Author's Note: Wow, I couldn't believe all the comments I got on the last chapter! You guys are absolutely wonderful and I'm sorry for that twist. I hope these last few chapters make up for it!

Summary: Lin and Tenzin deal with the aftermath of pregnancy loss and decide to return home to get some schedule and routine back in life.

Chapter 14: Maybe It Wasn't Meant to Be

Lin spends the rest of the week in isolation. Tenzin tries to be there for her as much as possible, but also needs some time to himself. They're both trying to sort through the feelings they have after this very traumatic experience. Luckily, Lin's body was recovering, but her and Tenzin's emotions still needed some time. The two spent most of their time together holding hands, not wanting to let the other stray too far. Never in their wildest dreams did they ever think they would find themselves in the situation. They both felt very unprepared for how to continue to move forward. Zuko suggested that Lin share what happened to her in the park in order to help sort out her feelings. Tenzin was reclining on the bed, his back leaned against the headboard while he held Lin in his arms between his legs. Her head was resting on his chest and she could hear his heart beating as she began to share what happened that day.

"After watching Izumi give birth, I was honestly a little traumatized. No one has ever really described what it's like to deliver a baby to me. I know how it all works, but I didn't realize all of the hard work and pain and suffering that went in to bring new life into this world. I got scared and I needed time to myself."

"You're very right. Nobody really talks about what happens when a woman gives birth," Tenzin agreed.

"And since we were expecting…" Lin stopped herself from continuing, thinking about all of the things that could have been.

"It's understandable, Lin. You don't have to say it if you don't want to."

She nodded and continued, "You stopped me in the hallway to talk, but I wasn't ready. You respected my personal space and let me go sort through my feelings before we talked, which I appreciated. I really didn't know where I was headed because I was lost in my own world and then I ended up in the park and before I knew it, someone hit me and blocked my chi and I was unable to move and defend myself." Tears were now flowing freely down her cheeks as she remembered the events in the park.

"I wish we knew why," Tenzin told her, his own tears falling.

"All the man said was that in order for the Fire Nation to be glorious again, the Airbenders needed to stay extinct," she said through gritted teeth. Tenzin was shocked by her explanation. He could not fathom why someone would want an entire culture to be wiped off the face of the Earth, especially not the culture that he and his father had been working to restore for the last two decades or more.

"I'm sorry, Tez. But I couldn't do anything to stop him," Lin tried to frantically explain, "He paralyzed me with the chi blocking and even though I saw everything, I couldn't do anything…" She was openly sobbing now, her whole body shaking.

Tenzin looked down at his wife and wiped a tear away. He put his hand under her chin and nudged it so she was looking him in the eye. "Lin, I am not mad at you. I don't blame you for any of this. Absolutely none of this is your fault. That man is absolutely horrible and I hope he gets the justice he deserves in the end."

"But I couldn't protect the baby or myself. If only I had stayed within the palace walls everything could be different now."

"Lin, we cannot change the past so it does not do well to dwell on it. What happened happened and wishing we could go back and change things isn't going to help us now."

She sighed, "You have a point. I still can't help to blame myself a little bit. I just feel terrible about what happened and I don't know if I could ever face your dad again."

"I know there was a lot of hope for our baby. A lot of people had expectations for him or her, but none of that matters right now."

"But your father isn't getting any younger," she tried to argue.

"None of us are. And people will just need to learn how to be patient," he rebutted.

"But what if..." she hesitated, worried about his reaction to her idea.

"What if?" he jostles her in his arms a little, urging her to continue.

She sighs and rests her hand on his chest alongside her head and continues, "What if I don't want to try to have another baby, like ever? Because honestly, I don't know if I could go through this again. And I know how important having a family is to you and your dad's legacy. I don't want to keep you in a relationship with me if we don't have the same goals in life. I can't deny the world the next generation of airbenders." She closes her eyes bracing herself for his reaction.

