Pam was sitting alone in the living room, watching Dazed and Confused. Roy was at Poor Richard’s with his friends. She had a bowl of popcorn in her lap and a Diet Coke on the coffee table. Then she heard the familiar tune of Baby Love playing from her cell phone.She answered it and heard a strangely emotional Dwight saying, "Pam, there's been and accident; Jim was in a car wreck and he's going to die. He asked for you."

 

She drove to the hospital in record time. As she walked into the emergency room, she saw that Jim’s face was covered with deep cuts and blood. She approached him and grabbed his hand. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. She tried to open her mouth to speak, but his body suddenly stiffened and the color drained from his face. Her best friend was dead.

It all started with a nightmare.

 

Pam awoke drenched in sweat with uncontrollable tears rolling down her cheeks. On the right of her, slowly waking up from a deep slumber, was Roy. He rubbed his eyes and forced himself to sit up. “Pammy? What’s wrong?”

 

Pam shook her head. “I just had a bad dream. It’s nothing to worry about. I’m just going to make some tea. Try and go back to sleep, okay?” Roy nodded his head and pulled the covers back over him.

 

It was then she realized that she couldn’t keep living the way she was. Maybe it was because as she replayed her nightmare over in her head, she felt the same fright as she did during the dream itself. She tried going over the nightmare again by placing Roy in Jim’s place. When she did, she didn’t feel as much pain. This made more tears trickle down her face. She felt more for Jim then she did for Roy. Could she really feel more for Jim did she did for Roy?

 

Pam crept into the kitchen, filled the green tea kettle, the one Jim had given her at the recent Christmas party, with water, and set it on the stove. She took a quick glance around her apartment trying to think of something Roy had given her that meant as much. She had no luck. For Christmas, Roy gave her slippers and an MP3 player that already broke. She felt the sudden urge to call Jim. After the unpleasant nightmare, she just wanted to hear his voice to reassure herself that he was really there. Maybe it would help calm her nerves.

 

She reached for her cell phone and dialed his number which was now memorized. It rang two times until she heard,

 

“Hello?”

 

She let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. He was still here. She couldn’t help but think that he only picked up the phone at 2 a.m. just because it was her calling.

 

“I’m so sorry I’m calling you so late…”

 

“Is everything okay?”

 

“Well—”

 

Their conversation was interrupted when Roy came into the kitchen and took the phone from Pam.

 

“Who the hell are you talking to at 2 in the morning?”

 

“Umm—”

 

Roy grabbed the phone from Pam’s hands. Crap, Pam thought, I am talking to Jim. Roy is not going to be happy…

 

“Who is this?” Roy asked Jim.

 

“It’s… um… Jim.”

 

Roy slammed the phone off and into the receiver and threw the small phone onto the wall, breaking the connection, and the phone completely. When he turned to look at Pam, she shuddered with fear. There was an anger showing in his eyes that she had never seen before and she knew that this would not be pretty.

“ Roy , calm down—”

 

“Don’t tell me to calm down!” he roared. “I come in here and see you on the phone with Halpert!” He spit out Jim’s name with disgust. Pam had only seen Roy this way twice before, and she knew it had to be bad.

 

“Roy, let it go—”

 

She was interrupted by Roy violently pushing her away from him. The teapot started whistling and Roy turned to grab it. She fell against the wall. He aimed it towards Pam and flung it so the water splashed everywhere. Luckily, she ran to the side just in time so she only felt a few, scorching hot droplets.

 

“What has gotten into you? It was only a phone call!”

 

“When you woke up, you said nothing was wrong! What was so important for you to tell Halpert and not me?”

 

“You’re making this a bigger deal than it really is!”

 

Roy was much angrier now. He lurched toward Pam and pushed her back against the wall, her head hitting first. She tried to scream for help but nothing came out. She started squirming to get free but his strong grip held her in place. She began to sobbing.

 

“Stop fucking crying!’

 

He picked her up and threw her to the ground, then began kicking her, knocking the wind out of her. He reached for a wooden chair and hit her with it once until one of the legs flew off. Frustrated, he threw the chair to a corner and reached for a glass lamp. He threw the lamp on the ground next to Pam. She heard the small sharp pieces fly everywhere and put her arms over her head for protection. She felt the little pieces pierce into her soft skin.

 

“I don’t want you to ever mention this to anybody, especially Halpert.”

 

With that being said, he stormed out of the kitchen and she heard him slam the bedroom door. She was now lying in a ball on the ground that was wet from the hot water, shaking and sobbing. When she mustered the strength, she slowly stood up on wobbly legs and went into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. She sat against the wall with her knees up against her chest and closed her eyes. In this frightful hour, she longed for Jim.

 

****

 

Jim had no clue why Pam called at such an unusual time. When he heard Pam suddenly gasp and Roy yell in his deep voice, he knew something was wrong. Roy asked who he was and then suddenly heard the beeping sound that signaled the phone call had ended. He became concerned and tried calling her back right away, but the phone went straight to voicemail. He tried texting her but heard no reply. He had this strange feeling that something had gone horribly wrong.

 

When he couldn’t take the anxiety any longer, he turned on the TV and flipped through the channels, but nothing was on. He attempted listening to his ipod but didn’t find a song that would calm his nerves.

 

He desperately wanted to go to Pam’s apartment and check on her and reassure himself that nothing happened, but he had no clue where her apartment complex was. He ended up spending the reaming time of the night watching old episodes of Scrubs that were saved on his TiVo. He waited and waited for Pam to call him or give him some sign that she was okay, but he heard nothing.

Pam’s eyes slowly drifted open. The first thing she felt was a sharp pain go through her left arm and she saw a purple bruise with a long, deep cut running through it. She saw bruises all over her body. She looked around and noticed she was in the bathroom. Then, images of the night before ran through her mind, causing her to shudder. She suddenly remembered how Roy saw her talking on the phone with Jim. He turned… violent.

 

She checked her watch and saw that it was 6:00. Roy would be getting ready for a shower soon. She didn’t want to face him; she was scared of how he would act or if he would hurt her again. She painfully stood up and winced when she felt the sore spots all over her body. The most pain was on her left arm where the ugly bruise was. She looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were swollen and bloodshot from crying. There were dark circles under her eyes and a small cut on her neck.

 

Quietly, she opened the bathroom door and crept to the bedroom she and Roy shared. She put her ear to the door and heard snoring. Good, she though, he is still asleep. She eased the door open and tiptoed to the closet and grabbed her work clothes. When she was safely out of the room, she let out a sigh of relief and made her way back to the bathroom. She wanted to get ready and dash to work before Roy even saw her.

 

When she made it to the car unnoticed, she closed her eyes and leaned her head against the window. There was absolutely no way she could be in a relationship with Roy any longer, especially after the events of last night. This time, she wasn’t making excuses.

 

Then again, if Roy became so abusive over a mere phone call, how would he react if she said they were breaking up?

 

She started the engine and backed out. Turning the wheel hurt her injured arm immensely.

 

It was only 6:15, which was way too early to go to work. She considered driving by her mom’s to tell her about Roy but knew that was not a good idea. She then remembered how she didn’t have breakfast, so she drove to the nearest Dunkin’ Donuts. She spent her remaining time drinking a cup of hot chocolate and reading the local paper.

 

When she arrived at Dunder Mifflin, she stepped out of the car and felt a few snowflakes fall on her face. Memories of playing in the snow as a child flashed through her brain. Then anything seemed possible. Now, she feels as if she’s trapped and broken. She made her way up the elevator and to her desk.

When she saw Jim, her heart skipped a beat. He looked exhausted, as if he didn’t get one wink of sleep last night. When she was booting up her computer, he walked up and rested his arms on the desk.

