I changed the name of this chapter three times, the first was because "Changes" didn't suit it anymore once I started writing, Once I finished, I started to call it "Tokka", well, because I like the name (Tokka, Tokka, Tokka, now that I've got that out of my system), but I think "Giving" was the best for this one. I had to change the rating because of this one. No lemons, but it's too close to take a chance.

I'm grateful for all the feedback. Thank you.

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

Giving

As it tends to happen, the next six months brought many changed. Tenzin turned one and Bumi celebrated his fifth birthday. Kya was making great strides in her meditating and was doing a wonderful job with the gates, much to her father's delight. Her water bending was coming along nicely and she had began learning how to be a healer.

In the Fire Nation, Zuko, his family and people were enjoying an unprecedented streak of peace. Things were also going well in Republic City, so Aang, Sokka and Toph weren't as busy as usual.

To the public, Sokka, Toph and Ty Lee's situation looked like what could best be described as a platonic family. Sokka and Ty Lee were the honorable and loyal friends who came to help out when Toph's good-for-nothing husband ran out on her and their new baby. The people of Republic City whispered praises of what good friends Team Avatar were in the streets .

Behind closed doors the relationship between the Police Chief and the Councilman was still in a strange limbo. They each knew how the other felt, but they were not sure how they wanted to go about things, so they just lived day-to-day.

As planned, Ty Lee would keep Lin whenever Toph was at work, but most days Sokka would come in after his meetings and take over. Although he kept his house in the city, he spent most of his time at Toph's. There were many late nights where Toph would come home and find him asleep in the armchair next to Lin's crib with her curled up on his chest. That was one of the few sites she wished that she could truly see because it felt like the most precious thing in the world.

At first, when she would find them like that she would put Lin into her crib and throw a blanket over Sokka, but that would just lead to him having a panic attack later on that night when he'd wake up and the baby was gone. Toph would just leave them be and let Sokka wake up on his own and put Lin to bed.

One night Sokka woke up and carefully laid the baby girl in her crib. He settled back into the chair that had become his bed away from home and looked across the room at Toph who seemed to be sleeping soundly in her own massive bed. There were nights that he considered walking across the room and climbing into bed with her, but he was nervous about pushing his luck, It seemed like they were at a stand still.

Yes, she had been the one to kiss him back on Air Temple Island, but that was the day after Lin was born; not only was she full of post-natal hormones, but her parents had recently left, and she had just signed divorce papers. It had been a stressful day, anybody would of reached out for comfort at a time like that and he just happened to be there and available, at least that's what a part of him was saying.

The other part of him was saying that he should be a man and, at the very least, go finish the kiss that his meddling sister so rudely interrupted. It's not like anything was going to happen that night, Toph had just given birth. Besides, she kissed him, he was just returning it.

Toph interrupted his thoughts, "Either come over here and talk to me or stop staring. Your giving me the creeps.", she said without moving a muscle.

The warrior stood up and eased across the room. He sat with his back against the stone footboard of her bed that she used as a connection to the ground. As soon as he sat back she felt his heart beat race from the tip of her toes to the top of her head. "How long have you been awake?", she asked, still not moving.

"A few minutes, I just put the little one in her bed."

"Lay down.", she said bluntly, then she felt his heart skip a beat, "Sleeping in that chair all the time can't be good for your back. Lay down, there's more than enough space for both of us.", he hesitated, "Fine. Go sleep in the chair, it's your back, not mine."

That second part of the councilman, the Little Devilish Sokka, nudged at him again, 'Hmmm, she wants you to have a healthy back.', he thought and then shook it off. He decided to lay down a little less than arms reach arms reach away from her. She reached out and her fingers just barely skimmed his cheek. He raised an eyebrow and the devilish part of him spoke again, 'Move over, she's calling you.', this time he obeyed

Toph felt Sokka move over just enough for her to rest her full hand on his cheek. She wasn't sure if it was loneliness talking, if she was ready for a full blown relationship with him, or if she was just plain horny and he just happened to be there.

If she was lonely, then she didn't want to spend the night all cuddled up with him and make him think there was more to it. But what if there was more to it, what if she was ready for this "thing", as she called it, to become real. And then there was the third option. If it was that then she could tell him, flat out, what she wanted What was he going to say, No? Not hardly. She felt the way he shuttered on the inside whenever she touched him.

In the end, she decided that it was a little bit of all three and she would continue to play things by ear. Toph turned on her side and opened her eyes as if she were looking at him. Then she felt him wrap his arms around her and pull her to him until they were face to face. "What are you doing?", she whispered on his lips.

"This.", he said, giving her a quick, soft kiss.

She smiled, "I didn't quite get that, could you repeat it?"

