Shout out to my Co-Author BG-13!

Karah gave her mother a horrified look as she saw her fist slam down towards her brother. She closed her eyes and looked away, tears falling down her face. She heard a loud crack and she couldn't help sobbing. She slowly got up and headed towards her mother.

"Mom, what did you do?" she asked as she saw her mother on one knee, her fist against something. But when she went around her she gasped. Her fist hadn't made contact with her brother's head, but with the ground on the side of it.

Mac slowly opened his eyes and realized his mother hadn't touched him. He looked up and saw his sister standing beside him. She quickly held out a hand and he took it with his non injured one before the little Firebender placed him behind her as she went into her fighting stance.

They heard a noise and stiffened until they realized what it was: their mother was crying. Both children watched as tears ran down her cheeks and her shoulders shook with sobs. They looked at each other and Karah relaxed her stance, allowing her brother to be next to her. The twins were very confused. They didn't know what had made their mother attack them, but they were seeing, or rather hearing the pain it had caused her.

"Mom?" they called in sync.

The Avatar's eyes tightened and she ground her fists into the dent she'd made on the ground. Slowly, as if not to startle them, she rose and turned to face them, eyes still closed. The twins held their ground, not moving partly because they were too scared too and partly because they wanted to soothe their mother.

Korra opened her eyes to reveal pure white. The twins gasped.

"Mom, it's ok," Karah began.

"We're right here," Mac added. For a moment the emotion disappeared from the Avatar's face but then she closed her eyes and opened them to reveal their normal electrifying blue as she slumped onto her knees, sobbing once again.

The twins slowly made their way to their mother and threw their arms around her. The Waterbender tensed, shocked her children had even come close to her before returning their embrace tightly.

"It's ok, Mom," the little Firebender repeated. Korra squeezed them tighter and let tears run down her cheeks. They stood like that for a couple of minutes before she pulled them away from her.

"My mother and Master Katara need to check you guys," she said quietly, looking down.

Mac placed his good hand on his mother's cheek. "It's nothing serious Mom. Don't feel bad." She gave him a nod but still wouldn't meet his gaze. He sighed and an idea came to mind. "Mom?"

"Hmmm?"

"Can you carry us like when we were little?"

Korra almost smiled at the memory. Almost. She closed her eyes and slowly nodded, holding out her arms. The children immediately went to her and she pulled them into her arms, their legs on her hips, and she slowly made her way to the main house.

"Korra? Korra, what happened?" Katara asked as she saw her former student head towards the house, the twins in her arms.

"I-they…" she began, looking at the floor. "They're hurt." Senna immediately took Karah into her arms while Katara took Mac. Korra's legs buckled and finally gave out and she harshly landed on her knees. She thought about what she did. No. What she had almost done. The reality of it all and the exhaustion she felt caught up with her and she slumped forward, losing consciousness.

When Korra woke up she was in her old room at the main house. She looked to the side and found a familiar Firebender staring at her. She looked away, not being able to meet his gaze. He reached out and caressed her check. The Waterbender flinched but then nuzzled into his touch. She wanted him to hold her so badly. To tell her everything was going to be ok. But she knew it wasn't. It would never be ok as long as that…thing had control over her.

"Korra, talk to me," he whispered. Korra let out a choked sob, still looking away.

"How are the kids?" she asked after some time.

"They're fine. Mac isn't going to need a cast and Karah just has a few bruises on her back."

The Avatar flinched. She was glad they weren't seriously hurt, but the damage had been done. And she'd been the one to cause it.
"Is there something you need to tell me?" he asked. Korra let silent tears fall down her cheeks. She didn't know how to tell them what happened. "It's ok Korra, you can tell me," he whispered whipping the tears away with the pad of his thumb.

She let out another sob before speaking. "I did that," she whispered, almost inaudible.

Mako looked taken aback. "What?"

"I hurt them," she repeated looking down at the sheets. She waited for him to yell at her; for him to scream about what a terrible mother she was. But the yells and screams never came, instead she felt warm strong arms wrap around her, being pulled to an equally warm chest. The Waterbender couldn't take it anymore and she broke down.

"Shh, it's ok Korra," her husband soothed, rubbing gentle circles on her back. The Avatar simply gripped his shirt and sobbed louder. They stood like that for the longest time, until her sobs almost vanished.

"Why?" she asked quietly. He gave her a confused look. "Why are you being so comforting? You should be mad. I hurt our kids. I did that to them."

He gave a deep sigh. "I know. The kids told me. They said not to be mad," he informed her. Korra stiffened. "And I'm not going to say I wasn't. But I wasn't mad for the reason you think."

"You should be. I almost..." the Waterbender trailed off, not being able to finish.

" Mac and Karah are our kids. I know how much you love them. You wouldn't have."

"You don't know that."

She looked away and he gently turned her face towards him. "Korra, I know you're upset. I was too. But it wasn't you who was doing that. It was someone else."

