Author's Note - Hi guys, I'm back! So, if you guys didn't know, I've posted this story on AO3 and now, Fanfiction and AO3 are in sync! Now, this chapter. I toyed with this chapter for awhile because I didn't know if this POV was a good idea. However, I ultimately decided that it was necessary because it gave some important plot points and backstories. What I wanted to give off this chapter was how complex of a character our favorite lady is. I also wanted to show how aware she is about the relationships that she has now. I don't want to give too much away but as you read, you'll see what I mean. Finally, I want you guys to remember what King Bumi (one of the best characters in ATLA) said about neutral jing (which, again, LOK missed a huge opportunity to use this in the show). Ok, here's another chapter with an avalanche of emotions. Get the tissues ready. On to the story!

Chapter 7: Mother of the Air Nation

Lin

Motherhood and Lin Beifong never went in the same sentence. After her horrible failure at co-raising Su, Lin had a feeling that motherhood wasn't the path for her. Yet, on that same night, when Tenzin held her and made love to her so passionately, she knew that if Tenzin was the father, she'd give be able to give motherhood a shot. They talked about it the next morning over a cup of tea. They wouldn't force it and if they felt like the city was too dangerous for a baby, she'd start drinking moonleaf again. And if they did get married, it would be after the baby was born (after all, neither of them thought it was necessary since everyone assumed that they were married). They'd make it work, they decided. They were a team and they could do anything.

They even planned out how they were going to manage parenthood with their jobs. She would work full-time but her new position as Captain of Major Crimes would allow her weekends off and extra PTO (excluding emergencies, of course). Tenzin would also be working full-time but his position as Councilman allowed him some liberties, which he'd use to have a playpen in his office to watch their child most days. Uncle Aang and Aunt Katara (with Mom and Uncle Sokka, on rare, very rare occasions) would be the primary babysitters. They felt ready and while Lin feared a lot about bringing their child into this dangerous, crazy world, she knew that her and her family were more than able to protect it. It was fun, trying for a baby (for obvious reasons), and she couldn't help but feel for moment that maybe she was supposed to be a mother.

And Lin did get pregnant, at least three times, of that, she was certain.

But sadly, they never lasted.

The first miscarriage rocked her. It had been early on, the fetus barely eight-weeks-old when it happened while Katara was examining her on the Island. The timing had been horrible and Lin's only saving grace in that moment had been she hadn't told Tenzin and Aang about the baby yet (they had left after the party from the night before to visit one of the temples for Tenzin's twenty-fifth birthday).

There was no planning in the world that could prepare her for how much love she felt for their baby after hearing its heartbeat for the first time. She didn't know that it was possible to love something so much, especially when the very idea of a child made her wary. But it was her baby with Tenzin, a creation of their love for each other. And, spirits help her, for the first time in her life, Lin Beifong looked forward to being a mother. The baby's strong and loud heartbeat had been teasing her for a week at that point and she wanted Katara to confirm that it was true, that she, Lin Beifong, was actually pregnant.

One second, the baby was perfectly fine and the next, she was cramping and the baby's heart was racing and Aunt Katara was screaming at an Acolyte to get her more water and –

Mom came to the island that afternoon and said nothing as Lin clung to her, sobbing from grief over a baby she barely knew about but loved so much already. Mom didn't kid her for her tears, didn't tell her to 'suck it up and take it like a Beifong'. She let her grieve and for that, Lin was so grateful. Later, when Tenzin and Aang returned after Katara's emergency hawk message to them, Katara broke the news to the last airbenders. Mom's arm had been thrown over her shoulder as they sat on the couch. Lin never looked up from her lap, fisting her pants so tight she feared that she would ripe them.

"… You want a water?" Mom broke the silence, her callused yet soft hand brushing the falling tear away from her cheek.

"… No, but thanks, Mom. I'm-" Lin's breathe was shaky as she glanced that the living room door. And moment now, she'd have to face Tenzin and tell him that she failed. "I'm fine."

"Ok, Badge. Let me know if you change your mind." Mom, with a gentleness Lin wasn't used to, pressed a kiss to her cheek and tightened her grip on her eldest. Say what you will about Toph Beifong but when Lin need her mother to be a mother the most, she stepped up in that moment.

