Stories from Uncle Sokka

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"...So, Momma really did that to Dad?" the eight-year-old girl asked. Beside her, her three-year-old brother gazed up at their uncle with wide blue eyes staring out of a light face, a shock of dark brown hair – nowhere near as dark as his sister's – flipping back as his head shot up.

"She wata whipped him?" the little boy whispered.

"Yeah, she did," Sokka replied, smiling at his niece and nephew. "And to think, she ended up married to him. And, now, I have you two for relatives. I must be one of the luckiest people I know."

Asamiya giggled and Iroh – her little brother, also known as 'Roh' to keep him and Uncle Iroh separate – just stared up innocently, not quite understanding what was going on.

"Tell us another story, please?" begged Shia, Aang and Toph's five-year-old, green-eyed, brown-haired daughter.

"Okay," Sokka obliged. "I bet you guys didn't know this, but your mom was almost not your dad's wife!"

"What?!?"

"You're crazy, Uncle Sokka."

"Mommy an' Daddy almos' wewen't mawied?"

"That's right," Sokka said. "In fact, if your mom wasn't such a strong woman, she might never have followed her heart when Uncle Aang proposed to her."

"Really?" Asamiya gasped. "Uncle Aang once proposed to Momma?"

"Yeah. It was really obvious to everyone but Aang that Katara didn't like him the way he liked her."

"You mean the way Momma likes Dad?" Asamiya asked, cocking her head to one side.

"Yeah. But, you know," Sokka said, thinking of something, 'I bet you guys never heard this story before..."

"Tell us! Please?"

Three pairs of irresistible eyes – one green, one blue, and one gold – gazed up at him with almost identical puppy eyes, and Sokka smiled as he began his tale...

Katara glared across the fire at the banished prince. He'd been with them about a week and had been nothing but helpful, but Katara still couldn't fully trust that something wouldn't come up and make him change back to the person who had hunted Aang for so long. She didn't know it, but Aang hadn't been the only reason Zuko'd followed them all that time.

Zuko could feel Katara's mistrustful eyes on him and he felt horrible. Why had done what he did in Ba Sing Se? He'd known it wouldn't end the way he wanted it to.

"Katara," he whispered. A raise of an eyebrow was all he received as an answer. "I'm so sorry for what I've done. I was wrong."

"Yes," Katara replied angrily, "You were."

Slowly, she stood, and walked over to him, and as she came closer, his heart beat a tiny bit faster, and he swore he could have heard a faint giggle from that earthbender, Toph.

"But," Katara continued, "Do you want to know something, Zuko?" She sat down next to him, and leaned in close. Quickly, she kissed his scarred cheek, and said softly, "I forgive you."

Then she stood, and walked away, letting him watch her saunter over to her bed roll, and then he knew; that 'I forgive you' was just the beginning of payback, Katara style. Every day, she would be angry with him, and every night, she would drop the act and show that she really did care about him. Eventually, she dropped all pretense of hating him, even in front of her brother.

One night, about a week after this had all started, Katara and Zuko sat together by the fire, gazing up at the stars.

"Zuko," Katara whispered. "Do you know when I first realized I loved you? It was in the North Pole. After we had found you and Aang, and he said we couldn't let you die. I had been about to say the same thing, but he beat me to it."

"Do you know, Katara" Zuko murmured, "I first realized I loved you when I said 'I'll save you from the pirates'. And you know what else? I meant that."

"...and then they kissed. And I wished I'd really gone to sleep, instead of just letting them think I was asleep."

"Why?" Shia asked.

"What happened?" Asamiya whispered, spellbound.

"I guess they heard me whisper 'ew',' Sokka replied with a shrug.

Just then, Zuko and Katara appeared, and they were kissing.

"Ew," Sokka groaned. "Get a room."

Five minutes later, Sokka limped back to his and Suki's guest room, soaked, his hair singed.

"Let me guess," She laughed. "They heard you say 'ew'?" Sokka nodded.

"I think I'm gonna keep my mouth shut around here from now on. No more stories."

"A wise decision," said a stern male voice. Sokka cringed, and turned to see Zuko standing behind him, arms crossed. "Would you mind telling me brother-in-law," the Fire Lord asked, "where my son and daughter learned the term, 'sixty-nine is fine'?"

"Uh... um..." Sokka stuttered. "IT WAS AANG!!!" he screamed taking his chance and running from the room.

"That's it," Zuko growled as he turned and left the room. "Sokka's never telling my children another story. Ever."

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he, he, I like this chapter. It kinda evolved as I wrote it, so it really is its own piece of writing. Review please.