When Wheeler finally emerged from the bathroom, he thought Linka was asleep. He sat on the side of the bed with a soft sigh and shook two aspirin onto his palm, swallowing them gratefully.

Linka rolled over at the sound of the pills against the bottle. "Wheeler?" she asked.

"Headache," he explained tiredly, stretching out beside her.

"Oh!" she said suddenly. She rolled on top of him and he could have sworn she looked relieved about something. She rested a hand against his cheek.

"You have a bruise on your jaw," she said softly, stroking the slightly-flushed skin with her thumb.

"Viktor," he sighed tiredly. "Hope you left him with a bruise or two."

She nodded. "The frying pan," she said. "I think I hurt his shoulder."

"Good," Wheeler muttered, slipping his arms around her waist and hugging her to him.

She bent and kissed him gently. "Is your headache bad?" she asked worriedly.

"Nah, I'll be okay," he said. "How about you? You all right?"

She nodded and eased herself back down alongside him, resting on her side so she could gaze at his profile.

"Wheeler?" she asked softly.

"Mm-hm?" He opened his eyes and turned to her. "What's the matter?"

She hesitated for a moment, her voice soft and clear when she spoke. "You love me."

He grinned tiredly. "Yeah." He reached over and placed his hand gently against her face, stroking the curve of her cheek with his thumb. "I love you," he sighed, shifting across the pillow to kiss her gently. "Always. Moya dusha."

She gave him a smile that indicated a little embarrassment, but delight and a relative amount of relief showed in her eyes as well. She moved closer to him, resting her lips gently against his and sliding her arm over his chest so she was supported above him, her hair tumbling down to frame their faces.

He moved his hands to her waist immediately, letting his palms move beneath her cotton pyjama top to rest against the smooth skin of her lower back.

Encouraged, Linka deepened the kiss and let her leg move across his hip so she was half-straddling him.

After a moment the realisation hit him and he understood at once that she hadn't intended any innocence at all tonight.

Oh, he thought.

"Uh, Linka?" He broke the kiss gently but suddenly. "Stop a second."

"You do not want me?" she asked in dismay. A huge wave of humiliation and grief rose up in her and threatened to steal her breath away.

"Of course I do!" he said hastily. "More than anything in the world. I'm just not sure it's a good idea..."

He reached up and brushed her hair back gently. "It's only been three weeks," he continued in a whisper. "I don't want to rush you into anything new, babe."

She blinked at him. "Oh," she said softly.

He smiled and waited patiently as she attempted to sort her thoughts, which were in turmoil.

He's right – I am rushing into things! Shouldn't I be alone for a while first? Shouldn't I learn more about who I am without Viktor?

You know exactly who you are when you're alone, Linka. You're nobody.

"I need you," she whispered, looking down into his eyes. "I am nobody without you."

"Bullshit," he said, shaking his head and rolling into his side – rolling her and trapping her in the circle of his arms. He put his head on her pillow, next to hers, so their faces were just inches apart. "Linka –"

"Please, stop," she interrupted. "I know it is not desirable, Wheeler. I know I should be strong and independent, but–"

"No, listen to me," he said firmly. His expression softened and he cupped her face and bumped his nose against hers. "Or at least, stop listening to him, Linka. Please? You're beautiful, and you're clever, and you –"

"Nyet!" she wailed, ducking her head. "Stop it."

"What?" he asked in alarm. "What did I do now? Jesus..." He sat up and pulled her to him, flicking the lamp on and combing her hair back with his fingers until she gained some control.

"We're not gonna fight again, are we?" he asked desperately.

She shook her head, wiping her eyes.

"Okay." He brushed her hair with his fingers again. "You all right?"

She nodded, looking embarrassed. "You do not need to lie to me to make me feel better, Wheeler," she croaked. "You promised you would tell me the truth –"

"I am telling you the truth!" he said in a furious whisper. "I know Viktor had ten years to convince you otherwise, but what about the years before that, huh? I thought you were beautiful then. I thought you were clever, and amazing – and terrifying, when you got mad."

He saw a watery smile appear on her face and she wiped her eyes again, leaning her body against him. He could feel her trembling.

He sighed and ran his hand over her back. "Look," he said. "The others are gonna be here tomorrow. All that stuff is gonna get dredged up again. All I can say is I'm sorry. And I am sorry, Linka. More than you could know. It was a stupid, stupid, stupid thing to do. But I've always been at risk of doing things without thinking everything through. I was selfish, during those final days as a Planeteer. And so was Gi. But we were both alone, and in a bad place. You remember that mission, right? How awful it made us all feel?"

She nodded. Her hands trembled as she wiped more tears from her face.

"I just want to put it behind us," he said miserably. "I love you. I have always loved you. There's nothing I can do to erase what Gi and I did, but it had nothing to do with you. I dunno if that makes it sound better or not, but there were no faults with you that drove us away from you." He ran his hand down her spine again. He could still feel the curve of her bones, though she certainly wasn't as thin as she had been when he'd found her again.

"Stop blaming yourself, babe," he whispered. "Stop thinking it was your fault. And stop listening to Viktor. Start listening to Linka again. She's always been the smartest person I know."

She gave him another quivery smile and he kissed her gently. "Okay?" he asked.

She nodded. "Da, okay."

"So what's she thinking now?" he asked, pulling her down again and wrapping his arms around her as he settled his back against the mattress.

