The credits began to roll and the sweeping orchestra music filled the darkened living room. Karen looked over at Jim, who was fast asleep, mouth open, his head leaning backwards over the top of the couch. She smacked his chest as she rose up to eject the DVD.

"Come on, it wasn't that bad."

"Hmm?" He rubbed his eyes, "Yeah, it um, huh?" Sleep was still ruling him.

She laughed and returned to the couch next to him, remote in hand.

She snuggled into his arms and flipped through the channels until something caught her attention.

The news anchor on the television was in the middle of her story. The screen flashed images of smoke and flames billowing out of windows. "Residents say the fire began around nine p.m. this evening." They panned over the complex; the on-the-scene correspondent was standing by the front gate.

"Hey, doesn't Pam live there?" Karen exclaimed, quickly waking Jim.

He sat up immediately and watched carefully as the reporter wrapped up her story. When the images of flames quickly turned to Scranton's Girl Scouts and their food drive, he reached for the phone next to him and dialed quickly.

His hands were sweating as he listened to the rings. Please pick up.

"Hello?" a quiet and shaky voice answered.

"Pam? It's Jim, are you okay?"

"Oh, Jim," she shuddered, relieved. "My apartment is gone. Everything, it's-" She broke off into sobs.

He froze, he opened his mouth to speak but nothing he could say seemed right.

Karen snatched the phone from him. "Pam, this is Karen. Do you need anything? Can Jim and I come pick you up?"

Jim watched her as she smiled and nodded, speaking sweetly to Pam. It's times like this that he's glad he kept secrets from Karen. He had thought he might mention it when they first started dating. Then again at six months, and now it was almost a year later and they're getting married in the summer and it just seems like it's been too long. He had ultimately decided it would be best if he didn't say anything at all.

But then he heard Karen offer, "You can stay with us until you figure something out....No, absolutely not Pam. You don't need to spend money on a hotel when we have a spare bedroom.... Alright, we'll be right there."

Karen hopped off the couch and hurried to the door to slip on her shoes. She tossed Jim the keys off of the ring, "Let's go."

This seemed like a bad idea, but they couldn't leave their friend out in the cold. He went because he was pretty sure he didn't have a choice.

. : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : .

Around eleven, they all walked in together. Pam had been quiet the entire time. When they found her out of the curb outside of the complex she got in the car, mumbling something about coming back tomorrow and a small thank you, but she didn't say a word after. Jim couldn't blame her; she had just lost everything and now she was being launched into the most awkward living situation ever.

"Pam, you're probably really tired. Let me go get you some pajamas." Karen started up the stairs before she paused and turned, "Hey Jim, can you make sure the sheets on the guest bed are clean? You know what? Change them anyway, please."

He gave Pam a goofy smile, "Yes, Dear."

She almost grinned as she stood in the living room, looking very out of place.

"You can sit." He gestured toward the couch, his other hand nervously rubbed the back of his head.

She nodded and sat, right on the edge of the cushion.

"It's okay to actually touch the couch; I promise it won't swallow you up."

She didn't move, Jim wanted to do something, anything to make her feel better but it seemed impossible. So, he turned back down the hall to change the sheets like Karen asked. He took extra care to make the downstairs bedroom nice for Pam. He even got the better pillow out of the closet for her. When he came back into the living room he found Pam asleep on the couch, her hair falling over the armrest and perfectly framing her face. With just the one lamp burning above her head she looked sort of heavenly. It took him a moment before he realized he was staring. He decided to blame it on instinct when he gently placed his hands behind her knees and cradled her head as he lifted her into his arms.

Karen saw them from the top of the stairs and he froze like a deer in the headlights. Karen mouthed "poor baby" as she shook her head, then returned to their bedroom.

Come on Halpert, he thought, take her to the bedroom now. You have nothing to feel guilty for.

He took her around to one side of the freshly made bed and realized he couldn't pull the covers back for her. So he just gently placed her on top and grabbed the afghan that was draped on the chair in the corner and carefully covered her with it. She stirred for a moment, then clutched the blanket and balled a corner in one of her hands.

He walked to the other side of the bed to turn off the small lamp on the nightstand. He had clicked it off and was headed for the hallway when a small whisper stopped him.

"Jim," he heard in the dark.

He went to the bedside and knelt by her head, "Yeah, do you need something?" he whispered gently.

"No, I just...you didn't have to do this"

"Of course we did," he reassured her. "Get some sleep okay?" he whispered as he kissed her forehead. He got up and walked toward the door, "The bathroom is right under the stairs. And do you need a nightlight?" he tried weakly to joke.

She reached her hand out from under the blanket.

"Stay with me?" she whispered in such an innocent way that it seemed so wrong. He just couldn't tell her no.

He sat on the edge of the bed and she settled under the covers, but she looked up at him, wide awake.

He stared at the wall. He couldn't take her looking at him like that so he said, "I'm really sorry if this is awkward. But I promise Karen doesn't know anything."

She nodded, "I figured as much, since she hasn't said anything about you being down here alone with me yet."

"Um, yeah I should probably get upstairs then, shouldn't I?" He was glad it was dark, because he was starting to sweat.

"Ok, I'll see you tomorrow." She said, closing her eyes and settling back into the pillows.

He paused in the doorway, "Goodnight Pam."

It sounded more like a question than a statement.