Chapter 2: Encounters
The Geo-Cruiser passed the once-clearing that Dr. Blight had made in her crazy search for another Tree of Life. The trees had grown back long since.
Soon the cabin came into sight. Things hadn't changed much, except that the vegetable garden looked to be freshly turned.
Ma-Ti used his ring. "Heart." After a pause he said, "I can only sense Kim and Buddy there."
With a nod Kwame landed the Geo-Cruiser at the edge of the clearing the cabin was in. The five walked up to the cabin and Kwame knocked on the door. It didn't take long for Kim to come and open it.
"Hello, Kim," the Earth Planeteer greeted her, a smile on his face.
"Planeteers!" Kim exclaimed. She smiled warmly, obviously glad to see them. "This is a pleasant surprise."
"That was the idea," Wheeler commented.
"It is good to see you are well, Kim," Ma-Ti said.
"You're all looking well, too," she observed. "Had a chance to take some time off from saving the planet, huh?"
Kwame nodded. "We would have come sooner if we had had a chance to," he told her. "I hope we are not intruding."
"Of course not." She looked around, hoping to see a certain someone. "Is Captain Planet with you?"
"Not yet, but we will call him as soon as we have gotten our bags out of the Geo-Cruiser," Ma-Ti assured her with a grin. "This is a surprise for him, too."
Before Kim could reply to that, Buddy was there, greeting them with a very wet tongue. "He still remembers you," Kim said with relief as she tried to restrain her dog's shows of affection. "Buddy! That will be quite enough!" Gradually, Buddy settled down.
"Let's get your things then, shall we?" she suggested, barely containing her excitement at getting to see Cap again.
"She can hardly wait to see him," Ma-Ti whispered to Kwame as the group made their way to the yellow plane. The Kayapo didn't need his ring to determine that, it was so obvious.
"You can stay in the guestroom," Kim said. "I'll just have to take out a couple of extra mattresses."
"We brought our own bedclothes so you do not have to worry about those," Linka said. It wouldn't have been a problem for Kim to give them some of hers but it was OK with her.
They got their bags out of the plane and Kim helped carry them upstairs to the guestroom. After that the group gathered back outside a ways from the cabin to call Cap. Kim told Buddy to lie down and stay. The dog obediently lay down near her.
"I've never been as nervous as I am now," she confessed to the five.
The woman went to stand under a nearby tree. After all, it wouldn't be a proper surprise if Cap saw her or recognized the place immediately after he was summoned.
The Planeteers raised their right fists. "Let our powers combine!" Kwame initiated the summoning. "Earth!"
"Fire!"
"Wind!"
"Water!"
"Heart!"
The five powers came together and merged to summon the champion of the planet. "By your powers combined, I am Captain Planet!"
The Planeteers didn't bother with their usual exclamation of "Go Planet!" this time. This wasn't a mission, after all.
Cap could see that as he landed. "What's the deal, Planeteers?" If he had looked around, he would have most probably recognized the place. But the Planeteers held his attention well enough.
As silently as possible, Kim sneaked behind him, afraid he would hear her at every step.
"We have a surprise for you," Linka said, smiling.
Cap frowned. "A surprise? What…?"
He was cut off when a pair of hands covered his eyes and a voice asked, "Guess who?"
Cap whirled around and saw Kim's smiling face. Brown eyes met green. For a while the superhero just stared. "Kim?" he got out when he found his voice again. "Is it really you or am I seeing things?"
Kim took his hand and placed it against her cheek. "I'm quite real." Then she couldn't contain herself anymore and threw herself against him, holding him tightly. "Oh, I didn't realize just how much I've missed you." Unbidden, tears ran down her cheeks. But they were happy tears this time.
Kim was enfolded in arms as warm as she remembered. "I've missed you too, Kim," Cap said. "More than you know." He held her close to him, still not quite believing this was happening.
After a while they pulled back from each other a little. Gazing at him, Kim discovered his eyes still had the same effect on her as three years ago. They were so gentle and kind. Not to mention his smile.
The kiss that followed was quite a passionate one with three years of yearning behind it. No words were needed, it was obvious they both still loved each other
It was then that Buddy decided to get up and run to the two. He pawed at their legs and barked, jumping around them happily. "He's as glad to see you as I am," Kim said, deciding not to reprimand the dog for disobeying.
