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I don't own anything. Yet. I'm still trying to get NBC to trade me the rights to The Office for a bag of magic beans. I haven't heard back yet.
Author's Chapter Notes:

Well, I'm actually giving blood on Valentines Day, and I figured, 'Why not, I bet it's something Jim would do.' So here it is. Much thanks for Moxies description of Jim's forearms. I'm pretty sure that's why I mentioned them a lot in this story.

Also: I changed the ending ever so slightly. Namely, I added two lines of dialog.

“So tell me, what are you doing tonight,” Karen said with a wry smile as she leaned against Jim's desk.


“Umm,” Jim paused as he ran his fingers over his desk calender. February 14th. He knew before she asked, before she even got in the office that it was valentines day and he got her nothing. “Well, actually, after work I am giving blood.”


Karen laughed in a way that made the buttons on her blouse strain. “No seriously, Jim. What are you... we doing tonight.”


He knew he should be more interested in the attractive brunette poised seductively on his desk mere inches away, but somehow her disbelief distanced him further. “I'm giving blood at the red cross on Jefferson Avenue on my way home from work. You're welcome to come with me and we'll see what happens from there.” Jim said as he swiveled in his chair to face her, pencil pressed against his tight lips.


“Seriously? On Valentines day? How romantic.” Karen mumbled as she crossed her arms flat against her chest. “I just thought maybe we would have done something... fun.” She added as her tight lipped smile pulled across her face.


God, he hated that smile. He hated her tight dress shirt. Her perfume was too strong. He would even have preferred Phylis' pine tree perfume to whatever it was that Karen wore. He sighed as he tried to bury the thought that everything about her was wrong. “What could be more romantic than giving blood. It's the ultimate gesture, you know. It could save someones life.”


Karen just shook her head in disbelief. “They have plenty of blood. If you decide you want to actually do something, feel free to let me know,” she said snidely as she turned and walked away.


Jim continued to press the pencil to his lips as he subconsciously turned to face Pam, who seemed distracted by the eraser leaving a slight depression in his lower lip. He smiled at her and shrugged his shoulders. She quickly looked down and started shuffling papers around on her desk, but Jim couldn't help but notice the flush that drew across her face. He turned his back to her to face his computer screen, the hint of a smile still evident. His eyes met Karen's, whose expression was a mix between confusion and hurt. The look seemed to convey all the accusations he knew she was feeling. Jim quickly dropped his eyes to the spreadsheet in front of him. The clock ticked over to 4:17. He only needed to last another 43 minutes.


Jim got his reprieve 15 minutes earlier than he had expected. Karen left hurriedly without saying anything to Jim. He could tell by her demeanor that she wasn't pleased, and if he had any hopes of maintaining their tattered relationship, he should call her. He was debating if he should swing by after work and get her roses. Well, maybe carnations. He could always go to donate blood another day. He was snapped out of his reverie by the familiar shadow cast across his desk, and he knew the second the light fragrance of peach reached his nose who it was. The pink striped oxford in his periphery confirmed it as he looked up at her smiling down at him.


“Hey,” She said while sheepishly looking away.


“Hey,” he simply replied.


“So umm, listen. What are you doing tonight,” she said in a hushed voice as she straightened up a stack of papers nervously.


“Oh. I figured you would have heard me talking to Karen from your desk,” He paused, debating whether or not to tell her he was considering getting her flowers and showing up at her doorstep. Before he could continue, she began again.


“Yeah. I could. I just felt I should ask anyway. Listen, if you're still going, would you mind if I went with you?”


Jim raised an eyebrow at her for in his deep thought, assumed she was talking about joining him at Karen's. His stared at her in confusion until she began tugging at the hem of her shirt.


“I thought it was a good idea. The blood thing. It's been a while since I've gone and it seemed like a good idea. I wasn't doing anything tonight anyway but if you've changed your mind or don't want me to come, I understand.” Pam stumbled over her words as she started to turn back to her desk.


“Pam,” Jim almost whispered as he reached out and took her by the wrist. “The more the merrier, right? I'd love for you to come with me.” He slowly let her hand slip from his, lingering slightly as he held on to the tips of her fingers, as if it was the last bond between them. Pam's breath caught in her throat as he felt Jim's hand slip through hers again. She just nodded and returned to her desk to hurriedly finish her end of the day faxes. Spending an hour in a clinic wasn't even a date, but somehow she knew it would be better then being left at a hockey game.


At five past, people started flowing out the door at a steady pace. Jim got up and fished a jelly bean out of the dish on Pam's desk. She was momentarily distracted by his bare forearms as he slipped a few into his mouth casually. The silence continued on for what most people would consider to become awkward, but for Jim and Pam only seemed natural.


“Anything I can help with?” Jim asked as he shifted his weight from foot to foot.


