I Can Get Through This as Long as I Have You
A few days later, Kya and Lin were woken from their sleep by a bison roar. The two looked at each other, simultaneously scared and excited to see their friends and family. They quickly changed and Kya gave her a kiss. “No matter what happens, I’m here for you. I love you babe,” she said lovingly.
Lin kissed her back. “I love you too. Thank you for being you, my love,” she said softly. The two embraced and got ready to visit their loved ones. They stepped out of the guestroom and smiled at their loved ones.
Lin could immediately tell they weren’t okay. Korra had a long and sad look uncharacteristic of the lively Avatar. Asami seemed on the verge of tears and Bolin had an arm around her protectively. Mako seemed subdued and just unsure how to react. Tenzin and Pema put on a brave facade for their kids, but Lin could see through the cracks in their mask.
Lin sat on the couch next to Tonraq and Senna while Katara came into the room. “Come on Korra, let’s see if I can help,” she said gently. Everyone waited in tense silence while Kya decided to make some tea.
She placed the tea on the table. “Look, we are all struggling right now. Let’s just drink some tea and act like everything will be okay,” the healer said, voice slightly broken. Everyone poured a cup and sat in somber silence. Lin scooched over on the couch, making room for Kya. She put an arm around her girlfriend, silently offering support.
Korra walked out of the healing room with an anguished look on her face. Katara looked at the young girl with pity. “I’ve tried everything I can, but I can’t restore Korra’s bending. She can still airbend, but she has lost her connection to the other elements,” the old woman said sadly.
Tenzin looked at Korra. “It’ll be okay Korra.”
“No, it won't,” she said, storming out of the house. Mako followed her, probably trying to help her calm down. A few minutes later, Tenzin walked out and quickly returned with Mako, both wearing sad expressions.
“I’m going to make sure she’s okay, she’s not acting like herself. I’m worried,” he said. The firebender stood up and quickly left, going to look for Korra.
“Kya….can we talk?” Asami asked, voice breaking.
“Of course dear. Come on, let’s go talk in my room,” she said gently, guiding the grieving girl to the room she was sharing with Lin. “What’s wrong?”
“My dad...he was an Equalist. He supplied Amon with his weapons. I had to fight my father,” she said, tears in her eyes spilling over. Kya wrapped her in a hug while the girl sobbed. “I lost my mom when I was little. Now, I lost my father too. He was so full of hate, he didn’t act like himself. I don’t even recognize him anymore. How can I move on from that?”
Kya hugged her tighter. “I don’t know sweetie. Things are hard right now. Everyone is struggling, even if they don’t act like it. All I know is that I’ll be here for you while you try to recover.” She just held the grieving girl. “I know what it feels like to lose who you love. It’s hard and it will always hurt. Overtime, the pain will lessen. There are still days where I miss Dad like crazy, but most days I just remember his smile and I feel okay.”
She put a hand on Asami’s face. “You are an extremely strong person Asami. If anyone can survive this, it’s you. Use your father as an example, show others that the Sato name is truly strong no matter what tragedies your father may have caused. You are more than your family.” The older woman simply held the young girl while she grieved, offering silent support.
Asami looked up at her, face still stained with tears. “Thank you Kya. Can we get some tea?” she asked.
“Of course dear. Go wash your face off if you need to, I’ll go get it ready.” The waterbender walked out of the bedroom into the kitchen and put some more tea on the stove.
Lin walked up behind her and circled her hands around the healer’s waist. She pressed a subtle kiss to Kya’s neck. “Love you,” she whispered. The two remained in their quiet embrace for a few moments and Lin pulled away. She wanted to kiss her girlfriend senseless, but she wasn’t ready to be open about their relationship yet. “I saw you talk with Asami. Is she okay?”
“Considering all she went through, I think she did well.” Kya poured a cup of tea for herself, Lin, and Asami. She picked up the tea, admiring Lin’s muscles as she talked with Pema.
Suddenly, the door flung open. Mako and Korra burst in, faces split into wide grins. “Lin, come with me. I think I can give you your bending back,” Korra said excitedly.
