A/N: Hope you don't hate me for that cliffhanger! But yeah, here's the next chapter, enjoy! And thank you all so so much for all the reviews I really do appreciate it so much :D (also im just using a straight line to separate sections cuz i guess "break" was too annoying lol)

Silence.

Two, three.

Chaos.

"Please for the love of La and Tui tell me that-"

"I knew it! I knew I felt-"

"You're such a liar Aang, I can't believe-!"

"Sokka please, calm down so we can-"

"I didn't do anything with her!" Aang screamed, his voice piercing through the madness. When he said this, however, it was Toph that they turned to.

She hesitated for a moment, then sighed.

"He's telling the truth. He's not...the father."

Rage filled the two men. Aang's was mixed with sorrow, while Sokka was blazing, arms shaking, jaw chattering.

"What the fuck Katara! You...you cheated on Aang! I can't believe, you're not one to do something like this!"

"I didn't cheat on him." Katara meant for her voice to be as authoritative as Sokka's, but it came out low and weak. She hung her head, burying it between her hands. She knew that it would go like this. A small part of her'd had a fleeting hope that they'd understand, that they'd let her explain, that they wouldn't, wouldn't do this.

"She didn't cheat. It was...right after Azula had been defeated, before Aang had even returned from his fight with my father."

Katara peaked out from her self made barrier, to see Zuko more calm that he had reason to be, and Sokka more angry that Katara had ever seen him.

Sokka squinted at the firebender, relaxing slightly.

"Wait, she told you? And after the fight with Azula….Azula…"

Silence.

Two, three.

"You! It was you, you fucking bastard! You knocked up Katara, my sister! I thought we were friends, I thought you were Aang's friend but you, you…"

"Sokka, it- it wasn't like that…" Katra mumbled softly, just enough for her raging brother to hear her.

Sokka whirled around to face her, a squeak catching in her throat. He was so irate, it was scary. He was scary. He was scaring her and he was taking control of the situation, her situation. No, she wasn't a little kid, and it wasn't going to be like this.

"It….it was mutual."

"I thought you loved me, Katara."

Katara's gut wrenched up at the sound of the Avatar's solemn voice. It cut her like a knife, with the hurt that was twisted up in that single sentence. She couldn't bare it.

But he had to know the truth.

"I do Aang, but...it was right after the battle, and…"

She didn't get to finish however, for the boy had rushed out of the room, storming down the hall.

With a wary glance, Suki looked from Katara to Zuko, then to Sokka. Without a word, she grabbed the earthbender and pulled her out of the room.

Sokka watched them go, but once the door was shut he turned his blazing eyes back to the Fire Lord.

"You fucking scum!"

Sokka was now on the table, mashing over the remains of their abandoned breakfast. With a scream he hurled himself onto Zuko. The firebender however, was prepared, and grabbed the warrior, shoving him against the nearest wall.

"Can you listen?! I didn't rape your sister!"

"Yeah, sure! Like she'd ever do...that with you!"

At this, Zuko stilled, his limbs seizing up at the words laid out before him. Katara saw it, his once rage filled face, now nothing but slate, eyes looming into Sokka's. He was not the only one affected by the words.

"Actually yes I would, Sokka. So shut the hell up and stop acting like you know everything!"

Zuko's cheeks flared. Sokka's eyes enlarged.

"You...you wanted to have a baby with him? That's still fucked up, Katara…"

"No, I didn't say that, I wanted to...never mind! It doesn't matter."

Sokka's jaw slacked, yet the muscles in his torso tensed once again. He began to thrash, but Zuko was still stronger than him. This only made the water tribesman angrier.

"It does matter! You're...you're carrying the next Fire Lord! How does that not matter?"

"Of course that matters. But what...what we did, it doesn't matter. Neither of us were in relationships and…"

A thick silence loomed over them, Katara on edge, waiting for another rebuttal from her brother. But eventually, he just let out a heavy breath.

"I'm not going to attack out, can you let me go now?"

Without a word, Zuko released his grip on the man, scowling.

"Thank you," Zuko muttered under his breath as he smoothed out his tunic, shaking his head. He then turned to Katara.

