So I just re-read this book and I thought... wow, there are so many opportunities here for FANFICTION!! Wooo! So of course I just HAD to write something. I will be writing mooooore!!

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I hadn't felt this type of pain before and, in this frail body of mine, it stunned me to my very core. I should have known that I would fall off that ladder.. it had seemed much too unstable, even for someone like Melanie. Had I been in her body while doing the task I had been given I probably would have remained uninjured, though there really was no way of guaranteeing that. This new body of mine, though forever grateful I am to be blessed with it, simply cannot handle human life as well as I was used to with Melanie. Comparing the new body to the loose and flowing tentacles of the Sea Weeds would be more accurate...

As usual, Ian's arms were wrapped securely around me, careful of my broken leg, as he sprinted to Doc's. It seemed like I was there all the time. I really thought that I could have at least gone a week without being in those dully lit rooms. But it was not meant to be, it seemed. Poor Doc.

“It'll be okay, Wanda,” Ian told me reassuringly has he ran along, his breathing loud in my ear.

I tried not to gasp too loudly as my injured leg bounced up and down with his stride. Ian always so caring of me wanted to get me to medical attention as soon as possible. I sighed internally.

I had been in the vegetable garden, attending to the daily chores with Trudy, Heath and Geoffary. Ian and Jamie, of course, had not been too far away, minding their own tasks of rotating the soil. Up until now I had been given simple tasks, my frail body not being able to handle anything else. This fact frustrated me like no other and I had practically begged Trudy to let me do something, SOMETHING, a little more fitting of the adult I was. With a guilty look towards Ian and Jamie she had reluctantly agreed. I suppose she could sympathize with my size and desire to help in the caves.

So I had been given the task of cleaning the windows. Breathing a slight sigh of relief, I had recalled the memory of watching Ian at work on the windows before. In Melanie's body I had helped Jeb still the ladder. Remembering watching Ian at work I had realized that, with my size, it wouldn't be that difficult to do, as my weight was hardly anything to jiggle the ladder. I should have be fine up there. Besides, I had had my own helpers down on the ground.

Of course I had been wrong. Not that anyone near us had been comfortable with this idea in the first place. I had been surprised that Jamie and Ian hadn't caught on to what was happening before it had actually happened, so focused on their own chores as they were. It wasn't really fair for me to expect them to have their eyes on me all the time.

Not until I had fallen to the ground, my resounding thump stilling the noise in the room, my eyes wide in shock as the pain took it's time to course through my body, had Ian looked over. I didn't even know what had happened, really. All I could remember was falling. And pain. So much pain.

I'll never forget the look of pure fear in Ian's sapphire eyes as my body had begun to shake in the shock of it all.

I hope Trudy will be spared. It's not like it was her fault, exactly. If only I hadn't been so persistent and selfish!

I was shaken out of my reverie as my body was laid onto the brown paper of Doc's table, the paper crinkling under my weight. Ian didn't remove his hands from mine as he met Doc's questions.

“And they just let her go up there?” Doc's face was set in a glare as he carefully inspected my leg with his fingers.

Ian's grip tightened on my hand as I winced, my eyes squeezing out fresh tears. The tightened grip really didn't help my condition but I appreciated it all the same...

“I am going to KILL Trudy! And Heath! And Geoff-”

“No, please... please don't,” I gasped, peering up at Ian with my watery eyes. I could barely see him, my mind fogged through the pain. This poor Flower had never experienced this much physical pain. I was starting to doubt that any Healer's medication could heal what had happened to the bone in my leg.

Ian sighed and slumped his tense shoulders, sitting in the cot next to me. “It was a joke Wanda... I'm not actually going to kill anyone. But why, WHY were you up on the ladder?”

I couldn't lie to Ian... after all, he and Jamie had been right there the whole time. They had seen what had happened, though could not prevent it. It had happened too fast, I suppose. “I... I was...”

Jamie burst through the door then, Jared and Melanie in tow, interrupting my answer. Relief washed through me. I didn't want to have to explain to Ian that I had been almost looking for danger to rid me of feeling useless and incompetent.

Doc frowned at the number of people suddenly in the small room. “You can't all be in here -”

His mouth snapped shut from the four glares. “O-okay then. Wanda, you're just going to have to raise your leg a bit onto this pillow. Yes, that's it... good girl.”

The added elevation stopped the throbbing, at least.

Jared and Melanie knelt beside my cot. “Jamie told us what happened,” Jared began, grimacing at my injury. The fact that he didn't really seem angry didn't surprise me. I had gotten used to his concern over me waning in the last few months since he had gotten his Melanie back to him.

Melanie set her fierce eyes at me. “Wanda, what the HELL were you doing? You know you're not in my body anymore! I thought you would have known better!”

