They got a second chance, but what will they do with it? I a parallel-canon story taking place in Book III of Legend of Korra.

This story is part of the 'A Second Glance' series.

I do not own any part of Avatar: Legend of Korra, It's universe or its characters. Nickelodeon does.

Dawn was such a merciless master when it sifted through the tall pane windows to pry Korra awake and back to the living world. She could hear it in the birdsongs outside of the sill and distantly note it in the ache of her contorted muscles, but then she began to smell it in the perfume of the other woman's hair flung carelessly around her chin and feel it in the warmth of two bodies nestled impossibly close. Gradually she opened her eyes and saw that they, which was to say she and Asami, had fallen asleep on the heiress' sitting room couch, tangled into a knotted chaos of limbs, hair and pillows. Asami was beneath her, mostly, with one leg tucked around her hips and an arm hanging half-off the sofa's edge. Korra's arms were layered around the heiress and her cheek rested in the nook between shoulder and throat while their hair mingled on the pillow behind them.

Seeing how it was she had fallen asleep, Korra stifled any attempt to actually wake up and chose to simply study the sharp lines of her girlfriend's slumbering features instead. This close, she could smell not only Asami's perfume but the heady fragrance that was all her own and the combination had a dazing affect on the Avatar. She loved the way that Asami smelled, and she loved the way her skin brushed so softly against hers in the places where it was barred. The engineer was wearing a pleated skirt and long-sleeved blouse, but Korra had managed to talk the heir to Future Industries into at least relaxing out of her stockings and shoes the night before and she couldn't resist letting her right hand trail to the knee that was propped up around her hips. Surely Asami wouldn't notice.

"Korra," the engineer mumbled, objecting sleepily and the Water Tribe girl made a sheepish smirk.

"You're awake," she noted in a groggy voice, nuzzling deeper into Asami's neck.

"Mmm..." came the reply and slowly Asami shifted just a bit underneath her. "I guess we did it again."

Korra yawned, nodding. This must have been the third time that they'd fallen asleep on the sofa after coming back to the Sato manor late and buzzed from food and laughter and one another's company. She could remember them putting on a radio story about an old man living off the sea and she supposed that that had been the culprit of them both dozing off. She adjusted herself some, wincing at the soreness that the couch had caused.

"You know," she pointed out as she perched her weight up on one hand, looking down at Asami. "We wouldn't be this sore in the morning if we were sleeping in a bed..." she grinned, leaning to place her lips against Asami's. She only managed to hold the kiss for a few moments however before Asami broke from her, making a show of untangling from one another.

"That's a good point, I'll have Meng set you up in one of the guest rooms," she offered, getting to her feet and straightening her skirt. Korra sat up properly to watch her, a somber smile on her features. She had known better than to try to suggest that they sleep together, but it was difficult to not tease Asami sometimes and besides, maybe one of these days she'd get more than a chaste kiss and a handshake from her girlfriend. Korra didn't mind the reserved affection, in actuality. It had been only two weeks since her breakup with Mako and she understood perfectly well that Asami needed time to trust her properly again. After everything which she had put the engineer through in the past year, Korra was fine with the waiting and she didn't care how long it would last: she'd do anything she needed to in order to win Asami, even if that meant a hundred more nights on the couch. At least she was still sleeping close to the woman she loved.

Asami stretched and wobbled her way towards the phone on the sitting room table, placing it against her ear and swiveling the dial to a number. After a moment, Korra heard a voice on the other line and saw Asami answer past a yawn.

"Morning Meng. Yes. The upstairs sitting room. Yes. No, no I'm fine. No, really. Yes, she stayed the night," she placed a hand over the receiver and looked over at Korra. "You staying for breakfast?"

Korra nodded. She probably had something to do somewhere, but she couldn't recall it off the top of her head and if it wasn't important enough to remember at once then it wasn't important enough to leave Asami over. The heiress went back to the receiver and had half a conversation while Korra looked for and pulled on her fur-lined boots.

"Oh, did he? How long ago? All right, I'll give her the message," she was saying and Korra rolled her eyes as the engineer ended the call.

"Tenzin?"

"Yes," she turned to look at her, mouth twisted in an unhappy line. "He called first thing this morning."

"I'll be eighteen in less than three months, does he have to follow my every move?" Korra groaned, rolling her shoulders as she stood up.

Asami shrugged. "He knows you're out with me..." she gave her a wry little grin. "So he's got cause to worry."

