A/N: The Eden Project is a real life centre that was established in the UK as one of the landmarks created to celebrate the new Millennium. The theory is, if the planeteers had been involved it would have happened sooner. Any and all people in the story are fictitious and not intended to resemble anyone.

Chapter Thirty Six - Day Twenty Seven to Twenty Eight

They are up to something. I do not know what it is but they are definitely conspiring behind my back, it has been going on for the last few days. Even Wheeler has been having private little conversations that end abruptly when I enter the room. He is all attention and pretends that nothing is going on but I am not stupid!

Right now though he is curled up beside me on the sofa, snoring gently instead of watching the movie he insisted we have on.

I poke him in the side. "Wake up Yankee!"

Not the nicest way to rouse someone I know, but I am bored and it is his fault. I admire his ability to fall asleep at a moments notice but he is not going to get away with it right now.

"It's too early, go back to sleep Babe." He moans and tucks his head in my shoulder, his arms tightening around my waist as he pulls me back against him.

I fight the urge to laugh. "Jason Wheeler, it is lunchtime not early morning." And as he finally opens his eyes, I add in a far softer tone. "I am going to make us something to eat, try to be awake when I get back."

"Hmmm? Oh, no Babe. It's okay, I'll get it." He says, shaking of the last of his slumber and releasing me to stand up.

"What? Why?" I protest.

Wheeler leans back down and lifts my legs up on the sofa, unbalancing me so that I fall backwards against the soft cushions. "Cos' I'm looking after you today. Consider it your day off, to relax and build up your strength."

I am becoming irritated, understandably so I think, but I keep my voice steady as I sit up again and say. "Wheeler, every day is my day off right now and I do not need to use up that much energy to walk to the kitchen."

"Yeah, you've been having some good days and we want that to continue." He sounds so condescending that I cannot control my temper any longer.

"I AM FINE!" I screech at him. "I am not going to have bad days that often Wheeler, just what is this about?"

Is it just my Yankee or do all guys manage to look like a kicked puppy when they are yelled at? "Sorry… I was just trying to help."

I sigh and flop back in the seat. "Fine, go and make lunch and I will sit here like a good little girl."

He sits down on the small table in front of me and runs a lazy finger down my arm until he can take my hand. "Not while you're mad at me."

"I am hungry." I tell him, refusing to smile, though I know my eyes are betraying me. "I will be in a better mood when I have been fed."

Wheeler grins and leans forward to give me a small kiss but I place my finger over his lips to stop him. "After lunch." He kisses my finger and then gets up and heads to the kitchen.

I still do not know what all that was about.

Lunch is a lightly boiled egg and toast and Wheeler has drawn a cute little face on the remaining eggshell so that my lunch is winking at me.

"Child!" I say with a roll of my eyes, knowing he is waiting for a reaction, but I am smiling.

He slides back into his former position beside me looking smug, his own sandwich in his hand. "Kiss!" He demands playfully in return, and I find myself responding automatically.

Wheeler is not happy when I insist on taking our empty plates back out to the kitchen but he stops short of starting another argument when I make it clear that I am getting up one way or another. "Anyway Wheeler, I need to visit the bathroom and that is not something you can do for me no matter how much you may want to, so I may as well take these to the kitchen at the same time, da?"

I actually have an ulterior motive this time, it is very silly and I do not want him to know… ever, but I intend to keep my little eggshell man.

When I return from my errand Wheeler is sitting on the sofa looking uncharacteristically serious and he has what looks like a letter in his hand. My heart falls into my stomach, he has had bad news from home? Without thinking, I drop down beside him and put my arms around his neck. "What has happened Lyubov moy?"

"What? Oh hey nothing." His arms are around me in a second. "Everything's fine. Promise."

I pull away to look at him and he kisses my nose before handing me the envelope. "This is yours."

Confused I release him to open the message but he stops me, holding my hands in his larger ones. "We weren't keeping it from you or anything, I just wanted you to be well enough to enjoy it. It's a special day for you."

He finally lets me open my letter and I feel my eyes open wide. "Bozhe moy! It is tomorrow? I thought it was months away!"

