A/N: Well this is it, the final chapter. Thanks again to everyone who has read and reviewed, I hope you all enjoyed it and I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Chapter Eighteen

Wheeler watched her as Linka moved effortlessly through the party between her friends and family, no, their friends and family as Linka kept insisting, it was still a hard thing to get used to after being essentially alone for most of his life. She laughed at something someone said to her, a carefree, beautiful sound that for a while he'd worried he wouldn't hear again.

It had been difficult those first few months after Skumm's death because villain or not, Linka had taken a life and the nightmares that had occasionally plagued her since her descent into Bliss had returned with a vengeance, a terrifying mix of old terror and new guilt.

Initially they'd stayed in Russia to help with the clean up and to make themselves available to the authorities. Despite Grandmuska's urging, Linka had insisted on their continuing to sleep at the bed and breakfast, which had conveniently left her room free for Susi.

Together Linka, Wheeler and Susi - with some help from Mischka and his football friends - had begun to put the town right again and slowly others joined them. The rest of the Planeteers split their efforts between the other towns trying to give their friends some family time.

When Susichka had been offered a permanent job at one of the shops they'd helped, the four young friends went out for a meal to celebrate, and after both Grandmuska and Mischka re-iterated their happiness at having her share their home she forgot about looking for a new place to live.

The Wind Planeteer's night terrors had been somewhat allayed by her focus on their task and Wheeler's presence but they had intensified after their return home to Hope Island to a point where they couldn't be easily dismissed.

"Yankee, you should go." She'd told him one night, nearly stopping his heart even though he'd just woken her from yet another bad dream and she was still sobbing and shaking from its effects. "Get some sleep, I know this is not fair to you."

He breathed out slowly, trying not to react to the fear her words created in him. "I won't sleep, you know that, not without you."

"You will," She gasped, and tried to rub her tears away. "You must be exhausted. You have slept less than I have since we got back from Russia. You are always looking after me, this is not what you signed for."

He gave a wry smile, tired as he was he still thought her little slips endearing, "Signed up for, and yeah, actually it was. I told you, I love you, this is what people do when they love each other."

She turned and buried her head in his chest, crying and over tired. "It hurts you, I do not want to hurt you."

"Then promise you'll never send me away," He'd told her, "That would hurt worse than anything."

Linka tightened her grip, her sobbing increasing as she gave herself into his care. He closed his eyes and gathered her up closer, rocking her gently. "It's ok Beautiful, I swear to you it's gonna be ok… I know it's a horrible thing to say but he wasn't worth your tears Babe."

He'd let her cry herself to sleep in his arms, that night and many others but it had eventually subsided and though she still occasionally kept him awake all night it was now usually deliberate, devoid of upset and very welcome.

"You are deep in thought." Linka broke into his reverie by sliding her arms up around his neck and claiming a kiss, then smiling as he held her to him.

Wheeler grinned down at her, "I was wondering how I got so lucky."

She looked at him sceptically, "That did not look like what you were thinking… are you happy Jason?"

"You know I am." He gave her a squeeze, "I just have to remind myself it's real sometimes."

"Well do not!" Linka joked, "Enjoy the dream, or you will have people thinking I have you completely under my thumb."

Chuckling he shook his head, "More like, wrapped around your little finger."

"What is the difference?" she asked curiously.

Wheeler kissed the tip of her nose, "Not wanting to escape."

Her smile warmed, "Dance with me?"

He kissed her lips briefly by way of a reply and then led her over to the dance floor, settling into a gentle sway in each other's arms. "You sure you don't want to go to the B&B tonight?" he whispered against her ear, "I'm sure Susi wouldn't mind not having to share with Gram."

"I am a little surprised that she is not sharing with Mischka," She confided, "Their exaggerated brother and sister act is getting old, especially when they look at each other like they have not eaten in months."

Wheeler laughed loudly and twirled her round, receiving indulgent smiles from the rest of the party. He pulled her close again, "You're adorable. You're not going to mention it to them are you?"

She chuckled and shook her head, "Nyet this time he is on his own, but it has been a year and Susi has been right here all that time, what is he waiting for?"

"Courage?" he shrugged, "He screwed up pretty badly last time, it's gonna take him a while to really trust again. Don't worry, they'll work it out… It only took you seven years." She giggled and wriggled in his arms as he tickled a sensitive spot in her side, stopping him with her hand before settling back against him.

"At least Gram is happy now." He commented after a while.

Linka followed his gaze over to where her Grandmother sat with Susi and Gi, and a rather embarrassing photo album. She groaned, "Does she have to?"

"Yep." He grinned, "Babe, they're cute baby pictures, get over it."

Susi laughed and suddenly hugged Grandmuska, making the older woman beam at her with pride while Mischka stood watching at the side lines with Anatoly and the other two Planeteers, but ignoring their conversation and looking just as Linka had described him.

"I want Susi for a sister." Linka complained, resting her head on her companion's shoulder.

"Have you told her that?" He kissed her hair.

"Not since we were eight…" She admitted. "Did I tell you that Susi and I used to have sleepovers here when we were little? We would huddle under the blankets with a torch and tell each other all about the things we were going to do when we were grown up and the men we were going to marry."

"Oh yeah?" Wheeler grinned, "I bet I'm not anything like the guy you pictured yourself being with back then."

She straightened up to give him an amused smile, "Oh I do not know… I thought myself very much in love with Indiana Jones as a matter of fact."

He laughed but said wryly, "Well we're both American."

"And handsome; heroes," she trailed her fingers down the muscles of his arm, "men of action…"

He waggled his eyebrows at her and brought his lips down to hers.

"What about you?" she pursued, after kissing him back for only a moment, conscious of how easily they could forget their surroundings. "Who did you like at that age?"

He thought about it for a few seconds, "Princess Karina from Ice Pirates."

She shook her head, "I do not know who that is."

"Aww Babe, you gotta watch Ice Pirates, it's a classic!" he groaned.

Linka shrugged agreeably, knowing that childhood fantasies would never compare to what they had now.

"So what was Susi's dream guy like?" The Fire Planeteer wondered, and she giggled and let her eyes stray back to her brother. "For real?"

"Da, that is why I was not that surprised that she felt she had to warn him." She shrugged, "She never was interested in film stars and that does not seem to have changed."

They laughed together until Wheeler kissed her neck, making her shiver, "You didn't answer my original question."

"Nyet I do not want to go to a hotel," She told him, not pretending to misunderstand, then leant close to his ear, "We will just wait until they are all drunk."

"Is that a promise?"

"Mm-hmm." She snuggled her head into her favourite spot on his shoulder, "I love you."

"Love you too."

A clinking glass and the music volume suddenly lowering had them looking at the widening circle around her brother, who nodded to the happy couple.

"Let us all raise a glass, to my sister and her fiancé. We are lucky to have you both in our family, but you are luckier still to have found a special connection that will only get stronger over time." His eyes strayed to Susi and she blushed but met his gaze with understanding and acceptance. He smiled for the first time that night. "To Linka and Jason, may you have a long and happy life together. Congratulations!"

As their guests echoed the toast, Wheeler pulled his bride-to-be back into his arms and kissed her until their calls turned into cheers.

The End