"Hey Jim, can I talk to you about something important? Um, in my office?" Michael gestured for Jim to come into his office. Jim glanced at Pam and felt like he’s walked this dreaded path before and it’s never ended well. With this thought, he walked into Michael’s office and shut the door.

"I have an important job for you..." Michael started.

Familiar phrases like "Oh no, not again" and "how am I going to get out of this, this time" wandered through Jim’s head as Michael laid out his plan.

"You and I will be throwing… .are you ready for this?....the 7/7/07 party...the most important day of the year...no, century! It happens every decade! I mean this party has got to be the biggest bash of the year!"

Jim’s eyebrows shot up and he listened intently as Michael continued, "So since 7/7/07 is such a big part of our nation’s past, I thought it’d be only appropriate to throw a party in it’s honor."

"What is this party even for?" Jim asked Michael.

"It’s about our nations…. love…You know what, Jim, that’s not what’s important. The important thing is that I need you for this job and I need to know if you’re on board with me."

"Wow." Jim said. "That sounds awesome but... I think I’m going to have to pass.... to someone who has more experience with party planning. I mean, you don’t want to hear about the last time I threw a party. But, you know who I’ve heard throws some awesome parties?"

"I just don’t want to plan a party. Why not have Dwight do it? I mean, he could come up with more interesting parties I’m sure." Jim said into the camera, with an uninterested look upon his face.

"Oh, Okay." Michael said as his face began to scrunch up, obviously upset that Jim didn’t want to help out with the party. "God, I'm stuck with Dwight then. Yuck.… it’ll probably end up being some lame King of the Rings party or something"

With a loud sigh, Jim exited the office and went back to his desk. He turned his head to the right and saw Pam staring with a questioning look on her face as if to say "What the hell just happened? Tell me!"

He got up from his desk and went over to her and stood behind her and excitedly grabbed her hand. He leaned over and whispered into her ear, "Top secret mission, Beesley, all will be revealed in due time."

"Ohhhhhh" Pam scowled at him. "That’s just mean!" she said, shaking her head.

He shrugged. "It’s part of the life of a secret agent," Jim deadpanned.

She turned in her chair and leaned closer to Jim, but not too close to arouse suspicion from her coworkers. "Well, tell me, can secret agents have secret girlfriends?"

His lips turned up in a slight smile as he replied "Absolutely, they can."

Michael finally had torn himself away from the computer and sauntered into the main office. He looked around and realized no one had acknowledged his grand entrance and went back into his office. He walked out again and raised his hands and announced "Attention to one and all! It is once again time for the historical event of the year that happens once every decade and I need my gals in the PPC to immediately start working"

"What historic event, Michael? The Fourth of July was yesterday." Dwight said from his desk.

"What’s the PPC? You mean, PVC. As in the pipe..." Phyllis wondered out loud, knowing full well she might not get a response back from Michael.

Michael shakes his head angrily. "God, you know, the party planning committee? It’s abbreviated to save time! This event is a secret and having secrets means never having to tell them...until the right time," Micheal said, under his breath. "Okay, after that annoying interruption, please start planning now! We only have a few days people! Lots to do, lots to do! And ….. go." He clapped his hands and closed the door as he walked into his office.

As soon as Michael had fled from the office, Angela cleared her throat and stepped out of her corner. "Attention Party Planning Committee: we will be meeting in the conference room in 5 minutes. Please show discretion and be on time unlike... some people last time." Angela pointedly glared at Pam. Pam glared back as she turned back towards her computer screen.

Relunctantly, Phyllis, Meredith, Angela, and Pam sat down at the large conference room table with their planning supplies in tow.

"What exactly are we even planning this party for? I mean we don’t even know what the "historic" holiday is!" Pam said as she pulled out her "party planning materials" which consisted of a sketchpad, colored pencils and a notepad (which was only used as a front in case Angela noticed her).

"We really can’t plan a party unless we know what it’s for. Maybe we should just forget about the meeting," Phyllis said, in hopes she could leave the meetings she so desperately hated.

