The cave was dark and warm. I'd become used to sleeping in here, wrapped in Ian's arms and within a short distance of the loud snoring which emanated from Jamie's direction, the sound he would forever deny was him. It felt good to have all my family around me at once. The sense of community was strong and grounded. I smiled in the darkness and it was as if Ian sensed it.

"Happy?" he whispered in my ear, his breath disturbing my hair and tickling my neck.

An inappropriate giggle escaped my lips. I had to learn to control that.

"Yes", I stated simply, too embarrassed to elaborate on the feeling of euphoria from being held like this.

He kissed the back of my hair and smiled.

I began to wonder what it would feel like to be back in our separate rooms to sleep after so long spent in here. Would the community feel more disjointed, less familial? Then my thoughts returned to the question Ian had asked me and the answer I had given. I felt my face flush a deep shade of red which I was glad Ian couldn't see. Was I ready for this? A human relationship? I wasn't human. I was in a new body. What was I thinking? Then Ian stirred slightly behind me in his sleep and my worries disappeared. Of course I was ready. I'd lived 9 lives before finding this kind of happiness and to totally belong to another being may be an alien state to me but what I had experienced so far had made me determined to make this work. The truth was that Ian loved me. He was so little like the other humans I had met, driven by lust and desire and personal fulfilment. Ian saw through the external to a person's soul and the fact that it was me, the soul named Wanderer, who he wanted to be his partner in life was a miracle in itself.

I snuggled back closer to Ian's body and held on tightly to the arms that encircled me.

*************************************

Morning. It wasn't easy to tell when the day had broken above ground from this cave. The darkness wasn't cancelled by the natural light as in our rooms, but by a hive of activity which gradually increased as people awoke from their slumbers naturally, some less naturally as they were dragged from their mattresses by fellow humans who did not want to be left to complete work tasks alone.

My body was facing Ian's now but I pretended to be asleep so that he could wake me in the customary way. He kissed my eyelids open. He'd done this tenderly every morning since I had been awakened in my new body. I opened my eyes slowly, faking the process of waking and stared into his blue eyes that sparkled, despite the dim light. "Time to get up" he whispered and pulled me gently to my knees. I looked around me and saw Jamie curled on the mattress beside ours, a tactful gap left between us, but close enough that he felt near to his family. I punched his shoulder playfully. "I'm awake!" he grumbled and I couldn't help but giggle. This was another custom we had built up since my new life. Jamie would never admit to being asleep and would never get up without being dragged from the mattress by either Ian or Jared, depending upon whoever spied him lounging first. The first time they had participated in this game I had been worried, but a reassuring glance from Mel told me that this wasn't hurting Jamie and that he would no doubt be laughing by the time he was dragged to his feet under threat of being carried over shoulder to the river for a dunking.

A few stretches, yawns and general complaints about the cramped conditions and everyone was headed towards their first port of call of the day, whether that be the kitchen or whether it be to answer certain human bodily functions which couldn't be denied. I was surprised when Jeb waltzed in whistling. It was the brightest I had seen him in days.

"Ok, people, you will be glad to hear that the rains have stopped and if we all work on drying the rooms out today, we will be able to retire to our own living spaces by nightfall."

A whoop of joy went up around the room. I looked to where Ian was standing, next to Jared, and a look of anticipation crossed his face briefly. If I hadn't been so in tune with his emotions and able to read his face so readily, I wouldn't have seen it. He didn't want to scare me. I smiled a small smile back to acknowledge the emotion. I didn't know what he was saying to Jared amid the background noise but Jared smirked and then patted Ian on the shoulder before turning his attention to Mel and lifting her into the air in joy. They shared a kiss, the intensity of which was not really fit for public consumption, but in the circumstances, Jeb just shrugged it off and rolled his eyes in my direction.

************************

I was working in the kitchen. It felt odd to be here rather than in the fields, but Mel had insisted upon taking my place in the fields when she saw how it exhausted me. This body didn't possess Mel's stamina, and everyone had been making allowances in the past month. It had been frustrating at first but once I realised I could still serve the community in the kitchen, I had accepted the fact. Things were different, some more different than others, and I welcomed the changes.

"Hey there!"

The familiar voice chimed out behind me. It was nearly time for evening meal and I was at my busiest getting ready for the tired workers to return here expecting a miracle meal from whatever had been left in the stores, but I made an exception to halt for this person.

"Hi, Mel".

It still felt odd to be looking at a mirror reflection of my old self, but it was also comforting. She was the sister I had never had and nothing could break the bond we shared, albeit coming from an unusual turn of events.

"Happy birthday!"

"Birthday?"

"Well, it has been exactly a month today since you awoke to your new life, so it is kinda like a birthday, doncha think?"

