#then his grandsons comes home with another version of himself how delightful

[little-pondhead]

Damian was once reminded of a quote.

God gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers.

The saying held no meaning for him, but it slipped out of his mouth once when his mind was wandering and hazy, and his self-control was null.

The boy sitting beside him huffed, a flicker of amusement flashing across his face. The most emotion either of them has been able to express for a while now.

"That line is bullshit," the boy whispered. His voice was hoarse and raw. Damian had to strain to hear him. "I've met many gods, and they would rather sacrifice their soldiers if it meant their own survival."

Damian's head lolled to one side, contemplating his words. "Indeed," he croaked. "I've met my fair share of gods as well. They were, how do you put it..."

"Wimpy? Disappointing? Underwhelming?" The boy offered. The conversation wasn't the most cheery subject to talk about, but it served to fight off the medicine that was attacking their minds.

"Soft-bodied bitches." Damian let out an uncharacteristic snicker. The boy broke out into giggles, that soon transformed into violent coughs. Thick blood was spat onto the ground, and the temporary joy dissipated from the air.

No jokes could cover up the fact that they were trapped.

Well, not trapped. They'd been captured. And caged. Like fucking animals. It was humiliating and terrifying at the same time.

When Damian first landed in this dimension, he immediately knew something was off. He paid no mind to the empty streets of a half-destroyed town nor the strange graffiti and green fog that reminded him of Fear Gas. Blast marks made his footsteps dirty, but he barely even noticed. What was truly unsettling to him was the immediate pull he felt toward a certain direction. His very soul was crying out desperately for something, and it was all Damian could do to follow the urge.

He walked for what felt like hours. Glowing eyes peeked at him from the shadows, scattering when he approached. The fog got thicker, dragging at his bones and making his heartbeat feel slower. The silence was mind-numbing, and he didn't dare make a peep.

As he got to (what he assumed) the center of town, Damian noticed a thick, rotting stench replacing the fog within the span of a few blocks. Glowing red flowers lined the sidewalks and streets, sometimes sitting in piles in the mouth of alleyways or arranged in a line across the doorway of a shop. Like how one would salt their home to ward off evil. When he tried to get a closer look and possibly a sample, his body physically recoiled from the flowers as if stung. The mere presence of them made him feel sick.

So he ignored them for now. Damian continued to trudge along in a straight line, following his instincts. As the fog lifted even more, sound returned to the world as well. The town was truly abandoned, then. No sirens or car horns were going off. No one was running through the streets, panicked about the fight that had obviously taken place.

What Damian did hear was two voices raised in anger, a third in fear, and the sound of concentrated explosions happening nearby. He broke into a run. The fight that brought him here had done some decent damage to his outfit and person. His mask was barely clinging on, his armor was digging into his skin strangely, and he'd lost his weapons, but as soon as Damian had heard that third voice, he just had to run.

Damian knew he was going against all his training by rushing into the situation. Logically, he should have backed out as soon as he heard the commotion. Maybe retreated completely or at least snuck around to assess the situation first. But no, here he was, barely keeping his secret identity intact, bolting towards a group of unknowns like his life depended on it. His mind screamed at him that it did.

He finally rounded a corner and nearly tripped on the excessive rubble. He'd made it to the town square. There were more red flowers and blast marks. A pair of adults, one impossibly large man and a smaller, lithe woman in hazmat suits, were standing back to back, glowing guns raised as they searched the sky and ground around them. He stepped behind a chunk of concrete to hide himself better.

"Show yourself, Phantom!" The woman screamed. She was so full of rage. "There are blood blossoms surrounding this whole area; I know you can't leave!"

There was a slight shift in the rubble to Damian's right. Without hesitation, the man spun around and shot the pile. Damian didn't have time to move, so he just crouched and covered his head while a blast of green light destroyed the pile and surrounding debris. When the light cleared, Damian was distantly horrified to find that his cover had taken on the brunt of the rebound blast and had been reduced to pebbles. His cover was gone.

The man immediately noticed him.

"Oh, look, Mads! Another one!"

The woman whipped around to study his tiny figure, still curled up to protect himself. Damian knew these were dangerous people. Why couldn't he get up and run? The woman grinned awfully and hiked up her gun-more like a bazooka-to aim at Damian.

"How wonderful, Jack!" She crowed. "Phantom would never leave one of his kind behind. And this one is so human-shaped! It looks just like Danny."

"Using the pest as bait? I'm so glad I married you, Maddie." The man gushed, slipping his goggles and hood off to gaze lovingly at his wife.

Damian's heart stopped. He couldn't take his eyes off the evil, terrible look on the man's face.

"Father?" He mouthed.

The couple didn't notice. The woman just took aim, and for the life of him, Damian couldn't force himself to move.

That was his father. That was Bruce Wayne in a hazmat suit, shooting up a city without regard for human life. That was Batman, who was pointing a gun at his face, no recognition showing in his eyes whatsoever.

The bazooka went off first.

"NO!" Someone cried, coming out of nowhere and slamming into Damian's frozen form. His head bounced off the ground, and the last thing he saw was his own eyes staring back at him.

---

Damian came back to himself slowly. It was unnaturally bright where ever he was. His limbs were stretched far straighter than he would have liked them, and the feeling of dried glue on his face told him that someone had captured him, stripped him, and tied him to a table.

This time, though, his training did kick in. As soon as he was aware of himself, he regulated his breathing so it would appear he was still asleep. The air still smelled of rot and concrete dust, but there was a sharp tinge of chemicals in there, too. It was chilly despite no nearby AC vent going. A lab? Underground, perhaps? He dared not open his eyes, but he could feel something familiar laying on his left.

A door hissed open, and the voices of the couple from earlier entered, arguing with a third party.

"-said we got to start the dissections first!" The woman, Maddie, demanded. "That was our deal! If we handed Phantom and any other specimens over to you, the lab would let us have the first go for the experiments!"

"Yeah!" Added in Bru-Jack's voice. "We could learn so much from a powerful specimen like Phantom, and he's been a pest to us much longer than he has been to the GIW. We can put him back together for the rest of your scientists if you really want."

The third-party spoke, sounding irritated and exhausted from arguing. "Listen," they stressed, flipping through papers. "I'm not saying you can't partake in the agreed-upon experiments. I'm saying that you failed to fulfill a crucial part of the contract and cannot even look at a scalpel until you complete your part of the job!"

"WHAT?!" Maddie screeched. There was a flurry of paper sounds, so Damian assumed she'd snatched a pile of them from the third person's hands. There was a moment of silence while she read, and then, "Oh, fudge cake! Jack, the contract states we have to provide a minimum number of specimens plus Phantom in order to be let into the labs. We'll have to go out and round up as many as we can before we start dissecting."

Jack grumbled. "Fudgin' lawyers and their tricky tongues."

The third person tsked them and snatched the papers back. "No lawyer trickery was used here, Mr. Fenton. We prepared this document in good faith, seeing as we're already business partners. It's not our fault you signed before reading. Now, I heard that the Manson house has been a well-known haunting spot ever since the family moved out. Perhaps you should start there?"

Jack and Maddie grumbled some more but agreed and left the room, with the third person sighing and following them. The door locked shut with a click that echoed in Damian's ears. He waited for a breath. Then two. Once he was sure the party was gone, he cracked open his eyes and looked to his left, where his soul was still trying to reach.

There was a boy staring back at him.

Strapped to a table, just like Damian, a thin and lanky boy around his own age seemed just as surprised as him when they locked eyes and something clicked in their brains. Damian realized that while the boy was obviously not human, with his floating white hair and dim green eyes, he did share the exact same face with Damian, if not extremely paler. In fact, the boy's skin was deathly, almost taking on a mottled blue-green tinge he'd seen dead bodies develop.

The boy got over his surprise first. He grinned at Damian, clearly exhausted but obviously trying to make the situation seem less dire than it actually was. "Why, hello, stranger," he quipped. "What a good looking face you have there."

"Of course you would say that." Damian snapped automatically.

The boy just chuckled, unfazed by his attitude. "Chill out, my guy, I'm just joking. If I had to guess, you're from another dimension, right?"

Damian stiffened up, straining against his restraints. "How did you know that?" He hissed, glaring.

The boy sighed. He suddenly looked much older than either of them had any right to be. "You reek of the Deep Zone, dude. It's not something humans can smell easily, but with a little practice, you should pick it up quick."

"What makes you say I'm not human? And why-"

"Why did you feel a connection?" The boy turned his head back to the ceiling, eyes unfocused. He looked and sounded very sad. "I'm pretty sure we're alternate versions of each other, my dude. I've met a few other versions of myself, mostly from other timelines, but you're the first one who is so obviously different and so similar at the same time. It's weird."

Damian's heart dropped.

"...Alternate versions of each other?"

The boy nodded. He was refusing to look at Damian's reaction. Scared of rejection. "Yeah. And every version of me has died and come back in some way at least once, so by the time we're a preteen, we no longer identify as strictly human. Although," his voice grew bitter. "We do get pretty good at blending in, according to others."

Damian examined the boy more closely. His outfit was falling apart from whatever he'd gone through, but it was very clearly an old hazmat suit with a logo on the chest. Scars, both new and old, littered his skin, some of them matching the scars on Damian's own body. His eyes weren't dim originally, it seemed. They had swirled and glowed brighter when the boy had spoken, and his whole demeanor screamed exhaustion. Thinking back on everything he learned since being dropped in the middle of the street, Damian put two and two together quite easily.

"You're a hero." Damian pointed out. "An undead hero." The boy flinched but nodded.

"Was. The key word there. Not many people enjoyed having a ghost around to save their asses, even when it was from other ghosts." He held no resentment in his voice, just genuinely upset and betrayed that the people he had protected for so long and loved so much had turned on him, and abandoned him in his time of need.

"And, these people don't think the undead are...human?"

"Not in the slightest. We're apparently unfeeling monsters with no sentience but are driven by a single goal to destroy anything living."

"So now we are to be dissected? For what? The ghosts I know don't have physical bodies. What use would this be?"

The boy scrunched his nose. "Damn, your universe must really be out in the sticks if your ghosts aren't solid." Somehow, Damian felt offended. "Don't give me that attitude; I can feel you judging me. Anyway, the ectoplasm here is much thicker than other universes, so most other ghosts can walk around and act just like humans if they want to. They just usually don't because we are technically a different species. It's like asking a dog to act like a cat."

"Hmm. I'm starting to understand."

"That's great!" The smile returned, and the boy turned his head a little too far to make proper eye contact once more. "By the way, I never got your name. Do we share the same one?"

"Perhaps. I go by Damian Wayne. What is your name?"

The boy gave him a shark-toothed grin, one that was barely familiar. It reminded Damian of his grandfather. "Oh, my ghost name is Phantom, but my living name is Danny Fenton."

---

[that's all I got in me, but anyone is free to take this and keep going. Like a baton race at track meets. Go win us gold!]

Ooooh I just came up with an idea

You know all of this fics where Danny is an alternate universe version of like Bruce or Jason? What if it was with Damian

There could be some kind of ritual that sends Damian into Danny’s universe only they both get caught by the GIW and Everything Goes Wrong

By that I mean both of them get vivisected. And the Fentons should do at least some of it, and that Jack looks just like Bruce for extra ✨trauma✨

They both go on the Road Trip of Hell while escaping and Danny’s just working on building a temporary portal to the Ghost Zone/Damian’s home dimension.

I want Danny to lean out of a car with like a mcguivered bazooka or something to try and drive off the GIW for a while with some kind of crazy/stressed smile back at Damian.

I want little moments where they’re bonding/teaching each other how to fight (Because Damian knows formal fighting, and if we go with Danny knowing some self defense from his mom he’s not completely horrible at it, but Danny knows how to fight like a feral raccoon. It’s effective and Damian DOES like animals right?)

I want them to finally get to Damian’s dimension and when they finally finally gets to the bats and Bruce reaches out to help his son Damian flinches

And then I want it to get into the fluff/healing/trauma dumping part where the newly dubbed twins (who get along scarily well and everyone is pretty sure are trauma bonded) are healing while simultaneously causing the other bats to become more and more distressed (it may or may not be on purpose)

It would also be pretty cool if their habits and mannerisms rubbed off on one another, so they can be uncannily similar one moment then completely different the next

I also had the idea of them being literally the same soul- like, the soul that originally formed was completely identical when they were babies but diverged due to different experiences, so it’s literally a ‘same soul two bodies’ thing. I just think it would be neat, even if it’s not even really mentioned, but just like, Implied you know?

[luhanvirus]

Fanfiction gray blue eyes

Jin Ling noticed that he was spending a lot of time with Ouyang Zizhen when he was walking his dog and a pretty boy whistled him loudly. 

N/A: Idk what I’m doing, I just saw memes about Jin Ling x Lan Jingyi and I fell in love with the ship haha. A-Yuan is a Wen in this AU.

For the #CultivaTober2020, sorry if my English sucks.

Day 21: Calamity .

Jin Ling noticed he was spending a lot of time with Ouyang Zizhen when he was walking the dog in the nearest park, his uncle Jiang Cheng was sick of viewing him all day in bed just because his only friend isn't in the city for the weekend.

"Get out the house and do something!" he yelled at him after the lunch.

A fucking winter Sunday’s afternoon.

What the hell?

Jin Ling was considerating go the weekends to uncle Jin Guangyao's house. Uncle Cheng has been his favorite uncle since he has memory, but sometimes the man is too intense for someone like him and uncle Yao was more chill than him. He wouldn't judge him because he wanted to stay in his room because he was bored without his best friend around.

After all, Ouyang Zizhen is his childhood friend. So every time he isn’t here annoying Jin Ling with his fanfics or fandom wars, Jin Ling has nothing better to do.

Pathetic, he knows.

But who cares?

Jin Ling never was good doing friends in first place, but he liked Zizhen kind personality when they met in Rusong's birthday and when his uncle Yao encouraged him to befriend with the other boy they became inseparable.

At first, it made happy his uncle Chen, who was delighted with the idea that his nephew would have a good friend after his parents death.

Now, Jin Ling didn't know if his uncle Cheng was annoyed that Zizhen was his only friend or what.

Rusong doesn't count as a friend, he is family. His only cousin.

Perhaps he should talk to this guy who lives the next block and ignore his uncle Cheng advice to not talk with that neightboors, he liked his black leather bomber jacket and quiet personality. Plus they go to the same school, they shares English, History and Sports classes. Even Teacher Lan Qiren loved the guy.

Well, Teacher Lan Qiren liked everyone but Jin Chan.

Jin Ling was pondering about this match when he noticed that Fairy destroyed the lotus pond in garden again. Crap.

Uncle Cheng will kill him.

"Sometimes I don't know if you love me or you hate me." Mumbled Jin Ling as he takes Fairy with him, looking around before to go outside the house.

Unfortunatelly, Wen Yuan wasn’t at home when he passed out of his house.

You could notice this because the house was silent as a crypt, usually when Wen Yuan or his Dad were in the house someone played the flute and other instruments all day. Jin Ling swears he could hear them from his room sometimes.

Geez the man was musician or something like that.

However, he decided to go to the park. Hoping the snow could cover Fairy’s calamity before his uncle Cheng noticed anything. His uncle would love dogs dearly, but it was his lotus pond.

Uncle Cheng loved that lotus pond.

Jin Ling sigh, suspecting that the park was less crowded at this hour.

He wasn’t a fan of winter, neither the snow. Cold was burning his cheeks and Fairy paws, but Jin Ling take the route to the south where were stablished places for dogs. Yet the dog-friendly drinking fountains were already frozen, he knew this place was beautiful in Spring, but now were just the trees and the snow. Not fragrant flowers around.

Yunmeng was so different in winter, thought Jin Ling. Lost in thoughts when someone whistles at him loudly.

Jin Ling twitched.

He looked over at the sound, a part of him was offended while the other really liked what he saw. A pretty boy wearing running at him, wearing white clothes and blue headphones hanging in the neck. Gods, the boy had the most glossy black hair that Jin Ling has ever seen in his life. He just couldn’t stop noticing the perfect way than an hair bangs framed his handsome features and those fanfiction gray blue eyes… Damn Zizhen! Fucking fanfics he read all day!

Nevermind. He was rude.

“Excuse me?"

The pretty boy frowned, blushing when he noticed the misunderstanding and said "Sorry, I didn't wanted to... that was for your dog!"

What?

Jin Ling looked at Fairy and cocked an eyebrow.

Well, people liked huskies a lot. Since his uncle Yao give him a dog for his birthday, he always get stopped by people who wanted to pet Fairy when he go to walk his dog.

“Really?”

"Yeah." The pretty boy said as a beautiful smile rested easily on his lips when he whistled again at Fairy and the dog just wagged the tail friendly.

Fuck, even Fairy liked him.

“Maybe it could be rude from me, but would you let me pet your dog?” He asked, using all his charms when he looked right into Jin Ling's eyes.

Jin Ling tried to control his heart, but he couldn't.

Why is my heart racing? He wondered. He couldn't fall in love at first sight, right?

“You don’t have to do if you don’t want it.” Added the boy, noticing his uncomfortable behavior.

”I don’t mind, go ahead."

The pretty boy didn't hesitate to bent and stroke Fairy's ears, enjoying the fluffy fur. "She is so fluffy. What's her name?"

"Fairy."

"That's a cute name for a dog, did you chose it?"

If Jin Ling didn't fell already for his fanfiction grey blue eyes, he fell in that moment. "Actually, it was my uncle idea."

"Seems like your uncle has an original way to name dogs."

Jin Ling grinned.

He was going to say something more when a voice interrumpted them, breaking the spell.

“A-Yi, we are leaving!”

“Ugh, that's my Dad. See you next time!” He said as he got up and runned to the other side of the park, but Jin Ling wasn't sure if he was talking to him or his dog.

The pretty boy waved bye into distance, smiling.

But Jin Ling don’t waved bye back, he was this skilled with people.

Specially with the people that he liked.

. 　   ·  ✦

His phone beeps that night.

Zizhen was bored, he knew that. Zizhen didn’t get along with the sons of his father’s friends in the parties.

Jin Ling read the message, raising an eyebrow.

Zizhen:

Missing your grumbling ass ︶︿︶ 

. 　   ·  ✦

For wednesday, Jin Ling can’t stop thinking about those fanfiction gray blue eyes or the kissable lips. He had this awful feeling like a hundred of golden butterflies were flying in his stomach every time he thought about the pretty boy in the park.

Gods, he became this such of weirdo.

Sure Zizhen will have a good laugh at his expense when he noticed that his friend had a big fat crush on a pretty boy named A-Yi.

Well, it wasn’t a name. But it was something.

His crush was so overwhelming that he decided went to Wen Yuan house without knowing what he could talk with the guy, they barely knew each other. Maybe Jin Ling didn’t wanted to talk much and just needed Wen Yuan’s Dad loud music so he can’t hear his own thoughts about how that pretty boy made him feel.

When he went inside the house, Wen Yuan’s Dad looked surprised that his boy take a someone at home. He even stopped drinking alcohol before to talk.

He introduced himself with a bright smile “Wei Wuxian. Wine?”

“Dad, please no.”

“A-Yuan, your friend needs it more than me”, Wei Wuxian pointed his face.  “Look at him! He seems too devastated to be that young.”

Jin Ling frowned, understanding why his uncle Cheng told him to no talk with the neighbour in first place.

He was so gross.

“Okay, okay. Your old man wouldn’t shaming you in front of your boyfriend.”

“Oh my God, Dad. Why are you like this??” Yuan blushed, really ashamed while his father seemed to have a good laugh at his own son expense. 

“Forgive your old man, little radish. Old habits never dies.”

Yuan put a hand to his face. “Sorry, Jin Ling. I swears he’s not like that all the time.”

“I'm going to pretend that I don't hear it.” Jin Ling mumbled, without knowing if he was going to regret coming to Wen Yuan house or not.

“I got the feeling that your face was familiar, are you A-Cheng’s boy?”

The question caught Jin Ling off guard.

“Do you know my uncle?”

“He never talked about me?? What a friend!” He complained, taking another sip of wine “We were childhood friends, best friends actually.”

Jin Ling doubted, seriously.

However, later Wei Wuxian show him an old photo where a younger version of himself was here with Jin Ling's mother and uncle. It were just the three of them, smiling at the camera in Jin Ling's grandparents house.

Jin Ling looked at the photo, admiring how pretty was his mom at that age.

The three of them seemed so happy that Jin Ling wondered what happened, why he didn’t knew this man and why his uncle Cheng told him never speak a word with him.

And for a moment, his mind stop thinking about some fanfiction gray blue eyes.

Well, until monday when he went to school and the Teacher Lan Qiren introduced a new student. The pretty boy, Lan Jingyi.

Fuck, he had a crush on Lan Qiren grandson.

He was really fucked.

[dangerouscommiesubversive]

Eiji and Ankh, M (Ever Ever After by Carrie Underwood)

M is for music, and “Ever Ever After,” by Carrie Underwood, is a blast from the past for me and can be found on YouTube. (That version isn’t on Spotify, but if you want to listen to the song there, they do have a version by Jordan Pruitt.) After you read this, it may be worthwhile to go back and read this previous prompt.

Ankh is not, for the most part, familiar with the stories that humans tell each other for comfort. He couldn't care less about human comfort, honestly. But he does know one thing: fairy tale monsters don't get happy endings. If they're lucky they get to eat whatever sickening ingenue is the supposed hero of the story. Some run with their tails between their legs. Mostly, though, they die, killed by knights and heroes and the stupid sons of farmers.

He doesn't bother with the tales, but he's seen some of the art made to go with them. He knows what he is in this story. Consigned once more to a dull and colorless world in which Hino Eiji is the one inexplicable spot of color is probably the best ending he could have hoped for.

Even so, it’s getting harder to focus.

Initially, in the first few years after his...death, his loss, his shattering, he remains aware at all times. During the day he floats behind Eiji, silent and unseen, disgusted by the grayness of the world after a year of light and color. At night, he stands a useless guard, hovering over the one and only object of his desires as if he would be able to do anything to help should danger come. He sees adventures, triumphs, failures, so much gained and so much loss, many and many another hero coming and going and none of them ever as good.

And once, a single, glorious hour of new life, and the feeling of Eiji’s hand in his again.

It’s after that, really, that he finds things becoming difficult. Being able to manifest physically once more had been a gift, but it took so much energy. He continues to follow Eiji, because what else can he do? What else is there for him? But as time stretches on, he finds himself--blacking out, he supposes he might say, the way he sometimes sees Eiji grow tired and succumb to ever-longer blinks before finally falling asleep. At first the black-outs last for minutes, then hours, then days, eventually stretching out to weeks, or maybe months, or maybe longer. He’s only vaguely aware of the passage of time as it is.

And then, after the longest one yet--he wakes up. And he’s cold.

That’s what gets his attention first, that he’s cold, that he feels cold. It’s all he can think about for a minute or two, and then he shifts slightly and realizes that he has multiple limbs, that his hair is in his eyes, that he is stark naked except for a red silk he’d almost forgotten he once had and he seems to be sitting on the floor in someone’s living room.

The first thing Ankh says, having been resurrected, is, “What the fuck just happened?”

“Ankh?”

His head whips around. “Eiji? You, I, you’d better not be dead, I swear to fucking--what’s wrong, you’re extremely pale, what’s happened.”

Eiji grins at him, looking dizzy and, yes, pale, and raises his hand despite the quiet scolding of the old man currently wrapping it in bandages. “Well, it took kind of. A lot of blood.” An unsteady shift forward. “Actually, I think I need to take a nap.”

And he passes out, leaving Ankh to turn to the next person he sees--an elderly woman who’s looking very pleased with herself--and saying, “Ok, what the fucking hell just happened here, and what did you do to Eiji?”

--

Eiji regains consciousness to the sound of Ankh and Dr. Zhakiyanova arguing loudly in German, and Dr. Zhakiyanova‘s husband Dr. Caspari saying, in French, “Here, young man, sit up, you fainted, you need to eat something.”

This is easier said than done, but he does manage to struggle upright after a moment. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me until you’ve eaten, young man. Here, there’s tea, and you should eat at least two cookies, it’ll take a bit to get your strength back up.”

Eiji considers pointing out that he’s hardly a young man, he’s nearly fifty, but then he takes a bite of the cookie Dr. Caspari hands him and decides that it really doesn’t matter.

For a few minutes he just sits there, drinking amazingly good tea and eating what might be the best cookies he’s ever had in his life and watching in joyful disbelief as Ankh continues to yell in German. Dr. Zhakiyanova stands there patiently, waiting until there’s a gap in his tirade, and then says, very clearly even to Eiji’s mostly-incomprehending ear, “Young man, perhaps you should put some clothes on.”

Ankh sputters out something about being older than her and then sits down heavily on the couch next to Eiji with his red silk wrapped around him like a robe of state. “Where the hell am I?”

Eiji swallows his mouthful of tea and says, “Northern Kazakhstan. Cookie?”

More outraged sputtering. “You gave your blood to some witch just to bring me back?”

“Hey, Dr. Zhakiyanova’s not just a witch, she has a PhD. She’s a highly respected academic.”

“Eiji. How much blood did it take?”

“About five hundred milliliters,” Dr. Caspari says cheerfully, pouring a cup of tea for Ankh. “No more than the average blood donation. As long as you eat well and take in plenty of fluids you’ll be fine.”

“He says--”

“I know French, Eiji, I know most human languages, I understood what he said perfectly well.“ Ankh takes a sip of tea, blinks several times, shudders, and then looks up at Dr. Caspari and says, in perfect French, “I haven’t eaten or drunk anything in an extremely long time.”

Dr. Caspari just says, drily, “We had gathered that, yes.”

Dr. Zhakiyanova, meanwhile, is puttering around on the other side of the living room, checking on her instruments and cleaning up the circle she’d drawn on the floor and making notes. She looks enormously pleased with herself, and after a moment says something in Kazakh to her husband, who translates: “My wife says, thank your priest friend, his notes regarding the nature of the soul were very helpful.”

Eiji nods. “I’ll let Takeru know, he’ll be very happy.”

“Good, good. I’ll go get your friend some clothes, we have some of our grandson’s old things that might fit.”

Dr. Caspari bustles off. Ankh fumes into his teacup for a moment before saying, “Takeru? Is that the dead man?”

“Well, he’s not dead anymore, but he was dead. And yeah.” Eiji eats another cookie, probably too fast. “He gave me some helpful information, and Haruto--Wizard--got me some details about the stone that the Core Medals are made of, and Kouta let me have a bottle of sap from Helheim in exchange for some plant cuttings? It’s an amazing adhesive. And I paid Kougami about fifty thousand yen for a hundred Cell Medals, because I wasn’t about to agree to do him any favors.” More tea. “Dr. Zhakiyanova’s the one who figured out how to put it all together, though, she’s been working on it for seven years now.”

Ankh nods slowly and says, “I met Kouta too, didn’t I. He’s the...god.”

“Yeah, that’s him.”

Dr. Caspari comes back with an armful of clothes that he hands to Ankh. “You get dressed, young man.” A long pause to speak to his wife in Kazakh again, and then, “My wife says, your friend is very lucky, he’s like a rat.”

Ankh freezes in the middle of pulling on a t-shirt, nostrils flaring. “Excuse me.”

“No, no!” Dr. Caspari beams at him. “A rat’s a good animal. Resourceful. Rats grow to the size of their enclosures. When you were first created, you were a rat in a small cage. You were constricted. But a human body is no small cage. You should thank the human who once lent you his, it gave you room to grow. She wouldn’t have been able to do this if you hadn’t already grown from what you originally were.” Another comment from Dr. Zhakiyanova. “She also says, please excuse her for not addressing you directly, she’s had a long day and it’s easier for her to think in Kazakh right now.“

“Oh, of course, that’s completely understandable.” Eiji grins at him. “I appreciate her assistance.”

“She’s going to write a paper.” Dr. Caspari looks delighted. “I look forward to proofreading it for her.”

--

After Eiji’s lunatic alchemist friends give them more cookies, and dinner, and another armload of old clothes that are far too big for Ankh, they’re finally allowed to go home. Or not home, they’re still far from home, but to the hotel in which Eiji is staying because after all this time his back hurts too much to sleep rough.

As soon as the door is locked behind them, Ankh strips off the too-large clothes and stares at himself in the full-length mirror. He is whole again, and more than whole. No longer a parasite on a human body, but a creature in and of himself, and alive. He has blood, he has breath, he can taste and smell and feel and the world is full of colors.

He turns slightly, and a flash of light catches his eye. He leans in closer to inspect it, and sees--a crack, zig-zagging crazily down the center of his in a whisper-thin gleam of gold. Shattered no longer, but he will never again be the creature he was before he was broken.

He’s something new now.

He turns and stalks over to where Eiji is sitting on the bed, knocks him backwards, sits on top of him, and looks for the gleam of gold in his reflection in Eiji’s eyes. And Eiji looks up at him and is real, real, real, and he is, truly, the only object of Ankh’s desires.

Once, the world would not have been enough.

Perhaps he is no longer a fairy tale monster.

Ankh says, slowly, “Eiji, smile for me.”

[theadrogna]

This comes under the heading of better late than never, and many apologies to @singledarkshade​ for the lateness of this response to the Dream Movie Challenge. So, we were given six actors from our favourite TV shows/movies, a wildcard actor, and a random item. We had use these actors and the object to create our own movie.

I give you a supernatural romantic comedy, starring Matt Ryan, Elizabeth Henstridge, April Bowlby, Taika Waititi, Ellen Page, and Woody Harrelson. With a special appearance by Merryl Streep.

Synopsis:

Max Webster is working as an investment banker in London, making huge amounts of money that support a lifestyle of clubs, bars and one night stands, until his boss and mentor commits fraud on a huge scale. Max is implicated, despite knowing nothing. He loses his job and not a single other bank in the city will touch him, meaning his career is effectively over and he’s rapidly going broke. Just when he thinks things can’t get worse, he is told that his sole relative, his estranged paternal grandmother has died and left him property in Brighton.

With nothing better to do and hopes that the property is worth something, Max heads to Brighton to tie up his grandmother’s affairs, dreading his time outside the capital and increasingly depressed about life. Upon arrival he meets Poppy Fletcher, his grandmother’s lawyer who was the one who contacted him about his grandmother’s death. 

Max discovers that his grandmother was the proud owner of the “Worst Wax Museum in Britain”: The House of Wax. Only a handful of the wax statues look like who they’re supposed to be and the rest are like someone sculpted celebrities that they’d never seen. The museum is barely making enough to keep it afloat. He begins to make plans to sell the museum and at least make enough to pay off his Grandmother’s debts. Enter Cooper Farnsworth, rich American businessman, on the run from the Mafia after a dodgy deal went wrong. He desperately needs to make money fast.

But Max finds out that his inheritance is rather unusual in a number of ways...

