Serix listened to Cassie describe human courting traditions and marriage. The concept of ‘dating’ was foreign to him. It sounded a little similar to the rituals of pre-mated couples in his society, but to last as long as an entire year in an unofficial relationship like that? He couldn’t imagine how humans the willpower to wait. He would never want to stay casual with the female he loved for so long. But then again, he had been raised in a society where the ceremony came only ten days after a Lunairan first learned who his mate was to be. Serix had been immersed in that fast paced type of environment that it had become ingrained in him. It was interesting to hear about human weddings as well. Never having to worry about a dying population, they had the freedom to choose whom they wished to marry. Some humans even chose to remain single throughout their entire lives. It was very different from the mandatory nature of Lunairan ceremonies, where everyone was assigned a mate based upon his or her genetics, and only the leftover females were never mated. With their species on the brink of extinction, his people couldn’t afford to let more people remain unmated. In general, Serix found that human traditions were much more relaxed and less businesslike than the Lunairan traditions he was used to. The humans seemed to try to make their wedding celebrations into entertaining events rather than just ritualistic protocol for procreation. Their traditions were much more elegant, and he was eager to see how they could be combined with the ones he was familiar with. Perhaps they could even come up with entirely new ideas. There was no one there to tell them not to, so why not? “Some things were the same in our two people’s ways,” Cassie said. “But a lot of things were different. What should we keep for our wedding you think?” “We can rule out a few things right away,” Serix said thoughtfully. “Since we don’t have a third party, we can’t include traditions that involve more than just us. I don’t think we’re excluding anything particularly important by doing that, do you?” He leaned his head against Cassie’s. “You know, I can think of at least one thing we can keep.” Serix pulled away from her and stood up from the bed before she could respond. He turned around and took her hands in his. Then he met her eyes and dropped down on one knee, “Cassie, will you marry me?”

Cassie shook her head, smiling at him when he asked her if she minded leaving out the part of the ceremonies that a third party might be involved with, "I don't mind. If I did then we would have no wedding at all." She looked at him curiously, that smile still on her face as he pulled away from her, wondering what int he would he was doing. Then, much to her surprise, he got down on one knee to ask her officially if she would marry him. This made her laugh with joy as she nodded her head, "Yes, Serix. I will marry you." She laughed again and while he was still on one knee, she leaned forward to kiss his lips. This was so surreal. She didn't think things like this could still happen with her. She thought with the humans dying out she would never have a chance of having someone get down on one knee and ask her to marry him. And even if there had been one or two male humans left? What woudl be the chances she would have fallen in love with him like she had Serix? Very slim. She felt like the luckiest woman in the world. Pulling back she smiled at him, "So, now that we are officially engaged, what else should we do? I was thinking since both of our cultures include a dance we should put a dance somewhere in there. And some sort of vows as well. Other than that, I'm up for anything you throw out Serix." She kissed him again, "As long as it means we're together forever at the end of all this, I'm up for anything and everything."

Serix leaned into Cassie’s kiss while he was still down on his knee. The whole experience of human proposal was surprisingly pleasant. In asking Cassie to marry him, it really felt like their decision to be together, rather than the will of some higher power. He never got this feeling from any of the mating ceremonies he had seen back on the Lunairan ship. He wondered if there was a deeper, more intricate reason behind the total control his people’s leaders had over the ceremonies. No one ever opposed the absolute rule of the higher powers. Serix had always just accepted that fact before, but now he was beginning to wonder. By restricting the Lunairans’ freedoms, the leaders would be able to guide their behavior in the direction they wanted it to go. If they pulled the strings behind all of the mating ceremonies, they could ensure their control over the mated couples as well. The thought made Serix shiver. From what he could tell in his limited experience, love was a powerful thing. Choice was, too. By preventing the Lunairans from making major decisions and developing strong feelings for each other, the higher powers were handicapping them. They had nothing to fight for or protect. Yes, most mated couples loved each other to a certain extent, but their relationships were all much more businesslike than what Serix had with Cassie. They lacked passion and purpose. If the higher powers truly had been controlling mating ceremonies on a level as deep as this, Serix couldn’t imagine what else they were plotting. Just the knowledge that the Lunairans had been so blindly manipulated until this point left him with a disturbed feeling. How had he never noticed this corruption before? “So, now that we are officially engaged, what else should we do?” Cassie’s voice drew Serix from his thoughts. Engaged. The word was so foreign, yet it still brought a smile to his face. It was somehow more meaningful than the simple concept of pre-mating. Perhaps dulling the emotions in courting rituals was just another deceitful trick by the higher powers in order to maintain their control. By now, Serix wouldn’t put it past them to do something like that. He was extremely fortunate to have met and fallen for Cassie, thus escaping from their tyrannical grip. “I was thinking since both of our cultures include a dance we should put a dance somewhere in there,” Cassie went on. “And some sort of vows as well. Other than that, I’m up for anything you throw out Serix.” She leaned down and kissed him once more. “As long as it means we’re together forever at the end of all this, I’m up for anything and everything.” “I like those ideas,” Serix dropped his other knee to the floor and rocked back on his heels until he was sitting down with his hands propped behind him. “If you’d like, I can teach you how to dance with the rope tying our hands. You have to follow a special technique because it’s easy to get tangled up.” He smirked at her teasingly. “I’ve been to many ceremonies where the couple gets ensnared by their own rope. It takes a lot of talent to do it right. Do you think you can handle it?”

“I like those ideas,”Serix moved to sit back and Cassie herself moved to sit down in front of him, the smile never coming off of her face as he spoke, “If you’d like, I can teach you how to dance with the rope tying our hands. You have to follow a special technique because it’s easy to get tangled up.” She ginned back at him when he smirked at her teasingly.“I’ve been to many ceremonies where the couple gets ensnared by their own rope. It takes a lot of talent to do it right. Do you think you can handle it?” "Well," Cassie began, the grin still on her face, "It was my dancing that made you first kiss me. I assume I'd have to be pretty good at it for it to do that. So, yes, I am quite sure I could handle it with a little lesson from you of course." Smiling again, she took his hand and began pulling him up from where he sat, the smile coming back to her face, "Come on, Serix. You can teach me now. Lets go find something to tie our hands up with." She laughed at that, shaking her head as she pulled him along, "That sounds so wrong." Pulling him to the Robot Hanger, she began searching through some of the materials she had there, throwing wires and such to the side, until she pulled out an old white cloth, turning to smile at him, "Here we go. You tie it since I'm not sure if you people tie it in a certain way." Handing it to him, she held up her right hand, placing it against his own hand, waiting for him to do so.

