Author's Note: I'd like to thank every single one of you for your support and loyalty with coming back every week and reading this story. You readers are the reason why I enjoyed updating and continued working on this story so thanks so much for reading.
Chapter 35:
The baby shower was in full effect. The tables were set, the guests were arriving, Suki and Sokka were comfortable, and Katara was far too busy throwing up in the bathroom. It had been a full ten minutes and her stomach hadn't stopped feeling horrible yet. Maybe she ate some bad food. There was no way she could possibly be pregnant. No way.
A knock came on the door.
"Open the door right now Sugar Queen!" Well she could have if she wasn't busy emptying breakfast, lunch, and yesterday's dinner into the toilet. The incessant banging from Toph made Katara's head throb even more aggressively than it was before. Without notice Toph came bursting in the room followed by the sound of a large crack.
She broke Zuko's door. Great, something else for her to pay for. With a flush of the toilet Katara went to the sink and splashed water on her face. She looked at herself in the mirror. She didn't look any different but God did she feel terrible.
"I can't believe you kicked down the door Toph. This isn't even my house need you forget." Her stomach grumbled again and she winced, clutching her abdomen. She couldn't even be indignant without a stomach pain. This sucked.
"Yea, yea. Everyone's looking for the party planner extraordinary. You have been in this bathroom sick for over 15 minutes. If you're pregnant take that up later. Sokka and Suki won't open the gifts without you. "Toph said abrasively.
"I am NOT pregnant!" Katara exclaimed. At least she didn't think she could be. For Zuko being a playboy you'd think he'd use protection to avoid having 1500 new children running around town. For all she knew he might have illegitimate child. What would he do if she was? Would he hide away like he did with Mai? Would he pay her off? Would he make her get rid of it?
She had to stop assuming the worst of the situation. Besides, she didn't even know if she was pregnant yet. They had been intimate twice but she couldn't remember having a conversation about protection so for all she knew she could be. What would the baby look like? Would he or she having her curly hair and Zuko's eyes or blue eyes and Zuko's nose. Just imagining her belly swollen with a child made her cringe, even if it would be the child of one of the richest men on the planet.
How could they be so careless? Zuko did say he wanted another child. He wanted a little boy. Katara couldn't even begin to see herself as a mother, especially when the mode of conception was in the midst of a large media scheme. As much as she cared for Zuko having his child wasn't a position she saw herself in.
"You don't sound so sure about that." Toph rolled her eyes. Leave it to Toph to be the queen of skepticism. She swore Toph had some sixth sense about when people are lying. It was annoying but sometimes helpful. If Katara was ever going to be in denial about being pregnant unit she was as big as a house Toph wouldn't allow it.
"Ugh, listen I'll take a stupid test. Believe it or not I discovered a stash of pregnancy tests in the upstairs linen closet then we'll know for sure,"
Toph made a confused face. When Katara discovered it she was more than a little confused herself. A grown man with that many pregnancy tests in his possession? Certainly strange to say the least.
"Don't ask. When you have as much money and women as Zuko girls probably claim to be pregnant left and right. It's weird I know."
He probably got accused of fathering someone's baby a few times a week. Not that it wasn't completely weird that he had roughly a hundred pregnancy tests stuffed in a laundry bag. Then again it was Zuko who knows what you get with him.
~/~
Festivities were occurring in the backyard. Katara patted herself on the back for planning all of it. The backyard had been transform into a black and white chic event. The tables were draped in black table clothes with a centerpiece of black and white roses. Each table had a gift bag, plate that said "It's a Baby", and wine glasses. There were black and white balloons some had question marks, some had boy, and some had the word girl on them. The decorations were simple but what probably cost the most money was the massive five tier cake she had made once Sokka picked an appropriate flavor combination. The inside was a chocolate cake with white buttercream icing. What was spectacular was the white fondant that covered the cake and the blue and pink polka-dots that dotted all on around the cake. The inside was dyed either pink or blue to reveal the sex of the baby. Everyone would be anxiously awaiting for the cake to be cut.
