FORESIGHT and SCOPE: BOOK TWO

C H A P T E R S I X T Y-N I N E

"Enjoying the view?"

He rolled his eyes, but the corner of his lips betrayed him as they tugged upward. "One of the many beautiful views on this island."

Fern narrowed her eyes as she pulled back her head, impressed. "Oh? Where did you learn that one?" Hunter approached her. Perched on the crates, Fern dipped her chin to look at him, her smirk melted into a soft simper. Hunter's chest was leveled with her crossed legs. She watched as he methodically slipped one glove after the other off his hands, brushed his bare palms up her knees, and slowly and sensually massaged down the slant of her thighs, looped around her hips, and crawled back up to her kneecaps. His head lowered, and he began to graze small pecks along her inner thigh, then switched to the other. Fern continued to gaze down endearingly on him with her forearms lazily folded in her lap.

"Maybe it's the change of scenery," Fern sighed, caressing the back of her fingers across his red bandana and down his stubbled jawline. "but I have never felt more in love with you until right now."

"This place makes you happy?" Hunter breathed, pulling his head back. His grin faltered.

"Of course, it does." She noticed his hesitance. Her own lips wavered. "Are you not happy here?"

"I am." the sergeant assured. "Seeing you and Omega—even Wrecker and Tech seem to be enjoying themselves—I am happy you all are."

Fern scoffed, then snickered with amusement as she shook her head. She unfolded her legs and let them hang over the crates. Hunter continued to lovingly rub his palms on the top of her thighs and returned up the outside. Tilting his neck back to meet her eyes, his head cocked to the side with a curious grin. "What's so funny, Fern?"

"You are." Using her index finger, she tucked it under his chin and turned his head towards the inland. "Tell me, Hunter, what do you see?"

His pupils veered over to the female clone before humoring her. He observed the rich-orange glow upon the white stone of Upper Pabu, its clash with the gray-blue of the sea wall, and its absorption into the tilled soil of Lower Pabu. He focused on the soothiness of waves, the chittering of moonyos, and the whistling of the sea breeze. His gaze lifted up and could just make out the tips of the Marauder's wings and the towering Archium on the caprock of the island. "I see a quiet town. A good community. There is always a calm aura wherever you go."

"Want to know what I see?" Fern inquired in an airy whisper.

Hunter faced her, his reflection tenderly smiled back at him in her dark orbs. "What do you see?"

"A future."

Hunter was slightly taken back. "Sounds like you've been talking to Phee." He paused as his hands ceased their massaging and rested his palms on her knees. "You, wish to remain here permenantly."

"Why not?" Fern sputtered a comical laugh like he'd cracked a terrible joke. She nudged him aside so she could hop off the crates, then faced him as she stepped backwards with her arms fanned out; her grand smile spread ear to ear. "Hunter, look around again! How can you not acknowledge that we actually found somewhere to stay and have a le-git-i-mate sense of stability! A sem-blance of a real home!" She slapped the back of her left hand into the palm of her right, emphasizing the syllables of her words. "Here, we can finally set aside our armor and weapons. The people here take care of us, and we return their kindness in our own way. And IF the Empire even thinks about rearing its ugly head near this island, they'll have to answer to us." As she spoke, she was waving her hands in a dreamlike state, a spark of incitement flickered in her eyes.

"You said yourself that you didn't want to cut ties with Cid until we found a suitable alternative. This is exactly what we've been searching for." She paused to compose herself. "I'll admit, when Tech suggested we contact Phee after the Zillo Beast incident, I was skeptical on how she could possibly offer to better our situation. Turns out, she was the answer to all our issues. It's just like Shep said: we can start over. Hunter," She said his name again with a sense of urgency to make him see what she saw. "we could live a true life for ourselves."