Jim shuddered against the pale yellow sheets, the early morning chill colder than he’d expected it to be; the comforter that he and Pam had picked out for their master bedroom had slipped down around his legs. It was the beginning of May, but the cold air lingered in Pennsylvania, and Jim was anxious for summer and the warmth that accompanied it.

Pam squirmed a little in her sleep, nestling in closer to his chest and sighing a little sigh, and Jim fell in love with her all over again. It was in the little moments like these that made him sure there wasn’t another woman who could ever take his fiancé’s place. He knew when she made that walk down the aisle, it would be perfect and their own, and he couldn't wait for it.

He had no idea how much planning and detail it took to plan even a small and simple wedding. Or the cost. Booking the church, reception hall, photographer, caterer, the cake... it all added up so quickly. He knew they were starting to feel a little bit overwhelmed with the whole process.

It made him hate Roy just a little bit more.

The last time Pam had been planning a wedding, she had done most of it on her own. And it made Jim’s skin crawl. He was determined to not make her do that again. He had been a part of all the discussions and planning so far, even if they hadn’t really gotten past a tentative date.

Pam moved again in her sleep and Jim knew she was starting to wake up. He placed a kiss on her forehead and smiled when she sighed and scooted closer to him.

“Morning,” she whispered against the fabric of his t-shirt, and he whispered it back against her hair. “What time is it?”

“Nearly seven,” he told her. "We should probably get going if we want to make it to work on time.”

“Eh,” Pam shrugged, “getting to work on time is overrated. Couldn’t we just stay in bed all day?”

“I wish,” Jim assured her, “but I’ve got a conference call with a potential client today that I really can’t miss.”

“That’s right,” Pam nodded with a grin. “I forgot about that. Alrighty then, might as well pry myself out of bed.”

“How about this,” Jim offered, “you get up and I’ll make breakfast?”

“Raisin Bran?”

“How did you guess?”

“I know you,” she grinned and stood up, pulling her tank-top down. "Let’s go. I’m starving.”

Jim nodded and followed Pam down the stairs and into their modest kitchen. The sun was just beginning to rise over the town of Scranton, flooding the little room with soft rays of early morning light. As they gathered the necessary items for their simple breakfast, they moved around in a completely coordinated pattern and sat down to eat together.

Jim loved the mornings. It was time that they were able to just be together, and even when they weren’t talking it was so them. He glanced up and eyed Pam as she scooped up another bite of cereal, and he felt like his heart was going to burst.

He suddenly didn’t want to wait any longer.

“You know what I want to do today?” he asked quickly, and Pam looked up with her eyebrows raised in question and shook her head. “I want to marry you.”

Pam’s eyes grew big as she swallowed the mouthful of cereal she’d just eaten, “What?”

“I want to marry you today,” Jim told her again. “I don’t want to wait anymore.”

“You are serious, aren’t you?”

“Absolutely.”

“But…what about the wedding?” Pam asked. "Our families, friends? You don’t want them there?”

“I dunno,” Jim answered honestly, “I know that I’d like them to be there, but our wedding really is all about us, or at least it should be. It seems as if we're bending over backwards trying to please everyone else, and I just want to be your husband--"

“You are so right,” Pam interrupted, and Jim’s head snapped up. “We shouldn’t have to pick our wedding date around my cousin’s camping trip and your aunt’s travel plans. We should plan it for us.”

“I agree.”

“And if we plan to do it today, while everyone is still at work, well... then that is when we do it.”

“Are you serious?”

“You aren’t backing out now Halpert,” Pam asked, “are you? You're the one who suggested this to begin with.”

“I’m not backing out,” Jim assured her. "But, don’t you want a wedding? A church ceremony with bridesmaids and a cake and me in a tux?”

“I can do without all of that as long as I get to be your wife,” Pam said, reaching across the table to grab his hand. "And yes, I realize how cheesy that just sounded. But could we really do it? Get married today?”

“We’ll have to find someplace where they don’t have a three day waiting period for marriage certificates,” Jim said, “but yeah, we could.”

“Well then,” Pam grinned, “I’ll do some research when we get to work. And I’ll bring a dress…”

“We are really going to do this,” Jim said, the disbelief in his voice, “get married today.”

“Yup,” Pam replied, her face glowing, “we are.”

Jim’s grin grew wide and he reached across the table to place a kiss on her lips. “Well then Beesly, let’s get moving!”

“I love you, Jim.”

“Love you, too.”

---

The quick ten minute drive to the Scranton Business Park was quiet, and Jim stroked Pam’s palm with his thumb as their entwined hands rested on the arm rest between them. There was an overnight bag in the backseat and a garment bag in the trunk, which housed the dress that Pam had picked out to wear.