"How-how did you-" she began.

"Katara noticed you haven't been acting like yourself. And quite frankly, so have I. We're here for you. Don't forget that."

"I almost killed him," she whispered. "I tried to stop, but I couldn't," she added, tears streaming down her face again.

"I know. We'll get through this," he said hugging her tighter. "I'm not mad at you and neither are the kids. Don't worry."

Korra let her husband embrace her. She snuggled her face to his chest and allowed her emotions to flow out of her. She hated to cry, but at the moment it was all she could do. She knew her husband was right, it wasn't her fault. But it didn't stop her from feeling guilty.

Mako gently rocked her in his arms and continued to rub circles on her back. Finally, after a while she fell asleep. He leaned against the bed frame and wrapped a blanket around her, making sure to disturb her as little as possible. Outside a storm was brewing. He sighed.

Katara came in after a while, noticing the sleeping Avatar in his arms. The Firebender gave her a tired smile.

"How is she?" Katara asked.

Mako's looked down at his sleeping wife, moving a lock of her hair out of her face. "She feels guilty."

"That was expected."

He nodded, not taking his eyes off the woman in his arms. "My children?"

"They're fine, sleeping soundly like their mother."

He nodded again and let out a deep sigh. "She'll never forgive herself."

Katara's face grew sad. "In time. Korra needs to be healed emotionally. Her guilt will eat her up if we don't help her. Perhaps seeing her children in the morning will help ease her pain."

"I tried to make her see that we aren't mad. But I think that upsets her more. She wants us to be mad. She doesn't understand that it wasn't her fault," he whispered.

"Had it been you, how would you had reacted?" the elder asked.

"What?"

"How would you have reacted, if you were in her position?"

"I-" he began but stopped himself. He remembered the day Amon's Lieutenant had taken Korra captive. How he had tortured her, broken her. He'd felt immense guilt because he'd thought it was his fault she'd almost died. "I would feel the same way."

The elder Waterbender gave him a small smile. "She will heal. Give her some time," she whispered before leaving them alone.

Korra stirred and he looked down tightening his grip on her. She opened her eyes and managed to give him a small smile. "Thank you," she murmured before closing her eyes once again. He gave her a confused look before realizing she had heard the conversation between Katara and him.

Thunder roared outside and Korra jumped up in Mako's arms. He groggily whispered, "Go to sleep," before closing his eyes again. The Waterbender smiled and got up from the bed to go to the restroom. She was about to open the door when she felt a stabbing pain in her head.

"You and I have unfinished business Avatar," the voice roared. "Come. NOW."

Far too exhausted to fight the voice, Korra complied and went outside in the pouring rain. She made her way to the clearing where she had battled her children, and in the middle was Azula.

"I told you to get rid of him!" she hollered. Korra shivered against the cold rain. "I'm going to teach you what happens to those who disobey me!" she continued, holding her hand out.

The Avatar immediately withered in pain as she felt her flesh being torn. She looked down at her arms and saw how cuts began to appear, each causing a sickening new pain. Those cuts however, weren't as bad as the ones in her back and around her toned stomach. She felt as her skin was slowly pulled apart, each rip causing a new round of pain in her. Finally unable to stand it anymore she fell onto her knees.

"You will kneel when I command you to," Azula instructed as she made her way to the woman. "And you will kill who I tell you to."

That did it.

Korra's hand shot up and wrapped itself around the Firebenders wrist. Azula's eyes widened. Korra stood up and opened her eyes, revealing white.

"I don't answer to you or anyone else," the combined voice of the Avatars said before launching her across the courtyard.

Azula swiftly landed on her feet and clenched her jaw. "You will not ruin my plans, Avatar. I killed you once. It will be no feat for me to do it again. And this time you won't have any of that miracle water to heal you."

In response Korra sent a series of attacks, which Azula barely managed to avoid. The two went head on in hand to hand combat. The Waterbender was weakened by the cuts and all the emotional turmoil she had been through. She hated the thought of losing this fight but it was a clear possibility.
Lightning flashed and thunder roared. Azula landed a kick on the Avatar that knocked her back.

She used the distraction to conjure up lightning and aimed it towards Korra. "If you will not serve me then I have no use for you," she said before sending the electricity toward the Waterbender.

Korra slowly closed her eyes and let out a scream of pain when the lightning hit her dead on in the chest. She held her hand out in an effort to deflect it but it was too late. She slowly came tumbling down and her body made contact with the concrete.

The Firebender sneered as her body twitched because of the lingering shock. "It's too bad," she commented as she walked past her. "Together the city would have been ours for the taking, but you chose your son instead. It's over now," she shook her head sadly before heading inside.

The Waterbender continued to twitch but once she made sure Azula was out of range held out two fingers and released the lightning into the sky before her hand went limp.

"It's not over yet," Korra whispered before darkness tainted her vision.