Currently vibing to Drunk in Love and probably singing it pret-ty off key. I'm not a horrible singer tho, but I don't have Beyonce's lungs.

Chapter Twenty One

Asami decided that the best way to get to know my parents was to spend time with both of them alone, separately. She spent the day racing some of her new cars with my father and shopping and eating with my mother. By the time they finished, it was like they were all old friends.

"Korra, seriously. If you don't end up marrying Asami, I think that we'll kick you out of the family and make her our daughter instead. Today has been absolutely delightful," my mom tells me as she pats Asami's hand and smiles. My dad nods in agreement.

"Gee, thanks mom. By the way, you're not helping. You're probably making Asami uncomfortable with all this marriage talk, because spirits know, I'm sure uncomfortable. Besides, we haven't even been together long enough to discuss that." I cross my arms and look to Asami for some moral support. She makes an effort not to look at me. Ugh. "And, how do you know that Asami wouldn't be the one proposing to me? She basically tried to seduce me from the beginning."

"Haha. That's my girl." My dad laughs as Asami says, "I did not!"

I give her a look.

"Okay, seduce is not the right word. Don't tell mom and dad that."

"Mom and dad?"

"I mean Tonraq and Senna."

"Nonsense Asami. Mom and dad is fine too. You can call us either."

Asami sticks her tongue out at me and I flick her off.

"Young lady!" my mom exclaims, slapping me in the back of my head.

"Ow! I'm sorry."

"We'll let up, okay. We just want you to know that we love Asami as if she were our own. We think that she's good for you and we don't want you to let her go when it's so obvious that she makes you happy. You've changed Korra and your mom and I can both tell. You've been through more than most people can imagine and you're not only surviving, you're thriving. We're proud of you and this life that you made. You may not have been together long, but we can feel the love between you too. Most people don't find that kind of love their whole lives." My dad grabs both of our hands and pulls us close. We hug as tears fill my eyes. I press my face into his massive chest. He's right. About everything.

"We've both been through so much and I want to be Asami's lifeline as much as she is mine. Don't worry. When we're both ready, when the time is right, you guys will be the first to know if we decide to take the next step. But, it will be on our terms."

"Okay." He releases us and I wipe the tears from my eyes as discreetly as possible. My mom catches me, of course.

"There's some bad news that I have to tell you guys. I wish that we'd be able to stay, but there is an issue back home that needs my immediate attention. I'm sorry, but we'll have to take a rain check on our trip. I really do apologize. We were looking forward to it."

Disappointment paints my face, but I shake it off. My dad has a lot of responsibilities back home and it was awesome enough that he was able to come here for a couple of days to spend time with us. The most important thing is that they like Asami.

"I'm sorry to hear that. But, I know what it's like for plans to change abruptly. You just let me know and I'll have the jet ready." Asami smiles, hugging my mom and dad tightly once more.

"Thank you Asami. You really are a sweetheart. And thank you for loving our daughter. We know that she can be a handful."

"Yes, we're both glad that it's you."

She looks between them and suddenly, bursts out crying. It's now obvious that she's been holding her emotions at bay for a while. My mom is the first to pull her close but as I step forward allows me to embrace my girlfriend. I rub her back gently as she places her head on my shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, it's just, I didn't know what to expect with you guys and then you accept me and treat me like family. I forgot what it's like, to be a part of a real family. I didn't know how much I missed it. You don't know what that means to me," Asami sobs as she explains the emotions behind her tears.

"It's okay," I whisper. "How could you think that they wouldn't love you? You're amazing."

"I've always wondered what my mom would say, if she'd approve. I haven't seen my father in years. I didn't know what it would be like," she tries to explain. She finally pulls away and my mom hands her some tissue.

"You don't have to be ashamed of your tears, Asami. I know what it's like to be afraid of disappointing your family, but you live for you, not anyone else. People will love you for your sincerity, if nothing else. We meant it though. You'll always have a family with us, no matter what happens," my dad tells her. He gives her a sad smile and then pats her on the back. "I'm going to finish packing my things.

"And I want to have a few words with my daughter. Asami are you going to be alright?" My mom asks.

"Yes, I'll be fine." She kisses me on the cheek. "I'm going to make that call to get the jet fueled." She walks away and leaves me in the kitchen with my mother.

"Hey," I say.

She smiles at me. "That girl needs you more than you probably realize. She's had the weight of the world on her shoulders since she was very young. Far too many people depend on her to take care of them. You need to make sure that you're taking care of her Korra. Emotionally. Do right by her, do you hear me."

"Yes ma'am. I intend to do just that."

"Good. Now, I know that we gave you a hard time, but it's all out of love. But, I notice things too, honey. How are you holding up with this new investigation?" My mom turns her beautiful blue eyes to me in that motherly way where I'm unable to hide the truth.

I sigh and begin. "I'm scared mom. Somewhere in the back of my head, I think that it's easier with me not knowing who shot me. If I find out who it is, then I have to face it. I have to keep reliving what happened to me in front of the world. It's been years. What if he has a family now? What if he's changed? What if he's dead? I have too many thoughts when it comes to this. Part of me wants to just move forward with my life and part of me wants the closure of knowing he's behind bars. It won't change the past and I can't even say if it'll be for justice or revenge. He knows what he did, but he doesn't really know what he took from me that night. He took away my future and that makes me angry, but is the right answer to take away his?"

"Honey, he took away his future when he made that decision. Regardless of the outcome, you can't run from it. That night will always be a part of you. What if he did it to someone else? What if he got so angry that he killed someone after he shot you? Would your thoughts change about having him arrested? I don't know, but I do know that we don't know what kind of person he is. He could have changed, true, but he could have gotten worse. Time doesn't automatically excuse you from your actions and if he was a real man, he would have made a decision to answer for them instead of running away like a coward to leave you bleeding to death in the street. I love you and I'll accept any decision that you make, but I want you to make that decision because it's the right thing, not just for you, but for anyone else that may be hurt in the process."

I rub my face and sigh again. Life can be so damn hard sometimes. I don't have nearly all the answers that I want, but I know that I can't spend the rest of my life wondering what if. If I tell Lin to give up the investigation, I think that I'll regret it forever.

"You're right mom. He needs to be held accountable. It's going to be hard. I don't want to relive that night, but I can still have nightmares, I can still wake up stiff, there will always be people that recognize me and want to ask me questions about it. Running from it won't change the past, but I don't have to act like a victim."

"Exactly. You aren't a victim. You are a survivor with a team of people who love you right behind you. If it gets to be too much, you let us know."

I hug my mom tightly. "Thanks mom. I will."

"Good. I love you Korra." She smiles.

"I love you too mom. And thanks for treating Asami so well."

"Oh Korra. It's not a problem, really. You just make sure that you guys come to see us sometime soon. And that car that she bought you, it's beautiful. She's something else. You better not screw it up," she warns.

"I don't plan to mom, geeze."

"Good, because if I was a bit younger and single…"

"Mom! You have got to be kidding me!"

Notes: I had wanted to add another part to this chapter, but changed my mind because I didn't want to mess up the tone of this chapter. I thought that the conversation with her mom was important and I didn't want to over shadow it with other things as far as an ending.