AllyKat8: Thank you so much for the little shout-out! EVERYONE SHOULD CHECK OUT HER STORY THE HUMAN BECAUSE IT IS PERFECTION

And there were a lot of requests to update soon, so I wrote as quickly as possible!

Ian is staring at me with the most beautiful expression I have ever seen: his eyes wide in excitement, so blue and full of hope; his smile large and crooked and contagious. And his hands, squeezing mine tightly enough to hold the weight of the news.

I'm pregnant.

"Wanda?" Ian breathes, barely audible. I realize that I've been staring at him for quite a long time. Not really comprehending, just stuck in a state of shock. "Are you okay?" he asks, switching gears. Of course, even in this moment when he should be thrilled and excited, he's thinking of me first. He wants to make sure I'm okay with this before he celebrates. Sometimes he's just as selfless as I am.

I don't respond aloud; I just nod slightly. I don't know whether I'm smiling or not, whether my eyes are harsh or filled with joy. I don't know what I feel. "Wanda, I know this is shocking but you have to stay calm," Doc says to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. I can feel the smile in his voice. He's excited for me, for us. As he should be.

Why don't I feel the same?

"I am calm," I murmur, looking away from all of them. I can see Healer Fords in the corner of my eye, his expression a mixture of wonder and disgust. Did I tell him about Ian and I? Did he know of our partnership? Or is this all a surprise to him? "I just . . I need a minute," I say, standing up and pushing away from them. I brush past the Healer, ignoring Ian and Doc's worried calls, and make my way down a familiar tunnel.

People try to stop me as I go, taking note of my vacant stare and probably horrific expression. But I don't stop walking. Not until I reach the storage hole.

I rush inside of the tiny hole, cramming my body inside. It's much harder than it was before in Pet's or even Mel's body; they both had very lean frames. But Emily is more curvy, taller, and it requires a bit more flexibility to fit myself inside. But I do it.

Once inside, I close my eyes and try to think. Try to get my mind to stop blazing, my head to stop spinning, my stomach to stop churning. But it's no use. I can't think a clear thought. Words rush through my head: family, marriage, Ian, Soul, Healer, unfair, love, human, selfless, pregnant. Pregnant, pregnant, pregnant.

I take long, focused breaths until the words no longer blur together. I can see clearly and I can finally pick out a few emotions. Happiness. Good, I think. At least I'm happy for myself and Ian. I want this, after all: a family with him. Even if it's going to be impossible to raise a child in this torn world, I want this.

Fear. For what the others will say to this. For all the pain this will bring. For the thought of having a kid that despises my species.

And there's just a glimmer of it, but there it is: selflessness. I'm still worried about everyone else's problems in the caves, despite my own, new, and probably much more drastic, one. I wonder how Healer Fords is adjusting, whether he'll choose to stay or not. And I'm scared that something is wrong between Sunny and Kyle. And I hope that Mel and Jared are going to be able to get married soon. I feel so many emotions for others that they start to blend in with my own until I realize that I've been crying, unbeknownst to me.

And Ian's there.

I hadn't realized it, but he's been sitting a few feet away, silent as ever, waiting for me. Not forcing himself onto me, trying to calm me down. Just letting me do it myself, how he knows I like to do it. I look up and over at him, my face contorted in pain and relief and happiness and fear, and he immediately rushes to my side. I let him pull me out of my cramped position, unfold me in his arms. I weep into his shirt as he strokes my back, my hair, my cheeks. He kisses my forehead and murmurs it's okay over and over again.

"I'm sorry," I finally manage, looking up to meet his face. He replies by kissing my wet cheeks, my eyelids, and finally my lips. He tilts his forehead against mine and I fight the urge to pull away. I hate having to ruin this for him. "I'm happy, Ian, I am. Please don't think that I'm not. But . . . there's just so much going on right now. Mel and Jared, Healer Fords, this new body. It's so much." I take a deep breath and purse my lips. I'm surprised he hasn't interrupted me yet and tried to scold me for defending myself. "And I just don't know what to feel anymore."

"Wanderer. My wanderer," he whispers, pulling me even closer, though it shouldn't have been possible. He snakes his arms around my head and drags his calloused hands across my face, making me shiver. "It's okay to not know how to feel. This is a lot. Way to much for one person to be able to handle. I'm so proud of you for staying so strong. You haven't broken down over any of this yet, you haven't stopped trying to do what's right. Don't beat yourself up because there's too much going on around you. It's out of your control. No one can take on that much stress; you're only human."

