It was the longest walk of her life. Conscious of the thirty odd pairs of eyes following her – and the one icy hazel pair in particular fixed furiously on her; pure hatred at her back.

Sitting down in the same chair Jim had sat in before her, the room looked smaller, darker. The amount of people that had turned up surprised her, she hadn't thought there would be so many. The courthouse had an old, knowing feel about it, it was sort of dark and hulking with a mysterious quality to the building. She wondered how many terrible things had been seen and heard in this room. How many battered women, how many angry, possessive men had sat right there before her? Pam closed her eyes, breathing in deeply. Dark shapes and patterns floated up behind her pupils, along with a horrifying few moments of nausea rising in her throat.

"Ms Beesly?" the Judge said from the bench. "Would you like a glass of water?"

Soon it was underway. Pam's counsel started off. Simple, easy questions; when did she and Mr Anderson meet? How long had they lived together, how did she feel about Mr Anderson when they first met?

Then harder questions were coming at her – why did she move in with Mr Anderson, when was the first time he abused her physically?

"So you've said the night of your boss' birthday party, four years ago, that was the first time Mr Anderson used physical violence against you?

"Yes." Pam replied quietly.

"During your relationship, how many incidents of physical abuse would you say you suffered?"

Pam visibly paled. She lowered her eyes to the grainy wooden bench in front of her. "I couldn't count." she said slowly. "Maybe once a month, sometimes twice a week. Too many to count." she added, absolutely hating that her mom was in the room able to hear every word.

Counsel nodded at her and turned, fishing out several thick piece of papers from the evidence.

"This," she said, holding the papers up high. "Was the medical report taken from the day immediately following the evening you left the home you shared with Mr Anderson. I apologize for the graphic nature." Shuffling the papers, she continued solemnly. "Multiple broken ribs, severe bruising and lacerations to the head and body. Burn marks to back and arms. Some muscle damage to left shoulder." she paraphrased from the report. "Deep bruising circling around the neck, abrasions, scratch marks covering the throat. Superficial wounds to the feet."

Her words cut through the silence like bullets, harsh and irrefutable. Shifting uncomfortably in the hard court seat, Pam nodded feebly, unable to raise her eyes. Distantly she was aware of muffled exclamations bursting in chorus from the seats in front of her.

As much as she had prepared for this, feared it; the reality was worse. It was much more difficult that she could have possibly imagined. She was slowly being stripped of her skin, layer after layer, her nerves exposed and vulnerable. Everyone in the room spectating were gifted with a front row seat of just how weak and insipid she was.

"That's quite a list." her counsel said, with a voice reserved for the utmost sympathy and sadness, bringing Pam back to the moment. "However. Not all of the injuries stated were sustained on the evening you left. Correct?"

With a quiet sniff, Pam agreed. "Yes, some of them were older ones."

"As was the concussion you were treated for on the Monday of the same week?"

"Yes."

"The report also notes some older untreated injuries, stress or hairline fractures for example." Her counsel smiled at her kindly. "The concussion, and all of these injuries were caused by Mr Anderson?"

"Yes, they were." Pam pulled her breath in deeply, slowing the rapid in and out of her chest. It was a practice she'd learned in counselling to help relieve anxiety and panic. She counted silently as the oxygen flowed in and out of her body soothingly.

"How did you sustain the concussion?"

Pam hesitated. She began to reply, but her voice had abandoned her. Her head emptied of words and sounds, her mouth stubbornly clamped shut, turning her lips white.

"I hit my head on a wall." she finally stuttered, her jaw aching.

"You had fallen?"

Pam paused for a fair amount time. "Roy pushed me." she mumbled. A somewhat loud sniffing caught her attention, jerking her head up reactively. Dismayed, she saw her mom holding a shaking tissue to her face, her eyes swollen.

