Haru meets his Gran-Gran for the first time.


A piercing cry startled Lin awake. She sat up and blindly reached over into the bassinet, gently lifted the crying babe into her arms. Once secured, she pulled her shirt down, and helped the rooting mouth find purchase. She winced at the moment of pain when he latched on, before sighing when it eased. Her bleary eyes finally cleared enough for her to glance down lovingly at her son in her arms.

It had been a hectic first month. Between learning the baby's schedule to being first time parents unsure of every little cry and whimper, Lin was more exhausted than she could ever remember being. But looking down at his sweet face made it all worth it.

The door opened, Bumi entering quietly. "Morning love." He said coming over and giving her a kiss. He also placed a cup of tea on her bedside. "I knew he'd be awake soon so I had the water hot and ready for tea."

"Mmm morning." She replied sleepily.

"How's our little man this morning?" He asked softly, as he brushed a finger over the soft tufts of dark brown hair.

"Hungry." She replied as Haru suckled a little harder, before going back to his gentle, but enthused nursing.

"Kid after my own heart."

Lin just rolled her eyes and reached over for the tea cup. She took a small sip to test the temperature, before taking a larger mouthful. "This is exactly what I needed right now." She said, sighing in relief as the warmth of the tea spreads through her, waking her up a bit more. "Thanks love."

Since confessing her love for him she had slowly started incorporating it into her speech as he did for her, and he didn't think he would ever get over how giddy it made him feel. Even now, it made him smile dopily at her as he continued watching her feed their newborn. That was another thing he would never get over; how perfect the quiet moment between mother and son was. He felt blessed to be able to witness such a tender moment.

Lin set her empty cup on the bedside table, and when Haru was finished feeding she kissed his cheek. "Here Daddy, burp him would you? I'm going to take a hot shower." Lin handed off the baby to his father before quickly heading to her long awaited moment to herself.

Bumi looked down at his boy before lifting him to his shoulder to give him firm, but gentle pats on the back. Haru quickly burped, but also dribbled brought up milk down Bumi's back. "Gee thanks buddy." He laid Haru in Lin's vacated spot, so he could strip off his t-shirt. "I suppose it is my own fault for not using a burp cloth." Bumi tickled Haru's stomach causing the month old baby to kick his legs. In doing so however, Bumi caught a whiff of an unpleasant smell. "Ugh, you little stinker. Let's go get you changed so Mama has a nice clean baby when she finishes her shower, what do you say?"

Bumi picked up Haru and went across the hall to the nursery. He quickly changed him and dressed him for the day. They were heading to the Island for lunch as his mother had finally been able to leave Korra and make the trip up from the South Pole.

He dressed Haru in an adorable little earth kingdom outfit and swaddled him back into a matching green muslin wrap.

Bumi placed him in the crib while he organized another outfit, and a sleeper for the diaper bag. He also made sure the rest of the bag was fully stocked with clean cloth diapers and burp clothes. He slung the bag over his shoulder, before picking Haru back up. Bumi carried him back to their room so he could dress for the day. He decided for a nicer maroon tunic since he was seeing his mother for the first time since becoming a father and wanted to look nicer than his now usual airbending uniform. He also changed into a pair of beige trousers.

He picked Haru back up and took him downstairs, putting him in the bassinet in the kitchen so he could prepare Lin a light breakfast, but one with enough protein and nutrients in it. He settled on a couple eggs, rice, and a small fruit bowl.


Lin sighed in relief as the hot water ran over her. She relished these moments of peace to herself which were hard to come by now that she had Haru. She wouldn't trade him for the world, but she also had lived on her own for so long that now sharing her life with not one but two people, especially one who relied on her for everything, was taxing on her.

She was so grateful that Bumi took to fatherhood like he did to many things, with ease. He recognized when she needed time to herself and always tried to help with everything he could. He had even put a pause on his airbending training to help her around the house and with Haru this past month.

Lin grabbed the washcloth and started washing her body, careful to avoid her tender breasts. That was one thing she doesn't think she could ever get used to. She had been the same cup size for 33 years - average sized - and these past few months, especially since giving birth, she had gone up just over a size. Though according to Kya they should reduce back, maybe not to their previous size, but at least a more comfortable size for her.

