Lin and Toph come to understand each other better.


It was just past midnight when a soft knock came to Lin's door. Lin quickly, but quietly went to the door. After the small nap she had had with the boys outside, she couldn't get her mind to settle again to sleep, as she was hoping Kya remembered to tell her brother to call. Opening it she found one of the younger operators from earlier that day.

Lin quickly stepped into the hallway, closing the door behind her.

"Sorry to wake you, Chief Beifong, but we have Commander Bumi on one of the lines for you."

Lin nodded. "Give me one moment to put a robe on." She quickly ducked back into the room and grabbed her robe off the chair she had left it on earlier. She looked over to ensure the boys were sleeping one last time, before leaving the room again. "Alright, lead the way."

To say Lin was anxious for news was an understatement. She followed the young woman quickly to the room she had spent most of the day in. Thankfully the room seemed to be fairly empty now that the action was finally over.

"It's this line Chief. We'll just be outside to give you some privacy, but if we hear another line ringing, we'll have to come in."

"Thank you…"

"Lieutenant Sho, Ma'am."

Lin nodded to the younger woman, and to the other two operators that left the room with her. She quickly sat down and placed the headphones on.

"Bumi?"

"Hi, love. How are you doing?"

"How am I doing? I should be asking you that. Are you hurt? Are the kids okay?"

"I'm fine love, just some scratches. And the kids… well they'll be fine."

Lin instantly was on edge. "What do you mean by that? They aren't fine now? Bumi, I swear to spirits if-"

"Love, calm down and take a breath. Bolin is fine, just some scratches as well. Uh, Asami's father though… He-he didn't make it. But if it wasn't for him, we wouldn't have been able to take down the giant mecha. No one even knows how he got out, but he just showed up at Asami's work and started helping."

Lin felt the breath leave her lungs. "No… No he can't be dead."

"We'll support her, Lin. It won't be easy, but the pain will lessen with time."

"Bumi, you don't understand… I was the one who called the prison and asked for him to be released." Lin could feel a tingle of dread at the base of her spine. "Asami… she'll never forgive me…"

"Lin… Love, if it wasn't for you releasing him, we would still be fighting Kuvira… and who knows how many more would be dead right now."

Lin closed her eyes tightly, thankful she was alone and no one was here to see the emotions flitting across her face. She wanted to believe Bumi so much, but the voice in her head - the voice that was from years of experience being blamed by families for deaths of her officers or civilians - was telling her that Asami would blame her.

She took a shuddered breath. "And Mako?" For a moment she thought maybe she had lost connection, as Bumi didn't respond right away. "Bumi?"

"I'm here love. Um Mako, well he uh… his left arm is severely burned from a mixture of lightning and spirit energy."

"What? How is he doing?"

"Kya is with him now. He isn't really able to move it at the moment, but Kya is hopeful that she can reverse some of the damage. Otherwise he is okay, don'-"

"Don't you dare tell me not to worry. I will be on that first ship out." She ground out gruffly.

"Lin don't be silly, the City is still a disaster at the moment, and the boys need you. Give it a few days, maybe a week. But for now just relax and-"

"Do not patronize me. Forgive me for caring that my children are hurt. I'm pregnant, not an invalid."

"Yes, but you are also having a risky pregnancy. Love, I just want you to be safe, and for the baby to be safe."

"I don't need you to look after me. I'll be fine once I see the kids for myself. The boys will either come with me, or Nira can stay with them here. I am coming to the City, so you can either greet me with open arms, or you can sleep on the couch."

She heard Bumi let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine. Only because I know you won't listen. Can we at least compromise on waiting another day to come. Just let the teams in the City start the clean up. Then you can bring the boys with you to the Island. I don't even know if our house is damaged or not. Please, Lin."

Lin pursed her lips before letting out her own frustrated sigh. "Fine. You have today. I will be arriving tomorrow." She slammed the receiver down, ending the call. A moment later, she regretted ending the call without saying goodbye or telling him she loved him. She bent her head into her hands, sighing.

After a moment she removed the headset and left the room, nodding at the three operators as she passed. She briefly debated going to bed, but she still felt too wired to try and lay down, so she changed course to the kitchen.

In the kitchen though, she found the last person she wanted to see right now sitting at the small table with a bottle of sake in her hand. She paused in the doorway as she watched her mother pour herself a cup of the drink.

"I'd offer you a cup, but I recall from earlier that you can't have any for the next few months." Toph said, 'glancing' in Lin's direction, tipping the bottle to her in greeting before setting it on the table.

