Chapter 5
The flight had been uneventful except for a moment when Linka finished briefing her boyfriend on their mission, but then continued to explain what he should look for when he was out in the field.
Wheeler had interrupted, "Are you just practicing your speech or do you think I don't know any of that?"
Colouring up she tried to explain, "I am sorry… I was not sure. I mean, I never know when you are going to know something and I thought… I was trying to help."
"I do pay attention." He told her. "I'm not a kid anymore."
"I know." She deliberately kept her attention on the instrumentation, using flying as an excuse not to look at him. "Sorry."
He sighed, "No, you're right, I deserve that you should doubt me. I didn't know the first thing about the environment when Gaia recruited me and there were too many times when I wasn't paying attention."
"Nyet, I am still reacting to the idea I had of you back then, when you have shown us all time and again that you have matured. I know the person you are now, I should be able to let that image go." She reached out to place a tentative hand on his arm.
Wheeler gently moved her hand into his and held it in a warm clasp, "I still kinda check out when you're all talking a lot of numbers and I can't make myself read long boring articles. I just end up staring at the words and realising I haven't been thinking about it for the last five minutes or whatever. I don't forget the practical stuff though."
He'd proceeded to prove it by telling her what they would be looking for in terms of environmental degradation and possible pollution, ending with, "… and if it's something hinky I don't recognise, I'll just take a photo and note where I took it so I can show you later."
Linka gave him the warmest smile, "You thought of things I did not, I really am sorry Yankee moy."
This time he sighed theatrically, "I guess it's lucky I'm crazy about you."
"I am lucky that you keep forgiving me," he shook his head, dismissing the thought, "because I am crazy about you too."
He grinned and leant over to kiss her cheek before letting the conversation go back to their mission plan.
When they landed they headed for the local police precinct, and let themselves be directed to the office in charge of environmental infractions. They were pleased to find the local team prepped and ready to follow their instructions.
The sergeant in charge was the one who'd called them in and she had even arranged accommodation for them in a local motel, explaining, "We don't usually get anything on this scale, and there's a waiting list for agency experts."
"It's no problem," Wheeler told her in his usual charming manner, although for once Linka didn't feel that he was flirting. She nodded to him to do the briefing, mostly in apology for her earlier slip as she usually liked to take charge.
For Sergeant Andrews and PC Grey it was a refresher course that re-enforced their previous training, but the other four were volunteers and would need more assistance. It was decided therefore, as they looked at the map of the area they were searching, to split into teams.
It was going to take several days and the Planeteers wouldn't be spending much time together during the daylight hours, but neither really minded as they would still be working as team.
"I wasn't flirting with Kathy, you know that, right?" Wheeler said as he put his rucksack down in their motel room.
Linka looked surprised, "Da?"
"So you weren't warning her off just now?" He asked.
He'd spent most of the day with the sergeant and for the most part she'd been a good companion but he hadn't missed her interest. He hadn't done anything to encourage it however, and had hoped it wouldn't be obvious to Linka.
"I did not say anything to her that could suggest that?" Linka stated, although she was looking for something in her bag rather than meeting his eyes. "It was good of her to make reservations for us, and drop us off here."
The American smiled and tried to approximate her accent, "One room will be sufficient, with a double bed."
Linka turned round, looking wary, "Did you not want to share with me?"
"Of course I do." He stepped forward, taking her in his arms. "I just wasn't expecting you to announce it... you can trust me."
Leaning into him she said, "I do trust you, I promise."
He kissed her then, letting the subject drop and when they parted, asked if she knew where she wanted to go for dinner.
"Would you mind if we called for a take out?" She asked, indicating the leaflets by the phone. "I really just want to shower and relax."
Wheeler shrugged, "Sure. Pick what you want and I'll call it in while you're in the bathroom."
Linka grinned and leant in to kiss him again, "I think I like having a boyfriend."
"Like I wouldn't have done anything for you since the day we met," he laughed.
The food hadn't arrived when Linka emerged from the bathroom in a towel, her wet hair tied up in a second, but she told Wheeler to go ahead and take his turn anyway.
It took a couple of moments for her words to sink in as his brain had derailed at the sight of her, but then he forced himself to move towards the bathroom, "er yeah... uh they said they'd be a while, I'll probably be out by the time they come... er..."
She giggled as she caught him staring again but didn't attempt to remonstrate, instead waiting patiently for him to recover his wits.
