There were times when Pam almost hated Michael Scott.  As Jim and Michael drove away, she allowed herself a few moments of righteous anger.  It would have been so perfect – spending the anniversary of the day she first met Jim in New York.  It would have been fun, spontaneous; just what she wanted for their first trip. 

Kelly had told Pam a few weeks ago that the first time a couple goes on a trip together is critical to their relationship (according to Cosmo, at least).  And suddenly October was melting into November, which meant that Thanksgiving and Christmas were looming ahead.  There would be visits to parents and meeting families; it was everything a first night away together shouldn’t be.  She didn’t want their first trip to be relatives comparing Jim to Roy or her to whoever the last girl Jim had brought home.  All that talk about marriage and babies and broken engagements.

When Michael mentioned New York, the place where Jim had turned down Corporate and Karen and come home to her, and Jim had looked at her so encouragingly, saying without talking that he wanted to go with her – it had been another step back to being the guy she’d fallen in love with.  Then Michael had to spoil it by saying there was only one ticket.  Now any other trip before the holidays would seem forced.  It just wasn’t fair.

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There were times Jim Halpert almost pitied Michael Scott.  After Ryan told his former boss on no uncertain terms that he couldn’t attend the big party Dunder Mifflin’s website launch, Michael had alternated between cursing and crying for most of the trip back. 

Frankly this was the best Jim could have hoped for when he got in the car with his boss.  He had already fully envisioned the terrors Michael could have inflicted on him that evening:  trying to grab the spotlight by taking credit as Ryan’s mentor and being brutally shot down by the former temp; announcing to David Wallace that Jim was so much happier “doing” Pam than he could ever be in New York; the glories of Jan’s new boobs; getting drunk and trying to start a conga line.  All of them could have happened that night.  Even discounting Michael, it would have been noisy and pretentious; and Ryan would have been condescending.  Frankly the only reason he went, even though he had CLEARLY said “not it,” before Pam, was that he didn’t really like the thought of Pam having to deal with Ryan, Michael, and driving to New York by herself.  It would have been a crappy anniversary present.

When he thought of his anniversary present for Pam, he smiled.  He had worked on it for a month and he was pretty proud of himself. 

---------

When Pam saw Jim and Michael return, she could see the sadness in her boyfriend’s eyes.  That almost washed away the anger she had felt toward her boss earlier.  Then Michael insulted Angela, and Pam’s feelings of anger resurfaced.

Angela was a difficult, exasperating person, no doubt.  But she was still upset with the loss of Sprinkles, her cat.  Since the accountant’s breakup with Dwight, it was as if Pam tried to console Angela while Jim played the same role for Dwight.  It was a strange universe, indeed.  Angela didn’t need the grief she was getting from Michael.

Jim caught the look on Pam’s face as Michael retreated to his office to plan.  He approached her desk and heard his girlfriend grumble, “What happened this time?”

“The invitation was for the online party,” Jim said with a shrug.

“How did you figure…”

“Looked at the invitation.  The WWW kind of gave it away.”  He shook his head sadly.

Pam sighed in exasperation at her boss.  “You know he’s going to be impossible tonight.”

“Probably,” Jim agreed.

“He’s going to drive Angela insane,” Pam said, worriedly.

Jim smirked, “That seems more like a stroll than a drive.”  He saw the anger on Pam’s face and backed up a step.  “Sorry,”

Seeing Jim’s reaction, Pam caught herself.  “No, I’m sorry.  It’s just that Angela’s already been stressing so much over this party and for Michael to act like….”

“Michael,” Jim supplied.

“Yeah,” Pam sighed.

“Hey,” Jim suggested, “Why don’t we grab a soda?”

“Yeah, I think I could use a minute away from here,” Pam agreed.

“Bad Day?” Jim asked as he handed her a Coke.

“It’s just, Michael’s getting to me a little more than usual,” Pam said, not wanting to let on that she had been dreaming of a night in New York with Jim for the last hour.

A plan began to form in Jim’s mind.  It wouldn’t be that big a deal to give Pam her present tonight.  It might even be proper, given the nature of their relationship…

---------

When Michael announced that he had bought pizzas from “Pizza by Alfredo’s,” Jim snuck a look over at Pam.  That had been one of the places the warehouse guys had gone sometimes after work.  The all-you-can-eat pizza was just as bad as Kevin indicated, but the beer was cheap and the wings were so hot as to be dare-worthy.

Pam was shaking her head at the unwelcome memories of Friday night’s spent watching her then-fiancé get drunk while nibbling inedible food; followed by those wonderful times when Roy had drank the hot sauce for a bet and ended up throwing up all over the bathroom floor.  Of course the bet was usually pitchers of beer at “Pizzas by Alfredo,” allowing the miraculous circle on non-life to continue.

When the kid from the pizza place showed up, Pam’s mood darkened even further.  He had been working the kitchen on one particularly memorable evening when Roy had lifter her top to show “how hot his Pammy” was.  The little creep gave his best leer to her as she phoned her boss.

Michael snapped back at Pam on the phone, and for her, that was the last straw.

Michael tried to get the kid to take a half-off coupon for the pizzas, and when the kid wouldn’t do it, Michael locked him in the conference room.  Locked him in the conference room twenty minutes before they were supposed to do a live webcast.

Jim glanced at Pam for backup as he approached his boss’s office.  He was surprised when she stayed at her desk, typing away on the computer.

The only productive thing that happened while Jim was trying to get through to Michael was that Kevin announced that since they were in a hostage situation anyway, they might at least enjoy good pizza.

Jim left Michael’s office and tried to catch Pam’s eye.  Her head remained down. 

