Disclaimer: everything owned by Niceklodeon and Bryke.
FYI, first chapter is just all politics and plot. Second is Korrasami fluff. Third is all smut. Smut smut smut. Have fun!

The Reunion

As soon as the bison was in sight, the White Lotus guard radioed Tenzin.

"The children have returned, sir." He took another glance as the bison groaned, swooping in for a landing on the island square. "And it looks like they have the Avatar."

Tenzin rushed into the square and his face lit up the moment he saw Korra. His children ran in and tackled him with a hug and Korra skipped to a stop in front of him. The kids backed off and Tenzin opened his arms, pulling the Avatar into a tight embrace.

"I'm so glad you're safe, Korra."

Once inside they heard Pema on the phone announcing Korra's arrival to an unknown party. As she reemerged into the entrance a relieved smile spread across her face.

"Mako and Asami are on their way over," she informed everyone.

They waited in the lounge, and Korra recapped a few of her adventures over the past six months. She glossed over a few incidents involving haunting specters of her Avatar state. She knew eventually she'd have to explain the reason she never returned, but tonight was not the night for intense discourse.

"Did you fight any hog monkeys?" Meelo asked with feisty grin.

"Hog monkeys? No," Korra replied, cocking an eyebrow.

"Meelo, why would she fight hog monkeys?" Ikki snapped.

"What about moose-lions? Or bandits? Did you fight any bandits?"

"Well, I got into a couple scraps, but nothing major, and I didn't beat anyone up."

Meelo folded his arms, disappointed. "Some Avatar."

An acolyte popped her head around the corner from the entryway, announcing their guests had arrived. Mako's face appeared as he stepped into the lounge, and he lit up like a torch when he recognized Korra. She grinned and stood as Asami rounded the corner after him. Korra stopped short of the both of them, and they stared at each other in wonder.

Tears slowly filled Korra's eyes and she quickly wiped them away before throwing her arms around both of them.

"I missed you guys so much."

"We missed you too, Korra," Mako replied.

The three of them sat, Korra in the middle, on the longer of the three sofas.

"Korra was just telling us how she beat up a bunch of bandits in the Earth Kingdom," Meelo informed Mako and Asami.

"Oh, well, that sounds interesting," Asami replied, glancing at Korra with a slightly scornful look.

"I didn't beat anyone up! Not really," she muttered. "I mean, there were these two thieves in a fishing village, but, well, they weren't exactly the ones lying on their backs in the dirt."

"So, you got your butt handed to you?" Mako reasoned, jokingly.

"More often then not, for a long time," Korra admitted. "But! And I was saving this for when you guys got here, I met Toph, and she helped me get better!"

Tenzin leaned in, an incredulous look on his face. "You met Toph?"

"Wait, the Toph?" asked Mako.

"The one and only," Korra chirped. "And it turns out I still had some metal in my blood."

Tenzin looked at his kids. "Did you guys know about this?"

"Korra wanted to keep it a surprise," Ikki explained.

"What was she like?" Asami asked excitedly.

"Just like all the history books say," replied Jinora. "Tough, unforgiving, unyielding and stubborn. But wise. Incredibly wise, in her own way."

"She's a nutcase! She lives in the middle of a swamp, alone!" cried Meelo. "Actually, I kind of liked her. Dad, can I go see her again sometime?"

"No," came the gruff response.

"And she helped you with the metal, right?" Asami asked Korra.

"Well, she tried to. I kind of resisted for a while and eventually she gave up, told me to do it myself, and stalked off for a while."

"Yeah, that sounds like her, all right," Tenzin muttered, stroking his beard.

"So, did you get the metal out, or..." Mako asked.

"She did! It was so cool!" Ikki answered, and Jinora gave her a rueful glare.

Korra laughed. "Yes, I did." Her expression softened as she recalled the flashback she'd had after attempting to take the metal out. She shivered, and Asami instinctively settled a hand over hers for a brief moment. "It wasn't easy, but it's gone. I'm completely free of Zaheer and everything he did to me."

A calm silence settled over the room. Korra looked up and smiled. "So what about you guys? What have I missed these past few months?"

Everyone in the room exchanged nervous glances. Tenzin shifted uncomfortably.

"Where do we even start?" said Mako gloomily. Korra frowned. "Kuvira has taken full control of the Earth Kingdom – Earth Empire now – and Zoufu is the last independent state left."

"Which does not bode well for Suyin. Or Lin." Tenzin sat fiddling with his beard again.

Korra glanced from Mako to Tenzin. "So what do we do? What do I do?"

Tenzin remained silent for a moment. "Right now, all we know is any intervention on Earth Empire territory could lead to an armed conflict. I believe the first step is to attempt to find a diplomatic solution, but so far that has yielded no positive results."

"She's blockaded the whole country?" Korra asked angrily. "Have we learned nothing from Aang and Roku? She's doing exactly what the Fire Nation tried to do!"

"I don't believe Kuvira's intent is world domination, or wiping any of the other nations out. She seems to be focused on closing off the Earth Kingdom – Empire – from the rest of the world. We're just not sure why."

"I don't like it. And Bolin's with her?"

Mako pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't even want to get started on him right now."

"What the hell is he thinking?"

"He isn't," Mako snapped. "He thinks he is. He's just regurgitating whatever excuses and justifications Kuvira shoves down his throat. He's got this ridiculous idea that he's doing the right thing, just because the rest of us have no idea what the right thing to do is."

"As it stands," Asami intervened calmly. "Kuvira is a genuine concern right now, and intel is what we need more than anything. I can supply the United Republic Army with recon vehicles and some new surveillance equipment I've been working on. I talked to Bumi over the radio the other day, he'll send word to General Iroh."

"Isn't Uncle Bumi retired?" Ikki piped up.

"He said he's still in contact with the general. Didn't say why or how," Asami explained. Tenzin rolled his eyes, shaking his head. Pema patted his shoulder. Asami continued, turning to Korra. "We'll have a plan, Korra. For now, we just need to keep our eyes and ears open."

"I can go in silently, get close to the border and fly in on my glider," Korra suggested.

"No," said Mako. Korra glared at him. "It's too dangerous."

Korra opened her mouth to object when Tenzin spoke up. "He's right, Korra. This situation requires a high level of finesse. Charging in for a fight, especially when you've been out for so long, could cause a lot more collateral damage than you might expect."

"Fine. We do it your way. But I want to be part of this 'recon team'."

"I was hoping you'd ask," Asami winked.