"Maybe I should do this every day," Karen mused. She wasn't exactly complaining or anything - moving Sam would have just woken her after she'd finally gone to sleep. "I'm getting a good workout here. I'll have arms like Lara Croft in no time."
They hadn't done much of anything; Karen just babysat for the afternoon, giving Jim some time to himself. After showing Sam the upside of buliding sandcastles was destroying them when you were done, the kid had fallen asleep in Karen's lap only minutes before Jim came to pick her up.
But just because Karen'd had a string of nice, uneventful days didn't mean things were going to say that way forever. As she navigated around a pile of driftwood, careful not to jostle Sam too much, a voice pretty much proved that.
Karen slowed to a stop, and she looked over at Jim. "I'm not hearing things, am I?"
It wasn't often Jim had a good chunk of the day to himself. He'd enjoyed it, mostly, managing to keep himself busy and get things done that needed to be done. Even when he was supposed to relax - in fact, it'd been something Karen had required after offering to take Sam off his hands - he couldn't really sit still like he used to. Slowing down usually just ended in thoughts he didn't need to deal with.
"Maybe the real Lara Croft will give you some lessons once you beef up," he replied, dryly, a smile curved up on his face. He'd insisted on walking Karen home, and now he was glad he did it.
Or, at least he was, until he heard the voice.
At first, was going to brush it off as him imagining things. There were times he almost felt like he'd open the door to the hut and she'd be there, only to remember that wasn't possible. After a few months of her gone, that feeling was lessening and he was finally accepting what happened. Thing was, if Karen's question was any indication, she had heard it, too
( ... )
Even after only a few seconds of standing there in the dark, it was relieving enough to hear Jim call her name that Pam forgot momentarily about the speech she'd been preparing and hurried over in the direction of the voice. What had happened, whatever it was, seemed to be impossible. Coal walks and people didn't just disappear. At least if he was still there, they'd probably have a better change of figuring out what was going on.
"Oh, Jim, thank god you're here," she breathed, crossing the distance between them before really looking around. "What's going on? Where did everybody -"
She caught sight of Karen then, and more importantly, the kid in Karen's arms, enough to make Pam pause despite her confusion. "Who's, um, who's that?" she asked, finally looking from the baby up to Karen and back to Jim. "I didn't realize anybody brought kids." Never mind the fact that it didn't look like anyone else in the office's that she knew. There was no other explanation.
Well, this was all just a giant clusterfuck. And if Karen was going to be honest, she wanted nothing to do with any of it. She just couldn't leave Jim there to deal with Pam showing up again, not when he looked like that. Especially not after having seen him when she left before.
"This is Samantha." After looking up and Jim and realizing he was going to be no help, Karen gave Pam a strained smile. "Pam, you're..." How the hell did you tell someone they had a one year old kid?
You didn't, if you were Karen. She was leaving that to Jim.
Comments 63
They hadn't done much of anything; Karen just babysat for the afternoon, giving Jim some time to himself. After showing Sam the upside of buliding sandcastles was destroying them when you were done, the kid had fallen asleep in Karen's lap only minutes before Jim came to pick her up.
But just because Karen'd had a string of nice, uneventful days didn't mean things were going to say that way forever. As she navigated around a pile of driftwood, careful not to jostle Sam too much, a voice pretty much proved that.
Karen slowed to a stop, and she looked over at Jim. "I'm not hearing things, am I?"
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"Maybe the real Lara Croft will give you some lessons once you beef up," he replied, dryly, a smile curved up on his face. He'd insisted on walking Karen home, and now he was glad he did it.
Or, at least he was, until he heard the voice.
At first, was going to brush it off as him imagining things. There were times he almost felt like he'd open the door to the hut and she'd be there, only to remember that wasn't possible. After a few months of her gone, that feeling was lessening and he was finally accepting what happened. Thing was, if Karen's question was any indication, she had heard it, too ( ... )
Reply
"Oh, Jim, thank god you're here," she breathed, crossing the distance between them before really looking around. "What's going on? Where did everybody -"
She caught sight of Karen then, and more importantly, the kid in Karen's arms, enough to make Pam pause despite her confusion. "Who's, um, who's that?" she asked, finally looking from the baby up to Karen and back to Jim. "I didn't realize anybody brought kids." Never mind the fact that it didn't look like anyone else in the office's that she knew. There was no other explanation.
Reply
"This is Samantha." After looking up and Jim and realizing he was going to be no help, Karen gave Pam a strained smile. "Pam, you're..." How the hell did you tell someone they had a one year old kid?
You didn't, if you were Karen. She was leaving that to Jim.
"You're not where you were before."
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