They moved on to the day Pam left. Forced to repeat the painful details yet again, she spoke timidly with a higher than normal voice and not very steadily. All through her recollection she staunchly refused to look in Roy's direction. Helene's tears were flowing freely, while her father was glaring murderously at the side of Roy's head.

"What prompted you to leave, after four, five years of this abuse?" she was asked.

"Jim." she said without pause. A strange look shot over the counsel's face, causing Pam to wonder if she shouldn't have said that. She was asked to elaborate.

"Um. Jim knows me and Roy." she started. "Um, when I was living with Roy, for, you know, four or five years, it was… it was just us. It was very…. lonely. Roy had always said no one would believe me, and he always said he was sorry and made it up to me." she closed her eyes, faltering as she remembered.

"Ms Beesly?" the judge questioned after a few moments.

Pam opened her eyes to a now hazy room. She counted her breaths again, backwards and forwards, trying to control the growing panic welling up all through her. She swept her gaze across the moving painting of faces in front of her, desperately willing this to be over. She was trapped up there, trapped in front of all these onlookers, her family, her friends, her boss and co-workers… Roy. She couldn't do this. She couldn't.

Then she met a pair of warm green eyes, so comforting and so familiar, shining with life. He smiled at her encouragingly. It was a smile so reassuring in it's way, it was so essentially Jim that for a moment she wasn't in the courtroom at all, she was back in the office laughing at one of Jim's pranks, feeling happy and carefree.

Her vision cleared and the room settled down again. Pam apologized to the judge.

"I spent years alone with Roy." she continued, calmer now. "It was like there was nobody else in the world but us. He controlled the money, the bills, what we did. If I went somewhere without him, it was always like he was there anyway, he would text and call me to check up. He'd set me a time he'd want me to be home by." Pam dropped her eyes again dejectedly. "I felt useless and worthless. I didn't think I had an option to leave. Roy told me no one else would want me, he made it seem like he was doing me a big favor by being with me. He told me I needed him to take care of me." She stopped again, taking a deep breath.

"After I got the concussion, when I was at the hospital Jim asked me straight out what was happening. He was the first person to ask. He told me that I could survive on my own and that I did have options. He didn't question whether I was telling the truth or not, he knew I was."

"So you went to Mr Halpert's home the night you left?"

"I did." she said, twisting her fingers together on her lap.

"And, since you left, you've had contact from Mr Anderson?" she was asked.

"Yes." Pam sighed nervously. "Um, texts, phone calls, he showed up at the door, his brother came one day. He's left messages on my phone. He somehow got my new number which only four people had."

The counsel made mention of the evidence – copies of messages and transcripts, police logs before turning back to Pam.

"And was Mr Anderson threatening or hostile in any way that left you in further fear for your safety?"

She gripped her hands together hard, swallowing heavily. "Yeah." she said. "He would call me things, like bitch and liar and he would say he was coming over. He would say things like he wished I were dead." Her voice broke suddenly. "Or words to that effect."

All eyes were on her intently, boring into her like red hot laser beams. And there was Roy, sitting almost passively in the corner of her eye – putting on a virtually perfect display of a calm, dignified gentleman. She knew him well, she saw the slight curl of his lip, the tightness of his forehead, the flexing back and forth of his fingers. All little warning signals she had unconsciously drummed into herself over their years together – years of checking the emotional weather when he entered a room. Signs that were screaming at her in fiery exclamation points, signs that an eruption was imminent; signs that were likely invisible to everyone else who hadn't counted on them day after day like a survival manual.

"And you currently feel there is a perpetual threat from Mr Anderson to your safety?" her counsel pressed again.

Pam grimaced sadly. "Monday he attacked Jim, at work, with his brother. Roy has a problem with anger. He threatens me and has ignored the temporary order. Yes I do believe he will not leave me alone and there is a risk from him."

She hung her head, helpless tears streaming down her cheeks as her counsel looked at Roy disgustedly, with her moms quiet sobbing permeating the background as a stark reminder of the hurt that just one hand had inflicted.

