A/N: I'm so, so sorry this took so long :( I was nearly done with this chapter when my computer literally broke down on me and erased all the stories I was working on. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter as much as I do.

(***)

Katara stared at Ty Lee for what felt like an eternity before she burst out laughing. "I get it now, it's a joke. Sokka and Toph finally made up and now they're pulling one of their pranks on us. Very funny guys," she shouted, "I admit you had me there for a second, the whole having Ty Lee bound and gaged in the closet was a nice touch too."

Katara continued to laugh while Aang, Hakoda, and Ty Lee remained silent, noticing this, the Maid of Honor's laughter quickly died down. "This is a joke, right?"

Ty Lee opened her mouth but no words came out as she focused her eyes on her high heel shoes. As soon as the realization finally hit her, Katara's face fell as she plopped in a nearby chair and ran a hand through her just made hair.

"Oh God, Oh my God. Sokka took Toph- he took Toph!"

Aang immediately went to his girlfriend's side and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Katara...-"

"What are we going to do?" She interrupted while rising to her feet. "Toph's wedding starts in an hour- all the guests have arrived, if word get's out what happened-"

"Calm down Katara," Hakoda said.

She shot her father a look as if he just lost his mind. "Calm down? How can I calm down when my brother kidnapped my best friend on her wedding day?!"

"Shh, I know," he assured, "and believe me, I understand the seriousness of the situation, but we're not going to get anywhere by panicking."

"He's right, sweetie," Aang agreed, "the best thing for us to do now is to figure out a way to solve this quietly before the ceremony starts."

Katara shrugged. "And how are we supposed to do that?"

The room grew silent once again as Aang took a minute to think. "Sokka couldn't have gone far, maybe one of us could go look for him."

"We don't even know where he's going," Ty Lee pointed out.

"Maybe there's another way," Hakoda suggested, as he pulled out his cellphone, "we could call him."

Katara scoffed. "Come on Dad, even if he does have his cellphone do you honestly think he'll answer?"

"It's ringing," he said. Without warning Katara snatched the phone out her father's hand, and was surprised, yet pleased that her brother actually answered.

"Hey Dad-"

"Have you lost your damn mind?" Katara asked, raising her voice a little.

"Oh, Katara-"

"Don't even try it," she cut off, "we found Ty Lee, we know what you did."

"Katara, let me explain-"

"Explain what, exactly? You know what, I don't care. There's nothing you can say that will justify what you've done."

"You're the one who told me to talk to her," he defended.

"Yes, talk to her Sokka, not kidnap her on her freakin' wedding day."

"This isn't what I wanted. I swear I just went up there to talk to Toph, I just needed her to know how I feel. But she was so happy I showed up, and she kept going on and on about putting me in her wedding I... I snapped."

Katara sighed. "It doesn't matter, Toph's wedding starts in an hour, you have to bring her back now."

Sokka tore his eyes off the road long enough to glance at Toph from his rear view mirror. As she lies in the back seat of his car, still unconcsious, guilt quickly began to rise inside him, however, once he remembered why he was doing this, he pushed his guilt aside and took a deep breath. "I can't," he sighed, "I can't Katara, not until I tell Toph how I feel."

"Did you not listen to a word I said last night? If you love Toph as much as you say then you wouldn't be trying so hard to ruin what's suppose to be the happiest day of her life."

"She's my best friend Katara, doesn't she deserve to know how I feel?"

"Why should she know? More importantly, why should she know now? Sokka, for years Toph was in love with you, and in all that time you made it very clear that you didn't want her. Now she's happy, she's found someone who loves her just as much as she loves him, why would you want to take that away from her?" When her brother didn't respond right away she immediately felt guilty. "Listen Sokka, I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings, but you have to be reasonable, aside from the fact that you're being very selfish, you're also breaking the law. Need I remind you that Toph's parents are the richest people in town, if they find out what's going on you'll end up in prison."

When Hakoda gestured Katara to hand him the phone she felt as if a weight had been lifted, no matter what their Father can always persuade Sokka to do the right thing.

"Sokka, it's your Father."

"Hey Dad," he replied, his voice in almost a whisper.

"Sokka, do you really love this girl?"

