Hey all! We have a new story for you! This one is a collaboration between me and Avatarfan82! You should check out her other stories and give us a lot of feedback! This is our first time doing a collaboration and we really hope you enjoy!


Jinora sat in the living room staring dejectedly at the seemingly everlasting pile of clothes she was now in the process of folding. She had gotten a plethora of new clothing to support her rounding figure; it was a nice change from the hassle of her airbending robes to have supportive leggings and bindings. She had however neglected to launder them and everything else until today.

'This is what I get for putting this off for so long," she thought to herself bitterly as she got to her feet with some effort and placed a hand on her aching lower back.

Now that she was nearly six months pregnant, she found herself feeling more and more uncomfortable with each passing day. The morning sickness had abated a few months back, thank the spirits, along with the debilitating fatigue. However the heartburn and indigestion were kicking in as her stomach grew and her body became more rotund. She had never felt so uncomfortable in her own skin.

After getting her bearings, she headed back into the bedroom to put away the clothes that were folded neatly in her arms. As she entered the room, she set the clothes down on the bed and pulled open the closet to make sure there was space for everything she was now jamming into the small space. The first thing she laid eyes on when she opened the door was one of Bolin's coats. She stepped closer to the garment to run her fingers across it, and immediately was able to detect his scent wafting up to her nose. She felt tears spring into her eyes as she inhaled deeply. The unmistakable mixture of his cologne and something else that was uniquely him overtook her senses so strongly that she almost felt as if he were standing at her side. Before she could get too lost in the moment, she felt a prominent kick to her ribs from inside of her belly that startled her. She giggled as she placed a hand on the spot where the kick had come from and smiled.

"I know you miss daddy just as much as I do, little man." she said aloud, as if trying to comfort the child growing inside of her. "I promise he'll be home soon."

It just wasn't soon enough for her liking. The fact that he and his brother's work took them to different countries was wonderful, but terrifically inconvenient.

As she stood there stroking her belly, she reminisced of the day that she revealed to Bolin the news that they were expecting a child. She felt the corners of her mouth turn up in a small smile as she relived the nerve-wracking, but joyous day.

"Hey, Jin! I got the stuff you wanted from the store." Bolin called as he shoved open the front door of their home and pushed it closed behind him. He walked into the kitchen proudly holding a grocery bag.

"You said you wanted this gross-looking broth and some mint leaves to make tea. The guy at the store said the mint should definitely help with your upset stomach." He explained, setting the bag down on the counter. When he didn't hear Jinora answer him, he glanced up at her and noticed that she had a look of awe on her face. She was lost in a daze, clutching the phone receiver in her hand, staring off at nothing in particular.

"Jin, sweeetheart? You okay?" he questioned, slightly raising his eyebrow. She seemed to startle herself out of her trance at that moment, and immediately hung up the phone. She then looked up at him and smiled faintly as she said,

"Sorry, honey. I just got a little distracted."

"Yeah, I can see that," he replied, making his way to where she stood in the middle of the kitchen. He then placed his hand on her forehead, pretending to check her for a fever.

"Well, you don't feel hot or anything. So, why are you standing here with that weird look on your face? You're starting to freak me out." His brow was furrowed as he scanned her face and body for any sign of illness.

She didn't say anything in reply, but just looked into the soft green eyes of the handsome earthbender standing before her. As serene as her facial expression was, it did nothing to calm Bolin's apprehensions about her behavior, if anything it made him paranoid. He glanced at the phone that was just in her hand and asked, "So, who was that?"

"Korra," Jinora replied immediately and he nodded.

"What did she want? Was she trying to get you to agree to another night of babysitting their little rugrats? I swear you need to start charging her and my brother for all the work you do." He said with a chuckle. Jinora smiled at his comment and shook her head downward letting her long eyelashes fall to the tops of her cheeks.

"I like doing it, Bo! There is no shame in spoiling my nieces and nephew and their parents. But, no, that's not why she called."

"Well?" he prodded, folding his arms as a look of confusion crossed his face. He couldn't understand why she was being so mysterious about a simple call from his sister-in-law. Jinora was never this guarded with him.

"She was giving me the results of the test she did for me earlier. I had her take a look at me this morning because I wanted some insight into why I've been feeling so sick."

Bolin nodded in approval. "Good idea. What did she have to say?"

The expression on Jinora's face softened and her eyes misted over as she took his hand gently.

"She had some interesting things to say. But the main thing she said was congratulations."

Now Bolin looked thoroughly puzzled.

"Congratulations?" he repeated and she nodded. Before he could ask any more questions and resolve his utter confusion, she pressed his hand firmly against her tummy. Bolin stared down at her in shock as his mouth dropped open and his eyes widened.

"Jinora, you're…"

She nodded excitedly; the tears brimming in her eyes spilt over, trickling down her face into her smile.

"You're pregnant?!"

"Yes!" Her voice cracked underneath her tears and elation.

Bolin's eyes lit up and gleamed as a grin spread across his face.

