Title: With Jim Halpert

Author: emma4713

Classification: The Office (US), Jim/Pam

Spoilers: Post-season three finale

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. Mmmm but to own Jim Halpert….

Summary: Post-The Job. Fancy New Beesly has a date.

Written: 8/10/07

Word count: 964

Author's Note: My first Office fic. I hope you guys like it. Please review. I love reviews. J

Fancy New Beesly had a date.

With Jim Halpert.

Fancy New Beesly had no idea what she was wearing.

Pam wasn't quite sure how this happened. She ran it through her mind over and over but she never really understood it. Jim had asked her out. That was it. That's what happened. It wasn't a friendly dinner. It was a date.

He had said date, right?

She knew he had. In front of the cameras and everything. She had to get her hands on that tape sometime.

But first she had to get ready for this date. She knew there was only one thing that could help her now.

"Mom?"

"Hey honey, how are you?"

"I'm…I'm really great Mom. I'm going on a date with Jim."

"What?!"

"He asked me out today."

"Pam, that's great! Oh I'm so happy for you sweetheart." Her mom could always make her smile. "But I thought he had a girlfriend."

"He did. Or he does. I don't actually know," Pam laughed at the absurdity of it. "He went to New York to interview for the job I told you about."

"Yeah?"

"Well I put a medal—remember the Office Olympics? Well when I made copies of all his sales records, I put a medal from Office Olympics in with them. And I wrote a note about not forgetting us when he was famous. And then later today I was talking to the cameras and suddenly he just marched in—way earlier than he was supposed to be back—and he asked me if I was free for dinner. We haven't talked about anything. He just said he'd pick me up at 7:30 and we're going to Coopers. I don't know what happened with Karen."

"Well that's something you need to figure out Pam."

She laughed lightly. "I know Mom. We will. We'll talk. On our date."

"Oh Pam." She could tell her mom was almost as happy about this as she was. "I'm so happy for you honey."

"I know. And I'm happy too. But if you don't tell me what to wear, I might die."

Her mother's laughter rang through her. This was real. This was happening. She was getting ready for a date.

With Jim Halpert.

"How dressy is the restaurant?"

"Not overly so. But I don't want to wear one of my boring skirts. He sees me in my skirts every day."

"A dress then?"

"Maybe."

"The red polka dotted one."

"Oh Mom. The Jackie Onassis one?"

"It's very cute on you."

Pam was silent.

"Oh I see. We're not going for cute. We're going for smokin' hot."

Pam laughed. "Well maybe not smoking. But hotter than I am at the office."

"Wear the Jackie O dress and do your hair smokin' hot."

"Mom, I love you."

"I know darling. Go get ready for your date. And call me tomorrow, okay?"

"Of course Mom. Tell Dad I say hi."

"I will. Love you."

"Love you."

See? She knew her mom would have the answer.

Pam got ready slowly, taking her time. She wanted to look perfect. This was important to her. She had seen Jim a thousand times, talked with him, laughed with him. But this was a date. Their first—or maybe second, if she counted dinner on the roof.

Had he broken up with Karen? Did she care? Pam hated that. She never expected she'd be in a scenario where she was the other woman. And she always thought that if the situation did arise, she would walk away, say no. Because she couldn't do that to someone; she couldn't break up a home. But here she was. She was going on a date with Jim and she fully intended to kiss him goodnight. If he had broken up with Karen, great. If he hadn't, oh well.

Fancy New Beesly was kind of a slut.

She and Jim had been best friends. Somehow they just fell into place. He was her anchor. He took care of her whenever she needed him to. She could talk to him about anything. They pulled pranks on Dwight together. Everything was perfect.

Until it wasn't. Until he told her he loved her. Until he kissed her. Until, God only knows why, she said she was still going to marry Roy.

Then things weren't perfect. He was gone and it was horrible. She thought when he came back things would be better, things would be normal again.

But he came back with Karen.

It wasn't his fault. He was trying to get over her. But it hurt anyway. She had become Fancy New Beesly and she was finally ready for him.

Instead, things were weird between them. Their jokes on Dwight subsided for a while. Their looks and smiles disappeared. PamPong was no more.

So she decided to be honest. She decided to be strong. She walked the coals. She said what needed to be said. Things shifted toward slightly more normal. Not the way it was, not perfect, but better.

When she thought she would lose him to New York, it scared her more than anything. She sent the note and the Office Olympics medal because she needed something, she needed some part of her to be with him at that interview. Because part of her would always be with him.

And now here she was. Standing in front of the mirror with "smokin' hot" hair and a Jackie Onassis dress on. Here she was at 7:29, ready to go. Ready to start whatever this was. It certainly wasn't going to be normal. But that was okay—this was different and it was good. A new kind of perfect.

There was a knock on the door. It was time for Fancy New Beesly's date.

With Jim Halpert.