A/N: Surprise!!! A little gift from me to you for your wonderfully kind reviews! This for you in celebration of reaching 50 reviews! Thank you to everyone who has read/reviewed up until this point! Enjoy! : )

Disclaimer: I do not own The Host or any of its characters; they belong to the lovely Stephenie Meyer. I do however, own the plot.

Wanda POV

"Is there anything that we need to do?" I asked Ian while he was holding me in his arms.

"No, you know that we don't need to do much before we go out. I'm letting Kyle and Jared handle this one," Ian replied and I nodded.

"Wanda, I want you to know that you don't have to do anything that Jared asks you to."

"Ian," I said, looking up at him. "You've told me that so many times so far that it's ingrained in my head now. I know that I don't have to."

"I'm just trying to protect you, Wanda. I don't want you to get hurt or anything because of something stupid that he asks you to do."

"I won't get hurt; you can trust me," I said to him, burrowing my head back in his chest.

Ian and I stood there embracing each other before he started guiding me backwards until the back of my knees came in contact with our mattresses. He then let go of me and I flopped back onto the bed, curling up on one side. I was incredibly tired; the day had been draining, but while I was lying down, I had forgotten about my shoulder and lay right down on it. I gasped and let out a small scream.

"Wanda?" Ian frantically turned me over onto my back and began searching my body. "What is it? Are you alright? Please tell me, Wanda."

"I'm fine, Ian; I just lay on my bad shoulder, its fine."

Ian frowned down at me. "Wanda, you shouldn't be screaming out over simply lying on your shoulder. That's not right. Have you been using it at all today?"

I tried to think of if I had actually used it for anything today. When I looked through Doc's cupboards, I had used my good shoulder. I tried thinking about everything that I had done so far, but couldn't think of when I had used my bad shoulder for anything.

"You haven't used it, have you?" Ian said to me, but it was more of a statement than a question.

I sighed and shook my head.

"We need to get you down to Doc then; he needs to have a look at it, get it healed," Ian said, sitting up and swinging his legs over the side.

"No, Ian, there's no point, really. Doc can't do anything for me; he has no equipment to look inside, and there's no Heal left to help either."

"What do you mean there's no Heal left?" Ian asked, looking over his shoulder back at me.

"I mean exactly that. Nobody should get hurt while we're gone or else they're going to be in trouble."

"How can there be none of it left? We stole cases of it the last time."

"I know, but I guess a lot of people have been getting hurt or something," I answered shrugging.

"Well, I would still feel better if you would go down to Doc and let him have a look at it."

"And have him say what? That yes, there definitely is a bruise on my shoulder? I'm sure it's nothing, Ian, but if it's still bothering you that much, I'll go get it looked at while we're out on the raid," I offered, but he shook his head, turning back around.

"I'm not letting you go into those buildings alone, what if you never come out?"

I frowned. "I thought that we weren't supposed to think about the 'what if's' according to you? And that would never happen, Ian. Souls are trusting people; I would just tell them that I fell and they would patch it up, no big deal."

Ian shook his head and buried it in his hands.

"Ian, why don't you trust me?"

He picked his face up out of his hands, with a horrified look on his face.

"Wanda! What makes you think that I don't trust you?"

"I don't know," I mumbled, looking away.

"No, please tell me," Ian kneeled forward, so that he was taller than me and cupped my face in his hands. "I want to know why you would think that."

I looked up into his blue eyes. "It's just that you're always looking out for me; always waiting to find my errors or flaws, I guess. I'm hardly ever away from you, and you get nervous when I am for a long period of time."

Ian frowned. "Do you not want me around?"

"No, no! That's not it at all! No, no no! Ian, I promise, I like having you around, it's just... I don't know."

"Wanda, the reason that I'm always around you is because deep down I'm worried that something will happen to you. I won't be able to live without you by my side. Now that I know what living truly is, with you around, I don't think I could carry on without you with me. I just want to know that you're safe, is all. That's what being in love is, Wanda. I care for you so much, that I'm a bit possessive. I don't want anything to happen to you that might take you away from me. I need you with me for now and for always, and nothing will ever change that."

I couldn't help but smile at his words, and I could feel the tears making a comeback. I tried to turn my head away so that he wouldn't see them pooling up in my eyes, but Ian's grip remained firm, so instead, I looked down and tried to hide.

"Wanda, you're beautiful. Please don't hide from me."

Those words did me in. The tears spilled over and cascaded freely down my cheeks; there was nothing I could do to rein them in at this point. Ian's thumb softly grazed my left cheek and wiped the tears off of it. This simple gesture made me cry harder. Never before had anyone been so gentle and kind to me as Ian; and his words made me break apart. I knew that he loved me; he just put it into words so gracefully that I couldn't not doubt his feelings for me, like I had so many times before.