Lin tensed as footsteps started towards them. They were heavier than usual but there was no mistaking those fast steps headed her way. The living room door swung open and she couldn't look at him. Her shoulders were shaking and Mom wasn't holding her anymore. She ignored how Uncle Aang and Aunt Katara stood at the door, hugging each other in comfort. Mom moved towards, leaving their children to have the moment that they desperately needed. Yellow pants came into view but she couldn't look at him because she had failed.

She failed.

She failed.

She fail-

"Lin." He knelt before her on the sofa and his concerned but loving face that she didn't deserve came into view. The tears welled up again and she crumbled before him. In that moment, she was no longer Captain Lin Beifong, the strong, metalbending badass that never showed weakness. She was Lin, a grieving mother without her baby and dammit, she would show her emotions because the grief hurt so fucking much that she couldn't care anymore.

"I'm so sorry." She hiccupped through the sobs and looked away. "I'm so sorry. I'm-"

His large hands came up to cradle her face like she was the most precious thing in the world, gently forcing her to look at him. His thumbs wiped away the tears but all she could focus on was him.

"I love you." Tenzin said with conviction, his gray eyes never leaving her green ones. "I love you so much and I'm sorry that I wasn't here for you when you needed me the most."

"But I failed you." She insisted causing him to shake his head.

"No, you didn't."

"I couldn't save our baby."

"It's not your fault."

"How can it not be? It's my body and I couldn't protect our baby." All the fight left her, leaving the whispering shell of a woman she once knew. "I'm so sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for." Tenz insisted, pulling her face closer to kiss her. She collapsed into his embrace, the passion behind the kiss easing her worries that he still loved her. The tears fell again and when they pulled away, he held her against his chest, shielding her away from the cruel, unforgiving world.

"I loved it so much." She confessed into his chest, her fists clutching his shirt. "Its heart was so strong, I kept hearing it whenever I was mediating. I wanted to surprise you when you came back." His lips fell to her forehead, kissing her softly. "I'm so sorry." His fingers tilted her head up to look him. The stubborn tear that traveled down his cheek was like a dagger to her heart. He was trying to hold back his mourning, trying to stay strong for her. He smiled through the grief and kissed her.

"I love you."

"I love you too." And despite the loss of their first child, their love only grew stronger.

The second miscarriage happened a few years later, in their late twenties. Tenzin knew about that one and they just came back from spending the weekend on Air Temple Island, celebrating the joyous news with the whole family (Uncle Zuko and Izumi had been in town and Bumi and Kya were back for the week) when it happened. One moment they were riding Oogi back to their apartment and the next she was in a hospital bed, numb to everything but Tenzin's arms around her as the healer informed them that there was nothing that they could do to save their twins (which apparently, they were- had been having).

A week later, Tenzin returned home and wrapped a betrothal necklace around her thin neck. Though they both agreed that they didn't need to be married to show the world that they loved each other, he gave it to her to show her just how dedicated to her he was. It was beautiful and she wore it every day, hiding it under her armor at work and presenting proudly when she was off duty.

Afterwards, she had Katara and Kya examine her from top to bottom. She feared she was destined to be like her grandmother, who struggled to conceive and carry children throughout her entire marriage. But Katara and Kya found nothing. Even with how dangerous and physical her job was, everything that they found showed that she was perfectly healthy and able to carry a child to full-term. It was mystery and years later, Lin decided that it just wasn't meant to be.

The third miscarriage-

She couldn't talk about the incident. It haunted her and the events during it was the main reason she and Tenzin broke up a year later. Not that she told him the real reason. He couldn't know what happened and she would never tell him if she could help it. Their relationship had been shaky during that time, with the five-year anniversary of Aang's death and pressure for them to have a child looming more and more from the world and the Acolytes.

She hadn't been lying to Mako when she said that she had fucked-up Air Temple Island a bit when Tenzin broke-up with her. What no else but them knew was that Tenzin came back to her (their) apartment a week later, apologizing for breaking-up with her because 'dammit, Lin, I love you and I don't care about having kids anymore if you're not by my side; you're my world and screw what everyone else wants all I want is you'. He didn't care anymore about having children because as long as he was by her side, he was happy.

