21 Tokka Moments:

A Series of Unrelated One-shots

Forward: Okay, the stories probably won't be in order but they will have their respective numbers. I was flipping through Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane, and I wrote down twenty one words randomly as prompts for these one-shots. They won't all have happy endings, but they will be centered on the joy that is Tokka.

Onward!

Disclaimer: I own neither Shutter Island nor Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Number 3: Nightmares

Toph Bei Fong 'watched' her best friend with a heavy heart. Sokka had gone through so much in the past year and it amazed Toph that he was able to retain his happiness.

Although if Toph was completely honest with herself, she would admit that she knew he was haunted. It was the reason she asked him to come live with her in the bustling city of Omashu; no one else could alleviate his pain.

Sokka came willingly enough, and had lived with her for the past eight months. Though a portion of her days were spent being an ambassador for peace negotiations, the remainder was spent with Sokka. And though the twenty four year old joked with her, Toph knew part of his soul had been shattered. But she still loved him.

Sokka splashed cold water on his face from the basin in Toph's kitchen. He made a mental note to run to the stream to get some fresh water for dinner so Toph wouldn't have to.

Sokka attributed his recovery to the young woman and was constantly trying to repay her.

For instance winter was descending rapidly upon the Earth Kingdom and Toph was complaining that she would have to wear a coat and shoes. Sokka had sent Hawky to Bato, asking him to send the finest Water Tribe coat money could buy, and a pair of seal-skin boots with whale blubber soles-in hopes that Toph could retain some of her vision and independence.

Sokka dried his face and jumped as a hand touched his shoulder. He spun around and stared into Toph's milky eyes.

"Spirits you scared me Toph!" he exclaimed. Toph's eyes were sad as she kept her hand on his shoulder.

"Sokka…you had another nightmare, didn't you?" she asked, her hand drifting to the bags under his eyes.

Sokka shook his head. "No," he replied, unable to burden his savior with the demons that plagued him.

Toph sighed and removed her hand, unwilling to press the matter further. Toph turned to the stove and Sokka studied her.

At twenty, Toph had grown into quite the beauty. She wore her hair down to her bellybutton, the top half pulled into a tortoise shell, her bangs drooping into her eyes. Right now she wore a pale yellow sleeveless shirt, and a dark green silk skirt. Her feet were naked as usual.

But most importantly to Sokka, Toph's upper arm was adorned with the space rock bracelet he'd given her long ago.

Sokka walked over to Toph and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her from behind. Toph leaned into his embrace and he inhaled the sweet scent of her hair.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "Please don't worry about me, I'll be fine." He promised.

And yet, at two in the morning, Toph found herself rushing into Sokka's bedroom.

He was tangled in his wolf pelts, face-down and screaming into his pillow. Toph couldn't see this, but ran to his side, and gathered him into her arms.

"Sokka, shh, it's just a dream. I'm here Sokka." She murmured, stroking his tousled hair. Sokka's screams died down and he clung to her as though his life depended on it.

"So much blood." He whimpered, trembling in Toph's embrace. Toph's eyes filled with tears as she clutched Sokka tighter against her chest.

"Sokka," she whispered. "What did you see? Was it Suki?" she asked, remembering the brutal slaying of the Kyoshi warrior; it was after all the source of Sokka's torment.

Sokka stared into Toph's worried eyes and his tears began to fall.

"No," he confessed. "It was the same dream, the blood…the screaming…but…it wasn't Suki." He continued his voice shaky. Toph rubbed his back and hated herself for pushing him, but she needed to know.

"Who was it?" she asked. All she knew was that Suki had murdered in the bed she and Sokka shared. Toph wondered who could possibly have imagined in that bed other than his late wife.

Sokka cupped her face with both hands. "It was so vivid…and it was you." he cried, horrified at the sick workings of his mind. How could he imagine such a beautiful woman defiled by blood, her existence marred by the markings of a sword? "I thought that you were…" he trailed off, sobbing hard.

Toph felt her heart race. "Sokka, I'm alright." She assured him. She reached up to wipe away his tears and he grabbed her hand. As Sokka stared into her sightless eyes, something changed, and he was certain that they both felt it.

"Stay with me?" he pleaded. Toph nodded quickly, worried that the moment would pass and he would change his mind, and slipped into the pelts beside him.

Sokka wrapped his arms around her, reveling in her warmth and noticing how perfectly Toph fit beside him. He kissed the back of her head and smiled.

"Thank you Toph." He said.

"You're lucky I love you Snoozles, your toes are cold," she blurted out before clamping a hand over her mouth. If Sokka told her to leave she would blame the outburst on sleep deprivation. Nearly twenty minutes later, Sokka spoke.

"I love you too," he assured her, kissing her pale cheek softly.

Katara stared at Toph for the first time in nearly a year-since she had dropped her brother off in Omashu-and smiled.

"So how is Sokka doing?" she asked. Toph smiled conspicuously and shrugged.

"He's a lot better now. No more nightmares. He talks about Suki without breaking down. He's even dating again." Toph grinned. Katara arched an eyebrow.

"Okay, what's your deal?" she questioned. Toph laughed and moved Katara's hand to the small but undeniable bump in her lower abdomen.

"Just a family in the works." Toph said with a small smirk.

A/N: Thank you all for reading and please review. Like I said before, this is a set of 21 Unrelated oneshots. Keep an eye out for the others. This one ended on a happy note-although I have noticed that I tend to make people have babies a lot in my stories. I guess it's a mom thing. But, what else can they do really? Anywho. Thanks. ~Kirsten