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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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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.

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.

"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.

"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.

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

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

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.

"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."

"We found Erin's car."

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

"Oh no."

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

"Oh no."

"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.

"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."

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?"

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."

Sokka's eyes open, staring at the rock in front of his face, boring holes into it.

"What did she say?"

"Not much." Steph has her eyes shut, her face in his neck; she can't see. "Didn't need to. I said some pretty dumb stuff, though. I should probably apologise."

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.

Sokka is silent at first, scowling angrily at the rock wall.

"She told you we were wrong?"

"There's always another way," Steph repeats miserably. "It's supposed to be our lives - the Bats - before anyone else's, even filthy scum cannibals. Babs is just ... really disappointed that I didn't try to stop you or, I don't know, throw myself in front of them or something. It's what we're supposed to do."

She makes an unhappy, angry noise and flops over to her back, doing her own scowling at the rock.

"But that's - it just doesn't make sense any more. And what else were we supposed to do? We had to! Even if I had the choice again I still wouldn't stop you!"

"Fuck her."

Growled, angry, protective, his arms tightening around her. "What the fuck does she know? If she wants to roll her ass out here and find a way to stop them, she can be my fucking guest. Until then, she can shut up."

Steph blinks at him, startled out of her own sulk, and leans over to kiss his cheek, arms tightening around him in response.

"'s what I said to her too," she says, lips twisted in a not-really-smile. "She doesn't - I don't know. It's not like it was in Gotham."

Her reaction calms him - or ashames him. One of the two.

Taking a deep breath, Sokka closes his eyes and ducks his face against her shoulder. "It's not... but I know it's hard for you."

"'s not easy for you either," Steph points out, slipping her hand up to run her fingers through his hair gently. "Anyone who thinks it is is blind or deluded or both."

"I didn't grow up thinking I'd never have to kill," Sokka points out softly, wrapping an arm around her waist, hand gentle at her ribs. "I'm sorry. That it happened."

She nods, playing with his hair softly. "It's not your fault - you shouldn't apologise for anything, Socks. Things just happen. And I - I don't know, maybe I was always going to end up being kicked out of the Bats. I'm okay with it being because I wanted to stay with you."

Frowning, Sokka rolls toward her, sliding a hand up her back. "Yeah, but..."

It's what she always wanted.

He kisses her cheek and sighs, eyes closing. "I'm sorry anyway."

It's like the dog, her first kill.

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