Jim knew the dress well; it was the same pale pink dress she'd worn to the fancy dinner he’d taken her to for their one year anniversary in New York. They had spent the weekend in the city touring art museums and relaxing in Central Park, and ended it with an utterly romantic dinner at the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center. That same dress was now packed away gently to be the dress she became Mrs. James Halpert in.

The very thought took his breath away.

“I’m going to look up places when we get to work,” Pam reminded him. "Hopefully we can somewhere that isn’t too far away from here.”

“I agree,” Jim nodded, “I shouldn’t be much longer than an hour on this conference call, so I’ll talk to Toby about getting tomorrow off so we can have a extended weekend wherever we end up.”

“Sounds good,” Pam nodded, “just don’t give anything away.”

“It’s not me we have to worry about…”

“Excuse me?” Pam asked with a teasing tone covering her words. “I have no idea what you mean.”

“If I remember correctly, it was you who ousted us to the camera crew…”

“We were cornered,” Pam defended herself with a laugh. "Your, 'you can edit anything to look like anything'line wasn’t going to get us out of it.”

“They were totally buying it,” Jim argued, and Pam just glared at him skeptically. “Okay, maybe they weren’t.”

“They weren’t,” Pam assured him as he pulled into the parking lot. “I can’t believe we're doing this!”

“What? Working on our wedding day?”

“Getting married,” Pam gushed. "Our parents are going to flip.”

“Just remember,” Jim said as he pressed a kiss to her temple, “this is our wedding for us. We’ll have a dinner or a ceremony or something for them later on.”

“I know,” Pam told him, “I just can’t wait to be your wife.”

“I can’t wait to be your husband.”

“God,” Pam groaned after a quiet second, “we sound like we're quoting lines from a cheesy movie. But I can’t help but love it.”

“I love you.”

“Okay, we really need to stop now or it is going to stop being cute and I’m going to throw up... But I love you too.”

---

Jim’s head snapped up suddenly as he watched his fiancé at her desk from inside the conference room. Thankfully, his conference call was starting to wind down and he was all but sure he had nailed the sale. But he could tell that something had Pam irritated.

“Jim,” the voice on the other side of the phone started talking again, “I’m going to have to go over these numbers with my accounting department, but I don’t see anything wrong with them. I should be able to let you know by tomorrow.”

“That would be great Mr. Collins,” Jim answered, and then remembered he wasn’t planning on being in the office the next day, “but I’m going away with my fiancé for the weekend and won’t be in tomorrow. I could call you again Monday.”

“That's fine Jim, and please, call me Garrett,” the voice answered again, “and have a great weekend with your fiancée. I’ll talk to you Monday.”

“Yes sir,” Jim smiled. "Thank you Garrett.”

Jim disconnected the call and took a deep breath. This was another huge sale that he’d been counting on, and he was so glad he’d nailed it. It was a relief to get any money they could right now, especially with Pam’s impromptu decision to temporarily leave Dunder Mifflin and be employed under Michael Scott Paper Company. Although it had been a tough couple weeks, he was incredibly proud of her. Jim slipped out of conference room and headed back to the Annex quickly to catch Toby and check about getting some time off.

Ten minutes later, he was settling back into his desk with a vacation day planned for both him and Pam for the following day. It was all falling into place. When he glanced at Pam he noticed right away that she was stressing out about something.

Her eyebrows were pulled together and her nose scrunched up in thought and he heard a quiet groan exit her lips. He pulled up his instant message chat box and his fingers went to work quickly.

JHalpert: What’s wrong Beesly? I could hear that from over here.

Pam looked up at him in surprise and Jim grinned at her. He could tell that she hadn’t noticed him take his spot back at his desk and shook his head gently. He tapped his foot against the carpet as he waited for her to respond.

PBeesly: Youngstown, Ohio

JHalpert: I think I can deal with Ohio.

PBeesly: It’s a five hour drive; we’ll have to leave here by 11:30 to make it to the court house before 4:30.

JHalpert: Do you still want to do this?

PBeesly: I want to be your wife today.

JHalpert: Then let’s do it. I’ve already got tomorrow cleared with Toby.

PBeesly: Perfect. I’m emailing Michael now…

JHalpert: I hope he doesn’t ask too many questions.

PBeesly: He shouldn’t, he’s been distracted today. It’s only 11 and he’s already asking people about their lunch plans.

Jim stifled his laugh as Michael chose that moment to interrupt the office and beg someone to join him for lunch. His little espresso cup in his hand.

