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Chapter 3

I'll Keep It!

Zuko and Katara's little conversation set well with Zuko's distorted conscience. He had apologized that night for the insults that he laid on her when she told him about their situation and for trying to avoid her. She had forgiven him with little to no problem.

After that it was nothing but smooth sailing. Days after, they had become a little more open to each other and talked occasionally. The weird awkwardness that sat between them was long gone and it was considered a blessing on both parts. They weren't a normal couple, in fact they weren't a couple at all but they were content.

They didn't biker…yet and they kept most of the baby thoughts to themselves for the time being.

Zuko couldn't help but think, "Maybe this won't be so bad."

---

Two months had flown by in a heartbeat. Katara was already in her third month of pregnancy, giving her traveling buddies hell as she grew along.

Her eating habits had grown immensely and this did not go un-noticed by her comrades. But did anyone speak about it? HELL NO! Everyone knew not to mess with her.

Katara's person had become overly malicious and belligerent. Sokka was the very first person aside from Zuko, to witness her change of characteristics. Who would have guessed that a small simple joke would produce such an evil--and don't forget painful-- response?

Sokka was only being himself, making humorous sarcastic remarks, but it seemed Katara did not take keen to them at all anymore. There's one thing a man should know.

You don't tell a pregnant woman she looks fat.

But unfortunately for him, he was unaware of his sister's particular state. Though, unfair, he paid for it. He was in total surprised when he saw her eyes sharpened and her upper lip pull, showing her white canines. The back of her throat hitched a low meaningful growl that threatened, "Don't fuck with me."

Preoccupied with studying her facial features, he didn't think to look at her arms, which had been forcefully waved down, causing a wave of water rushing his way. He hadn't anticipated being frozen to the oversized fountain that lay in the middle of the western Air Temple, face up with only his nose to breathe through.

Sokka's unlucky streak had been far from over as he was the only one with Katara when he said it. So what did that mean? No rescuers. He couldn't even call for help, for his lips were frozen shut under the block of ice he was imprisoned in.

Would he have been wrong to call it a miracle when Zuko found him almost half an hour later? Only then was he truly gracious and happy for his fellow companion's fire bending abilities. It most had been fate that he was born in the South Pole, because surely if he wasn't, he would have died from hypothermia. You could say…he learned a very important lesson.

---

"Katara, you didn't have to do that to your brother!" Zuko sat behind the creaking chair behind Katara's small-furnished desk. He was furious.

He had come to her in hopes of changing her feeling towards her brother but also to scold her. She was too grown for such silly things. She needed to control her temper.

Though, Zuko was mad, he could not help but to feel slightly uncomfortable when being in the same room as Katara. It wasn't because of the awkwardness that fell between them; it was because of her belligerent behavior that made him fear her presence.

At this certain time, being alone with her had its surprises. Her moods changed like he changed his underwear--and that was a lot. One minute she'd be all joyful and happy and the next she'd be mean and grumpy. Now she was sobbing her heart out to him about how everybody hated her and apologizing with salt watered eyes. She wailed, and mumbled about how much she was getting on his nerves and how much he hated her like everybody else did.

Zuko was basically anticipating it when he knocked at the door to her room. And boy, did it never fail. Her face went from stoic to sour in a second. She choked a couple times before bursting into tears. "I know…" she sniffed. "I'm sorry," She was sincere but that didn't mean she wouldn't do it again. It was a problem she developed.

"I'm sorry, I'm such a bad person!" She screamed hysterically. Zuko sighed under his breath. She was being overly dramatic, again. Getting out of the chair he occupied, he strode towards Katara, planning to gather her up into his arms. Not romantically, of course. Actually, he had no romantic feeling for her and neither did she, so he thought.

It was an impulse. At first, Zuko didn't know what to do when she cried, but soon found out that all she needed was a hug. Zuko's long arms reached for the hormonal Katara. Her eyes brightened with red and glossed from the tears that stained her face. He pulled her close and hugged her head to his shirt, smoothing her head with gentle strokes. Using his hands as a tissue, he wiped the tears away. But the tears continuously came, soaking his shirt with salt water. Not that he minded…

It was Katara and it was kind of his fault for making her cry. Okay, he couldn't blame himself for her current situation. It takes two to tango.