That's when she, the earthbending master of neutral jing, looked at the Airbender that she loved with her entire being and her heart shattered. She wanted to kiss him and end their suffering because it wasn't fucking fair. She wanted to say how much she loved him and show him how much he meant to her. She wanted to throw a middle finger up to the world, yell 'fuck you' to all the naysayers and convince him to runaway with her (and spirits, she knew that he'd do it in a heartbeat). She held herself back from entering his embrace, knowing that if she gave in that she wouldn't be able to leave. Instead, she did nothing and told him she needed time to think. Tenzin, the understanding, wonderful, beautiful man that he was, left with a heartbreaking, final kiss between them and gave her the space to hid away in her (their) apartment.

There, on their bed that they've made love on so many times, she finally accepted the truth that had been haunting her. Chief Lin Beifong of Republic City was holding back Master Airbender Tenzin from his duty. The papers and gossips were so vicious, demanding why they were still together after being childless for nineteen years. The world needed airbenders, they demanded, and she was a selfish bitch for keeping Tenzin.

And they were right.

So that night, Lin made the decision to let him go, once and for all. Because she loved him so much, she'd let him go, no matter how much it killed her to see him with another woman. No matter how much the idea of him making love to another woman filled her with rage. No matter how much she needed him in her life.

But she couldn't keep him. That would be selfish of her to do that to him and the world.

After all, what good was a barren woman to a man who needed to have children?

So, Lin did nothing. She hid when he finally grabbed his stuff from her (their) apartment. She said goodbye to Oogi in secret and her heart broke every time the sky bison visited her at work the rest of the year. She only spoke to Tenzin formally and only about police business. Lin, the master of neutral jing, did nothing. She let him go and when Pema showed up in her interrogation room, pregnant with Jinora, she knew, no matter how much it killed her, she had done the right thing.

So yes, motherhood and Lin Beifong never went in the same sentence.

Or so she thought.

You see, in the weird and twisted way that the gods worked, Lin had somehow started 'adopting' kids without her realizing it. It started on the day she became the godmother to Tenzin's children; the day that those maternal instincts that she had all those years ago resurfaced like a tsunami. The next three years, her love for those kids grew with each passing day and her shattered heart healed. Not completely, mind you, but more than enough for her to admit that she was truly happy again. She felt like her old self again. There was no need for her to be Chief Grumpypants around them.

Lin could finally laugh and forget about her stresses when she was with them. Because to them, she was just Aunt Lin and they loved her for being her

It completed blindside her how quickly the kids became her life. It started off so innocently, with her coming over for dinner on the island once a week after the Equalists had been defeated. The kids wanted to thank her and learn more about her and it was nice, having dinner with people instead alone in her apartment. Then dinner became twice a week. Then the kids begged her to start staying over the weekends and, Gods help her, she was weak against those beautiful gray eyes that the three eldest had.

She had always been week to those beautiful gray eyes.

The girls started preparing lunches for her and sending Meelo to deliver them. Of course, he did this while he testing out the wingsuit prototypes, which weren't ready yet, might she add; that led to her giving them a first of many stern talking-tos as their godmother. She started keeping extra futons and clean blankets ready at her apartment because on any given night could become 'Sleepover at Aunt Lin's'. They came to her for everything it seemed like and a part of Lin felt very weird about the whole situation because it wasn't her job to mother them, obviously.

Then, right before the Unalaq Crisis, Lin found herself with Pema in the kitchen, doing the dishes after an amazing dinner while the kids and Team Avatar entertained Tenzin in the living room. It was Pema who broke the silence.

"I never thanked you." Lin looked up in confusion from the pan she had been scrubbing to turn to the younger woman next to her. Pema smiled back her, putting away a plate as she continued, "For protecting us on the island when Rohan was born and for stalling the Equalists."

"You don't have to thank me." Lin shrugged. "It's kind of my job."

"Ah huh?" Pema didn't believe her, clearly. "Most people wouldn't have done what you did."

"Of course they-"

"No, they wouldn't." Pema insisted before she faced Lin fully, determination etched on her barely aged face (lucky bitch). "I want you to be a part of the kids' lives."

Lin didn't understand Pema. She never had and she was pretty sure that she never will. Truthfully, Lin never hated Pema. She just hated what the younger woman represented. But as they spent more time together, the two of them actually got along surprising well (much to Tenzin's disbelief and joy). But Pema remained an enigma because Lin couldn't fathom why Pema had always insisted on sharing her family with Lin.

