A/N: A quick note about anachronisms...

In general, I try to avoid these and stick with something close to the implied real-world timeline. One obvious exception to that is 'modern' speech, which is already present in AtLA. You may notice that I use 'goddamn(it)' quite liberally in Toph's dialogue (ok, that isn't an anachronism as much as it's culturally out of place). This was a deliberate choice because there's really no substitute I could think of that expresses the same sentiment.

Also, I realise the topic of medical science is a grey area, since they do have waterbending for healers. So it stands to reason those people emmight/em know more on the topic than people did in the late 1800s. For example, I've occasionally had characters mention hormones, which is probably a bit of a stretch, but whatever. Artistic license, I guess?

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Three days after her talk with Katara, Toph was having dinner when a telegram arrived from the Island. Apparently, she now had a decision to make. For fifteen minutes she paced back and forth across her living room, regretting the large meal.

"Ugh," she groaned as she stomped out the door, wishing Aang had picked her up on Appa. She found him outside his house, steadfastly by Katara's side as she walked around the yard.

"Why are you out here?" Toph asked her. "Aren't you about to have a baby?"

"It's going to be a while. Walking helps a little with the pain."

"What are you doing here?" Aang asked. "You could've just waited and come in the morning."

Toph furrowed her brows, a little confused. Has she really not told him yet? "Katara has suggested I...participate," she said slowly.

"Really? You're going to be in the room?" Aang asked, voice full of disbelief.

"Uh-huh."

"Why?"

"Figure it out, Twinkle Toes."

Six hours later, things had ramped up and Toph was feeling positively ill. She was actually grateful for the distraction provided by the intense pain of Katara squeezing her hand. The second her friend relaxed and released her, the nausea spiked and she hurried to the bathroom. Aang met her in the hall afterward as she debated on whether or not to go back into the bedroom.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"What are you doing out here? You should be in there with her."

"She told me to check on you."

"I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

For the first time in years, Toph felt that rush of raw emotion that meant heavy tears were inevitable. She pressed her palms to her eyes as if to hold back the flood, but Aang stepped forward and pulled her into a hug – not just a quick, friendly squeeze, but a real hug. It had been a long time since anyone had hugged her that way. There was something about being completely enveloped by a large body that instantly put her in mind of Sokka, though the scent was all wrong.

In her current state of mind, being hugged like that made her feel small and vulnerable, like he felt the need to protect her. It should annoy her. It should piss her off. But it just made everything she had been repressing lately attack in full force. Loneliness and worry at Sokka's absence. Fear and uncertainty for what was to come in her life, pulled into sharp focus by current events. In fact, the only emotions she couldn't seem to hold onto were annoyance and anger.

After a minute or so, she managed to get control of herself again. "You better not ever bring this up," she muttered, wiping the snot away with her sleeve.

Aang laughed. "Don't worry. I value my life more than that."

"Guess we better get back in there," she said with a deep breath. "She'll probably be starting up again soon."

"You don't have to."

"Yeah, I do. Haven't you figured it out yet?"

He gripped her shoulder bracingly. "I'll hold your hand too, if you want, when the time comes."

Toph cried again the first time she held Tenzin. It was just a couple of errant tears, but her friends and their young children noticed and teased her about it.

"Oh, gimme a break," she grumbled. "I'm drowning in hormone soup here."

"What's hormone soup?" Bumi asked.

"Don't worry about it, Gremlin."

"I've never seen you cry before."

"I'm sure you'll get used to it," Aang joked.

Toph tried to scowl at him but was distracted by Kya tugging on her shirt.

"Aunt Toph, I wanna see the baby now."

"You'll have your turn," Katara said. "Be patient."

But Toph sat down, the sleepless night really starting to catch up with her, and Kya came over and leaned on her legs.

"He has so much hair! Mom, did I have this much hair when I was born?"

"Nope. You were completely bald."

"Ha-ha, baldy!" Bumi cackled.

Kya stomped her foot. "Shut up! I'm not bald!"

"You shut up!"