Even the gifts that people brought Katara had arranged them in a pyramid so they all looked very presentable. Presentation was everything, even down to the wrapping paper on the presents. The food was buffet style and had an array of different food to choose from. No one could go home hungry that was for sure.
Katara smiled at the guests. Although she was proud of her work she still felt absolutely sick to her stomach. Maybe Mai was right. Maybe she was going to join the baby mother's club sooner rather than later. She had to push that out of her mind until the shower was over at least.
Sokka and Suki were sitting down talking to her father when she walked out. She was hoping she could at least fake feeling better in front of her family.
"Sis, this is amazing. Thank you so much for putting this together." Sokka gave her the biggest hug she had possibly ever gotten from him. In that moment Katara felt so thankful that he was appreciative and was enjoying himself.
"Yea, Katara," Suki rubbed her belly slowly. "I think this little one is enjoying herself too. She won't stop kicking."
Katara grinned, "Well I'm glad everyone is enjoying themselves. Thank Zuko. Without him none of this would have happened."
Speak of the devil. Her heart stopped when she saw him. He looked familiar but different at the same time. She could tell he had not kept up with the maintenance like he had when he was at home. His hair was growing out and now he was gaining a bang, instead of his traditional short and clean cut. Even his facial hair which had usually been clean shaven was growing out nicely. He didn't even look like the Zuko she knew dressed a normal person's outfit. She had seen him in a suit and she had seen him with no clothes on, but nothing in between. She didn't even believe he owned a pair of jeans to be honest but apparently rehab had made some changes to him. She still saw that same passion from before. It was his eyes. He looked…happy.
"Daaaaaadddy!" Maya immediately ran up to her father who was dressed in plain blue jeans and a white V-neck shirt. He had made an appearance after being gone for almost a couple months now. Zuko took Maya up in his loving arms and held her close to his chest. Maya obviously missed him and he missed her deeply. He didn't even put her down when he joined the rest of the shower guests.
"I thought you were sick or something!" Sokka exclaimed giving Zuko a firm handshake.
"I wouldn't miss this so I asked for two days leave. It is at my home after all. Congratulations on the baby you two. I come bearing gifts." Zuko put Maya down and fidgeted with his hands. He was nervous and it was the most adorable thing she had ever seen. The almighty Zuko Agni was nervous over a pregnant woman. Truly a sight to see.
"Um besides gifting us your beautiful house what more could you offer us?" Suki stated rubbing her now round, large belly. Zuko rubbed the back of his head in a nervous fashion and reached into his back pocket.
"Well, I know how things can rack up." He handed him a small white envelope. Sokka opened it and his eyes widened. "This is a check for $10,000 to start the kid's college fund. Maya has one and I thought well every kid should have a chance to go to school so it's the least I could do. Diapers aren't my thing, plus rehab doesn't give you the opportunity to look at baby things."
Suki's eyes filled with tears and Sokka looked at if his heart had stopped. This was truly an act of generosity and kindness on Zuko's part. She could tell he was doing it out of the goodness in his heart.
"Thank, thank you so much. This is unbelievable. I couldn't even afford to go to college." Suki stroked her pregnant belly and smiled. "Now you can do things I never could baby."
"Man, I appreciate this. You didn't have to do this at all." Sokka said
"You're right I didn't but doing good deeds for good people is confirmation enough." Zuko smiled a grin that Katara had never seen before. It was somehow bigger, brighter and more genuine than his smiles before. The rehab and therapy was obviously doing something good for him. He hadn't completely changed but he seemed to be more comfortable and open than before.
Zuko's eyes connected with hers and she immediately got roped into his stare. Eye contact. They were having eye contact. Immediately flashbacks of him writhing on top of her, groaning her name, and taking her to ecstasy came into her mind. Of course she missed her for more than sex. She missed his honesty, his confidence, his sense of humor, and everything else but all she could be reminded of when looking at him was the growing pang in her stomach and the night of passion that may have created it. She couldn't spill everything to him right now. She needed to distract herself.
"Time to cut the cake!" Katara yelled, startling everyone. That got him not looking at her at least.
