Chapter 9 - Home
1 Week Later...
The sun had sunken beneath the horizon within the previous hours. It was a cold, crisp, night. The temple was always a few degrees colder from the rest of the city, as it was an island; surrounded by water. The wind would blow the cold mist off the water, making it colder on the island. Usually, Aang and Katara would have a few windows open for the night, but this night was too cold for that.
Katara sat in the kitchen, which was illuminated by a couple of candles. There were countless amounts of medical files, sprawled out across the kitchen table. She sat with her head in her hands, grunting every minute. At this time, she'd been frustrated with her hair being in her face as she was trying to read all of the files, so she angrily pulled it up into an effortless, sloppy bun. The glob of hair had started at the top of her head, and was now sitting lowly at the top of her spine. She looked so distressed, and was ready to cry.
Aang walked out with a candle on a dirty plate, and tossed the plate into the kitchen. At first, he didn't acknowledge Katara, until he heard her unpleasant grunts from her stress. He walked over to the table, placed the candle down, and stood over her shoulder. Katara looked up at him from her seat at the table.
Aang was always taller than her ever since he was a teenager. But when she was sitting down, and looking up at him, he was a giant from her angle. But as she looked up at him, she observed every muscle on the way up to his face. He wore his favorite pair of baggy, but very warm, gray sweatpants, with a tight-fitting white thermal shirt. His lean, muscular figure had boldly shown through the shirt. He was in his usual pajamas he wore in the winter time, but Katara thought he looked 'hot as hell.' She must have taken too long to get to his face, because he'd started laughing.
"You know, my face is up here," He teased.
She rolled her eyes, and looked back down at her medical files. She kept glancing back and forth at them, and Aang.
"What's the problem?" Aang asked.
"All of this..." She said, motioning to the mess of files. "Why am I getting reports of the same thing? There's gotta be hundreds of cases of the disease in here, and yet, they all say the same thing. What conclusions am I supposed to draw from this?"
Aang shrugged. He was as useless as the amount of medical reports that contained the same information on each, individual, case.
"I'm about to send these all back to the Biology and Other Sciences Unit with an angry note attached to it!" She said, quickly trying to put them back into one big, organized pile. Though she was so angry, she kept knocking it over and making a bigger mess. She let out a pathetic sound that sounded like a sad grunt, and dropped her head down on the table.
"Let me help you with that," Aang said, carefully shuffling papers back into their manila folders, and stacking them in a neat pile. He quickly finished the pile, while Katara's head was still down. He stepped back when it was complete, with a sigh of relief. Katara slowly put her head up, and gave him a sad smile. Then she reached over and hugged him. It was a bit awkward at first, she was sitting, and he was standing. She was hugging his waist.
He next to her on the chair, and then pulled her into his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself closer to him. He wrapped his arms around her, and rested his head on top of hers. She buried her face in his chest, and sighed with content.
They sat together for a few minutes, just holding each other in their arms. Then, they were startled by the sound of light footsteps entering the kitchen. Katara jumped out of Aang's lap to see who it was, and to her surprise, she saw Suki standing there. Suki's hair was well-groomed, she wore fresh clothes, and most of her bruises were gone from her attack. She looked almost good as new. She stood carrying a bag of dirty clothes, and she wore a smile on her face.
"Thank you guys, so much, for letting me stay here for the last month," She started. "I can't thank you two enough. And I don't want to be a burden, and stay here for too long, so I'm going back home. I'm going to wash these clothes you let me borrow, and return them later."
Katara smiled, "You don't have to do that, Suki. And your presence is never going to be a burden."
"Thank you," Suki said, "But I think I've stayed here too long. It's time for me to return back to my family."
"Well, I'm not going to make you stay," Katara said, "I'm glad you're moving forward."
Suki nodded with a smile, then walked up to Katara and gave her a long, comforting hug. She whispered something in her ear, only for Katara to hear. Katara smiled and nodded, and hugged her a little tighter. When they let go, Suki walked over to Aang. He stood up, and waited for her to hug him. She gave him a hug that was a little quicker than the one she gave Katara.
"You've got a good woman in your hands," She whispered for only Aang to hear, "Don't ever forget that. Don't let her slip through your hands, ever. Don't ever grow detached, and do what I did."
