---

“Our summer?” Pam grinned as she sat beside her husband in the conference room, reunited with the cameras that made their annual return following another summer at Dunder Mifflin, Scranton.

“Well…” Jim’s expression mirrored Pam’s.

“I became manager!” Pam exclaimed as though she couldn’t keep it in any longer.

“Mm.” Jim nodded proudly beside her with a thoughtful hand covering his mouth, before pausing. “But then, I got Pam pregnant.”

“Good job.” Pam spoke directly to Jim this time.

“Thank you. It was my pleasure.” Jim smirked at his wife.

“But, obviously…”

“Maternity leave.” He finished for her.

“I can afford to take some this time!” Pam spoke proudly.

“Pam’s salary is considerably better now, as a result of her poor sales skills.” Jim explained, comfortable that his comments wouldn’t bother Pam, who nodded along to every word.

“Yes, but I really am better suited to managing sales, rather than making them.”

Jim nodded in agreement before continuing. “So while Pam is on maternity leave, I will be covering as manager, despite my wishes...”

Pam ignored Jim’s ever so slightly bitter tone. “It’s to ensure my job security. I don’t want to get replaced by my cover.”

“And I don’t want to get shot.” Jim added.

“So, this benefits everyone.”

“Obviously, Dwight doesn’t see it that way.” Jim spoke, smugly.

“Or Kelly.” Pam added, with an undertone of warning directed at Jim. “Kelly wanted to be manager of the branch, but more than that, she wanted herself and Ryan to be the ‘power couple of Scranton’.”

“The names of the Clintons, ‘Brangelina’ and the Beckhams were mentioned.” Jim sighed, and the word ‘Brangelina’ was spoken with a distinct judgement of the term.

---

A separate talking head of Kelly briefly interjects.

“Screw Jim and Pam! Me and Ryan are the Brangelina of this office! And I am a sexy, Indian Hilary! Pam can go running back to John Mayer.”

---

“But Michael’s happy for us.” Pam commented, back in her talking head beside Jim.

“And by happy for us, Pam means that Michael has sent a musical card every day since we found out.” Jim clarified.

“Michael’s found a website where he can record his own voice to go inside the cards.” Pam continued.

“Which is, frankly, even worse than you might think, considering the comfort that Cece finds in Michael’s musical cards.” Jim sighed.

Pam picked up a pile of cards, her face half amused and half annoyed. “Jim, Jim, Jim, stop banging Pam, stop banging her so haaaaard, or the next baby won’t get a caaaard.” Michael’s voice sang out from the inside of the card, with as much conviction and gusto as the couple remembered of their old boss, and friend. The next one was mellower, “Pam! I’m sorry you’re getting fat, next time get a cat, I am really happy for you, another Halpert to sing to.” The jingles sang out from the cards, some more crude than others. “Big boobs, you’re gonna get… big boobs!”

“I like that one.” Jim quietly commented, before receiving a stern glare from his wife.

“Testing, testing 1, 2, 3. Is this thing on?!” Michael chuckled on the voice recording. Jim and Pam pictured the hours he had sat around recording the messages, with tears in his eyes from laughing.

“He’s also downloaded the pregnancy app, and sends me updates as to how my baby is developing. However, he likes to edit the information a little.” Pam spoke, with an affectionate tone. “Most recently, I was informed that my child is developing the part of its brain that will hold The Simpsons trivia.”

“Which seems difficult since Pam refuses to watch anything except British literary adaptations, period drama and Antiques Roadshow.”

“I want to give birth to a little Jane Austen.” Pam admitted.

“I just want the baby to be healthy… and a boy.” Jim grinned, before retracting his smug facial expression in response to another glare from Pam. “Or girl.”

“We have even reformed The Finer Things Club. Except Kevin is allowed in it now, because I have no one else to eat second lunch with otherwise. Toby appears to be fasting.” Pam continued informing the producers of the updates in the office, happily.

“And Andy.” Jim added.

“Oh yes, that was a bargaining tool so that he wouldn’t send us any musical cards. He found one of Michael’s.” Pam sighed.

“We dodged a bullet there.” Jim spoke only to Pam, in an unnecessarily serious tone of voice.

---

The office was reasonably quiet but for the occasional ring of the telephone and Erin’s repetitive answer, as well as the sound of Dwight’s violent stapling. Pam was sat in her office, staring at the back of Jim’s head as she waited for Jordan to return with the copies she had asked for.

Jordan had been employed by the previous branch manager, Deangelo Vickers. Whilst Pam had not “clicked”, as she so politely put it, with Deangelo, she saw it fair to keep Jordan on. She got on well with her, as well. Jordan was keen to impress, she was yet to make an enemy in the office and was fairly sane (enough to pass up Ryan’s advances). Upon her arrival, the office staff were quick to comment on her striking looks, with Kelly observantly comparing Jordan to Elle McPherson.

