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.

"Question."

Pam sighed and looked up at Dwight, not hiding her annoyance.

"Is Michael aware that Jim Halpert is late?"

"I don't know, Dwight."

"And what of Karen..."

"Filippelli."

"I know.  I was merely testing you."

"Oh-kay."

"So?"

"So what, Dwight?"

"Does Michael know that they are tardy?"

"You would have to ask Michael."

"They haven't called?"

"You know, Dwight, you said question.  I take that to mean one question.  And as it is only 9:05, I can only answer one stupid question right now.  I have to build up the capacity to answer any more."

"Are you PMSing again?"

"Dwight," Pam warned and she was surprised that he actually looked a bit chagrined as he made his way back to his seat.

Pam looked at her phone again.  The fifth time in the last fifteen minutes when Jim didn't come through the door like he always did.  There was no blinking light telling her she had messages and she had already called her voice mail, hoping that her light had decided to not come to work today, either.  But there was nothing.  Not from Jim.  Not from Karen.  And since she was the first person to answer a phone around here, she would know.

And for the first time in what seemed like forever, she hated not knowing what was going on around here.

"Hey, Pamela-lama - " Michael stopped himself when he saw the look.  He cleared his throat and smiled awkwardly at her.  "Since I will not speak to Toby, will you please let him know that both Jim and Karen came down with something and will not be here today?"

"The flu?" she asked, trying to keep her voice measured.

"Jim didn't say.  But he did not sound good at all.  And I don't really like to talk to sick people because it makes me think about being sick and that makes me feel sick."

Pam's eyebrows drew together as she tried to work out that logic but she didn't respond.  "I'll tell Toby but, Michael, I really think you should talk to him yourself."

"Never again," Michael told her.  "Like the new Kelly Clarkson song.  Have you heard it?"

"Can't say that I have," Pam told him, trying hard not to smirk. 

"It's really good.  One of her best ever."

"I bet."

The door to the office opened and Pam looked; her stomach flipping and her breath catching, even though she knew that Jim wasn't coming today.  She hoped that Michael got it wrong.  It wouldn't have been the first time. 

It was Toby.  She didn't want to show her disappointment.  She suspected that Toby had a small crush on her and even though she wasn't interested, she didn't want to be mean.  He was too nice to her.

"Toby, Michael wants you to know that Jim and Karen are out sick today," she told him, pointedly looking at Michael.

Toby stopped short of rolling his eyes and sighed.  "Michael, can't we - "

"No, Toby!  No!"  Michael ran into his office, slammed the door and pulled the blinds.

"I guess that's a no.  Oh well," Toby said, giving Pam a small smile which she couldn't help but reciprocate.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Pam sat in the conference room and looked at the camera man.  After three years, it was definitely getting easier to talk to them but there were times, like today, that she was scared she would end up saying too much.  She had become more aware of when her emotions were right there and ready to bubble over and today, with the happy couple obviously skipping work to frolic who knows where, she was ready to burst.

"So, the other day, Toby called us in to go over the new Emergency Preparedness Plan.  Michael, in his infinite wisdom, thought it would be a great time to pull the fire alarm instead.  Needless to say, it didn't go too well."

Pam smiled.  "The fire and police departments responded, Michael has to go to classes about how to not be careless with fire alarms and he blames Toby.  Because that's what Michael does."

She paused.  "And, uh, Jim and Karen are playing hooky.  Which is fine.  Jim's never pretended to be sick in all the years that he's worked here but maybe he needed a day off.  And who doesn't use their sick days for extra vacation time?"  She smiled, uneasily.  "I mean, I don't, of course.  But I know people who have."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Pam hated sitting in the kitchen by herself.  She never felt as alone as she did at lunch lately.  Just a year ago, everyone sat together and talked about...well, usually, Michael and now everyone was either too busy to eat lunch or went out.  Since she was now paying for an apartment on her own, Pam didn't have the luxury of going down the street to the pizza place and getting something yummy to eat. 

Instead, she crinkled up her now crumb-filled saran wrap and the empty bag of Sun Chips and threw them in the trash.  She opened the refrigerator and took out her yogurt.  She wasn't even sure she wanted to eat it, but at this point, she didn't care anymore

"Oh my god, Pam!"

Pam cringed inwardly and turned to look at Kelly.  "Hey."

