Some hours later, Korra and Asami sat in one of their guest rooms, backs to the wall. This was to be the new room for Tara, and they had tried to make the child feel welcomed. The room was now filled with toys and clothes, the bed linen and curtains were colorful and the rugs had flowers on them.

Moving all this stuff in had exhausted them, so they had decided to take a quick rest. Tara sat to Korra's side, and after drinking some sweetened tea, had flopped to her lap and was now sleeping.

It was the first time the two women had to talk in private in weeks.

"You didn't think this one through, did you", Asami questioned, having taken her girlfriend's hand.

Korra shrugged in response. There was no real question, she rarely did. "I tell you, it was horrible. The orphanage could house maybe 20, 25 children. There were 50, all of them hungry. If it weren't for Tenzin I would have taken all of them home." She sighed in frustration. "But I kinda left my allowance there."

This was no news, either. Whenever she went somewhere, Asami gave her a generous sum so she could buy food, a hotel room and other essential things. Korra had not even once spent the money on herself. Normally she would give it all away the first two days of her trip. The rest of her trip was spent basically living on the streets - only that she was the Avatar and the people in general were hospitably towards her.

"But as I went to leave the orphanage, I saw her. And she just looks so much like us. And I know how you always wanted a kid. And she's named Katara. I don't think it's a coincidence." The Avatar stroked the girls hair and looked at her girlfriend. She smiled.

"Could you promise to not bring any more kids home", Asami had to try it, but seeing Korra shake her head did not matter to her either, "yeah, thought so. But please wait till we get settled in with having one child. You know, normally you have like 9 month to get ready."

Korra grinned: "Everything goes faster when you're with the Avatar."

"So, how do you think raising a kid with both our jobs will work", Asami decided to tackle the elephant mandrill in the room headfirst.

"I talked to Tenzin, the world is pretty safe", Korra said and moved Asami closer to her, "short of another war breaking out I'll stay in Republic City for now."

"That's great, but does not answer my question", Asami said, kissing Korra's cheek.

She looked baffled: "When I was a kid, my dad always took me with him to his meetings. And the Avatar stuff is not dangerous, it's just boring."

"You think they'll have a toddler at government meetings?"

"They gotta deal with it. She's the Avatar's…", Korra's grin had suddenly faltered and Asami realized that Korra had not brought the kid because of some unsatisfied maternal feelings, but really because she wanted to keep Tara safe. Looking at the Avatar's face she saw that she now realized for the first time she was to be a mother, and she was terrified.

"...daughter", she tried to help, but got only a frightened look.

"I really didn't think this through. I can't be a mother!"

Asami laughed lightly and hugged her: "Now it's too late. It happened. We're parents." Just the sentence made her skin crawl.

"How would she even call us", Korra said in horror and her girlfriend smiled softly.

"She called you Korra earlier, didn't she?"

The Avatar got a bit calmer, and a lot sadder as the answered: "She's just lost her parent's… I didn't want to rush things. I told her I want to care for her, and figured she would probably ask to call me mom on her own. Someday." She looked at Asami. "But now YOU are here. I didn't think of you…" Asami mumbled a "thank you very much". "...we can't both be mom."

"Why?" Korra looked confused. "I know a family where the son was named after the dad. And whenever the mom called their name, both would react, or neither."

The confusion did not leave. "We'll figure it out when she wants to call us her mothers, okay", Asami said, smiling, "is there anything else?" Korra was now rubbing her forehead with her hands.

"I'm so sorry", she said, "I really should have talked to you before."

"Yes, you should have."

There was a rather long silence, where both looked how their daughter slept and went on their own trails of thought.

"Do you need to hold a press conference", Asami asked finally.

Korra shrugged. "I guess I have to. I'm just not sure if I want to see Tara's face in the newspaper."

"If you want to take her to your Avatar stuff the press will get to her anyways."

Tara stirred in her sleeping place. "Hey sleeping beauty", Korra said surprisingly gentle, "you need to get up, else you'll not be able to sleep tonight. Again." The girl rubbed her eyes and Korra took that moment to make another confession: "She might want to sleep with us."

The night came, and Tara begged to sleep with the Avatar, as she had presumably done for two weeks. So with a sleeping child between them, the women laid in bed and looked at the ceiling. They knew what they usually did when the Avatar returned from a trip. Now they just could not.

So with a big sigh both of them finally said: "You/I really didn't think this one through."