"Fine, if no one else will ask him, then I will." Angela walked briskly to Michael’s office.

As Michael sat at his desk, flicking a rubber band at his Dundie, Angela spoke."Michael, how are we supposed to plan a party when we have no information about it? I need to have some concrete ideas so I can properly plan it."

"It’s a secret. I really can’t tell you-"

"Michael." Angela sternly looked at him.

"Fine, god, you’re as bad as my mother," he said, under his breath.

Angela shifted on her feet. "What?"

"Uh nothing- the party is actually for 7/7/07. You know the day that all the stars and moons align to form a perfect day for a party," he said, slapping his hands down on his desk with a smile.

"How are we supposed to decorate for a made up holiday? There isn’t even a theme!"

"I don’t know! You guys are the committee with all the powers! Use your powers and whip up something magical. Here are some of my ideas…" Angela took the paper he handed her and reported back to the conference room where all of the ladies were not-so-anxiously awaiting her return.

"So here’s the list of what Michael wants," Angela said, handing Pam the list of Michael’s demands and she read them outloud.

"Seven of everything! Seven boozes, fried bologna sandwiches, seven strippers, a petting zoo, some clowns, no Toby present, seven cakes – all in the likeness of me... What does that even mean? Seven cakes in the likeness of Michael?"

"No one will eat cake with Michael's mug on it. That's disgusting..." Phyllis said, quietly.

"Okay, we obviously can’t use this list, so let’s just start off with the basics so we can start shopping and go from there," Pam rationed as she began writing down another list of supplies.

"Cups"

"Plates," Phyllis piped in.

"Napkins," Angela added.

"Oh, Jello shots," Meredith spouted off.

Everyone glanced at each other. Pam’s pen didn’t scribble down the last suggestion like it had the others.

Holding up her pen, "Sometimes my writing skills aren’t the best. I tend to forget to write things down sometimes," Pam said, shrugging.

Jim rotated his chair and looked at the meeting that was going on in the conference room. He watched Pam not even pretend to feign interest in what she writing down. But he knew by the look on her face that she was really sketching. While he had seen that look a lot of the time when they were at work, he never truly understood what she was doing that made her do that. But it was only after they had started dating that he learned that sketching and drawing did that to her face. He had seen that look of concentration, with her lip tucked between her teeth and the way she blew the piece of hair that kept falling into her face away.

Jim’s memories of Michael’s other "big bashes" flashed through his mind. Although he can only think of the good things that came from these parties: shopping with Pam, ice skating, standing close behind her while happily explaining that Dwight was downstairs trapped in a box. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to help out with the party. Plus he could get by doing even less work than usual.

"Jim."

Dwight’s voice ripped Jim out of his daydream. The pencil he had been absentmindedly playing with snapped in half.

"Jim, Jim, Jim. As much as it pains me to ask you this, I have no other options," he said, then leaning forward and whispering. "We need to find out what this party Michael is planning is for."

"I already know what it’s about," Jim said, carelessly.

"You’re lying."

"No, I’m not. Michael asked me to lead the party planning and told me to pick up some person named... JK Rowling at the airport. Not sure who that is but... he must be important."

"She, Jim. You don’t know who JK Rowling is?"

"Nope."

"She’s only the writer of the best selling Harry Potter series. Oh my gosh. She’s coming… here?" Dwight asked, his eyes growing large.

"Apparently," Jim said, shrugging and feigning focus on a sheet of paper in front of him.

"I need to plan this party – you are obviously not committed enough to through a party worthy of JK Rowling’s stature."

"Okay, Dwight... but I already told M-"

Before Jim could finish teasing Dwight, he practically sprinted towards Michael's office.

"Michael you must put me in charge of this secret party. Jim is not worthy of planning such an event."

"God, Dwight, Jim is more qualified than you are. But he did turn it down and I don’t have time to plan it myself. So..fine... I’ll tell you about it-"

"No need, Jim already filled me on the details." Dwight said, sitting down in the chair in front of Michael's desk.