“Not really,” Pam replied while she continued working. “I just have three more faxes and I have to put the phones on automatic voicemail,” she said with a sigh.


Jim reached over the desk and took her receiver off the phone and punched in the sequence of numbers to turn the voicemail system on as she got up and quickly shuffled the papers into the fax machine. When she turned around, Jim was behind her, holding her coat out for her to slip her arms into. As she glided into the smooth coat, she felt Jim pull it up to her shoulders, where he let his hands linger on her shoulders. Suddenly, he gently pulled her hair from out from under the coat. He backed away to get his own coat when he felt her tremble under his hands. Pam cleared her throat and ran her fingers through her hair as she gathered her purse from the desk drawer. Jim slung his bag over his shoulder and met Pam at the door.


“Ready to make our getaway?” he said with grin.


“Definitely. Want to carpool?” She looked up at him pleadingly as he held the door open for her.


“How could I resist Beesly's singing and dancing habits in the car?”


“Not many men can,” she said as she pressed the button for the elevator, staring down at her shoes.


The doors slid open and Pam hesitated. Jim looked down at her, correctly reading her expression. “Thinking of something?” He said as he placed his hand on the small of her back, ushering her into the elevator.


As the doors closed behind them, she sighed. “It's been a long day. A long year even.” She leaned heavily against the railing of the elevator and closed her eyes tightly. Jim's gaze drifted from her face to her slumped body. He couldn't help but wonder if he had something to do with the tired look in her face, the way her shoulders slumped under the weight of whatever she was carrying with her. Before he knew what he was doing, he leaned up against the railing and threw his arm around her shoulders, pulling her to him. She sighed again as her head came to fall on his shoulder. Pam was lost in the sensation of his hands rubbing absentminded circles around her shoulder and back. She elicited a small groan as he rubbed a tense spot in her neck. He smiled until the sudden jolt of the elevator arriving at their destination interrupted them.


Pam's eyes fluttered open, “Let's go give blood,” she said, breaking from his grip as quickly as she had entered it. Jim followed after her through the front doors out to his car. As the doors of the car shut behind them, he was again overpowered by her scent. He wondered if she had any idea how much he was attracted to her smell and if she did it on purpose. “So what kind of game would you like to play on the drive,” She said as she turned the radio up.


“Pam, it's a mile and a half away,” he said with a look of amusement on his face.


“Scared?” She said through a smile.


“Not really, I just don't want to embarrass you. I'm really good.”


They were four letters into the sign game when they pulled into the blood center parking lot. “I guess I let you win,” Jim added as he put the car in park.


“Yeah, I'm sure you did”, she smiled back at him as she opened the door.


Soon they were walking up the steps towards the red cross building. The familiar lull in the conversation overtook them as they walked side by side. Jim opened the door for Pam and she entered slowly. He followed behind and ran right into her when she abruptly turned and faced him.


“I lied. I've never donated blood.” She said as she rubbed her necklace between her thumb and her forefinger.


Jim smiled down at her, amused, “And you're scared?”


Pam just nodded back at him and dropped her eyes to her shoes.


“Well let me tell you,” he said as he turned her around and took her by the hand. “It's really nothing to worry about. First, they ask you a bunch of questions about your history of diseases and whatnot. Then they poke you in the finger with a needle to test to see if you have enough iron. Then the actual process of drawing the blood takes like 5 minutes. It really isn't that uncomfortable.” He continued as he gave her hand a squeeze as they walked. “As long as you are relaxed, the needle doesn't hurt that much going in. If you tense up, it makes it a lot harder for the nurse.”


Pam listened intently and nodded at him as she clutched his hand tightly. “Okay,” she murmured through clenched teeth.


“See, this is exactly what I mean by tense.” He said as he reached out and squeezed her upper arm gently, which sent a chill down Pam's spine. “If you'd like, I'll go first. Show you that there's nothing to be afraid of.”


“I'd appreciate that, actually,” she said into his ear as she drew closer to his side.


They were now at the reception table where they were directed to different tables. “Um actually, this is her first time donating and if it's possible I'd like to stay with her.”


The woman behind the counter smiled and said, “That would be fine,” She turned to face Pam and added with a smile, “Good luck!”


Jim again brought his hand the her back and directed her along. “What do you think she meant by 'good luck,'” Pam whispered in his ear conspiratorially. He could feel the heat and the moisture from her lips on his ear and the sensation made his whole body run hot and cold. She laced both her arms through the crook in his and brought herself so close he was almost dragging her along. “Could I die, Jim? What are the chances I could die? I'm really nervous. What if they take too much blood?”


Jim leaned in and spoke into her ear from less than an inch away, “Well, unless you only have a pint of blood in you, I don't think there's any chance of that. It's very sophisticated.” She visibly relaxed at the sensation of Jim being so close and understanding. They reached the booth where they were questioned before donating and sat in the seats across from what appeared to be a very elderly woman who was taking out a form with a list of check boxes that seemed a few pages long.


