Chapter One

Lin's stoic expression was the only thing Tenzin had been able to focus on for the past fifteen minutes. He'd been as subtle as possible, trying not to outright stare both for her benefit and his, but no one was paying him any attention anyway. Pema's eyes were glued to the baby in her hands, purposely avoiding his own blank face. Everyone else gave their undivided attention to the door that contained Korra and his mother, praying for good news.

Guilt was what clouded Tenzin's mind, as he tried not to stare at Lin's stony expression. He was guilty that his thoughts didn't even really drift to Korra's fate - he was far too concerned with his ex-lover's. Of course the news of Korra's loss of bending was devastating, but it had quickly fallen away from his thoughts as Lin's sacrifice took forefront. Though everyone else in the room probably accepted Lin's emotionless face, Tenzin didn't miss the way that her nails bit into her arm and the shiver that ran through her body every few minutes. He knew Lin better than everyone here put together and she was certainly not okay.

It was a mirrored gesture. His palms hurt from the unkept nails digging into his skin, but it was necessary. The desire to request that Lin come outside with him in an attempt to stop some of her misery was almost overwhelming. He needed something to ground him.

He was guilty for his wife, his family, for what he'd done. But nothing could change that now, and he certainly wouldn't even if he had the chance.

Only his mother opening the door and solemnly shaking her head was enough to drag Tenzin's attentions away from for a moment Lin. Bad news. That meant bad news for Lin, too, and she slipped silently from the room at that confirmation. Sometimes he thought she should have been an airbender herself.

After a quick glance at his wife, he followed her, making his own swift exit and following her small footsteps through the snow. No doubt Pema would note his absence. He was quite sure comforting Lin meant more than a meaningless argument with her. Still, there was only so far he could push her, Pema would snap eventually. He'd started treading down a dangerous path with his decision on Oogi.

Tenzin followed the footfalls, but he could have found Lin blindfolded. He knew exactly where she was going.

It was a place they had liked to visit together, when they were younger. Or, maybe not enjoyed, but it had been special, at least. Though his father's body had been buried at the Southern Air Temple, his mother had wanted a memorial of sorts in the South Pole, so that she could feel close to him still. This was where Lin was standing, staring blankly at the small statue depicting the previous Avatar's glider, arms wrapped tightly around her midriff. If the weather wasn't so volatile, Tenzin didn't doubt that his mother would have grown plants around the model.

"Please go away," Lin's voice was as brisk and stoic as ever, there wasn't even the slightest indication she felt dead inside. But Tenzin knew better. He approached slowly, coming to a half a few steps from the icy wind whipped around them, but Tenzin refrained from using his bending. The cold wasn't his main concern.

Still, Tenzin fumbled over his words. He might know the woman as intimately as a person could know someone, but knowing what to say was almost impossible. "I'm sorry." It was the wrong thing to say, he knew it before the words had left his mouth, but he had to say something and the sentiment was true.

"You don't have anything to apologise for, Tenzin." Voice snappy, Lin's eyes didn't drift at all from the weather-battered statue in front of her. Aang had been like her father; been more of a parent to her than either of her biological family. "I made my decision."

His overwhelming urge was to embrace her, but he held back. She wouldn't want it. She probably loathed the fact he was even standing here. "And I shouldn't have allowed it. I was a fool."

"You're not my boss, Tenzin. I can do what I want." He'd slipped up again, just like he always did. His advice for the Avatar was always sound, he'd been able to handle most of the situations she'd put forward to him, but Lin was something else.

"That isn't what I meant." He let out a sigh, trying to clear his mind. "I should have been quicker going after you. I shouldn't have waited so long. I shouldn't have let you go in the first place, at least, not alone. I am sorry, Lin, I really am." His breath caught and he was forced to stop speaking. He hated himself for it. He'd let her go, let Lin sacrifice herself for him, and taken that long to go after the woman he had always loved. He was a coward and he'd never forgive himself for what had happened to her.

