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Story Notes:
Spoilers for Goodbye Toby if you've not seen it.
Author's Chapter Notes:

Just a little idea I had after the finale...I hope I'm not doing something that someone else did.

I don't own any of these characters, the show, or anything do with the show besides the S1-3 DVDs.  All characters are property of their respective owners and no copyright infringement is intended.

The ride home was like a trip to a funeral. The rain held off until after the carnival but like an omen, came cascading down soon after Phyllis and Bob had loaded the last of the tables into the van and Michael had reluctantly ceded the Ferris wheel to the carnival crew. The air in the car stood still, threatening to suffocate them in their silence and neither was sure what would be fitting or proper to say. Pam peered out the window, occasionally offering a half-hearted comment about a cute lawn ornament or a rain-soaked pedestrian caught without their umbrella. Jim drove, tuning the radio to the Phillies game as was customary this time of the evening.

Pulling into Pam's parking space, Jim flicked the ignition off and turned to Pam. "You ok?" he asked, noting the tired look in her eyes and hoping it was merely the long day at work.

"Yeah, I'm fine" she returned, donning a weak smile as she stepped onto the sidewalk. Jim grabbed his bag from the back seat and scrambled up the steps behind her, playfully kissing the back of her head as she opened the apartment door.

"What are you so excited about?" Pam said, emotion drained from her voice as she peeled off her shoes and started around the corner to the kitchen.

"Oh, nothing. Maybe because it's Friday and I'm about to spend the weekend with the most wonderful woman in the world." He tried to sound normal, but he was still feeling a little giddy.

"Oh?" she called back from the kitchen. "What makes you think you're gonna be so lucky?"

Something about her tone was getting to him. He followed her voice into the small kitchen, reaching into the refrigerator for a beer as his eyes returned to her face. "Pam," he pleaded.

"What?" Her voice was calm and even.

"C'mon. What's wrong?" He leaned forward against the counter, watching as she finished marking the calendar with Phyllis' upcoming barbeque.

"Well, it's just...never mind, it's stupid." She turned her head back to the counter, counting squares in the pattern or analyzing the color scheme for all he knew. She looked so small, so defeated. When she dared look back up, his gaze was fixed on hers...begging for an answer. He was good. Good enough to elicit a tiny smile before she continued. "Well, I just kinda thought something might happen tonight." She raised an eyebrow in a facial shrug.

"Oh, is that it?" he replied, turning very serious as he reached into his pocket and produced a small black box, placing it on the tabletop.

Pam looked baffled. "What's this?" Slowly her frown was fading, replaced by a hopeful smile.

"Pam, you mean more to me than anything in the world, and I wanted it to be better than this, but here goes. Will you...Pam Beesly...PLEASE allow me to put this ring back on your finger and end this silly game we're playing." He broke into a laugh, opening the box and slipping the sparkling ring onto her hand.

"Wait, you didn't even wait for me to say yes again," she laughed. "I might have changed my mind."

"Right, whatever" he said as he stepped back, admiring the way her eyes still sparkled, three days after he'd originally proposed. He thought back...he had promised the world and the diamond shimmered under the night sky as they stood on his back porch. It was simple...everything and nothing, and perfect in its imperfection as he nearly slipped on the dewy planks.

She seemed to know what he was thinking...she always did. She looked down at her hand, saying "You know, you could put that ring on my finger every day for 5 years and it'd never get old."

"I can tell" he grinned, then paused for a moment. "I still can't believe you came up with the idea to prank the cameras," he laughed. "Or that we pulled it off. I thought I was gonna break into laughter before Andy finally interrupted."

"Yeah, well that'd be just like you, Halpert. Making a mess out of a critical moment" she shot back with a smirk.

Feigning shock, he glanced down at her hand and then back into her eyes. This was what it should be like. "Well, I hope you're happy, Beesly. Half of America is going to be royally pissed when they see the tape."

With a gentle shove, she slipped into his arms, tilting her head up to meet his mouth. Pulling her lips from his and into a breathy smile, she murmured "Yeah, but it's going to make great TV."

Chapter End Notes:
Thanks for reading!  A big thanks to kerber1920 and sedimentary for the look-through before I posted, and to Dundermuffin over at http://www.jamtherapy.com for, along with Kerber and sed, talking me into writing again.


A Little Stitious is the author of 3 other stories.
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