A/N: Thanks to everyone who has been reading and reviewing.
This chapter has a small time jump since their lives have now fallen into a routine of sorts.
I have Wheeler's birthday at the end of November and Nat's at the beginning of December. This means that we only have a couple of chapters left before we get to Christmas... so I'll probably take a break from posting for a couple of months at the end of August so that I can keep it seasonal. I did consider taking the break here but because it's Hope Island it still has a summer'y feel. I hope that makes sense to everyone.
Chapter Eighteen
"You spent her birthday with your friends, the least you can do is bring her here for Christmas." Linka's grandmother asserted through the PlanetVision.
The young woman sighed, "I explained that. Natalya did not want to celebrate at all, she only agreed because it was close enough to Jason's to have a joint party. She went along with it for him."
She naturally didn't mention the other occasions they'd observed with her friends because without associated memories or an emotional attachment, Nat had taken part with a detached but willing curiosity. The only one that had had any personal component was Thanksgiving and since Wheeler had merely told the young girl that he was celebrating having his closest friends with him, even though he included her, most of it went over her head and she just enjoyed the American treats he helped Linka make for dinner.
As if she'd read Linka's thoughts, Grandmuska fixed her with a gaze she knew well, "Then she can go along with Christmas for me. I do not have much family left and I want to spend time with them while I still can."
Linka sighed again, knowing she wasn't going to win the argument. "Ok."
"Good," the older woman cheered up immediately, "Where is she today anyway?"
Her answer brought a smile to her own lips, "Designing a treehouse with Jason. He promised to build it for her."
"He is a sweetheart, and I hope you know I was including him in the invitation? He is family now too." Encouraged by the shy nod her grandaughter gave her in response, she asked tentatively, "You have not said, but you seem more comfortable with him taking an active role now…"
"Oh…" Linka's eyes widened as she mentally reviewed the rather rushed conversations she'd had with her relative over the last few months. She blushed. "I… we… um, yes. That is, we have talked about it and agreed that we should raise her together."
"Together as friends, or together as a couple?" she was trying not to smile but she was fairly sure she already knew the answer.
Linka swallowed, "A couple." Then she added quickly, "But we are taking things slowly… perhaps too slowly, I know he thinks we should go on a date at least but there is never any time."
Grandmuska frowned, "You should make time darling. It is important that you learn to function as partners."
"We already do," the Planeteer told her, not sorry to be able to discuss her relationship, "We went from friends to parents and it just works, but there is no time for us to be alone… I am not even sure if we need that since we seem to have achieved what most couples are working for when they get married."
"Do you want to be with him Linka? I know we all pushed you together, including Natalya, but is it what you want?" There was worry in her voice.
Her face deepening in colour again, Linka nodded, "It was always what I wanted, I just wish it did not feel so one sided sometimes. He is always the one to compromise, he does everything he can to make us happy. I want to be what he needs too but I do not know how or even if I can."
Again her grandmother was returned to smiles, "My Little Bird, he needs you to let him see that you want to be with him. Make time for him, if your friends won't look after Nat then bring her here."
"It is not that simple, she will panic if we both leave her… and it is too far to travel for a few hours." Linka shook her head as more problems started to occur to her, but her train of thought was interrupted.
Grandmuska sighed, "Linka you are a very intelligent young woman, and you have always been good at coming up with solutions for other people. It is time you started coming up with a few for yourself, if being with Jason is what you want, make it work!"
"Here she is." Kwame said cheerfully as Linka entered the lounge.
She blinked in surprise, although she'd taken the long way back from the Crystal Chamber to give herself time for reflection and then stopped at the lab to talk to Gi, she hadn't thought they'd be looking for her yet. "Were you waiting for me?"
"Uncle Kwame wants Jason to fix the plane," Nat said glumly, not looking up from colouring her latest treehouse picture.
"Just some maintenance on the eco-copter before he and Ma-Ti head to their plant thing." Wheeler explained, tucking an arm around Linka as she settled beside him. "It won't take long."
Kwame frowned, "It is a Botanical Ecology Conference, not a 'plant thing'."
"It's not about plants?" Wheeler looked genuinely surprised.
Shifting uncomfortably his friend admitted, "It is… but you make it sound like we're going to a garden centre for the day."
Even Nat giggled at that, but she still handed her drawing to Linka, trying to change the subject, "Do you like it? Jason and I are going to build it from driftwood, it's going to be so cool!"