"This is awesome! We're having a baby!" he exclaimed. He gently wrapped his arms around her and held her closely. He pulled back and wiped the tears off her face, before sweetly kissing her lips. He stepped back from her farther prior to scooping her up in a bridal-carry to spin her around in ecstasy.

"We finally get to have a rugrat of our own." he said fondly and Jinora nodded as the smile on her face grew even wider, which she wasn't even sure was possible.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" she asked, pulling her face away just enough to look Bolin in the eye. There was a slightly timid quality to her tone that he found adorable, as if she had genuinely been afraid he wasn't. He tenderly returned her feet to the floor and placed his hand back on her tummy as his gaze settled on her lovingly.

"As long as you're with me, I'm ready for anything." he murmured and this response immediately brought a lump to her throat. She silently leaned up and planted a kiss squarely on her husband's lips. Then they simply held each other blissfully as they let the news sink in that they would soon be parents.

Jinora wiped her eyes as she lowered herself onto the bed, trying to gain a semblance of composure to finish the day's tasks. To her chagrin, however, her lower lip began to tremble and she knew that another emotional breakdown was rearing its head. As beautiful as the memory of that distinctive day was, it had mainly served as a harsh reminder that the love of her life and father of her unborn child was thousands of miles away from her.

"Jinora? Where are you?" Pema's voice floated into the room from the living room in sing-song as the front door closed. Jinora hated for her mom to see her like this, curled up and crying on her bed. But, she knew that her breakdown and emotions were too far gone and poise was an unattainable goal.

"Here you are!" Pema proclaimed, breezing into the bedroom and failing to notice the crying airbender on the bed.

"I'm sorry I'm late today. Meelo needed some help packing for college. I had to make sure he actually took the essentials. I swear that child has not learned a thing about taking care of himself."

Pema continued wandering around the room, rearranging and tidying up until she realized that she hadn't heard any response from her daughter. She stopped what she was doing and glanced at the bed to see her lying there sobbing into the pillows. Her entire body was shaking and Pema immediately ran over to her in alarm.

"Sweetie? What's wrong? Are you in pain? It is the baby?" she asked, concern etched in her eyes. Jinora shook her head as she continued to cry silently and Pema nodded in understanding. She sat down next to her child and gently stroked her hair.

"I know this is hard for you, having him so far away at a time when you need him the most. You two were never ones for separation."

After a few moments passed, Jinora finally uncovered her face, sat up, and let out a heavy sigh.

"I thought I could do this, but I don't know anymore, mom. Every time I'm reminded of him, I break down. And he is everywhere; in every thought, in every breath. For goodness sake, every time our son kicks it's just a reminder of his father." she explained through shuddering breaths, with her hand wrapped protectively over her abdomen.

Pema wrapped her arms around her and then kissed her temple.

"You know, when I was pregnant with you, your father was gone for several months."

Jinora looked over at her mom in surprise and sniffled.

"Seriously?" she questioned and Pema nodded.

"Yes. He had to travel for the council, visit every nation. He was gone on and off with Oogi. It was very difficult, I must admit, but I did make it through."

Jinora looked expectantly at her mother as she asked, "How did you do it? It just doesn't seem possible right now."

Pema, looked her directly in the eye and stated, "Well, first off, I depended a lot on my family and friends for support. Your aunt Kya and Gran-Gran came to stay with me. They knew far more about pregnancy than I. It was an immense relief to have that knowledge at hand."

Jinora looked down in embarrassment as slight color came to her cheeks. Her mother had managed to point out one of her weaknesses in a not-so-subtle way. She had never been good at asking for help. To her, it was a sign of weakness; a sign she did not want to reveal. Pema smiled sadly and gently rubbed her back as she continued,

"We're all here to help you, Jinora. But, you have to let us."

Jinora knew her mom was right, but she was so used to going inside of her own head with her journal or a good book that it was a struggle for her to carry out the advice. As if to emphasize Pema's point, Jinora suddenly felt a strong and painful kick that forced her to clutch her belly and wince.

"Ow! This kid has some timing," she muttered as she slightly shifted her position while Pema chuckled. "And strength." Jinora added, still rubbing the tender spot.

"I think he agrees with his grandma," Pema said, giving Jinora's belly an affectionate pat. Jinora rolled her eyes as she turned to stand.

"Well, I guess, I do need a little help with these clothes." She said as she made her way back to her closet.

"See, it's not so hard, is it?" Pema questioned as a smirk played on her lips. Jinora just shook her head in silence, as if to disregard the question.

Within a few hours of the two women straightening up the house, Jinora told Pema that she needed to sit down to rest for a few minutes. When Pema went back to go check on her ten minutes later, she was fast asleep on the living room couch. She was curled into a ball and Pema smiled to herself while grabbing a light-weight blanket that was draped across an armchair. She gently covered Jinora with the blanket and then gave her a light kiss on the cheek before disappearing back into the kitchen to continue cleaning up.