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Silence wasn't something that Dunder-Mifflin was used to. However, after the funeral the day before, only the sounds of keys clicking and the phones ringing could be heard. No one was really in the mood for talking.

Pam bit her bottom lip as she glanced at the empty desk. She was simply amazed on how many people had come to the funeral. She thought that only those from the office would be there, but no, he had been truly loved and respected among many. Her mind wandered to the last words she said to him: "Have a good weekend. See you on Monday."  It was such a generic gesture. I wished I knew him more, she thought to herself. She looked around the room and smiled. Hopefully, I can get a second chance with everyone else here.

Michael came out of his office and noticed Pam's smile. He couldn't help but smile back. He had learned his mistakes from the death of Ed Truck. He had been very civil when the news came late Monday afternoon that his employee had passed away. Even at the funeral on Wednesday afternoon, Michael's parting speech was eloquent and straight-to-the-point. 

Looking over at Pam, he knew she was deep in thought. He said softly, "Pam?" She tilted her head up. "Hey. When you have time, would you, um, clean out his desk? His family wants all of his personal effects, and I told them it would be done by the end of tomorrow

After a slight pause, she replied, "Sure, Michael. I can see if there are any boxes in the warehouse that I could use." She got up.

"If you need any help, I'm sure someone here can help you, and if they're too busy, I'll be in my office." She nodded and they left in separate directions.

Although he was trying to input monthly sales data, Jim couldn't help but glance at the empty desk in front of him. It's going to be so weird without him here, he thought. Despite their differences, Jim did respect him and he had learned things from him, such as tying shipping knots, or playing the guitar. The man had been a wealth of knowledge and it was unfortunate that he had passed away so suddenly. Jim felt a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up to see Pam with a box tucked under her right arm.

"What's the box for?" he inquired.

"Michael wants me to clean out his desk so his personal effects can be given to his family tomorrow."

"I see. Let me know if you need help. I'd rather do that than--" he tapped his computer screen, "-- do this for the rest of the day."

"Well, you can help me now.  I have two boxes: one for work-related items and one for personal effects."

"Let's get to it, then, Beesly." Jim stood up and stretched. He looked at her, the auburn-haired woman next to him; the girl that he'd confessed his love to; the best friend that schemed with him many different plans to get through the workday. Impulsively, he bent down and gave her a hug, encompassing her small frame in his long arms. If I ever was to die suddenly, I would have liked her to know that I still loved her.

Pam was thinking the same thing as she dropped the cardboard file box to the floor, returning his embrace She buried her face into his chest. If I ever lost him without saying ‘good-bye'... The thought made her tear up, and she pulled away so she wouldn't leave any tear stains on his blue shirt. She gingerly wiped away her tears and picked up the box she'd abandoned on the floor.

She avoided his gaze.

"I'm going to start and you go downstairs to the warehouse and get another box," Pam said. If he saw the tears starting to swell up in her eyes again, it might have been misinterpreted that she was grieving from the loss of their co-worker, and not the fact that she grieved over the thought of losing him.

He nodded and started towards to the warehouse. He felt Karen's eyes upon him suddenly and decided to stop and talk to her for a moment. He sat down atop her desk.  "Hey, I'm, uh, going to help, um, Pam with cleaning out..." 

"Yeah, I know. I, um, overheard," Karen smiled. She obviously had not known him as well as the rest of the office had. She had seen him as weird and aloof before, but after attending the funeral and hearing all the speeches, she realized that she had truly missed out on getting to know a fascinating individual. Karen patted Jim's hand. "Go. Tell me if you find anything interesting."

Jim chuckled. "I'm sure we will." With that, he left. What will we find? he wondered.  On the way to the warehouse, he pondered the possibilities. There was so much about him than met the eye. Although Jim saw him every day during the six years he'd worked in Scranton, there was always a shroud of mystery that had surrounded their late co-worker. After retrieving an empty box, Jim hurried back up the warehouse stairs and strutted down the hallway. 

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Throughout the morning, Kevin and Oscar had noticed Angela's increasing uneasiness. She was restless and hadn't stayed in her chair for more than ten minutes at a time. It was very unlike her. When they questioned her about it, she just glared at them and didn't say anything. The fact that her appearance seemed a bit ragged indicated that there was more to the situation than met the eye.

During one of Angela's absences, her phone rang. Oscar stared at it, contemplating whether or not to answer it. Kevin noticed his hesitation.

"It might be Corporate requesting the new payroll numbers," Kevin said. "They need those by today so that it'll be approved for our paychecks tomorrow."

Oscar still waited. He knew that if Angela came back out and he was on her phone talking to Corporate, she would make his day even worse than it was. He also knew that Kevin was right about the payroll amounts. With a sigh, Oscar got up and answered the phone.

"Dunder-Mifflin, accounting department, Oscar speaking."

It wasn't Corporate. It was Angela's doctor. "Good morning, I'm calling for Angela Martin. This is Dr. Christina Hughes."

"She is unavailable at the moment. Would you like her to call you back when she gets back in?"

"Yes. That would be excellent. She already has the office phone number. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Have a good day." He hung up. Should he be concerned about Angela? Normally, doctors wouldn't call their patients unless it was urgent. Oscar looked over at Kevin, who was a bit puzzled.  "That wasn't Corporate. That was Angela's doctor."

"What did she -- um, he - uh, whatever... what did they want?" Kevin was curious. Although he had worked beside Angela for many years, he really didn't know her that well. Once in a while, she would hold ‘get-togethers' for the accounting department at her house. They were not as fun as they sounded; in fact, it only happened when something wasn't completed in time, leaving the three of them put in overtime at Angela's house. Lucky for Kevin, she was always baking and always had desserts such as cupcakes and cookies available. Despite those other small, still-work interactions, there wasn't much known about Angela and her life outside of work. Besides the obvious, like the fact that she went to church regularly and had cats.  Kevin was curious about the rest of Angela's life, though, and why she acted the way she did. 

Oscar was about to answer when Angela returned to her desk. She couldn't help but noticed the two staring at her. What are these idiots looking at? She tightened her lips together and looked at Oscar. "What?" she asked sternly.

"Your phone rang while you were gone and so I answered it. I--"

"You answered my phone?" she exclaimed. "It's my phone, Oscar! You could have let it ring and go to voicemail and I would have gotten it myself!" She felt angry. There was no reason for him to be at my desk, among my things.

"Angela, calm down. I was worried that it was Corporate, asking about the payroll."

"Oh," she breathed in. "Did they get what they needed?"

Oscar bit his bottom lip. She wasn't  going to like this. "Actually, Angela, it wasn't Corporate. It was your doctor. She said for you to call her back at her office."

Angela's face fell. She was emotionless. She knew what was coming. This is how God will punish me for my sins. This is the consequence for my actions. Her hand reached for the phone. She couldn't stop it from trembling. Oscar and Kevin wouldn't stop staring at her. She slowly dialed the number. After a couple of rings, a voice answered, "Good morning, Dr. Hughes' office, how may I help you?"

Angela turned her body to face the wall. It was hard enough to know that Oscar and probably now, Kevin, knew something was wrong, but for them to actually hear the conversation...?  She wasn't going to let that happen. She replied, quietly, "This is Angela Martin. I'm returning Dr. Hughes' call."

Kevin was shocked by how vulnerable Angela seemed. Her petite frame was actually shaking. He never wished ill will towards her, (not really), even on some of her worst days. She had been comforting and understanding when he had thought might have had skin cancer, and seeing her worried now, he wanted her to know that he was there for her, too. Kevin glanced over at Oscar, who looked back at him. Obviously, Oscar was concerned as well. 

After talking to her doctor for a few minutes, Angela hung up the phone. She didn't know what to do. Her hands were still shaking. She felt like screaming. Or crying. Or curling up into a ball and hiding from the world. Kevin's hand on her shoulder brought her back to reality. She looked up at him. The concern in his eyes was all that she needed as she hugged him. A few seconds later, Oscar, came around to her side and gave her another hug.

When Meredith turned around to see the commotion, she felt a bit disgusted. If you were going to have a threesome, a Hispanic, gay man and a large, balding, white guy isn't usually what would be ideal. Then, she smiled and said to herself, "I always knew Angela had a freaky side." 

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Kelly was staring into nothingness. Her mind was wandering. She thought about different ways she might die, how her funeral would go, who would be at the funeral...?  She gasped.  How will I be dressed?  She realized, suddenly, that she wouldn't be able to dress herself. Someone else would. The outfit that she would wear for all eternity... would be in someone else's hands!  She started hyperventilating.