Pam and Jim had shared little interaction with Jordan before Pam’s promotion. A promotion that came as a result of one act of manipulation of Gabe, one act of love from Jim and one act of impatience by Jo. The position suited her though, despite her inexperience. She had superior competency to Michael, all the patience learned from her years of working with Michael, natural managerial skills, with a careful dose of compassion. It also helped that a number of failed managers had briefly come and gone, so by the time her number was up, everyone was too fed up to oppose the decision. The only person that might have was Dwight, and Dwight’s firearm incident had ruled him out. He at least had a vague, distorted friendship to fall back on if the manager was Pam.

“Jordan, can you let Jim know that we need to go meet the doctor at half past two this afternoon? And insist that Angela turns off her kitty-cam until her lunch break. Oh, and pass this post-it onto Kevin please.” Pam grinned coyly, making a vague attempt at hiding her enjoyment of the power as she felt the cameras drawing in on her face.

As Jordan went off on the errands for Pam, her eyes brushed over the words on the post-it. Pam was offering to trade Kevin some red M&Ms if he picked up some food for them from Wendy’s. Jordan thought nothing of it. It was Dwight who provided her with the real amusement, so Pam’s abuse of power and bribery seemed pretty small potatoes.

“Hey Jim, Pam asked me to remind you that the doctor is at half past two.” Jordan spoke quietly to Jim, as he looked up from his desk at her. He said nothing in response, gesturing that he understood, before swivelling his chair to face Pam looking out from her private office.

“I’m right here you know.” Jim laughed.

“I know but I can’t think of any actual work to give her so I just send her to tell people things. How much do we even pay her?”

“Really Beesly? That’s how it’s going to play out? Our relationship will be mediated by your assistant. No more kids from here on out then.”

“Jim! She’s not coming home with us.” Pam giggled, at the thought of Jim’s reference to their home life.

“You’re probably paying her enough to.”

“I’ll look into it.” Pam said, in a faux-serious tone. After a pause that simply consisted of mutual Halpert gazing, Pam continued. “Hey, now I’m boss, do you think I have enough authority to re-hire David Wallace?”

“Are you going mad with power back there?” Jim laughed at Pam’s suggestion.

“Probably. I bet that’s what happened to Michael, Deangelo and Jan!” Pam justified, in a more serious tone.

“I think Michael got slowly saner through the years actually. Jan went crazy because she was like a dormant volcano that just got poked by the Michael stick. And Deangelo… I think he probably went crazy as a result of his own company.” Jim rationalized, as Pam’s expression showed her attentiveness.

They were interrupted by an email alert on Pam’s computer. “Michael.” Pam muttered, barely audible to Jim.

“What?”

“Check yours.”

Jim swivelled his chair back to his computer obediently and opened his email window. Sure enough, he’d received it too. Michael had sent them a pictogram, with the message – cheese half ink a baby. It was a line of pictures of each entity. His only additional comment underneath read, “hehehe”.

“Bless.” Jim said, slightly sarcastically to his wife.

---

“Cece’s really excited. It’s going to be awesome. Pam and I both knew we didn’t want Cece to be an only child, so we’re psyched. Probably, almost as much as Michael. In fact, now I think about it – Cece never really was an only child, was she?” Jim was talking to the cameras in the conference room, as Stanley completed his crossword in the background whilst Pam was signing off on some forms in her office.

---

Pam surveyed the photos that decorated her new desk. Her distracted moments didn’t quite compare to Michael’s, but she was conscious of being caught out by the cameras. Nevertheless, there they were, watching as she gazed adoringly at the beautiful little thing that she had made with Jim. It made her less nervous about Baby Number 2. She trusted that Jim would make up for all her shortcomings as a parent, and she could enjoy him as a dad for a little while longer. He was as dependable in his parental role, as he was as her husband.

Pam began listing baby name ideas on her desktop pad. She thought of all the people who name their children after family and friends. Middle names, as well. The first to come to her mind was Michael. And there was Isabel too. Isabel would be so touched. She wanted it to be as cute as Cece, and equally uncommon without being bizarre. Her mind drifted back to Michael’s comments about The Simpsons. She daydreamed about Bart writing his lines on the blackboard, “I will not name my child Apple”, over and over again.

As she went to return to work, Pam pulled herself closer to the desk before realising that there was the small obstacle of her baby bump. In actual fact, it wasn’t small at all. They had held off on telling people about the news, people at work, and ultimately it turned out for the best because it likely would have stopped her getting the promotion. However, it did feel like the moment they shared their happy news, Pam suddenly got huge. That’s how she felt anyway.

