AN: I know. Three chapters in a week. What the heck. Don't get used to it, though. I can't think that my muse will be cooperating for much longer. So enjoy it while you can.

Warnings for violence and fighting in this chapter.

"Of course we're not going to give them Kuvira," Lin snarled into the receiver. "We don't negotiate. We find them, and we take Su back. I've got reinforcements on their way from Republic City….No. That's a shit idea. What the hell do you now about hostage negotiation anyway?...Call me back when you actually have something useful to say." Lin slammed down the phone, and Kuvira flinched. "Idiots. I can't believe Su pays these people to work for her. What a waste of her inheritance."

"They still haven't found anything?" Baatar asked. There were dark circles under his eyes that Kuvira knew matched her own. Neither of them had slept at all that night, and even though Lin had taken charge when she had arrived just an hour after the demands were made, they had stayed up with her through the night. Kuvira knew that even if they had gone back to their rooms, neither of them would have slept anyway.

"No. Not yet. These people are professionals. Really covered their tracks." She glanced over at Kuvira. "And you're sure you have no idea who they are?"

"I already told you." She was exhausted, and she was so worried about Suyin, she thought she might shake apart. "All the letters I got are somewhere in Republic City. They might tell you something, but I didn't ever write back to anyone who talked about…this sort of thing."

"No one ever suggested kidnapping Su?"

"No. Not that I remember." She narrowed her eyes at Lin. "I hope you're not suggesting that I would knowingly withhold information that could help us find Su."

"I'm coving all my bases, kid. Sometimes you don't remember something until someone asks the right question."

"I told you everything I know." She rubbed her hands over her face, and Baatar slid an arm over her shoulder. She felt like she didn't deserve his comfort. It was at least partially her fault that this had happened. If she had never tried to unite the Earth Kingdom….If she had not taken it too far…These people were doing this because of her. He should hate her, but here he was, the husband of the woman she loved, trying to help her. She took his hand, lacing their fingers tightly together.

"Lin, Kuvira's exhausted. She's told you everything." He looked up at his sister in law. "She needs to rest."

"I'm not going to sleep until I know Su is safe," Kuvira growled. "I want to go. I want to come with you to look for her."

"No way," Lin said, shaking her head. "That's exactly what they want to happen. You haven't eaten or slept in way too long, and you're not a strong enough bender to take."

Kuvira wanted to be angry, but she did not have the energy. Instead, she just sank farther into Baatar, letting her head drop almost all the way to her knees, leaning sideways so that his arms supported her.

"I can't just do nothing," she said, her hands muffling her words. "It's my fault they're here. If I hadn't-"

Baatar shifted so that he could take her jaw in his hand, forcing her to meet his eyes. "This is not your fault. You never asked these people to do this. You have done nothing but try to distance yourself from your past actions. You can't control what these people do, and you can't blame yourself for the actions of others."

She jerked away from him, standing abruptly. "I wish people would stop saying that to me! It is my fault. They're my supporters. This group wouldn't even exist without me. I can't pretend like I have no responsibility here! If anything happens to her-" She broke off and pressed her hand to her mouth. "If anything happens, it will be on me."

"That's it," Lin said. "You're going to bed. Now. I'll have some tea made that will help you sleep. You're useless like this, and I don't have time for uselessness."

"Lin, just let her-"

"That goes for you, too, Baatar." She pinned them both under a fierce glare. "You know how much hell I'll get if Su gets back here and the two of you look like shit? Go to bed. I'll wake you if anything happens."

After more arguing, Kuvira finally let Hua lead her back to her rooms and let her administer the sleeping aid Lin had prescribed. She was sure it wouldn't work, that she was much too worked up to sleep, but despite her best efforts, she soon found herself drifting off.

She did not dream, or if she did she didn't remember any of it. That must have been due to the sleeping aid. When she woke, she felt well-rested and content for a moment before she remembered why she had been sent to bed. With a deep shuddering breath, she pushed herself up and dressed as quickly as she could.