Korra grinned too and walked close enough to put her hands around Asami's lower back. She loved to have her arms around Asami. "Yeah, you're the bad influence in this friendship."

"Well," she looked up and to her left as she counted. "We've wrecked... one moped, one satomobile, and two aeroplanes together. We don't have a great track record for keeping the peace."

Korra chuckled. "Don't forget that camp in the South Pole."

"Can we really take credit for that, though? That was mostly Bumi's doing."

She scoffed. "I'm taking credit for it, I'm the Avatar."

Asami laughed and leaned to peck Korra's bottom lip, and Korra pecked hers back. She could feel Asami hesitate in her arms as she took another brief, light kiss, but then Asami gave her one too. She didn't want to dare to hope that she'd be allowed to do anything other than share such tame affection, but Korra carefully touched her lips to Asami's again and the heiress' mouth deftly moved against hers... and then suddenly parted from the kiss all together.

"Um," she was blushing and looking downwards. "You should probably go ahead and call Tenzin. See what he wants."

"Yeah," she relented and nodded her head, dropping her hands. She was probably blushing too, judging by how hot her face felt and she realized with surprise that she was now very, very awake. She picked up the receiver and circled around the dial for the number to Air Temple Island, thinking through how she was going to explain her night away this time. In the fortnight that they'd been back in Republic City, Korra had spent some three nights at the Sato manor and Asami had stayed a few with her on Air Temple Island. They both preferred the manor, but Tenzin had a tendency to get agitated if he thought that Korra was ignoring her airbending rituals and besides, Asami enjoyed the company of the airbenders. Just not the beds.

The ringer went off three times before Tenzin answered.

"Hello, this is Master Tenzin at Air Temple Island," he stated formally and Korra rolled her eyes.

"Hey, Tenzin. It's me."

"Korra? Where are you?"

"...Asami's. You called here a little while ago."

"Ah, right. I thought you may have gone to examine the spirit vines already."

Korra groaned. Ever since Harmonic Convergence the city had been under regular assault by an absolute abundance of massive vines, seemingly from the spirit world. No matter how often or diligently they studied the growth (or how many fire balls she threw), no one had yet been able to figure out where they all came from or how to keep them from taking the city over entirely. As it was, there were whole neighborhoods lost to what was being named the 'Spirit Wilds'.

"I forgot that we were going to do that today."

"I see. Did you also forget that you have a press conference with Raiko this afternoon?"

Korra's full blown eyeroll, shoulder slump, and heaving sigh was proof that she had in fact forgotten about the press conference. "No... I'll be there. I'll meet you on the corner of Fifth and Central in... two hours?" She really wanted to be able to stay for breakfast with Asami.

"Make it an hour and a half. We've already lost too much of the morning." It was barely eight o'clock.

"Okay," she sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose and then hung up the phone without a goodbye. She looked over at Asami, who was watching her with patient sympathy.

"Avatar duties?"

She nodded. "I'm really not looking forward to this press conference. What if I don't have anything good to tell them?"

"You can't think that way, sweetheart," the heiress advised, running a hand up her shoulder affectionately. "Don't get all pouty before you even look at the problem."

She huffed, blowing her tussled bangs out of her face, but gave her girlfriend a reluctant grin. "Yeah, okay."

Asami smiled at her and Korra wondered at how the woman was so stunning so early in a day. Why did she even bother with make-up when she looked like that in the morning? "I'll come to the conference, that way if you don't have any good news you can just kiss me in front of the photographers and everyone will forget about the vines."

Korra laughed and Asami grabbed her hand, squeezing it as she started to lead her out of the sitting room and into the hallway. They took a few steps together while Korra considered the wisdom in what she would say next, but finally figured that it was a topic worth broaching.

"Do you really want me to?"

"What? Kiss me?"

"In front of everyone. Because I will," she stated firmly, looking at her. "If you want me to." She'd broken up with Asami before because of how unsure she'd felt about being in a public relationship with a woman, but it was important to her that Asami knew that she didn't care about that anymore. She liked to think that she knew her own heart a little better now, and she didn't care if the rest of the world knew that too.

Asami looked away, smiling softly to herself. "Maybe someday," she said after a bit while they started down the stairs. "But I think we need to get your approval rating up some before we flabbergast everyone with something new. If we make our relationship public now it's only going to distract from what you're trying to do with the spirit portals opening and..." she smirked at her. "I think that's a little more important right now than who you're going to the movies with." A thought seemed to occur to her and her jade eyes flashed a shade of venom. "As long as you're going with me."

