"Lin, I'm in love with you."

The freedom of those words rolling off his tongue sent him soaring freely through the heavens. A thrill of liberation exploded throughout his body as he stepped out of a prison he never realized he was confined in. He fell further into the heaven and safety of her that had been missing from his life for more than a decade. As unattached as he felt in this moment, he could feel her presence effortlessly grounding him back to earth…back to her.

"Lin, I love you," he murmured, dipping his head back down to savor those lips and dance with destiny. The soft hum vibrating against his lips inflamed the need for more. All these years of being deprived and denied of Lin were crashing down on him—the weight of the world crumbling in moments. His heart never stirred or raced in every moment in her presence, instead beating with firm confirmation to his body. "I love you…"

She broke the kiss, softly panting and pressing a hand against his chest when he attempted to push a bit further. "Tenz, hold on…"

Tenzin obliged suddenly, waiting for further direction and permission. Rather than do so stiffly, he cupped her cheek, rubbing his thumb along her scars affectionately. "What is it?"

"Ten…" Lin met his eyes, staring deep into his soul and studying every thought running through his mind. "What do you want?"

You.

"Hm?"

"What do you want?" she repeated.

You.

He tilted his head at the question. "What do you mean?"

Her eyes pierced intensely into his, reading everything written and spoken in grey. She exhaled heavily. "Why are you saying that?"

"Because it's true." Out of anyone in this world, she should know that he would never lie to her. Especially since she could read him so easily. Spirits…those green eyes could hypnotize man into committing sins against the heart and fall in love with her. A new world existed in her eyes and curiosity reared its head, silently guessing the thoughts running in her mind in this very moment. 'What's going on in that beautiful head of hers?'

"I think you love who I could have been."

He blinked quickly and shook his head. "What-no! I meant what I—"

She raised her hand. Her eyes caught something in the corner of her peripheral vision and she adjusted the collar of his cape tenderly. "I know you love me," she uttered softly.

"Well then—"

"But," she said more firmly, tugging the collar straight, "I don't know if you love your Lin and me…or if you're in love with the potential of what could have been."

Tenzin gripped her arms firmly. "Of course I love you and her. You both embody the same soul, no matter how different your lives may be."

"So when your Lin comes home, what are you going to do about it?"

He suddenly wilted, gaze lowering slightly. "I…I don't know…what am I supposed to do about it?"

"You need to think about that, Airhead. I'm not going to think for you or give you the answers to your problems."

Tenzin lowered his head, staring at their feet and wishing they were both barefoot so he could connect to her element. The sands held memories of their footprints throughout their entire lives growing up on the island and growing in love together. "I know," he admitted quietly.

"You're married," the edge in her voice sharp and bitter, "and you have children. I know you're not the type of man who would leave Pema, even if that's what I'm betting on."

His head whipped up. "You bet on my marriage?!"

"No, you idiot! But I'm married to you, so do you really think I'm invested in your relationship with a homewrecker?"

"Pema is not a homewrecker, Lin," he defended. "She simply confessed her feelings—"

"I don't want to hear about it, Tenzin." She crossed her arms, unimpressed. "I find it very interesting to hear you confess your love to me. Yet minutes later, you're defending the woman who will always see me as the wrong woman for you."

Tenzin's eyebrows scrunched together. "What? No, she doesn't think like that. She just saw that our goals were too different, while she shared the same future I envisioned."

Lin's gaze deepened with more intensity. "Then you're more blind than my mother. You should open your eyes. Because I chose you and lived that future with you."

"Lin, this is a completely different world you're in!" He pointed out. "This is a world where we both made different choices. You cannot expect me to be the same person you married."

Something suddenly shifted in her eyes and Lin's face shifted to a neutral expression. He attempted to read every emotion etched across the stoicism, but she blocked him out. "And you can't expect me to be the same Lin that you hurt and let go of." Letting go of a deep breath, she said without emotion, "In that case, goodbye Tenzin."

She turned and began to walk away. He grabbed her wrist, forcing her to face him. "What are you doing? What do you mean?"

Lin stared at him and immediately pulled out of his touch, pivoting again in the opposite direction. "I think I have my answer."

"About what, Lin?" He reached for her again and pulled her back to him.

Finally, she met his eyes. "You only love what could have been and your Lin doesn't fit the expectations of your reality."

A stabbing pain twisted in his heart and wrenched it out of his body at the voice so devoid of emotion. All of the air in his lungs was sucked out of him as he searched for a deep breath to keep him grounded. The burn began to creep behind his eyes and he attempted to pull her into him, but she refused. So he stepped closer to her. "How can you say that? Even so, that doesn't change the fact that I love you in your world and mine."

Lin's gaze averted to his hand, still gripping her wrist, then back to his eyes. "If you love me…let me go."

