Disclaimer: I do not own LoK, or any of the characters.

23 years earlier

"Hello Lin, you're looking radiant as usual." The young earthbender quickly turned at the voice to face the 17 year old airbender standing behind her. The Air Nomad robes he wore on a daily basis were swapped for more formal ones given the circumstances.

"Hi Tenzin, you don't look so bad yourself." Her cheeks were red as she stood under his scrutiny. Her simple Earth Kingdom tunic and pants were replaced by an emerald green dress that stopped just above her knees. Her feet, like always, were bare just like her mother's.

Behind the pair, last minute preparations for the marriage ceremony set to begin in two hours were taking place. Hanging above the doorway that lead to the reception area was a banner that read "Congratulations Toph and Sokka". As the two stood on a hill overlooking Air Temple Island, a light breeze was blowing that made Lin's curly shoulder length black hair sway around her. The bright sun light bounced off of Tenzin's bald head, where his year old tattoos shone brilliantly in the light.

"By the end of today, we'll be cousins, you realize that, right?" Tenzin's light voice sounded carefree, but there was a disconcerted glint behind his eyes.

Glancing at him from the corner of her eyes, she could see his rigid stance as he awaited her response. "Or step cousins at least." At her words, his body visibly deflated.

Through the vibrations of the earth under the soles of her feet, Lin could feel Tenzin's heart working overtime. Just visible along the bridge of his nose and the tip of his arrow were tiny beads of sweat.

"Lin," he hesitantly began, "I was wondering if you would-"

"Tenzin!" Katara's frazzled voice grew louder as she neared the pair. I've been looking all over for you; your father needs your help."

Emitting a slight sigh, he threw an apologetic look Lin's way, whispering, "I guess I'll talk to you after the wedding then" before following Katara who had already begun her retreat back to the house.

The day was drawing to a close as the party began with music blaring and an endless supply of food. The wedding went swimmingly, with hardly any interruptions, save for Toph who loudly exclaimed during the middle of the ceremony that the minister was taking too long to get to the kiss, and if he would kindly move things along, for she had been waiting for 40 years to marry the Meathead and did not intend to wait much longer.

Sitting at her table alone watching the guests mingle, Lin's eyes robed through the crowd as she tried to locate Tenzin. From where she sat, she could spot her mother and the man she already considered her father on the dance floor engaging in a wild dance that consisted of a lot of flailing limbs. Katara and Aang were dancing not too far away from the newlyweds; Katara's eyes shiny with unshed tears as she watched her brother's joy filled face. In the corner of the room, Fire Lord Zuko struggled to burp his newborn grandson Iroh, while his daughter Honora sat close by watching with an amused look on her face.

Letting a rare tender smile grace her face as she gazed in on the family, Lin was taken by surprise when a large but gentle hand rested on her shoulder. Turning her head expecting to see Tenzin, she was further taken by surprise when the owner of the hand was not Tenzin, but his older brother Bumi.

"Bumi!" she exclaimed in shock quickly getting out if her seat to give him a hug, "what are you doing here?" The 20 year old had joined the United Forces the year before, and she has not seen him since his ship left the dock on his very first day.

Exuberant as always, his hold on her tightened as he wrapped his arms around her waist and swung her around a few times much to her dismay. "I couldn't let my favorite uncle get married to The Greatest Earth bender of All Time without me, now could I?" His smile stretched across his entire face, crinkling his eyes a bit in the corners. In the back of her mind, Lin noted that his hands were now resting on her hips. "And," he continued, "I couldn't pass this up knowing that you'd be wearing a dress." His eyes raked appreciatively over her body.

With her face a little red from all the attention she was getting today, Lin's response came out a little breathlessly as she gazed into his eyes. "If I didn't know any better Bumi, I'd say that you were flirting with me." There was absolutely no denying that the man standing before her was extremely attractive. His dark skin inherited from his Water Tribe mother, and grey eyes from his Air Nomad father complemented each other perfectly to contribute to his gorgeous looks.

