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It was another typical friday night. Josh liked to buy the first few rounds at the bar a few blocks from the office, and most everyone turned up for the free drinks. This was only the third time Jim had gone along. Despite his time in Stamford, it still didn't always feel like he fit in with the rest of them. He was sitting at a table with Andy, Karen, Josh, and Rebecca. Rebecca was Josh's wife, and Jim thought she was a lot of fun. She was pretty as well, and it didn't take long for him to see that she brought out the best in Josh. She had longish brown hair and a bright smile. Her sense of humor seemed to complement Josh's, and he tried very hard not to think about how much she reminded him of someone else. Someone who he once thought would have made him a perfect wife.

Andy was acting crazy as usual. They hadn't been there 30 minutes and he was already challenging the table to jello shots. Jim partook in the shots about every other time Andy made the request. Jim was in the mood to drink a bit, but didn't want to go so far that he might end up embarrassing himself. He still wasn't at that level of friendship with any of them. Karen was in a talkative mood, and her natural competitive spirit had her staying one-to-one with Andy. Jim noticed that every time she had a shot, she ended up moving her chair ever so slightly closer to him. It amused him, and intrigued him. He couldn't remember the last time a woman had been so openly flirtatious with him. Well, at least not one who had the ability to back it up if he pushed it that far.

By the time 11pm rolled around, Jim decided that he was officially drunk. Not 'fall off your barstool drunk', but pleasantly 'feeling no pain' drunk. Karen had slammed so many shots with Andy that her chair was pressed right up next to Jim's, and at some point she had put her arm around the back of his chair. If he had any doubts as to her intentions, he didn't now. He wasn't quite sure what he thought was going to happen between them, but at this point he decided he should at least see where it went.

Over the course of the next hour, he noticed she would lean into him when she talked or laughed. Once when Josh was telling a story she had moved her hand from the back of his chair and began slowly rubbing Jim's back. It wasn't unpleasant at all. He couldn't remember the last time a woman had touched him like that, and he was starting to think that maybe he'd enjoy being with someone tonight.

But then she walked in. He didn't know her; he had never seen her before. She was with a few other women, and they sat at a table just across from his. She had taken the seat that put her right into his line of sight. Every time he looked up to take a drink, he saw her. She was of medium height, and medium build. She had brown wavy hair, and she wore the top part pulled back into a gold barrette. Her clothes were of nice quality, but they seemed a bit conservative for the bar. At one point he watched her laugh at her friend's joke, and when her laughter reached his ears it was as if a knife has been twisted into his stomach. The woman wasn't Pam, but she might as well have been. Everything about her reminded him of the woman he'd walked away from in Scranton. The woman who never once tried to reach him, even though he knew she was now free to do so.

Suddenly Jim felt like he needed to drink more. He started challenging Andy to shots, and even though Andy probably should have stopped hours ago, Andy couldn't resist a challenge. As Jim's alcohol consumption increased, his interest in Karen decreased. She was still sitting close, still trying to flirt with him, but he just wasn't paying attention anymore.

By the time they decided to call it a night, it was nearly 2am, and Jim was in absolutely no state to drive. He was barely in any condition to walk. Josh paid for a cab to take Jim home, and told him he'll call him tomorrow to make sure he was okay.

Jim made it into his apartment at around 2.30am. Despite all the liquor he had, Jim was wide awake. Wide awake and painfully aware of what was missing in his life. Without stopping to consider the time, or the propriety of it all, he picked up his phone.

A very sleepy Pam answered the phone. "Hello?"

Jim didn't feel like wasting time with pleasantries. "I miss you. I'm sorry everything turned out like it did."

"Jim?" she whispered.

"I know I should be bothering you - "

Pam interrupted. "I didn't marry him, Jim. There's nothing to bother anymore."

"I heard." He sounded genuinely hurt. "Why didn't you call me? Why didn't I hear about it from you?"

"I...I didn't think you wanted to see me anymore."

"How could you have thought that? Did you think I just stopped loving you after
everything I said? If I could have turned it off that easily, don't you think I would
have done it years ago?"

Pam was quiet for a moment. "I don't know what to say. I'm so sorry."

"So I guess don't you miss me? You don't even miss me a little?"

"Of course I do. I miss you very, very much, Jim."

"They why didn't you call? It's so hard without you here, Pam."

"I was afraid. I thought that you left to get away from me."

"Yeah, I did, after you turned me down. Twice. But why can't I stop loving you?"

"I - I don't want you to stop loving me, Jim."

"Then call me sometime, okay?" He didn't give her a chance to respond to that. "I'm going to bed, I'm not feeling too well."

Pam was concerned. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know if I'll ever be okay," he said despairingly. Then he hung up.

Jim heard the insistant ringing of the doorbell, and rolled over in bed, moaning loudly. The pressure in his head was incredible, and he couldn't bear to open his eyes.

