Chapter Fifteen
"Linka, come on, wake up!" Nat's complaining voice finally penetrated the fog of sleep and Linka opened her eyes. "It is morning, can we see if Wheeler is home?"
Her parent smiled as thoughts of the previous evening began to surface, "He is. I heard the geo-cruiser return."
"Why didn't you tell me!" the indignant exclamation made Linka laugh and she turned to hug the child.
"Because it was long past your bedtime and he was tired," she told her, "In fact we should probably let him sleep in."
Natalya rolled her eyes, "He has already slept in, it is past eight A.M.! I am hungry and he probably is too… he likes having breakfast with us."
The last was said defensively and Linka was reminded that she needed to do some damage control." Da, he does. How about you go and wake him while I use the bathroom?"
"Really?" Nat's eyes lit up and she barely waited for Linka to nod before she ran to the door.
"He is hard to wake up, you might need to bounce on the bed." She called after her, finally getting herself to her feet.
A few minutes later she entered Wheeler's cabin to find her daughter giggling helplessly as she was ruthlessly tickled. "Good morning."
Nat wriggled free, still laughing as Linka climbed onto the bed next to Wheeler.
"Not how I was expecting to be woken up this morning," he told her, his eyes alight with laughter as he tucked an arm around her and leant in for a kiss. Though still an innocent salute, it lingered beyond a gesture of friendship and drew Nat's attention.
She spoke in Russian leaving Wheeler confused, especially as her expression changed from excited and teasing to grief stricken in mid-sentence.
Linka held her arms out to her and, in English, said, "It is ok to talk about your parents, I miss them too."
Nat shook her head but moved to hug her silently.
"She is happy that we are together but we reminded her of her Nina and Gregori," Linka explained sadly.
Wheeler wrapped his arms around them both and held them close, not knowing what to say but wanting to offer support.
After a while Nat asked quietly, "So are you two admitting you are a couple now?"
The American laughed at the way she put it, but meeting his eyes with love in her own, it was Linka that answered, "Da, we are together now."
"Good." Nat pulled free and headed for the door, "Can we have breakfast then?"
"Have a wash and get dressed, I will follow you in a minute." Linka leant over to look out of the open door and make sure she headed back to their cabin, and then returned to rest against her boyfriend. "I am not sure I can keep up with her mood changes."
Wheeler shrugged, "Just go with it, she'll work it out."
She laid a hand on his chest, "When have you ever known me to be able to 'just go with it'?"
He kissed her by way of an answer and she responded, relaxing into him and letting her troubles melt away.
"Seriously?!" Nat stood in the doorway, fully dressed with her arms crossed, "I am going to waste away to nothing!"
They parted laughing, and Linka herded her daughter back towards their cabin, "You will not waste away because you have to wait ten more minutes for breakfast."
"You take way longer than that!" she whined.
"I don't," Wheeler called out from his doorway, "I'll knock for you on the way to the kitchen."
The Wind Planeteer smiled at him gratefully and closed the door.
When Kwame entered the clearing that Wheeler had appropriated as a playground, it was to find Linka chasing Nat around the climbing frame and over the slide - both of them giggling - while a grinning Wheeler watched their antics from the swing. He didn't think he'd ever seen any of them that happy before and it gave him pause.
Finally, the American noticed him standing there and called out in a friendly greeting, "Hey there Kwam-man, come to join the fun?"
He smiled but shook his head, causing Wheeler to get up to join him, "Something wrong?"
"No my friend, not at all." The Earth Planeteer smiled, "I did want to ask a favour however. Ma-Ti just got home and Gi says she has research to do this afternoon, but I did not want to leave you without the Geocruiser…"
Nat came running up, with Linka following more slowly behind, and took Wheeler's hand, "You cannot go away again!"
Wheeler gave her hand a squeeze, "I don't think it's a mission Honey, I get the impression Kwame just wants me to fly him somewhere?"
"Yes, Georgie has a symposium this weekend and she would like some assistance, but I only want you to take me to her house, you do not need to stay…" He glanced briefly down at Nat. "I know it might not be entirely convenient but I thought you might prefer to have our craft available?"
The American nodded, "It's only an hour and a half each way, it's no problem."
