Merry/Happy (insert preferred holiday here)! After all the drama of finals and five days of writing, chapter 12 is finally here. And just in time for the holidays. Consider this my gift to all of you.

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The last Airbender or any of its characters. Maybe Santa will give it to me for Christmas.

Sokka's POV

Boyfriend? There's no way. How…Had I really allowed myself to become that close to her? I'm with Suki. I can't just leave her. It wouldn't be right. But as I watched Terran climb out of the fountain and jokingly start using Toph's hair to dry himself off, something deep down inside me started to ache, and I realized that it was also wrong to keep something like this from Toph, especially since we never keep secrets from each other. The things I get myself into…

"Break time is over, Snoozles. We're leaving." Toph had finally managed to push Terran away and approached me while wringing the water from her hair.

"Toph where are we going?"

An uneasy feeling spread through the pit of my stomach when I saw a wide smirk slowly appear. "To the Jasmine Dragon."

Suki sighed as she idly twirled one of her folded up fans. "Toph, give it up. He'll just make a mockery out of the whole thing."

But Toph nonetheless dragged me by my arm down one of the streets. "Oh, I don't think mister comedian will be telling any jokes when we get there."

We stopped in front of the wide, double doors to Iroh's tea shop. Inside I could hear his jolly laughter. I don't get it. Why would Toph take me here? I could just joke around about the dress like I did before.

Terran looked at the front of the tea shop and raised an eyebrow. "Uh, why are we going into a tea shop?"

Toph grinned over her shoulder. "There are a few people inside that I want you to meet, and one person I'm sure that Sokka would just love to see."

Zuko's POV

Uncle and I were sitting at one of the tables in the tea shop and playing a game of Pai Sho. Mai was sitting next to me and seemed to be in disagreement with a particular move I made on the board.

"Zuko, you just set yourself up for defeat."

"For the last time, I know what I'm doing. So Uncle, it's agreed then?"

"Yes, nephew. I would be honored to help someone in need."

I was about to make my next move when the front doors slid open to reveal a very smug looking Toph. She marched her way in, dragging behind her some girl in a pink dress. Wait. That's no girl. Is that…Sokka? What the fuck?!

Mai's expression went blank as she tried to make sense out of the sight before her. "Uuhh…nice outfit?"

Uncle gave a lop-sided smile and took another sip of his tea. "Hello kids. Why don't you all come in and have a seat. Perhaps Sokka would like to explain his… err… unusual choice of clothing…and why his clothes are wet."

I struggled to hold back my snickering as the new arrivals each took their seats around the table. "What on earth are you wearing? Wait. Is this the dress Terran mentioned at the tavern? I had no idea it would be so…pink."

Sokka blushed as I doubled over in my chair from laughing so hard.

"Shut up, Zuko! Toph made me wear this after I lost a bet…and then pushed me in a fountain."

But I just continued laughing. "You look so ridiculous!"

Even Uncle chuckled a bit. "Well it certainly looks good with the color of your eyes." He looked over at Terran. "And who is your new friend? Did he also end up a fountain?"

A tiny smile wormed its way onto Toph's face as her cheeks became tinted with a light pink. "Yeah, he did. Iroh, this is Terran. We're, um, sort of… together."

Terran smiled warmly at the old general. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir."

"And it is very nice to meet you. It makes me so happy to see that Toph has found someone she can enjoy her life with. Young man, I can assure you that with Toph, you will never have a dull moment."

Terran looked at Sokka and grinned. "Clearly."

"At least now she can stop complaining about the rest of us." Suki said as she poured herself a cup of tea.

Toph reclined in her chair and grabbed one of the small pastries that were stacked up on a plate. "Hey, you guys were driving me crazy with all that mushy, romantic sappiness. Every time I turned a corner it was 'I love you.' 'No, I love you more.' 'No, I love you more.' Blah, blah, blah all day. I was surrounded!"

I chuckled as I remembered all the times in the palace when Toph stumbled upon Mai and I trying to enjoy a quiet romantic moment. She always made it look like it was the most annoying thing in the world, but deep down, I think she simply felt left out. "Well now you can finally stop telling everyone to get a room."