“Well,” Cassie returned Serix’s teasing grin. “It was my dancing that made you first kiss me. I assume I’d have to be pretty good at it for it to do that. So, yes, I am quite sure I could handle it with a little lesson from you of course.” “Fair enough,” Serix admitted. He took Cassie’s hands as she pulled him to his feet and led him down the hallway. He was once again impressed by her swift recovery from their earlier telepathic exercises. Or maybe she was just spiting his attempts at making her rest. If she was, she was doing a good job of hiding her fatigue. Somehow he doubted she was faking it, though. With her fast-acting recovery, perhaps he could push her a little harder the next time they practiced. Maybe he could even have her try speaking a few words across the link. “Come on, Serix,” Cassie said as she tugged him to the robot hangar. “You can teach me now. Let’s go find something to tie our hands up with.” She laughed and shook her head. “That sounds so wrong.” “What?” Serix frowned. “It’s not that strange of a tradition. The dance was always my favorite part of the mating ceremony, and that’s only partly because the couples sometimes got themselves tangled up.” Serix waited while Cassie searched for something to bind their hands with. She eventually came up with an old cloth, which she held out for him to take. He inspected the material, holding it out in front of himself to estimate the length. It was a bit short compared to the Lunairans’ traditional white ropes, but he could make it work. The only problem was the width of the cloth. “I hope this isn’t important,” Serix said, taking the cloth between his teeth. He gave it a sharp tug and tore it slightly, and then used his hands to rip it along its length until he had two thin sheets. Only needing one, he set the other down on a nearby table. He wound the remaining cloth into something resembling a rope and tied one end around Cassie’s right hand. Next, he tied the other end to his left wrist. It took him a bit longer to do this since he could only make the knot with one hand, but he managed to do it on his own. “There,” Serix waggled his bound hand and the makeshift rope forced Cassie to follow his movement. “Now you’re really stuck with me.” He led her over to the music device and turned it on —he had watched her do it the first time and remembered which button to press— and held out his other hand to her. “Ready?”

Cassie wanted to laugh at her remark that had gone over his head. She had to continue to remind herself that human and Lunairan people were different and so of course he wouldn't get why she said it sounded 'wrong'. She continued to watch as he tore the white cloth in half and was indeed glad that the cloth hadn't been of anything important. If it had been, well, it would be too late to stop him from ripping it now. She stood beside him as he twisted the cloth until it was a rope like material and then allowed herself to be willingly tied to him. She waited until he was situated as well with his wrist tied as well and then she smiled at him, nodding her head, "As ready as I'll ever be." And then, when he turned on the music, she followed his lead, moving about with him, attempting to not trip over the cloth, which was actually more difficult than she thought. At one point she even tripped, having to clutch onto him to keep from falling, "Well, once again we see I'm not the most graceful person, huh? Reminds me of how I first met you. Falling off the top shelf of that store." She joked and stood up straight and started to dance with him again. She smiled slightly as they went though. Despite how difficult it was, it was something special to do this tradition with him. It made her feel like they were at least in part keeping their cultures alive. If this was how wonderful their life together was going to start, than she was sure the rest of their lives was going to be something grand. She was sure by now, that no matter what anyone might say about humans and Lunairans being born enemies, that she and Serix had just always been meant for each other. Its why she was alive and why he hadn't been mated to any other female from his home. This was always meant to happen and she was more than happy to accept this fate. As they danced, she looked to him with her blue eyes, a bright smile playing on her lips, "How am I doing, Serix? Am I a complete fool or am I at least decent at this?"

Serix took Cassie’s left hand in his right and held onto the makeshift rope with his other, bound hand. As they danced, he used both to guide Cassie through the steps. He manipulated the cloth rope in varied but controlled directions to keep it from snaring them, all while sweeping it in smooth arcs to add flair to their dance. Considering he had only ever practiced this type of dance twice as a child, Serix was quite proud of himself. He had been to multiple mating ceremonies when he was younger and, being a fast learner, picked up the proper techniques from the couples he watched. He never had a chance to try them before. Now, he could see just how much he remembered. Suddenly, Cassie stumbled when she accidently ran into the cloth. She reached out to steady herself against him, and he held onto her shoulder while she recovered. She looked up at him, “Well, once again we see I’m not the most graceful person, huh? Reminds me of how I first met you. Falling off the top shelf of that store.” “Yeah,” Serix laughed. “You gave away your clumsiness right from the start.” He stole a quick kiss and guided her into the next steps. He found himself grinning like a child again. He couldn’t remember the last time he had had so much fun and, by the look on her face, Cassie was enjoying the dance just as much as he was. “How am I doing, Serix?” Cassie asked. “Am I a complete fool or am I at least decent at this?” “Hmm,” Serix pretended to think hard about her question. “Well, you haven’t gotten us tangled up yet. Going by that, I’d say you’re not half bad, Cassie.” His grin turned impish. “Why don’t we put your skills to the test?” He raised his left arm, spinning Cassie with his bound hand and causing the rope to fall down and wind around her arm as she twirled. This in turn dramatically lessened the distance between them until they were just centimeters apart. He continued to lead her into a series of difficult, close-quarters steps. The rope restricted their movements at the beginning, but he guided her through a few moves that slowly unwound the cloth from her arm, returning pieces of their freedom of motion with every spin. “See?” Serix smiled at her, enjoying their proximity. “Dancing with your hands tied is not wrong, now is it?” After the rope had become fully unwound from Cassie’s arm, he spun her again, drawing her close to him once more. This time, however, he pulled her into an embrace and pressed his lips to hers. It was very much like when he had first kissed her before, but this time he didn’t have to wonder if she loved him too. With no uncertainty behind it, this kiss was even sweeter. After a moment, Serix pulled away to catch his breath. He exhaled and rested his forehead against Cassie’s, “How is it you’re able to make me do that every time we dance?”

Cassie had to admit, the kind of dancing he was having her do was kind of tricky with the roped cloth connecting them. She could have easily gotten tangled up or something of the sort if it had not been him but someone else leading her. But, it was indeed him leading her and so sh was able to somehow keep steady and stay on pace with him, given he would give her a nudge here or there to keep her on track. She smiled slightly and would have smiled more if not for her concentrating so hard on not making a fool of herself. Because of this when he commented on the dancing 'not being wrong'she was caught of guard and almost tripped, having to catch herself again, and ended up laughing as they danced along. When she had stopped laughig and was back in pace with him, she giggled a little more and smiled up at him, shaking her head, "No, its not wrong at all Serix. What I said before about it being 'wrong' was just a human type joke coming to my mind thats all." She explained. She allowed herself to be spun again once more and when she was pulled back into his warm embrace, wasn't really surprised when he kissed her. This was just like it had been the first time they had danced together, only this time he didn't pull back almost immediately, letting her have a chance to respond by kissing him back and wrapping her arms around his neck. And when they did finally pull from the kiss, they stay that close to each other, his forehead resting against her own. She ginned at his comment and shrugged, "Guess I just have a natural charm over Lunarian men?" With that she nuzzled her head against his playfully, laughing, "Surely all of the dances during the ceremonies don't end like this, but I don't care. I like this. A lot." She looked up at him from under her long lashes, her blue eyes bright with happiness, "And next?...how about our vows? I mean, I know most people take a lot of time to prepare theirs, but to come up with them on the spot? You have to admit that would be interesting." She teased lightly, running a hand through his dark hair, enjoying just being close to him while she could.

