A/N: Hakoda has arrived! Hope it was worth the wait! And thank you guys so much again for the reviews, you guys make me so happy, honestly and truly :)

The next three weeks passed without incident. Or, as much lack of incident as you could get with a raging brother, a snickering earthbender, a saddened pair of girls, and a brooding Fire Lord. But, somehow, life managed to go on as it had, sans Aang of course. They all tried to control their anger; well, Sokka and Zuko did. The others made an effort to keep their spirits up.

Sokka still made his jokes, Katara still rolled her eyes, at them Suki tried to give him an encouraging laugh, and Toph called him a dumbass. Zuko glared.

It was as if they were at Ember Island again, acting as they always had. Well, when they were all together, that is. If Zuko and Sokka ran into each other in the hall, menacing glares would be exchanged with tensed fists. Yet, they somehow managed not to beat each other blue and black.

Sometimes when Zuko was walking down the halls to a meeting or his study, he could hear Katara and Sokka in a heated argument, in voices that they were trying to keep hushed, but were quite obviously failing at doing so. Zuko would always stay around, leaning against the walls with boiling blood. The fights were nothing that he hadn't hurt before, but he stayed around for Katara. Because if her brother dared to lay a threatening finger on Katara….

Not that she'd need any of his help, with the waterskin she carried around. But he had to be the one to make sure Sokka learned his lesson, since Katara would most likely not do so.

The only positive difference, in Zuko's mind anyway, were his nights and early mornings. He and Katara would retire to their rooms separately, but he'd always come for her, sweeping her up into his arms and carrying her into his room.

Not as if she needed to be carried, but Zuko couldn't get enough of her blazing smile every time he did so.

They didn't need to keep it a secret, not really, but they did so as a courtesy to Sokka, and perhaps the others. As far as they knew, their marriage was purely out of necessity, not out of….want.

But the more nights Zuko spent with Katara curled up to him, he began to believe that even without their child on the way, it was indeed, out of necessity.

Thus, with this having become their nightly routine, the day that Hakoda came, unbeknown to them, started out like any other.

Zuko arose as the first rays of sunlight streaked through his grand windows, a glint that casted itself into his eyes. He blinked a few times, and once he fully opened his eyes, he smiled. A huge, goofy smile that he hadn't known since his early childhood.

His arm was still wrapped around Katara, but unlike most nights, he wasn't awakened to a head of billowing brown hair. No, instead he was blessed by Agni with her soft sleeping face, lush lips partly ajar. He couldn't get over it, the beauty this brown skinned woman. He supposed he'd always thought she was beautiful, but he'd never dwelled on it because she always seemed to be off limits.

But now she was his, she was all his.

With gentle fingers, he began to trace the tips of them across her forehead, down her temple and across her lips. She hummed softly, fidgeting under his touch.

Without even giving it a thought, he pressed his lips to hers, running a hand through her hair. She grunted, then blinked her eyes open, cobalt irises swimming into his own.

Agni. Katara.

She glared at him, turning onto her other side with a huff. He frowned at this, until she spoke.

"Why do you feel the need to wake me at ass o'clock every day?"

Her voice was still thick with sleep, a husky tone that made his lower abdomen stir. Behind that, however, he could hear the amusement in her voice. He smirked.

"Because," he murmured into her ear with a low tone, causing her to gasp slightly, "you're far too tempting to lay with while I'm half asleep."

He could practically feel her eyes roll at this. She turned her head slightly back to cast a hard gaze in his direction.

"Is that so?"

Oh Agni, her voice, it was far too teasing. He wouldn't allow for it.

Snickering, Zuko grasped Katara by her shoulders, flipping her onto her back he positioned himself over the waterbender. She gave a small squeal, returning his curled smirk.

"Did I offend the mighty Fire Lord?" she slurred, her voice defiant yet sultry.

Zuko blinked. He had a plan, he really did; mumble some sarcastic remark, press his hardness into her thigh, then crash his lips onto hers. But as soon as he saw the lightning flashing within her bright blue eyes, he lost all thoughts and comprehension of anything other than her sheer allurement that she had cast upon him. Oh, Agni.

Zuko had never had any good luck in the past, but now with this woman poised underneath him, he realized that the lucky part of him was just a late to bloom. For how could he ever consider this blessing from Tui and La falling for him anything but luck?

"...Zuko?"

He blinked again. She was smiling at him now, and very obviously trying to contain her giggles.

"You're so beautiful, Katara…." he slurred as he went down to kiss her, careful to not put too much weight atop her slightly bulging stomach. She smiled into his lips, tugging at his inky locks as she pressed up into him. He fell onto his side, never removing his mouth from hers as she followed his moves, both of them sitting up slightly as to put as little space between their bodies as possible.

He was running his hands down her back, completely lost in the taste of her, when she pulled back. He scowled. She chuckled.

"Someone's knocking, didn't you hear?"

"No…." he mumbled, begrudgingly hopping off the bed. Katara only laughed further as he strided towards the door, his frown deepening. He opened the door with a huff.

"What?" he barked at the guard, but he sighed a moment later. The guard didn't know what activities he was….pursuing when he got interrupted.

"Sorry, my Lord, but we've received a hawk….just this morning. It seems rather urgent."

Zuko gently took the scroll, nodded at the man, then closed the door.

