141AG

"Chief, the Fire Lord is here to see you," Saikhan said knocking on her door.

"Ugh. Let her in," Lin muttered not even looking up from the mountain of paperwork she had to sort through, review and sign. "To what honor do I owe this gracious visit from her royal highness?" Lin asked.

"I am a majesty, not a highness, and Lin, do I really need a reason to come visit my best friend-" Fire Lord Izumi answered.

"While I'm at work?" Lin asked disapprovingly scribbling down a few notes in the margin of a page.

"Yes. It is urgent. I need you to do me a favor, Lin," Izumi said.

"Ugh! What is it?" Lin asked irritably setting down her pen, looking up with her arms folded, leaning back on her chair when she saw what the Fire Lord was holding.

There the Fire Lord stood in her formal robes, crown in her hair, royal guards flanking her, and her six year old son propped up on her hip, wrapped in her arms.

"The Earth Queen has requested an emergency meeting and I am obligated to attend. I need you to watch Iroh for a day and a night while I go to Ba Sing Se-"

"Izumi, I love you, but I am Chief Of Police now! I can't just drop everything and babysit your offspring-"

"And I am Fire Lord now, and he is the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation." Izumi snapped back with a dangerous frown. Do you think I would entrust his life with anybody? I can trust my guards with my life, but not with his, not yet. Not until he can tell me if something goes wrong or someone does something to him. Until then, Lin please, I trust you and I trust your deputy can keep the city standing for a day, at least."

Lin growled. "Fine!" Lin grumbled in defeat standing up with her hands on her desk.

"Thank you, Lin!" Izumi said running around the desk to place Iroh directly into her metal clad arms before fleeing with her guards. Lin held Iroh out as far from her body as she could, examining the six year old child. Izumi left the door open so the entire room of detectives could see the rather, unusual event taking place in the Chief's office.

"Saikhan! You heard the Fire Lord! You're in charge until I get back!" Lin ordered carrying the child out of her office, slamming and locking the door behind her with metalbending. She marched right up to city hall and into the council chamber

"Chief Beifong, what a... pleasant surprise?" The Northern Water Tribe Councilman said nervously eyeing the child dressed like Fire Nation Nobility sitting in her arms.

"Forgive the interruption, Tenzin, we need to talk!" She yelled.

"Uh... Now?" Tenzin asked nervously as he got up.

Lin set the child on the ground and tethered him with her metal cable waiting until he wandered far enough away to not hear a whisper, before speaking.

"I need your help, Zumi left Iroh with me and-"

"You don't know what to do-"

"Yep."

"Well I'm kind of in the middle of something since I am a councilman now and I can't just-"

"And I'm Chief Of Police but this is the FUCKING FIRE LORD OF THE FUCKING FIRE NATION we are speaking about! I think you can take a day off to help me watch the CROWN PRINCE, don't you think?" Lin asked.

Tenzin sighed. "I suppose,"

"I'll wait for you in your office," Lin replied.

Tenzin explained the rather peculiar situation he was win with as much ambiguity as possible to the other council members of his situation, gathered his papers and took his leave. He found Lin sitting at the guest chair in his tidy office with the six year old boy perched on the edge of his desk facing Lin. The two looked like they were engaged in a rather intense staring contest.

"Took you long enough," Lin muttered folding her arms and legs, turning to face with an irate scowl on her face.

"Unfortunately I cannot simply command the other councilmen to carry on as you can command your subordinates," Tenzin replied filing his papers away while little Iroh pivoted on the desk to watch. Lin sat looking thoroughly displeased with the entire situation while Iroh just seemed curious.

"Hey Iroh! How was the airship ride over? Do you like flying?" Tenzin asked turning his attention to the little Fire Prince.

"How do you know he talks?" Lin asked.

"He's six. Most children start taking before the age of three," Tenzin replied picking up Iroh off his desk.

"Hmph," Lin huffed standing to follow Tenzin out the door of his office.

Tenzin held Iroh in his lap while Lin drove them to the docks of the city in her Satomobile so they could take the ferry back to Air Temple Island. It would be easier to watch them where there was a higher chance of not being ambushed by gangs and/or reporters trying to get to the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation, the Police Chief and heir to the Beifong Fortune, or the young Councilman and son of Avatar Aang.

"I don't understand why he needs watching. When I was six I was cooking breakfast for myself, bottle feeding Su, suffering daily earthbending training then running four miles across the city alone to the docks to get to the ferry to come see you!" Lin replied fumbling around the kitchen to make tea and something for them to eat while Tenzin brought some toys to offer the little prince on the floor of the kitchen. He presented the child with a a couple stuffed animals, dolls, blocks, and a couple toys with moving parts. One toy had a little spinning disk that when you pulled the string, the disk flew up and spun and changed colors by the various flaps turning over while descending.

