the packing?"
Katara grinned, "WE are not going on a trip…... you are much too busy for that." And at Zuko's frown she continued, "I am going on an official trip to the Northern Water Nation." She said sweetly.
At once Zuko's calm mood exploded, "OUT." He yelled at the bustling servants that were packing Katara's things.
Zuko began pacing as the servants started filing out of the room while Katara kept packing. When the door finally closed it was silent as Zuko pushed back the anger that was threatening to pour out of him.
When he turned and saw his wife still calmly packing, his anger roared to life, along with the candles and the fire place. "You are not going anywhere." He said in a clipped voice.
Katara looked up at him with narrowed eyes and a painted smile, "Since I already sent the message to the Northern Water Nation about my diplomatic visit… it would be very rude to not show up." She said voice sweet as hunny.
Zuko clenched his jaw, "I do not have time to go on a diplomatic trip right now… I have meetings set up for the next month." He said with narrowed eyes.
Katara gave him a sharp grin, "I remember you telling me that, that is why I told them I would be coming alone…. The Lady of the Fire Nation will bridge the gap between the nations…. Only fitting since I am a Water Bender… right?"
Zuko took a dep breath trying to push down the anger and frustration. "Katara, I will not permit you to travel that far without me there to protect you." He said carefully, "Right now there are still some that do not agree with me being Fire Lord, let alone you being my wife… I will not risk your life for this."
Katara paused what she was doing to look over at him carefully, "I think you need to rephrase that sentence before I show you that I do not need nor want your protection." She said in a clipped voice.
Zuko rolled his eyes at her, "Love…... you know what I meant… we are both in danger when we leave this Palace right now, let alone our Nation…... I do not want you traveling without me right now." He in a soft voice, trying to calm down the anger he saw in her eyes.
Katara sighed and walked over to lay her hands on his chest, "I understand that Zuko… but in the end I am still going…" She paused and shook her head when he when to cut her off, putting her finger on his lips, "This…... it must be done. We have so many that are hurt…... hurting and while I can help here and there. I cannot be there full time and I cannot help them all… not while I am also helping you here… and I need to be here, helping you…" She gave him a small smile "I am using this trip for more than just getting a Water bender healer, I am also going so I can bridge some of the gap that was put in place between our nations during the war."
Zuko shook his head as his anger and now fear was filtering through him, grabbing her wrists and pulling them down to his side, "Let me make myself clear… you will not leave this place without me any time soon…... and I cannot leave, so write a new letter explaining that the visit will have to wait." He said voice and face firm.
His eyes flared in surprise when she began to laugh at him "You…. That is so cute…... you think you can tell me what to do." She said walking away from him to start packing again.
Zuko clenched his jaw and his hands at his sides, "KATARA, you will not leave this palace or this nation without me." He snarled as the rage and fear began to build up in him, "It is far to dangerous."
Katara looked over her shoulder at him and smiled, "You are the Fire Lord and you are my husband…. But you are not my owner, therefore I will take what you are saying into consideration and I will take extra precautions, but I will be going because I am not yours to command." She turned back to continue to pack and missed as his eyes flared again, as the fires in the room began to rise. She missed the look in his eyes as he stalked across the room to grab her by the waist and turned her around.
"You are not leaving me." He said before pulling her so close there was no room between them. He slid his hands into her hair griping it tightly, tilting her head so he could cover her mouth with his. He was demanding and hard, biting hard enough for her to gasp, then licking it better making her moan low in her throat. "Mine." He whispered savagely, "You…." He licked down her throat, "are", he ripped at the top of her dress pulling until her breasts spilled out of the top and latched onto a nipple biting it hard, "not" his other hand slid up the back of her thigh and when he couldn't get it out of the way he felt his hands heat up until the dress began to burn off "leaving" his hands slid up to find her center as he slid to her other breast, pulling and biting that nipple until she screamed, "ME." He growled, pushing her down on the bed sliding down her body until his mouth could attach to her burning center.
Katara could not think past the heat, the sensation, the exquisite pain and pleasure burning through her. She slid her hands into Zuko's hair, holding him to her, begging in low moans and gasps as he pulled…. Bit… sucked and pushed her past her limits. When she finally shattered, she screamed, her back arching clear off the bed so only her hips and shoulders touched. But before she could catch her breath Zuko was ripping off his clothes and pulling her up to catch her mouth again with his, whispering demands into her mouth, "MINE." He said savagely pulling up her leg onto his hip as his other hand gripped her hair again, pulling until her neck was arched so he could bite her making her moan long and hard and start to beg, "Please… please ZUKO… please." She said griping his hair as tightly as he held hers, trying to pull him up to her mouth, but he would not relent. Instead gripping her other leg and pulling her up and into his arms, her legs wrapping around his hips and he carried over to his desk, pushing all of the papers out of the way before setting her down and pushing her back.
