Chapter 29

Sokka left Republic City two weeks after he had expressed his plans to retire that night on Air Temple Island. Lin and Tenzin were sad to see him go, and Ronen and the twins were devastated, but the family of five were sure to give Sokka a proper goodbye, with a small party Ronen had insisted on and staying up past bedtime the night before Sokka left. In the morning, three tired kids stood by the docks and waved until the ship carrying their Great Uncle Sokka disappeared from view. Sora cried from Tenzin's arms and Ronen buried his face in his mother's side.

Lin couldn't be certain how she felt herself, but it suddenly seemed like the end of an era. Aang and Toph were both gone, and now Sokka and Katara had moved back to the South Pole, where they intended to spend the last years of their life. Republic City no longer had it's creators, and Lin worried that, despite all that she and Tenzin had done to hold up the legacies their parents had created for them, that ultimately they would fail now that all of them had moved on in some way or another. Kya and Bumi and Suyin had little interest in Republic City, so it was up to Lin and Tenzin now to keep it afloat.

Two years after Sokka had left, there was still a relative amount of peace in Republic City. Things were not perfect, but the city hadn't erupted into chaos so far. Tenzin was happy to be back at work full time, even if he did disagree with the majority of the council on an outrageous amount of issues. He often butted heads with the representative for the Northern Water Tribe, Councilman Tarrlok, who's lust for power had only increased since Sokka had left the Council.

Lin, on the other hand, was busy butting heads with the Triads. Despite her best efforts, they seemed only to be expanding. Every time she turned around she had a new problem with another Triad member from at least one of the gangs. She fantasized about quitting some days, of taking Tenzin and the kids and hiding somewhere that no one could find them, just so she'd never have to look at a Triad thug ever again in her life. But alas, those dreams were not to be.

The kids were growing by leaps and bounds. Ronen was eight and starting to sprout up fast. He wasn't tall yet, but he was getting there, with long, skinny arms and legs, just like his father had at that age. But his facial features were looking more and more like his mother's with each passing day. He'd gotten into the habit of reading in various nooks and crannies around the island, partially in an effort to hide from his siblings. He was still building things, but on his own now instead of with his parents help. Nevertheless, Lin and Tenzin still took turns offering to help the boy, knowing that Ronen appreciated them showing an interest, even if he didn't think they were actually any good at helping him. He always looked as though he were straining to hold in frustration when he wasn't entirely in control of the building process, so Tenzin always avoided getting too swept up in helping, while Lin would insist on doing as much as possible just to see Ronen get frustrated. Tenzin claimed she was being sadistic, Lin reasoned that she was teaching her son patience and getting a good laugh at the same time. It was so rare that Ronen got riled up, especially towards his mother, and when he scrunched his face up the same way Tenzin did when he was frustrated, but with Lin's features, she found it highly comical.

At five years old, Sora and Yunjin hadn't changed much. Yunjin was still a wild animal, and even worse now that he was a little bigger and smarter. He was getting better at slipping away from babysitters and causing a whole lot of trouble. He reminded his parents of his Uncle Bumi around that age, and Lin very nearly prayed to the spirits everyday that he would grow out of it. She remembered teenage Bumi all too well, and she had zero desire to repeat that portion of her life.

Sora, at least, wasn't following her twin brother into trouble as much. She seemed to be maturing already, berating her brother when he got into mischief around her and all too often giving her parents exasperated looks when they said things she seemed to find rather dull. Nowadays she preferred to spend her time playing with dolls instead of her brothers, and begging Nira to put makeup on her. The latter was a point of contention between Lin and Sora, who could compromise over nearly everything except the makeup. Lin wasn't sure how she'd managed to raise a girl obsessed with dresses and makeup, but the next time she saw Su she'd be sure to blame her.

