Disclaimer: I don't own ATLA! There's been one guess for where I was: Canada. Sorry, nope! But keep guessing! Here's the ninth chapter :)

Toph blinked slowly, listening to Zuko's breathing beside her. She crawled out of the bed silently and dressed quickly. She stepped on to the patio and from the cool air, she could tell she still had a few hours until sunrise. She walked into the garden slowly, trying to clear her head. Although Yuan willingly delayed the wedding, she had no idea how long she could keep up the ruse of acting as a diplomat and keeping busy. Since Ozai and Azula were back in jail, Toph had no reason to be busy doing anything.

Aang had started throwing around ideas for a universal city for all the nations but it was barely recognizable as a plan and therefore not a plausible excuse to push the wedding back even more. Sokka had also suggested, a few months ago, a United Nations army where each different nation contributed benders to create a massive, conjoined army, but it too was barely an idea. She sighed, sensing a small bench in the distance and angled herself towards it.

Toph hummed softly, leaning easily against the bench until exhaustion slowly grew stronger and stronger and when Toph could barely keep her eyes open when she felt someone else walking through the gardens. She smiled faintly, recognizing Iroh's footsteps.

"Ah, Toph, good morning…or actually better good evening, then?" he chuckled, taking a seat next to her.

"Hello, Iroh," she replied softly.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked, pulling a single pai-sho piece from his sleeve and ran it through his fingers. Toph knew it was probably a white lotus piece, Uncle's favorite piece and the name of the secret society he belonged to. She nodded, drumming her feet against the soft earth beneath her.

"You?" she inquired.

"I went to visit my brother." She raised her eyebrows, regarding the old fire bender carefully. He laughed at her expression and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"No worries, young earthbender, he is still in jail."

"Why did you visit him?" she asked incredulously. He sighed, running a hand through his gray beard, pondering the question for a few moments before replying.

"Despite what most people say about him and the things he's done, he is still my brother and I still love him but hate him too," he explained. "I cannot fathom why." Toph nodded with understanding. She felt the same way about her parents, especially when she first returned to them after the war ended. She loved them because they were her family but their constant coddling and keeping her alienated from the rest of the world bred a deep resentment that she still could not battle.

"How is Zuko? Aang?" Iroh asked.

"The shouting has seemed to have stopped but I think they are still angry but things will blow over…I hope," she said. He nodded and tucked the tile back into his sleeve, rising to his feet slowly.

"It's been nice talking with you," he said and turned away. "Oh, and thank you for helping my nephew." She flushed, looking in Iroh's direction quizzically.

"What do you mean?" she laughed awkwardly.

"An old man knows the signs of love when he sees them…Thank you." Toph's throat went dry and her eyes widen as the man walked away, his humming growing fainter and fainter with every step.

Yuan barely looked up from his papers as he heard Toph walk by and simply called her in. She paused, taking a deep breath before going in to face her fiancé.

"Where were you last night? You never came back," he stated simply.

"I couldn't sleep."

"I figured. Where did you go?"

"The gardens," she said. He sighed, dropping the brush and rose from his desk, pacing around the room.

"Who were you with?"

"Excuse me?"

"Who were you with? You don't expect me to believe you wandered the gardens alone? Who was with you? Was in the Avatar? The Firelord? It was the Firelord, wasn't it, I've seen the way he looks at you, even though everyone else seems to miss it and think I'm an idiot," he growled, glaring at her every few steps.

"No! How dare you accuse me of infidelity! I was with General Iroh—"

"Don't lie to me!" he shouted.

"I'm not, we—"

"Am I interrupting something?" Iroh asked, pausing slightly in the doorway. Toph thanked the wise firebender mentally and shot a look at Yuan.

"Can we help you, General?" Yuan hissed. Iroh frowned slightly and stepped inside, giving Toph a quick hug.

"I just came to thank Toph for the wonderful talk we had last night," he announced. Yuan paled noticeably, eyes darting back and forth between the old general and his fiancé.

"So, you two were…?"

"Like I said, I talked with Iroh last night. Excuse me," she snapped and stormed out of the room. The palace already bustled with life as she stormed through it, not completely sure where she was headed.

"Toph!" Katara called. Toph continued moving, not in the mood to have Sugar Queen babying her at the moment. "Toph, please we need to talk!" Eventually, Katara caught up in Toph, who ducked into a bathroom. A large pool of water steamed in the center of the domed chamber, filled with women bathing. Katara shouted apologies across the room as Toph barreled through the women, exiting through the other side, even though there was no door.

"Can we please talk about this?" Katara yelled, jogging to keep up with the small earthbender.

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" she called over her shoulder, heading for the training arena. Katara rolled her eyes and watched from the distance as Toph blew off steam, bending in the arena until Toph groaned, feeling something kick in her stomach and she felt nauseous.

"Toph!" Katara rushed to her side, helping Toph walk off the field. They retired to the healing chambers, which Katara emptied quickly, freezing all the doors shut as soon as the other healers left the room. She lay Toph on a long table, bending glowing blue water over her stomach, feeling the heartbeats. Katara smiled faintly, feeling Toph's heartbeat, the baby's but there was a third. She frowned slightly and Toph felt the waterbender's confusion.

"What's wrong?" Toph asked.

"Nothing, it's just that…"

"What?"

"It's twins."

Note: Ta Da! Here's a ninth chapter and things are just getting heated up! The challenge is still going, so keep guessing!