 

“Hey.”

 

“Good morning, Beesly.”

 

His smile made her feel as if she really was something special. She wondered how he could do that, even when she was experiencing the worst.

 

“So about last night—”

 

“Yeah, what was that about? It sounded like something was bothering you. Then the line went out.”

 

Pam looked down not knowing what to say. As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t tell him how Roy physically hurt her. She remembered his warning and was scared he would hurt Jim if she told him.

 

“Pam—is everything alright?”

 

She looked up and met his eyes and felt her heart warm. She saw how concerned he was. She knew he was worried.

 

“Roy and I just got into an argument—I’m really sorry I called you so late.”

 

Jim hesitated before speaking. She could tell he didn’t believe her. Finally he looked down and said softly, “Hey, it’s no problem. Just remember, if you ever need anything, I’m here for you.” With that being said, he tapped his fingers on her desk and walked back to his. She ached to tell him that she wasn’t okay and that she was too scared to go home.

 

***

 

Jim knew Pam was lying. He heard Roy’s anger through the phone. He wondered if Roy had hit her. But he knew Pam would need time to tell him… At least he hoped that was the case.

 

Roy walked in not to much later. He seemed embarrassed. Pam led him out of the office and Jim hadn’t heard from her since.

 

A few hours passed until it was time for their lunch break. She still hadn’t returned. He went into the break room and sat down with his ham and cheese sandwich and grape soda. Then, Pam finally walked in and she seemed to be on the verge of tears. She sat across from him and took a deep, quivering breath.

 

“Pam? Are you okay?”

As soon as the question was asked she burst into sobs. He quickly pulled his chair next to hers and rubbed his hand up and down her back in an attempt to soothe her.

 

“Let’s go to the stairwell—we have a better chance of privacy there.” Pam nodded her head and they stood up, making their way through the office. When they were in the stairs, Jim spoke up.

 

“Really, Pam, what’s wrong?” She took another deep breath and took a few seconds to respond.

 

“It’s Roy. He’s—” She couldn’t finish her sentence, so she tried again. “Last night—”

 

That’s when his eyes drifted to the cut on her neck. It nearly made him stop breathing. “Pam,” he said in a near whisper. “Did he hurt you?”

 

She closed her eyes and was silent. When she spoke, she was practically inaudible. “Yes.”

 

Jim stood up in a fury. “Pam! You can’t just ignore this and pretend like nothing is wrong!”

 

She looked up at him, frightened. “Jim, it was nothing really! He was drinking and became angry for no reason. I’m sure he couldn’t help it.” She looked at her hands and immediately felt bad for lying. He wasn’t drunk at all.

 

Not wanting to upset Pam anymore, Jim sat back down and she turned to look at him. “I don’t think I can go home tonight.”

 

As soon as she spoke those words she regretted it. What was he supposed say to that?

“That’s an easy thing to fix. You can simply stay with me.”

 

“Are you sure? I mean, I don’t want to cause you and Mark a problem—”

 

“Pam, really, it’s no big deal.”

 

She smiled for the first time since her nightmare. “Thank you.” They went into a tight hug. At first, emotions such as desire and lust swept through him. Then, he began to worry. What had he gotten himself into? She was engaged and spending the night with her best friend who he just happened to be in love with. She hadn’t even told him what happened when she left the office with him a few hours earlier. And he knew she was lying about him being drunk because she probably wouldn’t be scared to go home. He knew he intentionally hurt her.

 

He began to worry about what the night would possibly bring.

The end of the day came too quickly. Pam knew spending the night at Jim’s house was anything but a good idea. She was worried how Roy would react.

 

She asked Jim if it was okay to leave a little earlier. She didn’t want Roy to see her leaving with Jim. So, 10 minutes before five o’ clock, she shut down her computer and put on her coat. She made her way down to Jim’s small car and waited for him to come down, remaining vigilant for any signs of the man that left her feeling bruised, inside and out.

 

She finally saw Jim’s tall figure walking towards his car. Why can’t he walk any faster, she thought.

 

“Wow, Beesly, I thought if I was playing chauffer you’d be waiting in the back seat,” he said and unlocked his car. She giggled, sat down in the car seat and closed the door, anxious to get away from the office.

 

Desperate to get her mind off of Roy, she asked, “Mind if I turn on the radio?”

 

“Go ahead!”

 

She flipped through the channels and finally settled on a song she had never heard of, but had a good beat. For the remainder of the car ride, she stared out of the window and thought about what the night would result in.

 

At last, the car turned into the driveway and they walked inside.

 

“Where’s Mark?”

 

“He’s out of town visiting his parents.”

Pam nodded her head. Since their conversation in the break room earlier that day, they hadn’t said much. It was awkward. She wanted to take away the tension. She wanted to have a good time tonight because she had a feeling tomorrow might be bad.

 

“Let’s play Scatagories,” she blurted, not knowing where the idea came from.

 

Jim looked at her and raised his eyebrows.

 

*****

 

The next thing she knew, they were sprawled across his living room floor drinking grape sodas playing Scatagories, the game that involved a letter and a list. Pam was lying on her stomach with her legs dangling in the air and Jim was sitting Indian Style.

 

“Really, Jim, a hippopotamus is not an item that can be refrigerated!”

 

“Aw, why not?”

 

“First off, it wouldn’t even fit in a refrigerator!”

 

“Well, Miss. Know-it-all, Harry Connick Jr. isn’t an item sold in a catalog.”

 

“Suck it, Halpert.”

 

The sound of the doorbell ran through the house.

 

“Pizza!” they exclaimed in unison. Jumping up from their positions on the floor, they ran and opened the door. The mood had greatly lightened and things felt partially normal again. Occasionally, a picture would flash in Pam’s mind of the night before, but she would do her best to shake it out and think of something else.

 

With their pizza in hand, they made their way back to the living room and opened the pizza. They ordered pepperoni which was their favorite.

 

Pam counted how many points she got on the last round.

 

“Jim, how many points did you get last time?”

 

“14.”

 

“Well, I got 20. Ha! I beat you again!”

 

He rolled his eyes and she couldn’t help but laugh.

 

“Do you just have to rub it in my face?”

 

“Absolutely!”

 

“Just shut-up and roll the dice.”

 

She did as he asked still laughing. “The letter is C.” She reached over to start the timer and began to fill out List 11.

 

When the timer finally dinged, they both jumped.

 

“Holy God, that scares me every time!” Pam exclaimed.

 

Jim chuckled. “Okay, number one, breakfast food. What did you put?”

“Captain Crunch.”

“Nice.”

 

“And I get two points for it.” Pam had a sure look on her face while Jim looked shocked.

 

“What? Why?”

 

“Captain and Crunch both start with a C!”

 

“I don’t think that is an official rule.”

 

“It is now.”

 

“Fine.”

 

“What did you put?”

He shook his head and refused to tell her.

 

“Come on! It can’t be that stupid!”

 

“I put charcoal.”

Pam immediately broke out in a fit of giggles.

 

“Okay, seriously, it’s not that funny!”

 

“Could you really not think of anything?”

 

“It’s not my fault that not many breakfast foods start with the letter C!”

 

She finally calmed down and they finished sharing their lists. They played the game over and over until Pam let out a yawn.

 

“Are you tired?”

She nodded her head but didn’t want to go to sleep. She was having a great time and she knew that calling it a night and going to bed would make the morning come too fast. The sooner the morning arrived, the sooner she would have to face Roy .

 

Jim stood and stretched his arms up in the air. Pam saw a glimpse of his stomach and had to look away because she could barely stifle her smile. Yes, she was still engaged, but since the night before and Roy had his blow-out, she was finally starting to be open to her feelings for Jim.