"Hey!" Katara said sharply. "Do not talk to each other that way!"

"Bumi started it!"

"Alright," Aang said. "Why don't we get some breakfast, huh?" He quickly ushered them out amid loud complaints, and Toph and Katara were left in peace.

"So what did you think?" Katara asked.

"What did I think?" She stood to hand Tenzin over. "I think you know the answer to that question."

"It's ok to be scared."

Toph sat on the edge of the bed, scowling at the world. "Scared… I'm not scared," she lied. "But no one in their right mind would want to go through something like that."

"Don't you feel at least a little more prepared, though?"

"Not really, no. I think I'd have preferred if you'd just explained it to me, instead of losing a whole night of sleep. And now I'm going to lose at least half a day of work because I'm so fucking exhausted."

"You could have left at any time. You were obviously getting something out of it."

Toph stood with a huff, tired and grouchy. "Congrats on the new kid. I'm going to eat some breakfast and get Aang to take me home."

She crashed hard as soon as she got back to her apartment. It felt like she had barely closed her eyes when a knock on the door woke her up. I swear, if that's someone from work… I told Aang to tell them I wasn't–

Her internal rant cut off when her feet hit the floor and she realized it was Kanto standing in the hallway. A pained grimace spread across her face and for a moment she considered just ignoring him. You don't have to tell him yet if you don't want to, she reminded herself.

"Hey," she said, opening the door.

He slipped inside quickly, as he always did. "Did I wake you?"

"Was just taking a nap," Toph said with a yawn, idly checking the time. "Oh, it's only nine? What are you doing here so early?"

"Huh? Early? It's later than I usually come."

Toph just blinked in confusion. "Nine…in the morning…"

"Um…no. It's nighttime."

"What?! Are you serious? Fuck, no wonder I'm so hungry."

"You actually slept all day? Are you sick?"

"No, but I was up all night." She meandered over to the couch and sat down heavily, yawning again. "Katara had her baby."

"You stayed the whole time?" he asked, sitting next to her. "Why, for the love of the Spirits, would you want to do that?"

"I wouldn't say I wanted to do it," Toph replied grimly. "But anyway… Enough talk." She desperately wanted to change the subject and was feeling particularly frisky now that she'd gotten some good sleep. She got to her knees and put her hands on his shoulders, leaning in to whisper in his ear. "I…am going to ride you like a tigerdillo, and then send you off to fetch me some dinner."

"Shrimp noodles, extra extra spicy," Toph advised, lounging on her bed.

"Got it," Kanto said with a chuckle. "Be right back."

Despite the fact that she'd slept all day, that bout of vigorous exercise had tired her out to the point that there was little doubt she'd be able to sleep through the night. In fact, she had nearly dozed off when he returned.

"What's your obsession with shrimp lately?" he asked while they ate.

"Dunno." She shrugged, mouth too full to say anything else. The little shrimp likes shrimp, I guess.

"Being around Katara too much rubbing off on you?" he joked. "Weird cravings are a pregnancy thing, right? I think I remember hearing that somewhere."

Toph swallowed the mouthful with some difficulty, her throat suddenly tight. "I guess."

"What?"

"What 'what'?"

"You're looking a little freaked out," he clarified. "You're not worried, are you? C'mon, you know I'm a pro."

His undeserved confidence was too much for her and she let out an annoyed scoff before she could stop herself.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Kanto asked slowly.

"You were right. Cravings are a pregnancy thing."

The pained silence that followed was not unexpected, but still unbearable.

"No…"

"Yeah."

"You're serious?"

"Yes," she said shortly, losing her patience.

"But– Surely, it's not mine…"

"I don't know," Toph muttered, clinging to the tattered remains of her lie. "Probably not."

"You know how cautious I am. And I have a perfect track record, which is saying something."

"I know."

"How– Um, how many options are there, exactly?"

"Why do you care?"

"I– Never mind." He let out a long breath. "Wow, this is– I'm not sure what to say. I'm honestly shocked. I mean, I had noticed you'd been acting strange lately, but I never would have guessed this…"

Toph stayed silent, content to let him ramble on.

