The main plaza buzzed with life, everyone on their way as they all got ready for an important event. I'd never have thought two years ago that I'd even be here, happily living among humans, but I was. I felt I had finally found where I'd belonged after travelling for so many years. I was more human than anything. Wherever I went today I was greeted kindly, more so than usual but I knew exactly why each and every person here, even Sunny, Lacey and Candy were feeling that bit more excited for the day ahead. By the end of today, a new married couple, a happily married couple would be living under this rocky roof, Jared and Melanie were getting married! I had never experienced a human wedding before, there was either no need on the other planets I had lived on or the ceremony was done differently and had another name.

I rushed quickly through the tunnels I now knew so well, holding onto a neatly folded veil made from some old curtain netting from a raid a while back, but you would never know from how beautiful it looked. It was all down to the skilled work of Sunny, she felt she needed to help with something, to show that she wasn't useless, 'a waste of space' to coin a human saying. She had been playing games in the game room with Kyle, still never leaving his side when I reached her, the dress was neatly placed on a rock near the lip of the tunnel. I had fancied a walk to stretch my legs so I had offered for Sunny to leave the veil somewhere safe and I would get it later. That place turned out to be the game room.
It didn't take me long to reach Melanie and Jared's room, the gurgle of many voices, the sound both high and soft indicating that there was only women in the room with Melanie. When I had reached the door and was pushing it away, I suddenly could hear what was being said, the gurgle turning into fully formed words.
"...You look so beautiful Melanie." Maggie beamed.
"So beautiful." Sharon mirrored her mother happily.
"You look so much like your mother, she was just a picture on her wedding day. They'd both be proud of you today Mrs. Howe." Maggie laughed warmly as a faint wavering thought...memory came to mind. Though myself and Melanie had been apart for so long mentally, I still had faint memories, never of this body's as I now remembered a younger Melanie from a time before the Souls had come.

"Mom...Dad come and see." the younger Mel shouted playfully as she spun herself in a full circle, taking in every angle she could to see herself in her very oversized wedding dress. Her parents, and Melanie had been tidying the attic, going through the various boxes from up there and giving away anything they did not want anymore. This dress however was one of the things to keep as it belonged to both Mel's mother and Grandmother. She couldn't help herself as she kept looking at herself in her parents big mirror which was situated on the inside of one of their cupboard doors. Footsteps came quickly up the stairs, both set of feet making different sounds as they hit the floor. Her father's steps were quite loud and strong, a thicker sound while her mother's were quiet and dainty, almost inaudible but not quite, a thinner, airier sound. "What have we here?" her father's voice sounded, cheerfully, before either of them had entered the room. When they turned the corner from the stairs to their bedroom, they could see little Melanie in the dress. "Oh Melanie, you look so beautiful." her mother cooed as she walked into the room and towards Melanie, placing her hands ontop of young Mel's shoulders.
"Beautiful." her father echoed with a smile as he stayed just under the doorway, his back against the frame, his arms crossed over his green check shirt. "You're just like your mother, only smaller." he added with another smile and a deep, rich laugh. Melanie took his comment with a smile before he stopped talking and seemed to think back on a memory, probably his wedding. Melanie continued to swirl around, the edges of the dress billowing slightly with each turn.

The memory slowly faded as the twirling continued before I was back in the 'Brides room' as it was being called, a name that I just remembered, no one knowing I was there just yet. A single tear rolled down my cheek from the left over memory which I wiped away with the thin sleeve of my cardigan like it never happened. The similarity between Maggie and Sharon's words and Melanie's parents were too hard to ignore - déjà vu. I put on a bright smile for everyone before walking in fully, making sure this brief moment of negative emotion washed away from my smile. "I've got the veil for you Melanie, here you go." I placed it on her head as quickly and as carefully as I could before I backed away and looked at her as a whole. There was no other word but "Beautiful." I said. "You look stunning. Jared is a lucky man." I laughed softly, smiling at my attempt at a compliment. Everything she was wearing was stylishly simple, no frills or anything, there wasn't a choice if you did want that though. I knew however, Melanie wished this dress was her mother's and not one that Melanie had gotten when I was on a raid with Ian, Jared and Kyle. You couldn't be fussy in these situations, though things were a little bit better knowing there are others like us hiding all over the world. My train of thought however was broken when I heard Melanie's reply back to me. "One day it will be Ian who's the lucky man Wanda." she teased, a bright smile on her lips as I started to cough on cave air. I quickly replied with an embarrassed laugh. "Maybe." I murmered but I had a smile on my face which showed I wasn't too embarrassed by her comment.
