-1This story was bothering me, a lot. I wrote it with the intent of Taang, yet it ended up Zutara. Not that that's a bad thing…but it doesn't seem to end what it started.

So this is a chapter two. Or a sequel. Whatever you want it to be. This is mostly going to be my own musings on that confounding thing called love (lol, that sounded like bad song lyrics), so if it doesn't really make sense, I'm sorry.

Okay, I'll shut up now.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Inside the earth tent, curled up next to the most powerful earthbender in the world, Aang stared at the darkness and thought about, of all things, his love life.

How he so badly wanted to be with Katara, who would never love him the way he did her. He wasn't as clueless as he pretended to be. He knew what was going on between her and Zuko, but he could let himself react to it because he had never found the courage to tell her he loved her.

"You snooze you loose." as Sokka had once oh so poetically put it.

When he first saw that something between them, his heart had twisted and warped so badly, he seriously considered asking Katara if she could heal it. But there was the irony…she had caused it.

He'd told Toph about it eventually, and she'd been surprisingly sympathetic. She even told him about her old crush on Sokka, she'd threatened him with death in a landslide if he ever told anyone, but it still meant a lot that she'd told him in the first place.

"Hey we can be heartbreak buddies." he'd said with a sigh and a tight throat.

"Stop beating yourself up over it. That's what I'm here for." she'd said with a punch to his shoulder.

"yeah well, I'd at least had a chance before Zuko showed up." he replied grimly as he rubbed his throbbing shoulder.

"believe it or not, I felt the same way when Suki suddenly turned up. There's no easy way to get over it, but you're gonna have to. You know what they say, 'you can't save the world on a broken heart.'"

"who said that?"

"me. Pay attention twinkle-toes, you might miss something important."

Aang rolled over and looked at Toph. She seemed so peaceful asleep, cute even. He noticed that some of her hair had fallen into her face, he reached out and carefully brushed it back behind her ear.

Her hand shot up and grabbed his wrist. Aang froze, praying to every spirit who's name he could remember that he would at least be able to walk when she was done with him. But then she pulled him closer and hugged his arm close to her like it was a stuffed puppy-cat.

It was quite nice really. She was so cute when she was sleeping.

Just as he thought that, Toph rolled over and smacked him in the face.

'Monkey-feathers! I think she broke my jaw!' he thought as he experimentally moved his jaw around. 'well, seems okay, I guess I'll have…uh, Her look at it tomorrow.' just saying Katara's name sent a stab of pain into his heart.

He looked down at Toph and realized that she hadn't taken her hand off his face.

She frowned a bit and moved her other hand to his face. She felt around until her thumbs rested on his cheekbones, just below his eyes, and her warm palms lay on his cheeks.

Her face relaxed and she lowered her arms, scooting closer to him, nuzzling into his chest.

He cautiously wrapped his arms around her, ready to make a run for it should things take a turn for the worst. (read: Toph wakes up) instead she snuggled further into the warm monk. He smiled at her, 'maybe…' he thought, 'maybe you don't need to stop loving someone to start loving someone else. How else would a family work? Does a father have to stop loving his wife to start loving his children?

He would always love Katara. There was nothing he could do abut that. But perhaps he could make room for Toph in his heart, too.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Ah, so cute. It made me smile just writing it. Hope it does the same for you.

Yes I know it's short. Think of it as a sort of alternate ending.