A/N: Thanks again for the support, here's the next chapter, I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter Thirteen

On their way back to the hotel the two Planeteers walked past a building that had not been open on their way out, and it had a short queue.

"What's that about?" Wheeler asked.

"It is an ice rink," The lovely Russian replied with interest, "It sounds like they play modern music… a bit like a night club I suppose"

"You wanna go in?" he offered and when she hesitated coaxed her a little, "Come on, we can take a few hours for ourselves and it sounds like fun."

They joined the queue and despite her seeming reluctance it was obvious to Wheeler that she was excited. There was a bouncer on the door but it seemed that the queue was more to do with it just having opened for the night than any exclusivity.

Just as they were about to be allowed entry Wheeler saw something out of the corner of his eye that made him turn his head and stare into the darkness of an alleyway across the road. A few seconds later a man emerged and passed under a street light, but he did not, as the American had first thought, have a tail.

"Jason?" Linka paused on the threshold, conscious that they were holding things up, "Is something wrong?"

"Nah, just daydreaming," Wheeler shook it off as the product of his imagination and placed his hand in the small of Linka's back to guide her inside, "Ready?"

They once again shed their coats at the cloakroom and hired pairs of skates. As they got ready Wheeler said, "I'm a bit out of practice so go easy on me ok?"

"When was the last time you tried it?" Linka asked, testing her balance.

"High school. I was in the ice-hockey team." Wheeler stood too and belied his worries by walking with perfect ease out onto the ice.

The rink wasn't very full despite the eagerness of the other customers and the couple were able to make a few circuits without incident. The music changed to one of Linka's favourites and Wheeler laughed when he saw that she was trying not to dance, "Did you figure skate?"

"Da," She nodded happily.

"Go for it." He grinned.

Linka looked around self-consciously and then back at the affection in her companion's face and her confidence blossomed. She broke away into an improvised routine that perfectly matched the music that she knew so well. She kept it fairly basic but was moving at speed and drew a lot of attention, none of which she noticed until the song ended with a round of applause.

Very red, and not from the exertion, the Wind Planeteer made haste to return to her companion who surprised her by lifting her into the air and spinning her around, "You're amazing."

Laughing as she was put back on her feet in the circle of his arms she said, "So are you, we should be on the floor right now."

Wheeler joined her laughter, "We used to lift the cheerleaders for their displays… and to show off."

They continued to move in each other's arms, dancing to the music without really thinking about it.

"And you played basketball, how did you find the time to train?" she asked.

"Well for one thing it kept me out of the house," he told her ruefully, and then confessed, "And I pretty much didn't study anything else, it wasn't like I was going to University or anything. I guess I was lucky Gaia recruited me huh?"

"What do you think you would you have done otherwise?" she asked, curious rather than judgmental.

Wheeler snorted, "I dunno, something practical, I guess… I'm not afraid of hard work, I just couldn't care less about useless facts. I had a Saturday job in the local garage, I'd have done that if they'd've taken me on full time." Something occurred to him and he added, "You don't need to worry, I'll find a way to support us if we ever have to leave the Planeteers…"

Looking up at him with a warm light in her eyes she said, "I was not worried, I know we can work those things out if we are together."

He answered in the only way he could, since speech was beyond him, he lowered his lips to hers and they drifted over the ice in a dream.

Wheeler let Linka precede him into the hotel room but as soon as he'd shed his outdoor clothes he flopped back onto the bed and kicked his shoes off.

The Russian smiled affectionately at him as she sat in the chair by the desk, lifting the phone receiver to once more dial her friend's number. It rang only twice before it was answered and the voice on the other end made Linka's face light up.

Propping his arms behind his head, Wheeler watched her responses. The conversation was in Russian and briefer than he'd expected and when it was over Linka was frowning slightly. "Something wrong?"

"I do not know." She moved to the bed, pushing off her shoes before climbing up and sitting astride her boyfriend's legs. "She said that she shares a flat and her roommate would not be happy about us descending on them… but I got the impression that it was her that does not want us there."

