Jim looked at reception when he came in, tucking his hands in his pockets and pulling his jacket tighter around him. He was absolutely freezing, in April. He clenched his jaw tightly against his chattering teeth and raised an eyebrow at the empty reception desk.

He slid into his chair and Dwight looked at him curiously.

“Are you sick? Because if you bring disease into this office-“

“It’s fine Dwight, I’m not sick.” He reached forward with a shaking hand and turned on his computer, quickly tucking his arm back into the folds on his jacket. Dwight squinted his eyes.

“Liar. I am ninety percent sure that you have a disease.”

“Ninety percent? Why not a full blown hundred?” Jim muttered, his entire body wracking with another shiver.

“Because you have yet to have mucus expel from your nose.”

Jim raised an eyebrow. “Mucus? Expel from my nose? Do you mean sneezing?”

Dwight nodded his affirmation and pulled a strange teapot looking object out of desk, tossing it over to Jim. Jim caught it in his hands and turned it over.

“What is this?”

“Fact. It is used to clean out your sinuses. You fill it with water, tilt your head to the side, and pour the water through your nose.”

Jim looked up at Dwight, his eyes wide. “Have you used this?”

“Many times.”

“Oh good Lord.” Jim dropped the object on his desk and pushed back towards Dwight with one of his pencils. Dwight snatched it back and clutched it tightly to his chest.

“Fine, suffer.”

“My nose isn’t even clogged Dwight, I’m just co-co-cold.” His teeth chattered, interrupting his sentence.

Dwight shook his head, turning slightly in his chair to return his precious nose teapot to its designated place. “You and Pam have no consideration, coming in to work sick.”

Jim looked back up from his computer at Dwight. “Pam is sick? Is that why she isn’t in?”

“No, Pam is not sick today. Pam was sick last week when she was having those hot flashes. Fact. Intense variation in body temperature is a key indicator of illness.”

“So wait, Pam is not sick today?” He fingered his water bottle cap in his hand, twisting the bottle slowly around in contemplation.

Dwight gave Jim an incredulous look. “Do you listen at all? No, Pam is not sick. That is not why she is gone today.”

“Then where is she?”

“I am not her mother Jim. I am just her supervisor. Which, if anything, is her father.”

“You are not her supervisor.” Jim quipped automatically.

“I am assistant regional manager.”

“No, I do believe that is my job.”

“Well, Michael made me his secret number two, you just don’t know about it.”

Jim looked back at his computer screen, disappointed to not find any new e-mails. “That is fascinating really. But you do know where Pam is, correct?”

Dwight hesitated. “Correct.”

Jim remained silent, looking up at Dwight with raised eyebrows. Dwight said nothing.

“Are you going to tell me?”

“There is a price.”

Jim let out an exasperated sigh, lightly squeezing the water bottle in his hand. “A price, seriously? I can just ask any one else in the office.”

“No one knows but me. I heard it from Michael this morning, before anyone else had arrived. And Michael has a meeting all day so it seems you are stuck with me.” Dwight smirked.

Jim narrowed his eyes at Dwight’s smug expression. “What do you want?”

Dwight placed his hands on the desk and leaned his face closer to Jim’s. Jim backed away slightly, a worried look on his face. “You must sign a paper that says you will never pull another prank on me again.”

Jim’s face contorted. “Who ever said I pulled a prank on you in the first place?”

Dwight’s face reddened. “You know you did.”

“I know I did, what?”

Dwight closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. Jim smirked.

“Just sign the paper, and I will tell you where Pam went.”

Jim struggled for a moment, his face awkwardly stuck between confusion and decision. His hand drummed on the water bottle. He reached across and snatched the paper from Dwight’s hand, anxiously scribbling his signature. He thrust the paper back into Dwight’s hands.

“Tell me where Pam is.”

Dwight let out a victorious smile. “She is in New York, for the rest of the week.”

Jim squinted his eyes in confusion. “Is she coming back?”

“Michael didn’t say. All he said was Pam was upset and she would be leaving for a week. That is all I know.” With that, he stood up, tucked the paper in his pocket and made his way to the break room.

Jim leaned back in his chair, shivering again violently. Pam was upset? Did it have anything to do with their conversation last night? He sighed and shut his eyes. God, he could just kill himself. She was the only woman he ever wanted and every time they got close, he did something to screw it up.

Telling her he loved her, kissing her, giving her an ultimatum, leaving her in the apartment hallway, acting like an insane jerk and not even listening to her side of the situation when she begged him to stay, her hand on his.

He let out a frustrated growl and slammed his water bottle on his desk. He rubbed his hands over his eyes and opened them slowly.

“What the-“

He picked up his water bottle, looking at it carefully. What had been liquid mere moments before had suddenly turned into ice.

-

Pam followed Mohinder up an old set of stairs, stumbling slightly and reaching for balance on the handrail. Mohinder stopped, looked over his shoulder and extended his hand. She took it gratefully and he gave her a small smile.

“I seem to stumble on these stairs daily. One of the pitfalls of New York real estate. Not to worry, its only a little bit further.”

