“Hey pretty lady, how was the lunch? Eat anything good?” Andy said to Pam, in a voice that had suddenly gotten a little softer and a lot more creepy.

Pam, who was still practically in the doorway, looked at him wide-eyed, but still with the smirk she had worn since she addressed them all. “Uh, hey Andy. I got some McDonalds…thought I’d treat myself.”

Andy didn’t waste time. “Mmmmm, love me the Mickey-Ds. Their fries are delish.”

Jim looked at Andy incredulously and then to Pam, whose eyes were focused on Andy. Then she spoke again.

“Yeah, they’re….pretty good.” Jim thought she was about to say something else, maybe make a joke? But she was interrupted by Dwight.

“How is it possible that this is your game Pam? RISK is a game of global domination, it is not for women.” Dwight turned a little in his chair to face Pam.

Unlike Karen, Pam didn’t even blink at Dwight’ misogynic words.

“Well I, uh, was sorting through….” Her smirk was suddenly gone, and her eyes appeared to want to look anywhere but the table. “…some old stuff, that was in some boxes, and I found it. So, yeah….I figured I’d bring it in. I mean, you can’t play RISK by yourself, right?” Pam finished with a small tentative smile.

Jim jumped in before Dwight could respond. He knew it might not be a good idea to make a joke on the one aspect of Pam’s explanation that she had obviously been the most nervous about, not to mention the awkwardness it might create between them. But, he figured that unless he broke the tension with a joke, nothing was going to get better.

“That’s true Pam. I mean, you’d have to be some type of loser to play RISK by yourself, wouldn’t you agree?”

Pam looked a little surprised at his words. She was obviously taken aback that he would reiterate the fact that she was alone, but she still squinted questioningly at him. As though if she could concentrate hard enough, she could telepathically understand what he was trying to do. Dwight gave her little time to establish a connection however.

“I am not a loser, Jim! We’ve been over this, I am a Grandchampion of RISK, and accordingly I play myself.” Dwight had turned away from Pam, and back towards Jim.

“Wait. You play RISK…..by yourself?” Pam asked, in what Jim guessed was mock-seriousness.

“Why is this so hard to believe?!” Dwight looked as though he was about to throw his hands up. “I-I, would you say it was weird to play Monopoly by yourself too?”

“Uh….yeah.” Andy chimed in, trying hard to conceal a smile that was pulling at his lips.

“Do you play Clue by yourself?” Jim asked slowly as he looked at Dwight.

“What? No, I don’t play Clue alone. I play it with my girlfriend…sometimes, usually on Wednesday, that’s our game night. Despite its dubious subject matter, she enjoys it.” Dwight started to look completely flustered.

“You know Dwight, that playing Clue with an imaginary person still counts as playing by yourself?” Andy asked. He obviously wasn’t about to let up on him.

“I have a girlfriend. Which is more then you can say, Andy. You don’t see me ogling Pam, do you? Not that I would, of course, I wouldn’t want the possibility of red-haired children.” Dwight practically spat back at Andy.

The room suddenly fell completely silent. Jim surmised that it was a combination of the awkwardness of Dwight calling Andy out over Pam, and the incredible unease everyone felt at the fact that Dwight had considered impregnating Pam.

“Wow Dwight…..okay….why don’t we, uh, get back to the game?” Jim desperately tried to restore some sense of normalcy to the break room.

“Very well. I’m done my turn, you can go.” Dwight took his Conquer Card, and his turn ended.

As Dwight took his card, Jim looked up quickly at Pam, who had come into the room a little bit more, but was still next to Kevin near the sideboard. He looked at the empty seat across from him that Kevin had vacated and then back at Pam. He decided against offering it to her. He wasn’t sure she’d accept. Lately, she barely made eye-contact with him. Still, he smiled at the fact that she was in the room with him and Dwight.

“So my turn, Dwight?”

“I, were you not paying attention?”

“Yeah. So…..I think I’m going to attack you.” Jim animatedly scratched a little under his chin, as he gazed at the board.

