A/N: This chapter has the first mention of platinum, but it's implied that people have known about it for a least a little while. I'll be perfectly honest with you – this was an oversight. It snuck up on me and to write the chapter as 'the discovery' would have muddied the main focus too much. I do have some vague intentions to write that and add it to my 'Deleted Scenes' work, but at the moment my priority is getting through revisions for this story.

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Toph could barely remember the tune from the music box but she tried to hum it anyway. Like most people, she enjoyed listening to good music, though she'd never had any desire to try and recreate it herself. At the moment, it was making her feel a little ridiculous and she was grateful that it was only her and Lin in their new home.

I should just buy a damn music box, she grumbled silently. And yet, whatever she was doing was working; Lin's crying was dropping off. Finally. Toph crept to her bedroom and gently set Lin in her bassinet, holding her breath. Sometimes Lin roused as soon as she was put down. So far so good. Just gonna tiptoe out of here...

With a sigh of relief, she pulled the door closed and went to the kitchen to make herself a well-deserved cup of tea. There was a book on her tea table – one of a set that she'd received as a gift when Lin was born – that she had only recently had a chance to get into. It had been printed specially for her with metal ink and was her first experience with reading fiction.

Tea in hand, she had only just sat down and picked her book up when the buzzer rang. That better just be a nosy neighbor !

But that hope died the second she stood up and sensed a figure wearing metal armor. With an annoyed huff, she stuck her head out of the window that overlooked the front door. "You have got to be fucking kidding me. It's not even nine o'clock in the morning on my first weekend in my new house and I just got Lin to sleep."

"I'm sorry, Chief. Captain Nato said it was urgent."

"Ugh. Fine . Tell him I'll be there in a few minutes. And tell him that if I don't deem it 'urgent' enough, he is going to seriously regret it!" She went back to her room and put her armor on, fuming. Unsurprisingly, Lin woke and started crying the second she was picked up, and she didn't stop the whole way to the station.

"This better fucking be important," Toph snapped when she found Nato in his office. "I had to wake her up right after putting her down."

"Penga is missing."

All of Toph's anger evaporated at the dire tone in his voice, leaving behind a cold, sick feeling. "What? What do you mean 'missing'?"

"She accompanied Detective Shan last night, doing something for the case he's working. Neither of them has come back."

"What?! Why would she do that? She's too recognizable!"

"I don't know. It was hard enough to even find out this much."

Toph frowned and started pacing. Shan was doing undercover work; it wasn't unusual for him to be incommunicado for days at a time. But Penga wouldn't have just gone off the grid. Then again, she should know better than to risk being seen with an undercover cop.

"Ok. I'm going to take Lin to the Island. Hopefully, Katara can watch her today. In the meantime, gather every shred of intel you have on Shan's case. I'll be back soon."

By the time Toph made it up the hill to the house on Air Temple Island, Lin was completely passed out, but woke up again thanks to Bumi and Kya arguing.

"What's wrong?" Katara asked after yelling at them to go outside. "You look worried."

"Penga is missing. I need to try and find her. Can you watch Lin today?"

"Of course."

"Thanks," Toph said handing her over. "Her routine is totally fucked for today, but I guess she'll probably be ready to eat in about an hour. Here's her bag. I'm not sure how long this is going to take."

"It's ok. I hope you find Penga. Lin will be ok here."

"Oh, and I should probably leave this here," she added, taking her watch off. "Just in case."

"Please be careful."

"Stop worrying, I know what I'm doing."

On the way back to the station, she didn't even bother with streetcars, opting to use her cables for speed. It was the first time she had done it in eight months and it was honestly a little terrifying. She was breathing hard by the end of it, still sorely out of shape. Goddamn kid , she grumbled. It's all your fault. You see what you've reduced me to?

"Ok, what have you got for me?" she asked briskly once back at Headquarters, trying to suppress her worry with proactiveness.

"Detective Shan has been balls deep in the Banni case for months," Nato said. "According to his latest reports, what started as a simple shakedown at one of the Xi Kao gang's known haunts has turned into a very complex cat-and-mouse with this guy named Banni, who has known affiliations with Yakone. Luon, Yachi, and I have got officers hitting the streets in every neighborhood Shan was working in. Knocking on doors, asking questions."

