Day 4- Family

"Go back to sleep, Twinkletoes!" Toph growled, burying herself further under the layers upon layers of warm blankets and thick pelts. "It is too cold and too early in the morning to be dealing with all that nonsense you're going on about."

All he had been doing was making idle conversation, asking about her metalbenders and random things they might have to deal with once they returned home. Still, they were on vacation and he did have Toph all to himself... It was something that didn't happen very often.

Reaching over, he wrapped an arm around his wife's waist, pulling her flush against him. Had they been anywhere else in the world other than the South Pole, Toph would have kicked him off. As things stood, the delicious heat radiating from his naked torso made a soft, satisfied moan escape her lips. She went so far as to nestle back further into the warm crook of his body.

"Don't you miss this?" Aang whispered, voice low, lips ghosting across the shell of her ear. "Just you and me?"

"Hey, you're the one that wanted kids, remember?" she joked. "Now, quit your yapping and let me enjoy this."

Lately he had been acting like his eighteen year old self again, his hormones leading the way whenever the two of them were alone. Not that she was complaining. Toph could still remember what a frazzled mess he'd been in the early stages of the building of Republic City. They'd both been incredibly busy during the day and utterly exhausted at night. She's not even sure how they managed to conceive Lin, let alone Gyatso two years later.

Aang nuzzled her neck and began trailing kisses along her back. His fingers drew patterns across her hips as they traveled down towards their destination.

"I know one way you can get me to stop talking..." he whispered against her skin.

Barely able to contain the shudder his closeness and the sound of his voice elicited, she turned in his arms to face him.

"One way, Aang? I know three," she replied. Her teasing smirk made his mouth go dry, his heart speed up, and thinking all but impossible. When her hands danced along his chest and continued down between them, Aang kissed the nape of her neck grateful that Toph had never needed much convincing. Or so he believed until she added, "They involve earth, metal, and sand. If I had any in this room, I'd shut you up right quick."

Draping one leg over his, she smiled when his laughter reverberated through her.

"What's so funny, daddy?"

Aang broke apart from Toph so fast, he nearly fell out of the bed. Careful to stay covered, Toph scrambled for her nightshirt because at the door stood a seven-year-old Lin, rubbing her eyes with two tiny fists. And of course, her brother walked in right after.

"Didn't we lock the door?" Aang asked his wife. Blood rushed to his face, extremely embarrassed that his children nearly walked in on him and Toph...doing stuff. Or rather, about to get there.

"Where's Uncle Sokka?" the Avatar asked, his voice cracking as he grabbed his tunic and pants off the floor. Sokka and Suki were supposed to watch the children for the entire night until morning, giving the other adults at least one night's break and some much needed alone time. The day before had been Aang and Toph's turn. It was a long night she was still recovering from. The World's Greatest Earthbender would have tired the kids out had they been on dry land, but they had the advantage on ice. "And Aunt Suki?! Where is she?"

"Still sleeping."

"Like you two should be doing," Toph snapped. Though she wasn't as easily flustered as her husband, this was as close to being mortified as she could ever remember being. "Twinkletoes, where is my shirt?!" she demanded, hiding under the blankets, one hand extended out towards her husband.

"But...I'm not tired," Gyatso yawned, following his sister as they both made their way over to the bed.

Aang had never moved faster. He whirled by in a near blur gathering their discarded clothing. They had not been very patient the night before and in their hurry had tossed their attire, leaving it scattered all over the place.

"Over here, kiddos," Toph insisted after having slipped into the nightshirt Aang placed in the palm of her hand. "Your dad needs a minute."

Climbing over her mother's lap, Lin settled herself right in the middle of the bed. "Were you making a baby?" she asked.

"What!?" Aang yelled at the same time Toph snorted. "Where did you- How do you- I mean," the Avatar cleared his throat. "What do you mean, honey?" he added, feigning calmness. He crossed and uncrossed his arms, while taking deep breaths to calm himself and mentally prepare for the draining experience he felt looming.

"Ursa told me that her dad told her that's how you make babies."

