"Seriously, kid! What do you want from me?! Fucking Spirits, I wish you could just talk."

Toph had Lin propped up in the crook of her knee while she sat on the couch at home. The slight bouncing from moving her planted foot up and down was no longer doing anything to help. "You actually slept for Sora today, so you should be happy. So what's your problem, huh?"

It wasn't the usual screaming of overtiredness, the kind that had threatened to extinguish what remained of her sanity during the last few weeks, but more of a grouchy babbling whine. Not that that made it any less annoying to listen to.

A burst of intense frustration rippled through her, strong enough to make her bracelet shudder on her arm. "Here," she said, taking it off. "Play with this. Maybe you'll bend it and be the first baby metalbender ever." Lin took it in her grubby hands and went quiet. "Can't believe that worked," Toph muttered. Too soon.

The bracelet clattered to the stone floor a moment later and Lin resumed her whinging. Toph sighed and summoned the discarded object to her hand, grimacing when she realized it was covered in slobber. "You gotta put everything in your mouth, you little gobbler?"

She took both of Lin's hands and wrapped them around the bracelet. "C'mon. Bend it. Like this, see?" She bent it into another shape to demonstrate. Lin's reaction was immediate and startling: a piercing shriek of joy that sent a jolt through Toph's heightened senses. "You liked that, did you?" she said with a wide grin, doing it again. Lin giggled hysterically and Toph's chest swelled with something she had never felt before and didn't have a name for.

As she continued to amuse Lin, a realization gradually formed in her mind. People who liked babies always played silly games with them. Until this moment, she had assumed they did it simply because they wanted to. Because they enjoyed it. It had never once occurred to her that it might be a basic need, as vital as feeding and changing and sleeping. It seemed so stupidly obvious now that she'd thought of it.

Of course you have to play with them. Duh. And even as she began to feel bored by the monotonous game, she didn't think she'd ever tire of hearing Lin laugh.

Sokka chuckled and shook his head, noticing the very familiar sound of Lin screaming before anything else as he approached Aang and Katara's house. It was a miracle that Toph was still remotely sane. He continued to be impressed by how well she was taking unexpected motherhood in stride – recent sleep-deprived meltdown notwithstanding. A slight hiccup, nothing more.

"What's got her upset now?" he asked, walking into the living room. But Lin was alone, lying on a mat on the floor, bawling. "T?" he called, crouching to pick her up.

"I'm right here," Toph said, emerging from the kitchen. "She's mad that I wouldn't give her favorite new toy back after she dropped it into her shitty diaper while I was changing her." Her meteorite bracelet spun on her index finger. Lin clumsily reached out and took it, promptly shoving it into her mouth. A second later, it shuddered and shifted, sending her into a fit of giggles.

Sokka gasped. "Did she just...bend it?!"

"I did that, dumbass," Toph said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh...right. Heh. I've never heard her laugh before, though. Is that new?"

"Yeah. As of yesterday. I mean, I guess. I'm sure Sora would have mentioned her doing it." She plopped down heavily on the couch but seemed to be in a good mood.

"You look happier than usual."

She lifted her hand lazily to bend the bracelet into another shape. "I'm just glad she's not crying."

"Yes, laughing is much better," he agreed, looking at Lin's cheerful grin, her green eyes sparkling. "Next thing you know she'll be talking."

"Fuck, I can't wait. I'm so tired of having to figure out what she wants."

"I found it!" Katara announced, entering the room waving a small object in her hand, Tenzin on her hip. "I'm just going to give it a good clean and pop it in the icebox," she added, setting him in the playpen. "Did you get some dinner, Sokka?"

"Yeah, I ate before I got here." He sat down and put Lin on his knees, making faces at her. "What was that thing she found?" he asked Toph, since Katara had left the room.

"Something for Lin to chew on. Katara thinks she's teething."

"Teeth, huh?" He pulled Lin's lip down with his thumb and scanned her gums. "Bet your mom is really looking forward to that. Bet you're gonna be a biter."

"Ugh. Don't even."

