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Smile Because It Happened	By : theamberdragonfly Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > Het - Male/Female > Katara/Zuko Views: 7697 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 28
- 29
- 30
A/N: First half co-written by SaintCesare from DeviantArt.

Chapter 28

Zuko could almost feel the confusion and pain radiating from the chocolate-tinted woman. Whatever happened, he had to make sure she understood she wasn't at fault... that he did what he did to protect her.

"It wasn't you, Katara," he assured her in a low voice, still unable to look at her in the eyes. "It's me. It's my blood...my family."

She very nearly bent her tears around the man's throat to choke him. How could he be so... so selfish? "So... what did you plan on happening after we were married?" she managed to ask, her voice breaking. "Were you going to do that," she pointed at his release on the grassy ground, "every time? Or were you going to make me take a potion to render me barren so you wouldn't have to?" She stood up, dress and belt in her hand, and faced him with the furious, indignant air of a Waterbending Master- or a Fire Lady.

She glared at him through her tears. "You're still a spoiled brat," she whispered before turning and stalking off, heedless of the fact she was completely nude.

"Did you think that was easy for me to do?" Zuko's voice was hoarse, and while he could understand her anger, it only sparked his own, prompting his tones to increase in volume. "Did you think I wanted to do that?! I had no choice! Do you think I want to bring a child in this world that has my family's blood in it?! Sozin’s blood? Ozai's blood? Azula’s blood?!"

At this point, Zuko was heedless to the point he was shouting, voicing his greatest fear. "Dammit, Katara, do you want to put another child through that?!"

She stood there, not moving, not responding.

"I just..." His next words were whispered, but they still carried to Katara's ears. "I don't want to doom another child to a life of violence and insanity. My family's blood is tainted. I just don't want to cause you the pain of seeing our son or daughter end up like my sister or father."

Katara turned and strode back to him, tears still evident in her oceanic eyes. Zuko gazed at her, his expression full of pain, searching her face for understanding...

And she slapped him. Hard.

"You complete and utter idiot," she hissed. "What the hell is wrong with you? What your sister and your father did was their choice, as it was your grandfather's. And his father's. You are greater than they ever could've been, because of who you are. You've become a man worthy of the title Fire Lord. You helped the Avatar defeat Ozai and bring peace to the world. You're compassionate, determined, loving, and understanding. Your child would have these traits, because you are his father!"

Zuko's face stung from the painful slap, but he took the words Katara growled to heart. That had been his biggest nightmare: to bring a child into this world, only for his family's contaminated blood to consume him and make him hyper-violent and destructive while Zuko could only watch on helplessly. But he couldn't bear to see her look at him like that any longer.

"...I'm sorry, Katara. I really am. I'm just afraid, because... dammit, you know my family's history. I just didn't want to curse an innocent child."

She rested her hand on his cheek where she had slapped him and forced him to look at her. "Zuko, look at me. Do you really think that I would allow any child of mine to end up like your power-hungry relatives? What about Uncle? Or Aang? Sokka? Hell, just Toph alone would be enough to scare any child into behaving like an angel." She stepped closer and hugged him, her cool body pressed against his warm one. "Any child we have would be a miracle," she murmured against his skin. "And I know you would be a great father... because you know how not to be."

He couldn't deny that. Zuko would prefer never having a child at all to treating one like Ozai had done to him and Azula.

Katara traced idle circles around his male nipples, watching in fascination how they perked just like her own. She became aware of the fact that they were both still... without clothing. Her body gave a little shiver, but it wasn't from being cold. "So are you going to stop this stupid, selfish behavior and finish what you started... Dragon?"

The smile he gave her was both appreciative and feral, pulling her lithe body close- and she could feel the tenseness leave him. "Oh, I think I'm going to enjoy finishing you off... Peasant."

And under the moonlit night and with a new understanding, Zuko proceeded to do just that. He knew he had to end this thing with his sister... and the reason for it was currently fucking him within an inch of his life.

.o(O)o.

Aang lay with his head on Toph’s round little belly, trying to listen for his children, only to be continually thumped in the ear. “Irritated little things, aren’t they?”

Toph chuckled, causing her belly to shake and disturb Aang’s resting place. “I told you- they’re going to be great Earthbenders. See? They’re already trying to make the ground move.”

His grey eyes sparkled with mischief. “You do that to me all the time,” he teased her. “And I’m not talking about Earthbending training, Sifu Toph.”

This time she laughed aloud. “Wow, Twinkletoes. You’re becoming a regular pervert. I’m impressed with how well your corruption has gone. Soon you’ll be as amoral as the rest of us.”

Aang kissed the mound that protected his children. “I should probably start owning up to my actions then,” he mused.

“I don’t want a boat, Twinkletoes.”

“I don’t plan on giving you one. Or your parents, either.”

She shuddered. “If they could see me now, you’d be fertilizer.”

“Good thing I’m not asking them, then.” He turned his head and gazed at her. She was lying comfortably propped up against a cushion of bended earth, her hands folded just above where his head was resting. “…Do you think I should?”

“Should what?”

“Ask them if I can marry you.”

The Earthbender snorted. “Twinkletoes, they wouldn’t even let me train you. What makes you think they’ll let me marry you?”

The bump underneath his cheek shifted, then thumped him again. “Them,” he said, pointing at her swollen stomach.

“There is that,” she acquiesced. “But I’d rather not go visit them and have them go all overprotective on me again- especially since we’re going to deal with Crazy in the morning.”

