After many years away from the fanfiction world, I am finally back. Just couldn't stay away!.I hope that everyone enjoys this story, please please please give me your feedback. You know I'll update quickly, just need the time to write the many ideas in my head.

Shameless plug alert: If you like this story, please check out my other story "Forces of Nature", all about W/L, of course!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Captain Planet, its themes or characters.

I do own, however, my ideas and my love of W/L as a couple!

"You told him WHAT?"

Linka's screams echoed off the walls of the common room, her angry jade stare piercing the Asian girl in place, like nails on wood. Gi tried to giggle, brushing it off with a wave of her hand. Still, she made sure to keep the sofa between her and Linka. Just in case.

"You told him?" The question was repeated once more, with no less fury than before. Suddenly, with executed control that was typical of Linka, a breath was taken and the question was replaced by an affirmation, as if to reassure herself. "Gi, you are joking, I know it."

"Uhmm, not exactly," Gi stated carefully, nibbling on her bottom lip.

"You told him about the list? He knows?" The Russian girl's heart took a dive in the hollow of her chest. One look at Gi confirmed her fears. She needed to sit down.

"He knows about the list," Linka repeated to herself in a quiet murmur. In a matter of seconds, however, her tone of voice became animated with anger once more as she asked her friend, "Gi, how could you? How could you not know that was meant to be something between you and I, which I did not want anyone else to know? Especially him!"

"Would you calm down, woman?" Gi rolled her eyes and sat next to her, taking a too-relaxed stance for Linka's taste. "What's the big deal? Wheeler and I were just talking about things, relationships, you know, and you came up. Well, you always do where Wheeler is concerned, and I just sorta let out your thing with the list."

Linka shook her head to prevent the migraine that was sure to come on.

"'What's the big deal?'" Linka quoted Gi, incredulous, pursing her lips like only she could and not realizing the cute nature of the gesture. "The big deal is that he knows and I will never hear the end of it now. This is so embarrassing… mortifying!"

Something that had seemed like such a good idea at the time had suddenly lost its charm, thought Linka dejected. Other people would just view her as foolish, ridiculous even, if they knew she had tried to quantify love. The list, to explain things, was a series of feelings Linka had associated with being in love. After pondering long and hard on what she would like to experience with someone special, she had created the necessary conditions for love to take root. Kind of like a science experiment. "Grow your own piece of love!" She could already hear Wheeler say, in that mocking tone of voice he used especially with her, when he thought her ways strange. Well, gosh-darn-it, how else would a girl who had never been in love before know when she did, in fact, fall in love for the first time? There had to be some sort of formula, and well, she had created her own. Linka was sure her list was not complete, perhaps because of a certain lack of experience in the subject, but she had created the list to help her along the path to love. Like all other things, she would be ready. She would know. Nice and rational, just like she preferred things.

"Linka, it's not like I told him what's on the list," Gi made to comfort her friend, seeing the desperation on her pretty face. "He just knows there is a list, that it exists, that's all. He seemed very intrigued by it."

Linka groaned, resting her chin on her opened palms. Wheeler. Sigh. Wheeler and Linka? Sigh, sigh. How many times had she heard that phrase, just heard people tie their names together in a crazy game of matchmaking that seemed to go as far as the pair knew each other? Of course, Wheeler had started it all. His constant interest in her, in winning her over. The crazy Yankee was persistent too, confusing Linka more and more as time went on. He had something to him, something that drew her to him despite her best efforts to keep her distance. He smiled at her and her heart responded too eagerly with approval. He held her hand or drew her close to him and her mind froze for just that moment, leaving her to rely on her natural instincts. This frightened her, confused her. The list, then, also served to shed light on this Wheeler problem. As long as he did not make her feel those emotions, she was safe, she did not have a reason to think about him or plan things or let herself go too far. She was safe. Hence, she liked the list. And now, if he knew about it…no, there was no way he could 'crack her code', get inside her carefully constructed fortress. This was Wheeler, for goodness' sake! Her simple-minded, fun-loving, easygoing, impulsive Yankee boy…who could also be incredibly thoughtful and insightful when he wanted to be. Not to mention pretty damn handsome, more and more each day, in fact.