"Hehe." Never complained when I did it. The thought triggered a more primal part of his brain and he automatically zeroed in on her breasts, which were considerably larger these days than they ever were when he actually had access to them. It was only a small consolation that she was unaware of his gaze.

"Stop staring at my tits," she said with a scowl.

He threw back his head and laughed, mostly at his own expense. Fuck, I should've known better. She knows me too well.

"What's so funny?" Katara asked, walking past his chair to join Toph on the couch.

"Nothing," he said quickly. "How are you enjoying your 'vacation'?"

"Honestly? It's too quiet. I had one really good day of relaxation, then I started to worry. And I don't like sleeping alone, either. Feels unnatural."

He silently agreed with her. Even after all this time, he sometimes still woke in the morning expecting there to be another warm body next to him. A glance at Toph's face made him think she might be having a similar train of thought.

"When are they getting back?" he asked, trying to dispel the heavy atmosphere Katara had created.

"Tomorrow. I hope they're having some fun and not too bored. Aang's so busy all the time, I'm glad they've got this time with him, even if he is working for most of it. Better than nothing."

The sound of something clattering to the ground drew his attention: Lin had dropped the space rock. Her giggles and smiles were gone, replaced with a quivering lip and an unhappy whimper. Before he could pick it up, Toph summoned it to her hand and returned it to her arm in its usual shape.

"I'll take her," she said. "Almost time to put her to bed. Assuming she actually decides to sleep."

"I can do it if you want. I'll even give her a bath so she's all comfy and sleepy."

"No offense, but you're not exactly Mister Milk Jugs. I think I'll have better luck."

"Well, you didn't say you needed to feed her first," he said, handing Lin over and rolling his eyes while Katara chuckled.

"I figured it was implied. And no peeking, ya horndog. I'm onto you, now."

"You are making some wild assumptions there," he insisted in a probably futile attempt to preserve a shred of dignity.

"Seriously, you two?" Katara said. "I'm right here. I think I preferred it when you were fighting..." she muttered.

"Aw, c'mon," Sokka said. "I know you don't mean that. It's just some friendly banter."

"Better not let Ludo hear your 'friendly banter'."

"Fuck Ludo."

"Sokka!" Katara growled, gesturing at Tenzin, who was happily entertaining himself in the playpen with some wooden blocks.

"Oops, sorry. Spirits, I forgot he was even in here. He's so quiet."

"It's not fair," Toph grumbled. "How'd you end up with such an easy baby?"

"Um, excuse me?" Katara shot back. "Have you met Bumi and Kya? Lin is easy compared to how they were. My first go-round was no walk in the park. You just weren't around for the worst of it. And keep in mind, I'm here with them all day, every day."

"Aw, c'mon, just let me complain a little. When I'm at home I don't have anyone to complain to except Lin, and she's not a great listener. I get interrupted all the time."

"Maybe she takes issue with you complaining to her about her," Sokka teased. "And anyway, weren't you just saying you can't wait until she starts talking? Pretty sure you won't be able to get a word in edgewise once that starts."

"I, for one, cannot wait for the inevitable back-talking," Katara said with a slightly evil smile. "You so deserve it."

"I'll have you know I was a verypolite child," Toph said loftily.

"I don't believe that for one second."

"Well, I knew how to be polite. That's almost the same thing, right?"

Sokka and Katara both laughed, the burst of noise distracting Lin from her dinner. He had to turn away quickly, not wanting to be accused of staring again.

"Uh-uh. No," Toph said sternly. "You're going to drink all of it, then Uncle Meathead is going to give you a bath and – so help me – you are going to sleep for at least four hours. Got it?"

"Got it, Chief."

"I wasn't talking to you, Uncle Meathead."

"Is it safe to look?" he joked, covering his eyes with his hand for dramatic effect. "Are you decent?"

"I feel like I missed an important part of this bit you two are doing," Katara said.

"There's no bit," Toph said. "Your brother just seems to think he's allowed to ogle me simply because I'm blind and he thinks I don't know." She actually seemed a little disgruntled, which made no sense. Why in the world would she care about him looking at her?

"Don't be a pig, Sokka. Especially not around me. That's just gross."

