"Yeah," Jim said, not wanting to get distracted. "Look, I'm really sorry about...Everything."

This wasn't what Karen was expecting. She looked up at him, confused.

Jim looked into her eyes and said, "I've haven't been there for you, and it's all my fault. You deserve someone who's willing to devote their whole heart to you, and no matter how I've tried, I just can't do that."

"What are you saying?" Karen asked.

"I can't go out with you any more," Jim answered.

"It's Pam, isn't it?"

"I can't get over her," Jim admitted. "If there was a pill or something, I'd take it. But there isn't, and as long as I can't get over my feelings for Pam I'm going to keep on hurting you and you're too good a person for me to let it happen."

They were still standing in Karen's kitchen. She sat on one of her dining room chairs and put her drink on the table. It was almost a relief to know that it was finally over. "You should go," she said.

"I'm sor-..."

"Don't," Karen warned. She was on the brink of losing it.

Jim shut the kitchen door on his way out and returned to his car. He had one more stop.

Karen got up and mixed another drink. She knew she had decisions to make, but this wasn't the time.

-----------

Pam was just about to get into bed when she heard a knock on her front door. It was Jim. He looked even worse than he had this afternoon; if that was possible.

"Are you okay?" She knew it was a pretty silly question given his appearance.

"Not really," Jim sighed. She stepped away from the door and motioned him in. They went into the living room. Pam was proud of this part of her apartment. There was a small couch with a recliner immediately beside it. Both pieces of furniture faced the television. Jim sat in the recliner and Pam sat near to him on the couch.

Jim took a deep breath and started, "I have to ask you for a really big favor. I know I haven't been the greatest friend since I came back, but I need you to do something for me."

Pam was getting worried. "Okay."

Jim forced a smile. "Thanks. I have to tell you something, and I just want you to listen. I don't want you to say anything because I really am not in shape to process another thought today. I just need you to hear it."

"Sure," Pam was less worried and more curious now.

"Karen and I broke up. I told her that I still love you and that I couldn't see her anymore. It made me feel like a creep that I couldn't give her what she needed, because she deserves to be happy. It's just that once I came back here..." He knew he had to stop that line of thought. "Anyway, I don't know if she's leaving. But if there was talk in the office, I thought I owed it to you to let you know." He tried hard not to add even mentally, "like you should have told me about Roy":

Pam didn't know how to react. She was almost relieved Jim had asked her to remain quiet. But she knew her face was showing a hundred different emotions at this point and she wondered what signals she was sending him.

Jim looked away and said, "I should have broken up with Karen as soon as we came back to Scranton. The first day I saw you in the office I knew I wasn't over you. Instead I tried to use her to wall away my feelings for you, and I hurt you both. It'll take me a long time to forgive myself for that."

Pam reached out from the couch and took his hand. Jim looked up at her and allowed himself a tired smile. "So, I know you told me how you felt last year. Kelly thought your feelings may have changed," he saw the question in Pam's eyes. "Don't ask; I can't talk about it now. I just need you to know how I'm feeling, and that I'll try really hard not to make things any more uncomfortable for you."

"See, if you don't..." he decided to say it, "love me, then I'm going to feel terrible about putting you through this again. And if you do love me, I'm still going to need some time to stop feeling like an ass about Karen before I'd be in any place to be a person worth dating."

Jim sighed and got up. Pam joined him and pulled him into a hug. She felt him relax into the embrace, drawing comfort from her as she had done from him before.

After a while, Jim pulled back and smiled at Pam. "Thanks for doing this for me," he said. "Whatever else you are, Beesly, you are a great friend. Don't ever forget that."

He walked to the front door and Pam said, "Anytime Jim."

He nodded and opened the door.

"And let me know when you stop feeling like an ass," Pam said softly as he waved goodbye.

In spite of himself, Jim smiled.

It took Pam a long time to get to sleep.

Karen stayed awake a long time.

Jim barely managed to make it to his couch before he was out. It had been a really, really long day for him.

-----------

Pam was the first of the three to make it into the office. She saw Kelly talking to the camera crew in the conference room. The receptionist was torn between wanting to know what Kelly had said to Jim and wanting to avoid having a huge discussion in front of the whole office. The stares she was getting from Angela and Dwight were quite bad enough. However, she did catch an enormous break in that Michael was out of the office for the day.

Kelly saw her and squealed. She ran over to Pam and asked, "So, did Jim call you last night?"

"Uh, no," Pam said, looking at the camera and feeling very self conscious.

"But he said..."

"Can we talk about this later," Pam asked, looking hard at Kelly and then at the camera.

Kelly sighed. "Okay, let me know when you're taking your break. If I don't hear something soon, I'm going to burst."

The camera cut to Dwight, who said, "You would not burst. The worst thing that could happen would be a stroke. Any idiot knows that."

Kelly cut him a withering glance. "Apparently," she replied.

-----------

Shortly after Pam arrived, Karen came into the office and went straight to Toby's cubicle.

"Hey Karen," Toby said. Seeing the pain in the brunette's face, he asked, "What's wrong."

"You know that form Jim and I filled out about our relationship?" Karen asked.