"We don't know where they went last night?"

"Nightshift said he mentioned Chipi Street, but no word so far from the officers there."

"Alright, I'll start there. You stay here and keep combing through the reports for anything that might be helpful."

Chipi Street was only a twenty-minute walk away. Rather than use her cables, Toph settled into a slow jog, scanning the city around her with every footfall. Searching. Reaching out with her senses for a familiar form.

Fuck, I am so out of shape! she complained again. And it didn't help that, despite having settled into a relatively structured routine with Lin, she still only got about four or five hours of sleep a night, and not consecutively. Fatigue was a constant companion and running was not something her body wanted to do.

But adrenaline kept her going; she had to find Penga. This whole thing reeked of Yakone. It felt like he was toying with her. Taunting her. All Toph could think of while she ran was the nine-year-old girl that had joined her Academy, close to two decades ago. Fuck, has it really been that long?

Two blocks from her destination, an officer ran up to her. "Chief! Hold up!"

Toph came to a stop and braced herself against her knees, trying to catch her breath.

"Er, you ok?" he asked.

"Fine," she muttered, panting. "You got news?"

"Yeah. Quan just got done talking to a guy, owns a restaurant on Chipi Street. Said he overhead a conversation about some Xi Kao activity over in Koriko. He said they definitely mentioned something about cops."

"Koriko? You gotta be kidding me! That's on the other side of the fucking city!"

"We're still looking around here, but so far no other leads."

"Ugh. Ok. Thanks." It was too far to run, so Toph shot her cables out and sped away. Two blocks later, thirty feet in the air, one of her cables missed the corner of the building she was aiming for. For a moment, she seemed to hang in the air, the other cable attached to something lower, and then she was falling. Totally blind. No vibrations. Desperately, she flung the cable that had missed, hoping to snag something, anything.

Suddenly she was jerked sideways, still falling but at an angle. The cable pulled taut and she quickly wound it into its spool to slow her descent. Then the ground met her bare feet, throwing her into an uncontrolled roll. A lone carriage rumbled past only a few feet away then stopped. Rapid footsteps approached while Toph was still trying to figure out which way was up.

"Are you ok?" the man asked, crouching down next to her.

Battered and bruised all over, Toph tried to push herself up. Her arm gave out, excruciating pain shooting through her shoulder, and she just barely caught herself on her other hand. The impact sent a vibration through the ground, alerting her to a small basement that was completely encased with...platinum? The shock of what she'd seen almost made her forget the pain.

"I think your shoulder is dislocated," the man said, but Toph was barely listening.

She struggled to her knees and slammed her hand into the ground again. The basement was four blocks away, back on fucking Chipi Street. Very few vibrations went through it, similar to wood, but she thought maybe there was a person in there, lying on the floor. Penga or not, it was without a doubt a metalbender that needed help.

This wasn't the first dislocated shoulder Toph had experienced from cable-flying. She'd taken a few nasty tumbles back in the early days; she knew what to do. Bracing herself with gritted teeth, she took hold of her wrist and quickly yanked her injured arm out straight. "Mother fucker !" she gasped as it slid back into place with a sickening pop.

"You should probably get that looked at by a healer."

"No kidding," Toph muttered, eyes watering. She blinked quickly to clear them but couldn't help but sniffle a little. "But it can wait," she added, getting to her feet. Her arm hung limply at her side, completely useless at the moment, but at least the searing pain had dropped off to a mostly bearable ache.

It was then that she became aware of all the passersby that had stopped to watch the spectacle. "Nothing to see here, people," she growled, stalking toward an alley that would hide her from curious eyes. There was no time to lose, no time to find backup. Whoever was in that basement might not be able to wait. And besides, stealth was a better option than busting in the front door with half a dozen officers.

She tried to set aside the pain and stomped a few times to take stock of her surroundings. It would be best to tunnel through from here to prevent any lookouts from spotting her. Even from this distance, she could make out three men guarding the entrance to the platinum basement and another two at the building's front door.