I smiled. A birthday? I'd seen others have these whilst living here and the thought of having one of my own made me feel even more a part of things, a part of the human race.

"So, I got you something, Wanda." She saw the confusion on my face. "I got it on our last raid and was saving it for you."

She reached behind her into her bag and produced a brown paper package.

"Thank you, that's really useful," I said, marvelling at the string and thinking of all the uses I could put it too.

Mel rolled her eyes. "Open it."

I pulled on the string and as it fell open something a bright white fell out. I reached out and grabbed it before it could hit the musty floor. It was a bright white lacy top, thin straps and front laced, nothing like our usual attire. It was beautiful. I held it gently in my hands.

"Thank you, but are you sure you don't want it for yourself?"

Mel laughed.

"I don't think it's my size, besides I'm not angelic enough to carry it off."

I hugged her. This was becoming more natural an action. I noticed Jared was standing behind her.

"I knew it was you the minute we saw it. Happy birthday, Wanda."

He squeezed Mel round the waist and took a sideways look at her as they shared a conspiratorial grin. As they walked away I could hear him say quietly "Ian's gonna love it".

*************************

Ian was one of the last to enter the kitchen. Unlike others he always wanted to finish a job properly before taking the time to eat, so it didn't surprise me that he was late, but he did seem to be even longer this time. I was dishing up the last bowl of chicken stock when I felt his strong arms wrap around me from behind. He kissed my hair and turned me gently round to face him. The distance between us was minimal and it made me feel safe and loved.

"You're very late", I muttered. I wanted to say how much I had missed him and longed for his hold but I knew it would just raise another of those terrible blushes and so I left it at that.

"I had things to do, things to get ready."

"Get ready for what?"

"I wanted to air out our cave so it was dry enough. You've no idea how a month of rain can damage a place, but at least it smells good now."

He smiled at my blush when he said "our cave" and kissed my pink cheeks. I could feel my heart racing and tried to pull back so that he could not feel it, but he misread it and looked worried.

"What's wrong, Wanda? It's ok, if you want Jamie to stay with us too. I don't know if he has okayed it with Brandt and Aaron anyway yet."

I spoke quietly into his shoulder so that my blush wasn't visible.

"No, I want it to just be us tonight."

"Me too", and he lifted my chin so that he could look into my eyes, and smiled before descending upon my lips, his mouth covering mine completely. Suddenly we were the only ones in the room again and Ian was the whole of my world. I felt a warmth rush up but this time it wasn't just my face that felt flushed with excitement.

"Ahem. Have you two ever heard of the phrase "get a room"?" Jared laughed at his own joke and laughed even more when he saw the startled looks on our faces. He walked out laughing to himself. I was so glad that the awkwardness between us had gone. I had shared passionate kisses with Jared and the memories that Mel had, had at one time been my memories. It didn't seem right to still have a recollection of them but they were fading and he seemed comfortable with it now. He no longer looked at me with want as he did at first, his feelings confused and twisted. He was where he should be now and Mel, his Mel, was by his side.

I turned back to Ian and for a moment became lost in the sapphire of his eyes.

"So..."

"So what?"

Ian laughed. "Are you going to feed me or what? A man can't live on love alone, much as I'd like to try."

I turned and poured him a bowl of the soup and broke the last of the bread, then sat to watch him eat.

As he drained the last of the bowl, he looked at the dishes in the sink.

"You want some help with those?"

I was about to say "no" and then stopped myself.

"Actually would you mind finishing up here for me? I'm feeling kind of tired."

A worried look crossed his face, and lines wrinkled his smooth forehead. I giggled and shook my head.

"I'm fine. I just have something I want to do before we... retire."

"Oh, ok, but don't be too long". He leaned in to kiss me, lightly this time. "I'll meet you by the cornfield. I don't want you going ahead and spoiling my surprise."

I nodded in reply and walked out clutching the package Mel and Jared had given me. I wanted to change into the new garment before we went to our cave.

*****

"Wanda?" Ian called from the field. I stepped out from the dark tunnel at the sound of his voice and he was about to call again but halted mid breath. Ian was a man who wore his heart and emotions on his sleeve, especially around me, so I could see he was overcome. "Jared was right, he does love it", I thought and I giggled at the reaction.

"You look beautiful", he gasped. "Where did you get this?" Hs fingers lightly caressed my shoulders and ran down the sides of the blouse, marvelling at its delicate nature.

"It was a present from Mel and Jared for my first birthday".

"Remind me to thank them", he muttered in a hoarse voice as he scooped me up into his strong arms.

