When Lin and Kuzon saw the ultrasound of their babies, they couldn't have been happier.
"It's like they're best friends already," Lin said as they seemed to be embracing in the picture."
"I want to introduce you to my mothers," Kuzon told her. "They have to see this (ultrasound), and I think it's time."
"Let's write to them and see what they say."
Kuzon sent a letter to his mom. She wrote back saying that his mother was home and planned on being there for a while. He decided to tell Lin everything before they got there.
"Hey Lin. My moms want us to come next weekend."
"That sounds perfect."
"Before we go, I think it's time I told you who I am."
He started with an explanation of his adopted mother. Lin had recognized the name, and was surprised that someone her mother knew had raised Kuzon.
"Why didn't you tell my mom who your adoptive mother was?"
"Because she would have wanted to know who my birth mother is."
He then explained who his birth mother was and how he came to be with his adopted mother.
"You're shitting me!"
"No." He had been given fake credentials to cover up his original identity, even given a new name, so no one would make the connection between him and his birth mother.
"She still calls me by my given name, so I had to explain it before we got there. I also just wanted to get it off my chest. It was weird having you know my story, but not really know it since you didn't know the players."
She was so baffled by learning who his mother was, she didn't even ask the next logical question, who was his father?
She decided to try to get through meeting the parents first. He put up with her crazy ass family; she should at least do this for him.
Lin gave an interview before she left to meet Kuzon's mothers.
"Sorry to cut this short, but I kind of forgot you were coming."
"I understand, any recent developments."
"Well, I found out we're having twins. My mother came to visit. Katara found her for me, and she's the one who told me I was having twins. We all had dinner at Tenzin's, my mother and Kuzon had a pretty epic spar that messed up Tenzin's yard, and I'm on my way to meet Kuzon's mothers, so I must say things are happening pretty quickly"
"That's a lot. Could we talk again after you get back? I'd be curious how the visit goes, names redacted of course."
"Yes, and that means I can peace out now."
Kuzon had never been able to bring a girl home to meet his birth mother before. His adoptive mother had met one of the girlfriend's he had years ago, but no one had been important enough to bring her home in a long time.
"I would try to prepare you for this, but I've never brought a girl home to my birth mother, so I apologize for whatever it is that she says in advance."
"I doubt she's worse than my mother."
"Really, your mom can't throw lightening."
"Well there is that, but I doubt she has as crass a mouth."
"No, she's more dignified when it comes to her language, but she won't hesitate to reduce people to shreds with her tongue."
Their house impressed Lin. It was much larger than she was expecting. She imagined a small cabin in the woods, but this was kind of a big estate.
"I thought you said you had humble beginnings."
"Well, I didn't grow up in this house. I got it for my mom once I got my first big paycheck. I grew up in a small cabin in the woods. It was cozy, and so is this place, on the inside."
As soon as Kuzon opened the door, the smell of apple pie escaped.
"Mom, Mother, we're here!"
"Your mom made pie. I'm going to eat it all," Azula declared.
"You will not!" Ty Lee snapped at her.
"Mom, mother, this is Chief Lin Bei Fong."
"You're with Blind Bandit Jr?" Azula questioned.
Azula's hair was grey. Her eyes were piercing gold just like her son's, and she was small, thin, but she did not look weak. She was quick on her feet and examined Lin's face closely. "You don't really look like your mom. No, you look like Poppy. Anyway, you earned me 50 coins."
"Oh shut up," Ty Lee told her. "And welcome Lin. Make yourself at home."
The home was beautiful. There were paintings that adorned the wall and one that made Lin blushed.
"Is that supposed to be?"
"Reminiscent of a vagina, yes it is," Kuzon said quickly. "Lots of the artwork here is."
"Well what do you expect when you come to the home of a lesbian couple," Azula retorted.
"Your mothers are together?"
"I told you their relationship was odd."
"Your mother sold another painting last week," Ty Lee told her son.
"She's been using an alias, and everyone's trying to figure out who she is," Kuzon told her.
"Yeah, so no blabbing, since the mystery makes them worth more; also I don't want to go to jail."
"Do you think your brother's still looking for you?"
"That asshole would lock me up any chance he got, and if he didn't that frosty witch would. I don't know if the Blind Bandit would. She might just want to fight it out instead. I always did like her the best out of Team Avatar."
"Kuzon got into quite a fight with my mother. He's still standing."
"Of course he's still standing. He's a Prince of the Fire Nation, son of an esteemed warrior and a firebending prodigy, even if he goes by that ridiculous name."
"Well, Prince Azulon of the Fire Nation, might have been too obvious," he snapped.
"Nah. Just say your one of Ozai's bastard grandchildren. Make up any Fire Nation name for your mother, and it would have worked."
"I'm not as good at lying as you are."
"No duh! No one's as good as I am!"
"Zuko's mantra is Azula always lies. It's not always, but you usually can't tell the difference."
