The first letter arrived a week after school began. By the time Lin was seven years old she had four letters from her father and two birthday cards. They were long, descriptive notes written on paper stained with tea and coffee, colorful illustrations decorating the margins. They held scenes of Ba Sing Se- images that fascinated his young daughter who folded each one carefully so as not to degrade them when she slid them under her pillow at night. It was the only contact she'd had with him in nearly three years and each page was treasured as such.
Upon arriving home, Lin would be clamoring to open the mailbox each day in anticipation of one of these rare joys. If Sokka wasn't there, Toph would withhold the mail from her initially. She made sure to inspect the letters before handing them over to Lin, just incase there was any kind of manipulative wording inside.
"Ah ah," Toph would say, holding the mail over her head as Lin jumped beside her, "You know the rules. Sokka reads it first."
As soon as Sokka read Mo's words aloud to Toph, the letter would be turned over to Lin who ran eagerly to her room, threw herself on the bed and deliberated over every last inch of the page. Soon after reading her father's words, Lin would whip her desk drawer open and begin her reply. They usually ran several pages long and were supplemented by small drawings of her own. Again, these letters would be reviewed by Toph and Sokka before sending them out. Sokka often lamented the artistic skill of a seven year old as he licked the envelope and sent it on its way back to the largest city in the Earth Kingdom.
"Mom? Can you take me to Ba Sing Se someday?" Lin would ask at random moments.
"I hate that city," Toph would return with a scowl, "You wouldn't like it, trust me."
But Lin thought she would.
"Well, when is Dad going to come back here then?" she would pout.
"Good question, kid."
Her question was answered on a Tuesday of no particular importance. School let out and Katara collected Lin as well as her own children promptly at three in the afternoon. From school they went back to Air Temple Island for playtime and, because Toph was running late, dinner. By the time she finally arrived the rest of the group was halfway through enjoying their five flavor soup.
With a thank you and a full stomach, Toph left the island with her daughter by her side. It was dark by the time they arrived home and Toph walked past the mailbox without a thought.
"Mom..." Lin reminded her, knocking her fist against the box and pulling it open.
"Oh, right. What have we got today?"
"Bill," Lin began as she flipped through, "bill, bill..." she trailed off as her eyes fell upon an intricately designed envelope post-marked from Ba Sing Se.
"Bill," Lin lied, sliding the letter under her tunic quietly.
"Ugh, of course," Toph grumbled taking the stack of envelopes in her hands, "Lin?"
"Yeah?"
"Are we missing one? I thought there were four," Toph asked shuffling the mail between her slim fingers.
"I just said it an extra time," Lin covered quickly as they entered the house. She didn't discard her shoes at the door as she normally would, having long ago discovered the secret to her mother's lie detecting skills.
"Shoes off, baby girl," Toph instructed as she did away with her own.
"What? Why?"
"Why?' Because they are straightjackets for feet. And we're about to practice some bending," she announced, producing a coin from nowhere.
Lin winced. Her mother had it in her head that Lin could learn to metal bend before she had. Suddenly twelve years old wasn't good enough. Toph was determined for her daughter to push that coin before she reached the double digits in age. "If I can't teach you, I'm not fit to have my own Academy!" she would shout during their daily exercises. Lin wasn't sure if she were encouraging her or berating herself.
"I have to go to the bathroom," Lin told her, running quickly down the hall and shutting the door. "I'll meet you outside!"
She sat back on the closed lid of the toilet and opened the envelope as silently as possible.
Hi Little One,
Guess what? I'm going to be in Republic City soon! I read your last letter and it looks like I will be able to make it to your Father's Day event at school because I'm going to have an art show at the same time! I hope your Mom will let you come! I made a painting just for you.
Thinking of you always,
-Dad
It was short but so, so sweet. Lin practically vibrated off the seat with anticipation. She'd almost forgotten his face.
"Mom!" she called out as she burst from the bathroom.
"No flush?" Toph asked, lifting her eyebrow at the end of the hall. "Come on, kid. That's gross. Get back in there."
Lin swallowed a substantial amount of air at her mistake, having forgotten her lie entirely in the midst of excitement. She turned on her heel, made her way back to the bathroom and flushed the toilet leaving the letter on the sink for the time being.
The happy news didn't do much to ease the pain of metal bending practice, however. Lin held the coin in her hands with her eyes closed.
"Concentrate," Toph told her simply.
"I am," Lin ground out bitterly.
"Lose the attitude and concentrate," she repeated, "feel the impurities. Concentrate on what makes it familiar. Listen for the earth inside."
After a pained silence Lin finally sighed, "Its not moving."
"You aren't listening to me!" Toph snapped, "Is your blindfold on? Are you eyes closed?"
"Yes!"
"Then open up your damn ears!" Toph shouted so close that Lin thought her eardrums might rupture. Lin, finally having her fill of being domineered, pulled the blindfold off her face and threw it on the ground.
"No!" she shouted back as the tears began to form, "I don't want to do this anymore! I can't metalbend!"
