A/N: Do I think this could have happened in canon? Not really. But I was kind of sad that they didn't get together either in canon or my fanfic, so this is just a "What-if."

Bolin looked up in surprise at the slight noise as the note was shoved under the door. After the events of the coronation, he and his roommate Hong had been trying to get a rest in before what they anticipated was going to be an extremely awkward dinner, but Bolin had had so many thoughts whirling in his head that he'd been unable to lie down for long. Hong was half-asleep on the other bed and was making no move to retrieve the note, so Bolin decided to check it out.

It appeared to be a single sheet of paper; most likely a sheet of the writing paper provided by the hotel. It was folded over as many times as was possible, and Bolin's name was written on the topmost surface. Well…Bolin supposed if his name was on it, that meant it was for him! But wait…what if there was another Bolin in the hotel, and the note was delivered to him by accident? He pondered this, and decided to take his chances.

To be honest, he was hoping the note was from Mako, but as he unfolded the note, he saw that this was clearly not the case.

If you wish, you may meet me in my room one hour after dinner is finished. No wedding required.

The room number was written at the bottom. There was no signature and no need for one. There was only one person who could have written this.

Bolin sighed. Normally, he wouldn't have even considered this, but he was so bummed out about the argument with his brother and confused about where his loyalties should lie. And he still wasn't sure where things stood with Opal…he felt like he could use a distraction.

Meanwhile, Hong had perked up.

"What's that? Love letter?" he asked.

"It's nothing," Bolin mumbled as he crumpled up the note, then thought better of it and tore it into tiny pieces and threw the pieces into the wastepaper basket. He and Hong didn't know each other too well. In fact, they hadn't even known each other's names until they introduced themselves today. Even so, it was obviously evident to the other man that Bolin was behaving uncharacteristically. But Hong decided to drop the matter and lay back down. It had been a long day, after all.

As he sat down on his bed and looked down at his hands, Bolin wondered what he should do. To be honest, Eska still scared the crap out of him (not quite literally, but close sometimes). Even so, she had seemed calm and reasonable when they had briefly met earlier in the lobby. And despite-or perhaps because of-the fear, just thinking about her was getting some…activity…started "down there."

Would this be cheating? He wasn't certain if Opal had broken up with him or not, and he remembered that things had not gone well for Mako when he'd found himself in a similar situation. He did recall that Opal had expressed interest before in an open or polyamorous relationship, which she said was common in Zaofu, but they hadn't actually been together for enough of these past three years to really discuss it that much.

What to do…?

Was he going to show up? It wasn't like she could force him to; she was beyond that now. Nevertheless, it would be a shame if all the things she had done to prepare would be for nothing.

Eska paced around the room, her circuit getting faster and more erratic by the minute. This clothing felt odd. It was tighter around her ribs than she was used to, so it was hard to breathe, and the anxiety just exacerbated the matter. And she hadn't thought it would be possible to feel more naked with certain clothing on than without it, but in this case she did.

Although she'd been expecting it, she was so high-strung that she let out a little yelp when she heard the knock on the door. She hurriedly threw the white hotel bathrobe over her ensemble and ran over to open the door before she lost the nerve.

"Hello, ex-boyfriend," she greeted him. She was impressed at how level her voice sounded.

"Um…hi," her guest said. "Sorry I'm a bit late. I got you these. See how they're all kind of dark colors? I thought you'd like that."

He brandished a small bouquet of dark purple flowers as he smiled nervously. Eska felt touched in spite of herself. She motioned for Bolin to come in with one hand while she hid the other behind her back, hoping her excited finger-clawing wasn't too noticeable.

Once the door was safely closed again and Bolin was sitting on the foot of the bed, Eska put the flowers on the night table and removed the bathrobe.

Bolin's eyes bulged so far out of his head, it was a wonder that they didn't roll out of his eye sockets and fall onto the floor.

"I was informed by the clerk at the store that this was a seductive outfit," Eska explained.

"Ah," was all Bolin could get out at first. Then, "Well, it worked."

"So I see," Eska uttered while looking down at Bolin's lap. To tell the truth, she thought all the lace and the superfluous bow right between her breasts were silly. On the other hand, she liked the dark-blue color, and the sheer fabric that cascaded over her stomach to her hips served to obscure her stretchmarks. The clerk had also related that this particular lingerie was "push-up." She had been too polite to outright say it, but the inference was that this would provide a boost to Eska's still somewhat-disappointing cleavage.