"She is tired," Linka sighed.

"Mm, this guy is too," he yawned, reaching up to flick the lamp off.

She rolled onto her side and he curled himself around her, nestling into her body.

"I am sorry about before," she mumbled.

"No, never apologise for being naked near me or for kissing me," he sighed. "It's always good."

She tutted irritably.

He laughed and snuggled closer to her.

"I hope I did not make you uncomfortable," she said, biting her lip.

He chuckled and grazed his teeth against the back of her neck. "If only you knew."

He felt her relax slightly, her body softening against his. They settled together, breathing smoothly, but neither fell asleep. The minutes crawled by and the moon shifted across the sky above the trees and the glittering crystal towers on the island, but both Wheeler and Linka remained awake.

Eventually, she sighed, and shifted carefully, not wanting to disturb him if he was sleeping. She turned over in his arms and realised he was awake when he shifted the sheets around her so they tented over her body in a loose billow of cotton.

"Can't sleep?" he asked softly.

"Hmm," she sighed sleepily, resting her forehead against his chest. "Trying."

He ran his hand over her back, letting his fingers trace the curve of her spine. "Love you, babe," he whispered, closing his eyes again and hoping he'd be able to push his nervousness aside and get a few hours sleep before the dawn.

Linka shifted again and he felt her lips press softly against the steady pulse in his neck. "I love you too," she whispered. "Yankee."

Wheeler had missed the initial glory of the day's sunrise, but the sight of Linka on the beach was no less beautiful to him. She turned her head when she heard him approaching and smiled at him.

"Hello."

"Hey." He sank down beside her. "Nice sunrise?"

She nodded. "Da, it was very beautiful."

"Why didn't you wake me?" he asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and kissing her temple.

"I tried!" she exclaimed. "I shook you, but you made a noise like a bear and rolled over."

He laughed and kissed her cheek. "You been up long?"

She shook her head. "Just before dawn. I could not fall asleep again so I came to the beach to watch the sun come up. And to think."

"Still worried about today?" he asked. He knew he was – his stomach was a mass of butterflies whenever he thought about the others arriving.

He watched on as she swept her hair up thoughtfully, securing it with an elastic she had around her wrist.

"Nyet," she said eventually. "I am still nervous, but I am also excited. I want to see Kwame and Ma-Ti. And, I admit I am curious about Gi." She lowered her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest protectively. "But it will not be easy."

"I know," he answered softly. "Just take it slow."

She nodded and leaned against him, and before he knew it he was on his back and she was leaning over him with the new sun framing her hair and the side of her face.

He sighed and smiled up at her. "You're beautiful."

She gave him a wide, uninhabited smile, though she still managed to look a tinge embarrassed. He kissed her again but she soon pulled away and insisted upon him getting to his feet.

"What?" he grumbled. "I was comfortable right there."

"We should go for a run," she said, beginning some simple stretches.

He looked at her in amazement. "What?"

"If the team is going to reform and we are going to be Planeteers again, we will need to be in shape!" she said, her voice annoyingly matter-of-fact.

"Oh, come on, we've got a few days before we have to start any of that," he groaned.

"Do you really want your first workout in ten years to be witnessed by the others?" she asked, standing in front of him with her hands on her hips.

He paused. "Okay, good point," he sighed, joining her in her stretches – thought he was significantly less enthusiastic about it than she was.

He watched her as she ran her eyes over the firm sand of the beach. He wasn't sure he could take credit for it, but something seemed to have shifted within her. There was a new spark of confidence and determination in her eyes, and her shoulders were straight and matched the purposeful look she had set on her face.

He smiled to himself, feeling his own mood lift as he witnessed glimmers of the old Linka showing through.

Maybe it's Hope Island, he thought to himself. It really does feel like home, here. Maybe things really will be all right and there's nothing to worry about. She's going to be okay.

"Come on, Yankee," she ordered.

He grinned, his heart soaring despite the heaviness in his limbs as he jogged after her, sand kicking up behind them.

It didn't take long for his good mood to vanish, however. Obviously unable to handle anything in a decent amount of time, both Wheeler and Linka had spent the past couple of hours trying to build up a decent exercise schedule.

"I'm gonna die," he spluttered finally, collapsing into the sand.

Linka looked flushed and sweaty too, out of breath and a little furious at the lack of progress she had made over the course of the morning.

"I did not realise I was so out of shape!" she gasped, sinking to the sand beside him.

"Jeez," Wheeler groaned, clutching his side. "Our first day back on Hope Island and you're already trying to kill me."

She just sighed in response.

"I'm starving," he said after a moment. "I haven't eaten anything since that cupcake. Do you think there's anything in the kitchen?"

"Gaia gave us toothpaste and pyjamas last night," Linka answered tiredly. "I am sure there is food. The gardens probably have some of the vegetables still growing there."

"Giant pumpkins," he mumbled, envisioning the gardens behind the kitchen to be a mass of sprawling tendrils and flowering pea shoots.

He heard her gasp suddenly, and he looked up in alarm.

Linka leapt to her feet and tore down the beach, retracing their previous footsteps with no indication of her newly-admitted exhaustion.

He soon realised why she had gained a sudden burst of energy. As he watched her sprinting down the beach, his gaze was drawn to her goal.

Ma-Ti had arrived, and he was running towards them with a wide smile on his face.