Serix was slightly taken aback by Cassie’s reaction to what he said. He didn’t know she felt so strongly about having a child, so he didn’t expect the look of hurt and disappointment that came over her face when he finished speaking. But maybe it was his fault. He didn’t have to completely throw away the possibility of having a child with her. After all, she was right when she said that they didn’t know how long they were going to be staying in the caves with the humans. There was always the chance that they would never leave. In that case, would it be alright for them to raise a child here? He still didn’t particularly like the idea, but seeing his mate upset like this bothered him even more.

[b]“I don’t know... Maybe I’m just being rash...”[/b] Cassie said wistfully. [b]“Maybe I’m being emotional too? I’m sorry, Serix. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”[/b] She moved behind him again to continue massaging his shoulders. Her selfless act only served to add to his guilt. Maybe he had been harsh in shutting down the possibility like that, and really, what was the harm in trying? They didn’t have to let the humans dictate their lives. Maybe the caves would even feel more like home if they started a family here like Emily and Connor had.

Serix leaned back, resting his head in her lap, and looked up at her, “Cassie, please don’t cry. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said no so quickly.” He reached up and gently pulled her down to kiss him, then smiled at her lovingly, “You know I’ll do anything for you. If you want to have a baby here, then let’s have a baby.” Suddenly, his stomach growled and he cleared his throat awkwardly. “Um, let’s just wait until [i]after[/i] dinner to try.” He rolled over and climbed to his feet, offering Cassie a hand to stand up, and then led her down to the dining hall to get some food.

“I think we should keep this to ourselves for now,” Serix said quietly as they walked over to the table where Emily, Connor, Jerry, and Victoria sat. “I would imagine that news spreads quickly here, and I don’t want Ryan or any other humans that wouldn’t want us to have a child getting involved, you know?”

“Hey,” Jerry greeted when Serix and Cassie sat down at the table. “Where’d you both run off to? I haven’t seen you since work.”

“We just went back to our room,” Serix shrugged.

“Well that’s boring,” Jerry rolled his eyes. “There are so many better places to explore around here. Why hide away in a tiny little bedroom?”

Serix’s eyes flicked to Cassie for a moment, and then he turned back to the red-haired human, “We just wanted to talk, but I’ll be sure to keep that in mind next time.”

“Whatever floats your boat,” Jerry popped a forkful of food into his mouth.

“How are you doing so far?” Emily spoke up, addressing Cassie. “The work isn’t too strenuous for you, is it?”