Pam Beesly never enjoyed thinking about what might happen if Jim Halpert, her best friend of many years, ever left moved away, but she found herself facing that harsh reality one warm May afternoon in the break room.

”You’re leaving?” She had asked, not wanting to to believe it and somehow clinging to a hope that it couldn’t possibly be true.

“Yeah...I'm leaving. I’m sorry, Pam. I know I should have told you sooner, but I hate seeing you upset and I didn’t want to put a damper on my last days here.”

Pam couldn’t help but feel a bit peeved at this. Sure, she could sort of understand where he was coming from, but if he had told her at any point before the day of his departure, she might have had time to plan something, make him a card...do anything to show him how much she valued their friendship. Jim had been her rock, her shoulder to cry on, her moral support, and basically all the moments she felt like her face would break from smiling so much or laughed so hard she cried were because of him. He was just...warm.

Stop it, Pam. He’s your best friend and nothing more. You love Roy.  

“I’m really sorry I, uh, didn’t get to make you anything or...do anything for you before you go.” She said, twisting her ring around her finger.

”No worries, Beesly. Hey, take care, alright? I’m gonna miss you.”

Pam could have sworn he was tearing up.

”I’m gonna miss you too, Halpert.”

More than you’ll ever know. 

At this point, Pam could feel her own tears beginning to well up in her eyes. “I hope I’ll, um, see you again sometime.” Her voice broke slightly.

”Absolutely.”

It was then that Pam, not caring about who might see them or what might happen if Roy were to walk through the office doors right then and there, enveloped Jim in a hug that almost literally took Jim’s breath away. 

“Whoah, there, Beesly” Jim laughed.

Pam gave a weak laugh through her tears, her face buried in Jim’s chest.

Let go of him, Pam. You’re just friends. Right? 

After what seemed like an eternity (but still not long enough) Pam tore away.

“Hey.” Jim said with a smile Pam noticed was tinged with sadness.

”Hey yourself.”

”I, uh, should probably be going.”

Pam nodded, her expression vacant, almost as if in a stupor induced by the inexplicably immense sadness she was feeling. Sure, it was understandable that she felt saddened by her best friend’s departure from her day-to-day life, but probably not this sad. 

“Don’t forget about me in Stamford!” She said, only halfway joking.

”Wouldn’t dream of it.”

And with that, Pam Beesly’s big green eyes filled with tears for the second, but certainly not the last time that day as she watched Jim walk out the doors of Dunder Mifflin Scranton for good. 

Jim Halpert had never wanted it to come down to this. If he had been a little bit braver, and if things had worked out in his favor, it might not have. However, he knew at some point he wouldn’t be able to take being in Scranton much longer, especially not after Pam’s impending wedding. Of course he had booked the trip to Australia, but that was just a Band-Aid for his problems. What about after Australia? Pam - sweet, beautiful Pam - would be married. Jim knew there was no way he could face seeing Pam every day after that. So, yeah. He was leaving, and as much as it pained him to do so he knew it was for the best.

”You’re leaving?” Pam asked, face falling. 

“Yeah...I'm leaving. I’m sorry, Pam. I know I should have told you sooner, but I hate seeing you upset and I didn’t want to put a damper on my last days here.”

Despite it all, Jim felt incredibly guilty about not telling Pam about the transfer before, well, the day he was due to leave. He only felt worse knowing that he had told Michael  about it before Pam, who was supposed to be his best friend. Michael had actually started sobbing when he told him. He had even offered to make a Jim-themed shrine for the office before Jim stopped that idea in its tracks. And Jim had wanted to see as much of Happy Pam as possible before he left Scranton - and with it, Pam - forever. 

You’re an asshole. Waiting to tell Pam until moving day? Honestly, Jim. No wonder she’ll never love you.

“I’m really sorry I, uh, didn’t get to make you anything or...do anything for you before you go.” Pam said, her sadness evident in her voice. Jim noticed she was twisting her engagement ring around her finger. Pam tended to do that a lot whenever she talked to him, Jim mused. It probably didn’t mean anything, though. Lots of people have little habits like that.

”No worries, Beesly. Hey, take care, alright? I’m gonna miss you.”

About halfway through saying this Jim teared up. At this point, he didn’t really care if that gave his feelings away. It wasn’t like he would ever see Pam again anyway. 

”I’m gonna miss you too, Halpert.”

Fuck. Goodbyes really are a bitch.

Jim saw tears welling up in Pam’s gorgeous green eyes. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to cup her face in his hands and kiss her. It took everything in him not to.

”I hope I’ll, um, see you again sometime” Pam continued, and Jim thought - though perhaps this was only wishful thinking - she sounded hopeful.