 

“What time is it?” she asked.

 

Jim glanced at the clock and replied, “It’s 2 a.m.”

 

 

Jim offered to take Mark’s room, but she refused and let him have his own.

 

“I have some clothes that you can borrow to sleep in. I don’t want you sleeping in your work clothes,” he said.

 

She followed him into his bedroom and he pulled out a long pair of sweatpants and a big, dark blue t-shirt.

 

“Thank you,” she said and took the clothes from his hands.

 

“Good-night, Jim.”

 

“Night, Pam.”

 

When they were in their separate rooms, Pam took off her cardigan and button down shirt and pulled on Jim’s shirt. She giggled at how the sleeves went so far down her arms and inhaled the scent of the shirt that smelled so like him. Then, she lay down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. She longed to be lying next to Jim; she felt lonely without someone beside her.

 

Her eyes finally started to drift shut. Soon, she was in a deep sleep.

 

*****

 

Pam woke up with a start and was breathing heavily. She had the nightmare again. She looked around Mark’s room forgetting where she was for a moment. Then, it dawned on her. She was at Jim’s house.

 

Just to be reassured that he was safe, she quietly got out of bed and crept to his bedroom door. Luckily, his door was slightly opened. She peeked inside and what she saw made her smile. He was sound asleep in his bed with the covers completely wrapped around him. His feet were sticking out and he was breathing steadily. She wondered what he was dreaming about. He looked so peaceful and she wanted nothing more than to kiss his forehead and pull the covers up over his exposed feet.

 

When she finally made her way back to Mark’s room, she looked at the clock and saw that it was 4 a.m. She had been asleep for almost two hours. She lay back down and pulled the comforter up over her chest and rolled on her side. It took her a long time until she was asleep again. She slept until the sunlight swept through the windows. The sound of rain hitting against her window woke her up. The thought of her having to go home in a few hours made her heart sink into the pit of her stomach. She stood up out of bed and stepped out of the bedroom. Her body still felt fragile and sore all over from the night before.

 

She was in the kitchen cooking eggs when Jim came downstairs. His hair was sticking up and his shirt was wrinkled. She smiled at him and said, “Good morning, glory!”

 

He sat down. “It smells good, what are you making?”

 

“Scrambled eggs.”

 

She rolled up her sleeves and set the plate down on the table. When she was pulling her arm away, Jim grabbed it.

 

“Pam! What this?” he asked, motioning to the wound middle on her arm.

 

She was busted. She completely forgot about the injury Roy had given her.

 

“I—um—”

 

“It was Roy, wasn’t it?” his voice had a sound of anger to it.

 

“Um—No—”

 

“Pam.”

 

By the tone of his voice, she knew that he knew the truth. She couldn’t lie any more. She took a deep breath and quietly replied:

 

“Yes.”

 

Jim stood up out of his chair and she could see how angry he was now. She felt tears threatening to fall.

 

“Did this happen the night you called me?”

She nodded her head.

 

“What the hell? Pam, you are in danger! I bet he gave you that cut on your neck too! He’s abusing you!”

 

“He was drunk, Jim!”

 

“Why are you using that as an excuse? You can’t go back there. I’m calling the police right now.” He reached for the phone but Pam stood up and grabbed his arm.

 

“Jim, don’t.” She looked at him with pleading eyes. When he turned to face her, she saw worry in his eyes and a tear leaving a wet trail down his cheek.

 

He pulled his hand back and sighed. “Okay.”

 

They stared at each other for a moment when Pam said in an almost whisper.

 

“I think I’m going home.” She made her way to the front door, opened it, and stepped outside.

 

“Pam.”

 

She turned and found herself facing him once more.

 

“Are you sure you want to go back?”

 

She nodded her head.

 

“Don’t you need a ride?”

 

“No, I can walk. Thanks, though.”

 

“But it’s an hour walk and it’s raining outside.”

 

“No—I think it’s just best if I—” Tears were forming in her eyes. She had to force out the next sentence. “I think it’s best if we aren’t friends anymore.”

That’s when the tears began to fall from both of their eyes.

 

“Why?” he whispered. She pretended she didn’t hear his statement.

 

“Bye, Jim,” she choked out.

 

“Bye, Pam,” he said in a near whisper.

She closed the door and lingered on his doorstep for a little. It’s for the best, she had to keep telling herself. Even though she was beginning to let in her feelings for Jim and finally noticed how much she wanted to be more than just a friend, she knew she didn’t have a way out of the relationship she had with Roy. She had to forget about Jim.

 

She also knew she didn’t want to go back to the apartment she shared with Roy. She felt her heart sink with each step she took because she knew in her heart she was making the wrong decision. She knew was nearing danger.

She stood in front of her apartment door for probably five minutes so she could muster enough courage to face the man that caused her so much fear. She knew that she was about to step inside a place that only the worst could occur. She flipped open her cell phone and dialed Jim’s number so she could apologize for the way she acted. When she reflected over their concluding conversation, she regretted the words she spoke. She needed him to be her friend now more then ever. At the same time that she was calling Jim, she finally she placed her hand on the doorknob and slowly opened the door. As soon as she took her first cautious step inside she heard:

 

“Pam.”

 

She felt all of her senses vanish from her body and felt as if she couldn’t move or talk. The phone fell from her hand to the floor. The lights to the apartment went on and she saw Roy nearing her. He reached behind her and slammed the door. She looked up at him and his giant body made her feel even smaller.

 

“Where were you last night?”

 

She didn’t respond. She was too petrified to speak.

 

“Where were you last night??” He repeated with a louder and more forceful tone to his voice. When she still didn’t answer, he began to yell. “God dammit Pam, why didn’t you come home?! And where are your clothes? Those aren’t yours!”

 

She unconsciously closed her hand around the hem of the t-shirt Jim had loaned her to sleep in. Crap, she thought, I’m dead now! I forgot to change back into my work clothes. God, how could I be so stupid?!

 

“Pam!”

 

“I—” She gulped and took a deep breath. “I was at Jim’s.” As soon as the words left her mouth she saw Roy’s face lose any hint of composure. He grunted in frustration and knocked the vase of flowers off of the living room table.

 

“Fuck you, Pam! You had sex with him, didn’t you? Go burn in fucking hell!”

 

Pam felt the tears burning at her eyes. She held them in and wanted to stay strong and handle this; she knew from bitter experience that giving into them now would only fuel Roy’s anger.

 

He turned to face her and his face was red and she saw the veins poking out from his neck. He stormed towards her and slammed her against the wall which caused her to fall to the floor. She was too terrified to stand up even when Roy exited out of the room in a fury and soon returned with the teapot Jim gave Pam in his hands. He raised his arm back.

 

“Roy, no!”

 

He then threw the teapot on the floor and it shattered to numerous tiny pieces. This caused Pam’s tears to finally fall. She loved that teapot even though it was such a minor gift. It meant so much to her and it was one of the few things she had from the man she truly had feelings for.

 

She bent down on her knees and reached for one of the blue pieces of her now demolished teapot.

 

“How dare you?” she said with her teeth gritted together and anger present in her voice.

 

Roy then forcefully kicked her in the stomach and she fell onto her back where she landed on a few razor edged pieces of the broken teapot. She winced when she felt the sharpness slice into her back and immediately felt the cold blood trickle down her spine. She wanted to scream so somebody, anybody, could hear that she was suffering. She wanted to dial 911, but there was no way she could get to a phone and call the emergency number without him noticing.

 

Then, he tightly grabbed her forearm, pulled her into a standing position and lugged her into the bathroom where he reached for the bathtub faucet and turned on the hot water. She looked at the running water with fear. He had done bad things to her in the past but he never abused her like this.

