The Stamford branch meets the Scranton branch for the first time today.

Pam greets the newcomers from behind her desk. Tony arrives first. Next, she greets Hannah, then Karen, then Andy. But she waits eagerly for one, specific arrival- her old friend Jim.

Pam twirls her hair unconsciously as she waits. She sharpens pencils. Plays with rubber bands. Zips through at least four Sudoku puzzles. throughout, she is careful not to leave her desk, in case he arrives while she's up. Why can't she leave her desk? She cannot risk being seen. Not yet.

She is excited to greet him once again, but she is terribly nervous. For one, they parted on an...interesting note, and she does not know where their relationship currently stands. But even more, she is terrified because he has no idea that ever since Casino Night, she's been carrying a secret.

Jim walks in, slouched, hands in pockets. The usual. He wears a blue striped scarf and pea coat, with his messenger bag carefully hanging over his shoulder.

“My name is Jim Halpert..I’m new here…”

She looks up at the sound of his voice, not sure whether she should laugh or cry. She begins to stand to hug him, but catches herself and sits back down. She decides to smile.

She feels pathetic sitting in her seat, because it has been a good seven months, so the least he’d expect from his best friend would be a hug.

"Oh my God. I can't believe it's really you!" she whispers, as she covers her mouth with both hands. Her eyes widen. She swears she feels tears, but she fights them away.

Jim starts heading around her desk, but she doesn’t rise to meet his hug. “What’s the matter Beasley?”

She tries to laugh off the awkwardness. “Oh! Nothing! My foot… it’s been bothering me, that’s all. But it’s totally okay.” She smiles. “I’m just really glad you’re here.”

He slips away from her work area, and thumps on the reception counter. He seems confused. "Yeah. Me too."

---

She swears she’s been holding the contents of her bladder in for years, but she doesn’t have the guts to march to the ladies room and back…not with his eyes on her.

Her opportunity finally arises when he gets up and walks over to Karen’s desk. She is confused though. Why do they keep looking at each other, and why does she keep visiting his desk?

He leaves her desk, looking disappointed. Karen sighs and continues to work. He walks up to reception with a half-hearted smile. “Hey Beasley, I’ve got an hour off. Can you grab a bite?” She looks around anxiously. She needs an excuse…and to pee. “Hey, well, Michael has this...report...that he needs me to, um, help him write. He’s got me on a tight leash. Maybe you could bring me something back?”

Jim sighs, but manages to maintain his side smile. “Oh yeah, definitely,” he breathes. “It’s just great to see you again. I thought we could catch up.”
She begins to bounce her legs. “Oh, I definetly agree. Maybe tomorrow? That would be real nice." He looks down and begins making his way out the door. “Yeah. We’ll talk about it later, then, I guess. I’ve got to run…”

“Yeah! Hey, thanks for asking though. I’ll take you up on this later.”

“No worries, Beasley.” He is out the door.

She dashes to the bathroom.