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Story Notes:
I'm sure we've all wondered what would happen...
Author's Chapter Notes:
None of these characters are mine, unfortunately. No harm intended.
Despite hours of convincing himself that it was the absolute wrong, wrong, wrong thing to do, Jim decides to show up at her wedding anyway.

He doesn’t know if he is going only to show her what she’s missing, what she’s giving up on. Or if it’s because he wants to see if she is actually going to go through with it. Or if it’s because he wouldn’t be able to bear the pain of not going because when everything else is ignored, she is still his best friend and it does not matter if he will suffer throughout each exchange of words because the bottom line is that he needs to be there for her.

He realizes, however, after slicing a piece of his skin while shaving beforehand, that the ruby red droplet that slips down his cheek reminds him of the deep craze that constantly hovered between them and that he would be betraying himself if he did not ignore it.

He must go to her wedding. It is no longer a matter of “can but can’t,” “would but won’t,” or “should but shorn’t.” He must go.

He looks at himself in the mirror before he leaves, just to make sure his suit is in place. The very idea that he is going to her wedding – the wedding he was convinced he would never see – gives him goosebumps, but not the kind he gets when he’s cold or after he’s seen a poignant movie. No, they are the kind that burn, for they are silent reminders that everything about this day is wrong. After a few moments, he dares himself to look himself in the eyes and he knows that this is the last time he can feel like this.

When he gets to the church, he sees a slew of family members, mostly Pam’s (he can tell this because her mother is surrounded by what seems like hundreds of bright-eyed women, all complimenting the beautiful church and how excited they are to see their darling little Pam). I’ve made it this far, he reminds himself. There would be no point in turning back. You just can’t do that to her or yourself.

“Jim?” the familiar voice stops him in his tracks. Really? Is this necessary? He wonders.

“Hey Dwight,” he responds, turning around.

“What brings you back to the states? Did your aunt kick the bucket earlier than expected?” Dwight smirks. Jim sighs but decides to play along; maybe he can have some fun.

“Actually, I got a call on the plane that she died. God bless her soul!” Jim looks toward the sky and pretends to mutter a prayer.

“Phone usage is prohibited on airplanes,” states Dwight.

“Well, they told me I was the MVP – Most Valuable Passenger – and that I could use my cell phone whenever I wanted.”

“Okay, sure Jim. Tell me this then: how did you book a flight so quickly back here? It usually takes several hours to buy tickets for a return flight.”

“I used the parachute to exit. A boat retrieved me in the Pacific and brought me back to the tri-state area.”

“A parachute? There are no parachutes allowed on large aircraft!”

“Jimbo!” Michael charges over to Jim and Dwight.

“I was just questioning Jim about his suspicious flight to Australia. Michael, I think you are going to have to report to HR that Jim here didn’t actually go–” Dwight begins, but is interrupted by Michael.

God, you look so good!” Michael wraps his arms around Jim in a large embrace.

“Michael, I saw you two days ago.”

“Still, it is so good to see you!”

Dwight does not look pleased.

“Does Pamela have any hot sisters or cousins or friends or any type of lady whom may be interested in mwah?” Michael asks.

“Not that I know of.”

“I’ll keep my fingers crossed! After a couple glasses of wine at the reception, I’m sure any little lady will want me.”

“You said that at the Dundie Awards ceremony at Chili’s but none of the waitresses were interested,” says Dwight.

“Dwight! Just, go away! Go talk to another beet farmer or Toby or some other loser!” Michael orders, turning his attention back to Jim. Dwight stalks off.

“I’m going to go inside,” says Jim dryly.

The cliché wedding music is bouncing around his head when he enters the church and he considers going back. It wouldn’t matter, he tells himself, because he wouldn’t ever see her again. He’d make sure to move far away, just get the hell away from this place, from any memories he has of her, from anything that reminds him of his former self and what he wanted the most.

The best part about all of this is how she wasn’t expecting him to be there. He was supposed to be on a vacation – one that he planned purposely, no matter how much it hurt her. His greatest hope about this whole thing is how, when she sees him, she will understand what it took for him to bring himself to the occasion and how, for a moment, she will feel a twinge of regret.
Chapter End Notes:
More coming!!

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