Judging by the sun, it was midafternoon. She had not taken the time to look at her clock. She had barely taken the time to braid back her hair, dashing out of her door without even waiting to see if a guard was there to escort her. When she did see that there was one, she did not take the time to see who it was, instead she jogged to Suyin's office, where she assumed Lin would be. The retired chief was sitting at the desk, looking haggard. Baatar was not there.

"Any word?" Kuvira asked as she skidded into the room, panting from the trip. She really needed to start building her stamina.

"I told you I'd come find you if there was," Lin said, barely looking up. She was hunched over a map of Zaofu which had been gridded off. There were lines through about half the squares. Kuvira rounded the desk and leaned over the map. She scanned the areas Lin had checked, frowning.

"You're looking in the wrong places."

"We're looking everywhere," Lin snapped.

"Look, I know this city better than you do." Even though she had been gone for over a decade, she had spent the last couple of months studying plans and blueprints of Zaofu, looking for different projects she could take on in the future. She was deeply familiar with the layout of the city, and with any changes that had been made in the last ten years. She reached for a pencil and circled three grids that Lin had not yet marked off. "These are areas you should focus on. Here is where the old sewer tunnels have been disconnected from the new ones. A good place to hide. A lot of them are filled with sand, which could inhibit any attempts at seismic sensing." She pointed to the next grid. This section of tunnel is under an aquifer. It's deep and isolated and can't be sensed through bending." Finally she pointed at the last place she circled. Outside the city. "And here, there are caves in the mountains, hard to access, easy to defend. If I were these Uniters, one of these places is where I would take Su."

"How would they know about this?"

Kuvira shrugged. "Who knows how long they've been in the city, scoping things out. I've been here for months, and my release has been in the words for over a year. That's plenty of time for them to move here and set up shop. As I understand it, Zaofu has grown immensely in the last ten years. It used to be a tight knit city, where everyone knew everyone, but that's not the case anymore. It would be easy for someone to come in unnoticed."

Lin studied the map for a second more. She then picked up the phone and quickly dialed. "Get me blue prints of the city….Well, how should I know where they are? Just get them!" She hung up before whoever was on the other end could answer.

"I know where to get the blueprints," Kuvira said. "Baatar keeps copies of everything in his office. I know exactly how it's organized." She had picked up his system years ago, and had been re-familiarized with it in the last few months.

"Well, go get them," Lin insisted, waving her hand impatiently.

"Right." Kuvira walked briskly from the room, breaking into a run as soon as she was out the door. The guard behind her sighed, jogging to catch up. Even though her lungs protested, Kuvira sprinted down the hall until she was outside Baatar's office. The door was already open, and Baatar sat at the desk with his head in his hands. Kuvira turned to her guard and whispered, "Stay out here."

Baatar looked up at her. "Did you sleep?" he asked.

"Yes. You?"

"Some. A few hours." He rubbed his temple. "I've been using those sleep aides for so long that I've built up somewhat of a tolerance."

"Have you been in here alone?"

"Huan was with me for a while. He's gone to keep Kaori company. Keep her from getting too worried."

"I see."

"Opal is on her way here, as are the twins."

Kuvira hesitated over her next question, guilty that her first thought was of her own comfort. "And Jr.?"

"I don't know. I called…he said he'd try to get here." Baatar looked away. "The last time he was here…it didn't really end well. I don't think Su wanted you to know."

"What happened?"

"He said some…rather immature and cruel things about you, and Su…was not going to tolerate that." He gazed out the window, eye glazed, distracted. "She told him not to come back until he could accept that you were going to be part of the family."

The guilt twisted inside her. She wondered if Suyin would ever have a good relationship with Jr. Especially if she continued to be a part of Suyin's life. She was the big point of contention between them, though there were plenty of underlying issues such as his feelings of inadequacy and his need to get out from his parents' shadows. But none of that compared to the stress and tension his involvement with her had caused.

