Months had passed since the scare in the caves. There had been a few missions since where they tried to reawaken the humans inside the bodies. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it did not. Either way, the humans kept taking more tanks and sent the souls to another planet. The people who did not wake up, they made a special burial for each of them, not allowing another soul to be put inside them.

Since gaining the O'Shea's to their family, there had been about twenty more humans who came to live there with the other survivors. Jared, Ian, Wanda and Melanie had also encountered another group of humans - led by a man named Burns. He was also a soul who had come to love the humans, like Wanda had, and helped his friends just as she did with raids or getting food.

In those months, Wanda had teased Melanie to plan her wedding. Melanie laughed at her every time because it wasn't like they had to book a church or hire a band. Not even a caterer. But Wanda stood by they needed to make plans.

"At least get a dress," Wanda whined. "Come on. You know you'd at least want a dress."

"OKay, maybe, I do," Melanie agreed. "But it'd be a little suspicious if we go to take a wedding dress on a raid, don't you think?"

"How come?"

"Because it's not a usual stop," she said. "And the souls would probably find that odd since taking a wedding dress means a wedding will happen and none will happen up there."

She pointed to the ceiling of their semi-underground home. Wanda sighed. "But everyone here knows you're getting married. They would go there for you."

"How do I hide it from Jared?" she questioned.

"I didn't think of that."

"Ha!" Melanie laughed. "There'd never be a raid without him and he wouldn't let me go in one of the stores without him either."

"I'll go with you," Wanda snapped her fingers. "Jared can't deny you'd be safe with me."

"That's true," she smiled. "Okay. So maybe we can get me a dress. But I don't think there's much else to plan."

"We have a priest now," Wanda added. "Whatever day you want, just tell him he can't do any working that day."

Melanie sighed, her mood changing out of her laugh she had just been making. "But would it even be legal? Is there even a point to doing the big show if it's not legal?"

"Yes," Wanda answered. "Because you know, in your heart, that you and Jared love each other and are meant to be. The piece of paper isn't what would make it real."

"You're right," the older girl managed a smile then laughed. "You always convince me of stuff."

"That's what I'm here for," the younger girl laughed.

Jamie came walking into the room as they were talking. "Can I ask you something, Mel?"

She turned to look at him. "Hello to you, too."

"Hi," he said. His fourteen years showed on him and she smiled at seeing this little boy turn into a man.

She nodded at him and smiled. "Now, what is your question?"

"After what Kyle and Ian did..." he started. "Do you think it's possible to try to find our Dad, too?"

Melanie was stunned and sighed. "I don't know, kid. He wasn't himself when he came with those Seekers. If he was still in there-" she swallowed hard. "Then he would have never let that happen."

"What if he couldn't hide it like you did?" he asked. Wanda looked at both Stryder's faces, seeing the pain on both of them but both also trying to not show it. "What if it got to them and he couldn't do anything about it?"

"I don't know," Melanie repeated. "I only know what I -" she looked at Wanda "- we went through."

Jamie nodded. "Is there any way we can check? Try to find him?"

The brunette stayed silent and held her lips together tight. "It'd be up to Uncle Jeb."

Jamie didn't want that answer. "No. What do you think?"

"It's not up to me," she shook her head.

"Mel," he pleaded. "You're my sister. We're the only ones who can answer this, it's our Dad. What do you think?"

A tear slipped from her eye and down her cheek. "I don't know."

Jamie nodded and walked out of the room. Melanie buried her head in her hands and when she finally took it out, wiping her eyes and looked at Wanda. "I hate telling him no but it hurts to think of what that soul did to him, what it did to us."

Wanda nodded. "I know some souls push the human's voice away in their mind. Maybe he did that to your father?"

"I'm not sure," she shook her head again. "I don't want to think about that right now. I want to focus on the wedding again, something happy."

"All right."

"How's Ian?" she changed the subject. "How are you guys?"

Wanda beamed at the mention of his name. "He's good, we're good. I've never been happier then I've been since I woke up in Pet's body. It's been amazing."

"And have you guys -" she clicked her tongue and made suggestive expressions so Wanda understood.

"Have we what?"

Melanie groaned then let out a small laugh. The conversation with Jamie still on her brain. "Have you guys had sex again?"

"Oh!" Wanda exclaimed. "I don't wanna talk about that."

"Why not?"

"It's private." Melanie gave her a look. "OKay, fine. I know everything about you and Jared's romantic moments from before that time in Chicago. But I don't know, it feels weird saying it out loud."

"Because it's bad?"

