Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Korra or Avatar the Last Airbender.


Lin moaned in slight pain as she bent the metal arm brace of her uniform on.

It had been almost a week since the funeral. Lin had still been stuck at home and today would be the first day that she would return to the station. Her broken arm was practically back to normal other than slight movements that triggered small twangs of pain. Her mother had urged her to stay a couple more days, but Lin refused. There was no stopping her.

The metal plates clanked as she walked over to the mirror. As she stared at her reflection, she looked as if nothing happened. Just another day of work. However, on the inside, Lin was stressed above her head. She was still grieving and at the same time she had Aang's task to fulfill. But she had to pull through. She couldn't give up that easily. She will not.

Lin walked out of her room. Her steps brought her into the kitchen, yet it was empty. Just a tea pot and cups on the table. The whole apartment seemed to be deserted. It didn't bother her though. Sokka had always worked early, but her mother would usually wait for her so that they could both arrive at the station together. It was just like Toph to bury herself into her work, bottling up her emotions until they would come out in anger to some random person. The station must be on their toes.

Lin sighed. There was no use in wasting time now. She walked out the door and started on her way towards the station.

Once she had gotten out of the apartment building, she sensed sadness in the air. All around her, people slumped as they walked, there were no children playing out on the street, very unusual, and everyone seemed to have an expressionless look on their faces. It was quite depressing. Just what I needed, she thought.

She never imagined the magnitude of Aang's death that would take effect on the city. This city was his. He built it from when it was just dirt on the floor. Now it was a working capital, keeping the four nations in tacked. Its importance was overwhelming. When people visited, the first thing that people thought was "this is the Avatar's city." But now, when people thought of the city, they were at loss. Whose city was it now?

Her stomach's grumbles brought Lin out of thought. She just remembered that she had skipped breakfast. She was coming up on the farmer's market that was in the city. Might as well.

Her steps took her to a nearby vendor that sold baked goods. This stand wasn't stranger. When she was younger, Aang used to take her and the rest of the kids to this very bakery when it was his turn to babysit. She could remember it vividly.

"Get whatever you'd like!"

The kids all ran towards the glass case that presented the pastries in a divine light.

"I want a meat pie!" Bumi exclaimed.

Kya spoke politely. "I want a scone!"

Lin and Tenzin both looked at each other. "Fruit Pie!"

Aang just laughed and ordered the kids' requests. After thanking the vendor, they sat at a nearby table and started to dig in.

"All of you look like hungry moose lions!" Aang started roar at them only causing the children to erupt with laughter.

Tenzin turned towards Lin. "Do I have something on my face?"

The small earthbender just laughed at her best friend's cherry covered mouth.

"Tenzin, that's no way to talk to a lady." Aang teased. The avatar's youngest son just let his father wipe him clean.

"Thanks for taking us here, Dad!" Kya looked to her father with a huge smile on her face. The rest of the kids followed.

"Thanks!"

Aang returned the smile. "No problem."

Lin closed her eyes. Good times. She opened her eyes and found herself right in front of the glass case of pastries. However, something was different. Instead of it beaming with different icing and twisted breads, there were trays barely filled with sweets. It was almost a barren wasteland.

"May I help you, Captain Beifong?" a man about sixty years old asked.

Lin could tell the life in this man's eyes were practically gone. This man had been running the stand since she was a child. He knew her. All thanks to Avatar Aang. But now that he was gone, it seemed his joy had died as well.

"Hello, Lee. Your stand seems to have lost its pizzazz." Lin replied sincerely.

Lee started to rub the back of his neck. "Yeah. Well there was always one person that could bring life into this stand of mine."

"I know." Her voice seemed quiet.

"He would always come here and buy everyone near the stand a pastry. The smiles on people's faces were enough payment for me." He gave her smile. She appreciated it.

"I'm sure it was. I think I'll just have one fruit pie."

Lee made his way to the glass case and picked out the best looking fruit pie that he could find. Coincidently, it had been cherry. Tenzin's favorite. Lee wrapped it up nicely and handed it towards Lin's awaiting hand. The earthbender offered up the money, but the man pushed it away.

"It was him that even showed me how to make those. In honor of him." He smiled widely. Lin, however, could see the grief within his eyes. In a way, it showed her the city as a whole. Aang had treated the citizens of Republic City as if they were his own. He showed them how to live life to the fullest and without him, Republic City wouldn't have been what it was today: a place for anyone to make something of themselves. To be whatever they want. Now that he was gone, the citizens of the city had to move on without him, grow without him, a difficult task.