"Wh– Wow, ok, that really escalated quickly. And I was not being a pig. I can't help if my eyes are naturally drawn to...certain areas. It just happens. It's a compliment, T. You're an attractive, desirable woman. It's just a fact."

"Katara, I think your brother just became an earthbender. Not even I can dig a hole that fast."

Katara burst out laughing and Sokka smacked his forehead with his palm. But when he glanced over at Toph again, she was chuckling, which was an improvement from before.

"Of course I'm a desirable woman," she continued. "I got knocked up, didn't I?"

"From my personal observations, being desirable is not a requirement for that."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Katara snapped.

"I cannot believe you took that personally. It was just a joke, and it wasn't directed at you."

"It wasn't a joke. It was mean and shallow. I thought you'd grown out of that."

"For fuck's sake," he muttered under his breath. "I'm sorry. I sincerely apologize to all the women who don't know me who I may have offended with my thoughtless comment."

She rolled her eyes, not looking at all appeased.

"Oook," he said, standing. "I'm gonna go make myself a snack before I do or say anything else to upset either of you. Let me know when Lin's ready for her bath."

"Um, Chief?" the officer said, poking his head through the open door of her office. "You do realize it's after eight…?"

"What?! Are you serious? How?!" She had been so absorbed in what she'd been doing, scanning report after report, looking for a single line of text that had popped into her head that might be relevant to a recent case. "Fuck," she said, gathering up the stack of files. "Goddamnit." She practically sprinted home, cursing herself the whole way there.

"Oh, good," Sora said quietly, relief in her voice. "I was starting to get a little worried that I hadn't heard from you."

"I lost track of time. Is Lin actually sleeping?"

"As of about ten minutes ago. She was reluctant, as usual."

"Well, fuck, I might actually be able to get–" Something in the room suddenly caught her attention when she took a step. A piece of furniture that hadn't been there before was now taking up space on the other side of the room. "Where did that come from?"

"It was delivered this morning. You didn't order it?"

"No," Toph said, going to investigate.

"There's a card. I didn't open it, though."

"Go ahead. Let's hear it."

Sora came over and there was a brief sound of paper ripping. "Congratulations on purchasing your state-of-the-art gramophone from Cabbage Corp, Republic City's finest manufacturer of modern technological luxuries. Instructions for use: Turn the hand crank up to one hundred times, until meeting solid resistance. Place a record of your choice on the turntable, set the needle to the outer rim, and flip the switch next to the crank to bask in the sound of your favorite song in the comfort of your home."

"That's it?" Toph asked, suspicious. "No personal message?"

"...Oh, it's on the other side. It says, 'I thought you and Lin would enjoy this. Sorry for my 'boarish' behavior yesterday.'"

Toph shook her head lightly, a small smile pulling at the corner of her mouth. You just don't know when to quit, do you, you oblivious fool? "Did you try it out?"

"Oh, no! I didn't want to break it. I've never used one before."

"Me neither."

"Avatar Aang doesn't have one?"

"Nah, he's way too minimalistic for something like this."

"Who is it from?"

"Sokka. He was being kind of an ass yesterday. Now he's overcompensating, as usual. They must be paying him pretty well at his cushy new job. Our tax dollars at work." She spared a moment to wonder if Sora knew about her history with him. Probably. Who didn't? "How many records are there?"

"Um...looks like there's a few here. Four...five...six. Oh, I love that song!"

"You can use it if you want. I'm sure I'll figure it out over the weekend and be able to give you a tutorial."

The gramophone quickly became Lin's favorite thing ever, and Toph just as quickly learned which songs made her more excitable and which ones put her to sleep. Whether it was that or simply a matter of timing and growing out of the phase, Lin was back to a normal sleeping schedule within a week.

Toph had a surprisingly restful two weeks in which she woke up to a relatively happy baby, spent a couple of hours with her in the mornings and again in the evenings after work – often getting some training in while Lin lay perfectly content on the floor on a blanket – then put her to bed and either relaxed with a book or caught up on paperwork.

