Jim swiped the key card through the lock and heard the buzz. “Now stay right here,” he told her. He pushed the door open and carried the luggage through. He rested the smaller bag against the door to keep it open, and piled the rest in the empty corner of the room. He walked back out and smiled at her. “Ready?”

“For what?” she laughed.

“You know. The traditional entrance.”

Pam giggled. “You are not serious.”

He stepped closer, and without warning hoisted her up into his arms.

“Whoa!” she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around his neck for balance.

“Man, Beesly, how much do you weigh?”

“Are you calling me fat?”

“No,” Jim grinned, “but you are way heavier than I expected.”

“Well don't forget the weight of the dress. There's at least 10 yards of material here.”

“Hmm, if you say so.” He sounded unconvinced. “Blame it on the heavy clothing.”

She smacked his chest. “Well maybe you should think about bulking up. I'm not going to be getting any thinner.” She grinned. “In fact, I think I am now entitled to completely let myself go and get as fat as I want.”

He kissed the tip of her nose. “Beesly, if that would make you happy, then go right ahead. I wouldn't care. I would still love you.”

“Even if I put on 100 pounds and sat around the house all day?”

Jim nodded. “I'd be worried about your mental health, but it wouldn't make me stop loving you. You should know by now that nothing's ever going to change that.”

“What if I became a serial killer?” she asked.

“I'd help you dispose of the bodies and provide a convincing alibi for you.”

“And what if I lost my nose in a horrific painting accident and had to wear a prosthetic one made of metal?”

Jim laughed heartily. “I would still love you even if you lost your nose.” He groaned slightly. “Can we go in now so I can put you down?”

“I guess so. But you know once we're over the threshold, there's no going back.”

He kissed her, this time fully on the lips. “I have no desire to go anywhere but forward with you.”

He carried her into the hotel room, and let her drop on the king-sized bed. “Hey,” she complained, “take a little more care next time, Halpert.”

He grinned as he pulled the suitcase away from the door, stopping its closure just long enough to hang the Do Not Disturb sign from the knob. He double locked the door, and took off his black jacket. Pam was still lying on the bed, her ivory gown spread out around her. He slipped off his shoes, then stood at the end of the bed. Lifting up the hem of her skirt to find her feet, he gently removed her shoes as well, placing them on the floor next to his. The he climbed onto the bed and stretched out next to her, resting face to face.

“Well, Mrs. Halpert,” he said, a smile spreading across his face.

“Yes, Mr. Halpert,” Pam replied, her expression matching his exactly.

“So this is it,” he said.

“Yep,” she replied, “Looks like it.”

“It was really quite a day.”

“I thought so. I hope everyone had a nice time.”

“I'm pretty sure they did. I know Michael did. He told me about ten times over the course of the night what a great party it was.”

Pam laughed. “Well, he told me about dozen times what I beautiful bride I was. The last couple of times he started crying over it.”

Jim reached out and touched the opal and pearl necklace she was wearing. It was a gift he'd given her early this morning, before the festivities started. “Well he was right. I told you that at least a dozen times, too.”

“Yes, you did. But you never sounded like you wanted to be the bride!”

They laughed and moved closer together. Jim put his hand on her waist, gently tracing the beading, watching the light catch the sparkle of the rhinestones.

“This is pretty amazing,” he said, fascinated with the intricate lace pattern over the satin material. “I didn't really get a chance to look at this detail before.”

Pam's chuckled deeply. “You never cease to amaze me,” she said, feeling a rush of love. She knew she'd married the right man. No one else would be so naturally interested in something so characteristically unmanly. She was so glad he was like that. “Come here,” she said, her voice a bit deeper than usual. Her tone turned his interest away from fashion and he leaned over her. She pulled him down to her for a kiss.

Minutes floated past, and when they finally separated, they laid next to each other, sharing the same pillow. She smiled as she pushed the hair out of his eyes. “Now tell me the truth,” she said, “Was it really so awful to have Dwight as one of the groomsmen?”

Jim rolled his eyes. “I knew you were going to bring that up.”

“Because I was right. He was so sweet today.” she grinned. “He didn't even smell like beets!”

“Yeah, and he didn't even make a fuss when we told him he couldn't wear his grandfather's tux. But I still can't believe you actually wanted him to be in the wedding party.”

Pam reached out and took his hand, intertwining their fingers. “It only made sense, Jim,” she explained, “if it wasn't for him how can we be sure we would have ever ended up together? I mean how many hours did we spend together plotting pranks against him? He made us what we are - we had to ask him.”

He kissed her hand. “Okay, maybe you have a point. And I will never forget the look on his face when I asked him.”

“Oh my god, I remember. He didn't believe you were serious for the longest time.”
The two laughed together, and once again returned to kissing. Jim moved even closer, reaching around Pam's waist and up her back, in search of the gown's zipper.

