A/N: Well, this is it! Last chapter. When I started proof reading this chapter this morning, I thought for sure that when I posted it, I'd be dedicating it to the first Triple Crown winner in 30 years...but the drought continues (Don't worry, next year, a colt named Nicanor will win it...you heard it here first!). Big Brown is a hell of a horse though, and alot of people are down on horse racing and consider it cruel (and it can be, especially to the horses that don't go fast enough...they end up like the horses in this story), but I just want to point out that once his jockey, Kent Desormeaux, knew that they were not going to win the race, or even get a good finish, he eased the horse up and stopped racing him hard, even though Big Brown was fighting him and wanted to keep running. Desormeaux said that he did it because Big Brown was "the best horse I've ever been on, so I took care of him." It wasn't about the money, or the recognition...it was about the horse, as it should ALWAYS be. And in his last race (the Preakness), Desormeaux didn't use the whip at all...he didn't need to because the horse knew when to run. They should all be trained that way! Knowing when to run without being whipped is also a sign that Big Brown is a very intelligent horse, so maybe he just didn't feel like running today...it was 90+degrees and humid...would YOU run a mile and a half on a day like today? Of course not...and maybe he was thinking "Why are we running? It's too damn hot," so he took it easy! I just wanted to give recognition to a great horse who shouldn't be remembered for a disappointing Belmont Stakes, but an awesome Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, and acknowledge his jockey, who is a classy guy. And congrats to Da'Tara who was a 79-1 longshot and led from start to finish! That's pretty impressive for a horse that no one expected to win!

And I'd like to point out that I named the horse that Wheeler and Linka saved "Bravo" for a reason. There is a horse running this year whose name is "Yankee Bravo," and when I heard it, I thought of Wheeler. There's also a horse named "Pyro" who is one of my favorites. Then there are two horses that made me think of Linka when I first heard their names, "Fierce Wind," and "Smooth Air." I actually met a guy who knows Smooth Air's owners. He was in my store and we somehow got to talking about horse racing. It was just a few days before the Florida Derby and he told me to keep an eye out for Smooth Air during the race. Well Big Brown was my favorite horse to win that race, but I was also pulling for Smooth Air. He came in 2nd to Big Brown! Fierce Wind was also in that race, but finished 10th.

Now back to the story! Thanks for sticking with me through all the "real/educational" stuff. I hope you didn't mind putting up with it, but it led to some Wheeler and Linka stuff that I hadn't planned on doing (I wanted to try and stay closer to the show), but it happens! Besides, I don't know about you, but I watched the show because of Wheeler and Linka, not because of the environmental issues.

I have to apologize to Gi in this one (and to her fans). I was in a bad mood when I wrote it and frustrated with a friend, so Gi took the brunt of my anger because I saw a few similarities between my friend and her!

They woke up the next morning…more like afternoon, feeling well rested.

"Good morning princess."

"Princess? You have not called me that in a long time."

"Not since the last time we were in DC causing trouble!"

"Da."

"So, this is ok with you? Me sneaking into your cabin?"

"Nyet. I told you last night, it is not ok. I do not want any 'sneaking' anymore."

"Well, I just didn't want you to think that I was some sex crazed maniac. I mean, I CAN control myself…I just don't want to!"

Linka blushes.

"I do not want you to either. Last night was even better than the night before. Perhaps it was because we are home and I was more relaxed."

"That's because it's new and exciting…that stops when you're old and married…that's what I hear anyways," he jokes.

"I do not think I could ever get bored with you, even after many years of marriage."

"Are you proposing to me?" he teases.

"NYET! I am just saying…" she sighs in frustration, trying to compose her thoughts, "I have wasted so much time. I do not want to waste anymore, but I will not take for granted the time that we do have. No matter how long it lasts, I will cherish every moment. But I hope it lasts a very long time."

"Is forever long enough?" he asks as he pulls her tightly against him. "Think you can put up with me for that long?"

"Da, forever sounds nice…and I think I can handle you. I guess I will have to since I do not want anyone else BUT you."

"Is that so?"

"Da. I have built up a tolerance to you…May as well stick with you," she says as she places a quick kiss on his lips. "Bozhe moy! Look at the time!"

