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No copyright infringement is intended. This is just for fun.

This came to me out of nowhere last night. Hope you enjoy this bit of a blast from the past. Also...I NEVER do this, so I'm not sure what came over me.

 

 

Roy was getting her jacket. Their jackets. Somewhere in the back of her mind she realized she shouldn't have been so giddy about him getting their jackets, but she was.  Another thing that she was, was engaged - officially - with a date and everything. June 10th. So, her shivering did nothing at all to squelch the glowing sort of warmth she felt inside.

 

In her haste to get home and get snuggly, she'd left her jacket on the boat and he'd gone all the way back up the gangway to retrieve it.  Her man...her soon-to-be husband.

 

Pam rubbed her arms to keep warm and smiled at her shoes, even as Michael offered yet again to marry them.

 

"We can hop a flight to Vegas..." he began. "I've got some frequent flyer miles that I've never ever used...a coupon I got in the mail. Pretty sure that's what they were..." he said rubbing the red marks on his wrists. "I'm sure your parents wouldn't mind flying in last minute for their little girl," he continued when she looked at him once more like it just wasn't a possibility.

 

"That's ok Michael...Roy and I are just gonna go home."

 

Michael lifted an eyebrow and then unable to hold back the little boy-level glee that rose up inside him he giggled and scrunched his shoulders. "I bet you are," he said through the grin.

 

Pam rolled her eyes, but to her horror smiled back at him after a moment, her cheeks growing warm. Well yes, she thought.  100% yes.  Maybe she'd even wear that little negligee she'd bought a couple of months back for their anniversary.  The one she'd never gotten to wear because Roy had forgotten and instead made plans with his brother.

 

The thought was just a tiny splinter now, no longer the thorn that it had been in her side. They were getting married. There was no room for past grudges.

 

She was going to hold on to this feeling as long as she possibly could.  Happiness sometimes was just far too fleeting.

 

The sound of Katy's angry voice floated across the parking lot on the night breeze.  Pam watched the red head hunch over against the wind as Jim walked a bit loopily on ahead of her.  It'd be nice if he'd offer the poor girl his jacket...

 

"Oh great Jim...Well, maybe I can just get a ride from one of these other people? Maybe someone else here can be a gentleman.  Do you know how easy it is for me Jim?" She spat them.  "I could snap my fingers and have someone else...Just like that!"

 

Pam's cheeks colored and her eyes went wide as Jim kept walking towards his car, completely ignoring the woman behind him.  To someone who didn't know how he usually walked, a long and smooth stride, he would have looked fine...but she knew he wasn't.  Pam hadn't seen him drink much inside but in all honesty she hadn't really hung out with him for the last hour or so of the cruise.

 

Katy continued to spit words at him even as he fumbled for his keys.

 

Pam's feet started to move before she could think of anything to say from so far away.  But Michael caught her arm. "Um...actually Pam, I think -  You know, why don't I...I'll go talk to him," he said decidedly.

 

Jim looked like he was hurting. The last thing he'd want was Michael.  Pam thought quickly, an excuse already on the tip of her tongue, but then there was Roy moving more quickly than he normally did when he went to fetch something of hers.  He grinned all the way back down the gangway.

 

"Babe," he chuckled. "We're planning a wedding now...you can't go leaving your jacket on boats.  Otherwise I'm just gonna let you freeze the rest of the year."

 

"Oh...um...Hey, do you mind if I just go check on Jim?  I think he and Katy had some kind of fight or something."

 

"Uh...no..." Michael began again. He glanced towards Jim who stood yards away saying something to Katy now, much more quietly.  Pam watched as then, Katy turned found Oscar just two cars away and asked him something. For a ride?

 

She started to move again and Michael put his hand on her arm. "Michael I just think he probably wants to -

 

"Wait what? What's going on?" Roy asked again. "Halpert had a fight with Miss Red Hot?"

 

Pam rolled her eyes. "I don't know but it looks that way and I think...I mean I don't know but I don't think he's ok to drive. I just think I should go talk to him and find out...he might need a ride."

 

"Pam -

 

But before Michael or Roy could stop her she was jogging over to him in the cold, rubbing her arms.  Watching as Katy got into Oscar's car.  Oscar shrugged at Pam as if to say he wasn't sure what was happening.

 

"H - hey," Pam said finally catching up with Jim. She put a hand on his back. "Is everything alright? What happened with Katy?"

 

He looked down at her and she suddenly felt the need to fold her arms across her chest. Suddenly colder....She'd forgotten the jacket Roy had brought her - again.  What an idiot.

