Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

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At first, Karen’s all wrong. She’s uptight and he hears her behind him making exasperated noises when he cracks jokes on the phone with Kevin. He’s not really sure what her deal is but he always gives people a few chances until, like Dwight, they prove themselves unworthy of any more of his good humor.

The first time she assassinates him during their weekly Call of Duty “exercise”, as Josh likes to call it, he notices her smile. He calls her a psychopath to the camera, but maybe deep down inside that’s for Pam’s benefit. Even though they say this thing is going to be on TV one day, he wonders how long they can actually waste time filming without airing. Maybe he’ll show up one morning and the cameras will finally be gone. And then they can get rid of the tape and 2 miserable years of his life pining for the unattainable will be gone.

His bonding with Karen happens naturally if only because she appears to be the least onerous choice for socializing with. Her initial abrasiveness is off-putting to him, but it doesn’t take long to realize that Andy isn’t even an option – he is, in fact, completely out of his mind. And were it to come down to a Dwight/Andy standoff, Jim is positive 9 out of 10 judges would choose Andy as the insane asylum escapee. He needs contact with somebody and she’s really it.

Over time, she drops her defenses. Jim thinks maybe she has the same short-timer disease he had in Scranton. Maybe this isn’t what she considers her career either. He starts to think maybe he understands her.

The quest for Herr’s chips turns into a series of challenges to outdo the other and it’s the first time he really feels like he had a good day in Stamford. And she impresses the hell out of him with her foreign language capabilities. But that night at home, he realizes that maybe he’s just looking for a Pam substitute.

Maybe he pulls away a little after that. But then there is the time he calls the Scranton branch. She answers the phone. She isn’t supposed to be there. At first the sound of her voice makes him freeze up. But then they slip into old patterns and it’s like he never left.

After the awkward goodbye, he realizes it’s entirely too much like their old ways – as usual she’s managed to gloss over the fact that he told her he was in love with her and that she never called him after canceling her wedding. This is the first time he’s ever spoken to her when she was single. And in an instant, the joy he felt over hearing her voice again had dissipated into that old feeling in the pit of his stomach that he had just begun to be able to suppress at will.

When he thinks about Scranton it makes him tired. He’s distracted himself nicely by throwing himself into his job. But now he’s thinking again. He keeps hoping Pam will call him. Hopes she’s ready and the call they shared will finally spur her into action. But she doesn’t call and he sticks to using Kevin’s cell phone from then on.

Then there is the night of too much Jagermeister. The night they stay late to do the sales reports and Karen drives him home. Even though nothing happens, when he wakes up the next morning half-dressed on top of the covers with his tongue plastered to the roof of his mouth, he feels like maybe he missed an opportunity.

Later on when he’s taken the aspirin and drunk about a gallon of water, he notices his cell phone sitting on the kitchen counter. There’s a text message on it. From Pam. He doesn’t know what to feel. He thinks maybe a shower will help.

He’s late for work so he puts it out of his mind. He tries not to think about it all day but then he keeps catching glimpses of Karen out of the corner of his eye. It reminds him of how he was always aware of Pam’s movements. Maybe he’s weighing them both in his mind.

Pam. She had been foremost in his thoughts for over three years now. But he had done all he could, hadn’t he? He had finally been honest with her. And maybe it was all too much to lay on her, he’d considered that, but it had been months since she called off her wedding and she knew where he was.

It had been incredible to talk to her again. He loved it. But he couldn’t even allow himself to consider whether or not he still loved her.

Karen. There was nothing there. Yet. But could there be? She should be clearly ahead of Pam. She doesn’t have a fiancé, she’s not wasting her talents, she’s very direct, and she hasn’t yet broken his heart.

But yet, there is still hesitation. He doesn’t answer her text message right away. But then he sends a reply. Brief. Terse. Got the story from Kevin.

It’s a week later when Jan appears in Stamford, and something about it puts him on edge. When she offers him the number two position, he doesn’t hesitate. It must be a sign. He’s been patient, he’s been careful. But this is definitely a sign that he’s meant to be here.

When Josh drops his bombshell and all hell breaks loose, suddenly the signs aren’t so clear. And when Jan tells him Stamford will close and he can have the same great job but it will be in Scranton, his mind goes into free fall. He has no time to think; he must decide.

All day he considers his options. His first instinct is to dissuade Karen from coming to Scranton. Someone like her belongs in the city. He’s protecting her, he thinks, from Michael and Dwight. But then he thinks maybe he’s being unfair to her. Maybe he can handle Scranton better if she’s there. Maybe they’re meant to go there together.

He can’t eat. He can’t concentrate. He can’t think. His mind drifts back to the day he met Pam. Before he knew she was engaged and then the punch to the gut later on when he met Roy. Her fiancé.

But now Roy is out of the picture. Can he work with her again? Does she want him to? What if she’s seeing someone? He knows for a fact that she went on one date already.

He has no other career options on the table. His family is in Scranton. He even misses Michael, especially after Josh made his own selfish career move. He regrets ever being nice to Josh.

It’s near the end of the day and he knows he has to decide. Jan will be calling him any second. There are important corporate decisions to be made and they’ve never hinged on him before.

Time to suck it up, Halpert. Be a man.

He hopes he hasn’t misinterpreted things again.