Crossroads

AN: Here is another chapter! I'm so happy for the reviews and everyone liking this story. I don't know what to say... it makes me very happy. So, here it is. Read, review, enjoy and be happy. Enjoy the last few days of the old year. I'm excited, I'll be another year old and out of school and in to the working field. I love nursing! A special thanks to my beta-reader Faia Sakura. She's amazing, so show her some love!

-Serenity Leigh

Stolen Kisses

She couldn't sleep; another night, yes, another restless and tiring night for Toph. She couldn't stand it; she could feel the dark circles forming under her eyes. Her skin felt tight and unnatural. How was she supposed to face the Fire Lord? She reached across the bed and felt Rae sleeping on top of Zuko's chest. How she envied them. They were pleasantly asleep and she hadn't been able to close her eyes for more than five minutes. Zuko's kiss had left her agitated; fidgety. She couldn't forget it. It was constantly present in her mind.

She felt weak and annoyed for letting such an insignificant kiss ruin her night. It's not like it was her first kiss. No, hell no! She'd kissed a guy before, except, if you really must know, well, that guy was Zuko. Yes, she'd kissed him. In fact, she'd stolen many kisses from him without him knowing. To make this situation more ironic, Zuko had been asleep when it'd happened.

When they were younger—not that much younger—Zuko and Toph were inseparable. Every afternoon, after meetings with the Fire Sage, advisors, and officials from the Fire Nation, Zuko would bathe, change clothes and quickly head to the western wing of the palace to meet Toph in the imperial gardens. They would snack or eat dinner together or talk about what happened in their day, and afterwards, he would read to her.

"Do you want me to stop?" he'd asked in his deep husky voice.

"No, this is the best part, Zuko," she chuckled, punching him on the arm. "Continue, please."

"Ouch! What was that for?"

"You're such a wimp, Fire Lord! Finish the chapter and then, we can go to sleep."

"Fine," he said lowly, turning the page. "But I'm getting sleepy. I had a busy day today. Tomorrow is going to be worst. If you don't want me to fall asleep, stop playing with my hair."

"I won't, I promise," she said nonchalantly, her hand falling to her lap. He continued reading, but she felt incline to run her fingers through his hair again. She loved the way it felt against the palm of her hand. It was so soft and satiny; almost like spun silk.

"I thought that you were going to stop playing with my hair, Toph," he laughed. "I'm going to fall asleep and you won't know what happens in the last chapter."

"No, continue."

"Then stop playing with my hair," he teased, moving closer to her hand. "A little more to the left, please." He said, closing his eyes and placing his finger between the pages he was reading. "I'm gonna fall asleep, Toph."

"Zuko, if you fall asleep, I swear that I'll drag you into the woods and then put makeup on you while you're sleeping. You'll look just like Azula." She teased, while smiling mischievously.

"You wouldn't, right?" He said alarmed, his eyes opened wide.

"Of course I would, Zuko. You know me. I don't let a good opportunity like this pass me by!"

"That's exactly why I ask. I'm not kidding, Toph. Don't you dare!" He ordered, sitting up and turning to face her.

She laughed loudly and shook her head. "Fine, I won't dare to do such a thing to the Fire Lord… but only if you continue reading, got it? I want to know what happens next." She sighed melodramatically and slowly let go of his hair. She scooted away from him and faced the opposite direction. "If I wasn't blind, then I would read it myself… but as you can see, well, I'm blind and I never learned to read or write." She said, pretending to be sad.

"I'm sorry, Toph." The Fire Lord said, folding the corner of the paper to mark the page he'd been reading and slowly closed the book and placed it beside him. He moved closer to her and gently touched her upper arm. "I didn't mean to be so insensitive. I forgot that you can't read and I feel—"

"Idiot!" She laughed loudly and pulled him by the shoulder towards her and ruffled his hair. "You can lay your head on my lap if you are tired, Zuko."

"That's not fair, Toph! I thought that I had upset you. I almost felt my heart breaking," he teased.

"You do fall so easily." She pouted. "I'll forgive you if you finish the story. When you are done reading the last chapter, I'll let you go to bed."

"Fine, I'll finish the chapter, but from hereon, I get to lay my head on your lap…" he said, his eyebrows cinched together.

