Disclaimer: Not mine. Not making money off it. Summary: Wheeler wants a white Christmas. Linka does her best to make his wish come true. A/N: Gotta do a holiday fic, right? Merry Christmas everyone! I apologize for any mistakes. I tried proof reading, but we played beer pong for Christmas and since I don't drink beer, I was doing shots of whiskey. The good stuff from Kentucky. I'm seeing double.
Linka paused when she noticed a lone figure sitting on the beach. She looked around to see if anyone else was around to check on him, but finding no one, she approached her team mate.
He doesn't even look up when she approaches.
"Is something wrong Wheeler?"
"It's December."
"Very observant Yankee," she teases.
"Look, I'm not in the mood to be called a dumbass. I came down here to be alone, so…"
"I am sorry. I was only teasing. My point is, it has been December for the last 23 days. Why is it all of a sudden bothering you?"
"It's 82 degrees today," he says, seeming as though he's avoiding her question.
"Da, it is beautiful. I was just going to go for a swim."
"Alone?"
"Well, I was. The others were all busy and I did not know where you were. Care to join me?"
Normally Wheeler would jump at the chance to spend time alone with a bikini clad Linka, but he was feeling too down.
"Nah. Go on without me. I'll just ruin your fun."
"I was not planning on it being fun. It was just to cool off and get some exercise. It would only be fun if I had company…even if he is crabby."
"I'm not crabby. I'm just…melancholy."
She gives him a questioning look.
"I do not know that word."
"It means down in the dumps, low, glum, depressed."
"Again, all words that do not usually come to mind when I think of you."
"Oh yeah…what does come to mind?"
"Loud, obnoxious, self absorbed…" she says with a hint of teasing in her voice. But then she gets more serious. "Brave, courageous, strong, determined, silly, carefree…and fun. So come on. Come for a swim. Whatever is bothering you, maybe this will take your mind off of it for a while," she says, holding out her hand to offer to pull him up.
"Yeah. Ok," he says, giving her a half smile as he gets up and dusts the sand from his swim trunks.
She begins running towards the ocean. Wheeler is appreciating the view when her next words capture his attention.
"Race you," she says, already sprinting for the water's edge.
"Cheater!" He calls out as he takes off after her.
He catches her around the waist just as she reaches the water, picks her up, and falls into the water with her. When they resurface, she splashes him.
"Hey, don't be a sore loser," he says, wiping the water from his face.
"ME? You are the one that dumped me after I beat you."
"Dunked."
"What?"
"Dunked," he says putting his hand on her head and pushing her under the water. When she re-emerges, he further explains, "I dunked you. I'd never dump you. And you didn't beat me. I got there before you…even with a head start."
"I got there BEFORE you! That is why you caught me from BEHIND!"
"Let's just call it a tie then?" He says, laying on his back and floating.
"Call it whatever you want Yankee…I know the truth."
She dives into an oncoming wave and begins her swim. Wheeler continues to float lazily over the rolling waves. Every so often, he looks up to check on Linka. He thinks maybe he should join her; swimming would be a good cardio workout for him, but on the other hand, he is content to just lay there and let the ocean lap against him.
Suddenly, he feels something pulling him under. He struggles to break free, but Linka's arms are around his midsection, and her legs are wrapped around his. When she releases him, he recovers to find that she's standing over him with her arms crossed.
"There. Now we can say we are even," she says proudly.
He dives towards her, but she quickly dodges him and heads back towards the shore, running through the water making things difficult for her. Wheeler lets the waves assist him in reaching her, riding them into the coastline. He lunges for her and catches her ankle, causing her to trip and fall into the sand. Wheeler scrambles to get up, as does she, but he manages to tackle her to the ground and pin her into the sand.
"NYET! WHEELER!" She squeals, but the more she struggles, the more covered in sand she gets as it clings to her wet skin and hair.
He laughs as he rolls off her and flops into the sand on his back next to her.
"Feeling any better?" She asks.
"A little," he says.
"Is it because of Christmas? Do you want to go home for the holidays?"
"No…I'm really not that excited about Christmas."
"Because you know you're on the 'naughty list'?" She teases.
"Ha! No. It's because I know that I won't be getting what I want."
"Oh? What do you want for Christmas?"
"You mean besides the obvious?" He asks flirtatiously with a wink.
"Da…besides your two front teeth, what else do you want for Christmas?"
"Snow," he sighs, picking up a handful of white sand and letting it sift through his fingers.
"On a tropical island? You are right…you will not be getting what you want. You have a better chance of getting that other thing that you want."
"Don't tease me Linka…I'm depressed enough as it is." He says it jokingly, but is serious. "Don't you miss snow?"
"Nyet. I will take sun and warm weather any day."
"So will I…except on Christmas. I wanna build a snowman, have a snowball fight, make snow angels."
He then begins moving his arms and legs, going through the motions of making a snow angel, but in the sand. He stands up and looks down at it.
"Not the same. This is pretty gross actually," he says, shaking his head to remove the sand.…probably not the best idea I've ever had."
"Ya think?" She says sarcastically, rising up on one elbow to look at him. She picks up a handful of wet sand and throws it at his chest. "Sand ball fight?"
