A/N: I want to say thank you to sithness on deviantArt for giving me the push I needed for this story.

"Children begin by loving their parents; after a time, they judge them. Rarely, if ever, do they forgive them." - Oscar Wilde

The coach was the most elaborate she had ever seen. Lin stared out the window shamelessly as her mother paced back and forth just behind, rambling under her breath. The ornate coach came to rest before the door and the driver disembarked, his robes silk and fine. He walked around to the door, opening it with a deep bow. The object of his deference was an old man- tall and thin with a wispy white mustache. He stepped regally from the carriage and was followed closely by a delicate looking woman who wore rare flowers in her hair. Lin was transfixed by these people she had been told were her grandparents, Lao and Poppy Beifong.

They made their way to the door proceeded by their driver who knocked for them. Toph took a deep breath and turned to her young daughter.

"Remember what we talked about?" She asked before turning the knob of the door. Lin nodded.

"Back straight," she confirmed.

Two weeks after her father's departure, the letter arrived and Toph had been drilling Lin on more than earthbending forms ever since. Lin read the elegant text aloud to her mother which explained her grandparents would be making the long journey from Gaoling. Lin didn't quite understand why those simple words caused her mother to squeeze her so tightly or why she suddenly became interested in manners. Toph began teaching Lin how to speak politely (only when spoken to, of course), how to bow (back straight), and which utensils to use with which course at dinner. And never, ever, under any circumstance say a dirty word or burp at the table.

Toph turned the knob and was assaulted by the scent of cherry blossoms and pomp as the door swung inward. There was a history behind that scent and the majority of it played out in Toph's memory immediately. Unwanted captivity, strained war years, uneasy reconciliation, the sound of her mother's soft cry upon learning Toph was pregnant, and finally reluctant acceptance. It was a scent that left her feeling love and judgement in the same heartbeat.

"Mom, Dad," Toph acknowledged with a shallow bow. A look passed between her parents that went unnoticed by her, but not by Lin. They returned her bow.

"Lovely to see you, dear," Toph's mother told her softly.

"Please, come in," Toph replied, sounding rather stiff in Lin's opinion. The elderly couple stepped over the threshold and into the house. It was clean, thankfully. Sokka had spent the previous day with Toph and Lin, scrubbing and sweeping in preparation for this visit. They made a game of it- Lin dusted away cobwebs along the ceiling from Sokka's shoulders and they mopped the floor by tying wet rags around their feet and having a dance contest. Katara had come by that morning to prepare the girls themselves. Lin had never had her hair tugged on so much in one sitting, but the end result did leave her feeling rather special. When she saw the pinkness on her mothers cheeks and the gold dusted across her eyelids, Lin was breathless -it was as if she were seeing someone from a fairytale book in real life. Katara continued by setting up a meal for Toph to serve as it was no big secret that Toph had never been culinarily gifted. Lin assisted Katara in preparing classic Earth Kingdom cuisine, while Toph sat at the table quietly drinking sake. When it was time for Katara to leave she gave Toph a lingering hug, "I'm sure its not what you think," she said before departing.

Lao and Poppy turned to take in their granddaughter. Their eyes on her was her cue and Lin bowed with one hand against the small of her back, careful to make sure it stayed straight. They were audibly pleased by her display and her grandmother moved forward with a soft smile.

"My, how you have grown," she told Lin. Lin smiled up at her politely, unaware that they had ever previously met.

"How old are you now, Lin?" Lao asked, his tone childishly exaggerated. It was a tone Lin associated babies and she did a poor job suppressing her sneer.

"Almost five," she told him defiantly.

"But not quite," Toph interjected with a nervous laugh, placing one hand on Lin's head as if to tell her to cool it with the attitude. She gestured to their dining room, "Shall we?"

"Of course," they replied in unison following Toph as she made her way to the table. It was set with fine china and two glowing candles, quite a departure from its normal clutter of laundry and spools of metal cable.

When everyone was seated, Toph disappeared into the kitchen only to return with steaming bowls of soup. The servant man in fine robes stood rigidly along the far wall. Lin's eyes kept flickering up to watch him, wondering when he would sit. Toph placed one bowl before her father, who looked up at her.

"Darling, do let Liang serve for you," he told Toph. Lin assumed correctly Liang was the sore thumb in the corner.

"It's ok," Toph returned, "he can sit. I have more than enough."

Liang himself looked offended at this notion, while Poppy appeared to deflate upon hearing Toph's words. Liang cleared his throat.

"Madam, it would please me to serve this meal," he spoke officially. Toph's expression faltered for just a moment and she clicked her tongue in annoyance. Her mother reached up to touch her arm lightly.