And then Lin started crawling, somewhat ahead of schedule. It happened one evening while Toph was deeply immersed in training. Suddenly Lin was no longer on her blanket, but halfway across the room. It wasn't her movement that had drawn Toph's attention, but the horrible choking noise coming from her.

Her heart in her throat, she dashed over and thrust her fingers into Lin's mouth. Earthbending senses found what touch did not, and she bent the small copper yuan from her daughter's windpipe. After a couple of hoarse, gasping coughs, Lin started bawling.

"Oh, fuck," Toph whispered, tears streaming down her face as she held Lin against her shoulder. "Fuck. Don't you ever do that again!"

The incident left both of them with shredded nerves for the next half hour. Toph put a cheerful song on the gramophone and reclined on the couch with Lin lying on her chest.

"What kinda stunt were you trying to pull there, huh?" she muttered as she rubbed Lin's heaving back, hands trembling. "You can't do that shit. I'd lose my fucking mind if something happened to you, you know that? Seriously. I'm sorry I didn't want you, ok? I take it back. You've really grown on me. So please, just work with me here. I don't know how to do this shit. I'm doing the best I can to keep you alive and happy, but I'm gonna fuck up every now and then. But I'm trying. I'm trying."

‹¤›‹¤›‹¤›‹¤›‹¤›‹¤›

It was with some trepidation that Toph approached the refinery, carrying Lin in the sling. How many years since she had last been here? It had once felt like home to her, a place to escape from her stressful life and focus on bending. She missed it. Sport Bending had been a good substitute, and she missed that, too.

Her mother's letter had been...suspicious, to say the least. 'Your father will be visiting the city and checking in at the refinery. I'm sure he'd love to see you and meet Lin.' Would he, though? He had not written, himself, nor extended an invitation to meet for dinner. Toph didn't particularly want to talk to him, especially if he was uninterested in seeing her.

And yet...here she was, standing in front of the doors. What had brought her here, on the proscribed date? Stubbornness? A need to confront him? Whatever it was, she'd come all this way, and leaving now seemed like a waste of time and effort.

With one last deep breath, she pushed through the doors. A ripple of murmurs told her that her presence had been noted by the workers. She headed straight for Satoru's office but was waylaid halfway there.

"Toph!" his surprised voice called. "What– What are you doing here? Did you know your–"

"Father is here?"

"I'll take that as a yes."

"He's never met Lin. I'm not giving him a choice anymore."

"Really? He's never met her? Why not?"

"Good question."

"Huh. Well, it's great to see her again. And you, as well. I can't believe how big she's gotten!"

"So he's in your office, I guess?"

"Yes, we were just going over some financial things. I'm on my way to the storage room where we keep the older documents."

"Do me a favor...give us a few minutes? If it goes badly I don't want you to get caught in the middle."

"No arguments here. But don't rush off without saying goodbye."

"I won't."

"Good luck."

"Heh. Thanks." With that, she set off determinedly. Just get it over with, she told herself grimly. But knocking on the large double doors was still hard.

"Come in."

Toph swung both doors open, opting for a dramatic entrance. "Hello, Father."

"Toph!? Wh–" He seemed to be speechless for a few seconds. "Ah, well, I suppose your mother must have mentioned I would be in the city."

"Nice to see you too," she said, approaching the desk.

"...I imagine you're probably not too happy with me, are you?"

Toph was not expecting the penitent note in his voice and didn't quite know what to do with it. Still, it had the effect of smoothing over some of her irritation. "I'm just here to catch up, not fight. Now would you like to meet your granddaughter or not?"

"Of course," he said, coming around the desk.

"Well, here she is. This is Lin." She handed her off, which Lao didn't seem entirely prepared for.

"Er, well. Been a while since I held a baby," he mumbled. "Not since you were one."

"Yeah, that's a while," Toph said with a wry smile, crossing her arms. They stood there in awkward silence until Lin started to get unhappy.

"I guess you had better take her back. Looks like she would rather you hold her."

"That's pretty much how it goes." She took Lin back and sat in a nearby chair.

Lao went around her to sit in the other one, which was a little surprising. He had never done that in the past, instead always returning to his desk. She had always seen it as a power play.

