I do not own anything from The Host… Just saying it makes my heart cry.

This is definitely a one-shot, but I could make it longer…just saying. This pretty much picks up right where the book stopped. This is my first fic. If you don't like, don't review. If you happen to read it and decided that you actually like my first attempt and writing, then please, leave some love. Self-esteem boosters and motivation are appreciated :]

Enjoy!

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I stepped out from around Ian, ignoring his muttered warning, abruptly comfortable and sure.

I liked the way Burns had phrased it. 'Gone native'.

Burns stopped in front of me, lowering his hand a bit to compensate for the considerable difference in our heights. I took his hand-it was hard and callused next to my delicate skin- and shook it.

"Burns Living Flowers," he introduced himself.

My eyes widened at his name. Fire World- how unexpected.

"Wanderer," I told him.

"It's…extraordinary to meet you, Wanderer. And here I thought I was one of a kind."

"Not even close," I said, thinking of Sunny back in the caves. Perhaps we were none of us as rare as we thought.

He raised his eyebrow at my answer, intrigued.

"Is that so?" he said. "Well, maybe there's some hope for this planet, after all."

"It's a strange world," I murmured, more to myself than to the other native soul.

"The strangest," he agreed.

"So what changed your mind?" I asked him calmly.

As Burns opened his mouth to reply, a slight waft of hot, desert air passed between the two groups.

As Burns reached out to brush a stray tendril of hair off my face, I suddenly realized the way Burns was staring at me with an intense look in his eye. His hand was poised just inches from my face, his fingers stretched to move the hair from my cheek. His eyes, so similar to mine, were closer to me than I remembered, and when he finally moved the tendril, his thumb caressed the side of my cheek.

I heard Ian distinctly clear his throat. I quickly turned to inquire what was wrong, but the look on his face stopped me. He was staring not at me, but at Burns. His expression could only be described, in Melanie's words, as pissed off, and I quickly turned back to Burns, wondering what on earth he could have done to upset Ian to the point of anger. I opened my mouth to speak, but quickly shut it. Burns was looking at Ian with a slight smirk on his face, as if he had done something he knew was wrong but had enjoyed doing it. I looked back and forth between the two, and watched as Burns expression slowly turned into one identical to Ian's. Human emotions were so unpredictable, I couldn't possibly guess what had set off the two men. I looked at Mel for some form of guidance, but all she did was roll her eyes and shake her head.

Jared's voice cut the tension like a knife. "Well, if you two adult men are done staring at each other, we have business to discuss."

I walked back to Ian, giving him a quizzical expression. He just kept his death glare aimed directly at Burns while snaking his arms protectively around my waist. I leaned back into him simply for the joy of feeling his presence, and he eventually relaxed as well, his sigh caressing my head like an embrace.

"Where did your group come from?"Melanie asked. "Where are the other groups located?"

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When we returned home later that night, I noticed Ian was being exceptionally quiet. All the other residents of our small, cave family were awed and amazed at the mere thought of more human survival cells located elsewhere, and I could understand their excitement. This was the first real ray of hope they had received in the years since my species' invasion; I smiled seeing Jamie relate our tale to Freedom and her brother with wild hand gestures and loud exclamations. Nate's group and moved on to their hideout after we had parted with the promise of meeting later in the week. I turned my head to find Ian regarding me intently. I smiled at him, once again completely encompassed by the feelings of content and happiness I felt whenever I was close to him. It still took my breath away every time I was hit by the love I felt for this man.

He didn't smile back. My smile turned into a frown, and his fingers came up to my forehead as if to erase the wrinkles.

"What's wrong? You've been so subdued since we returned." I paused waiting for a reply, but received none. He was still looking at me, seemingly trying to study every pore on my face. I just kept talking. "We still have to go out to tomorrow again, since our attempt at a raid failed." The smile was again back on my face. "Isn't it so exciting to find another human cell? There really is hope for this planet, after all," I said, quoting Burns from earlier.

Ian's mouth turned into a scowl, and he abruptly stood. "I'm going to turn in. We have a full day tomorrow." He quickly kissed the top of my head and stalked out of the room.

I stared after him, slightly hurt by his curtness. What could possibly be bothering him?

"That's jealousy for you," came a familiar voice from behind me.

"What do you mean, Mel? What does he possibly have to be jealous of?" I asked.

"Oh Wanda, you really are blind sometimes. Did you not see the way Burns was looking at you? In his eyes, you're the first one of his kind he's ever met. Of course he would feel attracted to you instantly. Or did you just not notice he was standing mere inches from your face?"

I balked. "What! That's ridiculous! I love Ian, and am in no way remotely attracted to Burns. How could Ian possibly be jealous over something as completely absurd as that?"

"Think about it logically Wanda. You and Burns are two peas in a spaceship pod. Both of you help your human families, you're both kind, loving to a fault, loyal, have saved human lives on countless occasions, have seen numerous worlds, are a soul residing within a human host..." She paused to take a breath. I cut her off.

"But none of that matters. He's not Ian," I stated, as if that were the obvious answer. And really, for me, it was.

