Hello! I've been reading such fabulous CP fics lately that I decided to write another of my own. This will be a two-part effort and will focus on Linka… or more specifically, how her choices over the latter years of being a Planeteer have impacted upon her life and relationships thus far.

C'mon, you all know what (and who) I'm referring to!

Rated T for some language and adult themes in subsequent chapter.

I don't own Captain Planet, nor am I making any money from this modest hobby.

After the Fall

Chapter One

The woman sat in the far corner booth, quiet and watchful as she sipped the green tea placed on the table several minutes earlier. Her vivid green eyes scanned the small café, which was now almost devoid of customers, save for herself and a pair of lovebirds cuddling in the booth opposite her.

A waitress bustled past the customer and slipped out onto the footpath outside, a spray-bottle and cloth in hand. The door jingled as the employee passed through and Linka watched the waitress go to work, her forlorn gaze settling upon the rhythmic motion of the cloth on the front window. The fabric made an annoying squelching sound as it passed over the glass, but Linka stared on nonetheless, distracted and seemingly troubled by her thoughts… which were even more muddled than usual.

I don't want to do this anymore.

Her cell phone rang and she jumped, nearly knocking the device off the table. Scrambling to grab it before it hit the ground, Linka recognized the caller on the screen and exhaled shakily.

I need to tell him…

Her heartbeat increased two-fold as she held the phone in her hand for a moment, regaining her composure.

I am such a coward...

"Hello?" she answered, her voice steady, betraying the constant sense of anxiety that had been boiling for some weeks now.

"Hey, sweetheart," came the reply, a cheerful, confident voice booming through the ear-piece with a strong American accent. "How's your day been?"

Oh, it was just wonderful, lyubimaya. Hoggish Greedly pushed me into a grain silo today... practically buried me alive under tonnes of wheat until Kwame dragged me out.

"It was alright. And you?" she asked, before adding as an afterthought, "How is your father going?"

A carefree laugh issued from the other end, causing Linka's frown to deepen further. "Aw, you know what it's like. Dad's always too busy with the campaign; Mum's flitting around town in fancy dresses and spending his money. Happy families, ya' know."

Linka murmured a sympathetic apology, listening only half-heartedly as her boyfriend rattled off the ins and outs of his hectic day.

Boyfriend… it had once been such a threatening addition to her vocabulary. Now it simply rolled of the tip of her tongue, unburdened. She had been seeing Grant for just under six months now. The relationship wouldn't have even gone ahead if not for the pressure she had felt from her friends and family (Nona and her brother in particular) to accept the offer of dinner, after meeting him at a charity ball earlier in the year.

He had dazzled her with his intelligence, confidence and connections. She had never cared about financial wealth, but Grant had been born into a family where the term "old money" could be regarded as a gross understatement. Grant conveyed a serious demeanor, although a consequence of this trait was the fact that as the months progressed, laughs became few and far between….and sorely missed.

"Are you insane! Linka, his father will probably be the next president! They have enough money to buy their own country…go for it!" Gi had said in the beginning, with her customary tact and diplomacy. She, like many others, would only see his outward persona… not the morose, spoilt boy he became in private.

Ma-Ti had agreed with Gi's statement (although a discreet beam would have told him otherwise). Only Kwame had remained quiet during the dinner-table discussion… although he would angrily voice his opinions later on down the track, with Linka forced to bare the brunt of his fury. His loyalty towards Wheeler was unwavering, even after the American departed.

In fact, the one person she had been secretly counting on to voice his displeasure at the time had shrugged nonchalantly, then encouraged her to go out and live a little… not exactly the reaction she had been expecting. This had only served to confuse her further…

So many things had changed since those innocent, early days. Boyfriends, girlfriends, new eco-villains, departures and new additions to their Planeteer family had taken a toll on her. Two of the original five Planeteers had quit the group within a few months of each other. Their reasons for leaving had been varied but nonetheless valid. She missed them…

"Honey?" A slightly impatient voice interrupted her thoughts.

"I'm sorry… what did you say?"

