"Korra, I know you're awake," Lin Beifong said from next to her.

Korra sighed, "You always know."

"That I do," Lin said. Korra could hear the smile in her voice.

Korra moved so that her head was on Lin's chest, and draped her arm across Lin's stomach.

"What happened?" Lin asked.

"With what?" Korra asked a shade too innocently.

Lin placed a hand on her back, "You know what."

Korra sighed, "I tried so hard. I tried to love Mako like you, but I just can't. I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm not."

"I know you're not, or you wouldn't be here."

There was a pause, in which Lin stared thoughtfully at the ceiling and Korra lightly traced patterns on Lin's shoulder.

"What're you thinking about?" Korra asked.

Lin broke her gaze at the ceiling to make eye contact with Korra, "The future."

"And the past?"

"No, that's a hot, painful mess. I can deal with it, but I'm choosing not to right now, because I'm happy. Why do you ask?"

"It seems like the past and the future go together. Like… you have to know your past, to make your future better."

"You can be surprisingly wise sometimes, for someone your age."

"Thanks," Korra said. She paused for a second. "I think."

There was another quiet moment, this time interrupted by Lin. "What's going on in that young Avatar head of yours?"

"How nice this is. How you're different in uniform," Korra said, without pausing in the patterns she was tracing with her fingertips, spanning from Lin's shoulder, to her collarbone, to the place where her neck met her shoulder.

"Everybody's different at work."

"But you're really different. You're a whole different person, here. I like it."

"Hmmm," Lin said, closing her eyes.

Korra unexpectedly stopped and got up. Lin watched her, but didn't say anything as she stood at the foot of the bed.

"I guess I should get going, especially since we aren't really supposed to be doing this, anyway. I think my clothes are in the living room."

When Lin didn't say anything, Korra turned to leave. When she was three steps away from the door, Lin's rational side lost the internal battle she was fighting.

"Korra. Wait," she said abruptly, Korra's hand on the door knob.

Korra turned around innocently, "What's the matter?"

"Republic City will be fine without its Avatar for the morning."

Korra smiled, and bounded back to bed like she'd been expecting this answer. She jumped under the covers and snuggled up against Lin.

"Also, you're warm, and the bed gets cold very quickly when you leave," Lin said.

Korra smiled into Lin's stomach, burning this moment into her memory.