Jim was just about to shoot a 3-pointer out in the backyard of David Wallace's house. Although he knew the CFO was going to lose, he couldn't help but think the guy was putting up a pretty good fight for someone who ran a paper corporation for a living. He dribbled the ball slowly and deliberately as bait, "Are you ready sir?" he asked, it was a bit of a risk teasing the head of the entire company, but he seemed to take it ok. Jim had the air of one of those people who could say anything and it was laughed off.

"Ready to see your ass get kicked, you mean?" he said, watching Jim's hand intently. "Yeah I reckon I am!" he lunged for the ball and Jim jumped at exactly the same time, sending the ball flying towards the hoop. There was crash of metal and the ball went through.

"Ooooh!" Jim crowed, running after the ball. "Almost got me sir! But what's that? 9 points now?"

"Yeah, yeah, that was a fluke," David Wallace was saying. Jim was going to reply when his phone rang.

"Sorry man, won't be long." He called to the CFO, passing him the basketball.

"Hurry back Halpert!" Jim chuckled and left the court. David Wallace's backyard was huge and most of the guests were inside. He walked over to an empty space in the yard by a fence where there was a little bit of light and answered the phone. "Jim Halpert."

"Hey." Pam said quietly on the other end. Jim immediately stopped walking.

"Hey." He said almost as quietly. Suprised was an understatement. What was she doing? He thought they had had an unspoken agreement that things weren't going to be the same anymore. He heard her sniff and realized she must have been crying. "You okay?" He asked without thinking. He immediately wanted to kick himself. Unspoken agreement Halpert.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just..." Pam paused on the other end trying to think what to say. "Roy and I broke up again... and I guess it's for real this time."

"Oh." What was she doing telling him? She must have thought he'd care. As much as he hated to admit it she was right. Jim felt like his insides were doing somersaults. Casual Halpert, casual. "Are you okay?" he asked again, trying not to sound too interested, like he was just being polite. You're going out with Karen remember?

"Umm... yeah I'm alright. I'm just a little shaken up I guess."

Jim knew she wasn't alright, but what is he supposed to do about it? "Okay well... if that's all... I gotta get back to the party; I'm shooting hoops with the CFO." He smiled, thinking this should cheer her up. No reply. "Pam?... Come on Beesly I know your jealous but-"

"Screw you, Jim." He heard her say and then the line went dead. He couldn't help but notice how high her voice was. She was crying.

Jim's eyes widened in shock, Pam had never talked to him like that before, and after the way they'd been acting around each other he would have never guessed Pam would call him, let alone get angry like that. And she was obviously crying...

"Halpert!" David Wallace called out from the court. "You finished or what?"

"Oh sorry - I just have to deal with this. Sort of an emergency." He added in explanation. When the CFO said it was okay, he turned back to his phone. Still completely bewildered and confused Jim decided to go out the front of the house where no one unwanted could eavesdrop. He headed through the crowded house, made sure Karen didn't spot him and headed out for the front garden to a spot under a tree where no one could see him. When he was sure he was invisible he pressed redial.

Hey, this is Pam. Not here right now, leave a message blah, blah, blah. You know the deal. Talk to you soon, bye.

"Pam pick up. Pam! What was that? Come on pick up!" After about a minute of trying he hung up thinking he wouldn't be able to get through to her. Maybe he should just go back inside? No. He needed to get to the bottom of this. He rang again and got the answering machine. "Pam. Pick up. Pick up, pick up, pick up. Pick up, pick up. Come on Pam I'm sorry. I know that was insensitive. So pick up. Come on Pam please." But she wouldn't answer.

After another message very similar to this one, Jim was about to give up until on the fourth call, Pam seemed to have finally given in and picked up, "What?!" she almost shouted.

"Finally!" he said, and he almost threw his arms up in relief.

"Shut up you're not the one who's angry here!" she cried.

"No, no, I'm not angry Pam I swear." In her apartment in her pyjamas with a glass of wine in one hand, the phone in the other and her lap covered in tissues, Pam realised she had no idea why she cared what Jim thought in the first place.

"I don't care anyway Jim. You know I thought I'd ring you to tell you why Roy and I broke up because I was pretty sure it was a reason you'd want to know. But obviously you're too busy sucking up to the head of a freaking paper company to care."

Ouch. That one really did sting. She wasn't done either. "And I'm sitting here, buried in tissues and thinking this was the guy I ended my marriage for?" Jim felt like the chimney Dwight was climbing on had just fallen on him. "No way. No way Jim! That guy left for Stanford and never came back." Her voice had suddenly broken and she pulled yet another tissue from the box wishing she could do something useful with them... like make him eat them or something. He was killing trees!

