A/N: I made the first chapter a while ago, but after rewatching the show, I wanted to explore this idea more so I made another chapter. Please enjoy and maybe let me know if you have any questions/concerns/comments.

Republic City. A honk. A shout from atop a nearby building. Vendors selling food. Thieves stealing that food. Pedestrians walking and street rats, mostly young boys, running—and glaring as they passed her. It was the city that never slept witnessed by the woman who hardly ever slept: Lin Beifong, daughter of Toph Beifong and... Kanto, and fourth chief of the Republic City Police Force.

She stood in front of the very same school she attended as a child. The school had long faded since she attended; the sparkle from when it was brand new some forty years prior was no longer there, but at least it still stood upright—and at least it kept most of the young troublemakers at bay for a few hours. The bell rang and a crowd of children emerged from the school's metal doors. Liko came out almost last, trudging along all on his lonesome with his eyes focused on the ground. He looked like Tenzin; he often reminded her of him too, but he hardly accepted the comparison. She waved her hand to get his attention. He did not notice, so she grabbed his shoulder. He looked up, frowning, small bags loomed under his eyes.

"What are you doing here?" he asked once he recognized it was her, his sour face brightening slightly.

"You sound disappointed," she said, and they started walking. Headquarters was only a few blocks away from the school. She walked the path many times alone. As did Liko.

"Well, it's not exactly cool to have your mother pick you up from school. Not when you're thirteen, anyway," he said. "I could have walked on my own."

A Satomobile honked in the distance, and another sped passed them, the driver yelling profanities out his open window to the man with the megaphone across the road from them. Every citizen had a right to free speech—Avatar Aang and Lord Zuko made sure of that—but she was inclined to agree with the driver.

"Down with bending," the man yelled back at the driver, and the driver honked in response and sped away. The man with the megaphone quickly turned his attention to the pedestrians passing him, who were all avoiding his gaze. "Tired of being oppressed at the hands of benders?" he told them. "Become an Equalist today!"

"I know," said Lin softly. She turned to Liko. His attention was on the Equalist—what a terrible name for such a radical group. They weren't equalizing anything. Liko's face was pale, maybe a little frightened, but his eyes looked tired. "Rough day?" she asked him, and he turned to her.

"Pretty normal, I guess. But I think I flunked my math test..." A police airship flew above them, silencing both Liko and the man with the megaphone. The large ship casted a shadow on the entire street for a quick moment. Everyone looked up. "What's that?" asked Liko.

It was Saikhan's airship; she recognized the ship number and the small dent on the back, curtesy of last week's triad raid. But why was he on patrol? She gave him strict orders to stay at headquarters until she got back. "I don't know," said Lin, trying to hide the concern in her voice. She wished she had her radio to find out. Maybe some Triad members causing chaos downtown again, or another Equalist riot. There was no telling in Republic City.

Korra heard a loud buzz and the metal doors opened in front of her. A metalbending officer guided her through the metal doors. She quickly tensed when she spotted the camera. She was not going to be the first Avatar to get a mugshot. "Officer... please, there's been a misunderstanding," she said. "I'm the—"

"Just stand over there," said the officer mechanically. He gave her a gentle push and she stumbled in front of the camera. Another officer fiddled with the camera and its stand, adjusting it for her height. He was in uniform, but not a metal uniform like the first guy. "Hey, there Jing."

"Ru," greeted the other officer, his focus on the camera.

"You going to the probending match tonight?"

"Not this week," said Jing with a sigh, his eyes focused on adjusting the camera. "The in-laws are in town. Indra wants to do a small dinner party at the house." The door buzzed and the metal doors opened again. To Korra's surprise a small boy entered the room holding a cup of something carefully in both of his hands. "You can come if you want... it won't be any fun, though."

"Here you go, Jing," said the boy to the officer. He finally looked up from his camera and turned to take the cup from the boy's hands.

"Thanks, Li..." He took a small sip but nearly spit it out. "Agh—why does VariTea always come out so lukewarm? That machine is a piece of garbage."

"You're a firebender," reminded the boy. "Just warm it yourself."

He contemplated the boy's words before setting the cup aside. "It's not the same," he said.

"Uh, excuse me," said Korra.

"No talking," ordered the officer who brought Korra in.

"Is she the reason Roku street is blocked off?"

"She's the reason a lot of streets are blocked off," replied the officer, and Korra felt her heart sink. She wasn't trying to cause chaos... but those guys had it coming. The people needed to know the Avatar was back and ready to help them.

The boy looked at her quizzically. "I heard from Chang she earthbent somebody into the air. Broke a rib. But she's... Is she the...?"

