A/N: Well, it's not quiet the same as before when the wonderful website malfunctioned and lost all my edits, but it's as good as it's gonna get! Here's the last chapter. Enjoy!
Wheeler walks Linka back to her cabin and they stand outside her door to say goodnight.
"I had a wonderful time tonight Wheeler. It was everything that a first date should be...and more."
"Soooo, does this mean if I ask you to go on a second date, you'll say yes?"
"I would absolutely say yes. Just say when."
"Breakfast tomorrow? That way, if we start early, we have all day to spend with each other!" he says.
"That is the best idea you have ever had," she teases as she wraps her arms around his neck and looks up at him lovingly.
"Good night Babe," he says before leaning down for a goodnight kiss.
"Good night Yankee," she whispers her reply, just before their lips touch.
When they pull apart, they smile at each other, and Wheeler places one more kiss on her forehead before turning to walk away. She grabs his hand to stop him.
"Wheeler, wait. There is something that I have been wanting to do all night...since I first saw you."
"Oh yeah? What's that?" he asks.
"This," she says as she grabs him by the waist and begins pulling his nicely tucked shirt out from his pants.
OhmyGod. OhmyGod. OhmyGod, is all Wheeler can think.
"And this," she says as she grabs his head and begins messing up his hair. She steps back to look at him and declares,
"There! Now you look like my Yankee!"
He just stands there and stares at her with his half un-tucked shirt and disheveled hair. He finally speaks up, feigning a serious tone,
"Do you have any idea how long it took me to get my hair to not stick out all over the place?! I mean, I probably put a huge hole in the ozone layer with the amount of hair products I used just trying to get it to stop flipping out in the back!"
"I like when it does that," she purrs.
"Oh yeah? he whispers with a cocked eyebrow.
"Da. It gives my hands something to play with when we kiss."
She demonstrates what she means by kissing him and twirling her fingers through the wisps of hair.
"Ok fine, you make a valid point," Wheeler says as they part. "But then this won't do either." He brushes her long hair away from her face and pulls it back behind her head. "I like it. It's different, but it covers your beautiful face...ears...and neck." He emphasizes his point by gently kissing each of those spots now that her hair was out of the way.
She rests her hands on his waist as her breathing becomes short and shallow as a result of the extra attention he is paying to her neck. She rolls her neck to the side to give him better access while at the same time making it easier for her to reach his neck with her lips. She works her way up his neck to his ear while un-tucking his shirt the rest of the way and running her hands beneath it, trailing her fingertips up and down his sides and caressing his muscular chest. She nips at his earlobe, rest her lips next to his ear, and whispers,
"Wheeler?"
"Yeah?" he says as he tries to swallow and wonders if it is physically possible for the human heart to pound it's way out of the chest cavity...or at least get bruised from banging against his ribs.
"The Tickle Treaty is over!" she declares as her fingers begin attacking his sides and stomach.
"NO!" he squeals as he tries to squirm out of her reach, but only manages to jar the door they were leaning against open and send them both stumbling inside her room.
He kicks the door shut behind him as he continues to grab at her, trying to get a hold of her, but she avoids him by ducking out of his reach each time. He is finally able to grab one of her hands, but at the same time, she grips his other hand as they stand at arms length. They have reached a stalemate. All they can do is stare at each other and wait for the other to make a move.
Linka is the first to do so. She thrusts all of her weight forward, catching him off guard and pushing him backwards until the back of his knees collide with her bed, and he falls backwards. He recovers enough to have the presence of mind not to let go of her hands and pulls her down with him so that she lands on top of him. They once again begin fighting to free their hands, but all of her squirming is having an affect on Wheeler. Once he realizes, he tries to stop their game before she notices.
"Ok, ok, I give up! You win!" he says, but it's too late. She had just moved down to straddle his legs to hold him in place when she felt it. Her eyes flew open in shock and his slammed shut in humiliation.
"I'm sorry," he apologizes. "It just...we were...and you were...and...I couldn't help it. I wasn't...trying anything. I didn't mean for this to happen it just...happened."
"Wheeler...I started the tickle fight. You do not need to apologize," she says as she moves off his lap and straightens her skirt so that it is no longer bunched up around her thighs. "It is...natural. Unfortunately for guys, they have a more...obvious...way of showing when they are..."
"Yeah, I know! No need for the anatomy lesson! But thanks for not being completely pissed at me...I should go now."
He starts to stand up to leave, but she stops him by grabbing his hand.
"Why would I be mad at you? I mean, in a way...it is kind of a...compliment...right? I did that to you. I have never done that to anyone before. I guess maybe I should be apologizing if I did something to make you...uncomfortable."
"No Babe, that's just it. It's a little...awkward…being caught, but you didn't make me uncomfortable. I liked what we were doing...too much. And for your information, this isn't the first time you've done this to me…just the first time you've noticed!"
She blushes profusely, bites her lip as she smiles shyly, and looks away. He realizes he's embarrassed her…or maybe crossed the line and freaked her out. Disgusted her? Scared her? Made her feel pressured? He certainly didn't intend to do any of those things.
"I don't want you to get the wrong idea...like I had this planned or anything...so I'm gonna go," he says as he kisses the hand that is still clutching his.
"Wheeler..." she says as she refuses to let go of his hand. "…stay."
"I don't want you to feel like you can't trust me."