Life for the family of five was certainly never dull, but they'd been fortunate enough not to be involved in any disasters. Lin hadn't been injured on the job beyond some scrapes and bruises in a record breaking stretch of time, and the kids hadn't broken any limbs so far. Katara and Sokka were both well, as were Lin and Tenzin's siblings, and Avatar Korra hadn't been discovered or attacked in the secret compound that had been built to protect her. Republic City still had its issues, but no major hysteria had ensued anytime recently. Tenzin thought they had found peace at last, but Lin wasn't going to hold her breath. Nevertheless, she was starting to relax, lured into a place of contentment with family and work…

And then suddenly terror struck to remind them of their mortality.

Lin was at work when it happened, seated casually at her desk, while Jeia rattled off facts and figures pertaining to the budget meeting coming up. Lin was trying very hard to pay attention, focused instead on how great of an idea it had been to promote Jeia to first Lieutenant.

Jeia was the youngest person besides Lin to ever be promoted so quickly. The girl had only joined the metalbending police three years prior, at the age of eighteen, but she had proven herself time and again. She was every bit like Lin in terms of grit and determination, and she persevered through every obstacle until she had risen to the top. She had been a simple rookie at the beginning, taking phone calls and doing grunt work, but the girl hadn't complained or even looked unhappy, and Lin had seen the potential in her from early on. Soon enough Lin had decided to take Jeia on as a protégé, and the girl hadn't backed down from a single challenge Lin presented her with. So Lin had made the girl first Lieutenant, one of the highest ranks in the force, behind only Lin, Saikhan, and two other senior officers. Jeia now worked directly with Lin on a plethora of issues, and it made Lin's life a whole lot easier. Jeia was just as good at doing paper work as she was at catching bad guys.

It was as Lin was mulling this over that the door to her office flung open, nearly slamming into the wall, but stopping only a hairs breadth away when Saikhan's hand just managed to stop it. Lin rose halfway up out of her seat in surprise, as Saikhan slammed the door closed and strode straight to her. When he reached the front of her desk, he paused for half a second to glance at Jeia, seeming to just realize that the girl was there, and then his focus was back on Lin and his expression was grim.

Lin could feel her jaw tighten as if awaiting a blow to the face, knowing that whatever Saikhan was about to tell her wouldn't be good news.

"Chief," he said gruffly, "I just got a call from Song. He's on his way to the courthouse. Was your husband at work today?"

It was so specific and so out of the blue that Lin's stomach immediately dropped to her toes, her mind racing with all the possible scenarios that could have put her Deputy into such a state. If Officer Song was headed to the courthouse where Tenzin worked then something had happened, and if something had happened and no one knew where Tenzin was, then it was simple to assume that he'd been caught up in the mess.

"He was," Lin confirmed, her voice strained and her muscles clenching up, her whole body preparing for one huge punch. "What's happened?"

"Agni Kai," Saikhan grumbled bitterly. "They orchestrated an attack on the Air Acolytes division of the Council. Things are still hectic there, but…" Saikhan paused, looking hesitant to continue, and it was all Lin needed to know that things were bad. Saikhan didn't hesitate.

"Tell me," Lin demanded, clenching her hands around the edge of her desk.

"There are two bodies," Saikhan said at last. "Unidentified. They're getting the fire under control so they're still recovering people."

Lin flinched, but otherwise did not react. Internally, her thoughts were screaming and her gut was constricted, but she held it all in for now. She had other things she needed to do, and she vowed not to lose her mind until she knew one way or another what had happened to her husband.

She turned to Jeia first, composure of steel as she told the young Lieutenant, "Get two officers you trust most and go straight to Air Temple Island. In case this was just a decoy for something bigger and something did happen to my husband, I need someone protecting our kids. They're the last three people that carry the Airbending gene. Keep in contact. You know what to do if things go sour here."

"Yes, Chief," Jeia responded dutifully, nodding once and then hastening out of Lin's office without needing to be told.

Lin turned to Saikhan then, and ordered, "Put all our officers on high alert. Send out patrols and shut down the docks. If this isn't an isolated incident I don't want anyone getting in or out. If anything else happens we'll need to call in support." By now Lin was striding around her desk and in the direction of the door. As she was passing Saikhan she said, "I'm going to see what's going on at the court house, you can handle things here?"

"Yes, Chief," Saikhan called out to her retreating form, "go find Councilman Tenzin, everything will be under control when you get back."

