Thanks for reading. Sorry that I am a little late this week with the chapter. I started my first year at collage so have had a lot on.

HoneyC. Thank you. I am worried that I am making it a little to fluffy. Not that I want to make it overly dramatic, just more of a balance. Now there's more action it may change a little.

The villa seemed empty. Even though there were three people moving around in it and it was only built for two people. All of their stuff was packed up and placed by the door. Except for a few things in the bedroom that Toph was packing away. Ursa was in the kitchen making something for their lunch along the journey. He was a little worried about returning to the southern air temple, their home. It was so far away from any towns or villages. The plan was for Katara to come when it was almost time, that was only four months away, but he still worried. Despite this worry he was still glad to be going back. It was his home, their home.

Her name was on the tip of his tongue as he pushed the door to their bedroom open, but was stopped as what seemed to be a metal cable speed forward and grabbed hold of the hair brush on the table next to the door. The hair brush and metal cable was then pulled back. Following its trail Aang saw Toph standing on the other side of the bed her hand reaching out in-front of her. In her hand she was holding a small black cylinder, which was soon joined by her hair brush.

"What's that."

She shrugged. "I don't really know. Sokka gave it to me before we left." Dropping the brush into her pack, she carefully throw the black cylinder in Aang's general direction. "He said it was so I could rest and still get stuff for myself."

"I wonder what gave him that idea." He joked as he walked further into the room.

"Now aren't you glad you married me. I could have you running around after me. Yet here I am packing away all the stuff you would have forgotten if it had been left to you."

He had been going to say that he had always been glad he married her. For the most part. Now he felt a little defensive. "Hey, I have never forgotten anything important."

"Really." She slowly walked around the bed towards him. Her hands lifting to rest on her rounder stomach.

"Really."

She know stood in-front of him. "You never left me behind."

Though she tried to sound as hurt as she could, there was a twinkle in her eyes. "Yeah yeah." Stepping forward her placed his hands on either side of her face as he leaned into kiss her. "You all most had me there."

She smiled up at him as she stepped back, tacking the spool of metal from him. Which she managed to throw into the open pack on the bed. A slight laugh escaped her mouth, she had not expected to make the throw. Normally Aang would have stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. While he could still fit his arms around her, it didn't feel quite right. Instead he placed his hands on her shoulders. "Good shot."

"Everything else packed."

He nodded. "Yeah." Slowly he turned her round to face him. "Are you sure….."

"Aang I'm fine" Lifting her hands she took hold of his hands that rested on her shoulders. Lowering them she placed them on her bump. "We're fine." In response the baby kicked. "They really know who their father is."

"Ok, ok. I'm over that. You don't have to keep reassuring me."

She smiled sweetly. "Of course wouldn't want you to get an even bigger head." The smile suddenly dropped from her face. "Your big head." She repeated while lifting up her hands and holding them far apart to emphasis his big head.

"Love you to. It's not that big."

Quickly realising that she was over reacting a little she dropped her hands and the subject. Aang gave a small laugh under his breath, before kissing a still concerned looking Toph on the forehead.

"Maybe we should stay….."

"No." She quickly stopped him. Once again she took his hands in hers, leading him to sit on the bed while she stood in-front of him. "There is actually somewhere I want to go before we go home." He nodded, but looked a little sceptical. "My earthbending academy."

He didn't know that he had been holding his breath, till he let it out. He didn't know what she was going to say. He should have been able to figure it out. "Of course. It'll be a while till you can really teach again….."

"That's why I want to go. To teach." A slight scoff escaped his lips. "I want to teach some of the advanced student's metalbending. There are four maybe five that….."

"You said that you were never going to tech metalending or bonebending. To anyone."

She bite her lip and nodded her head. "I still stand by the latter, but not the former."

"Don't talk like that. This is not a negotiation. I'm not some idiot you can manipulate."

"I know."

All of a sudden Aang felt a headache coming on. "Why now."

"Just listen to me. Let me talk. I had a very small life before you came pushing your way into it. It consisted of the four walls around the estate. The cave I learned to earthbend in and the earth rumble arena." His head was lowered to the ground, reaching out she placed a hand on his check. Casing his head to shout up to look her in the face. "Everything in my life that matters, is important. Is all because of you. You make my life matter."

"That's not true." He quickly shot back.

"Yes it is. Sorry, but it is. You're the avatar. Everyone around you becomes important for having known you. That is a fact."