If this was Xi Kao, there wouldn't be any benders – not that that made it any easier or better. Benders were predictable, but non-benders often had dirty tricks up their sleeves. She'd have to be cautious. But even so, five guards would be no match for her, especially with her having the element of surprise. They wouldn't know what hit them, and there was no need to risk any of her officers' lives. It would be a quick in-and-out.

As she neared the spot she was aiming for, right at the bottom of the basement stairs, she slowed down, trying to be quiet.

"Did you hear that?" a distant, muffled voice said.

Fuck , Toph swore in her head. She stopped tunneling to listen.

"Yeah… Sounded like...something in the wall."

There was a brief pause.

"It's an earthbender! Someone's found us!"

Goddamnit. Toph slammed through the rest of the way and pressed the guards against the wall using the rubble. Suddenly dozens of footsteps came thundering towards the stairs. Where the fuck did they come from? ?

Shoulder screaming in pain, she brought her hands up and squeezed the walls of the hallway upstairs together, trapping most of her attackers. All but one. He was nimble and squeezed through, leaping down the stairs and over her head. The wrist of her injured arm was caught in something cold and hard, then the man whipped around to catch her other wrist and bound them together.

"Aaahhhgg!" Toph screamed as her shoulders were wrenched around behind her. The pain was mind-numbing, blocking out all thought, and she couldn't bend whatever held her wrists together. Using the stone beneath her feet to propel her, she flung herself backward as hard as she could. Flesh connected with flesh and the man shrieked in pain as his body was crushed between her and the platinum door. Just for good measure, she gave his face a good kick as he slumped to the ground.

The original guards were still stuck to the wall. She could feel their hearts thudding in abject terror. "Please don't hurt us!" one of them cried. "We's just following orders!"

"Where is the key?" Toph growled through gritted teeth. Even the adrenaline wasn't enough to keep the pain at bay.

"I got it right here, round my neck!"

Then she remembered that her hands were securely cuffed behind her, and judging by the sounds from the top of the stairs, the others were working to free themselves and likely to break through soon.

I should never have come in here alone. What the fuck was I thinking? With a good stomp, she partially collapsed the staircase to block their path and buy a little more time. "I'm gonna let your arm go so you can drop the key into my hands, ok? No funny business. I will not hesitate to break every bone in your body. I don't need my hands for that."

She turned her back to him and released the rock around his arm. A small metal key fell onto her outstretched fingers. More platinum. These people sure had wizened up. But who could afford so much of it?

Getting the door unlocked was no easy task, and took long enough that she could now feel many people struggling through the cave-in. Time was running out and she couldn't risk further damaging the structural integrity of the building.

The lock finally clicked and she kicked the heavy door open.

"Ch-Chief?" a weary voice said. Penga's voice.

"Can you walk?"

"I'm tied up."

"Rope?"

"Yeah. They used those cuffs on me, too, but took them off after I was in here."

Toph took a deep breath and focused, trying to block out the sounds of those attempting to get through. Slowly, a piece of metal separated from her shinguard and formed into a blade. Sweat dripped down her forehead from the mental effort of doing it without her hands. Once finished, she let go and the knife clattered to the floor.

"Can you get it?" she asked, nudging it over with her foot.

Rather than answer, Penga started wriggling around. But she was taking too long.

"Hurry," Toph said.

"I'm trying. Almost… Almost got it."

The rest of the guards broke through and Toph darted out the door to keep from being locked in. Several pieces of metal hurtling forward entered her awareness. Before she could do anything, they suddenly stopped a foot from her body. Penga was at her back and their attackers were now screaming and fleeing, their own knives turned against them.

Then Penga yelped and fell. It created a vibration that reached Toph just as the man she'd slammed against the door reared back with his knife. She mentally grabbed the metal and used his own momentum to plunge it into his gut. There was no scream; just a soft whimpering gasp.

Toph fell to her knees, exhausted. "Penga! Can you hear me?"

"Yeah," she said weakly. "It's just a flesh wound. Bleeding pretty bad though. Gimme a sec… Just gonna…tie this scrap of rope around my leg…"

"We need to get out of here before the others come back with more friends. Can you walk?"

"I… I'm not sure. He stabbed my leg. 'N I'm feelin'...kinda dizzy."