Everyone gathered around the table to see what the sex of the baby would be. Once it was cut everyone would know. Suki cut straight down into the cake and a glimpse of pink was revealed. Claps and excited cheers were heard all around the backyard.
"It's a girl!" Hakoda yelled at the top of his lungs. "I'm going to have a granddaughter!"
"Congratulations you two. Girls are a handful I admit." Mai said clapping her hands together.
"Welcome she'll be my little princess." Sokka pressed his lips to Suki's belly then planted a soft kiss on her lips. "And Suki will be my queen, my wonderful, beautiful queen."
Her brother was maturing and happy. Katara was blessed to see her brother with a family that he could call his own. It was truly something she secretly wanted for herself.
"I'm going to be the best auntie ever to the little princess. I'll give her tons of sugar and loud toys when I babysit." Katara joked.
"Oh then she's going to have to stay with grandpa. When she's on a sugar high from Katara she's YOUR daughter Sokka." Suki stated poking Sokka in the chest.
"And when she wants to talk about boys and gross girl stuff like periods and make up she's yours." Sokka retorted, smiling from ear to ear.
Once the cake was cut Katara sat at a table with Toph with her piece of cake. To her surprise a familiar figure sat next to her.
"Hey." Zuko whispered softly.
"Hey." She held her breath. The way their eyes peered into each other was enough to make time stopped. He was so close to her and her heart was already pounding.
"I- I've missed you." He whispered and gripped her hand from under the table. His hand was warm wrapped around hers. The sensation of his touch was something she missed, something she craved at times. Luckily the table cloth was long enough to hide that their hands were intertwined. Everything came rushing back when they touched, but now was not the time to rekindled feelings.
"I missed you too." Katara whispered. And she did miss him. She missed his spirit more than anything. "We can talk later okay?"
Zuko nodded and looked over at Toph, who was shaking her head empathically. Did Toph have a problem or something? Of course she could tell they were deeply infatuated at this point. She was Toph, it was like she had this all Seeing Eye or something. Toph did call that Katara and Zuko had a connection early on. Now the issue was holding it all back until they were alone together.
Later Katara was able to sneak off for just a moment on the balcony upstairs. The air felt good running through her raven locks. She could hear the laughs and joy from the backyard as the sun began to set. She did really good planning this. She could tell both Sokka and Suki were so grateful. They would be amazing parents to her little niece.
She rubbed her stomach and gazed down at it longingly. She always knew she wanted to be a parent but judging from the circumstances would it be right to have a child when she wasn't married and wasn't even in a real relationship with Zuko at this point. Sure, she had strong feelings for him but having a child with him would be completely different. He was an amazing father, which was part of the reason she fell for him in the first place. But look at how Mai and he turned out. Zuko's fathering couldn't save their damaged relationship.
Who was she kidding? She didn't even know if she was pregnant yet. She would take the test when everyone left. She was so anxious at this point so if she took it now she would ruin everyone's happy vibes.
"Snuck off to watch the sunset?" A deep voice came from behind her. She nearly jumped out of her skin by being startled. She was expecting to have a moment alone but that was ruined. She didn't feel too disappointed considering her and Zuko had been stealing glances all night. They definitely needed to talk.
"Couldn't wait to get me alone, Zuko?" Katara smirked and twirled a strand of hair around her fingertips. Even in normal clothes he still looked perfect. The only thing that was different about was the obvious onset of a beard growing in pretty thickly. Zuko Agni with a full beard? This was a regular scandal for the tabloids. Even with the beard he was beautiful to her. She laughed to herself as Zuko wrapped his arms around her waist. His chest pressed into her back. They melted into each other so easily like he had never left. She felt safe in his arms.
"I've wanted to do this from the moment I met you." Zuko mustered in a soft tone. "I've wanted to hold you and sit outside watching the sunset. I wanted to court you instead of just having you in my bed. I wanted to know you. I knew you were different and I also knew I didn't deserve a girl like you."
"You've changed. The five o' clock shadow suits you. You look more mature."
"Ha, rehab doesn't allow razors so I might come back looking like a wild beast by the time I'm done. I guess my therapy has been working. He suggested I open up more and talk about my feelings instead of bottling things inside. I figured I'd start with you."
