I do not own these character, I do not profit from this story.
Skoochy had read somewhere, that the deceased would send dreams to the living. This way, the veil between life and death could be breached.
At first, he paid no mind to such superstition, believing them to be made up stories to entertain children. Then he began having dreams about Toph Bei Fong.
They weren't normal dreams, where he would wake up in the morning with barely any recollection of what he had seen the night before. These were vivid, full of smells, sounds, and tastes. He never woke up well rested the next morning, He would feel as if he had really lived those moments.
In these dreams Lin was younger, probably the age she was when her mother died, and Toph was always there. Alive and bursting with spirit.
Skoochy loved these dreams. So much in fact, that he began to sleep earlier and wake later, just to spend more time with his little family. Lin, naturally became concerned at his strange sleeping habits, so she confronted him one day.
"You're going to make yourself sick with all this sleep."
"Aw Mom! I'm a growing boy, I need my rest! That's all teenagers do isn't it? Sleep, eat, and throw tantrums." She couldn't help but grin at his joke, but she wasn't fooled by his attempt to avoid the matter at hand.
"I just want you to be healthy. And sometimes you wake up looking like you hadn't slept at all." He couldn't fault her for worrying, he had been rather exhausted lately.
"Actually, I'm having these weird…dreams."
"What, like nightmares?"
"No, these are good dreams. They're about Toph." Lin stiffened for a moment and turned her face away.
"I just like being able to talk to her, see the two of you together. We all look happy." He continued. She remained quiet for a moment.
"Skoochy I am happy. Just you and me, that makes me feel like a family. I miss my mother, but she is gone. You can't keep wasting away in the world of dreams. You'll lose yourself there."
For a moment he became offended. These were his dreams, and the only way he had of connecting with the family he had never known! He fought the urge to stomp off to his room.
"They're just dreams mom. I'm sure they'll go away eventually."
"You need to allow your mind to accept that they aren't real, otherwise you'll keep having these dreams until they consume you."
He stood up suddenly.
"Whatever, I'm going to bed."
She tried to call him back but he had already reached his room, slamming the door behind him. She rested her head in her hands, and fought back a sigh. Teenagers were a whole new species for her.
That night Skoochy dreamed again.
"Hey there's my favorite grandson!"
Skoochy beamed at her.
"I'm your only grandson, so I don't think you can play favorites with only one."
Toph waved her hand to the side, brushing off his comment. She stared off to the wall, and her face held a grin. His mother was there too, she looked peaceful, less worry lines. Sipping on a cup of tea, she kept shooting grins at the pair.
"How's your earth bending going? Save the world yet?"
"You know very well I haven't saved the world yet. I'm still busy trying to see things with my feet, no thanks to you."
Toph laughed and ruffled his hair.
"Buck up princess, you wanna be one of the greats, you gotta train like the greats. If it would help, I could take away your eye sight."
"Uh…I think I'll pass." She merely shrugged before leaning closer, with a conspiring grin on her face.
"I hear you've developed a certain attraction to air-benders."
"Mother leave him alone." Lin tried to defend her son at this point.
"What? I was just going to remark on how much you two have in common, what with falling for air-benders and all." Toph snorted at her own joke. "Aw man twinkle toes would piss himself if he knew that our families were dating through the generations."
Skoochy couldn't help but laugh at the visual of Avatar Aang wetting himself in excitement.
"You think he would approve?"
"Pfft approve? I think he would have set you two up himself if he could."
This made him feel a little better.
His mother stood to leave the room, brushing a kiss across Skoochy's head, and hugging her own mother. Then she disappeared. Skoochy had almost forgotten that this was a dream.
Toph gazed in his direction. Her blank eyes were kind, and her stubborn bangs were splayed across the bridge of her nose. Skoochy noticed that his hair was mimicking this same position.
He suddenly felt sad.
"Toph I-"
"You can call me Grandma."
He seemed shocked by this allowance.
"What? Didn't think I was soft enough to let you give me a pet name? Well, you've charmed me kid. Just don't call me Gran-Gran, or I might have to disown you."
They both grinned at this, before he sobered up again.
"Grandma, This is the last time I'm going to see you isn't it."
She sighed for a moment, and then gestured for him to come closer. Suddenly he was younger, maybe seven, and he could easily fit in her lap, as she lifted him and tucked him against her chest.
"Your mom is right kiddo, I can't keep interfering with you life."
Skoochy nodded, unable to swallow the lump in his throat. He knew this was the right decision, he knew it and he hated it.
"I shouldn't have stayed as long as I did, I just wanted to see my grandson. My daughter made a good choice. She makes a good mother."
"She had a good example."
Toph smiled at this. "I guess she did."
He remained tucked into her embrace for a few more minutes, savoring the last moments he would have with his grandmother in this life.
"Will I ever see you again?"
"Of course you will! But, not until you're ready. Then we can have tea parties, and pull pranks on Katara, and you can introduce me to your air bending girl."
Skoochy liked these thoughts, but they still felt so far away.
"I'll miss you grandma."
"I'll miss you too. I'm glad I got to talk with you though. You make me proud little man, so proud." For a moment he felt moisture drip into his hair.
"Thank you for making my daughter happy. She deserves it."
He nodded against her neck and knew his time to leave had come. Pulling away from her body, he felt himself grow to his own age. Taking a deep breath, he turned to face his grandmother, memorizing her face.
"I'll see you in the next life Grandma."
"Count on it Skoochy."
He watched her dematerialize in front of him. Even though it was just a dream, he couldn't help but feel he had lost someone.
When he woke, tears were still drying on his face. He felt exhausted, and sorrowful, but he also felt at peace.
He rolled himself to his side, and looked out the window, til his mind lulled him into another slumber.
This time, when he dreamed, there was no visit from his grandmother, and he woke feeling well rested.
Stepping out of his room, Skoochy could see his mother sipping on some coffee, and reading the paper. He tried sneaking up on her, but she had too many years of practice for him to succeed.
"You're up early this morning." He replied by wrapping his arms around her shoulder, and laying his head on her hair.
"I'm sorry about last night mom, you were right I shouldn't have been so focused on things that aren't here anymore."
She sighed, and rubbed a hand across his forearm.
"Its all right Skoochy, I miss her too."
"Shes proud of you, thinks you make a great mother."
"What do you think?"
"I think shes right."
Lin was immensely pleased with this knowledge.
"So can I expect for you to go to bed at a decent hour now?"
"If by decent hour you mean well after midnight, then yes."
They laughed, and he began to scavenge for breakfast.
Skoochy took a deep breath. It was good to be alive.