Once again, Thank you for the favs and comments, and taking your time to read the ramblings of an overactive mind.

As promised the last chapter had drama, and here's a little more.

Quick recap: Everyone's all grown up, Aang and Katara have three young kids, Toph is pregnant and her punk ass husband wants to let her parents take the baby. Toph is staying on Air Temple Island until she has the baby.

As always, characters by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, Story by Me.

*11/5/13* Meant to have more done by now, but I've been under the weather.

Anyway, here we go.

Confessions

Aang landed Appa in Toph's backyard. If it weren't for the children being there the ride would have been a silent one. Neither adult said a word except for when one of the children asked them a question. Finally Aang broke his silence. "Moo-Chee, when you're ready to come back to the island have someone send a messenger hawk and I'll bring Appa back to get you."

"I'm not going back." the earth bender said as he slid off of the bison's back "She made her choice. I won't be here when she gets back.", he sneered.

"What?!", Aang yelled as he jumped down off of Appa's head , landing right in front of Moo-Chee." "Did you really just say that?"

"I mean it. I told her that if she didn't give that baby to her parents I wouldn't stay here and that's what I meant. All she cares about is what she wants, and I can't take it anymore."

"Your calling her selfish, but what you're doing is just as bad…no, it's worse because this is not about either of you, it's about your baby."

"I'm done Aang!", The Dark one said as he threw his hands in the air and walked into the house.

Aang stood shocked. He didn't know how he would tell Toph that her husband wouldn't be coming back.

After leaving Toph's house, Aang took the children to Sokka's office at City Hall because he'd promised to take them to see their uncle.

"Uncle Sokka!", Bumi yelled as he ran into his uncle's arms.

"Hey," Sokka said, "I wasn't expecting you today. I was just about to come to the island fooooor…."

Sokka and Bumi each thrust a fist into the air and said, "WARRIOR TIME"

"You two are so weird.", Kya giggled as her uncle scooped her up into his free arm.

"Weird is good little girl, now give your old uncle a hug."

"As his little niece hugged his neck, Sokka couldn't help but notice that his brother-in-law looked upset about something, "What's going on Buddy?", he asked.

"I just have some hard news to give when I get back.", he saw the questioning look on Sokka's face, "You can go back with us, I'll fill you in on the way. This is not the place to talk about this."

Sokka, Aang and the kids made their way back to Appa. Aang made sure his little ones were comfortable in the back of the saddle and he asked Sokka to sit in the front so the two of them could talk. Aang told his old friend about the scene he'd walked in on, Toph's tears and her husband's terrible and selfish decision.

"How dear he!" Sokka yelled, outraged, "Take me back there! I'm going to rip him a new a…"

"Sokka!" Aang said giving Sokka a reminding nod that his children were in the back "Believe me, I thought of all those things, but we can't react like that. All we can do now is be there for Toph and her little baby."

"I guess you're right," the Water Tribe Warrior relented, "but I still want to smash his face in. How could he throw away his family when there are guys out there who would give anything to be in his situation." he was one of the people he was talking about.

Suki leaving him when they were young had soured him on relationships. After her, he'd had flings, but he never got into a situation where there was the potential to fall in love. Besides, there were more that enough woman out there willing to spend the night with a hero from the hundred years was. The only woman he would consider being with was married, so he relegated himself to a life of being happy with living his life as a single man and spoiling his niece and nephews whenever he got the chance.

As they rode along Sokka couldn't help but think about the changes he'd seen in Toph over the years. When she first ran away from home to travel with their group and teach Aang earth bending, she was a child. She was stubborn, selfish, crude and one of the guys. As time passed she grew into a beautiful woman. She was still tough old Toph, but, at times, she would let her hair down and dress in something nice that Katara or Ty Lee had picked for her. She was absolutely stunning at those times. He developed somewhat of a crush on her over the years and it made him feel peculiar. A Crush, he thought, That's just not manly. I'm too old for this foolishness. And besides, she is married. And if she wasn't, what makes me think she would want me? I'm just goofy old Snoozles. If I told her how I felt she would just punch me in the shoulder and laugh in my face."

By the time the men and children made it back to Air Temple Island, Toph and Katara had made their way back to the house. They were sitting at the kitchen table eating a fruit pie that Aang had made for Toph's arrival. Sokka stayed outside to have "Warrior Time" with the children while Aang went inside to give Toph the unpleasant news, but, to his surprise, he didn't have to.

"He's not coming back, is he?" Toph asked when he walked into the kitchen.

"No, he's not.", Aang answered solemnly

"Fine, could you send a letter to Zuko for me and ask him to send those papers I asked for."

Katara was confused., "What's going on?" she looked up at her husband "What are you two talking about?"

