"...You will wear these every time you leave the house, no exceptions." Bolin sat on a stool in front of his mother's work 'table'. It was really a converted wardrobe, when you opened the doors you found one shelf about waist level that served as work station with two stools sitting beneath; on the inner walls hung tools, bits of scrap metal and spare parts; some of which were being strapped to Bolin's arms right now, "And you will wear gloves to conceal the trigger. Is this in any way unclear?"

"No ma'am." Bolin squeaked.

"That comfortable?" Lin asked as she adjusted the leather straps. He nodded as he moved his arms, testing the weight, "Good. Mako!" Bolin cringed as she yelled, "Where do you think your going?"

"Work." the young man in question popped his head in the room. The elder woman pointed to the telephone on her bedside table,

"Call in." She ordered sharply, "You're next."

"I don't need-" the glare had special properties. Not only did it stop him short, but he suddenly contracted a serious cold as well. It was probably for the best anyway, he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep and he wasn't looking forward to working.

"Try it out, Bolin." The boy's mother ordered while she waited for Mako to get done with his call.

"Okay," he flexed his little finger and thumb downward and together, as soon as they touched a blade shot out of his right arm guard. Lin put a flat and on either side of the blade to check it's stability. He flexed the digits again and the weapon retracted. Next he was instructed to move his other fingers and make a fist to make sure that the tension wouldn't cause the blade to come out by accident. When both arms past inspection she motioned for him to get up.

"Mako. Sit." Her next subject took Bolin's seat while he took a spot on her bed. She removed a small piece of metal from a hook and divided it two sections, then made the sections into rings; placing one on his left thumb and little finger.

"He's only getting one?"

"He's trying to learn lightning, I don't want him to zap his right arm when he finally pulls it off." Taking a cable, she divided it into two thin pieces and attached them to the rings. Mako stared in amazement as she built the small pulley and spring system on the device and attached it to the leather lining. In thirty minutes he getting the final touches on his own weapon.

knock, knock

"Go let Saikhan in, Boy." She was a little busy adjusting the tension around the pulley.

"Two permits for concealed weapons, Chief. But regulations forbid the Chief of Police to sign permits for her/his family or associates to prevent the abuse of power." He stood stiff as a board even though her eyes had a look of murder in them.

"Fine." Tenzin would sign them...or else. Her subordinate placed the permits on her desk and just stood there, "Was there something else, Captain?"

"Yes, Chief. Republic City General reported an incident with three of their patients last night. They claim to have been assaulted by members of the Red Monsoon Triad but the officer who took statements says that their claims don't match up with the medical examination. Doctor Fang's report states that Victim One suffered a stab wound to the shoulder consistent with a police issued arm blade. Victim Two suffered three broken vertebrae in the lower back, bruising in legs indicates earthbending. Victim Three suffered two fractured ribs, bruising around the stomach and back indicates a police issued metal cable." And what he was really trying to avoid saying was 'it looks like your handiwork, Chief, is there something you'd like to tell me?"

Lin kept her focus on her work, Mako avoided eye contact, Bolin nervously looked at his mom's armor. It hadn't moved since she'd torn it off the night before, and there was a trail of blood starting underneath her left arm guard and ending in a small puddle on the floor. Saikhan would've had to been blinder than Toph to miss it.

"And what do you think of the medical report?" Lin asked evenly.

"...I think that doctors should keep their assumptions to themselves, there are a number of short swords that have the same dimensions as our blades."

"And the cable?"

"Metal whips are rare, but they exist, Chief."

"Well put. Check for any Red Monsoon activity in the area. I'm sure they'll all have solid alibis." As much as she'd love an excuse to arrest those bastards, she wasn't about to let Zolt use her as his own personal attack snakedog.

"Yes Chief." He saluted and left them in peace.

"Get washed up," she said as she finished her work, "we're going to Air Temple Island."

...

Pema and Lin had been on acceptable terms since the day that Jinora took her first breath. Over the years Pema had grown accustomed to, and even welcomed, the older woman's presence on the island. But why...why...did she have to come back today, while Ming was still here? As she and her sister stared at the other family entering the dinning room, Pema decided that the word 'challenging' didn't seem to do this woman justice, perhaps 'hardheaded', 'irritable', 'incorrigible'...by the spirits, did the woman look for ways to start a fight?

"Hate to break up the tea party, but where's the airhead?"

"He's taking a call in his office."

"Perfect." She pushed the boys down unto seat cushions and went to speak with Tenzin. Mako found the table very interesting while Bolin smiled and shrugged.

"Would the two of you like some breakfast?" She couldn't be rude to her guests, no matter how uninvited they may be. Bolin nodded a polite 'thanks' before grabbing a plate and Mako grabbed a piece of fruit. Jinora talked with her aunt, Ikki and Meelo squabbled, she refereed, the boys leaned on the table and ate with drooping eyes.

"So how long does it snow in-" srnnnk. Everyone stopped what they were doing to locate the source of the snore. Mako was fast asleep with his head on the table, the half-eaten fruit discarded on his brother's plate. Bolin had propped his head up on one hand, still holding his chopsticks in the other.

"They're sleeping!" Ikki giggled, inching closer and closer to Bolin,

"Don't you dare, young lady." A second later and the poor teenager would've woken up to a screaming child.

"So, what should we do with them?"