“Oh, wait,” Pam interrupted. “Did we give an apartment key to your mother?”

Jim kissed her neck and continued to work on freeing Pam from her dress. “Yes, we gave it to her last night, remember?”

“So she was taking all the gifts and cards over there, right?”

“Uh-huh,” he murmured against her skin. He had finally found the top of the zipper. Suddenly he stopped. “Damn. I nearly I forgot to give you something,” he said. He got up off the bed and rummaged through the bags on the floor until he came back with a small rectangular wrapped box and card. He sat on the edge of the bed, and Pam moved to sit next to him.

“What is it?” she asked, putting her arm around his back and resting her head on his right shoulder.

“My mom gave it to me before we left the reception. She said we were to open it as soon as we got settled in here.”

Jim opened the card. It was a simple white note card, with two hearts in a watercolor design on the front. Inside she had written:

Dear Jim and Pam,

It's not very often that a couple can precisely pinpoint the moment they made that important connection; the time they can remember back to and say “that's when I knew we were meant for each other.”

It's even rarer when there's physical proof of such a moment.

I am so blessed to be able to say that I was there at your moment.

I love you both more than I can say, and I know you love each other enough to get through anything life hands you. Don't ever let go of each other, or you'll have to deal with me.

Love,
Mom

They smiled at each other, and Pam rubbed his back as he opened the box. Jim pulled out a silver picture frame, and they stared at the photo in the frame.

“Oh my god,” Pam said, her hand covering her mouth.

It was a picture of Pam and Jim, asleep in each other's arms in the oversized chair at his mother's house. Jim's arm was around her, her arm around his waist, and their heads rested together. A blanket had been neatly tucked around them, and they looked incredibly peaceful and cozy.

“Thanksgiving,” they said in unison, then laughed at the unspoken jinx.

“Man, I will never forget that day,” Jim smiled, still looking at the picture.

“Hard to believe it was taken nearly two years ago,” Pam said softly.

He looked over at her. “It seems like a lifetime ago now.”

She hugged him closer. “It does. I just remember how nervous I was when I knocked at the door that morning.”

“You?” Jim laughed. “When I opened that door, I think my heart stopped for a full minute. You were the last person I expected to see. You looked incredible, and there I was in my old flannel pajamas, no shower, no nothing.”

“I thought you never looked better, actually,” she replied, kissing his shoulder. “Scruffy was looking pretty sexy that morning.”

“We did have a lot of fun that day though, didn't we?” He mused.

“Yeah. It was so nice to just be somewhere other than the office with you. It was so much easier. And of course you had to go and have a great family, which really was icing on the cake. Your aunts were a blast when we all went shopping the next day. I remember not wanting to leave on Friday night.”

He grinned. “I remember you not wanting Thursday night to end.”

She bumped him hard. “Shut up, Halpert,” she grinned, still blushing at the thought of that evening.


%*%*%*%*%*%*%*

They'd agreed to refill drinks during the break in the Yahtzee competition, so they both went into the kitchen. Jim took glasses down from the cabinet.

“I have had so much fun today,” Pam said, “I wish this day didn't have to end.”

“Hey, it's not over by a long shot, Beesly. In case you forgot, you committed us to hours upon hours of crushing shopping to look forward to tomorrow.”

She laughed. “It's not going to be that bad. We'll have fun.”

She looked up at him, and her face fell serious. She stepped closer to him, leaning back against the counter. “I've really missed that,” she said softly, “all the fun we have together.”

He stared at her. “Yea, we do have fun,” was all he could manage to say.

Pam put her hand on Jim's chest, her fingers tracing the knit weave on his sweater. “I've missed you so much, Jim. I really want you back.”

Jim couldn't bring himself to look at her; he wasn't prepared to believe what he was hearing. “I am back, Pam,” he tried to joke.

“You know what I mean, Jim. Today's been one of the best days of my life,” she continued. “Please don't make us go back to how we've been lately. I couldn't bear it.”

Jim finally looked at her, and was shocked to see tears forming in her eyes. “Hey,” he said, bring both arms up to touching her shoulders. “Pam, please don't cry.”

She brought her other hand up to his chest and seemed to study her hands for a moment. Then she looked up, and with only a moment's hesitation, reached up and kissed him softly. “I love you,” she whispered against his mouth, and kissed him softly once more. She rested her head against his chest, afraid of what his response would be.

He put his arms around her, and rested his head atop of hers. He felt a bit like he was in a dream - a beautifully vivid dream that he never wanted to wake up from. She'd just kissed him and told him she loved him. And now she was crying softly. He knew he was the cause of it and suddenly the only thing he could think of was making it stop. She didn't deserve to cry.

