Here's the fourth chapter. Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 4:
Answers
Zuko looked both ways as he came down the hall to where Aang and him were supposed to meet and sighed judging from his friends face the news wasn't good.
"Aang what did you need to tell me that couldn't wait until later?" asked Zuko as he sat down tiredly on a pillow since he had had to sneak out of his and Katara's room at six-thirty in the morning.
"Something's wrong I have to go to Omashu tomorrow." said Aang as he paced in front of the door.
"You want us to take Toph home with us early?" asked Zuko as he finally became fully awake.
"Yeah I don't know what's wrong but they want me to come." replied Aang worriedly. He wasn't hiding the fact that this had him scared, and since there had been no big problems in the last two years, he had a right.
"Ok since Christmas is two days away, we'll just stay here until after then and you can join us when you're done with this business." Zuko stood walked over and placed his hand on his Aang's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Listen it probably won't take that long so you'll be in the firenation next week or the week after."
"I hope you're right. Sorry about waking you up can you sneak back in since it's almost time to get up?" asked Aang as he picked up his already prepared bag.
"Well I did have to pretend that I was her brother to get out since she was talking in her sleep and that was something else. But I'll just sneak back in and if she wakes up I'll tell her I couldn't sleep again and that I took a walk." Zuko smiled as he closed the door behind them and had a thought. "Hey maybe I should use that excuse more often, even though the meditations are helping me sleep better."
"Ha-ha, I wish I could tell a lie, but Toph would just feel my vibrations and know I was lying." Aang shrugged even though having a friend who could tell if someone was lying was a great advantage, having a wife who knew if you were lying didn't work out too well.
"Yeah Katara pretty much knows when I'm lying too, so it might not work." Zuko sighed as they reached Appa. He turned to face his friend. "Does Toph know that you're leaving for a little while?"
"Yeah, she was there when I got the message. Oh I almost forgot, Toph wouldn't tell me until late last night but she said she and Katara are going to see the doctor but don't say anything or me and you both will be dead meat." Aang laughed at the look on Zuko's face and then became serious. "Take care of them." Aang hopped up on Appa, waved and then was gone like that. Zuko thought that he'd do anything to protect Toph and Katara.
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Katara yawned as she stretched and she was just about to get out of bed when she noticed her husband. He'd gone to bed in just pants and was now in his shirt and pant robe. Katara smiled as she got ready. He obviously had gotten up during the night and she felt bad that she was going to have to wake him.
"Zuko, Zuko wake up." Katara shook his shoulder and huffed. The man slept like a rock since they'd gotten married. Katara smiled. Desperate times, called for desperate measures. She water bended water from the flowers and opened the door and right before she left she water bended the water right on his face.
"Katara!" hollered Zuko as she ran down the hall knocking Toph over.
"Where's the fire?" asked Toph as she stood up.
"My husband will be looking for me, so you never saw me." Katara ran into the library and shut the door. He'd never find her in here. With its large size she could stay in one place for a long time before he'd get close to her. He's going to grumpy; he always is when I have to wake him up that way thought Katara as she grabbed a book from the shelve titled An Avatar's Journey which had been written by Aang after the war.
"Katara" singed Zuko as he came into the library and shut the door behind him. Katara peeked around the book shelve to see him coming right for her and it was her luck she couldn't move without coming out. I thought he wouldn't find me in here thought Katara as she thought about creating a wall of ice to keep him out and to keep him from trying to go dump her in the fountain.
"Katara I know you're in here." Zuko stopped before he got to her row and amazingly turned and left the library. Must have been a servant Katara stepped out and slipped out without him noticing. Or so she thought.
"There you are Katara." said Zuko as he walked up to her from the garden.
"Here I am. What did you need?" asked Katara as she started walking away from the fountain.
"Toph told me you and her are going to the doctor today."
"Um-huh, I'm going to have them check me for my mood swings." Katara realized that they'd ended up back in the house. "Actually we're leaving right now. Zuko is Aang gone?"
"Yeah had to check something out in Omashu." said Zuko as he walked her to where Toph was waiting. "Be careful please."
"Zuko we'll be fine. We'll have two guards following us, Toph's a blind earthbending master and I'm a waterbending master." Katara kissed him and told him they'd be back by supper.
"Hey Katara are you worried when Zuko goes off?" asked Toph as they entered a store that was selling bending scrolls and other stuff.
"A little, especially if he's going to another nation that might still hold a grudge." Katara thought about the first time he'd went off after they'd married. She'd been worried sick until he'd walked in during dinner and announced that he was starving. "But I just tell myself he's going to be fine and he's helping someone."
"I say the same thing when Aang leaves, only I tell myself I can't expect him not to get hurt." Toph laughed. "Because expecting the Avatar not to get hurt is like expecting the sun not to rise and set."
"That's true." Katara smiled when something caught her eye. On the top shelve was a bright ruby stone which almost looked like a dragons eye Zuko will love this thought Katara as s picked it up and checked to see if it was real and was surprised to find that it was.
"Hey Katara." hollered Toph from the back of the store.
"What?" asked Katara as she walked to where her friend was waiting for her with something in her hand.
"Do you think Aang will like this?" Katara had to smile; again. Toph was holding an old airbending scroll.
"Yes I do. Now can we go see the doctor?"
"Sure." Toph told the guards to place the items on the counter so she could pay.
"Toph let me pay for mine." But her friend wasn't hearing any of it. Katara almost wondered if her friend hadn't been born deaf instead of blind. Katara smiled thirty minutes later as she and Toph walked home from town. She and Toph now had their answers for their weird behavior. They were pregnant. Five months to be exact, which meant that she had gotten pregnant a month after her and Zuko, had married and Toph a year after her and Aang had gotten married.
"Hey Katara how are you going to tell Zuko?" asked Toph as they walked into the house.
"How is she going to tell me what?" asked Zuko as he came from Aang's office with a book.
"Well I don't know how to say it other than I'm pregnant." Katara smiled as she was pulled into a death lock hug.
"Really?" asked Zuko as he sat her down.
"Yes you're going to be a dad." Katara laughed as she was pulled into another hug. "There's more."
"What?" asked Zuko as he tried to calm down enough to hear her.
"Toph's pregnant too." Katara laughed as Zuko hugged the woman people had called 'The Blind Bandit'.
"Congratulations." said Zuko as he led them to the dinning room to eat.
"Well I'm glad our families can share in the happiness." Zuko smiled. He had his answer to his question and he liked it.