Every able bodied person who had ties to the equalists seemed to vanish into thin air after their 'savior' turned out to be nothing but a fraud. The cops and United Forces came marching to Police Headquarters to find it completely deserted, but that didn't mean that Lin could rest. No, firstly, the place was a mess. Secondly, there were still plenty of arrests to make, and since they practically shoved her back into her old office, she supposed it was up to her.
"Looks like we've just been pardoned, Mom." Her boy said with the biggest smile. She nodded, but with no time for small talk, got straight to business.
"Get to the holding cells, they'll need a metalbender to open them." She knew Bolin didn't take it to heart, he'd spent most of his childhood with her, and he probably lost track of how many times she had shooed him out of sight to focus on her job.
The roundup and arrest of equalists could be handled by the beat cops, her first priority would be finding everyone who Amon had equalized and setting them free. So her quest for information began. And not an hour after she'd started her search, a loud noise signaled a break in her enormous task. From the cheering, laughing and loud obscenities it was easy to tell that the guest of dishonor had arrived. Storming into the main entrance, she saw her people crowding around Amon like a pack of wolfbats on a wounded cave rabbit and it took all her willpower not to join in the fun. It almost caused physical pain to break it up, and order the avatar to put him into an interrogation room.
"I suppose you think this is ironic." Amon, or Noatok as the police report would say, said after she sat on the opposite side of the table. "We, being in an interrogation room together, but the tables turned." No, not ironic, poetic justice, perhaps.
"I didn't bring you here for conversation." Lin had a few things to say to the bastard, but why make him feel special, or make him think that she was returning his so-called 'favor' by talking with him? He'd come to think that he was nothing in her eyes. Even if he had left an impact on her, she would never let him know it,"I have more important things to do than waste my time with you." That point needed to be made clear right now. She'd had enough of his games during her time in imprisonment, and he was in her custody now, and she didn't bring crooks to interrogation for pointless conversation."So I'll keep this short. Where is Tenzin?"
"How you feeling, Bro?" Mako and Asami showed up at headquarters a little after midnight looking for their family, and they hadn't been disappointed. After meeting up with Bolin and Korra outside of the interrogation room which the chief had Amon in, and seeing just how tired she was pretending not to be, they waited around long enough to make sure that the matriarch of the Beifong family didn't go to jail for murder before shoving the avatar and her polarbear dog into the Chief's office for a short recharge.
Bolin groaned as he sat up on the settee. His mother's promise of pain this day hadn't been an empty one. He groaned again as he stretched the tired muscles. 'Push through the pain', it was practically the Beifong Family Slogan, but they always fail to mention how hard it is to push through anything when you can barely even move. He looked over to the other small piece of furniture which his brother and Asami somehow managed to both squeeze onto. And both were trying to get up without kneeing the other.
"Like I got hit by a truck." A quick look at the clock told him that the nap turned into ten hour snoozefest, "Mom said she'd wake us up."
"I guess she lied." Asami wasn't surprised. Well, she was, but only because Lin took the time to lie rather than ordering them to get a full night's sleep.
"How's your legs, Mako?" They didn't look so good last night, the poor guy could barely even walk.
"They're good." He tried to stand, only getting about halfway up before falling back on his temporary bed, "Just a little stiff." As was the rest of his body.
"You think we should wake Korra up?" Korra had opted for the floor, despite Bolin's attempts to claim it for himself. But with a big, cuddly polarbear dog to use as a bed, she was probably more comfortable than any of them. At least she looked like she was, "I mean on the one hand, she had a pretty hectic day. On the other hand, I'm pretty sure she has avatar duties to take care of."
"Maybe we should let her sleep for a little while." Asami suggested putting her duties on hold for a bit. It wouldn't cause any harm. He let out a yawn while he nodded,
"How 'bout you, Boy, you feeling better?" He reached down while muttering a series of 'ow's to scratch his new sealhound's ears. He'd taken the animal back to the police kennel, but they didn't want him anymore. They said that even after the wound healed, the sealhound would have a limp. Bolin reminded them that it wouldn't be that bad of a limp, it'd barely even be noticeable and he'd still be able to run faster than people, but they still didn't care, "Pabu!" He scolded as his fire ferret wormed his way between him and the larger animal, "You're still my buddy, but this guy's hurt, so let me take care of him." He pushed Pabu genitally out of the way, and got an irritated hiss for his trouble.
"What's his name anyway?" The infamous question came from Asami as she scratched the animal's belly, making his tail thump happily at all the attention. The fire ferret didn't take the show of affection well, he laid down and started to pout.
"It was engraved on his collar, but the jerk at the kennel took it before I got a look at it." He should've looked before he got there, but it was too late now, "Guess I'll have to give him one myself. Hmm...let me think on it...Pabu, his ears are not chew toys!"
