Author's Note: I apologize for this chapter being so late. I didn't really have a real chance to sit down and write this past week. Thank you for being so patient. This chapter is still set up in drabble-form, but it's a bit different from the others. I hope you enjoy!

There is only one chapter left in this story. Keep an eye out for the next update. I promise it won't be as long of a wait as this one was.

Chapter Fourteen

Fear Is Paralyzing, But Nothing Matters

The hospice was surprisingly small if not a bit shabby. The condition of the oversized shack gave him no comfort at first—the peeling paint, the creaky floorboards, and 300-year-old fixtures. But, just outside a window, he noticed a fresh stream running and, across, a well-tended garden. Even in the moonlight he could see the colors: blue, pink, green, white, and yellow, all warm and inviting. She was happy here. He knew that.

"Where are we?" asked Toph quietly. Her feet had difficulty seeing on wooden floors.

He took a deep breath. "Toph, I have to tell you something." His voice quivered. He could feel his throat closing up, his body overwhelmed with nervousness. Whether it was from finally being able to see his mother after all these years or breaking to Toph that he had lied to her, he wasn't sure. It was probably both.

"Zuko, what is it?" It was still quite strange hearing her call his name. He could feel his heart lift when she said it. He had earned something of hers that he didn't want to give up—something precious and fragile.

"I have to tell you the real reason why we're in this city," he said hoarsely.

It took her a moment to respond. She stood still, her face suddenly expressionless. "The real reason?" she repeated.

"A neighboring farmer gave me a lead on where my mother may be staying," he explained anxiously. "He said a woman some years back had wondered into this city, claiming to be a refugee from the Fire Nation. They hadn't seen a refugee in decades, not since my grandfather's reign. She kept claiming things like she was the Fire Lady, Avatar Roku's great granddaughter, but everyone thought she was crazy…"

He paused. The words fell out of his mouth so quickly. He hadn't realized that Toph had turned her head away. Her hands were clenched, trembling. Her nose was crinkled, her lips tucked in. She didn't blink; she couldn't blink. She used all her strength to keep her eyes from slipping close, to keep her tears from falling.

"I'm sorry," he said softly.

She didn't say anything. He wished she did. He wished she would explode. But, they both just stood there silently, neither moving. He didn't know what to do. If it were a screaming match, it would be easier, but he had absolutely no defense tactic for silence.

"Please, Toph," he begged. "Say something."

Her head turned back to him and he got that eerie feeling that she was looking straight into his eyes. "I'm happy for you," she said curtly. "We finally found her."

Zuko winced. He usually enjoyed her sarcasm, but this time it stung him. "Toph, please don't act that way."

"Act what way, Your Highness?" she asked incredulously. "Because I am currently torn between acting angry over your selfishness and… being happy for you. I—I don't know whether I should feel violated by your…disrespect or relieved after months of searching. So, yes, please tell me, Your Highness…how exactly should I be acting?"

It was his turn to be speechless. He remembered the feeling of being torn between emotions, being caught between the joy of being home after three years of banishment and the guilt of betraying his uncle.

"I didn't mean for it to happen this way—" started Zuko.

"Stop," said Toph crossly. "You're lying. You planned this whole night. You deceived me into thinking you actually cared about me."

"I do care about you."

"No. It's always been about you and your honor, your chance to redeem yourself. It doesn't matter if the people who care about you are sacrificed along the way."

He knew she was talking about Mai as well and the way he left her to help the Avatar.

"I'm even beginning to think whether this stupid gift really means anything." She tore the necklace off, almost crushing it in her grasp. "Or if it was just some pathetic way to soften the blow because, frankly, Your Highness, the badgerfrog is the most disgusting creature anyone could think of."

"Be careful with that," he tried warning her gently. "It was my mother's—"

"Your mother's? I'm so sorry, Your Highness! For a moment, I thought you had given it to me! But, no, I was just keeping it warm for your mother!" She threw the necklace at him, but missed. It landed beside his ankle. "I'm surprised you didn't hire someone with a shirshu to sniff out your mother's hiding place!"

