Oh, hi there! Remember me? Guess what? I found a fic that I'd finished (to be honest, I don't even remember when I wrote it!), but never posted. I may have some more if I look around a bit and you still want to read my drivel. As always, many thanks to my good friend LouiseX for proof reading and keeping me on track to continue writing, even if I can't manage to stick with one story and just end up with a hundred unfinished fics! As a side note, for the dialogue with Linka's grandmother, I tried to type in "broken English," so when you're reading it, the missing words and grammatical errors are intentional and not a product of my bad writing habits (or LouiseX's proofreading!). :)

Disclaimer: These characters aren't mine and I'm not making any money from borrowing them...If I were, I'd be able to quit my job and just work on finishing all my stories!

Patience

The Planeteers wait to say goodbye to their teammate. Even though the mystery of her Grandmother's illness has been solved, Linka has still decided to stay in Russia.

The handsome blonde man Linka refers to as Mishka approaches the group and puts a hand on Wheeler's shoulder.

"Grandmother would like to see you."

"Uh, ok."

Wheeler moves away quickly, not liking how the stranger has touched him as if they were buddies. He was also bothered by how he referred to Linka's Grandmother as if it were his own. Clearly Linka's secret boyfriend considers himself part of her family and is very comfortable, almost at home, in Linka's childhood house. He feels like such a fool. All the time he spent...wasted...trying to get Linka to like him.

Why couldn't she have just been honest with me and told me she had a boyfriend. I could have accepted that and moved on instead of acting like a lovesick idiot trying to win her over.

He knocks softy on the bedroom door and waits to be invited in.

"It is open."

The frail woman has a nervous look on her face and this makes Wheeler nervous.

"You wanted to see me Mrs. Kovaleva?"

She clears her throat and wrings her blanket between her hands. She hopes her English will be good enough and the American will be able to understand what she's trying to say to him.

"Da, please. Nadia is fine. Unless you want me to call you Mr. Wheeler?"

"Nah, that's my dad...you can just call me Wheeler."

"Not Jason?"

"You can call me that if you want...I didn't realize you knew that much about me," he says.

"Linka has talked about you in her letters."

"She has?"

"Da. Often."

"Ah...so you know I'm immature, annoying, and a stubborn jerk?" He asks quietly.

"If you are, those are your words, not hers."

"Oh?!"

"She has nothing but nice things to be saying about you...this surprises you?"

"Yeah...kinda. I just always got the impression that I got on her nerves," he says.

"She may have used word 'frustrating' but I know Angelina...she hide her emotions and be frustrating too."

"Angelina?" Wheeler is confused and wondering if maybe the older woman is still suffering some of the effects of her illness.

"Da?"

"Do you mean Linka?"

"Da...you did not know her full name?"

"No!" Wheeler is gutted. Yet another thing he didn't know about her. Something else she's kept from him.

"Oh! 'Linka' is nickname used by family and close friends. 'Lina' would be short version of full name, one that she would use at school maybe, but those closest to her would add the 'k' as an affectionate way to address her. Just as 'Mishka' is the affectionate of 'Misha,' which is nickname for Mikhail."

"I see. Well, ya learn somethin' new every day." Wheeler is once again irritated by how close this Mishka guy is with Linka's family. He wants to turn the conversation back to where it was heading before the language lesson started. "So she tells you I'm frustrating?"

"Perhaps something is being lost in translation. As boys frustrate girls...and as I am sure she has made you feel sometimes. But do not misunderstand, she speak very fondly of you...and now I see for myself why."

"You do?"

"Besides being very handsome, you risked your life many times to save her. I cannot thank you enough. That is reason I wanted to speak with you," she says.

"It was nothing."

"You are too humble. You are hero. Linka and Mishka could have died if plant exploded, but not only did you get them out, you save building."

"Actually, that part was all Captain Planet. I just got them out."

"And that is most important part. Buildings can be rebuilt, but you save lives! And not just in recycling plant. You save her from runaway cart, you save her from drowning in mine. It is good thing you were here."