"You didn't hear?  Of course, you didn't hear yet.  Who would tell you?"

"I'm sorry?"

"It's like the worst thing in the world!  I haven't been this upset since Sanjaya was voted off American Idol.  He was really, really talented.  Did you see him?  He was so awesome when he was with Gwen.  Oh and of course, J. Lo!  Did you see her?  She looked so beautiful.  She's so unbelievably talented and she was really, really nice to all the contestants!  She wasn't a bitch at all!  I have to say that I'm a little over the whole Melinda thing - "

"Kelly?" Pam interrupted, her voice far more polite than she thought she could muster.  "Did you have something you wanted to tell me?"

"Oh, right!  Sorry.  Ryan is always telling me that I go off on these tangents and I'm really trying to be more focused when I tell someone something but you know how - "

"Kelly, I have to get back to work, so..."

"Jim isn't sick."

"No?"

"No!  Apparently, they're - "

Kelly was interrupted by the fire alarm.

"Oh my god!  We're going to die!" Kelly screamed and ran out of the kitchen, her arms flailing in the air.  "Ryan!  Ryan!  We're going to burn to death!  Ryan!!"

Pam stood in the kitchen, her mouth opened, looking after Kelly's retreating form.  "They're what?"

"Pam!" Dwight shouted.  "Pam, we must vacate the premises immediately."

"There isn't a fire, Dwight."

"You don't know that, Pam, and we are never to do battle against fire without the proper tools.  We will always lose.  Drop the yogurt.  We must leave now."  He grabbed her hand, pulled her out of the kitchen and ran across the office.  They were the only two left.

As they ran down the stairs, Pam asked, "Why did Michael pull the alarm again?"

"Michael didn't pull the alarm, Pam.  This is a true emergency."

They ran outside and joined the group of people waiting in front of the building.  Pam could hear the sirens coming and she sighed.  As if the day couldn't get any worse, Pam also heard the clapping from behind the crowd.  Everyone turned around to find Michael, a broad grin on his face and slightly bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Great job, everyone!  Way to rush out of the burning building.  This is why I truly believe that seeing emergency preparedness in action instead of hearing about it is much more practical."

"You pulled the alarm again?" Angela asked, her face turning red.

"It had to be done."

"Michael, you already have to go to the safety class for last week," Pam reminded him.

"Yes, Pam, I know, but I also know that if we respond quickly and orderly, we will impress the fire and police and they will appreciate having to not carry out our charred bodies in the future."

"Is the building going to burn down soon?" Ryan asked, a hopeful glint in his eyes.

"Well, you still work here so anything is possible," Michael told him, his voice not hiding his remaining bitterness after the business school fiasco.

When the fire engines pulled into the parking lot, Michael hid behind Dwight.

"Oh, no, Michael.  You know better.  You did something that you knew you shouldn't have done.  Now you must suffer the consequences of your actions."

He moved quickly from Michael and stood next to Pam.

"I told you," she said, under her breath.

Dwight rolled his eyes.  "Don't gloat, Pam.  It's not a flattering look for women."

Pam shook her head and walked away from the group and around the side of the building.  She sat on the curb and looked down the small alleyway when she heard voices.  Darryl was sitting on a chair, trying to hit one of the warehouse guys with his crutch.  She sighed.  It still felt weird to not have Roy be with them.  She was fine without him but he'd been there as long as she had and seeing all those guys fooling around...it was still strange to her that he was gone.

She heard Michael pleading his case to the firemen and not too long ago, she would have been amused by it.  But now...now she didn't get as much enjoyment out of these Michael moments as she once did.

"Ms. Beesly?"

Pam looked up to see a very cute fireman looking down at her.  "Yes?"

"Mr. Scott claims that you pulled the fire alarm in an attempt to complete your emergency preparedness plan.  Is that true?"

Pam didn't say anything.  She could only look at the man and hope her expression said everything she didn't want to bother to say.

"I thought so," he told her and he shot her a smile that would make any normal woman go nuts but she could barely find the energy to give him a half-smile in return.  "Your boss will be coming with us for the afternoon.  We have very strict rules about false alarms."

"Well, hurt him if you have to," Pam told him.

"Is there a second in command?"