"Put your arm around my neck." Standing back up with the extra weight used nearly all of what little strength she had left. "G-gonna have to help me out a little here," she stammered, grunting with effort.

"I'm trying."

One shaky step at a time, they headed back through the tunnel Toph had made. She collapsed it behind them as they trudged along. About halfway there, Penga's arm slid from her shoulders and she fell to the ground with a dull whump.

"Penga?"

No answer.

Toph could still feel her pulse through the ground, but it was very weak. "Fuck." With the final reserves of her energy, pulled from somewhere she didn't even know existed, she lifted the stone that Penga lay on and pulled her along. Every step felt like it would be the last, but she just focused on the end of the tunnel as it crept closer.

What felt to Toph like hours later, they finally emerged from the alley. "Hospital," she muttered to the closest person as she set Penga down and collapsed against the wall. Everything after that was a little hazy. A medical wagon arrived and carted them off. Toph clumsily drank something that helped with the pain but made her drowsy, and she kept nodding off, then jerking awake. Her wrists were still bound behind her back, which made relaxing impossible.

"Is she gonna make it?" she muttered to the woman that sat with them.

"She lost a lot of blood, but she's still hanging in there at the moment."

At the hospital, another healer saw to Toph's injuries while someone else tried and failed to remove the platinum cuffs without hurting her further. "Going to have to get a metalworker in here, I think," he said. "Just sit tight."

"I'm not going anywhere," she slurred, still a little sleepy. As her head cleared from the drink, her thoughts turned to Lin. I gotta be more careful. I can't leave her an orphan. I know Katara and Aang and Sokka would take care of her, but she shouldn't grow up without at least one parent. Fuck. I gotta be more careful. Why did I go in there alone when I was already hurt?

She tried to remember her thought process, how she had gotten into that mess. It had seemed so easy and simple at the beginning, but if she'd known how many people were in that building, she never would have gone in alone. They must have been deliberately hiding from her senses somehow. And that man, the one who had cuffed her? It gave her chills, thinking how close he had been to taking her down. Worse – the fact that this weakness of hers had so clearly been demonstrated and witnessed really rankled. How could the best metalbender in the world be rendered almost helpless by…metal?

Nato showed up a little while later, after the healer had seen to her injuries. "What the fuck happened out there, Chief?" he asked. "No one knows what's going on. I just got a telegram that you and Penga were here and something happened on Chipi Street."

"It's a long story," she muttered.

"You look like you've been chewed up and spit out by a tigerdillo."

"Sounds about right."

"What is that? On your wrists?"

"Platinum cuffs. Some kind of latch holding them together. They're trying to find a metalworker to get them off. How is Penga? Is she ok?"

"She's still unconscious but I think she'll pull through."

Toph just nodded wearily, relieved. "Fuck. What a long day."

"It's only noon."

"What? Seriously?"

"Quarter 'til, actually. So, tell me what happened."

During the debriefing, someone finally showed up and managed to remove the cuffs. She could hear the disapproval in Nato's voice when he reacted to her daring rescue, though she carefully left out her embarrassing cable accident.

"You're a fucking lunatic, Chief."

"Well, we're both alive. That's gotta count for something. I don't think a raid would have gone much better. I had the element of surprise."

"So did they, by the sounds of it. Sounds like they were waiting for you. Like it was a trap."

"Then why the fuck did someone try to send me to Koriko?"

"Who knows. But the complexity of it has me worried."

Toph sighed. "Yeah."

"But...I guess it's over."

"Over? It'll never be over."

"Over for the moment, I meant. You should get some rest. We can't do much until Penga wakes up, anyway."

"We can investigate that hideout."

"Luon's on top of it. He took a dozen officers to clear it out. I'm sure they scattered, anyway. You've done enough, Chief. Just get a few hours of sleep."

"I can't sleep here."

"Why not?"

"Just can't," she muttered, not about to explain why it made her uncomfortable.

"Then go home. I'll send a telegram to the Island to let them know. I'm sure Katara won't mind looking after Lin for the rest of the day."

"No," Toph said wearily, getting to her feet. "I'll just go there. Come get me when Penga wakes up."

"Spirits, what happened to you?!" Katara exclaimed.