Cap knelt down on one knee. "How're ya doin' boy?" He had to restrain Buddy a bit or the dog would have soaked his face with his tongue. "I'm glad to see you too, but that's enough already." Reluctantly, Buddy settled down. Cap scratched him behind the ears. "Good boy."
He stood up and turned to Kim again. She pressed up against him. "Oh, Blue. I had given up hope of ever seeing you again."
Cap smiled. He had missed that name and was glad she still remembered it. "Me too, love."
The pair was so immersed in one another that they had practically forgotten they were not alone. It took another bout of excitement from Buddy to break the trance.
"This was a really pleasant surprise, Planeteers," Cap said, when he and Kim turned to the five, his arm around her shoulders. The brunette had her head on his shoulder and her arms wrapped around his waist. "Whose idea was it, anyway?" He wanted to thank the person for the nice surprise he or she had thought up for him.
"That would be him," Wheeler said, indicating Kwame.
"Thanks, Kwame," Cap said, a hand on the African's shoulder. "I'm very grateful for this."
"You are welcome," Kwame said. "But I cannot take all the credit. Gi was the one who came to me about her plan."
"It just took a while to put that plan into action," The Water Planeteer commented.
Cap gave a laugh. "I really should've known." She had already done so much for him, listening to him when he had needed to talk. "C'mere, you." The superhero wrapped his arms around the girl, hugging her. "Thank you so much, Gi," he said silently.
Gi smiled. "Seeing you happy again is thanks enough," she replied. The change in the eco-hero was indeed noticeable. "Besides," she added silently as they pulled back. "You did so much for me too so I wanted to give back. And someone had to get you here if you didn't make the move yourself."
He only smiled warmly at that, glad to have helped her as she had helped him.
Kim felt she had to thank the Asian too. "Thanks, Gi," she said, hugging her a little. "I'm really grateful, too." Gi only smiled.
Wheeler's stomach growled. Everyone turned to look at him. "What? I'm just hungry."
"I hope you have enough food," Cap said quietly to Kim. "He's got a big appetite."
"We'll have to do some shopping, then," she said. "But I think I have some pizza available for now. Oh, that reminds me. How long are you planning on staying?"
"We do not really know," Kwame replied. They hadn't agreed on that before leaving.
"Well, it doesn't matter really," Kim said. "I got a month's vacation ahead and I couldn't think of a better way to spend it than this."
"My thought exactly," Cap said, smiling at her. He would make the most of this stay, whether it was long or short.
Wheeler's stomach growled again. Kim gave laugh. "Let's get you something to eat."
As the group headed for the cabin, Cap picked Kim up off the ground and carried her. She smiled and ruffled his hair.
"You know, I've missed that too," he told her, grinning.
As they got to the verandah, he opened the door and led the way inside, setting Kim down on the steps leading upstairs.
"Go get that pizza, Wheeler," she told the redhead. The other four admitted being hungry too, so the five of them shared the pizza.
Kim and Cap went to the living room. He noticed a familiar crystal rose in a vase on the table. It sparkled in the sunlight flooding from the windows. She had obviously taken good care of it.
"At first I kept it on my bedside table upstairs, but it didn't help me to sleep any," she told him, an arm around his waist. "I would just stare at it."
"Well, this is a much better place for it, with the sun and all," Cap observed.
Kim nodded. "Yeah, it is. When my parents came for a visit they asked me where I had got it from."
"What did you tell them?"
She fondled his cheek. "I told them I had gotten it from a very special guy as a present."
Cap grinned. "That's true enough."
Kim smiled and gazed at the superhero, her heart in her eyes. Linka, who happened to peek in the living room from the kitchen, took the hint. "Come on, guys," she said to the others. "We should give those two some privacy."
"You're right, Linka," Gi said, seeing what she meant. The pair needed that. "Come on, Buddy. Let's go play fetch or something."
The dog seemed to recognize the word and with a glance at his mistress with a dog version of a smile, followed them outside. The other three took their snacks and did the same.
Thanking the Planeteers silently, Cap smiled and led Kim to the couch. He fondled her cheek and took the woman in his arms, kissing her. She pulled him down on the couch.
All of a sudden Cap winced. "What's the matter?" Kim asked.
"Something's wrong," he said, frowning. "I can feel it."
