*oh boy! finale my epic climax! i own nothing! if you like this chapter please review! this was a little hard to write for me, but i am happy with how it came out. SHOW THE LOVE!~ hehe. I had to use a few instances from the season finale, felt right! woo! a few more chpters to come before i wrap this story up!*
Katara breathed deeply as she pressed Ursa closer to her breast, Ozai had demanded that she hold the parasite. Her father sat perfectly still, his face calculating. Ozai stared out of the small window that lead to the street, waiting for Zuko to come home. "I should've rid myself of him when I had the chance..." he muttered to himself, twirling the gun in his hand ridiculously. "Katara..." Hakoda muttered. "I want you to run out with the child as soon as I make my move. I'll get the gun from him and subdue him while you go for help." "That's crazy dad! He's also a fire-bender, he'll kill you." "Better me than you, or her. Katara I cant just let him..." they were interrupted by Katara's phone ringing and Ozai turned on them with the gun. "Answer it, and no funny business."
Katara nodded and answered. "Hello..." It was Azula, who knew all about Kataras' issues with her father. "Oh hey, yes that's fine. I'm just having some time with my father, yea I know crazy right..." Katara prayed to any spirit listening that Azula would figure it out. Azula glanced at the phone confused, "Katara your not making any sense, I just called to ask how Ursa is doing." Katara smiled with a strain, "yea Zuko left for diapers, so its just me and my dad. I have to let you go, my dad looks a little mad." With that she hung up on Azula, praying she'd get it.
"Hand over your phone now, Miss Keanu. And the milk sucker as well." Before she could protest letting go of Ursa Ozai turned and shot her fathers left shoulder. He screamed in pain, causing Ursa to bawl. He took her from Katara's arms and threw her onto Hakoda's lap. As the child wailed, Ozai grabbed Katara by her braid and began to drag her towards the bathroom. "While we wait for my one failure in life, let us get better acquainted." Hakoda tried to stand but Katara called out, "don't, I'll be fine. See to Ursa." Ozai scoffed as he threw Katara into the bathroom, "he would name that retch after that whore."
Katara held herself up by the wall and gritted out, "your daughter named her after her mother." Through her shoeless feet Katara could feel someone pounding up the stairs, she prayed it was Zuko. She held her breathing as he advanced on her, she'd only have one shot at this. With a swift motion Katara let a flood loose from the pipes in the walls and floors. She brought it up into a frozen block around them. The look of shock on Ozai's face was almost worth the near hypothermia she was feeling. Katara released her breath and the ice around her began to thaw. She thawed herself a path around him and out of the door. Coughing she pulled herself free from the block. "Oh Katara thank the spirits," came Zuko's heavenly voice. His warm arms brought her close to share the heat. "I'm so sorry, I came as soon as I got Azula's message. I thought... your dad..."
Katara gaped and spun her and Zuko to get a look at her father bleeding in the chair. "He's alright, it went straight through, Ursa is fine too. She's in the bassinet. The police and paramedics are on their way, and so is Azula and Jet." Katara nodded and held onto her lover for heat. But the sound of boiling behind them caught their attention. Her heart beat fast in Kataras chest as she and Zuko turned to see Ozai escaping his icy prison. "I over estimated you Miss Keanu. That wont happen again," Ozai seethed as he wrenched his body out of the ice. Zuko hit his fighting stance, "this has nothing to do with her. Its me you want. Here I am, or do you not think you can win if its not by surprise?"
Ozai glared, "I don't need surprise to take down a weakling like you." Zuko moved Katara further behind him, closer to the baby. Hakoda grimaced in pain but stood, "Your a monster, you'd harm your own child." Ozai clicked his teeth, "he is no child of mine, only my one and only failure..." Hakoda stood closer to Katara and the baby, "despicable." Ozai began to move his arms in a circular motion, just as Zuko had in the finals of the league. "I'll soon be rid of you all, so your opinions matter very little." Katara froze, Zuko panicked and changed stances quickly. As Ozai shot the white hot lightning from his finger tips, Katara felt her fathers weight push her and the bassinet forward. Her beloveds scream of "No" then the followed by a sickening crackle noise and the smell of burnt flesh. But as she, her father and the baby fell to the ground, another heat source flew by them and struck Ozai directly.