"You hate me, don't you?" She cried into his chest.

"Calm down, I don't hate you, Katara." Her tears continued to spill.

"You're lying! Everyone hates me because I'm a horrible person who doesn't deserve to be loved. " Was it really possible for someone to be that overly dramatic?

"No one hates you…"He consoled her, pulling her closer to his chest. To think! He was going to have to put up with this for another 6 months.

A sigh escaped him once more. He rubbed the back of her head, posturing it so their cheeks could meet. He whispered softly in her ear. "No one hates you, Katara. It's okay, okay? Its okay…" He soothed her. "Okay?"

She nodded in his chest. "Umhmm," she sniffed. "You should sleep in here tonight." She told him sympathetically, taking Zuko completely of guard.

"What?" He pushed her gently away. "I don't really think that's a hood idea, Katara." He scratched the back of his head. He wasn't exactly to keen on walking out her room early in the mourning. He wasn't up for making stupid excuses if someone accidentally saw him walk out. It would be a real annoyance.

"W-why? No one will see you." She sniffed, on the verge of another set of tears.

Hurriedly looking for something to say, his eyes laid on the bed. "Where will I sleep?" He couldn't possible sleep with her. It would be…weird.

"Y-you can sleep with me." She sniffed again, rubbing at her eyes. "I just want you to be close." She could play him so well when she was pregnant and didn't even notice it, but Zuko did. Whenever she asked of something and he didn't agree, he'd do it anyway. She was manipulating him, some way.

Closing his eyes shut, he exhaled deeply lowering the tension he felt from the room. "Fine, but no more after tonight." He had a feeling that this wasn't going to be the last time she asked him to do this.

Katara waited for Zuko to get in bed before she joined him. She watched as he pulled his shirt from his body and lay on top on the thin cover.

As she slid under the sheets she told him "Your going to freeze if you don't cover yourself." He scuffed as he folded his arms. "Ah, Hello. Fire bender."

Katara gave him a disapproving scowl. She hadn't thought of that but… "It'll make me feel better if you were under here too, Zuko." She said. Her voice saddened again, just like she was a few minutes ago.

The sucker fell for it and moved under the covers with out a word. He sat up for a moment and with a wave of his hand, all candles were out.

"Night, Zuko."

"Yea…night."

---

Zuko awoke in the middle of the night, surprised to find himself in his current position. It was definitely not the way he fell asleep.

Katara lay on her back and he, on his side. His head was eye level with her stomach. His left hand rested on her growing belly, exposed from the short tank top she wore to bed. It seemed…nice.

Zuko pulled himself up with his elbows. He studied Katara in her sleep. She seemed at ease, in a very peaceful bliss. Her face crooked to the side as one of her arms lay across her breast. Her breathing was slow and timid, proving that she was indeed sleep.

As her stomach moved up in down, due to breathing, Zuko became quite curious. He took it upon himself to see if a baby was really in there. I mean, he knew it was a baby in there but he wanted to hear, to feel it, for it to do something.

Having a girl pregnant with your baby is like having a fish. It's boring! You can't do anything with the damn thing.

His ear gently made contact with Katara's exposed belly. He blocked all other sounds out, focusing on the inside of Katara's belly. He listened for something…

Nothing.

"Come on little baby, do something." He whispered, a little annoyed that nothing was happening. His head moved back and forth looking at her stomach and then putting his ear back to her stomach as if that would encourage something. "Daddy's not going to hurt you like his dad did to him. Come on, do something."

"Zuko?" Zuko almost topped over the bed, as he jumped from Katara's sudden outburst. Jeez, she scared him.

"Huh?" He got himself together quickly.

"What were you doing?" She asked, curious of his closeness to her belly. She had listened in on his little conversation with their baby. That was some peep talk he gave the baby.

"Ah, nothing. Just…" he ranked his brain for some kind of excuse. "Having a little daddy and baby time." he nodded his head and closed his eyes, satisfied with his excuse, which was partly true. He didn't want to tell Katara that he was talking to it because he thought it was like a fish. "I mean, you always get to talk to it. I thought I should introduce myself."

