"Secure in My Father's Arms"

PharaohsQueen

"Mom, I'm going out with Tenzin, okay?"

"Have you done your bending practice yet?"

"I'll do it later."

She started to walk out the door when an earth wall popped up in front of her. "You know very well that you won't Lin."

Lin scowled and stomped her foot, collapsing the wall. "I will Mom, don't worry about it."

The wall popped back up again. "Lin, go do your bending practice."

"Mom!" The teenager turned, giving her mother a furious glare. "I'll do extra tomorrow! Tonight's the finals of the first pro-bending tournament and Tenzin said he'd take me. I'm gonna be late if I don't leave now!"

Toph leveled a finger at her daughter. "You listen to me Lin. You have to practice every day, or else you will fall out of the habit, and bad things happen when you let your bending slip."

"Moooom! One day isn't going to kill me." She pulled a face, knowing her blind mother couldn't see it.

"I don't care. To your room, and work on your metalbending."

"Mom!"

"Now!"

Lin stomped extra hard down the hall, hoping that each one poked her mother hard in the 'eyes,' and muttering the whole way.

"Stupid… jerk… I can't believe…" Fuming, her hands clenched in shaking fists, she turned around in front of her door and screamed down the hallway. "I hope you're happy! You've ruined my whole night!" Running into her room, she slammed the door behind her.

Her back against the wood, she slid down it, fighting back angry tears.

She just doesn't understand. Who cares about this stupid bending practice when I'm trying to concentrate on getting together with Tenzin?

"I don't sense any bending in there!" Her mother's voice came through the door.

"Shut up!" Lin screamed back. She stood and grabbed her sphere of metal. She wants me to bend? FINE. I'll just bend my way out of here!

She walked over to the window, stretching her metal into a long whip. Just outside, a few feet away from the tree outside her window were one of the long wires that had been recently strung up around the city, to help the police get around quicker. Mom hadn't let her try skating along the wires yet—not until she knew they were completely secure—but Lin didn't care. Wrapping the whip around her forearm, she used it to grab a hold of one of the tree branches and swung out the window, landing lightly on a thick branch. She threw the whip up again, catching a hold of the wire, and pulled. The metal easily pulled her up and over, and she landed on the cold wire.

"Whoa!" She wobbled, almost falling off. She threw the whip, digging it into the tree trunk for stability. She took of her shoes, one at a time, then ripped off the end of the whip. With one hand, she flattened the piece and slapped it on the bottom of her foot, then repeated the process with the other foot. Concentrating on keeping a connection between the metal on her feet and the wire, she pulled the whip out of the trunk. When she didn't wobble again, she wrapped the rest of the metal around her wrist and used her bending to push against the wire, sending her skating along it.

The cold breeze of her traveling ruffled through her hair, and she grinned. This is great! I don't know why Mom's so worried about this. The wire's just fine.

She jumped, using her bending to push off against the wire, and landed solidly on another one, changing her direction, making her way over to her meeting place with Tenzin.

There he was, standing under a streetlight, sticking out against everyone else in his red and yellow airbender outfit, his staff in one hand.

Lin jumped, landing a few steps away. "You can't take off your accolade outfit even for one night?"

He raised an eyebrow, the light from the streetlight glinting off his bald head and the brand new arrow tattooed there. "I don't really feel comfortable in anything else," he said. "Were you just traveling on the police wires?"

"Yeah," she grinned, her cheeks feeling flushed from the cold and excitement. "It's great!"

"I thought no one could use those yet."

She rolled her eyes, reaching down and pulling the metal off her feet. "Mom and some of her higher-up officers can, but can we please not talk about her or anything else related to her? We're supposed to have fun tonight!"

Tenzin shook his head, a grin slowly spreading across his face. "The daughter of the police chief: a wild child. Who would've guessed?" He offered his arm to her, and she took it, feeling the blush on her face deepen a shade. "Are you excited?" He asked.

She nodded. "Of course! It's the first-ever pro-bending championships! It'll be a night to remember! I know just the place on my wall where I'm going to put my ticket from tonight."

Tenzin froze, his skin paling under his arrow. Lin pulled to a stop next to him. "You okay?"

