Earth, Air, & Everything Inbetween

by jxrixho

Summary:

Lin and Tenzin love each other more than anything else in this world, so they’re going to try their best to stick it out and see it to the end.

In other words, Linzin’s story and kids.

Notes:

linzin au where they’re gonna be so frigin happy !!

Chapter 1: More Than Anything

Lin was sure that she never wanted children from a young age. Her sister was a handful, and the moment Su sliced her face open, she was done. That was it. She failed. There was no way she’d be a good mother. She’d likely wreck them in just the way her own mother wrecked her.

That would’ve been all well and good if she was dating anyone else. But, no. She had to fall for the airhead who had a chip on his soldier that was the size of the world. Aang had only one airbending child, which meant he had to be the one to carry on the legacy. It wasn’t fair, but that’s simply how it had to be. At least that’s how Tenzin saw it anyway. Aang was sure to remind him that he was free to follow his own wishes and that he wanted nothing more than for him to be happy, but the younger airbender was ridden with a sense of guilt at the thought of letting the air nation die out. That was the reason Lin and Tenzin got into a repetitive argument that seemed to go on from weeks, to months, to years.

But, Lin loved Tenzin. She loved him more than anything. Anyone with eyes could see just how much the two of them loved each other. At 29, Tenzin was already receiving pressure from the white lotus. He’s always done his best to ignore them, because really, he doesn’t want to have children with anyone that isn’t Lin Beifong.

—

Princess Izumi visited republic city one day on business and brung Iroh with her. Unfortunately, she had much more political mess to deal with than she would’ve liked. So, reluctantly, Lin agreed to bring him back to Air Temple Island and babysit with Tenzin. Not that he needed too much watching, he was twelve years old, not two.

“Lin-!” Tenzin called out to greet her, but stopped himself as soon as he saw the boy. His eyes drifted down to her side, and for a moment he had to squint before he realized who it was. Iroh. “What do we have here?”

“Izumi needed someone to watch him. It didn’t seem like she was willing to take no for an answer…” Lin sighed, internally slapping herself for not managing to get out of this.

“My grandfather tells me stories that involve the two of you often. It’s nice to see you again.” Iroh interjected.

“Right.” Tenzin stepped aside, letting them in the house. “We haven’t seen you since you were, what… six? Before that you must’ve been a baby.” He followed after them.

Lin decided to stop in the kitchen when she smelled something, something good. Fresh bao. Couldn’t have been out for more than ten minutes. “Iroh.” She grabbed one of the buns out of the basket that was neatly put together, and handed it to the kid. “Katara is an amazing cook. Once you eat something of hers, you’ll never want anything else.”

Tenzin clearly agreed, because he reached into the second basket (the vegetarian one) rather quickly to grab a bun. However, before he could eat it, Katara walked back into the kitchen and popped his hand with some water she bent out of her water skin. “These are for later, Tenzin.”

“Mother- But- Lin got one.” He countered, pointing an accusatory finger at her.

“I-“ Lin opened her mouth, but was interrupted.

“She’s been working all day. What have you been doing?” Katara’s hands moved to her hips, and one of her eyebrows raised.

Tenzin opened his mouth again, but only a sputtered jumble of words came out. Nothing that could be deciphered except maybe something about spirituality. Iroh simply enjoyed the show that was playing out in front of him and his bao as well. Lin was right, Katara made amazing food.

“Airhead. I didn’t even eat it, I gave it to the kid.” Lin grins, pulling out a chair and sitting down at the table.

Lin could get away with practically anything when it came to her Aunt and Uncle, and she knew it. Not that she ever took full advantage of it, she felt too bad. Especially as of late with Aang’s worsening health. That was a separate issue though that she didn’t want to think about at the moment.

“Grandfather and Lin both told me your food was great, but trying it for myself really makes a huge difference. This is great.” Iroh spoke up, or tried to. His words came out in a jumble with all the food in his mouth. All those Fire Nation manners dropped the second he bit into that bun.

“I’m glad you enjoy them. Tell your grandfather not to be a stranger and come visit. I know he has no issue getting here with that dragon of his. It’s not like the Island doesn’t have space.”
Katara smiled, grabbing the two baskets and setting them inside of a cabinet. She turned to Tenzin with her hands on her hips. “Don’t touch these. They’re for later. Lin, make sure he doesn’t eat them all. I’d like to at least save a few for Aang, if he’ll eat any.”

Lin nodded her head in reply.

Katara turned around and left the kitchen, leaving just the three of them again.

“So.” Lin looked over at Tenzin, clearly expecting him to offer up some great idea as to what they could do with Iroh.

Tenzin glanced at her, then crossed his arms and directing his attention to Iroh. “How about we show you the training grounds. You must be a prodigy, considering… Well, everything.” He was about ready to walk out, but stopped with a warning.
“Please, don’t burn anything down. It’s all very old and very priceless airbending relics. To loose them would be… awful. It would be a disaster actually, because I’d have to tell my father that-“

“You’re rambling, Ten. He gets it.” Lin cut him off, knowing that he would go on for hours and hours if someone let him. She learned that first hand.

“Ah. Right.” Tenzin sighs, leading the two out to the training grounds of the area.

Just as he was about to instruct them, an acolyte came running out to tell him he had business to attend to in the city. “The council is requesting your presence. It’s extremely urgent.”

Tenzin let out a huff, but instructed the acolyte to tell them he’d be there as soon as he could. “I’m sorry, Lin. I’ll be back later.”

He’s leaving. Great. Well, isn’t that just her luck. He had that stupid apologetic smile on his face when he kissed her on the cheek, and the same stupid smile when he caught her glaring at him when he flew away on Oogi. What was Lin Beifong supposed to do with a child? With Su, she usually just… yelled at her. She doesn’t have a reason to yell at Iroh. He hadn’t done anything wrong, except of course make Lin want to rip all of her hair out for simply breathing. Really, it wasn’t personal.