Katara wasn't so sure as to what he was talking about but she said, "Okay," anyway and left it alone. She fell back into the bed and let out a soft yawn.

Then was right back up, scuffing around trying to get out the bed.

"What's wrong? Where are you going?" Zuko's panic arose. He was in the process of pulling on his discarded shirt, ready to go back to his own room before daybreak.

"I have to pee!" She sprinted out her bedroom door to release herself.

Zuko looked around awkwardly. That was a little too much information, he thought as he waited for her to come back before he left to his own room.

---

"Ugh, hey Katara." Sokka rubbed the back of his head, anticipating another bad experience wit his sister.

The sun was bright and the mood was far from somber, at least from Katara's point. Katara was joyful and jolly, moods swing free.

"I'm real sorry for yesterday. I don't know what got into me. You okay?" She explained her apology and waited for a reply.

"Yea, I'm fine. It s'okay. I deserved it." He knew he really didn't deserve that bad of a treatment for calling her fat but whatever. He was trying to avoid the water benders wrath.

"Thanks, Sokka!" She threw her arms around her older brother and hugged him tightly. He didn't want to say any thing so he didn't but her stomach was getting bigger.

---

"The sky is green!" Toph repeatedly said, not paying any attention to the fire bender beside her.

"Toph, I'm looking at it right now. The sky is blue. BLUE!"

"GREEN!"

"Take it from some one, who can see, please," He slapped his for-head with his hand. "With their eyes." He quickly added before receiving a witty comeback from the little earth bender.

"I trust my own instinct, thank you. And with that said, the sky is green."

"Maybe you can finish this argument with Aang--AANG! Your little girlfriend thinks the sky is--GAAH!" Zuko wasn't able to finish his sentence as a thick piece of rock slammed into his gut.

Was this parenting? Would his child hurt him, so? Would his child be as stubborn as Toph? Oh, Heavens! Please, NO!

---

After the apologizing session with Sokka, Katara decided to do a little cleaning. Her spirits were lifted and so was her energy.

Chores were on her list of things she usual did. It was just one particular room that was never on her agenda to clean. Zuko's room. And from that last time she had been there, it was a mess.

Deciding to clean as thanks for staying with her the night before; Katara made way to Zuko's junky room.

Zuko wasn't entirely messy, he just didn't dust. Nothing but dust bunnies filled the room, making the room stuffy and uncomfortable to sleep it. His clean clothes were, or course, folded but his dirty discarded clothes decorated the floor. It seemed as if he just went rebellious after leaving his royal living style. A prince would never keep his room so unkempt, but Zuko did.

With a basket in hand, Katara began to tidy up Zuko's room. She searched the pockets of his trousers to make sure she didn't wash anything of importance. He would surely be unhappy if she did such a thing.

Her findings were somewhat interesting. In one set of pants, notes of Aangs fire bending skills were folded, marking his strongest points and weakest points. Katara could hardly read it since it was written down as if in code. Zuko had beautiful handwriting but the things he wrote made absolutely no since to her.

Grabbing another pair of pants, Katara found a couple of gold pieces and a small fortune cookie paper saying "Romance comes into your life this year in a very unusual sort of way."

Not thinking anything of the fortune, Katara threw the small items on Zuko's desk that sat it the far corner of his room.

Picking up his last pair of pants, Katara dug her slender hand in the pocket making sure nothing occupied it. Her hand lay upon a rough, ragged piece of paper. The paper was hard, like a photograph. Retrieving it from her companion's pocket, she noticed it was folded.

On one side of the folded paper read "To: Zuko" in very precise writing. The 'Z' being the boldest of all characters with it's hang going in the direction of the rest of his name. The thing that stood out most in Katara's mind and made her most uncomfortable was the beautifully drawn heart at the end of his name. A heart in which you would give to a lover. It seemed to make her heart become heavy.

Curious as to whose picture decorated the folded paper, Katara opened it, not noticing the name on the back of the photo.

If Katara would have been holding a glass pitcher of water, she would have dropped it.

