A/N: Well here it is...the end. I can hardly believe it XD Thanks so much to all of you for sticking with me through 300k+ words. It really means a lot! I hope you enjoyed it :) And don't miss my author's note at the bottom...

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"You're sure she trusts you?"

"She's a blind fool," Zhu replied, walking behind his chair and trailing a finger across his collarbone, "and I'm not talking about her sight. She's arrogant and overconfident, placing everything on her unquestioned belief that she can flawlessly detect dishonesty."

Yakone's skin prickled beneath her touch. The knowledge that she had so much control over the most powerful man in Republic City—if not the whole world—was better than any wealth or renown, though she enjoyed those, as well.

"And besides, I doubt she would have let me out of her grasp if she didn't think I'd help her get to you. I'm far too valuable."

"Careful, now," he chided. "Don't get too cocky."

Zhu felt the blood being forced to her nether regions and shuddered, though she tried to conceal it. "Oh, I won't," she said, struggling to keep her voice level. "I have a plan, and a rather good one, I think. I know you don't like to get your hands dirty in public, so you just sit back, relax, and let me take care of it. When it's all over, this city will belong to you." To us.

As she prepared for the big event, Zhu idly recalled part of her conversation with the esteemed Chief of Police.

"The hotel is owned by Tumako," Zhu had said. "All of the staff are loyal to him and will be armed. I don't trust him or any of the other gang leaders as far as I can throw them, so I recommend you bring plenty of discreet backup."

"Of course," the Chief had said with a flippant wave of her hand. Zhu had known there were others in the adjoining room, watching her, so she'd suppressed the urge to roll her eyes.

Beifong. The woman had been born with money, intelligence, and even attractive femininity lurking underneath the layer of grime and rudeness. She was educated and familiar with high-class behaviors, and part of a family with virtually limitless connections—not to mention being close personal friends with the Avatar and the Chairman of the Council (the latter of whom she was rumored to have an inappropriate relationship with).

Basically, she had everything she needed to exert subtle control over anyone she pleased, yet she chose to use brute force and bullying to get what she wanted. So crude and inelegant. What a waste.

But it will all be over soon, Zhu thought, heading to the hotel.

Chief Beifong met her in the lobby, alone but for a single officer in plain clothes. Zhu idly spun the rings full of paralytic poison on her index fingers; such motions were how she kept calm and avoided letting her heart rate give her away. When she had been taught the techniques, many years ago, she hadn't foreseen an application such as this, but it certainly was convenient.

"Where is your backup?" she asked.

"I got my old faithful right here," Beifong said, clapping her officer on the shoulder.

"I'm not sure that's going to be enough," Zhu said hesitantly, pushing down the nagging concern that threatened to betray her. Beifong wasn't sticking to the plan.

"Oh, don't you worry. There are others nearby." She waved her hand vaguely, then pointed to a device on her wrist. "I've got this. My very clever inventor friend upgraded my watch with an alarm that's broadcast to our radios. It's a prototype he's been working on for a while. If anything goes wrong, all I have to do is push a button and my officers will swarm in."

"Impressive," Zhu said, quite genuinely. Can't wait to get my hands on that tech. With her concerns assuaged, she decided to move forward with the plan. "But let's get on with it. They are not a patient group, especially being in such close quarters with each other. Only their mutual hatred of Yakone brought them together."

She led the Chief and her silent companion through the lobby, casually aware of the staff milling about. Every one of them had platinum knives and paralytic darts. She pictured the backup swarming in, succumbing immediately, unaware that their leader had already been taken out. Beifong's body on display, alongside a huge chunk of her police force, would bring Republic City to its knees.

Focus, she told herself. It's not over yet. The hardest part is almost here.

She took them to a private meeting room on the second floor, opened the door, and gestured ahead of her before remembering the woman was, of course, blind. It didn't seem to make any difference, though. Beifong breezed in anyway, trailed by her guard. The five men in the room, serving as decoys for the city's five non-bending gang leaders, were seated around an ornate wooden table. They stayed silent as the three newcomers filed into the room.

Zhu shut the door, then flicked open the compartments on her rings. She casually extended her arm towards the Chief and said, "Have a seat," aiming right for the woman's exposed hand. Without warning, her own arm was wrenched upward and she gasped in shock, feeling a tiny prick against her neck.

A split second later, a vicious blast of air knocked her off her feet, sending her head over heels to crash into the wall. Dazed, she glanced around and tried to make sense of what had happened. The decoys were all on the floor, chairs scattered around the room. She moved to get up but the paralytic was already starting to take effect and she slumped back down.

