Tulok confronts Lin about Kya being the daughter of Avatar Aang.

Things don't go as planned.

A/N: The chapter we've all been waiting for.

Same day; Winter 147 AG

Lin was sitting on the couch with her youngest children. Tarlo's hair was just long enough now to do some traditional braids and he had begged her to try so he could show his daddy when he got home. The recently turned 4 year old was sitting in front of Lin on a stool, and Tayen was watching avidly as her mother started on the fourth braid. The young girl was attempting to braid her doll's hair, trying to copy her mama's actions.

"Mama, it's not working." Tayen pouted as she lost her place again, dropping the doll's brown woolen hair.

"It's okay, little moon, give me a moment and I will help you." Lin finished off the braid she was working on, pinching it between two fingers and quickly untying the clasps holding the other three braids together. She quickly gathered the hair into a ponytail at the top, reminiscent of her Uncle Sokka's beloved wolf tail, and tied it with a piece of blue leather. "There you go cub, all done."

"Yay! Thank you Mama!" He exclaimed as he hopped up and ran to his parents room which had a floor length mirror that he could see into. She heard his excited whoop of excitement and smiled.

She then turned to Tayen beside her, her smile widening slightly at the continued pout the girl had on her face. "Alright, come here love." Lin patted the stool. Tayen came over and sat, letting Lin's hands take hers and show her how to separate the strands and then how to cross the strands over each other. "Try by yourself now."

As Tayen was practicing, Lin glanced over to the dining table where Nuna and Amaruq were working on their schoolwork. "Everything going okay over there?"

"Yes Mama. We're almost done." Nuna replied.

"Look Mama! I did it!"

Lin looked down at Tayen's doll, and sure enough the hair was braided into a single plait - albeit not super neat, but fairly decent for her first time trying it. "Well done little moon!" Lin kissed the top of Tayen's head. She then plucked a small piece of blue leather she had used for the temporary hold on Tarlo's braids. "I think we should tie it off so you can show your father your first braid. I'm sure he will be so proud."

Tayen eagerly let her mother tie off the braid and then hugged her doll to her. Lin accepted the hug her almost 6 year old bestowed on her. She felt a little hand on her baby bump. "Do you think the baby is a girl or a boy, Mama?" She seemed to ask this at least once a week, sometimes more to Lin's amusement. But waiting to find out the gender was the only bit of control Lin received in regards to her pregnancy, and as much as she wanted to give her little girl a proper answer, she also wouldn't give up her small sliver of control.

"I'm not sure, but either way we will love them, won't we little moon?"

Tayen nodded with an excited grin. "Yes, Mama. I can teach them how to braid like you taught me!"

Lin smiled, but as she went to respond the front door was unlocked and slammed open. Lin set Tayen off to the side and heaved herself up as fast as her over six month pregnant body would allow. She approached her husband quickly, reaching out to take his coat off, but he instead smacked her face when she got close enough. She managed to steady herself against the wall so she didn't fall.

"Tulok, please, the children are right here." She whispered, glancing to see if the kids had noticed while holding a hand to her stinging cheek, thankful that it looked like they hadn't seen anything.

"We need to talk. Send them to their rooms. Now." He replied harshly.

Lin nodded, fear gripping her heart. He had never hit her in front of the children, nor when they were awake. She didn't understand why this pregnancy seemed to be different to him as well. Compared to her previous ones, he wouldn't lay a hand on her during those. But this one, he was much more aggressive and she felt like she was more on edge all of the time once the kids went to bed. For him to do this in the open now scared her.

She turned and made her way to where Nuna and Amaruq were, heart thundering in her chest. "Nuna, please take your siblings to your room." She said, hoping her voice sounded calm and collected.

"But Mama, we aren't done yet." Nuna argued, motioning to her schoolwork.

"Nuna, now please. I will go over it with you later, alright?" Lin urged, closing Nuna's workbook.

Nuna must have seen the pleading and serious look on her mother's face as she didn't argue again. She just nodded and slipped off her chair and led Amaruq and Tayen to find Tarlo. Lin noticed they went into the boys room instead, but it didn't matter as long as the door was closed.

Once that door was closed, Lin barely turned before she was being slammed back into the wall. She felt a punch to her cheek, hearing a small crack, before a hand secured around her neck. She saw stars as her head had hit the wall hard for the second time in seconds. She looked up to see Tulok standing over her, a big sneer on his face and eyes ablaze in anger as he started choking her.

