She collapsed into her chair, dropping her head on her desk.  Kelly was at her desk in an instant.

“Oh my God… are you alright?  I thought about calling you yesterday, but when you went home sick on Friday and didn’t come in yesterday, I thought that I should just leave you alone, but I’ve been dying to tell you about my weekend.  I totally ran into Ryan… well, not so much running into as showing up where I knew he was going to be… but anyway, his friend Alex…”  Pam could feel a headache coming on.

“You’re late” she heard Dwight say above her.  “Bite me” she replied, never pulling her head off her desk.

She hadn’t left Stamford until after 10 last night and she was exhausted.  Jim made her promise to call him when she got home and, of course, they ended up talking for an hour. 

“You know, Pam, as Assistant Regional Manager…”

“To the.”  She was so not in the mood for Dwight this morning.

“…it’s my job to report lazy employees to HR.”

“Do it.”  Thank God the phone started ringing at that moment.  She pulled her head up and picked up the phone.  “Dunder Mifflin, this is Pam.”

“I’m exhausted.”  She smiled brightly, suddenly feeling awake.  Dwight looked at her for a moment before she scowled at him and waved him off. 

“Is that a personal call?”

“GO AWAY!”  Dwight glared at her and walked back to his desk.

“You have impeccable timing.  I think Dwight was about to threaten my job.”

“Why?  Were you doing something illicit?”

“Well, if contemplating a nap is considered illicit…”

“I knew you should have left earlier than 10.”

“Well, I tried, but something kept distracting me.”  She knew, without even having to see him that he was smirking.

“Open your email.”  She clicked on her mouse and opened her email, finding a lone email from Jim.  She laughed as she opened it to find a picture of a dozen roses.

“Nice.  Classy, even.”

“I was thinking that I could bring you the real thing this weekend.”

“Wait, what?”

“Oh yeah, I guess with all the making out this weekend, I forgot to mention that I was going to be in Scranton for a weekend retreat thing for all the managers and assistant managers.  We have Saturday night free, so I thought I could take you out on a proper date.”

She giggled.  “Well, yeah, I guess if you want to do things a little backwards…”

“No kidding.  So, you interested?”

“Always.”

“Pamela Schlamela!”  She rolled her eyes as Michael walked through the door.  “I have to go, Jim” she whispered into the phone, hoping Michael wouldn’t hear her.  No such luck.

“Wait, are you talking to Jim HAL-pert.”

“Tell him no” Jim said to her.  She did her best not to smile, but she couldn’t help it.  Michael leaned against her desk.  “So, I take you had a… successful weekend?” 

“Michael, I’m not talking about this.”

Jim laughed.  “I triple dog dare you to give him graphic details.”

“I hate you” she said into the phone.

“No, you really don’t.”

“Pam, ask him if he wants in on my improv routine I’m planning for Friday night?”  Pam smiled as she heard Jim gasp into the receiver.  “Michael, that’s exactly what he was just asking me about.  I think you should email him immediately and get the creative juices flowing.” 

“FANTASTIC!!”

She smiled as Michael ran into his office and shut the door.  “You sold me down the river, Beesly.”

“That’s for the triple dog dare, Halpert.”

Pam glanced up as Dwight cleared his throat.  “I knew it was a personal phone call.” 

“You have no idea how much I miss you right now” she said into the phone.

“Phone sex is illegal on official office phones, Pam.”  Jim groaned as Pam contemplated strangling Dwight with the phone cord.  “Great, now I’m going to have to burn my ears off my body after hearing Dwight say the words ‘phone sex’.  Pam, do you have any idea who weird I’ll look with no ears?”  She giggled.

“Jim, I should go.”

“Yeah, me too.  I’ve got a meeting.  I’ll call you later.”

“Please do.  I think it’s going to be one of those days.”

“Bye.”  She looked at the phone as she put it back on the receiver.  She noticed Dwight was still hovering. 

“What?”

“You need to make sure you work late since you were late this morning.”  Dwight finally got the hint when Pam threw her stapler at him.

+++

Pam kept glancing at the clock.  Jim was going to be at the hotel by 5 and they had an hour before he had to be at dinner that night.  She had her purse and jacket on, ready to go as soon as the clock struck 5.

She stood up as the second hand rounded past the 30 second mark.  As soon as the clock struck 5, she threw open the door and bolted down the steps. 