"No!" she half-yelled. "No. It's not bad. It's just...I was raised differently. I'm not really sure how to talk about stuff like that."

Melanie nodded. "Want me to start?"

"No," Wanda laughed and Melanie joined in. "But...yes, we have. Since the first time."

"A lot?"

"Mel!"

Wanda was now blushing while she laughed. "Not that many times, if you have to know."

"I have every right to know," Melanie muttered sarcastically. "It's the least you can do, tell me personal things after everything you know about me."

The younger girl smiled as she began talking about her and Ian.

xxxxxx

Later that day, Melanie decided to go searching for Jared. She looked at the walls and laughed, remembering how she used to get lost all the time in them. It seemed like decades ago that had happened. She went on her instinct to the fields, where she had gone so many times.

As soon as she walked in, she knew her instinct was right. There was a few other people around but they were mostly far away or working. They would still get to talk without anyone overhearing.

"Hey," she said as she sat beside him, knees bending to mirror his posture. "What's up?"

"Nothing," he shrugged then gave her a smile. "You came to see me?"

"Yeah," she smiled back. "Are you supposed to be working in here today? Whenever we meet in here, it's usually empty."

"Yeah, Jeb sent me in here," he answered with a big breath. "But I was ordered to not do anymore."

She saddled closer to him. "How come?"

He moved slightly but she could see him wince slightly as he did. Jared let out a small hiss between his teeth as he pulled the back of his shirt up for her to see. On part of his back and on his left side was a huge cut. Like one you would get from a vicious attack.

"What the hell is that?" she gasped, turning to face him and her hands going right to the spaces around the gash.

"On the last raid," he winced. "That we just got back from, 2 days ago?" She nodded. "There was an accident when we were carrying some stuff out."

She didn't believe him. "Some stuff?"

He noticed her sarcasm. "Okay, a soul we were trying to bring in. He was a Seeker in disguise, trying to find humans. He attacked Kyle, I got inbetween them and he cut me, bad. I was bleeding. They had to take care of me there."

Melanie gasped again. "You didn't tell me about this."

"No," he agreed, waiting for her anger to come.

It didn't come. Melanie asked in a whisper. "Why not?"

"I didn't want you to worry," he replied simply.

"And what if we -" she lowered her voice even though no one could hear them "-slept together? How would you explain it then?"

"I was hoping we weren't going to for a while," he whispered. She gave him a look. "Okay, I would have told you if it happened."

"And if it you were hurt because of it?" she asked. "If I hurt you? Would you have told me if you were in pain?"

Her voice sounded hurt so Jared pulled his shirt back down so she couldn't see it anymore. Her hands rested on his legs instead so he held them in his. "Yes."

"Really?"

"Really."

Jared leaned forward and kissed Melanie's forehead. "Just give it a few days," he said when he pulled away. "It'll heal. Doc told me so."

She nodded, eyes still closed. "Did it hurt a lot when it happened?"

"Like hell," he answered and she opened her eyes.

"I should have been on that raid with you," she mumbled. "Not here, planning a wedding or washing dishes. I should have been with you."

"Then I would have gotten hurt worse," he said. "Trying to protect you. If I jumped between a fight with you there, you would have jumped in right after me. I know you, Mel."

She half-smiled. "Yes, you do."

After a few moments of just sitting there, Melanie spoke again. "How about tonight I be your nurse?"

"That sounds perfect," he replied. She smiled for real this time and footsteps sounded from behind them. Both of them turned around to see who it was.

"Hey there, Melanie," Jeb said. "I was hoping to find you here."

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Come with me?"

"Sure," she replied and kissed Jared quick before she stood up. Jared helped her stand up and stood himself. "Bye."

The two of them started to walk away but Jeb turned to Jared first. "You don't do anything that can injure yourself further, all right, kid?"

"Yes, sir," Jared agreed. Melanie waved to him causing him to wave back and she was gone.

She tried to keep a normal pace as she followed her uncle out of the fields and through the tunnels. "Is something wrog. Uncle Jeb?"

"Nothing's wrong," he answered. "I just thought we needed to talk about Jamie."

"Oh," she said sadly. "He asked you about looking for our Dad, didn't he?"

"Yes he did," Jeb chuckled. "He says you say not to go?"

"I did," Melanie answered. "But only because I don't think our father is still somewhere in there. Not like I was in Wanda or Lacey was in the Seeker. I think he's gone." She looked at Jeb's face questionably. "Why? What do you think?"