It didn't take long until the source was revealed. Gi and Kwame ran in. "Sorry to interrupt, but Buddy's hurt," Gi said. "Stepped into a trap."
As the pair told them that they couldn't tell how bad the damage to Buddy's leg was, Cap had his hand on Kim's shoulder to give her some reassurance.
The pair followed the two 'Teers to the scene. They could hear Buddy's whimpers long before arriving. Ma-Ti, Linka and Wheeler were there, trying to keep the dog calm. They had tried to remove the trap as evidenced by a stick between its teeth but had had no luck. The jaws of the thing had been too sturdy.
As Kim caught sight of her dog, she ran to him. "Oh, Buddy!" she exclaimed as she knelt down. The dog howled in pain. "Please, Blue. Help him!" Kim pleaded.
"I will," Cap said soothingly and thought it best to calm the dog down first utilizing his Heart power. Then the superhero knelt down. "Hold him still," he told Kim, taking hold of the metal thing and broke it to pieces.
The trap had cut deep. Kim tried to figure out how to stop the bleeding. Since there was nothing else available, she ripped out a piece of her shirt for a makeshift bandage. Kwame helped her to lift Buddy into her arms.
"I better check if there are more of those things lying around," Cap said. "I'll be back." A not so good imitation of Terminator. The superhero dived deeper into the forest.
The others headed back to the cabin. It wasn't long before they could see something black fly up into the sky from the forest. As they watched, it disappeared from sight.
"Found a couple of dead animals trapped in them, too," Cap told them as he rejoined the group. "And judging from the condition they were in they've been there for quite a long time."
"You mean somebody just left the traps there and didn't bother to come and check on them?" Kim asked, eyes wide with shock.
The superhero nodded. "Well, they won't bother anyone anymore."
"Thanks to you," Kim said and gave him a kiss.
Cap smiled. "I just felt it was the right thing to do."
Kim figured it might be better to take the dog to the vet's to check his leg. "I'll put a proper bandage on it first."
The group returned to the cabin and she put a bandage on Buddy's leg after applying some antiseptic first. Then she called the vet and was told she should stop by as soon as possible.
Gi offered to give her a lift with the Geo-Cruiser. "We could do the shopping after the visit to the vet's," the Asian girl suggested as they got aboard the small plane.
"Good idea," Kim agreed. "I'll call you when we have some news," she told the others, leaving her cell phone. The small plane lifted off and flew away.
The others tried to think of something to do while waiting for them to come back. Cap kept glancing at the phone occasionally. He hoped the news would be good instead of bad.
It took about a half an hour before the call came. Linka answered the phone. "Hello? Da, I will tell them. See you soon." She hung up and joined the others. "Good news," the Russian said. "Buddy is leg is not broken. They are going to do some shopping and then will return." Everyone was relieved to hear that.
Soon Gi and Kim were back. Kim put Buddy on a blanket in front of the fireplace. The dog had a much lighter bandage on his leg now. Cap went to give Kim a hug and the dog a scratch and helped unload the shopping bags.
Now that excitement was over, Wheeler wanted to go for a swim. The others were also game so the five went upstairs to change to their swimwear. Both Cap and Kim were glad of the chance to be alone even if it was just for a short time.
"To be honest, love, I thought you would be involved with someone by now," he said to the woman, not really knowing why he had said that but it was the truth nonetheless. Even if they couldn't be together, he wanted her to find someone to share her life with.
"I did try," she told him. "But it didn't work out. Partly because of Buddy. The guy told me I had to choose between him and my dog." Kim put her arms around his waist. "And I couldn't seem to forget you."
"I couldn't forget you, either," Cap told her, stroking her hair. "But you deserve to be happy."
"Well, tell that to him." She jerked her head at Buddy.
He knelt down in front of Buddy. "What is it with you and strangers, huh? Don't you want your mistress to be happy?"
The dog woofed and whined. Through his Heart power, the superhero could tell what Buddy had to say. "Oh, really?" Cap sighed. "Well, that's not possible." The dog tilted his head. "Because it just isn't."
'I wish I could do that,' Kim thought, envying the superhero's ability a little.
Cap stood up, looking a bit shocked. "What did he tell you?" the brunette asked, concerned that it was something she wouldn't like.
