Okay, first of all, I am SO very sorry about the late update. I know it's been well over a month since the last one, but lately thing's have just been really rough for me, and I had to battle a severe case of writers' block along with illness to get this chapter going.
One the other hand, I know it's probably the shortest of all my chapters, and it doesn't have a whole lot of the main events that took place in that episode, but that was just because I was having such a hard time writing it out in a way I liked.
So, most of this is just fluff in preparation of the heartbreak that's sure to come in the next couple of chapters (we're only one away from the Season 3 finale!), so I hope you manage to enjoy it.
And as some of you all have been picking up on, I have been calling the baby a 'he' and a 'she' for a while now in the story- it does not mean that is the baby's gender, only that since I know a lot of expecting parents will call their unborn child 'he' or 'she' before they know the gender.
Anyways, let us go onwards with the chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar - The Last Airbender or the Legend of Korra.
Asami rubbed the skin of her wrist delicately, being careful not to anger the red ring the cuffs had left behind from when she was restrained in the airship.
Korra walked ahead of her, the Avatar leading the way to the small bar they'd walked past when they first arrived at the Misty Palm's Oasis yesterday.
"Do you think Mako and Bolin got away?" Asami felt the worry eating away at her insides, not wanting to think about what might have happened to the two bending brothers had they been captured by the newly discovered Red Lotus.
"I hope they did," Korra faltered and stopped before they entered the bar. She bit down on her lip and grabbed the heiress's hand, "If something happened to them..."
"I'm sure they're fine," Asami pressed a kiss to the bender's forehead, helping to calm the guilt threatening to overcome Korra's conscious. "They've both been through worse and are still standing."
"I know," Korra grinned weakly and tugged on her girlfriend's hand, pulling her through the bar door.
They pushed the fabric acting as a divider aside, and took a look around the filled room.
Asami worried her lip as she inspected the people seated around them, hoping her eyes would catch sight of a familiar face.
Korra suddenly gasped and pointed towards the back, where the engineer was both shocked and relieved to see a familiar group of adults sitting around a table.
And were her eyes deceiving her? Or was that the Lord Zuko sitting among them?
Tonraq looked up as they approached, and Asami suddenly realized there were quite a few things he wasn't in the know about yet; one of them being the baby currently growing inside her body.
His grandchild.
Korra froze for a split-second, her own realization coming to mind, and she sent a quick glimpse Asami's way before her father's arms engulfed her in a hug.
The burly man was just as intimidating as ever, even though Asami knew she was in his good books for helping back during the whole 'Civil War/Harmonic Convergence' fiasco, she didn't know how he would take the news of her pregnancy.
Especially considering the fact that his daughter, another female, had somehow managed to sire the baby using the Avatar State.
Oh spirits, he probably thought Korra was still a virgin; great Kyoshi, she really didn't want him to get the idea that she was corrupting his precious baby girl.
Her thoughts were brought to a direct halt when the two turned her attention to the secretly panicking CEO, "Yeah, we made it out of the desert. Thanks to Asami here."
Tonraq inclined his head and nodded gratefully at her, showing her both approval and thanks for her actions in a way that made her suspect he had some inclination about the nature of her relationship with Korra.
At least it was better than how he treated Mako, (which was another funny story she laughed about with Korra).
"Thanks for ditching me back in Zaofu," Lin deadpanned, her face the picture of an unimpressed woman.
"Sorry," Korra winced and sent the police chief a apologetic look, while Asami kicked at the ground in embarrassment.
"How did you all find us?" The Avatar looked at her father, "We're quite a ways from Zaofu here."
"I am a detective you know," Lin said, crossing her arms as she leaned back in her seat moodily.
Asami held back a laugh as Korra once more sent an apologetic look Beifong's way, before shifting her attention back to her father as Lord Zuko rose from his seat.
"Do you remember Lord Zuko?"
"It's great to see you again Avatar Korra," the former Fire Lord reminded Asami of a pleasant grandfather, with the kind of aura kids flocked to for story time. "I met you once when you were a very small girl."
"I remember," Korra grinned and clasped her hands together as she bowed respectfully. "It's great to see you again too."
Zuko smiled kindly in response as Korra straighten back up; Tonraq's face took on a serious shade, "Did you hear about the Earth Queen?"
"No," Asami stepped forward. "We've been out in the desert most of the day. What's happened?"
He opened his mouth to answer, when the radio buzzed on.
"Once again, the Earth Queen's reign has come to an abrupt and violent end! Looters and rioters storm the upper and middle ring of Ba Sing Se, as the city descends into chaos. No word on the identity of the assassin's, but officials across the Earth Kingdom and United Republic are on high alert!"