"You– d–double-crossed me," Zhu said, her mouth starting to go slack.

"That's pretty rich, coming from you," Beifong shot back, sauntering over with her arms crossed after shooting metal cuffs at the other men.

"B–but… Why? Wh– Why take th–the risk?"

"Because now I can tie that poison that's creeping through your veins to you, Yakone, and the gangs he controls. While I assume those men behind me are no one special, I'm guessing they might have some interesting things to say. But most importantly, I have you. I knew that, if I just arrested you, you'd clam up and wait for someone to break you out. But now…that's not going to happen, is it? You've given up too much information. He'll leave you to rot."

Zhu glowered at her, despite knowing the futility of it. She glanced over at the man who had come with her—the Avatar in disguise, apparently, judging by the airbending. They had fully covered his tattoos, somehow.

"H–how…" But her lips and tongue would no longer cooperate. Even breathing was a strain.

"How did I know you were lying?" Beifong smirked. "I knew someone like you when I was younger. Call it a lucky hunch."

"To lucky hunches," Toph said, leaning against her desk and holding her glass of champagne up. Her companions laughed and clinked theirs against hers.

"It wasn't just luck, though, Chief," Luon said. "You had her every step of the way."

"Eh. There was some luck involved. Noticing the rings, for example, and guessing correctly that they were significant."

"Frankly, I'm still in shock that it went off without a hitch," Nato muttered. "I mean, you know I trust your abilities, Chief, but going into that hotel was so fucking dangerous, even with the Avatar."

"I really thought she was gonna run when I didn't bring backup," Toph said, ignoring him. "So I pulled some bullshit out of my ass about a radio alarm system on my watch. I'm quite proud of that, actually. Even Aang believed me. He asked me about it afterward."

"Has he managed to get that makeup off yet?" Yachi asked with a laugh.

"Yeah, the Kyoshi Warriors were kind enough to provide something to help with that."

"So should we expect Yakone to retaliate now?" Nato asked. "We should probably prepare for that possibility."

"I don't know," Toph said doubtfully. "I don't think he will. He's vulnerable now. I mean, we'll keep the kids on the Island until after we make our next move, but I think he'll be on his best behavior for a little while."

"Good, I need a vacation," Yachi muttered while the others laughed again.

"Vacation?" Toph said, cocking an eyebrow. "That can wait. I want to have Yakone in chains by the end of next month."

A few weeks later, everyone gathered on Air Temple Island to jointly celebrate Su's second birthday and Bumi's eighteenth, which were less than two weeks apart. He didn't seem to be in much of a party mood, Toph thought, which was odd. Normally he was a boisterous young man with a sense of humor much like his uncle's. Today, though, he was uncharacteristically serious, and at one point slipped away to his room.

"Here," she said, passing over a glass of sake after following him. "Since your mom's got a stick up her ass."

"Thanks." He chuckled darkly. "If only she knew."

"Oh?"

"Actually, there's a lot she doesn't know…" He sat down on his bed and Toph suddenly became aware of what she thought might be a full duffel bag next to his feet.

"Bumi…what's going on?" There was a brief pause in which she was pretty sure he was chugging his drink. "Hey, slow down there, kid."

He let out a satisfied ahh and belched. "I'm not a kid anymore. Yeah, yeah, I know what you're gonna say: 'I changed your diapers, you'll always be a kid to–'"

Toph snorted. "I didn't fucking change your diapers. I impolitely declined every offer to do so."

"Wow, did my shit stink that bad?" he joked.

"It sure did. But don't worry, I feel the same way about everyone else's. Believe me, I didn't change any diapers until I had no choice. And boy am I fucking ready to never do it again."

Bumi just laughed softly.

"And for the record," Toph continued. "I don't actually think you're a kid. Old habits die hard, I guess." She remembered the bag at his feet and tilted her head curiously. "What's going on?" she asked again.

"I've made some plans for my life," he admitted with a reluctant sigh. "Signed the paperwork and everything. I ship out tomorrow morning."

"Wh– Ship out where?!"

"United Forces. I gotta get out of this city."

"Bumi…"

"Don't feel bad for me, Aunt Toph. This is a good thing. I gotta figure out who I am. I can't just be 'the Avatar's son' forever."

Toph was at a loss for words. He was right, and she would normally be cheering him on, but… "You haven't told your parents." It wasn't a question; more of an accusation.

