The flight back to Tangier was smooth, and so short that Erin barely had the chance to close her eyes, or so it felt like. Still, she came to holding onto Alex's hand, with her head on Spencer's shoulder, and she sighed as they taxied to their gate. "Once we're back to the hotel, the first order of business is breakfast, with plenty of strong coffee to keep me awake for a little while. Though I feel like I could sleep the entire day away, right now."

"Sleep might be more important than food, Erin. We'll head up to our room first, and then Alex and I will figure out something to do while we wait for you to wake up."

"I think that I might take a nap, too, Spence. This was a little early to get up," Alex said as they shuffled off the plane, grabbing their bags from the overhead bins as they went along. She flashed a grateful smile to Alex as they walked to the nearest taxi rank, and Spencer quickly hired them a ride back to the hotel. She rode in the back with Alex during the drive, and she found herself staring out the window as the scenery passed by, not really seeing anything in her tiredness.

They were soon back at their hotel, and as she shouldered her bag and purse, Erin made her way inside, smiling a little to feel more at home, even if it was just the hotel where she had found her heart once more. "Dumpling, you're back!"

Turning her head, she saw Penelope hurrying over to her, a large smile on her face. Bracing herself, she nodded and was then swept up into a tight hug as Penelope finally reached her side. "We are, but I am headed up to my room now, since I have found myself exhausted from everything we've done in the last few days. I'm certain that Spencer and Alex would be glad to tell you about everything we did in Marrakech."

"I will definitely ask them. But tell me, is everything all right between the two of you? I don't have to grill her about anything, do I?"

Erin shook her head. "No, we're on the road back to okay. I hope that by the time we leave Tangier, things are a little easier between us, but we're taking things slowly."

Somehow, they had ended up by the elevators as they were talking, and Erin allowed her shoulders to sag as she adjusted her purse. That move seemed to get Penelope's attention, as her eyes widened when they saw the ring on her finger. "Did something happen in Fes that I should know about?" she asked as she pointed to her hand.

"No, we needed the rings to imply that we're married. It's easier to not be as concerned here, in a group, but when it was just the two of us, we thought that it would be prudent to take an abundance of caution. Though I can't say that in my deepest dreams, that I don't want this to be permanent. I'm just trying to keep my hopes low, knowing that Spencer is the one who has to decide to be with me. David's little act of fate brought us together, so it has to be his choice to stay with me, once we're home."

Penelope nodded as they stepped out onto their floor, taking the bag from her arms as Erin unlocked the door. "Well, Derek and I are rooting for you to make it, because even he can see that you're good for each other." Erin gave her a small smile as she dropped her purse and the key onto the dresser before stepping out of her shoes. "But you do look exhausted, so I'll go hunt down my Boo, and see what he has planned for after breakfast. I am so glad that you're back, safe and sound!"

Before she could react, Penelope had pulled her into a tight hug before shooing her towards the bed and leaving the room in a whirlwind of movement that Erin had come to associate so much with her. Once the door was closed, she shrugged out of her jacket and undid a few buttons on her blouse before shimmying out of her skirt and making her way over to the bed, crawling beneath the covers. As Erin stared up at the ceiling, her hands absently rubbing her stomach as she slowly breathed. "I love him," she whispered to the empty room, feeling something click into place as she let out a deep sigh. "And I can only hope that he loves me, at the end of the day."

Her eyes fluttered closed as she turned onto her side and hugged his pillow tight to her chest as she fell asleep. Erin wasn't certain of how long she was asleep, but she could feel the air in the room change as she came to. Sitting up, she found Spencer sitting at the end of the bed, a secretive smile on his lips. "It's nearly lunch time, Erin. Are you feeling up to heading down to the dining room and getting something to eat before heading out to the beach?"

"The beach? I thought that you might like to explore the city a little more."

"We still have a week to explore the city, and like you said, you need a down day to rest and relax. We'll bring a beach towel, and you can wear that ridiculous floppy hat to protect your face from the sun, and we can just relax for an afternoon. I think that I'm hitting that wall, too."

She gave him a tender smile as she nodded, sitting up and allowing the covers to pool around her hips. "Did Alex manage to find David?"

"Yeah, they met up in the dining room for breakfast before she came up to her room to nap. Why? Do you want her to join us?"

There was a worried tone to his voice, and she quickly shook her head as she made her way across the mattress to sit at his side, wrapping her arms around his neck as she hooked her chin over his shoulder. "No, I just wanted to make certain that she was all right, and in good hands. You're mine, aren't you?"

She knew that the lingering effects of sleep were causing her to be a little more open than she normally would be, but Spencer didn't stiffen or push her away. Instead, he spread his hand out on her back as he nodded and then kissed her head. "I am, and you're mine." She would have turned to kiss his lips when her stomach growled loudly. "All right, we should get you down to the dining room for food, but you need to dress first."

She chuckled as she slipped from his embrace and went over to the dresser, stripping off her blouse and pulling out one of the dresses that Spencer had purchased for her, slipping it over her head and letting it fall to her feet as she smoothed down her hair. "Do you think I need to apply makeup?"

"You look fine, Erin, and you'd probably sweat off any makeup you out on once we're on the beach." He wrapped his arms around her waist as he met her eye in the mirror. "I want to tell you this, and I hope that you believe it. You're beautiful, no matter if you're in a full face of makeup or bare and open like this. I love every facet of you that I've seen so far this trip, and I am glad that we drew the same number, that fate brought us together, since I don't think I would have even recognized this spark between us if it hadn't been for this." He turned his face and kissed her cheek softly, causing her to sigh with pleasure as she turned and looked up into his face. "And if you never want to remove that ring, I wouldn't mind."

"Oh, Spencer," she murmured as she nodded, pulling him close once more as she kissed him hungrily, wishing to hang on to that moment for as long as she could.