TO: Hermione Granger

FROM: ACE Chemicals Management

SUBJECT: Congratulations to an OUTSTANDING Employee

Ms. Granger,

In recognition of your incredible accomplishments at ACE Chemicals in the Research department, we would like to present you with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

You have been awarded an all-expenses paid vacation for one to Antelope Canyon in Lechee, Arizona. Enclosed, you will find the details pertaining to your trip.

Congratulations, Ms. Granger. You've earned it.

Hermione flipped the note back, began reading over the itinerary supplied, and clicked on a new browser to research the hotel she'd be staying in and the city she would be exploring. Things like this never happened to her, so she intended to take full advantage. Her flight was in two days, which meant she had a lot to do to prepare, so Hermione quickly completed a few other work-related items she needed to complete before closing the lid to her computer.

She started tucking her laptop into its case and swinging it onto her shoulder when she laughed, shaking her head and setting it back down on the desk. "This is a vacation," she mumbled quietly to herself as she moved from behind her desk. "No work allowed."

. . . . . . . . .

TO: Dr. Pamela Isley

FROM: ACE Chemical Management

SUBJECT: Congratulations

Dr. Isley,

In recognition of your accomplishments with ACE Chemicals in our Research department, we would like to present you with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to show just how important the work you have been doing is to our company.

You have been awarded an all-expenses paid vacation for one to Antelope Canyon in Lechee, Arizona. Enclosed, you will find the details pertaining to your trip.

Congratulations, Dr. Isley. You've earned it.

Pamela scrolled down on the screen and skimmed over the details of the trip, nodding her head slowly. "Interesting," she mused, printing the itinerary and flight information before closing her laptop. She glanced over at the plants on the far side of her lap as a smile pulled at her lips.

The Baltica was starting to grow along the trellis and take over the space nicely, just as she had expected it would. However, she hadn't accounted for the fact that it would try to overtake the Hedera hibernica growing in the next flower bed. Pamela shook her head as she pushed away from her desk and moved toward the raised beds as she crossed her arms over her chest. She hated to cut the plants back when they were growing so well, but she didn't want to see one plant choke out the other.

"That's a problem for after my trip," she said, stopping herself from reaching for the scissors. Pamela spun on her heels, grabbed her notebook off the desk, and shoved it into her purse before going over to the printer to grab her printouts. "You don't often get a chance to just get away," she mumbled quietly to herself. "Take full advantage."

. . . . . . . . .

"I'm sorry, ma'am," the attendant in the airport said, shaking her head as she stared at the computer screen. "Someone has already checked in with this seat number. There must be some mistake."

Hermione took a steadying breath as she tapped her fingertips against her thigh. "I'm not sure how that's possible," she responded, shoving the flight confirmation across the desk toward her. "Are you sure you typed the number incorrectly?"

"I'm sure," the attendant said, turning the paper toward her and typing the number one more time.

"Can you see the name that checked in with the seat?" Hermione asked, carding a hand through her curls. She closed her eyes for a moment and thought about all the possible ways this trip could get worse, and the number one thing on her list was that she never left the damn airport.

"Let me see if they are waiting to board," the attendant replied, offering a smile. "Don't worry, ma'am, we'll get this figured out and get you on that plane."

"Thank you," Hermione said, returning the smile as she reached for the piece of paper on the desk and skimmed it over one more time. She was at the correct airport and terminal, so it wasn't a mistake on her part. It had to be something on the computer.

She heard the attendant's voice over the loudspeaker calling for the passenger who was seated in her seat. Hermione took a deep breath and turned to look out in the crowd to see who the lucky person was that had taken her seat. She cocked her head to the side when she saw a familiar face making her way toward the desk.

"Isley?" Hermione asked, pushing away from the desk to hug the redhead woman. "What are you doing here?"

"Granger," Pamela responded, embracing Hermione in a brief hug before pulling away. "The flight attendant just called for me. What are you doing here?"

Hermione laughed, nodding her head slowly. "I'm the reason you were called over here. It would appear that you've checked into my seat."

