Forgot the disclaimer in the first part...Not mine...Don't sue...Please. You wouldn't get much anyways. Plus I'm saving up for the 2009 Camaro...you wouldn't want to take away my Camaro fund would you Ted Turner? Chevy's making more fuel efficient cars...I doubt the Camaro is one of them, but whatever. I'm gonna look great driving it! Captain Planet will understand!

And just a reminder, Linka and Mishka are speaking to each other in Russian, but we're seeing it in English (obviously I can't speak Russian and I'm betting most of you can't either, other than the basics that we only know because of the show!) that's why the "Da" and "Nyet" are now "Yes" and "No" in the dialogue.


An hour later, Mishka had prepared dinner and set my plate in front of me. Lyenevie Golubtsy--Mince and Cabbage Patties in Sour Cream Sauce. Why did a traditional Russian meal look so unappetizing to me? I had gotten so used to eating a variety of cuisine from the other Planeteers. My favorite meal, the one I will miss the most…macaroni and cheese.

"What is wrong Linka? I thought you liked this?"

"I do. I guess I just do not have much of an appetite. I am worried about Grandma."

"It is good you are home. Hopefully that will raise her spirits."

"Yes, maybe. Can we go into town after dinner? I want to ask around to see if anyone else is sick."

"Of course, but only if you eat something first. And be careful who you approach. Some people already think they know what is causing the sickness. It seems everyone has their own theories. Many think it is the new recycling plant."

"What? That is ridiculous."

"This is an old town Linka. People do not like progress and they do not like change. The mines have been overworked and are bare, but people cannot accept that and try to find other means of employment, so they suffer financially. The recycling plant provided a great opportunity for jobs, but those that took work there were shunned. They soon quit to avoid being out of favor with the rest of the community," Mishka explained.

"So people who were trying to provide for their families had to chose between working or being an outcast? That is so…so…STUPID! That is why this place looks like some of the third world countries I have visited! Progress is a good thing."

"Not everyone has seen the world like you Linka. And certainly living on a tropical island is not the norm. I am so sorry I had to drag you away from your new paradise home and bring you back to your 'dump' of a homeland," Mishka said angrily.

"I did not mean it like that Mishka. True, I have seen what it is like to live 'the good life' and I will not settle for this. I came back here for Grandma, and I am staying. However, I will need to find a job to support myself. The recycling plant sounds like an ideal place for me."

"I do not know Linka. You could end up making many enemies."

"I did not come back here to make friends."

"What I mean is, you might find it hard to meet a potential husband if he is put off by you working there."

"I did not come back here to find a husband either!"

"Of course not, but eventually you will find someone and no longer need a job. You just better hope that people will be willing to forget you worked at the recycling plant."

"My God, Mishka! You are just as bad as the rest of them! Besides, IF I do ever get married, perhaps my future husband will also be into saving the planet," I argue.

"Like that Wheeler guy?"

"Yes…I mean…or anyone else who is equally as concerned about the environment as him," I try to cover.

"I see. So I scared him away for no reason?"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY TO HIM?!"

"NOTHING!" Mishka says laughing. "I am just teasing you little sister. I have missed that these last few years."

"Funny, I have not!" I say.

"So tell me. What has been going on with you? SHOULD I be worried about my little sister and a certain other Planeteer?"

"No. There is nothing to worry about. We are…we were just friends."

"Good. I was worried about you being off on your own without your big brother looking out for you. I know how boys can be. We go after the first pretty face we see, and you, little sister, have a very pretty face. I would hate to see you get your hopes up and have your heart broken when someone else came along and caught his attention."

Bozhe moy, that happened all the time! Was it true what Mishka was saying? I cannot believe I never caught on to this. When we were together, Wheeler was great. When we were not together, he had no problems flirting with anyone that would listen. Oh no. Mishka is right! I have been a fool.

"I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself Mishka. I appreciate your concern, but I have faced some of the vilest criminals in the world. I think I can handle boys."

"I guess so. I have to keep reminding myself you are no longer a child. You have really grown up. I feel like you left as a child and are now an adult."

"That IS what happened! I was 15, now I am 19," I said.

"I know, but you will always be my little sister, and I will ALWAYS worry about you."

"Fair enough, then come with me when I go into town. People may be more willing to answer my questions if you are with me. I have been gone for so long and they probably still see me as the little girl that I was when I left."


It is a good thing that Mishka came with me. Just as I thought, no one was taking me seriously. The worst part was being accused of abandoning my town in front of a large crowd. Did they not understand that I left to help the planet, to help educate others and get people to change their destructive ways? Looks like I have some more educating to do in my hometown, and I will. Even if it kills me…which it almost did! If it were not for a stranger who pulled me out of the way at the last second, I could have been run over by a donkey cart! What a way to go! Was it an accident or was someone trying to get rid of me? I am just being paranoid. Why would anyone try to hurt me just because I thought the answers to the unexplained illness were in the mine, not the recycling plant? In order to prove that, I have to go check out the mine.