Tenzin thought for a moment. He knew his duty to his father was to carry on his legacy of restoring the Air Nation. However, he also said sacred vows in the front of his friends and family, promising to love and cherish his beautiful wife for the rest of his life. He also absolutely loves the woman in his arms and he knew he would until the day he died. Nothing, not duty, not family, not enemies could ever prevent him from loving Lin with his entire spirit. He would do absolutely anything for her and he was willing to sacrifice everything for her.

"Lin, the only people in our relationship are me and you, no one else. We are the only two people who can dictate what we do with each other and with our lives. We also swore a vow to love and cherish each other for our entire lives. I love you and there is absolutely nothing or no one who will ever stop me from loving you and standing by your side." He bent forward as she rose up a little bit and the two shared a deep kiss.

"I love you too," she breathed.

"Good," he smiled down at his beautiful wife, "I'm glad we're on the same page."

"Are you sure, though?" She insisted.

"Yes, my love. You are mine and I am yours for the rest of forever." For the first time since the incident, Lin was able to smile back at her husband thanks to his words of assurance.

After another week passed, Lin and Tenzin were ready to depart the Fire Nation and return home to Republic City after their long honeymoon. Their bags had been packed and Oogi had been saddled, all that was left was to say goodbye to their friends. Fire Lord Zuko and Daichi were standing with the couple in the courtyard of the palace.

"I'm sure Izumi will be here any minute," Daichi assured his friends.

"Well, thank you for all your hospitality, Zuko," Tenzin bowed respectfully to the Fire Lord.

"You are both welcome here any time," Zuko assured him, bowing back, then grabbing Tenzin in a hug.

"Thank you for everything," Lin said, hugging Daichi then Zuko.

"Would you like one of us to send word if we find anything new about the man from the park?" Zuko asked hesitantly. Tenzin looked at Lin, signaling he would be fine with whatever she wanted.

Lin replied, "Yes. When I get back to work with Republic City PD, I may even use some of our resources to see if I can find anything as well."

"Okay, just remember 'Sometimes life is like this dark tunnel, you can't always see the light at the end of the tunnel, but if you just keep moving, you will come to a better place," Zuko offered.

Tenzin smiled, "That was one of your uncle's lines wasn't it?"

Zuko smiled back, but there seemed to be a hint of sadness in his, then replied, "Yes it was. Uncle Iroh always knew what to say for every occasion to make me feel better. I just try to continue that for him and for the people I love." Lin threw her arms around Zuko again and stifled a sob. When they broke apart, Tenzin wrapped an arm around his wife and kissed her forehead. Just then, Izumi appeared, walking as quickly as possible without disturbing the sleeping baby in her arms. She looked a little frazzled and very tired.

"Please, no sudden movements or loud noises," she begged in a whisper, "Baby Iroh just went back to sleep and I started dozing when one of my maids reminded me you two were leaving."

"Do you want me to take my grandson?" Zuko offered.

"I can take him back to the room, Izumi," Daichi offered at the same time. Izumi looked relieved to have such an amazing support system.

"Okay, sure," she handed the baby off to its father then turned to give her best friend a big hug.

"I'm sorry for everything," Izumi whispered in her friend's ear. "I wish you nothing but the best from here on out because you deserve only the best." Lin squeezed her friend a little tighter in response.

"Thank you," she whispered back. She turned to Daichi who was holding the still sleeping baby. She leaned forward and Daichi tilted the baby so she could get a better look.

"He is absolutely precious," Lin told her friend, "I am so happy for you." She smiled, genuinely at her friend. Izumi's eyes were starting to tear up, but she wiped them away hastily, not wanting to cause her friends anymore pain.

"Thank you," Daichi said for his wife while she gathered herself, "We're very happy to have him and can't wait to see what kind of person he grows up to be."

"Well, he's got some great examples to show him how to be an excellent person," Tenzin complimented them.

"Thank you again for everything," Lin said to the trio of Fire Nation royalty.

"I hope we can see each other again, soon," Izumi told her friends.

"We'll start planning our next get together once we're back home," Lin assured her.

"Goodbye everyone," Tenzin said, waving at the group while he grabbed his wife bridal style and hopped onto Oogi. The flying bison took off on command and started carrying the couple back home to Republic City.

"Are you ready to be home?" Tenzin asked his wife after some time up in the air.