Yes, Tenzin had been the one to express that he would like to rebuild their friendship but it was Pema who led the charge to integrate Lin into their family. It was Pema who invited Lin to family outings. It was Pema who suggested that Ikki and Meelo ask her for Airbending help. It was Pema who sent her children to Lin's way whenever they had a question she couldn't answer. Had the roles been reversed… well, let's just say Lin wouldn't have been as generous. With all that being said, Lin was grateful to have the opportunity to be in Tenzin's life again, even if it was as the beloved aunt of his kids and not as his lover.

"… Aren't I already?"

"You are, but the kids need their Aunt Lin guiding them through life." The conviction in Pema's voice paused the protest on Lin's lips. "Look, I'm not everything they need." Lin leaned back against the sink; her arms crossed with a raised eyebrow as Pema deflated in front of her.

"What do you mean?"

"I…" She paused suddenly and she looked like she was about to confess a secret before she shook her head and started again. "As a nonbender, I can't connect with the kids the same way as you. I don't understand why they have to train and mediate every day, even though I know that logically, they have to in order to control their bending. Hell, I've been an Acolyte nearly my entire life and I can't name one airbending stance; meanwhile you've been helping Meelo and Ikki train on your free time. And sure, I can watch them train but what good am I on the sidelines expect to give them water and snacks when they take a break?" Pema raked a hand through her hair in frustration. "And I know that because of Korra and what they are, the kids are going to end up in some sticky situation and I'm going to be completely useless!" Lin watched as the mother unfold before her. "Ikki and Meelo still have nightmares about Amon, Lin… I can't talk to them about it because I don't know how to. I don't know how to prepare them for the future because I've never faced this before." The kitchen stayed quiet for a bit before Lin asked,

"Feel better?" Despite herself, Pema laughed, the tension leaving her.

"Yeah, thanks. Sorry for dropping that all on you."

"No, you're fine." Lin reassured before she thought about what Pema just told her. "So, what do you want from me, exactly? Because I don't want to step on any toes."

"You won't be."

"How can you be so sure?" Lin demanded in a soft yet firm tone. "Because I feel like I'm parenting your kids half of the time without even meaning to." She expected Pema to get anger at her after confessing that to her. What mother likes the idea of another woman mothering her kids?

"That's great!" Lin was taken aback by the pure excitement in the nonbender's voice. "That's what they need! As their godmother, I want you to parent them when I can't, especially when it comes to their bending."

"Isn't that's Tenzin's job?"

"It was." Pema admitted with a shrug. "But when Korra came to live with us, we agreed that I'd take care of the kids so that he could focus on Korra."

"And you're overwhelmed?"

"And I'm overwhelmed. And my kids love you, Lin. There isn't a day goes that they don't say your name. They want you in their lives and so do I." Pema said with conviction. Still, Lin felt odd about everything.

"What about Tenzin?" She bulldozed through the elephant giraffe in the room. "What does he think about all of this?" Lin waved her hand towards the laughing room next to them. Pema sent a 'really, you needed to ask?' stare at her.

"What do you think, Lin? He couldn't be happier that you're back in his life." Yeah, that was the whole issue, Pema. "Look, Lin. I know this is highly unusual but I trust you. I trust you with my kids' lives. And to be left alone with my husband." Pema teased causing Lin to blush slightly at how casual Pema was with her teasing before stating definitely,

"I'm not a homewrecker, Pema." Pema's smile grew melancholy.

"Trust me, I know." The air shifted around Pema, something very raw and very sad. "I know you aren't." Then, the air changed again and her smile became joyful once again. "So, what do you say?" Lin ignored the whirlwind of emotions to take in it all.

This could go wrong. It could go horribly wrong for Lin. The more time she spent with Tenzin, the more she remembered why she fell for him in the first place. Sure, she had other men after they had broken-up but those idiots didn't hold a candle to Tenzin. And she wasn't going to lie, seeing him as a dad was a huge turn-on (which helped because he had lost his full head of hair that she loved so much). She was already catching feeling (or maybe they never left).

But she loved his kids.