"He's, uh, actually out today so I guess that would leave - "

"Schrute.  Dwight Schrute, sir.  I would be second.  What can I do for you?" Dwight said, barely keeping his excitement at a minimum.

"Please just leave Michael here," Pam pleaded.

The fireman smirked.  "Just make sure that no one else pulls the alarm.  You know the story about the boy crying wolf?"

"Of course, sir, eventually the wolf ate him."

"Uh, yeah.  Nice to meet you..."

"Her name is Pam.  She's okay as far as possessing some key attributes that women should have but she is very moody," Dwight told him.

"Dwight is an idiot," Pam said as she stood up.

"No offense, but this place seems to be brimming with them."

"None taken and it is."

"I take offense," Dwight said, loudly.

"Dwight, go away," Pam told him.

When Dwight turned away from them in a classic Dwight huff, the fireman put out his hand to her.  She looked at it, surprised more than anything.  She put her hand in his and it reminded her of Roy.  Too big.  A little clammy.  Too much of many different things.

"Thanks for being patient.  This probably won't be the last time you'll see us," Pam said and removed her hand from his.

"I was here for the pita pocket fiasco."

"Oh, right.  That was a fun day," Pam said, sarcasm in her voice that she didn't really mean because it had been a good day...for the most part.

"I'm Tom, by the way."

Pam's cheeks turned red.  She was such a jerk sometimes.  "I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to not - "

He shook his head, stopping her words.  "Not a big deal."

They stood in silence for a few minutes and when nobody said anything, Pam started to get a horrible, sinking feeling in her stomach.  She had never been very aware of people and how they perceived her - Jim could certainly attest to that - but since that night when he told her things she couldn't hear, she tried to be more in tune with others.  She didn't want to relive that awkwardness.  So she knew.  She could see it in his stance, in his hands, in his face.  She knew it without having to know him.

He was about to ask her out.

And she was about to say yes.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Pam smiled at the camera.  "Emergency Preparedness is very important."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"How are you feeling?" she asked Jim when he walked through the door the next morning.

"Better, thanks.  Exciting day here?" he asked and stopped in front of her desk.

She looked at him, her eyes wide and she smiled.  He hadn't been here in so long.  Too long.

"We've officially finished our Emergency Preparedness Plan.  Michael pulled the alarm again."

"The thing that is so great about Michael is that he will never learn and that makes it very entertaining for us."

"That it does."

"Is that all that happened?"

"Uh," Pam started, thinking, "yeah.  That's all.  Nothing too exciting.  Just another day."

"Not just another day!"

Pam looked around Jim and he turned around to see Phyllis.

"Tell him about the cute fireman that asked you out!  It was right out of a movie."

"Oh, yeah?  Pam's got the hots for a fireman?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.  She rolled her eyes, blushing.  "Seems a bit clichéd, don't you think?  Hunky fireman saving the poor, helpless girl from the big, bad imaginary fire and wooing her."

"Dwight saved me from the big, bad imaginary fire.  It's not a big deal."

"He was really cute, Pam.  Did you call him?" Phyllis pressed.  "I hate to see you alone.  You're not used to it and you've seemed so down for a while now.  Don't you think, Jim?"

Jim looked Pam over and frowned.  "You know, maybe she needs one of your awesome makeovers, Phyllis.  A girl's day out?"

Pam glared at him.  "I'm fine.  Really."

"Are you, though?  I wouldn't want you to be down."

"I'm game," Phyllis said, cheerfully.  "I'd have to check with Bobby to make sure we don't have any plans but I'm sure we could - "

"You know, Phyllis, I appreciate it, I really do, but my date is tonight so...I'm good."

"Maybe this one will stick!"

Pam's brow furrowed and she said, "Yeah, maybe."

When Phyllis went to her desk, she looked at Jim, her lips pursed in anger.  "You're not funny."

"Oh, yeah, I am."

"I saw what she did to Karen that day.  You're just being cruel."

Jim stiffened at the mention of Karen but he shook it off.  Not before Pam noticed, though, and she wondered what that was about.

"So...is she coming in today?" Pam asked, as nonchalantly as she could.

Jim shrugged.  "Probably not."

"Oh."

Jim coughed and shuffled his feet.  He put his forearms on the top of her desk and leaned forward.  Her eyes grew bigger, registering her surprise.   He had taken such care to stay as far away from her as possible since he returned.  She didn't understand this sudden shift in him.