"Um, Liko," interrupted the officer quickly, "can you... uh, make me a VariTea by any chance?"

"You're not gonna like it," warned the officer with the camera.

The boy stood there gaping at her—finally somebody who understood. But he looked more shocked than happy to see her.

"Liko?"

The boy nodded, his eyes still on Korra. "Um, yeah," he said. "Yeah, sure."

Tenzin rushed inside, bending the air around him as he walked. He must look a fool. The council members, Tarrlok especially, would surely give him an earful at the next council meeting tomorrow—and Lin, spirits Lin! She... well, he wasn't looking forward to that conversation either.

"Councilman," said the receptionist, standing. But he ignored her and continued walking; he would apologize on his way out. What was it that Bumi always said? Better to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission? What a ridiculous saying. He made his way up the steps and through another door. And then another. And then another flight of stairs. Until he entered a large metal hallway. Captain Saikhan was walking in Tenzin's direction. He stopped once he caught sight of Tenzin, his face falling.

"Captain Saikhan," he greeted formally, stopping fully—the wind around him settling.

"Avatar Korra is in our custody," he said, crossing his arms. "But I suppose you already know that. Why else would you be here?"

"Yes, I am aware—now—of the Avatar's whereabouts," he said with a sigh. There was a slight awkward pause as the two men stood face to face. He waited for Saikhan's response; it never came. "Let me... um, take this time to apologize for—"

"Enough of your babbling," he said, and Tenzin felt his blood boil. They never got along. Not truly. "I'll inform the Chief you're here."

"Thank you..." he started, but the Captain was already walking away. He sighed once more. Spirits, Korra! Why are you so hardheaded?

"Let's see... What do we even have?" said a familiar voice in the distance; it was quite welcoming, especially amongst all the chaos. He smiled, the voice leading him into the break room a few doors away. "Ru likes herbal tea, I think."

"What a pleasant surprise," Tenzin said, and Liko jumped at his voice. "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you," he added quickly as his son turned to him. "What are you doing here?"

Liko's eyes drifted to the wall beside them. "I always come here... after school."

"Yes, but so early? I hope you're all right."

Liko shook his head. "We got out early. School holiday."

"Well... good for you." Liko said nothing, so Tenzin cleared his throat to fill the silence. "How are your studies going by the way? I don't think we've, uh, discussed—"

His eyes finally found Tenzin's; they were Lin's eyes. Beautiful and fierce-looking. "The Avatar's in jail, you know," said Liko. "You said you were going to the South Pole to train her..."

"I did say that last time we spoke," said Tenzin, "but... recent events have changed my mind. Your stepmother Pema"—Liko flinched, not bothering to hide his distaste—"and I both agree I am most needed here in Republic City."

"You're talking about the Equalist riots," he said after a moment.

Tenzin nodded. "Yes. I am."

"My mom knows how to handle a couple of non-benders with you in or out of the city. She's Chief; that's her duty," he said, his eyes drifting away again. "Your only duty is to teach the Avatar."

Tenzin's smile faded slightly. That wasn't his only duty. At times, he wished it was. "It's been a while since you've been on the island. You're welcome to come for dinner. I'm sure Meelo will be happy to see his big brother again. Jinora and Ikki as well."

Liko sighed. "Um, my mom and I sorta already made plans. Sorry."

"That's all right," said Tenzin, trying to sound genuine. "Maybe another time."

"This way to the interrogation room, councilman," said Captain Saikhan's stern voice behind him. Tenzin turned to the stone-faced man; Saikhan gave Liko a gentle nod and a rare smile before turning and waving his hand for Tenzin to follow him.

Tenzin turned back to Liko. "It was good to see you, Liko. Truly," he said softly, and Liko shrugged. "Just... let me know when you want to join us for dinner."

Liko sat on his knees, facing backwards and looking at headquarters as she drove away. His cheek squished against the headrest while his seatbelt dangled beside him, untouched. In the rear view mirror Lin saw her mother's statue, standing tall and proud before all of Republic City. It shrunk the further she drove away from headquarters, and soon it was nothing but a blob. One hand remained on the steering wheel while the other guided Liko into the correct sitting position. "Put your seatbelt on," she instructed.

"Do you know where your mom is?"

She glanced at him; the seatbelt still dangled beside him. Her focus went back on the road. "You know the answer to that."

"Do you think she's in Zaofu?"

"No," she said, too harshly for her own liking. "Maybe. I don't know—put your seatbelt on."