"He did? Well, I guess I would like to offer-"

"Uh, Michael?" Dwight spun around at these words.

Jim walked in and interrupted Michael "So, I’ve thought about your offer and decided to help you out afterall. The old two-some working together again. Like, old times, huh?" Jim said, cheesily.

Michael gave a creepy grin as he glared up at Jim. Although Jim felt uncomfortable for accepting such an offer, he couldn't help but feel pure satisfaction from the crestfallen look plaguing Dwight's face.

Michael broke his trance from Jim and dismissed Dwight. "Nevermind, Dwight. Jim's reconsidered...." he said, waving his hand in the air.

As Dwight stood slowly from the chair, he made very little eye contact with Jim and passed him quickly. Dwight found his seat and engrossed himself in his work as Jim concocted more schemes in his head for the days to follow.

fJim shut Michael’s office door with a grin spread across his face. Pam looked on with a similar smile draped over her cheeks as well. Before heading back to his desk, he stopped by for a jellybean.

Pam looked up, her brows lifted and her amusement beaming. “So…are you taking the secret mission from Agent Scarn?”

----

-----

Jim pushed the jellybean past his lips as he took in a breath. “Indeed. I will be throwing down the gauntlet on you party planning ladies…”

“Oh no. Angela’s going to have a cow. You know that, right?” Pam said, her eyes wide.

“Who cares? Michael put me in charge of the festivities…”

Just as Jim was about to finish, Pam turned her head quickly towards the partition between her and Angela. There it was; the top of a blond head poking over the cubical with a ponytail swaying. As Pam turned her head, Angela quickly dipped down low to avoid contact with Jim and Pam. Instead of returning back to her work, she came around the side of the partition and spoke.

“What do you mean you’re in charge? You’ve never been a part of the Planning Party Committee before…” she said, her hands on her hips. "We’ve already started planning."

----

With a look of disgust on her face, Angela shifts in her chair. Behind her, Dwight is sitting in his chair and looking towards her direction. "It sickens me. I've worked hard to maintain my place as the head of the Planning Part Committee. No one else can carry the position with the same class and grace as I have done for several years. Just because Michael has replaced me, this party will be a disaster. Just you wait and see. Just wait...." she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

----

“You’re right. I’ve never been a part of planning these things…but, there is a first for everything.” Jim said, putting a green jellybean to his lips.

“Besides, I’ve had a lot of experience planning parties and I’m sure Jim would be more than happy to have my expertise at his disposal,” Pam included.

Angela glared back and forth between Jim and Pam. Michael came out of his office, seemingly because he overheard Angela’s riff.

“Now…what’s the big deal? Ye of little faith, Angela. Jimbo’s gonna do a great job. I fully trust him…” Michael said, slapping Jim on the back and nearly causing him to choke on the green jellybean lodged in his throat.

“He doesn’t know what he’s doing!” Angela protested.

“Be patient. Those who give opportunities to others so they can succeed will win in the end….” Michael said, looking earnestly into Angela’s eyes. “The Bible states that clearly. You of all people should know….that.”

“Where does it say that?” she asked, lifting her chin and an eyebrow.

Michael glanced at the floor as Jim and Pam watched him struggle to find the words. “Um, in 2nd Opinions 2:11, I think. You know…right after….the book of Moses and Noah.”

Jim cracked a smile. “And, just who’s Bible are you reading from, Michael?” he said, egging him on further. .

Angela spoke low, “Satan’s…”

Michael, now frustrated, waved his hands in the air. “You know what? Just…shut it. I don’t need you all arguing over who is in charge. I’m the head honcho here. Jim’s second in command and then Angela, you are next on the list…”

Dwight cooed behind him. “What about me, Michael?”

Michael tired to ignore Dwight’s attempts at fitting in. “No…you’re not helping…unless I really need you. Then you’re back up,” Michael said, scratching above his eyebrow. Dwight pumped his fist in victory. “I don’t need you all fighting when this is the biggest moment of our lives….so, just…relax folks,” Michael said, addressing the office.