Korra growled and clenched her fist, "The Red Lotus."
"What's that?" Lin asked, standing from her seat to join the group huddled together.
"The group who tried to kidnap me as a child," Korra rubbed her chin. "And the same group that just took out the Earth Queen."
"How do you know?" Zuko asked, his amber eyes widening as they received the new information.
Korra sighed and shuffled on her feet, "We tracked Aiwei here from Zaofu, and discovered he'd meditated into the Spirit World to speak with Zaheer. I managed to find their meeting place and had some words with Zaheer. He told me about his group, which he called the Red Lotus, and explained their goals... among other things."
"And taking out the Earth Queen was one of them?" Tonraq stroked his beard, "This is troubling news. Was she their only target?"
Korra shook her head in the negative, "I'm not sure. He was talking about tearing down world powers and anarchy. Some pretty crazy things, and taking out the Earth Queen..." She bit down on her lip and sighed, "This is only the beginning."
"We'll deal with that later," Zuko frowned at the two women, his eyes worriedly taking in their dirtied and tired appearances. "You two look like you could use some time to rest and freshen up. We rented a room in the back of the Tavern, you can use that to relax while we go over what we know so far."
Lin nodded, "It's not like we can go anywhere until we hear from Mako and Bolin, so we'll have some downtime here for now. Lord Zuko's right, go get some rest."
"We will," Korra gulped and licked her lips nervously, looking back at Asami before turning to her dad. "But I need to speak with my dad first."
Lin raised her eyebrow and shifted her sight between the two young women and the chief of the Southern Water tribe, picking up on the hesitant tone in the Avatar's voice. A slight smirk spread across her face as she nodded, and Korra glared at the smug woman before grabbing Asami and her father by the arms and pulling the two away to a more private area of the bar.
Zuko blinked and looked back at Lin, "What was that about?"
The Beifong shrugged innocently and took a sip of her drink, "No idea."
Tonraq sank into the chair across from the two, thanking the bartender and taking the offered glass of water before turning his attention to the two females, "What's on your mind?"
Korra nervously wringed her hands together, alternating her eyes from her father, to Asami, to the floor, then back to her dad once more.
Asami stood carefully nearby, her lungs felt like they couldn't get enough air, and the pregnant woman barely managed to keep a calm face as she waited for the Avatar to speak up again.
She knew the time would come where Korra's parents would have to be alerted to the fact that they would be grandparents in a few months, but now that it was time to tell Tonraq, she had never felt so unsure and hesitant.
Tonraq and Senna's approval meant the world to her; after losing her own father to his twisted version of revenge, the last thing she wanted was to alienate Korra from her own loving parents.
"Umm," Korra scratched the back of her head, "You know how you told me you would always love me no matter what?"
"Of course," The chief of the Southern Water Tribe nodded, a gentle smile covering his face. "And I meant it sweetheart. Your mother and I will always love you; no matter what."
Korra smiled slightly, a small grimace appearing on her face before she sighed and looked down, "You know how after Mako and I broke up, I told you 'Men just aren't worth the trouble?' Well, turns out I really meant it."
Tonraq blinked in confusion for a second, then something in his eyes clicked and a small smirk graced his face as he alternated looking between the Avatar and the heiress, "Oh."
"Umm," the Avatar chewed on her lip and bounced on the heels of her feet, "What does 'Oh' mean? Is that a good 'Oh?' Or is it bad?"
"Sweetheart," the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe smiled and placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Nothing with you could ever be a bad 'Oh' from me. You're my child, my baby girl. If Asami makes you happy, then there's not a force on this planet that would make me step in between you two."
"You mean it!?" Korra looked up at her father with watery eyes, "I wanted to tell you back when I was still in Republic City," She turned to nod her head at the CEO beside her, "Well, we both did. But things kept piling up, and I already had so much on my plate, and I fell really bad about keeping you in the dark for so long."
"We both feel bad, sir," Asami gulped and twirled her fingers around eachother nervously. "After Harmonic Convergence, Korra getting banished from Republic City, and the new airbenders popping up, I guess we just keep pushing it back and back even more." Asami widened her eyes and bowed her head, "But I assure you it was never our intention to keep it from you!"
"I believe you," Tonraq chuckled and patted them both on the head; even though they were now both legal adults, the fatherly action managed to bring a smile to the two women's faces. "Now, how long have you been dating? And I surely hope you don't plan to keep this from your mother much longer either."
Korra went pale at the thought of angering her mom by keeping this piece of information from her, and quickly sputtered and shook her head almost violently, "We'll tell her as soon as we get back to a working radio. I do not want her to find out from anyone else but me and Asami."