Toph reached down and gathered the blindfold in one quick motion and grabbed Lin's shoulders, pulling her over to tie the blindfold back around her head roughly.
"Ouch! You're hurting me!" Lin whined as she was manhandled by her aggravated mother.
"You're pissing me off," Toph countered, giving the blindfold one last cinch and placing the coin back in the palm of her daughter's hand. "Now concentrate...and don't ever tell me you can't do something again- understood?"
Lin whimpered and wiped her nose on her forearm before straightening and trying again. They stood in silence for minutes on end as Lin willed the coin to move, but it refused to budge.
"I can do this all night," Toph reminded her after awhile.
Lin remained silent, sending small vibrations through the coin and visualizing the bits of earth inside. They were so tiny, so immobile. She begged the earth to move but it remained stagnant and ever elusive. Tears began to form and Lin was careful not to make a sound that would alert Toph to her weakness. She was frustrated, but more than anything she was ashamed.
"Dammit, Lin. Are you even trying?" Toph barked.
Lin bit her lip in order to still its quivering. She drew in a measured breath and gave in to the realization that it wasn't going to happen. She would never be a metalbender. She would never make her mother proud.
After minutes of tense silence between them, Lin burst- throwing the coin with every ounce of her strength across the yard.
"I can't do it!" she cried, "I can't! I can't! I can't!"
Her outburst was followed by a desperate sprint back into the house, punctuated by the slamming of the front door. On the lawn, Toph sighed, feeling a little ashamed herself.
It was pain, turmoil, and stress that motivated her students to metalbend in the past, but maybe that wouldn't be the avenue for Lin.
She entered the house and sent a pulse through the floor, finding her seven year old daughter sniffling on the bed in her room.
"Leave me alone," Lin told her with a ragged breath as Toph walked through her doorway.
"Can't, sorry," Toph sighed, taking a seat on the edge of her daughter's bed. Toph placed a hand on Lin's back and rubbed her gently, finding that her hand travelled a further distance than she had been expecting. "You're getting so big," Toph whispered in realization.
Lin grunted and buried her face deeper into the pillow before her.
"Listen baby girl," Toph began, "I'm not mad at you. I am just frustrated with your attitude. You know how much I hate it when people say 'I can't.'"
"But I really can't. I will never be as good as you. I'm not a legend," Lin sobbed into her sheets.
Her muffled statement hit Toph square in the chest and she was soaked in remorse. There was certainly a tendency in Toph to ride the wave of adulation that came with her talents. People were in awe of her abilities and she was never shy about repeating their praise to anyone within ear shot. What she hadn't counted on was how good Lin's hearing was. Years of patting herself on the back, of trash talking her fellow benders, and bragging had left an indelible mark on her daughter's psyche. It was fair to say that Toph was a legend, known across the world as the gold standard of earthbending, but it was not fair that her daughter should feel pressured to live up to that kind of reputation.
"You are still young, kid. Its not fair for me to expect so much out of you," Toph told her, reaching up to stroke her hair.
Lin rolled onto her side tentatively, sputtering out short, shallow breaths in an attempt to control her tears.
"Shhh," Toph said reaching out to wipe her cheeks, "you know, you are still one of the most amazing earthbenders I've ever trained."
"I am?" Lin croaked.
"Are you kidding? There are men on my force that can't bend like you can, baby girl."
Her comment solicited a small laugh from Lin, who inhaled deeply and wiped at her damp eyes.
"Come here," Toph sighed, pulling at Lin's long arms. Lin relented, curling into her mothers lap as best she could. Toph kissed her forehead. "You will be able to metalbend eventually," Toph whispered against her hair, "I didn't do it until I was twelve and we are same, same! So, maybe its just going to take a little more time." Lin nodded with a sniffle.
That effectively ended their bending practice for the day. Instead of practicing, Toph bathed Lin and the two girls curled up with a book in Toph's large bed. Lin read aloud, her soft voice tapering off after only minutes as she sunk deep into sleep.
The following morning was chaotic. Toph woke with a start, realizing quickly that something was off. The birds were chirping outside her window, which meant only one thing. She had forgotten to set her alarm.
"Wake up, slug," she urged her daughter who slept splayed across Toph's arm, rending it nearly useless. Lin sat up, wiping at her eyes.
"It's daytime," she observed hazily. Toph shoved the blankets away with her right hand and grunted a little as she rolled her stiff neck and fully appreciated the throbbing in her left arm.
"Up, up! Let's get going," she ordered hastily, rushing into the bathroom to brush her teeth, "we're late! Read me what the clock says."
"Its eight thirty," Lin told her plainly with a yawn.
"Motherfucker," came Toph's frustrated voice from the bathroom, spitting the foaming baking soda from her mouth as she spoke.
"Moooom!" Lin scolded as she slid out of bed.
Toph spit into the sink, "get in here kid! Brush your teeth, we've got to go!"
Lin wandered into the bathroom and her eyes travelled immediately to the letter that lay along the side of the sink, covered in tiny flecks of water. Her heart pounded as she looked from her mother to the paper. She'd completely forgotten it was in here.
