Hey! I'm finally done with work for the term so I'm back to try and add to the, sadly tiny community of CP fanfic authors. As usual, this one is Wheeler-Linka centric (though another Planeteer actually has a part to play in their story), but I know it's what you guys are here for :-P. I'm painting a slightly different Linka, but it's about time she let her hair down a little, so to speak. The usual disclaimer: I'm making no profit from this (other than the satisfaction of childhood CP dreams) and I don't own any of the characters. P.S. Doubt this will really fall into the 'M' rating, probably more of a 'T' but since I haven't finished it, I'm erring on the side of caution…

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"I see it! I see it!" Linka cried excitedly.

Ma-Ti and Gi rushed towards the window of the Geocruiser against which her face was pressed.

"There, right there! The Coliseum! You can see it through the clouds," Linka fought to contain her eagerness.

"What's the big deal?" Wheeler shrugged, looking up from his book. "It's just an old crumbling building."

Linka threw him a look of disdain.

"Wheeler, that 'old crumbling building' is a historical-" she began.

"Come on, guys, don't fight," Gi interrupted quickly, seeing Wheeler open his mouth to argue back. "When's the next time we'll get to be in the Eternal City? We should enjoy it as much as we can while we're here!"

"We are not here to enjoy ourselves Gi," Kwame reminded her gently, from his position at the steering wheel of the Geocruiser. "We have a very serious mission."

"I know, I know. We have to bring down Looten. But that doesn't mean we can't have fun while we're at it," Gi countered. "I've always dreamed of coming here. It's such a beautiful city…"

Wheeler didn't share Gi's and Linka's enthusiasm for the Italian capital, but he had to admit that once he had done some research he saw strong romantic possibilities… He glanced at Linka, who was now leafing through their instruction manual. If only she would let him, he could make Rome their best assignment yet. He pictured taking her to the Fontana di Trevi at dusk, holding her in his arms against an fiery orange sky, and leaning down…Fat chance! He laughed silently to himself. Linka would never undermine a mission by engaging in romantic trysts. But that wouldn't stop him from trying…

"What are you smiling at, Yankee?" Linka startled him out of his thoughts.

"I was just thinking, babe: Italy, you, me, pizza by moonlight…" He winked at her.

"Wheeler, we are here to work, and work only!" She protested, but Wheeler caught the smile playing on her lips.

"Sure, babe. But, we'll be undercover for a long while. So, you know, whatever happens in our spare time happens…"

"I do not know what you mean, Yankee. Anyway," she changed the subject quickly. "I think you will really like Rome, even if you think the Coliseum is just a pile of rocks…"

Wheeler groaned.

"You're not going to maker me visit all these historical sites, are you? Booooring!"

"Well, then, I guess we will not be seeing much of each other!" Linka smiled coyly and turned back to her notes.

Wheeler grinned to himself. Was that a sign? Was he reading into her words too much, as usual? He didn't care. He had decided that he was going to take his chances. If he couldn't woo Linka in Italy, when could he?

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"He should've been here half an hour ago!" Wheeler complained, looking round the deserted airport terminal.

"Don't look at us, he's your friend," Gi reminded him.

"I haven't seen him in years, though," Wheeler replied. "Not since his parents divorced and his dad took him back to Italy. I remember his cute sister, though!"

Linka snorted.

"Do you ever think of anything else?"

"Not when you're around, babe," Wheeler grinned, slinging an arm around her shoulder.

"Is that him?" Linka jumped up suddenly, tearing herself away from Wheeler's touch. A tall, well-built figure was approaching them, striding purposefully across the hall.

"Wow, he's gorgeous!" Gi whispered, as the man got closer.

"Why did you not warn us, Wheeler?" Linka nudged him playfully. "We would have taken better care of our appearance!"

Wheeler rolled his eyes, but was irritated to see her run a hand through her hair and straighten her shirt. Gi, too, suddenly seemed preoccupied with the state of her clothes and hari.

"Wheeler?!" the man called out, hastening his stride. "Oh, man, I am so sorry. The traffic was just terrible. There was a papal ceremony and-" he reached the group of Planeteers. "Sorry, what a way to introduce myself!" He brushed a lock of dark hair away from his face.

"Hi, I'm Paolo," he grinned a welcoming smile, revealing twin dimples, as he shook Kwame's and Ma-Ti's hands. He reached Wheeler and his grin broadened as the redhead extended his hand.

"Come on, man. Just a handshake for an old friend?" He pulled Wheeler into a hug. "It's been way too long."

"Yeah, it sure has… How's your sister?" Wheeler grinned mischievously. His friend punched him lightly on the shoulder.

"Married! But she used to ask about you a lot…"

"Yes! I knew it!" Wheeler laughed. Gi cleared her throat surreptitiously.

"O Dio mio, could I be any ruder?" Paolo shook his head, turning his attention to the two female Planeteers. "You two bellezzas must be Linka and Gi." He lifted each of their hands to his lips briefly, in turn.

Wheeler was annoyed to see spots of pink appear in their cheeks. He rarely got anything in return for his flirting and all it took was for Paolo to say one word in Italian and he had both girls falling at his feet. Ok, Wheeler had to admit, his friend had transformed from a scrawny kid into a pretty good-looking fella, with his dark olive-toned skin, thick, dark, wavy hair, pale gray-blue eyes and tall physique. But, Wheeler consoled himself, he had the charm, the wit, and….and the magic ring! And anyway, Linka wasn't the type to go for looks. The bond she and Wheeler had developed over years of saving the planet together would surely triumph over any physical attraction she felt for Paolo…

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"So what is it you do, Paolo?" Linka asked, aware that her voice was a lot more high-pitched than usual. She forced herself to bring it down to its normal tone. "You mentioned something about music?"

"Well, it's nothing as exciting as being a Planeteer," Paolo turned to smile at her briefly from his position at the steering wheel of the jeep, as it inched through the Roman traffic. "But, yeah, I'm into music. I play guitar in a band, but my real job is working with an archaeological conservation group. Pretty boring, really."

"Oh no, that sounds really interesting," Gi jumped in, smiling at him from the passenger's seat. Linka felt a brief flash of irritation. Gi had practically pushed everyone out of the way to sit next to Paolo…Not that Linka cared, of course… They were on a mission, and Paolo's only job was to assist them. It would be highly unprofessional for anything else to happen. But Linka could not help her mind from straying. The Italian-American had something she could not quite pinpoint but it made her stomach somersault, especially when his baritone voice melted into the smooth Italian phrases…She shook her head slightly to clear her thoughts.

"Hey, babe, what's that building?" Wheeler's voice startled her. He reached his arm around her shoulder to point outside the window. "I'm trying to get into all this stuff you're interested in."

"I do not know, Wheeler," Linka replied, more sharply than she had intended. "And please do not call me 'babe'," she added in a low voice so that no-one else could hear. "It is not appropriate. We are here to work." Wheeler raised his eyebrows slightly but said nothing, and turned to look out the window. Linka felt sorry for having snapped at him, but her attention was distracted by the fact that Gi had now fully engaged Paolo in conversation. Despite what she told herself to feel, it annoyed her.