"Shhh!" Mako and Asami scolded him. Bolin winced, but luckily the avatar was dead to the world.
"So what are we go-" An opening door interrupted him, and his mom came in, followed by a green suit they immediately recognized as an equalist uniform. They all jumped before they realized that it was just Tenzin, still in an equalist disguise.
"Korra!"
"SHHH!" Three teenagers scolded the aged master at the same time.
"It's alright. I'm up." She yawned and stretched.
"Korra, thank goodness you are alright." The avatar was quickly engulfed in a hug, though Bolin did notice the absence of the gust of wind that usually followed Tenzin when he was in a hurry. He looked over to his brother and friend, put up a hand and mouthed 'is he still a bender'. They looked shocked, they hadn't considered that.
"What, exactly, happened yesterday?" Alright, so he was breaking up a very tender moment between student and mentor, but he was confused and he probably wasn't the only one.
"I talked to Aang and-!"
"You made a connection with your past lives?" Tenzin interrupted, sounding like a child who'd been told they were going on a airship ride...on an airship filled with sweets.
"He gave me back my bending, and I can give yours back too!" She said with the same excitement. Everyone stared. After Bolin's brain started working again he looked over to his mom who had a look he'd never seen before, it was a mix of 'shocked', 'disbelief', with a touch of 'hope'.
"This is great! Now I practice metalbending with you!"
"...Yes, this is wonderful! I will call a press conference, we will hold the a ceremony at sunset." Tenzin continued to rattle on, and his mom rolled her eyes. The man was had so much attention on his plans that he completely missed a teenager groaning and slowly passing him to get to his oldest friend,
"Airhead and his damn ceremonies." she grumbled for everyone to hear and snicker at except the preoccupied airhead, "What a dork."
"And to think, you were going to marry him." Bolin countered with a smirk.
"What?!" Korra's surprised shout brought Tenzin out of his own little world, he looked around stupidly to see what the fuss was about.
"What was that Korra?"
"Just go start your planning, Airhead." She told him, moving aside to give him a clear shot at the door. He huffed and walked out, knowing that he was at the butt of a joke, but knowing that they weren't going to fill him in on it.
"You and Tenzin? Tenzin and you. You two were engaged?!"
"Seemed like a good idea at the time."
"Dodged the fire dart on that one, huh Mom?"
"Yeah, the kids. What a nightmare." Her boy put his arm around her shoulder and nodded sincerely, "I could've ended up with an airheaded earthbender, a brooding criminal and an ass kicking girly-girl. They would've annoyed the hell outta me."
"Yeah. Hey, wait a minute!" he narrowed his eyes, but his mother faced his glare head on, so he chose to pout instead, "I kinda asked for that one, didn't I?" He asked the room and got three nods from his peers. His mom didn't answer, but looked him over from head to toe.
"Get yourself into an ice bath." She ordered, back in 'protective mom mode', "Fifteen minutes."
"Wrap up my feet and wear swimming briefs," he finished, "I know."
"Then get on it. And get these animals outta my office!" She turned to go when something caught her eye, "Good hound."
"Boy, Pabu is not a snack!"
…...
The square in front of city hall was packed for the avatar's press conference. Disbelieving gasps were heard as she told them that she could reverse what Amon had done. To prove this to the crowd Lin, being the one of the two depowered benders close to Korra who's condition was known by the entire city, came forward barefoot and in a skintight shirt to kneel down before the avatar. The young woman's eyes began to glow, a thumb came down on the chief's forehead. And when she stood back up, she brought up several boulders from City hall's courtyard.
"Thank you." She smiled as the crowd continued to stare in confusion. One of her officers came up carrying black armor with good trim, which she bent on before returning to her spot in the security formation. Tenzin was up next, and he nearly cried when he became an airbender again. The moment was ruined, however, when from the silent crowd a voice, an extremely loud one, shouted, 'Wahoo! Airbending, yip yip!'. Tenzin sighed before taking the place next to Lin as more of Amon's victims came forward to be healed,
"He's my brother, why does he always try to embarrass me?"
"Because he's your brother." His nephew answered from behind them.
It took two weeks for everything to settle down to a manageable level of chaos, but now the airbending family was finally able to return to the city. Lin was able to take a couple of hours off with her kids to welcome them back with Tenzin, Bumi and Korra on the docks. The ship came in and three yellow and red blurs rushed down and tackled the airbender to the ground.
"I am so glad to see all of you." He hugged them all close, "Where is your mother?"
"In there!" Ikki pointed up the gangplank, "Rohan threw up and she said that she wanted him to be clean when he meets his daddy! Oops!" She slapped her hands over her mouth. Obviously, the birth was meant to be a surprise.
