Pam had decided to stay home for they day - she said she just needed a day to herself to breathe. Roy wasn't worried, because Pam didn't seem sick or upset, and besides, she never skipped work unless she actually needed it, so he kissed her on the forehead and told her to call him if she needed him to pick up anything on his way home. Of course that idiot Dwight had come down to the warehouse to ask him all sorts of ridiculous questions about how Pam had been feeling, how much had she had to drink last night at the Casino party, what were her symptoms, all that crap. Roy just told him that Pam wasn't feeling well, and if he found out that Dwight went over to the house to snoop around and bothered her, he'd break his arms (or something equally painful).
When Roy got home, he found Pam in the kitchen. The whole house smelled like sautéing onions, and her back was to him as she stirred something in a skillet on the stove. Walking up behind her, he put his arms around her, only to feel her flinch slightly. Confused, Roy pulled away, and when Pam turned around to face him, her eyes were rimmed with red, and he could tell that the tears in her eyes had nothing to do with chopping onion.
"Pammy?" Reaching a hand out to brush away a tear that was slipping down her cheek, Roy was actually surprised when she moved away from the gesture, wiping the tear away herself. "Babe, what's wrong?" But Pam just shook her head - whatever was wrong, she didn't want to talk about it, at least not yet, and Roy could tell. "Alright. Well, uh, do you want to be alone for a while longer?" Pam smiled, and a few more tears fell, but he wasn't sure why.
"Actually, my mom's on her way for dinner. I was thinking..." she shifted her weight and swallowed before continuing. "Uh, maybe you could go out with Darryl and them tonight. I just need..." but she didn't actually know what she needed, and that thought made more tears start to brim in her eyes.
"Oh." Roy looked genuinely hurt by this, and that made Pam feel even worse. She could tell that at this moment, he still loved her just as much as he always had, and it made her heart ache a little. "Okay. Lemme call Darryl and see where he is." Roy left the kitchen then, pulling his cell phone out as he did. Pam sniffed a bit and wiped away her tears - again - and turned back to the stove to keep cooking dinner.
After Roy left, kissing her on the cheek before he did, Pam finished dinner and sunk down into one of the chair around the kitchen table to wait. Luckily, she didn't have to wait long - she had called her mom this morning after she took a long, hot shower, and they'd talked for about an hour before deciding it was best for them to actually see each other and discuss everything in person. Her parents only lived about two hours away, so almost as soon as Pam was done with dinner, the doorbell rang, and Pam went to let her mom into the apartment, sinking gratefully into a hug. After she pulled back from the hug, her mother followed her into the kitchen. Pam put some of the stir fry she’d made onto a plate for each of them and added some salad on the side, while her mom got them two glasses of lemonade. Sitting across the table from her daughter, Pam’s mom looked at her expectantly.
"Well?"
Author's Chapter Notes:
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.
This is my first real Office fanfic, and I really hope you guys like it. Hopefully there's a lot more to come. I'm not sure how long this one's going to be, but each chapter will probably be pretty short (I write much better in short chunks). It will also eventually change from just angst to, well, whatever it turns into. Hopefully something fluffy-ish. Anyway, enjoy!
This is my first real Office fanfic, and I really hope you guys like it. Hopefully there's a lot more to come. I'm not sure how long this one's going to be, but each chapter will probably be pretty short (I write much better in short chunks). It will also eventually change from just angst to, well, whatever it turns into. Hopefully something fluffy-ish. Anyway, enjoy!
