AN: Sorry about the delay. Again. *facepalm* This story and ASM are sharing a slot, but ASM only has 2 more chapters to go. Once I finish that, this one should update at a much more rapid pace until it's done.

Chapter Twenty-Five:

"So, you and Opal are back on again, huh?" Korra asked as she and Bolin made their way further into the factory. The squeal of drills and the hum of machinery filled the background, but it wasn't too difficult to talk as they walked beside each other. After their meeting with President Raiko, the two of them had decided to head for Future Industries together, with the 'reformed' Zhu Li as their slightly nervous tagalong. So far, the omega hadn't joined in their conversation, and was keeping a few paces behind, perhaps to offer some privacy.

"Yeah," Bolin said, reaching up to rub the back of his neck with a sheepish smile. "I mean, we haven't talked about it, but she did kiss me after I saved her mom. That has to count for something, right?"

"Right," Korra said. She gave his shoulder a friendly, encouraging nudge as the three of them turned the next corner. "Don't worry. I'm sure you two will be able to patch things up. If Asami can forgive me for running out on her for three whole years, you definitely deserve a second chance."

Instead of brightening, Bolin's brow furrowed. "Yeah, about that... why did you stay away for so long? I know I'm not the one you have to apologize to, but—"

"Oh, I definitely owe you an apology," Korra said, stomach lurching with very familiar guilt. She and Bolin hadn't gotten much of a chance to talk, before or after his impromptu rescue mission to Zaofu, and she knew an explanation for her disappearance was long overdue. "I promise I'll tell you more about it later. For now, just know that I'm sorry I didn't answer your, uh... lovely letters, and I'm glad to be back."

To her relief, a big smile spread across Bolin's face. "Me too! I've missed it here, being right in the middle of Republic City with all my friends. I mean, I know Kuvira's coming and everyone's on the verge of panic, but at least I'm not running through the wilderness with Varrick anymore."

Korra snorted. That was a story she definitely wanted to hear when she had the time.

Bolin didn't seem to notice. He turned, casting a glance back over his shoulder. "Speaking of Varrick, how are you holding up there, Zhu Li? Are you ready to let him know you're back?"

Zhu Li peered at them from over her small round spectacles, but to Korra's surprise, her usual serious expression wasn't in place. Instead, her eyes were large and round behind her glasses, and she smelled uncharacteristically nervous. "I just hope he forgives me for pretending to side with Kuvira. It seemed like the smartest plan of action, but I know I hurt him."

"I'm sure he will. Just make sure he apologizes to you, too," Bolin said, falling back a few steps to walk at Zhu Li's. "If he wants you to stick around this time, he's got to start treating you better. Us omegas aren't anyone's punching bags, and there's no reason for him to keep pushing you around."

You certainly aren't, Korra thought, giving her mind a brief break from its constant worry and letting it drift toward a more pleasant thought instead—Asami, stripped down to her undershirt with her beautiful arms on full display, grease smudged above one eye and a welding mask flipped up over her forehead. It was a nice mental image, inspired by the bits of work she'd caught Asami doing over the past few days, but she was certain the real thing would be even better.

"Bolin's right, Zhu Li. If you and Varrick make up, let it be on your terms. But I think I'll let the two of you two handle him alone, if that's okay? I need to check on something..."

"I'll bet you do," Bolin said, giving her an exaggerated wink as the three of them arrived at the staircase. "Go get your girl, you sly eel hound. She's probably working on the first floor. Zhu Li and I will see you later."

The two of them departed up the stairs, leaving Korra to step out onto the factory floor. Moments later, she caught sight of the woman she was searching for, crouched at the foot of a hummingbird suit and looking even better than delightful picture in her head. Asami's hair was pulled in a messy bun, exposing the graceful line of her neck, and although she wore thick protective gloves and a heavy jumper over her thin white undershirt, there was a generous strip of bare skin above her hips, one that offered a teasing glimpse of the twin dimples at the base of her spine.

Korra had to stop and collect herself as her gaze wandered further down, to the firm swell of Asami's ass, but when she caught the faintest trace of her lover's scent beneath the smell of oil and metal, it was enough to drag her forward.

