The desert night came quietly.
The heat of the day faded into a cool stillness, and above them, the sky stretched endlessly—stars scattered like distant lanterns across the dark.
The caravan remained still.
No one pushed forward.
No one suggested moving.
Because everyone knew—
This moment mattered more than progress.
Inside, Zee hadn't moved far.
She still sat beside Jax.
But now, she wasn't breaking.
She was… breathing.
Slow.
Even.
Her head rested against his shoulder, her body leaning into his like it had found something it wasn't willing to let go of.
Jax didn't speak.
Didn't rush her.
He simply sat there, one arm around her, his thumb absentmindedly brushing small circles against her arm.
A quiet rhythm.
Grounding.
Safe.
"You stayed," she said softly.
Jax glanced down slightly.
"I wasn't going anywhere."
"I mean… after that," she clarified. "After what they said."
He gave a small breath through his nose.
"That supposed to scare me off?"
There was the faintest hint of a smile on her lips.
"…maybe."
"Then they don't know me very well."
That earned a small exhale from her—something between a laugh and relief.
Silence returned.
But it wasn't heavy anymore.
It was warm.
Zee shifted slightly, pulling back just enough to look at him.
Her eyes were still red.
But steady.
"I think… I've been carrying them with me this whole time," she admitted. "Even after I left."
Jax didn't interrupt.
"I kept thinking… maybe one day I'd go back, and it would make sense again. That they'd explain it in a way that didn't feel…" she searched for the word, "…wrong."
"They won't," Jax said gently.
She nodded.
"I know."
Another pause.
"But I needed to see it."
She looked away briefly, toward the dark horizon.
"I needed to know for sure that I didn't belong there anymore."
Jax watched her.
There was no hesitation in her voice now.
No doubt.
"You don't," he said.
She looked back at him.
And this time—
She smiled.
Small.
But real.
"I know where I belong now."
That one hit differently.
Jax didn't respond right away.
He didn't need to.
She leaned back into him again, more comfortably this time, her hand resting lightly against his chest.
Not gripping.
Not holding on for survival.
Just… there.
"I want to get married in Solmere."
The words came naturally.
No hesitation.
No uncertainty.
Jax raised an eyebrow slightly.
"That so?"
She nodded.
"I want to be surrounded by people who actually want me there."
A small pause.
"I want to walk into a place where no one is wondering what I'm worth… or what they can take from me."
Her voice softened.
"I want it to be real."
Jax's hand moved, resting gently over hers.
"It will be."
She looked up at him again.
"And I want them to see it."
"Who?"
"My past," she said simply. "Anyone who hears about it. Anyone who thinks I made the wrong choice."
A faint fire sparked behind her eyes now.
"I want them to see what choosing my life looks like."
Jax smirked slightly.
"That sounds like a Solmere wedding."
She huffed softly.
"I figured you'd say that."
"And?" he asked.
"And I think I like your way better."
That earned a quiet chuckle from him.
The kind that didn't break the moment—
Just added to it.
Zee shifted again, turning slightly so she was facing him more directly.
"There's something else," she said.
Jax tilted his head.
"I don't want their blessing anymore."
There it was.
Final.
Clean.
"I don't need it," she continued. "I don't want it. And even if they tried to give it now…"
She shook her head.
"It wouldn't mean anything."
Jax studied her for a second.
Then nodded.
"Good."
That caught her off guard.
"…good?"
"Means you're not looking backward anymore."
She blinked.
Then smiled again.
Softer this time.
"Guess I'm not."
The wind shifted outside, brushing softly against the caravan.
The rest of the Vixens remained nearby, quiet, giving them space—but close enough to be felt.
Zee noticed.
"They didn't say anything."
"They didn't need to," Jax replied.
She glanced toward them briefly.
"They stayed."
Jax smirked faintly.
"Yeah. That's kind of what we do."
She let out a small laugh.
Then leaned forward slightly—
Resting her forehead against his.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Jax didn't pull away.
Didn't make a joke.
Didn't deflect.
"You don't have to thank me for that."
"I do," she said softly. "Because no one ever did that for me before."
That sat there for a moment.
Quiet.
Honest.
Then Jax leaned in just enough to press a gentle kiss against her forehead.
"No one's getting the chance to again."
Zee closed her eyes.
And for the first time since the desert—
She felt… whole.
Not fixed.
Not healed completely.
But no longer broken.
Just… moving forward.
With him.
With them.
With a future that was hers.
After a while, she pulled back slightly, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand.
"Alright," she said, voice a little stronger now. "We've got two weddings to plan."
Jax raised an eyebrow.
"Two?"
She gave him a look.
"Don't act surprised. You heard Nyxian."
Jax groaned quietly.
"…I was hoping I imagined that."
"Too late," Zee said, a hint of mischief returning. "You agreed."
"I don't remember agreeing."
"You did."
"That sounds like a trap."
"It was," she admitted.
That got a real laugh out of him.
And just like that—
The weight lifted a little more.
"Two weeks," she said. "We go back. We finish preparations. And then…"
Her voice softened again.
"…we get married."
Jax nodded.
"Two weeks."
He looked out toward the horizon.
Then back at her.
"Let's go home."
Zee followed his gaze.
For the first time—
That word felt right.
Home.