CHAPTER TEN! YES!

this is truly epic.

i'd like to thank everyone who reviewed to encourage me to keep going :) you guys are awesome-o.

SOOOO, that all being said, I give you Chapter 10!

Enjoy and PLEASE Review.

Its spring now, and I'm into my ninth month preggers.

I throw a tablet into my bag and close my locker. Sokka stops me before I can take a step foward. His heart beat is steady and he smells like lotus soap and kinda musky. He's looking at his feet.

"Hey," he says.

"Hey...your girlfriend gave me the stinkeye in art class."

"She isnt my girlfriend. And I doubt she gave you the stink eye. That's how her face it. Y'know? It's just her face. And besides, you couldnt see it anyway-...oh."

I grin when he finally catches my joke. "So...guess what?"

"What? You arent having twins are you?"

I laugh. "No!" I suddenly feel sad again. Tears are underlying behind my lashes. "Zuko and Mai...they're getting a divorce."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Well...did he have a reason?" Sokka asks.

"Not really. It was a pretty crappy reason. He said something about not living it up as a young adult or whatever. Totally stupid."

"...I dont think its stupid."

Now I'm frustrated. I dont know if its the baby causing the mood swings or just about everything else. "Are you defending him?"

"No...yes, wait! No. I mean, its one thing if he wants to go finish his unfished business but a divroce seems a bit...drastic, y'know?" Sokka defends.

I nod, trying to process it. "It's just freaking sad, you know? I need to know that it's possible for two people to be in love and stay together forever."

Silence for a moment. He chuckles. "That was strangely...girly for you to say."

I punch his arm and smile. This is how it's supposed to be.

"I gotta go," he says. "Big race tomorrow."

Katara giggles a bit loud.

"Shhhhh!" I hiss.

This makes her cackle even louder.

"You're gonna blow our cover!"

I get up late because of my shenanigans; at around two past noon. I notice a tantalizing smell from the kitchen. Iroh is sitting in the kitchen at the table with a mug of piping hot tea and the kettle in front of him. He slurps it loudly as I walk in, rubbing the base of my back with my fore fingers.

"Hey, big puffy version of Toph. What you been up to?"

"Dealing with things way beyond my maturity level."

"Well, you seem sort of morose. What is wrong?"

"Im just loosing faith in humanity," I sigh, grabbing a mug from the drying rack.

"Would you care to be more specific?" Iroh asks, pouring my tea. He knows doing so annoys me, but I let him anyway.

"I mean, just wondering if two people can stay together forever?" I ask, sounding ridiculously corny.

He mulls it over, pulling at his beard in a comical way. "Like...a couple?" I nod. "Are you having boy troubles? Because I must be honest, I dont approve much of you dating in your condition. That's kind of...messed up, really! That's pretty skanky. Thats what you girls call it, right? Skanky? Sleezy? Tore up from the floor up?"

I close my eyes and scoff. "Stop it. That's not what it was about. I need to know if its possible for two people to stay together forever."

He sighs. "Well it isnt easy, thats for sure. And...I know that I dont have the best track record in the world but Poppy and I have been together for ten years and I'm proud to say that we are happy."

I smile.

"Here's my opinion: the best thing you can do is find someone who loves you for exactly who you are. Good mood, bad mood, ugly, pretty, handsome, what-have-you. The right person is still gonna think the sun shines out of your ass. And that's the person worth sticking with."

A wave of realization floods my being. I finish off the last of my tea. "I sort of already have."

"Well of course you have! You old D-A-D! You know I'll always be there to love and support you, no matter what pickle you are in." He points towards my belly and I stand up and give him a quick hug. "Obviously," Iroh adds.

"I have to go somewhere for a little while. I dont have any homework and I'll be back by ten. I swear." I say saluting him as I leave the kitchen.

He smiles. "You were talking about me right?" he calls after.

Okay so there that is.

The heart-to-heart between Iroh/Mac and Toph/Juno.

The next two chapters are going to be a total Tokka chapter and her having the baby...with more Tokka ;)

Peace, L.