 

“You don’t deserve to be alive anymore after what you did.” He hesitated before continuing on with his statement and as Pam looked in his eyes, she saw a hint of sadness. “I’m going to kill you.” Then it hit her. The sadness in his eyes was from the love he still felt to her. Even though she never had sex with Jim it broke his heart to know that she had somebody else to confide in instead of himself. Murder just so happened to be his way of revenge.

 

She still had the little piece left over from the teapot in her left hand. She wouldn't let it go for anything because she wanted to have a little bit of Jim with her during this dark hour. It was as if she wanted to hold onto him as long as she could.

He let go of her arm but reached for her neck and started choking her. She felt the blood leave her face and was unable to get a single breath out. Soon after, the sounds of Roy cussing her out faded away and she couldn’t hear anything nor could she swallow. He finally let go of his tight grasp and she grabbed onto the sink to keep her balance. She was coughing incessantly and fighting to get a single breath in.

 

The next thing she knew, the room started spinning and her stomach felt as if it was enlarging. She felt the sour taste in the back of her throat and then she leaned over and vomit gushed out of her body and onto the bathroom tile.

 

She felt incredibly limp as if everything inside of her came out with the vomit. She couldn’t gain the strength to move. Roy kicked her back so she fell straight onto the vomit. As revolting as it was, she still felt too weak to fight back or move to a different spot on the floor. Only one thought went through her head. I’m going to die. She felt him grab onto her back with one hand while the other held onto the back of her head. Then, he thrust her head into the scorching hot water. Her lungs began to burn and it felt as if there was a burning fire raging through them. From time to time she would almost lose consciousness but then she would get a flashback of her last conversation with Jim and how she would give anything to take it back. She yearned to be safely in his arms with all memories of the immoral man that abused her behind her. These thoughts and desires caused her to fight to hold out longer. She even started praying until her mind emptied and the only thing she felt was the hot water flowing around her face.

 

She felt as if she was under the water for an eternity until suddenly Roy jerked her out of the water and she limply fell to the floor. She was still grasping onto the little piece of glass from her precious teapot. She then felt two firm hands reach under her and pick her up and heard a faint and familiar voice say, “Everything's alright now, I’m going to protect you.” She thought it was an angel. Then, she blacked out.

Jim was pacing back and forth; his mind was whirling. First, he discovered that the wounds he saw on Pam were caused by Roy and his anger. Then, she told him that they couldn’t be friends any longer. He was praying that he was only dreaming and that he would soon wake up tangled in his sheets. But deep down, he knew he wasn’t dreaming and that this was real.

 

His house seemed too quiet and lifeless. He couldn’t ever remember a time when the house was this empty and he felt so alone.

 

He lay down on his couch and tried to read, but the room was way too quiet. He blasted the speakers on the TV so he could get his mind off of her. Nothing was working. He turned off the TV and went upstairs. He walked into Mark’s room where Pam had stayed the night and saw the bed was still unmade. The room smelled like her. He picked up the pillow and saw black smears left over from her mascara. He sniffed it and her scent remained there; it was overwhelming. He ripped off the sheets and pillowcases and carried them to the laundry room. He had to get her scent out of the house. If she wanted to stay clear of him, then he had to forget as much of her as he could. After tossing everything in the washing machine, he made his way to his bathroom. He stepped inside the shower and made sure the water was extremely hot so it would distract him from thinking about Pam. When he started to realize he used up most of the hot water and the shower was cold, he stepped out and got dressed in his most comfortable pair of basketball shorts and his warmest sweatshirt.

 

He made his way downstairs and heard his cell phone ring. He picked it up the caller ID read Pam Beesly. He quickly answered it and said, “Hello?” but he heard no response. He asked again but then heard a deep voice screaming. He immediately recognized it as Roy’s. Then, he heard mumbled curses and something shatter to the ground. He also could make out sobs and screams coming from Pam. At first, Jim was petrified and the scene didn’t process. When he finally realized what was going on, he slammed his phone shut and reached for his car keys. The love of his life was in pain and he was going to help her. As he was walking out of the door the fact hit him that he had no clue where Pam lived. Dwight, he thought, he knows where everybody lives. Dammit, why didn’t I think of that two nights ago? He picked up the phone but his hands were shaking so much that he could barley hold onto it. He scrolled down his address book until he saw Dwight’s number.

 

“Dwight K. Schrute speaking.”

“Dwight! It’s Jim!”

 

“As in Jim Halpert, a salesman of the Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch?”

 

“Yeah, listen—”

 

“How do I know you’re not a Jim Halpert impersonator?”

 

Jim sighed. He should have known something like this would happen.

 

“You’re Dwight Kurt Schrute and you love and Battlestar Galactica. You live on a beet farm with your cousin, Mose. You are a Volunteer Sheriff Deputy on the weekends. You know every fact about bears—”

 

“Okay, I believe you. But if I find out you are a fraud you will be put into jail.”

 

Jim had to try extremely hard to keep it together. He squinted his eyes, trying to keep from screaming at his coworker.

 

“Okay, fine, but listen. I need Pam’s address and I know you know it.”

 

“Why are you going to her house?”

 

“No reason, I just need it right now!”

 

“How do I know you aren’t going over there to murder her or burn down her apartment or—”

 

“Dwight.”

 

“Okay, fine. It’s 2132 South Fairwood Drive .”

 

“Thanks, Dwight! Now, I have to go. Bye.”

 

Jim hung up before he could hear anything else from Dwight. The insane beet farmer bombarding him with questions was bound to happen. As he got in the car, he called the police and told them what was happening with Pam.

 

The drive to her apartment felt like it took an hour when it really only took around five minutes. The police drove in right behind him and they all ran up the stairs to her apartment and the police busted open the door. Jim could hear Roy screaming at Pam. With the police close behind him, he made his way through the small apartment stepping over broken pieces of something blue. He followed the yelling until he reached the bathroom. That’s when he saw Roy holding her head underwater. It was by far the most awful thing he had ever seen in his entire life.

 

*****

 

Pam’s eyes slowly blinked open and it took a while for her vision to clear. When it did, she realized she was lying on her living room couch and lights were flashing. The furniture was overturned and she felt awfully weak. She slowly turned her head and found herself facing Jim. He was holding her hand and tears were running down his face leaving droplets on his chin.

 

“She woke up! She’s alive!” he said.

 

Pam was utterly befuddled and had absolutely no clue of what was going on. She tried to sit up but simply couldn’t because she was so worn out.

 

“Lie back down, everything’s okay now,” he said and reached for a blanket that he gently placed over her.

 

“Jim, what’s going on? What are you doing here and why are the paramedics and police in my apartment?”

 

“Pam,” he began and reached for her hand again. “Roy tried to kill you.”

 

Memories of the past few hours flooded through her brain. “I—I remember now.”

 

He was silent for a moment. “We thought you were dead.” He sniffed and his voice cracked at the end of his sentence. More tears ran down his face which caused a few to fall from her face, too.

 

Pam gulped and unsuccessfully tried to hold back tears. “How did you know what was happening?”

 

“You never hung up your cell phone and I heard him yelling at you. Then I heard something crash in the background and you pleading for him to stop. I knew he was abusing you again.”

 

More tears began to roll down her cheeks. Of course he knew, she thought. He would do anything for me. Then, a policeman came and kneeled next to her. “How are you feeling?” he asked.

 

“Exhausted.”

 

“You’re lucky to be alive. May I ask you a few questions?”

