Roy sat in his apartment alone, long after Darryl had left. He knew that Darryl was trying to help him get over Pam, and Roy really appreciated it, he really did. The fact of the matter was, though, that Darryl would never understand the history he had with Pam. That's why when Darryl kept trying to introduce him to different girls, Roy kept blowing them off. He'd casually pretend he wasn't interested at all. He'd act in ways he knew was sure to upset them. He had nine years of practice with Pam, after all. Little by little, he could see the disappointment whittle away at Darryl's patience. Eventually, sensing it was a lost cost, he stopped bringing Roy out to the bars and instead just came over Roy's apartment occasionally to catch the game on TV or just to drink a few beers.

This particular night, Roy had come off a little bit distracted when Darryl suggested that his current girlfriend had a sister in downtown Scranton who was single. Or maybe it was his sister's girlfriend, Roy hadn't been paying attention at all.

“Hmm?” Roy mumbled, snapping back to reality to find Darryl staring at him pointedly

“You haven't been listening at all, have you man.”

“No, I'm sorry. I've just been thinking about... something,” Roy responded slowly, not quite sure if he wanted to be truthful and just say he was thinking about Pam.

“Like I was saying,” He sighed, “This girl, Rachel, has got the greatest ass. I tell you, If you just saw her, you'd believe me and realize that she's perfect for you,” Darryl added excitedly.

Roy blinked a few times, and turned to face him, his face somewhere between a glare and exhaustion. Finally, his words coming out more harshly than he intended, “Why is that? Because she has a 'great ass'? Is that what makes her perfect for me? Listen, I appreciate everything you've done for me, I really do. But you haven't been in a relationship with someone like Pam. You don't know what it's like to wake up next to the same person for nine years just to lose them with no explanation”

With that, Darryl just finished his beer, got up and walked to the door, dropping his beer can in the trash before turning to face Roy, who was now leaning back on the couch which his hands in his hair. “I may not have been in a relationship with Pam for nine years. I may not have all the answers either, but the thing you need to ask yourself is if she's worth it. I mean, sure, she was great to you while you were together in high school, and for a few years after, but didn't you ever stop to think maybe she wasn't the girl for you? Maybe you guys drifted apart? And honestly, man, I'd open my eyes. She left you real quick for no reason only a few weeks after Halpert mysteriously disappeared. And ever since Casino Night, that's the only thing the camera crew talks about is Halpert and Casino Night,” Darryl cautiously chose his words. He knew what he was saying was upsetting Roy, who was shifting around nervously and gritting his teeth. “If you even bring it up to them, either, they just mention a non-disclosure agreement and walk away. If you ask me, something happened that night, and now that he's back from Stamford, you'd better either get your game together or just give up.”

And with that, Darryl quickly walked out and quietly shut the door behind him, not giving Roy the chance to say anything back that he would regret. Roy just leaned back and stared at the ceiling, letting what he was just told sink in. Sure, he always knew Jim and Pam had their friendship and their pranks. Pam always seemed so excited when she came home and relayed a story about how they put Dwight's stuff in a vending machine or how they tricked him into not coming into work one day. But was it even possible that Pam had been cheating on him? He quickly pushed the thought to the back of his mind, reassuring himself, “No, Halpert's a good guy. He'd never put the moves on Pam.” He quickly cracked open another beer to help drown those thoughts.

It was an hour and a half later when Roy peered into the empty Coors light cardboard box, giving it a little shake to help determine if it was really empty. “Shit, I think I bought a defective pack. This one definitely didn't as many beers in it as it was supposed to,” he slurred, to no one in particular. He turned around slowly, and upon seeing the mess of half crushed beer cans laid out on the coffee table, he waved his hand dismissively, as if he was avoiding a debate with them. Truth be told, he hadn't really drank in any great amount since he got busted for drunk driving, and he couldn't really hold his alcohol any more. He grabbed his keys out of his work jacket and walked quickly out the front door of the apartment into the brisk January air, as if suddenly filled with resolve.

He had honestly meant to drive to the store to get more beer. That's what he kept telling himself, anyway. But Darryl's words kept playing over and over again in his mind. “You'd better get your game together,” he had said. Even though Darryl was being an idiot about this whole thing, at least those words offered a little bit of an epiphany. He slowly drove by the front of Pam's apartment, not bothering to notice that all the lights were off. In the drive over, he sobered up a little, at least so he had thought. He was now sober enough to realize that he was drunk. Sort of. If that made any sense. His new sober outlook told him that if Pam knew he drove over in this state, she would not be very pleased. Even though Pam always thought he was cute when he got drunk. Because when he was drunk, he was happy. And when he was happy, he smiled. And when he smiled, his dimples showed. Pam loved his dimples. “And Pam loved me, once...” he mouthed to himself, the words barely able to escape from his lips.

Roy slowly rounded the corner, parking on the street, making sure his truck wasn't visible from her apartment. Before shutting the truck off, he took a quick glance at the clock. 1:04.

“10:40, great, perfect timing,” he self assuredly said to himself as he shut the truck off and climbed out. He walked hurriedly, realizing he was only wearing a gray undershirt and he could most definitely see his breath. He ran up the steps, hoping to catch Pam in a good mood.

He rapped on the door, first gently, and after a few minutes of no response, a little louder.

The door swung open, revealing a Pam clad in purple pajamas “Oh my god, Roy, what are you doing here at this time of night? Is something wrong?” She said, rubbing her eyes.

“What do you mean, you were asleep? It's only eleven o'clock, silly,” he managed to slur without sounding too drunk. at least so he hoped.

“Uh, no, its one-thirty in the morning. I was asleep.” Pam crossed her arms as she spoke quietly.

“Pam, I know for a fact that it didn't take me two and a half hours to walk from my...” Roy quickly corrected himself, “to get here.”

Pam looked into Roy's bloodshot eyes, “Roy, are you drunk? How did you get here?” Pam said, quickly becoming exasperated now.

Roy was quick to retort, “I wal... took a cab. Listen, babe, it's kind of cold out here? You mind if I come in?”

Pam quickly leaned out the front door, looking up and down the street, as if to verify that he didn't, in fact, drive completely intoxicated. Not seeing his truck, she breathed a little sigh of relief. “Fine. But only for a minute while you wait for another cab to bring you back.” She mumbled, rubbing her forehead as she backed up into the apartment.

Roy walked in, not bothering to wipe the snow and slush off his boots.

“Damnit, Roy! You're tracking that everywhere, Stop! No, Stop moving!” Pam yelled, surprised at the intensity of her voice.

It took him a minute to realize that she was complaining about nothing. The water would dry. But just to humor her, he stood in front of the door on the mat. “Better?” he cocked his head and asked.

Pam crossed her arms again, and stared Roy right in the eyes. “Sure. Fine. Whatever. Listen, this is a bad idea for you to have come here, especially without calling and especially at this time of night. I think you'd better go,” Pam said pointedly.

Roy looked stunned. “Babe, what? I just got here. I thought you'd be happy to see me. I mean, you know, I figured in this big new apartment of yours, maybe you would have gotten lonely and started to miss...”

Pam quickly interjected, “Listen, Roy. You need to leave, I never invited you here, and under different circumstances, maybe I would have. But it's the middle of the night, you're drunk, and you're unwelcome”

He immediately looked hurt. Memories of the night she told him they were through flashed through his mind. He felt like he'd never have the opportunity to set things right. “Pam, just tell me why you left me. Tell me that right now and I'll leave you alone...” he quickly blurted out, “For tonight,” he added, satisfied with his addition of that detail.

“Roy, I... I can't,” was her only rebuttal. The irony of those words were evident to her.

“What the fuck kind of response is that? I gave you everything I could for nine years, and then you just throw it all in my face with no reason? And even after that, I've lost weight, I stopped drinking, I've really cleaned up my act and you pretend to not even notice. Do you know how much that hurts? Tell me something, tell me honestly, did you cheat on me? Did you cheat on me with that fucking Halpert? I always knew that you and him were more than just office friends, more than that, but Pam, I thought you fucking had integrity,” he yelled, quickly getting desperate now.

Pam also noticed the difference in Roy's response to those same words. But she was getting nervous now. How could he show up this time of night, and just start accusing her of being unfaithful. She started playing with her necklace. Ordinarily she would back down at this point in a fight with Roy, scared of what he was capable of when he was this drunk. But this was Fancy New Beesley. She mustered up whatever courage she could, standing her ground in her only kitchen. She dropped her hand from her necklace to her side, and looked Roy straight in the eye. She said plainly and calmly, “No. I did not cheat on you. You need to leave now. I won't put up with this... this intrusion into my home.”

“But baby,” he started to say

She grabbed the handle of the door and threw it open. “Get out! Now!” she screamed, pushing him out with her free hand.

With that, Roy turned to look at her, to catch one last glimpse of her before she slammed the door in his face. Right before he felt the wind of the door slamming shut on his face, he got a good look at her. She had tears in her eyes. He slowly walked down the stairs and out into the street, defeated. He turned around the corner, now within sight of his truck. “How could I screw this up so badly?” he thought to himself.

Pam leaned up against the refrigerator, burying her face in her hands. She tried desperately to stop the tears, telling herself that Roy was drunk and that he didn't mean what he said. But the part that hurt the most was, maybe he was right. Maybe she did cheat on him on Casino Night. Sure, Jim had done all the confessing and initiated the kiss, but when all way said and done, she kissed him back. She put her hands in his hair and held him tight to her. For those brief moments, she kissed him unabashedly and with passion. As she started to sob even more violently, she sank down to sit against the fridge, wishing he was there again to comfort her, to feel his hands around her waist, to feel his hair in her fingers.