I winced at the volume of her voice and looked away from the angry fire in her eyes. My body shied away again, not used to this kind of violent behaviour.

All of the members of the room had their attention on me, waiting for an answer. I wished Trudy was here. She could answer for me... I'm so pathetic. I whimpered as my leg suddenly throbbed, shooting pain throughout my body again.

Ian sighed again. “Wanda, you can answer later. Right now we have to do something about that leg.”

Ah Ian. So caring.

“No Pain,” I gasped out. Why hadn't Doc given it to me as soon as I had arrived...

Doc seemed to snap into action. “Ah, yes, right! I think we have some, over here...” He turned and opened a cupboard door. In a second he was again by my side. I felt the cool spray of the medication and immediately wilted in relief. I couldn't feel anything. No pain. The bone was still broken though. What was the medication for that? I had never seen a case of a broken bone during my stay in the caves... I was sure there was something though. In Doc's supply, hopefully. I couldn't stand this feeling of guilt as I lay in the bed, everyone stopping their chores to care for me. I was always getting in their way...

“Thank you...” I whispered to Doc, not daring to shift my small leg to test out the strength of the medication. I leaned back into the pillow, my golden curls spreading out behind me, almost creating a blanket under me.

Jamie whistled and shook his head, looking at me in disbelief. “That stuff sure is powerful.”

Melanie chuckled and pat his head though he was taller than her now. “Sure is kid.”

I smiled. Only she would know too well; we had used it enough when we were sharing her body.

“Hm, now for the bone,” Doc pondered out loud, probing lightly along my numb leg with his finger tips. This time his probing did not make we wince.

“Don't you have anything?” Jared and Ian asked simultaneously, looking at Doc. They turned to glare at each other, though there was no real force in their eyes anymore. They both cared about me. That warmed my heart. Behind them I saw Mel and Jamie roll their eyes.

“To be honest I'm not sure. There hasn't been a case of a fractured bone in quite a while. Not since before Wanda joined us, anyways.” He turned back to the stores of stolen Soul medication again, rummaging through the labeled white bottles. “Wanda, what would medication for broken bones be labeled?”

This question reminded me of when I had first started “teaching” the rest of the humans stories from my other Worlds. They had inquired as to how deep my knowledge of Healing was and I had been unhelpful. “I really don't know... you're right though. I personally haven't seen anything to do with Healing broken bones... Pet didn't have any instances, either.”

“No Pain... Heal... Smooth... Cool...” Doc straightened up and sighed, scratching the back of his head.

“Maybe Bone Heal?” Jamie spoke up thoughtfully. “Or maybe just Bone...” he muttered, biting his thumb in thought.

Melanie nodded. “That seems like it would fit.”

Doc shook his head. “There's nothing here like that.”

Ian nodded and sighed, releasing my hand. “Makes sense. If we haven't needed anything like that then we wouldn't have stolen it.”

All of them looked at my leg, frowning at the realization of no quick-action healing.

Ian absently started playing with a few strands of my golden hair. He knew this relaxed me. “Doc, how long would it take for it to heal... normally?”

I saw the twin grimaces from Melanie and Jared. Knowing humans, it was bound to be a long time. How they had survived with their native medications for so long mystified me.

Doc pulled a grimace. “With her size and age... about two months, to be completely healed.”

My eyes widened. “I'd be completely useless for two months? No! I can't stay here for two months and not do anything! Someone else needs this bed-”

“Shh Wanda,” Ian said, putting his fingers to my quivering lips.

Jared's eyes lit up. “Well, we'll just have to go on a raid then! Get the meds ourselves.”

Jamie bounced beside him. “I'm definitely coming this time! I missed out on the last one!”

I shook my head. Couldn't they see the obvious problem with this? I had gone on every single medicinal raid with them before and now I could not, my broken leg hindering any type of movement. They needed a Soul with them or else they would get caught and die. It was impossible.

Ian beat me to it. “You idiot Jared, we can't go on a raid without Wanda! She needs to get us the meds, like every single time before. Geez.”

Jared frowned. “Ah. Right.”

Jared's moment of stupidity had been the consequence of unexpected excitement, it seemed.

Jeb seemed to appear out of nowhere at the next moment, a curious expression dawning his face at the sight of me on the bed. “What's goin on, then? Why're all of you out of the garden?”

“Wanda's fractured her leg. Fell off a ladder.” Doc filled in, gesticulating towards my left leg.

Jeb whistled and bounced on the balls of his feet. “Done good on that one, eh Wanda?”

I felt my face get hot and looked down into my lap.

“And now we're trying to figure out how the hell we're going to get the medication to fix it.”

Jared nodded. “Well it's pretty obvious that we need to go on a raid to get it...”

