Well, I hope you all had a merry Christmas. We did. I now own John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer in three DVD sets. I'm telling you, people, it's worth it for the extras. These guys are hillarious.
Special thanks to Elly for beta'ing and for being the voice of ridiculousness.
I will mention this again later, but GO SEE WALK HARD! It is phenomenal. I am a straight-edge, and I have never laughed so much in my entire life. Seriously. LOVE IT! Jenna is phenomenal, but the movie itself, just WOW.
Your reviews, my dahlings:
Eagle- Excellent! Fantastic! Grateful!
Literati- Thanks! Merry Christmas!
Small Tuna- I love that line too. It sums up their relationship so well
Katy- Thanks! Hopscotch, eh, not as JAM. :)
Allison- Thanks so so so much!
Christine- Hmm... You may just be thinking wishfully. Or you may be right. We shall see. Heh, I'm afraid I wasn't as clever with I, as you somewhat guessed it.
KT- Yeah, not exactly. But we're getting there. And you know me, I wouldn't leave you with nothing by Date Z.
Henantz- It was sad, I agree. Hank is an amazing guy. It takes time, my friend, to heal a broken heart.
Maddi- Sorry, I love me some HSM. I'm glad you like my original characters. I try to keep them well-rounded and multi-layered.
Country- Thank you! I really appreciate your comment--that's the best comment you can give me. I'm always trying to make sure they're IC.
Mrs.Big- I'm so glad you enjoyed it! And hide and seek is the bomb.
Kerber- Thanks!
Ash- There is... It's a mix CD at my house, LOL.
Dancer- Yeah, she's amazing. She's so vulnerable, I love it.
Yabberli- I'm not sure. We used to do it at camp. We'd have santa and everything, it was really great!
Dejah- Wow! Thanks!
Brooke- Gavin. MMM.
Benjamin- Thanks! I think it's more realistic this way. I'm glad you agree!
Alison- I'm so glad you loved it! Perfecter? LOL. I hope you love this one too!
Meg- It sure is! MC to you too!
Dean- Thanks! Here's the next!
Anonymus- Thanks! Here it is.
Amanda- Thanks so much! Jim is a funny counter. And so you know, I'd already written this chapter when you reviewed, othewise, honestly, I might have changed my idea!
Iloveoffice- It will be at some point, probably... But she needs time to heal, and he needs to give her that time. And they're more together now than they should be, just without the title. Be patient, and stay tuned!
Elly- Shush. I'm too busy flirting to respond to this meaningfully. Dwight, what kind of coffee do you drink?
Pam opened the door of her Yaris and climbed out, looking into Jim's dark windows. Of course they're dark, silly. It's barely 7 AM. She smiled for a minute, before reaching in her pocket to pull out her phone. She quickly dialed the number to his cell and waited patiently as his ring back tone When I Laugh, by The Glandsplayed in her ear. She moved to the music, dorkily, as she waited for him to pick up, and began singing along slightly when suddenly, she heard him on the other end, just as she finished singing the last line.
"Beautiful," he said, laughing at her. She blushed as a natural reflex, as he continued. "You could easily have a career as Donna Ross or something."
She smiled as she saw the lights flicker on outside, "Yeah, well, that's what I was going for. That or Britney Spears."
"Hmm," she could hear him hopping around upstairs as he paused. "Sing like Donna; dress like Britney."
She laughed, "Yeah, that sounds great." She pushed the doorbell, and she could hear the ringing even outside the house. She smiled lightly, when she heard his voice on the other end.
"Oh, hey, will you hold on?" He asked, and she could hear the patter of his feet as he hurried down the stairs. "Somebody's at my door."
"I'm not more important than the person at your door?" She asked, teasing. She heard his footsteps stop for a moment.
"Well, of course you are…" he said, and she smiled to herself lightly. "I'll just let it be," he finished, and she could hear his footsteps retreating.
"No, no!" She insisted, "it's okay, answer your door. Maybe they delivered my porno tapes to you instead." He laughed, and she could hear his footsteps increase, and the next thing he said, she could hear through the door, and not through the telephone.