Pam decided to take a stab at Michael. “I thought getting married and having children were supposed to be the most important moments in life, Michael. I mean…” she said, grinning slyly towards Jim who was nodding in approval.

“Okay…you know…I’m getting sick of this. Just accept the fact that my idea for the 7/7/07 party is brilliant and you didn’t think of it first…God, I mean I’m even letting you guys plan it! Isn’t that enough? I come up with the ideas, give you all the details and all you have to do is do everything I say. Is that so difficult?”

Just then, Kevin’s voice boomed from across the room. “Yeah, I heard about that on the radio the other day and-”

Michael cut him off before Kevin could finish. “No, Kevin. This is solely my doing. No one will steal my thunder. No one! You hear me!” he said, trailing off and heading towards his office door. “Now, get back to work you….you, slackers!” he yelled, stepping into the his office. "Well, except for everyone involved in planning the party...that's priority from now on," he stated, slamming his office door behind him.

As soon as Michael had shut his office door, Angela turned on her heel and trotted back to her desk. With a smile of satisfaction, Pam slid Michael’s list of items he wanted for the party towards Jim. As his brow furrowed, Jim picked the piece of paper off the counter and began to skim the list. After he finished reading, he looked down at Pam, who had a smile spread across her face.

“Are you serious? This is what he wants…and I’m in charge of getting it?” he asked, pointing to his chest.

Pam nodded. “Oh yeah. I think he’s already ordered the cakes…you’ve got to come up with the rest. Even the petting zoo and clowns.”

“This is not the reason I signed up for this. No way…” Jim said, shaking his head.

“And, exactly why did you sign up to do this?” she asked, resting her chin in her palm.

Jim leaned in closer, to avoid anyone eavesdropping and probably for other selfish reasons, he whispered, “Come on. Perfect set-up to drive Dwight up a wall. I couldn’t let this get away from me.”

Pam tapped the paper hanging in his hands. “Well…here you go. Have fun.”

“Oh no. You’re not getting out of this. I need help, Beesley,” Jim said, giving his closest puppy-dog impression he could muster up.

“Don’t give me that. I already deal with Michael all day. Planning his ‘brain-child’ would be suicide,” she said, holding up her hands in a sign of surrender.

“Don’t you want sweet satisfaction when we pull out all the stops on Dwight? I mean, this is really going to be the blow-out of the year!” he said, getting a wee-bit too excited.

“Wow. You sound just like Michael,” she said, focusing on her computer screen.

Jim’s mouth hung open. “Okay….I guess I can do this by myself then,” he said, taking the list and walking slowly back towards his desk. As he sat down, he heard Pam from behind him.

“I’m in.”

----

Pam pushed her bangs back behind her ear. “Picking on Dwight is like the highlight of my life…among other…things,” she said, looking off to the side. “Jim always looks forward to the moments when he can make Dwight miserable. And, I guess…I look forward to those moments too…” she said, a pink color spreading over her cheeks.

-----

Dwight and Angela stood back to back in the break room. Sipping on his coffee, Dwight secretly asked Angela questions.

“What do you know?” Dwight asked, throw clenched teeth.

“Not much. All I know is that Michael has a list of things he wants…and, I gave that list to Pam,” Angela said, checking the windows for intruders.

“Why would you do that? Pam can’t be trusted. She’s friends with Jim and you know how I feel about Jim.”

----

----

“I know. I wasn’t thinking,“ she said, lowering her gaze to the floor.

“Don’t worry. I’ll fix this. I’ll get the list back and single handedly put together Michael’s party,” Dwight said, puffing out his chest.

“Single-handedly? You don’t want an accomplice?” she asked.

“Who? Kevin is obese, Oscar’s gay, Creed’s passed his age limit, and Stanley isn’t interesting enough. No. I’ll do it on my own.”

Angela‘s eyes glistened. “What if a woman helped you?”

