No one had expected to see Chief Toph Bei Fong march into the station with her handcuffed husband in tow; the officers hadn't been there when she had violently catapulted him up though her roof and out of her house. Her blind eyes had blazed with raw uncontrolled fury, yet her rage wasn't what surprised everyone (for they knew that the angrier she gets at you, the more she cares about you). No, the one detail that the officers and the rest of Republic City would never forget was that Toph was eight months pregnant when she threw him behind bars.
A week later, that man was promptly sentenced to life-in-prison by the unanimous decision of the council. Toph had made sure he's never get to see the light of day again, for no one betrayed her trust and walked away unscathed. He had been a part of a plot to assassinate Avatar Aang and tear down Republic City. Now that he was in prison, the people had started whispering; Toph would have to raise her child alone. Don't get me wrong here, they never doubted whether she could do it (because they knew she was a hell lot more than capable), the esteemed Chief of Police had protected Republic City for quite a few years now and they knew she was no softie; she could take care of herself and other people. But no matter how tough and untouchable she may have seemed to be (she never showed any remorse for throwing him in the slammer), the citizens of Republic City knew she was still human (someone who had a heart, someone who could be hurt); they were worried for her emotional health.
Of course if the citizens were worried, the Gaang went absolutely nuts. Everyone tried helping her in as many subtle ways as possible (for Toph simply did not need help): from the occasional warm hugs that plainly screamed "Katara" to intensive earthbending with Aang to tea served the way old man Iroh used to brew it. She recognized their efforts and sincerely appreciated them for it but she also told them that she was okay. The more she tried to act like everything was normal, the more the Gaang worried.
The whole nature of the situation had dramatically shifted when Councilman Sokka boldly approached her and offered to be the baby's father. I was told that she tried to brush him off, but ended up surrendering to her aching heart and Sokka's sincerity, accepting his offer through tears. I have sworn not to reveal the source of this bit of information to anyone for if I did he would be done for, Avatar or not.
Sokka was there for Toph for the rest of her pregnancy; he had taken the brunt of all her explosive mood swings, most of which had shaken the earth itself. He was the one who had kept her from running around kicking bad guy ass and saving babies like a huge planet, after all, you're not supposed to work during maternity leave. He had rushed her to the hospital when she went into labor mid-eye-roll after helping her officers catch a particularly dangerous target (she had ignored their protests telling her to take it easy and that they could take care of themselves; they were her officers and she wasn't going to stand by and let them get whooped). He had held her hand in the hospital and had heard the first cries of the baby girl brought to the world. His heart had almost stopped when the doctors and nurses couldn't stop the mother's bleeding; Sokka had stayed with her straight through those tense hours terrified that he might lose her; he lingered by her bedside after she was out of the danger zone until she regained consciousness a day later. He had brought the baby to her and painstakingly tried to describe it (for Toph would never be able to see her own daughter). And when she had nervously opened her mouth to ask that question, he had cut her off with a warm hand over her own and said gently, "Yes, she can see." As compensation for his troubles, he had gotten the privilege to help her decide on a name for the child, and that was how I came to be called Lin Bei Fong.
I had been told many stories about my parents from Aang, Katara, and some of my Toph's older officers. I believed them fully, but it wasn't the same as seeing them together with my own eyes as they raised me. My life would not have been whole without these crazy/loving/ass-kicking parents. I promised myself that if I were ever to get married, it would be to someone I love the way Toph loved Sokka who loved me the way Sokka loved Toph.
OoOoO
I was six. Toph was working late again. The police force had gotten an anonymous tip that a Fire Nation serial killer was hiding in Republic City and just like that, she was off with her officers. I was used to her being gone all the time, but I wished that she'd stay home more often. Sokka and I were going about our usual business as we waited for her to return when we heard an explosion. I didn't need to know how to earthbend to realize that it was in the direction my mom had left. I saw Sokka put his coat on and hastily head for the front door.
"Dad, I'm coming with you," I called out to him as I also made my way to the door. He regarded me carefully, weighing the pros and cons of letting me tag along, before finally nodding and motioning me t follow him. We boarded Sokka's car, which was barely used because both he and Toph preferred to walk, and drove toward the explosion.
