Chapter 14

"Tenzin, get off of me."

"Mmm? What?"

"You're doing it again."

"I'm sleeping, Lin."

"Yes, you are…on my stomach."

"Am I?"

Sighing wearily, Lin pried her eyes open, wincing at the morning light streaming through her bedroom curtains and directly into her line of sight. She tipped her head up slightly to glance down at her midriff, confirming that her husband was indeed lying atop her stomach. The top of his head rested between her breasts, his chin just below her ribs, and one of his hands lay protectively over her lower stomach. It wasn't so much that it was uncomfortable, and more about the fact that Tenzin had been contorting himself into this awkward position far too often lately, and it was beginning to grate on her nerves.

It had only been two weeks since Lin had told him she was pregnant, and already he was driving her insane. He doted on her constantly, asking her a million times in a day if she was hungry or thirsty, or when the last time she had eaten was. If her stomach was too queasy, he'd still try to force some sort of soup broth down her throat, and when she told him to get away from her, he'd insist she was threatening the safety of their child, and then she'd slap him or curse at him, so he'd trek across the island to ask his mother a million questions about proper dietary habits during pregnancy. He didn't believe her when she said she was being careful at work, even going so far as to visit so many times in one day that she'd banned him from headquarters for a year. She was trying to be understanding. After all, Tenzin had been wanting a baby for over half his life, and she was part of the reason he'd had to wait so long. Still, she could only accept so much before she acted on her desire to strangle him and ended up a single mother.

"This is getting out of hand," Lin muttered, her voice still thick with sleep. She shifted slightly, grimacing when her stomach churned as it so often did lately. Most of the time, she'd been able to go about her day without racing to the nearest toilet, but she was quickly beginning to think she wouldn't be so lucky this morning – she only hoped it wasn't one of those days where she spent the majority of it grabbing the nearest bin every half hour.

"What is?" Tenzin yawned, cuddling closer to her and jolting her slightly, making her head spin.

"I suggest you get off of me, Tenzin," Lin warned, wide awake now as the feeling of nausea began to overwhelm her.

Tenzin noticed the tone of her voice, and he tilted his head up to look at her with concern. "Are you all ri –?"

"Ugh, move," Lin grumbled, shoving his head off of her as she lurched out of bed and went quickly to the toilet.

Tenzin followed, of course, like he always did, holding back her hair and rubbing her back soothingly. And when she'd stopped heaving, he handed her a glass of water – he'd begun leaving cups on the bathroom sink specifically for moments like this. After she'd sipped some water, he said, "Perhaps you should consider taking the day off from work."

Lin swallowed a rather large gulp of liquid before looking up at Tenzin and scoffing. "Yeah right, my men already think I'm dying."

"Well they'll find out what's going on soon enough, and you were planning on leaving early anyway –"

Lin groaned. "Ugh, I can't believe I let you talk me into having a party just so you can tell everyone you finally managed to get me pregnant. In fact," she rose to her feet, swaying slightly, her face still a bit pale, "I should go to work and conveniently get caught up in an interrogation, thereby missing the whole "celebration.""

"Lin," Tenzin sighed, following her as she started towards the kitchen, "it's not going to be that dreadful. It's just our closest friends and family –"

"And the Air Acolytes, including that Pena girl that threw herself at you two weeks ago –" she whirled around to face him, "remind me again why she's invited?"

Tenzin didn't bother correcting the name. "I couldn't invite all the other acolytes and not her, besides she probably won't even make an appearance if she knows you're there, which is exactly why you should come. I can't announce my wife's pregnancy if she's not even there!"

"Sure you can," said Lin, folding her arms across her chest. "The only reason they want me there is so they can hug me for no reason at all and pet my stomach like I'm some sort of animal on display."

Tenzin rolled his eyes. "You're being over-dramatic –"

"No, I'm not," Lin insisted. "I was there for all three of Kya's pregnancy announcements, as well as Izumi's. I know how women react to this sort of thing, and I'd rather not have my ear drums burst when they start squealing.

