A/N: Hello everyone! Sorry for the MASSIVE LAG but BG and I both have school and well it ain't a walk in the park. So here's the latest chapter, please send her your thanks and drop us a review :)

The military woman sighed when she heard the door to her apartment open. The last couple of weeks had been everything but easy. She had started Airbending practice and seeing a therapist. Neither of them were going very well. She had already tried quitting the therapist several times but would get dragged back in by her Firebending friend or the General who'd threatened to remove her military rights at the base. He had apparently made her mental health his business too which irritated her but she reluctantly agreed seeing as she didn't want her parents to find out what she had done.

On the other hand, her Airbending master wasn't bad at all. A little goofy, sure, but the element itself was not cooperating. Aang often reminded her the importance of opening up to her therapist, though part of her thought it was because Tenzin was his son, in order to free her spirit. A light knock on the door made her sit up as the engineer walked in, giving her cheek a kiss as she studied her friend. Asami knew things weren't going very well for the Water Tribe woman.

"You look tired," she observed while one hand pressed against Korra's cheek in concern. "You haven't you been sleeping, have you?

Korra clasped the hand that rested against her cheek, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Not really."

"Is it because of-"

The colonel shut her eyes and shook her head. "Don't say it. Please don't say it."

"Korra..."

The soldier stood and in the process pushed Asami away. "I'm not ready, okay? I'm not ready."

Asami relented easily, knowing that pushing the subject was out of the question and would only further frustrate the both of them. She wasn't in the mood for that today. She just wanted to go lay down and take some medicine for this headache she'd been nursing all day. "Okay."

But Korra wasn't done. She'd been stewing on all of this longer than she'd realized. "This isn't what I wanted, you know?" she started, turning so that she was facing Asami, who remained sitting on the bed. "Having all this power...having to master the elements...and this enhanced state Aang is trying to help me with...I didn't want any of it." She had been just a simple soldier, making her rounds, protecting her nation. That was before the accident, before Asami fused her with this stupid Spirit.

Before her team died.

"I know."

"No, you don't know 'Sami." It came out as a growl, which hadn't been Korra's intention. But she was tired and frustrated and just so... "You don't know what it feels like. I want to be me but that isn't a option anymore. You're normal. You don't have the responsibility that I do."

"Normal?" The very idea made the heiress scoff. "I never wanted to be normal, korra. But you've never even bothered asking."

"Asami, I didn't-" Korra tried.

"It was something you and I had in common," she plowed on, green eyes tired and sad behind the harden steel like quality they'd taken on. "It was you and me against the Bending world and we could beat them because we were better. But you don't know how many times I wished... That I wondered what it might be like to be something... more."

It was astounding to Korra that in all their years of friendship this was something that had never come up. Asami and her, like she'd said, had always been able to keep up just fine with Benders that had crossed their paths. Asami had never shown any interest in being a Bender. "I didn't know. You never..."

"Because what would that have accomplished? I could no more change what I'd been born than you could, not without divine intervention apparently." The smile she gave was small and humorless. "But now you know. I never wanted to be normal. I know what you're feeling. But as I've said before, I won't apologize for saving your life."

The brunette sighed. "Asami, no, that's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?" the older woman challenged. "I'm hurting too Korra. I'm hurting with you because I love you so much."

"I...I..." Her shoulders slumped and she shook her head. "I..." She didn't know what to say.

Asami stood from the bed and started toward the door. "I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow for lunch."

Tenzin raised a brow as he watched the Colonel enter his office and sit down. It wasn't her day to see him and she was never on time for their meetings to begin with, so he had to wonder... His secretary came in, apologizing for the soldier's entrance but he assured her it was fine, grabbed his notepad, and sat across from his client. He noticed her leg bounce up and down and she looked uneasy overall.

"You wanted to see me?" the therapist asked.

Korra didn't answer for a moment, her mind swirling with what had happened last night. She'd hurt her. She had hurt Asami not only physically but emotionally as well. She had hurt her.

"I jumped. In front of her car," the soldier began. "She was just...driving to the bank."

Tenzin furrowed his brow in confusion. "Are you talking about Asami?" He could recall Rhodes telling him what had happened between his client and her girlfriend.

A quick nod. "I jumped in front of her. I knew-I knew I wasn't together. I knew I was no good for her, for anyone and I wrecked her," Korra continued, shaking her head. "That's unforgivable. I don't forgive myself for that. I can't forgive myself for that. I feel shameful about that. That's what I feel today. Shame."

