Back Up Plans
Chapter 8: The Hero Persists
Good morning!
Want a ride to campus?
With her knee wrapped up in braces, Katara has been forced to ask for rides since her accident. One day of it already had her on edge while her friends and family carted her around like an invalid.
That'd be great. Thanks!
She answers Suki's text still feeling a little resentful. Not only was she dependent on her friends, her new circumstances created opportunities for Sokka and Suki to spend time together. Finding out that her brother was dating her best friend left her feeling out of the loop. It wouldn't have bothered her if she'd seen it coming, but the couple came as a complete shock. Suki swears that it surprised her too which makes it a little easier to swallow.
K! See you in five.
Katara sets down her coffee as she limps around the apartment collecting her things. She's surprised when there's a knock at the door so soon after her text.
"That was fast-" Where she'd expected to see Suki, a tall, lean figure stands in her doorway.
"Hello, Katara."
"Jet?"
"I hope you don't mind me dropping by." Katara stares at the unexpected man in surprise. A small voice in the back of her mind wonders how he got her address, but any uneasiness disappears when he holds up a familiar bag.
"My backpack!" She rushes forward and grabs the previously lost item. Her blue eyes glow as she hugs the bag to her chest. "How did you find it?"
"I have friends at the police department."
She beckons Jet inside as she retreats into it. Dropping her bag onto the kitchen counter she tears open the zippers of her bag. "My books!" she cries with glee. She pulls out every item and cradles it to her until the bag is empty and the counter has a neat pile of her belongings. Sitting on the bar stool next to the kitchen counter she sighs. "I guess it was too much to ask for my wallet to be in there."
Jet shrugs. "I tried to track it down but my connections didn't have anything there."
"Please," Katara interjects. "You did more than the police. It's amazing!"
Jet wanders around her apartment as she praises him. He appreciates the little markers of her life around the place- the books on the coffee table, the pictures on the wall. Her crutches click across the floor as she follows him.
"It's not much," she says with a smile. "But it's home."
"I think it's wonderful." His smile doesn't waver as he speaks, and she appreciates his gracious attitude. Based on his expensive taste in suits she doubts he spends much time in small, inexpensive apartments. "Do you live here alone?"
"No," she answers as the slight wariness returns. "My best friend Toph lives with me and our friend Suki practically lives here too." He nods thoughtfully in response. "That reminds me. I met someone who knows you."
"Really? Who?" He seems very intrigued by the idea of them having a mutual acquaintance.
"Oh, uh-" The words had come out of her mouth before she could stop them. Zuko's expression from two nights ago float into her memory. He'd asked her to be careful around Jet, and suddenly she doesn't want to talk to him about Zuko.
There's a loud knock at the door. "Katara!" Suki's muffled shout drifts toward them and Katara thanks whatever god just saved her. Jet takes the liberty of answering the door for her.
"Oh?" Suki's surprise is obvious. "I must be at the wrong-"
"I'm here Suki!" Her friend's dark eyes look past the tall man in the doorway with growing confusion.
"Katara? You weren't downstairs so I thought you needed help."
"I do. Thank you. Grab my bag and we can head to the car together." Katara's eyes plead for Suki to just be patient and do as she asks. Like a true friend she does. Grabbing Katara's things she lingers in the hallway and Katara has the escape she needs to end her conversation with Jet.
Tucking a hair behind her ear she looks up at the man. "I have to get to class, but I think I officially owe you coffee. Call me sometime?" Again, she wonders why she is inviting more contact with this man.
Jet cocks his head with a mixture of amusement and something else. "I'll need my phone to do that."
"Right. Right! Your phone! I forgot to give you your phone. Geez, I can be an airhead." Katara pulls the device out of her pocket. "I've been keeping it with me in case I ran into you again. It's been buzzing a lot but I didn't look at it or anything."
Jet pockets the phone without looking at it. His smile leans more toward amused this time around. "I don't drink much coffee, but I do eat. Would you like to have dinner instead?"
Katara plays with the handle of her backpack, uncertain of how to answer. Sensing her hesitation Jet changes his approach. "How about I call you tomorrow and you can tell me then if you have time?"
"That sounds good," Katara agrees with relief. Jet says goodbye to both women as he exits through the hallway. Suki immediately turns her excited expression to Katara but has the good sense to wait until the door to the stairwell clicks shut before attacking with questions.
"Who was that?"
"Get me to the car and I'll fill you in on everything." For once, Suki shoulders her friend's bags without complaint. They make quick work of the elevator and loading time. Suki doesn't wait for Katara to get settled before she demands answers again.
"Buckle your seat belt," Katara commands. Suki sighs but doesn't consider it too high a price for gossip this juicy. "You remember how a guy tried to help me when I was attacked the other night?"
"That's the guy?" Suki asks in disbelief. "You didn't tell us he was gorgeous!"
"That's because he's…just…" Katara's sentence trails off as she tries to decide how to finish her thought.