Lin swallowed, but moved to the sink to fill a kettle with some water. Silence stretched between the two earthbenders, the only noise coming from the running water followed by the spark of the stove as it was lit.

"You know, if you uh… wanna talk about it… I'm here. I know a thing or two about unexpected pregnancies." Toph said, taking a sip of her drink.

"Yes, we always knew how much we were wanted." Lin said under her breath as she set the kettle on the burner.

Toph frowned. "Just because you were unexpected, didn't make you unwanted."

"You sure had a great way of showing that. Do you know I can count on one hand how many times you said you loved me. All but two were said in a joking manner. And the two that weren't were before I was 10, if not younger. So please, go ahead and say we were wanted."

Toph ducked her head. "I deserve that. But just so you know, I do... I do love you. Both of my daughters. What I am about to say is not an excuse, but perhaps an explanation." Toph took a sip of her sake, before continuing. "Things happened when you were younger, that made me pull back. I thought if I could focus more on protecting the City from all the dangers of bad people, that I would be making it safer for you both. By the time I realized that that had been a mistake, you were both already grown and resented me so much. I figured by then, you didn't need me… I was wrong. Next thing I knew, Suyin was getting arrested for helping rob a bank and you were the one who arrested her.

"I apologize for how I handled the situation. I-I didn't even know you had been injured until the next day when Katara gave me the dressing down of a lifetime. By then you had already taken all of your stuff from the house to the Island…" Toph fiddled with the cup in her hands. She hated talking about emotions, but had promised herself that she would finally put everything out there with Lin. "I really am sorry, Lin. My parents never gave me room to grow into my own, and I then turned around and did the complete opposite with both you and Su. I wish I could go back and change things, but hindsight is 20/20 - or that's what people tell me at least." She took another sip from her drink, feeling like she had said enough for the moment and would let Lin respond.

Lin was startled from pondering what her mother said by the kettle whistling. She quickly shut off the burner and carefully poured the hot water into the teapot that was housing chamomile tea. After waiting for it to steep, she then took out the strainer and carried the tray over to the table, sitting across from her mother.

Lin studied her mother for a moment, before pouring two cups of tea, adding a small dollop of honey to one, and a little more in the second. After stirring both cups, she set the first in front of her mother. She took another moment to gather her thoughts.

"Look, I… Thank you for acknowledging what happened in the past. I realize now, that things couldn't have been easy being Chief and a mother to two young girls. It is part of the reason I stepped back from being Chief last year. I didn't want to put Haru through what I went through."

"That's fair. You put Haru first. It is something I have come to realize I should have done for you, and for Su."

"I just… Why did you go see Su over the years, but never me?" Lin asked softly, almost afraid of the answer. She always hated feeling unsure in front of her mother. It usually led to being teased or taunted about it.

Toph swallowed and hung her head a little. "I figured you wanted nothing to do with me anymore. The last time I saw you at Aang's funeral. You barely spoke with me, and were practically glued to Tenzin's side. I thought you had moved on with your life and didn't need me in it."

"Tenzin had just lost his father, and at that point the only other airbender. Of course I was at Tenzin's side the whole time. If I recall, you barely spoke to me too. You showed up for the funerals and then once the private one was finished, you were the first to leave, only saying goodbye to Katara, Sokka, and Zuko. Then you didn't even bother to show up for Sokka's funeral four years later."

Lin didn't miss the pained look that crossed her mothers face when Sokka was mentioned.

"I could understand you not wanting to be in my life anymore, but I thought Sokka meant more to you than that."

Toph finished off her cup of sake and grabbed the bottle, refilling it and then taking another big sip. "I had been travelling at the time. I didn't find out about his passing until the funeral was already over. After you girls, it is my biggest regret not being there for him in the end." Toph sighed. "But please know that I never wanted to be out of your life. I just thought that was what you wanted, and I wanted to do what was best for you."

Lin sighed. "I'm not sure when or if I will ever be able to believe that." She blew across her cup of hot tea, willing it to be at the right temperature for a sip.

"That's fair." Toph replied, shrugging. "I do want to be in your life, Lin. It's not just because of Haru - though I do have to admit he is an added bonus. I miss you. More than you will ever know."

Lin swallowed past the lump that had formed in her throat, eyes stinging with sudden tears.

"For what it is worth, you are an amazing mother to Haru and those older kids you seem to have adopted. I can tell they love you fiercely." Toph smirked when thinking about the older kids. "You know that other boy, Maku is it? He gave me a dressing down that night you collapsed. He was very protective, and so was the girl."