The buzzing of Pam's alarm clock roused her from sleep. She fumbled with it for a few seconds irately before she found the snooze button. One of these days, she keeps telling herself, she's going to buy an actual alarm clock that plays music from the radio. She hates the annoying buzzing sound of a regular alarm. To Pam it always felt like starting your day off on the wrong foot. But then again, Roy insisted on having that kind of alarm clock because he would complain that a radio alarm clock wouldn't wake him if he was hungover. Then her train of thought settled on Roy. “Shit!” she thought to herself, recalling last nights events which led to her sobbing uncontrollably on her kitchen floor. She cursed herself for being so weak, for giving into the tears when she knew Roy shouldn't have this effect on her anymore. She silently vowed that she wouldn't let her emotions get out of control when she saw Roy today. It was inevitable that he would come up and apologize, like he always did. Only this time it would be different. Pam would be resolute. She wouldn't let him win the argument on account of tickling. Hell, she wouldn't even let him within three feet of her if she could allow it.

The buzzing of her alarm clock interrupted her thoughts. 6:37 flashed unrelentingly on her alarm clock., the noise slowly grating away at her defenses. She slapped it to the off position, and quickly got up to head to the shower. She paused to say good morning to Jim, even if it was only his yearbook picture that he so carefully cut out for her for her Christmas teapot. Pam turned on the water to the shower, and slid her purple pajamas off her shoulders, covering herself as she did so. Even in the seclusion of her own apartment, her shyness took over and she felt the need obscure herself.

Pam jumped a little as she stepped into the steaming hot water. As she let the hot water wash the tension out of her shoulders, she began to plan ahead on how she would deal with Roy. Maybe she would get it over with and wait for him first thing so that they could get the fight out of their system alone. If she waited until Roy came to her, she'd have to fight that nervous pit in her stomach knowing Jim could hear every word. She could see it now, the back of Jim's head cocking slightly to the side as his typing slowed. If the conversation got particularly heated or personal, the typing would stop altogether, he would sit up straight, his shoulders rigid and unyielding, almost as though he was ready to enter into the fray at a moments notice. It was thoughts like that which made Pam realize how much she needed to win Jim back. She would be ecstatic to get the strictly platonic, almost nurturing Jim back in her life. She didn't want to indulge the thought of there possibly being more. “One step as a time,” she murmured to herself and she shut off the water to the shower.

Pam stepped out of the shower and toweled the condensation off of the mirror. She decided she would take the time for the Fancy New Beesley hair, even if it meant she would miss out on confronting Roy alone. After all, she could kill two birds with one stone; she would simultaneously look good for Jim and also get to gauge his reaction when Roy inevitably made an ass of himself in front of the whole office. She plugged in her straightener defiantly, condemning Roy to wait for as long as necessary for the apology she knew he was itching to get out of the way.

She was giving herself a final appraising look in the mirror, satisfied with her work, when she realized that she was slightly late. She hurriedly bundled her things together for the day. Grabbing her purse, a salad from the fridge she had put together the night before, her sketchbook, and a soon to retired piece of black plastic she had set aside earlier. She took one last look around her apartment, and as she walked to the front door, she didn't hesitate for a second before dropping Roy's old alarm clock into the trash.

Traffic had been good to Pam, even though she only had a short ten minute commute to the Dunder Mifflin office. She slid into the half-empty parking lot, taking a spot furthest from the entrance. She took one last look at herself in the rear view mirror before taking a deep breath and opening the drivers door to face the cold winter air, which would be nothing compared to what she was expecting to face inside. She resolutely put one foot in front of the other, taking notice that both Roy's truck and Jim's Corolla were already there.

Once inside, she placed her things down at her desk, took off her coat, and made eye contact with Jim, who had slowly swiveled in his chair to face her. “Morning, Jim-bag,” she said as warmly as she could muster. A slow smile crept up on Jim's face.

“My my, Beesley, aren't we chipper this morning?” he said, slowly pivoting back and forth in his chair.

“Well, I did get a good night's sleep. You know how important those are, don't you?” she stared at him with mock seriousness.

He casually smoothed the fabric of his dress pants as he responded, “No, actually. Could you please tell me just how important a good night's sleep is?” He said, his smile never leaving his face.

She was busy putting things away in her desk as she tried to keep the pace of the conversation alive, even if they were having a conversation of no great importance. “Oh, you know, four out of five doctors agree that a full nights rest is beneficial to your health.”

“Oh really. And could you outline, specifically, what these benefits are, and how exactly do you go about doing this correctly?” he said as his attention turned to her attire as she stood up, holding what looked to be a salad in a small Tupperware container. She wore a navy blue sweater over an oxford shirt on top of a short black skirt. He inexplicably found himself staring uncontrollably at the spot right above her knees.

He gaze quickly met her eyes when she started speaking again. He heard her say, “Oh, I don't know, I can't explain it. Maybe I'll give you lessons sometime.” Pam scurried off to the kitchen as if to avoid his reaction. He swiveled his chair to follow her with his eyes, and when she turned to meet his gaze, his lopsided frown and raised eyebrows gave away his amusement as her comment. Pam quietly slipped into the kitchen, and once she was leaning up against the door she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Jesus, Beesley, would a little subtlety kill you?” she mumbled to herself as she threw her salad onto the top shelf of the fridge. She grabbed her teapot, thinking the tea would help her unwind a little at her desk. She was just hovering her hand above the heating element to feel if the oven was actually working when she heard Jim's voice somewhere outside the door.

“Yeah, she's actually in the kitchen. I could get her if you'd like?” she heard him say. Pam strained to hear the voice of the person he was talking to, but to Pam's ears it just sounded like murmurs. But then she could hear Jim's muffled voice again, “Oh, okay.” Was he speaking loudly so that she would have warning? She turned to face her teapot, a reminder of what she could have with Jim. She grabbed on to the handle of the oven as if for support; to brace herself for who she knew would walk through the door in just a few seconds.

“Pam...”

She turned to face the voice.

“Darryl...?” She said, her voice faltering. She was almost relieved it was him.

Darryl turned to make sure the door was shut firmly behind him before proceeding. “Roy told me about last night.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. And I know you're probably wondering why I'm here now, but I felt I owed you an apology,” he said as his gaze never left her eyes. “I feel a little responsible for the argument you guys had last night.”

Pam furrowed her brow in confusion. “How could that possibly be the case?”

Darryl continued, speaking in a calm and even tone, “You see, I was hanging out with Roy last night, drinking a little bit, and he brought you up in conversation. All he ever seems to do lately is reminisce about... well... you. And I reminded him that you broke off the engagement and there must have been a reason for it, and that unless he changed, he shouldn't get his hopes up.”

Pam shrugged her shoulders. “That's true. I guess I still don't see how that could be your fault.”

“I guess I feel like I encouraged him to do what he did.”

Pam turned to her teapot, a little bit anxious. “Oh. Well, don't feel bad. I'm sure you didn't mean for him to barge into my apartment intoxicated. I'm just glad that Roy has a friend he can talk with like that. It really means a lot to me that you can be there for him, especially because I can't really do that anymore.”

Darryl looked absolved of his guilt rather easily. “Well, thanks. For what it's worth, Roy and I are sorry,” he said as he turned to leave.

With that last comment, Pam felt a little anger build up inside herself. “Darryl,” she said, “Tell Roy if he wants to apologize, he should come up here and do it himself. I'll be at my desk.”

Darryl grinned. “That's not what this is about, but I'll pass the message along just the same.”

She stared out the kitchen window for a while after he left. She believed what he said. After all, she always felt she could trust Darryl. He seemed to shoot her understanding looks when Roy was being an ass. Of all of Roy's friends, Darryl would have to have been her favorite. Despite his crude exterior, she always knew there was smart, understanding man underneath. Her thoughts were interrupted by the whistle of her teapot.

The next few hours seemed to drag on as she waited for both some momentous interaction with Jim and Roy's apology. Pam was sitting at her desk, sifting through some cluttered folders that just seemed to get in her way. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Roy entering the office. She quickly looked at Jim's desk, as if for moral support. She knew Roy had done wrong last night, that he was wrong to have just showed up expecting, well, whatever he was expecting. Lastly, he was definitely wrong for yelling at her, even in his drunken state. Pam made a point of noticing Jim's demeanor so that she could compare it to during and after the argument.

“Hey babe,” Roy said quietly, drumming his hands nervously on the counter.

Pam glanced at him coldly without saying a word.

Almost reading her mind, he corrected himself. “Hey Pam, I mean. Listen, I wanted to say I'm sorry for last night.”

Pam placed a folder on top of another, and put her hands on top of them, looking Roy coolly in the eye, as if she was bidding him to proceed.

Roy looked down as his feet as he spoke, “I know it was wrong of me to show up uninvited, especially at that time of night. I just hope you can forgive me.”

He seemed to be sincere, and maybe that's why she was tempted to just forgive him and move on. But she felt the need to drag it out a little more, to help him understand her anger. She finally spoke after a long pause, “Listen, Roy. It's not just that you showed up uninvited. You were drunk, and you were way out of line. It hurt that you would accuse me of something you know I would never do. The intrusion I can forgive, but I'm going to need some time to think about what you said.”

Roy looked confused. “But Pam, don't you feel you owe an explanation to me? I mean, we were engaged, after all.”

Pam's jaw dropped slightly at the fact that he was still pushing this issue, right in front of the entire office and the cameras. She glanced over at Jim, to see how he was reacting. She was slightly disappointed to see that he didn't even seem to have noticed they were arguing. She turned to face Roy again. “Roy, I gave you an explanation. I ended it with you because you changed. I changed. We weren't right for each other anymore, and the longer we kept denying it, the more it would hurt in the end”

Roy looked disgusted at her. He continued in a hushed voice, “I mean, aren't I justified in trying to find a reason you broke things off after nine years? I mean, we both know it's not true that you just fell out of love with me. You said you loved me all along. So which is it, Pam. Were you lying, or did someone better just come along.”

Now Pam stood aghast at Roy's latest onslaught. In private in her apartment was one thing, but this was entering a whole new territory of wrong. She just hoped he wouldn't mention Jim's name again. Pam wouldn't be able to bear it to put Jim through that kind of awkwardness again. She just hoped Roy would realize what he was doing was ridiculous and just drop it. “Roy, of course I didn't lie, and of course no one better came along,” She was surprised at how easily both lies rolled off her tongue. “I told you I would have to think about it. This is just making matters worse, accusing me of the same things again, in front of everyone, no less. I'm not going to talk about this now, so you should just drop it.”

