Disclaimer: I don't own the Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of its characters.

The Shadow of the Past

Chapter 4 - Before The Storm

Story by Last Butterfly

Summary: Seven years passed since that tragic night in Zuko's life, and he and Katara had been together for a year now.
But after this peaceful time a shadow neared them from the past he tried so hard to forget... - Zutara, Zuko x Katara Modern AU

On a day, which started as peaceful as any other could have, Zuko had to dace all the things that made a waiter's life awful.

From early in the morning grumpy and even grumpier people staggered in the shop for their 'life saving' strong, black coffee, who basically barked as answers whatever he asked them. But they never bothered him as much as bored or overexcited teenaged girls – some of them were only half his age.

They always came in groups, and the most annoying thing about them was that they continuously giggled or chuckled whenever he was around. The hair on the back of his neck rose up whenever he heard one of the following words: 'hot', 'ass', 'waiter', 'cute' and 'apron'. It just made him shudder and only strengthened his 'the-girls-are-crazy' theory.

But none of the above mentioned problems could ever reach the horrors of three elderly women. The twins – Li and Lo – and Hama appeared together every time like an evil trio of a messed up western movie, for a long moment stopping in the doorway while the wind ruffled their white hair…

He could have sworn that for a second his blood froze in his veins as they walked to their favourite round table. Gods, why today?! That was all that ran through his mind as three pairs of grey and golden eyes all turned to him, with something there he could only refer to as 'hunger'. The three if them reminded him of three serpents as they started smiling at him with anticipation…

Now that he thought about it, it was rather a thriller than a western.

He took one deep breath as he got a hold of the small pocketbook before walking up to them. But when he stopped in a safety two or three steps distance away from the table Li – or Lo – made a pout.

"What can I bring to you today?" He asked, and fortunately could not catch when Li answered.

"Just leave yourself here sunshine."

The twins laughed to themselves while he frowned at them, but Hama leaned forward between them, right opposite to him. Zuko really did not like the way she smiled.

"The usual. Two Brazil, one Puerto Rican."

He only nodded then as fast as he could, he went to the backroom while trying to push away the feeling of being watched from behind.

His uncle smiled up at him as he entered, but when he mumbled the order, Iroh's forehead furrowed at once. "Is this for…?"

"Yeah." Zuko did not move from his place beside the door while the old man made the coffee.

"Would you want me to bring these out?" Iroh asked after some time, while placing down the cups on a tray.

Zuko scoffed. "I am not afraid of three old hags…" As his uncle gave him a narrow look, he cleared his throat. "Elderly women." He shrugged as he walked to the tray. "What's the worst that could happen anyway?"

The old man raised a brow, but the boy only coughed then pointed at a cup. "Is that the Puerto Rican?"

Iroh only showed his wisest look before speaking. "Smell it then say."

He leaned down sniffing the aroma of the black liquid then asked again. "So is this it?"

His uncle picked up the other cup, holding it towards him. "Now try this."

Zuko smelled that one too…

"But these are exactly the same!"

Iroh's shoulders dropped and he gave him his most pained look. "How can't you feel the difference?"

His nephew counted to three in thought. "So, which one is it?"

The man heaved a sigh, putting the second cup in his hand. "This."

"Thanks." Iroh probably only let out another sigh, but did not actually say anything before Zuko returned to the 'danger zone'.

Though the trio chatted and chuckled before, they instantly fell silent as he invaded their view while placing down the tray. "All right…" He started, getting a hold of two cups while his gaze remained on those so that he wouldn't spill it. "So, the two Brazil," He placed them before the twins, then got a hold of the third. "And one Puerto-…" As he leaned forward, putting down the last cup, he suddenly straightened back up, making the tray rattle on the table with his other hand, because something happened which should not have… someone. Grabbed. His ass.

Li and Lo both watched a spot on the wall behind Hama as he looked at them with his good eye still round. "Well, well…" He only stared at the Water Tribe woman as her lips curled into a predatory smirk. "Aren't you the shy one…" Zuko's surprise was even surpassed by embarrassment while holding the old witch's gray eyes. He was definitely not shy, but this situation surely crossed the phrase of 'sexual harassment'. His ears pinked. "How sweet."

His mouth opened but as not a sound had escaped him he just took a step backwards with a nod the turned away with hurried steps.

