Like A Monsoon

Even though the rains came, we still needed to eat. Jared arranged for us- him, Melanie, Wanda, and I- to go on a raid. We were all willing to go, so we left that day. Jared said it would be a quick raid, only stopping at a few towns so we could get back to the caves before they had to start breaking out the food that was in storage.

We drove for four days, stopping at eleven towns along the way. Jared insisted that we start far away from the caves, so the first day was only occupied my driving.

Each time Wanda went into one of the stores, I became more and more nervous. I couldn't pace in the van, so I fidgeted. My hand tapped the window, my leg bouncing, or my eyes darting from one object to another.

We hit all the towns except the last one, Casa Grande, which would get us home in a couple of hours. I had volunteered to drive to the last stop, letting the others rest. Wanda was set on waiting up with me, even though I told her she should get rest, too. It was late and I know Wanda hasn't slept since the last time Jared drove, which was before her but after Melanie. It must have been several hours since she even got a few minutes of rest.

"When was the last time you slept, Wanda?" I asked, wanting to know if my thoughts were correct.

"Since the last time Jared drove." I was right. "Three stops ago?" She asked, thinking aloud. I frowned and she must have noticed it. "But I'm not tired," she tried to reassure me, even though I could see her eyelids drooping and her trying to stifle a yawn. Jared and Melanie were sleeping, she probably thought she needed to keep me company.

"Yes, you are, Wanda. But if you want to stay up, I guess you can. I'm not going to force you to sleep," I sighed and reached over to grab her hand. A smile played on her face. I could see her tense up every time headlights washed over the windshield though she still kept her voice calm and her face slack.

"We're almost there," I said with worried eyes. I shouldn't be worried, she's reassured me thousands of times that it's only shopping and the Souls don't expect anything, but it's still hard for me to let her go in there alone. I took the exit that led to Casa Grande and stopped at the local superstore. "Remember, you can make it small and fast. Only things we usually get. It hasn't been that long since we last raided so you don't need to go all out," she nods her head, "and Wanda?"

"What?" She looks at me, worried. Her eyes searched mine.

"Be careful," I lean in to kiss her. "I love you," I breathe before she closes the gap between us. My hand goes to the small of her back and hers run through my hair.

"I love you, too." She squeezes my hand before getting out of the van. I watch her walk up to the store, my body tense and alert. A soul smiles and says something to Wanda, and I can see her nod and keep walking.

Within the first half hour she was in the store, my body becomes rigid and nervousness rushes in my veins. My eyes are constantly on the two doors to the super market, looking for any sign of golden hair. Melanie and Jared woke up 15 minutes after Wanda left, and they panicked. I couldn't tell them where she went until they calmed down and stopped fidgeting.

"Let me go in to find her," I demand harshly after a while, though Jared refuses any of us to leave the van. It's been an hour since she went in there, and I have become impatient. The souls don't notice anyone, anyway. I could get in there, find her, and get out.

"No," is all he replies. I clench my hands into fists. My mind races with thoughts of what could happen to her. They could have recognized her as the missing soul. They could have seen through her lies. A seeker could have been around, knowing there was humans in the are and asked to question each soul. She can't lie, she'd be doomed if that ever happened to her.

"You would do it for Melanie," I say. It was low, even for me, but if that's what it takes to let me go in after Wanda. Jared avoids my eyes.

He doesn't answer, because he knew it was right. Melanie just shakes her head, "She'll be fine, Ian, really. I know Wanda. She said the souls don't suspect anything, so what could happen?" A lot, I say to myself. We all jump at the knocking at the window behind me.

I turn around to find beautiful golden eyes staring back at me. "I can't lift the latch to the van, could you help?" Wanda asks me. I nod and jump out to help her.

"I was worried," I say, not accusingly but thinking out loud.

"Sorry, I got lost in the store. It's bigger than I expected and I didn't know it well. I couldn't find my way back to the front." Her cheeks became flushed. She looked down at the ground, embarrassed.

"Okay," I sighed. "As long as you're here now." I brushed my lips across her forehead and grabbed the bags she was carrying, lifting them into the van. She smiled and then climbed in the front seat.

I started to drive, glad we were on our way home. Only a couple hours left until I could fall asleep on the mattress in the game room, next to Wanda. Only a couple days left until we can move into our room.

My mind wandered a lot when I drove. I thought about the way Wanda slept, with her back pressed tightly to the seat of the van. It probably hurts her neck, I thought. She wouldn't say anything about it, though. Not Wanda. I hated seeing her eyes shut. They were almost the only reminder that she was a Soul, my Wanderer. Except for the incision on her neck, I would have no idea that she could be a human, rid of the soul I loved. But, she looked so peaceful when she slept. Her chest rising and falling, her eyelids fluttering when she was having a dream, her heart beats slow and even, her hair falling in a halo around her face. It was all perfect in a way only Wanda could be.

We stayed in a hotel during the nights we went on a raid, but we didn't this time. Since we were making this raid quick, someone had to be driving at all hours. If it was me who was driving, Wanda owned the passenger seat. If it was her who was driving, I was right there beside her. We've been confined to this small van for the past few days, I'm sure even Jared and Melanie would be happy to go back to the game room to sleep. Not me, though. This car was fine enough.

