LES: This story takes place when Katara was pregnant with Kya.
Chapter VI: Father to Be
Aang opened the door as quietly as he could. He knew that he was getting back from the Council meeting late, and he didn't want to disturb his wife. She was five months pregnant with their first child, and often in a sour mood because of it.
He really couldn't blame her, though. From what he knew about pregnancy, Katara's was pretty tough. She was sick nearly all the time and that led her to snap at him for disturbing her rest. He shut the door as quietly as possible.
He tip-toed his way into the living room on his way to the master bedroom, but stopped when he came upon an unexpected sight in the living room. He stopped dead in his tracks, staring.
He had thought that Katara would be in bed by now. She had taken to going to sleep early since her pregnancy started showing. Aang had gotten back late from meetings many times to find her all ready asleep in their bed. Tonight was different. Katara had fallen asleep, but she was propped up on the couch's armrest. She had apparently tried to stay up waiting for him, but had fallen asleep on the couch.
Aang crept over to her. She didn't look comfortable at all, sleeping like that. But he still hesitated to touch her or move her. If she woke up in a bad mood, he'd be banished to this very couch. But, she would probably get upset at him in the morning if he let her sleep there and she woke up sore.
After a brief internal war, Aang decided that Katara's physical comfort was the most important thing. Being extremely careful to not wake her up, Aang bent down and slowly picked her up in his arms. He took extra care to not wake her up and to give ample room for her rounded abdomen. He held her close to him, taking a brief moment to just soak in her presence.
Using the same care that he'd exercised in picking her up, Aang made his way down the hallway to their master bedroom. He nudged the door open with his foot and maneuvered them both inside.
He walked over to Katara's usual side of the bed and carefully set her down on the soft mattress. He was just at the point of pulling the blanket over her body, and thinking that he just got away with moving her, when she began to stir in her sleep. Aang froze, worried that he was about to get in trouble for waking her up.
Katara shifted and stretched, and opened her eyes with a yawn. And then, to Aang's eternal happiness, she smiled upon seeing him. "Aang… you're back."
Now that he was pretty sure that he wasn't going to be yelled at, Aang returned her smile, sitting down on the edge of the bed and running his fingers through her hair. It had been so long since she had allowed such a loving caress. "Of course I'm back." He whispered.
Katara slowly sat up, yawning. "I fell asleep on the couch, didn't I?" She asked.
Aang nodded. "You didn't seem very comfortable there, so I thought I'd move you. I hope you're not upset with me."
"I'm not. It was pretty uncomfortable." Katara returned his caress, which nearly drove the young man to tears of happiness. He ducked his head to hide the tears from his wife.
Katara, of course, noticed right away. "Aang? Aang, what's wrong?" She asked.
He smiled at her. "It's been a long time since you've been this affectionate with me."
In response, Katara shifted closer and pulled him into a kiss. Aang was initially shocked, but then returned her kiss fervently. For a while, no words were exchanged between them as they kissed to reaffirm their love. Finally, Katara pulled away from him. "I'm so sorry, Aang. It's just that this pregnancy has been really hard on me, and…"
Aang silenced her with a kiss. "You don't have to be sorry, Katara. I know that you haven't been feeling good since you got pregnant. I'm here for you, you know that, right?" He met her eyes.
"Yes, I know that." Katara whispered to him. They leaned in together, exchanging soft kisses, their lips lingering together as they reveled in the glory of their bond together. They moved closer together, their kisses deepening as Aang rested his hands on the swell of Katara's abdomen.
However, Aang quickly aborted the kiss when he felt something thump against his hand. He jerked away from Katara, shocked, staring down at her stomach.
Katara smiled, she knew that Aang had felt it too. She pulled the stunned young man into an embrace. "There was a reason that I was trying to wait up for you."
"Was that… the baby?" Aang asked, sounding shocked and pleased at the same time.
Katara smiled at him, and nodded. "It just started happening today. Our baby is growing strong."
"Katara…" He pulled her into another kiss, which she was only too happy to return. "This is the most amazing thing I've ever…" He met her eyes. "Lay back for a minute."
Katara shifted herself on the mattress so that she could lay back on the pillows. Once she was laying down, Aang scooted closer to her, and lifted up the fabric of the loose shirt that she had taken to wearing in recent months, exposing the skin of her abdomen. He ran his hand over the swell of her stomach, smiling as he felt another soft little thump against his hand.
Katara smiled contentedly as she watched his lazy exploration of her abdomen, and chuckled softly when he replaced his hands with his lips. He pressed tender kisses to her skin, an action that he had done many times before Katara became pregnant, but now carried a whole new meaning.
"I love you." Aang whispered, both to the child growing within Katara and to his wife.
"We love you too." Katara replied, smiling when his eyes met hers and he could see the passion that was growing there, a passion that had been absent for months from their marriage.
Aang knew that look well. "Are you sure?" He asked.
"I'm sure. I want you." Katara pushed him to lie on the bed next to her, and she took the position on top. It was more comfortable for her and less awkward for both of them this way.
Aang smiled playfully as she leaned down to kiss him. "You know I can't resist you."
For the first time in months, the house was filled with the playful laughter of two lovers reestablishing the physical bond between them.