Roy looked simultaneously relieved and defeated. “Okay. But promise me you'll call me tonight.”

Pam almost would have laughed at his absurdity if it weren't for the fact that he was deadly serious. “No, that's not enough time. We'll talk when I'm ready.”

Roy held eye contact with her for a few seconds, and without saying another word, turned on his heel and made for the door. Pam turned to face Jim's back, again slightly disturbed to see that his shoulders remained relaxed. He looked straight ahead at a folder he had laid out on his desk. She was about to look back to her work when she saw his left hand release a crumpled piece of paper from his balled up fist and start typing on his computer again. Pam smiled to herself, and couldn't help but think, “Maybe there is hope after all.

Pam was lost in thought for the rest of the day. The events that transpired seemed to prohibit her from doing any substantial work. Even simple tasks like answering the phone seemed to be a nuisance. It was nearly 5:15 when she noticed a shadow leering over her desk.

“Beesley.” Jim's rich voice called out to her.

She looked up, and for a moment couldn't find anything to say. She smiled at him genuinely before responding.

“Jim.”

“Planning on running a marathon workday, Pam?”

Pam turned to look at the clock. “Oh man, I didn't even realize it was that late already. Thanks for letting me know. I probably would have been here answering the phones at least until the janitors came in.”

Jim chuckled a little. “Anyway. You should go home and get some rest. You seem a little tired. You're going to need at least eight hours to get the full benefits of sleep, anyway.”

Pam blushed a little at the thought of their earlier conversation. “Yeah, I suppose I should try to get a little more. Things have just been a little hectic lately especially with my art classes and my private karate lessons.”

“Really?” Jim said with a disbelieving grin.

“Yeah. Mr. Dwight K. Schrute has been teaching me the finer points of Do-Ju-Roo karate. He's a good Sensei.”

“Senpai,” Jim corrected. “And he's only a purple belt.”

“Oh my god, you weren't here. He's reached the next level. Now he's a purple belt with a stripe,” Pam choked out, fighting back laughter.

“Oh my god,” Jim doubled over with laughter, “I am going to have so much fun with that tomorrow. I think I'm going to have to Google the requirements and quiz him on it.”

Pam got up and started putting on her coat. “You totally should. I would commend you on your efforts.”

Jim just smiled at her, his eye's focusing somewhere off in some other reality he was living out.

Pam caught on to it immediately. “Jim, are you okay?” she heard herself say, all too aware of what happened last time she asked.

Jim caught her concerned look and responded while looking down at her jellybean container. “Yeah. Everything is fine. I... umm... just figured I would let you know that I broke up with Karen a few days ago. We weren't really getting along the way I had hoped and... Well, I figured I'd let you know because we're... we're friends.”

Pam headed for the door with Jim. “Yeah, we're friends. Best friends again?”

Jim looked hesitant. “I don't know Beesley. You're going to have to prove yourself.” His slow smile gave him away, though.

“Oh, I'll have to stay up late thinking of ways to impress you.”

At that moment Jim was feeling very candid and honest. “Oh, you already have. I don't know if I mentioned it, but I really like your hair like that. It looks really...” Jim paused, searching for a word that would both be flattering and dignified. “Professional.” He grimaced at his lack of a proper adjective.

Pam flushed, understanding every word and every facial expression, and decided to leave it at that. Jim also seemed to understand that her flushed faced meant she 'thanks.' They rode down the elevator in silence, and even remained quiet until they both reached their cars. Jim broke the silence when he said, “Well Beesley, I'll see you...” he paused to search her face, “sometime, I guess.”

Pam smiled up at him warmly and responded, “Yes, I'll see you sometime.” Pam shut the door behind her and started her car. Smiling to herself as she rubbed her hands together for warmth, she thought to herself, “Yes, today was a step in the right direction.” She could only hope Jim was thinking the same thing.

Pam sat at her kitchen table, not quite able to will herself into doing her dishes quite yet. She was stuffed, and she tried convincing herself that she didn't know why she spent so much effort on dinner. Why she had spent so much of her valuable time cooking the chicken parmesan she wouldn't be able to finish. It was harder to deny her hopes when she considered the fact that she had set out two plates. She had finished eating half an hour ago, but sat waiting, alternately glancing between the clock and the empty plate across from her. Pam glanced at the clock. 7:06. She had told herself she would stop waiting for him at 7:00. Then she pushed off that time to 7:04, then 7:06. She had really hoped that Jim would decide to show up, or at least call, given the progress she felt they had made today. Jim's parting words seemed to ring in her head: “I'll see you... sometime,” he had said slowly and deliberately, as if he was very consciously aware that he was traveling in uncharted territory.

She was busy comparing and contrasting the differences between Jim and Roy as she sat alone at her table. Her mind wandered to the day before, when Roy belligerently made an ass of himself by showing up in the middle of the night. His loud, repeated knocking, almost pounding, on the door had broken her deep sleep almost immediately. She began to wonder how Jim would knock. In her years of knowing him, he had not once been to the apartment she shared with Roy. She decided he would be considerate, almost to the point of being reserved. He would be timid, allowing for the possibility of running away if she didn't hear, telling himself that she wasn't home. Surely, that would be his knock. Three faint knocks in quick succession, and if she didn't answer quickly, he'd be gone. She made a mental note to stay within sight of the door, in case he managed to show up.

She was lost in thought when she glanced up at the clock, which now read slightly after 7:12. “This is ridiculous,” Pam muttered to herself. She got up, committing herself to doing the dishes. She plugged the sink, letting the hot water fill it slowly, wishing she had a dish washer. As the water filled, she set Jim's clean plate back on the shelf, putting the final nail in the coffin of her hopes. She gave one last longing look to the white dish of ceramic that held so much symbolic value to her, then briskly shut the cabinet. Pam worked quickly, easily working through the few dishes she had used. She had years of practice with Roy, after all. In the years she spent with him, she was certain she could only count on one hand the times he did the dishes. Maybe two hands, if she counted the times they ate with his family. She was in the middle of scrubbing the Teflon pan she used to cook the chicken with a sponge, thinking of the time Roy had callously used a brillo pad to do the same job the last time he had done dishes when she heard it.

knock-knock-knock.

Almost so quiet she didn't hear it. She definitely didn't believe it, at first. She looked up at the clock. 7:15:10. Her breath hitched, hoping with all she could muster that it was Jim. She abandoned the pan in the sink, turning to her oven to grab the dish towel that was in the laundry. Cursing herself, she looked around for something to dry her hands with. Grabbing some paper towels and quickly drying her hands, she discarded them in the trash as she almost ran to the door. She smoothed her shirt and replaced the errant strand of hair back behind her ear as she glanced up to check the time one last time. 25 seconds had passed. She opened the door to see no one there. Leaning into the hall, she caught a glimpse of a tall man with shaggy brown hair, dressed in a long black coat with a black and blue striped scarf heading for the door.

“Jim.” She called out after him.

“Oh, hey,” he said, slowly turning, “I figured you weren't home. I knocked”

“I know. I heard.” Pam said, leaning against the door frame, her head sticking into the hallway.

Jim shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “So uhh, what are you doing?”

“Well, I was just doing some dishes. But, umm, would you like to come in?” she said, biting her lower lip nervously.

“Oh. Uh. Well, I was just in the neighborhood and I was just seeing if you were home. If you're busy that's totally okay, I'd hate to interrupt something important. I wasn't sure if you were at art class or something, or maybe you were busy sketching... for homework... purposes. Are you sure you're not busy?” His words came out in a fast jumble that would rival Michael himself.

“No. I assure you I was doing nothing,” Pam said through a weak smile, “I'd love for you to come in and see my new apartment.

Jim smiled to the floor as he walked towards her, glancing up as he said, “Okay, Beesley. But seriously, this one kitchen better be fantastic.”

“Oh, well you'll have to be the judge of that,” she said as she pushed herself back from the door frame and beckoned him inside. “Let me get your coat”

Pam's hands lingered a bit on Jim's shoulders as he shrugged off his coat. As he turned to face her, they exchanged a smile, which seemed to fill the otherwise awkward void in the conversation. Realizing the closeness of the situation, Pam blushed and averted her gaze, then turned to walk down the hallway to set his coat on her bed. This was at the very least as a deterrent to him leaving abruptly if he didn't want to stay, her self conscious already belittling her.

Upon returning to the kitchen, Jim was busy with his hand's stuffed in his pockets, looking around her kitchen, obviously pleased. She took his distraction to have a moment to take him in. He had changed from work, and was now wearing just jeans and a brown and white striped polo shirt. She was busy smiling at him when he caught her gaze. This time she didn't look away, forcing herself to maintain the eye contact that she would have felt guilty about before. As strange as it felt, she told herself that she needed to be able to get back to a comfortable place with Jim, and this was the first milestone of many.

“It smells great in here. What did you cook?” Jim said after more silence.

“Oh, I had chicken parmesan. Are you hungry? You could have some, I have more.”

“Yeah. I'm a little bit hungry. I wouldn't want to eat all your food though. I know how you like to eat your leftovers at work.”

“Oh, no big deal. I've been eating salads a lot lately, and I have some extra chicken for that.” She said. Noticing he was still hesitant, she added, “You can have all you want, I don't even know if I'd finish it before it went bad, anyway.”

“Okay, then, I'd love some.” He said, taking a step towards her.

“Great!” Pam exclaimed, a little to excited about the thought she had cooked for Jim. Everything she was hoping for tonight was coming true. Well, not everything, but she understood that it would take time to get there. “Sit down, I'll get it for you”

Jim obliged as she busied herself setting the food back on the table. She smiled to herself as she reached for Jim's clean plate off of the shelf. Once everything was set, she asked with a warm smile, “What would you like to drink, I have water, milk, wine, and coke. Sorry, had I known you were coming I would have some beer, but...”

Jim interjected, “That's okay. I never really liked drinking beer with a meal. I'll take the coke.”