Linka swallowed the dozens of disaster scenarios that immediately came to mind and smiled, "Can I help?"
Nat nodded delightedly and would have continued to explain the design but Wheeler interrupted. "Not today though, I have to find enough wood first, it's going to take a little time."
"Gaia said there will be storms later this week," Linka told him. "There should be more around after that."
Nat sighed but didn't complain. Wheeler had already explained why they didn't just buy wood from a store and the budding planeteer within her had added that to the list of why her treehouse would be 'cool', even if she regretted the delay.
"I'll go take a look at the 'copter then," Wheeler gave Linka a squeeze and got up, "Don't wait for me at lunchtime, I'll grab something later."
To his surprise, his girlfriend got up and followed him outside. He stopped, "Everything ok Babe?"
"Da," She smiled a little shyly, "I was just going to ask if you have any plans this afternoon?"
"No… have you got something in mind?" he stepped back towards her and rested his hands on her waist.
It seemed like the most natural thing in the world to thread her arms around him, "Gi is going to give Nat a lesson about sea creatures, and they do not really need me there. I thought perhaps we could go for a walk or watch a movie." She added apologetically, "I know it is not much of a date but Gi offered to make her dinner as well, so we could camp out in your room with a pizza or something?"
He grinned, "Sounds perfect."
"Not really, but I will not worry the way I would if we went off island." She explained.
"It sounds perfect," he corrected her, and pressed a tender kiss to her answering smile. "I'll come find you when I'm done."
She nodded, and kissed him again before releasing him to his work.
Wheeler was surprised a couple of hours later when he entered his cabin to find Linka sitting cross legged on his bed, typing on her laptop. "Oh, hi."
"Hi, I hope you do not mind?" she responded shyly, but with no real expectation of his objecting, "Gi does not like me around when she is teaching, she says I 'but in' too often."
He chuckled affectionately, "I don't mind, I'm gonna jump in the shower quickly though, the organic grease Ma-Ti makes stinks after a while."
"I can wait in my room then…" she began to offer, but was interrupted.
"You're fine Babe, I can change in the bathroom." He told her, adding with a wink, "hell, you could move in if you wanted."
She laughed and turned her attention back to her laptop, still aware of his movements around the room as he grabbed a change of clothes before disappearing into the bathroom.
Half an hour later Wheeler emerged, his hair still damp and his feet bare. Taking his place beside his girlfriend, he wrapped an arm around her and kissed her upturned lips. It thrilled him that it felt so natural to do that now, and was even happier when she curled into him. They leant back into his pillows, content in each other's company.
"So what do you have planned for us?" he gently stroked the backs of his fingers down her cheek, and pressed another light kiss to her lips before she could answer.
Linka smiled, "I know you said not to wait for you for lunch, but I did anyway. I have a picnic packed, I hope that is ok?"
"Sure," He smiled back, "Where are we headed?"
"Your choice." She tilted her head up and kissed him, momentarily distracting them both. "Or we can just stay here if you want to?"
Wheeler chuckled, "I have an idea, no rush though."
They didn't rush for the next half hour or so, but at last Wheeler picked up the picnic basket in one hand and took Linka's in his other, guiding her in the opposite direction to the beach the friends usually played on.
"Yankee… it is very rocky this way." Linka pointed out, not sure where he was taking them.
"Trust me." He grinned.
She raised an eyebrow but her lips curled up into a smile, "I do trust you, and I am happy to walk with you. Even if we have to walk more than half way around the island to find somewhere…" she broke off into laughter as he caught her up against him and tickled the sensitive spot in her side.
"Are you going to trust me?" he teased and she nodded, smiling affectionately up at him and making no move to extricate herself.
Wheeler gazed into her eyes as if mesmerised, until her expression turned curious? "What?"
He gave a half shrug, unable to explain what it meant to him when she looked at him with love in her eyes, her expression unguarded and happy. "Just sometimes I need to remind myself that this is real."
"Me too." Linka leant in and kissed him, long and slow, scrambling his brain even further. "I am sorry I have not made more time for us."
"We're together, it's all good."
She shook her head, "Da, but we still need to work out what that means. We should not just make it about Nat, and I do not think that is what either of us wants either."
"You're right," he told her accompanied by a soft kiss, "but that's what we're doing now isn't it? As long as it's what we both want, we will work it out."
Linka agreed, and returned to following his lead, still dubious about their destination but content in the journey anyway.
To be continued…