"Your mother tells me you relocated."

"Mhmm," she confirmed, taking her bracelet off for Lin to play with. "Nice big house downtown, though most of it is for earthbending."

"Do your neighbors not find that...disturbing?"

"I had the walls soundproofed. And I try not to do anything too crazy. Wouldn't want my living room to come crashing down on me."

"No, I suppose not."

"So," Toph said heavily, tired of the small talk. Better to just get it all out in the open. "Have you managed to repair your reputation yet?"

"I thought you weren't here to fight?"

"We're both adults. It doesn't have to be a fight. I'm just trying to understand you."

He didn't answer right away, though he did clear his throat softly. "To be honest, it has been harder on your mother. The women are the ruthless ones, when it comes to that sort of gossip."

"It didn't stop her from visiting," she said stubbornly. "Or writing."

"Yes. Well. We are very different people, she and I. Over the years, it has been both a blessing and a curse in our marriage."

The bracelet clattered to the floor and Toph absently summoned it to her hand and gave it back to Lin before she could get upset.

"The floor isn't very sanitary, Toph, and she's got that thing in her mouth."

"Relax. A little dirt won't kill her."

"People walk in here with grease and oil on their boots."

"It would be such a tiny amount. Seriously. It's fine." With the choking incident indelibly imprinted on her mind, his criticism created a burst of defensiveness. "Believe it or not, I'm doing ok with this parenting thing. There's a lot of trial and error, but Katara and Sora are there to answer any questions that come up."

"Sora?"

"My nanny. Honestly, she spends more time with Lin than I do."

"In our circles, that's actually not so strange. Mothers are too busy with social events to spend all day looking after children. It's ironic, I suppose. Lin will not have such a very different upbringing than you had."

Toph had to hold back a derisive snort. As if I'll raise her the way you raised me. Trapped, stifled, and lonely. "Well, she'll certainly grow up in comfort, thanks to the perks of my job," she said instead, trying her very best to be diplomatic, if only to prevent Lin from becoming upset. "Did Mom tell you we got a gramophone?"

"Did you? The Council bought you one?"

"Hah. In a way. It was a gift from Sokka."

"We rather enjoy ours. I must have enough records now to start a museum one day."

"I only have a few, but Lin really likes them. Helps her fall asleep." As if on cue, Lin whacked her in the face with the bracelet. Toph had learned the hard way that that meant she wanted her to bend it. Doing so caused the usual fit of giggles.

"What is that?" her father asked. "Doesn't look like stone or metal."

"It's a piece of a meteorite."

"Oh? A rare find. I have an acquaintance that collects those."

"I've had it for ages. Since the war." And now we've fallen back into small talk. I guess it's better than arguing, but he still avoided giving me a straight answer earlier. "Dad..." she began heavily. "Why didn't you want to meet Lin before? Are you really so ashamed of her?"

"My life is complicated, Toph," he said wearily. "And I'm very busy–"

"Bullshit. I want a real answer."

"This. This is the reason. Because every time we try to have a real conversation, it ends with an argument. And you storming out. I didn't want to risk alienating you for good. So I kept my distance and let you and your mother bond. It seemed a fair trade-off."

His logic baffled her. He ignored her...so they wouldn't fight? But he was being sincere, and that was better than nothing. "I'm a very confrontational person. This shouldn't be a surprise to you. I argue with people all the time. I'm hot-headed and stubborn, and those traits didn't come from nowhere, Dad. If you're worried about me cutting you out of my life just because of that, you can relax."

Unfortunately, that train of thought dredged up the deepest hurt he had ever caused her: disowning her as his daughter when they had reunited after the war. It had taken a near-death experience to move past it, but Toph could see now that she had never really gotten over it. And he had never sincerely apologized for it. Did his worry about alienating her stem from that incident? Was he carrying around two decades' worth of guilt?

"Well," he said with the air of someone who wants to end a conversation. "In any case, I'm glad you came. It was nice to finally meet Lin. I'm pleased that you are doing well."