"There's no maybe about it, you love him, he loves you, it's going to happen." she smiled once more before turning back to sorting out how she was looking. I blushed at that thought, me Mrs. O'Shea? I liked the sound of that, I had always wanted to be with someone for life and I knew I had found that with Ian. My mind then quickly wondered to thinking about getting married. I must have somehow in this thought train said that I was heading back into the hallway as the next thing I knew, I was in my room, curled up on Ian and my bed. I must have been like this for a little while, as when I was with Melanie and the others, the light coming through the cracks in the roof told me that it was just after midday. Now the sun was slanted at an angle telling me it was now late afternoon, early evening. My quiet room was suddenly broken when I heard the all to familiar voice I had heard so much. "Hello my Wanderer. Mind if I sit?"

Ian's smile lit up the whole room. I knew that was a clique thing to think but it was true. His words had sounded quite formal for him, I could tell he was messing around.
I knew he wasn't going to sit where most people did when they visited, either on a chair in the corner of the room or at the end of the bed, though I knew whatever, that wasn't going to happen as this was his room and well, I was his, equally he was mine. "Come here Ian." I said with a bright smile, my body resting on its side, my arms outstretched to him. He met my bright smile with an even brighter smile of his own, a slight naughty edge to it before he made his way over to me. "Well if you insist." he chuckled before we were quickly wrapped up into each other, his arms pinning me down onto the mattress on my back, my arms were wrapped around his broad shoulders as we slowly moved our faces closer to one another, eyelids fluttering shut before I could feel his warm, soft lips pressed gently against mine. My heart skipped a beat at this moment, this simple show of affection, so I couldn't help but feel like I was floating, like I was losing consciousness when our kiss fired up, one of his hands trailing up my body as he lowered his to mine carefully, almost like he was afraid to break me. If it wasn't for the movement of his lips on mine, I would have thought it, but with this fire burning, I knew different. We stayed on the bed like this for a minute longer, just taking each other in before Ian slowly pulled back, our breathing quick before laying down him self by the right side of me and pulled me to his body, my ear pressed to his heart, my left hand flat on his stomach.
The faint smell of dust and salt lingered in the air, faint from our clothes but neither of us minded, it was comforting to me at least. He placed his hand into my mane of hair, twirling the strands between his fingers, neither of us speaking yet as we let this brief moment of quiet sweep over us, it felt so good, we knew it wouldn't last. A soft contented sigh escaped from Ian's lips before he started to speak softly, quietly, the first words to come from either of our lips for a couple of minutes. "Today's made me realize something..." Oh, here we go. Melanie was right...sort of, Ian was going to mention that this wedding made him think about us, I knew I was getting ahead of myself and I wasn't someone who expected people to like me too easily, but after Mel's comment, those niggling thoughts about myself were erased for a little bit. "What's that then?" I asked softly, sweetly as I trailed my thin little finger across Ian's stomach, my head tilted up to look at him with big eyes. He seemed to be caught up in thought, but I knew he did hear me as he started to talk once more, my mind expecting him to mention us two but his words went on another direction. "Mel's and Jared's wedding has made me think that we can live normally...well how we used to." It sounded like he was going to carry on talking, but he stopped. I slowly nodded before moving my head back to rest on Ian's stomach, my eyelids slowly shutting, not out of tiredness but out of relaxation. I had been selfish to think he was thinking about us like that.
I must have caused Ian to worry with me not speaking again as he suddenly pulled himself up onto the bed, leaving me to slide off his body and land flat onto the mattress. "Are you okay Wanda?" I quickly adjusted myself to face him again, my body upright and turned slightly to face Ian, his facial expression showing his worry. My words seemed to flow jaggedly out from behind my lips as I tried to reassure Ian that I was okay. "I'm fine. Why shouldn't I be?" I replied quickly as a small false smile appeared on my lips. I didn't want Ian to see that I was sad about his words, I mean we did love each other and that was good enough. My stupid human emotions were playing me up once more. Ian frowned slightly at me, he knew I was lying but he didn't ask anymore. Maybe he knew what I was thinking, I had been told, now in this new body, that I was as open as a book. That was another human saying I found both strange and amusing.
