Pam rolled over in bed and opened her eyes. She slowly ran her hand over the empty pillow on the other side of the bed. She tried to ignore the hollow feeling inside as she remembered what it felt like to have the space filled by him. He had called her Sunday night when he had got back to Scranton and tried really hard not to cry when she hung up because she instantly missed hearing his voice. She never thought that she would be that girl. She wasn’t a girl that wore her emotions on her sleeve. Those years with Roy had caused her to take those emotions and bury them deep inside of herself, because the sad truth was that Roy didn’t care…or if he did care he never showed it. Towards the end of her relationship with Roy, she almost looked forward to the times when he would say he was going out so that she could be alone. She would rather he be gone at times because then at least she could be herself, do the things that were important to her. When he was out getting drunk or playing poker, she was sketching or painting and she felt complete…at least almost complete. Part of her newfound self discovery was based upon the fact that she realized that Jim had always held a piece of her heart. It was during these last few weeks that she began to understand how easy it was going to be to keep her “fancy new Beesly” status and to also share her life with someone. This was what people meant when they said that when you love someone you bring out the best in them. Jim brought out the best in her by his quiet encouragement and unwavering love.

She got out of bed, showered, ate breakfast and then her and Natalee went to class. That night at home Pam worked feverishly on her homework, knowing that she had to get it finished so that she could leave early on Friday.

Around 10:30 she finally looked away from her computer and rubbed her tired eyes. She went out into the living room where Natalee was sitting with her laptop typing away furiously.

“Hey...” Pam said sinking down onto the couch.

“Hey…” Natalee said setting the laptop on the coffee table.

“My computer screen was starting to blur.” Pam said.

“I know…I can’t believe how busy things are getting.” Natalee stretched out her legs and then turned to Pam. “I feel like we haven’t talked in a few days! What’s going on?”

“Well I’m going down to Scranton this weekend.”

“Great! That will be fun!”

“This long distance thing is hard. How do you and Aidan do it?”

“Well…it is hard. I guess we’ve just been doing it for so long that I’m just used to it by now.”

“I guess I shouldn’t complain. We’ve only been doing it for a few weeks.”

“That doesn’t mean that it’s not hard. Aidan and I have been together since our senior year in college. We’ve had a chance to do the relationship, always together every single day, thing. You and Jim are just starting. But I see the way that he looks at you. And the way you look at him! I know you guys will be totally fine.”

“Thank you.” Pam said leaning forward and giving Natalee a quick hug. “I hope so.”

“Trust me. You will.”

They talked for a few minutes more and then went to bed. Pam brought the blanket up to her face, loving the fact that his scent still lingered.

The next morning, she was working on categorizing some paintings when the art director called her into her office.

“Pam, you’ve been doing a great job these past few weeks.” She said as Pam sat down.

“Oh thank you. This has been such an amazing opportunity.”

“I’m glad. Well listen, the reason I called you in here is because we are trying to give the interns a chance to experience what its like to head up a show from start to finish. I wanted to see what you would think about taking the leading on organizing the Gustave Courbet exhibit, for the show in a few weeks.”

‘Oh wow…” said Pam. “That would be incredible.”

“You would be in charge of the other interns and would focus mainly on getting the pieces prepped and organized for the show.”

Pam felt the nerves start to bubble within her. She had never been a take charge kind of a girl, but the prospect of doing something like this was exciting to her.

“That sounds great.” She said finally. “I would love to do that.”

“Glad to hear it. Now, my secretary has all the paperwork that you’ll need. Good luck! You’ll do great!”

“Thank you. I appreciate the opportunity.”

Pam left the office and stopped by the reception area for the paperwork. Then she went back down to the offices where she and Natalee had been working.

“Which one did you get?” Natalee asked when Pam walked back into the room.

“Oh wow! Pam that is great!”

“I can’t believe this. I couldn’t even man the table at the student run bake sale in 6th grade. How am I going to manage this?”

“Oh come on! You are going to great. You know what to do. Plus, it’s not like you’ll be totally alone. You can boss Aaron and I around.” She said nodding her head toward the other intern that was sitting in the corner surrounded by paper.

Pam laughed thankful for the reassurance that Natalee brought her. When she got home that night she made herself a cup of tea and then curled up on her bed to call Jim.

“Hey!” he said and she immediately smiled when she heard his voice.

“How was your day?”