"Get a move on, baby girl," Toph instructed, wiping her own mouth on a towel and moving to hand Lin a toothbrush. As she did, her right hand rested against the sink, settling delicately on the letter from Mo.
With a curl of her fingers, the paper scrunched beneath her palm and she gathered it up with a curious expression.
"What is this?" she asked, holding it out in Lin's direction. When there was no immediate response, Toph searched the stone flooring for Lin's heartbeat which thumped tellingly. "Lin...?" she asked, "What am I holding?"
"A bill," Lin lied. Toph shook her head, sensing Lin's heart rate accelerating rapidly.
"Try again," she told her, shaking the leaf of paper.
"It's a letter from my Dad," Lin confessed in a mumble.
Toph exhaled, frustration lacing her breath as it left her, "Brush your teeth," she instructed again, "We'll deal with this later."
The walk to school seemed endless for Lin, who received an earful about rules and lying the entire time. The lecture was just as tedious for Toph to deliver as it was for her daughter to absorb.
"I deserve this," Toph complained at lunch with Katara that afternoon. The master waterbender and healer had been in the neighborhood, volunteering at the nearby hospital as she occasionally did now that her children were busy with schooling during the day. After a successful session with one of Toph's officers, she'd decided to pop into headquarters and see if the Chief was available for a bite and some girl talk.
"What do you mean?" Katara wondered as she blew on her steaming bowl of ramen.
"This is just the universe getting back at me for being such a little shit when I was a kid," Toph told her from across the table.
Katara smiled, "Lin is just at that age," she mused as she slurped her broth.
There was a skeptical scoff from across the way and she looked up to find Toph sitting back in her seat, "I find it hard to believe that any of your angelic children lie to you."
"Oh, Bumi does all the time," Katara reminded her with a laugh.
"I wish I could figure out a way to freeze her in place so she stops getting older and more conniving," Toph laughed, digging into her own meal.
"What are you going to do about the letter?" Katara asked.
"I don't know," Toph replied, "I am afraid Mo won't follow through. We've gotten this type of letter before. He wrote to say he would make it here for her birthday this year and I'm so glad I didn't tell her. As you know, he never showed up. It would have crushed her if she thought he was going to be there. She's so damn sensitive."
Katara nodded, thinking of Toph's little girl who often projected herself as an indestructible scrapper, but would come crying to Katara if she were being left out of the group during playtime. She'd been getting tougher in that respect in the past months, cleverly setting up a structure of games that allowed her to be in charge of the others so as not to be left out. Lately, it was Bumi who would burst into the kitchen with a frown declaring that he had been tagged out or sidelined by Lin in some way. Kya, being a bit older, was aware of the social dynamic and often appeased Lin in an effort to keep the peace. Tenzin had little trouble mostly due to the fact that he blindly followed Lin's instructions without argument. However, Bumi stood in Katara's doorway on more than one occasion with Lin in a headlock, each of them shouting at the other.
"Let's just hope he shows this time," Katara sighed.
"Hmph," was Toph's reply.
The day approached more quickly than Toph had anticipated. Two weeks had passed since Sokka had helped her pen a letter to Mo. She wrote to explain the level of anticipation Lin had for his visit. She reminded him how crushed Lin would be if he did not arrive promptly and with a smile. With a silent prayer, she dropped the letter into the outgoing mail at work.
Now that the secret was out, Lin talked about seeing her father non-stop. She talked about him through dinner each night, during play time at Air Temple Island, and to the kids at school. Hardly any ear was spared the praises of her father who became a larger than life globe-trotting artist in his daughter's tales, visiting exotic locations and painting commissioned art for important people in every nation.
As a precaution, Toph had taken the afternoon off work so that she may take Mo's place if he neglected to turn up at Lin's school. It may be embarrassing to have a mother present at a Father's Day event, but it was better than nothing. As Toph pulled her coat on to leave the house her newly installed telephone rang. She was one of a select group of private citizens in Republic City that had the luxury of this device in their home. It was gifted to her by the Avatar and accepted graciously as there were occasions in which she was needed at Police Headquarters on a moment's notice.
This was one of those calls.
There was a hostage situation across town in the Jade Gardens neighborhood. A desperate earth bender had attempted to rob a bank in this sleepy suburb, but was shocked to be walled in by police upon his exit. He retreated back into the bank with a promise to kill any of the patrons should he be followed.
"I'll be right there," Toph sighed in defeat.
On the opposite end of he city, the classrooms of Yu Dao Preparatory were packed with fathers. The oversized men sat in chairs designed for smaller bodies beside their grinning children, being called to the front of the room one by one to introduce themselves and explain what they did for a living. The day would culminate in sweet treats and a song from the children to the fathers, composed lovingly for this event.
Lin watched the door anxiously with an empty chair at her side.
Tenzin and his father sat at the same table, appearing just as interested in the doorway and the vacant seat next to Lin.
Several fathers had gone through their presentations and answered questions from the kids. Throughout it all, the seat remained unoccupied. Aang noticed a group of teachers gathering together and the back of the room, whispering anxiously and stealing nervous glances at Lin.