To change the subject, I began to talk about the wedding but Ian started to talk at the same time I did. I laughed slightly embarrassed as I signaled for Ian to continue, but he signaled that I start first. After a brief pause, I continued to talk. "I was just going to say that I'm looking forward to the wedding. I've just never been to a human wedding before, I've heard that they're beautiful." I told him with a smile, my mind coming up with images of what this day will be like. In such a small space of time between when I finished speaking and when Ian started, a whole flood of images came to my mind. There were going to be candles placed in some of the crevices of the cave all leading to the main room, most of the candles would be there. I was imaging Melanie standing, all eyes on her, Jared standing on one side of the room while Melanie walks over to him, Jeb walking with her down the makeshift aisle. Of course there would be Ian standing somewhere in the crowd, looking handsome as always and myself standing by him, much smaller in compassion.
My daydreaming was eventually shattered by Ian talking to me, a cheerful smile now on his lips. "They are. Well most are anyway." he laughed softly like there was some sort of secret joke I had yet to learn. "I am glad to be the one to take you to your first wedding. I can't wait to see your face light up." he added with yet another smile as he lent in closer towards me and planted a gentle, sweet kiss on my lips, his hand softly placed on my cheek. "I can't either." I replied, my mind now foggy from such a simple kiss. I frowned to myself before laughing. Ian laughed with me before placing his other hand on the base of my back, pulling me closer to him. Our lips were together once more as the heat burned again and all I wanted now was Ian.
Only a few more hours to go before Melanie would no longer be a Stryder but will be forever a Howe. I smiled to myself at such a thought.

We didn't stay too long on the bed together, as we had to get ready for the wedding. Ian wore a traditional style suit, black in color with short lapels touching just above the halfway point of his thighs, matching pants and freshly polished black shoes, while I wore a plain blood red dress, a few inches shorter than I was comfortable with a pair of dull red kitten heels. Most of my outfit was borrowed from Melanie but my shoes we found in the middle of the raid for Melanie's wedding dress.
We got ready as quickly as we could, the whole time in silence. Ian finished before me, so he helped me on with my dress before sliding my feet into my new shoes, making me feel like Cinderella for a brief moment.
The buzz around the caves was so big, everyone was smiling and laughing, I couldn't help but follow suit.
"You look beautiful Wanda. You ready?" Ian asked with a cheeky smile as he took hold of my hand with his before linking his arm with mine. I laughed softly at his comment, blushing lightly, coloring my pale cheeks. "Thank you." I replied embarrassed before Ian kissed me sweetly. "Coming on. Lets get to the wedding!"
We headed out of our room and walked with the flow of everyone else, heading towards the main plaza. When we got to the last corner, I could see that in the crevices were a few candles glowing warmly over anyone who passed, even that looked beautiful. However, when Ian and myself stood at the edge of the plaza, I couldn't believe what I was seeing, everything seemed just so perfect and so beautiful to be true. Again, candles were dotted into the wall, more this time to fill a bigger space. There were some inter joined desert willow flowers decorating the space with some color, a single flower sitting a few centimeters away from one another in two parallel lines outlining the aisle. There was no seats other than some rocks around the edges of the plaza, but it was the best anyone could do in our circumstances. The moon getting higher in the sky, it's glow illuminating down through the sky light. I did not know where anyone got all these things, I wasn't going to question anyone, but I was impressed all the same. It was incredibly difficult to get anything, but we managed it seemed at times.
After about ten minutes, everyone had arrived and now we were all standing, Jared was standing at the front nervously, I could tell by his hand ringing as we all waited for Melanie to arrive. My heart was going too, I was feeling incredibly excited for the both of them and also because I just couldn't imagine being watched, even in such happy circumstances by a crowd of people, but I was sure Melanie would be fine, she was more resilient than me I thought. I stood waiting, Ian and I standing as near to the front as we could, my legs feeling slightly tired as I lent against Ian who wrapped his arm around me, holding our bodies close to one another. Barely anyone was talking but there still seemed to be a mingle of different conversations, different voices filling the plaza, though when the time came, signaled by a cough from the back and then another which everyone seemed to take the same way - the wedding ceremony was starting. Though there was no music, it still was beautiful, I imagined if there were music, that it would be a flowing sound, slightly haunting, violins and flutes playing, almost like the sound of water. All heads instantly turned to Melanie who looked so beautiful, a thought I could not stop thinking. We watched her as she walked closer and closer to Jared, Jeb was walking her down the aisle like a proud father, the two of them giving the two of us a friendly smile, Melanie even gave me a brief wink, she seemed so excited. Jared could not stop looking back, he had been told to just keep looking forward, but it seemed his want, his love for Melanie was too much, he just had to see her, a broad smile on his lips as she reached the end of the aisle and stood by the side of him. He took hold of her hand as Ian curled his arm around my waist and gave me a brief kiss into my hair causing me to smile again.