"Well what's the point of lying if people can tell? Also, where's that pie?"
"It should be cool now, and you're eating last, so I know everyone gets some," Ty Lee told her.
"You suck!"
"Miss ate the whole dang pie last time and got tummy ache!"
"It was worth it! I'd do it again!"
"I know you would, stupid!"
Lin was surprised that Azula was so, well, harmless seeming. "I never would have guessed you were fighting over pie with your lover."
"What, do the history books say I'm dead or something?"
"They just don't know. People have theories, but I doubt any of them are anywhere close to the truth."
"That's good. I don't need that kind of drama in my life. Have you learned anything new about your sister?" She asked her son.
"She's still happily married the last time I checked."
"That's nice."
"Do you ever think you'll tell her who you are?" Lin asked her.
"I wrote her a letter in case she was curious to be given to her when I die. It seemed selfish to just impose myself on her life. I never really did anything for her, other than give her my favorite music box. I hope she kept it. She wouldn't have known it was a family heirloom."
"I'm sure she kept it," Ty Lee said. "It was gorgeous."
"Well duh, it was mine. Like I kept ugly stuff!"
"My sister got the antique music box, and I got Dad's sword from the war," Kuzon told his girlfriend.
"I thought each of them should have something from the parent they didn't meet, so I went to her adopted father, gave him the music box, and told him to give it to her."
They ate their pie. It came with vanilla ice cream. "You two find out what you're popping out yet?"
"Azula!" Ty Lee questioned.
"It's still too early to tell."
"Then I bet a firebender and an earthbender!"
"So's everyone," Kuzon told her.
"Well fine, Prince Butthead, I bet that the girl is a firebender like me and the boy is an earthbender like Blind Bandit Jr."
"What's your bet Mom?"
"I think it will be a boy and a girl too, but I bet the girl's the earthbender and the boy's a firebender."
"I'll add you to the pool at work."
"There's a pool at the station?"
"Oh yeah," Lin told her. "Apparently they had all bet on if I'd ever date again, then if I'd become a mother, and now that a bunch of men lost their money, they're trying to redeem themselves with this."
Tenzin came to the station to report vandalism. Someone scratched "Jealous basterd," in the side of his car.
"Where's Chief Bei Fong?"
"She's out for the weekend, and she wouldn't handle petty vandalism anyway."
"Petty! I love that car!"
"But the damage is likely only a 100 yuan. It's misdemeanor."
Tenzin tried her house and even though her car was there, she never answered. He gave up and left.
Lin was delighted with the spread they had for dinner: homemade bread, smoked chicken, fire-roasted vegetables, a fresh garden salad and they had this decadent chocolate cake for dessert.
"This is really hitting all of my pregnancy cravings right now," Lin told them, chicken, chocolate, and she was on a fire-roasted veggies kick.
"When I was pregnant, all I wanted was grilled cheese," Azula reminisced.
"That's still all you want," Ty Lee told her.
"Is not!"
"Really? So you didn't demand I grill you a cheese pretty much every time you saw me in the kitchen?" Kuzon questioned.
"I gave you life. You could at least grill me a cheese!"
"She never wants the normal grilled cheese. For her it's always with bacon, thinly shaved avocado and she wants both sides of the bread toasted."
"It's the only way to eat it!"
Lin chuckled. "My mother had a rule, if we pass the food court get her something. Suyin forgot once, and mom docked her allowance. She said why am I giving you allowance if you don't bring me something to eat?"
"I never got allowance," Kuzon teased his mother, "Yet you always want food."
"I allowed you to come onto this Earth!"
"You always have that trump card."
"And I always will."
When Kuzon got his girlfriend's stuff upstairs, Azula asked him where was Lin sleeping.
"She is I …"
"Just kidding. You already knocked her up. You may as well share a bed, but if you two get too noisy, well don't get too noisy."
"Oh leave them alone," Ty Lee dragged her lover to bed.
"I would say use condoms but too late!"
Lin laughed. "She's sweet, in her own way."
"I think that qualifier's necessary. Let's go to bed."
They got a brunch before their sendoff and Ty Lee sent their son home with cookies and jerky like she always did.
"You're the best Mom." He kissed her cheek and hugged his mother before he left.
When he opened the tin, he saw, "oh she made a pouch of cookies for you too." There were two bags of cookies. One said Lin and the other said Kuzon.
"She knows how to spoil us."
"Yeah she does."
On the way home, they talked about when they would come back next. The fifth month was approaching, which was when they could check the genders and the sixth month was when they would be able to check the bending. Kuzon thought they should visit one month for the gender and then the next month for the bending.
"I know it's a bit away so I don't want to drive up there all the time."
"It is relaxing," Lin said, "once you adjust to your mothers' banter."
"I'm still adjusting."
She got home and Kuzon was getting their stuff out the car. That evening, she had another interview with the scoop, and he would want to hear all about Kuzon's mothers.
For now, though, she could sit and eat cookies. Damn these are good!