"Hang tight," Aang whispered to Tenzin and Lin as he rose from his seat to join the teachers.
"When its time to sing the song, just sing to my Dad," Tenzin whispered in her ear as his father departed. Lin scowled at him.
"No. My Dad will be here soon, he's just late," she insisted, watching the door. Tenzin looked back up toward the front of the room with a shake of his head.
Aang was back at their table shortly and smiled sympathetically at Lin, "I think your Dad is running late. If he doesn't make it in time, would it be OK with you if I stood in for him?"
Lin glanced at the seat to her side and bit her lip, "I guess," she conceded.
She listened as the other fathers droned on. None held her interest for very long as Lin had become aware of the other children taking note of her absent father. Soon, it wasn't just the teachers who spoke in whispers. Her face colored, a redness of rage and embarrassment. She knew that Aang would stand before the class and explain that he was Lin's uncle. He would say her father was busy, but as the hushed voices swirled around her she wished he would simply lie and say he was her father. She didn't want to be known as the girl without a Dad.
As Karuna's father finished speaking, he collected his seat beside her and she cast a smug look in Lin's direction.
"Ok, Lin it looks like your Dad is up next," the teacher, Ms. Lee, announced, looking down at her chart. Aang moved to stand, but just as he did his eyes caught a familiar figure walking through the door. With a smile, he sat back down into the small chair.
"Sorry I'm late."
Lin turned to find Sokka walking toward the front of the class, giving her a quick wink as he passed. A strange feeling settled inside her chest at the sight of him. It was relief and disappointment in one instant and her eyes stung.
"Hello, small children," he greeted the class, "I'm here for Lin. My name is Sokka, I'm a councilman here in Republic City representing the Southern Water Tribe..."
He spoke for no more than a minute about his work before opening up for questions. Several curious hands went up.
"If you're Water Tribe, how come Lin is an earthbender?" one child asked.
"I see you kids haven't made it to the biology portion of your studies...," he observed with humor, "uh, Lin's mother is an earthbender. One of history's greatest."
He then pointed at Karuna, "Yes?"
"Lin said her Dad was an artist, not a Councilman," she challenged.
"Oh I'm known for that too," Sokka returned quickly, "Check this out."
He moved to the blackboard and readily scribbled a grotesque sketch of what might have passed for a human child before turning back to face the class, "See? I just drew your portrait."
The class giggled loudly at his drawing and Lin gave Karuna a wicked smile.
The questions ended shortly after. Aang's time at the front of the class went on the longest as children and parents alike rose their hands during the question and answer portion. Ms. Lee mercifully interjected that the time for questions had gone on long enough and ushered Aang back to his seat with a look of gratitude from the Avatar.
At the end of the speeches, the children gathered at the front of the room and sang a song detailing the specialness of a father's love. Each child sang along, moving their hands in unison, having practiced this moment for weeks.
Cheers and applause rose from the crowd as the song ended and many of the children ran forward to hug their fathers. Lin was one of them, leaping at Sokka and nuzzling her face against his neck.
"Thank you, Sokka," she told him quietly, letting her eyes close with relief.
The excitement Lin felt in anticipation of this event was great, but the dread she began feeling when her father neglected to arrive was greater. In her early years of schooling, Lin learned what it meant to be singled out and picked on. Classmates rarely got the better of her in arguments, but they were quick to point out the small things. Most often she attracted their jeers when her clothes didn't match as a result of her mother's blindness. Toph often set outfits for Lin on her dresser each night before bed and Lin became a quick study in which outfits would get her bullied.
"These don't match," she told her mother one night as she stared at the poorly folded tunic and pants on her nightstand.
"So? You're seven," was Toph's reply.
If a mismatched outfit brought the negative attention Lin was desperate to avoid, she didn't want to imagine the schoolyard abuzz with talk of her missing father.
Sokka kissed her temple quick, "Anytime, Bones! I hope you don't mind me standing in for your Dad."
Lin shook her head and smiled just as Aang approached them, mouth full.
"Fruit pies, over there," he told Sokka merrily chewing away.
Sokka's hands went to either side of his own face and he gasped in the most feminine voice he could conjure, "Holy Spirits! It's the Avatar!"
Aang gave him a light laugh, keenly aware of the adulation Sokka was mocking. The female teachers swarmed him after the song, offering sweets readily as many of the fathers sought him out, attempting to form some kind of brotherly bond over the dessert table.
The bell chimed, signaling the end of school and Aang was sure to make a second pass of the dessert table, stuffing several fruit pies in his mouth before departing with Tenzin at his side.
"How did you know to come up here?" he asked Sokka as Lin and Tenzin ran ahead, racing one another to the front gate.
"I didn't," Sokka admitted, "I just figured Mo wouldn't come through, so I left City Hall after lunch and had been sitting in the hallway the whole time waiting, just incase."
Aang smiled, "You are a really great Dad, Sokka."
Sokka's face warmed and he looked at the ground quickly, "Well, I'm not her-"
"You are," Aang affirmed, cutting Sokka's comment at the quick.