"Please Toph, so that we can all eat together?" she pled.

"Yeah, fine," Toph relented, pulling her own chair out. Liang moved quickly to hold the back, giving it a nudge forward as Toph took her seat.

The meal was tense, the air in the room felt electrically charged by things unsaid. The first few courses passed slowly and full of small talk. Lin was having trouble not fidgeting in her chair. Her opinion was rarely requested and her desire to drape a noodle across her upper lip was strong. She was relieved when Liang announced that dessert was up next.

As the plates from the main course were cleared, Lao and Poppy exchanged a knowing look. Lao straightened out his back before he spoke.

"Toph, I think you know why your mother and I have come all this way," he began, glancing at Lin, "we were recently at a gala in Ba Sing Se and you can guess who we ran into."

"Mo's dad?" Toph sighed. Her father nodded once. Predictable. How come all rich people seem to know each other?

"It seems he has been trying to contact his son to no avail," Lao continued.

"We have that in common," Toph muttered.

"There are some nasty rumors that he is living in the lower ring? Any idea about that?" Lao continued.

"I don't really care to be honest," Toph replied, back stiffening.

"You should," he told her as dessert was presented. Liang placed small stone bowls of green tea ice cream before each seat. Lin grabbed her spoon quickly, but set it down again when she remembered her mother's grave expression when she explained that grandfather must eat first.

"What I am really trying to say," Lao continued, lifting his spoon to Lin's delight, "is that perhaps its time to consider what will happen if he doesn't return."

Poppy and Lin dipped into their own ice cream immediately following Lao, but Toph left hers untouched- her appetite having all but disappeared.

"Nothing at all," Toph provided through thin lips.

"Lin, do you like ostrich horses?" Poppy asked suddenly. Lin nodded silently, mouth full of ice cream. "Wouldn't you like your very own ostrich horse?" Lin nodded again emphatically, but jumped in surprise when her mother's fist hit the table forcefully.

"No, dammit!" Toph proclaimed rising from her seat. The room went silent and Liang slinked back into the kitchen. "I am doing just fine on my own!"

"Now Toph," Lao said calmly, "please sit. No need to raise our voices."

"We just want what is best for Lin, sweetheart," Poppy followed kindly.

"I told you- I can take care of myself!"

"But what about her?" Lao countered, "Who will take care of Lin? You work, Toph. Spirits help me- my daughter does a man's job and without the support of a husband."

Lin looked between her grandparents and her mother, her heart raced at the scene unfolding before her.

"I've already taken the liberty of enrolling Lin at finishing school in Gaoling. It would be easier on you both if you would just let her come back with us," Poppy supplied in a light, but stern voice.

"She doesn't need finishing school," Toph protested through gritted teeth, "She needs a mother- and that's me. Not you. Not Dad. Not Mo and not anyone else. Me."

"Mom?" Lin asked in a timid voice, "I don't want to go anywhere."

"Don't worry baby, you are staying here with me," Toph assured without turning to face her.

"Think of how this looks, Toph. Think of what people will say- how they will treat her," Lao argued rationally.

"She will be fine," Toph insisted, "its not as if I am struggling. I'm not a failure," She argued sounding a bit like she were trying to convince herself more than her parents. "I invented metalbending, I established a police force, I helped win a war and I'm building a city."

"And none of that changes the fact that you are an unwed mother," Lao finished for her. His comment seemed negate her many arguments, leaving her speechless. Lin watched as her mother's cloudy eyes swam with tears.

It was not a sight she was used to seeing, though Toph had been crying quite a bit these days, she was careful to save her tears for late nights after Lin had drifted off to sleep. It was unsettling for Lin to see her mother in this light. Toph was a person she considered to be the world's greatest authority, and suddenly she was being diminished and bullied by a perfect stranger. Worse still, it was affecting her. His words cut through her as only the sharp blade of familiarity could. Lin's lip quivered in response, suddenly up was down and Mom was crying. Nothing made sense and she was frightened.

"Oh sweetheart," Poppy murmured sympathetically as she reached out one hand to touch Lin's face. Lin brushed her grandmother's hand away and leapt from her chair, running to cling to her mother's side. She buried her face in Toph's dress robes, inhaling the scent of perfume and mothballs with each gasp of air.

"I'd like for you to leave, please," Toph stated, straightening her back. Poppy instantly sprang from her seat.

"We are trying to help-"

"Well you aren't," Toph cut her off quick and cold. Lao sighed and placed his napkin on the table, standing finally.

