A/N:

Part 3:

Zuko decided to stop by his father's estate to talk to him about the investigator he hired but saw Katara was there. He spotted the two of them by the Koi fish pond, cleaning the pond filter and laughing about whatever it was they were discussing. He watched Katara splash the water into his father's face and noticed his father laugh instead of getting angry. His father shoved Katara onto the grass and pounced her, grabbing her wrists to push above her head. Zuko hurried to stop what was going on as he thought his father was about to hurt her.

"Hey! Dad! Get off of her!" Zuko grabbed his father by the back of his shirt, trying to yank him off.

Ozai sat off of Katara and looked over his shoulder at his son while Katara bashfully rolled from underneath him.

"What are you doing here, Zuko?" Ozai asked in annoyance as he climbed to his feet, Katara deciding to keep her distance.

Furrowing his brows at his father, "Well, I was going to talk to you about something until I saw you trying to attack my wife! I thought you guys were getting along?"

Ozai wanted to laugh at the fact his son thought he was trying to attack Katara but sure, if that's what he thought, he'd let him for now.

Folding his arms, "My staff should have told you that I didn't want guests here today."

"Then why's Kat here?" Zuko said.

"Her upstairs neighbor's apartment flooded and it spilled into her place. It's being worked on so I'm letting her stay here a few nights until things are finished there." Ozai explained.

Zuko saw Katara walk off and sighed, "Mind if I stay here a few days too?"

"I do mind actually." Ozai said.

"How come you're okay with her staying?"

"She makes herself useful." Ozai replied. "You on the other hand would just be getting in the way."

"But da-"

"You should leave, Zuko. I don't have time for this." Ozai said in annoyance as he got back to cleaning his koi pond.

Zuko sighed as he looked off to where Katara roamed off to, "Can I at least speak to Kat before I leave?"

"Knock yourself out."

Katara was in Ozai's wing of the estate, pouring herself some orange juice when she saw Zuko walk in.

"Hey, Kat." Zuko waved awkwardly at her.

Drinking her juice and looking away from him, Katara poured herself some more orange juice. "What do you want?"

"For starters, I was hoping we could talk and maybe try to get on better terms with each other." Zuko said.

Katara finished her orange juice and put the container away, "You got your secretary pregnant, Zuko. There are no better terms than we have now."

"We didn't keep it, Kat. Mai's married too and it would have ruined her marriage, so she had an abortion."

Furrowing her brows at this, "And that somehow is supposed to make things better?"

"I broke things off with her. You can ask your brother. I'm trying to focus on fixing us and doing whatever it takes to make things right again." Zuko explained. "I really want to make it up to you, Kat."

Katara looked at him and looked at him hard, "And I'm supposed to just be ready when you are?"

"Kat, I know you're seeing someone else right now but they can't mean more than our marriage."

Katara lifted a brow, "Zuko, I'm happy with who I'm seeing right now. He's very good to me and being with him helped me realize that you never really put any effort into being with me."

"Kat, what are you sayin-"

"I'm saying that for the first time I actually know what it feels like for someone to care about what I have to say, spend time doing whatever together, and just taking care of my needs as much as I take care of theirs." Katara explained. "I love you, Zuko. I have for most of my life and I thought I could move past what you did, I thought I'd be ready once you were to move on with our marriage but….I'm not. I'm not ready to give up this romance I'm having right now."

Zuko couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I think we should get a divorce, Zuko."

"Kat, no. You can't mean that. You're not serious. How could you be?"

"I'm very serious." Katara said in a calm tone.

"You just met this guy and you're wanting to leave me for him?!"

"I wanting to leave you for me. This isn't about him."

"It has to be! You wouldn't be saying this otherwise! What kind of shit are you two doing that has you wanting to leave me?!"

Katara furrowed her brows, "Apparently, the same shit you were doing when you were going behind my back." she folded her arms. "Now, I'm done having this conversation. I plan to speak to a lawyer in a few days to move forward with the divorce. So, please pick up your phone or I'll have the papers delivered to your job in front of everyone."

Zuko couldn't help but feel sick at this realization and stormed out. He hurried his way out of his father's estate and down to where he parked his car. He made quick work of leaving the estate as it seemed his father didn't want him around and Katara was officially done with him.

Tears rolled down his cheeks as he felt like his world was falling apart. He could barely see as he had to repeatedly wipe his eyes in order to see where he was going. As Zuko tried to make his way to Sokka's in order to get him to talk some sense into his sister, he accidentally ran a red light and before he knew it, everything went black.

…

It was late into the night and Ozai was asleep with his arms wrapped around Katara. They had just fallen to sleep from some vigorous love making and were trying to get some sleep in order to make it to an art gallery just outside of the city. Katara managed to get another gallery to take in her artwork and they had a meeting with the director there. However, as the two had drifted off, one of their phone's rang and they were going to ignore it until it rang three more times. Katara groaned and told Ozai to answer it as it was his ringtone that was playing.

Not feeling like it but doing it anyway, Ozai sat up and pulled away from Katara to reach for his phone on the nightstand. He answered in a tired voice, even yawning and asked who it was calling him at this time of night.

"Yes, this is his father. What's going on?" Ozai turned the lamp on. "What do you mean there was an accident?! Where's my son?!"

Katara sat up in bed and saw Ozai climb out.

"Yes, yes! I'm on my way! Just go ahead with the procedure!" He shouted before hanging up to look around for his clothes.

"What's going on?" Katara asked him.

"Get dressed. Zuko's at the hospital."

"What?!"