"Yes," he confessed, "I never loved anyone else in my life." He sighed. "Dad, I know what I'm doing is wrong, and yes, maybe I am being selfish, but I can't spend the rest of my life wondering what if. I know Toph used to be in love with me, I just... I have to know if she still does."

After listening to his son, Hakoda took a moment to think, once he made up his mind he sighed. "Alright Sokka, go ahead, do what you have to."

"What?" Katara blurted while turning to face her father, "you can't be serious."

Hakoda ignored his daughter while continuing to converse with his son. "But Sokka you have to hurry, Toph's wedding is in an hour."

"I will Dad, thank you."

"Just be sure to bring Toph back here before the ceremony starts. And Sokka, if she turns you down you have to accept that."

"I will I promise."

"Good," he replied, "Good luck son, and don't worry we'll try to hold down the fort here."

After the two said their goodbyes, Hakoda hung up the phone and faced a now distressed looking Katara.

"How could you let him get away with this Dad?"

Hakoda sighed once again. "Katara, I'm not letting Sokka get away with anything, we're just giving him a chance to tell the woman he loves how he feels." He placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Listen honey, try to look at this from his perspective, if Aang was marrying someone else could you just stand by and do nothing?"

Katara glared at her father. "That is a completely different situation and you know it."

"Come on, it's not that bad is it? Besides, Sokka promised to bring Toph back before the ceremony."

"Yeah, so he says," she replied sarcastically.

"So... what do we do now?" Everyone turned to face Ty Lee, who was still standing in front of Toph's closet.

Aang shrugged his shoulders. "Until Sokka brings Toph back the only thing we can do is make sure no one else finds out what happened."

"But how?" she asked, "Toph's the bride, she's kind of important. I mean, I'm sure she's got relatives out there who'll want to come see her before the ceremony begins."

Katara pinched the bridge between her eyebrows. "Here's what we'll do," she sighed, "Dad, you stay here by the phone in case Sokka calls. Aang, Ty Lee, you go out there and stall."

Ty Lee and Aang exchanged looks before facing the Maid of Honor. "Stall?" Ty Lee asked, "What do you mean stall?"

Katara threw her hands in the air. "I don't know. You're a circus performer, right? Do some cart wheels or something, Aang, play the piano- play some show tunes, do something." She pointed her index finger at them. "And whatever you do, don't let anyone come in this room. If anyone finds out what happened to Toph we'll all be in prison."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"But what about you Katara?" Aang asked "What are you going to do?"

Katara let out an exhausted sigh. "If anyone needs me I'll be in Toph's bathroom, praying." With that, the Maid of Honor entered the bathroom and closed the door behind her, which Aang and Ty Lee took as their cue to leave, once they were out in the hall, Aang sighed, finally allowing the weight of the situation to fall down on him.

"Wow," said Ty Lee, "Katara sure is stressed."

Aang immediately shot the bridesmaid an annoyed look. "Of course she's stressed it's a stressful situation. Her brother, our friend kidnapped our other friend, the bride no less, on her wedding day. Aren't you the least bit on edge?"

Ty Lee shrugged. "I don't let myself get stressed, or freak out on anything negative, it's bad for your skin, you know."

The Best Man rolled his eyes. "Whatever, look, by now everyone is getting ready for the ceremony, you go out there and keep them distracted, I'll stick around here and make sure no one else goes in Toph's bedroom. Ty Lee nodded in agreement, and with that the two went their separate ways.

(***)

When Toph's eyes slowly began to open she was instantly confused by her surroundings. As she ran her hands through the... carpet under her, she knew she wasn't on her bed or in her room, also, she soon realized she was strapped to something, and... moving?

"Toph, I'm glad you're awake."

"Sokka?" She slowly sat herself up. "What- what's going on? Where am I?"

He flinched a little before answering the question. "You're kind of in my car."

"Your car? Why am I- wait, what happened? The last thing I remember is you coming in my bedroom while I was getting ready for my wedding."

Sokka gulped. "Yeah... about that, I kind of took you."

Immediately Toph jerked her head in the direction of Sokka's voice. "You what?" Her voice dripping with venom.

"Now don't get mad Toph, but I-"

"You kidnapped me?!"