For starters, there aren’t many wax museums where Meryl Streep hands out advice and enjoys watching the footy on the night watchman’s TV when the punters have gone home for the night. But it isn’t just Meryl, all of the waxworks come to life thanks to an old book of magic that is powered by the signatures of the guests and the messages they leave. The less visitors there are, the less magic there is to keep the waxworks alive and things have been getting desperate lately until only a handful of the waxworks have the necessary magic to come to life.

The waxworks tell Max about how his grandmother desperately tried to bring in more people, but her failing health meant that everything fell apart. Max discovers how his grandmother loved the museum and also loved him, despite her outwardly cool demeanour. He had thought that she didn’t care that he left Brighton, but Amelia unearths the letters that his grandmother wanted to send but didn’t have an address to send them to.

Max realises that he can’t sell the wax museum after all, and he enlists Poppy’s help in finding a way to keep it going. In the process she also discovers the secret of the museum, and Max and Poppy discover that they’re falling for each other. Meanwhile Cooper is plotting to get Max out because the listed building is worth more than Max is aware, especially with some of the period features.

The finale has Cooper breaking into the museum to destroy the waxworks, but Steve, the night watchman sounds the alarm. Cooper accidentally starts a fire and there is a desperate fight to save everyone from melting. Max and Poppy rally everyone to deal with the fire, and Cooper is arrested for arson.

The publicity from the fire actually brings in more customers, Max updates the museum with new exhibits, deciding to focus more on local history and tell the stories of the people who live in Brighton. He’s cleared of any wrong doing at the bank and Poppy helps him sue for wrongful dismissal. He uses the payout to finance repairs to the museum and more and more waxworks come alive every night as the visitors pour in.

And Max never thinks about leaving again, because now he has a family, albeit one that includes Meryl Streep, Amelia Earhart and Margaret Thatcher but he doesn’t mind.

Max Webster (Matt Ryan): Max lost his parents when he was young and was raised by his paternal grandmother. The two did not get on and he left home as soon as he could for university and then the big city. He always had a love of risk taking and wanted to be rich, so he studied finance and got a job in banking. He spends his time closing deals in a highly stressful job during the day and then out on the town in the evening. He has very few friends, all of whom are from work, and he very rarely sleeps with the same woman twice. He has a very shallow outlook on life and everything is about money.

His life is changed by inheriting the House of Wax and discovering that his memories of his grandmother are flawed and desperately inaccurate. He deals with the unusual House of Wax that his grandmother created and his grief at her passing. He comes to realise that not everything in life is about the next deal or how much money can be made.

Poppy Fletcher (Elizabeth Henstridge): Poppy is a lawyer and is responsible for executing Max’s grandmother’s will. She’s the one who hand Max the keys to the House of Wax and sees the look of disappointment on his face. She is very efficient and competent, loves the town she lives in and knows everyone on her street. She mourns the loss of Max’s grandmother, and has no idea that she was anything but the eccentric, elderly owner of the House of Wax. She doesn’t like Max at first because of his attitude to his grandmother and his version of her doesn’t seem to be the same as the woman she knew.

She ends up spending a lot of time with Max as the property sale becomes more difficult and after a while, she realises that he’s not at all the image that he projects. She starts helping him to get back on his feet and renovate the museum. Then she discovers about the magic book and she realises that she can’t let Max deal with the situation on his own.

Florence Nightingale (April Bowlby): Florence doesn’t look like the picture that hangs next to her in the slightest. Even her period dress is somewhat suspect. She prefers to wear much more recent clothes and is doing online first aid courses at night. She’s slightly haughty and thinks she knows best.

She can see that Max is depressed and grieving when he arrives. She’s one of the driving forces behind getting Max to take better care of himself and to talk about how he feels. Once the museum is safe, she works at becoming qualified as a therapist and sees patients online, writing an agony aunt column for the local paper.

Amelia Earhart (Ellen Page): She likes to pretend that she’s actually the pilot that she was sculpted to be. She’s very much her own person though, feisty and fun loving. She has no idea how to fly a plane, but has a flight simulator that Max’s grandmother gave her and is a computer game ace. She has the high score and no one can beat her.

She is the first waxwork that Max discovers is alive and persuades him that he isn’t hallucinating. She takes him to see the others when she realises that he’s the grandson of the previous owner.

She ends the film playing games in esports tournaments and winning, much to the amusement and delight of her fellow waxworks.

Steve (Taika Waititi): The night watchman of the House of Wax. He’s always known as Steve and no one knows his full name. He never really seems to go home, he’s just there. Max is very confused by him at first, but eventually realises that he’s another waxwork. He was one of the first created and no one is ever sure who he was supposed to be, at the end of the film it’s discovered that he’s supposed to be Genghis Khan, but like most of the other waxworks he bears no resemblance to his original. He is quite protective of the museum though.

Cooper Farnsworth (Woody Harrelson): An American property developer who is interested in buying the House of Wax and turning it into flats. He moved to the UK, to get away from some people who didn’t like him much (actually he double crossed the Mafia). He gets increasingly desperate to buy the House of Wax when some of his former business partners catch up with him, threatening Max and Poppy if they don’t sell up, but he never finds out the real secret of the museum. He thinks he’s hallucinating when he sees the waxworks move and fight back during the finale. He’s dragged away shouting about moving statues and charged with arson.

Meryl Streep (herself): She is modelled after the three time Oscar winning actress and is the only waxwork who looks like she is supposed to. She’s something of a leader of the group, checking in with everyone to make sure that they’re doing okay. She’s concerned about the fading magic and trying to keep everyone’s spirits up. She offers very good advice to Max about how to run the museum, most of which Max ignores to begin with because he thinks he knows better. Later we see her taking on the museum accounts and running the financial side of the museum with Max listening carefully to her. He may have been a banker but those skills are very little use when it comes to book keeping.

Additional actors:

Arthur Darvill as David Bowie - Can actually sing, sounds nothing like David Bowie. Wants to be Major Tom and follows NASA on Twitter. Tom Ellis as Paul McCartney - Can also sing and taught himself to play the piano. Duets with Bowie to entertain the rest of the group. John Boyega as Frank Bruno - Hates punching people, is a total softy. Ryan Reynolds as Salvador Dali - He once tried painting and decided never to do so again. He prefers reading and writes poetry. Eccentric. Celia Imrie as Queen Victoria - Knows everything that there is about Queen Victoria. She misses Albert who hasn’t woken up for a while now due to lack of magic.

[mldrgrl]

Slow and Fizzy

by: mldrgrl Rated: NC-17 Summary: Your Hanella Christmas fic is here.  Basically it’s just fluff and smut.  Smut and fluff.  Sluff.  Flut?  

Stella could hear laughter outside her office door and she took a glance up from her report to look out the window.  The office party appeared to be in full swing.  She went back to her report and tuned out the noise.

For the first time in perhaps ever, she had taken the holidays off.  A full two weeks vacation that would begin the moment she walked out the door until after the new year.  It was easier to do this year considering her responsibilities had become more analytical than hands on in the field.  In the past though, she never minded working on a holiday.  There was no reason not to.  Crime didn’t stop just because it was Christmas.  This year, however, she wanted the time off.  She wanted to spend it with her husband.

All she needed to do was finish her report.

On her desk, her cell phone chimed and she picked it up and opened the text message.  It was a photo of men’s white boxers with mistletoe just above the button fly.  Below it, Hank had written: Should I get them in white or red?

Stella closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head as she chuffed a short laugh through her nose.  She texted him back: Doesn’t seem very fair.

Thirty seconds later, there was a photo of thong panties with the same mistletoe printed on the crotch in reply.  I’ve heard it’s better to give than receive anyway, he’d written.

Don’t fret, Watson, I’m a believer in equality.  I do need to get this report done however, so I can be on my way.

There was no response, so she put her phone down, but a minute later it chimed again.  Hank had texted a string of emojis: kissy face, santa, Christmas tree, eggplant, taco, , bed, bathtub, a heart in every color, the Union Jack, an American flag, and then four more eggplants and about ten tacos.

Stella shook her head again, but didn’t respond.  A little under an hour later, she was shutting down her computer and gathering her things.  She called the car service she frequently used that would reliably pick her up within the next ten minutes and then she put on her coat and gloves.  Her satchel was light, only burdened with her laptop and not the usual files to review.  She had to pause at the door to reassure herself she wasn’t forgetting anything important.

Christmas music hit her full force when she opened her office door.  A young man she recognized as one of the mail clerks was singing a karaoke version of Last Christmas as a group wearing santa hats laughed and shared punch from plastic cups.  Stella observed the party with mild amusement as she slowly made her way out of the office.

“Happy Christmas, Ma’am,” one of her first-year detectives waved to her as she passed.

Stella searched for the woman’s name in the recesses of her memory.  “Happy Christmas, Fiona,” she replied, giving the detective a brief smile.

“Not staying for the party?”

“I must get home, actually.”

“Have a nice vacation.  Delayed honeymoon is it? They tell me you were recently married.  Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”  Stella adjusted the grip on her satchel, the thought of being the subject of office gossip making her momentarily tense.  “Enjoy the party.”

No one else stopped her on the way out.  Outside, the air was cool and crisp.  A light wind ruffled her hair and stung her cheeks.  She stood at the top of the stairs by the entrance for a few moments to acclimate, and then she headed down to wait at the curb.  The car arrived a short time later and she nodded her hello to the chauffeur, Nicolá.  He’d been driving for her with some regularity for years.

“Headed home, signora?” Nicolá asked, his dark eyes meeting hers in the rearview mirror from under the brim of his hat.

“Yes,” she answered, sinking back into the plush seat and removing her gloves.  “Home, please.”

One of the things Stella liked about Nicolá was that he was never one to initiate small talk.  He was friendly and polite, but never pried.  Sometimes she asked him questions if she needed a distraction, and the conversation was always easy.  She knew he was in his late sixties.  He and his wife came from Sicily when their five children, four boys and one girl, were very small.  His daughter had married last summer.  His youngest son was a med student.

Stella gazed at the Christmas lights adorning shops and trees as they drove by.  She’d never decorated her home at all, never had a Christmas tree, and never put up lights, though when she was a child, one of her nannies had made green and red paper chains with her to countdown to the holiday.  She also vaguely remembered hanging a white stocking on the mantle for several years that was filled with her favorite sweets come Christmas morning.  Otherwise, she’d never grown up with any sort of tradition surrounding the holiday.

“What will you do for Christmas, Nicolá?” Stella asked.

“I have a new grandson this year, signora,” he answered.

“Do you?”

“My wife is beside herself with joy.  She says she will cook the biggest lasagna ever, but baby Gio, he has not one tooth.  I think she is trying to make me fatter than I already am.”

Stella smiled.  

“What will you do, signora?”

“I’ll just be spending a few quiet weeks with my husband.”

“Ah, have you married that dark haired American man?”

“I have.”

“That’s a good thing.  When he rides with you, you are happier.”

“Am I?”

“Oh, yes.  There is a saying, l’amuri è come a tussi, nun si po ammucciari.  It means, love is like a cough, impossible to hide.  Your American man suffered loud, uncontrollable coughing, clear as glass, but you also.  You keep it deep in your chest so no one will hear, but I see it.”

Stella smiled again and she felt it reach her eyes.  Nicolá winked at her in the rearview mirror and she turned to the window again, the smile still pulling at her mouth.

“There is another expression,” Nicolá said.  “Quannu amuri tuppulìa, 'un lu lassari 'nmenzu la via.  It means, when love knocks, be sure to answer.”

They were very near Stella’s townhouse now, only a few blocks and a turn there.  Up ahead was the a neighborhood grocery they often ordered from, but that she’d rarely been inside of.  The storefront was sweetly decorated with twinkling lights.

“Would you stop here, please?” Stella asked.

Nicolá slowed the car to a stop.  Stella pulled her gloves back on and grabbed her satchel.

“I wait here for you, signora?” Nicolá asked.

“Not necessary, I’ll walk from here.”  Stella exited the car, but turned back before she shut the door.  “Congratulations on the baby.”

“Congratulations on your American.  Happy Christmas, signora.”

“Happy Christmas, Nicolá.”

What caught Stella’s eye, the reason she had Nicolá stop the car, was the display of poinsettias outside the entrance of the grocery.  They were small and the pots were wrapped in foils of bright green, red, or gold.  She touched their red leaves with the tips of her gloved fingers and then chose a pot wrapped in gold and went into the store.

If Christmas had a smell, the front of the store had it.  Along with the warmth that hit her was the spicy aroma of cinnamon and pine.  She adjusted her hold on the poinsettia, tucking it in the crook of her arm, and picked up a small basket of scented pine cones and then a wreath adorned with holly.

“Need a basket, Miss?” a store clerk asked.

“Please.”  Stella placed each item in the basket the clerk offered and then put it over her arm to browse the aisles.  She left the store ten minutes later with the poinsettia, the pinecones, the wreath, a box of assorted Turkish Delight, and a bottle of sloe gin.

The bags were cumbersome, but it was a short walk home and she managed.  The house was dark, but she called Hank’s name even though it was apparent he wasn’t home.  She checked her phone for messages she may have missed, but there was nothing since his texts while she was in the office.  In his absence, she hung the wreath on the front door and placed the basket of pine cones on the table in front of the window, next to the poinsettia.

While she was in the store, she’d remembered something from when she was small.  Her father had read her A Visit From St. Nicholas while sipping a sloe gin fizz.  She was tucked under his arm, snuggled against him, turning the pages since he had to hold the book with one hand and his drink with the other.  She’d asked him what sugar plums tasted like and he’d said maybe like Turkish Delight.

Part of Stella considered taking a shower and slipping into her pajamas, but they’d talked about going out for dinner tonight, so she stayed in her slacks and blouse.  Out of habit, she nearly pulled her laptop out of her bag, but she stopped herself at the last minute and opened a book instead.

She was two pages deep into an advanced reader that Hank had been sent by his publisher when he came home.  There were snowflakes in his hair and on the shoulders of his jacket, which he brushed off at the door.

“It’s snowing?” she asked.

“Starting to,” he answered.

“Certainly cold enough.”

“Yep.”  Hank brushed a hand back and forth over his head.  A shopping bag dangled from his fingers.

“What’s that you have?”

He lifted the bag slightly and looked at it.  “This?  Ran into Santa while I was out and he asked me to hold these for you.”

“Presents?”

“You’ve been busy.  Look at that, now we have a Christmas tree.”

“A poinsettia hardly qualifies as a Christmas tree.”

“Tree enough.”  Hank stepped out of his shoes and crossed the room to the front table.  He pulled three small, gift-wrapped boxes out of the bag and placed them wherever he could fit them around and under the potted plant.

“There wouldn’t be a mistletoe g-string in any of those boxes would there?”

“Don’t want to ruin the surprise.”

Stella tossed the book that had been sitting on her lap onto the table as Hank sat down next to her.  He tipped himself towards her and ended up with his head in her lap.  She slid her fingers through his hair, wetting her hands with lingering snowflakes.

“How was your day, dear?” he asked.

Stella tweaked his ear in response and hank quickly turned his head, nipping at her wrist.  She chuckled and took hold of his chin as he leaned up and tried to kiss her, turning her head away at the last second.

“Oh, you’re feisty tonight,” Hank said, flipping around so he hovered over Stella and nuzzled her neck.  “Does it have anything to do with this Christmas spirit that’s gotten into you?”

“I was simply feeling in the mood.”

“Mm, in the mood.  I like the sound of that.”  His nose traveled up the side of her neck and under her ear.

Stella tipped her neck for Hank and rolled her head to the side.  One of his hands moved up to the back of her head and his lips grazed the back of her neck on the way down to her shoulder.

“Have you ever had a sloe gin fizz?” Stella asked.

“No, but I’ve had a fast hard fuck.  Why do you ask?”

“I was thinking about Christmas earlier.  Remembering a year my father had read me A Visit From St. Nick while sipping on a sloe gin fizz.”

“What’s A Visit From St. Nick?”

“‘Twas the night before Christmas, et cetera, et cetera.”

“I’ve got one for you,” Hank said, and his tongue dipped into the teardrop opening at the front of her blouse to lick the hollow of her throat.  “‘Twere three nights before Christmas and in each and every room, Hank planned on fucking Stella.”

Hank ended there and cupped one of her breasts as he rocked his hips against hers.  She opened the leg towards the outside of the couch to let him sink down between her thighs and leaned back into the arm of the couch.

“And?” she said.

“And what?” he mumbled, rubbing his face down her belly to push her blouse up with his nose.

“What’s the rest of the poem?”

“And so we fuck.  The end.”

“Oh, no,” she said, taking his head between both of her hands and pulling his face back up to hers.  “I want the rest.”

“Since when is poetry a turn on for you?”

“It isn’t.  I’m simply saying you cannot leave a poem unfinished like that.”

“I have better things to do.”  He bucked his hips up between her thighs for emphasis.

Truth be told, Stella had been ready and waiting for him since he’d texted that afternoon. Sometimes just the thought of him being home waiting for her could arouse her to the point of angry frustration.  But, there were also times when she liked the delayed satisfaction.  Liked to toy with him a bit.  Liked for him to think he had to work for it.  

“I insist,” Stella said.  

Hank groaned.  “Fine.  ‘Twere three nights before Christmas and all Hank wanted to do, was eat out his wife and give her a nice screw.”

As he spoke, his hands moved up and over her body and his head moved further south, but suddenly he came back up and pinned her arms back above her head with a strong grip.  He held her wrists close together with both hands, but let go of one to reach down and toy with her waistband before he continued the poem.  She left her freed wrist in place.

“He unzips her pants,” Hank whispered, narrating his actions in rhyme.  “Quickly unbuttons his own, then slides in two fingers, making her moan.”

“Mm,” Stella grunted slightly, tilting her hips for him as he curled those two fingers inside her.  He teased her with slow strokes, all the while managing to work her down until she was flat on her back on the couch, elbows bent so her arms were still above her head and her wrists rested loose on the top of the arm.  He had one foot on the ground and one knee between her thighs, pressing her leg open for him.

“More,” she said.

“Thought you wanted it slow and fizzy,” he taunted, withdrawing his fingers only a fraction and softening his touch.

“More of the poem,” she taunted back, even though her muscles clenched and quivered, begging for more of him on their own and making her neediness well known.

“I can keep this up all night,” he said.  “Why should I go so fast?  I’ve got one question in mind: how long can you last?”

“Shut up and fuck me, Watson.”

Hank jerked his hand up and pressed so deep against her g-spot she gasped.  Her toes tingled and curled and her hands closed into fists, but there was nothing to grasp.  She was almost there, almost there, if he would just do that again, once more, maybe twice.

“I can feel how close you are,” he said, stilling his hand completely so that she growled at him with gritted teeth.  “You’re so wet and glistening, but I won’t let you come until I know that you’re listening.”  

Stella arched her back up in protest, trying to force him to move against her.  He chuckled quietly and she turned her face away from him, cheeks aflame with how much she needed him to give her release.  Out of desperation, and maybe a little bit of revenge, she reached down and drove her hand into his jeans, giving him a hard squeeze in hopes that he’d crumble under the weight of his own desire to be inside her.  With his face so close to hers, she could hear him smile.

“You know I do my best work with your hand on my cock, Sherlock.”

Stella groaned.

“In fact, I think I might dedicate my next book to your right hand.”

“Please,” she said, drawing her hand out of his pants to reach up and grip his hair.

Hank��s mouth moved so close to her ear that his breath made her shiver as he whispered, “I need to you know, you’re the love of my life.  And how happy I am, that you are my wife.”

He didn’t even move, but Stella shivered with release from only his voice in her ear.  He could’ve been smug about it and stopped to congratulate himself, but he didn’t.  He withdrew his fingers and sat up a little, tugging on her pants.

“Lift dat ass, babe,” he said.

Stella pushed her hips up and Hank dragged her slacks and panties down her thighs.  One of her legs was trapped between him and the back of the couch, but that didn’t stop him.  He managed to finagle her pants past one of her knees and that was enough.  She was already reaching for him when he pushed his own jeans off his hips and that was enough for her as well.

With practiced ease, Hank drove into her.  His sticky fingers clutched her thigh to bring her leg up higher even as she hooked it up and over his hip.  He paused for a few moments, just to kiss her, to sweep his tongue into her mouth and to take a few panting breaths against her lips.  She kissed him back, and then pulled his head up by his hair to look into his eyes.

“And I heard him exclaim,” he panted, snapping his hips into hers in increasing momentum.  “As he fucked his bride dizzy, Merry Christmas to all, and that’s what we call slow and fizzy.  Fuck, I’m gonna come.”

Hank’s thrusts grew slower and deeper until he dropped his head and groaned into Stella’s shoulder.  His body grew heavier on top of her and she reveled in the feeling of it.  The sedate happiness she experienced in that moment felt like Christmas to her.

“I love you,” she said.

Hank lifted himself up just enough to brace his arm on the back of the couch and look down at her.  “I know,” he said.  “Merry Christmas, Sherlock.”

“Happy Christmas, Watson.”

The End

[kristallioness]

Call the midwife

Summary: It was going to be another regular day working as a paramedic in the emergency room for Katara, until she stumbled upon a sick child.

Word count: 29,040

Author's note: Happy (late) winter solstice! I think it's pretty obvious which series inspired me to write this fic. The italicized monologue at the beginning and ending of the story is elderly Katara talking to the audience, exactly like Jenny does in each episode. I tried to stay true to that format (also by having 2-3 major plot lines). But during the events, Katara is 34-35, exactly the same age as in their family photo. @avatarwindboy - here it is, I hope you like it! The events start in the morning, hence the first character is named Chen, which means morning in Chinese. Mamoun means trustworthy in Arabic, because he's Katara's "trusty steed". Othmar means wealth and fortune in German, since I figured that a shopkeeper would be rather well off. The young man who found Katara and asked for her help is Azor, which is Israeli for helper, and he's of Fire Nation origin. Doctor Rima's name means white antelope in Arabic, indicating that she's light-skinned. Ilo's name is actually a Finnish word meaning joy and delight (+ it's very close to the Estonian word "ilu", which means beauty). Iniko is an African name and it means "born during troubled times" (read and you'll find out why). The final scene was inspired by a heartwarming scene from the series, where doctor Turner's son said something funny to his adopted baby sister when his father Patrick and stepmother Shelagh kissed each other. They were one of my favourite couples on the show. I based the ostrich horse (ambulance) carriage idea on the fact that it was the most common vehicle during that time (as seen when Yakone escaped his trial). When working as a paramedic/in the emergency room, Katara wears the same uniform as seen on the healer who healed councilman Tarrlok's self-inflicted burn. I even drew two sketches - the first one being with her and Mamoun, the second one with her and Niyok - to show what I had in mind (+ a third one where she's in her regular clothes and yes, her parka is the same one she wears throughout Book 1). One of her patients has the Avatar world's version of measles (same disease, different name), which I made up. There's a reference to one of my recent fics called "Bring your daughter to work day". I teared up a few times when writing out some of the more emotional scenes. I started writing this in the middle of November and now my (new) longest fanfic ever is FINALLY FINISHED! Enjoy!

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"The solstices were always the time of year when both spirits and humans would become closer than ever. If ordinary people, who were just minding their own business, ever came across one, they'd usually be frightened and later tell stories of their encounter with a ghost to their friends, who often didn't believe them.

I came across quite a few spirits during my time travelling the world with my husband. He believed that most spirits were good-hearted beings who were watching over us. I liked to think so, too. Especially when it concerned being a mother to our three wonderful children, or helping other mothers. I liked to think that my own mother's spirit was watching over me, guiding me on that joyous journey with her compassion, courage and love - all the qualities she'd passed down to me, which I'd been carrying along with me in my heart."

"There we go.. all done, Mr. Chen!"

Katara rolled up the unused bandage and put it away in her shoulder bag. She was finishing her morning rounds by doing home visits to a few of her eldest patients, who lived in the northeastern borough, which was known to be a poorer part of the town. Mr. Chen lived very near the border and he was the last patient that morning.

"Thank you so much, dear! Here, take these biscuits with you to share with your colleagues. You hardworking young healers need your daily dose of sugar to have enough energy for the rest of the day."

Katara chuckled as the old man dropped a handful of those leftover sweets into a paper bag and handed it to her.

"And thank you, Mr. Chen! You're really spoiling me and my employees."

He liked to glaze the biscuits with powdered sugar, which made them extra sweet. He'd snack on those and drink some jasmine tea while his healer healed the burns and worked on replacing the old, soiled dressings wrapped around his leg with new, clean ones.

Ever since Mr. Chen was injured, which happened about two weeks ago after he'd accidentally dropped a kettle of boiling water on his right foot, Katara often ended her evening rounds at his place. She would sometimes sit with him for almost an hour, talking about her adventures during the Hundred Year War. Mr. Chen's grandson had marched side by side with her on the Day of Black Sun.

"You deserve it. You're the best healer in the world leading the finest hospital in Republic City. We're all lucky to have you."

Katara released a short giggle, her cheeks blushing a little at the compliment.

"I'm flattered. Well, I'd better get going if I wanna get back to the hospital in time for lunch. I'll see you again in the evening," she said while she tied the two strings, which held her healer's hat in place, together under her chin.

"I certainly hope so. I didn't finish telling you about how the first time Junior tried to earthbend he ended up flinging himself straight up into a tree. Took us nonbenders three hours to figure out how to climb all the way up there and bring him down."

"Can't wait to hear it. Enjoy the rest of your day, Mr. Chen!"

Katara waved back at him as she stepped out of his tiny apartment, closing the door behind her before she headed downstairs.

Mr. Chen's humble abode was, in every meaning of the word, humble. Located near the sink, stove and food cabinets, there was a dining table, which always had a bowl filled with fruit or cookies on it in case he was expecting guests, along with a wooden chair on either side. His cosy armchair and a coffee table, piled up with newspapers, in front of it were in the opposite corner. These pieces of furniture comprised the kitchen and living room. There was a huge bed just for him in the other room. Necessary everyday items, some souvenirs and photos of his family decorated the shelves and cupboards in either room.

If Katara hadn't known better, she would've guessed that this man was an air nomad. The way he'd arranged his furniture and few personal possessions reminded her of the interior of the air temples, of her own home.

The apartment was located on the third floor, the highest in that building. Katara hurried outside and approached her ambulance carriage, which she'd parked right in front. She climbed up on the driver's seat and began searching for the paper bag she'd dropped among the medical supplies inside her shoulder bag. Once found, she picked one.. No! Two biscuits and stuffed them in her mouth.

"Mmm!.." the waterbender hummed in delight as she crumpled up the paper bag and put it back. She grabbed the reins that were attached to the ostrich horse, who was harnessed to the front of the vehicle. After her mouth was empty from the yummy snack, she clucked her tongue a few times.

"Let's go, Mamoun! Back to the hospital!"

Katara gave the reins a softer flick so her ostrich horse would begin trotting. Puffs of warm air escaped its nostrils as he pulled the carriage. It was nearly a 3-mile ride back to the city center, which would take her less than half an hour in such snowy conditions. She gave another flick and the ostrich horse began cantering.

She and Mamoun were almost the same as Aang and Appa - they'd known each other for almost a decade and they had a unique unbreakable bond. He was her favourite ostrich horse out of all the other ones who drove the ambulance carriages and, whenever possible, she'd choose him each time she was assigned to a call. Every healer who'd had the privilege to ride with Mamoun would say the same - he was the best ostrich horse around.

Sometimes when Katara visited the hospital at the weekend to do some paperwork, she'd bring Kya along. They'd take a break to go see Mamoun and pamper him in the afternoon. Katara would let Kya feed him, comb his mane or even braid it together with her daughter. No wonder the ostrich horse was so fond of the two waterbenders..

"Wait! Ambulance! Please, stop!" a young man shouted as he began running after the carriage Katara was driving. She didn't notice him since she passed him swiftly on a bigger intersection, but she heard his plea. She pulled the reins backwards until her ostrich horse slowly came to a halt. She didn't want the carriage to go out of control on the slippery road.

"Wooaahh there, Mamoun! That's it.. good boy," Katara praised once her vehicle stopped moving. The young man who'd yelled for her to stop caught up with her in a few seconds. He leaned against the edge of her driver's seat to catch his breath.

"Sir, are you okay? What's the matter?" Katara asked as she scooted over to take a closer look at the man. She was ready to examine him.

"I'm fine.. but there's been.. an accident. Please.. you've gotta come and help them!" he panted.

"Hop on!" Katara said as she scooted back and patted the empty side of her seat, waiting for the man to climb aboard. She clucked her tongue and tugged at the left rein to turn Mamoun around.

"Where's the scene of the accident?"

"In the corner of the intersection you just passed, over there!" he said, pointing to a shop to their right a few hundred yards away. Katara let Mamoun trot the way back, then turn right at the crossroad to park the carriage in front of the shop. A small crowd had gathered around the entrance to the shop and someone was clearly moaning in pain.

"Make way! Healer coming through!" Katara exclaimed as she elbowed her way through the crowd, as politely as she could. She gasped once she saw the state one of the injured was in.

"Oh my gosh.. what happened here?" she inquired as she sat down on her knees, next to the plump middle-aged man who was lying in a pile of snow. He was conscious, but his left knee was completely dislocated.

"Ohh.. I was putting up some decorations for the winter solstice celebration. The next thing I knew, the ladder slipped away from under my feet and I was lying here on my back."

"You didn't faint, did you?" Katara asked as she withdrew the water from her pouch and began waterbending it over his body to detect internal injuries, especially ones in his spine. He shook his head.

"I saw it happen. He was trying to reach the windowsill on the second floor to put up these lights, but it was too far away and he lost balance. He fell on his left foot. Unfortunately, the ladder fell on this customer's head just as he was coming out of the shop," the young man, who'd brought Katara there, explained and gestured towards another man, who was sitting on the steps leading inside the shop a few feet away. Katara glanced at the other victim. He was rubbing his head.

"Oh no.. make sure that he doesn't leave before I've examined him, too! I'll get right on that as soon as I'm done with this gentleman here. I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name, mister..?"

"..Othmar. Call me Otto. Everybody does," he chuckled, but winced a second later as Katara carefully waterbended the glowing water up his thigh, over his left knee and down to his toes. Her stomach churned when she felt the way the bones and muscles around his knee were out of place and strained.

"Can you move your toes for me, Otto?"

Katara watched how the tips of his boots moved slightly as he wiggled his toes. She sighed in relief as she waterbended the water back inside her pouch.

"Good. I didn't feel anything wrong, other than your knee, which seems to have popped out of the socket. You're lucky this soft pile of snow was here to break your fall."

"So, what now, healer.. healer..?"

"Katara."

"Healer Katara. Can't you just pop it right back in?"

"Otto, I think you and I both know that getting it back in the right position isn't going to be easy. Especially since you're struggling just to hold it still and it's causing you so much pain. I'd like to take you to the hospital where my healers can carry out the necessary procedure to fix your knee in a calmer, warmer and more private room."

"Sounds good to me."