You’re reading too far into this, Jim. She’s just sad because you’re her best friend. 

”Absolutely.”

Suddenly, he felt Pam envelop him in a hug. He wrapped his arms around her waist and prayed that this moment would never end. 

I could spend forever like this. Except without the tears and the dread of leaving the love of my life. 

“Whoah, there, Beesly” Jim laughed.

He felt Pam laughing into his chest and felt like he could fall in love with her all over again.

Don’t let go. I know we’re just friends and we’ll only ever be just friends but please god don’t let go.

All too soon, Pam tore away from him, leaving Jim with a swarm of butterflies.

“Hey.” Jim said, trying to smile through the inevitable oncoming tears.

”Hey yourself.”

”I, uh, should probably be going.”

Jim didn’t want to go, but he knew it would be best to make a clean cut rather than prolonging one of the worst goodbyes he’s ever had. 

“Don’t forget about me in Stamford!” Pam said.

God, if only she knew. 

”Wouldn’t dream of it.” He replied, only halfway joking.

And with that, Jim Halpert gave up on holding back his tears as he walked away from Dunder Mifflin Scranton - and with it, the girl he swore he’d always be in love with - for good.

The second Pam walked through the doors of Dunder Mifflin the next morning, she felt like a piece of her heart was missing. Looking over at Jim’s empty desk didn’t exactly do wonders to alleviate this feeling, either. Pam was pondering why she felt this way when she and Jim had always just been friends and trying to tell herself that she didn’t have any feelings other than friend-related feelings towards him when Michael marched over to her desk and smacked it obnoxiously, scattering paper everywhere in the process. 

“Pam-a-lam-a-ding-dong!”

“Yes, Michael?” Pam sighed exasperatedly as she gathered the slew of paper off the floor. 

“We’re having a funeral for Jim in the conference room in an hour.”

“Jim’s not dead, Michael.” 

“Well he’s dead to me, that’s for damn sure. I mean, come on! How could he just leave like that?! We were a family!” Michael proclaimed, gesticulating wildly. “Anyway, I just think we should all...pay our respects. And I would like you, my dear, to write his eulogy.” 

“You aren’t serious, are you? A eulogy?”

“I am dead serious, Pam. And don’t call me Shirley.”

Pam stared at her keyboard as if beseeching it to provide her with inspiration for what to write in the eulogy for Jim. She’d made several attempts thus far, but they’d all come out wrong one way or another.

Jim Halpert was always such an amazing friend to me and sometimes I feel like he understood me better than my own fiancé 

Jim Halpert and I have shared many memories together, from throwing the Office Olympics to me kissing him at the Dundies which he probably thinks I don’t remember 

Jim Halpert has always been so supportive and encouraging of me and my dreams, and I wish Roy could be even half as supportive as Jim was

“Pam Sandwich! How’s that eulogy coming? Conference room in - drumroll please -“

Pam looked up from her computer to stare at Michael with the most deadpan expression she could muster. 

“Oh, alright. Conference room in five minutes.” 

“Actually, Michael, I, um, don’t really have anything prepared.”

“Wow. Pam Beesly, ladies and gentlemen. God, you’re such a...blonde.” Michael spat.

“Michael, I don’t even have blonde hair.”

“Whatever, okay? It’s an expression. Just - forget about writing anything. Say something from the heart.”

“Um, okay.”

“Alright, everybody! Let the funeral begin in five...four...three...two...one!”

”Employees of Dunder Mifflin, we are gathered here to honor and commemorate the life of Mr. Jim - James - Mr. Jimothy Halpert, who has recently passed away...to Stamford. Dwight, could you bring out the body, please?”

It was all Pam could do not to laugh out loud when Dwight marched ceremoniously into the room, carrying a refrigerator box painted to look like a casket. The finishing touch, however, was that in the box was a mannequin with a picture of Jim’s face taped onto the head. Almost on instinct, she leaned over to make some witty comment to Jim before remembering that Jim was the whole reason they were even having this funeral. 

You’re just friends. Just. Friends.  

“Pam, would you please say a few words?”

Shit.  

“Yeah, okay. Um, Jim Halpert was such an amazing person and my best friend. I’m so thankful for, uh, all the memories we have had together, like, um, at the Christmas party when he gave me this really great teapot and when we held the Office Olympics and we made medals for everyone, and the Dundies, and wow, I’m talking a lot. Anyway, Jim was always so supportive of me and believed in me even when I felt like no one else did. Jim, wherever you are, I hope you find happiness. You deserve it.”

Later, as Dwight regaled the staff with a rendition of “Candle in the Wind” on his recorder, Pam was beginning to realize that perhaps she’d felt more for Jim than she’d thought.