“How about after?”

“No way.” She sat up a little straighter and stared in the direction of her bare feet. “They don’t need to know.”

“Toph…”

“Using the whiny Airbender voice definitely isn’t going to win this one for you.”

“These are their grandchildren. Our kids deserve to know their grandparents.” His tone grew sad. “They’re… the only ones they’ll have.”

“Awww, hell,” Toph grumbled, collapsing back onto her cushion of dirt. “Fine. You win. After we kick Crazy’s ass all the way to Agni himself, we’ll go see my parents.”

“Good. So let’s go get married.”

“What?”

“I don’t want to wait any longer,” he said, echoing his words from the Eastern Air Temple. “And if something happens to me tomorrow… I want the spirits to know that our souls were bound as man and wife, so that way our children can grow up with honor.”

Toph wiped her nose, trying to act like she wasn’t all teary. Stupid hormones. “You’re starting to sound like Sparky with all this honor talk,” she informed him. “And how are we going to get married? We’re leaving for Ember Island in the morning.”

“So we’ll do it before we leave. We’ll ask the village priest if he’ll marry us, and have Zuko and Katara be our witnesses.”

“Isn’t that kinda messed up? I mean, a few months ago, you were supposed to be marrying Sugar Queen, and now you want her in your wedding? You’ve got issues.”

He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how it would make you feel. I thought… you know… since they’re our friends and everything…”

Toph sighed, rubbing one of his ears. “It’s fine, Twinkletoes. I was just teasing you.” She grinned. “It’s so easy.”

“So what do you think? Will you marry me in the morning? Before we leave?”

“Persistent, aren’t you?”

“Taught by Zuko himself.”

Despite her claims to dislike anything even remotely girly, Toph’s heartbeat increased at the thought of dressing up in something nice and marrying the silly Airbender that had captured her heart. “If you can convince the priest to do it fast, then sure. Why not?”

Aang bounced up so fast she thought she had inadvertently knocked him onto his feet with some unintentional Earthbending. “I’ll be right back!” he hollered as he bent the unique air sphere underneath him and rode it away in a gust of wind, leaving her lying there in her dirt, rather bemused.

“Well, kids, I think maybe we should go find Aunt Suki and those Warriors and see if they’ve got anything for a last-minute wedding.”

.o(O)o.

Dawn was breaking. The first rays of the new day brightened the eastern sky, bringing with it both a sense of joy- and of dread. The newborn sun shone cheerfully down upon the villagers as they stood gathered outside Kyoshi’s temple.

Toph stood behind the crowd, Zuko at her side as her escort. Dressed in one of the village women’s best robes of periwinkle and lavender, adjusted here and there to accommodate her round belly, and her hair pulled up in some fancy style by Katara and Ty Lee, she presented the image of the perfect blushing bride. Except she wasn’t blushing.

“Don’t look so nervous, Toph. You might make Aang think you don’t want to marry him.”

“Shut up, Sparky. I’m not nervous. I’m just anxious to get this crap over with so we can go kick Crazy’s ass into the Spirit World.”

“Right.”

Toph tilted her head slightly, gauging Zuko’s inner rhythms with an experienced air. “Why are you so exhausted? You feel like you’re about to fall over any minute. Didn’t you get any sleep?”

Zuko jerked, straightening his spine and blinking the tiredness from his eyes. “I’m fine,” he assured her. “I just couldn’t sleep because… I was worried about Azula.”

The young bride snorted. Loudly. “And I’m a virgin,” she retorted under her breath, grinning. “Sugar Queen’s giving off the same vibes you are. You had to go and try to sire an heir on her before we go fight your sister, didn’t you?”

Zuko’s face was bright red, not that Toph could see it. “It was entirely against my will,” he replied stoically.

“I bet. That’s why you’re so deliriously happy.”

Zuko saw the priest nod as Aang appeared, dressed in his formal monk robes, complete with Airbender necklace. Katara led the way, parting the crowd as they walked- it was customary to hide the bride from the groom’s view until the last moment, like unveiling a special present.

The ceremony was short, sweet, and very much to the point. Aang promised to love, honor, and protect her and their children, and Toph vowed her love and obedience in return. She snickered loudly at the “obedience” part- everyone knew Toph would never be submissive to anyone, including her husband. Luckily, Aang was the sort of guy who never let that kind of thing bother him. They were truly well-matched.

When the priest asked for a symbol of the groom’s devotion, Aang reached out and gently tugged on the chain around his bride’s neck, pulling the diamond chunk out of her robes. “I already gave it to her,” he murmured, wishing she could see the joy on his face. “I just needed to remember what it stood for.”

Toph sniffled loudly. “Stupid pregnancy hormones,” she muttered, wiping her eyes.

The priest finished the rites and announced to the assembly that they were now husband and wife from this day forward. Aang leaned down to give her a kiss on the cheek- only to be grabbed by the ears and hauled down for a full-on kiss on the lips.

Sokka hooted with laughter. Katara wiped her eyes, Zuko’s arm around her waist. Suki and the other Warriors let out a joyful war cry, accompanied by Rekka’s squeal of delight.

And the Avatar stomped the ground, creating an earthy cocoon around himself and his new wife- away from the celebrating village’s eyes, so he could thank her properly for making him the happiest man ever to walk the earth.

In more ways than one.
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Smile Because It Happened