Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

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Pam couldn't believe her bad luck. She wasn't sure how exactly it had happened, and if there was ever a time she'd contemplated bribing the film crew for the raw footage, it was the day Angela had offered her one of her precious kittens. She was sure Angela had used some sort of voodoo on her. When the words first came out of Angela's mouth, all Pam could think was no no NO. Pam had always been a dog person, she'd never cared much for the aloof personalities of most cats; to be honest, their sharp little claws wigged her out a bit. Yet somehow she heard her own voice say "Thank you Angela, that would be great." She meant to immediately tell Angela it was a mistake, a bad idea, not something she would ever even consider, ANYTHING to get her out of this mess. But then every time she glanced over at Angela she saw a warmth in her eyes that had never been there before. And Pam, never one to put the well being of herself over others, couldn't let that smile slip away. She was starting to really care for this Angela. So she made arrangements to pick up the kitten after work on Friday. Then she'd have the whole weekend to spend getting used to her new roommate.

That Friday, a few minutes before lunch, Angela approached the reception desk.

“Have you made adequate arrangements for the transportation of Ashe this evening?”

Pam stuttered, “Um, well, I brought a small box with some towels in it, and I picked up some kitten food and litter at the supermarket last night.” She watched the warmth drain from Angela’s face. Obviously, Pam had missed something. “Is that…wrong? I read online that-”

“A box? You want to drive with my Sprinkles’ offspring in a box, Pam?” Angela spit the word box out of her mouth as if it were poison. Her nose was scrunched and her eyes narrowed. Pam realized that she hadn’t seen this side of her since she accepted the kitten. She definitely liked the new, less scary, Angela much better. “Did you not know that when kittens become frightened they look for safe enclosed areas? If you put Ashe in a box it will be his instinct to jump out and try to get under your feet, which could cause an accident, or worse, you could crush his fragile bones beneath your heavy foot!”

“Wow, Angela.” Jim interrupted.

She addressed him in a stern tone, “Jim.” 

Angela had never cared for Jim. She didn’t care much for anyone who treated her…special friend with anything less than the utmost respect he deserved.

“I, uh, have a pet carrier at home for my cat. If you want I can run home and grab it for you, I mean. Just so we can be sure you won’t crash your car into a tree, or worse, step on a kitten.” Jim stammered over his words, but offered Pam a genuine smile. He’d been incredibly uncomfortable with his situation since Karen asked about his feelings for Pam. He could feel her eyes burning into the back of his head and his cheeks flushed involuntarily.

“Uh, you have a cat?” Pam blushed furiously. It seemed these days that Jim just nodding in her direction would make her flustered. They hadn’t had an actual conversation since he had congratulated her on her artwork. It hadn’t gotten past her that he never did look at her winning painting.

“Yeah, he was just kinda hanging around my apartment when I first moved to Stamford, and I’d never lived by myself before, so I took him in. We became buddies pretty quick. He was good company when I was feeling pretty…”

Jim trailed off as he watched Pam’s glance turn downwards. He realized that if he said anymore they could actually have a meaningful conversation. He was startled to feel a small, warm hand on his lower back. He had been so intent on not giving any emotion away to Pam that he hadn’t noticed Karen approaching, ready to go to lunch. She gave Pam a lukewarm attempt at a smile, and nodded towards the door.

“I’ll bring the carrier back with me. “ He smiled at Pam again and followed Karen out of the office.

“Well, it’s a good thing that someone in this office knows about proper pet transportation.” And with that Angela spun on her heel and headed back to her desk.

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The rest of the afternoon passed quickly. Jim returned with the carrier as promised, and before Pam knew it, Angela was once again at reception with her coat and scarf.  She had started to get nervous at around three thirty and had decided, yet again, to tell Angela that she had made a mistake and was not ready for a kitten. That changed, yet again, when she looked up at Angela, all bundled for the snow. She seemed to be having some sort of internal battle regarding how excited she should be about giving Pam the kitten. Pam could see that she was as giddy as a schoolgirl and having a very hard time keeping her stony demeanor. She couldn’t ever remember a time that Angela’s eyes had sparkled like this, not even when she was telling Pam about ‘Kurt and Noelle’.

Pam, once again, put her fear aside and smiled at Angela. She told her she’d meet her at the house in a few minutes as she had a few faxes to send, but the truth was she was scared to death, and needed more time to compose herself. She was scared that she would step on the kitten, or that it would claw her. More importantly, she was terrified the kitten would hate her, and that she would have to return it to Angela, failing at yet another relationship.

“Ya’ alright, Beesly? You gonna be sick?” Jim was on his way out when he glanced at Pam and saw the look of sheer terror on her face. His voice pulled her from her thoughts.

“Fine. I’m fine. I’m just…a little nervous about the kitten.”

“You’ll be fine, Beesly, don’t worry. Besides, that little kitten won’t let you worry for long, he’ll be too busy climbing up your curtains and destroying your furniture with his claws.”

Pam’s brow furrowed and the panic returned to her face.

“I’m kidding, Pam. It was a joke. You’ll be fine. And if you need any help, you know where to find me.”  He gave her a genuine Jim smile and turned towards the door.

“Hey, Jim? Thanks. I mean, for the carrier. And the advice. For both. Just, thanks.”

“No problem, Beesly. Enjoy your weekend.”

As the door shut, Pam stood up to get her coat. She couldn’t help but think that this would be much more fun this if Jim was going with her. That was a common thought of hers these days. She flipped off the lights of Dunder Mifflin, Scranton and locked the door behind her.