He shouldn’t have put it off all day, especially when he knew the forecast.  Scattered thunderstorms.  Heavy rain.  Why had he insisted on putting it off all day?

In order to close the deal with Taylor Community Libraries, he needed those files.  The files that lay locked safely in his car.  What a stupid place to leave them, forget them.  He should have gone to get them earlier this morning, when he remembered that they were still in his tiny Corolla, but Pam just so happened to come up with the greatest plot against Dwight of the week.

And now?  It was raining heavily down on Scranton, Pennsylvania, and it was impossible to go down to his car without getting completely soaked.  Jim sighed and looked around the office, watching Dwight struggle with his desk chair.

With one sideways glance at Pam (who was laughing uncontrollably into her keyboard) Jim focused on Dwight.  “What’s wrong with you chair?”

Dwight scowled.  “It won’t stay… put.”  His chair rolled to the left, then right, then backwards.  He tried to stand up, then slipped.  “What did you do?”

Jim tried to look unamused.  “What?”

“What did you do to my chair mat?” Dwight said, gesturing to the clear chair mat beneath his feet.  “It’s slippery.  And I know it was you.”

“Maybe the janitors put a new one in, Dwight.  You never know.”

Dwight only blinked.  “I’m going to Michael.”

“Fine.  But you can’t prove it was me.”

“Sure I can.  I’m a sheriff’s deputy-”

“A volunteer,” Jim interjected.  Dwight continued, as though he had never been interrupted.

“And I can go to my superiors… like Michael.  Or Sheriff Lawrence.”

“Sure, Dwight,” Jim replied.  Dwight stood again, and took a long step across his chair mat.  He practically skipped to Michael’s office.

“You lose Jim.  I always win.”

And with that, Dwight disappeared behind a closed door, leaving Jim and Pam to giggle for a moment before getting back to work.

XXX

Michael appeared at his door a moment later, Dwight by his side, both looking at Jim.  “Jim can I, um, can I see you in my office?”

Jim nodded.  “Sure.  Just a second.”

Pam watched, amused, as Dwight made his way back to his desk (slipping on his chair mat in the process) and then sent a look at Jim.  He shrugged, stood up, and followed Michael into his office.

Michael sat down at his desk, and Jim sat across, in the tiny uncomfortable chairs.  Slowly Michael moved his hands into a praying position, and then licked his lips.  “How’d you do it?”

“Pardon?”

“How’d you do it?  How’d you make Dwight’s chair mat so slippery?”

“Oh… I just waited for him to go to the bathroom, and then spread Crisco across his mat.  Nothing too special.”

“That’s… That’s brilliant.” Michael replied, laughing.  Jim shrugged.

“Actually, it was Pam’s idea.  She said-”

“Oh, so the chica was in on this too?  She was the brains of this operation?”

“Yeah.”

Michael laughed, then was silent, looking at Jim.  He appeared to be coming up with a plan of his own, but Jim wasn’t paying attention.

Instead, he was watching the rain as it pounded against the glass behind the blinds.  He wondered if Pam had an umbrella…  Probably.  If not, there were newspapers downstairs in the lobby.  Right?

He really needed those files.  He needed to get to his car.  Now.

“I’m gonna go back to work,” Jim said, rising from the chair.  Michael frowned, nodding.

“Good idea; sell some paper, bring in money, prevent downsizing, save my job.  Super Halpert!”

“Right,” Jim said, turning and going out the door.  Dwight sat up straighter as he came out, and Pam smiled at him.

“Are you fired?”

“Nope.”

Pam chuckled a little, and Jim took a detour towards her.  He leaned against her desk, and heard Michael yell out a loud “It’s a bird!  It’s a plane!  It’s Super Halpert!”  The two laughed.

“Super Halpert?”

“Just saving Dunder Mifflinites from downsizing.”

“That’s neat,” she replied, looking perplexed.  He shrugged.

“I guess,” he took a yellow jellybean, then continued, “But, um, do you have an umbrella?  I left some files in my car and I need to get them before the end of the day.”

She nodded, reached down, and held up a blue umbrella.  “Can’t you use your super powers to stop the rain?”

“I could but then things would get a little out of hand.  People would start asking for too much; you know, world peace, an end to poverty, that kind of thing.”

Pam raised her eyebrows.  “And you can’t help them because…?”

“What can I say?  I’m a busy guy.  Besides, I really need to get those files from my car, so…”

She giggled, standing up.  “Alright, come on.”

“What?”

“I’m coming with you.  What, did you think I’d stay here?”  She grabbed her coat, and walked until she was next to him.  “Are you coming or not?”

“Yeah, I just…  Never mind.  Let’s go,” he replied, smiling at her as she led the way out the door, with Dwight watching their backs as they left.

XXX

 “Ready?” she asked.

“Yeah.  Of course.”

She took a moment to open the umbrella, and waited patiently as he opened the door.  He didn’t seem to mind that he was standing in the rain and he noticed that, as she passed and went outside, she turned slightly red at his good manners.

As soon as he caught up to her and ducked under the umbrella, there was a muffled pounding of rain against the fabric.  His hair and jacket were a little wet, but he didn’t notice; he was standing closer to Pam than he ever had.  She smiled at him, but there was an odd silence as they made their way to his car.

They glided across the asphalt sidestepping puddles and jumping over potholes; it looked as though they were doing some sort of complicated ballet.

Jim reached into his pocket, and jingled his keys as they neared the car.  The sound seemed like a perfect symphony; the clang of metal paired with the light pounding of the rain.

They had arrived at his tiny Corolla, and Pam grinned at him.  “Alright Halpert, hurry it up.  It’s cold.”