She took her time washing her hair. She had half a mind to cut it back shorter again, but she had grown accustomed to it being just above her mid back. Lin knew Bumi enjoyed her longer hair, so she thought she would at least keep it long until she went back to work in a few months and re-evaluate it at that time.

She finally stepped out of the shower and dried herself off. She walked into their room with a towel wrapped around her head. She went to her wardrobe and tried to find something comfortable, but nice. She settled on a sage green wrap-style tunic dress that would allow her to breastfeed easier, and darker green slim legged pants . She dressed and then finished towelling off her hair before brushing it and pulling it into a low bun at the nape of her neck. Haru liked to yank on it if it was in his reach, so it was better to just have it up today.

Lin took a moment to look at herself in their floor length mirror. She tried to suck in the leftover baby weight that made her still look slightly pregnant, but gave up. She couldn't wait for Kya to clear her to start exercising again. While she never put too much thought into her looks, she had always been proud of the fact that she had always been fit. So she was looking forward to getting back into shape the moment she got the go ahead.

She shook her head to stop herself from continuing to think about her appearance. She had more important things to do than stare at herself in the mirror.

After grabbing a secondary outfit in case she got spit up or vomited on her current one, she made her way downstairs.

"Ah perfect timing Linny, Haru and I just made your breakfast." Bumi said, looking up. "Oh wow, you look beautiful, my love."

Lin blushed slightly at his appraising look. "You look pretty good yourself." She smiled at him, before glancing at their little love. "Looks like you tired your little helper out." Lin placed a quick kiss on the recently fallen asleep baby's head, before giving Bumi a proper kiss. "Thank you, you are too good for me. Smells wonderful."

They talked quietly as Lin quickly ate her breakfast. "What time do we need to be at the Island?" She asked as she stood to wash her dishes.

"Tenny said 11. Pema and Kya are apparently going all out for lunch in honour of Mom meeting her newest grandchild." Bumi said, as he boiled the kettle to make a new pot of tea. They had a couple hours before they needed to leave, so he thought another pot of tea while they enjoyed a little quiet time as Haru napped would be nice. "Do you have a preference of what tea you would like?"

"Perhaps some Tieguanyin? Will give me enough caffeine to keep me awake through today." Lin finished drying the two dishes and put them away. She leaned on the counter and watched as Bumi made their tea. It had taken a while for Lin to fully trust Bumi with making her tea most of the time, but he had shown that he also remembered many of the lessons from Uncle's Iroh and Zuko. Being the second oldest of the group of kids, Bumi and Izumi had a lot more time with the two men growing up. Bumi had also insisted she show him exactly how she likes her teas, and she loved how much he cared to take time in learning such a small thing that meant so much to her.

"Shall we take this to the couch?" He asked, bringing her out of her thoughts. She noticed he had just poured the two cups of steaming tea. Lin nodded and bent the underside of the bassinet which was made of stone, similar to his crib upstairs, so that they didn't need to wake Haru to move him.

Lin doesn't remember when cuddling became part of her everyday routine, and the old her would be mortified, but leaning against Bumi in his arms felt like the safest place. Her mind healer told her to embrace things that made her feel safe and happy, that it was okay to feel these emotions. So she shoved those old feelings and thoughts to the back of her mind and allowed herself to cuddle with her boys.

They ended up half dozing off on the couch for over an hour before they begrudgingly got up and finished getting ready to head over to the island.

Lin tied the baby wrap around her and gently unswaddled Haru from his muslin blanket before tucking him into the folds of the sling against her chest. She was relieved when he didn't wake up and made sure he was secure, before she folded his blanket up and tucked it into the diaper bag beside her spare clothes.

She slung the bag over her shoulder and placed a comforting hand under his bottom through the wrap - similar to how she had always seemed to rest a hand on her baby bump before he was born. She then joined Bumi outside where their borrowed air bison was. Bumi was planning on going the following summer to find his own, but in the meantime, Tenzin kindly offered for them to borrow one that the acolytes typically used. Bumi was just finishing getting the saddle on as Lin approached.

