The forecast had called for a warm clear weekend, so tonight, he had opened his bedroom window to let in a slight breeze. As his eyes drooped a bit, he heard the vibration of his cell phone on his nightstand. Who would be calling him this time of night? It better not be Mark again, crying over Rebecca breaking up with him for the 3rd time this week.

He didn't bother to flip on the light, the illuminated screen from the phone casted a glow. As he watched the number flash in his eyes, his breath caught. No. No, no, no. Not after months of nothing. Months of bitter silence, months of waiting and wishing, months of giving up even when he didn't want to, but had to, because he couldn't cry anymore. That wasn't just months Jim...that was years.

He gripped the phone to his chest and slipped out the bed, walking out onto his balcony. He slid the door shut and closed his eyes for a second. The warm wind hit his face and finally he flipped open the phone.

"H-hello?"

A small gasp was heard on the other end. "Hello, Jim?"

He felt the lump grow bigger in his throat, he knew it was her because of the number, but for some reason the sound of her voice made his heart skip.

"Pam?" he barely whispered out.

"I'm sorry...I know it's really late...and I...I didn't mean to bother you. It's just that, there's a thunderstorm here."

He could hear his heart beating in his head as she spoke softly, almost like he was drunk or dying. Not that he knew what dying felt like, but he was sure it felt like this.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"There's a bad storm here, and um...well, I'm afraid of storms, and since this is the first time I've really been alone during one...I hope you don't mind. Maybe I shouldn't have called."

He shook his head even though she couldn't see him. "No, no...s'alright. Storms scare me too. I probably won't be a great comfort to you."

He didn't hear anything, he wondered if she hung up, maybe if she did it was for the best. But he heard her sniff. "You're a big comfort to me Jim."

"T-thanks. So, um...how are things?" Smooth Halpert, real smooth.

"Things are...things-SHIT!!" she shouted into the phone. He heard a loud crash and guessed that was thunder.

"PAM?! Is everything okay?!"

"Yeah. That was a big one. I'm sorry, I'm jumpy, I'm so scared. It's my biggest fear. Well second biggest."

He could almost envision her curled up in her bed, clutching the cell phone under her covers.

"It's okay."

"Yeah. When I was younger I used to sleep in my parent's room during storms. I could never be alone. I let that fear overtake me and sometimes I would promise myself I could handle it, I wouldn't run to my mom and dad, but I would always end up in their room before the storm was done," she spoke so softly, almost a whisper.

"You ever do the counting thing? I heard that works. Count the seconds between lightning and thunder." Jim replied, trying to fight back the want of driving straigh to Scranton. He glanced over at his open bedroom window, watching the curtains inside flutter from the wind.

"No I never thought of that. I'll try that."

"Yeah, storms aren't really that bad,actually. I'm no tree hugger but-"

"Course not, you sell paper, you advocate killing trees." she chuckled.

He couldn't help but laugh too. "Yeah I do, but what I meant was thunderstorms are good for the environment. They set the balance right again. It brings cleansing rains and thunderstorms happen because the atmosphere is unbalanced."

"You should have been a weatherman." she joked.

"Then who would sell paper?" he joked back.

Her laughing was like music to his ears and he sat in one of his patio chairs.

"You're right though..." she said, her tone serious.

"About what?"

"Storms bringing back balance. Once the storm is over, everything is fresh again. Everything is balanced again."

"Yeah."

"No, I mean, like my life. There was a storm, everyone was angry and everyone was hurt. My emotions were all screwed up and I didn't know where to turn. And you left and things got worse-" she started to choke.

"Pam, it's okay, it's-"

"I love you. I'm sorry I hurt you."

"I know. I- I love you too."

"Is it too late?"

Jim barely choked out. "It's never too late for you.

"Um...I have a art show coming up-"

"You do art?"

"Yeah, I take classes and this is my first showing. If- if you want to come-"

He closed his eyes and breathed so deeply his chest hurt. "Count on it."

She sighed, and he could tell she was smiling. "I miss you. Oh-!"

