***********************************************************

Pam hung up the phone, smiling. She could hear it in her daughter's voice - Elizabeth was in love.

She couldn't believe her first-born, a grad student no less, was grown up enough to be in love.

"Jim? Where are you?" she called out.

"Living room, babe!"

Jim looked up from his book over the glasses he had recently started wearing. Pam had teased him mercilessly about needing reading glasses but honestly, she thought they made him even more sexy, if that was even possible.

He grinned at her, "What are you smiling about? Did you talk to Beth?"

Pam sank into his lap and rested her arms around his neck.

"Your daughter," she announced, "Is in love! And she's bringing him home this weekend!"

"Really?" Jim squinted at her. "I'll have to get my instruments of torture ready."

"Jim, come on! She's too old for the grilling you used to give her high school boyfriends! She's an adult!"

"No way, Pam. She will always be my little girl. Always!"

"You're so protective of the girls! If Ben brought home a girlfriend you'd be high-fiving him and gawking at her."

"I'd just be happy if he brought one home without a tongue piercing. Or a tattoo. Or both... Anyway, I can still harass Annie's dates, right?"

"Well, duh! I mean, she only brings home those horrid high school boys. Please do!"

"So what's this potential suitor's name?" Jim pulled off his glasses.

"Rob... something."

"Rob. Didn't she have a friend named Rob last year?"

"Same Rob. I guess things progressed from friendship to something more than that."

"Hmmm. Falling in love with a friend. Convenient. Sounds like he's settling."

"Jim!" she punched him lightly on the arm.

He pulled her in for a kiss. "Sounds like a great basis for a relationship. Maybe she is in love..."

"Jim, you be nice to him, okay? Promise me now!"

He looked her in the eyes and grinned, "I promise to try."

Pam sighed and rolled her eyes. "That poor boy has no idea what he's in for..."

******************************************************
Elizabeth and Rob arrived home late on Friday night. Pam was waiting up for them but Jim had been on the road for work the last two days and Pam sent him to bed early.

Her first impression of Rob was favorable - he was handsome, polite, and greeted her with a hug and a bouquet of flowers. Pam winked at Beth over his shoulder.

"Rob, you can stay in Ben's room - he won't be home from college this weekend."

After showing Rob to his room, Elizabeth pulled her mother aside. "I was kinda hoping we could stay in the same room, mom!"

"Well, honey, you know how protective your father can be."

"But mom, we're really serious."

"Well, a couple nights won't matter then, will it?"

Elizabeth knew not to push the subject. Her father was pretty protective of his daughters and she knew her mother was only trying to make things easier for everyone.

Besides, she thought with a sigh, this is the least of the problems that will come up this weekend.

*******************************************************

The next morning, Jim made waffles for breakfast. Poor Rob got them served with butter, syrup, and a side dish of the third degree.

"So tell me about yourself, Rob."

"Well, sir, I'm a senior and I'm studying theater and business. My parents insisted I have a backup in case acting didn't work out."

"So you're younger than Beth?"

"No sir, I took a year off after high school to work and travel."

"And where are you from?"

"Right here in the Scranton area. My family owns a farm."

"Really?"

"Yes, but my parents always had regular office jobs. Farming can be a little unpredictable."

"Like acting..." Jim said pointedly.

Pam thought she saw Rob squirm a bit in his chair but she secretly cheered for him as he recovered quickly. "Hence the business classes."

"Oh right." Jim, seeing he wasn't getting anywhere, dropped that line of questioning. "Shall we clear the table, mother?"

Rob jumped up immediately. "Let me, please."

Pam cornered Jim shortly afterwards in the bedroom.

"Well? What did you think? Good manners, well spoken, sensible kid. He might be good enough for your daughter after all?"

Jim cleared his throat. "Hmmph. We'll see."

Rob and Elizabeth had made reservations for them all to go out to dinner that evening. Once they were seated at the table, Beth convinced her mother to join her in the ladies room.

"Mom, we asked Rob's parents to join us."

"Honey, why didn't you tell me before?"

"Well, Rob thought it best that you didn't know."

"Why not?"

"You already know his parents."

"What? His name is Rob Martin. I don't think we know any Martins from Scranton."

"Well, actually, Martin is his mother's name. He took it as a stage name because his father's name is... well, a little strange and hard to pronounce. He's been acting since he was 16 and he just always used that..."

Pam raised her eyebrow at her daughter. "Honey, what is his father's name?"

Elizabeth swallowed hard. "It's, um, Schrute."

Pam blinked slowly, not quite taking it in yet. "Excuse me?"

