"Well. Well. Well. Who do we have here? Is this the one and only Toph Bei Fong? I could have sworn she was dead. Oh well it doesn't make much difference really. There are fifty of us and only one of you."

Toph never forgot a voice. This was none other than the former fire princess Azula.

"When did they let you out of the loony bin princess?" asked Toph in a mocking tone.

Azula temporarily lost her temper. "How dare you say that peasant. I broke out a year ago. The fire lord didn't even send men to find me, which is going to be his biggest mistake ever."

"Why are you here Azula? What could you possibly gain by doing this?"

"Im here for the child." answered the former princess "He's going to be a very good bartering chip."

"You will not take him. I. WONT. LET. YOU." yelled the greatest earthbender on the planet.

Azula snickered "Do you really think you stand a chance? I could take you myself if I wanted to."

Toph smirked to herself. They didn't know how powerful she had become. Their own confidence is going to be their demise.

Toph felt the fifty warriors surrounding her. She could tell by their stances that thirty-nine of them were not firebenders, and eleven were, counting Azula. She had to be careful and make sure Bato didn't get hurt. That was all that mattered to her; if anything happened to her nephew she couldn't live with herself. He was like her very own son now; she would protect him with her life.

Sokka on the other hand was walking home thinking how he would tell Toph that he really did love her. Would she still love him back after all he put her through? Sokka didn't know the answer, but he wouldn't deny his heart any longer. Either way it was going to end tonight.

He was about half a kilometer from his home when he heard the explosion, a huge cloud of dust and rocks were thrown into the air. Sokka stopped and gazed at it, but only for an instant, because a second later he was sprinting toward the source which could only be Toph.

The initial attack was perfect. She had killed the ten firebenders with spikes of earth while simultaneously raising a huge dust cloud. Azula was the only firebender to dodge it just in time. Many of the warriors were too shocked to do anything and they met a similar demise. Only twenty men were left for her to defeat. They all charged her, but they just ran into a trap. Toph had surrounded herself and Bato with quicksand. All twenty of them sunk into the ground and suffocated. The earthbender re hardened the ground to its normal state. Only Azula was left for Toph to destroy.

She smirked to herself "Looks like you underestimated my power Azula. That was your greatest mistake."

The fire princess sneered "Well if your so powerful you wouldn't mind getting a face full of lightning would you?"

Toph, once again, smiled to herself. "I'll bet you that as soon as that lightning leaves your fingertips you'll already be dead."

"You're on filth."

Azula began to summon the lightning. Its to bad for her that it required all of her concentration, if it hadnt she might have noticed the floating bar of metal in a distinct U shape.

As soon as Azula pointed towards Toph it was there. One of the two prongs touched her fingers. Azula didn't even have time to scream. The lightning funneled through the metal and out the other direction pointing right at her. The electricity had nowhere else to go then back into the person that had created it.

Azula's internal organs fried in an instant. She collapsed to the ground.

Toph felt odd, instead of feeling trumpet, she felt a numbness in her stomach. She reached down to feel her belly, but instead she met a metal object jutting out of her abdomen.

Sokka watched in horror. He was to late. He was to far away to save her in time.

One of the men that she thought was dead had limped over and stabbed her through the back the instant that Azula had accidentally killed herself.

Toph was 'looking' down at the blade that was sticking all the way through her. She couldn't see it, but knew it was there. She slid her fingers along the blade. Toph hadnt felt it coming; she had been too preoccupied with Azula.

The man that had done it was kneeling behind her. He obviously was a dead man and he knew it. Blood covered his clothing.

Toph grabbed the hilt of the sword sticking into her back and ripped it out in an instant. She didn't even whimper when blood seemed to explode from her midsection. She turned toward her attacker, and 'looked' him dead in the eye. He was shocked to say the least. How could she still be standing? Let alone actually look unaffected by her mortal wound.

She raised the sword and sliced his head off in one skillful movement.

Sokka ran to her, catching her as she fell to the ground. He laid her down carefully so he didn't cause any unnecessary pain. He felt numb all over; he could feel the life seep out of his loved one as it spilled onto the earth like a living waterfall. He actually could see her getting paler with every passing second.

"Sokka is that you?" asked the dying beauty.

Sokka choked up, his crying was preventing his answers. "Yeah Toph I'm here."