The tears fell down my cheeks when I heard the last few words of the ceremony, I simply couldn't contain myself. "...I now pronounce you, Melanie and you Jared man and wife. You may kiss the bride." With that, Jared pushed back Melanie's veil before taking hold of Melanie by her waist and pulled her towards him and they kissed for the first time as Mr. and Mrs. Howe, 'awws' and a few 'sweet' floated around the plaza with a few gags and 'gross' put in for good measure, the latter two put in by some of the younger guests to the wedding. Everyone then started to clap and cheer as the newly married couple walked down the aisle hand in hand with big smiles on both their faces. Melanie and Jared then headed back through the tunnels as they headed to their room, leaving the guests to chat with each other, which Ian and myself joined in, though their was still some hostility towards me so I was happy that I wasn't on my own and I had Ian here for support.
Eventually, after talking with one another and lots of hugging and shaking hands, we dispersed among the caves, leaving only a handful of people I didn't fully know and Ian and myself alone in the plaza. I had planned with Melanie to meet up with her after the wedding, but I hadn't been holding her to it, I knew she would be spending time with Jared and I didn't blame her, they were married after all.
"What did you think of the wedding Wanda?" Ian asked, myself breaking out of my thoughts and back into the real world. I turned to face him, a cheerful smile appearing on my face to match his. "It was lovely. Jared and Mel looked so happy, it was great to see." I answered before adding more. "I'm glad you were here with me to see. I mean I knew you would be, but...well, I'm just glad I experienced another human...experience with you." At my last words, I could see that Ian was going slightly red, like he was blushing and he had a slightly embarrassed smile on his lips. Had I said something I shouldn't? I thought back and everything I said seemed to be fine. I decided to ignore my thoughts, it was hot in here and maybe it was just me who thought his smile meant something more. I knew Ian well, it was probably nothing.
I could feel myself growing hotter and hotter, I felt I needed to go outside just for a bit of fresh air. I quickly spoke before I said anymore to make Ian possibly embarrassed. "Do you want to go outside with me? It's boiling in here and I fancy some air if that's okay with you?" I asked, a soft smile on my lips. Ian smiled back at me as he gently placed his hand on my cheek. "Sounds good, but you don't need my permission." he chuckled softly before taking hold of my hand.
The cool air greeted us before we had even reached the entrance to our home. We made our way by memory towards a lip in the rock where we sat ourselves down on the ground, I tried carefully not to dirty my dress as placed myself gently down to the ground, letting my hand slip out of Ian's. I basked in the moonlight as I listened to our breathing and the sound of the nightlife around us talking to one another.I wanted to lay myself down, but couldn't in this dress, so I simply lent myself once again against Ian who was looking over towards the distant horizon which we could not see. We both relaxed against one another, not needing to speak.
We both sat there for a few minutes as we took in the fresh, cool desert air, removing the dust from our lungs. A sudden shivering spell caused Ian to start to pick me up, speaking as he did so. "Come on, you're cold. Let's get back in." I listened, though I didn't want to, but I knew I should. I was genuinely cold, there wasn't much to cover me and no one wanted to catch a cold in this place, including me and it would most likely be caught like wildfire, I don't want people to hate me, some even more than usual.
We walked hand in hand, Ian leading the way through the dark tunnels before we were eventually greeted by the glow of the now dimming candles. Only Maggie seemed to be around, cleaning the small part of the plaza we had been in, making sure it was ready for a new day tomorrow. She saw us walking in and gave us a brief acknowledgment before carrying on with her cleaning. Her daughter Sharon just be helping someplace else. Ian and myself smiled lightly towards her, Ian giving her a brief wave too before we walked back to our room, my eyelids now feeling heavy and tired. I was ready to simply sleep. I must have slumped slightly as I was walking because Ian removed his hand from mine and wrapped his arm around my waist, holding me up slightly. "I think it's bed for you Wanda." he chuckled softly as my eyelids drew closer together. "I think so too. It's been a busy day." On queue, I did a big yawn. "Sorry." I muttered before walking in silence back. I could not remember walking through the tunnels especially, but I had a vague recollection of Ian helping me get undressed. I was glad Ian had seen me before in my underwear, as I was saved from another embarrassment of worrying about myself.
I snuggled into bed as Ian pulled over the sheets. I did not remember anymore, other than the faint padding sound of my outfit being placed on the chair because pretty much straight away I was asleep.