She realized that a long silence had fallen. She'd spent so long getting ready for the event that she hadn't thought much about how to actually start.

"I told Desna to vacate the premises for one hour," she said eventually. "And he left about fifteen minutes ago. So we have limited time for our clandestine encounter."

For once, Bolin seemed to take the hint.

"Yeah. We should probably…yeah. So where do you want to…you know…do it?"

Eska considered. She remembered how messy the bed had gotten last time. So she walked over to the bathroom and retrieved several towels, and carefully arranged them on the armchair so that the entirety of it was covered.

"Would this arrangement be to your liking?" she inquired. Bolin nodded his assent. He walked over to the chair and sat on it, and Eska straddled him.

"We probably shouldn't be doing this," he murmured.

"Do you want to discontinue our liason?" Eska asked. As difficult as it was for her to say it, Bolin needed to have that option.

To her relief, he answered, "Not particularly."

"Did your new girlfriend give her consent?" It would only be fair, after all, Eska reasoned. She had seen that Kuvira had another boyfriend besides Bolin, so why shouldn't Bolin also be allowed to have multiple lovers?

Bolin paused, then said slowly, "I…I don't know. She seemed pretty mad at me the last time I saw her…and things have been kind of rough for a while now with me not being able to visit much."

It occurred to Eska that maybe he wasn't talking about Kuvira after all.

"…But let's not do any more talking. I might change my mind," he finished in a hurry.

"I am amenable to that plan," Eska answered. An excited hum was already beginning to build between her legs; she was going to be careful to do adequate preparation this time. So she hesitantly started to rub her crotch against Bolin's. She liked how it felt, so she did it faster.

"Is this suitable?" she asked. Really, though, she didn't need to ask when she could feel for herself. And soon he caught on and began lifting his hips up to meet hers. They kissed, and Eska could discern a vast improvement in Bolin's technique since the last time.

Eska noticed that Bolin seemed to be unsure about what to do with his hands, so she fumbled with the clasp on her top (which was in the front for easier removal), finally managed to get it open, and flung the offending article of clothing into some corner.

"You may touch me here," she told him. She recalled that he had seemed to prefer this area of her body last time. And so he did again. If he noticed any changes in her breasts caused by pregnancy and months of feeding a baby, he didn't indicate as much. Eska could feel her nipples responding almost immediately. And when Bolin started to use his tongue, she couldn't help but let out an "Mmmmm…"

She resumed her rubbing, and the simultaneous stimulation of two erogeneous zones was almost too much for her to handle. Almost, but not quite.

They continued with this for several minutes, then Eska signaled for a break. Bolin was flushed and out of breath, and Eska supposed she must be in a similar state. Best to do this now, before it was too far-gone to interrupt.

She stood up and retrieved a small, flat object from a drawer, and stated, "I have obtained contraception." The nurse at the Republic City Women's Health Center had been most gracious in teaching her how to use it. This time, there would be no accidents.

"You ready now?" Bolin asked. Eska slipped a finger into her underwear to check and answered in the affirmative. Seconds later, the underwear joined its mate in the corner.

Bolin removed his jacket and undid the fastenings on his pants and undergarment, and once again Eska was struck by how ridiculous male genitals looked. Was his larger than average? Having nothing to compare it to (she hadn't seen Desna naked since they were small children), she wasn't certain, but she thought it might be. If anything, that made it look even more absurd. However, she knew the important part was not how it looked, but how it felt inside her.

Now…she looked at the foil packet in her hand…she must open this. A daunting task indeed, given her problems with fine-motor skills, but she managed. Then, after more fumbling, they got the condom on, and everything was ready. Well, almost.

"Remove your shirt," Eska ordered. Then, realizing that may have sounded harsh, she added, "I…find your musculature to be attractive."

Bolin did so, then, since he was Bolin, he couldn't resist playfully flexing his biceps.

"You like this, huh?" he asked, and winked at her. Eska snapped, "Stop being silly," but her lips pushed themselves up into a smile much against her will.

All right. It was time at last. Eska's smile faded as she tried to figure out how best to go about this. She ended up putting one hand on Bolin's shoulder to support herself, and using the other hand to grip his shaft to support it. She felt a sense of accomplishment when she got it in without hurting either of them. She moaned at the pleasurable pressure, and Bolin made a little gasp as well.

This definitely felt better than last time. Movement was much quicker and more fluid now that they'd taken the time to ensure adequate lubrication. It still wasn't quite as perfect as it was in the romance novels- there were a lot of stopping and starting and some strange noises-but Eska could finally see why people kept doing this.