"Bato is right over there." She blankly pointed to a small earth dome.

It collapsed and Bato was sleeping inside it. Sokka ran over and grabbed his small child, then returned to Toph with his son in his arms.

"Is he alright Sokka?" she sounded frightened.

"Yeah Toph" Sokka released a small chuckle "he's actually asleep right now."

She smiled "Sokka this past week was the best in my entire life, I'm so happy that I got to spend it with you. Be sure to make Bato practice earthbending everyday."

"Wait he's an earthbender."

"Yup he moved a pebble all by himself. I was so proud, I was really looking forward to teaching him." replied the metalbender.

"Toph please don't say that. You cant leave me again, not after I just got you back." cried Sokka.

"Sokka you're the master swordsman, you saw what happened. What are the chances I'll survive that?" It was a rhetorical questioned

He didn't reply.

"That's what I thought."

After another pause Toph started weakly chuckling to herself. "Sokka I guess I actually get to use that grave after all."

This only made him feel worse.

"Please promise me that this time you'll move on. You need to forget about me Sokka."

Sokka looked into her beautiful pale green eyes. "How could I forget about the girl that I love?"

Her eyes flew open. "What did you just say?"

"I said that I love you Toph." The warrior bent down and placed his lips to hers. When they touched it sent an electric shock through his spine. Her lips were soft and gentle.

When they broke apart she smiled at him. "I love you to Sokka"

"I'm sorry if it's a little late." Spoke the warrior as he smiled back.

"Better late then never snoozles." replied the dying women "I just want you to know that I'll be waiting for you on the other side and I'll be watching over you and Bato until its your turn to join me."

Sokka let another faint smile cross his lips "I never thought in all of my life that I would be looking forward to dying."

Toph let out a small chuckle but it turned into coughing. When her coughing fit ended, her breathing became ragged and short. Sokka could tell that her time was about up.

"This will have to last until the day we see each other again."

He leaned over again and kissed her with all the passion in his being. He memorized her touch, her smell, and her very image. He could feel the life leaving her, the warmth of her lips faded as the blood spilled all over the ground. It painted the dirt red as her very life force returned to the element that she so masterfully bended.

Finally the last bit of heat in her body was expelled to the earth, her head became limp and Sokka knew she was gone. He looked down at his dead lover and Bato began to cry. Almost as if he shared his fathers pain and sorrow. Sokka began to sing the lullaby that Toph had sung the first time she had held him. His son fell back asleep in his arms; Sokka looked up to the full moon that was now high in the sky, his eyes glistening with tears.

It was shining brilliantly, illuminating Toph with its everlasting glow. Even as she laid there, skin whiter than the Yue herself, and her cloths covered with blood, she was still the most beautiful thing Sokka had seen in his entire life.

He looked back to his sleeping son and whispered to him "We're pretty lucky Bato, now we have two beautiful girls protecting us."

Sokka had always thought that Yue was his guardian spirit, and she was; but now he not only had the moon protecting him and his son. He also had the earth.

-Six years later

"Hey dad can you tell me that story about Toph again?" asked Bato.

Sokka chuckled "Have you completed your earthbending training for the day?

"Yup."

"Ok get into your bed and I'll be there in a minute." replied his father.

He watched his little earthbending prodigy run to the house. Sokka was in his favorite place in the entire world. It was the spot he had shared his first and last kiss with the one he loved so dearly. He could feel her very essence surrounding him; it was like she had never left. Everytime that he was around Bato, especially when he earthbended, her presence grew even stronger. It had been that way since the day she had died, and he knew that Toph was keeping her promise. She would watch over them until they met again in the spirit world.

Tomorrow was Friday and he would make his weekly journey to her grave like he had all of those years ago, but this time he would take his son.

Her grave had been updated; they had re carved the monument so it looked like her more mature figure. They had even re engraved some writing. Now it read:

"Toph Bei Fong"

A War Hero, An Avatar's Teacher

The greatest friend and lover anyone could ask for

We will never forget her sacrifice

Sokka smiled to himself. Tonight's the night im going to tell him the truth; he's old enough now to know about Toph's role in his life. He was far to young to remember her, but for some reason he loves the stories I tell him about her. Maybe he does remember something; it's just so small that it doesn't affect him. Either way he's going to learn about her sacrifice for him, and her love for both of us.