“What? Where?” Dwight looked at the board, his eyes frantically attempting to take everything in, all at once.

“Oh, yeah….I, uh, haven’t decided yet. Someplace warm I think.” Jim smirked at the board, and pretended to think deeply about his next move.

“What kind of logical command decision is that? Wait!” Dwight sat back in his chair, as though an epiphany had just struck him full in the face. His voice lowered dramatically as he continued, “is this some sort of Halpert-Bernard Non-Aggression Pact? Is that what you two were doing during the 10 minute break?” he paused for a second, and then continued loudly, “I thought you were talking to Karen, Jim!”

Jim willed himself not to look over at Pam when Dwight said Karen’s name, and instead tried to re-take the comedic high ground. “There is no pact Dwight…Andy and I discussed it, but I said before that I was going to beat you, so it wouldn’t be fair….. Also, I’m attacking North Africa from Egypt.”

Before he did, Jim placed all the bonus troops that he got at the beginning of his turn, which depended on how many territories he owned, on Egypt. He now had 10 troops to the 5 that Dwight had left in the territory from his attack on it. He knew that all kidding aside, if he could conquer it, he would have all of Africa, and three more bonus troops at the beginning of his next turn.

Jim and Dwight each grasped their dice and rolled. Jim’s attack dice read: 6,5,2. Dwight’s defense dice: 4 and 1. Dwight removed two soldiers.

“Again, Dwight.” He reached to gather up his dice, when an idea hit him. “Actually, do you just want to surrender?”

Dwight, who had picked up his defense dice, looked confusedly at him. “Surrender? What?”

Jim smiled back at him and then gestured towards the board. “Well, I mean, you’ve got 3 soldiers to my 10. So….maybe it would be honorable if you just surrendered them. I’ll let you keep one and move it to North America.” Jim paused, leaned back in his chair and touched the tips of each of his fingers together. He continued, “think of it as a gesture on my part.”

He looked up at Pam, whose face was a mixture of raised eyebrows, and restrained emotion. Jim looked back at Dwight.

“You have no authority to do that. No where in RISK….No, I do not surrender!” Dwight, then rolled his two dice, which came up a 3 and a 2.

Jim shrugged, and rolled his dice, which came up 5, 2, 1. They each removed a soldier. Dwight now had two soldiers left.

Once again, Jim paused before he rolled. “Two soldiers left Dwight. This could be it for them. You sure you don’t want to surrender?”

“Stop talking nonsense Jim.” He rolled his defense dice once again, this time both came up 2s.

“Yikes Dwight….” Jim muttered a silent prayer for two of his three dice to go over 2, and complete the joke for the benefit of himself…and Pam. The three dice scattered on the table, and came up, 4, 3, 3. Dwight had lost, and Jim had conquered North Africa, and now controlled the entire continent. As he moved 7 troops into the territory, he noticed something interesting.

“Hey, Dwight….I attack Brazil from North Africa.” Dwight only had 2 troops in Brazil. He had shifted the bulk of his troops in that area into his previous attack on North Africa, and had lately been concentrating more in North America, so he had placed few reinforcements on the continent. Plus, by controlling Brazil, Jim knew that he blocked any troop bonus Dwight would get from control of South America.

“What?” Dwight looked shocked by Jim’s move.

“Were you not paying attention, Dwight?”

“No-I…why wouldn’t you attack Western Europe? Andy is going to get five bonus troops next turn.”

“Well we have a Non-….” Jim faked shock at his own words and covered his mouth with his hand. He continued,“….I’ve just decided not to Dwight.”

Dwight seemed convinced that Jim had almost revealed a secret plan with Andy for his downfall, and continued to stare at Jim as he grabbed the defense dice. He rolled, and the dice came up two 3s.

Jim causally reached for and picked up the attack dice. “Geez, rough rolling day, huh Dwight?” He smiled as he shook and then rolled the dice across the board. They bounced and plowed through North America, which scattered Dwight’s armies there in all directions. The three dice had come up, 5,4,2. Jim had conquered Brazil in one roll.

