Regrets (Complete)

Chapter Three

As soon as Lin pushed the apartment door open she let out a longing groan as the most delicious smell hit her. She took off her coat and set it down on the couch along with the file she had promised to look over. She walked to the kitchen and watched as Kya hummed, dancing around the kitchen as she was putting the finishing touches on Lin's favorite dinner. She did a dramatic turn, stopping when she caught sight of Lin and beaming brightly.

"Lin! You're home! And on time for once!"

Lin shook her head as Kya leaned toward her, exposing her right cheek expectantly. She rolled her eyes before carefully moving to kiss the waterbender on the cheek. At the last second Kya shifted her position to kiss Lin fully on the lips.

They pulled a part and Lin couldn't help a lazy smirk. Kya's face mirrored her own and on another occasion she may have jumped her girlfriend right then and there but Lin's stomach rumbled again and she had to take another step back from Kya.

"Later. For now, I'm going to get changed and then I want 4, no 5 of those dumplings because I am starving."

"Yes, Chief!"

Kya gave a lazy salute watching Lin walk away for just a second before turning back to their dinner.

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"Kya, you've really outdone yourself this time. What is it that you add to this filling that makes it so delicious?"

"A good chef never reveals her secrets."

Lin flicked an errant piece of onion at Kya as she wiped the countertops clean. She should have thought more about her move because Kya was currently washing the dishes. She squawked as the slimy onion stuck to her cheek and, before Lin had time to duck, shot a jet of soapy water right into the earthbender's face.

Lin let out a low growl as she wiped the suds from her face, narrowing her eyes at the waterbender. Kya smiled mischievously, throwing her hands in the air innocently.

"Hey, you started it!"

Lin lunged for her and Kya danced out of her reach, flicking her wet fingers in her face for added effect. She ran down the hallway, making to push open the door to their bedroom when she tripped and fell, one of her feet completely encased in earth as Lin stalked toward her.

"Alright, you caught me. Now can we please stop with all the foreplay and just cut to the chase. Preferably in the shower because I smell disgusting."

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Lin stared at the ceiling of the bedroom, completely awake. Kya was snoring loudly, an arm draped over Lin's middle as a puddle of drool pooled in the space between their pillows. Lin was envious of her ability to sleep so soundly most nights. There was the occasional night when Lin was yanked out of unconsciousness by a thrashing Kya, her nightmares violent and cruel as she cried out in fear. Those nights were the longest and Lin wished she could do something to prevent them.

But preventing Kya's nightmares was about as easy as stopping her own. She always tried her best not to disturb Kya when she was jolted awake by the images that haunted her dreams. Kya always told her not to worry about, to wake her up when it happened but if Lin did that neither of them would ever get any sleep. It was only on the nights that the plague of terrors caused Lin to unknowingly shake the whole earth that she let Kya care for her. Not fighting back as she held her close, whispering words of comfort to her as she softly caressed the hand that held onto her as if her life depended on it.

They had definitely gotten better over time but Lin was still apparently destined to always be sleep deprived because her racing thoughts often kept her awake long into the night. Tonight she couldn't shake some unknown feeling. She couldn't place it but there was something in her gut that was telling her that she was missing something or that something was coming.

Finally having enough, she carefully slipped out bed tucking Kya's arm in and pulling the blankets up over her shoulders. She walked to the kitchen and filled a glass with water, turning to look at the dark and still apartment. A yellow police file caught her eye and she grabbed it before plopping down onto the couch, flicking a light on as she opened to the first page.

She scanned over the basic details. It was a pretty standard case of breaking and entering turned kidnapping. The description of the scene was indicative of a struggle. Good for her, Lin thought. There had been a small beam of earth sticking up from the ground with blood on it. The detectives weren't sure if the blood had come from the victim or the perpetrators but looking over the crime scene sketch Lin was almost certain it hadn't come from the victim.

Which meant she was an earthbender. Of course, that wasn't unusual in of itself but Lin wondered if could be a clue as to why they had grabbed the girl in the first place. It could be the remnants of one of the triads looking for new members. Or maybe something different altogether...

She was young. Barely twenty years old. Date of birth.

The hairs on the back of Lin's neck prickled as she ran a thumb over the girl's date of birth. She sometimes forgot that other babies had been born that day, perfectly healthy. The grief of that day never went away completely, she just got better at managing it.

She snapped the file closed. This case was supposed to be a distraction but instead a fresh barrage of unwanted memories were now racing in her thoughts. The feeling in her gut fluttered as she made her back to the bedroom, a still sleeping Kya now laying on her side and no longer snoring. She'd take a closer look at the case tomorrow with Chen. Sliding back into bed she snaked her arm around Kya and melted against her, finally falling asleep to the steady rhythm of the waterbender's heartbeat.