Hey, sorry it has been so long since the last time I up-dated. I promise that I will up-date more often and hope to have this part of the story finished by the end of the mouth.

TaangFanToph. Thank you so much for the reviews. I hope that you will like this chapter.

As Aang returned to the palace he was meet with a worried gaze from Katara. She had returned to see the only person that she knew felt the same as her. She was leaning against the wall parallel to the door Aang had just come through. Zuko's study was a large room, so their seemed to be a huge distance between the two friends.

"How are you."

Aang was the first to speak. Wanting to do anything to break the silence. He felt like this was all his fault. Katara unfortunately felt slightly the same way. She didn't answer at first. After taking in a deep breath she moved to stand behind the chair nearest her. Then she finally spoke.

"Sokka and Suki went to check on the kids. I'll watch you while you're in the spirit world, till we swap over."

"Ok, but that's not what I asked."

Katara turned her face away from the avatar. "Aang. I just don't want to think about it." Her hands held so tightly onto the chair her arms started to shack.

Aang walked towards his old friend, and pulled her quickly into a hug before she had the chance to more away. "They are going to be fine." He tried to make it sound like he believed what he was saying. He doubted thou that she believed him. She knew him to well for that.

"Thank you." Deep down she knew he was just saying it to stop her from worrying, but she needed to hear it. Hoping that just by saying it, but that thought out into the world, it would help make it come true. Aang ended up feeling worse. He was left wondering why couldn't he believe what he just said when Katara seemed did, even a little.

Taking a few steps back, Aang sat down in the centre of the room. He gave Katara a weak smile before he closed his eyes. She gave a faint smile back in return. When she was sure he was in the spirit world, Katara allowed herself to move. She moved to sit in a chair she had been holding onto foe support. She moved it round so she could look out of the open veranda door and have a sideways view of Aang. This all seemed so familiar yet so different. This was the first time in a long time that she had been able to really look at her friend.

He had grown up. He wasn't the skinny little kid he was when she had first meet him. It was now looking back, with the benefit of time and distance that she could see things she never saw at the time. She saw that he had started to truly grow up when Toph joined the group. They had their problems, but it was clear that Toph cared about Aang, and that Aang cared what Toph thought of him. It was her pushing to as much as she did that forced him to grow up. She had no doubt that he would have grown up, Toph just moved things along at a faster pace.

Thoughts of her husband couldn't be kept back forever. He had ignored it, refused to even bring it up, but see his father again, and now leaving to face his sister was something she knew he would not ever choice to do. Unless he felt he had no choice. That was what worried her the most, that there seemed to be no other way to face this than that way they were. If it failed, there was no backup plan.

Suki had put Kya and baby Iroh down for a nap. She was making her way along the corridor to check on Sokka and her boys, when she pumped into her husband, as they were turning the same corner.

"I'm so sorry, are you ok." Sokka asked as he help his wife to her feet.

"I'm fine." She could tell his concern was in apart to do with what was going on with the rest of their family. He had the far off look he got when he say a full moon. "It will work out." Taking his hand back into hers she pulled him along the corridor, back the way he had come. She wanted to see her three boys all together.

"How do you know that."

"They have too much to lose." Her mind know went to the two left behind in the study. "They both have families to come back too. They aren't going to be as reckless as they were the last time."

"It's not just about them anymore, things have changed." Sokka was speaking to himself, to sort things out in his head.

"I know." As she was talking to himself eh never expected a response. "More importantly, so do Toph and Zuko."

Suki stopped in her tracks, and kissed Sokka on the check. The kiss let him know that what ever happened she was going to be there. It gave him hope. "Let's go cheek on the boys. If they brake anything else, we are never going to be able to come back here."

A faint smile crossed Sokka's face as he wrapped an arms around Suki's shoulder and kissed her on the forehead.

Toph and Zuko where both sitting on Appa's head, as they flew over the fire nation. Neither of them enjoying the beautiful scenery that flew by them, for two very different reasons. Then hadn't said a word since they left on their journey. There really wasn't much to say. Toph was running her fingers over the grand master bracelet Aang had given her years ago.

Zuko noticed this and smiled a little. It gave him hope. It let him know that the two people that were in the centre of all that was going on were not going to be broken apart. Therefore whatever was going on could be dealt with. It if wasn't going to break them, it was not going to break anyone else.

"You still play with that thing when you're trying to remain calm."

"Who says I'm trying to remain calm." As she spoke Toph tried to give him an evil glare, it didn't work.

He couldn't help but laugh a little, for this he was given a strong punch to his arm. "If I didn't need you to steer, I would have punched you off of Appa." Toph was able to maintain her unflinching face for a few seconds, before she smiled, then laughed a faint laugh.

After the laughter had died, they were again silent. The laughter had been a way to break the tension take their minds of what they were doing, what was going on around them. It was only a quick fix, it couldn't last.

Toph broke this silence a few minutes "Are you ok."

"Straight to the point, as always." Zuko hadn't meant to sound as withdrawn or harsh as he did.

Toph bit her lip, as she felt a wave of concern for her friend wash over her "You wouldn't want me to be any other way. That's why you love me."

"No, you're right. Aang would hate it if..."

"If you are trying to get me to worry about Aang, so I don't worry about you, then it isn't going to work. I am very going at multitasking."

Normally Zuko would have tried to think of a good come back, but he was silenced by what he saw in the distance. They were there. The building was large and foreboding. He always got a feeling of dread when he caught sight of it. His grip on the reins tightened, as he guided Appa to begin the descent to the earth below.

Toph felt the change in the air around her. She didn't have anything to hold onto, so she clenched her hands till they landed. Once they jumped down from Appa they were standing in front of a large fort, in the north of the fire nation. The whole fort was made of sand stone. Toph could take in the whole building in as she stood in-front of it. There was one room that stood out to her. It was different from the others it was surrounded by a layer of metal. She didn't have to even try to find out who was in that room. At least they had made it here first.

Zuko didn't move, once he jumped down from Appa, It was like he was stuck to the spot. Toph reached out to take his hand. Saying that it was going to be ok, that she was there to help him, wasn't going to do any good, this was all she could do thou. So it was what she did.

He gave her hand a squeeze back, before they stared to walk towards the main door. Just before they reached the door they let go of each other's hand. The guards that opened the door for them, thought by looking at them they were preparing for a battle. In a way there where. Just not the kind of battle either was good at or comfortable with.

They walked the rest of the way through the fort in silence again.

As always thank you for reading. I really hope you liked it. All input and comments are very welcome, and mean a lot. I hope to have the next chapter up in the next three days or so.