/angela 

In her opinion, if someone is engaged, they shouldn’t be so close with another man. It’s just not appropriate. She doesn’t think Pam ever took her commitment to Roy very seriously. How else to explain the constant giggling and staring, and the scorecard she kept under her calendar, chronicling how many times he got up to visit her at her desk. Of course when Jim abruptly decided to transfer and the wedding was called off, she knew it wasn’t a coincidence.

Unlike some of her female co-workers, she doesn’t have any interest in office gossip. It’s trivial and ridiculous and not what they’re supposed to be doing in the workplace. But even she can admit she was curious to see how the two of them would act, when Jim returned from Stamford.

They were distant, it was obvious, and that odd, oblivious bubble that used to exist around the two of them was gone. And it appeared Jim was in a relationship with one of the Stamford women, which wasn‘t entirely unexpected. She didn’t pay it any more attention, because perhaps now their not-so-innocent flirtation is over they can actually get some work done.

On her lunch break, she goes to a nearby health food bar, because someone (she suspects Kevin) ate her sandwich out of the refrigerator. They’ve had this disagreement more than once, and she reminds herself to lecture him on social etiquette, because it really is quite disgraceful. She steers into the Dunder Mifflin parking lot, and frowns when she spots Pam in her bright pink coat, leaning against the outside of the building.

She switches off the ignition, pausing briefly before stepping out of her car and sliding her keys into her pocket.

Pam sees her, and straightens, obviously unprepared to have to deal with anyone. She remembers coffee and being unable to contain herself, and how surprisingly trustworthy Pam has been about her relationship with Dwight. They both know she knows, even if they never talk about it directly. She doesn’t need a girlfriend to discuss intimate details about her personal life with, like those awful women on that television show about sex and New York. Still, sometimes there are things she likes to share, because she is… happy. And Pam obviously isn’t. A rare burst of sympathy courses through her, and she slows her steps, halting carefully in front of the receptionist.

“Pam,” she acknowledges, adjusting her coat. “Are you waiting for someone?”

She has never been very adept at casual conversation. Which is why she prefers to avoid it.

Pam blinks, looking at her slowly. She shakes her head. “No. I’m just… it’s a little hot inside. I’m just getting some air. I think the heating is broken.”

Angela nods, like she actually believes this excuse. She crinkles the paper bag in her hands, the one carrying her sandwich. “Oh. Well, I… guess I’ll see you back inside.”

Comfort is another skill she lacks. And Pam has admittedly, brought this situation on herself. She starts to move for the electronic doors and pauses, sighing deeply, glancing back over her shoulder.

“Are you okay?” she asks quietly.

Pam turns her head, mouth opening slightly, as if she is uncertain how to answer such an unexpected inquiry. She clears her throat. “Sure. I’m…” She shrugs.

Angela nods, looking down at the sidewalk. She can see the surprise in Pam’s eyes, and doesn’t want to linger on it. “Things might change.”

She hopes her voice conveys the full meaning of her words, because she refuses to acknowledge what it is they‘re actually talking about. She meets Pam’s gaze briefly, and sees the brief flicker of consideration and sadness there.

Her mouth tweaks weakly. “Thanks, Angela.”

Angela returns the smile hesitantly, feeling a strange level of affinity with her, and quickly turns for the entrance. Prepared to forget this conversation ever took place.

For a moment, she finds herself wishing things would go back to the way they were. Because an inappropriate, flirtatious Jim and Pam are better than the alternative.

--

/phyllis

She likes Karen. She does. She’s a sweet girl, and she seems to make Jim happy.

She’s not sure if anyone else pays as much attention as she does, but she has seen the feelings between Jim and Pam since the start. The coy smiles and blushes when they think no one else is looking, and the way they huddle together sometimes, sharing some secret game. She was relieved when Pam didn’t go through with the wedding, but by then it was already too late. 

Then Jim came back, and she thought maybe they had another chance. They could have a fresh start. She only wants others to be as happy as she is with Bob Vance, after all, and no one seems more deserving than Jim and Pam. But Jim seems to have moved on with Karen, and Pam has gone back to Roy, and maybe it’s for the best. She used to watch as one or both of them come into the office, painfully trying to conceal their feelings, and they only ended up hurting one another.