Ryan couldn't help but turn around.  "Kelly, are you all right?"  No answer.  He got up and stood next to her chair.  "Kelly?  Kelly?"  She looked up at him with tears in her eyes.  He bent over to put his arm around her.  "What's wrong?"

Between sobs, she replied, "When I die, who is in charge of dressing me?" 

Ryan felt confused, then appalled. He couldn't believe that that was what Kelly was thinking of. It was rather vain of her. To think about how she would look like when she died --?  He stood crouched, next to her, watching her gasp for breath as she sobbed loudly.  She was making such a big deal of it.  Why am I still dating her? 

He sighed, rubbing her arm. Some questions were never really meant to be answered.  Might as well amuse her. "Kelly, before you die, most of the time you and your family do set funeral arrangements. You know, if you'll be buried or cremated, where will you be buried or scattered, and, of course, what you'll be wearing if you had a funeral."  He couldn't help the small smile that crept up as he said the last part.

"That's so depressing," Kelly sniffed.

"Kelly!" Ryan raised his arms up in defeat. "You brought it up! Listen, if you're so concerned about what you're going to wearing, maybe you should just be cremated."

"But I want a funeral. I want a casket in which strong, cute guys would carry it. Like Princess Diana's."

Ryan closed his eyes. He was imagining himself anywhere but there. He shook his head and opened his eyes. He didn't really know what to say. She was driving him crazy. He stammered, "Kelly, I... just... would you... I can't..." Ryan felt exasperated Sighing loudly, he stood up and walked toward the kitchen.

Toby had been at his desk the entire time. Unfortunately for him, he had heard the entire conversation and its aftermath. Usually, Toby didn't even hear Kelly anymore, but since Ryan had moved back there, he found himself paying a little bit more attention. Especially when their conversations were of the good kind. The romantic kind. Of course, this wasn't one of those. This was purely a case of Kelly being Kelly. In general, he felt weird asking for relationship advice from people; therefore, by eavesdropping, he could pick up some pointers without bothering anyone. Was it wrong? Maybe.  But Toby had listened to complaints from everyone, especially regarding various inter-office relationships, so why would this be any different? It wasn't like he was telling anyone about what he had heard. It was completely confidential.  Completely in his own head ...

"Toby?"

Kelly's voice made his hair on the back of his neck stand straight. He swiveled his chair around. "Yes, Kelly?"

Kelly came out from behind the cubicle wall. Her eyes had already dried up, and her cheeks were lined with dark streaks from her mascara running. She played with her hands as she approached him. "Um... will we be getting a new employee?"

Toby thought it was a strange question, especially given her previous conversation.  Then again, this was Kelly he was talking to. "Yes. Most likely."

"And you're in charge of hiring, correct?"

For some reason, Kelly was playing coy. Toby didn't like it. He felt himself getting into a trap. Regardless, he continued, nodding. Kelly glanced at the kitchen door, watching Ryan get some coffee. She looked back at Toby. "Would you make sure to hire men instead of women? And if you have to hire a woman, would you hire someone, like, in their fifties or sixties?"

Wow, Toby thought to himself.  He heard himself say "sure" before Kelly smiled and went back to her desk.  Never had he met someone so completely shallow and high-maintenance.

Strangely enough, she hadn't always been like that. Around two years and a half ago, she almost changed entirely from when he had first met her. She had once been quiet and shy. Now? Not so much. Toby pondered the complete turn-around.  What had happened?

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Karen got up from her chair and headed to the kitchen. Phyllis watched her go and sighed. Although she planned to work at Dunder-Mifflin until she retired, she knew that she might be very bored until that day arrived. Especially since neither Stanley, nor Karen ever really talked to her. In fact, very few of her co-workers talked to her unless she started the conversation. She knew that, even then, sometimes they would only respond because they wanted to amuse her. Like Pam. Yes, Pam seemed genuine in most of her talks with Phyllis, but there were times when the look in her eyes screamed that she wanted to be someplace else.

Have I overstayed my welcome? Phyllis had pondered this many times. It wasn’t like she actually needed to work. She and Bob were reasonably well to do, and she knew that they could live comfortably on his salary. It was surprising how well refrigerators sold in the area. Sure, Phyllis could quit, if she wanted to. But then what would she do? She and Bob had discussed having kids, or even just adopting. But the thought of being a mother overwhelmed her. Could I be a mother? Would I be a good mother? She glanced across her desk at Stanley.

A ten-letter word beginning with a "b" with a clue of "canine tracker." Stanley pondered for a moment. In the corner of his eye, he saw Phyllis looking at him. He glanced up at her. "Is there something you want?" He didn't mean to sound annoyed on purpose. Sometimes it just came out that way.

She shook her head. "You can go back to your puzzle."

Stanley noticed that she looked a bit sad. He sighed. "Do you want to help me with this word?" After he’d said it, he wished he could have taken it back, but the smile on Phyllis' face made him rethink that. "I take that as a ‘yes,’” he mumbled. He gave her the puzzle. "17, across."

She looked at it carefully. She mouthed a few letters, trying to spell out words. After a couple of minutes, she handed him back the puzzle. "The word is ‘bloodhound.’”

At first, Stanley didn't believe her. But after writing the word in, he realized she was correct. He nodded his head. "You're good, Phyllis." He knew that would make her day, especially after the funeral from the day before. It wasn't very often that Stanley enjoyed Phyllis' company, or anyone else's, for that matter, but he decided he wouldn't mind continuing this charade. He said, "Nine-letters, has a ‘l' as the fourth letter, and the clue is ‘Dublin-based carrier.’” He handed her the puzzle, which she accepted happily.

She did enjoy it when they did crossword puzzles together. It was a way for her to enter his world, one that few were privileged to enter. A world of begrudging discontentment. A world of crossword puzzles and matchbox cars. While thinking about the answer, she looked around the room. Most of her co-workers had their own little worlds outside of work. They could all be completely different than the bland or crazy selves that they were at the office from nine to five. She looked at the empty desk Pam and Jim were cleaning out. Yes, there were times when she'd thought that their late co-worker was strange and annoying; however, she found that did miss him. She remembered days when he would randomly start playing his guitar. One time, Phyllis had been so upset that she lost a long-time customer that she had retreated in the break room, crying. Apparently, he'd heard about it and came to her side to play, "Ain't No Sunshine." It was one of Phyllis' favorite songs, and it had instantly cheered her up.

"Phyllis, do you know the word?" Stanley's voice startled her back to the puzzle she was holding in her hand. She turned back to him and glanced at the paper. "I believe it's ‘Aerlingus'." She gave it back to him. "It's Ireland's national airline."

A sudden, monotone voice interrupted their conversation. "Excuse me, Phyllis."

Without looking to see who it was, she scooted her chair forward.

"Thanks." Dwight sat down. He had just come back from two sales calls. Pretty successful ones, too. He'd hoped to receive ‘Salesman of the Year' again, but after that being forced to quit and take on a short stint with Staples, Dwight felt that he needed time to bring himself up to speed again, and repair the damage he’d done to Dunder-Mifflin. He was surprised to not see Jim or Pam in front of him. He swiveled around to catch Karen coming back to her seat. "Where are Jim and Pam?"

Karen was slightly confused by his question but she answered him, nonetheless. "Over there." She pointed to the empty desk behind Meredith’s, near the window. Jim and Pam were sorting through the top drawers. He nodded and returned back to his computer. Karen rolled her eyes. She looked at her desk-mates, who were still doing the crossword puzzle together. I can't wait to get out of this hellhole. She closed her eyes for a moment and breathed in.

Dwight checked his e-mail to see if any of his new customers had sent him anything. They hadn’t, but he did find an e-mail from Angela. He was puzzled. She should know better, especially with Michael's ability to look at their e-mails. He didn't know whether or not to open it. He even thought about deleting it without reading it. But the subject got to him: Important, Dwight. He double-clicked on it. He read the short paragraph. His eyes grew larger.

He re-read it again. And again. And again. Each time, he hoped that it would have changed. But it didn't. He got up from his desk and went to the accounting.

Exasperated, he asked, "Where's Angela?" Oscar and Kevin just looked at him.

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Jim opened the next drawer. He immediately closed it again. "Woah!" He opened the window, fanning his hand in front of his face. Pam looked at him strangely, from where she was sitting on the floo.