He released her arm and dug through his uniform. Lin crossed her arms, her smile turning into a scowl. "You do have the tickets, right?"

"I… I think I left them at home… in my room…"

Lin sighed, rubbing her forehead with her fingertips. "Idiot. You'd better go get them!" She stomped, pushing up the square of ground right under him, sending him flying. Mid-air, he twirled his staff, opening up his glider.

"Sorry!" He called down to her.

"Just hurry, stupid!" She shook her head, leaning against the closest building. "What an airhead." She watched him until even his bright outfit disappeared into the night, then folded her arms. "I hope he doesn't take too long…"

A footstep echoed in the alley to her right. She glanced down it, but couldn't see anyone in the pitch black area. "Hello?" She called out. No one answered.

Frowning, she closed her eyes and pushed out with her bending. There were three people standing in a group in the alley, but they seemed to be turned away, not paying attention to her. Shrugging, she opened her eyes again, looking out towards Air Temple Island.

Footsteps sounded behind her again, but she ignored them, still searching the skies for Tenzin. The footsteps got closer, and an uneasy feeling started swirling in her stomach. She pushed off from the building, and a pair of hand grabbed her around the waist, pinning her arms to her sides. A second pair of hands pulled a scarf over her head and into her mouth, gagging her.

She grunted, twisting against the grip. Her foot stomped behind her, raised earth catching the one who had gagged her in the chest. She heard him cough, and she stomped again, this time aiming for the one holding her. He grunted, and his grip loosened. She used the space to get her arms in front of her, and she bent her metal into a fist, punching him away. He flew into the wall, cracking the brick. Lin turned to run, reaching up for the gag to pull it away.

Fingers jabbed along her arm, making it go limp. She turned to face the third person she had forgotten about, and the fingers jabbed again. Her metal squirmed and fell off her arm, turning back into its original ball form. The fingers jabbed along her spine, and she fell over, cracking her head against the pavement and sending her into blackness.

-0-

"I don't sense any bending in there!"

"Shut up!"

Toph sighed, rubbing her cheek with her fingers. "Teenagers…" she growled, walking into the kitchen.

"Problems?" A voice asked from the table.

"Isn't there always?" She retorted, sitting down heavily in an empty chair. "You know, I was never like this as a teenager."

"To be fair, you didn't have to deal with your parents when you were a teenager," he said. She could hear the faint smile in his voice.

"No, I had to deal with my idiotic students instead," she said, returning the grin. "It's just… I don't know, Zuko. There are some days when we get along like when did when she was little and other days when I can tell she wishes she weren't related to me. And I feel like that's happening more and more."

He reached out and put his hand on hers. His palm was warm. "I think that's how most teenagers are. She'll grow out of it soon, when she understands just what exactly you do for her."

"I know. That doesn't make it any easier…" Toph trailed off, then sighed and shook her head. "When is she going to learn that I know every time she sneaks out?"

Zuko chuckled. "Have you told her you can tell?" He stood, and she sensed him moving around the kitchen and heard water running.

"I don't have the heart to. She likes to believe that she can fool my feet."

"Not many people can do that." He held out a mug and she took it, fingers curling around the warm ceramic gratefully. "It's hot chocolate," he added.

"But you didn't use the… oh right. Firebender."

"It comes in handy," he said, and she laughed.

They sat in silence for a long while, sipping at their drinks. Zuko's hot chocolate was much better than his tea.

"She's in trouble, isn't she?" Zuko finally said.

"Oh yeah," Toph said, setting her empty mug on the table. "I hope she enjoys this night, 'cause it'll be the last date she'll have for a long time."

"Date?"

Toph wiggled her fingers, grinning at Zuko's suddenly menacing tone. "Yeah. She and Tenzin have been getting pretty close. Her heart starts to beat pretty fast whenever he's around."

"The things you can see when you don't have vision…" Zuko said, shaking his head.

"Amazing, isn't it." She paused, listening to the footsteps approaching her house. "Speaking of Tenzin, I think that's him coming up to the house now." She stood, walking to the front door, Zuko following after her.

"Chief Beifong!" The airbender called, running up the walkway.

Toph frowned. His heart was racing; he seemed nervous… scared, even. "What is it Tenzin?" She paused. "Where's Lin? You're not keeping her floating above my head, are you?"