"We have to watch him to make sure no one tries to sell him to the Triads or the earth queen and to protect him from anyone who still harbors resentment for the Fire Nation," Tenzin explained.

"Makes sense," Lin replied.

"My dad always had me watched even if from afar until I got my own sky bison when I was eight," Tenzin said.

"Don't you think it would get boring after a while? How much really happens in the life of a kid. Most kids these days just eat, sleep, poop, play, and repeat," Lin said transferring some vegetables and tofu into a bowl of fresh rice, squatting down and blowing on it to feed to Iroh.

"I don't think so. I mean, children are constantly growing and changing and learning new things. Just look at Iroh!"

Iroh pulled the string and the toy sailed up. He waddled over to catch it and then put it back on the launch mechanism with a furrowed brow and his tongue between his lips deep in thought. Then he pointed the toy at Lin and pulled the string as it flew towards her face. She covered and it bounced off her metal gauntlet and onto the floor. Tenzin rolled over on the floor of the kitchen laughing while Lin frowned at him. Iroh glanced at her with a worried expression then to Tenzin then he laughed as well. Lin sighed and shook her head. Maybe Iroh did learn. The toy could be used as a weapon. Guess what is going to disappear during nap time!

Lin spoke to Tenzin mostly, feeding Iroh a bite with her chopsticks every time he passed by her until the small child-size bowl was empty. After the food was gone, they moved into the living room where Iroh got to explore a whole new toy box that helps stuff from as far back as Bumi's child hood.

There must have been at least a hundred small to medium toys for the prince to go through in that box. Surely he will be occupied for at least a— minute Lin hoped walking over to the book shelf in the living room on Air Temple Island reaching for an ancient tome about some long-forgotten guru when her thoughts were interrupted.

"Lin, I think he wants to practice his bending," Tenzin said.

"But- we can't help him. We're not firebenders," Lin responded with furrowed brow.

Iroh tugged on Tenzin's robes. He bent down and listened. "Uh huh... uh huh... yeah... don't worry. I'll tell her..." Tenzin stood again.

"He said you don't need to help or teach him. Just watch while he does forms and say if it looks sloppy or not."

"Are these open forms or does it involve fire or bending in any way."

"They're bending forms."

Lin groaned, but knew there was no arguing with the six year old. "Fine, but we're doing it outside where he can't burn everything," Lin replied roughly, walking out of the house with a steady pace expecting Tenzin and Iroh to follow.

They parked themselves on the hexagonal shaped shaped sparring ground on Air Temple Island and watched. Iroh bowed first to his care takers then silently began his form. His fireblasts were small, red and couldn't be sustained as long as they should have been as indicated by how long Iroh held each position. No doubt his trainers told him to keep trying and produce whatever fire he could as long as he had the motions right. The strength in his breath could come later. Lin scowled. Her own mother never tolerated such laziness. She had to work until the move she learnt on that day had been perfected or until she collapsed in exhaustion.

"I thought it was wonderful! Great job Iroh! Hi five!" Tenzin said encouragingly, clapping his hands and hi-fiving the boy. "Lin?"

"Do you meditate, Iroh?" Lin asked.

Iroh looked at her curiously. "Your fire stops short. You need to work on controlling your breath. Fire comes from the breathing and its energy located in the gut. You need to have complete control of yourself before you can completely control such a wild and dangerous element," Lin replied bluntly.

Tenzin frowned at her with his hands on Iroh's shoulders as he looked down sadly.

"You hurt his feelings!" Tenzin accused her.

"I told him the truth! Truth hurts. He'll build a tough skin eventually!" Lin replied.

"He's not a Beifong! He can't handle judgement like you do! He can't just let it fall off his back like water on the shell of a turtle duck!" Tenzin yelled back.

Iroh looked to the two yelling adults and began to cry.

"Great!" Lin folded her arms angrily.

Tenzin wipes the tears from Iroh's eyes and apologized. "She didn't mean to say that and we didn't mean to scare you. We're sorry. Don't cry, buddy. I thought your form was amazing.

"I want my Mother!" Iroh cried.

"So he does speak," Lin thought aloud raising an eyebrow as she watched.

"Your mother is in Ba Sing Se, but in her absence, were here," Tenzin replied softly rubbing the boys back, trying to hug him, but he was resisting.

"I want my mother!" He stomped his foot. "I want her to hug me!"

"She'll be back tomorrow. She can hug you then!"

"I want her now!" He said. His next stomp came with a little flame that caught the corner of Tenzin's cape on fire. Before he could even react, Lin had stomped her foot folding over a piece of earth to smother the flame on the corner of the cape and put it out.

