Daughters

Tenzin sat quietly on the top of the hill next to Lin. She'd said that she understood the situation and she was fine with it, but Tenzin knew better.

She'd left the house a half hour earlier, tired of all the excitement about Kimi's impending arrival. Lin went and sat on the top of the hill with her knees to her chest. Tenzin followed her out and quietly sat beside her, waiting for the moment when Lin would tell him to go away, but that moment did not come. They sat together, in a profound silence, looking out over the water.

.~.

It was ten minutes before time for the ferry to arrive when Sokka came outside. He was nervous, excited and still quite angry with Shima. How could she just take his child away without even giving him a chance to know her?

He stood on the porch and looked around. On the hill, he saw Tenzin and Lin sitting, not talking, not playing bending games, not even fighting, just sitting there. The councilman felt bad that they had overheard everything, especially Lin.

Lin had never pulled away from him before and she always had something to say. He felt terribly guilty that he'd had a part in her feeling the way she did.

He had tried to temper his excitement about Kimi, but the fact was that he had secretly longed for a child of his own for most of his adult life. Him helping Toph raise Lin had quelled that desire for quite a while. He'd become satisfied with their little family, and his longing for a child of his own had all but gone away until three years earlier when the possibility became real.

.~.

One afternoon Toph came to his office, which was something she almost never did on her day off. As she closed the door behind her he glanced up from his stack of paperwork, "Hey," he said, then looked back to his work, "I wasn't expecting to see you until later. I thought you and Linny were going to the Island."

"Yeah, we went." she said as she sat in one of the chairs across from him.

"You're back early." he deadpanned as he signed his name for the hundredth time that day, "Where's Lin?"

"She stayed on the island." Toph said with a wide smile on her face, not that the busy councilman noticed.

"Oh"

They sat quietly for a few minutes, Toph listening to Sokka flip through pages occasionally groaning or cursing under his breath as he read. Finally, she spoke up, "Hey Snoozles." She began, "I'm pregnant."

"That's nice," he said, flipping to the next page before what she said dawned on him, "Wait…what?"

"I am pregnant."

Sokka leapt across his desk and pulled Toph into his arms, "Really? Are you sure?"

She giggled. Toph only giggled when she was with Sokka. "Yeah. That's why I went to the island. To see Katara so I could be sure."

He dropped to his knees and rested his head against her stomach, wrapping his arms around her. "Hey buddy. I'll be waiting to see you."

.~.

A week later when he went to Toph's house after work, he saw Hariti laying on the front lawn. He wondered why Katara hadn't taken her to the stables. He petted the bison's nose and went inside. It was too quiet. "Toph, Katara…" he called out as he went through the living room, "are you guys here?"

Katara came down the hall, "Yeah Sokka, we're here." she said in a downtrodden tone.

At the sound of his sister's voice the water tribesman got worried. He was even more worried when he saw the sad look on her face. "Katara, what's wrong? Is Toph sick?"

Katara held her head down and went to her brother. She placed her hands gently on his, "Sokka, Toph sent Ty Lee to have Aang come get me this morning." she inhaled deeply. She didn't want to finish, but she know she had to. "Toph's okay, but there was no way I could of gotten here fast enough. It just happens sometimes."

The tears burned Sokka's eyes. He knew exactly what his sister was trying to tell him, but he didn't want to let himself believe it. "What are you saying?"

The water bender couldn't look at her brother. Tears began to roll down her cheeks. "Sokka, I'm so sorry. Toph had a miscarriage this morning."

"This morning? Why didn't somebody come get me?"

"She said not to. She feels like she let you down."

Sokka turned his head and tried the blink back the tears, but they came anyway. "How could she think something like that?"

Katara wrapped her arms around him, "I tried to tell her you would understand, but she thinks that you wanted the baby so much that you would blame her. Really, I think she blames herself."

He wiped his face. "Is she really okay?"

"Yeah, physically at least. She just needs to get some rest. Her heart is hurting though."

I know." he said "Can I go see her?"

"Yeah, she needs you, even if she won't admit it."

.~.

Toph was balled in the middle of her bed with her head under the covers when she heard her door open and close, "Katara?" she mumbled from under the covers.

Sokka swallowed hard, "No, it's me." he said lightly.

The earth bender sniffed, "Did she tell you?"

He nodded his head before he remembered that even if she weren't under the covers she couldn't see him. "Yes, Katara told me."

She poked her head out from under the covers in a childlike way, "I'm sorry Sokka, I should of taken better care of myself, I-"

Before she could finish he was in the bed pulling her to him, "Shhh" he said, stroking her hair, "there was nothing you could've done. Sometimes it just happens."

She buried her head in his chest and sobbed, "I'm sorry Sokka, I'm so sorry. I know you wanted your own baby."

Sokka fought the urge to sob along with her, "Stop apologizing to me. You didn't do anything wrong. It just…happened."

"But you were so excited."