“Wanna train?” Iroh asked.

That’s easy enough. Lin let out a breath she’d been holding in. One thing she can do is train. She can bend, and has until she drops. If nothing else, she could do that.
“Yeah. Okay.”

So, they do. They train for nearly two hours until Lin remembers that he was in fact still a child and that maybe she should go easy on him. He got a scrape on his knee from falling, so Lin patched him up. They made a deal that he wouldn’t say he got it from training with her when his mother asked. She really didn’t need Izumi’s wrath. Afterwards, she took him to the cliffs of the island. The sun was setting and she always enjoyed the view, so maybe he would too. He did, but of course his curiosity got the better of him. He’d been holding back the millions of questions he had all evening about Toph Beifong, and what she was like, and the rest of her mother’s friends. Millions of questions felt like an understatement, but she didn’t mind answering them nearly as much as she thought she would. Iroh wasn’t the worst kid to be around. In fact, she’d kind of enjoyed herself.

When their evening was finally over, Izumi came and picked him up. Iroh hugged Lin, to her surprise. It was awkward, for her anyway. But again, she didn’t mind too much.

After they left, Lin found herself walking around the island until a voice pulled her out of her own mind.

“You were good with him.” Katara called from the porch, her voice soft and sweet.

Lin wasn’t sure where this conversation was going to go, or if she wanted it to go anywhere. Reluctantly, she took the bait and sat down on one of the benches next to her Aunt.
“He wasn’t… insufferable.”

“Tenzin tells me you’ve been avoiding the topic of having children.”

And the bolder shaped ball drops.

“I wouldn’t be a good mother.” Lin replies, her hands now clasped together in her lap. She felt like a child.

“Listen sweetie, I just don’t think that’s true. You’re a kind and caring person. You’re fierce and loyal. You’re a police officer, and… you aren’t your mother.”

“But Su-“

“Wasn’t your fault. You were a child, and she’s your sister, not your daughter. You did the best you could with the situation that you were given. If you don’t want children, at least tell him. I think the two of you can work through this.” Katara finishes.

Lin had no idea what she was supposed to say. So, she grumbled out something incomprehensible and walked off with her arms crossed.

—

But, she thought about Katara’s words for the next two weeks, and when Tenzin brought up the topic again, she found herself not dismissing him.

“Lin. We need to talk about the future, about the possibility of children.” Tenzin spoke softly, holding her hand the entire time he spoke.

“Okay.” Lin replies.

“Please, we just need to talk- Wait, what?” Tenzin’s mouth gapes open, and Lin can’t help but laugh. It was probably the fact that she didn’t out right deny him.

“Maybe… our children won’t be so bad.” She looked away from him, but a small smile lingered on her lips. If it was anyone else, her stance wouldn’t ever chance. This was Tenzin. Lin loved Tenzin more than anything.

He shoots up out of bed, blinking several times. “Really? You- Really?”

“Yeah, really. You airhead.”

In an instant he’s wrapped his arms around her and showered her face with kisses. Lin lets him continue for another minute before she put her hand on his face and pushed him back so she could speak. “Hold on, Tenz. Three kids, okay? Airbender or no airbender and that’s it. I refuse to be some baby factory who pops out children for the hell of it, and we don’t start trying until I make chief.”

He’d have to ask her to marry him first too, but that’s implied.

“Of course, my love.” Tenzin’s all over her again in an instant. The entire room was filled with giggles that could be heard from across the entire house.

Lin Beifong and Tenzin loved each other more than anything. Their love would be enough, they were sure of it.

Chapter 2: The Wedding

Summary:

Wedding chaos ensues! The two surprisingly don’t mind it so much.

Notes:

i hope u guys like this so far !! first child next chap :p

To say Lin and Tenzin had a large family would be an understatement. They were bound by a lot more than blood. Air Temple Island was filled with countless guests. It was truly a sight to behold. Every single one of those people was there for the two of them, for their wedding.

Not much made Lin Beifong nervous, but this did. She felt nervous as she fiddled with the betrothal necklace she was wearing. She wasn’t usually one to wear any kind of jewelry, but how could she not? It was so beautifully crafted. The band was blue, and the pendent had both Earth and Air sigils coming together to meet. Tenzin had crafted it with Sokka’s help.

Lin could feel the vibrations of everyone moving throughout the house, and she could hear the chattering as well. Luckily, she had her maid of honor there to pull her out of her thoughts.

“Don’t worry, you’re Lin and Tenzin. I’m sure everything will be perfect.” Kya smiled and walked up behind Lin to help with her dress. “And, if you really need me to… I’ll help you escape out of the back.”

It was a beautiful earthy green, with dark air sigil designs all over it. Tenzin hadn’t actually seen it yet, she hoped it would be a nice surprise.

“That’s what everyone says. You think I don’t know that? It’s still just… a lot. What comes after will be even harder to handle. I think I get to be a little nervous, alright?” Lin turned around to face her, letting out a small breath.
“But, thank you.”

“I’m going to get you and Tenzin majorly drunk tonight. You won’t have to worry about a thing. That’s what sisters are for.”

Right. Sisters. Lin couldn’t even bring herself to invite Su. It was too hard, too much to deal with. She had Kya though, so that was a comfort. They’d always been close. Family.

“If you say so.” Lin wouldn’t know.

—

Tenzin couldn’t imagine himself getting married anywhere else. He stood up at the top of the cliff with Bumi by his side. This was the same cliff he and Lin had their first kiss on. The same one he proposed on. This was the only place it could’ve been. The arch was woven with tons of flowers. Tenzin was in traditional air nation wedding robes, the same ones his father wore. It was all perfect.

“I can’t believe you managed to get Lin to agree marry you! I mean, she’s Lin! You’re… you.” Bumi chuckled, nudging Tenzin with his elbow.

Tenzin scoffed, but couldn’t bring himself to argue. Admittedly, he was a little surprised himself. “Thank you, Bumi.” He replied, his voice laced with sarcasm.