 

She nodded her head and he began questioning her about Roy’s previous angry episodes and if he had ever hurt her before. She told him the complete truth because now there was nothing left to let lose. She wanted him in prison even though they spent nearly ten years together. She felt as if there was no way she could hold any form of relationship with him anymore and that broke her heart. She loved him, but not in a romantic way. She mostly loved their shared history. She deeply loved Jim and now she was able to face that. The emotions she felt around him were different than anything she had ever experienced before.

 

“Officer,” Jim started.

 

“Yes?”

 

“Is it alright if I take Pam to my house? I just want her out of here.”

 

“Of course.”

 

The officer then walked away from the couch and up to another policeman.

 

“Jim?” she asked.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Is it okay if I stay with you longer? My apartment is a wreck and I’ll need a place to stay until things get situated.”

 

“That’s no problem at all,” he replied and gave her a warm smile and a gentle hand squeeze.

 

“Good,” she said and smiled back. Even in a time as dark as this, she could find light in Jim’s smile. He reached over with his free hand and wiped her tears away. It was such a minor gesture but it caused her heart to beat even more. Before she knew it, she was falling asleep again on the couch. She was still holding his hand and she wouldn’t let go of it for the world.

Pam was gently shaken awake from her deep sleep. She opened her eyes but the lights were too unbearable so she quickly shut them again.

 

“Pam, wake up, we can go now.”

 

She made herself open her eyes once more and saw Jim kneeling on the floor next to her. There was now a little bandage on her neck and gauze wrapped around her left arm. She quickly remembered everything that had happened.

 

“How long have I been asleep?” she asked.

 

“About three hours.”

 

She looked down and noticed that her hand was still in his. He kept hold of her hands for three straight hours. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze before she let go and attempted to stand up. Her feet hit the floor and she straightened out her legs but she couldn’t maintain her balance and she started to fall. Luckily, Jim caught her and sat her back down. They both let out a small laugh.

 

“You’re obviously too weak to stand up, let alone walk three flights of stairs” he said and reached underneath her so he could pick her up. He carried her until they reached the threshold. She was surprised at how easily he carried her.

 

“Wait!” she interjected.

 

“What?”

 

“What about my clothes? And my toothbrush?”

 

“Oh yeah, right! I have spare toothbrushes at my house, so don’t worry about that.” Still holding her in his arms, he carried her to the bedroom. On their way, they passed the bathroom and it reeked of vomit.

Carefully, he laid her down on the bed and walked to the closet, taking out her suitcase. Pam watched as he grabbed the only pair of pajama bottoms he saw that looked like something a girl would wear and the tank top hanging with it. He looked to her and she nodded that they were hers. Next, he grabbed all of the work clothes in sight. There weren’t many. He folded them neatly; she couldn’t help but smile at how at home he seemed in her apartment. She also enjoyed how he took the time to fold her clothes instead of throw them in a messy heap like Roy would have done.

 

He turned to her and asked, “You ready?” She nodded and he picked her up once more. He made his way out of the damaged apartment, down the stairs, and out in the parking lot. She noticed that some police cars still remained along with the ambulance. They passed one car and she saw Roy. He was sitting in the back in handcuffs with his head bowed down. She gulped and tightened her grip on Jim’s jacket. It was unbelievable that the man that she once had been so close to was being taken to jail.

 

When they reached Jim’s small red car, he opened the back door and laid her down so she was lying on her back. He closed the door and sat in the front. The ride to his apartment was completely silent until he opened the door for her again.

 

“Jim, I just wanted to say thank you.”

 

“For what?”

 

“Everything.”

 

Even in the dark of the cold and early morning she saw his smile. He picked her up once again and led her inside to the living room. He carefully set her down on a chair and set the pull-out couch. Then he left to get her a few blankets and a pillow. When he returned, he said:

 

“My brother, Jonathan, is coming to visit and he will probably be here in a few hours; maybe around 4:00 a.m. Don’t let that wake you up because you need your rest. If you need anything, just call me with this,” he handed her an air horn. 

 

In spite of the situation, Pam smiled broadly.  “Are you seriously giving me this? Do you know how much I can annoy you with it?”

 

Jim winced. “Well then I guess you get an advantage. But considering you can’t even stand up—”

 

“I hate you,” she replied with a smile. He tried to put on an appalled look but failed and resulted in letting out a small laugh.

 

“Oh, I believe that. Night, Beesly.”

He started to make his way upstairs. She really wanted him down there with her though; she didn’t think she could handle another night alone. Without thinking, she blew the air horn and Jim came rushing back into the living room.

 

“God, that thing is a torture device!”

 

Pam giggled. “Uh, Jim?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“I don’t really think I will be able to sleep.”

 

“Well, I have a solution,” he replied with a smirk. Reaching under the stand the TV was sitting on, he pulled out a basket that was stocked with movies. He carried it over to where she was sitting on the pull out couch and set it down. “Choose one.”

 

She began flipping through her movies until she found one that specifically caught her eye. “How about this one?” she asked and handed it to Jim.

 

“Annie? Are you serious?” 

 

“Dead serious. Just curious. Why do you own that movie?”

 

“Toby drops his daughter off here sometimes so I can baby sit her. She accidentally left it here last time.”

 

“Well, I still think we should watch it.”

 

He rolled his eyes and put in the DVD, then crawled on the pull out couch next to Pam. Even though they weren’t touching at all, she had trouble concentrating on the movie. For the first 15 minutes, they sang along to every song and she teased him because he knew them all so well. Then, she asked, “Where’s your bathroom?” He helped her to the small room and she had to call him when she was done. It was a little embarrassing, but it was sweet of him to help her. When they got back, she made a point to sit closer to Jim. The small gesture must have surprised him because he didn’t speak for a few minutes. Halfway into the movie, sleep took over both of them.

 

*****

 

Pam was having a very pleasant dream about visiting Paris until the front door opening woke her up. Her first thought was that it was Roy . Then she noticed that her head was on Jim’s chest and his arm was tightly around her and she remembered everything that had happened. She tightened her grip around Jim and remembered him telling her that his brother was coming to visit. She was almost asleep again until she heard somebody call out Jim’s name. He jolted awake and then saw how he and Pam were laying together. The way he smiled at her caused pink to color her face. They were laying tangled together, smiling at each other until the voice called again. He slowly sat up and she let him go. “I’m in here,” he called back with a tired sound present in his voice. A tall man walked into the living room and he turned on the lights. She squinted and waited to adjust to the sudden brightness.

 

“Woah! Sorry, bro. I didn’t know you had a guest over.” She saw him eyeing her injuries, but he luckily didn’t say anything.

 

Jim slowly stood out of bed and made his way over to his brother where they embraced in a hug. “No problem. Jon, this is Pam. Pam, this is Jon,” he said and in spite of her pain, she slowly and carefully stood up and reached out to shake his hand. Instead, he pulled her into a hug. “It’s so good to finally meet you, Pam! I’ve heard so much about you!”

 

“Really? What exactly have you heard?” she asked and smirked at Jim.

 

He didn’t get a chance to answer because a feminine voice called out, “Jon?” Then, a petite blonde woman walked into the living room.

 

“Uh—Jim? This is Laura. She’s my girlfriend. I wanted to bring her here and surprise you. I hope you don’t mind—”

 

“Hey! It’s nice to meet you!” Jim shook her hand and Pam did the same. Once all of the welcoming concluded and Jon and Laura were upstairs, Jim and Pam crawled back into bed. She instantly scooted closer to him and got in the same position that she was in when she woke up. His arms immediately went back around her waist. She was so comfortable laying so close to him, but she couldn’t get herself to fall asleep. “Are you awake?” he asked.

 

“No. I can’t sleep,” she replied.

 

“Sorry Jon woke you up.”