"Eh… Didn't know how to bring it up." At least he had the grace to sound a little abashed. "Kept putting it off. Mom's gonna cry. And Dad'll give me that…look."

"You do realize who you're talking to, right? You're gonna have to be more specific."

"The look that says, 'I've tried your whole life to understand you but I'm too busy to put any more effort into it than I already have.'"

Toph frowned, sure that Aang had never thought any such thing about Bumi. "Gremlin–"

"It's okay. Anyway, thanks for that liquid confidence. I think I'll go tell them now."

"Are you sure this is the right–"

"You want me to wait even longer?"

"...I guess not." She sighed. "Just don't tell them that you told me first."

"I'll leave that up to you and your acting abilities," Bumi said with a cheeky laugh, his normal attitude returning.

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This is it, Toph thought, striding along confidently, flanked by her officers. I'll remember this day 'til my dying breath. Her mood was only slightly dampened by her friend dropping out of the air nearby. She stopped and planted a hand on her hip.

"What are you doing here, Aang?"

"Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't get involved, but if what those victims said is true, we're not dealing with a normal criminal."

She rolled her eyes at his cringey 'code speak', though she appreciated the attempt. What she didn't appreciate was his pointed implication that she needed his help. But she knew the perfect way to express her annoyance in a calm, mature manner. "Fine. Follow me, Twinkle Toes." The annoyed sigh she got was like music to her ears.

"Toph, I'm forty years old. You think you could stop with the nicknames?"

"'Fraid not," she said with a smirk as she continued on. You don't want me to call you that in public, don't undermine my authority in front of my underlings.

Aang sidled up to her. "You think he'll come quietly?" he asked in a low voice.

"Yes. I'm not worried about him doing anything rash. Doesn't fit his MO. Too many witnesses, and I've got enough backup to deter any…funny business."

"All the same, I'll feel better being there myself, just in case."

"Whatever. Tag along and look tough, if it strokes your ego."

"I don't have an ego," he said with a sigh. "I can't. You've already filled this city with yours."

She gave him a sharp jab to the shoulder without breaking stride. "Damn straight."

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Two months later

Toph stood against the courtroom wall proudly, shoulders back and arms crossed behind her. She sure did like it when Sokka sang her praises, especially in front of an audience, though she had to fight to keep a straight face; he was laying it on thick, and not just about her own accomplishments.

Finally, the moment came. She already knew what he was going to say, but her palms were sweating nonetheless.

"We find Yakone guilty of all charges and sentence him to life in prison."

The gavel hit the table and Toph heard the sound of many held breaths being let out—including her own. A paper crumpled and hit the floor. Yakone's chair scraped backward and he stood slowly.

Then Sokka made a horrible noise. It took a moment for Toph to register the vibrations, but he was making odd jerking motions. Her eyes bulged as her wits caught up and she staggered forward, throwing a cable at Yakone.

It never made contact. Between the space of two heartbeats, she lost control of her entire body. She gasped for air, struck by a confusing dizziness. Every inch of her cried out in pain. Burning. She was on fire!

She was hanging from Sokka's hand, flames licking her feet. No ground. Nothing below but fire. She couldn't breathe. She was falling and nothing made sense.

Toph wanted to scream, even if just to prove that she could, but nothing would come out. Distantly, she was aware of keys dangling from her hand, turning. A lock clicked. She focused on that sound, so normal against everything else, but it was ominous, too.

The flow of time had been disrupted. Random, unrelated memories swirled through her awareness: Her sixth birthday, celebrated alone because her parents had an important social function to attend. The first time she ever heard Sokka's voice. The smell of the forest that surrounded her Academy. Music and fireworks on a hot summer night, and her being unwittingly ensnared by romance. It all felt so sharp, so vivid, and the 'now' felt like a distant memory. There was no fight in her, no survival instinct, just pain.

Bones twisted and cracked while her lungs, paralyzed, screamed for air. It was the purest agony and her mind was desperately trying to flee from it. This was the end, she knew, in some small corner of her mind. She pushed back the pain and the invading past just enough for one small cogent thought of Lin and Su to surface. Just long enough to feel regret and guilt at leaving them behind.

"Say goodnight, Chief Beifong," a low voice growled.

"Show me!" Su screeched.

"No, you're just a baby!" Lin said, supremely annoyed. "Stop pestering me."

"Not a baby!"