"Can we go too then?" Nat asked, looking from one to the other.
Linka however had other ideas, "I am sorry Natalya but I need to work with Gi on her research this afternoon."
"Nooo," the young girl whined, "not the lab!"
"Being stuck in the Geocruiser for three hours would be worse." Linka told her, and received such an incredulous look in return that Kwame and Wheeler had a hard time keeping straight faces.
Linka sighed and looked at Wheeler. Despite everything that had passed between them it still took an effort to get the words out, "Would you mind taking her with you? I really do need to help Gi and I would not feel right asking Ma-Ti to watch over her."
"I am sure he would not mind…" Kwame interjected. "Especially as you need to work."
The Russian nodded, "I know, but it is not fair on him, and she will be happier with Wheeler anyway."
Wheeler was grinning at her, his eyes unguarded and full of love, "Fine with me."
"Really?" Nat squealed with delight and threw herself at Linka to hug her, making them all laugh.
"Come on," Linka said, "I assume Kwame will want to leave soon so I will pack you some sandwiches."
Half an hour later Kwame was loading his luggage into the Geocruiser while Linka fussed over her daughter.
"Have you been to the bathroom?" she tried to smooth down Nat's hair but the little girl dodged.
"You already asked me that, I went!" she groaned.
Linka bent down, "Give me a hug and promise you'll do everything Wheeler tells you to?"
"I promise." This time Nat submitted, but as soon as she released her, escaped to join Kwame in the yellow plane.
"She'll be fine." Wheeler assured her.
Smiling, Linka walked into his arms, "I know, I was just trying to head off some problems for you."
He laughed and kissed her.
In the Geocruiser Kwame's eyes widened in surprise when he looked up to see his two friends locked together in a loving embrace. "When did that happen?"
Nat shrugged, "Last night I think. They have been gooey eyed all morning. I like Linka being happy though."
Kwame smiled at her, "We all do."
When Wheeler joined them he was looking particularly pleased with himself but just made sure that Nat was strapped in and ran through the pre-flight checks with Kwame.
Linka waved at the craft until it was out of sight and then headed for the lab.
"No Nat?" Gi asked as she entered.
"Nyet, she is with Wheeler." Linka took her chair and began arranging the materials they would need.
Gi watched her, "Um… I think Kwame was going to ask Wheeler to take him to Georgie's…"
Continuing her organising without looking around Linka said, "Da, apparently anything is more interesting than being shut up in here with us. I just hope she behaves, she is very likely to be over excited."
"You let her go with them?" The Asian's surprise was plain and it made her friend blush.
Still not meeting her eyes, Linka said, "Wheeler and I talked after you got home last night… he wants to take on more responsibility for her, and I agreed."
Gi bent her head to get a better look at Linka's face, "I have a pretty good idea of what Wheeler wants to take on, and it's not just about Nat. Is that all you agreed to?"
"Nyet." Linka's blush deepened but she did finally turn her head to look at Gi and she couldn't help smiling. "I do not think it will be as easy as he seems to think it is, but he wants us to be a family and… and I want that too. I have wanted it for a long time, but there were too many secrets, too many things I did not think I could explain…"
"Wheeler's been head over heels in love with you for years, I'm guessing he was very forgiving?" Gi suggested.
Linka laughed, remembering their conversation, "He was… himself. Which is to say, very patient and very honest. We see things completely differently sometimes, but, that is a good thing… at least, after we have talked it through it is. I think we both need that other view point, that we can trust."
"You think a lot more of him than you let on huh?" Gi asked, "I mean, I was always pretty sure you liked him but… well, he's a decent guy and a good person to have around when we're fighting bad guys but I've never thought of him as Mr Reliable, if you know what I mean?"
"He is though," Linka said quietly, and then smiled, "When he wants to be. He has always been different when it is just us."
Gi looked thoughtful as she returned to her work, "So you're saying you've gotten to see the real Wheeler?"
Linka too went back to setting things up on her desk, "Nyet, just a different side to him, he does not put on an act. There is just more to him than he lets everyone see."
"You do think a lot of him."
"I love him."
The women looked at each other and dissolved into giggles, knowing that that was where the conversation had been going all along.
To be continued…