She understood why Suyin had not told her about this, because she immediately felt like apologizing, like insisting that she just drop the whole thing. She didn't want to be the cause of this estrangement any longer. Suyin's relationships with her children were more important than her relationship with Kuvira.

"I'm sorry, Baatar. I didn't know," she said, trying to keep her emotions under control.

"We didn't want you to worry about it. Jr. has to come to terms with this, and there's no point in causing you more pain over something you can't change." He looked tired, and though his words were genuine, she thought he sounded slightly irritated. Of course. His wife was missing, his son estranged. He didn't have time for her own issues. Not when she was the cause of his. Kuvira tried not to shrink into herself, embarrassed by her self-involvement.

When she gave him no reply, Baatar looked back at her, brows furrowed. As his eyes swept over her face, his shoulders sagged. "Oh, Kuvira. I didn't mean to sound…It's been a long day…." He pushed himself up and held out a hand. "Come here. Please."

She obeyed, and he hugged her close, dropping his nose to her hair. "We don't regret having you here, and Suyin does not regret saying that to Jr. You're part of our life, and we want you happy. If he wants to visit us here, then he has to accept you, even if he doesn't like you. We didn't ask him to be you friend, we just asked him to be civil. If he can't manage that, then we will just have to go to Republic City when we want to see him."

"I don't deserve this," she croaked, her throat constricting over her voice. "I don't deserve this kindness. I don't deserve to be considered over your son. Why do you keep being so kind to me?"

He pulled back to look her squarely in the eye, his face serious. "Because we love you."

Kuvira's mouth fell open, unable to form words, unable to form thought. She knew what he meant. She knew it by the look in his eyes, and she didn't know what she was supposed to do with that information. It was so much, on top of everything that was already going on. She wished he hadn't said anything. She wished she could pretend she hadn't heard him. She wished she could rewind and just start this entire conversation over.

As she struggled, Baatar reached down and squeezed her hand. "You don't need to say anything. You don't need to do anything. You don't even have to acknowledge this. I don't expect anything from you, Kuvira. Nothing. This isn't meant to pressure you in any way. I only told you because I want you to understand why things with Jr. are the way they are. You're not just important to Su. You're important to us both."

"I can't do this," she rasped.

"You don't have to do anything. Please, nothing needs to change. I don't want anything from you other than your happiness. That's all that matters to me."

She drew her hand away from him, running it over her mouth. It was shaking, and she shut her eyes tightly, counting to ten. As she slowly let out her breath, she opened her eyes. "Lin needs blueprints of the city."

Baatar looked surprised by the abrupt change in topic, but he recovered quickly. "All right. What parts?"

"I'll-I'll show you." She walked over to his files, giving him a wide berth in case he felt the need to touch her. She knew he meant well, and she knew that under normal circumstances, she would be able to handle this, but even with a few hours of sleep she was still stretched to her emotional limit. He must have sensed this, for he stayed out of her way as she shuffled through his carefully organized blueprints. She pulled the ones she knew Lin would need. "I'll have these back to you. I think…we've narrowed down where they could be holding Su."

"I'll come with you."

She wanted to balk, to say no, but how could she? This was his wife of nearly forty years. The mother of his children. Her emotional discomfort was nothing to that.

"All right." So instead of sprinting back like she had planned, she jogged, slow enough that Baatar would not get too far behind. She was careful not to push hard enough to trigger and asthma attack for him.

Lin was shouting into the phone again when they returned, and Kuvira noticed that she had rearranged Suyin's desk. It was still neatly organized, but in a completely different configuration. "You should have told me the moment you found it!...That's not good enough!" She glanced at Kuvira and Baatar. "Get up here. Now!"

"I have the blueprints," Kuvira said, holding them out. Lin took them.

"We've got a new problem."

"What?" Baatar asked, and even though Kuvira was shaken by his confession, she felt the urge to take his hand. She refrained, however, and waited for Lin to give them more bad news.

"The scouts found another set of demands. They were left at the front steps."

"What do they want?" Kuvira asked with apprehension.