---

“Do you think our child will be, in any way, damaged by the circumstances of its conception?” Pam quizzed Jim as they walked out to their car, on the way to the doctors. It was quarter past two.

“Umm… not unless we name the baby ‘Cupboard’.” Jim joked.

“Okay, good. I thought it might have nightmares about sinister stationary for years, until eventually seeing a psychiatrist who, after fifty hours of sessions, deduces that it’s his, or her, parents’ fault that she has a phobia of erasers.” Jim laughed at Pam’s imagined reality until he noticed her unflinching mouth, which appeared in no way amused.

“As long as Michael never deduces anything, baby’ll be fine.”

“Well, let’s hope Michael’s skills of deduction are as poor as ever I remember.” Pam shrugged, before walking round to the other side of the car but Jim knew to follow her, to help her in. He was a very doting husband, particularly now. She took his hand climbing into their car, and he closed the door for her before going to get in his side.

Jim continued once inside, “Anyway, we need to keep the madness to a minimum. It’s therapy or college; I can’t afford both. Not now we’re having another one.”

“But Jim, I really wanted our kids to go to college!” Pam played along. “Maybe if we just keep them well clear of Dwight…”

“A good decision in all circumstances.” Jim agreed.

“An excellent babysitter though.”

“No. Besides, you probably pay Jordan enough to do some babysitting on the side.” Pam rolled her eyes at Jim’s joke.

---

Unlike when they had first discovered that Pam was pregnant with Cece, the couple left their microphones on when going in to see the doctor. Very little could be heard until, shortly before they came back out, Jim could be heard stumbling over the words, “a healthy little baby?” Pam confirmed Jim’s statement with a wide, assured grin on her face as she acknowledged the presence of the cameras, once more on their side of the door.

“Back to the office?” She looked to Jim.

“Yes boss.”


TBC...

***************

---

“Jordan?” Pam looked to her assistant, seriously.

“Umm… we could reconfigure his computer settings to swap letters so that if he was to type an L it comes up an F or something a little more interesting, with auto-correction.” Jordan’s naturally deep voice made everything she said sound ten times more serious.

“I like that.” Jim nodded.

“Also, I have a set of keys to Dwight’s car so we could... change his parking spot or something.”

“We’re going criminal with this?” Jim looked at Jordan, surprised.

“Oh, what? You’re not backing out now Halpert.” Pam scoffed at her husband before looking to Jordan to continue reading out her list of ideas.

“We could move his desk a little bit over through the day until it’s in a whole other place…” Jordan continued.

“Done that one.” Jim interjected.

“Okay, well… we could get a voice recording of him saying “false” and play it every time he speaks.”

“Harsh, but I like it.”

“We could also… superglue the bottom of his mouse. Umm… take a screenshot of Dwight’s computer, setting it as the background but remove all of the icons, so he’ll think his computer is broken. Also, switch the icon sounds on his computer to music from the TV show, Glee. Oh, I also wondered if Dwight had any irrational phobias?”

“I’m pretty sure you could count on it.” Jim nodded.

“Okay, your job for today is to find out what they are.” Pam responded to Jordan, who nodded before continuing reeling off her list.

“Well… other than that, Dwight does have a spare USB dock that you could plug a second mouse or keyboard into and occasionally mess with.” Jordan finished, receiving blank looks from Jim and Pam.

“It’s all very technological these days…” Jim commented.

“I feel like we need to push it a little.” Pam commented.

“As your husband and the father of your children, I feel it is my duty to say, I think you may have gone power-mad.” Jim stated flatly, to a giggle from Pam and a smile from Jordan, though it went unnoticed.

---

A talking head of Jordan interjects the scene in Pam’s office.

“Jim and Pam are great, they’ve been so welcoming. I think Pam is a great boss. I was a little worried when she started because I don’t think she liked me very much when I first got hired, but now we’re getting on great. Mostly, she just has me come up with ideas to prank Dwight. And… that’s fun, you know. It makes work a little less dull.”

---

“Well, I think that’s everything. I’m calling Dwight in my office next, so you can get started with the auto-correct settings maybe, Jim.” Pam wasted no time to set Jim off on his task.

“Okay, boss.” Jim took his orders and left the office. Jordan followed behind, figuring that he might need an accomplice.

“Dwight, Pam wants to see you in her office.” Jim muttered to his desk-mate as he sat down, casually.

“You bored her that much, huh? Has she realized that she needs a real man?” Dwight grinned in a slightly sinister way, before performing his usual ‘gun show’ routine.

“Yeah, that’s the reason.” Jim’s eyes were fixed on the computer in front of him as he muttered a response to Dwight.

---

A talking head of Dwight is shown.

