Lin did not sit beside Tenzin when they rode Oogi back to her apartment, nor did she say anything. She simply sat alone in the saddle, seemingly oblivious to the world around her. Tenzin noticed she was clenching something metal in her fist. No doubt Lin was abusing it viciously. Still, he was worried. He expected to her to rage or cry or both. Seething silence did not fit this situation.

The moment the pair walked in the door of Lin's apartment, Lin finally broke down. She threw her arms around Tenzin's neck and sobbed into his chest. "What are we going to do?"

Tenzin stroked her back soothingly but was unsure how to respond. They'd figure something out, but for now he just let Lin cry against him.

"I should have been expecting this. Spirits, I thought it'd happen right after…" She choked on a sob and let the thought go unfinished. "But it never did. We were still together for so long. I almost forgot that they'd want us separated. And then you proposed. We were getting married and I'd never have to worry about losing you again, and…" Her tears overpowered her ability to speak.

"I know, Lin, I know. It's my fault," Tenzin replied remorsefully.

"N-no, it's n-not," Lin disagreed, her voice muffled by his robes as she buried her face further.

"It is though," he insisted. "For about a year before he died, do you know what my father said every time he saw me?" This was important and he wasn't going to continue until he was sure Lin was paying attention.

It took a moment for Lin to realize this and another moment for her to collect herself enough to look into Tenzin's eyes. "What did he say?" Her words were barely a whisper.

Tenzin gently wiped the tears from Lin's cheeks and then swallowed back tears of his own. "Have you proposed to Lin yet?" He squeezed his arms around her. "And every time I said no, he asked, 'When are you going to marry that girl?' I understand now why he was so persistent. We would have been safe. He would have been able to hold off the White Lotus, and then it would have been too late for them to change it." He closed his eyes. "I feel so stupid now. Half the reason I asked you to marry me was simply out of deference to my father after he died. I cannot tell you how much I regret not doing it sooner. Years ago."

In all honesty, he knew why he'd held back. He wasn't sure if Lin would say yes. He didn't doubt her love for him, but he knew it was a subject she was touchy about. Especially after her accident, she had scorned the idea of marriage. She would never admit it, but she didn't feel worthy of Tenzin for years afterward. It was like she was afraid to tie him to her, but she still didn't want to let him go. He didn't want to scare her off. He was a fool for thinking a marriage proposal would sour their relationship. Lin would have either brushed it off or accepted.

Lin heaved a shuddering sigh that pulled Tenzin out of his reverie. He opened his eyes to find her wearing a wry smile. "Way to go, Twinkletoes Jr. So what are we going to do about it?"

The pair relocated to the couch so they could discuss their battle plan.

"Well, I'm going to meet the…" He trailed off, unsure of how to refer to the women. Candidates?

Lin supplied the answer. "The hussies."

"Ah. Yes. I'm going to meet the, uh, hussies tomorrow," Tenzin amended awkwardly.

"I want to go with you," Lin asserted.

"I'd love to have you there, but I don't know if it will be allowed," Tenzin frowned.

"If they're forcing you to make this decision, I want to be a part of it. I think I should have a say in my replacement," Lin growled bitterly.

Tenzin rested a hand on her arm. "Don't say that. No one is going to replace you."

Lin took a deep breath and closed her eyes a second. "You'll let me help you decide though?"

"Any outing or meeting with those girls, I promise you'll be there. If they expect to be in my life, they'll have to accept that you were there first and you aren't going anywhere," Tenzin promised.

"We'll have to be careful," Lin warned. "I hate to admit it but the White Lotus is a real threat. We can't risk them separating us."

"They won't have to know what we do in secret, Lin," he whispered, kissing her forehead. "Though I hate that it must be a secret now."

Lin suddenly looked up. "Blast! Oogi's on the roof. Even up there, he's pretty hard to miss. If they're keeping tabs on us..." She waved an arm helplessly.

Tenzin groaned. "It's a good thing I keep a glider here." He retrieved it from a closet and disappeared out the window.

Lin took time during his absence to change into casual clothes and begin fixing rice and steamed vegetables. That way they could eat as they continued to plot.

"Oogi's on his way home. I probably won't be bringing him back again," Tenzin announced when he swept back into the apartment. "It's a pity. I think he's become friends with the pigeonrats up there."

Lin rolled her eyes and tossed him a plate. As he dished up, she asked, "How often do you think you'll be able to come around? No matter how discreet you are, someone will be bound to notice you're not sleeping on Air Temple Island. Especially with those hussies around."

"Maybe you'll have to spend more time on the island," he suggested with a wink.

Lin's first reaction was to scowl at the idea of being subjected to the hussies' presence. Then the idea began to appeal to her. "Wouldn't that be just the thing to show the hussies their place." She took a moment to imagine the girls trying to flirt with Tenzin while he was wrapped in an embrace with her. "Too bad they'd sic the White Lotus on us," Lin said with a smile.

"They can't stop us being friends. If you want to stop by for a friendly visit, who are they to say you can't?" Tenzin pointed out.

Lin leaned over to whisper suggestively in his ear. "You and I both know any visits from me would become much friendlier than we're allowed."

Tenzin laughed, sending bits of rice flying onto the floor. Lin made a face but was not deterred from placing a languorous kiss on the neck below his ear.

"Lin, I really haven't eaten all day," Tenzin said hesitantly, pulling away.

She replied by giving him an affectionate punch to the shoulder. "It's a good thing I like you, Baldy," she sighed before returning to her own plate.

"In all seriousness, I don't know how effective any plans are going to be," Tenzin remarked between bites. "I think we'll have to play most of this by ear. So much depends on the White Lotus. How strict will they really be? How are they monitoring the situation? And there are the, um, hussies too. Their personalities might really change how we have to act around each other."

Lin frowned. "I see what you mean," she replied, somewhat lost in her own thoughts.

After a few minutes of quietly eating, Lin looked over to Tenzin with a wicked gleam in her eyes. "Our relationship may be changing, but it doesn't have to be for the worse. We're just going to have to make the most out of every encounter. After all, tonight may be the last chance we are given."

Katara's voice stopped Tenzin in his tracks as he passed the kitchen. It was just past dawn, and he hadn't thought anyone would be awake yet. He hadn't necessarily been sneaking because in his mind he wasn't doing anything wrong, but his mother's voice still startled him. It wasn't angry or demanding. Rather it was knowing and sad.

"Where have you been, Tenzin?"

"I was with Lin," he replied evenly, entering the kitchen and taking a seat across the table from his mother.

"All night?"

"That is correct."

Katara sighed and placed a hand on his arm. "You know you're not allowed to do that anymore. It's wrong."

"What the White Lotus is asking me to do is wrong."

"They've placed me in charge of policing your actions with Lin, you know," she said softly. "I won't raise any alarm bells just yet, but there will come a time when I will have to put my foot down."

"I understand. Do what you must."

"You're doing yourself a harm, Tenzin. You're hurting Lin too. The sooner you let her go, the sooner you can both move on and find happiness."

"We have found happiness, Mother." With that, he stood up and made his way to his room to ready himself for the day. And the hussies.