Toph sat on the edge of her bed feeling rather defeated. Her stomach was empty, her hands only stopped shaking when she gripped them really tight, and no one had said hardly two words to her when they got home. Toph couldn't really complain about that last part though, she probably would have bitten off the head of anyone who had asked her if she was alright.

Katara re-entered the room with a tray of fish-smelling food. She set the tray down on the bedside table somewhere to Toph's left and sat down on Toph's right. Toph decided not to sit in silence anymore and just get Katara to say what she wanted to say. "Katara, just say it."

Katara was taken slightly aback by this. "Say what?"

"Whatever it is you sat down next to me to talk about," Toph shot back. She refrained from adding an, 'I'm not stupid,' at the end of that.

"Oh, yeah," Katara said, sheepishly. "I just ... I'm sorry if what i said upset you."

Toph sighed. "Katara, i'm fine. It's just been a little stressful here is all," she said, trying (and not quite succeeding) to sound confident. "It's nothing i can't handle."

Katara looked at her friend. "Is it?"

"I'm fine, Katara," Toph insisted, "really."

Katara went silent and nodded but didn't move from her spot. Toph, considering the subject dropped, reached for the tray on the nightstand. She hoped that Katara would either change the subject or go away. She felt her way gently around the bedside-table till her hand bumped the plate.

She'd just started eating when Katara spoke again. "You know it's okay to talk about it."

Toph spoke through her full mouth. "Talk about what?"

"About what happened in the store," Katara said, not impressed by Toph's dismissal.

Toph swallowed. "Nothing happened," she declared, before stuffing more food into her mouth. "I've just been stressed and my stomach freaked out. It's nothing to baby me over."

"That's NOT what i'm talking about and you know it."

Toph roughly set the plate back onto the tray and stood to face Katara. "Look, Sweety, I'm not really in the mood for this."

Katara stood and squared off to her "Is that so?"

"Yes ...ma'am... that's so."

"How long?"

Toph was confused by this question. "What?"

"I didn't stutter," Katara declared, refusing to back down from her question. "How long have you been like this?"

"I haven't."

"A long time then?"

Toph was getting upset now "CAN it Katara, or i swear-"

"No, i'm not canning anything until you talkto me"

Toph threw out her arms. "There's nothing to talk about."

Katara paused and pursed her lips before she resorted to what she was about to do. "Bullshit."

Toph gave Katara a look of 'oh no you did not.'"Oh, no. Nuh uh. This is nothinglike that."

"So there is something."

"NO ... Damnit, Katara ... just drop it, okay?"

"No, the only reason you want me to is because i saw it before he did. And i'm not leaving this room until i get some answers, young lady."

"You aren't getting any-"
"Or would you rather i get himto ask the questions?"

Toph's mouth shut with a nearly audible click. She ground her teeth in anger, fuming over Katara's willingness to fight dirty. Toph wanted to be defiant ... but this was one of the few bluffs she wasn't willing to call. A moment of tense silence passed between the two girls before Toph forced her shoulders to relax instead of trying something stupid.

Katara saw this and relaxed herself. 'Finally, we're getting somewhere,' she thought. "Now, sit." Her voice was still hard but no longer threatening.

Toph resisted, still wanted to fight Katara every step of the way. But she obeyed, however reluctantly.

Katara sat on the bed next to her friend, her voice was softer now. "Now talk to me."

"Why?" Toph demanded as she turned to glare at Katara's voice. "So you can have more to hold over my head?"

Katara sighed, "No, Toph, I want to help you."

"Then just leave me alone. I don't want your help."

"I know you don't want my help, Toph, but you're not doing yourself any favors by keeping this bottled up. You proved thatout there in the middle of the street."

"I don't care. I don't wantany favors."

Katara turned her head to the door and shouted. "Hey, Sokka?"

Toph's voice was low and threatening. "Katara, I swear if you tell him anything-"

"You'll what?" Katara dared.

Toph glared for a moment as a ball of fear began to build up in her throat. She tried swallowing but it didn't go away. "Katara, please?" This was turning into a nightmare all on it's own as Toph now felt herself become reduced to begging. "Please, don't do this?"

They could now hear Sokka's footsteps coming up the hall. Katara hadn't made a single sound or motion since her threat and Toph felt herself becoming more and more desperate. "Katara, no."

Sokka was only a few feet from the door when Katara finaly spoke. "I won't, but you should."

Then Sokka was at the door. "Yeah, what's up?" he asked as he stuck his head in.

Katara waited a moment or two before speaking. She then turned to Sokka and smiled sweetly. "Could you and Aang go to the market and see if there are any moon-peaches? Toph's still not feeling well and i think some fruit would really help."

Sokka's gaze shifted back and forth between the two girls sitting on the bed. Toph's head was down and seemed to refuse to face in his direction, while Katara sat there looking a little too innocent for him to believe she wasn't up to something. But, with no further proof of guilt than his gut instinct he was forced to respond with an, "Uhhh ... sure?" then added a "Was that all?"

"Yeah ... well, actualy. If you could get a few pieces of all the fruit there, that would be nice, but be sure you check them all for moon-peaches ... and only get the best ones."

Sokka cringed visibly at this. He had known better than to ask if there was more, but he couldn't say no after he'd already accepted the first half of the task. So now all he could do was responed with a pained "Okay."

Katara responded with a, too graciously sweet and sing-song-y, "Thankyou Sokka," and let him leave.