"Wouldn't you just eat him up…?" Lo said, making the others chuckle.

As he turned towards the counter Zuko's fists clenched upon the edge of it when…

He almost jumped in his place as his eyes were suddenly covered by two hands. "Guess who?" But feeling the soft skin against his instead of the dry, old, creepy ones he feared of, he relaxed- And when her voice called out he let a smile came to his lips.

"Let's see…" His hands rose, covering the tanned, delicate ones then slowly brushing the lower arms, which belonged to them. "If it's Tuesday or Wednesday it would be Jin, if Monday or Friday then Song …"

Katara's smile turned into a frown as he spoke, but the scarred teen only chuckled when she beat on his shoulders. "If that's the case then I'll show those two who you belong to…!" She started ranting, but Zuko's lips sealed hers after he turned in his place. Her hands instead of hitting clenched in his uniform and apron…

"Oh, how quickly they forget us!" Li sighed with her twin sister, while only Hama's smile remained. The blue eyed girl sat down opposite to the young waiter, who returned behind the counter by the time they drank their coffee.

The old Water Tribe woman made a smirk as she gazed at the young girl. Katara's left leg swung back and forth while watching her boyfriend from behind with a small smile. Hama let out a light laugh. "That girl kind of reminds me my old self." She stated, placing down more than enough money beside the bill before standing up. "Let's go ladies, before you get us thrown out of here…"

While the three of them left the place, still chuckling, Katara's eyes followed them till they walked out the door. She couldn't help feeling relieved when they were out. "Wow…" She sighed. "These ladies were sure weird."

"You don't even know…" Zuko murmured lowly.

"What?"

He only shook his head before going to the deserted table. Katara followed him too, and her eyes fell on the money left there before he could pick it up. "Now, aren't you popular?" She smirked with her arms crossed, but for some reasons instead of retorting Zuko just shrugged and cleaned down the table with a blush upon his cheeks.

The girl knitted her eyebrows with concern but as he didn't seem like he'd want to explain anything, she rather asked. "So… are you nervous about tonight?"

The scarred teen stopped to look up at her confusedly first then he let his usual smirk return while bringing his gaze up and down on her. "Why, what do you have in mind for tonight?" He asked, but she only put a hand to her hip.

"I meant about the dinner tonight." He only blinked. "With dad?"

"It's Saturday." There had always been a sure sign, which showed that Zuko was nearing panic: when a drop of sweat ran down his temple. But what she respected in him was that usually he never truly lost it. Even when he got scared – though it did not happen frequently – he did not tell. She had to learn to read from the signs which unconsciously gave him away…

But this time maybe he was a bit more worried than usual.

"Uncle!" He hurried towards the backroom at once. "I have to leave early today, I'll have dinner at Katara's place and…"

"And you want to make a good impression on her father, don't you?" Iroh asked with a wink as he stepped through the door then beamed a smile at the dark skinned girl. "Hi dear, how are you?"

Zuko's haw dropped while Katara smiled too. "Hello Uncle…"

"So you knew?"

His uncle rolled his eyes. "Of course nephew, you told me about this at least eight times this week." His gaze moved upwards. Not once today though…

"And why didn't you remind me sooner?!"

For a long moment only the teen's breathing was audible. "All right Katara, I'll leave him to you now; I have other things to worry about right now." The old man said then turned the 'CLOSED' board towards the street. When he turned back, his nephew still only glared ahead of him, he waved once before returning to the backroom. "I'll close the shop, just go."

Katara was looking at Zuko, whose eyes focused somewhere behind her. "Zuko…?" He did not move. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah…" He said faintly, which made her bow her head to the side.

"Then, can we go?"

"Sure." He murmured and took a step before she stopped him.

"Don't forget the apron."

He slowly nodded, but she couldn't help giggling when instead of untying his apron, he started to put on another one… this finally made him snap out of this. He let out a grunt, shaking his head after throwing off both of them.

"Zuko, it's Ok. I understand if you're nervous."

"No, it's not!" He grunted before turning towards her, his golden eyes glowing with a mix of anger and desperation. "I am about to face the man who can make you disappear from my life if he wants to!"