"So..." Bumi rubbed his chin as Tenzin ran onto the ship to meet his son, "World's got another airbender."
"Hey, Uncle Bumi!" They tackled him next, then moving on to hug each person in turn. Meanwhile the proud parents came slowly down the gangplank, Tenzin with his arms around the newest addition to the family.
"Everyone, I would like to introduce you to our son, Rohan."
"Let me hold him!" Bumi shouted with all the excitement of a child and for some strange reason, Tenzin actually gave the kid up. The madman held the baby for a couple of seconds, introducing himself and promising to be the cool uncle...because with a stiff dad like Tenzin, he was going to need on, "Oops!" Everyone panicked and lunged forward to catch the baby as he appeared to let go of him, "Just kidding, Uncle Bumi would never drop you, little man." Even Asami and Bolin were ready to tie a hangman's noose. That had to be the worst practical joke of all time.
"Can I hold him, Uncle Tenzin?"
"Of course, Bolin." The baby holder pouted, but handed the infant over. Lin looked from the baby to the mother,
"Allow me."
WHACK!
"Ow! Lin!" Bumi rubbed his sore head and received no smpathy from anybody.
"Thank you." A grateful mother mouthed to the woman who delivered the blow which Pema could not because of her acolyte vows.
"My pleasure." The woman mouthed back. It would be their little secret.
"Here, Lin, you didn't get to hold him." Pema offered the baby to the chief after he'd been past to everyone, except her. But as in the past, Lin crossed her arms.
"I'll pass, thanks." Lin may have gotten kids, but she still didn't do babies, they were just too fragile for her to handle. Her record for the youngest child held was a two-year-old Meelo and then she'd merely grabbed him before he could eat a dung-bug.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure."
"Perhaps we should go home now." Tenzin suggested, herding three excited children on to his bison and helping his wife and baby up.
"Bye people!" Meelo shouted, waving from the bison.
"Well, you got people back on the island now." Bolin put on a smile for Korra. He knew this was the end of an era. She'd been staying with them since his mom's house was close to headquarters, and she was so busy lately. Now she'd move back to the island, Asami was about to move back into her mansion, he and his brother were going to look for a place soon...he just liked having them all under one roof.
"Yeah it's-"
HISS
"Pabu!" Bolin detached the fire ferret from the sealhound's snout, "Boy! Will the two of you learn to get along already?"
"Bolin, they can't get along." His brother told him, "They're natural enemies."
"Yeah," he relented, "I have to find a new home for him...hey Mom."
"No." she started walking away. Bolin jogged to catch up.
"But it's perfect! He hates Pabu, you hate Pabu."
"Why do you keep trying to get me to take in strays?"
"He's a cop, just like you!"
"No."
…...
Lin sat at her desk as her officers brought in a reward poster for Hiroshi Sato for her approval. Some bounty hunter could earn the equivalent to three large fortunes if they brought the man in, alive. Dead, he was worth nothing...she did that for Asami. Evil or not, he was still her father and Lin couldn't put a hit out on him. With her approval, the poster was going to the printing press to be mass produced and distributed to every corner of the world.
With her bending restored, there was no reason to keep her old chain whip as a side weapon, it was a rusty tool compared to her cables and blades. So Lin took a ten minute break to clean it. She took her oil and sand sponge and worked the dried blood off of the weapon, she ran her hand over it and took out all the nicks. It was almost as good as new.
"Lin, I bought you a present." Su had bought her a birthday present? With what, her pretty smile? "Close your eyes!"
"No, Su." Lin had seen a mischievous smile on the girl's face earlier and she wanted no part in...whatever her baby sister was planning, "Just give it to me."
"Mom!"
"Lin, close your eyes." The mom stepped up to settle the matter. She'd been trying to be cheerful all morning, but something in her decided that today was a bad day and thus she was in no mood for sibling arguments, "Don't you trust us?"
"Should I?" Those two were way too impish for her own good.
"...Good point." Toph conceded, "Just do it, Pup, the tyke gave up a lot to get a present for you."
"Alright, alright." but every memory of her sixteen years reminded her that this was a horrible idea, "My eyes are closed."
"Happy birthday, Pup." Her sister put a box in her hands. Why did she have to close her eyes again? She took the blue ribbon off the green package and cautiously peeked inside. It was a chain...with a knife attached?, "It's a chain whip," Su announced excitedly, "for kicking butt!"
"Oh," she didn't know what to say...she already had a set of cables and and blades and it was useless? No. She may not be emotional, but breaking a little kid's heart was beneath even her, "Thanks, Tyke." Well, it could have been worse, "It'll...come in handy."
"Come on, let's train with it!"
"Whoa." Toph scooped up her youngest,"Not today."
"Aw, but Mom..."
"Go get your coat, we'll go out for some sweets." The kid wasn't stupid, she knew she was being bribed and pouted all the way out of the room.
