THE LONGEST NIGHT PART TWO-TRICK

"Hey, everyone!" Bumi bellowed as he reached the apex of the staircase. "Hang onto your hats, 'cause it's Uncle Bumi Time!" He laughed as his nieces came zooming out of the house toward him atop their air bubbles. "Hey, Jinora! Look at you! Taller and prettier than ever!" he cried as he hugged the girls tightly. "And Ikki—how's my favorite little hummingbird?"

"Unca!" Ikki squealed as she wriggled into his bear hug. Jinora was a bit more restrained in her greeting but was no less thrilled to see her beloved uncle again. "Unca! Unca pway wif me an' Jin-Jin!" Ikki urged as he set them back on the ground. "Pway!"

"I will, I promise, hummingbird," Bumi chuckled, "but first I gotta say hello to your mom and dad. Where are they…hey! There you are!" Bumi's smile fell slightly as he stared at the bedraggled parents approaching him. "Tenzin? Pema? You two okay?"

"We're fine, Bumi," Pema assured him as she kissed his cheek. "Welcome home. It's good to see you again." Her voice quavered ever so slightly as she spoke.

"Glad you made it in," Tenzin nodded as he shook his brother's hand. "We've got your room all set for you. How long will you be staying?"

"Oh, a few days, no more than a week. They're doing some repairs and refurb on the ship." Bumi's eyes narrowed as he took a closer look at Tenzin and Pema. "What's going on with you two?"

"It's nothing," Pema wearily assured him. "We're just a bit tired, that's all. We've haven't gotten that much sleep the past week."

"Oh? Something wrong?"

Tenzin shook his head. "It's nothing bad. Just…well, Ikki doesn't seem to want to sleep, that's all. We're not worried…this is the third or fourth time she's done this in the past couple of months. It goes on for a few nights, then she settles down again. This streak has just run a bit longer than most. We've been taking turns staying up with her so that she doesn't get into mischief."

"Really? By the way," Bumi whispered, "when did she learn to do the air bubble thing? That was a surprise…"

"It was to us as well," Tenzin sighed. "Apparently Ikki's been watching me train Jinora, and she's a very fast learner. I've never seen anything like it." He smiled weakly at his daughters. "I'm a very lucky man."

"You're a very tired man," Bumi corrected. He slapped his hands together. "Tell you what. Why don't I take my favorite girls into the city for ice cream? Not every day I get to spoil them a bit. They can tell me all about what's been going on, and while we're gone you two can maybe get some shuteye?"

"Bumi, you just got here," Pema half-protested, half-prayed. "We can't make you baby-sit the girls on our account…can we, Tenzin?"

"It's settled," Bumi declared before his brother could protest. "Whattya say, ladies? Ice cream sound good for a mid-afternoon treat?"

"YAY!" Jinora and Ikki screamed in assent.

"Thank you for the noodles, Uncle Bumi," Jinora said politely a few hours later. "They were delicious. But won't Mama be angry that we spoiled our dinner?"

"Nah," Bumi shrugged confidently. "I just thought I'd spare her the chore so she could rest a bit more, that's all. I'm sure she won't mind, kiddo."

"NOODLES!" Ikki declared triumphantly. "SLURRRRP!" She was more dancing up the steps than walking, but Bumi didn't mind. "Unca! Pway dwaga?" she half-asked, half-demanded. "WOOOOAR!"

"You want to play 'dragon'?" Bumi asked. "Okay. We can do that. But first…" He reached into his shoulder duffle and retrieved a small bundle from it. "Here, Jinora. I saw these during one of my shore leaves and thought of you immediately."

"Books!" Jinora cried happily. "Oh, thank you Uncle Bumi! Can I start reading them now?"

"Sure thing. And while you do that, I'll see if I can't drain some energy out of this little hummingbird!" He reared up and made a terrifying face as he roared and closed in on Ikki. She screamed in delight, willed an air bubble into existence and raced away. "No fair!" Bumi called out. "I'm not an airbender, kid! Get back here!"

"Bumi…are you sure about this?" Pema asked pleadingly. "She can be quite a handful…she sits in her crib and makes up all these stories about her toy bison and lemur…all night long…" The last words came out as half-sigh, half-sob.

"It's no problem," Bumi winked. "I've gone without sleep several times while out at sea, it's no big deal. Just leave Ikki to me and the two of you can get a good night's sleep. You both need it."

"Hmmph," Jinora snorted, her new books tucked securely under her arm. "Good girls go to bed and sleep," she reminded her little sister.

"Nononononononono!" Ikki retorted. "Pway, Jin-Jin! Pway dwaga!"

"Your sister is going to bed, sweetheart," Tenzin informed her. "Uncle Bumi…for spirits only know what reason…wants you in his room tonight. Good night." He would have added 'sweet dreams', but he knew there was fat chance of that happening.

"Unca! Unca! Pway dwaga! Ooo-ooo! Le-Le!" Ikki was bouncing up and down with sheer excitement. Unca wanted to be with her, not Jin-Jin. Score one for Ikki.

"Okay, okay," Bumi chuckled. "But let me make you a glass of nice cool milk first." He handed her the small cup; Ikki downed it in two or three gulps. "Well, kiddo, let's head off to bed, okay?"

"DWAGA!"

Ikki was confused. At first everything had been so much fun. Unca made a dwaga with his fingers and swooped in and around Oo-oo and Le-le, much to her delight, but then…"Was that a yawn?" Bumi teased. "Did you yawn, Ikki?"

"Nonono…" Yawn. "…nonono." Her eyelids were drooping and growing heavier by the minute. She didn't have the strength to protest when Unca picked her up and rocked her in the old wooden chair. The motion and his big warm chest conspired to lull her even deeper. Ikki fought valiantly, but the final result was never in doubt. With a long sigh she surrendered to the sleep spirits.

