Short, fluffy, Jam. Yay! Read and review, constructive criticism is especially appreciated. Don't own.

Jim woke at 2:00 AM Australia time. The sounds of Sydney were just barely audible through his closed window—the boats were already running their shipping routes, and a few solitary cars hummed through the almost deserted streets.

He opened his eyes and rolled onto his side. The bathroom light was on, spilling out the open door into the main part of the hotel room. Jim pulled himself out of bed, and walked, zombie-like, to the door.

Pam was sitting cross-legged on the rug in the middle of the bathroom floor, her hair hanging loosely around her face and shoulders. She wore her blue slippers, thick white pajamas, and a grey t-shirt that he thought he recognized as his own.

Jim leaned against the door frame, watching her. She was twiddling with a ring on her finger, sliding it back and forth over her knuckle. Eventually, she looked up and saw him. "Hey," she said softly, "Did I wake you up?"

"Nah," he said sleepily, sitting beside her on the rug. "What's got you up so late?" he asked her, "Big day tomorrow. We have to trudge through seven feet of snow. And tha's just to get to the bus."

"Oh," she said, holding up her hand to show him the ring there, shiny and glossy on her finger. "Just—well, this was going to be my wedding ring. I should probably give it back to him."

Jim nodded and stared glumly at the floor, tracing the diamond pattern of the tile with his thumb. "You miss him?"

Pam sighed and fingered the diamond. "I don't know—yes."

Jim bit his lip and nodded. "I'm sorry. Ten years. That's a long time."

"Yeah. It is." He looked at her, and it was to see her eyes bright with tears, mirroring the ring on her finger. "Ten years of my life. Just gone…" He was her best friend too, not only her boyfriend, and when he slipped his arm around her shoulders, that was what she needed most. She slid the ring over her finger, rolling it between her thumb and pinky. "I like rubies," she said, more to herself than to him. "He bought me a diamond because his aunt was selling the ring her ex-husband gave her. It was cheap. I never said anything, though. It was a nice ring…just not for me." She reached onto the counter and pulled down a ring box. She slipped the ring inside and handed it to him. He looked at it and placed it on the floor.

Jim took her hand and rubbed her palm softly. "It's okay…it's okay…" She leaned against his chest, and he smelled her shampoo—lilacs and roses and rain.

"Do you still love me?" she whispered.

"Of course."

"Do you think he did?" she asked, tilting her head up to see his face, "Did he ever love me?"

Jim knew what she needed to here, and anyway, he wasn't sure it was a lie. "I'm sure he did." He rubbed her back, felt her relax into his hand.

She closed her eyes tightly and nodded. A few tears leaked out all the same. "Good," she said, "Thank you."

He nodded, and held her. "You need to get some sleep," he said finally, though he almost thought she'd fallen asleep on her own. "Come on." He clasped her hand and pulled her to her feet. She bent down and picked up the ring box before she allowed him to lead her out. He used his free hand to flip the light switch off, and they made their way back in silence.

He waited to hear the telltale springs that meant she was in bed before slipping in beside her. "Goodnight, Pam," he said, kissing her gently.

"Night, Jim," she sighed, snuggling in and closing her eyes.

She loved these little reminders that she'd made the right choice.