His mother had called and told him that his sister was coming over for the new year and would be arriving today and that he and Lin should be there for dinner tonight. He desperately tried to think of an excuse not to go but couldn't. He told his mother that they would try, he might have been able to just say Lin had work and get out of it but Lin had asked about the phone call and she had wanted to go. Tenzin stalled for as long as he could at Lin's apartment before they headed over to air temple island. He had been staying with Lin at her apartment since Lee's funeral last week. That unfortunately had been as far as his trying had gone. He had been over to the island several times of course but now he was using Lin as a reason to see less of his sister. He and Kya hadn't spoken since the fight he and Bumi had had after their father's funeral. Kya had tried to stop it but she and him had exchanged some snide remarks too, before Lin had yelled loud enough to get their attention and shoved Bumi in one direction and dragged Tenzin in the other. He knew Kya wasn't one to hold a grudge especially given the circumstances and would likely act like nothing had happened but a childish part of him wanted to hide from her like they were kids again.

"Ready?" Lin said, coming up next to him. They had reached the island, it had started to snow and Tenzin sighed and nodded.

"TenTen, Lin." Kya grinned as greeted them. "About time you two graced us with your presence."

Lin snored. "Yeah like the last letter from you wasn't two months ago."

"Eh, I didn't have a messenger hawk at my disposal." Kya shrugged as they stepped inside.

His mom was putting the final plate out when they came in. "Hello you two." she said, greeting them with a smile.

Dinner was civil, his mom and Lin tried directing the conversation away from things that he and Kya would fight about. But it was unneeded as he and Kya actually got along during dinner. He felt childish for being so apprehensive about the dinner now. He and Lin insisted on doing the dishes as they hadn't helped with the cooking. They did the dishes in a comfortable silence. When they were done Kya was the only one in the living room.

"Mom's talking the acolytes." she told them gesturing down the hall where there was a separate entrance to the larger temple complex.

"About what?" Tenzin asked, speaking for the first time.

Kya shrugged again. "I just saw the girl ask for her, but Abbot Jun is there I think."

The three headed to see what was going on. Tenzin was surprised to see Pema standing in the back looking on with a slight nervous expression on her face. Abbot Jun was standing over someone as Katara sat healing her.

"Ah Lin perfect." Katara said smiling upon seeing them. Abbot Jun stepped out of the way and revealed Leah sitting there getting her hand healed by Katara.

"Leah?" all three of them said at the same time.

"What happened?" Kya asked.

"I'm fine." She rolled her eyes. "Just a little burn that Pema and Abbot Jun thought Master Katara should look at." Leah waved off the trio's concern.

"Yes but I'm afraid how is a bit of a problem." Katara said.

"Yeah, the furnace wasn't working right and I got burned because of it. One of the latches is broken. I think it won't close properly." Leah explained.

"Lin do you mind-" Katara started.

"Yeah no problem." Lin said easily. Her metal bending would easily fix the old thing. "The main one in the old Temple's basement?"

"Yeah I can show you." Leah offered.

"I know where it is, you should stay." Lin said, gesturing at her hand.

"I'm fine." Leah protested. Tenzin allowed a smirk to cross his face at how similar she sounded to Lin when she was hurt. He had heard 'I'm fine' from Lin as many times as his own name.

"She is now." Katara said, bending the water off Leah's hands.

Leah shot the three of them a triumphant look as she stood to lead the three plus Pema into the snowy night. "I thought it was only going to be a few inches." Kya commented as the group walked.

"According to the reports the mountains only got about 6 inches of snow." Lin said. Tenzin glanced up at the sky there was already more than an inch on the ground and the snow had just started an hour ago, coming down in big thick snowflakes. 6 inches seemed like a low estimate to him. He held the door for the group as they entered the temple and brought up the rear with Pema. Lin, Leah and Kya traded sarcastic comments like they were twenty instead of well into their thirties or forty as they walked.

"Can she really fix it?" Pema asked him as they walked.

"Yes Lin's the best metalbender in the city." Tenzin assured her.

