Author's Note - Hi guys! Happy New Year! Man, was this chapter hard to write! It took a few rewrites but I'm happy with how I've portrayed Jinora. I felt that we needed a few less tears and far less drama (don't worry, the dramas not going away anytime soon). Also, this chapter includes a cameo from one of ATLA's most beloved character because I thought that it fit the plot (and because I wanted this cameo very badly). Now, sit back and relax with your favorite cup of tea! Onto the story!

Chapter 8: Here Comes the General

Jinora

As her hair grew back inch by inch after her tattoo ceremony, Jinora fidgeted with her part, over and over again. At first, she went back to her trademark left side part. Her hair barely tickled her chin back then but she hated how her hair hid the tattoos she had worked so hard to earn. Then, she tried parting her hair on the right side, just for the hell of it. It was different, for sure, but it didn't look right on her. Finally, Jinora parted her hair down the middle.

It's funny how one small change transformed her into a different person. Gone was the little girl who chased after her siblings in the courtyard. In her place was an airbending master who taught their nation's future. She looked older now, more mature and far less innocent than she used too. She had liked the change, her well-earned arrow tattoos on display for the world to see while maintaining the inner girly-girl at her core.

And now, as she stared at the terrified girl in the mirror, Jinora wondered if she'd ever be the same.

Afterall, how was one supposed to react when you learn that you never should have existed in the first place?

Bloodshot eyes blinked as she forced her fingers thorough the rat's nest she called her hair. Her early morning hysterics had left her in an immovable ball and made her so late for meditation that she had no choice but to skip a shower. Not that she wanted to go to meditation. Going to meditation meant that she'd have to face her father and she really, really, didn't want to.

It's funny, really, how this whole experience started out so innocently. All she wanted to know was who her father was before he was the last living airbender. Before he was Mr. Strict-and-Grumpy-Airbending Guru. Before he was her father. It was becoming clearer, painfully clearer, that her father had changed over the years and that his fifty-plus years held a history that she was barely scratching the surface of. The secrets were unraveling before her and Jinora knew that she was in too deep to stop now.

"Come on, Jinora." She growled to herself as she broke a stubborn knot before reaching for a brush. She fixed herself up, straightened her shoulders and glared the little girl in the mirror in submission. "Pull yourself together. Friend needs you to be strong."

Friend. Gods, Jinora couldn't fathom the emotions that the spirit must be going through right now. She had felt so real and alive when Jinora had hugged her, like they had always meant to know each other. The kinship that Jinora felt with Friend was so strong that it was the driving force for Jinora to get to the bottom of all of this spirit, timing-traveling mumbo-jumbo. She couldn't imagine what it was like for Friend to grew up in the Spirit World, especially without parents and –

The hair brush clanked at her feet as her hands stared to shake.

1… 2… 3… 4- There was four of them!

"Oh Gods…" How could she had forgotten? "Friend has siblings…" Jinora looked up and into the mirror to find those hurricane eyes peeking through long, curly black hair. She jumped, her bending sending her crashing into her doorframe.

"Ugh, fuck me." Jinora moaned with a winced as she touched the new bump on her head.

"Maybe later, babe." Jinora flinched as she whipped herself around the frame to find Kai crossing the middle of her bedroom to offer a hand up. Normally, she'd be a blushing mess over the innuendo but her lack of reaction queued him in that something was still wrong. "You okay?"

"I…" How long had he been there? She should have heard him. Finally, she took the hand and rose to her feet. "I'm fine." Kai's concerned frown deepened. "Really, Kai, I'm fine. Something spooked me. That's all."

"Ah-huh."

"Look, I know I was a mess last night and I promise I'll explain everything, but I'm fine, Kai." She squeezed past him, using his hesitation against him to escape her quarters into the hallway. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"You missed breakfast so your parents sent me to find you." Kai say what now?

"My dad sent you to find me?"

"… Ok, so your mom told me to find you while Korra and your dad argued about how she should handle the random portals." Ah, that makes way more sense. Just as they crossed the threshold of the courtyard, Kai said. "Jinora, about what happened last night-"

"Jinora! There you are!" Uncle Bumi called over from the gazebo. Her wack-job of an uncle was mediating on one foot, balancing with the grace of tiger-crane that he definitely did not possess when he was a nonbender. "Look, Tenzin! I found the lovebirds!"

Her cheeks grew warm as the massive group of new airbenders broke out of meditation to start gossiping under their breathes as Dad whipped around from his lotus position. Dad glared back and forth, like he couldn't decide who deserved his anger more, Kai (who gulped loudly beside her) or her now cackling, far too amused uncle. Leave it to Uncle Bumi to blow her cover while embarrassing her.