"What? It's only 12:30."

"That may be early for you Yankee, but for me to sleep this late…the others are going to think I am dead!"

"Then maybe I should give you some mouth to mouth…oh wait. I almost forgot." He reaches over the edge of the bed, grabs his jeans, and reaches into his pocket. "Mints." He says while shaking the container and popping a few in his mouth.

Linka laughs loudly at his silliness and grabs for the mints. "Give me some of those."

"Come get 'em," he teases, pulling her against him and kissing her, causing her to giggle.

Then a knock on the door,

"Linka? You're finally awake! What's so funny?"

"Bozhe moy," Wheeler whispers as he leans his forehead against hers.

"Nyet, more like 'chort voz mi,'" she whispers back. "Da Gi, I am awake. Just checking my email," she yells to her friend.

"You haven't heard from Wheeler today have you? No one has seen him."

"Maybe he is swimming," she suggests as she pulls on the t-shirt she was sleeping in.

"No, Ma-Ti and Kwame are out there. I was going to join them and thought I'd see if you wanted to come too."

"Maybe he is surfing on the other side of the island. I know he has said before that the waves over there are better." She then turns to Wheeler and whispers, "you have to go."

"Hey, what happened to not hiding from anyone?"

"Can I come in?" They can hear Gi turning the knob. "Why is your door locked?"

"I always lock it," Linka yells. Then quietly says to Wheeler, "This is not how I wanted everyone to find out. Gi already has her suspicions."

"You mean you didn't tell her?" he whispers back.

"It was...implied. I just…I do not want to deal with her seeing us like this. You know how she over reacts. Now, get your Yankee butt out that window. Hold on Gi, I will be right there as soon as I finish this email."

"Ok. Take your time."

"Uh, Babe…" Wheeler says as he hops on one leg trying to pull up his jeans.

"What?!"

"Kwame and Ma-Ti are on the beach," he says, while pointing out the window. "They're gonna see me climbing out the window."

"Then get under the bed."

"You're joking right?"

"Nyet, now go!" she hisses.

"I can't fit under there, plus, that's the first place she's gonna look!"

"She's not going to look!"

"Babe, Gi is the freakin' nosiest person on this island…she might not blatantly bend down and look, but she'll slyly drop something and have to bend down and pick it up…or sit on the bed and bounce extra hard so it squishes me…"

Linka stops his rambling by pressing her lips against his. She puts her hand on his chest and pushes him towards the bathroom. "Then hide in here," she says, closing the door.

Linka glances at her reflection in the mirror, quickly pulling her hair back, rubbing at her swollen lips, and straightening her nightshirt. Once satisfied with her appearance, she walks over to the door, unlocks it, and opens it to Gi. She can't help but notice Gi glancing around the room, as if she's looking for something. When her gaze finally lands on Linka, she's shocked.

"Hey! That's Wheeler's shirt!"

"Oh. Da. He gave it to me to sleep in when we were in DC and I fell asleep in his room."

"Fell asleep. Right," Gi teases. "I feel like I'm interrupting you. Were you busy?"

"Nyet, I am just having a lazy day. I stayed in bed longer than I am used to and had a hard time getting up. Plus, my feet are killing me from all the walking we did in DC. And then I was checking my email and I got one from the veterinarian that is treating Wheeler's horse."

"The one you guys were calling Bravo?"

"Da. It turns out, he was one of the horses that you saw Rigger stealing in Texas. The rancher that owns them has claimed them. The mare that gave birth was also his. The mare was bred to Bravo, whose name is really Sereno. So, the rancher has decided to name the foal Bravo instead! Is that cool or what?"

"Yes. That's a great story. And good news. I'm glad their owner will be reunited with them."

"Soooo, did you want something?" Linka asks.

"Just to see if you wanted to go for a swim," Gi says as she plops down on Linka's bed.

Linka grimaces. If Wheeler had been under the bed, that could have been painful.

"Something wrong?" Gi asks.

"Nyet. Swimming sounds like fun. I will meet you out there as soon as I get dressed. I could use a shower first though," Linka heads to the door, hoping Gi will follow her and leave.

"Isn't it kind of pointless to get a shower before swimming?"