"I know," Aang whispered with a warm smile.
They let go from the hug, and Suki carried on with her way out the door. She was almost at the door, when Katara raced after her, asking her to wait up for a second.
Katara grabbed a coat out of the closet, and helped put it on Suki, "It's freezing. You'll need this."
"Thank you," She said, with a bow of her head. And for the last time that night, hugged Katara. Then, proceeded to leave. Katara watched her leave, until she couldn't see Suki anymore. Aang walked over, and placed an arm around her shoulders. He was gently trying to pull Katara away from the window, but she was practically glued to it.
"Katara, she'll be fine," Aang reassured her with a smile, "This is exactly what she wouldn't want you to do."
Katara sighed, "I can't help but worry."
Aang pulled her into a hug. Katara hugged him back, but she was still glancing out the window. She saw nothing but the dark and empty courtyard. Suki had to be back in the city by now, or at least very close.
"Come on, let's go to bed." Aang said, walking her to the bedroom, and using his air bending to blow out the candles.
"Just a second," She said, quickly making her way into the guest room that Suki stayed in. "I'll be there in 5."
She heard their door shut, and she sighed. She walked over to the bed, which was already neatly made. It looked like nobody had ever stayed in it. Suki was there for an entire month, and no one would ever guess.
When examining the room, she noticed a slip of paper that was resting on the pillow. It was a letter. She quickly walked over to the bed, sat down, and read it.
Dear Katara,
I can not express in words how thankful I am to have you help me through what is definitely the darkest time of my entire life. Without you, I probably wouldn't be here right now, writing this letter. I'm proud of myself; it's been an entire week without my mind flashing back to that night. I really don't know how I got through it. I know I wouldn't have been able to do it on my own.
To make you feel better, because I'm sure you're worried, I'm going to start seeing a therapist. I need to get back into the swing of things. I can't stay here forever, be away from my family. I feel so bad for shutting Sokka out for so long. he is miserable without me; I could see it in his eyes when he visited me with Koda. I miss Koda, and I'm sure I've missed out on so much with him. I regret staying here for so long. I hope it isn't too weird to come back to my family after being gone for a whole month. I'll keep in touch with you, and keep you update. Love you, sister.
Suki
Katara noticed that a tear had rolled down her face, and landed on the piece of paper. She wasn't sad; she was proud. She was reading a piece of evidence that she'd helped someone through their darkest time.
She rolled the paper up, and put it in the drawer beside the bed. She walked out, and closed the door behind her. Then she made her way into her bedroom.
1 month later...
Katara was woken up by the screeching cry of a messenger hawk. It was standing in the window of their bedroom, tapping at the glass. She opened the scroll, which had an official stamp marked on it. She knew exactly what it was.
Dear Master Katara,
We have received your letter attached to the medical files we sent you in the previous month. We're sorry we took so long to reply, but i'm sure you will understand. We wanted to inform you that we will no longer be sending you case files, due to the fact that we have discovered a permanent vaccine. We've tested it on plenty of animals, and the first test on a human was performed 2 weeks ago. The results have only been positive. Thanks to the help from you, and your family, we are offering you all a free vaccine. This will cover you, your husband (The Avatar), your son, your brother, and his family.
This offer will never expire. I know both you and The Avatar have busy schedules, so we offer you to come in whenever it's the best time for you. Please share this letter with your family, to let them all know.
Thank you for all of your cooperation.
Sincerely,
The Biology and Other Sciences Unit.
She smiled. A happy start to what she was hoping would be a great day. Since it was still early in the morning, the sun was barely above the horizon. She rolled over onto her other side, so that she was facing Aang. He was still asleep, looking like a peaceful, angelic figure. There was something about Aang when he was asleep; he always looked like an innocent, small child. Obviously, he wasn't.
Katara watched him grow up from that small, innocent child he once was. She watched him grow into a power man; the most powerful man in the world. She was so lucky to have a man like him in her life, to be her husband. She was so excited she wanted to wake him up to announce the information from the letter she just read, but at the same time, she didn't want to disturb his slumber.
