If Katara had known how upsetting jury duty could end up being, she would've done the normal thing and tried to get out of it.

Part of the Cop/Doctor AU, which we previously saw in Letters, and in some stories from A Little Bit of This, and a Little Bit of That.

Content Warning: Well, we're talking about bloodbending. That always gets a bit...dark. But I pull it out at the end.

Bloodbending

"SO, YOU'RE A NURSE, I TAKE IT?"

Katara frowned, shifting in the uncomfortable, creaky wooden chair so that she could face to her questioner. It was in the chair to her left that she found herself facing an older woman of Water Tribe extraction, somewhere around sixty-five or seventy, gnarled hands folded on top of a cane and hair the color of faded steel bound up in a neat and tidy bun at the nape of her neck. The woman's Hangugeo came with a thick Northern accent, so Katara answered her in Inuktitut as she turned her book over and placed it, open and face-down, on her knee.

"Oh, no," she said with a laugh, "I wish; then people might actually listen to me. I'm just a doctor, I'm afraid. Good guess, though."

The old woman shrugged and picked up her cane, using the tip to point at what could only be called Katara's Mom Tote. "Not really, no; I just saw the medical journals in your bag, combined that with your general air of cool competence, and pinned you down for a nurse."

Katara laughed and smiled and carefully place both of her hands so that the cover of her book was covered. Yes, when her and Zuko had left the house this morning, first to drop off the girls at school and then for him to drop her at the courthouse for jury duty, she had, indeed, made sure to stuff a good half-dozen medical journals into her tote. She had never actually had jury duty before, but Azula seemed to get picked every two years, like clockwork, almost, so she knew all about the long, aimless waits and how no cell phone could hope to survive, so she had packed up some journals that she needed to catch up on and felt sure that, whether she was picked or not, she would well and truly accomplish something today.

Naturally, the journals were untouched; the trashy romance novel that she had thrown in on the off-chance that she ran out of journals to read, though? That was almost finished.

She just hoped that her daughters didn't notice; Korra, who was now sixteen, would never let her hear the end of it, and Ursa, all of thirteen, would get judgmental.

The old woman noticed, though. "Just thought you'd read a chapter or two, see if it was any good, before you got to work?"

Katara blushed, somewhat embarrassed at being seen through so easily. Talking to this old woman was eerily reminiscent of talking to Gran-Gran that one time when Katara was fifteen and was trying to pretend that she wanted a firm body pillow for the lower back support.

"Well," Katara said, dog-earing a page, closing the book, and stuffing it back in her tote, "you know how it is. You think, This is it, no work, no kids, nothing to do, I can get so much done!"

The old woman giggled like a woman half her age. "And then you sit yourself on the couch, eat ice cream, and watch soap operas all day." She shook her head, mouth creased in a wide, gleaming smile. "You have children, then?"

"Oh, yes, two-"

She never got to finish the sentence, never even got to finish talking to the old woman, never even got to learn her name. It was at that exact moment that a door slammed open, somewhere in the empty, cavernous courtroom, and a bailiff the size of a house bellowed. "All rise!"

And they rose, the judge nodded at them, nodded at the prosecutor and the defense counsel, and then they all sat back down and jury selection began in earnest.

-0-

It was a good hour before one of the attorneys got to Katara. It was the defense counsel, unless she missed her guess. Ever since Zuko had made detective, she'd met quite a few prosecutors, and none of them had ever owned a suit that fit.

The dapper, well-put-together young man standing before the box, a few notecards in his hand and gel gleaming in his hair, had a suit that fit. It wasn't a nice suit by any means, he was a Legal Aid attorney, after all, but it did fit.

The mother in Katara approved of the fitted suit. Of course, the mother in Katara also noticed that his tie was slightly askew, and the cuffs of his shirt were a bit worn, but what can one do? No one's perfect.

"Hello, Juror Number…" The young man checked his notecards, looked up at Katara, and flashed a smile that showed off the hundreds of won his parents had spent on his teeth. "Nine, correct?"

