Umm, hi there...my name is Becks and I'm new here. Be gentle.

Ok, can't fool you guys! I'm not new, just been very absent. Thanks to those of you who sent the search party looking for me. Having SWAT bust down my door was a blast. Literally, they used a flash bang. Ears rang for days! In all seriousness, thanks to those who have checked in and asked when I was going to post again. I promise, I've been writing, I just haven't been finishing anything! I started this particular fic back in 2013 and finished it back in 2016. Then life happened. I posted my first story in 2007 and I haven't posted anything in 2017. I figured I better get busy and keep my streak alive!

It's great to see that people are still posting Captain Planet (let's be honest, Wheeler and Linka) fanfic and that there are still active readers/reviewers.

Disclaimer: The characters of Captain Planet are not mine. I do have a few that I made up for the purpose of this story. Not making money from any of this. Maybe I'd post more frequently if I were!

Open Arms

"Here," she says as she holds out her hand to him and drops the trinkets into his extended palm.

He looks at his hand and gapes at the jewelry in shock.

"No Linka, keep them," he says as he tries to hand them back to her.

"They are not mine to keep, Wheeler."

He pushes them towards her once more.

"I gave them to you...that makes them yours."

"Your grandmother intended for you to give them to your wife. That is not me...not anymore."

He shoves his hand in his pocket and deposits the rings.

"This divorce wasn't my choice."

She shakes her head in disagreement.

"But it was...You say you did not want it, but you did not do anything to make things better."

"I don't know what you want from me Linka. It's always been all or nothing with you. You either loved me or hated me when we first met. Guess that never changed. I could never do enough for you. I was never good enough. I knew that. I thought you had accepted it. Guess not."

"This is not about you being good enough. You are just so difficult! You TRY to irritate me. Just like when we were teenagers. It may have been 'cute' then...but it has gotten old. I am tired of all the fighting! It was as if you started fights just to get to the 'making up' part."

He smiles and says, "Is that so bad?"

She doesn't return his smile.

"Everything is a joke to you. It leads me to believe that this marriage was all a joke. Just something you needed to prove. To conquer. Ok. You got me...now what were you planning on doing to keep me?"

"I thought loving you was enough?"

"Was it love?"

"I thought so...but I guess it was one sided."

"Da...on my side. 'Love' is not intentionally hurting someone's feelings like you always do to me. You start fights, make me feel terrible...for God's sake Wheeler, you tell our son that I am the bad guy! That every argument is my fault. 'Watch out, Mom is in a bad mood'...And when I tell him no to something, you turn around and let him do whatever he wants."

"Because you're so strict! Let the kid have fun! And married people argue Linka...it shouldn't have been cause for a divorce."

"I agree, the occasional argument is fine...but daily? I was miserable. A husband is not supposed to make his wife miserable."

"My mom never left my dad. Guess she loved him more than you love...loved me," he says softly.

"That is not fair and it is not true. I did love you...with all of my heart...from the very beginning. Your mother was able to stay with your father through all of their troubles, and I admire her for that...but I was under the impression that you never wanted to be like your father...and yet, there you were, constantly fighting."

"I never hit you!"

"You think hitting me is the only way to hurt me? Wrong. You hurt me with your words."

"You fought back! It's what we do! We always have! Some of the things you said hurt me too!" He argues.

"Which is exactly why this marriage has to end. How can we claim to love each other when all we do is hurt each other?" She asks.

"I don't know...we just did."

"We were great friends, Jason. I hope that for Mikey's sake, we can remain friendly...we should still be able to spend time together as a family...to make this easier on him. Holidays, school events...stuff like that."

"So what's going to happen with him? Will you take him back to Russia?"

"Nyet...he refuses to speak the language and says he does not know it. He shows no interest in learning about the history and the culture. He was born here. This is his home, his friends are all here, and I will not take him away from all he has ever known. He already hates me."

"You're his mother...he doesn't hate you."

"He blames me for this divorce...that is your fault..."

"I'll talk to him. I'll tell him it's mine..."

"Nyet...just tell him...these things happen. Like I said, if we can remain friends, it will be easier for him to accept."

"So...you're not going to go back to Russia?"

"My grandmother is gone...my brother has a family of his own. Mikey is all I have. I am staying wherever he is."

"Is there another reason? Is there...someone else?" He asks, unable to keep the jealousy from his voice. "Is that why you wanted the divorce?"

She sighs.

"Bozhe moy Wheeler...how many times must I tell you? There is only one reason for this divorce. There is no one else. We just cannot go on like this any longer...these last few years...ever since you got that new job...you have changed."

"How? Working hard, providing for my family, being a responsible adult? You were always telling me to 'grow up' and then when I did, you didn't like it?"

