Over the next month, Zari proved to be correct about him and Lin being in the headlines. Everywhere he turned people were asking him questions about Lin and the babies, including his own family. Most of the time he ignored it, but it was getting harder. The press was also harassing Lin, but she was admittedly more use to him, even though she doesn't enjoy them. He was hoping Pema and Tenzin would announce a pregnancy or something. He was tired of being in the spotlight. The only good thing about the attention was that his business was flourishing. People were starting to buy his art because of his connection to one of the most famous families in the world. Speaking of Lin's family, at least the one in Republic City, over the last month they had pretty much accepted that he was sticking around, and left them alone. Lin promised that would change as soon as Korra came back from the Spirit World and he wasn't sure if that was something he was looking forward to, Lin wasn't. He chuckled to himself as he thought of the stories Lin had told her about the Avatar; Korra was an acquired taste.

His thoughts were interrupted by a chime coming from the front of the door.

"Hello Chief," Lee greeted as Lin stepped into the art shop, "Zari's is in his workshop, do you need me to show you where it is?"

Lin rolled her eyes at the teenager's sarcasm, she was about to respond with a snarky comment, when Zari walked into the room.

"Lee," who was glaring daggers at Lin, "you can go home for the night. Don't forget, shops opening late tomorrow."

Lee grabs her stuff as she walked out the door, "You guys finding out the gender of the kids?"

"Don't know. See you."

Lee waves and slams the door behind her.

Lin smiles as she turns to Zari. He was covered in paint as per usual, and clay was plastered over his face. She chuckled, "Busy day?"

He looked down at himself, and a slight blush spread across his cheeks, "Yeah, a large order came in. I'm still not done, so I don't think we'll be able to go out for dinner."

"That's fine; I can watch you work." Lin would never admit it, but she had enjoyed watching paint or sculpt over the last couple of weeks. It was calming.

The two of them walked into the back, and Zari started to finish his painting of Ba Sing Se. It was quiet the room as Lin watched him work. He admittedly had stopped concentrating on his painting a while ago. He was more focused on her. Her four month baby bump was showing, and she had a serene look on her face. He smiled as an idea came to him.

He put down his paintbrush and asked,"Lin, do you know how to paint?'

Lin shrugged, "Kind of. Sokka used to try to get me to paint, but I didn't see the point since my mom couldn't see them."

"You want to try?"

"Why would I paint? It's your thing," she said trying to get out of painting.

Zari stood up from his seat and walked over to Lin. He grabbed her arm and led her to a different easel that had a blank canvas. He sat her down in the seat, and she turned to go back to her previous spot.

"Not so fast. Do you trust me?" he said gazing into her eyes.

Lin nodded realizing she wasn't getting out of there. Zari took her hand and dipped it into the black paint. He started to draw a circle, and each of the lines they brought together was smooth and graceful. Lin watched fascinated as her hand drew something she was unaware of what it was. Eventually, the symbol of the Beifong Boar appeared. Lin stared at how wonderfully done the drawing was.

Zari gently laid down her hand and said, "See, everyone is an artist."

"Yeah, " Lin said as she turned towards him, "I didn't think I could do that."

They were close to each other now. Lin could feel his heart beating. Zari was close enough to hear Lin's breath. He swallowed.

"You can do whatever you want, " Zari whispered as he leaned in for a kiss.

Lin jumped back, "Um...it's getting late and we have the appointment tomorrow. I should go."

Zari was surprised at Lin's reaction but played it cool. "Yeah, I'll walk you out."

They awkwardly walked to the front of the store and stood there for a few moments.

"So, umm I'll see you tomorrow Lin."

"Yeah, see you."

As Lin walked down the block home, she thought about her almost kiss with Zari. She wasn't sure what she wanted, but she didn't think she would mind if they started a relationship. She was scared that if she began a relationship with Zari, it would end as her relationship did with Tenzin. This time, she had two lives to think about besides her own. She looked back at the shop and saw Zari sweeping. He was going to be in her life anyways...Lin ran back to the shop and knocked on the door. Zari opened a question forming on his lips when Lin leaned forward and kissed him. She smiled at him, and then walked away leaving him with the dumbest expression on his face.


For Zari, the next morning couldn't come fast enough. He didn't get much sleep that night because he kept replaying his kiss with Lin over and over again in his head. He was confused on their relationship status and needed answers. All he knew is that he wanted to kiss her again. Around 7 in the morning, Zari got tired of pacing around his apartment. He decided to head over to Lin's house. He figured she would be up by the time he got there since her appointment with Kya was at 9. He groaned inwardly realizing that they would have to go to the island; he wasn't a big fan of nosy families.