“Guess I just have a natural charm over Lunairan men?” Cassie responded teasingly to Serix’s question. “Don’t give yourself too much credit,” Serix rolled his eyes and pulled her closer, lowering his voice slightly. “You only have a ‘natural charm’ over this one.” He smirked and gave her a quick peck on the nose. “Surely all of the dances during the ceremonies don’t end like this,” Cassie went on with a laugh. “But I don’t care. I like this. A lot.” Serix had to agree with her there. He much preferred their passionate embrace to the traditional parting bows that took place in normal mating ceremonies. It felt more personal and, besides, he would take any excuse he could get to kiss her again. “And next?” Cassie continued thoughtfully. “How about our vows? I mean, I know most people take a lot of time to prepare theirs, but to come up with them on the spot? You have to admit that would be interesting.” “It would,” Serix nodded. “People in my society never made vows like you humans did. Their words were all fed to them by the officiator, so none of it was original.” He stepped back from Cassie to untie the cloth rope that bound their hands. After fiddling with the knots for a minute or two, he managed to get it off of both of their wrists. He tossed it on a nearby table, where it would be out of the way, and turned back to Cassie. “Let’s see…” Serix placed his hands on his hips and stared down at the floor in thought. After a moment, he looked up at her again, “Okay. I think I have a few.” He cleared his throat and took her hands in his, meeting her blue-eyed gaze with his own violet eyes. “I vow to love you though any and all challenges we face, regardless of how difficult they may become. I swear I will make sure to keep our passion for each other alive; I won’t let it fade away with the wear of time. I also pledge to be faithful to you, putting your needs before my own and respecting your decisions. Lastly, I promise you myself. I will always be there for you, to both comfort and protect you so that you never again feel want or need.” Serix tipped his head slightly and smiled at her bashfully, “How was that? I hope it wasn’t too bad considering I’ve never done this sort of thing before.”

When Serix started speaking his vows to her, a bright smile came to Cassie's face. All he was saying so so sweet and the look in his eyes when he said them to her was so pure and truthful. Everything he was saying, he meant it to her and that left her heart pounding with joy. She really felt like the luckiest girl in the galaxy. When he was done and smiled so bashfully at her, she laughed softly and nuzzled her own forehead against his before kissing his lips gently, "That was fabulous Serix. I don't think you could have said any of that any better." Pulling back slightly, she looked up into his violet eyes, holding her hands tightly in his, "I guess its my turn now, huh?" She looked up a moment in thought and a moment later looked back to him, lightly resting her forehead against his again as she looked into his purple eyes, speaking softly, "I vow to take you as my husband. To keep us safe and do what is best for both of us. I vow to love you every day, for the rest of eternity. I will be there to stand beside you through all and any problems we face." She smiled at him more and continued, "No one in this galaxy will come before you. You will always come first and your needs and wants will be the most important to me. I vow to be with you in sickness or health, hiding or free, and anything else that we may have to push our way through. Most importantly though," She leaned up, kissing him again with the same passion she had when he had kissed her after their dance, "I vow to always love you with every fiber of my being. Nothing will ever change that." Smiling still, she looked to him and thought for another moment before letting her eyes meet his, "I think we went through everything didn't we? I mean we can't exactly have a reception or anything with a third party. So, I guess the only thing to do now is to kiss the bride Serix." She said playfully, wrapping her arms around his neck, a grin on her face.

Serix listened quietly as Cassie recited her impromptu vows to him. Of course, her words seemed to come much more naturally than his, since she had probably heard other humans make vows at their own ceremonies when she was younger. Nevertheless, it wasn’t like they were in a competition, and Serix’s promises had even brought a smile to her face. If they were good enough for her, then they were good enough for him, too. After Cassie finished her part, there was only one ritual left for them to complete: the closer; the final step before they were officially mates. It was obvious that they couldn’t use the Lunairan tradition of sharing the cup because they lacked the flower from which the ceremonial nectar was strained. Also, that particular tradition was focused on increasing fertility rates, and Serix wasn’t sure that was a good idea, even if they were somehow able to obtain the necessary resources. In their current situation, childrearing was an impossibility because a young child wouldn’t be able to understand what was going on and would only put them in more danger. If he and Cassie were ever to consider that possibility, it would have to be during a time when they were in a less hostile position. With the Lunairan ritual excluded, that just left the human tradition of sharing a first kiss as ‘newlyweds.’ Cassie seemed to have already decided this as well. She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him towards her in a way that made his heart race and brought a grin to his lips. He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her to himself. “Kiss the bride?” Serix said, leaning in so close that his lips brushed against hers. “Gladly.” He pressed his mouth to Cassie’s, bringing one hand up to run his fingers through her golden hair. In the next moment, he opened a one-way telepathic connection and sent a short wave of his affections to her, much like he had when he first confessed his feelings. He kept the link brief, however, since he didn’t want to overstimulate her mind twice in one day. A few seconds was long enough. As they kissed, Serix was struck again with awe at how perfectly impossible their relationship was. They came from two completely separate worlds, met under the worst circumstances, and fell for each other just the same. “Luck” didn’t even begin to describe it. Whatever it was that brought them together, he was glad it did. He could now look forward to spending the rest of his life mated to Cassie, and with the way things were starting out, their future together was looking like a grand one.

Cassie smiled, her cheeks a rosy red when he leaned forward having that grin on his face that she loved. She giggled softly when he said 'gladly' and then they were sharing their first kiss as husband and wife. She smiled under his lips, her own hands moving up to his dark curls as they kissed. When he opened that link, her suddenly feeling all his affection for her, a bright smile came to her face as they kissed. Then when they pulled back, she continued to smile at him and kissed his nose playfully, "Together forever Serix. Don't you ever forget it." ... The next few weeks for the two of them were fairly simple and routine. They would practice with her telepathic link (she could even talk to him when they were a few feet apart now!), he wold help her fix up the robots, practice some hand on hand combat, they would eat their meals together, go to sleep, and then do the same things again the next day. And thought these thing seemed kind of boring and repetitive, through out their time together thy were growing closer and closer. Cassie wasn't even sure what she might do if anything ever happened to Serix. He had become so much apart of her normal life now. She couldn't even think back to her lonely life of just her. It was fairly clear that being together was the best for her. For both of them. She sighed and rolled over as she layed there, curled up on their bed. They had nodded up pushed their two beds together to just make one large one, instead of sharing one of the smaller beds. Normally, when she woke up in the mornings, she would cuddle up close to him until he decided it was time for the two of them to wake up. Only, this time, when she reached her hand out sleepily to grasp for him, she felt nothing but empty sheets. this made hr sit up in a confused manner and after her eyes adjusted, it was easy to see he indeed wasn't there. Quickly throwing on a pair of her blue jean shorts and a tank top she rushed out of the bedroom, only to find him already dressed, a bag slung over his shoulder and, not having noticed her yet, heading toward the entrance of their hide away. With an annoyed look on her face, she rushed to catch him, hr hand going on his shoulder and turning him around, "Not so fast Serix. You and I are supposed to go out there together. I didn't tell you the location just for you to go off to there without me. We've discussed this already. Where ever you go, I go, remember?" he wrapped her arms around his middle, looking up at him, "We're a better team together. Not apart." Leaning on her tip toes, she kissed him, "Now, you are going to wait here until I'm ready and then we can go? Got it?"

