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The sun glittered through the forest trees. V reveled in the warmth and fresh air away from everything that was Night City. River watched as she made her way ahead of their little trekking party. This was the vacation they needed. A bit of R&R away from everything. "Watch where you're walking! Damn it Goro!"
"Then stop trying to push me off the damned bridge Silverhand!"
River's revere was broken by the man toddlers bringing up the rear. Joss, Randy and the kids had stayed behind at the hotel they had by the beach. Was it wrong of him to hope the bridge would just buckle and fall with them on it? They had insisted on coming with and V had let them.
To River, V's heart was just a little too big for those two. Especially after all that had happened. Good faith gesture. "Yeah, my ass" River scoffed the eyebrow over his organic eye lifting watching the men toddlers.
"Is the best ass I've ever seen" V said coming up behind him and giving him a good slap. River jumped a bit before leaning back into V's arms with a smile.
"Oh really? Keep going" River turned his head to give her an awkward peck on the cheek from the angle they were at with him being so tall.
"Broad shoulders, strong arms and some of the best …"
"Get a fuckin room!!" Johnny managed to sour the moment.
"...Dick...fucking hell." V groaned, her hands settling on River's belt from behind.
"Imma drop 'em" River said the cervoes in his cyber notice eye whirring with scanning the bridge.
"Don't. Not worth it." V said half heartedly watching Johnny and Takemura finally get to their end of the bridge.
"Didn't think you an exhibitionist V" Johnny winked giving V a sly smile with a click of his tongue before moving ahead of them.
River could feel V bury her face in his back. She must have been beet red at the moment. He still gave Johnny a low growl as he passed them. "Can't we just drop him back in cryo?"
"He'd find away to make that awkward as well" Takemura said stopping where River and V were. "Are we almost there?"
"Another mile in that direction and we'll be at the old Aricebo ruins." River said reaching around to give V a pat on her back. They needed to get moving if they wanted to get back before it got too dark.
Johnny and Takemura's bickering didn't seem to cease even as they came upon the old satellites' ruins.
V was in aw at the old dish. As dilapidated as it was there was still magic. River watched as V turned and gasped and pointed at all the wildlife and greenery that had reclaimed it. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a hibiscus bush flowering through one of the large cracks.
River carefully plucked the bright pinkish red flower. "Hey, babe?" He said trying to get V's attention.
"Yeah?" She turned to see the bright flower at eye level. "River its beautiful! Where did that one come from?!"
"Just over there near one of the cracks. And it'd be even more beautiful in the hair of a beautiful woman" he smiled tucking the flower on her right ear. He made sure his cybernetic eye clicked an image of V looking like the island princess he knew she was.
V smiled brightly before standing on her toes to give River a loving kiss. "Boooooo!!!" Johnny once again deciding to wreck the mood. This time Takemura jabbed him in the rib cage to keep him from making another comment.
There was a loud swear in Japanese before he grabbed Johnny's ear and drug him in the opposite direction of the lovers.
River and V stared at them before breaking out into a laughing fit. Maybe keeping the old bodyguard around was a good idea after all. River thought to himself before kissing V again. "This place is beautiful River. I wish my parents could be here to see this too." V said wrapping her arms around his neck. "I wish Jackie was here too"
"Its not called the isla de enchanto for nothing." River said "They're with us. They're having the time of their lives. Just like us." V wanted to cry, he could see it. Both hearts were full. Things had settled. She wasn't dieing, Johnny was...well Johnny, can't change much of that. And they could think of the future. The whole reason for this family vacation.
V smiled and turned to walk out to the center of the bridge crossing the dish where the receiver crashed so many years ago. River watched as she crept upon an iguana lounging on the railing. River followed V watching her and the lizard. The large creature lifted it head at the approaching humans. Giving V a lazy blink and a warning swish of its long tail. "Look at it River" V said crouching down some distance away from it.
"Don't see one of those everyday now do you?" River said crouching beside V. "They're pretty common around here I suppose.
"Misty would probably say that it's a guardian of some kind."
"Guarding whats left of the magic?"
"Yeah"
"She might be on to something then" River said slipping his arms around V and pulling her close. They sat and watched the iguana as the sun set and it decided it was going to move along its way.
"Think we should check on those two?" V asked finally as the stars peeked through the night sky.
"I'm sure they made it back to the hotel by now. Joss is most likely giving them a good dressing down." River explained resting his cheek on V's head.
The night was cool as the moon crept into its spot in the sky. The coqui frogs beginning their nightly song. A few of them hopping along the railing of the bridge putting on a show for their human visitors. River heard and felt V chuckle at their little entertainers. "They're so cute" V chuckled watching them sing.
"Hey V?"
"Yeah?"
"What would you say to this?" River lifted his head and held something very shiny in front of V.
When V looked at the shiny thing held out in front of her. Her mind finally registering that it was a ring. "River...are...you…?????"
"Serious? As a heart attack"
"River!"
"Well? Yes or no? Will you be Mrs. Verona Ward? And have all the babies?" He said with a smile.
"We talked about that last bit"
"Haha I know. We adopt all the street kids we can find" he kissed the top of her head. "Mrs. Ward?"
"Yes. Haha Mrs. Ward. I like it. Ward Family Private Investigators." V turned her head up excitedly after River slipped the ring onto her finger.
"We'll see about that part" River kissed V once more before resting his head on top.of hers once more to watch the stars above them.
"I told him she'd like it" Johnny said lighting a cigarette in the shadows of the forest he and Takemura were hidden in.
"I remember the conversation differently. But what is it that V says whatever helps you sleep at night" Takemura said raising an eyebrow at Johnny.
"Fuck you. I knew she'd like it" Johnny said moving a tiny coqui frogs from his arm as it started in with the others in their nightly song. "Preem sound little choomba."