“This is supposed to be our wedding day,” Pam sniffed again before looking back at Jim. “Why did we invite all these people?”

They shared a quick smile and laugh. Then Jim looked up with a serious expression on his face. “You’re right,” he said with a calm confidence in his voice. “This is supposed to be our wedding day. So, let’s have our wedding.” He pulled open his tux jacket and reached into a pocket.

“Good luck with that.” Pam scoffed.

"I was going to save these for after the ceremony. I think we’ll just use them now instead.” He took the slips of paper he’d taken from his jacket and held them out to his fiancé. Pam reached out for them and looked at what he’d given her. As her surprise registered, Jim took his own mental picture of the face she made.

“Are you serious?” Pam asked. Mentally she’d gone back in time and was sitting next to Jim on the edge of his bed looking at his yearbook.

“Absolutely.” Jim was wearing the smirk she loved so much.

Pam wiped her eyes again as she looked down at the pamphlet about getting married on The Maid of the Mist. “You remembered.”

“I could never forget,” Jim told her while he tenderly brushed the back of his fingers across her cheek.

She leaned forward and threw her arms around him. Jim wrapped his own arms around Pam and simply held her.

“When did you get these?” Pam was still reeling when she leaned back after a long embrace.

“The day I saw that video on YouTube with everyone dancing down the aisle.”

Pam cocked an eyebrow at Jim. “You really think that’ll happen with us?”

Jim cocked his own eyebrow back at her. “Knowing Michael, he probably made a copy of the wedding party list and has been holding rehearsals for weeks.”

“Yeah, that has Michael written all over it,” Pam reluctantly agreed. Her face lit up again when she took another look at the tickets. “We’re really going to do this?”

“We’re really going to do this,” said Jim.

“The rings Jim!” She was suddenly flustered. “We’ll need the rings but I already gave yours to Penny to hold onto.”

“Yeah, Johnathan has yours too.” He admitted.

“Your cousin has the ring? Isn’t that supposed to be a Best Man thing?”

Jim gave a light scoff. “You’re not the only one with family drama. Tom may be the official Best Man, but for something like this, I trust John way more than him. Do you want the rings for the boat?”

Pam nodded. “Yeah.”

“We’ll have to tell them,” he warned.

“Penny won’t say anything. She knows how much my Mom has been driving me up the wall. Will Johnathan?”

“No, he’s good.” Jim told said as he pulled out his phone and punched in Johnathan’s number. “Hey bud, do me a favor. As quietly as you can find Penny and bring her to the Sunday school room please. I’ll tell you when you get here. Great thanks.”

“No one’s going to believe us, you know that right?”

“Easily taken care of,” Jim assured her. He turned to the doors. “Stop skulking around guys. We both know you’re there.” The camera crew came in. None looked remotely contrite for having filmed such a personal scene. “I’ve got one extra ticket. If you want to film the amazing runaway bride and groom you get one camera and no sound guy. Deal?”

The producer didn’t hesitate. He smiled before taking the ticket and shook Jim’s hand. “Deal.” He turned to the small crew. “Mike, you’re up. The rest of you fan out. Once everyone figures out these two lovebirds are gone, I’m sure there will be all sorts of great reactions. If anyone asks, you’re just as clueless as the rest of them. Jim do you have your car keys on you?”

“Yeah, why?”

The producer held his hand out. “Hand them over. I’ll have the intern move it the next block over so no one will see you drive off.”

Pam felt a huge weight leave her chest as Jim handed over his keys. She couldn’t stop the mist forming in her eyes as she smiled. “Thanks.”

The producer gave her a sly nod and left the room.

Johnathan and Penny arrived just as the crew was leaving. They both grinned like fools when Jim and Pam explained what they were up to. Penny leaned forward to hug her sister after handing over the ring. She did the same for Jim and leaned up to kiss his cheek. Johnathan kissed Pam’s cheek before his own hugs after surrendering the ring. They both assured Jim and Pam they’d keep their secret and made plans to re-take the rings after the boat ride for the church ceremony.

“Shall we?” Jim grinned after Penny and Johnathan left.

“Let us shall,” Pam beamed back at him. “Come on, there’s a back door.”

Jim walked over to the door and peaked around the corner. “Coast is clear. Let’s go Beesly!”

Giggling like schoolchildren they snuck out of the church. The only person they saw outside was Meredith puffing on a cigar, but she was looking the other way. They made a break for it and jogged across the lawn. Once they were out of sight of the church they slowed down to a walk. The intern had the car parked on the side of the road. He tossed Jim the keys before turning back to the church. Jim held open the passenger door for Pam. Mike resumed the spot he’d had on the trip from Scranton to Niagara Falls in the backseat. Jim put the car in gear and drove off.

