"Wanda!" Knock, knock, knock. My eyes fluttered open. "C'mon, are you guys awake?" Knock, knock, knock. Ian groaned beside me and rolled to his side. It felt entirely too early to be getting up, but one glance at the crack in the ceiling told me that we had slept in. "Wanda," Jamie's voice sang through the door in an irritated tone.

"I'm up." I called to him, but it felt more like I was trying to convince myself. "Can I come in?" I sat up and pushed the tattered blanket off of my knees. "Yes,"

I was rubbing my eyes when he pushed the red door aside. "Jeb wanted me to tell you that Nate's here," I allowed my hands to fall back into my lap. "Guess they want you to be there." My response was a sigh. "Thanks, Jamie. Tell them I'll be right there."

Jamie nodded his full head of hair and backed out of the door. I fell back into the pillow with a thud. It had been about three months, maybe four, since we first ran into Nate and his clan of humans, and Burns. They had made it a priority to meet up every so often, and often it was. Most of the time, they would travel to us. They'd arrive in the earliest hours of the morning before dawn and leave far after dusk. When they weren't out here, we were out there. We often went in pairs. Sometimes it was Jeb and Aaron, others it was Jared and Melanie, and then it would be Ian and myself.

It was a good thing, to keep in touch with everyone now that we know there are more out there. It was exhausting though to be involved in every meeting and travel several times each month. I didn't mind it too much, but I worried about Ian.

I rolled over then so that I was facing him. Even while he was resting there, relaxed and refreshed after a few hours of sleep, he looked worn.

"Ian," I whispered, reaching out to touch his shoulder. When he didn't respond, I pushed myself up on my elbows and planted a kiss on the side of his head, just above his temple. He didn't open those sapphire eyes but the side of his lips pulled up into a grin. "'Morning." He muttered, his voice groggy with sleep.

"We have visitors," I informed him as I sat up again. Ian groaned and rolled onto his back. "Again?"

It was only yesterday that a man and a woman from Max's group came to visit, hauling a small collection from their latest raid and a handful of dirty looks for me. It wasn't often that we got visitors from the other surviving groups, such as Max's cell. Not everyone approved of the humans "keeping me" and for that reason, Nate and Burns were our most frequent visitors in the caves.

I pulled myself to my feet a little too quickly and the felt the swish of dizziness take over my mind momentarily. When I gathered myself, I continued to follow my morning routine, starting with the wooden cupboard along the back wall. I sifted through my pile of clothes that sat stacked next to Ian's, and with a glance at the diminished pile made a mental note to gather my clean clothes from Heidi later.

"Wanda, would you mind tossing those jeans to me?" Ian's voice inquired behind me. I found them sitting at the top of his pile and did as he asked. I turned my back to him, allowing him the privacy to change while I pulled a brush through my long hair. Melanie was always nagging at me to clip it shorter and tame part of the waving golden mess, but I didn't want it shorter. In such a tiny, feeble body, I felt that my hair was the biggest part of me.

Ian's hands were suddenly at mine, wrapping around the end of the brush that I held. "Here," He offered, gently tugging it through the tangled ends while his other hand ran through it after. He was the other reason that I couldn't will myself into cutting it. "Thank you," I muttered.

"Better get down there before they send someone other than Jamie to come knocking." He laid the brush down on the cupboard and placed his hands on my shoulders to turn me around.

"Alright," I sighed. "Let's go." He was quick to wrench the red door open but it took him slightly longer to slide it shut. As soon as it was in its place, he was walking down the corridor next to me; our hands locked in one another's and one of his strides matching two of mine. Before our turn came up, Ian wondered, "Isn't it a little too early for Nate to be visiting again?"

I looked up at him. Too early? I back-tracked to the last time that Nate had come by to the caves. We rounded the corner together and I realized that Ian was right. It was only last week that Nate had been sitting there next to Jeb, just as he was now. Something knotted in my stomach at the thought of it meaning something was wrong.