She loved how Meelo embraced the tomfoolery of airbending (she just wished he had a better sense of when it was appropriate to pull pranks). She loved how Ikki, usually Miss Chatterbox, stopped talking to ask Lin about her day without fail whenever they saw each other. She loved how warm Rohan felt when she held him to her and, Gods, she didn't want him to get bigger because carrying Rohan around became one of her favorite pastimes. She loved how Jinora, kind, compassionate, intelligent, beautiful Jinora, looked up to her and she vowed to be best damn role model the world has ever seen because of it.

So, really, Lin only had one response to give Pema.

"I'll do it." And she didn't regret it. Not one bit.

And that is how Lin, with Pema's blessing and encouragement, somehow became like a second mother to Tenzin's children. Granted, Lin felt weird about it all (and it should have stopped after Korra's training was done) but now, she was too invested to care anymore. She loved those kids so much that she'd give the world to them. In fact, right before Kuvira attacked the city, Lin made a call to her attorney to change her will. She creates a trust for all for of them so that her half of the Beifong fortune would go to them when she passed. Until that happened, she swore to protect them, love them and teach them everything that she knew.

As she laid next to Rohan in his big boy bed ('Imma big boy, Auntie, I no baby'), the afternoon's events replayed in her mind. Meelo had been the one to tell her that the girls had been missing.

Between the two brothers, Rohan looked the most like Tenzin, even with his bright green eyes, while Meelo inherited Aang and Bumi's goofy smile and even wilder personalities. Yet Meelo had never looked more like Tenzin than he did in that moment. The kid had been stoic and serious, his gaze hardened and his fingers barely twitching as his eyes grazed the land for something. For a second, she could picture an old memory of when they, in their nine and ten-year-old mischief, stowed away on a pirate ship (totally by accident, she swears) and Tenzin was glaring down the captain while trying to find materials to make a mock glider on the deck of the ship. That was the first day she bent metal and she flew with Tenzin for the first time. It had been so different from flying on a bison, the way she clung to him as he steered them to safety. She could still hear their heartbeats racing in harmony, feel his breathe in her ear, feel her cheeks flushing-

Sorry, got sidetracked.

Anyway, the moment Meelo told her that the girls were missing, Lin shocked herself with how her heart clenched with fear. The fear only got worse when she searched for them with her seismic sense and found nothing. Only years of practice kept her from showing just how concerned she was. Luckily, Bolin and Mako found them, and for a second, Lin felt her instincts ease.

Until Jinora went pale, nearly collapsed in Tenzin's arms and let everyone know that, no, they weren't missing, they just somehow fell into the Spirit World.

The Spirit World had been a pain in her ass ever since Korra first messed with it. And don't even get her started on all of the phone calls and complaints that RCPD has had to deal with since the spirit lines sprouted all over the place. Honestly, if Harmonic Convergence hadn't brought back the Airbenders, Lin would have said to hell with the Spirit World and the Mortal World overlapping so much.

Not that it was really Korra's fault, Lin remembered as she thought of Korra and the rest of Team Avatar. In the moment, they had done the best they could with the Spirit World and so what if it gave her extra paperwork. Dammit, she really was going soft but she didn't care anymore. The current Team Avatar had a special place in her heart and if you asked Su, they had become her second batch of kids that she had 'adopted'.

Lin didn't know when she became the 'Team Mom' for Team Avatar. It could have been when she held Asami as Sato heiress broke down after betraying her father. It could have been when she started checking to make sure Mako had some food to eat during all-nighters at work. It could have been when she sat down with Korra and tutored the spunky Avatar on the world's legal system, spending weeks on end just to ensure that Korra wouldn't get sued during her escapades. It could have been when she gave Bolin the shovel talk after he started dating Opal again and she learned his idiot-like behavior was so that he could get Mako to smile again like he did before their parents' murder. They were great kids, a tad naïve and stupid at times, but amazing kids when the going-gets-tough. They've matured so much since she first met them.

Lin trusted Team Avatar with her life and in return, she'd do anything to keep them safe. If that meant being the mother figure for 3 out of the 4 (a second mother figure for Korra), then so be it. She gave them the tough-love that they needed and silent ear when they needed to talk without any judgement. And no, she wasn't a hugger but her eldest munch brats seemed to crave hugs more often than not, even if they happened in silence and out of the public eye.

