Bumi watched the events unfold as Korra latched onto Lin, eyes wide with fear.
"Uncle Bumi, is everything going to be okay?" she asked.
The military officer turned to face Lin, worry etched deeply in their faces. He couldn't exactly lie to Korra, but he couldn't really tell her the truth either…
"We'll be okay," he said. "We're just going to Grandma Toph's house for a while, kid."
Korra simply nodded and snuggled as close as she could to Lin. A few minutes and a soothing lullaby later, she was sound asleep. Lin made a small space for her on the saddle and scooted closer to Bumi.
"How's it looking down there?" she asked.
"They have a reprieve, but not for long. Your mom was able to beach the ships and send them out to the bay, but they'll be returning soon."
Lin looked closer at the scene below.
"Is it just me Bumi, or are they already on the dock?"
Bumi peered closer, eyes widening with realization.
"Oh man, they are! Okay Lin, move back for a bit. I'm pulling out the big guns."
The chief metalbender merely raised an eyebrow.
"Look, Bumi, whatever you're about to do is probably-"
Bumi then grabbed a set of shuriken knives from his coat and expertly threw them between the boards of the dock.
"Bumi, what exactly is this going to do? That's like cleaning up the ocean with a napkin!"
"Patience, future sister-in-law! I've got this!"
With one last throw, he wedged a knife halfway between the surface and the floorboards. As soon as a bugman stepped on the knife, he and the entire dock were sent crashing into the ocean. A self-satisfied Bumi turned to find an impressed Lin and astounded Tenzin staring back at him.
"How on earth were you able to do that?" Tenzin asked, shocked.
Bumi simply shrugged. "While you two were off learning how to create a breeze or split a rock, Aunt Mai showed me how to throw knives. Once I was able to pin people down by their clothes, she showed me how to exploit the weak points of a building to my advantage. And we all knew the dock needed to be replaced soon."
Lin smirked. "You should drop by Police Headquarters. My police officers could learn a thing or two from you."
Toph sensed bugmen already on the docks. Panic threatened to override her thoughts, but she quickly reined it in as a plan for getting rid of them started to form.
"Katara, do me a favor. Take this tide and create a huge wave. That should flood them out and prevent them from trying to come closer to the island. Got it?"
"Got it. Let's do this!"
The two friends were in the middle of their task when they heard an odd cracking sound.
"What the-"
"Don't lose concentration Katara!"
Within minutes the ships were below water, their contents flooded out by the large wave Katara had made. A burning smell was in the air, caused by the electric batons meeting salt water. The friends were about to board the dock when they realized there wasn't one. In fact, it was almost as if it was never there.
"How did this happen?"
"Hold on Sugar Queen, I'm looking." Toph crouched on the ground, using a hand to steady herself. After a few minutes, she got up and dusted herself off.
"There weren't any explosives on the wood, nor were there any near the pillars. There are, however, a set of shuriken knives very expertly placed at the dock's pressure points. Not only would the person have to know how the dock was built, they would also have to know the condition of the wood. The only reason this worked is because the knife thrower knew exactly how to use the pressure points against the bridge so that even a single step would send it crashing into the water."
Katara mulled it over before her eyes alighted with realization. "It would have to be Bumi! Aunt Mai taught him how to throw those things when he was a kid, and much to Aang's delight he never stopped. Plus, he's helped maintain the dock since he was a teen."
"Then it would have to be him. And you told Mai off for teaching Bumi a 'useless party trick' that will 'only get him hurt.'"
Katara chuckled. "Yeah, well five minutes later I was pinned to a wall and Aang and Zuko were laughing their heads off. I should have seen that one coming."
"Well, as much as I would love to shoot the breeze Sugar Queen, we should get back to my place. The sooner we can secure Lin and Korra's safety, the better."
By the time the women arrived at the Beifong compound, everyone had settled in. Tenzin was reading to Korra and Suyin's children, Suyin was in the kitchen calling the Metal Clan for reinforcements while Azula was brewing spice tea, and Bumi was showing Lin his different throwing knives.
"Hi everybody, we're back and we kicked some serious Bugmen butt," Toph yelled. "Oh, and Bumi dear, that knife throwing trick was INCREDIBLE. Small wonder you win your squadron's knife throwing competitions all the time."
Bumi rakishly grinned as Lin playfully nudged him. "Thanks Aunt Toph."
Katara turned to the group assembled. "Let's see, we have Lin, Bumi, Suyin, Azula, Junior, Huan, Opal, Wei and Wing are upstairs sleeping, Korra, Tenzin…are we missing people?"
Bumi scanned the room as well. "Wait, where's my wife? She's supposed to be here helping Azula with strategy."
At that moment, Zahira waltzed through the door. At first glance she seemed unharmed, but upon closer inspection it was clear that she had been hurt, and badly. She hissed in pain as she walked towards her mother-in-law, careful not to alarm the children near her.
"Katara, can I see you for a moment in your study? There's something we need to discuss, and it can't wait."
Bumi held onto his wife's hand tightly as Katara tended to her wounds in her study. Zahira, fiery Zahira, had always been his pillar of strength. They had known each other since they were children, though it wasn't until they had been commissioned into the United Republic Forces that their relationship grew. He had always figured his crush on the striking firebender was one-sided (she had half the forces crushing on her at one point), but it wasn't until she visited him in the infirmary after a training exercise accident that he realized the feeling was mutual. Seeing his invincible wife so bruised and battered killed him inside, but he didn't want her to worry. So as Katara paid close attention to her bruised bones, Bumi intentionally sang so off key that Zahira and even Katara had no choice but to laugh. Tenzin paced outside the door while Lin read a book, her fidgeting betraying her nervousness. After a few minutes, the metalbender felt a hand on her shoulder, which made her jump.