The moment he saw Lin begin to walk towards him, his mouth was just barely staying closed. She was beautiful, in every sense of the word. Her dress was perfect too, the air sigils were a nice detail. Not nearly as perfect as his soon to be wife, but perfect nonetheless.

Lin walked slowly down the isle with Aang by her side to give her away. She didn’t even have to ask him. He offered. “Thanks, for doing this.”

Aang would have none of that. “Don’t thank me. This is my honor, Linny.” Lin was just as much one of his kids as the rest of his children. Tenzin stuck to her like glue, so she was always around. Aang never minded. He even took to training Lin every once in a while when she was younger. Apparently, Toph yelled too much. He’d experienced that first hand, so he had no problem taking Lin under his wing.

When they reached the arch, Aang placed a kiss on Lin’s cheek and got behind the two of them. Walking Lin down the aisle and officiating his son’s wedding must’ve been the best gift he’d ever received.

“Let’s begin.” Aang said, taking the book that Kya handed off to him. “Do you Tenzin take Lin to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and health, in good times and bad, treating her with love and compassion for as long as you both shall live?”

“I do.” Tenzin nods, reaching for Lin’s hand.

“Do you Lin take Tenzin to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and health, in good times and bad, treating him with love and compassion for as long as you both shall live?”

“Yeah, I do.” Lin squeezed Tenzin’s hand slightly.

“Lin and Tenzin will now exchange rings in addition to the betrothal necklace. Let these rings be a reminder of the promise you will make today.” Aang continued.

Kya and Bumi each handed Lin and Tenzin their rings respectively.

The two exchanged their rings, and Lin could’ve swore she saw Tenzin’s hand shake. Scratch that, she definitely saw his hand shake. She saw the singular tear that ran down his face too. Damn Baldie.

“By the power vested in me by Republic City and as the leader of the Air Nation, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss!” Aang finished, shutting the book.

Tenzin searched Lin’s face for a moment, completely frozen in place. This was all so surreal. It’s all he ever wanted, at one point he wasn’t sure if it’d happen or not. But, it was happening. It was happening and it was all he could ask for.

“Airhead.” Lin mumbled, taking the chance to be the one to kiss him instead. When the two of them parted, Tenzin let out an embarrassed chuckle. His cheeks were burning. He was sure everyone could see the redness in his face. Even though Toph couldn’t see it, he was sure that she could feel his heartbeat. That didn’t really matter anyhow. All that mattered was that they were going to spend the rest of their lives together.

—

Kya seemed extremely intent on keeping the promise of getting the two of them drunk at the after party. So much so that she even spiked the punch bowl. Everyone on the island that drunk punch would be getting a little drunk. Except Iroh, she did tell Izumi that she spiked it. Kya’s willing to do almost anything aside from get a kid drunk. Izumi would probably beat her, and she’d deserve it in all honesty.

Lin and Tenzin had managed to wander off to another side of the island, but the two knew they wouldn’t have long until someone noticed they were gone and came to find them.

“I can’t believe you froze up there.” Lin chuckled and leaned her head against Tenzin’s chest. She could always feel his heartbeat, but something about doing it that way was far more personal.

“Are you going to hold that over me forever? I was merely star struck by your beauty.” Tenzin smiled, then pressed a kiss onto her forehead.

“Star struck, huh? You looked like someone hit you over the head.” If he ever did it again, she just might be the one to do so.

Of course, their alone time didn’t last very long. Bumi came out of seemingly nowhere and slung his arm around Tenzin’s neck.

“Yer missin’ your own party.” Bumi looked between the two of them, slurring his words slightly.

“SPIRITS! Don’t do that!” Tenzin practically shrieked.

Lin just barely managed to pull herself away before it happened, but she couldn’t stop the laughter that followed. She was used to things like this happening, and at the thought of having to endure it for the rest of her life, she felt a strange sense of comfort rather than terror. Lin always liked knowing what to expect. Despite being a police officer, the mystery of every case only seemed to gnaw at her. Some found it intriguing, she never did. There wasn’t ever a happy ending waiting at the end. Dead kids, abandoned kids, abusive parents, murderers, thieves. That’s not something you enjoy. It’s just a job that needed to be done, so she was the one to get it done.

Bumi eventually persuaded the two to head back to the larger group. Of course, by persuade, he refuses to leave them alone until they do as he say. Classic Bumi, really.

The couple disperse for the first time in the evening, that way they can receive congratulations from the rest of the family.

Tenzin runs into Toph first to his dismay. She’d always given Tenzin a hard time.

“Congrats, Twinkletoes Jr. Make her happy, you hear me?” Toph’s arms are crossed, and she’s got a small grin on her face.

Much to Tenzin’s surprise, that wasn’t actually bad. She was being… nice? Toph Beifong and the word nice did not belong in the same sentence. Regardless, he supposed that he should be thankful. “I intend to.”

“Good.” She reached for his shoulder and gave it a pat. “Now go on.”

On the other hand, Lin ran into Aang and Katara. Katara pulled her into a hug first. “Congratulations, sweetie. You’ve always been family. Tonight only celebrates that.”

Aang did the same thing right after, but almost seemed more emotional than Katara. “I remember when you were born. It was insanely stormy and the whole house shook. Anyway, you’ve come so far. I am so proud of you, Lin.”

“Thank you, Auntie, Uncle.” If Lin was the kind of person who cried in public, she’d be doing exactly that right now. Alas, she wasn’t. There was a tear that almost fell, but she sucked it right back up. She’d always be immensely grateful for the two of them. When her mother couldn’t raise her, they did.

—

When the night was over, Lin and Tenzin climbed onto Oogi and set for the skies. Lin didn’t like the idea of taking off from work, but her mother made her. They’d spend half of their honeymoon visiting the air temples, and the other half in the earth kingdom. It seemed only right.