Towering behind Nate, with his red hair in an untidy-looking state, stood Burns. His navy eyes zeroed in on mine and Ian's intertwined hands before looking up to meet my eyes and offer a smile. I returned it automatically, although I doubt it reached my tired eyes. "Thought you two might sleep the day away,"

Jeb teased in front of us. Ian and I were used to his jabbing jokes, just as the rest of us in the caves were, and so I let it by me and looked beyond Jeb. Jared leaned against the wall with a half-eaten roll in his already dirty hand and somewhere behind him, although I couldn't see him, I could hear Kyle's booming laugh. I figured Mel must have still been sleeping.

Nate got to his feet and nodded each of us a greeting. "Ian. Wanda. A pleasure as always." Ian shook his hand briefly. "Nate," He nodded in response. "I take it this is more than just a friendly visit."

I took it upon myself to take the seat across from him and I was quickly joined by Ian, who casually slung one arm around the back of my chair. "Well," Nate began, running a calloused hand through his dark hair that grayed at the temples.

"A couple of Russell's boys had a run-in with some Seekers up by their place. They're alright, of course, but they've had to keep their heads down. They've been without fresh supplies for a couple of weeks now."

Jared pushed himself away from the wall. "Are they being watched?"

Nate slightly turned his body in his chair to answer Jared's question. "They were for some time but the Seekers seem to think that they've found a lead further down. We think it may be safe enough to run them some supplies." He turned to gaze at me when his sentence finished. My own gaze found Burns.

"You think it would be best if we went," I said in more of a statement than anything else. I knew the direction of where his thoughts were headed. If Burns and I were stopped by the Seekers, there wouldn't be a problem. We could slip right under their noses without raising suspicion.

"Precisely," Nate replied, bringing his hands down on top of his knees for emphasis. It wasn't something that could be argued; Nate had a point. It didn't give me any more enthusiasm to go, however.

"How would the Seekers take it if Wanda and Burns were caught running into the woods with their arms full of supplies?" Kyle suddenly spoke up from over Jared's shoulder. I leaned back in my chair further and Ian's fingers met my back, where they began tracing tiny patterns.

"It will be a quick run in the night," Nate responded but Ian interjected, shaking his head. "They'll be expecting that. The Seekers will have their eyes open at night especially, expecting a move. It will have to be during the day." I was surprised that Ian wasn't arguing against my going, as he normally would, but proud of him for trusting me to be able to do this.

"During the day, then." Nate trailed but his voice lacked confidence now. "How?" Burns finally spoke up, folding his arms across his chest.

"Stage it," Jared shrugged simply right before Ian added on, "Make it look like a camping trip." The two men exchanged glances. Raids were nothing new to them.

Normally I didn't have much say in these things, not that I minded it. I found it better to let them figure the plans. There was only one thing about this raid that I wanted to know at that moment. "When do we leave?"

Nate and Burns exchanged a quick glance. "As soon as possible,"

I nodded slowly, allowing those words to settle in the space around us. That meant that we would leave tonight, just after the sun had fallen over the horizon, so that we could gather some of the supplies and be there in time for daylight. "At sundown, then?" It was Jared's voice that asked for the confirmation now. I looked up and found Burns' eyes focused on me.

"Sundown," He agreed. Jeb took a deep breath and rocked to his feet. "Well, kids. I don't know about you, but I'm starved." He said and turned to Nate and Burns. "I'll bet you boys are hungry after a night's travel."

It wasn't long before we were all following Jeb in for breakfast. Jared had taken off down the hall, muttering something about waking Melanie up. I walked next to Ian, who was joined by his brother on his other side. Most of the cave was already awake and on with their daily chores besides the few that hadn't yet eaten. Ian led me to an open, secluded spot where I took a seat next to the cave wall before he left me, insisting that I stay there while he got our food.

There wasn't much that had changed in the caves during the last several months. Things went about in much of the same way, other than the occasional new faces we would see walking around. Candy, the woman that once acted as host to a Healer, continued to regain her memory and in doing that, spent most of the evenings teaching Doc about our medication. By now, I was sure he knew far more than I could ever teach him. Doc and the others had put a hold on extracting other souls from their hosts ever since the other humans came into the picture. We were still gaining their trust as they were gaining ours. I found it odd. For a species that had come together in hopes of surviving, humans could be awfully wary of one another. They're all after the same thing, aren't they? Freedom.

