What Happened Next

Chapter One

"Katara, this has gone on long enough," the gruff voice of her father reached her ears.

Katara let out a soft sigh as she finished tending to the small hands she was holding, using her healing water. The soft glow died down and she wiped the rest of the stray tears from her niece's tan cheek before looking around at the rest of the occupants in the tent. GranGran and Pakku were sitting by the fire, with Hakoda standing beside them, in front of Katara her niece, Yue, was sitting on her mother, Suki's lap, with Sokka standing behind his wife. The last was her two year old son who was sitting dejectedly against the far wall, his knees up to his chest and his amber eyes refusing to make contact with the rest of his family. Katara felt herself sadden at the sight, it hadn't been his fault, as they had told him, but this wasn't the first accident either.

She had lost count of how many times she had told Roku that he must not use his firebending, but he was stubborn, even at his early age. 'Just like his father,' Katara caught herself thinking, but quickly pushed that thought aside. She hadn't seen her sons father, the man that haunts her dreams at night, in three years and she had planned to keep it that way, but it appeared her family had other plans.

"Sweety, I love my grandson, you know I do, but he can't stay here, he needs a master to teach him, whether that's his father, Iroh, or some other firebender, he can't stay untrained," Hakoda said gently placing a hand on his daughter's shoulder.

"And why not, I stayed untrained for the first fourteen years of my life!," Katara said desperately. She knew she was fighting a losing battle, just like she knew the next words to fall out of her dad's mouth. She didn't want to leave her home though, and more importantly she didn't want to travel to the fire nation and risk running into him. He didn't even know he had a child and if Ozai's supports knew he did Roku would be in constant danger.

"You already know the answer to that," Hakoda's voice had taken on a stern tone, "An untrained firebender is much more dangerous than an untrained waterbender,"

Katara wanted to defend her element, but she knew it was true, while a master waterbender could be as deadly as a master firebender, an untrained firebender was more dangerous. Her mind flashing back to the time Aang was first learning to control fire, how unpredictable it could be, that led to her hands being burned, if she hadn't been a healer her hands would probably still be scarred all these years later.

"Katara," Sokka spoke up the first time since his daughter ran inside crying, holding her hands close to her, with Roku behind her, tears mimicking his cousins. "You do remember what it had been like all those years you were untrained, you don't want to deny your son a teacher like you had been, do you?," his eyes moving from his nephew to his sister, and he knew he had her.

Even though Sokka had constantly complained about his sister's 'magic water', he understood why she had been so insistent on learning to master it. Katara had been the last water bender in the Southern Water Tribe, just like, no matter how hard he had tried to train the younger boys, he had been the last warrior.

The young mother didn't want her son to feel the same hopelessness she had felt when she was younger, before she and Sokka had found Aang.

'No, I will not let Roku feel like that,' she thought with determination running through her. She didn't want to go back to the fire nation, but she was a parent now, and parents make sacrifices for the good of their children.

Sokka smirked when he saw the fire determination return to his sisters eyes, "So, when are you leaving?,"

"Hump, you can't get rid of me that easy, Sokka, I don't even know how I'm suppose to get there, it's not like I can canoe my way to the fire nation,"

"Aang is suppose to be here for political reasons in three days time, I'm sure he wouldn't mind flying you and Roku over there," Hokaka said, being the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe, he was always up to date when the Avatar was coming to visit.

Nodding to her father, Katara returned her attention to the little girl who was clinging to her mother. You looked like any of the other residents of the Water Tribes with brown hair that went down past her shoulders, with a braid woven into the front left side of her bangs with blue beads, dark skin, and clear blue eyes.

"You okay now Yue?," making the young girl look at her, after receiving a nod Katara continued, " You know Roku didn't mean to burn you right?," The Water master looked over to her son to see him looking at Yue, but when he caught his mother's gaze he quickly looked away again. "It's okay, I forgive him, daddy said he can't control his fire, so it's okay," Yue said with a soft smile.

"You're so brave, you're going to make a fine warrior when you grow up," Katara's smile copying her niece's when Yue's eyes widened in wonder, "Yep, just like mommy and daddy," she exclaimed, hugging Suki tighter, before giving a wide yawn, making the adults in the room chuckle.

"I think it's time for this little warrior to go to bed," Suki said with a soft smile. Standing up, she put one arm under her daughter's bottom and the other across her back to keep her in place, Yue's head laying on her mother's shoulder half asleep, her healed injuries already forgotten.

"I'll help you pack in the morning if you want," Suki said when her a Sokka reached the door.

"That'd be great, thanks," Katara answered, making a list of everything they would need to take. After a wave the small family of three headed out into the night, back to their own tent.