-TO-

However helpless and uncomfortable as she had felt with her own counsel, Pam was unprepared for Roy's defense, a seedy looking little man with a thin mustache and a sharp, angular face. As bad as the first round was, she quickly saw that her own side had just simply laid the thunderheads in preparation for the ensuing storm she would be forced into.

The seedy looking man started off kindly, using an overly saccharine voice, apologizing for the hurt she was so obviously feeling over the ending of her relationship. He ran through the same initial questions – she suspected in attempt to catch her in a lie of some sort.

"Did you ever tell anyone about the so called abuse in all of those years, Ms Beesly?" He put to her sympathetically. Clever man; he was staying away from bringing up incidents of actual abuse, she supposed he was trying to quietly dismiss the importance of it to the judge by making it seem so irrelevant.

"No." She said carefully, not liking this man at all. Remembering how he had tried to play it with Jim, she was exceptionally nervous.

"After what, you claim, four or five years, you never told anyone that Mr Anderson treated you badly?"

"No." she repeated firmly. The counsel tutted knowingly and glanced back at Roy.

"And you are petitioning for a final restraining order, an order that will damage Mr Anderson both financially and limit his future employment options, under the basis that he poses a risk to you."

Pam bristled at the snide tone of the man. "He does pose a risk." she said simply.

"But you did not ask anyone for help. In all of that time, you never went to your parents, a family member, friend, co-worker, doctor and said, help I'm being abused by my fiance?"

Pam shook her head again. The man was making a point, alright. "No."

"Tell us, Ms Beesly, you agreed to marry Mr Anderson, a man you claim broke your ribs and gave you concussions, caused you numerous injuries, is that correct?"

Pam leaned her head forward, letting her hair fall over her face a little. "Yes, that's correct."

"And why was that Ms Beesly? Why did you agree to marry a man you were clearly unhappy with?"

"I loved him." she fired back. "He promised things would be better after we were married. He told me that, I believed him. He would tell me that no one else wanted me, that I needed him."

"You're very angry with Mr Anderson about the breakup aren't you? You are angry that despite all his promises, he didn't marry you?"

"No!" She cried, emotion pouring out of her. "No!"

"Yet you left and went to another man's home; a man Mr Anderson believes you were and are in a relationship with." he stated slyly.

This man was brutal. Pam was reeling, devastated at the harsh unfairness of it all, angry that the judge was not stopping this, furious that her family was subjected to witness this.

"Okay." she said in a wavering voice. "All I want is to be sure that Roy won't come after me any more. I went to Jim's house because he's my friend, because I trusted him. There was never any relationship between us, and even if there was, that wouldn't be the point would it, because the point is that Roy hit me, he hurt me physically, he has threatened to kill me before- that is why we are here." she stopped, crying heavily.

The judge gave her a moment, warning the counsel to restrain his line of questioning. The man silkily apologized.

"So, Ms Beesly. Did you ever physically assault your fiance at any time?"

Pam frowned. "No, never."

"Ah." The man said, gleaming. "But the night you left, your statement to the police is that you slapped, kicked and I quote 'tried to punch' your fiancee several times. Is that true, or is it true that you 'never' hit Mr Anderson?"

"What… no.. I did hit him but it was-"

"So the risk of violence is a threat from both sides? Would it be justified for Mr Anderson to seek a restraining order against yourself in that case?"

"No I-"

Pam's voice was lost in an overpowering roar of angry words from both Jim and her dad, and her own counsel. Tearfully she looked pleadingly towards the judge, who ordered silence in the room, sharply rebuking Roy's counsel.

"Lock him up!" Michael cried out from the back of the room.

"Silence!" the judge hissed.

Just like that, Roy's counsel was done with questioning her. He'd delivered what he considered was a fine parting blow, leaving enough damage to disable her case fairly effectively, without giving her the chance to respond. Pam felt hollowed out as she was bid to step down and go back to her seat.