“Your mother was nice to me tonight.” Tenzin said, pulling on Oogi’s reins to make him go a bit faster.

Lin raised an eyebrow, but it was followed by a look of almost worry. “Really? Are you sure that was my mother? There was no name calling? Baldie? Airhead? Twinkle-“

Tenzin rolled his eyes. “Well, no. She did call me-“ He stopped himself, taking a moment of mental preparation to say the word. “Twinkletoes Jr. But-! That was it! She didn’t hit me or anything, or threaten me- She just said congratulations.”

“Mm.” Lin leaned her head on his shoulder, staring out at the night sky. “She must be possessed.” Lin knew she’d be just as grumpy in a week’s time, so rather than worry about that she’d just enjoy her honeymoon.

Chapter 3: Jian

Summary:

Lin and Tenzin’s first child.

Notes:

aang being lin’s father figure is real to me btw

A lot could happen within two years. A person can agree to eventually have children, get married, become Chief of Police, have their mother disappear, and wake up in the middle of the night having to puke for the past three days. Life felt like it was moving incredibly fast for Lin as of late. Tenzin urged her to speak to his mother a few times, but she shrugged it off as food poisoning. It wasn’t food poisoning. She knew exactly what it was. She could feel the life inside of her that was barely there, but still there nonetheless. With her own mother leaving, she felt extremely underprepared. Scared even.

Lin knew that she had to go see Katara. They did live in the same house, so it wasn’t hard. Seeing her just made things more real. But, she had to do it. So, she did.

She made her way through the house and found Katara in the sitting room with Aang. The words caught in her throat when she tried to speak. It was hard. It was all about to become so real. “Auntie?”

“Ah, Lin! Come! Sit.” Aang smiled upon seeing her and patted down next to him.

“Actually, I need to speak with Aunt Katara. Privately.” Lin’s eyes avoided looking directly at either of them. Instead, they traveled around the room, almost as if she was searching for something.

Katara’s eyebrows furrowed out of worry, but didn’t ask anything just yet. She got up and kissed Aang’s cheek, then walked out of the room and led Lin down the hallway. “What is it, sweetie?”

Lin peered around each corner until she was fully certain that no one was around. “I need you to give me a check-up.” She wasn’t willing to say anything further in the hall. The walls of this place had eyes and ears. Acolytes loved to gossip.

Again, Katara didn’t question her yet. She knew Lin well enough to know that she liked to keep things private. She can respect that. So, the two of them walked off to the room that Katara turned into a makeshift healing area. It’s been there since her kids were children. They somehow always managed to injure themselves. It wasn’t entirely surprising though considering how rough they were with each other, and Lin. Suyin too sometimes.

Once inside, Lin climbed up onto the table and made herself comfortable, or tried to anyway. Katara bent some water out of her water skin and used it to scan Lin’s entire body. She stopped at Lin’s stomach and couldn’t at all contain the joy on her face. “You’re about nine weeks along from what I can tell.”

Lin nodded, turning and sitting back up. She knew that she was, but she had to be sure. It really would’ve been just her luck if it happened to be anything else. “I’m pregnant.” It wasn’t a question, but she needed to say it out loud for it to feel real.

“Tenzin told me the two of you were trying. Congratulations.”

That wasn’t surprising. Tenzin told his mother practically everything. Lin had so many doubts, but already she felt love for her child. She just couldn’t shake the feeling that she wouldn’t be good enough or that she’d screw up.

Katara could tell she was anxious and took the chance to speak again. “When I found out that I was pregnant with Bumi, I was scared. My mother died when I was young, and my father wasn’t around as much as I would’ve liked him to be. It’s scary when you don’t have what others consider picture-perfect. The fact that you’re worrying already means you’ve got the first part down.”

Lin supposed that was true. She was scared, but not disappointed. She wanted her child. That was something. “Thank you.”

—

Lin considered waiting to tell Tenzin, but that didn’t seem right. Katara already knew, so at the least he had to be the third person to know. She wanted him to know. Tenzin was the one person in her life she wanted to share everything with.

Tenzin had been settling into his role in the council lately. He hadn’t realized how frustrating it was. It seemed seldom that anyone actually agreed with him. He often felt like a figurehead more than anything else. His father tells him it’s because he has to earn their respect. He’s tried. He’ll keep trying. When he finally arrives home, he spots Lin sitting on that same cliff. Their cliff. She’d presumably been watching the sunset, so he decided to join her.

“The council is driving me mad. They must enjoy toying with me. It’s not as if I can’t do the job an air acolyte did before me.” He huffed.

“Tenzin.”

“But, I am trying for Dad’s sake. That doesn’t make it any less frustrating.” He continued.

“Hey, airhead?” Lin looked over at him and slowly kicked her feet back and forth off of the cliff.

“What? Oh, yes? Sorry, love.” He turned his attention to her, placing a kiss on her cheek.

Beating around the bush didn’t seem like it would do any good. Instead, she decided she should just come out and say it. “I’m pregnant.”

Tenzin was at a loss for words at first. Was she joking? No. Lin certainly wasn’t one to joke about something like this. She was mean sometimes, but never cruel. That meant… “Really? We’re going to have a baby?”

She nodded, and that was all he needed.

“Well, that’s just wonderful, Lin! I’m excited! Are you- How do you feel?”

“I’m happy, I think. No, I am. I know I am.” Lin smiled, and for the moment all of her worries slipped away.

Tenzin could’ve said plenty more, but he knew she’d just tell him to shut up for being too mushy. So, instead, he kissed her. It was a long kiss, and when he finally pulled away, he wrapped his arms around her and the two decided to finish watching the sunset together.

—

Lin was sick of being pregnant. She was two days overdue, and for some reason, the birth of her child had to be some huge event. Kya and Bumi were both on the Island. Sokka too. Plenty of pesky reporters have attempted to make their way to the island because her baby was some kind of royalty. That didn’t matter to her. She just wanted to be left alone, and she wanted this baby out.