"Young man, could you help me?" Katara turned to the lad who'd brought her there. The crowd gave her some room as she walked to the back of her ambulance carriage, hopped inside and slid out a stretcher, which the young man helped carry and lay down next to Othmar. Katara knelt down beside him again and began fiddling with her healer's belt.

"I'm going to lift you onto this stretcher now, Otto. And then we'll lift you onto my carriage and drive to the hospital. You should try to keep your knee as still as possible. It might hurt a little."

"What's with the syringe there, healer Katara?" Othmar asked, his green eyes growing wide as she drew some medicine into it from a small vial.

"I'm gonna give you some morphine to reduce the pain until we reach the hospital," Katara barely managed to finish her sentence before the needle already poked him near his thigh. That small pinch was nothing compared to the radiating pain around his knee. After giving the injection, she stood up and waterbended the snow underneath Othmar's body into a thicker layer of ice, using the smooth plate to lift him onto the stretcher. The young man helped her carry him onto the bed inside the carriage.

"There's one more patient who requires my attention before we go. I'll be back in a few minutes, okay?"

Otto smiled and nodded to her. Katara jumped out from the back of the carriage and walked over to her second patient, who remained sitting on those steps in front of the shop. The young man followed her every step and stayed close behind, like a little helper.

"Hello, sir! I'm healer Katara. Can you tell me where it hurts?" she asked as she squatted down in front of him.

"Ugh.. my head, obviously. You heard what the boy said. I got hit by a ladder."

Katara looked behind her, slightly surprised to see the young man standing very near them. She gave him a quick smile and turned her attention back to the injured man. He supported his head on the palms of his hands and he didn't wanna look up at her. She couldn't see any visible cuts or bleeding beneath his short hair.

"Do you feel any dizziness? Nausea?"

"Yes, I'm a bit dizzy.. but only a little bit. Look, I'm not the one you should be worried about. It's just a bump. The other guy was in pretty bad shape."

"Sir, I'm a healer. It's my job to worry about everyone's health. Now, did you faint after being hit with the ladder?"

"I don't know.. maybe? I'm not sure," he pondered, feebly shaking his head, still preferring to stare down at the ground.

"He did. When I ran over to help, he was unconscious for a minute," the young man added.

"In that case, it's not just a bump. I hope you don't mind coming along with me for a routine checkup to make sure that you don't have a concussion," Katara said as she snaked an arm under his to help him up. Other than a groan from having to stand up when the world was slightly spinning around, her patient showed no sign of protest. The young man grabbed his other arm to help Katara walk him over to the ambulance carriage.

"Sorry, we're short of beds right now. You'll have to sit on the healer's bench on our way there," Katara apologized, supporting the man while he took a seat opposite to Othmar.

"If either of you start to feel worse, you let me know right away. Got it?" she instructed with a wave of her finger. Both her patients understood, so she turned around. The waterbender was pleasantly surprised to see the young man offer his hand to help her climb down from the back of the ambulance carriage.

"Thank you, young man! What's your name?"

"Azor."

"Wait here, Azor..."

Katara ran to the front of the carriage and leaned over her driver's seat. She shuffled through her shoulder bag for a few seconds, then skipped back to the young man with a proud smile on her face.

"Here, have some biscuits for being such a caring citizen and calling for help."

"Wow! I, uh.. I don't know what to say. Thank you!" Azor chuckled and hesitantly picked up three biscuits from inside the paper bag. Katara crumpled up the top, then proceeded to close the doors at the back of the carriage.

As the majority of the crowd began to disperse, she heard someone coughing horribly. It didn't sound like a normal cough and the fit lasted for several seconds. Katara looked around until she spotted a very small girl, not older than her Kya, coughing in the alley between the shop and the neighbouring building. It looked like she was trying to remain hidden, yet wanting to be seen by her.

"Azor, would you guard my ambulance carriage? I'll be right back," Katara said, patting him on the shoulder before approaching the little girl. As soon as she saw the healer coming closer, she ran further into the alley.

"Hello? Little girl? Are you okay?" Katara called to her. She peeked from behind the corner of the shop playfully. The child stood in the middle of the alley, keeping a safe distance tens of feet away from the stranger.

If her parents had been in the crowd, she would've been with them. But she seemed to be alone. She couldn't have been homeless since she didn't look malnourished and she was wearing nice clothes. But the amount of layers she had on for such cold weather was what worried Katara. Only a summer dress as yellow as the sun, a snow-white long-sleeved blouse underneath and shoes of the same colour with laces tied up neatly. No scarf, no coat, no winter boots. It was weird that she wasn't shivering.

She started coughing again, this time the fit lasted for at least a minute. Katara didn't like the sound of that one bit.

"Hi there, little one! There's no need to be scared," she spoke in her motherly voice, taking a few steps closer and then squatting down a bit. The little girl didn't budge.

"My name's Katara, I'm a healer. What's your name?" she wondered. The little girl still didn't answer, she merely tilted her head and stared right back at the woman.

"It's okay, come here! I heard that you have a nasty cough. I can help you feel better. Would you like to come with me to my ambulance carriage?"

At that suggestion, the little girl turned around and began running away towards the other end of the alley. Stupid! That was the only word going through Katara's mind as she dashed right after the child. She could've phrased her request a lot better. Obviously the girl's parents had taught her not to go with strangers.

"Wait up! Please, I wanna help you!" Katara shouted to the child, but she continued scampering.

What kind of parents would send their child out on the cold streets in such light clothing? And she looked so young to be wandering around all alone, her home must've been nearby. How did she seem fine in appearance yet sound so unwell when she coughed? Thinking about the situation brought up more questions than answers.

The little girl reached the other end of the alley and turned left on the corner. By the time Katara came out of the narrow path between the buildings, she was gone. For a clearly ill child who had difficulty breathing, she sure did run fast.

While Katara tried to catch her breath, she looked around the wide street. A couple of pedestrians were walking on either side of the street, further away from her. One or two regular ostrich horse carriages passed her. But there was no sign of a little girl in a bright yellow dress. There weren't many hiding places either unless she ran into another alley around the corner. She should've spotted the girl immediately.

"Monkey feathers!.." Katara muttered under her breath. She gave the surrounding area a second look. Sighing in defeat, she turned around and headed back to her own ambulance carriage. There were two other patients who required medical attention.

"Thank you for all your help, Azor!" Katara waved back at him after she'd flicked the reins and the carriage started moving. The young man had stayed put and looked after her vehicle like she'd asked while she ventured after the little girl. She hoped the tasty reward she'd given him was enough to show how much she appreciated his help. Judging by the way his face lit up when she offered it to him, he was delighted by her gratitude. Or at least he didn't expect to receive anything in return. That was one good deed done for the day.

Katara smiled at that thought. She liked to meet people who were like Azor - willing to give anything to help others in need yet asking for nothing in return. All those selfless faces she'd met throughout the years were like mirrors that reflected herself, how much she was willing to sacrifice. Her small detour to the scene of that accident had only taken her ten minutes. She made up for lost time thanks to Mamoun, who cantered the way back.

Katara arrived at the hospital within a quarter of an hour. The clock on her husband's memorial island struck noon just as she stopped by the northern entrance, which led straight to the emergency room. It was specifically meant as a pit stop for ambulance carriages so the paramedics could hand over the patients they were transporting.

Katara hopped out of the driver's seat and ran inside to fetch a couple of employees who would help her bring the patients inside. She returned less than half a minute later, accompanied by three other healers, who she'd briefed about the incident and her patients' conditions. Two of them lifted Othmar out on the stretcher, using that to carry him onto an empty bed in the emergency room.

"Did you enjoy the ride, Otto? I hope it didn't shake your knee too much," Katara asked.

"Nah, it wasn't too rough. That shot you gave me really worked wonders. It's like I can barely feel the pain."

"Good, that's the way it's supposed to be. Now go inside, Otto. My healers will take good care of you," she assured him by giving his hand a gentle squeeze before letting her workers admit him.

The third healer helped Katara by supporting the other man from under his arm as he staggered out from the carriage and sat down in a wheelchair. He didn't look too happy. In fact, he looked even more under the weather, like he would throw up any minute. The bumpy ride on the carriage hadn't done much good for his dizziness. At least he'll be under close observation now.

Katara watched how the healer pushed him inside. By the time he'd been admitted too, the two healers brought the stretcher back. She thanked her employees before she hopped back on her driver's seat and guided Mamoun to the stable on the western side of the building. Having parked the ambulance carriage amongst the other ones, Katara also thanked Mamoun for all his hard work with a nice big juicy red apple. Having said her goodbyes to the ostrich horse, she headed inside through the main entrance on the southern side of the hospital. She deserved a break after a busy morning, which meant eating lunch with her good friends.

Katara took the elevator up to the floor where the cafeteria was located. She was craving for something salty after those sweet biscuits Mr. Chen had given her. She brought the paper bag along to share them with her colleagues, exactly like she'd promised him.

The cafeteria was usually packed around high noon, but it was surprisingly calm today. Katara gazed around the wide room to find an empty table for four. Some other healers were already enjoying their meal, as well as a few patients who weren't on bed rest, and a couple of visitors. None of her companions had arrived yet.

Her choice for the second meal of the day included stewed sea prunes, which always reminded her of her homeland, two moon peaches and a cup of green tea. Since most healers were from the Water Tribes, the cooks prepared a wider variety of water tribe dishes for the workers to choose from.

Katara took a seat behind the table she'd chosen and put the tray of food down in front of her. She hung her shoulder bag on the edge of the chair, taking the bag of biscuits out and placing it in the middle of the table. She untied the strings under her chin to remove her healer's hat. After that, she began slurping down some steaming broth from her bowl of sea prunes.

"Mmm..." she hummed in delight. It was one of her favourite childhood dishes which she'd never get tired of. She managed to finish almost half of it before someone tapped on her shoulder.

"Is this seat taken?"

"Niyok, hi!" Katara exclaimed, jumping up from her chair to hug her old friend. Niyok was one of the bubbliest healers around. Well, she wasn't exactly a healer since she wasn't a waterbender, so the correct term for her occupation would be a doctor. But her cheerful personality affected everybody around her in the most positive way. She'd given up her job at the refinery soon after Katara had established the first hospital in Republic City. She spent a few months as an intern there and started working as a doctor from then on.

"It's good to see you, Katara. So, you're working in the emergency room today?" Niyok wondered as she sat down in the chair right next to her.

"Well, yeah.. Can't you see I'm dressed in my healer's uniform?"

The two girls shared a good laugh. Being the best healer in the world, Katara was dedicated to helping out in all the departments of her hospital. Most of her time at work passed in her own office at the top floor, where she worked as a family physician and her working hours were full of appointments. On some days, just like this one, she'd assist in the emergency room as a paramedic who'd drive an ambulance carriage to the scenes of accidents, examine the patients brought in by other paramedics, plus do home visits or special morning and evening rounds. The most rare occasions were scheduled important surgeries.

"You look fabulous in that uniform."

"He-he, thanks!" Katara chuckled. The rest of the conversation passed in a similar joyous mood. Two other healers joined them a few minutes later, one of them being a family physician and the other a specialist in her field. Having exchanged a bit more formal greetings with their boss and co-worker, the four ladies could all dig in.

"Mhm.. did anything interesting happen in the morning?" Niyok asked while nibbling on a piece of blubbered seal jerky.

"Besides home visits and an accident involving a dislocated knee and a bump to the head, umm.. nothing big," Katara joked, shrugging her shoulders. Everybody giggled.

"Oh! But there was one thing. I saw a little girl dressed in very light clothing alone on the streets. She had a terrible cough, but I couldn't persuade her to come with me so I could examine her."

"Mphm.. Mm-maybe she was an orphan?" the specialist asked, her mouth half full.

"I don't think so. She was well dressed and she didn't look mistreated. She seemed to be around the same age as Kya. How many little girls have visited their family physicians recently? With the main symptom being an abnormal cough?"

"Oh, quite many since it's the flu season," the family physician replied. Katara knitted her brows and hummed in thought. She couldn't narrow it down, hence she decided to leave it at that for now. She opened the paper bag, being the first one to reach inside for a few biscuits. Everybody else followed her example.

"Mmm! I love these biscuits so much!" Niyok said, grabbing two more.

"Nobody makes them quite like Mr. Chen does," the family physician agreed. All four ladies nodded and hummed in delight as they enjoyed the dessert their boss had arranged. After such a delicious lunch to keep them going for the rest of the day, each healer returned to their respective wards.

Katara headed back down to the emergency room on the first floor to help the paramedics who brought in new patients. Healing broken bones and treating mild sprains was what kept her busy during the following hour. Those were the most common injuries during winter. Luckily none of those people needed to be referred to the orthopedist, unlike Othmar.

Katara heard that Otto had been very cooperative with her healers, but spirits did he scream when they pulled his knee back in place. Not even morphine or the healer waterbending the water around his knee could relieve the pain he felt at that moment. The good news was that he was recovering in the general ward and would soon begin his physiotherapy. The healers who'd treated him said that if he worked really hard there, along with a little help provided by them healing his muscles and joints daily, he should be up and running on his feet again within a week or two.

Katara was nearly done healing a fracture in a woman's forearm just as the phone rang and the receptionist answered it.

"Republic City Hospital, what seems to be the problem?.. I see, but we don't usually send an ambulance to check on a patient who only has a high fever-" she attempted to explain, but the person on the other end of the line seemed to be very persistent and loud, judging by the way she held the receiver further away from her ear until they finished talking.

"Who's your family physician?.. Uh-uh, you haven't been able to contact her since it's her day off today."

The caller spoke again for a few seconds. The receptionist quirked an eyebrow.

"Why do you want a light-skinned healer?"

That question attracted Katara's attention as well. She continued wrapping her current patient's arm in a sling while eavesdropping on the unusual conversation. The receptionist sighed as she grabbed a pen.

"What's your address?.. Uh-uh.. uh-uh.. southeastern borough. Got it. We'll send an ambulance as soon as possible. Good day!" she said with a fake smile, hanging up so quickly Katara didn't even manage to blink. The waterbender sent the lady, whose broken arm she'd healed, on her way and approached the receptionist.

"What was that about?"

"A mother called. Her daughter has a high fever and she wants a light-skinned healer to do a home visit. Their family physician, doctor Rima, is off-duty today."

"Why does she want a light-skinned healer?"

"I don't know.. She just claimed that she doesn't like dark-skinned ones, especially Water Tribe healers or any of those Fire Nation shamans. Ugh, she sounded so vicious when she said that!"

"Hmm.. maybe they're just used to seeing their regular doctor. I mean, Rima is from the Earth Kingdom, after all."

"I don't know, Master Katara. Maybe she's just racist?"

"Let's not prejudge so soon," Katara tried to cheer up the receptionist, holding a supportive hand on her shoulder. It was easy for her to say, she wasn't the one who had to listen to that complaining on the phone. She read the address written down on the paper on the desk.

"I'm gonna take this call myself," Katara said, turning around to go grab her shoulder bag full of medical instruments and head outside through the main entrance. She took that call gladly. Healing one broken bone after another was becoming a bit tedious for her. Katara was a woman who couldn't sit still in one place for very long, not to mention do nothing at all.

As she came around the corner and reached the stable where the ambulance carriages were parked, she was surprised to see her favourite ostrich horse resting in a small pile of snow.

"Hey there, Mamoun! You're still here.." Katara coaxed. Her familiar voice got the animal's attention as he lifted his head to look at her approach him calmly. There were two rules that everybody had to follow when approaching an ostrich horse. First, never approach him from behind since he can't see the person coming. And second, never approach him while running or making loud noises. Both actions could scare the animal.

Katara stepped beside him and tenderly stroked his beak. She could see how much he enjoyed it by the way he closed his big brown eyes every time she did that. She reached for some hay from the trough and held it in front of Mamoun's beak, slowly lifting it higher until he stood up on his legs, shaking the snowflakes out of his feathers. Warm air came out of his nostrils in small puffs, stroking the waterbender's bare fingers as he sniffed the food before accepting it.

"Good boy," Katara said, running her hand through his soft grey mane, which prompted him to nicker.

"Didn't anybody else wanna ride with you?" she wondered and continued combing Mamoun's mane until he finished eating. The ostrich horse shook his head for an answer, almost as if he'd understood what she'd asked him. The response only made Katara giggle.

"You ready to ride now?"

Mamoun snorted and threw his head back a little, which she took as a 'yes'. Katara checked that his harness was attached correctly, hopped in the driver's seat and gently pulled the left rein to turn the carriage towards the front of the hospital.

The woman who'd made the call to the emergency room lived in the middle of the southeastern borough. It was a quick 10-minute ride there.

The pavements on either side of the roads were covered in huge hills of snow, only the paths leading to the doors of the houses had been shovelled clean. Katara didn't see a problem. She simply waterbended a big pile of snow away with a flick of her wrist, making enough space in front of the rather nice apartment building where she had to visit. Having parked Mamoun outside, she headed inside and knocked against one of the doors on the ground floor.

"Healer calling!" Katara shouted and waited for someone to open the door. The faintest answer, followed by some shuffling, echoed from inside, indicating that someone was coming. The lock clicked a few seconds later and a pregnant woman pulled the door open.

"Took you long enough.. Ugh! I specifically asked for a light-skinned healer."

Katara gulped, but offered a sincere smile.

"Good afternoon, madam! I'm well aware of that, but I'm all you've got. The other healers are busy saving the lives of others."

"I don't want a dark-skinned woman like you anywhere near my daughter! I'm going to report you to your boss!"

Katara's eyes grew wide for a moment, then narrowed into a glare. She didn't like being threatened.

"Well, in that case, you can report straight to me," she said and crossed her arms.

"Wait, what?" the woman exclaimed, staring at the healer wide-eyed.

"You're talking to her. I'm the boss - Master Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, the best healer in the world and head of the Republic City Hospital - at your service. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to take a look at your daughter."

The mother grunted, but stepped aside and let Katara enter. She wiped her feet on the doormat and watched how the lady shut the door.

"And you are?.."

"Jia."

"Okay, Jia, where's the patient?"

"Right this way," she said, intentionally bumping against the healer with her big belly in the cramped corridor and leading the way to the living room. This was going to be one pleasant home visit.

Their apartment was small but cosy, there was enough room for a nuclear family. As the two women entered the living room, Katara could see a brunette little girl lying on the couch in the middle of the room, wrapped up in a warm blanket. She moved a little under the blanket and her small hands peeked out from the edge, pulling the covers up to her neck. Katara gasped at the sight of all-too-familiar red marks on her skin. She nearly shrieked, but she managed to cover her mouth in time. She didn't want to frighten the girl nor her mother.

"What's the matter?" Jia asked, completely bewildered by the healer's reaction. Katara stood in the same spot for a few seconds to gather herself.

"N-nothing.. I just need to take a closer look," she stammered, after which she approached the child cautiously. She stared at the healer with her big olive green eyes.

"Hello! I'm healer Katara. What's your name?" Katara wondered. She removed her shoulder bag and put it on the coffee table next to the couch, the medical instruments clinking together inside.

"Jia-Li," the girl answered, then went into a coughing fit. Katara squatted down beside her.

"That's a beautiful name, Jia-Li. Are you named after your mommy?"

She nodded and smiled at the healer.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" Katara asked, pointing at the edge of the couch. Jia-Li shook her head and gave the waterbender some room for sitting.

"Aahh, there we go.. Jia-Li, how old are you?"

"Ten."

"Alright. A little winged lemur told me that you're not feeling well. I'm going to examine you now so I can help you feel better. Are you okay with that? Does that sound like a good plan to you?"

Jia-Li nodded again, watching how Katara began rummaging through her bag.

"Wait a minute, I never asked you to carry out an examination. I don't want you touching my daughter! You wanted to see her, you saw her. Now you can just lower her fever and leave!" Jia yelled slightly and pointed to the door. Katara merely released an exasperated sigh.

"Okay.. Jia, the most important thing for you right now is to remain calm. Being angry isn't good for your baby. And what concerns your daughter, then first off, I don't know how high her fever is or if I even need to lower it. I have to take her temperature before I can do that. Second, you didn't mention the spots all over her body! I need to examine her to find out what's wrong with her. And third, I'm not going anywhere until I've given your daughter a proper diagnosis, the right course of treatment and lowered her fever if necessary, all of which involves touching her."

The two women glared at each other in silence for what felt like an awkwardly long minute, but in reality it lasted for a couple of seconds. Jia's face was more grimaced, whereas Katara's expression looked much more restrained. It was the piercing coldness in her diamond blue eyes and slightly knitted brows that made her look a lot more serious and furious than she was showing.

"You can call the hospital again if you want, but they know I'm stationed here. They won't send anyone else," Katara shrugged nonchalantly, then proceeded with the exam. Jia huffed and decided to grab a chair from her kitchen so she could observe what the healer was going to do to her daughter. Being in her third trimester with her second child, her feet thanked her for every opportunity to sit down and rest from the extra weight.

"Does she have any other symptoms? Besides a high fever and these spots," Katara asked as she lifted Jia-Li's right arm and placed a thermometer under there.

"Just a cough," the mother added while she carefully looked into her daughter's inflamed eyes.

"I see.." Katara thought for a second, then pulled out her stethoscope from her bag. She put the earpieces in her ears and breathed on the cold diaphragm to warm it up.

"I'll just have a quick listen, okay?" she explained, after which she lifted the girl's shirt up a bit and laid the diaphragm on her chest. She couldn't hear any crackles when listening to her lungs, which was a very good sign, but she felt how badly Jia-Li shivered. Her fever must've been climbing and she would've wanted to bury herself under a heap of blankets instead.

"Can you cough for me?" Katara asked in a hushed tone once she reached the lower part of her chest. Jia-Li did so twice so she could compare the sounds coming from either lung. Katara was very pleased since they sounded identical.

"And I'm gonna listen to your heart, too," she said with a loving smile, placing the metal end of her stethoscope above the girl's heart. The high fever must've spiked the heart rate as well, but the beats were otherwise steady and she couldn't hear any murmurs. Another good sign.

"Can you sit up for me? I'd like to listen from your back, too."

Jia-Li gave her a quick nod, after which she grabbed her weak arms to slowly help her sit up. Katara stood up from the couch and stepped behind the girl, pulled her shirt up and laid the diaphragm against her back, repeating the same pattern. The poor child was shaking like a leaf the entire time, and not because she was scared.

As soon as Katara finished auscultating, Jia-Li plopped back against the pillows, grabbed the blanket and pulled it up to her neck again in the blink of an eye. It wasn't helping against her chills, she was shivering visibly underneath the covers. Katara removed the stethoscope from her ears, coiled it up and dropped the medical instrument back inside her shoulder bag.

"Jia-Li, I could feel you trembling and I know it's because you're cold, but you were such a brave girl for letting me listen to you," she praised her patient with gentle strokes along her hot forehead. The waterbender took out a wooden tongue depressor from her bag and sat back down on the couch.

"There's just one more thing I'd like to do before I'm done. Open your mouth.. stick out your tongue.. That's it, good girl... Say 'Aahh!'."

"Aahh!"

The little girl followed the healer's instructions obediently. Her throat looked fine, but Katara noticed something else, something that confirmed her fears. There were white spots inside her mouth.

"Alright, that's enough," Katara said as she pulled the wooden stick out of her mouth, prompting Jia-Li to come down with another nasty coughing fit. She frowned, waiting until the poor girl caught her breath again.

"Can I have my thermometer back now?" she asked with a smile, fiddling with the collar of the girl's shirt until she could grab the tip of the medical instrument and pull it out from under her arm. Katara stared at the mercury, which had risen unusually high inside the glass. She would've been a lot more staggered by the measurement if she hadn't known all the other symptoms. A fever of nearly 40 degrees didn't surprise her anymore.

"Thank you for being such a good patient, Jia-Li. Here's what I'd like to do next - you have a very high fever, it's almost 40 degrees. That's why you're so cold. I'd like to help you by lowering that fever with my healing abilities so you'd be a bit more comfortable. Would you like that?"

She nodded, watching how Katara summoned the water from her pouch around her hands, then placed them on her temple. The liquid shined a bright blue glow around her face and the healer's hands.

"Jia, I'd like to have a word with you after I'm finished here and before I leave," Katara said, glancing back at the mother for a moment. She gave the healer a disapproving look as she stood up from her chair and asked her daughter whether she'd like some tea. The little girl hummed a 'yes', being unable to move her head to nod or to look at her mother since Katara was holding it steady. She heard how the kettle was placed on the stove and the water was poured inside.

For a minute or two, Jia-Li didn't feel any different, her head shivered against the waterbender's palms. The cooling sensation started to take over five minutes later, by which time her fever must've fallen into a much more normal range between 37 to 38 degrees. She'd stopped shivering by then.

"Tell me, how are you feeling now?" Katara wondered as she finished the healing session by waterbending the water back into her pouch.

"Much better. Thank you, healer Katara!" Jia-Li said, prompting Katara to giggle as she laid one hand over her temple and grabbed her wrist with the other one to check her pulse. It was a lot slower now that her fever had fallen.

"You're welcome!.. Alright, Jia-Li, I'm just gonna go talk to your mommy for a minute before I leave. Will you promise me that you'll be a good patient by getting lots of rest and drinking as much tea as your mommy makes?"

"I promise."

"Good girl. I'll see you soon!" Katara stroked her head one last time before she stood up, hung her shoulder bag across her chest and beckoned Jia to come to the corridor with her for a more private conversation.

"Jia, I'm afraid your daughter has pentapox."

"So? Go ahead, make her better!"

"I'm sorry, but there's nothing more I can do than lower her fever for the time being. There is no cure for pentapox."

"Then how does she get better?"

"You wait. Pentapox blows over in a week or so. You should treat the illness like a regular cold, but with an unusually high fever. That's why I'm prescribing you some paracetamol, which will help lower the fever when it gets too high," Katara said, writing the prescription down on paper and handing the document to the mother.

"Give Jia-Li plenty of fluids to drink. Both of you have to be very careful when coming in contact with other people since pentapox is highly contagious. Wash your hands, stay indoors as much as possible and try to avoid any contact until your daughter recovers. Keep a close eye on that fever and cough. If it gets worse or Jia-Li loses consciousness, you have to call for an ambulance immediately."

"Anything else?"

"Yes. I have to ask, why hasn't your daughter been vaccinated against pentapox?"

Jia averted her gaze down at the floor to avoid the healer's scrutinizing diamond blue eyes, fiddling with the prescription in her hands in complete silence.

"Do you know how dangerous it is for you to be near a person sick with pentapox, especially in your condition?"

"I don't want any poison injected into me or my children!" she spat out. Katara became even more enraged. She hated to see children suffer because of their parents' ignorance.

"Oh, for goodness' sake! Vaccines are not poison!" she exclaimed, practically wanting to scream, but she pinched her nose and took a deep breath. She had to keep her voice down, keeping in mind that Jia was expecting.

"A vaccine is a weakened form of the disease which your body will react to, creating special antibodies that'll protect you for the rest of your life. Now tell me, would you risk having the disease in its full form and dying from it? Or would you rather get a quick shot and basically have no symptoms at all and get a protective shield forever?"

The mother remained quiet after that. Katara sighed in exasperation once more.

"I'll arrange for another vaccinated Water Tribe healer to come visit your home daily until Jia-Li has fully recovered. They can lower her fever if the paracetamol isn't working. They'll also report back to me and doctor Rima, keeping us informed and updated on your daughter's condition and progress. When she's feeling better, they'll make sure that you make an appointment with your family physician so she can examine her properly."

The waterbender already grabbed the door knob, but turned around one last time.

"Oh, and one more thing! To avoid catching or spreading pentapox in the future, you need to be vaccinated, too, after you've given birth to your second child. I'll tell doctor Rima to handle that as soon as possible.. Good day!" Katara said as she stepped outside of the flat, hearing how Jia huffed an ungrateful 'thank you' before closing the door behind her.

"Pshh!.. Some people," Katara muttered under her breath as she washed her hands in the nearest pile of snow by waterbending it into water so she could at least grab the reins to guide her ostrich horse back to the hospital. The first thing she'd have to do is take a shower.

"Let's go, Mamoun," she said and clucked her tongue, tugging at the left rein so he'd pull the carriage out from her makeshift parking space. She gave the reins two flicks in a row once they were on the street and the vehicle was moving straight forward.

There'd been outbreaks of a disease with similar symptoms countless times in the past. During the current era, where modern medicine was making remarkable development, healers and doctors started gathering information on all known illnesses and documenting them in books. They needed to come up with a name for this particular deadly infectious disease. Since it came in the form of a high fever along with red marks all over the patient's body, Katara remembered what she, Sokka and Aang had once done in Omashu, hence she decided to call it pentapox.

It'd taken her scientists two years to develop a vaccine for it and ever since it came out, most children and even adults were being vaccinated against pentapox. Katara had immunized everybody in her family - Aang, Bumi, Kya - except for Tenzin, who was still too young to receive the shot. She'd even let one of her own healers give her the shot so she'd be protected as well.

People like Jia endangered everybody else who weren't vaccinated yet, especially other children, whose parents would not allow their family physicians to give them these shots. Katara sighed sadly at the thought, slouching a bit in her driver's seat. As Mamoun cantered most of the way, she slowed him down near each intersection to check that no other vehicles were crossing the road.

She pulled him into a complete stop before she reached the border between the city center and the southeastern borough, allowing a bunch of pedestrians to safely cross one of the streets as well as a trolley to pass. She was lost in her thoughts when she suddenly heard someone coughing. It sounded uncomfortably familiar, like what she'd heard earlier in the morning. Katara immediately became more alert as she sat up and eyed the small crowd who'd crossed the street to her right. She couldn't see anyone familiar, particularly any little girls donning a bright yellow dress. She flicked the reins once the path was clear to order Mamoun to begin trotting again.

Having passed the intersection and the first few buildings on that side of the road, she heard it again. Katara looked to her left, then to her right. Her eyes darted at the small figure on the sidewalk, running along at the same pace as her ostrich horse right next to her ambulance carriage. It was her, the same little girl with the unusual cough, who she'd chased in an alley in the northeastern borough.

Katara yanked the reins so hard that Mamoun nearly ran off course, neighing as he pulled the carriage to a sudden halt. Katara bumped against the protective wall in front of her seat, but otherwise remained unharmed. Luckily, he hadn't started cantering yet, so their speed was much slower.

The sounds of other vehicles stopping behind hers, along with panicking ostrich horses followed. The waterbender held a hand across her ribs as she carefully hopped out of the driver's seat to take a look at the damage she'd done. Two carriages were criss-crossed rather close behind hers. She'd nearly caused a collision between all three of them.

"Hey! Watch it, lady! Some of us are driving here!" the man who'd been riding an ostrich horse carriage right behind hers shouted to her, shaking his fist in the air.

"Sorry! I'm a healer! It was an emergency!" Katara apologized. He and the second driver guided their ostrich horses around her ambulance carriage and headed their way. She checked whether her own vehicle was still intact. Mamoun was a bit shaken from the whole incident. She grabbed some fodder and a slice of bread from his feeding bag at the back of the carriage.

