It's a little bit past five o'clock and everyone at the Dunder-Mifflin, Scranton branch is packing up to leave for the week. Stanley is the first to leave, crossword puzzle in hand. Kelly drags Ryan out so that they won't be late for dinner with her family. Meredith and Phyllis chat while walking towards the door. Oscar, Kevin, Andy, Toby, Angela, and Dwight soon follow suit.

Michael closes his office door and notices the tall, slim brunette still looking over his computer screen.

"Jimbo, call it a day. It'll still be there on Monday."

"You're right, Michael." Jim smiles slightly.

"Of course, I'm right." Michael laughs. "Have a good night, Pam," he says to the curly haired receptionist as he walks by.

"Bye, Michael," Pam calls after him. She looks at her last office companion.

Okay, Pam, she thinks to herself. Don't you dare chicken out this time.

Jim gets up from his chair and grabs his bag. He notices Pam looking at him and gives a goofy smile back. Pam turns slightly red.

"What are you thinking, Beesly?" he says jokingly.

Don't you dare say the truth, she says to herself.

"Oh, nothing." She smiles back as he walks towards the reception desk.

She's totally lying, he thinks while grabbing an M&M from the candy tray.

"Anyways, I'll see you on Monday." He knocks on the desk and heads toward the door.

It's now or never, Pam.

"Hey, Jim."

Jim turns. "Yeah?"

"Um... what are you doing tonight?"

"Tonight? Nothing that I know of. Why?"

"Well..." Here goes nothing. "My mom sent me this casserole recipe the other day and I kind-of need a guinea pig."

Jim laughs. "And you want me to be the guinea pig?"

"It's really good. At least the way my mom and my grandmother makes it."

Jim looks down at the ground. Wow. So this is how it's going to go down. He glances up at the clock. "How about I meet you at your place at 6:30? That way I'll have enough time to get out of this work outfit."

Stay calm, Pam. You can jump for joy after he leaves. She nods her head. "6:30 is fine."

Impress her, Halpert. Jim clears his throat. "Plus, it'll give me enough time to stop by Blockbuster to pick up '28 Days' since you've never seen it." He smiles.

Pam smiles back. Good memory, Jim. Unfortunately, I've already seen it, but I won't stop you.

"Well, I'll see you in an hour."

"Okay, Jim."

Jim exits out the door.

Pam watches after him. That boy can sure make an exit. She glances at her painting of the Dunder-Mifflin parking lot. Here's to a new beginning.

LATER...

Jim looks down at his watch. 6:20. Geez. You think you can appear any more desperate? He looks at the bottle of wine in his hand. Please let her not think of this in a wrong way.

Pam looks out her window and sees Jim pacing up and down the sidewalk. Seriously? That's so funny. She grabs her phone and dials his cell.

He picks up. "Hello?"

"Hey."

"Hey. I'm on my way. I might be a little late. Traffic, ya know."

Oh my God. "Traffic... as in blades of grass or the cracks on the sidewalk?"

Jim looks at Pam's apartment and sees her waving at him through the window. I am officially an idiot. He laughs. "I'll be right up." He hangs up the phone.

Pam walks away from the window. At least I know that I'm not the only one nervous right now. She checks herself out in the hallway mirror. Just don't appear to be trying too hard, Beesly.

Jim knocks on the door. Great start to the evening, he thinks to himself.

Pam opens the door. "Hey. Come on in."

Jim looks around. "Wow. You've done a lot to the place."

"Yeah. Some paint and some more furniture."

"I like it. Definitely you." Jim grins.

Pam smiles back. "Would you like me to put that in the fridge?" She points to the bottle of wine.

"Oh. Yeah. Sorry I forgot." He hands it over to her.

"Nah. That's okay." Hmm... a bottle of wine, huh? She walks towards the kitchen.

Jim is standing alone in the living room. Now what. "Do you need help with the casserole?"

Pam comes out of the kitchen. "Actually, no. It's a pretty easy recipe and I had chopped up the vegetables last night and everything. So, it's just in the oven at the moment. Should be done in about fifteen minutes or so."

"I see." Fifteen minutes of silence. Awkward silence. Jim pulls out the DVD from his jacket. "Oh, here's the movie."

Pam takes it from him. "We'll watch it after dinner." While resting on the couch, together, in the dark. Pam, pull yourself together! She sets the DVD on the coffee table.

Jim looks at Pam. "So. What do you want to do?" Resist the temptation, man.

"Um... we can talk." Nice one.

Jim flops himself down on the couch. "Okay. Let's talk."

Pam joins him. She looks at him. Why did I think I had this all planned out? "So, how have you been?"

"Good. Good. Work's been good." You work with her. I doubt she'll be interested in that topic. "You?"

"Terrific. I just started a new art class."

"Really? Any work that I can look at?"

"Um..." Yeah, the portrait that looks like you. "Not with me."

"I see."

Silence.

This is really sad, Jim thinks to himself. We haven't hanged out together in so long.

Pam sighs. This is too much. Coffee, yes. But dinner? It was too big of a jump, Pam. Too big.

"Are you okay, Pam?"

"Huh? Yeah."

"You look like you're about to cry."

"Really?" Crap. Really?

"What's wrong?" Please don't cry.

"Nothing." Keep looking at me that way, Jim, and the waterworks will come.

"Pam, I've known you long enough to tell when something is upsetting you."

Pam's eyes start to tear up. "That's just it, Jim. Although you've known me long enough, lately..." Pull it together, Pam. "Lately..." Crap. There goes the tears. "I've missed you so much." Pam sobs.

Jim looks at her and then, holds her. "I've missed you, too, Pam." So much.

Pam looks at him through her tear-filled eyes. "Can we start over? Kind-of forget this past year happened?"

Jim sighs. "As much as we want to forget that it happened, it did."

"I know but for this moment, can we just forget that it did?"

"Yeah. We can." I love you. Jim smiles.

"Okay." I love you. Pam smiles back, with her crying subsiding.

Silence. The two are staring into each other's eyes, searching for emotions that cannot be expressed through words.

After several minutes, Pam sits up on the couch. She stretches out her hand. "Hi. I'm Pam Beesly."

Jim grins and shakes Pam's hand. "Jim Halpert."

Pam laughs. We're such dorks.

The oven timer goes off. Pam gets up from the couch. "I better get that."

Jim gets up as well. "I'll help set the table."

"That's fine. Thanks."

"No problem." Jim grabs the plates and the silverware. He glances at Pam in the kitchen. Here's to a new beginning.