His words caused a thoughtful smile to appear on Sokka's face, finding himself oddly pleased to hear someone articulate what he'd been feeling for years.
"Thanks."
Lin maintained that Mo had simply been late. The day turned to night, and night to day, but Lin remained firm in her conviction.
"Maybe he missed the train," Lin surmised after her morning bending practice the next day.
"Yeah, maybe," Toph grumbled as she ran a comb through Lin's unruly locks.
"I hope he didn't miss his art show," Lin sighed as her head was jerked to one side as the comb caught a particularly nasty tangle. Toph sighed, keeping her true thoughts to herself.
"Maybe he will get here today," Lin added.
"Yeah, maybe."
As it turned out, Lin was correct. Mo hadn't missed the train, so much as he'd slept through its departure. He caught the following train bound for Republic City and made his way to Dragon Flats where he found a room to rent for the weekend. It was Friday and his gallery showing was scheduled to begin tomorrow. He had to work quickly, hauling his paintings into the gallery and setting up with the help of the owner, an eccentric man who traveled the world in search of pieces to fill his space.
After a day full of heavy lifting and awkward conversation, Mo made his way to Yu Dao Preparatory around three o'clock. Standing outside in a sea of other parents he heard the bell ring inside the building and the doors burst open, children of various ages pouring out.
Out of the corner of his eye he spotted Katara, looking mostly the same as he'd last seen her. He was careful to take a step back out of her view. He'd had enough uncomfortable interactions today to last him for some time.
His eyes searched the crowd for a daughter he worried he might not recognize. He found her in less than a minute, bounding alongside a boy he identified as Tenzin. She was much taller than he recalled, and her facial features appeared sharper, but the youthful look in her eyes was just as he remembered as she looped her thumbs through the straps of her school bag and used her elbows to playfully knock against Tenzin as they walked toward the gate.
Mo took another look at the crowd of parents, scanning for Toph. She was nowhere to be found, but the kids continued through the gate in Katara's direction.
"Lin!" he called out. He didn't want to draw attention, but there was no avoiding it in this case. Her head turned in his direction. He watched as her face went from curious to ecstatic and she took off running toward him.
"Dad!"
Her sprinting form was followed by Katara's eyes. She watched as Lin leapt into her father's open arms and told her own children to wait patiently as she left their side.
"I knew you were just running late," Lin announced, inhaling the scent of him. She was overwhelmed by his presence and felt as if her heart were actually swelling inside her rib cage at his touch.
"I wasn't going to miss a chance to see my girl," he replied, kissing her hair.
He heard a throat being cleared on the other side of the child in his arms and shifted to see the narrowed eyes of Katara staring him down.
"Lin?" she began, "Please go back and wait with the others while I speak to your father."
Lin twisted in his grip and gave Katara a puzzled glance before turning back to her Dad for his input.
"I'm just picking her up from school," Mo offered as explanation. Katara appeared reluctant to engage him in further conversation as Lin remained.
"Lin, please go stand with Tenzin," she ordered again. Lin scowled and gripped her father's waist tighter.
"I want to go with him," she protested. Mo shrugged at Katara.
"Well, I'm sorry sweetheart, but you can't," Katara explained, "Your Mom asked me to pick you up."
"I'm her Dad," Mo argued. Katara's eyes told him she was not convinced.
"And I'm her caretaker right now," Katara explained, "So she's going to have to come with me and you can work this out with Toph later."
Mo rolled his eyes, leaving his hand possessively on Lin's shoulder. A moment passed without a word or a movement.
"If you don't leave her with me, I'm going to have to get the police involved," Katara told him evenly.
Mo's head went back with a derisive laugh.
"Spirits... you people," Mo sighed on the end of his chuckle.
Frustrated, Katara let her hand drop to the pouch of water at her side and wriggled her fingers as a threat. Mo saw this action and sighed, dropping to one knee to be eye level with his daughter.
"Ok, little one. Looks like you're going to have to go with Katara for now, but I'll see you in a little while."
Lin pouted, "I want to go with you," she told him in a small voice.
"Later, ok?" he reasoned, gathering her into a bear hug. She squeezed him tightly and he grunted at her strength jokingly. "I'll see you later, little one."
Lin begrudgingly released him and stalked past Katara defiantly.
"Thank you," Katara acknowledged him gratefully.
With an annoyed scowl, Mo turned away from her, disappearing into the crowd as quickly as he had appeared.
In the past few months, Toph's days had been spent interviewing victims of bloodbending. Each of whom reported their encounters having taken place at new moon. Their stories were shocking, but Toph had become accustomed to them. In any event, there was more shocking news in store for the Chief of Police on the home front.
"Mo is in town."
"You're kidding?"
"He was at the kids' school today," Katara explained that evening, "he wanted to pick Lin up."
"A little late on that one," Toph grumbled, "Did she see him?"
Katara nodded, looked over her shoulder quickly, and turned back to Toph, "she's not speaking to me," she said in a whisper.