Lin let out a small snort of amusement. "It's Mako, and Asami. That somehow doesn't surprise me either. They're good kids, who have a good head on their shoulders. Bolin too, even with his hiccup, his heart was in the right place." Lin's smile dropped when thinking more of Mako and Asami. "I'm hoping to head back tomorrow morning. Mako has been hurt fairly badly, and Asami… Her father died."

Toph frowned. "What, her father was still alive and he just let you pseudo adopt his daughter?"

Lin took a sip of her tea, glad it had cooled enough it didn't scald her. "He was in prison until this morning- well yesterday morning." Remembering it was bordering on 1 am now.

"You mean that prisoner you released?"

"Yeah… She is going to blame me once she realizes I was the one who let him out. So I guess I'm not this amazing mother you think I am."

"But you are going to be there if and when she needs you. So compared to me, you are already a way better mother than I ever was. She thinks very highly of you, she even almost called you Mom to my face, which I think surprised her quite a lot in that moment. Not sure if anyone else noticed. I didn't even realize till later while stewing over what happened." Toph finished off her sake and felt for the hot cup that Lin had placed in front of her. After taking a sip, she realized Lin still remembered how she took her tea. "You remembered?"

"Of course. Hard to forget when I made it for you for over ten years."

Toph grinned slightly. "I remember you scolding me for touching the hot kettle, before shoving my hand under cold water. You then proceeded to hop up on a stool and make the tea yourself. I shouldn't have let you, but you were so sure of yourself. So independent already at 8 years old."

Lin had forgotten about that, but the memory played in front of her mind. Suyin was barely two and was seated at the table, happily munching on the leftovers their mother had reheated and unaware of what was happening a few feet away.

"I'm sorry you had to do so much of the cooking and cleaning in the house. It was never my intention for you to have felt like you needed to do it all. That goes for you feeling so responsible for how Su turned out. I should have been more present, and listened to your concerns about her. You were more a mother to her than I was… and that was wrong. You should have been able to just be her sister. For what it's worth though, she turned out pretty good in the long run. She is where she is now because of you."

Lin swallowed. She never thought her mother had even recognized all she had done back then. "Thank you." She responded quietly. After clearing her throat lightly, she continued. "We've been able to gain a better relationship over the last 3 years. She was a great help through my pregnancy with Haru, especially during labour."

"And she'll be there with this one."

Lin placed her hand on her still flat stomach. With her bare feet touching the stone of the kitchen floor, she felt the thrum of the little heartbeat. 'Was it really less than 20 hours ago that I first felt it? This day has been so long.'

"I'm assuming you've been battling with some pretty bad morning sickness. After the flight here and the other day where you were in bed most of the day."

"Yeah… It comes and goes though, never consistent. It is worse though if I strain myself. At least I knew I was pregnant earlier this time…" At seeing her mothers questioning look, Lin expanded. "I was over 4 months before I even knew with Haru. Not sure how I missed the feel of his heartbeat for almost 3 months… But there was a lot going on during that time."

"I take it you weren't planning on telling us so soon. You seemed shocked earlier when you revealed that it was you pregnant and not the acolyte."

"It was the first time I noticed it. Believe me, I have been checking everyday, so it must have started overnight."

"That's how I found out about you." Toph said, sipping on her tea. "I thought it was Katara though. She was scandalized as Tenzin was barely 2 months old. She then had to admit that she and twinkle toes hadn't done it since before Tenzin was born. I wish I could have seen the look on their faces as she said that. Of course, I then panicked. There I was almost 32, alone, and pregnant. But once I calmed down, I actually became excited. Especially once Katara said you were a girl. I thought we could take on the world together, us two Beifong's. I know you don't remember, but those first few years we were inseparable. My officer's even had a little uniform made for you and there you were at 3 years old, bossing around the toughest of my officers."

Lin had never heard her mother talk about any of this before. She had scarcely ever talked about the time before Suyin was born, and Lin herself was barely 6 years old when her sister was born. "What changed?"

Toph swallowed. "Shortly after Yakone had his trial, lost his bending, and then somehow escaped, I received a letter - which I had Sokka read to me. Basically it was threatening you both. I grew angry that some lowlife was threatening my family. So that is why over those next few years you spent even more time with Katara and Aang on the Island. I sent you there to keep you safe. Even after we tracked down and captured the one who sent the letter, I still kept my distance, thinking the less people saw us together, the less in danger you were."

Lin was stunned to get an actual answer. "I suppose I understand to an extent, I would do anything to protect Haru… I just can't imagine not being there though."