Katara bowed her head. "That's me."

"Excellent! Can you state your occupation for the record, please?"

"I'm a doctor, young man."

"Young man! That tells me that you're a mother. Is this true?"

"Yes. I have two teenaged girls."

"Good thing you're a doctor, then. Now, I'm looking at your information here, and it says that your husband is a police officer. Is that correct?"

Katara's right hand flew to her left and started compulsively fiddling with her wedding band. It was a nervous tic that she had never done anything to combat, though she had somehow managed to stop herself from reaching for her mother's betrothal necklace, the necklace that now hung from her eldest daughter's neck. "That's correct, yes." She paused, frowned; she didn't like the way this conversation was going, but she liked her confused tone of voice even less. She took a moment to compose herself, and continued in her Doctor Voice. "My husband is a homicide detective for the RCPD."

"Excellent, excellent, it's so good to see when the information the State provides to us poor Legal Aid goons proves to be reliable."

"Objection, Your Honor!" the prosecutor, a well-put together middle-aged woman with her hair tied back in a long, neat ponytail, called out. "Is the counsel for the defense conducting a jury selection, or a cross-examination?"

The judge, an older man with a neat goatee, looked at the defense attorney over his glasses. "The prosecution has a point, young man. Where is this going?"

The lawyer flashed a smile and bowed his head. "I'm getting to that, Your Honor. Just give me a few more minutes."

The judge sighed and turned back to his notepad. "A few more minutes, and not a second more, sir."

"Of course, Your Honor. Now, Juror Number Nine," he continued, rounding on Katara with a heel-spin worthy of a member of the Fire Nation Royal Guard, "do you know about this case?"

Katara looked down at her notepad. "Just what I've heard today and what I've seen on the news."

"Then you know that my client stands accused of murdering her sister with bloodbending."

There was the word, the word that had been stalking Katara ever since she was a little girl, ever since her waterbending had begun to manifest itself, ever since Gran-Gran had sat her down, clasped her hands, and made an eight-year-old girl swear, on her very soul, to never do one thing, and one thing only. You're a strong girl, my dear, and you're going to grow into a brave, strong woman, one of the finest waterbenders that has ever been, but you must promise, right here, right now, to never, ever, bloodbend.

Time had changed the world, and the Water Tribes, both North and South, had not been immune. So had much had changed, mostly for the better, but one thing had not altered, and that was the taboo against bloodbending, something still used by the mothers of the Southern Water Tribes to frighten their children at night. Behave, or else.

Behave, or the bloodbenders will get you.

"Yes," Katara said, eyes firmly locked on her notepad. "Yes, I know that."

"Are you a waterbender, Juror Number Nine?"

Katara took a deep breath in, a deep breath out, and wondered why this smooth young man in the frayed suit was bothering. Like all benders, she was registered with the government, and she had no doubt that that information was on the notecards in the young man's hands.

"Yes, I am a waterbender."

"Then, Juror Number Nine, answer me this: As a waterbender, and as a person of Water Tribe ancestry, can you promise, beyond a reasonable doubt, to carefully consider the facts of the case, calmly and rationally?"

Katara and her husband were not caricatures out of one of her trashy romance novels. There were many differences between them, innumerable sometimes, it seemed. But on the big things, the important things? The core facets of their personalities, the core tenants of their beliefs? They were one.

Which was why Katara took a deep breath and told the young man the truth.

-0-

"So," Zuko said, "I take it you're not going to be on the jury?"

Katara shook her head. "No, Zuko, I'm not going to be on the jury."

They were sitting on a bench outside of another courtroom, holding hands, just one floor down from the one Katara had just left. Her husband was testifying in court that afternoon, which was why he was in his best suit, face freshly saved, hair neatly trimmed, shined and polished badge prominent on his belt. She had made sure his tie was neat and straight that morning, but somehow during the day, he had managed to get it slanting off to the side again, and it took all Katara's willpower not to reach out and fix it right then and there.

She loved it when he put on a nice suit. If she wasn't so upset, she would be dragging him into the nearest broom closet.