A few hours later she was getting her wish. The entire island shook, items fell from the tables and walls, and her screams were practically echoing through the entire building.

Tenzin couldn’t stop pacing up and down the hall. He knew his mother was with Lin, but he felt like a helpless idiot simply standing around and waiting.

“You know, pacing around isn’t going to help.” Sokka said, leaning his head back against the wall.

“Leave him alone, he’s just nervous. You don’t have children, you can’t possibly understand the feeling.” Aang replied.

“Hey! It’s not like I didn’t want them. My wife died, remember? Low blow dude.” Sokka scoffed, crossing his arms.

“Would both of you just be quiet?” Tenzin stopped pacing and turned around to face them. He’d tried his best to tune them out, but that was much easier said than done.

Katara finally walked out of the room with a warm smile on her face a few minutes later and gestured for Tenzin to come in. “You have a strong baby girl.”

Once Tenzin walked inside the room, Katara shut the door and joined the others to give the two some privacy.

Lin was halfway sat up with her new daughter in her arms. Tenzin made his way to her side, took her hand, and pecked a quick kiss on her cheek. His hand gently caressed his daughter’s head, which already had quite a bit of hair. “She looks just like you, perfect.”

Lin managed a small laugh, but couldn’t tear herself away from her daughter’s eyes. “Her eyes are all you.”

Tenzin leaned his head against Lin’s, and the two sat in silence until they both finally spoke the same word.

“Jian.” Their baby would be named Jian, they’d agreed on it months ago.

—

The next day, Aang slipped into the bedroom quietly while Tenzin was bathing. Lin woke up to find him sitting in the rocking chair with Jian.

“Uncle Aang?”

“Sorry, did I wake you? I couldn’t help it. She’s so cute.” Jian held his pinky finger with her entire hand, and Aang felt an entirely new kind of love. The thing about dying slowly is that you know it’s going to happen at some point. Maybe not for a few years, but the signs are always there. He knew for certain that he wouldn’t get to watch her grow up, so for now he’d take what he could get.

“No, you didn’t wake me. It’s alright.” She smiled, using her hands to prop herself up more.

“Toph stopped by earlier.”

Lin wasn’t sure how that made her feel. They weren’t speaking at the moment, but she supposed it was nice that she cared enough to stop by. “You probably weren’t supposed to tell me that.”

“No. She told me she’d throw a bolder at my head, but I thought you deserved to know.” He looked over at her, rocking the baby back and forth.

“Thanks.”

By the next week, the entire world knew that the son of the Avatar and the daughter of Toph Beifong had welcomed a child of their own into the world.

Chapter 4: The last Airbender

Summary:

A lot can happen within two weeks.

Notes:

nooo rip aang

Two weeks seemed like an insignificant amount of time. It passed by so quickly that it blurred together for most people. Unfortunately, these two weeks weren’t like that. Not for Lin and Tenzin, not for the rest of their family, and not for Republic City. These two weeks were the best and worst of their lives.

—

Lin worked more than Tenzin, but Tenzin did still have to occasionally go to work for the council. Their oldest was three years old, and Lin was about four months pregnant with their second. Whenever the both of them were busy, Aang and Katara would usually watch Jian. They loved spending time with their grandchild and they spoiled her rotten. She was their first after all.

Today was no different. Aang agreed to watch Jian while Lin and Tenzin were busy. Katara ended up having to go to the hospital and help out because they were short-staffed, so Aang was left alone with Jian.

Aang walked around the island with Jian on his side until he eventually stopped at one of the benches and sat down. His health was worsening lately and he’d been downplaying it to the rest of his family. They would’ve only tried to get him to rest, that way maybe he’d live longer. His time was close, and he knew it.

“Granpa, why did we stop?” Jian asked curiously, shifting her position to sit on his knee.

“I’m just a little tired is all.” Aang replied, giving her a small smile.

“Oh. Okay.”

“I’ll let you in on a little secret. This is the best spot on the whole island. I can see all of Republic City from here.”

Jian nodded her head, but she wasn’t at all focused on the city. Instead, her focus remained on a small rock on the ground.

“Your Mom and Dad both work hard to ensure that the city runs smoothly. Your mom especially. She’s the Chief of police, so she puts away bad people in order to keep you and everyone else safe.” He continues.

“You do that too, right?” Jian asked, but her focus remained on the small rock that was slowly coming towards her.

“Yes. Not as much anymore as I used to.”

“Cause you’re sick?” The rock was in Jian’s hand now, and she lifted it up to give it to him.

“Yes.” Aang replied, raising an eyebrow as he took the rock. “Have you been carrying that around this whole time?”

“No. It floated.”

“Floated?” That meant- “Sweetie, can you do it again?”

Jian nods, taking the rock back from him and floating it into the air. “Like that?”

Aang smiled, grabbed her, got up, and spun her around. “Yes! Exactly like that! You’re an earthbender just like your mom!”

Jian had no idea what the fuss was about, but she enjoyed it anyway. Aang was sure to radio both Lin and Tenzin. The two of them got back to the island as soon as they could to witness the marvel of their child bending.

—

Lin was more than happy with an earthbender. That was familiar to her, something she knew like the back of her hand. She was also scared. She told Tenzin the two of them would stop after three, airbender or no airbender. Three chances had to be enough. For his sake.

Tenzin wished for an airbender at some point. Perhaps one of their other children will be one. However, even if they aren’t he will love them anyway. He decided he would still pass on his teachings, and at the least, they’d have air nation blood. Tenzin decided that when he stayed with Lin, what his children were wouldn’t matter to him. So, finding out his Daughter was an earthbender and that his Father was the one to discover it? Nothing made him happier.

—

One week everything is fine. Life is great for the two and the next? Aang is dying. He’d been dying for years, but this was his time. He wouldn’t make it past the week.