She smiled to herself as she turned back to the fridge and emptied the rest of the bottle of coke into his glass. She set it in front of him and walked to the trash to discard the empty bottle.

“Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize this was all you had left,” he said, realizing he had taken the last of her coke.

“Damnit!” Pam exclaimed.

“I said I was sorry!”

“Oh, no, not you. Sorry. It's just, I threw away my alarm clock this morning and I meant to go to the store to get a new one, and it completely slipped my mind,” she said, rubbing her forehead.

Jim looked relieved. “Oh. Well, I could call you tomorrow morning to wake you up, if you'd like.”

Pam smiled as his generosity. “No, that's okay. This one still works,” she revealed.

“Then why are you throwing it away,” Jim asked, perplexed.

“Oh, it's stupid,” Pam said quietly as she dug the alarm clock out of the trash.

Jim turned in his seat, clearly intrigued. “No, tell me. I'm sure it will be interesting.”

“Okay,” She began, still wondering how much she should tell him, “Well, for years, Roy insisted we have one of those alarm clocks that bleated at you.”

“Like a sheep.”

“No, not quite. One of those ones with the really annoying buzz. He said it was the only thing he could wake up to. I still had it, and this morning I told myself I would get a new one that could play radio stations. But I guess I can stand this one.” Pam said with a hint of resignation in her voice. “Like I said. Stupid”

“No. That's definitely not stupid. Come on, I'll drive you after dinner. I think it's important you get your own alarm clock.” He said as he turned to resume eating.

Pam slid into the chair across from him. “Really?”

“Really.”

Pam folded her hands into her lap, and smiled, content to watch him eat.

Jim pushed the last of the noodles into his mouth, and sat back with a sated look on his face as he chewed. Pam had been watching him, making smalltalk, but suddenly her face twisted, amusement evident as she started to laugh quietly.

“What?” Jim said as he wiped his hands and threw the used napkin into his plate.

“Nothing. You just said you were a little hungry. You just ate the rest of the meal,” Pam said as her amusement died down to a small close-lipped smile.

“Sorry, again. I'll have to make it up to you,” he said as he stood and made his way to the sink.

“Uhh, what are you doing there, Jim?” Pam asked as she rose and made her way to stand next to him.

“Dishes,” Jim said matter-of-factly as he dropped his plate into the sink. “I never really did them growing up, my dad was always in charge of that. But later, around the time I moved in with Mark, I kind of came up with the rule that whoever cooks it didn't have to clean. So when Mark cooked, I did dishes and vice versa.”

Pam just smiled, and walked to her bedroom to get his coat. It also gave her the opportunity to try to stifle her watery eyes. She spent the next few moments composing herself.

By the time she was back with their coats, Jim had made short work of the dishes. “I would have dried them, but I couldn't find anything to do it with. But they are all clean, anyway.” He said, drying the water from his hands with a paper towel.

“Thanks,” Pam replied cheerily, this time a little more prepared for his unthinking kindness.

“Lets go get an alarm clock.” he said, taking his coat from her.

“Let's do this,” Pam replied, slipping on her coat.

The drive to Target had been a blur to Pam. The only thing she could concentrate on was her proximity to Jim. The fact that he had opened the door to his new car for her, a move so typically Jim, had her heart swell to the point she thought it might burst out of her chest. Her pulse was erratic when his hand brushed her leg to release the parking brake. The conversation was pretty one sided, with Jim attempting to make her laugh and Pam fighting the urge to throw herself on him. Pam knew that despite her recent brashness, she wasn't capable of a move that courageous so quickly.

Eventually, Jim was content to sit quietly and listen to the radio with Pam, the songs never quite registering as his mind was set firmly elsewhere. Soon enough, they were walking the aisles of the Target, seemingly avoiding the aisle containing the alarm clocks. Eventually, however, they made it and Pam stood mouth agape at the selection.

“I didn't know there were so many,” she said, her eyes never leaving selection in front of her.

“You know, they even sell alarm clocks that have a cradle for your Ipod that will charge it and play music from it,” Jim chimed in absentmindedly. He was transfixed by the smell of her shampoo. What was that, lavender? Or maybe some kind of fruit. In their banter, they managed to sidle up against one another, which neither of them seemed willing to acknowledge.

“Yeah, that would be great, except that cheap ass Roy got me the imitation Ipod. I doubt it would work. Plus, the damn thing is already starting to fall apart, and the battery lasts all of 45 minutes.” Pam said, the bitterness evident in her voice.

“Oh.” Jim replied, his eyes seeming to echo the sadness she was feeling. “Well, it plays from the radio too, so you could still get that and hope it plugs in,” he quickly added.

“Yeah, I guess you're right. Let's try to find one,” Pam said eagerly, trying to avoid the sadness the memories of Roy was bringing both of them.

It took them all of 5 minutes to find the right alarm clock, and another 85 still to find the checkout. It probably would have been easier had either of them wanted to leave. The conversation between them had become light, yet engrossing nevertheless. They both avoided conversation that would lead them to Pam's wedding or Jim's transfer or Casino Night or anything leading up to that night. They both knew someday they would have to cross that line, but tonight was going too well to spoil it and they both knew it. These thoughts fluttered through Pam's mind and she was preoccupied thinking of how she was going to say all she needed to say when she saw Jim pick up two 2-liter bottles of coke and put them in their carriage. She smiled a little bit and refused to indulge the thoughts of how he always seemed to get her.

Her mind was swimming in thoughts; checkout and the drive home had been pretty much become a blur before they were even over. Pam looked out the window, the rain beading up on the window mimicking the tears beading up on her eyes. She had so much fun with Jim doing absolutely nothing that she didn't even realize it had become almost 11:00. spending time with Roy had been like pulling teeth. Every minute seemed to drag on forever, and she was always resigned to getting him another beer or basically being his servant. With Jim, he always tried to split the responsibilities, and he always knew how she was feeling.

“Are you okay?” She heard him say, right on cue.

“Yeah. I had a really good time tonight. I was just a little overwhelmed at how much fun I had with you,” she said, turning to face him, aware of the tear running down her cheek.

Jim stared into her eyes as he reached over and wiped the tear away with his thumb. “Me too. By the way, we're at your place.” His hand never leaving her face.

She never broke eye contact with him. “Would you like to come in?” She said shyly.

“You know, I want to. But I'm kind of overwhelmed right now. I really had a great time, and a lot of my old feelings...” he paused, trying to decide how much he should cover up and how truthful he should be. “being your friend, is coming rushing back to me. I kind of feel like I should go home and let all of it kind of sink in.”

“Oh.” She said, her eyes dropping a little bit. “I can totally understand that. Maybe it's best for me too”

“Yeah.” Jim's hand was still on her face when he curled it slightly around to her neck, and pulling her towards him, placed a kiss gently on her cheek, still slightly wet from the tear he had wiped away. He was conscious of the small gasp that escaped from Pam's mouth as she tensed up a little. He pulled away to see Pam smiling up at him with more tears forming.

“Thanks, Jim,” she choked, “For everything. I guess this is a really good time for me to get out of your car.”

Jim smiled and looked down at his hand, which has fallen to his lap. “Yeah. Don't forget your alarm clock, which you can plug your Ipod into, and your coke. Will I see you at work tomorrow?” Jim rambled nervously, aware of the fact that of course she would be at work.

“Definitely”, she said, as she opened the car door and stepped out. She smiled back at him before adding, “Have a good night, Jim.”

“Night Pam,” he replied before she shut the door and skipped up to her door. He waited to see that she was safely inside before putting the car in gear and driving away. A small smile crept to his face as he knew exactly what he was getting Pam for her birthday.

The clicking of keyboards and the hum of fluorescent lights seemed almost deafening to Pam. Though her and Jim had almost immediately fallen back into their routine the previous week, she was still a little nervous. She could pinpoint the day where things took a turn. It started with Jim telling her that he had broken up with Karen. HE broke up with HER. Then, the very same day, he shows up at her apartment and she has the greatest date she can recall, even if it just involved buying an alarm clock. Pam can't help but think of the underlying meaning behind his actions, and the specific order of them. These two actions exclusive of each other wouldn't be monumental, but his breakup with Karen and the brevity in which he decided to take steps to resume their friendship was.

Now it was Pam's birthday, exactly 7 days later, and she seemed rather dismayed by Jim's hesitance. She secretly hoped that he had planned some romantic gesture for her birthday, explaining his relative coolness when she compared it to how Jim seemed almost ready to kiss her in his car. She had considered that his inactivity was a sign of his disinterest, but immediately pushed that thought out of her mind, instead trying to fill it with the optimistic alternative. This morning she decided today was the day. Either Jim would confront her, or she would confront him. One week was far too long to hang on every word, every breathless pause. She searched every exchange for hidden meaning, every stare, every joke, every prank. She wondered how he managed to cope for all those years.

To push the thoughts out of her head, Pam instead turned her thoughts to the more physical aspect of Jim. He wore a charcoal pinstripe suit today over a plain white oxford shirt and yellow tie. Pam's eyes focused on the back of his neck, his hair slightly curled at the top of the collar. Her eyes lingered for a moment, then started their descent downward. The suit fell perfectly on his strong shoulders, only slightly masking his lanky yet still muscular arms. Almost as though he could sense her eyes on him, he swiveled slowly in his seat to great her with a smile. To punctuate her newfound courage, Pam had been conditioning herself to stop averting her gaze in situations like this. She smiled back at him whole-heartedly and held his gaze for as long as her patience would allow. Her eyes wandered down, his hair unkempt, his top button was undone, his tie was crooked, almost as though it was an afterthought. The suit looked as good from the front, she was busy thinking to herself.

“Pamela Beesley. Are you checking me out.” Jim asked rhetorically.

“No,” Pam quickly blurted out, then upon looking around and noticing the sparseness of the office, reconsidered her answer, “Yes. I don't know anymore,” she added with a blush and looked down at her stapler.

“Well, I guess I'd better go talk to Toby. I don't know if I feel comfortable around you any more.”

