Don't cry for me tonight

Chapter 2

"This is Ursa. She is my fiancé." The dark words from Hakota's mouth burned Katara's heart like an uncontrollable fire.

"Well, welcome to the family, Ursa. I wish we'd met sooner. I would have to see my son propose." Kana said shaking Ursa's hand. Kana knew it would be good for her son to remarry but she, like Bato, worried about the kids. They worried more about Katara than Sokka though. Sokka would eventually get over it but Katara would just be hurt.

"Thank you, Kana. Hakota has told me so much about you and the rest of his family and you all seem so wonderful." Ursa stated.

"What did my dad say about me?" Sokka asked in a lifeless tone.

"You're Sokka aren't you? Your father had said that you will make a good warrior one day and he's said how he was so surprised when he saw your leadership and fighting skills a while ago in the firenation invasion with the other warriors. He said that you had gotten so tall and strong." Ursa told him.

Sokka looked proud then looked at his dad who seemed pleased.

Katara rolled her eyes. There was no way this joke was funny to her.

"And you must be Katara. Hakota, she is even prettier in person." Ursa commented.

She looked down with a miserable expression. "Thank you."

That night at dinner, Hakota wanted Katara and Sokka to really get to know Ursa.

They sat on a rug on the floor eating some kind of fish soup. There was an awkward silence in the beginning. The only sound was chewing and drinking. Ursa sat next to Hakota and across from Katara and Sokka. She kept her distance from Hakota, which satisfied Katara.

"So, um, Ursa? Where did you meet my dad?" Sokka asked in between bites in his food.

"Sokka, please chew with your mouth closed." Hakota asked his son.

"Well I meet your father while I was in a refugee camp off the coast of an island." Ursa explained.

"A refugee camp?" Katara asked pretending to be interested. By the posture and manners this 'refugee' had there was reason for doubt and suspicion of her background. It was obvious that she wasn't from a low or middle class.

"Yes. It's especially for—um—the refugee's of the firenation." Ursa said unsure if she was wise to say that.

"A firenation refugee camp? Why were you there?" Sokka asked.

"Because Sokka I belong to the firenation."

There was another silence. Katara looked at her father and in his eyes she knew that Ursa hadn't said everything yet and that bothered her.

"Oh." Was all Sokka was able to say. "So who runs that camp?"

"Some kind earthnation folks. They believed that not all firenation are terrible people and they gave us another chance."

Sokka nodded. In his head he thought 'how could dad want to be married to some firenation girl? Even if she is pretty? Doesn't he realize how strange it would be?'

The conversation stopped there again for a while. Then Katara thought maybe it would be her turn to ask a question—to please her dad.

"Ursa, you look kind of old." Katara's words slipped from her mouth in a way she didn't want.

Everyone looked at her. Hakota looked displeased, Sokka just laughed and Ursa was embarrassed and confused.

"Um, maybe I am." Ursa responded.

"No! No that's not what I meant! I'm sorry. I meant because you look a like my dad's age so I was wondering if you had ever been married or something. Or had kids?" Katara tried to fix her words.

"Oh well that's different then." Ursa lightly laughed. "I was married before and I do have other children. My son was banished years ago, well that's what I heard, my daughter is now working and my husband is supposed to be executed."

'Who is she fooling?' Katara thought.

"Why is he going to be killed?" Sokka asked hardly listening to the clues of her family.

"He was a—strong supporter of the Firelord. He disappointed me." Ursa said looking down.

"Speaking of the Firelord, Katara isn't the avatar ruling the firenation?" Hakota asked changing the subject.

"Aang is just running it for nine months for Iroh—er the temporary Firelord Iroh." Katara corrected.

"Ah. I've heard rumors all over places where I've traveled to, by the way, some about Sokka being 'cute' or 'totally hot' and about Katara who is the girlfriend of the Avatar." Hakota laughed.

"WHAT?!" Katara and Sokka both said.

"Girls think I'm hot?" Sokka said with his smirk.

"I'm not—I mean kind of but..,!" Katara blushed.

"My daughter and the Avatar. That's something a parent can say everyday." Hakota teased.

"Dad! We are but it's on hold for a while." Katara was now getting annoyed.

"Hey dad! You should have seen them when we split up yesterday! Katara was saying stuff like: "I want you to come see us a lot. And never forget about us—me." Then Aang said: "That would be impossible—to forget you." It was so funny!" Sokka remembered.