Lin kept going then, and she didn't stop until she was out of the building, three blocks down the road, and just feet away from the charred section of the building that had once housed her husband's office. The fire had been contained to that one side, so that most of the building still stood, but waterbenders and earthbenders alike were still working to snuff out the last of the flames. Some of Lin's officers on the scene were helping, while others stood with a few detained members of the Agni Kai Triad. Lin recognized a couple of the criminals as repeat offenders, but she bypassed all of them, going straight to where a few wounded were surrounded by healers.

She scanned the faces of each of them as she drew closer, but she didn't see Tenzin, and off to the side she could see two bodies being tended to by a single healer. Both bodies were covered by sheets, but she could see the charred remains of Acolyte clothes on one of them, and Lin's feet faltered for just a moment. She couldn't tell if it was Tenzin from a distance, and the one limb sticking out from under the sheet was too charred to determine whether or not there had been those distinctive arrow tattoos there or not.

Part of her didn't want to look, but she also wanted – no, needed – to look. She needed to know one way or another. Either her husband was dead or she was going to be fighting her way through fire to try and find him. So she forced her legs to move even though they had seized up, and she swallowed down the bile rising in her throat as the scent of burnt flesh hit her nose. She nodded once to the healer that was crouched by the other body, the body that wasn't so charred, the one that Lin could clearly see was not her husband. And then she knelt down next to the body dressed in Air Nomad garb, and she hesitated long enough to force back the anguish brimming at the surface, threatening to tear her apart, eager to cripple her should Tenzin be dead.

She ripped back the sheet and instantly collapsed the rest of the way to the ground, her whole body sagging. It was not the face of her husband beneath the cloth, and she felt simultaneous relief and guilt. Someone's family had lost a loved one that day, and Lin didn't know what she would have done if it had been Tenzin lying beneath that sheet. She thought of their three kids, who were still so young and loved their father so very much, and how grief stricken they would be to lose him. She thought of what her own grief would be, to lose her life long best friend and husband and father of her children, and of caring for those children without him, suppressing her own emotions for their sakes. Of all the things she'd overcome in life she didn't know if she'd overcome that.

She inhaled a shaky breath, and then carefully replaced the sheet over the body. She rose on unsteady legs, straightening up and pulling back her shoulders, recovering a sense of calm and collectedness. It wouldn't do for her to be losing her mind.

She went to the spot where rescue crews were rushing in and out of the smoldering building. Officer Song was there, ensuring no one out of the ordinary was going in, and keeping track of who came out. Lin strode straight to him and asked him about Tenzin.

"I haven't seen him so far, Chief," Song said regrettably. "There are a couple of people still in there. He could be helping the rescue teams."

Lin wanted to believe that, that her brave, noble husband was simply refusing to leave the burning building until he knew that all of his people were out and safe. It was something that Tenzin absolutely would have done, but she was a pessimist, or a realist, and she really couldn't bear to think too much about it one way or another.

She attempted to go inside, to search the fiery building until she found her husband, but Song stopped her saying, "I'm sorry, Chief, but you really can't go in there."

Lin narrowed her eyes at him, disbelief on her face as she replied, "Are you going to stop me?"

Song gulped audibly, shifting uncomfortably under her penetrating gaze, but he stood his ground. "I have to, Chief. You wouldn't allow one of us to endanger our lives to go in there after our own family members. You'd tell us to leave it to the professionals, to think of the people we've got waiting for us at home."

Lin had thought about that, about her three kids that needed protected at all costs, but she also thought of how much they needed their father. Tenzin was the glue that held them all together. Without him, Lin wasn't certain that her parenting would ever be enough for them. It could very well be too late for Tenzin, but if there was any chance that he was alive and he hadn't yet been found then Lin had to at least try.

"That's noble of you, Song," Lin muttered, "but get out of my way."

"Chief –"

There was movement just behind Song, and the sound of deep, hacking coughs. And then three soot covered figures were emerging from the smoke, and Lin squinted, searching for recognizable features.