“Liar,” Pam said simply, not looking up from her desk.

“I know,” Jim said, getting up to lean on her desk, “Hey, listen, would you like to have lunch with me in a couple hours?”

“Boy would I!” Pam exclaimed. “Would you like to actually go out or are you just thinking of the break room?”

“Yeah, I've actually got a reservation for two at the Dunder-Mifflin cafe. I hope you don't mind.” He said through a tight grin.

“Definitely not”, she responded in kind.

“It's settled then. Dunder-Mifflin cafe. 12:45. It's a date,” he said as he turned back to his work.

Pam couldn't quite believe what he had said. A date? Realistically, she knew he was just joking around, but a part of her, maybe even the whole of her, wanted it to be real. She looked down at her desk, deep in thought. Her eyes lingered on a picture of her and Jim, taken on the night of the Dundies. It had been taped up to the back of the reception desk, almost behind all her other things so that only the person sitting in her chair could see it. She smiled to herself, and pulled the picture down. Grabbing a new piece of tape, she stuck it to her monitor, in plain sight.

“Pam-a-lah! Pam-a-lah Beesley!”Michael's voice rang out, cutting through her pleasant daydream.

“Yes, Michael?” Pam looked up at him with ambivalence.

“Can I speak to you in my office?”

Pam glanced at the time on her computer. It was after 12:30 already. “Can it wait? I was just about to take lunch?” Pam pleaded.

“No it cannot. That's one thing we should never do. Wait.” Michael went on insistently, “This cannot wait another minute. Hour. Day. Year.”

Pam sighed. She didn't have the patience to deal with cryptic Michael right now. She looked over at Jim, who gave her the slightest nods almost to tell her it was all right. Seeing this, she got up and followed Michael into his office.

“Could you shut the door behind you, Pam?”

Pam obeyed. She spoke hastily, “Is this about Jan? I'd be happy to give you advice. After lunch.”

“Take a seat please, Pam.”

His official voice and repetition of her name scared her a little. Pam sat down without saying anything and looked at him intently. When he didn't say anything but chose instead to hold a pen to his chin and pivot slowly in his chair, staring somewhere into his message box, she decided to speak up, “Michael,”

“Pam.” He started suddenly, “How long have you known Jimbag. My main man, Jim Bean. Jim Bean Bag.”

Pam knitted her brows, taken aback slightly. “I don't know, maybe three or four years?” she said, leaning back in her chair, a little bit at ease.

he continued, never breaking eye contact, “And how long have you loved him?”

Pam immediately sat forward. “Michael, I don't think, it's not that, we're not, we're friends. Jim and I are... friends.” Somehow, she didn't indulge her instinct to run.

“We both know that's a lie. Casino night he told you he loved you, and shortly after you broke it off with Roy. Whether he was directly the cause, he at least made you consider the possibility of life without Roy. That much I'm sure about. I see the way you look at each other. It's painfully obvious.”

“And what would you know about Jim and I?” Pam almost snapped, more out of realization that he knew about Casino Night.

“I know enough to know that you two are meant for each other. I could see it in his eyes at the convention. Months away from you, and it was still in his eyes. And then he came back here with, with that... Karen,” Michael said her name with a hiss, “I had to make sure I got Jim to break up with her”

Pam looked bewildered. How much did Michael and Jim share? Were these the ramblings of the crazy boss she knew, or was there more to him? “What do you mean? How did you get Jim to break up with Karen?”

“Oh, I don't think he'd ever listen to me if I told him outright. So I had to rely on sub... subterf... subterfuselage,” the Michael she knew shown through. “He gave me some speech at Christmas about rebounds, and I just planted the seeds of doubt.” Michael smiled inwardly.

“Oh.” Pam laced her fingers together, anxious to get back to Jim. One day they'd laugh about this.

“Anyway, we've gotten off topic. The point is, you're both single, you're both unhappy, and you both deserve the chance to try. I'll leave it at that.” Michael said as he stood to show her out.

Pam didn't know what to think of his advice, so she smiled and said, “Thanks, I just may,” as she stood.

Michael hastily added, “Oh, and don't worry. I'll cover for you to that fiend Toby. It's amazing anyone can love anyone with that deadbeat around.”

With that Pam quickly left. As she emerged from Michaels office, she saw Jim tapping his watch impatiently. She winced as she glanced at the clock above her desk. 12:50. She mouthed sorry and jerked her head to the break room. Jim just nodded and got up with his lunch.

“Okay, Pam, first tell me what that meeting with Michael was all about?” Jim said as the door shut behind him.

“Oh, It was nothing. I'll tell you later. I promise it'll be better later.”

“Okay, I'm trusting you though.”

“Anyway,” Pam said absentmindedly as she tore the cover off her yogurt, “What is THIS meeting all about, Halpert”

Jim smiled down as he opened his brown bag. Somehow when she said his last name, it didn't taste like bile in the back of his throat like when Karen said it. When Karen said it, it felt suspiciously like he was cheating on Pam.

“Well, Jim?” She smiled, the spoon poised in her mouth as her eyes sparkled at him.

For a second, Jim couldn't find words. Here he was, sitting across from Pam. Cliché as it may sound, he was sure this was the girl for him. Sure, she didn't dress as nicely as Karen. She may not have Karen's body, or her velvety hair or her olive skin. But somehow, as he looked into her eyes now, he felt overwhelmed, almost intoxicated, and above all else, he felt like he was home. Nothing could change the fact that when he looked into Karen's eyes, when he saw her smile, he felt cold, alone.

In his reverence, Pam had noticed his silence and had set her spoon down on the yogurt lid. Placing her hand on top of his, she met his eyes again and smiled.

He stammered as he looked down at his bag, “Right, so today is your birthday, and with that in mind,” he fumbled around with the bag one handedly, unwilling to break his contact with Pam with his other hand. After a pause, he produced a card for her.

Pam grabbed it and tore into it ravenously. From it she produced a home made card that just had 'Happy Birthday' written across the front. Inside, however, was a picture of Jim's coffee table. On it, a present wrapped in birthday print. She laughed, and met his eyes again. “Really, Jim? It's small enough, couldn't you just bring it in?”

“I could have, but then it would be harder to invite you back to my apartment,” Jim said cautiously.

Pam ignored his hesitance. “Is it okay if I come over right after work?”

Jim breathed with relief, “Definitely.”

They exchanged smiles and went back to their lunches. Jim took a huge bite out of his ham and cheese sandwich, which made Pam giggle.

“You might want to calm down there, Jim. I don't know if I could give the Heimlich to someone so tall.” Pam said matter-of-factly as she opened one of her Tupperware containers. Neither of them seemed to notice Karen glaring at them through the break room door, however.

The rest of the day after lunch seemed to crawl by, broken up by Jim's occasional trips to get jelly beans from Pam's desk, or Michaels shenanigans to show off for the cameras. At exactly quitting time, however, Jim and Pam rushed to put on their coats, gather their things and leave. As the elevator doors opened, Jim put his hand on her back and ushered her into the elevator. The hairs on Pam's neck stood on end at her proximity to him. As the doors shut in front of them, Jim whispered, “Are you excited?”

“I hope it's a pony.” Pam said seriously.

Jim looked at her skeptically. “Pam, I don't think...”

“Please please please,” she interjected, “Let it be a pony.” She said wistfully as she folded her hands together and looked up to the roof of the elevator.

Jim couldn't help but laugh as the elevator doors opened. Following her out to their cars, he made sure one last time that she knew how to get to his apartment.

“Yes, yes. I know Scranton pretty well by now, Jim.”

Jim threw his hands up in the air as he walked to his car. “Sure, Beesley. Treat me like that when all I'm doing is making sure you get your birthday present.”And with that, car doors were shut, engines were turned, and they were on their way.

Shortly after, Jim was unlocking his front door with Pam immediately behind him, dancing with enthusiasm. He took her coat, shed his own, and they soon found themselves gravitating towards the living room. He led her to the coffee table, and sat down on the love seat. Pam sat down next to him close than she needed to, mere inches between them. He handed her the present, and smiled sheepishly at her, immediately looking at his feet.

Pam took it graciously, shaking it a little up to her ear. The box was about the size of a CD case, only much thicker. The box seemed to make no noise, and was fairly light in her hands. “I wonder what it is,” she said, stumped.

“You could open it. I think that's the quickest way to find out,” Jim said, feigning annoyance.

Pam just leaned into him and elbowed him gently. She smiled and flipped open the piece of paper that acted as a card on the top of the present. “Everything you'll need on a desert island. Yours, Jim” Pam read aloud. “Cryptic. Have you been hanging out with Michael?”

Jim nudged her back with his shoulder. “Just open it.”

Pam tore into the paper, and in doing so revealed an Ipod. “Okay, now I really know you've been hanging out with Michael. But seriously, Jim. I can't take this. It's too much money.”

“Hey, you need something to plug into that fancy alarm clock of yours.” Jim smiled at her as he leaned in to emphasize his point.

She shuddered a little at his closeness. She could smell his faint cologne, could see the stubble persistently appearing on his face. His lips forming a tight, reserved smile. “No, Jim. I mean, I don't think I could afford to give you anything near this expensive. It's not fair.”

He placed his hand on her knee and squeezed. “Pam. It's not about the money. You're so much more important to me than money, and you deserve to be happy.”

Pam breath hitched in her throat as she felt his strong hand gripping her knee. Michael's words about deserving happiness reverberated in her ears as she sat here with Jim. She tried to speak, but his thumb was mercilessly rubbing circles in her thigh, and all she could manage to do was lick her lips and stare at his.

Jim just stared into her eyes, noticing that her mouth seemed to hang open. After a few moments, he raised his other hand to come up under her chin. Finally, her eyes met his and all she could seem to mutter was, “Jim.” At the mention of his name, he was fairly certain he could feel his mouth turn to sand. He needed water, he needed something to stop his mouth from drying, to stop his palms from sweating, to stop his chest heaving. And all at once, he realized he didn't need water, he needed...