"That would be very wise indeed," Tonraq inclined his head, "But it still does not answer my second question. How long has the happy couple been together?"
Korra blushed when she felt Asami grab her hand, the heiress beaming at the waterbender standing in front of them, "Officially, about a week now. Before that, we were just kind of dancing around eachother for a month or two."
"Sounds like something you would do," Tonraq jabbed his daughter in her ticklish ribs playfully, laughing as she held back a giggle and swatted his hand away. His face slowly morphed into a more thoughtful look, and he quizzingly stared down at the two females, "But if you only got together a week ago, why were you talking about telling me back when you were in Republic City? That was over a month ago."
Korra went pale once more, while Asami worried her lip and looked down, one hand rubbing over her stomach as the familiar pull of nausea tugged on her strings, "That's a bit more complicated."
"Complicated how?" The man crossed his arms and raised a single eyebrow in his daughter's direction, taking notice of the slightly downtrodden look on the heiress's face.
"Well," Korra tilted her head from side to side, trying to think of a way to tell her dad without making him angry or embarrassing herself in the same time. "When we were in Republic City..." She took a deep breath and continued, "Something happened that kind of made us realize there might be feelings between us sooner than we expected." The Avatar tapped her thumbs together nervously, "It's not normally something that happens between two girls, but I guess my Avatar powers kinda kicked in and did some magic spirity stuff."
Tonraq narrowed his eyes and scratched his head, trying to make sense of his daughter's words, "What do you mean 'magic spirity stuff?' Korra, what's happened?!"
Asami's hand tightened around her own, and Korra looked at her girlfriend once before turning back to her father and sucking in a huge gasp of air, "Asami'spregnantandI'msortathe'dad'becauseIwasstupidwiththeAvatarStateandKyoshididittoo,soweknowit'shappenedbeforepleasedon'tbemad."
"Korra," the engineer beside her tugged on her hand and sent her a pointed look. "Calm down. You're talking so fast, your father can't even keep up with what you're saying."
Tonraq was proving her right, a confused expression on his face as he tried to make sense of the fast-paced words coming from Korra's mouth, "Uhh, what?"
"I... uh..." Korra steadied her breathing, she'd managed to tell Mako and Bolin rather easily, but this was something she never thought would happen.
If she was the one pregnant, it would be one thing; but the fact that it's Asami who's carrying the baby means she has to make sure her father knows she's the other parent without giving too much away on how the baby happened.
"I'm pregnant," Asami stepped forward and smiled slightly. "A little over a month along now. That's what Korra was trying to tell you." She casted a look at the frozen southerner behind her, "Well, most of it."
Tonraq blinked for a moment, complete surprise covering his face; Korra felt her heart pounding in her chest, they hadn't even told him the baby was hers, yet she was already scared to death of how her father would react.
"That's..." The elder waterbender cocked an eyebrow and rested a hand on his hip; he didn't look judgmental at all, just taken back at the news given to him, "Interesting..."
"Not as interesting as what I'm about to say," Korra gathered her courage and looked up at her dad. "I know it seems impossible," She pursed her lips, "But the baby is mine. I mean it's biologically mine." The master of the four elements looked down and shuffled on her feet like ants were crawling in her boots, "I sort of... used the Avatar state to conceive it with her."
Tonraq had gone quiet, his eyes wide as he stared unbelievably at the two before him. A minute passed as he mulled over the shocking information, then sighed and sunk into the chair behind him, "With you as my daughter, I guess I should be used to strange occurrences by now."
"You're not mad...?" Korra hesitantly asked; one of her hands was gripping the fur wrap around her waist, the other firmly grasped in Asami's own hand.
"Of course not," Tonraq smiled tiredly at the two. "Just a little surprised. I always thought I'd be fighting off rabid boys, and constantly worrying about my little girl becoming a mom." He shook his head and chuckled, "I never thought you would be the one dads would have to worry about."
Korra went bright red and stuttered incoherently, one arms wrapping around the other as she awkwardly rubbed her bicep and muttered sheepishly, "I'm not... that's not- Dad!"
"Kidding!" Tonraq smiled and laughed joyously, a teasing tone to his voice.
"It's not funny!" Korra complained and pouted, sticking her bottom lip out as she kicked at the ground; although her cheeks were still flushed a lovely shade of red.
Asami giggled shamelessly, which only increased when Korra shot her a half-hearted betrayed look, "I find it hilarious."
"You're both traitors," Korra mumbled but a smile still spread across her face. "But I'm glad you're not angry Dad. I..." She scrunched her nose, "I know there are people who don't always agree with relationships like me and Asami's."