Wheeler uncurled his arms and rested his hands on her hips, rubbing them supportively, "Well if she lives in this neighbourhood maybe she's ashamed of it, you know?"

"She has no reason to be…"

"Yeah, I know that but she doesn't. Babe you're a Planeteer, you rub shoulders with a superhero."

Confusion crossed Linka's face, "I have never done that…"

He laughed, "It's an expression. I'm just saying that she might feel a bit out of her league and until she gets to know you again, it might be a bit awkward. Or maybe her roommate is just a first class bitch?"

Chuckling, the lovely Russian ran her hands over his chest, tracing his muscles below the fabric. "Not everyone is as lucky as I am, it is true."

Wheeler let his hands trail down her jeans along the tops of her thighs, "Are we meeting her somewhere?"

"Hmm? Oh nyet." She pulled his half tucked in top out of his trousers and encouraged him to remove it, "She said she would come here in the morning."

She had resumed her exploration against his now bare skin so he traced his way back up to tug on her shirt and remove it the way she had his, "No plans for the rest of the night then?"

Linka's eyebrows rose and her mouth curved into the saucy smile he only got to see when there was no one else around, "I would not say that." Then she surprised him by reaching around to undo her bra and dropped it on top of her shirt on the bed beside him.

Pure desire blossomed in Wheeler's eyes and she felt her body respond as he slowly caressed her skin. She leant into his touch, closing her eyes as his thumbs sent little jolts of pleasure through her and so lost in the moment was she, that the sudden substitution of mouth for fingers made her gasp aloud.

Running her hands through his hair, she finally brought his lips up to meet her own, sinking into his embrace. Their tongues flicked against each other playfully, gradually deepening into something more serious and all was silky heat, sweet, tender and very addictive.

Breaking contact to take in a few lungfuls of air, Wheeler wasn't surprised to see his companion's eyes dark and full of passion, what did surprise him was the determined way she pushed him back against the covers and followed him down to trail hot wet kisses along his jaw and neck until she could follow the trails she'd been mapping earlier.

His jeans had already been tight but this side of Linka never failed to push him to the limit of his endurance, and of course he wouldn't have had it any other way, she was breath-taking! Glad that she'd chosen to leave her hair loose, he played with the natural curls as they teased his torso and moaned softly as she spent extra attention wherever she got the most reaction from him, giving as good as she got. "Babe you're driving me crazy."

"Do you not like it?" she teased, tracing the V that sat just above his jeans with her tongue.

"You can't be where you are right now and fail to notice how much I like it!"

The deep throaty chuckle that answered him nearly sent him over the edge but he started up when he felt her fingers begin to work on his belt and caught her hands, "What are you doing? I mean, do you know what you're doing?"

"Not really but I would not hurt you…" She said a little defensively.

He groaned and kissed her, "So not what I meant… set some boundaries Babe."

She shook her head, her cheeks flaming, "No restrictions," and kissed him, once again igniting the flame between them.

Taking the hint, which had in any case decimated his will power, Wheeler rolled her beneath him and lost no time in removing her trousers, leaving her in only a small white covering.

"You too." She complained but he gave her a wicked look and shook his head. She would have complained further but his mouth found her inner thigh and she was given up to a new level of sensation, upped again moments later when his fingers began to rub her through the thin fabric. "Bozhe'moy… Yankee."

He hooked his fingers in the waist band (inappropriately named for something that did not even reach the top of her hips) and slowly drew it down, placing kisses in its wake.

"Do you not want me to touch you?" She gasped, not sure whether to be worried about his out-manoeuvring her.

"God yes! So, so much." He told her, "But I want to do this for you first, I don't want it to be over so fast… that's ok right?"

"Da, I just thought you would…" she broke off into some of the sweetest sounds he'd ever heard but he wasn't even close to being done.

Finally having driven her over the edge he moved up beside her to hold her as she came down. Linka's eyes opened to half-mast and she reached up to stroke his face, smiling, "Jason."

He grinned down at her, "You're gonna be a little sore tomorrow."