"Are we going to save Mom?" I asked from the passenger seat.
"No Lin," he replied with a knowing smile, "We're just going to pick her up. Do you know why?"
I shook my head.
"That's because your mother can take care of herself," he continued confidently. Anyone could easily tell that their bond of trust was strong.
We could tell we've arrived when we spotted a squad of officers outside a building charred at the top. Sokka parked around 20 yards from the scene. We peered out from the car to see Toph at the center of the cluster of metal-clad cops, seeming to be giving instructions. A large man, one of the scariest people I've ever seen (if looks could kill, we'd all be history), was restrained in thick metal bonds in a police vehicle. It looked like everything was under control. Sokka starting driving again.
"Dad, I thought we were picking Mom up," I asked him.
"We're going to wait for her at the station. I gotta let her do her job," he replied with a hint of relief in his voice, "besides, she'd kill me if she saw me with you along."
OoOoO
When I was twelve, Toph decided that I was ready to begin my metalbending training. I heard the story of how she had learned to metalbend so many times from Sokka (and realized he wasn't exaggerating when Aang confirmed it with a sort of admiration in his voice that made my chest swell with pride to have such a talented mother) that I could recite it backwards. As proud as I was , I was a bit worried that Toph would try to teach me to metalbend the way she had learned it; I may be her daughter, but I was certainly not her clone. Luckily she didn't take that approach (not yet anyway); she taught me the way she had taught her first metalbending students after the Hundred Year War, which included going through mundane forms and motions for hours and hours a day. After a month and a half of training I still couldn't bend the metal coins I was given to work with, which aggravated me to no end (not because I was taking long, because some people took six months just to feel the earth particles in the metal, I ashamed that I wasn't living up to my mother's legacy). I was starting to lose faith in my bending one day when I halfheartedly walked into the training room to get things over with. No one was inside; Toph was always there waiting for me but she was nowhere to be found.
"Mom?" I called out into the open space; something was definitely up. I heard a small creaking sound, but before I could react I was thrown into complete darkness. Quickly regaining my senses, I realized that I was trapped in a big metal box and immediately knew who was behind this whole thing; I knew she wouldn't let me have it easy.
"Mom!" I yelled, banging my hands on the cold metal walls that trapped me, "I know you're there!"
"Hmm, did you hear something Sokka?" I heard Toph ask innocently (although I could visualize the smirk on her face).
"What? Not me," Sokka replied airily, getting into his role. They were impossible.
"It's not funny!" I fumed, sounding more childish by the second; I did not stop pounding against the box. My parents ignored me.
"Would you like some tea Toph? It's jasmine"
"Sure thing, how about that game of Pai Sho you owe me? I want a rematch."
My parents went about doing normal everyday activities in the training room while I was struggling to break out of my metal prison and seething with anger. I continued striking at the walls with increasing intensity until suddenly I felt something I never noticed before. That's it! Regaining my composure, I took a deep breath to calm myself before I resumed hitting the metal with more awareness. With one final thrust of my arms, I punched a huge hole through the metal box.
The first sight that graced my eyes was that of my grinning mother and father. She rose from her seat at the Pai Sho table they had brought in and ruffled my hair. "That's my girl," she said affectionately before leaving the training room to go to work (apparently she was late, but she didn't seem to care).
Sokka sighed fondly in her direction and draped an arm around me, "Next time, she's gonna have to help me train you, but first, mind helping me bring this table back?" I slapped my palm to my forehead exasperatedly and simply walked away.
OoOoOoO
"No one's ever going to treat me normally again!" I groaned with a hand over the bandages on the side of my face. I was sixteen at the time. Earlier that day I was working under Toph's Lieutenant to control an out-of-control hostage situation (while she was leading a small elite force to the boss's hiding place). I was doing a great job evacuating the hostages as the Lieutenant and the other colleagues distracted the gang, but one of the hostages, only a five-year-old-boy, tripped over some electrical cables and knocked a lamp over and startled everyone. A thug with metal claws standing nearby tried to kill the little boy, and acting on plain thoughtless impulse, I jumped in and grabbed the kid before the heavy weapon could slice his head clean off his shoulders. Well, that decision cost me two deep slashes across my face.