"Gorgeous," Suki finishes for her friend. "The word you're looking for is gorgeous."
"Take me to school, Suki." The car turns on and begins winding through traffic. However, Suki won't let the topic go.
"Are you seeing him? I mean he's at your apartment, so of course you're seeing him." Suki waves her hand dismissively as she turns the wheel. Her tone implies innuendo as she continues her inquiry. "So what exactly happened between Tuesday night and this morning?"
Katara laughs at the implication. "Suki my knee is useless and even though Jet has apparently decided he doesn't need his arm sling he still has a recently dislocated shoulder and a fractured rib."
"I guess I didn't factor that in…"
"It was weird. He just turned up at my apartment this morning. He found my backpack and I had accidently kept his phone, so we were bound to run into each other."
"Ah, the backpack and the phone exchange. Tale as old as time," Suki mocks her friend's matter of fact tone. "Why didn't you say yes to dinner?"
"I don't know," Katara reflects on the warnings she's received about the mysterious- though handsome- man. As she does, the warning bell beats in time with the butterflies in her stomach. "Don't you think it's a little weird that he found out where I live?"
"You didn't tell him?" Suki asks.
"No."
"Well maybe he got it from the police or off your backpack or something."
"Yeah, maybe."
Suki's car pulls into one of the school lots and scores a great spot. While the pair begin pulling on scarves and gloves, Katara ponders more about Jet. She senses the moment her brother walks into view, because Suki immediately struggles with rare incoordination. She mutters curses as her gloves struggle to fit onto the correct fingers.
Ignoring the fact that Suki is about to kiss her brother, Katara smiles at the fact that her brother is happy and her best friend is happy. When the great glove battle finally finishes Suki releases a victorious grunt.
"Done with the fun?" Katara asks.
"Yes and thank you for the support," Suki says. Her eyes are on Sokka as he walks past the last few cars between them. "He's not the only hot guy who will turn up in your life," Suki says unexpectedly.
"My brother…?" Katara asks with revulsion.
"Jet," Suki clarifies as if the topic hadn't ever stopped. "You're far from desperate. If you don't feel right about him then don't force it. He may be hot, but even he has to get rejected every now and then."
Katara is grateful for Suki's confidence because it boosts her own. Their conversation ends as Sokka launches himself onto the hood of Suki's car and strikes what no one but Sokka would consider a provocative pose.
Thanks to the return of her old textbooks, the rest of Katara's day goes well. She hadn't realized how sweet their heavy pages smelled or how expensive it was to purchase two copies of a semester's worth of books. Luckily, she'd been able to return her recent replacement copies.
By the time her late lunch rolls around, the uneasiness from the morning slides into the backburner. After all, it was a harmless visit and invitation. There is the question of what kind of connections does someone have to track down a backpack stolen by a common criminal. And what kind of a man goes through all that effort for a stranger? Maybe distance was good advice when it came to Jet.
"Hey sis!" Katara shakes her head, clearing her mind.
"Hi Sokka." Her brother slides into the booth and starts picking at her fries. She rolls her eyes when he asks if she's gonna finish her sandwich.
"Is this a veggie sandwich?" Sokka picks at the lettuce hanging out of the bun.
"Sokka there's like three layers of ham on that."
"Huh," Sokka flicks a cucumber onto the table. "Tastes too green." This earns another eye roll from his sister.
"How's Suki?" Katara asks.
Sokka flashes her expression that begs for her patience. "Don't be mad at me, Tara. We're good for each other."
"Whatever you say." She folds her arms- clearly not appeased.
"Aw c'mon, don't be like that."
"You couldn't have given me a little warning? Either of you?"
"And have you scare her off? I don't think so. It's better this way. Trust me."
"That's the last thing I'm going to do." Despite her brother's transgressions, she can't stay mad. Not today. The flowers on the bench beside her brother remind her of today's anniversary.
She leans over and picks up the roses. As she cradles them in her arms the teasing and bickering quickly dissolves. "Is dad meeting us there?"
"Yeah, work kept him longer than he expected so he says we'll beat him there." Katara is always surprised when this day arrives the world keeps turning. She wonders why the people around her can't sense the gloom, or why the weather always chooses to remain deceptively clear. The anniversary of her mother's death isn't meant for sunny days.
"It's a little easier this year," Sokka comments quietly. Outside the deli, people hurry between street corners on their way to the same places they went yesterday. Katara sighs and pulls her crutches toward her.
Sokka grabs her bag and helps her into his car. She's surprised he doesn't hoist her up and carry her outside with his rate of overprotectiveness. They join the city traffic and follow it until they find themselves pulling into the peaceful grounds of a New York cemetery. Their dad's car sits parked in the small lot. "I guess he still beat us here."
"Yeah," Katara agrees as she uses her crutch to tread over the well-kept grass. "Dad," she greets her father warmly. Hokoda's police badges press into her cheeks as she hugs him.