“Oh you know. Same old stuff. Dwight decided to quarantine Meredith for the day since he learned on wikipedia that alcoholism is a disease and that Dunder Mifflin could not stay afloat if they lost another worker to this "illness”.”

“Oh my gosh that’s great.” Pam said laughing.

“Yeah, I convinced him that in order to make a true impression on Meredith he was going to have to go collect pamphlets and information from around town. He was gone the rest of the afternoon.“

“Wow…nice work.”

“Thank you. I miss my pranking partner though.”

“I know. I haven’t been a part of a good prank for so long.”

“We’ll have to fix that when you come back.” Jim paused. “I mean if you come…are you coming back here?”

Pam sat quietly for a few minutes. She had been so caught up in the newness of this relationship that she hadn’t thought about what would happen when the internship ended and she would have a choice to make. She knew though that whatever decisions needed to be made that she wanted to make them with Jim by her side.

“Pam?” Jim asked interrupting her thoughts.

“Oh sorry…I was just….” She trailed off.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to spring anything on you.”

“No, no. Its okay. I mean we really should talk about this sooner or later. The thing is that I don’t know what will happen after the internship. I mean as far as career type things go. But I do know that I hope that it will be a decision that we can make together.”

Jim was silent for a long time and Pam began to fear that she had said something wrong.

Luckily the momentary panic was replaced with reassurance when he said simply, "Then we will."

"Really?" Pam asked, wondering if he could hear the huge grin that stretched across her face.

"Of course Pam. I've always wanted that. I just didn't want to…I don't know…scare you…I guess."

"Jim, in a way this has been like 4 years in the making. I mean this is it for me. This…you and me…this is what I want."

Jim was quiet again for a few seconds. When he finally responded his voice was soft and deep and husky. "Me too Pam. I love you."

"I love you too."

Pam went to bed that night confused by the fact that she could feel so happy and complete and yet still feel like a piece of her was missing, 123 miles away.

Jim woke up early Wednesday morning. He showered, got dressed and drove into work. It was Jake's birthday and he was hoping to be able to leave a bit early to meet his family for dinner in Dunmore.

He was sitting at his desk getting some papers ready for a sales call he had later that morning when Dwight came into the office.

"What are you doing here this early? You're never here this early." Dwight said suspiciously.

"I had things to do Dwight." Jim said not looking up from his desk.

"What did you do?" Dwight said cautiously approaching his desk. He carefully poked a stack of papers as if it would explode if he touched it. He twisted his desk chair and then gingerly sat down rigidly. Jim smirked as he watched Dwight carefully pull out his drawers and flip through the contents. Sometimes it was just easier for Dwight to think that Jim had done something because then he was quiet, busily searching for whatever he thought Jim might have done.

Around 10:00 Jim left for his sales call. He climbed into his car and as he pulled out of the parking lot his cell phone beeped signally a text message.

He nailed the sale and texted Pam as he drove back to the office.

He worked quickly, trying desperately to ignore the skeptical looks from Dwight that made him want to bug him in some way. He also noticed himself glancing over at reception a lot, warranting peculiar looks from Ryan. Even though it had been a few months since had seen the familiar curly hair behind the reception desk he still expected to hear "Dunder Mifflin, this is Pam" when the phone rang and it made him miss her.

At 4:00 he packed up his things and pulled his jacket on.

“JIM! As Michael's right hand man, it is my job to make sure all of his employees stay here under his watch. Where are you going?" Dwight asked.

"I'm leaving." Jim said as he shouldered his messenger bag.

Jim looked pointedly at Dwight's desk before turning and walking out of the office, Dwight yelling after him.

He called Pam as he drove to his house, but only got her voice mail.

"Hey. Just hoping I could catch you in between class. I'm heading out to meet my parents for dinner. I'll call you later tonight. I love you."

He ran inside and quickly threw on a sweater and some jeans before climbing back into his car. He pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant at the same time as his parents, Anne and James.

"Hi honey." His mom said pulling him into a hug.

"Hey!" Jim smiled as he wrapped his arms around his mom.

Anne Halpert had a special relationship with her youngest child. The one that had her eyes and his father's mischievous smile. Jim had always been a precocious child, getting into mischief and then flashing that smile, making his mothers heart melt. She had been worried about Jim for a long time. She had heard a lot about Pam. About her smile, their jokes, the pranks, the feelings Jim had for her. She also heard about how he had given her his heart and she had broken it. Anne was a very kind woman. She knew that Pam hadn't broken her son's heart on purpose, she truly believed that. But seeing her usually carefree and happy son broken made her hurt deep inside. He didn't talk much about what had happened that night or the nights after that. He had called her that weekend and told her that he had accepted a position in Stamford and was moving. She could hear the hurt in his voice, the emptiness, but she went against her motherly instinct and simply said, "Okay."