"How long have you known?" he asked.

"Few weeks," she lied, shrugging.

"And you really have no idea who the father is?"

"Nope. And believe it or not, I'm fine with that. I don't expect you to stick around."

He sighed softly. "Well– I'd be lying if I said I wasn't relieved to hear that. But I–"

"No. I don't want you feeling sorry for me, acting like I'm some damsel who needs to be rescued. I can take care of myself. I want to do this alone."

"Oook…" Kanto said heavily. "I didn't mean to upset you."

Toph felt the annoyance melt away. He always did that whenever she snapped at him. He never put a fight and it made her feel like a terrible person. "It's not that hard, these days," she muttered.

"I did notice that. Just figured you were stressed from work."

And uncomfortable silence settled between them. She didn't know what was supposed to happen next.

"Are you...going to be ok?" he asked with more sincerity than she probably deserved.

"Please. I'm Toph Beifong. I'll be fine." It was pure bravado, but in a way, the false confidence was helping her.

"Yeah, that's true."

He went quiet again for a few long seconds.

"Well. Anyway," Kanto said finally. "I guess…I should probably go."

"It's late. Why don't you just leave in the morning?" She wasn't entirely sure why she said it. All she knew was that she didn't want to be alone at the moment.

"You want me to stay?"

"Does it freak you out?" she asked instead of answering the question. "Knowing about it?"

"Heh. Maybe a little."

"We have that in common, then. I'm happy to change the subject."

They stayed up talking until Toph couldn't keep her eyes open anymore. When her alarm woke her the next morning, he was gone, though his scent still lingered on her sheets.

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"Er…you missed a spot," Katara said.

"Ugh!" Toph gave Tenzin another good wipe. "Better?"

"Yeah, you got it."

"Fuck. Why is this so hard?" she complained as she re-diapered him.

"You've only been practicing for a week. You're doing great. Actually, you've learned really quickly. I'm impressed."

"Hmph. Well, I'm highly motivated by necessity. I don't want to be dependent on anyone. Besides, I'm usually good at anything I actually put some effort into. The reason I never did this stuff before was because I didn't want to, not because I thought I was incapable of learning."

"Aw, Toph, I'm so proud of you. You've come such a long way from 'I can't do this. I'm going to be a terrible mother'.''

"I said 'shitty mother'. If you're going to patronize me by throwing my words in my face, at least get it right."

"I wasn't trying to be patronizing."

"Learning how to change diapers does not equal being a good mother," Toph ranted. "It was never about whether or not I could physically manage taking care of a tiny, helpless person. It's about me resenting the loss of my independence and being too fucking selfish to hide it."

Tenzin started fussing just as she finished dressing him, so she picked him up and headed back to the living room to sit down. He calmed down quickly, which was gratifying in a weird way. But still, while all of the practice was definitely helping bring her confidence back up to an acceptable level, she couldn't say she was enjoying it.

"For what it's worth," Katara said. "I feel that resentment sometimes, too. And, of course, the crushing guilt that follows. Sometimes you need to be a little bit selfish to keep your sanity."

Toph considered the child in her arms as she sat down. "If Tenzin isn't an airbender...will you keep having more until you get one?"

Katara sighed softly. "Yes." Her voice was confident, but there was a palpable tension behind it. "Not that I have that many chances left."

"Hey, you never know, maybe Bumi is just a later bloomer."

"I doubt it. He's ten years old. And he's tried so hard. All he wants is to make Aang happy."

"Lot of pressure for a kid."

"If I can give you any advice, one mother to another, it's to not hold expectations over what your child will become. We all assumed Bumi would be an airbender, and it kills me to think how aware of that he is. It's caused a lot of grief. Yours might not be a metalbender, or a bender at all. And if they're not, don't let them know you care. Because you will, no matter how much you tell yourself you won't."

She was right. Toph would be severely disappointed if her kid ended up not being a bender. If she had to do this parenthood thing, she at least wanted to be able to pass on her legacy. Bending would be something they could share, something they could do together. She couldn't help but wonder if Aang had had similar thoughts regarding Bumi.

