You were a good girlfriend. No, you were an amazing girlfriend. You had your doubts, but ultimately he didn't seem like "the type". You wished you had listened to your mother five months ago. 'Dump him.' 'You deserve someone who treats you like the amazing woman you are.' 'You are better than that, Karen.' But you were stubborn and hard headed, refusing to listen to anyone including your mother and sister, both of which clearly just wanted the best for you. 'No! He's a good guy, okay? He would never do that to me.' What a joke.
He said "yes" that January afternoon in the conference room. You should have listened to your head. But no, Filippelli. You had to listen to your heart. You thought for sure that you could change him. You could make him fall out of love with her and maybe, just maybe, fall in love with you. You knew deep down that you deserved better than that. You knew that you shouldn't have to try and make someone love you. But you did.
You talked for hours on end. He told you that you'd start a life together. Just the two of you. Together. Together and alone. That, of course, was before she had to ruin everything that night on the beach. Just one more week. That was all you needed and she had to mess everything up. You couldn't blame her, though. Despite what he did to you, you'd be lying if you said Jim wasn't a good guy. You can't see how anyone could not fall for Jim. You just wish that you would have been the one that he chose to love back instead of her.
So, here you are. You're living in New York, serving as Regional Manager of the Utica Branch, and you are perfectly fine. You're not exactly happy, but you're not miserable either. You are just trying to get your life back in order. The way it was before Scranton and before him.
"Hi, sweetie. How are you holding up?"
How do you think? "Okay, I guess."
"That's good."
Silence.
"Did you need something? I'm kind of busy here."
"What I said before. I -- I guess I wasn't thinking about your position in all of this. I'm so sorry. I love you more than anything, Karen. I want you to know that. And it is completely your choice."
"I know that. But. . thanks. I appreciate your support, mom."
"And if you need anything, I am always here."
For the first time in a long time, you feel the corners of your mouth going up. That is until you are reminded of the conversation that is currently taking place
"Mom? I, uh. . I'm keeping it." Your voice cracks. "I'm keeping the baby."
"You're doing this for you, right? You're not doing this for anybody else?"
"No. I don't want this to be about me, you know? This is my child. I could never do that. It's not fair. It wouldn't be fair. Besides, this could be good for me."
"Are you going to tell him?"
"No."
"Karen--" There she goes again.
"What happened to 'it's your life'?"
"Please, just think about it. Do you really want your child growing up without a father?"
"I'll think about it, okay?"
"That's all I ask."
"Goodnight, mom."
"Goodnight, Karen."
You hang up the phone with every intention of getting a long, hot bubble bath and forgetting about everything. The baby, Jim, Pam, and the nagging feeling of guilt in the pit of your stomach that you can't quite manage to get rid of. But before you know it, you're curled up on your bed with the phone cradled against your ear waiting for him to answer so you can tell him everything. The phone begins to ring and you resist the urge to press 'End'. One, two, three. .
"Hello?" Said a familiar voice. But, no. That familiar voice definitely did not belong to Jim Halpert. It was Pam's. Pam Beesly, aswering his phone. But, really, why should you be suprised?
Story Notes:
Disclaimer: All publicy recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are 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.
Author's Chapter Notes:
I am thinking that this will have taken place around two months or so after "The Job". So, yes, Jim and Pam are together and Karen no longer works at Dunder-Mifflin Scranton.
I've been watching The Office for quite awhile now but I haven't actually written anything about the show up until now. So, be easy on me. The first chapter focuses on Karen and the second chapter will focus more on Jim.
I've been watching The Office for quite awhile now but I haven't actually written anything about the show up until now. So, be easy on me. The first chapter focuses on Karen and the second chapter will focus more on Jim.
Chapter End Notes:
Should I continue?