Iroh remembered she existed and looked up at her with some sort of longing or... hopeful(?) eyes.

"I think he wants you to hug him," Tenzin interpreted.

"What?" Lin shrieked. "Won't my armor scratch him or something?"

"Then take it off—"

"Tenzin! He's a little firebender! What if he burns me?"

"He won't!" Tenzin reassured her. "He just wants a hug from his mother, and you're the nearest woman trustworthy right now.

Lin looked around to make sure no one was looking and bent her arm guards and body armor up over her head and off into a heap beside her. Iroh watched with awe. She bent down to one knee cautiously and held out her arms nervously. Iroh ran over and wrapped his arms around her neck and his tiny legs around her torso and she stood up again. The prince leaned his ear against her shoulder and buried his face in her neck. He moved one hand to rest just above her left breast, feeling the softness and warmth of her body through her thin cotton tank top. She found her own feet rooted to the ground but her body swaying as she held him. Her hand spanned his tiny back.

She tried to look at him but her neck was not long enough to move her head far enough from his face on her shoulder for her to see. He wasn't crying anymore. That must be a good thing. She felt his heart beating against her chest. It was so... small. So... no, not weak. Definitely not weak! But there was something about it that was... different than Tenzin's at least, and different from the heartbeats she felt through the ground. It was fragile. Little, and kind of... sweet. She couldn't take her eyes off his tiny body wrapped around her, resting, and breathing lightly. Iroh wasn't angry or mad, Lin realized was just tired. She moved her long, wavy black hair out of his face to the opposite shoulder and continued to sway on the spot rubbing the young boy's back soothingly. For a moment, it seemed all that existed was Iroh there in her arms. Iroh and his tiny, fragile heart beat. She stared down at him curiously. How long could he just lay there draped over her shoulder. She reached out with her seismic sense and felt out his heartbeat again. Great! Now, now he's sleeping.

Lin looked around at the courtyard thinking about how she was going to get her armor into the house while her arms were full with Iroh, not wanting to put him down when she saw Tenzin standing before her with the most smug expression she'd ever seen on the gentle, peace-loving airbender. Her own peaceful expression dissipated and was quickly replaced by the too-familiar scowl she wore in her natural state of existence.

"What are you smiling at?!" she demanded quieter than she usually would.

"You like him!" Tenzin replied.

"I-" she knew where he was going with this. He would ask again about her thoughts on having children. He knew she wanted them, but when? She didn't feel ready. She didn't hate Iroh and while she had reservations about watching him, it wasn't so bad and certainly not boring. And this... this... little life, on her shoulder... it felt... nice...

Tenzin laughed. "Now you can't tell me you hate children," he said taking advantage of her thought filled silence as she became distracted by her own mind.

"That doesn't mean I'm ready to have them now. I just became chief a year ago and having a kid will mean taking time off and I really can't afford more than a day a month with the Triads gaining ground and members!" Lin replied in an angry whisper, instinctively covering Iroh's free ear with her free hand, stroking the hair back on his Temple soothingly.

"I know, but eventually,"

Lin sighed. "Eventually, we will work something out," she said reluctantly. She looked down at Iroh. "Maybe I wouldn't mind having one of these, just not now."

"Okay! The guest room is all set up with fresh linens and pillow casings and- Lin?" Tenzin announced coming into the living room. He found Lin dead asleep on the couch in the living room with six year old Iroh drooling on her white tank top, both perfectly at peace. He couldn't help but smile at the sight of the love of his life, tolerating a child. Tenzin shrugged and rather disturb them, planted a kiss on Lin's forehead and the back of Iroh's head and went to take an ancient tome off the shelf written by some long forgotten guru and read when he felt the door squeak slowly open.

"Izu-"

"Sh!" Izumi hissed waving him outside.

"I thought you had to meet with the Earth Queen!" Tenzin exclaimed in a frantic whisper.

"I lied. A few months ago you mentioned how Lin was so reluctant to have children even though she said she wanted a family, and I couldn't believe it, so I just had to change try something to change her mind!" Izumi said with a smile.

"But-" Tenzin paused to think before smiling and pumping his fists. "Zumi, you're a genius!"

Izumi laughed. "I know! I'm just checking in. You guys still get to keep him for the night. Don't forget to bathe him no later than an hour before he sleeps, and he likes to hear a story before bed. It can be about anything really. I think he just likes hearing someone's voice as he falls asleep to helps him feel less lonely," Izumi informed him.

Tenzin nodded. They both looked through the window at the young, but revered Chief of Police laying completely motionless on the couch with the Fire Prince drooling carelessly on her chest.

"They're so beautiful together," Tenzin breathed.