The first person to emerge was one of the rescue squad, a male waterbender, by the looks of him, and he was between two others, supporting both of them, half carrying one while the other leaned heavily on him.

And then the three of them stepped out into the sunlight and Lin could see exactly who they were. On the right was a short woman, dark hair and glasses askew. She was Jun, Tenzin's secretary, half unconscious, feet dragging the ground, chest heaving with every wheezing breath. And on the left was a tall man, bald, with an arrow tattoo up his forehead and across his scalp, down his neck. He was coughing and limping and his eyes were half shut, but he was alive.

Tenzin.

Lin pushed past Song and rushed over to the three figures. She nodded at the waterbender and called over the noise, "I've got him," just as she swooped underneath Tenzin's other arm to steady his weight against her. The waterbender was able to take Jun's full weight then, and promptly lifted the injured secretary into his arms, carrying her quickly over to the healers. Lin ushered Tenzin away from the blaze before he came to a stop.

"I'm okay," he gasped out, coughing immediately after. Lin looked him over, and he wasn't bleeding or broken as far as she could tell, simply covered in ash and his clothes charred around the edges. He was heaving for air, but he went still for a moment, closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and when he exhaled a small cloud of smoke was forced from his lungs and out of his mouth. When he breathed again it sounded much more normal, and he was able to straighten up, his eyes opening. "See?" he said. "All better."

Lin scowled and thumped him on the shoulder.

Tenzin flinched. "Ow," he said, rubbing at his shoulder. "What was that for?"

"For scaring the shit out of me, Airhead!" Lin admonished, thinking now of how she had foolishly jumped to the worst conclusion, of the dead body she'd feared to be her husband's. She forgot sometimes that Tenzin was an Airbending Master, trained by Avatar Aang himself. It was doubtful that he would be taken down by a couple of Agni Kai thugs. Then again, her mother had been a renowned fighter and she'd been taken down very suddenly by similar foe.

"I am sorry, my love," Tenzin said sincerely, reaching out without another word to pull her into his embrace.

Lin allowed it for a second or two, but disentangled herself from it quickly, despite wanting to tug him closer and hold on for a while. Now wasn't the time for this, especially when she was the Chief of Police.

"What happened here?" she demanded of him. Not "are you okay?" "how did you survive?" "I love you so much."

Tenzin was unfazed, just as much accustomed to putting facts before emotions as she was. He sighed heavily, though. "Agni Kai extremists," he explained. "Think the world would have been better off without Aang or the Acolytes, or any Airbender for that matter."

Before he could go on, the two of them were surrounded by officers and media and Council members. Councilman Tarrlok pushed his way to the front, all full of ego and false charm, loudly saying, "Give them some room!" He puffed out his chest, postulating, his expression false sympathy as he looked at Lin and Tenzin. "Chief Beifong, Councilman Tenzin, please forgive the intrusion, but we must know all that we can about this disaster. Tenzin, it is so good to see you alive and well. We were all so very worried…" Lin had to bite the inside of her cheek very hard to keep from snorting her disbelief. Tarrlok cared for no one but himself.

Lin ignored the Northern Water Tribe man and turned to one of her nearby officers. "Get the media back," Lin ordered. "I'll give a statement after we sort this mess out."

"Yes, Chief," her officer replied, and he and two others went to round up the media elsewhere.

Lin returned her attention to Tenzin and Tarrlok. The Fire and Earth Nation representatives and one Air Acolyte were there as well, all of them watching, waiting, listening.

Tenzin was telling them about the extremists, while Lin was eyeing Tarrlok with barely concealed distaste, and then Tenzin said, "I had been receiving some death threats –"

"Wait," Lin interrupted, turning her scowl on her husband. "What? What death threats? The Agni Kai were sending you death threats? When? Why wasn't I aware of this?"

"It was just a few times," Tenzin said, waving a hand dismissively, as if it wasn't a big deal, as if death threats were an ordinary thing. "There was no reason to concern you over insignificant threats –"

"Clearly they weren't so insignificant!" Lin fired back, riled up even more by Tenzin's blasé attitude on the whole thing. How could he have kept such a thing from her? How could she not have known that her husband was receiving death threats? How, as Chief of Police, had she not been made aware that a Councilman's life was being threatened?