"In honor of him." Lin took a bite out of her pie and started back on her way to the station. Ten minutes and a final bite later, the captain found herself walking into the large entrance of the station. Everything seemed to have fast forward once she had entered. There were officers running to and fro from one hall to the next. Secretaries at the front desk were constantly talking on the phone. The atmosphere was hectic and stressful.

"Mother has been really pushing it." Lin whispered to herself. She continued walking and entered the control room, the center of the station. It was the same. Everyone was rushing around, trying to get to everyone's calls. Beeping and technological noises filled the air along with many voices. She hadn't even done anything yet and Lin could feel herself getting strained by the environment. With all the fuss, Lin tried to find her mother. Whenever the station was busy, Toph would always be in the here, controlling the commotion. The blind Chief of Police was nowhere to be seen. Strange.

Just as she was about to leave, an announcement caught her ears.

"Listen up! We need a squad to go and supervise the loading of the United Forces naval ships."

Bumi. It was the perfect oppurtunity.

"My team will do it!" Lin spoke up. Her voice seemed to have quieted the room. Everyone stared at her as if she they were confused.

The woman that had announced the job nervously asked, "Um, Captain Beifong, it's quite an easy job. Are you sure?"

Lin turned her green eyes directly to the woman's. The woman instantly seemed frozen with intimidation. "Yes, I am sure. I still have some recovery to do with my arm. An unstressed mission will help."

"As you wish, Captain. The job is for tomorrow. Seven in the morning" The control room returned back to its original setting.

"Thank you."

Lin left the control room and walked down the hallway. The job was perfect. In order for her to fulfill her promise to Aang, she would have to talk to everyone. She had been contemplating on who she had to talk to first since she had been at home. Bumi's early departure just helped her decide. Now all she had to do was inform the chief.

Bumi had been the toughest to make out of his feelings. Lin knew that he was grieving, but the commander hadn't really shown it. His face remained unchanged and expressionless. It was strange behavior from the jokester that she had come to know when they were kids. This was definitely a place to start.

Lin turned a corner and right at the end of the hall was the chief's office. It was closed all the way. That either meant her mother was out or she was talking to someone important. Either way, she was going to find out.

She didn't know why her heart started to pound harder. It was just her mother. Then again it was her mother. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she felt uneasy about what she would find in the chief's office. She blamed it on instinct. Half way through the hallway, she heard a voice.

"Stop avoiding this! We need to figure out what to do for the city!"

Lin froze. That was a voice she knew all too well. Dad?

"For the city? All I'm doing is for this city! If it weren't for me, gangs would be running all over the place harassing the citizens or even worse!"

And there was her mother's voice. Lin was near the door now. She knew it was dangerous to listen, but she had to know.

"Toph, I need help! The council is relying on me to make decisions but I have no guidance!"

"What am I suppose to do? I'm only the chief of police. The only priority I have right now is keeping the city safe."

"The council is the prime government of the city. We are having so much trouble right now."

"What a council we have. Can't even make decisions without any help."

"We just used to have so much input from…" Lin heard her father end the sentence there.

"You need to get your stupid council together. Aang is gone and there is nothing we can do about it. We can't always rely on our precious avatar."

"Toph!"

"Don't even try it, Sokka. I'm doing my duty and now you need to man up and do yours!"

A fist slammed against metal. It had caused Lin to jump. She could feel the tension from even behind the door.

"Lin, what do you need!?"

Lin fell the ground in surprise. Her curiosity had made her forget of her mother's seismic sense. She picked herself up quickly and entered the office. Her father had his hands atop the metal desk, the only thing keeping him and Toph apart. Toph was seated behind the desk, her hands balled in fists also atop the desk. Both of them had a tint of redness to their faces, a result from all the yelling. No matter how much it hurt to see her parents fighting, Lin still stood strong.

"I just wanted to inform you that my team will be supervising the loading of the naval ships tomorrow."

Toph stood up. "That will be fine." The chief of police started making her way towards the door. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a station to run." And with that she disappeared into the hallway.

Lin watched her mother leave. It was only after she had left did she turn around to look at her father. Sokka had his head in his hands, frustrated. He had the stresses of her mother and the council atop his shoulders, she could tell by the bags under his eyes when he came home. Home didn't provide much relief either. Sokka would set Toph off with the littlest problems. Most nights, Lin found herself sleeping to the sound of their aggravated voices. She felt sorry for him. Uncle Aang wouldn't want this.

She reached out to touch his arm, but the councilman started for the door, eyes still closed, hiding his hurt. He didn't even acknowledge Lin. And now she was alone, with the atmosphere of rage surrounding her.

No matter.

Her parents were for another day.


Thanks for all of the reviews by the way! It motivates me to write *hint, hint* (x