The Airbender managed a smile at her response. For weeks he had unsuccessfully tried to get the military woman to talk about her emotions. "Good. That's a start."

She scoffed in response. "How is that a start?" Had he not been listening?

"You named it. The feeling," Tenzin clarified. "You have to know what it is before you can start to navigate to somewhere better."

Korra's shoulder slumped slightly in relief as she leaned against the couch. Was it really that simple? Had this been all she needed to say? Was there actually a chance she...could get better?

"I can't tell her."

"Tell her what?"

She sighed and rubbed her face tiredly. "What I feel for her. Those three words." She shook her head. She'd never said those words to anyone else. She'd said them to Asami before but not in this context. Not while they were dating. She loved Asami. She was her best friend. But saying those words now...it was different. "I can't tell her. It doesn't feel right. Not right now."

He hummed thoughtfully. "I see. Perhaps we can work on alternatives?"

Korra furrowed her brow. "Alternatives?"

"Things to tell Asami whenever you feel the urge to say how you feel about her."

She thought it over for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, I'd like that."

The heiress smiled softly as she watched Korra fix what she could only guess were the Airbending gates the Colonel had told her about. She took a moment to note the fact that the shorter woman looked actually sort of relaxed. For weeks, the engineer had noticed how her girlfriend always seemed tense and on edge but today she looked different.

"Hey," she greeted.

Korra looked over her shoulder, smiling as she stood, dusting her hands. "Hey, you."

"What are you doing?"

The military woman rubbed he neck sheepishly. "I kinda burned the gates last week during practice and well I'm putting the replacements up."

The heiress chuckled, shaking her head. "I see." A pause. "How's, um, how's therapy?"

Korra shifted slightly, crossing her arms over her chest. The engineer almost regretted asking. "Uh, I'm doing better. Progress is a bit slow." She took a deep breath. "It was your ceiling fan, in your bedroom," she adds quietly. "The way it was spinning are like blades of a chopper. Tenzin said that was the trigger..."

Asami put a hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "It's okay. I know what you mean."

The Colonel smiled, sitting down with Asami to eat lunch together as they talked about their day. Not long after the younger of the two excused herself, saying she had to go see Tenzin but not without giving the ravenette a quick kiss.

When the heiress returned home, she stared up at the fan hanging on her ceiling, furrowing her brow. Then she grabbed a screwdriver and hopped up on her bed to take it down.

It hadn't matched the decor anyway.

Asami opened her eyes groggily, sitting up to see the military woman tossing and turning, whimpers escaping her. The younger woman had suggested sleeping over again to try and attempt to get things back to normal but now the engineer realized it might have not been such a great idea. Not that she hadn't suggested taking things slow but she knew how the Colonel felt about what happened and figured letting her lead would make things easier.

"Korra-"

The Water Tribe woman sat up with a jolt, taking deep breaths as she tried to ground herself. Another nightmare. She'd close her eyes to sleep when suddenly she would see herself on top of the ravenette, hands clasped around her neck. Sometimes she couldn't even tell if it was real or just a dream. She looked next to her, seeing the concerned look on the older woman's face before grabbing her sneakers and starting toward the door.

Quickly Korra ran down the steps, trying to get out of the mansion as fast as she could, trying to get away, away from the person she could hurt. She could hear someone calling her name behind her but she didn't dare look back. She had to get away, she couldn't hurt her again. Never again.

"Korra, wait!" the engineer called before catching up to her lover, grabbing her shoulder and turning her to face her. Blue eyes looked to the floor, unable to meet that caring and concerned gaze she knew Asami would have. Both the heiress' hands came up to cup Korra's face. "Hey, it's okay. Look at me." Her voice was so soft, so gentle, so soothing, and when Korra did look up briefly those mossy green eyes were looking at her. No judgement.

"I can't. I can't do this. I can't hurt you."

The heiress could barely understand her between her panting and shaking of her head. She had already seen her this way once before. "You didn't do anything, I'm okay."

"I hurt you."

Asami sighed and shook her head, pulling her friend into an embrace. "I've had worse and bigger cuts working on engines and all sorts of things," she began gently. "And I get to decide when I've had enough. It's going to take more than a bad dream to scare me off."

"...It's more than a bad dream," Korra answered quietly.