…
"Fire Lord Zuko has a scar covering half his face and he still has everyone's respect. If someone looks at you differently just because of your appearance, they're the blind ones; I learned that from your mother." Sokka said, trying to cheer me up. Even if they don't treat me differently, I know the first thing they'll look at is the scar. I huffed and tried hard not to cry.
"Lin, do you regret saving that boy?" He looked me in the eye and asked seriously.
"No, never." I replied instantly without a single trace of hesitation, two scars are not worth an innocent life.
"That's what makes you a hero. Think of the scars as the mark of the warrior. Your appearance doesn't change who you are." Sokka decided before enveloping me into a hug that I returned whole-heartedly.
"You know, what you said really hurt her," he started delicately. Toph had come in with me a few minutes before Sokka came in an attempt to make me feel better, but I told her she wouldn't understand because she's never known what I looked like. I realized that that would strike a nerve an instant too late; the words had already left my mouth. She left the room mumbling some kind of excuse before I had the chance to apologize.
"I know, I didn't mean to," I said regretfully. "I know she'll always love me for who I am inside. I'll talk to her."
"Good. I heard from my sister that there was a time during the war when we were in Ba Sing Se, some girls made fun of your mother's looks. You know what she did? She earthbended the bridge from right under them and turned the joke around. Sure, it did affect her, but it wasn't enough to keep her from being her bold, fearless self." Sokka said with a laugh. "What I'm trying to say is, because of her blindness, your mother's never been fooled by her eyes, and that's what I love about her."
"I understand."
Later on that night, I went to apologize to Toph when I saw that her door was closed. I heard her and Sokka talking inside and decided to eavesdrop from the peephole I made in my room a few years back. They were sitting on the bed, and Sokka's arms were wrapped comfortingly around Toph.
"You know she didn't mean to say that." He said.
"I know, I know, but it was my fault that she's going to have two scars across her face. I should have been there in time to help her," she responded ruefully, "Lin didn't even get a normal childhood because I'm blind. I couldn't read to her or look at her schoolwork or do her hair like every other mother does, and now I can't reassure her about her appearance because I've never even seen her. Sokka, I'm so useless, what kind of mother am I?"
I felt a tug at my heart when I heard her sniffling; it was not easy to make Toph cry. The guilt was tearing away at me because I was the cause of her pain.
I saw Sokka tilt her head up by the chin to face him, "A good one. What matters is that you understand her. You see her for who she is and she never had to hide her true self from you. It took your own mother years to be able to do that. And besides, I made up for anything you couldn't provide didn't I? I promise you Toph, I've got your back," he soothed. He kissed her softly and held her against his chest, stroking her hair as she muttered something I couldn't make out into his shirt. I still felt guilty, but I was relieved that my father was always there to make things better and cover for me when I royally screw up.
OoOoO
"We hope it doesn't change the way you feel about us."
I was eighteen when my parents finally sat down and told me that Sokka was not my biological father. They spilled the truth of how Toph arrested her husband while she was pregnant with me and how Sokka offered to raise me by her side. I wasn't exactly sure how to react; am I supposed to be mad? Or should I accept them with open arms? In the end, I chose the obvious option: just follow what my heart tells me, and it's saying that Sokka had loved me as his own daughter. I've never in my life felt deprived of love. He was always there to help me face the world, which was more than my biological father had ever done. And most importantly, I could tell that he loved Toph; he was there to support her when my biological father had been ready to hurt her. What more could I ask for?
I grabbed both of their hands and intertwined them with each other. "As far as I'm concerned, Sokka is my father, in both heart and spirit, and that matters, more than blood ever will. You always have been and always will be a father to me," I told them firmly and pulled them into a group hug. I saw Sokka and Toph exchange relieved looks. They were accepted.
After asking for my approval, they finally went and had a proper marriage. It was a small-scale wedding, and only the Gaang was there, including Fire Lord Zuko. I remember Katara smiling to herself and mumbling, "Well, it's about time." I couldn't help but agree.