“Pam. While I know that I would do a far superior job, I have enjoyed watching the slow, intense, ugly emasculation of Jim Halpert. If Jim Halpert was the blueprint for mankind, men would walk around with leashes on. Like dogs. What does Pam even need him for now? This would never happen to a Schrute. My mother couldn’t even read; there’s no need for that.”

---

“Hello Pam.”

“Hey Dwight. Come, sit down.”

“I will. But I do so for orthopedic reasons and not because I submit to your command, because I do not.”

“Okay, Dwight.” Pam had little idea of how to respond, but thought it best not to cause a dispute. “So, I wanted to talk to you about your position here. You have been a valuable employee for many years now.”

“Correct.”

“And I have a glowing reference from Michael regarding your performance as assistant to the regional manager, which I understand you upheld for many years.”

“Correct.”

“Well, I thought that since Jo has ruled out your managing the branch, perhaps I could ask you to return to your position as assistant to the regional manager. I feel that we work together well.” Pam spoke very seriously, as Dwight wore a very sober expression.

“Would it involve a pay rise?”

“No.”

“Would I be able to fire people?”

“Who?”

“Jim.”

“No.”

“Would I get a better parking spot?”

“Dwight, you already park in the closest space.”

“Okay. I will consider it.”

“Good. Of course, it would need to be a secret.”

“What?”

“Well, I don’t want to upset Jim, as one of our best salesman. He probably really wants the job as well.”

“Do you think it will cause relationship problems for you?”

“Umm...” Pam shrugged in agreement. Her eye was also watching as Jim sat in Dwight’s chair, tapping at the keyboard with Jordan lingering over his shoulder helping him. She could see she would need to extend her conversation with Dwight until they were done.

“While I do not care about your marriage…”

“Thank you.” Pam briefly interrupted.

“...I pity your children, so I will not further damage them by splitting up their parents’ marriage. That’s what happened to Mose. He doesn’t speak anymore. Only to the chickens, and only in October. I accept your offer of secret assistant regional manager.”

“Secret assistant to the regional manager, Dwight.”

“Fine.” Dwight relented.

Pam could see Jim and Jordan frantically finishing their messing with the auto-correct configuration. She continued to hold Dwight’s departure up. “One more thing, Dwight…”

“Yes?”

“When Jim takes over when I’m on my maternity leave…” Pam watched as Dwight paid her full attention. “…I need you to still fulfill your duties to me, without Jim realizing that you are secret assistant to the regional manager. You will not be secret assistant to the acting regional manager, but remain my humble servant.”

“I understand.” Dwight nodded, obediently.

Pam was amused by Dwight’s bizarre mentality. He criticized Jim for his obedience, and yet when it came to the ARM position that he so adored, his behavior completely altered. By the time her thought had finished, Pam noticed that Jim and Jordan had finished with Dwight’s computer, and so allowed him to leave.

Dwight simply gave Jim a smug smile on his way out.

---

Andy was in the kitchen pouring a coffee into a mug with his face on when Erin, wearing her inexplicably enthusiastic smile, walked in. His reaction was a confused one.

“Hey Andy.” Erin smiled, nodding as she spoke.

“Hey.” Andy picked up his mug.

“Umm, so can I quickly talk to you about something?”

“Sure.” Andy was quick to respond.

“So, you know… Jordan. Is it just me or is she like… getting really close with Jim?” Erin spoke in her usual perky tone, and quickly as though worried she might get overheard.

“Well, I don’t know. Tuna’s a cool dude. He likes Pam… a lot.”

“Yeah, Jordan’s really close to Pam too, huh?” The way Erin spoke hinted that this was more the topic of greater concern to her.

“Yup.”

“You don’t think Pam will…” Erin’s sentence trailed off, along with her enthusiastic demeanor, but she giggled nervously.

“Pam will - what?”

“I was just thinking that if she really likes Jordan, would she still need me to do my job?”

“I’m like 90% sure that I am not following this conversation.” Andy spoke, apologetically.

“Well, Jordan doesn’t really do anything, does she? I heard Pam talking to Jim about firing her, because there’s not really any need for her…”

“So, why would you be fired?”

“That was before they had all these private meetings. Now maybe Pam’s gonna get rid of someone else, and I just thought…” Erin realized as she spoke that perhaps she was talking to the wrong person about this. She knew Kelly would have understood.

---

A talking head of Kelly and Ryan interrupts the scene briefly.

“I do not like Jordan Garfield. She may look like Elle McPherson, but that does not give her the right to do some boyfriend-stealing, whorish job of… what does she even do here?! I really liked her, but no self-respecting independent woman goes around trying to break up a couple as tight and perfect for each other as me and Ryan. We’re like J-Lo and Marc Anthony… before the breakup. It’s only because Ryan’s so loyal to me that we’re still together…” Kelly looks adoringly at Ryan, holding his hand.

