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Author's Chapter Notes:
Thank you all for your lovely welcome! Here is Part 2, the final installation for my Christmas Challenge. Welcome to the Christmas Party we never saw! 

With the office party in full swing, Marina sunk down onto the couch next to reception while Pam set out the gift bags from Dunder Mifflin Corporate across the top of the desk. “Man, I am so glad this party is finally happening. Time to have fun, clean up, and de-join the committee.” 

 

“I hope when we hire an actual customer service rep that Angela likes them more than she likes you,” Pam chuckled. “Maybe even let them onto the committee as a permanent member.”

 

“Please, Angelica likes everyone more than me. If she yelled ‘you dumb babies!’ in the middle of the meeting I would be like, zero percent surprised,” Marina rolled her eyes, getting a snort from Pam at her impression of the Rugrats character. “I had to compliment all nine cats, by name, to be allowed in on the Christmas party planning.”

 

“Maybe she’d like you more if you actually just called her Angela,” Pam pointed out, to which Marina simply shrugged indifferently. “Why were you so desperate to get in on the party planning anyway?”

 

“Aside from it being a good way to fill Michael’s Santa Hat with Brussels Sprouts? I guess because I won’t be here this time next year I wanted to get involved, have some fun, instead of just sit and wait around.” 

 

“Unless they have to put out an ad for a third and fourth and fifth time,” Pam rolled her eyes, then stepped back to look at the gift bags neatly lined up. “But the hat thing was hilarious. Okay, all done, though this set up is more impressive than the actual gifts.”

 

“That’s kinda sad,” Marina pointed out. For a moment she scanned the room slowly enough for Pam to notice and copy her, then got up with a satisfied hum. “I am gonna grab some food from the conference room. If I find cat hair in anything I’m suing Angela No-fun Martin’s ass.”

 

As Pam’s eyes had followed Marina’s sweep of the room, she spotted Jim wandering off through the kitchen. She barely caught the end of Marina’s sentence. “Okay, I’m just gonna grab a soda real quick.” 

 

“Sure,” Marina smirked. 

 

Walking quickly through the small groups of colleagues in the early stages of an office party, Pam caught up with Jim in the quiet break room and leaned against the door frame. “You know, that stocking on the front of my desk is supposed to be decorative.”

 

“I don’t know what you mean,” Jim shrugged innocently, glancing quickly over at Pam with his brows raised before returning his attention to the coins in his hand.

 

Rolling his eyes, Stanley picked up his crossword puzzle with a loud sigh and left the room. So much for his peaceful respite from the party. Pam stood back to let him out with an apologetic smile, then shook her head and stepped into the room properly. “And so the gloves and HotHands packs were just… a co-incidental gift from someone else in this office?”

 

Jim feigned surprise as he began feeding coins into the machine. “Maybe it was Santa Claus?” 

 

“Well, then I guess thank you Santa Claus,” Pam grinned.

 

“And I guess Santa Claus says no problem,” Jim chuckled. In all honesty, he’d been hoping to get Pam for Secret Santa but had gotten Phyllis instead. He figured he could use the large stocking decoration attached to the front panel of the reception desk to give Pam the little gifts he’d purchased the day after the Christmas Carollers. Pam had stayed almost annoyingly late last night, which meant he had to stay even later and find work to do as an excuse so he could add them before leaving the night before. “Soda? The selection in the conference room is a bit… eh.” 

 

“Yeah, that was Phyllis’ revenge on Angela saying her ideas were stupid,” Pam rolled her eyes, “so a soda would be great, thanks.” 

 

“Ah, makes sense,” he nodded and selected the two sodas.

 

It was only when Pam reached Jim at the machine to collect her soda that she suddenly discovered the reason Marina had been so desperate to be on the Party Planning Committee for Christmas. Glancing up at the mistletoe that was only just about hidden by the snowflake decorations, Pam suddenly wished she could time travel back a few months an un-tell Marina the details of her crush on Jim – but at the same time she was ready to scream ‘thank you!’ at the top of her lungs and tip her for the outstanding service provided. 

