Pam emerges from the kitchen and walks back to her desk, avoiding making eye contact with Jim. He's a little worried, but he waits a few minutes to see if she is going to talk to him. Finally he can't stand it anymore and walks over to reception.
"So?" he asks hesitantly.
"So...?" She eyes him, her expression unreadable.
"Did you read it?"
"Yes, I read it."
He takes a deep breath, still trying to figure out what she is thinking. "Did it creep you out? I'm sorry, I should have known it would creep you out. You have to understand my mental state at the time, and I - "
"Jim, shut up. It didn't creep me out, so enough of that. You just have to indulge me for a minute, okay? I'll come get you when I'm ready." She gives him a warm smile, and he relaxes.
"Ready for what?"
"You'll see. Now, shoo." She dismissively waves him away. He goes back to his desk, smiling but still kind of confused.
~~
Pam: No, I'm not going to tell you what it said. But, yeah, I wish he had given it to me back then. Let's just say things would have been a lot different. [she smiles giddily]
~~
Michael walks out of his office and looks around. Suddenly, he makes a realization.
"Where is Stanley?"
Everyone kind of looks around sheepishly, until Andy finally offers, "Uh, he went home."
"WHAT? Why did you let him do that?"
Andy just blankly stares as Michael starts to get hysterical.
"I specifically said no one but Phyllis could leave! What is the matter with you people? I trusted you!"
"Michael," says Jim, "it's really snowing hard now. If we don't leave soon we'll all be stuck - "
"SHUT. IT. That's it. Do I have to lock the doors to keep you people here for our Christmas party? Is that what it's going to come down to?"
"No, because that would be kidnapping. Although, I guess you're not opposed to that since you did kidnap that pizza guy." He pauses briefly, and adds, "And me, as a matter of fact." Jim is testing him, but it backfires on him because Michael walks over and moves the couch near the reception desk so it blocks the way to the door, and then he sits down on it.
Everyone stares. Michael feels the eyes on him, and finally says, "How about we start this party early?"
A few minutes later everyone except for Michael is in the conference room, grazing on treats and dipping into Andy's egg nog. Michael sits tight on the couch, pouting.
"Hey, Angela," Andy says, "this is the best Christmas party ever, if I do say so myself."
Angela, distracted, says nothing. She stares off into space, and then says, "The egg nog is good." Andy beams happily.
~~
Andy: I've learned one thing about egg nog through the years. The more booze you put in it, the more people will drink it. And the more they drink, the better the chances of getting past second base. [he lifts his eyebrows and smiles knowingly]
~~
Kelly sits sulking on a chair in the conference room. Kevin walks by and says, "Hey, where's Darryl?" Kelly glares at him.
~~
Kelly: Darryl decided that he would rather go pick up his daughter at daycare because of the snow than come to the party with me. Ryan would have never done that.
~~
Pam walks up to Jim with a piece of paper in her hand. She takes him by the hand and leads him back through the kitchen into the annex.
"You're not going to take advantage of me, are you, Beesly?" Jim teases.
She just shakes her head and grins, leading him over to Toby's desk.
"Hey Toby," Pam says. "Why are you still working? The party has started."
Toby glances over toward the kitchen and mumbles, "Oh, no one told me."
"Oh, well, anyway, I wanted to give you this. It's a change of address form for me." She hands him the paper.
"Oh you moved?" Toby asks, looking down at the form.
"Yep. I'm living with Jim now," Pam says, and flashes a smile in Jim's direction. Jim, meanwhile, is beside himself with joy.
"Are you sure? Really?" He can't control the wide smile on his face.
"Yes, I'm sure. I think we wasted enough time, don't you?" He starts to tear up a little, knowing she's talking about the card. He scoops her up and hugs her so hard he lifts her off her feet.
Toby, watching the romantic moment unfolding before him, lets out a small sigh followed by a cough. They both turn their attention back to him.
"Are you sure you wanna do that?" he asks. "I mean, it's not like Jim has the best track record with women..."
They both stare at him, not comprehending, for a second before Pam bursts into laughter. "Oh, Toby, you're funny," she says. Jim, on the other hand, eyes Toby suspiciously.
~~
Jim: Sometimes I think Toby... Nah, it's almost too unbelievable to be true. I shouldn't even say it out loud. [he pauses, puzzled] Okay, I'll just say it. I think Toby might have a thing for Pam.
~~
Chapter End Notes:
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.