 

Jim's eyes connected and held hers for a moment that made her feet shift beneath her. "I don't want to talk about it."

 

She nodded quickly. "Ok...I understand...but - I mean you don't look so good. Can Roy and I give you a ride home? I don't think you should be driving."

 

Pam watched as Jim looked to the side, smirked and then chuckled.  It wasn't a ‘haha' kind of laughter though. It felt a little angry. A little like he thought she'd said something stupid.

 

"No. I don't want you and Roy to give me a ride. I'm actually fine to drive...Thanks though. That's really - thoughtful."

 

Pam eyed him quizzically. "I don't think that you're ok. You're...you're actually slurring a little bit, Halpert," she said then, smiling at the end.  She felt like if he didn't smile at her soon...

 

She didn't know what she felt.  Something akin to an unexplainable panic.

 

"Pretty sure I can hold my liquor Beesly, and I'm fairly certain Roy had more than I did...so maybe - you know - you should just drive him home tonight.  You two can just...go..." he looked down at his shoes. "Celebrate or whatever."

 

She swallowed. "Um...yeah...I was going to ask Roy if he wanted me to drive too...I just thought maybe you might want a ride, that's all."

 

"I don't and I'm good," he said shortly, staring off somewhere above her head.

 

She focused then on the keys in his hand, the way he jingled them nervously back and forth.  She couldn't let him leave here like this.  Not like...this.

 

"I don't...I really don't think you should drive. Michael offered even...I mean he told me he could drive you if you thought...I mean if you needed one.  I guess...You really shouldn't be driving...you obviously had a fight with Katy and you're not feeling like yourself," Her words began tumbling out of her mouth with a crazy sort of urgency.

 

His tone was only bitter because he'd fought with Katy. He wasn't actually mad at her, Pam reminded herself.  She had to remember that.  Had to not start thinking about how horrible it would be to not have her best friend anymore.  She'd hate it if he were mad at her.  That always just...sucked.

 

She took a deep breath.  "So just...I mean if you're not um...comfortable with Roy and I, maybe you should let Michael drive you...ok?  Please?"

 

His eyes met hers then.  They were glassy.

 

Her breath caught.

 

Without another word, Pam beckoned Michael over.  He was across the parking lot and at Jim's car in a flash, anxious to provide his help.

 

"Hey Jimbo. I gottcha covered. Pam...I got it."

 

"Ok," Pam said quickly. Suddenly anxious to be...not standing with just inches between she and Jim. "You know where he lives, right?"

 

"Yes. I know where he lives, I'm his boss Pam...I have access to his file, and I remember from the barbecue...Ok," Michael said then, tugging on Jim's arm. "Let's go get in the Sebring. You want to go out for more drinks or -

 

Pam sighed. "Michael the last thing he needs is another drink. Just take him h -

 

"Yes actually. That sounds great,"  Jim said then, glancing at her again.

 

She didn't know why, but the interruption made her slightly livid.  The anger ignited like a flame in her gut, but it was extinguished just as quickly.  She only wanted what was best for him...What was wrong with him?

 

He's just hurting. He's had a terrible night. He was more into Katy than you realized or maybe even he realized...Even if she was wrong for him - it's sometimes hard to see that when you're the one inside the relationship. Things will be back to normal on Monday. Just give him the weekend to calm down...to just...recover.

 

Everything's fine.

 

Everything's fine.

 

Michael was giggling over the prospect of hitting a bar with Jim.  "Awesome!" He exclaimed while pulling Jim towards his car.

 

Pam watched in silence as Jim folded his long frame into Michael's Sebring.  Michael jogged around to his side of the car like a kid going to Disney Land.  Pam's chest tightened and she took out her phone.

 

"Ok..." Roy said suddenly behind her. "Ready to go home now?  Man...the guy looks like he got run over by a truck. He had it pretty bad for her, huh?

 

Pam nodded as Roy draped her jacket around her shoulders and steered her towards his truck. "Yeah," she said quietly.

 

She tried not to think about Jim the rest of the night.  Her fiancée had just set a date for God's sake.  It was difficult to push the worry away though. Just like she'd be worried about her sister or best friend if they'd just gone through a terrible break up. 

 

So hours later, after she'd worn the negligee Roy hadn't seen before and after he'd shown his appreciation for it, she'd gone to the bathroom with her cell phone in hand and texted Jim one simple word:  sorry.

 

Pam sat quietly on the toilet...waiting for almost twenty minutes before she crawled back into bed next to her sleeping fiance...but Jim never texted back.  Not that night. Not ever.

 

 

 

 

 



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