The dwindling supplies were beginning to concern Serix. He first noticed the shrinking number of cans in their storage room about two weeks after their ceremony. Looking back on it, he suspected the draining food supply was mostly his fault. On the Lunairan ship his meals had always been rationed, but now that there were no such restrictions, he discovered that he was a big eater. His portions were sometimes nearly twice as large as Cassie’s on the days when he was especially hungry. Serix also suspected that his increasing appetite was due to stress. They had caught neither sight nor sound of the Scouts since their last encounter multiple weeks ago. He wondered how far along the Lunairans had come in their preparations for the finals invasion, where the rest of his people would come down to repopulate the Earth. He just couldn’t believe they would give up so easily. The loss of one Scout wouldn’t be enough to cause them to quit. If anything, they would have prepared a more in-depth search for him, but what was taking so long? The silence was starting to grate on Serix’s nerves. Cassie’s affection was the only thing that kept him calm. Over the weeks, they had grown much closer, both physically and emotionally. Cassie was even able to speak to him across a telepathic link from a distance of a few feet away now, which was quite a feat considering she had only been practicing for less than thirty days. With how close they had become, he couldn’t imagine life without her. So, when he decided they needed more supplies, he knew he couldn’t risk taking her with him. Serix woke up early in the morning —at least he thought it was early. It was hard to tell what the time was with the unchanging lights in their underground hideout— and slipped out of bed, careful not to disturb Cassie. He silently put on a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt —he had switched to wearing human clothes long ago— and grabbed an empty bag to carry the supplies back in. He also took his gun, wearing it in a holster around his waist so it was within easy reach if he needed it. He stepped back to the bed where Cassie lay sleeping and bent over to plant a light kiss on her cheek. He smiled, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. Even in her sleep, she was beautiful. There was no way he could risk putting her in danger with a supply run. He just hoped she wouldn’t wake up before he got back. Serix headed silently out of the room and towards the stairs that led to the entrance of the hideout, but before he could even place a foot on the first step, a hand grabbed his shoulder. He flinched and whirled around to see Cassie standing before him, looking irritated. It seemed like she hadn’t been in as deep of a sleep as he thought. “Not so fast Serix,” Cassie chided. “You and I are supposed to go out there together. I didn’t tell you the location just for you to go off to there without me. We’ve discussed this already. Where ever you go, I go, remember? We’re a better team together. Not apart.” She wrapped her arms around Serix’s waist and leaned up to kiss him. “Now, you are going to wait here until I’m ready and then we can go? Got it?” “Okay, okay,” Serix relented, pulling her into an embrace. “You win. Just don’t take too long, or I’ll go ahead without you, alright?” He ruffled her hair and turned her around so she could go back to the bedroom and prepare her things. He still had mixed feelings about letting her come with him, but he knew she would just stubbornly insist on accompanying him, so there was no point in arguing with her. Besides, they did function better as a team, and it was just a short trip to collect supplies. Surely it wouldn’t be that dangerous. Serix sat down on the stairs and propped his elbows on his knees, resting his head in his hands while he waited for Cassie to come back so they could leave.

Cassie knew Serix didn't exactly want to bring her along. He was trying to protect her and keep her safe by attempting to leave her here, but she didn't want that. She didn't want to wait there alone until he got back. If he got back. It would be torturous. She wouldn't be able to stay there and would end up leaving the hideout just to go look for him anyway. So, this was the best thing for both of them. Two minds, two sets of eyes and ears, and two fighters were better than one. Together they could make it through whatever was waiting for them outside of this place. Alone; maybe they could have made it, but the chances would have been slim in her opinion. Which is why she wanted to go with him. She laughed softly as he ruffled her blond hair and nodded, "I'll be right back." She then rushed back to the bedroom and it didn't take long to grab everything she needed, which wasn't much. In fact, it was just two things; simply her own backpack to carry to put supplies in and two bottles of water for them to drink. It was summer after all, and knowing this area it might get hot. That is, if it didn't rain. With the weather, one didn't know and so it was always good to be prepared. After double checking and making sure she didn't need anything else, she smiled and nodded, heading back out into the hallway. Going over to where he sat, she smiled down at him, "Well, Serix. Come on. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can get back." Taking his hand and pulling him to his feet, she gave him another kiss before unlocking and heading out the door of the hideout, into the office building. Once she made sure the hideaway was locked up, she walked slowly with hi, creeping quickly and quickly through the building under they reached the door. Outside, it was easy to tel it was still dark out, too early even for the sun to be out yet. That woudl give them perfect cover. Looking back at him, she took his hand and squeezed it affectionately before letting go and making her way out of the office with him, into the outside world. It was scary to be out side after so long. Used to be, before the aliens came back, she woudl go out without having to worry about anything but wild animals. Now they were u against something more deadly and that was intelligent beings that knew how to move, fight, and track them down. They woudl have to be very careful. Moving along the walls of one of the building, she lead them along, making their way toward where she knew the store to be, trying to make this trip quickly and safely with hopes all this would go okay.

Serix followed Cassie out into the city streets. Fortunately, he had guessed right: it was early in the morning, so they would have at least some cover before the sun rose and wiped out the shadows they would use for cover. He stayed close to Cassie as they moved, his luminescent eyes darting back and forth between alleyways as he searched for signs of movement. There was nothing yet, but he still couldn’t shake the feeling of unease in the pit of his stomach. It was too quiet. There was something else that bothered him, too; something he was forgetting, something important. He just couldn’t put his finger on what it was. It was when he and Cassie were hurrying across an open road to hide in a nearby alleyway that Serix caught a glimpse of violet in the corner of his eye. Cold terror seized his limbs and he opened his mouth to shout a warning to Cassie, but it was too late. A group of six Lunairans shot out from the shadows around them. Serix reached for his gun, but two of the Lunairans grabbed his arms and pinned them behind his back. A third slipped his gun from its holster, disarming him. While this was going on, two more Lunairans had seized Cassie in a similar manner. Serix writhed against his captors’ grip, only succeeding in having his arms twisted painfully behind his back. He bit his tongue to keep from crying out. The Lunairan attackers didn’t seem to notice his struggles. They were all staring at Cassie with a mixture of curiosity and disgust. “Is it a real human?” one of the Lunairans asked. He leaned towards her to get a better look, but kept a wary distance as though she might try to bite him. “It certainly isn’t a Lunairan,” one of the males restraining Cassie replied with a roll of his eyes. He glanced at his companion, “Do you think we can kill it?” One of the others laughed cruelly and drew a Silencer from his belt. Serix paled. He couldn’t lose her, not after everything they had been through together. He squirmed vainly against the two Lunairans that had him pinned and was about to call out when a new voice spoke up. “Absolutely not,” the pilot said sharply, stepping out from an alleyway. The Lunairan hastily put his weapon away and brought his arm up in a sloppy salute. The pilot ignored him and stepped over to Cassie. He took her chin in one hand, turning her head from first one side and then the other, and proceeded to examine her as if she was an expensive purchase. Serix tensed with fury. “Let her go,” he spat, finally finding his voice. The pilot turned and looked at him with surprise, as if he forgot Serix was even there. His curious expression turned to one of loathing as he stepped over to him. “Ah, my missing Scout,” the pilot smiled coldly. “Found at long last. You didn’t really expect to hide from me forever, did you?” He leaned down to look Serix in the eye. “Tell me. Why would you do such a thing? Surely you weren’t idiotic enough to try and save this human. It, like all the others, needs to be eliminated.” “She,” Serix snarled, glowering at the pilot with as much hatred as he could muster. “Has done nothing to deserve death. Let her go. I’m the one who broke your rules. She has nothing to do with it.” He met Cassie’s gaze, silently pleading her not to argue. “If you must kill someone, take me and let her go.” “You would sacrifice yourself for the human’s sake?” the pilot quirked a brow at him and laughed. “Really, now. You almost sound like a mated male.” His smile faded when Serix said nothing. The pilot looked from him to Cassie, and turned back to him with a shocked expression. “You didn’t. You actually mated yourself to this human scum?” “Yes,” Serix lifted his chin as much as he could with the two Lunairans keeping him pinned. “This human is my mate.” In the next instant, he felt a sharp blow to his head and his vision swam. The pilot stood over him, his arm poised high to strike again. “You wretch,” the pilot hissed. “You are a disgrace to our kind. I was just going to detain you until we could rid you of your ridiculous ideas, but I can see now that there is no hope of fixing you.” He drew a weapon from his belt, a laser gun with far more potency than the average Silencers that were given to the Scouts, and pointed it at Serix’s chest. “I will kill you, myself. But first,” he turned his weapon and aimed at Cassie instead. “You will watch her die.” “No,” Serix cried, struggling against his captors. It was no use; he was hopelessly trapped. He met Cassie’s eyes once more and called out to her, “Cassie, I’m sorry. I love you. I’m so sorry.”