"Ran a red light and was hit by a truck. They're going to have to do surgery on him but things aren't looking good for him."

Katara threw the covers off and put on her clothes.

Rushing into the hospital lobby, Katara stood by Ozai as he shouted for the receptionist to tell him where the doctor for Zuko Yong was. The woman tried to tell him to calm down and he argued with her. Katara notice a doctor approach them and she pulled on Ozai's jacket to get his attention.

"Are you two here for Zuko Yong?" the doctor asked.

"Yes," Ozai turned around. "I'm his father and this is his wife."

"I'm glad you both could make it. He's almost done with surgery and so far it looks like he'll pull through."

"That's good news." Ozai said. "Let us know when we can see him."

The doctor nodded and told them to wait in the waiting area.

It was two hours later before the doctor showed back up to let them know he was moved into a room and took them to him. As soon as they entered the room, they saw Zuko unconscious in bed with bandages to his head and wrists. The doctor further explained the extent of his injuries and told them that he would likely need physical therapy to relearn how to walk. This was not the news they expected but Katara told the doctor she would tend to her husband so the nurses wouldn't have to. The doctor made a note of that and left them to their privacy.

Katara went to Zuko's side and looked him over with a somber expression as she went to cup his face.

"He'll be fine, Katara." Ozai assured her as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

Sniffling as tears formed in her eyes, "They said the same thing about Ryu. Said he'd be fine after surgery but…" Dropping her head as tears wield in her eyes. "There was too much trauma and his little body couldn't handle it."

Pulling her into his arms, Ozai let her cry into his chest as he looked at his son resting in the hospital bed. "Things will be different this time around."

All week, Ozai and Katara had been taking turns looking after Zuko to make sure he recovered better than if the nurses looked after him. Katara was the one that would sponge bathe him, change his chamber pot, and made sure his pillow was fluffed enough to keep him comfortable while he rested. His father spent the nights making sure he survived another night, staying up all night until Katara would return in the morning. It was during their morning transition that Zuko finally stirred to consciousness and looked at them both as the two were talking. He watched his father hold his wife in his arms and rub her back before placing a kiss on her forehead.

"He'll wake up, dear. Give it time." Ozai told Katara.

"It's been a week." Katara sniffled.

Zuko shifted a little to try and get their attention but it caused him grave pain, making him cry out. Both his wife and father turned to him in shock. Katara rushed over to his side as his father stood at the foot of the bed eyeing his wife before looking at him.

"Zuko, thank La!" Katara cried as she cupped his face and looked him over with her teary eyes. "I was beginning to worry."

Zuko looked weakly up at his wife and saw she looked genuinely happy to see him. It had been a while since he last saw her look at him with a smile. It warmed his heart.

"What happened?" He asked in a rasp.

Katara turned to his nightstand to pour him some water in a cup, she put a straw in it and held it to him, helping him drink it. "You were in a car accident, Zuko."

"Barely made it alive." Ozai chimed in as he folded his arms. "But you pulled through like a champ."

Zuko shut his eyes for a moment and lolled his head, "I feel awful."

"I bet." Ozai said as he looked at Katara. "Well, I'll get going and leave you to it."

Katara didn't turn her attention away from Zuko and Ozai left without saying another word.

After the nurses were made aware that Zuko was awake and the doctor did a quick debriefing of what happened for Zuko, Katara gave him a sponge bath for the day. She didn't say much to him after his initial awakening but she tended to him nonetheless. Helping him eat the food the nurses brought in for him to eat, fluffing his pillows and changing his sheets, she even helped him shift his position a little in bed. As she was currently bathing him, Zuko watched her intently and wondered why she was so quiet. He waited for her to help him into a fresh hospital gown after cleaning him up before he said a word to her.

"Kat."

Katara made a sound in her mouth in response.

"I'm glad you're here." Zuko said weakly. "It means a lot to me that some part of you still cares about me."

Sighing as she looked Zuko in the eyes, "I never stopped caring about you, Zuko. You are my first love and I will never stop loving you. While it was for such a short time, you gave me Ryu, and I loved that child as a manifestation of our love for one another. There is nothing in this world that will ever change what we had." Katara told him somberly. "But I stand by what I said before, Zuko. We need to part ways."

Zuko averted his eyes from her, "Is there anything I can do to convince you not to go through with this?"

Katara shook her head, "We can still remain friends, Zuko."

Sucking his teeth as he shook his head, "Why would I want to be your friend when I've been your lover and husband all this time?"

Clasping her hands together in her lap, "And why would I want to return to my husband's side when he's proven that in spite of our long standing relationship, he can betray me with impunity."

"Impunity? Kat, you being with another man has been a grave punishment for me. I loathe to think of you being with anyone but me."

"Then you should have considered that when you let yourself between the legs of another woman. You should have pictured me spreading mine for a man that was not you." Katara said with disdain as she kept a hard gaze on Zuko. "Now, I will look after you and visit you everyday, Zuko. Take care of you and make sure you heal. I'll even help you after you leave here as the doctor said you will need physical therapy. But once you are back to yourself, we'll begin the divorcing process and we will go our separate ways."

"Kat-"

A hand fell on Katara's shoulder and she glanced up to see Ozai was back. "Time to switch already?"

Ozai nodded.

Katara stood to her feet, "Well, I'm glad to see you're awake, Zuko. I know this will be a challenging road to recovery but I'll be here for you every step of the way."

Zuko's somber gaze was fixated on the sheets of his bed, "I appreciate that, Kat."

"Can I have a word with you before you leave?" Ozai asked Katara as she grabbed her purse to leave.