"So worth it." Her smile widened and her eyes closed, "Not that I am complaining but do you not need more than this?"

He chuckled, his voice deeper than usual as he brought his mouth back down to hers, his hands beginning to wander again "Just making sure you're ready. Physically."

She hummed softly, apparently acquiescing to his ministrations, and began to play with the hair at the nape of his neck.

When at last he pulled away to rid himself of his own clothing he ended up swearing, and on Linka's asking what was wrong he said apologetically that he didn't have any protection, "I just wasn't expecting to need it here…"

"Does that mean you have some at home?" the Russian asked conversationally, rolling onto her belly, apparently unperturbed by the turn of events.

"Since the day I met you," He shrugged, "Ever the optimist."

He swore again and she laughed. "Try my coat pocket."

Wheeler froze, "Are you serious?"

"Da. I got them in the Ladies at the ice-rink, I hope they are the right ones, I had to guess." She shrugged.

"So you were planning on seducing me tonight?" he asked, already fumbling with her coat in his haste.

Linka nodded, "I had a feeling we would need them, da."

Despite her playfulness she was blushing again and seeing her nervousness, when he remounted the bed beside her, Wheeler gently guided her to sit on top of him. He began to tenderly but purposefully reawaken his girlfriend's desire, distracting her with pleasure until being together was all that mattered.

Neither of them could say how long it lasted, certainly longer than Wheeler had expected, but the sensations were too new to set any records. This time when Linka came apart it robbed her of her senses completely and she wasn't even aware that she'd taken Wheeler with her until she started to return to herself.

Wheeler finally found enough strength in his limbs to rearrange them both, enveloping her in a strong embrace and fervently hoping that she wouldn't have any regrets.

They lay in a comfortable silence for some time, enjoying the luxury of having the other naked in their arms but eventually Wheeler decided he needed to hear her voice, his insecurities catching up with him.

Running a gentle finger along her bare arm he said, "So in Russia, it's the fourth date, huh?"

Linka gurgled with laughter at his teasing, and looked up into his eyes, hers shining with warmth. "Nyet, in Russia it is whenever it feels right."

"It does feel right." He agreed and she nodded. "But then it felt right to me yesterday too."

She knew he was teasing but felt compelled to answer him anyway, "Yesterday I wanted to spend time with you but my mind was stuck on what is happening with my brother, today we are here to do something about my brother's situation and all I can think about is you."

"Good reason," He brought their lips back together and let their passion ignite anew.

Linka woke at her usual early hour and somewhat unusually burrowed back under the covers. Her companion must have sensed her movement in his sleep because his arms tightened around her too. She sighed happily, her mind returning immediately to their activities the night before, and marvelling at how calm she felt about it all. Her body ached and she found herself wishing that she could soak in a bath or one of the hot springs for an hour or so, but knew she'd have to make do with a shower.

As the light in the room increased the Wind Planeteer finally decided she could no longer ignore the day, besides it was at the back of her mind that her friend was coming to see them and she wanted to be ready. Carefully disengaging herself from her lightly snoring Yankee, she slipped into the bathroom and the shower.

The first thing Wheeler was aware of when he woke was that Linka was gone. His heart immediately began hammering in his chest and he forced his eyes open, sitting up and trying to take in the situation. The room was light despite the drawn curtains, but as empty as his bed. Fortunately before panic set in he heard the shower running and slumped back against the pillows, letting out the breath he'd been holding.

It was still slightly disturbing that she hadn't woken him and he was tempted to try the bathroom door to see if he could join her, but she'd seemed alright the night before and she'd had plenty of time to think about what they were doing. Then too, Linka had always liked her privacy and walking in on her in the shower might not be something she considered acceptable.

He gave a frustrated sigh, no matter how well he knew her there always seemed to be something he was unsure of and he hated second guessing himself.

The water shut off a few moments later and Linka emerged wearing one of the hotel's not so generous towels.

"Nice," he commented appreciatively, distracted from his worrying and gazing at her as if he was trying to memorise the image.