He brushed her hair out of her face and kissed her tenderly on her forehead. “It's going to be okay,” he said. He rubbed her back and kissed her forehead again. When she looked up he leaned down and kissed her lips. “I promise you it will be okay,” he said again when he finally pulled away. “We'll talk about this later, hmm?”

She nodded and stepped back. He pulled out the ice bucket, remembering his mom and aunts waiting for them in the dining room. She wiped the tears from her eyes as he poured the different drinks. Before picking up the glasses, he pulled her into a hug again. “I'm so glad you're here,” he told her. “I've missed you so much, too.”

The final Yahtzee game went by in a bit of a blur for Jim. Sitting with his mother and aunts pretending to be interested in a dice game was hard for him to pull off when his mind had taken his scene with Pam in the kitchen and put it on an endless loop. She kissed him. She loved him. She kissed him again. She wanted him back. What the hell was he doing making small talk with relatives at a time like this?
As soon as the game ended, he made it clear he was done for the night. He probably came off a little rudely, but he really didn't care.

He'd walked out with Pam to get her overnight bag, and she had been quiet around him since the end of the game. When she unlocked her trunk, he pulled up the lid and said to her. “I hope you're not uncomfortable staying here.”

“No, I'm not,” she said, finally looking into his eyes. “Are you?”

He grabbed her bag and shut the trunk. “No, not at all.” He hoped she could see in his eyes how much he meant it.

It was no surprise to him that his mother had assumed they wouldn't mind sharing Jim's old bedroom. She'd orchestrated Pam's appearance for Thanksgiving, that was bold enough. Pushing them together in the same room for the night? That seemed like a mere afterthought on her part. Deep down he knew he should resent this clear manipulation. What if things wouldn't have turned out this way? It could have been the world's most embarrassing day ever. But somehow it wasn't, and he wondered if his mother was really that skilled at reading people that she knew it would work out. Maybe he would be thanking her one day for being so outrageous on his behalf.

When he led Pam upstairs to his room, he felt her eyes burning into his back. He was as nervous as he would have been 10 years ago had he been bringing a girl up to his room. Shutting the door behind them seemed dramatic and final. All day they'd interacted with the background safety net of his family. Their conversation stayed light, they relaxed and were able to be playful with each other. They even flirted a bit - that harmless, funny kind of flirting that says 'hey you're cute'. But now it was just them. Would the playfulness still come as easily, or would they be as awkward as a day together at Dunder Mifflin?

Jim was still lost in thought when Pam sat down on his bed and began bouncing up and down on it.

“What are you doing?” he asked, a slip of a grin starting to show.

“I'm testing the bed,” she grinned.

“Testing it for what?” he asked.

“Comfort, support, bounceability. You know, the usual.” She stopped and patted the space beside her. “Come over here.”

“Beesly, are you drunk?”

“No,” she said, “absolutely, completely not. It's been hours since I've had any champagne.”

He walked over and sat on the bed. Before he knew what she was doing, she turned toward him and kissed him. Unlike the soft kisses she'd given him in the kitchen, she seemed determined and persistent. She ran her hands up his chest and around his neck, her fingers mixing with the curls at the back of his neck.

His response was quick and automatic. He wrapped his arms around her and she moved onto his lap. “I'm so sorry,” she whispered in his ear as she began to kiss his jaw and cheeks. “I'm so sorry about everything.”

“I know,” he replied hugging her tighter. “I'm so sorry about things, too.”

She pulled back. “You're still seeing someone, aren't you?”

He didn't want to talk about this now, but he knew he had to. “Yes, but it's not serious. It's never been serious.” He looked at her, and bit his lip. “I thought I had to move on, I thought any chance with you was over. But I just couldn't put my heart into it, you know? It didn't take me long to realize I never would be able to.”

“Oh, Jim,” she sighed, embracing him. “We've have really both make such a mess of things.”

Her understatement made him laugh. “Yeah, you could say that.”

“I know it's Karen.” She said it so softly he barely heard her. She looked at him and he slightly nodded.

“It's not going to be easy or pleasant. She's a great person and I never intended to hurt her. I never even told her about you.”

She held his face between her hands, and closed her eyes. “It's up to you to decide what you want to do about this.”

He mimicked her position, putting his hands on her face. “Pam, open your eyes.”
She did and he continued. “Look at me. Does it look like I have any decision to make? It's always going to be you. If this - you and me - is want you want, you tell me and I'll make it right.”

She kissed him again, softly stroking his face with her hands. “Yes. Always,” she replied between kisses. “I love you.”

They kissed and talked for quite some time. Pam cried over the struggles he'd gone through, while Jim felt sorrow for all the lost time gone by and all the damned missed opportunities they had to reconcile sooner. They talked about their guilt over hurting Karen. They tentatively discussed what the future might be like, but to Jim it felt surreal to even consider such a thing. He's spend so many years wishing for life that included Pam. Even so, it felt good to be sitting next to Pam, talking about a future that included him and her together at every turn.

