Chapter 14: An Answer-
Toph lie there silently, perplexed by Zuko's question. Zuko wanted her to marry him? At the moment she didn't want to have a man in her life. After what happened with the first person she had liked she wasn't ready for this kind of step and she shook her head.
"Zuko... Its just too fast for me... I'm sorry..." She said and turned her head away.
Zuko took a deep breath then nodded and put the necklace back into his pocket. "I understand... Its too soon." He said then looked down. He should have known that this step would be too much for her. He got up and left the infirmary, leaving Toph alone with her thoughts.
A few months passed, and Toph remained living in the palace. She did not know of any other place to go, plus she was still afraid of Azula coming back to get her. Azula haunted her dreams constantly. The torture that she had undergone had left her scarred both physically and mentally. The one joy in her life were her two babies, who were quickly growing into wandering young toddlers. Miki especially had a knack for crawling away from her mother when she had the chance, only to be caught by uncle Zuko.
Zuko did everything he could to help Toph out with the twins. Toph was still young, and the only ideas of motherhood that she had were mainly instinctual, but with the help of the palace maids, she quickly learned all of what she needed to do. She spent a lot of time with Rien, trying to help him to crawl, but the arm that had broken as a baby did not work properly.
Eight months after Toph had killed Aang, Zuko was sitting in the courtyard watching as Miki crawled around the wall surrounding the fountain. She loved being outside, and Zuko didn't mind sitting under the tree watching her. Toph had been asleep for the past few hours, unable to sleep through the night because of her nightmares. Rien was taking his nap with her.
Miki became bored with the fountain and crawled over to Zuko grabbing the bottom of his robe and pulled on it. Zuko chuckled and picked her up then looked up seeing Toph come over to the tree. She looked slightly more rested, but Rien bounced happily in her arms. Zuko smiled at her.
"Did he wake you up Toph?" He asked. Toph sighed and nodded sitting down beside him.
"His naps aren't lasting as long as they used to. He likes being awake too much." She said and closed her eyes letting out a long yawn. Zuko wrapped an arm around her shoulders lightly and let her lean against him. Toph smiled resting her head on his shoulder and let out a deep breath. Minutes passed before either one of them spoke again.
"Yes." Toph said breaking the silence. Zuko looked at her confused.
"Yes?" He asked back, not understanding why she had said it.
"That's my answer to you question. Yes, I will marry you."