"And that is what makes you and Su better mothers than I or your grandmother ever were. You are present in your children's lives, and I am thankful that that trait ended with me." Toph smiled slightly at that, before tilting her head to the side a little. "Any other questions while I'm still in a mood to answer?"

Lin shifted slightly in her chair. "Why did you tell Bolin, of all people, about my father, when I asked you so many times during my childhood?"

Toph raised her hand to rub against the back of her neck. "Well uh… I'm sorry about that too. When you were younger, it was still too fresh of a wound to want to open that back up. Then last week, it just seemed easy to say it. The truth about your father is that we had been in love. He was from one of the families living in Yu Dao. His mother was an earthbender and his father a firebender. When Yu Dao became Republic City and I became Chief, this man approached with lots of ideas about building projects and how to make it into a City that would rival Ba Sing Se and Capital City of the Fire Nation. We hit it off instantly, but it took us years to finally admit to ourselves that we wanted more than just friendship."

Toph sighed, dragging a tired hand across her face. "There was an accident at one of the building sites… He didn't die, but he lost his memory - he didn't remember that we were engaged or even me at all. So when a couple weeks later I found out I was pregnant, I knew that I had to keep you as you were the only thing besides his beloved buildings that I had of him left. I should have told you about him sooner, but it was too difficult."

Lin swallowed back tears thinking about what her mother went through. "All these years, I thought I was just a mistake…"

Toph's face morphed into one of heartbreak. "I am so sorry, Lin. I never meant for you to think you were not wanted or loved. You were unexpected, but never a mistake. If the accident never happened… He would have been a great father to you. I did him a disservice by not telling you about him. It was just so hard, and I'm not great with talking about my feelings… At least without the help of alcohol." She motioned to the bottle sitting near her.

Lin sat for a moment, before making a decision to try and move forward. She reached out with her one hand and placed it on her mother's weathered one. "I-I understand. It's one thing I inherited from you. But being with Bumi has made me learn to open up more. I… We have a ways to go, and more to air out… But I wouldn't be opposed to having you in my life again."

Toph wiped away a stray tear with her free hand, before using that same hand to pat the back of Lin's hand on hers. "Thank you, Lin. I know I don't deserve it, but I hope to earn the right to be here."


Lin slept late that morning, once sleep came to her that is. The rest of the day was spent with the boys exploring the beach. Lin gave them each a small bucket they could fill with rocks or shells they found.

"Mama look. So pretty!" Haru called out as he ran over. He held out his open palm with a white opalescent shell.

"You are right, love. That is a very pretty shell. We can clean it up later, and it will be even more pretty." Lin said, running her hand through his curls.

He grinned at her before putting the shell in his bucket before running off again. Lin watched him go with a grin of her own.

That night she told the boys they would be going home the next morning, and to say they were excited was an understatement. They wouldn't settle down, and insisted on helping Lin pack their meager belongings into their bags.

Eventually she was able to get them to lay on either side of her on her bed as she told them the story about Yue, the moon goddess. They nodded off with their heads on her chest, and she soon joined them in slumber.

The next morning was busy as they quickly ate breakfast and got ready to board the first ship of the day to Republic City.

"Are you sure Lin? Perhaps you should stay a little long-" Izumi started.

"No, Izumi. I have two children who need me and there is nothing anyone can do to stop me from going. So you can either say goodbye, or not, it's up to you." Lin said.

Izumi raised a hand to placate her younger friend. "I was just checking in. And I will do neither as I will be going with you. I also have a child to see - even if he is about to turn 41. Then there is the matter of dealing with the fall out of Kuvira's reign over the Earth Kingdom. Prince Wu will need help to get things started."

Lin relaxed her tense shoulders upon Izumi's dropping of the topic. She nodded and led the boys onto the ship. The journey on the boat would take almost twice as long as their original flight here on Mochi. Lin was hoping that the trip would be a lot smoother on her though, especially without Kya there to help.

Nira joined her and together they took the boys on a tour of the ship, enjoying their excited chatter.

"I just hope this doesn't mean he has gotten his father's love of sailing and big ships or I may never see him once he turns 18." Lin grumbled half-heartedly to Nira, who snickered.


They arrived just past dinner time on the Island after taking the ferry over from the City's docks.

Toph bent a platform to bypass all the steps so they could arrive at the main house quicker.

"Always hated how many steps there were. Twinkles never let me lower the Island height though." Toph grumbled.

"Do it again, Gramma!" Haru said excitedly.

Toph 'glanced' in his direction. "Sorry kid, not today. Don't you want to see your Dad?"

Haru nodded with wide eyes, excited for a different reason. He tugged on Lin's hand as he pulled her towards the house. "Come Mama. Go see Daddy." All thoughts of his grandmother's earthbending were replaced with the determination to see his father.