When I woke up, the sun was streaming down onto me, warming up my body. Ian was laying beside me, one of his arms was hanging over the side of the bed, while the other was stretched up above him, his bent elbow just narrowly missing my face. I stretched and yawned before I got myself out of bed, ready for a new day. I walked over towards our makeshift wardrobe to get some clothes before heading to the river to have a wash. On the way to the door, I picked up some temporary clothes to wear over, which was a bad idea as my hands were completely full. I eventually managed. I would wash Melanie's dress while I was there.
As I walked back, the feel of the whole place, though everything seeming to be back to normal, there was still a feeling of the magic from the wedding. Melanie and Jared would now probably be having breakfast in bed, all made by Maggie with probably some help from Sharon. It was the nearest they would get to a honeymoon - breakfast in bed.
I snuck back into my room quietly to make sure Ian was okay which he seemed to be as he was still fast asleep, I was glad I didn't wake him. I placed the dress over a spare bit of rock to dry before I walked back out and headed over to the dining area to get some food. I could see when I got there that Jeb was making something in a large vat, it looked like porridge, before taking some for himself and sat down at a table. Doc was there too, digging into his food, no one else seemed to be around however. I walked further into the room before taking a bowl myself, where I was greeted by the two men. "Hello Wanda." Doc said with a fleeting smile and a mouthful of food, his stomach gurgles audible from where I stood. Jeb instantly looked up when he realized I was in the room too. "Wanda, come and sit. How are you?" he asked as I walked on over and sat opposite him at the table. I shrugged softly with a smile before a spoke. "I'm okay. How about you? It was such a beautiful day yesterday, I'm so happy for them both." I told him, almost rambling, before digging into my porridge. Jeb started to speak in between his spoonfuls of food. "Same. Mel looked so much like her mother, her parents would have loved to be there. My son in law would be so proud to have walked Mel down the aisle. He would have been much better than me as well." Jeb laughed thickly but lightly as he finished his porridge in what seemed record time. I shook my head in disagreement before I spoke again after another mouthful. "I'm sure you would be as good as each other. Mel liked having you walk her down, you could tell." I smiled as I spoke, taking little spoonfuls between every couple of words. Jeb absorbed my words for a moment before he started to speak again, quickly changing the subject, his face drawing serious. "I've heard that there've been some sightings of them recently, near the abandoned house. It's nothin' but I thought you should know, what with us all wantin' to be careful 'n all." A brief, slightly reassuring smile flickered upon his face, but disappeared quickly. I certainly knew that 'them' meant the other ones like me. I was still touched that Jeb didn't think that I was one of them. I felt a little nervous at hearing this news, but things seemed to be going calmly, there didn't seem to be any need to worry about us being found out again, we were almost living in a bubble but not quite. "I'll be careful. I'm sure we're okay, but anyway, we've coped with worse, even if they did find us." I told Jeb, feeling I was telling myself more so than Jeb that we would be okay, I didn't want to go through any of that again. Jeb nodded with a light smile before he spoke. "I'm sure you will. I'm just rambling on I guess." He then finished off his food before getting up and placed it on top of a small pile perched on the counter. "I'm sorry to leave you Wanda, got some things to do. See you later." With that then, Jeb was gone, leaving me on my own, Doc had left sometime in the middle of my conversation with Jeb, he was most likely busy. I quickly finished my food before I headed out of the kitchen and headed outside. I needed some fresh air before I got started at jobs around here.
It was yet another warm and bright day when I walked over to the rock edge I had sat down on with Ian the night before. There did not seem to be anyone around, leaving me in tranquil quietness. I lay down onto the rock, my hand shielding my eyes from the glare of the sun. I closed my eyes for a minute, just basking in the sun. About ten minutes past before I realized I was not alone. I heard faint shuffling sounds, like feet dragging against the ground. The sound was coming from the direction of the entrance, so I quickly sat up and turned to look in that direction. I instantly smiled when I saw who it was as I stood up and walked on over towards Melanie. "Good morning. Sleep well?" I teased as Melanie gave me a hug before she replied to my question with a smile herself. "Oh yes, I did. Very well." she chuckled before adding with a glow. "I can't believe I'm married. Mrs. Melanie Howe. That sounds strange, I need to get used to it." She seemed to suddenly day dream, something I don't think I'd ever seen her do, she always seemed to be there in the present. I nodded with a smile. "You will. Don't worry, you've got many years to get used to it. Is Jared okay?" I asked, trying the best general questions I could think of without going too far. "Yes, Jared's fine. He's fast asleep in bed at the moment." Melanie replied with a bright smile. "Probably tired out." she added, muttering but I heard clearly. I ignored that last bit, not wanting to have any sort of images in my mind, instead I laughed lightly at her comment. "That makes two of them. Ian's asleep as well. I've left him in there for a little bit, I might check in on him in a minute." Melanie nodded, still with a contented smile on her lips. She laughed softly before making a joke. "Tired him out then?" she grinned, though I knew she was teasing. I laughed with her before replying. "Yes, I did." I had no idea where we were going to go with this as I was feeling a little awkward with any mention of sex. I was glad that someone had come outside, someone I couldn't recall their name and was asking for Melanie to go with them back inside. Melanie listened, hugged me goodbye before she disappeared into the darkness. I stayed in the sun for a little longer before getting down to doing some jobs around the cave.