Something wasn't right. Cassie could just feel it. It was almost like an instinct she had. Her body was tense as they moved through the eerily quiet streets with Serix at her side, almost as if she were waiting for an attack that was sure to come. And it seems her instincts were right. At her side she felt Serix tense and that was warning enough for her. Her hand already on her gun, Cassie was quick to pull it from its holster at her hip, only, she wasn't fast enough on her draw. The shot rang out, but instead of hitting a mark, shot to the ground. The Lunarians were on her after that, jerking hr gun out of her hand before she could shoot again and them restraining her by her arms. These Lunarians were very vicious when talking about her. None would talk directly to her, but would talk to one another as if she were some sort of an animal. It infuriated her. She had thought when she first met Serix he had been cruel. But in seeing how these Lunairans were acting, she could see Serix had been very civilized. If anyone was the animals, it was these six Lunairans. She listened to them speak about her before they talked about killing her, one even drawing his Silencer. She jerked against the hold on her angrily for a moment, though their grip tightened on her, causing enough pain to still her motions. She wouldn't wince though, nor show fear in her eyes at the prospect of death. She wouldn't give them that satisfaction. Only, they didn't get a chance to kill her. A voice spoke up and another Lunairan stepped forward, this one seeming to be the leader of these. He stepped right up to her and without hesitation even took her chin in his hand, examining her in a way that left a cold chill in her. She was frozen a moment and it was only when Serix spoke up, telling the man to let her go that she snapped at his hand, teeth coming barely an inch from sinking into his skin. Sure, it wasn't the most civilized thing to do, but they were treating her as if she were an animal, so why not bite like one? Besides, its not like she had any other means of weapons besides her body at the moment. So, if he did it again and that meant biting him to get him to stop, than she would. He didn't grab her chin again though, and in face, turned his attention to Serix. Serix was trying his best to defend her, but it wasn't going so well. When the pilot stuck Serix's head with a hard fist, she yelped, and tried to lunge forward as if to come to his aid, but the two Lunairans holding her where quick to tighten their grips once again. The man spoke more to Serix, before pulling out a gun that was clearly not a Silencer. No, this was much more dangerous and she had a feeling it would easily kill she or Serix on connect. First the gun was pointed at Serix and that made her panic, trying once again, despite the pain of the two holding her in place, to get to him. Only, he didn't shoot Serix, but instead pointing it to her. He was going to kill her first and then kill Serix after he had watched her die. Serix began panicking just as she had the moment before and Cassie turned her eyes from the gun to Serix. Only, when she turned her gaze, she saw something. Something that was off and that the Lunarians around her hadn't noticed in all the yelling Serix was doing. Figures ran across the rooftops above and at first, Cassie wanted to just write them off as more Lunairan Scouts. But this was different. She had learned from being with Serix, that in the dark their violet eyes glowed. It was something that had entranced her every night by him. These figures though, had no glowing eyes and moved in stealth. They looked almost....wait. Where they? Her breath caught in her throat at that thought and the way they moved, so many of them in the shadows of the building, she some how knew just what these figures were. Just an instant had passed since she observed this and her eyes went back to meet Serix's as he finished calling out to her. She took a few deep breaths and nodded to him, meaning behind her eyes as she spoke to him, "Its okay." Then a shot was fired. Cassie finally did flinch, and only because when the Scout beside her was shot, blood spattered. It left her heart racing, but she couldn't let herself pause. No, she had to take this and use it to her advantage. The Lunairans around them were obviously shocked and so it was easy for her to thrust her elbow into the face of the other Scout so that she was released. By the time she had twisted from his grasp and bent quickly to grab her gun, quite a few of the people, wearing black clothing that hid them well in the night and hoods concealing their faces from view, jumped from the roof tops and dropped down into the alley way. Cassie fired a shot of her gun, shooting down one of the Scouts that held Serix, while some of these figures took out two more, as well as knocked the gun from the pilots hands. Then, all guns were pointed at the pilot and remaining Scout, one of the figures speaking. "We won't be driven out as easily as you thought. We will win this fight. Go back to that ship of yours and tell your leaders what has happened and been said here." Then, the two Lunairans were retreating and as they made their way, one of the figures spoke to the main one that had given the pilot those orders, "Sir. Don't they only need one messenger?" "Just one will do fine." Then, that figure that had suggested it to the leader held up his gun and shot, the final scout falling down limp, leaving just the pilot running. "Secure these two and put them in the containment vehicles." After hearing those orders, a few of the figured around had grabbed Cassie and Serix, tying their hands behind their backs, Cassie struggling against them as she and Serix were dragged down the street. She cursed at them, trying kicking at them, but nothing seemed to work in them letting her go. Finally, a number of vehicles came into view and as some of them went to get into drivers seats, she and Serix were thrown rather roughly into the back of one of the vans, the doors shutting right after. It was almost completely dark in the van, and int he back they were shielded from everything with no windows to look at to see where they were going. And this was the type of van that was closed off from the driver so she couldn't even try to ask. They were left in the dark. Literally. In the dark though, something she could see that was comforting was Serix's glowing eyes. She managed to situate herself where she was able to sit up and make her way over him even with her hands tied and curled up to him the best she could. As much as she didn't like this situation of being taken prisoner by some group of people she knew nothing about, at least the two of them were alive. Th drive was wrong, and little was said between the two of them, other than soft 'i love you's and such. It was an hour or two before the van finally stopped and when it did, the two of them were once again unceremoniously dragged from it and over to what looked to be the mouth of a cave. She was confused at first, unsure as to exactly what was going on. Where they going to leave them in the cave to die? Was there something dangerous in there? This is what she thought at first, but then, a lot of the hooded figures began making their way into the cave and soon they were being dragged inside as well. And what she saw was shocking. Inside the caves was a lot like what could b said to be a hidden hideaway, much like the one she and Serix had been staying in. Artificial lights, rooms sectioned off with what looked to be sheets handing over the mouths of different caverns. She didn't get to take much in though before a few of the figures that had brought her and Serix here stepped in front of them. All of the others had went off deeper in the caves, leaving just these five to them. "So," The leader of them spoke again, standing front of the still bound Cassie and Serix, the group slipping off their hoods and when the leader slipping off his, it indeed reveal what Cassie believed to indeed be a human with blonde hair and blue eyes, "We had a normal girl and a Lunairan. The question is, what to do with you two..." "I say we keep the girl but kill the Lunairan." Hearing that, Cassie moved to position herself in front of Serix, glowering and looking ready to fight them if they touched Serix. This just made the humans laugh though, "Seems the girl has some spunk. Don't have many girls with fight in them anymore around here." "Eh." The leader shrugged, "I doubt it. Probably just some little act." He stepped up to Cassie, as if he meant to show her up some how, but Cassie had other plans, immediately thrusting her knee up and hitting him in a very...sensitive area, making the other humans standing around wince and burst into laughter as he doubled over. It took him a moment to gain his composure again and when he stood up straight, glared at her, "That was a cheap shot." "Hardly. There no cheap shots in fighting, only weaknesses." Cassie retorted with venom in her voice. What she said though made this leader pause, taking a step back, looking her up and down, "Wait a minute. Where did you hear that from?" Cassie continued to glare at the human, not quite sure where he was getting at, "My father." There was a long pause as the man continued to look at her, before he finally spoke, "You're Castiel Daniels." This was no question, nor was this man saying this looking for confirmation. No, his voice was sure. He knew just who she was and thats what confused her. Straightening up slightly, she watched as the man motioned for one of the others, who then proceeded to cut her ropes, leaving her still confused, "How do you know my name?" The man laughed slightly, crossing his arms, "I've known your name for quite some time Castiel. In fact you know mine too. Its been a while, but surely you remember your rival and best friend, right?" This took her another moment. Yes, she knew who her best friend as a child had been, but it was so hard to really look at him like that. It had been so long that even thinking about seeing someone from that part of her past was just....strange. She leaned forward slightly, tilting her head to the side in curiosity and confused, "Ryan?" Her eyes widened when she finally did see it. The similarities in everything he did and how he looked. Then, a bright smile spread to her face, "Ryan!" Throwing her arms around him momentarily in a hug, she laughed and pulled away, looking at him, "I-I can't believe it! I thought you were dead! What are you doing here?! What happened?!" "Whoa there. Slow down. I'll answer questions a little later. First lets get this alien to one of the holds and then get you cleaned up." Taking a step back, Cassie moved to stand in front of Serix protectively, "No. Serix stays with me." Raising an eyebrow, he looked at Cassie, then at Serix, then back at her, "You know this alien? And are on good terms with it?" Cassie glowered at Ryan once again, moving to hug onto Serix's arm, keeping close to him, "He's my husband."

