Many thanks to mixedberryjam for being my beta on this chapter.  I don't think I can fly solo again.

I wanted to restrict myself to dialogue only for this chapter to try and capture the sweet, silly, rambling conversations that can happen late at night between two satisfied lovers.  I hope you know what I mean.  Song is "The Dimming of the Day" - the Bonnie Raitt version. 

Want to listen to this song?  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1EWCH3EcAY

Come the night you're only what I want
Come the night you could be my confidant

“Mashed potatoes.  Definitely.  What about you?” 

“So hard to pick just one comfort food….mashed potatoes are up there.  I think I’m going to have to go with mac and cheese, though.  But not the boxed stuff.  I want the real thing.”

“So, you’re a mac and cheese snob, eh Beesly?” 

“Not at all!  I’ve eaten the boxed stuff and it has a certain…charm.  But it’s just not the same as homemade.”

“You’ve thought about that a little too much, I think.”

“Yeah, maybe I have.”

“Hey, have you seen The Way We Were?”

“Yeah.  Such a sad movie.”

“You know that scene…” 

“Wait, wait.  I have no problem with the fact that you’ve seen The Way We Were, but you know it well enough to quote a scene?” 

“Yeah, so?  It’s a great movie!”

“Do you cry at the end?”

“I cry through the whole thing, Pam, okay?  My shirt’s wet and I’ve usually blown my way through a box of Kleenex by the time they break up the first time.  Happy?”

“So sensitive!  Men have feelings, too, Jim.  It’s okay.”

“Anyway, the scene when Hubbell and JJ...”

“Oh my God.”

“What?”

“’Hubbell and JJ’?  It’s like you play ball with these guys at the Y or something!” 

“Stop laughing.  Do you want to get tossed off this bed?”

 “No, no, Jim!  I’m sorry.  Go on, your BFFs Hubbell and…?”

“JJ.  Dammit, Beesly.  Are you done?”

“Go on, go on!  I’m dying to know!” 

“Grrrr.  You are just asking for it.  Anyway…they’re on this sailboat and they’re kind of playing the game we’re playing tonight.  The Best of Everything…best year, best week, you know.  It’s just a great scene.”

“That’s after they broke up, right?”

“Right, they’re not together and you can tell that he’s missing her…hey, are you going to let me get a full thought out here without interrupting me?  You’re so rude!” 

“Ow!!  Jim, you just broke a rib with the squeezing.”

“You really deserve a spanking instead.”

“Yeah, don’t tease me like that.  Finish your story.”

“Well, JJ asks Hubbell what his favorite year is and he names one.  Then another and another and you just know that he’s naming all the years he was with Barbra Streisand.”

“I remember that now.  It is very touching.  His best years were the ones with her.   I’m sorry I teased you.” 

“No you’re not, but that’s okay.  I’m secure in my manliness and I can handle whatever it is you think you’re dishing out.”

“You’re very manly, Halpert.  Look at all this chest hair.  I never knew.  You hairy like aneemal!” 

“No. Pam. No.  Is that…Ping?  Are you doing Michael doing Ping?”

“Y-yes!  What’s happening to me?”

“Pam, have ya lost ya mind?”

“Stanley, oh my God!  Don’t!  I have to pee!”

“Hurry up and go pee and come back.”

“So, as I was saying when Ping so rudely interrupted…I think about that scene a lot.”

“Yeah?  So, what’s your best year, Halpert?”

“That’s easy.  This year.  This is my best year.”

“Really?  It started out kind of rough.  Two moves in less than six months.” 

"Yeah, that really sucked.  It’s funny, though.  I never completely unpacked in Stamford.  I just unpacked stuff as I needed it, you know?  I still had whole boxes taped up.”

“Wow.  How come?”

“I don’t know.  I guess, it never really felt permanent to me….like I was away at camp or on vacation or something.  I just always kind of knew I would be coming back.”

“Hmm.” 

“Is this bugging you?”

“No, I like it when you play with my hair.” 

“The year definitely took a turn for the better, oh, around the middle of May, though.  And now it’s the best year.”

“It is.  It’s my best year, now, too.  And I think it’s because it started out….not nearly my best year.” 

“I’m so sorry about all…” 

“No, no.  Remember we said we were done apologizing.  It was good.  It didn’t feel like it at the time, but it made me see some things and made me…I don’t know.  It was the first time I was ever really alone as an adult, where I didn’t have someone else to think about.  I had to really think about what I wanted.”

“Yeah?  I still feel bad.”

“You shouldn’t.  It made me see how you must have felt all along.  I wanted to tell you that so much.  And after I spent all that time alone, I knew what I really wanted more than anything was to be with you.”

“You really shocked the hell out of me on the beach.”

“I shocked myself!”

“My mind was going everywhere and it was blank at the same time.”

“I was afraid you were going to be mad at me for saying it in front of everyone.” 

“No, even though I was just….stunned by what you were saying, underneath it, I was thinking how proud I was of you.  Man, that took some guts.” 

“Well, after you walk on burning coals, Jim, baring your soul in front of your coworkers is really nothing.”

“You’re The Firewalker Girl!” 

“Yes, I am.”

“You know, I was aware that Karen was there and hearing what I was hearing, but it didn’t even really register.” 

“I felt bad about that.  I apologized to her…sort of.”

“Really?  That was nice of you.”

“Yeah, maybe not too nice.” 

“Maybe I don’t need to know about that.”

“Good answer.” 

“Okay, best week, Beesly.” 

“Hands down, our first week together in June.”

“Hey, that's my best week!”

“I’ll share it with you.”

“You’re so good to me.”