"That's good, it got pretty cold in the dorms." Pema said. He had gotten to know her decently well over the last several weeks. She was new on the island from the northern air temple where she had joined the air acolytes. Leah had taken her on as a mentee when Pema had arrived. She was young but struck Tenzin as kind and bright. She was easy to talk to and get along with. She was now one the acolytes he knew best around the island.

"Spirit Leah, I thought you said it was broken, not turned into a deranged spirit." Kya said from ahead of them.

"I told you it was broken." Leah responded, rolling her eyes at Kya's dramatics. Tenzin was now close enough to see what they were talking about. Leah was right, the latch was broken. The latch had closed the door to the furnace, now fire was spitting out the door into the room.

"You guys are damn lucky you didn't burn the building down." Lin commented walking into the room and bending a metal bucket from the corner into a sheet to cover the furnace opening. Tenzin immediately felt the heat on his face drop as the room darkened, no longer lit by the furnace.

"I'll go get a lantern." Leah offered.

"Nah don't bother. I got this." Lin said, waving her off. Tenzin could barely make her out as she moved further into the room but he knew what she was going to do. She had stepped out of her boots and was now using her semetic sense to 'see' the broken latch. They all heard the metal moving then the room was lit again much more faintly by the small window in the door of the furnace.

"Good as new." Lin said walking back over to them.

"Great!" Kya said, rubbing her hands together. "What do ya say we celebrate with some drinks and some fun. Leah, you in?"

"We should be heading home." Lin said. "Unless you want to stay here. I got work in the morning." she turned to Tenzin.

Tenzin opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by Abbot Jun coming towards them. "I'm afraid you wouldn't be leaving the island for sometime." He told the group. "The storm has taken a turn for the worse. I can't imagine the Bison can fly and certainly not any boats in this." Tenzin watched Lin's face fall into a deep grimace, not only did that mean they were stuck here which wasn't that big of a deal. But her workload for tomorrow just tripled. "I'm glad you were able to fix the furnace, my thanks Chief Biefong." Abbot Jun's tone was polite enough but there was a little condensation on the Chief beifong. Abbot Jun had not liked Toph and certainly did not like that Lin was dating him and often made it abundantly clear. "If you would like a room in the dorms I'm sure acolyte Leah or Acolyte Pema could see to you "

"Yes Abbot Jun." Leah quickly said before Lin could respond. Judging by the glare she was giving him Tenzin thought that was for the best as he carefully kept his face neutral. He wasn't exactly Abbot Jun's biggest fan but he was stuck with him as his father had supported him becoming the abbot.

"'Would you like a separate room'," Kya mimicked sarcastically. Kya and Bumi also had gotten their fair share of slights by the Abbot and other's. Tenzin often felt he was stuck especially when it came to the abbots.

"But dad I don't like Abbot Jun. He-"

"Now Tenzin I know he is a little old fashion, but so am I. You'll be fine." And that was that with his father. His mother had only ever caught the snide remark once and had won that conversation with an even snider one of her own. While she was more sympathetic than his father she stayed out of the air nation business which is what Kya Bumi and Lin all did now too. Technically speaking he was the de facto leader of the air nation but the air nation did not have a leader. They had a council of elders which he was only a part of because of his bending. The abbots on the council got their titles and rank from a lifetime of dedication, he was just born lucky. Abbot was a lifetime title tenzin didn't technically even have the power to remove on not without universal support from the others. If he moved like that he'd lose the support of the acolytes around the world who he already didn't support enough.

"I hate that guy, like he doesn't know you two have been fucking."

"Kya!" Tenzin hissed at his sister.

"Oh shut up Tenny you're a grown man, more power to you." Kya shot back waving at him dismissively.

But the Abbot was right about the snow which was now a white out bizarre. Lin didn't bother asking him about flying Oogi back. "You still got your stash of good gin here?" she asked Kya instead.

"Of course." Kya grinned at her. "Leah? Pema?"

"Sure, nothing better to do." Leah shrugged giving in.

"I can't, I wouldn't want to impose." Pema said, shaking her head and taking a step back.

"Come on, it's boring with these three."Kya tried.