This was when she finally turned around to stare at Tenzin, blinking in surprise as she assessed how genuine Tenzin had actually been. "You came back for me?" Her bottom lip wobbled, but the crack in the mask didn't last long. "You're an idiot, Tenzin. I wasn't worth coming back for."

His heart clenched. "Yes you were." The words had left his mouth even before she'd stopped speaking. "Of course you were. Lin, I'm sorry that it took me so long to come back for you." His hands were moving erratically, giving away his heightened emotions, but Lin's back had been turned already. "I would do anything to go back and stop this happening. I should have gone instead."

"Don't be a fool. The only thing wrong with this outcome is that you still got captured because you felt guilty and came after me. Go and find your wife and apologise for being an idiot." Her voice was colder than the gusts of wind which circled them and Tenzin couldn't hold back his flinch.

Mind travelling back, he remembered vividly his family's faces when he grasped his glider and told them to keep flying, no matter what. He had chosen her over them. Even now, he'd rather be standing here offering any comfort he had to give than attempting to fix the cracks he'd forged in his marriage. He really was a fool. "Lin, please. I just want to help."

"What do you think you're going to do?" Lin threw her hands up in a first real sign of emotion, turning on him and pointing an accusing finger. "Are you going to bring my bending back, Tenzin? Because if that's the case then go right ahead, if not, then could please just fuck off."

There was only a moment of hesitation before Tenzin decided there wasn't anything else he could do. Lin struggled for a moment when he wrapped his strong arms around her in a tight embrace, but it didn't take long before they were sobs that racked through her body instead.

Though tears also rolled down his own face, Tenzin managed to give Lin no indication of his upset. He simply held her, allowing all her emotions to come out. This was about her, not him. Tenzin wasn't sure his heart could take this broken Lin any more, he just wanted her to be okay.

Still, shame laced his thoughts as he held the smaller woman close to him. It was the first time he'd held Lin in the longest time, not for want of imagining it, and it set his skin on fire just as much as in his dreams. It was neither the time nor the place, but as his chin rested atop her head and he smelt her hair, it was familiar and wonderful that his arms tightened significantly. He'd wanted this so much, even if he tried to tell himself it wasn't true.

"Everything's going to be okay, Lin." Tenzin whispered against her ear as reassuringly as he could manage, secretly revelling in the feeling of his lips touching her hair.

"I don't believe you." Lin's voice was broken as she held him without restraint.

"You have to realise how much you mean to me." It was barely a whisper and part of him hoped that she didn't even hear him. The way her hands balled fists into his robes suggested otherwise, though.

"Lin? Tenzin?" His mother's surprise wasn't masked well and it was certainly enough to make Lin pull back and wipe her eyes. It was the first time the cold had properly bothered Tenzin since leaving the house. "I think you should come back to the house. There's something you should see."

Lin spared Tenzin one more glance, eyebrows knitting together at the glistening their eyes shared, before following Katara back towards the house. Tenzin followed, trying his best to contain his feelings. Pema and his family would be there.

Even Lin's step faltered in surprise at the sight of the Avatar firebending in front of her friends and family. Tenzin's heart lifted, not only for Korra, but also for the possibility of Lin's happiness. Katara had obviously found them for this reason.

"What happened?" Tenzin inquired of his mother eagerly.

"Korra connected with her spiritual side," Katara gestured to Lin. "You should go and speak to her."

Tenzin lingered around the back of the group of people, making sure that he was out of the line of sight of his wife. When Lin knelt before Korra and the Avatar lit up, Tenzin couldn't stop the relief colouring every feature.

Lin's smile was radiant as she bent the earth around them. He knew she was trying not to cry.

After congratulating the Avatar on her spiritual success, Tenzin found himself stood next to Lin. They stood in silence, until Tenzin almost stumbled on the sudden shift of Earth beneath his feet. His retaliation was immediate, sending a gust of wind towards her face, secretly hoping that it would be enough to dislodge the clips holding up her hair. It didn't work. They shared a smile that hadn't existed for the past fifteen years.

"Thanks Airhead."