God, please just let them go away. He peeked at his wristwatch, still on along with his clothes from the night before. Jesus, it's not even 7am. Who the fuck could that be?

The doorbell rang again and Jim groaned. Fuck. I bet it's Andy. He's the only idiot he could think of that would drink all night and then show up on his door step the next morning. He was pretty sure that Andy had spent years building up his resistance to hangovers. Jim sat up slowly, and was thankful when he realised that he wasn't going to vomit. He felt a little queasy, but his headache was clearly the worst of it.

The door bell rang another time. "Alright!" Jim cried. "I'll be there!" He tenderly held his head as he walked to the front door. He was about to berate Andy for bothering him when he opened the door and looked into Pam's eyes.

"Hi," she said nervously.

Jim was convinced he was still drunk. He had to be. "Uh, Pam... what are you doing here?"

Pam smiled slightly. "I thought you might need some help this morning. You sounded pretty drunk last night."

He looked confused in addition to being in pain. "H-how would you know?"

"You called me last night. Don't you remember?" She started to look like maybe she'd done the wrong thing. "Can I come in?"

"Oh, sure, sorry. I think you're correct that I could use some help," he said, leaning
against the wall.

Once in the door, Pam took a good look at him. "Oh my god, you look like hell."

"Nice to see you, too."

"Come on, let's get you back to bed." She put his arm around her shoulders, then
stopped in her tracks. "Of course, I have no idea where to take you."

"Please, don't make me laugh," he said weakly, "it hurts to breathe right now."

He slowly lead her back down the hall to his bedroom. Once there she helped him take off his shirt and trousers, watch and socks from the night before, and tucked him under the covers. She found the bathroom and came back with a glass of water and some pain medication. He gratefully took the pills and laid back down. She went out again, coming back with more water and a damp wash cloth. She made him drink more water, and then sat next to him on the bed, putting the cool cloth on his forehead.

"Does that feel okay?" she asked.

Eyes closed, Jim just murmured, "Yeah, that feels wonderful." He reached up and covered his hand with hers for a moment. "Thank you." Within moments he had fallen back to sleep.

His bedroom seemed brighter when he opened his eyes for the second time that morning. He noticed his head didn't hurt quite as much as before. He laid there in a slight haze, trying to remember what had woken him up before. Suddenly he sat up.
"Pam?" He called out softly. Had she really shown up this morning? He looked around his room, but there was no evidence of her. He stood up, and then noticed he no longer had anything but his boxers on.

"Pam?" he called louder, walking out of his bedroom door.

"I'm in the kitchen," he heard her say. Ignoring his state of undress, he wandered into the living area, still not willing to believe it was her.

But it was. She was standing in his kitchen - in Stanford! - stirring the contents of her mug with a spoon. He couldn't stop staring at her.

"Are you feeling a little better?" she asked, her concern clearly written on her face.
"Is there something I can get for you?" She couldn't help but grin. "Clothes, perhaps?"

He blushed slightly, but still stood there staring at her. "What are you doing here?"
he asked.

She suddenly looked very interested in stirring her tea. "You really don't remember, do you?" she said half-heartedly, not daring to look up.

"Remember what?" He walked to the kitchen table and sat down, running his hands through hair.

She didn't move from her spot near the counter. "You called me last night. Well, early this morning, actually."

Jim tried to concentrate, tried to bring back last night's course of events. He remembered the bar, and Andy's challenges, and Karen flirting. Then that girl came in, and...

"Oh my god." he suddendly said. "Wow."

"You remember, then." Pam still felt nervous, but he just looked so damn vulnerable. And unbearably attractive. She grabbed her mug and sat across from him at the small round table.

He looked at his hands for a long moment, the memory of what he had said returning as clearly as if he had spent all last night drinking water.

"Yeah, I remember now." He looked up at her. "But that doesn't explain why you're here now." He felt his whole body trembling, waiting for her answer.

Pam took a deep breath, that sounded shakey even to her. "Because I love you so much and I've been an idiot and a coward about it," she replied, refusing to take her eyes of his. "I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to get here."

Jim nodded, and licked his lips. He wasn't sure what to say. He found it easier to believe he was still in bed, dreaming.

He glanced back up at Pam, and saw silent tears running down her cheeks. "Hey," he said, leaving over the table and taking one of her hands. "What's the matter?"

"I've waited too long, haven't I?"

For the first time all morning, Jim smiled. He stood up, pulling on her hand as an invitation to stand as well. When she did so, he immediately wrapped his arms around her, drawing her close. He leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss on her lips.

"I think I would have waited forever for you." He said sincerely. He closed his eyes for a moment. "Could I ask a favor of you?"

She looked up at him, tears still glistening in her eyes. "Of course."

"Can we go back to my room and lie down? My head is just killing me."

Pam laughed, immediately easing the tension in the room. "Come on, Halpert," she said tenderly, "Let's go take care of you."