"Dear, oh dear," Tarrlok tsked, and suddenly Lin realized that they had an audience while she was coming to the realization that she had missed a very important thing. She was immediately both enraged and humiliated.

"Oh forget it," Lin huffed, waving both arms to halt whatever garbage was about to come out of Tarrlok's mouth. She pivoted on her heel and stomped away from the group before she could give the media anymore fuel, calling over her shoulder as she went, "I've got work to do."

And so she did.

She went first to the dying flames, finally under some semblance of control. She spoke with several of her officers and a couple of the rescue personnel, ascertaining the situation and doling out responsibilities. She then went to the Airship standing by, where there was a higher frequency radio that she used to check in with Lieutenant Jeia, who was on Air Temple Island with Lin and Tenzin's children. There had been no attacks so far, and the kids were fine, but worried, apparently not believing Jeia's reassurances. Jeia wasn't good with kids, but she was great at protecting them, and Lin knew that Nira would take care of the three of them. Lin talked to Ronen and the twins for a few minutes to reassure them that she and their father were all right, but she had to say goodbye sooner than they wanted. She would make it up to them later, but she couldn't simply tell them over the radio that their father almost burned in a fire.

Afterwards, Lin radioed Saikhan, who reported that there had been no further disturbances from the Agni Kai or any other Triads. Lin told him to stay alert, that she would be back later to relieve him, after she'd helped out with the rescue efforts and made a quick trip home.

Tenzin was still busy giving his report when Lin went to give support in smothering the residual flames and searching for anyone that hadn't yet gotten out. In the end, there were three fatalities – one of them Agni Kai, one an Acolyte, and the other a civilian in the wrong place at the wrong time – and several severe injuries, but everyone was accounted for. There still hadn't been any further attacks, and it appeared as though the extremists had been working alone. Lin wasn't relaxing yet, but she considered it less of a catastrophe than it could have been.

Once assured that the scene was being examined, the injured and dead had been transferred to the hospital, the Agni Kai were at the prison, the flames had petered out, and everything else was under control, only then did Lin start the trip back to Air Temple Island to check on the kids. She trusted Jeia and Nira, but she had to know for herself that the Island and her kids were secure.

Tenzin must have finished with his reports and interviews and saw her leaving the scene, because she hadn't made it far before he caught up to her. They went in silence to the docks, and were silent still during the boat ride across the Bay.

It wasn't until they set foot on the Island that Tenzin demanded, "Are you going to tell me why you're angry with me or am I meant to guess?"

Lin didn't hesitate for even a second, whirling on him with fury as she spat, "You made me look like a fool out there! You completely blindsided me!"

Tenzin seemed about to roll his eyes, but thought better of it and simply blew out a breath through his nose before responding, "In what way? Because I didn't tell you about some baseless threats? In case you've forgotten, Lin, we've been receiving death threats for most of our lives."

"We've also been honest with one another our whole lives, and we used to tell each other everything," Lin countered. "Instead, my husband survives an attempt on his life and I had no idea he was even in more danger than usual. Not to mention the fact that I'm the Chief of Police, who failed in her duty to protect a highly important political figure!"

"Is that what this is about?" Tenzin scoffed. "You're embarrassed that your career image might suffer?"

Lin did roll her eyes, a growl forming in the back of her throat as she shoved past Tenzin and stalked away.

"So that's that then?" Tenzin called to her retreating form, sounding disgruntled.

"I'm going to check on our kids," Lin barked. "You know, to make sure my career is intact!"

Lin said no more, and Tenzin followed her back up to the main house at a distance, just as silent.

Lin reached the house first, passing one of her officers on the way and sensing another close by, but out of sight, both of them keeping an eye on the area in case of outside attack. Jeia, of course, would be with the children and their babysitter Nira, in case of attackers from within. If someone were to infiltrate the Air Acolytes and pose as one of them, they could more easily get to the children. It was unlikely, considering all the fail-safes Lin had put in place back when Ronen was just a baby, but it was still possible. And Jeia would be the one to get the kids off of the Island if ever things went sour.