The Judge ordered a ten minute recess. Back in the safe area, Pam quietly sobbed in her mothers arms, gently composing herself.

"Evil, the pair of them!" William was absolutely seething at the treatment of his daughter. Helene shot him a fierce glare.

"Hey, your part is over, Pam. Now let's see how Roy likes it, huh?" Jim said, forcing a cheerful tone.

She wiped her eyes, nodding tiredly. In truth, that slimy little man working for Roy had really shaken her. She saw the very real possibility of the order being denied, of her spending the rest of her future running from Roy, all the people she cared about being dragged into her miserable life. The thought terrified her more than she could readily admit.

They filed back into the courtroom, Pam grasping Helene's hand tightly before they sat back in their respective seats. As she was lowering herself into her seat, she felt someone leaning in close to her, the sensation of hot breath tickling her earlobe.

"Remember, there's more to life than this. Here you are, it's a beautiful day." Jim said into her ear. He sat back down behind her. Pam stared forward, fresh tears springing into her eyes, grateful, overwhelming tears at his words. Oh, Jim, he knew her so well – he knew the things to say that no one else would understand but meant the world to her. Damn, she was so lucky to have him in her life. A slight smile formed on her face.

Things got underway again, far too quickly. It was almost as excruciating for her watching Kenny, as Roy's witness, speak on his behalf, reiterating how Pam had lied and cheated on his brother, and how he was absolutely positive that his brother would never lay a finger on a woman he loved so much. Of course, he might have made an error in self defense but he would never have deliberately hurt Pam, no matter what she had done. Yes, Kenny loved Pam like a sister and was sorry it all had happened, but sorrier she felt she had to put everyone through this. Pam closed her eyes throughout much of Kenny's words. What did it matter. Roy was up next, and her stomach was turning inside out at the mere thought of what he might say.

And then Kenny was stepping down and shortly after that Roy was up there, in front of everyone, looking smart and tidy for once. He had lost some weight and definitely looked like he had lost more than some sleep.

Pam's counsel started first, as procedure dictated. The same questions asked of Roy that Pam endured at the start. He answered formally, politely, every part the perfect gentleman.

Counsel put it to him directly concerning the injuries that were record on Pam's medical report, was he the cause of those injuries?

Roy was confident, well rehearsed. "Not intentionally." he said. "We had a fight when she left. She grabbed me, punched at me, we fell down. It's possible she got hurt then. We did struggle."

"You never assaulted her physically? Even once?"

Roy smiled. "I don't hit women." he said smoothly.

The counsel glared at him. "How did she get the concussion?"

Roy painted a sad look on his face. "Well, I'm truly sorry about this, I didn't like to see it. It was kind of my fault that she fell and hit her head."

"Your fault, how so Mr Anderson?"

"Well, she's kind of clumsy and when she fell I think she was mad because we'd just had a fight. I'm not sure she was paying attention."

The woman shook her head. "So you're saying Ms Beesly accidentally got a concussion? That the injuries – broken bones – she suffered the night she left you were sustained by accident?"

"I'm saying I didn't hurt her. Not deliberately."

Pam was watching the exchange tiredly, but somewhere inside anger was building, hot and fiery. Roy's refusal to admit to what he did to her absolutely stung. She knew that he wasn't going to be shaken, wasn't going to admit it and tell the truth, nor apologize. Her breathing was fast and sharp, and painful. Damn him, damn him.

They had moved on to Roy's text messages and calls to Pam. She had to hand it to him, he played the part of spurned, betrayed fiance perfectly. Sad little tilts of the head, quiet sniffles, deep sympathetic pauses between his words. Oh he was out for blood. He wanted everyone to see the lying, cheating whore he believed her to be. He wanted them all to feel sorry for him.

"I had a little too much to drink when I sent several of those messages." Roy said by way of explanation.