"You're not getting out of this Lin," said Tenzin with an air of finality. "We've waited two weeks for you, and my mother and I have done our best to keep the secret despite my desire to shout it from every rooftop in Republic City. You will call into work and say you aren't coming in today, that you will explain it to them tomorrow, and then you will come with me to the celebration tonight and at least try to enjoy yourself."

Lin narrowed her eyes, caught between wanting to argue and wanting to be proud of Tenzin for finally showing a little backbone. But then her stomach lurched and she went stumbling back into the bathroom before she could think of a response.

Since Lin ended up basically spending her entire morning with her head in the toilet, she did end up calling off from work, and secretly hoped she'd be too ill to attend her "pregnancy announcement party" that evening. Somewhat unfortunately, the queasiness began to fade around late afternoon, and by the time she and Tenzin were due to meet everyone, she was practically ravenous. With the promise of Katara's cooking, Lin could hardly find a reason to argue skipping the party, and was only slightly annoyed with her husband, who was bubbling with enthusiasm.

It was too cold to hold any sort of gathering outside, so everything had been set up in Katara's sitting room and the dining room. The Air Acolytes were already there when Lin and Tenzin arrived, as they had been helping Katara prepare. Zuko and Izumi, Iroh and Ursa, Bumi, and Kya and her family had all arrived at various times either the previous evening or early that morning, but each of them was somewhere else on the island. Sokka, on the other hand, had gotten caught up with something important in the city, but had promised he'd be there just as the party was to begin. None of them had a clue what the party was even for, nor were they aware that it had anything to do with Lin and Tenzin, as they had all received word from Katara and were given no reason to believe it was anything more than the aging woman's way of bringing them all together for something other than a funeral.

While Tenzin had immediately begun a discussion with his mother upon stepping into her home, Lin had said a quick hello and went straight to the food table that had been set up. Despite the fact that it was probably considered rude to eat before the other guests had even arrived, Lin filled her plate and started devouring the food as if she hadn't eaten in days.

She hadn't gotten halfway through her plate when a female voice caught her attention saying, "Would you like some tea, Chief Beifong?"

Quickly swallowing a mouthful of food, Lin looked across the table to see two acolyte women standing there holding a pot of tea and a few cups. One was younger and easily recognizable as the one who had confessed her love to Tenzin, while the other - the one who had offered Lin the tea - was a bit older, probably closer to Lin's age, and whose name was Nira. While both of them were smiling at the chief of police politely, Pema was looking rather anxious, obviously hoping that Lin hadn't a clue what had gone on just two weeks ago between her and Tenzin.

"No thank you," Lin replied, with a quick glance at Nira before turning a narrow-eyed gaze onto Pema.

Pema's eyes widened in shock and possibly a bit of fear, and she hurriedly averted her gaze from Lin as she turned to follow Nira from the room. However, Lin wasn't about to let the girl get away without a few words first, and she hastened after them, reaching the end of the long table at the same time they did, allowing Nira to continue forward, and then stepping right in Pema's path.

The young woman gasped, almost dropping the teacups in her hands while trying to avoid a collision, and Lin had to hold her plate of food off to the side for a moment so that Pema didn't knock it out of her hands.

Nira turned back around to see what was going on, brow furrowed as she asked, "Is everything all right?"

"Of course," Lin replied, before Pema could speak first, not bothering to look back at Nira. "I just need a quick word with Pema...alone," she added, when Nira hesitated.

Obviously unwilling to argue with the imposing chief of police, and assuming no harm would actually befall Pema, Nira made the wise decision to return to the kitchen without argument, shooting Pema an apologetic look just beforehand.

Alone now, Pema looked at Lin with trepidation in her eyes, her voice low as she said, "Oh, Spirits, he's told you everything hasn't he?"

"Not everything," Lin admitted, stony-faced, "but enough..."

