Disclaimer: I do not own the intellectual properties depicted herein. I do not own the characters portrayed. I make no claim to own any part of 'Avatar: The Last Airbender'. All intellectual properties depicted herein belong to the creators of 'Avatar: The Last Airbender.' and Nickelodeon.

"Now dear, you want to look good for your friends right?"

Toph's nose wrinkled at her mother's honeyed words. Snorting, she pushed the elegant silk cloth on her bed aside,

"So what? They don't care. They like me for me and THIS," She held up the dress with a clenched fist, "This is a clown's costume!"

Lady Bei Fong let out a derisive laugh, "Dear, running around in rags may have been alright during your...travels...but this is a grand occasion."

Toph bristled at the word 'Travels'. The war was over, peace was on its way, well depending if the stiffs in the world council would ever agree on anything and she'd been decorated by BOTH the Earth King and new Fire Lord personally and praised by Water Chiefs Hakoda and Arnook.

No way her parents could over look all that right?

Wrong...to an extent.

Once she returned home, they began treating her like she was made of crystal. Fussing over her like a lost rabbit-puppy. Well, her mom had relaxed on the matter somewhat but her dad…

He couldn't ignore that she was a powerful bender and war hero, so like any good businessman Lao Bei Fong spun his daughter's new found fame to the family's financial advantage.

He didn't think much of the Water Tribes and Toph knew her father didn't just respect Aang's place as the Avatar.

Lao Bei Fong feared Aang.

With so much raw power and added political backing from the Earth King and Fire Lord, who wouldn't?

Her father was terrified of her timid little 'Watch Me Slam Head First Into a Statue' Twinkle Toes.

Oh, did she just refer to Aang as hers?

"Toph? Toph? Young lady, are you listening to me?"

The little earthbender turned her frosty eyes in her mother's general direction, patting her cheeks as if trying to shoo the blush away, which on her pale complexion was devastatingly obvious,

"Hmmm? What?"

"I said: Do you want the green shawl or the orange one? Honestly, Toph. A lady must be alert and attentive at all times. Anyway I think the orange one suits you better. Not everyday that the Avatar pays a visit. I think it's better if we dressed to match his colors."

"Mom….I don't know what Orange is. Or even Green! It's just Twinkle Toes visiting; he does this all the time with everyone!"

Lady Bei Fong sniffed, "WE are not everyone. We are Bei Fongs and we will conduct ourselves with pride and dignity."

Her mother's expression softened, "Besides, aren't you happy to meet him again? It's been a long time hasn't it?" Lady Bei Fong's tone grew teasing, "I wonder if the Avatar's found a lady friend yet? I hope it's not that Water Tribe girl who was with you."

"Twinkle Toes was here last month, Mom." Toph blandly stated, "Oh I'm sure he's got lots of fangirls by now. And I don't mean Suki's Kyoshi Warriors. AND Katara's a good friend, Mother."

Lady Bei Fong smirked, one so sly even her vibration sensitive daughter couldn't detect,

"Is that jealously I hear in my stubborn little Badger-mole's voice? It is, isn't it?"

"No! I mean, whatever."

She couldn't believe her mother was trying to set her up with Twinkle Toes…of all people.

'Hey Katara! Look what Zuko just taught me! A flaming butterfly-thing!'

Bleagh.

'You were right Toph, pranking Sokka really does make me feel better.'

Still…it has been a whole month.

World Tour

The Proposal

"Sokka, stop pushing!"

"Well, tell angry jerk face over there to stop hogging the saddle."

"I am not hogging the saddle! It's a big saddle! I'm up front and you're trying to get fresh in the back. There're better ways of trying to get to second base, you know."

Sokka sat up with a haughty expression, as if he'd won some grand prize.

"Third actually."

Only to be rewarded with a nice tight slap,

"You never change." Huffed Suki, readjusting her ever present armor, though on this occasion the accompanying face paint was absent.