"Uhh, I need to shave."

"Oh ok. Do you think I can use your bathroom real quick before I go?"

"Umm, I would kind of like to hurry up and get my shower. Can you not use yours instead?"

"I guess. I just thought I'd use yours so I didn't have to go back to my cabin and then back to the beach…but I don't want to disturb Wheeler in his genius hiding place."

"What?!" Linka laughs nervously.

"Come on out Wheeler!" Gi shouts in a singsong voice while pounding on the bathroom door.

"It is ok Yankee. Come out."

"Thanks for letting me use your bathroom Babe…it's all yours Gi."

Linka rolls her eyes. "Give it up, Dorogaya moya. She's too smart for us."

"More like too nosey," Wheeler grumbles.

"I'm not nosey, just inquisitive."

"Inquisitive is just a nice way to say nosey! Either way, your need to butt in ruined a perfect morning."

"Wheeler, stop. It is not a big deal."

"I'm sorry Babe, but yes it is. When you start worrying about having the others constantly busting in and interrupting for juvenile reasons, like catching us, it's a big deal. And when you try to sneak me out of windows and under the bed, and into bathrooms, then it becomes a big deal. We're not kids. We don't need to hide what's going on from anyone, and we shouldn't feel embarrassed by it…especially around our friends. So grow up Gi. Stop acting like you've never seen two people in a relationship before. Or like the bratty little sister who needs to spy."

"Wheeler that is ENOUGH! I am sorry Gi. Will you excuse us for a minute?"

"Yeah. I'll see you at the beach if you still feel like going for a swim." When Gi got to the doorway, she stops, chuckles, and jokes, "It's kind of embarrassing when Wheeler is the one who has to tell me to grow up, huh?" It was clear that her pride was hurt more than her feelings.

"I didn't mean to be hurtful, Gi. You just needed to hear that…and I'm not very good at being subtle."

"It's ok. I'm not very good at picking up subtleties," she says as she leaves the room.

"Well it is not ok with me. Wheeler, she is our friend. You should not have yelled at her like that."

"I didn't yell."

"You were mean."

"I apologized…sort of."

Linka looked at him and rolled her eyes.

"Look Babe, she needed to hear that. Admit it. She does have a tendency to gossip. I bet if you look out that window right now, she's probably telling the guys everything."

Sure enough, when they look out the window, Gi is chatting it up with Ma-Ti and Kwame and pointing back to Linka's cabin. Linka just shakes her head.

"Well, at least everyone knows now."

"They already knew."

"What?!"

"Umm, I may have mentioned it to them."

"When?"

"At breakfast yesterday," he confesses.

"Oh, and I suppose it just came up in casual conversation?"

"Not exactly. It was more like me letting them know why I was so happy."

"So then, what is the big deal about Gi telling them if they already know?"

"That's just it. They know, and they're happy for us…but other than that, they don't care. They're not going to 'ooh and ah' every time we hold hands or kiss. And they're definitely not going to hover outside the door looking for clues of a rendezvous!"

"That is because they are boys. Girls are different. We are romantics. If Gi was sneaking around with a boy, I would be doing the same thing she is. And with me not being very forthcoming with details on my personal life…she has to snoop if she wants any information."

"Ok. I'll apologize again. More sincerely next time. I guess maybe I was still a little angry at her for not being 100 percent onboard with us at the beginning of our last mission," he admits.

"Oh Lyubimaya. She came around. I told you she would…just like you always do when you are wrong!" she says, putting her hands behind his neck and pulling his head down so that it's touching hers. "Now, if you will excuse me, I would like to get a shower."

Wheeler holds onto her for a little while longer and pulls her into a kiss.

"I'd like to get a shower too," he says suggestively.

"If you are suggesting what I think you are suggesting…forget it!"

"Aw, c'mon! Who's gonna wash my back?!"

"Same person that has always washed it…YOU!" she counters.

"What's the matter Babe? Why so shy all of a sudden? It's not like I haven't seen you…"

"I know. But you know me. That is a little too…wild for me. Is that what I am meaning to say?"