Sigh, sigh, sigh, sigh, sigh.

Linka sprinted up from the sofa and paced the confines of the room, her brain feeling at a need for oxygen. "What am I going to do? Oh, Gi…I think I could just kill you right now!"

"Cool, I'll help!" came the cheerful voice Linka feared and she turned in its direction. As expected, Wheeler was strolling into the common room, mischievous smile ever-painted on his lips as he rested on the sofa's armrest in his usual casual style.

"Ha-ha, Wheeler," Gi replied sticking out her tongue at him, but seeming relieved that he had joined the conversation. This way, she could easily escape Linka's wrath at least for the time being. In fact, Gi made to stand and raced for the door with what Linka could have sworn was a smirk. Traitor! But wait, Gi had the nerve to add, "I haven't been able to calm down your girlfriend, Wheeler. Maybe you'll have better luck than me. Ciao!"

Linka sent the Asian girl imaginary darts through her last glare. Gi had seemed exaggeratedly amused by this tragic turn of events. When Linka's eyes moved on Wheeler, she gave him credit for at least attempting to hide the grin on his face. "What's up?" he chose to voice instead.

"Oh, I no longer have a best friend in the group, that is all," Linka grumbled with a pout. "But I am just fine, as always."

She took a step but Wheeler grabbed her wrist and gently pulled her towards the sofa. "You're upset," he stated, wiping any trace of amusement from his features. "Will you tell me what's wrong?"

Lowering her glance to their joined hands, Linka took note of the warm feeling invading her body, the same one that persisted whenever Wheeler acted like this with her, when no one else was around, and when she indeed felt like the only person alive that mattered to him. Damn him. Giving up, she shrugged and sat down next to him. Only, she did not know where to start, what to say. After a pause, Wheeler solved this dilemma for her.

"Gi did something she shouldn't have done and she didn't seem to want to acknowledge that she has created a problem for you, which added to your previous state of hurt."

Damn him!

"I will never trust anyone with my secrets again," Linka stated, dejected.

"Oh…then, uhmm…ok…I already know what this is about."

Linka hid her face in her hands, wanting to crawl into the darkest, deepest hole imaginable, away from all sunlight and his eyes. She could not even bring herself to sneak a glance at him for he had to be grinning. He had to be thinking she was crazy, plain old cuckoo in the head. Who made lists of feelings as if they were a "to do" list, something to just check off? Crazies, that's who.

"Is it that big of a deal that I know about the list?" Wheeler asked, turning to her and examining her features. Her cheeks felt like lava on her face as she folded her arms over her chest, a protective gesture she often carried out in his presence when she felt he was getting dangerously close to her core.

"It is something very private," Linka quietly explained. "And you will just make fun of me because it is strange to you."

"Whoa, whoa, I'll have you know I'm not this big jerk who makes fun of things you obviously deem important. I may have done so in the past, but I like to think I have matured past that phase."

A sharp look from Linka silenced him.

"All right, I've matured a little, give me at least that," he compromised and Linka fought back a smile.

"And I don't understand why this list thing is such a source of embarrassment for you."

Linka bit her lip and forced her eyes to meet his. She saw honesty there and her heart hushed its beating a little.

"Lots of people make lists about the type of traits they would like to find in a partner," Wheeler went on to explain, folding his hands behind his head nonchalantly. "You know, things like nice ass, killer legs, all that."

"Pig," Linka smacked his arm for good measure, but could tell he was joking to lighten the mood.

"Your type of list, on the other hand," Wheeler was continuing after a quick smile, "seems smarter, if you ask me. This way you are not relying on outside influences, you are basing things on what that person makes you feel, which is concrete to you. What's wrong with that?"

