"Don't jump."

She turns around to see him with his hands in his pockets, head cocked to the side.

"Would you try to save me?"

He nods.

"Listen, Jim-"

"You know, I thought I'd be mad at you.  After I left that night.  You know, I laid it all out there and you shot me down.  Twice."

"Jim-"

"But I found out that I don't think I can be mad at you for doing the right thing.  You see, what I did was shitty.  I know that.  I shouldn't have done that, but I felt like I had to."

She takes a step towards him, nodding, "It was shitty."

"Yeah.  I'm sorry."

"It's okay.  I talked to Roy this weekend.  I told him I need a little time to think about things.  That something happened that makes me think I need time."

"You shouldn't have."

"Why?"

"I'm not asking you to leave him.  I just-"

"You needed me to know once."

"Yeah."  He drops his head so he's looking at the roof beneath his feet.  "You want to be with him.  You know it and I know it.  I was just thinking with my heart and not my head.  Hell, I'm not even sure it was my heart thinking."

"Yeah, I've heard there's a little something that speaks volumes for guys."

He laughs at her.  A loud, strong laugh that echoes off the cement around them.  "Yeah, well.  Look, we should get back to work."

"Yeah."  She's following him when she thinks to ask, "When do you leave?"

"Oh, um, Thursday's my last day."

"Oh.  You'll come to visit though, right?"

"Of course.  I couldn't leave my friends for good."

She looks up at him sadly, knowing all that's happened has changed who they are.  She feels tears form in the corners of her eyes, but she wipes them away before he can see them. 

They go back to work and pretend like they have all week that nothing has happened and that they are the same.  Everything is the same except she knows he loves her and she's marrying a man she can't be sure she loves anymore.

When Jim leaves, she hugs him and he promises to call.  He doesn't.  But he does send back the RSVP: __x­­__ Attending. 

There are only a few suit jackets and shawls hanging around her.  It's as it should be on a warm June evening in Scranton, but she wishes it had been colder out.  More jackets to hide her from the world around her. 

Her shoes have long been discarded - rather, Kelly's shoes have been discarded.  She's pulled her knees up close to her face and, though she doesn't want make-up on her white dress, she leans her cheek against the soft material. 

She prays that no one finds her - she also prays she doesn't cry all over her dress.  She was supposed to cry at the ceremony, not at the reception.  She sniffles and misses the footsteps at the doorway.

"Pam?"

She refuses to look up at first, though she knows it's him.  It's fitting that he finds her.  He always seems to find her when she's about to cry.  When she does look up he's got his hands shoved in his pockets like usual.  There's a smile tugging on his lips - it's not funny that she's in the coatroom at her reception, but he's smiling.

"Whatcha doing in here?"

"Hiding."  It slips off her tongue teasingly, like a child playing hide and go seek.

"How come?"  He sits now, mimicking her - knees to his chest, arms crossed, chin resting on top.

Her face fell.  This was no lighthearted game.  "I couldn't be in there any more."

"Why?"

"I was in there watching Roy and Kenny get drunk and all I could think was that I was going to pass out or throw up.  I just - I had to get out of there."

He nods.

"He was late.  Did you know that?"  She pauses, waiting for an answer - he just looks at her.  "He was twenty minutes late to his own wedding.  And then, I bought him some gold cufflinks that I couldn't afford, but I wanted him to have them.  He lost them.  He forgot his vows.  He shoved cake in my face when I asked him not to.  He didn't want to dance.  Now he's drunk.  And you know what?  He never once told me I looked pretty today." 

He's quiet for a moment, but then says what he knows she needs to hear, "I was here early.  The wedding started at four.  I was here at 3:15.  I bought a new tie for today.  I thought your vows were lovely.  The cake was delicious.  I'd love to dance with you.  I've only had two glasses of wine.  But, you know, you aren't pretty today."

"What?"

"You're absolutely beautiful."

There were tears in her eyes before she could fully process what he had said.  She was sitting on the floor in the coatroom of a reception hall in her wedding dress across from the man who admitted his feelings for her a month before.  She drops her head and sniffles a few times before raising it again.

"Pam?  Are you okay?"

"I think I've made the biggest mistake of my life."

"Don't say that.  You love Roy and you married him."

"Yeah, but-"

"No.  You have to remind yourself that you love Roy, even with his faults, and that you married him because you love him.  No matter what I've said or done, you can't think that I don't want you to go back in there and be happy, okay?"

She nods.

"Hey, Beesly."

"I'm not Beesly anymore."

"Ah, that's right Mrs. Anderson.  Oh God."

"What?"

"I just realized that your name is Pamela Anderson.  You know, that means you'll have to buy a red bathing suit and-"

"Shut up.  Seriously, I've heard it all from Michael.  So, just, Beesly is fine."

"Good.  Now go back in there and enjoy your reception."  He nods to the door, but she waits for him.

"Come and dance with me?"

He stands and extends his hand to her, pulling her up to stand beside him. "No, but we can go sway for a bit."

She nods again, smiling up at him.  "You're my best friend, you know that?"

"Yeah, I know."

It wasn't that she didn't want to.  It was that she had imagined it so differently.  Pam figured her wedding night would be wonderful and magical - not like she and Roy hadn't ever had sex, but she thought it would be different.

Well, it certainly was different.

He isn't propping himself up like usual.  Instead, he is lying directly on top of her, making it hard for her to breathe.  He is also being rough.  She never insisted that they have gentle, passion filled sex, but this was ridiculous. 

