Disclaimer: I own nothing but a shitload of frequent flyer miles and a disdain of airports.

Jim tapped an empty water bottle repeatedly against his thigh in time with the music blaring in his ears.   A sharp elbow to the ribs brought him from his reverie.

"Stop making that noise please."  Pam sniffled.

He tugged the bud from his ear and smiled down at her.  "Huh?"

"I'm sorry.  My head hurts and it's annoying me."  She blew a curl out of her eyes and sighed a little.

"Like Chinese water torture?" 

"Yes - except without the Chinese."

She gave a look to the empty bottle.  "Or the water."  Pam curled her hand around his bicep and snuggled against his shoulder.  "Mmmm.  Chinese.   That's what I need.  Hot and Sour soup would kick this cold's ass."

He pressed his lips against the top of her head and whispered.   "Hey.  I told you before.  We didn't have to..." 

"Don't start again. I'm fine and we're getting on that plane."  She replied her voice full of determination.

"Delta Airlines doesn't seem to agree with you Beesly."

She smiled in spite of her growing impatience.   She was not going to let anything, whether it be a cold or an airline delay, stop them from getting out of here. 

Pam sighed and decided she'd try to be positive.  "So what were you rocking out to before?"

"Oh, you mean back when I was annoying you?"

"Yes.  I mean then."  She smiled wider, her hand sliding down his forearm to twine her fingers with his.  "Scrantonicity II's Greatest Hits?"

"Which would be The Police's Greatest Hits...."

"Well, yeah.  Not quite the same..."

"True.  But no."  Jim chuckled.

"A cappella Andy?"

"Nope."

"Dwight and his recorder?"

He nodded as if she'd just guessed the selection on his iPod.  "You know me too well Pam."

"I do, don't I?"  She got a few butterflies in her stomach when she realized how true that was.

"You do."

Another announcement interrupted their conversation, the third in an hour, and each one had ended up delaying their trip a little bit more.

"When we talked about going away, I thought we'd actually leave the airport."  Pam gave him a pointed look.

"See?  This is the problem.  You don't know how to enjoy yourself."

"Oh I don't?"

"No."  He kissed her forehead quickly before standing and stretching.  As Pam watched him she bit her lip, wondering if there was any way possible to find some place to kill the time they seemed to have plenty of all of the sudden. 

"I'll be back in a minute."

Her eyes followed him as he walked away, wondering what he was up to.  She was sure whatever it was would end up amusing her, as it was always prone to do.

At least she could people watch she thought, her hand reaching down into her carry-on to grab a sketchbook.   Her eye was immediately drawn to the gate across the way, where a flight to Orlando was boarding.   She smiled softly as she spied a pair of princesses, one dressed as Cinderella all in blue, the other as Belle bedecked in yellow, both hopping up and down excitedly on the balls of their feet.  Their parents looked equally delighted to be going to the happiest place on earth.

As Pam watched them she couldn't help but think they looked exactly like she felt.   She did feel sort of princess-y these days.   Not that Jim was a perfect Prince Charming by any means, but being with him made her often feel like she lived in a fairy tale.   And their giddiness mirrored hers to a "T" no matter how she tried to restrain herself and hide it.   She could not be more excited at the prospect of getting away from it all - together.

She began to sketch, in color which wasn't her normal choice, but something about the little girls across the way seemed to scream for pastels rather than black and white.   Her hand swiftly moved across the page and it wasn't long before she was completely immersed in her drawing.

Pam didn't look up again until a large sneakered foot tapped against her own petite Keds clad one.

"Hey."  She grinned.

"Hi."  He smiled back.

Jim shook a large plastic bag in her direction.  "I called you to ask what you wanted but you didn't pick up."

She scrunched her nose and rummaged through her purse.  "Whoops.  It's dead."