"Well, we couldn't have that. Hold on. God, who visits at 7 AM?" She laughed lightly, waiting as he unlocked the deadbolt and the door, and she heard his voice before she saw his face. "I'm sorry, I'm in the middle of a really important conversation with my—" he stopped when he saw her there, and he smiled. She smiled back at him, and he stared for a moment before pulling the phone back up to his ear, "So, I've got this girl at my door… Think I should let her in?"
"Is she pretty?"
"A knockout," he replied, and she smiled.
"How'd you manage to get a knockout at your door?" She teased. He shrugged, and she continued, "Must be those devilishly good looks and the Halpert charms?" He stepped to the side of the door, smiling as she walked in.
"Well, it is the third one today, so you can't be too far off." She laughed, hanging up the phone and tossing it on his counter, before looking up at him and grinning.
"As long as I'm the prettiest," she replied, and he laughed.
"You're the only knockout. The other two were like a crossbreed of Dwight, Kevin, and a mongoose." She snorted, giggles rising up in her throat as his eyes went wide at her sudden outburst. He hung up his phone and tossed it on the table next to hers, playing with the drawstring on his pajama bottoms and scratching his head idly, his hair sticking up.
"Breakfast?" he asked, and she smiled, nodding lightly.
"Why don't I make us something to eat while you get dressed?" She asked, and he grinned, heading upstairs and pointing her to the kitchen. She laughed and nodded, heading into the kitchen and pulling out pancake batter, eggs, milk and oil.
She was busy pouring the batter into the skillet when he came to the foot of the stairs, watching her. She shook her head to get the stray piece of hair that had fallen in front of her eyes out of her face, and he walked toward her, smiling at how gorgeous she looked, just standing in his kitchen making pancakes. "Hi," he said, opening the fridge and looking for the milk that was sitting on the counter.
"Hi," she replied, putting the bowl in the sink and rinsing it out. "What are you looking for?"
"Milk, have you seen it?"
She grabbed a brush and started scrubbing out the bowl, "It's on the counter." He laughed, closed the door, and poured two glasses of milk, setting one in each place setting along with the silverware.
"So, what brings you here so early in the morning?" he asked, smiling as she flipped the pancakes.
She turned around, leaning on the counter and smiled at him, "It's no fair you get to plan all of our dates," she replied, and he raised his eyebrows, smiling. "So," she continued, "I came prepared for part of our date this morning." She turned back to the skillet and flipped the last pancake onto a plate, turned off the stove, and brought the plate of pancakes to the table, sitting down next to him.
"Oh, well, what are we doing?"
She looked at him for a moment, before tears began to roll down her cheeks. "Jim, my iguana…" The tears were rolling freely, and he was sitting there, watching her, his mouth open with a piece of pancake on it, but he wasn't chewing, just staring at her. His fork was held in midair, syrup dripping from it, but he was watching her. "Imogene… She was… She was kidnapped, Jim," Pam brought her hand to her face, covering her eyes as she made loud noises that sounded like sobbing.
"When did you get an iguana named Imogene?" he asked, chewing the pancake now.
"I've had her all my life," Pam continued, wiping her tears. "I… I think she was murdered."
Jim's face fell, "I'm sorry, Pam…"
She watched him for a moment, taking in the genuine sorrow he felt for her. She smiled, wiped the tearstains off her face, and shrugged, "Good, it's believable then."
She took a bite of pancake. "Believable? What are you talking about?" He asked, leaning in.
"We," she said, emphasizing the two of them, and he laughed. "are going to report her missing." She reached into her bag, pulling out a red folder full of various contents and placed it on the table. His eyes widened, "We're going to call a volunteer sheriff's deputy," she winked at him, "tell him all about Imogene, and have him come investigate the kidnap and alleged murder."
"Oh my god, Beesly, this is fantastic!" He said, chewing more vigorously.
She smiled, pleased with herself. She pushed her pancakes to the side, scooting her chair next to his. He pushed his pancakes away also, grabbing the folder and putting it in front of him. She leaned against him, pointing at the various documents.