"What's wrong with you?" She shuffled over to where Jim was but soon retreated, coughing. "I see you found the mung beans." There were no words to express the look on her face. She got up off the floor. "I'm going to get a trash bag and some Febreze."

"Sure thing, Pam." Jim couldn't help but let his eyes follow her until she was fully in the kitchen. He smiled. She can be so adorable.

"Nice, Big Tuna." Jim totally forgot that Andy was right in front of him. He looked at him. "Seriously, dude, if you weren't with Karen, I would have definitely put you and Pam together." Andy nodded and smiled.

Jim could only nod and smile back. If he only knew, he thought to himself.

Andy couldn't help by notice the hint of sadness in Jim's eyes.

Jim realized he was probably being transparent and quickly turned to look out the window. He wished that he could change so many things. He would have done them differently. Especially when it came to Pam.

"What are you thinking, Jim?"

"That I never transferred to Stamford," he responded without thinking. He soon realized who was talking to him. And it wasn't Andy. Oh, God.

Pam had exited from the kitchen with a plastic bag and some Febreze. However, before she got back to the desk, Andy intercepted her and urgently moved her in the other direction. "Andy, what are--?"

"You don't want to head that way, Pam. Trust me." He led her back around to the couch near at reception, and sat her down. From where she was sitting, she couldn't see what was going on, but her instincts told her to look over at Karen's desk. It was empty. With Andy pulling her aside so quickly, she knew something was up. 

"Andy?  What’s going on?"

"I didn't want you in the ring of fire, my lady." He put his hands on his hips and smiled warmly at Pam. 

She smiled back, still confused. Did Jim tell him anything? What was going on with Jim and Karen?  She searched Andy’s face, looking for clues, but her attention on him faded when she saw Angela come through the door.

Angela had been on a walk. To where, she didn't know. She just needed to walk. To get some fresh air. To just get out of the office. This isn't how this was supposed to go. As soon as she got back into the office, she saw Pam sitting on the couch near the door. Pam was the only person in the office that she believed she could confide in right now.

"Angela?" Pam stood up and handed the trash bag and Febreze to Andy. She glanced over at Andy and gave him a look, who, amazingly, seemed to understand and left.

Angela walked up to Pam and sighed. She had been crying for the entire walk, so her eyes were still red. She stood there, looking at Pam and then back down at her hands. She felt a knot in her stomach. She felt her whole world was collapsing on her. Everything was changing. She was entering a realm that she knew nothing about.

"Angela." His voice broke in suddenly, like knives piercing her body. She couldn't deal with him right now. She needed to vent.  To Pam.  Not him. Without acknowledging him, she grabbed Pam's hand and headed towards the door.

Why was she doing this?  Dwight stood there. His frustration was building up inside him. "Angela!" he called out.  Everyone was staring, but it didn't matter. Right now, it was just about him and her.

"Dwight..." she whispered to herself.  She whipped around, still holding Pam's hand.  At first, she couldn't look at him, but she knew she had to.  Their eyes met.  Emotions like confusion, frustration, sadness, all spilled out of her.  She felt tears welling up in her eyes again.  After a few silent moments, she was able to muster, "I'm sorry, Dwight." She then headed quickly out the door with Pam still attached. She couldn't let him see her cry. That would hurt him even more.

Dwight stood there, not knowing what to do. Her e-mail ran through his brain:

My Dearest Dwight, over the past couple of days, I've been thinking. I've reconsidered everything, everything about us. We're not meant to be. I don't think we ever were. I'm sorry if I might have led you on. I hope we can continue our professional relationship. Cordially yours, Angela 

And with that, it was over. Yesterday, they had been on the morbid conversation of gravesite weddings. It would be quiet, and peaceful, and there would only be a handful of people attending. He had said that his family traditionally held the weddings in their graves. She had said that she would prefer a church. He had looked down at her and said that family traditions could be altered sometimes. His family and their traditions meant a lot to him, so the fact that he was willing to do something against those. For her... She knew it had meant something. Which is why her e-mail had stung him so bad. He loved her. They had been together for almost two years. However, he had never actually told her that he loved her. Because that would have been silly and crass, right?  On the other hand, if I had, then she might not have ended this. I'm such an idiot.

Michael had stepped out of his office when he heard Dwight yelling, but he didn't move from his spot in front of the doorway. He noticed that Dwight seemed visibly shaken and he didn't know why. Everyone else in the office seemed to  notice it, too.

Jim was still going through Creed’s old desk while Karen continued to berate him. He was doing everything to drown her out. He had just pulled out a simple leather book when Dwight’s yelling had caught his attention. Jim knew he had to find out what was going on. .  Jim left the book on the desk and walked away.  Karen breathed in deeply, uncrossing her arms.  “Don't think this conversation is over yet,” she called out to him as she watched he and Michael bring Dwight into Michael's office.

After a few more moments, the office was back to the way it was.

"What is that?"

Karen looked at Andy and what he was pointing at: the leather book. She picked it up and opened it. Andy came behind her and glanced over her shoulder. They were both shocked at the title page:

The Secrets of My Co-Workers They Thought No One Else Knew

Not missing a beat, Karen immediately started flipping through, looking for Jim's entry.

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"Stop." Andy grabbed Karen's hand. They were on Phyllis' section. They both read the page. It was dated 16 years ago.

When Phyllis first started, she was very happy and joyful. However, she was soon getting depressed. She was distracted and always eating. I always related the eating to the depression. Her outfits as well. Baggy clothes all the time. Then, for a month, she left. When Phyllis returned, she was still depressed but it seemed like it was because of something else than previously. I overheard a phone call she made. She was checking up on someone named "Lilly." A baby girl, apparently..

Andy and Karen glanced at Phyllis who was still helping Stanley with his crossword puzzle. They figured out what Phyllis' secret was. She had been pregnant and had given her daughter up for adoption. Karen smiled, sadly. "That's why she's so motherly sometimes..."

Andy nodded in agreement. Yes, he and Phyllis weren't exactly best friends, but she had been welcoming when he had returned from anger management training.

"I wonder if Bob Vance knows."

Andy looked at Karen. She's not thinking of meddling in this.

Karen noticed his look. "What? It's just a simple question."

"Don't you dare, Karen."

"Andy, you've known me longer than anyone else here in this office. Do you seriously--?"

"Karen, your phone is ringing," a voice called out, interrupting them.  Karen glanced over at Phyllis. She smiled and put the book down, heading over towards her desk.

Andy watched her as she went back to her desk. Yes, he did know her. But did Creed know her? he wondered.  He picked up the book and quickly flipped through to find Karen's section. It was dated two weeks ago:

The new Italian chick thinks I'm deaf. I'm sitting in the break room eating my soup. She comes barging in with her cell phone. She closed all the doors. She was talking to someone named Josh and he worked at Staples. She kept asking about positions for her and her boyfriend. She was stating how much she hated it here in Scranton and that she couldn't wait to leave the miserable place and all the people here. She said that we were pitiful and stupid and she didn't see what Jim saw. Especially in Michael. She finally looked at me. She just smiled and left.

Andy couldn't believe what he was reading. The cold-hearted bitch. He tucked the book in his coat and decided to bring this matter to Michael. And Jim. Especially Jim. He has to know what Karen is planning. He started walking, but decided to take the long way around to avoid Karen's desk.

Karen was still on the phone when she saw Andy glance at her. She knew, instinctively, that Andy must have found her ‘secret.' Whatever it was. The old man had nothing on me. I barely talked to him. I mean...

Her heart stopped. She suddenly remembered the day when Josh had called her at work. In the break room. With Creed there. Shit! Her mind was racing and she couldn't concentrate on her client anymore. Her eyes widened when she saw Andy heading around the around towards Michael's office.

"Karen, are you all right?" Phyllis saw how Karen's face had suddenly become pale.

Karen didn't answer. She muttered something into the receiver and hung up the phone.

Andy stood in front of Michael's door. After a pause, he glanced at Karen who was giving him a death glare. She knows. He knocked. He heard movement.

"Andy, would you come over here, please?" Karen's voice was stern and angry. There was no way was he going to her. He prayed that the door would open soon.

"Andy." Her voice was louder now. He tried the knob and it wouldn't turn. Jim, Michael, someone please open the fucking door!

"Andrew Edward Bernard!" Karen was standing now. Once again, everyone was staring. Andy looked at her. She was seething. She started towards him when Jim opened the door.

"What is going on out--?"