"It was the bloodbending thing, wasn't it?"

Katara groaned and laid her head on his shoulder, nuzzling and shifting until she had found her perfect spot. There was a faint whiff of cigarette smoke wafting off him. He had quit when she got pregnant with Korra, but public speaking made him nervous enough that, anytime he had to go into court, he would bum a smoke off a handy bailiff.

She didn't mind. If anything, at that moment, she found the hint of smoke comforting, as if they were once again curled up on the shoddy couch in her and Toph's old apartment, passing a cigarette back and forth and drinking cheap beer while watching trashy rom-coms.

"Yes," she admitted, closing her eyes and drifting softly into the memory, "it was the bloodbending thing. Just…all I could picture was Gran-Gran's face, the deadly seriousness of her voice. And then I was thinking of the victim, that poor young woman, dead because a boy liked her more than he liked her sister, and I…you know how bloodbending works, right?"

Zuko nodded. "You've described it to me a few times. It doesn't sound pleasant."

"It's not. You can…you can feel everything. Every nook and cranny of a person's body, you can feel, you can practically touch. It's as exhilarating as it is awful."

"But you've used it."

"Of course, I have. I'm a doctor, and it's not the Dark Ages anymore. Bloodbending is a vital tool in the modern medical arsenal. It's saved countless lives over the years and will go on to save countless more. Gods, I used it to save a stroke victim just last week! Without bloodbending, we would've had to run that poor old man through countless tests and we would've had to waste precious time and only La knows if we would've been able to save him, or what would've been left by the time we had."

"In other words, it's a miracle of the bending arts."

"Yes. I believe that with every fiber of my being."

"But you can also use it to kill people in horrific ways."

Katara screwed her eyes ever more tightly shut. "Yes, you can. Have you ever seen it? The aftermath?"

She didn't have to look at her husband to see the distant, cold look in his eyes. "Once, when I was just a patrolman, fresh from the Academy. It was…I don't think I'll ever forget what I saw. It was the first and only time I've ever thrown up at a crime scene."

"Yeah…it's horrible…"

There was a pause, and then Zuko was releasing her hand and pulling away, turning to face her. He took her hands in his and held on tight and said, "Katara, sweetheart, my love, look at me."

She opened her eyes and looked at him. The care and love in his eyes made her fall for him all over again.

"This is about Ursa, isn't it?"

She nodded. "Yes, it is, it's about our daughter." Their beautiful little thirteen-year-old girl, who took after her father's side so strongly in looks, the opposite of Korra, who took after Katara, and yet, it was Korra who was the firebender.

It was Ursa who was the waterbender.

"Have you talked to her about bloodbending?"

Katara shook her head. "No, I haven't. I should have, but I haven't. I just…I didn't want to frighten her. You remember what it's like, when your bending first starts to manifest and you get so scared, because everyone is telling you what not to do and how this is dangerous and that is dangerous and you go through that period where you curse the gods for this so-called gift."

Zuko chuckled. "You and me, maybe. Azula was super into it from day one."

Katara rolled her eyes. "Of course she was. Your sister doesn't know the meaning of such mortal, pedestrian things as fear."

"Yeah…but you have to talk to Ursa."

"I know."

"I mean…you've told her about all the other dangers, we have to. You think I wanted do it, when I had to sit Korra down and tell her how dangerous firebending can be, not just to those around you, but to yourself? You think I enjoyed frightening her like that?"

"No, you didn't. You were so upset."

"Of course I was. But…I still have to do it, just like you have to, when Ursa was a little girl."

"I didn't tell her everything…"

"No, you didn't, but you have to, dear heart."

"But…but what if she asks if I use bloodbending? I'll have to tell her the truth, we swore never to lie to our children, unless it was the Tooth Fairy or Mother Winder or the Solstice Jackalope, those aren't lies, I don't know what I'm talking about, I'm word vomiting, aren't I?"

"There's a reason you married me."