"Then stay...and prove to me that I can trust you," she gets up off the bed and stands in front of him. She takes his hand and moves it to the back of her neck, where the straps are tied to hold up her top. She tugs at the strap and it becomes untied.
Wheeler immediately looks up at the ceiling, trying to avoid looking at her.
"Oh my God Linka...what are you trying to do to me?!" he says as he stares at the ceiling.
"Giving you a chance to show me I can trust you...which I hope you know, I already do, more than anyone. I trust that you will stop if I ask you to...but until then...Wheeler, look at me."
He looks down from the ceiling and directly into her eyes.
"Remember how you wanted to know what it felt like to kiss? If we would feel the same feelings that we felt through Walker and Liliya in our dreams?"
"Yeah."
"Do you not want to know if...other things...feel the same?"
"Yes...but only if you do...only if you're sure you do. I don't want you to feel like you have to."
"I feel like...I want to," she whispers. "But I am nervous. I have never..."
"I'm nervous too Babe...you have no idea."
"But you've...? I mean, I guess I've always assumed that you would have..."
"Yeah. I have," he interrupts her. "But not in a very long time. Not since I've met you. I haven't wanted to...be with...anyone else but you...and the fact that you've never...well, that's added pressure for me. I want it to be special and...good. I don't want you to be scared or uncomfortable...I'm gonna be gentle, but if at anytime you change your mind, or if you're in pain..."
"Pain? Ok, now I just went from nervous to scared!"
"I'm sorry! I just wanted you to be...prepared...and know what to expect."
"Thank you...and that is why I trust you. I know that you care enough to not do anything that I do not want to," she says as she grabs the front of his shirt in her fists and pulls him towards her for a kiss. She begins pulling his shirt up and pulls away from him just long enough to get the shirt over his head. She lays down on the bed and pulls him down with her.
"Wait, I gotta go get a..."
"Nyet."
"Yes, Linka! We have to be careful...we don't want any little Fyodor's running around!"
"Nyet I mean, I am already taking something...so there will be no little Fyodor's!"
"Oh, ok," he says as he happily continues.
After a few moments, Linka speaks up,
"However, if we ever do have kids...if we have a boy...can we name him Walker?"
"Yes. When we have kids, we can name our boy Walker...and if we have a girl, Liliya. Walker Jasonovich Wheeler!" He announces as he makes a funny face to show his dislike for the way it sounds. "That's kinda dumb. What would the middle name be for a girl?"
"Liliya Jasonovna Wheeler."
"Sorry Babe, but the Ruskie middle name method just doesn't work for me. Sounds stupid."
"Well, 'Jason' isn't exactly a popular Russian name. There is a 'Jasha' but I do not think it translates to Jason...Walker Jashaevich Wheeler!"
"Nah...how about we just do it the normal way and either come up with something original, or name it after a family member?"
"Oh, so you mean the normal way for you."
"Yeah. I mean, it's already gonna have my last name, so we can give it the middle name of someone on your side of the family."
"Whatever you want to do, LyubOv moya," she says as she runs her hands up and down his muscular arms.
He starts to laugh.
"Sorry, does that tickle?" She asks, remembering that tickling is what got them here in the first place.
"No...well, kinda. If feels nice actually...but I was just thinking...we haven't even done anything yet, and we're naming our kids!"
Linka also begins to laugh and puts her hands behind his head to draw him down towards her for a kiss. Things are getting really heated between them as their hands and lips begin exploring. Wheeler stops what he's doing and suddenly pulls away.
"What? Did I do something wrong?" Linka asks.
"No...I just thought of something...if you've never...you know…then why are you on...?"
"Bad cramps...now stop talking!" she says as she rolls over on top of him.
This time, he doesn't care what she notices about how his body is reacting to hers, as she begins loosening his belt and undoing his pants. He reaches up to caress her skin, then pulls her down towards him so that he can kiss her.
"This is all about you, remember?" he asks as he switches positions with her, tosses the pants aside, and runs his hand down her side until he reaches the zipper on her skirt. He looks at her one more time, just to be sure, and when she nods her approval, he finishes undressing her.
"I love you so much Linka...you have no idea...and I'm not just saying that because we're about to..."
"I know. I love you too...which is why I am not scared and I am not nervous like I thought I would be. I have never felt so right or as sure about anything before in my life as I do now. We were meant to be together. I believe that now more than ever. We will not end up like Walker and Liliya. We have righted a wrong...we have fixed fate. We are going to be together forever."
"Is there anything longer than that?" he asks, repeating Walker's words to Liliya.
"Just the afterlife," she replies, continuing the conversation from their past.
"What about the life after that...and the one after that...and the one after that?" He asks as the peppers kisses all over her skin. "I love you," he whispers as he hovers over her. "Let's make it right for Walker and Liliya. Starting tonight. In this life. In this time."
"For Walker and Liliya…and for us," she says, as they validate their pledge with a passionate kiss, leading up to the consummation of their relationship.
And somewhere in Heaven, two lost souls were finally reunited in eternity after being apart for over 60 years. They could finally rest in peace. Walker and Liliya finally got their happily ever after thanks to two young lovers who have their whole lives ahead of them. And thanks to Walker and Liliya, Wheeler and Linka will share a whole lifetime filled with their own 'happily ever after.'
The End
Hope you liked it!