He wanted to argue back, but he knew she was right. He hated it, but it was true. He couldn't remember who he had heard it from, but he had been told that life was like a ripple in a pound. It grew, reached out to other ripples. Some ripples were bigger than others, had more of an impact. As the avatar. He was a very big ripple.

Her hand rested on her stomach. Its now normal position. "When this baby comes. I'll be its mother. To the world I have been my father's daughter. Your teacher, wife. Now the mother of your child. I want that more than anything, but I….I want to do something that is just about me. Make a mark on my own merits. Teaching metalbending is a way of doing that. I know I wouldn't have learned it if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have an academy without you…"

"I understand." He gently took her hand in his.

"I knew that you would." She squeezed his hand. "Me and the baby, out family." They each couldn't help smile at that idea. "We are your way of making your mark on the world. That isn't to do with being the avatar."

"You make it sound like I'm…"

"Stop that. It's not like that and you know it."

He let it go at that, not wanting to think any more about it. Still holding her hand he stood up and pulled her into a tight embrace. He didn't need to say it, she knew he was agreeing to them going to the academy before returning home. It was at moments like this that each of them was the most grateful that they were going through all of this, sharing a life with each other. There was no one else that would be able to understand them as well as the other.

"Thank you. I promise I will taking it easy. They won't be able to really metalbend for a long time anyway." Slowly they pulled a part a little. "I'll listen to you. If you think…."

"Wait. I think I need to have that in writing or at least have someone as a witness. You promised you would listen to me."

"No I didn't." Her protests were silenced as Aang gentle yet firmly, wrapped his arms around Toph just above the bump. She was still very light despite the added weight of the baby. It was not very hard for him to lift her off the ground, and spin her round a little. He knew that he was the only person that she would willingly allow to pick her up like that. He knew he could get away with it.

Her laughter rang throughout the room for a few seconds more before they heard the loud rattling of the last of the dishes being but away in the kitchen. Taking a minute to look around the room for anything that had been missed. Finding nothing Aang picked up Toph's pack from the bed, placed his free arm around her shoulder. Leading them into the main living air of the villa.

They were greeted with a warm smile from the former fire lady. "You have everything."

"I hope so." Aang answered.

Ursa moved over to them, her hands reaching out in-front of her. Aang seemed to be her first target. Removing his arm from Toph he returned the hug. "Take care of yourself." He nodded and pulled back. "So you can take care of her, and the little one."

"I will."

Normally being told to do something that he would already do. Something that there should be no doubt that he would do, would have irritated him. Coming from Ursa though it didn't bother him. It was more to do with her caring for Toph than any doubt she had in him. He was very aware that his father in law was not his biggest fan and that was being nice. Poppy her step mother, hadn't given him much of an option on the situation. He felt when he was talking to Ursa that he was talking to Toph's mother. It was clear that the older women viewed the young earthbender, her friend's daughter as a surrogate daughter. Knowing this, he slowly started to leave the villa.

Toph was quickly pulled into an embrace. After a second to adjust herself to his, she lifted her hands to return the hug. "Thank you. For coming…"

"Of course."

Pulling apart Ursa smiled as she tucked a strand of hair behind Toph's hair. Her step mother used to do that. She wondered if her real mother would have done that. She assumed she would have. If she had a girl, would she do the same thing. Would she be able to notice her child's hair. Know when it was hanging forward like that.

"Are you sure that you feel up to traveling."

Toph nodded. "Yes, and Katara is going to coma just before." She was quite for a second, deciding whether or not to say more. "He would never say…..but I think it means a lot to him for the baby to be born where he grow up."

It now seemed to be Ursa's turn to take a minute to decide if she was going to say what she was thinking. "I know I say it a lot but….."

"I look like my mother." The hint of a smile crossed her face.

"Well yes, but….you look like you." For the briefest second she placed her hand on Toph's bump. "She would be proud of you."

Toph knew that she wanted to say more. That her mother would have wanted to be here. To meet her first grandchild, maybe only grandchild. She kept that to herself. It didn't need saying they both they that is was truth. Why say it out loud, case them pain. Quickly before her sudden change in hormones caused her to start to cry, she kissed the older woman on the check and left the villa to join Aang on Appa to head back to the earth kingdom.

Thank you for reading. I hope that you liked it. Any comment are very much appreciated.