The Office - Kiss and Tell - Jim/Pam - PG
Title: Kiss and Tell
Author: Cassandra Mulder
Rating: PG
Classification: The Office; Jim/Pam; fluff; humor
Spoilers: Mainly the end of season three, and that Office Summer promo.
Disclaimer: The Office and the characters are so not mine, no matter how much I wish they were. No infringement is intended.
Summary: When their personal lives become office gossip, what will Jim and Pam do to end all the talk?
Written: August 24 - September 10, 2007
Word Count: 6145
Written For: dragonsinger's Against All Odds Ficathon Prompt: Jim/Pam: Jim and Pam have a steady relationship after the Season 3 Finale, and their co-workers find out. What are the reactions in the office, and how do Jim and Pam deal with it?
A/N: This was a really fun story to write, but I hope there's enough of an element of what Jim and Pam have to overcome to be what they are. I was happy to participate in this because Amy is a fabulous person and friend, and she has been through so much this year that I just want to celebrate her triumph over cancer. I have rarely seen anyone with such a positive attitude and amazing spirit, and I wish her all the best health and great blessings in the future.
Big thanks go out to cebby and surrexi for looking this thing over for me, and letting me know I was good to go. :) You're both fantastic, and I had never really written a few of these characters before, so thank you for the feedback. Also, thanks to cebby for the title suggestion, since I was hopelessly stuck.
***
Jim leaned over Pam’s desk. “Where are we meeting tonight?” he whispered.
“The alley out back?” she whispered in response, mischief making her eyes sparkle. She grinned when he gave her his exasperated face.
“Your place or mine?” he clarified.
She looked to the ceiling, supposedly in thought. “Mine,” she said. “Maybe we should make a schedule. Or at the very least we should discuss it before we go to work.”
“I was a little distracted this morning,” Jim said, looking at her pointedly.
“That seems to be the norm for you,” she said, shuffling faxes in front of her. She looked up and smiled.
“Oh yeah, Beesly, point the finger, but I seem to remember you being the distraction.”
She blushed and shook her head. “It may have been my fault, but it was in no way intentional.”
“Whatever you say,” he said, smirking at her.
She looked over his shoulder to make sure their hushed tones weren’t drawing any unwanted attention. “I think I’m going hoarse from whispering so much every day,” she said. “Remind me why we’re so covert again?”
Michael came out of his office and wandered over to reception. “Pam sandwich! Jim sock! What’s up, guys?”
“That’s why,” Jim mouthed.
She tried not to laugh and put on her best, blank ‘Michael’s here’ face.
“Nothin’ much, Michael,” Jim said.
Michael looked at him, seeming to contemplate something for a second. “You know, I always wanted a friend or a dog named Jimmy. And I‘ve never had either, so I‘m going to call you Jimmy from now on,” he declared, pointing his finger at Jim like it automatically changed everything.
Jim had no idea what to say to that, but he did know he hated that nickname and there was nothing he could do about it until Michael got tired of it and reverted back to Jim.
“Shouldn’t you be, uh, working or something?” Michael said, looking at both of them pointedly.
“Probably,” Jim drawled. He raised his eyebrows and grimaced comically at Pam before he tapped her desk and slowly retreated to his own.
Pam sighed. So Michael was going to play boss today.
“Any messages?” he asked.
“No, Michael. You’re here, which means I forward all your calls to you,” she said patiently.
“Right,” Michael said, looking around the office. He turned back to her and lowered his voice conspiratorially. “So, you and Jim seem to be getting along again,” he said, his eyes lighting up.
She tried to keep her expression neutral, but it was difficult as she saw Jim swing around in his chair and raise his eyebrows. He had heard Michael.
“Yeah,” she said. “Things are… better.”
“Yeah, I bet since Karen’s gone,” Michael said with his usual disregard for tact.
“Um…well, we’re friends,” she offered.
Michael narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously. “Mmm - okay,” he said, letting it go unusually easy.
Jim swung back to his desk before Michael could turn around.
“Back to work,” Michael said cheerfully and went back to his office.
Pam sighed. Outwardly, she was pretty sure they just looked like they had returned to best friend status. Michael, however, was convinced for some reason that there was more going on. He was right, but that didn’t mean it was any of his business. Keeping their relationship upgrade on the ‘down low’, as Jim liked to joke, was becoming a second full time job.
Frankly, she didn’t see how Dwight and Angela had kept it up for so long. She also didn’t want to think about being anything at all like those two, but you did what you had to do to protect the things sacred to you.
Jim was back at Pam’s desk within twenty minutes. Ever since they had gotten together, he found it even harder to keep from hovering over her all day. Somehow they still got the minimum amount of work done, which was a miracle with the ‘normal’ interruptions in an average day. Still, they were suspiciously together a lot, and it was getting more and more difficult to pretend they were only friends.
“We’re going to have to take drastic measures,” she said.
He chewed on a jellybean while dispensing another. “Like what?”
“Like making out in the middle of the office,” she said.
He coughed violently, causing Angela to look up from her desk. He ignored her and she went back to work.
“Oh, that’s brilliant, Pam. That won’t distract anyone at all.”
“Probably wouldn’t be anymore distracting than everyone playing busybody to try to figure us out,” she said in a lowered voice.
He shook his head. “No way.”
“I wouldn’t give Michael the pleasure,” she conceded.
“Still…”
She shook her head this time. “Hey, it’s hard pretending,” she said.
He started to tell her that she didn’t know the half of it, but he stopped himself. It would either come off sounding dirty or bitter. He really was past all of that, but sometimes those feelings still crept up on him in all their familiarity.
“I know,” he said instead.
She didn’t miss the momentary sadness in his eyes. “Hey,” she said softly, making him look at her. “I love you,” she mouthed, because she couldn’t do anything else at the moment and she never wanted to see that hurt in his eyes again.
He smiled. “Me, too,” he said. It wasn’t his usual response, but it worked for their location. “I really ought to get back to work,” he said. “I think Angela’s over there praying for us,” he whispered.
Pam rolled her eyes. “I bet she is,” she whispered back and laughed.
Jim went back to his desk, but that didn’t stop them from IM-ing each other. Pam was grateful they had that, because she received a grand total of five phone calls all afternoon.
He came back to her desk at four-thirty.
“Why are things so slow today?” she asked.
“I’m pretty sure Ryan is trying to make us obsolete,” he said.
“Interesting. Whatever shall we do?”
“Oh, well, if this dries up, it’s Avon door-to-door for me.”
Pam stifled a giggle. “Oh, no, you don’t.”
His eyebrows shot beneath his bangs.
“I have no doubt you would sell many beauty products,” she explained. “But I also have no doubt that you would be dragged into the homes of many a desperate housewife. So no Avon for you.” She smirked.
“But, Pam, I live to sell.”
She shook her head.
“You’re so bossy,” he said, leaning dangerously close over her desk.
She wasn’t buying any of it. The mischief in his eyes totally betrayed the whiny tone of his voice.
“I’m sure you’ll have no trouble finding something else,” she assured him.
“Jimmy!” Michael barked from the doorway of his office.
Jim started, standing upright so fast he thought he might have gotten whiplash.
Pam raised an eyebrow in question, but he just shrugged and started walking to Michael’s office.
She glanced at the clock, figuring they wouldn’t be leaving at five as planned. Michael seemed to be determined to keep them there later than their required eight hours a day, especially since Jan had moved in with him. Just because he didn’t want to go home didn’t mean the rest of them didn’t.
Mercifully, Jim walked out of Michael’s office at five after five, and she began gathering her things.
“What was that about?” she said, not bothering to lower her voice much since everyone else had gone home already.
He shook his head. “I’ll tell you later,” he said, looking like a mere twenty-five minutes with Michael had completely worn him out.