“We’re really doing this!” Pam exclaimed.

“That we are.” Jim said back as he dug into his jacket again. “I just need to make a call first.” At the first red light Jim scrolled through his contacts to find the right number. “Hello this is Jim Halpert, I need to talk to Mary Clark about a wedding for today. Sure, I can hold for a second. Hi Mary, it’s Jim from Pennsylvania. I talked to you about getting married on the boat? Yeah it looks like we’ll need the ceremony after all not just the cruise. Yup, I’ve got the tickets. Short and sweet is just fine. So, we pick up the license when we get back to shore? Yeah, no problem. Hold on, I’ll ask her.” Jim turned to Pam. “She said that it might not be a good idea for you to wear your veil. Apparently more than a few brides have lost their veils because of the wind coming off the Falls.”

“Oh,” Pam sobered for a moment but it didn’t last long. “No, that’s fine. I’ll just keep it in the car.” As she reached up to unpin the veil Jim resumed his conversation.

“She said that’s fine. Okay. We’re about five or ten minutes out. What can I say, plans changed quickly. Just about. Thanks so much for being so flexible with all of this. Yup, see you in a few. Bye.” Jim clicked his phone shut. When he looked over at Pam she was beaming.

“This already feels better,” she said. “Just you and me, well mostly you and me,” she spared a glance to Mike in the back. “Running off, sneaking around, and having fun.”

Jim reached over to take her hand and lifted it up to his lips for a kiss. “I’m glad.” he said with a smile.

The rest of the car ride was uneventful. It didn’t take long to find a parking spot. “You ready?” Jim asked as Pam joined him at the front of the car. In the distance they could hear the roar of the Falls.

“Absolutely I am,” Pam replied.

They got quite a few stares as they made their way into the visitor's center. Since Jim already had tickets, they skipped that line. Mary Clark was waiting for them when they passed the gift shop. She was holding their blue ponchos.

“Do we really have to wear these?” Pam asked.

“Only if you want to,” Mary told her.

“How about just for the start?” Jim offered. “We can take them off when we get on board. Is that okay? He looked at Mary.

“Whatever you want,” Mary beamed. “It’s your day.”

Pam slipped on her poncho and started walking towards the elevator that would take them down to the dock. “Come on Jim.”

Jim slid on his own poncho and gladly took her hand. “Right there with you.”

Mary held out a third poncho for Mike. She joined the trio in the elevator and put her own company coat on as they descended. Mike jogged ahead to get shots of them walking to the boat. Once aboard Mary introduced Jim and Pam to the Captain. He told them to simply knock on the window to the wheelhouse when they were ready.

“Do you have any prepared vows you’d like to read or would you like me to use the traditional vows?” he asked and held up a well-worn Bible.

“I think we’ll just wing it,” Jim said.

“Sounds good. Do you have any readings or a Scripture passage you’d like me to read? The ‘love is patient,’ speech from 1st Corinthians is always popular.”

“Um, no, not that one,” Pam said. “Do you have any other suggestions?”

The Captain thought for a moment before an idea came to him. “I think I know one. Do you want me to tell you now or have it be a surprise once we get on the river?”

“You can surprise us,” Pam replied feeling slightly rebellious.

“Not a problem. After the reading I’ll ask you to state your vows and exchange rings. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to make preparations to cast off”

They nodded as the Captain turned away. Hand in hand they walked to the upper deck of the boat and grabbed a spot on the port side railing. The sun that had been behind some clouds when they’d arrived at the dock, now burst forth with warm golden beams. A safety message came over the loudspeakers before the boat pulled away from the dock and headed upriver.

The roar of Niagara Falls grew louder with each passing moment. As the boat passed in front of the Bridal Veil Falls a large gust of wind sent the first spray of water over the boat. Pam laughed as the mist started to swirl. She nodded at Jim. He grinned back at her and leaned in for the last kiss they’d share as an engaged couple.

They walked over to the wheelhouse and Jim knocked on the window. After they took off their ponchos Jim gestured between the two of them and the to the bow of the boat. His words were lost in the roar of the plunging waterfall. The Captain smiled and nodded. He turned the boat over to his First Mate and stepped out onto the deck to join Pam and Jim. He pointed to the stairs and led them to the lower deck and the very front of the boat.