 

“Don’t apologize; it’s not your fault! Anyway, I’m glad to have finally met him.”

 

It grew quiet and after a few minutes she yawned. Her eyes began to feel heavy again. His steady breathing let her know that he was asleep. Before she knew it, she was too.

 

Pam slept pleasantly for the remainder of the night. She felt so safe lying in Jim’s arms. She woke up once with a start because an ambulance drove by with its sirens wailing but the steady movement of his chest moving up and down lulled her back to sleep. She dreamed until the pleasant aroma of cooking bacon woke her up. She briefly panicked when she saw that Jim was no longer next to her. Then she heard a deep voice humming to “On the Way Down” by Ryan Carbrera coming from the kitchen. She slowly sat up and put her feet on the floor and slowly stood up. She was pleased to know that she could now walk around without feeling too much pain from the wounds Roy had inflicted on her. She made her way to the bathroom first so she could look in the mirror and make sure she didn’t look to bad for just waking up. She brushed her teeth and combed her hair and made her way to the kitchen.

 

“Morning, Halpert.” He jumped and turned around to face her. “Jesus! You scared me!”

 

“Nice choice of music,” she said and leaned against the counter next to where he was cooking.

 

“I know, right?” he replied, giving his best valley girl impression.

 

“I was being sarcastic, you know.”

 

“Sarcasm received.” Pam rolled her eyes and smiled to herself. She took a moment to look at his appearance. His hair was messy just like the morning before and he had a little bit of flour on his cheek. “So, did you sleep well?” he asked.

 

“Like a rock.”

 

“Good! I see that you’re up and moving this morning.”

 

“Yeah, I feel so much better! So what are you cooking?”

 

“Pancakes, bacon, and eggs.”

 

“Can I help?”

 

“No, Pam. This is a one man job and you’ll only mess it up.” His voice was tinted with laughter.

 

“If anybody were to mess this up it would be you.”

 

“Excuse me? I am actually a great cook!”

 

Pam bit her lip and tried to keep a straight face but failed. She reached for the pancake mix and started to make another batch.

 

“Which do you like in your pancakes more: chocolate chips or blueberries?” he asked.

 

“Um.. Blueberries,” she replied.

 

“Good choice.”

 

They continued to cook and had some pancakes on the grill while others were still being mixed together. She didn’t know why they were cooking so many for only four people but she was enjoying it. “Hey, Jim, look at me.” As he turned around to face her she flicked flour on his face.

 

“Oh, Beesly, you did not just throw flour in my face.” His face was mock serious.

 

“I think I just did.”

 

“Do you know who you’re messing with?” He then grabbed a handful of flour and poured it on her head. She scoffed and then reached for more but instead accidentally knocked the cup that was holding the wet pancake mix on the floor.

 

“Smooth move, Iron Chef.”

 

“I hate you.”

 

Pam then bent down and went for a handful of the wet mix and threw it up at Jim. He took a step forward so he could get her back but instead accidentally slipped on the mix. He grabbed her arm and pulled her down with him and they both landed on top of the pancake batter in hysterics. When their laughing finally started to die down and she rolled over on her side. Their faces were close to touching and the humor started to fade away. She could feel the blush rise in her cheeks as she saw the way he was looking at her. Her stomach felt like a washing machine; turning in repetitive circles. His breath was hot on her face and she saw his eyes flick to her lips. She wanted one of them to gain enough courage and lean in so their lips were touching. They were so close; it would only take a minor movement. Suddenly, the smell of smoke filled the room and she pulled away quickly. “We forgot to take the pancakes off the stove!” She stood up and felt his absence immediately. Jim ran grabbed the fire extinguisher and sprayed out the small fire. The commotion died down and it grew painfully quiet. Pam was still hazy from what had just happened before she smelled the smoke. She looked over at Jim. Even covered in pancake mix he looked adorable.

 

“Well, we really turned this into Hell’s Kitchen,” he said, finally breaking the awkward silence. The small remark caused Pam to start giggling. Soon, she was cracking up once again and Jim only looked at her with a small smile on his face. “It really wasn’t that funny!” She finally calmed down and said, “What do you say we go out to breakfast? We can forget about this one. It’s ruined!”

 

“We should probably get cleaned up first. We’re drenched in pancake mix and I don’t think we would be welcome at a restaurant looking like this. I have a shower upstairs and you can use it while I clean up in here.”

 

“No, I should help! I caused this mess!”

 

“Don’t worry about it, I can handle it,” he said smiling.

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Positive. Oh, and don’t forget to wash behind your ears.”

 

“Gee, thanks, mom.”

 

“Wait! I think we need a picture of this.”

 

“Are you serious?”

 

“I’m dead serious. Hold on.” He ran into the other room and came back quickly with a digital camera in hand. He put it on the counter and set the automatic timer then quickly walked over to her. She started to blush again as he put his arm around her shoulders and wished he wasn’t taking a picture because she knew the pink on her cheeks was visible. “Say cheese!” The camera flashed and he went over to retrieve it. He nodded and admired the image as if it were a work of art. “This definitely deserves a spot on my desk at work.”

 

“Oh, please don’t Jim. I would kill you.”

 

“Why? It’s a Kodak moment!” She rolled her eyes. “Am I free to take a shower now? This batter is drying and it’s starting to get uncomfortable.”

 

“Okay, fine. Whiner.” She went over and playfully smacked his upper arm.

 

“You’re such a geek.”

 

She smiled to herself and went to get her suitcase and then up to the bathroom feeling a little disappointed that neither of them said anything about what happened only a few minutes ago. They were so close to kissing. She got goosebumps with only the idea of kissing Jim. It obviously meant something and both of them were too timid to bring it up. She was deep in thought when Mark’s door opened and Jonathan walked out.

 

“Woah, what happened to you?”

 

“There was an accident in the kitchen. Long story short, Jim and I tried to make breakfast. Go down and see for yourself.”

 

Jon let out a little laugh and made his way downstairs. She walked in the bathroom and saw her reflection in the mirror. She couldn’t help but smile. Something like this would only happen with Jim. She began to wonder what would happen as the day went on considering all of the events that transpired with the morning. She had the whole day to spend with him and frankly, she had a very good feeling about it.

“So far, so good,” Jim thought as he began cleaning up the kitchen. “She doesn’t seem as anxious as she was last night. I just need to keep her mind off of it for a little longer...”

 

Right at that moment, Jon walked into the room.

 

“Pam was right,” he said. “This is a pit.” Jim chuckled and threw his rag in the sink.

 

“So, Jim,” Jon continued. “What’s going on between you and Pam? Last I heard she was still engaged to that Ron dude.”

 

“It’s Roy ,” Jim corrected. “And to tell you the truth, I don’t really know what’s going on between them.” His smirk faded and he looked at the ground. That issue was really bothering him; Pam had not specified if she was still with Roy . He knew that a normal person would end an abusive relationship right away but he knows how she is. She isn’t the bravest person in the world and he knows that one of her biggest fears is major change. And ending an engagement would be, without a doubt, a huge change. He wasn’t even sure what happened to Roy . He last saw him sitting in a police car looking dejected.

 

“Oh…” Jon began. “Why is she here, then?”

 

“I don’t know if I should tell you or not.”

 

“Does it have something to do with the bruises on her?” Jim remained silent for a while, unsure if he should tell his brother, who was one of the most trustworthy people he knew, of what happened to her. Then, a warm voice said his name. He turned to the entryway of the kitchen and saw a beautiful version of Pam. Her hair was wet and obviously not brushed yet and she was in a navy long sleeved t-shirt and jeans. She walked up to him, her bare feet slapping against the linoleum, and picked up the rag he earlier threw into the sink.

