This is an amateur, non-commercial story, which is not produced, approved of, or in any way sponsored by the holders of the trademarks/copyrights from which this work is derived, nor is it intended to infringe on the rights of these holders. And so it goes.

THE GREAT COVER-UP

Pema's pounding head emphasized her sole thought as she woke up: she should have known better.

Yes, it had been Ryoko's birthday last night, and yes, several of the acolytes had invited her to join them in an impromptu party in Republic City. Ryoko was a sweetheart and a fantastic assistant in the kitchen, so Pema felt obligated to go. But she should have maintained a more maternal, parental figure, especially when the party moved to a local bar. And she certainly shouldn't have indulged in a "Meelo's Mom", a particularly lethal cocktail composed of several fine components and a splash of cactus juice. The drink's signature symbol was the four olives neatly lined up on the stick—the third of which was stuffed with a hot pepper. No, Pema should never have drunk that "Meelo's Mom".

Or the next one. Or the one after that. Or the one…well, after three it was hard to remember much of anything.

Fortunately she'd made it back to the Island in one piece and landed into bed without Tenzin stirring. And he'd been kind enough to let her sleep in this morning, but if the sun outside was any indication it was past time to get up. Pema sighed and pushed the covers aside, and as she reluctantly rose to her feet she noticed the square bandage on her right breast.

Trembling slightly, Pema slowly peeled back the bandage. And there, sitting proudly just above her nipple, was an Air Nation symbol, perfectly tattooed.

"Oh dear."

"Don't look at me," Ryoko grumped as she chopped vegetables. "I kept telling you to put it on your butt, and you kept giggling that Tenzin didn't like it that way."

"What am I going to do?" Pema groaned. She wrapped her hands around the warm tea cup and shook her head. "What was I thinking? There's no way he won't notice it!"

"You could try makeup, but that might rub off." Ryoko gingerly shook her head, wincing at the motion. "You may as well fess up, Boss. Who knows, he might find it a bit of a turn-on."

"The only tattoos that would turn him on are blue and pointed." Pema sipped at her tea. "You know, I actually considered doing that once for his birthday—have someone paint them on. But I chickened out."

"Thanks. I really needed that mental image to go along with my hangover." Ryoko set the vegetables aside and cleaned her knife. "Seriously, you might as well come clean. Are you going to tell me he's never done anything dumb in his life?"

"I doubt it. Katara said that he was very serious and sensitive growing up. Kya once told me she believed he came out of the womb a sixty-year-old man. I won't tell you what Bumi said…"

"Oh go on," Ryoko urged.

Pema smiled slightly. "Bumi told me that Tenzin inherited his mother's sense of humor."

Ryoko whistled low. "Ouch."

"He'll be furious," Pema fretted. "What do I do?"

"Are you ready for bed, dear?" Tenzin called. Pema stood behind the bathroom door, her chest pounding. She'd initially planned to wear a flannel nightgown that covered everything, but oh no, it just had to warm up this week. Desperate, she'd conceived a plan that if all went well might work. Crossing her fingers, Pema slipped her robe on and emerged, smiling brightly.

"There you are," Tenzin teased. "I was wondering what was keeping you."

"Well, I want to be sure I'm still pretty enough for you," Pema replied. She sat down on the bed and switched off the lamp, plunging the bedroom into total darkness. Off came the robe and under the covers she went: mission accomplished.

"Should I take this as a hint you're not interested in bedtime reading?" Tenzin murmured, nuzzling her neck and sliding his arms around her.

"You could," Pema sighed as she surrendered to the seduction.

Kya leaned forward and studied the tattoo. "Very nice. I've seen some really bungled ones over the years. Doesn't look like it's infected or anything—what's the problem?"

"Can you get rid of it?" Pema pleaded.

Kya stepped back and blinked. "What?"

"I…I had it done under less than ideal circumstances," Pema said as she quickly covered the tattoo back up. "Tenzin will be furious with me if he sees it."

"I'd say that with you two, it's more a question of 'when' than 'if'," Kya pointed out with a grin.

"I can turn the lights out at bedtime," Pema said quickly.

Kya nodded sagely. "Let's see. That only leaves you with a problem with mornings, mid-mornings after meditation, lunchtime, mid-afternoon in the office, pre-dinner, post-dinner… Yeah, you shouldn't have any problem." Her grin spilled over into laughter.

"We don't do it THAT much," Pema retorted, her ears burning.

"Oh yes you do," Kya snorted. Regaining her composure, the healer took a deep breath. "Look, if you're really determined to have it removed, I'd suggest seeing Lin."

"I don't understand."

"Tattoo ink has very faint metal traces," Kya answered. "You'd need a really good metalbender to even attempt it, so short of Suyin or Toph, Lin's your best bet." She shook her head in amusement. "Frankly, I don't see why you're so panicked about this. So what if you have an Air Nation tattoo? He won't mind, and let's be honest, he's the only one who'll see it."

"I can't take that chance. You know how he gets," Pema replied. "Thanks, Kya. I appreciate the advice."

"Anytime," Kya said with a chuckle.

"The lights off, again?" Tenzin chuckled as he pulled Pema to him. "Three nights in a row, now."

"It's a turn-on," Pema teased as she let his hands roam freely across her body. The man definitely knew what he was doing, no question about that.