“Guys,” he started as he put on his typical ‘I’m about to make an extremely funny joke so you better laugh’ face, “I'm scared. I'm really scared. I think I'm growing into a giant. Because look at this normal sized coffee cup. Looks so tiny in my giant hand now. Anybody want to go to lunch with me later on?”

Jim couldn’t help but laugh when Dwight automatically answered, “I do.”

Michael shuddered and directed his attention away from Dwight, “Okay. How about a woman? Pam?”

Jim sucked in a deep break as he heard his girlfriend charm her way out of lunch. He had to hand it to her, the contractor excuse worked well. They of course hadn't actually talked to a contractor already; they were doing what they could on their own and then planning for major projects afterward, but had decided they would start that work after the wedding.

Which would be today. It took Jim a minute to realize again that at this time tomorrow, he’d be a husband.

He was pulled from his daydreams when Erin walked up to their island and tried to trade pleasantries with Dwight. Jim shook his head as Dwight bombarded her with reasoning on how she didn’t have to ask him how he was doing every time she walked up, and was in disbelief when she took Dwight's criticism with a smile. An actually genuine smile.

“Did somebody here leave a map in the printer to Youngstown, Ohio?” Jim heard her ask, and he traded a look with Pam.

Dwight took it upon himself to try and smoke out whoever had printed it, especially when he found out it was a map to a courthouse.

Dang it, Jim thought to himself, and just by looking at her, he could tell Pam’s expression mirrored his thought process exactly. Dwight, however, was easily distracted, and was examining Erin’s driver’s license and birth certificate with great enthusiasm when Jim felt a tap on his shoulder.

“Could we see you and Pam in the conference room for an interview?” Jane Michaels, one of the co-producers for their office's insane documentary, asked, and Pam nodded in response. They linked hands on the two-second walk to the next room, and Pam leaned up and whispered in his ear.

“I think we’re caught.”

He nodded as they settled into their chairs in front of the window.

“Thanks guys,” Jane said as she sat next to Carlos, one of the camera men. “Just a few questions and then you can be on your way. You know the drill.”

“We do,” Jim agreed, “after five years of doing this, I think we could do these in our sleep.”

Jane and Carlos both laughed before she spoke again. “Well, thankfully that isn’t a part of your contracts. So, either of you know anyone who would need to go to Ohio to get a learner's permit early?"

“There are other reasons to go to Ohio,” Jim offered, and almost before he’d finished the simple statement, Pam interjected.

“We're getting married today!”

Jim snickered a little bit as the words burst out of Pam's mouth, and the jaws of both Jane and Carlos dropped open. He turned to Pam with a smirk and she shrugged, "So, it turns out it's the closest place to get a marriage license without a 3 day waiting period."

“Tell 'em how it happened!” Pam instructed him, sensing that the crew didn't quite believe their ears, and he obliged. There was no way around it now. Pam grabbed onto his arm as he started explaining the reasoning for a sudden elopement. It wasn’t too long later when the red light on Carlos’ camera shut off and Pam pulled Jim up to his feet.

“Congratulations guys,” Jane told them with a smile. "We’re really happy for you.”

“Even if it means you don’t get to film our wedding?” Pam teased, “I know you guys were hoping to show that next fall.”

“Eh,” she said with a shrug, “doesn’t matter, really. We just really want to see you two happy, and it’s obvious you are.”

“Thanks,” they said in unison, and Jim continued, “besides, this way you’ll get to have the rest of the office’s reaction at the news. That’ll be a good cliffhanger.”

“True,” Jane agreed. “Now you two get out of here. We’ve got to run downstairs to where this whole Café Disco thing is happening.”

“Good luck,” Pam told them, and slipped out of the conference room and into the bathroom, where she had stashed her bag earlier that morning.

“We really are stoked for you guys,” Carlos added. "Now, how far away is Youngstown again?”

“Much farther than you would want to drive, I’m sure,” Jim teased, and Carlos only shrugged.

“He’s just messing with you, Jim,” Jane promised. “I won’t push those kinds of boundaries.”

“Thanks,” Jim answered honestly, “we appreciate that. Besides, I’m sure the reaction you get from everyone when we get back on Monday will be TV enough.”

“Very true,” Jane agreed. "See you guys Monday.”

Jim nodded and waited for them to leave before sneaking down the back stairs to pick a bouquet of flowers from the side of the building. He didn't think the flowers that Michael had insisted on planting each year would ever come in handy. Jim quickly picked a handful of daffodils and took the stairs back up to the office.

The rest of the office was quiet as he waited for Pam to emerge from the bathroom. Everyone except Stanley, who was asleep at his desk, had gone down to the closet Michael had turned into a disco.