Tenzin has always known what it was to be a part of a dying nation, but he was never alone. He hasn’t ever been the last airbender, and at the thought of gaining his Father’s least coveted title, he felt sick. His entire family was on the island and they were all joking and telling old stories. Tenzin couldn’t bring himself to do that. Aang was still there, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do that. It meant accepting what was going to happen. Katara wasn’t making any jokes either. She was quiet and stayed by Aang’s side, just as Lin stayed by his.

Even Toph bothered to crawl out of whatever swamp she was in. That was how he knew it was bad. Every once in a while there would be this odd look on her face. Lin had the exact same one. Tenzin assumed they were listening to his heartbeat, listening to it slowly decrease. He wondered if his daughter could feel it too. He hoped not, she was far too young to have to experience something like that.

Sokka, Zuko, and Bumi were sitting with Aang and talking about old stories. The ones Bumi didn’t experience himself, he’d already heard them thousands of times. Kya sat in the corner of the room with Jian in her lap. Kya said she wanted to keep Jian occupied, but Tenzin guessed it was really to keep herself occupied.

“Can Lin and I have a moment alone?” Aang managed to ask, sitting himself up with Katara’s help.

Everyone reluctantly agreed, besides Tenzin. Sokka had to push him out. Lin thought this would’ve been easier. She wasn’t an emotional person, but nothing about this was easy. It definitely wasn’t the pregnancy hormones either. It was just… the only man who’d ever been a father to her was dying.

She took a deep breath and sat down next to him. “Tenzin’s going to be a mess.”

Aang nodded, taking her hand. “You’ll be there for him. He’ll have the baby to look forward to as well.”

Lin supposed that was true, but that didn’t make any of it better. “Yeah.”

“Linny, being the last airbender was hard. Knowing that you’re the last of a dead culture isn’t an easy thing. Remind him that the air nation lives on through the two of you, airbender or not.” Aang finished, his grip on Lin’s hand loosening.

There was so much she wanted to say to him, but no time. “Thank you, you know. For being my dad when my own didn’t bother to show up.”

Aang cracked a small smile at that and closed his eyes. Lin called everyone back in while he was still breathing so they could all say their goodbyes. When she slipped out of the room, she could feel it, his heart stopped.

—

The funeral was even harder. It could only be performed by Tenzin as the last remaining member of the air nation. An acolyte couldn’t do it. The entirety of Republic City was in grief. The entire world was. None of them really knew him, not really. The entire family held themselves together. The idea of sharing their grief with strangers didn’t feel right. Aang may have been their Avatar, but he wasn’t their family.

The fairy ride back to the island was silent except for Jian’s questions every once in a while. When nightfall came, everyone dealt with Aang’s death in their own way. The old team Avatar elected to sit around and reminisce. Kya took to sitting with Jian again, and Bumi joined her this time. Tenzin… Tenzin was nowhere to be found. He went outside a few minutes ago and didn’t come back in. Lin decided to go after him.

Lin eventually found him on Aang’s statue. She made her way up to the top and sat with him, just as they’d done many times as teenagers. She wrapped her arms around him but decided to stay silent.

Tenzin turned and kissed her cheek, then looked back out at the city. It came naturally to him. It was a simple gesture, but something he found himself doing every time he saw her. His father did it to his mother. He must’ve picked it up somewhere along the way. “I thought I’d have longer, that it’d happen sometime in the future when I was more prepared.”

Lin stayed silent, letting him speak.

“I should feel more alone. I’m the last airbender. I don’t. I have you, our daughter, and our unborn child. I’m… I don’t know.” Tenzin was more scared than anything else. Scared he wouldn’t be able to live up to his father’s legacy.

“We can stay here as long as you need.” Lin would be his rock, just as he’d been hers many times before, ironically enough.

“Thank you, love.”

Chapter 5: Twins

Summary:

Lin receives an unexpected surprise. It’s twins!

Notes:

set about three years after last chap.

Lin was extremely thankful that this would be her last pregnancy. She loved her children, but the pregnancy part… not so much. Her oldest, Jian, was five now. She was determined to be exactly like her mother. Lin hadn’t yet decided if that was a good thing or not. It just meant more trouble. Xinyi was two now and followed her big sister around as if her life depended on it. Jian had a surprisingly lengthy memory. The healers didn’t have a name for it, but she could recall memories as early as from the crib. Lin supposed it was a good thing, maybe. At least one of their kids would remember what it was like before Aang died, Katara moved away, and Tenzin managed to strain his relationship with his siblings. Not like she was one to talk through. Family was a complicated thing for the both of them, albeit for entirely different reasons. She did sometimes miss how things used to be as little as just a few years ago.

This pregnancy was different from her other two. The morning sickness was two times as worse, and she felt like she was actually dying some days. So when she went to the healer, who, she was already uncomfortable with because she wasn’t Katara, and found out she was having twins, she was pretty sure she was loosing her mind. Nonetheless, she thanked the healer and went to work. Unfortunately, the newfound information was the only thing on her mind. Twins?! As far she’d been made aware, they didn’t run on either side of the family.

It was all a lot to digest, but after twenty minutes of freaking out about it in her office, she shoved it all backdown. There wasn’t any time to think about that now. Especially not when one of her junior detectives just brought her a new case. A serious smuggling one at that. It would require her full attention. So, for now, business only.

—

When Lin was finally home around 10 pm, she wanted nothing more than to pass out and sleep into the next week. The moment her girls ran up to her, her priority list changed. See her kids, yell at Tenzin, then sleep. That seemed pretty solid.

“Mama. Mama.” Xinyi ran up to her, waving her arms up and grasping at the air.

It was clear she wanted to be held, so Lin picked her up and kissed her forehead. “You were good for Daddy today, right?” Lin asked.

Jian came running up to her next, nodding her head profusely. “Yes. Daddy took us for a ride on Oogi!

“That’s good. Did you have fun?” Lin smiled, ruffling Jian’s hair with her free hand.