She knew the feeling.
He walked her down, and they parted in the parking lot as Pam promised to order pizza, and he told her he would be there in an hour.
All the way home, and as she straightened up her apartment and ordered dinner, she wondered what had put the worry on Jim’s face.
When he arrived at six-fifteen, her arms were practically around him before he got in the door. He smiled at her concern and hugged her back.
She led him to her couch and sat down, pulling him down beside her. “What happened in Michael’s office?” she asked.
Jim sighed and scratched the back of his head. “You’re not going to believe this, but Michael’s freaking out because Ryan has made a proposal to move all sales of Dunder Mifflin products online.”
Pam frowned. “Are you serious? We totally shouldn’t have been joking about losing our jobs earlier.”
“I’m not too worried about it,” he said. “I talked to David Wallace, and he said while Ryan has a lot of good ideas, laying off most of his employees is probably not going to happen. You know, customer service is our strongest selling point.”
“Why didn’t Michael just call him?” she asked.
He gave her a look.
“’Cause he’s Michael,” she said.
“Yeah.”
“So we’re not losing our jobs?”
“Not for the foreseeable future,” he said.
“When did we become so worried about not working at Dunder Mifflin anymore?” she mused.
“I don’t know. Though I have come to realize that while it’s neither glamorous nor stimulating, it’s not ditch digging.”
“Very true,” she said with a laugh. “You didn’t call Michael, did you?”
“No, I figured he could wait until morning, considering the amount of time I had to listen to his panic attack.”
“You are so evil,” she said. “Which is why I love you, of course.” She giggled.
“Of course,” he said and kissed her.
Her doorbell rang. “Pizza!” she said, jumping up to answer the door.
The rest of their evening was spent eating pizza, watching TV, and not worrying at all about what everyone at work would think about the fact that they were together.
*
It had been a couple of months since they had gotten together, but they still had a difficult time letting go of each other in the mornings. Working together was almost more torturous than advantageous because at least if they were apart they wouldn’t have a hard time keeping their hands off each other.
On this particular Thursday morning, they took the stairs instead of the elevator. No one really ever used the stairwell, and they could sneak in extra kisses on the landings.
They were standing on the next to last landing sharing their final kiss until evening, when they broke apart and Pam opened her eyes.
Kelly was standing a couple of stairs down from them, her eyes as big as saucers. “The elevator isn’t working,” she squeaked and scurried past them up the rest of the stairs and through the door.
Pam buried her face in her hands and leaned her head against Jim’s chest.
He was speechless, but he put his arms around her.
“Oh. My. God,” she muttered.
“Yeah,” he agreed.
She stepped back. “You do realize that by the time we make it out of this stairwell, down that corridor, and into that office, everyone’s going to know.”
“Yup,” he stated simply.
“What are we going to do?”
He looked at his watch. “It’s eight fifty-five. We have to go to work.”
She groaned. “Since when is that a solution?”
He chuckled. “Are you ashamed that I’m your boyfriend?”
She frowned. “Of course not.”
“Then what’s the big deal?”
“I don’t know. This place spoils everything else.”
“Let’s not be too hard on it, Pam. After all, if it wasn’t for this place we probably never would have met.”
She tried not to smile and shook her head. “Two words: Michael Scott.”
“It’s going to be okay. We have to go in there.” He tapped his watch. “Don’t act suspicious. We’ve been walking in together for weeks now. It’s just another day.”
“Okay,” she said with a sigh. “But if Kelly Kapoor has managed not to say a word, I might just kiss her.”
Jim laughed. “That may be a little too fancy there, Beesly.”
She shook her head. “You’re the only man on the planet who wouldn’t want to see his girlfriend kiss another girl.”
He shrugged. “I just don’t want you kissing anyone but me.”
“Me neither.” She gave him a quick kiss on the lips.
“You ready?”
“As I’ll ever be,” she said.
He opened the stairwell door for her, and she was relieved when no one else was in the hall. She saw a Vance Refrigeration employee exit the elevator, and it just figured that they would get it fixed after Kelly, of all people, found them.
He knew he shouldn’t be, but Jim was sort of amused by the apprehension on her face. They had pretended for years and been speculated about for just as long, so he couldn’t see the difference now. Besides, the truth would have to come out sooner or later.
Pam entered first and quickly scanned the office. There was no sign of Kelly, and no one even acknowledged her presence except Dwight, who was hyper-aware of his surroundings anyway.
Jim just quirked his eyebrows and silently laughed at her as she settled at her desk and rolled her eyes. He sat down and booted up his computer as Dwight scowled at him.
“What?” Jim asked.
“You were almost tardy,” Dwight responded.
Jim refrained from laughing out loud. “I haven’t been tardy since high school.”
“I’m sure you were often,” Dwight snipped.
“Also?” Jim added. “Almost doesn’t count.”
Dwight just scowled some more and went back to work. Nothing was going to faze Jim this morning, so he made his first sales call while watching Pam.
He had gotten his old desk back after Ryan moved to New York, and he could see her clearly. By the look on her face he could tell she was working on a Sudoku, which meant the day was going to go very slowly if she didn’t have any work first thing.
Pam glanced up and caught him looking at her. No longer caring about timing herself, she put her puzzle aside and brought up AIM.
He hung up the phone just as an IM box popped up.
boredreceptionist: Congratulations on not looking suspicious, Halpert.
prankster79: And what am I doing that’s suspicious?
boredreceptionist: Staring at me.
prankster79: Oh, that. I always do that.
boredreceptionist: Right.
prankster79: I love you.
Jim smirked. He meant it, but he was still doing it to mess with her.
boredreceptionist: Shut up.
prankster79: Ouch.
boredreceptionist: I mean, I love you, too.
She smiled at him sweetly.
prankster79: Have you seen Kelly yet? ;)
boredreceptionist: I hate you.
prankster79: I know.
Right then he remembered he needed to go talk to Michael, who, probably in a fit of depression, had yet to make an appearance outside his office.
prankster79: I need to go talk to Michael about the Ryan situation.
boredreceptionist: Oh, right. Okay.
prankster79: Stay strong, Beesly.
She just rolled her eyes and watched him get up and knock on Michael’s door. He was granted admittance, and she sighed. She figured once Jim cheered him up they wouldn’t be able to get rid of him for the rest of the day.
She went back to her Sudoku, and was startled when she looked up and Kelly was standing by her desk.
“What’s up, Pam?” she said, smiling expectantly.
“Not much,” Pam supplied. “I guess you’re not getting many phone calls either.”
“Not really. I bet it’s Ryan’s fault. He’s so totally evil.”
Pam almost burst out laughing. “Oh, well, I don’t know. It’s probably just a slow week.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Kelly said and wandered off to the break room, looking back over her shoulder at least once.
Pam had no idea what Kelly had expected her to say, but she obviously hadn’t gotten what she wanted. She wished Jim would come back out, but his meeting with Michael seemed to be taking forever.
Angela walked past her to the break room, and five minutes later she exited, looking at Pam like she had backed over all her cats.
Pam peered toward the break room, and saw Kelly flailing her hands and talking at hyper-speed.
Great, she thought. Still, it had taken forty-five minutes for the gossip to fly, which was forty-four more minutes than she had guessed. She figured at this point Kelly’s head was about to explode.
She bit her lip worriedly and tried to see through the blinds in Michael’s office. It was no use, they were all drawn. She was really, really concerned that Jim was never getting out of there.
The phone rang, distracting her from her surveillance. “Dunder Mifflin, this is Pam.” It was Ryan. “One moment, I’ll transfer you.” She buzzed Michael. “Michael, Ryan’s on line one,” she said.
He groaned loudly. “Fine,” he huffed. “Jimmy, get out.”