She had never met Karen. She actually had heard very little about her. Jim had said he was happy, but there was still something missing in his eyes, in his smile. He never said much about what had happened when he moved back to Scranton, at least not to her. She suspected that he probably told Jake more and she was grateful that her sons had that kind of relationship. Then one morning she had been sitting at the kitchen table, drinking coffee and reading the paper when the phone began to ring.

"Hi Mom." She smiled at the sound of Jim's voice on the other end.

"Hi honey. What are you doing up so early on a Saturday?"

"Well…I am actually driving up to New York."

"New York? Why?"

"I am going to see Pam."

There was a long pause before Anne finally said, "You're going where?"

"I am going up to New York to see Pam."

"Does she know your coming?"

"Um…no actually."

Anne paused again, unsure of what to say. She knew that Jim was an adult and perfectly capable of making his own choices, but she couldn't control the motherly instinct that wanted to protect her now grown children from any sort of pain.

He had explained briefly about the wedding and how he and Karen had broken up. He told her about the phone call from Pam's sister, the e-mails and how he knew that if he didn't try one more time he would regret it.

"I can't explain it mom. Something's changed and I just need to…see what it is."

"Jim…" Anne began.

"I know mom." He said softly.

Now, as they stood in the parking lot of the restaurant Anne embraced her son and then searched his face for answers. She had seen him the night after he returned from New York at a family party, but there had been so much going on that she hadn't gotten the chance to talk with him.

"How are you?" She asked pointedly.

Jim flashed his familiar smile. "What are you asking exactly mom?"

"I've only talked to you twice since you went to New York and…I just want to see how you are doing."

"Well, I am doing good. Fantastic actually." Then Anne saw it. The spark in his eyes, the happy demeanor that her son had always possessed, had returned.

"Good." She whispered hugging him again.

She was however still very curious about what had happened to make him change. What had happened between the phone call and now? Jim could tell that his mom's mind was racing, that a million thoughts and questions were on the tip of her tongue. He just smiled at her, as if to reassure her and then led the way into the restaurant. Once inside they sat down at a table. Anne couldn't take her eyes off of him. He was laughing and joking with his dad about something and seemed so much like his old self that she wanted desperately to believe that everything truly was okay. Soon Jake and the third Halpert sibling Larissa joined them. Dinner was great. Everyone was having a great time. Every so often Anne would catch Jake’s eye and they would glance over at Jim, both thinking the same thing.

After the waiter had cleared they plates, Jake, James and Larissa went to play some pool leaving Jim and Anne at the table. Anne couldn't wait any longer.

"Alright…you have to fill me in here.” she said finally.

"What do you mean?" Jim said feigning innocence.

"Jim. I know you haven't forgotten about all that happened last year."

"Of course I haven't forgotten about it." He said focusing on stirring his drink with his straw. It was a times like these that Anne could see Jim as he was when he was a child and teenager. She had always relished in the fact that Jim would come home at night after hanging out with his friends or a date and would sit on her bed and just talk to her about nothing and everything. After he started working for Dunder Mifflin he would call her and tell her about his week, and the weird guy that sat next to him and most of all Pam. She could hear the disappointment in his voice when he told her that Pam was engaged, but he brushed it off as nothing. One thing that Anne knew about her son was that he was a good person. He had a good, kind heart and would never to anything to cause someone he cared about pain. He continued to tell him mom about Pam, but whenever she would suggest that it was anything more he would just sigh and say they were just friends, reiterating the fact that she was engaged.

After he moved to Stamford he was different. He would still call her for their weekly chats, but it wasn't the same. He told her about work, but just the basics. He told her that he was moving back to Scranton when the Stamford branch was closed and she asked him how he felt about it. He had muttered quietly, "Scared" and then changed the subject. He had told her that he had started to date Karen, but was very ambivalent about bringing her to meet his family.

"What happened?" she asked again, gently.

Jim proceeded to tell her about Phyllis's wedding and how he and Pam had started talking again afterwards. Then he told her about going to New York and the day they had spent in Central Park.

"So…you're dating now?"

"Yes. We are. And mom? I've never been happier."

"Honey, I am so glad. You seem happier. It's just…how do you know…" Anne trailed off, unsure of how to ask the next question.

