Disclaimer:  I sadly don't own these characters, and no copyright infringement is intended.  But it is fun to dream. 

Jim’s first instinct was to run after Pam and hold her in his arms until that look of worry and sadness melted away.  But he knew he had to try to keep his distance for his own sake. Something was in the air this morning, and it wasn’t good.  Trying to maintain a normal calm demeanor, Jim said, “Everything okay in here?”

“Jim.  Pam and I were just discussing a confidential matter.” 

Pam had asked Dwight not to say anything to anyone and he struggled to keep that oath while talking to Jim.  He turned away to face the vending machine, avoiding Jim’s thinly veiled look of concern.  Even though he had purposefully tried to not be such a part of Pam’s life, Jim hated being so completely excluded that Dwight knew something about Pam that he didn’t.  It was maddening.  He picked out a cup from the cabinet and said,  

“Seriously, Dwight, everyone seems on edge today.  Are we having more sexual harassment training, or something?”  

Dwight was hardly listening as he mulled over the pros and cons of telling Jim about Roy.  He looked at his reflection in the vending machine as he tried to rationalize breaking his promise to Pam.  Pro: Jim and Pam were friends and Pam needed friends right now.  Con: She asked him not to say anything.  Pro: If Roy was as dangerous as Angela had said, than Pam needed all the help she could get.  Con: The Schrutes were men of their word.  Dwight could not understand how he allowed himself to become so involved in such emotional matters.  He said, almost to himself,

“Women are most dangerous; they can trap you with their tears.  I know this from experience.” 

He looked up at Jim and met his confused glare. “What are you talking about?”   

“I’m concerned about Pam’s health.  Women are emotional beings, especially at certain parts of their cycle.  But Pam’s cycles are out of sync, if my calculations are correct  - and they are – I assure you - , Pam shouldn’t be experiencing these symptoms for another 13 days.”   

“Dwight, what the hell?  How would you know that?”  Jim shot back at Dwight, frustrated and frankly a little embarrassed at this whole discussion.  He followed up quietly, “Never mind, I don’t want to know.” 

“I know this because when we were doing inventory, I caught Pam crying alone  in the hallway.” 

Jim jerked his head up to listen carefully to what Dwight was saying.  He never knew that Pam was upset that day, she had seemed fine to him.

Dwight continued, “I sat with her of course, Schrute men are gentlemen.  It must have been PMS.  But it’s too early for it to be PMS now, and she’s just as emotional and upset.”  Jim didn’t know what to say.  In fact he felt like an ass for all the demeaning comments he had made about Dwight lately.  Even though he was weird and goofy, and yes totally creepy, Dwight was in this kitchen worried about Pam, comforting her when she cried, and Jim had been out at his desk trying to move on and ignore her out of spite.  Obviously, she felt like she couldn’t come to him, even now when she needed him most. 

“Look everyone is walking on egg shells out there, did something happen this weekend?  At the happy hour?” 

Dwight didn’t want to break his word to Pam, but women were not known for thinking clearly at times like this.  Dwight decided that it wouldn’t blemish the Schrute name too much to let Jim in on what happened on Friday. 

Dwight said in a hushed tone as he looked both ways and leaned into Jim, “Roy and Pam got into a quarrell.  My source, who shall remain nameless, told me he defaced the bar, destroyed numerous items and yelled at Pam, throwing glasses, breaking furniture.  Pam just told me they broke up.  A man shouldn’t treat a woman like that.  After all they are the weaker sex.”  

Despite the fact that he was speaking as if he was James Bond, Jim couldn’t even think of making a joke.  He wondered how alone she must have felt on Friday, coming home from the bar shaken and afraid.  He wished he had been there with her that night.  He wasn’t shocked that Roy would be violent, but violent with Pam?  He frankly felt a little sick to his stomach.  He could feel the anger building up inside of him and he involuntarily clenched his fists.  How dare Roy treat Pam this way, again?  Didn’t he know how lucky he was to just have her in his life?     

As Pam came out of the ladies room, Dwight backed away from his huddle with Jim and walked out to his desk.  Jim didn’t move, in fact he felt like he couldn’t move from where he was standing; all he could do was look at her.  She looked beautiful today, even if her eyes were a little swollen.  The silence was heavy with all the things they both wanted to say but couldn’t. 

“Hey Beesly,” he said in the most casual tone he could summon up, “How’d it go on Friday?” 

“Oh you know, same old Poor Richards, same old Roy.”  Pam laughed wryly at her little joke, and went over to get her teapot.  She stood next to Jim, but didn’t meet his gaze.   

When she finally looked up at him he said tenderly, “What happened?” 

She weighed her options, play it off as nothing or tell Jim what happened, including what she said to Roy that set him off.  “C’mon Pam this is what friends do.”  He raised his eyebrows and motioned the space between them, “So spill it.” 

“You’ll want to sit for this.”  She said matter of factly.  Her stomach tightened up at the prospect of telling this to him, but she was going to do it.  It was secrets that had gotten her in this mess, and she was done.  Jim walked over and sat  down at the table looking up at her expectantly.   “Jim, on Friday, I told Roy…..” 

Jim looked at her very supportively, silently telling her that he would always be here for her.  He hadn’t looked at her like that in quite sometime and it took her breath away for a moment.   

“Ok, Pam you can do this.”  She said under breath.  Telling off Roy, crying on Dwight’s shoulder while he rambled on about PMS, both seemed really easy in comparison to coming clean with Jim.   

Jim heard her little pep talk to herself and thought it was adorable.  He could feel himself backsliding in his resolve to stay cold to her.  But she was there for him when he needed someone to talk to about Karen; he had to be a strong enough man to be her friend when she needed him.    He knew when this conversation was over, he would go back to his desk and keep pretending, keep working on moving on.  He waited patiently, and said quietly, “Pam, its just me.” 

She laughed under her breath as if that was the understatement of the year.  Smoothing out her skirt, she sat down next to him.  As she let out a long breath, she started, “Jim, the other night I told Roy about…….that night….. the kiss,”  she looked up and saw that Jim was surprised at what she was saying.  She started to panic when she saw his expression.  It was unreadable, was he mad? Scared? She to started to babble and as the words came out faster she stopped worrying about what she was saying, “about how I kissed you.  And about how you had feelings and I had feelings too…”  

She needed him to say something, anything.  But he sat there looking at her as if he didn’t understand what she was telling him.  He seemed to reach for her hand, and then pulled his hand back to run through his hair.  He was pretty sure she was getting ready to tell him something he really needed to hear, and he didn’t want this moment to slip away like all the others.  But he was terrified.  If he allowed himself to go down this road again and it didn’t work out he would never recover.  Not to mention Karen….. 

Suddenly, the door opened and Angela stood in the doorway, “Pam, Roy’s here to see you.” 

“That figures.”  She said with a roll of her eyes as she flew up out of the chair and away from Jim.  “You should stay here.”  She said quietly as she walked out to meet Roy. 

“Yeah, I’m thinking I won’t do that.”  Jim said to her back as he followed her out to where Roy was waiting.