Katara nodded and the two went outside the room, shutting the door.

"So what's the plan with him?" Ozai asked her.

Katara shrugged, "We just look after him like we have been doing and wait till he's completely back to normal before we say anything to him."

"But we're still telling him eventually, right?"

Katara nodded.

Ozai sighed and patted her head, "Go home, get some rest, I'll see you in the morning."

Re-entering the room, Ozai took a seat by his son's bed and folded his arms. He asked him how he was feeling and Zuko shook his head.

"I feel like I was hit by a train." Zuko told him.

Ozai tilted his head, "Well, it was a truck but you were close."

"This isn't a joke, dad. I got into that accident because Kat told me earlier that she was going to hire a lawyer so we could get divorced." Zuko couldn't help but scrunch his face as tears formed in his eyes. "She even said just now that she would wait till I got better before she went through with it. Can you believe that?! When did she get so cold?! Katara's never been like that before."

Ozai rolled his eyes as his son's self pity. "You made her this way, Zuko. I don't know why you act like this isn't your fault. Did I really raise you to become this unaccountable man?"

"I know what I did but that doesn't mean things should just end because of it. I love Kat and I made a terrible mistake in hurting her but I can make it better."

Ozai snorted, "You've only made it worse." He said as he tried not to smirk. "Maybe things could have worked but you told her to get lost and when she did, she realized she could survive without you. It was a real stupid move on your part."

"But she's only able to survive without me because you paid for everything!" Zuko yelled at his father. "You're always there when she needs something, you two go everywhere together, and I almost always see you two together. It's fucking weird! Like, do you miss Azula so much that you've begun to see Katara as your actual daughter?"

Ozai burst out laughing and only laughed more when he saw Zuko scowling at him. "You poor idiot. I don't even remotely think of her as my daughter."

"Then why?! Why are you always on her side?!" Zuko shouted.

Ozai smirked, "Because I see myself in her. She's just a younger female version of me. A little sweeter and kinder than me but we have plenty in common. I've truly come to enjoy her company. Quite a lovely wife you have, son. Or had, really. Not quite yours anymore, is she?"

Zuko tore his gaze from his father and shook his head. "Katara's only trying to leave me because of this guy she's seeing. Well, I'm going to find out whoever this bastard that's been fucking my wife is and when I find him, I'm going to try paying him off to leave Katara alone."

The laugh that tore from Ozai's mouth caused Zuko to jump for a second as he had never seen or heard his father laugh so hard. It really bothered him how his father thought this was all a joke.

"What's funny?"

Wiping the amused tears from his eyes, "I think it's funny you think you can pay this man off. What if he's a rich man? Do you think he will take your bribe?"

"Then I'll fight him. May the best man win."

"And what if he is larger than you, more fit, knocks your ass out? What then?"

"Then I'll just have to convince him there are plenty of other women out there. Any of which he can have but not my wife."

"And if he loves her?" Ozai raised a brow at his son.

Zuko scoffed, "He can't possibly love her. They just met."

"Or did they?" Ozai tapped the bottom of his chin in wonder.

Furrowing his brows, "Why are you trying to taunt me?"

Ozai shrugged, "Just giving you something to think about. I doubt when you find this man that you'll be able to do much to convince him or anything. I just want you to be prepared."

"Oh, I'll be prepared." Zuko said. "I'll do anything to get Kat back."

….

It was three weeks into Zuko's hospitalization and they were about to send him home. Ozai had decided his son would come stay with him until he was back to being 100%. He hired an assistant and a physical therapist all for when his son left the hospital. Things were in place for him when he got out. At the moment, Katara was helping him with his physical therapy in the hospital, so far it looked like he'd be needing three months of physical therapy. But it was alright. They planned for him to get the help that he needed.

"I think that's all for today. Don't want him to strain himself." The hospital physical therapist said.

Helping Zuko get back into bed, Katara pulled the covers over him after propping his legs up to make sure he was comfortable. When he was settled in, Katara pulled out the bento box she brought with her per Zuko's request. He couldn't stand the food in the hospital and pleaded with her to make him his favorites. She did so and brought it here for him. As soon as set it out for him, Zuko dug right in and ate it like he hadn't had food in weeks. She laughed and told him to settle down but he told her how much he missed her cooking. Apparently, he only ate tv dinners and take out since they separated.

Moaning at how good her food was, Zuko saw her giggling at him and smiled at her.

"What?"

Giggling, "You never acted like this over my food before." She said.

Zuko continued eating, "Well, I'm sorry I never told you before that your cooking was great. I don't have much long left to enjoy it so I just want you to know that I really enjoy it."

A soft smile graced Katara's face but before she could say anything, her phone went off and she picked it up.

"Can you ditch Zuko for an hour and come spend some time with me?" Ozai asked on the other end.

Katara giggled cutely, "Okay, I can do that."

"Great. See you then."

Hanging up, Katara looked up and saw Zuko eyeing her funny.

"Who was that?" He asked her.

Putting her phone in her purse, Katara stood up, "Just Suki. She wanted me meet her for an h-"

"You don't have to lie, Kat. I know it's the guy you're seeing." Zuko said in a seldom tone.

"Zu-"

"I know that look. You used to do that when we first started dating. Kept doing it for years. All the way up to the day before we lost Ryu." Zuko sighed. "Go one. Have your fun. Not like I didn't do the same when you needed me."

