After dropping Maddie off, Jim and Pam decided they weren't tired yet, so Pam suggested they visit her favorite beach. It was a bit of a drive, but the night sky was clear and possibilities were buzzing in the air like fireflies.

Pam parked the car and grabbed a blanket from the backseat.

"If I'm any good at what I do, you should be able to recognize it from the painting, even if it is dark," Pam said. She slipped off her shoes and stepped onto the sand.

Jim took off his shoes and socks then rolled up the legs of his pants. "This isn't going to end like the first scene in Jaws, is it?"

Pam was glad that the darkness hid her blushing cheeks. She shook her head and picked up her shoes. "Come on, it's a lot better down by the water."

They walked toward the water in silence, both lost in thought. Neither would admit it, but they were both thinking about Maddie's story. Jim was sure he would sit in a diner every day if it meant Pam would be his. Hell, he'd sat in Dunder-Mifflin every day even though he had been positive she never would be. But, still, every day he would show up and park himself at the reception desk with a pocketful of hope.

Persistence pays off, he thought idly.

Pam spread the blanket on the sand and tried to clear her mind, but Maddie's words were still ringing in her ears. Had she found her one? Had she married the one... or had she left him on the other side of the country? She had always kept her letters to Jim light and casual, but she had always felt anything but while she was writing them. She didn't talk about Roy in the letters, never mentioned the problems they had been having lately, never mentioned that she stayed late at the shop so that he would probably be asleep by the time she got home. She felt guilty, like she wasn't making an effort to make the marriage work. She promised herself she'd be a new woman when he got back from this business trip. She would convince herself that Roy was the one no matter what it took.

She settled herself on the blanket next to Jim and couldn't stop herself from wondering. She sighed and lay back to look at the stars.

"It's a nice night," Jim said quietly.

"Yeah," she replied. "This is the nicest it's been in a couple weeks. I'm glad you got to see it." She reached up to touch his arm. "And I'm really glad you came."

Jim looked down at her and tried to smile through a broken heart. "Me too."

Pam let her arm fall to her side. She said slowly, "You know, I just... wanted to say sorry again."

"Don't," Jim said. He stared up at the sky to avoid her stare. "I don't need an apology. I mean, it's... it's water under the bridge. We're friends. We'll always be friends. Lets just forget about it, okay? Don't worry about it."

"Okay," Pam replied, her voice small. When she thought Jim wasn't looking, she wiped a tear from her eye. "Oh, um, Maddie wanted me to invite you to her birthday party on Wednesday. She said she needs a hot date."

"Wouldn't miss that for the world," he said. "Will you help me pick out a gift?"

"I think she'll be okay with you just letting her pinch your cheeks," Pam said and sat up.

Jim put his hands on his cheeks. "I don't know. She may damage my boyish dimples."

"I don't think those are the cheeks she's interested in, Jim," Pam replied, grinning widely.

"You've got some interesting friends, Beesly - uh, sorry... Anderson, I guess I should say, right?"

Pam shook her head. "Uh, no. I didn't... I didn't take Roy's name. It's just, I mean, Pam Anderson? I couldn't do that to myself. He's still kind of getting over it. I thought about going with the hyphen, but still. I can't be Pam Anderson."

Jim smiled. It felt like a small victory, but he wasn't sure why.