He pulls her tightly against him and speaks softly into her ear,

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Wild works. But picture this…You. Me. Bubbles trailing down my body, from my shoulders, down my chest and abs…the water falling down on our heads. And lots of kissing." He nips at her ear lobe and smiles when she gasps.

"I do not know…it sounds nice, but embarrassing."

"Ok. I'm not going to push you to do anything you don't wanna, I'm just being my usual obnoxious self. I just don't wanna let you outta my sight for a second, but I will. But for the record, you have nothing to be embarrassed about…You're beautiful. Besides, it's just me Babe."

"I know. I trust you. I am just shy I guess. Before, there was darkness and covers…and now…"

"Now it's just us. Same as it was then," Wheeler says.

Linka considers his words for a moment, "I do not want you to leave either but…"

Before she can finish, Wheeler scoops her into his arms, covers her mouth with his, and carries her into the bathroom. "Wheeeeeeler…What. Are. You. Doing?" she mutters between kisses.

"Trying to. Convince you. To save. Water. Planeteer," he replies. When he stops his assault on her lips, he looks her in the eyes and asks, "So how am I doin'?"

"Keep trying."

"Gladly," he says, returning his attention to her mouth and reaching behind her into the shower in order to turn the water on.

"Ok, ok…but I am warning you. My shampoo and shower gel is vanilla lavender…you are going to smell like a girl."

"I don't care. I love the way you smell," he confesses.

"You do?"

"Mmm hmm. Before all this, when you would walk past me, or stood next to me, I'd take a deep breath and just fall in love every time. It's like my senses were heightened to that scent."

"I did not realize it was so strong. I hope it is not too much."

"No, it's not. I asked the guys if they could figure out what the scent was, and they both said they never really noticed before. Like I said, I think it was just me. It got to me. The scent lingered, but wasn't overwhelming. When you leave a room, it stays. I could always tell if you'd been in a room before me, or I could tell when you entered a room without even seeing you walk in. So I don't care if I smell like vanilla lavender because it's just one more way that I can be reminded of you, even when you're not around."

"Wow. You ARE good."

Wheeler smiles slyly and raises his eyebrows at her.

"Get in here," she says.

On the beach, Wheeler and Linka walk hand in hand over to Kwame and Ma-Ti, who are waxing their surfboards.

"Look who finally decided to crawl out of bed!" Kwame teases.

"We were about to go surfing, Gi promised us some good waves. Care to join us?" Ma-Ti asks.

"Uhh, I'd like to, but I think I'll pass. I have a feeling Gi might feel the urge to serve me up a tsunami," Wheeler says.

"Where is Gi?" Linka asks.

"She is sunbathing on the dock," Kwame says.

"I am going to join her…and if you want to go surfing Yankee, perhaps I can convince her to let you live!"

"That'd be great. Thanks Babe, you're the best," he says as he gives her a quick peck on the lips.

"You are welcome." As she walks away, she turns around and says to Wheeler, "Before you go surfing, could you stop by the dock and put sun block on my back?"

"Absolutely!" he shouts, unable to keep from grinning.

"Isn't that cute Ma-Ti? The mighty Wheeler has been tamed…or should I say, 'whipped?'" Kwame teases.

"Haha, yes. What is the world coming to? When Linka says jump and big bad Wheeler says 'how high?'"

"Very funny. And don't act like you two wouldn't jump at the chance to rub sun block all over a beautiful woman…I think you're jealous."

"Maybe if she had a bathing suit that covered her more, she would not need sun block," Ma-Ti laughs.

"Yes, I have never seen that one before. She must have been saving it for when she finally gave into Wheeler's pursuit," Kwame snickers.

"Can you imagine what he would be like if they were not together and she wore that suit? He would drown in his own drool!"

"Wow, you guys are hilarious!" Wheeler says as he grabs Ma-Ti and playfully puts him in a headlock.

"Umm, Wheeler…you smell like a girl," Ma-Ti says.

"Is that you?! I wondered what smelled like flowers," Kwame adds.

"No, it is more like vanilla," Ma-Ti corrects.

"For your information, it's vanilla AND flowers…and my skin has never felt softer…here feel it," Wheeler says as he extends his arm.

"NO! No thank you."

"Yes, we believe you," Kwame says. "Now if you will excuse us, we are going to go surfing…perhaps you would rather work on your tan with the OTHER girls!"