"Yeah, but now I'm just thankful that you're okay. I have you and we have Lin and everything is going to be fine."

.~.

Though he refused to admit it, Sokka's heart had broken a little that day. Over the years he had begun to think that he hadn't exactly been careful and in all the time he and Toph had been together they'd lived by the philosophy 'whatever happens, happens and we'll deal with it as it comes."

That day, in his office, three years earlier, he'd felt so much joy and hope. A week later it turned into mourning, but the hope remained. He knew that he would feel that joy again, and he did, just not in the way he expected.

.~.

As the Island came into view Kimi got extremely nervous. She'd known all her life that these people were her family, but it had always seemed unreal. There had always been a voice in the back of her head telling her that her mother had lied and her father was some deadbeat. Her mother had just made up the story to make her feel like she was special. That little voice of hers had been put to rest that day.

As the pier came into view her heart raced. Her father stood there, her father, flanked by two Air Acolytes. He had a gigantic smile and was waving wildly. She smiled and waved back to him. When the boat docked and she came down the plank he scooped her into his arms. "Hi! I'm glad you made it." he said happily.

"I wouldn't have missed it." she said, returning his hug, "I never thought I'd be here."

He held her back to look at her, "I'm glad you are."

They turned and he started leading her toward the house. "My sister is so excited to meet you. Oh, and she might get a little emotional, because a, well you look just like-"

"Your mom," she finished for him, "I know."

He stopped, "How'd you know?"

"Bato came and spoke at our school a few years ago. He looked at me like her was seeing a ghost, kind of like you did yesterday."

He scratched the back of his head, "Yeah, sorry about that."

"It's okay, anyway, after the lecture he came to me and started asking me about where I was from and who my family was." she looked away from him, "I told him what my mother taught me to say."

"And what was that?"

"That my family was from the Northern Water Tribe and my father lived far away." she looked back at him, "Not a lie, but not the whole truth. After that he told me that I looked like his friend's late wife."

"Oh," he said simply and they turned and headed to the house. That was when they saw Lin headed towards them, follow by Tenzin. "Hey Lin, come here, I've got someone for you to meet."

Lin cut her eyes at Kimi as she passed, but did not stop. She threw her hand up, said "Nice to meet you" and kept trotting down the hill.

Tenzin stopped and bowed to Kimi, "Nice to meet you again cousin."

Kimi smiled and returned his bow. Then he followed Lin down the hill. Kimi looked back at Sokka, "Is the little girl okay?"

"Yeah, I think she's a little peeved with me right now."

"She's pretty, she looks like your friend, Ms Beifong."

"Yeah, she's her daughter." Sokka almost said 'our daughter' but he wasn't sure how much information he wanted to give Kimi yet. She was his daughter, but she was still virtually a stranger.

.~.

Katara stood with her husband's arm wrapped around her shoulder. She was nervous, as if this was her long lost daughter about to walk through the door. She thought about the haunted look on her brother's face when he told her that this girl looked just like their mother. She didn't know what to expect.

When she saw their shadows come up onto the porch, her heart raced. Toph turned her head toward Katara, "Calm down Sugar Queen. You're gonna give yourself a heart attack."

Aang looked at her with a sympathetic smile and pulled her tighter to him. He rubbed his hand up and down her arm as Sokka opened the door. The warrior looked around the room, then he reached behind him and pulled his daughter to his side, "Well everybody, this is Kimi."

Katara was shocked. She knew what her brother had said, but she never thought that the resemblance would be so complete. She looked up at Aang, her eyes full of emotion, "She does," she whispered, "she really does."

He leaned down and kissed her cheek, "Go say hello to your niece." he whispered in her ear.

Everyone let Katara be the first to step forward, and she did so slowly. Kimi extended her hand, "It's nice to meet you Master Katara." She greeted

Katara smiled, reached out and pulled the young woman into a hug. "Welcome. I'm so happy to meet you." she said, crying lightly, "And just call me Katara, or Auntie." she laughed.

As Kimi hugged her back, Kya and Bumi stepped forward. Katara let Kimi go and reached back for her daughter. "This is Kya, I hear you already met Bumi and Tenzin."

"Yes, I did." she smiled at Bumi as Kya came in to hug her.

"Welcome cousin." Kya said as she squeezed Kimi tight.

"Thank you." she said as she took a moment to look around the room. Her eyes landed on Toph first. "Hello again, Ms Beifong."

"That's Chief Beifong Kid, and call me Toph."

She nodded her head, "Yes Ma'am." then she continued on, "Hello Ava-"

"Just call me Aang, please." he said with a pleasant smile on his face.

"Hello…Aang." then her eyes traveled a bit more and she saw Zuko. He looked rather intimidating standing there with his usual sour expression. "Fire Lord Zuko." she said as she began to bow to him.

