Foreign Blood

By THE Xenomorph (aka Xenomorph666)
Avatar: The Last Airbender and all related Characters are © Nickelodeon
Bao-Fai is © Me
Choronus Illadae is © Me
Story Beta read by: L1701E

Reunion

"Z-zuko..." Ursa was obviously shocked, and so was the trio, but only Sokka was seemingly able to speak.

"I don't believe this! We set out for a four-month search of the Earth Kingdom, and we find your mother in the first two weeks?" Sokka sighed, "Man, where was this luck when we needed to find Aang's bending masters?"

"Sokka." Mai sighed. "Be quiet."

"Hey, you're not the boss of me!" Sokka snapped indignantly right before Mai grabbed him by the ear and brought him face first into the table.

"I take that back. Apparently all the women I know are in fact the boss of me." Sokka groaned as he rubbed his head and mumbled about how he wished he had convinced his own girlfriend to join them.

"What are you doing here?" Ursa asked as she fell to her knees.

Zuko wasted little time joining her on the ground. "I came to find you, mother."

"I do not deserve to be found." Ursa's face filled with tears.

"Mother, you do." Zuko said as he stood her up and sat her on his chair as the patrons began to notice the hostess was unavailable, and they seemingly left of their own accord with no complaints angry looks.

"Bao." Ursa called back to the kitchen. "We're closing for the day."

"Okay!" The boy from earlier called back.

Zuko looked to the back, and then quickly to his mother before doing a double take. "Mother, please tell me what happened?" Ursa looked up at her oldest child before the tears in her eyes overwhelmed her.

"I killed your grandfather to spare your life."

"I know that, mother. I meant what happened afterward?" Zuko asked as the young boy, Bao, emerged from the back and noticed his mother crying.

"Mama, are you hurt?" Bao ran to Ursa. Again Zuko paused as his mind processed what was going on.

"I have a little brother?" Zuko realized.

"Yes, Zuko." Ursa smiled to both her sons. "Bao...this is Zuko, your older brother." Bao only looked up at Zuko briefly before looking back at his mother.

"He's Fire Nation, though."

"So am I, my little one." Ursa admitted with a weak smile.

"Is that why dad had to keep protecting you?" Bao asked.

"Yes." Ursa nodded.

"I have a younger brother and a step-father?" Zuko's jaw dropped in shock.

"No, Chen died during the war." Ursa explained as Bao and Zuko continued to keep looking to each other and then their mother.

"This is going to be a long confusing tale, isn't it?" Sokka groaned.

"Sokka, shut up." Zuko demanded. Sokka merely shrugged. "Why didn't you come back?" Zuko asked as he looked at his mother and newly discovered brother.

"Zuko, I took a life." Ursa reminded as she hugged Bao closer, "All that awaits me in the Fire Nation is shame."

"No." The Fire Lord shook his head. "Family awaits you. I thought you were dead for so long..." Zuko lost strength in his legs and fell to his knees.

"It would have been better if you never found me." Ursa bowed her head shamefully.

"No it wouldn't!" Bao spoke up. "He missed you, mama. Why would you want him sad?"

"Bao..." Ursa grimaced. "I wouldn't."

"So let's go with brother!" Bao cried out. "I've always wanted to see the Fire Nation."

"I can't..." Ursa seemed to choke on her tears.

Zuko took a breath before continuing. This piece of news was going to hit his mother hard. "Azula has gone mad."

"What?" Ursa's breath was a sharp stop in the conversation.

"At the end of the war, her mind couldn't take losing." The scarred Fire Lord looked down in shame. "She had to be secured for her own safety, and the Avatar was forced to remove her bending ability as well."

There was a stiff silence in the tavern before Bao spoke once more. "Mama, do I have a big sister, too?"

"Yes Bao..." Ursa looked at Zuko. "But she is sick, it seems."

"I got that part." Bao nodded. "So shouldn't you go make it better for her like you did when I got sea-fever?"

"Mother, please. We need you." Zuko was openly crying now.

"Mama..." Bao seemed to be joining him. "Please?"

Ursa looked to the eyes of both her sons. "I will pack tonight."

Zuko's smile was enough to make even Mai smile.

"But first..." Ursa looked to Mai, "Who is this lovely young lady?"

"You don't remember me?" Mai smiled warmly. "Azula used to invite Ty Lee and I over all the time." Ursa laughed as she wiped the tears of sadness from her eyes.

"Mai, I was joking. I remember you."

"Yeah, they're an item now." Sokka added.

"And who might you be?" Ursa asked as Bao crawled off her lap and sat next to Zuko on the floor.

"I'm Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, Warrior and genius extraordinaire!" Sokka proudly proclaimed.