"What?" she asked, dumbly.

"As the number two guy, I get to take you out to lunch today.  I'm implementing a perk to the job.  Do you have plans?"

"Um, no, just me and a yogurt."

"Mixed berries."

She smiled.  "Yeah, of course."

"Don't you get tired of the same thing every day, Pam?"

"I guess I just get used to it."

"Don't you get tired of having to get used to it?" Jim asked, his eyes searching hers.

She looked back at him, her confusion evident.  "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just thought - "

"Jim!  You came to work today!"

And before he could stop her, Kelly was spinning him around and giving him a very strong hug.  He looked at Ryan, who was standing behind them, and he could only shrug.  He was obviously going to be of no help.

"You are so brave," Kelly said, moving away from Jim and putting both her hands on his upper arms.  "If Ryan and I broke up, I wouldn't come to work for like a month.  Do we get time for that?  I'm going to ask Toby, just make sure."

"I don't think you get time for that," Jim told her.  He looked back at Pam whose mouth was open in surprise.  He looked like he wanted to say something but he didn't want to do it then; not with Kelly and Ryan standing there.  Not in the office where it didn't go so well the last time.

"Are you okay, though?  I would be so completely devastated and when I talked to Karen yesterday - "

"You talked to her yesterday?" Jim asked, surprised.

"Yeah, I saw her at TCBY after you cold-heartedly dumped her at the Whole Foods!  Jim, I thought you were a nicer guy than that."

Jim took a deep breath and said, "This really isn't any of your business."

Both Kelly and Ryan's jaws dropped.  Pam couldn't stop the small smile that came to her lips.  She wiggled them a little to try and get rid of it when Kelly looked at her.

"You know what, Jim Halpert?" Kelly began, as she put her hands on her hips and she scowled.  "No one talks to me like that!  Ryan?  Do something."

"Uh..."

"Ryan!  You're on my list, Jim.  Watch yourself," she told him before walking away in a huff.

Ryan walked up to Jim and shook his head.  "I am both in awe of you and scared for you right now."

He left the two of them, following after Kelly.  Jim slowly turned around to face Pam, surprised that she wasn't looking at him but putting files into a folder.

"About that..." he started.

"It's none of my business, either."

"Look, can we get lunch?  Or coffee after work?  Whatever you want to do."

"I...I don't know," Pam told him truthfully, shaking her head.

"That didn't take long."

Jim's eyes went wide and before he could say something to Karen, she walked past them, not looking at either of them and went into the ladies room.

"Maybe you should stop blocking my view," Pam suggested.

"Yeah, maybe."

"If you have to go..."

"No, she'll be fine...she doesn't really like...she'll be fine," he finally got out.

"She seems upset."

"We broke up, Pam, I wouldn't expect her to - "

"Be asking other people to lunch the next day?"

"Ouch."

"I'm just saying."  She shrugged her shoulders and turned to her keyboard and pretended to go to work.

"Okay," Jim said.  "I understand."

"Coffee at Dora's, after work. I'll meet you there."

"Okay," he agreed with a smile.

"And don't mention it to anyone," Pam added, as a second thought.

His brow creased but he nodded and went to his desk.  Pam smiled and looked at her hands.  She noticed that they were shaking and she quickly looked up at the camera, knowing they noticed it, too.  She shrugged and ducked her head to hide another smile.

++++++++++++++++++++++++

Pam sat in the kitchen by herself.  People came and went and Jim looked like he might eat his ham and cheese with her but when he sensed her hesitation, he told her he had a lot of work to catch up on and he left.  She was relieved.   The last thing she wanted was for everyone to think that she was the reason behind the Jim and Karen split.  She didn't want to be the reason.

If forced, she would admit she didn't mind being a factor...she just didn't want to be the sole reason.

When Karen entered, though, she nearly choked on her yogurt.  She definitely didn't want to do this.  She hoped that Karen didn't talk to her.   She wished like she had never wished before that Karen would just get her lunch and eat at her desk or in the break room.  She really didn't think she would be able to -

"So, I know you know that we broke up," Karen said, not looking at Pam but staring at the contents of the open refrigerator. 

Pam felt uneasy at that the cold hardness of Karen's voice and she hated that it gave her the chills.

