A/N: This took a few years longer than I thought it would, but I finally finished this.

Asami woke unusually early and groaned. Her joints were getting stiff due to her long work hours.

She remembered the past few days. A new relationship was always exciting, but she could tell it was going to be something really special with Korra. Although they hadn't gotten to spend much time with each other as Korra was off consulting with council members and engaging in public service. It was a hi there, a short conversation there, plus a hug or maybe a smile. Asami was similarly in the throes of working out the finances of her business. She hadn't wanted to admit it, but Cabbage Corp. had taken more damage from her father's fallen reputation than she had hoped.

Still, the future seemed promising. Korra smiled more. She was gradually maturing and more sure of herself like the Korra she had known before. Bolin and Mako, well, Asami hadn't seen them much, either, but Bolin at least seemed in good spirits. Mako didn't really look at her, though. Or maybe she was just imagining it. Maybe he was dealing with his own problems with his future now that making a living off of Pro-bending wasn't in the cards.

Asami padded to the pavilion and leaned against the railing, taking in the bright white sunlight. There was nothing but the cool murmur of the wind up there. She would be carving out time in her schedule for a date that afternoon, their first one since they had started dating. Although Asami had a strange feeling she was forgetting something important. Her head was too foggy to piece it together at the moment.

Asami's arm tingled, and when she looked at it, she saw the number pad for contacting Helen. It looked as though it were fading, and she hurriedly entered the number.

She was in the fairy's space again where time was still. The dark room with neon lights, faintly pulsing music, and shelves of mysterious drinks was the same as she remembered.

"Asami, you're here again. I thought you had forgotten," said Helen, appearing beside her.

"I just hadn't had the time recently," said Asami.

"There's nothing but time here," scoffed Helen. "But that's okay. I'm here to help you achieve your desires, and you no longer require my assistance."

"I really appreciate it," said Asami. "Really. I can't thank you enough."

"Don't mention it," said Helen. "I saw that you got the girl. You followed my advice, huh?"

"I… really like her. While I didn't intend for it to turn out this way, I can't miss my shot at happiness. I would be living in regret, instead, wondering when I'd get another chance and if I had already missed it," said Asami.

"That's the funny thing about fate. If it has something in mind for you, it will try its hardest to give it to you, as many chances as it takes, even if you redirect it. But humans have finite time. So your chances are also finite, and they may come in different shapes," said Helen.

"Fate?" said Asami. "I know what my fate is. I'm going to… first, I'm going to change Cabbage Corp. I don't want it to be just any old company, I want to change its vision to support non-bender rights. Or if it can't change, I'll sell it and start something new."

"And then?" said Helen.

"Just that is a lot of work," said Asami.

"But you said 'first', so what's second?" said Helen.

"Second, I think," said Asami. "Well, I'll see how things go with Korra. Maybe we could work together for change."

"You would probably be unhappy with someone who didn't share your vision for the future," said Helen.

"You're probably right. Maybe that's why things were somewhat dull with Mako. I knew we could date each other, and it could be fun, but we couldn't become partners," said Asami.

Helen smiled, shaking a drink up and down. Asami eyed it with a frown, recalling the time-warp she had experienced last time after drinking one of those.

"That's not for me, is it?"

"Goodness, no," said Helen. "And I'm sorry to boot you out so unceremoniously, but I have new clients coming in."

"So… I can come back here and talk?" said Asami.

"I'm erasing our connection, Asami. I can only open it to so many energies - I mean people - at a time," said Helen.

"That's it, then?" said Asami.

"Yeah, that's it," said Helen, sighing. "Good luck out there."

"I'm sorry to go, I'll miss you," said Asami.

Asami could barely get the words out before she was back in her world, experiencing the early morning air on the pavilion. She stretched her body and traveled down to where her room was. She would be moving back into her mansion once she could look at it without the flood of negative memories. As she walked, her arm tingled, and then the number pad disappeared. Asami hadn't known Helen for long, but she was a good friend. She was… Asami rubbed her arm. What did she look like again?

"Good morning!" said Bolin, training his rock balancing moves.

Next to him was his fire ferret with his own little rock in front of him, although he was incapable of bending.

"Hey," said Asami.

Asami sat and watched him. His work ethic was admirable and he had a positive attitude to boot. Someone would notice how much of a catch he was at some point. Even if he seemed more focused on himself than dating.

"How are things with you and Korra?" said Bolin.

"As good as they can be," said Asami.

"And…" said Bolin, setting down his boulder with a thump. "Uh, tell me if you don't want to talk about it, because I'd totally understand, but…"

"Yes?"

"You know, are you okay with Mako now?" said Bolin. "Since you guys broke up and all."

"I don't resent him anymore. Looking back on it, I didn't even resent him much when I broke up with him, I don't think. Honestly, I don't know how much I liked him," said Asami.

"Are you two are cool now? Because you don't seem cool now," said Bolin.

"Why wouldn't we be?" said Asami.

"Well, her name starts with a K," said Bolin.

Asami fell silent. The unspoken… "thing" with Korra. Everyone knew Bolin had liked Korra, that Mako did, but no one knew that Asami was the one actually dating her although Bolin was surely suspecting her. Bolin got over Korra, but as for Mako.

Mako.

Asami's face was drained of color. That was the problem she had pushed aside. Today would mark a month since they had agreed he could pursue a relationship with Korra if he still liked her. Korra didn't know about the agreement and had asked Asami out before the deadline, ruining his chances.

It was okay, Asami reasoned with herself. As long as Mako didn't know, they could pretend they started dating after the deadline. Asami shook her head. No, she didn't want to lie. She would come clean to Mako about it after her date with Korra.