"What did you say to that healer bitch?"

"N-nothing." Lin choked out.

"Why didn't you tell me you recognized her? She's the Avatar's daughter. Now he is here at the palace. So I repeat, what did you tell her?"

"Pl-ease. I di-n't tell her an-thin." She managed to choke out again. She would deny it till her dying breath; she would do anything to protect her children. If he found out about her talking to Kya, it put them all in so much danger. Everything was getting hazy with the lack of air to her lungs. Just as she thought she would pass out, he loosened his grip on her neck, and she took gasping breaths trying not to choke on the sudden air movement.

"I don't believe that you didn't recognize her." He had moved his hand from her neck to her hair and yanked it back hard.

Lin cried out. "I-I hadn't seen her in over 11 years. I didn't know what she looked like anymore."

"Enough with the lies!" He threw her down, and she turned so she didn't land on her stomach. She let out a pained moan as her back hit the ground.

Her blood then began burning in her arms. They started moving on their own accord up to her neck. Lin realized he was forcing her to choke herself. She tried to beg him to stop, but no words came out.

"Leave Mama alone!"

It broke Tulok's hold on her and Lin turned her head to see Nuna standing at the opening of the hallway. "Nuna, go back to your siblings." She said, voice raspy.

"No, he isn't supposed to hurt you Mama. It's wrong." The 9 year old said with conviction in her voice.

"Listen to your mother, girl. I don't want to hurt you too." He said before turning back to Lin. He went to yank her up by her hair before his whole body seized up.

"I said leave her alone!"

Lin watched in horrified shock as her little earthbender was able to bloodbend her father, realizing that it must be the iron in the blood that Nuna was bending. But then to her terror, he started to break the hold as he was the stronger bender of the two. He then in turn bent Nuna's blood, causing her to rise in the air.

"No, Tulok, please. Leave her be. She's just a little girl, our little girl. It's me you want, just leave her alone!" Lin begged him, voice coming out strained with tears running down her face as her gut clenched in absolute fear. Her baby looked so scared and Lin was helpless. She wanted to get up, but she couldn't and was forced to watch her worst nightmare become reality.

The front door slammed open and Tulok was hit with a blast of air. Nuna dropped to the floor and Lin cried out when she didn't move.

Tulok started attacking the intruders, even went to try to blood bend them, but his arms were burnt by a blast of fire causing him to scream. Lin glanced over and saw Aang restrain Tulok and then his eyes glow as he took his bending away. Her husband fell forward onto the ground, unconscious.

"Lin?" She looked up at her name being called, right into grey eyes that she had missed so much. She nodded, her cheek and throat too sore to respond much.

As much as Lin wanted to continue looking into those familiar eyes, she needed to make sure her baby was okay. She looked back over to her daughter and was relieved to see Kya with her and that Nuna had sat up.

"She's okay, Lin. Kya's healing her." He said in a soft, reassuring voice. A voice she had longed to hear for over a decade now.

She looked back up at her uncle with tears in her eyes. He knelt beside her and he cupped her uninjured cheek. "Oh my sweet girl, I am so sorry this has happened. We are going to get you home soon okay? Kya told me that you have other children, are they hurt?"

"No. In boys room." She managed to rasp out.

"Good. I can't wait to meet them. But I need to go catch Yakone before he catches on okay?" Lin nodded. Her uncle gave her a smile and placed a kiss on her forehead before he got up, leaving the house.

Tulok was being arrested by some of the Northern Forces, but he was still unconscious, so it was mainly him being tied up with ice handcuffs - now that they didn't have to worry about him waterbending anymore. They were discussing the best way to drag him out of the house without attracting much attention. Lin was sure the flying bison outside and the Avatar had dashed those plans from the start, but that was their problem.

Lin focused her gaze back to her daughter. She felt the tightness in her chest relax a little at seeing Nuna sitting up and responding to Kya. She must have seen Lin looking at her, because Lin found herself looking into green eyes so much like her own. Lin tried to smile at her, but had a feeling it came out more like a grimace.

Nuna turned to ask Kya a question, and when she got a nod, she was up and walking over to her mother quickly. Lin looked up at her daughter, wanting to reach out to her, but her arms felt like jelly and as if they weighed a ton at the same time.

"Mama, I'm sorry for coming out, but I heard him hurting you and I-" Nuna hiccuped, her words catching in her throat.

"S'okay pebb… safe now." Lin got out.