Jeb perked up. “Oh, if yer goin on a raid, get some supplies too. They're dwindlin down. Don't want my house to get understocked!”

“But we need Wanda to be with us if we're getting meds...” Jared continued as if Jeb hadn't said anything.

“And she definitely can't move with her leg like that,” Doc supplied.

“Well damn. Good job, Wanda,” Melanie said, poking me on the shoulder in what would have been a playful manner if this situation had the potential to be funny at all. Which it certainly did NOT.

There was a slightly awkward silence as the solution to this problem was pondered by the occupants of the room. It was true that I had to go with them, as I had done on nearly every other raid. The body Jamie had chosen for me to occupy was the perfect tool (I tried not to think of it as that) for getting anything we needed or wanted. The Healers at the medical facilities were only too eager to help a young pretty girl in need. It was almost pathetic how easily manipulated we souls were.

But I couldn't go with them if I couldn't walk. Ian couldn't carry me everywhere. That would be ineffective and dangerous. It took three nights to reach the main city hospital and being a cripple for four days did not suit well with anything.

So then what could I do? This was my fault in the first place. I had to fix it.

I needed to be able to walk... but I needed to keep my mind.

I needed another body.

I gasped, the solution in my mind now. “Oh!”

Ian was on me at once, his hands wrapped around mine. “What is it Wanda? Are you in pain?”

I could have laughed. Of course I wasn't in pain; the medication took care of that. “No, I have an idea.”

It would work... Doc had mastered the procedure, after all. A soul could be inserted a countless number of times, into many different hosts. It did not harm the soul if done properly, and Doc would certainly do it properly. But who's body to choose... I didn't want to put Melanie through my presence in her head again. Cages did not suit her well, I found.

Jared was looking at me now, his eyes bright with interest. He was not the only one. I looked over at Melanie and was slightly shocked to see a knowing glint in her eye. Before she could jump to any conclusions, I told them.

“I can still come with you on the raid; there is another way. What I need is another body,” I said slowly.

A gasp from Ian. A groan from Melanie. Jared and Jeb seemed to think it was brilliant, if their expressions told me anything. Jamie looked concerned, biting his thumb again. Doc quirked an eyebrow.

“Seems like a good idea to me.” That was Jeb.

“What? No Wanda! You don't have to do that! We all know how much you hate being a... a parasite,” Ian said, revulsion coating the last word. “There has to be another way.”

Melanie sighed. “Seriously Ian, once she decides on something, there's no point in arguing. Trust me.” She looked over at me and took a step closer to my cot. “Okay, I guess it's time for another run, eh? Knew it was too good to be true to have my body back...”

Jared looked frightened.

I shook my head frantically. “No no, I'm not going in your body again. I won't do that to you. I know how much you love having your own body back. I don't blame you either.” I didn't need to hear Jared's sigh of relief. Nor did I need to feel the slight pain in my small heart.

Ian shared his look of confusion with Melanie and Jeb. “We're not going to find you another body, Wanda...”

“Yeah, it took a lot of effort to find you this one!” Jamie piped up.

No, I didn't want to be in a stranger's body either. I looked at everyone in the room. It would have to be someone going on the raid... and I knew who those people were. Someone in the room, excluding Doc and Jeb, would have to play Host to the Wanderer.

“No, another stranger Host would not be wise for the same reasons I went through before... before I was inserted into this body. They could be dangerous and I could very well turn on the community. It will have to be someone going on the raid and who can remain themselves with me in their mind...”

Doc looked down at me. “Wanda... this seems a little unnecessary...”

I looked up at him, smiling in full confidence. I had already chosen my Host. “It will only be temporary. And it is necessary, if we want my leg to heal.” It would be highly uncomfortable but that was the price I would have to pay for my selfish and hasty actions today. And that Host would no doubt stay inside with me until the second I was out. “You know the procedure, Doc. I have full confidence in you.” I gave him the smile I used when we had to get something we needed. I had lots of practice using it and was not ashamed to know it would work on Doc.

He sighed in defeat and smiled warily. “Okay Wanda. I'll do it.”

“See? I told you. Nothing changes her mind,” Melanie added.

Ian squeezed my hand. “Wanda... you don't have to do this.”

I brushed a finger along his cheek. “Don't worry Ian, it'll be fine. It won't be for long and I'll still be the exact same. You know that.”

Jared clapped his hands together and rubbed them up and down. “So, who's it gonna be? If it's not Mel, I'm really curious to see who.. we don't usually take any of the other females with us. I guess we'll have to this time, eh?”

I smiled at him, my heart fluttering inside my small chest. “No we won't, because my Host will be you, Jared.”

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There will be mild Jared/Ian slash in the next chapters!!