Katara felt the sting of guilt again that she hadn't felt in a while. She hated that he would guilt her like that but hated even more that she felt it in the first place. She told herself when Zuko told her that awful news about Mai being pregnant, that she would not give Zuko any more consideration for his feelings. But here she was caring that she was about to leave alone with a mess of hurt feelings. She sighed and put her purse back down.

"It's fine. I'll just see him another time." Katara said.

Ozai was lounging on his sofa waiting for Katara to show up when he got a text from her that she couldn't come because Zuko was in physical pain and she needed to look after him. That fucking cock block. He got up and threw on a jacket before heading out to go to the hospital. When he got there, Zuko was asleep in bed and Katara had also dosed off in her chair with her jacket as a blanket. He tapped on her shoulder to wake her up.

"Huh?"

Ozai pressed his finger to his lips and took her hand, "Come on. Let's go."

Katara wanted to laugh at how he just showed up to steal her away. They snuck out and made their way back to the estate where Ozai scooped her up, throwing her over his shoulders.

"Wait, I left the condoms at my apartment." Katara told him as he carried her up the steps to the estate.

"It's been three weeks. I'm not putting a condom on." Ozai told her.

"Then anal?" She suggested.

"A hole for each week I had to endure my sexual frustrations." Ozai told her before slapping her ass.

Across the street, the investigator snapped a shot of this and looked at his film. Looked like something weird was going on between his client's wife and some rich guy but there was no solid evidence yet. He didn't get a clear shot of the man's face so he figured he'd keep taking a look into it before he contacted his client.

Sneaking over to the estate, the investigator went up to the gates and saw there was only one other way in, that being over the wall from the tree right beside it. He climbed it and snuck his way inside. Tip-toeing around the staff, the investigator had a look around, hoping to find his client's wife soon before he got caught. However, he heard some rather explicit sounds and followed them.

Finding the client's wife naked and pressed up against a glass window, the investigator pulled out his camera. He started taking pictures but couldn't quite get a good shot of the man in question. It wasn't until the client's wife got on her knees and performed what looked like oral sex that the investigator was able to see the man's face more clearly. He snapped a few more shots for his client and even pulled out his cellphone to record the man in question lifting his client's wife up in his arms and fucking her while standing.

Damn, this guy has perfect form. The investigator shook his head as he looked at the footage as he got back to his car.

Dialing his client, "Hey, I've got what you're looking for. When can we meet?"

Zuko looked over to Katara's empty seat. "Now would be a good time."

Entering the hospital, the investigator shook his head at how bad of condition his client was in. Apparently, his wife came by everyday to take care of him. Seemed she had to take a break for a little while to get her fixing.

"So, what did you find?" Zuko asked him.

The investigator sighed, "Well, I found her with some rich guy. Really nice place, I have to say. Wish I could afford something like that. But anyway, I caught them in the act so I warn you, these photos and videos are pretty graphic."

Zuko swallowed hard as the man pulled out an envelope with photos in them and handed it to him. First thing, he noticed that was off, the place this man lived looked like his father's estate. He furrowed his brows and kept looking through the photos, seeing Katara completely naked and pressed up against the window really made his stomach turn as he hated to know she was sleeping with someone else. However, nothing prepared him for the next photos he saw. Zuko's stomach sunk almost immediately and he felt his eyes would pop out of his head.

"And take a look at this," The investigator pulled out his phone to show the recording. "This man's got crazy good form. Looks middle-age but he's no joke. He's really giving it to your wife."

Zuko watched the video in utter horror.

"Do you kn-know wh-who this is?" Zuko's voice trembled as his hands shook.

"You know this guy?" The investigator was surprised.

"Th-that's my dad!" Zuko shouted as spazzed out. "My father's been fucking my wife!"

The investigator had to say that was pretty fucked up. Not too many cases he had that went like this. Pretty savage stuff.

"Oh my Agni! This whole time! It all makes sense!" Zuko pulled at his hair as he started recalling all the things that didn't seem right but he ignored. His father was always around Katara, he bought her an apartment and paid all her bills for a year, he refused to give him her address when he was going out of tone with a woman that Zuko later found out was in her mid-twenties, they were in the store buying condoms, he caught his father pouncing on Katara by the koi pond, his father was letting her stay with him but refused his own son to stay too, and his father seemed so sure that there was no way for him to win back Katara. He was fucking his wife. Since when, Zuko didn't know but he was sure as hell getting to the bottom of it. He couldn't believe this.

"You can keep the photos just in case she tries to take everything in the divorce." The investigator said.

"I need you to keep following them. Take pictures of all their interactions." Zuko said.

"Alright but I don't know how that'll make things any better."

"Just do it. I'll pay you double."

The investigator sighed, "Can't say no to money."

Ozai decided to come into the hospital earlier than normal as Katara was worn out from him taking out his sexual frustrations on her. He figured she could rest in bed while he made sure Zuko wasn't getting all bothered by Katara's early departure. However, when he arrived at the hospital, the nurses approached him and told him he wasn't allowed to visit the patient at this time. Ozai was a bit confused and asked why and if something was wrong with his son.

"I'm sorry but the patient asked that you not visit him any longer."

Furrowing his brows, "How is going to deny me visitation and I'm the person he's getting discharged with?"

"He's requested that his wife be the one to check him out during discharge in the morning. He says to let you know he has his own physical therapist and assistant."

Ozai sucked his teeth, "That little ungrateful bastar-"

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Returning home, Ozai found Katara curled up under his sheets and told her what happened at the hospital. She seemed to think Zuko might be on to them but Ozai assured her that couldn't be possible as the idiot had no way of knowing. He kissed her forehead and told her not to worry, climbing back into bed with her.