It was ironic how alone she was just four years prior. Dinners used to be at her desk at work and it seemed like she only left work to shower and change uniforms. Now her days were filled with laughing kids and spunky teenagers. She couldn't wait to leave work, where as before she used to dread returning to an empty apartment. Hell, all of her kids brought a new meaning to her life. And even better, they had brought back her previous family. Su was in her life again, bringing her entire clan with her. She could go out drinking with Kya and Bumi without feeling weird about it.

And, selfishly, Tenzin was back in her life again, even if they were only just friends.

Lin's life had taken a twisted turn for the better and for that, she was grateful. She'd do anything to protect. Jinora's pale face flashed before her and Lin suppressed a snarl. Something had happened in the Spirit World and someone had messed with her girl. She could tell by how twitchy Jinora had been and so help her, Lin would do everything in her power to protect Jinora.

Something was wrong, very, very wrong and Lin Beifong was about to get to bottom of it, because no one messed with her family and-

"Lin?"

"Sh." Lin whispered as she sat up, careful not to disturb the sleeping boy next to her. There stood Tenzin, his tall frame blocking the hallway light as he peered into the nursery. He was staring at her again, the way that he always did whenever he saw her doing anything with his kids. She knew better than to believe there was more behind that look but she couldn't help but think, maybe, just maybe, he too wondered what could have been if she hadn't lost their babies. She ignored how his gaze burned into her back as she leaned down to kiss Rohan's forehead, readjusted his blankie and climbed over him to tiptoe to the door. She waited in the hallway, using the moments of Tenzin saying goodnight to his son to prepare herself.

"Hey." He said, shutting the door behind him.

"Hey."

"Thank you for putting him to bed."

"Don't mention it." Gods, they should be past this awkwardness by now. She was 53 years old woman, not a blushing, hormone-driven teenager with a crush on her best friend.

But for a second, she could picture him back in their twenties. Back when he had his hair and care-free smile. Back when he dressed in flexible, yet tighter clothing that highlighted his muscles (and tattoos) instead of hiding them like his monk robes did. Back when his five o'clock shadow would tickle her whenever he lifted her up into a kiss. But even with those days long behind her, Lin was glad that something never changed with Tenzin. Tenzin had always towered over her (annoyingly) and age didn't change this fact. His touch was still gentle (even though she only received them platonically and briefly now). His voice could still send shivers down her spine and a flush to her cheeks if she wasn't careful.

"So, the Spirit World, huh?" Tenzin said with a shrug so awkwardly that she couldn't hold back the chuckle because it was just, so, him to break the tension like that.

"Yeah, remind me to kick Korra's ass in sparring this weekend for all the extra paperwork she's caused me." Lin joked.

"Noted." Tenzin chuckled, know fully well that she only half-kidding. "Thank you, by the way, for staying to search for the girls."

"And tell Su that her only daughter was missing and I didn't help in the search? What kind of Aunt would I be?"

"Well-"

"Don't answer that, it was rhetorical."

"Sure it was."

"Quiet you." They banter back and forth caused a shared smile between them. For a second, they could forget the crazy world around and just be them. Just Lin and Tenzin. Sadly, Tenzin sobered, killing the moment, and said,

"I'm worried about Jinora." Lin sighed but nodded in agreement.

"Something most have happened in the Spirit World that she isn't telling us." The memory of Jinora paling in shock sent a shiver down her spine. "Did you talk to her?"

"Not yet. I felt it best to wait until after mediation tomorrow." Tenzin grumbled with a pout. "I have to start giving her space now. She's growing up too fast."

"Hey, if you can handle Korra's teenage drama, you can handle anything." She was messing with him now but it was totally worth it to see him lighten up at his own expense.

"Don't remind me, please." She laughed at the groaning man before her. "It's bad enough that Jinora's gotten closer with Kai."

"Oh?" When did this happen and why hasn't Jinora told her anything?

"I think they're," he shuddered, "dating." He spat out the word like it was crime against humanity and she lost it.

Giggle- hmph!

Lin slapped her hand across her mouth to stop the laughing spell that came over her. His flustering and blustering over-protectiveness was as hilarious as it was adorable. It reminded her of how red he used to get when Bumi and Kya used to point out with his goofy-ball flirting with Lin when they were Jinora's age. Back when they used to flirt with each other without even realizing it because the chemistry was just there. Back when the idea of kissing each other seemed so tempting and forbidden-

Nope, don't do it, Lin. Fuck, she was still attracted to him but it didn't matter anymore. He was married now and had the kids that he always wanted. He didn't love her like that anymore.