"I think you should read this, Jim," Andy blurted out, shoving the book into his hands.  It was opened to Karen's section. The entire time, Andy stared at Karen. She had stopped, in mid-stride. She let out a deep breath.

Jim read the entry. He looked up at Andy and then at Karen. He shook his head in disgust.  "I ... don't know what to say, Karen."  Jim breathed out slowly, looking down at the book again.  He flipped forward to the front of the book, mouthing the title to himself:  "'The Secrets of My Co-Workers ...'"  He trailed off, looking up at Karen again.

"Jim, I can explain..." She was pleading.

"There's nothing to explain." He wasn't going to take it. Not this time. All the times she had complained to him about Scranton, and about the branch... This was his home. This was his family. This was the last straw.

Karen knew it was over. However, if she was going down, she was going to take someone down with her. She looked back at Phyllis. "So," she said, her mouth turning up into a sick smile.  "How's Lilly? Have you heard anything from her, Phyllis?  She should be around 16 years old now, right?"

Andy's mouth dropped. I can't believe that you just did that. He saw Phyllis' face.

She was biting her bottom lip. She was grasping her chair arms. That was her secret. The daughter that she had given up for adoption. Bob didn't even know about Lilly. It was in her past. The past she had wanted to forget. She had been young and naïve. She hadn't known she was pregnant when she'd started. All the emotions started to swell up inside. Those very dark days. Phyllis looked up at Karen. That bitch. She glared at the younger woman.

Karen was unafraid of Phyllis, or anyone else in that God-forsaken office. She knew she was on her way out, so what did it matter? "What, Phyllis? Would your daughter be disappointed to know that her--"

Slap. Phyllis had lunged from her chair and slapped Karen. It was so quick that it took both women a moment to realize what had happened. Phyllis was finally able to muster, "How dare you? You -- you have no idea what I went through, and for you, of all people, to bring up that pain. How dare you!"

Karen held onto her left cheek. At that moment, she knew that she had snapped. This wasn't her. She wasn't the kind of person who just hurt people who had done absolutely nothing to her. She whispered, "I'm sorry." She glanced at Michael's office doorway. Andy was still standing there with Jim. Michael and Dwight had joined them from behind. The book. It was still in Jim's hands. She ran and grabbed it. The men protested, especially Andy. He knew what her next action was going to be.

"Karen, I think that you should just put that down," Jim said. Walking backwards, she flipped past Meredith's section.

"It does more damage than good," Andy shouted to her.

 Kelly's section...

 Toby's section...

"It should be destroyed," Dwight piped up. Karen was already by the accounting area when she reached Andy's section. It was written a month ago, pretty much around the time he had gotten back from anger management. Her eyes wandered the page. She couldn't believe it. She glanced at Kevin.

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Kevin and Oscar had been discussing what Angela's problem could be. She, of course, refused to tell them what it was. After the crying-hugfest, the two men had gone back to their chairs, not really knowing what to do next. Angela, on the other hand, had started typing what seemed like a letter, or maybe an e-mail.  Kevin, as he could see her face better than Oscar, had noticed that she was trying not to cry. After a few moments, she looked at Oscar and quietly said, "I'm going for a walk. I'll be back in ten minutes."  Just like that, she had left.

When had Dwight shouted out Angela's name, the two other accountants suddenly realized. They should have seen the signs before. Oscar had even smacked his forehead when it dawned on him. After all of that had settled, the two were still left alone in their little corner.

"Andrew Edward Bernard!" Karen's shouting had interrupted Kevin and Oscar's conversation. They looked over to watch the drama unfold. They couldn't believe what they were hearing and seeing -- especially Phyllis slapping Karen. Then, the entire situation turned for worse when Karen grabbed the book and walked backwards from reception, towards them. She was up against the door between Meredith's desk and the accounting corner.

Karen let out a small gasp when she finally read the page.

So, the new guy apparently returned. The one that punched the wall. I didn't even realize he was gone. I thought he was just moved to the back with Toby and that Indian girl. Anyways, Michael put him in my corner where the black guy used to sit and Devon before him and Kathryn before him and Richard and Greg and Ben and Stephen and Burke. The new guy introduced himself to me but I've already forgot. He's a non-stop talker. I don't mind really. He was telling me of this psychiatrist at angry management that he was made to go to. She was hot, apparently. Some blond chick. I prefer brunettes. He said that they flirted and made-out. But then he ended it when found out that she was engaged to one of the accountants here. I think he means Keith. He asked me keep this between the two of us. And to be honest, I would probably forget about it.

Karen glanced at Kevin. Andy's going to pay for what he did, she thought. "Andy had a fling with your fiancée," she announced to Kevin.

Kevin stood up, looking over at Andy. "Stacey?" His voice didn't go up this time. His voice actually had an angry undertone. "You slept with my fiancée?"

"I didn't sleep with her!" Andy shook his head. "We kissed. That's all. As soon as I realized that she was your fiancée, I-"

"You're the reason why we've been having problems!"

Oscar had never seen Kevin so angry. He saw that Kevin had his fist gripped.

Andy held his hands up defensively. "Kevin, I'm sorry. I didn't know who she was. "

Kevin stalked closer, towards Andy.  Oscar jumped up from his chair and grabbed Kevin's arm from behind. "Don't do this, man. He's not worth it..."

"Oscar, let me deal with this."

Oscar moved so that he was between Kevin and Andy. "Kev, think about this, okay? Andy has never met Stacey. He wouldn't have known what she looks like. He ended it as soon as he found out who she was."

Kevin glared at Oscar. "She's my fiancée!"

Andy replied back to Kevin, "I didn't even know that she was engaged."

"Kind-of like how Jim didn't know Pam was engaged when he made out with her?" Karen snapped.

Everyone suddenly focused their attention back towards Karen. Jim's eyes widened. He opened his mouth to protest, but then she started to read the entry out loud. 

"Last night, I was going through the kitchen, trying to find something to put in my new fridge when I saw one of the camera guys enter in. He told me to turn off the lights. For some reason, he just waited by the door with the camera. I didn't pay any more attention and continued with what I was doing. Then, I heard a female voice. I looked over. It was the pretty receptionist. She was on the phone. I walked closer and saw that Jim had entered the room. She hung up the phone. Then, he kissed her. Made-out with her is probably the best description. And here I thought she was engaged to the burly warehouse fellow."

Karen looked at Jim. "Hmm.  Seemed like you left out some information when you told me the story."

"Well, no one in this office is a saint, not even me, Karen," Jim replied forcefully. This entire day had gone to hell. Everyone was against everyone else and now there was no way that any of it could be simply swept under the rug.

"Give me the book, Karen." Everyone turned to look at Michael. He had been quiet the entire time, but apparently, he'd had enough. He walked out of his office's doorway and stood there with his hand outstretched. "Karen," he said seriously.

Like a little girl who had just been scolded, Karen bit her bottom lip as she slowly walked up to Michael and gave him the book. She could barely look into his eyes.

Michael looked down at the journal. He ran his fingers across the leather-bound cover. He looked back up to Karen. "I think you should go tell Toby that you have resigned from your position."

She opened her mouth to say something but immediately closed it again. She knew that her quitting would be better than her being fired. She nodded slowly and walked to the annex.

"What about Andy, Michael?" Andy looked at Kevin, who was still clearly upset. Jim walked up from behind and put his hand on Kevin's shoulder. Kevin quickly shrugged the hand off. He glared at Jim. "Don't touch me. You're as bad as him."

Jim was in shock. He knew that it was true. Kevin was in Roy's shoes. "Kev..." He stopped. There were words to help the situation. He looked at Andy. "I'm worse than Andy. He didn't know. I did." He looked at the floor.

Silence. Looks went around the room. No one knew what else to do or say. Dwight glanced at Michael. He was fiddled with the book in his hand.

"What's going on in here?" Toby and Karen entered the room. Kelly and Ryan soon followed.

Stanley looked at him, sighing. "Tension and drama.  What else is new?"

"What's this book of secrets that Karen was talking about?" asked Kelly. Of course, she would be curious.

"A journal that Creed kept with secrets of everyone in this office. Even Toby." Michael didn't even look up, as he was engrossed at Toby's entry. It was dated April 2006.

I live in the office most of the week and sometimes I go through people's desks. So, in Toby's desk, I found letters to publishers toting a tell-all book of a HR representative. Apparently, the book is about everyone in the office and the complaints that Toby has received since he's been here. He plans on publishing it under the pen name, Gary Scarn.

Michael looked up at Toby. "'Gary Scarn'? What made you think of that name?"