 

“The shower’s yours,” she said and smiled up at him.

 

*****

 

A few hours later, Jim and Pam were sitting on big lounge chairs in a quaint and cozy cafe, sipping lattes and sharing a blueberry muffin. Snow was heavily falling outside and she was still slightly shivering from the cold air. The bottoms of her jeans were still wet and spots of her recently dried hair was damp. Before they left, Pam got a call on her cell phone and was informed that Roy had surprisingly pled guilty, which meant that she wouldn’t have to appear before court for a trial.

 

She took a sip of her hot drink and it sent a surge of warmth through her body. They hadn’t said much other than little comments on the snow or their drinks.

 

“Roy and I are done.” It was so sudden and it shocked her even coming out of her own mouth.

 

“Wow… I’m so sorry—”

 

“No. I mean, don’t be sorry,” she interrupted. “It was bound to happen. Actually, I was second guessing our relationship for a long time but I was just too scared to do anything about it. Truthfully, it may be for the best that all of this happened otherwise I’m not sure if I would have had the nerve to call things off. Also, everything that’s happened in the past few days... It’s... Um, I’m not really sure how to put this…” God, she was feeling brave. She inhaled a deep breath before speaking the last few words. “It’s helped me realize how strong my feelings are for you.”

 

After what seemed to her like an eternity of silence, he finally spoke in a near whisper. “You have no idea how much I’ve dreamed of you saying that.”

 

“Good,” she replied in a soft voice too. For a minute or so, all they did was look at each other; examining their faces. “I should’ve never been with Roy. For a while, it seemed like it was the best thing for me. Then I met you and I realized that I wasn’t being treated how I should. I used to think Roy wasn’t a bad person. After last night I noticed he needs help; he isn’t the right guy for me. Maybe one day he’ll meet another girl he will really love and care for. Recently, I haven’t been able to get you off my mind. It made me notice that you’re the guy I’ve always dreamed of.”

 

Jim smiled at this and reached across the table to lace his fingers through hers. He gave them a gentle squeeze. “I can’t even start to explain how happy I am now. Everything you’ve said… I don’t know, I’ve just wanted to hear it for the longest time.” She smiled and squeezed his fingers back. It was quiet again for a few moments until he asked, “So, what does this mean?”

 

“Well, this may sound completely crazy of me, but I’m ready. I don’t know how I am, but I’m ready to be with you. That is, if you’re ready to be with me. And I want you to know that this isn’t a rebound because I think I’ve just been ready for a long time.”

 

“I’m ready too.”

 

*****

 

They walked out of the coffee shop, hand in hand, with bright smiles on their faces. Snow was covering the ground and it was still falling in heaps. Pam leaned against his car and gazed up at him. His hand was on the car next to her waist.

 

“For the longest time, I’ve felt as if I was missing something. I couldn’t put my finger on what it was but now I know. Now, I know that you were the something missing. I don’t feel incomplete anymore.”

 

Jim smiled down at her and decided that now was the time. He slowly lowered his head to hers and their foreheads touched. She looked into his eyes and her breath hitched as their lips almost touched. She wrapped her arms around him and finally, their lips locked. He pulled her tightly against her and his warm body made her forget about the winter air. The snow fell around them and landed on their faces. The kiss proved everything they wanted to know; it spoke the unspoken words of love. When they pulled away, they remained in the cozy embrace. He ran his finger around her lips and he wiped away the snowflakes that melted on her face.

 

“That was…” he started.

 

“Incredible,” she finished and pulled him down for another kiss. When they pulled away again, they didn’t speak so they could cherish the intensity of the moment. When the cold air began to bite, they stepped into the car.

 

“I think I should go talk to Roy in person to make sure he understands that we’re over,” she said.

 

“Do you want me to come with you?”

 

“I should probably do it on my own, but I would feel much more comfortable if you did.”

 

“Then I will.”

 

He reached over and took her hand into his again. At this moment, things felt as if they couldn’t get any better. But considering that she would have to face Roy again soon, she had a feeling that her newly created feeling of being in a sanctuary wouldn’t always remain.

The sun was now setting and the snow was still falling. Jim, Pam, Jon, and Laura were all sitting on the living room roasting marshmallows in the fireplace (Jon’s request). They were watching The Devil Wears Prada because it was on ABC Family. Jim and Jon unwillingly agreed to watch it after Pam and Laura begged. They were actually really enjoying it although the girls were beginning to get annoyed with their constant questions on the designers. The only lights were coming from the strong flames in the fireplace and the bright light of the television.

 

“You know, the red headed assistant with the British accent is pretty good looking,” Jon said which resulted in Laura smacking him in the arm. Jim pulled the blanket that he and Pam were sharing tighter around them and he kissed the top of her head. He felt as if he hadn’t stopped smiling for even a single second since her confession. As soon as they got home from the coffee shop hand in hand, Jon watched them with a look of confusion spread across his face. Jim looked back at him with a smile and a wink and his brother caught onto his gesture right away.

 

Pam pulled one of the two marshmallows off of the metal clothing hanger (they were using them as sticks) and stuck it on her graham cracker. She licked the stickiness off of her fingers and put the other one on a cracker for Jim. She bit into it and let out a little cry. As she struggled to swallow the hot dessert, he looked at her with concern. She shook her head and reassured him that it was just really hot. “Here,” he said as he put a little of the sticky treat on his finger and blew on it. He held it up to her mouth and motioned for her to eat it, which she did and giggled.

 

When the movie was over, they turned off the TV and started talking. Everything was going great until out of nowhere, Jon asks:

 

“So, Pam, I’ve noticed some cuts on you. What happened? Were you in a car accident or something?”

 

Jim looked over at Pam and he saw the color drain from her face. He knew she wasn’t ready to talk to anyone about what happened with Roy yet and he didn’t blame her in the least bit. He looked at Jon and slightly shook his head, trying to get him to change the subject, but he didn’t catch on.

 

“I…Um…” Pam stuttered.

 

“Pam, you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t feel ready,” Jim softly said.

 

“No, it’s ok. They’re going to find out at one point or another,” she said. He could tell she wasn’t still fully willing to explain.

 

“Wait, talk about what?” Jon asked, utterly confused. “Is something going on?”

 

“It’s over with now,” Jim said.

 

“Yeah, um… Actually, my old fiancé started to abuse me. It only happened a couple of times, but they were… really bad,” she explained and looked at the floor. Jim rubbed a hand up and down her back to soothe her.

 

“That’s awful,” Laura said. “Is everything alright now?”

 

“Yeah, he’s in prison and I don’t have to worry about him anymore. Well, I’m going to visit him tomorrow just to put an official end to our relationship, but other than that it’s all over with.”

 

“Is there anything I can do?” Jon asked.

 

“Don’t worry about it. You letting me intrude on your visit is help enough!”

 

“You’re not intruding! It’s nice having you here,” Jon said.

 

She smiled and replied, “Thank you! I’m enjoying getting to know you and Laura!”

 

For some time, they all continued talking. Pam felt a little relieved now that she shared her secret with someone other than the police and Jim. After a while, Laura yawned stood up. “Ok, well, I’m really tired and I can hardly keep my eyes open so I think I’m going to hit the hay,” she said.

 

“I’ll come up with you,” Jon said and followed her up the stairs. Jim and Pam sat quietly for a few minutes, snuggled comfortably under the same warm blanket as they watched the fire’s flames that were now hardly gleaming.

 

“Pam?”

 

“Mmm?”

 

“How come the other morning you said it would be best if we weren’t friends anymore?” That one question had been burning in his mind ever since that morning and he finally had the nerve to ask it.

