A/N: I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I sorry! Things have been crazy this past week and I've been all over the place because of it. A music convention, birthday parties, lack of internet access, and Zutara week have made this update so late. And the Hama side story...but I digress.

I want to thank you all for reviewing, adding, and reading this story as it means a lot to me. I've officially passed my review record so that makes each and every one of you (and your reviews) all the more special. Thanks guys!

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar!

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Ch. 8- Acceptance

Nothing but sheer terror ran across Zuko's face and through his mind at the sight of the Water Tribe chieftan. This couldn't be happening, not after he had just avoided this very situation with Katara.

'This is it,' Zuko thought with a slight whimper, 'I'm going to die on this beach at the hands of my girlfriend's father. This is not how I imagined I was going to go out.'

"I'll ask again," said Hakoda, fire burning deep in his cerulean eyes, "Would either of you care to explain?"

Katara was at a loss for words as she looked over to her boyfriend, panic evident in her eyes, hoping to find some sort of reassurance. When she saw the same look mirrored on his face she knew things were bad.

Zuko swallowed when he saw Hakoda's eyes narrow even further. He let out a shaky breath and decided to accept his fate.

"Chief Hakoda," he squeaked, voice breaking, "Katara and I…that is she…well we're together—but you already knew that. Um…what you didn't know is…is that w-we love each other and sometimes, uh, when two…when two people love each other…they uh, they have a…they um…t-t-they have a baby!"

As soon as he finished his explanation he closed his eyes and braced himself for the beating of a lifetime.

The chief blinked, a bewildered expression on his face as he tried to gather some meaning from the prince's stuttered explanation. Seconds later, Hakoda could only stare with his mouth agape.

"Dad?" Katara chanced after a minute, hoping that his silence was a sign that he wasn't going to blow up.

This seemed to wake the man up as he turned his disbelieving gaze onto his daughter, "Y-you're pregnant?"

Katara seemed to shrink into herself and Zuko felt her clench his hand tightly. He could feel her pulse quicken as she looked anywhere but into her father's accusing stare.

"Katara…out of all the irresponsible things you could have possibly done…" Hakoda mumbled softly still struggling to believe what he'd been told, "out of all the foolish, idiotic, careless, stupid things you could have possibly done you got pregnant?"

There was an angry flush to his face now but Hakoda seemed determined to keep his emotions in check a fact which both teens were grateful for.

"You two haven't even been together for more than a month and…Katara you're fifteen for La's sake what were you thinking?" He rounded on Zuko and the firebender flinched at the intensity of the glare being sent his way, "And you prince! I had come to expect better of you than this! I had even begun to trust you with my daughter's safety and then…and then I come to find out that you've gotten her pregnant!"

He let out a frustrated growl and put his face in his hands, "I don't think I've ever been more disappointed in someone than I am with you right now Zuko. Taking advantage of my daughter's emotional state so soon after the death of the Avatar is nothing short of despicable. "Here I was beginning to think you were nothing like your father but…I see no difference."

Zuko tensed as his temper flared and steam began rising from his body.

"DAD!" Katara gasped in shock.

"Do not speak right now Katara. You forfeited that right when you broke my trust and conceived a child out of wedlock! The only thing keeping me from being completely disappointed in you is the fact that you were vulnerable at the time," he didn't seem to notice the tears that were coursing down his daughter's face, "I have half a mind to leave you here to fend for yourself after what you've done!"

That did it.

"Stop it," Zuko snarled dangerously, his face set in a deadly scowl, "don't you dare speak to Katara like that!"

Hakoda stopped cold, his furious glare snapping to the fire prince, "What did you say?"

"I told you to shut up," Zuko growled, his free hand clenched tightly and his eyes blazing in undisguised rage, "Don't talk to Katara like that. She doesn't deserve it and I sure as hell won't stand for it."

"Just where do you get off thinking that you have any sort of right to talk to me like that prince? It's because of you that she's with child!" Hakoda barked back, his own temper flaring.

"No Dad," Katara hissed, "this isn't just Zuko's fault—it takes two to "tango" as you so eloquently put it years ago. I'm just as much to blame. And you know what? There's nothing you can do to change it!"

Here the chief fell silent, his furious gaze darting back and forth between the two teenagers in front of him.

"Chief Hakoda," Zuko began, desperately trying to reign in his temper, "I realize that allowing your daughter and I to date was hard for you. I understand why you're angry now: you see what we've done as a betrayal. And I think I know exactly why you're so angry. You think I'm going to leave Katara once I figure out we've made a mistake."