Dwight’s reaction was instantaneous. Between losing a second territory, its accompanying bonus troops, and Jim knocking his North American armies into different territories and the Pacific Ocean with his roll, Dwight was close to losing it. He looked at Jim menacingly and through clenched teeth growled.

“Avada Kedavra!”

Jim stared back at Dwight’s red face, with a mixture of amusement and confusion. What the hell was he talking about? He looked over at Andy, who seemed just as confused and amused, then back to Dwight, who still hadn’t blinked.

Slowly, Jim shifted his gaze away from the table and questioningly towards Pam, who was already looking at him. He furrowed his right eyebrow at her, as if to ask for a translation.

“It’s uh, from Harry Potter, it’s like a—

--It’s the most powerful of the Unforgivable Curses, Jim” Dwight finished for Pam, his voice still low, but now with a trace of smugness.

Jim wanted badly to smile, but stopped himself. He knew it would be worth it if he didn’t. “Wow, that sounds serious—

--It is serious, Jim, it—

--I mean as serious as magical curses from fictional children’s books can be, of course.” Jim re-interrupted Dwight. He let himself smile openly now, both at Dwight and Pam. The latter of whom, cracked a smile at him.

“Harry Potter is serious, Jim. The Deathly Hollows comes out this summer. I’ve already pre-ordered a copy from two different online vendors. I have to cover my bases.” Dwight said earnestly. Jim was a little disappointed at his reaction.

“What does your girlfriend think about you reading Harry Potter, Dwight?” Pam asked, as she slunk back against the countertop, and gripped it with her hands.

Jim was simultaneously confused and surprised by her question. Did….did she know Dwight’s girlfriend? Or was she just testing him to see if he had one? Either way, he was pretty sure she was making a joke and that had to be a good sign.

Dwight looked just as perplexed by her question, but quickly collected himself as he turned back towards Pam. “Not that it is any of your business Pam, but she….does not read Harry Potter. She prefers….other types of literature.” He stumbled through the explanation. Jim’s confusion deepened. He knew he was definitely missing something.

Just as he was about to ask why his girlfriend didn’t read Harry Potter, or how it was that Pam knew that she wouldn’t, Angela burst in through the door. Her face was pink with emotion, and she was quick to speak.

“Jim, as Assistant Regional Manager, I demand that you do something!” Her insistence was punctuated with quick breaths, presumably to stifle her rage.

Jim was legitimately caught off guard by both her entrance and words. He responded the only way he knew how. “Uh, what?”

“I said, I demand you do something!” Her hands found her hips as she spoke.

“Angela, if there is some type of malfeasance within the office, I should handle it. Not Jim.” Dwight said to her sternly.

“No Dwight. I might have asked you, but you decided that playing games was more important than working or maintaining an efficient office!”

“But Jim is playing too, and….” Dwight’s voice got smaller and smaller and then stopped under Angela’s glare.

“Where is Michael, Angela?” Jim asked.

“He’s in his office, and he won’t come out. I’ve knocked repeatedly….twelve times to be exact. He refused to even acknowledge my presence!” Her voice quivered with repressed emotion.

Jim sighed. He was having a good time screwing with Dwight, and Pam seemed to be warming up a little. They were rusty, to be sure, but he still felt their old dynamic. He didn’t want to leave. “Look, Angela….Is this really…”

“This is an emergency Jim! You are the Assistant Regional Manager! If you…”

Jim held up his hands in mock surrender, he knew he didn’t have a choice. He had to follow her back into the office. “Okay, okay Angela. I’m coming.” He stood up, and as he did, Dwight stood up as well. They both walked towards Angela and the door together.

Just as Angela and Dwight squeezed through the doorframe in front of him, Jim felt someone by his side, and he looked over. Pam was there, looking forward, but smiling and laughing lightly.

“This should be interesting.” She said, her voice betraying her excitement a little.

“Yeah, this should be very interesting.” He smiled and walked through the door. He had no idea what to expect next.