"I haven't heard that sound from you in a while." He teased, a far too smug look on him because he knew that he was the only person that could make her laugh like that. She turned away from him to hide her blush and moved down the hall.

"Don't get used to it." She snipped back because no, she wouldn't let them do that song and dance again. Talk about work, that always kills the mode. "Just when I think we're catching a break, shit like this happens." Her pace grew faster as her irritation rose. Tenzin kept up with her and let her rant, knowing that she just needed someone to listen to her. Just like old times. "Do you know how bad this could turn out to be if portals start sending people to the Spirit World? Or better yet, if the criminals figure out a way to escape pursuit using them?" At her side, Tenzin tried to placate her.

"Lin-"

"Plus, Opal's party is in three days and the last thing I need is this on top of the chaos that is Su's family." Ugh, Su's family, she had nearly forgot about them in all of the pandemonium.

"There's no doubt in my mind that you and Korra will figure everything out." Tenzin said with certain. Despite herself, her heart jumped at the knowledge that he believed in her. Dammit all. They stopped walking. She turned to thank him, the words on her lips when she noticed the predicament that they were in.

They were standing far closer than was considered to be proper. The desire to kiss him hit Lin like a hurricane. His eyes glazed over as they roomed her body up and down. He started leaning forward as she rose to meet him in the middle. There was a pull between them, begging them to get closer. Her eyes were closing with his and his breath was on her lips and they were so close-

They stopped, their lips centimeters from each other, from doing what they've done thousands of times before.

She couldn't do it.

He couldn't do it.

The rejection hit her like a ton of bricks as Lin turned away. Tenzin lunged for her, and she flinched, causing him to fall back like a kicked polar bear dog puppy. She wrapped her arms around her middle, holding herself up against the pain, even though she knew they had done the right thing by stopping. She cursed herself for letting her walls down around him but the sneaky, twinkletoes bastard jumped right over them. Just like he always did. They stood in silence, knowing damn well what they almost did and-

Fuck, why now? She had been strong for years, content with the knowledge that Tenzin was no longer hers because he got the family he always wanted. She shouldn't be wanting him. She shouldn't be flirting with him. She shouldn't be falling in love with him all over again.

How was she kidding? She never stopped loving him in the first place.

"…Thank you." Lin broke the silence between them.

"…Of course." More silence ensued and the longer she stood there, the greater of chance she'd do something they both regretted (and craved).

"Can you call the ferry for me? I appreciate the room but I need to sleep in the city tonight." No, sleeping on the island wasn't an option tonight.

"What? No! That'll be an extra 45-minutes to get your apartment," Their old apartment, she thought sadly as Tenzin continued, "and it's already 11:00 pm. Take Oogi." She looked up at him in shock (and happiness at seeing her best buddy again) but she shook her head.

"Tenzin, I'm not going to take Oogi away from you."

"You're not taking him; I'm giving him to you." Tenzin insisted.

"And what if something goes wrong and you need to evacuate the island?" She was making up bullshit excuses again but she didn't care because Tenzin was acting like the stupid, perfect gentleman that he was and she knew that this wouldn't end well for her if he kept acting like this.

"We have plenty of bison, Lin."

"Still-"

"Besides…" The change in his volume had her looking up at him. They locked eyes as he whispered, "he misses you." The hidden meaning in his sentence rang clear through her mind.

… he misses you.

He misses you,

He loves-

"Unless you forgot how to fly a bison?" Tenzin laughed at her dumbfounded expression. Lin huffed and swatted his shoulder, taking in his laughter before her laughter (not giggles, Lin Beifong does not giggle) harmonized with his.

"Of course I know how to fly a bison, idiot. I had a great teacher." Tenzin raised a very pleased eyebrow, clearly remembering that beautiful, fun-filled day in the air.

"Oh? Is that so?" Great, now he was teasing her.

"Hush you." Lin smiled despite herself. "Fine, I'll take him."

She started down the hall, fully prepared to head to the stable when a thought hit her. Lin stopped and bit her lip. She shouldn't ask. She knew that she shouldn't ask. Ignorance was bliss afterall, and they'd have already toed the line too many times today. Clearly, their chemistry and attraction was still there (hell, it never left).

