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Story Notes:

Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me. They belong to NBC and everyone else involved in that process.The storyplot, however, does belong to me. Yes, it's a bit more dramatic than the rest of what I've written.

Big Thanks to Greenfish for being a wonderful beta for the entire story, argo the reason, it's been a bit more polished. ;)

Author's Chapter Notes:

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Silence wasn't something that Dunder-Mifflin was used to. However, after the funeral the day before, only the sounds of keys clicking and the phones ringing could be heard. No one was really in the mood for talking.

Pam bit her bottom lip as she glanced at the empty desk. She was simply amazed on how many people had come to the funeral. She thought that only those from the office would be there, but no, he had been truly loved and respected among many. Her mind wandered to the last words she said to him: "Have a good weekend. See you on Monday."  It was such a generic gesture. I wished I knew him more, she thought to herself. She looked around the room and smiled. Hopefully, I can get a second chance with everyone else here.

Michael came out of his office and noticed Pam's smile. He couldn't help but smile back. He had learned his mistakes from the death of Ed Truck. He had been very civil when the news came late Monday afternoon that his employee had passed away. Even at the funeral on Wednesday afternoon, Michael's parting speech was eloquent and straight-to-the-point. 

Looking over at Pam, he knew she was deep in thought. He said softly, "Pam?" She tilted her head up. "Hey. When you have time, would you, um, clean out his desk? His family wants all of his personal effects, and I told them it would be done by the end of tomorrow

After a slight pause, she replied, "Sure, Michael. I can see if there are any boxes in the warehouse that I could use." She got up.

"If you need any help, I'm sure someone here can help you, and if they're too busy, I'll be in my office." She nodded and they left in separate directions.

Although he was trying to input monthly sales data, Jim couldn't help but glance at the empty desk in front of him. It's going to be so weird without him here, he thought. Despite their differences, Jim did respect him and he had learned things from him, such as tying shipping knots, or playing the guitar. The man had been a wealth of knowledge and it was unfortunate that he had passed away so suddenly. Jim felt a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up to see Pam with a box tucked under her right arm.

"What's the box for?" he inquired.

"Michael wants me to clean out his desk so his personal effects can be given to his family tomorrow."

"I see. Let me know if you need help. I'd rather do that than--" he tapped his computer screen, "-- do this for the rest of the day."

"Well, you can help me now.  I have two boxes: one for work-related items and one for personal effects."

"Let's get to it, then, Beesly." Jim stood up and stretched. He looked at her, the auburn-haired woman next to him; the girl that he'd confessed his love to; the best friend that schemed with him many different plans to get through the workday. Impulsively, he bent down and gave her a hug, encompassing her small frame in his long arms. If I ever was to die suddenly, I would have liked her to know that I still loved her.

Pam was thinking the same thing as she dropped the cardboard file box to the floor, returning his embrace She buried her face into his chest. If I ever lost him without saying ‘good-bye'... The thought made her tear up, and she pulled away so she wouldn't leave any tear stains on his blue shirt. She gingerly wiped away her tears and picked up the box she'd abandoned on the floor.

She avoided his gaze.

"I'm going to start and you go downstairs to the warehouse and get another box," Pam said. If he saw the tears starting to swell up in her eyes again, it might have been misinterpreted that she was grieving from the loss of their co-worker, and not the fact that she grieved over the thought of losing him.

He nodded and started towards to the warehouse. He felt Karen's eyes upon him suddenly and decided to stop and talk to her for a moment. He sat down atop her desk.  "Hey, I'm, uh, going to help, um, Pam with cleaning out..." 

"Yeah, I know. I, um, overheard," Karen smiled. She obviously had not known him as well as the rest of the office had. She had seen him as weird and aloof before, but after attending the funeral and hearing all the speeches, she realized that she had truly missed out on getting to know a fascinating individual. Karen patted Jim's hand. "Go. Tell me if you find anything interesting."

Jim chuckled. "I'm sure we will." With that, he left. What will we find? he wondered.  On the way to the warehouse, he pondered the possibilities. There was so much about him than met the eye. Although Jim saw him every day during the six years he'd worked in Scranton, there was always a shroud of mystery that had surrounded their late co-worker. After retrieving an empty box, Jim hurried back up the warehouse stairs and strutted down the hallway. 

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