"What are you thinking about?" Wanda asked, waking me from my daze. I realized she had been staring at me. Her eyes were full of curiosity, golden lined with silver. Her hair fell past her shoulders, golden and soft even though going days without a shower.

"Home," I answered, truthfully. Anywhere's home if Wanda's there. "What are you thinking about?" I echoed her question. Wanda stayed silent for a minute. Her eyes had the same faraway look in them as they did when she was conversing with Melanie. "Hey," I gently nudged her elbow.

"Nothing," she shook her head like she was clearing it and smiled, grabbing my hand. I drove in silence the rest of the way there, only stopping for gas once. Unfamiliar mountains and buildings flew past me, none of them catching my eye.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see that Wanda's head was tilted, leaning on her shoulders. Her eyes were closed, and I knew she was sleeping by the way her chest rose and fell even and slow. I hated to wake her up, but we were unloading and she was the only one who could go get more help. I quickly passed boxes from inside of the van out to whoever was there with open arms.

"Could you drive the car to it's hiding place?" Jared asked, doing the same thing beside me. Right after we unload would be the only time, it's light enough to drive without the headlights and dark enough to be concealed as I walk back.

"Sure," I agreed. He probably didn't want to leave Melanie, he's only had her back for a couple of weeks now.

"Anything else?" Wanda asked. She came back right when we were finished unloading. I felt bad, she pushed herself everyday to please everyone in the community. Her body was too fragile for the work, and everyone knew and accepted that.

"No, you can go get some rest if you want," I offered. These past days she ran around in store after store, probably with fear present constantly in the back of her mind. She needed the sleep.

"Where are you going?" She asked, concerned. She came back with her hair braided. She was gone as long as it takes for us to unload, one of the kids must have wanted to play with her hair.

"Jared asked me to return the van to it's hiding place. It'll only take a few minutes." I assured her. I didn't want to leave her but I didn't want her to be exhausted.

"I'll come with you," she said, grabbing my hand. I smiled and opened the car door for her. She climbed in.

We drove with the headlights off, taking extra precautions in case any Seeker was out patrolling. With no headlights it was pitch black in the car, we hoped no one would suspect anything. I parked the van and got out, meeting Wanda behind the car to start our walk back.

It was dark outside, but rosy streaks of dawn were spreading out across the sky. The sun would rise soon, and we would be able to see it if we walked slow enough. Arizona sunrises were beautiful, the sky a watercolor pink just around the bright yellow of the sun, and the rest a dark blue dotted with stars.

Droplets of water splashed on the ground in front of me. It had started raining, and soon the lightning would crack across the sky. I cursed under my breath. We still had miles to walk. "Do you want my shirt in case you get cold?" I asked.

"No, it feels nice," she said, lifting her hands above her head. Her hair was already stuck to her face and becoming darker. I could see her silhouette against the rising sun, the outline of her body glowed with pink. With the amount of sun that was present I could see the soft features of her face.

She noticed I was staring at her, and with a quick motion, her hands were behind my head and our lips locked together. Without thinking about it, my hands went to her hips and pulled her closer, not wanting anything between us.

It started as a slow boil, but it grew rapidly. The rains had came and washed away anything unsure that was there before. This wasn't the Wanda that was shy and thought of everyone but herself, whenever this Wanda came out I had a hard time trying to keep telling myself it's still her. Not that I didn't enjoy it, of course, but it was a different side of her. A side that only came out once in a while. It must be Melanie's fierceness that was passed over to her, because it sure wasn't Pet's. No, I told myself. This was Wanda. All Wanda and no one else.

Our breaths became short and desperate, our bodies took over and instinct kicked in. My mind played tricks on me, I could see red marks forming where our skin touched, burning instantly. Rain soaked our clothes, and that was the only thing between us. Her skin was lined with goosebumps yet I could feel the heat on her body. It was too hard to concentrate on not losing control with Wanda trying to undo the buttons on my shirt. The monsoons defined this moment perfectly, wild and uncontrolled. The rain cool but the air still warm.

"Wanda," I said sternly, my eyes were closed and my jaw was tight. Even though I wanted it, I wouldn't let her do this for me. She had to want it, too. I swore to myself a long time ago that I wouldn't take advantage of her. I had to be sure that she wasn't only doing it for me like her selfless soul would, she had to want it. I needed her to tell me that, not having to ask her. What if I asked and she only lied to please me?

My body and my mind went at war, each trying to do something different. One wanting to go along with things, let them go farther. The other insisted that she was too young, I could see past the first lie that came out of Pet's mouth. Wanda claimed she was 17, but her body looked barely older than 14, half my age. Her eyes locked on mine, questioning their motives. Wanda just shook her head and leaned in again. She must have felt it when I gained control of myself. She became less rushed and her kiss became deeper. She tried to get me to lose myself again, but stopped when my hands were on her shoulders, slightly pushing her away but yearning to pull her closer. She broke the kiss, turned, and started walking.

"You never let it go farther than that," she muttered and crossed her arms. I reached over and pulled her closer to me.

"Hey," my voice was soft. "All in good time," I said into her hair.

This was really fun to write. Personally, I think this one's my best. It's the longest I've ever written and I put more thought into it than I do into my other one shots, I went over this and edited it about a thousand times.

Let me know what you think of it! Reviews and constructive criticism help me greatly.

Also, I think I'm going to try and write a M rated o'wanda fic. It'll probably be up shortly.