Lin looked at her with what could have been pity. "They're demanding we give them Kuvira by the end of the day, or they'll start sending Su back to us in pieces."

Baatar paled, and Kuvira felt sick. She feared they would both vomit, and she had to close her eyes as images of Suyin being tortured assaulted her brain.

"Spirits," Baatar whispered. "We have to find her."

"We're working on it," Lin said, annoyed. "What the hell do you think I've been doing the last twelve hours?"

"Not enough, clearly!"

"As if you could do a better job." Lin gave him a sneer, and Kuvira knew what she had to do. This was because of her, and she would be the one to end it.

"I most certainly think I could," Baatar proclaimed as Lin snorted. Their voices were both raised, and Kuvira knew they would continue to escalate unless she stopped them.

"I'll do it," she said, interrupting their argument. They both looked at her, Lin frowning and Baatar with shock and fear.

"What?" he said quietly.

"Trade me. Please."

"No way," Lin said. "Absolutely not. As if I would let a convicted criminal into the hands of a terrorist group."

"Kuvira, that's not an option," Baatar said, concern laced in his voice.

"I'm going. You give them me, and save Su. You can worry about me later. They won't hurt me. They need me." She was thinking fast, knowing she had very little time to convince them to let her do this. "I go in, you get Su, and then I fight my way out."

"Kid, that plan might have worked ten years ago when you were at your peek, but not now." Lin sighed. "You just don't have the strength right now."

"I do." Kuvira knew it wasn't true, but Lin didn't know that. Not for sure. She wasn't there every day watching Kuvira's progress. She didn't know how far she had come or hadn't come. Only Suyin knew that. And she wasn't there. "I know I look thin, but my bending is solid. Maybe not where it was before, but I can take out a group of kidnappers."

"We don't even know how many there are," Lin argued. "Even at your best, could you have taken out a group of twenty? Thirty?"

"Yes. I could and I did. I was the greatest earthbender of my time. Maybe even better than Toph." It was a bold statement, and Lin's eyes narrowed, clearly unconvinced and possibly offended. "If not the best earthbender, then certainly the greatest metalbender. And I've gotten back a lot of those skills. I'm efficient and fast and dangerous. I can handle myself."

Lin stared at her hard, and Baatar looked at her, unbelieving. "You can't possibly be considering this!"

"It's the best plan we have," Lin said.

"It's ridiculous!"

"I didn't say it was a good plan. Just that it was better than no plan." She frowned at Kuvira. "I'm not sure I believe you. I think you're still regaining your strength, but be that as it may, you're probably still twice the bender of anyone they have. Probably. And that might be a risk we have to take."

"I can't let you do this," Baatar said. "I forbid it. As Kuvira's guardian."

Lin shook a finger at him. "Sorry, only Su is her guardian. And if Su isn't here, it falls to me, not you. And I'm going to give my okay. Reluctantly. And you're going to be tailed by the best benders I can find out of Su's sorry excuse for a security force."

"Delun, Ming, and Hua," Kuvira supplied. "They're the best. I watch them train every morning."

"All right, I'll take your word on it." She blew out a sigh. "They gave us a meeting place. We can assume they'll be watching all approaches, so this has to be done very carefully." Lin laid out the blueprints, pointing to a secluded corner of the city that was rarely frequented by Suyin's security force. "This is where they want to meet. Do either of you know any alternative routes in and out?"

Baatar glanced at Kuvira before moving in to lean over the desk. He was close to her, but she did not back away. She needed to see. "Right here," Baatar said, pointing to a small sewer pipe. "On almost all the official city plans, it's been marked as being filled when we put in the new sewer system. But in reality, we never got around to it. It's empty. I doubt they know that. It's been sealed and locked with platinum."

Lin rolled her eyes. "Platinum sewers. See this is why people hated you all and why they were so quick to follow Kuvira here. Do you know how much food that could buy a family for a year? Or ten years?"

"We know that, Lin," Baatar growled, startling Kuvira with his animosity. "That's not important right now. What's important is that it can only be opened with a special tool. Which we have and they don't."

