First: many thanks and much appreciation to pjries and ElizabethLynn for their insight and thoughtful suggestions....you’re the best!

Second: I own none of the characters of whom I write and no infringements of any kind are implied or intended.

    The Dinner Party  Chapter One “Cocktails” 

Pam turned to straighten Jim’s tie just before he rang the doorbell. “There....perfect,” as she flashed a mischievous grin his way.  He looked down at her smiling face, cocked his head and took a very deep breath.

Jim was still just a bit unsettled with the whole idea...having to get all dressed for dinner at Michael and Jan’s.  This was going to be uncomfortable enough as it was, but having to run home to shave and put on the crisp new dress shirt and a tie and his best charcoal gray suit just to sit around Michael’s dining room table to eat...God knows what...well, it just wasn’t his idea of a fun evening.  Hadn’t he and Pam done their best trying to avoid just this very thing from happening? 

For months, ever since discovering that Jim and Pam were a real couple (thanks Toby), Michael had been hinting about getting together.  And, until last week they’d always found a way to avoid it.  But for some reason both he and Pam were off their game when Michael walked through the break room at lunch time and so nonchalantly asked about their weekend plans.  He’d caught them off guard and when Jim just matter-of-factly answered “nothing special”, Michael wasted no time in handing them the written invitation for dinner. “Good...no excuses now...this Saturday...see you at eight.” Breach of etiquette not withstanding, they’d been hooked.

Now, standing in the doorway he knew there really was no alternative as he and Pam heard the low murmur of voices from just inside.

“Look Jim...we’re here so let’s just try to make the best of it.  At least it’s not just us and Jan and Michael...I guess everyone else got roped into it as well so it won’t be so bad...” But Pam caught herself as she said it knowing all too well that, where Michael was concerned, something bad was in fact, pretty likely to happen. 

“Yeah, you’re right,” Jim straightened up with a look of practiced mock-determination, “let’s get this out of the way now and maybe he’ll let us alone for the next year...I say full steam ahead!”

“That’s the spirit, big boy!”  Pam arched her brow while patting Jim lightly on the back.

“Hey...give me a kiss!” 

“Really?” Pam offered an impish smile.

Turning her slightly, Jim responded, “Yes, really!” as he lowered his head to hers.

Pam loved these small, impromptu moments.  Even after all these months, Jim still found little ways to surprise her with his affection and each time made her feel so warm and wanted.  They made her feel so very different than the way she’d felt for such a long time before. 

Just as their lips met, the door opened.

“Well, well...just look at the two of you!”  Michael stood in the doorway, holding what looked to be a martini in his left hand and wearing a near larger-than-life smile.  “Jan...it’s the loooove birds.”  His words sang out as he turned and yelled over his shoulder, “It’s Jim and Pam...they’re finally here.”

Jim guided Pam through the doorway with a gentle nudge to the small of her back.  Once inside, they saw that everyone had gathered in the living room for drinks.  And just as Michael asked to take their coats Jan seemingly floated out of the crowd to greet them with a tray of fresh martinis. “Jim, Pam...so very glad that you could come. We’ve been hoping to have you over for the longest time.  Please have a cocktail.  We should  be eating in about thirty minutes so make yourselves at home and mingle...God knows you know everyone here so I don’t have to worry about introductions.”

They each took a glass, giving the other a quick nod before taking a small sip. The drinks weren’t strong but neither Jim nor Pam were in the habit of drinking martinis...whether made of gin or vodka or anything else they were making them with these days, so they both winced just a bit as the cool liquid slid down the back of their throats.  “Wow, that’s...hmm...hmm...pretty good,” Jim managed to spurt as he winked at Pam.  Pam wasn’t quite as ready to say anything just yet so just nodded in agreement.

“Good...glad you like them.  I do make a pretty good martini if I do say so myself.  See, all those years in New York weren’t a complete waste!”  Jan seemed pleased with herself...yet in an almost oblivious sort of way. “Sorry you missed the tour, but after dinner Michael or I will gladly show you around, if you like.”  And, with a wave Jan turned to resume her hostess duties, replenishing empty glasses as she found them.  Jim and Pam gave each other a quick look and managed a slightly nervous laugh between them as Jan’s genuine happiness at seeing them made both feel just a bit guilty. 