Pam gave him a small smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Mohinder had noticed the entire ride to New York she had been quiet, staring pensively out the car window. He figured it had something to do with the man who had showed up at her door the previous night. He had their muffled voices in a heated argument outside the door. He felt it was all somehow his fault.

“Ms. Beesly?”

“Mm.” Pam shook her head out of her daze and looked over to Mohinder. “Yes, did you say something?”

He chuckled softly. “I was just wondering. You seem caught up in your thoughts. Is there anything you would like to talk about?”

Pam looked at her feet climbing the stairs and played with the necklace at her throat. Mohinder stopped her with his hand, gesturing towards a green door.

“I’m just thinking.” She said airily.

He twisted his key in the lock and pushed open the door, allowing her to go before him. “It wouldn’t happen to be about that man who showed up at your apartment, would it?”

Pam spun around and looked at him curiously. “No, no! Why would you say that?”

Mohinder chuckled again and held up his hands in mock surrender. “It was just a logical deduction.” He shuffled over to his desk and pulled open a drawer, searching for a paper. “I am a scientist you know.”

Pam gave a small smile as Mohinder continued to search.

“Yes, he is a scientist.” A deep voice Pam didn’t recognize came from a corner of the room. Pam watched as Mohinder froze, bent over his desk and a man emerged from the shadows. Pam backed up automatically, moving herself closer to Mohinder.

“Sylar.” Mohinder muttered quietly. Pam looked across at the man and felt uneasiness twist in her stomach. The man was tall and foreboding. He had jet-black hair and eyes that twinkled with danger. She took another step back.

Sylar nodded slightly. “Mohinder.” He turned his face towards Pam and gave a small smirk. “Ah, you must be Ms. Beesly.” He held out his hand for her to shake but Mohinder stepped in front of her.

“Leave.”

Sylar let his hand drop to his side and pouted slightly, clicking his tongue and shaking his head. He walked to the side, looking down at the floor and shoving his hands in his deep coat pockets.

“Oh, you know you can’t make me. I just wanted to greet your new friend here. I hear she is very special.”

“You aren’t going to take her Sylar.”

Sylar laughed at this, a deep throaty chuckle. Pam shivered, clutching to the back of Mohinder’s shirt. The fact that Mohinder was frightened frightened her.

“Oh, like you can stop me if I tried. I seem to recall a certain man of Indian heritage pinned to the ceiling.” He looked at Mohinder, raising his eyebrows, his face serious. “You couldn’t stop me.”

“But!” He brought his hands out of his pockets and clapped them together. “I didn’t want you right away anyway, Pam. Well, actually I did, but Mohinder got to you first. No worries, on to plan B.”

He spun around on his heel, smiling gleefully. Mohinder watched him with anxious eyes.

“You see, Mr. Suresh, you overlooked something when you went to Scranton to pick up Pam. I have, under good authority, the understanding that there are two ‘gifted’ people in Scranton. So, instead of getting both as I had originally hoped and acquiring both their powers, I can settle for one.”

Pam squinted her eye behind Mohinder. “Two?”

Sylar averted his eyes from Mohinder to Pam. He smiled slightly. “Oh yes, don’t tell me you didn’t know. It is so obvious when someone gets his or her powers. The uneasiness, the lack of control. It is all so exciting.”

“But who?” Pam could feel the uneasiness in her chest rising. She knew. She could feel it in her heart. But she needed confirmation. She couldn’t assume until-

“I think it is James? Joe? John?”

Pam felt her heart plummet to her toes. “Jim?” She whispered.

“Exactly. Thank you.” Sylar smiled gleefully at Pam as she covered her mouth with her hand. Mohinder looked at her with concern and then back to Sylar.

“Why are you telling us this? If you wanted him so bad, then why aren’t you there now?”

Sylar shrugged his shoulders. “I have other means of acquiring what I need. Why travel when I can have it brought to me? Sort of like delivery pizza.”

Pam let out a small sob, her eyes filling up with tears. Sylar sat down in Mohinder’s desk chair, putting his feet up on the solid oak.

“We’ll just wait.”

-

Jim walked out to his car, pulling his keys from his pocket. Ever since this morning, he had been fine. No more blasts of cold, no more intense shivers. He was fine.

He shook his head slightly as he dropped his keys and bent down to pick them up. When he straightened up again, Dwight was no more than two feet in front of him.

“Jesus Christ!” Jim leaped back, dropping his keys again. He let out an agitated sigh and bent down to retrieve them. “You know Dwight, you really shouldn’t sneak up on someone at night.”

Dwight remained steadfastly looking at him, not blinking. Jim raised his eyebrows.

“What?”

“We have to go.”

Jim pushed past Dwight, rolling his eyes. “Sorry Dwight, I can’t go to Harry Potter club tonight, maybe next week.”

Jim tried to open his door but Dwight slammed it shut.

“What the he-“

“I said we have to go.”

“Okay, and I said no, so if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to get in my car and leave.”

Dwight forced Jim to look him in his eyes. Dwight’s eyes flashed in the night and Jim’s face immediately went blank.

“I said we are going.”