To her delight, Asami caught sight of her and rose to her feet, flipping up her welding mask and pulling off her jumper completely. The motion tugged up the hem of her undershirt, putting the toned plane of her stomach on display for a brief moment, and Korra almost forgot the real reason she had dropped by.

"Hey there," Asami said, setting aside her welding torch and walking over to meet her. The sway in her hips probably wasn't deliberate, but it made all the blood in Korra's body rush between her legs anyway. "How did it go?"

Korra blinked, trying not to let her eyes drop to the generous expanse of Asami's cleavage. The sleeveless, grease-stained tank top she was wearing didn't leave much to the imagination. "How did... Oh!" The meeting. With President Raiko. Zhu Li and Suyin getting rescued... I need to tell her... "I have good news. Bolin and Opal managed to bust Suyin and the others out of Kuvira's re-education facility, and guess who they found with them? Zhu Li's back on our side. Apparently, she pretended to join up with Kuvira to sabotage the spirit weapon."

"That's great news. I'm glad they're okay." Asami removed her mask and one of her gloves, running a hand back through her mussed hair. "Pretending to join Kuvira to sabotage her weapon sounds like something Zhu Li would do. I'll be glad to have her back, and not just because she might actually keep Varrick away from me for a few hours..."

"Weld hotter!" a familiar voice called out, floating down from the balcony above. "Tighten tighter! The president said we only have two weeks to get these hummingbirds humming!"

Asami rolled her eyes, and Korra snorted with a mixture of amusement and sympathy. "How was the meeting with Raiko, by the way? Obnoxious as usual?"

"Raiko's still mad that you and Varrick won't put spirit weapons on the hummingbird suits, but we've got something like a plan coming together. Prince Wu and Mako are handling the evacuations, and we're going to cut the rail lines. Hopefully it'll slow Kuvira down." She glanced around the factory, taking in all the other suits that were currently being built. "How's it going on your end? Are these babies going to be up and running in time to stop Kuvira's army? Zhu Li says we've only got two weeks."

Asami nodded. "Two weeks is more than enough. Things are coming together fast thanks to all the help I've got now."

"Help?" Korra asked. "You mean all these people?"

"No. Hold on a second." Asami turned away from her, waving across to the other side of the room. When one of the figures waved back—a very familiar looking man with grey hair and glasses, carrying an equally familiar pup—Korra's brows rose in surprise. She had heard Asami mention asking her father for help in passing a few times, but she hadn't realized that involved letting him out of prison to work on the hummingbird suits himself.

"Your dad's here?" she asked, uncertain how she felt about the revelation. Even though she had been gone for three years, she was all too aware that Asami's feelings for her father were still complicated at best. "Well, I guess that's a good thing. We need all the help we can get to stop Kuvira, and if you want to work with him..."

"I do," Asami said, reaching out to give her hand a squeeze. Korra felt her shoulders relax. "He's been a huge help with Yasuko, too. We've been taking shifts with her."

"Koa!"

At the sound of delighted screeching, Korra looked up again, grinning when she saw Yasuko and Hiroshi headed their way. Yasuko was already reaching out for her with pudgy, grasping hands, and Korra reached back, taking her from Hiroshi's arms as soon as she got close enough. She propped the pup on her hip, giving Hiroshi a silent nod of acknowledgment and what she hoped was a passable smile.

"Mom," Asami corrected, coming to stand beside her. "Korra is your mom, Yasu."

"Mama," Yasuko said, squirming against Korra's side to face Asami instead. Her hands swung through the air again, and Asami passed over one of her heavy work gloves so the pup would have something to hold onto.

"It's okay," Korra said, bouncing her slightly. "She's a smart kid. She'll get the hang of it." Then, as the awkwardness of Hiroshi's presence intruded on her again, she forced herself to acknowledge him. "What does she call you?"

"'Oshi', for now," Hiroshi said. "You and I find ourselves in similar circumstances, Korra. She's only just met us, and she doesn't really know how we fit into her family."

Korra blinked in surprise. She hadn't thought about it too deeply, but Hiroshi had a point. She had been on the run for three years, while Hiroshi had been locked away in prison—and it seemed that both of them regretted missing some very important moments. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Looks like we're both just trying to make up for lost time."

"Oshi," Yasuko repeated, wriggling even more. It was obvious that she wanted to be set on her feet so she could waddle between all three of them at once. "Koa, down. Down now."