The effect of the invitation on me is electric, I do not think I have ever been so excited. I give a little squeal and throw my arms around my companion once more. He is laughing but he does not release me as he says. "Now do you see why you have to rest? Can't have you all tired for the grand opening of the Eden Project now can we?"

I am all smiles, nothing is going to annoy me for the rest of the day, but how can I rest? I feel like I could run a marathon. "I cannot sit still and do nothing!"

"And now you know why we didn't tell you." He sighs.

"Fine." I say, still smiling. "But I am bored with watching films, you can let me beat you at chess instead."

Laughing he shakes his head and stands, offering me his hands to pull myself up. "You'd be bored in five minutes, if you want to beat me you'll have to work for it."

"Not very hard." I counter, mischievously, knowing that he will take the bait and anticipating a very interesting afternoon.

It is light out, but it is still too early for the sun to reach through my window. I know I should rest more but I am too exhilarated, what does it matter if I crash tomorrow? Today is going to be a good day.

Wheeler is still sleeping soundly beside me… well, around me. I think this will be the hardest thing to give up when I am completely well again, waking in his arms, feeling safe and protected. I do not remember feeling this way before, even as a child when my father was still alive. I do not really remember my mother.

I push the thoughts from my mind, I cannot think about that today.

To help distract myself I concentrate on my slumbering companion, running my fingers lightly over his bare chest, to tickle and hopefully wake him... and it feels nice. He chuckles in his sleep and pulls me tighter against him. I love these moments, I wish they could last forever.

As I lay there with my head resting on his shoulder, I gently trace a finger around the site of his wound. Ma-Ti's medicine works wonders, it has been healing well and now only requires a dressing over the wound itself. It will leave a scar of course but when I said that to him he just shrugged. It is not his only scar, in fact, he has a lot. Some are from our work, but most are from his childhood… he dismisses it as unimportant but I can guess at what he is not saying.

"Kiss it better?" He says suddenly, making me jump.

"I wish you would not do that." I tell him, though I am not at all annoyed.

He is rubbing my side absent-mindedly, where his arm is curled around me. "Can't help it Babe, you were miles away. Too busy admiring my wound." He winks.

"How does it feel?" I ask, ignoring his teasing.

"Like it needs to be kissed better." He says petulantly.

I cannot help laughing but I obediently lean over and very softly press my lips just above where I know the healing gash to be, then I repeat my action below it and to either side. I do not want to put even so gentle a pressure on the wound itself, though in truth he does worse when he holds me.

My hair is trailing on his chest as I do this and I can feel him carefully entwine it in his fingers. He likes to play with my hair, I wonder sometimes if he even notices he is doing it… I do not mention it of course, if I make him uncomfortable he might stop.

"Why do you not go and shower and then I will change your dressing for you?" I suggest.

He pulls me back down. "Cos' I'm cosy. It can wait."

"Then I will get up." I say, freeing myself and climbing over him. "We are going to the opening today and I do not want to be late."

Wheeler does not say anything but gets out of bed after me. "Yankee?"

"I'll use my bathroom, you're right we need to get moving." He goes to the door and leaves without giving me a chance to reply.

All the time I am getting ready my stomach is doing back flips. Did I say something to upset him? I was not trying to hurry him. Is he angry with me? I do not want to fight with him, not today…

I need not have worried. While I am putting on my makeup (I am going out in public after all, I have done everything I can to conceal my condition,) Wheeler comes back into my room carrying clean dressings and Ma-Ti's ointment. I smile, trying not to look too relieved – there was nothing wrong, I was being paranoid again – and tell him I will not be long.

He sits behind me on the bed and I can see him reflected in the mirror in front of me. My eyes linger on him a little too long before I resume my activity. He has a new pair of jeans on but he was carrying his shirt and his hair is not completely dry from his shower... I do not know what he has been doing all this time, he is normally a lot quicker than I am… perhaps the cut is playing him up?