“Mm! Fun.” Xinyi chimed in, shaking her head as well.

Tenzin walked into the room next and made his way over to Lin, pressing a kiss on her cheek. The look she shot him seemed to say she was mad at him, but he had no idea why. He hadn’t done anything wrong lately to his recollection.

“Yes, lotsa fun. We got to see all of Republic City!” Jian answered, poking Xinyi’s arm for responding before she could.

“Hello, dear. How was your day?” Tenzin smiled.

“Fine.” Lin replied through gritted teeth, but smiled again when she looked back to Xinyi. “Were you two waiting for me? It’s time to get you to bed.”

“They insisted. I don’t tell stories the same way you do or some other nonsense. It’s preposterous. I tell stories just fine.” Tenzin huffed, crossing his arms.

“Ya, ‘cause you’re an airhead.” The young earthbender grins.

The older earthbender snorted but quickly attempted to contain herself. “Don’t call daddy that, even if it’s true.”

“Wh- Lin!” Tenzin was practically turning red but settled down when he remembered they had to put the children to bed.

They brought the two children to their currently shared bedroom and tucked them in.

“Mama, tell us a story.” Jian pleaded, pulling her blanket up to her chin.

“Alright, my little badgermole. How about the time Daddy got his arrow tattoo?” Lin smirked, crawling into bed with Jian.

Tenzin stood by Xinyi and held her hand. This was not a story he was looking forward to. It was embarrassing. “Oh, great…”

“Yay!” Xinyi cheered, even though she didn’t really understand.

“When Daddy was younger, he used to have hair. He wasn’t always bald. I had to shave his head for the ceremony. The tattoo he got on his head and body hurt pretty bad, so I had to hold his hand the entire time. He started crying and…”

Eventually, the children drifted off to sleep and the two made their way into their own bedroom.

—

Lin bent off her armor and changed into something more comfortable, as did Tenzin. Afterward, Lin walked out of the bathroom and stood there with her arms crossed. Tenzin was in the bed. He raised an eyebrow. Her eyes only narrowed. Eventually, she picked up a small wooden object and hurled it right at him.

Tenzin stopped it right before it hit his face with his bending, blinking several times before he managed to speak. “Lin, what are you doing?! What was that for?!”

“If we didn’t have two other kids, I would’ve made sure that thing hit your head.”

“Excuse me? Wh-“

“You did this!” Lin yelled, stomping over to the end of the bed. “I said three kids, THREE! You just had to find a way to go against me. Didn’t you?”

“Dear, what are you talking about? I swear I’m not planning anything after this one- I agreed.” Tenzin was absolutely dumbfounded. He had no idea what was going on.

“Twins! Airhead! Twins. Spirits, you did this!” She finally admitted, huffing as she spoke.

“Twins? You’re- We’re having twins?”Tenzin got up and walked to the end of the bed.

“Yeah, yeah. We’re having twins, baldie.” She did finally realize how ridiculous she sounded. It’s not like he could control how many they had. Damn hormones.

“Are you alright, Lin?” The airbender gave her a sympathetic look, grabbing her hands and intertwining their fingers.

“Yes. It’s just different this time around, is all. Aunt Katara’s back in the South Pole, and the new healer is all… perky.” Most people would be happy about that. Lin was not. She was just used to having someone who knew her was all.

“We can make the trip down there from now on if it makes you feel more comfortable.” Tenzin knew ‘perky’ was Lin’s nightmare. The two of them both preferred a more straightforward approach.

“Thanks, Ten.” She really didn’t want to bother Katara, but she also knew that the elder woman wouldn’t see it as a bother.

“Of course, love.” Tenzin let out a small breath of relief when he realized he wasn’t in any real trouble and hugged her.

Chapter 6: Republic City Ball

Summary:

Unfortunately, public kiss ass in the form of a ball appearance is a must.

Notes:

Jian is 7 here, Xinyi is 4, and the twins are 2.

Being a Beifong was as much of a blessing as it was a curse. Talent ran in the family. Then there was everything else. Lin’s kids would learn that the older they got. They’d only have to deal with the public fame issue. Lin refused to make the same mistakes Toph did. Maybe they’d enjoy the public appearances. Lin did not and she never has. Her grandparents threw balls when she was younger and her mother forced her to attend them. ‘If I have to go, so do you, kid.’ Luckily, Tenzin pretty much always went with her. He held her back from tearing the entire place down. She hated all of the properness of the entire thing. So many people she didn’t know trying to win her favor just so they could marry into her family.

Republic City wasn’t an exception to throwing these great parties. Lin had no choice but to attend. As the Chief of Police, she had to make an appearance and as Master Tenzin’s wife. If Lin and Tenzin weren’t seen together the reporters would have a field day trying to make up some bit about the two of them breaking it off. The whole thing was completely idiotic. Unfortunately, public appearances every once in a while were not an option for the two of them.

—

“Mommy, do I have to wear a dress?” Jian asked, pouting in her green earth-themed dress.

“You don’t have to, but your dad would appreciate it.” Lin replied, glancing back at her for a moment before returning to doing her hair in the mirror. She was wearing her betrothal necklace as well. It wasn’t something she wore often, it conflicted with her armor. It was however beautifully crafted, so the least she could do was wear it out on social outings.

“Hm… okay. I guess I’ll wear it.” Jian decided that if it’d make her dad happy, she might as well do it. She doesn’t love dresses. The young earthbender took after her mother in that regard. The physical sense too. Every day she looked more and more like Lin. Except for her eyes. Those were all Tenzin.

Kya came walking into the room with Yahui on her hip. Jinora was running after her. Luckily she was in town and agreed to watch the twins. Tenzin suggested one of the elder acolytes at first. Shihan. Lin got along with her well enough, but she wasn’t going to deny Kya the time she wanted with her nephew and niece.

