Tenzin woke at dawn. He immediately reached out beside him, jumping up when he felt only a cold spot where his wife was supposed to be. The twins were sleeping soundly in the cradles – for a moment, Tenzin wondered whether he had dreamed of quarrelling with Lin the night before.

"No," he told himself. Lin came home at two. They had a fight and he could never forget the sound of her sobs when she turned the lights out.

On the nightstand, a steaming cup of tea lay beside Lin's neatly folded nightdress. Tenzin stared absentmindedly at the tendrils of smoke rising from the cup, feeling ashamed that his wife should prepare him breakfast although he shouted at her the night before. She's probably downstairs, he thought as he hopped out of bed. In the light of dawn, he saw Lin's armor lying haphazardly beside the door – even in the dim light Tenzin noticed it was badly dented in some places.

"This should heal nicely," Katara smiled as she ran water over the cut on Lin's thigh. "I understand you had a rough night, sweetie."

Lin nodded, shuddering as the cold water made contact against the tender flesh. "I was about to go home – actually I was walking to the bay when – when something came up. There was no one else within the vicinity so I had to what I had to do," she paused. "I'm sorry. I must've upset all of you."

"Nonsense," Katara dismissed. "Tenzin has it easy – at least you're in Republic City. When Aang and I were younger I'm almost always worried because he could be chasing off some hooligans halfway across the Earth Kingdom. Sometimes you just have to learn to deal with it, Lin."

"Tenzin was really upset, Mother."

Katara discarded the water into the sink, and then inspected her handiwork. The cut was now a mere pink bump on the white skin of Lin's thigh. "He was upset because he didn't listen. Now, tell me about your night."

The women had been talking about Lin's adventures when Tenzin walked in. "Mother. Lin," he reached out to hug her, but Lin quickly walked away. Tenzin noticed the tired look in her eyes – and he didn't miss how red they were, either.

Turning away from him, Lin wiped her eyes and tried to busy herself by propping up a pot on the stove. "What do you want for breakfast?"

I must've hurt her really bad last night, Tenzin thought.

"Lin, dear – you had a tough night," Katara said. "Why don't you go upstairs, get back to bed and rest? I'll call Toph and tell her you're not feeling well."

The pot crashed noisily to the floor. Tenzin saw his wife's lips quivering, like she was about to cry. Lin retrieved the pot and fixed the dent in a jiffy. "Mother, I –"

"Listen to me, sweetheart. Get some rest. I'll check up on you later," Katara told her, waving her hand dismissively.

Lin wiped her hands on her shorts. "Alright," she sighed, hurriedly walking out.

As soon as Lin was out of sight (and earshot), Katara turned to Tenzin and slapped his arm angrily. "What did you do to your wife?!"

"We had a fight last night –"

"It's hardly a fight when you're the only one screaming," Katara deadpanned. "Lin told me she tried to explain but you wouldn't hear anything of it. Have you seen the shape she's in, son? She was hurt."

Tenzin looked sheepishly at his mother. If Katara was already in such a funk over what happened, Tenzin didn't even want to think of how Toph Beifong would react.

"Lin was walking home and something came up," Katara began. "A murder, precisely. It was taking a long time for on-duty officers to respond that she took it upon herself to prevent the prime suspects from leaving the scene – haven't you noticed the bruise on her arm? One of the suspects tried to run her over. If it wasn't for the armor, Lin would've ended up with a broken arm."

"I didn't –"

Katara effortlessly dispensed water into the teacups, filling the kitchen with the aroma of peppermint. "You didn't listen to her, that's why. And what was that all about – trying to make her quit her job?"

"Tenzin?" Aang, who was fresh from meditation, made a beeline straight for the waiting cups of tea. "I heard you screaming last night. Were you and Lin arguing?"

"Yes – and I – I lost control of myself. I told her things that might have hurt her," he replied. "When she went to bed – er – perhaps she thought I was already asleep – I – I heard her crying."

Aang sipped his tea. "I was up when she came home. You should've seen it – an airship, right over the courtyard! Apparently Lin insisted they take her home so she could sleep here, instead of in the headquarters. She was quite a sight – I told her to see Katara first thing in the morning because the bruise on her arm wasn't very pretty. Anyway, what did you tell her exactly?"

"I told her to quit her job."

"Son, you can't just ask Lin to quit her career just as you can't ask me to quit being the Avatar. It's part of who we are – and besides, you have to learn that even though you are married and, figuratively – one heart and one mind, you are still two separate individuals. Sometimes you get so invested in your marriage – in your union, precisely, that you forget who you are," Aang explained. "Let Lin have some time alone – you'll see how much good it will do her."

Tenzin looked more upset than ever. Listening to his father made him realize that he did a horrible job of "talking" to his wife. Instead of his usual calm manner, he screamed at her and made Lin feel as if she was a bad wife and a neglectful mother. "I was wrong," he mumbled. "It's just that I was so tired –"

"Being tired is not an excuse to hurt anyone," Aang reminded him. "Even if you are being carried away by your current emotions, you should always try to be mindful of your words. Remember, son, that harsh words can wound people more than the sharpest blade can."

Katara and Aang exchanged meaningful looks. "It is good that you saw your mistake," Katara told him. "Now go to your wife and tell her you're sorry. Lin is a good girl – she's always been, and I know she'll listen to you even if she's upset herself. Whatever happens, don't let the sun set on your grievances."

"Actually, it's more like – whatever, happens, don't let Lin's mom know," Aang said, yelping when Katara pinched his ear.

He approached the room quietly, thanking his airbending abilities for making him extremely lightfooted. As he slowly slid he door open, he saw Lin tending to her armor while the twins were seated on the plush carpet, busy gnawing on the soft, sweet biscuits Lin had bought from the city. Gone was the fussiness and restlessness of yesterday – as their mother bent her armor back into shape, the twins gurgled contentedly on their food. Tenzin watched as Lin's slender hands ran over the dull, silver-gray metal. Suddenly, she looked up at him and set her armor down.

"I called in sick today," she told him coldly, handing him a set of robes. "I figured I have to help Mother around the house today."

"Lin, sweetheart –"

"Have you showered yet? Hurry up or you'll be late – Lei, buddy, that's your sister's cracker, put it down – Well? Move. Don't be late," she said, practically shoving him out of the room. Although he didn't mean it, Tenzin grabbed her by her injured arm, pulling back only when he saw her flinch.

"I'm sorry! I – Lin, sweetie, I –"

Lin sighed, rubbing her bruised arm. "Leave me alone, Tenzin." She sat back down on the carpet, gave Lian another treat, and cleaned up the crumbs Lei dropped onto the carpet.

Ever since they were children, Tenzin hated it when Lin deliberately ignored him – usually it was because they would fight over petty things such as sweets, or whose turn it is to ride with Aang on the glider – they'd be over it in a matter of hours, as children usually do, but now that they're married and Lin – his wife – was giving him the cold shoulder, Tenzin felt all the more frustrated because, first and foremost, it was his fault; second, he totally deserved it; and third, it felt like Lin was calling him out without even saying a word. Sighing, he closed the door and got ready for work.

A/N: The conclusion to this three-part story will be uploaded tomorrow! Read and review, as usual! Thank you!