She breathed a sigh of relief and completed the transfer, not worrying about what stupid thing Michael was going to say first.
Jim made his escape before he inevitably got dragged into whatever was about to occur between Michael and Ryan. Hands in his pockets, he strolled over to Pam’s desk.
“When is he going to stop calling you Jimmy?” Pam asked.
He shrugged. “I have no idea. Though I’m going to guess it won’t be soon enough for me.”
“Awww, poor Jimmy,” she said, a smile playing on her lips indicating no sympathy at all.
“Funny.” He made a mental note to make her pay for that later.
“Well, I have something that will make you feel better,” she said.
“What?”
“We have officially been ratted out,” she said, gesturing to the window of the break room. “She’s been in there for the last ten minutes, flailing to anyone who will listen.”
“Greeeaaat,” he said. “Well, my day’s made.”
“It’s only hearsay unless we prove it, but Angela’s already come by glaring at me.”
“What else is new?”
“I know.”
“Well, just act naturally. Maybe we’ll hear Michael scream something scandalous at Ryan and it’ll all blow over.”
She laughed and shook her head, and he went back to his desk.
Throughout the late morning and early afternoon, they knew the gossip was spreading. There were hushed conversations, a roll of Stanley’s indifferent eyes, people quieted every time Pam used the copier or Jim walked across the room, and Phyllis couldn’t stop turning to look between them and smile.
If the office thought it had a hold of a big secret, it was doing an even worse job of being covert than Kelly herself.
One by one, Pam saw her coworkers ushered into the conference room to shoot a talking head, and she had never seen so many filmed in one short afternoon. She was fairly certain the camera guys had caught something of her and Jim long ago because they were the sneakiest people she had ever met, which she guessed was their job, but they had been pretty good about respecting their privacy otherwise. After all, between the confessions they had both made and the fact that Jim hadn’t hesitated to initiate their first date right in front of them, it was no surprise to them what was happening now.
*
Kelly sat down in front of the camera, practically bursting with glee. When asked what happened in the morning, she clapped her hands, no longer able to contain herself.
“Ohmigod,” she started. “So, like, I was coming into work this morning, and when I got to the lobby, the elevator was stuck. Security already called a guy to come see about it, but they didn’t know how long it would be, so I decided to take the stairs. I usually refuse to take the stairs alone, because they’re, like, super creepy and you never know if someone is in there waiting to attack an innocent girl, you know? Plus, one time I found Creed in there smoking something. I can’t say that it was weed, but it probably was. I totally used to make Ryan go with me whenever I had to take them, but since that - Anyway, since he’s not here anymore I decided to suck it up and take them all by myself. That was really brave, right?
“Oh, what was I saying? Right. I totally made it to the last landing without any creepy rapist guys stalking me or anything, and I saw Jim’s back. I didn’t know what he was doing just standing there, but then I saw the edge of a skirt peeking out on the other side of him. He was kissing someone! And I was just frozen, because they were in my way, and I totally didn’t know what to do. I waited a second, and then they stopped, and when the girl pulled back and opened her eyes, do you know who it was? It was PAM!
“I totally caught Jim and Pam making out in the stairwell. And I was like, Ohmigod, those two finally totally got together! They have always been so, totally cute, in a Sears catalogue kind of way, and we all wondered why they never got together. I knew they had been hanging out a lot lately, everyone could tell that, but I had, like, no idea that they were having a secret romance. Isn’t that awesome? It must be so romantic, and they are going to have such adorable babies when they get married. I wonder if Pam will let me be a bridesmaid since I’m friends with both of them?”
She rambled on like that for several more minutes, but the cameraman had already turned off the camera. When he could finally get a word in edgewise, he told her she could go.
*
Despite the obvious efforts of their coworkers to catch them in some sort of compromising position, Jim made his regular number of visits to her desk throughout the day, and they would roll their eyes and snicker every time someone else was beckoned for an interview. They could only imagine what was being said within the confines of the conference room, but they knew it had to be pretty good. Office gossip usually was.
*
Angela looked reluctant to answer the question that had been posed to her, but she sat up straight and tried to think of something tactful to say. After all, she had been in the same situation, only she hadn’t been caught and humiliated for it.
“I think that if Jim and Pam have decided to embark on a personal relationship, it is no one’s business but their own. Obviously, they have tried to remain professional, or, at least, as professional as they have ever been, and keep their personal lives out of the workplace.
“The least we could do is respect their privacy and stay out of it, especially since Pam has been a rather good friend since discovering my own… secret. She has not exploited it, and I plan to extend her the same courtesy.”
With a clear look of dismissal, she abruptly got up and left the room.
*
Jim was behind Pam’s desk, pretending to look over some order forms with her. They would act like they were discussing business when anyone came within earshot, but really they were just goofing off; giggling, talking, and making plans for dinner.
“Hey,” Jim said, looking up from the piece of paper in his hands, “I bet there’s someone else we can out around here that will totally take the attention off us,” he joked.
Pam looked up at him dubiously. “You can’t be serious,” she said.
“Oh, I don’t know,” he teased. He had known about Dwight and Angela for several months, and while he was serious - he would never tell - he had a feeling she already knew. After all, she had been the one to point it out to him nearly two years ago.
She raised an eyebrow.
“How often do you notice Dwight and Angela,” he said, his voice so low she had to lean forward to hear him, “talking to each other while facing opposite directions?”
Realization dawned on her face. He knew. When did he find out about them?
“You know about them?” she asked in surprise.
“Oh, yeah. And I had a feeling you did, too, but I wasn’t gonna tell.”
“How did you find out?”
“That is kind of a long story, one which I will tell you later.”
“We’re not telling on them,” she said firmly.
“I know. Which brings me to, when did we start looking out for Dwight and Angela?” He grinned.
She shook her head. “I have no idea. Our lives are just funny that way.”
*
Dwight was acutely annoyed by the simple act of talking about anything having to do with Jim, and he didn’t bother to hide it.
“Honestly? I don’t know what Pam sees in Jim Halpert. I mean, she’s nice enough; sweet, even. She has taken my side on a lot of issues lately, which almost made up for the irresponsible things Jim has always dragged her into. But while I can’t say it’s a wise choice on her part, Halpert better play nice, or he’ll have to answer to me,” he said with a ferocity he had never displayed in defense of Pam.
They almost asked him why he felt so protective of Pam, but decided against it because he probably didn’t even know himself. She just seemed to have that effect on people, whether she realized it or not.
*
“You know, now that the word’s out we kind of have to decide whether to disclose it to Toby or not. I know he’s not going to ask us, so we’ll have to be the ones to tell him,” Jim said, as he and Pam sat alone in the kitchen drinking sodas.
No one seemed willing to come in while they were on their break, and they just sat laughing and talking about the absurdity of the situation. From the outside everything looked totally normal, and there was nothing at all to indicate romance as the others walked by occasionally, casting not-so-surreptitious glances through the window.
“I know,” she said. “I’m just wondering if we should torture them another day or two.”
He laughed. “You have been spending entirely too much time with me.”
“I haven’t heard any complaints,” she said, hiding her smirk behind her Coke can.
“I’m just sorry I corrupted this sweet, young receptionist I once knew.”
“No, you’re not.”
“I know.”
*
Michael sat behind his desk, and his eyebrows raised when the crew informed him why they were there. Apparently he was the last to know that his two favorite employees were romantically involved.
“Wow,” he said, sitting back, the squeaking of the chair the only noise in the sudden silence. “Well, that is something. I mean, I tease them because they have been spending a lot more time together lately, but… Wow. I guess I thought Jimmy would come talk to me about it, you know? He did the first time, when he said he had a crush on Pam. I wonder why he didn’t confide in me this time.