"Schrute? I think you used to work with his parents at Dunder Mifflin a really long time ago."

Pam clapped a hand to her forehead, leaning against the counter for support. "Oh my goodness. Your father is going to be, um, surprised!"

"I know, mom. That's why I never said too much about Rob even when we were friends. But then we... and I just... I just want dad to like him."

"When did you know who he was?"

"It took a while. I mean you don't really talk about your parents' jobs too much when you first meet. Anyway, it was pretty funny when we finally figured it out." She smiled hopefully at her mother.

Pam grabbed Beth's arm, "I hope your father thinks it's funny."

"Mom, don't tell him, okay? I mean before they get here."

"You want to just... spring that on him? He's not as young as he used to be, honey. Do you want him to have a heart attack?"

"Come on, mom, is it really that big a deal?"

"You must have thought so if you didn't say anything!"

"Well, I mean, all those stories. They can't be true can they?"

Pam was getting exasperated. The stories were true. Every one. "Honey, have you met Rob's parents yet?"

"Ummm, no. But I did talk to his mother a couple of times on the phone."

"Do they know who you are?"

"They don't know my last name. They think Rob and I are just friends."

"Oh dear. Look, we'd better get back. And I don't care what you say, I have to warn your father. Otherwise this could get ugly."

Elizabeth nodded, realizing her mother was right.

They made their way back to the table. Pam's face was ashen and Jim gave her a quick are you okay? look that they had perfected over the years. She shook her head a bit, then putting on her best happy tone said, "Jim, do you want to come with me for a minute?"

He was confused. "Pam, what is it?"

She spoke through clenched teeth. "Jim, I just REALLY need to talk to you about something."

He rose slowly, dropping the napkin on the table. "Sorry, Rob. We'll be right back."

Pam grabbed his hand and literally pulled him toward the rest rooms where she ducked down behind a row of potted palm trees.

"Pam, what on earth has gotten into you?"

"Shhhhhhh! Just shut up and listen for a second! It's Rob!"

"What about him? He's not good enough for YOU now? I can't believe after all your lecturing..."

"JIM! His last name..."

"Martin, yeah, so?"

"Except it's not. His mother's name is Martin. It's a stage name!"

"And? Come on Pam, get to the point!"

"SCHRUTE! It's Schrute!" Jim's jaw dropped.

"What?"

"Angela and Dwight are his parents!"

"No way!" he choked out.

"Yes way! And they're coming here! TONIGHT!"

"Here? When?"

Pam looked up and grabbed Jim's arm, pulling him down to crouch next to her. She couldn't speak for a moment but she pointed wildly from behind the trees towards the front of the restaurant. Sure enough, Angela and Dwight were just entering the front door. Jim and Pam watched in silence as they followed the hostess to their table.

Angela had her hair pulled back in a tight bun. Dwight looked much the same but with grey hair and thicker glasses. Jim and Pam looked at each other and both clapped a hand over their mouths to stifle the fit of laughter that suddenly struck them.

"Oh my god, Halpert, our kid is in love with a Schrute!" Pam gasped between giggles.

"Don't blame me, Beesley, I wanted to send her to an all girls school."

"You wanted to put her in a nunnery!"

"Whatever. So are we gonna hide behind the bushes all night or are we going to be with our daughter and her..."

"...her Schrute?" Pam finished. They both burst into laughter again.

There was a table for two on the other side of the trees serving as their hiding place and they were starting to give Jim and Pam strange looks.

Pam leaned over to Jim, whispering conspiratorially, "All right. We have to pull ourselves together. You sneak into the men's room and I'll go into the women's room and we'll both come out in 30 seconds and we'll walk very casually to the table like we've been in the rest room this whole time!"

"I've got a better idea. I'll grab Dwight's wallet, sneak into the kitchen and, hey, do you think they have Jello in a fine restaurant like this?"

"Jim!" she hissed. "Just go in the men's room and I'll meet you back here."

"Ok. Which signal will you use - flushing twice or the exotic bird calls?"

She smacked him on the arm. "Smart ass."

They walked out of the rest room trying to look respectable. Jim took her arm and guided her to the table. Dwight and Angela appeared to be grilling Beth and didn't even see them approach. After a moment, Jim cleared his throat.

Dwight's head snapped up, followed closely by his wife's. Jim watched Dwight's jaw drop as he realized who was standing there. Angela made a sort of gurgling sound in her throat.

Rob chirped up, "Mom? Dad? I'd like you to meet Elizabeth's parents, the Halperts. I believe you may already know each other?"

The silence was deafening.