“Are you hungry?”

“Maybe.  What do we have?”

“Leftover meatloaf and I’m kind of craving a sandwich.  Halvsies?”

“Andy.  Question:  do we have any of my mom’s homemade bread left?”

“Yes, Dwight.” 

“Okay.  Split a beer with me?” 

“Sure.  Stay, I’ll be right back.” 

“You want help?”

“No, your idea of ‘help’ is groping me while I make the sandwich.” 

“You don’t want help?”

“Stay.”

“Mmm…this was a damned fine meatloaf, Beesly.”

“It’s my best thing, if I do say so myself.  Sip, please.”

“Okay, Pam, best day?”

“That’s a hard one...oh, don’t say it.  You know what was a great day?  The day we did the Olympics at work.”

“Ha!  That was a good day!  Phyllis really got into it, huh?”

“She was hysterical.  She has an awfully big crush on you.” 

“I know.  We’ve talked.”

“Oh, really?  Should I be worried here?” 

“Well, I am on her list.” 

“Her list of…oh, my God!  She told you that?” 

“Yeah, at the Christmas party.  She was a little tipsy.”

“C’mere, you have a little ketchup…” 

“Pam!  God!  You just licked my face!  Jesus Christ!”

“W-what?”

“I can’t believe you!”

“Hey, my tongue’s been pretty much all over you, Halpert!  Now you have a problem with me licking your face?”

“I don’t know!  It’s just weird!”

“You’re weird.”

“Best day, Beesly.  Quit stalling.” 

“Mmmm…let me think.  Best day, best day….Oh!  Another good day was Michael’s birthday the year before last.  I had so much fun with you.  At a stupid Rite-Aid!”

“I’ll never forget the look on your face when that clerk scolded you.  Like you were ten and got in trouble with your teacher.” 

“You totally threw me under the bus with her!” 

“That was great.  Are you banned from Rite-Aid, too?  I can't remember.”

“Very funny, Jim!  I remember thinking as we were walking through the store and you were pushing the cart that that’s what it would be like if we were together.” 

“You did not.”

“Yeah, I did.  It was the fabric softener that did it.” 

“Such a dork.”

“That’s exactly what you said that day.”

“I remember Michael giving you a lecture on doing your breast self-exam.” 

“Oh.  Thank you, Michael!  That wasn’t awkward!”

“That was a good day.  Was it the best, though?”

“No, I know the best day, but I like talking about this stuff with you.” 

“I do, too.   It's great to...mmm...what was that for?” 

“Because I’m so happy we can talk to each other now.” 

“Yeah?  That’s nice, but I’m really in this for the sex.”

“Well, Jim, as long as we’re being honest, I just tolerate these late-night confessionals because of the sex.”

“Thanks for being honest with me, Pam.” 

"No problem.  Best day was May 17th.” 

“What year?  Owww!!!”

“What year?  Halpert, that deserved a pinch.  The absolute best day, ever.”

“It was a big day.”

“I’ll never ever in a million years forget how I felt when you opened that door and asked me to dinner.”

“Man, I was so nervous, but at the same time, I just felt completely…wired…alive...  but hyper-alive.  I don’t know how to explain it.  I was really excited.  I wanted to come in and swoop you up and carry you out of there like Richard Gere in Officer and a Gentleman.” 

“Because I love you, I’m not going to say a word about your movie references, okay?”

“Oh, thank you, Pam.  I’m trying to tell you how full of emotion I was…for YOU…and you mock me.” 

“It’s what I do.”

“Where are you going now?” 

“I’ll be right back.” 

“Paaaaam.  I miss you, come back!” 

“I’m back, I’m back.  Did you miss me?  I brought you a brownie.”

“Oh, yeah!  Thanks.  You’re going to make me fat.”

“Then you really will be Fat Halpert...hey hey hey!” 

“Now you’re doing Michael doing Cosby.  I’m concerned.”

“Don’t be.  I still love you best.”

“Will you love me when I’m fat?”

“You could never be fat.  Because you have this long….mmm…lanky….mmm…broad-shouldered...narrow…mmm…hipped frame.  God, you’re yummy.”

 “Yummy?”

“Too bad you won’t let me lick your face.”

“Where you are is just fine.”

“What’s your best day, Halpert?” 

“The day we won the state basketball championship in high school.” 

“Oh.”

“Shut up.  Are you kidding me?  You said May 17th so I’ll say May 18th.”

“Really?  There were a lot of tears that day, Jim.  And a little yelling.”

“I know.  But we got it all out.  We got to say everything.  That really was my best day, all kidding aside.” 

“It felt good to finally say those things.”

“I need to roll over on my other side, Bees.  My arm’s asleep.”

“That’s better.  You comfortable?”

“Mmm hmmm.” 

“I’ll never forget what you said about when I was in Stamford.” 

“What did I say?”

“You said you fell in love with me when I wasn’t even there.”

“For the second time, really, because I realized I’d been in love with you all along. I’ll never forget what you said to me after that.” 

“What?” 

“You said, ‘I never stopped loving you.’”

“Yeah, I never did.  It might have looked like I did, but that kind of…yeah, it’s way too….I just knew I always would.” 

“Mmmm.  You’re so nice and warm.” 

“You’re awfully squirmy, there, Bees.  Are you trying to tell me something?” 

“I love you, Jim.”

“More.”

“I love you.  I love you.  I love you.  Like that?”

“No, but that was very cute.  I meant I love you more.”

“Nuh uh.  I love you like a hundred million tons.  I don’t think you can love me more.”

“Oh, a hundred million tons is nothing, Pam.  I love you more than that.”