"I'm going to be a grandmother!" Toph shouted. She whooped around Lin's house like it was the greatest day in the world. "Ha, if Sokka was still around he would owe me 100 yuans!"
Lin, still in shock, says "A) Su has given you five grandkids already and B) did you guys really bet on whether on not I would have kids?"
"We bet on everything. This one was if you had kids, whether or not they came from a one night stand," Toph said nonchalantly.
Lin shot her mother a half-hearted glare. She was still trying to digest the fact that she was pregnant and knew nothing about the father. She collapsed onto the couch sitting next to her mother.
"So, Lin, what are you going to do?"
"I have no idea."
"Well let's start with this. Do you know the dude's name?"
"Umm… Zari."
"Your the Chief Police, I'm pretty sure you can get someone to look him up," Toph said while rolling her eyes at her daughters slow reaction to the situation.
"That's not a bad idea. I'll call Mako and get him to bring over the files on anybody named Zari."
"You should order food. We're gonna be here awhile."
Lin went over to the phone and dialed Mako's number.
"Detective Mako speaking. How may I help you?"
"Mako it's the Chief. I need you to do me a favor without letting anyone else know it's for me."
"Okay….What is it?"
"I need you to pull any records on men named Zari in the city, and bring them to my house."
"Why do you need the files?"
"None of your business." She said with a hint of frustration inking into her voice.
"Fine. I'll be there in half hour," he said as they hung up.
Lin sighed and ordered some Chinese food for her and her mother to split.
"So, when you find him are you going to tell him?" her mother asked as they broke into their food.
"I don't know, it's not really convenient. I personally blame Bumi."
Her mother raised an eyebrow.
"He's the only reason I was intoxicated and at the party," she explained.
Her mother barked out a laugh, just as there was a knock on the door. Lin got up to open the door revealing Mako on the other side.
"Thanks, you can go back to work," she said shortly as she grabbed the files.
He hesitates, "Is everything alright? What's going on?"
"Everything is perfectly fine. I'll tell you if something happens." He gives her a concerned look, but he turns and goes back to the precinct without another word. He had learned over the years that people only talk when they're ready to.
"Found him!" Lin said after several long hours of looking through the files and debating with her mother.
"Thank God! That was exhausting!" Toph exclaimed, even though she had done none of the work since she couldn't see.
Lin shot her mother a look.
"Lin, I can feel you glaring but I am gonna choose to ignore it. So, what does it say about him?"
"Let's see: he lives on the West side, I knew that already, he's an artist with a shop that sells paintings, drawings, and ceramics. His name's Zari Yang. "
"Wait what did you say his last name was again?"
Lin looks at her mother, "Yang, why?"
"No reason, think I knew his parents."
Lin glances at the file, "His murdered parents?"
"Yep. What does he look like?," Toph says clearly wanting to change the subject.
"I could've told you that without the file. He's tall, his skin is the same shade as Su's so it looks like he has a permanent tan, he has turquoise eyes, and spiky black hair."
Toph grinned wickedly, "So the kid's gonna be good looking."
Lin glared.
"So what else does it say about him?"
"He is a veteran of the United Forces and served in Bumi's unit."
"Does it have an address for the shop?"
Lin flipped some pages, "Yep."
"Well, I guess you're going there tomorrow. I'm going to bed. Night Lin, Night grandkid!"
"Night Mom."
Lin stared at the file trying to decide if she was really going to tell him. What if he reacted badly? She couldn't raise a kid by herself. She sighed, tomorrow was going to be a long day.
Lin sat at a coffee shop across the street from Zari's shop sipping some tea. She was still debating on whether or not she wanted to go in. She didn't want to ruin his life, hers was already starting to fall apart. That morning she had really thought the entire thing was a dream until her mother had come barging into her room.
"Morning Lin! How's my grandkid doing?" Toph shouted at the top her lungs, even though it was dawn.
Lin groaned, "I though that was a dream."
"Nope. If you want I can call Katara to confirm it?" Toph said devilishly.
"She's in the South Pole, mother."