Toby knew what was written. He knew that he could be fired as well. It was a breach of confidentiality -- not that that wasn't already broken when Michael read all the complaints from the HR files out loud last year in his bid to show off his ‘conflict resolution' skills.  That had ended in disaster, just like this was likely to.

"Was it ‘Gary Scarn' or ‘Michael Scarn'?" Ryan quietly asked Kelly. However, because of the deafening silence, it was as clear as if he'd spoken normally.

"What was that, Ryan?" Michael looked quizzically at the younger man. "Did you say ‘Michael Scarn?' How do you know about that?"

"We read the screenplay while you were gone one day, Michael," Dwight answered. Jim smiled slightly to the fact that Dwight had said "we" and not "they." He wasn't jumping ship, not this time.

"You all what?" Michael couldn't believe it. That was private. No one was supposed to read that. He erratically shook his head as he flipped through the journal.

"Michael, don't."

"Shut up, Jim. I'm the boss." He stopped flipping suddenly and stared at Stanley's page. Yes, Stanley was unhappy and disgruntled, but he did have his happy moments. After reading the entry, Michael realized why Stanley had the matchbox cars and why he always did crossword puzzles. The entry was three years ago.

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Angela stared at the coffee in her hands. She looked so depressed. She and Pam had gone to the nearby coffee shop but after getting their drinks, they came back to the office, only to sit outside in the hallway. Pam decided to let Angela initiate the conversation, but to this point, nothing had really been said between the two women. Pam glanced at the blonde next to her and then at the Dunder-Mifflin door.

"Pam," Angela quietly said. Pam turned back to Angela, who looked at her. "I'm sorry for pulling you into this."

"No. Angela, don't be. I'll always be there for you," Pam smiled.

Angela nodded. She still didn't want to talk, but she knew that she had to. She couldn't keep it bottled up inside. And she trusted Pam. She knew Pam could keep a secret. She sighed, deeply. "I ended my relationship with Dwight."

"I thought as much," Pam admitted. "He seemed pretty distraught about it. He didn't know it was coming, did he?"

"No. And I didn't end it because of him." She looked up at the ceiling and closed her eyes. She softly added, "It was because of me."

Pam was confused. She knew that Angela would never cheat on Dwight and that their relationship had been going on strong. Pam even had to admit that the two were actually pretty good for each other. What was the problem, then? "Did you not like him enough?" Pam decided to ask after a few moments.

Angela looked at the other woman and smiled slightly, "On the contrary, I loved him. I still love him."

"Then why did you end it?"

Angela looked at the floor. I might as well tell her now, she thought. "I went for an appointment at my OB-GYN yesterday morning. Daily routine check-up. However, when I got back home from the funeral, I had a voicemail from my doctor saying that I needed to call her immediately."

"Angela, are you pregnant?"

Angela sniffled. She took hold of Pam's hand. "Let me finish first."

Pam nodded.

"Anyway, it was too late to call back, so I called this morning before coming in work. She wasn't in yet but her nurse said she would call me at the office as soon as she could. I was nervous the entire morning. Even Kevin and Oscar noticed, and those two don't notice anything." She was able to curl her lips into a small smile. Pam responded with a smile in return.

"Andrew Edward Bernard!"

The two stared at the Dunder-Mifflin door. They paused, trying to listen intently at what was going on inside. They heard Phyllis yelling and even Kevin starting to raise his voice--? After a while, it was quiet again.

Pam focused her attention back at Angela. She gently stroked Angela's hand as it was slightly shaking. Angela looked into Pam's eyes and decided to continue her story. "While I was gone at one point of the morning, Oscar had answered my phone. It was Dr. Hughes. Of course, I got upset at Oscar when I found out that he had answered my phone, but I think I turned pale when I heard that it was my doctor. To make a long story short, she told me that my ultrasound test wasn't properly looked over when I was still there, and apparently, I have a small mass in my uterus. She said that it could be a cyst or a tumor. I would have to go in for more tests."

"Angela, I'm so sorry to hear that."

"Pam, it could be cancerous." She held back tears. "And even if it's just a cyst or a benign tumor, there are still chances that I can't have children." She bit her lower lip and added, sincerely, "Dwight deserves to have children of his own and with me, he probably can't. That's why I let him go."

Pam couldn't believe what she was hearing. She couldn't help to tear up at the fact that these two were so selfless sometimes in their relationship. Dwight, who had quit because Angela had begged him to not reveal their relationship and now, this, with Angela. She couldn't stand to see the two really be apart. "Angela, maybe you should talk to Dwight about this. I mean, he-"

"No. He would just be worried and I don't want him to be. This is my problem, and mine alone."

"But he loves you, Angela. Even if you two aren't together, he will still care about you."

Angela started to tear up again. "I don't think I can, Pam. It would break his heart, no matter what I say or do. It would be better if he just never found out."

"Angela, if-" A commotion was coming from their office. Seconds later, the door swung opened and Stanley walked out, angrily, with the journal in his hand.

"Michael, I'm going outside to destroy this vile book!"

"Stanley!" Michael sprinted in front of the older man, stopping him. "Here, let me destroy it."

"No! You never accomplish any task given to you and there is no way in hell that this--" he waved the journal, "--should not be destroyed right now." Stanley tried to side-step Michael, but instead Michael was able to grab the book in the process.

He noticed Pam and Angela sitting on the floor. "Here. Pam, catch!" He tossed it over quickly before Stanley could grab it. Pam stared down at the leather-covered journal. As Stanley was trying to turn, Michael held him from behind.

Angela looked, puzzlingly, at the book. "What is this?"

"It's Pandora's Box and should never be opened again."

Pam and Angela looked at Jim, who had suddenly appeared in the doorway. He looked as though he'd been to Hell and back.

"Michael, let go of me!" Stanley angrily yelled.

Michael let go immediately. He had just thought that Stanley might actually enjoy some rough-play, especially after reading his entry:

It was early in the morning when Stanley walked in. He thought that only Michael, Jim, and the receptionist were there in the front, but I was there, too. I noticed him take a few of his cars and go back into the break room. I followed him, curious, and saw him start to play with the cars on one of the tables. He was grinning the entire time. (I don't think I've ever seen him smile that much, except for maybe on pretzel day. But who wouldn't smile about free food?) Anyway, after a moment, he became sad. "I would have named him, Cody," he said to himself. He continued talking to himself about things like playing cars and doing crossword puzzles like his dad did with him and how he just does these by himself since he has no son to join him. He finally noticed me and said, "My first wife didn't want to have any more kids after Melissa and Susana. We divorced because of it. All I ever wanted was a son." I just nodded. He then waved his hand, "Go away, Creed, and don't mention this to anyone."

"I just thought you might enjoy some man-to-man bonding, Stanley," Michael said sincerely. "I'll be your son if-"

"No, Michael!" Stanley sighed after realizing that Michael was only trying to help. "It's fine. I'm fine. I've dealt with the fact of the matter many years ago. Don't worry." He looked at Pam who had gotten up from the floor. "You have to destroy that book," he said, handing it over to her.

For some reason, Angela became curious and when she got up off the floor, she asked, "Does everyone have a secret in here?"

Jim looked at her. He knew what she could be thinking. She wanted to see either her secret or Dwight's. "Probably," he said. "I mean-"

"You have to get back in here! It's chaos!" Dwight shouted from the office inner hallway. Everyone hurried back into the office, except for Angela. Dwight lingered in the hallway, looking at her. "Are you okay?"

Angela knew that she couldn't keep the secret from Dwight. If this journal had somehow contained this one, and Dwight had heard about it second-hand, he would be devastated. She couldn't do that do him; it had to directly come from her. She walked forward and grabbed his hand. She could hear all the yelling from inside, but pulled him over to where Pam and she had been sitting earlier.

She breathed in and looked him in the eye. It all came out in one breath: "I might not be able to have children. I received a doctor's call today, saying that I have a mass in my uterus and it could be cancerous, it could be benign, or it could be a cyst. It's unknown right now. But because of its size, it might not allow me to bear children." She could see the tears starting to swell up in his eyes, only to have her vision fogged by her own. She let go of his hand and turned away. She quietly added, "I'm sorry that I'm too weak. That's why I broke up with you. You deserve better than me."

"There's no one better than you." She turned around to look at him. His voice was so sincere and so emotional. He smiled. "I love you, Angela Noelle Martin."

She smiled back. "And I love you, Dwight Kurt Schrute."