Dwight chuckled. “And, just who do you suggest?”

“Oh, I know someone…” she said, turning slightly to catch the side of Dwight’s face in her line of vision.

“But, who?” he asked, with great desperation.

“Her name starts with…oh, never mind. Me, Dwight! I want to help you,” she said, with anger in her eyes.

“You?” he asked, sipping on his mug again.

“Yes. Now, do you want my help or not?”

“Of course. It’s risky….I’m so glad I thought of it,” he said, stepping out of the break room quickly and leaving Angela and her evil smile alone.

----

“Yes, I was wondering if I could have some of your animals brought into our office for a party,” Jim said over the phone. He stood behind the reception counter, talking softly.

“No. We’re all adults here. It’s just my boss. He wants to have a party on the seventh and requested that he have a petting zoo available. Now, what type of animals do you offer?” Jim asked, scratching something down on his notepad.

“Great. But, um…can I limit it to just one type of animal?” he asked, a smile on his lips. “I can? Great. How many different types of snakes do you have?” Jim asked, almost laughing into the phone when he caught Pam’s expression.

----

Pam smiled. “Michael’s greatest fear is snakes. Jim thought of it. Happy 7/7/07, Michael!”

----

“Psst. Andy…” Dwight whispered as he pretended to look at the contents on the shelf behind Andy’s desk.

“Who said that?” Andy asked, looking around with a smug grin.

“It was me…” Dwight whispered again, turning slightly and holding a folder over his face.

“What do you need?” Andy asked, his voice in its normal booming mode.

“Keep your voice down, Bernard. I have a proposition for you.”

Andy turned and faced Dwight. “What’s that?”

“Will you…distract Jim Halpert for me?” Dwight asked, moving the folder down slightly to reveal his mouth.

“Why?”

“Don’t ask. Just keep him distracted while I rummage through Pam’s things,” Dwight said, turning back towards the cabinet and putting his back towards Andy.

“Rummage through Pam’s stuff? What do I get out of the deal?” Andy asked, looking up at Dwight.

“Nothing! I need Michael’s list from her desk. Stop asking questions and distract Jim.”

Behind Andy, Pam handed Creed a message. She paused when she noticed their suspicious behavior. Normally she wouldn’t care, but today had seemed like the day to start exploring her eavesdropping skills.

“Shouldn’t we distract Pam?” Andy asked, not noticing Pam, standing near Creed’s desk.

“Angela is taking care of her. Now, when I give the signal, meet Jim at his desk, distract him and once I get a safe distance away from her desk, you can cut the act. Got it?” Dwight asked, pushing the folder back in it’s proper spot.

“Got it…” Andy said, standing as Dwight fled the area. “Got it…” he mumbled to himself again.

Pam scurried away from the back corner of the office and immediately went to Jim’s side as he sat at his desk. He looked up.

“What’s up?” he asked, putting his pen down on the desk top.

Pam squinted her eyes. “Dwight’s trying to steal Michael’s list of party of items from me.”

“But, I have that list.”

“Dwight doesn’t know that…” she said, looking up to see if he was coming.

“Oh…but, wait…why does Dwight need Michael’s list of stupid party ideas?”

Pam shifted her weight. “I think he wants to plan the party on his own…and, I think we should let him.”

“Do tell,” Jim said, turning in his chair.

“Okay. So, since you already have the official list, why don’t I plant a fake one on my desk, so when the party day comes, Dwight royally screws up the party with horrendous stuff that Michael hates. Then, maybe Michael might really fire him.”

Jim smiled. “Perfect.”

“So, the only thing is…we have to make a new list of things that Michael dislikes and of things that Michael knows that Dwight loves…so, he will automatically suspect him. What could that be?” she asked, leaning closer towards Jim.

“I got it. Harry Potter. I guess I’ve already planted the seed in Dwight’s brain that JK Rowling is coming. Dwight is a huge fan…Michael…I’m not sure. But, it’s obviously Dwight’s calling card if Harry Potter is involved.”