Not fully knowing how the other clans would accept it, even Nate's group didn't know my story. It was Ian that first brought it to our attention the night that we found them. "We don't know them well enough," Ian had expressed his concern.

"They're not our enemies, Ian. They're humans like the rest of us." Kyle interjected and I had dropped my eyes to my feet. "That's the problem." Ian had stated darkly, meeting Kyle's glare with one of his own.

"He's right." Shockingly, it was Melanie that took Ian's side first. He threw a grateful glance at her. "How do you think they'll take it, knowing that we're body snatchers too?" She was referring to her first raid after waking up in her own body again, when Pet was abducted. Ian's arm had tightened around me before I had the chance to shudder. They had taken a body and extracted the soul, only to replace it with another.

Soon, Jared had joined the argument, taking Melanie's side as he always would. It wasn't long before the rest of them had come to the agreement and word was soon spread to "keep yer trap shut" as Jeb had put it.

"Go ahead and get something to eat." It was the same voice that once spoke in the back of my mind; the same voice that once spoke my own words. I turned in time to see Jared touch his lips to the top of her head before departing to do as she ordered. Melanie waited for a moment, watching his back as he walked away, before turning to see me.

It was about the time that she reached me when Ian came sauntering back with our trays balanced in his hands. "'Morning, guys." She muttered, sliding down the wall until she was sitting next to me. "Good morning," I responded before Ian nodded, "Hey."

He slid to my other side and sat the tray on my lap. A bowl of golden, scrambled eggs sat before me. Melanie stretched her arms out in front of her and, through a yawn, asked, "So what's with Nate and the flower boy?" She nodded to where they sat, still talking to Jeb. Probably discussing the inventory.

I had to laugh at her reference to Burns. "We're leaving tonight."

Her eyebrows hiked. "Who?" Mel's eyes flashed between us. "Just Wanda and Burns." Ian answered for me, not bothering to hide his attitude towards it.

"For what?" She fired another question. Again, Ian spoke up. "I guess some Seekers caught on to Russell's group. They had to bunker down and stay put, and now they're hurting for supplies."

Jared returned sometime between the questioning and was now listening from the other side of Mel with one knee propped to rest his arm on. "Why does Wanda have to go? I'm sure Burns is capable of-" Jared interrupted Melanie almost immediately. "It would raise more suspicion. A one-man camping trip is far more questionable than a couple looking for a good way to spend the weekend."

I appreciated Mel's attempt to argue my side. She didn't like the fact that I was used for these expeditions any more than Ian did. For two people that had very similar views, it was hard to believe that they didn't get along.

Melanie sighed but I knew she wouldn't argue against Jared's reasoning. He had a point. "It's fine, Mel. Really." I assured her while I adjusted the tray on my lap. I still hadn't touched my food.

She sighed once more, this time in frustration. "Wanda, you would say that no matter what the situation was." With a glance, she noticed the tray that Jared was holding out to her and took it into her hands. "You've been doing far more than the rest of us here, Wanda."

I glanced up at Ian only to find his gaze focused on me already. It was just last night that he had expressed a similar worry. I didn't say anything about her comment and instead, finally turned to my breakfast. I knew they thought that it was becoming too much for me, but I was confident that things would soon slow down and we would fall back into a comfortable routine.

Later in the day, Ian found me in the kitchen with Trudy. His large hands came from behind me, wrapping around my hand that held the dish rag. Immediately, I turned to face him. "What are you doing?"

His grinning lips met my forehead. "Taking you away," He answered when he pulled back. His fingers slipped the rag right out of my hand. "We're almost finished. Just let me help Trudy with the rest." I protested, trying and failing with my feeble attempts to take the dripping rag from him.

"You need to get some rest. Go on, I'll finish here." Was his reply. "Ian," I complained, reaching my hand out once more. He turned and met my complaint with a peck on the lips. "Go," He ordered. My eyes flashed to Trudy, who stood by with a smile, and a deep scarlet warmed my cheeks. It had taken time, but people had grown used to seeing me with Ian. They may have gotten used to our public display of affection, but I didn't think that I ever would.

"Go with her, Ian." The woman suggested. "There isn't much left to do." It took some convincing before Ian agreed and called over his shoulder as he guided me to our room, "Thanks, Trudy!"