Her dark musings were interrupted when she picked up Aang's light footsteps approaching, as if her thoughts had summoned him. She stood and passed Tenzin over to his mother. "Hey, Twinkle Toes, I wanna talk to you for a second."

"What is it?"

"Let's take a walk."

She waited until they were well away from the house before speaking again. Fortunately, Aang was a very patient person.

"So...you know I've never really been into all that spiritual mumbo jumbo…"

"Sure."

"I can accept that it does exist, though. I mean, you're the Avatar, after all. But I don't consider myself really connected to all that stuff."

"Understandable."

She was having a little trouble expressing what was on her mind, and wasn't even entirely sure how her previous train of thought had spawned this one. "When we first met, you told me you had a vision of me in the swamp, even though you'd never seen me. I thought you were completely nuts, by the way."

"Are you going somewhere with this?" he asked with amusement.

"Do you– Do you think it's possible to dream about someone you've never met? Someone you might meet one day?"

"I don't see why not. Time is just an illusion. The swamp showed me a vision of my future, and it ended up being extremely important."

"But what about without the swamp? Just regular dreams?"

"I don't know. Maybe if the dream happened in a place with strong spiritual energy."

"Does the hospital count?"

"Well, a lot of healing happens there. People are born, people die. So maybe. But in any case, I like to keep an open mind about these things. If you think your dream was meaningful, I'd say trust your gut. After all, it was you that I saw in the swamp. You may be more connected to spiritual things than you think."

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"No!" Amaruq slammed his fist on the table. "You are completely missing the point! If we don't go after them now, nip this problem in the bud, soon he will take over the entire district. We must be decisive. Chief Beifong, I know even you agree with me on this, for once."

"I do, but your plan is too ambitious. I won't risk–" A sudden flutter of movement in her gut created a vibration that shocked her into speechlessness. She could see it. Not very well, but there was definitely a vague – and rather disturbing – impression. Do they really look like that?

"Chief Beifong?" Riala's voice brought her back to reality, though she had completely lost her train of thought and wasn't sure what to say. "Everything alright?" Riala asked.

"Uh…I'm fine. Just distracted. What was I saying?"

"You were about to tell Amaruq how insane his plan was."

"Right." Toph tried to pull her focus back. "Your plan is too risky. It puts too much on the backs of my officers. There's no way there won't be some casualties."

"Well...If you could join the raid, I'm sure it would go much more smoothly and minimize the risk."

Toph slapped the table in irritation. "You know I can't, jackass."

"I know. I was simply pointing it out."

It had been two weeks since the Council had learned of her situation and Toph couldn't shake the feeling that they now doubted her ability to do her job properly. Amaruq's implication only solidified that theory.

She gave him a deep scowl, lip curling up in disgust. "I'm so sorry my unborn child is such an inconvenience for you," she spat.

"Ah, we seem to have gotten a little off-topic here," Ludo said awkwardly. "We'll...table this matter for now. I know you're a busy woman, Chief, so we'll keep this moving along."

An hour later, Toph left City Hall annoyed and ravenously hungry. She picked up some food on the way back to Headquarters and headed for the staff room to get a glass of water, but as she approached the open door, her sharp ears picked up a quiet conversation inside.

"...doesn't stop eating so much, soon her armor won't fit anymore."

"So you noticed it, too? Doesn't make sense, considering all the solo training she's been doing after hours. She should be getting fitter, not fatter."

"Right? Is it just me, or have her–"

At that moment, Toph appeared in the doorway and stood there impassively. Three heartbeats around a table simultaneously stuttered. Someone choked on their drink and started coughing.

Between her bad mood from the meeting and her utter disbelief that those rookies would be so bold, the amusement she would have normally felt was proving to be elusive. Were they idiots or something? Everyone knew how good her hearing was and that she came in here often.

