It was simple.
His hands came to caress his cold wife's face as she slept. Her breathing was barely audible and Zuko froze in place, leaning over his wife, perspiration formed at his temple. He didn't know how long she had. The healers and psychics barely spoke to him about her condition.
It seemed all was lost.
So in that one hour he took for her alone... he contemplated.
He contemplated the life they could have had if he had just said "No." to himself. Instantly, Zuko was met with a comforting image of his wife lookong up at him in some secret meadow; behind her, their children frolicked within chest high flowers, laughing and screaming. Toph's hand slowly moved forward, beckoning her husband to a welcoming embrace.
This. This is what it would have looked like; had he just said "No."
"Wasn't I enough?" Soft words were spoken to Zuko as he took the trembling hand of the Earth bender within this dream.
And for a moment, the Fire Lord hesitated, before... "It wasn't that... I just wanted... I just wanted everything..."
Pursing her pretty pink lips, Toph nodded her head and smirked. "So, you lusted over things you knew you could easily get, right?" her husband nodded. "It wasn't that you were too less of a challenge... but you were too big... and I didn't know how to handle that."
"What a sad excuse, Sparky."
"Well, it's a sad excuse for a sad man, Toph."
A laugh broke out from the Earth bender's lips and she couldn't help but shake her head at him. Mirth, content, love... they showered over him through such deep brown eyes.
"All you ever needed or wanted has been here. As sappy as that sounds—you know it's true."
Zuko stirred from the self induced dream and opened his eyes. Though dimly lit—the room had enough light to show a peculiar trembling man a peculiar trembling woman with wide brown eyes. Eyes like Earth. Eyes like sweet chocolate.
Eyes the color of forgiveness and acceptance.
"It took you long enough," Toph chided. "To think a kiss was all it took." Her amused realization struck deep within her husband's heart.
In that one night. In that one moment. In that one hour. He said...
"I love you, Toph and I'm sorry... so sorry..."