"Is something troubling you, Sokka?" I turned to see Uncle looking at Sokka with concern.

"I know I was supposed to meet someone here, and now I can't remember who or when thanks to little miss kidnapper."

Then, as if the spirits were playing some cruel joke on him, a very familiar voice called from the back of the shop.

"Son? Is that you?"

I had forgotten that Hakoda was back in the kitchen making some sort of special tea for my uncle to consider selling. That guy is so quiet. Toph, who was lazily rocking her chair back and forth on its two back legs, didn't seem the least bit concerned, and in fact, looked like she had planned the whole thing. Sokka stared wide eyed at the kitchen door, and began struggling to get out of his seat, which for some reason, he couldn't do. I looked under the table and saw that his feet were anchored to the floor.

He narrowed his eyes at Toph and spoke in a dangerously low voice. "I hate you soooo much right now."

The only reply that he got was a widened smirk and Toph calling to the back of the shop. "He's in here, Hakoda."

I chuckled as he struggled like a scared cat-rabbit caught in a net. Hakoda emerged from the kitchen in the back holding a steaming kettle of tea. Not noticing Sokka yet, he rushed over to the table to set down the hot kettle.

"Hi, kids. Try this. It's a special Water Tribe blend. Though I did have to improvise with a few Earth Kingdom ingredients." He took one of the cups on the table and filled it. Everyone, including Iroh, was trying so hard not to give it away before Hakoda actually looked at Sokka. "Here, Sokka. I know you wa-"

His hand froze mid-way with the cup of tea. For a few excruciating minutes his eyes, filled with shock and confusion, scanned over Sokka's pink ensemble.

"Uhhhh…son? What are you wearing?"

Sokka's brain finally jump started from its initial scare and he scrambled to find something appropriate to say. "I…uh…well…it's not what it looks like!"

Hakoda raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "Well what is it? Because right you look like a pink nightmare."

I don't know why I thought Toph would stay quiet. This moment was practically screaming for her to say something that would most likely make things more awkward.

"Sokka doesn't think so. A while back, he said, and I quote, 'I look really hot in this dress.'"

Sokka looked about ready to wring Toph's neck. Fortunately, the Water Tribe chief was a very understanding person, and remained calm.

"Sokka, I'm not upset or anything. I just want to know why my son is wearing a pink dress and was reportedly proud about it."

A sharp pain shot up my leg after Sokka discreetly kicked me to get me to stop snickering.

"It isn't my fault! There I was, visiting with Master Piando, just minding my own business, when Toph, Suki, and Katara tried to kidnap me. Then, after I escaped from them, this…this…back-stabber," He pointed sharply at Terran who simply chuckled and sipped his tea. "shackles me with clay and rats me out. Then, my supposedly loving girlfriend helps to cart me off like some sort of prisoner to the front of a dress shop where I was forced into this against my will. And the reason I said I look hot in this was to turn Toph's game against her. So as you can see, I'm the victim of a conspiracy."

Suki grabbed a cream filled pastry and rolled her eyes. "More like the victim of a lost bet."

Hakoda took a seat across from me. "A bet, eh? I remember when Bato and I used to make all kinds of ridiculous bets, and I certainly lost my fair share."

Sokka sunk into his chair and tried to change the subject. "Moving on, Dad, didn't you write me a letter stating that you would come here with Haru? Where is he?"

I noticed Terran sit straight up in his chair at the mention of Haru. "Did you say Haru is here?"

Hakoda looked curiously at Terran. "Yes, I made a few stops on the way here to pick up Haru, Tyro (A/N: Haru's father), Teo, and his father. Iroh was kind enough to let us stay in the rooms above his tea shop." He took a good look at Terran, studying him carefully. "I don't think I've met you before. How do you know Haru?"

Terran smiled. "I'm Terran, and Haru is my cousin. Is he still here?"

Toph almost rocked too far back in her chair. "You and Haru are related?!"

Terran shyly rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, we've been best friends since childhood. So, is he here?"