Katara's expressions showed surprise first, but after this realization her glance softened. She only whispered his name as she came closer to him, before he went on with his gaze averted from her. "I don't have illusions. I know how your brother and grandfather are looking at me, like I'd be the enemy among you…" His voice made her hesitantly stop before him. "I'm not going to stand between you and your family." He said, but his voice trailed away as her fingers touched the side of his face.

She made him raise his chin and her blue eyes caught his golden ones. His features were forced to be emotionless, but his eyes seemed to glow with both determination and sorrow. She had to harden her gaze to steady herself. "Let me decide if I have to make a choice or not."

As he did not give her any answer, only held her gaze, she knew that he already made up his mind about this. This was what they were both famous about; if they decided something, then they were stubborn enough not to pull back. Maybe that was the reason they were together… they strengthened and eased each other unlike any other.

She made a bittersweet smile. "And I'm sorry if that's what they did." She said softly, letting her fingers trail up to stroke the marred skin just below his left eye. "But really, you should have heard Pakku after your last encounter…" Her smile brightened as he pushed his forehead to hers. "You have grown in his eyes a lot." His eyes grew, and as he moved his hair lightly tickled her skin when he let his lips curl up a bit too.

"Really?"

"If I say so," She nuzzled to him before stepping back, pulling on his hand to lead him away. "And Sokka is a dumbass most of the time, so please just try to ignore him tonight…"

Iroh groaned as he tried to relax his muscles behind the wheel. "I am too old for these kinds of things…" He murmured while shifting in the driver's seat of a rented car.

Why was he driving a car not his own? First, because his old ford was not fast enough for the task ahead of him, and second: he did not want to be easily spotted while keeping an eye on his niece.

Unfortunately… this meant following three teenaged girls in a sports car. And what did teenaged girls like? Shopping. So that's why he was sitting in the car for an hour now with nothing better to do than watching when would they return.

He first thought that keeping an eye on Azula this way was a good idea. He was worried ever since his nephew and sister-in-law asked him to remain silent about Ozai's acts before her. It pained him the most when the girl spoke roughly with the two of them if her father had been the topic. But they wanted her to have a normal life… at least it was better for her if she did not know the truth.

Well, Iroh had not been so sure about this.

He rubbed his left eye while making a yawn. He could have had slept if the girl had gone home. He imagined himself in his favourite armchair, with a cup of hot jasmine tea and a book in his lap… But before his eyes could have closed, he sat up straight as the three girls finally came out of the shopping centre.

He could only see their faces for a moment because their Porsche parked at the other side of the parking lot than his. Apparently his niece bought a new pair of sunglasses… and a French styled hat. His eyebrows furrowed as he started the engine.

On their way here Azula drove herself, but now she hopped on the backseat while Mai switched her place behind the wheel. Well, it was her car after all…

Ty Lee turned in her seat with a wide smile saying something, but Mai shot her a glare. She said something too, which Iroh could not hear from the distance, the eyes of the girl in pink rounded before she started giggling while turning back.

When the Porsche headed out of the parking lot, a light brown car followed them from a safety distance…

Tick. Tick. Tick…

The living room was completely silent except of the old clock's sound on top of the fireplace.

Zuko sat in an armchair rather stiffly while he was waiting for Katara, who at the moment broke her personal record in getting ready for a dinner. As she said she had to find the proper clothes for that evening. And with 'proper' she meant something which was not ugly, girly, sexy, too thin, too thick, too short and not a mixture of the mentioned things above.

He could have practiced a short conversation, which he could use when the girl's father appeared… but for that he should have tried to get rid of the person who was the reason of the dead silence: Sokka.

The other teen sat on the couch; his legs occupied most of its surface, because the dark skinned boy decided to sit in the corner opposite to him. His blue eyes showed the same icy glare like in the last half an hour, while his arms were crossed before his chest in a way, which was supposed to make his biceps look bigger.

Zuko crossed his fingers before his mouth while the brother was watching him, to hide half of the frown upon his features – without too much success. Mostly he averted his gaze from him, but in the current situation – as it was the left side of his face which was turned towards him – he could not shrug away the thought that Sokka was staring at his scar. The first time, the two of them met, ended up in a fight after the word 'scar-face' left the other boy's mouth. And honestly… not much have changed after that.

He uneasily shifted in his place, but as he still felt the same way, his amber eyes suddenly met with his blue ones.