Things were left more than undone before he left. Now was the time to share how they were feeling.
"What are we going to do now?" Katara was curious. She knew she wanted him but did he want her? Would he still want her if she was pregnant?
"Whatever we want." Zuko went on. "I want something real with you. I want an honest relationship. I don't care about the media or the company. I want to be with you. I want to love you. I want to experience something honest with you and not regret it. Make an honest man of me Katara and you won't regret it. What do you say? Will you be my real girlfriend?"
"I, yes a thousand times yes I'll be with you." Katara was ecstatic but the nagging pain in her stomach made her sound less than enthusiastic. Who would've thought Zuko (The playboy) Agni would want to try a committed relationship with her after all of this time?
"Great," He planted a kiss on her cheek. "How about we go on a little trip when I come back? Where ever you want to go. Paris, Milan, Germany, England. Anywhere. We can get away for a while. Maybe we can work it out to where we can take Maya with us."
He was moving too fast and at this point before she went out of the country with him she had to tell him the possibility of her being pregnant. He couldn't let him leave without knowing.
"That sounds great Zuko but before we run off together I think we should make sure things are okay at home." Her voice was starting to shake she could tell. If she cried right now she would completely lose it. Keep it together, she thought to herself.
"Is there an issue? Listen I have up to a year of leave while my Uncle makes sure things are running smoothly. We have time. AA won't be THAT time consuming. Maya loves you if you're worried about that. We don't have to make anything public quite yet. They don't even need to know we call off our little fake engagement."
"Besides you having to leave after tonight no." Katara could feel a knot in the pit of her stomach. How was she going to bring this up? Ugh, she should've asked Mai how she broke to him when they were downstairs. She was so tense, not even an hour long massage could loosen her up.
"What's wrong? You keep staring off into the distance. What aren't you saying?" Zuko asked in a concerned voice.
Well, here goes nothing.
"I, well, um let me ask you a question. When we had sex you wore a condom right?" Katara asked unconfidently. There was absolutely no less awkward way to bring it into the conversation.
"Of course I wore protection Katara. Neither of us wants a child right now." Zuko rubbed his temple in annoyance. "Oh God, this is giving me flashbacks to when Mai told me she was pregnant. Tell me you're just being really cautious or something."
Unfortunately she couldn't reassure him. Katara felt like an idiot. She could tell he was less than thrilled about her hinted at news. She responded, feeling like she was going to break down at any moment, "I, I think I am. I didn't take a test yet but my body has been feeling so off lately. I've been sick and moody and I'm late too. I really think I am."
"That's ridiculous. We used protection every time but you know your body best. If you aren't sure let's take a test. You could just be feeling strange from stress. We need to know for sure." Leave it to Zuko to start making her possibly pregnancy sound like some strange pseudo-business meeting.
"What if I am? Oh God, am I going to end up like Mai?" The floodgates opened when she asked the question. Tears fell like globs, streaming down her cheek. How could she possibly expect him to stay with her?
"I can assure you that you won't EVER end up like Mai because I actually want to be with you. Calm down, we don't even know if you are pregnant. If you are then so be it. We can decide the best option from there." Zuko wiped her tears with his thumbs. "Please stop crying. I don't regret a thing about you Katara. This isn't a mistake if you are carrying my child."
"Would you want to keep it?" She hadn't made up her mind yet. Normal people had pregnancy scares when they were inexperienced little teenagers, not when they were caught up in a sex tape scandal. They had used a condom and still had a mishap. Maybe it was meant to be for this to happen.
"After what happened with Mai I would never advise an abortion or anything else for that matter. It's your body and your decision. If you want to keep it we can raise it together. If you don't want that there's other options. Of course I'm not ready for another child right now but if it turns out you are having my baby I would have no choice but to get ready. I'll love you no matter what Katara and I'll love the baby even more. Let's not get worked up though. You said it yourself that you weren't sure. We can wait until you take the test to start with logistics."
"That means a lot Zuko." The calmness in Zuko's voice made Katara think everything was going to be okay. If she was pregnant it wouldn't be the end of the world. If she wasn't pregnant that would be fine too.