"Here, I'll take the bag. Do we have everything?" He asked as he took the bag from her shoulder.

"I believe so. I'm sure if we left anything, Pema will have something we could use. Benefits of Rohan only being 11 months older." Lin then bent the ground beneath her so that it gently raised up so she could step onto the saddle without jostling the sleeping infant.

Bumi airbent himself up and stowed the bag beside Lin before sitting on the bison's head so he could steer. "Ready love?" At Lin's confirmation, he called out to the bison. "Yip, yip."

When they landed at the stables, Ikki and Jinora were there to greet them.

"Hello girls." Bumi and Lin greeted the two as they got off the bison.

"Morning! Mommy asked us to bring you to the dining hall. We are having lunch there so we have more room." Ikki said, moving forward to try and peek at her cousin on Lin's chest.

"Sorry kid, he is sleeping, but he should be waking soon and you will get to see him then." Lin said to the eager girl. Ikki pouted a little before grabbing Lin's hand to pull her towards the dining hall, Jinora and Bumi following behind them. Lin resigned herself to being dragged by the 8 year old.

When they arrived outside however, Ikki let go and ran ahead into the hall followed by Jinora. Lin and Bumi were a little confused, but they shrugged and went inside themselves.

They were startled by shouts of, "Surprise!"

Apparently so was Haru, as he started wailing at being so suddenly awoken. Lin glared at their friends and family who had thought to shout with a sleeping newborn in range. She went back out the door where it was quieter, hoping to soothe her boy back to sleep, or at least calm him down. She could hear Bumi berating everyone inside, and despite her hurting eardrums, she smirked slightly at the thought of them all being told off by the one who was usually at the forefront of shenanigans.

Finally she got Haru to settle after a few moments of rocking him, rubbing his back, and humming an old lullaby. He didn't fall back asleep though, being so close to his next feeding. She was glad he seemed content to just cuddle at the moment, so she decided to head back into the hall. She noticed most were wearing apologetic, sheepish expressions.

"Who wants to explain what in the world you were thinking?" Lin demanded, still upset.

Pema stepped forward with an apologetic smile. "We wanted to throw you a baby shower now that Katara could be here. I tried telling them not to shout, but you were always better at corralling them then I."

Lin frowned. "Baby shower?" Bumi looked just as surprised as she was, so he obviously hadn't been made aware of it. She then looked behind Pema and realized the room had been decorated and there were many more people here than she had expected. In fact she caught a face in the crowd she hadn't seen for many years due to them being so busy. "Izumi?"

Izumi stepped forward quickly and embraced her younger friend. "Lin, you look radiant. Motherhood suits you."

Lin accepted the hug, both careful not to squish the infant between them. "When did you get here? Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" Lin asked, pulling back.

"That would have spoiled the surprise." Izumi remarked drily, with a raised brow at the silly question. "We arrived yesterday evening after Aunt Katara."

"We?" Lin looked behind her friend to see Izumi's daughter Ursa, her husband Raijin, and her father Zuko.

"Now let me see this betrothal necklace you spoke about." Izumi pulled her closer again so she could peer at the etched precious stone. "I'm surprised he did such a good job. Very detailed."

"Stop hogging her Izumi. I would like to meet my newest grandchild." Katara said, nudging the Fire Lord to move out of her way. Izumi huffed but moved so the elder waterbender could take her spot.

"Auntie, it is so good to see you again." Lin said to Katara.

Katara brought her in for a hug as well. "I can't believe I will finally be able to officially call you my daughter soon." Katara pulled back, cupping Lin's face with her weathered but strong hands. "I insist you call me mother now, watertribe tradition you know." She patted Lin's surprised face gently before pulling her hands back. "Now I would like to meet my new grandson."

Lin pulled away further and carefully lifted Haru from the sling. "Aunti-" at Katara's chastising look, Lin stuttered, "uh I mean M-Mother, this is Haru." Lin placed the infant into his grandmother's arms.

"Oh look at you all wide awake." Katara cooed at him. He stared up at the strange woman holding him, but didn't cry, so Lin took that as a silent blessing. "He is beautiful, Lin. He reminds me so much of Bumi at this age, but I definitely see sprinkles of you as well."