 

“Oh,” was all she responded. She stayed silent for a moment while he waited for her answer. “I think it was just because I was getting more and more afraid of how strong my feelings were to you.”

 

“So you thought that not seeing each other would improve things?”

 

“I guess. But it only made things worse. The whole walk home I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I regretted what I said and wished that I could just go back in time and take it back. I had to keep telling myself that I made the right decision—”

 

“So—”

 

“No, just let me finish. I’ve been needing to tell you this for a long time. I thought that I would maybe fall out of love with you if we didn’t see each other because every time I’m with you, I find something else that makes me love you more. But it didn’t work because now, I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone.” For some reason, she became choked up and tears were threatening to spill out of her eyes at any time. Jim just looked at her with his mouth slightly open and his eyes wide.

 

“I’m sorry that was probably too mu—” He interrupted her with a kiss. Her arms instantly went up and her hands tangled in his hair. He pushed her down so that she was lying on her back. One of his legs was in between hers and the other was on the outside. When he pulled away, it was Pam’s turn to look surprised. “Wow,” was all she could muster to come out of her mouth.

 

“I love you too and I have for the longest time.” He kissed her again, this time more passionately. Earlier, she felt as if she couldn’t be happier but she was mistaken. Now she was positive that her happiness was full.

Very early the next morning, a phone call disturbed the new couple from their peaceful sleep on the pull out couch. Jim rolled over to pick it up and answered in a hoarse, morning voice.

 

“Hello?”

 

Pam now rolled on her side as well and wrapped her arms around him.

 

“Jimbo! Hey, it’s Michael!” God, his voice was way too cheery for this time in the morning. It was still dark outside.

 

“Mmpphh. What’s up?”

 

“Yeah, I was just phoning you to let you in on the D.L.”

 

“The D.L?”

 

“You know, the down low. Come on, Jim, go with the flow. Get with the program!”

 

“My bad, Michael. I’ll make sure to catch up on the current vocabulary.”

 

“Okay, well, anywho. Sadly, the snow plows couldn’t get out because of the giant blizzard outside so work is cancelled and it may be for a while.”

 

“All right, thanks for keeping me posted. Goodb—”

 

“This is serious business. We could die within the next few days. What if we lost power and had now way to heat ourselves?”

 

“We could build a fire.”

 

“But what if we burned the house down? Stop acting dumb. We would run out of food and starve to death and turn to ice.”

 

“I guess we will just have to work to prevent that from happening. Goodb—”

 

“Hey, what do you say you and I spend some Big Mike and Fly Jim time today.”

 

“Fly Jim?”

 

“God, just… It’s more slang. I sure know what I’m getting your for Christmas.”

 

“What? A slang dictionary?”

 

“How did you know?”

 

“Lucky guess.”

 

“Well, as I was saying, today we should go to Chiles or Hooters or—”

 

“You know, I’m really sorry but I already have plans. How about I make it up to you sometime, Big Mike?” he mimicked.

 

“Fine. Way to ruin my day.”

 

“Goodbye Michael,” he said and hung up the phone before his boss could complain anymore. He turned so he was facing the dreary Pam and he pulled her closer.

 

“I’m guessing we don’t have to go into work today.”

 

“Yeah, apparently the snow plows are stuck and we are in the middle of a huge blizzard and we have a huge chance of running out food and freezing to death.”

 

“Michael Scott always has the wackiest ideas.”

 

“Mmhmm,” he replied with a yawn. He kissed her forehead and pulled the covers back up. “I think I’m going to take advantage of this time off and sleep in,” he said.

 

“I’m down for that, too.” Quickly, they were back asleep, warm in each others arms.

 

*****

 

Once they were finally awake, they made two quick cups of hot chocolate with the delicious mix Jon made and got right back in the warm bed. Jim flipped on the news but all that was showing was weather bulletins.

 

“I don’t think I’m going to be able to visit Roy today if the roads are as dangerous as they’re saying,” Pam said with a tint of disappointment to her voice.

 

“Maybe later in the day they will clear up a bit,” Jim hopefully replied.

 

“But it’s supposed to keep snowing until tomorrow or maybe after.”

 

“Don’t worry, Pam. We will find a way to get you there as soon as we can.” A small smile pulled on her lips as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

 

“You know, I’ve had to keep telling myself that this is really happening and I’m not just dreaming for once.”

 

“Me too. Wait, you’ve dreamed about this?”

 

She nodded her head. “Did you?”

 

“All the time.”

 

“You know that night I called you back when all of this started?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Well I had this nightmare that you were dying. I woke up shaking. It hit me that if I lost you, I don’t know what I’d do. I know I would feel lonelier than I ever had. All I wanted was to hear your voice. That’s why I called. When Roy saw me talking to you on the phone, he got angrier than I’d ever seen him. I mean, in the past he got angry and would do little things like tightly grab my arm and stuff, but he was never violent up until then. At that point, I would’ve never guessed that things would turn out like this. He threatened me not to tell anyone so I figured I was stuck with him forever. I can’t even tell you how happy I am with the way things are now.”

 

Jim gave her a sincere look and then pulled her into his lap. “When you told me he was hurting you, I was crushed. You are way too much of a special person to be treated that way and I was willing to do anything to get you away from him. I kept thinking that if you were mine, I wouldn’t even consider doing those things to you. I want you to know that. I’m never, ever going to hurt you. Not just physically, but I’m going to try my hardest never to heart you on the inside. I feel like we’ve spent enough time hurting each other and now we just need to forget on that and focus on making each other happy.”

 

She smiled at him and gave him a soft kiss before saying, “I’d like that. Just promise me one thing.”

 

“Anything.”

 

“Don’t let me go.”

 

He went in for another kiss and pulled her closer. She wrapped her hands around his neck and felt him smile which caused her to smile too.

 

“Good morning!” Laura said as she happily bounced into the living room where they seemed to care less about her presence and more about each others lips. It took her a second to notice them and when she did she said, “Oh, sorry. My bad.”

 

Jim and Pam pulled away abashed as pink rose up in both of their cheeks. It didn’t take the huge grins off of their faces though. Pam bit her lip and itched her nose before responding, “Good morning to you too, Laura.”

 

“So I’m guessing work is cancelled for everyone today,” Laura said.

 

“Yeah, and our boss just had to call us before the sun was even up,” Jim said.

 

“Oh, that sucks,” Laura said as she sat on the edge of the bed. “But I love snow. It just makes everything seem so peaceful.”

 

“Me too! When I was a kid, I had this window seat with a frilly pink cushion that I would sit on and watch it fall. Sometimes I would fall asleep there as I was sketching it,” Pam said. Jim smiled at her with eyes full of adoration and love. He knew he was probably rushing ahead of himself way too quickly, but he couldn’t help but picture his own daughter sitting on her own frilly pink window seat. She had curly red hair that was falling into her big eyes as she held a pencil that could hardly fit in her hand and a drawing pad sitting on her tiny lap. Pam was sitting on the opposite side and held her own art supplies. There was a soft light coming from the room and snow was lightly falling outside. He just had this feeling that the picture he was envisioning would turn to reality one day.

 

“So where’s Jon?” Pam asked as he finally turned his attention back to the conversation.

 

“He’s still in his bed snoring like a baby,” Laura replied. “Hold up, is that Jon’s hot chocolate?” Jim nodded her head. “I’ll be right back,” she said as she stood up and made her way into the kitchen.

 

When she was out of sight, he unexpectedly pulled Pam into another kiss. When they parted, she asked with a goofy grin plastered onto her face, “Wow, what was that for?”

 

“I don’t know, I guess I just felt like it.”

 

“Well, I hope you feel like it more often!”

 

“Oh, I’m pretty sure I will.”