When the bathroom door closed behind him, Linka changed quickly into her pyjamas and then got her laptop out of her bag, making herself comfortable on the bed.
The samples they had collected had been taken back to the lab by Samantha Grant - who had been Linka's buddy for the day - so there was nothing the Wind Planeteer could do about their current mission, but there were always e-mails to answer from their followers. She also had some questions from Gi about the wedding arrangements, so the time went by quickly.
"You in pain Babe?" Wheeler's voice startled her because she hadn't heard the bathroom door open.
She smiled up at him appreciatively as he approached, bare chested, jeans riding low on his hips as he rubbed his hair dry. "Nyet?"
He dropped the towel on the floor, which would have incurred her censure if he hadn't distracted her by dropping down on the bed and taking over rubbing the calf she had unconsciously been kneading as she sat with her knee bent to the side of the laptop.
"Oh! Da, I suppose it is aching a little." She shrugged, "the ground we were walking over was very uneven. Samantha said she goes hiking regularly, and the area we were in was still giving her trouble."
She watched his hands play over her sore muscles, "that is nice."
Wheeler grinned and wiggled his eyebrows making her laugh, "I've always been good with my hands. Want me to do the other one?"
"Mm-hmm," she agreed lightly, turning the laptop off and putting it on the bedside table before offering him her other leg. "What about you? Any aches or pains?"
Wheeler laughed, his eyes shining with mischief, but before he could answer there was a knock at the door and he went to open it and pay for their dinner.
Linka got up to help Wheeler set out their meal on the small table, seating herself opposite him and commenting on how good it smelled.
"So is this what you and Gi do when we're not around?" Wheeler teased, "eat take out in your pyjamas and watch movies or something?"
She laughed, "Nyet."
"Why not?" He asked cheekily.
Linka blinked, thought for a moment and then said, "it is just not something we do. We are not really away from you and the boys that often though." She took a sip of the water she'd chosen to go along with the meal and then added, "I think Gi would like for us to be more like that, she is always saying I should think of her as a sister."
"You don't?" Wheeler seemed genuinely interested in her answer.
"Da?" She shrugged, "but when Gi says it, I think she means the perfect best friend kind of sisters you would see in a movie. The sort that shares everything, giggles over boys and talks about their deepest secrets."
Wheeler smiled, "you and Gi have a very different outlook huh? Although I have heard you both being silly over some guy, so you're not entirely different."
The lovely Russian chuckled, "I can do silly, it is serious I tend to keep to myself. She asked me if I minded her talking about Pontus so much when they first got together, I do not mind listening but I could not reciprocate."
"You didn't have anything to tell." He said it casually but when she didn't answer he ducked his head to catch her lowered gaze, "Did you?"
"You were dating Phoebe." Linka tried to keep her voice neutral but it had the edge of an old wound. "Gi is not stupid and she knew I was not entirely ok with it, but I would not admit to anything."
Wheeler stared, "Phoebe that I hung out with while we were at that conference workshop thing in Boston? I wouldn't exactly call that dating."
Shrugging, Linka forced herself to take a mouthful of her dinner and chew it before answering. "Gi was missing Pontus, Kwame was planning a visit to Georgie and you and Phoebe were inseparable. I thought that week would never end."
"You didn't show it."
"I did not have a right to."
Wheeler let out a slow breath and shook his head, "I didn't see it like that, like, at all." He reached out and took her hand. "I guess we've spent a lot of time hurting each other, even when we didn't mean to, huh?"
Finally relaxing again and squeezing his hand in return, "forgive and forget?"
He grinned, "definitely."
Releasing each other so that they could continue with their meal, it halted again as Wheeler said, "And it wasn't that bad I guess, at least we were together." When she didn't answer he looked up and grimaced, "or not."
"It was not that bad," Linka confirmed, a note of apology in her voice.
"Your face is telling a different story." The American turned his attention to his meal, withdrawing slightly as he struggled to know what to say.
Linka sighed, "I know you are right and I have some great memories of time spent with you over the last few years. It is just a part of my nature to dwell on the things that went wrong." When he didn't respond she added, "Please do not shut me out… that was the worst part for me, the distance between us… where are you going?"
He had stood up, but responding to the slight panic in her voice he responded, "Nowhere." Then moving around the table he dropped down to his knees beside her and slid his arms around her. "I'm closing the distance between us… don't worry I'm not going to propose again. Yet."
