I do not own The Legend of Korra or anything Avatar related

A month has passed since she had last heard from him, at least directly that was. A week after Sokka, Zuko, Bumi and Tenzin left, Toph received a letter from Sokka, who after all these years still forgets momentarily that his wife is blind. Reading the letter out loud to her mother, it was just a quick update on what was happening. They had made it to the Southern Water Tribe three days after setting sail, and had been doing reconnaissance since. There was no sign of Korra yet. Tucked at the bottom of the letter, Sokka had written that Bumi said hi and that he missed her and Lily.

Pacing the length of her office, Lin bounced a sleeping Lily in her arms. Toph had been babysitting Lily during the day while Lin was working, but would bring her by every day at lunch time. Enjoying the feel of her daughter in her arms, Lin kissed her forehead and placed her in the bassinet by her desk when her rarely used phone started to ring.

Clearing her throat, she picked up the receiver. "Chief Beifong."

Hearing nothing but silence, she contemplated hanging up the phone for a second when the sound of static filled the line. "Hello? Lin?"

Eyes widening, she pressed the receiver closer to her ear. "Bumi? Is that you? Where are you?"

Though the connection was terrible, she could hear the exhaustion in his voice. "Hey Linny, we're coming home."

"What happened? Is everyone alright? Did you guys find Korra?"

Hesitant in his answer, Bumi deflected most of her questions. "Yeah, we got her. Listen, I'll see you in two days, okay? Give Lily a kiss for me."

Frustrated, she gripped the receiver tighter. "Bumi, wait!"

"Bye, Lin."

Hearing the telltale click that he hung up, Lin stared at the phone in disbelief. Turning to Toph who had been lounging in a nearby chair, she sighed. "Well they're coming home, I guess."

Giving a noncommittal grunt, Toph continued swinging her leg over the arm of her chair. "They found Korra?"

"I guess, he didn't really say much, other than the fact that they would be home in two days."

Two days never seemed longer to her in her entire life. Sitting on the couch with Lily playing beside her in her bouncer chair, Lin's leg bobbed and bounced as she waited for Bumi to arrive. He should be there any minute now. Just as the thought reached her, she heard the sound of his key entering the lock. Jumping to her feet, she pulled him into her arms before he had even fully crossed the threshold.

Burying her head in his chest, she inhaled his scent. "I'm so glad you're home safe. Now sit down and tell me what you wouldn't over the phone. What happened?"

Giving her a nervous chuckle, he set his bag down. "Hello to you too, Linny. Can I see my daughter first though?"

Playfully rolling her eyes, she gestured for him to continue towards the living room. Squealing at the sight of her father, Lily excitedly waved her arms in the air, bouncing furiously in her seat. Laughing, he picked her up in his arms, swinging around in a circle at the sound of her tinkling laughter. Peppering her face with kisses, Bumi sat on the couch and pressed her to his chest.

"This was the longest month of my life. I've missed her so much. She's gotten so big."

Smiling, Lin sat down next to them. "Yeah, she can sit up on her own now."

Sighing, Bumi kissed Lily's head again. "I can't believe I missed that."

Though she was impatient to hear about what happened, Lin knew that Bumi needed a few minutes to not only gather his bearings but reconnect with his daughter. Content to just watch him play with her for a few minutes, she sat back with a small smile.

Placing one last kiss to his daughter's head, Bumi placed her back in the bouncer seat before turning to Lin. Taking in the sudden somber look on his face, it felt as if a boulder had settled into Lin's stomach.

"What is it?"

Reaching a hand out, Bumi took one of her hands into his significantly larger ones. Closing his eyes, he sighed. "Lin, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Frustrated now, she dug her fingernails into his skin a bit. "Bumi, please! Just tell me!"

"It's Sokka, Lin. He didn't make it. He died. I'm so sorry."

Feeling as if she had been punched in the gut, Lin shook her head in confusion. She heard what he said, but it just wasn't making sense to her. "What do you mean he died?" The word felt foreign on her tongue.

Sniffling, Bumi took a deep breath. "They were ruthless, Lin, with bending unlike anything I've ever seen."

Stumbling to her feet, her face contorted in rage, Lin's chest heaved as her breaths deepened. "Are you telling me that someone killed him? My father was murdered?" Taking his silence as an affirmative, Lin balled her hands into fists and bit her lip. "Who did it, Bumi? Tell me who killed my dad."

Silent for a second, Bumi slowly got to his feet as well. Hesitantly approaching her like one would a wounded animal, he gently placed his hands on her shoulders. Feeling the way she trembled under his palms, he briefly wondered whether it was in her best interest to give up the name of her father's killer before eventually conceding. "Her name is P'Li. She's a combustion bender. He wasn't even facing her."

Doubling over, Lin's knees gave out and she would have collapsed onto the floor if it hadn't been for Bumi's arms supporting her weight. Dissolving into tears, Lin pressed her face into Bumi's shirt as her body wracked with sobs. "I'm going to kill her, Bumi. I swear it."