Giggling as she shook her head, "No, I'm much too tired, Ozai." Katara pressed her hand into his chest.

"I'll do all the work." He said as he nibbled at her ear.

"I'm sore."

"Then I'll be gentle." Ozai purred, pulling his clothes off as he straddled her.

"Fine but I want to rest for the next few days."

"Whatever you say, sweetheart."

…..

Zuko had to say he was happy to be back home and out of the hospital. He didn't think he would last another day in that hell.

"Careful." Katara said the assistant helped Zuko out of his wheelchair and into his bed.

"It's fine, Kat." Zuko told her as he rested into his bed.

Katara asked the assistant to go get the pillows she bought from the car along with the foot rest. When the assistant left, Katara tried fluffing Zuko's pillows but he grabbed her hand to stop her. He told her he was fine but she looked like she didn't care what he had to say. When the pillows arrived, Katara began adjusting Zuko's comfortability levels to maximum levels. He sighed and lounged with a smile at how she did the trick.

"Are you hungry? I could cook something." She told him.

"Please." Zuko said.

Katara nodded and left his bedroom to go fix him lunch. Zuko sighed to himself and shook his head. He couldn't believe Katara was actually sleeping with his father. He wanted to tell her he knew and ask her about it but he felt he needed to confront his father first. The man always seemed to hate her for years and then suddenly sided with her. Zuko felt like his father might have liked her this whole time and waited for the right opportunity to pounce her.

Katara returned with his lunch and Zuko decided he'd ask some questions while he ate.

"Say, Kat."

"Yes, Zuko."

Sighing as he held his chopsticks, "I know it's none of my business but I just wanted to know if this guy you're with…are you planning to be with him long term?"

Katara didn't really have an answer for that because like he said, it wasn't his business but at the same time, she didn't know. Sure, she'd prefer that what she had with his father not be some casual fling to get her through her breakup with Zuko and she didn't feel like that would be the case. Ozai made it seem like they'd be together long after her divorce was finalized with Zuko. Just the other night, he asked her if she'd ever want a child with him and she was a bit taken aback by it. She didn't think someone of his age would want to have another child but he expressed liking the idea of it.

Pulling her hair behind her ear. "I don't know what the future holds, Zuko. But you know I'm not one for something casual."

"Is he good to you?"

Zuko watched his wife smile as she nodded.

"What do you see in him?" He asked her.

Katara sighed, "He was kind to me…in a brutally honest way. Made me feel like I wasn't alone and even though he barely had anything good to say about me at first, I could tell he was just frustrated with me trying to give up on myself." A small smile crept to her face, "At first, I thought of him like a friend I never had since we got along so well but he wanted to pursue something more since he knew you and I were separated. I wasn't sure for a while but he convinced me just after you told me that Mai was pregnant. Not to mention, before we even slept together, he put a lot of effort into spending time with me and embracing the things I like. He still does cute things for me throughout the week."

Zuko felt very hurt to hear his father stepped in to not only befriend her but to take her as a lover. He should have saw this coming. He should have seen all the signs in the beginning. How his father and Katara got so chummy so quickly. Sure, their relationship might not have started till recently but all the groundwork for it to happen already took place.

Tearing up, "Can I do nothing, nothing at all, to make you leave me?" Zuko asked.

"Zuko," Katara started to tell him how he never really listened to her throughout their time together. How looking back she felt like she loved him far more than he loved her and the only reason he was getting desperate was because their time together was over. He never really took her out. Didn't bother to put effort into their relationship to do even the small things for her even though she always went out of her way for him. She'd make his meals for years and he never once told her that it was delicious. Not until he realized he'd have to savor the flavor because these would be the last meals she'd fix for him. "Sometimes people don't realize what they had till it's gone, Zuko, and I know for a fact that I was a good thing that you just never really appreciated. You even went behind my back and told me to my face to accept it as you needed it." Katara teared up. "You even kicked me out of your father's estate because you wanted to be able to keep up with your affair. You did this all at my expense, Zuko. What could you possibly do that would ever change what you did to me? If you can tell me, I'll go to therapy with you and see what can be done about us. If not, well, you'll just have to accept that I need this."

"Ka-"

"Your assistant will be here all day and night with you. And the physical therapist will be here in the morning." Katara told him. "I will be back in the morning to fix your breakfast and lunch, make sure their doing their jobs. Now I'm finish eating and get some rest. I'll see you in the morning."

Returning to the estate, Katara saw Ozai was tending to his koi fish and walked over to him. She let him know she was tired and would go to bed early.

"Let me fix dinner first. Don't just go to bed on an empty stomach." Ozai told her.

"It's fine. I'm not very hungry." She told him as bent down to where he was crouching and kissed his cheek.

The next few weeks were difficult. Very difficult. Katara's apartment was fixed and so she returned home, Ozai staying over as she looked exhausted from having to care for his son. He'd already cooked dinner and tried to get her to eat but all she wanted to do was go to bed. To make matters worse, Katara was always sick in the morning, even though Ozai didn't know how she had anything to throw up since she barely ate. The final straw was when Katara nearly passed out as she tried heading out to Zuko's. Ozai caught her and carried her back to bed.

A few days passed and she got no better, so Ozai took her to the doctor's, hoping to figure out why she was so ill and if they could do anything about it. Sitting in the waiting room, together, Katara leaned her head against Ozai as he rubbed her shoulder.

"Mrs. Yong?"

