"Ladies and gentlemen of Dunder Mifflin Scranton, welcome to the first annual DUNDIE AWARDS!"

Michael paused for applause, but the only one to applaud was Dwight, stood behind Michael with a CD player in front of him.

"Just to remind everybody, Corporate is paying for this party, so get as many drinks as you want, it's all going on the group tab!", Michael proclaimed. "In fact, that's an order. By the end of tonight, I don't want any of you to be able to stand up!"

"Michael, we can't drink, we all drove here," Toby said.

"Well then call a cab and pick your car up in the morning. Problem solved!", Michael quickly retorted. Meanwhile, Jim and Pam were sat on a table together a few feet away from Michael. Jim wasn't opposed to drinking, but he certainly wasn't going to get drunk tonight. Not when he was giving Pam a ride home.

"I think we need to take a moment to congratulate Michael on choosing such a great place to host the first-ever Dundies," Jim said, somewhat sarcastically, as Pam laughed. "I haven't been in Chili's since I took a girl on a first date here back in high school."

"Do you have a girlfriend now?", Pam asked.

"Oh, no," Jim said, as he directed his gaze downwards.

"Unless my girlfriend's name is Pam Beesly, forget about it."

Whilst Michael performed as 'Ping', an Asian character he had created with zero awareness of how racist it was, Pam finished her margarita surprisingly quickly, and immediately got up to get another one. When she returned with another margarita, the awards presentation got underway.

There were a few questionable awards given out, such as the 'Most Likely To Die Next' award to Creed, the 'I Have A Dream' award to Stanley and the 'Golden Girl' award to Phyllis, a reference to the sitcom about a group of elderly women, despite the fact that Phyllis was the same age as Michael. Jim did enjoy the 'Biggest Nerd' award given to Dwight though, mainly because Dwight was visibly upset by it.

After Michael sang 'I Want A Dundie', an adaptation of 'I Want It That Way' by the Backstreet Boys, Pam got the 'Easiest Job' award for having, well, the easiest job in the office. Jim assumed that if Pam was sober then she wouldn't be too pleased with that award, but after drinking three margaritas in quick succession, she certainly wasn't sober. She got up and jogged to the front, snatching the microphone out of Michael's hand after receiving her Dundie.

"Wooooo! Easiest job! In your FACE!", Pam exclaimed, before giving the microphone back to Michael and rushing back to her seat next to Jim, who was taken aback, but also amused, by how drunk Pam was. As soon as she sat down, she grabbed Jim's beer glass, which was now a quarter full, and finished the rest of it off.

"The last award of the night... is for Jim Halpert," Michael said. It was time.

"He hasn't been a part of the Dunder Mifflin Scranton family for long, but he's already one of my closest friends. So close, in fact, that we went to Poor Richard's for a beer after work last week! So without further ado, Jim, I present to you the 'World's Best Drinking Buddy' award!"

"Now the whole office knows that I got a beer with Michael. That should make me popular."

Sensing the looks of bewilderment that his co-workers were giving him, Jim sighed under his breath, before getting up and walking to the front. Michael handed him his Dundie and they shared a handshake, which Michael decided to follow with a prolonged, extremely awkward hug, before letting him return to his table, where Pam was laughing uncontrollably.

With that, the first annual Dundie Awards was over. Michael thanked everyone for coming (as if they had a choice), before everybody began to disperse from Chili's. Jim helped the drunken Pam up from her seat, and led her in the direction of the exit as she held onto his arm.

"Wait, wait! I wanna get another drink!", Pam said.

"I think you've had enough," Jim said with a laugh, steering her away from the bar and out of the restaurant. He helped her into the passenger seat of his car and strapped her in, before getting in and driving her away.

"So, you have a good night?", Jim asked with a grin.

"I had… an AWESOME night," Pam responded emphatically. "You're best friends with Michael! HA, HA, HA! Jim and Michael sitting in a tree, K-S-I-S-I-N-G!"

"Pretty sure that's not how you spell kissing," a chuckling Jim said.

"I am… SO glad... that we work together," Pam uttered, slurring her words a little. Jim smiled. "You're just… so nice! Why can't all guys be like you?!"

"What about Roy?", Jim asked. He was trying to remain composed, but inside, he was absolutely glowing. "Urgh," Pam said. "Roy is… just…", she trailed off, mumbling to herself under her breath, before her head dropped to her side.

Jim and Pam arrived at her apartment building. He got her out of the car and led her towards the building entrance, but stopped when Roy walked out.

"Well, I guess this is where the night ends."

"Oh man! How much did she have to drink?", Roy said, laughing.

"Probably more than she should have," Jim replied with a smirk.

"I'll take it from here," Roy announced, grabbing her arm, the same arm that Jim was holding. "Thanks, man," he said, whisking Pam away.

"Jim… Jim…", Pam uttered, which Jim could hear, but Roy didn't stop, leading her inside.

Jim got back in his car and drove away. On the journey home, he thought about what Pam said to him whilst he was driving her to her apartment, and couldn't help but smile.

He felt optimistic.