Lin held on to her pillow, white-knuckled and struggling to breathe. She has been in labor for more than four hours now, but the twins still haven't shown signs of wanting to come out. Toph alternated between wiping sweat from Lin's brows and encouraging her to push harder; Suyin, meanwhile, has left the room, declaring that the whole affair was "too much".

Kya ran some water over Lin's abdomen, her hands glowing blue with healing energy. She was trying to feel the babies in her friend's womb – particularly, the first baby to come out. "Come on, Lin – push a bit harder. We're almost there."

"I'm trying – so – fucking hard, okay?" Lin retorted. "It's harder than – AAAAARRRRGH! Shit! Shit! Shit!"

"You're doing great, kid," Toph said. "The floor's all wrecked."

True enough – chunks of the marble floor have been displaced by Lin's efforts to push her baby out, strangely echoing the moment when her own mother was giving birth to her.

"Why won't you – ARRRRGH – come out?!" Lin screamed. She found it frustrating – not to mention painful – that despite her huge efforts, the twins didn't seem to be cooperating. Her screams echoed throughout the entire mansion, followed by a dull rumble from the earth that left the servants nervous and disoriented.

Lin wasn't the only one who found the entire thing frustrating, of course. Kya, who has delivered countless babies before, found Lin's situation extremely perplexing. One minute the baby seemed ready to come out, but it would suddenly shift. Kya understood that it would place more stress on the mother and both babies if she forced the birth even more, so she left things to run their natural course, only helping things along with her bending.

With another growl from Lin – and a particularly strong rumble from the earth – Kya found herself looking at a baby's head, poking in between its mother's legs. Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Kya cried, "The baby's here! Lin - just a little more, sweetheart!"

As if energized by Kya's news, Lin continued pushing, this time with much more fervor. She felt the baby passing from her womb and out into the open, being gently guided by Kya's caring hands.

A moment of silence passed as Kya completely got the baby out from its mother's womb. Gently, she lifted the baby – still bloody from the birth – and assessed it. "It's a boy, Lin! Your eldest is a boy!" she beamed.

Lin, who was still quite dizzy from all the pushing and screaming, failed to register what Kya had just announced. She even failed to comprehend what her mother was cheering about; all she could understand – or hear, for that matter – was Toph calling Suyin, asking her to help clean the baby.

As Suyin swaddled the baby boy in silk, the baby cried – snapping Lin from her stupor.

"Mom?" Toph was no longer beside her – instead, she found herself holding a small thing bundled in jade green silk. "Is – is he…?"

"He's perfect, Lin!" Suyin smiled. "A perfect baby boy. What will you call him?"

Lin gently ran her finger on her baby's cheek, her heart overflowing with joy as she felt the warmth of her baby's skin. "Lei. His name is Lei Beifong."

Kya threw open the windows, letting the late winter air in. "Breathe for a while," she said, wiping her hands on her dress. "The other baby will be coming in a few moments."

"I can't see a thing!" Toph complained. "Who does he look like?"

Lin took her mother's hand, cupping it over her child's cheeks. "He looks like me, Mom." Toph smiled and kissed her daughter on the forehead.

"Hello, Lei!" Suyin cooed, passing a glass of cold water to her sister. "Drink up, sis."

"Ready for another round?" Kya asked, taking her seat at the foot of Lin's bed. Lin nodded weakly. "This one's gonna be easy, Lin. Don't worry."

Despite fatigue slowly overtaking her body, Lin braced herself for what she hoped was an easy delivery. She handed her son over to Suyin, who was already quite enamored at the baby. Lin held on to her mother and began taking deep breaths.

"Okay – on three, Lin – one, two, three!"

Come on, just cooperate with Mommy – please come out, precious – Mommy wants to see you so bad, she thought as she allowed herself to be guided by Kya's ministrations.

"You're doing great, Lin!" Kya encouraged. Suddenly, her expression changed. "What the –"

"What? What is it?" Toph asked, worry furrowing her brows.

Kya sighed. "It's a breech birth – just as I suspected. The baby's coming out feet first."

Lin looked at the ladies around her, confused. Toph seemed to sense what was troubling her daughter, as she placed as hand on Lin's head and gently stroked it. "It's fine, kid – you were born in that manner too – just put in a little more effort, okay?"

She nodded, trying her best not to feel afraid. I have prayed so hard for my children to be safe. Spirits, why would you do this? Why inflict so much distress on them?

The water on Kya's hands was glowing blue once more. "It's not budging," she whispered, her voice cracking. "If the baby doesn't get out, it might choke on the lifeline inside the womb."

"NO!" Lin cried. "No – Mom – MOM DO SOMETHING – ANYTHING!"

Kya shook her head. "Stay with us, Lin – push!"

Lin's mind, at that point, was far too clouded for reason. My baby will die, and it's my fault. Tenzin's child will die and he will never forgive me. This is my fault – all of it! Lei seemed to feel his mother's distress - the moment his mother started wailing, Lei cried as well, prompting Suyin to carry him out of the room.

Toph slapped her hard. "Calm the fuck down, Beifong! Look at me!"

"Mom! Help me!"

"The fuck are you crying over for?! You're an earthbender! Listen and wait, you twat," Toph spat out.

"Deep breaths, Captain," Kya soothed. "Listen to me while I count."

Listen and wait.

Lin closed her eyes, zoning everyone out until all she could hear was her heart and that of the baby still inside her.

Lub-dub, lub-dub.

Come on, sweetheart, show mommy your face.

Lin inhaled, exhaled.

Push.

Lub-dub, lub-dub.

Everyone's waiting for you, precious.

Lin inhaled, exhaled.

Push.

Lub-dub, lub-dub.

Mommy and Daddy love you so much.

Lin inhaled, exhaled.

A final push, and she passed out.


Pema picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Bumi! Bumi, is Tenzin there? Lin just gave birth. Tenzin's a dad!"

She didn't feel the receiver slip out of her hand – all she felt was the strange feeling of darkness suddenly descending upon her.

"Hello?! Hello?! Are you there? Hello?!"


A/N: I wanted to upload Chapter 30 as well, but my computer went crazy and the file got corrupted. I have no other way of retrieving it, so i will be rewriting the entire chapter. It's gonna be a long chapter with three POV's! Next update will be on Sunday night. Enjoy!