Lin smiled as Katara was obviously enamored with Haru, she felt a bubble of pride swell in her to know she had made this little being in his grandmother's arms. Bumi came and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her into his side. She glanced up at him and could see the same proud expression on his face.

Bumi leaned down and gave his mother a kiss on the cheek. "Hello Mom. I see you are already acquainted with Haru."

"Oh yes, he is such a sweet little thing."

"I don't recall Bumi ever being this quiet as a baby, unless he was sleeping. Even then he made noise." Zuko quipped, as he peered over his old friends' shoulder at Haru. "On the other hand, Lin was the quietest of all the kids." He reached over and ran an aged finger across Haru's cheek.

"Except when she was hungry or angry. Had a set of lungs on her, that even I remember." Bumi chortled, looking down at Lin's reddening face. She elbowed him in the gut, but her eyes sparkled in amusement.

Soon after, the two were pulled to greet everyone who had come that they didn't see on a day-to-day basis. They greeted Su, Baatar, and the three younger boys; then the group of her higher ranking officers who had come, including Saikhan.

The two were then accosted by the Fire Princess. "Uncle Bumi! Aunt Lin! It is so good to see you both!"

"Look at you little firebug! So grown up and official looking." Bumi said, making a show of turning her around. "You and Iroh sure know how to make an Uncle feel old."

Lin rolled her eyes at him, but agreed internally. She couldn't believe Iroh was almost 39 and Ursa was 22. "How are your University classes going? You should be almost done right?" Lin asked.

"Yes, just a few more courses left. Mother promised that I can start working on the royal archives as soon as I have graduated." Ursa had always had a fascination with history, and had been working studying hard under professors from all three nations, and was taught by Tenzin a few years ago as well.

"I hope you are staying longer than just today, I would love to hear more about your studies." Lin said.

Ursa nodded. "I believe we are here for at least a week at the Fire Embassy. Mom wanted to make sure she had a couple days of 'baby snuggling' as she put it. And Rohan's first birthday is at the end of the week."

"Careful, she may start asking for grandchildren." Bumi snickered.

Ursa scrunched up her nose. "She will have to wait a few more years for me at least. Really should be Iroh bearing the brunt of it since he is pushing 40 and is the heir presumptive."

They laugh and continue talking for a few more minutes, greeting Raijin as he quietly joins them. The Fire Consort was a quiet, intelligent man happy to let his wife have the spotlight, while he can pursue his interests in archeology and preserving ancient artifacts - Ursa definitely took after him in this regard, though her interest was more in each nations cultures and history as a whole.

Lin could feel a fullness in her chest and turned to see who had Haru. Seeing him in Zuko's arms, she turned back to the current conversation.

"Sorry, I need to go feed Haru. Hopefully we get a chance to finish catching up later." She left the three to continue their conversation.

Lin made her way to where Zuko, Katara holding Rohan, Kya, Pema, and Su were. "Sorry to interrupt, but it's about time for Haru to eat. I don't think we want another crying incident."

Zuko just laughed and let Lin pick her son up. "He is so sweet, Lin. Not one peep from him. He was content to be held."

Lin peered down at her son who had started nuzzling her shoulder with his mouth, obviously trying to find what he wanted. She smiled at the group and quickly left the room, heading to a small room off the dining hall that she could lock the door. She had used it the few times they had visited the Island since Haru was born and she couldn't walk all the way to their room.

She enjoyed the few moments of peace and quiet before she had to go out and socialize. Thankfully, over the last couple months it has gotten easier for her to be in such social situations due to talking out issues with her mind healer, but it was still taxing.

After burping and changing his diaper, Lin held him to her chest as she went back to rejoin everyone. It seemed everyone had started sitting, getting ready for lunch while she was out. She went and sat beside Bumi, handing Haru off to his father.

"Hey little man, did you have a good lunch?" Bumi had Haru in the crook of his left arm. Haru stretched in his arm, his face scrunching up cutely as he did so.

Lunch was served on platters to the table by some of the acolytes, but before everyone tucked in, Tenzin stood.