After that, whenever he got tired, he would nonchalantly rest his head on her lap, and she would caringly run her fingers through his hair. There were times that he would forget about reading and simply enjoy conversing with Toph. He found it enlighten to talk to his friend. She wasn't a child anymore; somewhere between ending the hundred year war and him becoming the Fire Lord, she grew up in to an insightful young woman. He took pleasure in hearing the deep throaty tone of her voice. Her face easily showed her mood. Whenever she smiled, it would radiate with joy as she spoke of her favorite topic; her melodious voice set him at ease. Sometimes, he would drift to sleep and dream of her. He didn't know why, but during the nights he dreamed of her, he would wake up feeling rested.

"Are you awake?" she heard Zuko's soft voice in the darkness, bringing Toph out of her trance. She touched the bed and sighed. .

"No," she mumbled rudely. "I'm asleep."

"Liar," he scoffed.

Toph adjusted her pillow and turned to her side, as she slowly closed her eyes and sighed dreamingly. She was lost in memory lane. The nostalgic feeling that those memories evoked in her were bittersweet. She missed the simplicity of her life; the joyful innocence of those years.

He cleared his throat. "What's on your mind?" he asked her.

"I've been thinking about stuff," she said, rubbing her left eye. "Things that you wouldn't care to recall." She said drily.

"For example?"

"You wouldn't care about it," she said, touching her lips in the darkness and felt a cold chill radiate down her back. She thought about the first kiss she stole from Zuko; he'd been so tired from being in meetings and conferences that he slowly closed his eyes and fell asleep before finishing the first chapter of the new book he'd been reading to her.

"About what?" he asked curiously, moving, causing the bed to shift under his weight. "Come on, I want to know."

"The past," She sighed irritated. "Just go back to bed and fall asleep."

"I'm not that sleepy… I want to know too. Come on, tell me! There shouldn't be any secrets between us," Zuko said huskily, shrugging.

"I don't want to talk about it with you. I'm entitled to have secrets. I'm not telling you."

"Why not?" He asked, adjusting the thin blanket that covered him and his son.

"Because," she said irritated.

"Because?"

"Because they are my memories," she said petulantly. "They are personal and only I get to enjoy them."

"We shared a lot of memories together. Were you thinking of me? I bet that you were," he laughed lowly.

"Ugh, you are so annoying," she mumbled, pushing her hair away from her face. "And no, I was thinking of the last story you read to me."

"The Tale of Fire and Earth," he said softly. "I read you that story about five and a half years ago. I'm surprised you still remember it. You looked so bored when I was reading it to you; so you were thinking of memories of us? Nice."

"Mm-hmm,"

"You think of me, Toph. That makes me feel appreciated."

"Fine, whatever, if that's what you want to hear, then yes, I was thinking of you!" She said frustrated. She didn't know how he did it, but he always got the truth out of her.

"Were you remembering the end or what happened afterwards in the story?"

"I do remember the end and what happened afterwards, i-in the story," she said, the last part of her sentence was barely audible. She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. "You read the story to me. It took you almost a month to finish it, because you were constantly falling asleep… you… were… um, falling asleep on my lap…, but when you finally finished it… it was a great story." she said nervously. And I kissed you every night of that month, Zuko, she thought nostalgically. "It was nice to know that Fire won over the Earth," she said sarcastically.

"I worked hard, Toph. It was a hard month… trying to oversee so many projects. It was really a grueling task for me. I was thankful that your company kept me sane," he trailed off.

"Yeah, planning your wedding to Needles," she said gruffly. "It was a very, um, complicated month for me."

"I barely got to see you during the day, except at night, when we would sneak in to the imperial gardens and we would go near the lake to read…"

"I didn't sneak from anyone, Fire Lord," she said goaded. "I wasn't hiding from anyone. You on the other hand, you asked Mai to marry you and you barely spent time with her. Her mother was the one preparing the wedding… You just gave her free-reign to do whatever she wanted," she said, rolling her sightless eyes. "If you ask me," she quickly added, turning onto her back. "I'm glad that you took the time to read me those books."

"I'm glad I did too. I'm also glad we read The Tale of Fire and Earth," he said, turning to face her direction in the darkness. He heard Toph's faint breathing and gulped hard. "It basically explains why people from different nations shouldn't fall in love."

It's too late, Zuko, I fell in love with you, she thought bitterly.

"Yeah, that's not what I got from the story,"

"No?"

