Getting there. I will warn you, I want to make this story real long. I don't really like the qucikly resolved ones, so I want to drag this story out for a long time. But I promise, Karen will be gone soon. But I want Jam to happen the way it should. Remember, friends come first, then the love happens. Hope you all are enjoying this!!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Don't sue me!!!!
Jim was laying on the couch watching Sportscenter when she called. He glanced at the clock and shook his head. Third time in the last hour. The previous two calls hadn’t gone real well.
"Hey." It was all he could muscle out. The bruise under his lip stung.
"Do I make you happy?" Her voice was conflicted, hurt.
"Karen, what are you talking about? I-"
"Answer the question!" Her voice raised as she cut him off.
He could tell already that the conversation was going in the same direction as the last two. Actually, it was like all of their conversations since the fight. Roy had screamed about how Jim ruined the wedding; how he had stolen Pam away from him. He had hit him four times before being restrained, but the damage had been done. Jim had a black eye, bruises under his lips and swelling in his right cheek. But that hadn’t stopped Karen from interrogating him all week, prodding him for the truth of what had happened with Pam. He had told her that he confessed his feelings weeks before her wedding, how he had moved to Stamford because she rejected him. But he wouldn’t go deeper, wouldn’t tell her it was love.
So all this week, she had called him every time Pam so much had looked at her, telling him wild stories of Pam’s horrible treatment to her. He was tired.
"What did she do this time?" He asked sarcastically. She had caught his tone.
"Why are you getting mad at me? She’s the one practically taunting your girlfriend here, Halpert!" He cringed at the word girlfriend. He never liked the term.
"I’m not mad. It’s just, you keep yelling at me like this is my fault. Why don’t you just ask her what the problem is?" He felt like he’d explode.
"Stop sticking up for her! Tell me I make you happy!"
"Why?"
"Because she said I had no idea what it was like to make you happy." Her voice fell like she would cry. Jim barley noticed, just sat still, stunned. What was Pam trying to do?
"Karen, I need to get some sleep." He lied.
"Jan is here. She needs you to come here right now." She sounded defeated.
"Why?"
"She wants to meet with you and Michael and-"She paused, "Pam."
He sighed when he heard her name.
"I’ll be there in a sec."
Angela is stood in front of Ryan’s desk, holding a stack of folders in her crossed arms. Ryan turned and smiled.
"Angela and I never really talk. I know she’s kind of a…hard ass…but I guess I should make some kind of an effort to at least get to know her a bit." Ryan smiled.
"What’s up Angela?" Ryan asked.
"I need the number for the Finnerman account from last month. Kevin messed up some of the numbers so we’re trying to correct it." Ryan caught her eyes quickly move to Dwight, who was sitting back in his chair trying to hide a smile while looking at her waist. She shook her head.
"Yeah…um, sure. Give me a minute."
"I try not to think about it, but when I find myself doing it, I’m always happy that Dwight and Angela are together. They seem…content.."
Ryan moved up to his computer and opened up some documents, searching for the account number. Out of the corner of his eye, he couldn’t help but notice Dwight’s foot softly tapping Angela’s leg, slowly rubbing against her skin. Angela looked at him and shook her head once more.
"Ryan," Dwight kept his eyes on Angela’s leg, "Question: When Kelly gets mad at you for…being rough…how do you quell her cold attitude towards your…advances." He licked his lips and smiled mischievously.
Angela answered: "I don’t think Kelly has to worry about Ryan being…rough to her. He doesn’t seem like one who would…hurt her."
"On second thought, I’d prefer it if the two of them just pretended that I don’t exist, like Creed."
"Um, Angela, the number is Q914." Ryan said dryly.
"Thank you Ryan." She quickly turned to Dwight, folder in hand, and lifted her chin while taking him in. "Ryan isn’t rough, Dwight. He’s quick and too the point."
Dwight raised an eyebrow and smirked.
"And I’m hard and worth the wait, so why are you complaining?"
Ryan jumped out of his chair and quickly scampered to the break room, trying hard not to look at Dwight.
"Too bad for Kelly; I’m sure she’d appreciate some…rough justice." Dwight tried to remain calm, but couldn’t fight back his laughter as he looked up to Angela proud of himself. "Get it…rough justice…like the Rolling Sto-" He was cut off by Angela smacking him across the face. She quickly rushed off as Dwight’s eyes slowly followed her, his hand touching his cheek. Phyllis looked at him with bewilderment.
"Are you okay, Dwight?"
Dwight smiled slowly.
"Yeah."