The condo appeared more spacious than either had imagined and the furnishings and decorations all seemed to match pretty well.  Pam attributed that to Jan’s influence.  She gave Jim’s arm a squeeze, “So far so good!” As they scanned the room, all the faces were familiar, but not everyone it seemed had arrived.  Near the fireplace, Angela and Andy were speaking with Phyllis and her husband, Bob Vance.  Stanley and his wife, Terri seemed to have caught Michael’s ear and Kevin and his fiancée were sitting on the couch by the picture window.  Stacy was laughing with Oscar and...was that Gil, Oscar’s boyfriend, if Pam remembered correctly?  Kevin was sampling the hors d’oeuvres.

Pam nudged Jim. “Looks like Kevin’s found his spot.” 

Jim laughed, “That’s Kevin” as he flashed his buddy a quick wave.  Kevin popped a stuffed mushroom into his mouth and broke into a broad grin as he motioned Jim and Pam to join him.  But before they could move, a high pitched squeal stopped them. 

“Pam!   Jim!  You guys look soooo good!”  They turned to find Kelly rushing headlong their way.  Without as much as a quick “hello”, she gave Pam such a squeeze that Pam nearly spilled her drink. “You look so hot...what a pretty green dress...just let me look at you.”  Kelly gave Pam a half spin. 

Trying to catch her breath and blushing slightly Pam mustered a hasty “Thank you,” Pam actually liked the dress, having bought it especially for the occasion.  It did flatter her and Jim had very pointedly expressed just how much he liked it when she’d modeled it for him earlier as she dressed for the evening.  He liked it so much in fact that it was the reason they’d arrived late.  “But it’s really not anything...I just thought it...”

“Oh, don’t be so modest Pam...you look absolutely gorgeous.  Not like the stuff you wear to work...right, Jim?”  Kelly smiled and Jim shot Pam a knowing glance.  Pam arched her brow but held her tongue.  Kelly certainly knew how to throw a compliment a girl’s way.

“Your dress is really nice, too.  I just love the color.”  Pam decided to take the high road...at least for the time being.  “When did you get here?” 

“Oh, Darryl and I were the first ones here...I’m already on my third martini.  They are soooo good...aren’t they good Jim?” 

“Oh yeah...they really are.”  Jim raised his glass to both Kelly and Pam, taking a second, short sip.  This one went down a little easier.  “So, where’s Darryl?”   

“Oh....he’s in the kitchen....he’s not a big martini drinker so I think he went to get a beer or some scotch...or something.  Michael has a mini bar set up in there if people want something different, but I think Jan really wants everyone to have these first.”

With that, Darryl emerged, beer in hand, “Hey, what’s up man...finally made it huh?  He and Jim exchanged fist bumps.  “Mike was starting to worry you guys weren’t coming!”

“Really? We’re not late...well maybe a few minutes, but we’re here.”  Jim turned toward Pam, a sly, but questioning look building across his face.  She had no answer and just shrugged in return.

Kelly rolled her eyes as she eyed Pam from just above the rim of her glass.  “Oh Darryl, honey...they just wanted to be fashionably late,” the hint of sarcasm obviously intended, “just like in all those old movies, right Pam?”

In the nick of time, Pam heard someone calling her name.  It was Phyllis.  Pam excused herself as politely as she could, making her way to the small group gathered by the fireplace where slow burning flames flickered in the muted light.  Phyllis hugged Pam softly, adding to the warmth and Bob gave her quick smile.  Despite the whole wedding thing, she did like Phyllis and Bob Vance.  He was a nice guy and Phyllis, well she was generally good-hearted...though she was sometimes a little too loose with her comments.  As far as Andy and Angela...she still was not used to seeing, or even thinking of the two of them as a couple. 

“I thought you might need a little break from Kelly,” Phyllis half-whispered into Pam’s ear.  “I’ve been watching her...and she’s been throwing down martinis like she’s been taking lessons from Meredith.”  Pam smiled weakly and rolled her eyes just enough to let Phyllis know she’d guessed correctly. “But, you should have dragged Jim over here with you.”

“Oh, he knows how to take care of himself.”  Pam knew all about Phyllis’ thing for Jim.  Hell, most of the women in the office had at one time expressed an interest in doing one thing or another with or to Jim.  Phyllis was always good for a comment or two during party planning committee meetings, and even Kelly and Meredith were not averse to the occasional offer to “take care of” Jim’s needs.  In a way, she couldn’t blame them.

“I bet he does.”  Phyllis winked at Pam, suggestively.  “Oh...I bet he does!” 

It crossed Pam’s mind that maybe Kelly wasn’t the only one working on her second or third drink, either.  And though Phyllis whispered, Pam saw in Andy’s clenched jaw and Angela’s smirk that they’d heard Phyllis’ remark.  Angela’s lips had even tightened at the corners in that way she had to let you know you were heading down the tracks “on that slow train to Philly.”

