AN: I hope you all enjoy this chapter full of love, weddings, and drama.

warnings include gendered slurs from Jr.

The smell from the flowers was almost overwhelming as Kuvira swept between the tables in the reception tent. Each table had its own centerpiece of lilies, and their aroma filled the tent. She checked each table to make sure the flowers were set up to Suyin's standards. A last once over before the guests started arriving. The flower in her own hair matched, and she had to be careful not to disturb it as she worked. She was almost certain that the staff had perfectly set up the reception area, but Suyin had insisted that Kuvira double check. And today, of all days, Kuvira simply did as she was told, just like she had when she was Suyin's captain. Tomorrow, the wedding would be over, and Suyin would be back to normal. So for now, everyone was catering to her whims.

Once she had checked every table, she went to Huan's room to see how close he was to being ready. The wedding planner had asked her to do this, seeing as he couldn't because Suyin had demanded that he come with her to go over the order of service one last time. The poor man had looked properly harassed, and Kuvira knew he regretted accepting this job.

"Oh, Kuvira," Huan said when he let her in. "I'm glad you're here. I have something for you."

"For me?"

He went over to the corner to pick up a canvas. "I'm sorry it took so long to finish. It gave me more trouble than I thought. I've actually had it for a couple of weeks, but with the wedding stuff, I kind of forgot about it. Anyway, here." He handed turned it around, and Kuvira finally got to see the painting he had been working on for so long.

Even though she had seen him mixing the paint, the colors still surprised her. Most of Huan's work was bright, full of greens and yellows, abstract and bold. What he held up to her was almost monochromatic blue, dark and subdued. It was her, of course, with her head tilted down to the left, her eyes cast to the floor. The strokes were loose and easy, but she still could see herself in the features. Her nose, her mouth, her eyebrows. But the tone of the piece was so somber that she had a hard time recognizing herself.

Her throat closed up with emotion, and she pressed a hand to her lips. "It's…it looks beautiful." She looked up at Huan, unable to really articulate how she felt. She doubted that anyone had ever been able to look at her and see through all the walls she put around herself, see the vulnerabilities she held so close to her heart. Normally, she never wanted those vulnerabilities to be seen, but the way Huan had painted her…instead of looking weak, she looked contemplative, remorseful. "I don't know what to say."

"It's not my best work, but I'm pleased with it." He handed it to her, and Kuvira continued to stare. "I also was pretty sure you wouldn't want it."

"What?"

"I know you don't want a painting of yourself hanging in your room. I started it when you were living here, and I was planning on hanging it somewhere subtle, but now…If it's all right with you, I'd like to give it to Mom."

"I think she'd like that." Kuvira looked up at Huan. "My luck, though, she'll put it in the bedroom."

"I'm going to stop you right there," Huan said, holding a hand up. He was wearing a beautiful suit that Kuvira was sure cost enough to feed a family of five for a year, and his hair was pulled back for once. He looked very handsome, and very much like his mother. "No bedroom talk. I'm getting married, and I would very much appreciate if you didn't kill my mood for tonight."

Kuvira laughed. "Fair enough." She held the painting close to her. "Thank you for this. For seeing me like this."

"You're a horrible model, I hope you know that. But a very good muse." He quirked his mouth.

"Your mother wants to know if you're ready." Kuvira set the painting down. She would come back for it later. "The guests will be arriving soon, and you know how she is."

"Say no more. I'm ready." His smirk turned into a genuine smile. "I'm so ready."

"Yunru is so wonderful. You're a very lucky man."

Huan looked down and nodded. "I know. And for what it's worth, Kuvira, you make my mother a very lucky woman."

"Your support means so much to me. It's nice to know at least one of her kids is on my side." She touched his arm. "I'll let Su know you're ready. And good luck, Huan."

She returned to the reception area to find Suyin, and narrowly avoided running into Baatar Jr. He and his family had gotten in that morning, and it had been hell trying to stay away from him. But the effort was worth it if it meant preserving a perfect wedding for Huan.