They were getting thirsty, so Jim offered to run down to the kitchen for drinks. He grabbed his pajamas and changed in the bathroom before going downstairs. By the time he came back up, Pam had changed into hers. Their styles matched, as Pam was wearing a pink long-sleeved t-shirt and pink and grey flannel pants. She was reclining on Jim's bed.

“So I see I'm stuck with the cot,” he joked as he passed her a Coke.

She opened the can and took a long drink. “Not necessarily,” she said slowly.

Jim felt a surge of electricity somewhere low in his gut. “Oh,” was all he could think to say.

Pam took another sip and put her coke down. “We can share the bed, can't we?” she asked?

“Pam, it's an extended twin bed. It's going to be an awfully tight fit.”

She stood up and pulled the blankets and sheet back. “I don't mind being close to you.” she replied, indicating he should get into bed. “I think it's about time.”

Jim wondered where all of this would lead, and then decided to just stop thinking. Here was Pam, in his bedroom, wanting to be in his bed with him. What else was there to think about?

He got into bed as she flicked off the lights. She crawled in next to him. The best position was on their sides, facing each other. He threw his arm around her waist as she snuggled up close. “Not so bad now, is it?” she asked.

He could see her face clearly by the street light glare coming into the room. She looked pleased with herself, and he couldn't help but smile. “No, this isn't so bad,” he admitted.

“So tell me the history of this mattress, Halpert,” she said. “How many girls were notched into this headboard?”

“Amazingly none,” he replied.

“None?” She looked at him as if she didn't believe him.

“It's true. We had a house rule of no members of the opposite sex in our bedrooms.”

“So, like you never had a party with your parents gone and brought a girl up here?”

Jim shook his head. “Nope. Not while I lived here.”

Pam said nothing, but she was clearly thinking. “So that means I could be the first.”

Jim tried not to show how floored he was by her comment. “Yes, I suppose you could.”

Pam moved closer and slid her hand up his arm. “Let me be the first, Jim,” she implored quietly, eyes locked on his.

He didn't reply. He didn't trust himself to. He just kept looking at her. She kissed him, warm and open, and ran her hand down his side, slipping her hand under the waistband of his flannel pants. She moved her hand around to the small of his back, and pulled him closer.

“Wait,” Jim said, pulling back slightly. “We can't do this, Pam.”

“Why not?” she whispered.

“There are six other people on this floor, and the walls aren't very thick.”

“Then we'll be quiet, won't we?” The smile she gave him was one he'd never seen before. There a confidence in it that said she wanted him and she expected to have him. And it was by far the the biggest turn on he'd ever experienced. He pulled her back to him and kissed her, knowing he'd never be able to refuse her like this.

They both knew where they were heading but they didn't rush it. Their attempt to be quiet resulted in slow, deliberate love making. It was if they were determined to memorize each other's bodies in just that one night. By the time they were finished, there was no question of where they stood with each other. They were together, finally, completely. The rest was just a matter of tying up loose ends.

%*%*%*%*%*%*%*

Jim stood up and placed the card on the counter, and stood the frame up next to it.
“Speaking of not wanting a night to end,” he said, looking back at Pam, “what do you say we quit the talking and get to what a wedding night is supposed to be about?”

She stood up and walked over to him. “And what exactly is a wedding night supposed to be about?” she asked, as she started to unbutton his silver vest.

“That's a very good start,” he said gruffly, as she slipped his vest off and let it drop to the ground. “Now turn around.”

She complied, and Jim pushed some curls onto her shoulder. In a slow but deliberate manner he eased the zipper down on her wedding dress, and when it was completely undone he gently pushed her sleeves down off her shoulders. He took Pam's hand and helped her step out of the yards of material now billowed at her feet. She stood before him in lacy underwear and matching bra and began to unbutton his shirt while his hands enjoyed the feel of both the lace and the softness of her skin.

“You know, Mrs. Halpert, perhaps you should have done away with the dress and worn just this lovely ensemble.”

“Somethings are meant for your eyes only,” she smiled. “Besides, it's November in Scranton. I don't even want to think about where I could have suffered frostbite.”

“Hmmm,” he mumbled as he began to kiss her neck. “Are you keeping the tiara on?”

Pam caught her reflection in the mirror, and thought about their wedding day. It was Jim's idea to go with a tiara instead of a veil, and his enthusiasm in picking one out won her over to the idea. And it was true: she had felt like a queen all day long. She was amused to see that the tiara actually matched the underwear nicely. “Yeah, I think will keep it on,” she said.

“I'm glad,” he replied with a smile, “I suppose now is a good time to mention the whole list of princess fantasies I'm dying to try out.”