"The Southern Water Tribe has always been more accepting than the northern tribe," Tonraq shrugged. "We've been separated so long, our people left behind many of the traditions they still hold dear. However, I'm still unsure about the pregnancy situation." He frowned and leaned forward in his seat, "You're both still so young, and while I've seen enough to not doubt your Avatar State conception story, there are others who will not be as understanding as me. You'll both have to deal with a lot of ridicule in the future."
"I know," Asami placed a hand over her stomach. "It's on my mind a lot of the time nowadays, but ever since I saw how the baby protected itself and redirected Zaheer's airbending, like he was trying to prove he was there, that he wasn't going anywhere- I know it's going to be worth it."
Tonraq raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Redirected Zaheer's airbending?"
"I guess being conceived by the Avatar State comes with a few side-effects," Asami replied.
Korra nodded in agreement, "I didn't actually see it happen, but everyone else did. Apparently Asami thrust out her hands, and the wind blade he shot at her parted around her."
"Back in Zaofu? When Zaheer first tried to kidnap you?"
"Yeah," Asami pursed her lips and stared down at a crack in the wood floor, "He found out through Aiwei that I was pregnant, and targeted me as a distraction to try and get away with Korra. If I hadn't been able to defend myself, it might have worked." She glanced over at the Avatar, who was watching her with a tender smile, "But I guess he wasn't counting on the little one to step in."
"Good thing he-" Korra thought for a moment, "Or she for that matter, decided to step in. Probably didn't want to lose your parents' before you met them, did ya?"
She grinned down at the tiny, unnoticeable, bump on her girlfriend's stomach, while Asami patted the bender on the head, "Trying a hero already- definitely your kid."
Korra shrugged her shoulders like 'What can you do?' and turned to her father, "So how does it feel knowing your going to be a grandfather?"
"Well, I definitely have my reservations," the older waterbender sighed, "But seeing how determined you two are about it, I guess there's nothing I can really do." He smiled with a thoughtful look on his face, "Plus, I would be lying if I said I wasn't excited about a little running around my feet again- feels like a century since you were that small Korra."
She froze, "I really hope the baby isn't as bad as I was."
"You couldn't have been that bad," Asami cocked her head, "But then again, seeing how stubborn and headstrong you are, I don't doubt it."
"She was a trouble maker alright," Tonraq chuckled and ruffled the Avatar's hair; Korra swatting his hand away with a grin on her face.
Now that her father was aware of their little secret, she looked and felt a little bit more upbeat in spite of everything horrible going on in their lives at the moment.
Asami ran a hand through her hair, and grimaced when she felt the texture of dirt and grime mixed into her dark onyx locks, "Is there anywhere I can wash up here? The desert wasn't the cleanest place."
"Now that I think about it," Korra took a sniff of her own shirt, and patted her head to test how clean her hair was. "I agree. I could use a nice shower at least."
"We rented a full-sized room in the building behind the tavern," Tonraq pointed off down a hallway, "We didn't know how long we would be here waiting, so asked around and found they have a few rooms in case the inn gets booked up. There's a bathroom and washing basin for your clothes in there."
He took out a key from his front pocket and handed it over to his daughter, "Third door on your left after you pass the indoor garden."
"Thanks," Korra grinned and grabbed the key, simultaneously pulling Asami behind her. "We'll be out in an hour or two."
"Hey!" The Avatar's father looked at the two of them and waggled his finger warningly, "No funny business while you're in there."
Asami blushed, while Korra sputtered intelligibly for a minute, "We weren't- that's not- !" She huffed and muttered lowly as she dragged the engineer down the hall, "Let's go."
Tonraq's boisterous laugh echoed all the way across the building.
"You know," Asami cast an appreciating glance around the medium sized tavern room, "This stuff isn't half-bad." She tested the bed, flopping down on the soft mattress with an peaceful sigh, "Better than the inn's at least."
Korra cocked her head in calculated thought, before a grin slid across her face.
Asami widened her eyes, and shook her head, "Oh don't you dar-!"
The master of the four elements launched herself onto the bed; the propulsion of the extra weight causing both women to bounce once into the air.
The CEO of Future Industries squealed and wrapped her arms around the other, ignoring Korra's delighted laugh as they touched down back onto the fluffy mattress.
"Not fair!" Asami giggled, pressing a kiss to Korra's temple, "That was a sneak attack."
"It's not a sneak attack if you know it's coming," Korra smiled and brushed a single lock of hair out of her girlfriend's face, the two of them content to just relax in each other's presence. She buried her face in the pale neck, and breathed into the inventor's unique scent.
