*

Jim plays with her frizzy curls as she lays on him and plays with the hair on his chest. The thought amuses him and he smiles and his heart flips and he can't ever remember a moment more perfect than this.

&

She'd called while he drove back to Scranton and timidly asked if he'd make the trip back after work and he waited .3 seconds before agreeing, because uh, yeah. He had already decided there was no way in hell either one of them would be alone tonight because uh, yeah. He was the first one out of the office the minute the clock turned 5:00 and he drove to his apartment in record (and a slightly law-abiding) pace to change clothes and pack an overnight bag and the minute his foot hit the gas pedal again, he never let go of it until he pulled into the parking lot of Pam's dorm building.

When Jim knocks on her door, she answers it with a glowing smile and she kisses him soundly and pulls him into the room. "I've had time to inspect, err, gaze wonderly at this ring and I've decided I really, really love it."

"I'm very glad you approve, Beesly. You're stuck with it now."

"Hee." She glances at him and she's still smiling and there's this look in her eyes, something like love and wonder and happiness and his heart is full and god, he just wants to live every single moment of his life with her looking at him like that.

Pam pulls him close and hugs him tightly and breathes him in and thinks how she finally knows what forever means. "I don't think I've stopped smiling since you left. It's a little pathetic."

"Oh, did something happen today?"

She pulls away and smiles. "You haven't heard?!"

"No! Please tell me!"

"I'm engaged. I have a fiancee!"

Jim pauses, squinting his eyes a moment and chews his bottom lip. "Wait.. wait, that sounds reaaaally familiar."

She pushes him away from her, snorting.

"So I thought maybe you could give me some pointers on this whole engaged thing because while I have no experience with it, someone told me you did."

Pam turns away from her mini-fridge and twists the lid on her bottle of tea and grins at him, nodding her head slowly. "Yeah, yeah. I might be able to help you out there."

Jim throws his hands up in relief. "Awesome! So glad I have you, Pam. Really."

He plops down on the bed and folds his hands in his lap. "What'd your mom say?"

"Who said I talked to my mom?"

He fixes her with a look, one that said 'yeah, right' and she giggles. "Okay, yeah. Um, she's pleased. Almost as pleased as I am."

"Almost?"

"Not quite."

She sets down her tea on her desk and joins him on the bed, sitting next to him. She takes his hand into hers and leans into him, smiling. "Awesome day." She whispers.

"Eh. It was alright."

Pam glances at him and he's looking at her too and they both smile and her thoughts, as they have all day, go back to missed chances, parking lots, and bravery and coals and how sometimes you go through all the bad stuff just so you can have the good and she thinks about, more than anything, how in the end.. it's all worth it.

She brings her free hand to his face and pulls him to her, kissing him softly. "Let me be the first to tell you that being engaged definitely has its perks."

Jim pulls away slightly. "Pam. I really don't need that in my head. I mean, I really, really don't."

"Fair enough. Let me put something else in your head."

"That's what-"

She kisses him.

&

She moves and settles herself into him, wrapping her legs over his and tries to keep her eyes open because she wants to take as much of this in as she possibly can.

And man, if there was ever a moment in her life that was.. perfect.. she's pretty sure it's this one.

He brushes the hair out of her eyes and kisses the corner of her face. "Go to sleep."

"No."

He sighs and wraps his arms around her. "Pam, if you don't go to sleep, I'll take it all back. See how it feels to have someone break up with you for a change."

"Psft. If you ever do that, I'll kill you."

He laughs softly and closes his eyes. "I love you."

"I love you."

*