Pamela furrowed her brow and cocked her head to the side. "Your seat?" She reached into her carry-on and pulled out a piece of paper, unfolding it and handing it to Hermione. "You mean my seat."

Hermione took the paper out of Pamela's hand and skimmed it over quickly. She shook her head as she handed the paper back to Pamela, grabbed her confirmation paper off the desk, and handed it to Pamela. Hermione waited a moment for Pamela to come to the same realization she had.

"They awarded us the same trip," Pamela laughed, folding the piece of paper and handing it back to Hermione. "You've got to be kidding me. What are we supposed to do?"

Hermione thought about it for a moment before turning her attention back to the flight attendant. "Are there any open seats on the plane? Preferably two that are together."

"What are you doing?" Pamela asked, stepping up beside her.

"ACE presented this opportunity to both of us," Hermione said. "It's only fair that we both get to enjoy this trip on the company's dime." She reached into her pocketbook and pulled out a credit card, sliding it across the desk.

"I've got two seats, but they are in first class," the attendant said, looking between the two women.

"Cancel our original seats and book the two that are together," Hermione said, sliding the credit card across the desk. "Charge them with this card. When we return, I'll fill out an expense report for the charges."

"Won't your boss get mad at you for using your company card?" Pamela asked, cocking a brow as she studied Hermione's face. She had seen her around the building before but had never had the pleasure of spending a lot of time with her. Hermione worked for a separate research team, but her work eventually trickled down to what was going on in Pamela's lab - so it was almost as though the pair worked together.

"He'll get over it," Hermione shrugged, taking the card back from the flight attendant and slipping it into her wallet. "Especially when I tell him what happened - I'm sure he'll be very apologetic."

. . . . . . . . .

"What the hell did you get me into?" Pamela groaned, staring at the entrance to the canyon. She could see the metal staircase leading down into the dark and shook her head. "I'm not going down there.'

"You most certainly are," Hermione said, offering a hand and smiling when Pamela wrapped her hand around Hermione's fingers. She pulled the other woman into her and wrapped an arm around her waist. She leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Pamela's lips. "You are perfectly safe. We have a fabulous tour guide who promises not to leave you behind, and besides, you know you want to see the light beams coming down through the rocks."

Pamela rolled her eyes and broke away from Hermione's embrace with a smile on her face. "You're lucky you're cute," Pamela sighed, moving past Hermione and beginning her descent of the stairs.

The staircase wound its way down into the canyon with little space for anyone to move past someone who may have been climbing a little too slow, but that didn't matter. Hermione and Pamela had booked a private tour so they wouldn't be disrupted. It was the first time either of them had done anything like this, and they wanted to make the most out of every moment they had.

The mishap at the airport was long forgotten by the time they landed in Arizona. The pair had spent the entire flight talking about a variety of things they had in common. They were both excited to realize the two of them had more in common than just the teams they worked for as part of ACE Chemicals.

A friendship had begun to blossom on the airplane, and by the time they arrived at the hotel, a spark had appeared to be lit between the two of them. By the end of their first night in Arizona, Hermione and Pamela had shared their first kiss at sunset as they enjoyed the quiet of the desert with a bottle of wine a few miles away from the hotel.

Now they were conquering Pamela's fear of confined spaces by exploring Canyon X - a lesser-known part of Antelope Canyon that didn't see as many visitors as the Upper and Lower Canyons. Hermione knew that if Pamela was going to conquer her fears, it would be best to do it with as few people around as possible.

They made their way to the bottom of the canyon quickly and listened as the tour guide gave them a few pointers before leaving them to explore. Hermione reached out and took Pamela's hand, pulling her deeper into the canyon. The two women looked around in awe at the beauty of the rock formations that surrounded them. The light was filtering through a small slit at the top of the canyon.

"I'm so happy we ended up taking this trip together," Pamela said, stopping in her tracks as she waited for Hermione to turn around and look at her. "We never would have had the chance to really get to know one another if it weren't for that mix-up in the airport."

"A once-in-a-lifetime mistake led to a future full of brand new endeavors together," Hermione said, smiling as she stepped forward to cup Pamela's cheek and leaned in to kiss her lips.