Ma-Ti and Kwame high five each other. Usually it is Wheeler who is always making the wise cracks about the others. They are enjoying the opportunity to finally give him a taste of his own medicine. Wheeler was able to appreciate a good roast and was taking it all in stride.

"Are you kidding? And damage my skin? Linka just loofah-ed me."

"Umm, perhaps my English is not as good as I thought. I have not heard of being 'loofah-ed' and I know we are friends, but maybe you are sharing too much information," Ma-Ti says.

"It's a type of sponge! Scrubs off all the dead skin cells. Geez, you guys have been hanging around me too much!"

The other boys laugh at Wheeler, who has managed to embarrass himself to the point where he can feel his face turning red.

"Wow my friend. The sun is really getting to you. Perhaps you should go get that sun block rubdown now!" Kwame jokes.

"You say that as if it's a bad thing," Wheeler says, winking at his friends and heading towards the dock.

When Wheeler gets to the dock, the girls are sitting on the end of the dock, dangling their feet in the water, and don't notice him approaching. He bends down, reaches into the water, scoops up a handful of water, and splashes them. This gets their attention and they turn around, but the looks on their faces aren't that of amusement…it's not anger either. It's sad.

"Hey, what's up with you girls? Everything ok?"

"Nyet Wheeler. Come sit down," Linka says sadly.

"I'll leave you two alone," Gi says, standing up and taking her laptop with her.

"No Gi, stay. I want to apologize for earlier. Oh geez, I didn't know you had your computer. I didn't get it wet when I splashed you did I? WHY do you have it by the way? Looks like work to me! You gotta learn to relax more."

"No Wheeler, you didn't get it wet, and there's no need to apologize. Let's just forget about it."

"Ok, agreed. So stick around."

"No, I'm going to put this away and find Kwame and Ma-Ti."

"Suit yourself. The guys are waiting for you to make them some waves anyways. Catch ya later," Wheeler says.

"Yeah. See ya," Gi says as she walks back towards land.

"Weird. Are you sure she's not mad at me?" Wheeler asks Linka as he sits down behind her, straddling her so that his legs are also hanging over the dock and into the water. He places several kisses on the back of her neck then grabs the sun block, squirts it into his palm, and begins rubbing the lotion onto her back and shoulders.

"She is not mad at you."

"She's not mad at you is she? Things seemed pretty tense when I came down here, and…"

"Wheeler, we need to talk."

"Uh-oh. That's never a good thing to hear." He stops applying the sun block and looks over her shoulder so that he can see her face. "You're not having second thoughts about us are you?"

"Nyet, of course not. We are going to need each other now more than ever."

"What's goin' on Linka, you're scarin' me."

"Gi was checking the email and got one from the Senate Majority Leader saying that the hold that was put on the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act has not been removed."

"What?! How could they see all that and not take the hold off? That senator from Idaho is one heartless S.O.B."

"The Senator that placed the hold on the bill did not even attend the presentation."

"What kinda politician is he? He's making major decisions, shouldn't he be informed on the subject? Not being there was irresponsible. What could have possibly been more important than doing his job?" Wheeler asks.

"According to the email, he was golfing with his lawyers."

Wheeler chuckles humorlessly, "Probably discussing how to get off on the charges from his arrest last summer."

The anger is building inside him. He wants to yell. He wants to knock some sense into this guy, but unfortunately, he's not here right now.

"MOTHER F…" but before he finishes, he slams his fist into the post on the dock. Luckily for him, the rope that was wrapped around the post cushioned the blow.

"Feel better?" Linka asks, taking his hand in hers and examining his slightly bloody knuckles.

"No," he says as he leans his forehead against her back and stares down at the ground, "…maybe a little."

They sat there in silence for a few minutes until Linka spoke,

"We did everything right. We did everything we could. There is nothing more that could have been done to change the outcome."

Wheeler looks up and rests his chin on her shoulder, "I know. It just sucks that the Greedlys of the world, these sickos that are making money at the expense of innocent horses' lives…they know the horrible things that are done to these horses, and they don't care. THAT scares me. That a person can be so heartless."