He brought both his hands to hold her face, and started leaning in. Pam reached up and put her hands on his sides, partly because she wanted to get closer to him, and partly to stop her hands from shaking. The distance between them seem to gradually get smaller. Pam tried with all her might, but seemed she couldn't get to him fast enough, and just when her lips were within inches of his, she shut her eyes and took one last deep breath.

Suddenly, there was a pounding at the door, and Pam jumped back, startled. Jim's actions mirrored her own, and he dropped his hands to her shoulders, his eyes showing how sorry he was. “Stay here,” he whispered as the pounding continued, giving her shoulders the faintest squeeze.

Jim had gotten up and had gotten halfway to the door before it swung open violently to reveal Karen.

“Karen, what are you doing here?” Jim said with a hint of bitterness in his voice.

The only thing Pam could think to do was slouch down in her seat and hope she would go.

“Oh, hey there, Jim,” Karen said stepping inside without behind invited.

 

Jim laughed a nervous laugh as she shut the door behind her. “Karen, what do you need?”

“Oh, you know, Jim” She said seductively as she pushed him violently against the wall, her lips crashing into his.

Pam slouched down even more, embarrassed that she had even come here. What was the point of Jim stringing her along if he was just going to embarrass her in front of Karen like this. Pam felt dejected, like she wanted to cry right there on the couch.

Jim put his hands on Karen's shoulders and tore her away defiantly. “Karen, what the fuck do you think you're doing?”

Karen said coyly, “Jim, I thought you wanted me? Tonight, you could have me, if you want.”

Pam bit her tongue. She could taste the salt of her tears, but she couldn't cry in front of Jim, and she definitely couldn't cry in front of Karen. She just held her teeth clenched and hoped that it would all be over soon. She had been so hopeful, and even if Jim had no interest in Karen, the mood was definitely ruined.

Jim ran his hand through his hair, and Pam could tell he was trying to find where to begin. “Karen, I don't know what to tell you. I hoped it wouldn't come to this, that we could just break it off simply. But the fact is, I'm not interested in you. I mean, I said I wanted to stay friends, and that still stands.”

Pam watched intently, unable to move. He never once made eye contact with Karen. “He feels guilty,” she thought to herself.

Karen took another step towards Jim, who was still backed up against the wall. She dropped her hand to the inside of his thigh and started rubbing upward. “Oh, I'm fine with that. I'd love to be friends, but that doesn't mean we cant have sex.” Karen said in a husky voice, a smile pulling at her lips.

Jim pushed her away, and took a few steps to the side to avoid her. Directly into the living room. Directly towards Pam. And as if in slow motion, Pam could see the revelation hit Karen. Pam had her arms wrapped around herself and she gripped herself tighter as Karen realized who it was exactly sitting in Jim's living room.

“Jim, what the fuck is going on,” Karen said, her voice clearly rising to anger.

“It's Pam's birthday. We were spending time together.” Jim said, moving to stand beside Pam as she rose from the sofa.

Karen's eyes darted from person to person before she continued. “So she's why you broke up with me? You're fucking her now?” She said with pure malice in her voice.

Pam opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't manage to spit out any words.

Jim reached down and took her hand in his, as if to brace her from the onslaught he was sure to come. He looked up at Karen and began slowly. “That's not how it is, but I do have feelings for Pam.” Pam turned sharply to look at him, even more surprised to hear those words.

Karen immediately began again. “That's marvelous Jim. You think maybe you could have told me that before I moved to Pennsylvania to be with you? That would have at least been the considerate thing to do. And seriously? Is there any comparison between us? How could you choose her over me?”

Pam wasn't sure her jaw could drop any lower. Had Karen been drinking? She would never have expected this from her; she would never have expected this from anyone, really.

“She makes me laugh, for one. She makes me feel, I don't know, whole again. The whole time I was in Stamford, I felt like I was missing something. Now I know what it was.” He tightened his grip on her hand and rubbed circles in her palm with his thumb. She wasn't sure whether it was his words or what he was doing with his hand, but she was sure if it weren't for Karen, she wouldn't be able to keep herself off of him for long.

“Right, that's all a load of bullshit, and you know it, Halpert,” she spit out, the bile rising to his throat at the mention of his last name. “First of all, I heard she broke up with Roy right before they were to get married. Hell, if I were to guess, I'd say she probably even cheated on him, too. Do you really want to involve yourself with a whore like that?”

Pam felt like she wanted to crawl out of her own skin. If she could escape, she would. She felt fresh tears form in her eyes, and her lip quivered just slightly. Karen seemed so nice, how could she be saying this to her? Was jealousy driving her to be this vile? She felt Jim's hand give her one last affirming grip before he dropped it completely.

“Get out.” His voice was a tone she was sure she had never heard before. Not even when she was sure he was angry.

“Jim...” Karen tried to say sweetly.

He took another step toward her, “Get out. Now.” His tone was low, almost a growl. Pam could see something in his eyes. Something desperate, seething with anger.

“Jim, I'm sorry.” Karen said as she took a step backward. “I didn't mean it.”

Jim just shook his head as he took another step forward. “What did you mean, then? I'm pretty sure you barging into my house and calling my best friend a whore doesn't have any other connotations.”

“I crossed the line, Jim. I'm sorry. I've been drinking. Forgive me.” Karen quivered as her voice shook.

“I don't care. Get out. You're not welcome anymore.” Jim said as he took another step and was almost beside her.

Karen just nodded silently and walked back to the door. When she opened it, she turned back. “Pam,” She waited until Pam looked up at her, “I'm sorry. I'm really sorry.” With that, she stepped outside and shut the door behind her.

Jim ran his hand through his hair and walked back towards Pam, who was rubbing her forehead to try to prevent the tears from falling freely. As he got near her, a few sobs escaped her chest as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her head to his chest with his free hand. “I'm sorry, Pam. I'm sorry she hurt you. This was supposed to be a good night for you, for us.”

Pam only allowed herself a few tears and pushed him away gently. She looked up at him and found a completely different expression. He met her eyes with kindness and adoration. She looked down to avoid his gaze and rubbed at the wet spot she had left on his shirt. “I have to go,” She whispered, keeping her gaze fixed on his shirt. Even in her peripheral vision she could tell his face was plastered with worry.

“Are you sure? You could stay her if you need to talk, or calm down if you want. I could leave you alone” He said, taking her hand in both of his.

She smiled at his thoughtfulness. “Thanks, but I really need to go home and take a shower. I need some time to digest this.”

“Okay”, he said, looking into her teary eyes. He walked her to the door and pulled her in for one last quick embrace and opened the door for her. “Bye Pam,” He called out after her.

“Bye Jim,” She called back.

The drive home for Pam was a blur between the tears. Upon getting in her front door and taking off her coat, however, she felt a lump in her jacket pocket. She reached in to find the Ipod that Jim had secretly stuffed in there. He must have either put it in while he got her coat, or when he hugged her goodbye. She smiled a little standing there in her kitchen, and powered it on for the first time. Something about Jim's card made her heart falter a little bit. “Everything you'd need on a desert island,” he had said. And sure enough, as she flipped through movies, she saw Dazed and Confused, Edward Scissorhands, Fargo, The Princess Bride, and This is Spinal Tap. The same held true for music, and under pictures he had put pictures of her five favorite things. She hugged the small piece of black hardware to her chest as she leaned up against the door and let a different kind of tears well up to the surface.

Jim could hardly believe his luck these past few weeks. He was so sure that he and Pam had been regaining what they had lost in June. They were finally back to being friends, and that unmistakable look in Pam's eyes told him that there was possibly something more that that. He had made that mistake before but this time it was different; there was a certain fervor in her actions and when their eyes met, she made no effort to look elsewhere. He was so sure of this that he broke up with Karen. What was the point if in the end he wasn't even thinking about her? It was better to do it now rather than dragging it out and hurting her.

Sure enough, as soon as he had broken up with Karen, he almost immediately started getting closer to Pam. It was as if the line in the sand had been erased and there was nothing tangible between them any more. Things were happening too quickly, however, so he decided after their shopping date, that he would give her space. He decided one week would be ideal for her to sort out her emotions and for him to sort out her birthday present. Jim didn't realize, however, that it was also the ideal amount of time it would take for Karen to decide to try and win Jim back. His plans had slipped through his hands right when it seemed everything he had wanted with Pam was about to come true.

This left Jim to sit on his couch and question what his next move would be. He had been forward and initiated their previous two meetings. He stared absentmindedly at the muted television; it was playing some movie from the 80's. In his mind he was reviewing the rules of etiquette when it came to things like this. If he tried again would it make him look desperate? Would Pam be discouraged by him being clingy? They had been that close to finally getting everything out in the open, and their lips had been so close just hours before. Would things be awkward if he waited too long? Truth be told, he thought, the rules never seemed to apply with her. From that first date before he realized she was engaged, he ignored the rules. If he cared about them at all, he wouldn't have become involved with an engaged woman to begin with.

“To hell with it,” he said to himself. Jim rose from the sofa where he had lay in a tangled heap. He walked slowly to the kitchen counter and picked up his phone. The display came on with a swirl of color and read 10:15. He knew Pam would be awake, she would normally still be up at this time of night and he was sure she had things on her mind. He didn't bother going into his address book; he knew her number by heart anyway. His fingers dialed her number swiftly, and he pressed the phone up to his ear as he leaned over to peer into his refrigerator. Jim wasn't hungry, but it helped him take his mind off the fact that he was calling her. To this day, no matter which way their relationship progressed, he always felt a little nervous dialing her number. He always told himself that it was childish and he had enough self confidence that his palms shouldn't be sweating and his hands shouldn't be drumming on top of the refrigerator door. He couldn't help it though, his mind never was a match for his heart.

“Hey, this is Pam. Please leave a message in the form of a song and I'll get back to you.”

Jim smiled and hung up before the beep that indicated he should start talking. Setting his phone back on the counter, he ran his hair through his unkempt hair. Leaning up against the sink, he took a deep breath and tipped his head back to stare at the ceiling panel. “Maybe I need a shower,” he thought to himself. He definitely needed to collect his thoughts and calm down. It was only hours prior when he had Pam, the girl he definitely knew he loved now, and Karen, the girl he had pretended to love, occupying his attention. He wasn't sure which he was more conflicted about; his guilt about Karen or how he should proceed with Pam.