Running his fingers through her hair, Bumi settled them on the floor and allowed her to cry on him.

Sitting up abruptly as if just remembering something, Lin wiped at her eyes with her sleeves. "Where's my mom? Does she know? I have to go find her. Oh Agni, is she just sitting at home waiting for him to come?"

Shaking his head, Bumi slowly helped her stand to her feet. "Zuko went to tell her. He figured he should be the one to do it."

Getting to her feet, Lin looked around the room disorientated and her knees wobbly. "Um, can you get Lily? I'm going to pack her a bag really quick and then head over to my mom's."

Nodding, Bumi watched her slowly walk down the hall, a fabricated calmness around her. He knew that she was torn up and taking this much harder than she wanted to lead on. Sokka had been the only father she knew her entire life. Gathering Lily in his arms, he only had to wait another minute before Lin came back, a diaper bag with a few bottles and a change of clothes clutched in her fist.

The journey to her childhood home was silent. In no time it seemed, they were arriving at the house and could hear crashes coming from the inside. Rushing into the house, Lin was not surprised to find a distraught Toph destroying anything she could get her hands on. The walls all had crater sized holes in them, and the kitchen floor was littered with broken glass. Standing amongst the chaos wringing his hands was Zuko, who watched as Toph zoomed by him again. He had tried to stop her when she first started tearing apart her home, only to receive a swift punch in the face.

"Mom?" Though her voice was quiet, it was enough to stop Toph who was in the process of destroying her granite counter tops. Slowly approaching her mother, Lin wrapped her arms around Toph's shoulder and pulled her into her chest. Significantly shorter than her daughter, Toph's head barely reached Lin's shoulder.

Her shoulders shaking from her sobs, Toph returned Lin's hug and the two women cried together over the loss of the most important man in both their lives.

Giving them some privacy, Zuko and Bumi left the house and sat on the porch; all the while trying to drown out the sound of grief coming from the inside.

It was decided that Sokka's funeral would be held in the Southern Water Tribe and he would receive a special Water Tribe funeral reserved for warriors and heroes. Leaving out a few days after breaking the news to Lin and Toph, they set out on the two day journey back to the Southern Water Tribe.

Pulling Lin into a hug, Katara swayed her in her arms a little before turning her sights on Bumi who held a fidgeting Lily. "Oh my, is this my grand baby?" Tears filling her eyes at how much of a difference nearly 6 months made, she cradled Lily to her chest, peppering her face with kisses.

"She's grown so much! Lin, she's absolutely beautiful."

Giving her a small smile, Lin shuffled her feet a little. "Thank you, Katara."

After showing everyone to their rooms, the kitchen cleared out until it was just Katara and Toph left. Sitting in silence, the two women sat side by side, leaning their weight on each other.

Sighing, Toph muttered "I need a drink" under her breath. Turning her head in surprise when Katara hopped off her stool, Toph waited until she returned with a bottle of Sake and two small glasses.

Chuckling at the astonished look on her friend's face, Katara began filling their glasses. Reclaiming her seat, she slid a glass over to Toph. "It was his bottle."

Not bothering to ask her to clarify, Toph knew who she meant. Picking up their glasses at the same time, they clinked their rims together declaring, "To Sokka", before throwing their shots back.

Laughing when her sister-in-law coughed and sputtered at the burn in her throat, Toph simply filled their glasses again. Shot by shot, the women spent the rest of the night reminiscing of their time with their two lost loves.

Approaching the crowd gathered on the docks to say goodbye to the fallen hero, Lin's journey towards the front was unhindered as people quickly moved out of her way, allowing her access to her family. Linking her fingers with her mother's, Lin turned towards Tonraq who, as the unofficial leader of the Southern Water Tribe, would be leading the funeral.

Floating in the water were two boats. One in which Tonraq stood in, and the other in which Sokka's body was laid, wrapped in a white tarp. Clearing his throat loudly to get everyone's attention, Tonraq began. "Hello, brothers and sisters. We are gathered here today to say goodbye to a great warrior, father, husband and friend. Most of us grew up hearing stories of Councilman Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe and how he and his friends aided the Avatar in bringing peace and harmony to the world. Councilman Sokka died in the line of battle, protecting the new Avatar, my daughter, Korra. For that, I'm forever indebted to him and his family. As we say goodbye today, let us never forget his sacrifices, nor the hope he brought to our nation."

Though she knew it was coming, Lin still gasped and clutched Toph's hand tighter as Tonraq slowly poured a canister of gasoline into Sokka's boat. Lighting a match, he dropped it into the flammable liquid and using an oar, nudged the now lit vessel further out into the sea. Breaking out into cheers while the boat went up in flames, the Water Tribe people celebrated Sokka's life as it now officially came to an end.

While the crowd eventually dissipated, soon the only ones left on the docks were Toph, Lin, Bumi, Katara, Zuko, Kya, Tenzin and Pema. They stood there and watched until the boat was nothing more than a flickering orange light out in the distance. Knowing that her mother was utterly lost, Lin squeezed her hand.