The whole day seemed to move slowly, everything now felt back to normal, the usual rat race. I helped out with the cleaning before moving on with the cooking, each task became repetitive and familiar.
The rest of the day panned out like this, nothing unusual, nothing exciting happened as the day started to close to an end once more. I hadn't seen Ian all day, our paths hadn't seemed to cross and Jeb and Mel had been the only people to talk to me directly, everyone else talked to me as a collective with others.
I couldn't wait to see Ian. Having seen once very briefly Mel and Jared kissing and embracing one another, it brought out something in me that I didn't know I felt so strongly, something I had never experienced and something I felt I was ready to do. It would be a surprise for Ian, I just had to wait until tonight to get ready. Tonight, to coin a human saying 'I was about to lose my v-card.'
I had food early, before most and once I was finished I headed back to my room, my heart racing that little bit more. I was worried I was making a mistake, maybe I wasn't ready after all. All these thoughts went flying around my head, but I tried my best to quash each and every one, I was just nervous that's all. Maybe I would be rubbish. My thoughts became stronger when I entered my room and saw the bed. Maybe I will be okay, I mean maybe this body, my body had done this before, maybe she had retained something from her experience before she 'died'. I was just over thinking everything. Okay, I needed some candles. There were some already in the room, I just had to position them in strategic places and light them which I did easily and quickly. Next was my clothes. I striped down to my underwear before laying down on the bed, my head resting on my upward palm and my legs and body were placed in the most enticing way I could manage. My heart continued to beat quickly as my body became exhausted through nerves. Somehow I fell asleep. I didn't know how long I ended up sleeping but as I woke up, I started to notice that I wasn't alone in the room. A few candles had burned out, leaving the room slightly gloomy, but I could make out Ian sitting on the chair, a amused smile on his lips. "You awake?" he asked me humorously as he made his way over to the bed and sat himself down beside me. I quickly bolted upright, feeling slightly disoriented as I tried sneakily to wipe any drool from my face. So much for my plan anyway. I tried to laugh it off, it was nothing really, but my plan had seemed to fail. I nodded lightly, a smile appearing on my lips. "Yes, wide awake." I replied as Ian lay himself down on his back beside me, his legs slightly pulled up to his body, his right arm was curled above his head. "Good." Ian's words sounded friendly and kind, also slightly tired. He closed his eyes as he lay there, our already short conversation stopped, so I turned to face him, watching him as he rested. Ian looked so handsome, I couldn't help myself with my actions.
