THIRTEEN: Misfortune.

"I'm getting married."

She had never known that three little words could change a person's world so drastically. Toph hadn't even been the one who had said the words. The Earthbender wasn't the one getting married – her mother was. After her father's death, the remaining members of the family had discovered that Lao Bei Fong had been hiding some debts from his family. Well, no. Not some debts – lots of them.

By the time the family had paid most of the debts off and paid for his funeral service, they had to fire most of their servants because they didn't have enough money to keep them employed. Toph's mother had only seen one way out: either she got married or Toph did. Toph couldn't understand why her mother hadn't told Toph to find a suitor, since she was nineteen, but she had just announced to Toph one day that she was accepting the offer of a wealthy Fire Nation man.

Fire Nation.

The move from Gaoling to the Fire Nation wasn't going to be a pleasant one. It was going to take an absurdly long time to arrive with all of their remaining belongings, since there was no air bison to quickly fly them there. Toph sighed as she heard a knock on her door, pausing in her packing.

Slumping to the door, she pulled it open. "What?" she demanded, her mood sour today.

"V-visitor," stammered one of the few remaining servants. He quickly bowed and backed out of her room. "I-in the garden. Sorry for disturbing you, Miss Bei Fong."

The black-haired young woman was scowling as she walked into the garden, though the creases in her forehead smoothed immediately as she realized who was waiting for her there. "Sokka?" she asked, surprised.

He turned, grinning at his friend. His hair was longer now, shaggier. It reminded her of the late Hakoda's hair. "Hey, Toph!"

"Why are you here?" she blurted out without thinking.

"I'm visiting you." He said, sounding slightly offended. Why didn't she want him to visit her?

Toph slowly nodded, chewing on her bottom lip. "Okay. Um. Take a seat."

He looked around, noticing for the first time that all of their stone benches that used to decorate the garden were gone. "Where are – "

"Oh. Here." She struck out with her arms, drawing a wide bench up from the earth. "There you go. Sorry."

"What happened to your benches? And what happened to your house?" she could tell from his incredulous voice that he was looking inside the house, where servants were wrapping up all sorts of pots and fine furniture.

"I'm – no, we're - moving," she said with a sigh, shoulders slumping as she stared blankly at the ground.

"Oh." He scratched the side of his nose, thinking. "Where?"

"Remember the town where Aang went to school?" Toph asked dully.

"Mmm…" he searched his mind, thinking back all those seven years ago. "Yeah. The one with the cave." He remembered how she had Earthbended raised stands for the musicians.

"Right. Well, my mom and I are moving there."

"What?" he asked, his eyes going wide. When she was in Goaling, it didn't take him long to visit her if he had a boat with him. Maybe a day or two's journey. But now, if she moved all the way to the Fire Nation, it'd take him a week. At least. "Why?"

"My dad left us debts. My mom is remarrying for money." Sokka couldn't figure out if she decided ashamed or scared. Maybe both.

He looked at her blankly. "If you need money, why didn't you ask me? Or Zuko? He's got a whole room full of gold trinkets I'm sure he'd be happy to melt down for you."

"Since when have I ever wanted charity?" she asked, trying to grin over at him. "The Blind Bandit never asks for help."

He sighed. "Sure you have."

"Have not."

"Yeah, you have."

"No."

"Yes."

"When have I ever asked for help?" she challenged, looking over at him.

He sighed again. "I remember you yelling help when you fell into the water at the Serpent's Pass. Or was that someone else who looked exactly like you?"

Her face burned. "I blocked that from my memory." Toph told him. It had been embarrassing enough that she had made Suki jump into the water to save her, but also that she had mistaken her for Sokka and had given her a kiss on the cheek. She'd rather forget that memory.

"Really? Why? Because you asked for help?"

"No." She picked invisible lint off of her sleeve, not intent on elaborating.

"Then why?"

"Because…" she paused. Might as well tell him, Toph. You're moving a long way away from him, anyway. And it's been years. Just tell him. It was stupid and you were kids. "Because I kissed Suki on the cheek."

"… What?" he sounded confused and a little startled. "You mean you liked – "

"No!" she cut him off, her cheeks burning again. "No! I didn't like her! I thought she was you! You yelled that you were coming in to get me, then someone was in the water. I thought it was you."

He blinked. "You were going to kiss me on the cheek?"

"You would have just saved my life."

"Damn." I should have jumped in there.

She scowled. "What?"

"Nothing. So, you're moving… Are you sure there's nothing I could do?"

"I don't think so. Unless you want to build a new house for me." She joked, shaking her head.

But Sokka's face suddenly lit up, a grin stretching across his features. "That's it."

"What's it?"

"I could build you a house!"

She blinked, before scowling again. "Stop it. No, you couldn't."

"Why not?"

"Well. One – you have no Earth Kingdom money. Two – you'd have to buy land first, something that's in scarce supply. Three – how am I supposed to live in this house? I don't have a job. You'd give me a house that I'd have to sell. Four – "

"No, no." he said, briefly placing a dark hand over her mouth to muffle her as she listed her reasons. "I could build you a house in the Water Tribe."

"… what?" she asked as he removed his hand, stunned. "Why would you build me a house there?"

"Because you need a house. I'm chief. We could build you a house, easily. You live there. You'd never be poor or have to marry some guy you didn't want to or -"

"Or be able to Earthbend. Or feel my toes."

He frowned. He hadn't thought about that. "I think there's land underneath our snow. Some land. So you could Earthbend. And you would get use to the cold. Think about it, Toph! You could either live with your mother in some Fire Nation guy's house, completely unhappy. Or you could come live with me and Katara. Aang visits a lot. So does Zuko. It'd be like old times. You would be happy."

It was tempting. So tempting. She'd be with her friends and all the people she loved and she could even Earthbend. But her mother… "I don't know if I should just leave my mom all alone with some guy she doesn't know."

"But you left her when you were travelling with us." He pointed out. "She'd be fine. If you want, you could go with her to the Fire Nation. I'd meet you there. Once she's settled and everything, I'll take you to the Southern Water Tribe. Okay?"

She bit her lip. It would probably be better that way… she couldn't see herself being happy as she moped around this Fire Nation man's house. Toph rose from the bench. "I should go ask her."

He grinned as he watched her walk back into her house. He was sure her mother would say yes. And even if she didn't – Toph was nineteen. She didn't have to follow her mother's orders anymore. Not that she ever did, really.

Sokka couldn't believe it. Toph was going to live with him. Er, with him and Katara. Yes. He felt his heart soar in his chest. He would get to see her every day. He couldn't believe it. After Katara, Toph was the person he was closest to. Maybe he was even closer to Toph than his own sister. He wouldn't have to go a week or two without seeing her, anymore. She'd be there every time he woke up and every time he went to sleep. At breakfast she would be there. Lunch. Dinner. On fishing trips.

I'm the luckiest man in the world. I just convinced the woman I love to come and live with me.

I don't like this one, either. It turned out so differently than I imagined. I'm going to have to train my fingers to write what I want them to write, darn it.