Then, he did something she never would have expected: he got down on his knee.

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Oscar was trying to stop a fight between Kevin and Andy."Guys, c'mon, stop it!"

"At least I graduated college!" Andy spouted.

"Yeah, stupid Cornell! Where did that get you? Oh, right, the same place where I am, even though I only went to community college. Hmmm..."

Of course, that only riled Andy up more. "Don't you dare diss my alma mater!" He lunged at Kevin. Oscar tried holding Andy back, but Kevin also reacted and now Oscar was squished between the two. Expletives and fists were thrown, but luckily, none of the punches connected.

Meanwhile, Phyllis was giving a mouthful to Toby about the tell-all book he was going to write. "Toby, you're supposed to keep all of those discussions between you and us! I shared that information in confidence," she glared at him.

"Do you really think everyone doesn't know your business already?" Toby mumbled. "We've had cameras following us around for three years."

"Yes, but I chose what I told them! What I told you was supposed to be private. I can't believe you'd do something like this. "

In the other side of the room, Karen and Meredith were arguing. "No wonder your son hates you. He has to deal with a drunk every single day!"

"Well, you're not too perfect yourself there, Miss I-wear-my-shirt-two-sizes-too-small-to-make-it-seem-like-I-have-boobs!"

"At least I have a fashion sense!"

"Fashion sense?" Meredith scoffed. "Yeah, right -- of a guy!"

"Stop this!" Everyone turned to look at Michael. Ryan suddenly noticed that Pam was holding the book. He went and grabbed it, despite a few protests.

"Ryan, stop!" Kelly cried out. She knew what the secret was going to be, and that once he read it, he'd break up with her on the spot. She wrung her hands as she watched him read.

So, I caught the Indian girl talking to the boom guy again. I think she really likes him. The hot mama has been pulling off some really nice outfits lately. Every once in a while she visits the new guy who sits behind me. I wonder if he knows that she's just flirting with him to make the boom guy jealous.

"I can't believe you, Kelly!" Ryan shouted at her. "You used me, just to get Ben jealous?" He turned to go back to the annex.

"Ryan, it's not like that!" Kelly grabbed his arm. She was already in tears.

"Enough!" Jim yelled. "Ryan, give me the journal." Begrudgingly, Ryan handed it over.

Jim looked down at the journal. He shook his head and then looked up at everyone. "This--" he held it up, "--has destroyed everything in this office. It has destroyed relationships, friendships, and even, lives. I don't think that Creed ever meant for others to find it. This journal was his own secret -- that he was able to capture ours. Some of us, like Andy and Stanley, knew that he knew and that he didn't tell anyone. He took those secrets to his grave. Others, like Phyllis and me, had no clue that Creed knew what he did. Yeah, maybe Creed was mysterious and secretive in his own right, but in turn, some of his own mysteries and secrets were our own. And, yes, it's going to take a while for everyone here to trust each other again, but-"

"Fire Andy!"

"Kevin." Oscar looked at his friend. "I really think you should give him the benefit of a doubt, here. I mean, he honestly didn't know. There was no way to."

Kevin looked at Andy. "You swear that you didn't know that she was my fiancée?"

"I swear. And as soon as I did, I backed down and told her that it was wrong and that she needed to talk to you. Honest."

Kevin knew that Andy was being sincere; however, there was a ping of uncertainty, so Kevin just nodded his head.

Jim sighed. He looked at Kelly and Ryan. "Do you two think you can talk civilly about your situation?"

Kelly looked at Ryan with her tear-stained, mascara-ran face. Ryan knew that he should at least get her side of the story. He bit his bottom lip and said, quietly, "Yeah. We can talk." The twinkle in his eye gave Kelly a small glimmer of hope for their relationship.

Jim looked at Toby. "Toby?"

"I'll call the publisher and tell them the deal is off."

"I think that that would be best."

Jim turned to Phyllis. "I'm terribly sorry about your daughter. I hope everyone will agree never to speak of the whole subject again."

"I hope so, too." She crossed her arms and glared at Karen. She sighed and added, "But at least now I can tell Bobby about her."

Jim looked at Karen. He really didn't know what to do with her. He glanced at Michael who was standing next to Pam. Michael looked at Karen and asked, "Did you tell Toby that you resigned, Karen?" She nodded. "So, would you have a job at Staples then with Josh?"

She looked at Jim and then at Michael. "I don't know. The circumstances were if Jim came along, too. But I can-"

"Stay." Everyone looked at Michael, shockingly. "Yes, you all heard me correctly. I'm asking Karen to stay. This entire day has been a mess and I feel that any consequences that have come out of it should be dealt with right here, and nowhere else. Families stick together." He smiled slightly at Karen. "Even black sheep."

Karen nodded and caught Phyllis' eye. "Phyllis, I am really sorry. I never meant-"

Phyllis cut her off with a slight wave of her hand. Karen decided not to bring it up again.

Michael announced, "OK, everyone -- continue on and work out everything amongst yourselves." He turned to Jim, and in a low voice said, "I think I'm going to take a nap in my office." Then, Michael noticed Stanley still lingering. He cleared his throat. "Stanley, why don't you show me some of your Matchbox cars? Jeff ... never really wanted to play with me when I was a kid, and..."

Surprisingly, a genuine smile spread across Stanley's face. "I'll be right in."

"Jim." Karen grabbed his hand. For a moment, he wanted to pull away, but the tone of her voice wanted him to listen. He turned to look at her. "Listen, I'm really sorry about everything."

He sighed. "I'm sorry, too, Filippelli." He gave her a small smile and let go of her hand. He walked away and plopped himself down on the couch. He closed his eyes. He felt like someone had literally put him through a wringer. He turned onto his side, his legs dangling off the edge of the couch.

Pam stood in front of her desk, gazing at him. He seemed so exhausted. She titled her head slightly and smiled as she watched him put his arm on top of his eyes.

 "You should kiss him."

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Pam looked at Karen, shocked. "What?"

"It would be funny. He likes you, Pam."

Karen's smile warmed Pam's heart. As soon as Karen walked away, Pam headed toward the couch. The journal was lying on the floor next to him. She picked it up and placed it in the locked bottom drawer of the file cabinets behind her desk. She hoped it would be safe in there - for the time being. She sighed. If only Creed had known what was going to happen... She walked back towards the couch, and stared silently at the figure draped across the blue cushions.

The entire mayhem was driving Jim into having a major headache. He was lost in his thoughts until he felt a pair of lips on his own. After the short kiss, he opened his eyes slowly. There was Pam just staring at him with a mischievous smile. "Beesly, what was that for?"

"I don't know. You seemed to be having a rough day and I figured that-"

He reached over and kissed her. After a few moments, they broke the kiss again. She looked at him. "And what was that for?"

"To stop you from babbling." He smiled while she hit him playfully in the arm. The two continued to look into each other's eyes. No other words were needed. Jim picked up Pam off her knees and placed her on his lap. Over the span of half an hour, they talked about what had happened. "I can't believe that Creed knew about that kiss," Jim said, looking at her with a smile.

"I know!" Pam chuckled. "Apparently, he knew about a lot of things." Pam ran her fingers through his hair.

"Yeah. So, I know that Angela's and Dwight's secret is out, too. Dwight was so..." Jim paused and looked around. "Where are those two?"

"I don't know. The last time I saw them was about an hour ago when Dwight called us back in here. I don't think either one came in."

Jim looked over at the main office door and said, "They might be still in the hallway."

Pam got up first and Jim followed. No one was in the hallway.

"They just ran off like that without telling anyone?" Jim asked.

Pam was actually a bit worried, considering what Angela had told her. "They probably have their reasons. I mean, they-"

At that moment, the elevator door rang and Dwight and Angela stepped out. They were smiling and laughing together, but stopped short when they noticed Jim and Pam in front of them. The four of them stared at each other for several seconds, unsure of what to say.

Dwight noticed Jim holding Pam's hand. He looked at Jim, and smirked. "So, when would our first double date be?"

After a few moments passed to digest the question, Jim laughed. "Name place and time, buddy."

"How about tonight? So that we can celebrate." Dwight really couldn't contain the happiness inside.

Pam looked at Angela. "Celebrate what?"

Angela raised her left hand. "Our engagement."

Jim and Pam looked shocked and happy at the same time. "Wow, congratulations," Jim said, reaching out to shake hands and exchange a hug. Pam reached out to hug Angela. She was surprised how genuinely happy she felt for both of them. "I'm so happy for you," Pam said as she went to hug Dwight as well. She knew that Angela had told Dwight about her problem, against all her fears, but he still proposed. Apparently, some consequences weren't always bad, Pam thought. She looked at Angela's beautiful ring.