"Yeah," Toby said, aware of the direction the conversation was probably taking.

"You can just tear it up the file and throw it away."

"I'm sorry," Toby said.

Karen forced a smile. "Hey, this stuff happens. It's for the best."

"It still hurts though," Toby knew from his own experience. "If there's anything I can do..."

"You know that dinner you mentioned yesterday?" Karen asked. Toby nodded. "Could we make it a lunch and do it today?"

"Sure," Toby said.

"I still may need the wine," Karen cautioned.

"I understand completely."

"Thanks. It's just that I need to figure out what need to do, and I think you could help me with that."

Toby felt a shiver run down his spine. "Let's do this at eleven thirty, okay?"

"Thanks," Karen said with a genuine smile.

-----------

Jim arrived at work last and immediately started working the phones.

"You're late," Dwight pointed out.

"Yes, I am," Jim agreed, not wanting to get into a fight with his annoying office mate this morning.

"As Number Two in the office, it's your responsibility to set the tone. You don't want the others to think that this is a consequence-free workplace."

Jim sighed. He really didn't have the patience for Dwight today. He called out, "Stanley, has my being late hurt your motivation?"

Stanley looked up and muttered, "I don't give a damn what either of you do."

"Phyllis?" Jim called.

"I didn't even notice you were late," she said politely.

Jim shrugged at Dwight and picked up his phone.

The camera cut to Pam, who was trying to suppress a giggle.

-----------

Pam looked up at the clock and saw that it was her break time. Sure enough, Kelly sprinted to the break room as soon as the receptionist left her desk.

"So, what happened?" Kelly asked.

Pam again looked at the omnipresent camera crew. With a sigh, she said, "Jim came by last night and said that he broke up with Karen. That's all."

"He didn't tell you that he loved you?" Kelly asked.

"He mentioned it. But he also said he wasn't in shape to date anyone now, and I understand that."

"Why that idiot," Kelly fumed. "After all I did..."

"What did you do?" A voice behind Kelly asked. It was Karen.

Kelly suddenly felt really guilty. But whatever else the young woman was, she was honest. So she said to Pam, "You remember that story about going to the hypnotist show?"

"Yes," Pam replied, not sure where this was going.

Kelly turned to Karen. "See I went to this show and was hypnotized. When the guy mentioned one of the seven dwarves I turned into an animal or kid or something."

"So," Karen demanded.

"So last night I stayed around while Jim was working late. I yawned and Jim asked if I was Sleepy, which is, like, one of the dwarves. I acted like a five-year-old and got him talking about you and Pam." Kelly turned to the receptionist. "He said he loved you. I guess he thought I wouldn't remember anything. But I was really just pretending."

"You tricked him?" Karen said.

Kelly's guilt intensified. "I wanted him to face his feelings. You all deserve that."

"You people and your stupid games," Karen said. She turned and stomped out of the break room, slamming the door as she walked past. The camera cut to Jim, who was staring at the break room scene, not knowing what it meant.

Karen grabbed Toby and they both left the office.

Kelly looked over at Pam. "I really just wanted to help," she said in her defense.

"I know," Pam replied, trying to keep her emotions under control.

"Pam," Kelly said with an extremely guilty face. "Also, I kinda kissed Jim, but only because he said he loved you and he looked so sad and I just wanted to know what it was like before he got together with you and..."

Pam couldn't listen to any more. She walked out of the break room, closing the door gently as she left. She looked back, and Kelly was still telling her story to the camera crew. She wondered if Kelly could breathe through her skin like a frog. She seemed to be able to talk nonstop without ever having to pause for oxygen.

The camera showed Jim offering a look of support for Pam as she walked past. She gave him a brief smile while her back was to the camera.

Pam had lunch at her desk. She wanted to let Jim have some space and she really didn't feel up to dealing with anyone else. Besides, she had a task to accomplish and it was best done with nobody around.

-----------

Toby and Karen were gone the rest of the day. Lunch, which had been wine free, turned into a walk, which turned into a trip to pick up Sasha from preschool. The little blonde girl asked Karen if she'd ever seen "Finding Nemo."

"Nope," Karen said with a smile.

"Do you want to come home with us and watch it?"

Karen looked over at Toby. "Only if it's okay with your dad."

"Daddy, please?"

"Sure," the HR guy said. "I think that would be great."

-----------
Creed spent the afternoon muttering to himself and searching the area around his desk.

Jim and Pam worked late. The other office employees beat a strategic retreat right at five. Jim sighed at 5:20 and got up. He walked over to Pam, who was sending out faxes.

"Hey," Jim said. "Thanks again for last night."

"No problem," Pam said. "We're friends before anything else."

"What time is the show tonight?"

"Things should be starting at eight."

"Great," Jim said wistfully as he helped her put her coat on. "I'm looking forward to seeing your paintings."

"Thanks," Pam said, trying to fight back a blush. "Oh, Jim," Pam said, casually.

The tall man turned around.

"I got you something," Pam said, handing him a box. Jim opened it to find Creed's Easy Button. There was a little note that read: "When you're ready, put this on my head and push once. I love you, Pam."

The two walked to the elevator, Pam trying not to smile as Jim silently took her hand.