"Your team can come up that way once the exchange is made," Kuvira said. "Our priority needs to be getting Su away. Who knows what…what they've done to her. She may need medical attention."

"I already have a healer on call and Kya is coming in with Opal."

Kuvira hoped that Suyin wouldn't need a healer of Kya's caliber. She also knew not to keep her hopes up. The type of people they were dealing with wouldn't hesitate to seriously injure Suyin if they had to. Maybe even if they didn't have to. Kuvira tried not to think about that. She had to focus on the task at hand. Especially if she hoped to have any chance at all of fighting her way out.

She and Lin and Baatar formulated a plan, which she knew none of them had complete faith in. But time was running out for Suyin, and they had to act fast.

An hour before sunset, Kuvira was dressed in inconspicuous clothes that were not designed for fighting. She and Lin had agreed it would better to deal with the constrictions of the clothes in order to keep down the suspicions of the kidnappers. She was being escorted through Zaofu to the arranged meeting place. The group, led by Lin, took back streets to keep the citizens from becoming alarmed. Kuvira kept breathing in her meditation counts to keep herself calm, walking behind Lin, flanked by Delun and Ming, with Hua bringing up the rear. There were other guards spread out around them, traveling through the shadows, keeping out of sight. As the approached the meeting place, her escort dropped off, leaving her with just Lin. That was the agreement. She grew more nervous, unsure if she could actually pull this off. Of course, she was more than willing to sacrifice herself for Suyin. If she could not fight her way out, just knowing that Suyin was safe would be enough for her.

She also knew it would not be enough for Suyin.

"We're here," Lin said, coming to a stop. The former Chief of Police surveyed their surroundings, frowning. Kuvira knew what had her so unhappy. They had horrible vision, and an even worse vantage point. There were numerous entrances and exits, too many to cover with just the two of them. "You ready for this?"

Kuvira nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She had to be ready. For Suyin's sake. There was no other option.

"All right. Here we go." Lin took her arm roughly, shoving her forward, and called out, "Here she is! You Great Uniter. Bring Suyin out, and we'll make a trade."

"You think we're stupid?" called a voice from the shadows. "Step away from the Great Uniter, Beifong."

"Just do it, Lin," Kuvira pleaded softly. Reluctantly, Lin let go and took a step back.

"Now leave, slowly."

"Not without my sister."

"We know you've got back up waiting." The voice laughed. "Or had. We've taken out the idiots you had following you. It's just the two of you."

Kuvira did her best not to glance at the sewer cover to Lin's left, where Delun, Ming, and Hua were supposed to be waiting. She hoped they were not among the ones these Uniters had found.

Lin took it in stride, raising a brow. "I had to try, didn't I? Just give me my sister, and you can have Kuvira. She's not much these days anyway."

The barb hurt, even if it was just for show, and she decided to play it up just a bit.

"Shut up, old woman," she said, lifting her chin, hoping her bravado was close enough to her confidence of old that it fooled the Uniters. "You're out gunned here." She rolled her shoulders, hating how easily she fell back into the façade. How easily the smirk spread across her lips. "You think I wouldn't run at the first chance? How foolish of you to think this was anything but a set up." Confidently, she took a step forward. "Whoever you are, you have my thanks. I've been trying to get out of that place for months. Just hand over Suyin, and we can leave. She's nothing, anyway."

A shadow moved to her left, and two masked figures came forth, Suyin's limp body carried between them. It was only because she had been preparing for this possibility that Kuvira did not gasp. Behind her, Lin growled, and Kuvira knew she had to think fast to keep the situation under control.

"Is she intact?" she asked, hoping she sounded haughty. "I won't have it be said that my followers are liars. We're better than that. Better than Beifongs." Her lip rose in a sneer, and she heard the figures chuckle.

"We knew they hadn't changed you," the one nearest her said. "We always knew you were just biding your time, Great Uniter."