"I'm not sure," he replied. "I wasn't there when your father brought the Seekers to you and your brother. But I do know what happened when your mother died."

"He told you to take care of us," she whispered. "If anything happened to him."

"Yes," Jeb agreed. "But he also told me how much he loved you kids. I think someone who loved the two of you like he did would fight."

She nodded. "Do you think it's where I got it from?"

"Maybe," he said back. "But maybe it's worth a shot."

"You really think so?"

"I do."

xxxxxx

Wanda knocked on Ian's door and he turned to look at her almost immediately. His face lit up in a smile as he ushered her in. She went right beside him on his bed and into his arms. "Hi."

"Hi," she smiled looking up at him. "I need to ask you something."

"Shoot."

"If someone else wanted to find their family," she started. "Do you think they'd be okay? Like your parents were? Or would it be a risk?"

"I don't know," Ian answered. "Not everybody gets woken up when the souls are taken out. You wouldn't know if they're still alive in there until you take them out."

"But is it worth it?"

"Maybe, if they're alive," he nodded. "But there's not a sure way of knowing that before you take the risk."

He looked down at her thinking face. "Why? Who wants to find their family?"

"Jamie," she replied.

"Jamie wants to go out there?" he asked. "Is that all right with Melanie?"

"She doesn't want him to," Wanda sighed. "But I do. I want to go with him and maybe talk to Mr. Stryder first. Maybe I can get him to admit if their father's still in there."

"He might lie," Ian pointed out.

"And say he's alive?" she asked. "Then what? We take him out of their father's body and he's got nowhere to go. It wouldn't help him."

Ian decided to change the subject. "Do you remember when we first met, Wanda?"

"In the desert," she said. "Kyle wanted to kill me."

"No, not then." He stared into her eyes, hoping she'd remember. "I was in one of your classes. Trying to find Melanie for Jared and I found you."

"You did?" she racked her brain for a memory of Ian. "When?"

"A little while before you came here," he answered.

"You saw me?"

"Yeah," he said back. "I thought you were amazing. I listened to your whole lesson."

Wanda gasped. She never knew. "I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything," he said to her as he wrapped his arms tight around her.

"But I want to," she said as she kissed him softly then sat herself up, sitting on top of him and kissing him again.

xxxxxxxx

After meeting with Jeb, Melanie walked right to her room. She felt like she needed to just sit and think, away from everyone else. The room was empty when she got there so she went straight to the bed and laid down, closing her eyes as soon as she hit the pillow.

"Mel?" A voice called her name as it pulled her out of sleep. A strong hand was also shaking her awake. "Mel? Wake up."

"Hmm," she groaned as she flipped over and opened her eyes, straining to see the man she loves but right now was annoyed at for interrupting her sleep. "What is it?"

Jared was standing beside the bed. Nothing seemed wrong until she looked at his side and saw red spotted on his shirt. She sat right up. "Are you bleeding?"

"It's the wound," he answered. "I can't get to Doc's without it getting worse and almost everyone is in the dining area. I couldn't get anyone else."

"What do you need?" she shot into action, climbing off the bed and standing next to him. "Do you need me to get bandages?"

"And Doc, if you could," he said.

"Sure." She pushed him slowly and gently to the bed and ran right out the door.

She got Doc so fast she wouldn't have believed it. Melanie explained about Jared's bleed and got him to come back to the room with her. He checked Jared over as soon as he was there and even patched it up again. When he left, Jared was laying down on the lap, almost asleep. Melanie laid beside him on his right. "Feel better?"

"Yeah," Jared answered. "I think I need to sleep."

"Okay," she said. "Can I ask you something before you go to sleep though?"

"Anything," he said though his eyes were closed.

"Jamie wants to go find our Dad," she said. "Do you think it's a good idea?"

His eyes opened and looked at her. "Do you?"

"I'm asking you."

He just watched her face for a reaction before he answered. "No, I don't."

"Really?"

"Mel, you told me a lot of things about your dad," he began. "From how he was before the invasion and then what happened when they took him. I don't want you risking your life for what's probably a lost cause."

She took a deep breath. "But what if it's not? A lost cause, I mean?"

"I don't know, Mel," he shook his head as best as he could against the pillow.

"Would you hate me if I tried?"

"Never," he replied. "But I would like to come with you, make sure you're safe."

She glanced at his left side, all bandaged up as he laid there without a shirt. "Looks like someone needs to make sure you're safe, too."

"Mel -"

"Sorry, sorry," she said quickly. "But you can come. With me and Jamie. And maybe Wanda, too."