He glanced at Buddy before answering. "That he would want you and me to be a couple."
The woman still remembered how heartbroken the man had been because he had had to leave. Why had her dog had to remind him of that? "Well, he did like you from the first, didn't he?" she said.
Cap smiled a little. The dog had indeed, although it might have been thanks to his Heart power more than anything else. At least at first.
Kim wrapped her arms around his waist. "But I like you more, superhero of mine."
They were interrupted when the Planeteers came back downstairs, dressed in their swimsuits, towels over their shoulders. They also had hats on their heads.
Despite the superhero wanting to spend time with the woman in private, the pair nonetheless decided to join the five at the lake because it was Kim who wanted to go. Besides, it was a beautiful day and it would be a shame to waste it being cooped up inside even if they would get to be alone. There would be ample chances for that later.
The brunette dashed upstairs to change into her bikini. She came back downstairs with a towel over her arm and she had tied her hair into a ponytail, wearing a hat. She asked Cap to put some sun block onto her back. This was a telltale sign that she was going for a tan. Some things never changed.
Buddy would have wanted to go with them. "You can't come with us, boy," Kim told him. "Your bandage will get wet." The dog settled back down with a sigh. "Good boy."
The group went to the lake. Kim spread the towel on the grass and sat down on it. It was a jumbo-sized one and was big enough for both her and Cap. They sat on it in each other's arms, the superhero running his fingertips along the woman's arm.
He happened to touch a sensitive spot. Kim tried to smother a giggle, not succeeding. "Oh, ticklish are you?" He grinned mischievously.
"You wouldn't dare," Kim challenged him, wanting to see what he'd do.
Cap stuck out his tongue at her. "Watch me." He ran his fingertips along Kim's side. She giggled again. Then the superhero used both hands and tickled her all over. Kim squealed and twisted but didn't even try to get away.
After a while Kim needed to catch her breath and tried to tell that among her giggles to the one "torturing" her. "Stop! (giggle) Planet, (giggle) stop already! (giggle) I need to (giggle) catch my breath."
The message got through and Cap stopped. He found himself on top of Kim, his arms and legs on either side of her on the towel, which was now a twisted heap. He rolled off her, taking his previous place beside her.
"That… was… fun," she gasped out as she tried to get her breathing to normal again.
"I just have to remember to take it easy next time," Cap said.
"What makes you think there will be a next time?" Kim asked. In truth, she didn't mind if this happened again. She tried to tickle him but he just smiled. Now it was her turn to stick out her tongue at him. "You're no fun. But I'll get you yet. You just wait."
Cap grinned. She was welcome to try. All he knew was that he wasn't as ticklish as she was. "I think I'm gonna go for a swim now."
She smiled. "Go ahead. I'm gonna catch some rays." First, she straightened the towel, though, and lay down on it.
The superhero was going to ask her to join him instead but if she wanted to get a tan, who was he to object. He was going to caution her not to catch too many rays but decided not to, figuring she knew what she was doing.
Taking a drink of water from her bottle, Kim asked Kwame, who was nearest to her, "Doesn't he have any part in that body of his that tickles?"
Kwame gave a laugh. "I really do not know. You have to keep trying."
"Oh, I will." She lay down again, arranging her hat so that the sun hit her face.
"How's the water, Gi?" Cap was asking, standing on the water's edge.
"Just perfect," Gi replied. "Jump in."
Cap noticed Wheeler lying on an air mattress he had brought with him some distance from the beach. "I thought Wheeler wanted to swim. Has he even gotten himself wet yet?"
"I do not think so," Ma-Ti answered from where he was beside the jetty.
The superhero grinned mischievously again. He waded in and soon disappeared below the waves. For obvious reasons there were no bubbles to indicate his path.
"What on earth is he up to?" Linka wondered, although she assumed it had something to do with Wheeler.
They got their answer when the air mattress the American was lying on capsized and he was thrown in the lake with a splash. The redhead came to the surface spluttering.
"Bozhe moy!" the blond Russian exclaimed.
"Cap!" Wheeler yelled when he discovered who the culprit was. "I could've drowned."
"No, you wouldn't," Cap told him. "I know you're a good swimmer." The New Yorker had experienced enough wipeouts with his surfboard and windsurfer both to have to be.
Laugher could be heard from the beach. "Are you alright, Yankee?" Linka called.