Korra looked around at the loud, dangerous factory equipment, and then at Asami for permission. "It's okay," Asami said with a slight nod. "Just grab her if she tries to wander."

Hesitantly, Korra set Yasuko down on the floor. To her relief, the pup didn't immediately toddle off toward the other hummingbird suits being worked on. Instead, she dropped to her knees, buzzing her lips together and waving Asami's glove around.

"I think she's trying to weld you," Hiroshi said, with obvious amusement. While he was smiling, he looked much more like the friendly man Korra had met at first, before his ties to Amon had been uncovered.

"You think?" Korra asked. On second look, it did seem as though Yasuko was imitating the other workers in the factory. There was a look of intense concentration on her face, and one of her arms was curled in front of her, holding the large glove a little like a welding gun.

Asami laughed. "Good job, Yasu. I should have tried that three years ago."

Shortly after her return to Republic City, the words would have been hurtful, but now, they helped to cleanse the wound. Korra could only sigh and give Asami a slightly sad smile. "I wish you had," she said, while Yasuko climbed around the front of her shin and sat on the toe of her boot. "You have my permission to weld me to the floor if I ever try to make any more stupid decisions."

"The same goes for me," Hiroshi said to Asami, his expression turning serious. "Korra, I'm afraid I've never officially apologized to you for—"

"You don't have to," Korra said, holding up her hand. "Let's not make this awkward. If Asami trusts you and wants you in Yasuko's life, I'm not gonna stand in your way. Maybe we can both do better for them this time."

Hiroshi gave her a subtle nod of gratitude, and that was the end of it. They both returned to watching Yasuko, laughing as she scooted over to begin 'work' on Korra's other leg. "Asami did tell me it runs in the family," she said, nudging Yasuko's stomach with the tip of her boot. The pup gave her a wide, delighted grin and started giggling, dropping the glove and holding out her arms to make herself a target again. "At least this one likes to take breaks..."

"I'm taking one right now," Asami said, although she didn't really seem angry. "With the three of you on my case, I probably won't get any work done at all."

Korra stopped poking at Yasuko with her toes and gazed around the factory, taking in the details she had missed before due to her... distraction. The suits seemed to be coming together at a rapid pace, and several were already almost finished. "You've done plenty already, Asami. You designed these things, after all. If they work half as well as the rest of your inventions, Kuvira's army of mechs isn't going to stand a chance."

"It's not the mechs I'm concerned about," Asami muttered. She bent down, scooping Yasuko back into her arms and holding her close. The pup protested at first, but eventually settled, popping a thumb into her mouth. Once she had calmed down, Asami passed her over to Hiroshi, who took her without being asked. He murmured a goodbye and made his way back over to the other side of the factory, while Yasuko waved at them gleefully from over his shoulder.

"I know," Korra said, once they were out of earshot. "We need to find a way to take out that spirit weapon..."

"Right, and I'm not sure if these hummingbird suits are up to the job. Maybe Zhu Li will be able to give us more information, but right now, we really don't know a lot about what we're up against, other than the destruction the weapon is capable of."

Instinctively, Korra wrapped an arm around Asami's waist, pulling her closer. "If the hummingbird suits can't take the weapon out, I will," she promised, meaning every word. "I'm not going to let Kuvira destroy Republic City, and I'm definitely not going to let her hurt my family."

"You mean we will," Asami corrected, her worried expression hardening into one of determination. "I already told you once, I'm not letting you do this alone."

Korra wanted to object, but she knew better. Asami deserved to fight for Republic City and Yasuko just as much as she did. "I know. I wouldn't want anyone else along for the ride."

"Not even Mako and Bolin?" Asami asked. "Because now that the gang's back together again, I was thinking..."

"You want to go after the weapon before it gets here," Korra said, finishing the thought.

"I don't want it anywhere near our daughter, Korra. Varrick can finish these suits on his own. I did my part with the blueprints. Right now, our top priority has to be destroying that weapon. Without it, Kuvira's teeth are gone."

Korra drew in a deep breath, but when she searched inside herself, she found only acceptance. She was the Avatar, back to her full strength, and it was time she started acting like it. "Okay. We'll talk to Mako and Bolin. One way or another, the four of us need to finish this."