Pam might not be of the same mind set when it came to Angela, but she knew exactly what Phyllis was really hinting at and it wasn’t about putting up with Kelly.  And even though she couldn’t argue with the real point of Phyllis’ speculation...after all, she knew all too well that Jim really did know how to ‘take care of himself’, she wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction.  Not tonight, anyway.  That would just have to wait for some future “girls’ night out” to Poor Richard’s, when they could all just get right down to the real nitty gritty about their guys.  

“So how are you all doing...having fun?”  Hoping to switch gears, Pam raised her glass in a semi-toast and took another sip....this one went down easily.  Everyone seemed to be doing just fine.  Phyllis and Bob talked a bit about their new home by the river and Angela explained her latest project to redecorate her cat room...just to keep them happy.  For his part, Andy mostly leaned against the fireplace, listening and looking bored.  He did manage to interject at one point that he thought Angela’s cats were really awesome because they reminded him of a cat that had been adopted as the mascot of his fraternity when he was in college.  Angela’s roll of her eyes at Andy’s mention of Cornell did not go unnoticed by Pam.

She stole a quick glance across the room to find that Jim had managed to pry himself away from Kelly and Darryl to join Kevin, Stacy, Oscar and Gil.  Oscar was making the introduction and Pam watched Jim shake Gil’s hand.  Her thoughts flew back to that awful night of her art show as she remembered the pain of Gil’s words.  She’d been angered and hurt...but it had been his words about her lack of courage and honesty that had in a way, begun to set her free...to find the place she was now...a much, much better place than she’d ever been.

“So, Gil....what do you do?”  Jim knew the whole story about Gil’s comments...Pam told him that first night they’d made love as afterward they lay quietly in her bed and talked through the night about all the things that had finally brought them together.  He’d never met him before, and even though Gil had spoken those words about Pam in a harsh and condescending way, Jim never-the-less felt that, in some odd way he probably owed Gil a small debt of gratitude. 

“I’m in advertising...television and web, mostly...I work for a small firm in Philadelphia.”

“Oh, interesting...so how long you been doing that?” 

“About ten years...I’ve been with the company in Philadelphia for four years, now.”

“And you commute everyday...that’s a hike!” 

“No...I don’t need to commute that often...I do so much work on my Mac, I can work from home or pretty much anywhere I can get web access.  I might only go into the office once or twice a week...sort of depends on the project.”

“Cool...some days I think I’d like a job like that,” Jim said with a somewhat distant look in his eye.

Gil turned to catch Oscar rising from the sofa.  “Jim’s one of our salesmen...a pretty good one, too.”

“Oh, you’re that Jim.”  And Jim saw Gil’s eyes dart across the room to Pam.

“Yeah...I’m that Jim!”  He laughed quietly...Oscar, too while Gil mustered a nervous, half smile.

“Oscar’s told me that she’s actually stuck with it...even doing something with a promo for your office...” Gil tried to hide his embarrassment by taking a gulp large enough to nearly empty his glass, “that’s good.” 

“Oh yeah...I mean the video wasn’t great, but Pam did some neat graphics on it...at least I thought so.”  Jim didn’t try to hide the actual pride he felt in his girlfriend’s accomplishment.

Oscar chimed in as well, “Yeah, Gil...her graphics were really the best part.”

“That’s good...that’s really good!” 

To Jim’s ears Gil sounded genuine and when he turned his gaze toward Pam, she seemed, to automatically look over at the exact moment, flashing a big smile his way in return.  Funny how that worked!  “Yeah, she’s doing just fine.”  Jim smiled as well and Pam cocked her head a couple of times beckoning him back.  Grabbing a small handful of carrot sticks from the hors d’oeuvres tray, he made his way back to her side.

“Carrot,” he offered, but she waved him off.

Instead, Pam leaned into him to whisper in his ear, “Hey, have you noticed anything weird?”

Jim briefly scanned the room then furrowed his brow, “No...not really...other than Andy being with Angela if that’s what you mean...that just seems totally weird to me.”

Pam gave him a light tug on the arm, “No Jim...I mean look who’s not here.”

Jim swung around again...“I don’t see Meredith, Creed...or...Toby...”

“Or Dwight!”  Pam interrupted.

“Jeez Pam, you’re right....wonder why?  Weren’t they invited...maybe they all had other plans?”

Pam shook her head, a perplexed look on her face.  “It’s only couples, Jim...I think they only invited couples!”

Jim shrugged as he looked down at her. “Wow...that is kind of weird!”   

At that moment, Jan emerged from the adjoining hallway and announced, “Please follow me everyone...dinner is served!”