The chief's eyes widened slightly, but he covered it up quickly. Katara looked to her boyfriend with a raised brow waiting to see what he said next.

The fire nation outcast turned to face his waterbender, gently taking her hand in his, "I have to say the thought of having a child so young is…scary, to say the least especially given the state of the world now. And leaving would definitely be the easy way out," here he gave the girl a soft smile and kissed her hand before turning back to Hakoda, "but I've never been one to take the easy way out. Especially with something I knew could happen."

There was a tense silence after Zuko's statement as he and Hakoda locked eyes, the latter trying to discern any sort of dishonesty from the firebender.

Their stare off continued for so long that eventually Katara, who had been waiting with baited breath for the first few minutes, gave a loud huff of annoyance and muttered something about men and their egos. It was enough to break the contest between the two males.

The water tribe chief spoke first, "Zuko do you swear that you will take care of my daughter, love her, and cherish her for the rest of your days? That, so long as there is breath in your body, you will do anything to protect her and your eventual child from harm?"

Zuko didn't hesitate, "I do."

The older man quirked a brow at the response but let it go. Turning to his daughter he asked, "And do you Katara?"

"I do." The waterbender responded, giving her boyfriend's hand a squeeze.

Hakoda let out a resigned sigh, "I'm still not happy about this and I am extremely disappointed in both of you. You'll both have to work to gain back my trust but, seeing as there really is no way to get around it, I think I can get used to the idea of being a grandpa." He gave them a small smile, "You'll hate me in the coming months but you have my support should you need it."

Katara sniffed, "Thank you Daddy!" And then proceeded to launch herself into his waiting arms. He gave her a kiss on the cheek before pulling away. "Wait," she said looking into her father's eyes, "you said that we'd hate you in the coming months…does…does that mean that you're not leaving?"

Her father smiled and nodded, "Before this came up, I wasn't too worried about you going off on your own—you only had yourselves to look after and that was it. But now…well what kind of father would I be if I wasn't there for my only daughter to help her through her pregnancy?"

Eyes watering and unable to come up with a coherent response, Katara buried her herself again into her father's embrace. "Thank you Daddy," she repeated, though this time it was muffled.

"I love you Katara." He said as he hugged her tight.

"Love you too." Came the mumbled response.

Zuko waited for Katara to compose herself and move away from her father before he approached the chief, "Thank you for giving me…us a chance. It means a lot to me and I know it means the world to Katara."

Hakoda smiled and clapped the bender on the shoulder, "Despite what I said in the heat of the moment I know that you're a good man Zuko. I've seen how you treat the others, even after the whole Sokka debacle, and it does nothing but reassure me that you'll take good care of my daughter."

Zuko could feel himself getting choked up and had to clear his throat in order to respond, "T-thank you Chief Hakoda."

The chieftain put one arm around both the teens and turned back to camp, "Now let's get back to camp before they send anyone else out looking for you two."

There was a brief pause before he spoke again, "I wonder how your brother is going to take this."

Katara winced and knew Zuko had as well, "Can we just…NOT tell him? I don't know if he'd be as forgiving as you Dad."

"I think," Zuko began, "that it would be better if we told him. He'd have to get over it eventually, right?"

Hakoda snorted at that, "Obviously you don't know my son that well."

"Dad, be nice!" Katara scolded playfully.

"Well it's true Katara, you know that. Remember the time when he asked where baby sea lions came from and your grandmother said that the "stork" brought them late at night?"

Katara let out her own snort of amusement, "And one night he snuck out of the igloo and waited by the pack of sea lions for the stork to bring the babies and then saw a live birth!"

Now it was Zuko's turn to laugh. Just the thought of a poor, innocent, naïve Sokka experiencing the miracle of life first hand was hilarious.

"He refused to talk to Gran-Gran for weeks," Katara continued, "and he didn't believe anything she told him for the next three months!"

"So you see," Hakoda chuckled, "I think it's best if we refrain from telling him too soon. Maybe you two could figure out a way to ease him into the thought of accepting a potential child between the two of you. Then after that's been established you could tell Sokka."

There was silence as they walked over the last hill. Then a voice spoke.

"Tell Sokka what?"

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A/N: I really like ending like that. But don't worry, the next one should be different. You guys know I worship each individual review so...yeah. Any kind of feedback is appreciated. Again I'm sorry about the delay, but sometimes life just gets in the way. Until next time!

-HakushoRurouni