She has just secured a new client, which will bump her overall sales for the year, and it has put her in a very cheerful mood. She wanders into the break room and wonders if the candy machine still has those peanut bars she likes so much. She pauses when she sees Jim sitting at one of the tables, flipping inattentively through a magazine. His eyes are trained on something through the blinds, and she follows his gaze, glimpsing Pam talking to Toby near the water cooler. 

She knows immediately what he’s thinking about. 

“Hi Jim,” she says, smiling as she walks over to the candy machine. He lifts his head, and the mask slips on again. He’s very good at it. She supposes he’s had years of practice.

“Phyllis. You look like you’re in a good mood.”

She has to admit Jim is probably one of her favourite people in the office. He has such a warm, enthusiastic personality, which makes it all the more sad that he can’t seem to find happiness outside of work.

“I got a new client,” she explains, still smiling. “Coopervale.”

“The new law firm? Nice.”

He folds the magazine, and puts it on the table, and she decides to take the seat beside him. “So how are things going?” she asks. “With Karen.”

He blinks, pastes on another small smile, and leans back in his chair. “Great.”

“She’s adjusting okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah, she’s adjusting fine.”

She nods, and sees his eyes tick over in the direction of the window. She follows his gaze, and they both watch at Pam silently. She grins at something Toby says to her.

“It takes time, you know,” she says, softly. “Things will get better.”

Jim pauses, looking over at her slowly, and a flicker of uncomfortable knowing flashes in his eyes. Slowly, he nods. His mouth twitches self-deprecatingly, and he retrieves his magazine.

She hopes she’s right. Because someone like Jim shouldn’t be this miserable.

--

/toby

He wishes he could ask Pam to dinner.

When he heard she was on the market again, he was pleasantly surprised, because Pam is so nice and normal, and is one of the rare people he knows who actually sees the humour in the things that happen in the office.

He tries, but even when he talks to her, his courage always fails, and he goes reluctantly back to his desk in the corner, beating himself up for his own cowardice. Then she gets back together with Roy, he knows he has missed his chance. He inwardly thinks Roy isn’t good enough for Pam, he takes her for granted and doesn’t seem especially intelligent, but he only wants her to be happy.

Which is why, when Jim came back, he actually wouldn’t have minded if the two of them got together. His heart would have ached and he would have wondered if he was ever going to find happiness with another woman, but he likes Jim. Sometimes he wishes that he didn’t. It seems almost painfully clear to him that Jim is still in love with her, and he understands exactly how much that can hurt.

He takes Sascha shopping at an art supply store, because she wants some new crayons, holding her hand as he opens the door. The blustery wind is thankfully left behind him, and the lulling warmth of the store makes him move particularly languidly behind Sascha, as she wanders down the aisle.

He pauses, glancing up when he recognises curly red hair and plain white stockings, and clears his throat. “Hey, uh, Pam.”

For a second, he wonders if maybe he’s mistaken, but then she turns and offers him a surprised, easy grin. If he didn’t know she was so friendly to everyone, he would think it was especially for him. His heart warms anyway.

“Toby, hi.” Her gaze trails down, and she sees Sascha down the aisle. “What are you guys here for?”

“Crayons,” he supplies, shrugging with a smile. “Do you know where they are?”

She points past her, near a colourful rack of pastels. “Just down there.”

He nods, shuffling with his hands in his pockets, and Sascha instinctively starts to walk in that direction. “Are you getting more uh, supplies for your work?” He inwardly curses himself for the stupidity of his question. Of course she is.

She doesn’t seem to notice, and nods, gesturing to the black sketchpad in her hand. She seems so shy when it comes to her art, and he finds it endearing. “Just some sketching stuff. My art class is working on Life Drawing.”

“Nice,” he says. 

She lifts a shoulder, smiles weakly. “Yeah.”

He lingers, hesitating, and the words escape before he can help himself. “Are you…” He is about to say ‘okay?’ and then his cell phone starts trilling. Loudly. He rolls his eyes good-naturedly, reaching into his coat pocket and retrieving it. Pam offers him a small wave. “I should get going,” she murmurs, and starts walking down the aisle before he can even respond. He flips open his phone, and winces when his ex-wife answers. Wanting to know when Sascha will be back.