"Just part of being a Planeteer...I didn't want to leave my teammate behind, but I know she wouldn't have accepted my help if I'd offered. Plus she didn't need me. She has Mishka to take care of her...although he wasn't doing a very good job," Wheeler says smugly.

"He is miner, not super hero," she says with a wink. "I am glad to know that she has you with her as Planeteer to watch out for her."

"You mean 'had' don't you?"

"Is my English wrong?"

"Past tense. She quit," he reminds her.

"Da, to stay with me...but I am getting better. She does not need to stay."

"She's still decided to leave the Planeteers and stay here. Maybe she doesn't want to be away from you and Mishka anymore?"

"That is foolish of her. There is nothing for her here. She will be miserable. There is no way she will be happy leaving you."

"Yeah, I'm sure she'll miss the Planeteers. We'll miss her too."

The older woman closes her eyes and shakes her head. She is beginning to see why her granddaughter finds this handsome Yankee so frustrating.

Does he really not know how much he means to Linka?

"Da, the Planeteers give her purpose, but it is connections she has made that have molded her into woman she has become. She would not be like that if she had not joined. When she was a child, she would never open up to me about her day at school. If she was having problem, she would keep it locked up inside. Now in her letters and phone calls, she shares so much with me. About your missions; her feelings...I know them now. She think she need to stay here out of obligation to family...but I know her heart would break each day that she had to spend away from you."

He knows she is using "you" as a generic pronoun to lump all of Linka's friends together. Maybe the Russian language didn't have a meaning for "you guys" or "you all."

Nadia continues when Wheeler does not seem convinced.

"I will speak with her. Perhaps I can get her to change her mind."

Wheeler smiles weakly and nods. He knows once Linka has her mind made up about something, she won't change it.

Nadia reaches over to her nightstand and grabs a Russian nesting doll to show him.

"This is Matryoshka doll. It means 'little matron,'" she explains.

"They're the ones with smaller dolls inside them, right?"

"Da. Linka is like this doll. Many layers. You open one and there is another to get through, and another, and then another until you eventually get to the core...however, look at the artwork on this doll..."

"It's nice. Very detailed. The artist definitely took a lot of time with it," he observes.

"Exactly. Each layer is more beautiful than the one before. I am sure it was also more difficult to paint the smaller the dolls got. More time was needed. Do you have that sort of patience?"

"Umm...no, not usually."

"But you have had it when it comes to Linka."

"I guess."

"She seems to think so."

"Oh?"

"Da. As I said, she is much more open about things with me now."

"So, what exactly did she say? If you're ok with revealing her personal communications with you to me."

"I think you need to know...but do not tell her I told you...just remember, patience."

"Ok, yeah. I promise."

"She has mentioned that she is surprised that you have not given up on her completely. That she know she send you mixed signals, but she does not know how to be in real relationship because she never grew up in a family where she could see what it is supposed to be like."

"Yeah...me neither," he says grimly.

"Your parents...are they deceased too?" She asks.

"No...they just...didn't have a normal relationship...so I'm not really sure if I know HOW to treat a girl properly...has she said...have I ever hurt her?"

"Hurt her?" She asks, alarmed.

"Not physically...I...I flirt with other girls to make her jealous."

"Ah, that...da...that is 'frustrating' part she mentions."

"Soooo...I need to be patient," he finally admits.

"Now you are getting it!"

He chuckles humorlessly.

"Not really gonna do me any good now. She's leaving the Planeteers. She's moved on..."

"She has not moved on. She has slowed down. I told her to be patient as well. If you wait for her to be ready and she waits for you to be ready, in time, you will both be ready at same time. Patience."

"Patience," he repeats.

Wheeler isn't sure why Nadia is telling him all this. Maybe she doesn't like this Mishka guy and wants Linka to break up with him?

"I will try my best to convince her that her place is with Planeteers. Do not leave right away, ok?"

"Ok."

She wants to give him something to remind him of their conversation; to remind him of the many layers of Linka he must pull away.