"Because she saw him?" Toph asked, having completely missed the nod.
"Oh, yeah. Sorry. She saw him."
Toph's body wilted and her armor creaked in response. With a deep breath, she straightened and opened her mouth to shout, "Lin Beifong! Time to go!"
Lin came running into the room, wearing Sokka's old wolf helmet and brandishing a wooden sword.
"Mom! Guess what?"
"Your Dad came to school today?"
Lin nodded excitedly, causing the helmet to fall over her eyes, "Yeah! How did you know?" she asked, pushing it up again to see Katara standing at her side. "Oh."
"You ready to head home?" Toph asked.
"Yeah, hang on," she replied, slipping the helmet off. "Guys! My Mom is here!" she called into the other room.
In a matter of seconds Bumi swept into the room and grabbed the helmet from her, "Good! Now, I get to play the warrior!"
Lin stuck her tongue out at him as he made his exit, helmet in hand.
"Ok, baby girl. Let's hit it."
The journey home was a test of Toph's patience. Lin rambled on about her father and the afternoon's events breathlessly. She described how her father- the most wonderful human being of mythical proportions- wanted to pick her up from school and probably take her out to do amazing things around the city, but was thwarted by grouchy old Katara. Toph attempted to explain why Lin was unable to leave with him in as kind a way as possible, but somehow everything came out sounding inflammatory.
"Maybe he wanted to take me to Ba Sing Se!" Lin exclaimed happily as the girls turned onto their narrow street.
"Well, that's never going to happen," Toph commented.
"Why not?" Lin demanded.
"Because I won't let you and he would have no idea what to do with you once you got there," Toph replied, annoyed.
"Well, I want to go," Lin told her defiantly, yanking her hand from her mother's.
Toph rolled her eyes and walked on to their front gate, pushing it open as she felt the stomping feet of her daughter pass. She also felt two other pairs of feet through the earth and heard the owners of those feet, discussing something in heated tones.
At the front doorway of Toph's home stood the father of her child and Sokka. For a brief instant, Toph considered burrowing herself into the ground and tunneling under the house right past the mess that stood on her porch and into a nice, warm bath.
Before she could pursue her plans, she heard her daughter excitedly shout, "Dad!"
Mo leaned down and stretched his arms, ready to receive her affection. She readily sprang forward and he lifted her, planting a kiss on her temple.
"Inside, Lin," came Toph's stern voice as she approached.
"What?" Lin whined, still held aloft by her father.
"Mo, put her down so she can go inside," Toph instructed seriously.
Mo rolled his eyes and shifted Lin in his arms, "I'm here to see my kid, Toph. Not get bossed around."
"Put her down," Toph repeated through clenched teeth.
Sokka looked between them and stepped forward, "I'll take her so you two can talk."
Mo watched him a moment before sighing and setting Lin back down on the porch. He intended to stand his ground, but saw reason in keeping Lin from hearing the things that might be said between her parents.
"Go on, Lin. Let me talk to your Mom for a minute," he told her with a nod.
She gave him a pout, but obeyed him nonetheless. Sokka opened the door and glanced back at Toph, with a sympathetic look that went unseen before closing the door behind him.
After a minute of silence Toph finally spoke, "What the hell are you doing here all of the sudden?"
"I have an art show and-"
"And that is what motivates you to finally visit your daughter?"
"I've been busy," Mo returned.
Toph made no attempt to control her spiteful laugh, "Doing what exactly? Finger paints? Because you know what I've been busy doing? Raising our child by myself. I've been busy lying to her about how you can't be here even though you wish you could."
"I do wish I could!" Mo shouted, angrily.
"Then why aren't you?"
"Because I can't," Mo fired back quickly, "...because I don't know how."
Toph clicked her tongue in aggravation, "and you think I know how? Nobody knows how to be a parent Mo, they just do it. You can't spend all day examining the 'why and how' of everything. Life needs to be lived, kids need to be raised, you just fucking do it."
"You don't understand," he replied, under his breath.
"You're right. I don't understand how you can be so involved in your emotions that they cripple you," Toph spat condescendingly.
"And I don't understand how you can be so detached from yours," Mo countered passionately and for an instant he felt the spark of what originally brought them together charge the air between them.
"It got you Sokka, though, I see," he added, allowing the spark to fizzle.
"Don't change the subject," Toph ordered, "what are you doing here?"
"I want to take Lin to my art show tomorrow," he shrugged.
"No."
"What is wrong with that?"
"I don't trust you," Toph told him plainly, folding her arms across her chest, "you're too good at disappearing."
Mo laughed, "You're afraid I'm going to take her?"
Toph's head bowed curtly in affirmation.
"I'm not going to do that," he stated and she could feel his heart beating steadily as he spoke, "but if you're worried about it you can come."
"I'll think about it," she sighed finally.
Mo gave her nod and stepped off the porch, "I'll be by tomorrow around four?"
"I said I'll think about it," Toph repeated.
"Four it is," Mo replied as he walked toward the gate.