Propped up on one arm, she continued to watch him sleep. She watched as his mouth hung slightly open, and listened to his heavy, calm, breathing pattern. She watched him in awe, as she could see a resemblance to Bumi, when they would watch him drift off into sleep when he was an infant. Being the hyper child he has always been, and still is, it was such a relief for the two new parents when he would finally fall asleep. He looked just like Aang when he did.
She reached forward, and softly caressed his smooth cheek. She ran her fingers down his cheekbone, until she reached his beard. It took her a while to get used to the beard, but she eventually came around to accept it. She hated touching it though. It was such a negative contrast to his smooth cheeks. When she hesitated, her hand was just resting awkwardly on his face, which caused him to wake up.
His eyes slowly opened, and when they did, he looked drowsy and confused. He slowly reached up, and grabbed Katara's wrist. He pulled it away from his face to examine it. He turned it to the other side, then back to the front. Katara began to laugh, which only caused him to become more confused.
"Have you never seen a hand before?" She asked, teasingly.
His eyes were drawn to her face when she spoke. When they locked eyes, he smiled in awe. She smiled back, but she was still laughing at how delirious he was.
"Honestly..." He began. In the middle of talking, he'd closed his eyes and almost fell back asleep. "I love everything about you."
Katara's heart fluttered at the comment. She smiled adoringly, but it quickly faded into a frown when she realized he was practically back into a deep sleep.
She gently slapped his upper arm to wake him up, and get his attention, "Hey, stay up for a second. I actually have some good news."
"Can it wait 'til morning?" He slurred in question.
"But, I want to tell you now," She said in a playful voice, pretending to sound sad. She walked her two fingers across his chest.
He opened one eye from her touch. Then, he looked up at her. He slowly rolled over to face her. When he opened both eyes to look at her, they were so heavy they were practically closing again. She giggled, then gently tapped his face to wake him up.
"Was that really necessary?" Aang asked in a grumpy, tired, tone. "Can you just get to the point already so I can go back to sleep?"
She knew it was his exhausted side talking, so she didn't take his aggravation personally. Plus, the news wasn't something that couldn't wait to be told later. She just liked to mess with him sometimes, and she really wanted to tell him now.
"What if I was pregnant and you sound so unenthusiastic," Katara said, jokingly. "You don't have to be so snippy about it."
He perked up immediately, "Wait... What? Are you?"
"No, but that sure got your full attention, didn't it?" Katara said, running her fingers up his chest.
He let out an angry grunt, obviously offended, "You're such a tease." He turned to the opposite side, so that his back was toward her.
She giggled and scooted closer to him. She threw an arm over him, and planted a kiss on his cheek.
"Sorry if I got your hopes up," She whispered. She kissed him from his rounded, defined cheek bone, down to his jaw line, then lingered on his neck. He let out a pleasurable groan.
"It is good news though."
He turned onto his back so that he could look at her. He tucked a stray hair behind her ear, waiting for her to continue.
"I got a letter from the Biology and Other Sciences Unit," she started. "They informed us that they've finally discovered a vaccine, and that we get first pick. That includes us, Bumi, Sokka, Suki, and Koda. Isn't that so generous of them?"
"That's amazing!" He exclaimed.
"It's free, too!" She added with excitement.
He favored her with a smile, "That's great, sweetie."
Aang stared up at her with heavy, tired eyes. And after a few minutes of staring into each other's eyes, Aang asked if it was okay to fall back asleep. Katara laughed, and nodded.
"You've got the right idea."
She curled up next to him, and fell back asleep in his arms.
1 month ago...
It was the middle of the night by the time Suki arrived in her home. The deluxe apartment was silent and dark, except for one room. The room she shared with Sokka was still lit, with two candles. Suki knocked gently on the door, before walking in.
Before Suki had entered, Sokka was writing a letter to the Biology and Other Sciences Unit. He had a couple of case files on the desk in their bedroom, and they were spread open, to the pages with the data of the time each deceased patient had caught the disease, to the time they died. He was writing a follow-up report, which was just basic protocol, if something stood out to him.
When he heard the soft knock on the door, his heart stopped for a second. He knew it was Suki. Not just because it wouldn't have been anyone else, but he could tell by the way she knocked. Whenever he was alone in their bedroom, she would always softly knock on the door to let him know she was entering the room. It was just one of the little things she did, and he always picked up on it.
