Okay, I just COULD NOT resist this story. My friend, Sumiko, got me hooked on the pairing in ONE night over an AIM chat! lol ;)

So, I evolved the ideas I had into a story and all the names are solely from the chat! My FIRST Zutara story!

The Zutara Family

Summary: Following the struggles of Katara and Zuko as they have a family (nine kids) and Zuko decides with his taking the throne...

Rating: K+ or T

Major Characters: Katara (27), Zuko (29), and kids (oldest to youngest as they'll come): Heishui, Little Zuko (Lil' Z as kids call him), Zarina and Zerifina, Jailia, Kaelea, Annalea, Kiki, and Heziah.

Pairings: Katara/Zuko, Toph/Aang, and Sokka/Suki and family relationships

P.O.V.: Third Person Omniscient

Disclaimer: I do not own Nick or Avatar and the gang!

Please enjoy! NO FLAMES PLEASE!

Beginnings...

Twenty-seven-year-old Katara felt her eyes snap open and that familiar launch in her stomach again. It was most likely early morning, but she didn't seem to mind the matter. She only shot up in bed, her long hair falling about her shoulders and ran into the joined bathroom, slamming the door shut.

In the wake of slamming the door, she'd awoken her husband, twenty-nine-year-old Zuko. He blinked a few times, then sat up himself, running a hand through his still short hair. "Katara?"

Silence, then the sound of retching from the other side of the bathroom door. Zuko smirked. He should've known that the only place she'd be at this ungodly hour was in the bathroom. It'd been that way for weeks now and he'd been bugging her to go see a doctor. Of course, Katara refused, saying she was fine and that it was nothing more than some sickness possibly going around. Still, he had his thoughts otherwise and kept pressing the issue.

"I'm fine!"

Zuko shook his head. The girl was as good in hearing as she was anything else. But she sure could't keep a secret to save her life. It was just one of the many things he'd learned about her.

Since the war'd been over and done with, he and Katara got married. She still was keeping in touch with her brother, Sokka, and his wife, Suki from Kyoshi Island and Aang, now fully a four-element Avatar, who was married to Toph, the blind Earthbending girl. And so far, only Toph and Aang had a kid...a three-year-old girl name Tiani. Suki and Sokka were expecting their first child in the late winter and Aang and Toph were expecting their second in early fall.

And him? Zuko was supposed to be taking over as Fire Lord. But something inside him kind of didn't want to. He didn't want to become like his father. What if he and Katara had kids of their own? He'd be torn in trying to balance that and running a Nation. He had said that he was thinking on it. And Iroh had approved of that.

The retching had stopped and there was silence on Katara's end. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Katara yelled. "Go back to bed, I'll be fine."

Zuko shook his head again. Katara was so thoughtless sometimes. She didn't like to think of herself...only other people, which was one of the things he loved about her. "I'll wait for you. It's no big deal."

Katara opened the door, giving her husband her famous look. Her long hair was in a messy ponytail. "Do you ever listen to me?" she asked.

"Do you ever listen to me?" Zuko asked. "No. I'm returning the favor."

Katara rolled her bright blue eyes. "You're hilarious," she muttered, crawling back into bed. "I'm going to sleep in today."

Zuko raised an eyebrow. "Today? How about everyday, Katara? I've barely seen you up and about during the day anymore. I think you should--"

"I don't need to," Katara said quickly. "I told you, it's--"

"Yeah, just some minor sickness that's going around," Zuko rolled his eyes. "I've heard it before and I don't believe it. I want you to get checked out."

Katara sat up abruptly and shot him another look. "You're so stubborn, you know that!"

"So are you!" Zuko shot back. "I've been telling you for weeks to go see a doctor and you just blow it off everytime! Like it's nothing."

"Uh: maybe because it is," Katara said sarcastically. "Why don't you get off my back about it? If I thought it was something serious, I would've already--"

They were interrupted when a little girl with jet black hair and pale brown eyes came in. She was wearing a orange nightgown and holding a silky green blanket in one hand. She groped the air with her free hand.

Katara got out of bed and ran over to the girl. "Hey, Tiani. What're you doing out of bed?"

Tiani, Aang and Toph's daughter, who was also so obviously blind like her mother, turned her head in Katara's direction. "I couldn't sweep."

Katara smiled. Since Toph and Aang didn't have a place to stay right right, her and Zuko allowed them to stay in the newest addition that was built to the palace. "Does Mommy and Daddy know you're up, Tiani?"

Tiani shook her head. "No...I couldn't find their room."

"Tiani?"

Katara and Zuko turned their heads to the doorway of their bedroom, where a slightly pregnant Toph stood. Katara smiled and went over to her. "Yeah, she wandered into here again," Katara teased.

Toph smiled and took Tiani from Katara. "Thanks. She wasn't causing trouble, was she?"

"No," Zuko stepped in. "She was just looking for your room."

"And missed," Katara added with slight teasing and a smile.

Toph laughed. "Well, she'll learn. Aang says she'll be like me. She'll be able to see with the earth."

"No doubt about that," Katara agreed.

"Well, thanks. I'm gonna go put her down and see if she stays," Toph smirked. "She looks like me, but is more like Aang than I'd ever think in my life."

Katara laughed. "I think we'll all agree to that. Night."

Once Toph left, Katara looked back at Zuko, who had a sudden far away look in his eyes. "What's wrong?" she asked, cocking one head to the side.

"Nothing."

Katara smirked. "Liar. I know you all too well to know when you lie and when something's bothering you." She knelt on the bed behind him, draped her arms over his shoudlers and laid her head on his. "What's eating your mind, Zuko?"

Zuko sighed. "It's...Toph and Aang have a little girl and are on their way with baby number two...your brother and Suki are going to have their first child soon. I feel like we're being taken out of that picture."

Katara was slightly surprised. "You want a baby, you mean?"

Zuko nodded. "Yeah. It's like I'm watching everybody else having kids and I'm missing it."

"We will, Zuko, but you have to make your choice first. Whether or not you want to take Fire Lord position. You're job and duties come first, Sweetheart," Katara kissed his neck. "You have your duties to the Nation before we think about us."

Zuko sighed heavily. "But I want to put us first. I want a family first. I could care less about my position."

Katara rested her chin on her arm. "Well, talk to Iroh about it...he can help us if anything else. I know it."

"I guess so..."

"Look, I know how much you want this. You've talked about it before, but we can't rush it right now. We got married later than everybody else had. We're still starting new," Katara smiled, then gave him another light kiss. "We're just beginning, Zuko. We will have time for a family later...I promise."

JayJay