"What? Another thunderclap?"

"No, the thunderstorm is over here, it's probably moving your way soon."

Jim nodded. "Yeah."

"So I'll see you next weekend?"

"Of course."

"Jim?"

"I love you Pam."

"I love you too, good night."

Jim's heart swelled and he closed the phone, wiping a tear falling down his cheek. He looked out in the distance and saw darkened clouds. He walked back into the apartment and into his bedroom. Setting the phone down, he frowned, looking down at bed. Karen was sound asleep. He rubbed a hand over his face. A storm was coming, balance had been thrown off in Stamford tonight...in more ways than one.

"Fuck..." he whimpered.

He didn't sleep that night at all. The storm came early morning and rain pounded on the window sill hard. He pushed the covers back and shut the window.

He didn't know talking to her would have such a physical effect on him. He was short of breath, his muscles were tense, and his legs jelly. He stumbled back over to the bed and rubbed his face.

"Morning Halpert." her voice entered his already confused brain.

He shifted and turned to see her smiling, snuggled on a pillow.

"Morning."

She stretched a bit, and he saw she had put on his Scranton t-shirt. She seemed to do that every time she came over, put on his t-shirts. And when she left, they would smell like her...like jasmine.

"Oh it's raining?"

"Yeah, it's really wet."

She gave a devilish grin. "Oh I know this one. 'That's what she said.' Right?"

Jim gave a grin, but it hurt like hell. He hadn't meant to start something with Karen, she was funny, nice, intelligent. All the qualities one would appreciate in a woman. He didn't mean to sleep with her either. Well ok....after months of not having any, yeah he did. But he didn't mean to hurt her. He didn't think he would have to. In his mind, his fate was sealed, Pam would never be his, might as well move on. Except, fate had a funny way of smacking him around and making him the butt of it's many jokes.

"So....any plans today?"

Jim scratched his nose. He didn't know how to do this. Sure he broke up with Katy, kind shrugged off Brenda from corporate's advances, but he didn't know how to do this to Karen. And he wanted to kick himself for even getting involved with her in the first place, but it was hard to ignore her flirtatous smiles, and the way her skirt looked.

"Yeah I got big plans, I'm going to do laundry and then vaccuum, and if time allows and I'm not completely worn out from that excitement, I might drive down to Scranton."

Karen looked at him oddly. "Scranton? Is that guy Mark still calling you?"

Jim shook his head. "Naw, just-just something I need to take care of."

Karen nodded and he saw the look in her eye. She was going to try to seduce him so he quickly got up off the bed, dodging her eyes.

"I can't believe how much laundry I have to do." He was trying to think of words to say to her, to make her understand, to not hurt her.

"How about I stay and help you do some? It'll be faster." She replied, climbing out of bed and walking up behind him.

He felt her wrap her arms around him and he stiffened and took a deep breath.

"Jim? Is everything okay?"

"No. No it isn't." He turned slowly and took her wrists, holding them gently in between them.

Jim felt heavy, he closed his eyes but he could feel her staring at him, boring holes into his mind, looking for answers. He slowly opened his eyes and bit his lips.

"Oh god..." she whispered, her eyes glossing over with tears but he could tell she was willing them not to fall.

"Karen-"

"Don't. Just-don't." she replied, moving back away from him slowly. He watched her gather her things that were on the floor beside the bed, memories of them laughing and kissing and touching fleeing his mind, because now new images were about to replace them, images he only made up because the real thing had been running away.

"Karen, I-"

"Don't," she said sternly, pulling on her jeans. "I don't need to hear the damn words. I-I don't want to hear them, Jim."

He bit his lip and looked at his feet.

She stopped moving and stood in the middle of the room, her breathing quick and unsteady. "You have no idea how this feels. To think something could be- to want something to be...and to have that person not feel the same."

His eyes looked up to meet her tearful ones and he shook his head. "Oh I do. I wrote the book on it. I know how it feels to have your heart broken times 10. I never wanted to hurt you, I don't want to say the stupid shit people say when they are stepping on another person's heart. I don't want to be that guy."