It still didn't last as long as she would have liked, though…even with the condom on. Eska could sense Bolin was reaching his limit, and that frustrated her because she was so close, but no matter how much she adjusted her position, penetration alone wasn't quite enough to finish her.

So she hissed, "Not yet…" through clenched teeth as she moved her hand to that special nub between her legs and started stroking it frantically. After what was possibly the longest minute in her life, she climaxed so suddenly and hard that she bit down on Bolin's shoulder to avoid screaming. Thankfully, he seemed too preoccupied to notice the pain much. All it took was Eska's whispered "Now…" and he was quick to follow. He did not bother to muffle his own crying out.

For a short time, they just sat there in a satiated, content, and sweaty tangle of limbs, with no noise except their panting breaths. Bolin was the first to speak.

"So that just happened…" he said in a dazed voice.

"It did indeed," Eska responded.

"Eska?"

"Yes?"

"Does Desna really sleep in the tub?"

Eska snorted and said, "No."

"Oh. Just wondering."

"I am afflicted by nightmares, sometimes, when I'm in a strange place, so we reached the conclusion that we should sleep in the same bed for this trip."

"Yeah…no…I wasn't suggesting you two were doing anything…bad."

"Good." At this, Eska decided to attempt to extricate herself, and she did so, albeit with a rather undignified squelching sound. Her finger traced the wound on Bolin's shoulder. The skin wasn't broken, but it already showed signs that it would develop an impressive bruise.

"I did not intend to bite down with quite such force," she told him. "I apologize for that."

"It's fine. Those jackets cover a lot."

In a way, it made Eska happy, since she had marked him as her own, in a way that could be their secret. But bite marks fade. There was something else connecting them that was more permanent.

She had been going back and forth all day about whether or not she would tell him, and now she had finally decided that she would.

"You have a daughter," she told him abruptly.

Bolin stared blankly at her, uncomprehending. Then he echoed, "I…I have a daughter?" in a small voice. He looked shocked, but didn't storm out of the room, which Eska took as a good sign.

Eska quickly assured him, "I am not asking anything of you. We are not in need of any monetary compensation. If you want to visit or even move in with us, we will be happy to have you. If not, I will not hold it against you."

"Do you...do you have a picture?"

Eska said she did, but first she stopped to put the bathrobe back on. It didn't seem right to have such a serious conversation naked. The same thing had seemed to occur to Bolin, because he rearranged his pants and made a quick trip to the bathroom to dispose of the condom. While he was doing this, Eska opened a small wooden box on the night table. Inside were several photographs of her daughter that she had taken with her to make the distance between them seem less vast. She selected the one on the top, which was taken on Kinalik's second birthday. It showed Kinalik in a white dress, sitting in a child-sized white wicker chair, staring pensively off into the distance.

When Bolin saw it, his face broke out into a grin and he made a squealing noise so high-pitched that Eska was surprised it didn't shatter every window and piece of glassware in the hotel.

Eska shushed him and gestured at the door to remind Bolin that people in the hall might hear, but she was pleased nonetheless. That had gone better than she'd been expecting.

"Her name is Kinalik," Eska said. "Our native language does not have a word for 'turtleduck,' so I picked the closest one there was."

"She's beautiful!"

"You're just saying that because she looks so much like you," Eska commented wryly.

"Well…that too," Bolin admitted. Then he groaned.

"I'm not sure Opal would be too thrilled about it. Ah man, how am I going to explain any of this to her?"

Eska looked at him sharply and asked, "Did you say Opal?"

"Uh…yeah, why?"

"Never mind. It's not important," Eska said. She continued carefully, "When I sent you that note, I did so with the understanding that my hold on you would again be relinquished after tonight…and in fact that I might never see you again. Go on, live your life. Reconcile with this Opal. Have more children with her if you wish. Your place in the organ that pumps my blood is unchanged, but I release you for good. Now you must depart soon, because Desna will be returning any minute. You may keep the photograph; I have more copies at home."

Bolin put his shirt back on, slung his jacket over his shoulder and headed for the door. Eska began transferring the soiled towels from the armchair into the laundry bag, and opened the window in an attempt to get the smell out of the room. (Although she hadn't stated it directly, she was quite sure Desna knew why she'd asked him to leave; nevertheless, it would be polite to clean up.)

"Uh…goodbye," Bolin said quietly. Eska turned her head and gazed at him a final time.

"Goodbye, ex-boyfriend," she replied, in a gentle tone that surprised even her.