When she found Suyin, speaking with the wedding planner and gesturing emphatically with her hands, she was momentarily frozen. Earlier that morning, she had not seen Suyin in her dress for the wedding, and now that she had, she was dumbstruck. It was not green as she had expected, but a dark gray and flowy in the skirt while being structured in the shoulders. It glittered and sparkled when the light caught it, but the neckline was what interested Kuvira most, as it plunged deeply, showing off the swells of Suyin's breasts. She also wore a long, hanging necklace that wrapped around her throat several times and dangled enticingly between her breasts, and her hair was pressed into waves and pinned back. Kuvira swallowed and looked down at her own dark green dress that had a much more modest neckline, cinched in at the waist. Conservative and somewhat plain, she had picked it out herself. Perhaps the first piece of clothing in months that she had gotten without Suyin's opinion, and now she worried that she would fail to impress with just a flower in her hair that was curled and pulled over her shoulder.

Her worries faded when Suyin looked up and saw her. The older woman's mouth opened slightly, and she touched her hand to her throat. Kuvira suppressed a smile as she walked over.

"Huan's ready," she said, and Suyin swallowed, her eyes raking slowly over Kuvira's frame.

"You look amazing."

Kuvira could no longer keep the smile from her lips. "I could say the same for you."

Suyin glanced down at herself. "This old thing?"

"Oh, please, Su. I know you had that custom made specifically for this." She gave a small chuckle. "I suppose it's good there's no bride to outshine, otherwise you'd be in trouble."

Suyin shrugged, but she looked pleased. "I had to take advantage."

"You'll be the envy of everyone."

"I don't know. Asami will be there, and if anyone can outshine my own fashion sense, it's her." Suyin sighed dramatically. "She refused to show me her dress, so I know it's going to be spectacular. A wedding without a bride, and everyone is taking the opportunity to wear their best dresses. Except Lin. She'll be wearing a pantsuit as usual."

"At least it's not her old uniform."

Suyin rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I think that everything is set up and ready." She took Kuvira's hands. "You, my dear, have been invaluable to me. I don't know how I could have gotten through this without you and Baatar keeping my sanity. Now, you deserve to relax and enjoy the evening. Go find Korra. She should be in their rooms still." Suyin gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Kuvira said. She squeezed Suyin's hand and then headed off to the guest rooms where most of the out of town guests were staying, including Korra, Asami and their children. Even Kuvira, Lin, and Kya were staying at the compound, in Kuvira's old rooms with Kya and Lin taking the bedroom and Kuvira sleeping on the couch. Which she thought was a little unfair.

Natsuko answered the door when Kuvira knocked, and let her inside. Korra was chasing a toddler around the room while Asami was standing in front of a mirror, pinning up her hair. She did indeed look beautiful, and her dress really would beat Suyin's, with its perfect red, perfect neckline, and plunging back that was crossed with strips of fabric. She looked stunning, but Kuvira still thought Suyin looked better. Of course, she could have been biased.

"Kuvira!" Korra gave her a tired smile as she finally caught the child. Korra's dress was a simple Water Tribe design that Kuvira knew she had worn to more than one event already, and she had her hair braided back. "We're just about ready. I've just got to drop the little ones off at the nursery." Suyin had arranged for child care for the guests who had younger children who could not sit through the ceremony.

"Oh, well, I could help you," Kuvira said.

Asami turned from the mirror, her face cold and closed. "I think it would be best if Korra went alone."

"Of course." Kuvira tried to swallow the hurt. She knew Asami had more than enough reasons to hate her, mainly the fact that Kuvira had killed her father. The few times they had met since then, Asami had been civil, which Kuvira knew was only because Korra ran interference. She understood if Asami didn't want her around their children.

"Asami," Korra said, turning to her wife, her expression full of pleading. "It's fine."

"No, Korra," Kuvira interrupted. "I understand. I can wait for you outside. Asami is already allowing me to sit with you, which is very gracious." She gave Asami an apologetic look. "I'll save us seats."

"Kuvira wait." Korra followed her out into the hall. "I'm sorry. About Asami."

"No, she had every right to hate me. I'd hate me, too, if I were her. It's already a lot that she's agreed to let me sit with you two."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. You should get back in there. Get the kids taken care of. I'll see you in the tent." Alone in the hall again, Kuvira sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. She looked up as she heard footsteps approaching.

"What are you doing here?" Baatar Jr. was coming down the hall, and Kuvira suddenly remembered that he was staying at the end of the hall with his family.

"Believe it or not, trying to stay out of your way."