"Long story. Can you have a look at my shoulder? I don't think the healer did as good a job as you can."

"What did you do to it?" she asked, already pulling water from her pouch.

"Dislocated."

"Did you find Penga?"

"Yeah. She's hurt, but she'll be ok. How's Lin?"

"She's good. Napping."

"I think I'll do the same, once you're done with me."

"There's nothing for me to do," Katara said, putting the water away. "The healer did a good job. You just need rest. Don't worry about Lin, I'll get her when she wakes up. You can sleep in Kya's room."

Toph nodded gratefully and passed out the second her head hit the pillow. She woke some hours later, hungry and absolutely bursting. "Where's Lin?" she asked Katara, who was cooking dinner. "Please tell me she's ready to be fed."

"She was being fussy. Sokka went out for a walk with her so she didn't wake you. I fed her about an hour ago."

Toph stomped her foot on the ground to determine their whereabouts. He was meandering around the training grounds with Lin in his arms.

"Oh, hey, T," he said softly when she got close. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. Is she asleep?" Her question was quickly answered when Lin started screaming. "Guess not."

"She's been restless all day, but now she's just trying to get to you." She quieted as soon as he handed her over. "You look like you've had a rough day," he added.

Toph bent a rock bench to sit on and waited for him to join her before launching into the thrilling story of her day. Nothing was left out, not even her embarrassing fall. And through it all, he stayed silent.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, T?" he said when she was done, his voice thick with anger. "It's a goddamn miracle you got out of there alive."

"Oh, c'mon. Don't be so dramatic."

"Dramatic? Are you hearing yourself? I mean, fuck. I just– I can't– Fuck, I don't even have words. Did you even once think about what would happen to Lin if you died?"

"Of course I did! This is my job! Sometimes I have to take risks."

"Not like that! It was completely unnecessary! And when you were already injured!"

"I did what I had to do," she said stubbornly, not enjoying having her own thoughts thrown in her face. "It didn't seem like that much of a risk at the time."

"That's because you didn't think it through! You just plowed in there like you're invincible. You're not, T! You're just a human being like the rest of us. And it's not your responsibility to save everyone."

"Everyone who works for me is my responsibility. I ask them to risk their lives every day."

"Lin is also your responsibility. You're a mother first, Police Chief second."

The scolding tone put her hackles up. "Don't patronize me, Sokka. I'm fucking trying. I know I'm not the World's Greatest Mom, but you don't have to rub it in. I'm doing the best I can with what I've got."

"I know you are," he said in a gentler voice. "And I think you're doing a great job with Lin. I'm not trying to criticize you."

"How could I possibly take what you said as anything but criticism?"

"I worded it badly. What I meant was...you're allowed to put her first. No one will fault you for that. Your job is important, yes, but you don't have to sacrifice yourself, like you did with the bombings. You have a whole police force to back you up, but Lin...all she has is you."

"She has you, too," Toph said quietly. "And Katara and Aang."

"It's not the same, and you know it."

She did know it. Of course she did. She'd had the exact same thought earlier. But it didn't make it any easier to hear.

"And I don't think you realize what it would do to me, too," he added in barely more than a whisper.

"Toph! Wake up!"

"Hm?" she said groggily while someone shook her shoulder. It was still a little sore and the ache made her come fully awake. "Wha– Sokka? What's wrong?"

"Shh. There's a telegram for you. They need you at the hospital."

"What?" she exclaimed in a loud whisper, sitting up straight. "Why? What happened?"

"I don't know. It doesn't say."

"Um...ok. Can– Can you stay here with Lin?"

"I'm coming with you. Katara will stay."

"Ok. Ugh...where's my armor?" It was rhetorical, as her senses had already located it and started pulling it towards her. "Fuck, I can still barely bend, I'm so tired."

"Please be careful, T."

He bent down and lightly kissed her cheek, making her blink in surprise. A chill rippled down her spine and she tried to shake it off.

"Sokka–"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by it. I'm just worried."

"Why? You're coming, too."

"I know, but still. Just felt like it needed saying."

Aang was waiting for them in the hallway. They were silent all the way to Appa's stable and through the entire brief journey to the hospital. Toph chewed her lip in worry. What if something happened to Penga? All that we went through, all for nothing. Fuck. Fuck, I hate this job sometimes.

