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Story Notes:

This is for the Nothing Hip LJ community based on the prompt "This Time Around" by Hanson. Just a fluffy one-shot inspired by Casino Night because who doesn't love Casino Night?

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Thanks to the wonderful beta skills of Azlin.

The elevator doors opened and he stepped on, another long day behind him during his first week in Stamford. So far, he had been able to get about twice as much work done as he would have with Michael as his boss, but that was probably because he didn't need to baby-sit Josh. The job was going well so far, but Jim was still trying to get up to speed with how everything worked in the new office.

This was nothing like Scranton. There were no crazy personalities, no wacky bosses. Frankly, Jim was having trouble trying to figure out what to do with himself at times now that he didn't have pranks to pull on Dwight or a craving to stop by the receptionist's desk.

The doors opened and he headed out into the warm summer air, the sound of waves lapping against the boats in the marina. That sound always made him think of Pam and what it would be like to have her here with him. In his mind, he had already planned the perfect day with her in Stamford -- sitting on a bench looking out at the ocean with some sandwiches to munch on, just talking and catching up on what he had missed in Scranton the past few weeks. Then he would put his arms around her when the sun went down to keep her warm and it would be the perfect end to a perfect night because he was with Pam.

But that was never going to happen. He remembered that night in Scranton when he was going to tell her how he really felt about her, but all that had come out of his mouth as they stood in the parking lot was "I'm going to transfer to Stamford." She had hugged him, wished him well, and walked back with him to get a "celebratory" drink at the bar in the warehouse.

He was still ashamed he hadn't said more. It was too late now though -- she was getting married in a few days and he was in another state.

He rounded the corner of the building and headed for his new Saab, which he had impulsively bought with his raise. The past few days, his car had been the only one left in the lot -- he liked being able to work alone at night in the new office. Tonight, though, he also noticed a pick-up truck parked nearby. It reminded him of Roy's truck and flashes from that painful night came back into his head again.

Jim fumbled with his keys, willing himself to just think about his car and his drive back to his new apartment. He never heard the truck door slam shut or the footsteps coming towards him.

"Jim?"

He looked up and found himself staring at Pam, her brown hair cascading over her shoulders and her eyes red. She looked tired and worn out, and he almost didn't say anything at first due to the shock of seeing her there.

"Pam? Hey," he said casually, giving her a slight hug before quickly letting go. The whole point of moving to Stamford was to let go of her, which he was having trouble with now that she was standing in front of him.

"Hey," she said, giving him a strained smile. "How's it going?"

What? he thought. She was in Stamford, in his parking lot, causally asking him how things were. "Um...good, I guess," he stammered.

"I uh...I was a little confused because I didn't see you come out and this was the only car here, but it wasn't your Corolla. I was debating whether to just drive home or not, so..."

So? "Um...yeah. I figured since I got a raise, I should get a new car," he explained, trying not to sound too confused about what the hell was going on. She stared down at her feet, still standing silently in front of him. He couldn't take this anymore. "Why...why are you here?"

"I called off the wedding," she said bluntly without looking up. "I decided I didn't want to marry Roy."

Jim felt like the wind had been knocked out of him and he was about to pass out. It was like the first night in his new apartment when he got drunk by himself and couldn't feel his legs after a few hours. "I'm sorry, did you say you cancelled your wedding?"

Pam looked up at him again, the sad smile back on her face. He now understood why she looked so tired. "Um...can I talk to you about something?"

"Well, you did drive two hours from Pennsylvania, Pam," he said sarcastically, trying to lighten the mood.

Her face stayed serious, her voice quiet and weak. "I just...I'm in love with you."

"What?" That was not what he had expected. It was what he had wanted to say to her back in Scranton, what he still felt in his heart, but to hear her say it was just too unbelievable.

"I just needed you to hear it, Jim. I know it's not good timing, I know I should have said something before you left, but I just...I needed you to know...once."

She finally looked up at him, her face worn, but still beautiful. Her eyes stared at him with anticipation or weariness or something. He couldn't tell because his brain was having trouble understanding all of it. Pam wasn't getting married...Pam loved him...his best friend loved him. He reached for her hand and rubbed his thumb over the empty spot on her finger where her engagement ring used to be, feeling a warmth rise in his chest. "Pam, you have no idea what your friendship means to me."

Her face cracked and he watched as tears spilled down her face. "Don't do that, Jim," she said, her voice breaking. "I don't want to do that anymore. I want to be more than that."

Oh no, he thought, the pain in his chest returning. She misinterpreted me. I didn't mean for it to sound like that. Pam was here in front of him and the only thing he could say was something that made her think he was pushing her away.

So instead, he pulled her closer and kissed her, his arms wrapping themselves around her, his body pressed against hers. He felt her hands run through his hair before sliding down his chest, his heart pounding against her fingertips as he slowly pulled back.

He looked down at her, a smile creeping onto his face. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that."

"Me too," she said, smiling up at him, the fatigue and pain gone from her face.

He looked at her and laughed. "We are so dysfunctional," he said jokingly. "You know that, right?"

"Yeah, I know," she said. "I mean, I did just cancel my wedding."

"True."

"And I did drive my former fiance's truck two hours to confess my love to someone else."

Jim chuckled. "Also true."

"And I do have problems with telling people how I feel," she said quietly.

"We all do."

A silence fell between them and Jim could hear the waves quiet in the distance again, but the sound was now warm and inviting to his ears. This time, the idea of being there with Pam was real and possible, and he didn't have to push it out of his mind because of the pain it would cause him. He looked down at her and couldn't help but smile.

"What?" she asked, giving him a smirk.

"What 'What'?" he asked backed.

"You look like you want to tell me something."

"I do, huh?" he teased.

"Yeah, you do."

"I was just wondering if you had plans tonight."

She gave him a quizzical look. "You know, I didn't think that far ahead."

"Because here's what I was thinking: There's a deli around the corner that's open late. So we'll grab some sandwiches, walk over to the pier, I'll tell you about how weird it is to work with relatively normal people, and you can tell me about the whole wedding thing."

"I like that plan," she said, smiling up at him. "I'm assuming this place has a good ham and cheese."

"I've actually switched to tuna."

"Tuna sandwiches?" Pam said, giving him a fake shocked look. "You have changed so much, Jim Halpert."

"You have no idea," he said, planting a kiss on her forehead before walking out of the parking lot, her hand in his as he led her to the ocean.


sharky is the author of 26 other stories.
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