"Of course. I always have a plan. You will be rewarded for your loyalty once we get free of this city." She jerked her head to Lin. "Let her have Suyin. As a gesture of good will. I can assure you, they won't be able to follow us with that dead weight to take care of." She got a good look at Suyin's face, her stomach doing flops as she saw bruising and swelling and blood. She didn't want to think about what the rest of her body looked like. She only hoped there was no serious damage.

"We'll let them have her once you're clear, Ma'am."

"Of course. No need to take chances." She looked back at Lin casually, letting her head tilt in a lazy smirk of disdain. "Can't say it's been a pleasure, Chief." She made the word sound like a curse. "Tell your sister that pretending to care about her was the worst time of my life." Kuvira gave a flippant wave, and she could see Lin wrestling with herself, her nostrils flaring and her fists clenched. But Kuvira knew she would stay with Suyin and not follow. Kuvira stepped into the shadows, looking around for someone to follow. Two figures dropped from the fire escapes of surrounding buildings.

"This way, Great Uniter." She inclined her head in acknowledgement, following them through the alley, forcing herself to refrain from looking back. Suyin was safe now. She was with Lin, and everything would be fine. Along the way, more figures joined them until she now had an entourage of around twenty people. Inwardly, she cursed. Even with her back up, which may or may not be coming, this would be a hard fight.

"They'll be coming for me," she said to the nearest person. "How are we getting out of the city?"

"Sewers, Ma'am," the person replied in a feminine voice. "I know it's not dignified, but it's the best we could do."

"No need to apologize. I've suffered worse." A small part of her, a very small part, relished in this power she now held. These people would do whatever she asked, they may even die for her. To them, she was not the broken, pathetic prisoner. She was still awe inspiring, still strong, still a leader worth following. To them, she was still someone. And that felt good. Terrifyingly good. With some effort, she tried to quash that small voice and focus instead on where they were going. Her back up was supposed to show up any minute now, and surprise was their only advantage. Kuvira estimated that she could take down three or four of them before they realized she wasn't actually on their side. After that….it was up in the air. She had no idea how talented these people were, and she did not know how long her own body would hold out in an all-out fight. The variables were anything but certain, and she knew that the odds were not in her favor.

In front of her, the leader of the group halted, holding up their fist to signal the rest of the group to do the same. Kuvira wanted to ask what was happening, but she knew that would be out of character. The old her would just accept that she needed to stay still and stay quiet. And for the moment, she still needed them to believe that was who she was. So she kept her eyes forward, letting her senses strain to try and hear, feel, anything.

Beside her, there was a whirl of wind and the Uniter to her left went down with a grunt.

"What the hell-" The one to her right met a similar fate. After just a second's hesitation, Kuvira called out to the metal in the fire escapes next to them and flicked strips of iron at the two Uniters closest her. She caught them both around their ankles and wrists, sending them sprawling. By now, the rest of the group realized what was happening. They turned to Kuvira, and she knew that her cover was blown and she was possibly about to fight for her life.

"You betrayed us," one of them said, voice full of shock and disgust. "They've brain washed you."

"No." She couldn't say more, because they turned on her, trying to wrap her in earth and metal. Luckily, she had estimated correctly. None of them were at her caliber, even in her weakened state. There were, however, many more of them than there were of her. The only good news was that she could see Hua out of the corner of her eye, which meant her backup had not been compromised.

She slammed her foot down, sending out a ripple through the earth that took down a few Uniters. It wasn't enough to knock them out, but it was enough to keep them busy for a few moments, long enough for Delun to fling metal cables around them. The problem was that at least a few of them were metal benders, as well, and were working to free their captive comrades. Kuvira knew they would have to take these few out in a different manner.

Loathing the violence she was reduced to, loathing how it ignited her blood and giving her a rush like she hadn't felt in years and years, she targeted the Uniters she thought were the most talented. Even as her body tired, she pushed herself, keeping up a barrage of attacks on the Uniters, never giving them time to regroup, regain their footing. She finally knocked one out, turning to see how well the others were fairing. She had to suppress a groan when she saw Hua lying still in the alley. She could not tell if the younger woman was still breathing, and she could not go check.

