THE FINAL CHAPTER!

This was extremely difficult to write. The character's are a bit OC...sorta. Um, anyway, if you haven't watched anything Legend of Korra this may not make any sense to you at all. Buuuut hopefully you'll understand it a little bit.

Enjoy ;)

DISCLAIMER - I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, and give all rights to the amazing people who do

Twelve Years Later…

Toph hadn't planned on working today.

Being the chief of police in Republic City, Toph was accustomed to getting random calls for her assistance. She had taken the day off, hoping to relax, but her second-in-command had called her saying he needed help. Toph had dropped her daughter off at Aang and Katara's house, so she could play with Tenzin, Kya, and Bumi. She then located her lieutenant, helped him lock down in on a criminal, beat him up, – the best part –and then imprisoned him.

Toph picked up her daughter – Lin Beifong – and went back to their cozy little home, right on the edge of the Republic City, facing Air Temple Island. She was making a quick snack for Lin, who was sitting at the table, practicing her earthbending.

"Mommy," Lin said. "What do you think of my picture?"

Toph set down Lin's snack and took the stone tablet from her daughter. This was the way Toph had taught Lin to make pictures – by earthbending. Lin had molded designs and shapes into the tablet, and managed to fuse some metal inside it, too. Toph could tell by the outline she'd earthbended a picture of her, holding Lin's hand. She'd used metal to offset little details – hair, clothes, and the ground. It felt wonderful.

"This looks great, sweetie," Toph said, ruffling Lin's hair. "Are you finished with it?"

The four-year old took the tablet from her mother, and molded something else on it. She handed it back to Toph.

"There, I made a rainbow," her little voice said.

Toph smiled and ran her hand across the rainbow arc. It was just like the ones she'd seen so many years ago, back near the Western Air Temple.

"Perfect," Toph said. "Let me put it on the fire place."

Toph walked over to their fire brazier and set the tablet next to the other pictures Lin had made. They were all beautiful, intricately designed and carefully molded. Toph had taught her daughter well.

"Our family will be here in a few minutes," Toph said, stepping away from the fireplace. "Sokka wants us all to watch a probending match together, because it's the one-year anniversary of Republic City." Toph smiled, remembering the day that the city had been founded. "I'm going to take off my armor – are you ready to go, Lin?"

"Yes mommy," Lin said. Toph could feel her daughter shifting in her chair. "Can you braid my hair?"

"Of course, sweetie."

Toph went into her room, and slipped out of her metal armor. She put it away in an old chest, hooking it inside. She was turning back to go into the kitchen, when a voice spoke to her.

"Toph Beifong," the voice said.

Toph froze. That voice… it was so familiar. She pulled up a piece of the earth and held it ready. She couldn't sense anyone around her – unless Aang or Tenzin was floating on an air scooter. But that wasn't either of their voices…

"Put down your weapon," the voice said, strong and steady. It was a strange voice. It sounded like two people were speaking at one, through one body. Like when Aang went into the Avatar state.

Suddenly, Toph recognized the voice. She put the earth back into the ground, and glared ardently out in front of her.

"Where are you?" she demanded.

Abruptly, her senses vanished. She couldn't feel the earth anymore. She couldn't sense anything around her. Her earthbending – it just vanished.

Things began to materialize in front of her. Toph blinked furiously, over and over. Things were there. She could see them. She could see!

A spirit appeared in front of her. It was Oma. No, it was Shu. It was…it was Omashu. The spirits had combined. They were one!

"Seven minutes of sight," they said together. "In exchange for seven minutes without earthbending. This has been decreed."

The spirits vanished in a blast of light.

PAGE BREAK

Lin was working on a new earthbending tablet. She molded the tablet into different shapes – circles, squares, triangles. She changed the shape into a house. Then a dog. Then a person. At last she made it back into a square tablet, and began to carve a new earthbending design.

Something began to shine in front of Lin. Lin looked up. The air in front of her. It was…glowing. Lin quickly molded her tablet into a pointy stick, in case she needed a weapon. A spirit appeared in front of her. With a shock, Lin realized it was Oma and Shu – Omashu.

Uncle Aang – or as her mother called him, "Uncle Twinkletoes" – had always told them bedtime stories when she stayed the night with Kya, Bumi, and Tenzin. The four kids would cuddle up under a bunch of blankets, and listen to Uncle Aang tell tales about spirits and monsters. He would always earthbend visual pictures of the spirits he'd met. Lin had always loved it when Aang told her about Omashu, the first earthbenders. It was her favorite story.