She felt the hand on her shoulder give a small squeeze and she turned to look up at her dad, "I just want you to know how proud I am of you, you've grown into a fine young women," Hodaka said hugging his daughter, then walking over to Roku, "I'll see you later, buddy," ruffling his wavy brown hair before heading out and throwing a good night over his shoulder.

Katara turned to see Gran Gran and Pokku beside her, " Do you think I'm doing the right thing?,"

Kanna regarded her granddaughter for a moment before giving a slight nod, "Yes, I do,"

"Even if it means leaving my home?,"

"Child, you act like you are never coming back, you can still visit us anytime you want, scratch that, you better visit, I want to be able to see my great grandson grow up," Kanna said, bring Katara into her arms.

Blinking the tears out of her eyes, Katara noded and hugged back before pulling back.

"It's a shame I won't be able to teach him waterbending, but I know any child of yours will be strong, no matter what element they bend," Pakku said from where he stood behind Kanna.

"Thanks Pakku," Katara said, and soon after they to had headed out to their own tent, leaving just her and her son.

"Come on Roku, time for bed," Katara said, picking up her quiet son, and pulling back the flap that led to the part of the tent that held his bed, mainly made up of furs.

Katara tucked Roku in, after she had dressed him in his sleeping clothes, and kissing his forehead, she stood up to leave when she heard his soft voice.

"Mommy, am I a monster?,"

Katara felt her heart skip a beat, and turning around to face her son she answered, "Of course not baby, where did you hear that?," squatting down to be closer to him, silently swearing to severely torment whoever put that thought in her son's head.

Looking up at her with wide innocent eyes he muttered, "The older kids said that their parents said that firebenders were monsters that hurt people,"

Looking up and blowing a stray piece of hair out of her face she hesitantly said, "Well...that was true during the war, when the fire nation raided our village they left an ugly image of firebenders in the minds of the people here, but now there is a new fire lord who is helping create an era of peace,"

"With uncle Aang?,"

"Yeah, with uncle Aang," She smiled, pulling him on her lap and quickly lifting his shirt to blow on his stomach, causing a joyful laughter to fill the tent. Katara tucked him back into bed, and resting her forehead against his she said," Now get some sleep, we got a lot to do tomorrow,"

"Avatar Aang!,"

"Aang!,"

"Aangs here!,"

The children all screamed as Appa landed in the center of the village, and Aang used his airbending to fly himself and his son off the bison and safely on the snow covered grown.

"Aang, it's so good to see you," Katara said walking up to the airbender and giving him a hug, "and Gyatso too," pulling back to get a better look at the black hair, green eyed, three year old boy. When Katara looked at him he quickly hid his face in the crook of his dads neck, the small airbender was very shy, which was surprising considering who his mother is.

"Gya'!," Roku and Yue yelled, running up to them, "My moms going to help us build a snowman wanna come?," Yue asked.

Gyatso looked up at his dad who laughed before standing him on his feet, "Go on," Aang said nugging him as the three kids took off to where Suki was standing a few feet away.

"Dad and Sokka are waiting for you in the head tent," Katara said, heading toward said place, Aang following closely behind. "So, how have you been?," Katara broke the silence.

"Good, Gyatso been doing really good with his bending, and I can't wait to find out if Lin is an airbender or not,"

"She's still not showing any bending?," Lin had turned two years old a few months ago, the age that children start to if they have bending or not and which element the bend. "Have you thought that maybe she's a non-bender, I know both you and her mother has bending but I've heard of instances like that where the child is born with no bending,"

"Well, even if thats true it wouldn't matter, I'd still love her just as much as her brother and younger sibling,"

"That's gre-, wait younger sibling?,"

"Yeah, we're expecting again, two months along,"

"Gesh, you two need to slow down, this is going to be your third kid,"

"That's exactly what she said," Aang replied laughing, "I know where starting to become a big family, but I always say 'the more the merrier',"

"Yes, well, you're not the one who has to carry the baby,"

Laughter once again reached her ears, "That's what she said to!,"

When they reached the tent Sokka and Hodaka were indeed already waiting there and looked up when they entered the tent, "Well, I'm going to let you guys talk political, I got to go make sure my son isn't getting into too much trouble," Katara said before exiting the tent and heading in the direction she had seen Suki and the kids go to.

This is my first Avatar story so if any of the characters feel out of character feel free to tell me just like with any of my stories. I had taken a break from writing, so this is like a test chapter to see how rusty my skills have gotten. I hope you liked the first chapter and I'll try to get the second chapter up a soon as I can.