"I cant explain mom. This is everything that I have wanted."

"Well, then if you are happy than I am happy." Anne smiled and Jim stood up to hug her.

Later, when they were in the parking lot saying goodbye Anne said to Jim, "Bring Pam over soon. We need to meet her."

"I will. Definitely." Jim said with a smile, not noticing the look on Jake's face.

Jim waved as his parents pulled out of the parking lot and then turned to look at his brother.

"So…what was that about?" Jake asked.

Jake was quite for a minute and then shook his head.

"What the hell are you doing man?"

"What do you mean?"

"This girl broke your heart. More than once. What makes you think she wont do it again. I thought you were moving past all of that. Even if it wasn't with Karen."

"Its different now Jake."

"How do you know that? I mean how do you honestly know that? You pined after her for years, Jim…YEARS. And what did that get you? Nothing but a handful of memories and a broken heart. Do you have any idea what you were like after that happened? I've never seen you like that before…ever. She told you she couldn't love you then Jim. What makes you think that its going to work this time. You don't need that. You're too good for that. You need someone that appreciates you and loves you the way that you would love them."

"Um…wow. I had no idea you had this much depth." Jim said sarcastically.

"Don't be an ass Jim."

Jim was starting to get angry. "What do you mean don't be an ass? You're standing here telling me that my relationship is going to fail. Out of anyone Jon you should understand the hell that I have been through and now I am happy…I am finally really happy and you are making it sound like she is just going to use me and leave me. She didn't use me before. We were friends…best friends, but she was engaged. And yes I was in love with her and I told her and it didn't work out then, but things have changed. It's all changed. I would think that as my friend…and more importantly as my brother you could be happy for me." Jim turned around and walked to his car.

"Jim…" Jake called after him, but Jim just got into his car and drove away.

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Thursday was a busy day for Pam. She went in early to the museum to get started on things. The art show was in a week and she was nervous about whether or not she would be able to get everything done. The morning passed quickly as Pam marked paintings and labeled sculptures. Natalee and Aaron, the other intern, were working furiously along side her. When the finally took a break for lunch Pam was feeling a little bit better about the progress they had made. She was sitting in the break room with Natalee when her cell phone rang.

"Hey!" she said as she answered the phone.

"Hey…" Jim said quietly.

"What's wrong?" Pam said.

"Oh…nothing."

"Jim…" Pam pressed gently.

Jim hesitated and then said, "No…it'll be okay. Just tell me something Pam."

"What?"

"Tell me that you love me."

Pam smiled, "I love you Jim. I love you so much."

"Good. I love you too."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. Look I better get back. I'll see you tomorrow right?"

"Absolutely. I can't wait."

"Okay. Bye Pam.”

Pam hung up the phone and took a last bite of her sandwich before following Natalee back to the work room. They worked until about 9:30 that night finally finishing the majority of the big projects they had to do. Pam wiped her hand across her forehead and sighed happily.

When they got home Pam went into her room to pack. Finally around 11:00 she collapsed exhausted into bed, excited for the prospect of tomorrow. The next morning she got up early. She spent extra time on her hair and pulled on a nice pair of black pants and cute top. She packed her bags in the car and hurried to the corporate office where the art classes were held. She was able to finish her projects earlier than she expected. She quickly packed up her bag, said a quick goodbye to Natalee and headed out to her car. She made good time, driving into Scranton shortly before 3:00. She took the familiar route to Dunder Mifflin and pulled into the parking lot.

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Jim was sitting at his desk, typing up information on a new client when his cell phone buzzed. He smiled when he saw that it was a text message from Pam.

Jim's heart dropped. He had been looking forward to this all week. Then he got another text.

Jim stood up and slowly walked out of the office. First he had the whole thing with Jake and now this. He walked out of the elevator and pushed open doors. A huge smile broke across his face when he saw her, leaning up against his car.

He walked quickly towards her. "So you lost your license huh?"

"Yeah. I just don't know where it could be.” She said with an innocent look on her face.

Then he was there, in front of her and he gently cupped her face in his hands and kissed her firmly, loving the way that her hands instantly found their way to his hair, gently wrapping her fingers in it.

"So when can you get out of here?” she asked when they finally pulled apart.

"Just give me 5 minutes." He kissed her again and then hurried back inside.

Less than 5 minutes later he was back with his jacket and bag, smiling as he walked towards her.

"What did you tell them?” she asked as he approached.