"Alright, badgermole, I'm coming." Lin said, easily keeping up with his tiny legs. Nira, Rohan, and Toph followed behind them.

When they walked into the house, they heard voices from the living room and found everyone sitting about with tea. Lin noted that everyone looked exhausted, but seemed to perk up at the sight of the boys.

"Mommy, Daddy!" Rohan called out as he ran over to them, where he was wrapped in Pema's arms and Tenzin's around both of them.

Haru caught sight of his own father, and quickly let go of Lin's hand to run up to him. Lin let a soft smile grace her face at the sight of their reunion, though she felt a pang of sadness as to how she had handled the call the previous night. She held off on approaching Bumi at the moment in favour of checking on the older kids. The closest to her was Bolin, who she wrapped in a tight hug.

"I'm glad you are okay, kid." She whispered to him, affection in her voice.

"Boy am I glad to see you right now." He whispered back, placing a kiss to her cheek, before pulling back. "Mako is in another session with Kya right now, they'll be out soon."

Lin offered Bolin a half smile, tinged with sadness. She then turned and saw Asami. The girl flew into her arms.

"He's gone, Mom…" She sobbed into Lin's shoulder.

Lin felt the guilt bubble in her chest, feeling like she didn't deserve to be called Mom. But she decided to deal with that later and just wrapped Asami in a tight hug. Realizing that this could be the last moment that Asami wouldn't hate her.

"I'm sorry Asami. He didn't deserve to die." She said, voice heavy with repressed emotions. Lin briefly caught Bumi's eye over the girl's shoulder, but she diverted them guiltily. "I want to speak with you later, okay?" She whispered to Asami.

Asami nodded, and finally pulled back, wiping her face with her sleeve. She gave Lin an embarrassed, shy smile and a squeeze of thanks to her arm before she excused herself to the washroom.

Lin watched her walk away, before she was pulled into a hug by Su.

"She'll be fine, eventually. She has you." Su said, offering what she thought was reassurance. But it only caused Lin to feel worse.

She hid that though, and hugged her sister back. "I'm glad you are alright. The kids too."

"You should have seen Huan. He helped me take down the spirit cannon. For one who doesn't like to participate in the action, he sure proved he can do it if he shoots for it."

Lin smiled, glancing at Huan, who had overheard his mother and ducked his head with a faint blush. "I had no doubts." Lin responded.

There was a shuffle in the doorway behind Lin, and she let go of Su to turn around. She saw Mako standing there with his arm bandaged and in a sling.

Lin wanted to pull him into a hug, but didn't want to hurt him further. So instead she approached and cupped one of his cheeks. "How are you feeling?"

Mako leant his head into the comforting touch only a mother could give. He offered her a small smile. "Sore, but the meds help to take the edge off. Kya's been a great help too."

"I'm sorry I wasn't there. I should've been there."

"Mom, I know there is something going on with you, you didn't make me a detective for nothing. So you were where you needed to be. Plus you kept the boys safe by taking them out of the City."

She gave him a wobbly smile. "I'm uh, going to go find Asami. I need to talk with her. I'll see you soon." She glanced over to where Haru was still in Bumi's arms, she still avoided Bumi's gaze. Lin turned back and motioned with her head. "There is a little boy over there that sure would be glad to see his older brother."

Mako smiled and used his good arm to squeeze her hand before he went over to Haru. Lin smiled as she heard her son's excited squeal of "Mako!"

She found Asami exiting the washroom. "Hey, can we speak now?"

"Sure."

Lin motioned for them to head outside. Once they were seated on a bench - the same one Lin had first held Rohan on all those years ago - Lin turned and grabbed Asami's hand.

"Look, I uh… I have a confession to make."

Asami frowned. "Is it about what's going on with you? Are you sick?" She asked worriedly.

"Ah, no, I am not sick. It's about…" Lin glanced down at their hands, unsure how to proceed knowing it would break Asami's heart further. She swallowed and then cleared her throat. "It's about your father. I- I was the one who released him from prison. When I heard what was going on with Kuvira, I figured you all would need all the help you could get. And your father, for all his faults, was a genius and he loved Republic City." Lin glanced up at Asami to find her eyes wide with shock. "So I'm the reason your father is dead."

Lin felt Asami remove her hand from her own. She glanced away, guiltily from the young woman beside her, clenching her jaw to hold back her emotions as it was not about her right now. She braced herself for whatever Asami threw at her, whether it be verbal or physical - she deserved either, if not both.