"Yeah, you are. Just ask Tenzin. Isn't she a baby?"

"I'm staying out of this," he said, putting his hands up.

"You still wear diapers," Lin insisted. "That means you're still a baby. I'm not going to teach you."

Su balled up her little fists and screamed, then bent down and picked up a rock.

"Don't even think–!" Lin had to quickly deflect it to avoid getting hit in the face. "You little–!" She lunged after her sister, who took off toward the house, still screaming. "Ugh! What a brat!"

"Why don't you just teach her?" Tenzin asked.

She turned to him with a frown. "Hey, whose side are you on?"

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Dad says I have to learn to be 'diplomatic' if I ever want to earn my arrows."

"Hah. Good luck with that. You've got an even worse temper than me."

He scowled at her and she shifted the ground under his feet, making him lose his balance and almost fall.

"Lin!" he complained, his face going beet red as he shot a gust of air at her.

"Hehe. Alright, alright. Calm down."

Tenzin brushed himself off, a stubborn look on his face. "You just don't want to teach her because you'll be jealous if she learns how to bend younger than you did."

Now it was Lin's turn to scowl.

"I don't see the point of you being so stubborn," he continued. "Your mom's already trying to teach her, isn't she?"

"Whatever." She turned away, spotting Aang flying toward them on his glider, landing near the front door. "You're dad's back. I guess the trial's over." Trial. The word didn't mean much to her. She understood little about those parts of her mom's job but knew it had been a cause for excitement.

Curious, they made their way to the house, but suddenly Aang and Katara came bursting out of the open door, their faces tight with worry.

"Kids, we have to go into the city for a while," Katara said briskly. "Sora will stay with you."

"What– What happened?" Lin asked, that familiar fear rising. "Where's Mom?"

"She's still in the city. Don't worry, we'll be back later."

They rushed off toward Appa's stable. Lin wasn't convinced. She had never seen her aunt so pale, all the blood drained from her face. If Katara was going, that meant someone needed to be healed. Terrified, Lin glanced at Tenzin with wide eyes.

"It'll be okay," he said, making as if to hug her, but she flinched away. She didn't like hugs.

Hours passed. Sora wouldn't give them any information, saying she didn't know anything. Lin lost track of how many times she was told not to worry; it never made a bit of difference. Night came with no news, but she refused to sleep. Instead, she and Tenzin sat in the dark on his bed, talking about anything they could think of to get their minds off their worry.

Why isn't Mom back yet? She should be back by now…

Eventually, she could fight her exhaustion no longer and gave in. A hand on her shoulder woke her up sometime later, gray dawn peeking through the shutters.

"Uncle Aang?" Lin mumbled, rubbing her eyes. She'd been expecting her mother, and the disappointment was enough to bring on scared tears. "Wh– Where's Mom?"

"Shh. Don't wake Tenzin. C'mon, we're going to go see her."

Something in his voice made her start sobbing. She didn't understand it and couldn't make herself stop. Aang plucked her from the bed and carried her outside. With her eyes shut tight, face pressed into his shoulder, she gasped in surprise when they left the ground, landing on Appa a few seconds later.

"Yip yip."

The strong breeze from flying helped Lin calm down a little, and she squirmed out of his grasp to sit next to him. A backward glance told her that Sora had a still-sleeping Su in her arms. Su could sleep through anything.

"Uncle Aang–" She tried to get the next words out but couldn't.

"You're mom's a little bit hurt," he said gently, apparently understanding her unspoken question.

"What– What happened?" she choked out, lip quivering.

"Well, the man that was on trial tried to get away and fought with her. He's been caught now, and is in jail, but we had to take your mom to the hospital. She's a tough cookie, though, so don't you worry a bit, alright?"

Lin did worry. How could she not? The Great Toph Beifong, best earthbender in the whole world, had been put in the hospital. Defeated. Lin's worst fear was coming true.

And then…she went into the room. She saw her mom lying completely still in a bed—eyes closed, arms wrapped in thick bandages, a stiff brace around her neck. The tears spilled from Lin's eyes again, blurring the horrible image in front of her.

Uncle Sokka was there, too, sitting in a chair next to the bed. Lin wiped her face just in time to see him hunched over, hands clasped behind his neck, before he turned and looked up. A half-hearted smile twitched at his lips.

"Hey, kiddo," he said, his voice odd. Raw.

As Lin crossed the room her vision seemed to narrow like a tunnel, and all she could see was her mother's face. So pale and still, like what she imagined a dead person looked like. The image burned itself into her brain and she knew it would never fade away.