"Wanda wants to come?"

"I want her to come," she answered. "And I wish I get get Uncle Jeb to come but that'd be impossible."

Jared laughed. "I can't picture him on a raid."

Melanie laughed with him. "Me, either."

"We'll talk about this tomorrow," he said, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her closer to him.

"All right," she replied. "I love you."

She looked up at him for her reply but Jared's eyes were already closed, his breathing told her he had fallen asleep already. She kissed his cheek and closed her eyes herself.

xxxxxxx

The next day, Jared knocked on Ian's door. It was still early so he did it low. He almost considered leaving when no answer came but as he turned to go, the door opened and there stood Ian. "Yeah?"

"I need to talk to you," Jared inhaled.

Ian nodded and shut the door quietly behind him but not before Jared saw a sleeping Wanda on the bed. He worried she might wake up and hear them. "What's up?"

"Melanie told me she wants Wanda to come on a mission with her," Jared replied.

"To find her parents," Ian finished. "Wanda told me about that last night."

Jared nodded this time then smirked. "Probably around the same time Mel asked me if we could bring her."

"Melanie's okay with it?" Ian asked. "Wanda said she didn't think she wanted Jamie to go out there and look."

"I think Mel's coming to terms about it," he answered. "I told her I'm coming with her. If they do."

"Should I?"

Jared gave him a look and Ian took it the wrong way. "What do you want to do?"

"I want to be there for Wanda," he said slowly. "But I didn't let her be there with me. I feel bad about that. I want it be up to her."

"You have to ask her about it," Jared tried to help. "But I think it'd be a good idea to have more people on this one. If we do this...Mel told me a lot of things about her Dad and then what happened to him after. He might not be in there."

Ian considered this. "Do you think it's worth it?"

"I'm not sure," Jared answered hesistantly. "But I know what it'd mean to Melanie to get her father back. I wanna stand by her but I want to make sure we're all safe, that she's safe. I just don't know how exactly to do that."

"You'll know it," the other man replied.

"I hope I do."

It was one of the first nights Jared and Melanie had been was fast asleep with his head in Melanie's lap as they sat across from each other on a couch. Jared was close to drifting himself to sleep too as she just watched him. She knew she was falling in love with him already.

He sighed and closed his eyes, not wanting to move from his seat. She hoped it was for the reasons she wanted it to be: he loved being with her, too. She wanted to keep him awake, to talk so she decided to bring up a personal thing, to just say it out loud. "My dad was taken from me by the invaders."

Jared opened his eyes slowly and looked right into Melanie's eyes. "When?"

"A few years ago," she replied. "He was just...not home one day. Then when he came back, he was one of them."

"What happened?" He straightened up in his seat, listening to her tell him one of the most important things that happened to her.

"He brought Seekers with him," she answered. Her throat felt like it was tight. "He came to let them get me and Jamie."

He looked down at the small sleeping boy in Melanie's lap then up at her. "How did you get away?"

"We hid," she said, remembering the moment she realized her dad was gone. "We ran. Both."

"And that's when you went on the run?"

Melanie nodded. "We never went back home. I always thought he'd be there waiting for us, wanting to turn us into one of them. My childhood home became the least safe place in the world for me."

He reached his hand across the couch, touching Melanie's. "I can't imagine what that was like for you. You and your brother suddenly on your own."

She nodded and looked at his hand over hers as she spoke. "It was very hard. Harder than I thought. Back then, the invasion wasn't close to as bad as it is now. It was easier to get around."

She saw Jared stiffen and looked at him questionably. What was that expression he just gave? "What is it?"

"What?" he looked at their hands, too.

"That look," she said. "You lost people, too, to the invasion, didn't you? Who was it?"

Melanie noticed Jared take a deep breath then breathe out. "My dad and my brothers."

She knew someone was missing. "What about your Mom?"

"She's been gone long before the parasites came," he almost spat out. The anger was at them for coming, she could tell, not at her for asking.

Melanie nodded, not wanting to press on that. "What happened to your father and brothers?"

"They thought it would be better to fight the aliens," he said with a regret in his voice."I stayed behind. Maybe if I went with them...maybe things would be different now."

"Maybe you would have been caught, too," she added. "Maybe you wouldn't be here with me right now and have saved me."

He smirked a little at that. "I saved you? How?"

"In more ways then you can imagine," she made a real smile appear on his face. "Did you ever see them again?"

His smile faltered then faded. "No. They were murdered in front of me. They could only hold off Seekers for so long."