"This," she started, pointing at a document printed on a light gold colored parchment paper she'd obviously stolen from Dwight's secret stash, "is Imogene's birth certificate." He looked at it, then back at her, eyes wide. "She was born on January 20, 1972."
She looked up at Jim, and his eyes went wide. "That's Dwight's birthday."
"I know," she replied, grinning. "2 ounces, 4 inches long at birth, she was a real beauty." Jim smiled, patting Pam's hand.
"I'm so sorry, I know this is tough for you."
She nodded, pulling out pictures of iguanas she'd obviously gotten from the internet. He laughed, "are these even the same iguana?"
"Nope." She replied, grinning. He laughed. "I have a few leads," she pulled out three Ziploc bags. "I found a glove," she handed him the first.
"Oh, that's obviously not your handling gloves… That's a man's glove," he smiled.
"It's Roy's," she raised her eyebrows, grinning. He laughed. She pulled out the snack-sized Ziploc bag, "And here are four hairs."
"Those are short hairs," Jim said, studying them. "Obviously a male…"
"But then," she said, reaching into her bag, "there are these knitting needles… That I saw Phylllis with at work yesterday."
"Oh my…"
"And this…" She said, pulling out Dwight's throwing star. His eyes went wide, and she watched him, a slight smile on her face.
"Wow, Dwight…" He stuttered lightly, "How did you… What did you… Oh God, Pam, this is genius."
"They're used to incapacitate your enemy," she said, sniffling lightly, "me, if I walked into the room."
"Oh, wow… Intent." Jim said, shaking his head lightly.
"And the final clue," Pam said, pulling out the last Ziploc bag, "A picture I took of the cage turned over on its' side."
Jim took the picture in his hand, studying it closely. "Nice bra. Pink's a great color." She nudged him, laughing as she leaned into him to study the picture. "What else is in there?" He asked, and she reached over to the folder and pulled out all of Imogene's papers.
"Dental and Doctors records… Pictures from her birthday parties, you know, the works." He smiled, picking up the records and Ziploc bags and putting them back in the bag she'd brought. She looked up at him quizzically, before standing up, putting their plates in the dishwasher, and heading out the door.
She unlocked her car, and he climbed in, scooting the seat back for his long legs. "Geez, what three year old are you driving around in here?" He asked, laughing.
She smiled. "I just keep it at the manufacturers settings. Nobody's ridden in that seat yet. I just bought the car a few weeks ago."
"So I'm popping the front seat's cherry," he said, and she stared at him wide eyed before backing out of the space. "Good to know."
She rolled her eyes, laughing as she drove down the street. Jim stroked the leather seats, introducing himself to the front seat. She'd hear snippets of their conversation. "Well, Kathy, it's nice to meet you, I'm Jim…Oh yes, I love long walks on the beach… The stars aren't as pretty as the ones in your belt buckle…" She ignored most of them, until she heard the clincher, "You sure do ride smooth."
Her eyes went wide as she blurted out, "That's what she said!" He laughed, and she joined in as she parked the car, carrying Imogene's records up to her apartment.
"Alright, Beesly," he said, as she opened the door. "Let's plant this crime scene." She laughed, turning on the lights and leading him to her bedroom.
"The bed's not made," she said, excusing her mess. "And there's stuff on the floor and…" He rolled his eyes, and she smiled lightly, opening the door. He followed her inside, glancing around the room, noticing that it was nowhere near as messy as any room in his apartment. Her bed wasn't made, but who made his bed in the morning anyway? Her pajamas were on the floor, but that was it, other than the pink bra hanging off her bookshelf that he'd seen in the picture.
She hurried to the middle of the floor, picking up the pajamas and the bra off the bookshelf, tossing them into her empty laundry bin. He smiled, "Your room is nice." She nodded, thanking him, while he continued to look around. Her room was a soft yellow; her bedspread was white, and it looked like it had some sort of pink flowery pattern at the bottom, but the rest of it was straight white. There were pictures on random walls, a calendar on the one by her bed. He headed toward the calendar, noticing that each Saturday had a letter of the alphabet on it. He noticed a red "Aunt Flo is coming!" on the lower corner of next Friday and made a mental note to plan something that wouldn't make that time more unbearable than it probably already was.