"And you like me that way." Smiled the Water Warrior pouring on the ol'Sokka charm. His rather sickening attempts at flirting worked as the Kyoshi Captain responded with a soft touch on his cheek followed by a quick kiss,

"Avatar Kyoshi help me, but I guess I do. I do like you that way."

Katara rolled her eyes and mock gagged,

"Please. Some of us haven't eaten yet. I don't want to start dry heaving, thank you very much."

Zuko, on the other hand had no comment. Simply closing his eyes, trying to catch quick nap. Which surprised the Water Maiden, ever since acclimating to the group years ago, Zuko was never without a quip or a shot towards her brother.

"Well?"

A golden eyelid cracked open ever so slightly,

"Well what?"

"Aren't you going to say something sarcastic and witty about those two?" Katara swept her arms towards her brother and future sister-in-law giggling like school girls.

The sight made the Fire Prince's stomach churn, but who was he to get snarky at their behaviour?

'Where Mai and I ever like that? Nah. I have much more restraint than Boomerang For Brains.'

"No. If they want to make you an Aunt. Let them."

"Aunty Katara? Ergh." Katara grimaced slightly, "Makes me sound so old."

Zuko folded his arms behind his head, leaning against the saddle rim,

"Well, if the shoe fits…hurrk."

His sentence was punctuated by a solid hailstone the size of Aang's shiny bald head being cannon-balled into his gut by a very ticked off water bender.

"Jerk."

The Avatar smiled to himself as he listened to his friend bicker and bond in the saddle behind him.

"Fire and water huh, buddy?" He patted his life long friend on his big fluffy head,

"Guess something's never change."

'Least I hope they don't.'He thought, mind wandering towards the blind earthbender. He'd seen how her life was the last time he visited.

Sure, she was the very visage of grace, poise and nobility.

But that wasn't her.

That wasn't the Toph he knew.

And it showed.

Underneath all the makeup, finery and silk was a feisty young woman trying to break out.

And break out she did.

Aang chuckled a little remembering the food fight Toph started. Sokka and Katara were with him then.

Salads, soup and slabs of meat were tossed around like the disgusting balls of slop they'd formed them into.

Lady Bei Fong was aghast.

Lao Bei Fong was furious.

But the man couldn't show it.

Not at him, Aang noted. Ever since the war was over and King Kuei and Fire Lord Iroh publicly humbled themselves to him, Lao Bei Fong always treated him like some kind of God.

Not that he minded. It was nice to hang around Toph without being accused of being a kidnapper. But still, he wished Lao would back off with the Avatar stuff.

He would always be who he was.

Aang.

Being the Avatar was only temporary, as long as he lived.

But being Aang was a long term thing.

Aang would always be Aang.

And Toph would always be Toph.

"Or so I hope." Murmured the Avatar under his breath and the arguments of his friends as the town of Gao Ling came into view.

"Remember; Be on your best behavior."

Toph lightly swatted at her mother's hands as she tried to pin an ornate hair piece in her daughter's thick head of hair.

"Yeah, yeah. No food fights, no earthbending, no name calling. In other words, no fun."

Shaking her finger, Lady Bei Fong prodded,

"And?"

Toph sighed, "And no sneaking off."

Lady Bei Fong fastened the intricate pin tightly, pleased with her transformation of her only child, from a messy Hog-Monkey into an Earth Goddess.

"There. Ready to charm the glider from an Air Bender."

Toph arched a brow at her mother's choice of words. Her mother was so confusing. Her father she could easily understand. Uptight, extremely anal retentive and a stick in the mud. Dry cracked mud in fact.

But her mother…

Sometimes she was just like her father…just a little kinder.

And others, like now.

Teasing her.

Doting on her.

Being almost like a friend.

So very confusing.

"I come from a very weird family." Toph's thoughts then went to Fire Royals, "Then again…I think I got off lucky."