“Well, the best of luck to them. Pam is ho- I mean, love is a wonderful thing. As long as it doesn’t have a nervous breakdown, move into your condo, smoke and watch Oprah all day, and acqu -” he stopped, thinking hard for a moment. “Um, collect the world’s biggest collection of yoga pants.
“But Pam wouldn’t do that, right? She’s totally together. I mean, she does half my work for me everyday…” He stared off into space. “Then again, I used to think Jan had it together…”
The crew rather regretted they had ever brought it up, but it was one of the hazards of the job.
*
It was nearing four o’clock, and they were on at least their fifth conversation about what they should do, and no one had said anything directly to either of them yet.
“It might not be that bad. I mean, we wouldn’t have to sneak out to lunch together, or whisper all day long…” Jim said, shaking Pam’s jellybean container. “Why are there only black ones?”
“Because no one eats them, genius. Except Dwight, and he hasn’t been up here in awhile,” she said, amused.
“Okay.”
“I’ll bring in new ones tomorrow. I’m out.”
“Good plan. Now, as I was saying…”
She sighed dramatically. “What would we do, anyway? Stand up on my desk and make an announcement?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted.
Kevin came up to use the copier. He looked at Jim, then Pam, and back to Jim. “Niiice,” he said with a smirk.
Pam rolled her eyes and looked at Jim, who just shook his head.
“O-kay, Beesly. Gotta get back to work.”
*
Phyllis smiled at the crew as she sat down and settled in.
“I already know what you’re going to ask me about,” she said, and went on at the nod of the cameraman. “I couldn’t be happier for them. They’re both really sweethearts, and I know how long Jim’s been in love with her. It’s always been all over him, poor thing.
“It’s about time they got it together, because I know they’ve both been through a lot, but I think they’re going to be really happy. They’re perfect for each other, and if they’re half as happy as I am with Bob Vance, then everything is going to work out just fine.
“I just wish they would go ahead and admit it, so I could give them both a big hug,” she said, smiling sweetly.
*
Jim was wrapping up his paperwork for the day, since it was almost quitting time, but he noticed no one else was in a hurry to leave. He and Pam were still being watched, even though they hadn’t given anyone a reason to be even remotely interested since walking in at nine a.m.
He didn’t know when everyone else’s lives had become so boring that they needed a real life soap opera, but he didn’t think he could take another day, or more, of the scrutiny they had already received. Most days the cameras offered enough of an intrusion, even when you almost got used to having them around.
If they really wanted a show, perhaps they would get one. He would just have to check with the other player first. He signaled Pam to come over to his desk.
“What?” she said, looking down at him curiously. He had that look in his eyes, and since they should be getting ready to leave, she had no idea what he was up to.
He crooked his finger, and she leaned over so he could whisper in her ear. He looked around; that had gotten everyone’s attention.
She tried to suppress a smile when she had heard what he had to say. She leaned against his desk. “Are you serious?” she asked in a hushed voice.
“Yes. But only if you want to. I think maybe we should just get it all over with at once. Give the people what they want.”
“We’ll never live it down,” she said.
“Will we ever anyway?” he asked with a ‘nothing to lose’ shrug.
“It’s probably against the rules.”
“At least half the stuff we’ve done to Dwight is against the rules.”
“You have a good point,” she said, biting her lip. “Okay. I guess this could work.”
“Excellent, Beesly,” he said, his grin barely restrained. “Okay, so just get up and act like you’re going to walk away, and try to be surprised by what happens next.”
“This is insane.”
“This place is insane. And… go.”
She was less than sure about what was about to happen, but she trusted Jim and figured things couldn’t get any worse. She stood up and started to walk away when she felt Jim’s hand gently grab her left wrist. He swung his chair around just enough to make it possible to pull her down into his lap.
There was an audible gasp from everyone around them, and she felt his hand slide beneath her hair to the back of her neck as he pulled her in for a kiss.
His heart was hammering in his chest, both for being watched and the fact that being anywhere near this close to her did that to him.
Part of her was hoping her hair was obstructing most of the view, but other than that it was startlingly easy to forget where they were whenever Jim was kissing her. When she felt his hand slide from her neck down over her shoulder to hold onto her upper arm, she pulled back.
“You okay?” he asked.
“I think so,” she said, smiling in spite of the embarrassment she was likely about to face. She couldn’t bring herself to stop looking right into his eyes, because all she heard was deafening silence.
Then, suddenly, there was applause. They looked around, and the people who hadn’t given up and gone home were standing around them, all smiles and clapping.
Pam dissolved into embarrassed giggles and buried her face in Jim’s shoulder, trying to regain her composure.
“All right, ladies and gentleman, the show’s over,” Jim declared, but no one moved.
Kelly had her hands clasped together, bouncing slightly up and down on her toes, and Phyllis looked like her face was about to crack, her grin was so huge. Michael was standing in his doorway, looking slightly stunned, and Dwight mirrored his expression at the desk across from Jim’s.
Stanley packed his things and shook his head, muttering something about young people today, and Angela’s best disapproving glare was marred by the tiny smile she couldn’t quite banish from her lips.
Kevin leered, which came as no shock to anyone, Oscar smiled as he got his jacket and prepared to leave, and Meredith sipped on whatever inappropriate beverage she had chosen for the day, as she nodded approvingly.
Pam slid daintily off Jim’s lap, straightening her skirt as he stood to join her.
Jim was pretty sure they would both live to regret his “brilliant” idea, but it seemed to have done the trick.
Michael took a step toward Pam, his mouth open to say something, but she just looked at him and shook her head.
“Please, don’t say anything,” she murmured, and miraculously, he closed his mouth.
Instead, he turned to the office, and raised his hands. “Okay, people, don’t you have homes to go to?”
People started to move then, and Pam and Jim looked at him gratefully.
“Wow, you two,” Michael said. “I mean, there were rumors, but…”
“Yeah, they’re true,” Jim said. “Sorry about the interruption, it won’t happen again. Keeping up the secret… it was hard.”
“That’s what she said,” Michael said, snickering to himself.
Jim looked at the ceiling. He had forgotten to carefully choose his words in the midst of his explanation.
“Okay,” Michael said uncomfortably. “Well, I guess you two kids better get going. You probably have a big evening planned, things to do,” he said, barely controlling his giggles.
Pam looked up at Jim gravely. She wasn’t going to say ‘I told you so’, at least not until they were on their way home.
“All righty,” Jim deadpanned, gathering his coat and messenger bag from the back of his chair.
Both Jim and Pam’s head turned when they heard a faint clearing of the throat from across the room. Toby stood just outside of the annex, holding papers in his hand.
They turned to look at each other, realizing they weren’t going to escape so easily.
Michael was still lingering in the doorway of his office. “And here’s Toby with your love contract to ruin everything. As usual,” he sighed and finally retreated into his office to get ready to leave.
Jim and Pam just shrugged. They knew it had to happen, so they held hands as they went off to sign their waivers.
*
Jim and Pam stood near his desk, both of them holding up what Michael had so irritatingly dubbed “the love contract”.
“So, we finally did it,” Jim said, looking over at Pam. “We are dating. I hope everyone’s happy now. I mean, I’m happy. I’ve been happy for months, and now everyone can stop wondering why I’m so happy.”
Pam giggled. “It’s so silly, really, the way people were so concerned about whether we would ever be together or not. I mean, I was concerned, but it’s my life.” She shrugged. “What I’m trying to say is I’m happy, too, and I really don’t care if everyone knows it, or what I have to sign because of it.”
They smiled at each other.
“Dwight already left me a note on my desk saying he regretted that he couldn’t trust me anymore since I ‘threw in my lot with Jim Halpert’,” she said, laughing.
“Ooh, bonus,” Jim said.