The two men laughed and made fun of the relationship, such as height and age difference, even more until Katara was ready to just cry. Ursa saw the humiliation in Katara's eyes then touched Hakota's hand.

"Enough." Ursa ordered in a low, sweet voice. Hakota looked at his daughter now embarrassed and crying lightly and he felt guilty.

"I'm sorry Katara. I have been away for so long I had forgotten how to treat my own family." Hakota apologized. "Sokka ask your sister for forgiveness."

"Sorry Katara." Sokka said patting her shoulder. She shrugged it off then left to her room.

She sat brushing her hair on a little wooden chair—probably from the earth kingdom—in front of a mirror.

"So, I guess this was what mom was trying to tell me about moving on." Katara thought to herself. She thought in peace until the door knocked.

"Katara, honey? Can I come in?" Hakota asked.

"I don't care."

The door opened then closed. "Katara please don't be mad at me. I told you I was sorry."

"I'm not mad about that anymore. It's about Ursa now."

"What? But at dinner you seemed like you liked her."

"I never did dad. It was just a little show I played for you—for your sake." She repeated her mothers earlier words.

"Honey you don't need to do that. Listen I know this is all happening so fast for you. And that's my fault but I've known Ursa for a long time and I just wanted to live on."

"Katara? I need you to promise something." Katara's mother had said in the dream.

"What mom?"

"Katara let your father live on. Please. For his sake and your own."

"But dad? She is replacing mom. How could you do that to her?"

"No she isn't. She will be taking in you two kids as her own but you'll never replace her real kids. Please Katara give her a chance. I'm sure you'll love her."

"I doubt that." Katara stood up and walked to her bed.

"Well you have to talk to her anyways."

"Why would I?"

"Because even though she is my fiancé, Gran-Gran thinks it's a sin for us to sleep together in the same room until we are married. So I wanted to ask if she could sleep in here." Hakota said.

"WHAT? No way! She is not! Why can't she sleep somewhere else? Like the floor?"

"Shut your mouth Katara. She can't sleep with Sokka, no way. I will not ask her to sleep with Gran-Gran."

"Aren't there other rooms here?" Katara asked. After all it is a big house.

"There are only enough rooms for us to each have one. She is sleeping here with you, alright?"

"No!" Katara and Hakota argued for a while longer until he threaten Katara that she would be grounded.

"Fine."

~Later that night~

Katara then felt lucky she got a queen-size bed so Ursa would be far from her and she wouldn't need to sleep on the floor.

"Katara, thanks for sharing your room with me. I really appreciate it." Ursa said.

"Don't mention it." Katara simply answered.

Katara began to unbraid her hair while Ursa unpacked her clothes in an empty drawer.

"Do you need help with your hair?" Ursa asked.

"Nope. Done." Katara said jumping in bed.

Katara held back her tears. She felt so hurt. It wasn't fair. She pretended to fall asleep until Ursa turned off the lamp in the room. Now Ursa couldn't see Katara's tears no matter how much she cried.

Katara's dream

She was in the sky with her mom on clouds. Her mother was unbraiding her hair and speaking gently as an angel.

"Katara. Be nice to her. Just try to get along."

"No mom! She is taking your place. I-I just can't. Mom, please come back to us. We miss you."

"I miss you too baby, but I can't. Honey your father is hurting inside. No one will ever take my place in the hearts of my family. Not now, not ever."

"Mom please—"

"Katara, try and talk to her."

At that moment she woke up as if it was a nightmare. She rubbed off the dry tears from her eyes then looked at Ursa who was fast asleep.

"Ursa? Ursa I need to talk to you." Katara said nudging her to wake up.

"Hm? Katara what's wrong?"

"Ursa I need to talk to you. I need to get to know you. I'm sorry I've been mean to you I just thought—"

"Katara it's ok. I know, I know. I guess it must have been strange for you. But must we talk at this hour?"

"Yes! It's important to me." Katara said as she sat up.

"Well ok then. What do you want to talk about?" Ursa yawned.

"Tell me about um—your husband! How did you meet?"

"My husband and I had an arrange marriage. Our families were very 'highly ranked' in the firenation."

"What about your kids?"

"Well my oldest is my son. I loved him so much. It pains me knowing that he might be somewhere dangerous. My second is my daughter. She took too much after my husband. She was a bratty child and I hope one day she will grow out of it."