Toph grunted. As his footsteps began to fade from her perception, Toph turned the knob of the door with her bending to find Lin and Sokka in the living room playing Pai Sho. Lin shot up excitedly, but frowned when only her mother came into view.
"How did it go?" Sokka asked.
Toph sighed, feeling the anticipation churning inside her daughter through the flooring and in the air. She was angry with Mo, but she realized denying him was punishing Lin as well.
"How would you like to go to an art show tomorrow, baby girl?"
"Yes!" Lin exclaimed, dancing around happily. "Thank you, Mama!"
"Alright, alright," Toph exhaled with a faint smile, "let's get you fed, huh?"
Lin skipped into the kitchen with a lightness that had been absent from her for quite some time. As she disappeared around the corner, Toph made her way to Sokka, who stood. With so much going on, she realized she often took Sokka's steadying presence for granted. She wanted him to know how lucky she felt, how happy.
She reached out and found herself making contact with his chest. Her fingers slid upward along his neck, finally resting her palm on his jaw, "I just want to say thank you," she whispered.
His hand covered hers and he smiled softly, "For what?"
"For being so understanding...for taking care of her...of us. Just thanks for being you," she replied.
Sokka smiled wider, "I'm sorry. I thought I was talking to Toph Beifong..." he teased.
"Shut up, I can be sentimental when I want," she retorted, pushing against him.
Sokka laughed lightly, leaning down to press his lips to hers, "well, you're welcome."
True to his word, Mo arrived at four the next day. He was relieved to find Lin and Toph, alone and willing to join him. The gallery opened at five o'clock sharp and all kinds of people filed in and out, studying his paintings and sculptures critically. Toph was surprised by how much admiration she heard from the patrons, often extolling compliments and expressing their awe at his skill. She supposed that there may be something to the whole art thing after all, but she was not going to let Mo know that.
She stood on the sidelines most of the evening, allowing Lin to move between her and Mo as she pleased. She was at Toph's side quite often the longer the event went on, bored by the dry conversation her father was engaging in with various collectors.
Lin was elated to find the painting he dedicated to her, which was titled "Love at First Sight." The painting was not of Lin, but of Toph standing on a train platform with a slight bulge in her tunic. Her hand rested protectively on her stomach and the background blurred around her, giving the focal point of the painting prominence. Even Toph's features were skewed, but her stomach remained perfectly displayed. Mo knelt down and told Lin the story of the first time he ever laid eyes on her and how it changed his life forever.
When he finished his story, Lin asked, "Dad?"
"Yeah?"
"Can you come back to Republic City?"
Mo sighed, "There's nothing for me here," he told her, giving her head a solemn pat as he stood.
The evening went on quickly and many of the paintings had small red tags stuck along the bottom, indicating a sale by the end of the night. Lin was trying her hardest to stay awake, but her body betrayed her and her eyes drooped against her will.
"You're tired," Toph stated with a yawn as she rested one hand on Lin's head. Lin whimpered and let her head roll back, "No I'm not," she replied in a voice that bordered on crying.
"Oh yes, you are," Toph reaffirmed, noting the whine in Lin's tone. It was a tired whine, full of the days events and strains. "Hey, Mo. We're heading out."
Mo turned to see Lin whining incoherently and twisting the bottom of Toph's tunic in her hands. He walked toward them and dropped on one knee again to hug his crabby daughter.
"I'm glad you came," he told her.
"Are you going to be here tomorrow?"
"My train leaves at eleven," he explained as Lin's face soured even further, "but I'll stop by before, ok?"
"Promise?"
"Promise," he agreed giving her one last squeeze.
Toph shook her head skeptically, but said nothing.
"I'll see you two tomorrow then," Mo smiled as he stood.
"You better," Toph commented before turning to leave with a sleepy Lin at her side.
Lin was asleep before her head hit the pillow that night, but woke before the birds the following morning.
Breakfast came and went.
Lin decided to sit on the front porch to wait after eating, gathering a number of toy figurines and planting herself firmly outside. Around noon she came back into the house to check the time.
"Dad is late," she noted, sadly.
"His train left at eleven, kiddo. I don't think he's going to make it over," Toph told her, pushing the anger down as she spoke.
"He was probably in a hurry," Lin replied.
"Yeah, probably," Toph conceded hollowly.
Weeks later, a letter would arrive explaining that he had slept in and almost missed his train. It was a poor excuse, but it was his way. For now, however, Lin spent the remainder of Sunday waiting for a father that was never there to begin with.
Things seemed to settle a little Monday after the turmoil of the past weeks and Toph was relieved to find Lin her usual self at bending practice that morning. They ate breakfast and she did not mention her Dad at all. Toph dropped her off at school with a quick kiss and a smile, hoping Mo's behavior hadn't caused any real damage.
It hadn't, yet. Lin walked the halls of her school, firmly believing her father was not at fault for his absence. He was fate's victim; bad timing and worse luck were the only reasons he had for being away. If it were down to him, surely he would be here, dropping her off at school. For now, Lin would have to settle with the memory of this weekend and that was enough.
Well, it was enough until recess.
