Summary: “He wants to get over Pam. He wants to, badly. The only thing he wants more is to be with her, and that isn’t going to happen.”
My (canon-compliant) take on Pam and Jim's journey through Season 3, beginning with "The Merger." Includes flashbacks.
Rated: T
Categories: Jim and Pam Characters: Ensemble,
Jim,
Jim/Karen,
Jim/Pam,
Pam,
Pam/Roy
Genres: Angst,
Inner MonologueWarnings: Adult language
Series: terrace
Chapters: 12
Completed: Yes
Word count: 72331
Read: 15075
ePub Downloads: 3
Published: February 24, 2022
Updated: April 11, 2022
Story Notes:
Hey, MTT! This story is a companion piece to another one of my works, "a house with a terrace upstairs." It can absolutely stand alone, but exists within the same universe as that story.
(This is season 3, my friends, so fair warning: there be angst ahead.) Much love and thanks to Joe and Em for their beta and general awesomeness.
Disclaimer: Jim and Pam may own my heart, but I don't own them* (or any other characters from the Office universe.)
*Except Delilah. She's all mine.
1. "That was what today was supposed to be. The loving union between people." by tinydundie [Reviews - 11] 
19 (5130 words)
It was only a few seconds but they were the most important seconds of his life. Because even as she’d pulled away and told him no, the memory of those seconds persists: those precious seconds when she’d told him yes.
2. "You're left thinking about the girl you really like, the one that broke your heart." by tinydundie [Reviews - 9] 5 (4385 words)
She curses her own foolishness that only now does she find herself appreciating the magnetism that’s always existed between the two of them, how rare and special it was. How she hadn’t seized upon it before, when she had the opportunity.
3. "There's such a thing as good grief. Just ask Charlie Brown." by tinydundie [Reviews - 7] 8 (5663 words)
He likes Karen. He wonders if in a different time, a different place — a different life, maybe — he could be falling head over heels for her. But he isn’t, at least not yet.
4. "Pay no attention to the spirits that haunt this hallowed ground." by tinydundie [Reviews - 6] 6 (5754 words)
It’s been so long since she’s felt like a winner in any respect. Maybe it’s silly and unimportant, maybe it’s just a bunch of sixth graders choosing her instead of Jim, but… she won.
5. "Secret secrets are no fun. Secret secrets hurt someone." by tinydundie [Reviews - 8] 4 (6007 words)
He doesn’t want to hurt her, that’s the last thing he wants to do. He doesn’t want to torch this relationship, either. But everything feels so hopeless right now. Dating Karen is like singing a song he doesn’t know; he wants it to sound right, he just can’t find the melody.
6. "I hope that someone gets my message in a bottle" by tinydundie [Reviews - 6] 2 (8002 words)
It’s that hope that’s killing her, that’s wearing her down. She’s so sick of the hope. It’s like being trapped alone inside a dark room with the door open just a crack, allowing a sliver of sunlight to creep through; if she’s not allowed outside to feel the warmth on her face, she’d rather the door just stay closed.
7. "I have no future here." by tinydundie [Reviews - 7] 3 (5392 words)
It’s no secret anymore that he used to have feelings for her. And ever since she learned of it, she’s viewed his actions a bit differently. Not because she thinks he still has those feelings, but because she likes to imagine he does. And sometimes, every so often, she can convince herself it’s true.
8. "All it really means is that we're friends." by tinydundie [Reviews - 10] 3 (6358 words)
He remembers the way he felt when he’d written it, how full his heart had been of Pam and only Pam for so long that even now he can’t be quite certain when it began. Or when it will end, for that matter.
9. "You've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em" by tinydundie [Reviews - 9] 4 (6011 words)
The water splashes against her scalded feet as she feels the gentle breeze all around them and Jim is here, finally facing her, finally listening. Finally seeing her again. She waits, and he stares at her, and all she can think about is how they are here all over again: in the very same place, only this time their roles are reversed. She’s the one who’s gone all in. She’s the one who’s laid all her cards on the table.
10. "What is love anyway? Maybe it's supposed to break all the rules." by tinydundie [Reviews - 9] 4 (3214 words)
He looks in the mirror and he doesn’t even recognize himself. He’s wearing a suit that Karen picked out. His haircut, that she’d pushed him to get, looks like someone else’s. And there’s even something in his eyes that doesn’t feel right, like the light has gone out of them.
11. "A real relationship can't be forced. It should just come about effortless...ledly." by tinydundie [Reviews - 8] 3 (10655 words)
She can tell he’s trying. But Jim “trying” is basically all this has been, and she’s seeing it clearly for the very first time. It feels like they’re back in that coffee shop, and she’s watching him hopefully – desperately, even – through thick goopy mascara, heavy blue eyeshadow and overly teased hair. Only this time she can’t pretend he’s telling her the truth.
12. "When two people find each other, what should stand in their way?" by tinydundie [Reviews - 15] 12 (5760 words)
His invitation confuses her on every possible level, but she doesn’t need time to think. She doesn’t even need time to breathe. There’s only one word left she has on reserve for Jim, and she cannot say it fast enough.