"There we go," Bumi chuckled quietly as he tucked her into her crib. "And here are Oo-oo and Le-le, and here's your blanket. Sweet dreams, hummingbird." He turned off the light and headed to his own bed.

Bumi awoke to find two angry, intent gray eyes staring at him. "Ikki? That you?" he yawned.

"Trick."

"Huh. How the devil did you manage to get out of your crib?" Bumi sat up and scratched himself. "So, kiddo, have good dreams about bison and dragons?" He smiled warmly at his youngest niece…

…who wasn't having any of it. "Trick," she repeated angrily.

Someone knocked on the door. "Bumi?" Pema called as she opened the door. She had a happy and more importantly rested expression on her face. "How did it…Ikki? What is it, sweetheart? Why are you making such a face?"

Ikki whirled around and pointed straight at Bumi. "Bad Unca!" she declared. "Trick! Time Out! Now!" She now aimed her finger at the farthest corner. "Now!"

"Ikki, honey, what are you talking about?" Pema asked. "Bumi, you don't have to do that," she added as he trundled over to the penalty area.

"TRICK!"

"She thinks I tricked her into sleeping," Bumi chuckled.

"Did you?" Pema asked with an upturned eyebrow.

"I'll never tell. How long do I have to stand here, Pema?"

"Well," she replied with a smirk, "the usual penalty is one minute for every year. I think we can waive that as soon as I get her dressed and ready for breakfast."

"Good. I wait that long, it'll be dinnertime." Bumi glanced over at the fuming Ikki. "Sweetie…"

"NO TALK! BAD UNCA! TRICK!"

"Ikki, honey…" Pema started.

"TRICK!"

By Ikkian standards it had been a grand day. Her father let her join him and Jinora in Meditation Time (she lasted about two minutes, a new personal best). Later on, she played with her beloved Oo-oo and Le-Le while keeping a watchful eye on the new technique Daddy was teaching her sister. "Watch," she ordered her toys. "Daddy teaching."

That afternoon Jinora read one of her new books to her. It was about Uncle Zuko's big red dragon Druk and had lots of neat pictures. There was also a fun game of airball tag, and then at four o'clock it was radio time. She and Jinora listened intently to "The Children's Hour" while their mother prepared dinner. Ikki was a big fan of the program, especially of Miss Liu. She had a very gentle voice that reminded her of Gran-Gran.

But all through the day Ikki kept a close eye out for Uncle Bumi (TRICK!). She spent a great deal of time thinking about the prior night and by evening had pretty much figured out what had happened. So she was ready when Unca offered her a cool glass of milk. "Here you go, hummingbird," Bumi grinned as he held the glass out for her. "Drink up."

Ikki shook her head defiantly. "Nonononono. Trick."

Bumi blinked in surprise. "You think I'm trying to trick you with the milk? All right, let me drink some first." She watched intently as he took a long, deep sip from the glass. "Ahhh," he said, smacking his lips in satisfaction. "That hit the spot. Nothing like a cold glass of milk in the evening, that's what I say." He glanced down at his niece. "Well?"

Ikki waited a few minutes before grudgingly accepting the glass. "Okay."

"Good morning, Ikki."

"TRICK."

"Bumi, I'm sorry you have to leave so soon," Tenzin exclaimed a few days later. "I can't thank you enough for all your help…ALL of it," he added with a sidelong glance at a still-glaring Ikki standing nearby.

"Ehhh, no problem, Tenzin. You just needed some of that old Bumi magic." He turned to give Pema a big hug. "Thanks for letting me hang around and spoil your daughters, Pema."

"We loved having you," Pema declared, but before releasing him from the embrace, she leaned in closer and whispered, "Okay, buster. How did you do it?"

"I told you. Just that old Bumi magic," he grinned.

"Bumi…"

He gave Pema another squeeze. "I put a tiny bit of rum in her milk," he whispered softly.

"I…" Pema's expression shifted from shock to horror to thoughtful. "I wonder if a half-spoonful of Poppy's would work next time," she muttered under her breath as she released her brother-in-law.

"Worth a try if it happens again." Bumi turned toward his nieces. "Hey, Jinora. I was packing my bags last night and look what I found!" He handed her another set of books. "Musta forgotten all about them when I arrived." She squealed blissfully and gave him the biggest hug she could muster.

Ikki remained where she was, suspicion in her eyes. "C'mon, hummingbird! Don't you want to give Uncle Bumi a hug?"

"Trick."

"Ikki, manners," Tenzin reminded her. She snorted and granted Bumi the slightest of hugs, which he more than returned with interest.

"Love you, hummingbird," he whispered in her ear.

"Trick."

"Well, I'd better get going or they'll leave without me!" Bumi yelled. "See you later!" He headed down the stairs with a jaunty wave.

"All right, honey, time for bed." Pema hoisted her youngest into the crib. "Are we going to have good dreams tonight?" Please, please, please say yes, she thought to herself.

"Milk please," Ikki politely requested. Surprised, Pema complied and returned a minute later with Ikki's favorite cup. The little girl took a long drink and smacked her lips in satisfaction. "Ahh. Hit da spot."

Pema reached for the cup, but Ikki then insisted on giving Oo-oo and Le-le sips before handing it over. "Okay," she said. "All done."

Pema took the cup back and regarded her daughter curiously. "Sweetheart, why…?"

"Trick," Ikki declared as she settled down. "Oo-oo, Le-le, go sleep like good girls."

Smiling, Pema pulled the bison blanket around the little girl and gave her a kiss good night. Ikki's eyes were already closed as the lights went out, and her arms securely held her favorite toys as she sighed one final time before drifting into dreamland:

"…trick…"