"But you are that guy." Karen whimpered.

"Yeah, I guess I am." Jim said quietly.

Karen put on her other shoe and turned her head to look at the rain slightly drizzling. "I was starting to really like you. I mean...alot."

"I was starting to really like you too." Jim said, not looking at her. Wow, so this is how Pam felt Casino night? Except she was fighting two different feelings on either side. Jim had no choice, pure love, or liking someone alot? Doesn't compare.

Karen grabbed her purse and wiped one lone tear away. "Is she in Scranton?"

He looked at her then, seeing that she knew. "Yes."

"Well," Karen turned to walk out the room. "Maybe the fucking weather's better in Scranton."

Jim watched Karen walk out of his room, walk out of his apartment and walk out of his life.

Pam chewed her bottom lip as she rubbed the charcoal over one more time, creating another shadow. Talking to Jim during the storm had inspired her, she had conquered two fears in one night, the fear of storms and the fear of the unknown.

She had rejected Jim not because she didn't love him, oh she loved him. But she rejected him because she didn't know if that love was long lasting, if his love would waiver, like her and Roy's. She couldn't handle it if it did, it would kill her to make such a sacrifice only to be disappointed.  But instead she left Roy not for Jim but for herself, realizing that she couldn't settle because she was afraid of what was out there, she had to make things work for her.

With or without Jim.

Jim chose to make her do it without him for months, and Pam didn't want to anymore. She was tired of her mind always floating back to him, being haunted by what could have been with him, when if she only tried, it still COULD be.

She smudged more charcoal in the picture of storm clouds she drew. She was so happy he said he would come next weekend to her show. Part of her wanted to drive up to Stamford, take him to lunch and just see his smile. But she didn't want to push her look.

The storm of confusion that was he rlife for many months was over, and she was happy to see some sort of rays of light filtering in.

She barely heard the knock at her door. She put down the charcoal and rubbed the hands on her jeans before opening the door.

A finger covered the peephole and she frowned.

"Who is it?"

"Fine. Okay it's Mark."

Pam looked confused as she opened the door and it revealed Jim's roomate.

"Mark?"

"Sup, Pam."

"Um...nothing much, can I help you?"

Mark shook his head. "No, just dropping off a package for you."

Pam smiled. "From Jim? A package?"

She was so easy, just the mention of his name made her smile.

"Yeah," Mark replied. "He couldn't Fed ex it, cheap bastard."

Pam giggled but she noticed Mark's hands were empty. "Well, where is it?"

Mark looked over. "Oh, it's riding around trying to find a parking space for the car."

"Wha-" Pam peeked out the door and saw a tall man walking up from the parking lot. She never felt so happy to see anyone. "JIM!"

She ran out, past Mark and jumped on Jim.

"Whoa!"

"Oh my! Why?! How?!"

Jim laughed and shook his head. "Mark knew where you moved. I needed to see you."

She beamed brightly as he let her go and they walked back to her apartment. He looked at her the whole way, smiling.

"You have a smudge on your cheek." he replied, lifting his thumb to her face.

She blushed and smiled. "I've been drawing. Want to see?"

"'Course. But um...I wanted to let you know something first."

Pam's smile faltered a bit. Jim bit his lip and looked down.

"I love you and I want this to work more than anything. I drove all the way down here because I just had to be near you, breathe the same air as you."

"That's sweet Jim-"

"No," he interrupted. "I want this to work out, but you have to understand, I have sacrificed alot for you. I want you that bad. I love you that much. And I'm not telling you this to be controlling or be a bastard, but Pam, please, please mean this...because I-I don't think I'll recover too good next time."

Pam's eyes watered and she grabbed him and kissed him so hard he almost fell backwards.

She puleld back only when Mark started making cat calls.

"I love you, every cell in my body is screaming that."

He wanted to cry but that would be too girly. Aww fuck it. Even though it wasn't raining, his face was wet with tears and kisses.