"Katara," her father returns her embrace. "You should be at home resting."
"Oh dad," she moans. "I've already been at classes all day and made plans to return to my volunteer work."
"She's barely eating," Sokka interjects animatedly. "When I picked her up she'd barely eaten half of her sandwich. I had to finish it off for her…"
Katara begins to protest but breaks off. Instead, she snatches the flowers out of her brother's arms and heads into the cemetery.
"What did I say?" Sokka turns his dumbfounded expression to Hakoda, but his father just shakes his head.
The flowers rest delicately in Katara's arms as she wanders the maze of gravestones until she reaches the south end of the cemetery. "We brought you flowers, Mom." She lays the flowers in the grass below her. The granite gravestone shines under the sun.
Sokka and Hakoda arrive and gather around their matriarch's grave. Sokka squats down next to her and places his hand on the stone. "I got into this great internship, mom. It's gonna be really great for my resume after graduation. It may even lead to a full-time job at the firm."
Katara continues their tradition of sharing the updates of their lives with their mother. "Being pre-med is harder than I thought. It takes a lot of work but I'm doing pretty well. Pakku found me a volunteer spot in the hospital."
"And then he found her room when she became a patient," Sokka interjects.
Katara rolls her eyes. "It's not that big of a deal."
"Can you believe her mom? She gets mugged in a subway and it's not that big a deal. I told you she was crazy." The last part is whispered loud enough for everyone to hear but Sokka acts as if only the gravestone could hear.
Hakoda, who had been standing quietly between his children, rests a hand on each of their shoulders. "Let me have a minute, will you?"
The pair of blue-eyed siblings rise to allow their father room. He squats down and just sits their silently for a moment. Sokka glances at his sister and jerks his head away from their father. Catching on, she joins Sokka as he heads in the direction of the fountain a few yards back. Their father deserves as long as he wanted.
Sokka heaves a long sigh as they walk. "Was that me who said it was easier this year?"
"I think it was some crazy guy we met on the way here." Katara replies with smile.
As Katara glances around her she's reminded how peaceful it is in this place. It almost makes her want to spend more time in the small haven, but the abundance of shiny headstones is a strong deterrent. As they reach the top of a small hill, Katara recognizes an unexpected figure.
"Mr. King?"
The older man looks up in surprise. "Miss Katara? How unexpected."
"Yeah. What are you doing here?"
His expression remains kind but grows slightly solemn. "I am an old man, Katara. I have several reasons to visit."
"I'm so sorry," Katara says sincerely. "That was a dumb question. Of course you're visiting someone."
"I hope you are not doing the same thing, my young friend." Iroh's light eyes look at her and the man who is now several feet past them.
"My brother and I are visiting our mother. She was killed by a gang when I was young."
"Ah," Iroh sighs grievously. "I am very sorry for your loss."
Katara nods in acceptance of his sentiment. She steps next Iroh and looks down at the grave. One more the sounds of nature fill the silence around them. Katara reads the headstone as they stand in companionable silence. The headstone clearly displays great honor, but as Katara reads the words she silently gasps. Iroh shares the deceased's last name. "Who was Lu Ten?"
"A remarkable young man," Iroh says reverently. "He is my son and Zuko's cousin." Katara's gasp is not silent this time. Her blue eyes fill with unexpected tears and she finds her hand resting on the old man's arm.
"How did it happen?"
"My son always wanted to grow up too quickly. Because of this, his life took a dark turn and by the time he saw his error it was too late. His world wouldn't let him change so he died trying."
"Oh Iroh, I'm so sorry."
"Please don't be," he says unexpectedly. "Lu Ten wouldn't want sorrow at his grave. He'd want people to find happiness."
After another moment of quiet camaraderie by the young man's grave Iroh speaks again. "My nephew lost his mother too, you know." Katara looks up at Iroh with surprise. "He'd probably never tell you. But she left when he was still a boy. That is why he's so distrustful of people." Katara doesn't know how to respond. Luckily, Iroh continues. "You're mother died Miss Katara. Zuko's mother left. Where yours would have stayed, his chose to leave. The betrayal has left him unsure of people. Give him a few chances. He's loyal to the end, but you just have to give him a few chances."
Katara blushes at Iroh's implication. Despite her embarrassment she appreciates the information that explains her rough experience from the other night. Before she can say anything though, her phone rings. Embarrassed by its timing she quickly pulls it out and fumbles to recognize the caller ID.
"Excuse me," she mumbles to Iroh when she recognizes the unexpected caller. "Hello?"
"Hi Katara. This is Detective Bato. I was wondering if you'd be willing to come to the precinct this afternoon."
Katara shifts the phone to her other ear nervously. "What's this about?"
"We're investigating a criminal who was involved in your assault from this past weekend."
"Did you find the man who robbed me?" she asks eagerly.
"No. I'm talking about Jet."