She shrugged, "I don't know. I think I'm ready to get back to some sort of routine and normalcy. I think it will help with the recovery."

"I sense a 'but' coming," Tenzin joked.

Lin rolled her eyes, "Yes, but, I'm nervous about what the media is going to do. I mean, they were all over my pregnancy once word got out. I hope the same doesn't happen about the incident."

Tenzin looked thoughtful for a moment then told her, "Well, we could always just say forget it and go on another vacation."

Lin smiled at her husband, "I guess it does pay to have our own personal flying bison to take us wherever we want whenever we want."

"Oogi does come in rather handy at times," Tenzin agreed.

"Anyway, there is something I've been looking forward to regarding our homecoming," she shared.

"Oh really? What's that?"

"Being married to you," she said cheesily, leaning close to her husband and kissing him.

Tenzin hummed into the kiss, then replied, "Yes, being married to you is the best part of our homecoming. Will you let me carry you into the threshold of our home when we arrive?"

"Only if you promise to carry me straight to bed, undress me immediately, and spend our first few hours home making love," she declared.

"Well that could be arranged if we delay seeing our family for dinner when we get back," he thought aloud.

"I could wait to eat. Besides, another kind of hunger is a little more pressing right now," she admitted.

"We don't have to wait to fulfill that," Tenzin told her, leaning over her, causing her to lie flat in the saddle.

"What happened to not wanting to give Oogi the oogies?" she reminded him.

"If you promise to be quiet, I don't think he'll know the difference," Tenzin whispered. Lin was about to laugh, but it was cut off by a deep, passionate, open mouthed kiss that Tenzin had started. She opened her mouth in return, allowing his tongue to move around her mouth. When Tenzin pulled away, he saw Lin's eyes had darkened, her pupils going large as she stared at the man she loved.

Tenzin smiled down at her, "You are absolutely beautiful and I love that you are mine." She smiled back, then pulled him down to continue their kissing. Tenzin moved from her mouth and planted kisses all along her jaw, moving down her neck, pausing at her cleavage. He quickly untied the dress she had been wearing and started to kiss her breasts. His mouth covered one nipple, sucking gently, while his hand moved to the other, rubbing and squeezing it. Lin moaned at his touch and Tenzin grew harder thinking about how turned on his wife was.

"It's getting a little chilly up here," Lin said between heavy breaths, "And it's no fair that I'm partially nude and you're still fully dressed."

"I want to take my time with you, love," he told her, "Be patient and you'll be fulfilled."
"I don't want to be patient right now," she whined, "I want you in me."

Tenzin smiled at his wife, "As you wish." He quickly tugged his pants down, exposing his erect cock. Lin moved the skirt of her dress out of the way and spread her legs a little wider, allowing Tenzin to kneel comfortably between them. Tenzin licked his two fingers on his hand and inserted them into Lin. She was already so wet and he didn't want to wait any longer either. He knew he could take his time with her, make proper love to her when they got back to Republic City. Out here, flying over the ocean on his sky bison, after the tragedy that had occurred in the Fire Nation, Lin needed him as much as he needed her. She needed Tenzin to express his love in a physical way that he hasn't been able to in a couple weeks. Tenzin was not going to deny his wife this reassurance and quickly slid his cock inside of her. She immediately started rocking her hips before he was even in all the way. He tried his best to match her erratic rhythm, holding his release until he felt her walls quiver and clench around him.

After they both climaxed, Tenzin lay down next to his wife, the two of them breathing heavily. Tenzin lazily slid his pants back on as Lin wrapped her dress back around herself. Once they were both covered, Tenzin reached for his wife to snuggle closer. Lin obliged and scooted to him, resting her head in the crook of his arm while he draped the other over her waist.

"I love you, Lin. In this life and the next."

"I love you too, Tenzin, always."

A/N: I hope after the fluff and smut of this chapter, you can forgive me for breaking your hearts in the previous one. As always, please like/give kudos, comment, share with fellow Linzin shippers. I start work again tomorrow, but I'm so close to finishing this fic and hope to wrap it up within the month!