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Story Notes:
I don't own anything related to The Office or the profits garnered thereof.

“So, I don’t know if you’re interested, Halpert…” Karen said with a mischievous glint in her eye.

 

“Always,” Jim answered, a languid smirk spreading across his face.

 

Karen laughed. “Perv,” she said as she felt his arm steal around her waist. “I meant in a prank. It’s a little radical, but I’ve gotten so good at Minesweeper that I had to find something else to occu—”

 

“Minesweeper, Karen? Really?” Jim gave her a look of utter disappointment as he snatched his hand back, feigning disgust.

 

“Shut it. I am extremely cool.”

 

“And yet…Minesweeper.” Jim shook his head slowly, mouthing “Minesweeper” again.

 

“And yet, shut up,” she countered, slapping his arm. “So, about the prank?”

 

Jim glanced at the door of the break room, but no one approached. “Yes,” he said, lowering his head toward Karen. “Divulge your evil plans.”

 

Karen looked at him skeptically. “You sound like Dwight. How do I know I can trust you?”

 

“Trust is my middle name, Karen.”

 

“Oh?” she remarked. “I thought it was Danger.”

 

“Hey, Dwight is a unique spirit. Is it so wrong to want to emulate him?”

 

“It is fundamentally wrong, yes. Also, it may affect your emulation plans to note that I would never sleep with Dwight, or with any imitation thereof.”

 

“Point to Filipelli,” Jim said solemnly. “And good to know.”

 

“Now, the prank…” Karen said pointedly.

 

Jim snapped to attention. “Right. Method?”

 

“Messing with personal effects.”

 

“Good. Medium? Not jello—I hope you don’t mind, but I kind of solo on jello.”

 

Karen rolled her eyes. “I was thinking concealment.”

 

“Nice,” Jim nodded. “Complete cloaking or clever obfuscation?”

 

“Oh my God,” Karen said dramatically. “My geek sensor is going off. I may…have to dump you right now, right here in this break room.”

 

Jim smiled. “And yet you won’t, because I drove you to work.”

 

“Foiled again,” she conceded dryly. “So, I guess I’ll leave the level of concealment up to you, dungeon master.”

 

“A wise choice. And the target?”

 

“Pam.”

 

 

- - - - - - - - -

 

 

The conspiratorial smile drained from Jim’s face. “Pam?” he repeated lamely.

 

“Yeah,” Karen said cheerfully. “I’ve just never seen anyone pull one on her, and she’s got a good enough sense of humor that—”

 

“No,” Jim said, looking at a spot somewhere over Karen’s head. “It’s not a good…not Pam.”

 

Karen bristled but tried to hide it, which wasn’t difficult with Jim avoiding her line of sight. “Are you still upset about Roy—”

 

Jim attempted a nonchalant laugh that he failed to pull off. “That was nothing. I was never in any danger with Dwight around.”

 

“Right. Your knight in shining…whatever. But honestly, Jim, you’re fine. Pam’s fine. Roy’s…unemployed, but I’m sure he’ll be just—”

 

“Fine,” Jim said in a clipped tone.

 

Karen opened her mouth to check his sudden attitude, but closed it again. She stepped closer to him and put a hand on his arm. “You’re going to have to forgive her someday, you know.”

 

He puffed out a breath that could’ve been scoffing and could’ve been surprised laughter. “For what?”

 

Karen sighed and shook her head slowly. “That’s really your call, isn’t it? I mean, I have a list of possibilities…it’s on my computer—in spreadsheet format—but I could go print it out.”

 

A smile crept back into his face at that. “That won’t be necessary, but I’d ask that you delete that from your computer ASAP, Filipelli,” he said, with dramatic emphasis on ASAP. “If it’s on the network, Michael might find it, and who knows—”

 

“Right, Halpert,” Karen laughed. “Because Michael even knows what the network is.”

 

“You make a compelling argument.”

 

“So we’re agreed?” Karen said, cocking an eyebrow.

 

“Definitely,” Jim replied. “Michael does not know what the network is.”

 

Such a dork,” Karen sighed. “I meant about Pam. And the prank. The prank on Pam.” It was a playful group of statements. It was also, unquestionably, a challenge.

 

Jim clenched his jaw. “Karen, why…”

 

“Because,” she answered quickly, firmly. “Because you’re friends, and you always—”

 

“Never on each other.”

 

“Things can change.”

 

“Things have changed, Karen,” he said, frustrated. “Look, I think she’s going through a tough time right now, and—”

 

“And she could use a laugh,” Karen said, her tone too loud and too high. She forced some calm into her voice. “So could you.” So could I, she thought.

 

Jim swept a hand across his face. “I know,” he said, his voice low. “And I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but it’s just—”

 

“It’s just a little prank, Jim,” she said levelly.

 

“I can’t.” How many questions could be answered with that phrase?

 

Karen kept her voice even, despite the blow her self-esteem was taking. “You’re making too much out of this,” she said, willing herself to remain calm. “Pam—”

 

“Pam is off limits,” Jim said, his voice steely and his eyes suddenly dark.

 

Karen set herself in his path before he could turn away. “It must be weird to say that to someone other than yourself.”

 

His face went red, and Karen chose not to find out whether it was from anger or embarrassment. She opened the break room door and stalked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

 

- - - -

To be continued...

 

 

 

Chapter End Notes:
I tried not to make Karen too horrid in this story, because I do feel for the girl. It's not her fault Pam is the only girl for Jim. :)

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