"I doubt I'd be much fun." Pema tried again to get out of it.

"I haven't known you all my life. That makes you much more fun than them and it's impossible to be less fun than Tenzin." Kya stuck her thumb at him.

"Hilarious." He said snidely to her.

"Come on Pema, at the very least don't make me suffer alone." Leah said, turning to the younger woman. Pema didn't respond right away and Kya and Leah took that as a yes. Katara was still up when they returned. They opted for the dining room as there was enough seating for all of them comfortably. Lin sat to his right and Leah to his left with Pema and Kya directly across from him.

"Hey mom, where'd you put the good alcohol?" Kya asked, looking through the cabinet.

"You know, Sokka, you and Bumi are responsible for any alcohol in this house, dear." Katara said, giving her a pointed look. His mom did drink but nowhere near as much as the rest of his family.

"Ugh, we did not go through that much at dad's funeral. Did we?" She asked looking at Lin.

"Yeah you did. All three of you were blackout drunk for two days don't you remember?" Lin told her. Tenzin didn't really remember, he remembered having one shot with her before fighting with his brother and then having a few more shots after that. But the rest was hazy and he didn't want to remember frankly.

"Well why didn't you stock it?" Kya retorted to Lin. "You're here more often."

"Because I go home to drink or go to a bar." Lin rolled her eyes at Kya.

"Here we go," Kya said, bringing over some suspiciously old cactus juice. "First game truth or Lie, Pema you got it easy but the rest of you better try." Kya told them, pouring them all a shot.

"Warm up shot first. Cheers." Lin said, knocking her back easily. Tenzin lifted his glass with the others and swallowed the burning liquor. He personally was glad for the warm up shot, his sister and girlfriend were notorious for teaming up to give him a hard time when they drank and Leah would join in. The game was hard for him as both he had known everyone but Pema since childhood. He and Kya were doing the worse out of all of them. Leah and Lin kept things close to their chest by nature and Pema was a complete unknown. Still he was able to get a few right with Pema, Leah and him had worked with her a fair bit over the last few months. Lin had an uncanny ability to bluff and she held her liquor better than him. He was kind of disappointed in himself for not getting some of her right. Up until now the lies had been pretty basic things, nothing too surprising. Then it was Pema's turn, they had all had a fair bit at this point.

"I met Avatar Aang once." Pema said.

"Lie, you weren't at the northern air temple long enough." Leah said, immediately.

"Yeah, Dad wasn't traveling for the last year before his passing." Tenzin agreed.

"Hell, I'll side with them." Kya said and Lin nodded in agreement.

"Drink" Pema said smiling.

"What?"

"Okay, Ima need a story time for that one." Kya said surprised as he was.

"It was when I was in the fire nation as a child. He and fire lord Zuko visited my school." Pema explained.

"You've never mentioned it." Tenzin said, surprised.

"I barely remember it." Pema shrugged. "My parents talked about it."

The game went on for a few more rounds before they called it a night. Tenzin was glad he didn't need to be anymore drunk then he already was and he was tired and just wanted to go to bed with Lin. He could barely tear his eye off her now the alcohol making him want to just stare at her more than usual.

"You know Pema pretty well." Lin commented on when they were alone.

Tenzin shrugged. "I guess, Leah is mentoring her and Leah works with me and is our friend." He didn't know why she was bringing it up right now. All he wanted to do was go to bed and hopefully not wake up with a headache in the morning.

"Uh huh," Lin said, walking towards the closet. Tenzin glanced at her, he could almost pick up skepticism in her voice but the alcohol prevented him from knowing for sure. He waited while she changed into one of his old shirts. Secretly he was glad they were sharing his old room tonight. He got touchy when he was drunk and really wanted to cuddle and his old small bed was the perfect excuse. Lin wasn't really one to cuddle but occasionally she wanted to or would indulge him. He loved the way she fit against him as she laid down next to him.

"What?" she asked, catching him staring.

"Nothing, I love you." He told her, leaning over to kiss her briefly.

"Love you too." She murmured lean into him and tugging the blankets around them.