Her mother also told her the story about the deal she'd made twelve years ago – seven days of sight, for seven days without her bending. Lin thought it was cool that her mother had met the spirits Oma and Shu.

And here they were, right in front of her – Omashu. Together as one, floating right by her kitchen table. Lin dropped her pointy stick. These were the nice spirits.

"Lin Beifong," they said. "Your mother has been granted seven minutes of sight, for seven minutes without her earthbending. She will be able to see things. She will be able to see you."

Lin wasn't afraid of spirits, especially not Omashu. With her crazy family, spirits were the least weird things she'd seen in her short four years.

"She might be overwhelmed," the spirits continued. "Just keep her calm, and do what you always do."

Lin wasn't sure what to say. She stood and did a bow, like Aunt Katara had taught her to do, to respect her elders.

The spirits vanished. Lin sat down and continued her tablet, like nothing had ever happened.

PAGE BREAK

Toph pitched forward, but quickly caught herself before she could collapse. Things. She was seeing things. She looked to her right. A bed. And there – a chair. Door. Toph walked toward the door. It was right in front of her. She could see it. Toph opened it up and walked out into the hallway. She knew her house well enough to get around. She traced her hand on the wall, and entered the kitchen.

Memories began to rush back to her. Couch. Chair. Table. Colors. Light. Dark. She could hear Katara's young voice in her mind, teaching her about thing things around her. People. Someone was here. A girl. A little girl was sitting in a chair at the table, working at another stone tablet.

Her daughter.

Toph could barely force out her words. "Lin," she said.

Her daughter turned to look at her.

Toph wanted to sob.

Her daughter was beautiful. She was so little, so small. Her big green eyes were opened wide, innocent and curious. Her black hair was short and wavy, reaching to about her shoulders. She looked just the way Toph had when she was younger, the moment she saw herself in that icy reflection.

"Lin," Toph said.

Toph rushed forward, scooped up her daughter, and embraced her in a massive hug. Her daughter held onto her neck, like she always did, hugging her close.

"Omashu came," Lin said, looking into her mother's eyes. "She said you could see for seven minutes. Just like you did when you were a kid."

Toph set her daughter down on the table and examined her. Such beautiful, intelligent eyes. Such a wide, open mind. Kids. A spirit showed up to talk to her, and she didn't even seem fazed at all. That's her girl.

Toph held onto her daughter's hands. "I can see," she told her. "Lin, you are beautiful. Do I tell you that enough? You're beautiful. So beautiful. You look just like I did, when I was younger. You're the most amazing and special little girl in the world. You're so beautiful."

Toph held onto Lin, keeping her daughter close, and continued to tell her how beautiful she looked. Lin took her mother's hand, hopped down, and showed her the earthbending picture's she'd made. Toph ran her finger across them, smiling, admiring the beauty.

"I love you, Lin," Toph said, picking up her daughter again. "You look just like I imagined. You are so beautiful."

Lin held onto her mother tightly. Then there was a knock at the door.

Toph froze. "Who is it?" she yelled.

"It's us," Aang's voice said. "Can we come in? I've got the whole team here. Um, Omashu appeared to us on the way over here. They said…"

"Come in!" Toph said. She put Lin back on the table and scurried to the door. "Come in here, now!"

One by one, seven people entered Toph's home. Toph stopped and stared at them. She couldn't believe her eyes.

Aang wasn't a kid anymore. Even though his voice changed, she still had the image of that goofy, young, warrior-like kid in her brain. Now he was strong, tall, and older. He had a bit of a beard, and his arms were muscular. But his eyes still held that deep, sensitive look. He smiled at her.

Katara had matured immensely. She was tall and strong, but still slender like always. She had filled out, was fully rounded, and looked like a full-grown woman. Much different than the teenager she'd seen twelve years ago.

Toph almost had a coronary when she saw Sokka. All this time she still had a thin, lean, awkward looking guy in her head. Soft features and lopsided grin. Now his features were regal, and stern. He was still silly and sarcastic, but his muscles were bulging, and he was serious when the time needed to be.