He narrowed his eyes and leaned in close to her. "This is Huan's weekend, and that is the only reason I'm here, and the only reason I'm tolerating you."

"Try not to strain yourself," she growled. "But, you're right. It is Huan's weekend. And I care about him, so if you will agree to it, I would propose a truce for the weekend. We both stay on our best behavior. For your brother."

Jr. tilted his head, thinking it over. Kuvira hated how much he looked like his father, a man who was kind and generous and forgiving. A man who Kuvira thought she might, possibly, could be developing the beginnings of feelings for. She hated the entire situation, the fact that she was this wedge between a son and his parents.

"Fine. For Huan. But that doesn't mean I want to see you more than I have to." He sneered at her.

"I was just leaving." And because she was a bigger person, she refrained from giving him a rude gesture as she left. Guests were starting to flow into the tent, and Kuvira kept her head down, hoping not to draw attention to herself. She slipped into a back row of seats, making sure to save four for Korra, Asami, and their two eldest children.

Kya and Lin stopped by to say hello, but they were sitting up at the front with the family. Huan had asked her to sit with them, but she had decided not to push it with Baatar Jr. She also knew that if not for her, Korra and Asami would be sitting near the front, too.

She was trying to keep her anxiety levels down, trying not to look at any of the guests who could have grudges against her. Which would conceivably be a good number of them. Luckily, Korra and Asami showed up. Korra came up to sit next to her, and the two kids sat between her and Asami. Natsuko was the closest one to Kuvira, with her younger brother, Jin sitting next to Asami. Natsuko waved to Kuvira, but Jin eyed her warily. Natsuko was the only one of Korra's children who Kuvira had actually spoken to. Asami did a good job keeping the rest of them away.

"Jin, this is Mama's friend, Kuvira," Korra said. "She's who I come out here to visit all the time."

"Hi, Jin," Kuvira said, giving the boy a smile. Asami watched her carefully, but with a more neutral expression than what she had worn earlier. Kuvira wondered if Korra had said anything to her.

"Hi."

"He's shy," Asami explained. Her expression softened and warmed as she looked down at him, her hand resting on his hair. "Doesn't like all these people."

Kuvira looked down at him. "I don't like crowds either," she told him. "But we're at the back, and I promise, everyone will be looking at Huan and Yunru."

"Really?"

She nodded. "I'm certain. And if not, I promise you can have my piece of cake."

He surveyed her, lips pursed. "All right. Deal."

Natsuko looked at Kuvira from around Korra. "Not fair! He can't get extra cake."

"He's only getting the cake if he gets more attention than Huan," Korra said. "Relax. I'll make sure you get extra cake, too."

"Yes, just load them up on sweets," Asami said, rolling her eyes. "They'll be up all night."

"It's a chance for them to have fun," Korra said. "No big deal."

Asami looked like she wanted to say more, but then the music started, and she leaned back in her chair, shaking her head.

"Are you two all right?" Kuvira asked Korra quietly.

"What? Of course." She smiled. "Asami's a little tense right now. Some big stuff going on with the company." Korra knocked her shoulder. "We're fine, I promise." She lowered her voice as the wedding party entered. "We've been married for coming up on nine years. Bumps in the road happen, Kuvira. It's how you handle them that matters. Asami and I will be fine because tonight after the kids are asleep, I'm going to ask her to tell me what's bothering her, and we're going to talk until we've figured out if this tension is normal, or if there's some underlying reason. And because I love her more than anything except our children, I'm always going to do whatever it takes to make sure she's happy."

"Are you trying to tell me something?"

"Yeah, knucklehead. Honesty is always key." She pressed a finger to her lips. "Now shush before we miss anything."

Huan and Yunru walked down the aisle together, both smiling, with eyes only for each other. Kuvira watched them, happy for them. She could just see the back of Suyin's head, next to Baatar Sr. She ached to be up there with them, sharing this moment with them, but she settled for sharing it with them the next day. For now, she enjoyed the ceremony, blinking back happy tears by the end. Half because she was moved by the ceremony, and half because she had been included at all. That she had somehow found a place where people loved her. Loved her as much as the two men getting married loved each other.

