During the entire ride from the Southern Water Tribe to Air Temple Island, numerous things could be heard from the voices around Iroh and Kailee. They were all on Appa's back, with Iroh and Kailee pretending to be asleep and listening intently to the arguments and discussions that were going on around them. Toph and Iroh's parents were having a row about whether or not the former was telling the truth about Iroh's wedding or not. Lin was the one driving and was doing everything in her power to ignore them, occasionally shouting back for them to be quiet before they woke Iroh and Kailee. Ikki was asking Katara questions almost constantly, while Mako and Korra were talking about whether or not to back Iroh's decision with Kailee up.
Kailee and Iroh were together on the same sheet, and so when they felt and heard the flying bison land on the island, they almost let out a breath of relief. Lin did, and she, Korra, and Mako worked together to carry the couple into a separate section of the temple so that they could rest in peace and quiet. As they did, those who didn't were making their way to the kitchen and sitting areas, where Zuko and the rest of the Air nomads were waiting anxiously.
"What happened?" Zuko asked as the others that had gone to search for Iroh returned to Air Temple Island empty-handed. "Where is Iroh?"
"Ask that lying brat," Iroh's father snapped jerking a hand back at Toph the second.
"I'm not lying!" she yelled angrily, "And if you weren't General Iroh's parents I'd be earthbending your butts onto the roof!"
"Toph is telling the truth," Mako said as he walked in. "I trust her."
"She's an earthbender!" Iroh's mother yelled indignantly.
"So is my brother," Mako shot back, "And so was Chief Toph Bei Fong."
"That is enough," Zuko said with finality dripping from every syllable. "We will discuss this matter of honesty later. Where is Iroh?"
"They took him to one of the back rooms," Ikki said as she used airbending to sit next to the former Fire Lord. "He looked pretty badly beaten up, so I told Jinora and Meelo to stay away from him for a while."
"He's been asleep for a week, how much longer do we have to wait?" Iroh's mother demanded impatiently.
"Peace, dear one," Iroh's father said putting a hand on each of his wife's shoulders. "Iroh will awaken when his body feels ready. Until then we must be patient and trust that Avatar Aang will watch over him. Fire Lord Zuko knows what he is talking about, I am sure. Have some faith in our son."
Iroh and Kailee remained silent as they continued to pretend to stay asleep. As it just so turned out, they'd become nocturnal in their time taken to recover from the fight with Tarala. It was in the first night at Air Temple Island that Iroh finally woke up at the same time as Kailee did, and she held his hand proudly on her slightly more swollen abdomen.
"You're pregnant?" he whispered, and she looked up at him and nodded.
"Yes," she whispered back nervously. "Are you angry with me?"
"No," he murmured kissing her cheek and putting a hand on her abdomen just on top of hers. "How can I be angry with you when you kept the truth from me to protect me? I love you, Kailee. I always have, even when I was that foolishly defiant fifteen year old eating the apple trying to be a bad boy to impress you. Even back when I was ten and learning how to use firebending better to impress you to make you proud of me. Of course that was back before we knew that you weren't a bender…"
"I'm still proud of you," she smiled shyly, "It's just… I feel like a tiny spark in comparison to the flames that you create with your firebending."
"You kept me alive when there were no other persons who could," he murmured, "You kept me alive and gave me the memories and my past back when I needed them the most and couldn't remember them. I should have given that privilege to you, and I would have given that privilege to you, if I'd only known that you'd somehow survived his attack. When I saw the bloody snow, I thought that he'd killed all three of you. My heart was broken that day, it was another reason I joined the United Forces army, to keep things like that from happening to other people."
"Iroh, Iroh, shh," Kailee breathed with a soft smile. "Just… shush. And Iroh?"
"Yes?" he said looking down to find her rolling over to face him better.
"Don't you ever do that to me again, you daft firebender," she demanded firmly in a scolding voice that one would use if their spouse or child had nearly gotten themselves killed just moments before as she jabbed him in the chest while trying to keep from going into hysterics. "Don't you ever do that again, you complete idiot! I thought you'd been killed…"
"I'm here now," Iroh promised quietly with a very sheepish grin on his face, "I'm here now."
"Promise that you won't leave me no matter what?"
"I promise," he said kissing her on the lips. "Nobody can do anything. I'll deny my rights as the crown prince if I have to."
"I didn't mean it like that," she murmured feeling guilty suddenly. "I just…"
"You've been alone your whole life, it's only natural that you would want to stay here by my side when I was one of the only people that you knew and would help you at first," he said with a fond smirk. "Also, my parents can't really deny me my throne when I have an heir already on the way within the bond of matrimony."
"You are going to be in so much trouble when your parents figure out that you're awake," she smirked, and he deadpanned. "But I'm pretty sure that even if they try to hurt me or the baby, Toph will defend us no matter what is going on around her. We're like a completely new set of parents for her, ones who do anything but coddle her. I think that's what we'll need to be wary of with our little one. Love the baby, but not coddle him or her."
"I'm sure we'll manage just fine," he smiled as he pulled her closer to him.