“Totally,” she agreed.
Finis
Author: Cassandra Mulder
Rating: PG
Classification: The Office; Jim/Pam; fluff; humor
Spoilers: Mainly the end of season three, and that Office Summer promo.
Disclaimer: The Office and the characters are so not mine, no matter how much I wish they were. No infringement is intended.
Summary: When their personal lives become office gossip, what will Jim and Pam do to end all the talk?
Written: August 24 - September 10, 2007
Word Count: 6145
Written For: dragonsinger's Against All Odds Ficathon Prompt: Jim/Pam: Jim and Pam have a steady relationship after the Season 3 Finale, and their co-workers find out. What are the reactions in the office, and how do Jim and Pam deal with it?
A/N: This was a really fun story to write, but I hope there's enough of an element of what Jim and Pam have to overcome to be what they are. I was happy to participate in this because Amy is a fabulous person and friend, and she has been through so much this year that I just want to celebrate her triumph over cancer. I have rarely seen anyone with such a positive attitude and amazing spirit, and I wish her all the best health and great blessings in the future.
Big thanks go out to cebby and surrexi for looking this thing over for me, and letting me know I was good to go. :) You're both fantastic, and I had never really written a few of these characters before, so thank you for the feedback. Also, thanks to cebby for the title suggestion, since I was hopelessly stuck.
***
Jim leaned over Pam’s desk. “Where are we meeting tonight?” he whispered.
“The alley out back?” she whispered in response, mischief making her eyes sparkle. She grinned when he gave her his exasperated face.
“Your place or mine?” he clarified.
She looked to the ceiling, supposedly in thought. “Mine,” she said. “Maybe we should make a schedule. Or at the very least we should discuss it before we go to work.”
“I was a little distracted this morning,” Jim said, looking at her pointedly.
“That seems to be the norm for you,” she said, shuffling faxes in front of her. She looked up and smiled.
“Oh yeah, Beesly, point the finger, but I seem to remember you being the distraction.”
She blushed and shook her head. “It may have been my fault, but it was in no way intentional.”
“Whatever you say,” he said, smirking at her.
She looked over his shoulder to make sure their hushed tones weren’t drawing any unwanted attention. “I think I’m going hoarse from whispering so much every day,” she said. “Remind me why we’re so covert again?”
Michael came out of his office and wandered over to reception. “Pam sandwich! Jim sock! What’s up, guys?”
“That’s why,” Jim mouthed.
She tried not to laugh and put on her best, blank ‘Michael’s here’ face.
“Nothin’ much, Michael,” Jim said.
Michael looked at him, seeming to contemplate something for a second. “You know, I always wanted a friend or a dog named Jimmy. And I‘ve never had either, so I‘m going to call you Jimmy from now on,” he declared, pointing his finger at Jim like it automatically changed everything.
Jim had no idea what to say to that, but he did know he hated that nickname and there was nothing he could do about it until Michael got tired of it and reverted back to Jim.
“Shouldn’t you be, uh, working or something?” Michael said, looking at both of them pointedly.
“Probably,” Jim drawled. He raised his eyebrows and grimaced comically at Pam before he tapped her desk and slowly retreated to his own.
Pam sighed. So Michael was going to play boss today.
“Any messages?” he asked.
“No, Michael. You’re here, which means I forward all your calls to you,” she said patiently.
“Right,” Michael said, looking around the office. He turned back to her and lowered his voice conspiratorially. “So, you and Jim seem to be getting along again,” he said, his eyes lighting up.
She tried to keep her expression neutral, but it was difficult as she saw Jim swing around in his chair and raise his eyebrows. He had heard Michael.
“Yeah,” she said. “Things are… better.”
“Yeah, I bet since Karen’s gone,” Michael said with his usual disregard for tact.
“Um…well, we’re friends,” she offered.
Michael narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously. “Mmm - okay,” he said, letting it go unusually easy.
Jim swung back to his desk before Michael could turn around.
“Back to work,” Michael said cheerfully and went back to his office.
Pam sighed. Outwardly, she was pretty sure they just looked like they had returned to best friend status. Michael, however, was convinced for some reason that there was more going on. He was right, but that didn’t mean it was any of his business. Keeping their relationship upgrade on the ‘down low’, as Jim liked to joke, was becoming a second full time job.
Frankly, she didn’t see how Dwight and Angela had kept it up for so long. She also didn’t want to think about being anything at all like those two, but you did what you had to do to protect the things sacred to you.
Jim was back at Pam’s desk within twenty minutes. Ever since they had gotten together, he found it even harder to keep from hovering over her all day. Somehow they still got the minimum amount of work done, which was a miracle with the ‘normal’ interruptions in an average day. Still, they were suspiciously together a lot, and it was getting more and more difficult to pretend they were only friends.
“We’re going to have to take drastic measures,” she said.
He chewed on a jellybean while dispensing another. “Like what?”
“Like making out in the middle of the office,” she said.
He coughed violently, causing Angela to look up from her desk. He ignored her and she went back to work.
“Oh, that’s brilliant, Pam. That won’t distract anyone at all.”
“Probably wouldn’t be anymore distracting than everyone playing busybody to try to figure us out,” she said in a lowered voice.
He shook his head. “No way.”
“I wouldn’t give Michael the pleasure,” she conceded.
“Still…”
She shook her head this time. “Hey, it’s hard pretending,” she said.
He started to tell her that she didn’t know the half of it, but he stopped himself. It would either come off sounding dirty or bitter. He really was past all of that, but sometimes those feelings still crept up on him in all their familiarity.
“I know,” he said instead.
She didn’t miss the momentary sadness in his eyes. “Hey,” she said softly, making him look at her. “I love you,” she mouthed, because she couldn’t do anything else at the moment and she never wanted to see that hurt in his eyes again.
He smiled. “Me, too,” he said. It wasn’t his usual response, but it worked for their location. “I really ought to get back to work,” he said. “I think Angela’s over there praying for us,” he whispered.
Pam rolled her eyes. “I bet she is,” she whispered back and laughed.
Jim went back to his desk, but that didn’t stop them from IM-ing each other. Pam was grateful they had that, because she received a grand total of five phone calls all afternoon.
He came back to her desk at four-thirty.
“Why are things so slow today?” she asked.
“I’m pretty sure Ryan is trying to make us obsolete,” he said.
“Interesting. Whatever shall we do?”
“Oh, well, if this dries up, it’s Avon door-to-door for me.”
Pam stifled a giggle. “Oh, no, you don’t.”
His eyebrows shot beneath his bangs.
“I have no doubt you would sell many beauty products,” she explained. “But I also have no doubt that you would be dragged into the homes of many a desperate housewife. So no Avon for you.” She smirked.
“But, Pam, I live to sell.”
She shook her head.
“You’re so bossy,” he said, leaning dangerously close over her desk.
She wasn’t buying any of it. The mischief in his eyes totally betrayed the whiny tone of his voice.
“I’m sure you’ll have no trouble finding something else,” she assured him.
“Jimmy!” Michael barked from the doorway of his office.
Jim started, standing upright so fast he thought he might have gotten whiplash.
Pam raised an eyebrow in question, but he just shrugged and started walking to Michael’s office.
She glanced at the clock, figuring they wouldn’t be leaving at five as planned. Michael seemed to be determined to keep them there later than their required eight hours a day, especially since Jan had moved in with him. Just because he didn’t want to go home didn’t mean the rest of them didn’t.
Mercifully, Jim walked out of Michael’s office at five after five, and she began gathering her things.
“What was that about?” she said, not bothering to lower her voice much since everyone else had gone home already.
He shook his head. “I’ll tell you later,” he said, looking like a mere twenty-five minutes with Michael had completely worn him out.