I was right. The mines ARE dangerous. If it had not been for my mysterious rescuer, I would be dead. I wish I knew who it was so I could thank them. Perhaps it is someone who also believes that the mines are causing the sickness, but they do not want anyone else to know so they are keeping a low profile. Whoever it was, not only did they save my life, but in doing so, it enabled me to find out what was causing the illnesses. When I was in the water, there was sediment from the mine! We must get to the recycling plant and let the owner know what we found.


When we get there, a group of angry townspeople are preparing to riot, we try to stop them, but it is too late. They are destroying the plant and getting violent. They damaged the boilers and now they are getting ready to blow. We need to get out quickly, but before we can, the doors close and we are trapped. So this is how I am going to die? In a violent explosion. I hope that it will be quick and painless, but knowing that the end is near and there is nothing I can do about it is torture.

Suddenly the stranger appears, ready to save the day. I sadly inform him that he has risked his life for me one too many times. Who is this person? Only one person has ever been willing to risk their life for me, with no regard for their own safety. I wish he was here right now. There are so many things I wish I could say to him now. The stranger takes my hand and presses something into it.

"What is this? My ring? But how…?" Then it dawns on me. The familiarity, the reckless abandon, the total disregard for his own well-being for my sake…the eyes. "WHEELER!"

I throw my arms around him and have never been happier to see him. I am so close to kissing him like I have never kissed him before, to show him all the feelings that have been running through my head ever since he and Ma-Ti dropped me off. It is Wheeler who brings me back to reality and the severity of the situation. I do not have time to let him know how grateful I am because the plant is going to blow any minute. We need to get out and summon Captain Planet.


Once we are out, we let the others know that we need Captain Planet. He soon has the situation under control. Wheeler is eager to pick up where we left off in the recycling plant. It no longer seemed appropriate to make such a scene in front of a crowd…especially with my brother watching. After things have "cooled down" at the plant so to speak, we explain to the crowd what I found in the mine. The evidence is still in the fibers of my shirt. Now they are ready to listen and willing to do whatever is necessary to clean up the mines and fix the damage they caused at the recycling plant.


The rest of the Planeteers are preparing to leave. Even though I found out what is causing the sickness and my Grandmother is doing better now that the doctors know what they need to treat, I am still needed here. I say my goodbyes to the others, but Wheeler is missing. Mishka tells me that Wheeler is in visiting with Grandma. Mishka stops me to tell me that Wheeler is "quiet a guy." Of course, I already know this. Mishka lets me know that he is sorry about what he said earlier. He was wrong about Wheeler, and he can tell that the Yankee really does care about me. Once again, he is telling me things I already know. This is only going to make saying goodbye even harder.

When I enter the room, I see that Grandma has given Wheeler a "matryoshka" to remember us by. I tell Wheeler that the others are ready to go and that I just wanted to say goodbye. He does not put up a fight like he did before. He just sadly turns and walks away. When I thought I was going to die, all I could think about was how I wished I had told Wheeler how I felt. Now, I feel like I am dying again, only this time, it is not my physical being that is dying; it is my heart…my soul. But now that I have the chance to tell him how I feel, I still cannot seem to get the words out. All I can manage to say to him is "I am sorry Wheeler," so I will show him instead. He is taken by surprise and does not respond right away. He no sooner does and I pull away. I cannot do this anymore. I have to walk away before I change my mind.

When I return to my Grandma's bedside, she can see my sadness. She takes my hand and tells me that what I did for our town was wonderful but that as a Planeteer, I can save towns all over the world. I cannot believe this! She is encouraging me to go! That is all I need to hear. As long as she is ok with me not being there, I can go back to the Planeteers with a clear conscious. I rush out and make Mishka promise to keep writing. When I open the door, I am shocked to see the others still standing there.

"What took ya so long?" Wheeler asks.

As we all walk back to the Geo Cruiser with our arms around each other, Wheeler does what Wheeler does best…jumps to conclusions and puts his foot in his mouth.

"Are you sure you wanna leave your beloved Mishka?" He asks sarcastically.

"Well, it is not easy. I have never loved anyone like I love Mishka." The look on Wheeler's face is priceless. I continue, "after all, Mishka is the best BIG BROTHER in the world!" The look on his face now is even better than the last one!


As we fly home, I take the seat across from Wheeler as I often do when neither one of us is piloting the Geo Cruiser. It is true, I will never love anyone like I love Mishka or any other member of my family, but I will also never love anyone like I love Wheeler. I may not be able to say it out loud just yet, but hopefully he knows. Someday, Wheeler and I will work things out and we will be together. This I know; as sure as I know that tomorrow, the sun will rise, the world will keep turning, and Wheeler will probably do something within the next 24 hours to make me angry. But for now, we will continue on as usual doing our duties as Planeteers. The truth is, no matter what the immediate future holds for us, I care for him, and he cares for me. Why else would we constantly keep finding our way back to each other?