"Perhaps Lin can settle them in the sitting room," Tenzin's voice came from the hall as he and his friend came into view, "they've had a difficult night." he silently begged his wife to agree with him on this one.

"Of course, they'll always have a place to sleep here."

"Alright. Come on, Mako." Lin shook him lightly...or as lightly as a iron-armed person such as herself could.

"Huh?" he blinked slowly, "Are we ready to go?"

"Go sleep in the sitting room."

"Oka-ywaha-y." He was too tired to care or argue. One down, one to go.

"On your feet, Boy." She shook him roughly, only to have he shake her off and mumble 'go 'way'. Some things never change, he'd never had a problem dragging her out of bed but when he wants to sleep... "Let's go." she pried his arm out from under his head and threw it over her shoulder, then hoisted him up. He didn't even fully wake up as she led him out of the dinning room.

On the way to the sitting room, he drowsily kept trying to wander off or just fall down. It'd be easier to pick him up and carry him, but her pride wouldn't let her do it, he was too old to be carried. When she did finally get him there she found that Mako had pulled up a cushion and passed out without bothering to take off his shoes or arm blade. It was like having two six-year-olds, she had to take off their shoes and carry them to bed. So she took off their blades and attached them to the side of her belt, then took off their shoes and threw them in the corner, by the time she'd finished Tenzin came in with blankets.

"Come have some breakfast." He invited her to the table where she took Bolin's food, "How do those blades work without metalbending, Lin?" He soon realized a mistake as his children would see Lin put on an arm guard, squeeze her thumb and pinky together and a big knife spring out. Two words would fill the young minds... 'new toy'. He wanted to take it back, but it was too late, the blade was already there and gone.

"Same pulley system as the cables, with a spring tension system." Her years working in the police maintenance department had paid off once again.

"Can I see it?" Jinora asked, reaching out for it. Tenzin sighed, this was nobody's fault but his.

"It's not a toy, it's a concealed weapon and you don't have a permit so I'll arrest you if you touch it." Lin said, giving both the little airbenders her best glare.

"Well, may I have a permit?" The elder one asked politely, anything to get a closer look at that mechanism.

"Ask your father." She replied as Tenzin's face went red with rage.

"An airbender has no need of such a violent weapon." He said with an undertone of 'and that's final!'.

"Why don't you take your brother and sister outside and enjoy the nice autumn weather while it lasts?" Pema directed the children out of the house, they were sure to come back with crumbled leaves decorating their clothing and hair, "Oh, Lin. What happened?"

"They ran into Mako's old boss and a couple goons. Nearly got themselves killed. I think they're just hoping that I'll die of heart failure."

"Your mother once said the same about you." Tenzin pointed out the irony.

"More than once."

"They say that children have ways to make parents pay for their own youthful wrongdoings." He hadn't been excluded either. There were times when he found himself giving the exact same scoldings that his mother and father gave him.

"Why do you think I never wanted children, Airhead?" She knew what kind of hell awaited her, and she'd done her best to avoid it.

"They also say that a person will often finds their destiny on the path the took to elude it." The man chuckled, and she sulked.

"Shut up, Airhead."

...

"Lin! Run!" he father pushed her away, and took a stance in front of their attackers.

"Dad!" She didn't want to leave him to face the waterbenders alone.

"Go!" He shouted. She ran, but only to go and get her mom. She didn't get far before she heard him scream.

"Daddy!" She had to go and help him. Running back, she pounded the ground and got the bad guys to let go of her dad, then kicked up a rock and chucked it at another one of them. Now free, he went to fight them again, to keep them away from his daughter and that's when it happened. They decided to stop toying around, a man made a large ice sickle and plunged it into her father's back. Lin froze with shock, she could see the men get closer and closer. She closed her eyes right before they grabbed her by the hair and held her in a headlock.

"Watch your daddy die, girl." he tried to force her eyes open...

"Watch your son die, Chief." Zolt held her hair, Mako was dead on the ground. Ping laughed as Shin ran Bolin through with his ice.

"No! Bolin!"

...

"Bolin!" Lin shot up from her spot in the dark sitting room, breathing heavily from the nightmare, "Not this garbage again." she sighed, putting her head in her hands. Luckily the boys had already woken up, from the echoing sounds they were having supper and hadn't heard a thing. When her heart slowed down to normal she got up to join them.

"You two didn't do that." She heard Mako saying disbelievingly.

"It made sense at the time. We were each missing a parent so..." Asami insisted. Bolin must have called her up and gabbed the story like an old housewife.

"I sent a telegram as mom to her her dad saying that 'I' needed to talk to him about Asami, and she sent one to mom as her dad saying that 'he' needed to talk to her about me." Bolin elaborated, "And since they were both very busy, 'we can leave the kids with the hired help and discuss this on my/your dinner break'." Lin leaned against the door frame to listen to the story.

"Oooo..." Ikki was on the edge of her seat.

"How mad were they?" Jinora piped in.

"I saw my whole life flash before my eyes." The earthbender snickered, dramatically put a hand over his eyes.

"We saw them coming up the walkway and ran." Asami added with a laugh.

"We just forgot one little detail..."

"Seismic sense?" Tenzin guessed.

"Seismic sense!" Bolin threw his hands in the air, "Mom scanned the place and found us in one minute flat. Now, I don't want much, but I'd like the chance to run from my mom when I'm in trouble!"

"Better luck in your next life, Boy."