Ozai helped Katara stand up and they got her into a room where her vitals were taken. The doctor looked her over and made her pee in a cup. After that, they waited to hear back from the doctor and talked amongst themselves.

Brushing her hair from her face and looking her over with worry, "You look awful."

"No, you're supposed to tell me how beautiful I am." Katara managed to joke through how just plain awful she felt.

Chuckling, "This isn't the time to be silly, dear."

Katara groaned and laid her head in his lap, "Just wake me when the doctor gets back."

Thirty minutes later, the doctor returned and had a grave look on his face. Ozai woke Katara up and she lifted her head to hear what the doctor had to say.

Zuko didn't know where Kat was or if she decided to just stop coming to see him but it worried him. Walking around with his cane, Zuko heard a knock at the door and he asked his assistant politely if they could get it. As Zuko took a seat on the sofa to relax, suddenly relaxing became the last thing he wanted to do as he saw his father walk into the sitting room.

Furrowing his brows in anger, "What the hell are you doing here?!" Zuko growled.

Ozai took a seat, "Katara wanted to make sure you were eating something other than tv dinners and take out."

"Then why are you here and not her?"

"She's not well and needs to rest. You're fortunate after all you've done to her that she even bothers with you at this point." Ozai told his son with a stoic expression. "You really don't deserve her."

"And neither do you." Zuko growled.

Ozai raised a brow at this.

"Pema, can you grab the envelope off the counter for me?" Zuko looked over his shoulder.

Receiving the envelope, Zuko pulled out a bunch of pictures and threw them at his father. "Explain to me! Explain to me now what you think you're doing with my wife?!"

Ozai glanced down at the photos and picked a few up. They were photos of him and Katara. Some were innocent photos of them out and about, holding hands. Then there were some that were of Katara and him having sex at his estate. He didn't know how this photographer got into his estate but all he knew was it was fucking illegal to break into someone's home. Not that that was the immediate issue here. Finding a photo of him having sex with Katara by his Koi pond, Ozai tilted his head at it and smirked a little.

"Now that's what I call perfect form." Ozai laughed.

Zuko growled loudly as he forced himself to his feet and threw his walker to the side, "You fucking bastard! That is my wife! How dare you!"

"Mind if I keep some of these?" Ozai asked him.

"Fuck you!" Zuko shouted. "If you don't leave my wife alone, I will-"

"You'll what, Zuko?" Ozai tilted his head up at his son from his sitting position. "Only reason I'm fucking your wife is because you sort of threw her on me. None of this would be happening if you kept your dick in your pants. This is your fault, son."

"Don't call me your son when you're fucking my wife!" Zuko screamed. "You leave Katara alone! Or I swear, I'll expose you both! These will be all over the internet! It'll ruin her reputation with the art galleries she's partnered with! You'll lose your retirement funding!"

Ozai stood to his feet and narrowed his eyes on him. He grabbed his son by the collar of his shirt and pulled him to him, "Look here, you little shit! You even think about having these photos released on the internet, I will have you arrested for evasion of privacy as well as breaking and entering! Not to mention, I'll make sure you never walk again! You'll be a lonely cripple that withers away into nothing." Shoving his son onto the couch, "How dare I fuck your wife?! How dare you do everything you have done and expect anything less! You're a piece of shit, Zuko! A fucking moron! You let a pretty little thing like Katara go for that boney bitch you call your secretary? I've seen that whore…I know her husband and I know he could do more than just fire you from your job, you'll have nowhere in the city that will hire you. You come for us and I'll destroy your pathetic life, Zuko."

Zuko sat on his sofa and teared up before pleading with his father to give him his wife back.

"It's too late for that, Zuko. She and I have a little one on the way." Ozai told his son as he backed off of him. "Could have been you having your second child with her…but you needed to fuck some good for nothing bitch."

Returning home, Ozai had taken some of the photos with him and showed Katara. He told her how Zuko hired an investigator to follow them and catch them in the act. She couldn't believe what was happening but Ozai told her not to worry about it as he would have found out eventually.

….

"I knew something weird was going on." Sokka scoffed as Zuko had called him over to his place to show him the photos of the man Katara was seeing.

Zuko was still devastated by this all, "I should have known. My father was so against her and then suddenly started taking her side. There's no telling how long they had been seeing each other."

Sokka sighed, "I told Suki about it. Apparently, she knew about it and didn't tell me. All she knew was that they had started seeing each other after she moved into her apartment. So for six months basically."

That made sense. His father had gotten her her own apartment and went over there pretty often. His father never really left the house after he retired unless he was going out to see his friends in the city or see a fling of his. However, he had gotten too used to seeing Katara and was over her house far more than just once a week like he claimed. Zuko remembered visiting his father's house through the week sometimes and he was never home. Sure, he could have been out with his friends but Zuko knew his father only saw them every so often. Which meant he either got a new fling or he was with Katara. Both turned out to be the case as his father's fling and Katara were the same person.

Sokka saw the look of dread on Zuko's face and he tried telling his pal that things would be alright but Zuko dropped another bomb on him.

"She's pregnant." Zuko said.

Sokka's mouth dropped.

"My dad knocked her up." Tears formed in his eyes. "I don't know if I could get back with her and be okay with her having a child that isn't mine. Even more since it's technically going to be my sibling too."

"Dude, I'm going to have to talk to Katara. This isn't right. She didn't have to go so low." Sokka said.

Katara was out with Ozai buying some groceries for dinner that night when she got a phone call from her brother. Answering it, Katara told him that he could stop by her place in twenty minutes as she was out getting groceries. She could tell by the tone of his voice that he knew about her being with Zuko's father. Arriving home, Katara saw her brother was already at the door and was glaring at her with his arms folded.