Jim had always liked hot showers. As a kid, something fascinated him about the mirrors getting steamed up. He liked the showers hot enough that they almost scalded him, he had from that young age. Even now, the shower was turning the skin on his chest a rosy color. He lathered the shampoo into his hair as a method to distract himself. The last thing he needed was to be thinking about Pam in the shower. He'd been down this path before and he knew how it ended. Even so, he couldn't help but wondering if Pam liked her showers the same way. Did she share the same habit with Roy, and if not, did they compromise? Probably not, he thought to himself. He could even imagine Pam trying to sneak the water to a hotter temperature while Roy's eyes were closed while he was washing his hair. He would have probably caught her eventually, and he probably would have made a big deal about it. All of a sudden, it hit Jim that he was thinking about Roy. In the shower. He quickly rinsed himself off and shut off the water. Stepping into the open air, a chill ran over him. He toweled himself off quickly and threw on his favorite pair of flannel pajama pants when he heard a faint knocking.

Jim made his way across his apartment slowly, patting his hair dry with the towel that was draped over his bare shoulders. He opened the door and winced as he felt the cold air hit him from the hallway.

“Oh... Hey? Am I interrupting anything?” Her voice was quiet and shaking.

“Pam! Hi. No. God no.” He stammered. “I was just taking a shower. I didn't think I'd see you again. Tonight, that is.”

Pam picked at an errant piece of paint on the frame of his door. “Oh, well, I was driving myself insane sitting at home just thinking. I needed to get some of it out, if you know what I mean.”

Jim suddenly realized the awkwardness of the situation. Pam had shown up at his apartment and he had answered the door half naked, and she was standing in the cold hallway trying not to look at him. “Come in,” he said as he released the door and backed into his apartment. “I'd be happy to listen, I think it would be best if I put a shirt on first though.”

“Jim. Please. Don't.” Pam lifted her eyes to look him in the eye. Jim was confused at her request, but granted it anyway. Her eyes were hopeful, and Jim couldn't help but draw the parallel between the way she looked now and the way she looked as she sat across the table at Casino Night.

“It's just that I had this big speech thought up, and if you leave to go put a shirt on, I think I'm going to get nervous and change what I want to say. I hope that makes sense.” She fiddled with the fabric of her sweater as she kept taking steps toward the center of the room.

“No. Yeah, I get it. I totally understand. Would you like to sit down?”

“No, that's okay. Can we talk? About everything? I think it's time at least I started being honest with you,” She said, looking up into his eyes. She was now mere feet from him, and he had been backed up against the stove. He simply nodded, and took her in as she stood breathing heavily, fiddling with her ring finger.

“Okay. I kind of feel like I owe you an apology for the way things ended on Casino Night. I led you along after all the good things you'd done for me, being my best friend and all,”

“Pam,” he interrupted her, “Don't feel bad about that. If I didn't want to be led along, I wouldn't have acted the way I did. I don't have any regrets with the way things ended.”

“No regrets?” Pam said wearily.

“Well, maybe one. It would have been nice if you ran off with me that night,” He smiled as he shifted his weight on the oven.

“Jim, I... It was,”

“I know, Pam. I've had a lot of time to think about it. I know I was expecting way too much of you given that you were still in a relationship with Roy. I don't know why I expected you to drop everything, but it is what it is, you know?”

Pam nodded while still not making eye contact. She took another step as she continued, “I'm glad you understand where I was coming from. I felt horrible flirting with you all those times, but I would have felt worse having just giving in to how I felt about you.”

“Pam. Stop,” Jim said, his eyes fixing on her averted eyes.

She looked up at him with concern. “What?”

“Just, stop worrying about what you could have done differently,” Jim leaned forward as he spoke quietly. “The truth is, you can't change what happened. The only thing that matters is how you feel now. So I have a proposal. We both forgive each other and ourselves about how we treated each other. And starting right now, we both get our feelings out in the open.”

“I can live with that.” Pam said, her expression relaxing a little.

“Okay. You first.”

“What? Why not you first,” She exclaimed with a half smile on her face.

“I went first last time. Twice in a row,” Jim returned the smile.

“Fine,” Pam conceded as she rolled her eyes and threw her hands up in the air. She took another step towards him. “Jim. Ever since I was a little girl, I've been in love with you.”

Jim exhaled quickly, letting his laugh get distorted in his throat. “Really. Since a little girl?”

Pam beamed up at him. She took another small step. Almost there, she thought. “Quit stalling. Your turn.”

He looked down. She was close enough now that when he looked down at his own feet, he could see hers too. Her white keds fidgeted nervously on his kitchen floor. Somehow, this gave him confidence. He looked into her eyes before taking a deep breath, like he was about to jump off the high dive. “Pam, ever since I worked at Dunder-Mifflin, I've been in love with you.”

Pam smiled as he exhaled quickly. She took one last step. “You're not wearing a shirt.”

His breath caught in his throat as he felt her cold hands on his sides. What he wouldn't do to warm them up. “I seem to recall someone requesting I have this conversation half naked. And you thought you were nervous, at least you had clothes,” He teased. Jim brought his hands down rest on her shoulders. “The only question is, what now?”

For as much as they had gotten out in the open verbally, there still was the physical hurdle that needed to be crossed. Pam looked up at him and trembled a little as she brought her hands down to rest on the hem of his pants. But she wasn't quite looking into his eyes as much as she was looking at his lips.

“Aha,” he said out of realization of what she was yearning for next. Jim curled his hand around her neck and pulled her closer, and with the other hand tucked the stray piece of hair behind her ear and cradled her small face in his large hand. Pam closed her eyes as she let herself gravitate towards him, as things had always been. An unexplainable attraction. She seemed to wait forever until finally she felt his lips on hers, gentle and sweet. He had unwittingly walked into her trap because as soon as they had made contact, Pam wrapped her arms around his waist and pushed herself up and into him. She tilted her head ever so slightly and pushed her tongue into his. Jim was prepared though; years of longing had given him ample time to envision every scenario. Vividly. And here she was, no imagination required.

The thought drove Jim to abandon his reservations. He lowered his right hand to her ribs as he abruptly pushed her against the refrigerator door, various magnets clamoring to the floor and menu's sifting through the air. She gasped slightly as Jim crashed against her, momentarily breaking the kiss. Jim was persistent, though, and he pushed further into her mouth with his. Pam rose her hands to feel his shoulder blades, then snaked her arms up to grab on to his shoulders. She pressed back just as hard into his lips as his hand reached up to cup her breast. He pulled her neck gently, seemingly trying to get as deep as possible with the kiss. He dropped that hand to the small of her back, suddenly focusing on getting closer in another way. She writhed against him as he drove his hips into her, then suddenly stepped back, breaking their embrace. “Pam, how far?” he whispered breathlessly.

Pam's eyes were a mixture of green and fire, her ravenous expression explaining all he needed to know without words. He wouldn't be able to go 'too far', he thought. The revelation hit him too late, however, because Pam had lunged against him, sending him reeling into the stove again, the grates on the elements popping out of place from the jolt. She crashed against him and brought her hands up into his hair, pulling him to her as their lips met once again. She pushed her tongue into his accepting mouth, and his hands once against rose to her shirt. He pulled up hastily on the fabric, her hands only breaking their hold briefly to let the shirt fly over her head. Jim dropped it to the floor, and she was at him again, her arms around his neck, grinding her hips against him. Jim moaned as he dropped one hand to her waist to guide her with her action, the free hand deftly undoing her bra in a fluid motion. She pulled this over her head as well, dropping it with her shirt. She didn't return to her onslaught, however. She dropped her hands to his pants, tugging them to the floor, meeting resistance from his erection. Jim's gaze was fixed on her as he kicked off the last remnants of his clothing. He brought his hands down to the material of her jeans, and undid the button and slid the zipper, ignoring the fact that his hands were shaking. She pressed against him before his work was done, however, and the combined feeling of his hands trapped between their bodies and her bare breasts against his chest made the hairs on his arms stand up. He smiled slightly, and so did she. realizing his predicament, she backed off slightly and assisted him with the removal of her pants. Jim hooked his thumbs into her panties before her jeans even hit the floor and pulled those down as well.

When she had safely freed herself from her cloth prison, they let their eyes roam over each other. Jim placed his hands on her hip and her shoulder and turned her around so she was the one backed up against the stove. She leaned her face towards his to resume, but he held her back. He brought his head around to whisper in her ear. “You're amazing, you know that?”

Pam just nodded and whispered, “You too,” back.

Jim gently nibbled on her earlobe, beginning a trail of kisses down the side of her neck. Pam placed her hands on the back of his head and pulled him closer to increase the pressure of his work. He gently kissed the place between her neck and her shoulder, and grazed his lips over her clavicle. Pam's ragged breaths increased in intensity as she realized the path he was taking. She shut her eyes and tilted her head back, her hands now running through his hair just to feel the sensation. His kissed her slowly on the top of her breasts, tasting the sweat. He pulled her towards him with his hands, and mercilessly kissed around the outsides of her breasts, never bringing himself to her nipples. She moaned out of frustration, and tried to guide him to the spot, but he resisted. He resumed his descent, and kissed a small trail along her naval, dropping to his knees gracefully. A small smile came to Pam's lips as he rested his hands on her bottom, pulling her into him. She parted her legs slightly to give him room to work. He kissed slowly, tenderly down past her bellybutton, and diverted his course at the last moment to kiss over to the inside of her thigh. Pam whimpered and tried to redirect him again to no avail. His kissed slowly and lightly, breathing heavily as he worked in towards her center, then back out to her thigh, working slowly and steadily, holding her firmly against him. Pam ragged breath came in sharp gasps as he kept getting so close, and pulling back an inch from where she wanted him to be. Finally, Jim delivered the coup de grace and lowered his tongue directly between her legs. Pam tensed up as she gasped, involuntarily pulling him into her as he did the same with his hands. He licked with great precision, bringing himself higher slowly until he finally brought the spot that needed the most attention between his lips. He sucked gently, knowing how sensitive it could be. He continued his torment for what only seemed like a few more seconds when he heard Pam gasping and moaning, before shuddering to a stop and pushing him away gently.