Toph smirked and put her hands on the earthen tiled floor. "He's here. In fact, he's upstairs sleeping in a bed that's pushed against the wall. Let's give him a wake-up call, shall we?"

We heard a loud thump, then silence, then someone yelling 'Tooooppphhh!' in a whiny tone. This only made Toph giggle feverishly on the ground. The next thing we knew, a drowsy Haru slowly descended down the stairs and was staring at the still giggling little troublemaker.

"Toph, what is so wrong with letting me- Terran? I didn't know you came to Ba Sing Se."

Terran looked up from where he sat and smirked. "I see you've grown a mustache. Though I can't say it makes you look any better."

Haru stretched and made his way over to the table. "Oh, so now the mop head wants to tell me what looks good."

Mai shifted her gaze between the two guys who seemed to not be getting along too well. "Do you two hate each other or something?"

Both of them looked strangely at her before breaking out into laughter. "No, of course not. Ever since we were little kids, Terran and I just liked to do that."

Now that I look at them, I can't believe I didn't notice the resemblance between them. Terran sort of looked like Haru except he didn't have the long hair and that cheesy mustache. Seriously, Haru needs to get rid of that thing.

"Uhh…Sokka?" Sokka looked up to see Haru staring awkwardly at him. "What's with the dress?"

Toph snickered and reached for another pastry. "He lost a bet and now has to suffer for it. Like the outfit? Katara, Suki and I handpicked it."

"Ummm…ok. So, Terran, where are you and your folks staying? It's been a long time since I last saw you guys. I'd love to stop by for a visit, but first I promised my dad that I'd go shopping for some food for our journey home." He smiled at Toph and took her hand in his. Good grief, here we go again… "Toph would you like to come with me? We could stop for ice cream on the way."

Toph jerked her hand back and sat in Terran's lap. According to Katara, ever since they first met, Haru had been trying non-stop to get Toph to like him. And each attempt he made, she refused, sometimes rather harshly to get him to stop, but it never works. He really needs to face reality.

"If I told you no the first thousand times, what makes you think I'll say yes this time? Besides, I'm with Terran , so please, stop asking."

Haru just stood there with his jaw hanging open. "What? You mean like, with him? But…but…I…"

As much as I hoped Haru would finally get the message, it was still a little heartbreaking to see his reaction. I mean, the guy looked like he was fighting back tears. Terran carefully moved Toph off his lap and looked nervously at his cousin.

"Um, no hard feelings, right?"

"No, its alright, I…I'll be fine." But his sagging shoulders, watery eyes and overall pitiful look on his face told me it might take longer than a few seconds for him get over Toph's rejection. "I mean if that's what you want Toph…then I can respect that."

Surprisingly, Toph actually looked a bit sympathethic. "Sorry, but you're just not my type. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Sokka, who was stuffing his face with sweet cream puffs, walked over to him and put his arm around his shoulder. "Dude, its fine. There are plenty of other fish in the sea…metaphorically speaking. And if you want my advice, seriously, get rid of the mustache. It's not doing you any justice."

Haru ran his fingers over the mustache, sighed and turned toward the rest of us. "Who else thinks I should get rid of it?"

Everyone raised their hand, including Uncle and Toph. "I'm blind, and even I think you should get rid of that awful thing. Who has a razor?"

Haru protectively covered his upper lip and backed away. "No thanks, I'll do it myself. So, uh, nice seeing you all, congratulations Terran, Toph, and I'll be going now."

"Wait, don't you want to know where my house is? Lower ring, fifth district, house 23."

"Yeah, got it. I'll see you guys later on today when you leave."

Haru walked quickly out the door and shut it behind him. Hakoda looked at the door with concern. "He's going to be ok, right?"

Toph simply went back to her chair and began lazily rocking back on it again. "Haru is a big boy. Give it a few days, he'll be fine."

I looked at the Pai Sho board and jumped up out of my chair after I moved one of my peices. "YES! I WIN! Oh yeah! I finally beat you, Uncle!"

But Mai's dull voice spoiled my victory. "Chill out, Zuko. He let you win."