"It's okay, Mamoun. Everything's okay now.." Katara coaxed him by running her hand down his mane. The ostrich horse calmed down and sniffed the food she offered to him before nibbling it out of her hand.

"I'm sorry," she said and stroked his beak after he'd finished eating. Mamoun shook his feathers, glittering Katara with the snowflakes that'd been stuck in between, then nuzzled his beak against her chest. The waterbender giggled as she hugged him back. She was forgiven.

Their bonding moment was ruined when Katara heard the little girl cough again. She was peeking at the two of them from behind the corner of another alley tens of feet away.

"It's you.. How did you find me?" Katara asked as she approached the girl, who hid behind the corner once she'd gotten too close. When she stepped into the alley, the little one was already waiting for her behind the next corner.

"Please, come here. I'm not going to hurt you. I wanna help you, you're not well," Katara spoke in her motherly voice, trying to negotiate with the child as she slowly approached her. She ran further into the narrow path between those two houses. Katara wasn't going to let her get out of sight this time. She quickly waterbended the surrounding piles of snow into ice and began sliding on it to chase her in the maze of alleys between the buildings.

"Wait up! Why are you running away from me? I'm trying to help you!" Katara shouted to her, but the girl continued scampering. She was very fast skating on her element, but the little one was even faster on foot. The chase came to an abrupt end when Katara slid out from behind another corner and almost crashed into a brick wall. She waterbended the ice into a smooth curve under her feet, managing to dodge the walls of the houses. It was a dead end and the girl had disappeared. She'd lost her, again.

Katara frantically looked around - there weren't any hiding places, any other paths the child could've taken. She would've noticed if the girl had turned around and run back the way she came. She didn't understand, nothing made sense. It was like she'd just vanished into thin air.

Katara lifted herself high in the sky by bending the ice into a water, or much rather a snow spout. She did a full circle above the rooftops to get a better idea of her surroundings. She was almost half a mile away from her starting point, much nearer to the border of the eastern borough. They'd meandered through the alleys, but Katara realized that there was a pattern - the little girl had always headed northwards. It was no wonder she'd ended up there.

But how did the girl end up in a completely different part of town? And how could she have known that the healer was there? Did she follow her all the way back to the hospital and then to Jia's home without her noticing?

"Arrrgh! Double monkey feathers!" Katara screamed as she bended the snow back down towards the ground. This mystery was starting to drive her nuts.

She went back to her ambulance carriage by following her own icy path. Having plopped down in her driver's seat, Katara groaned and clutched her stomach. Maybe that impact had been worse than she'd thought. She waterbended the water from her pouch around her hands and examined her ribcage. She sighed in relief since she couldn't feel any broken ribs. The clock on Avatar Aang Memorial Island began striking, it was three o'clock. Time to return to the hospital for a disinfecting shower, plus a short healing session to be sure that she was okay after that small crash.

It was getting dark outside by the time Katara arrived back at the hospital, which was only about five minutes later. The day of the winter solstice was the shortest one in the year after all. She'd parked her ambulance carriage and headed inside through the main entrance. As she walked to the elevator and waited for it to come down, the receptionist saw that she was back from her home visit. Katara looked her dead in the eye.

"Oh yeah.. she was racist alright."

The receptionist held a hand in front of her mouth to stifle her laughter since she was on the phone. She felt so happy. Judging by the self-satisfied smirk on her superior's face, she'd put that lady in her place.

Katara took the elevator upstairs by a few floors and headed straight to the nearest changing room meant for her female staff. It was a vast area made up of two rooms - one for dressing and storing clothes in lockers, the other half consisted of about a dozen shower stalls separated by opaque curtains. These rooms were mostly used by nurses, paramedics or surgeons since family physicians and specialists didn't need to change uniforms that often. The latter two usually changed clothes in their own offices or, like scientists, they'd simply put on a white lab coat and go straight to work.

As Katara went through the dressing room, where a couple of healers were chit-chatting about their day, she stepped inside the shower room where three other ladies were busy washing themselves. She dropped her shoulder bag on one of the benches in the middle of the dry area. First, she disposed of the water she'd used to lower Jia-Li's fever, then swilled the inside of her pouch with some fresh water before filling it completely.

Next, she undressed down to her undergarments, leaving the rest of her clothes next to her bag, and stepped under the shower. Washing herself always helped her relax. It felt soothing to stand under the running water, to let it caress her skin and cleanse her of the blood, sweat and tears she'd poured, to be at peace with her element. She didn't mind any company either, especially if it was a certain airbender who liked to play with her and her element whenever they showered together at home.

Katara ran her hands softly over her skin, combing them through her long loose hair, washing her face, sliding her fingers down to her forearms, coming back up to her neck, then down to her chest. As her hands slid over the sarashi covering her breasts, she felt something strange. She sensed her own heartbeat against her fingertips, as if she'd just inadvertently used her healing abilities near the area. She looked down, her hands were indeed glowing.

Katara dropped the water and as soon as the glow faded, she gasped. She saw a large pinkish bruise slightly above her stomach, on the lower half of her ribcage. She summoned some more water around her hands to examine the injury more thoroughly. No internal organs were hurt, the bones were strong and healthy for a woman her age. But the bruised spot was tender when she palpated around it with her fingers. She hoped that healing it a little bit more would help ease the pain.

Having dealt with her injuries and scrubbed herself clean, Katara began washing her clothes. She took each item of clothing separately along with her under the shower - the white uniform, the mauve skirt, the shoes, the healer's belt and hat. Everything had to go since she couldn't risk spreading pentapox to her other patients. She and a few high-ranking specialists had established some very strict rules on how to act when it concerned highly infectious diseases that didn't have a cure yet. Taking a thorough shower and washing the equipment used was one of them.

Katara dried herself by waterbending the excess drops of water off her skin, repeating the same procedure with her uniform so she could put it back on. After she was dressed again, she left the showers and took a seat on the line of benches in the locker room, dropping her shoulder bag next to her. She found a small box of special sanitizing napkins inside to wipe the thermometer and the tip of her stethoscope clean. She was sitting with her back facing the door of the dressing room when Niyok stormed in.

"There you are! The receptionist told me you headed upstairs and a bunch of healers saw you come in here," her friend said as she skipped in front of her.

"Hold on, I'm almost done cleaning my instruments," Katara replied without looking up at her, running the napkin over the metal of the chestpiece.

"Why do you need to do that?"

"I did a home visit to a little girl who was sick with pentapox."

"Pentapox!?" Niyok exclaimed perhaps a bit too loudly, her hands landing on her mouth immediately after since a couple of healers stared at her. Katara simply nodded.

"Wow! I thought we'd gotten rid of that disease thanks to the new vaccine."

"Well, let's just say that the girl's mother doesn't quite understand how vaccines work. And she has to suffer because of it.. poor Jia-Li," Katara sighed and stared at her own distorted reflection on the round metal end of her stethoscope. Niyok sat down next to her and held a supportive hand on her shoulder.

"She'll be okay, Katara. I know it because you saw her and you'll do everything you can to make sure that she receives the best care we have to offer."

Katara smiled at the gesture.

"Thanks, Niyok."

"Now c'mon! Hurry up or we're going to be late!" she patted her on the shoulder. Katara giggled and put her clean instruments back into her shoulder bag, after which Niyok grabbed her hand and they dashed out of the changing room. She practically had to drag Katara along on their way to the elevator because she was so eager to show her what she'd done in the children's ward. Ever since she'd officially become a doctor, she'd chosen to specialize in pediatrics, having spent so much time with children as an intern. Her bubbly personality fitted well with her task of taking care of and cheering up young patients.

Katara could already hear the children's laughter before the elevator doors opened. They took it to the floor of the general ward, where kids who'd been admitted to the hospital stayed. A broken bone shattered into so many pieces it took a lot more time and effort to heal, which was a tough job even for a waterbender to do, recovering from major surgery, diseases that needed to be monitored - those were some of the main reasons for having to stay in the general ward.

As the two stepped out of the elevator, Katara's mouth fell slightly agape at the unusual sight. Two nurses and most of the kids were happily sitting in a circle on the carpet at the other end of the vast room, playing with the available toys from the toy box. Some of them were tossing paper snowflakes in the air. There were colourful lights decorating the walls behind their beds, drawings done earlier in the day on the nightstands next to them. All part of the winter solstice celebration.

"Niyok.. you did all of this?"

"Me and a couple of nurses.. The kids helped out a lot, obviously. We just wanted to make this day extra special for them, because.. you know. They have to spend it away from home, in this hospital," Niyok said with a sad voice, rubbing her arms and swaying herself a little bit. One of the kids stood up from the circle and ran over to them.

"Doctor Niyok! Will you come play with us?" the 4-year-old boy asked, holding a koalaotter plush in his hands.

"Sure. I'll join you in a minute," she smiled as she squatted down and patted his head.

"Can your friend play, too?" he wondered, tilting his head and staring into the other healer's pretty blue eyes. Niyok looked up at Katara. She nodded and smiled back at him.

"Of course. She'd love to," Niyok said. The little guy scampered back to the rest of the group to continue playing. Katara's heart melted at the sight of such wide smiles on these children's faces. They'd never done something like this on such a large scale before.

"You know what? We should make this a tradition."

"Really?" Niyok gasped, her eyes wide and hands clasped together in delight.

"Yeah, I mean.. look at them. These kids are who knows how far away from their homes on one of the most joyous holidays of the year. But all these decorations and activities and games help them take their minds off it. Instead, it feels like they're still at home, having fun and surrounded by people who love them. They're so snug and happy here. And it's all thanks to you, Niyok," Katara said. She laid a hand on her friend's shoulder, then pulled her in for a very tight hug.

"Mmm.. thank you, Katara!" Niyok hummed as she hugged her back, blinking away a couple of tears. The Southern Water Tribe girls released their embrace and smiled at each other before deciding to join the little boy and his companions.

He was playing with some plush animals, so Katara and Niyok each grabbed one to join in. Katara picked an otter penguin to teach the kids what penguin sledding was. Niyok chose a small fluffy white hamster since she always liked to chase those swift little critters back home. Her parents were never as fond of hamsters intruding their household as she was though, especially when they managed to steal some of their stored seaweed or sea prunes.

A few toddlers about the same age as the boy were building a shilouette of Republic City using wooden blocks. One of the nurses helped them finish it. The other nurse was reading a children's book to a group of kids sitting in a bigger circle around her. Two older girls were playing Pai Sho near them. And a couple of children were resting in their beds, reading a book of their own or taking comfort from their stuffed toys.

The medical staff were able to entertain the kids for another twenty minutes before their expected guest arrived. A third nurse came to Niyok and whispered something into her ear, after which she ordered all the children to huddle up on the carpet, even those who were lying in their beds earlier. The ones who had to stay bedridden were lifted onto the beds closer to that end of the ward.

"Alright, kids. Since today's the winter solstice celebration, we thought that you all might like to hear an amazing tale from a very special visitor. Without further ado, here he is!" Niyok said with a wave of her hands. A tall man donning a blue fish-like costume stepped out from behind the corner of the corridor leading to the private wards in the western wing, accompanied by Katara.

"Woo-ooo! I'm Koizilla and I've come to capture some firebenders so I can hug them!" he booed as he walked over to the kids. His weird appearance scared the younger ones a little bit and made them snuggle up to the nurses. Halfway there, he stepped on a ball and tumbled forward, which prompted everyone in the ward to start laughing instead.

"Uh, guys?.. A little help?" Sokka groaned. His sister and Niyok ran over, grabbing him from under his arms to help him stand up again. He dusted himself clean.

"Now where was I?.. Oh, yeah. That's right! Are there any firebenders in this ward?" he continued in character. One of the nurses pointed at the 8-year-old girl who played Pai Sho earlier.

"Aahh, yes! I've captured my first firebender. And now I'm going to give you the biggest hug you've ever received!" Sokka said as he lifted the girl up in his arms, then wrapped her in a very tight embrace. She giggled the entire time. While the councilman was busy messing around with the kids, Niyok began to calm down after laughing hysterically.

"Oh my gosh! Where'd he get the costume!?" she wondered as she wiped the corners of her eyes dry.

"Let's just say that Zuko pulled some strings and had the Ember Island Players send it to the United Republic for a very special play," Katara said with a smirk.

"How'd you get him to agree to this?"

She shrugged her shoulders.

"I just asked. He was more than happy to do it for the kids."

"Kataraaa..." Niyok teased her with a gentle nudge, making her giggle.

"..aaaand for a quarter of the blubbered seal jerky dad has sent me, which Aang and I have stored in our fridge."

Now that Niyok believed. They watched how Sokka "captured" each child who was of Fire Nation origin and awarded them with a big hug. He knelt down in front of the group so that his feet were hidden under the short costume. He resembled Koizilla a lot more when those brown boots with furry white edges didn't pop out.

"Okay, now I want all the Water Tribe kids to come and hug me because I'm the ocean spirit and I love and protect the Water Tri- OOF!" he barely managed to finish before five little ones scampered to him and knocked him over, their laughter filling the general ward. Niyok helped him out by shooing the kids off from on top of him and back onto the carpet. Katara stepped forward, grabbing her brother's hand to help him up and pull off his costume.

"Alright-alright, that's enough. I'd like you all to meet our real guest, councilman Sokka!" Niyok said, clapping her hands together along with the three nurses as Katara revealed his true appearance. Some of the kids screamed with joy as they clapped, too.

"He-he! Hi there, children! I'm councilman Sokka, representative of the Southern Water Tribe. This is my little sister, Katara," he started, grabbing her by the shoudler and pulling her close to his side, prompting her to chuckle.

"She's the head of this hospital and the best healer in the whole world. And she asked me to come and tell you an amazing story. It's a story that happened not too long ago," Sokka continued as he sat down in front of the children. Katara found a cosy spot next to Niyok, who was already surrounded by three toddlers - her protective arms holding them close to her sides, and the third one was sitting in her lap. She was very popular and loved amongst the kids, exactly like the nurses who worked there daily.

"I'm sure most of you have heard stories of the Hundred Year War from your moms and dads. Well, about 20 years ago, me, my sister Katara and Avatar Aang were travelling the world, heading northwards to the Northern Water Tribe. The war was ongoing, so it was a very dangerous journey. We fought against Fire Nation soldiers and pirates and went through storms, but we never gave up. We had to go there because we were searching for a waterbending teacher who would help Aang, and my sister, master waterbending," Sokka spoke, waving a hand towards Katara each time he mentioned her. She smiled back at him. A couple of kids had crawled closer to the councilman and snuggled up to his side while he was telling the story. He even lifted the 4-year-old boy with the koalaotter plush onto his lap.

"Katara was the only southern waterbender we knew at that time, so there was nobody else who could teach her or Aang waterbending back home. But we found them a teacher at the North Pole. It was there that we also met Princess Yue. She was the most beautiful princess of the Northern Water Tribe who ever lived. And she was also the bravest princess I'd ever met, because she sacrificed her life to save the moon spirit.." Sokka went on, describing how Yue looked like before that happened - from her pretty violet dress to her luxurious white hair. The children listened to his story in complete silence, their eyes wide and mouths slightly agape. Even the bedridden ones were holding on to the edge of their beds as close as possible to hear everything.

Katara looked around her, her soft smile slowly turning into a frown. She felt left out since none of the kids wanted to snuggle up to her. She wasn't a very familiar face around that ward, so it made sense for them to want to be close to their regular doctor, Niyok. But she was still a tad disappointed.

Katara quietly stood up without disturbing the group or her brother's storytelling to go fetch that otter penguin plush from the toy box behind him. At least it'd keep her company and remind her of home, of penguin sledding together with Aang.. Great, now she remembered how much she missed him and their babies. She should call them after they finish here..

Her train of thought broke and she stopped in her tracks when she turned around. Before she could go back and sit down, she saw a little boy at the other end of the room. He was sitting on a small chair and staring out of the window, his back facing them. Katara tiptoed to Niyok and knelt down beside her to whisper into her ear.

"Hey, who's that little guy over there? He seems so lonely.."

Her friend looked behind her and noticed him.

"Oh.. that's Ilo. He's a very quiet little boy and pretty homesick. He prefers to be by himself, but we didn't wanna put him in a private ward since his injury isn't that serious."

Katara looked at Ilo sitting there all on his own, then glanced at Sokka, who was retelling the beginning of the events from the Siege of the North to all the other children.

"I'm gonna go talk to him," she whispered to Niyok, patting her on the shoulder before heading over to the boy. He didn't notice her when she walked right next to him, or at least he pretended not to notice her.

Katara knelt down and simply looked at the poor child. He was gazing out of the window with a blank stare. He couldn't have been more than 6 years old. His right hand was in a plaster cast. The bones had most likely broken into hundreds of pieces after a serious accident. Otherwise her healers would've healed it with their waterbending abilities in a matter of minutes and he wouldn't have stayed in the hospital for so long.

"Hello there! What's your name?" Katara asked in a low, motherly voice.

"Ilo," the boy replied, but he still didn't wanna look at her.

"Iroh?"

"No, Ilo. I-L-O," he spelled it out for her. What a clever little one, she thought. Katara had done that on purpose to get his attention.

"Well, Ilo, I'm Katara. K-A-T-A-R-A.. Katara. It's nice to meet you. I was wondering if you'd like to come with me to hear councilman Sokka's story of the brave Princess Yue."

The boy averted his gaze back outside.

"C'mon.. it must be really boring to sit here all by yourself. Don't you wanna join everybody else? It's much more fun."

"I wanna go home," Ilo mumbled to himself.

"Hmm?" Katara tilted her head.

"I wanna go home," he spoke up more clearly this time.

"I know you do, but you have to get better before you can go home," she sighed, rubbing his back in an effort to console him.

"I miss mom and dad."

"When did you last see them?"

"I saw mom yesterday during visiting hours."

"But you still miss them, huh? You wanna be at home, together with them."

"We've always been together at home on every winter solstice celebration. But not this year."

Ilo looked like he was on the verge of tears, but putting on a brave face in front of strangers like her. He continued to stare outside. Katara thought for a moment.

"You like looking out of the window, right? The city is really beautiful during winter when it's all lit up with these pretty lights, huh?"

The boy nodded, at least that was a start.

"Do you see that small island back there in the bay, behind that huge statue?" Katara asked, pointing a finger at Air Temple Island. Ilo narrowed his eyes and hunched a bit to find the tiny speck in the waters at nighttime.

"Yeah."

"That's where I live, that's my home."

"Do you have a family?"

"Yes, I do. I'm married to my loving husband and we have three wonderful children of our own."

"Then why aren't you at home with them? It's the winter solstice celebration."

"Because I'm also a healer, it's my job. I love cheering up and taking care of people who aren't well, like you," she said, softly running a hand through Ilo's hair.

"But don't you miss them?"

"Of course I do. And they miss me, too. But do you know how we can still be close to each other?"

Ilo shook his head.

"It's because they're in here," Katara said with a fond smile, laying a hand on her chest.

"In your heart?" the boy quirked an eyebrow.

"Exactly. They know how much I love them, and I know how much they love me, too. Love keeps us close even when we're apart. I'm sure your parents must miss you, too. And they're probably thinking about how you're doing right now. Even when they're far away, they'll still always be in here," Katara explained, pointing a finger to the boy's heart and slightly tickling his chest. He started laughing. She felt like she'd finally gotten through to him.

"Ilo, I have a proposition for you. Why don't we go listen to councilman Sokka's amazing story together? I'll heal your hand while you wait for your parents to come visit you."

"Okay, Katara!" he said merrily. Katara stood up and offered her hand, which he grabbed before they quietly walked back to join the rest of the group. Niyok noticed how her friend sat down beside her and lifted the boy in her lap. She smiled at the sight.

Katara took off her healer's hat and let Ilo put it on. He grinned and supported himself against her, allowing her to grab his right hand. She summoned the clean water from her pouch around her hands and carefully began examining the fractures in his bones.

She had no idea what heavy object could've possibly crushed this boy's hand, but she sensed the hard work her healers had already done. The carpal bones in his wrist were in place, but remained seriously cracked. The metacarpus, which connected his fingers to his wrist, had almost healed completely, only a few fractures could be felt. Katara continued work on his wrist, seeing as though it was in worse condition than the other parts of his hand. Ilo didn't let the healer bother him, he was too immersed in the councilman's story.

"..then Aang and the ocean spirit disappeared into the pond. The water around the pond began to glow, lighting up the entire colourless tribe in a bright blue luminescence. It rose high above us and formed this huge fish-like creature. Avatar Aang and La had fused into Koizilla. They were almost as tall as this hospital. Koizilla marched into the city and began capturing the evil Fire Nation soldiers who were attacking the tribe. He was so scary that he drove them all out of there," Sokka retold proudly, mimicking some of the spirit's movements with his hands. The children cheered him on.

"Sadly, while Koizilla was busy ridding the tribe of the Fire Nation, the moon spirit had died. We placed Tui back in the pond, but she didn't swim anymore. She didn't move at all. She just floated above the water, the horrible dark burn evident on her back. Without her, the waterbenders had lost their bending abilities and the moon ceased to exist. We had no idea what was going to happen to the world. But then, General Iroh noticed Princess Yue's white hair. He said: 'You have been touched by the moon spirit. Some of its life is in you.'"

Sokka tried to say that in Iroh's voice. Katara attempted to heal Ilo's hand to quicken the healing process in the meantime, but by then she began to listen to her brother, too. There was something that moved her - the memories of the hopeless situation, the way her brother's voice began to crack.

"Princess Yue agreed with him, he was right. She told us that if Tui gave her life, then maybe she could give it back. I grabbed Yue's hand as strong as I could and pulled her back. I said: 'No! You don't have to do that.' We both knew she had to, but I wasn't ready to let her die yet. She stayed true to herself, so she let go of my hand and placed her hands on Tui. The moon spirit glowed white for a mere moment and then, Yue sighed and she fell back into my arms.. I held her, I stroked her cheek gently, but she wasn't breathing... She was gone."

Katara had to lift one hand away from Ilo's to dry her cheeks. She was surprised at how well Sokka was holding back his emotions, not a single tear in his blue eyes. He retold the story so realistically, acting out all the movements and things that'd been said, almost as if he was reliving it.

Niyok had heard of these stories back in the day, how her friends had saved their sister tribe. But she'd never heard it in such great detail. It was a complete shock to her as to what they'd been through.

Niyok saw how Katara was crying right next to her, trying with every fiber of her being to swallow her sobs so no one would notice. She laid a hand on her shoulder. Katara jumped a bit at the contact, but she returned her gaze, her diamond blue eyes wide and decorated with glistening teardrops. She grabbed the hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze, whispering a silent 'thank you' by moving her lips.

"I hugged Yue, I didn't wanna let go of her. Until suddenly she vanished from between my arms. The next thing we knew, the moon spirit began to glow again. We placed her back in the pond, she was swimming! The whole pond reflected a white glow, which rose up like a haze and took the form of a beautiful young woman. It was Princess Yue, she'd become the moon spirit. Her spirit flew closer to me, looked me in the eyes and softly cupped my cheeks with her hands. She said goodbye and told me that she'd always be with me. We kissed for the last time before she disappeared. I looked up at the sky and saw how the moon reappeared. How the colours returned to the world. At that moment we knew we'd won the battle. To this day, Princess Yue watches over us in the form of the beautiful moon that flies high up in the sky every night. And that, kids, was the story of Princess Yue, who became the moon spirit, and how we saved the Northern Water Tribe together."

The quiet ward became filled with children's cheers and the staff's clapping as everybody applauded. After the kids had calmed down, Niyok and her nurses began ordering them to get back into their beds since visiting hours would begin soon.

"Do you wanna meet my big brother?" Katara asked Ilo, who nodded in agreement as she waterbended the healing water back into her pouch. They stood up and she beckoned him to follow her. Ilo watched how the healer practically ran to the councilman and wrapped her arms around him for a very tight hug.

"You were so good!" Katara whispered, burying her face in the crook of his neck, her eyes closed and a proud smile on her lips.

"Thanks, Katara! That means a lot," Sokka said as he nuzzled his nose into her hair and tenderly ran a hand down her back. They remained in each other's embrace for a few seconds. Katara released her hold and squatted down next to the little boy.

"Sokka, this is Ilo. He's a patient here. Ilo, this is my big brother Sokka."

"Hello, Sokka!" the boy smiled, reaching out his left hand so he could shake it. Of course Sokka had noticed how his sister had gone over to talk to him near the beginning of the story and how she'd used the time to heal his right hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Ilo. Now don't you worry, young man! My little sister here is the best healer in the world. She's gonna fix your hand by healing those broken bones and you'll be home in no time," Sokka said and winked at him, making the child giggle as he lifted him onto his broad shoulders.

"Be careful with his hand! Don't shake him too much!" Katara warned, but Ilo grabbed Sokka's head to steady himself and held on tight.

"Don't worry, I won't.. Ow! Watch the wolftail!"

"Sorry!" Ilo apologized after he'd gotten a better grasp with his free hand.

"Now, where's your bed?" Sokka wondered as he began walking towards the other end of the ward, bouncing Ilo on his shoulders.

"Over there! It's that one," he pointed at an empty bed in the middle. Before the Southern Water Tribe siblings could tuck him in, one of the kids scampered to the window and shouted.

"Hey, guys! It's snowing!"

Most kids who weren't bedridden got up from their beds to go look outside, the medical staff joining them soon after.

"Woah!"

"It's so pretty!"

The children gasped as they watched the big puffs of snow slowly gliding in the air, being tossed around by a few stronger currents until they fell down on the street several floors below. Sokka and Katara stepped closer to marvel at the beautiful display of nature as well. She placed a hand on his back and supported her head against his shoulder, releasing a soft hum. Ilo had the highest view out of all of them.

"Alright, back to bed now!" Niyok ordered, but the kids didn't budge and they protested a little when the nurses attempted to pull them away.

"Aww!"

"Not yet!"

"I wanna see more.."

Katara immediately had an idea. She took a few steps back and widened her stance. Everybody else noticed how the snow behind the glass began to move in a strange way, almost as if it didn't want to obey the laws of gravity anymore. A ribbon of snowflakes was being flicked in the air, forming all kinds of symbols and patterns. Sokka and Niyok looked behind them and witnessed Katara dancing through the forms like a ballerina.

"Hey, everybody! Look at Katara!" Ilo exclaimed proudly. Some of the children glanced at her, realizing that she was the one responsible for creating that amazing performance for them to see. She twirled around and twisted her hands, the snow outside following her commands. When Katara finished her graceful bending display, her friends, staff and the patients clapped loudly. She managed to take a bow before the elevator to her left opened and the first visitors along with another healer arrived.

"Mom! Dad!" a couple of children screeched and ran over to their parents, including Ilo, who waited for councilman Sokka to put him down first.

"Oh! Happy winter solstice celebration, son!" his mother said while his father lifted him up on his arms and they hugged him.

"What are you wearing?" his father wondered, poking the feathers on top of the hat. Katara coughed as she approached the family to get their attention.

"I believe that belongs to me."

"Mom, dad, this is Katara. She helped me feel better," Ilo said as he tried to remove her healer's hat with one hand and give it back to her, but she stepped closer to help him out.

"Wait a minute.. Katara. As in, Master Katara? The best healer in the entire world? It's an honour to meet you!" the boy's mother said and bowed to her while she was busy tying the strings together under her chin.

"Of course, we've heard great things about you. Thank you for taking good care of our son, Master Katara!" his father added.

"It's nice to meet you both. And you're welcome!"

Katara introduced her brother Sokka to Ilo's family and they exchanged pleasantries while the room filled with chatter. The first few kids got to tell their parents about everything exciting they'd done that day. They showed off their drawings, retold the story councilman Sokka had shared with them, said how well the healers were taking care of them, gave their parents a tour around the ward that'd been decorated to bring in some holiday spirit.

Niyok received much praise from the families for her efforts. She decided to stay for a little bit longer to see what all the other visitors would think of her initiative. While she was busy arranging everything with the healer who'd arrived to end her shift and let her take over, her friends came to say goodbye with another hug. Before the Southern Water Tribe siblings could leave, Ilo scampered to Katara and wanted a goodbye hug, too. She knelt down and wrapped her arms around him.

"Will you come and visit me again tomorrow, Katara?"

"I'll try, Ilo. If I'm not too busy. Should I forget, then let doctor Niyok know you wanna see me. She's a very good friend of mine, so she'll remind me and I'll come and visit you as soon as possible," Katara smiled and stroked the boy's head by running her hand through his short brown hair.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

After that wonderful afternoon spent in the pediatric general ward, Katara and Sokka took the elevator down to the first floor so she could escort him out from the hospital.

"I know Yue was looking down on you when you were telling her story to those kids. She'd be so happy."

"Aawww!.. Thanks, sis!"

"Are you.. crying?" she asked in a teasing tone as Sokka began rubbing an eye.

"No! I just have something in my eye.. a snowflake!"

"We're still indoors, silly.. Come here!" Katara said fondly and pulled him into a hug.

"Happy winter solstice celebration, Sokka!" she murmured.

"Happy winter solstice celebration, Katara!" he replied, tightening their embrace and stroking the back of her head with his hand. She told him to give her family's greetings to Suki, too.

Once Sokka had left, Katara went back to the emergency room to help out for another half hour before calling it a day. A few minutes passed as Katara barely managed to talk to the receptionist to find out whether there were any calls she could take or patients she needed to tend to in the emergency room when there was a commotion at the northern entrance. A paramedic carrying a little girl and a rather worried pregnant woman following them burst in.

"We need help!" the healer yelled and made her way to the middle of the room. Katara's mouth dropped wide open when they came closer. She recognized them.

"Jia-Li? Jia?" she mumbled to herself in disbelief before she ran towards the other paramedic to meet them halfway, stopping any other of her workers who wanted to approach them.

"Stay back! I've got this! What happened?" Katara inquired, taking a look at the child's limp body in the healer's arms. When she touched her forehead, she was burning up.

"Jia-Li, a 10-year-old girl with a very high fever, fainted on our way here-"

"Master Katara, you have to help her! Please!" Jia interrupted the paramedic.

"Give her to me and follow me, both of you! I know what's wrong with her," Katara ordered, grabbing Jia-Li from her employee's arms and running to the nearest empty healing tub. She placed the girl in the cool water, took a seat beside the tub and began waterbending the liquid around.

"How did this happen?" Katara asked as she worked on lowering Jia-Li's temperature, the water reflecting a bright blue glow as it flowed up and down in small waves.

"I went out for a quarter of an hour to go buy some paracetamol from a nearby pharmacy, but when I returned home, Jia-Li started rambling nonsense. I called the ambulance and they drove us here, but she fainted soon after we left," Jia explained as she paced back and forth on the other side of the tub.

"Master Katara, what's wrong with this child?" the paramedic wondered as she leaned closer to get a better look.