"Mom. Mom, wake up."

"Shh," Sokka said, a hand on her shoulder. "Let her sleep."

"No," Lin muttered, trying not to cry again. "Make her wake up."

"Look: You see her chest going up and down? She's just sleeping. She needs to sleep so her body can heal."

"Moooom," she whined, ignoring him.

And then Toph's eyelids fluttered. Lin lunged forward but Sokka caught her and held her still.

"Lin, no. You'll hurt her."

"Mom, it's me. Can you hear me?"

Her eyelids moved again, then cracked open. Her lips twitched and a soft groan came from deep inside.

"It's okay, T," Sokka said, his voice changing suddenly. "You're safe. I've got Lin here. Su's out in the hall with Sora and Aang. Just rest, okay? Don't try to talk." She blinked, then closed her eyes. "Lin, why don't you say something? Let her know you're here."

Lin's throat suddenly tightened. What could she say? "S–sorry I woke you up. Um. Oh, I'll make sure Su doesn't learn to earthbend before you get better. I know you'll be mad if you miss it."

Sokka chuckled softly and she turned to him.

"What?" she said. "It's true. She yelled at Uncle Aang when he taught me."

"I know. She told me. Why don't we let her rest now, okay?"

But the fear was still there. "She's– She's gonna get better, right?"

"Of course. She's the toughest person in the world. Next to you, of course."

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Had it been weeks? Months? Years? Toph neither knew nor cared. From that first excruciating moment of awareness, familiar voices washing over her, to this bland state of perpetual semi-consciousness, every day had been more or less the same. She hadn't been convinced that she'd actually survived. It didn't feel real, didn't feel like life, but rather an inferior copy of it.

The only thing that changed was the pain. At first, it was mind-numbing torture, accompanied by a constant chill that rose and fell at regular intervals. Ever so slowly, the physical pain faded while the pain in her mind expanded.

Around that time, she became aware of something new: two small, frequent presences nearby. Toph felt the steady breaths and even heartbeats next to her, warming her, but actually trying to interact was…far too much of a challenge. After all, none of it wasn't really real, was it? Just a passage into the next life. A pale imitation. A remembrance.

And yet…her body was regaining its strength. What did that mean? Sound and touch were resurfacing. Voices on the edge of her awareness broke through the fog sometimes. Her body was moved, limbs manipulated by others. Finally, with some reluctance, she had to accept that she was still alive.

That revelation prompted the nightmares. Being dead meant it was all gone, left behind. Being alive meant it was still real. Bones cracking, the blood burning through her veins, muscles spasming uncontrollably. Sleep was difficult to find, but once it came it was hard to escape from.

And now…she was out of the hospital, in her bed on Air Temple Island. The few times she had spoken, she didn't even recognize her own voice. It echoed strangely in her ears, feeling somehow wrong. Her body was healed and she had relearned how to get up, how to walk and use the toilet and feed herself. But always her bed beckoned.

The nightmares had sharpened, as had the daymares—the real memories, not distorted by sleep and imagination. Memories of the after, things she had been told. Words she had tried not to listen to, but that had burned themselves into her mind anyway.

"Yakone got away. I'm so sorry. Aang took his bending, though, so he won't ever bloodbend anyone again."

"He tried very hard to kill you, but I guess he failed because he wanted you to suffer slowly. You'll get better, but it'll take some time."

"You're lucky. I'm afraid some of the witnesses didn't survive…"

Toph had blocked out the rest. Lying in her bed, reliving the memory, she squeezed her eyes shut as if it would help. It didn't, of course.

"Mom, do you want some breakfast?"

Toph blinked a few times. That voice wasn't a memory. It was the present. "No."

Both Lin and Su had gone through the various stages: crying, begging, yelling. Su was still oscillating through those but Lin had moved on to vague, half-hearted requests. She gave up easily, now. But Sokka didn't; he came into Toph's room and made her eat, though her stomach threatened to reject it with every bite.

"It's been three months, T. Lin and Su need you." It was the first time he or anyone else had tried to do anything but see to her needs, at least that she could remember.

"They have you," she murmured, lost in her head, unable to truly feel the guilt that she knew lurked beneath the surface. "And Sora and Aang and Katara." The constant cast of rotating characters from her new half-life.

"They need you."

