Sorry for the delay; I had a case of writers block which has hopefully passed.
For once, we pick up right where the previous chapter ended. Took me a while to decide upon the exact order of events, but I hope it works.
Also, beware of falling bombshells!
Talk Fast
The door exploded inwards, scything across the room, forcing the four occupants to duck. Korra almost entered the Avatar State instinctively, but managed to hold herself back at the last moment. Lin stood in the doorway, the scowl on her face far deeper than normal, the red lines of her scars an almost throbbing scarlet. Her green eyes were narrow, hard, and locked onto Kai at the expense of all else. The young airbender gulped, trying to remind himself that she was almost sixty, while he was barely twenty-two, but then he remembered just how powerful her mother was at ninety, and the last few, faint traces of hope vanished.
"I take it you're not looking for an autograph?" Bolin managed a weak chuckle.
Kai was already moving, slipping out of Mako's grasp and making for the other door on the far side of the room that lead to the practice room. He ducked down as a metal cable whipped over his head, then leaped over the second that was aimed at his feat. He was almost within arms reach of the door and safety when it was flung open to reveal Bumi, knife in hand.
"YOU!" He snarled, grabbing for Kai with his free hand, only to be blocked by a sudden blast of wind from Korra.
"Enough!" The Avatar warned, pointing at both Bumi and Lin.
"That... boy has..." Bumi started.
"We know what he did." Korra managed to keep her voice calm, "And believe me, there's nothing I'd like more than to kick his ass myself, but that wouldn't do any of us any good right now. Certainly not Jinora. Yes, she's pregnant, and yes, he's the father. But as much as it pains me to say this, she's just as much to blame for that as he is."
"Jinora is..." Lin started.
"Jinora is a twenty-two year old Airbending Master and is fully capable of making her own choices and mistakes." Korra insisted, "If, and I mean if, she decides she wants to marry Kai, then I'm sure we're all support them."
"Oh, there is going to be a marriage." Bumi gestured towards Kai with his knife, "Or a funeral."
"Should you really be saying that in front of the Chief of Police?" Bolin asked.
"Justifiable homicide." Lin smiled thinly, "With a little temporary insanity thrown in for good measure."
"Nobody is killing anybody. Unless he tries to run, in which case I'll kill him myself." Korra took a deep breath, "Yes, they've... done something without thinking through all the ramifications, but do you really want them to marry just because he got her pregnant? How many unhappy families and broken homes as that sort of thinking created?"
"Too many." A new voice came from the doorway, behind Lin, and everyone looked around in surprise to see Tenzin standing there, a surprisingly calm expression on his face, his voice almost devoid of all emotion, "Come with me, young man; we have much to discuss."
"What took you guys so long?" Asami asked when Korra, Mako and Bolin finally made it to the reception.
"I'll explain later." Korra looked longingly at the tray of sparking wine a waiter carried past, but shook herself and reached for a glass of ice water instead, "Right now, I just want to try and relax..."
"Relax?" A hand slapped her on the back, almost making her choke on her water, "Who's got time to relax?"
"Varrick?" The Avatar looked around in surprise, "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Raiko decided to pardon me for my so-called 'crimes against the United Republic'." The business magnate and inventor made exaggerated quotation marks with his fingers, "So I decided it was time to come back, check out a few old haunts, see just how the city has changed with all these spirit vines everywhere. I had some ideas about how to use them to..."
"That's enough, dear." Zhu Li appeared beside him, the expensive dress she wore doing little to hide her pregnancy, "We talked about that; some things are best left alone."
"You're right, as ever, dear." Varrick put an arm around her and pulled her tight to his side, "I wish you guys had told me just how awesome married life was years ago! Could have saved a whole lot of wasted time."
"Considering we never got invited to the wedding..." Asami pointed out dryly.
"Hey, you ladies should feel honoured." Varrick grinned, "We took a page out of your book and eloped."
"It was very romantic." Zhu Li somehow managed to remain as deadpan as ever.
"So... you guys going to be staying in Republic City?" Korra asked, somewhat worried about how interesting life tended to be with Varrick around.
"No, we'll be heading back to Zaofu in about a week." Varrick shook his head, "My lab's there, and Zhu Li just finished redecorating the house..."
"He blew up the kitchen trying to upgrade the coffee machine." His wife explained, the faintest hint of annoyance creeping into her voice, "I'm still working on the damage his 'ornamental fountain' did to the garden."
"Sounds fun." Korra managed a weak smile.
"Hey guys!" Bolin appeared, draping arm around Korra and Asami, "Mind if I borrow these two? Opal needs a quick word with them."
"Hey, not a problem." Varrick waves them off, his mind already elsewhere, "Hey, is that Dr Lee over there? I really have to get him to take a look at my back..."
He wandered off, Zhu Li rolling her eyes before actually smiling to the others before following her husband.
"I think we may have crated a monster." Korra whispered, "I'm not sure which one I want their kid to take after."
"It's going to be interesting." Bolin agreed, then started guiding them over to one of the windows, "I wasn't joking, by the way; Opal really does want to talk to you guys."