He looked down at her, naked and flushed across his desk and gave a small nod, "Mine." He whispered as he stepped between her legs, pulling her to the edge of the desk before sliding his hands up her waist to cup her breasts. "MINE." He said more harshly, "Forever and always."
Katara looked up at him with hooded eyes, then whispered "Then doing something about it." Making Zuko's eyes flare before he gripped her hips and slammed home. "Yes" she whispered as her eyes slid closed, arching against him, trying to touch as much of him as she could.
Zuko's hands slid everywhere at what felt like once to Katara and she began begging as he pushed her harder and hard, slamming over and over until she was almost screaming as she begged. When he felt her about to tip over the edge, he stop his hips holding still away from her body, barely inside of her, making her scream in frustration.
"Look at me." He said, his own control slipping as he looked down at the beautiful site that was his wife. "NOW" He demanded.
Katara looked up at him with hooded eyes her body kept tryign to push against him as he held her hips in a tight grip…. So tight it might leave marks, but he had to have her look at him, had to get her to agree with him.
"LOOK AT ME." He said, one of his thumbs brushing her center making her arch harder, searching out the friction she was so desperate for, "NOW KATARA." He whispered harshly.
Katara opened her eyes to look up at him, "Please." She begged her hands reaching for him.
Zuko shook his head, "You are mine." He whispered, "You will not leave without me." He demanded.
Katara gasped and blinked up at him as she tried to filter his words through her mind that was high on the sensations coursing through her.
Zuko gave her one more hard push on her center before pulling away again making her cry out in frustration and he demanded again, "Say it Katara… MINE."
"Yes." She mumbled, her body twitching and moving seeking friction, seeking him, "Yes." She said gripping the edge of the desk.
Zuko shook his head at her, "NO… say it…. Mine… you are MINE." He snarled down at her, sweat dripping down his face as he to had to hold on to control when all he wanted to do was drive deep into her.
"YOURS." She yelled, "Only yours forever." She gasped out at him making the fire in him rage hotter, "Always yours." She reached up towards him, "Now please… please I am begging you."
Zuko felt his heart tip at the site of her arching up towards him as the words that she was his slid off her lips and he slammed forward again. He let go of her hips to place a hand on the desk over her shoulders, keeping her in one place as he began to crash in and out of her again. "I love you." He whispered as he slid his face into her neck, never stopping his movements, "Always…..." and gasped when he felt Katara reach up and place her hands on his shoulder, her nails digging in as she tried to hold onto him.
Zuko began kissing every inch of her he could reach, "Mine." He whispered as he pulled one of her nipples into his mouth making her almost cry, "Mine." He whispered as he licked across her chest to pull at her other nipple with his mouth, "Mine." Her hands slid up into his hair to pull his mouth up to hers and he whispered, "Mine." Before his tongue touched hers making her moan into his mouth.
His hips kept moving, his mouth covering hers until she began to beg against his mouth, and he kissed down her screams as she came around him hard and fast. One... two more thrusts and he followed her over the edge into oblivion. His face slid into her neck as he gasped for air as she still surrounded him in every way, her body contracting around him as he pushed his hips shallowly into her few more times seeking just a little more pleasure and not wanting to separate from her yet.
After a few moments he slowly slid his arms up so he could lean on his forearms and look down at her, "Katara." He whispered, his hands pushing her hair out of her face as he leaned down to pepper her face with kisses. "I love you." He said tilting his head down until their foreheads touched. "I can not lose you." He said voice so low she barely heard his whispered confession.
Katara reached up to brush her lips across his, "I am afraid to tell you." She paused to look into his eyes, "That you are stuck with me for a very…very long time…. I will be with you until you are old and gray and I will make fun of you for being slow." She said with a small smile.
He looked down at her for a moment before closing his eyes, "DO you promise?" He asked his voice still so soft she could hardly hear him…..but she did hear the fear.
She pushed him up and off and out of her smiling as she watched him flinch, him leaving her always hard the same reaction. Her heat surrounding him was like a balm to his soul and it was painful when he lost.
She pushed him down into the chair naked as the day he was born before walking over to the bed to grab the throw blanket. She walked back over to him and slid into his lap, wrapping them both up in the throw. She reached up to cup his scared cheek, tilting his head down until their foreheads met.
"I can promise you that I want the rest of our lives together…... marriage and children… fights and yelling… smiling and happiness…. I want to see you old and gray so I can tell you that you move like an old man…." She pulled back to look into his eyes, "And I promise to do everything that I can to get all of that… to be with you forever until we pass together into the sprite world."