Tenzin froze, and Toph could feel his shock cleanly through the earth. "You mean… she isn't here?"

The bottom dropped out of Toph's stomach. "She ran off a while ago to go to that thing with you," she said, her voice laced with a threatening tone.

She heard him swallow. "Um, yes, she did, but I had forgotten the tickets at home, so I flew back to go get them and when I got back to where I had left her, she was gone."

"What do you mean, gone?" Zuko asked, his own voice deep and threatening.

"She… wasn't there…" Tenzin said, his voice getting smaller. "All that was there was this." He held something out and Toph took it. She recognized the metal, and her foreboding exploded into full-out worry.

"It's her practice metal," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. "She wouldn't just leave that lying around anywhere."

"This was sitting on the ground under it," Tenzin added, holding out what sounded like a sheet of paper. "It's addressed to you, Chief Beifong, so I didn't read it."

"When are people going to realize that I'm blind!" Toph growled. "It's pointless to write a note to me. I can't read!"

He gave it to her and, fuming, she handed it to Zuko. The Fire Lord opened the envelope, and cleared his throat. "Chief Beifong, we have a matter of a prisoner exchange to discuss. If you wish to see your daughter again, and not as an ice cube under the bay, come alone to the Devil's SnakeHawk tonight."

Toph hissed between her teeth. "I've heard rumors of that place. A new bending gang has been cropping up in the city, and that's supposedly their base of operations."

Zuko crumpled the letter and, with a whoosh, set it on fire. "I'm coming with you."

"The letter said I was to go alone."

"Then they won't see me."

Toph turned her head to face where he was standing, scrutinizing him with her blind eyes and her feet. "Fine."

"I'm coming too," Tenzin added. "It's my fault that they got her in the first place."

"Absolutely not," Toph said, leveling a finger at him and using her Police Chief Voice. "You are to head back to Air Temple Island and stay put. You're one of two airbenders left in the world. We don't know what these people want or are capable of, and we don't want to put you in danger. Tell your dad where we're going, and also tell him that if he comes in all Avatar-hero style, I'll wring his neck so hard he'll feel it for his next six lives."

Tenzin swallowed. "Y-Yes ma'am."

"Go."

She heard the distinctive click of a glider unfolding, and felt him leave the ground. "Well?" She asked, turning to Zuko.

"Do you still have the stuff I gave you?"

"Of course. It's under my bed."

"Just a moment then."

He went inside the house. Toph watched him go in and pull out the small, flat box from under her bed. He pulled out the sheathed dao and hooked it around his chest, pulling out the weapons with a snap and running through a quick exercise. She couldn't help but grin, remembering the first time she had seen that particular form.

Less than a minute later, he was back outside. "I'm ready."

"Good," she said, double checking her wires. She hefted Lin's metal, then split it in two and flattened each half into a sheet, wrapping it around her upper arms. "Let's go. Hold on tight." She grabbed his wrist and launched both of them into the air, simultaneously throwing out her wires to their full length, bending them into a flat platform. She landed on the traveling wires above them, the platform behind her. Zuko landed lightly on the platform, and she pushed off using all her bending. They shot off into the night, cold air stinging her cheeks.

"Do you know where you're going?" He called over the rushing wind after she changed wires for the third time.

"Of course. I know this city like the back of my hand."

"You can't see the back of your hand Toph."

"You know what I meant."

They lapsed into silence again. Toph changed wires two more times, then abruptly brought them to a halt.

"It should be on this street somewhere," she said. "Do you see it?"

She watched Zuko turn and look around, and the familiar pang of jealousy twisted in her chest. She squashed it with practiced ease, and waited.

"There," he finally said. "Four buildings forward, on the left just before an alley. The sign is small, and slightly hidden, but it's there."

"Good." She launched forward, propelling them both off the wire. She pulled her whips in, and together, they walked to the bar. Toph paused in the doorway, scanning the inside of the building.

"There's no one in the main room, but…" she paused, taking a look around again. "There's only one person in the whole building, and I can tell that that's Lin."