"No, Zuko."

She closed her eyes and started to remember the afternoon he read her The Tale of Fire and Earth. She'd been bored; he'd fallen asleep on her lap and she couldn't move or stretch her legs. She didn't want to disturb him, so she sat quietly, playing with his hair. Once again, she smiled to herself, when she tangled her fingers into his hair. It was so soft, like spun silk and it always smelled clean. She gently touched his face with the back of her hand, running it across his jaw line and the hollow of his throat. Her fingertips slowly grazed the contours of his face. She liked the way his lips felt; they were slightly pouted when he slept. Toph felt strange; Zuko and she had always been good friends, but lately, something strange was growing inside of her. She seemed to enjoy the same things as he did and she felt closer to him and had more in common with him than the others from the group.

She thought about what had solidified their friendship, could it be those afternoons they spent together doing nothing but reading and feeding the turtle-ducks? Maybe it had been the peaceful months after Aang defeated the old Fire Lord, when Zuko began to lower the shield he had placed protectively around himself.

Zuko had always been kind and civil towards her after he joined the group. He did keep his distance from everyone, but there was always a sense of protectiveness towards her. Maybe it was because she was the youngest of the group or it could be the fact that she was the first one to show acceptance towards him… even after she barely knew him. Deep down, she had faith that he would redeem himself and become the great Fire Lord that he'd been destined to be; and he did become that and even more.

Zuko was a great addition to the group. He taught Aang firebending and became a Master himself in the art of bending fire. After his coronation as Fire Lord, Toph and Zuko stayed talking until the wee hours of the night. He'd asked her if she was going back to her parents, which she shook her head to and walked out of the room. Zuko smiled to himself and went to his own chamber. As the days progressed, his friends all went back to their lands, villages and homes to visit their loved ones, but Toph remained in the palace. He became worried for her; he didn't pity her, she would destroy him or bury him if she ever found out that he pitied her, no, he was concerned for her. She didn't have anyone in the world. Her parents had isolated her and she was practically alone. He vowed to always watch after her, to protect her and the more time they spent together, the more he saw her as his best friend. She became his friend in every sense of the word. He became her confidant; her security blanket. Their mutual respect grew into friendship.

In Zuko's eyes, Toph was still the young earthbender that hid her true feelings behind words —she was his secret princess. Everyone knew of the Lord's preference for the tiny earthbender. Everyone accepted it, all except for Mai. It bothered her that Zuko and Toph spent so much time together. She didn't understand their jokes and it annoyed her that Zuko didn't pay too much attention to her, his girlfriend. For some reason, she found Toph's company vexing. Zuko didn't smile at her the way he smiled at the Blind Bandit. He felt relaxed whenever she was around him. But whenever Mai sat beside him, he reverted to his serious self; the scowl became permanent and they only spoke of trivial things, nothing serious.

The night Toph stole a kiss from Zuko, had been the night she got in an argument with Mai. Mai didn't want Toph to be in her wedding as a bride's maid. Toph didn't want to be one either. The seamstress was working on Toph's dress, making adjustments and tightening areas around the waist of the young bender, when Mai scoffed and made a rude comment about how Toph looked. Toph stormed out the room, leaving Mai screaming for her to return and taking with her the unfinished dress. She ran down the hall, when she was far away from Mai, she bent a hole in the middle of the hallway that led to the imperial gardens. She found Zuko waiting for her. He was feeding the turtle-ducks, dressed in his royal attires and a new book resting near his feet. She couldn't see his features, but she could see through her seismic sense that he was staring at her.

"Are you all right?" Zuko asked worriedly.

"I'm fine," she whispered, closing the gap between them. "I am here. You can begin reading." She said, forcing a smile.

The afternoon soon turned in to night. It was similar to the nights, except that she had felt daring and angry at Mai. Her comments truly hurt. Toph knew that Zuko would never notice her. She wasn't beautiful. She couldn't see and her temper was, well, let's just leave it at that. As Zuko read her the story, it dawned on the young earhtbender's mind that she liked the ring of the Fire Lord's voice. It was soothing. She forgot about her anger and finally felt relaxed. It was as if she belonged beside the Fire Lord. What she felt for him wasn't just a silly feeling of appreciation towards the Fire Lord. No, what she felt for Zuko more than friendship, more than kindness, compassion or more than words could ever express and all those wonderful feelings that Katara was always talking about. She wasn't sure what it was, but it felt strange. All she knew was that it was there; this strange feeling that tugged at her heart and made her want to explore it. Eventually, Zuko laid on her lap and continued reading, until his raspy voice became a whisper and he fell asleep. Toph didn't move, but remained quiet, her fingers traced the corners of his lips, until she couldn't fight the need— the urgency—to kiss him.