**

We reached the cave and I could see a glow emanating from the cave entrance. I looked at Ian confused but his face was alight with a happiness, which quickly spread to mine. Anything that made Ian happy would make me feel the same, regardless of what it was. He stepped into the cave and I tore my eyes away from the joyous expression on his face to look around me. Ian had covered every surface with candles and they emitted a warm glow around the room. As I looked at the shadow of Ian carrying me on the wall I could not tell where he stopped and I began, and I realised that this was the way it should be.

"Thank you," I muttered. "It's beautiful".

"Thank you." He stated. "Thank you for..." and he teared up. It took me by surprise and I pulled his head to my chest, feeling the tears stain my new blouse. I pulled his face back up after a minute to see a look of yearning in his eyes.

"I love you, Ian".

"I love you, Wanderer. Happy birthday."

When our lips met it was gentle and comforting, the slow burn reassuring and welcoming. This felt right. Our mouths matched each other's movements in harmony as Ian's fingers ran through my hair. I caressed the back of his neck with my finger tips lightly and he moaned into me, his fingers becoming more insistent and grabbing a handful of my hair. The emotion startled me and I gasped at the feelings spreading within this body. Ian immediately pulled back to look at my face.

"I'm sorry. Is this too much?"

I silenced him with one finger across his lips and answered his question with my own lips meeting his, this time with a more fiery intention. Ian ran his hands down the side of my neck and across my shoulders, pushing the thin straps of my birthday present with them. His kisses departed from my mouth, travelling lightly down my neck and across my bare shoulders. I groaned in pleasure and he pulled me closer to him so that I could feel every muscle. The he pulled back and held my face in his hands. For a moment he looked like he was searching for something and then a random ray of moonlight came through the roof of the cave, hitting my eyes. I could see the light reflected back on his face and he smiled.

"There you are," he whispered and I smiled back at the only human who could see beauty and love in a small silver alien creature, a creature that now loved him with all of her soul and knew that he loved her back in the same way.

"Is this okay?" he whispered, barely audible.

"More than okay," I reaffirmed. And then, as though he needed the confirmation as he looked down at my delicate body, I whispered "I won't break".

We shared a fleeting smile before Ian's attention was diverted by my hands reaching for him. I ran my fingers insistently up and down his back through his shirt and pulled it out from his trousers to reach up inside. No thoughts of Jared this time as I pulled him closer to me and yanked the shirt over his head, not pausing to undo the buttons. He enveloped me in his arms and gently lowered me to a kneeling position on the mattress.

"Oh Wanda," he groaned as his frantic kisses moved from my shoulders to the recess in my neck. His hands reached behind me and pulled me into his lap. I wrapped my legs around him tightly. I wanted to be as close to him as I could and any air between our bodies was a negative thing. His hands rubbed circles on my hips through the soft cloth of the leggings I wore, and my lips once again reached his mouth. His tongue traced my lips, coaxing them to part and our rhythm recommenced. Ian's hands were between us. I was unsure what they were doing at first before I realised he was trying to unlace the front of my blouse. I pulled back enough to give him room to work and he was careful enough not to tear a single piece of lace despite his fervour. He pulled the delicate material back each side as if unwrapping a fragile parcel and I felt his cool breath brush across my skin. One hand caressed my breast while the other continued massaging circles on my buttocks. I never knew such emotions existed until tonight. I was overcome with a sense of euphoria and unable to form words. A low "mmmm" emitted from my mouth which served to increase Ian's intensity. He lowered me gently back onto the mattress, each kiss travelling lower on my body. I reached under me to find his trousers and unzipped them slowly, hearing a guttural moan emit from Ian's lips, much like mine. He was hard and erect under my fingers as I traced his length and my own remaining clothing was quickly dispensed with.

We quickly found a rhythm as Ian tenderly entered my body.

"Tell me to stop if you want".

I giggled. Even now he was still worried about hurting me.

"No", I laughed and he grinned right back.

This felt so right. We were one, as we should be. My skin tingled with the electricity between us and I thought of all the lives I had lived, all the experiences I had had. In all my existence, this was the one that was the most fulfilling and this was the one I would continue to share with my mate until our time together was brought to an end. I knew this would be a long time off.

*******************

The sunlight glinting through the holes in the roof woke me. I looked down at our intertwined bodies and leaning into Ian's face kissed his eyelids open.

"Love you" I whispered.

"Love you", he replied, simply.

******************

We walked through the tunnels, holding hands, not wanting to break contact for one minute. When we reached the kitchen, Jared turned to see us. Mel was beside him, Jamie at her side. Jared looked down at what I was wearing, my birthday present.

"It's still in one piece then. O'Shea?" he sniggered and Mel thumped him hard.

I looked up at Ian, expecting to see anger on his face, but he smirked.

"Some of us have more control, Jared."

I looked at Mel and we both laughed as Jamie gave her a confused look and she reached over to ruffle his hair.

***********************