A/N: Warning for Major Character Death

Tenzin, Jinora and two other airbenders landed quietly behind her, taking in the current situation. There was a fire raging in what was thankfully a mostly unoccupied apartment building. Mako and several other firebenders were working diligently to try and calm the out of control flames but were not having much luck.

The wind was vicious and it was taking all of their concentration to keep it from spreading to neighboring buildings. Lin was feeling particularly useless as she supervised their efforts, barking orders every once in a while in attempt to keep her mind busy. Tenzin was back on Air Temple Island for the month and she had sent word to him hoping maybe some of the airbenders would be able to help.

Tenzin seemed to assess the best course of action and the four of them carefully spread out and began directing a controlled flow of air around the building and its surroundings until the whole street block was encased in a sphere of swirling air.

Lin noticed the difference immediately. With the supply of oxygen under the control of the airbenders the flames became more receptive to being told what to do. Mako and the others seemed to almost sag in relief as their frenzied hand motions became more methodical as they finally regained control. They moved in to find the source of the fire.

Tenzin approached Lin and she gave him a soft smile.

"Thank you. They've been struggling with this for nearly an hour now. The wind made in impossible."

"And who better to tame the wind than a group of airbenders."

"Exactly."

Their conversation was interrupted by several loud shouts as her officers and the firefighters ran from the building.

"Everybody back! It's gonna blow!"

Most people were running for cover but Lin was counting heads. People ran past her, everyone accounted for except one. Mako. She took a step towards the building just as Mako appeared in the entryway, an injured man's arm draped over his shoulder as they shuffled towards the door as quickly as possible. He looked up, meeting her eyes, his mouth shifting to a soft smile as he started to call something out to her…

She didn't even have a moment's notice to react. One second she was feeling an immense sense of relief at the sight of Mako reappearing and the next she was staring up at the sky, her ears ringing and the world on fire.

She started to sit up and someone was at her side. Lin turned to look and recognized Tenzin through her blurred vision. He was saying something to her but she couldn't hear him, her brain trying to catch up with what was happening as she struggled to remember where she was.

The building. There was a building on fire. But they got it under control. Except there was something wrong. She turned to look and her head started to throb in confusion as she looked at the spot where a multi-story building had stood, intact, moments ago.

But now. Now the whole thing was on fire again, much of the lower levels gone save for a few sturdy support beams. There were no windows left and the front door was completely gone. Lin's brain finally caught up as the sound of the world around her came rushing back. People were screaming and the building was groaning, the integrity of the structure compromised and ready to collapse at any moment. But she didn't care as she got to her feet, too quickly then she should have been able to, the adrenaline coursing through her veins giving her more strength than she had a right to have.

Where was he?

She started to walk towards the building but someone had grabbed her hand, pulling her back.

"Tenzin, let me go. We need to help Mako. I need-"

"Lin, you can't-"

"Like hell I can't! Let me go!"

She pulled her hand out of his grip, moving towards where Mako had just been. He had just been there. She had seen him. He was just there. He was almost out.

She was stopped again as Tenzin wrapped his arms around her, holding her arms down by her sides as she continued to struggle against him.

"Lin! You have to stop. Please. He's… he's gone."

"No! He's fine. I just saw him. He got out. I saw him."

She continued to struggle against Tenzin, slamming her foot down as she sent out seismic waves to sense the remains of the building. She refused to acknowledge the truth that was boring into her very soul. Her seismic sense wasn't always right. There had been plenty of times where it had been wrong. If she could just get closer. She bucked her head back before driving a pillar of earth between her and Tenzin. He let her go with a yelp and she sprinted to the building.

"Lin!"

As her foot connected with the first step leading to the building it gave a shudder, the whole thing collapsing in on itself with the sound of grinding metal and creaking wood. Lin's body was encased in air as she was dragged back, out of harm's way.

"NO! Mako!"

The tears came then. She sank to her knees, hugging her arms around her torso as tears streamed down her face, her breathing coming in great heaving sobs. Tenzin was there again, kneeling down next to her, laying a gently hand on her arm. The others were watching but she didn't care.

Mako was gone.

Memories flashed across her mind. Mako's surprised face the first time she invited him to dinner with her and Kya. Her own proud smile that she hid until he was out of sight the day he had stood up to her. She had been completely pissed off but spirits she was proud of how much he had grown. He had regularly left a bag of food on her desk those nights she worked far too late than she should have. He always claimed he had gotten extra and didn't want it to go to waste but she knew he was lying to cover the fact he had gotten her favorite, specifically because he knew she hadn't eaten. He and Kya had developed the annoying habit of teaming up to keep tabs on her well-being.