Nuna dove forward and buried her head into her mama's shoulder, crying softly. Lin desperately tried to move her arm up to embrace her, but it wouldn't move except to wiggle a few fingers.

"Here Lin, let me heal your arms."

Lin looked up over Nuna's head to see Kya with glowing water over her hands. She guided it to Lin's arms which went from numb to very painful to finally feeling much better. Lin wrapped her arms around Nuna, a hand resting on her head, trying to sooth her. Kya motioned to Lin's neck, and she gave her a small smile in agreement. Lin sighed as the pain in her neck disappeared and it got easier to breathe. It would still visually bruise, but the pain was gone. Her face was the same when Kya healed it, fixing the cracked bone. The swelling was gone, but the reddening marks would stay and deepen over the next couple days because of how deep they had run, and the prolonged period of choking.

"Thank you Kya. Can you help me up? I need to check on my other children."

"Of course, Lin. Here." Nuna got up and stepped back as Kya helped Lin stand up. She was a little shaky, but after a moment seemed to get her balance.

With Kya's help Lin walked to the boy's room and went inside. She found the three huddled up in the far corner, under a fort-like structure of pelts. Nuna went ahead and told them to come out, and Kya had just managed to get Lin seated on Tarlo's bed before Lin was tackled by three little bodies.

"Mama, what happened? We heard Daddy yelling and you scream. Nuna told us to be quiet and stay in our fort." Amaruq asked quietly.

"Y-your father… he has done some bad things. I'm sorry you had to find out like this. Just know he was a good father to you even if he wasn't a good man." She held her children as they cried. She motioned for Nuna to join the group hug.

Nuna hesitated though. "Mama, is the baby okay?" She asked quietly, not wanting to upset her siblings further.

Lin was baffled that she hadn't given the baby much thought since she fell, her concern having been concentrated on Nuna and then her other children. She looked up at Kya with pleading, scared eyes.

"Hey kiddos, can I look at your Mama real quick? We just need to check on your sibling."

Nuna stepped forward and helped her youngest siblings off, but Amaruq held tight to Lin's arm even though he moved back slightly. Kya just gave a reassuring smile and then proceeded to bend healing water over her distended stomach. She sat back a moment later, giving Lin a soft smile. "Everything looks alright. The baby was a little stressed, but I soothed them and they are just fine now."

"Thank you Kya. For everything."

They spent the rest of the day packing the house up. The kids were very confused as to what was going on. Lin sat them down after realizing they needed more information and explained as best as she could. They were still young and didn't need to have all the details right now.

"I was taken from my own Mama when I was just a little older than your cousin Tarrlok, by some bad people. My family thought I had passed onto the spirit world, so they stopped looking for me." Lin swallowed passed the lump threatening to grow in her throat, as she brushed Tayen's loose bangs away from her eyes. She offered them a small smile. "But Kya recognized me, and she and her father came to rescue us. I promise to tell you more when you are older, but for now, just know I love you all very much and nothing will ever change that."

After another round of hugs, Lin sent them to collect their bags. She made note that Nuna was very quiet, but she didn't want to push her at the moment so she left it for now. Some of the Northern Forces men, who were still here after taking Tulok away, went to go help them while Kya entered the room with a couple bags of Lin's things.

Lin was appreciative of her friend's help. After today's events and being 6 and a half months pregnant left her exhausted and very sore, even after Kya's healing session. The bruising on her neck and face would take a little while to fade as Kya had healed them as much as she could, but the bruising would still take time to leave - at least until Kya could get Lin into a healing bath; unfortunately there was just no time for that right now, perhaps once they made it to Republic City. The last time she had looked in a mirror, they had already started to turn a light purple, sure to darken by the next day.

"Here, take a look through. I think I grabbed everything of yours."

Lin accepted the bags and looked through them. She nodded. "Yes, this looks like everything. The most important things to me are the kids' pictures and such." Lin pointed to four photo albums, one for each child. Each album contained photographs, drawings, paintings, and other such memorabilia for each child. Kya grabbed those and some of the children's books that were on the shelves before grabbing the photos from the walls and fireplace, placing them all in a new bag.

Lin swallowed in realization that she would be going home soon.

A/N: Well this was a heavy chapter, especially for Lin and Nuna.

At least Aang and Kya made it just in time.

Also I have decided to close the tally's for gender of the baby. There was pretty much no way for boy to catch up in votes. So baby will officially be a girl. A nice bookend to our girl, boy, girl, boy pattern ;)