Pam giggled and then pulled him to her to kiss him again.

"Ready to get out of here?” he asked pulling away and smoothing a curl away from her forehead.

"Definitely.” She kissed him again and then they each climbed into their cars and she followed him out of the parking lot. When they pulled up to his house, he hopped out of his car and ran over to open her door for her. She then opened her trunk and he grabbed her suitcase in one hand and her hand in the other. He unlocked the front door and led her inside.

"It looks the same.” She said looking around while he set her bag down on the floor.

"Yeah I was a little bummed that Mark didn't redecorate while I was gone. In fact I'm not even sure that he ever cleaned either.”

"Jim Halpert…paper salesman and housekeeper?” She said with a smirk.

"Something like that.” He laughed pulling her into his arms. "Man, I missed you."

"I missed you too."

He pulled her down on to the couch and wrapped his arm around her. She leaned back against his chest and laced her fingers through his. She sighed happily as his other found her hair and began to stroke it softly.

"This week has been so crazy.” She said. She proceeded to tell him about the art show and all the work they had done that week.

"Wow Pam. That is great!" he said genuinely. "The show will be amazing."

"You have to say that cause you're my boyfriend…” Pam said in a singsong voice making Jim smile.

"Well obviously…" Jim said pressing a kiss on the top of her head. They sat in silence for awhile, just enjoying the feel of being in each other arms. Pam ran her hand lightly up and down Jim's arm making his heart race.

"So did you really think that I wasn't coming down?" Pam asked.

"Yeah. But then I remembered that I have Phyllis as a backup.” He said seriously.

Pam laughed and smacked him lightly on the arm. 'Keep saying that I might actually start believing it."

"I would never trade you in Pam.” He said kissing her again, then added softly, "I've waited too long for this.”

Pam sat up, turned towards him and then throwing her arms around his neck kissed him firmly.

"What was that for?” He said breathlessly when she pulled away.

She whispered, "Everything…" and then leaned in and kissed him again.

He kissed her firmly, yet slowly as if they had all the time in the world. He smoothed his hand over her hair, letting the silky curls slide through his fingers. He gently pulled away, only to move his mouth from her lips to her cheek to her ear and then to her neck. She sighed softly as felt his lips warm on her neck. She pressed slightly into him, trailing her fingers from his hair and then down his shoulders to skim slightly across his chest.

"I love you…” she said breathlessly as his lips found hers again. All thoughts that Jim had of taking it slow were quickly fading from his mind as he felt her hands move slowly down his chest and tug slightly at his shirt that was still tucked in. He pulled back slowly and his eyes met hers, almost as if to ask her what she wanted him to do next. She responded by standing up and then grabbing his hand pulled him up to stand next to her. He looked down at her and she nodded slightly, amazed at the fact that they could have full conversations without saying a word. He smiled and then pulled her towards his bedroom. He closed the door and then turned to face her. He moved towards her and reached out and touched her face, sliding his other arm around her waist, pulling her to him. He gently kissed her forehead and then leaned down to rest his forehead against hers. She lifted her eyes up to meet his and the look in her eyes took his breath away. It was the way that he had wished she would look at him for years, with love and all of the promise of the future. She tilted her head up kissed him wrapping her arms around his neck. He pulled her close, pressing his body up against hers. After a few minutes she dropped her hands down to his waist and slowly tugged at his shirt. He placed his hand behind her back and without removing his lips from hers walked her backwards until her knees hit the side of his bed. She pulled back slightly and then locking her eyes with his brought her hands back up to undo the buttons on his shirt. He stood there, hands resting lightly on her waist, looking into her eyes while she worked her way down his shirt. She pushed the shirt off of his shoulders, eyes widening a little when she saw his bare chest. It was like nothing she expected. She had always thought of him as a bit lanky and skinny, but she was pleasantly surprised at how muscular he actually was, his skin smooth and firm. She reached her hand up to touch the sprinkling of chest hair, but then pulled it back suddenly, lowering her eyes to the floor and blushing at how forward she was being. He reached up to place his hand under her chin and tilted it up so that she was looking at him. Then he took her hand and placed it back on his chest. She smiled, loving how safe and confident he made her feel. He kissed her again running his hands down her arms to the hem of her shirt, pausing as if to let her take the next step. She lifted her arms up above her head allowing him to grip the bottom of her shirt and pull it up over her head.