"Why?" Lin held up the chain whip, the jingle letting the blind woman know what was being referred to.
"I went to a weapon's shop to see about a new model side-dagger for my officers. She saw it in the display case and thought you'd like it. Spent her whole allowance on it." Her eldest raised an eyebrow, yet her mother caught onto the wordless question anyway, "Alright, so I paid all but four yuans. Just appreciate the thought. You weren't much younger than Su when you gave me a storybook for my birthday. And damned if I didn't have my secretary read that thing to me until I memorized it to make you think you did good. So you're gonna find an instructor, and you're gonna learn to use that thing." The daughter rolled her eyes.
"Only in our family would a five-year-old see a whip and think 'birthday present'."
"Story. BOOK." Toph waved a hand in front of her face.
"I was four! And at least I wasn't giving you weapons. Who do you have babysitting her, the weapon techs?" Oops. That was supposed to be a simple sarcastic statement, made with no underlining meaning. Her mom didn't take it that way.
"It's not her fault she doesn't have her father to watch her like you did."
"I didn't mean that, Mom." She understood. Five years and some odd months ago, she didn't. She'd been eleven and she knew that the new baby wasn't her dad's, that they were different. Sokka pulled her aside one day and gave it to her straight, 'your mom still loves your dad, it's just that she was lonely. There was nothing wrong with that. And even if it was, you shouldn't blame your little sister for that, she had nothing to do with it. Besides, she's gonna need someone to look after her. Someone strong, fearless, who will protect her at all cost. Is that someone you?'. To which she replied 'I guess', but stopped scowling every time she saw the kid.
"Yeah, I know, girl. I don't know why I'm in a mood today. Guess it just sucks that Boulder Brains didn't get to see you all grown up." Both pretended that they weren't wiping a tear away, "It's amazing how much you can miss an old drinking buddy that you accidentally married after having a few too many." Toph tried to make light of the situation.
"With a whirlwind romance like that," Lin deadpanned, "it's no wonder."
"Ready!" Su came running in.
"Finally." Both of the adults threw up their hands to make it look like they'd been bored out of their minds waiting for the kid.
"Don't forget your whip, Pup." Su reminded Lin of the discarded present. Lin held in a sigh while going to fetch it,
"I got it, Tyke."
The flags were stained with blood and needed to be replaced while she was at it, but that was nothing new. She actually had to replace them within a week after she got it. She'd crossed a firebender's path and she said goodbye to the light green flags with the light purple flower design.
"I'll beat that firebender up!" Su shook her fist when Lin told her in their mother's office after picking her up from school.
"I...chased him away. He won't be messing with me again.". yeah, that was right, "Don't you have homework to do?"
"Just a little." Su grumbled quietly, hoping that her big sister hadn't heard her.
"Then get it done and outta the way."
"Mom, do I have to?" Of course she'd go to their mom. What did the senile crone care about school work? She couldn't even read.
"N-"
"Dad always made me do it." Lin interrupted before her mother could get that one word out. The woman let out what could be described as a mix between a growl and a sigh. She leaned forward on her desk and put her hands on her forehead.
"...Tyke, just...it's only a little work, right? Just...do it." The youngest daughter glared at the eldest, the eldest smirked at the youngest, "Lin, you can help her, since you're so concerned." She sent a well-practiced wink in Su's general direction.
"Can I get some juice first?"
"Have at it, kid." She waved the little girl off. A sadistic, knowing smirk over took her face when the two were left alone, "You paid a firebender to burn them, didn't you?"
"You can't prove anything."
"Hey Mom." the kids got back with lunch, "What are you thinking so hard about?" Lin shook her head, clearing out the memories. Thinking about that little kid she once knew would do her no good now. When she finally got to go home, she'd lock the whip back up in the memory chest where it belonged, and the memories would plague her no more.
"Nothing important."
"So...how are you two getting along?" The sealhound was currently napping on a bed behind her, so Bolin went to pet him,"Tǎoyàn.". He read on the collar, "Really, Mom?"
"Really, Boy." She smirked, "Now go clean up for lunch." the sealhound huffed as he was left alone, "You really are annoying."
"How does Bolin talk you into stuff, Lin?" Mako and Asami always wanted to know, but neither could work up the courage to ask until now.
"Damned if I know." He just knows how to push her, simple as that. Every family seems to have that one kid who can play their parents like a koto, Bolin was just that kid and there seemed to be little she could do about. That was the story of her life, her mom forced her to be tough, the judge forced her to be a cop, her husband forced her to love and lose, Tenzin forced her to love (and lose) again. Bolin forced her to become a mother, Asami and Mako forced her to expand her family. And now they're all joined by a sappy bond that they can't ignore or break...whether they like it or not.