His eyes continue to track Pam, as she pays for her purchases and slips out into the cold. Her shoulders are hunched, and she keeps looking at the ground, and he knows the answer to his question. He only wishes he could say something to make it better.

He wishes she wasn’t so sad. 

--

/ryan

Despite his best efforts, he has become ‘part’ of the office now. He has his niche with Kelly and Michael and Dwight and he’s no longer just the temp. He’s resigned himself to it. It could be worse, right? At least he’s still in business school.

He listens to Kelly talk about some celebrity couple he has no idea about, and his eyes stray idly to Pam at her desk, when he realises Jim has gone over to talk to her. They haven’t done that in a while. He wonders if Kelly even notices the odd little love triangle going on right under her nose. Probably not. It’s not like he’s about to point it out to her - he couldn’t stand it if their conversations switched from Brad and Angelina to Jim and Pam and Karen.

He ducks his head to speak to her, and he sees Karen give them a cursory look from behind her desk. He resists shaking his head.  One day this is going to erupt in some big fiery mess, and he has no doubt it will happen in the office. Everything always does.

He turns back to Kelly just as the kitchen door opens, and Jim wanders in. Kelly hops up when she realises her break was over ten minutes ago, and plants a kiss on his cheek before departing from the room.

Jim gives him a quick smirk, opening the refrigerator. “So how’s that going, man?”

Ryan lifts an eyebrow, because if anyone is going to be laughing at him for his relationship with Kelly, it should not be Jim. “How’s that going?” he responds, lifting his eyebrows pointedly out at Pam and Karen.

Jim’s smile disappears, and he lets the fridge close, carrying his tuna sandwich. He doesn’t respond, striding back out into the bullpen.

Ryan finishes his pasta, and exhales loudly.

He needs to find another job.

--

/dwight

He finds it strange that Jim and Pam don’t talk to each other much anymore.

He has - grudgingly - come to accept Jim in Scranton again, even if he has somehow managed to manoeuvre himself into the number two position. He has never been able to prove that Pam was involved in any of the ridiculous practical jokes played against him, but he knows that she was. That behaviour seems to have stopped, mostly, since Jim’s return. Maybe they have actually matured.

Michael decides to hold an Easter office party, which Angela organises efficiently with the Party Planning Committee. Easter eggs are hidden around the warehouse, and everyone is supposed to find them. He’s an expert at tracking elusive wild animals, but chocolate is a little harder. He suspects Kevin is cheating when he produces his collection at the end.

When the hunt is over and everyone is sitting around the warehouse, he watches Karen walk over to Jim and give him a hug. He thinks that Jim looks slightly distracted, considering how attractive she is. He wonders if maybe Michael’s theories aren’t so far off after all. There has to be a reason he knows so much about gaydar.

He realises beside him, Pam is also watching them, and something curious crosses her face. Something like sadness. He frowns, attention sliding over them again, and he comes to a surprising realisation.

“Dwight. Dwight. You’re not supposed to hoard the prizes like that.”

He glances up at Oscar, waving him off dismissively when he insists on standing right in front of him. “I’m guarding them. If you think you can do a better job, be my guest.”

Oscar rolls his eyes, shakes his head, and departs. He looks back at Jim and Karen, who have separated, and are speaking to Stanley and Kevin. He glances at Pam again, and he could almost believe he imagined the expression on her face, as she casually pours herself a drink from the cooler.

“What are you staring at, Dwight?” she asks, frowning slightly, when she meets his intent gaze. 

He hesitates, then looks away. “Nothing.”

This would be the perfect thing to use against them, after everything they have done to him. The perfect source of revenge. But he actually kind of likes Pam, though he would never admit it, and Jim is growing on him.

Pam stands where she is, not joining any of the other groups, sipping her drink quietly.

He pauses, considering something, then riffles in the bag, and pulls out an Easter bunny. “You want one?”

She blinks, turning her head to him, looking at him strangely. She nods slowly. “Um, thanks.”

He nods, turning his attention back to the rest of the room, remaining beside her, pretending to guard the rest of the prizes. He thinks it is what Jim would want him to do.

He will keep this to himself. 

--

/end