(Untitled)

[jim_halpert]

Jim knew he couldn't put it off forever. He was always pretty good at not dealing with things, though, and keeping things quiet kept seeming like such an easier option. Thing was, he wasn't stupid, and neither were Veronica and River. They'd catch on eventually, and he was pretty sure he'd rather they find out earlier than figure it out that way

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[neptune_sleuth]

Though Veronica had no liking for snow, there'd been no point in waiting any longer. She'd moved house just in time to discover that her new lodgings were now made of wood and felt, and she wasn't about to go back to the Compound. It wasn't so bad, really. She liked the privacy. It was nice to have a real door again. When she heard a knock, she moved quickly to open it, head tipping to the side when she spotted Jim. "Sorry, no solicitors please," she said, starting to close the door again, though not fully.

[jim_halpert]

Jim didn't hesitate to put his foot in the door, though he knew Veronica wouldn't close it all the way.

"But this product will change your life," he quipped, in his now very unused salesman-sort of tone. "Come on, you wouldn't lock out a poor, weary paper salesman out in the cold, would you?"

[neptune_sleuth]

"Oh, wouldn't I?" Veronica asked, brow raised as she choked back a laugh, like he ought to know better than that by now. If there had been door-to-door salesmen in the place, she would have been a lot slower to open the door. This, she supposed, was one of the perks of not having an economy. As she spoke, though, she stepped back, swinging the door and ushering him hurriedly in. "Alright, I guess I have a couple minutes to hear the spiel."

[jim_halpert]

Jim went in, and, despite the awkward reason for going to visit her, he was glad to be inside. Despite coming from a colder climate, years of being on the island apparently had made him used to the tropical weather, since he was feeling it more than he used to.

"You're too good to me," he replied, as he took his gloves off as well, stuffing them into his coat pockets. He glanced around the hut, then looked over at Veronica. "I'm definitely getting you a homewarming plant when the plants come back, you know."

[neptune_sleuth]

Shrugging, she waved a hand. "I'd probably just kill it by accident," she said. It wasn't wholly untrue. She didn't exactly have a green thumb. "So, to what do I owe this pleasure? Need a babysitter?" She grinned. Though it was a joke, she would hardly have said no. She was always happy to take Sam off his hands for a few hours. If he just wanted an indoor spot to chat for a while, though, that was fine, too. His was company always worth keeping.

[jim_halpert]

Jim knew that he couldn't put off telling her forever. Small talk never lasted, especially not with Veronica, and he was unsurprised he had to get to the point so quickly.

"I actually wanted to talk to you about something," he said, rubbing the side of his neck. He added, with a weak grin, "If you can take time out of your busy schedule."

[neptune_sleuth]

Brow lifting, she nodded, sweeping a hand toward the makeshift bed. "Do tell," she said. "I think I can make a little time." She really had to work on getting chairs for the place, maybe a little table. When the cold passed, she would look into it. For now, she simply made her way over to take a seat, watching him. Something was up, but since he'd come to talk, there was no point prying just yet.

[jim_halpert]

Jim followed after her, sitting down when she motioned him to do so. It was probably better to just get it over with. That didn't mean he had any idea how to approach the subject but be blunt about it. In the end, it was exactly what he went for.

"I was waiting a while, to be sure I wanted this," he prefaced, hoping that'd somehow make it better for her. He'd really thought about it, and the implications it put on both Sam and him. "But I wanted you to know from me that I'm dating Pam and...I wanted you to hear it from me."

He wouldn't have a repeat of what happened with Karen. She, at least, had been good humored about it. He had a feeling Veronica wouldn't have taken it quite so well.

[neptune_sleuth]

It wasn't often that Veronica was speechless. For once, though, it wasn't because she didn't have anything to say. She had plenty of things she could have said, but nothing that would have been a good idea. While that wouldn't have stopped her with some people, with Jim it gave her a moment's pause.