I was so used to these caves now that I didn't have to think about where I was going. Ian's hand found mine, as it always did, until we reached our door. "Ian, I'm not tired." I said as he gestured me inside.

"You will be if you don't try to rest now." He watched me from the doorway as I sat on the mattress. "Can't you stay?" I asked, noticing how he made no move to join me. It was an innocent question, and I didn't mean to pull him away from the chore that had been keeping him busy. Ian hesitated, his dark eyebrows pulled down into a frown. He looked down the hallway once, as if torn between decisions, before turning those striking eyes back to me. "I can stay."

I settled into the mattress when his weight sank in beside me. We were still for a few beats, with nothing but the sound of our shallow breathing. I rolled over then so that I was facing him and he smiled like he knew that it was only a matter of time before I did. There was something in the way that Ian and I looked at each other that I loved. There were many nights spent that way, memorizing each other's faces until it was no longer light enough to see. Gently, I moved my tiny fingers to caress the dark circles that had formed beneath his eyes. Gestures like that felt natural now.

"I don't know why you worry so much about me, Ian. I've gotten more sleep than you have." I spoke to him quietly. He simply smiled. "You need it more than I do,"

I allowed my hand to fall from his face to the pillow that his head rested on. "That isn't true." Ian didn't answer me. He continued searching my eyes, the freckles across my nose, my lips. Then his hand slid up to where mine rested on the pillow and he wrapped his long fingers around my wrist. His blue eyes changed.

"Will you promise me something?" His voice was quieter than before. I nodded without hesitation and whispered back, "Anything."

"Be careful tonight." The corners of my mouth pulled my lips into a small grin. "Always." I vowed. He continued, "And... don't rely on him. Burns. I don't know that I trust him completely. I certainly don't trust him enough to look after you." This came as no surprise to me. Even I didn't know what to think of Burns yet. I trusted him, of course, but I knew next to nothing about him.

"You trust me, don't you?" I asked Ian then. His eyes widened slightly at my question. "You know that I trust you, Wanda." I did know. He trusted me more than anyone.

"Do you trust me enough to look after myself?" I questioned next. Ian chuckled softly and leaned forward to kiss the tip of my nose. "Of course." I smiled, even though I thought he might be saying it to make me feel better.

"Then there's no reason to worry about Burns, is there?"

Ian smiled and rolled his eyes. "Go to sleep, Wanda."

I scooted myself forward until my head was nestled beneath his chin. His arm wound around me, holding me there, while his other hand was still curled around my wrist. "I love you, Ian." I said, feeling my own face blush with heat. I could feel him grinning. "I love you, Wanda."

They were words that I would never grow tired of hearing. To be cared for so immensely was confusing and often overwhelming, but it filled me to the brim and warmed me with a happiness that I had never felt before in all of my many lives. I closed my eyes, trying to will myself to sleep like Ian suggested. I concentrated on his heartbeat at first, then his breathing. Seconds ticked by, then minutes, and Ian's breaths became more shallow. Needless to say, he fell asleep long before I did but I was glad for it.

It seemed like I had just closed my eyes when I was forced to open them again. It wasn't Jamie at the door; this time it was his sister. Her knuckles rapped at the door. "Get out here, you two. They're waiting." My eyes were open but I didn't want to move just yet. Ian took a deep breath and let it out in a whoosh, blowing part of my hair around my face. He sat up first, in a hurry, and looked around him as if he had forgotten where he was. "Ugh, I shouldn't have slept that long. I was supposed to help Brandt." I pushed myself up into a sitting position and muttered, "You needed to rest."

"Don't test my patience," Melanie warned from outside the door. Ian got to his feet and as he worked on wrenching the door open said something under his breath like, "What patience?" Melanie didn't wait to be welcomed inside. In her arms, she held a pile of clothes. Before long, she was tossing them into my lap. "Change into those."

I took a long-sleeved shirt into my hands to examine it. "What is it?" Melanie stooped to drop a pair of hiking boots next to the mattress before answering, "If you're going to tell the Seekers that you're going for a camping trip, you've got to make it look like you're going on a camping trip." She put a hand on Ian's shoulder and gave him a shove towards the door. "Hurry and change. We'll wait out here."

