Chapter 2: Marry Me?
(Occurs at the same time as chapter 1)
Sokka stared at the betrothal necklace in his hand and smiled. Life was good. His father would be returning home soon, Suki was staying on Ember Island with them, and he would be proposing to her in a matter of minutes.
Yup, life was good for the young warrior, and nothing could possibly go wrong.
Sokka stood and headed towards the beach where Suki was sun-bathing. As he sat down beside her, she looked up.
"Hey Sokka!" she looked around suspiciously. "Toph isn't with you, is she?" Sokka chuckled and shook his head. He leaned down and kissed Suki briefly.
"So, I wanted to talk to you." He began, anxiety already creeping into his resolve. Suki sat up in her seat and sent him a questioning look.
"Sure, what's wrong?" Sokka quickly raised his hands. He took one of her hands in his own.
"Nothings wrong. In fact…everything is right." Suki's eyes widened as she realized where he was going. "Suki, you mean so much to me, and I can't imagine spending my life with anyone but you." Suki gently pulled her hand away as he pulled out the necklace. Suki stared at the smooth green stone, a gold fan engraved into it. Suki looked back up at Sokka, his eyes expectant. Suki hesitantly shook her head.
"I'm sorry Sokka. We have our whole lives ahead of us. I love you, but I'm not sure I'm ready for such a big commitment." She handed him back the necklace, and he slowly pocketed it, his head drooping.
"I see." He whispered, not knowing what else to say. Suki touched his cheek gingerly, her eyes filled with concern.
"I love you Sokka, that still means something, right?" Sokka looked up at her, and then his rejected necklace. He forced a smile.
"Of course it does."
Sokka stormed into Katara's house through the back door. He walked into the kitchen as Katara stared at the ceiling and spoke.
"Spirits help us." She said, her voice pleading with the ceiling. Sokka arched an eyebrow.
"Help you with what?" he asked. Katara jumped, clearly surprised, and stood. She rounded on him quickly, her index finger jabbing his chest.
"How long have you been standing there? And you better not lie to me Sokka!" Sokka raised his hands in surrender.
"I just walked in. Why?" Katara stared at him for a moment before shrugging.
"No reason," she lied, poorly at best. Sokka ignored this and sat down in the chair across from where she had been sitting. He jumped back up as mud soaked his pants.
"Gross! Katara, tell me this is mud and not something of Kira's." Katara stifled a laugh and nodded.
"Yeah, Toph was sitting there a little bit ago. I haven't had a chance to clean it up yet." Sokka rolled his eyes and flopped back down.
"Well, don't worry about it now, I've already taken care of it." He growled, his face slipping into a pout. Katara sighed internally and sat down.
"What's wrong with you now?" Sokka glared at his sister.
"What do you mean 'now'? When have I come to you with anything lately?" Katara shook her head.
"I just meant that…well…Toph came to me earlier with a problem." Sokka nodded slowly. He would deal with that later. Right now, he needed his sister's motherly instincts.
"Katara, I asked Suki to marry me." Katara forced a smile.
"Great…congratulations?" she tried, feeling sorry for Toph. Sokka sighed and dropped his head onto the table.
"She said no." Katara froze, torn between her friend and brother. She put a hand on his shoulder, and kneeled beside him.
"I'm so sorry Sokka. Are you alright?" she asked, family momentarily trumping friends. Sokka shrugged.
"I guess so. She still wants to be with me." Katara couldn't stop herself from taking on a motherly stance and glaring at him.
"She wants to be with you, but she doesn't want to commit to you? What do you see wrong with this picture?" Sokka hesitantly nodded.
"I know. But, we've been through so much. It seems stupid to throw it away over this." Katara shrugged and motioned to the stove.
"Look, I need to start dinner. You are welcome to stay." Sokka sighed and nodded. "I know you're hurting, but there are tons of people out there who would love to be married to a Water Tribe warrior." Sokka snorted as Katara lit the fire.
"Yeah, they're obviously just lining up to meet me." He said, sarcasm drowning out his hurt feelings.
"I know one," Katara muttered. Sokka's head jerked up.
"What did you say?" Katara quickly feigned innocence.
"Oh, I didn't say anything." She lied. Sokka opened his mouth to interrogate her, but the front door banged open. "Oh boy," she whispered, and went to check on her daughter and husband. She brushed by Toph as she left the kitchen.
A/N: Just a short chapter this time. The next one probably won't be long either. Anyway, thanks for reading. Please continue to read and please review, they make my day. ~Kirsten