DISCLAIMER: The characters do not belong to me they belong to Stephanie Meyer's author of the wonderful book 'The Host' and the story was strongly influenced by the song 'If You See Him, If You See Her' by Reba and Brooks & Dunn

Chapter 6: Intervention

Wanda

I heard a vehicle pull up in the driveway from the kitchen. It was a truck or a bike because I wouldn't have been able to hear it otherwise.

My heart started to quicken; a truck would be Jared here to talk to Mel. But I only knew one person with a bike. Ian.

"Jared's here." Mel said happily.

"Yeah." I whispered.

I heard her open the door. "Hey Mel." I heard Jared's voice say.

"What's going on?"

I knew that voice. I dropped plastic cup and it clattered to the floor where it made a loud sound and I stopped breathing entirely.

Ian. That was Ian's voice.

I tried to move my feet. The fact that they knew Ian was here seemed to make them want to run. I ran through the front room and stopped at the doorway.

There he was, standing in the foyer of our house. He was here. He was standing there in some blue jeans with a gray button up shirt and a jacket; his blue eyes just popping out at me.

Then his words clicked in my head. Why was he here? Why had Jared brought him here? And it couldn't be a coincidence that Mel and Jared were here at the same time.

I would have looked at her but my eyes couldn't tear themselves away from Ian. "Mel? What is doing on?"

Ian was staring at me too and he didn't look away when Mel answered. "This is an intervention. By two people who can see what idiots your being."

I clenched my jaw. She was going to tell him? Tell him everything that I'd said in our talks?

"Why don't you guys sit in the front room? I'll get some drinks." Jared said

I nodded and turned. I walked to the three cushion couch and sat as far from the other side as I could. Ian imitated me sitting on the other side from me.

Mel stopped Jared as he was about to walk past into the kitchen. "We don't need drinks." She looked at me and then Ian, "We need honesty."

I clenched my hands into fists and I could almost swear I saw Ian do the same.

Mel sat down on the ottoman next to the couch and stared at us. "Now let's get something straight." She said looking back and forth between us, "You both are miserable without each other."

I looked at him and found him looking at me. I saw, in his eyes, that what she said was true.

"You two need to talk." Jared said, "You two will just be miserable and nothing will get resolved."

I knew Jared was right. And I wanted to talk to him, I just wasn't sure if he wanted to talk to me.

He sighed and slid onto the middle cushion.

I smiled, that had to be a sign, he wanted to work things out. I slid to sit next to him. I could feel the heat coming from his body.

"Ok." Mel said smiling, "You, both, need to understand that those divorce papers are not getting signed. Neither of you even wanted them." She looked at Ian. "Ian." He nodded. "You need to be a man and understand that somewhere you messed up."

I thought that was kind of harsh. I couldn't think of any one thing he'd done.

"Wanda" I jumped. "You need to understand that more problems will come and you can't kick him out every time you get in a fight."

I nodded. After these two months I was never going to kick him out again.

Mel smiled, "Ok. Now, I've been meeting with both of you over the past two-ish months. I know what you've said. You know what you've said." She stared pointedly at Ian, "Wither or not you were able to remember it in the morning."

I raised an eyebrow. What? What did she mean by that? "What?" I said turning to look at Ian.

He was glaring at Mel. But she shrugged, "She'll find out eventually. Just get it out in the open."

He sighed and turned to me. He stared kind of sadly into my eyes and offered his hand to me. I took it without question. He took a deep breath, "Every couple days I've been going to the bar we met at and getting totally wasted."

I felt my eyes widen. Ian and I drank sometimes; we even had some vodka and a special bottle of wine for out tenth anniversary in the pantry. But to get wasted every couple of days? That sounded more like the old Ian, going out and getting wasted with Brant, picking up chicks. I stared into his eyes, "Why?"

He exhaled slowly, "Cause I couldn't take being without you."

It shouldn't but my heart started to fly, "Really?" I heard my voice spike.

He smiled, "Really."

"Great." Mel said. "And Wanda, tell him about the shirt, cologne and nail polish."

I bit my lip. I saw Ian look at me then look down at my nails, still painted the color of his eyes.

I sighed, "I couldn't sleep." I started not looking into his eyes but looking at my hands, "So I bought some of your cologne and put it on a shirt you left and it helped. And then I found some nail polish…." I stopped.

"Nail polish?" Ian coxed.

I looked at Mel for help. She sighed, "The nail polish matches your eyes." She said, "Almost exactly."

I looked at him. He was smiling and lifted my hand to his eyes and turned towards Mel and Jared. Jared nodded and Mel laughed. I groaned.

Ian turned back to me and leaned in till he touched his forehead to mine. "I still love you." He whispered.

I felt my eyes go wide and produce tears. I just wanted him to come and talk with me; I don't think my heart expected this.

"I think our work is done." I heard Jared whispered pulling Mel to her feet.

"Yea. They can take it from here." She said walking to the door. "Call me later Wanda…. Or tomorrow. Whichever comes first."

I heard her shut the door and I just sat here forehead to forehead, nose to nose with my husband.

Ian

I stood there nervous as anything on the welcome doormat. I'd never had to knock on my own front door before. So Jared did it. Moments later the door opened and I held my breath.

It was Mel. I let out my breath. What? Mel?

"Hey Mel." Jared said winking at her.