The brother straightened, this way becoming taller as the scarred teen remained slumped. Seeing how tense he was, Zuko exhaled lowering his head. "Could you quit doing that?" He asked, only gaining a raised eyebrow. "It's kind of annoying…"

But of course, as it was Sokka who he was dealing with, this had not been the wisest move.

A smirk appeared on the dark skinned boy's features, and with that he sat up, scooting on the couch to be as close to him as he could with a smug grin. "Really, Zuzu…?" The scarred teen's good eye twitched. "Am I annoying you?"

Zuko let out a big amount of breath before meeting his gaze. ""I know what you're trying to do… He said calmly then leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "But it's not going to work."

"Not today?" Sokka asked with sarcasm.

"Not ever!" He scowled while one of his hands gripped the armrest. "No matter how hard you try, or what you say…" His fingers let go. "I won't give you the satisfaction by beating you up."

"Because you couldn't." The brother said at once, but Zuko only scoffed, shaking his head.

"Zuko," Katara's voice called out from somewhere. "Could you come here for a moment?"

He stood up without hesitating much, making Sokka's grin fade. He leaned backwards, putting his feet on the table, and as the other turned away from him, he murmured only one word. "Bitch."

Zuko stopped in mid-step. He peeked behind from above his shoulder, but seeing Sokka's unhappy face made him smirk, before answering in kind. "Jerk." As he turned and walked away Sokka only shrugged then turned on the TV. He made a half smile too, before crossing his arms again, making a frown…

Zuko reached the hall when Katara stepped down the last steps of the stairs, but as she had seen him she stopped with a smile before posing with her weight on one leg, her hand on her other hip. "So… what do you think?"

His gaze wandered upon her form slowly from her light blue jeans up to her purplish top, but stopped at the red and black striped pullover she was wearing, while his only eyebrow rose. "Hey, that's mine." He blurted out, but she only closed her eyes, smiling brighter.

"Exactly," Her eyes opened as she descended the last step, holding onto its edges. "I like your pullover."

His lips curled upwards into a small smirk as he stepped closer. "And what am I going to wear if I'm cold?"

"You are never cold. But anyway…" She batted her eyelashes at him. "Don't you think I look better in it?" She asked with a wink.

"I think…" Zuko's arms fell on her waist, pulling her close and as she was looking in his eyes expecting to get a kiss, she was surprised to be tickled on her sides instead. "You'd look better without it." He purred while she giggled and tried to squirm away, but only managed to turn in her place because one of his arms held her while his other hand went on.

"Z-zuko, no-ho…" She yelped between two laughs as he kissed her neck from behind, before making funny noises, teasing her with his teeth. "You're ruining my hair…!" She giggled again, as he chuckled against her neck, and then…

"Khmm…"

The two of them froze as the deep voice reached their ears. Both Zuko and Katara slowly lifted their heads up, while they remained in their stance, still leaning forward slightly. But as it had been Hakoda himself standing in the doorway before them, the colour left their faces.

Zuko let go then straightened up as fast as he could, while Katara brushed her hair backwards. "I-I… we…" He stuttered, taking a step back, but the girl caught his hand, pulling him back beside her.

"Hi dad." She said with a confident smile, which made her boyfriend look at her first, then back at the man, who made a sly smile slowly closing the door.

"Well, that was a bit surprising…" Hakoda said before turning back. His eyes caught sight of the boy's gulp as he walked up to the two of them, and even her daughter's smile widened nervously as her hold turned to a grip on his hand. But then he only smiled, lifting up his hand towards the boy. "You must be Zuko," He started, and as the teen accepted his hand, he set that at least the boy had a firm handshake. The next moment though, his lips curled into a smile much like his son's, as he added before letting go of his hand. "I've heard about you…"

A/N: So, chapter 4... :)

Omg, XD don't kill me for the evil trio! I just couldn't help writing that part down!

Oh, and is there anyone who loves Supernatural besides me? XD Well, I ask because of Sokka's and Zuko's "Bitch." - "Jerk." part, hehe...

Hmm, and Iroh is following after Azula, well well... what will that lead into? :o

Ohho, and what will Hakoda do now? XD

Faves mean a lot but reviews are LOVED! :D

Next chapter's title: Love Is Brightest In The Dark...