Toph snickered. "What did she say exactly?" She was so gonna make fun of Sparky for this.

"That you have to lay down in bed with your wife or husband and if you both ask really nicely, the spirits would bring you a baby."

Toph's laughter echoed through the large room. "So you lay down with your partner and...that's it?" she giggled.

Lin shrugged her small shoulders not understanding why her mother found it so funny. "I guess so." The little girl looked from her mom, who was grinning from ear to ear and trying not to burst out laughing, to her father, who was still bright, bright red. "Is that what you and dad did to have me and Gyatso?"

Toph opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by her husband. "We are not having that conversation right now."

"Okay."

Having lost interest, Lin fell back on the fluffy pillows. Her little brother was right next to her.

...

On one end of the bed, Toph and Gyatso had fallen asleep. In the other, Aang and Lin sat together as she practiced reading from one of the scrolls on the table.

"Hey, dad?

"Yes?"

"How did you and mom meet?"

It was a story they had yet to share with their children. As Aang looked over at Toph, who had her back to him, he couldn't help but smile. Who knew that when he'd gone looking for an earthbending teacher he'd find his best friend, lover, and future wife?

"Why do I put up with you?" Toph asked the night before. She'd been teasing him, like usual, but he hadn't always been able to reply as he could now.

"Because you love me," he beamed as he kissed the back of her bare shoulder.

"Yeah, don't remind me," she muttered, smirking.

And the first time she had said the actual words, he nearly flew straight up though the roof. Of course, he'd been pretending to be asleep at the time and it took all his focus to keep from yelling he loved her, too. It was one of the best nights of his life. It was the night they made Lin.

Aang turned back to his daughter. Her big green eyes were looking up at him, awaiting an answer.

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, Aunt Suki was telling us how when she first met Uncle Sokka, she captured him."

That made him chuckle. He could almost picture Sokka's face as he probably tried to argue with the truth of that statement.

"And what did Uncle Sokka say?"

"Only that Aunt Suki cheated." Her father's laughter was contagious and though she tried not to, she giggled along. "So, did mom capture you, too, when you first met?"

A knock at the door interrupted them. Aang answered it to receive an urgent message from Air Temple Island.

"What is it, dad?"

The Avatar's smile could not be contained.

"We have to return home," he explained as he walked around the bed to wake his wife.

"But why?" Lin pouted, crossing her arms and looking so much like a tiny version of an angry Toph that it was almost scary. "Aunt Katara was supposed to take us penguin sledding later today."

"I'm afraid that will have to wait until next time."

...

"Told you there was something different about that boy."

Toph's smug smile greeted him when he looked over his shoulder at her. If she hadn't been helping Lin into Appa's saddle, he might have sent a small blast of freezing cold air her way. She hated when he did that.

"Which one is Tenzin again?" Gyatso asked airbending himself onto his father's lap. Aang knew everyone who lived on Air Temple Island - every Acolyte and their families - but his son was more preoccupied with chasing lemurs and flying bison to learn anyone's name for more than a day. "The one with brown eyes or grey eyes, mom?"

Toph sighed because even her own children forgot she was blind. "He's the one Lin is always fighting with."

"I don't fight with him," Lin stated, sounding offended. "He won't fight me. He's a lily-livered-"

"Lin."

"Sorry, dad," the little girl apologized, but it didn't sound like she was sorry at all.

"So, if Tenzin's an airbender now," Gyatso began, "Does that mean dad's not the last one?"

Lin huffed in irritation. "You are an airbender, you noodlebrain!" she cried, rolling her eyes at her brother.

"I'm not a noodlebrain, you are!"

"Hey, no name-calling. That's my job." Separating her children, Toph moved to sit directly behind Aang. "You know what this means, right, Twinkletoes?"

The emotion was overwhelming and for a moment he could only reply with a shaky nod.

Lin inched closer to her parents. "What does it mean?" she asked. "That there are other Air Nomads?"

Aang took a long breath before answering.

"That's what we're going to find out."