It was a tense few seconds as she grabbed a glass, filled it with water, and left. No one spoke the whole time. Back in her office, she sat down with a tired sigh. "As fun as it's been watching everyone lose their minds over my 'weird behavior'," she told Rinna, "I think I'm getting sick of it."

"Are you going to make an announcement and put them out of their misery?"

"Nah." Toph sat up straight and took her armor off. "Can't be bothered." She leaned back again and ran her hands down the front of her shirt, frowning at the unwanted changes to her figure. "Gonna be pretty obvious soon, anyway. In fact, I think I'm done trying to wear my armor. It's so fucking uncomfortable."

"I'm honestly shocked Riju hasn't spilled the beans yet."

"Are you kidding? He's been having way too much fun with it."

But not an hour later, Nato stopped her in the hall. "Where's your armor?"

"What's it to you? I can do what I want."

"I'm just not used to seeing you without it. Looks weird."

"Yeah, well I don't feel like wearing it."

"Mm, I don't blame you. I mean, honestly Chief, you've kinda let yourself go."

"Oh, for fuck's sake, I'm not fat," Toph snapped, her mood swinging wildly to exasperation without warning. "I'm obviously pregnant, you absolute bollard."

"I know," he chuckled. "I just wanted to hear you say it."

Toph rolled her eyes. "Asshole." It was revenge, she knew. The man had four children, and she had relentlessly mocked his domestic struggles over the years.

"This isn't my first rodeo, Chief. I know how to recognize the signs. I also know to never, ever ask or assume. Congrats, by the way."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," she grumbled, stalking away.

That very public interaction set off a chain reaction among her underlings. Three days later, things had gotten utterly ridiculous. Toph had assumed that, with the cat out of the bag, the gossip and whispers would die down quickly. But the opposite had happened – regarding one very specific point – which led to her gathering every single person in the entire building into one room.

"Alright, listen up you lot because I'm only going to say this once!" she bellowed to the small crowd. "The identity of the man who knocked me up is no one's goddamn business but mine. Not that I owe any of you nosy motherfucker's an explanation, but I do not, have not, and will not get involved with my subordinates. Ever. Period. Believe it or not, I do have a life outside of work, which I have every right to keep to myself. So unless any of you idiots want to be suspended without pay, you can take all your childish gossip about my personal life and just shove it all the way up your collective asses, because I'm fucking tired of listening to it. Got it?"

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"I think this place is actually closer to Headquarters than your apartment," Aang remarked as they walked.

"Eh. I guess. But I'm not optimistic," Toph grumbled. "Apparently it's a brownstone, so not a lot of outside space for training."

"It'll probably have a backyard."

"A tiny one."

"Well, here we are," he said, coming to a stop. "Bigger than I was expecting."

It wasn't actually necessary for him to be here, but he had insisted on coming along. Some days, it seemed like he was more excited than Katara about the whole baby thing.

"Wow," he said once they were inside. "How many bedrooms does this place have, anyway? It's huge."

Between the three floors, they counted five bedrooms.

"Fuck's sake," Toph muttered. "I'm having one kid, not four. What do I need all this space for?"

"Well, you wanted a house close to work. I doubt there are that many available, especially this close. What do you make of the structure itself? Seems pretty sound."

Toph stomped her foot a few times to get a clear reading. "Yeah. It's got good bones. Hm…" She tapped her lip, having a sudden idea. "I wonder…"

"What?"

"What if… What if I knocked out the second floor and opened up the first floor. Take all the walls and everything out. There'd be a pretty decently-sized area for training, and the top floor could be the living space."

"Can the building support that?"

"Yeah, I think so. It's narrow, so as long as we add some extra support beams, I think it'll work."

"It'll take a while to remodel."

"So? I've got four months. Plus I'll be staying on the Island for a little while afterward, anyway."

"True. But I'd still clear it with the Council and talk to an expert before you start any demolition."

"I will."

Toph crossed her arms and took a deep breath, trying to put it all together in her mind. Despite her earlier reservations, this actually felt perfect. Yeah, she would have lots of stairs to climb up and down every day, but that was really the only downside. I'll need to get back in shape, anyway... With the modern luxuries available these days, there would be no going outside to a water pump or latrines. Everything would be inside. She could make a nice home here for herself. And her kid.