"Okay," she said, and he turned toward her, smiling. She was looking at him skeptically, "There's not much on that, Inspector Gadget," he laughed, looking around. "You left the cage turned over, good job."
"I try," she replied, handing him the two Ziploc bags as she placed the throwing star near her bed, the knitting needles on the other end. He scattered the clump of hair right by the iguana cage, Roy's glove hanging off the edge of the bookshelf. She grinned as she watched him, and he laughed, walking over to her bed and sitting on the side of it.
He picked up a ratty, stuffed animal and looked at her. She blushed, laughing "sometimes I get lonely…" He pouted lightly, and she continued, "It's from when I was a baby. Her name is Ella."
"Ella the Elephant," he smiled, chuckling lightly as she picked up the phone. He watched her, and then shook the thought out of his head, "I'm sorry, you need me to be supportive and caring right now," he tossed Ella back to the corner of the bed. "Go ahead, let's make the call."
She nodded and sat on the bed next to him, and he touched her hand, giving her his sympathetic look as she dialed Dwight's number. He picked up on the first ring, but she didn't even wait until he said anything before she started the waterworks.
"Dwight! Thank God, it's Pam! Imogene, she's missing… I…" she let her lip quiver. "I need your help!"
"Who's Imogene?" he asked, gravely concerned.
"My iguana. She was in her cage last night, and I woke up this morning and she was gone," Pam was letting the tears fall freely now, and she felt a pat on her leg from Jim. She pressed the speaker phone button, letting him voice trail in to fill the room.
"Okay, as a volunteer sheriff's deputy," Jim gave her a look, grinning. "I suggest you do not move any of the evidence."
Pam nodded, "I haven't Dwight… But what should I do? I mean, I'm freaking out here," she was talking a mile a minute, "I mean, they kidnapped her… She could be dead, or in the woods or raped or something."
Dwight cut her off, "One, iguanas cannot be raped. Two, did your iguana show any signs of depression lately? Bear with me, Pam, I'm trying to get a profile of Imogene."
Pam looked at Jim, her face distorted in confusion. "She's… I don't know… She hasn't been eating as much lately. She sulked in the corner lately, but… she wasn't depressed," Pam pretended to be in denial.
"Not eating lately? Sulking? Oh God, this is bad. I'll be right over!" The line clicked and she smiled, laughing into her hand. She was still laughing when she heard a body pounding against the door, and her eyes went wide.
"Maybe it's the kidnapper," she whispered, and Jim looked up. Hearing Dwight's footsteps outside, he wrapped his arms around Pam, pulling her into a hug. She sobbed into his chest as Dwight came within earshot.
"Pam! Open up! I brought my nunchucks and my throwing stars! This investigation has to commence!" His voice was loud and Jim got up, patting Pam's head.
"I'll get it," he said, and she crawled into a ball on her bed, grabbing her pillow as he made it to the door.
"I have some questions for you," Dwight's voice rang out as Jim opened the door, pulling Dwight into a tight hug.
"Thank you, so much… We had no idea what to do, Dwight."
"Ugh, Jim. Quit being such a girl. There is an iguana missing and the first 48 hours are crucial." Jim quickly let go, pretending to wipe his tears on the back of his arm as Dwight bulldozed through the door. "Wait, why are you here?"
Jim looked at him, a blank expression, before Dwight continued. "Damnit, Jim. Is this a joke? You could go to jail for filing a false police report."
Jim shook his head lightly, leading the way to Pam's bedroom. "Question: Did she move any of the evidence?"
He opened the door to Pam's room, hearing her false sobs all the way through the door. "Fact: No." Dwight pushed his way into the room, and Jim went over to the bed, rubbing Pam's back.
"Pam, honey, you need to talk to Deputy Schrute now, okay? He has some questions for you." She nodded, wiping her tears as she sat up, leaning against him slightly.