"Oh Pam…” he breathed as his eyes took her in. She had never had anyone make her feel so beautiful and wanted before. She was sure that she was blushing furiously, but she didn't let her eyes leave his. He began to kiss her again, pulling her close, pulse quickening at the feel of her skin against his. He moved to lay her gently down on the bed, and then lay down next to her, whispering "I love you…" before finding her mouth with his again. Their kisses were deep, almost frantic, as if they couldn't get enough. They were enjoying this newfound closeness, feeling the heat of each others skin beneath their fingertips.

Pam was initially surprised by how gentle and attentive Jim was with her, not because of any reason other than since her prior experience with sex had always been extremely one sided. But then she realized that he had always been like that. He had always put her feelings ahead of anything else, whether it was something small like getting Michael to change her Dundie award or pushing her to become a better version of herself. He didn't rush her, didn't push, he almost treated her like was delicate and would break if he pushed too fast. His hands were everywhere, gently trailing over her skin, making her gasp lightly. Looking down at her, seeing her curls fanned lightly across his pillow, made his heart beat wildly. He was so in love with her it hurt.

She wanted to show him that she loved him as much as he deserved to be loved. She wanted to make sure that he knew that she wanted to give every part of herself to him. She deepened her kisses, biting gently on his bottom lip. Then she reached down and began working on undoing his belt. She had never felt this in control before. After a few years of being with Roy, sex had become almost like a chore. With him it was get in/get out, never worrying about what she got out of it. It had lost the intimacy factor, which was what she had liked most about sex. He didn’t hold her or look into her eyes. It had become a very lonely experience for Pam. She began looking forward to nights when he would be out late and come back too drunk to function. It was at times like these that she imagined what it would be like to be with Jim, to share that part of herself with him. Sometimes when she was sure Roy was asleep she would go into the bathroom, lock the door and sit curled up in the bathtub, shoulders shaking with silent tears as she envisioned the life she had settled for. Sometimes she would think about how Jim would know something was wrong with her without her having to say anything. But with Roy, she practically had to scream and throw things at him to get his attention. But that was then. Now she had gained a confidence that was all her own and she wanted Jim to benefit from that. She wanted to let him know that she wasn’t a delicate flower that was going to break. She had worked too hard to change that part of herself and she wanted to, had to, prove that to him and to herself. Now, in his bed, with him she could feel the new, confident Pam begin to take over. She moved so that she was slightly on top of him, kissing him long and deep.

She looked deep into his eyes and gently pushed a piece of hair off of his forehead, “I love you Jim.” she whispered breathless against his ear. “I just need to show you…” she trailed off when his lips crushed against hers. When he finally entered her it was slow and gentle, making her pulse quicken. He moved slightly, to try and make them both more comfortable and in the process smacked his head against hers.

Jim winced slightly and said, “I'm sorry. I was doing this a lot better in my head"

Pam laughed softly, but then he moved again and her laugh was cut off, replaced by a soft moan that started deep in her throat.

Pam lay still, head on Jim's chest, one leg curled around his. His arms were wrapped around her, one hand lazily stroking her hair. They had been laying that way for almost an hour, savoring what had just happened between them. It had been one of the most, if not the most intimate moments of Pam’s life. For a brief moment they were one and whatever hurt that might of still lingered between them was gone, erased by a kiss, a moan, a whispered I love you. Pam sighed happily, snuggling closer to him.

"How's your head?” he whispered in her ear.

Before Pam could stop herself she quickly blurted out, "That's what she said." Her hand immediately flew to her mouth, and she dissolved into laughter.

Jim pulled back slightly so that could peer down at her, a look of surprise on his face.

"Wow..." He said laughing. "We'll talk about that later."

"I can't believe I just said that." she laughed.

"Well Fancy New Beesly is just full of surprises.” He said before pulling her back towards him.

She buried her face in the crook of his neck and pressed a few soft kisses up to his jaw line. She was still in a bit of shock over the fact that she had just slept with Jim. It had been like nothing she had ever experienced before. The feel of him, the way he touched her, the way he breathed "I love you" into her ear as he moved above her made her fall even more in love with him. The look in his eyes as he brought her to the edge was one that she knew she would remember forever.

Jim turned his head towards hers, breathing in the flowery vanilla scent of her hair. A thousand different emotions were running through his body all at once. He had just had sex with Pam…Pam, the curly haired receptionist with the clever wit and amazing smile that had owned his heart from that first lunch at Cuiginos. He had thought about this moment wondering what her hair would smell like and what it would be like to hold her and look into her eyes. In those dark hours when he felt like his heart would never heal, he would still hold on to a small shred of hope that maybe one day, she would be lying here in his arms, just like this. He trailed his fingers down her arms and over her back, loving the feel of her soft skin.