Korra laughed and clenched the hand in hers. "You're the only person I'm going anywhere with," she promised and meant it. All she wanted was to be around Asami, whether it was in a cinema or at a diner or even meditating on the island. The place didn't matter, only the company.

Just as she had predicted, the press conference went less than well. Korra was glad to at least have one supportive face in the crowd, but the demands of the press and journalists managed to overshadow even Asami's quiet encouragement. They wanted to know why the Avatar had done this to Republic City and if the vines which were creeping through the streets were all part of her new design for the Republic. The accusations were not only unfounded but infuriatingly ludicrous and it was with great effort on Korra's part that she kept from telling the crowd to go sit on a vine themselves. Instead, she roared something about how she was doing her best, which was still better than the rest of them could say, which they only rolled their eyes at. Raiko was even less helpful but fortunately the whole event was over in under ten agonizing minutes, leaving Korra despondent on the city hall stairs. It was difficult to recall that her morning had been so pleasant.

"This is a disaster," she sighed as Asami joined her at the steps, looking at her boots and fidgeting with her glider staff.

"No it's not, we can still figure out how to fix this," the heiress promised.

"Yeah, that's real easy for you to say. You don't have my poll numbers. An 8% approval rating?" She shook her head in wonder. "Where are these people that are still approving?"

Asami placed a hand on her arm. "Don't take all of that to heart. A lot has happened so fast and everyone is just frustrated right now."

She snorted. " Well I don't blame them. I'm the Avatar, I should be able to fix this."

Without bothering to see if they were noticed, Asami slipped her arm around Korra's and started to lead her off the steps. "Sweetheart, what did I say about you and spirits?"

"...That I should quit hitting them with fireballs?" She attempted a sidelong grin, and Asami nudged her in response.

"No," she answered in a dry tone.

Korra heaved another sigh but her features lifted some as they walked. "That I'd figure it out. That I always figure it out, it just takes me time."

"Exactly. So..."

"So, I'll figure this out too," she finished for her with a vaguely mocking lilt, which won her a narrow glance in return. Korra grinned at her and Asami rolled her eyes.

"Smartass."

Arm-in-arm they approached Asami's newest car: a sportster in clean black lines and white trim. Korra knew that her engineer girlfriend had designed it herself and done most of the labor with her own hands, which was at times impossible for her to imagine. Asami was endlessly surprising when she was casually shifting between aristocrat to mechanic and then to capable warrior. The Avatar broke from her to slide over the hood and then hop into the passenger seat.

"Korra." Asami frowned as she opened her driver's side door.

"What?" The Water Tribe girl laughed back, hands open at her sides. She knew perfectly well why Asami was scolding her. "You should try it. It's a skill!"

Asami's jade eyes became slits as she eyed her, and then wordlessly she left the driver's side to walk some twenty feet in front of the car. She turned on heel, and Korra was taken aback as the woman suddenly rushed at the car from an angle and then took a jump to slip across the hood-piece and land smoothly on her side of the car again.

"Huh," she scoffed and flipped her ebony hair over her shoulder. "That's actually sort of fun."

Korra meanwhile was sitting with her cheeks three shades of pink and her knuckle to her lips to keep from bursting into giggles.

"What is it?" Asami demanded warily, looking at her but the girl only glanced at Asami's leg where her skirt had ridden up nearly to her hip, showing garters and soft white thigh. The heiress followed her glance and gasped, blushing brightly as she snatched her skirt back into place and looked around them for anyone who might have noticed. Korra lost her tentative control of her laughter and bent over the seat, giggling. "You're just the worst sometimes, Korra," Asami smarted as she joined her in the car, shutting the door a bit loudly.

She stuck her key in the ignition while Korra sobered up and leaned closer. "No one saw you," she appealed, still chuckling. "At least no one that matters."

Asami blushed all over again while she put the car into gear and started in the direction of the docks. "Let's just get away from this side of town," she suggested primly, pulling them into the streets.

"Let's just get out of town," Korra countered. She sat with her arms stretched behind the red leather seat, watching Asami drive with a small, impish smirk. "Come to Air Temple Island for dinner."

Asami arched a brow at her. "And stay for the night?" She guessed wryly.

Korra just smiled back. "I mean, if you're going to insist."

She chuckled and drove through a green light, tapping her fingers methodically on the steering wheel.

"I'll come to dinner," she faltered a moment more. "But, you don't think that we're spending too much time together, do you?"