"We just got back from both of our parents' places," Angela gushed. "Normally, Daddy would be upset that he and Mother weren't asked first, but he saw how happy I was, of course, they gave their blessings. And at Dwight's parents', his mother gave him this ring to give to me." She held out her hand again to show them. "It's his great-grandmother's. From Germany."

Jim and Pam instantly exchanged a look. The same thought ran through both their heads, but neither was going to say it. Nonetheless, the ring was beautiful.

"Jim, I have a favor to ask you." Dwight interrupted Jim's thoughts. Dwight's expression had become serious.

"Sure, Dwight, anything."

"Would you be my best man? I would ask Mose, but he's terrible at speeches and actually doing things, and I don't want anything to go wrong. Weddings are very important to Schrutes."

Jim was speechless for a moment as he processed the request in his head. He then nodded. "I would be honored, Dwight. Thank you." After a small pause, Jim added. "Would this by any chance be in a graveyard?"

Dwight's expression changed again. "Do not mock Schrute tradition. However, that decision is being left for my bride."

Angela looked at Dwight. "I plan on making a pro-and-con list based on our conversation yesterday and any other information." She turned to Pam and took Pam's hands into her. "You probably already know what I'm going to ask you."

Pam smiled, ducking her head down.

"Would you like to take Ash?" Angela asked.

Pam's head shot up to look at her, unable to keep her face from falling. "Your kitten? Angela, um, I-"

"I'm joking!" Angela smiled. "He was already taken."

Pam felt as confused as ever. That woman really needed to work on her sense of humor, she thought.

"Pam, I would love for you to be my maid-of-honor. You've been really great in helping me and Dwight in our relationship and it's my way of saying ‘Thank you.'"

Pam felt tears spring to her eyes. She wasn't able to get any words out, but did manage a little head jiggle. The two embraced.

"Wow! That's hot." The four of them turned to see Michael in the doorway. "See, Dwight?" he said, poking Dwight in the arm. "I told you Angela could be a gay woman." Dwight just looked at him, and Jim tried to hold back his laughter. "I have to say, though," Michael continued, "I didn't expect that from Pam... wow... well, Angela is better looking that the blow-up doll..."

Jim learned over towards Dwight. "So, seriously, how long can you keep this secret?"

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"Jim."

Jim turned around to see Michael hiding behind the tree, motioning for him to come over.

"What's up, Michael?"

"Pam told me that Angela said I can't make a speech at the reception."

"Um, well ... after your speech at Phyllis' wedding..." Jim couldn't help but smile.

"I know. But I learned from my mistake. Here -- I even wrote it down." Michael took out a note card from his suit pocket. Jim looked from the card to Michael. He noticed the sadness in Michael's eyes. It was Dwight's wedding. Jim sighed.

"Let me go talk to Angela for you." He smiled at Michael. "I know that it would mean a lot for you to say a few words."

"It would mean a lot. Besides, Jan told me that I should get some ideas from a bridal magazine and then customize it. And I did. It's good. I promise. Tell Angela that."

Jim nodded and walked away. The wedding wasn't at a church or a graveyard, but in a garden, at The Inne of the Abingtons, in nearby Dalton.

It had been almost a year since Dwight proposed. So many things had happened since then. Karen had transferred to New York to work for corporate. Phyllis finally saw Lilly again. Ryan was offered Creed's job, which he took after realizing being a salesman wasn't his forte. Kevin and Stacey ended their relationship after they talked about her affair with Andy. Jim and Pam were still together. And Jim - well, he planned to pop the question the next weekend. Overall, things were good, as long as the wedding went off without a hitch. No one dared to ruin Angela's wedding.

Jim knocked on the door of the dressing room.

"Who is it?"

"It's Jim. I have a question for Angela."

Slowly, the door opened and Pam peeked her head out. "She's really not in the right mood."

"Well, would you try to get her to reconsider Michael giving a speech?"

At that moment, the door flew wide open. There, in a changing robe, Angela stood with her lips tightly pressed together and her left eyebrow rose, as if saying: "What?"

Jim cleared his throat. "Angela, you know this is a big day for Michael, and--"

"Listen, Jim. It's a big day for me, too, and I don't want it ruined with some cockamamie story from Michael, probably saying something about how he thought I was a lesbian or something." She frowned deeply at Jim.

"Think about Dwight. It would mean the world to him." Jim gave her a small smile.

Angela tapped her foot, pondering the consequences of having Michael give a speech. She looked from Jim to Pam. "If and when you and Jim get married, would you allow Michael to give a speech?"

Pam really didn't know what to say. She looked at Jim, pleading for help, but he just dropped his gaze to the ground in order to stay out of it. Pam played with the fabric of her dress and after a few more seconds, she nodded, slowly. She glanced back up at Angela.

The blonde sighed and looked back at Jim. "Well, I suppose it would make Dwight happy..."

Jim looked back up. "So, is that a ‘yes'?"

Angela shot him a death glare. "If he screws this up, it's on your head." With that, she left the doorway.

Still standing there, Pam whispered to Jim, "I'm hoping that when we get married, Michael would have already gotten all these speeches out of his system."

Jim smiled at the fact that she said ‘when.' He gave her a kiss on the forehead. "I doubt he'll ever get anything out of his system."

"Pam!" Angela yelled from inside.

Pam rolled her eyes. "I'm kind of regretting accepting the position of maid-of-honor. " She gave him a kiss on the lips. "I'll see you later."

After the door closed, Jim couldn't help but smile. At least Dwight wasn't as demanding, he thought.

"Jim! There you are!" Jim looked at Mose walking down the hallway. Jim was considering that maybe he'd spoken too soon.

"Is something wrong, Mose?"

"I can't find Dwight!"

Jim immediately covered Mose's mouth and took him down the hallway. Having that conversation in front of the bride's room probably wasn't the best idea. As soon as the coast was clear, Jim removed his hand.

"What do you mean, you can't find Dwight?"

"He's nowhere to be found. All the rest of the groomsmen are looking for him, too. He's been gone for at least ten minutes."

"That's not good. The wedding starts in--"Jim glanced at his watch. "Oh, yeah. It starts in fifteen minutes, Mose. Dwight has to be walking down that aisle in fifteen minutes." Mose looked at Jim, searching for an answer. Jim sighed. "Continue looking. And I'll check around as well." He sent Mose on his way.

"Where the hell is he?" Jim said aloud to himself.

"Who is?" Jim turned around to see Angela standing behind him. He hadn't seen her in wedding dress yet. He smiled at seeing how beautiful she looked. Dwight cannot be running away from this, he thought.

Jim cleared his throat. "Michael. I can't find Michael."

Angela could tell he was lying. She looked at the floor. "It's Dwight, isn't it? He changed his mind."

Jim grabbed Angela's hands. "No. He would never. He loves you too much to just leave." He heard her sniffling. He cupped her chin so that she would look at him. "This place is big. He could be anywhere. He's probably just taking a stroll or something."

Angela curled her lips up a little. "I do believe he brought his spud gun."

"Why am I not surprised?" The two shared a chuckle. Jim gave her a hug. "I'll find him. He's not walking out on this." He squeezed her hands. "Now, don't worry."

Down the hallway, Jim saw Pam standing with Angela's veil. "Angela, I think Pam wants to put your veil on you."

Angela looked back behind her and nodded. She squeezed Jim's hands back before turning to go.

"Angela," Jim said. She turned her head. "You look absolutely gorgeous." She smiled and continued walking away. After watching her for a few more moments, he went down the other hallway to the exit.

His search began at the garden pavilion where the guests were waiting patiently. He scanned the crowd. He saw most of the Dunder-Mifflin crew. Except for Michael ... It suddenly dawned on him: he knew where Dwight was. Jim ran behind the trees and behind the gazebo. There, he found Dwight and Michael.

"Hey." The two looked at Jim. "Dwight, we've been looking everywhere for you."

"Really? Michael was just giving me some advice about tonight." Jim tried desperately to remove that last sentence from his memory.

Michael came and whispered in Jim's ear. "Did you ask Angela about you-know-what?"

"Yes, Michael. She agreed."

Michael's eyes lit up. Jim smiled.

"What's this? What's going on?" Dwight asked.