"Money and greed is all that matters to them. This is the kind of world that we live in."

"Hard to imagine people would WANT to bring kids into a world like this. Wars, genocide, starvation, hate, cruelty to animals AND people...how do you explain all that to a kid when they see it?"

"Easy. You do not let them see it. You let them remain innocent for as long as possible."

"So they can grow up sheltered and naïve? What are they going to do when they find out that the world isn't all gumdrops and sunshine?" he asks sarcastically.

"Well hopefully, they will have been raised to be tolerant of things that they do not agree with, and have the strong will to make a difference and try to make a change," she counters. "And when they do start watching the news and hearing about things, let them form their own opinions on it. You can guide them and offer advice, but do not force your views on them if they do not agree. But if you have done a good job of teaching them right from wrong, they will make the right decisions."

"Wow. That's pretty good. I never thought about it much before, but someday, you're gonna make a great mother."

"Someday, I hope. But a few minutes ago, it sounded like the only man I would want to have children with did not want to bring them into this world," she turns her head to look at him.

"Well, now that I know you have such great parenting skills, I think I'll reconsider…besides, imagine how good lookin' our kids would be! I can't deny the world of that!" he leans forward and kisses her.

When they part, Wheeler wraps his arms around her midsection as they stare out into the ocean. Linka was the first to speak,

"So now what? Do we just sit around and wait? I cannot do that knowing that hundreds of scared horses are being shipped to their deaths every day."

"Well, I can't just sit around and do nothing, but we also can't chase down every slaughter bound trailer and find something wrong with it. Plus, we've got other issues to focus on as Planeteers. I think I'm gonna go online and look into joining one of those grassroots lobbyist groups. I can write letters and make phone calls during my free time when we're not on missions. It's not much, but…I don't know..."

"...At least it is something. And I will help you in anyway I can, and I am sure the others will too. I may not be much help as far as calling and asking your politicians to support it since I am not a citizen and do not vote, but I can help you write letters and make flyers or anything else you need."

"Thanks Babe. Everything I need is right here, sitting in front of me…and remember what we talked about earlier? Someday you WILL be a citizen and have a say in who gets voted into office, so you can still call."

"I hope this issue is resolved long before then."

"Me too…you know...I'd marry you tomorrow if I could."

"Just so I can become an instant American citizen and then have an influence on the politicians?" she teases.

"Yep. There might be a few other reasons, but that's the main one!" he teases her right back.

"Oh really? And what would these other reasons be?"

"Well, you're hot so you'd be a trophy wife…" This comment earns him a playful swat. Then he gets serious, "You bring out the best in me. You make me happier than I've ever been. You 'get me' and know how I think and act better than anyone else does…including myself," he says.

She leans back into him and rests her head on his shoulder. She turns to look at him, sees the seriousness in his sparkling blue eyes, and smiles. He returns her smile, holds her gaze, and continues.

"Oh yeah, and one more thing…I'm crazy about you. I love you Linka."

She turns sideways in his arms and swings her legs over his so that she can look at him from a more comfortable angle.

"And I love you," she says as she strokes his cheek and tips her head up to kiss him.

They stay there in each other's arms for hours, talking and enjoying each other's company. Occasionally they would get into the water to cool off when the sun's rays got to be too much for them. Even then, she kept her arms around his neck as they treaded water while the tide was rising. The symbolism of it all wasn't lost on them. Sometimes, things aren't always going to go their way and it is going to feel like they are struggling to keep their heads above water, such as the case with ending horse slaughter, but as long as they had each other to hold on to for support, they can get through anything.

The End.

Thanks again...I wish I could have made it a happier ending, but the American Horse Slaughter Prevetion Act still has a hold placed on it, and cannot be voted on, and pretending that it has passed just for the sake of a happy ending in a fanfic just seemed like an injustice to all the horses who are dying everyday and not getting a happy ending. There are good people out there doing all that they can though. The group I'm involve with along with others helped a local horse rescue raise money so that they were able to go to an auction in Sugar Creek Ohio on Memorial Day (May 26th) this year and save all 162 horses being auctioned off for slaughter! This rescue als did something similar around Thanksgiving at the New Holland auction in Pennsylvania. Wheeler would be proud!