Asami excused herself from Bolin's company and flew through her day until Korra knocked on her door to escort her to a secluded area abounding with plants and lined by a stone walkway. Korra brought out a picnic basket and blanket with a pattern that seemed to match Jinora's taste. Korra took the blanket off of the basket to reveal a beautifully crafted meal. Korra had insisted that she wanted their date to be a surprise and prepared everything, though perhaps she had gotten some assistance from Pema for the meal and Jinora for the design. It was sweet. Korra looked at her nervously

"It looks great," said Asami, kissing her cheek.

Korra pouted.

"What?" said Asami.

"I want a real one," said Korra.

"It was a real one," said Asami.

Korra pouted more. "You know what I mean."

Asami gave in and cupped Korra's neck to pull her in for a kiss from which Korra was reluctant to break. Seriously, that girl. Affection bloomed in Asami's chest as Korra held her tight by her waist.

Satisfied, they began their meal, sitting so their shoulders touched. The tension from the past days was melting from Asami's bones.

"It's so nice to get a break from the city," said Korra.

"I bet it's hard to deal with the president," said Asami.

"'But what will people think?', 'That would cost too much!', 'Think about my position'," Korra waved her hands, imitating his speech. "It's so aggravating. But thankfully Tenzin is helping out with him."

They discussed everything the both of them had been working on and the conversation veered into Tahno's ridiculous antics and how Pabu was teaching the other ferrets new tricks, and topics Asami wouldn't remember later that made them laugh their heads off.

"-and it fell, like from this high!" said Korra, stretching up.

"Right onto his head?" said Asami.

"Splat! Just like that," said Korra. "And he was like-"

Korra comically shifted her body backwards until she fell on the grass, mimicking a shocked noise. Asami burst into laughter and rolled next to her. Korra tilted her head to face her with a huge grin.

"Wow, and that was only the 2nd best thing that happened this week?" said Asami.

"The best thing is us, here, right now," said Korra.

Asami was inclined to agree. Even after all of the chaos, even after their lives were torn apart, they had each other. Asami brushed a piece of hair out of Korra's face, causing her to blush. Asami could see their future together. Of them changing Republic City and making the world safe for everyone. Every tribe, nation, and kingdom could use help. And Korra would be alongside her, hand-in-hand. There weren't any guarantees and their relationship was so new, but Asami couldn't help the part of her that was wondering if this could be their fate. After all, if it has something in mind for you, it will try its hardest to give it to you, as many chances as it takes. Fate, that wasn't something Asami usually thought about. Asami tried to recall where she had heard of that before, but it felt like it was slipping out of her mind like sand. There was something, or someone, but maybe there wasn't after all.

Asami was watching Korra doze off in the comfortable weather when she heard a rustle. She glanced up to see Mako, who was surprised to see them. His jaw tightened.

"I won't bother you," said Mako, his voice dripping with ice.

"Wait, let's talk," said Asami.

"About what? About how you just wanted Korra for yourself and made up some story about how she just needed time to decide what she wants?" said Mako.

Asami winced.

"Can we talk about this, please? Let me explain," said Asami.

Mako folded his arms. "I'm listening."

Asami led him a few meters away from Korra and faced him.

"However you found out, yes, Korra and I are dating," said Asami.

"Was this a plan for you? You just wanted to get me out of the way?" said Mako.

"I wouldn't do that because it's important to me to be fair to the people I care about," said Asami.

Mako's face showed some guilt at that.

"I had no intentions of dating her at first. We just spent more time together naturally and Korra asked me out," said Asami. "I couldn't say no, not when I found that I had actually started to like her myself. I wasn't even thinking about the deadline."

"So, she asked you out?" said Mako.

"You can ask her," said Asami.

Mako deflated with a sigh. "She… made her choice, then."

"Do you still have feelings for her?" said Asami.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking, actually," said Mako. "And you're right. I've been in such a rush to get what I want that I never stopped to think about what I truly, actually want. I do still like her, but what I feel for her is fading, or maybe settling. I, I don't know. Maybe it's for the best."

"Thank you for understanding," said Asami.

Mako shook his head.

"No, I should apologize. I jumped to conclusions and made it all about me. What Korra wants, and her journey towards healing, those are more important than my petty feelings," said Mako.

"I was also partly mistaken thinking that healing had to happen separate from love," said Asami.

"But you were right. She wouldn't be able to go on that journey with me. You two, though, you suit each other. She could find the proper support and heal if she's with you, but not with me," said Mako.

"That's not necessarily true," said Asami.

Mako gave her a wry smile.

"It's okay. I'm not the best person for anyone to date," said Mako.

"For now," said Asami.

"What?"

"For now. If fate has a way for you, you can find love in the future and be ready for it, I'm sure of it," said Asami.

"I don't know…" said Mako.

"Just take your time," said Asami.

"I, yeah. Thanks. You're a great person, Asami," said Mako, and he added, a little awkwardly, "I hope your relationship goes well."

Mako walked away, looking a bit dejected but overall that he'd be okay. The results of Mako's self-reflection were higher than Asami had expected. His own journey might take time, but if he stuck to it, he could become someone amazing. And as for Asami, she didn't need to feel guilt about her relationship with Korra. Why was she spending time and energy criticizing herself when she could relax and enjoy the time she had? She deserved it.

Asami turned her attention to Korra, who was waking up from her nap.

"Where are you? Asami?" said Korra.

Asami stepped back onto the blanket and lied next to Korra.

"I was just having a chat with Mako," said Asami.

Korra hugged her and pressed her face into Asami's shoulder.

"No boys," said Korra. "Only you and I."

"Only you and I," agreed Asami.

Korra and Asami found that they fit together really well. Any conflict was swiftly resolved. And when Korra felt confident in her airbending, she made plans to visit her home in the Water Tribes to find a way to reconnect with her waterbending, and Asami went with her.