"No," the Avatar answered automatically and her face fell some. "Do you?"

Asami's gaze tore from the road to hers. "No," she smiled softly as they cruised towards the Republic City harbor and the ferry which would take them together to the island. "Not at all."

What Asami liked best about Air Temple Island was the warmth, and noise. She loved how the common rooms filled with the cheerful faces of the acolytes and how the Airbender family bickered and laughed and tugged at each-other's heartstrings, while Master Tenzin sat stonily by with his expression of long endured annoyance. Compared to the arching silence of her family manor, the Temple with its smoldering incense, vegetarian dishes, and stiff cot beds was a holiday reprieve and one which she had missed terribly during the months when she and Korra weren't speaking. Now that she was comfortable with being on the island again, she had been accepted with open arms by the family and it was touching in so many ways to be welcomed by people who wanted nothing more from her than her companionship.

After dinner they all retired to the lounge for a while to talk about Bumi's recent and startling bending awakening (the retired general had suddenly began airbending at the start of his golden years), and then when the bells tolled ten she and the other guests (Bolin was staying with the airbenders as well) made for their respective dormitories. The women's dormitories also had a common room and, unsurprisingly, Jinora and Ikki both followed with her and Korra to stay up late and play games on the woven bamboo mats. The sisters were pretty good at dice, but Ikki tended to get frustrated if Jinora won too many times in a row and when they finally erupted into arguing, Korra ordered them both home.

"Aw but Korra," Ikki whined. "We weren't even fighting!"

"Yeah, we weren't really fighting," Jinora insisted but Korra took to her feet, pointing for the door.

"You guys know the rule. Besides, it's waaay past your bedtime and Pema's going to be mad enough at me for letting you stay up this late."

Asami smirked; she liked to see Korra taking on an older sister role with the girls with such familiarity. It made her more a part of the airbender family, and by association made Asami feel closer to them too.

Ikki tossed a spot-on bottom lip pout at Asami next, somehow sure that the heiress could override a decision made by Korra but she only shrugged helplessly back. "It's time for bed, girls."

"Ugh," Ikki groused and stomped her foot, but Jinora was more accepting of the policy and grasped her sister's shoulders to lead her out of the common room.

"C'mon. Say goodnight," she advised and Ikki threw a half-hearted 'goodnight' over her shoulder as they left and made for their family's quarters.

Korra shook her head, looking after them, and then turned back to Asami with a lifted brow. "Those little monsters don't know when to stop." She took a step nearer and then slumped quite gracefully to her knees and then forward until her head was rested in Asami's lap. The engineer chuckled and started to pull the Water Tribe girl's hair free of her ties.

"I never wanted to go to bed when I was little. All the best things happen at night. I could watch the city lights from the hall window and I always wanted to run downtown see the pretty dresses and cars," she reminisced as she pet through Korra's tangled hair with her nails.

"I couldn't see anything for miles," Korra responded with a yawn while Asami's fingers curled to caress down her bronze cheek. "Just arctic tundra and mountains and stars..." she smiled softly. "But I guess now, you can see the Southern Lights dancing."

The heiress smiled too. "Because you brought them back." Surprisingly, it was easy to forget that one of the dearest people in her life was capable of accomplishing such awesome things. Most of the time Asami only saw 'Korra', with her hard grin and her determined pouting. She saw an amazing waterbender, and a talented athlete and a beautiful young woman but it occasionally took a small reminder for her to see the Avatar nestled in her lap. "Can I ask you something?"

Korra looked up at her, grinning so charmingly that it nearly hurt. "Of course."

"What's it like, to be part spirit? What did it feel like to be giant and blue?"

She laughed and closed her eyes, getting comfortable in Asami's lap. "I can't say what it feels like to be part spirit, because I've always been part spirit. I just didn't know it. I don't think I could explain it any better than you could explain not having a spirit of peace and light." She got quiet a moment and the engineer continued to stroke her fingers down the curves of her face. When she continued, her voice grew pensive. "When I went into the Tree of Time... it was like I had been severed from all of these parts of me but they didn't just go away. Something was still there inside of me. Tenzin said that it was my own personal spiritual center but maybe it was more than that. He's a master but he couldn't have made that sort of connection, and I think that it's because I've had so many past lives. Even if I can't connect to them, they happened. I think that I learned how to open my chakras and connect with the universe so many times that it's almost ingrained. Like a path my soul knows so well because it created it. And then when I found my way it was like..." she opened her eyes and her expression was distantly unaware of the room. Asami realized that she wasn't looking at the wall, but something beyond the room and possibly even them.