Lin didn't even fully make it to the front door before Yunjin came barreling out, Sora right on his heels and Ronen trailing close behind. Jeia came sprinting after them, calling them back into the safety of the house, several weapons drawn and her eyes rapidly scanning their surroundings. Upon seeing her Chief, she did not relax, keeping her guard up and staying close by, only further proving herself as the best one suited to protecting the three descendants of the only living Airbending Master.

Satisfied, Lin turned her attention to her kids, who were calling for her, just in time to catch Yunjin and Sora as they slammed into her knees.

"Mama!" the twins chorused.

"You're back!" Sora cried tearfully.

"Why is Jeia here?" Yunjin demanded.

"What's going on?" Ronen questioned in a softer tone, finally catching up and not crashing into his mother.

"Everything is fine now," Lin told them, wiping a tear from Sora's cheek – the girl was tearful over everything, her heart so full of love and compassion –, patting Yunjin on the back, and briefly locking gazes with Ronen. "Some bad people started a fire in the City and I was worried, that's all."

"Started a fire where?" Ronen asked with suspicion, always the perceptive one.

"What bad men?" Sora added.

"Did you kick bad guy butt, Mama?" Yunjin questioned with wide eyes, too full of interest for Lin's liking. The boy would be a fighter most likely. The Airbending pacifism wasn't rubbing off on him so far.

"The bad men have been taken away," Lin confirmed. "They won't be setting anymore fires."

"Why did they set the fire?" Ronen persisted.

"They were trying to hurt me," a deep voice said from behind Lin, and she ground her teeth together to keep from snapping at her husband. The kids were too young, in her opinion, but if Tenzin thought they needed to know then she wasn't going to counter that, even if she was pissed at him.

The kids lit up at the sight of their father just as they had for their mother, and they detached from Lin to go running into his embrace as well. Lin remained where she was. If Tenzin wanted to tell them what was going on he would do it himself.

"Why were the bad men trying to hurt you, Daddy?" Sora asked with a frown.

Despite the fact that the twins were getting too big to be held, Tenzin still bent down a bit to lift Sora up into his arms. The girl was still rather tiny, so it wasn't too difficult for him considering his height, but he must still have been aching from the attack because Lin could see him straining, where before he never had. Nevertheless, he managed to keep Sora in one arm and used the other to bring the boys close to him, sighing quietly as he explained, "There are some people in the world that simply want to cause problems for everyone else, to hurt other people even, and then there are a few who are even worse than that. The bad people that started the fire today wanted to hurt me because I am the last Airbending Master. However, there were people that helped keep me safe, very good people, and that is why your mother sent Lieutenant Jeia, to make sure all of you were safe. You do not have to worry. The bad people will go to jail now and I am unharmed, and your mother and I will always keep the three of you safe."

"I can keep you safe too, Dad!" Yunjin proclaimed, looking very serious.

Tenzin smiled, but Lin could see the furrow in his brow. "I'm sure you can, son," Tenzin said softly, "but let your mother and I do the protecting for now, okay?"

Yunjin neither agreed with nor denied his father's request, simply shrugging in response.

"You sure you're okay now, Daddy?" Sora mumbled, cuddling as close to him as possible.

"Absolutely," Tenzin assured her. "Everything is all right now, Princess, nothing to worry about."

"Are you staying home the rest of the night?" Ronen asked, looking between both parents. All three kids looked at Tenzin and Lin with hopeful expressions.

"Stay!" Sora frantically insisted.

Tenzin looked as if he was about to say no, but Lin cut him off, answering for him as she said, "Your father is, but I have to run back into the city to make sure everything is being taken care of. I should be back by dinner." Tenzin seemed unhappy with her making such a decision for him, but he didn't argue, and Lin astutely ignored his piercing gaze.

All three kids instantly went back to Lin, hugging and kissing her goodbye. Sora was still crying, clinging to her mother now and fearful of letting her go. After several minutes of Lin and Tenzin reassuring the girl that Lin would be safe, Ronen still had to bribe Sora with playing her favorite game while Lin was gone.