"He missed me, huh?" She asked, looking back at him. She wanted to see his reaction because she wanted proof that it wasn't just her who felt this way.

"…He never stopped." Tenzin confessed softly. Lin gasped back a cry because the implications of his words sent her into a tailspin.

"…Good- Good night, Tenz." Lin said tentatively, watching as Tenzin drew in a shaky breath because it had been years since Lin had called him that (because only she called him Tenz). "I'll- See you later."

And like the coward that she was, Lin Beifong ran away. She didn't stop running, even when she heard his stumbling, 'Good night, beau- Lin'. Her chest heaved as she cursed her way to the stable. What the fuck was she doing? Why was she torturing herself like this? Hadn't she hurt herself enough the first time around?

Guilty wretched her as she thought of Tenzin's children and what their almost kiss could have done to those beautiful kids. Dammit, what would the kids have thought if they had seen that? Lin had been seconds away from destroying a perfect family and she didn't know what was worse; the fact that she let it get that far or the fact that she wanted to go back and finished what she had started.

No, Lin Beifong decided as she reached Oogi, that would never happen again. Screw her own wants and needs, those kids came first, and no matter how much her selfish heart wanted their father, she wouldn't let it happen. Oogi blinked the sleep out of his eyes as she shook him. The bison groaned in happiness as it snuzzled her.

"Hey buddy." Lin whispered, ignoring how her eyes stung with tears at the beast's gentle touch. Oogi bumped her torso with his arrow and nipped her tunic, just like he always did when he wanted her to stay.

There, in the stable where her and Tenzin would hide away, cuddling with the animal that had once been hers, Lin let her façade crumble as the memories and thoughts of 'what could have been' drowned her.

Author's Note - ... Dammit Lin, stop being so selfless for once in your life. I hope you guys got where I was going with this chapter. In LOK, we're told that Tenzin broke-up with Lin because Pema confessed her feeling to him and Lin destroyed the island a bit. This explanation never sat well with me. I can understand Lin being pissed and breaking shit. I can understand Pema's confession throwing Tenzin for a loop and giving him an opportunity for children. BUT, I refuse to believe that Tenzin isn't like Aang in the fact that he isn't a hardcore romantic. Hell, I can picture Tenzin going back to Lin after the break-up because he still loves and doesn't want to leave her. Which leaves Lin, our selfless Lin, to be the one to put the final nail in their relationship because she knows that, logically, she can't do that to the world. UGH! Then you have Pema. Why have I portrayed Pema in this way? Because there's something fishy going on here and Lin knows how odd it is that Pema is allowing her to basically be the second mother to her kids but she's too invested to care now. I didn't focus that much on Lin's relationship with Jinora (and Opal and Ikki) but trust me, we'll get to that later. Also, I made Lin the Team Mom of Team Avatar because LOK missed another opportunity to give 3 out of the 4 of Team Avatar an actual mother figure who can also kick ass. I mean, really, tell me how awesome that would have been if Lin went total Mama-Bear Mode during a fight and yelled 'Stay away from my kids!'? What can I say, Mama Lin is one of my favorite type of Lin. Ok, that's it for now. Don't forget to review, favorite, and follow! Love you guys so much!

-V.I. Winthrop

Aang

"- Now spin and step left, good! Very good!" The head of the Sandbenders praised as Aang watched his son and (hopefully) future daughter in-law learn the traditional dance of married Airbenders. "Are you sure she's an earthbender, Avatar Aang? She moves like an airbender."

"Ugh, please don't tell my mom that." Lin groaned as Tenzin chuckled. She swatted him playfully. "Hush you, I get enough shit about your influence as it is."

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing, Captain Beifong." Lin blushed at the teasing and looked away.

"Whatever, Lieutenant Airhead."

"That's Honorary Lieutenant Airhead to you."

"Just because you helped me with that one mission-" and just like that, they were bickering/flirting again, completely loss in their own world. Aang smiled, knowing that the years were gaining on him. He wouldn't be here for much longer but he knew that the couple before him and the purity that was their love for each other would bring forth an Air Nation the world has never seen.

...

Little did Aang know that some closest to him made it they're mission to prevent this from happening.

Little did Aang know, until he arrived to the Spirit World and his past lives showed him what had occurred behind his back, that they had been successful.

Author's Note - Duh, duh, DUH!

- V.I. Withrop