They landed on the roof and she hit the ground at a run, dashing down the stairs toward the cluster of people a few floors down. "What happened?" she demanded, Aang and Sokka right behind her. "Where's Penga?"

"I'm here, Chief," a dull, tired voice answered.

Toph breathed a sigh of relief and pushed through the small crowd to where her lieutenant was sitting against the wall. "What happened?"

"Someone attacked me."

"I thought there were guards outside your room?"

"Yeah, he got past them," Penga confirmed, her voice shaking. The rest of her was shaking, too. "But the noise woke me up and I was able to fight back. Was pretty close, though."

Toph sat down next to her, releasing the burden of fear and worry. It left her feeling even more tired than before. "Fuck. I guess they didn't like me rescuing you."

"Because I know stuff," she replied in a small voice. "Can– Can you take me somewhere else? I feel really exposed here."

"We'll go back to the Island. You'll be safe there."

For the rest of the night, Toph sat in a chair in her room while Penga slept in her bed. Tired as she was, staying awake was not hard. Her mind was too full of what her lieutenant had told her. Lin stayed in her arms the whole time, a constant reminder of her divided attention.

Penga's words played over and over. 'I was bloodbent, Chief. Me and Shan. Whoever it was, they killed him. I watched his neck twist around and snap. But me, they kept alive. Trying to get to you, I can only assume.'

Bloodbending. Xi Kao Gang. Non-benders. One of Yakone's gangs. None of it made any sense. Every piece of evidence they had said that Yakone hated benders. Every gang he controlled was made up of non-benders. And, yet again, this bloodbending had happened without a full moon. Upon questioning, Katara had admitted she didn't know if it was a hard rule, but that it was theoretically possible if the waterbender in question was insanely strong.

It was no wonder they had tried to get to Penga in the hospital. A high-ranking officer able to testify about being personally bloodbent…? That was huge. They would be after her until they found and killed her. And she knew it. During her brief interview after arriving on the Island, it had become clear to Toph that the experience had broken her.

You are fucking mine, Yakone. You've gone too far. I don't know how you're involved with this, but it reeks of you, you fucking hypocrite. Using a bloodbender to further your divisive agenda. One day I will find you, and make sure you rot in my deepest jail cell.

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The next week saw a flurry of activity. Between clearing the hideout Toph had found Penga in, questioning every single person within a three-block radius, writing report after report, and meeting with the Council, Toph was late getting home every single day.

"I got my own family to go home to, you know," Ying complained on the fourth day of this, clearly not afraid to speak her mind.

"Yes, I understand. I'm doing the best I can. I'm just dealing with a lot at work right now."

"We agreed on five-thirty. My kids are waiting for me."

"Well, I'm here now, so go on then," Toph snapped, utterly exhausted. Ying didn't answer, but collected her things and left. With a frustrated sigh, Toph fell heavily onto the couch and massaged her temples. Well, at least Lin is asleep. And then the door at the top of the landing slammed shut, followed almost instantly by Lin's cry. "You have got to be kidding me," Toph growled, struggling to her feet. "Guess I'm not going to eat dinner yet."

Half an hour later, Lin still hadn't settled down. Pacing back and forth across the living room, Toph silently cursed her useless nanny. And her job. And Yakone. And herself. And Republic City in general.

I didn't even want this fucking job, or to live in this fucking city. But nooo, my ego is just too damn big, isn't it? Couldn't be content to teach metalbending for the rest of my life. I haaaad to accept this huge commitment, just to stick to everyone. And now I have another huge commitment that I didn't want and is now stuck with me.

She was about five seconds away from angry, irrational tears when the buzzer rang. Noooo. What now?! But only a moment later, she realized who it was and all the tension went out of her body in a rush.

"You really need to get me a key," Sokka said when she reached the front door.

She traded Lin for a warm bag full of delicious-smelling takeout. "Where's your dinner?" she joked.

"Um...excuse me, I brought that to share."

"I'm eating for two. You should've planned better."

"What's the matter with her?" he asked as they climbed the stairs. "Is she hungry?"