Melanie gasped and her throat felt like ice. "I'm sorry. I didn't know. I shouldn't have asked."

"It's okay," he said in a quiet voice. "It's nice to be able to get that out. It's been so long since I talked to another person."

"Two years," she said. "I remember."

"I'm glad I found you that night," he whispered. At first he thinks she doesn't hear it but then Melanie responds.

"I'm glad you did, too."

Jared squeezed Melanie's hand then they smiled at each other. Yes, he had to be falling in love, she thought.

xxxxxxx

Wanda sat alone at the usual table eating her breakfast. Everyone else was at work except for Jared, who Doc wanted to check out some more. She was waiting for him there. A shadow fell over her and she looked up, expecting Jared but was surprised at who she saw.

"Can we talk?"

"All right," Wanda answered as she swallowed her eyes down and looked at the terrifying woman before her.

"I was wrong about you," Maggie said. Her voice was clear and honest. "When I said you were parasite when you came here and then when I said it again to Melanie after she got her body back. I was wrong."

Wanda was stunned, unable to hear what Melanie's aunt was saying. "Um. What?"

"Do I have to say it again?" she asked.

"No," she shook her head. "No, you don't." Maggie nodded thankfully. "What makes you come to me now? To say this?"

Maggie sighed. "You didn't turn us in and you never have. You had many chances to do so but we're all still here. You even managed to make that boy Ian care about you and gave Melanie her life back. You can't be all bad, I suppose."

Wanda gave her a look.

"Or bad at all."

Wanda folded her arms on the table. "So you want me to forgive you for how you acted?"

"I never said that," the older woman protested.

"So what are you saying exactly?" the younger girl asked.

Maggie struggled for words. "That...I was wrong. I shouldn't have judged you based on your kind. You're even...better than some humans were."

"Thank you," Wanda said, accepted the complaint no matter how it came out.

Maggie nodded and stood up. As soon as she was gone, Jared slid in her seat. "What was that about?"

"She had a change of heart," Wanda said, looking after her though she was gone.

He stared at her. "About what?"

"About me," Wanda answered. "She said she was wrong about me before."

It was his turn to be stunned. "Wow," he said. "That sounds like something on a list on impossible things."

"It does," she laughed. "But I believe her. She seemed...sincere."

Jared scoffed. "Really? Maggie sincere?"

"I know, I know," she said. "But she did."

He looked at the direction where his soon-to-be Aunt-in-Law went. "Maybe everything does happen at some point, huh?"

In the corner of Wanda's eyes, she noticed that Jeb was watching her with a smile on his face.

xxxxxxxx

That night, Melanie laid down on the big bed her and Jared shared, holding her left hand up in the air and staring at her engagement ring. She smiled as she watched the diamond glitter when she moved it.

It might be silly to look at like that. Not as something the love of your life gave to symbolize how much he loves you but as something that's pretty but she didn't care. Jared did good.

Just as she was thinking about him, it was like she willed him to appear. She sprang to a normal position and sat up, looking at him. "Hey."

"Hey," he said as he walked in. "What were you doing?"

Dammit, caught. "Staring at my ring."

He almost laughed. "You do that?"

"Yes," Melanie stuck out her tongue. "So what?"

"Nothing," he shook his head as he smiled. "It's so...girly."

"Shut up," she replied but her face was smiling so Jared knew she didn't mean it. She hopped off the bed and went straight to him and kissed him lightly. "I missed you today."

"I missed you too," he replied back. "Where did your Uncle have you working today?"

She groaned. "The kitchen. I'm not the best at cooking so I had to clean everything."

"You've done dishes before," he pointed out.

"It was more than dishes," she said. "I had to clean all the food then Lily cooked it."

"That's not so bad."

"Okay," she disagreed. "What did you do today? You better not have been carrying any big packages across the tunnels."

"I wasn't," Jared answered as he wrapped his arms around Melanie's waist. "I went to see Doc then kicked back and relaxed. Watched the guys do a game too."

"You saw Doc?" she exclaimed. "How's your side?"

"It's better," he nodded. "It still hurts like I'm pulling my skin apart sometimes but it could be worse."

Without thinking about it, Melanie's fingers lifted Jared's shirt up, looking at then touching his scar which was uncovered today. It was still red and still looked deep but better than it had been when it first showed it to her.

He winced a little bit as her cold fingers touched his skin and touched the closed wound. She backed up and the shirt fell back into place. "I'm sorry."

"You didn't do anything," he told her.

She backed up another inch. "I hurt you."

"No," he walked towards her and put his hands on her face. "You didn't."

