While Jim and Will moved large items like the bed and couch, Pam and Helene spent time arranging the smaller pieces of furniture in the various rooms in pleasing ways, humming and hawing between themselves over what should go where. This took them about an hour and a half, so by the time they moved on to unpacking essentials like sheets and what Pam was going to wear tomorrow, Will and Jim had parts for what looked to be a desk for the office and a dresser for Pam’s bedroom strewn across the living room. Will was swearing up a storm, fighting with a drawer, while Jim had a look of utter concentration on his face as he tried to line up the legs of the desk to his satisfaction. Pam and her mom idly rustled around in boxes, really just looking busy to enjoy the show. Pam felt a giggle coming on so she grabbed the box she was looking through and headed to the bathroom to set out her toiletries, her mom followed her into the bedroom and started spreading sheets over her new queen size bed.

Pam and her mom chatted idly while they unpacked various boxes in the bedroom and bathroom, interrupted by the occasional shout of triumph or frustration from one of the men in the living room. Eventually Pam had run out of things to unpack in her bathroom and moved back out into the bedroom and flopped down on the freshly made bed with a contented sigh.

“This house is great,” Pam expressed her thoughts aloud, “You and Dad have been great, Jim has been great, work has been surprisingly ok; how is it that my life can be going so wrong but so right,” Pam asked, rolling to look over at her mom.

Helene looked thoughtful for a moment before finally responding, “Honey, you’re putting yourself first for the first time in a long time. I think that no matter what comes of this, you will grow as a person,” She paused before asking, “Can I be brutally honest with you Pam?”

“Ok,” Pam said, not quite sure where this was headed.

“You and Roy held each other back,” her Mom started, “You held Roy back from having to grow up and take responsibility,” Pam started to protest but her mother cut her off, “Just listen, you were the responsible one in the relationship, you paid the bills, made the budget, did the housework, and until recently, planned the wedding. Roy didn’t grow into any of that because he had you to do it for him.”

Pam could only stare dumbly at her mother, for yes, while she did talk to her almost every other night, she had never been given this unique perspective that her mother had just bestowed upon her.

Helene continued, “Roy, held you back in a different way, answer me this, when is the last time you thought about finishing your degree, or taking art classes?”

“It’s been a while,” Pam admitted, “With all the wedding planning and the bills to pay I couldn’t afford tuition at this point…”

“And there you have it,” Helene declared, “You both doomed each other to stagnancy, and I know it hurts to hear it but Pam, now is your chance to live, and grow, and be you, not Pam and…” she finished her speech with a sad smile, coming over to sit on the bed near Pam’s head as she teared up.

Helene got up and closed the door to the bedroom, before coming back and pulling Pam up to sit against the headboard and held her while she cried for all of the years she felt she had wasted.

Jim had just finished helping Will clean up the living room, which had been strewn with debris from the furniture construction projects they had been working on, when Helene and Pam rejoined them from the back of the house somewhere. Will and Jim were about to lift the dresser to move it down the hall into the bedroom, when Pam asked if she could talk to him. Helene quickly nudged him away from the dresser and assured him that she could lift it, and so he followed Pam into the kitchen.

“Hey Jim,” Pam asked, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth, “Would I be able to meet Nikita? I want to see if she likes me,” Pam trailed off.

“I wouldn’t worry about that Beesly, everyone likes you,” Jim said with a smirk before realising what he had just said, and trying to brush it off by continuing like it was not a big deal, “I can bring her by on Saturday if you want, we can take her to the park a few blocks down?”

“I’d like that, thank you so much Jim,” Pam said, launching into the second hug he had received from her in twenty-four hours.

“Ew, you’re sweaty,” She said, her voice muffled against his chest, but still she hung on longer than was strictly necessary for hug etiquette he observed, and then wondered if he was reading too much into it.

“Well, when you said your Dad would be happy for the help, you failed to mention that he would be happy to stand back and watch me do the heavy lifting,” Jim said and she started to giggle as she finally pulled away.

“Yeah, Dad is a great supervisor,” Pam said looking up at him with a smile.

“Pam honey,” Helene called from the living room by the front door, “We’re getting ready to head out, we’ve got to drive back yet tonight.”

“Be right there,” Pam called as she quickly moved out of the kitchen and hugged her parents, saying her goodbyes.

Jim trailed behind a little and moved past Pam to the door, “I should head out too, It’s getting late and we have to work tomorrow. Helene, great to meet you,” Jim said, and went for a handshake, but Helene pushed his hand aside and gave him a quick hug, “and Will, great to see you again and actually talk this time,” Jim and Will shook hands, “G’night Pam,” he said with a wave, “See you tomorrow.”