"She's suffering from pentapox. I did a home visit earlier today. You're going to have to take a shower after this, and it's probably a good idea to disinfect the inside of your carriage, too."

It took Katara some time before her patient's fever began to fall and she managed to stabilize her condition. She began shivering once her temperature was below critical level. A couple of minutes later, she ceased her shivering and her eyes began to flutter open.

"Mphm.. m-mom?" Jia-Li stuttered as she regained consciousness. Katara released a sigh of relief, luckily they'd gotten to her just in time.

"Where am I?"

Katara stroked her temple, she blinked and gazed at her with her olive green eyes.

"Jia-Li, do you remember me?"

"Healer Katara?"

"That's right. You're in my hospital. Your fever was so high that your mother called for an ambulance and this kind paramedic drove you here so I could help you."

"So, what now? Can we go back home?" Jia wondered.

"I'm afraid not. I'd like to keep you both under observation until the pentapox blows over. Jia-Li, my healers are going to take you to the infectious diseases unit shortly. They can keep an eye on your condition and keep your fever at bay until you've fully recovered. Okay?" Katara explained, to which the girl answered with a hesitant nod. Her mother and the paramedic stayed by her side while Katara went to talk to the receptionist. She told her to phone that department and ask for a healer with a wheelchair to be sent down to the emergency room to pick up a new patient.

"Can I go with her?" Jia asked as Katara helped her daughter dry off and the specialist from the infectious diseases ward waited for her to sit down in the wheelchair.

"Yes, but you'll be quarantined in a separate room once we're there. I don't wanna risk you catching pentapox from your daughter and putting your baby's life in danger. Or spreading the disease to anybody else in case you're a carrier."

"What can happen to my baby if I'm infected?" the mother wondered in a concerned tone, tenderly rubbing her abdomen.

"Well, judging by the size of your bump, I'm guessing you're due any day now. If you catch it, you might have a stillbirth or an early delivery. Miscarriage is highly unlikely at this stage," Katara said, grabbing the handles to push Jia-Li herself.

"We'll take them upstairs. Make sure to change the water in this tub. I don't want an epidemic to break out here," she ordered the paramedic who'd brought them in before the four of them headed to the elevator. Jia looked at Katara, the specialist and finally, her sickly daughter as they waited for the elevator to come down in complete silence. Katara noticed that she seemed a bit on edge.

"I'll have my healers test you for pentapox, to put your mind at ease. If you're healthy, you'll be referred to the maternity ward," she added just as the doors opened and their group stepped in. Jia's gaze fixed on the floor as she fiddled with her fingers, considering everything the healer had told her and how poorly her precious girl looked in that wheelchair.

"Umm.. Master Katara?"

"Yes?"

The mother gulped before she said what she wanted to say.

"I want that shot."

Katara's diamond blue eyes grew wide with surprise and her face lit up.

"Really?"

"Yes.. please. I don't want me or my baby to go through what Jia-Li's had to go through. Oh, I'm so sorry, sweetheart!" she apologized by combing her fingers through her daughter's long dark brown hair.

"It's not your fault, mom," Jia-Li managed to say before she covered her mouth and started coughing horribly.

"Yes, it is. If I'd listened to the healers and let them vaccinate you, you wouldn't be sick. Please, give me that shot right away."

"No, not yet. You can have it done once you've had your second child. It's not safe to inject a weakened form of pentapox into your system right now, it could infect the baby," Katara argued.

"Okay.. then that's the first thing I'll do after I've given birth to this little fellow," Jia said in a lighter tone as she ran circles above her bloated belly, prompting both Katara and the specialist to chuckle. She felt certain that the mother understood now.

Katara escorted them to the infectious diseases unit, helping the nurses tuck Jia-Li in while the specialist checked that Jia could make herself comfortable in the private quarantined ward right next to her daughter's.

"Don't worry, my healers are gonna take good care of you now. You'll have to stay in hospital for a while, but I'm sure you'll start to feel better in a couple of days," Katara said, patting the sheets above the girl's tummy.

"Thank you, healer Katara," Jia-Li smiled weakly.

The master waterbender let her staff take over from there so she could go take a disinfecting shower a second time to finish her shift as a paramedic at the emergency room. She headed to the same changing room she'd used earlier. At least she didn't have to clean her instruments this time. She met the paramedic, who'd brought the mother and daughter in, already under the showers ahead of her. She was a fun co-worker to hold a conversation with while they cleansed themselves of the virus.

After a nice chat and a thorough shower, Katara dried her hair and skin, waterbended the excess water out from her uniform and pulled it back on. She took the elevator up to the waiting room on the top floor. She headed to her own office in the western wing to change into her everyday clothes, the ones she usually wore at home as well as on the days she worked as a family physician.

Katara opened the door leading to her dark office, walked over to her desk and switched on the table lamp. After that, she closed the door to get some privacy. Her regular clothes were in the wardrobe next to the coat rack.

She removed everything until she was only dressed in her undergarments, putting those pieces of clothing on the empty hangers, as well as hanging her belt next to the uniform and placing her shoes, hat and blue scrunchy on special shelves, which were at the bottom and top inside the closet. She grabbed a pair of dark blue pants and brown boots, slid a navy blue tunic on top, pulled on her short-sleeved water tribe coat and two armbands. She also fluffed her hair after it'd been tied together for almost the entire day.

Katara hummed in delight as she smelled the white fur collar of her coat. The familiar scent was a mix of the herbal remedies that were stored in the cabinets in her office, the fresh air in Yue Bay that she breathed as she took the boat from their island to the harbour early in the morning, the sandalwood and her home cooking that filled their home.

Katara gazed out of the window as she stepped in front of her desk, trying to spot that "tiny speck" of an island. It was still snowing, the snowflakes were slowly gliding in the air and swirling downwards after the wind stopped swaying them. The white fluff that covered the capital like a soft blanket also helped the street lamps illuminate the paths and bigger roads of Republic City at night. The clock on her husband's memorial island began striking, doing so six times.

But don't you miss them? Yes, she did. Katara rubbed her arms as she eyed the telephone on her desk. She decided to ring him up. She picked up the receiver, dialled the correct number and waited a few seconds until someone answered.

"Hello?" a familiar voice asked. There was the faintest sound of a baby crying and some shuffling heard in the background.

"Aang?"

"Katara?"

"Good evening, sweetie.." Katara smiled lovingly, her voice sounded very yearning.

"How's everything at home?"

"Fine! Fine.. we're doing fine. I was just looking after Tenzin."

"Yeah, I can hear him near you," she giggled.

"Hold on a sec, I'll call the kids.. Kids, your mother's on the phone!"

Katara heard faint running on the wooden floorboards.

"Hold on, they're coming downstairs.." Aang added, waiting for Bumi and Kya to reach the living room. Then there was the sound of a mattress plopping.

"What is it, daddy?" the little waterbender asked.

"Mommy's on the phone. Who wants to go first? Here.."

Aang handed the phone over to one of them, Katara waited in silence.

"Mom?"

"Hey, Bumi! How was your day?"

"It was great! After I got home from school, we had a waterbending lesson together with dad. Kya had already learned some new moves, so we fooled around a little bit.. Ow!"

Katara laughed quietly. Aang must've nudged him gently, judging by the way he tried to correct his son as she heard him say something to him.

"..I mean we had a snowball fight, built some snowmen and just.. had fun," he shrugged.

"I'm glad to hear that, Bumi. Anything else you wanted to tell me?"

"Nah, not really."

"Okay then, give it to your little sister."

"Here, Kya. Mom wants to speak with you."

"..Mommy!? Hi, mommy!" the little waterbender exclaimed, making her mother giggle again. She could imagine the excited look on her daughter's face or how she was hopping on the couch next to her father and brothers.

"Hi, sweetie! I heard you learned a new waterbending move today."

"I did, mommy! Daddy taught me how to turn water into ice just by breathing correctly."

"It's called breath of ice, Kya," Katara corrected.

"That's right, mommy!"

"That's so cool.." she said, prompting her little waterbender to giggle at the unintentional pun.

"Did you have a good day with your brothers and daddy?"

"I did! But I miss you, mommy. Please come home soon!"

"I will, my little waterbender. I just gotta go visit one more patient and then I'll come straight home."

"Okay. I love you, mommy!"

"I love you too, sweetie. Muah!" Katara murmured, blowing an air kiss inside the phone.

"Now give the phone back to daddy."

"Here you go, daddy."

There was a moment of silence as Aang struggled to hold the phone in one hand and cradle Tenzin with the other.

"Katara, you still there?"

"Mhmm, I'm standing near the window in my office. Can you see me?"

"Yeah, I thought I saw that dim light in your office. Kids, your mother's in her office. Let's wave to her."

She heard how Kya shouted another "Hey, mommy!" as she stepped closer to the window to stare down at that little island of theirs a couple of miles away from the city center.

"Are you coming home soon?"

"I just need to visit Mr. Chen. It'll take me at least an hour and a half to get there and ride back to the hospital. I'll probably be home at around eight."

"Take your time, sweetie. The kids and I have everything under control."

"Good. Make sure to prepare supper for them."

"I will. I'll also light a candle later in the evening."

"Mmm.. thank you, Aang. I love you."

"Love you too, Katara."

Katara heard how he blew an air kiss into the line as well, after which she hung up. Having put the telephone back on her desk, she looked outside through the window, placing a hand against the cold glass.

"I'll be home soon, sweetie."

She grabbed her water tribe parka from the coat rack and pulled it on, scanned her office one last time before turning off the table lamp and locking the door with her key for that day. She took the elevator down to the first floor to go grab her shoulder bag and pouch from the emergency room, where she'd left them before the paramedic had rushed in with Jia and her daughter. Katara wished the receptionist a good evening and headed outside to the western side of the building.

There were a lot more ostrich horses to choose from in the evenings since the number of accidents that paramedics had to respond to usually decreased at night. But the waterbender still walked over to her favourite, who was grazing some hay.

"Hey, Mamoun.. Who's a good boy, huh?" she asked as she stepped beside him and scratched his head, more specifically, behind his left ear. Mamoun shook his head and whinnied happily to her.

"That's right, you are!"

Katara tenderly stroked his beak as they stared into each other's eyes. The ostrich horse lowered his head a bit to nuzzle his beak below her chest, his big brown eyes looking up at her tiny diamond blue ones.

"One last ride tonight," she murmured to him, holding his beak close with one hand and combing his mane with the other. Mamoun snorted and closed his eyes for a moment, lifting his head and standing up straight like a proud steed to show her that he was ready to ride with her once again. Katara checked whether he was harnessed to the carriage correctly, then jumped into the driver's seat and grabbed the reins.

"Let's go, boy," she said, clucking her tongue to guide them out of the stable and onto the streets. As Katara drove through the bustling city center, she saw street lamps decorated with colourful lights, candles burning on almost every window to thank the spirits for their kindness and to remember those who were no longer with them.

The winter solstice celebration had always been about coming together to spend time with one's family, but also to show respect to the spirits. This day was unique to the United Republic of Nations and it was inspired by the Glacier Spirits Festival back at the Southern Water Tribe. Aang, being the Avatar and the bridge between humans and spirits, along with Katara, being a southern waterbender who valued the traditions of her homeland, had proposed the idea of such a holiday many years ago. This day had always been the most long-awaited of the year amongst many families.

The further Mamoun cantered into the northeastern borough, the duller the streets turned. The wealthier as well as most of the middle class citizens lived closer to the heart of Republic City and could afford more to celebrate. It was a blessing if there were similar colourful lights hanging from a bigger block of flats in that area or the residents had enough yuans to buy some matches to at least light a candle.

Having passed the border between the city center and the northeastern borough, the traffic seemed to become more sparse. Less than half a mile later, Katara and Mamoun were the only ones out on the streets, the street lights and a single candle displayed on every tenth window or so being the only things lighting their way to the suburb.

She heard a trolley gain on her ambulance carriage in the middle of the street a minute later. The railway tracks ran straight on their left side for another half a mile. There were about a dozen passengers on their way to their homes. Two pre-teen boys noticed the ostrich horse running alongside the tracks. They decided to make funny faces to mock the driver for being slightly slower than their public transportation. When one of them blew a raspberry at her, Katara decided to have some fun of her own. She gave them a smug smile in return.

"Hi-yah!"

She flicked the reins to order Mamoun to begin galloping. He gained on the front of the trolley in a matter of seconds, running neck and neck at a rather fast speed. Katara sat up straight and smirked back at the boys who'd made fun of her and her companion, their faces now as long as her ostrich horse's.

"Go, Mamoun! Go!" she prodded competitively as he pulled the rest of the carriage past the trolley. They won the race when the railway tracks turned left on a bigger intersection. Katara started laughing as she shifted to the left side of her seat to glance back at the empty street behind them.

"Ha-ha! Good boy, Mamoun! Good boy!" she praised loudly, attempting to slow down since the road was covered with spots of black ice, which shimmered under the street lights. She didn't have time to react when suddenly a small child ran across the street right in front of her ostrich horse.

"Wooaahh!" Katara yelled and yanked the reins to avoid crashing into the child. Mamoun neighed in panic and tried to stop, but his feet slipped on the ice and he lost his balance. He pulled the carriage to his right, sending it skidding across the ice and straight towards a street lamp. Katara screamed and held on tight as the vehicle slammed against the post, which forced it to split in half from the middle. She hit herself against the side before she was plunged out of her driver's seat and straight into a pile of snow.

Mamoun's neighing was the only sound that filled the quiet street after the crash. Once the carriage had stopped under the street light, the ostrich horse swiftly got back up on his feet and broke free from his harness with sheer force. He cantered further away and ran a couple of circles until he began to calm down, his neighs being replaced by short unhappy snorts.

Mamoun panted as he looked around to spot something familiar. He saw the broken ambulance carriage parked next to the post, so he hesitantly walked back to the scene of the accident. He eyed the huge crack inside the wood, which separated the rear and front of the vehicle. As Mamoun sniffed the driver's seat, he noticed his friend lying still on her stomach in the snow a few feet away. He trotted to her side and tilted his head, staring at her near-lifeless body. However, her back did move slowly, rising up and falling down in a steady rhythm. She was breathing.

The ostrich horse stepped closer and softly nudged her with his beak. She didn't budge. He tried it again, pushing a bit harder this time, but Katara remained unconscious. He brought his beak close to her face and breathed some warm air out from his nostrils. When that didn't work either, he started licking her face. Mamoun repeated those actions several times until he heard her groan.

"Ughh..."

He kept licking the side of her face until she slowly lifted her head from the pile of snow and her diamond blue eyes fluttered open to meet his worried gaze.

"M-Mamoun? You woke me up.. good boy," Katara said as she looked at her loyal companion with wide eyes, forcing a smile to show him that she was alright. She thanked him with a few strokes along his beak before he let her grab it to help her stand up carefully.

The waterbender supported herself by holding onto the ostrich horse's face. She let go when she felt sure that she wouldn't have a dizzy spell. She groaned again, her hand landing above her left eyebrow. Mamoun tilted his head and gave her a short nicker before licking the left side of her face.

"I'm okay, Mamoun. It's just a bump," Katara assured him and gently pushed his beak away so she could check her injury. She summoned some water around her left hand like a glove and placed it above her left eye. She rubbed her temple, moving the glowing water around near the nasty bump until she felt a little better.

Once she'd waterbended the water back into her pouch and fluffed the snow off her parka, she turned around to have a look at her ambulance carriage. She gasped at the sight. That vehicle was as good as firewood. Mamoun followed her as she walked around the carriage, checking whether there was anything left to save.

Katara headed to the back and crawled inside for a moment to pick up his feeding bag. She found another nice big juicy green apple and held it in front of her ostrich horse's beak, letting him sniff it before he ate it out of her hand in one bite. She rummaged through the bag to offer him some bread, too. Mamoun snorted to sniff the slice, then gently nibbled on the bread without biting her hand. She crumpled up the small leather feeding bag with the rest of his feed and put it inside her shoulder bag, in case Mamoun would become hungry later.

The ostrich horse lowered his head a bit to look straight into her diamond blue eyes once he was done eating. His big brown eyes fell shut as he rubbed his beak against her. Katara stepped closer and wrapped her arms around his neck to hug him.

"Ugh, good boy! Good boy, Mamoun!.. You're such a good boy.." she murmured to him, running her hand up and down his mane.

"Thank you."

Mamoun nickered as he rested his beak on her back to hug her, too. He might've saved her, but what about the child who'd ran right in front of them? Katara hadn't noticed anyone else injured near the scene of the accident. She heard someone cough on the other side of the street. She released her embrace to look behind her.

"You? You ran in front of my carriage?" she asked, her eyes wide in disbelief. It was the same mysterious girl in a yellow dress, standing in another alley.

"Mamoun, sit.." Katara ordered in a stricter tone, waiting for her ostrich horse to sit down next to her broken vehicle.

"Good boy. Stay here," she said as she stroked his beak a couple of times before she turned around and crossed the street to go talk to the child. Oddly enough, she didn't run away from the healer as she approached her. Katara decided to keep a safe distance between the two of them so she wouldn't scare her away again. She squatted down only a few feet away from her.

"Are you hurt?" she wondered, tilting her head as she examined the girl's appearance. Surprisingly, she didn't seem to have a single scratch on her.

"Do you know how dangerous it is to run in front of a carriage? It could end with a serious accident, much more serious than this," Katara scolded her, waving a hand towards her ambulance carriage and ostrich horse. The little girl hung her head in shame for a moment, looking up at the woman with puppy eyes as she went into a horrible coughing fit. The waterbender frowned, she couldn't stay mad at her.

"You're still sick, huh? That nasty cough must be really bothering you."

She waited until the little one caught her breath.

"I can help you feel better, if you let me. It makes me very sad to see you suffer.. Please, let me help you," Katara begged, stretching her right hand out to her. Her diamond blue eyes grew wider with every hesitant step the child took until she was close enough to lay her tiny hand onto her palm.

"There we go.. that's much better. Aren't you cold?" she asked as she shifted closer and knelt down in front of her. The little girl let her cup her cheek and touch her forehead.

"You are a bit warm. I think you might have a fever, too. Would you like to pull on my water tribe coat?"

The girl shook her head.

"Okay then. Where's your home?"

She remained silent. Now that Katara thought of it, she'd never heard this girl say a word ever since she'd met her this morning. She seemed old enough to know how to speak though.

"If you're lost, I can take you to my hospital where I can examine you and help you feel better while I inform the police so they could search for your parents. Toph is one of my best friends and she's also the Chief of Police. She's gonna find your home in no time. What do you say?" Katara smiled, but the girl raised a finger to her mouth as she glanced back towards the alley with a concerned look.

"What is it? Is something there?"

She grabbed the waterbender's hand and tugged at it, taking a step away from her.

"Oh.. you want me to follow you?" Katara asked fondly as she stood up and began following the little girl, who looked back at her to be sure that she wouldn't fall behind. She guided the waterbender into another maze of narrow paths between the dilapidated houses.

"Where are you taking me?" Katara wondered out loud, trying to remember their way back. The deeper they went, the more abandoned those buildings seemed to be. Broken windows without any candles to be lit for the holiday, old rusty street lamps that'd been built in the early years of Republic City's founding and provided light with flickering bulbs, small heaps of trash covered by snow.

Katara readied her free hand near her pouch, in case there were thugs waiting to ambush them behind a dark corner. But the little girl seemed to know exactly where she was headed. She peeked at the waterbender every now and again, making sure that she'd always see where she's going.

Pretty soon, they could hear a faint cry in the distance. The little girl began scampering. Katara was afraid she might lose her again, but the child had a very strong grip on her right hand. She wanted the waterbender to run along with her. As they came closer, Katara distinguished the voice as a woman's. It sounded like she was crying and moaning with pain.

Another corner to the right and a short straight narrow path eventually led them to a blind alley, where the little girl came to a sudden halt. It was a bigger square-shaped area, surrounded by the walls of two shabby wooden houses and a taller concrete building. There weren't any lights on in them, only an old street lamp that hung in the corner cast a light around the otherwise empty square. Two big trash containers had been pushed against the wall of the concrete building for the residents to use, if there were any.

Katara had stopped beside the little girl and looked around their surroundings. The woman's cries were loudest in that spot. She noticed somebody's near-bare feet in the snow behind the dumpsters and ran over to take a look.

"Oh no!" Katara gasped, her hands landing on her mouth. It was a pregnant woman, not much older than she was. She forgot about the little girl and hurried to the woman's side to help her.

"Are you okay, ma'am?"

"Oh, please! Make it stop!" she screamed in agony and clutched one of Katara's hands. Her cheeks were stained with tears, her nails unclipped and she had long messy dark brown hair. She was wearing a torn white dress that'd turned grey from the filth, remnants of what seemed to be a brown winter coat, shoes with holes in the heels and in front where her toes popped out. Katara looked below. She saw a puddle of slightly yellowish snow under her bottom. Her waters had broken, she was already in labour.

"I'm sorry, but I can't make it stop now. You're going to have a baby pretty soon," Katara stated and tried to pull her hand back so she could help, but the woman held onto it real tight.

"Nooo!.. I don't wanna give birth!"

"You don't have a choice anymore. You should've thought of that nine months ago," Katara replied a tad coldly, to which the woman pulled her even closer to her face.

"P-please! I don't wanna lose it again! I'm scared to lose this one, too!" she begged, staring into Katara's diamond blue eyes. She'd misinterpreted the situation - this wasn't an unwanted child, this was a mother who'd already lost one child.

"You're not going to lose this baby, ma'am! What's your name?"

"Iniko."

"Iniko, look at me.. look at me!" Katara demanded. The woman looked at her with her teary lime green eyes.

"I'm a healer. My name's Katara, I'm from the Southern Water Tribe. I'm the best healer in the world and head of the Republic City Hospital. And while I'm here, I'm going to do everything I can to help bring this baby into the world safe and sound. Do you hear me?"

Iniko nodded and sniffed.

"Good. Now just try to remain calm and breathe really fast for me.." Katara ordered as she pulled her hand back. She dropped her shoulder bag next to her on the snowy ground, in case she needed any of her medical instruments. Having waterbended the soiled snow away, she summoned the water from her pouch around her hands like gloves, laying one of them on the woman's swollen belly and the other under her dress to check how far she was with the labour.

"How long have these strong contractions been going on?"

"I don't know.. maybe two hours? I've heard the clock chime twice since I collapsed here. I tried to continue walking, but I couldn't move because of the pain," Iniko panted between breaths. Katara thanked Aang a thousand times in her mind for telling her the time. She waterbended the water back into her pouch.

"You said you already had one child. This is your second baby?" Katara asked as she swiftly pulled off her long parka. She placed the top behind Iniko's back so she wouldn't feel cold against the concrete wall and lifted her bottom up a bit to slide the lower half of her parka under there so she wouldn't touch the ground. The woman hummed a positive answer.

"In that case, this baby is coming really fast. I could feel it," Katara added, also removing her short-sleeved water tribe coat and laying it over Iniko's chest like a small blanket to keep her as warm as possible. Being covered up only by her navy blue tunic and a sarashi underneath, Katara had to fight back the cold herself. The chilly winters in Republic City were nothing compared to the freezing climate of her homeland. This was a fight she didn't need to focus on right now.

"That's it, Iniko. Just breathe through the pain, keep panting!" the waterbender encouraged her as one contraction followed another. She spread the woman's legs and knelt down in between to have a better look.

"You're almost there, I'm gonna ask you to begin pushing soon," she explained as she waterbended two ice handles near Iniko's hands for her to grab on when that stage would begin.

It took them another quarter of an hour and the clock struck seven in the evening. Iniko had been in labour for at least three hours. Katara's hands remained covered with water as she constantly examined both the mother's womb to feel the position of the baby, as well as the baby's vital signs to be sure that it wasn't under too much stress. Everything was going smoothly so far.

"Okay, now during the next contraction, I want you to push gently. Ready?"

Iniko gave the healer a quick nod before she grimaced as she shut her eyes and pushed until Katara told her to stop again so she could catch her breath.

"You're doing great, Iniko! The head's almost out. We gotta get baby's head out fast, so get ready to push again.. As hard as you can this time, c'mon!" she urged the woman, who crumpled her face once more and released a loud scream.

"That's it.. a little more.. keep pushing! Okay, that's enough!" Katara instructed as she quickly grabbed her water tribe coat from on top of Iniko and tossed it on the ground in front of her knees with one hand. She held the baby's head steady with her other hand.

"Your baby is almost born. If you're strong enough to give me another good push, then you can hold your baby in a minute.. Are you ready to meet your baby?" she asked with a determined smile on her lips. The woman barely managed a nod before the next contraction hit her and she continued screaming. This one wasn't as painful as the last one though.

"Good girl, Iniko! Just a little bit more.. here it comes.. Well done!" Katara praised as she held the baby's upper body in her hands.

"Now pant for me."

Iniko started panting and waited for the healer to slowly and carefully slip the rest of its body out from hers. A moment later, the blind alley became filled with the sound of a baby crying. Both women shared a hearty laugh.

"It's a boy! You have a son, Iniko!" Katara exclaimed happily as she cleaned the little guy with the remaining water from her pouch.

"A son?" the mother asked in wonder as she lifted herself on her wobbly arms a little bit to have a look. She saw how Katara used the water like a sharp knife to cut the umbilical cord and then immediately heal both ends. She wrapped the baby boy into her water tribe coat and lifted him into a cradle hold, standing up to hand him over to his mother's arms.

"My son..." Iniko's voice quavered as the healer placed the baby in her arms. She moved the furry edge off from one of his hands to let him grab her finger. His crying quietened down, whereas the tears continued trickling down his mother's cheeks.

"Hello there, little one! I'm your mommy. I didn't think we'd make it, but here we are.. thanks to this kind woman.. What did you say your name was?"

"Katara."

"Thanks to Katara here. She helped bring you into this world, just like she promised," Iniko cooed to the baby and kissed his vernix-covered forehead. Katara rubbed at her eyes to hold back her own tears. When she opened her eyes again, she saw the same little girl who'd brought her there, standing right beside Iniko. She looked so happy, a small smile decorating her face as she stared at the mother and her newborn son. She gazed back at the waterbender.

"Thank you," Katara said in a hushed, but loving tone.

"Who are you talking to?"

Katara froze for a second at Iniko's weird question.

"Umm, a little girl, right next to.. you?" she replied, pointing a finger to Iniko's left side, but when she averted her gaze from the mother, the girl was gone.

"Where?"

Both women looked around the alley, but they didn't see any souls other than the three of them.

"Wait, you didn't see her?"

Iniko simply shook her head. Katara felt confused once more as she crawled back between the mother's legs. While the latter was busy admiring her newborn son, the healer helped her deliver the placenta within minutes. Katara grabbed some clean snow from nearby to wash her bloody hands as well as scrub some of the bigger stains out of her armbands, tunic and pants. It'd been a pretty fast and successful delivery.

The waterbender had been so focused on helping the woman that she didn't even notice how cold she was until she started shivering. She rubbed her arms as she walked back over to Iniko's side to pick up her shoulder bag and hang it across her chest. After that, Katara helped the mother stand up slowly, making sure that her long water tribe parka would stay on her shoulders and hang down on her back to keep her warm. The baby boy seemed pretty warm and cosy in her coat, too.

Katara escorted them back to her broken ambulance carriage. Without the little girl to help out, she had to rely on her memories of which narrow paths they'd taken. Also, the slightly visible footprints in the snow helped her out. The light snowfall had covered them up with a fresh thin layer, but there were definitely two different-sized pairs.

How could the child have disappeared like that? And why didn't she leave footprints on her way out of there, if she'd even run out that way? Katara shook her head, every single thing about that child puzzled her. But she knew one thing for sure - she'd led her to Iniko for a reason.

Mamoun pricked up his ears and wagged his tail as he gazed at the two women who came out of the alley on the other side of the street. Iniko tightened her hold on her baby and stopped in the middle of the road for a moment.

"It's okay, he won't bite. He's very friendly, I'll show you," Katara smiled as she walked over to her ostrich horse and stroked his beak. He nuzzled the side of his face against her chest and tummy. Iniko watched the healer bond with her animal a few steps behind.

"Oh, Mamoun.. Did you miss me? I'm back, and I brought two new friends along. Are you okay with them riding you, too?" she murmured to him and stepped aside to introduce the mother and baby. The ostrich horse tilted his head and merely stared at them curiously, releasing a short nicker in the end.

"He'd be happy to give you a ride," Katara chuckled and beckoned them closer. Iniko hesitantly walked around the animal and she helped her climb on the saddle on his back. The waterbender sat behind them to give the mother something to support herself against. She could also keep herself warmer by holding her body close to her parka. It was going to be a bumpy ride.

Katara grabbed the long reins from Iniko's sides to hold her steady, after which she clucked her tongue, waiting for Mamoun to stand up and begin walking.

"Hold on tight," she said, flicking the reins twice to let her ostrich horse begin trotting, then cantering. She didn't let him gallop since it would've shaken the mother and infant too much. Besides that, the slower speed helped prevent them from falling off the saddle and having another accident.

"Where are we going?" Iniko wondered as Katara turned right at the first bigger intersection on their way.

"My hospital's half an hour away from here. I know a warm and safe place much closer, where we can call for help and recuperate."

She guided her ostrich horse to the Southern Water Tribe library in the northwestern borough, which was less than two miles away, taking them less than fifteen minutes to get there. It closed at eight o'clock each workday. The clock showed a quarter to eight when Katara and Mamoun pulled over in front of the vast building. The ostrich horse let out a loud neigh as she tugged at his reins to stop him.

"Wooaahh.. Good boy, Mamoun!" she praised as she hopped off from the back of the saddle to go and reward him with some more bread. The ostrich horse nibbled the slice out of her hand, breathing some warm air onto her slightly frozen fingers.

"Sit.." Katara coaxed by rubbing his beak and gently pushing it downwards. She patted his neck and combed his mane to thank him for all the hard work he'd done. After that, she helped Iniko climb down from the animal's back, grabbing her by the shoulders to head inside the library.

The librarian working the shift that night was an elderly member of the Southern Water Tribe. She'd helped Katara and Sokka with establishing the building in Republic City and gathering scrolls, books or any other valued reading material from back home for everybody else to browse through.

She was reading today's issue of The Elemental Times, ready to begin closing up in a couple of minutes, when she heard the door open. She averted her gaze from the newspaper towards the guests who she hoped would be eager to learn something about her culture.

"Master Katara!?" she gasped, dropping the paper on her desk and quickly making her way to the waterbender and the stranger with a baby.

"What happened to you? Look at you, you're all dirty," she sighed, trying to dust Katara's tunic.

"I'm okay, Alda. But this mother and her baby need some help. Can I call my hospital?"

"Of course! Go ahead, dear," she waved a hand towards her desk.

"Thanks, Alda. You're a blessing," Katara said as she leaned down to give the old lady a hug.

"Would you find Iniko a nice place to sit so she could rest while we wait for the ambulance to get here? And maybe something to eat or drink?"