I looked down for a second and when I looked back up, Ian's face was moving closer to mine. He was so close that I could see every little blemish or freckle on his face, his blue eyes penetrating my own. Ian's eyes fluttered close as he continued to move closer, I could almost see each individual eyelash. I closed my own eyes as our lips touched for a second; the sensation made me cry a little more. Never before had something in my life felt so right before now; and I knew that Ian and I were meant to be.

Ian started to pull away from me, but I wrapped my arm around his neck, pulling his lips down to mine once again. The electricity between us was incredible, it seemed renewed since his little speech from a few moments ago. I could feel Ian's lips smiling on mine, and I started to move my lips to try and get him to follow along. Luckily, he complied and our lips began to move in synchronization.

I could taste my tears as they kept falling down my face, now mixing with our lips until we could taste their salty flavour. Ian seemed to like this sensation; either that or he was mad that I was still crying; but he let out a small growl and began attacking my lips hungrily. One of his hands wrapped around the back of my head, supporting it as my head was being pushed back slightly by the force of his lips on mine. The other had wrapped itself around my small waist and was bringing me closer to him.

I shifted my body so that I was sitting just in front of him with my legs on either side of him while he kept his lips moving on mine. All too soon, he pulled away from me to catch a breath. Ian didn't go too far, he kissed my right cheek, and then my left; I could feel his ragged breath on them before he kissed my forehead.

"I love you, my Wanda," he whispered, his voice a bit raspy.

I opened my eyes and looked at him.

"I love you too, Ian."

Ian moaned and then his lips were attacking mine once more. This time when I closed my eyes and my head leaned back from the pressure on my lips, he began to gently guide me back and gently lay me down on the bed. Every one of his little actions filled my heart with love until it felt like it was going to burst out of my chest.

He knelt down over top of me, and removed his hands from the back of my neck, keeping the one around my waist in place. I could hardly feel any of his weight on top of me; just enough to make me hyper aware of his presence on top of me, but not enough to crush me beneath him. I loved the feeling of him on top of me; it made me feel safe and secure and I loved having him in control. Ian's tongue lightly brushed against my lips, and I willingly gave him an entrance.

Our tongues danced together for a little while until I broke away from him; not that I wanted to, but I realized that breathing was sort of a necessity. Ian pressed his forehead to mine and I couldn't help but smile at him.

"I see you've stopped crying," he noted, whispering gently against my face, his warm breath dancing across my cheeks.

I nodded. "You distracted me," I whispered back and he chuckled.

Ian kissed my lips once, twice, three times before pulling away. There were no interruptions this time, but it felt right all the same. He rolled over then, pulling me on top of him and I gladly rested my head on Ian's large, strong chest. I lay over top of his heart and I could hear it beating erratically in his chest; mirroring the frantic beats of my own at that moment. We were silent for a few minutes and I could feel my eyelids begin to droop again. This was the customary for the day before a raid; we always slept during the day so that we could leave during the night and not be tired.

I could feel Ian's fingers gently running through my long blonde hair, and it was making the sleep come faster.

"Ian?"

"Hmm?" he murmured, on the verge of sleep himself, it sounded like.

"Never mind, I'll let you sleep."

"No, I'm listening," he said, his calloused fingers feeling so nice on my scalp.

"Well I just wanted you to know that I'm a bit possessive of you too," I said to him, repeating his words from before. "I now know what it's like to be in love and I don't plan on letting you go."

Ian chuckled. "I know, Wanda. I'm the same way. They would have to rip you from my arms before I gave you up; ever."

Ian's breathing evened out then, and I could tell that he fell asleep; he began emitting snores a few moments later confirming my suspicions. I smiled to myself and tightened my arms around Ian's body a little, but not enough to wake him up. I knew that I always wanted Ian by my side no matter what happened, and at that moment I finally came to terms with the love that I felt for him.

I, the soul called Wanderer was officially head over heels in love with Ian O'Shea; and I knew that there was no turning back now.

Ian POV

I woke up to find Wanda still in my arms. I smiled a little as I looked down at her blonde hair that was cascading down my chest and onto the bed beside us. I yearned to run my fingers through it, but I didn't dare in case I woke her up.

I thought about what had happened before we fell asleep and my heart swelled. I had finally mustered up the courage to tell her what had been on my mind for a very long time now. I confessed my true love for her, as she had done for me. It felt like I was on cloud nine at this point. I loved Wanda with every part of me, and nothing could ever change that; no raid, no Seeker, nothing. Without Wanda, my life would be a dark and depressing void-something that I wasn't sure that I could live through.

I cursed myself for even thinking about not being with her, as I knew that wasn't even a possibility. I looked down at the girl sleeping in my arms and she looked so at peace. It was refreshing to see her lying there. With everything that was going on in the caves; and the war outside of it, I couldn't think of a better place for me to be. This is where I felt the calmest, with my one love.