He was about to knock on the door, when it flew open to reveal Toph, whose hair was flying in all directions.

"What's up Non-Bender?"

"I'm not a non-bender, you know that! You saw me bend when I was younger!" he exclaimed as he walked through the door.

"Yeah, well you don't anymore!"

He groaned, "Where's Lin?"

"She sleeps later, ever since you knocked her up," Toph said nonchalantly, "Are you cooking breakfast?"

"No, but I am going to wake up Lin," he said as he walked towards Lin's room.

"So no breakfast?" Toph yells after him.

Zari smiles as he walks into Lin's room. She looked so peaceful as she slept. Zari walked over to her side of the bed and brushed her hair away from her face. Lin began to stir, and her eyes slowly opened. They widened at the realization that Zari was sitting on her bed.

Lin jumped back and asked, "Zari... what are you doing here?"

Zari was about to answer her when he realized that he had no idea what to say.

"Umm...avoiding your mother. She wanted me to make breakfast."

Lin smirked at how awkward he looked. It was kind of cute. "You came to the other side of town to make my mother breakfast? Yeah, I don't believe that."

He sighed and began to ramble, "Well, she did ask me to make breakfast, but it was after I had already gotten here. I originally was coming over here to talk to you about last night, but I didn't know you wouldn't be awake. I actually didn't really have a solid plan….so….I know you aren't big on relationships, but I figured since we already have a fake one, we should maybe try trying one for real. It's okay if you don't..."

He didn't get to finish his sentence before Lin leaned up to kiss him. "I would like to try a real relationship."

He smiled and was about to kiss her again when Toph yelled, "Stop kissing my daughter and come make me breakfast! You woke us up at the crack of dawn, you owe us!"

Lin looked at him, "You do owe us…"

"Fine. I'll cook," he mumbles as kisses her cheek.

Lin chuckled as Zari reluctantly went to make breakfast.


After getting dressed, Lin walked into the kitchen and smelled cakes being baked. She saw her mother already consuming the food, and Zari eating one. His had some fresh berries and cream on it. They looked delicious.

"Lin, stop drooling and come over here and eat before we're late going to Baby Sugar Queen's."

"We?" Zari asked as Lin began to eat her cakes.

"Yes we. I want to find out the gender of my grandchildren."

"Of course," Lin grumbles under her breath as she grabs a cake.

"So, what do you think they're going to be?" Zari asks.

"Boys…" Lin answers.

"Girls…" Toph says, at the same time.

Lin looks at her mother, "Why do you want me to have girls?"

"Um...to pass down the Beifong legacy. Why do you want boys?" her mother asked with a scrunched up facial expression.

"They're less dramatic…"

"Sokka, Zuko, Aang, and Twinkle Toes Jr are all examples of dramatic men," Toph counters.

Lin glares and the two Beifong women precede to debate over the genders of the impending arrivals for the next hour. Zari watches amused the entire time before he realizes that they're going to be late to the appointment with Kya if they don't get going soon.

He clears his throat, "I have an idea."

Both women glare at him, "What?" Lin asks.

"Why don't we just go found out the genders? We're going to be late," he says with a slight smirk.

Lin glances at the clock while Toph rolls her eyes at her daughter's boyfriend, "You're right. Come on, Mom."

Toph waves her hands for them to stop, "Uh...uh...uh. Not just yet. As per tradition in the Beifong family, we need to wager some money on the gender to properly settle this argument."

Zari raises an eyebrow, "That's a thing?"

Lin ignores him and says, "100 yuans that they are boys."

"Ok then," Toph says standing up and about to head for the door, "and I have 100 yuans on girls. Let's go."

"Wait, wait, wait," Zari says to the two women who had now left the table and where heading to the door.

They turn, "What?"

"Am I aloud to bet in this?"

Lin raises an eyebrow, "You're going to bet against me, the mother of your children?"

Toph does an almost identical motion, "You're going to bet against me, your mentor and the greatest earth bender of all time?"

Zari gives them a small smile, "I could never choose between the two of you. That's why I'm placing 100 yuans on there being one boy and one girl. Now, let's go," he said walking past the two shocked women.

Toph glances at Lin, "Yep. He's a keeper. Now come on, let's go prove me right."