“Ladies and Gentlemen on the lower deck by the front of the boat,” the First Mate came over the loudspeakers. “If you would be so kind to make some space on the rail, we have a special moment two people are sharing with each other. On board today we have Jim and Pam who have chosen The Maid of the Mist to get married.”

A round of applause broke out as other tourists opened a space for Jim and Pam. The roar of cascading water quieted a little as the boat made its way past the American Falls and headed for the Horeshoe Falls. The Captain took this time to start the small ceremony. He asked them to face each other and hold hands.

“Jim and Pam, you are here today to pledge yourselves to each other for the rest of your lives. Marriage is one of the world’s oldest traditions. It’s practiced the world over as a way to join the lives of two people together. Today you’ll make that same pledge. You’ve asked for a passage from Scripture.” He opened his Bible and flipped through the pages until he found the page he was looking for. “From the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter four, starting with verse nine and reading through verse twelve;

“Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A chord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

The Captain closed the Bible and placed his hand on top of Jim and Pam’s. “May God be the third strand in your marriage to bind you close to each other so you may face all the trials and joys this life has to offer.”

By now the boat was nearing the Horseshoe Falls. The roar and mist were getting more intense so the Captain had to raise his voice slightly. “You have chosen to say your own vows. Jim, please start.”

Jim couldn’t keep the smile off his face. Before boarding the boat, they’d given Mary the rings for safe keeping. Now he turned to her and picked up the simple white gold band he’d bought for Pam. He slid it halfway down her ring finger and looked deep into Pam’s eyes.

“What more is there to say? We’ve had more than our share of ups and downs already. There were a lot of days I thought I’d never be standing here like this with you. Now that we’re here there’s only one thing I want to tell you. I’ve loved you since the day we met. I’ve never had a better friend or companion. You’re smart, talented, witty, beautiful and so much more all wrapped up in one. You make me happier than I ever thought was possible. I love you Pam and I promise to spend the rest of my life showing you just how much you mean to me.
“I, James Halpert, take you to be my wife from this day forward, through anything life may throw at us, for now and forever.”

Jim slid the ring the rest of the way down Pam’s finger.

Pam’s smile was just as large as she reached over to pick up her ring for Jim. She also slid the ring halfway down his finger before she started talking. “When you walked into Dunder-Mifflin on your first day, I never thought I’d just met the man I’d one day marry. You snuck up on me. We started out as co-workers but soon became friends, confidants, and eventually lovers. Soon we’ll become parents.” She glanced down at the slight swell of her abdomen. “You’ve always been there for me. You’ve never misinterpreted anything about us in all the time I’ve known you. You inspire me, challenge me, and support me in ways no one ever has in my life. You're the best man I’ve ever met and I can’t wait to see what the rest of our lives have in store. I love you Jim and I promise to spend the rest of my life showing you that too.
“I, Pamela Beesly, take you to be my husband for now and forever.”

She slid Jim’s ring the rest of the way down his finger.

The Captain spread his hands apart. “By the power vested in me by the State of New York and the Province of Ontario, I now proclaim you husband and wife. Jim you may kiss your bride.”

They reached for each other at the same moment and shared their first kiss as a married couple. Cheers and applause broke out on the deck again. They broke apart after a few blissful seconds. The roar of Horeshoe Falls was now drowning out the cheers. Jim leaned forward again to hold her. He meant to kiss her cheek but she turned her head and they ended up kissing the corners of each other’s lips as their arms wrapped around each other.

When they broke apart again the Captain shook their hands and explained that his First Mate and Mary would sign their license as witnesses when they returned to the dock. Several people came up and offered their congratulations. Jim and Pam held each around the waist as they accepted the kind words from those around them.

By now the boat was surrounded on three sides by falling water. Jim took a moment to gaze at the spectacle around him. The roar of the falling water matched the feeling of love and triumph pounding in his chest. When he looked down at his wife, she was also gazing around in wonder.

“Hello Pam,” he whispered into the mist and leaned down to kiss the top of her head.

The boat turned around to start heading back to the dock. Pam led them to the back of the boat so they could watch the Falls glide past. The other people on the boat gladly gave them room at the rail. Just as the boat was passing Bridal Veil falls, Pam turned her head to press a kiss against Jim’s chest. “I love you Jim,” she whispered. “Welcome back.”

 Pam briefly thought back on the years where the thought of marriage had been a source of worry and heartache. The Falls answered her by washing those feelings away in the rising mist. As she stood on the back of the boat with her husband’s arm around her back, she knew the day wasn’t over. They’d need to head back to the hotel to dry off and for her to freshen up her makeup. That all can wait, she thought. Right now, the only thing she felt was peace.