Chapter 2: Separate Ways

Tenzin had been following his girlfriend down the hall for several minutes now, trying to calm her down.

"Lin, please stop. If you could just look at the situation from my point of - oof!" The Airbender walked straight into Lin's now stationary body, and found himself on the ground.

The woman stood tall, her shoulders slightly sagged. She sighed and put her hand to the bridge of her nose. "I already know your point of view, Ten. You want me to throw away my life's work and dreams so that you can play daddy."

"Well it sounds bad when you put it that way," he replied, gathering himself onto his feet. "But you have to understand what this means to me. What this means to the world-"

"So I have to retire from the force and become your incubator?" Lin countered. "Do you know how much that hurts me? What this job means to me?! I have to succeed here. I have to do this for mom because my, my sister," she spat out in disgust, "caused her to leave. Surely you understand that."

"Understand?!" Tenzin exclaimed. "You don't get to tell me about family commitments as if I know nothing about it. My fath-"

Lin turned to the airbending master in disgust. "You think just because Aang was the Avatar that your prob-"

"IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH HIM BEING THE AVATAR AND YOU KNOW IT, LIN!" Tenzin screamed, his face red with fury. A door behind him slid open and a young woman peeked out. She looked from the Chief of the RCPD to Tenzin and quickly found her way back in her room, the door shut again. Tenzin took a breath. "Lin, I'm the last Airbender. I have a responsibility to Aan… my father. Dammit, to the entire world to make sure I don't remain the last Airbender. You think I want to settle down right now?! But I have no choice. I love you. You love me. We shouldn't even be having this argument right now."

Tenzin found himself sitting back down on the floor of the hallway, tears forming in his eyes. Lin looked down at the man she loved, silently weeping. Weeping for the loss of his father. For the future of his race. For the weight of responsibility suddenly thrust onto his shoulders. For the woman he loved apparently not understanding what he was going through.

Without thinking, Lin was on her knees as well, and had the distraught man in her arms. He buried his face into the nape of her neck as she stroked the back of his head with her ungloved hand. They sat there in silence for a couple of minutes.

"I'm so alone," he whispered. "Bumi and Kya don't understand. They couldn't. But I had hoped that you maybe… that you would…" Tenzin trailed off, not able to find the words to complete the storm of thoughts racing through his head. Lin pulled away briefly to put her hands to the sides of her boyfriend's face. She stared into his eyes for a brief moment before pulling him into a kiss, wet and salty from the tears that stained his face.

"I love you," she murmured, unnaturally earnest in an odd turn. "But you have to see that… I don't have that in me." Lin lowered her head, eyes closed as if in deep thought. "I have the force. Who else is supposed to lead the metalbenders? I'm the only option. I have to uphold the family name and…" A pause. "I have to uphold the family name."

"You can take a break, can't you?" Tenzin replied. His eyes red from tears. "Just a year. That's all I ask. We can," he momentarily turned red, and it wasn't from anger or sadness. "We can, you know. And then you can go back to the force. You're a great Police Chief, but I just… I need this. Please."

"And there you go making this about you again."

"That's not what I'm doing, Lin."

"Yes it is! You're rushing us because you have some mission from on high to-"

"Dammit Lin, it's not a mission, it's just a kid and-"

"AND MAYBE I DON'T WANT TO HAVE KIDS!" she screamed as she got up on her feet in a huff. Tenzin looked up at her, completely bewildered.

The seconds passed by like the ticking of a clock. Lin was breathing heavily, eyes slightly watering. Tenzin broke the silence. "Lin…"

Suddenly she was adjusting her uniform, avoiding eye contact with the Airbender. "I'm going to be late for my shift," Lin announced to the air directly to the left of Tenzin. "I'll see you tonight."

And she walked out. Out of the hallway, out of the temple. Off the island.

Lin got to the station without any trouble. The officers greeted her in very curt and subdued tones; they knew something was up. She was surly. Well, more surly than usual.

After checking on the status of a few felons they had jailed over the night, the Chief made her way to her office and closed the door with a slam. The officers nearest the door jumped in surprise. This was certainly not good.

The woman sat down at her desk, and sighed. Paperwork from the nightshift were haphazardly stacked at the corner. After a quick flip through, wherein she threw the papers back down in frustration, she silently metalbent the drawer to her right open. Inside her trembling hand found the envelope that had been delivered to her weeks prior. She reached in and pulled out the letter that had plagued her in nightmares since first reading. Out of some sick sense of punishment, she forced herself to read it again.

Ms. Beifong,

With the tests concluded, we regret to inform you that you are unable to conceive. Grief counseling is avail-

Lin Beifong, elbows on her desk, lowered her face into her open hands and sobbed.

A/N: I promise not all of these will be depressing as fuck, I swear! I have an entire outline of stories I want to tell, but my muse (which may or may not be currently depressed, sorry) implored that these be written. As always, feedback and comments are forever appreciated!