I slowly moved closer towards him, inching my body towards his. He didn't seem to realize what I was doing, he didn't move, he didn't flinch. When I got close enough, I moved so I was on my knees before lowering my lips to his. When they touched, I could feel Ian move slightly under me before I felt both his hands cup my face as he kissed me back. At his reply, I moved myself to straddle him, my hips grinding against his. I could feel a slight reaction through our clothes, I knew now, for definite that I wanted to do this too. I started to move my lips quicker with his as my hands slid from his shoulders down his shirt before I started to push the fabric up his body, I wanted him so badly. Just then however, Ian suddenly stopped and looked me straight in the eye, concern swept over his face. He knew what I was getting at. "Wanda, what are you doing? There's no rush. Are you sure you want this?" he asked me, his voice just a whisper. I could tell that he did want to do this as well, I appreciated his concern over me, but I felt slightly annoyed by his words. Of course I was sure but I simply nodded before I spoke. "I'm sure. Don't you want to?" I asked in the saddest tone I could manage, my first time pretending I was upset genuinely. I felt guilty already. Ian quickly tried to make me feel better as he plastered a loving smile on his lips. "No, I do, I just don't want you feeling like you need to do anything before you really want to." I nodded at his words before speaking again. "I do want to do this. I love you and I want to show it." I whispered, a soft smile on my lips before I pressed my lips back to his. It seemed he understood me as we then started to take each others clothes off before leaving us both naked on the bed. "What do I do now?" I thought. My limbs felt all wobbly, I was incredibly nervous once more. I was glad Ian was taking the lead as he rolled me onto my back, his body pressed to mine. This was it. I was starting to feel a feeling of almost adrenalin spread through my body. Closer and closer Ian moved his lower body to mine as I parted my legs for entry. I had learned that losing your virginity would hurt, so I was waiting for the pain to start. Slowly I could feel Ian slipping into me, but there didn't seem to be any pain. I exhaled sharply, letting my worry and nerves go. It felt strange at first but eventually everything was fine. Ian then started to move within me, thrusting deeper inside. I gripped onto his back, leaving faint white lines across his skin, the feeling of pleasure mounting. We continued to passionately make love before our bodies started to wear out. Sweat beaded on both our bodies, my own feeling like it was reaching its peak. We moved together before we both collapsed onto the bed. Our breathing was quick and laboured Ian pulled me closer to him and I curled up against him. Not that long after, I was drifting off to sleep, my subconscious moving towards my dreams as I felt contented in the arms of the man I loved. I could just stay here forever.

When I woke up, it was just past dawn, the sun which was coming from a crack in the wall hit me with it's dazzling bronze rays. I quickly shifted myself so I was turned away, now facing a sleeping Ian. He was spread out in a compact starfish with a hand and foot just narrowly missing me. He was a restless sleeper.
I continued to look at him, laying there all peaceful and contented, a stark contract to what had happened the night before. My body shivered with the memory of our night of passion. I smiled at the memory before leaning over slowly and kissed him lightly into his soft hair then I pulled away. He stirred a little bit but didn't seem to wake.
Well I needed to eat something so I quickly got washed and changed before I headed over to the kitchen to get something small to eat on the go, I wasn't too hungry, so I could be busy with cutting down food to store.
I spend the morning chopping down some wheat that we were growing but after a while, my arms were starting to ache from the repetitive movements of the blade. At least there were others doing the same and it seemed they were struggling a little too. I didn't feel so bad at knowing that, though I felt sorry that they were hurting. We were all in the same boat at least.
It was just getting towards noon when I was told to pack up with that job and go get something to eat. She was a muscular woman who spoke to me, her thick wiry hair curling into a natural ginger perm. I couldn't remember her name though. It was something like Janet or Joan. I didn't think I had talked to her, even briefly before.
I headed over to the kitchen to get some food. Today it seemed it was a good old favorite of mine in this place - corn bread and vegetable soup, a slightly runny soup. I quickly dug in, my rumbling stomach easing that little bit more with each mouthful. It didn't take me long to finish, but at the end, I was full. No one was around when I started to tidy my plate and cutlery away, having been a decently full room when I first came in. I wondered why everyone was in a rush. Surely people had time to eat, but apparently they didn't it seemed.
This day felt, again a repetitive one. It was going to be a day of purely eating, working, sleeping. The day panned on as I continued with my chores. That was until evening came.
I had moved onto putting our harvest into respective bags and containers which were all in the kitchen, when the atmosphere in this place suddenly changed. I had been alone for a little while in the kitchen, but I didn't feel lonely as I had been able to hear happy voices and movement coming from the direction of the tunnel all the time. That was until that second. The calm voices turned silent and the movements no longer seized. What had happened? I had to go see. I ran as quickly as I could through the tunnels, wondering what was going on. Had someone been hurt? Was there an attack going on? I couldn't hear anything to make me think that the last was a fact, but it still crossed my mind all the same. When I got to the edge of the plaza however, I could just about see why everyone was the way they were. On the other side of the room, I could see Jeb and Jared holding up a small figure by it's arms, the figure was of a young boy. At knowing that we weren't being attacked, my heart did a little leap out of relief, but I wanted to know what had happened to this boy. Was he on his own? With others? Were his parents dead? Many more question ran through my head, but none of them would be answered right now. Instead I watched as he was lead towards the bedrooms, his body almost being dragged by the two men, he seemed too weak to even walk. What could we all do but continue with our jobs unless we knew we would be of use? I wanted to help that boy, but something in me told me that it would be best for me to leave at least Jared to his own devices, I would surely be in the way. There was still a bit of resistance between Jared and myself, but it was getting better as time went by. Well I hoped was anyway.