Talking about children earlier had made me start to think about our future together. I knew that it was her 'calling' or whatever she had called it, to be a mother; she had already told us that she was one of the few that could actually create more souls, but I wasn't sure that it was something that she would be willing to create in a human form. I wished that times were different so that I could love and cherish Wanda properly, like she deserved and give her a big house with a white picket fence and several children, but realistically, it couldn't happen right now.

I sighed at the thought.

What could I offer her than my love and protection for her? What else could I give her other than this little cave that we lived in together? I wanted Wanda to know that she truly meant something to me; I wanted the world to know that she was mine. I wanted nothing more than for the world to know exactly how much that she meant to me. I wanted her as mine and mine only.

I stopped. Was I seriously thinking about making Wanda my own legally? As in marriage?

I looked down at Wanda's sleeping form and bit my lip. Was it even possible? Would she want that from me? So many doubts and insecurities about my feelings crossed my mind and I knew that I had to get up and really think about them. I decided that taking a bath was the best place for thinking; I could truly be alone with only my thoughts. I looked up at the cracks in the ceiling-night. No one would be down there; I could have the pool to myself.

Ever so gently, I rolled Wanda over so that she was lying on her back on the mattress. I paused as she moaned a little and stopped breathing until she rolled onto her side and tucked her arms under her head like a pillow falling fast asleep again. I breathed a sigh of relief and swung my legs over the edge of the bed and stood up.

I started making my way over to the door, but then I thought about it. I couldn't leave Wanda here alone, what if she woke up and found me gone? I would certainly panic if I were in her place. I turned around and found a small scrap piece of paper and wrote her a quick note.

"Wanda,
I've gone down to clean up before we leave for the raid. If you wake up and find this, I won't be too much longer. I'll be back up right away.
Ian."

I folded up the piece of paper and left it on my side of the bed with her name on the front of it. She would certainly find it there when she woke up, I was sure of it. I hastily grabbed a towel and a change of clothes along with the last of our precious soap before sliding the red door out of the way and stepping into the hall.

I took one last look at Wanda's beautiful sleeping form to make sure that I didn't wake her and smiled to myself as I put the door back in place. She was the most gorgeous creature I had ever known and I certainly wasn't about to let her go; not in a million years.

I smiled to myself as I began the trek down to the bathroom. I didn't pass anyone on the way; though I knew that Jared and the rest were likely running around trying to complete last minute things like they always were. I was lucky not to run into them. I made my way into the bathing room and quickly removed my clothes, jumping into the pool. Once I resurfaced, I began to think.

Could I really be seriously thinking about marrying Wanda?

I mean, she meant the world to me, and I wanted her by my side forever, but marrying her would completely take her off the market, so to speak.

"Why is that such a bad thing, Ian?" I asked myself.

I couldn't seem to find an answer to that one.

I guess it just seemed that Wanda was so young; not just in her physical body, but young as a member of this planet. Sure, she had lived full lives on many other worlds, but she had only just arrived on this one, shouldn't it be natural for her to wait a long time before even considering it?

I knew that I was ready to settle down; now that I really thought about it, I knew in my heart and soul that I was, but I couldn't ask Wanda to be mine so soon, could I?

I sighed in frustration, dunking my head under the water before swimming over to grab my soap. I began to wash my hair and realized I needed to make a decision.

On one hand, I could risk it all and ask Wanda to be mine, and be happy with her for the rest of our lives; well, as happy as we could be under the circumstances. On the other, I could let her live, let her explore, even if it was at the cost of potentially losing her. We hadn't really interacted with the other rebel groups out there, and she knew that there were other soul-human people out there, so wouldn't it be natural that she would want to live and be with her own kind?

I swam underwater to rinse the soap out of my hair and came back up to the surface and came to my conclusion.

I needed to do it.

I needed to know if Wanda would even want to be with me that way. I know it seemed selfish, and it really was, once I thought about it, but I needed her to live. I needed to know that she felt the same way about me and that we could take our relationship to the next level.

I climbed out of the pool and dried off. Even if she didn't want to get married right away, I would wait. I had waited a long time for her to even arrive; I would certainly wait the little amount of time that it would be before we got married. We could do it however she liked, I thought while pulling my clean clothes back on. I couldn't imagine that Wanda would be the type for a big fancy to doo, that wasn't her style; but I would certainly go along with whatever she wanted; it was then end result that I really cared about.

I wanted to talk to someone about this, just to run it by them and see what they thought, but who? That was the big question here.