Before she knew it, the ceremony was over, and Korra and Asami were guiding their children into the reception tent. Kuvira hesitated. Despite her protests, Suyin had included her in the seating arrangements, and she knew she had a spot at Korra's table. If she decided to go in. Her original plan had been to retreat back to her rooms and have an early night. But now….now that she had called a truce with Jr. she thought, perhaps, she could stick around long enough for cake.

"Kuvira?"

She looked up to see Wing standing at the end of her row of seats.

"Hey."

"Are you coming to the reception? I'd like to introduce you to my wife." He looked at her hopefully.

"I uh…Yes. I'm coming, yes." She rose and followed him into the reception tent, and tried to be properly humble and polite when he introduced her to his wife. She smiled and laughed when she was supposed to, and was glad that Wing was being so open and welcoming. She managed to get away before Opal showed up, knowing that she could not push that relationship yet. It was too soon. Opal still hated her. So she stayed and sat with Korra and Asami until the cake was cut. Which was when she decided she shouldn't press her luck anymore. Telling Korra that she was retiring to her room, Kuvira slipped out of the tent. In the cool night air, she felt grounded and centered.

She leaned against one of the support poles of the tent used for the ceremony, relishing in the quiet. The dim roar of the party still in the background. She was only slightly chilled in her dress. Not enough to drive her inside just yet.

"Kuvira?" Suyin was approaching her. "Are you all right?"

She gave Suyin a smile. "Yes. Just wanted to get some air before I went to bed. It was crowded in there. And I didn't want to push my luck. Everything's gone so well. I thought maybe I should just go to bed before anything could happen."

Suyin reached out and took Kuvira's hand. "Are you sure? It's a good party."

"Well, you did a good job putting it together."

"I'm just glad Huan and Yunru let me do it." She smiled sheepishly. "I know how hard I've been to deal with lately. You and Baatar are saints. And so are they." Her smile fell, and she sighed. "It's going to be so different without him at home. I'm so used to a big family around all the time. And one by one they leave me."

Kuvira squeezed her hand. "It's only natural for children to go out on their own."

"I know. That doesn't make it any easier. And my grandchildren all live so far away."

"Omashu is not that far away. But you should get back in there and spend time with them instead of being out here with me." Kuvira raised a brow.

Suyin smiled and shook her head. She leaned in and kissed Kuvira.

"Su," she said between kisses. "Someone will see."

"It's dark," Suyin said, a hand sliding down Kuvira's back to cup her ass. "We could be anyone."

Kuvira groaned, tipping her head back. Suyin did look so incredibly good in that dress, and Kuvira hadn't had time with her in a week. And everyone else was inside. So Kuvira continued to kiss Suyin, letting herself get lost in it.

"Mother!"

They broke apart, turning to see Baatar Jr. staring at them in horror.

"Shit," Suyin said, and Kuvira covered her mouth with a hand, twisted away. She pressed the other hand to her chest, because she felt certain that her heart was about to pound its way out of her chest.

"What the hell is going on?" Jr. demanded.

"It's not what it looks like," Suyin began, and Kuvira felt a pang of betrayal in her gut because she knew that Suyin was going to deny everything. Which was not unexpected. It was even logical. It was the smart thing to do, and Kuvira could not begrudge her wanting to try and salvage her relationship with her son. That didn't mean it hurt any less.

"It's not? Because it looks like you're cheating on Father with my ex-fiancé who tried to kill us all!"

Suyin looked at him levelly. "It's not cheating."

"What?"

"Your father knows."

"Su," Kuvira pleaded, suddenly very frightened about what could happen if Jr. exposed them, if Suyin made him angrier than he already was. "Don't."

Suyin looked at her, and her eyes were filled with a calm certainty. "It's going to be all right. I love you."

"You love her?" Jr.'s voice was raised. Suyin held her head high and placed herself in front of Kuvira, as if she needed physical protection.

"I do. We need talk, Jr. Let me get your brothers and sister and father, and can take this inside." She raised a hand, like she was approaching a caged animal. "Before you ruin Huan's wedding, please take a moment to think about him."

"You should have thought about him before you did this!" His voice held such venom, such disgust, that Kuvira had to bite her lip and keep her head turned away.

"I know you're upset, and I understand." She took slow steps towards him. "But please, let us explain."

"What's there to explain?"

"The fact that your father is a part of this."