He did as he was told, fumbling his keys and then placing them clumsily into his car door.  She waited behind him as he opened it, and climbed into the drivers seat. 

Jim squinted at each seat, the floor and the dashboard.  Not a scrap of paper was anywhere and, although the file was nowhere in sight, he was glad at the state of his car; he wouldn’t want Pam to see a messy car.

He popped the trunk and hopped out of the car, ducking under the dark blue fabric of the umbrella.  “Gotta check the trunk.”

She nodded and followed, the umbrella extended over her head, him to the back of the car.  He opened the trunk wider, and heard Pam giggle quietly.  Puzzled, he looked furtively at her, then back into his trunk.  Now it looked like a guy’s car; gym shoes laid in a pile with dirty clothes, and a pack of Gatorade sat in the corner. 

“And I thought you had a clean car…” she muttered.  He only shrugged, shuffling a few of his other items around.  There was not a single file.  “Are you sure it’s in here?”

“Umm…” he started.  Then he remembered.  He had put the files in his bag last night after surveying them and he brought his bag into work this morning.  How could he be so foolish?  “I think I already brought them in.”

Pam snorted. He felt his face turn crimson, and he couldn’t will himself to look at her.  “Sorry,” he said slowly.  She patted his shoulder, which sent a swooping sensation throughout his stomach.

“It’s fine.”

With that, he slammed his trunk closed, a few tiny water droplets splashing his face; he didn’t care.  His face was hot with embarrassment and it felt nice to cool off. 

Jim began towards the building, but she, however, stayed still, watching as he began to walk out in the rain before stopping and turning to face her.

“You coming?”

She slowly turned her head towards his voice, looking dazed.  “Can we not go back yet?”

“Why?”

“I just… I don’t want to go back up.  Yet.”

He lifted his eyebrows, but took a step towards her, smiling.  “Okay.”

She let him duck under the umbrella before speaking again.  “Can we egg Dwight’s car?”

A frown appeared on his face.  “I’m sorry, but I only use my super powers for the good of mankind.”

“What if Dwight’s an alien?”

He let out a tiny snicker, bringing his hands in front of him.  “As much fun as that sounds… I’m done bothering Dwight today.”

“What can we do then?”

“Hmm…” he said aloud, glancing at the asphalt.  A second later, he kicked a puddle, splashing her perfectly white shoes.

“My Keds!” she shouted, moving the umbrella away from above his head, as if beckoning the rain to fall on him.

“I guess you’re loosing a Dundie,” he whispered simply.  She glared at him, then brought the umbrella in front of her, twirling it like a sword.

“You’re so getting it Halpert.”

“Is that a threat?” he asked, blinking as the rain fell in his eyes.  Pam laughed; the way he looked was unbelievably funny at that moment. 

“I believe so.”

In one fluid motion, she gently stabbed him with the umbrella.  Jim spun and grabbed her by the waist lifting her up- as he had done a few months ago at Dwight’s karate school.  She giggled and screamed into the sky, and he put her down before she could get angry with him again. 

And there they stood, facing each other; both extremely wet and utterly in love- of course, neither knew that the feeling running through their bodies was the good old ‘l’ word, and they forced it away before it could possibly cause them to do anything.

Pam smiled and looked up at the perfectly gray sky, opening her mouth and tasting the rain.  Jim watched her, sighing absently. 

She willed herself to gaze at him again, and she spoke.  “The rain tastes good.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.  Try it.”

He could tell she was plotting something by the mischievous smirk across her face, but he followed her orders.  The rain fell into his eyes and hair and mouth, and he let it go down his throat.  Just as he closed his eyes, feeling the peace in the world, feeling every last ounce of something- or nothing- for her, she splashed his shoes.  He pretended to be surprised and hurt.

“Hey!”

“Oops.  Sorry.  My foot must’ve-”

“Those are my only good work shoes!”

“I guess you’ll need to buy a new pair, eh?”

 He fixed his eyes on her, and inhaled slowly.  There was something about her right now, something that made him feel warm and elated even in the cold hard rain.  It seemed as though they were miles away from Scranton, as if they were in the future, a future he wanted to spend with only her.  And that was when he knew it; he loved her.  God, he loved her. 

In a way, the revelation wasn’t surprising to him; somewhere, he’d always known.  But now, he admitted, and he wanted to tell her and-

“Jim?” she whispered, waking him from his trance.  He blinked, seeing her again, seeing the reality; where they were, who they were, what they were.  But his heart still ached a little from what he’d just realized.

“Yeah?”

She seemed apprehensive, as if she had just read his mind, his eyes, his heart.  It all felt the same to him.  “Let’s go back.”

“Yeah.  Okay,” he replied, regaining his composure a little bit. 

In silence, they trudged towards the door; he held it for her again, and she smiled at him, her hair stuck to her forehead.  He realized just then how wet he was, but he felt completely at ease and warm. 

Together, they entered the elevator, and pressed the lighted ‘2’ button.  Pam looked at him and he looked back, but nothing was said.  In a way, he wanted to tell her what he had just learned, why he was so warm and content with the world.  But, she looked away before he could say a word, and he was somewhat happy about that. 

He wanted to stay trapped in this elevator, wet and cold, yet warm, for another moment, but the doors opened revealing a perfect panorama of offices and fake trees.  He gestured for Pam to go before him, and she did, her head down, hiding a blush that had formed on her cheeks.

And that made him happier than ever.

XXX

Jim stared into the reflection of himself in the lens of the camera; he was still damp, but a subtle smile played on his lips.  “Yeah… a pretty nice day.”

He glanced to the other wall, biting his lip, and for a moment, he swore, he could still taste the rain.