“I would never cheat on you Kelly.”

“I know, baby. Girlfriend needs to watch her back.”

---

Returning to the scene in the kitchen, Andy assured Erin. “I bet no one gets fired. She likes you just as much as Jordan, totally. If Pam fired anyone, it’d be… Phyllis or…Toby.”

“Sat right here, Andy.” Toby spoke meekly from the table at the other end of the room.

As Andy turned back from an apologetic glance to Toby, he noticed Jim about to come through the kitchen door, but didn’t have enough time to signal this to Erin who had her back to the door.

“Good, I think of Pam like the sister I don’t know that I have, who prefers the taller, blonder girl who is not our sister…” Erin stated, with Jim well in earshot.

Erin turned around to face Jim, and her horrified reaction confirmed to him that he had walked in on something he wasn’t meant to hear. Jim simply turned away and returned to his desk, unsure of how to deal with the situation. He wasn’t particularly annoyed with Erin; he was just concerned that other staff in the office may share her view of Pam’s relationship with Jordan. Shortly after he’d sat down, Erin shyly wandered back to the desk at reception.

---

Jim really wanted Pam to succeed as manager. He knew she was capable of it, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t be susceptible to the unrelenting insanity of her staff. Jordan made a nice change from the usual behaviors that they were both witness to at Dunder Mifflin. He understood why his wife had warmed to her. There was no doubt she was easier company than Erin, and most everybody else there. But, he didn’t want it to be his wife’s fatal flaw or the instigating factor in her downfall. He adored seeing her proudly sitting behind what used to be Michael’s desk.

---

Jim quietly knocked twice on the door to Pam’s office.

“Hey, can I come in?” He smiled at her, receiving the same expression back.

“Jim, of course.” Pam looked at him, with an apparent look of concern, and it all came flooding back to her. It happened every time she glimpsed him. They had been together so long now that she had seen his every expression before, and so would reminisce over the previous moments she had seen each one. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong…”

“Your face says otherwise.” Pam raised her eyebrow.

“When did you get so confrontational?” Jim laughed.

“Oh, you know I tried to research how to be a good boss and everything…”

"Yeah…”

“Well, I thought if I watched shows with powerful women in them it might help…” Pam explained carefully, aware of the judgment her husband was drawing as she told him.

“Oh dear…”

“Well, I watched umm… The West Wing and then I just watched some Nancy Grace…” Pam admitted, with amusement in her own voice as she saw Jim affectionately smiling at her embarrassment.

“You watched Nancy Grace for inspiration as to how to be a good boss?”

“Maybe. But anyway, if I have any confrontational outbursts you should probably just blame that.”

“Pam, please never watch Nancy Grace again.”

“Fine. So, what is it that you wanted? I assume you didn’t just come in here for amusement. And we’re still processing the consequences of our last little session of PDA in the office, so it can’t be that…”

“I overheard Erin talking to Andy about Jordan.”

“Oh?”

“She thinks you’re showing her favoritism…” Jim spoke cautiously.

“That’s because she’s my favorite.” Pam responded, flatly.

“You’re not really supposed to alienate the staff though, babe.”

“Are you telling me how to do my job?” Pam looked mildly offended.

“No, it’s just… advice.” Jim spoke softly, to ease Pam a little.

“Okay.” Pam and Jim just looked to each other for a while, their expressions as serious as their words were silent. After the extended pause they shared, Pam spoke. “Erin’s annoying.”

“I know.”

“She thinks she was Michael’s favorite.”

“Well you know that’s not true.”

“I know.” Pam affectionately gazed at the frame that sat on her desk with the picture of Michael and Beagsley in it. “She will never be Beesly to my Scott, Scarn, Klump or…”

“Please, I don’t want a Pam Klump.”

“You already got one.” Pam joked, gesturing to her bump.

“You can’t fire Erin just because she annoys you.”

“Well…” Pam hesitated in her protest.

“See how you feel about everything when the baby comes.”

“It’s not affecting me that much.”

“Well…” Jim mocked Pam’s earlier response.

“Jim?” Pam was concerned.

“I just want you to rock this job, and I want to support you. I’m just here to support you, always.” Jim observed that Pam was a little weepy.

“Jim?” Pam squeaked.

“Yeah?”

“I’m so hungry.” The words came out in a sigh. Pam’s gazed lifted to meet Jim’s, and they both laughed as he observed the desperate truth in her statement. She had spoken as though she carried the weight of the world.

“I’ll make you something.”

“Like a meal?” She looked a little excited.

“You want a full hot meal?”

“Yes.” Pam admitted, unapologetically.

“I can make you grilled cheese?”

