"Shit."

Lin Beifong's voice echoed through her apartment. She stared, feeling stunned, at the two lines glaring at her. Closing her eyes, she shook the device violently, hoping one of the lines would go away.

Two lines.

Positive.

Goosebumps ran all over her skin, and she felt her eyes start to water. She was happy, all right- but what now? She can't just go barging into Air Temple Island – not after rampaging through it about a month ago.

How far along was she, anyway? Two months? She had that last encounter with Tenzin two months ago; she remembered walking into her apartment and seeing him seated on the couch, looking glum. Like some twisted custom, small talk turned into a fight, and the fight ended up with both of them having sex and being rough toward each other. Two months it is, then.

Throwing the test kit into the bin, she then looked at herself in the mirror. Is this how Mom felt when she found out all about me?

"Apparently the fruit didn't fall far from the tree," she chuckled bitterly to herself. She's twenty nine – blessed with a tall and willowy figure, raven hair and bright, emerald eyes. Everyone would agree that the police chief's daughter was a beauty, and she wasn't ignorant of the whisperings around HQ of what the rookie cops would want to do with her. Like her mother, Lin would at first strike many as being helpless, but once they witness her bending prowess, they were wont to change their opinion, and Lin made sure people would know. For this, she strove hard to rise through the ranks of Republic City's Metalbending Police – everyone would agree that she was almost as brilliant as her mother, the famous Toph Beifong, and that Lin had a promising future ahead of her.

I have a lot of expectations to live up to, and dozens of plans to fulfill.

Damn. I wish Tenzin was here.

She drove all the way through the outskirts of Republic City into the vast expanse of land her mother owned. Lin knew it was a long shot given her rough relationship with Toph (whom she has resorted to calling Chief, instead of Mom), but as she walked into the house, she hoped – prayed, even – that she would finally get a chance at reconciliation.

"Lin?"

Lin couldn't help but smile. The years have been kind to Toph Beifong – even in her late fifties, her senses were still sharp as ever. She watched nervously as her mother's slender frame, so much like her own, stepped into view. "Who's with you, badgermole?" she asked.

"No one, chief," Lin replied.

Toph's face scrunched up – it was the face she made when she knew Lin was lying – "Try again, kiddo."

At that moment, Lin felt that all of the feelings she has repressed for so long finally broke free. With tears in her eyes, she ran to her mother, clinging tightly to her as if she might lose her. "Mom!"

Toph placed a hand on her daughter's cheek. "I know. Come in and let's get you fixed up."

Lin surveyed the kitchen, taking in the mingling aroma of jasmine, lavender and mint – scents that reminded her of her childhood; running her hands onto the polished marble counter, she remembered a time when clumsy hands traced imaginary patterns on it. As she shifted her feet around the cold, granite floor, she was surprised to feel little pits and bumps – her first attempts at bending.

It was odd how this place suddenly struck her as both alien and familiar; it was full of pleasant childhood memories and teenage shenanigans – and it was also where she realized she doesn't want to live under the shadow of the Toph Beifong, and that she thought her younger sister Suyin was a total bitch who never cared about the family at all. For the longest time, Lin struggled to get an apartment right at the heart of the city and swore she would never set foot in that house ever again, but here she was.

"Mom, when are you going to get servants?"

It was a silly question, of course. The Beifong home at Republic City was, perhaps, ninety percent rock and metal. Toph Beifong was perfectly capable of "seeing" around the house.

Toph passed her a steaming cup of mint tea. "Servants?"

"I mean, with Su in Gaoling –"

"I'm all alone, you mean."

Lin nodded, watching silently as her mother began steeping tea leaves in another cup.

"Some cleaning lady comes here everyday," Toph continued. "She gets the laundry and cleaning done – not that there's much of it, anyway."

"Right," Lin said curtly.

Silence hung heavy between them, only punctuated by Toph's noisy slurping. Lin nursed her cup of tea, thinking of words to say in order to keep conversation flowing. "I'm sorry."

Toph smiled. "I should be the one saying that."

"I failed you, Mom," she whispered.

"Shut it, kid. I'm proud of how you turned out. You're a toughie. You take so much after me," Toph consoled, grinning. "But you gotta work more on your metalbending. I don't like the way you hang one those spool thingies."

"Thanks."

Toph fixed the gaze of her sightless eyes onto her daughter. "Well, aren't you gonna ask me about your father?'

Finishing her tea, Lin replied, "I don't think it's even necessary for me to know who he is. Even if I did, it still won't change the fact that he wasn't around while I was growing up."

"Wow. So it doesn't bug you anymore?"

"Not as much as it used to," she replied. "You're awesome, Mom. You raised Su and I all alone while handling the police. You could've just sent us to live with our grandparents in Gaoling, but you didn't. I don't think I ever told you how grateful I am for everything."

"I know things have been rocky between us –" Toph smiled at the pun, "and I know that I made you feel like you had to uphold this – this Beifong legacy shit, but believe it or not, I don't really care whether you decide to be a badass like your momma, or be some graceful lady like those snobs in Ba Sing Se. If you're happy, then I'm happy. I've been quite a deadbeat mom, I know – and I'm sorry. I just want you and your sister to be free. I want you to choose whatever paths you want for yourselves – to be independent. I never thought this family would end up… dysfunctional."

"I guess I tried too hard to be like you, huh?" Lin said, trying to suppress her tears.

"Yep, ya got it down to the single motherhood thing," Toph deadpanned.

"You think it's an earthbender?"

"I won't be surprised if it is," her mom replied. "Depends on the dad, of course."

"It's Tenzin."

Toph sent a stone flag, no doubt a part of the floor, flying through the kitchen. Lin watched, amused, as it smashed through the pots and pans nearby. "Hey! I knew you guys were doing the thing, but I thought you were being careful!"

"We were, but there was this one time…"

"Children are blessings!" her mother interrupted, "and we have to take care of this child no matter what. However, there's still this matter of telling Tenzin."

"I don't think it will do any good to tell him about it," Lin replied. "You know – after I wrecked Air Temple Island and tried to put the girl in jail."

Toph seemed to consider this for a while. "How about a vacation? Summer in Gaoling sounds neat."

"Gaoling sounds great."