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Zuko said, and she heard him readjust the dao across his chest. "If they kidnapped her to get something out of you, they wouldn't just leave her by herself. Something's going on here, and I really don't like it."

He made to walk inside, but Toph threw out an arm, stopping him. "No. I'm supposed to be alone, remember? Wait here while I go get my daughter."

His heartbeat spiked for a moment, and she felt the swirl of heat under his chest. "She's my daughter too, Toph. I'm not letting you go in there alone. Don't worry; I'll stay behind you, and they won't see me."

"You sure about that?"

"My Blue Spirit days aren't that far behind me," he said, dry humor in his voice. "I'll be able to see if something is wrong, and give you a warning."

Toph folded her arms, scowling as she thought about it. She rescanned the building, then let out a breath in a huff. "Fine." She took two steps forward, and slammed the door open.

Glasses clinked softly against each other from the shock of the door opening, but there were no other sounds. Toph walked in, ready to bend her metal at a moment's notice, but nothing else moved.

"There's no one here," Zuko said quietly behind her, confirming what her feet saw.

"Seems the party's downstairs then," she said, walking to the only door that lead downwards.

"You sure that's the right one?"

"It's the only one that leads to Lin," she said, trying the handle. "And it's locked. I'm guessing that's the way we want to go." She dug a fist into the lock, and the metal gave way with ease. Again, she slammed the door open, and ran down the steps. Zuko was close behind her, and she could only tell that because she could feel his light footsteps, but not hear them. He hasn't fallen out of his stealth practice. Good.

They reached another door, this one made completely out of wood, including the lock. She heard the fwoosh of Zuko's fire behind her.

"Bad idea," she said, holding out a hand. "That would be a fantastic way to announce that you're here. Besides," she took up her stance, hands held forward, "just because I can't bend the wood doesn't mean I can't break it." She brought her hands together, and the walls around the door smashed inward, splintering the wood beneath it. Pulling her hands apart, the earth did the same, and she leapt through the doorway, over the wood fragments. The last thing she needed was a giant splinter in her foot.

"Mom!"

"Lin!" Her head snapped in the direction of her daughter's voice and presence.

"I wouldn't come any closer, Chief Beifong."

Toph grit her teeth. The new voice was coming from right next to Lin, but there was no person standing on the ground right there. "Let her go," she demanded.

The new voice laughed. "I don't think so, Chief. You see, I have something you want, and you have something I want. Maybe we can make a deal."

Toph frowned. The voice sounded slightly familiar, but she couldn't place it. "I don't even know who you are. What could I have of yours?"

"You have people," he said, voice heavy. "My brother and sister, to be exact. They go by the names of Liruk and Sarak. I am their brother, Rakla, and I want them back."

Toph felt her breath catch in her chest. That was why his voice sounded familiar, but not at the same time. Liruk and Sarak were a brother/sister waterbending pair who specialized in kidnapping. It had taken her nearly a year to hunt down and catch them. While they were free, no bender was safe. She didn't know they had a brother, but he was probably also a waterbender.

At least the moon isn't completely full tonight, she thought, her hands up and ready to strike. "Well, isn't that just too bad. You see, I don't make deals with criminals who threaten my family. Let Lin go, and I'll make sure you only serve one life sentence instead of two."

Rakla laughed again. "Oh, and how will you fight what you can't see?"

"I've done it before," she said simply, trying to pinpoint exactly where his voice was coming from.

"Mom, mom, don't try anything, he's got a knife to my face!" Lin's feet were trembling, and her pulse beat rapidly. "They're all standing on wood, that's why you can't see them!"

"Shut your mouth!" Rakla shouted, and Toph felt Lin flinch back from a strike.

"Lin!" She screamed again, but her voice was lost in the roar of a flame that passed over her head.

-0-

Lin couldn't keep the tears from falling down her face. Seeing her mother burst into the room filled her with hope and dread all at once. Mom was powerful, but wood was one of the few elements she couldn't 'see' through, and this Rakla had what had to be his whole gang stuffed in the room on large wooden platforms. With her arms limp and her bending blocked, there was nothing she could have done to try to escape.

Even so, she could tell when Mom was preparing to strike. She would be listening to his voice, trying to figure out where exactly he was. But she couldn't know the situation.