Toph pulled her legs up onto the bed, resting her chin on her knees. She was thankful Katara hadn't said anything, but her silence most definetly came with a price. Toph didn't like the idea of what that price was going to be.

Comfortable with the distance Sokka had made sulking his way down the hall, Katara spoke up. "Alright, that should keep them away for a few hours," she declared.

Toph didn't respond.

"So," Katara started, "you and my brother huh?" she asked, in much the same tone Toph had used just the other day when their roles had been reversed.

"Katara, why are you doing this?"

"Because, it's about time you had a crush. I was beginning to think you were running off with some random Earth-kingdom boy and not telling Aang about it."

"And so what if i am?" Toph retorted hotly

"Nothing. I mean it's fine if you are," Katara said, backpeddaling a bit. "What i mean is ... I wonder about you sometimes ... i worry and care about you." Toph looked like she was about to retort. "And, i know you don't need me to be worrying. I know better than most that you can handle yourself ... but," Katara's voice was low and serious, "you're a friend. You're part of our team." Katara's demeanor loosened and her tone became lighter as she smiled. "And just like everybody else on the team, you have to put up with me worrying about you."

Toph chuckled at this. Katara was ever the maternal pressence, but apparently she'd found a small sense of humor over time.

"Finally a smile," Katara exclaimed sarcasticly.

"I'm sorry," Toph said, "I really don't ... don't ... care for the snow."

Katara put a reasuring arm around her friend, "I know. You're litteraly out of your element here. To be honest, with how you rely on earth so much we thought you'd never come here," she almost stopped there but then decided to add, "and we were okay with that."

"I just ... Aang was so insistant ... and i ... i really missed you guys."

"And we missed you too," Katara said, squeezing a side-hug. "Especially Sokka."

Toph rolled her eyes, "Would you stopthat?"

"I'm serious, Toph. Sokka missed you, even if he won't say it out loud. For the longest time he kept wondering why his arm felt so weird," she said, the broad smile on her face staining her voice. "Before he realised it was because the bruise you kept giving him had actually healed."

"Haha. Sweeet. I haven't socked anyone in the arm in forever."

Katara giggled, "Yeah, you make up for that on Aang sometimes. There was one time he came home with only partial mobility in his arm."

"Yeah, i knew he was lying when he said he was fine."

Katara rolled her eyes, "You always do."

A content silence filled the room as the two girls pondered and reminised the happy thoughts within their own minds. Toph felt oddly calm sitting there with Katara's arm laying acrossed the earthbender's shoulders. She felt the relaxation of that arm flowing into her and spreading throughout her body. It wasn't until Katara shifted her position slightly that Toph realised she'd leaned over and rested her head on the waterbender's shoulder.

"Can i ask you a question, Toph?"

Toph's face winced slightly. She took in a deep breath and held it, wishing she could just ignore her friend and go back to relaxing. But she couldn't, and so let out a slow and long sigh. "Yeah," she said, hoping it wouldn't be about Sokka, but knowing better than to dream such a fantasy.

"Why don't you tell him?"

"Is 'because i just don't want to' not good enough?"

"Frankly? ... no, it's not."

Toph picked her head up off of Katara's shoulder and shrugged the arm off. Katara feared that Toph was going to bottle up, but kept silent.

Toph was tired of resisting her friend on this. "I just ... at first it was because we were in the middle of a war. Then i just wasn't sure it was right ... me being so young ... how could i know what love felt like when i wasn't old enough. I mean, it wasn't as obvious as it was with you and Aang. So i thought that something was probably missing." Toph sighed again before continuing, "And then he broke Suki out of prison and it just felt like" Toph's voice cracked as a lump formed in her throat, "I-i jus' didn' matter to 'im anymore."

Tears began to bubble in her eyes now and she wiped them away. Katara saw this and pulled Toph in close, holding her friends head to her chest. "Shhhh," she said, trying to be comforting, "it's okay."

Toph sniffed and regained some of her composure. "He was ... the first guy to make me feel like i mattered," she said, speaking into Katara's shirt. "I mean, yeah, I mattered to Aang, but that was 'cause i had something he needed. I didn't have anything for Sokka and he still made me feel special."

"You arespecial, Toph."

Toph pushed herself away from Katara, shaking her head. "You don't understand. I knew i was special. I had entire stadiums of people cheering because i was special. But he made me feelspecial in a different way from anybody else. Like ... he could make me laugh when all i wanted to do was just cry and scream. He understood me in ways nobody else did. He didn't care about how I am already a master of earthbending. He's the first guy to like me for me."

Katara listened as her friend vented about the boy she loved. As she did so one thought kept going through her mind, and now she voiced that thought. "Toph, you have to tell him."

"I can't."

"You need to."

"Katara i CAN'T!" she insisted. "It'll just make everything weird and awkward. We were best friends before we all split up ... we still are in many ways. But if i tell him how i feel and he doesn't feel the same way then everything we've done to get as close as we are will be gone... poof ... a leaf on the blustery wind of last fall, never to be found again." Toph paused for a moment to let that sink in. "I can't let go of that."

There was a sound at the door. A faint and feeble whisper of a boy who knew he'd heard something not meant for him. "Umm ..." Aang wanted to walk away and pretend he hadn't heard anything, but Katara had seen him.

"Sokka said you wanted moon peaches," he tried explaining as fast as he could, "so i asked the neighbors." He held out the armload of aforementioned peaches as far as he could without dropping them, as if the offering would somehow cleanse him of this treacherous sin.