"And that you violated the restraining order several times – by contacting Ms Beesly, her relatives – namely her parents, you contacted Mr Halpert and you also attempted to pass messages to her via her – your – colleagues. Correct."

Roy attempted a charming smile. "I admit I was reckless. I'm sorry for that, I drink too much. I don't recall doing all of those things."

"You were drunk, every time?

"I was hurt. I drink when I'm hurt. She cheated on me with him-" Roy gave a sudden vicious nod in their direction, dropping his dignified appearance momentarily. "What's a guy to do?"

"Hmmm. Are you seeking any treatment for your drinking habits?"

That caught Roy off guard. He hedged a look at his own team, flailing to find a response.

"Oh, well… not as it happens… but yes I will be." he recovered quickly, earning himself a surreptitious thumbs up from his bench.

"Mr Anderson, are you a threat to Ms Beesly's safety?" the woman counsel was direct and to the point.

Roy shook his head emphatically, eager to prove he was in no way a threat to anyone. "No, no, I'm not. She's just feeling guilty about her own affair. That's why we're here." he said.

"And what about your attack on Mr Halpert, assisted by your brother?"

"Oh well, you can't blame a man for that… my fiancee walked out on me after seven years and went to him."

"You were angry at Mr Halpert as well as your fiancee?"

"Damn right." Roy's cool composure dipped. "They made a fool of me. All the talk in the office about them. Always laughing together, with each other every second. Everybody knew. People said they would meet up in the warehouse, the same warehouse I worked in." He huffed. "That was until she got me fired. Like siamese twins they are." he muttered bitterly.

"So, in your opinion, violence can be justified?"

Roy suddenly sat up straight, anger masking over his face. "No, I'm just saying you can't blame a man for being angry at the guy who stole his girl, a guy who was actually a friend of yours, can you?"

The counsel turned. "Your honor, may I remind Mr Anderson and yourself that this purpose of this hearing is to establish whether Mr Anderson poses a significant threat to Ms Beesly, whether there was or wasn't any other relationship Ms Beesly was involved in is irrelevant."

Fortunately, the Judge agreed.

"So, Mr Anderson, you understand why we are here today?" the counsel asked.

"I understand it. I'm not accepting it. She's trying to ruin my life." he complained peevishly.

As the counsels switched over, Pam finally took a proper look at Roy. She found herself inexplicably feeling a little sorry for him. Not that he had hurt her, not that he was currently an inmate of a not so fine prison, not because she used to love him – but simply because he was there, his erratic mood swings were swimming to the shore in front of everyone, his childish, dominating nature was laid bare. She had never realized how pathetic he was before this. All the years she had cried and blamed herself. She could really see him, finally, the small, insecure, mean little man he really was. It was not a pleasant revelation.

Roy's counsel was brief. Perhaps he didn't want to run the risk of inflaming Roy's already elevated temper. Roy was sitting stiffly, a time bomb rapidly ticking.

"Mr Anderson, you love Ms Beesly, isn't that correct?"

"Yeah, I do." Roy said confidentially. His face, however, was a hard impenetrable mask of unbidden fury, no visible traces of any loving feelings on display.

"And how do you feel about all the things that have been said this afternoon – namely the alleged assaults on her?"

"Hurt." Roy said, not skipping a beat. "I could never hurt her like that. Not deliberately."

That was it. There was an impossible silence, in which the counsel looked as those he was very much weighing up whether to continue or not. After observing Roy's red, seething expression for a moment, he rescinded and retired to his seat.

Pam almost fainted with relief. That was it, it was over. She listened intently as the two sides repeated their arguments as to why or why not Mr Anderson should be subject to a permanent restraining order.

The judge retired to his chambers to prepare his ruling.

It was like waiting at the dentists office. The judge finally came out, armed with papers and fiddled around with them for excruciating minutes before calling order. He began to speak, losing Pam in a lot of legal talk. Some form of torture, she felt, sitting on tenterhooks waiting, waiting for him to get to the point.