“Close enough.” Pam smiled gratefully at him. As he rose from the chair opposite hers, she suddenly moved her hand to her bump.

“What’s wrong?” Jim observed the pained expression on Pam’s face.

“Ah!” Pam looked extremely distressed all of a sudden, and Jim rushed to her. She looked him in the eye, with a feeling of panic accompanying her hunger.

“Pam?” Jim looked to her for reassurance, a rare occurrence in their dynamic.

Pam laid back awkwardly in her chair, with one hand on her bump and one hand on her forehead. She couldn’t have hidden the discomfort she suddenly appeared to be in. Jim stressed above her, hovering affectionately, with little idea of how to attend to her. “Jim…” A single tear formed in her eye, before trailing a faint mascara through her rosy blushed cheeks.

They then heard Dwight muttering to himself loudly. “Bones? I’m not selling bones. Why does it think I am selling bones? By the shot? JIM!”

Pam looked to Jim for explanation. “I changed ‘paper’ to bones and ream to ‘shot’ on the auto-correct. I guess he hasn’t written Dwight yet. Or rather, ‘Dwayne’.” Pam let out a strained giggle as her gaze passed between Dwight furiously tapping at his computer and Jim who hovered nervously above her. Her amusement was then interrupted by another rush of pain.

---

“My mom’s coming to Scranton, to stay with us.” Pam stated, flatly.

“So, according to the doctor, Pam needs to relax.” Jim sat beside his wife in the conference room, talking to the camera crew.

“Relaxing is not really on the cards when you have an eighteen month old child…” Pam reasoned.

“So, Helene is coming to lighten the load just until the baby comes, which is going to be… great. But, there was talk of the possibility of Pam needing to go on bed rest. This has gotta be… better.” Jim didn’t sound entirely enthused at the thought of having his mother-in-law stay with them, but there was a more prominent tone of concern and affection.

“It’s just that Cece’s a handful… and it can be hard work.” Pam sounded a little defeated, and her voice broke a little as she spoke.

“She’s got climbers legs.”

“Yeah.” Pam looked up affectionately to Jim, as though for reassurance. It was that feeling of failure again. She hated that she had to ask her mother for help, at thirty-two.

Jim could see through Pam’s glassy eyes that she felt like she was letting Cece, or Jim, or herself down and so kept his tone upbeat. The warmth of his voice eased her worries, always. “Yeah. You just gotta… take it easy.” He smiled lovingly at her, and the world smiled with him.

---

A reel of talking heads is then shown.

“Women are too weak for positions of authority. Pam has been defeated by her position.” Dwight spoke, coldly.

“Pam shouldn’t drink during the pregnancy.” Meredith shrugged, looking disheveled.

“I sure hope it wasn’t the chicken. Oh, man.” Kevin grumbled.

“Pam should have her baby now and quit making such a big freaking deal about it! P!nk was pregnant for like a year and no one even noticed. I’ve never seen it kick. She’s probably not even pregnant.” Kelly was still not appreciating the diversion of people’s attention.

“It begs the question, if Pam is under so much stress that it is affecting her baby, should she still even be manager?” Oscar questioned.

“Which one is Pam?” Creed said, and not for the first time.

---

“Hey, so I was thinking… we could organize a little surprise for Pam’s birthday. Not like streamers and amp speakers, but… something to just make her smile.” Jim said quietly to Jordan, as they crossed each other in the kitchen.

“I bet she’d like that.” Jordan nodded, smiling at him approvingly.

“I just want her to be as happy as she was before, and relax a little. I mean, I know it’s only been a few days, but I don’t want it to grow into something.”

“She’s just tired. I’m sure once her mom comes and she can slow down a little, it’ll all be fine again.”

“Yeah.” Jim sounded a little unsure before repeating himself, this time sounding firmer. “Yeah.”

“Well, I can sort out getting some decorations for the conference room. That’s no problem.” Jordan tried to offer as much help as possible, seeing how much strain Jim already seemed to be under from everything and touched that he was still making such an effort.

“Thank you. I appreciate that. Just, she likes pink so…”

“Got it.” Jordan nodded.

It was then that a trouble-seeking Kelly Kapoor opened the other door to the small kitchen. “Hey guys. Did I interrupt something? I’m sorry. I was just looking for Ryan. Jim, have you seen him?”

“Have you checked his cupboard?” Jim said, with just a hint of smugness still.

“Oh, yeah, right. That’s totally where he’ll be. Thanks Jim. Hi Jordan.” Kelly acted as though she had only just seen Jordan lurking beside Jim, despite having already addressed her, but neither Jim nor Jordan seemed surprised by Kelly’s bizarre behavior.

---

A talking head of Kelly beside Erin follows.