"Mom, mom, don't try anything, he's got a knife to my face!" Lin shouted, feeling the ice knife press against her cheek. "They're all standing on wood, that's why you can't see them!"

"Shut your mouth!" He shouted into her ear, and sliced down and up with the knife, the ice caving through her skin.

Lin flinched back, reflexively screaming, and fire erupted from the doorway, straight at her. Rakla let go of her and ducked. With her limbs still wobbly from the chi blocking, Lin fell back, landing with her back to the platform. Water streamed over her head and from all directions. Some caught Mom in the feet, freezing her legs from the knees down. The rest flew toward the doorway, but burst into steam when the fire lashed out again. Someone grabbed Lin by the shoulders and pulled her up; she found the ice knife against her neck this time; Rakla was holding her against his chest.

"Stop using my child as a shield, you coward," a familiar voice said. Lin's eyes widened as Fire Lord Zuko stepped through the doorway, one fist pulled back by his face, the other pointed at Rakla in a classic firebending stance.

Rakla laughed, and Lin winced, trying to pull away. He just held her tighter, making her cheek throb. "You were supposed to come alone, Chief Beifong."

"I didn't ask him to come," Mom grunted, trying to free her ice-clad feet. "He just followed me."

"Release them," Zuko demanded, gold eyes burning a gaze into the man holding Lin.

"You're not the one I'm trying to make a deal with, Fire Lord. Keep out of this."

Zuko's gaze hardened. "Release them."

"Ah, no."

"Fine." Zuko's hand shot forward, two fingers pointed outward, and a small jet of flame shot out towards Lin. They hit the ice knife Rakla was holding, and he jumped as it melted into a puddle of hot water. His jump caused him to lose his grip on Lin, and she fell to her knees. Water shot out at Zuko from all directions.

"Duck!" He shouted, and Mom bent at the waist, hands covering her head. Zuko wheeled around, palms outstretched, fire arching out in a circle and turning the water to steam.

Lin, on the ground, saw him punch at the ice surrounding Mom's feet. Flames licked over the ice, and it shattered after only three hits.

"Thanks," Mom said, grinning. Lin swallowed.

Zuko punched outward, lighting the platforms on fire. A couple of the waterbenders hurried to put the flames out, and Zuko drew his dao. The waterbenders dropped before their streams even reached the flames. The water benders pulled at the steam, bringing it back to their hands and launching it at the pair again. Mom raised a wall; the water splashed against it, and she dropped it, her metal whips lashing out to wrap around two of the benders, she twisted, bringing her arms with her, and threw them into two of their companions. They and several around them dropped in a heap. More water shot out towards her feet, but she flicked her wrists, and two sheets of metal flew off from her upper arms, blocking the water and reflecting it back towards the benders.

Lin watched, astonished, as her mother and the Fire Lord took out over two dozen water benders in a matter of moments. Soon, Rakla was the only one left standing. His lips were pulled back in a snarl, and he grabbed at Lin as Zuko and Mom turned on him.

Zuko was faster. He grabbed Rakla's wrist, twisting it sharply away from Lin; she heard something in the arm snap. Rakla screamed, and Zuko turned on his heel and threw the waterbender over his shoulder, where Mom's metal was waiting to cocoon him. Zuko finished his turn, and grabbed Lin in a gentle grip, pulling her against his chest before she could fall over again from her weak legs.

"I've got you," he whispered, holding her tightly, but gently. "Don't worry; I'm here."

Lin grabbed onto his shirt with her slowly recovering hands, and cried into his warm chest.

-0-

Lin sat curled on the cough, hiccoughing. She was wrapped in her favorite blanket, a large bandage on her cheek, and holding tightly to a mug of Zuko's hot chocolate. The Fire Lord in question sat next to her, one hand on her shoulder.

Mom walked in, a big grin on her face. "Rakla isn't going to be kidnapping anyone else any time soon," she announced, sitting on Lin's other side. "He's locked away for a good long time. How are you feeling Lin?"

The teenager shook her head. The drink in her mug trembled along with her hands. "I thought he was going to kill me," she eventually whispered. "I couldn't use my bending. It was so scary…" Tears started to leak out of the corners of her eyes again.

