A/N: This will be the last chapter for this series of drabbles. Hope you've enjoyed it all!

17. Out And About

Toph didn't quite know when she'd had the crazy idea to actually take Azula away from her little cell and outside the police station. And she had no recollection of why anybody had allowed her to do it. Although she wasn't releasing her from custody it was still considered to be taking an extreme risk. The Princess was one of the most powerful benders they knew and remained to be mentally unstable in the eyes of the community at large. But with the cuffs hidden by the long sleeves of an outfit that Toph had provided her with and the company of the police chief, how could anyone really say otherwise?

More surprisingly was the fact that Azula seemed to be behaving herself despite all expectations to the contrary. Suspecting it had more to do with her wonder at all the things she'd missed out on while in captivity and how much the world had changed in such a short amount of time rather than a turnabout in her personality, Toph humored the girl and wandered with her through the streets of Republic City.

It was strange not to be the one at the centre of attention, thought Azula, who was more than used to people stopping where they were and dropping all their goods just to bow before her. Now it was like she didn't even exist. People recognized their chief, but didn't even give so much as a sidelong look at the girl with her. She wasn't quite sure whether that was good or bad just yet, but Azula decided to pay the issue no mind while she explored the wonders of this new world order.

When the Gaang finally found out about their little adventures through a mutual contact they had been understandably appalled that Toph was even choosing to associate with her. Zuko especially had given her a dressing down as she stood there quietly and took it all in.

"You're her brother. But you don't know her at all." She had finally spoken up when they had run out of steam. "And what has she actually done that deserves being locked up in prison, anyway? She should have been put in a hospital where she actually stood a chance of getting better. She can't do that down in that cell."

That response had garnered a little uproar, but Toph waved it off.

"She tried to kill Aang!"

"Key word being tried, Sugar Queen. Besides, it was during a war. Azula observed the rules of combat and was going after a target that had been legitimately designated by the Fire Lord at the time, just like we did when we went after Ozai. Besides, I have the sneaking suspicion that she was off her rocker a long time before we got on the scene. Or she was at least heading that way."

A visit to a somewhat more subdued Ty Lee only confirmed that fact, and the earth bender was allowed to continue taking Azula for her thrice weekly walks.

Toph chose to ignore the way the acrobat's fluttering heart sped up at the mere mention of the Princess.

18. Homeward Bound

Sometimes there was nothing more that Toph liked to do than go home from work in the middle of the day and take a nap. Lin was usually either at school or one of the Gaang was babysitting her, which meant that for once she had the house to herself for an hour or two during her lunch break. Not that she particularly liked being inside. She'd only gotten the house when she had learned she was pregnant.

That fact alone had taken several months to accept, given the circumstances surrounding her conception, but in time Toph had grown to love the life growing inside her and wanted only the best for what she was sure would be a little girl. She knew that while it would have been perfectly fine for them to go and live in a cave somewhere out in the wilderness but it would have done absolutely nothing for the girl's social status.

Toph knew firsthand what it was like to not have friends because of being different and was determined not to let her own child go through that existence due to something that could be easily controlled. Bringing friends home to a dirt floor and an equally dirty mother would have been tantamount to social suicide. So Toph made sacrifices for Lin's sake; showering much more often and living in a nice apartment with a stone floor with meaningless trinkets instead of being out and close to the earth where she felt comfortable.

Living in the city with so much hustle and bustle had been a hard adjustment to make, especially at night when she could still feel the vibrations from the other citizens that were not sleeping like the rest of the world. For that reason alone she ended up purchasing a bed instead of sleeping on the floor like she was used to, just so she'd get some silence at night. It always left her confused and blinder than she'd ever been, but it was a secret delight of hers to wake up some mornings to find that her daughter had snuck into her bed sometime during the night and was cuddled up in her arms.

It was a far cry from waking up alone like she was used to, with only cold sheets and a colder pillow on the opposite side of the mattress.

But she couldn't deny that it felt damn good to wake up from her afternoon nap to the sunlight streaming in through the window and the warm body of the Fire Princess curled up next to her.