“Those two are totally hooking up.” Kelly said, confidently.

“Yeah.” Erin nodded beside her.

“If those two aren’t hooking up I will eat carbs.” Kelly bet.

“If those two aren’t hooking up I will eat meat. No, maybe fish. Like, a salmon or something… salmon paste, not proper salmon.” Erin continued, as Kelly looked at her a little confused.

“If those two aren’t hooking up I will let Ryan date other people.” As Kelly said it, Erin made a shocked face at her.

“If those two aren’t hooking up I will get back together with Gabe.” Erin giggled, as though she had sworn at her parents.

“Those two are definitely hooking up, though. Totally.” Kelly nodded, sure of her statement.

---

“Hey Pam, here’s those photocopies you asked me to sort out…” Erin left a pile of sheets on the front of Pam’s desk, as Pam looked up at her irritably. “Umm… no, it doesn’t matter…” Erin went to speak before cutting herself off. “Umm, actually… shouldn’t that be Jordan’s job though, technically. Whatever. It totally doesn’t matter. Who cares.” Erin went round in circles, talking to herself, wishing she’d never brought the subject up.

“You didn’t appear to be doing anything when I asked you to do it.” Pam said, coldly.

Erin timidly went to leave, but something stopped her. “Where is Jordan? I haven’t seen her in like a half hour…”

“Erin, what is it?” Pam was growing tired of Erin’s cautious attempts at talking to her.

“I was just wondering if Jordan was okay, that’s all… Jim seemed pretty concerned for her earlier.” Erin attempted to plant the seed a little, but Pam was too irritable to latch on to anything and looked up at her exasperated.

“I’m sure she’s fine. I’ll ask Jim about it later.” Pam shrugged.

“Umm, okay. Sure. You have all the photocopies you need now?”

“If you’ve done what I asked you to do then, yeah. Do I need to check?” Pam was genuinely busy working, and trying not to think about her personal life and get more stressed out. Erin’s anxious disposition was the last thing she wanted hovering about.

“Are you okay?”

“I'm fine Erin, honestly. Just busy.”

“You seem a little… tired.”

“Erin...” Pam sighed frustratedly, but her eyes were softer than her words and she felt herself falling apart. If it had been anyone else in the room with her, they would have known. Except maybe Creed. He probably wouldn’t even know what room they were in.

“Everyone’s just…” Erin tried.

“What?”

“People are just worried that you’re overdoing it.”

“Okay. Let me worry about how I’m doing and just do your job. I’m trying to do mine.” Pam was behaving entirely out of character, and it frightened Erin a little.

Pam got out of her chair, finding it more difficult, physically, than she had anticipated and walked to the doorway. “Listen up! Erin tells me that you’re all worried about me. And, half of you… most of you… everyone except Jim think I’m going fail at this. But I’m not. You are not going to slack off. I am focused. And I'm going to be on you all day long if that's what it takes for you to get focused.”

Dwight interrupted. “That’s what she said.”

Pam’s resolve weakened a little to a slight smile, and she shot Dwight a look. “Dwight, how many calls have you made this morning?”

“Twenty two.” Dwight responded sharply, playing with a stapler in his hand.

“And how many sales?”

“Two hundred reams.”

“False. Not enough.” Pam said, in a voice hauntingly similar to that of her husband’s arch nemesis. Even Dwight looked alarmed by it, and hastily picked up the phone again.

Having watched the dialogue, Jim gestured for Erin to go back to her desk and followed Pam back into her office himself. Once inside, Pam’s persona returned back to a more familiar one.

“I can’t do this Jim.” She rested her hand on her bump, and looked down at the floor as she sensed Jim coming closer to her. “They’re right.”

“Pam, Michael Scott managed to be the worst manager ever for years without ever having hormones and pregnancy and toddlers to blame! You're allowed to make mistakes. And, look.” Jim pointed out into the office and all the staff sitting obediently at their desks. “I’ve never seen Kevin work so hard. You’re doing an amazing job at this, I promise.”

“Really?” Pam looked up at him, tearfully.

“Yes.” Sometimes Jim could speak so reassuringly, with a slight laugh in his voice, and it was the most comforting thing in the world.

“I think I scared Dwight.” Pam giggled softly.

“I know. And I’m so proud of you.”

They were quiet for a minute, smiling at each other and just taking in the other person. Pam broke eye contact by shyly looking to the floor again.

“I am worried about you though. I don’t want you to feel stressed out. I think, maybe, it’s okay for you to have a lighter workload for a little workload. We could co-manage things for a little while. Just ‘til you know… everything with the new baby is done.”

“I hate that I can’t seem to do anything without help at the moment.”