“Good work, Halpert,” Pam said, smiling and heading back towards her desk. “Oh yeah, Andy has been recruited to distract you…Let him,” she said, as she sat down behind the reception counter.

Andy took one deep breath, and looked over at Jim innocently sitting at his desk.  He was getting stage fright.  This was one of the biggest acting jobs he had ever taken on.  But with Dwight staring at him with those laser beam eyes, Andy decided that now was not the time for nerves.

What he couldn’t wait for was this signal Dwight was supposed to perform that would indicate the beginning of Andy’s performance.  He was sick of waiting, so he took matters into his own hands.   

He stood up from his desk, and made his way towards Jim.

“Hey, Big Haircut,” he began, resting his elbows on an empty spot on Jim’s new desk.  Jim looked up at Andy with widened eyes.  “Whatcha doin’?”

“Work,” Jim admitted, returning to his computer.

“Man, it has been a long day! Wanna get a beer?”  He said, motioning for the door.  Dwight’s ears perked up like a dog.  This was not according to the plan, Dwight couldn’t help but think.  Keep Jim occupied at his desk.

“It’s four o’clock.”  Jim said suspiciously, looking down at his watch.  He knew that Andy was trying to distract him, but couldn’t resist messing around with him a little bit.  “Besides, we can’t leave until after five.”

“I know, it’s gotta be five somewhere though, right?”  Andy laughed heartily as his own attempt at a joke.  “Besides, I meant up on the roof.  I got a cooler with a six pack.”

Jim looked towards Pam, and both of them fought to contain their giggles.  “You keep a cooler of beer on the roof of the office?”  Andy nodded.  “Do you...” Jim almost broke, but enclosed himself just in time.  “...go up there often?”

Andy nodded again.  “Oh yeah.”  He was stammering—time to get in character.  “It’s nice and quiet, plus the acoustics are great.  Gives me a place to work on my... acapella.”

Jim bobbed his head along with every word.  “Well, that sounds great.”

“Amazing.  Awesome.  Wonderful.”  Andy ranted, taking a step back from Jim’s desk.  He was staring at Dwight, looking for approval.  But with Dwight’s straight face, he just went back to Jim.  “So, why don’t we go up to the roof, then?”

Jim looked down at his paperwork, and somehow he knew exactly what Andy had planned for him.  “You know what, I actually have a few things I need to finish up right here.  So why don’t you go on up, and I’ll meet you up there okay?”

 Reluctantly, Andy nodded and made his way up to the roof.  Things were going to plan.  No more “Andy’s a failure” coming from Dwight. 

“Maybe he’ll finally go halfsies with me.”  Andy muttered to himself, as he climbed the ladder.

----

Creed walked vigorously to the door, leading to the roof.  He couldn’t believe how someone could be so forgetful.  Whenever he made a trip on the roof, he always locked the door behind him.

Unless he had been working too hard up there, in which case forgetting to lock a door was the least of his worries.

Just as he got the door, he could’ve sworn that he heard noise on the other side of the door.  Part of him just wanted to make sure there wasn’t anybody on the other side.  But it was four o’clock, and he had a very important meeting at the high school, so he just locked the door and tucked the key in his pocket.

He rushed past a cameraman on his way back to his desk.

----

----

Michael came out of his office and briskly sauntered over to Jim's side. “Jim! Lots to do, lots to do!  What is all this stuff on your desk, is it plans for the blow out bash?” Michael questioned Jim as he rifled through his desk, while knocking over everything else in the process.  “Blah, don’t worry about it!  Its not important today, what’s important is the par-tay!”

 “But what about my work?  Isn’t that kind of important too, Michael?” he asked, bouncing a pencil lightly on his finger. 

“Oh, that has to get done?  Um, oh I got it, we’ll just give it to somebody less important, like Dwight.  Problem solved!" he exclaimed, looking to see Dwight scowl in his direction.  "What I need you to do is to go out and find the best decorations that $10 can get you.”