Grant sighed theatrically. "I said, can you make it to Martha's Vineyard for Thanksgiving dinner next week? Dad wants some publicity shots with you in them… he thinks you'll increase his margin in the pre-election polls next year, since you're already in the public eye and all. We've got a journo' and photographer from The New York Times coming over, ya' know…" he added, failing to hide the pride evident in his voice.

Bozhe moy…

She grimaced, holding her head in her hands. They had been through this before. "Grant… I have told you that I am not comfortable… I have no wish to influence your father's cam…"

"Oh, come on, Linka! I'm just asking you to have friggin' dinner, damn it! So what if there's a couple of camera's floating 'round," he retorted savagely, swearing again under his breath like a petulant child. "My father's counting on you. Stop being such a baby."

She winced at the remark, although she was only recently coming to the realization that both Grant and his father tended to use intimidation or outright bullying as a way of getting what they wanted. Funny how true colours began to emerge once the 'honeymoon' period was over.

Linka wiped a tear away, pondering for a moment how she had allowed this pushy American to transform her into the blubbering, emotional wreck that she had become.

It was never this way with Wheeler…

Not that they had ever dated, but Linka had always been more than prepared to speak her mind and shatter the Yankee's over-inflated ego when the situation called for it… although this had been more prevalent in the early years of the group. She had always been a little intimidated by members of the opposite sex, although her father was to blame for most of her pre-conceived notions.

"My father needs you, Linka! The election's early next year and he's down in the popularity polls. Would you do this for my father? Please… or for me?"

"Why do you always push me into things I'm not comfortable doing?" she began, her voice cracking slightly on the last syllable.

Linka could practically see him rolling his eyes on the other end of the line. "Because…" he said with deliberate (and belittling) slowness, "you can be stubborn as all hell. Besides, it'll be good for you…my family are very much in the public eye and like it or not, you're gonna have to get used to it."

"I'm not happy, Grant. I don't want to…" she began, but he interrupted her again, oblivious to what Linka was unsuccessfully trying to convey.

"I know you're not happy about it. I know there's been a lot of stuff in the media about us lately, but it's fantastic for the campaign! So what if they're reporting our supposed engagement! Enjoy the attention! Revel in it, babe."

She shuddered, reacting to the familiarity of the final word in Grant's sentence.

I do not want this.

She sighed, switching her phone to the other ear in preparation for the verbal onslaught she would soon experience.

"Grant, I… I need to talk to you."

Three Weeks Later

"Up for a movie?" Gi stuck her head around the corner of Linka's doorway, rattling a microwavable carton of popcorn as if to sweeten the suggestion. "Kwame and Vishaal have just flown home for the holidays."

"Where's Amir?"

Gi snorted. "Haven't a clue. Probably eating or surfing… sometimes it's like Wheeler never left!"

Linka looked up at her best friend and attempted a smile, but seemed to lose the willpower.

Sensing this, Gi stepped inside, closing the door behind her. "Is everything okay, Lin? You've seemed a bit down lately…"

Linka shrugged, reaching back to pull her long blonde hair off her face as Gi sat down beside her on the bed, pulling her legs into a tuck position. "Fine… it's fine."

Gi studied her colleague for a moment, seemingly on the verge of pushing further. She decided against it and changed the subject.

"Christmas plans with Grant?"

Linka swallowed, reddening slightly but luckily the dim light shielded this fact from her inquisitive friend.

"Da. We are going to Martha's Vineyard for Christmas Eve."

"Oh cool! How… sophisticated!"

Linka settled back onto the pillows, leaning her head against the bed-head: all the while hating Grant for making her agree to continue this ridiculous charade for the sake of his father… forcing her to lie to those closest to her.

Gi seemed none the wiser as she grabbed Linka's left hand, inspecting it closely. "Hey, any chance of a ring on that finger yet?"

"Why do you say that?"

"Everyone's saying that!" Gi retorted. "It's all over the TV and magazines…just checking that I wasn't being kept out of the loop!"

"Nyet. There is no ring on this finger."

Nor will there ever be.

"Ooookay. Movie?"

"Nyet. I'm sorry, Gi, but I think I'll just go to bed. I have to leave early in the morning."

