A/N: Thanks for all the new story followers and all the reviews! I really feel the love! Sorry this one took so long to come out, I have a lot of things going on right now in my life so thank you for being understanding. Also, Coming Together is so much easier to write... Please as always review!

Disclaimer: I don't own a thing

The unrelenting sun rose soon after they all went to sleep, the day just as boiling hot as the previous few. It was almost as if they were in the fire nation already, though they weren't far off. As the sun started to set over the mountains, everyone woke up in their own time, packing as they woke. Soon everything was packed but Toph was still in her earth tent, showing no signs that she was awake. She was, in fact, but she just wanted to be left alone as long as possible, feeling like such an idiot for putting herself out there. Katara had been right; showing she had any feelings for him had just confused him. She wanted to punch herself. She felt so stupid for letting her emotions control her like that. She wondered why she always screwed things up with him... why their relationship couldn't be easy like Aang and Katara's.

Everyone was ready to go as the stars came out and Katara knocked on her tent door.

"Toph, you up? We're ready to start heading out..." She asked, but no answer ever came. Toph just lay there in her self-hating state, not wanting to talk to anyone. Katara grew concerned, knowing there was no way Toph didn't hear her. She waited and asked again. "Toph? We need to get going." Still nothing but silence. She didn't even have the gull to say 'Go Away'. This whole thing had turned her into what Sokka used to be; just a bundle of emotions ready to let loose at any moment crying or punching she wasn't sure which anymore. She felt Katara's presence linger a while before she finally walked off. Then she felt the light steps of Aang come to her door. She waited for him to say something or bend the earth down around her but he was much more patient than Katara. He sat down near her head and folded his hands in his lap. Soon he tried to coax her out with kind words.

"Toph... I'm sorry, but you can't stay in there forever."

She didn't respond, but knew he was right. She would have to face the music sometime... she just wanted to do it later rather than sooner. She sighed and bent down the walls separating herself and the Avatar, sitting up, their backs to each other. It was a few more moments before he spoke to her.

"I'm not sure what's going on, and you don't have to tell me, but we're here for you. Please don't forget how much we all care about you, Toph."

She hung her head and gripped her knees to her chest, waiting for him to leave. He did after more silence from her, but said one more thing before leaving.

"When you're ready..." He trailed off, going over to the others.

She sat on the ground for another five minutes, mentally preparing herself to be around people, especially Sokka. When she was ready, she stood with a soft grunt and stretched, walking over to the side of Appa, feeling them watching her. She stood beside the beast and held her hand high in the air expectantly, not having to wait long before a strong, warm hand was in hers, pulling her up. Sokka grabbed her waist when he could and pulled her into the saddle, holding her a little closer than needed and she noticed. Once she was on her feet, he finally did let go of her, sitting on the opposite side of her. She folded her legs beneath her and rested her head in her hand, feeling Appa take off. Their goal tonight was to make it to Senlin Village, once terrorized by the forest spirit Hei Bai. After that it was off to the fire nation.

The ride started out quiet but soon Aang and Sokka somehow got into a discussion of the stupidest/most dangerous things they've ever done. And for some reason, both really wanted to win. Sokka recalled the time he was out hunting with Hakoda and a few other men of his tribe and found a young polar bear dog all by itself, tried to ambush it, only to realize the mother was behind a glacier nearby, and having to pull a miraculous escape, making everyone run for their lives as there was not enough of them to take the mother down. The way he told the story made Toph smile and Katara laughed, calling him an idiot. Aang tried to recall something to top him, but they already knew most of the stupid things he used to do.

"I'm sorry, but I think being hunted by the Unagi is the dumbest thing you've ever done, considering I had to save you, you show off." Katara said, pointing a finger at him from the saddle. He turned from where he sat, on Appa's head, and gave her a look.

"Wow Aang, you seem to get your butt saved a lot by girls. That must do wonders for your ego!" Toph said. Everyone was quiet except for Sokka, who let out a chuckle. It was the first thing she had said all night.

"Katara has saved me load of times, but so what? I've saved her plenty. I saved the word! We all need help every now and then."

"Yeah, but saving the world and being saved from your own stupidity are two separate things." Toph argued.

"Toph, come on. We've all done some pretty stupid stuff." Sokka said with another chuckle.

"Not me." She said and folded her arms.

"Oh really?" Katara said, looking at her incredulously. "You've never done one ill decided thing, huh?"

"That's what I said, sweetness." She said and turned to her side, facing Katara.

"What about the time you scammed most of Fire Fountain City? That was pretty dangerous."

"Hey! We were doing just fine until you wanted to pull the biggest scam of all and decided to get us captured!" Toph defended.

"That's not the point." She stuck her nose in the air.

"Point is, I've never done something myself to get into deep trouble that I couldn't get myself out of. Actually, that's how I invented metalbending! It was a way out of trouble."