"I just want to take a moment to thank everyone for coming to celebrate the arrival of Haru. I can honestly say that I am so happy for Bumi and Lin to have found love in each other. They have been blessed by the spirits with this little life, and Haru has already brought our family closer together than it has been in decades." Tenzin and everyone smiled as they glanced at each other. "Before we tuck into this lovely lunch, I found something years ago and it wasn't until recently that I remembered about it." He took out a package from one of the hidden pockets of his robe.

Bumi accepted the package with his free hand and saw the writing on the note attached. He felt his breath catch in his throat at seeing his father's handwriting. Upon feeling a hand on his arm, he glanced up to see Lin looking at him with concern. He smiled gently to reassure her. Clearing his throat to move past the lump that was forming, he looked up at his little brother. "Thank you Tenny."

Tenzin nodded in understanding. "Let's not keep our hot food from getting cold. We will all have chances to hold little Haru after lunch, I'm sure."

Bumi asked Lin to tuck the package in the diaper bag so they could open it at home, in privacy.

Lunch was a lively affair as everyone hadn't been in one place in such a long time, the closest being Jinora's ceremony, but only Zuko had been able to come from his family. The only ones missing were Iroh, as he was deployed, and Toph and Baatar Jr. - for obvious reasons.

After lunch Haru, who had fallen asleep again in his fathers arm, was passed around. Lin and Bumi were then handed gift after gift. Most were small, as Lin and Bumi already had a lot of the necessities.

Some that stood out were a photo album that Kya, Izumi, and Su had put together. It was full of pictures of their extended family. There were pictures of their parents and their friends as they were younger; Bumi, Lin and their siblings and Izumi as they grew up; and more current photos of the family, including at the end the pictures from the day Haru was born, and the day after with his cousins. Lin didn't even know some of the pictures of Su and herself with their mother even existed - her mother had never understood the point of pictures being blind. She held back the tears that threatened to fall, but she thanked the three with hugs.

Katara had sewn together a traditional watertribe parka that Haru could use when winter came in a few months. Lin was touched when Katara also presented her with a parka dyed in greens instead of the traditional blue tones. "You can't keep wearing a thin trench coat in the dead of winter Lin." Is what she said as she patted the younger woman on her cheek.

But Lin's favourite gift came from Huan. Huan quietly approached them and handed her a box. Lin could feel the pull of metal coming from inside the box, not surprising as it was Huan's favourite medium. She let out a startled gasp when she saw what was inside.

"What is it, love?" Bumi asked.

Lin used her bending and lifted it out of the box. Even Su gasped in surprise at how beautiful the piece was, as she had no idea her son had been making this.

Huan had sculpted a mobile to hang above Haru's crib. It was made with a brilliantly shiny steel, and had hanging from it a badgermole, a sky bison, a dragon, and two koi fish entwined, perfectly representing all the elements and their original benders.

"Huan… it is…" Lin was having trouble finding words.

"I know, it's not a lot, but I just wanted to make something for him. It's okay if you don'-"

"It's perfect, kid." Lin interrupted his self-deprecation - he was too much like her. She gently placed the mobile back in the box and stood up. She pulled a surprised Huan into a tight hug. "Thank you." Huan just patted her back stiffly, but with affection. After she pulled back they smiled at each other awkwardly, neither sure what to say now - he really was too much like her.

They were rescued by Bumi also hugging Huan in a tight bear hug. Huan was not expecting it or comfortable if his wide eyes and shocked expression were anything to go by.

"Bumi, let my son go now, you are traumatising him." Su scolded Bumi, who proceeded to let Huan go with a playfully exasperated huff, but not before giving him a good pat on the shoulder that almost had him falling just like after Jinora's ceremony.

Lin rolled her eyes at her love's shenanigans. He would always be a big kid at heart; and she wouldn't have him any other way.


That evening, they were placing the gifts in the nursery. Lin had placed Haru in his crib before she bent the mobile above him to attach it to the crib's side.

"What do you think, Boom?" Lin asked as she stepped back after bending the mobile enough to spin. Haru was captivated by the movement, even though it was probably still fuzzy for him to look at. Upon no answer, she turned to find Bumi. "Bumi?" He was sitting on the rocking chair with the package from his father in his hands. She walked over and knelt in front of him, placing a hand on his knee. "You okay love?"