Gi took this as her invitation to leave. "All right. Well, have a great holiday."

"You too." Linka replied as she watched Gi shuffle towards the door. "Gi?"

Gi stopped inside the doorway, the light in the hallway casting an angelic glow around her face. "Yes?"

"Do you think Wheeler has forgiven me?"

Gi frowned slightly, contemplating Linka's question. The water planeteer had always known that this topic would come up, although she hadn't expected it to take so long… over six months had passed since the American had quit.

He had announced it out of the blue at one of their weekly admin meetings, looking distinctly uncomfortable as he relayed his decision to four pale faces. No one had been prepared for the revelation; least of all Linka who had actually burst into tears when he had finished speaking. Wheeler had privately assured the Russian that his decision had nothing to do with her relationship with Grant: that it was family issues and an overwhelming need to move on and "get a real job".

In her heart, Linka wasn't convinced.

He had left the next week, leaving behind a shell-shocked team… including one very angry earth-bearer who placed the blame for the American's departure squarely on Linka's shoulders. Linka had been given the cold shoulder from Kwame ever since.

Then Ma-Ti had left. The youngest planeteer had also been the first to find love and marry, something no-one could ever have predicted. Amir and Vishaal had arrived soon after.

And so here she was, feeling a tumult of emotions: fear, anxiety, and above all, deep regret.

"You already know the answer to that, Linka" Gi said, folding her own arms across her chest. "From what I could see, you and Wheeler were on good terms when he left…"

"But he hasn't called, no letters… nothing!" she cried, feeling the all-too-familiar tears beginning to well up. "I… I don't…" she spluttered, now visibly distressed and frantically wiping tears away.

Gi regarded her friend closely, realizing that for someone who was usually in such tight control of her emotions, this was totally out of character… and a little disconcerting. She quickly shut the door again and moved towards the bed, tossing a comforting arm around Linka's shoulders.

"Are you happy?" Gi said quietly in the darkness after a few minutes of silence, punctuated only by the odd sniff.

Linka didn't answer. Gi sighed heavily, squeezing her affectionately.

"You made the decision to go out with Grant. Wheeler has probably moved on himself… in fact, knowing him, he probably has a million girls lined up down the block, all desperate to date him.."

Linka's eyes widened, extremely perturbed by the thought.

"So you think he is all right, then?"

Gi gritted her teeth, unsure as to whether or not to volunteer the next piece of information. "I... um… Kwame had lunch with Wheeler in October, Lin. I'm pretty sure he mentioned a girlfriend…"

"Oh," she said softly, letting the words wash over her for a moment, feeling utterly empty and devoid of feeling.

"I'm sorry… we didn't know how to tell you."

Linka nodded, staring ahead blankly at her desk and dresser.

"He's fine, Linka. You're fine. Stop worrying and just enjoy your time with Grant tomorrow night." Gi stood, withdrawing her arm, before placing a kiss on top of Linka's forehead. "Have a good Christmas, wont you!"

"You too."

Gi disappeared around the corner, but her disembodied voice filtered through the walls nonetheless.

"Ring me if Grant proposes, Linka! I want all the juicy details!"

She barely heard.

This is my own fault. What have I done?

7 years of stubbornness and false pride had contributed to her situation. She had no one to blame but herself.

What right did she have to feel this way, anyway? She had made her choice… albeit the wrong one. She had to live with the aftermath.

Linka stood, kicking a stuffed animal across the floor, angry and bewildered that she was feeling this way. It hit the wall and bounced several times, before coming to rest to the right of her doorway. Linka soon began tossing various items of clothing into a small suitcase, mentally preparing herself for the monumental task ahead of her… mingling with US dignitaries and convincing everybody that Grant and herself were still very much together…

Judging by his treatment of her on the phone after breaking up… she was in for a grueling holiday season.

But promises were promises.

Yep, that's it for now! One chapter to go, the next one will focus on what happens on Christmas Eve. Will Linka play "happy couples" with her ex or ditch the event for another destination entirely?????

Hmmmm… the possibilities.

Read and review.

As per usual, I would love to know what you think of it!