His face twisted into an ugly snarl. "That makes it worse, not better!"

"Jr…Baatar. Please, son. Please just let us go inside and talk. Please don't make a scene here. Think of Huan."

His jaw worked tightly, and took several shuddering breaths. "Fine. But only for Huan."

"Go find your father, and I'll find your sister and brothers. Meet us in the salon." She watched him walk away for a moment, her body stiff.

"Su."

Suyin turned and gathered Kuvira into her arms. "It's going to be all right. We'll talk him down."

"But the others. You're going to tell them."

"I don't want to, but we have to now." She pressed her face into Kuvira's hair, and Kuvira could feel her trembling despite all the calmness she tried to portray with Jr. "Because if we don't tell them, Jr. will. And I would rather them hear it from us without his spin on it."

"You should go find them," Kuvira said, pulling away. "Before he does."

"Do you want to wait in the salon?"

"That would be best, I think."

"I'm sorry, love." Suyin took her face in her hands. "I'm so sorry. I should have listened to you."

"It's all right. Go. I'll see you in a few minutes." She watched as Suyin walked back to the party, and she took a moment to shore herself up. This confrontation promised to be the hardest of her life. Including that first conversation she had with Suyin in prison. When she felt she could move, she walked inside to the salon, where she was the first person to arrive. Kuvira didn't drink, didn't want to ever lose that control over herself, but in that moment she wished that she did. She wished there was a drink waiting for her that she could use to steady her nerves.

Baatar Sr. and Jr. arrived shortly after, with Jr. seething quietly, shooting Kuvira death glares. Before he could tear into her, though, Suyin arrived with the rest of the children.

"What's going on?" Opal asked as they took their seats around the room. Suyin and Baatar Sr. both sat by Kuvira, one on each side, flanking her with supportive protection. "Mom? Dad?"

"Mother is fucking her," Jr. spat, and Kuvira flinched, looking down at the floor as her cheeks burned. Suyin placed a hand on her back. "And apparently Father is fine with this."

Opal and the twins looked at them with shock and confusion.

Wing shook his head. "I don't…I don't understand."

"I caught Mother and that…cheater making out with their hands all over each other," Jr. revealed.

"Is that true?" Wei asked, the betrayal clear on his face.

"It's true," Suyin said. "Your father and I have an arrangement with our marriage. We love each other very much, but I have…had other relationships in the past. Always with his knowledge, and always with his approval."

"What?" Opal looked like her entire world had fallen apart, and Kuvira wanted to sink through the couch and into the floor. She just kept hurting people she cared about.

"Kids," Baatar Sr. began. "I know this is hard for you to wrap your minds around, but everything is fine between me and your mother. This is how it's always been, and we didn't think you ever needed to know this part of our relationship."

"But…But Kuvira?" Opal shook her head, her chest rising and falling rapidly. "Of all people, Kuvira?"

"I love her," Suyin said softly, and Opal's mouth just fell open in disbelief.

"I can't believe this," Jr. growled.

"Can't you?" Huan asked. "Come on, I can't be the only one who noticed Mom sneaking around when we were younger. Didn't any of you even consider this? I mean, maybe not with Kuvira, but you had to have realized there were others."

"I didn't want to," Opal said softly. "I couldn't think of that."

"It's doesn't matter!" Jr. said, standing abruptly. "What matters is that our mother is gallivanting around with a woman who tried to kill us! A woman my age, who we grew up with. It's sick. Don't forget that they've betrayed us all by having her here in the first place."

Baatar Sr. glared at his eldest son. "We told you not to come back here until you could accept Kuvira as part of our life."

"As part of your life, not part of your fucking marriage!" Jr. spat. "And now Mother is whoring around with the slut."

Kuvira had seen rage before, had experienced it herself. She had seen Suyin lose her temper, and she had lost her own. But nothing had ever startled her quite so much as the cold, brittle frost in Baatar Sr.'s voice as he said, "Get out."

"What?"

"You heard me, Jr. Get out." He stood, putting his hand on Kuvira's shoulder, tightening his fingers. "You will not come into my home and say such nasty things to your mother, and you will not say such things to Kuvira, whom I love as well. You are not welcome here. I'm sorry, Huan, but I have to ask your brother to leave."

Huan glanced between them and nodded. "I understand."

