Jim closed his eyes and cupped Pam’s face, feeling the heat penetrate the palms of his hands. Her labored breathing was ringing through his ears. He tried to focus on the feeling of power rushing through his body but nothing was happening. He could feel his rapid heart beat in his chest.

His eyes snapped open. “Why isn’t it working?” He looked up with wide eyes at Mohinder. “Why can’t I use my power?”

Pam let out another whimper and squirmed slightly. Jim looked back down at her and gently ran his thumb across her cheek. Mohinder glanced at Peter and Peter tilted his head to the side, backing away slightly. Mohinder nodded and stepped backwards, giving them some room.

Jim bent his head down closer to Pam’s, almost to the point where their foreheads were touching. “I’m sorry.” He whispered hoarsely. “I didn’t mean to, uh, I never thought that-“ He swallowed hard and closed his eyes. “Everything between us since I came back, it’s been wrong. Most of that is my fault I know, and I’m sorry. You know that I always, I mean I, I always will feel-” He stopped abruptly and let out a deep breath. “I’m just sorry.”

He felt a sudden rush of blood in his arms and opened his eyes. They widened when he saw a blue glow emitting from his palms. He ran his thumb across her skin again and she suddenly opened her eyes, sitting up abruptly, knocking Jim back slightly. She let out ragged gasps of breath and tears immediately filled her eyes.

Jim reached forward and lightly touched her hand. She jumped and looked at him in surprise. His eyes softened and when she met his gaze, her face crumbled and she began to sob uncontrollably into her hands. Jim reached forward and pulled her into him, his large arms wrapping around her protectively. She clutched to the front of his shirt, fisting the fabric in her tight hands, and cried, her chest heaving and shoulder’s shaking.

Mohinder watched the couple on the asphalt and turned his head slightly to Peter.

“Where should we take them? There isn’t anywhere safe.”

Peter scratched at his chin and ran an anxious hand through his hair. “We can take them to the mansion. We have enough room and no one is there but Claire and Nathan. They will be safe there.”

Hiro let out a jubilant smile next to Peter. “Fly man!”

Peter let out a small sigh and closed his eyes while Mohinder let out an appreciative chuckle.

-

Jim lay on his back in the darkened room, watching shadows from outside play across the ceiling. He was in his boxers and undershirt for he didn’t bring any pajamas. This wasn’t exactly a planned trip.

He let out a sigh and threw his arm over his eyes. This had been the most insane day of his life. He had been kidnapped, watched Pam throw herself in front of his body so he wouldn’t get hurt, told he had powers, and actually used them to save Pam.

Pam. He let out another sigh and rubbed his temples. As soon as she had calmed down enough in the parking lot to breathe normally she had pulled away from Jim muttering ‘sorry’ and swiping a hand under her nose. He had tried to tell her there was nothing to be sorry for, that she was alive and he had thought he had almost lost her and it made him feel like he was falling off of-

But the cabs to take them somewhere else had shown up and she had slipped her hand out of his and she was climbing in and closing the door and he was left with Peter and Hiro in another car and he felt like someone had just punched him in the stomach.

Peter had looked at him sideways. “You saved her. That means something.”

He had let out a bitter chuckle. “Yeah, she seems thrilled about it.”

He had turned his face to the window, cutting off any more conversation and Peter let out a small sigh, rubbing the back of his neck.

They arrived at the house and Jim shuffled in behind Peter and Hiro, his hands shoved deep in his pockets and face angled downwards. A blonde answered the door before they were even on the steps, her eyebrows knit in concern.

“Mohinder just came with a woman, she’s covered in blood and her hands won’t stop shaking.”

Peter nodded slightly towards Jim with his head and put his finger to his lips quickly. The blonde nodded and allowed them to enter. Peter took her to the side and whispered something in her ear before she nodded again and went to the couch where Jim saw Pam sitting, almost lifeless.

“That’s my niece, Claire. She’s going to take Pam upstairs and get her cleaned up. Are you hungry? I can get you something.”

Jim was too busy following Pam with his eyes to even notice Peter was talking to him. After Claire and Pam had disappeared behind a door, Jim had shook his head and looked at Peter again.

“What? Sorry.”

Peter smiled slightly and nodded towards another door. “Come on, I’ll get you something to eat.”

Jim hadn’t seen Pam the rest of the evening. Claire had come back in with a bloody washcloth and rinsed it off in the sink, muttering something to Peter and quickly glancing at Jim but there was nothing else. Claire had told him Pam decided to go to bed and if he wanted, she could show him his room.

His face had fallen considerably when he realized he wouldn’t get to talk to Pam and he nodded, following Claire up several flights of stairs to an empty room. She had opened it and given him a small smile.

Before she closed it, she looked at him carefully and took a drawing breath as if she were about to speak. Jim turned and looked at her, raising an eyebrow.