She knew the feeling.
He walked her down, and they parted in the parking lot as Pam promised to order pizza, and he told her he would be there in an hour.
All the way home, and as she straightened up her apartment and ordered dinner, she wondered what had put the worry on Jim’s face.
When he arrived at six-fifteen, her arms were practically around him before he got in the door. He smiled at her concern and hugged her back.
She led him to her couch and sat down, pulling him down beside her. “What happened in Michael’s office?” she asked.
Jim sighed and scratched the back of his head. “You’re not going to believe this, but Michael’s freaking out because Ryan has made a proposal to move all sales of Dunder Mifflin products online.”
Pam frowned. “Are you serious? We totally shouldn’t have been joking about losing our jobs earlier.”
“I’m not too worried about it,” he said. “I talked to David Wallace, and he said while Ryan has a lot of good ideas, laying off most of his employees is probably not going to happen. You know, customer service is our strongest selling point.”
“Why didn’t Michael just call him?” she asked.
He gave her a look.
“’Cause he’s Michael,” she said.
“Yeah.”
“So we’re not losing our jobs?”
“Not for the foreseeable future,” he said.
“When did we become so worried about not working at Dunder Mifflin anymore?” she mused.
“I don’t know. Though I have come to realize that while it’s neither glamorous nor stimulating, it’s not ditch digging.”
“Very true,” she said with a laugh. “You didn’t call Michael, did you?”
“No, I figured he could wait until morning, considering the amount of time I had to listen to his panic attack.”
“You are so evil,” she said. “Which is why I love you, of course.” She giggled.
“Of course,” he said and kissed her.
Her doorbell rang. “Pizza!” she said, jumping up to answer the door.
The rest of their evening was spent eating pizza, watching TV, and not worrying at all about what everyone at work would think about the fact that they were together.
*
It had been a couple of months since they had gotten together, but they still had a difficult time letting go of each other in the mornings. Working together was almost more torturous than advantageous because at least if they were apart they wouldn’t have a hard time keeping their hands off each other.
On this particular Thursday morning, they took the stairs instead of the elevator. No one really ever used the stairwell, and they could sneak in extra kisses on the landings.
They were standing on the next to last landing sharing their final kiss until evening, when they broke apart and Pam opened her eyes.
Kelly was standing a couple of stairs down from them, her eyes as big as saucers. “The elevator isn’t working,” she squeaked and scurried past them up the rest of the stairs and through the door.
Pam buried her face in her hands and leaned her head against Jim’s chest.
He was speechless, but he put his arms around her.
“Oh. My. God,” she muttered.
“Yeah,” he agreed.
She stepped back. “You do realize that by the time we make it out of this stairwell, down that corridor, and into that office, everyone’s going to know.”
“Yup,” he stated simply.
“What are we going to do?”
He looked at his watch. “It’s eight fifty-five. We have to go to work.”
She groaned. “Since when is that a solution?”
He chuckled. “Are you ashamed that I’m your boyfriend?”
She frowned. “Of course not.”
“Then what’s the big deal?”
“I don’t know. This place spoils everything else.”
“Let’s not be too hard on it, Pam. After all, if it wasn’t for this place we probably never would have met.”
She tried not to smile and shook her head. “Two words: Michael Scott.”
“It’s going to be okay. We have to go in there.” He tapped his watch. “Don’t act suspicious. We’ve been walking in together for weeks now. It’s just another day.”
“Okay,” she said with a sigh. “But if Kelly Kapoor has managed not to say a word, I might just kiss her.”
Jim laughed. “That may be a little too fancy there, Beesly.”
She shook her head. “You’re the only man on the planet who wouldn’t want to see his girlfriend kiss another girl.”
He shrugged. “I just don’t want you kissing anyone but me.”
“Me neither.” She gave him a quick kiss on the lips.
“You ready?”
“As I’ll ever be,” she said.
He opened the stairwell door for her, and she was relieved when no one else was in the hall. She saw a Vance Refrigeration employee exit the elevator, and it just figured that they would get it fixed after Kelly, of all people, found them.
He knew he shouldn’t be, but Jim was sort of amused by the apprehension on her face. They had pretended for years and been speculated about for just as long, so he couldn’t see the difference now. Besides, the truth would have to come out sooner or later.
Pam entered first and quickly scanned the office. There was no sign of Kelly, and no one even acknowledged her presence except Dwight, who was hyper-aware of his surroundings anyway.
Jim just quirked his eyebrows and silently laughed at her as she settled at her desk and rolled her eyes. He sat down and booted up his computer as Dwight scowled at him.
“What?” Jim asked.
“You were almost tardy,” Dwight responded.
Jim refrained from laughing out loud. “I haven’t been tardy since high school.”
“I’m sure you were often,” Dwight snipped.
“Also?” Jim added. “Almost doesn’t count.”
Dwight just scowled some more and went back to work. Nothing was going to faze Jim this morning, so he made his first sales call while watching Pam.
He had gotten his old desk back after Ryan moved to New York, and he could see her clearly. By the look on her face he could tell she was working on a Sudoku, which meant the day was going to go very slowly if she didn’t have any work first thing.
Pam glanced up and caught him looking at her. No longer caring about timing herself, she put her puzzle aside and brought up AIM.
He hung up the phone just as an IM box popped up.
boredreceptionist: Congratulations on not looking suspicious, Halpert.
prankster79: And what am I doing that’s suspicious?
boredreceptionist: Staring at me.
prankster79: Oh, that. I always do that.
boredreceptionist: Right.
prankster79: I love you.
Jim smirked. He meant it, but he was still doing it to mess with her.
boredreceptionist: Shut up.
prankster79: Ouch.
boredreceptionist: I mean, I love you, too.
She smiled at him sweetly.
prankster79: Have you seen Kelly yet? ;)
boredreceptionist: I hate you.
prankster79: I know.
Right then he remembered he needed to go talk to Michael, who, probably in a fit of depression, had yet to make an appearance outside his office.
prankster79: I need to go talk to Michael about the Ryan situation.
boredreceptionist: Oh, right. Okay.
prankster79: Stay strong, Beesly.
She just rolled her eyes and watched him get up and knock on Michael’s door. He was granted admittance, and she sighed. She figured once Jim cheered him up they wouldn’t be able to get rid of him for the rest of the day.
She went back to her Sudoku, and was startled when she looked up and Kelly was standing by her desk.
“What’s up, Pam?” she said, smiling expectantly.
“Not much,” Pam supplied. “I guess you’re not getting many phone calls either.”
“Not really. I bet it’s Ryan’s fault. He’s so totally evil.”
Pam almost burst out laughing. “Oh, well, I don’t know. It’s probably just a slow week.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Kelly said and wandered off to the break room, looking back over her shoulder at least once.
Pam had no idea what Kelly had expected her to say, but she obviously hadn’t gotten what she wanted. She wished Jim would come back out, but his meeting with Michael seemed to be taking forever.
Angela walked past her to the break room, and five minutes later she exited, looking at Pam like she had backed over all her cats.
Pam peered toward the break room, and saw Kelly flailing her hands and talking at hyper-speed.
Great, she thought. Still, it had taken forty-five minutes for the gossip to fly, which was forty-four more minutes than she had guessed. She figured at this point Kelly’s head was about to explode.
She bit her lip worriedly and tried to see through the blinds in Michael’s office. It was no use, they were all drawn. She was really, really concerned that Jim was never getting out of there.
The phone rang, distracting her from her surveillance. “Dunder Mifflin, this is Pam.” It was Ryan. “One moment, I’ll transfer you.” She buzzed Michael. “Michael, Ryan’s on line one,” she said.
He groaned loudly. “Fine,” he huffed. “Jimmy, get out.”