"Should I be surprised?" she asked finally, brow arching minutely. Even that was the wrong thing, but it wasn't one of the worser things. "I hope you guys are happy." If nothing else, she genuinely wanted the best for them. That didn't mean she had any faith they would have it. Still, people did stupid things when it came to relationships. She'd gone back to Logan more than once, after all, and she hadn't even been crazy enough to want to try and marry him at any point.

[jim_halpert]

Jim felt better having said it, and that feeling increased when he realized she didn't seem too upset by it. Of everyone he knew, he worried about her opinion the most.

"No, I guess not," he said, with a slightly nervous laugh, hoping he hadn't missed sarcasm he should have heard in the second thing she said. Looking down, his mouth turned up into a small, half smile. "We are happy, though. I don't know where it'll go, but I'm feeling pretty good about it all."

[neptune_sleuth]

Just because people did these things didn't mean it wasn't stupid. Just because Veronica understood some things all too well didn't mean she got others. She was always ready to fight, but not with him. If he wanted to make his mistakes, she couldn't stop him and she wouldn't be the villain again either for saying so. Even if she'd wanted to, she told herself, she didn't have it in her to take these chances on people anymore. Logan and Sam had taught her that. Her mother had taught her that.

"Good," she said. It took considerable effort to sound at all upbeat about it. She couldn't see any reason to be all that thrilled, except that Jim was happy for the moment. Beyond any of the logical reasons to find it all a bad idea, there was the simple, selfish fact that it would pull him away from her. There was no way it couldn't. "Going into a relationship feeling pretty bad about it would just make you me, and no one wants that."

[jim_halpert]

Jim frowned a little bit, watching her for a long moment. It was always hard to read Veronica, and this was no exception. The thing was, he wanted to understand.

"I don't think you're that bad," he said, not too sure what he wanted to say. Openly asking her what was wrong would probably give him an answer he didn't want to hear, but he decided to ask her anyway. "Are you alright? You seem -"

He trailed off, not really sure how to describe it. He just couldn't shake that it was partially his fault she was how she was acting.

[neptune_sleuth]

She was, though, she was absolutely that bad and she knew it. She had no intention of denying it. There were times she thought it was the only sensible way of entering into things, if there was a sensible way to be in a relationship at all.

"I'm fine," she said, eyes narrowed slightly, like she couldn't understand why he would feel the need to ask that. Hadn't she said she hoped they'd be happy? She hadn't been lying. "Why wouldn't I be? You're happy, and beyond that your new girlfriend affects me not at all."

[jim_halpert]

Jim just shook his head. Maybe he'd been wrong. "Nevermind. I just wanted to make sure. I'm...glad to hear that. Your opinion is really important to me."

She was really important in general. Had Karen not seen them, she would've been the first to know. There were very few - if any - that Jim knew longer than he'd known her. That definitely counted for something.

[neptune_sleuth]

Veronica wanted to believe that Jim, like her father, was an exception to the rule, one of those rare people who wouldn't let her down, not ever. She didn't know how to get along with Pam, though, and by necessity, that meant she would see less and less of Jim, come to mean less and less. Like everyone else, in time, he would go.

"I just want you and Sam to be happy," she said, trying to sound like she actually meant it, just a little terse. "But this whole policy where you don't expect me to become her new best friend? That can't change."

[jim_halpert]

"I know," he said, without a bit of hesitation. And he did know. He wasn't going to force her to do anything, even if he could. "I get that. I'm not expecting anything."

It just didn't mean they couldn't still hang out. He knew he could juggle it, if he had to. Maybe things would change over time, but even if they didn't, things would work themselves out.

"You're like family to me, you know - to us," he continued, looking down. "I mean, really, Sam loves you. Whatever you feel about Pam, it's not my business. As long as you don't hate me, you don't have to worry about how I feel about it."

It was as simple as that. Whether or not it stayed that simple was another story entirely.