Summary: Jim and Pam finally resolve some of conflicts. JimPam. (Because that wasn't apparent, already!)

Spoilers: Through season 3's The Return.

Rating: PG or K+

Word Count: 1,026

A/N: So, I popped this out in about 30 minutes or so and didn't have much to edit, so do your best to overlook any mistakes, alright? And also, please review!!

Finally

It had been approximately 2 hours since Jim's infamous reply, "yes" was spoken in response to the question Karen had posed about his feelings for Pam. Jim had yet to see her since. After she'd left, he'd vaguely registered Karen pouring herself another drink in the break room, and he hadn't seen her after that. And some how, he couldn't make himself care. He still had thoughts of a certain Fancy New Beesly in his head that he just couldn't shake. But he did his best for the moment, as it was now past five o'clock, and he had plenty of other ways to shake her from his thoughts.

Jim exited the building with every intention of finding himself some alcoholic relief to rid himself of some of the stress of the day and leave his women troubles behind. But as he walked out into the parking lot, he spotted Karen, leaning against her car, head in hands.

"Hey," Jim said, tensed and worried over her reaction to him.

"Hey," Karen replied softly. Jim's demeanor relaxed instantly.

Jim cleared his throat a bit uncomfortably, "Um…listen, Karen. I'm sorry. I know that was hard for you to hear, but you needed to hear it."

"I know," she replied with a bit more confidence in her voice. "So that's it, huh?"

Jim sighed. "Yeah, I guess it is."

"You know, I have every right to be furious with you, right now, Halpert," Karen spoke, "But for some reason I'm not. I think a part of me saw it from the beginning. And the moment we showed up in Scranton…well, you were a goner."

A soft smile played on Jim's lips. "I'm glad you're not mad at me, Fillipelli. Those Italian tempers…phew…I'm just glad I could avoid it."

Karen swatted him lightly on the shoulder and pulled him into a hug. "Goodbye, Jim."

"Goodbye, Karen." He kissed her lightly on the cheek and pulled away. As she began to get into her car, he asked, "Will I see you on Monday?"

"Yeah," she paused thoughtfully, "Yeah, I think you will."

Jim reentered the building a few minutes later, after he'd reached his car to find himself stranded. Apparently, he'd left his keys on his desk. When opened the office door, he'd expected the lights to be off and everyone gone, but he was surprised to find that was not the case. Pam was sitting at her desk, jotting down a few words on a memo.

"Hey," said Jim, a bright smile now playing on his features. "What are you still doing here?"

Pam replied, "I still had a few messages to take down from before the party, so I figured I'd get it done now instead of ruining Monday morning. What are you doing here?"

"I left my keys," Jim replied, nodding his head toward the keys lying on his desk, on top of a stack of papers.

Pam nodded, and a silence settled over the two of them. Only two sounds were heard in the office – the slightly jingle of Jim's keys as he picked them up and the light scratching of Pam's pen.

"Karen and I broke up," Jim said suddenly.

Pam's head snapped up instantly. "Oh?"

"Uh, yeah," he shifted uncomfortably on his feet, now thinking maybe it wasn't such a great idea to bring the topic up.

Pam was able to sense uneasy demeanor and became intuitively aware of why he was feeling so uncomfortable.

"It's because of me, isn't it?" she spoke quietly.

"What would make you think that?" Jim asked, his voice breaking.

Pam shrugged, "I can see it in your eyes. They're…different somehow. I've been able to read you for ages, Jim, you know that."

"You couldn't always read me."

Pam looked down at this, knowing he was referring to times months previous. "Yeah, well…sometimes I tried not to read you during those times. I didn't want to see what I found there. I didn't want to complicate things. I didn't want things change."

"Sometimes change can be good," came Jim's reply.

Pam spoke quietly, "I know that now."

"Do you?" he accused, almost roughly now.

"Oh course I do!" exclaimed Pam, indignant.

"Because sometimes it's hard to tell, Pam! You may have made a lot of changes since that night, yes, and you've got yourself a new life. But the one person you were afraid of changing with, is the one person you're still too scared to change for!"

"You were with someone else!" she said, incensed. "What was I supposed to do?"

"You know that if you had made any sign that you wanted more out of this, Karen wouldn't have even been a problem," said Jim.

"No Jim, I didn't know. Not when you did your best to ignore me! What, you think I haven't noticed? I didn't know where you were at! I still don't know where you are at!" Pam was near hysterics, it seemed.

"After all this time," Jim spoke with a broken voice, looking as though he was on the verge of tears and an emotional break, "so many months…so many years, how can you not know where I'm at?"

"Do you…" she faulted briefly, "Are-are you still in love with me?"

Jim nodded, "Yes," he replied with unwavering honesty. "I never stopped. Not for a second. I love you, Pam."

A small, dry sob escaped Pam's throat, as she walked over to Jim, wrapping her arms around him. "I love you, too." It was whispered and stifled against his chest, where her head remained, but they were still the three little words that Jim had been waiting for all this time.

"Really? Because, Pam – I honestly think I'm going to need to hear that again. Just to make it real," Jim spoke with a quiet conviction.

Pam tilted her head to look him in the eye, with more confidence now. "I love you, too."

And with that, Jim's lips met hers in an amazing kiss that could rival their other, all those months ago on casino night. The only coherent thought left in Jim's mind as lips fused was 'finally.'

A/N: I hope you enjoyed, and please review. :-)