"What was that dear?" called Lady Bei Fong, turning from a servant, who had just informed her of Appa landing outside the estate walls.

"Nothing. Nothing." Getting to her feet and making a show of primping, Toph sighed,

"Well? Let's get this circus sideshow on the road."

"Remember; Be on your best behaviour."

"Why are you looking at me for?! Tell that to the Prince of Jerk-dom!"

"Zuko wasn't with us the last time! And you started that food fight! You just had to go and comment on the meat didn't you?"

"Hey! Meat is meat. But what they were serving wasn't meat! It's Aang's fault! They had to serve an all vegetarian meal because of him!"

"Mock meat's got the word meat doesn't it? And don't try to pin this on Aang, oh high and mighty food critic."

Zuko leaned towards Suki, whispering,

"You do realize you're marrying into THAT family don't you?"

Sighing wistfully, Suki patted the Crown Prince on the shoulder,

"I got used to it. I suggest you do too."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Replying with only a smirk and a wink, Suki walked off, hoping to separate the two warring Water Siblings before the elder one got frozen in places she'd had…deep interests in.

"Hey! Come back here woman! Explain yourself!"

"No one calls Suki 'Woman' but me! You got that?! OW!"

"What did we say about using that word?"

That would be slap number two.

"Oh yes. You're the epitome of manliness…whoa! What's with the ice shards?!"

"Stop picking on my brother!"

Aang prayed that Lao Bei Fong would still have at least one standing wall by the end of the day.

Squaring his shoulders, he lifted the heavy iron door ring. At the third knock, the sliding panel on the gates opened, Aang could see a pair of eyes peer through them.

"Who goes there?"

Mustering his best official voice, Aang introduced himself,

"Avatar Aang and…" He turned back to face the fighting foursome, currently lost in tussle in front of Appa, Momo and Hawky,

"Umm…Avatar Aang and…friends?"

"Toph, please stop fidgeting."

"Can't help it, Mom. This dress gives me fidgeting allergies. Why can't I just go out and greet them like usual?"

Lao Bei Fong shook his head,

"The last time you did that, you blasted that Water Tribe boy into a wall. It was an expensive wall. I'll do it this time.

"He made fun of my dress."

Lady Bei Fong placed her hands on Toph's shoulders, "Well he won't make fun of this one. He wouldn't dare."

Toph caught her mother's whisper as the elder woman rose back to stand,

"And we're not trying to impress that boy now are we?"

Groaning inwardly, Toph shut here eyes, "Oh Mom. Please don't."

"Don't what?" The elder woman feigned ignorance. Before Toph could add on, a servant heralded her friend's arrival into the main hall.

"Like I need you to tell me that." Grumbled Toph, having felt and heard her friends scrap it out at the main gates.

Toph felt her father walk down the hall and greet Aang. The usual salutations and buttkissing.

Ergh.

"Twinkle Toes doesn't need that." She muttered snidely as she felt her father ignore Katara, Sokka and Suki before greeting Zuko.

"Oh I didn't know the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation was coming too." Lady Bei Fong looked to one of the servant girls, "Quick. Tell the kitchen staff to make something spicy."

"Zuko's fine with anything Mom. I made him eat dirt and say that he liked it once." Toph grinned evilly at the memory of Zuko's hazing in the group.

Her mother didn't quite know how to respond to that.

"Toph!"

The world's greatest earthbender felt herself lifted off her feet by a crushing hug,

"Chill, Sugar Queen. I like my ribs." She said, "It's only been a month."

Lady Bei Fong let out a defeated sigh at her daughter's name calling but decided to let the whole matter drop, she approached the group and bowed respectfully.

"Welcome to our home Prince Zuko. Katara. Sokka. Captain Suki, it's so nice to see you again."

The Kyoshi Warrior blinked in slight confusion, "Have we met?"

