It was Friday, almost two weeks after Nikita had entered Pam’s life and she felt like she was finally getting the hang of things. Her parents had come out last weekend to meet the dog and they were smitten, and they had taken plenty of pictures with Pam, Nikita, Will, and Helene. One of the pictures was of Pam sitting on the front steps of her house with Nikita on the landing poking her head out from behind her, which she had taped up just beside a family photo next to her monitor at work. One of the less fun things about living with a dog was making sure that one got home on time to let it out of the house to do its business. On the bright side as Pam had discovered last week, a dog was a great excuse for getting out of working late, as she had managed to guilt Michael into letting her go home to take care of Nikita when he asked everyone to stay late to finish expense reports for last month.

An unintended side effect of revealing to the office that she had a dog was dealing with even more condescending attitude from Angela then usual, and Kelly’s endless barrage of asking for pictures. Pam had remarked to Jim the other day that it looked like she wasn’t going to be invited to any more cat parties, and that was fine by her.

It was getting close to the end of the workday when Kevin approached her desk to let her know that her coworkers were all going over to Poor Richards after work, asking if she would like to join them. Pam made a noncommittal response about having to go home and let Nikita out, but she’d see.

Jim heard Kevin making his way around the office inviting everyone out for drinks and couldn’t help but be excited for another chance to hang out with Pam outside of work, short of inviting himself over now that she lived within walking distance. Jim was a little disappointed when he heard Pam’s answer to Kevin’s invitation, but he resolved that he would get Pam out of the house if it was the last thing he did, because she needed some fun in her life right about now. With that, Jim stood and made his way over to reception to see if he could change her mind.

“Hey, you coming to Poor Richards,” Jim asked nonchalantly as he leaned against her desk.

“I don’t know, I’d have to let Kiida out, and then come back across town,” Pam trailed off noncommittally.

“I think you should come, it’ll be fun,” Jim pressed.

“I won’t even be able to get drunk Jim,” Pam said with exasperation, “somehow I always get nominated designated driver when I’m the only one in the car,” she trailed off.

“Pam-Pam-Pam, need I remind you that we live like a block away from each other, I will drive you,” Jim promised.

“Oh alright,” Pam conceded, “But only because you volunteered to be designated driver.”

“Perfect, so I’ll follow you home and we can go straight to Poor Richards after you let Kiida out,” Jim said, leaving no room for negotiation.

“Fine, twist my arm why don’t you,” Pam said with a small smile.

Jim just shot her a smirk and stole some jellybeans before retreating to his desk to run out the clock.

Pam was a little nervous about going to Poor Richard’s, though she hid it well. There was a not-insignificant chance that she would run into Roy there, as it was one of the bars that he frequented. By the time she was pulling into the parking lot and getting out of Jim’s car, she felt like a nervous ball, and so when she sat down she immediately started on some fruity drink that Kelly put in front of her, trying to take the edge off the nerves.

After having another drink foisted upon her by Kelly, Pam decided she had better slow down and switch to beer, as she was already feeling kind of giggly. On the bright side she had forgotten what she was so nervous about, being in a bar with her best friend and inebriated co-workers wasn’t so bad a place to be on a Friday night. It was easy, she didn’t need to impress anyone or meet new people, just unwind from their shared Dunder Mifflin experience. Jim said something to her that struck her as funny and she almost fell off of her stool giggling before he caught her by the elbow.

“That’s enough of that I think, I’m going to go grab you some water,” he said, removing her beer from the coaster in front of her even though it was only half empty, and turning to go and get her some water.

“It better have the lime slice,” Pam yelled out after him, drawing some funny looks from her coworkers, before they decided to ignore her outburst and go back to whatever they were taking about.

“Oh my gosh, Pam, don’t look behind you,” Kelly rambled, coming to sit in the empty stool that Jim had left, “Roy is coming this way, he like, totatlly gonna beg you to take him back I bet! It’s gonna be so romantic!”

“He lost the ring you know,” Pam admitted to Kelly, not quite sure why she had told her that in the moment, and decided to blame the drinks Kelly had plied her with.

“Oh my god, seriously,” Kelly exclaimed, “No wonder you dumped him,” she said, doing a complete one-eighty so quickly Pam’s head felt like it was spinning, “Oh no, here he comes!”

“Pammy?” Roy asked from behind her, “Pammy!” he exclaimed when she finally turned to face him.