She breathed a sigh of relief and completed the transfer, not worrying about what stupid thing Michael was going to say first.
Jim made his escape before he inevitably got dragged into whatever was about to occur between Michael and Ryan. Hands in his pockets, he strolled over to Pam’s desk.
“When is he going to stop calling you Jimmy?” Pam asked.
He shrugged. “I have no idea. Though I’m going to guess it won’t be soon enough for me.”
“Awww, poor Jimmy,” she said, a smile playing on her lips indicating no sympathy at all.
“Funny.” He made a mental note to make her pay for that later.
“Well, I have something that will make you feel better,” she said.
“What?”
“We have officially been ratted out,” she said, gesturing to the window of the break room. “She’s been in there for the last ten minutes, flailing to anyone who will listen.”
“Greeeaaat,” he said. “Well, my day’s made.”
“It’s only hearsay unless we prove it, but Angela’s already come by glaring at me.”
“What else is new?”
“I know.”
“Well, just act naturally. Maybe we’ll hear Michael scream something scandalous at Ryan and it’ll all blow over.”
She laughed and shook her head, and he went back to his desk.
Throughout the late morning and early afternoon, they knew the gossip was spreading. There were hushed conversations, a roll of Stanley’s indifferent eyes, people quieted every time Pam used the copier or Jim walked across the room, and Phyllis couldn’t stop turning to look between them and smile.
If the office thought it had a hold of a big secret, it was doing an even worse job of being covert than Kelly herself.
One by one, Pam saw her coworkers ushered into the conference room to shoot a talking head, and she had never seen so many filmed in one short afternoon. She was fairly certain the camera guys had caught something of her and Jim long ago because they were the sneakiest people she had ever met, which she guessed was their job, but they had been pretty good about respecting their privacy otherwise. After all, between the confessions they had both made and the fact that Jim hadn’t hesitated to initiate their first date right in front of them, it was no surprise to them what was happening now.
*
Kelly sat down in front of the camera, practically bursting with glee. When asked what happened in the morning, she clapped her hands, no longer able to contain herself.
“Ohmigod,” she started. “So, like, I was coming into work this morning, and when I got to the lobby, the elevator was stuck. Security already called a guy to come see about it, but they didn’t know how long it would be, so I decided to take the stairs. I usually refuse to take the stairs alone, because they’re, like, super creepy and you never know if someone is in there waiting to attack an innocent girl, you know? Plus, one time I found Creed in there smoking something. I can’t say that it was weed, but it probably was. I totally used to make Ryan go with me whenever I had to take them, but since that - Anyway, since he’s not here anymore I decided to suck it up and take them all by myself. That was really brave, right?
“Oh, what was I saying? Right. I totally made it to the last landing without any creepy rapist guys stalking me or anything, and I saw Jim’s back. I didn’t know what he was doing just standing there, but then I saw the edge of a skirt peeking out on the other side of him. He was kissing someone! And I was just frozen, because they were in my way, and I totally didn’t know what to do. I waited a second, and then they stopped, and when the girl pulled back and opened her eyes, do you know who it was? It was PAM!
“I totally caught Jim and Pam making out in the stairwell. And I was like, Ohmigod, those two finally totally got together! They have always been so, totally cute, in a Sears catalogue kind of way, and we all wondered why they never got together. I knew they had been hanging out a lot lately, everyone could tell that, but I had, like, no idea that they were having a secret romance. Isn’t that awesome? It must be so romantic, and they are going to have such adorable babies when they get married. I wonder if Pam will let me be a bridesmaid since I’m friends with both of them?”
She rambled on like that for several more minutes, but the cameraman had already turned off the camera. When he could finally get a word in edgewise, he told her she could go.
*
Despite the obvious efforts of their coworkers to catch them in some sort of compromising position, Jim made his regular number of visits to her desk throughout the day, and they would roll their eyes and snicker every time someone else was beckoned for an interview. They could only imagine what was being said within the confines of the conference room, but they knew it had to be pretty good. Office gossip usually was.
*
Angela looked reluctant to answer the question that had been posed to her, but she sat up straight and tried to think of something tactful to say. After all, she had been in the same situation, only she hadn’t been caught and humiliated for it.
“I think that if Jim and Pam have decided to embark on a personal relationship, it is no one’s business but their own. Obviously, they have tried to remain professional, or, at least, as professional as they have ever been, and keep their personal lives out of the workplace.
“The least we could do is respect their privacy and stay out of it, especially since Pam has been a rather good friend since discovering my own… secret. She has not exploited it, and I plan to extend her the same courtesy.”
With a clear look of dismissal, she abruptly got up and left the room.
*
Jim was behind Pam’s desk, pretending to look over some order forms with her. They would act like they were discussing business when anyone came within earshot, but really they were just goofing off; giggling, talking, and making plans for dinner.
“Hey,” Jim said, looking up from the piece of paper in his hands, “I bet there’s someone else we can out around here that will totally take the attention off us,” he joked.
Pam looked up at him dubiously. “You can’t be serious,” she said.
“Oh, I don’t know,” he teased. He had known about Dwight and Angela for several months, and while he was serious - he would never tell - he had a feeling she already knew. After all, she had been the one to point it out to him nearly two years ago.
She raised an eyebrow.
“How often do you notice Dwight and Angela,” he said, his voice so low she had to lean forward to hear him, “talking to each other while facing opposite directions?”
Realization dawned on her face. He knew. When did he find out about them?
“You know about them?” she asked in surprise.
“Oh, yeah. And I had a feeling you did, too, but I wasn’t gonna tell.”
“How did you find out?”
“That is kind of a long story, one which I will tell you later.”
“We’re not telling on them,” she said firmly.
“I know. Which brings me to, when did we start looking out for Dwight and Angela?” He grinned.
She shook her head. “I have no idea. Our lives are just funny that way.”
*
Dwight was acutely annoyed by the simple act of talking about anything having to do with Jim, and he didn’t bother to hide it.
“Honestly? I don’t know what Pam sees in Jim Halpert. I mean, she’s nice enough; sweet, even. She has taken my side on a lot of issues lately, which almost made up for the irresponsible things Jim has always dragged her into. But while I can’t say it’s a wise choice on her part, Halpert better play nice, or he’ll have to answer to me,” he said with a ferocity he had never displayed in defense of Pam.
They almost asked him why he felt so protective of Pam, but decided against it because he probably didn’t even know himself. She just seemed to have that effect on people, whether she realized it or not.
*
“You know, now that the word’s out we kind of have to decide whether to disclose it to Toby or not. I know he’s not going to ask us, so we’ll have to be the ones to tell him,” Jim said, as he and Pam sat alone in the kitchen drinking sodas.
No one seemed willing to come in while they were on their break, and they just sat laughing and talking about the absurdity of the situation. From the outside everything looked totally normal, and there was nothing at all to indicate romance as the others walked by occasionally, casting not-so-surreptitious glances through the window.
“I know,” she said. “I’m just wondering if we should torture them another day or two.”
He laughed. “You have been spending entirely too much time with me.”
“I haven’t heard any complaints,” she said, hiding her smirk behind her Coke can.
“I’m just sorry I corrupted this sweet, young receptionist I once knew.”
“No, you’re not.”
“I know.”
*
Michael sat behind his desk, and his eyebrows raised when the crew informed him why they were there. Apparently he was the last to know that his two favorite employees were romantically involved.
“Wow,” he said, sitting back, the squeaking of the chair the only noise in the sudden silence. “Well, that is something. I mean, I tease them because they have been spending a lot more time together lately, but… Wow. I guess I thought Jimmy would come talk to me about it, you know? He did the first time, when he said he had a crush on Pam. I wonder why he didn’t confide in me this time.