She paused and took his hand, "I promise you that this trip is not carless, or going against you to make you upset…... I think that it is the best thing for our nation and our people. I think that it will make a difference to bridge the gap between our nations… and I know that you cannot go right now… so I will go, and I will come back in a few months and OUR nation will be better for it." She laid a finger on his lips when he went to talk, "I also know that there is danger and I have to take precautions, I already assigned a group to go with as royal guards, I varied the times of when we are leaving…... I asked my father to meet me at the northern water nation so I have family with me…... I am being careful, I promise." She whispered up to him.
Zuko sighed and closed his eyes, resting his forehead on hers, "It is not the same as me there, protecting you." He slid his hands around her waist bringing her closer to him, "I just want to put you in a bubble…. I want you by my side always…. I feel lost when you are not with me." He whispered to her.
Katara laughed up at him, pulling back to look in his frowning face, "Ditto." She said.
Zuko raised an eyebrow at her making her grin at him, "What do you think that you are the only one who worries… who craves to be together always…. I worry every time you leave the Palace, I worry every time you meet another nation… not knowing what could happen." She paused and shook her head, "But I have to trust that you are taking precautions, that you are doing what is best for our nation while still being careful. I reach out for you when you are not there… I feel like there is a piece of me missing when you are too far from me."
Zuko rolled his eyes and leaned his head back, "I know… I feel the same with you here…. But you want to leave… you will be so far away that I will have no control, no way to protect you and keep you safe." He paused, eyes still closed as he gave a hard swallow, "IF you leave and something happens, I will be days, weeks away."
Katara gave a small smile, "Again…... the same for me." She whispered making him look down at her, "WHEN I leave, I will have to believe that you will be safe here and that you will do everything you can to stay that way. Because I will be days, weeks away from you." She brushed her fingers against his cheek, "I do not want to leave you Zuko or our home, but I have to do what's best for our people... even if that means that I will feel heart ache and sadness being away from you, fear that something may happen to you. Feel the pain of missing you."
Zuko sighed and nodded, "Fine, but I want you home in 2 months and not a moment later." He said firmly, making Katara laugh at him.
IN the end she had been gone almost 3 months, much to Zuko's frustration. However when her ship sailed back into the harbor and he saw his wife help the Old Water Bender off the boat he could not help but feel a proud shiver run through him. She had done what even he did not think could be done. She had created a new peace treaty with the Northern water nation, and she had brought back 4 healers, 3 that would stay for one year to help heal the sick and injured and one that would stay on until she was ready to leave this world.
_/-
As Zuko looked down at his wife he could not help but be thankful for that fight, for her stubbornness to go, because right now the only person keeping his wife alive was the Old Water Bender Healer. She would already be dead and so would his daughter if she had not fought to go and bring back the healer.
He looked up at Old Water Bender, "I don't want to hurt her." He whispered, his eyes filling with water and he looked down at his wife. Her face pale, almost white and cold, so different from her tan warm skin.
The Old Water Bender gave a tired smile, "I know, but we have to stop the bleeding, you must do it quickly and firmly. If you don't not burn all the way through, she will keep bleeding and she will die." She said softly.
Zuko nodded, placing his hands on her stomach by her hip, "I love you." He whispered down at her before pulling the fire from within him and doing one of things he swore he would never do. He felt the fire lick across his hands and started to burn her skin, and he almost gagged as the smell of burnt flesh began to fill the room. Yet what scared him the most was not the smell, or the sizzling sounds of flesh but the fact that through all of it Katara did not move, did not make a sound. She was truly gone floating away from her body and away form the pain.
He began to falter looking to her face, his hands cooling down, but the Old Water Bender snapped out his name, "ZUKO… keep going, we have to stop the bleeding." Zuko looked up and nodded, pulling the fire back into his hands and pushing it back into her again. He took a breath and pushed hard until he felt his fire rip through her body and gasped when skin shown a blistering hole, quickly pulling away.
The Old Water Bender gave a small smile and began to bend water over the new blistered flesh, "I can feel that her blood has stop flowing out of her. I will heal this opening and then we will put her in bed…" She whispered trying to heal Katara.
Zuko looked up at her, "So she is going to be ok?" He asked sliding an arm under Katara's legs and shoulders pulling her close.
The Old Water Bender gave a small shake of her head, "I do not know My Lord…. she has lost a lot of blood… more then she ever should. We have… YOU have stopped it, so she has a chance…. But we will have to see if she is going to come back to her body or go into the spirit world." She whispered.
Zuko shook his head, "NO… she is going to be ok, I refuse to believe anything else." He said looking down at his wife the fear written across his face.
The Old Water Bender smiled softly, exhaustedly, "She will need you to call her back to this body I believe, she is tiered and in pain… she is ready to leave."
