A/N: There's a little nod to Grimm in this one, but I have no intention of making it a crossover, don't worry.

Stay safe and I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 4

"PLANETEER ALERT!"

Linka groaned and tried to sit up, only to find that she couldn't move. Rapidly blinking open her eyes, she gave a soft laugh as she realised how she was restrained and remembered the events of the night before.

"Yankee," she pushed against him, getting him to relax his grip slightly and freeing one arm. Grinning, she reached up to stroke his hair, "Jason, Gaia called an alert, wake up Lyubov."

Bleary eyes finally opened and peered down at her and she added, "let me up?"

His lower limbs receded and slipped to the floor as he automatically helped her up, but when she got up and made for the door it was a moment before he caught on. Then he jumped up unsteadily and tried to catch her up, half mumbling as he fought back sleep. "Babe, wait... Linka?"

She turned to face him, waiting impatiently for him to speak, though her face softened at his words.

"Are we ok? I mean, last night... You haven't changed your mind, right? We're still..." He half reached for her but apparently thought better of it and ran his hand through his hair instead, looking very much as if he expected bad news.

Linka stepped forward and slipped her arms around his waist, kissing him somewhat shyly until he pulled her close and kissed her back.

"PLANETEER ALERT!"

They broke apart laughing and Wheeler said ruefully, "that's for me, I always sleep through the first call... and sometimes the second."

"Come on," Linka reached for the door handle.

"Actually I'm gonna use the facilities, tell Gaia I won't be long." He gave her a quick peck on the cheek and ducked into the bathroom, leaving her to roll her eyes and head to the Crystal Chamber alone.

Gi was crying. "I am sorry, I do not mean to be selfish but there were only a few days left until my wedding, now it will have to be postponed." When Linka went over to her however she waved her away, "I'll be ok."

"No sign of Wheeler?" Gaia would normally be amused but Gi's reaction was making her a little irritable.

Linka kept her voice steady, not wanting to provide a further distraction from the mission, "He is awake Gaia, he was heading for the bathroom and said he would not be long, but we can start without him. I will make sure he knows anything he needs to."

The spirit smiled gratefully at her and activated the Planet Vision. It showed a beautiful forest, marred by a small container vehicle from which a pipe had been oozing some nasty looking red fluid. "This is Portland Oregon. A local polluter has been dumping toxic materials into the ground around here, a fact that only seems to have been discovered because she has gone missing, leaving her equipment behind. There's a team of experts making the site safe but they need another team to investigate the area and assess it for long term damage."

Kwame frowned, "Gaia, could this not wait a few days? I do not mean to suggest that it is not a serious issue but the damage has already been done and if this woman has been operating there for some time…"

"I understand your point Kwame, but as Planteers you have the best understanding of the possible long term effects, and your presence has been requested as experts by the local authorities." She paused, giving them a chance to think about the implications of that.

"Wheeler and I could go," Linka suggested, thinking quickly, "It is obviously necessary that we respond but I do not think we are all required, da?"

Gaia considered her words, "That would be acceptable I believe."

"But you don't mean us to go ahead with the wedding without you?" Gi asked.

Linka shook her head, "It is still several days away and everything is organised. Georgie and Alda can take over anything we needed to do, I am sure they will not mind. We can come back for the wedding, and if more needs to be done, Kwame and Ma-Ti can go back with us the next day."

"Thank you!" Gi squealed, launching herself at her friend and hugging her tightly, "Are you sure you don't mind?"

Linka, who was thinking about getting a few days alone with her boyfriend, away from the wedding preparations, assured her that it was fine.

"Thank you!" This time Gi hugged a bemused Wheeler as he entered the room.

"What did I do?"

Linka grinned, "You volunteered to take the mission with me so that the wedding can go ahead. Come on, I will explain when we are on the way."

Wheeler groaned and turned to follow her back towards the cabins, but paused "Can someone check that Georgie's up so I can get in my room?"

The Water Planeteer laughed, "She's been up for ages Wheeler, she's in the lab."

"Come on Yankee!" Linka called and he laughed and ran after her.

"Babe this isn't time for a clear out." Wheeler commented when he returned to her room fully dressed, to find her taking things out from the bottom of her wardrobe.

"I am looking for my other ruck sack, I have not unpacked the one I usually use… ah I have found it." She pulled it free and began packing the clothes she had laid out on the bed.

Waiting, Wheeler idly picked up a book from the floor and began to flick through it, "Is this Gi's? It looks different."

Linka whirled round, her face going red, "Do not…! Nyet, that is, I mean it is not…"

The Fire Planeteer froze in place, not sure if he'd done something wrong.

Swallowing her embarrassment Linka forced herself to say, "That is something I was putting together… just ideas."

"So it's yours? Your wedding plan?" he started flicking through the pages again. "You picked the fruit cake, nice… um Babe, there's a kind of theme going on here. I mean it doesn't look like random ideas?"

He looked up to meet her eyes a question in his own, and when she spoke it was barely above a whisper, "It was meant to be random when I started it, it did not have a conscious plan. I just collected samples of things I liked but, da… I did notice a while ago that it seems to be somewhat consistent."

Wheeler's grin was, she thought, practically irresistible, "So your sub-conscious wants to marry me? Cos' this is definitely our wedding."

Her cheeks maintained their rosy hue but she smiled and shrugged, "I am not convinced I want that wedding at all, the more time I spend organising Gi's and finding out how much attention will be on her during the day, the less I like the idea." She gently took the book out of his hands and put it on the bed before stepping into his arms. "Consciously or unconsciously however, you are always the one I think of. Even though we were not together and I… refused your proposal, I could never picture a future that did not include you, in fact I have nearly embarrassed myself several times by forgetting that it was not possible."

"It is possible," He reminded her, "For the record, the offer is still open."

Her eyes opened a little wider in surprise and she gave a nervous laugh, "do you not think we should date for a while first?"

He shrugged, "I think we know each other pretty well, but sure if you want."

Linka smiled and nodded, "Ask me again sometime."

He nodded back and dropped a tender kiss to her lips. "You ready to get going?"

"Nearly," she pulled away a little reluctantly and turned back to her packing, "Why do you not grab us some snacks for the journey? We will not have time for breakfast."

"You got it Beautiful."

She hadn't heard him that happy for a long while.

To be continued…