ZW 2009 Day 1: Crossover

Alea Iacta Est (The Die is Cast)

Heads up: Abortion dialogue.

Summary: They lost the battle and war years ago, and badly, and it's only a matter of time before the Fire Lord catches up to them. Azula is merciless when coherent; brutal when unhinged, and they live in a world Zuko wouldn't wish on anyone. Better to never be born at all than to suffer through this. Isn't it?

Zuko knows the honorable thing. She's standing in front of him with a nervous hope glistening in her eyes. He knows the honorable thing.

But Zuko also knows the cost. "We can't give it a good life, Katara."

She recoils as if struck. "Don't ask me to do that, Zuko."

"Katara-"

"No. You can't make me."

"Katara, it's your body; I'm not going to force you to."

She looks at him like he's betrayed her all over again. "You know I'd never do it, Zuko. Don't ask me to." Her posture is dangerously rigid and her jaw is clenched unnaturally.

He reaches for her, and she jerks away from his hand. "I love you."

She shakes her head slowly. "You don't love me enough."

"That's not fair, Katara." And it's not, really, but Zuko is treading dangerously close to a line he shouldn't cross over. Not with her.

"I'm not ready for this either," she begins, and her body shivers with every breath. "But this is our baby. Our baby, Zuko. We can do this, we just have to work hard and-"

"We're refugees, Katara!" Azula is hunting us down and we don't know if we'll be alive tomorrow. We can't have a baby now!" He's shouting, though he doesn't seem to realize it, and his voice is strained.

Katara chuckles bitterly. "How am I going to tell my baby his father wanted to kill him?"

That's a low blow, and she knows it. "Katara, that's not what I'm saying-"

They descend into intense argument, as they do, and it's bitter, as these arguments are. And when they're out of breath and the light has faded in the sky, they tumble into their tent and curl up in opposite corners, hoping for another morning. The night is not kind to Katara. She pulls the blanket over her shoulders with one hand as the other presses her abdomen, and all she can see is her child being ripped from her. But what bothers her most is that she can't decide whether it's worse for it to be by her hand or by Azula's. Her mind jerks between dreams, from one gruesome image to another. At some point in the night Zuko crosses over the invisible gulf between them and curls around her, but he's gone when she wakes.

The sun rises again, dark orange over purple clouds, and she shuffles out of the tent. Zuko has been meditating by the fire since the first rays, and he turns his head toward her. "Well?"

"I'm going to give him a chance, Zuko."

He nods, and pushes himself off the ground. "Pack your things. Azula's just docked near Makapu. We need to move."

Katara knows him well enough to understand he's not pleased. There will be arguments, and heated ones. Ultimately, though, they both want the same thing for this baby; that is, that he not suffer needlessly. But Katara is inclined to think that life is worth something, that beauty can come from pain. Zuko has taught her that.

It will be hard. It may not be worth it. But spirits help her, the die is cast, and she's going to try.

AN: On the one hand, we know Katara would probably fall into a pro-choice camp, were she in a modern setting. But she also has a very intense maternal instinct, and I suspect that when put in a situation like this she'd keep that baby whether anybody thought it was a good idea or not. And I know this isn't really what "crossover" was intended to refer to, but I think it fits. It's very much a Caesar crossing the Rubicon decision. Anyway, hope y'all liked it, or at least got something out of it. As always, I welcome reviews; however, being that I know this is a politically charged topic, let's all be civil. Zuko and Katara say things that I thought were consistent with their characters rather than what I think on the subject (but if anybody wants to chat about this I'm open to a PM. Debate is fun). Thanks much in advance :).