"Like what?"

"...It was like diving. Like I kept plunging deeper. I wasn't even aware of my spirit growing until I was standing in the bay." She sighed. "But it was still different from entering the Avatar state."

"What's that like?" She asked, tucking threads of Korra' dark brown hair behind her ear. The girl glanced up at her and her wicked smile widened.

"Do you want to see?"

Asami wasn't sure about that grin. "...All right," she answered warily, wondering at once what mischief her girlfriend had in mind.

Korra sat up suddenly and folded her legs, sitting so closely across from her that their knees touched. She pushed her fists together and took a deep, meditative breath. Asami watched her, intrigued, and then there was a pulsing shutter which the heiress could feel all the way into her chest. She knew, instinctively, that something had changed in the woman even before Korra opened her eyes to reveal orbs glowing like starlight. The transformation was almost startling and she wondered if it really was the Korra she knew and loved sitting across from her, or something else.

And then the Avatar grinned and held out her hands for Asami's. She looked to Korra's hands and haltingly lay her fingers in her palms. Korra gripped her, still smirking, and leaned carefully towards her and after only a moment of trepidation they met in a kiss unlike any Asami had ever shared with someone before. The light in Korra's eyes was in her mouth, pressing to her lips with an intoxicating vibration, soft and quick like a heartbeat. She could feel more than Korra, she was swallowing the warm glow of the spirit world; breathing in the essence of timelessness. Tingling mouths parted and tongues danced but she was aware of so much more than the passion of two hearts. She felt lightheaded, both warm and cool, and the buzzing of Korra's constant energy seemed to flow directly into her. In the Avatar state, Korra was wound by the duality of her own nature and that realization broke their kiss.

Asami leaned her forehead to Korra's, eyes shut as she gasped from the intensity of the moment. She could feel the Avatar spirit dissipate and vanish, and then it was her Korra pressed to her again.

"...Sorry," Korra panted after a minute of quiet. "Was that too much?"

She shook her head slightly, not separating from her. "Just... different." She could feel Korra smile and then she cupped her hands to the Water Tribe girl's cheeks to pull her to her lips again, wanting to replace the taste of spirit with the girl she loved. Korra was more than accepting and her eager kisses first calmed Asami's racing heart and then set it off once more but for different reasons. Suddenly she was nearly overwhelmed with the urge to push Korra down onto the mats and layer their bodies together with this heat between them but she managed to stop herself before risking another mistake. She refused to give way to lust, again. The last time they hadn't been entirely ready and the ache it caused after their relationship had ended had been all the worse for it. She wasn't going to let things be spoiled between them once more and with an effort she pulled from Korra.

She opened her mouth to say something, to give some excuse for why she always stopped them but there was no need. Korra smirked and head-butted her tenderly. "Time for bed?" She guessed.

Asami nodded, tongue stuck thickly in her mouth. They stayed that way for a moment longer and then Korra twisted up to her feet and held a hand out for Asami, who was glad to take it. Wordlessly, the Avatar walked down the fitted-timber hall with her to the guest room she always stayed in and Asami had to laugh at the strange mix of traditional and unusual courtship happening in that moment.

"You don't have to walk me to my door," she whispered among the cool blue shadows of the dormitory. Korra was leaned against the wall beside her sliding screen door, her hands in her pockets.

"I just want to know you got home safe," she responded and Asami chuckled again, then gave her a polite peck on her cheek. "Thanks for dinner, I had a lovely time."

"Great, we should do it again sometime. Can I call you?"

Her cheeks were almost sore from trying to not laugh. "Sure, my number's listed."

Korra made a show of giving her an exaggerated fake wink and then turned to walk back down the hall to her own room. Asami watched her, standing half in the open door, and as Korra started into her room she paused and looked across the shadows at her. Another urge rippled through Asami, telling her to rush down the hall and into the Avatar's arms... but she just waved instead and slid her door closed. With the screen and several rooms separating them, she felt more sure of her own willpower and took a deep breath of the sea-breeze filtering in from the open window. Asami fell onto her uncomfortable bed almost at once, arms spread at her sides, but regardless of the residual desire pumping painfully through her she was grinning at the ceiling from ear to ear.

Author's Note: Thanks for continuing with the story! I've had some update issues, so to make up for it... have the first chapter of Book III! This Book will be a little longer than Book II, and will have adult themes.