He bent down and swept the pendant up with his fingers. It felt as if it would break in his hand at any moment. "I found this badgerfrog at a market a few towns back," he said. "The merchant said it was carved by Avatar Roku himself. I had to trade him my Dao swords for it."

Toph shifted uncomfortably. "You sold your dual swords?"

"When I said my mother, my grandmother and my great grandmother had one, I didn't mean they each had one. There was only one." He stood up and took Toph's hand, pressed the pendant against her palm. "This one."

It had happened so fast. One moment he was at the hospice and the next moment he was staggering across a forest. The leaves crunched beneath his feet. There was a blindfold over his eyes. The rope binding his hands kept him off-balance. One of the guards' soft laughter echoed in his ears, mockingly; Zuko could feel him breathing down his neck. He was going to survive this somehow. He only hoped Toph was okay.

"Where are you taking me?" demanded Zuko.

"You're under arrest."

"For what?"

"Take your pick. Theft, property destruction… unfair banishment from the Main Land. You should really know better than to wander around these lands by yourself. Catching you was almost too easy."

"You can't arrest me for what Sozin and Azulon did. They hid you from the world, not me!"

There wasn't a reply. They continued to walk for a couple more miles until he heard the sounds of wheels halting in front of them.

"Firelord Zuko," the guard growled, pulling him backwards. "Your carriage awaits you."

"Hey, you're not the driver," another guard said.

"He's been delayed," a familiar voice responded. "He sent me to take his place. One of you lot, take the firelord in."

Footsteps approached Zuko. Cold hands ripped off his blindfold. The man on the other side was slightly smaller than Zuko, his cloak too long, the hood pulled over the bridge of his nose.

"We've been looking for you, Firelord Zuko." It was another familiar voice. "Let's go." The man grabbed his collar and Zuko saw the blue arrow etched on the back of his hand. He grinned.

"Your mother is sick?" asked Toph quietly.

"She's in this hospice," said Zuko.

"Why didn't you just tell me?"

"I don't know. I was afraid, I guess."

"Afraid of what?"

He sighed. "Afraid that if I admitted it to you then it might actually be true. That she might actually be dying, that I missed out on the last years of her life. I wanted to be wrong about this. The truth is, I wanted to do something special with you tonight because I know later, when I face my mother, it would be the one thing I could hold onto. It would be that one reminder that the universe isn't entirely against me."

"May I help you?" a nurse walked in with blankets in her arms.

"I…" His knees were giving in. He suddenly felt light-headed. "My name is Zuko. I heard my mother, Ursa, is staying here."

Her eyes grew wide. "Prince Zuko?"

"Firelord, now," Toph chimed in with a smirk.

"Her stories were real? We never—" she stopped. Three guards had entered the room, looking straight at Zuko.

"Who were those men?" Toph asked the nurse. The hallway was dark and the only light streamed from the candle between the nurse's hands.

She shook her head. "They're here to keep order, to ensure our city doesn't get involved in Fire Nation matters. I don't like them. I don't think anyone does."

"Is he going to be okay?" A part of Toph just wanted to run after them and help Zuko. But, she knew he wanted her here. They had come so far to find his mother—it wasn't all about Zuko, she had to admit. It was about Ursa, too.

"If the stories are true, I'm sure he'll be fine," said the nurse. She was lying, Toph could tell. "Ursa speaks very highly of her son and I can see why. It's a miracle he convinced those guards you weren't an accomplice."

"Yeah, by convincing them I was a patient here who had recently lost her eyesight," she said half-laughing.

The nurse smiled. "He must really care about you."

"I guess he does."

Top heard a knob turning. "I'll go see if she's awake. Will you wait out here for a minute?"

Toph nodded and listened to the door creak close.

Note: Thank you for reading. Please leave a review and I will see you all for the finale!