"I'm sorry to - "

"No, you're not," she interrupted, slamming the door shut and facing Pam.  "Don't act like this wasn't exactly what you wanted since you found out about us."

"I don't know what you think, Karen, but there is nothing going on between me and Jim."

"Right because I'm an idiot and it isn't completely obvious."

"I'm really sorry if you think that, but Jim and I barely speak - "

"Anymore.  Because of the kiss.  Because he's in love with you.  Because he was trying to replace you with me."  The last part was said so softly that Pam barely heard her.  She wished that she hadn't.

"I don't know anything about that."

"That's why he was asking you out on a date?"

"It wasn't a date," Pam corrected her.  "We were friends."

"Before me."

"Before...Stamford," she said even though she wanted to say before Casino Night.

Karen looked like she was about to say something else but stopped herself and instead asked, "Mixed berries?"

"What?"

Karen snorted and nodded her head in the direction of the empty yogurt container on the table.  "I should have known."

To Pam's surprise, Karen sat at the table with her.  "There was this one time we went grocery shopping in Stamford - "

"You two went grocery shopping together?" Pam asked, hating the way her voice betrayed her heartache.

"Yeah, we did.  The funny thing is we hadn't gone together since we moved here...until the other night, " Karen added. 

"The other night?"

"When Jim broke up with me in front of the dairy section."

"Okay..."

"He had told me this story about a friend of his from Scranton that ate mixed berries flavored yogurt every single day and how impressed he was that this person never seemed to get sick of it."

Pam didn't say anything, just continued to look at her like she was just a little bit nuts.

"So the other night, I wanted some yogurt.  And I don't like anything in my yogurt.  I like plain yogurt."

"Really?  Just plain yogurt?" Pam asked, surprised.

Karen rolled her eyes.  "Yes, plain yogurt.  God, you sound just like him.  Like is it suddenly a crime for a person to eat and actually like plain yogurt?"

"Well, it's just...plain."

"It's yogurt!  It's not as if liking plain yogurt is all there is of my personality or that it says something about me as an individual," Karen said, obviously frustrated.

"I don't want to sound rude or anything but lunch is almost over and if you have a point - "

"Yeah, I have a point.  The point is because I don't like mixed berry yogurt, I got dumped."

"I highly doubt that's the reason why.  Jim isn't - "

"I didn't think he was, either, but if a person isn't you, they just can't win," Karen said, plainly, defeat in her voice.

"I don't think that is true," Pam argued.

"We might have had a shot if we stayed in Stamford but being back here..." Karen let the sentence go and she stood up from the table.  "This is why office romances are bad."

Pam nodded, not knowing what to say to that because for almost a year, all she truly wanted was an office romance.

"I thought we could be friends," Karen said, sadly.

"Me, too," Pam replied and watched Karen walk out the kitchen door.  She was surprised when she stopped at her desk, got her jacket and bag and walked out of the office.

Pam looked at the camera, knowing by not saying anything, she was saying too much.

Kevin walked in and said, "I was watching from outside.  I totally had your back, Pam."

She looked at him, a doleful expression on her face and she attempted to smile.  "Thanks, Kev."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Pam took her time getting to Dora's after work.  Jim left before her and had nodded at her on his way out but nothing else had been said.  After her run-in with Karen, she didn't want to talk to anyone else.  Kelly hovered like a vulture and even Phyllis wanted to dish but Pam kept her head down and worked.  It was amazing the amount of work one could do when they actually put their mind to it.  Pam was impressed by the amount of filing and general organization she did today.  She didn't think she'd done anything since the merger.  She had been a little distracted.

She was trying to remain calm the closer she got to the tiny coffee shop.  She was about five minutes late, which seemed to be an appropriate amount of time to keep someone waiting.  Pam didn't normally like to be late and in fact, hated when people kept her waiting but there was a reason.  She was looking for something from Jim.  She was looking for that look - the one that would be relief that she showed, happiness that she was with him - and maybe it was selfish of her but she didn't want to risk putting herself out there if she didn't think he felt the same.

She knew what Karen thought but like she had told Karen, they barely spoke and she really didn't know how he felt anymore.  He might've just wanted to meet to try and be friends again.  And that would be fine, too.  Pam could live with that because just having him in her life again would be the prize.