"Again, not the same. C'mon," he says, offering his hand and pulling her up. "Let's get this sand washed off before it ends up in places we regret!"
They walk over to the garden hose and Wheeler turns it on, handing it to Linka.
"Ladies first."
She's easily able to get the sand off her arms and legs, but the majority of it is covering her back and in her hair.
"Here, let me help," he offers, taking the hose from her and motioning for her to turn around. "Tilt your head back."
He starts at the top, working his way down, running his fingers through her hair to help comb out the clumps of sand. He then sprays across her shoulders, down her back, and then her legs.
"I think I got most of it. Sorry for getting you all dirty."
"It is ok. Nothing that a shower won't fix. I am just glad I got you to have a good time for a while and stop being so gloomy."
"Thanks. You're the only person on this island that could have done it."
She smiles up at him, then quickly looks down when she senses she's blushing.
"Your turn," she says spraying him playfully in the face.
"Hey!" He sputters.
"Oops…accident," she claims.
"'Accident' my ass!" He exclaims, reaching for the hose and trying to wrestle it from her.
"Nyet! I have had my turn, I was just trying to wash you off. I was aiming for your chest, but I missed!"
"Yeah right!"
He is able to overpower her and points the hose at her. She refuses to let go though and twists around, putting her body between Wheeler and the hose. On the downside, she's trapped in his arms…but on the upside…she's trapped in his arms.
"Wheeler, you are wasting water! Bad Planeteer!"
He pulls her back, more tightly against him, and turns his head to rest his lips next to her ear.
"Give up?"
"Call it even?"
"Call it whatever you want Babe…I know the truth!" He repeats her words from earlier back to her. He releases her and laughs. "You have sand all over your back again from me."
He rinses her back once again and then attempts to cleanse himself.
"Give it to me. I will do you."
"I've been waiting a very long time for you to say those words to me!"
She rolls her eyes and aims the hose at his crotch.
"Cool off Yankee!"
"Aaaaah! That's cold!" He screams, turning his back to the hose.
She rinses his back, arms, and legs free of sand.
"Get on your knees."
"You're killin' me Babe!" He groans.
"How else am I supposed to reach your head? Unless you want to track all that sand into your room."
"No."
"Then lean forward."
He bends his head and allows her to spray the hose through his hair, brushing her fingers over his scalp to loosen the sand.
"Done."
"Thanks…I'm still gonna take a shower…care to join me? After all, we just wasted a ton of water…we should conserve," he says.
"Da, we should…that is why I will make sure my shower is quick…and I suggest you do the same," she says, heading towards her cabin.
When Linka finishes with her shower, she goes to the Crystal Chamber in search of Gaia. She finds the spirit watching Planet Vision.
"Hello Linka."
"Hello Gaia…how are things looking?"
"Surprisingly good. I guess even Eco-Villains are busy getting ready for the holidays."
"Or quietly plotting."
"Or that. I hate to jinx things by thinking we may be able to have a nice quiet Christmas on Hope Island…unless you were coming to see if it was ok to go home?"
"Nyet. I think it would be best to stay close to Hope Island…just in case we are needed."
"Riiiiight…close to Hope Island, of course."
Linka blushes at Gaia's slight teasing, which makes what she came here to say even harder.
"Actually, I am here because of Wheeler."
"Uh oh…is he sending you to do his dirty work?"
"Not exactly…I was hoping maybe you could do me a favor…it is something I would like to do for Wheeler."
"I'd be happy to help if I can," Gaia says.
"The Yankee wants a white Christmas. He thinks it is not Christmas without snow. So, do you think it would be possible to make it snow?"
"Do you miss snow too?"
"Nyet, I am quite happy to be away from it. Where Wheeler comes from, it snows, and roads and sidewalks are cleared as quickly as possible, leaving behind a slushy, sloppy, mess…but it is pretty while it is falling. Where I come from, it snows…and snows, and snows, and snows! Life stops…we get stuck inside. We no sooner get the roads cleared and safe for travel and another snow storm comes. If I never see snow again, I will be happy…but Wheeler…he is unhappy. So unhappy. I have never seen him like this."
"So you don't want it to snow…but he does…tell me why you'd ask for something you don't want."
"To shut Wheeler up about having a white Christmas."
"So he's annoying you?"
"Nyet…I just…he is moping around and it is weird…When Wheeler is not in a good mood, it affects us all. We are all a bit out of sorts when we do not have him cracking bad jokes or insisting we play games."
"So this isn't about doing something nice for Wheeler? It's about making him more tolerable to be around?"
"Well…nyet…not completely. I…" Linka sighs in resignation. "I thought it would be a nice thing for him to have since it is so important to him."
"Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that…this is a tropical island…in order for it to snow here, it's going to take a lot more than me just waving my hands and making it happen."
"What?"
"If you want to make it snow for Wheeler, YOU need to make it happen."
"Me?"
"I think you genuinely do want it to snow for Wheeler…you wouldn't have come here to ask me otherwise.
"Da, but how can I make it happen?"
"You're a smart girl Linka, you'll figure it out," Gaia says with a wink before disappearing.
Linka furrows her brow. She had two days to figure out how to make Wheeler's wish come true.
To Be Continued...