Lin felt everything come to a stop. Everyone’s faces began to blur and their voices merged into one incoherent mess. All of her insecurities simply went silent and her hopes began to cry. “Really?” she asked in a small voice, too afraid to hope.
Korra dragged Lin out of the house, excitedly rambling. Lin realized everyone was following them, but Lin couldn’t focus on anything. She couldn’t even understand what Korra was saying, everything still felt hazy. “Lin, are you okay?” she asked, noticing the zoned out look the older woman had. “Here, just kneel,” she said.
Lin sunk to her knees, still unable to believe Korra. Korra placed her hand on Lin’s head and a glow began to emit from her fingers as she entered the Avatar state. She felt herself connect with the earth once again as Korra removed her hand. She reached out and lifted several large boulders into the air at once. She gently lowered them, unable to believe she had her bending again. “Thank you,” she said, tears in her eyes.
Korra nodded and gave her a bow. Lin smiled and turned to walk towards the group waiting for her. She remained quiet as everyone congratulated her, simply soaking in the feeling of being able to bend again. As the group began to walk back towards the house, Kya stopped and pulled her into a hug. She gave Lin a long, passionate kiss. “You are such an incredible person babe. You have shown so much strength and I’m so proud of you.”
Lin’s face split into a smile. “Thank you babe,” she said, simply giving Kya another kiss. “No matter what happens, all I know is that I can get through this as long as I have you,” The pair walked back towards the group who had been too busy talking to notice their kissing. Everyone walked back to the house, preparing for dinner. Lin heard Tenzin suggest a game to the kids, trying to get them out of everyone’s hair. To her amusement, Korra, Mako, Bolin and Asami decided to join in as well. The new Team Avatar and the kids ran outside, enjoying their day without the threat of Amon and with their bending back. Tenzin and Kya walked outside, deciding to keep an eye on the group.
Lin offered to help with dinner. “Here Katara, go relax. I can get the dinner ready,” she said. Pema walked into the room with Rohan in a bundle on her back. “Hey,” she said with a nod.
“Hi. I’ll help Lin with dinner,” Pema said. “You always take care of us, let us help you.” Katara nodded and went outside to watch her grandchildren play. Pema slid up next to Lin, helping her chop vegetables. “How are you feeling?”
“Honestly, I feel fantastic. I have my bending back.” Lin smiled, some noodles into boiling water.
Pema elbowed her. “I bet sleeping with Kya helps,” she said. “I remember she was upset at not being able to tell you how she felt, but I think she conveyed in another way,” she said with a smirk.
Lin’s face erupted in a violent blush. “Spirits no! We haven’t had sex yet, we’ve just been sleeping in the same bed. She told me how she felt after Amon took my bending and we started dating,” she said, voice full of love.
“I’m so happy for you. You two are so in love with each other and fit together so well. I haven’t said anything to Tenzin and I won’t. You two get to determine who knows what and I won’t get in the way of that,” she said.
“Thank you,” she said, voice full of sincerity. The two women finished preparing dinner, laughing about random anecdotes from the past.
Tenzin walked in, seeing his ex and wife get along. “I am slightly scared that you two are getting along so well,” he said with a note of fear in his voice.
“Oh, you haven’t heard? Lin and I are getting married.”
“I’m sorry, I can’t marry you. I already promised Saikhan I would marry him for bringing me an egg custard tart.”
“How dare you betray me?” she said in a heartbroken voice. The two laughed, leaving Tenzin seriously concerned about what was said between the two. Everyone sat down around the table, conversation flowing easily. Lin smiled, feeling herself relax around her friends and girlfriend. The airbender kids went to bed and Team Avatar followed quickly.
Pema, Tenzin, Katara, Tonraq, Senna, Kya and Lin sat around quietly talking for a few minutes before heading to bed. Lin walked into her room and yawned, arms stretching. Kya walked in and wrapped her arms around the earthbender. She pressed a kiss to her shoulder. The two snuggled close to each other and fell asleep, simply enjoying each other’s presence and love. They knew that they could get through everything, as long as they had each other.