A/N. I'm stuck at home recovering from surgery and need something to pass the time. Instead of sitting around waiting for more CP fics to be written, I'll try my own. Captain Planet was a favorite cartoon of mine as a kid, and while I've never written a fic for CP, I think I've read just about all of them on this website so I have a good idea of what you all like (Wheeler and Linka getting together of course)! But you gotta wait for it. A good story always has a build up to the best part. R/R.
Summary: It's been five years since Gaia has given the original Planeteers time off to further their education and figure out what they wanted to do for a living. Now it's time for the current Planeteers to go to college (university for all the non-American readers!), but Gaia has found no worthy replacements. Will the original Planeteers come back or have they moved on with their lives? W/L centric.
"Greetings Planeteers, at least, I hope you still consider yourselves Planeteers," said the transparent image of a woman they all knew very well.
"GAIA!" they all exclaimed from their respective locations around the world.
"Gaia, it is nice to see you. But I have a feeling this is not a social call," Kwame said.
"Yes Kwame. I'm afraid I have a favor to ask of you and the other original Planeteers."
"What is it Gaia?" asked Ma-Ti.
"The Planeteers that have replaced you are now ready to further their education just as I allowed you to do. However, the youth of today haven't shown to me that they are capable of carrying on the Planeteer legacy. I know you've all gotten good educations and have been using what you've learned to make the world a better place in your own ways, but I could really use your help as 'official' Planeteers. Here are your rings." With that, the Planeteers' rings materialized in their hands. Gaia continued,
"I'll give you time to think about it and make arrangements with your current employers. I understand I'm asking you to give up so much, and I want you to know that I'm very proud of the responsible adults you've become and all you've accomplished in these past 5 years. I will also understand if you decline…but I hope you'll think long and hard about your decision and be 100 sure about it. If you decide to come back, just place the ring on your finger and you will be transported back."
For Kwame, Ma-Ti, and Gi, the decision was simple. When they left the Planeteers to go to college, they figured it was only temporary. They had always intended on coming back to the Planeteers when Gaia needed them again. So had Wheeler and Linka, but things had changed. Wheeler was extremely happy with what he was doing, and while he missed seeing his friends on a daily basis, he was an adult now and had a career and future to think of. After all, he couldn't be a Planeteer forever and if he left his job, it wouldn't be waiting for him when he got back. But he really wanted to see his friends…one in particular. He kept telling himself it was silly to still be hung up on Linka after all these years. If anything was going to happen between them, it would have by now. For all he knew, she was married to a big Russian hockey player and living the good life with Ivan, or Sergei, or Dmitri, or any other stereotypical Russian hockey player name. Nah, that wasn't Linka's style. She'd go for brains over brawn and an NHL salary. He was just being impractical and making excuses for reasons why things never worked out between the two of them. "I guess I only have myself to blame," he thought. "I was so persistent, if she wanted anything to do with me, she'd have let me know. Maybe I came on too strong and pushed her away. Sure, there were a few glimmers of hope, but she was probably just playing along and trying to let me down easy. She told me she'd keep in touch…other than a few emails, I hardly heard from her at all. She was probably just trying to be nice. Besides, she could have picked up the phone and called too. Everyone else did."
Linka knew that when she got back together with her friends, everyone would be sharing their stories of what they'd been up to these past five years. How could she explain that she's been living in New York the whole time. What would they assume? That she had moved there to be closer to Wheeler? The truth is, she did choose a school in New York with the hope that she'd see him, but she never let him know she was there. She wanted to…so many times she wanted to hear his voice and take her mind off the stress of her studies by hanging out, watching a movie, and laughing with her friend. The truth was, she didn't have time to hang out. Every minute was spend writing a paper, researching, learning a new song, writing music, creating computer programs and working out all their bugs…she'd lost 20 pounds her first year of school simply because she didn't have time to stop and eat 3 full meals a day. Mostly she'd grab a piece of fruit on her way out the door or a cereal bar. Every time she picked up the phone to call Wheeler, something stopped her. Now she was going to have to answer to that. It was only a matter of time before Wheeler found out she was just a subway ride away this whole time. He would not handle it well. He would be hurt and angry. She had her reasons, but would they be good enough for him? Maybe she was over reacting. Maybe he wouldn't be hurt at all. Maybe he had a girlfriend and wouldn't have been interested in hanging out with Linka anyways. She couldn't blame him. They had brief moments of shared affection, but often times, she'd ignore them or brush them off like it was no big deal when he'd mention it. She was only joking, of course. He knew how she had really felt…didn't he? He knew she wasn't impulsive like him and was more reserved with her actions and feelings…right? On his birthday, when they went on a ride through the tunnel of love, it was she who attempted to make the first move and he backed away. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe he didn't care for her like that, but only flirted with her because that's just how he was…come to think of it, he was always flirting with girls. She wasn't special, she was just THERE. Now she really felt stupid for thinking he would be upset she didn't tell him she was in New York. When they all parted ways, he was the last person she said goodbye to. She kissed him softly on the lips, just as she had when she was going to leave the Planeteers to take care of her Grandma, and said "Take care of yourself, Yankee. Keep in touch," and he never did. Not often anyways, other than a few emails. She'd just chalked that up to his busy schedule at the police academy, working undercover, and working the late shift. She sent a few emails when she could, but it wasn't often. At that moment, it hit her. She missed her friends, all of them. That settles it; she's putting on her ring and going back to the Planeteers!
Wheeler sat on his bed, examining his ring. Someone else had worn this ring for the last five years. It wasn't just HIS anymore. Surely Gaia would be able to find someone else if he declined. On top of not wanting to lose his job, he wasn't sure if he could put himself through seeing Linka all the time and not being able to hold her or show her how he felt about her. It was different when they were younger. Back then, he could tell himself it was just a crush and that those feelings would go away once he met someone else. That never happened. He was an adult now. He wanted someone to settle down with. Problem was, for the last five years, there's only been one girl on his mind. He met girls and went out on dates, but very rarely went on second dates. He never felt for them what he felt for her. Maybe he should have given them more of a chance, but the whole time he was out with them, he felt like he was betraying Linka.
"Put on the ring, join the Planeteers, and be with Linka. Put the ring down, go to work, and get on with your life. Go be a Planeteer and see if she feels the same…Stay with the NYPD and avoid rejection." Either way, he'd be giving up something and not knowing what he missed out on.
…..to be continued…..
Will he or won't he? Let me know if you want me to continue.