Everyone was either flying the plane, or sleeping…everyone except Wheeler and me. We sat in silence while looking out the windows. Every once in a while, I would look over at him to see if he was sleeping. It is not like him to be so quiet or still. I can see by the reflection in the window that he also looks over to check on me. Eventually, he speaks up.

"Hey Linka…" he whispers as he leans across the aisle and holds out his hand.

I turn to face him and keep my voice low so as not to disturb a sleeping Gi and Ma-Ti.

"Da?" I ask as I take the hand that he is offering.

"I'm glad you came back," he says as he squeezes my hand.

"Da, me too."

"It wouldn't have been the same without you. I wouldn't have been the same."

"Me neither."

"Really?!"

"Da, I would have no one to yell at, no one to make me angry, no one to irritate me…" As I see the disappointment on his face, I decide to hurry up and get to the point I am trying to make, "...no one to make me laugh, no one to make me the best macaroni and cheese, no one to make me feel special…Wheeler, no one will ever make me feel as many emotions as you do."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"I do not know yet!"

"Well when you do know, you know where to find me. I know you said before that you weren't ready to say or hear certain things, and I can respect that. I don't wanna push you, but I already know how you feel. I don't know why you can't say it to my face, and I'm not about to attempt to try and get inside your head to figure it out. That's something you've gotta ask yourself. But when you are ready, I hope I'm still waiting."

"Are you saying that you are moving on?"

"Do you expect me to wait for you forever?" he asks.

"If you know how I feel, is that not enough?"

"No. It's not enough. It's not fair Linka. I'm ready. You're not. I can wait…I HAVE waited, but I don't know how long I can keep doing this to myself. It's been four years and every time I think we're on the right track, you pull away. Just like I'm sure you will after everything that happened today."

"I am sorry. I do not know what to say to you. I know what you want to hear, but I cannot put it into words. You scare me."

"How? I thought I was doing ok with not pushing too hard," he says.

"Nyet, I do not mean like that. I am not scared OF you, I am scared FOR you. You risked your life for me today…AGAIN. You always do it, and I am grateful to you for it. You have saved my life more than once and everything turns out fine. But what if…Wheeler, what if the next time something happens? What if you are seriously hurt or worse? I could not live with myself. The guilt would be too much."

"You've tried that excuse before Babe, four years ago actually. My answer hasn't changed. I will ALWAYS do whatever it takes to keep you safe. I could die saving your life and NOT be your boyfriend. What then? What would be greater? The guilt, or the regret for what could've been? And I know you'd risk your life for me too. You HAVE done the same for me."

I reach over and place my palm on his cheek.

"I have, and I will again if I need to. I DO care for you Wheeler, but we cannot be together. Not yet."

"When? How long am I supposed to wait?"

I do not have an answer for him. I wish I knew.

"I do not know," I say as I look away from him.

"Then what was the point of all this? Why come back if things weren't gonna change?"

"So things can stay as they were?" I offer.

"That's not good enough for me anymore Linka. This 'on again, off again' bull crap has to end. When we're together, we're so happy. When we're not together, we're fighting and miserable. You can't tell me that's what you want," he pauses and waits for me to react. When I shake my head, he continues,

"You know what I want. Now figure out what you want. I'm gonna be 21 in a few months. It's not 'old' but I feel like some of the best years of my life have passed me by. I've never had a serious relationship. I'm ready for that. I really want you to be that person, but if you don't wanna be that person, I guess there's someone else out there that I'm supposed to find. I'm not saying this to hurt you, or put pressure on you to admit your feelings. I just want you to know, I'm ready. I'm not a teenager with raging hormones who's just trying to play you, and then drop you once you're out of my system. You're the only person I want to be with, but maybe things keep keeping us apart because I'm not SUPPOSED to be with you," he sighs sadly, looks away from me, and releases my hand.

Wheeler moves back to his seat and turns his back to me as he looks out the window. Is he serious? Is he giving up? How much longer will he wait for me? How much time do I have left to tell him that I AM that person? Or maybe I am not. If I am, I would have told him I love him by now. If I am, why is it so hard to say it?

The End


Well Sportyscully, is that what you had in mind?! I had this written long before your "challenge" of writing a fic that was a Wheeler and Linka romance, but resist the urge to get them a couple! See, I can do it, haha! What did ya think?! When if first wrote this, I had the same challenge set for myself and I think that's part of the reason that I didn't post it as soon as I finished it. I wasn't sure if I was happy leaving their relationship unresolved...but in doing it this way, it stays true to the show. But don't worry, if you all are craving some romance, I suggest you re-read Finding the Way Home, and Here and Now...the third installment of that series is in the works!