"You're still wearing it." Zuko said out of the blue.
"Wearing what?" Katara asked.
"The engagement ring. It's been two months. You don't have to pretend to be my fiancée anymore. The contract is null and void. Why do you still wear it?"
Because she loved him and it was the closest thing she could get to being near him when he was away.
Katara decided to not flatter him and kept it cool. "It's such a beautiful ring. It would be a waste to not wear something so expensive, unless you want it back. I got so used to wearing it too. It feels weird not wearing it."
"Well, it feels weird not waking up next to you every morning." He shot her a kind smile. "Keep it Katara. If the cards are in our favor and we last together I'm just going to say that you have not seen a beautiful ring yet. I'll make that one look like it was purchased from a candy machine. I'm just saying."
Old womanizer Zuko had obviously made an appearance with that statement. No matter how much rehab he could get they couldn't talk the cockiness out of him when it came to charming women.
Katara blushed. She was giving him the satisfaction of knowing he had successfully appealed to her. The thought of actually walking down the aisle with Zuko standing there and having it all be real would be surreal.
"We should get back before someone thinks we snuck off to have a quickie or something. By the way what happened to my downstairs bathroom door? You are such a bad house sitter." They walked hand in hand and laughed.
That was a story for another day.
~/~
Once outside it was as if the entire party was waiting for them to return. All eyes were on Zuko and Katara when they stepped into the yard holding hands. Did they really look like that much of a couple already? Of course an announcement would be made later but for now a low profile would be best. They let go of each other's hands and joined the party.
"There you are Kat. We thought you two eloped. We're waiting to open all the gifts." Suki said with her glowing smile. Pregnancy actually looked good on her.
"Yea we opened about 8 packs of diapers when you left. You two didn't miss much." Sokka groaned. As soon as Zuko sat down Maya ran over and sat on Zuko's lap. They snuggled up close to watch the gifts being opened. The love between Zuko and his daughter knew no boundaries.
"Oh look another pack of bottles. Greaaaaaaaaaat." Sokka said in an unamused voice. He tossed the wrapper to the side nonchalantly and rolled his eyes. Babies definitely were not Sokka's favorite hobby. When the baby came it would be fun seeing Sokka changing a diaper, making bottles, and rocking a baby. Sokka was possibly the clumsiest and non-parental person Katara knew. Seeing him develop into a father would certainly be a fun sight.
Suki jabbed him in the arm with her elbow and said, "Say thank you and read who it's from."
"Right it's from Aang. Thanks Aang. We always need 50 bottles for one human being. Next one Suki." Sokka handed her a rectangular box wrapped in silver wrapping paper.
Suki ripped it open and said, "From Maya, your baby will be so pretty. Thank you sweetheart. Let's all see what you brought for her." Suki pulled out a knitted baby blue blanket from the package. "Oh a blanket. It's so nice. Did you make this?"
"Yes, I made it all by myself! My mommy helped me pick the colors. I hope she likes it." Maya exclaimed.
"That's beautiful Sweetheart. You should make me a blanket too." Zuko whispered to Maya in a proud voice.
"Mmm you're too big Daddy. It would take a thousand years to make you a blanket." Maya responded while Zuko had a slightly embarrassed look.
"What are you trying to say Maya?" Zuko asked jokingly.
"You put on a couple pounds." Mai mouthed under her breath. Zuko glared at her but didn't say anything, anticipating the next gift being opened.
"Enough of the presents. We all know we have about 50 cases of diapers, onesies, and bottles. Let's have some fun." Sokka protested. "We're going to test everyone's baby changing skills. You have a minute and thirty seconds to apply a diaper to one of our lovely teddy bears. People with baby experience don't play so Gran Gran and Mai you're out."
"I should be out. I changed your diaper when you wet the bed until you were 7 Sokka." Katara joked, causing everyone to laugh hysterically.
"HEY, we agreed to never talk about that." Sokka said embarrassed. Suki gave him a kiss on the cheek and it seemed like his embarrassment immediately disappeared. "Let's do this game."
Every person received one cloth diaper, one teddy bear, and one safety pin. Sokka held the timer and when the time was to begin he would announce it.