"You can't do that to me, Aunt Azula," Lin laughed. "My water could have broken!"
"Very funny," the firebender said. "How far along are you anyway? You're bigger than an armadillo bear!"
Lin smiled as she placed a hand on her protruding stomach. "I'm about three weeks away from my due date. I can't wait, but I'm also really-"
"Scared?" Azula interjected, eyebrow raised.
Lin nodded.
"Don't worry dear, it's completely normal. In fact, I'd be more surprised if you completely okay." Azula looked around. "Why don't we go for a walk?"
Azula strolled with her niece on one of the many paths that winded through the expansive greens and gardens that made up the Beifong's backyard. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, and the wind carried their petals and their sweet fragrance. Flowering vines were being trained to crawl through the hedges, and their buds were exclamation points among the many shades of green. Azula figured that was Suyin's doing; the younger Beifong designed and maintained the immaculate gardens in Zaofu. It probably wouldn't be long before Ba Sing Se would attempt to court her for the position of royal gardener.
"Spring is such a beautiful time of year, isn't it Aunt Azula?" Lin said as she breathed in the fresh spring air.
"You are such an earthbender," her aunt smirked. "I admit I'm partial to summer, but this is nice weather."
The two women ambled along in content silence. Azula cleared her throat.
"My dear niece, I feel that as your aunt and as a parent I should offer you some parenting tips."
Lin restrained herself from letting out a groan. Ever since she had announced her pregnancy parenting tips were the only topic of conversation Suyin and Katara cared about. It had been helpful initially, especially considering Suyin was also a mother to multiples, but in the past few months Lin had learned more about diapering, swaddling, and cosleeping than she had ever cared to know. Toph took fiendish joy in the fact that her first-born would soon experience motherhood, and capitalized on her daughter's unease by giving disastrous advice at the most inopportune of times. "Like what?"
"For one, feed them before their bedtime-they won't be as likely to wake you up in the middle of the night. And when they teeth, give them something soft like a rag or a ring covered in cloth so they won't hurt themselves. Also, with all of those Air Acolytes running around the island, I would choose one you trust to become your night nurse. Transitioning to parenthood is a crazy, intense experience, and being able to sleep through the night will make your transition that much easier."
Lin silently processed this information as they walked along. That was useful information, and infinitely better than Toph's counsel ("When I had you, I wore you in a sling everywhere, even into the interrogation room. You'd be surprised at how quickly people will confess when there's a crying baby involved. Might have broken a couple records."). Azula, sensing Lin's discomfort, put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"I'm not exactly soft and mushy, so enjoy this while you can. At times you may have no idea what you're doing, but take a step back and realize that no one really does. However, one thing I know for certain is that you will be a great mother."
The metalbender gave her aunt a slightly teary hug. "Thanks Aunt Azula."
Silence reigned again. This time it was Lin who broke it.
"Aunt Azula, did you know who my father was?"
The elder softly sighed. Toph had made it a point to never tell her daughters about their fathers, claiming that "women don't need men anyways!" While it had worked for Suyin, Azula knew it rankled Lin that she never knew the identity of her father. "Toph still adamant that knowing his identity is unnecessary?"
"Yes. Being so close to motherhood myself, I want to know who he is and what happened between him and Mom. She says it's not important, that I had father figures in Sokka and Zuko and Aang, but I still want to know for me. I want that closure."
Azula motioned to a bench. "If you want to know that badly, I can tell you about your father. I used to know him."
Lin's eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat. "You would be willing to tell me? Mom didn't swear you to secrecy?"
Azula chuckled and gestured good-naturedly. "Toph can try and take me if she wants, but I don't care. You should know at least something about your father."
"Like what?"
"His name—Kanto. He was an Earth Kingdom earth bender with the laid back personality of the Water Tribe. He was tall, good looking with dusty brown hair and dark green eyes—not that your mother cared much for that, of course. They met when he decided to take a metalbending intensive that your mother was teaching, and hit it off almost immediately.
"Your mother was attracted to him because of his personality. He was young, wild, carefree, much like she was. They had a lot of fun together, and genuinely enjoyed being in each other's presence. However, as your mother began consolidating her metalbenders into the police force they began to grow apart. They realized that they were going different directions and parted amicably. It wasn't until three months later, however, that your mother realized she was pregnant with you. Sokka and I were about ready to tear the world apart looking for him, but your mother waved us off and said it wasn't worth it."
Lin simmered in her seat. "Wasn't worth it? It wasn't worth it for me to know my father?"
"What Toph knew and we didn't at the time was that your father was descended from Earth Kingdom nomads. He moved constantly and was an expert at hiding. Sokka and I tried to locate him you were born but we were never able to find him or even anyone who saw him. It's like he disappeared into thin air. He would have made a good spy for the forces with those skills."
The metalbender sat back, absorbing the story. "Thank you for telling me," she said thickly. "It means a lot."
"Of course, you deserve to know. But I can also show you too. I kept a couple of pictures he took with your mom in case you would ever want them."
The two benders were on their way to Azula's room when they were stopped by Katara.
"Zahira's been through a beating, but I've managed to heal most her wounds-she just needs rest now. But she did tell me something that you'll want to hear especially, Lin."
"Why me?"
"It involves Hiroshi Sato. He's here in Republic City, and he's brought some bugmen in tow."