When Jim pulled in to work the next morning, he noticed Pam’s blue hatchback sitting in Dwight’s usual space again and smiled as he made his way into the office. He said good morning to Pam and chatted for a little and then moved away from her desk to get settled for the day. As Jim was starting his computer, he noticed Dwight come in and make a beeline for him.

“Damnit Jim! I will find out who you’re putting up to this, and have their car towed from this lot,” Dwight yelled as he walked past and hung his coat on the back of his chair before pulling out a notepad that Jim could just barely make out what looked to be a license plate number on the page.

Before Jim could connect the dots, Dwight was already hanging up the phone and heading towards reception looking like he was on the warpath.

Pam quickly hid her grin as she saw Dwight hang up with the sheriff’s office. She had looked up the number when she saw it outbound on line four and knew what was likely to come next, and so she had schooled her features by the time Dwight was standing in front of her desk glaring down at her. She noticed Jim swivel around in his chair to watch with a very practiced look of casual indifference.

“Pamela, w-” Dwight began but Pam cut him off with a fake smile plastered on her face.

“Good morning, Dwight! Wonderful weather we’re supposed to have today,” She gushed, trying to rile Dwight up.

“Yes, very well, Morning, Pamela,” Dwight dispensed with the pleasantries, “Now, as I was saying-”

“Oh, I heard on the radio this morning on the drive over that it’s supposed to be a good growing year according to the alternative farmers almanac, isn’t that great?”

“Alternative farmers almanac? Where do they come up with this- Gah! That is besides the point,” Dwight exclaimed, before getting back on track, “Pamela, why have you stolen my parking space, this is gross insubordination!”

“I stole your parking space,” Pam asked, looking clueless.

“Yes, Pam, you stole the space that I have parked in for years, ever since Todd Packer left,” Dwight explained exasperatedly.

“Oh, I didn’t know that we had any assigned spaces other than the regional managers spot,” Pam continued playing dumb, seeing how far this could go.

“Yes, and the Assistant Regional Manager’s space,” Dwight added, “Which is what I am!”

“But Dwight,” Jim chipped in, now joining them at her desk, “I thought you were the Assistant To The Regional manager.”

“That’s a technicality, besides, I would still occupy the space in my capacity as there is no one here with the title,” Dwight defended his position valiantly, but Pam decided it was time to play her trump card.

“But I didn’t park in the Assistant Regional Manager space Dwight, there was no sign,” Pam explained.

“Ugh, it’s an unwritten parking spot rule woman! I wouldn’t expect you to understand these things,” Dwight said, positively seething.

“So, if I can’t be expected to understand these things, then I guess you can’t really blame me for parking where I did,” Pam said, delivering the killing blow.

“Damnit Pam, I know Jim put you up to this, just tell me and I can protect you from his schemes!” Dwight yelled, drawing the bored gaze of Stanley across the office, while Jim just stood there smirking at Dwight with his hands in his pockets.

“Dwight, you know I can’t do that,” Pam said with mock regret, “There’s no way that you would get to me before he does, we live in the same neighbourhood now,” she finished sadly.

“Damnit Jim how could you,” Dwight yelled, poking his finger in Jim’s chest before spinning away, yelling, “Michael!” and storming into his office and shutting the door.

Jim stood in amazement of Pam for a minute, just drinking in her triumphant smile before snapping out of it to congratulate her on a job well done.

“Oh my god,” Jim said to Pam, “That was amazing, you really hit that one out of the park,” he gushed, ecstatic at how good at pranking Dwight she was all on her own.

Pam giggled before straightening up and saying, “I feel kind of bad for that bit at the end though, he was trying to protect me, even if it would never happen,” She trailed off. If Jim was not sure he was in love with her before this moment, it would have sealed the deal. As it stood, Jim was just in awe of this woman in front of him. She was the kindest, funniest, just all-around warmest person he knew, and he wished that he could experience it every day for the rest of his life.

“Beesly, are you going soft on me,” Jim asked, trying to ease her guilty conscience.

“No, it’s just, that was really sweet of him, y’know,” Pam replied, “I just feel like maybe we could let him win the next round, so that he feels that he’s freed me from your clutches,” Pam explained with a smirk.

“As you wish,” Jim said, as he grabbed some jellybeans and strode off to his desk with a smile, looking forward to what the rest of the day and week would bring, now that he was within walking distance from Pam’s house and could hang out with her without guilt or fear.