But you want me to leave so you can get back to work and shove your guilt back down, Toph thought with grim amusement. "Thanks," she said, getting to her feet. "I guess I should go. I've got a stack of paperwork at home to go through since I took the afternoon off to come here."

"Of course."

Satoru was nearby when she escaped from the office, clearly not believing that she wouldn't try to slip away unnoticed. "How did it go?" he asked. "You seem...fairly calm."

"It was ok, I guess. He's still as proud and stubborn as ever, though."

"Sounds like someone else I know," he said slyly.

Toph pursed her lips in annoyance. He was right, but he should know better than to point it out.

"Sorry," he relented. "It's, uh, really good to see you and Lin again."

"Yeah, you too. How's your wife?"

"She's good. Complains that I work too much," he added with a laugh.

"How can she compete with this place? Do you still come in the middle of the night to tinker when you can't sleep?"

"Heh. Sometimes."

"I can relate. Maybe not so much these days, but before Lin came along, I can't tell you how many times I would wake up a three a.m. and start digging through reports I had brought home, trying to find something I'd thought of."

"And now I imagine you appreciate sleep whenever you can get it."

"Hah. Pretty much. We went through a rough patch a couple months ago, but she's sleeping pretty well now."

"Looks like she's about to nod off right here."

"I'm not surprised. I should probably get home."

"Well, it was really nice to catch up. Don't be a stranger, ok?"

As Toph headed home, she considered the comment. The whole reason she'd stayed away from the refinery in the first place was because he had asked her to. Well, he'd been married for years now. Maybe his wife wasn't as insecure about them being friends anymore. In any case, it was comforting to know that time and neglect hadn't killed their friendship, and she looked forward to the possibility of getting one of her hobbies back.

‹¤›‹¤›‹¤›‹¤›‹¤›‹¤›

"You can do it," Sokka encouraged, sitting on the floor with Lin and Tenzin. "C'mon. I know you want to. Say it. So-kka. So-kka."

"Forget it, Meathead," Toph said from the couch after Lin blew a raspberry at him. "She's not gonna do it."

"But she's so close!"

"No, she's not. She can't even say 'Mama' yet! 'Sokka' is much harder."

"Tenzin only just started saying a few things," Katara added. "It's going to be a while."

"Ye of little faith," Sokka argued. "Just gotta give her some encouragement."

"Well," Katara said, standing. "I should start dinner. You going to help, Toph?"

"Ugh. I guess."

"It was your idea."

"I know, I know," Toph grumbled. "Keep her distracted," she said to Sokka. "She's been super clingy lately when I leave in the morning."

The advice was futile, though. The second she left the room, Lin started screaming and scurrying across the floor toward her, Sokka following behind with Tenzin. Toph tapped her foot a few times to make sure there were no choking hazards on the floor of the kitchen. It had become a habit, done almost unconsciously.

"Just bring them both in here," Katara said to Sokka.

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

Several quickly approaching footsteps and loud voices warned Toph of impending chaos and she quickly scooped Lin up.

"Give it back!" Kya screeched, running into the kitchen on Bumi's heels. "Give it back!"

Bumi laughed evilly. "Can't catch me!" he sang as she chased him.

"Out!" Katara yelled. "Outside! Now! Aang!"

"Sorry!" he said, hurrying into the room, though there was laughter in his voice. His two elder children suddenly disappeared from Toph's radar, presumably caught in Aang's airbending, though she could still hear them shrieking in protest. A few moments later they were out the door.

"You're gonna have to take her," Toph said to Sokka. "Otherwise she's just gonna follow me around and want to be picked up."

He put Tenzin down and took Lin, though with some difficulty. "C'mon. Let go."

"I told you she's been clingy. She's like a pentapus."

By the time he succeeded, she was screaming her head off again.

"Just take her outside," Toph said. "She'll get over it in a little while. And don't get distracted, she puts everything in her mouth!"

"I know, I know." He left and the kitchen was quiet once again, though she could still hear Lin distantly, as well as Bumi and Kya. Meanwhile, Tenzin had pulled himself up and was tottering around on unsteady legs, periodically dropping a wooden toy, letting it bounce away, then picking it back up.