“You're both donating?” she squeaked with a misgiving look.


“Yes,” Jim answered.


“Here's how it's going to work. I ask the question. The man answers. Then the woman.” She said as she placed the forms neatly on the table in front of her. “Now I need to see your ID.” She added as she glanced at them disapprovingly.


Pam looked at Jim in amusement as she fished her license out of her purse. He just smiled back as he handed his over to the brittle old woman.


She took down the information and began the questionnaire, starting with the benign questions about drug use and medical history. Eventually, however, the awkward woman asked, “Have you had sex in the past six months?”


Jim rubbed his hand on his pant leg nervously before answering, “Yes.”


Pam fixed her gaze on him until she realized it was her turn to answer. Her cheeks flushed and she dropped her eyes to her skirt. “No,” she said in a little voice.


“You aren't a couple?” The inquisitive old woman pried.


“No,” Pam answered again in a voice that rapidly became shaky.


Finally the questionnaire was over and they made their way to the donation chairs. Jim had again put his arm around Pam and led her as she twisted her necklace between her fingers. The nurse looked up and smiled. “Who'd like to go first?”


“I would,” Jim quickly said as he shrugged off his suit jacket. He sunk into the chair with a deep exhale as he rolled up his sleeve. Pam clutched his jacket as she stared as his muscular forearm slowly being revealed to her. The nurse quickly disinfected a spot on Jim's left arm and hastily yet smoothly entered the needle into his skin. He never took his eyes off Pam, as if he were still trying to reassure her. The machine chugged away and soon the bag filled with a crimson color. Pam stared in wonderment until eventually the machine stopped, the needle was removed and a bandage was applied. Her look rapidly turned to concern when he just sat there holding his arm, not rising from his chair.


Jim realized her look of concern, and explained, “They say you should stay in the seat for a few minutes until your body adjusts as a precaution. They don't want people getting up and fainting.”


The nurse turned to Pam. “It actually happens a lot. People try to get up as soon as it's over, and you can watch the color in their face just fade until it's white. Is this your first time?”


“Yeah,” Pam said shortly as she scrutinized Jim's face as if she were trying to find some evident lack of color.


“Well, It's nothing to be worried about,” She continued. “I've done this for many years. I'm very gentle and before you know it, it'll be over and you'll barely have felt it.”


Pam nodded and smiled as Jim stood up and took his coat back from her. “I believe it's your turn, Beesly.” He said in his best soothing voice. He took her coat and she rolled up her sleeve, sitting in the seat where Jim's warmth still lingered. It felt safe and natural. The nurse was swabbing Pam's arm when suddenly Jim's cell phone rang.


“Hello?” he answered. “No, I'm at the red cross right now. I told you that. No, I'm with Pam. She's donating too. No, I'm not going to get into this now.” In his distracted state, he hardly noticed that the nurse had begun entering the IV into Pam's arm. She got his attention though when she inhaled sharply and whimpered. “I gotta go,” he said quickly as he hung up on Karen. “Are you okay?” He asked as he came to her side in one step.


Pam bit her bottom lip and nodded, trying to contain her excitement that he had just hung up on Karen. On valentines day. As he was with another woman. The other woman being her. She barely felt the blood rushing out of her arm as more of it was rushing to her blushing face as Jim gripped her shoulder lightly.


Soon it was over, however, and they lingered around the food table momentarily and joked about the experience and the awkward old woman asking about their sex life. “The man answers, then the woman.” They both exclaimed at the same time. They both smiled as neither said jinx, Jim settling for stuffing a cookie into her mouth.


“Thanks a lot, Halpert.” She said as she wiped away her mouth. “Want to get out of here?”


“Sure,” he gazed at her adoringly. “Want to watch a movie at my place or something?”

“Definitely,” she said as she headed for the door.


In the end, they ended up watching Dazed and Confused and talking throughout most of it.


“I think Karen and I are done.” Jim said as ran Pam's hair through his fingers.


“Why do you say that?” She asked with her face pressed into his chest.


“Well, I'm sure ditching her on Valentines day didn't help. Then I hung up on her. And now I'm holding the girl I really care about. I'm pretty sure if we aren't over already, we will be first thing tomorrow morning.” He dropped his hand to her back as he tended to her tired shoulders. “So tell me. Why did you lie and say you'd given blood before?”


“I got nervous. I just wanted to spend time with you.”


“I'm glad,” Jim said as he closed his eyes.


Pam just moaned against his neck and tightened her embrace. Jim sighed as he kissed the top of her head, each running their fingers over their matching white bandages.

Chapter End Notes:
Seriously. Go give blood. It's the cool thing to do.


HereComesTreble is the author of 1 other stories.
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