That was when he decided that regardless of what happened with Michael, he wasn’t going to let Pam stay this upset on their anniversary if he could help it.  When he suggested that they meet on the roof with some good pizza, she jumped at the idea.

Jim couldn’t help but smile.  With this much going on, the camera crew couldn’t afford to follow them.  His plan was coming together.

---------

Jim set up the chairs for Pam and himself and put the pizza down.  He handed Pam a wrapped present, “Happy Anniversary.”

“But I thought we were doing this tomorrow?”

“Since we might be in jail tomorrow,” Jim observed, “I thought it would probably be good to go ahead and give you this.”

Pam broke into the first smile Jim had seen from her in hours as she tore into the wrapping paper like a child.  “It’s a book.”

“Yes, it’s a special book,” Jim said.  “Wait a minute,” he said before she opened it.  “Start from the last page…please?”

“Okay,” Pam said hesitantly.  She opened the back cover, “Hey, it’s us at the fun run.  How did you…”

“I made a deal with the camera guys,” Jim explained.  “I told them I wanted some stuff for a present for you and mentioned how easy it would be for us to stop interviewing about anything other than Dunder Mifflin official business.  They wouldn’t let me see any of the footage, but they said that they’d pick some photos of us together that I could use for this.”

“Wow, this is so cool,” Pam said.  “So, have you thought how much we must be in the documentary if they’re willing to give us pictures?”

“I’m trying really hard not to,” Jim admitted.  “Anyway, look at the pictures and stuff.”

Pam could tell that Jim was excited for her to see his gift.  Jim had said that he wished he could be artistic like she was, but Pam could see that Jim expressed his creative side often, in his pranks, in how he dealt with Michael, and in the ways he expressed his love for her.  She happily turned the pages.

There were ticket stubs, copies of sketches Pam made as well as the sketch that Jim had made of her.  She wondered when he made the copy; it was always on her desk.  There was a picture of her and Jim in the conference room when the camera crew “outed” their relationship; separate pictures of them when Jim asked her out in the conference room; a gold medal; hugging at the lake; Jim and Pam in sombreros laughing (“oh yeah,” Pam remembered, “after Andy punched the wall”); their hug when Jim returned to Scranton; their kiss on casino night; Pam grabbing Jim’s hand as she tried to make him watch bands for her wedding to Roy.  It was when she looked at the picture of Jim and her skating during Michael’s birthday that it struck her; Jim’s expression as he tried to make sure she didn’t fall; he was so focused on her.  How had she ever missed it?

She looked at the picture of them on deck during the Booze Cruise.  She wished either of them would have been a little braver that night.  Then a picture from their “first date,” as Jim had called it.  Sitting together on the roof, just was they were tonight.  She noted the look on Jim’s face when she showed him the doves she’d made for the closing ceremonies of the first Office Olympics.  Then as now he was always so proud of the things she created.

The next picture shocked her.  She was kissing Jim!  “Wh-when did this…”

“Dundies,” Jim supplied.

“Oh my God,” Pam whispered.  “No wonder Angela gave me the lecture about the behavior of an engaged woman.  I had no idea…”

“You didn’t remember?” Jim asked, sadly.

“I’d had a lot to drink that night.”

“I always wondered if you didn’t remember or if it hadn’t meant that much…”

“No,” Pam said hurriedly.  “If I would have remembered, it would have meant something.”

“Good,” Jim said, looking into her eyes.  “That’s good to know.”

The next picture showed her asleep on Jim’s shoulder; Jim’s caring smile.  How long had he loved her?

The next page, though, was the big surprise.  It was Jim and Pam at Cugino’s.  She looked at her hairstyle.  She didn’t have her hair back yet.  When could that have…

Jim could tell that she was confused.  “It was my first week at Dunder Mifflin when I took you to Cugino’s.  There was a guy from the paper, he was taking pictures for the weekend section and he took one of us.  I hadn’t seen him; he took it while we were waiting for our meal.  He came up when you were in the bathroom, wanted to know our names.” 

“Why didn’t you…”

“You had just told me that you were engaged to Roy.  He came up and asked if we would mind if the paper printed our picture and I said that it probably wouldn’t be a good idea.  But I managed to get him to send me a print.  I was always afraid to show it to you; afraid that it would make me look pathetic.”

Pam looked at the picture again.  They were sitting, leaning in towards each other, her hands on his elbow as he told a story.   Yeah, Roy would have had a problem with that.

“How long?” Pam asked.

Jim knew what Pam was asking, but her turned it into a joke, “Pam, if you don’t know the answer to that question, you REALLY haven’t been paying attention.”

“Seriously, Jim, when did you know you liked me?” 

The camera crew had finally noticed they were gone and were up on the roof.  So much for the perfect moment.

“It was that first day,” Jim admitted.  “When you told me to remember this day, because my life would never be the same once I met my desk mate, Dwight.”

“What about you?” Jim challenged.

“When you said that, ‘I know this might sound weird and I have no way of knowing this, but that mixed berry yogurt you’re about to eat has expired.”

“And that’s when you knew you liked me?” Jim asked.  He remembered that day.  He was trying to find Dwight’s lunch so that he could put a cockroach in the bag, when he noticed Pam’s yogurt had expired.  He had sat at his desk for thirty-seven minutes trying to think of a way to tell Pam that wouldn’t make her think he was the world’s biggest dork.  He wasn’t sure if he’d been successful.

“Yep.”

"Can we pick some other moment?”

“Nope,” Pam said with a smile.

At that moment, a voice from the parking lot shouted, “Dunder Mifflin Sucks!”

“Delivery Guy?” Jim asked.

“Delivery Guy,” Pam confirmed.