19. Accidentally On Purpose

Having Azula come home with her to her bed was truly pushing the limits of professional boundaries. Toph figured she probably could get away with it if she had kept her in that cell so they could continue to screw each other senseless if anyone had asked, but inviting her into her home was saying something far more than what she was willing to admit.

Nobody really knew where they wandered to during Azula's little walks. They'd been all over the city and back again so many times that people rarely paid attention if they saw the chief with the strangely pale girl. Even the Gaang had given up on tailing them at a distance just to make sure Toph was safe in her company. It really did make it far too easy for her to smuggle the Princess away and have some uninterrupted time to themselves up against a wall somewhere or swathed in freshly laundered linen sheets.

It became a regular and gradually lengthening occurrence to find Azula in her home, and while it was a secretly welcome presence to the earth bender she knew that the blissful ignorance of everyone around them had to end someday. She was just glad that it happened the way it did.

When Lin burst in through the door after returning from school when it had let out early, she was greeted with the sight of her mother and some strange woman necking on the couch like a couple of teenagers. If Toph had kept her feet on the ground she might have had some kind of warning, but she'd hardly been inclined to do so when there were far better things to keep her attention focused on.

Still, her mother sat up with a bit of a gasp at the door slamming open, hesitant to put her foot down and see just who it was. She knew Lin was the one who had yanked it open like that as she was used to the ruckus, but if anyone else had followed her she was clueless. She was glad to find that nobody had.

"Who are you?" Lin questioned suspiciously, her green eyes narrowing.

"Linny, this is Azula. She's...a princess." Toph finished lamely.

"Hmph. You don't look much like a princess. What are your qualifications?"

The two women actually managed a snort at the young girl's audacity, watching her puff out her little chest and cross her arms.

"Well, she's definitely yours, that's for sure." Azula muttered under her breath.

"Are you one of those princesses that like tea parties and doilies?" Lin accused.

"Ew. No."

"Good. Cos I'd feel bad kicking your butt if you ever mess with my mom like that again. Now come on, Princess Powderpuff. I'm gonna show you what a real earth bender can do." And with that, Lin stormed over and grabbed Azula by the sleeve to try and tug her off the couch and out into the backyard.

Toph let out a guffaw, finally starting to relax at her daughter's easy acceptance of whatever weird relationship she'd gotten into. Azula on the other hand looked a little more disturbed at the kid's behavior, especially since it had reminded her of her own as a child. But with the chief at her side as they stood in the garden, it seemed much easier to finally just loosen up a little. Apparently Lin just wanted to show off; partially as a warning against treating her mother badly, but also just because she could.

Still, Azula was hesitant when it was demanded by the child that they join in on the fun. That was until she saw the light of wonder in Lin's eyes when she produced a blue flame in her palms. Then it was the royal's turn to show off.

Toph just stood there with a smile as she felt the two of them trade abilities.

She didn't think it had quite hit the Princess just yet that she was actually playing as she chased the earth bending child around the yard, pretending to attack her. Even more oddly, it seemed like she was doing an alright job at it, based on Lin's laughter and squealing.

Toph was rather loath to interrupt the two.

At least until they ganged up on her and forced her to join in on the fun anyway.

20. A New Kind of Ball and Chain

These days, Azula spent far more time out of prison than she did in it, and she was all the better for it. Lin was always happy to see her new playmate there when she got home from school, and it meant that Toph could have a break even though she technically wasn't supposed to let the fire bender out of her custody.

Pressing a kiss to her daughter's sleeping head that poked out from the blankets between them, Toph just took in the two figures that lit up in her senses each time they took a breath or shifted in their sleep. Even every beat of their hearts was reflected and transmitted through the metal coils of the bed springs; far noisier than the sounds and feelings of the city had ever been. And yet, she couldn't get to sleep without them, she thought with a small smile.

Really, neither one of them should have existed in her life.

But when Lin had started calling Azula Mommy, Toph knew that it was far too late to stop whatever this was.