After the appointment, Lin and Zari left Toph on the island and took the ferry back to the mainland. They started a nice walk towards Zari's apartment, where they planned to have a lunch date. Zari was overwhelmed by the everything that was happening in his life. He was starting a new relationship with a wonderful women, having two babies, his business was flourishing, and his girlfriends family was just a little bit crazy. The hour long conversation and the bet spoke volumes to him.

"Yuan for your thoughts?" Lin interrupted as the neared the apartment building.

"Just thinking about the bet we made earlier today."

"Oh yeah, don't-" Lin's sentence was cut off when Zari's apartment building went up into flames. Lin and Zari both were thrown backwards as the building began to collapse.

"Lin!" Zari shouted, concern evident in his voice.

"I'm fine! We need to go get the people out of the building!" she said as she began to run towards the building.

Zari grabbed her before she could get too far, "Lin! You are pregnant! Stay here and wait for your officers. Do some crowd control. You need to think about the twins."

Lin's eyes flashed with anger but she did understand she needed to think about the twins, "Fine! I'll secure the building from out here."

Zari nodded as she began to bend pillars of earth to hold up the building. He watched her work and decided to help. He started to run towards the building and bent the earth around him to boost himself into the nearest window. He didn't miss the look of surprise on Lin's face before he went into the fire. He began shouting people's names and escorting people out through a whole he had bent on the side of the building. He had gotten to the top floor where his apartment was located by the time Lin's officers had entered the building.

"Zari!" Mako shouted as he spotted the man who was currently dating his worried, hormonal, and pregnant boss, "we need to get out of here! The building is about to collapse!"

"We can't! There is still a little girl over here!"

While Zari and Mako were inside the building, Lin and the other officers were doing all they could to make sure the building didn't collapse. Lin was slowly growing more anxious the longer Zari stayed in the building. She knew that despite their best efforts, that building would collapse in a few minutes. She was ordering her men to be prepared for the building's collapse when Tenzin flew in on Oogi.

"Lin, what can I do to help?" he asked, just as she saw a flash of lightning by one of the top floor windows. She knew the sign was from Mako; he had made it up in case he needed help escaping a situation.

"Tenzin, I need you to fly to the window where the lightning is and barring Zari and Mako down. The building will collapse in the next few minutes."

Tenzin nodded and began to fly towards the window.

After Mako had sent the lightning strike, he, Zari, and the little girl waited for someone to come get them. They spotted Tenzin at the window and slowly inched toward him since the wood beneath them was slowly giving out.

"Ok, sweetheart, you are going to see your mommy as soon as I hand you over to this nice man, ok?" Zari asked the little girl as he slowly handed her to Tenzin. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a piece of paper being to melt. On the piece of paper, there was a picture of an green dragon curled around two dual swords. His eyes widened and before he could react, he Mako felt the floor shaking.

All three men glanced at each other before Tenzin shouted, "Run!"

Mako made a jump for the bison but Zari wasn't close enough. The wood had collapsed underneath feet and he began to fall with building. Tenzin tried to aim Oogi to catch him, but the flames reared up making Oogi roar in pain.

"Zari!" both men shouted as they watched in horror as the building collapsed on top of him.

Tenzin flew Oogi to the grown where Lin and the young girls mother met them. The little girl hopped down into her mother's arms while Tenzin gave Lin the most somber look. She looked to the back of the bison and saw Mako sitting alone. Her eyes slowly began widen.

"Ten, where is Zari?" she asked slowly.

"Lin...I'm so sorry. He...he was in the building when it fell."

Lin slammed her foot to try to find where Zari was. She didn't sense anyone's presence underneath the building. She had to try not to let out a scream.

"Lin, I am so sorry. Do you want to stay at the island tonight? Your mom is still there," Tenzin said gently.

"No umm… I'm going to go home. Mako, can you and Saikhan finish the paperwork? I'll start investigating tomorrow," Lin said, honestly wanting to be alone.

Mako nodded as Lin began to walk away. Once she was far enough away from the crime scene, she began to rub her belly where the twins were still growing. Tears threatend to be shed but instead she just swallowed them. Lin mumbled underneath her breath, "I owed him 100 yuans."


Zari groaned, his head felt like a truck hit it. He opened his eyes and he realized he was in a cell and he knew exactly where he was.

"Hello, Zari. Aren't you happy to be home?" a woman asked coming out of the shadows.