"What was that for?" I heard Ian ask her before she had the door back in place. They bantered in the hallway while I took to pulling on Mel's "camping gear." I ended up in a pair of Jamie's old hiking boots, dark gray cargo pants, a forest green shirt, and a tan vest to fit over top. I slid open the door and each of them quit arguing, for the moment, to look at me. Ian smiled, Melanie laughed. It was obvious in the first place that some adjusting would need to be made. Mel's clothes didn't fit me anymore.

She took to rolling up the pant legs while Ian folded the sleeves until they met my arm's length. I felt like a child. He grinned while he finished with one arm and went on to the next. "This is your idea of camping attire huh, Melanie?" He teased with a wink at me. She straightened until she was standing again. "It's the best I could conjure up for the occasion." She shot back. I wished they wouldn't fight, but Ian kept assuring me that it was all in good humor. I may never fully understand these humans that I love so dearly.

We had started walking down the hallway when Ian had stopped. "Wait," He said before jogging back and disappearing as he slipped back into our room. Mel and I looked at each other in question. When his head ducked back out of the door, he was carrying his coat. He answered the question in my eyes when he reached me. "The nights are getting colder, Wanda. You might need it."

We were approaching the mouth of the cave when we could hear everyone's voices. Nate's was talking above them all. As we got closer, we could make out what he was saying. "It will be quick. There aren't many of them, so the supplies list runs fairly short." The three of us came into view of the rest of them then.

Burns was easily noticed, standing taller than most and dressed out similar to the way I was. Instead of a vest, a large black coat hugged his midsection. I later found out that it was borrowed from Kyle. I'm sure Sunny had something to do with that, however, because I couldn't see Kyle handing it over to Burns too willingly.

We stood in the mouth of the cave for several minutes, discussing last-minute changes in the plan and filling the rest in on what would take place. "Wanda and Burns will take the Jeep, and we'll trail them in the-"

"Wait, slow down for a minute." Ian interjected. I frowned when he stepped away from me and closer to Nate. "Trail them?"

Nate looked confused for a moment. "Someone will need to stay on the sidelines, just in case-" Ian cut him off once more. "Who's we?" Nate stopped again, thinking. "Well, I'll be there obviously."

Ian didn't wait for his explanation to get any further. "Count me in."

Just like that, our dangerous raid of two quickly became four. It wasn't any secret that I felt better, knowing that Ian would be there. It wasn't any secret that it worried me more, either. If this turned into some kind of mess, I didn't want him in the middle of it.

Nate nodded. "Right then," His hands folded and unfolded in front of him before he reached up and clapped Burns' shoulder. "Let's get this done."

Immediately, a hand was at my back. I turned to meet Melanie's dark eyes and I offered her a small nod and a grin. It was a silent exchange as it normally was, but it wasn't goodbye. We refused to say goodbye to one another in the caves, because there was a finality to it that nobody wanted to face. Goodbye was forever, and we fully intended to see each other at the end of each raid.

A shadow moved before me, blocking out some of the light. "Ready?" Ian inquired, offering his hands out to me. I filled my lungs with air and slid my hands into his. "Ready." I confirmed. When the cloths were fastened over Burns and Nate's eyes, Ian and I led them toward the far left tunnel that would carry us out into the night. With their blindfolds on, they didn't see Jeb give a toothy smile, or Jared's arms find Melanie's waist, or Sunny conjure a tinkling laugh when Kyle stumbled over his own feet, but they were the last things that I saw before we plunged into the stretch of darkness and all that could be heard was the soft thud of Jamie's hiking boots on my feet.

---

Well, you made it to the end of the first chapter and for that, I cannot thank you enough. I suppose I should throw a disclaimer out there, seeing as I do not own The Host or any of Stephenie Meyer's characters even though I wish I did.

This fanfiction, cleverly named "The Soul" because I'm lacking ideas for a title, is my own version of what the sequel to The Host might look like. I do hope that at least some of you enjoyed reading this first shot at a Host fanfic, but if you didn't care for it, I understand. Regardless of what you think, I would really love to get some feedback so that I might have a chance at improving future chapters. (:

Thanks again to my readers!

~XOXO