"I'm going to whip everyone's ass in this diaper game." Toph proclaimed.
"Don't curse around my baby. As long as you beat Zuko I would still feel like a winner." Mai said sarcastically.
"Go." Sokka shouted. Katara had never seen so many people move so fast in their lives. Even Aang, who had probably never changed a diaper in his life. Determined to win Katara folded and pin the diaper swiftly. Before she could announce she was done Zuko waved his arm in the air signaling her was done.
"It's been 30 seconds. How did you even-"
"Zuko wins!" Suki yelled "For winning you get… ANOTHER PIECE OF CAKE!"
"YES!" Zuko exclaimed. "Maya needs another piece of cake."
"You all are lucky I don't need the carbs." Toph said scornfully.
"Hey Zuko, can I talk to you for a minute." Aang said amongst the talking.
"Sure." Zuko got up. "Maya, go get the other piece of cake while I go talk to him."
What could Aang and Zuko possibly have to discuss? Katara thought they hated each other. What changed?
~/~
"I just wanted to say that I've been watching over Katara and your family since you've been gone. No moves from Jet yet from what I know. I didn't want to say this in front of everyone but I'm pretty sure he's planning whatever his next move is very carefully." Aang explained.
Zuko was happy to hear that Aang had the decency to still watch over everything while he was gone. Maybe Aang really was a truly nice guy. Sure he lied but who hasn't lied to impress someone before. Aang genuinely cared about making sure Zuko's family was alright and that to him meant he had some sort of good character, even after all the things Zuko purposely put him through.
"I appreciate it. Once I finish with rehab I'm going after him full throttle before he gets the opportunity to do anything. I have this handled Aang. If he tries to contact you again let me know. I may not have control of Agni Inc right now but I still have a lot of power."
"He hasn't yet. Trust me, if he comes after Katara or your little girl I'll be the first to know. I have a feeling whoever broke into Katara's apartment was sent by Jet."
Zuko knew for a fact Jet sent those men. It was sloppily done and meant to send a message more than anything. Zuko received it loud and clear. If Jet wanted revenge for what his father caused he would have to do better than that.
"I think so too. I also think he had no intention of taking her. Jet wants to hurt me so shaking her up would send the message loud and clear. He wants to play this game with me. Considering he doesn't have his claws in my sister now that she's getting better and has no access to Katara it won't be long before he makes some sort of spectacle to force my hand."
He was so thankfully Azula was in rehab, far, far away from Jet. He was toxic for her. Since she was away from him she was getting exponentially better. She was still cold, calculating Azula but at least she wasn't a drunken Azula. He hoped she realize she was much better and happier that way and that Jet was just using her.
"We'll be ready for it." Aang responded. "Listen, I also wanted to thank you for rejecting my gliders. I got a huge offer from a company in China to mass produce them and even make improvements so they'll be less dangerous. My product will be distributed globally now. If you would have never severed the contract I would have never even thought of looking into other deals. You were right they were a liability and now they can be improved. I respect your business sense."
"You're welcome. I'm not good at apologies but I'm sorry for you know, being a total asshole to you. I was being spiteful and you didn't deserve to be cheated on. I shouldn't have went after her knowing she was yours. I want to apologize for breaking your nose too. I know from experience plastic surgery can suck. Forgive me for letting my ego get the best of me. You're a, a, a-"
"Come on. Say it! Say it!" Aang pressed the issue.
It hurt Zuko's ego to even compliment stupid Aang and his stupid bald head, but he had to give props where props were due. He was wrong about Aang. He truly was a decent guy after all. He still hated his face though and wanted to fight him again if the opportunity arose. Aang was surprisingly a good match, despite Zuko having the security on his side. One day they would have to spar for fun.
Zuko stated, "Ugh, you're a nice guy Aang. I don't even think I'd ever have the balls to help and look out for the man my girlfriend cheated on me with. Thanks for everything, including helping to look for my daughter. You still lied but you're good in my book."
"Thanks. We're cool?" Aang inquired.