"Down boy," she teased back, going to her back pack and sorting out her clothes on the end of the bed. "Between the ice skating and… other things, I can barely move this morning."

He sat up and stretched, drawing her eyes with the movement of his muscles and the way the covers pooled in his lap, "Poor Babe, guess it'll be a few days before you want to try that again, huh?"

She blew him a kiss, "I want to now, but it will be a few days before I can."

Wheeler chuckled. Never great at getting up in the morning, he was still coming to and absent-mindedly watching her organise her things without taking in what she was doing.

"Are you going to get washed?" The Russian prompted.

"Yeah in a minute." He yawned. "Did Susichka say what time she's planning on coming over?"

Linka shook her head, "As we are here for her I did not think it mattered, but breakfast is in half an hour and I cannot see them being very accommodating if we are late."

He nodded and rubbed his face and head, still not moving.

"If you are not planning to get up yet, will you close your eyes while I get dressed?" she asked at last.

Wheeler blinked at her, "Uh sure… If you want me to."

Sensing the return of his unease she asked, "What?"

He shrugged, "I just thought you were ok with last night and everything…"

Linka stared at him uncomprehendingly, "I am…?"

"But you're not ok with me watching you dress… not that I was going to watch exactly, and I won't, I'm going in the bathroom. It's just that it seems… odd. To me. And I probably shouldn't have mentioned it, I'll go get my shower." He made to get out of the bed and she squeaked and closed her eyes making him exclaim with some impatience, "Seriously?!"

"Sorry." Her eyes remained firmly closed even though he was still covered.

"Don't be." He got out of bed and moved to stand behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders to let her know he was there, "I don't want to make you uncomfortable, especially now."

Linka took his hands in hers and pulled them around her then turned her head to kiss him, "I am sorry Yankee, I know it is silly, it just seems to me that there is a difference between… making love, and casual nudity."

He laughed and then quickly tried to smother it, "Sorry."

"You are not mad at me?" she asked.

"Nooo, Babe I know things have been moving kinda fast since we got together, and it… well it feels pretty perfect actually. I'm not going to get annoyed about stuff like that, and I'll respect any boundaries you want, just remember to point them out 'cos I am not gonna be able to guess them."

Chuckling, she nodded in agreement and then closed her eyes again, "Go get washed."

The receptionist gave them an even more disapproving look than she had the day before and directed them to the breakfast parlour with a flick of her wrist in the general direction.

"Jeez, were we louder last night than I remember, or something?" Wheeler asked in a low tone as they walked away, earning himself an elbow in the ribs.

A few of the other guests were already gathered in the small, neatly decorated room, spread out over various tables but they were lucky enough to find one to themselves. There didn't seem to be anyone to take an order, nor were there any menus causing Wheeler to ask his girlfriend whether they were supposed to have pre-ordered. She shook her head.

A moment later a door opened on the other side of the room and a young woman came out rolling a trolley stacked with covered plates with large jugs on the shelf beneath.

"I think it is a case of 'get what you are given'," Linka commented wryly, noting the displeasure on his face. "Do not look so worried, we pride ourselves on our cooking, whatever it is it will be good. You liked the restaurant last night, da?"

He grudgingly agreed but still greeted their waitress with some trepidation. Several dishes were put down on the table with small jars of sour cream and jam, and then they were offered a choice of coffee or tea before she departed again.

Linka began removing the covers, explaining each offering, which they were obviously expected to share. "Porridge, Syrniki… um cottage cheese dumplings, fried eggs with Kobasa sausage… you will be happy with that da?" she grinned and continued, uncovering some slices of buttered bread with different toppings. "Sandwiches, with cheese, ham or sausage."

"Bit of a mix, and what's the cream and jelly for?" he still looked dubious.

"The porridge, although sour cream goes with anything." She asserted.

Wheeler steered clear of the porridge and dumplings but tucked into the rest, although he still commented that the toast, cereal and pancakes he'd had at her grandmother's house were more to his liking.

Knowing that Susichka could be arriving at any time they kept their meal short and were soon heading back up to their room past the fiery glare of the receptionist.

To be continued…