Swallowing her nausea, Kuvira focused on taking down the remaining two metal benders. They were also focused on her. She was sure that Delun was a stronger bender than she was, but the Uniters seemed to think she was the biggest threat.

As she felt her muscles burn, she wished that was true.

Ten years ago, she would have been able to take each and every one of these Uniters on her own, simultaneously. With very minimal effort. Ten years ago, this fight would have already been over. Ten years ago, she would have been faster, stronger, better.

Ten years ago, she would have dodged the sliver of metal hurled her way.

The pain pierced her side, causing her to cry out and fall to her knees. Her hand flew to the wound, and she gasped in horror to find a piece of metal still lodged in her flesh. The pain was excruciating, clouding her vision. Gathering herself, for she liked to think she still had some discipline, she flung out a scrap of the fire escape she had used earlier, taking minimal satisfaction when she heard a pained yelp, signaling that it had found its mark.

That was all she could manage, though, before her vision closed in and her strength gave out. Dimly, she was aware that she was bleeding quite profusely, and she lost her grip on consciousness.

She hoped Suyin wouldn't be too angry with her.

A sharp, unrelenting pain in her side woke her, and she had trouble gaining her bearing. The skyline was facing the wrong way, and the entire world seemed to bounce up and down. After a moment, she realized she was being jostled between two people who were running through the street, carrying her by her shoulders and legs.

"Careful!" That sounded like Ming. "She's already lost a lot of blood. Try not to kill her any faster!"

"I'm doing my best!" Delun. Odd. She would not have expected him to care about her well-being. "She's heavier than she looks."

"Shut up and run."

Kuvira tried to call to them, tried to ask about Hua, but her voice would not work, and as they passed over a rough place in the road, the pain in her side flared again, sending her back into unconsciousness.

When she woke again, there were bright lights over her, and a lot of people shouting. She could not make out what they said, but their tones suggested they were all very angry. Over what, she could not be sure. Someone pressed a cloth to her face, and she lost reality again.

The third time she woke, there was calm around her instead of chaos, and there was a figure next to her. She groaned as the world came into focus. Her side still hurt, but it was more sore than biting. She tried to sit up, but strong hands grasped her shoulders and kept her down.

"No you don't. That was a nasty injury, and you still have a lot of healing to do." Kya. "Good thing I was here. I don't know if any of Su's healers would have been able to handle it."

"Su!" She tried to sit up again, but Kya kept her pressed against the pillows.

"She's all right. A little beat up, but nothing permanent. Though she's exceptionally angry at you. After she's done with you, you may wish I'd let you die." She gave Kuvira a smile. "Lin told her this was all your idea. Threw you right under the train. She and Baatar have already gotten their lectures, so yours is sure to come when she hears you're awake."

Kuvira let out a sigh of relief. It had worked. They'd gotten Suyin back. But….At what cost? "Kya…the others? Did we…did we lose anyone? Hua was down, and I didn't see…I couldn't tell-"

"She's all right, too. Just a concussion. A pretty bad one, but nothing she won't heal from."

"Thank the spirits."

"There were a few serious injuries, but no one died. Not on our side, at least."

"The Uniters?"

"Yes. From what Lin says, they wouldn't go without a fight." Here, Kya glared at Kuvira. "She also told me that you said you were ready and fit to fight, which we both know is absolutely untrue."

"I won't be sorry for lying. She would never have let me go otherwise."

"I know I'll never be able to convince you otherwise. At least Lin's having fun interrogating the Uniters we captured."

"Did we get them all?"

"No. Lin thinks about five of them got away."

Kuvira groaned, covering her eyes with her hand. She had hoped this problem would go away, that these Uniters would just leave. Somehow, she doubted this was the end.

"The Security force is sweeping the city, but I doubt they'll find anything," Kya informed her. "I also don't think the Uniters will try anything for a good while. Not with this disaster. Su's going to increase security in and out of the city, including any underground entrances."