He spun around in his chair to watch her walk into the room. When she walked in, she placed her bags down on the ground, by the end of the bed. She looked so much cleaner, healthier, and much happier from the first time he'd seen her after the attack, and since the time he'd visited her. Her hair was well-groomed, her clothes looked very basic, but they looked very fresh and nice on her. Even though it was just a pair of pale gray sweat pants, and a slightly baggy, lavender, longed-sleeve bed shirt.
He stood up, and walked over to her, closing the distance between them. Since he was so much taller than her, he had to look down, and she had to look up at him. He smiled at her, and she smiled right back at him.
"Welcome home," He said, slowly wrapping his arms around her. It was slightly awkward, since he wasn't sure if it was okay for him to hug her.
"Don't worry, you can hug me," Suki said with a slight laugh. She melted into his arms, and sighed with relief. She felt very secure, it was such a longing relief. She hadn't felt so secure in months.
"I missed you so much," Sokka said, planting a kiss on the top of her head.
Suki re positioned herself so that she could look back up at him again. Instead of looking happy, she looked sad. At first, Sokka thought it was because he'd kissed her, but then she began to explain herself.
"I'm so, so, sorry," She began, immediately bursting into tears. "I should have came back sooner."
"No," Sokka responded comfortingly. "This isn't your fault."
She sniffled, "I must have missed so much. I feel like I missed out on so much with Koda. And I- Us... I..." She trailed off sadly.
Sokka slowly pulled her back into a tight hug. He gently rocked her in his arms, shushing her calmly. He began to run his fingers through her hair, while she quietly sobbed into his shirt.
"Don't worry about that," Sokka whispered. "What matters is that you're safe, and you're feeling better. You needed to recover on your own. It's totally understandable."
"I miss you," She cried. "I love you so much."
"I love you, too," Sokka said, closing his eyes and smiling. He rested his head upon hers, and sighed with content.
After a few moments of them still standing, and hugging, Sokka asked if it was okay that they joined each other on the bed. Suki slowly nodded, not sure if she was ready for any intimacy. But that wasn't what Sokka had in mind.
Sokka sat down on the bed, and carefully led her onto the bed with him, by gently guiding her with her arm. He pulled her into his lap. She put wrapped her legs around his waist, and pulled him into a hug.
They sat there, happy to finally be back in each other's arms. Both of them were smiling. But the moment didn't last for long. A sudden feeling of guilt washed over her, and she couldn't help but remember the reason why she left their home originally. They had a bad argument beforehand, and on her way over to Katara and Aang's that's when it happened. The images started flashing in her mind again, but instead of letting that flooding of emotions come back, she shook it off.
After a short while, Suki looked up at him and asked, "Are we going to be okay?"
"Of course," Sokka whispered. "I wont let anything happen to you again."
Suki smiled, and hugged him back, tighter. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, which tickled him, making his stomach feel like it was dropping. He inhaled deeply, to avoid letting out any kind of groan, or laughter. It was a bit awkward at first, but eventually, Suki realized it. Then, she didn't quite mind the thought of kissing his neck. She knew what it could lead into, and she wasn't worried about it. It was right; Sokka was her husband. She was safe, in a better place mentally, and physically.
She turned her head slightly, and started kissing his neck. After the first few, Sokka pulled back a bit, stopping her.
"Are you sure you're okay with this?" He asked.
She nodded, "It's okay. I want to kiss you."
He smiled, then proceeded to kiss her back. At first, it was gentle kisses back and forth, until they were eventually laying down on top of each other, and the kisses were much more passionate.
Healing takes time. Of course, Suki wasn't completely healed. She was definitley improving quickly though, and bouncing back pretty easily. She was much more comfortable to be back at home. She finally felt safe and secure. And she didn't feel like she was "guilted" into kissing Sokka because she was away from him for so long. It was in the moment, and it felt right. Not to mention, she didn't mind. She wasn't afraid. She was okay.
There's no place like home.
Hooray for happy endings. Don't get too excited; there's always something that ruins the fun for team avatar. Whether it's a deadly disease, or another antagonist... Guess you'll have to find out ;)
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. And as always, please review!