"Pam I came back..." he tried to say weakly. Pam blew her nose noisily on the other end. He really needed to sit down. Bench! Out in the huge front garden there was a park bench by a water fountain and it was deserted. He headed across the damp, springy grass. One foot in front of the other Halpert. You made it! Sit. You deserve it man.

"No you didn't! I know how much I hurt you Jim. I know!" her voice had lost its strength again and she hoped Jim knew it. She croaked on. "You know why? Because you're doing exactly the same thing to me I did to you now except it's different. You're worse! Even if I do have deeper feelings for you, that's not the point! You've moved on, you're with Karen and believe me, that's fine! I know I've lost my shot with you and you know what? As much as it sucks, I'm ok with it." At this point Jim felt like fainting... deeper feelings? Lost her shot? You're dreaming aren't you Halpert?

And she wasn't ready to let the slaps of revelations end yet. "But where's my friend? My best friend who cared when I had a fight with Roy even if he didn't approve of him because he was hurting me and you cared about me. I call you up to tell you that Roy and I broke up because I told him I kissed you and he completely freaked and trashed the bar and yelled his head off and what do you say? You say you're too busy playing basketball! If Roy turns up and tries to kill you don't come crying to me, I'll probably leave him to it!" Suddenly it was too much to handle and she hung up again.

Jim couldn't believe it. Any of it. They broke up because she told Roy they kissed? Hadn't she already told him? You already told Karen. Oh my God did Karen say something? Halpert you ass. You ass! He really did wish that chimney had fallen on him. He couldn't leave things like this. She was right! Right about everything! He had a reason for becoming a stranger to her, but that was before he knew all this. Deeper feelings? Oh God what would it be like on Monday? You have to ring back. He dialed her number and pressed enter. It rang a long time before she answered.

"Are you okay?" he asked immediately, not letting her speak.

"I'm a little better now." she said quietly and she was. She'd said everything she'd kept bottled up inside for 6 months. He finally knew. You did it Beesly.

It seemed she had calmed down. That second hang up must have done her good. Time to cut to the point, Halpert. "Pam, you're right. You're right about everything," she thought she lost her shot with him? When did she have a shot? "Well, almost everything. Listen I'm a..." he couldn't think of a strong enough word so Pam helped him out.

"Tree killer?"

The answer was so unexpected he laughed. "What?"

She couldn't help but smile to think she was making him laugh again. "I've gone through so many tissues I've got to have killed a small forest in Mexico by now."

"And that's my fault?"

"Well yeah since you're the one who made me have to use them." That sobered him up.

"I'm a total tree killer. And the fact that I sell paper probably doesn't help." Pam giggled. Then sniffed. You ass! How long has she been like this? And it was all because of him. "Hey do you want me to come over?"

"No, no," she said immediately. Come over and find her in her Tigger pyjamas with a blanket of used tissues and a red blotchy face? I don't think so buddy. "No I'll be ok. Plus I'm not sure I forgive you yet."

Jeez Pam, rub it in, I don't mind. "I know all those poor baby koalas..." he said, trying to make himself feel better more than her.

"Koalas don't live in Mexico dummy!" she was still crying but she was trying desperately to cover it up. You did the best you could Pam. The balls back in his court. Thinking that made her feel better already.

"Oh no you're right. They're from Africa right? They burrow in the ground?"

"Oh my God Halpert why did you even want to go to Australia?" it slipped out before she could stop it. Crap. "Sorry, I..." she said immediately.

"No, no don't apologise. That's my job remember?"

She smiled. "Yeah that's right." Jim could hear it on the other end. How did Jim ever live like this? Being in love with your best friend is not what it's cracked up to be.

He took a deep deliberate breath. "Ok, ready?"

"Ready." she said, breathless.

"I'm sorry I'm an ass... and a tree killer." Pam giggled. "You're right, even if things don't work out between us," he had a strong urge to add 'and there's no way I'll let that happen now', but he didn't. "We should always be friends. And I'm such an idiot to let things get as bad as this. You deserve better." Pam closed her eyes while he was speaking, letting the words wash over her. Why were they doing this all over the phone again?

They were both silent for a moment; Jim, waiting for her to speak, and Pam not knowing what to say for the first time in an hour. "Better?" Jim asked finally.

"Way better."Pam confirmed.

"So do you want to tell me what happened with Roy now?"

"Do you want to hear it?" Fancy New Beesly...

"Absolutely I do."