"He's gone, mom."

Silent, Toph nodded her head and allowed Lin to lead her back to Katara's house and to the bedroom she was staying in. She didn't come out for the rest of the night.

Bags packed and ready to go the next morning, Lin sat with Katara and Lily eating a light breakfast while everyone milled about waiting for the time to arrive to get on the boat. Seeing her mother walk into the room, the first thing Lin noticed were her empty hands. Craning her neck, she tried to locate Toph's bags.

"Are you all set to go, mom? We should be heading down to the docks any minute."

"I'm not going back to Republic City." The quiet chatter in the kitchen quickly died down.

Sharing a puzzled look with Katara, Lin left Lily with her and steered Toph towards the living room. "What do you mean you're not going back to Republic City?"

"I think I'm going to travel a bit. Maybe try to find enlightenment. I just can't stay in the city right now, I need some time alone."

"But, mom-"

"Lin, please. Don't ask me to stay. You know that I would do anything for you, so please, don't ask me. I need this. I can't go back to our home knowing that he isn't there and never will be. It smells just like him, and I can't be there."

Biting her lip, Lin nodded her head though everything in her wanted to protest. She felt hurt and betrayed. Her father was gone and now her mother wanted to abandon her when she needed her the most.

"I know you're not happy about this, but please, try to understand. I know it might be selfish of me, to take both your parents away from you. But I need to be a little selfish right now, please."

And just like that, any anger she felt vanished. Toph was the most selfless person she knew, and sacrificed many things over the years for Lin. Now nodding in understanding, she pulled Toph into a tight hug. "I'm going to miss you."

"I'm gonna miss you too, kid. Take care of my granddaughter, yeah?"

Agreeing with a chuckle, they remained in their embrace for another moment before Bumi gently knocked on the doorframe to get their attention.

"We're all set to go."

After a tearful goodbye, the small group boarded the ship taking them back to the city. Standing on the deck of the ship, Lin watched as Katara and Toph waved goodbye one last time before turning back towards the city, walking arm in arm.

It was around 2 AM on their second day at sea when he found her sitting alone in the common area near the living quarters. Needing a moment to clear her head, Lin left her bedroom door open in case Lily started to cry, and sat in the couch, bringing her knees to her chest. She couldn't have been alone for more than a few minutes before Bumi found her. Even though she wasn't facing the door, she knew the moment he arrived. Taking a seat next to her, he didn't break the silence. Content to just sit, they both watched the waves roll past the ship.

After a few minutes of silence, Lin took a deep breath before turning to face him. "We should talk about what happened before you left."

Visibly freezing, Bumi ran a hand through his hair. "We don't have to right now. I heard you get up and just wanted to see how you were doing."

Grabbing his hand when he sprang off the couch to make an escape, Lin pulled him back down next to her. "I want to talk about it now."

Nervous now that he had nowhere to escape and no life threatening mission to run off on, Bumi began speaking at a fast pace, ignoring Lin whenever she tried to interject. "Listen, I'm sorry for the way I acted before I left. I shouldn't have put you in such an awkward situation. I was just running on adrenaline that night. I don't want to ruin our friendship, and I don't want to make raising Lily with you uncomfortable."

"Did you mean what you said that night? If you were just running on adrenaline, was what you said to me the truth?"

Holding his head low, he peeked up at her through his lashes. "I meant every word, Lin."

Resting one of her hand on top of his, Lin gave him a small smile. "I'm in love with you."

Ignoring the crick in his neck after snapping his head up to face her, Bumi tried to calm his racing heart. He couldn't help but feel excited, and confused and skeptical all at once. "Do you mean as friends?"

Chuckling, Lin shook her head. "No, I'm in love with you. I love you, Bumi. I don't know when it happened, or how. But when you walk in a room, it's as if I can't breathe, but it's also like tasting fresh air for the first time. Loving you is a paradise. It's a warzone. You're my very best friend, and I can't imagine anyone else in the world I would want to raise Lily with. I love that you make me breakfast every single morning. You bring me tea when I'm sick. I love you because you've seen me at my absolute worst, and for some reason you're still here."

"Because I love you. Lin, I've seen the best of you, and the worst of you, and I choose both."

Cradling her face in his palms, Bumi slowly leaned in, savoring the way her eyes fluttered shut and the hitch in her breath moments before his lips touched hers.

Two more chapters then the epilogue! Bumi's last line is taken from the spoken word poem "An Origin Story" by Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye. Also, the "I'm in love with you" "Do you mean as friends" was taken from the movie Juno. It's such a brilliant line in a brilliantly written movie. Also, bits from the song "Pillowtalk" by Zayn. I'm really not trying to get sued for any copyright infringement.

It was so rough writing Sokka's death. But I already knew I was going to have him die from the very first chapter. It's my headcanon that Toph left Republic City to live in the swamps and find enlightenment after Sokka's death.

Thank you for all the reviews on the last chapter! I hope you enjoyed this one.