Pema shook her head, looking guilty, "I wasn't trying to -"

Lin held up a hand to silence her. "I don't want to hear it," she interjected. "I get it, you think you're in love with him, hell, maybe you are. And you were either really brave, or really stupid to try and help him out of what you assumed was a loveless marriage. Either way, I'll let it slide this time, because you didn't know -"

Confused, Pema tried to ask, "Didn't know wha -?"

" - but let me assure you," Lin continued, as if Pema had not spoken, "if you ever try to lure my husband away from me again, I will throw your ass in jail...is that understood?"

Pema gulped, dropping her gaze to avoid looking Lin directly in the eye and nodding forlornly. It was then that the younger woman noticed it, something Lin hadn't even realized she was doing. Because while one hand held on steadily to her plate of food as if afraid she might lose it, the other hand had unconsciously drifted to settle atop her lower abdomen, underneath which she and Tenzin's child was slowly beginning to grow. There was no outward sign that Lin was pregnant, but that simple gesture apparently tipped Pema off right away, and the girl gasped yet again, this time sounding much more surprised as her wide eyes jumped back up to meet Lin's gaze.

Although rather annoyed that the acolyte knew she was pregnant before her own family and friends, Lin did not bother to deny it or act at all mysterious, nodding briefly in confirmation when Pema spluttered, "You mean you're..." Pema inhaled sharply, and for a brief moment, an expression flitted across her features that Lin was somewhat surprised to recognize so instantly. Even more startling, that one expression actually caused Lin to feel some sympathy towards the girl, averting her own gaze quickly as if to pretend she hadn't seen it. Because for a moment, Lin saw all the hope and joy and naivety leave the young woman's eyes in just one heartbeat. Because what chance did Pema have with her soul mate now? If there was one thing people close to Tenzin knew, it was that he wouldn't leave his wife and unborn child under any circumstance, and certainly not to pursue a relationship with someone so much younger than himself. Even if he hated Lin, he would have stayed, for as long as he possibly could, for the child's sake if for no one else.

So with Tenzin's earlier declaration of love for his wife, and the new-found knowledge that Lin was finally carrying his child, Pema knew for sure now that Tenzin would not be hers, and she would not be his, and despite how hard she tried to hide it, Lin could see that the girl was heartbroken, and just like that, Lin's anger towards the younger woman began to slowly disintegrate...just a little. After all, it could have been the other way around. If Lin had not agreed to having children with Tenzin, or if she had not been able to conceive any, so that the only viable option for the two of them would have been that they split ways in the near future, then there was a very real possibility that when Pema confessed her love to Tenzin, he would have been more receptive to it, would have opened his heart to the young woman if it had not already been so for her, and the two of them would have likely married and had children of their own, and Lin would have been left heartbroken as Pema announced her pregnancy at this party. In an alternate universe, perhaps Pema and Tenzin were soul mates, or maybe the girl was just required to lose her first love so that she'd find true love some time later.

Ugh.

Lin nearly scoffed at that thought alone. What, were they living in fairy tale land now? True love and soul mates were nothing but pretend, just a fantasy, and Pema was going to learn that the hard way. And why should Lin feel sorry for someone who had tried to steal her husband from her? A girl who had not bothered to think about Lin's feelings at all, how it might affect the woman whose husband she was trying to steal. Lin didn't know the whole story - she'd given up interrogating Tenzin about it days ago - but she didn't figure Pema was concerned with what kind of problems her words may have caused, only thinking about her need to confess her feelings.

It was with that in mind that Lin found the ability to simply walk away. No more words were needed, both women knew were they stood. It was likely they'd never speak again, not for a very long time at least, but there would be no ridiculous fight involving screaming or hair pulling, because neither of them was that petty, no matter how much they might love the same man. Still, if Pema was ever stupid enough to try something, Lin was sure she'd keep to her promise to throw the acolyte in jail.