Bending forward until his lips were level with her ear, Lin's body trembled slightly as his smooth voice flowed through her body. "I am. My, how you have grown Lin." At this, his voice had lowered an octave and Lin's heart was in her throat. Smirking at the gobsmacked look on her face, Bumi inclined his head towards the dance floor. "How about it Lin, would you like to dan-"

He never got to finish his question, for at that very moment, Tenzin appeared and cleared his throat loudly behind Bumi, effectively ruining anything that might have been going on between the two. At the sound of Tenzin's arrival, Bumi slowly straightened his back and relinquished his hold on Lin at the same time.

"Hey Arrowhead." Bumi greeted his brother, using the nickname he knew Tenzin hated the most, and a tone that suggested that he did not appreciate being interrupted.

"Bumi," came Tenzin's gruff reply, "if you do not mind, I would like to steal Lin for a while. We were having a conversation before the wedding and never got a chance to finish."

Silently looking at his brother for a moment, Bumi blinked his eyes a few times before sighing and turning to Lin. "We can catch up later Linny, we don't want Arrowhead's robes in a tizzy, now do we?" Ignoring his brother's grunt of disapproval behind him, he ran his hand down Lin's arm, giving her hand a squeeze before turning and walking towards his sister Kya who was now chatting with Honora.

"That wasn't very polite of you to interrupt Tenzin." Lin couldn't help but scold him. The look on his face was a bit too smug for her liking.

"His hands were all over you Lin, trust me, I did you a favor." Tenzin said in a matter of fact tone as he placed a hand on her back and gently led her outside.

"Yes well, I can handle myself thank you very much, and I did not have any objections if you had cared to notice." Lin countered, seeing to the fact that her stubborn personality would not let it go.

By this point, the pair had already made it outside and was quite a distance away from the party. The noise level had reduced significantly, and the air was quiet and still around them.

Turning to Lin, Tenzin regarded her in silence. The look on his face was hard to read, but the distain in his voice was clear. "Lin, are you trying to tell me that you have feelings for my brother?"

After a long silent pause, Lin grudgingly answered his question, "No, but even if I did, it has nothing to do with you." She could not believe that one simple, innocent interaction with his brother after not seeing him for a year could change Tenzin's entire attitude like this.

"Nothing to do with me?" Tenzin's voice had grown a considerably great deal by this point, and had moved so close to Lin that they were mere inches away from each other. "This has everything to do me!"

"Everything? Tenzin you have no business-"

"Oh for Angi's sake" Grabbing onto her shoulders, Tenzin pressed his lips firmly against hers. After a moment of hesitation, Lin's body relaxed in his grip as she returned the kiss. After another moment, they pulled back to reveal matching grins and blooming blushes. "I've been trying to tell you Lin," Tenzin answered the unspoken question written on her face. "I've had feelings for you for a while now."

Smiling shyly up at Tenzin, Lin wrapped her arms around his neck. "I have feelings for you too, for years now." Standing on her toes, Lin reached up as Tenzin bent down slightly. Just as their lips were about to touch again, a voice interrupted the still silence.

"Well it's about time you two got together." Toph's loud voice separated the pair.

Hastily jumping apart, Lin and Tenzin discovered much to their dismay, their parents standing behind them. Sokka and Toph were the closest, standing with their arms around each other. Katara and Aang were standing right behind them, each sporting large smiles.

"I'm so happy for you!" Katara gushed as she dabbed at the corners of her eyes. Giving his wife a tender smile, Aang inclined his head towards the mortified teens. "Yes, congratulations you two. But maybe we should give them some privacy." He directed the last part to the other adults. With murmurs of agreement, the women and Sokka conceded as they made their way back to the party.

Once the door leading to the party was closed and the air was quiet once again, turning to one another, Lin and Tenzin began to laugh at the same time. "I've never been so embarassed in my entire life." Lin giggled as she leaned into Tenzin for support.

"Neither have I." Tenzin agreed, resting his head on top of Lin's as they molded into a comfortable embrace.

After a few brief moments of comfortable silence, Lin pulled away with a sigh. "We should go back inside before the reception ends."

Nodding his head in agreement, Tenzin reached down and intertwined his fingers with Lin's. Sharing another smile, they slowly walked back to the party together.