There were many things Lin did with grace and dignity. Childbirth was not one of them.
She was just settling in for a long night of sleep when it happened. Her water broke. "Tenzin!" she shrieked, leaning against the bed for support. "Spirits! Tenzin! It's happening!"
He was by her side in an instant. He looked more afraid than she'd ever seen him. "Already? It's too early!"
"Try telling her that!" Lin wailed, clutching her belly. "Do something!"
"I'll call my mother." He dashed to the telephone.
Lin thought she was going to hyperventilate in his brief absence.
"She's coming on Oogi. It won't be long." Tenzin was sweating and wringing his hands. "What can I do?"
"Trade me places and birth this baby for me," Lin moaned. A series of contractions caused her to spew enough expletives to make him blush.
This was not going to be a pretty night.
The baby was a girl. She was small, but Katara assured them she was healthy. They named her Song for no reason except that Lin liked the sound of it.
Tenzin ached to hold her, but Lin, even exhausted as she was, had an ironclad hold and was too stubborn to share. He had to make do with stroking the infant's head while he tried to coax Lin into giving him a turn.
Finally, after a dozen variations of "Please let me hold her" Lin seemed ready to acquiesce. She looked down at the sleepy gray eyes, the silky wisps of black hair and the delicate hands before saying with a grin, "What are you offering in exchange? It had better be good because I have the most beautiful girl in the world here."
Tenzin joined in the playful mood, but his words were sincere. "I don't have anything of even half her worth," he said gently. "Perhaps you'll be willing to make a deal. I promise to love her and her mother more with every breath for the rest of eternity."
"Seal it with a kiss?" Lin tilted her face to his. He obliged most willingly. Lin carefully placed their daughter in his arms but kept hold of one of her tiny hands. She didn't ever want to let go.
Answers to questions you might have
Is Song an airbender? Yes.
What happened to Pema? (Haha, except no one besides me even cares.) Pema stayed at Air Temple Island as Song's nanny because Lin continued to work. (Like mother like daughter.) Also, Pema met a nice Air Acolyte fellow, and they fell in love. And she remained friends with Lin and Tenzin.
What about the White Lotus? They allowed Lin and Tenzin to marry once they found out Song was an airbender. Then they moved on to finding the Avatar because that was something actually important.
Why didn't I write this information into the story via delightful prose? I tried. It was boring. This way I can give you the information you might want without struggling to make it sound more interesting than it really is.
Are you always lazy? Yes.
Was this worth the wait? Probably not.
Does this make up for all the pain and emotional trauma caused by the real story line? Definitely not.
Are you sorry? Not sorry.
A/N: Thanks again to everyone who stuck with this story. And everyone that reads it ever. It was really fun to write.