They traded positions, with Pam on her knees and Jim leaning back against the stove. “You don't have to,” he murmured as he gathered up her hair and let it fall behind her shoulders.

“Have to be fair,” she said as she took him firmly with one hand. She looked up at him with a devilish grin as he gazed down at her longingly. “I don't think I'm going to be as torturous, though,” she said, rubbing her thumb slowly in circles. Before he could respond, she sat up straighter and pushed her hand down further to take him in her mouth. Jim inhaled quickly, gripping the handle behind him for support. Pam went to work quickly, taking him in and out, pausing shortly to look up at him and wink. Jim laughter was short lived as she took him in once again, her soft lips feeling better than anything he could imagine. The teamwork of her hand and her mouth was quickly bringing him along farther than he wanted to, so he gently pushed her back and pulled her to her feet.

“It's that time, huh?” She said, before she leaned in to gently nibble on his lip.

“Let me go get a...”

She interrupted him, “Now, Jim. Now.”

That was all the encouragement he needed, and his lips were on hers again. He pushed her up against the door, and bent himself at the knees to enter her. He lifted slowly, hands on her hips as he kissed her neck. She wrapped her arms around his neck, moaning in his ear to hasten him. He brought his lips to hers and finished his plunge into her, and once he was in, he brought his hands down to her bottom again and lifted her off the ground. Pinned against the door against his kiss and his embrace, she moaned softly as Jim slowly at first drove into her. He hastened his tempo steadily, planting kisses everywhere from her lips to her breasts. She held on to him and ran her hands though his hair, over his shoulders, across his back, as he unceasingly drove her wild. She kissed him along his jaw, feeling the stubble as she did. His fingers left red trails as he squeezed her as he drove against her into the door. His breath was getting ragged and his pace was slowing, however. Finally he came to a stop altogether, and left her the same way he entered. Taking her by the hand, he brought her over to the sofa they were sitting on before during the birthday exchange. Pam pushed him down on the couch, and straddled him as she lowered herself onto him. Again he entered her with a moan, his hands grasping her hips to guide her. Pam ran her fingers through his chest hair, and gracefully rocked on top of him. He turned his arm awkwardly to place his hand between her legs, and rubbed his thumb around in circles. Pam breathed sharply, and began riding him faster. Reaching up to her chest again, he pulled her toward him to take her nipple in his mouth, never losing the rhythm his other thumb had kept with her motions. Her breath was coming in ragged spurts when he felt her finally clench around him. He felt the climax within him as she kept going, and he grasped onto her hips firmly as he let himself go.

Pam collapsed on top of him, and wrapped her arms around him as he did the same. He kissed her cheek and hugged her tightly, never pulling out of her. She closed her eyes tightly and took in his scent in a deep breath.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Jim was startled out of his sleep by Pam's alarm clock playing music softly from her iPod. They had set it up last with a excited Pam kneeling on her bed clapping her hands as Jim set the time. Jim was dead tired but couldn't resist her excitement, so he stayed up with her creating a 'Music to wake up to' playlist. It was finally two in the morning when she had finally fallen asleep with her head pressed into his chest and the blankets wrapped around her tightly. He had spent the next fifteen minutes running his fingers through her hair and studying her rhythmic breathing.

He reached over Pam's still body to gently press the snooze button. When he returned to his laying position, her eyes were wide open and she had a devious grin on his face. Before he could ask, she had grabbed him by the shoulders and placed a quick kiss on his lips.

“You're the best!” She exclaimed as she pulled him in to a quick embrace. She pushed him away cheerfully and threw the covers off herself as she got up and skipped to the bathroom. Jim rubbed his morning stubble, wondering if she was this cheerful every morning. They had only gotten four hours of sleep, after all. After drifting to sleep on the couch at Jim's apartment the night before, she had woken him up to tell him she didn't have any clothes and would need to go back to her apartment before going to work the next morning. So they agreed that they would both spend the night at Pam's apartment. What started out as setting up her new alarm clock turned into something more affectionate, and finally transgressed into another passionate encounter. Jim lay smiling as the memory of the night before as he listened to the running water from the open bathroom door. Thinking about reliving the night before, he threw himself out of bed and walked to the bathroom.

Jim shut the door behind him and upon hearing the noise, Pam stuck her head out from behind the curtain. “I was wondering how long it would take you to join me. The draft from the door was getting to be a little much.”

Jim smiled back before he answered, “I had no idea you were so manipulative, Beesly.”

Pam took him by the hand and pulled him into the hot shower. “I hope you like your showers hot,” she said holding on to both of his hands as the water ran over them.

“More than you'd know,” he said as he bent down to kiss her neck. She leaned into him, becoming pliant under his capable hands. She was just beginning to moan as he continued his descent with his hands before she pushed him away gently.

“Can we talk for a second?” She said shyly as she again pressed his hands between hers.

“You literally only have my attention for a second. Then I'm going back to ravishing you.”

“I was thinking. Do you want to take one car in to work today?” she said as she fidgeted nervously.

Jim grinned ruefully as he realized the implications of what she was saying. “So what you're saying is you'd like to know if we can be open with our relationship.”

“Umm,” Pam backed away from him and further into the comfort of the running water.

Jim pressed his fingers into his temples and said in an exasperated tone, “I'm sorry. Was I being too presumptuous? We never really went over the state of what we are. It was probably stupid of me to assume that's what you wanted. That we were in a relationship. It's probably too soon.”

Pam looked down and shook her head, “No, you weren't wrong. Jim, I'd love for you to call me your girlfriend. We had all the characteristics of being a couple for so many years, it's just a natural progression to put a title on it. And yes, you're right. I want to tell people.”

Jim smiled wholehearted as he pulled her close in his arms. “All right, Beesly. You're now my girlfriend. Now, I believe I was kissing your neck.” Pam just smiled as she gave in to Jim again.

Forty five minutes later they emerged from the shower with matching pink skin. Pam watched him as he pulled on his dress pants from his side of the bed. When he looked up to see her running her fingers over a red satin top she had pulled out of her closet, he nodded in approval when he saw the conflicted look on Pam's face. She smiled to herself as she pulled on her outfit. Giving herself one last appraising glance in the mirror, Jim walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He placed his nose in her hair before finally speaking, “You look gorgeous. Don't ever question that”

“You don't look so bad yourself,” She retorted as she turned to tug on his tie.

“Easy Pam, this look takes a while to perfect and you could ruin it,” he teased as he kissed her quickly on the lips. “Do we have time for breakfast?”

Pam glanced at her alarm clock as she turned to leave the bedroom. “Not really. I usually walk out the door now.”

Jim followed her through her hallway and into the kitchen. “Well, as the regional number two at the Scranton branch, I am authorizing us to at least have some toast.”

“Well, that's a benefit to us dating I could get used to.” She said as she fished orange juice from the fridge.

Later, as they pulled in to the Dunder Mifflin parking lot fifteen minutes late, Pam noticed Dwight's face pressed up against the glass of Michael's window.

“I think someone missed you,” Pam giggled as she pointed out Dwight.

“Wow,” Jim exclaimed with disbelief. “I think I've finally found someone who may like me more than you do.” He grinned at her over the roof of the car as he took his things out of the back seat.

They met at the front of the car where Jim held out his hand for Pam to take. Hand in hand they walked in the front door of the building, exchanging nods with the ambivalent security officer as they made their way to the elevator. They remained stock still in the elevator as the soft whir brought them to their destination.

“Nervous?” Jim said as he turned to catch her contemplative expression.

“Definitely. I have no idea how Michael is going to take this. Or Dwight for that matter.” She shook her head.

“But it's worth it.”

“Of course,” she reassured.

The elevator doors opened and Jim placed his arm around Pam's shoulder as they paced themselves towards the entrance to their office. Jim opened the door to find Dwight standing with his arms crossed standing next to reception.

“Where were you?” He barked, “You are fifteen minutes late and we cannot have our Assistant Regional Manager AND our receptionist late. Are you trying to drive this company in to the ground?”

Jim cocked his head in a bemused fashion. “That's exactly what we're trying, Dwight. Is it working? Have we lost any sales yet?”

Pam contained her laughter with expertise as Dwight stood taken aback. “Well, Michael won't be happy to hear this,” He spat as he began to charge into Michael's office. He stopped abruptly and turned on his heel, a revelation apparent on his face. “Why would Dunder Mifflin's number two and the receptionist be entering the office together fifteen minutes late?” He said as he rubbed his chin. “You must be conspiring.”

“Actually, Dwight, Pam and I are dating now,” Jim corrected.

Dwight stood mouth agape. “Well, not that I condone this sort of behavior, but have you disclosed this with HR yet?”

Jim set down his bag as he replied, “Actually, I was planning on doing that first thing this morning.”

Dwight looked temporarily relaxed, “Well, good, as long as you do that I suppose it's not such a terrible malfeasance.”

Pam couldn't help but see Angela's head peaking over the divider between accounting and reception. “What are you saying, Dwight, you have something against office relationships?” Pam pried with a smile playing at her lips.

“Well,” he said as he straightened his tie under the watchful gaze of Angela, “I suppose as long as you remain professional, it's manageable.” With that he forcefully opened Michaels door to update him on the tardiness of his second in command. As Jim settled his thing's into his desk, he heard Michael exclaim, “Well! Finally our Jimbo and Pamalina hit it off! We'll have to throw a party. Today. Get the party planning committee on it.” Jim chuckled as he led Pam by the hand towards the back of the office towards Toby. They both couldn't help but notice as Karen's gaze followed them. Pam stretched out on her toes and placed a kiss on Jim's neck as he opened the door for them. Jim smiled as he placed his hand on the small of her back and ushered her in through the kitchen.