"Yes, Sokka," Toph retorted. "She's starving to death and I just didn't feel like feeding her because I enjoy listening to her scream almost as much as I enjoy feeling like my tits are going to pop."

"Don't need to get snappy," he said mildly. "I'm just trying to help."

"She's overtired. Ying slammed the door and woke her up."

"Were you late getting home again?"

"I don't wanna talk about it." They went inside and she plopped down on the couch, picking a random box to dig into.

"What do you usually do when she's like this?" Sokka asked, pacing around with Lin.

"I dunno. Sometimes I just let her cry herself to sleep while I question my life choices."

"And when you're not being cynical?"

"Well," she said around a mouthful of food, "Sometimes I hum. I think she likes music."

"Really?" He sounded surprised and amused. "I'd love to hear that."

"Don't hold your breath."

"You know what you need? A gramophone."

"A gramophone? I mean, I know I'm a Beifong, but I'm not a stuck-up hoity-toity Beifong."

"There's nothing hoity-toity about gramophones."

"Only rich people have them."

"I bet I could pull some strings with the Council and get you one. They don't pay you nearly enough for what you do."

"Speaking of the Council..." she said.

He sighed loudly enough that she could hear it over Lin's crying.

"You still haven't decided, have you?"

"I told them I'd give them an answer by the beginning of next week."

"Ludo pulled me aside today, after a meeting," she said casually. "Said he had something important to discuss. Regarding you."

Sokka groaned. "What did he say?"

"I didn't have time to be lectured. I told him to come back another time."

"I did warn you this would happen."

"You haven't even accepted yet. The least they could do is wait until I have some breathing room. How is Penga doing, by the way? I haven't had time to go to the Island to see her all week."

"Physically, she's completely fine. All healed up, thanks to Katara."

"And emotionally?"

"Honestly? I think she's...done. She barely sleeps. I've heard her wake up screaming a couple of times. Katara's getting nervous, too. She's paranoid that someone else is going to come after Penga while the kids are there."

"C'mon. The Island is crawling with White Lotus guards."

"I've told her that, but you know how she is. Anyway, Penga can't stay there forever."

"Yeah, I know."

"Well, I think Lin's about tired herself out," Sokka said with a soft laugh. He was right; she was still fussing, but it sounded like sleep was about to win.

"Thank fuck."

A few minutes later, he managed to successfully put her down. "Ok, gimme some of that food," he said, sitting next to her. They ate in silence for a minute or so, an awkward tension building.

"Sokka?" she said, unable to bear it anymore.

"Hm?"

"Why haven't you given them an answer yet?"

He took a few seconds to respond. "I guess... I guess maybe I'm looking for a nudge, one way or the other."

"Last time we talked about this, I told you to accept the job. Twice. That not a big enough nudge?"

"And you still feel that way?"

"It was only a week ago, Meathead." Spirits, I don't know if I have the strength for this. If he tries to make a move, I'm honestly not sure what I'll do. Let him? Throw him out? It could go either way.

"I don't think there will be any turning back if I accept."

"Don't be so dramatic. It's just a job. You're not selling your soul."

"No? So you're saying you could just walk in there tomorrow and resign if you wanted to?"

Well, he had a point, she had to admit. Technically, she could walk out whenever she wanted. But would she? Not a chance. Not even now, with everything that was happening. She took a deep breath to brace herself. "It's not happening, Sokka. I'm glad that you're back in my life, but this is as far as I can go."

"Ok. I'm sorry I pestered you. I just had to know for sure." Behind the casual words, she sensed deep disappointment. "But I want you to know that I'm all in. I'm going to fully embrace the role of best friend and uncle. You and Lin have my full attention."

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A/N: Quick note on police-related subplots: As this story is primarily about Toph's relationships and personal growth (or, in some cases, lack thereof), I don't focus too much on fleshing out complex twists and turns in her police work. It's also partly that that sort of writing, erm…isn't really my jam. So whenever there is a scene about her job that seems significant and building up to something, please don't expect it to turn into a gritty crime drama. Because it won't. Its purpose is to serve as a backdrop for the other stuff. You get the occasional peek into that part of Toph's life but the majority of the police work is happening behind the scenes.