"Dad… he prepared something like he knew I would one day be a father."

Lin looked at the writing on the outside of the letter. It read 'Bumi, to be read after the birth of your first child.' "Do you want to be alone to read this?"

Bumi still didn't raise his eyes off the handwriting, but he shook his head. So Lin stayed where she was and kept her hand on his knee, just moving her thumb slightly in a show of comfort. Bumi took a deep breath and pulled the note free from the twine holding the paper on the package. With shaking hands he opened it up.

To my dearest Bumi,

You will forever be the one who made me a father.

My world changed so much when your mother placed you in my arms. I felt such an intense love and fierce protectiveness for you instantly.

I owe you an apology for not being the best father. I realize now, as I write this, that I should have included you and Kya more in what I was teaching Tenzin. I shouldn't have excluded you from the trips and been there when you needed me. I thought as the last airbender, not as a father.

I am writing this now, in the hopes that you read this when you have a child. If you find this and you never did have children, that is okay, I will not love you any less. But, I know in your heart you have always wanted a family - a better one than what I provided you.

As I write this, I know my time is near. I have been growing weaker over the last couple years. I am sorry for hiding this from you and your siblings. Your mother keeps berating me for not telling you all, but I want you all to continue living your lives without the constant worry of when you will get the call about my passing.

My greatest wish is that you find love. Whether or not that is with Lin (yes, you have never been able to hide your love for her as well as you thought and I know her relationship with Tenzin may make this impossible) or you have found someone else just as special. That, with that love, you get the family you have always desired.

My advice to you as a father is to embrace your child as they are. Let them know consistently how proud they make you and how much you love them. Make sure you are there for them when they need you, and always have an open ear.

My deepest regret in my life is not telling you often how much I love you, and how proud you make me that you are my son. I love you Bumi. You are a stronger man than I have ever been, and you make me so proud of everything you have accomplished in your life.

In the package, I have left you something I was able to recover from the Southern Air Temple a few years ago. This was my only belonging I had as a young child and I had hid it from the monks once I was old enough not to have possessions. It is also the only gift I had from my birth parents. I only wish that I had found it before you were born.

Congratulations, my dear Bumi, on becoming a father.

I am, and have always been so proud of you.

Love,

Dad

Bumi gently set the letter aside and gently opened up the package. Inside was a beautifully carved rattle made out of wood. The carvings showed air bison and winged lemurs flying around the Southern Air Temple. Wherever Aang had hidden it for over a hundred years and then again from the time he had wrapped it before his death, had kept it well preserved for an almost 200 year old rattle.

Bumi started crying. He knew his father had loved him, but hadn't realized how much until reading this letter. His father had realized his shortcomings before his death, and even though Bumi hadn't been able to hear them from him directly, this letter meant the world to him.

Lin stood up and hugged Bumi to her; he pulled her down into his lap so he could bury his head in her neck. She had caught a glimpse at some of the words in the letter when he set it aside, so she knew this was something he had yearned for his whole life.

"He was proud of me, Lin." He said into her neck, tears still slipping out. "He… Dad knew I would be a father… I just…"

Lin just hugged him closer. "Of course he was proud of you. How could he not? You showed the world that just because you were a non-bender, you were able to do anything a bender could do. At any function he would also brag about how you were in the United Forces, becoming the youngest to rise through the ranks so quickly, and how you were always trying to resolve things peacefully instead of with violence." Lin cupped his face. "I know you had a difficult relationship with him, but he did love you so much."

Bumi smiled at her lightly, and she wiped his tears gently. "Dad even mentioned that I was in love with you in the letter, proving it wasn't just Mom who thought we'd end up together."

"Wish they could've clued us in a little sooner. Could've saved so much time and heartache." Lin teased.

"I am happy where we are now though, I wouldn't give this up for anything."

Lin rested her forehead to his. "Neither would I."


This concludes the year 171AG

Tieguanyin - a type of Chinese oolong tea.

Heir presumptive - next in line for the throne.

We will time-jump again in the next chapter. Haru will be 4 months.