I still own nothing associated with The Office and intend no infringement or disrespect.
What will be
She couldn't believe how well she'd slept. Curled up on the couch, dressed in an oversized t-shirt of Roy's that she had grabbed from the laundry room, she had expected to sit up all night, re-living the events of the evening. Jim's words, her own reaction, the kiss that changed everything, the conversation with Roy, the cell phone call to Jim. She'd told him it was OK, he could go to sleep. He'd been so worried, and she could tell from the sounds on the line that he wasn't at home in his room, but somewhere (probably close by) in his car, just in case. She told him that this would be her last night in the house; she'd find somewhere else to stay tomorrow. She'd hesitated and then, shyly, said, "I love you." She could hear his smile as he echoed the words back to her and ended the call, promising he'd see her tomorrow.
She didn't think long about any of those things, though. She had fallen asleep almost immediately. The stress she'd been living with was gone, replaced by exhaustion and a sense of peace. The upcoming days were going to be hard, but she knew she was finally moving in the right direction. Even the morning, getting ready and eating breakfast with Roy (as usual, and yet so different) wasn't as bad as she had expected. He'd been his normal self, promising he'd come right home after work so they could start "figuring things out". He didn't wait for her, however, and drove away in his truck while she still was still drinking her morning coffee.
She'd been waiting impatiently at her desk for almost ten minutes already, feeling totally refreshed and full of expectation. She wanted to see Jim. She wanted to see him come in and smile down at her so they could start this new phase of their relationship.
Pam's head bobbed up and she smiled as she heard the elevator. Her smile faded, however, when she saw that it wasn't Jim. "Pam. Can you please ask Toby to meet me and Michael in Michael's office right now? Oh, and please send an e-mail office-wide that we'll be having an all-hands meeting today at 1pm. Call down to the warehouse, too- I need everyone up here at one. Thanks." Jan Levinson barely paused on her way to Michael's office. Pam was sure Michael wasn't expecting Jan today, but she had no time to warn him. She called Toby and was concentrating on typing the e-mail when a soft voice interrupted her.
"Hi." She looked up and Jim was smiling down at her.
His smile warmed her to the tips of her toes, and she knew she was blushing. "Hey. You're late." She tried to sound like she was chastising him, but she was too happy to see him. "Something's up. Jan's in Michael's office and she's called an all-hands meeting for this afternoon."
Jim's smile creased momentarily into a frown. "Huh. I'm glad I came in, then. I was thinking of calling in sick." He tried to keep a straight face, but he was too happy to even successfully tease her. He turned and sat down at his desk, certain he wouldn't get anything done today.
The morning continued normally. Dwight was actually very busy, too busy to notice that Jim was completely oblivious to him for the first time in years. Had Angela been keeping score, she'd have noticed an all-time high at Pam-Pong, but she, too, seemed very focused on her work. In general, the office was very subdued. Jan's surprise visit and the meeting she'd called was enough to make anyone nervous, and everyone threw themselves into their tasks to avoid showing it.
Lunchtime came and went. Jim and Pam sat together, as usual- if anyone noticed that they were smiling more and touching more than usual, no one commented. Pam knew she was going to have to make some sort of announcement or something to let everyone know that the wedding was off, but she didn't want to do anything until she'd sorted things out with Roy. Jim seemed disappointed when she'd told him she was spending the evening hashing things out with Roy, but he nodded and said he understood. "We need some time alone to talk, though," he'd said quietly. Pam agreed, thinking to herself that she wanted to do more than talk once she got him alone. Something of her thoughts must have shown on her face, however, because the answering look in Jim's eyes made her blush furiously.
Finally, it was time for the meeting. Everyone filed into the conference room. Pam and Jim took their usual spots together in the back of the room. When the warehouse staff entered a moment later, Pam watched Roy move directly to the other side of the room and take a seat next to Darryl. He didn't look around to find her. She was surprised by the stab of pain that caused her. She unconsciously leaned more toward Jim, who looked down at her as if to check that she was OK. His tender smile almost brought the tears that Roy's presence hadn't.
"Hello, everyone." Jan was always down-to-business, but her voice was crisper than usual. "As you all know, Dunder Mifflin has been experiencing some setbacks in the market over the last two years. The recent contract with Lakawana county was a major coup, and was able to keep the Scranton branch afloat for several months. Unfortunately," Jan took a deep breath. Her face clearly showed stress, as her lovely features were taught and tense. "Unfortunately, corporate numbers make it impossible for us to keep our current staff levels. I am sorry to announce that the Scranton branch will be closing in two weeks."
