The first rays of the morning shown through the cracks in our ceiling. I closed my eyes tighter not wanting to get up. I was actually comfortable. That was rare here in the caves. Sure we had mattresses but they weren't very good.

I listened to the sound of one of my favorite sounds in the world. Ian's heart beat was steady and comforting. Even without opening my eyes I could tell that he was spread in all directions as he always did when he slept deeply.

I opened my eyes and looked over at his face. I couldn't believe that I was so lucky. Life, over all, had improved immensely since I'd been re-born in Pet's body. Minus the physical limitations of this body when it came to work and the over compensation that everyone seemed to think necessary, life couldn't get any better.

I gently maneuvered my way off the mattress and put a shirt on over the tank top that I wore to bed. I tried to leave quietly without waking Ian. I only planned on going to the bathroom before he woke up.

"Where are you going?" a musky voice asked.

"I'm sorry did I wake you?" I asked.

"Sort of." Ian said propping himself up on his elbows, "I think I'm starting to develop a feeling for when you leave the bed. And it makes me wake up."

I frowned, "Well I'll be right back, I'm just going to the bathroom."

"Promise?" he asked smiling

I couldn't help but smile back, "I promise."

I closed the door and started walking down the long passage towards the big juncture. I stopped when I got to the big room. I could have sworn that I heard something. I paused but when nothing jumped out at me or showed it's self I assumed that it was a rock or something.

I walked through the familiar tunnels till I reached the river room. I paused remembering when Kyle had tried to kill me in Mel's body. I shuddered. I was sure now that Kyle wouldn't do anything like that to me, or to Sunny. Sunny was most of the reason that he wasn't violent, most of the time.

I went back past the bathing pool and into the area where we all did our business. When I was done I walked back out and I could have sworn that I caught a bit of skin disappearing around the corner out of the river room.

"Hello?" I said uncertain, "Is someone there?"

No one answered. I frowned and walked forward slowly. When I got to the path out there was no one there.

I frowned, that was odd. Maybe I was just seeing things. I walked back towards my room where Ian waited. That thought had me walking faster.

The thought of Ian always did odd things to my body. This body was mine but more than that it had become Ian's. It longed for him and he accepted that with a smile every time. Being without him sometimes made me feel venerable and alone but when we were together I was fine. It was like it had been with No Pain. When Ian wasn't with me I was in unconscious pain but when he was with me, touching my hair and my arms, kissing my head and holding my hands; it took all the pain away.

When I got back to our room Ian was lying down, not asleep, it looked like he'd gotten up and put a pair of sweats on and a shirt but just got back into bed.

I thought that was odd but I took off my shirt and got back into bed.

Ian rolled over, facing towards me, and placed his hand on my cheek. "Missed you." He whispered.

I smiled, "And I missed you, even though we were only apart for less than 10 minutes."

He chuckled, "I can still miss you even though you weren't gone long."

I nodded. I stared into his blue eyes, my anchor to this planet. Before I knew what was happening his lips connected with mine.

The molten rock was heated by his touch and began to flow like the river in the river room. He was the only one who could make me feel this way. He made me feel so happy and protected, but I wanted more. I pushed so I was closer to him and he got the message his kiss became more passionate. He grabbed my lower lip with his teeth and gently pulled. He knew what that did to me.

I tried to push him onto his back, and failed, he laid on his back and I went to lie on top of him. I'd learned, our first time, that I was not heavy to him and that he liked it when I laid on him. Ian moved all my hair to one side so it didn't get in the way.

I'd cut my hair so it wasn't so long but almost every woman in that caves had forbade me from cutting it too short, so it went down to the middle of my back.

As I kissed Ian I tried to hold him to me by putting my hands on either side of his face. I felt him smile under our kiss. He rolled us so that I was on bottom and that he was balancing his weight so he didn't crush me. He ran his tongue along my bottom lip, a request which I granted with pleasure. Our tongues danced together and I entwined my hands into Ian's hair.

My body was completely enflamed with lava inside amplified by the feeling of Ian. It screamed for more of him with every cell in every part of my body. It was early and we had time.

Ian moved his kisses from my mouth to my neck. "Ian?"

"Humm." He answered not moving his lips even an inch away from my neck.

"Why are you dressed like you went somewhere?" I was curious. More curious because it meant more work if we went further.

He lifted his head from his devouring of my neck and looked at me, "Noticed that huh?" I nodded. He rolled off me and ran his fingers threw his hair. That meant he was nervous, or at least that's what it usually meant when his face had the contemplating look. "Promise that you won't freak out if I tell you?"

I moved to I was straddling him "Promise."

He smiled at me and gave me a quick kiss before speaking, "Ever since you came back and we've been sleeping beside each other. I have this feeling when you leave the bed, or we aren't touching. That causes me to wake up and no matter if you're going to the bathroom, bathing or just stepping outside I have to…."

