Author's Note: I'm still sitting around the house with nothing to do. So I decided to pick up where Wheeler and Linka left off in "Finding the Way Home." In order for this fic to make any sense, you'll need to read "Finding the Way Home." This one feels more forced than my first one (which kinda just came to me and flowed). I had to take alot of breaks from this where as in "Finding the Way Home," I was staying up til 4 or 5 in the morning because I couldn't stop typing. Oh well, it gave me something to do. I'm also working on another, completely seperate fic that interupted this one. That one is almost done. I hope to get it up in time for New Years, but with the holidays upon us and me returning to work, I don't know if I'll have much time. I'll try my best though.

Summary: Wheeler and Linka go back to New York to take care of a few things before returning back to the Planeteers for good (Wheeler officially quits his job, saves his boss, takes Linka to meet the parents, and a few more surprises). A little bad language in the second chapter, but other than that, pretty tame. I don't know what's considered bad anymore since my teenage cousins say words I didn't even know existed! Oh, and I tried some Russian. There were so many different spellings on the internet to the phrases I wanted to use, so if you know Russian, and I screwed it up, sorry. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own them. Don't sue me.

Here and Now

After giving the Planeteers such short notice when she asked them to return, Gaia agreed to let them go back home for a while and gather more of their belongings. Gi took the Geo-sub to Florida to check up on her dolphin friend, Poe, and see if Poe would follow Gi back to Hope Island. Kwame and Ma-Ti took the Geo Cruiser to Washington DC and Pennsylvania. Linka and Wheeler were making their way back to New York in the Eco-Copter to tie up a few loose ends before moving back to Hope Island. Wheeler was determined to save the life of his former boss and friend, Captain Thomas. During Gaia's glimpse into Wheeler's possible future, several upsetting things were revealed to him. The most disturbing was Linka and Kwame's deaths. Now that Wheeler had decided to re-join the Planeteers, that possible future had been averted. There was no changing the fact that Captain Thomas had cancer. Wheeler could only hope that he could somehow convince his former boss to get to the doctor's office for a checkup and hopefully it would be caught in time.

Most of the flight was spent in silence as Wheeler thought about different ways to subtly get Captain Thomas to see a doctor. Linka was piloting the Eco-Copter and letting her mind drift back to the night before. It was certainly eventful. In the span of only a few hours, she had gone from thinking Wheeler would never forgive her to spending the most wonderful time of her life with him. Thinking about it brought a smile to her face, something that didn't go unnoticed by Wheeler.

"What'cha thinkin' about babe?"

"You."

"That explains the reason for the huge smile!"

She reached her hand across the aisle to him. He responded by taking her hand in his and kissing it.

"Have you figured out how you are going to get Captain Thomas to see a doctor?" She asked.

"No clue."

"Why do you not just come out and tell him? He knows you are a Planeteer, right? Maybe it would not be surprising to him that you would somehow know the future."

"I'm not sure telling him about the Spirit of the Earth showing me my future and subsequently, his future, is such a good idea. Once someone knows that you have a means to see the future, it opens a whole new can of worms."

Linka looked at him with a grossed out look on her face, "What do worms have to do with this?"

"It's an expression. It's kinda like, making a whole new mess."

"It must be nice to have gotten to see your future. I do not suppose you could talk Gaia into letting me see mine?"

"See what I mean? Once someone knows that it's possible to see their future, they want to. Do you think you can change it? Should you try? It's better to just let things be."

"Are you not doing exactly the opposite of what you just said? You are trying to alter the future of Captain Thomas." Linka countered.

"I know. I shouldn't be doing this, but I owe it to him. He'd do anything for me. I can't let him die, especially if I know it can be prevented."

"And what about your own future? Something you saw changed your mind about leaving the Planeteers. Are you going to tell me?"

"I haven't seen my future. I saw a possible future. One that I didn't like and one that Gaia told me wasn't supposed to be. She told me she knew what my future was, and that wasn't it. I don't know exactly what my future holds, but I like where it's heading." With that, he leaned across the aisle and kissed her on the cheek. "Hey look! There's the city! Still haven't gotten used to the skyline without the World Trade Center."