He grunts as she winces.  "Roy."

He continues to grunt.  He places a hand on her shoulder - apparently he needs leverage or something.

"Roy?  Honey?"  She moves her arms up to push against his shoulders, "Roy, you're hurting me."

She pushes at his shoulders as he slams his body against hers and grunts again.  She continues to push lightly at his shoulders, "Roy."

When he is still not getting off of her after another attempt, "God damn it Roy, get off me!"  She shoves him now, sitting and tugging down her teddy as he stares at her.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"You were hurting me.  I told you to cut it out."

"Fuck, Pam."  He gets up, grabs his boxers, and retreats to the bathroom - he slams the door, cussing and carrying on.

She sits, curling her legs under her, tears filling her eyes and pouring over onto her cheeks.  She wraps her, rocking slightly.  After she realizes Roy isn't coming out of the bathroom for a while she grabs her cell phone and flips it open.  She types quickly, "I NEED YOU" and presses "send" before she can stop to think.

She's silent as she gathers her things and heads to the lobby.  Even when the girl behind the counter asks if she's okay, Pam simply nods.  She isn't sure why she grabbed her wedding dress from the corner of their room, or why she hadn't put on more than shorts and a sweatshirt - well, at least she covered up the red teddy/panty set she had on.

She's sitting in a large armchair, her dress strewn over the back, when he arrives.  She stands and smiles slightly before her face falls and she's choking back sobs.

He closes the space between them in two long strides and pulls her into his arms.  "Hey."  He says it into her hair as he holds her close. 

They sit in the hotel bar, a heavy silence between them.  She's looking at him.  He's looking at his drink.

"How come you didn't go to Australia?"

"Well, I hear it's a place to take someone important to you to," he says as he looks up at her, "and Mark happened to be busy this week."

She laughs and smacks his arm.

They stay in the bar until it closes at two.  She's holding her dress in her arms as they stand in the front lobby.  She glances at the elevators.  "God, I don't want to go back up there to him."

"Then don't."

"Where the hell am I supposed to go?"

He doesn't answer, but walks to the front desk.  "Do you have any double rooms available?"

"Looks like one," the young girl says, eying him up.

"I'll take it for the night."

"Name?"

"Halpert."

"Cash or credit?"

"Stick it on the credit card," he answers as he hands it to her.  He glances at Pam.  She's standing next to him, a confused look on her face.

"Room 413.  Enjoy your stay."

"Thanks."  He takes the keycard and turns to Pam.  "Come on Beesly.  You need your sleep."

They sit on their respective beds in silence.  Pam has her wedding dress on her lap and she's toying it with her fingers.

"I didn't ask.  What's up with the dress?"

She's silent, looking at the dress again, "He ripped it.  I mean, it's not like I'll ever wear it again, but it's the principle."

He nods.

She pulls a small box out of her purse and extracts a needle and thread.  She begins to sew the zipper back in place as he watches on.

"Man, you can paint, knit, and sew, anything you can't do?"

She doesn't look up at him, "I can't cook Ramen."

"Are you serious?"

"As a heart attack."  She puts the dress on the bed behind her, crosses her legs, and looks him dead in the eye.  "I can't cook Ramen noodles.  I fuck them up every time."

"Wow."

"Sad.  I know."  She looks down at her lap and sniffles again.  "You know why I needed you tonight?"

"Hmm?"

"It's him.  Again.  I needed - I just - oh, fuck.  What have I done?"  Her face falls into her hands.  "I need a drink."

"Mini fridge."

"What?"  She looks up at him.

"There's a mini fridge over there."

"Do you have any idea how expensive that alcohol is?"

"Yes, and I don't care.  You break out the booze and Macadamia nuts and I'll order the porn."

"You'll order the what?"

"Porn," he says seriously.  "See, it's your wedding night and you should be having fun."

"Fun?  Getting drunk and watching porn with my best friend?"  She stops t think for a moment, "Ah, what the hell."  She gets up and makes her way to the fridge as he lifts the remote and flips on the TV.

"So, random scenes or are you in the mood for a plot?"

"Plot, most definitely.  More to laugh at."  She moves towards his bed, juggling the bottles she got from the fridge.  She sits next to him and pops one open, downing it immediately.  "Wow."

"Yeah, wow."

As they watch Jim's pick, Pam drinks the three bottles of Vodka.  "I can't believe she can do that with her leg."

"That's, wow."

She cocks her head to the side, "She's got to be a gymnast or something.  I could never do that."

"Good to know.  Whoa, man!  Nice ending.  This was totally worth seven ninety-five."  They sit shocked for a moment before Pam bursts out in laughter.  He turns to her.  "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I'm drunk."

"Okay."

She leans into his shoulder and closes her eyes.  "Jim?"

"Yeah?"  He flips the TV off and looks down at her.

"Thank you for tonight.  I really needed a friend and you were really there for me."

"I always will be, Pam.  I always will be."

She's alone when she wakes up the next morning.  Jim left her a note and she smiles as she reads it, remembering the night before.

Pam,

I wish you the best of luck with everything and I want you to know you can always call me if you need anything.  I may be a few hours away now, but I'm still with you Beesly.

Love,

Jim

P.S. Don't forget a big glass of water and a couple aspirin for your hangover.  Wouldn't want you boarding the plane for your honeymoon with a roaring headache - not a good start to a great week.