"What are you going to do? Have the kid then what? Go home? Do you think Aang's going to be okay with that?"

"I…"

"That's not the plan," Zuko grumbled, glaring at Sokka, then moving a softer gaze onto Katara, "she's, we're going to…"

"We're getting married, Sokka."

He gawked at them.

And then he laughed. He howled, he cackled, he gripped his side as tears streamed from his eyes. Katara's scowl deepened as his laughter progressed. Eventually, his howls died down, and he shot a look between the two angry faces before him. He blinked.

"You're...you're kidding right? You think that Dad is going to let you become the Fire Lady? Just give him the kid, and go be with Aang."

Katara raised a shaking finger, jabbing it towards her brother, but it was Zuko who spoke first.

"Are you really that inconsiderate? To let a child grow up without a mother?!"

Sokka's face faltered. She knew what he was thinking about, the solemn look eating up his face. They had Gran Gran, sure, and they had known her mother. But it wasn't the same, it would never be the same. Even if Mai acted as a mother, she wasn't the child's mother.

And what if the child was a waterbender? What would they think of themselves, a waterbender with royal firebending blood? No, it just wouldn't work. And Sokka had to understand, he just had to.

"I know but...Katara, this is, this is a lot bigger than you think it is. Have you actually thought this through? Leaving home, leaving Dad, Gran Gran, Aang….me…"

Katara looked away. She knew this wasn't about her marrying Zuko. It was so much more than that. It was about her leaving home, leaving her family, leaving to start a new life, married to the leader of the nation that had once destroyed their homeland and their family.

It was madness, her tribe would see that. But it had to be done. It just had to. It's not like she had a choice or anything….right?

"I'm sorry, Sokka. You know I have to do this."

"I know, Katara, I think I really do. But, I'm sorry too."

She didn't look up as he walked out of the room.

Zuko didn't know what to think. It was odd; a year or so ago he would've just felt blatant anger. But now, it was such an overwhelming mix of emotions that clouded his mind, blurring out the scene before him.

He was angry at Sokka, but it was more than just anger. It was a rage muddled with sadness, hurt, discouragement, and so many other emotions that he couldn't quite place. But it wasn't all directed to the warrior, for his feelings were also directed to his sister. He felt sorrow for her, sorrow because her family was betraying her, had lost trust in her. And she didn't deserve that, not her. It was a blunder on both their parts. Sokka was angry and Zuko, but he was disappointed in Katara.

That didn't sit right with the Fire Lord.

And then she was crying.

She was crying a silent cry before, but now the tears fell hot and heavy from her strained blue eyes, shaking and quivering and wracking her body. She fell to her knees, collapsing ungraciously into a heap on the floor.

He couldn't take it. He couldn't just watch her cry like this. His comfort might not help her, but he had to try.

Biting his lip, he placed his hand on Katara's shoulder, now facing her tear stained face.

She hitched on a sob, but she didn't pull back.

"Y-you don't have to, Zuko, I….you don't have to sit here with me…."

"But I want to."

At this, she looked up, the pain falling from her eyes into Zuko's. He'd never been so affected by someone else's pain before, not that he could remember. His father never showed pain, his mother stayed strong for him, and his uncle never talked about Lu Ten, not that he could really remember.

But Katara, her sorrow was written all over her face in more ways than one, and he didn't know why but it hurt, oh Agni did it hurt.

Tentatively, he reached his other hand, and wrapped it around the girl. She fell into his embrace, sniffling into his chest. He clutched her tighter, hoping wildly that if he hugged her close enough, he could stifle out her shaking.

Eventually, she did calm down a bit, her tears turning to hiccups, her erratic shivering falling to heavy breathing. He sighed into her hair. She smelled so good, like sea salt and fresh grass. It was so unfitting for the state she was in.

He had to make her sadness go away. He had to, that much he knew. It didn't feel like an option.

"I'm sorry Katara….but we're going to get through this together, okay? I promise."

She didn't say a word, choosing instead to grab him tighter. He ran his hands through her hair and down her back, lips pressed into her locks. He would make this okay, he would.

How exactly, he didn't know. But with this saddened girl in his arms and her pain filling his own chest, he knew he didn't have an option. He would make it go away.