"Sok-"

"Let's talk inside." Sokka said as he glanced Ozai and then back to his sister.

Inside, Ozai got started cooking while Katara and her brother were upstairs talking. It didn't sound too good as he could hear the man raising his voice at her. He was not happy to have learned she was seeing him and that they were having a baby together.

"Katara! This is low! Very low!" Sokka told her. "Zuko fucked up, yes, but you're sleeping with his father! And now this!"

Katara sighed and looked away from her brother, "This was an unexpected turn, Sokka."

"Unexpected?! How?! Zuko said you and his father have been up each other's asses for over a year! How did you not see this coming?!" Sokka shouted.

"I've only ever been with Zuko before this, Sokka. I didn't know his father would take interest in me the way he did and I didn't think I'd feel the same way." Katara explained. "How was I supposed to know that an act of kindness in my darkest hours would lead to this? Even Ozai couldn't explain it when he realized his feelings for me. It just happened and this pregnancy well…we clearly we're as careful as we thought we were being."

"Clearly not." Sokka folded his arms. "I can't believe you did this to him. You two have been together for years, are you really going to throw that all away because he had a measly affair with his secretary?"

Furrowing her brows, "Measly?! Sokka, he betrayed me!"

"And you did too! Even worse than he did!"

"It's not the same!"

"It is when you're both still married!"

"Sok-"

"I think it's time you leave." Ozai said from behind with his callous scowl on Katara's brother.

Sokka turned around and scowled, "I'm not done talking!"

"You are if you're upsetting her. She's pregnant and I'd think someone with their own child on the way would understand that it's not healthy for the baby if the mother is upset." Ozai folded his arms.

Sokka looked to his sister and scoffed, "Fine but you're not out of the hot seat, Katara."

With that, her brother left and Katara thanked Ozai for getting rid of him. She really didn't want anything to happen to this child after she had lost her first already. The doctor's already told them she was at high risk for a miscarriage and she feared the worst would happen if she wasn't careful.

"You need to stop entertaining anyone that's going to stress you, dear. We've already been warned by the doctor that your attempt on your life has made your body a hazardous place for a child to grow." Ozai reminded her as they ate at the island counter.

Sighing, "I know. I'll try to limit contact with my brother and Zuko."

"After you eat, get some rest. I'll do the dishes."

Katara nodded.

A few months passed and with it, Katara wasn't able to hold onto the baby. Her body wouldn't let her and there was a whole ordeal about it between her and Zuko. He seemed to think it was supposed to happen as they were meant to stay together but this conversation only led to his father showing up at his apartment and sticking him in the face. However, the year was up and Katara and Zuko both returned to living at the estate again. Only, Katara slept in Ozai's wing while Zuko returned to his original wing of the estate. This arrangement was surprisingly not as stressful as they thought it would be. Zuko kept to himself while Katara didn't bother leaving at all since she was dealing with the grief of losing another child and Ozai, well, he was busy trying to figure out what lied ahead of them.

Out with his friends, Ozai ordered another round of drinks for them and drank up. Zhao eyed him funny as did Shinji.

"Things not working out with you and your son's wife?" Shinji asked.

Sighing, "Things aren't bad between us. Not to me, anyways, it's just…" Ozai averted his gaze from them. "She got pregnant."

"That's what you wanted, right?" Zhao raised a brow.

"She miscarried."

The two men drank their drinks at that.

"It wouldn't be as terrible for her if she hadn't lost her first kid in an accident two years ago and now this has happened, she's not in a good place with everything that's happened recently."

Zhao patted his friend's back, "Life's tough, Ozai. You know first hand. But I think you should get home and face it. Something your son refused to do."

Nodding, Ozai thanked them and returned home. There, he found Katara up by the tv having one of his beers. He went to get himself one and sat beside her. Not a word was spoken the entire time they watched tv but Katara did lean her head against his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her middle. As they lounged and watched the program, Zuko stopped by. He was going to announce his presence but he saw how the two of them were cuddled up on the couch and he hesitated.

"It's not your fault." Ozai broke the silence and Zuko quickly hid himself behind the excess wall.

Katara lifted her head and looked to him, "Then why do I keep losing my babies?"

Ozai looked somberly at her as he ran his hand over her head, "These things happen. It's misfortune that can fall upon anyone. Blame anything but yourself. I don't want you to slip back into a depression."

Katara's eyes watered, "I can't help it."

"Then I'm right here. I won't leave you to face it alone."

Zuko furrowed his brows as he heard his father talk to Katara. He knew Katara was in a bad place after her miscarriage and it likely brought back bad memories of the day she lost their son. He remembered it too. The devastation he felt. Spirits, he couldn't deal with it. Couldn't face Katara and her misery. It was too much for him. She just couldn't get it together and he didn't have the luxury to sulk with her as he still had to get up and go to work everyday. A part of him resented her for it. Resented her for mourning the way she did. Sure, it was their son and he loved the baby but he had hoped they'd just have another. Ryu was only a few months old and he didn't have the same connection with the child the way she did. So while it broke his heart, he didn't understand why it completely destroyed her.

Yet, here was his father, in the aftermath of the miscarriage of their child and he was facing the music with her. Wanting to be with her as she suffered her loss. Declaring he'd be there with her through her somber melancholy. Zuko realized that his father was more present for Katara in her hours of hopelessness than he had been for her through all her grief since he had known her nor had he ever been so comforting when she needed it.