Asami sighed, tightening her hold on the muscular form, and angling her head down to where her lips could brush over the ones connected to the powerful bender, "I wish we could stay here forever."
"It seems like a good idea, doesn't it?" Korra nuzzled the bare flesh available to her, "We could just stay here and rest, ignore every enemy that seems to come up- raise the baby in ignorance of the cruel world his mothers' belong to."
"It would be little different from a bittersweet dream," Asami mused, a pleasant shiver traveling up her spine as she felt strong hands slip under her jacket and shirt, gently kneading the tense muscles around the small of her back.
"Are you alright?" Korra leaned her head upwards to look into gemstone-green eyes, "I know the whole day's been pretty fast-paced. You weren't hurt or anything, right?"
"I'm fine," Asami responded, turning her head so she could mumble into the pillow, "The baby's fine. If I had been in any danger, I'm pretty sure we would have been in for another bending-repelled incident." She smiled and peaked at Korra from the corner of her eye, "But he knew his Avatar mommy wouldn't let anything happen to us."
A tired grin spread across the bender's face at that, although Asami could detect a certain amount of sadness gleaming in her eyes, "What's wrong?"
"Zaheer said some things in the spirit world," Korra muttered, her arms tightening around the other's waist. "He made it sound like he'd kidnap the baby. Like how they tried to do with me. I don't know what his exact plan is, I mean it was obvious they weren't planning ahead for a situation like this..." She worried her lip and let out an angry breath, "But I'm worried he'll go through with his threat- that I'm not the only target anymore."
Asami was silent for a few minutes, mulling over what she had just been told, "Well it's not the first time that I've been in danger if that's what you're worrying about."
"Well- it's-" Korra groaned and plopped her head back against the pillows, "You know that's not what I meant." She stared at the ceiling, a building tumor of worry growing in her chest, "What if something happens? What if they get me, and you two are left alone?" Her eyes dulled, "What if they get you and I never get the chance to meet my child- if I have to live knowing it's my fault you're both gone, that it's my fault I'll never see you again." Her eyelids slid closed, a tortured sigh escaping her mouth, "There's so many ways this path could go, and every trail was caused by me."
Asami grabbed her by the face, and crushed their lips together in a searing kiss.
Korra relaxed even more in her hold, all the tension in her muscles seeping out as she welcomed the show of frantic affection.
After a few minutes, they broke apart, and Asami leaned her forehead against the Avatar's, "None of that will happen. None of it. Do you understand?"
The master of the four elements gulped, before nodding her head obediently, "Yes ma'am."
"Good," Asami whispered against her cheek, "Because we are going to get through this. We are going to beat the Red Lotus, get even with that blasted Earth Queen, smack some sense into Raiko, and then tell our child stories years into the future, when she's reaching the cusp of adulthood, about how her mother's bravery and sacrifice in keeping peace has allowed her to grow up safe and sound into a tranquil world."
Korra's eyes widened with every word, her hands gripping into the back of Asami's jacket like it was a lifeline, "You're right. We'll get through this."
"We always do," Asami smirked, "As Bolin would say, 'Team Avatar always prevails!'"
The roaring laugh that came from Korra completely melted the fear from her person, and she sat up with a huge grin, "We do, don't we?"
"You're damn right we do," Asami took a sniff of the air and scrunched up her nose, "But what we need right now is a bath." She gave the Avatar a playful shove, "You! Go and wash up first, I'll clean our clothes while you're in there."
Korra chuckled and leaned forward, brushing her lips against the shell of the pale ear, "Of course, Miss Sato."
Needless to say, she was awarded with another shove from her blushing companion.
And it's done!
BE SURE TO LEAVE A REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK OF THE LATEST CHAPTER, I REALLY LOVE GETTING THEM- THEY MAKE MY DAY!
And if you have an idea for the next chapter or maybe even for when we reach Season 4, be sure to leave your idea. I only have the basic storyline worked out so far, so I'm always open to suggestions.
Tell me what you think is going to happen next! I can assure you, it's not going to stay quite so happy for long (Muahahahahahahaha)
Anyways, since Of Alphas and Omegas only has two chapters left until completion, I wanted to go ahead and finish that one first, just to get it out of the way.
Then, while I plan out my next story, I'll simultaneously belt out a few chapters on this one so that we're far enough into season 4 by the time I add another story to the game plan.
I don't know if I'll do a sequel to this one. I think I'll probably just stop when the show does, since I don't really know what I could do to further the storyline from there.
Either way, this story is probably going to end up being 100k or maybe even more. It'll be the biggest one I've completed by myself!
I'll see you all at the next update!
Until the next time~