Linka nodded, not knowing what to say. The Towers were already gone by the time she started living in New York during her schooling at NYU. All she knew of them was what she saw on TV and the few times she had been to New York during her time as a Planeteer. She remembered her first trip flying into New York. Two things stood out in her mind as making the biggest first impression: The Statue of Liberty, a symbol of so much hope for those arriving in the US for the first time, and the Twin Towers, which made all the other "sky scrapers" in the city look so small in comparison. Linka's thoughts were interrupted by Wheeler.

"There's the tree at Rockefeller Center! I love being in New York at Christmas time!"

"Da, even the rude people seem to turn nice at Christmas!" Linka kept flying away from the city.

"Uh, Linka. Where are we going, you've passed the city."

"And where exactly would you suggest that I land a helicopter in the middle of Manhattan Wheeler? Did you bring change for the parking meters?"

"Very funny. I was thinking we'd just land it on top of a building and climb down the fire escape like we used to."

"Do not worry. I know of a place. This is my home now too remember?"

"Yeah and the wounds are still pretty fresh, so maybe we can not joke about it just yet ok?"

"Right. Sorry." Linka had not forgotten the events of the day before when she revealed to Wheeler and the other Planeteers that she had been living in New York for the last five years, much to their shock. Obviously, Wheeler had been hurt and angered by the revelation, and although he had forgiven her and they put the incident behind them, it was still too soon to make light of the situation.

"So, where're we goin'?" Wheeler asked.

"Right over there."

"Ok, never mind the fact that we're no longer in the city, but that's someone's yard you're about to land in."

"Da, I know. It is MY yard."

"WHAT?! NO WAY!"

"Da way, Yankee."

"Damn, I guess that computer program you made did really well! Just so you know, there's no way in hell I'm lettin' you come to my apartment! First of all, it's tiny, second of all, it's a mess!"

"Wheeler, I have seen your cabin on Hope Island. I am familiar with how messy you are!"

Linka smiled as she set the Eco-copter down in her backyard. She really liked this place and was sad that she had to sell it. There was no reason for her to keep it though. She would have no use for it while she was back on Hope Island with the Planeteers. She led Wheeler inside so they could put their things away before going into the city.

"What's being built back there?" Wheeler asked.

"A guest house. I thought it would be useful to have for when Mishka and his family or anyone else wanted to come for a visit."

"And are those stables yours?"

"Da, they were already here when I bought the house. They are empty, but they still increase the value of the house. This will make a nice home for someone," Linka said sadly. "Come, follow me. I will show you to the bedroom and you can put your bags there. Are you hungry? I can make you a sandwich before we go."

"Wow, look at you, gettin' all domestic, makin' your main man a sandwich! And now that you mention it, I am kinda hungry."

"Too bad now you will be making it for yourself!"

"Aww, c'mon babe, I'm a guest in your house. Where are your manners?!" Wheeler joked. "Whoa! This is your guest room?"

"No silly, it is MY room."

"Oh! I didn't know you were taking me to YOUR room. I thought I'd be staying in…never mind. I'm not complainin'," Wheeler said.

Linka suddenly felt self-conscious. She had assumed that he would be ok with sharing a room. Perhaps he still felt the need to have his own space. "Um, there is another room if you would rather have it. I guess I hopped to conclusions."

"It's 'jumped' to conclusions, and no, you didn't. I did. I didn't think you'd be ready for that yet, but I'm so happy that you are."

"Wheeler, we already had…you know."

"No. I mean, it's one thing to be with someone, but to want to be with them ALL the time. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I thought you'd be sick of me and need some time to yourself."

"Oh Wheeler, nyet. I am not sick of you…not yet anyway!" She then stood up on her toes to give him a kiss on the cheek. "I will go make us some sandwiches and then we can go into the city if you are ready. We can take my car, but will you drive? I've been flying all morning and am tired."

"Because I kept you up all night right?" Wheeler joked.

"Get over yourself Yankee!"

"Nope. Face it Babe, you're just gonna have to get used to getting much less sleep than you're used to!"

"Looking forward to it," she said as she handed him his sandwich. "Now, let us go."

Well, there's chapter one. No cliffhangers in this story. No drama. Just sappy, cheesy, happiness!