"Kid's pretty good at entertaining himself," Toph remarked, though she flinched every time the toy hit the ground and was starting to get a little annoyed by it.

"Clearly, the Spirits took pity on me after Bumi and Kya. Here, wash and peel these sweet potatoes, then cut them into chunks and put them in a pot of water with some salt."

"Why do they have to be peeled?" she asked, taking them to the sink. "Aren't the skins edible?"

"Yes, but Tenzin and Lin could choke on pieces of peel, and Kya will turn her nose up at it."

Once they were washed, Toph sat down at the table with a small knife provided by Katara. Five minutes later, she'd already cut herself twice.

"This sucks," she complained while Katara healed her finger. "Now I know why I never wanted to do this crap before. It's so tedious. Sokka taught me how to make scrambled eggs. I can cook rice and noodles and throw in some hot sauce for flavor. I can make sandwiches. Cut up fruit and veggies. Sounds like a good repertoire to me."

"You must be joking. Lin can't eat any of those things right now, except maybe the eggs and rice. Mashed potatoes are easy, and are a good baby-safe food. You just need to practice."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I kinda wish she could just drink milk for a few years and not need anything else. At least that doesn't require any cooking, and it comes pre-warmed."

"You can breastfeed for a few years if you really want to. No harm in it, assuming you can keep your supply up. I'm honestly shocked you have, with how much you work. But even so, she'll still need real food, too." Tenzin had toddled over and was now silently tugging on the hem of Toph's shirt. "Heh," Katara chuckled. "He probably heard you say 'milk'."

"Sorry, kid. I'm busy. Not my fault your mom dried up– Ow! F–ughhh."

"Again?"

"You try doing this with your eyes closed and tell me how it goes!"

"I've done it so many times, I probably could," Katara said, coming over to heal her once again. "Um. Why don't you take a break from this and cut up some veggies for the salad..."

Toph pulled her hand away from Katara petulantly and got to her feet. "Fine. At least I can't fu– screw that up, huh?"

"You just need more practice. But maybe another time. Otherwise, most of the potato is going to get thrown out with the skins. Or be covered in blood."

That was the first of many similar scenes over the next month. Unfortunately, Toph made little progress in her kitchen skills, which infuriated her.

"I don't get it!" she snapped. "I did it just like you said!"

"Baking is finicky," Katara replied calmly. "Add a little too much or too little of one ingredient and it can mess it up. Probably in this case, too much flour. It has to be measured carefully."

"Ugh. Whatever," Toph grumbled, checking the time. "I need to go. Sora will meet you guys there to take Lin."

"Alright. See you in a few hours."

Once back in the city, she quickly swung by her house, armored up, and made her way to City Hall to meet her senior officers and give instructions.

"You looking forward to tonight?" Lieutenant Chin-Li asked.

"Eh. Been there, done that."

"Aw, c'mon. It's a big deal. Twenty years."

"Gee, thanks for making me feel old."

"Old?! Chief. I'm almost fifty. You are not old."

"Maybe not on the outside…"

"Wait, what's that, all over your pants?"

"Huh?"

"Kinda looks like...handprints. Wait, is that flour? Have you been...baking?" He didn't wait for a response before bursting out laughing.

Toph pursed her lips and took a deep breath to prevent herself from earthbending him twenty feet into the air. "What's so strange about that?"

"I don't know. It's just such a…womanly thing."

"I am a woman! In case you haven't noticed!"

"Well, yeah, obviously. But you're different. It's hard to picture you standing in the kitchen with an apron on, being all domestic."

"I was just helping Katara," she grumbled, rolling her eyes. "Because I'm a great friend."

"Right. You were helping Katara. Sure."

"Shut the fuck up and get back to work."

"Yes, Chief," he chuckled, walking away.

Ungrateful jerk. I promote him to Penga's position and this is my thanks? Being mocked for trying to learn how to take care of my kid? Jackass. Like I need to know how to bake bread, anyway. That's what a fucking bakery is for! Don't know why I let Sugar Queen talk me into it in the first place.

