Sequel to Heavy!
I own nothing.
It was raining, hard.
The sky was gloomy and dark with the ominous rain clouds, lighting the only thing keen or brave enough to shine against it.
Thunder boomed in the distance, one after the other, loud and frightening.
The sound of Pam Beesley's TV, nor her mind trying to block out the storm, could hide the crash that was suddenly heard just outside her door.
She saw a streak of light though her eyes, and turned to look out her window just before the crash. She heard something crack, screeching until it hit the hard street, she could feel the ground beneath her almost shake portentously, and her world went dark, the only light came from small sparks illuminating from the fallen wires against the wet cement, and of course the lightening.
She sat at her window and watched the fallen pole and wire, half expecting it to signal the end of the storm, alerting the gods of what was happening, forcing them to stop it, but it didn't, the rain kept pouring and the trees kept being whipped by the wind.
She was scared.
She had always been afraid of storms, and had no idea why. She told herself it was pathetic, and she needed to get over it, but she never did, and now she had found herself alone in Pennsylvania's worst storm in nearly 40 years, frightened beyond belief.
She picked up her cell phone with a shaky hand, praying it would still work. For the first time that night her prayers were answered when she heard his voice, clearly, say hello on the other end.
"Jim" she choked out, for the first time she noticed she was crying.
"Pam, are you okay?" he said back wearily.
"I, I just don't like storms, and my powers out, and these electrical wires were just hit by lightening and fell not twenty feet from my apartment, and…and Jim I'm scared."
"Aw, Pam, I don't know what to say, but you're going to be fine, the storm will be over by morning, just wait it out, read by the candlelight, draw the rain, go to sleep, I promise you'll be fine."
"Please just talk to me for a little while" She said, already calmer from hearing his voice.
"I'm so sorry Pam, I'm driving back from that meeting I had with Jan, and I have to get on the 84 in about 500 feet."
He had wanted to stop by and see her today, had wanted to see her the other five times he had been in Scranton or Wilkes-Barre or Dunmore, but the first three times he asked she had to remind him about their arrangement, remind him that it would be too hard on her. He understood, sort of.
"Wait!" she called out, desperate to get him to stay on the line.
It would take him three hours to get to where he was now to his home, she had Google mapped it many times, maybe even up to twice as long in the rain, not the mention the extra danger.
Pam was scaring herself even more now, for Jim.
"I'm closer to you now that your own home is." She said abruptly.
"Yeah I guess you are."
"Please come here, I hate storms and I can't be worried about you all night too, I'll go insane."
There was silence for a moment.
"I'll be there soon."
And with that she hung up the phone, smiling until another blast of thunder broke.
An hour or so later he was at her door, knocking hard to be heard about the shouts of the storm, which had not let up in the slightest.
She let him in fast and watched as he pulled off his rain coat before throwing herself into his arms.
She was dressed in flannel pajama bottoms, blue plaid, and a pull over hoodie. Jim had never seen her look so beautiful.
"I've missed you," he whispered into her hair, "two months is too long."
She silently agreed before he led her over to her soft couch.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"I'm better now; I don't remember the last time it rained so hard."
"Me either."
"I'm pretty pathetic." She said, finding her feet and concentrating on how her purple polish also seemed pretty pathetic.
"No your not," Jim consoled, lifting her chin lightly so she would meet his eyes "everyone has their fears."
"Really? What's you're fear," she smirked, quickly adding "and no, dying or burglars or being alone."
"I'm actually afraid of the deep end of the swimming pool." He said nonchalantly.
"What?" she sniggered.
"I won't go down there, I freak out a little when other people are down their too, I guess I just get afraid that they wont make it up in time."
"No you're not."
"Yes, I am, I don't make fun of your fears and I would appreciate if you refrained from making fun of mine." He teased.
"Jim, you are not afraid of the deep end." She chuckled
"Fine, you win I'm not."
"But thank you, for trying to make me feel better." She smiled softly.
"Trying, I didn't even succeed, not even a little."
"Okay, I guess a little bit."
"Good," he said, "Now do you have anything to eat here, I'm starving."
"Well I have…"
"Don't you dare say mixed berry yogurt Beesley."
"…mixed berry yogurt" she finished, bursting into a fit of giggles.
Her groaning teasingly and walked into her small kitchen.
"Thank god you have a gas stove, got any cheese?" he asked.
"No, I'm sorry, I really need to go shopping."
Jim just frowned at her, and began rummaging through her cabinets.
"Jim, wait, I have food."
"Really? Because I'm not seeing any."
"hmmmm?" Pam walked into her small kitchen and slid behind and then next to Jim.
"Oh I have pasta sauce, and up there is some pasta" she said, pointing to a shelf that there was no way she could reach.
"Why is it all the way up there?" he looked confused.
"Long story, just get it down."
He smiled at her and reached his hand up, feeling around on the top shelf till he felt the bag.
"Gosh Pam, did you throw it up here." He teased.
She just smiled guiltily back up at him, "Maybe"
Something happened to him at that moment; she was so close to him, looking at him with the cutest little face he had ever seen, he stopped smiling at her and leaned down, to kiss her.
His hand was still pulling on the bag of pasta, but he didn't notice, he was too lost in the kiss he had been dreaming of for the past two months.
And suddenly there was a smacking noise and Pam pulled away from him, holding onto the top of her head.
"You threw the pasta at me!" She squealed.