"Lin Beifong doesn't have a Dad," Karuna whispered loudly as Lin ran past, chasing Tenzin. She stopped in her tracks and spun around to face her schoolyard bully.
"Want to say that to my face?"
"You. Don't. Have. A. Dad." Karuna repeated, defiantly.
"Yes I do," Lin argued, stepping closer in an attempt to intimidate Karuna. Tenzin came running back and put his hands between them.
"Lin, don't listen to her," he reasoned, trying in vain to catch Lin's eye.
"My Mom told me that Councilman Sokka isn't your real Dad. She said you never had one because your Mom is so weird," Karuna maintained, sticking her tongue out in Lin's face.
Tenzin was speaking again, but Lin couldn't hear him.
She heard nothing.
But she could feel it all.
As if from nowhere, Lin Beifong could feel absolutely everything at once.
Penga knocked on the metal doors of Republic City's Chief of Police even more timidly than she usually did. She pushed the door inward gingerly to find Toph already on a phone call.
"Ok...ok...thanks. Bye," Toph finished, setting the phone back upon its gilded pedestal.
"What's up, Penga?" she asked.
"It's your daughter. Her school just called and they'd like for you to come pick her up," Penga reported.
"She's sick? She seemed fine this morning," Toph mused, standing.
"No, she's not sick. She's been suspended...for fighting."
"What? Ok, hold down the fort. I'll be back soon."
Toph's journey to Yu Dao Preparatory was quick, she was greeted by a secretary at the door who ushered her into the principal's office. She could feel her daughter here, sitting in a chair, slumped over and brooding. In the next chair, she felt the familiar heartbeat of Katara.
"Sugar Queen?" she asked curiously as she entered.
"Ah, Chief Beifong, please have a seat," the principal greeted. Toph nodded and found her space.
"Now," the principal spoke officially, "we're a little fuzzy on the details. Lin and Tenzin here can't seem to agree upon who hit Karuna over the head with a piece of playground equipment."
Toph's eyes widened, "Is she ok?"
"Karuna will be fine, but she did require stitches..." he answered.
"It was me," Tenzin's soft voice insisted from the opposite side of Katara, "I was using my airbending and a loose piece came off and accidentally hit her."
"Stop lying," Lin grumbled, "I did it."
"No she didn't," Tenzin interrupted, "How could she have? It was at least ten feet away and made of metal."
The strangest sensation of pride settled inside Toph's expanding chest as she discerned the truth.
"I bent the metal," Lin explained. Toph managed to suppress the grin that threatened to split her face in two.
"If you two can't get your stories straight, I have no choice but to suspend you both," the principal reminded with a sigh.
Tenzin looked at Katara apologetically, but kept his mouth closed. A moment passed before the principal finally handed down their sentencing. One week of suspension for acts of violence on school grounds. Katara's eyes looked as if they had been lit by the fire of Hades as they exited the office and the grip she had on Tenzin's bicep was tightening with every step they took.
"I guess I'll have to come up with some particularly awful chores for both of you," she growled, "and don't think for one second that you two will be spending any time together when we get back to the island!"
Toph nodded, "Good point. You know, I'll just take the rest of the afternoon off and take Lin home."
Katara paused, "Are you sure? Shouldn't you go back to work?"
Toph shrugged, "Ho-Tun can handle it. Besides, I need to give this delinquent a proper punishment."
"Ok then, it'll just be you and me, Tenzin," Katara told him, gripping his arm harder and dragging him out of the door.
"Bye Lin!" he winced.
"Bye," she sighed in return.
As the families parted ways at the gate, Toph turned to Lin curiously, "Care to tell me what really happened?"
Lin shrugged.
"Did you really metalbend something to hit that girl?"
Lin nodded, "Yeah." She tentatively looked up at her mother, surprised to find beaming from ear to ear.
"Are you...mad?" she asked finally.
"Yes," Toph replied, "Its wrong to hurt people, Lin...but on the other hand...it totally rocks that you can metalbend!" she finally burst.
Lin allowed herself to smile and Toph dipped to lift her daughter from the ground and swing her around once before planting her on solid ground again.
"I am so proud of you kid! You finally did it! I knew you could! You are a Beifong through and through! Same same! What did I tell you!?"
Lin watched her mother bashfully, "Am I being punished?"
"Hell no!" Toph replied, "You better tell everyone you were, but I'm actually just taking the afternoon off so we can practice! This is the greatest moment of my life."
Lin giggled.
In the end it was pain, turmoil, and stress that motivated Lin's bending, but it did not come from any place Toph could manufacture. When the girls arrived home, Toph placed a metal coin in Lin's hand and waited quietly.
Lin closed her eyes slowly, focusing.
The words repeated in her head, "You. Don't. Have. A. Dad."
The coin snapped in half.
Toph whooped in delight, but Lin's smile didn't quite reach her eyes.
She could feel it all now; the tiny granules of earth inside the metal, the earth beneath and behind her, the presence of her mother, but she felt the sharp pain of truth most keenly.
She felt it all now, and that feeling would never leave her.