 

“What- oh.” 

 

Pam suddenly realised she hadn’t simply glanced up at the mistletoe, but was avidly staring at it. As Jim let out an awkward chuckle, she tilted her head to look at him. “That’s, uh, mistletoe.” 

 

“Yeah.”

 

As they stared at each other, comfortably close yet uncomfortably far from where they wanted to be, Pam had a sudden realisation that this was distinctly more than the crush she’d decided she had on Jim when he’d saved her from eating expired mixed berry yoghurt. He wasn’t making a single move to kiss her, and yet Pam felt an intense need for him to do exactly that. She knew Jim wouldn’t make that move, and she knew Marina knew this too, so the mistletoe had been placed as more of a joke – Pam had previously admitted that she wouldn’t not kiss Jim if he presented that opportunity.  

 

Pam had spent more time than she cared to admit arguing both sides of the ‘I like this guy and kind of want him to kiss me but I’m not single’ argument with herself. Everyone always told her that being engaged to her high school sweetheart was an absolute dream, which was usually her go-to ‘good fiancée’ stance, but she was realising that those people were wrong. The absolute dream was how she felt right now with the mistletoe hanging above her and Jim – like she was about to receive a Secret Secret Santa gift from her Secret Secret Wishlist. She knew it wasn't going to happen, but she was willing to suspend her disbelief. 

 

Their moment was interrupted by a can cluttering down into the dispenser, causing Jim and Pam to stare down at the machine in perfect unison. Not for the first time, Pam wished she had the courage to admit that she had outgrown her relationship with Roy and stop using it as a safety net. Her eyes were glued to Jim’s hands as he picked up the three soda cans, wondering what it would be like if holding Jim’s hand was her safety net instead. A hand-hold of support instead of a relationship of excuses. Pam mentally added 'didn’t make the mistletoe mean something' to her list of regrets.  

 

“Free soda,” Jim announced, clutching his grape soda in one hand and holding the other two out to Pam. “Merry Christmas.” 

 

“Uh, thanks,” Pam gave him an awkward smile as she accepted both sodas, realising he had misinterpreted her gaze as eyeing up the extra soda. “I, umm… sorry – blah,” Pam scrunched her face and shook her head. The downside of being engaged to your high school sweetheart was never having had the experience of dealing with crushes and kind-of-not-really-though-maybe-could’ve-been-kisses and heartbreak and awkward moments. One of the downsides, anyway.

 

“Don’t worry about it. Come on, let's go check out the food situation,” Jim gave her a smile she wasn’t expecting, and Pam was relieved that at least Jim could navigate away from the awkwardness for them. Sometimes she wondered if he did have a crush on her too, but moments like this where he moved past things so quickly made her doubt that suspicion.

 

“It’s surprisingly good. Angela is actually a good baker – though I’m hoping next year she lets me bake something too.” 

 

“Ooh, are you secretly Beesly the Baker?”

 

“I dunno, I like to bake and I think I’m pretty good at the stuff my mom showed me,” Pam grinned. “I’m sure Angela would complain about it somehow though.”

Chapter End Notes:

And just like that, Pam reaches the point where she's more openly affectionate with Jim but still runs back to Roy. This story was almost very different but I decided I actually wanted to use all five ingredients and expand... so, here they are:

- at least a hat-tip to Hanukkah

- stocking stuffer

- cold hands

- caroling

- mistletoe

Nearly skipped that last one but it was a fun opportunity to do something different than the usual ideas mistletoe would prompt! (I did think of going there, but... Pam can make mistletoe mean something a few seasons/years down the line instead) 



Receptionitis15 is the author of 6 other stories.

This story is part of the series, Holiday Fic Challenge 2022. The previous story in the series is They said there'll be peace on earth.

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