"Yes, Pam. Listen to Jim," Jim's eyes went wide and Dwight looked away in disgust "Ugh, I never thought I'd say that. Question: What kind of friends did," he looked at his notepad, "Imogene have?"
Pam didn't miss a beat, just wiped her eyes with a Kleenex. "Well, me and Jim of course," Jim squeezed her hand lightly, and she could feel her heart glisten with happiness even amidst the sorrow. "And she had a play date every Tuesday with the other iguanas on the block."
Dwight nodded, looking over to Jim and snapped, "Jim, did you kidnap Pam's iguana so you could get close to Pam? Remember, I do not mind playing bad cop/good cop with you!"
Jim looked at Dwight, disappointment and hurt all over his face. "Dwight, I love Imogene. Just as much as Pam does… I would never, ever harm her."
Dwight walked around the room, looking at the cage. "What kind of cage is this?"
"The Iguana 5100," Pam replied automatically.
"Mose has the Iguana 6500," Dwight replied, scrouching down to study it.
"I was going to get her that for Christmas," Jim said, softly.
"Maybe that's why she left. She wanted a new home." Pam shrieked, burying her face in Jim's shoulder, her sobs getting louder.
"But the cage is turned over," Jim replied. "She couldn't have gotten out by herself…" He patted Pam's hair, whispering loud enough for Dwight to hear. "She didn't want a new home."
"How old was Imogene?" Dwight asked, and Pam sat up, wiping her eyes again.
"She was born on January 20, 1972 in San Antonio, Texas."
"False. There is no way an iguana could be 35 years old. Most iguanas only live 13-20 years."
"I know…" Pam trailed off. "The doctor said those born on January 20th have special genes."
"Much like the Schrutes. Tell me, did she ever marry or have offspring?" Dwight asked.
"No…" Pam trailed off. "She wasn't interested in the male lizards…"
"In all my research of the iguana species, I've never seen a lesbian iguana. Strange." Dwight pondered, his finger against his lips. He looked around the cage, for the first time noticing the glove on the shelf. He squinted, reading it. "Roy Anderson."
Pam gasped. "Oh my god…"
"Where's Roy?"
Pam bit her lip, looking down at her bedspread. "I don't know… On vacation, I think."
"Did he like Imogene?"
"No," Pam said softly, biting her lip in an effort to keep the tears from falling. Dwight nodded, looking around.
"Dwight, do you see any other clues to Imogene's disappearance?" Jim asked, and Dwight looked around, headed for the corner where Phyllis' needles rested.
"I found some knitting needles," he said, bending down and looking at Pam. "Do you knit, Pam?"
"No…" she replied. "I don't."
"Does Roy?" She shook her head no, slightly, and he continued, "Then the only person these could belong to is Phyllis L. Vance. Have you made her mad lately?"
Pam looked up at Jim, a worried expression. "Um… I did accidentally hang up on Bob Vance."
"Of Vance Refrigeration?" Pam nodded. Dwight looked around the room once more, noticing something black hanging out of a half open dresser drawer.
"Pam, what are you doing with black lingerie?" he asked, as Jim's head shot up to look, Dwight pulled out a pair of forceps and picked up the black, cotton bikini-style underwear that comes rolled in a five pack at Target. She shook her head slightly, and he continued, "You don't buy black underwear unless you want somebody to see it."
Jim's eyes went back and forth from the underwear, to Pam, to the underwear again.
"Or at least that's what Larissa Oleynik says," Dwight continued. Pam quickly jumped off the bed, grabbing the panties from Dwight and throwing them in her laundry basket, shutting the dresser drawer all the way. She glared at Dwight as Jim looked down at the floor.
Dwight collected his stuff. "Before I go, can I have a picture of Imogene so I can make posters and post them all over town?" Pam nodded, pulling a picture of Imogene out of her purse.
"Where are you going?" Jim asked, as Pam handed the picture from Imogene's birthday party to him.
"I'm going to go to the Vance's residence and ask them for their alibis. If you think of anything, Pam," he looked at her, his face showing concern, "Anything at all, please don't be afraid to call my cell phone, sex predator-missing iguana hotline."