Katara's POV

Around sunset, there was lots of activity around the royal zeppelin, as crew members scurried around loading everything and checking the ship's systems. Now that they were no longer needed for war, Fire Nation engineers took great interest in redesigning the airships to suit travel rather than cause destruction. I had to admit, our little group had a lot of fun helping Zuko design his personal zeppelin and I even managed to convince him to let me be in charge of decorating the interior.

"Katara!" I turned around to see Dad walking towards me. "Surely you wouldn't leave without a goodbye hug. Or have you grown too big to hug your old man?"

I smiled and enveloped him in a hug. "I'll never get too big."

"Bye sweetie! Take care of yourself, and be a gentleman to Toph. I didn't raise a thug."

"Moooooom! I'm not a little baby anymore! People are staring!"

"You're not a baby, but you're still my baby."

Dad and I both turned around to see the comical sight of Terran trying to escape from his mother's bone crushing hug. Lucky for him, Zuko came up to me to report that everything was loaded and that we were ready for lift off. Just as I was about to call Terran and board the air ship, I felt someone tapping my shoulder and saw Dad staring at the loading ramp.

"Who is that?" He asked me, more than mildly interested.

Zuko and I looked in the direction Dad was staring in, and saw a very pretty woman standing at the top of the loading ramp on the ship. We both smiled when we recognized her.

"That's my mother, Lady Ursa."

I looked up at Dad and my expression turned to one of slight disturbance. I poked Zuko to get his attention, and he too looked a bit disturbed at my father, who seemed to be in a trance. A love-sick trance.

"You kids mind introducing me to her?"

Zuko and I looked at each other before Zuko hastily grabbed my hand and led me to the airship. "Uh, sorry Hakoda, maybe some other time. Right now, the crew is ready to leave. See you later!"

Zuko dragged me off toward the ship, leaving Dad standing there with a small smile on his face. As much as I want to see Dad be happy with someone, I did not want that someone to be Zuko's mother. That would make us, like, siblings or something. And that would be weird. As I waited on the ship and watched everyone on the ground from the railing, I saw Dad call over one of his assistants and tell him to write something down on a blank scroll.

But before we left, Zuko informed Terran's mother that when she got back to her house, several Earth Kingdom soldiers placed under the temporary command of his uncle would be waiting there to take her family back to their hometown and clear out the Fire Nation soldiers.

As the ship lifted off from the launch site, we waved to everyone on the ground till they were too small to see. We all turned around when we heard a familiar voice greeting us.

"Hello kids! Did you enjoy the festival?"

We were greeted with the warm and loving smile that could only belong to Ursa. Shortly after the war ended, Zuko and Aang went in search of Zuko's long lost mother. They found her hiding out in a tiny secluded Earth Kingdom town. Once back at the palace, she was both relieved and saddened to see how much things had changed since she left, including seeing her son with half his face scarred and finding out that Azula was in a psych ward.

Her eyes settled on Sokka, who was still wearing the pink dress, and her expression slowly changed to one of confusion. Sokka sighed. "Don't ask. It's a long story."

Zuko tried to change the subject. "The festival was wonderful. I even managed to find a new adviser." He gestured in Terran's direction. "This is Terran. I'm bringing him on to take care of the economic problems."

"Well hello Terran. Come on, let's find you a room."

Shortly after they left, Toph stretched and walked to the door that Terran and Ursa went through. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm starved. Hopefully no one touched the food in my room."

Sokka turned to follow her. "Toph, do you still have that giant bag of fire flakes?"

"Yeah, why?" Toph narrowed her eyes at him and smirked. "Ohhh, I get it."

"I officially challege you for the title of Ruler of the Fire Flakes."

"Same rules?"

"Same rules. First one to stop for water looses."

"You're on rookie!"

Toph and Sokka raced through the door and down the halls to Toph's room.

Mai simply turned back to the railing and watched a flock of beaver-geese. "Dorks."

Toph's POV

With Sokka following close behind, we weaved through the narrow halls to my room. But a delicious smell made me change course and slide to a stop in front of the kitchen door where the delectable scent of freshly made funnel cake wafted out into the hall.

"What are we doing here? Let's go, you have a title to lose."