"Dad," Opal protested. "He's just in shock. We all are. You can't expect us to be all right with this."

"I don't. I just expect a minimal amount of respect for the woman who raised you and for Kuvira. She's done all she can to pay her dues. We don't expect you to forgive her as we have, but she is part of our lives."

"Well, Kuvira," Opal said, and while her voice did not carry quite the same disgust as Jr.'s she still sounded like she was speaking to something stuck on the bottom of her shoe. "What do you have to say about this?"

Kuvira found her mouth suddenly dry. "I love Su. It didn't happen until after I moved back here."

"After prison," Opal clarified.

"Yes. And nothing happened until I moved in with Kya and Lin." She looked up at them all, hoping they could see the sincerity in her eyes, hear it in her voice. "I didn't mean for this to happen, but I do love her. Both of them."

"I'm going to be sick," Jr. said.

"Good thing you're not staying," Huan countered. "Dad told you to leave, and since it's my party, I have final say. And I agree. None of you have been here. You haven't seen them together. Things have been so much better around here since Kuvira came back. And they're happy. We may not understand it, but we don't get to judge it. So, get out, Jr. You're no longer invited."

"Mother?" Jr. stood tense and coiled, ready to explode.

"You said I was whoring around with Kuvira, and you called her a slut." Suyin shook her head. "I love you. You're my son, but I can't have you in my house." She laced her fingers through Kuvira's. "You can stay the night. There's a train out first thing in the morning. Until then, I don't want to see you."

Jr. clenched his fists then stormed from the room. Once he was gone, Kuvira felt her body want to collapse, but she knew there were still three other children who were not satisfied with the situation and the explanation.

"I don't understand this," Wei said. "Kuvira's…she's so much younger. She's…spirits, she's…we grew up with her. She was going to marry Jr. It's….it's Kuvira."

"Wei," Suyin said. "We've already been through all of that. I know this is hard for you, but this is not changing. I'm sorry you found out this way. And Huan, I'm sorry for ruining your wedding."

Huan shrugged. "Technically, it was the reception. And I don't think anyone noticed. Unless Jr. decides to go make a scene." His eyes widened. "Shit." He dashed out of the room, and Kuvira groaned.

"If he doesn't get there in time, Jr. could tell everyone," Opal said. "I may not be happy with this, but that doesn't mean I want to expose it. I have my children to think about. This kind of gossip could hurt them." She opened her mouth to say more, but then shut it again and followed Huan out the door.

Kuvira lowered her head into her hands, exhausted. Suyin's hand stayed on her back, and she just wanted this to be over.

"You're serious about this?" Wing asked. "Because this is going to take…a lot to get used to."

"We know," Baatar said. "We never wanted this to hurt any of our children. But you're all out of the house now, and we have our own happiness to think of."

"Kuvira makes you happy?" Wei wanted to know. "Truly?"

"She does." It was Baatar who answered so quickly and so surely, and Kuvira glanced up at him, choked on her emotion.

"If that's true," Wing said.

"Then we'll try to…come to terms with this," Wei finished. "And we'll work on Opal. Jr…well, I think we all know that's a lost cause."

"We just ask you to keep an open mind," Suyin said. "And…to keep this in the family for now."

Opal swept back into the room. "We were able to corner Jr. before he made a scene. He's holed up in his rooms." She looked at her parents. "I'm…going to be on the train with him tomorrow. This is too much for me right now, I'm sorry."

Suyin closed her eyes, and Kuvira could see a tear roll down her cheek. "I understand, Opal. I love you."

Opal's mouth worked and she came over to give Baatar and Suyin quick hugs. "I'll call you when everything is more settled." And she left again.

Soon, Wing and Wei followed her, claiming that they needed to return to the reception, to keep suspicion down.

"We should go back out there, too," Suyin said when they were alone. She leaned her head on Kuvira's shoulder. "People will be wondering where we are."

"I can't," Kuvira said.

"No, of course. You should go to bed." Suyin looked over her head to Baatar. "Kuvira, love, this has been a hard night for all three of us. And I…I know that I would want to spend it with you both. Because otherwise, I would have to choose who to comfort."

"You want me to sleep with you both?"

"Just sleep," Suyin assured her. "And only if you want. If not…well, we'll figure something out."