He kissed her again, this time a bit longer. She pressed herself deeper into his arms, "What are you doing?", he whispered.

"Getting close.", she said

He smiled against her lips, "And then what?", he said as if he already knew.

"Stop questioning me."

"You started it."

"Sokka, stop analyzing for once and just…be.", this time she kissed him.

When he pulled her to him, he'd broken her connection with the footboard. She reached up and touched the headboard with the tip of her finger and bent a thin wall between them and Lin, then slid that hand slowly down the back of his head. He trembled under her fingers. She giggled, Toph Beifong actually giggled.

"You find that funny, huh?", he slipped his hand up the back of her tank and slid his finger gently down her spine. It was turn to shudder.

For a couple of minutes they just laid in each other's embrace. Sokka looked into Toph's blind eyes as if he was looking for some sort of signal to what she was feeling, knowing that he would not get the answer that way. The earth bender nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck and blew softly on his collar bone. That was all the signal he needed.

Lin woke Toph and Sokka a little after dawn with her cries for her morning meal. Reflex had Toph on her feet and pulling on a robe before Sokka could get his eyes open. When he did he saw her lowering the wall and walking to Lin's crib. He pulled a sheet up over his waist and rested his head on his hands as he lay on his stomach.

He thought about hours earlier, them wrapped around each other in the most intimate possible way. The sound of her voice speaking his name into his ear, not some silly nickname, but his actual name. Anytime she said his name was memorable, but nothing compared to the night before. It sent shivers down his spine and all he wanted was to hear her repeat his name over and over again. He was ecstatic when he got his wish.

Toph sat, feeding Lin, knowing Sokka was watching her. She didn't care. The way she felt in that moment, he could watch her all he wanted.

With her husband, sex had been okay, but it wasn't really a big deal. It was just something to knock the edge off every once in a while. But last night, with Sokka, she understood what all the fuss was about.

The warrior made her back arch and her legs tremble and at times all she could think to do was hold on to his neck and call his name into his ear in between bated breaths, And then there was that moment. That thing she had been missing out on all these years. The moment when she couldn't say anything and energy surged through her body. When her muscles pulsed and all she could do was grip into his back and press her face against his shoulder to drown out the screams that were escaping her lips.

Sokka noticed Toph's eyes twitch like she just thought of something and then she bent the wall back in its place, "Hey! What are you doing?", he yelled to her, "You just trapped me in, the door is on that side of the room."

"Oh hush and be patient.", she called back.

He heard her bend something else, probably a hole above her because he heard her call up and ask Ty Lee to meet her at the stairs, and he heard the Kyoshi warrior call back, "Okay.", as clear as if she was next to Toph. Then he heard her bend the hole closed again.

He turned on his back and rested his hand in his palms and listened as Toph left the room, a few minutes later he heard the two woman come into the room. "Are you sure that it will be fine Toph?", Ty Lee asked.

"Yeah. Sweetness is always up for some company. And Lin could stand to be around other kids, it's been a while."

"Sure," Ty Lee said in a unbelieving tone, "Lin needs a play date.", then a little quieter she said, "more like you need a play date.,"

"I heard that," Toph said. Sokka heard it too and he muffled a laugh.

He heard rustling around, probably Ty Lee packing some things for Lin, and then he heard Ty Lee say, "Alright Toph, we'll be back before sundown…Bye Sokka!"

This time he laughed out loud, "See you later.", he called back.

Toph lowered the wall, came back to the bed and laid down, her top half on his chest, her hip touching his. She put her head down. Letting her hair fall across his bare chest. He took one of his hands from behind his head and brushed her bangs away from her face, "Good morning.", he spoke softly.

She smiled and hid her blush against his skin muffling her "morning." He laughed to himself and ran his fingers through her hair. This softer side of the metal bender was intriguing. He pulled her hand up to lips and kissed her fingertips, then laid their hands on his chest. He spoke softly again, 'I meant what I said before, Toph. I love you.", she

didn't say anything, but tried to pull her hand away. He held her hand tighter, "I don't expect you to say it back. That's just how I feel, you said to 'just be', so I'm being."

She mulled it over. Toph wanted to tell him how he made her feel, on an everyday basis and, particularly, last night.

She wanted to tell him that she loved him too, but what came out was, "I don't deserve you. You're too good for me."

Sokka raised and eyebrow, "Why would you say that?"

"Because you are. You take care of us. You're giving Lin and me your whole life."

"I only give what I want to, no more. Is there a problem with that."

"No," her face became flushed again, "I like everything you have to give.

Little Devilish Sokka, whispered to the man, "Give it to her again.", Sokka pulled her up so that they were face to face.

Her eyes popped in surprise, then relaxed, "I love you too Sokka."