Jim looked at Dwight. "You'll find out later. By the way, you might want to go knock on Angela's door before the wedding starts. She was worried that you might have bailed on her."

"What?" And with that, Dwight was off.

Despite everything, the wedding ceremony went off without a hitch. Dwight and Angela were very grateful that Jan was there to keep Michael under control. Tears formed around Dwight's eyes when Angela came down the aisle.

Dwight whispered to Jim, "Isn't my bride beautiful?"

Jim gave Dwight a pat on his back. "Yes. Yes, she is."

Angela's dress was more of a traditional style, with sleeves and a chapel train, but this was Angela. Pam couldn't believe how much she liked her bridesmaid dress, as well. She had been a bit worried at first about what Angela would pick, but when Angela announced that the dress would be a simple red sleeveless, A-line, tea-length dress, Pam was very pleased. She could even wear the dress again out for a nice evening with Jim.

The reception was held in the Inne's octagon-shaped ballroom. There was a three-course meal along with a live band. Pam was pretty impressed, considering how difficult she knew planning a wedding could be. Angela had done an amazing job. While watching Dwight and Angela's first dance (to Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me To The Moon") Pam couldn't help to feel a little melancholy. She couldn't wait to have this moment with Jim. (Maybe not as big of a wedding, though.)

"What are you thinking over there, Beesly?" Jim smiled, leaning over to bump shoulders with Pam.

"I was just thinking on how amazingly adorable Dwight and Angela are."

"I would have never seriously put ‘adorable' and ‘Dwight' in the same sentence before, but today, I would actually have to agree with you." He gave her a kiss on the cheek.

It wasn't until the salad course had passed that Michael decided to make his speech. Angela closed her eyes to say a small prayer that Michael wouldn't ruin anything. Dwight gave her a quick peck on her nose. She looked at him.

"There's nothing to worry about, Monkey."

Michael stood in the middle of the room with the microphone. "Hello." Feedback came through for a second. "Hi. My name is Michael Scott. I am both Angela's and Dwight's employer from Dunder-Mifflin. I would just like to make a toast to the new Mr. and Mrs. Dwight Schrute."

Pam crossed her fingers as Jim took in a deep breath. If Michael screws this up, Angela will kill me, he repeated in his head.

Michael took out the note card from his suit pocket. He smiled as he read the card out loud. "Marriage is about commitment, marriage is about devotion, marriage is about sharing a toaster oven... A good towel, like a pure heart, absorbs to its full capacity. Soul mates are like pillowcases, they're meant to be together. Forever. Love is like crystal; it must be handled gently and with great care. Love, like a good cup of coffee, keeps you awake at night..."

He glanced at the head table. Angela looked displeased while everyone looked confused. Taking a breath, he walked over his table and placed the note card down.

"Over the many years that I've known Dwight, I've come to know his loyalty, his reliability, and his passion. He has been there in my low points and my high points. Angela, you cannot find a better man to spend the rest of your life with. And Angela... she is patient, she is determined, and she is sensible. She's even been able to put up with me, as her boss. And that says a lot! She's perfect for you, Dwight. Your love and commitment for each other is so incredible that I am even in awe of it. Here's to a gratifying and fruitful life. I wish you two the best."

Michael raised his champagne glass from the table. "To Angela and Dwight!" He tipped the glass in their direction.

Dwight grinned from ear to ear, clapping, while Angela, with a few stray tears, mouthed: "Thank you. "

Before the cake was cut, Jim and Pam had their respective speeches. Jim talked about the first time he met Dwight.

"He just stared at me," said Jim. "And then, he commented that his father had the exact same tie that I was wearing. When I went home that day, I put that tie away in order to never wear it again." He smiled while everyone chuckled. He continued, "Despite our differences, I have always viewed Dwight as a brother. Or at least, maybe, a cousin. He has devotion unlike anyone I have ever known. I can never say that I regret knowing Dwight K. Schrute. It has been an honor to have worked alongside him all these years. Dwight, I appreciate our friendship and I will cherish it forever."

Dwight quickly wiped away his tears and accepted Jim's bear hug. Jim bent over and also gave Angela a quick kiss on the cheek. "Take good care of him," he added.

"I will," she replied.

Pam looked around the room. For some reason, her nerves almost got the best of her. However, Jim's gentle squeeze on her hand gave her courage to continue on.

"Not many know this story. I had just ended my engagement about two years ago and I was at the grocery store, when I ran into Angela. I was a mess, and I'm sure I looked like it, too, because so she asked me if something was wrong. Then, for the rest of the night, she had me over at her place eating ice cream, and cookies, and brownies, and cupcakes, and -- it just make me forget about the depressed state that I was in. The entire time I was there, she never asked for any information that I wasn't willing to give and she listened to whatever I was." Pam gave Angela a smile. "Although we're two completely different personalities, we were able to forge a friendship. I was privy to her and Dwight's relationship before anyone else was, and I'm glad that I was able to be there for her, since she was there for me. Angela, you're an amazing person. I'm glad that we're friends."

Pam gave the microphone to Jim while she and Angela embraced. Pam also gave Dwight a hug as well, whispering in his ear, "Thank you for everything, as well."

"The pleasure was mine," he replied back, giving a kiss on her forehead.

While Angela and Dwight cut the cake, Michael came up to Jim, saying, "Those were really good speeches that you and Pam did."

Jim glanced at Michael. "Yours was pretty good, too. Especially the last part."

Michael scoffed. "The first part was from ‘Brides' magazine. Never listening to Jan again."

"The whole thing about ‘soul mates being like pillowcases' was in a bridal magazine for actual wedding speeches?" Jim looked quizzically at Michael.

"In was in the ‘special section'." Michael used his hands to make quotation marks in the air.

Jim laughed. "Michael, if I remember correctly from looking at those magazines when Pam was planning her wedding with Roy, those ‘special sections' are usually advertisements. Now, it makes sense! You were probably reading an ad for a bridal registry."

"Heh... I just thought that meant JCPenney was sponsoring the article. It was bad advice, anyway." Michael chuckled sheepishly.

"It turned out fine, Michael. Don't worry about it." Jim gave Michael a pat on his shoulder. "Besides, it's just practice for when Pam and I get married."

Michael's eyes opened widely. "What? Did you already ask her?"

Jim flashed a smile. "Next weekend."

Michael gave him a huge hug. "Congrats, buddy!"

"Congrats on what?" The two turned to see Pam standing there with a piece of cake.

Jim cleared his throat. "I'm going to some night classes in order to finally get my college degree."

"Oh, Jim, that's terrific. You've been talking about that for a couple of months now." Pam smiled at him.

Michael added, "And you never know, in five years, Jim might run Dunder-Mifflin. Or open his own company. Anything is possible." Jim nodded in agreement.

"Pam!" Kelly came through to the crowd and grabbed Pam's hand. "Angela's throwing the bouquet!" After Pam gave the cake to Jim, she and Kelly made their way to the middle of the dance floor.

Michael and Jim watched as all the women gathered. Michael asked, "So, I only have a week to keep the engagement secret?"

Jim smiled. "Do you think that you can hold it for that long?"

"I'm pretty sure that I can. Especially since it's such a huge thing." Michael added, "Secrets are like that. If not handled carefully, they're blow up in your face."

Michael at looked Jim holding in his laughter.

"What?" he said. "It's true. Remember last year, with the whole Creed thing? That turned out so bad at the time, but after everyone cooled off, everything was back to normal, if not better. Yes, it was hard at first, but we all just pushed through it."

Jim just burst out laughing. "Oh, Michael. Do you realize what you are saying? I mean, seriously?" He looked over at Michael, who was grinning.

Slowly, Michael added, "That's what she said." Cheers came from the bouquet toss and both men turned their attention in that direction. Michael's smile grew as he saw Jan with the bouquet. He excused himself from Jim as he ran off to hug Jan.

Seconds later, Pam came up alongside Jim. "Hey."

"Hey," Jim replied. "Sorry that you didn't catch the bouquet."

"Don't worry about it. I really didn't want my eyes to get scratched out, anyways."

"From Kelly?"

"No. Jan." She gave him a slight smile.

At that moment, Dwight had grabbed the microphone. "Attention, everyone. Attention." All turned toward him. "Thank you. The missus and I would like everyone from Dunder-Mifflin to come to dance floor for a family picture."

Jim grabbed Pam's hand. "Let's go, Halpert," he said. Pam looked at him strangely.

He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. "I was just trying it out, Beesly." They both smiled as they made their way over to everyone else.

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