He ignored her and looked out the window instead. She sped passed everything; the people and the buildings were as good as blobs, like her mother's statue. She heard him sigh, and she felt a slight pain in her stomach. "Tenzin—dad... invited me to dinner tonight."

She hesitated, her eyes focused on the road. "Why didn't you go?"

"I told him we already had plans," Liko said, and Lin hummed. "I was hoping we could have dinner at Yoyo's tonight."

It was her turn to sigh, glancing at him. "I can't," she said. "I'm dropping you off and then..."

"...you're going back to work."

"We can maybe go to Yoyo's this weekend," she told him. And he huffed, turning away. He had only been thirteen for a month, but she was already growing tired of that teenage sass. "What?"

"When you say maybe you always mean no," he said.

"Okay," she said, glancing back at him. "Then we definitely won't go to Yoyo's tonight or this weekend."

"Sorry," he mumbled, crossing his arms.

She took a swift right turn, immediately greeted by traffic. And the vehicle came to an abrupt stop. Liko, who still had yet to put his seatbelt on, fell forward. Lin grabbed him before he burst through the front window and into the Satomobile in front of them. She pushed him back into the seat, his head banging against his headrest. "I said seatbelt!"

She took a few deep breaths before metalbending his seatbelt on him, and he rubbed the back of his head. "Dammit!" she said, hitting her steering wheel. The Satomobiles in front of them looked never ending. "We'll be here all night." Lin noticed part of the lane had been closed off due to rocks and rubble—that damn a traffic guard was guiding cars from both lanes out of the mess—she was ruining the city. "The Avatar has made quite the impression," she said, gritting her teeth.

"The Avatar did all this," Liko said, lifting himself up slightly to get a better look at all the chaos. "Chang said she broke one of the guy's ribs during the fight. She's tough as nails."

Lin suppressed a growl.

Liko switched on the radio. It was staticky for a moment before the voice of Shiro Shinobi came on at full blast: "Up next is what the young ones call rock music because of its upbeat, no nonsense attitude. Some say it's an act of rebellion. Some say it's art. I say, it's music to my ears. Formed in Ba Sing Se, no less, The Drills have certainly rocked the city, if not the nation, with their loud electric instruments and meaningful lyrics. Here now are The Drills performing their new hit single, Red Moon in the North."

Immediately, a guitar started playing and Lin tried to hide her distaste. Rock music gave earthbenders all around the world a bad name. To her disappointment, Liko turned the volume up. A man with a deep and scratchy voice began singing, and she shuddered. Like any fool who listened to rock music, her son began snapping his fingers to the beat. And she immediately turned the volume down.

"How can you listen to this without your ears bleeding?"

And the small smile faded from his face. She felt guilty for saying it, but it was her vehicle and she should be able to listen to things that don't cause aneurysms—mostly police reports. She switched the channel to more relaxing, less migraine-inducing music. Liko sighed, leaning back in his seat.

"We're going to spend some time training tomorrow," she told him.

He looked at her in disbelief. "You're punishing me? For listening to rock music?"

"No. It's not that," said Lin. "You haven't used your bending in a while. I just want to refresh you on the basics. Nothing more and nothing less."

"Fine," he mumbled. He was the only Beifong she knew who didn't jump at the chance of fighting. He was Tenzin; he was Aang.

Before she could respond, the vehicle that pulled up behind them honked frantically, wanting Lin to move forward and make space for him. Irritated, she lifted her hands up. "I'd move if I could, fuckwad!" she shouted as if the man could hear her. She huffed angrily. "I can't believe he let her into my city."

Liko frowned, sitting up. "Mom, you're going insane."

"What?"

"Look at you," he said. "You're stressed the fuck out."

"Watch it," she warned.

"You said it."

"Yeah, well, do as I say and not as I do," she said. The man continued honking, and she wanted to desperately get out and arrest him. Instead, she honked her own horn at him.

"Take a day off," suggested Liko. "Go to the spa or something."

"The spa?" She would be amused, but the man behind them was too irritating to be anything but frustrated in that moment.

"Or something..."

"I'm fine!" she said, too loudly for her own liking. The man just would not stop honking. She sighed, taking her hands off the horn. "I'm fine," she said again, more calmly than before.

"Mhm..."

The Satomobile in front of them moved up slightly. She moved forward too, which seemed to satisfy the driver behind them. Enough to cease his honking, anyway. "What about you?" she asked.

He looked out the window again. A man and a young boy walked hand in hand passed them. Liko's eyes followed them as they walked. "Yeah, I'm fine," he answered, his voice breaking slightly. He cleared his throat. "I'm fine too."