Green eyes closed as she buried her face in Korra's chocolate locks that were still tangled from her fitful sleep. "I know."

She could feel the younger woman tense in the embrace and she knew what she needed. Slowly she unwrapped her arms, kissing Korra's cheek. She met her eyes before giving one small smile and a slight nod. Korra studied her for a moment before pressing a soft, gentle kiss to her lover's forehead and running out of the estate.

Asami whispered a 'thanks' as the Firebender pulled out the chair for her to sit. After the Colonel's leave last night the engineer had gotten little sleep and when Mako asked to meet with her she figured a day away from the office would be a good idea. Not like she'd be able to focus much anyway. The amber eyed man studied the ravanette, not missing the signs of her troubled night, carefully hidden away with her makeup. He sighed and put down his coffee, clasping his hands under his chin.

"Korra came by last night," he commented quietly.

A nod. "I figured as much," the heiress answered taking a sip of her mug. "How is she?"

"Scared, ashamed, guilty." Asami looked up at her companion. "But you already knew that."

"She keeps pushing me away," she answered, hands tightening around the mug. "Keeps running from me."

"That's expected, don't you think? She's going to push you away," Mako answered. "You know Korra, she hates being vulnerable. But that's when shes going to need you to stick with her the most." Not to mention this was the first time Korra was putting her heart into an actual relationship. The unfamiliar ground was another factor in why she may be running.

"I didn't say I was leaving her."

"I wasn't implying that." A pause. "But I know it can be hard working with someone like Korra. I just wanted to let you know that if you ever needed anyone to talk to, I'm here."

Asami smile softly, nodding her thanks as she took another sip of her coffee. "How was she last night?"

He sighed in response. Mako had been expecting the question, and he wondered if anyone had asked the heiress about her own well-being. "Didn't get much sleep," the Firebender replied quietly. "But she was able to somewhat verbalize what she was feeling, that's progress. Tenzin is helping."

The heiress nodded her head. "Good."

It had been days since the military woman had ran out of the mansion. Neither woman had been able to concentrate on their tasks at hand. Finally the heiress decided she'd take matters into her own hands and after canceling the afternoon meetings she headed to the base.

Korra sat in a meeting trying to contribute to the planning for the military summit but her heart wasn't completely in it. She raised a brow at the messenger that walked up to her. Her therapist had been trying to get a hold of her but she didn't really feel like talking to him yet. She was surprised, however, when it turned out to be a message from the ravenette. The Water Tribe woman studied the note before shaking her head, asking the messenger to tell her what she had told the Airbender.

She didn't come out of the conference room until hours later, now marking the set date of the summit in her mental calendar. She was exhausted but straightened when she spotted her friend waiting in the hall. She took a deep breath, knowing what was about to happen, giving time for the hall to clear before heading towards her. Asami stood as she did, crossing her arms over her chest. She was not happy.

"Look, I've been busy, I couldn't see or talk to anyone," the Southerner explained, rubbing the back of her neck as she looked to the ground. "I treated you like I would anyone else." Peeking up, she could see those calculative green eyes she knew so well flash.

A scoff. "I am not like anyone else. You're avoiding me."

"No, I-" The Colonel shook her head. No more lies. "I know. I know but...I hurt you. I've been trying to keep my distance from you because I can't say the three words that are... that are killing me. The three words that you know I feel but I can't say them, because it would be cruel to say them, because I am no good for you." Her hands turned into fists as she lowered her head in shame. "I don't want to torture you. I don't want to to be around you when I know I'm not a hundred percent right, right now. I'm trying to make up for what I did to you. Can't you see that?" Her voice caught in her throat. "I'm just trying to make it right."

The engineer closed her eyes and took a deep breath before stepping forward and wrapping her arms around the shorter woman, rubbing her hand up and down her back. Korra gripped her friend's jacket before feeling herself relax.

The ride to the mansion was quiet but Asami held the Waterbender's hand gently but firmly. The younger woman lead them to her room, sitting on the bed before speaking again, looking down at her clasped hands.

"I know things are complicated right now, and I know you never asked for this, but... Can we just..." the Colonel began quietly before pausing. She looked up to Asami. "Lay here, together, and you just be my best friend?"

The heiress smiled as she scooted closer. "I'll always be your best friend," she answered giving the back of the tan woman's hand a kiss.

Korra smiled and laid down, turning so she was facing Asami. Maybe they weren't perfect. But that was okay. For now.