It made their escape easy.

When she finally opened the bathroom door, Jim had to remind himself to breathe. He took a shaky breath and held out the flowers. “These are for you.”

“They’re beautiful,” Pam answered as she took them and brought them to her nose.

“You ready?”

She smiled up at him before taking his hand in hers, “Yeah.”

They walked through the office and into the elevator in near silence, only commenting on the eeriness of the quiet office mid-day. When they exited the elevator in the lobby, they could hear the music coming from the old Michael Scott Paper Company office, and Jim paused for a moment.

“We should probably stop by. It'd mean a lot to him,” he said out of the blue, and Pam had to agree. He glanced at his watch and knew they were already pushing it time-wise, but if they only stayed for a song or two, he could make it up with his speed on the highway.

The room was a lot more crowded than what either Jim or Pam expected, and they shared a look of amazement. People were actually having a good time. Pam dropped the bag from her shoulder and pulled Jim into the room. Midway through their first song Michael assured them they didn't have to stay if they didn't want to.

Jim assured him, “We're gonna stay."

"Really?"

"Yeah. At least for one more dance.”

Michael beamed, and Jim turned his attention back towards his fiancée.

“You know,” he started, “you really are a dorky dancer.”

“Like you are any better,” she retorted, and he just pulled her to him. He held her close for a few moments and placed a hard kiss against the top of her head.

As another song started to play, Pam slowed her dance movements slightly and Jim followed suit. She opened her mouth to talk, closed it, and then opened it again.

“This is so cheesy.”

Jim nodded, “Yes.”

“I like cheesy,” she told him, and he nodded again.

“Me too.”

“Yeah,” Pam started and paused for a moment, “I think maybe I want a 'wedding' wedding.”

“Me too.”

“Really?” she asked, her eyes raising to meet his.

“Yeah,” he answered quickly, and Pam threw her arms around him and pulled him close to her. Jim could feel her move her lips against his ear when she whispered 'thanks,' and hugged her closer to him.

When they finally walked out of the building an hour and a half later, they had dissolved into laugher as soon as the office doors were shut behind them.

“I still can't believe that Erin actually invited someone to this thing,” Pam gasped out in between laughs.

“I know,” Jim agreed, “or that anyone else would end up showing up. Did you see Kevin and Lynn in the corner? That was so disturbing.”

“I KNOW!”

“Woah there Beesly, calm down.”

“I think Michael may have spiked the cappuccino.”

“I didn't see any alcohol.”

“You weren't looking for it.”

“True.”

“So...”

“So...”

The car fell silent for a moment as Jim took a couple deep breaths, “Um, do you want to go home...?”

Pam shrugged, “I don't know. We don't have to go to work tomorrow, so maybe we could still go away for the weekend.”

“I don't want to be the stick in the mud, Pam,” Jim said with a grimace, “but we probably shouldn't. Not when we need money for planning a wedding and remodeling the house.”

“Right.”

Jim couldn't help but feel like he was drowning in the silence left after her simple response. This wasn't the way the day was supposed to be ending.

“I want to give you the wedding you want, Pam,” he said suddenly, causing Pam to look up sharply. “I just want you to be happy.”

“I love you Jim,” Pam gushed, “and I want to declare that love for you in front of a church full of our family and friends. I want the gorgeous white dress and the frilly bridesmaids dresses. I want your niece to be the flower girl and my dad to walk me down the aisle. I want the whole thing.”

“And I'll move heaven to give that to you,” he assured her, “I will. Let's spend tomorrow planning, really planning, scoping out churches and reception halls and flowers. Anything you want.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really.”

“Do you think...”

“What?”

“Do you think we could start brainstorming tonight? Have a nice relaxing night in?”

“Sounds like a perfect plan to me.”

---

Eleven Thousand, One Hundred, and Five Days

Today was almost my wedding day. Crazy isn't it? I woke up this morning just knowing that I wanted to marry Pam as quickly as possible. And that turned into a plan to drive five hours away and get married in a courthouse with no one there but us and the judge.

But, once again, things don't always go the way we originally plan them.

Amazingly enough it was Michael who talked us out of the impromptu elopement. And he did it without even realizing it. Michael's Cafe Disco, as odd as it sounds, made us realize just how badly we wanted the whole wedding, complete with the cheesy reception. So, we are back to square one. Sorta.

We picked a date tonight. And have pretty much decided where the wedding and reception will be located. And decided on how many attendants we're each going to have, and have almost figured out who they will be.

We are debating on colors still...but I'm sure that'll be figured out tomorrow, or sometime soon.

But we're getting married, and that is all that really matters.