"And Ian knows you love him, but look at it through his eyes. Realistically speaking, two beings usually stay in the same species. It was clear Burns was attracted to you. All throughout our questioning and conversation with Nate's group, he was looking at you, trying to make eye contact. Why do you think Ian was literally clinging to you the entire time? He wanted to make it clear you belong to him, and no one else."

I thought about Mel's words, trying to decide if they had any basis in truth. For my part, I was paying attention to Nate's group with interest. However, my mind was also on more important things, like how amazing it felt the way Ian was rubbing tiny, burning circles along my lower back, and how he would occasionally move to my hip. If Burns was trying to make eye contact for the three hours we were with Nate's group, he had no chance. My mind was comfortably and happily occupied elsewhere.

Mel was still talking. "And think about when we said good bye. Burns hugged you instead of shaking hands like he had with everyone else, and when he didn't let you go, Ian had to practically drag you away from him."

I had thought Ian had only wanted to get home to tell the others about our new discovery.

"How could Ian possibly doubt my love for him? I wasn't even aware of Burns' attention, let alone attracted to him."

"You're never aware of anything," Mel grumbled. I gave her a look. She shrugged.

"Just remove the man from his misery and go to him," Melanie said with a sigh.

"Men," I muttered as I got up from the table.

"You don't have to tell me twice," Mel replied with a smile.

As I made my way through the cave to mine and Ian's room, I contemplated Mel's words. How could Ian possibly even think I would be attracted to Burns. He didn't have Ian's smile, or that compassionate look in his eye. He didn't make me melt with a single look, or giggle over the tiniest remarks, or tingle wherever his hand touched my skin. When I finally reached our door, I took a deep breath and crossed over the threshold.

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I found Ian reclining on our bed, legs crossed at the ankle in front of him, his left arm acting as a pillow for his head. He had obviously decided a shirt was unnecessary, for he was only wearing his low riding jeans and socks. He didn't look my way as I entered.

Fine, if he wasn't going to look at me, I would have to make it so he had no other choice. I walked over to the bed and promptly straddled his lap, hooking my legs around his torso.

This got his attention. His head immediately snapped to face me. I met his gaze with a determined look of my own. He looked at me with intense eyes, a fire already beginning to build in their depths. My mind was momentarily distracted from my original goal as Ian and I stared at each other. My heart was already racing, and I was so flushed I could almost feel the blood pumping through my body. His hand reached up to caress the side of my face, and I leaned into his hand, momentarily closing my eyes. The electricity between us was palpable; it was a wonder the entire room didn't turn all hazy by the energy created between the two of us.

Honestly, how could Burns or anyone else even hope to compare with this?

"I love you," I said in barely a whisper, his face merely centimeters from my own. He brought his other hand up to frame my face with his fingers. My fingertips slowly slid their way up his bare torso, and I could feel the goose bumps beginning to form along his skin. My hands stopped when they reached his shoulders.

"I love you, too," Ian said, his voice husky with emotion. He kissed me then. As his lips met mine, I shuddered. I instantly opened my mouth for him, and his tongue plunged into my mouth with a groan. His fingers slipped into my hair, capturing my mouth where it was.

Like I was going to try to move.

My hands explored his stomach, his arms, then traveled to his hair, messaging his head as our mouths continued to explore each other. I pushed myself closer so I could feel the heat of his body through my thin cotton shirt. I wanted to show him that he completed who I am, he showed me what it meant to feel human, how he made me feel loved and cherished whenever he looked at me. Soon I couldn't tell where one kiss began and the other one started, but that didn't matter. What mattered was the taste of Ian's mouth, the feel of his fingers against my skin, and the shudders of pleasure I felt whenever his tongue passed over a particularly sensitive spot. With every kiss we shared, I wanted to further cement our love for each other, and prove to him no other being in any other universe could possibly come close to how much Ian meant to me.

When our mouths finally broke about, we were both out of breath. He rested his forehead on mine.

"Ian," I began.

"I'm sorry, Wanda," he said before I could even begin. "I know you never noticed anything and I'm completely unjustified in my actions, but you should have seen the way Burns was looking at you. It looked like he wanted to devour you, like you were a piece of meat, or something."

I just sat on his lap, slowly stroking his hair, letting him explain.

"And then when he looked at me, the reflection of his eyes caught in the light, and I realized you and him are so similar. You're from the same species, you share a similar story, he's everything I want to be for you, but can't."

"Ian," I said again. "I wouldn't care if he was the last of my species in all the galaxies and it was the last chance for our survival to be with him. He is not YOU."

He didn't seem convinced. I kissed him again. His eyes were still closed when I broke away a few moments later.

"Ok?" I further questioned him.

"Yeah, hmmhmm," Ian mumbled as he kissed me again.

I giggled. "Ian, we're trying to talk about something important. You can't keep distractin-."

"Yeah, hmmhmm." He slowly lowered me down onto my back, kissing me the whole way.

Something told me we would not be doing much talking until tomorrow morning.