Lady Bei Fong hid a delicate laugh behind a silk sleeve, "Oh, we've never really met but I saw you at the Earth King's re-instatement. You were presented with a medal of honor."

"Ooookay…I guess this is our first official meeting then." Suki said awkwardly before offering her open hand, "Pleased to meet you."

The gesture was new to Lady Bei Fong, a woman used to bowing and curtsying. Fumbling a little, Lady Bei Fong grasped Suki's fingers with the tips of her own and shook them tentatively while smiling.

"Right." Suki couldn't quite get the woman before her.

So…lady-like.

Aang was the last to enter the hall, having taken Appa to the stables. The big fella never could fit into the Bei Fongs' Ostrich-Horse stables. The fuzz ball was just as content with the large earth tent Aang had made for him though.

"Avatar Aang"

Toph eschewed her mother's polite method of greeting and sent a small blunt spike jutting out from the ground near Aang's foot.

"Look alive Twinkle Toes!" She challenged, she was about to do more before her father moved into her line of fire…or earth in this case.

"That will be enough of that, young lady."

"I was just having a little fun."

"I apologise Avatar…."

"Wow Toph, you didn't even break the tiles or anything. You bent the tiles too." Aang was now on his hands and knees studying the small mound closely, "I usually just break stuff when I earthbend."

"And that's why I'm the master and you're the student Twinkle Toes." Toph's smug smile was from ear to ear. Not even her father's sudden onset of laryngitis could dampen it.

"Ahem."

Zuko scoffed. Lao Bei Fong was so much like the previous officers in the Royal Court.

"The chefs have prepared a meal. Shall we?" The head of the Bei Fong household gestured towards the dining hall.

"Alright! Bring on the chow!"

As usual, Sokka was first in line.

Leaving to Suki look apologetic for both of them as she grabbed her beaus arm to rein him in.

Katara was about to follow when Zuko offered an elbow. He titled his head towards the Bei Fongs when she raised an eyebrow in question,

"Rich folk." He simply said, "Sticklers for propriety."

"So? You're the Fire Prince."

"Look, I'm giving you the chance not to look like a peasant in front of these people."

"I've been here before Zuko and I don't really care."

"Just take my arm!"

"Don't tell me what to do!"

Lady Bei Fong whispered to her husband,

"Don't they remind you of my brother and his wife?"

Only after her parents had left did Aang approach his earth bending teacher with full air bender enthusiasm.

Complete with hug.

"Hey Toph." He laughed, tightening his platypus-bear hug on her despite her attempts to squirm out of it,

"Hey! Enough with the mushy hugs already! Sheesh! Give a girl some breathing room would'ya?"

As she dusted and straightened her dress, Aang gave her the once over and whistled,

"Wow."

Frowning Toph looked up,

"I know, I know. I look like a clown."

"No. No. Not at all." Truthfully, Aang wasn't quite sure how to describe her current get up. It was beautiful. And she clearly made it look good. But still…it wasn't really her.

"You look great."

Toph narrowed her sightless eyes,

"Well, you're not lying. That much is true. But I still hate it."

"You hate looking good? I thought girls liked to look good."

Sighing, Toph brushed past him,

"Same old Twinkles. More air than head. Come on, lunch is waiting. Better get there before Sokka eats it all."

"Ah, but it's vegetarian."

Toph gave him a questioning look. Aang chuckled,

"I'm not that airheaded. I know that your dad's trying to get into my good books."

"Yeah. Funny huh? He tried to get you arrested for kidnapping once too."

Scratching his bald dome with a thoughtful expression Aang pondered,

"I wonder how he'd react if I told him I had no say in any national matters."

"You don't?"

"Not really. I'm here to keep the balance between elements, to keep the peace between nations if I have to and be an all round good guy. Can't help with your dad's business though."

"Heh. Won't he be surprised?" Toph tugged at her long sleeves, trying to keep them from falling over and completely covering her small hands "That's it. I officially hate this dress."