“Wow, that sounds great, but do you think I could, uh, take someone along to help… carry the decorations?  My wrists have been bothering me lately,” Jim said, rubbing his wrists in mock pain.

“Oh, yesh, absolutely," he agreed, looking around the room until his eyes stopped at Pam."Uh, Pam!  You will be accompanying Mr. Halpert here to help him with the decoration needs.”

Pam feigned interest as Michael’s eyes were on her, but turned away from the cameras and smiled briefly.  As soon as she composed herself, she looked back at Michael.  “But Michael it’s almost 5.  We don’t have time...”

“Well, just leave now and work a little bit later.  It’s not like either of you have families or girlfriends to go home to.”

Jim raised his eyebrows at the comment and let it slide.  “How about if we just go tomorrow morning instead?" 

"Okay, well whatever, just get it done Jimbo. I’m expecting greatness out of you!” he said, waving and hand behind him as he made his way back into his office.

Pam sauntered over to Jim.  “Yeah, Jim, greatness.  Make sure you get a lot of sleep and are fully prepared for a morning full of decoration shopping”

“Oh God, it will last a whole morning?”

“I’m sure it will take at least that long” Pam grinned. 

“Really? Well I guess – oh shoot” Jim remembered that he was supposed to meet Andy up on the roof hours ago.  He looked in the direction of Andy’s desk only to find an empty one. 

“Come with me,” he said as he grabbed her hand and dragged her downstairs.

----

Angela had been waiting for the perfect moment to lure Pam into the kitchen so Dwight could find the list.  She had the whole scenario planned out in her head.  She just couldn’t find the right time to catch her.  She noticed that Jim had distastefully pulled her by the hand out of the office and decided it was now or never for Dwight to carry out the mission. 

----

Finally with Jim and Pam out of the office, Dwight saw his opportunity arise.  Now or never.  Never leave a man behind.  He exhaled very loudly and began his quest. 

Dwight tried to casually walk over to reception and then dropped to his knees to protect his whereabouts.  He crawled along the floor dragging himself by his forearms until he was entirely hidden behind Pam’s desk.  He slowly worked his way around the large space.  He found various post-its, memos, office supplies, yogurt lids, photos, and other items around Pam’s area.  His finally found his Holy Grail. 

Dwight glanced over the list, reading off the items to himself to make sure he was carrying the right list. 7 Hippogriffs, No Muggles Allowed, 7 pounds of Bernie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans, a stripper in the likeness of Hermione. Yep, sounds like Michael alright.  He had completed his mission and only had to proceed back to his desk and he would be victorious.  He stood up slowly, trying not to raise suspicion.

He was almost home free, but then...

“Dwight, what are you doing?”

In a panic, Dwight looked up to see Michael watching his every move.  Oh God!  Breaking and entering is three to five.  He stammered, trying to come up with some excuse. 

“I’m, uh... getting some faxes.”  He stated, trying to hide his guilt.  Both Michael and Dwight stood in silence, staring and waiting for the other to react.

“Okay.”  Michael sighed, putting his hands in his pocket.  “Have a good night.”  He waved, and made his way towards the door.

Dwight wiped a bead of sweat away from his brow.  “Whew.  That was close.”  He shook off the alarm that his near capture brought, and continued his escape.  He waited until Michael was out the door and then he beamed with pride as he slipped the list in his back pocket.  He looked over at the accounting desk, and found his blond accomplice looking occupied.

----

---

Once he returned to his desk, Dwight slid the list in an empty manila folder.  The folder was placed in a locked desk drawer.  He grabbed the bobble-head version of himself and placed the key in the secret compartment on the base of the action figure.  While outward appearances made the bobble-head seem that it was just a collector’s item; it was in fact a gift from Angela that could be home to any secret items Dwight did not want Jim to discover.

Once the list was securely locked away, he walked briskly over to Angela, and ignored Oscar and Kevin’s usual squabbling over fantasy football.  “I’ve completed the... paperwork, for you.”  His glance shifted to Oscar and Kevin, who seemed none the wiser of their interchange.

