I.

She is drawing something in her sketchbook in the break room during lunch one day. Her face scowling with a determinination that he doesn't see when he talks to her. She's always been too shy, too insecure. When they talk, she seems happy.  But after that she's quiet and withdraw.

Probably all the time she's spent with Roy, he thinks.  

But not when she's drawing.  When she's drawing, she's someone else, she seems confident, sure of herself.  Jim smiles to himself.  He likes that.  

Sensing someone is looking, Pam looks up and sees Jim standing at the counter, watching her. Pam's faces breaks out into a big smile.  

And his heart starts doing flip-flops in his chest.

II.

Casino Night.  It was going to be just like all the other nights Michael came up with to boost morale or whatever he does for whatever reason.  Jim was going only for a short while and then he saw Pam.

She was gorgeous.

Jim decided to hang around for a while longer. They played Texas Hold'em with Kevin smirking all the way through until Pam beat them both.  She was so beautiful, so happy. Jim thought.

He walked into the office after his confession in the parking lot.  He didn't mean to, it just slipped out.  He meant to tell her that he was transferring, but then he couldn't.

She was leaning on his desk, talking to her mom when Jim came in.  So sad, he thought.  Then nothing else mattered.  He walked over to her and she hung up the phone.  Like a man possessed, he kissed her.  

After years of waiting for her to his, she kissed him back.  And for a second, he forgot to breathe.

III.

After six months of being in Stamford, Jim learns that the Stamford and the Scranton branches are merging.  He's going back to Scranton, back to Pam.  He likes the idea of being in Scranton again.  But being near Pam, after what happened.  He doesn't know.  And now that he's dating Karen...

He took the coward's way out when leaving, he told Michael about his transfer and left.  He didn't see Pam, he just left.  He hasn't seen her since Casino Night.

The day of the merger arrives and Jim's heart is pounding.  He's so nervous, he hasn't been this nervous since high school.  Parking in the Dunder Mifflin parking lot, he sees Pam's little blue Yaris.  It's now or never. 

Through the front doors, in the elevator, second level, down the hallway and he suddenly sees the door.  Just like always, like nothing has changed and yet everything has changed.  

Then he sees her.  And she sees him.

"Hello, my name is Jim..."  She races to him and launches herself into his arms, like she really missed him.  And he feels like home.

IV.

After Jim admitted to Karen about his feelings toward Pam, their relantionship had been on the rocks.  Karen always seemed too distant, then she was too clingy.  When Jim began to think that they were going to make it together, despite Pam hanging over them like a dark cloud, Karen told him that she was going to transfer.

"Why?"
"I don't know... I don't like Scranton.  It's too small.  Michael... I guess. I don't see myself working for him for the rest of my life.  Among other things."  She said all of this looking at Jim's tie.
"Where does this leave us?"
She finally looked up to meet Jim's eyes.  "Come with me?"
He didn't know what to say.  He wanted to stay with Pam, even if she didn't love him.  But he also wanted to go.  It was hell in Stamford without Pam. But Karen was a great girl.  It wasn't going to work with Pam,  everything was so messed up.  Even if Pam wasn't with Roy now, she would some how end up right back with him.  He should transfer with Karen, if only to get out of here.  Again.

In the end, Jim didn't transfer.  She left and didn't look back.

The day after Karen left, Jim was sitting in the break room and looking glum.  Pam came in and Jim's heart skipped a beat.
"Hey, you OK?" Pam asked.
"Yeah.  Fine"
"You don't look fine."
He looked up and saw Pam standing by the drink machine.  "Karen and I broke up."
"Oh. Is that why she isn't here today?"
"Something like that.  She transferred to New York."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be."
"Do you want to talk about it?"  She sat down at his table.  Looking at him with her green eyes, full of concern.
"She filed for a transfer a couple of weeks ago and just yesterday she told me about it and then she asked me to go with her."
"You didn't."  It wasn't a question.
"No" He looked directly right her. Her eyes widen a bit, then she looked down at her hands, as if she was nervous.
"Why didn't you?" She asked the question still looking at her hands.
"I don't know." Something in her voice made Pam look up.  She met his eyes.

This time she didn't look away.  And his heart began to race.

V.

It was about two weeks after Jim turned down the job in New York, that Jim and Pam announced to the office that they were dating.  It was six months before they decided to move in together.

The Saturday after Jim moved into Pam's apartment, they were lounging around on Jim's old couch when Pam suddenly sat up and asked Jim if he ever thought about what had happened between the two of them.

"What do you mean?"
"Well, you loved me for three years and then you kissed me and moved away.  I broke up with Roy and you got with Karen and then I realized I loved you.  The you broke up with Karen and then we happened."
"Still not getting what you mean." Jim laughed.
"What if there was some way we could have been together from the start? Like, a sign telling us that we were suppose to be together.  Or maybe we were suppose to do this to ourselves?"
"Pam, there were so many signs.  You were just too hard-headed to see them." Jim chuckled at Pam's serious words.
"Hey! I'm being serious"  She swatted at him.
He laughed again.  "Seriously, I think that we are suppose to be here, this way."
"Jim?"
"Yeah?" The tone of her voice was different now; it made him wonder what she was going to say.
"Will you marry me?"

Jim knew, at that instant, that everything they went through, no matter how long it took them to reach this point, it was worth it.

"Why, Miss Fancy New Beesly! I thought I was suppose to ask you?"