After everything Cassie said, Serix wanted to immediately take her offer and return to the hangar. He missed the privacy and peace they had when they were alone together. In the human caves, it felt like they were always being watched and threatened from the shadows, and they had hardly any time to themselves. When looking at everything that way, it only seemed logical that they should go back to their old hideout. They would be happier there… Or would they?

Sure, right now the hangar sounded like paradise compared to the human compound, but just how long would it last? The appearance of the Pilot only reaffirmed Serix’s fear that his people were moving. They could arrive on Earth tomorrow or a year from now, but whenever that happened, the securest place to be would have to be —as much as he hated to admit it— with the humans. There was something to be said for the concept ‘safety in numbers,’ and when the impending invasion happened, he would much prefer be part of a group rather than half of a pair. He would be selfish and stupid to put them in a dangerous position just because it was easier at that moment. If he and Cassie wanted to survive, their best option was to stay in the caves. He would just have to tread lightly around Hunter and the other hostile humans until the situation cooled down.

Serix wrapped an arm around Cassie, hugging her close to his side, and kissed her gently on the lips, “Running away sounds great. It really does, but… we should stay here.” He leaned back slightly to meet her eyes. “I just have a feeling that even though it’s hard now, we’ll be better off here in the long run. The worst is pretty much over, right? Whatever Hunter was doing, it didn’t work. As long as we don’t give him another opportunity to cause trouble, things can only get better from here.” He smiled at her, trying to seem optimistic. He really did want everything to work out. Not all of the humans were as cruel as Hunter, and some were even friendly. Maybe, with time, his hope that the caves could become their home would be a reality.

He brought a hand up to lightly brush a strand of hair from Cassie’s face, “What do you think?”