"Then why don't you take it off?"

Toph bristled before relaxing and stopping herself from doing grievous bodily harm to Aang,

"Since I know you can't possibly mean what I think you might have meant, I'm going to let that one slide Twinkles. And no, I promised my mom I'd wear this."

"Ha! Since when have you ever done something your parent's asked?"

"Since my mom started being like a real mom to me." Toph smiled a little. She really was glad that at least one of her parents was getting to know the real her. To his credit her father was cutting her some slack but not enough in her eyes.

"Wow." Aang was truly astonished, "That's great."

"Yeah. It's been fun." She could feel his questioning vibrations, "No, really. My mom's been great to me."

"And that's great. We'd better get to lunch. Vegetable or not, once Sokka gets too hungry he'll eat anything."

A small hand on his chest stopped him in his twinkle toed tracks,

"Whoa there. What's with those vibes?"

"Vibes? What vibes? I don't see any vibes."

She stomped her foot to make a point,

"I have feet Airhead and I know how to use them. Now spit it out."

"Now?" He whined, "But I'm hungry."

"You'll be hungry and hurt if you don't fess up."

The ground began to rumble. A gentle sweep of his arms calmed the agitated earth down, effectively negating her control over her own element.

"Hey! No fair!" She yelled, "Since when could you do that?"

Aang gave her an Azula-esque smirk, "Since I got special training from Avatar Roku and the other Avatars. Now let's go eat."

"Fine. But this isn't over Twinkles. Mark my words."

Lunch was simple, quiet and almost quaint affair.

Lao spent most of the time speaking with Zuko, inquiring about the markets that might be available to his business. And though Zuko had reservations about Lao's character, the additional trade would certainly help the reconstruction of the Fire Nation.

"Well, food imports are greatly needed. The war pretty much pushed our farm production over the brink. The lands aren't as fertile anymore. Which is amazing considering that its volcanic soil."

"I may have some options for you. I recently acquired some farm land. How do your people feel about cabbages?"

Katara, Suki and Lady Bei Fong chatted amongst themselves. Any discussion on the finer points of make up and dresses were lost on the Kyoshi Warrior though she did pull one or two crackers out of her make up repertoire.

"I find that light rouge would be best for your complexion, Captain Suki."

"I prefer the full white mask treatment myself."

"Don't forget the blood red eye shadow."

Likewise all martial arts talk went completely over Lady Bei Fong's head, whose only exposure to the physical arts was her daughter churning up the gardens during her earthbending practice.

"Fans used for fighting? I'd have never thought of that."

"They're both cooling and cutting at the same time."

"Fancy and functional."

Sokka was eating. 'Nuff said.

So nobody noticed a fleet footed Avatar and a sure stepped earthbender sneak off right after they'd finished their food.

Aang scoured the gardens the moment his feet hit bare earth, searching for something.

"You lose a coin or something Twinkle Toes?"

"No."

"Then?"

"Hold on."

Toph sighed and formed an earth throne to sit on,

"You gonna tell me what's bugging you now?"

"Wait a minute let me….Ah ha! Found it!"

Toph feigned inspecting her toe nails, noting he was just standing on flat earth and grass.

"Whoopee. You found a patch of dirt."

"It's more than that!"

"Oh sorry. You're right. There's grass too."

Aang frowned. Toph went on,

"A Roller Bug, three pebbles and some Tiger-Ants. Careful, they bite."

"I'm being serious here Toph."

"Really?" More mock surprise, "I didn't even know you understood that word."

"Hey! This spot is important! This is where I first landed when I jumped over the wall to meet you."

Toph was sure that if she could see, Aang would be turning red right now.

"Wrong Twinkles. You landed over there." She swept her arm out and with a flick of her wrist caused a pole of earth to mark the exact spot.

"Oh yeah?" He challenged, "You sure?"

Blushing slightly, she waved his words aside, "Trust me. I know this garden like the back of my hand."

