This was a mistake.

Karen's eyes followed Jim as he made his way to the break room again. A few minutes later Pam followed again. The first few times it seemed just a consequence, Karen chalked it up to being overly paranoid.

At first.

Now she realized that maybe this wasn't going to work. A curse slipped through Karen's lips as she thought of all the connections she so quickly severed for this job.

For him.

Things were so much more relaxed back at the other branch. At Stamford all she had to deal with was Andy. But here? This wasn't an office, it was a frickin' daycare. And not even a well run one, at that.

Karen scrutinizes her new co-workers and she couldn't help but sigh. For a moment she smiled thinking about Meredith's reaction if she were to ask for a nip from that amber bottle she keeps in her bottom drawer. She could almost picture Meredith's blank stare as she tried to not understand what Karen was talking about. Karen shook her head with a bitter smile. That was just harsh. Being here with Michael, Dwight and the rest of them day in day out for years, she'd probably be hiding in the stairwell hitting a bottle too.

Karen peered at Jim and Pam. How could she not have seen it before? The way Pam couldn't meet his eyes, the tense line in Jim's shoulders. Karen pictured herself jumping up and as she would she'd hear her chair fall over.  She'd scream, "Why don't you kiss her already!"  Maybe she'd run over to Dwight's desk and rip that stupid bobblehead's head off while she's at it.   

But she didn't, that would be giving up. Is she giving up? "Am I giving up?" she whispered.

Creed looked over his book at her for a moment. His half moon glasses sitting slightly crooked on his face. He gave Karen a smile that made her stomach flip. "Can I do something for you, Sweetmeat?"

Karen grimaced and turned to Meredith. "You wouldn't happen to have a Tums, would you?" Creed shrugged his shoulders and went back to his reading.

Meredith shook her head without looking up.

Karen felt her stomach churn as Pam's hand came to briefly rest on Jim's shoulder. It was at that moment she understood that maybe giving up would not be her choice to make after all.