When Pam stepped off the plane in Sydney, all her courage was gone. Whatever source of strength she had been relying on to get her this far was completely drained—spilled out of her somewhere over the Pacific Ocean.

It had been over 30 hours since she had hugged her mother goodbye in Philadelphia. She had just spent an entire day crammed in among strangers, trying to distract herself with movies and music and books and sleep and anything to keep out the doubting voices in her head. As the flight had worn on and her nerves grew more frazzled, the doubting voices had started to win.

Now, standing among a throng of tourists and travelers at 6:00am local time (and who knew anymore what time her body thought it was), she felt totally lost. She was exhausted, sleep-deprived, and confused about what exactly she was doing there.

Why had she come? What in the world had possessed her? Jim didn't want her here. If he had wanted her, he wouldn't have left her in the first place—wouldn't have transferred to Stamford. He was obviously over her. The whole thing, this whole idea, was ridiculous. She was ridiculous.

She was tempted to just catch the next plane home.

Get a grip, Beesly.

She was just tired, and in no condition to make any kind of a decision. Pam closed her eyes and tried to center herself.

Okay. One step at a time. Customs.

Pam opened her eyes and looked around. There was the sign pointing the way. She hitched her bag up on her shoulder and started to walk.

Her bag hadn't been this heavy when she packed it, was it? She didn't think the pack of gum and magazine she had bought at LAX would have added so much weight.

Slowly she shuffled her way through the long line at customs. When she reached the front, the customs agent barely glanced over the American girl in jeans and a sweater and pony-tail nervously clutching her passport (which she had gotten three years before, in the delusional hope that maybe Roy would take her to Paris for their honeymoon.)

Once through, Pam started walking again. She walked for what seemed like forever before she finally saw signs pointing her to the lower level and baggage claim. Gratefully, she stepped onto the top of the escalator, glad for the chance to stand still for a few moments.

She couldn't ever remember feeling so tired. All she wanted now was to get to the hotel and fall asleep for hours. But she still had miles to go.

A painting on the wall over the escalator caught her eye. The modern swirl of lines and colors entranced her, and she didn't drop her eyes until it became awkward for her to crane her neck so far back.

When she finally lowered her gaze to the floor below, her heart stood still.

Jim.

Was there.

Standing there, waiting for her.

Waiting for her with his hands tucked into the pockets of his jeans, a shy, anxious smile on his face as he lifted his eyes to hers.

Pam nearly stumbled at the bottom of the elevator, her brain completely preoccupied with the sight before her. Someone bumped her from behind, and she realized she was just standing there, frozen. She had to move. Somehow, her feet carried her slowly across the floor.

She stared up at him, at a total loss. What came first? “I love you?” “I'm sorry?” “What are you doing here?” She had had it all planned out on the plane, but now her carefully constructed words had flown away in the joy and sheer terror of actually standing there and facing him.

And his eyes, his eyes were so beautiful. So kind and warm and alive as he gazed down at her, no longer smiling but tense with barely contained emotion. Twice before he had looked at her like that, and like before, it made her feel like she could barely breathe.

“Hi,” he whispered then, and reached out to brush a lock of hair back from her forehead. She closed her eyes, savoring his touch.

“Jim,” she breathed.

And then he was kissing her. He was kissing her and her eyes were closed and his arms were tight around her, pulling her close and her hands were in his hair, and his lips were soft and warm, and she knew nothing else, nothing else but this.

They just stood there in silence for awhile, holding each other close, too overcome with emotion to speak. For now, just being together again was enough. Pam rested her head on his shoulder, loving the way his cheek felt on hers, how warm he was, how good he smelled.

“Welcome to Australia,” he whispered in her ear, and Pam couldn't help but laugh with him.

“How did you know I would be here?” she asked.

“Your Mom,” he answered simply. “Michael called me about five seconds after your wedding was called off. And then I got another call from Kelly about ten minutes later. Then Phyllis. Everyone called but you, Pam. I tried to be patient but then I finally gave in and called your parents' house yesterday, and your Mom told me you were coming.”

“Are you...is it okay that I'm here?” Pam already knew the answer but she wanted to hear him say it, anyway.

“What do you think, Beesly?” Jim smiled down at her, and then kissed her again.

After a moment, Pam pulled away. There was something that needed to be said before another word was spoken.

“Jim,” she said, her hands resting against his chest as she looked up at him. “I wanted to tell you...to say I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for everything...”

Jim just shook his head.

“No, it's okay. You don't have to...”

“Yes, yes I do,” she said, determined. “I've been horrible to you. I've been mean, and such a coward, and I know I hurt you so many times...”

“What about me?” he interrupted her again. “I'm not exactly blameless, Pam. I should have told you how I felt a long time ago. I should have told you from the very beginning, and not one month before your wedding. I never should have let it get to that point.”

“But I...”

“Pam, stop. Let's just forget it, okay? Maybe we both did things we regret but we can't go back and change it. It's just...all that matters is that you're here with me now, okay?”

“Okay,” she whispered, still silently determined to make things up to him.

“Okay then.”

“But I do have one more thing I want to say and then I'll shut up, I promise,” she said.

“What's that?” he asked, smiling down at her with mock exasperation.

"I love you.”

His face crumpled oddly, almost as if her words had hurt him. “Pam,” he choked, and then he was crushing her to him, kissing her with such passion that she felt her knees go weak beneath her.

*******

When they finally made it to baggage claim, her suitcase was the only piece of luggage left on the carousel. They held hands in the back of the taxi all the way into Sydney, grinning at each other the entire way. The cab driver, grumpy on the early morning shift, thought they were both a couple of idiots.

When they got to the hotel, Pam found that as tired as she was, she still had energy enough for some things.

And then she finally slept, safe and warm and content in the arms of the man she loved.