"I was beginning to wonder if I'd upset you," he murmured as his lips explored here and there. "After all, you didn't come to my office this afternoon. Master Tenzin was very disappointed with his naughty acolyte…"

"Oh, Master Tenzin, forgive me!" Pema cried. "I'll do anything to make it up to you…anything…"

Lin stared at the tattoo, looked up at Pema, then back at the tattoo. "You want me to what?"

"Well, Kya said that maybe a metalbender could pull the ink off and remove it," Pema explained, turning a bit pink in the process. "And everyone knows that you're the best metalbender in Republic City…and you're a good friend. Lin, can't you help me?"

Beifong considered. "I'm not sure," she finally admitted. "You'd need someone with pinpoint accuracy, like my mother. And Pema…even if I could, it would hurt like hell." She shook her head. "Mom told me Korra managed to remove the vestigial traces of that poison in her body, and it really took a lot out of her in the process. You could check with her, but frankly, I don't think she's got metalbending down that that level."

"Great," Pema groaned. "What am I going to do?"

"Pema, why is this such a big deal? Tenzin won't care—if anything, he might find it a turn-on." She snickered evilly. "We could take you over to a guy I know and get you a big blue arrow that points down to your…"

"No thank you," Pema declared. "Thanks for looking, Lin. I've got to think about this some more."

Tenzin's arms slid around Pema's chest. "I don't suppose…" he breathed into her ear.

"I…think I could be persuaded," Pema panted. "Come on. The kids are outside for now. We've got some time before lunch." She half-pulled, half-dragged him into the bedroom and hiked the lower half of her robes up. "Come on!"

Tenzin shook his head. "Don't you want to get undressed first?"

"No! We haven't done it this way in ages! Hurry!"

"It's kind of cute, Pema. Why do you want to get rid of it?" Asami stepped back and regarded her guest with no small degree of confusion. "I bet Tenzin would love it."

"Yeah. What's the problem?" Korra chimed in. Much to Pema's embarrassment the Avatar had insisted on staying. "I mean, I've got a tattoo and it's no big deal." She grinned dirtily. "It's a Future Industries logo on my tush."

"Just staking my territory out," Asami said smugly.

"You should hear what Asami got, and where…" Korra began, but Asami shushed her with a glance. "Pema, I really can't help you," she said with a resigned shrug. "To be honest, it's not the kind of thing we'd be interested in doing. I mean, where's the need?"

"Well, I need it," Pema sighed despondently.

"Pema, I can say with all confidence Tenzin won't even notice," Asami assured her.

"Unless he likes boobs," Korra pointed out. That got her another warning from Asami. "Well, you never know," the Avatar pleaded in her defense.

"There is no way he can miss this," Pema said, shaking her head. "I suppose I could see if Varrick could…" She looked up in horror. "Spirits! What was I thinking?"

"Pema, really. He won't mind. Just show him and get it over with." Asami walked her to the door. "It'll be all right, I'm sure."

Pema sighed heavily. "I hope you're right…"

Pema soaked in the bath and glumly considered her options. To her great relief Tenzin had returned from the Republic City Summit Meeting far later than expected last night, so she was able to already be in bed by the time he arrived. She couldn't continue to rely on luck and ingenuity, though. She was really running out of options; she was just going to have to present him with the bare facts and hope for the best.

Tenzin suddenly burst through the door. "Don't mind me, dear. I just need to floss. Something from breakfast is making my teeth hurt. I'm sorry I got in so late, but you know how Raiko loves to talk. You add Wu into the mix, and…" He paused and stared down at his wife's naked body. "Is that a tattoo on your breast?"

Pema trembled and bit her lip. "Ummm….yes. I got it in Republic City during Ryoko's birthday party." She waited for the storm to erupt.

"I see." Tenzin nodded to himself as he considered the situation. "I'm very disappointed in you, Pema," he finally said.

"I'm sorry," she squeaked.

"Why you would consider doing something like this…" Realization dawned on him. "This is why you've been so…determined. Having the lights off and such." His frown deepened. "Did you really think you could keep this from me forever?" he asked, his voice rising.

"Tenzin…"

"Pema, as Master of this island," Tenzin bellowed, "I cannot tolerate such willful disregard for my wishes and such disrespect for the Air Nation. I'm sorry, but you leave me no choice!"

Pema sank a bit deeper into the bath waters, wondering if drowning was an option.

Tenzin drew a deep breath. "Pema, I am ordering you to appear in my office this afternoon after my 2 o'clock class…whereupon I will conduct a full, lengthy and…thorough…examination of your body to make sure you're not hiding any other secrets from me." He raised an expectant eyebrow. "Is that understood, young lady?"

Pema blinked once, twice, three times. "Uhhh, yes. Yes, Master Tenzin. I'll be there."

"Good. Afterwards, we'll discuss your…punishment." The barest hint of a smile could be seen on his face as he left the bathroom. Pema sank back into the warm waters and relaxed with a sigh. "I knew there was a sense of humor lurking somewhere in him…thank the spirits…"

She made a mental note to arrive at his office promptly at three. Of course, tardiness might result in additional 'punishment'…Pema giggled as she finally emerged from the tub. This was going to be fun.