Jan paused for some reaction, but the room was completely silent. Everyone was stunned. Pam noticed the camera operator panning the room to get every reaction. Jan continued, "I want to assure you that everyone who is let go will get a generous severance package. Toby will have the details of that for you in a moment. However, not all of you are necessarily out of a job. The Dunder Mifflin markets are being reorganized, so some new positions will be available in all of the other branches. Unfortunately, there are no openings for warehouse or admin staff." She glanced at Pam. Pam felt her chest tighten. This was too much change in a 24-hour period. Calling off the wedding and now having no job. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't- suddenly, she felt Jim take her hand and squeeze gently. She looked down at his long fingers wrapped around her small hand. She calmed down immediately. It was amazing what his touch did to her- Jim made it possible to breathe again.
She realized that Jan was still talking. "OK, so those are all the openings in the various New York offices. We also have one management position open in Stamford, which we will be offering to Michael. The open sales position in Stamford is being filled by Jim, but there's also an accounting position available there." Pam pulled away from Jim's hand and turned to look at him in disbelief. Jan went on, "Um, let's have a five minute break before Toby starts going over the application process for the new positions, as well as the severance policies." With a murmur, the other people in the office started moving towards the restrooms or the coffee machine. Pam and Jim, however, sat looking at one another. Pam got up and walked to her desk without a word, Jim trailing behind.
"Pam? Pam." His voice had a note of panic in it and she looked into his eyes. "Pam, I applied for that transfer...before. When I thought...Pam, I couldn't stay here and watch you marry him." He was speaking very softly, his upper body draped over her desk like it had been a thousand times before. No one watching would have guessed what their conversation was about.
"But...you're leaving. I can't...Jim, are you leaving?" She didn't know what else to say. This, this was too much. Too much change, too much loss. She fought to keep the tears from spilling out, but lost. Gently, Jim touched her face, smearing a mascara-tinged tear across her cheek. With a sigh, she leaned her head into his hand. They'd only just found each other- how could he be going away?
"Pam, I won't go anywhere without you. Come with me." He was serious- she could tell by the set of his mouth and his direct gaze.
"To Stamford?"
"Yes. Find a job you love. Go back to school. Whatever. Just, come with me."
"Jim, I don't know..."
"Why not? I hate to remind you, Beesly, but you are both homeless and unemployed." His smile crept back to its normal place. She started to smile, too. It was true. She was totally free. She started to reply when she noticed Jan hovering close by, looking incredibly uncomfortable.
"Excuse me, Jim. Um, apparently Michael is not interested in the management position in Stamford. He wants to stay here with his, uh, new girlfriend." Jan's smile was forced. "So, if you're interested, I'd like to offer the job to you. You're definitely my first choice. Think about it, OK?" She walked away with another insincere smile.
Jim and Pam stared at one another in surprise. All at once, Pam burst out laughing. "Oh, you have to take it. You have to. Didn't Jan say there was an accounting job open in Stamford? Angela can take that one, and then Dwight can have the job you were going to take! It'll be perfect!"
"What are you talking about?" Jim was entranced by Pam's laughter, but was completely confused by her words.
"Oh, Jim. I should have told you, but...Dwight and Angela have been seeing each other for months. This will work out perfectly for them, and, as an added bonus- you can be Dwight's boss!" She laughed again at the look of shock and revulsion that passed Jim's face before he, too, started to laugh.
"Um. Wow. That's a lot to process." He was smiling at her and her heart filled up. "So, will you come with me?"
Pam stopped laughing, but her happiness filled her eyes as she took Jim's hand. He was everything she'd ever needed, even when she didn't know it. She'd almost lost him, and now he was offering to take her on the closest thing to an adventure she'd ever had. "Do you think I'd let you go without me?" she whispered.
"Impossible."
The End
Author's Chapter Notes:
Here's my attempt to abolish the last impediment to a "happily ever after" scenario. Enjoy! Oh- and I'm taking Toby's "it's a school night" to mean that they had work the next day, so that my timeline works. :)
nqllisi is the author of 87 other stories.
This story is a favorite of 11 members. Members who liked Possibilities also liked 2382 other stories.