In the past few weeks, since her conversation with Aang about her dream, an odd shift had started to happen within her thoughts, in the way she thought of this child. She couldn't seem to shake the certainty that it was a girl, not that she was willing to admit it to anyone else. How many more weeks until the small movements grew strong enough to confirm those thoughts?

"What are you thinking about?" Aang asked, making her realize she had just been standing there silently for several minutes.

"Guess I'm just thinking ahead."

"Don't tell me that's a hint of eagerness I see on your face?" he teased.

"Yeah, eager to have a place to train at home," she retorted.

"I weep for your future neighbors."

"Mm, we'll have to soundproof the walls for sure."

"That won't do anything for the earthquaking."

"Heh. I guess not. But what are they gonna do? Call the police? What ever will I do?"

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"Can you handle these?" Toph said, tossing a small stack of mail from home on her secretary's desk.

"Sure," Rinna said. "Oh… This one's from your mother. Do you want to read it yourself?"

"What?! I just sent them a letter! There's no way they could have replied that quickly. Let me see it." Her fingers danced quickly across the page, skimming through the general platitudes and mentions of daily life.

Your father and I have decided to visit Republic City, as he has some business to take care of with the refinery. I thought it might be nice to come along since it has been so long since my last visit. We will be leaving in a couple of hours and plan to stay at Hotel Xian. We expect to arrive on the fifth and would love to have you join us for dinner the following evening at seven o'clock at the hotel's restaurant. You can leave a message at reception to let us know if that time works for you. Please do wear something presentable.

Toph quickly blew through the rest, just to make sure. Either they had not gotten her letter before leaving, or her mother had sent this one first. Did they know? It was maddening. And they would be arriving tomorrow.

This is what I get for neglecting my mail, she grumbled to herself.

That evening she visited Katara, the task of finding something to wear to the dreaded dinner weighing heavily on her mind. "They're going to notice the second they see me!" she exclaimed. "I'm enormous!"

"Please, Toph," Katara said. "You have a cute little bump."

"Little?!" She wrapped her hands around her swollen abdomen. "You call that little?!"

"Compared to how it will be in a few months, yes."

"Ugh! Fuck!" Toph said, falling onto the couch.

"Spirits, you are so dramatic."

Toph responded silently with a rude gesture that she knew Katara hated, receiving a satisfying scoff, rife with disgust, for her trouble.

"You're really not that big, for how far along you are," Katara continued. "I bet in a few weeks that baby's going to have a growth spurt. Then you'll really start feeling it."

"Thanks, that makes me feel loads better."

"You spent enough time calling me a whale during my pregnancies. Consider this payback."

"I came here to ask for your help, not to be mocked. If you don't stop, I'm just going to leave and show up at the restaurant in my usual clothes."

"You can't do that," Katara said with a tsk. "I'll take you shopping tomorrow."

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Pedestrians slowed as they passed by Toph where she stood on the sidewalk, wringing her hands. Each time, she grimaced and tried to ignore them. Her stomach was clenched painfully, which apparently was upsetting the little shrimp, based on the constant fluttering.

Though the clothes Katara had picked out were, thankfully, fairly loose around the middle, her friend had assured her there would be little doubt regarding her condition. That was for the best, anyway, she decided. Better to get it over with right away.

With a deep breath, she forced herself forward into the hotel, trying to keep her hands relaxed and still as she headed toward the restaurant. How was it that her parents could make her – an independent adult woman who didn't take shit from anyone – feel this way? Why wasn't she past this?

"Ah, Chief Beifong," the hostess at the door said as soon as Toph approached, clearly recognizing her. "Your party is right this way." It was obvious to Toph's feet that the young woman glanced back at her a couple of times as they walked. "Here you are. Someone will be by shortly to take your drink orders."

"Mother. Father," Toph murmured, sitting. Her parents' elevated heart rates were no more surprising than the pained silence that followed her greeting.