"I'll get right on it!" Alda said with a smile. She grabbed Iniko's arm to lead the way to the couch in the quiet reading corner. She was surprised at how filthy and poor the mother looked, but she didn't wanna judge her only by her appearance. If Katara had helped this lady out, then she must've really needed it.

"Oh, he's one handsome little fellow, isn't he?" Alda cooed as she tickled the baby's cheek, making Iniko smile.

"I think I might have some bananas and lychee nuts in my drawer. I'll go fetch them for you," she squeezed the mother's shoulder before she walked back to her desk. In the meantime, Katara was busy talking to the receptionist on the phone. She asked for a backup ambulance carriage and the paramedics to bring along warm blankets for the fresh mother and infant. She ordered a second ambulance carriage with another healer to be sent on its way to Mr. Chen's place in the northeastern borough. The original as well as only patient who she didn't reach during her evening rounds that night.

"Here you go, dear. I'll go put on some tea," the librarian said as she handed Iniko one of her leftover dumplings, a banana and dropped a dozen lychee nuts into her palms. Katara finished her call and joined the mother as she began eating for what seemed like the first time in days. By the time she finished her meal, her baby had started to fuss in her lap.

"I think he's hungry, too. I want.. I'd like you to breastfeed him."

Iniko rubbed her hands cleaner against her dress, then picked up her son and put him in a cradle hold. Katara helped her undo the buttons and pull the tattered cloth off from the left side of her chest. She attempted to teach her, but before she could, she watched how Iniko guided the baby boy to his source of nourishment and he latched on immediately.

"Wow, you're really good at this!"

"As I said, this isn't my first child."

Katara observed how Iniko fed her baby in complete silence, her diamond blue eyes full of wonder and admiration at the same time. There was definitely something far deeper to this woman than she was showing. She seemed to be such a loving and caring mother, she knew how to take care of her baby, but she'd already lost one child for some unknown reason. Katara couldn't comprehend how she could've possibly ended up homeless nor how she'd survived the challenging weather of the four seasons while expecting. She was a fighter, that's for sure.

Alda's heart melted at the sight of the mother nursing her baby as she brought her some hot ginger tea. Iniko managed to finish the small cup just before they heard the siren of an approaching ambulance carriage. Katara ran outside to greet her healers and show them the way to the patients. The paramedics exchanged their boss's clothes for two soft blankets, which they used to wrap up the baby boy and his mother. Katara wasn't as fond to get her stained coat and parka back as she'd initially hoped, but it'd have to do while riding back to the hospital on her ostrich horse.

She said her goodbyes to the librarian and headed outside with the group. Having climbed on the saddle, she grabbed the reins and ordered him to stand up again. The healers had Iniko sit down on the bed at the back of their carriage before they took off, with Katara and Mamoun cantering right behind them.

It was half past eight by the time they arrived at the hospital. The two healers stopped their ambulance carriage at the northern entrance to escort Iniko inside as she cradled her son in her arms. Katara rode her ostrich horse straight to the stable since her broken vehicle was left behind under that street lamp. Having hopped off the saddle, she held onto the reins to lead him to one of the stalls so she could take off the equipment and he could get a well-deserved rest to be ready to aid her or any of her employees once more the following day.

"Muah! Good boy, Mamoun.. you were excellent today," Katara murmured, leaving a kiss on the side of his beak before she hugged him and stroked his mane. The ostrich horse wagged his tail and gave her a very happy nicker in return, nuzzling the side of his face against her chest. Having hung his feeding bag in the stall, she headed inside to go wash her clothes, and maybe herself, a third time.

Katara pulled off her dirty parka and coat as she reached the elevator and pushed the button, waiting for it to come down. Before that happened, she overheard the conversation between the receptionist and a middle-aged man who'd just entered the emergency room after her.

"Hello, sir! How can I help you?"

"Good evening! My wife left me a note on the table, saying that she went to the hospital with our little girl. Could you tell me whether she's been admitted here? They're not at home."

"Of course. What are their names?"

"Jia and Jia-Li."

Katara jolted around to look at him.

"Aahh, yes! I remember them! They were brought in by the ambulance around five o'clock."

"The ambulance!? What happened?" the man gasped, an even more worried look on his face.

"Your daughter had a very high fever because of pentapox, so your wife called the ambulance. She fainted on their way here, but luckily, Master Katara was working a shift here today. She rushed your daughter to a healing tub and lowered her fever and she woke up. After that, she had them admitted and referred to the infectious diseases unit."

"Where's that?"

"It's on the 17th floor, you can take the elevator.. Oh, there she is! That's Master Katara right there!" the receptionist smiled, pointing a finger towards her superior. The man thanked her for the information and walked over to the master waterbender. She wasn't looking at her best - her clothes covered with stains and blood and who knew what other fluids. An occupational hazard. But the man grabbed both her grimy hands and gently shook them, returning her wide-eyed gaze.

"Thank you!.. Thank you for saving my daughter's life, Master Katara."

"Y-you're welcome.. I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name," she stuttered and blushed, scratching the back of her head with one hand.

"I'm Li-Wei, Jia's husband and Jia-Li's father. The receptionist told me what you did. I cannot thank you enough."

"Just doing my job.. I can show you where they are, if you'd like," Katara said, tilting her head towards the elevator that'd opened the doors.

"Oh! Yes, please!" Li-Wei grinned and stepped inside after her. She waited until the doors closed and they were being lifted upstairs to have a more private conversation.

"I'm sorry, but considering everything that happened to your wife and daughter, and as a healer, I have to ask.. Are you vaccinated against pentapox?"

"Oh.. no, I don't think so," Li-Wei thought for a moment, then shrugged.

"Can I ask why?"

"I wasn't aware there's a new vaccine. I would've had it done in a heartbeat."

Katara sighed in relief without him noticing. At least he wasn't against it.

"That's great. But since you're not vaccinated either, I'm afraid my healers are going to have to put you in quarantine to check that you aren't a carrier of the disease. You'll have to stay here until they figure it out."

"I don't mind. I just wanna see my wife and daughter."

"You should also wash your hands before you go see your wife to avoid infecting her. It could be very dangerous for both her and the baby if they catch pentapox. I'm sure she'll tell you more about it and I hope you both have a very serious conversation about why it's important to get vaccinated, for Jia-Li's sake."

Li-Wei had no idea why Katara seemed so serious and reprimanding when she talked about that, but he promised her that he'll let her healers vaccinate him as soon as possible. She offered him a smile at that promise, lightening up a little bit. She escorted him to the wards where his wife and daughter were resting, having him wash his hands before she allowed to enter Jia's private ward.

The waterbender looked through the glass part of the door to see how Li-Wei simply walked in and embraced his wife, who was lying rather comfortably in bed. He ran a hand over her bump and tried to give her a kiss, but she stopped him and grabbed his hands. He took a seat in the chair next to the bed and they started talking, their faces solemn and full of concern.

Katara decided to let the pair have some privacy, so she took the elevator back down by a few floors to head to the showers again. She washed her hands after spending some time so close to Jia's husband, considering that he'd touched her too, then proceeded to scrub the remaining stains out of her clothes.

Katara spent twenty minutes in the changing room. Having cleaned her coat and parka, she stepped under the shower without removing any of her other clothes to wash herself. She dried them by pulling the dripping water out with her bending. Once she'd filled her empty pouch, pulled on her short-sleeved water tribe coat, grabbed her parka and finished freshening up, it was time to go see how Iniko and her newborn son were doing.

They'd been admitted and referred to the postnatal unit in the maternity ward. Katara left her parka, pouch and shoulder bag in a small wardrobe, which was meant for the workers on that floor and located behind another receptionist's desk, who also worked there. She went to the infant unit first to have a look at the baby boy.

When she quietly opened the door, she witnessed one of her healers trying to auscultate him, but he refused to cooperate with her. Katara closed the door behind her and walked over to the healer who was clearly in a pickle. She tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention.

"May I try?"

"Master Katara?.. Of course," the healer said with a grateful nod as she removed the stethoscope from her ears and handed it to her boss. Katara grabbed the diaphragm and rubbed it against the palm of her hand to warm it up before she laid it back on the infant's chest. He began crying a little, hence she lifted one of his hands near his mouth so he'd shush up and begin sucking his thumb instead. It worked, she could listen to him in complete silence.

"You certainly have that magic touch with these little tykes," the other healer added.

"Years of practice," she giggled and spoke in a low tone. During her first pregnancy, as well as the two others that followed, Katara had used her own stethoscope to listen to her baby's heartbeat while it was still growing inside her. It was one thing to sense the tiny organ pounding along with her own thanks to her waterbending, or more precisely, healing abilities, but a completely different experience when she first heard the fast beats through the medical instrument. This little guy's heartbeat was just as fast and she couldn't hear any murmurs. She watched the clock on the wall and counted.

"136 beats per minute.. no murmurs.. respiratory rate at 46," Katara whispered to her colleague, who wrote the readings down on the clipboard. She gave the medical instrument back to her, then wrapped the baby up in the blanket underneath him.

"How's he doing?"

"He's doing great. Another nice healthy baby boy among us thanks to your refined skills."

Katara smiled lovingly. She was very pleased to hear that, considering everything he'd been through.

"Can I take this little guy along? I'd like to bring him to his mother."

"Sure, I just finished his first checkup. Thanks for the help."

"You're welcome. Come here, little one.." Katara cooed as she lifted him up from his small bed and placed him in a cradle hold. He released a short cry at the movement.

"Yes, we're gonna go see your mommy now," she said, gently rocking the baby in her arms as she left the infant unit and headed towards the general ward for mothers who'd recently given birth. When Katara entered the ward, she saw that Iniko was resting alone in one of the beds, no other mothers were around. Only the nurse, who was sitting behind her desk and writing something into someone's medical records, kept her company. She greeted her boss as she passed her and walked over to the patient. Katara's mouth fell slightly agape.

Iniko looked so different, as if she'd been given a complete makeover. The knots in her hair had been combed straight, her nails had been clipped short. The nurses had given her a bath, hence her light skin gleamed and she looked so tidy wearing a new hospital gown, being tucked under a warm blanket. Much more like a normal, decent person.

"Wow.. Iniko, how are you feeling?" Katara asked as she took a seat on the edge of the bed, on her right side.

"Pretty amazing. I haven't felt this way in ages," Iniko smiled and sat up a bit.

"I brought someone to see you. He just had his first checkup," Katara explained as she carefully placed the baby into his mother's arms.

"How did he do?"

"He passed with flying colours."

Both women giggled. Iniko tenderly ran the back of her hand over her son's cheeks. He didn't stir from the touch. He must've been tired from such a wild adventure and seemed to have fallen asleep.

"So, have you decided on a name yet?"

"I think I have.. I'm going to name him Taro. It means that he's my firstborn son. And there's a little bit of your name in it, too. I want both of us to remember the benevolent healer who'd helped me bring him into this world."

"Iniko, I.. I'm touched," Katara paused for a moment, not knowing what to say. She laid a hand above her heart and smiled.

"Thank you."

She watched the mother comb the tiny bundle of hair on her son's head and gently bounce him for a while before deciding to ask.

"Taro is your second child, your firstborn son.. so your first child was a daughter?"

Iniko's smile faded away slightly. She nodded.

"It wasn't always like this, you know.. I used to have a home, which I shared with my loving husband and our firstborn daughter.. Aiko."

"Can I ask.. what happened to her?" Katara wondered, entwining her hands and laying them in her lap as she leaned forward a bit. The mother sighed.

"She was only three years old.. One day, she became sick. We took her to the doctor. She examined her and we all thought it was just a cold. But three weeks later, she was still coughing so horribly. When we visited the hospital again, the doctor diagnosed something far worse. She told us it's whooping cough. Aiko was already too weak. She coughed so hard that her ribs began to break and she had to be admitted to the hospital. The healers tried to heal her broken ribcage and relieve the pain, but she just.. We held her hands until her final breath. S-she didn't make it.. I'm sorry!" Iniko finished quickly to wipe away her tears. Katara supported a hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

"I'm so sorry, Iniko. I wish there was something my healers or I could've done. My best scientists are working on a vaccine for pertussis right now, but it's not an easy process. It could take years until the vaccine is fully developed."

The mother sniffed, having regained her composure and wiped her cheeks dry.

"That's okay.. I understand. I don't blame you for not having it when Aiko caught the disease. But I'm happy to hear you're trying, so no other parent or child would have to go through what we did."

"So, what happened to you? How did you end up homeless?"

"Me and my husband were devastated by Aiko's death. We didn't take it well. My husband became depressed and inattentive. He eventually died from an accident at work because of it."

Katara's heart skipped a beat. Her hand clutched the blanket near her thigh. She hung her head.

"I'm sorry.. I know how hard it is to lose the love of your life."

There was a moment of silence as neither of the women dared to speak. They mourned the death of their loved ones, or what almost could've been.

"After losing my entire family, I couldn't bring myself to do anything. I didn't work, so I had no income and couldn't afford to pay rent for our apartment. I became homeless. But then, three months after my husband's death, I realized that I was pregnant again. I had nowhere to go, so I'd been living on the streets around the northeastern borough, begging for food and shelter from others who shared my fate. Until you found me in that alley."

Katara remembered that she wouldn't have found her if it hadn't been for that little girl. She opened her mouth and was about to tell her, when she started thinking about it and rephrased her question.

"Umm, Iniko.. what did your daughter look like?"

"Oh, Aiko had beautiful dark brown hair! I used to braid it into two braids, one on either side of her face. She loved to wear a bright yellow dress with a white blouse and matching white shoes. I had to tie up the laces for her every time she wanted to go play outside.." Iniko described cheerfully. Katara's diamond blue eyes grew wide in realization, but she didn't notice.

"Ever since she passed, I began seeing her ghost walking around our apartment sometimes, like she was still with us. My husband thought that I might be going crazy and I agreed with him. That's impossible.."

"Maybe not," Katara interrupted.

"What?"

"Maybe you weren't going crazy. I saw a small girl with a similar appearance for the first time ever this morning. Throughout the day, each time I was out on a call, she somehow found me and tried to lead me northwards. She was the one who guided me to that alley, to you. I think that little girl was Aiko. I think she was trying to help you."

"Aiko?.. Y-you.. you saw her?"

Katara nodded.

"I didn't just see her, I touched her. I talked to her. She didn't talk, though. I tried to persuade her to come to my hospital several times since she had such an unusual cough. No wonder it sounded similar to pertussis.. I chased her in the alleys, she caused two accidents just to get my attention.."

"She did what?"

"Did you see my broken ambulance carriage? Aiko was responsible for that. I think she would've stopped at nothing to get you some help. Her spirit was there when Taro was born."

"She was there?" Iniko asked, her voice quavering.

"Yes. And she looked so happy when she saw her baby brother in your arms."

Iniko raised a hand to cover her eyes and cry, cradling her baby boy with her free hand. He woke up from the commotion and also began crying. Katara sat right next to the mother and wrapped her arms around her shoulders, comforting her with a gentle embrace.

"Ah-aiko.. My precious Aiko.. she's my guardian angel. She must still be watching over me, over us," Iniko managed to say through her sobs, lifting Taro a bit higher so she could kiss his temple. This wasn't the way Katara had imagined this year's winter solstice celebration to go, but she wouldn't have wanted it to go any other way.

The clock on Avatar Aang Memorial Island showed that it was a quarter past nine in the evening by the time Katara reached the harbour, where three air acolytes had been waiting for her to come home from work for over an hour.

"Master Katara? Oh, thank heavens! You're finally here. Avatar Aang must be so worried by now. What took you so long?" one of the young men asked as he grabbed her hand to help her step onto the boat.

"Just a small detour involving a patient. It was an emergency."

"Aahh, understandable. We'll be on our way shortly," he said while the two other acolytes prepared everything to begin sailing back towards the island.

"I hope you three didn't become too bored here."

"Not to worry! We found joy in building a sculpture of Air Temple Island over there," he explained, pointing towards a snowy replica of their home, which they'd sculpted together from a rather huge pile of snow near the dock.

"Not bad," she giggled.

When they were out on Yue Bay, Katara walked over to the stern, brushed off the fresh layer of snow and leaned against the wooden railing. She marvelled at Republic City all illuminated by colourful lights that hung from the houses and the bright golden glow in the clouds above, which was created by the street lamps that reflected the light from the snowy ground.

She gazed at one of the tallest buildings that shaped the capital's contour - her hospital. Most of the floors still had lights on in them, her staff working hard to provide the best care to their patients. Her office at the very top was dark, but she noticed the colourful lights on the floor of the pediatric ward. That was such a lovely idea to cheer up the kids.

The boat passed her husband's statue. Katara looked up at his younger self. The way he was looking over the city, protecting its citizens with his presence. She stood up and wrapped her arms around herself. It felt comforting to her, like he was looking out for her when she was away in the city, too.

They arrived at the pier within minutes. Katara left the air acolytes to dock the boat and walked up the side of the cliff to their temple. She noticed the tall tower was decorated with long strings of colourful lights that swirled down from the top. She chuckled, that must've been Aang's doing. No one else could've attached those so high so perfectly. When she reached their home, she saw a candle flickering on their living room window. She smiled lovingly. He hadn't forgotten.

Katara quietly slid the door closed behind her. She took off her parka and hung it on the row of pegs near the entrance, along with her shoulder bag and pouch. Her husband's voice echoed from the kitchen as she stepped inside the temple. He cooed something to their little airbender, but the baby didn't seem to stop fussing. Logical enough, his mother hadn't fed him in the evening, so it was no wonder the little guy was becoming upset due to an empty stomach.

She dragged her heavy feet towards the kitchen, walking through the dimly lit long corridor. As she reached the doorway, she leaned against it for a second to see what was going on. Her husband had his back turned towards her, he was down on his knees and his head was buried in one of the cabinets where they kept their food. He was cradling their younger son with one arm and reaching for something on a shelf inside the cabinet with the other. She noticed a small bowl filled with water beginning to boil on the stove to her left, as well as an empty milk bottle on the dining table.

"Don't worry, buddy! It won't be long now.." Aang assured Tenzin as he closed the cabinet doors, holding a small box of formula in his hand. The baby released another small cry and tugged at his daddy's robes. But Aang stopped in his tracks as he met his wife's gaze just as he stood up.

"Katara! You're home!" he exclaimed, as if it was a miracle. But once his grey eyes examined her figure from head to toe, it really could've been a miracle. Her knees were wobbly as she approached him and wrapped her boys in a soft embrace.

Aang put the formula next to the bottle on the table and let his free hand comb Katara's hair. Loose ends were still hanging from the bun on the back of her head and her hair loopies weren't done neatly. She didn't bother to make herself pretty before leaving the hospital, no one would've noticed how messy she looked in the dark anyway.

Aang kissed her forehead and stared into her diamond blue eyes as he cupped her cheek, noting the dried up streaks of tears on both sides. His thumb rubbed over one, like he was trying to wipe the spot dry.

Katara hadn't spoken a word ever since she'd returned home. Her attention turned to Tenzin, who began to cry even louder in between the warmth of his parents' bodies. She hummed in delight, forgetting all the anguish and happy moments she'd been through with her patients that day.

"Sounds like someone's a bit hungry. Can I feed him?" Katara asked with a smile as she let Tenzin grab her finger.

"Oh, sure! I didn't know that you'd be home so soon, I was just about to prepare some formula for him myself," Aang said as he attempted to put Tenzin into his mother's arms. Katara stopped him for a second to remove her short-sleeved water tribe coat, which she then used to wrap around the baby like a soft blanket.

"Come here, Tenzin.. Mommy's got you," she cooed as she picked him up from her husband's arms, slightly bouncing him in the process. The little airbender calmed down a bit, hearing another familiar soothing voice and being surrounded by a warm coat that smelled like his mother. Aang liked to describe the smell as a 'healer's scent' as it was always stronger on the days Katara spent working at the hospital. It reminded him of her office and the medicinal herbs inside the cupboards, as well as the healing hut in their temple.

"I'm going to the living room. Care to join me?"

"Of course, as soon as I put everything back to the way it was in here. I'll join you two in a few minutes, okay?"

"Okay, sweetie."

Katara stood on her tiptoes for a moment to rub her nose against Aang's, their lips grazing, then melting into one to give a more passionate kiss. Tenzin interrupted their show of affection with a loud cry for more attention. Aang chuckled after she'd broken their kiss.

"Alright-alright, hold on! I'm gonna feed you in a minute," Katara hushed him as she headed back into the hallway to walk over to their living room. The baby looked up at his mother with teary light greyish blue eyes as he found solace in sucking his thumb instead. At least he remained quieter until his tired mother reached their living room couch and found a cosy position for sitting.

Katara released a sigh of relief as she slumped down in the middle of the couch. She closed her eyes and let her entire body relax after being up on her feet for hours. In.. and out. In.. and out. She slowed the pace of her breathing with the help of a technique Aang had taught her.

When she opened her eyes, she was surprised to see Tenzin mimicking her pattern, his mouth wide open and big grey eyes staring right back at her. Katara laughed, then proceeded to do what she'd intended to do in the first place.

Sliding the navy blue tunic off the left side of her chest, she then pulled the white cloth of her sarashi down to reveal her breast. After that, she held her index finger near the corner of Tenzin's mouth, slightly tickling his cheek. It was an old trick she liked to use to see whether her babies were hungry or not, and it had never failed her. If the baby was hungry, it'd usually start sucking on the tip of the finger. Tenzin did just that, so Katara pulled her finger away to guide him to his real nourishment.

"There we go.. good boy, Tenzin!" she said, letting her free hand comb the boy's hair as he began suckling. He placed his tiny hand above her heart to hold himself steady and to show his mother that she shouldn't press him too close. Having given birth to three kids already, Katara had learned a lot from her first two, so much that she'd become really good at nursing. All those tips she'd usually give to new mothers were actually ones she could use herself. She had less problems each time and she could easily pick up the signals when her own child didn't feel comfortable. Right now, Tenzin seemed to be rather cosy in her fuzzy coat.

He looked up at her all the time, his grey eyes rarely closing for more than half a minute. Katara didn't wanna break eye contact with him either. She felt like it would help her establish a special bond with her son. Like it'd help him remember what she looked like when he was little. Although she didn't realize it, it was even more therapeutic for herself.

Katara would sometimes end up talking about her day at work when it was just the two of them together. She'd share her deepest darkest secrets with him, as if he could understand what she was telling him. Every cry or gurgle that Tenzin replied with meant that he loved listening to her voice. That knowledge helped wash away his mother's sadness and stress. She'd smile back at him, coo something silly or rub their noses together, making her baby squeal with joy.

Whether it was baby Tenzin, or baby Kya, or baby Bumi, Aang would describe the mother and baby pair like two peas in a pod. Katara was always meant to have each one of them, to spend time with them, to be their mother. To be a mother.

"All done?" she asked when she felt that his suckling had gradually become weaker. Tenzin held his mouth wide open as she pulled him away from her breast, then tucked it back into her sarashi and covered her chest with her tunic.

Katara noticed the slightly melted candle on the windowsill, so she cradled her baby and walked over to look outside. The snowfall hadn't ceased since the afternoon. The little airbender gazed at the white fluff falling down from the sky in wonder. This was his first winter. He released a short cry and reached one of his hands out towards the window.

"You're still amazed by the snow, huh? You wanna touch it?" Katara cooed. He replied with another cry and a pout, which she took as a 'yes'. She cracked half of the window open and let some cool fresh air inside through the narrow opening. A couple of snowflakes intruded the living room and landed near them.

Tenzin squealed when he almost managed to catch one in his palm. Katara helped along by waterbending some more towards him so he could grab them. Her son giggled at the floating snowflakes until one landed on his nose and began tickling it. He fell silent and pulled a weird face for a few seconds. The next thing Katara knew, he sneezed, blowing such a strong gust of wind past her face that her loose hair flung in the air and landed on the front of her chest. The baby looked at his mother with wide eyes for a moment before he burst out laughing.

"Oohh.. you liked that, huh?" Katara wondered playfully as she closed the window and headed back to the couch. Tenzin merely held his tiny hands in front of his smiling mouth, like he was trying to hold back his laughter.

After she'd taken a seat, Katara puckered her lips and blew a soft breeze against his forehead to teach him how to do it again. Tenzin learned pretty fast as he tried to repeat the same motion, only with a little bit more powerful airbending, making his mother's hair fly and land on her back. He went into another giggle fit. She pulled a thick bunch of her hair on the right side of her chest, letting her son blow at it several times. This game seemed to amuse him to no end.

"What's so funny in here?" Aang wondered as he joined his wife and son, who were both laughing, one more loudly than the other.

"Come here, Aang," Katara said through her giggling, patting the empty side on the couch. The airbender sat down to her left as she held her index finger up to him.

"Wait for it," she smirked, then combed her hair onto her chest one more time. Tenzin took a deep breath and blew at it, laughing at the strands flying in the air before they landed on his mother's back.

"Oh my gosh.. how did you come up with that?" Aang started laughing, too.

"I didn't. He just sneezed and began laughing when my hair flew," Katara explained as she lifted Tenzin a bit higher so he'd cut it out. His giggling quietened and he calmed down at the faint sound of his mother's heartbeat, which thumped that soothing rhythm into his right ear. Aang gently pulled the tunic further away so his head would rest against his mother's bare skin above her left breast and he could hear it better. The little airbender laid a hand above her other breast and grasped the edge of her tunic, gurgling happily. His parents looked at him with loving smiles on their faces, their hearts melting at his little gestures.

"Sweetie, you're not gonna believe what an amazing thing happened to me today," Katara spoke in a low tone, her diamond blue eyes shimmering like the stars in the sky when she stared into her husband's grey eyes.

"I've seen some pretty bizarre things. Try me," Aang dared fondly, snaking his arm around her shoulders to pull her closer.

"I met a spirit. But it was no ordinary spirit. It was the spirit of a little girl who'd died from whooping cough when she was only three years old."

Aang frowned and rubbed her shoulder while she continued talking. She averted her gaze to Tenzin as she tenderly stroked his head.

"Her name was Aiko. I saw her in the morning just as I was finishing my morning rounds in the northeastern borough. I thought she was just an ill child and I tried to help her. She tricked me into chasing her through alleys and I had two accidents trying to catch her, one of which resulted with my ambulance carriage getting busted."

"Oh no.. you're not hurt, are you?" Aang wondered, a concerned look on his face as he cupped her cheek and examined hers for any visible injuries.

"I'm fine, thanks to Mamoun. It could've turned out a lot worse if it hadn't been for him. He was a true friend who helped me a lot today. And I healed myself back at the hospital, don't worry."

"Mmm.. okay," the airbender hummed and kissed her temple, running the back of his hand over the spot.

"So, then what happened?"

"After that last big crash, I finally managed to persuade her to come to me. I could literally touch her, she was physically in our world."

"The gift of the winter solstice," he added.

"Exactly. I didn't realize that back then. She grabbed my hand and led me to an abandoned square. I stumbled upon a homeless pregnant woman, who was already in labour, so I helped her deliver a healthy baby boy. She decided to name him Taro, after me and because he was her firstborn son.. Can you guess how Aiko was connected to them?"

Aang shrugged.

"Aiko was her daughter. All along she was trying to lead me to her mother so I could help her give birth. Her mother, Iniko, told me that she'd seen her ghost in their home after she'd passed away. Aiko still visited her mother during the solstices, when the Spirit World became closer to the mortal world and she could see her.. Can you believe that, sweetie?"

Aang simply smiled and gave Katara a kiss on the lips, their eyes closed before he pulled away and gazed into her half-lidded diamond blue eyes.

"I believe it, Katara," he said, rubbing their noses together as they released a hum of delight.

"Oogies!" someone exclaimed from behind the doorway.

"Bumi!" Aang and Katara replied in unison before their other two children scampered over to join them. Bumi sat next to his father and Kya hopped up on the couch, snuggling up to her mother's side.

"Happy winter solstice celebration, mommy!" the little waterbender said for the second time that day as she stood up for a moment to wrap her arms around her mother's neck and hug her.

"Aww! Thank you, Kya! Muah!" Katara grinned and kissed her daughter's cheek, prompting her to giggle as she sat back down.

"Who did daddy light the candle for this year?" Kya wondered. All five family members gazed at the candlelight still burning brightly on the windowsill.

"He didn't say?" Katara asked in surprise, returning her husband's gaze.

"Since you practically spent the whole day working away from home, the kids and I agreed we'd give you the pleasure of choosing."

The elder waterbender hummed in thought for a moment, considering everything that'd happened that day, before she decided.

"For Kya."

"For me?" the little waterbender gasped, her face beaming.

"For your namesake, sweetie. For your grandmother. For my mom," Katara specified, touching the carving of her necklace with one hand. Aang carefully massaged his thumb around near her neck, feeling her pulse slow down or rise depending on her mood or what she was thinking about.

"I hope that she can see me.. see us, our family, Sokka and dad from the Spirit World right now. She'd be so happy."

"I'm sure she is," he assured her, slowly letting his grey eyes fall shut as he leaned forward to kiss her again. Katara followed his example.

"That's how they do mushy stuff. You'd better get used to it," Bumi told Tenzin. His parents started giggling through their kiss, then burst out laughing as their lips parted when they couldn't contain it any longer. Aang ruffled Bumi's messy hair, after which he gifted Katara with another quick kiss on the cheek while Kya hugged her mommy. Tenzin gurgled when his mother kissed him, too.

"That winter solstice celebration was one of the most memorable ones in my life, with it being Tenzin's first winter among our family, as well as due to the unusual train of events that unfolded that day.

With my help, Iniko and Taro were given a place in a shelter where they stayed for a while until she found a job and could afford an apartment of her own once more. Jia-Li recovered from pentapox and her mother made sure that all members of her family would be vaccinated against any dangerous illnesses from then on, including their newest member, another healthy baby girl, who was born a week later.

Being married to the Avatar, I was blessed to be able to see so many spirits during my lifetime. I knew it in my heart that my mother saw us together that night. And she must've been one of the happiest mothers in the world, besides me."

[charmedtheselfproclaimedking]

Charmed Again: Season 2 (Charmed Fanfic)

Episode 5 - A Charmed Songbook

Warnings: I don’t own the rights to any of the characters from the hit TV show “Charmed” or the storylines related to the show those rights belong to original creator Constance M Burge.

15+ Moderate/Graphic Displays of Violence, Sexual Innuendos, Witchcraft and Potentially Triggering Scenes.

“To all of you who’ve wronged me I am I am a zombie.” Zombie – The Pretty Reckless

Cindy was busy serving drinks behind the bar at Devilish Delights while Drake stood still on the stage fully clothed for once while looking completely broken as he looked into the audience to see Paul, Pan and Quinn standing amongst the crowd equally as broken as him.

To understand this introduction we must first go back to the events which lead to the devastation felt between the charmed ones and their white lighter, the events which lead to Drake Black discovering the truth behind what Paul, Pan, Quinn and Cindy had done to his memories, the memories of his mother.