Jared kissed her then, cupping her face in his hands, bringing her closer. She kissed him back and put her hands on his waist. "Wait."

He pulled away. "What's wrong?"

"Nuh-uh," she muttered. "No sex."

"I wasn't aware that was definite just from a kiss," he joked.

She didn't take it as one. "Usually when you and me...kiss, it ends up leading to more."

"Not always."

"And not this time."

"I wouldn't let it get that far," Jared said. "Besides, if I was in any kind of pain, you'd have known and stopped it."

She gave a half-smile. "Not if I was enjoying myself."

He smiled back. "How about this? You just be my nurse for now. You never got to be last night."

"You're right!" she laughed. "Okay, so you're in my hands tonight then."

She ordered him to take off his shirt and go lay on the bed. He obliged. After minutes of her massaging him, he took her hands and laid them on his chest. Jared's hands laid on top of hers. "I want to marry you, Mel."

"You already told me that," she laughed, eying the ring on her finger.

"No," he tried to shake his head against the pillow. "As soon as possible. I want you to be my wife, Melanie."

"When?" she was in shock.

"Whenever we can," he answered. "I don't want anymore time pass before the wedding."

"Can we even do it?"

"Sure!" he said loudly then lowered his voice. "Of course we can."

Jared sat up, holding onto to Melanie as he did since she was sitting on top of him. "I don't know what to say."

"Say yes," he encouraged.

"Nothing's ready."

"Like what?"

She thought of her and Wanda's conversations. All she really needed was a dress. "I was gonna get a dress. On the next raid."

"Then you will," he said. "But you'd look gorgeous to me no matter what."

She laughed. "You'd wait a month? After what you just said?"

He thought for a moment. "I don't really want to wait a month."

"I don't really need a dress," she caved. "I just need you. That's all that matters to me."

"To me, too," he said as he leaned forward and kissed her.

They told everyone of their plans the next day and Wanda was the happiest for them. Jeb aranged they could get the new member to the community, Father Richards, to perform the ceremony. Lily lent Melanie a dress she kept hidden in her clothes, it was stunning and white, too. Wanda counted Melanie's blue eyes as something blue. Her ring was new and Sharon handed her a rock from the cave to be old.

The wedding was simple, with the traditional vows and Jeb walked Melanie down the aisle. Wanda acted as maid of honor and Ian was the best man. No rings were exchanged but they promised to get them on the next raid. Once it was over, they sat in the dining area and celebrated.

That night, they didn't do anything but lay together and tell each other they loved them. As soon as his wound was healed, weeks later, they finally got to consummate their marriage, legal be damned. It didn't matter to them.

Several weeks later, Melanie had a familiar feeling she had months earlier. "Jared?" she called as she walked into the game room. He was playing a game one-on-one with Kyle.

"Yeah?" he looked up and as soon as he saw her, he smiled brightly. Newlyweds, Kyle's eyes rolled.

She walked up to him and said in a low voice. "I'm late. Like really late."

"By how much?"

"Four weeks," she answered.

He couldn't hide his smile. Four weeks was a long time to be late. "Are you saying you're -"

"I think I am," she smiled back. She felt more ready this time. No more scared little girl, now happily married women who knows what her husband wants. "I have a few tests from that other run in Doc's."

"Go take them," he said with that smile still on his face. "I'll come with you."

"Come on," she took his hand and brought him to Doc's. It was empty when they got there but they walked right in and she went to look for the pregnancy tests. She made Jared leave while she took it and they waited together to see the result.

It was time and she checked the test. With a small gasp, she said, "Oh my God."

"What?" Jared looked over her shoulder to see what it said. He didn't know which was which, though.

"I'm pregnant," she breathed, her hand covering her mouth in surprise. Good surprise. "Oh my God."

"You're pregnant?" She nodded. Jared lifted Melanie off the ground and hugged him to her. "We're having a baby?"

"Yes!"

He put her down and stared in her eyes. "I love you, Mel."

"I know," she rolled her eyes. "Obviously."

He kissed her softly and they smiled at each other.

"I love you, too, Jared."

And they kissed again, ready for whatever came next.

IT'S OVER! : (

I really hope you guys all like the ending and I worked for days on it so I also hope it's the kind of ending you would want for Melanie and Jared and the rest of the humans. But even though I did not mention if they go find Mr. Stryder, they do decide to go but what happens, I will leave up to the readers and reviewers.

I have plans for more fics, especially of Jared/Melanie since I love them so much so I hope you stick around and read those too.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year too xoxo