Pam couldn't deny that he left a void in her and at first, she tried to say it was just at work.  She missed mocking Dwight and office Olympics and all the good things that came with having someone like Jim to work with.  Then she had to admit to herself that it wasn't having someone like Jim, it was having Jim.  And then she had to face the truth that it wasn't just work, it was her life in general that felt the void.  Work was barely tolerable without him but her life...it became too hard.  It became too obvious, as well, and that was when she knew she was just as in love with him as he said he was with her.

And that's when she called off the wedding.

She opened the door to Dora's and walked inside, looking around.  She saw him stand up from a booth at the back of the room.  He gave her a small wave and a smile and as she walked closer to him, her stomach went crazy with nervousness.

"Hi," she said when she got close to him.

"Hey," he replied and smiled so wide that she thought her head might explode from the amount of joy it gave her.

They watched each other for what seemed like forever, both not saying anything, just looking and Pam had to control herself from launching herself into his arms and kissing him until he was gasping for breath.  Because if this turned out to be them just reconnecting, she would know it was all a front because it was there.  Plain as day.

He still loved her.

"Can I get you some coffee, hon?"

"Tea," Jim answered for her and she smiled at him and sat in the booth.

"Anything else?"

"Piece of pie?" Pam asked.  "Apple, if you have it."

"Ice cream?"

"I don't know...do we want ice cream?" she asked him and he smiled, nodding.  "Yeah, of course."

The waitress left and they both sighed, neither knowing where to begin.

Pam decided she had been waiting too long for this.

"I want to say I'm sorry," she told him.

"Me, too."

"I need for us to be friends again."

"Me, too."

"I hate us not talking."

"Me, too."

She frowned.  "Are you going to ‘me, too' me to death?"

"Possibly," he answered, smirking and she rolled her eyes and smiled.

Pam took a deep breath and reached her hand out to his, gently placing her fingers over his.  "I'm sorry, Jim."

He took her hand in his and squeezed.  "Me, too."

When the waitress came back, Pam quickly moved to take her hand back but Jim kept a hold on it and she felt the oddest sensation in her belly.  There was warmth that started in the pit and just seemed to radiate outward into the rest of her body.  She physically shook at the sensation and Jim looked at her, unasked question in his eyes and she smiled because she really couldn't do anything else.

She honestly could not remember the last time she had been this full of bliss.

"So?" she asked, needing for him to say something other than the same two words over and over again.

"There are a lot of things to say here."

"Yeah, there are," she agreed.

"And we don't have a lot of time to - "

"We don't?" she interrupted, feeling panicked.

"Your date?"

"My what?"

"With the fireman?"

Her face fell.  She had forgotten all about poor Tom.  She would call him.  She would call and tell him that she had to cancel.  She would tell him that her Jim was back and that she appreciated the offer but -

"I wouldn't want to keep you here," Jim said, disrupting her thoughts.

"There's no place else I want to be," she told him.  "I only said yes because...because why not, you know?"

He nodded, looking solemn and that worried her.

"Jim?"

"I feel like a jerk," he admitted, quietly.

"What?  Why?"

"For a lot of reasons but right now?  For just assuming and expecting you to drop everything to come have coffee with me."

"Tea," she said, smiling, hoping that would lighten his mood.

He smiled in return but she knew that smile.  It reminded her so much of her own non-smile smile.

"You should go on your date."

Her mouth dropped open and she sighed loudly, her brow furrowed in confusion and anger.  She shook her head, willing herself not to cry.  Didn't he know that the fireman meant nothing?  Didn't he see it in her face every day since he came back from Stamford?  She came here for a reason and she would fight for it, tooth and nail if she had to because she refused to keep doing this to herself.  To them. 

"This is normally the part where I would be passive aggressive and leave and then we'd both be miserable but I'm not doing it anymore, Jim."

His eyes went wide and he nodded, slowly.  "Okay."

"Okay."  She took a bite of pie, thinking.  She surprised herself.  And she was damn proud.

Pam felt his thumb moving along her palm and she looked down to see their hands still together and when she looked back at him, he was just staring at her and it made her gulp because no one had ever looked at her like that. 

And she doubted anyone else ever would.

"So first things first, Jim Halpert," she began and he smiled and cocked his head adorably.  "When are you getting your old desk back?"

He grinned.  "Immediately."

"Exactly what I wanted to hear."

The End