I narrowed my eyes because I knew what he was going to say next, "fallow me?" He nodded and I understood. I had seen a person when I came out of the bathing room. It had been Ian. And I had heard a noise; it had been Ian leaving our room.

He interrupted my thoughts by putting his hands on either side of my face, "I'm sorry Wanda. It's just that the last time that you left me while we were supposed to be sleeping was when you went to Doc. And I'm always afraid that I'm going to lose you when you leave going off by yourself."

I smiled and kissed him. It wasn't a peck or a quick kiss but it wasn't exactly a make-out session either. When I pulled away I ran my fingers threw his soft black hair. "Ian. I'm never going to do that again. I have no reason to. It's not a big deal for you to be with me when I take my little trips but you don't have to fallow me from a distance. If it means that much to you…" I kissed his forehead, "We could go hand in hand; side by side."

He nodded and kissed me again. My hands when from his hair down his chest to the hem of his shirt. He held his arms up while I pulled it over his head. I lamely pushed him back so that he was lying down again and mimicked him. I kissed him for a while letting my tongue exploring every inch of his mouth then moved my kissed down his neck. His muscles were hard as a rock under my hands and the skin on his neck was soft. He'd taken a shower last night before bed so he smelt like the body wash that I'd gotten him last raid, he smelt like watermelons.

I went down his neck and he moaned softly. I knew I was getting close. I knew it was right down where his neck met his shoulders. It was the trigger to get what I wanted, and I was gonna take it. When I got to the base of his neck I nibbled lightly on the muscles there and I felt his reaction. An almost cat-like growl escaped his lips and he rolled us over onto my back. I wrapped my legs around his waist to accent what I wanted and, being Ian, I knew he'd give me what I wanted.

I'd felt this feeling before. My memories of a time with Mel provided the word for it; horny. Mel and I had talked once, when the boys were on a raid, about things I didn't know about the human experience; sex was on that list.

"The thing to remember about making love is to not think too much. And when you want to have sex odds are Ian does too. Men are like that. Your body is young and sometimes young adults your age get really horny." She'd said.

"What's that?" I'd asked.

Mel had smiled and I could tell she was trying not to laugh. She did that a lot when we talked about human things I didn't know about. "Well…. Let me put it this way. Do you ever get a feeling that you want to have sex with Ian?"

I'd thought about it for a second, I had had a couple of times since I was reborn in Pet's body that I wanted 'to be with Ian as partners in the truest sense' but I hadn't had a name for the feeling. "I guess I have."

She nodded, "That's what that feeling is called. I know you said you hadn't had sex with Ian yet so when you feel that way next time, get him alone and tell him. If the time is right, it might happen. At least if you want it to."

And I'd done that. And 'it worked like a charm'. Ever since then we'd come up with ways of telling each other when we wanted it. We even had little ways to almost force ourselves of each other. I was the only one who took advantage of that. Mel had called them 'hot spots'.

He smiled it was understanding and hungry. "Wanda." He moved his lips to my ear, "You know what that does to me."

I smiled faking innocence, "Really. It does something to you."

Ian's breathing became heavier and I could hear the smile in his voice, "So be it." He bent down and nibbled my earlobe while he snuck his fingers under my neck. He started to gently massage my neck right where the scar was.

My body gave an involuntary quiver and Ian pulled back smiling.

I glared at him with a smile on my face, "Ian." I leaned up to kiss him, "You know what that does to me."

His smiled widened, "It's pay back." Then he moved his lips to my neck.

He kissed down my neck, I felt my eyes roll back in my head and I closed my eyes in pleasure. My hands gripped at his muscular shoulders; hanging on for dear life because they way he was kissing me was going to melt me. While Ian's kisses moved down past my collar bone his hands moved down my side and slipped under my tank top. He slowly moved it up and went lower to kiss my stomach. I moaned as he kissed around my belly button and moved back up to crush his lips to mine. I tried to push him over onto his back and he consented.

I kissed him while I moved my hands down his chest and to the hem of his sweats.

"Wanda." Ian said stopping me. I could hear the reluctance in his voice.

"What?" I asked gasping.

He didn't say anything for a moment probably thinking about what he wanted to say. "I love you."

I frowned, "You had to think about that?"

He shook his head. "No." He put a hand on my cheek and I leaned into it. "I just wanted to make sure that you're sure."

"Sure about what?"

"Sure you really want to do this."

"Why wouldn't I be sure?"

He frowned, "Sometimes I think you make moves and give in to my advances because you want to please me."

I rolled my eyes and kissed him, "And sometimes I think you reject my advances because I'm a parasite."

"You're not a parasite. And that's crazy." He said.

I smiled, "See I can say stupid things too." I kissed him again a long and passionate kiss.

"As long as you're sure." He said smiling at me allowing my advances.

I kissed him again. "I've never been surer of anything than I am of my love for you."