That first kiss was the first kiss that actually meant something to her. It was a Saturday night, if she could see; she would've seen the stars sparkling beautifully, or the bright pale moon giving them her blessing. That kiss was the first of many kisses where she'd unknowingly given him her heart. Zuko may have been exhausted, but he never let her know, he gallantly smiled at his best friend and read her the story, until he couldn't pretend anymore and fell asleep. He'd been so tired and even had a fever, but he hid it well. He only wanted make Toph smile and forget of the bad day that she had.

"I don't know what I feel for you anymore, Zuko," she whispered, closing her eyes, taking the book out of his hands. She inhaled several times. Zuko opened one eye and stayed still, as Toph's finger traced the outline of his face.

"Toph, did I ever tell you that you are beautiful?" He asked, blinking softly. "You really are beautiful."

She looked beautiful, ethereal, wearing a dress in the traditional colors of the Fire Nation. She looked like royalty; like she belonged in his court—beside him; as his princess, as his bride. Toph gulped and brought her face closer to his. He remained calmed, his breathing didn't changed. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the feel of her hands caressing his warm skin.

"Zuko?" she muttered nervously, slowly shaking him, but he didn't want Toph to know that he was still awake. She waited a few minutes more and came to the erroneous conclusion that he was still asleep.

"Okay, here I go," she muttered lowly, her warm fingers tangle in his hair and her free hand caressed his cheek. The feeling of insecurity that she felt was just perfect; she strive whenever she felt weak. It was her motivation to reach her goals. Her goal tonight was to steal a kiss from the Fire Lord. Tonight was the right night. "I'm going to kiss you and you won't remember."

The gentleness of the movement of her hand on the skin above his neck was soothing. Unwillingly he tightened his eyes closed and felt her breath tickle his skin. She was close enough to catch the subtle scent of her perfume.

Toph listened to the patterns of his breathing and exhaled loudly. She touched the ground; no one was around, it was just the two of them in the Fire Lord's private gardens. The private gardens where only she was allow. The turtle ducks quacked in the distance and as they swam merrily. She swallowed again and slowly dipped her head, until she could feel his warm breath on her lips. She closed her eyes and without thinking it twice kissed him. Zuko couldn't believe what he felt. She'd dared to kiss him. His heart leaped with an inexplicable joy. The kiss was so tender, so innocent, and so sweet. He'd never felt this way. He wanted to touch her face, but he knew that if he moved, Toph would be mortified and she could easily kill him. Their lips merged perfectly, he thought. He felt warmth fill his body, and his heart. When she finally pulled away, he felt cold and empty, and yearned for more.

Soon after that first kiss Zuko never experienced a gentle kiss like Toph's. The kisses that Mai bestowed upon him felt lacking; empty of feelings. He only wanted to feel Toph's lips on her. He didn't know why, but the only person he wanted to kiss for the rest of his life was the young earthbender.

Zuko gently placed his son next to him on the edge of the bed and scooted closer to Toph. "You went silent. What are you thinking about?" Zuko asked, bringing her to the reality.

"Um, I was," Toph closed her eyes again, and covered her face with the blanket. She licked her lips and could taste him. "I was thinking of my home," she lied. "I miss my friends at Song village."

"You still have them… You also have me, um, Sokka, Katara, Aang and the rest of the gang," he said in a raspy tone. Her heart beats were erratic. "We are your friends too. Don't you miss us?"

"I know that you are my friend, Zuko," she said, sighing. "It's just that… I'm somewhat sleepy. We can talk tomorrow." She spoke casually and stayed quiet for the rest of the night. Zuko remained beside her, his body only inches away from her. She wanted to reach across the bed and bring him to her. She wanted to kiss him again. The nostalgic feelings she'd felt earlier had awaken inside her the desire to be with the Fire Lord again. She cursed her predicament and turned on her side.