Mom wrapped her arms around her, pulling her close. "I know it was scary, and I'm sorry I didn't get there sooner," she said, gently stroking Lin's hair. "But everything will be okay."

"Katara said I'm going to have a scar," Lin said, resting her head on her mother's shoulder. "I'm going to have a big scar on my face."

"There's nothing wrong with that," Zuko said, and Lin felt blood rise to her cheeks.

She sat up, pulling slightly out of her mother's grip. "Um… Fire Lord… um, Zuko, there was something you said, um, back, uh, back there, that I've been wondering about."

Heat swirled slightly under the skin of the hand on her shoulder. "What is it Lin?" He asked, his voice under control.

"You told Rakla 'stop using my child as a shield.' Um… did you misspeak or… or…" she trailed off, not voicing the other thought in her head.

His grip tightened on her shoulder, and he looked up at Mom. "You never told her?"

She sighed, letting go of Lin and rubbing the back of her head. "No, I didn't."

Zuko wrapped both his hands around Lin's, looking her straight in the eye. "It's about time you knew Lin. I called you my child because you are. I'm your father."

Lin stared at him. If he hadn't been holding her hands, the mug would've slipped out of her grip. She finally looked away, turning to stare at her mother. "Mom? Is that true?"

Toph rubbed the back of her head again. "As true as I am blind."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

The police chief stood walking several steps away, her arms folded. "For reasons you couldn't understand," she eventually said, "because I don't understand them myself. But now you know."

"Is… that okay?" Zuko asked, peering intently at her.

"I… I don't know," Lin said, pulling her hands out of his and putting her mug down. "I'm sorry; so much has happened tonight, so I'm feeling a little weird about this right now."

Zuko nodded. "I understand. It would make my head hurt a little too."

Lin stood. "Thank you for telling me. And…" she hesitated, then gave him a tight hug. "Thank you for coming to rescue me." She walked over to her mother, hugging her from behind. "Thank you too Mom. I… I'm sorry I said that mean stuff to you earlier."

Mom turned around in her grip and hugged her back. "I'm not going to punish you for sneaking out tonight. I think you've been through enough already. We'll need to talk about this. But Lin," she pulled her daughter away, looking down in her face, but not meeting her eyes. Lin couldn't help but smile at the attempt, "I want you to know that I love you and I will always be there for you, no matter what, okay?"

Lin's smile widened, and she pulled back into the hug. "Okay. Thank you, Mom. I love you too."

"You can always count on me too," Zuko added, wrapping his arms around Lin and Toph.

Lin leaned her head back, looking up into his face. "Thank you." She gave her mother a squeeze, then wiggled out of their grips. "I'm going to bed now. I'm exhausted."

"Good night Lin. I love you."

"I love you too Mom."

Zuko reached out, and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Good night daughter. Sleep well."

"Good night Zu—good night… Daddy," Lin said. She couldn't help but smile at finally being able to say that phrase. "I love you."

She turned and walked down the hall to her room, snagging her mug of hot chocolate on the way. At her door, she paused to look back at her Mom and Zuko… at her parents. They were holding each other, Mom resting her cheek against his chest, and Zuko resting his chin on top of her head. Lin touched the bandage on her cheek, and smiled.

I'll have a big scar on my face… just like my Dad.

END

There. You asked for it, and I delivered. A little bit more fluffy than the last one, but I think it turned out pretty well. Some of the best lines I've written all month are in this little fic. XD

Anyways, this is my take on the whole "who-the-crap-is-Lin's-father" issue, and the origin of the scar on her cheek. Probably most likely not canon, but I certainly hope the pairing is.

My OTP. Yep.

How did the fight scene turn out? I really struggle with those… I can see the events happening clearly in my head, but it takes a lot of work to try to get that vision down on paper, and I hope it worked for you guys. Let me know what you thought about it, so I can know what to work on.

Anywos, now with this out of my head, I don't think I'll have anything more with these three coming up anytime soon. I'm currently working on a Toko piece that takes place during ATLA (so Lin obviously doesn't show up, haha), but I'm not sure when that will come out. Potentially sometime during this month—it is NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) after all, but we'll have to see. Keep an eye out!

Leave a review, let me know what you think!