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[alwaysroomforhope]

The campsite they eventually pick is in the middle of a large, dead plain, nothing obscuring vision in any direction for hundreds of yards. It might have been a farm once; it's all dead now.

They're all exhausted. It was dark when they'd camped the first time; it's close to midnight by the time the two cars pull off the road and into this field, and it's raining - cold, thick, heavy rain that blows any hope they might have had of making a fire.

Thank everything for Toph.

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[alwaysroomforhope]

Steph leaves Mel with the babies and crawls into the rock tent she and Sokka share, rubbing her forehead anxiously. She's tired and she's worried and she wants to know what happened, exactly - but she just wants to lie still and not move for a little bit, too.

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

Sokka spends some time checking on the cars first, picking rock and debris from the chassis, making sure the wheels haven't been punctured. It takes time, it's methodical and calming.

But when he's finished, there really isn't anything left to distract him. Which means the only thing he can do is go to the rock tent and face Steph.

He tries not to show how much he really wishes he didn't have to as he walks over, ducking inside the flop onto the blankets beside her.

[alwaysroomforhope]

"Mmf," Steph greets him with, wriggling over to worm her way under his arm and bury her face in his shoulder. "Wet."

This translates as 'you should have spent less time in the rain working on the cars, I am very disappointed, etcetera, now hug me for I am sorely in need of hugs.'

Or something similar.

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

"Sorry."

This translates to 'you're warm and soft and I'll say pretty much anything you want so long as you stay close.'

He curls an arm around her shoulders and turns his face into her hair, eyes closing.

[alwaysroomforhope]

Steph relaxes into his side, curling up and sighing softly.

"Was it really bad?" she asks, after a moment.

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

Sokka's face falls, silent and unmoving.

"I don't... really want to talk about it."

Apologetic, unhappy. He won't lie to her, but he doesn't want to detail it either.

[alwaysroomforhope]

"I'll take that as a yes." She wraps one arm over him, hugging him close. "M'kay. Mel gonna be OK? Mel's always OK, what am I saying."

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

"We found Erin's car."

So... maybe it was a good question, actually.

[alwaysroomforhope]

"Oh no."

Steph goes tense, and then flops heavily into his side.

"Oh no."

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

"Yeah."

He sighs and flops back, shoulders hitting the mattress and rubs his eyes with a hand. "So... no, she's not okay. She'll be all right while we're doing stuff, but when we get back, it'll be a problem. I'll... figure something out, talk to her, I just..."

They had to. They had to. But it was duty, not revenge, that started it.

[alwaysroomforhope]

"I'll be there too," Steph assures him, tucking her head into his shoulder, staring up at the rock ceiling blindly. "Oh, Erin."

Steph never had siblings. She's only too aware she can't even begin to understand.

"Anything Mel needs. I can keep Babs off her back, at least."

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

Curling his arm tighter around her, Sokka bows his head to her hair again, making a soft sound of recognition, at least. "Babs? Why would she care?"

[alwaysroomforhope]

Steph tucks her face into his neck. "She called. I told her what we were doing."

Immovable forces. Opposing sides. Steph had to pick one.

The we was deliberate.

"None of her business anyway."

[slayer_fray]

Hana is carried to the tent without much fuss from the sleepy toddler. Loo, however, starts crying very soon after she wakes, and won't stop, demanding to be held by her Mommy.

Mel takes a few minutes to make sure everyone's OK, giving a few more orders than she would usually, then retreats into her tent with Louise still in her arms.

It's nearly an hour before the crying from that tent dies out completely.

[alwaysroomforhope]

They all wake up late in the morning - understandable; it was a long night. Steph manages to get a fire going in spite of the continual rain, and shortly after that she's crouching at the entrance to Mel's tent with a mug of tea and a handful of their pre-packed breakfast bars.

"Morning!"

[slayer_fray]

The advantage of winter months, of course, is that kiddie firebenders wake up at a perfectly reasonable time just like everyone else.

Of course, if they haven't had much sleep, they're still going to wake up at sunrise, tired and tetchy.

Hana greets Steph at the entrance, putting her hands out for a hug despite the tea and bars. "Morning!" she barks, a little like an order.

The other two are further in: Mel with just a shirt on and her legs covered in the blanket, as she struggles to dress a tired, irritable Loo, who's complaining at every turn.

"Morning," Mel offers, sparing only a quick glance at Steph.

[alwaysroomforhope]

"Morning, gorgeous," Steph says, putting Mel's tea down carefully out of the way so she can hug Hana properly. "Brought your breakfast!"

[slayer_fray]

Hana squeezes Steph tight without any intention of letting go.

Mel nods her gratitude, and frowns down at Loo's stubborn refusal to move her arm to help with sweater wearing.

"Breakfast, Louise."

"Dun want."

The advantage of this, of course, is Mel can be preoccupied with an acting up daughter and not worry about herself.

[alwaysroomforhope]

Hana gets kisses, and Steph unwraps a breakfast bar for her behind her back, lifting the toddler onto her lap so she can sit in the entrance. "Suki's hunting," she reports, "so there may or may not be food. Sokka's sleeping. Toph hasn't shown her face yet. Katara's suspiciously quiet and I think I'm going to try to keep her away from Socks for a while. And then there's you."

She waves at Loo cheerfully, unwrapping a second bar that's totally not in any way for Louise not at all nope.

[slayer_fray]

Loo doesn't want it.

"We're grouchy," Mel informs Steph, maybe using 'we' to mean just the twins, maybe including her. "Firebenders weren't meant to wake up in the mid of the night, right, Looloo."

"No," says Loo, sulkily, and then screams in indignation when she looses the battle of the sweater. "Nononononono!"

Mel turns her head away from Steph and Hana to grimace at Loo's screaming. After a second gaining her composure, she pulls Loo into a hug.

[alwaysroomforhope]

Steph nibbles on the end of it and pets Hana's hair. "Nobody was meant to wake up in the middle of the night when they're two," she agrees. "We should get to the lake pretty early today, anyway, if the roads hold out. I think we're gonna skirt the city altogether though. Too dangerous, huh, Hana-banana?"

[slayer_fray]

"Th," says Hana, spitting breakfast bar everywhere because she's trying to speak and eat at the same time, as well as watching her sister worriedly.

Loo is just out and out crying now, and Mel is clutching her like she's still a baby, rocking her gently, kissing her hair and making cooing noises. Over the girl's head, she nods.

"We'll need to get out and walk at some point, if Toph's going to find the right place."

[alwaysroomforhope]

"Yeah. I figure we'll get as close to the lake as we can drive, and then ... I don't know. Let Toph do her thing. I'm so glad she came - I really wasn't looking forward to the diving."

Steph decides to eat Loo's breakfast bar. There's plenty more and Loo isn't interested. She uses her other hand to pick up bits of half-chewed Hana-food and scoop them back towards Hana's mouth.

"The girls will like not being in the car any more, anyway."

[slayer_fray]

"Yeah, Looloo? You wanna go for a walk later?"

It's muffled in Mel's shirt, but Loo protests that "wanna go home." There are more kisses and a hair ruffle.

"Hana does. Right, tiny?"

Hana has her attention divided between Loo's crying and her breakfast, but she does nod solemnly. "Yes."

Mel's smile at the solemnity is 100% genuine, if only 60% happy.

[alwaysroomforhope]

Steph is watching the babies, smiling softly.

"I never had any siblings," she says, out of nowhere. "I don't know - I can't even imagine what it's like..."

To lose them.

"If you want anything - I don't know what to do, but - but anything."