“Uuuuuughh!”

Pam’s head leaned forward and crashed into her keyboard with a dull thud. Despite the weekend she’d shared with Jim, Monday had reared its ugly head and was doing its best to suck any form of fun, life, or joy out of the offices of Dunder-Mifflin Scranton. It was one of those sneaky Monday’s. The kind that started hinting and whispering that it wouldn’t be as bad as others that had come before. The sales staff had landed a few new contracts early in the day. The accountants started their day with their books balanced. The copier’s collate function actually worked for once. Michael was running late. It was the calm before the storm.

The proverbial shoe dropped and dropped hard. Angela discovered an error in the expense accounts and started loudly hounding Oscar and Kevin to find the discrepancy. The phones started ringing off the hook with customers trying to renew orders before the end of the year. Precisely at eleven, Michael burst in with Todd Packer. Due to Todd’s interference, no sales calls were happening anymore since Michael and Todd had declared a Manager vs. Bullpen panty-raid. They dashed around hanging up the phone any time the sales staff tried to make it through their call sheets.

It was then that the copier then decided it was a great time to flash an error code signaling it was low on toner. When Pam opened the machine to replace the cartridge, she discovered to her dismay it was a faulty error code. The toner wasn’t low, but in discovering this fact, she managed to get toner powder on the sleeves and front of her sweater.

“Hey there Pammy.”

Pam looked up to see Todd leering over the counter at her.

“Looks like you got a little something on the jugs. Here let ‘ol Packer clean that up for you.” He took a disgusting handkerchief from his suit jacket pocket and reached forward towards her chest.

“Back off!” she snapped and swatted his hand away.

“Oohh! Feisty!” Todd didn’t seem fazed in the slightest and reached forward again.

“That’s enough.” The voice was calm but cut through the bluster that had swept through the office with a low intensity.

Todd turned around to see Jim standing behind him. He scoffed at the taller man. “What are you going to do about it?”

Jim didn’t say anything in return. He simply crossed his arms, held his ground, and didn’t break eye contact with Todd.

“What are you looking at Nancy-boy?” Todd challenged.

Jim still didn’t reply. He was however joined by Dwight who got up to stand at Jim’s side. Dwight made a show of rolling his shoulders back after he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

“What’s this? Two of you?” Todd laughed, but this time there was a slight tremor in his voice.

Phyllis joined her co-workers. She crossed her arms and pierced Todd with a look that had her eyes been lasers, would have melted through steel plate. Stanley joined them as well and raised his chin while folding his hands in front of him.

Todd was looking nervous now. He and Michael were quickly being surrounded by a growing ring of silent sales staff. Lastly Andy walked over and attempted to look intimidating by also crossing his arms and moving his lower jaw around. From her perspective, Pam would have normally let out a giggle at Andy’s antics, but she knew not to break the moment.

“C’mon Mikey,” Todd finally snarled and turned away. “These losers can’t take a joke.” He tossed an arm around Michael’s shoulder and steered the other man towards the doors. “Let me take you to this little place I know.”

The door closed behind them and at last a semblance of peace returned to the office.

“Thanks guys,” Jim said as they returned to their desks.  He turned around and walked the few steps to the reception desk. “Hey,” his voice was now soft and loving. “You okay?”

“I will be,” Pam let out with a huff. She was dabbing at her sweater with some tissues to try and get the toner out. “Thanks for that though. I think I need to head home during lunch and get a new shirt. This one may be ruined.”

Jim was going to reply when Pam’s phone rang again. Giving him an apologetic look, she picked up the receiver. “Dunder-Mifflin, this is Pam. Hold please while I transfer you.” With well-practiced movements she placed the call on hold and looked back up at Jim. “It’s one of yours. Baxter systems.”

“Right,” Jim glanced at his watch. “Shoot, that one’s going to take me a while. I was hoping to be able to eat lunch with you. I might end making it a working lunch at this rate.”

“I know. I’m sorry babe.” Pam put a hand on his shoulder.

They reluctantly parted ways. Jim back to his desk. Pam set the phones to voicemail and plucked her coat off the rack to head down to Jim’s car to drive back to her apartment for a change of clothes. When she returned, she was relieved to see that both Packer and Michael’s cars were still missing from the parking lot. Heading back upstairs, she hung up her coat and turned to her desk. The sight that greeted instantly her melted away the stress of the morning. She felt joy filling her heart again.

Her teapot was resting next to her keyboard with a white envelope resting against it.

On the Fifth day of Christmas my office gave to me

The ceramic felt warm with a fresh pot of tea when her fingers brushed it as she retrieved the card within the envelope. Like yesterday there were four pictures on the card. Pam holding up her new teapot in her talking head interview. Her smirking at the camera as she added teabags to it in the kitchen. A wide smile of elation on her face as she pulled it from a recently unwrapped box. Her look of glee as she pulled the hot sauce packet out of the top. In the middle of the four pictures was a fifth. This one showed her beaming up at Jim as he was about to explain the bonus gifts within the teapot. Jim’s face was captured in an expression of wonder and awe at the sight of his gift to her gracing the reception counter.

Five teal teapots
Four calling phones
Three pointless meetings
Two Olympic Doves
And a Dundie in a paper tree

Pam looked up at Jim’s desk. He’d been watching her the entire time. She nodded her head towards the doors and walked out. Jim followed her at once. In front of the elevator she wrapped her arms around him. Any lingering stress from the morning drained out of her as she held the man she loved. Jim’s arms surrounding her were just as warm as any of the blankets they’d snuggled under over the weekend.

“Thank you,” she whispered into his shoulder.

“You’re welcome,” Jim said as he gently rocked her from side to side.