A few minutes after Toph left the room Zuko followed. The body was now being bound in the bed sheets by the healers that had come to check on Iroh. Aang had woken a long time ago, he waited till the sun was fully in the sky, before he went to see Iroh and Toph. He was meant with a pale drained looking Zuko walking along the corridor towards him. He didn't have to ask what had happened, it was all to clear. When they both stopped a few feet from each other neither spoke. What was there to say.

Aang had never seen Zuko like this. Zuko was at first a threat to himself and the people he cared about, then he became a person that he cared about. Through it all he had always seemed to Aang to be a strong person, and like Toph didn't show any emotion at all. Bridging the gap, Aang pulled the older bender into a hug. He didn't hold him very tightly, he was a little uncomfortable and unsure how Zuko would react to his action. Zuko too felt a little uncomfortable, but he slowly lifted his hand to place on Aang's upper back. The hug didn't last long but it did offer Zuko some comfort.

"Give her a little time." with that Zuko left. He needed to get some air.

It took Aang a little while to fully understand what Zuko was telling him. Once he did he turned and walked back along the corridor the way he had come. If he had known that the others had just arrived he would have gone to see them, but instead he went to get some air too.

The minute the others say Toph, they knew what had happened. Katara was the first to speak "I'm so sorry." as she spoke she moved forward to pull Toph into a hug. Toph wasn't paying any notice to what Katara was saying, she was focusing on the other people that were staring at her. Being blind Toph had a strong scene of smell, the smell of a new born baby though faint still clung to Sokka and Suki.

For a new life to grow, a space has to be made for it to grow.

Her father had told her that. It was how he had answered her question. Why did her grandfather have to die. She hadn't really known her fathers father that well, she was only seven when died. It was her first real experience with death, so she had a lot of questions. Her fathers answer hadn't given her any real answers or comfort then, and now it made it all seem even harder.

When Toph finally pulled away from Katara, Sokka moved forward fallowed by Suki. He placed a supportive hand on her shoulder. "How's Zuko." over the years Sokka and Zuko had become good friends, and now he was really worried for him. He also felt guilty that while everything was going so well for him, they were also going so badly for Zuko, with Aang back and the same thing happening to him it made him feel even worse. They had been through enough, if he was able to get everything that he wanted, to be happy why weren't they.

"He's…." Toph took a pause as she tried to find the vibrations she knew belonged to Zuko. "Outside in the garden." It was the unemotional voice she spoke with that real worried them. Her eyes looked like they were stinging from the build up of tears that she was holding back.

"How are you doing." Sokka was about to reach out to take her hand,but she just turned and walked away. Suki took a step closer to him, wrapping her long arms around his chest from the back. She buried her head in the back of his tunic, giving him a quick kiss through the material. She was trying to hid from what was going on around her by holding onto something secure.

"I think we should leave her for now." Urse finally spoke, then she too left. There was a lot that had to be organised, and she needed something to focus. Her first instinct had been to go and find her son, but she knew that he would want to be alone right now. If anyone could get him to open up, by force if need be, it would be Toph, and she knew that was were the still one of three fire nation princess was going now, to find him.

As Urse thought Toph was going to Zuko. She knew that there was nothing she could really do for him, all she knew she could do was to be strong and firm. That was what she brought to the group, that is what she had to be now. She breathed deep, continuing to fighting back the tears. As she stepped out of the palace and into the grounds of the palace, she should have felt the warmth of the sun, but all she felt was the cold wind blowing around her.

When she found Zuko, he was sitting on the bench they had been sitting on when they had agreed to get married. That seemed so long ago. Before she could move to hug him. He was on his feet warping his strong arms around her shoulders. All she could do was wrap her arms around his waist. "I know you what to help me." he pulled her away from him, so he could face her. "But you are broken too, you have been broken for longer than I have known you. You need someone to help put you back together, but I can't be the one to help you."

"I don't know what your talking about. I' am fine, I don't need anyone's help." Toph's arms now dropped to her sides, as she took a step back.

"Yes you do, and Aang really wants to be there for you now. So he can make up for being gone." He expected her to get angry, to hit him, throw a boulder at him. She just stood there. "I cant be the one to take care of you now" before she could object he continued. " That is what we have been doing since the war ended, taking care of each other. We did it because we felt that each other was the closest thing we had to the rest of the group. You have helped me so much, and I am so grateful for your help, for what you have done for me. I wish I could help you more. You cared about uncle as much as I did, you need time to grieve too, to have someone to lean on and that isn't me now."

"What about you, who is going to help you." her voice was getting more high pitched than he had ever heard it before. A faint smile crossed his face, at the sound of her voice like that. Despite everything it was still funny to hear her sound little a girl for once.

Once she had time to think about the question she asked, she realised she didn't need an answer "Katara." for the briefest of seconds it looked like a smile would creep across her face. She took a step towards him, kissing him on the cheek just under his scare. Then she left. Once she was back in the palace she felt Katara's vibrations leaving the palace through different door. She didn't have to guess were sugar queen was going.

She wondered throw the palace for a while not knowing where she was going. She avoided pumping into anyone. She couldn't take them fussing over her. She noticed even when she walked past anyone that worked in the palace, their hearts would slow a little, even they were feeling sorry for her. She wished she could see her face, to see why everyone was giving her what she knew must be pitying looks. She wanted to yell at them to go and feel sorry for Zuko and Urse, they were the ones that had just lost a family member not her..

She finally reached the balcony at the back of the palace. She knew he would be there. It wasn't till she reached the second floor of the palace that she realised where her feet where taking her. She walked out onto the balcony the warmth of the sun finally hit her. For a moment she stopped in her tracks, letting it wash over her.

"Toph." Aang turned to face her, finally noticing her. Not knowing what to say, all he could do was give her a sympathetic look. If she could have seen it, the look of warmth and concern in his eyes would have melted even her stone heart.

Before he could say anything else, she was in front of him. His voice had pulled her back, out of her own head. She wrapped her arms around his chest, burying her head in his robes. The tears she had been holding back since she woke up were finally allowed to fall. In a few seconds Aang's robes had a wet patch where Toph's head rested. She could feel the beat of his heat loudly in her ear, it became all she focused on. It was strong and comforting. There was nothing for Aang to do, except wrap his arms around her, pulling her closer. He rested his head on the top of her head. Realising how much taller she was now, and that she was the perfect hight for him to hug comfortably for long periods of time. Something told him that was going to be important, as she seemed to need to just be held now.

"Don't say a word." her words were muffled a little, but Aang heard her perfectly, he even got the hint of a threat in her voice. He took a risk and kissed her on the top of her head. To his surprise all she did in response was hold onto him a little tighter. His arms weren't as strong as Zuko's, but they where longer and he held her tighter that Zuko did. His unusual long arms seemed to in-case her in her own little bubble, making her feel safe.

If Toph had arrived a little later or if Aang turned around to look back out at the grounds of the palace, he would have seen Zuko and Katara sitting on the bench together, embracing in much the same way he and Toph were now. How things had changed.

Thank you for reading, hope you liked it. Please let me know what you think.