"So you do not think I am crazy for creating such a thing?" wondered Linka, open-mouthed at his observations. This boy was like an Easter egg, full of never-ending surprises!

He shook his head, his eyes clear and very blue. "Crazy, no. Maybe too…I don't know…precise? Love is not a science."

"It is a personal science."

Wheeler nodded, seeming pleased. "Agreed. So, what sparked this? Or have you always had a list?"

Linka shook her head to indicate she did not wish to reply.

"Is the list based on past experience?"

Silence.

"What's on the list, babe?"

More silence.

Wheeler shoved her playfully and, "ok, Miss-Da-Vinci-Code, jeez, I get it, there's no cracking you!"

With a shrug, Linka picked up the remote control that was resting beside her and flicked on the TV, a symbol that showed she wished to bring the ludicrous subject to an end. They sat in silence while she mindlessly flipped through the channels, filling her mind with anything but the fact that Wheeler was sitting next to her, close, and aware of her interest in discovering love.

It wasn't long before Wheeler's voice broke through the manufactured silence. "I bet you I can figure out what you have on that list."

Linka's surprised glance met his sure one. Certainty, almost smugness, colored his grin.

"I do not think so, Wheeler. Not even Gi knows the details, so do not think you can get answers from her. Why are we still talking about this, anyway? This does not concern anyone but me."

"Let's make a deal," Wheeler went on as if she had not spoken at all , turning his body so that he was facing her.

"Wheeler…"

"Don't worry, I don't want to know what's on there. I simply want to make you feel what's on the list."

Linka nearly choked on her own breathing and her green eyes widened as she looked at him.

"Are you getting a temperature? What is all this crazy talk?"

"Just hear me out," Wheeler insisted, cool and collected like only he could be in these types of situations. "I bet you that in two weeks' time I have your list decoded fair and square, by civilized means. You won't have to do anything, well, except for one thing, of course." He let silence linger, to intrigue her further, she guessed (damn him!).

"What would that be?" she gave in, curiosity getting the best of her.

"Linka, you're gonna have to want to feel these things. That means giving up control just this once. That can be scary, I know that. But if you accept this challenge, I will accept mine."

Linka sat unmoving, paralyzed by his implications, his plans. How could one stare such destiny in the face and not feel overwhelmed? And to complicate things, this was Wheeler, the one person who took her on a daily roller coaster of emotions.

"Why should we put ourselves through this, Wheeler?" she voiced above a whisper, caution always reigning over her.

"Well, because honestly, I think we need to," he answered, mirroring her seriousness. "If I succeed, I can prove to you that I know you well enough to figure out something so close to your heart, that I can read you like no one else can, and that I am able to move you, to make you react. That's powerful."

Linka thought about this for a few seconds, then went on to voice the inevitable, "and if you are not successful?"

"Then I'll know that I need to move on from this, from you."

His tone of voice saddened her, and it was ludicrous, the way her heart was rebelling against closure from something they had never even started. He must have sensed her state of mind because his hand was running softly down the side of her face, until it rested underneath her chin so he could turn her face upwards to meet his glance.

"Babe, give me this one chance. All you have to do is let go, I promise you the rest will come naturally. I know you have it in you to be that brave. Let me be me and let yourself be the girl who wrote that list. Is the challenge on?"

She didn't need to give her slow nod for him to understand that she had accepted, nor did he need to kiss her cheek with such tenderness, for that matter, but they both performed their actions with a conviction that was admirable.

When Wheeler left the common room with a smile for her, Linka wondered what they had both gotten themselves into. She was terrified of what Wheeler had suggested she do, and even more scared that Wheeler would be successful in this mission. Just moments earlier, in the most natural of ways, he had already uncovered one of the key feelings she had put to paper, and that was the need to be understood. Oh, boy. She was in big, big trouble.