“It amazes me every day that Tenzin managed to win you over.” Kya grinned, setting Yahui down next to Jinora, then walked up behind Lin to help with the pins in her hair.

“What can I say? The Airhead has his charms.” Lin chuckled, putting her earrings in.

“Gonna have to disagree with you on that.” The waterbender rolled her eyes, stepping back once she finished with Lin’s hair. “Good luck. Bumi and I only ever went to those things to get drunk.” There wasn’t much else to do when all anyone cared about was Tenzin.

Jian looked between the two of them, raising an eyebrow. She decided not to say anything.

Tenzin finally walked into the bedroom with Xinyi on his shoulders. They were both already dressed. The young waterbender immediately climbed down him and ran to her aunt. “Auntie Kya!” She’d taken a particular liking to her aunt when she found out they shared the same element. Neither of her parents were waterbenders.

“Hey, kid!” Kya picked Xinyi up and spun her around. “I love your dress.” It was light blue at the top and faded to dark blue down at the bottom. There were water sigils on the waist and the bottom of the sleeves.

“Tanks!” Xinyi smiled widely, happy to receive Kya’s approval.

Tenzin made his way over to Lin, past his children, and kissed her on the cheek. The bedroom was awfully crowded. “You look lovely, Dear.”

“Yeah? Don’t get used to this.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” In truth, Tenzin preferred her in her metalbending uniform and casual clothing to anything else. She was always beautiful no matter what she was wearing, though.

“You’re not so bad yourself.” Lin finally said. Kya may not understand her brother’s charms, but Lin certainly did.

“Alright. We should get going.” Tenzin made his way over to Kya and took Xinyi back into his arms. He wasn’t thrilled his sister was here, but saying no to a Beifong wasn’t a thing you just did often. He accepted that when they were children.

—

While Lin may not have enjoyed these kinds of things, she was certainly good at it. She’d already immersed herself in crowds along with Jian. Lin spoke to everyone she had to impress effortlessly, and Jian did her best to follow.

Tenzin was speaking with the other council members. He held Xinyi in his arms. Every once in a while she’d say something. When she did, he’d usually glance away and look to find Lin. Despite the amount of times he’s been called an Airhead in his life, he does know when other men are flirting with Lin. Contrary to popular gossip, he does care. He just doesn’t do anything about it. Lin Beifong is not a woman who needs or wants to be rescued unless she asks for it. The two of them have a signal. It’s slight, but it’s just a look. That look says ‘Get your ass over here and help me, now!’ More often than not Lin got that look when the older couples tried to speak with her. They all thought everything was their business.

Jian did not share her father’s feelings. She may have only been seven years old, but she knew when someone talked to her mother like they like liked her.

“You look gorgeous in that dress, Chief. Perhaps you should wear something like that more often.” Some man said.

Lin opened her mouth to speak, but Jian did it first. “Mommy doesn’t like dresses. Also, she can’t wear them in her job.”

The man looked appalled that a child had spoken out at him. He looked to Lin as if expecting a reprimand. No such thing was given.

“Daddy’s waiting for us. He has a weird look on his face.” Jian said, gesturing for her mother to follow.

Clearly, Tenzin was the one in need of rescuing. He wouldn’t exactly call the council members his friends. They were all talking his ear off about some sort of policy that was passed years ago. He really didn’t want to hear it. If he wanted to listen to that, he’d be at a council meeting.

Lin cut into the group and put her hand on Tenzin’s shoulder. “Mind if I steal my husband away for a second?” She could be charming when she wanted to.

That seemed to be enough. They all nodded. The family walked to the opposite side of the room and ran into a couple of friends. Ren and Min.

“Lin! You look great!” Min exclaimed, linking her arm with Lin’s. Then, she got close and whispered. “I know you’re dying to get out of that thing.”

Lin and Min went way back. The two of them were in the metalbending academy together. “Is it obvious?”

“No, but I know you.”

Tenzin stood off to the side and talked with Ren. The two weren’t super close, but they were friendly.

“Mm. You’re right.” Lin admitted. “Jian isn’t particularly enjoying herself either.”

“She must take after you.” Min smiled, waving at the young girl.

“The people here are weird. I think this one man liked Mommy.” Jian had a scowl on her face. She had yet to recover from that interaction.

“So, how was your vacation?” Tenzin asked, rubbing Xinyi’s back. She’d fallen asleep in his arms. She insisted on not napping that day.

“It was nice. Mostly. The Earth Kingdom certainly has its charms, but the whole class thing definitely needs to be worked on more.” Ren was a diplomat. He’d done great work in keeping Republic City in good graces with the rest of the world.

“Ah, yes. The Earth Kingdom has many equalities.” Tenzin agreed. He’d seen it firsthand.

Music started playing and people moved onto the dance floor. The second song was Lin and Tenzin’s favorite. Aunt Suki made them listen to it over and over when they were young.

Min knew this, Lin told her. She noticed their hesitation at first. “I’ll watch your girls. You two get out there! Show them what Republic City’s power couples got!”

Power couple? Pfft. “Thanks.” Lin carefully takes the sleeping Xinyi out of Tenzin’s arms and gently hands her over to Min.

Tenzin takes Lin’s hand and the two of them walk into the middle of the room. Suddenly, it feels like all eyes are on them. Why? Because it’s true. Everyone was watching them.

The two did their best to ignore it. When they started dancing, the looks were all they could think about. As the song went on, Lin and Tenzin felt like they were the only two people in the world.

When the night was almost over, Lin and Tenzin found themselves standing out on the balcony with Jian and Xinyi. Jian was leaning against Lin with the elder woman’s arm wrapped around her. Xinyi was in Tenzin’s arms with her head against his chest. Twenty years ago they’d stood on a similar balcony. Only then, they weren’t together. They were awkward teenagers who refused to admit they liked each other even though their parents had practically called that they’d fall for each other as soon as they were born. Twenty years didn’t feel all that long ago in the moment, but they much preferred their lives now to then.