Claire clasped her hands nervously. “It’s going to take her some time. She was attacked and she thought he had killed you. It is going to take her a little bit of time.”

Jim had stared at her with wide eyes and then coughed, looking down at the ground, nodding.

And now he lay on top of his bed sheets, thinking about everything and nothing and he could feel his heart beating manically in his chest. He let out a groan and slammed his palms into his eyes until he saw black spots.

He almost didn’t hear his door open but when a sheet of light fell across his bed, he sat up abruptly.

“Pam?” He muttered almost incoherently into the dark.

She stood at his door, twisting the oversized white shirt she was wearing, obviously borrowed from Peter. Her hair was in a messy bun on the top of her head and she was wearing striped pajama pants that he could only guess were from Claire.

He sat up and ran a hand through his hair.

“Hey.” She said quietly. He could hear the slight warble in her voice and leaned forward.

“Hey.” He replied.

“Can I-“ Even in the dark he could see her shuffling back and forth, uncomfortable. “Can I sit down?”

He slid on the bed and made room for her on the edge. She walked forward slowly and sat down carefully, placing her hands in her lap. She sat stone still as if she were afraid if she moved, he would go sprinting away.

“Pam, I-“

“I thought you were dead.” She whispered quietly.

He looked at her in shock; his heart beat reverberating through his ears. She was looking down in her lap, twisting her fingers around each other.

“After Hiro moved us to the parking lot, I immediately thought you had died. I mean, I don’t even know why because I could still hear your voice and I had stood in front of you and I was the one who got cut but-“

Jim turned her head gently with his hand so he could see the cut on her forehead. He traced it lightly with his fingertips and she let out a sigh, closing her eyes.

“I thought you were dead.” She repeated, opening her eyes and looking at him. He let his hand drift to her cheek and he rubbed his thumb carefully across her skin, wiping away a stray tear that had fallen.

“And I, I just couldn’t-“ She stood up quickly, backing away from Jim. “It’s my fault you were even dragged into this.”

Jim squinted at Pam in the dark. “What?”

She put her hand over her eyes and rubbed franticly. “If I had stayed at Scranton, if I didn’t believe Mohinder, if I just stayed there none of this would have happened.”

Jim stood up and gently grasped her shoulders. “If all of this is true then you leaving had absolutely nothing to do with anything. Pam, the only thing that would have changed if you didn’t leave for New York is that Dwight would have taken both of us, not just me.”

“But-“

“Pam, this isn’t your fault.”

She looked at him with wide eyes and he could see the tears welling up again. “I thought I was going to have to watch you die.” She whispered and her chin began to tremble.

“Well, you stopped that from happening, didn’t you. When you jumped in front of me, I had no idea what was going on.” He smiled slightly. “You were quite valiant. Saving my life and all.”

She chuckled a little and looked down, wiping a hand under her eyes. “Well, Claire said you saved my life too. In the parking lot.”

“I guess we are even then.”

She looked at him smiling for a moment and then looked down. “I guess so.” She whispered.

They stood in silence for a moment before Pam took a deep breath and looked around the room. “I should get to bed.”

She moved towards the door but Jim lightly grabbed her wrist. She looked at him carefully. He ran his thumb across the skin on the underside of her wrist. “I, us, why don’t you just stay in here?”

She raised her eyebrows and he held up his hands. “I’ll keep my hands to myself, I promise.”

She chuckled slightly and he dropped his hands, a goofy grin spread across his features.

“Well, my room does freak me out a little.”

“See,” He supplied quietly. “No freak outs in here.”

“But Karen-“

Jim’s entire body went rigid and he looked down at the floor. Pam floundered for something to say. That’s not how she wanted-

“Me and Karen broke up.” Jim said abruptly.

“Oh.” Pam said quietly.

“Yeah.” He whispered. Pam suddenly was overcome with a large yawn and she let out a small squeaking noise. Jim smiled and nodded towards the bed.

“Come on, you’re looking a bit ragged there Beesly. Let’s get you to bed.”

She smiled appreciatively and climbed into the right side of the bed. Jim was careful not to touch any part of her when he climbed into the left side. He stretched out his limbs as Pam lay on her stomach. It was only mere moments before her breathing had regulated and she was in a deep sleep. He let his eyes drift over her face for a moment, taking in the way her ivory skin seemed to glow in the moonlight, the way her lips parted slightly in sleep, and the way her eyelids fluttered in dream. The cut on her forehead seemed even more drastic in the pale moonlight. He traced it again lightly with his fingertips and she winced in her sleep.

He ran his thumb across her cheek in a gentle caress and her face calmed and she let out a deep sigh. He turned his body to face her, their noses almost touching and let his eyes drift shut. He felt her head rest against his chest and body curl up against his as he finally let sleep overtake him.