"He's a friend of mine mother, and of the Avatar's as well." Zuko introduced proudly.

"Yeah, I was there when he whooped on Ozai!" Sokka laughed before realizing he was talking to Ozai's former wife. "Uh, I mean..."

"It's all right. Ozai is a cold and cruel man." Ursa said.

"Well..." Sokka rubbed the back of his head, clearly embarrassed. "I'll be on the ship." The genius warroir got up to try and leave.

"I think I should go, too." Mai said as she got up to follow.

"Nonsense, the both of you sit and stay." Ursa stood up. "I'll make us all a big dinner, and tomorrow I'll give Muak the tavern. I'm sure he'll take good care of it." Without another word spoken, Ursa stood up and went back to the rear of the building.

"Do you really know the Avatar?" Bao looked up at the Fire Lord in curiosity.

"We're friends." Zuko confirmed with a smile.

"Awesome." Bao smiled back.

"You know, for a little kid who just found out he has a brother and sister his mom has been keeping secret, you're awfully calm." Sokka noted with a curious look.

"Are you kidding me! I always wanted a brother and sister!" Bao then realized something. "Is Azula nice?" Zuko, Mai and even Sokka froze at the question.

"Oh, that's not good." Bao seemed slightly depressed.

"Sorry, kiddo." Sokka sighed.

"It's complicated." Zuko glared at Sokka.

"What?" Sokka asked defensively.

"She's always had a vicious streak, and honestly I think my father fostered that, and then..." Zuko sighed.

"Snap goes the mind?" Sokka teased, obviously trying to make his friend angry.

"Yeah, pretty much." Zuko nodded.

"Wow." Bao blinked. "What happened?"

"Her own cruelty caught up with her." Mai said.

"So what happens if mama helps her get better?" Bao asked.

"Honestly, Bao, I have no idea." Zuko confessed, "She's not a good person, but if there's a chance she can change...we owe it to her to give her that chance."

"Sure, we gave you two chances." Sokka snickered, only to receive another glare from Zuko. "Should I just start chewing on my feet?"

"How is that any different than usual?" Mai quipped with an imperceptible smirk.

"Not much." Sokka admitted.

"What do you mean he got two chances?" Bao blinked.

"I wasn't always a friend of the Avatar. When I first found him, I was trying to capture him." Zuko explained, a look of distant shame crossing his face. "My father had me believing that doing so would allow me back into his good graces and restore my 'honor'. It was a cruel lie and a trick, and eventually I saw that."

"Your dad sounds mean." Bao sighed.

"He was the previous Fire Lord." Zuko frowned.

"Good point." Bao nodded in understanding. Zuko then stood up.

"I'm going to talk with my mother." He looked to his friends, then to Bao. "Our mother."

"Ok, but she's gonna make you help her cook." Bao warned, rolling his eyes in boredom.

In the kitchen, Ursa was busy cutting up several fish and steaming a pot of vegetables. Zuko smiled as he watched his mother cook. He had never seen her do any work in all of his life, but he could see the passion she put into the cooking.

"If you're going to be in the kitchen, you'll need to help." Ursa said quietly. Zuko merely smiled as he grabbed a knife and began to chop another fish up. "You can cook?" Ursa seemed both surprised and pleased by this revelation.

"Uncle taught me while I was in exile. I make good tea too, but not as good as his." Zuko smiled.

"Zuko." Ursa seemed almost afraid to talk to her son. "The scar?"

"Father." Zuko responded simply. It was all he needed to say about it. "I used to think of it as a mark of shame. Now it's a mark of all the trials I went through." Zuko then noticed his mother's knuckles whiten as she held her knife.

"Never let me near that man. Ever." Ursa said, a dangerous tinge to her voice.

"I know." Zuko nodded. "Azula's in a separate facility. One that's trying to help her."

"My poor baby girl..." Ursa sniffed. "She hates me, doesn't she?" Zuko looked down at the fish.

"I don't know." He was clearly lying, and his mother's smile told him she could tell.

"I am so sorry I left you both." Ursa sniffled again as Zuko led her to a chair.

"Let me cook while we talk." Zuko offered. "Just tell me what to do."

"Well the fish is sufficiently chopped, sprinkle those spices over them." Ursa ordered with a smile. "How is your uncle?"

"He's got his own tea shop in Bae Sing Se." Zuko chuckled, "And somehow he convinced one of the guards from the prison where he was kept to join him there."

"Oh, he must make good tea." Ursa grinned.

"Actually, she's more of a cook and a hostess." Zuko answered. "And apprentice."

"Your uncle always did have a way with women." Ursa's weak smile seemed to become slightly stronger. "Now stick it in the oven and we'll wait while we talk."