The next several hours were controlled chaos, which honestly was exactly what Toph needed. Bossing people around was the next best thing to chasing and fighting bad guys and being able to use her bending abilities. There was a lot to do and it helped get her mind off of her personal struggles.

"I never said to block the streetcars' access!" she bellowed after finding a driver in an altercation with two of her rookies. "Why would I say that?! Let him through!"

"Charming as ever, I see," a familiar voice said, hopping down from the stopped streetcar.

"Zuko?" Toph said, a little surprised. "What are you doing here?" Her words, clearly heard by other passengers, brought on an excited murmur and many rapidly beating hearts.

"I was feeling restless, cooped up in the hotel. Thought I'd take a little tour around the city before everything starts."

"I don't think they realized they were sharing a streetcar with the Fire Lord," she said with a laugh.

"That was the plan. Are you busy? Maybe I'll tag along now that I've been exposed."

"Of course I'm busy," she said, walking away and gesturing for him to follow. "I don't think I've been not busy for a single second the last seven months."

"Don't you like being busy?"

"Hm. Yeah, I guess I do."

His simple question had caught her off-guard. She did like being busy. And though her life had been stressful and often overwhelming recently, there was definitely a sense of accomplishment and contentment lurking in there. It was enough to lift her spirits a little.

"We didn't get much of a chance to catch up yesterday," he said as they walked. "How have you been?" There was a heaviness in his tone that made her think he wasn't just making polite conversation.

"How have I been... Let's see... How long has it been since you were here last?"

"Five years."

"Hm. Five years. Well, I spent four of those years as an undefeated Sport Bending Champion, which was fun. Until Lin fucked it up, of course."

"You lost a match?"

"I had to forfeit. Passed out just beforehand and Riju wouldn't let me compete."

"Ouch."

"Yeah, it sucked. I stopped competing after that."

"Was that how you found out about Lin?"

"Er...not exactly." She was a little reluctant to admit how reckless she had been in the early stages. It wasn't her finest moment. "Anyway. What about you? Been up to anything exciting?"

"Things have been quiet in the last year since we dealt with that upstart, Miziko."

"Oh, yeah, I heard about that. Something to do with the New Ozai Society, right?"

"Yeah. Miziko was the one remaining member and he'd managed to elude us for a long time and build up a little bit of a following with a slightly different MO. Rather than trying to put my father back on the throne, he wanted to abolish the monarchy entirely. Which translated to 'wipe out the royal family'. It was...a little tense there, for a few weeks. Mai wouldn't let Izumi go anywhere without her, which…well, caused some problems."

"Mm," Toph murmured. "I can understand that."

"It's not an easy balance, is it?" Zuko said softly. "Responsibility to the world. Responsibility to our kids. Had a similar conversation with Aang yesterday."

His point was driven home later when the five of them were lined up on stage that evening, receiving the typical honors from Councilman Ludo. With Toph's ten-year anniversary of becoming the Chief of Police having only been four years ago, this was starting to feel old hat. In six years she'd be up here again. Republic City loved any excuse to celebrate. Not that she minded; being cheered for was great, no matter the day or reason.

"Twenty years ago, our heroes were saving the world," Ludo intoned. "Ten years later, they were just starting their adult lives. Today we celebrate the families they have created in that time, a poignant symbol of normalcy in their otherwise extraordinary lives."

Sora, Mai, and Riju then filed onto the stage with all of the kids.

Poignant symbol of normalcy? Toph scoffed internally as Sora handed Lin over. What a load of bullshit. More like a poignant reminder that Chief Beifong had a mysterious lover and a poignant kick to Councilman Sokka's childless balls. Yes, people of Republic City, gaze upon the perfect Avatar and Fire Lord and their perfect families, and then shift your attention to the contrasting dysfunctional lives of the other half of Team Avatar.

It had been suggested in advance that Bumi would stand with Sokka, since they were all lined up and he would otherwise be alone. Katara had Kya and Aang had Tenzin. As far as Toph was concerned, the setup only made things worse. Poor Bumi; he probably felt like the reject kid. And all eyes were likely on Tenzin, who was one giant question mark. So much expectation riding on that one-year-old kid's shoulders. He had no idea.