Eventually Lin escaped, and she took Jeia with her back to the city, leaving behind the two other officers Jeia had brought earlier. Saikhan had most everything in order, and after some investigations, talking with the media, and a ton of paperwork, Lin finally made it back home. She relieved the two officers for the rest of the night and was back at the main house just in time for dinner. Sora was waiting close by the door and ran outside to greet her mother.

It wasn't until after dinner and putting the kids to bed that Lin and Tenzin finally spoke to one another.

It took forever to get the kids to sleep after the day they'd had, especially Sora, who hadn't wanted to part from her parents. They were worried, having known all along that Lin and Tenzin were often in situations that might be dangerous, but never having had to experience a situation where they ever really needed to be concerned about it. Sora begged to sleep in their bed, but after some coaxing and Yunjin promising to protect her, the little girl settled for just having Lin and Tenzin sit by her bedside until she fell asleep.

After creeping out of the twins' room, Lin took her time readying for bed, and then took another lap around the house to make sure everything was as it should be, and checked that the two White Lotus night guards were in their usual place, until finally she was forced to face her husband.

Tenzin was already in bed when Lin settled beneath the covers, but he was sitting up, bedside lamp on, clearly waiting for her.

He waited until she was sitting beside of him, arms crossed tight over her chest and the silence oppressing before he quietly said, "I am sorry, Lin. I know I must have worried you. You were right. I should have told you."

It was what she had wanted to hear and yet it didn't soothe her as she'd expected. Not because she wanted him to beg forgiveness longer, but because it didn't change the fact that she had almost lost him. It didn't change the fact that she had spent several minutes of her day thinking that he was dead, thinking that the fire had consumed him. And she hadn't had any inkling that the Agni Kai extremists were even threatening him in the first place, and everyone else knew she hadn't either. But she didn't care that the newspaper was likely to report on the story tomorrow and point out that the Chief of Police hadn't known her own husband was in danger. She had been dealing with ridiculous press most of her life. What she cared about was that, if it was so easy for something like death threats to slip under her nose, then what else could she have missed? What else would she miss in the future? What if it was Ronen or Yunjin or Sora one day? What if they, too, decided not to tell her their lives were in danger and were not as capable of surviving an attack?

Lin said none of this, and yet, somehow, Tenzin managed to read the entire thing on her face. He reached out without words at first, tugging her close so that she was pressed against his chest, one of his hands stroking her back and the other curled around the back of her neck in a loose but soothing grip. He still smelled like smoke and ash and fire, but underneath all that, he was still distinctly him. That comforting scent that she'd known for so long, airy and light like a cool summer breeze. For her it brought love and light and joy.

"I'll never keep anything like that from you again," he swore, in such a low voice she hardly heard him, his chin bumping into the top of her head and his breath hot against her skin. "There may be other attacks, we can't ever fully stop those, but we can be more vigil, stop them before they can happen, be better prepared for it. And nothing and no one will ever get to our kids so long as I live. I'll leave this city with all of you before I'll let anyone hurt them. I swear it, Lin."

That probably wasn't entirely true, considering that Lin and Tenzin always had the terrible habit of fixing everyone else's problems first and worrying about their own later, of sticking to a certain course because their parents had wanted it, because their parents legacies were at stake, because they wanted the world to be safe for their children and they worried what would happen if they left everything behind. Nevertheless, it was still strangely comforting to hear, and Lin decided there was no reason to stay mad at him, no reason to say anything else on the matter. She simply unfurled her folded arms and wrapped them tight around her husband's form, grateful beyond words that he was still very much alive.


-So sorry for another long wait, it's been a very busy month. By now, if I had followed my original plan, we would already have started Book One of Legend of Korra, but I've gone a bit off the rails telling the Linzin family's story, I hope you all don't mind!.. Next chapter we'll skip ahead another two years, and Kya and Bumi will come to the Island for a visit! After that it should only be two or three chapters before we reach LOK. Until next time! :)-