A/N: While we wait for my lazy ass to finish the next chapter of the cycle, enjoy this little "ficlet" to hold you over (if that is the word for it).

Thanks guys.

The Cycle: Intermission

"The limbs are too fat to do anything, let alone walk. She claps with her arms and talks with her gums. What's so special about her? It's a baby, big deal!" Meelo huffs as they stand around the air temple grounds, waiting.

"You used to be a baby too, Meelo." Ikki says, annoyed.

"Yeah, but...! But look at Rohan! I did not look like that," he points a thumb over at his younger brother.

"Hey!" Rohan shakes his tiny knuckles, ready to start something again.

"Stop that." Tenzin refrains from airbending at his own children, even though they'd done so multiple times towards him. Instead he turns his sons by the heads, facing away from each other. Ikki and Jinora stood in front of their parents and between their arguing siblings, rolling their eyes.

"You're both acting like little babies right now, and don't look so innocent Ikki and Jinora."

"Korra!" The airkids all bounded for the Avatar in this order: Jinora, Ikki, Meelo, and Rohan trudging over last but not least. Korra holds her arms out until the last of them enter her arms. She gives them a good squeeze to which they all groan, a different type of shout rising out of the four. "Korra!" Somewhere back there, Tenzin and Pema watch with fond smiles.

Korra just laughs and releases them. "You're all getting so big." She looked to Jinora. "You're no doubt going to outgrow me."

"At least in height. Spirits Korra, are you trying to crush us?" the young airbending master smiles whilst rubbing her pained chest.

The Avatar switches attention to Meelo next and ruffles his hair. "You keep out of trouble, ya hear?"

"Sir yes ma'am!"

Ikki looked like she couldn't hold it in anymore. "Alright, lay it on me," Korra conceeds.

But only one question comes: "When will we get to see her?"

The tribal woman appeared surprised, but rose.

"Yes, when will we see her?" Pema concurs. Tenzin wraps his arm around his wife and seemed like he also very much wanted to see.

"Alright, just wait there." Korra rapidly strode over to the staircase she came up on from the docks and misses the group's eyes all lighting up. She motions with her hands to someone beyond. They all watch the island 'entrance' (really just a small gate/wooden arch), excited smiles adorning their faces. Even Jinora, who's so mature and composed all the time, was a mirror image of her brothers and sister.

Graceful steps climb the stairs with ease, black hair soaring in the wind, and the bundle at her chest gurgles with even spaces. She hears gasps as she makes it to the top and expects to be barreled down as her wife had been. That doesn't happen, so instead Asami looks over to an affectionate Korra who simply says, "You look radiant, my dear," and gives her a hug. They hold each other there on the top of the steps. The Avatar bends down to kiss her daughter's head, drawing a sweet sound from their baby.

"Thank you love," Asami says and nuzzles tenderly into Korra. As they close their eyes for just a moment, neither notice how the airbending family approaches the couple.

"She's beautiful," Jinora speaks sincerely as she finds Korra's deep blue irises. Although world-smart and experienced already as it is, she's still so young and she's floored by how much more emotion there is in the woman's eyes. It tells her how much left there is for her to know in this universe.

"That is true," Meelo says, being surprisingly gentle near the baby, and forgetting all about his earlier remarks.

"She's so cute," Ikki whispers and gasps, as though afraid to jostle this small human, both hesitant and excitable at the same time.

"Go on," Asami then says, and slowly crouches. "You can touch her." Korra's hand remains on her shoulder.

The youngest of the siblings reaches out to pat the baby's cheek. "And so soft," Rohan mumbles. There's a chorus of aww's as the five-year-old meets the one-month-old.

Happy with their introductions, the kids step away to let their parents in.

"Hey there little fella." Pema pokes the baby's nose as a greeting. "Tenzin look at her! She is so adorable."

"I just hope your not thinking of another one," her husband jokes while rubbing the belly and making faces at that small person.

"No, four is definitely enough." They both wear peaceful smiles as they give all their attention here and ignore the inevitable outbursts.

"Hey!" say the four in predictable defiance.

"Let's go inside. I'm sure you're hungry, and the little one as well I assume?" Pema turns toward the temple.

"Yes, let's," Korra replies for the three of them and starts walking side-by-side Asami and their child.

The two families have tea in the dining room while waiting for lunch. Asami sits in the corner, nursing the baby, chatting with Pema about what vegetarian foods they could cook, when Rohan decides to ask the magic question, "Daddy, how are babies made?"

This elicits a series of blushes from the adults at the table. But once food distracts them, Tenzin's courage reappears.

"I must say I'm impressed," her old master strokes his beard and tips his body forward, "and well, I must ask: how did you do it?"

"Well," Korra draws in some liquid leaf from her cup and cools it down before drinking, "Raava helped me. I didn't mean to at first, so it was kind of an unexpected pregnancy. We were celebrating our honeymoon in the Spirit World and it just...happened."

Asami laughs from the corner. "That's one way to put it. Not everyday you have a child with another woman, let alone the Avatar, but I think we should all be pretty used to small miracles from you now and then." Make that 'huge', instead.

When they finish their tale, Tenzin and his family keep still, watching her intently, and the Avatar figures they're probably waiting for more when she wants to spare them and the kids the details. "And...uh, what can I say? I mean I feel really—no, extremely—lucky to have this incredibly amazing thing happen to us." It wasn't a lie. She did feel out-of-this-world lucky and fortunate and privileged to have a child of her own flesh and blood with the woman she loves. "Right, Asami?"

But in fact, the airbender family were just in awe of the Avatar, simply thinking, What will this woman do next? She once again misses the proud gazes of her airbenders. They were remembering those years when their Avatar was absent, when Asami—now a proud mother—would come to their doorstep, looking for company and her potential companion.

The wife walks over to her wife at the table, now that their newest family member was apparently full. Asami had one of those looks on her face that made Korra blush the most. "How do you look at me like that? Like I'm the sun and the earth and moon all combined?"

"Because you are, to me." Asami had said when they talked about it before. "Honestly, it's the second best thing that's ever happened to me."

"The second best thing?"

"Because you are the first," Asami says effortlessly.

"Sami..." And then they might as well have been alone in the room.

Later, after putting the small girl in the crib, when they will be alone in their bedroom, and Asami asleep from their spirited lovemaking, Korra would wake in the middle of the night to a call from deep within her soul. And she would respond.

Thank you, Raava.

…

You deserve it.