Serix quieted in panicked confusion. It was “okay?” What did she mean it was “okay?” Did she think her death would spare him some kind of pain? Surely she couldn’t believe that! After the weeks they spent together, she should know that he had no reason to keep fighting without her, and he had no hope of returning to the Lunairan society, even if he wanted to. He had given up everything to be with her now. How could she possibly tell him it was okay! When he heard the gunshot, Serix’s heart stopped. There was a burst of dark crimson from Cassie’s shoulder. He staggered. They killed her. They actually killed her. The thought played over and over in his mind. But then, the Lunairan guard on Cassie’s left fell to the ground. Serix stared for a moment before he realized what happened. A wave of relief washed over him. He had been mistaken; the bullet hadn’t hit his mate, it had hit the Scout that held her. She was okay. His moment of respite was quickly swallowed up in a new surge of adrenaline. They were fine now, but if none of the Lunairans had fired that shot, then who did? He didn’t have time to look for the source of the ambush. Cassie was already taking advantage of the situation. She had retrieved her gun and took down one of the Scouts restraining Serix. He followed suit, swinging his now free arm around to jab the other Lunairan in the throat. The Scout gagged and let go of his other arm. In the next instant, he had a hole in his chest, where he was pierced by another speeding bullet. He keeled over at Serix’s feet. Serix turned away. The sight of a dead Lunairan made his stomach churn, and he couldn’t let himself dwell on it. He had to stay focused on the battle at hand. He blocked the image out of his mind and knelt to take his own gun back from the unmoving body. He and Cassie weren’t out of danger yet. They still didn’t even know what they were up against. By now, four of the Scouts had been murdered and lay still of the ground. The attackers had revealed themselves as well, but they were concealed by layers of black clothing. He could see nothing but their eyes. Wait… their eyes? As far as Serix knew, there were only two races currently on this planet that looked like these people: humans and Lunairans. All of his people shared the characteristic of glowing violet eyes. The attackers had non-luminescent eyes of various colors. That could only mean one thing: these fighters were humans. But how was that possible? The humans should have all been eliminated by the Plague. Cassie had only survived it because of her mixed blood. How could there be more living humans? Before Serix knew what was happening, the band of humans had sent the two remaining Lunairans running —cruelly murdering one of them in the process— and were moving towards him and Cassie with ropes to bind their hands. He tensed, ready to fight them if he needed to, but he could already see it was pointless. He and Cassie were badly outnumbered, so it didn’t take long for the humans to overwhelm them. He tried to tell himself it was for the best that he didn’t retaliate much. After all, it didn’t seem like the humans wanted to kill them… yet. The mysterious group dragged them somewhat violently towards three large, parked vehicles. At this point, Cassie had started protesting. She struggled against her restraints and shouted human obscenities at their captors, who proceeded to ignore her. Serix tried to move towards her. He wanted to stay close to her, but the humans forced him to walk in a straight line. He could only begrudgingly content himself with shooting her guards icy glares whenever they handled her roughly. The humans shoved them into the back of one of the vehicles and slammed the door, closing them in darkness. Serix struggled into a sitting position against and pressed his back against one of the side walls. He felt Cassie curl up against him, although he couldn’t see her. He leaned his head against hers and closed his eyes. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and protect her from whatever dangers lay ahead, but the cursed ropes around his wrists prevented him from doing so. They bumped along the road for quite a long while, speaking little as they took comfort in each other’s presence. Serix spent most of the time mentally chiding himself for his sloppy performance in the first battle against the Lunairans —if one could even call it that. Yes, they had been ambushed, but his reaction speed had been uncharacteristically sluggish. If he had only drawn his gun faster, he and Cassie might have at least stood a chance. Instead, he had almost gotten her killed, and now they were prisoners again to another group who possibly wanted them dead. Their situation seemed to have gone from bad to worse. After a while, the vehicle stopped and the door was opened, letting in a flood of light. Serix squinted against the brightness and angled his body to shield Cassie from their captors. The humans paid him no mind, though. They climbed into the vehicle and dragged them both out into the open. They were led into a wide crevice in a rock wall. The inside was hollowed out to form a labyrinth of tunnels and rooms that were lined with fluorescent lights. The design reminded Serix a bit of Cassie’s hideout back in the city. More humans milled about around the edges of the hallway, staring as their companions led Serix and Cassie through the compound. Serix was acutely aware of the hostile expressions they took on when their eyes fell on him. It was slightly unnerving to be surrounded by so many angry people, but he refused to meet their gazes. He kept his shoulders straight and his eyes forward. He would not give them the satisfaction of acting like a frightened prisoner. He was determined to show them that they had captured a proud Lunairan, one who would not bow to them simply because they happened to capture him in a one-sided fight. Eventually, the human onlookers dispersed, leaving only a small group of five to confront Serix and Cassie. One of the humans stepped forward. There was an authoritative look in his eye that led Serix to assume he was their leader. The human uncovered his face to reveal features he had only seen in Cassie before. He had pale golden hair and blue eyes. Serix found it somehow strange to see these light colors on a male. “So,” the leader spoke up, looking them over. “We have a normal girl and a Lunairan. The question is, what to do with you two…” “I say we keep the girl, but kill the Lunairan,” one of the other humans offered snidely. Serix glared at them, taking a step back. Under normal circumstances, he would have already marked his exit points to prepare an escape if the humans tried to attack him, but with Cassie by his side, he couldn’t run away. If their captors decided to kill him here, he had no chance of getting out. However, he wasn’t going to go down without a fight. If they did choose to kill him, he would be sure to take at least two of them with him. Cassie suddenly moved to stand protectively in front of him. While there wasn’t much she could do, Serix appreciated the gesture. The humans just laughed at her, though, which only led him to glower at them more venomously. How dare they mock his mate like that? They seemed completely blind to the pair’s frustrated helplessness. “Seems like the girl has some spunk,” one of the humans snorted. “Don’t have many girls with fight in them anymore around here.” “Eh,” the leader seemed unimpressed. “I doubt it. Probably just some little act.” He stepped closer to Cassie; an action which he would soon discover was a mistake. She didn’t miss a beat, swiftly thrusting her knee up to hit him in the groin. The spectating humans howled with laughter, and Serix smirked as the leader doubled over in pain. It served him right for belittling her courage like that. The light-haired male narrowed his eyes at Cassie once he had recovered himself enough to speak, “That was a cheap shot.” “Hardly,” Cassie replied just as venomously. “There are no cheap shots in fighting, only weaknesses.” “Wait a minute,” the human looked her over again, taking her in in a way that made Serix’s skin crawl. “Where did you hear that from?” “My father,” Cassie answered. The leader paused before he replied again, “You’re Castiel Daniels.” He gestured for one of the other humans to untie her hands. “How do you know my name?” Cassie looked confused. Serix looked at him warily, wondering the same thing. “I’ve known you for quite some time, Castiel,” the human said with a laugh. “In fact, you know mine, too. It’s been a while, but surely you remember your rival and best friend, right?” At first, Cassie just continued to stare blankly, but then her eyes widened in recognition, “Ryan?” She ran over and embraced him. Serix stared at her in shock. She was just as friendly with this male as she was with him! He felt a twinge of irritation. He would have liked to do something about this, but his bound hands and the surrounding guards prevented him from doing anything. He was forced to stand and watch the exchange from the side. “I-I can’t believe it!” Cassie exclaimed. “I thought you were dead! What are you doing here? What happened?” “Whoa there,” the human, Ryan, replied. “Slow down. I’ll answer questions a little later. First, let’s get this alien to one of the holds and get you cleaned up.” Serix narrowed his eyes. He really didn’t like the way this male referred to him as an “alien.” He wasn’t exactly sure what the term meant, but it sounded derogatory. He also wasn’t about to let this human separate him from Cassie. Wherever she went, he would go, too. He was just about to voice this thought, but Cassie spoke up first. “No,” she said firmly. “Serix stays with me.” “You know this alien?” Ryan asked, looking surprised. “And you’re on good terms with it?” Now Cassie seemed irritated by his words, too. “He’s my husband,” she said, hugging Serix’s arm as if to emphasize the point. Ryan looked stunned, and Serix relished it. Whatever he was to Cassie before no longer mattered. Serix was the most important male in her life now, and there was nothing he could do about it. Ryan stepped over to him, seeming to size him up. Serix stood as tall as he could under the human’s stare, but up close, he could see that Ryan was slightly larger than he was. However, if he hoped to intimidate Serix, it wasn’t going to work. He had grown up among plenty of tall males back on the Lunairan ship. Being smaller than his peers was not something he was unfamiliar with. He tilted his chin up, meeting the leader’s eyes challengingly. Ryan wrinkled his nose slightly and turned back to Cassie, “Your husband? I’m sorry, but I don’t see how—” “I’m not mute, I hope you know,” Serix interrupted. “And I’m not deaf, either. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t talk about me as if I’m not here.” Ryan turned back to him, “I don’t make a habit of chatting with aliens.” “I can’t imagine why,” Serix said sharply. “We ‘aliens’ happen to be just as reasonable as you humans; maybe even more so.” “Oh really?” Ryan sneered. “That must be why I saw a group of them holding you two at gunpoint. Very reasonable people there.” Serix opened his mouth to reply, but he couldn’t think of anything to say so he closed it again and glared at the human bitterly. He had practically walked into that one, and Ryan knew it. Ryan nodded, acknowledging his victory, and turned back to Cassie, “I think you have a lot to tell me.” He cast Serix one more condescending glance. “Unfortunately, I can’t break protocol. We have to take this alien to the hold. We have no proof that he won’t turn around and attack us, so it’s safer for everyone if he’s locked up. I hope you understand.”