"Don't worry Toph. You have your whole life ahead of you to make stupid decisions. You're chance will come." Sokka said and patted her on the knee, letting his hand linger longer than it needed to. She ripped her bare leg from his hand and crossed it over the other in front of her, still a little perturbed at him. Okay maybe a lot. Until he made his choice clear, in words to her, she wanted nothing to do with him. She was honestly surprised he was talking to her at all after his behavior earlier. Toph thought that maybe he decided to try and act like it didn't happen. The thought pained her so, like a steel knife cutting down to her heart. That his kiss wasn't meant for her lips, but Suki's made her feel like crying uncontrollably, but she didn't give in. She didn't know if she could deal with having feelings for him... and him acting on his feelings toward another woman. She would be no one's replacement. But that didn't mean she didn't want him. That his lips on hers wasn't blissful. That every time he touched her she didn't desperately crave more. But her pride made her stand firm. And it she would rather die on the inside than seem like she needed him.

"Yeah yeah. We'll see." Was all she let out, leaning her back against the saddle as the night air ruffled her hair into her face.

"Toph, let me put your hair up so your neck can cool off." Mother hen said to her. She shrugged and scooted forward to the middle of the saddle, pulling her knees to her chest while Katara climbed behind her. Katara skillfully ran her fingers through Toph thick hair, pulling each strand into place and tying it up, flipping it into a ponytail.

"That actually does feel better." Toph commented as Katara got up and went back to her spot, letting Toph scoot until her back hit the saddle again.

"You know what really beats the heat? Not having hair at all." Aang threw out there.

"Don't you even suggest that we shave her head!" Sokka spat out.

Everyone looked at him, even Toph looked towards him. They all kind of looked at each other.

"What?" Sokka asked. Aang looked away with a smile and Katara stopped with her hands up in her hair, caught in the process of putting her own hair away in a bun.

"You're not cutting of her raven hair." He said, putting a final tone on the conversation.

Toph, feeling awkward yet pleased that he liked any of her features, wanted a change of subject.

"Are we almost there?" She asked anxiously through the tense silence.

"Yeah, just a few more hours..." Aang said happily, as if the time would fly by. For her and Sokka however, it was spent in an awkward, tense silence. Katara talked to Sokka, but he didn't say much. When she had tried to get any response from Toph, she was giving short answers, each time scooting farther from Sokka.

As silence washed over them again, Sokka tried to sort out his confusion. Him and Suki were done. And though it made him feel hollow inside, it was something he had to accept. But just because he was single didn't mean that he was alone. He had Aang, who was like the kid brother he never had, Katara, who was an odd mixture of mother and sister that he would always have in his life... and then Toph. He sighed softly when he thought about her, mostly in frustration. She used to be just another buddy, like Aang. But he couldn't deny the beautiful young women she had grown to be. And now he was aware that she held feelings for him, possibly since they've all been together. That weighed on his mind heavily. He couldn't figure out if the feelings he had for Suki were being transferred to her because she was there... or if he had always had these feelings buried deep inside of him. But something was drawing him to her. He loved seeing those rare moments when she wasn't stubborn and let out real, deep emotions other than anger or pride. She was most beautiful in those moments.

He was mostly frustrated because he couldn't believe how he had been the blind one this whole time. Things with him and Toph had always been easy. He used to be able to tell her anything. Why was that suddenly gone? Why was he suddenly over thinking everything that happened between them? His thoughts strayed to their kiss and how his heart felt whole when she was in his arms... how he had loved the feeling of their bodies pressed together. He tried to deny his feelings with a shake of his head, but it wasn't going to go anywhere. His heart started to race as his thoughts continued down this road, going to a place he had never gone before, not about her anyway. Though these thoughts were wrong, they felt right. It was then that his decision was made.

Toph could feel his heart rate from across the saddle and wondered what he was thinking. Wondered if he had chosen, or even more if he was thinking about her. She desperately wanted the answer to be yes to both. Katara and Aang talked to each other in low voices the rest of the way, Sokka and Toph were silent until they landed just outside the village in the dense forest. Aang and Sokka got down first, Katara getting the supplies off the saddle and handing them to the boys. When that was done, Aang airbent Katara off the saddle and caught her princess style with a laugh as she shrieked.

"Don't do that!" She said and gave him a glare. He just kissed her on the check and put her down, both of them taking their supplies and walking off to set up camp. Sokka stood by Appa's side and waited for Toph to come to the edge. She eventually did so, turning her back to him and climbing over the edge, hanging from the saddle when she couldn't climb down anymore. He lifted her by the waist and set her on the ground gently, but didn't let go of her. He leaned down and spoke to her in a low voice.

