The weight of the conversation still lingered in the air, thick like the London fog outside their hotel window.

But Erin was tired of carrying it.

Dax had spent enough time watching her tense up to know she needed something, anything, to pull her out of it. So, when she sighed and leaned back against the pillows, stretching out on the bed like she was finally allowing herself to breathe, Dax took his shot. "You know, I never thought I'd see the day."

Erin raised a brow. "What day?"

Dax smirked. "The day Ace Calloway actually needs a break. Thought you were built different."

She scoffed, turning her head to face him. "I am."

"Then why do you look like you're about to pass out?"

"Jet lag, Carter. It's a real thing."

Dax grinned. "Sure. That, or you're just getting old."

Erin gasped dramatically. "Excuse me?"

"I mean, all this nostalgia, all these 'back in the day' stories. Starting to sound real senior citizen-ish."

"Oh, you're one to talk, Grandpa." Erin smirked, propping herself up on her elbow. "You're what, three years older than me? You wanna start counting wrinkles? Because I swear I see one..."

Dax rolled onto his side, pinning her with a lazy smirk. "You really wanna go there, Calloway?"

Erin grinned. "Oh, I'm already there."

Dax exhaled dramatically. "Damn shame, really. Thought I'd finally get myself a chill girlfriend, but no. Here I am, stuck with a menace."

Erin snorted. "You knew what you were signing up for."

"Did I, though?"

"You did. And you love it."

Dax pretended to think. "Hmm, jury's still out."

Erin shoved him, but he caught her wrist before she could pull away, tugging her closer until she was half on top of him, her face just inches from his.

His teasing smirk faded into something softer, something unreadable. "Seriously, though. You okay?"

Erin hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah. I just... I needed this."

Dax exhaled, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "You'll always have this. You know that, right?"

Erin didn't answer right away. Instead, she just leaned down, pressing a slow, lingering kiss to his lips. Actions said more than words ever could.

Dax pulled her in, deepening it just enough before flipping her onto her back, earning a surprised laugh from Erin as she landed against the pillows. "You really thought you were gonna win that one?" he murmured against her lips.

"You're just lucky I let you."

Dax chuckled, settling beside her, pulling her against his chest. "Keep telling yourself that."

Erin rolled her eyes but smiled, finally letting herself relax.

The past could wait.

The world outside kept moving, the hum of cars on the streets below, the distant sounds of a city that never really slept.

Inside their hotel room, it was just them. Erin curled against Dax, her head resting on his chest, his steady breathing anchoring her in the present rather than dragging her back into the past. His fingers traced slow patterns against her back, absentmindedly, like he wasn't really thinking about it, just keeping her close.

"You're quiet." His voice was low, rough from the weight of the night.

Erin exhaled, closing her eyes for a second before murmuring, "you gonna complain?"

Dax smirked, tightening his hold around her. "Nah. Just not used to it. Feels unnatural."

Erin snorted. "Maybe I just don't have anything to say."

"Now I know you're lying."

She nudged him with her elbow. "Ass."

"Your ass."

Erin groaned, hiding her face against his shirt. "See? This is why I never let you win arguments."

Dax chuckled, but there was something softer in the way he held her, something more than just his usual teasing. He knew she wasn't okay. Not really. And he wasn't going to force her to talk, wasn't going to push her to unpack everything that had just hit her tonight. The best he could do, right now, was be here for her.

And Erin felt it.

The way he let her lean into him without expecting anything back. The way he let her have this moment, this pause in all the chaos.

She shifted slightly, tilting her head up to look at him. "You're staring."

Dax smirked, fingers still lazily tracing her spine. "Maybe."

"Why?"

"Trying to figure out what's going on in that overworked head of yours."

Erin sighed, letting her cheek press against his chest again. "Nothing I wanna say out loud."

Dax nodded slowly, like that was enough for now. "You drool in your sleep, don't you?"

Erin immediately shoved him. "Oh, f... off, Carter."

Dax grinned, catching her wrist before she could escape, pulling her back in. "It's a serious concern, babe. I need to know if I'm waking up in a puddle."

"I hate you."

"Again... your problem, not mine."

Erin groaned, but the laughter was already bubbling up, breaking past the tightness in her chest.

Dax grinned in victory, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "There she is."

She sighed, shaking her head, but she didn't move away. Didn't pull back, even though the weight of Jamie, of Ghost, of Jace and Alex, was still there, she could exist in this moment. Wrapped in Dax's warmth. Wrapped in something that wasn't broken.

Something she didn't have to fix.