Pam nodded. "Thank you so much, Dwight."
He stared at her. "No need to thank me. I am a mere defender of the people." And with that, he turned and exited the apartment, hurrying down the stairs. They got up off the bed, racing to her bedroom window as they stared out, watching Dwight get in his Trans Am and quickly vacate the premises.
Pam started laughing first, her giggles high, and he joined in, doubling over. "The doctors said those born on January 20th have special genes?" He asked, laughing hysterically. She smiled, raising her hand for a high-five and he obliged, before straightening up.
"So," she said, going over to her closet. "Where are we going for the rest of our date?"
He smiled, "You'll recognize it when we get there. Are you ready? You'll need socks."
She nodded, pulling open a drawer on her dresser, and he noticed that the picture of the two of them in Sombreros was resting on top of it in a silver frame. She had a goofy expression on her face, and for the first time, he noticed how lovingly he was looking at her. It gave him chills to think she might have noticed it as well.
"Ready?" she interrupted his thoughts, heading outside with her socks in her hand. He nodded and followed her as she walked to the driver's door, opening it. He appeared by her side.
"Out," he said, and she pouted.
"Can't you just tell me where we're going?"
"No."
"It's my car," she said, putting on her fake angry face.
"Out," he repeated, putting his hand out. She sighed, placed her keys in them, and got out and walked over to the passenger's seat, climbing in. He smiled. "You better not hurt the Yaris." He laughed and she fiddled with the radio as he drove to Scranton's only ice rink.
She laughed as they pulled into the car. "Oh, recreating memories! Are we going to go to the store and buy 69 Cups of Noodles, too?"
He laughed. "Nope. We're just going to skate." She smiled, climbing out of the car, accidentally hitting the car next to her. Her head whipped around and she looked at Jim, who had a scolding look on his face. She sucked on her lips lightly, closing the door quickly and hurrying to the sidewalk. He met her there, laughing silently as they walked inside. He ordered their skates, and they headed over to the bench to put them on.
"I haven't been practicing," she said, and he smiled lightly. I wouldn't have expected you to.
"That's okay, neither have I," he said, and she laughed. He stood up, offering his hand to her. "Ready, Beesly?"
She nodded, standing up and reaching for his hand, but she fell into him lightly. He laughed and caught her. "Sorry." She mumbled.
He laughed. "That's alright. I knew I had my work cut out for me." They slowly stepped down on the ice, Pam squealing and clutching his arm or dear life. He smiled.
"Okay, here's what you need to do," he said softly, patting her hand. "One step in front of the other. It's just like you're walking."
"Except I'm on ice." She replied, clutching his arm tighter.
"Okay," he said, holding her hand and clutching her arm just as she did his. "Right foot… Left foot… Right foot… Left foot…" She followed his lead, getting into the stride. "You're doing really great!" he said, and she smiled, releasing his hand and letting their arms fall to the side.
He looked down, slightly disappointed, until he felt her hand against his, tapping him lightly. He opened his palm, and she wrapped her hand around his. The smile returned to his face as they skated along, music playing overhead. People were zipping in and out around them, and Pam's face was never really relaxed.
A man dressed in a hockey uniform zipped in front of them then and Pam shrieked, moving closer to Jim. He smiled, touching her shoulder lightly, "Hey, it's okay… He didn't hurt you."
"He almost did," she pouted, and he laughed lightly. The music turned softer above them and the lights dimmed as the announcer's voice came over the intercom system.
"Attention Skaters! It's time for the couples skate. Those of you who are a couple, get out on the ice. Those of you who aren't, find someone to be in a couple with you or get off the ice and let the lovebirds glide."
The announcer's voice ceased, and Jim looked down at Pam. She looked up at him, expectedly. "What?" she asked.
"Nothing," he replied, and she kept skating, squeezing his hand whenever she slipped lightly. A Celine Dion song was playing in the background as they skated and all of a sudden, Pam felt a tug on her hand as she saw Jim go crashing down to the ice. Her feet gave way from under her and she was spiraling toward the ice, head first. She felt Jim's hand pull her into him as she fell, and she landed on his stomach. He winced in pain and she bit her lip.
