"Hey, Jim, you ready?" Dale asked. Jim had just finished a sales call and was next on the list for talking heads. It was Friday--the day after Jim had returned and taken Pam on their first official date. He was sure he knew what they would ask him about.

"Just one sec," he said, arranging some papers on his desk before standing and following Dale to the conference room. Jim sat in the usual chair and faced the camera. He looked at Dale and waited for the question.

"Ok, I think the big question on everyone's mind is two part: What made you come back to Scranton, and what happened with Karen?"

Jim sighed and looked upwards in thought. He smiled. "I came back because of Pam. She's the one for me--Karen isn't. I couldn't fake it anymore, and... that's that. What happened with Karen?" he paused, deciding how much to divulge.

***

He remembered Wednesday night; the night they had spent in New York. After trolloping all around the city, Jim and Karen were ready to get some rest for the next day. They went into their hotel room and Karen began to get ready for bed.

"You didn't give me much to work off," she complained.

"What do you mean?"

"I said I would move here for you, and when I told you that you had no future in Scranton--"

"You said we had no future there, Karen," he corrected.

"Well, they're both true," she stated, turning on the water and waiting for it to warm so she could wash her face. Jim stripped down to his boxers and undershirt and sat on the bed, waiting for her to finish in the bathroom. "But you didn't say whether or not you'd move here for me." When he made no comment, she just asked bluntly, "Would you, Jim?"

He looked down, his hands in his lap. "I have a lot of friends there, Karen," he began.

"Yeah, and one in particular," she mumbled. "Besides, I had friends in Stamford."

"But you wouldn't have a job if you didn't move with the merge," he pointed out.

Karen glared at him before soaking the washcloth in the warm water and washing her face with a cleanser. "And we're more serious now," she countered when she was done washing her face. She turned the water to cold and put toothpaste on her toothbrush. "So would you move to New York if I got the job here?"

Jim sighed. "I'm an assistant regional manager, Karen. It's not a bad job, and if I had to quit Dunder-Mifflin, I'd be starting at the bottom again. I don't want to do that."

Karen sighed heavily with the toothbrush in her mouth. She finished brushing and spit out the white foam. "What if they had a different position at corporate--or something closer that you could commute to?"

"I don't know," he mumbled. "I'm not sure if the city is really for me."

"Then why are you here at all?!?!" she yelled after rinsing her mouth. She went back into the main part of the room as Jim went into the bathroom. "I mean, shit, Jim! If you don't want to leave Scranton, why the fuck are you even here? Why are you interviewing if you don't want to be here?"

Jim brushed his teeth in silence, watching her begin to pace the room.

Karen let out an angry sigh. "God, Halpert, I thought you wanted this--corporate, New York, ME! If you don't want to be here, why are you?"

Jim stopped brushing and rinsed his mouth. He then leaned against the bathroom counter and just stared at Karen. He had no answer.

"Answer me, dammit!"

"I don't know what to say," he finally admitted. "I guess... I'm hoping that if I have this job... I don't know, something in my life will improve."

"Yes!" Karen agreed, throwing her hands in the air. "Yes, it will," she said more softly, joining him in the bathroom. "You're stuck right now, Jim, and this job can change that. And us? We can't survive in Scranton. It's too... suffocating. Don't you see? We have to leave."

Jim sighed. He shook his head. "I just... I don't know, Karen. I don't know if New York is for me..."

"Of course it is," Karen said. "Because this job is for you, and I'm for you. If you have those two things, you'll be better, I promise. And I know for a fact you have me, so all you would need is this job."

"And if you get it?" Jim asked.

Karen sighed. "Then we'll see about getting you another corporate job here."

"And if there's not?"

Karen frowned. "Why are you making so many excuses? What's holding you back?"

Jim broke his eyes away from hers and focused on the corner of the doorjam.

Karen sighed. "I know you two have a past, but... damn, Halpert, you gotta get that behind you. You have a new life now--with me." She stepped forward and tried to wrap her arms around his middle, but he removed her arms from him and looked away.

Karen fought tears and rushed to the bed. Jim watched as she threw the covers back angrily and got under them. Slowly, he turned off the light and got into the bed, his back to Karen. He let out a breath and closed his eyes, weighing his options.

Did Pam mean what she said? Of course she did. She wouldn't have gone in front of everyone like that if she didn't mean it. That's not like her. She called off her wedding... because of me. And if she's bringing that up now, then maybe... just maybe...