"The Schrute men have a tradition of basking in the delight of punishment. My great-great grandfather Kemp actually made his wife wake him up ever day with a hot coal being pressed to his shoulder. He told her it relieved he tension he felt from her being a slacker in the bedroom." Dwight chuckled, "You see, we Schrute’s have this amazing gift. We have the ability to outlast any woman in bed. There is no woman who can stand up too our longevity." He slowly glances back at reception. "Hmm, but I wonder. I’ll have to ask Jim about it." He quickly shrugs his head towards Pam’s desk. "I am incredibly perceptive. One time, I overheard Jim and Pam talking about how they did "it" on her reception desk. Needless to say, I am not going to be hanging around that desk ever again." He nods his head in reflection.
Toby walked over to Creed’s holding a single file. He was about to say something but he noticed Creed was wearing headphones and probably wouldn’t hear him.
"Creed" He said as he tapped him on the shoulder. Creed didn’t respond, so he tapped him again, a bit harder. "Creed, I need to talk to you about something."
Creed looked up and quickly smiled, then said, "I can’t hear you Rauri." Before turning back to his computer. Toby slowly looked at the camera, made a short move one way, then quickly turned back towards his desk.
"If I’ve learned one thing from working here all these years," Creed was still wearing the headphones. He smiled, then frowned, looked away and then back at the camera. His eyes widened in surprise. "Why am I being filmed? Where’s Deborah?"
The front doors opened and Pam nearly jumped out of her seat. Standing there, his face bruised and bandaged, was Jim. Her heart fell as she looked at his face, but not because of the damage. She immediately noticed him staring at her, sadness and…guilt in his eyes. He quickly replaced it with a small smile and walked over to the coat rack, taking his off and placing it on the rack. When he slowly passed her desk on the way to his, he turned to her and smiled again.
"Hey."
"Hi…Jim. How…how are you feeling?" She didn’t like her question.
"I’m fine. Just a little sore. What about you. How are you holding up after…well, what happened." He didn’t feel like talking but when he looked at her face, he decided to bear it.
"Oh, well…what happened, it, opened my eyes, again. I was an idiot for getting back with him. I’m sorry."
‘For what?" He leaned in.
"Oh." She blushed, "I mean, for what he did. But, I mean, I thought you would be ready for him that day."
"Why?" He looked confused.
"Well, when I called to warn you, Karen told me it was fine, and that she’d tell you. I figured you’d be ready for it." She quickly looked to Karen in confusion, only to see her staring right back at her.
"Oh….yeah, no, I mean. Wow." He quickly looked at Karen in surprise, then slowly back at her, fire in his eyes. "Pam. I…I’m sorry. I was only thinking of myself. I should have realized what I was doing to you."
"Jim…" Her mouth dropped open in shock, her body felt numb. "No, you-"
"Jimbo-rimbo! My son has returned to me!" Michael came running up to them and quickly wrapped his arms around him in an embrace. Jim made a face towards Pam that made him wince. She chuckled softly.
"Man, I thought to myself, I have to save him. I mean, I know I’d be mad too if I found out that my wedding was ruined by my fiancées best friend, but that doesn’t even matter! I wasn’t going to let you died before you gave the old P situation one more run. How you feeling?" Michael slowly stepped away and winked at Pam. She blushed and looked at her computer.
Jim had seen it, and smiled at to no one in particular. He turned towards Michael.
"It was brave of you Michael. I’m glad we’re friends." Michael looked like he would cry.
"Best friends."
"Oh, well. How bout second best friends." He glanced towards Pam. "You know how it is."
Michael laughed. "Of course. Actually, my best friend is in my office. We certainly should remember our priorities. Hoes before bros, as the saying goes." He had confused himself, but recovered quickly. "Oh, yeah, so um let’s go talk to her." He glanced at Pam. "Mrs. Halpert, are you ready?" Pam gasped and Jim’s eyes widened. He grabbed the back of his neck and forced a smile.
"Um, Michael, Pam and I aren’t married. Hell, we’re not even dating." He looked at Karen who seemed to be fuming. "We’re just, I don’t know, best friends." He looked back at Pam and their eyes met. He smiled. "We’re figuring things out." They both blushed; Karen stood.
"Beautiful, just amazing." Michael smiled at the cameras quickly then slowly turned Jim towards his office. Pam followed. Karen was left gawking at Pam as she stepped up to Michael’s door, stopped and turned towards her. She smiled for a second, then stuck her tongue out and slipped inside, slowly closing the door behind her.