"They are," Izumi admitted. "Now you kids have fun. By the way, Suyin sneaked back into town yesterday, but don't worry. She'll be with Kya and me for the duration of her stay-"

"Kya's back too?"

"Yeah! There's a pro-bending tournament tonight and we thought we might shake up some of the amateurs-" Izumi said deviously.

"That's not fair! You're Fire Lord and master of fire, lightning, and combustion, when you're angry."

"If I can only do it when I am angry, then it is not really mastery level bending. It is just uncontrolled tantrum bending," Izumi replied. "Besides, what they don't know can't hurt them." Izumi added with a devilish grin. She took one last glance at her son and then to Tenzin. "See you tomorrow morning, Tenzin"

Lin woke up first but didn't move hen she felt the weight of the little prince still in her chest. She smiled and stroked his sweaty hair away from his face and rubbed his arm with her thumb. She rested her left arm behind her head and just looked up at the ceiling, thinking about one day, possibly having one of her own.

Finally, Iroh began to stir. He propped himself up on his arms and looked at her curiously.

"Good morning, Little Prince," she said to him softly giggling at his sweaty hair he blinked his eye lazily and put a hand on her breast and began to turn over.

She winced at the pressure and held his wrist to relieve herself of it slightly and he settled back asleep on his back this time. With his sweaty head just under her chin.

"How are are you holding up, Chief?" Tenzin asked entering the room with a cup of tea and a newspaper.

"Chief, heh," she laughed. "Look at me, I've been reduced to a piece of furniture, Tenzin."

"That's your fault for also falling asleep before I had the guest room ready-"

"You could have readied it while he was showing me his forms."

"I didn't want to leave you guys alone, then."

"Why? Were you worried I'd bury him if he made me mad?"

"Maybe."

"Come here," she said beckoning for him closer. She grabbed the front of his robes and pulled his lips against hers.

"I love you, Tenzin. I know I may not always act like it, but I do and I want us to be together and eventually, to have one or some of our own. I just don't know when," Lin said caressing the little prince's upper arm with the thumb of her other hand, not taking her eyes away from Tenzin.

He smiled and kissed her back. "I know."

After Iroh finally woke up, Lin took him outside and sparred with him, throwing small rocks and pebbles at him at a rather slow speed so he could practice evading and redirecting them with his fire blasts from his hands and feet. He laughed and smiled and eventually ducked past a few rocks and jumped at her. She pretended to fall down and he tried to tickle her. She slammed both hands on the ground invading them in pebbles like the Dai Li rock gloves and grabbed Iroh by one foot and dangled him up side down while he screamed and she laughed. Then she tickled him back then took him in her arms trapping his little hands between their bodies and kissed him on the head.

"And that's what will happen if you EVER try to tickle Aunt Linny again!" she said evilly pointing at his his nose.

Iroh frowned, but smiled as soon as she put him down again and then they played tag.

Tenzin looked over the dishes out the window at the two in the courtyard and smiled. Lin looked so happy with the little boy.

Tenzin made dinner that night and the three ate together at the table instead of on the floor of the kitchen like at lunch.

"And then the dragon flew into the volcano and swallowed the lava and returned to battle and spit it all out on the enemy regiment and froze everyone in black glass and ash!" Iroh recounted his favorite story at the dinner table.

"I believe that black glass is called obsidian Iroh," Lin informed the young boy with a raised eyebrow and a smile.

"Oh. Okay. Obsidian!" Iroh repeated, liking the way it felt on his tongue.

After dinner, Lin bathed Iroh while Tenzin cleaned up the kitchen. She told him the story of the Painted Lady who saved a fishing village from starvation and then kissed the top of his head and tucked him into bed and waited until he slept before leaving. She put Tenzin on duty so she could change out of her soiled tank top and dirty pants and bathe herself and get ready for bed.

"How do you feel now?" Tenzin asked stroking her cheek once they were alone again.

"Exhausted," Lin replied. "I don't know how Izumi has managed six years with this thing."

"And he's not even that bad." Tenzin said.

"Yeah. He is pretty sweet. Especially for a prince. You should see some of the rich children in the Ba Sing Se shopping center. They're not even royalty yet act like little demons, I swear-"

"Your children will be rich."

"But I won't give them designer clothing and lead them to expect anything to be given to them unconditionally," Lin replied.

"I love that about you. You're so humble and modest. You're not a typical lady or a typical bender or a typical woman. You're not a typical anything. Everything about you is just... amazing." Tenzin replied kissing her. "You're like a dream to me sometimes."

"Sometimes?" Lin asked breaking away from the kiss looking at him questioningly. She smirked. "And what am I like the rest of the time?"

"A fucking nightmare..." Tenzin replied pressing his lips against hers again before she could speak again.