“Yes, Roy,” Pam asked as neutrally as she could, trying to withhold the derision from her tone.

“Why haven’t you returned any of my calls,” he whined.

“Must have slipped my mind,” Pam said sarcastically, emboldened by the liquor in her stomach.

“C’mon Pammy, don’t be like that, I need you so much,” Roy pleaded.

“Mmm,” Pam mimed considering his words, “No.”

“The apartment isn’t the same without you, it’s a mess, I’m a mess, just come home with me and we can start over,” he begged.

“Roy, leave me alone,” Pam said, losing her patience, before recalling her conversation with Jim on the day they broke up with a vindictive smirk.

“I have a dog that I love much more than you to take care of already, I don’t need another,” she said spitefully.

Jim had just reached the bar and asked for some water when he saw Roy making his way over towards the corner that Dunder Mifflin had occupied for the night. Water forgotten, he started elbowing his way back over, worrying that things might get ugly with two drunk ex-fiancés having a chat. He arrived just in time to hear Pam asking him to leave her alone and make a biting remark about already having a dog that shocked him and warmed his heart at the same time. Jim recalled making that joke to her on the day that she had broken up with Roy after he found her in the stairwell. Jim thought Pam probably didn’t see the double meaning there, but he couldn’t help but hope. Before things could escalate further Jim decided it was time to get Pam home and inserted himself into the situation.

“Ok drunky, we should get you home,” Jim said, trying to get Pam out of there, “Why don’t you go grab your coat and I’ll be right out.”

Pam started nodding like a bobble head before getting up and shuffling towards their pile of coats at the end of the table, and it looked to Jim like Roy wasn’t quite finished.

“Pammy,” Roy roared after her, while Jim moved to put his body in between them, “Don’t leave!”

“Roy,” Jim said, holding an arm out, “She asked you to leave her alone, ok? Just let it go.”

“Just- Just who do you think you are, Halpert,” Roy stammered angrily, his nostrils flaring, and shoulders squared, “So she goes home with you now, huh? You sure move fast!”

Before Jim could refute that statement, as much as he wanted it to be true, he was on the floor. Hearing sounds of a scuffle he rolled his head to look up and saw Kevin and Darryl holding Roy’s arms back. In his dazed state, Jim decided it was time to go now, and he found Dwight of all people giving him a hand up before placing himself between Jim and Roy with his hands on his hips, looking very martial.

“…im, Jim! Are you ok,” he heard Pam asking as her face swam into focus in front of him, looking sick with worry, or maybe alcohol, it was hard to tell in the moment.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he assured her, “Just a little dazed is all, let’s get you out of here.”

“Are you sure,” she asked, not seeming to believe him.

“Nothing a freeze pack won’t fix, plus, I don’t even feel a thing yet,” he tried to assure her with a smirk, but ended up grimacing as he did in fact, feel that.

They got the rest of the way to the car, and a considerable way home in awkward silence, neither of them really knowing how to break it, when suddenly Pam burst out giggling.

“What,” Jim asked, dying to know what drunk Pam thought was so funny about all of this.

“I, ah, called Roy a dog,” she managed to get out between giggles, and then sobering she said with a frown, “And I said that I love Nikita more than him,” she trailed off.

“I’m not sure how that makes me feel, that I can love a dog I’ve had for almost two weeks more than I love a man I was with for almost ten years,” she admitted to Jim, looking very small in that moment.

Jim wasn’t sure what to say to that as he pulled up in front of her house.

“I said some really hurtful things tonight Jim, and that just isn’t me, I don’t like being like that,” she continued, filling in the silence and sniffling.

“Pam, you’re drunk, let’s get you inside and you can sleep it off, you’ll feel better in the morning,” Jim reasoned with her, before adding, “And I know that isn’t you, ok?”

“Ok,” Pam said tiredly, as Jim got out and came around to help her into the house.

“Try and get some sleep Pam, and call to let me know you’re ok in the morning, all right,” Jim asked as he leaned against the wall outside her front door.

“Ok, g’night Jim,” she said tiredly as she opened the door and was greeted by an excited Nikita.

“G’night Pam.”

Jim drove home to put an icepack on his throbbing cheek for a while, much to the amusement of Mark. Jim then went to bed, where he tossed and turned restlessly, still feeling the adrenaline high of being attacked by Roy.