"Sorry," he muttered, "are you okay?"
"You cushioned my fall," she said, scrunching her forehead. "Are you okay? God, you landed on ice… And then I landed on you."
"You're very observant," he said, grinning, and she laughed.
"You need to um, get up first."
"Why?"
"I need help," she said, blushing lightly. He laughed, standing up, and she reached her hand up. He raised his eyebrows at her, giving her a look that said 'what?' She grinned, tilting her head to the side, putting on a face of mock anger. He reached his hand down, helping her up. She smiled up at him, and he winked, evoking one of the smiles that almost made him fall down again, just like the first one had.
"Are you ready, miss?" the fifteen-year old cashier said. Jim couldn't help but chuckle at his pink ensemble, and the ice cream cone hat on his head.
"Not yet," she replied, and he rolled his eyes, smiling as he watched her. He'd never known somebody to be so excited about ice cream before. "Jim, what should I get?" she asked, and he walked over to her, seeing her leaning against the glass, looking at flavors like "Spongebob's Strawberry Swirl" and "Bubblegumania."
"What are you deciding between?" he asked, leaning against the frame just as she did. She smiled, looking at them all, and put her hand on the glass.
"Um, all of them," she replied, and he chuckled. He stuffed his hands in his pocket and looked up at the cashier.
"I guess we'll have to take a scoop of each then."
"No, no. I decided!" Pam said, laughing.
"Okay, what do you want?" Jim asked, smiling. She leaned against the glass pane again.
"Um…" she trailed off, "I'm still deciding." He smiled, touching her back. "I can't decide," she said, turning to him, and he pulled his hand away quickly. "Do I want Banana Chocolate Bonanza, or do I want Bubblegumania?"
He smiled. "You want Banana Chocolate Bonanza."
"One scoop of Banana Chocolate Bonanza," she said to the young boy without even mulling over her options again, and he smiled. The boy quickly scooped up her ice cream, as Jim watched Pam eye the Very Berry Strawberry ice cream. She looked up at him and whispered, "I've always only picked Strawberry. I like to play it safe."
He nodded, and she took her ice cream from the cashier and walked over to a table while he ordered his and paid for it. She sat there, watching the flowers in the vase, as she took a bite of her ice cream. A few minutes later, he sat down across from her, pushing a cup toward her. She looked inside of it and smiled.
"Very Berry Strawberry?" She asked, looking up and noticing that there were three cups on the table. "Wait, what did you get?"
He winked at her, "Bubblegumania. Want some?" She smiled, digging her spoon in his and taking a bite, smiling lightly.
She pushed the empty cup of Banana away from herself, grabbing the strawberry one and silently taking a bite of her ice cream. She was watching him with an intensity he'd never seen before. "What's on your mind?" he asked, and she looked at him the way she did when she wasn't quite sure if she should say something or not. "Come on, spill it, Beesly."
She smiled lightly. "I was thinking about our lunch date."
"The first one?" he asked. "Which one?"
"The first one," she nodded, looking down at the table.
He studied her for a moment, holding the silence until she looked up again, before he asked, "What about it?"
"Do you still not want to get married?" she blurted out, embarrassed by how anxious she was to hear his answer.
He choked on the air he was breathing, "Um, what?"
"On our lunch date… You said you never wanted to get married. Do you still not want to get married?" She asked.
He sighed. "Pam…" She looked up at him, confused. "I…"
He trailed off. "You what?" she asked. "I need to know, Jim."
"You want me to be completely honest?" He asked, and she nodded. "When I asked you to lunch that day, it was because I had a thing for you." Her eyes widened. "Oh, don't give me that."
"Give you what?" she asked.
"That look that tells me you think there's no reason in the world any man should have a crush on you. Any guy would be lucky to have you," he said, and she blushed, nodding lightly. "So, anyway, I asked you to lunch more because I wanted there to be something between us... Not necessarily because I wanted to be your friend."