"So," Lao said. "It's true, then."

Toph blinked, though after a moment's thought she realized it made sense. They had friends that lived here. Of course they would have heard.

"I sent you a letter," Toph said. "I guess you didn't get it before you left to come here. The postal service must be slacking. I didn't even know you were coming until two days ago." It seemed like a believable enough excuse. People always complained about the postal service.

Someone approached the table to take their drink orders, giving her a minute to stew silently and brace herself for the inevitable lecture.

"You look lovely, dear," Poppy said once they were alone again, her voice unexpectedly cheerful. The compliment didn't even sound forced. "That gown suits you."

"Thank you. Katara picked it out."

"She has good taste."

"I'll let her know."

"Toph..." Lao began, a grim note in his voice. "I don't suppose this visit will include an introduction to the man responsible for this...development."

She surreptitiously placed a hand on her stomach in a probably futile attempt to quell the distracting squirming that was still going on. "He is of no consequence and won't be involved."

"Is it not Sokka?" Poppy asked tentatively.

Toph struggled not to grimace. She hadn't shared the ups and downs of their relationship with her parents. As far as they knew, he was a casual presence in her life, though with a vague status. "No. Last I heard from him, he was traveling the world. He's been gone for more than two years."

"He clearly cares about you," her mother pressed. "Surely he would marry you anyway, if you wanted him to, for the sake of your reputation."

"I'm not getting married," Toph said firmly.

Lao made an impatient noise. "That is not acceptable, Toph. Everything you do reflects on us, on the Beifong name. Having a child out of wedlock–"

"I think I have done quite enough to bring respect and honor to the Beifong name!" she interrupted fiercely. "I was the inventor of a never-before-seen type of bending and a war hero at age twelve, and I have since established a prestigious police force in the most rapidly growing metropolis this world has ever seen. When people hear the name Beifong, that is what they think of. No one gives two shits that I'm not married."

"Toph!" Poppy exclaimed, sounding utterly scandalized.

"This is a respectable place!" Lao hissed. "That sort of language will not be tolerated!"

Toph clenched her jaw, regretting letting her emotions get away from her. She had tried so hard not to swear during her diatribe, but lost it right at the end. And now she'd just been scolded. "I'm not a child," she said stiffly. "I can speak however I like. But I apologize for the outburst. My moods are a bit more...volatile, lately."

"I cannot think of a time when they were not," Poppy said with a soft laugh, much to Toph's surprise. Dry jokes weren't exactly normal for her.

"Look," Lao said before Toph could come up with a response. "Your many accomplishments are not in question. In fact, your considerable...renown...only makes it more important for you to conduct your personal life with some amount of decorum. You are naive if you think your choices are not the subject of gossip, and if you think we are not affected by it."

His words stung, mostly because she knew they were true, but she would never give him the satisfaction of knowing that. "It's my life," she said shortly. "I can't base every decision I make on how it might affect you. And people will gossip about anything. It's not that hard to ignore."

"I do wish you had told us sooner," Poppy said, real hurt in her voice.

"I knew the conversation would mean pressure for me to get married. It wasn't something I looked forward to."

"Will it not make your life harder, trying to raise a child alone? Especially with how busy you are."

"I'll manage. I've got Aang and Katara to help me out. I'll have to hire a nanny, of course. It won't be so different to how I had governesses growing up."

"Do you need money?" Lao said with a sigh, as if he fully expected her to beg for financial support.

"No. I make enough on my own." She hoped to the Spirits that was true, though she still had little idea how much it actually cost to raise a kid. The last thing she wanted was for them to have to support her and hold it over her head for the rest of her life.

"And will we ever get to see this child?"

"If you wish to," Toph allowed with an air of reluctance. An irrational part of her worried he may resort to kidnapping. It wouldn't be the first time.

"Well, of course we do!" her mother said with genuine enthusiasm. "I was not sure I would ever have grandchildren. Everything else aside, I am so pleased for you. Truly."

To Toph's surprise, she actually meant it.