Katara turned as she fell, and caught Ursa in her outstretched arms. She brought the bawling baby close and spun quickly under her father to see Ozai on his knees. His almost lifeless eyes staring at the door. Hakoda sat up awkwardly with Katara to see Azula panting in the doorway, her red date night dress disheveled. Her fingers were smoking slightly. The sound of Ozai's lifeless body hitting the wood floor startled everyone out of their shock. Azula ran forward and scooped up her sobbing child as Katara miraculously scrambled to her fiance's side.
Zuko lay in the fetal position, his body still shaking from the electricity coursing through him. Katara immediately turned him to his back and summed some water from the ice block that used to be their bathroom. "Zuko! Zuko can you hear me? Zuko stay with me." The blue light of healing glowed as Katara used both hands on his chest. The wound was closing till it was almost a six pronged star that puckered slightly on his chest. It seemed like an eternity before Zuko groaned and opened his honey colored eyes. He smiled weakly, "hey." Katara's sobbed joyfully, "hey." Hakoda hobbled over and knelt next to the two lovers clutching his left arm. "Glad your still with us young man."
Zuko nodded weakly and allowed Katara to help him sit up. Azula rushed over to Zuko and hugged him with one arm, "THANK THE SPIRITS!" "Thank mom," Zuko whispered as he embraced his sister and little niece gently. "She said it wasn't time yet." Katara wept and turned to her father, but before she could offer to heal him they heard, "police freeze!"
Long into the night Katara, Zuko, Hakoda and Azula had to relive the nightmare that had transgressed mere hours before. Jet sat in the hospital waiting room with his little girl in his arms, safe and sound. She'd received no injuries, Zuko was having his heart sonogram-med to check for damage with Katara received a gash on her head. Katara was torn, her fiance was in danger but her father had been shot. The doctor said he'd require some physical therapy but he would live. Hakoda insisted he see how Zuko was, so Katara wheeled him to her fiance's room. Azula sat in the other bed beside her brother with a dazed look. "She had to be given a sedative," Zuko explained with a grimace.
"How are you feeling son?" Hakoda asked. "Like I took a car to the chest, but not as bad as being shot I suppose." Zuko replied. "Indeed," Hakoda chuckled. Jet walked in holding Ursa tightly. "Oh Katara, what can I ever do to repay you for protecting my baby." He whispered. Katara smiled and hugged Jet gently, "no need Jet. That's what family does, water-tribe style." Katara placed a hand on her fathers shoulder as she released Jet. Jet nodded and smiled grimly, "I spoke to the officers. Azula wont be charged with murder..." Jet gulped, "I guess it was her maternal instinct to protect Ursa..." "Not.. just... her..." Azula mumbled in her dazed state. She turned to Zuko, "you've ...protected me ….my entire... life..." Zuko reached out and took his sisters hand gently, "that's what big brothers do."
Zuko had been released from the hospital after a week of tests and was on a strict mandatory bed rest until the muscles heal. Uncle had been relieved to hear everything was settled with the police and his great niece was unharmed. Katara had only see Toph cry once, but when she came to see Zuko in the hospital she bawled. Zuko held her close to his chest and murmured, "hey champ, its OK. I'm OK. We're OK." Uncle had taken care of his brothers funeral arrangements, and assumed full control of the company.
Katara lay beside her fiance at her future sister-in-laws home, until the couple found themselves a place of their own. Understandably they could not fathom living in the apartment above the Jasmine Dragon, which was closed due to extreme water damage, again. She was having trouble sleeping, the nightmares of what had happened. Silently she slipped out of her fiances arms and silently slinked downstairs for a midnight snack. The fridge light was on when she arrived and Azula stood in front of it with the large chocolate cake Suki had made. "Trouble sleeping too?" Katara asked, startling Azula and nearly causing her to drop the cake.
The two sat in the not lit kitchen, eating the cake with forks. "I killed him Katara. I killed my own father with my own two hands... Is it wrong I don't feel any remorse?" Katara shook her head, "no. He was an evil mad Azula. He laid hands on his son, then tried to kill him along with his granddaughter with me and my father. Its your right to protect your family. That's how I look at it any way... how did you figure out my message anyway?" Azula took another huge bite of cake, "I didn't at first, I thought it was your father at first. But after I thought about it, I called Zuko then immediately and rushed over. I saw my father preparing to shoot lightning at you... and well... you know. Malie has been very helpful, I'm glad your dad suggested her." Katara nodded, "yea, it's nice to get to know someone who opened my dad up." Katara nodded and placed her hand on Azula's, "I'm going to head back to bed, you should too." Azula nodded and watched Katara leave before placing the cake back in the fridge and returning to bed herself.