"Jinora, Kai-" Dad started, using his patented 'I'm-disappointed-and-I'm-about-to-scold-you-but-I-still-love-you' voice.

"Morning Dad! Isn't it beautiful out today? You know, the Spirit World was just like this! Right down to the little spirits in the air!" Luckily, she had mastered the art of playing her father like a fiddle when she was two. She smiled innocently as Bum-Ju floated down to land on her shoulder as Dad sighed in defeat. To top it all off, Uncle Bumi started laughing up a storm.

Check. Mate.

"Bumi! Get down here at once!" Dad yelled up to Uncle Bumi before he waved them towards the group. "Come on, you two. We'll start again from the beginning."

Jinora scanned the group as she found her place next to Ikki. Opal was skipping (again, the lucky bitch) and Korra was nowhere to be found (again, not really a surprise). As Dad's soft prayers filled the gazebo, Jinora shut her eyes and prayed for an easy meditation.

Of course, that was asking for too much.

"Have you recovered, child?" An old, deep voice asked as Jinora opened her eyes to find herself back in the Spirit World. She sat at low table, the smell of jasmine tea soothing her senses. To her back was a small cabin in the woods. Across from her was an old and portly man that she only knew from history books.

"Are you- General Iroh?" Jinora asked, earning a chuckle from the man.

"Indeed, but I haven't gone by that name for a long time. You may call me Uncle."

"Uh, ok." She totally was not fangirling right now at the wise man before her. Definitely not.

"But back to my question, my dear. Have you recovered from your latest adventure?" Uncle asked kindly.

"Oh yeah, Avatar Roku was a great host and it was awesome meeting Grandpa Aang." Jinora said happily. Uncle smiled wistfully behind his tea. "But you don't mean that, do you?"

"Sadly, my dear, we both know what adventure I'm talking about." Uncle said as he filled her tea cup. She picked up her cup and took in the perfection of a beautifully made cup of tea.

"How did you know?" She asked as she took a long sip. The flavors coated her mouth with bliss.

"The Blue Spirit and I have been friends for a long time now. He and I play Pai Sho whenever he isn't working." And while that was a perfectly sensible answer, just one thing didn't make sense.

"The Blue Spirit can talk?" That.

"Oh yes." Uncle laughed. "He can be quite the gossip when he wants to be."

"I find that hard to believe." Jinora giggled.

"Indeed." Uncle agreed and waited, allowing the laughter to leave the air and for the somber feeling to replace it. "How are you, Jinora?"

"… Confused and scared." And so much more. "I just don't know why this is all happening. I mean, all I want to know was what Dad was like when he was younger."

"A perfectly reasonable question." Uncle assured.

"And I can get the different clothes and even the full-head of hair." Which, admittedly, Jinora believed he actually looked better with. "But from I've seen, it's like he's a completely different person."

"Age matures us, my dear. If we do not age and morph to fit the times, we doom ourselves to the hands of the changing world."

"But why though?" Jinora probed. "Like, none of this is making any sense. I knew that Aunt Lin had dated Dad but those flashbacks and learning about Friend-" Her grip tightened around her teacup as she took in a shaky breath. "If the Gods wanted Dad and Aunt Lin to have a child and bring back the airbenders, why did the Gods let them break-up?"

The first piece fell into place.

"And why bring me to the Spirit World so much?"

The second piece fell.

"And why now?"

The third piece fell.

"I can't give you those answers, child."

"But Uncle," She insisted. "I can't remember the last time Dad's acted so… I don't know the word." Jinora leaned her elbows onto the table to cradle her head in her hands and sighed.

"Alive?" Uncle guessed.

Checkmate.

She flinched, her fingers tightening their grip on her hair. She didn't want to admit to herself but Uncle was right. The few scenes that she's seen of Dad's past have unraveled what she believed about her father. Gone was the quiet, stoic man who lovingly taught her airbending when he could spare a moment. The past has shown Jinora that her father was once a man who embraced his emotions (and had amazing control over them). It shown Jinora a man who's airbending heritage hadn't consumed his entire being yet. It shown Jinora a man who could laugh and dance and kiss his love without a care in the world.

And speaking of love, Jinora would have to be blind to not notice how drastically Aunt Lin's changed. This journey had revealed to Jinora a side of Aunt Lin that she always knew was there but the hurt woman refused to show again. The tragedy of the ex-lovers broke Jinora's heart each time she learned about it and part of her wanted to stop to save herself from the horrible truth that was creeping up on her.