A glassiness began to glaze over his vision. His fingers wriggled, but maintained a hold on her. He couldn't bring himself to break the stare between himself and Lin. After a few moments, Lin twisted her wrist out of his grip and walked away.

"Stay," his voice rasped, swallowing hard. The request got her to stop, but she didn't turn to look. "Stay…at least for dinner."

Now she turned her head aside, but didn't look past her shoulder. "I'm only here for Kya and Aunt Katara. I can see where your heart is…your Lin and I don't fit in it."

Without another word, she continued to walk away. Tears fell freely down his face as all that remained were her footprints in the sand.

"If you love me, let me go."

His back was facing her as he stood between the entrance of her home and public space. Her hand only tightened around his, silently speaking to him. The urge to turn around crawled up his spine, but he remained halfway between two worlds. Her thumb rubbed small circles against his knuckles.

Stay…just a little longer.

Lin opened her mouth to speak, but she bit down on her lip to contain herself. Warm tears dripped down her chin and trailed along her throat. She swallowed hard to loosen the tight clenches in her throat as they stood in silence. Tears clouded her vision and a few slipped down her face as more tension collected in her jaw.

Tenzin gently pulled his hand away and said softly, "Pema's waiting for me…"

A stabbing pain pierced her heart and tears fell to the floor as Lin watched him walk away into a new life. All that remained was a soft breeze kissing her goodbye.

"That's so cool, Aunt Lin!"

"You're a national hero."

Tenzin was the last to join the table. A few splashes of cold water against his face should jolt the emotions written in his eyes and revitalize his awareness in time for dinner. "You only love what could have been," continued to ring in his ears, sending him down a hellish hole of darkness. How could it be another version of himself and she were telling him the same thing?That's...that's just not the case.

Thankfully, dinner ran smoother than last time but with more tension coiled amongst a few adults. His eyes had been distant as conversations bounced back and forth across the table between the kids, his siblings, mother, and Lin. Green eyes avoided him and continued to entertain most of the questions thrown her way. With dinner out of the way, they all remained settled in the family room, sharing plates of fruit to cleanse their palettes.

Lin scoffed at the comments, plopping a lychee nut into her mouth. "I don't know about that, kid."

"Don't downplay yourself, Linny." Kya gently nudged her arm against the earthbender. "You should step into your inner Empress energy."

Lin sent her a strange look. "Who says I'm not? I know who I am and what my worth is."

Kya pursed her lips, brows raised, nodding impressed. "Well, then keep doing what you're doing."

"Wow, you're so confident and awesome, Aunt Lin." Ikki's eyes dazzled as she leaned her face into both hands. "How do you do it? I wanna be just like you! How do I become a powerful woman who can command attention and get other people to listen to me?"

Pema stiffened as her gaze quickly flickered between her children and Lin, hand gripping the tea cup a bit more firmly. She coughed gently before taking a sip of tea. Jinora stole a glance at her mother, straightening a bit as she scanned the table and noticed not only the tension in Pema. But also the way Tenzin's jaw remained clenched and his fingers fidgeted in his lap.

"You're beyond help," Meelo remarked snidely. "It's too late for you."

"Shut it, Meelo."

"Watch it you two," Kya warned firmly.

Meelo ignored his sister's glare and directed his attention to the earthbender. "Can you help me command an army?"

"How come you're not asking me?" Bumi piped up. "I happen to have a lot of great advice for a young fellow like yourself to take command."

"Because I always see you, Uncle Bumi. I need to get whatever advice I can get from this Aunt Lin! Especially because she married Dad!"

Bumi and Kya froze, instantly peering over at their younger brother and sister-in-law. They held their breaths, heat rising around Pema's aura although she held onto her composure. A dull energy swirled around their brother, slowly coaxing anxiety to spread out through his limbs. Glancing over at Katara, she met their gazes calmly and gave the subtlest nod that could have been easily overlooked if one weren't paying attention. Lin shrugged, blowing at the steam in her cup.

A glint of mischief sparkled in the corner of Bumi's eye. What would happen if the pot got stirred just a little? Isn't that the reason why he called his sister and mother up to the island? It'd be a shame if they left without seeing the real side of this table talk. A low chuckle broke a piece of the ice as he leaned in Lin's direction. "I see how it is. I'm getting replaced by the new model. You're a hot topic, Linny. You always were super popular."

"I feel more like a circus attraction, if you ask me."

"Pfft, I remember when we were in school, you used to break so many hearts and noses!" He poked toward Lin.

A small smile curled on Pema's face as she stared directly at the earthbender. "Not surprised there."

Bumi and Kya's ears perked up at the underlying tone in the comment.

"Naturally," Lin responded back calmly, a smirk crossing her features. "Unfortunately, I'm not as good at stealing hearts. Guess it doesn't come to me naturally like it does for others."

Oh, damn.