Forming his own little earth chair, Aang sat across from Toph,

"Can't believe you remembered where I landed."

"Yeah…well...not everyday that an annoying bald Avatar breaks and enters into your house," quickly changing the subject she nudged him none to gently with her foot,

"Well? So what's up with the funny vibes just now?" She drew back said foot and began picking out the dirt between the toes, "You seemed kinda…I dunno...down I suppose."

"It's nothing really. Forget about it."

"Oh no. That last time you bottled up your feelings and then exploded we called it Ozai's Defeat. Now spill."

Sighing, Aang threw his hands up, "Okay, okay. You noticed Zuko's here right."

She just stared at him.

"Right, right. You're blind but you're not BLIND."

"You're starting to ramble, Twinkles."

Taking a deep breath and since he is an airbender first and foremost, it was a really deep breath.

"I can't see it but I think you just inhaled that Roller Bug."

"Very funny. Anyway, I was going to say that after I visited the last time, I went back to the Northen Air Temple to visit Teo and his dad. Teo added a lot of cool features to my glider. Remember the snack holder? Now it's got cup holders too. And he gave me these cups with bendy things to suck the water out with. And he said something about 'tricking' out his wheelchair with spinning wheels and…"

"Rambling. Bored now."

"Oh, yeah. Anyway, I found Sokka and Suki there too."

"All the way at the Northen Temples?"

"Uh huh. Sokka was showing the Mechanist some new designs for some kind of flying thing. Suki just went along for the fun of it."

"Huh. Really?"

"And then I started thinking…"

"Did it hurt?"

"What?"

"Thinking."

"…As I was saying, I got thinking, please stop snickering, I got thinking, 'Why not go on a world tour?"

Toph placed her fingers on his temples, "Twinkles, you do that already. Every day."

"Yes." He nodded, making her fingers move along with him, "But I'm doing it ALONE."

"Aaand." Toph quickly got his drift, "You want company.'

"More like having fun with all of us together."

"But you see us regularly."

"Individually. I want us all together again."

Toph pondered for a moment before replying,

"You know. It's kinda selfish of you to do this."

"What?"

"Asking everyone to drop what they're doing just so you wouldn't be lonely flying around on Appa."

"No, no! I don't mean that!" He held up his hands in defense, "I asked them first. Sokka and Suki wanted to come along. Suki left her second in command in charge before she left with Sokka. When we found Katara she was in the Fire Nation arguing with Zuko and the Fire council….well mostly Zuko. Iroh literally threw Zuko and her onto Appa's back. Told me not to bring them back until they'd learned basic civilities or given Lady Dowager Ursa grandchildren. Whichever came first."

"And now you come to me…." Toph let her sentence trail off.

"Yeah."

"Only now, you come to me." She repeated emphasizing the words 'Only' and 'Now'.

'Oooh she's mad.'Aang cringed but spoke up anyway,

"Yeah. I know I should have asked you first…"

"Okay, I'm in. When are we going? Please tell me it's now. I can't wait to get out of here."

"You are?"

"Yeah so? What's with the surprise?"

Closing his jaw, Aang shook his head, "But before lunch, you said your mom was being nice and stuff. You looked like you wanted to stay with your parents and you looked so pretty in your dress with your hair pins and make up and…."

"Uh. Huh."

"I'll...I'll just shut up now."

Poking his chest with a slim finger, Toph began to tick off reasons,

"First off, I never said I didn't want to go with you. You didn't ask me then. Second, yes my mom's changed for the better. She's being a real mom and I love her. My dad too. Though he could learn a thing or two from Mom. And third, thanks for the compliments, Twinkles, but all this," She held out her arms, showing off the fine dress, jewelry and make up,

"All this isn't me. You know this isn't me. Never has been."

"I know. But you look really pretty. Really you do."