---

Annoyed with the little bugger they called Toph; Zuko took it upon himself to leave the subject of the sky alone. There was no way he could get the little stubborn child to change her mind. Aang was absolutely no help, since he almost always agreed with Toph after a while of torture.

Hoping that his child would never be as impossible as Toph, Zuko actually thought about having a talk with Katara about how they would raise it. He would definitely make it a point to keep Toph away from his kid before Toph corrupted him or her, preferably a him. He just didn't have the strength.

"The sky is blue…" He couldn't help but mumble to himself. He was just so irritated. And hungry! He wondered what Katara would cook this time, her taste never going back to normal.

With nothing to do, Zuko made his way towards his room. He could take a nap before dinner so he wouldn't have to think about food. Man, he was hungry!

Approaching his door, he could help but hear the slamming of drawers being opened and closed. Who was in his room?

Cautiously, Zuko opened his bedroom door, fighting stance in tack. He never could be too careful these days. Who the hell was rummaging through his things, making themselves at home? Being pissed off was an understatement.

He could hardly see anything as he peeped in, everything being so dark. He could see a small silhouette. The small bulge of her stomach very noticeable only to him. Zuko's eyes squinted to a point where he almost couldn't see; trying to make sure this was the person he thought it was. It was…he was sure.

"Katara?" The lights flicked on as he made swift hand movements, lighting the candles.

Her back remained turned, causing a small peg of curiosity to nag at his mind. What the hell was she doing?

She couldn't have heard him…

""Katara!?" His voice with a little bit more bass in it.

Again, no reply. Walking past the threshold, Zuko strode towards her moving frame. Just what the hell was she doing, going through his things and doing it while he was watching her. She wasn't even sneaky.

---

Katara, preoccupied with her ramblings did not notice Zuko enter his room. She was to stuck on finding what ever she could in his drawers. What else love letters and pictures would he have hidden in the damned room?

She had thrown the clothes in the basket back on the floor to scatter Zuko's room. He didn't deserve her cleaning. The things she found in his pockets were all in the trash with the exception of the 'evidence'.

She hadn't heard him call her for she was talking to herself, angry with the stupid ex-prince. Only when she turned around, on her way to find the imbecile, was she surprised. Zuko stood right behind her, starring her down, as if she were a little mouse.

As her shock took over her, a small flame within rose to the surface. "Y-yoo, you, you…ooo…you! AGH!" Her index finger poked him in the chest, pushing him back as she walked forward. She couldn't seem to find the word that described him.

Zuko's mind was purely blank. He had no idea what so ever what she was talking about. His eyes showed his confusion.

Katara pulled the picture she found in his pants and stuck in front of his confused gaze. "So, what? Are you sleeping with her too? The freakin' needle girl?" She was not happy. Not happy at all!

"Wha--Who Mai? She stays in the Firenati-Wha--I'm not sleeping with any--WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN MY ROOM?" His sentence was broken, trying to find a quick reply. He didn't know why, maybe it was because she intimidated him for a sec with that murderous glare.

"I CAN'T BELIVE IT! YOU ARE!" She crumbled the hard paper in her hands, angry with both Zuko and the person in the picture.

"What the hell is it any of your business, anyway? What if I am?" His arms folded across his chest giving the illusion that he was in control. Who the hell did she think she was, giving him the "third degree"? Its not like they were sleeping with each other.

Then it would another story,

A loud gasp was heard on Zuko's part before Katara's small hand made contact with his face, putting Zuko in shock. He didn't see that coming.

The harsh and angry words Katara spoke still lingered in the air.

"Fine! If you feel that way, you can just leave my baby and me alone. " The emphases on the "my" really hit him hard.

He wasn't hungry anymore.

A/N: Hey Guys! I have finally brought you a new chapter to this baby story. Hope it made you laugh! LOL

I'm a sad, sad little girl and I probably don't have you pity. (SADFACE) Cookie for anyone who knows what reference I used for that quote.

You guys should like vote on that poll thingy I created. Which of my stories do you like best? I'm curious…

I'll be back…One day!

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Whopper23