"That can wait. There's funnel cake in the kitchen and no one is in there watching. You know what that means."

"What's it topped with?"

"From what I can smell, there are two varieties: caramel apple and blueberry."

"Ok, but only for a short while."

The door was locked, but that was no problem. Concentrating on the heavy latch on the other side of the door, I metalbent it open and was almost run over by an especially eager Sokka.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!"

"Sorry. But there are mini funnel cakes topped with blue berries and apples! And it's all ours!"

"What's going on in here?" Terran walked into the kitchen. "Ooooo! Is that funnel cake?! I want some!"

I heard Sokka greedily shovel a few of the small cakes onto a plate. "Well too bad, 'cause you can't have any. You haven't been part of our group long enough to get perks like this."

"Sokka, just give him some."

"……ok, but only because you granted him the privilege."

Sokka handed Terran a plate off the counter. "So, where is your room?"

"Down the hall. Whoever I'm sharing the room with had a pair Puff the Magic Dragon underwear lying on the bed."

"WHAT?! They can't put someone in my room without my permission! I…I…you can laugh now."

Terran and I happily took up the offer. "Really Snoozles?! You wear Puff the Magic Dragon underwear?!"

"Shut up! I must have forgotten to put them away when we first flew to Ba Sing Se. And it's not like I bought them. Suki got them for me, ok? She thought they looked cute."

I leaned back against the wall. "Well, Book Worm, sounds like you're bunking with Sokka for the next 24 hours. I would just like say, that you have my deepest sympathies."

"Hey! I'm not that bad. And there won't be any problems as long as Terran doesn't touch my stuff. In fact, we need to tell you the rules of the palace."

"Ummm, ok."

Sokka set his plate down and cleared his throat. "First rule, you can't walk around the house with no shirt. The same goes for pants."

"Yeah, trust me, Terran. You don't want to break that rule. It won't sit well with those stuffy politicians."

I could practically feel him staring at me. "I don't want to know, do I?"

"No. Another rule is that you have to sleep in your own room. But I noticed that no one really follows that one. It's mostly just there because the Fire Nation follows some nonsense code about 'decency'."

"Any more?"

"Yeah. No feet or elbows on the dinner table, no running in the house except for emergencies, no yelling, and lastly, all fights need to happen outside. Sparky will freak if he sees that his new floors and carpets were messed up in any way. Just remember those rules and everyone will be happy campers."

"Toph, that lady who let me stay in Sokka's room, is she your aunt or something? When I told her we were together, she started asking me all kinds of questions and gushing about how much you've grown up."

"No, that's Sparky's mother, Ursa. But she has sort of adopted me as her own when she found out that my parents didn't want me. She's pretty cool once you get to know her." I suddenly sat up from my place on the floor when I felt two sets of vibrations heading our way, one of them noticeably much heavier than the other.

"Quick! Let's get outta here! The head chef is coming!" I hissed as I quickly wiped the crumbs from my clothing.

Sokka and Terran scrambled to find a safe place to put the dirty dishes. "Toph, where do we hide the evidence?!"

"Calm down, Sokka. Just give them to me and let's go."

Sokka and Terran shoved their plates into my hands and dashed out of the kitchen. I crushed the ceramic plates and condensed them into a compact ball and took it with me as I followed the two boys.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO MY CAKES?!" The cook's enraged voice echoed through the halls and only encouraged us to run faster and hide somewhere.

"Sokka, Terran, into the loading bay!" We ducked into a hatch door and climbed the ladder down to Cabi and Appa's section of the loading bay.

"We can stay down here until Tubby cools down."

It seemed that Appa wasn't there at the moment and poor, lonely Cabi was more than happy to see us. In less than a minute, I was pushed to the floor and squeezed in a giant badgermole hug.

"Nice to see you too. Aaack! Too tight! Stop! Go bother Sokka!"

"Cabi…" Sokka backed away as the badgermole released me and approached him. "Uncle Sokka is very fragile and- ahhh!"

Cabi tackled Sokka to the ground and held him like a stuffed toy in her paws. "Cabi! Let go! Ewwwww! Toph, she's licking me! Make her stop!"