I found this odd. Mel was here, Jared was with me. Mel had something up her sleeve; she had that mischievous look in her eye. "What's going on?"

Suddenly there was a clattering that sounded like it had come from the kitchen. It sounded like one of our plastic cups falling to the ground. Wanda had dropped enough of them for me to recognize that sound anywhere.

I heard feet against the carpet and saw her come around the corner before I had time to brace myself.

The look of her stopped my breath. She was standing there in a light blue strapless sundress with clouds along the skirt. It was the perfect color to match her golden curls and the perfect sky next to her wide gray eyes.

She stood there for a moment before speaking, "Mel? What is doing on?"

I sighed internally. Her voice was such a sweet sound to these ears; I'd been waiting to hear that sound for two months.

"This is an intervention." Mel stated, "By two people who can see what idiots your being."

I rolled my eyes. Yea, we were the ones who were the idiots; they were the ones that had set this up in such a high school manner. And we were being idiots. Though I saw the brilliance. She'd got us in one place, to talk.

"Why don't you guys sit in the front room? I'll get some drinks." Jared said.

I nodded and turned to see Wanda walking to the big couch and sitting at the far side. She was still angry. I knew it. I walked to the couch too and sat on the other side.

Mel stopped Jared as he was about to walk past. "We don't need drinks." She looked at both of us in turn, "We need honesty."

I clenched my hands into fists. How could Mel do this? Why would she force me to talk to her?

Cause you wouldn't have done it otherwise. A voice that sounded strangely like Kyle said in my head.

Mel sat down on the ottoman and starred at us. "Now let's get something straight." She said looking back and forth between us, "You both are miserable without each other."

I looked at her; it was only a second before she looked at me. I guess Mel would know better than anyone how Wanda was feeling. They are like physically linked.

"You two need to talk." Jared said, "You two will just be miserable and nothing will get resolved."

He was right. I want to talk to her, I'm just not so sure if she wants to talk to me.

I sighed; someone has to take the first step. So I slid to the middle cushion.

Please except. I chanted in my head until she smiled, that had to be a good sign. She slid to sit next to me, so close I could touch her. Although we'd been closer on this couch.

"Ok." Mel said smiling, "You, both, need to understand that those divorce papers are not getting signed. Neither of you even wanted them." I was glad to hear that.

She looked directly at me, "Ian." I was first, of course I was first. I nodded. "You need to be a man and understand that somewhere you messed up."

Of course. I accepted this a long time ago; a lot of what happens is the guy's fault. It's just easier and saves time that way, of course usually later both parties agree that it was an accumulation of things both people had done

"Wanda" I felt her jumped. "You need to understand that more problems will come and you can't kick him out every time you get in a fight."

She nodded. I hoped this wouldn't happen again, and if it did I defiantly wouldn't let it go on so long.

Mel smiled, "ok. Now, I've been meeting with both of you over the past two-ish months. I know what you've said. You know what you've said."

She stared pointedly at me, I was first again, "Wither or not you were able to remember it in the morning."

I froze, Really? REALLY? Why would she bring that up? Why?

"What?" Wanda said turning to look at me.

I glared at Mel but she just shrugged, "She'll find out eventually. Just get it out in the open."

I sighed, she would. If we made up today she'd taste it on my breath. I began to hate that small drink I'd had earlier before the walk with Jared.

I turned to her. I wish I wouldn't ever have to tell her, I hated my past with Brant and most of the nights were blurred with alcohol use. What would she think? Would she think I'd gone back to my wild ways?

I offered her my hand, I'm still me. I tried to communicate. She took it. Good sign. I took a deep breath, "Every couple days I've been going to the bar we met at and getting totally wasted."

Her eyes widened and she stared into my eyes, like she was trying to see if I was drunk right now. "Why?"

I exhaled slowly, telling her why would be easy. At least she hadn't jumped to me being an alcoholic like Mel and Kyle. "Cause I couldn't take being without you."

"Really?" I heard my voice squeaked.

I smiled, she was so cute. "Really."

"Great." Mel said interrupting the moment. "And Wanda, tell him about the shirt, cologne and nail polish."

She bit her lip. I looked at her and then looked at her nails. They were a beautiful shade of blue, and her toes were painted the same color.

She sighed. "I couldn't sleep." I knew that, I'd seen it. "So I bought some of your cologne and put it on a shirt you left and it helped." She said avoiding my eyes, "And then I found some nail polish…." She stopped.

"Nail polish?" What was so special about it?

She looked at Mel and she sighed, "The nail polish matches your eyes. Almost exactly."

She looked at me then. I was moved by her attachment, the cologne, my shirt and now my eyes.

I smiling and lifted her hand to my eyes and turned towards Mel and Jared. This would lighten the mood. Jared nodded and Mel laughed, Wanda groaned.

I turned back to her. I wanted to lean in to kiss her but I guessed it was probably too soon. So I leaned in till our foreheads met

"I still love you." I whispered. She would never know how true that statement was.

Her eyes went wide and she started to tear up.

"I think our work is done." Jared whispered after a bit. He pulled Mel to her feet.

"Yea. They can take it from here." She said while she walked to the door. "Call me later Wanda…. Or tomorrow. Whichever comes first."

She shut the door; we were alone for the first time in two months. Me and my wife.

YES! The plan worked.