Zuko shook his head, leaning down to kiss her lips carefully, "My love…. I need you… our daughter needs you… you have to fight to stay with us… you have to come to us." He whispered into her neck as he buried his face to inhale her scent.
The Old Water Bender gave a deep breath before calling Zuko's name, "We have done all that we can, now we have to wait. Can you carry her to bed and we will clean her up and put your daughter close to her… the smell, sounds and feeling of her may help bring Karata back to her body."
Zuko nodded, slowly standing, pulling his wife close to his chest before standing up. He felt her weight like a comforting blanket as he pulled her close and stepped out of the tub to follow the Old Water Bender back to their rooms.
He watched as she pulled his daughter into her arms, calming the baby as she instructed the fire Nation Healers to lay towels down first so they could dry Katara before putting her in a new slip and sliding her into bed. Zuko stood soaking wet looking back and forth between his daughter and wife feeling lost for the first time in years. Not sure which way to turn, which way to move. He was stuck. Maybe if he didn't move…. maybe he could freeze time and his wife would heal and wake up, his daughter would be put in his wife's arms and the day that was supposed to be the happiest in their life would be happy instead of this encasing fear and pain.
He looked up when the Old Water bender called his name, "Zuko, you must go change so you can hold your daughter and talk to your wife… they need you warm and dry." She said softly.
But Zuko could not move because while he wanted to hold his daughter, he could not leave his wife, he could not take his eyes off of her… what if…. If he left… even for a moment…. What if….. NO, he could not leave the room.
The Old Water Bender realized what he could not voice and looked over to the Fire Nation servants in the room, "Please get your Lord new robes and walk them over to the screen." She said pointing over to corner of the room, "Zuko change behind there and come back, I will watch them the few minutes it will take you and you don't have to leave the room." She said softly, her old face reading his pain and indecision. After a moment he nodded and backed over to the screen, still not taking his eyes off of Katara on the bed.
When the servants handed him towels and new robes he finally stepped behind the screen, changing in less then 2 minutes before emerging dry and dressed. He strode over to kneel next to the bed, slipping his hand into Katara's and began to talk to her softly, begging her to fight again, looking up only when the Old Water Bender walked his daughter over to him.
"She is looking for her mother and father." She whispered softly, "Take her." She said handing Zuko his daughter.
Zuko looked down at his daughter and gasped at her large eyes, finally taking in her beauty. She looked like a mini version of Katara and his heart broke a little. He sat up on the edge of the bed, "Love….. she looks just like you, I saw it before…. Before they cleaned her up, but now… wrapped in her blue blanket…. All clean… she looks just like you." He said looking down at his wife, "You need to wake up so you can see that I was right… that I win…we have a daughter." He whispered brokenly, "Just wake up so you can see our new little piece of paradise." But Katara did not move, she was frozen, pale and cold, so very cold when he reached out and grabbed one of her hands.
The Old Water Bender sat in a chair, as the exhaustion of healing for hours finally took over. She looked up at Zuko, "Place you daughter next to your wife on the bed, let her feel her…... lay next to them, keep them both warm now… let her feel both of you, and in a bit when the baby gets hungry let her feed from Katara. If anything can bring her back, it will be her daughters need… the feel of you both there waiting for her." She whispered, "I checked your daughter over, she is well and healthy… now we have to wait and see if Katara will wake up." When Zuko nodded over at her she slowly stood, "I am going to rest now…. Please call me if anything changes, but she should rest and heal through the night."
Zuko nodded absently as he looked at his daughter in one arm and his wife's hand in his other hand, shutting out the world. He didn't see the Old Water Bender stand and pushed everyone out of the room just felt the quiet as the room emptied except for Katara his daughter and himself. Then pulled Katara's arm out carefully before laying their daughter in her arm. The he carefully laid next to his daughter rolling over to see his wife and their daughter between them.
"Katara." He whispered as the tears gathered in his eyes, "I can not do this without you..." He said looking at their daughter who had fallen asleep between then, her finger in her mouth, dark lashes against her cheek. "I can not live this life without you." He whispered brokenly, his finger brushing down her cheek.
He sat up and gently kissed her lips, "I need you to come back, you told me…. You told me marriage and children… fights and yelling… smiling and happiness…." He paused closing his eyes as a sob tore through his chest, "You said old and gray then the spirit world together." He laid his hand on her cheek turning towards him, so her chin brushed the top of their daughters' head, "SO you have to come back to us." He whispered, "You have to fight for me, you have to fight for her….. you have to fight.' He begged.
He pushed his body to warm his family, he pushed his will into his family, and he began to pray to all of the sprites to bring back his reason for living…. He prayed.