Kyle was always an option, but given the fact that I recently broke his nose, I doubt that he would want to talk about anything that made me happy. Jared would probably just laugh at me before beating me up for even thinking about marrying a soul; though he treated her as a part of the family, I knew that it would push him to the limit. I wished that Sunny would talk to me, but she saw me as too big of a threat, and any progress that I had made in getting her to see differently was probably just as squashed as Kyle's nose at the moment. That left only one person; Melanie.

She was probably the most logical person to talk to, I reasoned with myself, leaving the bathroom. After all, Wanda and Mel had lived with each other for months; they knew each other's ins and outs, and were closer than twin sisters. Yes, Mel was definitely the person to talk to. Now I just had to find her.

I looked in Doc's room, because that was where I had last left everyone, but the only one in there was Doc himself, and he was sound asleep. I guess he was too excited for the raid to make it back to his bed with Sharon. I chuckled and let him sleep in peace. I tried the kitchen next and they weren't there either.

"Where the heck could they be?" I thought; there weren't that many places in the caves to be.

Then it dawned on me. They'd be in the games room, playing one last game of soccer. Jared had mentioned something to me about playing before, but evidently I had forgotten and no one had come barging through the door looking for me. Well, they might have come and seen that Wanda and I were sleeping, but that had never stopped them from yanking me up to play before.

Shaking my head at my stupidity, I lightly jogged in that direction.

About halfway there, I don't know what I was doing, but I slammed right into someone. Instinctively, I stuck my arms out to steady the person before looking to see who it was that I was bashing into now. Just my luck, it was Mel.

"What the hell, O'Shea? Watch where you're going," she grumbled and started to walk past me.

"No, wait!" I called out to her and she turned around. "I ah..." I ran my hand through my hair, suddenly nervous.

"You what?" Mel asked, quickly becoming impatient.

"I need to talk to you about something.... about Wanda."

Mel smiled at that. "What might you possibly want to talk to me about?"

"Not here," I said hastily, looking around. "I don't want anyone to hear."

She raised her eyebrows at me, but led me to the second field which was deserted before plopping herself down on the ground.

"Spit it out, Ian. What do you want to talk about?"

I sat down beside her and looked down at my hands. "Well, you know that I like Wanda a lot, right?"

She rolled her eyes. "Cut the crap Ian, everyone knows that."

I sighed. "Alright, well... I've been... toying with the possibility of..." I stopped, feeling really stupid all of a sudden. How could I trust Mel with what I was about to say?

Normally I was a very confident guy, but at the moment, I wasn't so sure about my manliness anymore.

"I am going to come over there and beat it out of you if you don't tell me," Mel threatened.

Oh, that's why I was about to tell her.

"I've been toying with the possibility of.... asking Wanda to marry me," I finally said to her.

She didn't say anything right away, so I nervously looked up to see why. I wasn't expecting what I saw.

Melanie had covered her mouth with both of her hands and her eyes were opened up wide. At first I thought that I might have killed her until I could see the visible tears in her eyes. I waited until she seemed to come out of her little moment of shock before starting to say anything.

"Mel, I..."

She cut me off though.

"Oh my gosh Ian!" Mel said so fast that I barely caught it. "Are you serious right now?"

I nodded my head.

"Ohhhhh! I think that's the sweetest thing ever! Seriously! How are you going to propose? Do you have a ring? Can I see it?"

I held up my hands in surrender, which shut her up.

"Mel, I don't even know if she would even agree to it. I'm scared about that."

I jumped as her hand collided with my arm as she smacked me.

"That's half the battle! You're supposed to get all worked up about it and fear the rejection, even though you know the answer. Wanda would never say no."

"Are you sure?" I asked quietly.

"Ian," Mel said, sitting up on her knees to look at me. "I know Wanda almost better than I know myself. She will be so overwhelmed, but she would never say no to you."

"That's the problem though, she wouldn't say no to anyone. I wouldn't want her to agree because she felt pressured to; or she felt that she had to," I admitted.

"Is that what you're afraid of?"

I waited a few seconds before nodding slowly.

"That's a stupid thing to be worried about. Wanda is very opinionated; she knows when to say no, she just doesn't do it a lot to the ones that she loves. If she wanted to, she could refuse you, but she won't. I see the way that she looks at you; I heard the thoughts she had about you when she was still in here," she tapped her temple. "Wanda is the most loving creature on this planet, and she told me that she had never loved anyone else as much as she loves you."

"She... she really said that?"

"Yes, Ian."

I sat there, thinking about Melanie's words. I knew she was right, but I would always fear the possible rejection. Wanda had every right to say no to me, but deep down I knew that she never would.

"So, do you have the ring? How are you going to propose?"

I smiled and started to answer Mel's questions and she gave me her feedback. When I proposed to Wanda, I was going to do it right; I wasn't going to half ass something like this to the one person that I truly loved the most.

Surprise #2: a little snippet from Ian's POV. What did you think?
Till Sunday *tips hat*
Review! :)