I go to the bathroom sink to make sure my hands are clean and disinfected before I return to rub fresh paste onto Wheeler's wound, it really does look much better now. While I am applying it, Jason starts to play with my bracelet. It does not interfere with what I am doing so I do not say anything and the occasional brush of his fingers against my skin gives the moment an intimacy that is hard to describe.

It does not take me long to put the new dressing on, unfortunately, and he quickly pulls his t-shirt on over the top. "Thanks Babe."

I return his smile warmly. "You are welcome Yankee."

"What is the Eden Project about Linka?" Ma-Ti asks as we take off in the geo-cruiser.

I know I have explained it before, but because of his age Ma-Ti looks up to Wheeler's example… which means that neither of them listen until it directly involves them. I know Wheeler is listening now too, though he probably does know more about it just because he spends more time with me.

"It is about bringing people together to learn and share knowledge about our planet." I explain. "It is also about who we are as a species and the role we play in the future."

It is so much more than that of course, but I cannot describe the vision we had for it, they will have to see it for themselves.

The flight to Cornwall in England seems to take forever. Normally I would read or do work on my laptop but I still do not have my full level of concentration back. Wheeler, as usual, is dozing at the back.

"There it is!" Gi exclaims at last.

"That is it?" Ma-Ti asks dubiously. "It looks like bugs eggs."

I chuckle, he is right. From up here the re-landscaped clay pit it was situated in, could definitely be an insect nest. "They are bio-domes Ma-Ti, self contained environments. One of them is a rainforest, so you should feel at home."

"That's it little buddy." Wheeler adds, waking from his nap. "You can tell them if they got it right."

We park in one of the car parks, drawing the attention of a group of school children, and take the free bus to the entrance with the rest of the patrons. Our invitations tell us not to queue though so we head on to the main doors where we are greeted by one of the project organisers, Stuart, who has been my liaison.

"Linka!" He says with a huge grin as we approach and comes forward to give me a hug. "Can you believe it's finally happening? We could not have done it without you."

I blush at the compliment but I know it is not true. "Nonsense, you would have found the backing without me."

He shakes his head but I know it is true, the organisers and architects and builders and I do not know who else, did the real work, I only helped to bring the completion forward.

Stuart still has hold of my hand and now squeezes it, "Come on, I have a seat for you on the stage and-"

"Nyet!" I decline quickly, slightly horrified by the prospect. Normally I would love the attention but right now I do not want to be looked at. "I do not want to take part, I just wanted to be here."

"But Linka…" he begins in confusion.

This of course is the point where my Yankee steps in, sounding rather hostile. "She said no."

He puts his arm around me protectively but it is only when Stuart releases my hand and backs away slightly that I realise how Wheeler is looking at him. I will need to say something, I do not want him to be jealous… he really has no reason to be.

At Stuart's direction, we take some seats off to the side of the temporary stage. He offers to give us a personal tour but again I decline and he returns to his duties.

Wheeler still has his arm around me and I lean towards him to whisper. "Stuart is a nice person Yankee. He is a dedicated Planeteer and has been a good friend… but that is all." I give him a light kiss on his cheek and watch the grin that spreads across his face.

Then I accidentally spoil it by trying to make a joke. "Besides he would not want me if he knew what a wreck I am now."

"Don't say things like that Babe!" He says at once, frowning and clearly disturbed. "Don't put yourself down, he'd be lucky to have someone like you care for him." Then he swallows and adds unhappily. "If you wanted to take that tour he offered, I won't embarrass you."

Distressed by the anxiety I have caused, I move closer – it probably looks like we are a couple, canoodling, but I do not care – and say. "I was joking Jason, I feel fine today. And no, I do not want him as a guide, I want to spend the day with you."

"Sure thing Babe." He smiles again but I do not think it reaches his eyes.

Before we can talk any further, Gi recalls my attention by asking a question while in the background the doors open and the people start to enter. The speeches will start soon, I hope Wheeler knows that I meant what I said.

To be continued…

A/N: And don't forget, to get the full affect of the story, you HAVE TO read Wheeler's side of the story in Becks7's Co-dependents Chapter 36! Let us know what you think!