Sitting on the bed as Katara crawled to his side, he unfurled the letter.

He cursed.

Hakoda and Aang were on their way, and they'd most likely be here by this evening. Katara must've read it to, for Zuko could hear her breath stifling as she clung to him.

He threw the letter on the ground, then proceeded to envelope Katara into his arms. She buried her head into the crook of his neck, her breath hot and heavy on his skin.

"It's going to be okay, remember? It's going to be okay, I promise."

"I hope so…."

Zuko was pacing that evening in the main foyer of the palace, the three girls and Sokka watching him. Katara wasn't fighting with nerves, but she wasn't looking on with concern (or disdain, as a certain warrior was). No, her eyes were blank, lifeless as they glazed over him. It cut through him, those eyes that were never meant to contain such sorrow and worry. All he wanted was to lean down and press kisses across her face, but he couldn't do so with the others watching him. So he paced instead.

Too soon, far too soon did he hear the roar of the bison, and the dull thud Appa made as he landed in the palace courtyard.

With a heavy sigh, he nodded at the guards stationed in front of the main entrance, who then proceeded to open the thick wooden doors.

On the steps stood the airbender, his face so blank that he'd be a worthy match for Ko. And then, there was the towering Chieftain, with his broad shoulders and large arms and his heavy, heavy glare.

It was Sokka who greeted Hakoda first, striding over to hug his dad. To Zuko's mild surprise, the father managed a smile as he embrace his son, telling him how he and the sibling's grandmother have missed him.

Aang had made his way over to Toph and Suki, who then received a punch on the shoulder from the earthbender, which seemed a bit too harsh to be one of her friendly gestures.

"Hi Dad."

Zuko whirled around, turning to Katara who was now facing her father. Hakoda blinked with an even face as he stared into his daughter.

Oh, Agni, please…

"Hi Katara," he said with a small smile, leaning down to give her a gentle hug.

Oh, thank you, Agni…

"We need to talk."

Hakoda's voice was as hard as the eyes that bored into Zuko, his face twisted up into a scowl, eyebrows knitting together. He nodded. Of course they needed to talk.

"In private."

Fuck.

With another nod, weaker this time, he led Hakoda down the corridors, guiding him to his office. Outside stood two guards, who gave each other a look when they saw the blazing Chief and the somewhat nervous Fire Lord.

"Leave us," Zuko stated. The guards left with a bow, at which Zuko opened the door, entering the room with Katara's dad right behind him. He shut it with a lock.

"My daughter is pregnant."

He blinked. He knew they'd get down to….business soon, but he was still a bit taken aback at the Chief's boldness. He nodded.

Don't show your nerves, keep your facade up.

"And you raped her."

"No!" Zuko shouted, his blood suddenly ablaze. What had Aang told him? Did the airbender really dislike Zuko that much over the situation that he'd tell Katara's dad that he raped her?

The Water Tribesman only continued to shoot the Fire Lord a heated glare, so Zuko continued.

"Your daughter is….one of the most skilled warriors I've ever met, and by all accounts she is definitely the kindest and most compassionate. I would never disrespect her in such a way as to defile her with such sick actions."

Hakoda squinted slightly, but Zuko could see his muscles loosening a bit. He sighed inwardly.

However, the longer Hakoda stood their wordless, the more panicked Zuko became. He didn't let it show, though. Or at least he thought he wasn't letting it show.

"You seemed to be an honorable man, Fire Lord," Hakoda stated at last, a hand scratching at his chin, "but as I'm sure you understand, I'm only looking out for my daughter."

"I understand."

Hakoda's eyes continued to shoot daggers at Zuko. He gulped.

"However, the fact remains that you knocked up my daughter, and now she's going to have a child of wedlock, no?"

"Well…."

The Chieftain squinted his eyes, muscles tensing once again.

"Well what?"

"I….we're planning on getting….married."

As soon as the words spurted from his lips, Zuko immediately regretted them. Hakoda was irate now, that much was clear as the man stalked towards him. His face was twisted in anger, his arms tense, wrapped around his chest.

Zuko knew he could best this man if need be with his bending, but it didn't make the angered man any less intimidating. He was, well, a bit larger than Zuko was.

"So not only have you had sex with my daughter and gotten her pregnant, but you've also betrothed her without my consent?"

Zuko opened his lips to explain, but he never got the chance.

Fast as lighting, Hakoda's fist swung in front of his body, clocking the Fire Lord right in the jaw.

White hot pain seeped through his mouth and cheek as he let loose a string of curses.

"That's for impregnating my daughter," the Chieftain growled.

Zuko, still cluthcing his tender jaw, didn't notice the Chieftain chance stances. He was therefore caught off guard when Hakoda lifted his foot, and sent a fiery kick straight into Zuko's chest, which sent him flying into the wall behind him.

"And that's for not asking for my blessing."

As Hakoda exited the room, Zuko wondered to himself if his luck really was that bad, or if the man had known about his scar that rested in the center of his chest. Probably both. But he didn't mull this over, for the agony that coursed through him was maddening and excruciating and he was still angry her dad is still angry she better be okay if he dares to lay a finger on her he's not going to know what hit him and he all the Fire Lord could do was lay there with the hole burning through his chest, hoping that someone would come aid him before he withered into ashes.