Kya.

She was going to have to tell Kya. She had already been through so much. How was she going to tell her that Mako was gone? How was she going to live with herself knowing she hadn't protected him? That was her job. She was always supposed to keep him safe. Keep them all safe.

Breathing became harder and Tenzin moved to completely engulf her in his harms. She didn't fight him, pressing into him while he murmured empty words of comfort in her ear.

He was gone.

And it was all her fault.

Jinora was crying silently as she watched her father holding onto someone she had always seen as unbreakable. The entire group had gone near silent when her scream had echoed through the somber scene. Jinora had never seen her show such raw emotion, watching as the older woman sank to her knees in complete defeat.

She looked around and saw that others had noticed too, a few them wide eyed while others averted their gaze as if intruding on an intimate moment. None of them had ever seen their Chief break. She was solid, a steely demeanor and cold exterior. She was stone. Unwavering in her strength.

There had been a time when Jinora would have thought that nothing could break her. Lin had been through so much throughout her life but she had also changed so significantly in the time that Jinora had known her. She knew how much she had come to care for Mako, how much he meant to both Lin and her Aunt Kya. They had all teased him incessantly for basically becoming their adopted son. He had always put up a good show about denying it but Jinora could tell he secretly liked the idea.

As she watched Lin grab onto her dad's robes, her entire body shaking, Jinora knew the fierce some warrior had been broken. One too many blows and even the strongest steel will bend.

He was murmuring something to her now and Jinora caught his eye over Lin's head. They shared a silent moment and Jinora nodded, wiping her face as she turned to the gathered crowd.

"We need to secure this area and make sure that none of these nearby buildings were affected by the blast. Someone call for some healers and we're going to need Assistant Chief Saikhan."

It was hours later as Lin approached the pile of rubble. It was no longer a danger, the flames gone and a steady rain falling from the dark sky. She looked up for just a moment, closing her eyes as she let the cool water hit her dirty and tear stained face.

Sucking in a deep breath she shifted her stance before slamming her foot into the ground, seeing everything the earth had to offer. It was easier to manage this particular job when there was a heartbeat to detect, much like that day nearly two years ago when she had been in a similar position. Only that time had been a search and rescue.

Today there was nothing left to rescue.

Today her job was recovery.

She knew someone else could have taken it on. She'd been told by so many others that she should let someone else do this. And she supposed they were right but she couldn't bring herself to let anyone else do it. He was her responsibility. And no matter what any of them said, this was her fault.

Lin moved to a new position, stomping her foot again as she searched for him. It was only after the fourth time that she felt something different from the rest. She moved her arms, shifting the metal and earthen debris away to reveal a set of unmistakable human remains.

She stopped breathing for a moment as she took them in. The body was charred and mangled but there was a small fragment of green fabric unburnt stuck to it. The body was also smaller than Mako. This wasn't him. It must be the man he had been trying to get out of the building. He was the reason Mako hadn't gotten out in time. Lin suddenly felt angry at the man, her heartrate increasing as she silently wished he was alive just so she could scream at him for his stupidity. But it wasn't this man's fault.

It wasn't even her fault.

Mako had been doing his job. It was a risk they all took with their line of work, the risk of never going home.

She steadied her breathing, bending the dirt from beneath his body into a solid slab before raising it up and resting it off the side. She finished and looked into the hole left behind, feeling her heart stop as she saw a burnt hand sticking out from the space next to it. There was a small bracelet around the wrist. A bracelet made of meteorite. Su had gifted it to Lin on her birthday and Lin had re-gifted it to Mako on his.

She carefully bent the debris out of the way.

It was just a body. It wasn't really him, not anymore. She knew what to expect and it still hit her like a load of bricks. She stepped into the space near him, not sure what to do. She had to get both of the fallen men out but she also needed just one moment with him. Alone.

Lin had always told herself she didn't want kids. Or rather, she kept pushing off the idea of having kids until was too late. She had certainly never expected to be blindsided by a young firebender who reminded her so much of herself. She had embraced her role as "Aunt Lin" but it was different with Mako. Kya had teased her at first but she had soon fallen for him as well. They never formally labeled the relationship but in every sense of the word she had become like a mother to him.

And now she was here. Searching through the crumbled remains of random building for a body that no longer held the soul of someone she had grown to care for so much.

Closing her eyes again she took just a moment for herself. Just the two of them, one last time.

"I'm so sorry, kid."