Bumi and Kya exchanged a look, lips tightly pressed into a line. Should they go further? Is there more in the cards if they can play it right?

Katara sighed and shook her head. With a smile, she got up from her seat. "Kids, do you want to help me get the fruit pies ready?"

Delight glossed over the youngest three who hopped up immediately, rushing over to the elderly waterbender. "Yes! Let's go!" came the cheerful chorus as they gathered her up with a swirl of air. Jinora offered a half smile, following her siblings and shooting a quick glance at the adults. Katara peered at Tenzin, cocking her head to the side.

"Tenzin, why don't you come help us?" his mother suggested sweetly.

At the mention of his name, he straightened in his seat and glanced nervously between Pema and Lin. Kya offered a small comforting smile as if trying to soothe the raging heartbeat pounding in his chest. "Uh, sure, Mother." He stood up and followed the group out, placing a hand against his mother's back as they disappeared around the corner.

A small wave of silence washed over the room, an awkwardness slipping into the atmosphere quickly as Pema and Lin side-glanced each other. Oh...maybe that wasn't the smartest move. But Katara sneaking Tenzin out definitely was. It meant that the two could dish out blunt honesty without restriction with the kids and Tenzin gone. All they need is some poking around to get the conversation rolling, if that's what it could be called. Kya and Bumi acknowledged the shifting ambiance, yet didn't know how to move forward without this situation backfiring. But Lin beat them to the punch.

Lin raised the cup of tea to her lips. "This is familiar…"

"What is?" Pema asked tensely.

"Being with Kya and Bumi," Lin answered innocently. "Just like old times…"

He chuckled, wrapping an arm around her shoulder playfully. "Yeah, but you got in a different boat than the rest of us."

"You must miss home so much," Pema commented. "Things must be so different."

"Oh sure," Lin agreed, lowering her cup. "I have everything I want and more. But some things in this world…aren't so different."

Kya glanced between Lin and Pema. "Well, all you need to go home is TenTen's blessing, right?

Lin nodded. "Yeah, but I don't know what the hold up is. Feels more like he's trying to cuff me here than send me back."

"He'll figure it out," Pema insisted tightly. "He always does."

Lin gave her a pointed look, scanning the acolyte's nonverbals. "You don't need to try so hard, Pema."

"On what, Chief Beifong?"

Bumi and Kya side-eyed each other and nodded once.

Here we go.

Lin smirked. "Are you afraid I'll stick my chin out and confess my feelings to someone I'm married to?"

Green eyes slightly narrowed. "You're not married in this world."

"Doesn't change the fact that I married the love of my life and he's the father to my children."

"It doesn't mean he's your soulmate."

Lin laughed out loud, drawing out a sharp glare from Pema. "You're never going to let that one go, huh?" She leaned forward, tongue tracing her lips. Secretly, she was pleased with the slight squirming coming from the younger woman. "If you believe that so strongly, then tell me what the hell makes him your soulmate."

"I'd like to know too, actually," Bumi added, raising a curious hand and earning a smack from Kya.

"Do you have any idea how strong and caring and selfless he is? He has always put others first and invested his entire life and soul into his own culture. Do you have any idea how stressful that is? While he's going insane, I am always here for him, always present. You were hardly there for him, running around Republic City. How can you be there for him when you're not around to begin with? He doesn't expect anything from others and does everything out of the good of his heart. We have the same outlook on life and our family. We balance each other out."

"That's cute," she commented dryly, downing the rest of her tea and setting it on the table. "But you don't love Tenzin."

Kya's hand clutched Bumi's arm as their eyes widened. Both stilled at the statement as a roll of heat filled the room. They shot a quick glance at each other as if confirming if they heard the same thing. Thank Raava, Katara swept the kids and their younger brother out of the room so that the brewing tension could unroll for their hungry eyes and ears.

"Excuse me? Who are you to say that?"

"First of all, this airhead expects respect from other people without having to fight for it because he didn't need to work for it. And like I said last time, you just enable him and feed his ego and let his head blow up bigger than an airship. I'm surprised he hasn't floated off the ground like Guru Laghima with all your yes-man tactics. It's no surprise he thinks he's some savior."

Kya raised a hand. "That's actually spot on. Tenzin does demand respect and has a huge ego."

Pema sighed irritatedly at the remark, but bit down on her tongue. "He's not condescending about it."

Bumi and Kya made a face. "...he is. He believes that he saved the Air Nation."

"Well, in some ways he did. He revitalized so many practices and carried on the culture to the acolytes," Pema defended. "And he is not condescending! He simplifies so many things to people who don't understand Air Nation culture."

"That's him acting all high and mighty because he knows things other people don't," Kya explained.

"He's not."

"Pema," Bumi started, "growing up with him was not easy. And he might be a goody two-shoes and a stick in the mud ninety-nine percent of the time, but he got a superiority complex. Especially since he was the only airbaby."