"Must be why you didn't hear it."  He replied.  "Or maybe it was what you were working on there."  He dug a Coke out of the bag and handed it to her.  "I bought you tissues, the slimy kind with the lotion that you like..."  He shivered a bit before he continued. "...and we've got enough snacks to last us through the weekend at least, if we ration and you share the Twizzlers - red ones, naturally."

"You're very good to me.  But sorry.  I'm not sharing the Twizzlers."

Jim's eyes grew wide.  "Not even if I were dying of hunger?"

She contemplated but then shook her head.  "No.  If you were dying of hunger I'd give you half."

"The package?"

"No." She beamed.  "Half a Twizzler."

They spent some time sharing a picnic of snacks, and another hour trying to remember all the toys on Michael's desk. 

In the midst of Pam's turn Jim blurted out.  "Oh my God.  I cannot believe I forgot to tell you.  I know how the VCR got broken!"

Pam couldn't believe it either.  This had been a mystery begging to be solved for weeks.

"How?"

"Well."  Jim squinted his eyes at her in that adorable way that was her undoing. "Apparently, Kelly has aspirations of becoming Paris Hilton."

She rolled her eyes back at him.  "Well - Jim.  That's obvious."

"In every way."

Pam looked at him quizzically before she finally figured it out.  "Shut up."

"It gets better."  His grin grew wider.   "It's not with the obvious co-star."

"Not Darryl?" 

"Not Darryl."  Jim replied with a nod.  "Think....shorter....and...whiter."

"Oh. My. GOD."

"That's what she said."  Jim snickered as he grabbed another potato chip.  "Literally."

"So.  Wait.  You SAW IT???"

"Just a few seconds, you know, right before my retinas were irrevocably burned."

"Who has the tape now?"  She stared into his eyes, the answer to her question obvious by the way he blinked back at her.

"Kevin?"

"Nope."

"Shut up."  She grew more horrified by the second.  "What is Michael going to do with that tape?"

"Pam.  Please.  I distracted him and then threw it out.   The one he's got is blank."

"You did not throw it out."

"Of course I did."

"You did not."

"OK.  I wasn't going to - but it really got pretty mangled when Michael got it out of the VCR - so it was thrown in the garbage. I'm sad to say you won't be able to purchase a copy to add to your collection."

She blushed a bit even as she pouted.  "I hate you."

"Liar."

As she tried to process that piece of amazing office gossip Jim picked up her sketchbook.

"Oh wow.  Look at this."

Pam leaned over his shoulder as her lips curved into a smile.  "They were too cute not to sketch."

"They are cute.  They look so excited."

"Most kids are when they're going to Disney World, though there were a bunch who leaned to the more whiny side.  I opted to leave them out of it."

"Definitely the right choice.  I mean, what's to whine about?   Rides, a guy dressed in a mouse suit..."

"Beats me."  Pam shrugged.   "But yeah anyway, they were really adorable."

"Our kids won't whine when we take them." He said matter-of-factly when he handed the sketchpad back to her.

Pam's heartbeat quickened as her hand brushed his in the process.   "Our kids?"

"Yeah."  He gave her a goofy grin.

"Shouldn't we get married first?"  Pam asked, a smile blooming over her whole face.

"Well, we could...if we ever get out of here." 

"The airport has a chapel right?"  She suggested, her eyes twinkling.

"Are you saying you want to get married at the Philadelphia airport?"

She leaned close and brushed her lips against his.  "I already told you.  I'd marry you anywhere.  You're the one who picked the Caribbean."

Pam could tell he was contemplating it, if only for a moment.  Fortunately for both of them another announcement blared on the PA system announcing their long awaited boarding.

As Jim stood Pam could tell he was clearly shaken by their conversation.   She meant every word though.   She had no qualms about marrying him.  Not here, not there.  It didn't matter as long as at the end of the ceremony she walked away with him. 

"So.  Are you ready?"

She stashed the sketchbook back in her bag carefully, thinking as she did that the picture drawn there was just another dream that would come true eventually.  She took his hand and followed as he tugged her gently towards the gate.

"Absolutely."