Here's chapter 9, hope you like it. There are about two more chapters left in this story. Please read & review!

- Emily

Disclaimer: I do not own My Name is Earl or The Office. Or The Princess Bride or Battlestar Galactica, for that matter...


Chapter 9

The next day, Randy and I went to work, as usual. Michael had been happy about all the Staples paper information that we'd gotten yesterday, calling us "the best temps ever". Towards the end of the day, Michael called us into the conference room.

"Comrades! I've called you guys in here for one reason," he addressed us, once everyone was settled in, "We are going to talk about what scares us."

Stanly took out a crossword puzzle.

"Yesterday," Michael continued, not noticing Stanly, "I was scared about how well Staples paper was selling, and that is why I sent Earl and Randy and Dwight to find out a thing or two about staples. But I'm getting off topic. So, any volunteers? What scares you?"

What was I scared of? I thought for a few minutes, and raised my hand.

"Yes! Earl!" Michael happily called on me, eager to see someone volunteering.

"Well," I started, "I guess I'm scared of never finishing my list, and not becoming a better person. I don't want everyone remembering me as bad Earl, I want to be remembered as good Earl...Oh, and I'm scared of dying and airplanes, too."

"Excellent!" Michael exclaimed, "Any other volunteers? C'mon...Stanly! Stanly the manly! What do you fear?"

Stanly didn't look up from his crossword, "I'm scared of never finishing this crossword puzzle."

Michael looked annoyed; Toby raised his hand. Michael looked more annoyed.

"Toby, nobody wants to know what you're scared of," Michael said, rolling his eyes.

"Michael, I was just going to say –"

"Shut it!" Michael yelled, "This meeting is over!"

Later that afternoon, after work, Randy, Pam, Toby, Phyllis, Bob Vance, and I decided to got to Poor Richard's. I guess you could call Poor Richard's the Crab Shack of Scranton, but it was missing the jukebox.

This was my first time meeting Bob Vance, although I felt like I already knew him from all the times Phyllis had talked about him. Jim was telling us about the time that he, Ryan, and Stanly had met Bob for the first time while we waited for the Vances to arrive at Poor Richard's.

"So," Jim was saying, "he introduces himself as 'Bob Vance, Vance refrigeration' to all of us. Then Ryan asked him what line of work he was in."

Toby, Randy, and I laughed, and Pam gave Jim what I've come to think of as the love smile.

Just Then, Phyllis and Bob arrived. Bob Vance was tall, stout, and...pretty ordinary. I was kind of disappointed, from all that Phyllis had said I guess I was expecting some kind of superhero.

Bob Vance may have been ordinary, but he sure was friendly and talkative. We all got to talking about movies.

"I've always liked The Princess Bride," Randy said, "It's a cool movie."

"Yes!" Pam exclaimed, "My favorite!"

"Hey!" I said, remembering Joy's letter, "I was flipping through TV Guide, and The Princess Bride is on tomorrow night at 7:00."

"We should get together at our hotel room, all of us," Randy said, "We could watch it."

"Sorry, I can't," Toby said, "I have to take Sasha to the dentist."

Sasha was Toby's daughter.

"Neither can we," Phyllis said, "One of Bob's co-workers is having a party. Sorry."

"Well, I'm pretty sure I can come," said Pam, "What about you, Jim?"

"I will definitely be there," replied Jim.

"Great!" I said.

Randy and I spent Saturday morning fixing up our hotel room. We figured we'd stay for about ten minutes and then make an excuse and leave. That way it would be more romantic for Jim and Pam.

"Do you think," I asked Randy as I made the bed, "That they'd like sour gummy worms or jelly beans?"

"Oh, jelly beans," Randy replied at once, "Definitely jelly beans. Jim is up at Pam's desk eating jelly beans more often that I am."

Later that afternoon, Dwight called.

"Hey," he said, "Do you guys want to come over to my place later on? There's a special marathon of Battlestar Galactica on at 7:00, and Angela and my Cousin Mose and I are going to watch it."

"Sounds great," I said, "We'll be there a little after 7:00."

"Perfect," I thought to myself.

Pam arrived at 6:50.

"Hi Pam," I said as I opened the door for her.

"Hey Earl," she said, "I'm not to early, am I?"

"Nah," I said, "Randy will be here any second – he's in the motel lobby, waiting for the popcorn in the microwave."

A few minutes later, Randy arrived not only with the popcorn, but with Jim.

"Hey Earl, thanks for inviting me tonight," he said, Then he turned to Pam, "Well, fancy meeting you here."

"Yeah, Jim," she said in mock surprise, "I had no idea you'd be here, either."

We all laughed.

"We should turn the TV on, it's 6:55," Jim said.

"Oh, no," I said.

"What's wrong?" Pam asked.

"Well, I completely forgot until now," I said, hoping that it wasn't obvious that I was lying, "Randy and I promised Dwight that we'd go watch Battlestar Galactica with him at 7:00."

"Oh," Pam replied, "Well, it's no big deal, I can rent The Princess Bride tomorrow and we can all watch it then."

"No, no," I said, "I mean, Randy's got the popcorn already, me and him will go to Dwight's and hope that Battlestar Galactica doesn't last too long. Then we can come back here and watch the end of The Princess Bride with you."

"Sounds like a plan," Jim said.

"Yes!" I thought to myself as Randy waved to Jim and Pam, "This is going perfectly so far!"