"Actually...she arrived at Air Temple Island last night. She wanted to see her grandkids, kids, and me since there is no way I would go to the South Pole. Why do you think I'm here?"
"I was a little a busy last night so I didn't think about it." Lin snapped.
"Ok, I'm a call her." Toph said as she walked out of the room.
"I didn't say yes! You're only calling her to tell someone." Lin shouted after her.
Katara arrived in about an hour. She banged on the door waiting for someone to open the door.
"Hey Katara! How ya doing?" Toph said casually answering the door.
"I'm fine. I'm just curious why you called me here and interrupted my breakfast with my grandchildren" Katara asked..
"No reason," Toph says casually before pointing at Lin,"oh yeah but she's pregnant!"
"Mom!" Lin shouted when she saw Katara's face.
"You're pregnant?" Katara asked.
"Allegedly. I need you to check and not tell Tenzin."
Katara smiled and got to work. After having Lin lay down, she ran the water over Lin's stomach and confirmed she was pregnant.
"Congrats. I am going to assume this was unplanned?" Katara asked with a sympathetic smile that was barely concealing her joy.
Lin sighed, "Yep."
"Will you tell the father?"
"Yep."
After giving Lin instructions on how to take care of herself and the baby, Katara left to go back to the island. She told Lin she would recommend a few healers in the city before she returned to the South Pole, and wished Lin luck with telling the baby's father. Lin left to go to the shop shortly afterwards.
"And now I'm here," she thinks.
After staring at the art shop for another 10 minutes, she decided that it was time to go in. She walked across the street to the small shop. She opened the door and was surprised to see how organized the store is. There were several different paintings there. The one that caught her eyes was one of a badgermole and a young girl playing. From the looks of it, it was her mother. She had to suppress a grin and remember to tell this to her mom later.
"Hi, my name is Lee and I work here at Yang's Art. Every piece of art in here, including the ceramics, was made by Zari Yang. How may I help you?" the young girl asked.
"Hi, I'm looking for Zari, " Lin hesitates, "I'm a friend."
"Oh, he's in the back. Do you want me to get him?"
"I think I can find my way back there, but thanks," Lin says as she moves around the counter to the back of the store. She walks through a room full of finished paintings and drawings into a room that looks like a tornado flew through it. In one corner, there was a painting area set up. There were several different easels, and the walls were splattered with a variety of different colors. The floor was covered with canvases, paint brushes, and cans of paint. In the second corner, there was a drawing table. Around it Lin could see at least a hundred different papers scattered about as well as pencils and oil pastels. She looked at the farthest corner and saw a pottery wheel being used by the man in question. He was dead focused on the piece in front of him. Lin cleared her throat. He looked up.
"Hi, I never thought I would see you again. Please don't tell me have an STD." he says as mischief gleams in his eyes.
Lin shot him a look.
"No? Then was it because I was really good in bed. I bet it was because of that."
Lin gave him another look and said, "I'm not here because I enjoyed the sex."
"So why are you here?" he says picking up the pot he was working on to put it on the drying rack and picked another one to glaze.
Suddenly, Lin's heart started to beat really fast. She couldn't help but see the irony since she was a cop and was used to stressful situations.
"Um… I'm pregnant," she says barely above a whisper.
Whatever he was holding dropped and shattered. He stared at her quietly for what felt like an eternity before speaking.
"Well, I guess we're stuck together aren't we?'
It was Lin's turn to be shocked. "You're not going to run?"
He shakes his head.
"You don't think I'm too old?"
"Obviously I don't because I slept with you. And people have kids at all ages."
They sit in silence for a few moments as Zari sweeps up the glass.
"It's mine right?" he asks after a moment.
Lin nodded.
"Ok. I would never abandon my child."
Lin sighed with relief.
"I'll keep you informed then," she said.
"Wait, will we share custody? Do you know the gender? Are you still going to work?" he asked talking almost as fast of Meelo.
"Um.. I haven't thought about a lot of that, but you can come over tomorrow so we can discuss it."
"That sounds good. 12?" he asks uncertainty.
She nods, "See you then."
She turns on her heel and walks out of the shop.