The following morning, Zuko saw his father returning from somewhere with Katara and to his surprise, they had brought back a kitten.

"Are you a little happier?" Ozai asked her with a grin.

Katara beamed at him and nodded as she cuddled her kitten to her. "Thank you so much, Ozai. She's perfect!"

The couple suddenly noticed Zuko and paused.

Waving his hand at them, "Hi." Was all he could muster.

Ozai waved back as Katara verbally returned his greeting.

"Hi, Zuko."

Zuko swiftly moved his hand to his neck and rubbed it, "Can we all talk?"

Katara looked to Ozai to see what he would say and saw him nod his head.

The three went to the veranda in the courtyard and Zuko decided to get straight to it.

"Kat, I love you. I truly do but I've done something terrible to you. Betraying your trust and my vows to you and that's not all. I was never really supportive of you through your grief through the years nor did I care about the things you cared about. For all of this, I'm sorry and I'm willing to give you a divorce if that's something you still want." Zuko said as he began to tear up. "I just want you to know that I'll never stop loving you and I just ask that you don't become a stranger because I think that's far worse than us breaking up our marriage."

Katara looked at him with tears, "Zuko…" She sniffled and wiped her eyes. "Thank you."

Zuko nodded as he tried sucking up his tears. "My father has been there for you far more in this short time than I have in all our relationship. I can't deny you something like that any longer."

Katara got up and went to hug her husband. She held him tight and cried as he sobbed against her. Ozai sighed as he watched. He had to admit. He was surprised that Zuko was being so mature about this now. Especially when it seemed that he'd be their biggest obstacle. However, everything seemed to work out for the better.

"Dad," Zuko looked to his father over Katara's shoulder as he continued to hold her. "Take care of her, please."

Scoffing, "You know I will."

Letting go of Katara, Zuko caressed her face and wiped her tears away. "You're still the best thing that ever happened to me, Kat. I'm sorry I couldn't give you better. I have no one but myself to blame."

The divorce took approximately six months to finalize and Zuko found another apartment to move into, leaving his father and Katara to their privacy. Sokka and Suki were saddened by the divorce but understood the couple agreed on it together and there were no longer any hard feelings. As for Katara and Ozai, they eloped at the courthouse a few months later before selling the estate to move into her previous loft in the city. It was during this time that Katara decided with Ozai that she shouldn't have children. That the loss she suffered in recent years was too much and to face it all again for whatever reason, it would be too much.

Cuddled up on the sofa with her husband, Katara let their kitten settle in her lap and heard a knock come at the door. Ozai got up to answer the door to see Katara's brother and sister-in-law. Since they eloped rather than have a wedding, the couple decided to have a small dinner to celebrate their union. The couple entered and greeted Katara warmly as Ozai was about to shut the door. However, it seemed his son and his new girlfriend, Song, had arrived. They greeted him and then Katara, who hugged them both happily. Ozai's two friends arrived just as Katara was fixing drinks for everyone and they both hugged on her to Ozai's disdain.

"How's married life treating you two?" Zhao asked as he stuffed his mouth with Katara's brother.

Ozai rolled his eyes as he sat on the armrest of the chair his wife was seated in while sipping his glass of wine.

"Can't be much different than it was before you two got married." Sokka scoffed. "You guys got married as soon as the divorce was finalized."

Suki slapped her husband upside the head. "Sokka!"

Katara chuckled, "It's fine, Suki."

"Yeah, me and Kat are managing to keep our friendship going through some therapy." Zuko said as he squeezed Song's hand reassuringly.

Katara giggled, "Yes, apparently, my fear of losing the people in my life combined with my infatuation with Zuko as a teen seems to have caused me to latch onto him without considering that he didn't always feel the same way I did."

"And my failure to recognize this as well as not wanting to let her down or disappoint her, I continued the relationship." Zuko said.

Ozai scoffed, "That's all bullshit and you two know it. You forget I had to deal with you two sneaking around the estate trying to go at it like jackrabbits."

Zuko rolled his eyes as Katara blushed.

"Yeah, I call bullshit too." Sokka spoke up. "You two just fell out of love and that's fine but that doesn't mean what you had wasn't love. The fact that you guys can still be friends after everything is proof."

Katara and Zuko looked at each other, chuckling.

"I guess you're right, Sokka." Zuko said.

Katara nodded in agreement.

"Any kids in the future?" Daikoku asked.

Ozai glared at him as Katara sighed and shook her head.

"We've decided not to have kids." Katara said seldomly. "Our kitten is all we need."

"Have you thought about adoption?" Sokka asked.

Katara nodded. "I just feel like having children is not in my deck of cards."

Ozai shrugged as he stared at his wine glass, "I've tried convincing her to try again but I don't think she wants to take that risk. Not that I blame her."

When the dinner party ended, Katara got ready for bed and saw Ozai cleaning the kitchen. She walked over to him and hugged his arm to her.

"Are you upset that I don't want to have children, Ozai? Because I will for you." Katara said.

Shaking his head, "No, I'm just worried you want them but are too scared to have them."

"You're right but that's reason enough for me not to have them, Ozai. I don't want to bring another child into this world just for them to live a short life." Katara explained.

Patting her head, "I understand. I don't need you to have children for us to enjoy each other's company for the rest of our lives."

Katara beamed at him, "I love you, Ozai."

Cupping her face, "I love you too."

…..

A/N:

Alrighty, I'm going into Hiatus with the Short Stories but please keep sending me ideas and I'll come out of hiatus sooner. I just wanted to focus on the other stories I have.

Thank you for reading.