Maybe Aang could grow on Zuko. He had proved pretty loyal so far and that was after Zuko had treated him pretty poorly. Aang was being the bigger person and Zuko could respect that.
"Yea, we're cool."
"SO now that we're cool can you put in a good word with Mai? She's hot! I know she had a kid and everything but she looks great."
And just like that, Aang had lost all his cool points just that fast.
Zuko threatened, "You touch her and I will break your neck. We aren't THAT cool."
Maybe they wouldn't be friends right away but they certainly weren't enemies anymore.
~/~
Once everyone left, Katara collapsed on the bed. She was so glad the baby shower was over and was largely a success. Now all that was left was to get some much needed rest. Zuko surprised her when he came into the room after he finished saying good bye to all the guests downstairs. By guests it was just Sokka and him talking for an hour or so about pregnancy stories like they were trading war tips. At least her boyfriend and brother got along.
"Tired? I see." Zuko said walking into the room and taking his seat on the bed. Katara could smell him from there. With him not being home his smell left the bed sheets. She missed his smell of cherries and sweet musk.
"Just resting for a bit. What did you and Aang talk about? I saw you two talking."
"He just wanted to get my opinion on a business deal he was making with another company about his glider."
Something told her that wasn't all they talked about considering Aang was quite childish and Zuko had an ego the size of Canada. They just sudden put their differences aside so quickly? She didn't buy it. Zuko may be used to lying to other girls but she could read body language a mile away. If he wasn't completely lying to her he wasn't telling her the entire truth.
"You two are all buddy- buddy now?" Katara hoped she could get a hint from him about what was going on with him and Aang.
"We aren't buddies. Not yet anyway. Does the possibility of us being friends partners bother you?" Well at least that part was truthful.
"It's weird. He's my ex and you're my future. It makes me feel uneasy."
Zuko crawled over and got on top of Katara, pinning her to the bed.
"Did Aang touch you Katara?"
"Yes."
"Did Aang touch you here?" He put his hand on her forehead. Katara nodded. He planted a soft kiss on her forehead. "Here?" He pointed to her cheek. She nodded quickly and he again kissed her on the cheek. "Here?" He put his thumb on her lips. Again he kissed her but this time deeply and for a longer time. He pulled back slowly, "Are you thinking about him now?"
"No."
"Good because he doesn't matter. I'm going to erase him every time you're with me."
Zuko rolled off Katara and onto his back, lying next to Katara. "You did great today Katara. I'm proud. I'm sure Sokka's little girl will be extremely spoiled with the amount of gifts they got today."
"Between Dad and Gran Gran she'll probably think she's a real princess." Katara rolled over. "Thanks but I couldn't have done it without your house here. Although Suki was going around counting all of the dangerous areas for babies. Apparently, you have to baby proof the house pronto for her to even let the baby visit."
"I once baby proofed my house but that was a while ago. I still have the gates and everything in the basement. Maya still managed to crawl over the gates but I have no problem putting them up if you want to babysit your niece here."
"I'm sure I'll be on babysitting duty 9 times out of 10. Kids and babies love me so I'll be in my element."
"Are we going to keep talking about babies without addressing the elephant in the room?"
"Must you be so…efficient all the time?"
"Sorry, it's the business man in me. I hate wasting time and I believe we've already wasted quite a bit of time taking so long to get together. We used protection but accidents happen I suppose. I'm anxious to know and I go back to rehab tomorrow. I don't want to go back wondering if you're carrying my child or not."
"Okay, let's do this."
Without notice Zuko handed her the box.
"So you carry around pregnancy tests in your pocket?"
"No, I have some in the house. I keep them-"
"In the downstairs laundry closet. I know. You forgot I cleaned every cranny of this house." Katara looked down at the box. The test was supposed to be 99 percent effective. "Alright, I'll be back in a second."
She went into the bathroom and shut the door. The test suddenly felt so heavy in her hand. This was the single most important moment of her entire life. She took a deep breath in and opened the cardboard box. She poured the small, white stick out and out fell a folded piece of paper with directions on it. It was pretty self-explanatory. Pee on the stick. Wait three minute. Look at the results.