Jim leaned down to kiss her, but started laughing instead when a huge rumbling sound came from Pam's stomach.

"Are you trying to tell me something?” he asked.

"Well I think the last time I ate was yesterday.” she said with a laugh, sitting up and pulling the sheet around her. The sun was coming through the blinds and caught her hair, making it glow.

"Wow…” he whispered, causing Pam to turn her head to look at him.

"What?” she asked.

"Nothing. It's just…your beautiful." He said rubbing his hand lightly over her bare back.

"Are you just saying that to get out of buying me dinner?" she asked with a flicker of a smile.

"Crap…you caught me." He said shrugging his shoulders.

"Sorry…you're not getting out of buying me a pizza that easily." She laughed.

"Fine…” Jim grumbled. "Besides…there is somewhere I wanted to take you."

Jim sat up in bed, stretching his legs over the side. Then he stood up and pulled on some jeans and a t-shirt. Pam sat in the bed watching him get dressed, a smile spreading slowly across her face. Everything felt so right and she knew what it was like to be truly happy. When Jim was dressed he turned back around and saw the huge smile on Pam's face.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing…" she said, unable to stop the smile from spreading even farther.

Pam picked up the pillow that was next to her and hurled it at him.

"I'm sure you were.” She said laughing. Then she crawled over to him and wrapped her arms around him, pressing soft kisses against his neck. He smiled at her laughter as he slid his arms around her and pulled her back down onto the bed.

Eventually they got out of the bed, got dressed and made their way to his car, driving towards the pizza place. Jim ran in and grabbed the pizza and some soda, then got back into the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

"Where are we going?” Pam asked reaching for his hand.

"I didn't realize you were so impatient.” Jim said.

"Just tell me!” Pam said exaggeratedly sticking out her bottom lip.

"How old are you?” Jim asked.

A few minutes later the pulled into the parking lot of Nay Aug park. Jim turned off the car and then shifted in his seat to look at Pam.

"I always loved coming here when I was a kid. My mom would bring us swimming or to feed the ducks.” He said. "Then I used to come here a lot…back when…well before…this.”

“Really?” Pam asked quietly.

“Yeah…I just needed to come somewhere…I don’t know...” Jim stopped.

“What…” Pam asked gently.

“Somewhere that wasn’t so complicated…I guess.” Jim continued after a moment. “I was so…confused about everything…with you and I just needed to go somewhere that I wasn’t reminded of you. But then I’d come here and it was so beautiful and I just thought about you more.”

Jim looked at Pam and noticed the sad look that was in her eyes.

“Hey…” he said quickly reaching over and taking her hand. “I didn't want to tell you that you upset you or bring anything up. I wanted to tell you that because I am so happy that now you are here with me and I can replace those memories with new ones.”

Pam smiled, then leaned over and kissed him sweetly on the lips. They climbed out of the car; Jim grabbed the pizza, sodas and handed a blanket to Pam. They walked down the pathway and over a bridge stopping in front of the reflecting pool.

Pam spread the blanket out on the grass and they sat down. Jim handed Pam a piece of pizza and a napkin and then grabbed a slice for himself.

"This is so beautiful.” Pam said taking a bite of her pizza and looking out over the water. “I can't believe that in all the time I've lived in Scranton I've never been here.”

They sat for a long time, eating pizza, talking and laughing.

"So, how much longer is the internship?” Jim asked when they were done eating.

"It goes into the first week of May. Then we have this huge final project due where we have to pick 4 of our favorite artists and recreate a piece of their work using different types of techniques. I've already started working on two of them, but I am stuck on the other two.” Pam said throwing her napkin into the empty pizza box. Jim was lying on his back on the blanket, his legs stretched out in front of him. Pam scooted closer to him and lay down in the crook of his arm, resting her head on his chest. She loved the way that he instantly wrapped his free arm around her pulling her tight.

"Have you given any thought to what you want to do after the internship is over?"

"Not really. I just assumed that I would come back to work."

"What about opportunities with all the art stuff you've been doing?” Jim said running his hand softly up and down her arm.

"I don't know, nothings been mentioned. I guess I'll have to think about it if anything even comes up."

"I'm sure something will come along. I mean obviously you've been doing a great job…and you love it. You owe it to yourself to pursue it."