"Toph, I hope you understand that we are doing this because we love you," he offered weakly. It was clear they had pushed their stubborn daughter a little too far this time. They would not be regaining any ground in this argument tonight. "But if you insist on doing this the hard way- on your own head be it."

Toph gave him one quick nod.

"Poppy, let's go."

Toph's mother watched her sadly, stalling a moment in hopes that her daughter might speak. Her mouth opened, lingering this way as diplomatic words refused to part with her submissive tongue. Poppy was gagged and bound by her breeding and class, so she waited and hoped that he rebellious daughter would give her another terse comment to contest with love and understanding without incurring the disapproval of her husband.

Toph's mouth remained closed and Poppy's husband addressed her again.

"Poppy?"

Tearing her mournful eyes away from Toph she followed him to the front door obediently where they both waited.

"Liang, the door please," Lao instructed stoically as their servant opened the door with a bow.

Toph collapsed back into her chair when she heard the door close, her will to stand drained. Lin climbed into her lap, nuzzling her mother's neck. Toph rubbed her back reassuringly and kissed her forehead.

"Its ok, Lin," she told her, sounding quite a bit calmer than she looked, "you aren't going anywhere."

There was another knock at the door and Toph's body stiffened at the sound. Lin watched as she remained sedentary. The knock came again with greater urgency. Looking toward the door Lin asked, "Should we answer it?"

"No."

"But what if its something important?"

Toph sighed, "Its not."

The knock came again, rapid and frantic. Lin let out a small groan at the sound, her anxiety level rising with each knock.

"Oh relax," Toph commented with a light laugh as her tears began to dry, "you are pretty uppity for an almost five year old."

The banging continued and Lin couldn't stand it anymore so she lept from her mother's lap and sprinted toward the door, "Lin..." Toph protested weakly as her daughters footsteps darted down the hall.

Lin swung the door open, finding her grandmother on the other side. Poppy's eyes were trained several feet over her head, staring there for a beat before realizing who opened the door. She looked down at Lin and there was something in her eyes, on her face that would stay with Lin forever. When she was older, she learned to associate that look with the word regret. Every time she heard that word for the rest of her life, this image of her grandmother's face would flash across her mind.

"Take care of your mother for me?" She asked and her face was so sad, so resigned that Lin could do nothing but nod out of pity. Poppy placed a red velvet pouch in Lin's hands and the weight of it caused her arms to sag.

She leaned in, placing a gentle kiss on Lin's temple before departing with a small bow. Lin watched her leave, stepping into the gilded coach again with assistance from Liang. As the ostrich horse began to trot, Poppy gave her a small wave that Lin returned absentmindedly. Lao never turned his head.

Once out of view, Lin snapped out of her haze and shut the door, running back down the hall with the pouch. With considerable effort she swung the pouch onto the table before her mother and its contents chimed.

Toph scoffed at the sound it made. Lin pushed her chair beside her mothers and climbed onto it, kneeling along the seat to reach over for the pouch.

"Can I open it?" she asked.

"Go ahead," Toph sighed. Lin tugged on the gold cords that cinched the fine velvet, unravelling it to reveal a multitude of shining gold coins, unlike the dull bronze yuans Lin was accustomed to seeing.

"Wow," Lin exclaimed.

Toph sighed again either unimpressed or unaware, "Ok, Ok, looky-loo. Let's clean this place up."

"Can we get an ostrich horse?" Lin asked immediately. Toph reached out, snatching the coins from under Lin's nose.

"No."

"Why not?" Lin whined as her mother stood.

"Because they eat little girls that don't listen to their mothers," Toph replied, stretching.

"You made it this far," Lin argued. There was a pause and Lin worried her comment might have been too close to home, but was relieved when Toph finally broke into a smile.

"Ha! You're pretty good, kid," Lin smiled. "But, not good enough to get out of cleaning. Hop to it. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can get in some bending practice."

Lin withered and slid off the chair, gathering two stone bowls into her arms. She marched to the kitchen behind her mother, whose own hands were full of dishes. Toph seemed to have stowed the velvet pouch in a deep pocket along with the events of their meal, unwilling to acknowledge either.

"Mom," Lin began as she watched her mother deposit some dishes into the sink.

"Yeah baby?"

"I don't think you're a failure..."

Toph stopped what she was doing and smiled, her expression was happy and sad all at once.

"...I think you're the best Mom in the world."

Toph leaned down and kissed Lin's nose, "Thank you."

Lin grinned, satisfied that she had cheered her mother. She placed the bowls along the counter and waited.

Toph went back to the dishes, spraying them with warm water, "You're still not getting an ostrich horse."

"Hmph."