"He's fine, Linka," Cap called back. "Just wet. Which is supposed to happen when one is swimming." The superhero looked pointedly at the redhead when saying that.
"Did ya have to take it so literally?" Wheeler grumbled.
"Coming here really did him good," Gi said quietly to Kwame. He nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly. The superhero was back to his old self again.
"That was refreshing," Cap said as he rejoined Kim after letting Wheeler off his back, having given the redhead a lift back to the beach. "Good thing your lake is clean, love."
"It shows, Blue. You're almost glowing." Kim knew he got his strength from the elements, water being one of them.
"Oh, I don't think the water has anything to do with that," Cap said with a grin as he lay down beside her, propped up by his elbows.
Just as Kim was about to kiss him, a gruff voice said in an Australian accent, "Is this a private shindig? Or can anyone join?"
All of them turned to look who it was. Cap would've recognized the voice even without seeing the man, thanks to the numerous times he had dealt with him and his boss. Why hadn't his Heart power warned him?
"Bleak!" Wheeler exclaimed.
The superhero got up. They just couldn't seem to get to relax without something cropping up every few minutes. "This is an unpleasant surprise, Bleak." Seeing the traps the man was holding, he added, "Should have known you're responsible for the traps."
"Yeah, so?" Bleak gruffly asked.
Hearing that this man was responsible for the injury in her dog's leg Kim's temper flared and she would have gone at the man but Cap stopped her. "Easy. He's not worth it."
Bleak whistled. "Who's the chick, Planet?"
"None of your business, Bleak." He placed himself between Bleak and Kim, not about to let the man get to her.
"My, my. Aren't we testy today," Bleak said.
Wheeler, being one who rarely thinks before he acts, jumped on the bald man. Bleak easily threw him off.
"Are you alright, Wheeler?" Cap asked, concerned.
"Just peachy," was the reply.
That distraction was just what Bleak needed. Blowing a big cloud of cigar smoke in the superhero's face, Bleak stepped over to Kim. She could only gasp as Cap fell to his hands and knees, coughing.
"Captain Planet!" the Planeteers exclaimed in unison.
"Come on, sweetheart, give us a kiss," Bleak cooed, if you could call it that, pursing his lips at Kim.
"Stay away from me," she told him firmly, taking a step back. But Bleak ignored her protests and grabbed her wrists, pulling her to him. "Ow! You're hurting me!"
This spurred Cap into action. He got up and walked over to them. "That's no way to treat a woman, Bleak," the superhero said and grabbed the man by his vest. Taking hold of Bleak's pants with his other hand, he said, "Go cool down," and threw the man into the lake.
Next Cap grabbed the traps Bleak had dropped on the sand. "And I don't think you'll be needing these," he said, melted the traps into a big lump and threw them up into the sky. As before, they disappeared from sight.
Bleak sloshed to the beach, his clothes dripping and spitting water. "I'll get you for this, Planet," he growled.
Cap ignored that. His face was grim as he looked at the mercenary. "As far as I know, this is private property." The superhero held Kim protectively by his side.
"Yeah, so get outta here or I'll call my dog!" Kim threatened, although she knew it to be an empty threat because of Buddy's leg.
"Ooh, I'm so scared," Bleak sneered, not taking the threats of a woman that seriously.
With a motion, Cap raised up a breeze, which lifted the man off the ground. The breeze turned into a small tornado, and Bleak went around and around a few times. Then the superhero snapped his fingers, and the wind stopped dead, dropping the baldy face first onto the sand.
Bleak spat most of the sand from this mouth. "Alright, alright! I'm goin'!" As he left, a grin creased his lips. He had watched the group for a while before showing himself and seen certain things. 'The boss would want to hear about this.'
"That was incredible," Kim said and smiled. "Good riddance."
"I couldn't have said it better myself," Cap commented affectionately, giving some attention to her wrists, his hands acting as ice packs. They had red marks where Bleak had held her.
"Let's hope we've seen the last of him while we're here," Wheeler said nursing a bruised elbow.
"I cannot help it," Ma-Ti said. "But I have a bad feeling about that."
"Don't sweat it, little buddy," Wheeler said confidently. "I'm sure he won't be coming back anytime soon. Not after the treatment Cap gave him."
The superhero hoped the American was right.