"None of that young lady." he said as he graced her with a small smile, "This is my daughter Ursa and her…um, her-"

Ursa stepped forward and took Kimi's hand, "Fiancé, betrothed, intended, take your pick." She leaned over and whispered to Kimi, "Dad's still getting use to the idea. This is Kyu."

"Nice to meet you." he and Kimi said at the same time.

.~.

Bumi returned from the beach with Tenzin and a visibly agitated Lin just as dinner hit the table. They all sat and began to eat. The parents carried on polite conversation, asking Kimi different things about her life, nothing too personal or that which would possibly make her uncomfortable. The younger ones at the table, however, were not that tactful.

"So," Bumi started, "We go to the South Pole kind of often, and Grandpa lives there. Why hasn't anybody ever seen you before?"

"Bumi!" Katara snapped.

"It's okay." Kimi said, "The word always spreads quickly whenever you are there, I mean flying bison are kind of hard to miss." Kyu laughed a little, "Whenever any of you were in town my mom would just have me stick close to school and home. As for Chief Hakoda, he doesn't come into town very often, he mostly sticks to the old village. It's easy to avoid him. The hardest was after Bato saw me." it was then that she noticed that everyone was looking at her and she blushed at the attention, "I had to sneak out of class because he brought the chief to see 'the girl who looked like Kya'."

Sokka's curiosity took over, "Why didn't you tell my dad who you were then?"

She held her head down in shame, "I was afraid to. Back then there was a part of me that said that you weren't my father. That it was a story my mother made up to make me feel better."

"You should've keep listening to that part of you." Lin bit out in a defiant mumble.

"What?" a stunned Kimi wondered aloud.

"You should've stayed where you were!" Lin yelled at Kimi from the other side of Sokka.

"Lin Beifong. You stop that this instant!" Toph ordered.

Lin didn't divert her glare at Kimi, "You should've stayed in the South Pole! Why don't you go back!?"

"Linny, stop it right now." Sokka said calmly.

"No Sokka. It's not fair. Look at her. She's a grown up. She doesn't need you to be her father. I do!"

Kimi was shocked and confused by the outburst. All she could get out of her mouth was "What?"

Lin sat forward and offered her a challenging look, "Oh, you aren't too bright are you? Well I'll say it in a way you'll understand." she jumped up, "Sokka's my father and you can't have him." and she stormed out the door.

Sokka was immediately on his feet and after her, "Lin, you come back here."

Bumi turned to Katara, "Mom, we really need to stop having these big dinners. The kids can't control themselves."

Katara rubbed her hands across her face, "Shut up Bumi."

.~.

Kimi ran out of the door behind Toph, "Chief Beifong, I'm sorry. I didn't know that Lin was his daughter too."

Toph stopped and held her head down, "She's not. At least not in the way you mean. Her father, he's never been around. Everybody stepped in to help me with her, but Sokka, he's been around the most. From the second she was born he's stepped up and taken that role."

"Oh," Kimi said in an understanding tone, "and I just strolled in and got in her way."

"That's pretty much how she feels about it." she started walking again, "Come on, you can watch me dig your old man out."

"Dig him out?" Kimi asked, but it all became clear when they rounded a large tree and saw the warrior buried up to his neck in the ground. Kimi covered her mouth to fight back a chuckle.

"Yeah kid," Toph smiled, "She usually only does that to Gramps. You must've really gotten under her skin."

Sokka spoke calmly at first, "Ladies, if you're done laughing at my expense would you kindly," then he yelled "get me out of here!"

.~.

Kimi sat down on the tree stump next to Lin. "What do you want?" the younger girl snapped.

"I just wanted to tell you that you're a lucky kid." Kimi said. Lin just huffed at her. "Yeah, I wish I had the chance to have Sokka around when I was growing up. I wish I had somebody just a little bit like him around. I'm so jealous of you." she admitted.

"Yeah right." Lin scoffed.

"It's true. I used to watch the other kids with their dads and I would wish and pray that mine would just show up one day. You're lucky. You've always had Sokka." Lin gave Kimi a curious and thoughtful look, "Yeah, you're one lucky kid, but I guess I'm lucky now too. She looked at Lin, "I didn't just find my father, aunt and cousins, I found a little sister too."

"I am NOT your sister." the girl snorted.

"You said Sokka's your father, right?"

"I said that?"

"Yes you did. So that makes you my sister and no matter how much you deny it, I'll sing it from the roof tops."

"Then I'll bury you neck deep in the ground." Lin reintegrated with a smirk.

"And when I get loose, I'll freeze you to a tree." Kimi countered.

The earth bender recoiled in shock, "You're a water bender?"

"If you were listening you would've known that."

"So what else did I miss?"

Kimi went over how she'd beaten out all of the boys in her warrior's class and was in the process of learning to be a healer while taking politics at the university. All the while, Sokka stood out of view behind them with his arm around Toph. "Those are a couple of good girls we've got there." Toph said as Lin went into telling Kimi about how her metal bending training was going.

"Yeah," he smiled proudly, "they really are."