Zuko hadn't changed too much. Sure, he wasn't a teenager anymore. He was more built and stronger. But Zuko was about seventeen when she'd last seen him, almost a man. His hair was a little longer, and up in his royal topknot. His scar was still there, but it almost looked a little faded.

Mai looked more womanly than the last time. She smiled more, and was less gloomy. Suki still had a smile, giggly smile, but she had matured as well.

"Is it true?" Katara asked her. "Can…can you see us?"

Toph shook herself out of her trance. "You guys…look…"

"Different?" Zuko asked.

Toph felt tears drip down her face. "Group hug," she demanded. "Now."

Team Avatar embraced together. Toph smiled and cried as she looked at their faces. A flashback shot through her mind. There they were, twelve years ago, at the Western Air Temple. The seven of them embracing one last time. She saw their young faces, smiling and happy, altogether as a family. Their faces changed. Now, they were older. But they were still a family.

Toph stepped back. "Go to the probending match," she ordered. "I'll…I'll catch up with you."

"Are you sure?" Sokka asked her, his voice deep.

Toph nodded. "Please. I want to spend these last minutes…with my daughter."

Toph examined their faces one last time, and watched solemnly as they exited her house. She turned back to her daughter, and held her hands tightly.

"I've only got about two more minutes, sweetie," she said, brushing the hair off her face.

A tear fell down Lin's face. "Why can't they just give you sight?" her daughter said. "Why can't it always be like this?"

"Shh." Toph kissed her daughter's forehead. "Please. Just enjoy the time we have."

Toph spent her last minutes of sight with her daughter. She braided her hair. She kissed her cheek. She caressed and loved her one and only daughter, keeping her tight, drinking in the sight of her face.

Toph held onto her daughter's hands and kissed her forehead. "You're so beautiful, Lin," Toph said. "You are so beautiful. I love you so much."

As Toph drank in the sight of her beautiful daughter, her sight began to fade away from her.

"Seven minutes of sight," she heard Omashu say. "In exchange for seven minutes without earthbending. This has been decreed. This has been done. Seven minutes have passed. The deal has been fulfilled. And all shall return to normal."

As her last glimpse of sight vanished, the last thing she saw was her daughter – her beautiful, Lin Beifong.

Her bending returned. Her sight was gone. She could feel her daughter on the table, waiting patiently.

"It's over," Toph whispered.

She heard the sound of Lin crying. "That's not fair," she whispered. "You should be able to see all the time."

Toph embraced her daughter tightly. "Lin," she whispered. "The best things in this life cannot be seen. They cannot be heard. They cannot be touched. They must be felt with the heart. Lin, you are my beautiful daughter. Your aura, your heart – that's what makes you beautiful. My blindness isn't a defective, daughter. It's a difference. I can still see you, but not the way you do. And I love you so much."

Toph wiped the tears from her daughter's eyes. She picked up Lin, and headed out the door to her house.

Today was the anniversary of Republic City.

Today, Toph was going to spend the evening with her family.

Today, Toph had met the spirits of Omashu.

Today, Toph had been able to see.

Today, Toph saw her family.

Today, Toph saw her daughter.

Nothing else seemed mattered anymore. She had a home. She had a family. And most importantly, Toph had a beautiful, wonderful, and amazing daughter.

All of that meant more than being able to see.

And she wouldn't trade it for the world.

From the moment I decided to write this story, I knew that Toph just HAD to see her daughter. She HAD to. Not wanted to. HAD to. The idea was a bit better inside my head, and it might've come out a little clunky, but I hope I made it all work somehow.

For those of you who are going to ask about Lin's father, I just thought I'd give an explanation. I decided to keep Toph's husband in the dark for this story. I tried to make everything canon, and since we have no idea who the husband is, where he is, and what happened, I decided to just leave him out of it. If I knew about him I'd write him in, but since he's not technically a character, I kept him out.

For those of you who have managed to follow my story this whole time, THANK YOU SO MUCH. If you wouldn't mind giving me an overall review, I'd appreciate it. Thanks for sticking with me, it means a lot, it being my first fanfiction.

As for a sequel, I'll have to think about that in time. My boyfriend has his leave in about a ten days, so I'm kinda gonna toss my laptop aside and spend time with him. (AND THE MARK OF ATHENA COMES OUT IT ONE WEEK. WHOO-HOO!)

I will still noodle ideas, and perhaps I'll come out with another fic soon.

Thanks again, everyone!