Disclaimer: I don’t own The Office       

Jim and Pam exchanged a helpless look as Dwight rose from his seat and walked purposefully out of the office.

            After a slight pause, Jim rose as well, moving to follow Dwight.  Pam stood and shook her head at him. 

            “Let me go…I owe Dwight one.”

            Jim looked at her quizzically, but nevertheless nodded and returned to his desk.  Pam opened the door and, after walking a few paces, spotted Dwight crouched in the stairwell, pressed against the wall, his face contorted in anguish. 

It was a surprisingly heart-wrenching sight; Pam had never thought Dwight could show enough emotion to make her feel this deeply for him.

She walked over to sit next to him, her footsteps just loud enough to alert him to her presence.  After a moment of silence, she said, “Do you remember when you found me crying in the hallways last winter?”

Dwight made an indecipherable moaning sound that Pam chose to accept as an affirmative.  “I never told you why I was crying…”  Another indecipherable moaning sound; Pam wondered if she was imagining the phrase “PMS” somewhere among the moans.  She plowed on, regardless.  “It was because of Jim.  Jim and Karen.”

Pam paused, her mind shifting back to that day.  She had so wanted to be happy that all was not well with Jim and Karen, but she hadn’t been able to stand seeing him so down.  She had given him the best advice she knew of, ignoring the vain wishes that he would ignore it.

“I wasn’t expecting him to come back with her…before he left, Jim told me how he felt and I…I screwed up, Dwight.  I mean I blew it.”  Dwight half turned, almost imperceptibly.  Pam was thinking of confessions of love, a kiss, and “I can’t” and she was fairly sure Dwight was thinking about euthanizing a cat.  It was an odd comparison to draw, but she was trying.

“And when he came back with Karen, and it seemed like he was moving on…I thought I’d missed my chance.  I thought that was it and that feeling…it’s awful.  I hated myself, and a part of my wanted to hate him, too, but of course I couldn’t do that.”  Her voice faltered very slightly, and she noticed Dwight nodding a little. “I couldn’t concentrate on anything except what I was missing…what a mess I’d made, and how sorry I was that I’d hurt him.  And I even thought…”  She paused, closing her eyes, then finished, “I even thought that I deserved to be hurting like I was because of what I’d done to him.”

Dwight whimpered a little, and Pam impulsively reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder.  “You don’t deserve this.  I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.  And I know it sucks.  But…I got another chance.  He gave me another chance.”

Pam shivered a little, thinking for the millionth time since she and Jim got together how lucky she was to be given this chance.  How unbelievable it was that things had turned out so well.

She stood up suddenly, leaving Dwight crouched in the stairwell as she walked swiftly up the stairs and into the office. 

She found Jim in the break room, extracting a grape soda from the machine.

“Jim?”

He turned, his face lit with a smile.  “Hey, you.  How’d it go with Dwight?”  When she didn’t say anything, just looked at him with a hard, intense gaze, Jim gave her a concerned look.  “Hey, are you okay?”

She nodded.  “Jim, I…”  She paused, trying to gather her voice, and Jim moved closer to her, one hand moving through her hair.

“Pam, what’s wro-“

“I love you.  I really, really love you.”

He froze, his eyes boring into hers.  After a long moment of silence, he said in a slightly raspy voice,  “That’s the first time you said that.”

She nodded.  “Yeah.  Sorry to say it at work, instead of during some perfect moment-“

He smiled a little, his tone teasing.  “You mean like in a parking lot a couple weeks before your wedding to someone else?” 

For a moment, Pam’s insides twisted as the comment reminds her again of how she’d hurt him.  But then she took in the complete happiness in Jim’s eyes, the way his smile was taking over his whole face and she felt herself smiling back.  “That was perfect.”  Her fingers grasped the end of his tie and she pulled him gently toward her for a kiss.  “I’m really glad you’re my boyfriend.”

“Oh, me too.  I’ve shot right to the top of the status quo since everyone found out.  We’re actually a close second to Michael and Jan for the Best Couple Dundie.”

She laughed.  “Excellent.”

He grinned down at her.  “Hey, wanna know something?”

“Always.”

He leaned down, playing like he was telling her a secret.  “I love you, too.”