"…Why did they do it?" Too bad she was in too deep to stop now. Uncle Iroh hummed into his tea before asking,

"They?"

"The Gods. The Spirits. All of this." Her voice decrescendo with every sentence. "If Dad and Aunt Lin were blessed to have a child that would bring back the airbenders, why let them break-up?"

"Jinora-"

"And why," Her voice grew louder as her frustration grew. "would they wait till now to do something about it?!" Her fist slammed down on the table, shaking their tea set. "Why not do something when Dad wasn't married with kids? Why not do something when Aunt Lin spent years alone buried in her work?" A stubborn tear fell. "Why didn't they let their baby live?"

The wind breezed past them as silence fell. Her gaze remained locked on her half-drunk tea. She could make out her arrow in the liquid but now it ached, like it never should have been there in the first place. A large, wrinkled hand covered her fist and squeezed it in comfort. Jinora waited until her heart calmed to look up at the sympathetic and sagely general.

"The Gods have great powers." Uncle spoked softly. "They are the reason for our bending and the existence of the Spirit World. However, even with all of their holy powers, they too are limited in what they can do. When Avatar Roku's island fell to a volcanic demise, Firelord Sozin raced over to save his oldest friend. When it looked that the island was lost, Roku refused to leave. At that moment, Sozin was faced with a choice. He could either force Roku off of the island or leave him to perish. Sozin chose the latter."

"What does that have to do with the Gods?"

"Oh, it has everything to do with the Gods. It was no coincidence that Firelord Sozin oldest and once most trusted friend was the Avatar that stood against everything he wanted. Had Sozin saved Roku and the men reconciled, the massacre of the Air Nation would not have occurred for Roku would have convinced Sozin to let go of his hunger for power." Jinora gasped at the certainty behind the statement as Iroh continued. "The Gods are limited in their powers to affect fate. It does not matter how much they wish for one situation to occur. They must present us with choices. These choices, placed before us by the Gods, leave our fates in our own hands."

"But- but- but-"

"Of course, the Gods don't like it when fate doesn't go exactly how they wanted it to. Which is why the Gods wait until the moment is right to fix what has been wronged." Thunder crackled in agreement. "Which is why you are here."

"Ok, but-" The wind whipped to her left, ruffling the leaves.

"And now, you must choose." Jinora turned back to her right to see that the Painted Lady and the Blue Spirit had arrived. The Blue Spirit escorted the Painted Lady forward, their contrasting styles on full display with their entwined arms. "You must choose, Jinora of Republic City, if you will continue on this endeavor. Will you continue to unravel the past and right the sins committed against your father, Lin Beifong and the entire Air Nation? Or will you live in the ignorance created by those who thought themselves better than the Gods?"

The Painted Lady was giving her a choice? A chance to step away from this madness?

"What do you mean?" Jinora asked. The Painted Lady laughed without humor.

"Your innocence is refreshing, child. So ignorant of the politics that have created the home you live in." The Blue Spirit nudged her. "What?" He shook his head slowly. "Oh, hush you, I doubt that helped her at all-"

The image of Friend shaking from silent tears flashed before her. The sobbing wind echoed in her ears. The sight of Friend sitting with her siblings at Roku's place. The heartbreak in Dad's voice after Aunt Lin ran away from him last night. Jinora shook her head, knowing that it was too late to run away. She had made her choice that morning on the statue. Besides, she had a feeling that a lot was riding on her finding out what really happened.

"Whose mistakes am I fixing?" The spirits turned to her. "You said that the Gods wait to fix the fates caused by mistaken choices. Whose mistakes am I fixing?" To her surprise, the Painted Lady chuckled with glee as she took in the determination that leaked from Jinora.

"Oh, I see. You will continue on this endeavor. Good. Perhaps I was wrong about you, Jinora of the Air Nation. You caught on far faster than I thought you would. Do you have any parting words for you, Dragon of the West?"

"Thank you, Milady." Uncle Iroh squeezed Jinora's hand once more as she listened carefully to what he has to say. "The path that you are on is one of justice and love. Do not forget this when the time comes for all to be revealed. There will be emotions and tears but you must push past it. Only then can the healing truly begin. May the Spirits watch over you, my child."

"And may the Gods bless your journey forward." She placed her free hand over Iroh's to squeeze it back. As Jinora shut her eyes to end the meditation and return home, the Painted Lady called out to her,

"Oh, and be a doll and tell Avatar Korra that patience is a virtue."

Jinora opened her eyes. Sunlight creeped through the window of Dad's office. Dad looked up from his paperwork as her legs fell from the lotus position onto the floor. She half-smiled at her father as he rose and made his way over to the sofa that she was sitting on.