Her head dropped a bit, her heart a bit heavier than normal. So this whole time, all he wanted was sex? God, all men are the same. "Well, too bad because I think I might try girls for awhile… Angela thinks I can cross over. We'll see." She said, looking down at the tile, tears threatening to sting her eyes.
"Pam," he said softly, and she looked up, her eyes glassy with pain. "Can I just finish telling you this?"
She nodded, looking back down at her ice cream as he continued. "When we were at lunch, I felt a real connection with you." She scoffed. "I don't mean a sexual or romantic connection, though I felt that too. I mean, on the basic human level… A friendship. I don't know, Pam…. Talking to you was like being whole in this really strange, weird way. Like finding the parts of you that are missing in another person."
She looked up, unable to believe what he was saying as he said it, her heart racing. "And I really wanted to be with you, and then you told me you were engaged, and I don't know, Pam, it just really hurt me." She looked up at him, a confused look on her face. She'd never have imagined that would have hurt him.
"I'm sorry," she said softly, looking down again. "I had no idea."
He nodded softly, and she looked back up at him and continued. "I was so hurt that when you asked me, I didn't really know what to say… So I just said no. Tried to be as adamant and unflinching about it as I could… Maybe to hurt you? I don't know why, really." She chewed on her tongue lightly. "I guess it wasn't really the truth."
She felt her breaths going in and out steadily, and she paused before asking timidly. "What is the truth?"
"The truth is," he said, looking at her. "I don't want to be married unless I find the right woman… I think if the right woman came along, I'd marry her in a flash."
She looked up and smiled, playing with her hands.
"What about you?" he asked, and she looked up, confused. "If they ever legalize it, do you think you'll ever get married?"
She smiled, "Hardy har har." He laughed. "Yeah, I mean, it would have to be a pretty remarkable guy… The pain… It's a bit much."
He nodded, and they sat in silence for a few moments before he spoke up. "How's the healing going?"
"It's getting there," she replied softly. "Slowly but surely."
He nodded. "You know, I heard something interesting the other day, and it kind of reminds me of you."
"What was it?" she smiled.
"Well, it was on one of those radio sermons. Angela had it on when I was back in the corner with her because Michael took my seat." Pam nodded. "Anyway, he was talking about vases. And how perfect they are when you buy them. And he was talking about how he put a candle inside of one on a rainy day and lit it, and he could see these little flashes of light shining though, but not too much. There was just a bit of a glow inside the candle, was all."
Pam nodded, studying Jim's face. He seemed to be really into the story he was telling, and it peaked her interest somewhat. "Well, he said that a few days later, after he'd taken the candle out, his daughter ran into the table and knocked it to the floor, breaking it into pieces." Pam's eyes went wide, wondering where the story was going. "He took super glue and glued it back together, but you know, there were still cracks in it."
She nodded, biting her lip lightly. "But, he said he put a candle down there and lit it again, and this time, the light from inside the vase was almost blinding because it started to really shine through the cracks." He looked up at her, and she caught his eye before he continued, staring into her eyes. "You remind me of that vase. You're broken, but you'll only shine brighter because of it."
She smiled, wiping her eyes with her arm, and he handed her a napkin. She dabbed at her eyes, smiling lightly. "Thank you," she said, staring at the corner of the table, her mind trying to process all of the information. "What if it takes a long time to glue me back together?"
He shrugged. "Then it takes a long time to glue you back together." She nodded, and he reached out, grabbing her hand and running his thumb across her palm until she looked back up at him. "But, we're still going to get you glued back together." She smiled and bit her lip, nodding lightly.
"And then I'll shine?" She asked timidly, almost like a little girl who'd fallen and scraped her knees while riding a bike and was afraid to go riding again. Somehow, her father had almost convinced her she'd be okay, but she still had that one, lingering question.
"And then you'll shine." He patted her hand. She nodded, and the lingering question was gone.
A) Review, Review, Review! Ransom notice. I need reviews.
B) Go see Walk Hard.
C) What do you want to see?