Jim stared at his shoes, counting every stitch and trying to figure out what just happened. Pam's face kept appearing in his mind; her eyes glassy and darting around, her chin trembling a little, her voice cracking when she said she "can't." Can't what? Jim asked himself over and over.

He supposed if he thought about it, Pam hadn't been herself all year. Ever since the Booze Cruise, when Lisa drunkenly told Kelly, who then drunkenly told everyone Jim and Lisa had set a wedding date, Pam had been increasingly withdrawn. He couldn't make her laugh as easily, or get her to join him pranking Dwight with as much enthusiasm. They even had an all-out argument when Pam decided not to pursue a graphic design internship the company was offering.

Then there was the day Lisa asked Jim to hand out Save-the-Dates to his coworkers. He went to Pam's desk at the end of the day, and noticed a "Study in Italy" pamphlet on her desk.

"That looks cool," Jim said, motioning to the pamphlet.

"Oh, yeah, I meant to tell you, I just heard they accepted my application." She smiled and Jim was relieved to see a sparkle again in her eyes. "I'm going to Italy."

"That's awesome Pam," Jim said with a grin, "When do you go? How long is it?"

"It's just four weeks, but I get six university credits for it." She paused for a second, "It starts May 22nd."

"Cool," Jim said smiling. He then remembered the Save-the-Date in his hand and felt his smile fade, "Oh, so you're going to be there when we..."

"Yeah," Pam said shyly, and Jim could tell she was well-aware of the overlapping. "I almost didn't apply because of the timing. I feel horrible."

Jim shrugged, "No, c'mon, that's going to be an unbelievable experience for you." He smiled, "You can make it up to me by bringing me back some sweet souvenirs."

Jim remembered slipping the envelope into his back pocket and walking away, feeling as confused then as he did now out in the Scranton Office Park parking lot. Pam's face reentered his mind, bringing back all sorts of questions. He started walking towards the double doors, thinking that now perhaps was the time to get answers.

He didn't get two steps into the warehouse before he was practically mauled by Kelly.

"Jim, oh my God! Pam just announced she's leaving!" Kelly said loudly, grabbing Jim's arms.

"Hey, Kelly, how's your evening going?" Jim said with a glance to the camera that was only a few feet away.

Kevin made his way over to Jim and Kelly, "Hey Jim, did you hear? Pam's leaving."

"Yes," Jim nodded towards Kelly, "I've heard."

"Do you think it's because of you?" Kevin said in his trademarked non-whisper whisper.

Jim swore he could hear the lens zoom on the camera, "I don't..."

"Oh my god, Jim, it is!" Kelly said, her eyes widening.

"She gets bummed out when she sees you with Lisa," Kevin said. "And I mean really bummed out."

Jim looked at Kevin, and quickly recounted all the times Pam and Lisa had been at a party together to try to determine if Pam ever appeared "bummed out." He supposed Pam was a little less outgoing than usual around Lisa, but she was shy, and she never was but anything but perfectly nice to Lisa. "No, Kev, she likes Lisa."

"You can be jealous of someone you like," Kelly said. "Like Kevin is totally jealous of your hair and that you're thin and you totally have a better job than him."

Kevin started denying Kelly's comments, and Jim knew he was wasting his time talking to these two. He looked around the warehouse floor and saw everyone was gambling and talking, but didn't see a trace of Pam's curly hair or purple satin dress. "So you said she made an announcement, where is she?" Jim said as coolly as he could.

Kelly turned back to Jim. "Oh my God, Jim. She looked so sad. I think she went upstairs. I bet she's crying her eyes out. Oh my god, you should go up there!"

Jim gulped; he was going to go up there, but he didn't want the cameras, or Kelly, to know. "No, she's probably would like to be alone for a while." For a brief moment, he wondered if he should take his own advice.

"You're totally right," Kelly said. She spouted off a few more things entirely too quickly for Jim to understand, then turned and walked away. Jim shrugged towards Kevin, who shrugged back and walked towards the bar. Bob Vance of Vance Refrigeration took the microphone to announce the raffle winners, and with the cameras and his coworkers distracted, Jim left the warehouse and headed towards the elevator.

The elevator ride up felt slower than usual, and Jim wondered what the hell he was doing. What was he going to say to Pam, and what exactly did he expect her to say back? When the doors opened, Jim reached to the panel and nearly hit the button to take him back downstairs. He drew his hand back, stepped off the elevator and headed towards the Dunder-Mifflin sign on the wall.

The lights were off, but the door to the office was ajar, and Jim could hear Pam's soft voice. He pushed the door open gently, taking care to not make any noise, and could hear Pam was talking on the phone. She wasn't at reception, though, and Jim couldn't see her. He could only hear she was further in the room, possibly by his desk.

"Not really, he just looked surprised, maybe a little sad," Pam said. Jim stayed next to Michael's office and strained to listen to her. "No, I just went inside … no, I didn't say… he's getting married, Mom, I can't just… Maybe it's better this way."

Jim felt his heart beat a little faster. Were Kelly and Kevin actually right? Was Pam leaving because of him? He heard Pam say goodbye to her mother and he found the courage to walk passed the corner of Michael's office into the main room. Pam's back was to him as she leaned against the end of his desk, standing next to Dwight's desk. Her head was lowered and her arms were wrapped around her middle. Jim heard her sniff again. He took a deep breath and decided that there was no way it was "better" for her to leave as upset as she was.

He walked closer, studying her loose curls that fell around her shoulders, the way the shiny lavender fabric of her dress clung to a figure that was often well hidden by her cardigans. He almost lost his nerve when she let out a sound that was halfway between a sob and a sigh, but managed lift his arm to touch her shoulder.

"Pam?"