"Hey Dad." Jinora said as he pulled her into a firm and gentle hug. She buried her nose into his robes as he held her close.

"You're making this a habit, Jinora." Dad half-scolded, half teased.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He released her to hold her out at arm's length. "Now, would you like to tell me what's really going on?"

Oh, she wanted to. She wanted to spill everything that she learned to Dad with the hopes that maybe, just maybe, he could fix everything. But she knew that she couldn't. She opened her mouth slowly, trying to figure out how to get herself out of this mess when-

Knock, knock.

"Dad!" Meelo pushed the door opened, ignoring Dad's grumbling of 'Meelo, how many times must I tell you to wait for me to answer?'. "Aunt Lin's back!"

Emotions flashed across Dad's face. Excitement, hope, love. His lips twitched into a smile before he remembered himself. The smile disappeared as soon as it came, as sad, stoic demeanor fell over him. Meelo was ignorant of this and once, she would have been too. But these past few days had opened her eyes to the truths behind her father relationship with Aunt Lin. They still loved each other and how Jinora never seen it before, she'll never know.

"Come on, Dad." Jinora stood and tugged Dad up with her. "Let's go see Aunt Lin."

As Meelo barreled into the dining room (and over Bolin) on his air scooter, Jinora used the distraction to watch as Aunt Lin looked up from her tea at them. An electric tension fell over the ex-lovers as they locked eyes. Dad's chest puffed as Aunt Lin's eyes looked away, her cheeks rouging ever so slightly before her gaze returned with further intensity. It was like the rest of the room never existed. The scene was missed most of the room but it didn't make it any less intimate. Only Asami raised a suspicious eyebrow at Dad as he sat down next to Aunt Lin, just a few inches closer than usual.

Or perhaps, Jinora wondered as she sat between Opal and Ikki, I knew all along and just didn't want to admit it.

Author's Note - Ah, Jinora, buckle up because this isn't even the half of it. Well, I hope you enjoyed this (slightly) less dramatic chapter with the Uncle Iron cameo! I felt that it was rather fitting that Iron be the one explain how the Gods worked. As for my decision to incorporate choices, I wanted to create a law that limited the power of the Gods. Essentially (and I hope this made sense in the chapter), the Gods do have plans and outcomes for how the mortal world works and they create specific fates for certain, important individuals in order to better the world. However, once those individuals are born, it's out of the Gods' hands because now choices and decisions are involved that could change/destroy the carefully planned work of the Gods. Thus, the Gods must start all over again in order to fix the poor decisions cause by human error. And that is why Jinora is on the journey she is on and yes, there is a specific reason why the Gods are letting the Spirits act as the messengers. Ok, this author's note is getting way too long. Don't forget to review, favorite and follow! Love you guys so much!

-V.I. Winthrop

Izumi

Firelord Izumi knew Lin Beifong better than anyone (sans Tenzin, obviously). Despite the fact that Kya hung out with Lin more, it was Izumi who could look at Lin once and figure out exactly what the earthbender was thinking. And as they watch Tenzin help her little Iroh make sandcastles on the Royal Family's private beach on Ember Island, Izumi could tell that Lin had been lying to herself. It wasn't that Lin Beifong didn't want to be a mother; it was that Lin Beifong was afraid to be a bad one.

"Are you still trying?" Izumi asked from their position under the umbrella, the rest of their families splashing in the water or playing in the sand. Lin sighed and drew her knees to her chest. The longing look in Lin's emerald eyes was painfully to see. Even in the Fire Nation, the papers were ruthless over the lack of children between the new promoted Deputy Chief of Police and the soon-to-be Last Airbender. Uncle Aang's failing health only spurred the press on and this very trip was brought because of it. This was perhaps the last time their families could all enjoy time with Uncle Aang before the inevitable occurred.

"We are." Lin said finally, her grip on her knees tightening.

"What do Aunt Katara and Kya think is wrong?"

"Nothing." Frustration and sadness leaked out Lin. "They said there's nothing wrong with me."

"... Did you check Tenzin?" That earned a humorless chuckle out of Lin.

"You kidding? He had Aunt Katara and Kya check him after the first time." Lin sighed as she watched her lover swing a laughing Iroh around. "We'll keep trying. And hopefully, it happens soon."

Izumi hummed in agreement. But the Firelord couldn't help but think that something very odd was going on here. After all, it couldn't be a coincidence that both of Lin's miscarriages came after a visit to Air Temple Island?

Spirits, Izumi hoped that it was.

Author's Note - Izumi, full-time Firelord, part-time detective.

-V.I. Winthrop