Once I was finished with packing up food, I headed out of the caves and out into the cool twilight night, the last remnant of the afternoon sun had long sunken into the horizon, leaving the sky a murky blue. I sat myself down, once again on the lip of the rock but I positioned myself to be sheltered by the cool desert breeze behind a nearby overhanging rock. Then I just simply sat there wondering about the boy, everyone in the caves, food, weddings and then nothing. I bathed in the quietness of the night as I lent against the side of the rock and rested. I didn't sleep, but I seemed to have switched all my senses off for quite a while as when I was drawn back to reality, everywhere I looked was pitch black. I seemed like a mistake to come out here for now the difficulties of finding my footing would be great. Fortunately, there was a tiny bit of light, as my eyes adjusted coming from the bright moon was was right above my head. I slowly got to my feet before carefully trying to retrace my steps, making sure not to lean too far as not to fall off. Eventually after sometime and a lot of memory, I was back inside the tunnel and headed back into the plaza before heading to get some late dinner of left over soup and corn bread before heading back to my room.
When I was walking to my room, I could faintly here some talking, men talking and neither of them sounded too happy. I instantly recognized them both when I took a few paces closer as being Jeb and Jared and they were in a room not too far from mine and Ian's. I couldn't make out exactly what they were saying, but I could just make out some words, but most of it didn't make sense out of context. I simply ignored those and listened more. Finally I heard another voice, faint this time talking and I guessed that voice belonged to the boy. The was no talking other than the boy's sporadic voice, but then I heard Jeb's deep voice speak once the boy was done.
"...Charlie, I'm Jeb Stryder and this here is Jared Howe. We're here to help." I guessed that Jeb would be most likely smiling right about now. "Could you tell us what happened to you son?"
That was the last I heard as the door to my bedroom opened and out walked Ian, his muscular chest on show and a bright smile on his lips. Before Ian could speak, I quickly pushed him back into the room, he probably thought I was going to kiss him or something but I wasn't. I wanted to know if he knew anything about the boy and I didn't want any prying ears to be wagging. "Sorry. Uhh, do you know anything about the boy who's just been found? All I have heard is his name's Charlie, but other than that, I know zilch." A human word 'zilch'
Ian nodded and had a look that he was contemplating for a minute as he sat himself down on the edge of the bed. He turned to look up at me before he spoke. "I don't know much either, but it seems he's on his own. He was found laying unconscious on the ground outside. Actually he was found not too far from where we found you." He smiled at the memory before stopping. He seemed to remember that I was treated badly when I was found, so he quickly tried to move on with his information on the boy. "Yes, you're right, his name's Charlie. Charlie Degn I think his name is. Anyway, he hasn't said much else about himself, Jeb and Jared seem to just leave him to talk whenever he has the energy to. He was starving and incredibly thirsty but he seems comfortable there anyway." Ian let a sad smile appear on his lips before it shifted to a happier one as he patted the spot by the side of him. "Come sit down." he said which I listened. I sat myself down by the side of him before he wrapped his arm around me and I snuggled into his body.
"I wonder how he knew about us? Maybe he's from one of the other human groups out there." I softly asked, wondering out loud. Ian shifted under me a little before he lay himself down and pulled me down with him. We lay there together, my back arched into the front of his body like a pair of spoons.
"I doubt it." Ian muttered but tiredly changed his choice of words. "Maybe he is. We'll find out tomorrow anyway. A nice sleep will do a lot of good for Charlie. He'll feel that little bit better at least tomorrow."
I simply nodded before letting out a quiet yawn which was followed by a noisy one by Ian. I could feel Ian fall asleep behind me before he turned over in his sleep and started to dream. I on the other hand felt like I could not sleep. I was thinking too much about Charlie. I wanted to know more about him but I wouldn't be able to until tomorrow.
My mind wondered as I got changed for bed. How Ian answered my question made me think that the boy was like me. Maybe he wasn't human at all. I thought about the difference with how he was treated and I was treated if he was in fact a soul. I knew that everyone here didn't know me when I was found, but deep down it did hurt and it still hurt today. If he was a soul, at least, it seemed that they were treating lost souls like me that much better. It seemed most people here were the trusting ones, but there was something about the boy I didn't trust. It was a tiny bit, but it was there. Maybe it was all in my mind but maybe it wasn't. Well tomorrow will come soon and my questions will hopefully be answered then. For now, I walked over to bed before crawling under the covers and somehow drifted off to sleep, snuggling into the man I loved.