Toph thought it odd that he didn't say the city needed her. Maybe it didn't. Yakone was gone and she'd had little to do with it. When it came down to the wire, she had been at his mercy, completely helpless. Useless. All she wanted now was to sleep…

Sokka's voice chased her into oblivion. "You'd be so proud if you knew how good Lin's been, helping with Su..."

"Mom!" Lin said angrily, shaking Toph's shoulder. "Get up! I hate this! You're not hurt anymore!"

So, she's back to yelling, Toph thought grimly. "I do get up."

"Hardly ever! This is dumb! You're being a bad mom! You're supposed to take care of us and do training with us! But all you do is lay around all day!"

The words cut deep but weren't enough to budge Toph from her convalescence. Then Lin hooked two fingers under her meteorite bracelet, in its usual spot on her bicep, and pulled.

"Get up! Please! I can't–" Her voice broke and she inhaled sharply, then gave another tug. The bracelet separated and pulled free.

Toph gasped, not only shocked, but shocked by the shock. When was the last time she'd felt anything like that? "Did you just…?"

"I– I…broke it."

"No. You bent it." Toph slowly pushed herself up and swung her legs off the edge of the bed, a spark of life surging through her. "Get the coin."

THE END…?

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Epilogue

Zaofu — 20 Years Later

"Well, it's done," Toph said with a sigh, closing the door to the guest suite she'd been given for the visit. "She should be here in a few minutes." She rubbed her hands together briskly.

Sokka chuckled. "Nervous?"

"No." A moment later, she realized the gesture was giving her away and stilled her hands. "But you are."

"So, uh, listen…" He sauntered over to her with his hands in his pockets. "I've been doing some thinking the last couple of months. I guess maybe it was the wedding invitation... And seeing her so happy up there–"

"Ohhh no," Toph said firmly. "Don't you dare. Nuh-uh. No way."

"You don't even know what I'm going to say." But there was a teasing smile in his voice.

"Yes, I do."

"I bet you don't." He crossed his arms and stood in front of her in a challenging stance. "I bet you…a thousand yuans!"

She rolled her eyes and grabbed his wrist, roughly separating his arms, and pried his hand open. "You're not sneaky! I've known about that stone in your pocket since you walked in here! I didn't think anything of it until you took it out just now."

Sokka just laughed. "It's not what you think." He put it in her hand, closing her fingers over it, and wrapped his own hands around hers. "I know you're a free spirit and I wouldn't dream of trying to change that. I have my responsibilities in the south and you have your…restlessness. But it's always so nice when we cross paths. These brief, stolen moments. They keep me going."

"You're going to ruin it again," she murmured, though a smile ghosted her lips. It wasn't the first time she'd said that over the years.

"We should be celebrating," he said as if she hadn't spoken. "Su's all grown up and married, running her city. Lin's running her city, too. It was a bumpy ride at times, and I know certain things could be better, but here we are. Still us. We did good."

Toph tilted her head up towards his face. "Sokka…"

"What?"

She let the moment linger, just to torture him. "What is this fucking stone for?"

"Have a look."

He let go of her and she opened her hand, running one finger over the stone's surface. It was carved with a curious symbol: lines and whorls, Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe.

"It's a rare stone," he continued. "Blue and green swirled together. I found it in the South Pole, in the mountains."

"Okay...?"

"I thought you could put it on your bracelet." He picked up her other hand and placed it flat on his chest. Steady pulse. "I just want you to have it. A gift to improve the first gift I ever gave you. Nothing more, nothing less."

"You are such a sentimental idiot." She took her bracelet off her bicep and made a small gap between the two ends, fixing the stone there to fuse them together. It fit perfectly, as if it were always meant to be there. "I don't know why I put up with you."

Sokka just laughed. "I do." He gave her a quick, chaste peck on the lips. "I know exactly why."

"She's here."

A moment later, there was a knock on the door. "Mom?" Su said, opening it. "I got your message– Oh! Hi, Uncle Sokka! Didn't know you were in here."

Toph took a deep breath and put her bracelet back on. "Sit down, Su. We want to talk to you about something."

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A/N: The story continues (sort of) in my next fic: The Scars That Made Me. The first chapter is now live, and the fic will ultimately consist of (probably) nine chapters/45k words. It's not about Tokka, but rather Lin and Toph (with some Su stuff, too). Some unanswered questions will be explored... ;)

If you have any questions about my fics or ever want to chat about Tokka, Toph, AtLA, or whatever, feel free to message me on Discord (Sanrielle#8945) or Tumblr (sanrielle)!