“Well, the best of luck to them. Pam is ho- I mean, love is a wonderful thing. As long as it doesn’t have a nervous breakdown, move into your condo, smoke and watch Oprah all day, and acqu -” he stopped, thinking hard for a moment. “Um, collect the world’s biggest collection of yoga pants.
“But Pam wouldn’t do that, right? She’s totally together. I mean, she does half my work for me everyday…” He stared off into space. “Then again, I used to think Jan had it together…”
The crew rather regretted they had ever brought it up, but it was one of the hazards of the job.
*
It was nearing four o’clock, and they were on at least their fifth conversation about what they should do, and no one had said anything directly to either of them yet.
“It might not be that bad. I mean, we wouldn’t have to sneak out to lunch together, or whisper all day long…” Jim said, shaking Pam’s jellybean container. “Why are there only black ones?”
“Because no one eats them, genius. Except Dwight, and he hasn’t been up here in awhile,” she said, amused.
“Okay.”
“I’ll bring in new ones tomorrow. I’m out.”
“Good plan. Now, as I was saying…”
She sighed dramatically. “What would we do, anyway? Stand up on my desk and make an announcement?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted.
Kevin came up to use the copier. He looked at Jim, then Pam, and back to Jim. “Niiice,” he said with a smirk.
Pam rolled her eyes and looked at Jim, who just shook his head.
“O-kay, Beesly. Gotta get back to work.”
*
Phyllis smiled at the crew as she sat down and settled in.
“I already know what you’re going to ask me about,” she said, and went on at the nod of the cameraman. “I couldn’t be happier for them. They’re both really sweethearts, and I know how long Jim’s been in love with her. It’s always been all over him, poor thing.
“It’s about time they got it together, because I know they’ve both been through a lot, but I think they’re going to be really happy. They’re perfect for each other, and if they’re half as happy as I am with Bob Vance, then everything is going to work out just fine.
“I just wish they would go ahead and admit it, so I could give them both a big hug,” she said, smiling sweetly.
*
Jim was wrapping up his paperwork for the day, since it was almost quitting time, but he noticed no one else was in a hurry to leave. He and Pam were still being watched, even though they hadn’t given anyone a reason to be even remotely interested since walking in at nine a.m.
He didn’t know when everyone else’s lives had become so boring that they needed a real life soap opera, but he didn’t think he could take another day, or more, of the scrutiny they had already received. Most days the cameras offered enough of an intrusion, even when you almost got used to having them around.
If they really wanted a show, perhaps they would get one. He would just have to check with the other player first. He signaled Pam to come over to his desk.
“What?” she said, looking down at him curiously. He had that look in his eyes, and since they should be getting ready to leave, she had no idea what he was up to.
He crooked his finger, and she leaned over so he could whisper in her ear. He looked around; that had gotten everyone’s attention.
She tried to suppress a smile when she had heard what he had to say. She leaned against his desk. “Are you serious?” she asked in a hushed voice.
“Yes. But only if you want to. I think maybe we should just get it all over with at once. Give the people what they want.”
“We’ll never live it down,” she said.
“Will we ever anyway?” he asked with a ‘nothing to lose’ shrug.
“It’s probably against the rules.”
“At least half the stuff we’ve done to Dwight is against the rules.”
“You have a good point,” she said, biting her lip. “Okay. I guess this could work.”
“Excellent, Beesly,” he said, his grin barely restrained. “Okay, so just get up and act like you’re going to walk away, and try to be surprised by what happens next.”
“This is insane.”
“This place is insane. And… go.”
She was less than sure about what was about to happen, but she trusted Jim and figured things couldn’t get any worse. She stood up and started to walk away when she felt Jim’s hand gently grab her left wrist. He swung his chair around just enough to make it possible to pull her down into his lap.
There was an audible gasp from everyone around them, and she felt his hand slide beneath her hair to the back of her neck as he pulled her in for a kiss.
His heart was hammering in his chest, both for being watched and the fact that being anywhere near this close to her did that to him.
Part of her was hoping her hair was obstructing most of the view, but other than that it was startlingly easy to forget where they were whenever Jim was kissing her. When she felt his hand slide from her neck down over her shoulder to hold onto her upper arm, she pulled back.
“You okay?” he asked.
“I think so,” she said, smiling in spite of the embarrassment she was likely about to face. She couldn’t bring herself to stop looking right into his eyes, because all she heard was deafening silence.
Then, suddenly, there was applause. They looked around, and the people who hadn’t given up and gone home were standing around them, all smiles and clapping.
Pam dissolved into embarrassed giggles and buried her face in Jim’s shoulder, trying to regain her composure.
“All right, ladies and gentleman, the show’s over,” Jim declared, but no one moved.
Kelly had her hands clasped together, bouncing slightly up and down on her toes, and Phyllis looked like her face was about to crack, her grin was so huge. Michael was standing in his doorway, looking slightly stunned, and Dwight mirrored his expression at the desk across from Jim’s.
Stanley packed his things and shook his head, muttering something about young people today, and Angela’s best disapproving glare was marred by the tiny smile she couldn’t quite banish from her lips.
Kevin leered, which came as no shock to anyone, Oscar smiled as he got his jacket and prepared to leave, and Meredith sipped on whatever inappropriate beverage she had chosen for the day, as she nodded approvingly.
Pam slid daintily off Jim’s lap, straightening her skirt as he stood to join her.
Jim was pretty sure they would both live to regret his “brilliant” idea, but it seemed to have done the trick.
Michael took a step toward Pam, his mouth open to say something, but she just looked at him and shook her head.
“Please, don’t say anything,” she murmured, and miraculously, he closed his mouth.
Instead, he turned to the office, and raised his hands. “Okay, people, don’t you have homes to go to?”
People started to move then, and Pam and Jim looked at him gratefully.
“Wow, you two,” Michael said. “I mean, there were rumors, but…”
“Yeah, they’re true,” Jim said. “Sorry about the interruption, it won’t happen again. Keeping up the secret… it was hard.”
“That’s what she said,” Michael said, snickering to himself.
Jim looked at the ceiling. He had forgotten to carefully choose his words in the midst of his explanation.
“Okay,” Michael said uncomfortably. “Well, I guess you two kids better get going. You probably have a big evening planned, things to do,” he said, barely controlling his giggles.
Pam looked up at Jim gravely. She wasn’t going to say ‘I told you so’, at least not until they were on their way home.
“All righty,” Jim deadpanned, gathering his coat and messenger bag from the back of his chair.
Both Jim and Pam’s head turned when they heard a faint clearing of the throat from across the room. Toby stood just outside of the annex, holding papers in his hand.
They turned to look at each other, realizing they weren’t going to escape so easily.
Michael was still lingering in the doorway of his office. “And here’s Toby with your love contract to ruin everything. As usual,” he sighed and finally retreated into his office to get ready to leave.
Jim and Pam just shrugged. They knew it had to happen, so they held hands as they went off to sign their waivers.
*
Jim and Pam stood near his desk, both of them holding up what Michael had so irritatingly dubbed “the love contract”.
“So, we finally did it,” Jim said, looking over at Pam. “We are dating. I hope everyone’s happy now. I mean, I’m happy. I’ve been happy for months, and now everyone can stop wondering why I’m so happy.”
Pam giggled. “It’s so silly, really, the way people were so concerned about whether we would ever be together or not. I mean, I was concerned, but it’s my life.” She shrugged. “What I’m trying to say is I’m happy, too, and I really don’t care if everyone knows it, or what I have to sign because of it.”
They smiled at each other.
“Dwight already left me a note on my desk saying he regretted that he couldn’t trust me anymore since I ‘threw in my lot with Jim Halpert’,” she said, laughing.
“Ooh, bonus,” Jim said.
“Totally,” she agreed.
Finis