"Oh my god, no I did not I swear it was an accident." He said, shocked, yet smiling.
"I hate you" she giggled.
"No you don't" he mocked.
Something came across her and she threw herself at him, wresting with him flirtatiously.
"Watch it Beesley, I've got like, four feet on you."
"Yeah but you're a wuss."
His mouth formed a small oh and he pinned her against the fridge.
For the next couple of hours they flirted, cooked, ate, and talked about the most meaningless things in the world.
Not once did Pam here the boom and crashes of thunder coming from the storm.
They had been sitting in silence for some amount of time, how long it was exactly neither knew. They were enjoying just sitting together, being together, too much to even care what time it was.
Pam surprised herself when she broke the comfortable silence, but her words were nothing but true.
"I'm think I'm done trying to find myself."
She lifted her head from Jim's shoulder as he unwrapped his arms from around her.
"But have you?"
"Yeah, I have."
"Really Pam, that was pretty fast."
She looked at him quizzically.
"I thought you wanted this?"
"I do, god Pam you have no idea how much, it's just, I don't want to rush you into anything."
"You're not, I know three months is nothing, but, I know what I want to do with my life, I know who I am more now than ever. Who knew all I needed was to be single for, what, I guess it was more like 8 months, you forget I was single before that day at the office."
"I guess I do forget that, as long as you're ready, I'm ready, I've been single long enough."
"Me too," she laughed at the look he gave her, "plus, it's not like I'm asking you to move in or anything, I just want to openly be with you."
"So…" he began, the smile on his face radiating all the way though his body, gleaming in his eyes.
"Were openly together." She stated, blissfully.
"Wow, I cannot believe I am Pam Beesley's boyfriend. It's a dream come true." They both laughed at his comment.
"So tell me, who is the new Pam Beesley?"
"Someone who is happy with her life at the moment, and knows where she wants to take it from here."
"And where is that?" Jim asked.
"I want to keep going to art classes, save up some money before I ask Michael if I can work part time and take the internship."
The look in his eyes was sincere, and joyful, "I'm impressed Pam, really."
"There's more to this new me." She protested.
"Okay," Jim gapped at her, "finish."
"Well, I'm someone who has realized that she is a strong, willful, independent, smart, creative, and beautiful women who…"
"Double on the beautiful" Jim piped in, receiving a smack on the chest.
"As I was saying…who knows that she can be alone and be fine and happy, but doesn't want to be any more, because there's this man she's head over heels for, who she isn't willing to waste anymore time being away from."
He smiled and kissed her.
"Wow Jim, you didn't even say a 'now who is this man you're talking about?' joke"
"That's just too cliché for me my dear." He stated, leaning in for yet another kiss.
"You know I have done some soul searching myself."
"And what have you found."
"That I hate my job, but it brings in the money, and eventually I plan on doing something completely different, and although I don't know what yet, I have you, and I hope you'll always be here to help me figure it out."
"I will" she vowed. "Do you have anything in mind for this new career or yours?"
"I don't know, I like to plan things, to carry out things, to be with people, kids. I don't know, I would love to work with kids."
"Oh, like a teacher."
"But kids hate their teachers."
"Not good ones."
"I don't know, it's sometime in the future, maybe I'll even volunteer or something for now, while you're at all those art classes."
"Oh my god," Pam jumped up from Jim's embrace, "There's this thing at the college I go to on Saturdays, they use it for like a day care thing, there kids all ages and I know the three women are looking for someone else to help them out, preferably a guy, and it pays a little."
"Really, I may have to look into that." He said seriously.
"You really should."
"And you don't worry about me crushing on these women; I do have a thing for the people I work with."
"Two of them are retired teachers, and the other is happily married, plus I know you would never fall for anyone but little old me."
She leaned in and kissed him softly, she could make out the slight murmur against her lips, it sounded like
'never ever'
She woke up under the blankets of her warm bed, in his embrace, the next morning and instinctively squeezed him tighter, when he did the same she craned her next as far as it would go and looked to see he was already awake.
"Hey" he whispered.
She pulled away a little, getting a better view of his face, while remaining safely tucked into his arms.
She looked at him, with a look of amazement.
"What?" he asked her quietly.
"I just" she paused, smiling; "I just love you."
She said it as though it was the most obvious and simplest thing in the world. She took his breath away, because he knew he wanted to wake up next to for the rest of his life, and she was looking up at him like she wanted it to. She was so Pam, and she was so his.
"I, love you too."
She buried her head deep into the crook of his arm.
"What are we going to do, how did I let this happen." She cried.
"Hey, hey, Pam, what are you talking about?"
"How are we going to do this? You live hours away and, I made you move."
"You didn't make me move." He consoled.
"It was still my fault, and now, I'm just going to miss you when you're not here."
"Hey, we will be fine, let's not talk about it right now."
"Okay."
"Pam, I'm not ever going to give you up, never ever again."
"I know." She breathed out.
"Just listen to the rain with me." He told her, pulling her tighter to him.
"Oh my god Jim, it's still raining, and there's still thunder." She said astonished.
"Yes, and?" he questioned
"I wasn't even afraid last night, I didn't even notice, not once. That's never happened before, no matter how many people were in the house."
He didn't know what to say to her, so he kissed her instead.
At that moment she knew, everything was going to be fine, no, perfect.
Busy week, bad week, reviews may make me feel better, actually i take that back, they WILL!!!!