"After those two go to bed, I'd like to talk to you..." His low voiced bounced off her neck, holding her close, Toph's back still toward him. He let go of her body and walked away from her, grabbing the supplies for his own tent. She felt something crawl through her stomach with anxiety. So he had made up his mind. And she was going to be torn apart by his answer. Either way, after tonight, their relationship would never be the same. She sighed and walked over to the others, setting up her earth home on the edge of camp.

There was plenty of food to pass around and plenty of light from the moon so no fire was needed. After everyone had eaten and relaxed a little, the midnight blue sky started to turn into a grey purple. Aang announced that they should all get some rest, Katara giving him a longer than needed kiss and going off to her tent to sleep, Aang sleeping outside in the grass. It was about forty-five minutes later when she felt his heavy footsteps coming from his tent. He didn't even have to knock. She bent the door down and he came in, sitting before her on the ground on his knees. She quickly bent the door back up to his confusion.

"Now I can't see." He said softly.

"But no one can hear us." She affirmed. "Besides, you're here to talk right? You don't need vision for that."

"I guess not..." He said and they sat in silence for a while. He was trying to find the words, but they kept escaping him.

"Well?" She said, a little anxious and annoyed. She didn't want another fight, but she also didn't want to breakdown before him.

"Toph... first off, I am sorry for kissing you without making my intentions clear. I just want to reassure you that it was meant for you, and not someone else..." His heart started to race again and hers was keeping up with him. She grinned in the darkness that surrounded them and was suddenly less angry with him. He continued.

"Now that I know you have feelings for me, I can admit to myself that I've had feelings for you too. I just want to make sure we are on the same page..." He trailed off, trying to pick the words carefully."

"What do you mean, on the same page?"

"Look, we both like each other, and that's great, but where do we go from here?" He asked into the darkness, trying to make her understand.

"I don't know. I've never really been in this situation before." She said with no shame. It was true, she was new to this.

"In my culture, you don't just date someone just because you like each other... you are together for a purpose, trying to ultimately reach a milestone together..."

"What are you saying Sokka?" She asked, a little worried where this was going.

"I was raised with the notion that when you are with someone, it's because you are wanting to marry them... and I strongly believe that's how it should be with any relationship I enter. I apparently didn't make myself clear in my last relationship and I don't want to start a new one the same way. It would be like lying to you. If we were together and the whole time I'm thinking of where we are going and you're not... it just won't work out well." He said and held his knees, shaking, fearing rejection from her. She was quiet as she tried to process the information.

"So you're saying that if we do get together... you're going to be thinking of marrying me the whole time?" She asked, feeling like her heart was going to pound out of her chest.

"Yes."

"And there is no way to change your mind? We can't just be in a relationship and see how it goes?" She asked him.

"We can, but I'll still be thinking it. Which brings me to my next issue... You're not of marrying age."

Toph scoffed at him. "So what? I don't care."

"Toph... there is a difference between us of three years. Three years where I have been in an active relationship. I'm no novice. But you are. So as stubborn as you are, you're going to have to follow my lead."

"Not a chance. if I let you take the lead, you'll take this as slowly as possible, and that's not gonna happen." She spoke up.

"Just hear me out-" He tried to reason with her.

"No. You hear me. You may be older than me, but I am still a woman. I'm not that little girl you still see me as. And you need to own up to the fact that I am just as much of an adult as you are, especially after all of the shit we've been through. If that didn't rob me of my childhood, I don't know what else could. I can make adult decisions for myself."

"I knew you were going to be like this... Toph I don't want to fight with you-"

"Then leave, because right now that's all we're doing."

"No, I mean I don't want to fight anymore..." He reached into the darkness and found her hands resting on her knees, taking them in his own and scooting closer to her. "I don't want to argue or yell or say things that hurt. No more. Please." He said softly and stroked the back of her hands with his thumbs. She could feel his pulse and it was running as fast as hers, feeling the warm rough skin of his hands. She could see him perfectly fine, the vibrations of his quickened pulse lighting him up for her. She slipped her hands from his and wrapped them around his neck and shoulders.

"Fine. No more fighting of any kind..." She said, no longer fighting her feelings for him. She leaned up on her knees and matched her lips to his perfectly. He didn't hesitate, wrapping his arms around her and melting into each other. Their kiss was soft at first but soon Toph made them searing, pressing her lips against his hungrily, her tongue eventually slipping across his bottom lip. It caught him off guard that she was so skilled sensually and he broke their kiss, his breath coming a little fast between them.

"I think that's far enough for tonight..." He heard her sigh but he gave her a kiss on the lips, just a peck. He untangled himself from her arms and backed away. "Goodnight Toph."

She bent the door down to her tent and let him out, smiling.

"Good night."

After he was gone she bent the door back up and laughed a little bit to herself. As unbelievable as it was... she and Sokka were finally together.