"Toph, just hear me out-"

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!- Are you insane? Sokka, my wedding is today."

"I know," he replied, "and I'm sorry, but I needed to talk to you alone, away from all that wedding stuff and this was the only way. Just hear me out and I promise I'll take you back."

"Fine," she sighed, "what is it you want to talk about?"

"No- I mean, not here. We're about to stop, as soon as we do I promise I'll explain."

"You better," she warned. Sokka smiled nervously, and nodded, despite his friend's blindness.

Toph just shook her head as she mumbled a string of curse words under her breath. To say she was furious would be a huge understatement, however, aside from Sokka's actions she couldn't ignore his reason. Whatever's going on with her friend it must have been really serious for him to take her away from her wedding. The young woman's stomach dropped as she played different scenarios in her head, almost all her anger towards Sokka vanished, almost.

"We're here." Sokka said as he parked his car. When Sokka first drove off with Toph he really wasn't sure where to go, he just knew he wanted to go somewhere where they could speak privately. He finally decided to stop at a playground, it may had been occupied by one or two different families, but he knew they wouldn't be disturbed by them. As soon as he unbuckled his seat bealt, Sokka exited his car and helped Toph out, walking her over to a tree that was just far enough to where they could speak without being overheard by the children and their parents on the playground.

"Alright we stopped," Toph deadpanned, "now what's so damn important that you had to kidnap me on my wedding day?"

Once again the lump that was in Sokka's throat earlier that day had found it's way back again. No, you have to do this, it's now or never. Sokka took a deep breath and realized he'd have to approach this differently.

"T- Toph," he stammered, "I want to talk to you about our fight."

She raised an eyebrow. "You mean the fight we had months ago? Why?"

"I want to explain myself, rather I want to explain why I reacted the way I did, and why I didn't want to be apart of your wedding."

A frown marred The Bride's face. "Look Sokka, you don't have to explain okay, I know you don't like The Duke, and it was a mistake of me to ask you to be his Best Man-"

"But Toph," he interrupted, "that's not why I- I mean, yes it had something to do with The Duke but... the reason I didn't want to be The Best Man is because- because, I can't stand seeing him with you. And it's not just The Duke, the thought of you being with any man it- it cuts me up inside."

Confusion struck Toph's face. "What?"

Heat rose to Sokka's face as his shaky hands held onto Toph's shoulders. "Toph, you're smart, and beautiful, and amazing in so many ways, and you deserve to be with someone you love. Now I may be a lot of things," he said, "but I'm also your best friend, and I've seen you with the The Duke, and you're not the same when you're with him. Now I know you said before that you love him, but are you in love with him, Toph?"

Toph opened her mouth but no words came out, not that she could give him a proper answer. How could she? She wanted to say yes, say that The Duke was the love of her life, but now, all she could say was; "Why do you care, Sokka? You haven't spoken to me in months, and now you come here, on my wedding day no less, and ask me if I'm in love with the man I'm marrying, why?"

Sokka could hear the anger in her voice, and he honestly couldn't blame her, but he hoped this last confession would at least help. "Because I want you to be happy, more importantly, I want to be the one who makes you happy, for the rest of our lives if you'll let me."

Toph's eyes widened. "Sokka, what are you saying?-"

"Please, let me finish," he cut off, "I want to wake up with you in my arms every morning, and I want your voice to be the last one I hear before I go to bed. I want you Toph, everyday, forever, I don't want you to marry The Duke, because I'm in love with you. Toph Bei Fong, I love you."

A/N: Once again I'm sorry this took so long, I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can. And for those of you who have been waiting for the next update of my other story Just Play Along- don't worry, If it's not up by the end of this week then it should be up by next week, that is if I'm not too busy. Anyway, to all the reviewers and followers- thank you.

By the way, I hope I kept everyone IC, espescially with the first part. I envisioned Katara as being the one who would freak out over the situation, and Aang, being the good boyfriend he is would try to be strong for her sake, but would also be on edge with it as well. Ty Lee of course is concerned, but I figured she'd be pretty zen about the whole thing since she always keeps a smile on her face. And Hakoda, I thought he would be that kind of parent who would trust his son to do the right thing. Thanks again for reading, and until next time...