"What I did not like was being stuck at home all day. If you had come home at a decent time, maybe I would have been able to get out. I had to miss PTA meetings at Mikey's school because you were not home from work yet. I could not join the other mothers for 'girl's night out' because you had to take potential clients to a ballgame, and I did not have a sitter for Mikey. Eventually, they stopped asking me. You have all your friends from work to socialize with...I have no one. Just you...and you stopped making time for me. I never thought I would see the day when you stopped paying attention to me."

"I'm sorry...I didn't realize I was doing that. If you had just said something..." He says softly.

"I SHOULD NOT HAVE HAD TO!"

He hangs his head, unable to look at her.

"When we were kids, I could not get you to leave me alone...When did you stop noticing me?"

"I just...I didn't...like you said...I guess I stopped trying because I 'had' you. Didn't think I needed to do more because I love you...and I thought that was enough."

"But even when I brought it up to you, how unhappy we were and how things needed to change...or else...you still did nothing."

"I never thought it would get to this. I never thought you'd ask for a divorce...that you'd give up."

"We have always been a team, Wheeler...you know that a team works better when all members are working together to achieve the same goal...it felt like I was the only one working and you were back to your old ways of being lazy and complacent...so you asked me if there was someone else...should I be asking you that? Was there...IS there someone else? Is that why you did not make an effort to save our marriage?"

His head shoots up to look her in the eye as he declares,

"NO! There was never anyone else...ever. From the moment I met you, you're the only one I ever wanted."

"I felt the same."

"Then don't file the papers! It's not too late. We can fix this...We can go to counseling and work this out."

"You are only saying that. If you meant it, you would have agreed to it when I suggested it before instead of saying, 'I'm not airing my personal life with some shrink. Our problems are no one else's business.'"

"What more do you want me to do? I'll quit my job. Resign my position. I'll get out of the corporate level of management and go be a freakin' cashier at the grocery store. 40 hours or less a week, 9-5. You can go out as soon as I get home."

"Why could you not just come home before and spend time with your family? Help Mikey with his homework. I know academics are not your favorite thing, but I think you could have been a little more helpful with his history homework than I was...or maybe you could have taken him to soccer practice? Been part of the coaching staff? Went to his games? Or NOT been on the phone the whole time when you did manage to show up. We should have done more things TOGETHER as a FAMILY. The three of us...but instead, it was just the two of us. It feels like it is just Mikey and me. I am raising our child on my own with no help from you...and then when all the arguing started becoming more frequent...I am sure it is difficult for Mikey to deal with, but he never shows it...I suppose it is a blessing that we did not have more kids...it would only make things worse."

"How can you say that?! I know you don't really mean it. I know you haven't forgotten how hard we tried to have one kid...what a struggle it was. All the heartache..."

She remains silent, knowing she has crossed a line by bringing up a sensitive subject. So he continues to argue his case.

"All that other stuff you mentioned...I didn't know any of it was an issue...you know I'm kinda dense...and you hide your feelings. It took us over six fucking years to work out how we really felt for each other. We're doing the same thing all over again...I'm not seeing your true feelings, and you're not giving me any clues as to HOW you're feeling. If we had just gotten all of this out in the open before...we wouldn't be here right now."

"You are right...finally, you get it."

"Don't file the papers."

"Wheeler...do not make this any harder than it already has been. It is too late for us. The damage has been done and it is too severe to fix. But as I said, I want to remain friends...ok?"

There is a long pause. He doesn't want to admit that it's over, but he doesn't want to lose her friendship as well.

"Ok...just...please...take these?"

He once again reaches into his pocket and holds out the rings to her.

"Nyet Wheeler. I cannot. Having them and knowing I can never wear them again would be too painful...you keep them. They are part of your family's history. Do what you want with them."

She turns to walk away.

"I'm never going to give my grandmother's rings to anyone else...just so you know."

"Then give them to Mikey some day when he has met the girl he wants to marry."

"Why would he want to do that? They're tainted now. These were supposed to mean forever...looks like 'forever' isn't as infinite as it used to be."

"Da...I guess so."

She once again turns to leave and he watches as the large court house doors close behind her.

To Be Continued...

So, not exactly the cheerful Christmas present you were hoping, I'm sure. I apologize. And if anyone was wondering about the title, yes. The song "Open Arms" by Journey. It was one of those moments were I was driving and I heard the song and it made my mind wander to a possible fic when I heard the line "We sailed on together, but drifted apart..." since most of our stories end with Wheeler and Linka "living happily ever after," I thought I'd try one where the fairytale didn't go as planned. I hope you'll still stick with me and enjoy the drama in between the sad beginning and the ending.