Returning his embrace, Linka laughed softly in response but said, "I did not mean to make you feel bad."
"I know, I just don't like knowing I hurt you, but I shouldn't try to gloss over it."
"I thought we agreed that we are both to blame and that we are going to forget it?" she kissed him. They lingered there a few moments more before she teased that his dinner was getting cold and encouraged him to return to his seat.
They ate in companionable silence for a while until Wheeler let her know he was still thinking about their conversation by saying, "Tell me a happy memory? You said you had some despite everything that happened?"
Linka nodded, taking a moment to think as she swallowed what she'd been chewing, "Bambi's last movie premier when that American senator snubbed me because I am Russian and I had to stop you hitting him."
"How is that a good memory?" The Fire Planeteer asked, appalled as he began to wonder what her bad memories were.
She laughed, "You do not remember? I dragged you to the dance floor to stop an international incident and we stayed there all night. At first you were indignant, which was kind of sweet, but eventually you calmed down and we just talked about nothing for a few hours. The music was slow and you were being protective so you were holding me really close."
The expression in his eyes had softened and he smiled, "I remember. You're right, that was a great evening."
"What about you? What would you call a good memory?" she sipped her drink a little nervously, despite hoping he would be able to answer.
"It might sound dumb but… using our powers together." He kept his gaze on the food he was pilling on to his fork, rather than make eye contact. "I dunno, it's just that the others don't seem to do that so it seemed like proof we still had a connection, even if it was only as Planeteers."
"I do not think that is dumb… I was reading things into it too." She told him, blushing slightly as he finally looked up at her, "We make a good team."
Wheeler grinned, "Yeah, today was fun too. I loved knowing we were working together, even when we weren't actually together, you know? I mean, ok finding that other dumping site wasn't good, but I like that we're doing something about it, and we didn't even have to call Cap."
Nodding happily, Linka began to tidy up their now empty plates and cartons. "Do you want to find a movie to watch?"
"Sure," he chose to help her first however, which just got him teased about never being that eager to clean up at home.
"Yeah, well this is kind've a date, right? Gotta make an effort to impress my girl." He winked.
The Russian snorted, "She would be more impressed if you did not leave empty cereal bowls everywhere."
"You're assuming that's me," He bantered, "Personally, I blame Suchi."
They were still laughing as they curled up side by side on the bed.
Wheeler tucked his arm around her, holding her to his side and then stole the remote out of her hand. "I'm not getting stuck with a chick flick."
"Hey, what happened to impressing your date?" she poked him lightly in the side.
He gave her a look that plainly said he was amused but adored her anyway, and offered her the remoted back.
They spent the next few hours laughing and joking over movies and occasionally making out as the mood took them.
Getting quieter as the night wore on, Linka shivered and cuddled closer to her boyfriend, "I think the heating is broken, I could not adjust it earlier."
"Wanna get under the covers?"
She smiled up at him, "Da, but I think I will finish getting ready for bed first, I am liable to fall asleep."
Wheeler let her up and when she went in the bathroom, rid himself of his trousers – leaving him only in his boxer-briefs – and got into bed.
"Since we covered so much ground today," Linka said as she returned a short time later, "Samantha and I thought we would start the lab work in the morning… unless you have any objections?"
"Nah, that's fine." He lifted his arm so that she could put her head back on his shoulder. "Do you want the tv off?"
Linka smiled at him, "Nyet, I know this is still a little early for you, I will be fine… do you still have the nightmares?"
"You remember me telling you that?" he seemed surprised.
"Of course I remember, I never stopped caring about you, you said that going to sleep tired helps keep them away."
Nodding slowly he said, "I sleep better than I used to, and it's usually ok when we're on a mission and there's lots to occupy me, but yeah I guess it might be a problem when we're home. You can just elbow me awake if I disturb you though, it doesn't have to be a problem."
Linka rolled her eyes, "Of course it is not a problem, we all have bad dreams. We will take care of each other, da?"
He smiled, "You're perfect, you know that?"
"Da I know," She gave him a saucy smile and a light kiss on his cheek. "Do not make it too late though Lyubov, you do still have to get up early tomorrow."
He laughed and brought their lips together in a tender goodnight kiss. "Night Babe."
"Goodnight Yankee."
Wheeler slid down into the bed a bit further at his girlfriend's prompting, pulling the covers up around her and tucking her in as she made herself comfortable against him.
To be continued…