Blushing, Toph tried cover it by rubbing the make up off her cheeks with her sleeve, "Yeah, well, don't get used to it Twinkles. You're going to have to look at plain ol'Toph from now on. Who wears boys' clothes and uses dirt as make up."

"You look good in those too." Aang lifted himself a few inches off the ground with an air ball, Toph couldn't see his blush but she could still feel his vibrations and he wasn't going to let her find out.

"Get your butt back in that chair." She barked, "You can't hide your vibrations from me."

When he realized that blowing a silent raspberry at her wouldn't work, Aang went for the next best thing.

"Got your nose!"

"Hey!"

"Come and get it back if you dare!" He hollered zipping off on his air scooter, confident she wouldn't be able to sense him.

"Oh real mature AVATAR!" A dainty looking foot slammed down hard causing a pillar of earth to pop up right under Aang's air scooter, almost instantly dissipating the ball of air and sending the Avatar plowing face first into the dirt.

Smirking, Toph grabbed a handful of dirt, letting it fall between her fingers, "I can't feel YOU but I can hear the wind blowing against the ground."

"Okay, okay you got me!"

"Wussy."

"But I still got your nose!"

"Well that was a nice visit wasn't it?"

"Indeed. Prince Zuko surprised me. I was expecting an arrogant brat not a well educated young man. I wonder…"

"Dear, I'm sure he's got a whole list of potential brides back home. Besides I think Toph can make her choices regarding husbands don't you?"

"Yes…well…as her father I have…wait a minute, where is Toph?"

"She must be in the gardens. I heard her earthbending with the Avatar earlier."

"Yes." Lao rubbed the bridge of his nose as he surveyed the extensive damage to the gardens, "I can see that."

Lady Bei Fong guided herself past upturned rock and cracked earth towards a pole of earth,

"Look Dear, there's a letter. Dear Mom and Dad…"

"Scooch over Twinkles."

"Toph? What are you doing up here?" Aang let one hand off of Appa's reins as he shifted over to the right. "No space in the saddle?"

Toph held his head and tilted it backwards, so that he could hear.

"Sweet Agni! Sokka! Did you have to eat the whole bowl of beans?!"

"I didn't know beans would do…this! I've never eaten beans before!"

"Goodness! It smells rank back here! And Appa's FLYING!"

"Sokka, I'm going to put 'Beans' on the list of what NOT to feed you with. Right next to Cactus Juice."

"Oh, we keep coming back to the Cactus Juice thing don't we? I got a little wacky back then and suddenly it's all, "PUT DOWN THE JUICE! STEP AWAY FROM THE JUICE! It happened a long time ago people."

"You got Zuko drunk last week and he made a fool of himself in front of the Fire Council."

"I didn't know you cared that much, Katara"

"I don't, Suki. But I do when certain drunk Fire Prince's throw up on me. In the middle of a meeting!"

Toph let go off Aang's head. The bald monk nodded in understanding,

"Ah-ha. I see."

"Scary isn't it? Now WE'RE the sane ones." Laughed Toph, getting comfy on Appa's fur. As always she instinctively reached out for the nearest body to hold on to when in flight.

Cheeks turning red, Aang tried to laugh it off but the chuckles died when Toph began to snuggle against him.

"What?" She asked sensing his discomfort; she knew what she was doing and as always enjoyed making him squirm. The Avatar tried to cover the matter up,

"Sooo…what did your father say when you asked to leave with me…Us, I mean us?"

Toph just smiled, tightening her grip on Aang's arm.

"HE DID IT AGAIN!"

Lady Bei Fong shook her head at her husband's ranting, folding up the letter Suki had written for Toph.

"Oh, he was happy to let me go."

"Really? He doesn't seem the type…"

"Don't worry your little airhead over it. Now where are we headed this time?"

Aang furrowed his brow in thought.

"Sokka! Either you hold it in or I will plug it up with ice!"

"I think...we'd better find Sokka some antacids first..."

End 'The Proposal'