The party ended up being just as ridiculous as Lin had expected it to be. Once everyone had arrived and Tenzin had been about to announce her pregnancy, she had tried to hide in the kitchen, but some acolyte boy had ratted her out even after she threatened to arrest him. So Tenzin had dragged her out to the main room where everyone waited, and she'd grimaced in anticipation of their reactions. She had not been wrong at all to believe that they'd immediately started hugging her and petting her stomach despite the fact that there was hardly any sign she was even pregnant, considering her child was only about the size of a peanut at the moment. Tenzin, of course, enjoyed the whole thing far too much, but she was thankful, at least, that he'd saved her from the worst of it, allowing everyone to ask him all the questions while she'd tried to sneak back off to the food table.

In the following days, Lin and Tenzin told yet more people of the news, such as the White Lotus, Lin's police officers, and Tenzin's fellow councilmen. Within the week, news had spread throughout Republic City, so that Lin had to deal with a lot more attention than she was comfortable with. The worst part was when it hit news stands, because it wasn't as if her life wasn't far too public to begin with. She'd expected it though, and so had not been very surprised, but she was definitely annoyed, and vowed that the next random person to try petting her stomach would get a metal boot to the gut.

After about a month, news of Lin's pregnancy wasn't quite so new anymore, and life continued on as it was before; the Chief of Police was simply gaining a few pounds and becoming a bit more irritable. Tenzin, while still ridiculously over-protective and worrisome, had toned it down a bit, and refrained from touching Lin's stomach at every available opportunity. Well...until she was about four months along.

"I don't know why you insist on doing this," Lin sighed, swiping some hair off her face and reclining back against her pillows. She was sat on she and Tenzin's bed, rather tired from a long, boring day of paper work at headquarters, and rather than the foot massage she had been hoping for when she returned home that evening, she once again had to endure Tenzin running his hands all over her protruding stomach. "When the kid finally moves I'll make sure you're the first to know."

"I won't feel that initial kick though," Tenzin explained a bit absentmindedly, his attention focused solely on Lin's growing stomach. "At least this way I have more of a chance of that happening."

"Would you like to carry this child for me?" Lin offered. "I'd be more than happy to transfer the feeling of nausea and lack of bladder control onto you."

Tenzin ignored her. "How much longer do you think it'll be?"

"Until what? I regain control of my body? A few more months at least, I'd say, certainly not until after the baby's born -"

Tenzin finally pulled his gaze from her baby bump, giving her that look, the one that showed he was not amused but he wasn't particularly irritated either. "I mean until she starts kicking."

"Oh, so it's a she now?" asked Lin, raising a brow.

"Well it's better than calling her "it,"" Tenzin replied, sitting up now and scooting back across the bed a bit, yet still keeping one hand splayed atop Lin's belly.

"Not if she turns out to be a he and then he grows up with a complex and we have to make a conscious effort to stop ourselves from calling our son a she. That's how identity crises are caused, Tenzin."

Tenzin rolled his eyes. "Fine, then we'll just say "he or she.""

"No way," Lin refused. "I am not saying all that when "it" is a perfectly good pronoun -"

"That is not a good pronoun, Lin," Tenzin argued. "It makes it sound like our child isn't human."

"Well for all you know it might not be. I could have been impregnated by a spirit -"

"Back to the point," Tenzin ground out, ignoring his wife's sarcasm. "When do you think he or she will move?"

"Well I guess when it's damn well ready," said Lin. "How should I know? You're the baby expert." Tenzin flopped back against his own pillows, exhaling dramatically as he did so. "Doesn't matter to me. I'm not looking forward to being kicked in the ribs on a daily basis, and besides, I can pretty much already feel it."

Intrigued, Tenzin turned on his side to face Lin. "You can? What do you mean?"

"Seismic sense, remember? I can feel the vibrations. Mostly it was just it's heartbeat, but after a while I started feeling slight movements, nothing major, but, well..." she trailed off, averting her gaze to something across the room from them, her hands unconsciously coming up to rest on her abdomen.

Tenzin shifted closer, laying his head on Lin's shoulder and placing his hand over hers as he murmured, "I'm rather jealous of your gifts at the moment."

Lin snorted. "That's a first."

Tenzin shrugged, but did not offer up any more words, and the two simply lay together in silence. Both of them at peace.