They make their way towards the balcony overlooking the bay, a cordon of Kyoshi Warriors stand guard to keep the inquisitive away, but part as the three approach. Korra notes it as a sad testament to the state of the world: as the head of one of the Sir Temples, Opal was a senior figure in the Air Nation, an obvious target for those opposed to their resurgence and ongoing mission of peace. She was also a Beifong, her family's fame, wealth and power growing with every year as Zaofu continues to expand, making more than a few enemies of their own. Gone were the days when they could walk around the city, lost amid the crowd. Gone are the carefree days of their youth when the future was open before them, lost in the sweeping changes that had taken place since Korra first arrived in Republic City.
Yet again, the Avatar had changed the world, and she still wasn't sure it is for the better.
"Korra! Asami!" Opal rose from her seat to greet them, somewhat unsteadily and with the help of an Air Acolyte; her second pregnancy, twins, according to Kya, having taken its toll on her slender frame, "It's so good to see you again."
"It's good to see you too." The Avatar embraced her friend, "You look amazing."
"I look like a sky-bison." Opal laughed, turning to embrace Asami, "But I have no one to blame but myself; I always said I wanted a large family."
"You're not the only one." There was a sad hint to Asami's voice that Opal missed, but Korra didn't, "I wish you could have stayed at the house with us; there's plenty of room."
"You have... things to work out." The airbender responded, "You need your space."
For a moment, Korra was worried that Asami was going to say something, but she held her tongue and just smiled.
"Hey guys!" Mako arrived with Kuvira, "Good to see the old gang back together again."
"A little less of the 'old', thank you." Asami swatted at his arm playfully, "But yes, it's been too long."
Opal and Kuvira exchanged glances; while they loved their others halves completely, there were times when they felt like outsiders. There was abound between Korra, Asami, Mako and Bolin that neither time nor distance was able to break. But it was also part of who they were, and they had learned to live with it.
"What kept you guys, anyway?" Kuvira asked, "I thought I was going to have to organise a search party."
"Well now" Mako took a deep breath, "It started with a knock on the door..."
Korra eased herself into bed, her body still somewhat sore, but not nearly as bad as it had been. She smiled as she watched Asami go through her nightly ritual; taking off her jewellery and make-up, then combing out her hair before brushing her teeth. The weather had stared to turn, so she was dressed in a set of pyjamas rather than her regular slip, but Korra didn't mind, least not because they were both far too tired to consider anything romantic. Instead, it was the simple fact that she was the only one who got to see Asami like this, with all her defences down. Given her lack of experience before the two of them had gotten involved, Korra had no idea how the little things, like having your toothbrush in the same glass as someone else's, could make you feel.
Asami was hers, and she was Asami's, and that wasn't something she'd trade for all the tea in Ba Sing Se.
Finishing up, Asami climbed into bed beside her wife and snuggled up in Korra's arms.
"It was good to have the old gang back together again." she smiled, "We should have them all round for dinner one evening before Bolin and Opal head back down south."
"That sounds like an excellent idea." Korra nodded in agreement, "But next time Kya asks for help raising money for some charity or another, can we just write a cheque?"
"I think that could be arranged." Asami laughed.
Korra remained silent for a moment, working up the courage to broach a subject she knew from bitter experience could easily start a fight.
"I heard what you said to Opal earlier." She did her best to keep her voice low and calm, "You'd like more children, wouldn't you?"
"Is it that obvious?" there was a sad note to Asami's voice, "Yes, I'd love to have another child, but Kuvira made it clear that Mako wasn't going to be an option anymore, and we've always said that we want the children to be related by blood. So unless you think you can talk Opal round to letting us 'borrow' Bolin..."
"No, that wasn't what I was thinking." Korra took a deep breath, "What if there was another way? A way for us, for you, to have another child, and still have them related to Senna, Yin and Aang?"
"I don't understand?" Asami turned her head to look at her wife, a confused look on her face, "Don't tell me Azula and Ty Lee let you in on their little secret?"
"What; the fact that Fire Lady Mai got Zuko blind-drunk then misdirected him to Ty Lee's bed?" The Avatar asked, noticing the shocked expression on Asami's face, "Aang, that is to say Avatar Aang, let me in on that little secret a while ago. And before you ask, it appears that Azula chooses to remain ignorant of the truth."
"Okay... that's something I could have lived without now having running through my mind in vivid detail." Asami winced, "But if there isn't some super double secret Avatar ritual you've unearthed, what are we going to do?"
"There was an option I considered when I first thought about us starting a family, but I put I out of my mind when we decided that we'd both want to carry the children. But after the trouble I had delivering Aang, I think we both know that it's probably a good idea if I don't risk having any more children so you'll be the one to carry it, and this is entirely hypothetical, something I have never discussed with anyone and might not even be possible for a whole host of reasons and I'm starting to babble." Korra took a deep breath to centre herself, "If we want to have another child, one that's still related to the others... what about my father?"
To Be Continued...
(consider the bombshell dropped)