“Thank you, Dwight.  Your commitment to your work is greatly appreciated.”  She said firmly, a small smile escaping her lips.

---

----

As Dwight stepped away, Kevin and Oscar exchanged looks. Oscar then turned to Angela and inquired about her and Dwight's exchange.

"What paperwork did Dwight have to turn in, Angela?" he asked, seeming a little too curious. Kevin looked through the glass partition to see Angela's reaction.

She shuffled some papers in her hands. "Um, just some expense reports."

Oscar acknowledged Kevin again with a smile. He questioned Angela again. "Dwight had expense reports? We aren't due for expense reports for another month and my books don't show any balances of that kind..." he said, slyly, catching Angela off guard just a little bit.

"Well, he is responsible and just wanted us...." she started, before Kevin's snickering stopped her.

To Kevin, Oscar asked, "Do you smell that?" Kevin, confused, sniffed the air and squinted slightly.

"I don't know. What does it smell like?" he asked, seriously.

Oscar replied with a grin and turned to face Angela again. "Lies..."

Kevin snickered and said, "Nice," apathetically before bumping fists with Oscar.

-----

Jim and Pam stood inches apart in the parking lot, their heads pointed upwards towards the roof.  Andy had been trying to get someone’s attention for an impressive half hour.  “Hello?”  Andy bellowed, waving his arms and jumping around frantically.  “My name is Andy, and I’m trapped up here on the roof.  Can somebody please let me down?”

Pam turned to Jim, trying to figure out what to do next.  “Should we do something?”

Jim smiled wide at her, and motioned for him to follow.  “Come on, I’ve got an idea.”

They practically ran into the building, and halted when they reached the maintenance worker.  “Hi.”  Jim said, waiting for the man’s attention.  “Listen, there’s a guy trapped up on the roof.  But we can’t find the key, but we’re still looking for it.  So if in a half hour he’s still up there, could you help us out and get him down?”

“Sure, man, no problem.” The maintenance worker looked slightly confused but obliged the duo. 

“Thanks, I appreciate it.”

“You’re terrible.”  Pam muttered as they reentered the building and pushed the up button on the elevator.

“What can I say, Pam, they just make it too easy on me, it’s like they’re just handing me opportunities.”

“Really?  Just throwing ‘em out there and you had no hand in this?" she teasingly asked.

“Yes, that’s exactly how it is.  Besides, my hands are clean” Jim said through a smile.  He threw his hands in the air and showed his palms and backsides of his hands to her to help provide proof. 

Pam leaned closer to his shoulder in the elevator and soaked in the few moments of contact they were stealing.  As soon as they exited, things changed back into the way they were.

Phyllis broke Pam away from her thoughts. “Hey, Pam?”

Pam walked over to Phyllis  “While you were...” she glanced over and realized who Pam had been with on her break “…out, Dwight was wrestling around at your desk. I think he stole something but I couldn’t quite see what it was.  I thought I’d let you know in case it was important.”

“Oh, thanks Phyllis, I’ll have to ask Dwight about it,” she said with a knowing smile on her lips.

“No problem, Pam.”  She began to walk back to reception but was stopped again by Phyllis.  Phyllis leaned closer to her and let Pam know she was in on her secret.  “It’s nice to see you having fun again.”

“Uh, yeah, I am.” 

Pam took in the full impact of Phyllis’ statement and returned to her desk.  She had been so caught off guard by Phyllis’ comment that she had forgotten to tell Jim their mission was successful.  She grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled down her message.

Jim felt something smack him in the back so he turned around only to see a smiling Pam talking on the phone.  He looked down and saw the tiny crumple of paper that was on the floor.  He smoothed out the wrinkles and looked at her curly handwriting

“The Bear has taken the Fish and Mother Goose sees all.”

He laughed silently at her attempt at code and slid it in his pants pocket.  This was definitely a day he was going to want to remember.  Jim looked around and saw everyone was packing up for the night and realized that it was time to leave.

---