She smiled. "Yes, many, and not just the one in your pants. But…I just…I'll have to tell her the truth and…what if she's scared of me?"

"She won't be scared of you. She's a total Mommy's Girl, she loves you!"

Katara poked him. "You're one to talk. Korra is an utter Daddy's Girl."

"Yeah, well, that's the way it is, sometimes. Seriously, though, you must talk to her, I know you, I believe in you, you'll find a way to do it right. You won't frighten her or give her nightmares, but she has to learn about this, she has to understand what it is and how to avoid it if she wants, and she needs to hear it from you."

She smiled, leaned forward, rested her forehead against his. "You really do love me, don't you?"

He smiled right back. "More and more every day."

"I love you more."

"It's not a contest."

"Says you."

And then, naturally, she kissed him.

-0-

Ursa's older sister had soccer practice after school, which meant that she was standing out front of the school, talking to her best friend Ming, when her mother pulled up to the curb. Ursa was happy, but also surprised; because her parents couldn't predict their schedule that day, she had been expecting her namesake, her O-bāchan, to pick her up, hopefully with Auntie Zula, because Auntie Zula always brought her ice cream. Ursa liked to think of herself as a big girl, she was, after all, thirteen, but that didn't mean she couldn't get giddy at the thought of ice cream.

But it was Mom, and she looked serious, so Ursa resigned herself to not getting any ice cream, gave Ming a big hug, and hopped in the car, gleefully taking the front seat because Korra wasn't there so nyah.

"Hey Mom," she said, tossing her school bag into the backseat and giving her mother a kiss on the cheek. "How's Dad?"

Katara smiled and reached out to ruffle her daughter's hair before putting the car into Drive. "Your father is just fine, he's actually back at the house, waiting for us."

"So, you didn't get picked for the jury today?"

"No, I didn't get picked for the jury."

"Oh…Ming said that you might be getting picked for that horrible bloodbending trial that's in the news."

Her mother didn't answer at first, but Ursa didn't really notice the pause or the look on her mother's face. She was, after all, only thirteen.

"Well…I almost did, but the defense attorney didn't like me, so now we're going to go get ice cream."

Ursa lit up at that. "Really?! But…it's not my birthday or anything…"

Her mother smiled as she navigated her way out of the school parking lot and out into traffic. "Can't a Mom get her little girl ice cream just because?"

"Well, no, because I'm not little and you're always saying that ice cream is a treat and too much of it is bad for you."

"That's true…not that it stops your O-bāchan or your aunt from getting it for you and your sister whenever you two want."

Ursa put on her most innocent face. "I don't know what you're talking about, Mom?"

Her mother rolled her eyes. "Uh huh. But no, it was a long day, and I want ice cream, so we're going to get ice cream."

Ursa shrugged. The logic seemed sound enough to her. "Okay. And then what?"

Her mother took a deep breath, and let it out.

"And then we're going to have a rather serious talk."

That let the wind right out of Ursa's sails. "Oh…it's not going to be about sex, is it?"

Her mother's eyes flew wide as she burst into laughter. "What?! Why would it be about that? I've already had that talk with you. Several of them."

"I remember." Ursa had cursed being the daughter of a doctor that day. "Still, you said there were things you couldn't tell me, because I wouldn't understand until I was older, so it's not those things, right?"

"…no, it's not those things."

"Oh, okay, then it can't be that bad, can it?"

Her mother smiled. "No, maybe not."

And Ursa was right. It was kind of scary, but it wasn't as bad as the day her mother got out The Book and walked her through the male and female anatomy, during which lecture Ursa was old enough to put two-and-two together and realize that, horror of horrors, her parents had had sex.

Welp, here I am again, sliding under the wire. Blergh. I swear to God, this better not happen again tomorrow.

Now, to get this up and uploaded and submitted, and then to go be cute and make out with my wife, because the kid's in bed! Muah hahahaha!

Moving on! In tomorrow's thrilling episode, we return to my ideal version of canon for the date that wasn't supposed to be a date that was mentioned in Turtleduck. Stay tuned!