"I don't see it."

"No, you don't," Kya agreed. "You and Tenzin are treated like royalty by the acolytes and while you guys are being taken care, you're completely blinded by the way they treat Bumi, Lin, and I."

"What are you talking about, Kya? The acolytes have always welcomed us and are extremely friendly."

Bumi scoffed, crossing his arms. "Only to you. They didn't even know we were Aang's kids."

"Our entire lives, we've been ignored, disregarded, or criticized because we didn't fit into what was expected of us to carry on the Air Nation. We got side-eyed because we chose to walk the harder path of trying to find our own ways, even Linny," Kya revealed. Her best friend nodded in agreement and listened intently to the waterbender's words. "You embraced our culture and got rewarded for it. We never rejected this culture, yet we were treated as if that were the case. Tenzin never had to deal with the snide remarks or passive-aggressive comments about not being airbenders."

"He had other pressures like trying to have a family," Pema pointed out, directing a look at Lin.

"We're not saying he didn't have pressure at all," Bumi cried out. "But he acted like he needed to be the hero to carry Dad's legacy while we were chopped meat."

"Let me guess," Lin put her voice in, "he had this idea that saving Aang's legacy meant only continuing the airbender bloodline and nothing else?"

"Dingaling! We got a winner!" Bumi clapped.

Pema shook her head. "That's not fair to pin all of your hurt feelings on Tenzin when he's not even here to defend himself."

"Why would he need to when he already has you to do it for him?" Lin asked on the beat.

"It shows how much I love him."

"You don't love Tenzin, slickness," the earthbender reiterated strongly. "You love the idea of him. You love what he represents. You love that he's the leader of the Air Nation. You love that he's the son of Avatar Aang. You love that he was the last airbender before Harmonic Convergence. You love that you were the Mother of the Air Nation. Because let's be real, you little snake," Lin's eyes narrowed and centered on her target, "you wouldn't have looked his way twice if he were stripped of those titles."

"Of course I would! How dare you accuse me of loving Tenzin only for his titles. How dare you paint me as this shallow and superficial woman when that is so far from the truth. Tenzin's my soulmate and he always will be. He married me. He chose me."

"Was he ever truly yours to begin with?"

"Oh fuck," came the low mutters between the siblings.

Pema leaned forward, scowling. "You have no say in my feelings and love for Tenzin."

"Speaking of that, who the hell are you to say I'm the wrong woman for Tenzin?"

"You are!"

Lin rolled her eyes. "Yes, I suppose I'll always be the villain in this universe because I don't bat my eyelashes or bend over for my husband or never tell him he's wrong. Oh, and since I have high ambitions, apparently that takes the attention away from the last airbender pitch and doesn't fit the 'Mother of the Air Nation' bullshit."

"You still aren't the right woman for him."

"My 29-year marriage and four kids beg to differ, but hey, believe whatever you want." Her tongue swirled against her cheek. "To me, you'll always be the slithering snake disguised behind a self-righteous and self-proclaimed savior attitude. So I guess plain tofu goes well with soggy noodles, hm?"

"He loves me."

"Is that what you tell yourself so you can sleep at night?"

"It's true!"

"So just because he married you automatically means he only loves you?"

"If he didn't, would he have proposed marriage?"

"You sure it's not because you were so eager to let him crack his marbles between your legs?" Lin smirked at the low growl. "And second…it doesn't look like he made you a betrothal necklace."

Pema's hands balled into tight fists, knuckles turning white as her breath became more and more agitated. "And what makes you the right woman for him, Chief Beifong? I find it shocking that he's been able to endure so many years with you."

"Why would I need to explain that to you?"

Pema crossed her arms. "So you make me talk, but you can't? What are you afraid of, Lin?"

"I'm going to remind you one more time, sissy," Lin's voice lowered to a dangerous tone. "It's Chief Beifong."

"Is the Chief of Police scared to answer a question?"

"You want an answer then?"

"Yes."

Lin's hand slammed against the table. "Neither of us have any say on who's the 'right' woman for him, except Tenzin!" She pointed with her finger. "Not you. Not me. Not Aunt Katara. Not Bumi or Kya. Not your airbending kids. Only Tenzin."

"In the end, he still chose me and loves me."

"I think you're mixing up the difference between 'he loves you' and 'he's in love with you.'"

"He's not in love with you."

"Yes, I am…"

All of their heads whipped in the direction toward the door, scanning the red robes and lowered head. The blue arrow was more prominent as Tenzin hung his head down, not making any steps forward.

"What did you say?" Pema asked shakily, fists slowly unraveling as trembling breaths got caught in her throat.

"I said...yes."

"Yes to what?"

Tenzin took a deep breath and raised his head. "Yes…I am in love with Lin."