This is the third chapter I've written tonight...haha, forgive me if it's suck-ish, because at the moment it's 3:42 am, and the taco bell super chug that I mention I owned in the previous chapter, is now finished. Oh and I can'y go downstairs to pee without my dog trying to rip my pants off.

Which would be helpful if I where peeing though...

ANYWAY

Disclaimer -

Things I own: A very full IPod.

Things I don't: Avatar.

Toph POV

"You...like me?" I repeated, trying to take it in. But I'm Toph. Indestructable, unreachable, inconsolable, intolerable, unraveling Toph.

"Yeah." he muttered, disapointed and solemn. Suddenly my throat felt tight. Was this the part where I was supposed to hug him and shout 'I like you too!' and giggle? But how was I even supposed to be sure how I felt about him, when I was - well,Toph! I had crushes, and silly things like that, but I didn't date. I didn't...I didn't understand.

"Why?" I asked. The question slipped out of my mouth before I could muster enough common sense not to ask it. He inhaled swiftly.

"Well...it's just you're blind..." he muttered, the rest lost in grumbles.

"Ah, are you that ugly?" I joked. He laughed. Comic relief, what a wonderful thing you are.

"No, I mean...okay we're both handicapped in a sense right? But you - you rise above it! Sure I can roll around, butone of your senses is lost! And you use earthbending, and do all this cool vibration stuff, and yeah. And even though you've been through all this stuff, with the Avatar, and saving the world, you're still humble, and nice, and funny, and tough. But...you know you're just...really cool and stuff..." he rambled. But it was sweet, what he said. Some of the things I had been trying to tell myself for a long time, but had to hear it from someone else. My face felt extra warm. Was I blushing?

Was it possible I liked him back?

Zuko POV

"Mom!" I greeted. I could never say it enough. 'Mom'. I had someone to say it too now. She greeted me with a hug, telling me through it how she'd missed me.

"How did it go with...him?"she asked in a musical voice.

"I'm making him apologize to you tomarrow. That's if you can stand his presance." I reported. Her eyebrows lifted in surprise, but then knitted together in confusion.

"That might be a bit tough for all of us. But I'm sure you're right. I do want to hear it - and I know I'd make you happy." she said. She was a very kind woman, my mother, just like I remembered.

Her long black hair was streaked with a few grey lines, her eyes older, and her expressions aged. But she was still the beautiful mother I had been searching for.

She was staying in the royal palace, permanatley of course, as was Mai when she returned from spending some time with her parents. Which was tonight.

"So Mother," I began, mouth full of roasted duck, "Oo' 'member me tellin' oo' 'bout Mai righ'?" I was a bit nervous. My mother hadn't seen Mai since she was very young and a friend of Azula, and had no idea she'd be living in the royal palace.

"Oh, yes, when will I be re-meeting her?" she asked with genuine curiosity.

"Uhm, tonight."

"Ah, she's coming for a visit. I'm extatic to finally get to know her again. I'm sure she's much different then she was when she was a child."

I gulped. "Well acctually, shes going to live here." I told her, right before locking my eye's on my plate and shoving some more duck into my mouth. She coughed on some water. And before I knew it she was hugging me, practically suffocating me, making the roast duck fly out of my mouth.

"Oh! YOU'RE GOING TO MARRY HER ARENT YOU?! OH, MY LITTLE ZUZU'S ALL GROWN UP. FIRST YOU BECOME FIRELORD, NOW YOU'RE LIVING WITH YOUR GIRLFRIEND!!" She cried. I was a bit shocked she put my coronation and living with a 'lady friend' as Uncle would say on the same platter. Still, I slapped my hand to my forehead mentally.

"Uhm, thanks Mom?" I muttererd, but she was still in minor hysterics.

"Told her I'd be living here, huh?" called a voice from somewhere behind me. I turned to see Mai, smiling slightly, drowning in my eyes, just like I was drowning in hers. My mother let go of me, and was suddenly vigorously shaking Mai's hand, and hugging her.

"You look so different! Oh, you're both so grown up!" my mom greeted.

Though I would doubtfully admit it, and though most children would find this annoying, I smiled seeing the two most important women in my life smiling at one another.

I just hoped after tomarrow, when my mother and I faced my father, we would all still be smiling.

Phew, okay all done. It's now 4:28 am, so I MAY have written this while I was sleep typing.

Either way, please review, the critique, advice, feedback, ideas, love, hate, or anything else is all taken seriously, and seriously taken. hahaha - did I really just write that?