"But I'm not," I murmur, my lips trembling.

"You are, Wanda. In every way that matters. Maybe not physically, but I don't care about that. I care about you-your thoughts, your words, your emotions. And those, they're telling you how to feel right now, they're completely human." Ian trails his fingers down my back. It's very calming. "And even if they weren't, I would love you anyway."

I kiss him gently on his lips in reply, not ready to form the right words. He doesn't take advantage of me and let's me lead, holding him lightly in my hands. He matches my movements with his lips, gets in sync, and lets me go when I start to pull away. "Thank you, Ian," I tell him, sniffing.

"Of course," he says. "You shouldn't worry about Mel and Jared. They are fine. And Healer Fords, well everything with him will be sorted out by the end of the week. And you shouldn't worry about your body, Wanda. I know it's hard to adjust, but everyone has accepted you for who you are. Just focus on yourself for once. Especially now." A glint of a smile forms on his lips and I can tell he's thinking of the latest news.

I nod slightly and look down at my stomach, imagining the young human that was growing inside. I do not know much about human reproduction, aside from the basics. The idea of it all, learning it first hand, terrified me slightly, but I knew Ian and Doc would help me through it. And maybe Lucina, as she is a fairly new mother herself. "Wanda," Ian whispers, following my gaze.

"Yeah?"

"You really are happy, aren't you? You don't have to lie to me. I . . . I don't want you to do something you don't want to." Ian swallows hard, probably considering what it would me if I told him no. An abortion? Would I ever even be able to do such a thing? No. Ian should know better. "Because you know that I want a family. But not at your expense. I'll do whatever you want, okay?"

"Ian," I say, fighting back more tears. I look into his deep blue eyes, the ones that drown me and revive me all the same. "This is everything I could possibly want. I'm so happy that it's happening, you don't even know. To be able to have a family with you, there is nothing else I could ask for."

We don't tell anybody about the news yet. Only Doc, Fords, Ian and I know of it. I made them promise not to tell. I understand that the time isn't right, what with everything going on. More news will only cause more drama and more chaos.

Fords took the news rather well, accepting my relationship with a human fairly quickly. He was a bit disgusted by the idea, but eventually came around. He's been here for three days now and I'm starting to remember why I liked him so much in the first place. He is very kind to everyone, very helpful in the hospital. He's smart in a strange way; witty and clever rather than just knowledgable.

And he seems to like the humans. Though his initial response was drastic, he is swiftly realizing that humans are as kind as Souls, though slightly more agressive at times. The other day, Kyle and Brandt were wrestling together and the expression on Fords' face was indescribable. He was so shocked by the violence and it made me wonder if I had looked like that when I first got here. Ian assured me I was much worse.

I'm working in the kitchen again - Doc forbade me from doing any real labor in the fields - when Sunny walks in, looking just as panicked as the other day. "Hi, Sunny."

"Oh, Wanda! Kyle won't talk to me. He's ignoring me. He's so angry. I don't know what to do," Sunny rushes to get the words out. I look immediately for any traces of scars of bruises, immediately assuming that Kyle hurt her. "He didn't hurt me, Wanda," she says, noticing me. "He would never do that."

I'm not so sure about that, but I let it drop. "What happened?" I ask. What would make Kyle so mad that he'd keep away from Sunny?

"I don't want to leave," she mumbles. I furrow my brow, not understanding. She didn't answer my question and I'm starting to get worried.

"Sunny, what happened?" I repeat, holding her shoulders. Paige, who is working on the dishes with me, finally seems to notice something's wrong and puts her pan down, walking over to me, concerned.

"I don't want to leave, Wanda. Please, please, don't make me leave," she repeats, tears washing down her face. She stuffs her face into my shirt and I wrap my arms gingerly around her. I look to Paige nervously and she shrugs.

"Go find Kyle," I mouth to her and she hurries off. Once Sunny has pulled herself together slightly, I repeat my question one more time: "What happened?"

She swallows hard and shakes her head, wiping violently at her eyes. She's shuddering and her breathing is so quick, too quick. "She's back," she sobs. "Jodi's back."

GAHHH! So another plot twist (as you can see, I'm a huge fan of them). There is a point to all of the twists, though. They are all going to interlock together, and you'll see how soon. What do you think of Wanda's reaction? Do you think it's appropriate? And what about Jodi? Let me know your assumptions :) I love hearing them!