The Painted Lady and the Blue Spirit

The Water Bender's Baby

The night that Katara came home, Sokka arranged for a celebratory dinner, he found it odd when Katara wouldn't even touch the wine.

She loved wine. Sokka didn't think much of it.

Then she started to disappear, looking for a home, wanting to get out of the place she was sharing with Sokka. Sokka found it odd when she was planning on living alone.

Katara never liked living alone. Sokka didn't think much of it.

Then she started to disappear into that home, the home on the edge of the tribe, so far away from Sokka's house.

Sokka began to worry.

Sokka asked his father if he noticed what was wrong with Katara, Hakoda said to leave it be, to leave his sister alone and give her space.

But Sokka couldn't do that, he was the oldest, he had to look out for her and he felt like he was failing in his mission.

Sokka let Katara be, for a time, but when he hadn't seen her for more than a few months, he knew, deep down, that Katara was in trouble. So Sokka decided that he needed answers, his father wasn't around so he went straight to Katara's hut.

When he heard her screaming his heart raced, he charged into the hut as if he was charging into battle.

What he saw was earth-shattering; Katara was in her bed, her father by her side, and in her arms was a babe, still covered in blood and goo from the birth.

"What in Spirits is going on here?!" he demanded, making all eyes turn to him.

"Out with you!" one of the other women in the hut hisses flapping her hands and pushing Sokka out of the door way.

"Dad?" Sokka asks, he sees Hakoda look to his sister then he stands and makes his way to Sokka.

"Son," he says, putting his arms around Sokka's shoulders and leading him outside.

Once the pair are outside the door shuts behind them and Hakoda leads Sokka to the living room.

"What is going on?" Sokka asks, frantically searching his father's face for a clue.

"Katara had a baby," Hakoda says, "she returned here already pregnant."

"But... I... who... what?" Sokka is speechless, he has a million question's forming in his mind but he can't seem to form the right words.

"She will not tell me who the father is," Hakoda explains.

"Aang?" Sokka breathes, but his father shakes his head and sighs.

"She is positive that it is not Aang's child," Hakoda says, "But she wants to keep the child a secret."

"Why?" Sokka asks, his heart still pounding in his ears, "Dad, I don't understand. Was it forced? Is she afraid of the father."

"No," Hakoda reassures, "Katara informed me that the father loved her, she loved him too."

"Then I'm lost!" Sokka exasperates, standing to his feet, "Why would she not want her baby known?"

"I don't know," Hakoda sighs, wiping a hand down his face, "Spirits, I wish your mother was here... We can only hope that Katara will tell us when she's ready."

"But what if she's never ready?" Sokka asks, "What if we never know?"

"Then we respect her wishes," Hakoda says, standing to his feet to calm his son, "Sokka, we have to be supportive of Katara, we can't let her go through this alone."