She was digging through her purse, so she didn’t see him waiting by her car.  “Hey Pam.”

She looked up and sighed.  So much for making a break for it.  “What Roy?”

He pushed himself off her car.  “I was just wondering if you were ever going to return my phone calls.”  Pam stared at him for a second before remembering all the wrong numbers her mother kept saying they were getting.  ‘That would explain that’ she thought to herself.

“Sorry.  You sure you were dialing the right number?”

“Look, I thought we could talk.”

“Can’t.  I’ve got somewhere to be, so, if you don’t mind…”

Roy grabbed her arm.  “Oh, come on Pam.  I thought we could…”

“What?  Work things out?  Tired of having to clean up after yourself?  Or is it that you are tired of pizza and wings already?”

“I went by your parents’ a couple times last weekend and your car wasn’t there.  Where were you?”

“Out of town.”

“Yeah, I got that much.  Where?”

“None of your business.  Now, if you don’t mind!”  She tried to pull out of his grasp, but he tightened it on her.  “Roy!  Ow!!”

“Have a beer with me.”

“NO!”

“Come on, Pam, just one drink and…”

“I do believe she said no, Roy!”  Pam glanced around Roy and saw Jim walking toward them, carrying a dozen roses.  Roy dropped Pam’s arm as Jim advanced on them.  Jim reached out and grabbed Pam’s hand, pulling her behind him.  “You alright?” he asked her quietly.  She nodded and smiled at him.

“Where you been, Halpert?  Haven’t seen you in a couple of weeks?”  Jim just shook his head, wondering how Pam put up with it for so long.

“I got a promotion, Roy, in Stamford.”  The three of them just stood there when the realization hit Roy.  He tried to walk over to Pam, but Jim stood between her and him.

“Wait, you were with HALPERT last weekend?”

“Not that it’s any of your business, Roy, but yeah, that’s where I went.”

“So… THIS guy is the reason you moved out?”

“No, Roy, I moved out because I was suffocating and miserable.”

“Were you cheating on me with this guy?”

“No Roy, I wasn’t, but I can’t imagine you could answer that question the same way, could you!?!”  Pam felt this resolve and strength build inside of her, something that she had never felt before. 

“Bitch.”

“Asshole.”

Roy glared at Jim.  “She’s all your, Halpert.  Maybe you can get her to loosen up, if you know what I mean.”  Roy turned on his heel and Jim started to go after him.  Pam grabbed his arm, pulling him back as she walked out toward Roy and the rest of the warehouse guys.

“I’m sorry I’m not freaks like the little sluts you seem to like. I guess they enjoy being mauled and left completely unsatisfied.”  Roy froze as the warehouse guys busted out laughing.  He glared over his shoulder at her and made a beeline for his truck.  He peeled out of the parking lot, leaving the rest of the warehouse guys laughing in his fumes.

She was breathing heavy and fuming, until Jim put his hands on her hips, pulling her back against him.  “So, I’m guessing that now you are completely satisfied?”  She felt the anger wash away as she turned toward him, smiling.

He looked her up and down once.  “Are you alright?” 

“I’m fine. Those for me?” she asked, motioning toward the roses on the trunk of Ryan’s car.

“Yeah, they are.”

“They’re beautiful.”

“How about I get you out of here?”

She nodded.  Jim stepped away from her as she grabbed his hand.  She pulled him back to her, closing the distance between them.  “Not quite yet” she said, standing on her tiptoes, pulling his face toward hers. 

Jim glanced over her shoulder to where the rest of the office had gathered, watching them.  “We’ve got an audience.”

“We’ve always had an audience.  I just don’t care anymore.”  Jim smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in for a scorching kiss.  They barely heard the cat calls and wolf whistles from Michael, Kevin and Oscar as their tongues dueled with each other.  They finally pulled apart when Ryan tapped Jim on the shoulder, handing him the roses so that he could leave. 

Jim glanced down at his watch.  “C’mon.  We’ve got 40 minutes till I have to go be Michael’s magicians assistant, which I’ve been meaning to thank you for.”  Pam laughed and nodded.  “I’ll follow you” she said.  He kissed her quickly as he shut her door.  She watched him jog back to his car.  They sped out of the parking lot toward the hotel.

TBC…