That Crazy Modern World (A Story for the Ages) (The Office)
Title: That Crazy Modern World (A Story for the Ages)
Challenge: femslash100's Around the Clock
Claim: The Office, Pam Beesly
Prompt: 01:00 / prehistoric
Pairings: Pam/Angela, Pam/Jim, Pam/Karen
Word Count: 210 + 173 + 144 = 527
Spoilers: through 'Traveling Salesman'
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: This doesn't belong to me.
*
It's a tale as old as time. Boy meets girl. Girl's engaged to a guy from the warehouse, but grows very close to boy. Boy loves girl. Boy tells girl. Girl decides to go through with her wedding anyway, then decides against that. Boy moves away for awhile, comes back dating new girl. Girl realizes she loves boy, becomes sort of friends with new girl, goes on a few dates, gets kissed a couple of times by her uptight coworker (for reasons she doesn't know because there are some things uptight coworkers refuse to discuss). And eventually girl talks to HR guy about this because, well, HR guy is always the one who has to hear everyone else's problems. And HR guy can't comprehend that the woman who loves her jazz babies poster and hates the sluttiness of various colors also dabbles in lesbian debauchery.
"Not my judgment," HR guy says. "It's just..." A soft, sad sigh. "Something I think she'd say."
"I actually have heard her say that." Girl furrows her brow and doesn't mention that uptight coworker was feeling her up at the time the phrase was uttered. "Could you not write this one up? I just needed to... talk about it."
HR guy understands completely, of course.
*
And girl goes on with her usual day of not laughing at her boss's jokes and trying not to stare at boy for too long. Usual until uptight coworker enters the kitchen after her and stands on the opposite side of the room, busying herself with coffee filters.
"Don't turn around," uptight coworker says. "What were you talking to Toby about?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing?"
"I asked about Sasha." Girl is not exactly lying. "She--"
"Good. I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner at my house tonight."
Girl starts to turn her head. "I--"
"Don't turn around," uptight coworker snaps. "Pam," she says, voice evening out into a neutral tone, "would you like to have dinner at my house tonight?"
And so this girl thinks long and hard about the invitation she's been given. Girl thinks about the lonely night she was going to have, about boy flirting with his new girl, about the fact that uptight coworker wasn't a bad kisser.
"Yes," girl says. "I would like to. Thank you."
*
The story doesn't end there, nor does it end with the night of homemade food and awkward fumbling. It doesn't even end a few months later, when this not quite a relationship does (partly because uptight coworker wrinkles her nose at girl's The Princess Bride DVD and says, "Buttercup was a tramp"), or a few months after that, when girl finally gets boy, or a year after that, when their love proves itself to not be everlasting. You couldn't even say that the story ends when girl kisses girl who was once new girl, even though she thinks to herself, Maybe this one will work out. Maybe.
The truth is, these sorts of stories never end until lives do. It's impossible to know where time will take you.
And that's why life is better than a tale that's been told a million times before.
END
Challenge: femslash100's Around the Clock
Claim: The Office, Pam Beesly
Prompt: 01:00 / prehistoric
Pairings: Pam/Angela, Pam/Jim, Pam/Karen
Word Count: 210 + 173 + 144 = 527
Spoilers: through 'Traveling Salesman'
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: This doesn't belong to me.
*
It's a tale as old as time. Boy meets girl. Girl's engaged to a guy from the warehouse, but grows very close to boy. Boy loves girl. Boy tells girl. Girl decides to go through with her wedding anyway, then decides against that. Boy moves away for awhile, comes back dating new girl. Girl realizes she loves boy, becomes sort of friends with new girl, goes on a few dates, gets kissed a couple of times by her uptight coworker (for reasons she doesn't know because there are some things uptight coworkers refuse to discuss). And eventually girl talks to HR guy about this because, well, HR guy is always the one who has to hear everyone else's problems. And HR guy can't comprehend that the woman who loves her jazz babies poster and hates the sluttiness of various colors also dabbles in lesbian debauchery.
"Not my judgment," HR guy says. "It's just..." A soft, sad sigh. "Something I think she'd say."
"I actually have heard her say that." Girl furrows her brow and doesn't mention that uptight coworker was feeling her up at the time the phrase was uttered. "Could you not write this one up? I just needed to... talk about it."
HR guy understands completely, of course.
*
And girl goes on with her usual day of not laughing at her boss's jokes and trying not to stare at boy for too long. Usual until uptight coworker enters the kitchen after her and stands on the opposite side of the room, busying herself with coffee filters.
"Don't turn around," uptight coworker says. "What were you talking to Toby about?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing?"
"I asked about Sasha." Girl is not exactly lying. "She--"
"Good. I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner at my house tonight."
Girl starts to turn her head. "I--"
"Don't turn around," uptight coworker snaps. "Pam," she says, voice evening out into a neutral tone, "would you like to have dinner at my house tonight?"
And so this girl thinks long and hard about the invitation she's been given. Girl thinks about the lonely night she was going to have, about boy flirting with his new girl, about the fact that uptight coworker wasn't a bad kisser.
"Yes," girl says. "I would like to. Thank you."
*
The story doesn't end there, nor does it end with the night of homemade food and awkward fumbling. It doesn't even end a few months later, when this not quite a relationship does (partly because uptight coworker wrinkles her nose at girl's The Princess Bride DVD and says, "Buttercup was a tramp"), or a few months after that, when girl finally gets boy, or a year after that, when their love proves itself to not be everlasting. You couldn't even say that the story ends when girl kisses girl who was once new girl, even though she thinks to herself, Maybe this one will work out. Maybe.
The truth is, these sorts of stories never end until lives do. It's impossible to know where time will take you.
And that's why life is better than a tale that's been told a million times before.
END