"Well," Toph said, "that Lilly Liver said that if I kept the baby he would leave, so I asked my secretary to send a letter to Zuko that asked him to have his lawyers draw up some papers that said I was no longer his wife."

"Zuko knows what's going on? Why didn't he say anything to us? And you trusted to tell your secretary to write the letter and not one of us?", the Avatar asked confused.

"I told Zuko to keep it to himself until I say different, and my secretary is so afraid of me that she wouldn't dear say a work to the spirits much less any human being."

"Toph," Katara said, placing her hand on the top of her friend's, "You seem to be okay with this."

"What choice do I have? I'm not going to lie, it does hurt," she placed her free hand on her belly, "but if he doesn't want us, then we don't need him."

As the sun started to set Sokka and the children came in from their afternoon of training. They were sweaty and filthy. Toph wrinkled her sensitive nose at the smell she use to find amusing. Sokka paused and looked at her. She was glowing, not the usual oh you have that pregnancy glow like all women in her condition had, this was different. Despite the fact that she looked like she had the whole world on her shoulder, she was absolutely radiant.

"What are you staring at Captain Boomerang?", Toph asked, annoyed at Sokka's funk and feeling his eyes on her, "Haven't you ever seen a woman about to pop before?

"Hello to you too Toph." he laughed, "How are you today."

"I'll be a lot better when you go wash your stinky a.."

"Toph!" Katara yelled to stop her friend from cursing in front of her children. "The three of you do need to go clean up though. Dinner will be ready by the time you finish."

Sokka grabbed some cloths from the stash he kept in Bumi's room. He took his nephew with him to the bath house near the men's dormitory while Kya used the bathroom in the house. After about a half an hour the warrior an his protégé came back into the house newly clean and smelling fresh.

"Is this more to your liking Madam Beifong?", Sokka said in a mocking tone with an exaggerated bow.

"Much", she said laughingly. Sokka always could make her laugh.

Seeing her laugh through her pain made Sokka want to confess his feelings. He wanted to tell her that he wanted to be with her. Forget about her deadbeat husband and let him step in and take care of her and help her raise her child. He'd be more that happy to raise the baby as his own. He wanted to tell her all of this, but he knew that now was not the time. Sokka didn't know if the time would ever come. He just knew that now he wanted to be there for her and comfort her even if, for now, he could only do this as a friend.

Sokka made the decision to stay on the island until Toph had the baby. He said it was because "The Jerk One" wasn't man enough and a real man needed to step in. He knew the truth, and, unbeknownst to him, so did Aang.

Aang noticed the change in how Sokka looked at Toph over the past few years. Sometimes, in council meetings, he would catch his brother-in-law smiling for no reason. Once he'd even caught Sokka blushing when Toph punched him for telling a bad joke. The air bender held his tongue, he didn't say anything to Sokka about it until one particular morning when they were on their way into the city for a meeting.

As they stepped on Sokka's boat Aang said, "You know I know right?"

"Know what?" Sokka asked as he pushed away from the pier.

"Oh come on Sokka.", he said with a goofy grin on his face.

"Hey, I don't know if you had a swig of cactus juice or what, but I don't know what in the world you're talking about,"

"You love Toph." Aang sang like a child.

Sokka's mouth almost hit the bottom of the boat, "Shhh, somebody might here you."

"Sokka, calm down. We're the only ones on the water. What, are the fish going to tell on us?"

"You don't know, there might be some kind of blabbermouth sprit fish out here."

Aang laughed at his paranoid friend, "I don't think you have to worry about that."

The councilman sighed, "How did you know?"

"I pay more attention than people think I do."

"Does Katara know?"

"I don't think so. I've never said anything to anyone about it and no one's ever mentioned it to me, so I don't think anyone noticed,", he reassured his friend.

"Phew" Sokka exhaled as he slumped in the boat, "Aang, I feel like such a fool."

"Why?"

"Because she's married and she's pregnant with his baby."

"And he left her, and she's…what was that word Zuko used…..divorcing him."

"After what she's been through, she won't want me.", Sokka lamented.

"Yeah, that's what she said.", Aang let slip just a little louder than he meant to.

"What?", Sokka said.

Aang exhaled, " I wasn't ever suppose to say anything, so you know nothing."

"Yeah, yeah, just tell me."

"I'm loathed to bring her up, but after Suki left, Toph said the same think about you."

Once again Sokka's mouth flew open, "Why didn't you tell me?

"Because you said you were done with women forever, and at the time you meant it. Then she and Moo-Chee got together and I thought that was the end of it. Who would seen this day coming."

"I guess so."

"Are you going to tell her how you feel?"

"I want to, but I don't think the time is right."

"I can see that," Aang admitted, " but I think you should tell her sometime."

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