When Ryan looked at Serix with disdain in the way he was looking, it was rather clear that the man was jealous. He and Cassie had been very close as kids (if one could call them beating each other up and then playing together five minutes later close. It really had been a love-hate friendship when they were kids). And now that they were grown, he may or may not have been hoping it would be something more than a friendship. Now though, Serix was in the way of that and Cassie knew she would have to keep a close eye on the two males or something bad might happen to one of them. “I think you have a lot to tell me.” Looked at Serix in a way that made Cassie want to smack him, “Unfortunately, I can’t break protocol. We have to take this alien to the hold. We have no proof that he won’t turn around and attack us, so it’s safer for everyone if he’s locked up. I hope you understand.” "I understand." Cassie began, looking to him, though didn't move from from her spot, and even held onto Serix a little tighter, "But, if he goes into the hold, I go with him. Where Serix goes, I go. I'm not leaving him alone." "Come on Castiel," Ryan began, taking a step forward, "There's no point for you to go with him. You're like us." "No I'm not Ryan. I'm only half of who you think I am." She took a deep breath, "I'm half human, half Lunairan." A slight grin came to Ryans face and he crossed his arms, "Castiel. Everyone here is half human, half Lunairan. How do you think we survived the plague?" She blinked in surprise but didn't let that budge her from her spot, "Wait. What? If everyone here is half Lunairan, then...why be so cautious of Serix? If I say he is good and won't hurt anyone then shouldn't that be enough?" Ryan rolled his eyes, "Not with someone like him." "Then you don't trust me Ryan?" Cassie questioned, raising an eyebrow. This made him paused, jaw tense and body rigid. Why did she have to make so much sense? He growled slightly under his breath, "Fine. He's under a trial period. But if he does one thing, that't it. I'll take him out myself." "I can assure you, that won't happen. And even if it did I would protect him with my life." Cassie said, staring him down a moment. As much as Ryan was her friend, she wasn't going to let him intimidate Serix like that. Ryan huffed and decided to ignore his comment before nodding for the two to follow him, "I'll show you where you'll be staying." He said simply and soon she and Serix were being lead down caverns, further into the caves, "There are, as you can see, a lot of different halls and rooms. There aren't many of us here in the caves. With you two that makes twenty one of us so far. So it's not too hard to find one of the spare rooms." Coming to one of the curtains he pulled it aside to reveal a dimly lit room (oil lanterns were the light source), a mattress on the ground, and a blanket and pillows, "This is where you will be staying." Cassie walked into the room, looking around a moment, and then Ryan approached her, giving her a side hug, "Good to have you back Cassie." Then, as if Serix wasn't right there, pressed what was obviously a pocket knife into her hand, "If you have any problems out of the alien, use that and come get me straight away." Cassie rolled her eyes and Ryan left, "I swear. He can be such a jerk sometimes." Turning to Serix, she smiled sightly at him, "I'm....really sorry about that Serix. He's really not as bad as he seems. He's just.....sometimes does the wrong things." Looking at her hand to the pocket knife, she flipped it open, walking behind Serix and sliced the ropes off of his hands. Once he was free, she sighed and moved in front of him once more, hugging him, "But I will never let him or anyone else here harm you."