Ignoring him, I sat down and leaned back against the ladder and tried to drown out Sokka's yelling by bending a few small pebbles on the ground.

"You're not going to help him?" Terran came and sat next to me.

"And make Cabi sad? That would be mean." I felt Terran shift uncomfortably in his spot on the floor and his heartbeat showed he was nervous about something. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

"I can't hide anything from you, can I? Well…I guess I'm…a bit…"

"Nervous? I know that. Nervous about what?"

"I'm going to be working with older politicians and businessmen who have years of experience. How am I going to get them to take someone like me seriously? I mean, from what Zuko has told me, I'll be the first person to ever serve on the Fire Lord's board of advisors that isn't from the Fire Nation. What if I can't do my job because they refuse to listen to me?"

"First of all, no, they probably won't take you seriously. Some probably won't even like you because of your heritage. But I went through the same thing as did everyone else. All they saw at first was our age and where we came from. Some of them still do, but after a while, the ones who weren't as set in their ways saw what we could really do. Remember, these people want results. If you are truly as good as you say you are, some will see it and even defend your ideas. But if anyone is making it their mission to give you an especially hard time, don't be afraid to tell me. I know how to straighten them out."

Terran chuckled. "I'll be sure to remember that."

"Tooooph! Get this slobbering fur ball off me right now!"

I sighed and went over to help Sokka escape Cabi's grip. But before I could do anything, Appa flew in through the open bay door, and Cabi immediately forgot about Sokka and started bothering Appa for attention, which he seemed perfectly happy to give.

"Let's go guys. I don't hear or feel anyone in the halls, so now is our chance to sneak to my room and get this contest over with."

"What contest?" Terran asked as he followed me up the ladder.

"You'll see."

Sokka's POV

After dinner, Toph and I were standing on the deck, feeling the cool night air blow on our faces. At the moment, I was feeling very proud of myself for finally beating Toph at a fire flakes eating contest. She still thinks I cheated somehow.

"What's so funny?"

Toph continued chuckling to herself a few seconds longer before answering me. "You think they'll ever prove that we ate those funnel cakes?"

"If you and I don't talk about it for a while, then no. But next time, remember to lock the door back."

I smirked as I remembered the cook questioning everyone at the table about why there were a few less funnel cakes available to be served. No one even thought of suspecting Terran, and even though everyone suspected us, Toph and I maintained that we were in Toph's room the whole time. It's not like they could prove otherwise.

"Hey Snoozles?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you think was on that scroll that Ursa was reading?"

"Meh, who knows? But she said it was given to her by a young man from the water tribe, so it must be something important. Though I do wonder why she was smiling so much."

I looked over at Toph as I prepared myself to ask her a potentially sensitive question. "Um, Toph, could I speak with you about something important?"

Toph rested her head on her arms that were crossed over the railing on the upper deck. Her blind eyes gazed blankly ahead into the infinite night sky. "Sure, what is it?"

"Would…that is, hypothetically of course…would you ever not want to hang out with me because…for whatever reason I wasn't interesting anymore?"

Toph stood straight up and looked at me with one eyebrow raised. "What? Why would I do that? That would be a bit shallow of me, don't you think?"

"I was just asking because…well, I was worried."

"…about Terran. Right?"

I smiled a little at her uncanny ability to read peoples' minds. "Yeah."

Suddenly, Toph slugged me right in my gut. "Toph, what was that for?!" I wheezed, clutching my abdomen.

"I'm trying to knock some sense into you. Just when I think you can't get any dumber, you find a way to prove me wrong. Whatever happened to our best friends forever promise? Did that mean anything to you? It certainly meant something to me."

"I…just…"

"Sokka, you will never be boring to me. I don't think I could forget about you even if I tried. You and Terran are both important to me. Is that clear?"

"Yes."

She yanked me down by my shirt to her level and threw her arms around my neck. "We'll always be best friends and don't you dare let anyone tell you otherwise."

"Yeah…best friends." Her response was a relief, but it still scared me how a small part of me wished she thought of us as more than friends.

The next chapter should be up soon now that I have a lot more time to write. Reviews would be a great holiday present.