Kuvira nodded. It was exactly what she would have done if the decision were up to her.

"I should tell her you're awake. She won't rest until she knows you're all right. I just wanted to give you a head's up so you could prepare."

"Thanks. I want to see her."

Kya left, and Kuvira tried to center herself, ignoring the pain from her wound. She could tell now that it was bandaged, which mean they hadn't been able to close it fully. She probably had stitches, but perhaps the internal damage had been lessened.

"Kuvira."

Suyin stood in the door, supported by Baatar and a crutch. Her left cheek was still bruised, but the swelling Kuvira has seen earlier was greatly reduced.

"Su." Kuvira wanted to say more, but she didn't have the words.

"You foolish, stubborn woman," Suyin said. "You could have gotten yourself killed."

"I couldn't let them hurt you more."

Suyin looked to Baatar, and he helped her hobble over to Kuvira, taking the seat Kya had left. Baatar placed a kiss to her cheek then left the room, hesitating like he wanted to touch Kuvira, too. She widened her eyes at him and he moved past her, face falling. She would address whatever was between them, she would have to eventually. But not now. Not until she felt stronger. For now, she turned to Suyin.

"I thought I'd lost you," she said softly. "I've never been more scared."

"I could say the same." Suyin reached out to touch Kuvira's cheek. "I was awake when they carried you in. You were so pale, so still. I thought…but you were still alive."

"Have you let Kya look at you?"

"I have. Lin made me."

"That's good. You need to rest." Kuvira looked down at her sheets. "Su, I need…I want to say something."

"All right."

"I know that I…have been insistent about moving slowly with…us." She swallowed, unable to look at Suyin. "But tonight….the last twenty-four hours…I don't want anything to happen to either of us without telling you this." She appreciated that Suyin did not interrupt her, but part of her wished she would just say something, make this easier. "I've been trying for weeks now, to figure out exactly what it is I feel for you, and I…well, I feel like I know now." Finally turning her eyes to Suyin, she said, "I love you."

Suyin's mouth opened slightly in a surprised 'O.' She stayed still for a moment, then leaned forward to gingerly kiss Kuvira. At that moment, it didn't matter that their legal arrangement was problematic. It didn't matter that there were infinite obstacles between them. It only mattered that they were both alive to share this. That they had both made it through.

When Suyin broke the kiss, she laced her fingers with Kuvira's and smiled at her. "I love you, too. And I'll forgive you for your incredible recklessness and for lying to Lin and making her think you were ready for such a task. I understand why you did it, and it would be…hypocritical of me to condemn you for it."

"I couldn't think of anything better. I'm just sorry Hua got hurt."

"She's more worried about you." Suyin leaned back in the chair, wincing as her bruised body protested. "One good thing has come of this. My children are now here to see me. So thank you for that."

"All of them?"

Suyin's face darkened, and her jaw set tightly. "No. Jr. hadn't made up his mind by the time you rescued me. Now that I'm safe, he's not coming."

"You should have told me what happened with him."

"I didn't want you to feel worse about it. Anyway…I'm not going to let it ruin my visit with Opal and the twins."

"I'll…stay out of the way."

"You'll stay right here until Kya says you can leave. After that…we'll see." Suyin looked out the window. "In light of recent events, certain opinions on you may have changed. You did risk your life to save me, after all."

"That reminds me…Huan knows. About us."

Suyin's head snapped back to look at her. "Shit."

"He said he figured it out a while ago. He's….I think he's all right with it. I don't think he'll say anything to Opal or the twins. He…I think he understands."

"This is not ideal, but I suppose it could be worse."

Kya returned then, and shoed Suyin out, ordering them both to rest. She then drew the curtains in Kuvira's room, blocking out the light. And despite the fact that she had just slept for what could have been no less that twelve hours, Kuvira quickly drifted back off. Though her sleep was relatively peaceful, there was still a knot of anxiety in the pit of her stomach.

They were not in the clear yet.