"Please do take this, to remember us by," she says, handing him the Matryoshka.

"Thanks."

It is then that Linka enters to tell him the others are ready. She apologizes and he tries to accept it. He is having a hard time digesting what her Grandmother has just told him. If she really does want something more with him, eventually...why is she leaving? He hopes that Nadia can convince Linka to remain a Planeteer, but he is not getting his hopes up. Suddenly he feels her hand on his arm, turning him towards her, and kissing him.

It ends too soon and his heart breaks. Any hope he may have had that her Grandmother could change Linka's mind was gone. That was their first kiss...and their last. That was a kiss that said, Goodbye.

He touches his fingers to his lips and closes his eyes.

"Goodbye Linka."

He told Nadia they would not leave right away. He would give her some time. He joined the others and told them, and so the wait began.

Moments later, the door opens and Wheeler tries to cover his shock and excitement by coolly asking,

"What took ya so long?"

As they walk back to the Geo Cruiser, Wheeler is feeling pretty confident. She kissed HIM. She came back to HIM. He can't keep himself from making a smart ass comment.

"So, are you sure you really want to leave your beloved Mishka," he says the other man's name with disdain.

"Well, it is not easy. I have never loved anyone like I love Mishka."

Wheeler is seething internally and regrets asking.

"After all, Mishka is the best big brother in the world!"

His jaw drops. Brother? He didn't know Linka had a brother! He feels even worse about that. If he'd known that, he wouldn't have spent all this time hating the guy, but mostly, he feels bad about not knowing something so important about someone he cares so much about. When they get back to Hope Island, he's going to fix that. He puts his hands in his jacket pocket and feels the nesting doll that Nadia had given him. Layers. He needs to get through all the layers of Linka to get to the most intricate and delicate part of her. Flirting and trying to be charming only goes so far, he sees that now. She needs to know he's serious about her…about them. He's going to get to know her. He's going to ask her questions about her childhood…even if it means she might ask him questions about his. He wants to share things with her that he's never shared with anyone else because he wants to share so much more with her. Almost losing her made him realize he can't ever risk that happening another time. He never wants to feel that way again. He wants to spend the rest of his life getting to know her.

"What are you smiling about Yankee?" Linka asks as she buckles herself into the seat across from him, although she has a feeling he's thinking of when she kissed him. The thought makes her blush. She doesn't know what compelled her to do that…well, she knows…she just doesn't believe she actually did it.

"Oh nothin'…just glad that seat isn't empty."

"Da, me too," she says, her smile matching his. "I have gotten too used to the weather on Hope Island…and the beach. I love my home, but it is so gloomy here."

"Hope Island would have been pretty gloomy too…for me…without you there."

"And Russia would have been even gloomier for me, knowing that I could not see you anymore."

The aircraft begins to ascend and Wheeler breathes a sigh of relief. They're really leaving. She's not going to change her mind now.

"I'd have come to visit…a lot," he promises.

"And those visits would have become fewer and farther between and eventually you would have stopped visiting because you would have moved on."

"Nope. Wouldn't have happened…I might've even had you teach me Russian and moved there."

She laughs and shakes her head.

"You don't believe me?" He asks, leaning into the aisle.

"I do actually," she replies, also leaning into the aisle to look him in the eyes. If not for the seatbelt restraining them and the armrests of the seats preventing them from getting any closer, perhaps they would have kept leaning towards each other for their second kiss today, only this time, there would be no sadness.

As if he was reading her mind, he made his next move.

"Hey Babe?" He whispers.

"What?" She whispers back.

"When we get back to Hope Island, you wanna grab some food and take a walk? Find a quiet spot to have a picnic?"

"Da…I would like that."

"Cool."

He sits back in his seat, but reaches out his hand to her. She places her hand in his and settles back into her seat as well. Neither one intending to let go for the rest of the flight home.

Wheeler smiles, silently thanking Nadia for her advice.

He can do this. He will have patience. Linka is worth the wait.

The End...maybe.