The next morning, she woke up to the soft sound of pitter-pattering on the floor. She chuckled contently when she felt Rae's hand touched her cheek. She heard him giggle and then Zuko's sexy voice.

"Your mom is asleep," he said quietly. "She had a rough night."

"Wake her up, Zuko." Rae said to Zuko. "Momma wakes me up with a kiss in the mornings. You should kiss her." He urged on the Fire Lord. "Kiss her, Zuko. She'll wake up."

"No, son,"

"Why not?" Rae sulked, his amber eyes focused attentively on his father. "She'll wake up if you kiss her. I'm sure of it."

"She might kill me if I do kiss her," Zuko said, sitting on the corner of the bed, his warm fingers gingerly touched the earhtbender's forehead and pushing her bangs away from her face. She was beautiful; he leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "Toph is tough," he said with myrrh. "She doesn't need a kiss to wake up."

"But—" Rae stopped quizzically, looking over at his mother and then at his father. "If you are my daddy…" he trailed off, scratching his chin puzzled, "and she is momma… Why can't you kiss her? My friends at Song village… their parents kiss all the time."

"We are a different type of family, Rae. It's a long story, but you'll understand when you grow older" Zuko said, his eyebrows knitted together. "Toph," he said softly, gently shaking her shoulders. "Wake up. The gang is coming to eat breakfast with us." He whispered, watching as she tossed in the bed.

"Momma looks sleepy."

"She didn't sleep well last night, son," Zuko said, pulling his son to him and placing him on his lap. "She's been worried about many things. We should make her happy and not cause her any trouble… got it?"

"Okay, but, like what things we shouldn't do, Zuko?" Rae asked worriedly, clasping his father's hand. "Is she going to be okay? I'm not gonna loose my mommy."

"No, son. She'll be fine," Zuko reassured his son and kissed his rosy cheek. "We won't let anything bad happen to her. We'll protect her. She is our princess after all."

"Yes, Momma is our princess!" The young boy nodded. "Wake her up, Zuko. I want to see Katara and Sokka soon! They never bought me cotton candy."

"How do I wake her up?" Zuko asked playfully, hugging his son. "How do you wake her up?"

"Kiss her." Rae said innocently. "That's how she wakes me up in the mornings."

"Does it work?" Zuko asked, his eyes darting from Rae to Toph. His son nodded and slowly dropped his hands to his sides. "Maybe I should kiss your Momma on the nose."

"No, on the lips," Rae said flatly.

"Lips? Why on the lips?" Zuko asked, arching one eyebrow at his son. Rae nodded and stifled his laughter.

"Because that's where Mommies and Daddies kiss, Zuko."

"Okay, Rae, here I go." He chuckled, holding his son tightly and bent his head, until he was mere inches from Toph's face. He turned to his son; Rae nodded, encouraging his father to kiss Toph. Zuko shrugged and gently pecked Toph on the lips and quickly pulled away, when he saw her eyes fluttering open.

"You kissed me?" Toph looked around, her hands flying to her lips in the most entertaining fashion.

"Yes," Zuko pulled away and moved far away from the bed.

"You are awake, Momma!" Rae exclaimed contently, shifting in the Fire Lord's arms. Zuko slowly placed his son on the floor and watched as the kid ran towards the bed, into his mother's arms. "Zuko woke you up. He stole a kiss from you." Rae giggled, holding his mother's hand.

"You stole a kiss from me?" She asked surprised. Zuko nodded, his pale cheeks blushing.

"Now we are even, Toph," he said, forcing a smile.

"What do you mean?" she said angrily. "I've never kissed you…"

"Yes, you have, Toph. In the gardens, while I supposedly slept. I was awake for most of them. I enjoyed them, so there's no need to feel embarrassed." He said, pretending to be nonchalant, but his face was turning bright red, resembling the Fire Nation's colors.

"Y-you know," she trailed off, lowering her head and gnawed at her lip, without articulating any sound. She got up from the bed, leaving her son behind on the bed and marched up to Zuko. Her tears glistened under the morning light. Zuko watched her movement and felt an aching void in his chest. "Why?" she whispered, punching him hard on his upper arm. "Why did you do it?" she sobbed, running towards the bathroom.

Zuko turned to see the door being shut behind her, and then he turned to his son, who looked as confused as he did. He'd stolen a kiss from her, and unknowingly, she'd stolen his heart.