Kuvira could not imagine any one of them spending this night alone. "I'll need to get my clothes from my room."

"Baatar will go with you. I do have to get back to the party." She kissed Kuvira then leaned up to kiss Baatar. "I love you both, so much."

And then Baatar and Kuvira were alone. Kuvira leaned into him, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"We're going to be all right," he said. "Come on, I'll walk with you." He stood and held out his hand to help her up. He escorted her to her room where she threw some clothes into an overnight bag, and then he escorted her to his and Su's bedroom. "I'll be back soon. Please, make yourself at home." He kissed her cheek, and Kuvira impulsively reached up as he pulled away and hugged him tightly.

"I'm sorry, Baatar. For all of this. If only we'd been…if I'd been more careful."

"It would have come out eventually. We'd all hoped for more time, but….well, now they know." He touched her face softly. "Are you going to be all right here until we get back?"

"Yes. I'll be fine. Go take care of the guests."

"I love you, Kuvira." He kissed her cheek once more before leaving.

Kuvira went to the washroom and carefully washed off the makeup she had put on. It had been a long time since she had worn any, and once it was gone again, she felt more like herself. Her hair was fully of pins and product, and she knew only a shower would clean it out. So she just removed the flower and braided down the longer portion of hair. It wasn't very attractive, but it kept it out of her face. She scrounged through Suyin's closet to find an extra hanger to put her dress on, and changed into her pajamas. Which really only consisted of shorts and a tank top. Nothing like Suyin's elaborate gowns and robes and matching silk tops and bottoms.

The room was large. It was rare that she was in there without Suyin, and the lack of her presence made the room seem even bigger. No wonder Kaori had complained about the size of Kuvira's room at Lin and Kya's.

Kaori.

She had not been with the older kids. She still didn't know, and Kuvira wasn't sure if she should know, if they should tell her. She didn't know if Suyin and Baatar wanted to tell her, ever.

Sighing, she crawled onto the bed, and settled in the middle, among what had to be a dozen pillows. She felt strange in the huge bed, in the huge room, alone with just her thoughts. The weight and drama of the night pressed down on her, and she turned her face into the pillow and cried. She cried for the relationships she had ruined ten years prior. She cried for the ones she's gained back. She cried for the pain she continued to cause the Beifong family, and she cried because Suyin included her in that family. She cried because her body was exhausted from all the tension she had carried that day, and she cried because she was relieved. The secret wasn't so hard to keep now.

She must have fallen asleep because the next thing she knew, a body was settling behind her and in front of her. Groggily, she opened her eyes to see Suyin facing her. She turned her head to see that Baatar was the one who was spooning her.

"I'm sorry we woke you," Suyin said softly, cupping Kuvira's jaw.

"Did everything go all right?"

"Yes. No one else knows anything happened. Well, except Lin and Kya. I told them you were staying with us tonight." Suyin kissed her softly.

"I'm sure Kya will have a lot to say about that," Kuvira joked. She snuggled deeper into the pillows, and subsequently closer to Baatar. He kissed the back of her neck, and she sighed. It was nice. She twined her fingers with him and brought his hand up to her chest to rest against her sternum.

"Go back to sleep," he said. "You've had a hard day."

"So have you. Those weren't my children we were talking to."

"True." Suyin laid a hand on Kuvira's neck. "But they are your family."

"Maybe not anymore."

"We always knew Jr. was going to react that way. And, I could have seen Opal's reaction coming." Suyin sighed. "But, Huan defended us, and Wing and Wei will accept this eventually. When Opal has time to think about it, when she sees that we're happy…she'll come around." Suyin didn't need to say that Jr. never would. They all knew it already. "I'm going to get up early and see them off at the train. Who knows when I'll see either of the again."

"I'm sorry."

"No, it's all right. It's not your fault." Suyin kissed Kuvira's nose. "We should all sleep now. We can talk more tomorrow after breakfast. Maybe…break the news to Kaori. If that's all right with you."

Kuvira nodded. "She should know. Before someone else tells her."

"She's still going to love you," Baatar said. "Kids accept these things more easily than adults."

Kuvira hoped he was right. She loved Kaori, and that was one relationship she would not sacrifice for Suyin. No matter what. She just hoped she wouldn't have to.