"Why were you banished?" Katara asked getting very personal now. Hopefully Ursa didn't mind.

"I wanted to save my son. I took my son's place at an execution—sort of—but my husband couldn't bare me dying. So when I was badly injured he told me to leave the firenation and never return. He told me that he wouldn't come for me and I shouldn't come back."

"That's terrible."

"Yes, it is." Ursa was over everything that happened. She didn't care for Ozai as much anymore. "If you don't mind I have some questions for you."

"Shoot." Katara sat up straight.

"Was there really anything going on between you and the Avatar?" Ursa had a smirk on her face. She liked talking to Katara. She was the daughter Azula could never be and she knew this in short time they knew each other.

"Yeah." Katara said, blushing, hesitantly.

"Did you ever kiss him?"

"Are you going to tell my dad about any of this?" Katara asked.

"No. Just between you and me."

"I kissed him on the cheek several times. I kissed him on the lips a few times--once because we were stuck in a cave and we needed to trust in love and stuff—" She began to rant.

"So you must have been in love with him then."

"I think love is too much of a strong word but yes."

Katara and Ursa both smiled at each other.

"So is there anything else?" Katara asked.

"Have you meet Prince Zuko? Did he ever get close to capture the Avatar?"

"Yes I have and he did a few times…"

Katara went into a long detailed story from the beginning to the end of the adventure.

"So he is returning to the firenation?" Ursa asked.

"After a year when his punishment is done. Why?" Katara asked.

"No reason. Do you think he will be out earlier?"

"Maybe. If he doesn't have a lot of work left. Why? Do you want to meet him?" Katara forgot about her theory of him being Ursa's son.

"Oh no. I just wanted to go see the palace one day. I suppose it would be nice to see the prince. Wouldn't it?" Ursa had a fantasy to see her son again.

"He isn't that bad. He betrayed the Avatar and I in a battle where Aang almost died. I trusted him! I actually almost freed him from his scar. It's a good thing I didn't waste it on him then though." Katara's hatred towards Ursa's son convinced her plan of seeing him again. For all she knew, he was still in pain. "But later on he really did change. We became friends and he helped us out a lot. He and I both defeated Azula together. I saved him that day too."

"Then I hope you don't mind if I go to the palace, Katara. I have family that lives close to it. I would love to see them again and I would love it if you meet them as well."

"I don't. I'm sorry. Zuko is very nice now but I sometimes cant get over all the cruel things he did to me in the past. I mean he tied me up to a tree keeping me as bait for Aang and he—"

"A tree?" Ursa interrupted.

"Yeah. And tried to trade my own necklace that he might have stole from me for the Avatar! He was sick!"

Ursa thought to herself 'that doesn't sound like my son'. "Hopefully we wont see him then. I'm tired now and I'm sure you are too. We should get some sleep now."

"No. Ursa I'm sorry again. I don't want to discourage you from seeing him. He's different. He's really nice now too. To prove it, he even has a girlfriend. A gloomy one but a girlfriend is a girlfriend."

She nodded and smiled.

"Ursa? Thanks for this. For talking to me."

"It's good that we know a bit more about each other. Good night Katara."

~Katara's dream~

She was in a meadow surrounded by trees and a soft light peaked through the treetops. Katara sat on the soft grassy ground with her mother who was re-braiding her hair.

"Ok I talked to her. Happy now?" Katara asked.

"Yes I am. Thank you. Now for your next challenge." Her mother finished her hair then helped her up from the floor.

"Next challenge? Mom what are you talking about?"

Her mother pointed down a path in between the darkest trees.

"I'm not going down there, mom. It's too dark. Will you come with me?"

"No I won't. You will go down the path sooner or later, honey. Go now."

"Why? Mom I don't want to leave you here alone." Katara grabbed her mother's arm.

"You have too. I will never be gone from your side though. Remember that my beautiful daughter."

"Katara wake up!"

Katara woke with a start. She looked to her side. Ursa must have left a long time ago because the bed was made on her side.

"Katara, it's time to eat! Get up!" Sokka called from the kitchen.

'A new challenge?' Katara thought.

Update:

I'm changing the relationship with Zuko and Katara too. Sorry but they wont hate each other as much now. This will make it easier for things I have planned to follow through. Now I just need something to get Mai away…

Review!