Sweatpants, an old T-shirt of his, a ridiculous New Year's hat, her infectious grin.
She's wearing all of these things when, for the millionth time, she stops his heart.
To him, she's that girl- the one who is just as stunning in baggy sportswear as she is in evening gowns. She'd tried to put on a dress, Fancy New Beesly style, but he'd torn it off of her in a fit of kisses. Protesting, but smiling, she'd told him that she just wanted to look beautiful for him, adding "for a change" self-deprecatingly.
Prior to tackling her, he'd told her the truth: he's thought she was beautiful since the first time he laid eyes on her, and as long as his shimmering diamond remains on her finger, he doesn't give a damn what else she wears.
And so, seconds before 2009, he sees her for all that she is: an inexorable combination of the two of them. His clothes, lovingly embracing her even when he's away; a ridiculous New Year's hat, because he is the one who gets to kiss her at midnight, tonight and every night; her smile, rivaled only by his own, the amazingly persistent happiness they have together. The ring, a tangible assertion of a promise that's been evolving since a certain cup of yogurt expired.
Somewhere, the ball drops, cheers erupt, millions kiss. But the combined passion of all of these gestures pales in comparison to the rush he feels merely standing in the same room with her.
Pam Beesly is his, finally his, forever his.
His grin is so wide it almost hurts. "What?" she asks, almost self-consciously, sweeping back stray curls that have managed to escape the clutches of her absurd party hat.
"Leap second, Beesly." he replies, surprised at his ability to form words. "The universe screwed itself up so that I'd get an extra moment with you."
And then she's kissing him with the same intensity he's feeling, pressing against him with an urgency that, rather than dissipating as their relationship lengthens, seems only to have intensified.
"I love you," she whispers huskily, lips grazing his jaw, "and I find that many things about the universe are screwed up when I'm not right here in your arms."