TRACK 1: "Ramble On," Led Zeppelin.

"Tonight is the night, Dwight," Michael ruled as Dwight guided his Trans Am out of the office's parking lot. "It's going to be magic. I can feel it. Two single guys, headed out for a night on the town."

"Well, Michael, there will be three of us – you, me and Ryan."

"Oh…right. Me and Ryan, and you."

Dwight smiled confidently. He and Michael out for the night in New York City – how amazing was that? Oh, sure, and the temp; no matter how far into the upper echelons Ryan weaseled, Dwight would never stop referring to him by that moniker, even if he could only do so mentally without committing insubordination. The invite meant only one thing – he was Michael's favorite. Not that slacker Jim, or the suck-up known as…well, just the suck-up would suffice. He was the chosen one: Dwight Schrute.

"How many women do you think we'll meet?" he asked eagerly. Michael shrugged.

"Who knows? The sky's the limit. And they're all beautiful. Every last one. Ryan said so."

"I believe he said unreal."

Michael's head whipped around. "How did you hear that?" he asked sharply.

"I was eavesdropping."

"That was a private conversation. What Ryan says while we embrace is between us."

"I'm sorry." He wasn't though, and wondered what 'unreal' truly meant. Staggeringly beautiful? Hideously ugly? Mythical in appearance? There was an intriguing idea…

"Why don't you just put some tunes on. This thing plays music, right?" Michael asked, tapping the Trans Am's stereo.

"Of course. It plays cassettes."

"Cassettes?" Michael repeated in disgust, to which Dwight replied with a smug nod. Michael sighed. "Ugh. Fine. Just put something on."

"I have just the thing," Dwight assured him, fishing in a basket next to him and coming up with the desired tape. He popped it on the second side, then hit fast forward.

"What are you doing?"

"Finding the perfect first song." The tape whirred a moment longer before Dwight stopped it. Peppy guitar strains leaked from the speakers.

"What is this?" Michael asked.

"Only the rock royalty known as Led Zeppelin," Dwight announced knowingly.

"You don't have anything else?"

"Not as good as this." He drummed his hands on the steering wheel to the erratic rhythm. "'Leaves are fallin' all around, time I was on my way…Thanks to you, I'm much obliged for such a pleasant stay…'"

"Oh God, Dwight…don't sing!" Michael yelled over him, but Dwight paid no attention.

"'For now I smell the rain, and with it, pain, and it's headed my way…'"

"Aw c'mon!" Michael tried again, but when it was clear he would make no headway he sighed again and put his head back against the headrest. Dwight's heart started to pound as let the music take over.

"'Aw, sometimes I grow so tired, but I know I've got one thing I got to do…' Join in, Michael!"

"I don't know the words, stupid!"

"Then listen! 'Ah-ramble on, and now's the time, the time is now…sing my song, I'm goin' 'round the world, I gotta find my girl…'"

Michael said nothing, but whether or not he was aware of it he had started tapping his fingers on his knee once the beat picked up. Dwight knew he'd come to love this song; it spelled rock…and freedom…and rambling. Yes, this was exactly what he had needed – a night free of the burdens of Scranton, to discover the world and all it held for a man like him. New York was the city where dreams came true, right? A dream coming true sounded good to him right about now. Too many had fallen apart lately.

"This isn't half bad," Michael called to him as the second chorus started. Dwight nodded knowingly. He continued to sing and from the corner of his eyes saw Michael attempting to mouth the words. Once the third verse started, though, Dwight remained quiet, content to simply listen to words that seemed to have been written just for him.

'Mine's a tale that can't be told, my freedom I hold dear
How years ago in days of old when magic filled the air
'Twas in the darkest depths of Mordor I met a girl so fair
but Gollum and the evil one crept up and slipped away with her
Her, her, yeah

And ain't nothin' I can do, no…'

Dwight pursed his lips as he heard his tale unfold. His girl so fair had indeed been stolen away by a Gollum, although that seemed like an insult to Gollum. All right, maybe it wasn't completely accurate – his maiden had left him because he'd done a favor to a cat that by all rights should have died on its own, but that was just a minor detail. Dwight still couldn't fathom that Angela had reacted so harshly to what he'd done. Really, the effort she'd put into keeping that mangy feline alive was such a waste. Even when he realized how angry she was, he thought surely the strength of their relationship would win out. But it hadn't, and the last few months had dragged by with only flashes of a toothbrush on his front wheel, an angel on his nightstand, a serenade and ice swans from an idiot in the most ridiculous pants he'd ever seen and a dinner party he wasn't invited to attend. It hardly seemed fair.

The chorus began again and Michael's head was in full bob. He was struggling to follow along with the chorus, but upon noticing Dwight's silence he smacked him. "Come on!" he urged. Dwight shook off the melancholy that had threatened to set in.

"'I guess I'll keep on ramblin'! I'm gonna, sh-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah, I've gotta find my baby!'" Dwight sang loudly, grinning at Michael. Michael nodded.

"Yes! Ramble on!" he interjected, off the beat. They finished the song together, pumping a fist and playing air guitar. Dwight rolled down his window and breathed deeply. Ramble on. That's what he would do. Without a lady so fair, that's all he could do.