24 HOURS EARLIER

“When the sun goes down and the bands won’t play, I’ll always remember us this way.” Always Remember Us This Way – Lady Gaga

Drake and Quinn woke up in bed together for the seventh consecutive morning in a row both awakening with big smiles on their faces delighted to see each other’s face like every other day that week before they kissed each other passionately before smiling and looking at each other with pure adoration before Drake pulled himself out of his bed wearing just a pair of boxers.

Quinn who was also wearing just a pair of boxers wasted no time in getting out of bed, following Drake and hugging from behind as he began kissing him on the neck causing Drake to turned around and passionately kiss Quinn once more before throwing him down back onto the bed and jumping on top of his white lighter lover.

“All your darkness has been rewritten into a work of fiction as you pull on every ribbon, I hope you never find all the secrets it keeps.” I’ll Keep You Safe – Sleeping at Last

Paul sat on a chair at the dining table within the dining room of his family home as he held on to a picture of a younger version of him holding Drake as a baby, his hands shaking and tears forming in his eyes as he both regretted his decision about manipulating Drake’s memories and was relieved by his decision at the same time.

“I’m going to keep you safe Drake.” Paul said to himself while looking at the picture of his son as a new-born baby. “No matter what I’ll keep you safe!”

“We are turning into dust playing house in the ruins of us.” Broken Strings – James Morrison and Nelly Furtado.

Pan lay tucked up in his bed with tears in her eyes as she cried into a tissue which her bed was covered in as she held her phone and began deleting picture after picture of both herself and Lacey and herself and Eve knowing both relationships had come to an end.

Lacey had not only broken up with her, but she betrayed her trust and Pan blamed her for Eve’s death.

Anything Pan had with Eve had died long before Eve did, but she couldn’t help but mourn her death because after all Eve was the first love of her life.

“They’re going to try you, but they can’t deny you.” Work Bitch – Britney Spears.

“No, no! That’s just bloody terrible!” Cindy shouted as she walked on to the stage of Devilish Delights complaining at her three male strippers “You’ll be lucky if people want to slip so much as a single dollar into your underused and overpaid g strings.”

“We’re trying our best here boss.” One of the strippers said to her.

“Well it’s not good enough!” Cindy snapped before storming off stage.

Cindy’s employees were used to her many mood swings throughout each workday but lately she had been growing increasingly worse due her guilt over erasing her friend Drake’s memories and guilt was something she rarely felt and didn’t know how to handle.

“I’m the villain in my own story my actions have gone too far. I told myself that I was his Jasmine, but I realize I’m Jafar.” I’m the villain in my own story – Rachel Bloom.

“What do you want squirrel boy?” Cindy asked after storming into her office to find Quinn stood there waiting for him.

“I needed somebody to vent to everything’s just so perfect right now perhaps too perfect and it feels off.” Quinn admitted to her.

“Of course, things are off Drake’s happy and trouble free the exact opposite of who he has always been.” Cindy replied honestly. “He’s basically been brainwashed to a standard you and his fellow charmed ones approve of he’s not Drake anymore but that’s exactly what use wanted.”

“That’s not true we were just trying to protect him from his own grief and if you hated the idea so much why did you go along with it?” Quinn argued with the demon.

“Because I understood where you were all coming from and that understanding made me go along with the plan besides, I’ve learned to stay on side with the charmed ones, so I don’t wind up getting vanquished.” Cindy explained to the white lighter. “I know your not to blame fully for this decision just like I’m not those two have a way of making you do things you don’t want to do.”

“Drake won’t see it like that if he learns what we all did he’ll never forgive any of us.” Quinn told Cindy. “I don’t want to lose him again.”

“Quinn, you’ve already lost him you know as much as I do this version of Drake isn’t really him but we can bring the real him back you just have to decide whether you love all of him or the parts which are only beneficial to you.” Cindy offered up the only solution she thought viable to their circumstances.

“There’s a whole lot of things that I will forgive but I just can’t take a liar. I was by your side till the very end until you pushed me in the fire.” Stuttering – Fefe Dobson.

“Absolutely not!” Paul disagreed after learning Quinn’s plans to restore Drake’s memories as he, Quinn and Pan stood in the attic of the Halliwell Manor unknowing that Drake was on the stairs to the attic just outside. “It’s far too soon to be giving him his memories back he won’t be able to handle the truth.”

“I agree,” Pan said as she stood up for her brother as usual. “When he’s ready to have those memories back he’ll have moved on from his grief of losing Eve.

“He’s not moving on he’s living a life.” Quinn argued with them both. “He’s not the Drake we now it’s like we’ve edited him to our liking. It isn’t human to avoid grief it’s a part of the natural process of being a human.”

“Annoyingly I think you have a point.” Pan reluctantly found herself agreeing with her white lighter. “Maybe he should be allowed to decide whether he wants to mourn his mother or not.”

“No absolutely not,” Paul shouted at both his sister and his white lighter. “We took his memories away in the first place to protect him from the truth.”

“Or did we steal his memories to protect ourselves from the truth?” Quinn asked him.

Drake had heard enough of yet another betrayal by the hands of his loved ones and within a second he blinked away from his family home only to reappear in Cindy’s office who instantly knows why he’s there.

“I figured this would be sooner rather than later.” Cindy told him.

“We all need somebody who we can always run to and I will be the one for you.” I’ll Be There – Emma Bunton

“We did what we did at the time because we thought that it was the right thing to do but we were wrong Paul and I know it’s not easy for either of us to admit but Quinn’s right.” Pan told her brother as she walked into his room to find Paul sitting on the edge of his bed looking lost in thought.

“He’s already felt so much pain in his life I just wanted to spare him from anymore I’m his father it’s my job to protect him and I keep failing.” Paul admitted as Pan walked over and sat down next to him. “I don’t want to lose him again.”

“He’s going to understand eventually that all we’ve ever done is try to protect him.” Pan tried to convince her brother as she gave him a hug. “I hope he’ll understand.”

Meanwhile Quinn was upstairs in the attic pacing himself up and down the room before Cindy eventually shimmered herself into the attic making it clear he had been waiting for her to arrive.

“Why am I so god damn popular today?” Cindy moaned. “It’s becoming impossible for a girl to get anything done.”

“You’re right we should give Drake his memories back.” Quinn told her.

“I’ve already given him his memories back Quinn.” Cindy revealed, much to Quinn’s horror. “He figured things out for himself like I knew he would and ordered me to return his memories.”

“Oh god,” Quinn replied in total shock. “He’s going to hate us all.”

“He stormed out after getting his memories back and I’ve got not idea where he went.” Cindy admitted to the white lighter. “You should probably inform Pan and Paul.”

“I’ve fallen hard like a million times on number seven of my nine lives. The pain in my heart is all the people that depart.” Love Made Me Do It – Cheryl.

“I really hope for your own sake that this isn’t some scheme of yours to take me out because I can promise you if it is then you will fail and I will kill you like I did your mother.” Titus, the new source of all evil declared as Drake walked into the throne room of the Underworld while Titus sat comfortable on the throne of skulls.

“I’m done being lied to, I’m done being played and I’m done following anyone’s rules which includes yours!” Drake snapped at his evil grandfather while continuing to walk towards him. “I contacted you because I want the Underworld for my own after all it is my destiny.”

“Perhaps it was but I’m the source of all evil now.” Titus told his grandson as he stood up from his throne.

“Your position is only temporarily because you can’t be a member of the triad and the source of all evil forever which means you have to give up one position and I know you prefer the perks of being the triad otherwise you wouldn’t have allowed your daughter to rule hell for so long.” Drake replied to the source of all evil. “Sooner or later you’re going to give up that throne and who better to be your successor than your grandson.”

“Since when do you suddenly want to be the source of all evil?” Titus asked him with a sinister smile on his face.

“Since the charmed ones have proven to be nothing more than backstabbing bitches who have a tendency to lie and betray me, so I do their bidding.” Drake revealed. “It’s about time people started doing my bidding plus if you make me king then I’m no longer a charmed one eliminating any threat for you.”

“It would also be me allowing you a great amount of power when I could just as easily kill you where you stand and therefore delete the threat.” Titus pointed out.

“True but that has never been part of your master-plan you’ve clearly wanted me to fulfill my destiny going to great lengths to darken my heart in the process even killing your own daughter just for me to be ready to take the throne.” Drake made it clear he knew Titus wanted him to be king.

“Well you’re clearly smarter than your mother ever was you clearly have more of me than she ever did.” The source admitted rather coldly.

“I guess so,” Drake responded with a sinister smirk. “Shall we begin preparing for my coronation now or are you going to waste more of my time?”

“There’s no going back to your former life once you become the source of all evil it will be you versus them and only one can win.” Titus warned his grandson.

“I don’t intend on coming back!” Drake made himself clear.

[barpurplewrites]

Monsterous Visage - Chapter 4

Story so Far (One)  (Two)   (Three)

-x-x-x-

Emma and Neal weren’t surprised that Gold was calling it a night. He’d never been comfortable around crowds, and he last longer than either of them had expected.

“We’ll see you in Sunday for dinner, Pops?”

Gold gave Henry a hug and nodded at his son; “Of course, Henry and I are making shortbread.”

With a final wave he strolled towards the carpark. Once he was deep within the crowd and sure he was out of his family’s sight he ducked along the gap between the Ghost Train and the Tea Cup ride. He noticed people rapidly stepping out of his way and realised that his face was set in a determined scowl, people probably thought he was on the war-path for rent. Once the Cabinet of Curiosities was in sight Gold paused and pulled Henry’s cell phone from his pocket. He felt a little guilty for pick-pocketing his grandson, but he would make it up to him on Sunday. It took him a moment to open the gallery feature, this smart phone was much more complicated than his, but he got there.

“Oh, Henry you wonderful sneaky boy.”

Henry had taken a photo of Belle, and it was just the proof that Gold needed.

 -x-x-x-

 “Can I see the photo?”

Henry had thought Matt would ask this and was already opening the Cloud on his cell. The photo was tucked away in a folder marked ‘Old Gold’, a nod to his Grandpops, and secured so the pictures within didn’t automatically project into the air. Matt raised an eyebrow as Henry handed him the cell, but his eyes widened in surprise when he looked at the picture.

“Woah. This isn’t a manip?”

“Nope, that is the first picture I took of Belle.”

Henry understood Matt’s doubts, he’d briefly thought the same when he first saw the photo. Only briefly because for all of Grandpops’ varied skills Photoshop had never been one of them, anything techy and he was lost; the sulking frustration that had ensued when Gold finally had to update his flip-phone was the stuff of family legend.

Matt’s nose was practically touching the screen as he examined the photo. Henry remembered it clearly after all of these years; the image of the cockatrice superimposed with the twisted body of a beautiful woman, her arms bent behind her to follow the line of the creature’s wings, her neck push forward to fit into the cockerel’s head, and her legs contorted into a pose that would make a dancer cringe.

“The camera saw through the curse, you see Matt, it showed the woman beneath the beast.”

“But how did Grandpa Gold know what she was before he saw the photo?”

“Ah, well, Grandpops always had an eye for the unusual. Now, I only found out about what happened next afterwards, but from what I was told it went something like this…”

 -x-x-x-

 Gold strolled past the ticket seller with an air of confidence that brooked no argument. From the corner of his eye he caught the moment the man decided he was too much trouble to try and stop. Weaving through the curiosities took him no time at all as he wasn’t stopping to look. The hunchback was shocked to see him and couldn’t move quickly enough to stop him pushing through the curtain into the room that housed Belle. His hand wrapped around the bars of her cage and he looked directly into those amazing blue eyes again.

“I’ve come to get up out of here, okay?”

She nodded, and Gold shifted his features back into a superior sneer just as her jailor bustled in.

“You can’t just walk in here!”

Gold turned on the ball of his foot and glared at the man; “I can, and I have. I’ve come to offer you a deal.”

That brought the man up short, his eyes narrowed with greed and Gold knew that the battle was half won already; “What manner of deal?”

“I’m going to buy the cockatrice.”

“Oh, are you now?”

Gold tilted his head and let a small smile tug at his lips, “Of course, I could have you charged by the Sheriff for not having a license for a dangerous animal, for not filling the correct paperwork to bring said animal into town, and for animal cruelty. You’d end up paying a crippling fine and possibly facing jail time, and then I would claim the animal without paying you a single cent, or…”

The look of growing panic on the man’s face was a delight.

“What’s your offer?”

Gold named a sum and glared at the man daring him to try and barter. Both of them knew Gold held all of the cards here, and the man understood that pissing him off would only cause further problems.

“Fine, but I want the money before you take her,” – Gold raised an eyebrow and the man sagged, - “Okay! Just get her out of here.”

Gold caught the keys the man threw at him and waved him away. He watched until the hunchback had left the room before turning to Belle.

“Are you ready to leave?”

 -x-x-x-

 “How did Grandpa get Belle out of the carnival without anyone seeing them?”

Henry chuckled; “I have no idea, Matt, but they did it somehow because they ended up back at the pawnshop, which is where we should be heading back to.”

He settled the bill with Rosa and they stepped out on to the street. As they strolled along Main Street Henry considered how much of the next part of the story to tell his grandson. Matt was mature for his age, but that was no reason to give him nightmares when a small tweaking of the facts would allow the story to be told without the horror. Neither Gold nor Belle would object to him editing their story, it was in keeping with tradition after all, he’d been nearly twenty before they had told him the truth of the matter.

He gave Matt the keys to open the pawnshop and smiled as he took the small task with all the serious pride of a kid. Lucy had been on at him for years to change the locks to bio-chips, but nobody would dare break into the pawnshop and there was something comfortingly familiar about the metal keys.

Matt kept glancing at the clock as Henry settled in his chair, there was only half an hour before Lucy would arrive to take him to soccer practice, good thing Henry had decided on the abridged version of events.

“Now, I said I didn’t know how Grandpops got Belle back here without anyone seeing her, but I know that they must have walked because the Caddy was still in the parking lot when we left the fair. My Dad drove it home that night, it wasn’t unusual because Grandpops would often choose to walk. Back in those days the wood came right up to where Singh and Daughters Sweetshop is now, and with so many people at the carnival there wouldn’t have been many folks around to see them once they got to the streets.”

Matt nodded; “Yeah, that makes sense, I mean Grandma Belle wouldn’t be comfortable in the Caddy with her wings and tail, and I bet after being in that grotty cage for ages she would have wanted to stretch.”

Henry nodded in agreement, smiling to himself at the change in Matt’s attitude, not that long ago he’d doubted the story, but now he was invested.

“Well from what I was told what happened next went like this…”

 -x-x-x-

 Gold’s leg was throbbing by the time they reached the pawnshop, he really wasn’t up to tromping through the woods anymore. Belle was happy to be led inside, and he managed not to trap her tail in the door as he closed it, but the sound of the lock clicking into place caused her to whip round, panic shining in her sapphire eyes. Gold winced at the sound of a breaking crockery and cussed himself as a fool for not thinking that she would react badly to being locked in.

“I’m sorry, I can open it again. Hang on.”

His fumbling with the keys was stopped by the gentle brush of feathers against his arm. Belle had reached for him with her wing, he dropped the keys and gently ran his free hand over her feathers, pulling back when she shivered.

“I’m sorry, I should have presumed you’d be okay with being touch. You stopped me unlocking the door, does that mean you want it to stay locked?”

Belle gave him a clear nod.

“Okay then, but we can open it anytime you want.”

She tilted her head to one side, and then turned around very carefully and tapped the cash register with her claw. Gold frowned as she looked over her shoulder at him. Clearly, she was trying to make him understand something, but he wasn’t sure what. He moved around the shop, mindful of her tail and not to crowd her, until he was standing by her side.

“I don’t understand.”

The tip of her wing brushed his chest, then her claw tapped the register again and finally her wing pointed to herself.

“Me, money, you? Oh, you think I bought you. No, no, I bought your freedom. You can go wherever you like now. I only brought you here because I wasn’t sure what else to do. I didn’t really think this through, did I?”

Gold scrubbed his hands through his hair and tried to make himself clear; “When I looked at you I wanted to help you, to get you out of that awful place,��� – he chuckled more at himself, - “I thought you might be under a curse…”

Belle chirped and nodded frantically.

“You are under a curse?”

She gave another rapid nod.

“Okay. Do you know how to break it?”

Belle’s eyes dropped to the floor and she nodded shyly. Gold twisted his fingers together, he knew a fair bit about curses, but most of his magical knowledge extended to protective charms and the occasional hex, a full transformation curse was beyond him.

“Can you tell me what needs to be done?”

This was going to be the strangest game of charades ever, but Gold was willing to do whatever it took to free Belle. She ruffled her feathers and looked at him, it took him a long moment to realize that her gaze was focused on his mouth.

“Oh, erm, right, a kiss breaks the curse?”

Belle gave him another shy nod. Gold loosened his tie, he’d not thought it would be that simple.

“Well, erm, do you have a partner out there? A husband, a wife? I could find them for you…”

Belle rolled her eyes at him and lunged forward. It should have felt strange being kissed by a creature with a beak, but all Gold felt was the softness of warm lips and a tingle of magic.

-x-x-x-

“Woah! Hang on a minute! A kiss broke the curse?”

Henry nodded, “Yep, a simple kiss, for who would ever kiss a beast? Belle shed her cursed skin and all that was left was that one clawed foot.”

Matt frowned at him and folded his arms across his chest; “You made it a kiss because the truth is gross, isn’t it?”

“What makes you think that?”

“That foot isn’t an empty skin like when my snake sheds, that was cut off. So, I think there is more to breaking Grandma Belle’s curse than you are telling me.”

Henry looked him right in the eye and lied; “Nope, that’s all there is to the story. One kiss and the cursed skin peeled right off, don’t know how the foot got left behind, but it did. Must be magic.”

“Yeah, Gramps, magic.”

Matt didn’t sound convinced, but was distracted by the sound of the front door opening and his mother’s voice.

“Matt! Dad! You back there?”

 Once Matt and Lucy had left the shop for soccer practise Henry picked up the box containing Belle’s severed foot and sat down with a sigh. He’d spun a good ending for Matt, a real fairy tale, true love’s kiss breaks the curse, and everyone lives happily ever after. That’s how it should have happened, but real life was never so simple or kind. Henry closed his eyes and remembered how events had really happened.

[myteaguy-blog]

Gonfu Tea Ceremony: Origin Stories, Legends and Myths

Back when I was a younger man in my 20’s, tea had already become my drink of choice.  While most of my friends ordered coffee with their desserts, I would ask to see the tea selection. I am referring back in time to the 1980’s, so the selection was always standard tea bags such as Twinning’s Earl Grey, Harney & Son’s English Breakfast or Lipton’s Orange Pekoe.  Although I had no idea what orange pekoe meant at the time, I would drink it with milk and sugar and… I enjoyed it.  As the years passed on, the tea selections improved with the addition of green tea, jasmine tea and herbal teas. I continued drinking and enjoying those teas for years, ignorant of the exciting world of teas which I was soon to discover.

During a visit to China back in 2012, my friend Lester asked me if I enjoyed drinking tea, which I proudly answered, “Yes, I love tea!”  He proceeded to take out his gonfu set, and asked me what type of tea I enjoyed drinking?  As I was a little confused and a bit intimidated by the gonfu set, which I had not seen before, I told him, “Oh, whatever you like is good, I like all tea.”  Well, we ended up spending several hours just drinking tea.  It only took him a few minutes to realize that I had never drank tea in this fashion before, however, he still delighted in telling me the tea origin stories and any other relevant details about the tea, as he proceeded to brew them.  He truly enjoyed watching me light up with an eagerness to learn more and more about tea.  We spent the next few weeks tasting different teas such as tieguanyin, wuyi yanchas, aged and sheng puerhs. All of which, I was tasting for the very first time, and all of which, he had fascinating stories for.  Sometimes the stories were the terroir details or the processing method, sometimes the stories were imaginative mythological legends passed down through the generations, sometimes he just shared his own personal experience with the specific tea.  Whatever the story was, it was what made the entire experience of gonfu cha more interesting and unique than any other social experience I had encountered.   When we visited Hangzhou together, we were invited to drink some longjing green tea with a local farmer family.  As the 70-year-old head of the household brewed our tea, her grandson shared the origin story of longjing tea, as well as the story of how his family came to possess the farm and the house which we were now on.  The tea was fantastic, to say the least, but it was the stories he told us which made the entire experience unforgettable for all of us present.

I came to realize during this trip that gonfu tea is not just about drinking a beverage.  It is so much more!  Gonfu tea service is a gateway into a social connection leading to the exploration of many other subjects including culture, society, environment, meditation, moral values, and of course tea and tea ware.  Every tea that Lester offered me had a back story.  Every gaiwan or yixing pot that he used had a back story.  Every utensil he used in preparing the tea had a back story.  While drinking tea with Lester, I learned about the many different dynasties of China. I learned about the differences between western and eastern cultures. I learned how to relax and enjoy the moment. I learned how to appreciate nature. I made new, lasting friendships!  Whether the stories which he shared with me were true or not, didn’t matter, but the stories all became just as much a part of the tea memory I had formed as the aroma and the taste.

My experience with gonfu tea service in China lit a desire within me to come back to the states and share my tea experiences with others.  I gathered a bunch of friends together in my home, not knowing how they would react, since none of them were tea enthusiast. I was pleasantly surprised to see that even people who do not take tea as serious as I do, truly enjoy a gonfu session as a social gathering, when it is filled with fascinating tea tales about the teas being brewed for them.

The more I got involved with serving gonfu style tea to my friends, the more I realized that almost every tea legend which I had heard, I would hear retold slightly different on another occasion, by a different gonfu server. It was refreshing to hear the personal touch added to the storytelling.  It wasn’t about the accuracy or the truth behind the stories, but rather it was more about the connection being made with the people present.

In the following pages of this essay, I will be retelling some of the stories which I have come to learn.  I have referred to online websites to gather the stories, however I have altered the stories slightly in accordance to my own memory of how the stories were told to me. It is quite common for the version of the story which will be told to you at a gonfu session to alter in accordance to where the story teller is from.  

We will begin with three different versions of the ‘origin of tea’ legends as told by Chinese, Indian and Japanese cultures;

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THE ORIGIN OF TEA (CHINA)

Version 1

Emperor Shen Nong set up camp with his entourage in the shade of a large tree. A fire was made and a pot with boiling water was prepared. The heat of the fire brought some of the leaves of the long branches of the tree to dry out. Suddenly, a fierce wind got up and blew some of the leaves into the pot with boiling water. The water turned golden and a delicious scent appeared. The emperor tried the drink and was delighted by the scent and delicious taste. Being immediately aware of the refreshing and invigorating effect, the emperor let out the sound "T'sa", meaning godlike so that, until today, "cha" is the name for tea in Chinese.

Version 2

In ancient times, people knew little about plants.  To determine which plants were edible, poisonous, or medicinal, Shen Nong tasted various kinds of plants every day.  Fortunately, Shen Nong had a transparent belly, making it possible for him to observe the reactions in his stomach caused by the plants he had eaten.  When he tasted tea leaves, he found that the tea leaves passed through his stomach and intestines, checking for poisons in the stomach and cleaning the intestines.  Shen Nong referred to these leaves as Cha, which has the same pronunciation as “checking the poisons” and it became the plant’s current name (tea).

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THE ORIGIN OF TEA (JAPAN)

Bodhidharma made a pledge of 7 years of meditation, in which he vowed not to sleep.  One night he fell asleep and upon awakening, he was so angered by his failure that he cut off his eyelids and threw them to the ground to prevent himself from falling asleep again. As soon as the eyelids touched the soil, they grew roots which soon developed into a large tea bush.  After picking some of the tea leaves and chewing them, he felt energetic, and he concluded that the tea helped him to stay awake. Until today the Japanese language uses the same character for eyelid and tea.

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THE ORIGIN OF TEA (INDIA)

Fakir Dharma took a vow not to sleep for 7 years. After 5 years, it appeared that he could no longer fight the need to sleep. Full of desperation, due to knowing he would not be able to keep his vow, he grasped a couple of branches off the tree where he had made his camp. He put a few leaves into his mouth and chewed them. Immediately, Dharma experienced a refreshing and invigorating effect, his tiredness evaporated and he could keep his vow.

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As you can tell by reading the preceding stories, each story varies greatly.  The stories told by a gonfu tea server can be creatively imaginative with very little truth, embellished truth or very straightforward facts.  In any case, the stories all serve the purpose of helping the listener to both be entertained and to create a lasting memory.

I will continue with a collection of some well-known and some not so well-known tea stories which have amused tea drinkers for years, decades, and even centuries.  While reading them, keep in mind that you may have heard some of them already, told in a different way.  This is the beauty of Gonfu storytelling!  Each gonfu tea server can retell the story in his/her own way.  The stories are told to make a connection with the guest being served.  If you can tell your story with emotion, sentiment and passion, you just might create in your guest an unforgettable memory and a desire to learn more about tea and tea culture…as it happened with me.

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LONGJING:

In the year 250 AD, there was a drought that took hold a small village in Hangzhou.   The local priest told the villagers that if they prayed to the Dragon who lived in a nearby spring then perhaps he will bring them rain.  They believed that this spring led to an underground sea where the Dragon lived.  It seemed only plausible that this creature could bring them the water from the sea.   The villagers prayed and prayed until finally the rains came.  In honor of the Dragon, the villagers named the village Longching (Dragon Well).

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DA HONG PAO

During the Ming Dynasty, the emperor’s wife had grown gravely ill. He sought the advice of every doctor in the land to try and save his wife, however, nothing could be done to save the dying empress.  He then offered a reward to anybody in the land who could save his wife.  A farmer came to him with a tea which he had made from the leaves of a bush that grew on a high and steep cliff near his home.  As soon as the tea touched the lips of the empress, she began to regain her health.  The emperor was so pleased that he honored the farmer with a gift of his imperial red robes.  In response, the farmer named the tea Da Hong Pao (Red Robe Tea).

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TIEGUANYIN

There was a man named Wei Yin in Anxi County who worked diligently in his tea farm and believed in Buddhism. He always offered a cup of tea to Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy, in his shrine at every sunrise as well as every sunset for several decades. One-night Guanyin appeared to him in a dream and showed him a unique tea plant between the gaps of rocks. The next morning, Wei Yin followed his dream walking along the creek side to the rocky place and found the tea plant between the rock crevices that he saw in his dream.  With a great excitement, he brought the tea plant home, put it in an iron tripod, and began to cultivate it cautiously.  He treated the tea as a family treasure and brewed the tea only for his important guests. A literati scholar came to have the tea with Wei Yin one day and asked: “What is this great tea?” Wei Yin told the scholar the dream and the discovery. He also told the scholar his intention to name the tea after “Iron Rohat,”, the enlightened Buddhist Dharma protector, because the rocks where the plant was found looked like Rohats, and the plant was cultivated later in the iron pot.

Shaking his head, the scholar said: “Some of the Rohats look too wrathful. How can you name such a precious thing like that? Guanyin appeared in your dream and directed you to the tea, it only suits its elegance to name the tea Tie Guanyin (Iron Goddess of Mercy).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TAI PING HOU KUI

A mother monkey died of grief after losing her child.  A local farmer kindly buried the monkey on his land. The farmer soon dreamt of the monkey guiding him to a place, deep in the forest, where a tea garden was. Upon awaking, he retraced his dreaming steps to verily discover a hidden garden of tea bushes which he plucked to make this tea.

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JASMINE DRAGON PEARL

An orphaned brother and sister lived on the outskirts of Fuzhou. One winter, the brother got very seriously sick and no doctors could help him. An old woman told his sister about a magic dragon who was always helping people in need. The girl decided to go to the dragon’s cave and ask for his help.  The cave was surrounded by jasmine bushes of amazing beauty. She told the dragon about her problem and he promised to help her. Soaring into the sky, the dragon made an ominous cry and a beautiful pearl appeared on his neck, glittering on the sun. A small drop fell from the pearl and onto the ground, where a beautiful tea bush sprouted and started immediately growing. Dragon said to the girl that she should take care of the bush and he disappeared. It rained hard the whole day but the girl looked after the bush not leaving its side even for a moment. Finally, small long leaves appeared on the bush. The girl gathered from the most delicate leaves from the top of each branch, dried them next to jasmine flowers, and made delicate beads, like the one that hung around the neck of a dragon. Returning home, she brewed some tea from these magical leaves and their house was filled with the wonderful aroma of jasmine. Having tasted the miracle drink, her brother quickly recovered.

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BI LUO CHUN

The name Biluochun literally means "Green Snail Spring". It is called so because it is a green tea that is rolled into a tight spiral, resembling snail meat, and is cropped early spring. The original name of Bi Luo Chun is Xia Sha Ren Xiang, meaning "scary fragrance". It was so named when a tea picker who ran out of space in her basket, put the tea between her breasts instead. The tea, warmed by her body heat, emitted a strong aroma that surprised the girl.

The Kangxi Emperor visited Lake Tai in the 38th year of his rule. He enjoyed the tea very much and decided to give it a more elegant name, Bi Luo Chun (Green Snail Spring).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

JUN SHAN YIN ZHEN

The Fujian province were experiencing a dry spell which was threatening the lives of the villagers. It was believed that a celestial plant was growing in the Taimu mountain which was guarded by a black dragon. This plant is believed to be able to cure many kinds of illnesses and it will bring up water when the juice of this plant is dropped into the river. Many villages went looking for this special plant but failed and were magicked into rocks in the mountain. A young lady, whose two brothers also went there but were both dead, decided to risk her life. When she reached the mountain, the black dragon attacked her viciously but she cunningly managed to kill the dragon. The young lady then plucked the celestial plant and dropped its juice into the river and onto the people who had been turned into rocks.  They were transformed back into human beings. Thanks to her courage and effort, the villagers were very grateful. They transferred the plant from the mountain and planted it widely in their villages. Due to its silvery white color and needle shape, it was named Yin Zhen (Silver Needle).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

KEEMUN

The name Keemun comes from Qimen county in southern Anhui province, where almost all the mountains are covered with tea bushes. Qimen county produced only green tea until the mid-1870’s. Around that time a young man in the civil service lost his job. Despite being totally heartbroken and completely embarrassed by his shame, he remembered what his father told him – ‘A skill is a better guarantor of a living than precarious officialdom’. Following this advice, the young man packed up his courage and his bags to travel to Fujian Province to learn the secrets of black tea manufacturing. Upon his return to Qimen in 1875 he set up three factories to produce black tea. The black tea method was perfectly suited to the tea leaves produced in this warm moist climate with well drained sandy soil. Before long, the superb flavor of Keemuns became very popular around the world.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MILK OOLONG TEA

The moon fell in love with a comet passing through the night sky. The comet, passed by, burned out and vanished. The moon, in her sorrow, caused a great wind to blow through the hills and valleys, bringing about a quick drop in temperature. The next morning, local tea pickers went out to collect their fresh leaf. To their surprise, when the tea was processed it had developed an amazing milky character, which was attributed to the motherly character of the old moon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EARL GREY

The Earl Grey blend is named after Charles Grey, the British Prime Minister in the 1830s.  In 1831, one of Charles Grey’s men rescued a Chinese man from drowning. As a token of his thanks and appreciation, he gave Charles Grey this unique blend of tea as a gift. The Prime Minister enjoyed this unique blend and asked his tea merchants, then headed by Richard Twining II to make it for him and his guests. Everyone was intrigued and delighted by the distinctive hint of bergamot that gave this tea a unique taste, something his guests were not accustomed to. The tea was so popular that when it ran out, Richard Twining agreed to produce and sell this sought-after blend. In those days, it was called, Earl Grey’s Mixture, and later came to be known as Twining’s Earl Grey. However, crucially, Twining omitted to trademark the blend enabling others to enter the market.