As he spoke on and on, Pam's feeling of hope grew. He accept that Roy had been violent to her. He accepted that Roy had harassed and threatened her. He accepted that she felt reasonable fear of retaliation from Roy and a reasonable fear for her personal safety and those connected to her.

With that in mind, he was granting the order.

A three year final order.

Roy was to be photographed and fingerprinted and placed on a domestic violence registry.

Roy was to pay a civil penalty of $500.

Roy was banned from owning a firearm.

Roy must stay away from her at all times, must not contact her in anyway, must not contact her friends or family nor use a third party to attempt to contact her.

Pam smiled gratefully, warm tears appearing on her cheeks. She couldn't believe it. She nodded thankfully as the judge offered her his best wishes for this chance to heal and rebuild her life safely. He wished her all the best and thanked her for her dignity and composure throughout a difficult case.

"Are you kidding me!" Roy yelled furiously. He had been listening in mounting rage, horrified at the judge's words. He shot to his feet, spinning round to face Pam. "You filthy bitch!" he berated her loudly and lunged forward. "Don't think you'll get away with this! You won't get a single night's sleep -" he cut off as the officers waiting to take him back to prison roughly seized him, tugging him out of the room. "...kill youuuuuu…" his voice echoed in his place as he was taken away.

-TO-

"I'm so proud of you." Helene was practically smothering her with hugs. William laughed.

"Give the girl some air, woman." he said jovially, moving in for his own hug when she finally let go of their daughter.

"Hey!" Helene rolled her eyes good naturedly.

Pam smiled at her family. "Thank you for being there." She said genuinely to all four people around her.

Helene reached out and lightly caressed her cheek. "You can start getting your life back together now." she said softly, her voice full of love. Pam caught hold of her moms hand, and abruptly yawned.

"It's taken a lot out of you today." Helene said sympathetically. They were standing in the middle of Jim's living room, having all driven back from the court house. To be fair, Pam thought they all looked exhausted.

"Listen, mom, dad… thanks. What I'd really like now is to get some rest, some time to think things over. I'll see you bright and early tomorrow, ready to go." Pam said.

William groaned, shooting a perturbed glance at Penny. "How early are we talking Pam?"

The room fizzled into silence, before they all burst into relieved laughter.

Pam agreed to call Helene later on, Penny agreed to call when she had driven home safely, Pam agreed to be ready early in the morning -not too early, William stressed. After another round of hugs and thank you's Pam stepped away into the almost empty house, feeling grateful and lucky for her family.

"So, Beesly-" Jim began. Pam silenced him, throwing her arms around his neck tightly.

"Thank you." she said, her voice filling with emotion. Jim was taken aback by her sudden embrace, but happily gave in to it, circling his arms tightly around her, slightly rocking her from side to side. Pam clung on to him tiredly, soaking up his body warmth, his warm familiar arms.

"Didn't want you to miss out on the family hugs." She told him, her cheek lying against his shoulder. Jim patted her back, his hand moving up to stroke her hair. She grinned softly and pulled back from him.

"You'll always be my family." she said, catching hold of his hands.

A strange look moved across his face – she wasn't sure what it was, a sort of longing, emotional and sad combination. He didn't say anything.

"Well…." she said, unsure what came next. "Well, I think I need a nap for a few hours."

"Okay." said Jim, looking thoughtfully at her. He then playfully put an arm comfortably around her shoulders.

"You up for going out later, Beesly?"

Pam was genuinely surprised. "Going out? Where?" she said.

Jim laughed. "It's a surprise, Pam. Ask no questions. There's something I want to show you."

"A surprise?" she said suspiciously. "What are you up to, Halpert?"

"What would be the fun in me telling you now?" he laughed at her expression. "Go get your sleep. Be ready later on, we're going for a drive."

Thoroughly intrigued, but also thoroughly exhausted Pam simply shook her head with an amused smile and hurried up to her room to try to sleep the last few weeks away.