"So what happens if an opportunity does come up? What happens with us? I don't want to do this long distance thing any longer than absolutely necessary."

"Me either.” Jim said. He appreciated the fact that Pam was being so honest and straightforward.

Pam continued, "The only thing that I know is that I am in love with you and I am not going to lose you again. We'll work this out together right?”

Her words made Jim smile and he pressed a soft kiss against her hair as he said, "Absolutely. Whatever it is, we will definitely figure it out together.”

They lay there in silence for several minutes, watching the sunset over the pool. Pam shivered slightly and Jim lifted his head up to look down at her.

"You're cold." He said. "Are you ready to go?"

"I'd love to stay longer, but this sweater doesn't provide much warmth.” Pam said sitting up. Jim stood up and pulled her to her feet. Jim smiled as he looked down at her. Her cheeks and the tip of her nose were pink from the cold.

"What?” she said laughing slightly when she saw the huge smile on his face.

He reached out slowly and took her hand in his. "Nothing. I just…sometimes I still cant believe this is happening.”

Pam wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed a kiss against his neck. "I cant believe it either.” She paused for a few minutes and then said, "Jim, before we go…there something… I just need to say something.”

"I shouldn’t have been with Roy. And there were a lot of reasons to call off my wedding. But the truth is that I didn’t care about any of those reasons until I met you. That night…when you told me…that you loved me.” Pam could feel her eyes filling up with tears, but she continued. "I wanted to tell you…so badly. I never wanted to let you walk away. I was such a coward. I think deep down I think I always knew that I loved you. I mean how could I not? You've done more for me in the few years you've known me, then anyone else in my life, except for my parents. I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for being my best friend, for supporting me, for making me laugh and for loving me…even when I didn't deserve it.” She sniffed and then smiled slightly.

Jim didn't say anything, just gently took her face in his hands and kissed her, slowly and deeply. Pam just stood there, tears falling slowly down her face, reveling in the warmth of his kiss.

He pulled back and looked at her, hands never leaving her face. He swept his thumbs across her cheeks wiping away the tears.

"Pam…” he said softly, not quite sure what to say. "Thank you. That means…everything to me." He leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose and then sighed happily as she wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

"Where's Mark this weekend?” Pam asked as Jim opened his front door and stepped aside to let her in.

"He went to Hershey to visit his girlfriends parents.” He said dropping his keys on the table. "He'll probably be back tomorrow."

"Do you want anything to drink?" Jim said walking into the kitchen.

"I'd love some water please.” She said walking towards the couch. Along the wall there was a shelf with some framed pictures.

"Is this your family?" she asked picking up one of the frames when Jim came to stand beside her handing her a glass of water.

"Yeah. That's my mom and dad, my sister Larissa and my brother Jake." He said sitting down on the couch.

"You look just like your dad." Pam said smiling at the picture before carefully setting it back down on the shelf.

"Uh oh." Jim said as Pam sat down next to him. "Don't tell me you have a thing for older guys."

"Oh yeah. I'm just using you to get to your dad.” Pam laughed.

"Great. It‘s high school all over again.” Jim said sliding off his shoes and stretching his long legs out in front of him.

"What do you want to do?” Pam asked, shifting so that her legs were curled underneath her.

Jim looked over at her and let out a laugh when he saw her bouncing slightly on the couch like a little kid.

"Um…well I could kick your ass at Super Mario." Jim said.

Jim laughed and then went over to the TV to turn on the game. Pam slid down onto the floor, so she was sitting with her back pressed up against the couch. Jim walked over and handed her a controller and then sat down next to her, his shoulder lightly pressing against hers.

"Ready?” he asked.

"The real question should be are you ready? I actually have mad skills with this game.”

"Mad skills? When did you move to the ghetto?”

Eventually, they both saw that they were yawning, so Jim turned the game off and led Pam upstairs towards his bedroom. Pam grabbed her pajamas and went into the bathroom to wash her face. When she returned to his room Jim was sitting up against his pillows wearing blue plaid pajama pants and a gray t-shirt. She set her things down on top of her suitcase and then crawled into the bed next to him. She loved that sex wasn’t something that he expected from her, even though doing it with him was amazing. She had almost expected him to start kissing her, hinting towards something. Instead Jim lay down under the covers and pulled her too him. He kissed her once, sweet and gentle, said “I love you” and then turned off the light. Pam snuggled up close to him and fell asleep.