Serix watched the exchange between Ryan and Cassie in silence. After being verbally assaulted by Ryan, he was in no mood to speak with the male again. Even if he tried, he would probably just make his own situation worse by insulting the human leader, and he couldn’t afford to do anything to risk being separated from Cassie. It was clear that she felt the same way, threatening to go with him to the hold if Ryan was determined to send him there. It was then that Ryan revealed something that piqued Serix’s interest: All of the humans here were part Lunairan. He looked again at each of the guards that stood around them. He could definitely see some similarities in one of the males. He had dark hair and a light complexion, although his eyes were a pale shade of green rather than the characteristic violet of the Lunairan people. Serix marveled that he had written off the human’s features until now. This new detail also explained why this group had survived the Plague. They had been saved by the hardy genes of their Lunairan parents. Looking at their numbers, Serix wondered just how many human sympathizers there had really been before the first invasion. He had seen around fifteen half-bloods in the compound alone. There was a possibility that some of the survivors were siblings, but even so, that meant there were many more Lunairan-human relationships than Serix originally thought. How had his leaders been able to hide the large number of changing alliances from the rest of the population? He still had so many unanswered questions. “Then you don’t trust me Ryan?” Serix tuned back into Cassie and Ryan’s conversation. “Fine,” the light-haired male looked frustrated. “He’s under a trial period. But if he does one thing, that’s it. I’ll take him out myself.” ‘If’ you can take me out, Serix thought, rolling his eyes. This human was really underestimating his abilities. However, he had no reason to reveal what he was capable of yet, so he kept his mouth shut. Ryan could think he was a helpless captive if he wanted to. He would see just how well Serix could handle himself in a fight when the time came. “I can assure you, that won’t happen,” Cassie retorted, loyally coming to Serix’s defense. “And even if it did, I would protect him with my life.” “I’ll show you where you’ll be staying,” Ryan said, ignoring Cassie. He led them down one of the carved out hallways. Serix looked around as they walked, trying to create a mental blueprint of the compound layout. He wanted to be prepared in case he and Cassie ever needed to make a quick getaway. He only partly listened when Ryan continued to speak. “There are, as you can see, a lot of different halls and rooms. There aren’t many of us here in the caves. With you two that makes twenty one of us so far. So it’s not too hard to find one of the spare rooms.” Serix rolled his wrists, which rubbed uncomfortably against the rope that tied them. He hoped the ‘trial period’ Ryan had put him on included the removal of these bindings. The course material was starting to chafe his skin, leaving him sore and even more irritable. Fortunately, it seemed that they had arrived at their assigned room at last. It was small, with only a set of lanterns and one bed inside. That was all they really needed, though, so Serix could appreciate its simplicity. “This is where you will be staying,” Ryan said, stepping over to hug Cassie again. Serix winced. He definitely did not like how friendly this male was getting with his mate. Even with the differences between Lunairan and human cultures, it didn’t seem appropriate for Ryan to be so close to her when she was already taken by another male. The human continued to ignore him and proceeded to speak to Cassie as if Serix wasn’t even there. “Good to have you back Cassie.” He pressed something into her palm that Serix couldn’t see. “If you have any problems out of the alien, use that and come get me straight away.” With that, he exited the room, leaving Serix and Cassie alone. Cassie turned to him, smiling apologetically, “I swear, he can be such a jerk sometimes. I’m....really sorry about that, Serix. He’s really not as bad as he seems. He just... sometimes does the wrong things. But I will never let him or anyone else here harm you.” She stepped over with the object Ryan had given her, which Serix could now see was a small knife. He couldn’t help but smile at that. Ryan really thought a weapon like that would be enough to stop him if he wanted to turn on the humans? Instead of using the knife as she had been instructed, Cassie stepped around behind him and cut the ropes off of his hands. Serix let out a sigh of relief and rubbed his sore wrists, “That’s much better. Thank you.” He met her embrace and kissed her on the forehead. “I won’t let anyone harm you either, Cassie, although I think these people have already accepted you as one of their own.” He took her hands and guided her to the mattress on the floor, so they could sit down to rest. “Whatever you say about him, I still don’t like this ‘Ryan’ character,” Serix scoffed, shaking his head. “I don’t like his attitude, and I don’t like the way he keeps looking at you.” He placed his hand on top of Cassie’s and looked concernedly into her eyes. “But how are you doing? This has to be a lot for you to take in… You’re not the last human anymore.”

Cassie allowed herself to be pulled over by Serix to sit with him and she curled up against him where they were listening to him say how he didn’t trust Ryan and how he ‘looked’ at her. Hearing this made her smile lightly and she moved from leaning her head against him to look up at him, , grinning as she nuzzled her head against his and kissed the tip of his nose, “Awww, your jealous.” She teased at first but then grew serious as she leaned her forehead against his, “You don’t have to like him Serix. And you don’t have to worry about how he is toward me. No one will ever replace you. I love you.” She kissed him softly and sighed as she looked down at his hand over hers, “I’m….it’s a strange feeling. I thought all this time I was alone. It’s…..I guess familiar? But at the same time, not so familiar either. I mean, it’s been years since I’ve seen another human and now suddenly there’s so many of us. It is a lot to take in and a lot to fall back into. I have to get used to being a part of a community again. And socializing. There’s a lot to have to do.” She moved her eyes from their interlocked hands up to meet his violet eyes again and shrugged, “But, I’ll get used to it. Right now I’m more worried about you. They obviously aren’t taking a liking to you and I’m afraid for you. I don’t think Ryan will give any orders to do anything to you for my sake, or well, he wouldn’t do anything because he knows I would never forgive him. But there’s no telling what one stray person might do to you if you were ever by yourself in this place. It’s a scary thought.” Placing her hands on the sides of his cheeks she kissed him once more and went to brush his dark hair from his face, a gesture that had become so natural to her and comforting for the both of them, “I think, to be safe for now, we need to stay together. You are not allowed to leave me side. Anywhere I go, you go. And anywhere you go, I go. If we stick together, then neither of us can get hurt by these people.” Leaning up, she moved to whisper in his ear in case someone was close enough to their room to hear, “And in the next few days we need to map out this place. Just in case.” Just in case something bad happened and they had to leave. She didn’t know for sure if there would be any reason for them to have to make a quick escape, but they should always be prepared in case they did have to. Sighing, she leaned back on the bed. It had been quite a few hours since they had first woke up. It was early morning when they had left out and by noon they had arrived here at the hideaway. She was so used to taken short naps with Serix during the day and b now with all of this new information and news that had been thrust upon her she was emotionally and physically exhausted. She curled up there on the mattress, yawning as she took his hand in hers, “Don’t worry Serix. Everything will be fine. You’ll see.”