(AN: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I love all the positive feedback. You ask, and you shall receive; here's chapter 2! I'm changing one small thing this time around, it's nothing major, I promise. Oh, and I have a feeling this might be a bit of a filler chapter, but it's still good. Also, I don't want Daniels and Gervais to sue me, so here goes: I own nothing but seasons 2 and 3 on DVD, and I own Faith.)
I could feel the sweat forming on my forehead as I walked into my old office for the first time in three years. At first, it seemed like nothing had changed; Dwight still sat at the same desk, I could still hear Kelly babbling incoherently from The Annex, and Stanley still had that same bored look on his face. I let out a sigh of relief.
"Dunder Mifflin, this is Pam," she said in her usual receptionist tone, not noticing I was there. I tapped my fingers lightly on her desk, waiting. She looked up, and then grinned at me. "He's not here right now, can I take a message?" she said quickly, trying to hold in her excitement.
"Jim!" Pam cried after she'd hung up. She got up from behind her desk, and engulfed me in a hug. "So, how've you been?" she asked. I knew this question would be coming sooner or later. "Well, um, I have a…," I started; but I was interrupted by none other than Michael Scott.
"Slim Jim!" he shouted, strutting out of his office. "God, it's been so long! How are you buddy?"
"I-I'm great," I stammered.
"So, what've you been up to? Were the chicks in Stamford hot?" he asked, nudging me a little.
"Um, I guess you could say so," I replied vaguely, thinking of Karen for the first time in a long time.
Michael looked at me suggestively then said "Does that mean you were gettin' any?"
I tried to change the subject. "So…my old desk's empty. Can I take it?" I asked.
"Sure! Your wish is my command!" he cried, slapping me on the back a little too hard. "Great to have you back," he said, going back into his office as I settled myself in at my desk.
Just as I was logging onto my computer, I saw Pam sneak a glance at me from the corner of my eye. She didn't say anything; she just smiled mischievously. A small "ping" came from my computer.
"Let's have lunch together, like old times," the IM message read. "You need to tell me what it was like in Stamford," read the next one.
"I'd be more than happy to Beesly," I typed back. "As long as you promise to tell me what's been going on here."
* * *
I met Pam for lunch in the break room; same table as always. She beamed when she saw me unwrap my tuna sandwich.
"Still eating tuna every day huh?" she asked, sitting down across from me.
"Yup, in fact, there was this guy in Stamford, Andy, who called me Big Tuna, `cause on my first day there, I ate tuna for lunch," I replied, reminiscing.
Pam giggled. "Big Tuna? You cannot be serious!" she cried, eating a spoonful of her yogurt.
It was then that I noticed something glisten on her left ring finger. It couldn't be…could it?
"What? What's wrong Jim?" Pam asked me, noticing my face had dropped. It hit her after a moment. "Oh, that," was all she said.
"I'm guessing you married Roy then?" I asked.
"Yeah Jim, I did," she replied simply. "I'm sorry I didn't get to tell you sooner."
"It's perfectly fine; how could I have known anyways?" I said, trying to hide the slight sadness in my voice.
She nodded in agreement, and we went back to eating our lunches in silence.
The weight of what had happened between Karen and I in Stamford felt like it got heavier the longer I hid it from Pam. After all, she'd kept her promise about telling me what had happened while I was gone. I had to return the favor, right?
"Listen, Pam, I have something pretty important to tell you…" I began.
She looked up from her lunch, waiting for me to continue.
"I-I met a girl in Stamford, Karen, and things went pretty well. That is, until…she got pregnant. I-I broke it off with her after…a few months." I stuttered nervously. Pam was looking intently into my eyes, which made me a little flustered. I took that as a cue to keep going.
"I've been single ever since, and…I have a daughter Pam." She just stared at me in complete disbelief. I couldn't really blame her though. Things got awkward then, and didn't know what else to do, so I left the break room, feeling like an idiot.
What right did I have flirting with her? I asked myself. She's married now for God's sake! You have to stop fooling yourself, Halpert. Things aren't the same anymore, you should know that. For all you know, she's happy with Roy! She doesn't need you like that anymore, she has Roy for that
After a moment, I realized something else. It would probably be best for me to not tell Pam anything else about Faith. I didn't need pity from her, not from my best friend.
(AN: Reviews are as awesome as JKras with a beard! Get to it…that's what she said.)