She could do this. She had to. In three minutes she would have the answer that would determine the rest of her life. She couldn't wait the entire three minutes alone. She put the test on the bathroom counter, wrapped in a tissue, and went out to the bedroom where Zuko was pacing back and forth. She put her head into his back and held him from behind. She could hear his heart beating hard through his spine. She wasn't the only one hopelessly nervous.
"3 minutes." Zuko blurted out.
"Three. Minutes." Katara repeated. Try not to panic. Try not to panic, Katara repeated to herself.
Zuko sounded completely bewildered, "You think I'd be able to handle this. I've been here before. God, my heart is pounding."
Things were weighing heavy for him. He was probably reliving every bad decision and mistake he's ever made in his life. Katara on the other hand was calculating the price of diapers, baby clothes, bottles, and other things a baby needs. At least Zuko knew about raising a child. She didn't have the experience he did. Regardless the baby would be a blessing if the test was positive. They had to hope for the best.
"I don't expect you to be collected. If you were calm this entire time I'd be worried. 2 more minutes to go."
"2 more minutes until I'll know if I'll be a father again. Maya was unplanned but she's the greatest thing that's ever happened to me. I still made so many mistakes. You know I'm scared out of my mind."
"I'm scared too." She was breathing so hard she was nearly hyperventilating.
"Whatever the results are I still want to be with you no matter what."
"It's time." Katara stated. She walked into the bathroom quickly like her life depended on it. She picked up the stick wrapped in the tissue and didn't even look at it. She waited until Zuko sat down on the bed. She sat next to him and clasped his hand in hers. Zuko could barely contain himself. He was looking straight down at the floor, too nervous to look at the results himself. "It's negative Zuko." Katara grimaced.
"W-what?" Zuko said shocked.
"I'm not pregnant. I guess I'm just stressed." Katara collapsed on the bed and sighed in relief. At least they knew. Part of her kind of wanted to be pregnant. She wondered if she was what would have happened. At least now she could focus on her career and Zuko could focus on his emotional issues without worrying about a new mouth to feed.
"Are you okay Katara?"
"Yea, I'm just bummed a little bit. I thought I was, I really thought I was."
"It's fine. I get that you may be upset. Talk to me."
"I always wanted to be mom since I was younger. Finding out I won't be a mother right now makes me wonder what if, you know. It's good I'm not because we both have a lot to work on. I just want to move forward."
"They'll be plenty of time for a baby later if we choose to have one. We have time for that later. Right now, I just want to hold you and get used to wake up next to you in the morning. I love you. I don't want you to be sad."
After everything they had been through she couldn't live in regret. She went from cleaning the man's house to falling in love almost instantly. All the obstacles before them didn't destroy them and her not being pregnant wouldn't either.
"I'm not sad. Not when I'm with you."
"Good, now let's go to sleep Ms. Sapphire."
"Ms. Sapphire? Bossing me around again?"
"Of course, you're my favorite kind of maid."
"Mr. Agni, I will be here for your service now. What is it that I can do for you sir?" Role playing was suddenly a new option for them.
"Well Ms. Sapphire, I want you to love me unconditionally and be my one and only. Do you think you can handle that position?" Zuko smirked his classic devilish smirk and she knew they were in for an exciting night.
"Oh yes, Mr. Agni. I was made to love you."
Author's Note: That's all folks. Glad you all stayed along for the ride!
Watch out for Maid to Love 2 where the story continues. The sequel will cover things left unsettled in the first story including: Jet's plan to take over, Katara and Zuko's relationship, the custody battle for Maya, where's Zuko's mother, and the state of Agni Inc. The story will feature new characters including Sokka and Suki's little girl as well as old characters who will be returning, like Azula and June, who will play special roles in the sequel. I will post the sequel when I finish the entire story so it may be a wait, but well worth it.
In the meantime check out my new Zutara AU to tide you over. It's called Reunion from Hell. If you like a good romance and a good murder mystery check it out : )! Once again thank you all very much for sticking around.
In honor of the ending of the story I'd like to know: What was your favorite moment in the story and what was your least favorite moment? I promise I'll see you all really soon.
Best,
Brie