“I know. But, thing is Pam… I wouldn’t be able to get through the day without you. Any day. So, being able to help you get through your days while you’re pregnant, that’s nothing. Because, I’m your husband and it’s what I’m here to do. So whenever you’re thinking about not being able to do stuff without help, I’ll think about what I’d be without you and we’ll be completely pathetic together.” Jim smiled at her, affectionately, and was once again overwhelmed by her. He could see she was trying not to cry.

---

Pam was in her office, distracted by a mountain of paperwork that Jim had dropped in front of her. She understood none of it. But, that was exactly the point. Jim, with Jordan’s help, was attempting to smuggle birthday banners and cake past Pam’s office which, frustratingly, was the closest to the door. On top of that, Helene had decided to drop by the party to help Jim set up so they had to smuggle a person in unnoticed too!

They’d managed it, however. And people had started assembling in the conference room when Jim went back to check on his wife.

“Jim, I don’t get any of this. Half of it seems to be dated from before Sabre bought out Dunder Mifflin.” Pam sighed desperately the moment she heard the door begin to open.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“What…”

“Just… come with me.” Jim smiled at her.

“I need to do this work though Jim.”

“Oh, I don’t know what that is but I’m pretty sure you don’t actually have to do that. Sorry.” Jim laughed lightly before taking Pam’s hand and leading her out to the conference room.

“Surprise!” Everyone called to Pam as she turned into the room that had been decorated with celebration to an extent far beyond anyone’s expectations of Jim.

“Oh. Wow.” Pam looked at her husband, not entirely happy and more confused. “My mom’s here?” Pam went over and embraced Helene.

“Did you do all this?” Pam looked at Jim, overwhelmed with the streamers, balloons and a cake that seemed far too grand for the occasion.

“Not… exactly. I will be right back.” Jim dashed off, leaving Pam with her mother and co-workers, who seemed all too happy to dig in to the array of cold food on offer. Pam put on a polite smile, while wishing she had Jim beside her for support. She was, however, amused by the distraction of Kevin’s speed-eating. A sight that was horrifying Angela.

---

“Anything with beef in. Pam hates beef! I didn’t want her throwing up at her own birthday. I was doing her a favor!” Kevin defended himself in a talking head that briefly interjected.

---

Moments later, just as Pam was in the middle of a piece of cold pizza, Jim appeared once more in the doorway. This time, he was wearing a wide grin and proudly holding his daughter on his hip. Pam lit up and rushed over to them, with Helene following slowly.

“How did you get her so quick?” Pam asked Jim, as she caressed Cece’s hair.

“I called in some help with that.”

“What do you…”

“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you…” Pam was interrupted by the chorus of co-workers who, prompted by Jim, began singing the song of the day to her. Just as Pam turned back to Jim to complete her question, it was answered by another interruption.

“Happy birthday to Paaa-aaaaaam…” Appearing behind Jim, with his own baby in his arms, Michael Scott completed the next line in a pitch only he knew. And by baby, transate as: a little beagle puppy called Beagsly.

“Michael!” Pam lit up again, and soon embraced him.

“Wow. You’re huge!” Michael marveled at Pam’s bump, and to Jim’s relief, instead of shyly taking offence, she proudly stroked a hand over her bump and smiled.

“Thanks for coming Michael.” Pam said, sweetly. “And thanks for bringing Beagsly!” Her voice went up an octave as she stroked the adorable little puppy.

“Well, Cece’s gotta get used to sharing the attention sometime so…” Michael reasoned. He then noticed Helene hovering near Pam. “Oh hey, Helene. Don’t make this awkward. I have a puppy now. I’ve moved on. And I’ve got a Holly now. We’re getting married. And no, you can’t have Jim’s plus one if Pam gives birth on my wedding day. I don’t think the bride wants to see all of my exes lining up outside the church…” Michael just kept going.

“Wow. Okay. Michael, maybe you should go say hi to people. I’m sure Dwight’s missed you…” Jim directed Michael away from his horrified mother-in-law. Pam was giggling, though. She was smiling and laughing and happy.

“Happy birthday mommy.” Cece squeaked quietly, before nuzzling into Jim’s neck.

“Thank you sweetie.” Pam replied, looking at Jim all the while. She softly placed a hand on the back of his neck and planted a quick kiss on his lips over their child and her bump. As she moved towards him, Jim moved the hand that wasn't holding his daughter around to Pam's hip and affectionately let it rest there as she turned to look out on the room beside him.

"Michael didn't forget your birthday either..." Jim smiled with Pam, as they watched Michael reunite with his former employees. It wasn't just exciting to see an old friend, for Pam, Michael gave her a little more faith in running the Scranton branch.

They were then interrupted by blasting disco music, and watched as Michael made his return to the dance floor. “I guess it’s true what they say about Scranton parties!”