I strongly encourage anybody who is interested in serving tea to guest in a gonfu style to spend some time reading the origin stories, the legends and the myths of the teas they will be brewing for their guest.  When combined with your own personal experiences, which you will accumulate throughout the years, you will soon find your guest sitting on the other side of the tea table, utterly intrigued as they watch you brewing the tea, explaining the intricacies of it, the terroir, the age, the cultivar…and then you will take the whole experience to the next level, leaving them with a lasting impression, while they intensely listen to the story of the tea…as only you can tell it!

“If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.” ― Rudyard Kipling

[leagueofbane]

“I see you’ve managed to keep him alive again, Barsad.”

Bane and Barsad return to the palace in Rajasthan, to be reunited with their loved ones in this next installment of my fic THE DEMON’S LEGACY. (This story is also available at Ao3 and FanFiction.net.)

(artwork by @hallpen on DeviantArt.)

Chapter 2

             The lowering sun gilded the ornate two-story entrance arch of the El Fadil compound. Sculpted elephants nearly two meters tall stood, one on either side, as if on guard. Behind them, two armed men stood to the actual task, bringing their guns to bear until they recognized Barsad and Bane. As Barsad stopped the vehicle to allow the guards to open the pair of four-meter-high steel-enforced doors, the dust raised by the SUV caught up to them and curled around the Land Rover, further coating the already-filthy vehicle.

           As always, Bane admired the architecture of this place, a marriage of Islamic and Rajput tastes. The compound’s thick earthen walls surrounded the six-story palace as well as a two-story guesthouse, several courtyards and intricate, beautiful gardens. All heavily guarded and surveilled by cameras.

           When Bane considered the nearest elephant sculpture, he smiled to himself, thinking of his son who always insisted he be allowed to sit upon the elephant’s back whenever he left the compound with his parents or Maysam. He had made his father promise to one day let him ride a real elephant. Henri often asked permission to hold his mother’s small ivory-carved elephant that was displayed on a shelf in the family suite. The talisman had been a gift to Talia from their very dear friend, Temujin, who had died many years ago in service to the League. It was Temujin’s name that they had given to Henri as a middle name. Talia only used it when she was angry with her son. Bane, however, often used the shortened version, Jin, especially when he and Henri were alone together, a special term of endearment in memoriam to the revered Mongol, who had been his mentor during his training days with the League. How he wished Temujin could have met Henri. Easily he remembered how kind, patient, and wise Temujin had been with Talia when she was a child.

           Once inside the compound, the Land Rover was met by the palace chauffeur, standing just inside the shade of the Diwan-i-Khas, the palace’s private audience hall. He offered a small bow to Bane as he opened the SUV’s door.

           “How are you, Faran?” Barsad said as he stiffly extricated himself from behind the wheel.

           “I am well, sahib. And I am pleased you are back.”

           Barsad handed him the keys. “Not as pleased as Sanjana, I bet.” He grinned, and Faran’s dark eyes danced. The two men had known each other many years now. It was Barsad who had hired Faran, back when he had worked for Siddig and Maysam, before he had met Bane.

           “She grows larger by the day,” Faran said, leaning in a bit.

           “I’ll make sure not to repeat your remark to her,” Barsad chuckled.

           “Thank you, sahib.” Faran slipped around Barsad and into the driver’s seat.

           As the chauffeur drove the car away, Bane considered Barsad’s relationship with Faran. His lieutenant could get along easily with pretty much anyone he wanted to, a talent Bane sometimes envied. Even without his mask, Bane knew the palace servants were still intimidated by his towering, muscle-bound appearance. None of them dared speak to him the way Faran had just spoken to Barsad.

           They entered the empty audience hall, a grand space with marble floors and several chandeliers, unlit, a multitude of open archways on either side, allowing cross ventilation. From the direction of the gardens, the cry of the palace peacock reached Bane’s ears. Through a doorway at the closest end of the hall, they stepped into an open courtyard with facades three-stories high, then farther through an open archway into the palace courtyard. The palace loomed above them, its pastel yellow masonry boasting many windows and verandas, trimmed in white and maroon. The centuries-old palace had been the El Fadil home for many generations, purchased and expanded through the blood and treasure of others.

           “Talia will be pissed we didn’t tell her when we’d arrive,” Barsad said as they climbed the stone steps. “She would’ve met us with Henri.”

           “The day is too hot for them to be outside.”

           “All the same, she’ll be pissed.”

           “Perhaps I will have a way to distract her.” Bane shot Barsad a sly grin.

           “Oh, brother.” Barsad rolled his eyes before nodding to the guards at the main doors as they passed inside.

           Arabic voices rolled to them from far down the hallway to the right of the main staircase. Bane recognized the staccato voice of Nashir El Fadil, upbraiding one of his men, or so it seemed. Though not as savage as his eldest brother Siddig or as unpredictably violent as Amir—the brother, now dead, who had succeeded Siddig—Nashir was a no-nonsense man who demanded much of anyone in his employ. Bane cared little about the man beyond Nashir’s treatment of Maysam, and thus far that had been acceptable.

           At the top of the red-carpeted staircase, another familiar voice caught Bane’s ears, this one far more welcomed than Nashir’s.

           “Look who’s back, and without telling us they were coming.”

           Bane grinned at his old friend from prison, a man who was now head of Maysam’s personal security. “I know how much you love surprises, Abrams.”

           “Yeah, almost as much as you do.” A sly smile twisted Abrams’s harelip.

           Abrams, in his early sixties, was a strong, blocky figure. His square head with thinning brown hair had lines etched in forehead and cheeks, telling the tale of a former soldier and mercenary prior to his security work in German intelligence after prison. Bane had been a mere boy when they had met in the pit, a friendship that had taken years to build, but one that had benefited Bane as well as Talia and had ultimately saved Abrams’s life. Barsad called Abrams Bane’s surrogate uncle, and so Henri had taken to calling him Uncle Abrams, adding to the child’s list of pseudo-uncles which included Barsad.

           “I see you’ve managed to keep him alive again, Barsad,” Abrams said with a rare twinkle in his unremarkable brown eyes.

           “Never an easy task,” Barsad said, “but somehow I manage.”

           “Do you know where Talia is?” Bane asked.

           “She’s in your suite with Maysam and Henri. And Sanjana’s in your room, Barsad.”

           “I hope you will join us for supper,” Bane said.

           “Figures you’d be back in time for that.” Abrams winked at Barsad before heading downstairs. “I’ll make sure the cook knows to plan for three more.”

           Bane and Barsad rode the nearby elevator to the fifth floor. While members of the El Fadil family inhabited most of the palace, the fifth floor belonged to Maysam. Her brother’s family used to share the space, but once Bane, Talia, and Barsad made the palace their permanent home away from the League, Ayman and his family had moved to another floor, though not without protests from Ayman, who resented his sister’s close relationship with the “infidel intruders,” as he called them.

           As Bane and Barsad strode down the long, carpeted hallway with their dusty packs, the fatigue that had slowed them earlier in the day melted away at the prospect of seeing their loved ones.

           “It is good to be home, brother,” Bane said.

           “You got that right.”

           “Just a few short years ago, we never could have imagined having a true home.”

           “No shit.” Barsad had spat out his Nicorette gum before reaching the palace gate, and he now found himself wanting another. But with the prospect of kissing Sanjana just ahead, he knew his mind would soon be distracted from his tobacco craving. “Tell Maysam and Talia I’ll see ’em at supper, okay?”

           “Maysam will be wounded by your willful negligence,” Bane teased.

           Barsad refused to take the bait. “She’ll get over it.”

           Bane chuckled. “Indeed. She is used to your disappointments. But go ahead, John, the mother of your child awaits.”

           With a devilish grin, Barsad hurried ahead of Bane.

           Bane’s own eagerness quickened his steps, but he paused at the closed door to his suite. His acute hearing—so much improved without the mask covering his ears—picked up the high-pitched voice of his son, followed by the boy’s bubbling laughter. A slightly scolding tone from Talia, and Maysam’s murmuring words. Bane’s heart warmed at the sounds, and he completely relaxed for the first time in weeks, his harsh soldier’s gaze softening.

           Ever so quietly he opened the door just far enough to see them. The immense main room of the suite was comprised of three different living spaces—the bedroom with its spacious king bed against the wall to Bane’s left where he could not see it from his current vantage point; an office area with a beautiful antique desk of mahogany taking up the far-right corner; and, closest to the door, the living area with comfortable chairs, sofas, pillows, cushions and rugs, along with a sixty-inch flat panel television, which was currently turned off. Maysam sat on a loveseat, Henri in her lap, dressed for bed, listening to her read a book. As always, he was active in the story, pointing at the pictures and identifying animals, helping turn the pages. When great-grandmother and great-grandson were alone together, Maysam spoke Arabic, while Talia spoke French to Henri when alone together. Bane spoke English to Henri, and thus the boy already knew three languages and would learn more.

           Talia sat nearby in a chair, a cup of tea in hand. Bane admired her soft profile, partially hidden by her sable mane of hair. She never seemed to age, her skin as soft and smooth now in her early thirties as it had been as a child in the pit prison. Yet her eyes—sapphire and large, so large he often lost himself in them—betrayed fatigue in the way her eyelids drooped so early in the evening. He frowned. Then somehow Henri detected him

           “Papa Baba!” the boy shrieked in delight and catapulted himself from Maysam’s lap.

           Bane stepped inside the suite, grinning at his son’s practice of using both the Arabic word for father as well as the more French or English variation. Dropping his pack, he crouched down with arms spread like a great condor, and Henri flew into his embrace, squealing with delight.

           “You home! You home!”

           Bane held his son’s squirming form tight for a long moment, enjoying Henri’s giggles and kisses. Talia and Maysam had gotten to their feet, both smiling.

           “We didn’t expect you until tomorrow,” Talia said, gliding across the room, dressed in ivory-colored silk lounging pants with a generous style to the legs and matching blouse.

           “What a wonderful surprise,” Maysam said. “And just before Henri’s bedtime.”

           Bane stood, loosening his grip on Henri who immediately protested, “No bed, Papa Baba! No bed! We play.”

           Bane chuckled and shifted Henri onto his hip. “Playtime is past, my young cub. Jiddah was reading you a bedtime story, I see.”

           “You read it, Papa Baba.”

           “I am just back and already you are ordering me about.”

           “Please,” Henri drew out the word.

           Talia touched Bane’s arm, and he leaned down to kiss her, her wonderful clean scent enveloping him with a hint of lavender. Now, so close, he could see more than fatigue in her eyes, but he failed to identify it. Something she was trying to tell him without words, not unusual in their years together; they could normally read each other so very well. Something obviously private, perhaps sorrowful. He looked forward to being alone with her.

           “Is something wrong, my love?” he asked near a whisper in case the issue had to do with Maysam, though that possibility was remote.

           Talia gave him a troubled smile, stroked Henri’s rebellious cowlick. “Later,” she softly said.

           Somehow around Henri’s busy hands patting and squishing his scarred cheeks Bane managed to kiss Talia again. “Very well,” Bane said. “Until later.”

           He put his other arm around Talia and guided her to the large sofa where the three of them sat. Maysam returned to the loveseat. Henri cuddled in Bane’s lap, oblivious to his father’s dirty, unkempt appearance. When Bane was home for any length of time, Henri rarely sat still long enough to be this close, but whenever Bane returned from League-related travel, Henri would cling to him every chance he got for the first couple of days. It pained Bane to know he was the cause of his child’s insecurity. Departing was even more traumatic. Henri’s mix of tears, anger, and pleas filled Bane with guilt not only for upsetting his son but because he knew Henri would take out his unhappiness on Talia, never a wise decision.

           Henri looked up at him now with his adoring blue eyes and asked, “Papa Baba stay now?”

           “Yes, for a while at least.”

           Henri scowled, and his hands balled into fists. “You stay forever.”

           “We have discussed this before, my son,” Bane said sternly. “I have a job to do. I will stay as long as my job allows.”

           Henri writhed in the beginning of a tantrum, something else he rarely did when Bane was home. “Papa—”

           “Henri Temujin,” Talia snapped. “Your father has just come home from a dangerous mission. You should be grateful that he’s here, not complaining about when he will next leave.”

           “Mama,” Henri whined, arching his spine backward in a rigid form of protest.

           “Your father is tired, child,” Maysam soothed. “And so are you. That is why you are fussing. It is time for bed.”

           “No, Jiddah,” Henri said plaintively, instantly abandoning his physical display of protest and instead clutching Bane’s black t-shirt. “Wanna stay with Papa Baba.”

           “Then you must behave,” Maysam warned in a falsely stern voice. She loved the boy with every fiber of her being and found disciplining him difficult, yet Bane knew Maysam always did her best to keep Henri in line, as gently as possible. And most of the time Henri listened to her, as he did now, settling deep into Bane’s lap, one hand again gripping his father’s shirt.

           “I be good, Jiddah.”

           “Thank you.” Her harsh expression instantly melted into a warm smile.

           Bane chuckled and gave his son a squeeze. “You are spending too much time with women, my little cub. You need to experience the low ways of men, and then you will appreciate the women in your life. When I was your age, I was surrounded by nothing but men, except for my mother. So many years. If not for her influence, I would have become just as despicable and worthless as those men. My mother and your mother’s mother were the light in that terrible place; they were my light. And now your mother and Jiddah are yours. You must show them respect by behaving like a civilized child, not some wild bear cub. Have I not told you that you are the man of the house when I and Uncle John are away?”

           Henri frowned in shame and stared at his restless hands in his lap. “Yes, Papa Baba.”

           “Then you must behave like it. How can you protect them when you are throwing temper tantrums?”

           “I sorry.”

           “Very well.” Bane winked at Maysam and kissed the top of Henri’s head. “Now, if you are quiet and respectful, you may sit here a bit longer with us before I put you to bed. Perhaps Jiddah will ask Hisham to bring you some warm goat’s milk if you ask her nicely.”

           “Please, Jiddah, may I have some milk?”

           “Of course, ya habib alby.”

           Henri looked up at her through long eyelashes and sweetly asked, “With honey?”

           Maysam laughed, and Bane chuckled. “Very well,” she said. “But just a touch.” She crossed the room to call from the internal phone line.

           Bane tipped Henri’s chin up. “Have you been giving your mother trouble? She looks very tired.”

           Henri diverted his gaze.

           “Jin,” Bane said firmly.

           “It’s all right, habibi,” Talia murmured to Bane, stroking the bulge of his bicep. “We’ve both had a long day. We’ll talk about our son’s behavior later.”

           Henri gave a little gasp but offered no defense. “Papa Baba?”

           “Yes, my son?”

           “Did you bring me a present?” Henri’s pronunciation of the letter “r” was still sounding like the letter “w,” but Maysam had assured Bane that his speech would improve.

           Bane or Barsad always brought something back for the child from their operations abroad. Nothing elaborate, just various trinkets or things like a beautiful feather shed by a bird; anything pleased Henri if it came from his father or Uncle John.

           “Perhaps I did,” Bane said with hooded eyes, producing a worried look from his son. “But if so, I must first learn from your mother later whether or not you deserve a gift.”

           “Oh, Papa Baba, please,” Henri said.

           “You heard me, young man. Now don’t pester me about it any further.”

           “Ohhhh.” Henri buried his face between Bane’s pronounced pectoral muscles.

           Maysam returned to the loveseat. “I told Hisham to bring you some tea, Haris.” She used the Arabic name she had given Bane the first time she had met him, a name which meant protector. She had never liked anyone calling him Bane because of its negative connotations.        “Dinner will be served in half an hour.”

           “I invited Abrams to join us,” Bane said. “I hope you don’t mind.”

           He exchanged a private grin with Talia.

           “Did he accept your invitation?” Maysam asked.

           “He did.”

           Maysam crossed her arms. “He never accepted any of ours while you were gone, did he, Talia?”

           “Jiddah,” Talia chided. “You know he doesn’t feel comfortable sharing meals with us when Bane and Barsad are both gone.”

           “He’s old-fashioned and foolish,” Maysam grumbled.

           “He respects your religious beliefs,” Talia insisted. “He came to dinner when Ayman joined us last week, didn’t he? So it’s not true that he never accepted an invitation.”

           Maysam looked away, arms still stubbornly crossed.

           Knowing better than to explore this subject too deeply with Maysam, Bane changed the subject. “That milk will soon be here, my cub. Hisham can bring it to your room and you may drink it while I read to you.”

           Talia momentarily took Henri so Bane had an easier time standing up.

           “Pony ride, Papa Baba.” Henri raised his arms.

           “Your father’s back is hurting him,” Talia said. “I can see it on his face.”

           “It is all right, my dear. He weighs no more than a fly.” Bane crouched down, and after a slight sigh from Talia, she put Henri on Bane’s back. The boy wrapped his arms around his father’s neck, giggling.

           “Giddy up!”

           “This old warhorse can’t gallop today.” Bane stood. “You will have to be content with a lumbering walk. Now if you ladies will excuse us…”

           Bane headed down the suite’s hallway, which led to a spacious bathroom, a dining room, the nursery, and at the far end a spa that encompassed an entire large room, reminiscent of a Roman bath. Henri’s room had once been Bane’s office, and Siddig’s office before him, but the furnishings had been moved to the suite’s main room when Talia became pregnant. Maysam was responsible for the nursery’s décor, with Talia’s help as well. It was a happy environment with a ceiling painted the color of a perfect sky with cheerful white clouds. The walls were each a different theme—one, sunrise yellow with rolling emerald hills; another, forest green with white birch trees; another, a dark gray with a fat moon and stars; the fourth, blue with a seashore motif. The crib had been superceded by a small bed, finely crafted by the same local artisan who had created the wooden rocking chair in the corner, as well as the bookshelf. A toy chest against one wall sat open, stuffed animals and plastic trucks and fighter planes haphazardly collected within. A cornhusk doll sat next to the box, not yet dismantled by Henri as was usual. Bane wished the room had a window. During the day, the door was left open, as was the dining room door across the hall; this way sunlight through the dining room veranda doors could provide natural light to the nursery.

           “Let us use the chair,” Bane said, knowing the rocker would support his back, while sitting on Henri’s bed would not. “What story would you like to hear, my cub?” He crouched again so the boy could dismount, but instead Henri hung from Bane’s neck, giggling. “You are strangling me, boy.”

           But Henri’s hold tightened, and his giggling increased. Bane reached behind him and began tickling the boy. Henri squirmed and laughed uncontrollably, his father persisting until the boy’s stranglehold loosened, and Bane pried him away.

           “Enough foolishness,” Bane scolded. “You will never sleep if you wind yourself up this way. Your mother will be displeased. Now, either choose a book or I will simply put you to bed without your story or milk.”

           With pouting lips, Henri said, “Oh, Papa…” But he surrendered and shambled over to the bookshelf where he pondered the wide selection while Bane settled into the rocking chair.

           Henri clambered into his father’s lap, handing him a storybook about a shepherd boy and a lost lamb. The child nestled deep in Bane’s lap, and Bane put his arms around him and began to read. A moment later Hisham—Bane and Talia’s Indian manservant—peeked his face around the half-closed door. Bane invited the older man in, and Henri took the teacup filled with warm milk from Hisham’s silver tray. Hisham smiled and nodded after Henri thanked him, then left the room.

           By the time the milk was gone and the story was over, Henri’s eyelids kept trying to shut upon him, though he fought gamely to remain awake. Bane set the book and the empty cup on a small table beside him, then carried his son to the bed.

           “No, don’t wanna sleep.”

           “Yes, you do; you just won’t admit it.”

           The bed had already been turned down. Bane tucked Henri in, drawing the sheet over the boy’s chest before sitting on the edge of the mattress. Henri reached for his hand.

           “Don’t go, Papa Baba.”

           “I will stay a moment, but you must relax and close your eyes. I have to take a shower before supper or the smell of me will ruin everyone’s appetite.”

           Henri gave a tired giggle.

           “Quiet now, boy.”

           Henri settled into the pillow, still holding Bane’s fingers. Sleepily he said, “I so glad you home.”

           “I’m glad I’m home, too, my little cub.” Bane kissed Henri’s forehead. “Now close your eyes. We will see one another in the morning.”

           Henri whispered, “I sleep with you and Mama?”

           “Not tonight. But if you go to sleep now and behave tomorrow, perhaps you may share our bed tomorrow.”

           Henri smiled and whispered, “I be good.”

           “Very well.” Bane stood. “Good night.”

           “Good night. I love you.”

           “I love you, too, my boy.”

           Bane slipped to the door and turned off the ceiling light. He remained just on the other side of the door, which he left cracked open, and gazed upon his son in the weak glow of a nightlight plugged into the wall. Henri shifted about for only a moment before becoming still, his breathing even as he slipped into the peaceful slumber of the innocent.

[recentnews18-blog]

New Post has been published on https://shovelnews.com/hey-stupid-yeah-you-across-the-dutch-kiwi-scribe-lays-in-boot/

Hey stupid! Yeah, you across the dutch – Kiwi scribe lays in boot

Rattue goes on to list the latest salary cap scandal in the NRL – the 90th by his count, with no sign of abating.

Fair call? Chris Rattue sledged Michael Cheika, the cricket team and Nick Kyrgios among others.

Photo: Rugby.com.au, AAP, EPA

He looks at our erstwhile passions of summer: “The nation which produced legendary and respected tennis icons such as Rod Laver, Yvonne Goolagong and Margaret Court now comes up with knuckleheads like Nick Kyrgios and Bernard ‘the Tanker’ Tomic.”

Enough, already?

No, Chris had barely cleared his throat.

“As for cricket, there has never been a sadder more pathetic episode in sport than the sandpaper scandal in South Africa, the nadir for a team which had spun out of control on anger and arrogance.”

Perhaps, he might be kinder to the Wallabies?

Fault: Bernard Tomic is an enigma.

Photo: AP

“As for rugby . . . sophisticated, clever, that’s how the best of Australian rugby used to be. There were elegant leaders like John Eales and Rod Macqueen, and never-to-be-forgotten players such as David ‘Campo’ Campese, Mark Ella, Stephen Larkham and many more . . . What have we got now? Whinging Michael Cheika and a team which doesn’t know what it is about.”

He finishes: “Hey, if the once great Australian sports nation is determined to be a sporting laughing stock, it’s a free world.”

Too harsh? Too unbalanced? Too brutal?

Nuh.

Too shay.

But hey, at least we’re light years ahead of those Kiwis in politics, and are not infected by the same stupidity there.

Oh, wait!

Hopping to it

Good around the house: John Hopoate.

Photo: Fox Sports

As you will see in the quotes section, we have it on the sincere authority of Will Hopoate that his father John has another side: “If people saw him at home, they’d see mum is the real boss, she’s got him under the whip, vacuuming and doing the dishes.”

As one who’s had my fair share of goes at Hopoate Snr over the years, I am glad to hear it. In similar spirit, as one who has criticised Josh Dugan many times, and those who only go to children’s hospitals as the cameras roll, a reader sent me a story this week that showed another side.

It concerned his eleven year-old grandson Gabe Smith, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour and admitted to the Randwick Children’s Hospital, where Dugan came across him . . . and held on, going to see him many times thereafter, through all his many treatments and even into palliative care at Manly’s Bear Cottage, where he would stay for four hours at a time.

For yes, young Gabe tragically didn’t make it, and died in July. Dugan and his girlfriend attended the funeral at the Avoca Beach Surf Club and stayed for the wake.

So, there you go. Just as I struggle to put the public Hopoate I know of with the private figure described by his son, I can’t quite fathom that the Dugan described above is the troubled, swaggering bruiser we know – but accept that it is.

Still, if it turns out that Greg Norman has a humble side, that Shane Warne actually delights in Dosteovsky, and Nick Kyrgios is releasing a motivational lecture , I’ll give up!

Fat chance

Très drôle, as we say in the classics. The 53-year-old pro golfer from Michigan, Scott Parel, see, was asked at the end of the second round of the PGA senior tournament what he thought of his chances of winning.

“I think I have two chances – slim and none. And I think I just saw Slim heading out of town.”

It might be straining the metaphor a little, but Slim came back and tucked into the buffet something fierce, because he soon became Huge, and Parel shot 63 on the final round to win the whole thing.

Lunch date

As mentioned, this year’s Cauliflower Club lunch is at the Hyatt Regency on Sussex St on October 12, with special guests Wally Lewis, Michael O’Connor and Ricky Stuart on deck, and you can book at www.cauliflowerclub.org.au.

This week though, our Chair, John Fordham, secured a very interesting auction prize: a big lunch with all of Bob Dwyer, Alan Jones and Rod Macqueen.

Father’s Day

Reluctantly, I must accept that there is some chance that, for Father’s Day, some of you won’t be buying or getting my own latest book, Monash’s Masterpiece, the 93 Minutes That Changed the World. In that case (sniff), allow me to recommend Greg Growden’s The Wallabies At War, which looks at the stunning service of many Wallabies from the Boer War onwards, or Michael Visontay’s Beyond the Stereotype: A Celebration Of Jews In Australian Sport.

Both are, as you’d expect from two long-time Herald scribes, exceptionally well-written and chokka with good yarns.

In Growden’s book, my favourite is about the great Stan Bisset – a man I was proud to call a friend – who was decorated for his bravery on the Kokoda Track where, during the Battle of Isurava, his brother Butch was riddled with machine gun bullets. Stan carried Butch to a clearing, where he held his hand through the night, singing him songs from the old days, till he died just before dawn. Vale, great men.

Steve who?

Take a hike: All Blacks coach Steve Hansen.

Photo: AAP

Meantime?

Meantime, reader Michael Milgate reports that when about to head off on a hike along New Zealand’s spectacular Milford Track with his daughter last year, they were encouraged to have dinner the night before with other hikers. As dinner is being served, his daughter finds herself in the company of a group of charming strangers, one of whom is notably robust, resplendent in a black tracksuit, introduced as “Steve” but addressed by his companions as “Coach”.

“And what do you coach?”

“Rugby,” he replies.

“Oh, and is it a local team?”

“Have you heard of the All Blacks?”

Oh . . . pass the bread?

Short and sweet

The way forward for the Wallabies? Fitzphile Robert King has the answer! “In the same way T20 has rocked the cricket world,” he writes, “let’s push for a shorter version of the Bledisloe Cup. We will play the first 35 mins only, two-man lineouts and no scrums. I understand Lord Bledisloe died in 1958 so he can’t object.” That works!

What They Said

Lovely writing from Matthew Johns on the early days of Johnathan Thurston: “He first came to the Bulldogs in the mid-2000s and he looked like a rabbit trying to find a hole in a barbwire fence. He was a ducker and a darter . . .”

When ESPN commentator Brad Gilbert asked Nick Kygrios after the first round if all his carry-on was to get himself going, Kyrgios replied: “Not really. It keeps me relaxed.”

Tennis umpire Mo Lahyani to Nick Kyrgios during a break in the second round of the US Open, asks him to carry on with more purpose:

“I want to help you. I want to help you. I’ve seen your matches: you’re great for tennis. Nick, I know this is not you.” Kyrgios won nineteen of the next 25 games to win the match. There was hell to pay.

Helpng hand: Mo Lahyani and Nick Krygios. Illustration: John Shakespeare

Will Hopoate on his dad: “For most of my life I’ve seen the John Hopoate off the field, and that’s the man I respect and love as a father. The bloke you see on the field and off the field are two different blokes. If people saw him at home, they’d see mum is the real boss, she’s got him under the whip, vacuuming and doing the dishes.”

Venus Williams laughs at the prospect of playing her sister, Serena, in the American Open: “The last time we played, in Australia, it was two against one. At least this time it’s fair.” On that occasion, at the 2017 Australian Open, Serena was pregnant.

Barry Hall: “I got no income, and there’s no real light at the end of the tunnel of when that will change or when that will be. So it’s a big cock-up.”

Collingwood President Eddie McGuire on another Pies player testing positive: “The last person to find out anything to do with drugs is the club itself. It’s an AFL issue. They have control of everything that goes, as far as the testing is concerned. In fact, as the president of the club I’m not even allowed to ask about these situations.”

Carlton coach Brendon Bolton on the upside of having won two games for twenty losses this season: “In some time we’ll look back and say this time paid us back.” Sure you will, Coach.

Wayne Bennett following the Roosters game: “I could make a headline easily, but I won’t tonight. I’ll leave you with this guys, you’re all journalists here, you see what I see, why don’t you write the stories?”

Eels coach Brad Arthur on the wooden spoon, after his side lost 44-6 to the Cowboys last Friday: “At the end of the day, I’m in charge. Someone has got to claim responsibility, that’s me. I feel a sense that I’ve let people down. It’s just embarrassing. I have to face up to it, I can’t run and hide from it.” Coach? Look to the blokes laughing and joking within seconds of being on the wrong end of a 40-point drubbing – and wipe them. Start with Jarryd Hayne, who was doing precisely that.

Gus Gould: “Sunday afternoon at Jubilee Oval. One of the great pleasures of life.” Andrew Johns: “Gus, you’ve gotta get out more.”

Team of the Week

Fond farewell: Thurston waves goodbye to the Cowboys home crowd last week.

Photo: AAP

Johnathan Thurston Plays the final match of his extraordinary 17-year career tonight, against the Gold Coast Titans.

Richmond and Hawthorn How very odd. Between them they have won 24 Premiership flags and yet next Thursday, for the first time, they contest a finals match.

Argentina Pumas Snapped an 11-match losing streak in the Rugby Championship by beating South Africa.

Sunshine Coast Lightning Gone back to back to claim their second Super Netball title. So I suppose it does strike twice!

The second annual Chappell Foundation Golf Day To raise money for the homeless, it will be held on Tuesday September 11 at the spectacular NSW Golf Club, La Perouse.

Italy Has just banned all advertising for gambling, most particularly including sponsorships of sporting teams. Watch this space!

Caloundra Won their first rugby grand final since their foundation in 1982, beating Noosa.

Twitter: @Peter_Fitz

Peter FitzSimons is a Herald journalist, columnist and author, based in Sydney. He is also a former Wallabies player.

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