Happy New Year everyone! Thank you again for your reviews. The feedback from this story has been amazing :)

So I'm sorry I didn't mention this later but I'm on Livejournal under the username raaby(underscore)lilly if anyone has one on here and would like to friend me. I tend to post chapters over there before I do over here so I thought that would be nice if you'd like to do that. Just comment on my Friends post and tell me your from fanfiction and I'll be sure to add you.

Also if you don't have an LJ account they're really cool. For the standard account you don't even need to pay and there are a lot of really cool Office communities floating around as well as a zillion other fandoms :)

Enjoy!

Dru

Chapter 11

Like anxious little kids Jim and Pam were up way before 8 on Christmas morning. Jim made some coffee and the two of them sat on the couch looking at their tree. The wind was blowing outside and Pam knew they were looking at a white and chilly Christmas.

"When do you think she'll wake up?" Jim whispered. He exchanged a glance with Pam and the both of them started to laugh. Pam blew softly over the top of her hot mug and sat back against the sofa.

"Soon."

"What are you going to tell Richard?"

Pam sighed. They had talked a little bit about it last night. They did reason that Richard was just different. He wasn't too good at getting his feelings across in a way that Jim and Pam could really relate. He seemed very interested in Savannah and with left over guilt still overshadowing Pam about all that time he spent worrying she couldn't imagine keeping her away from him.

"I guess it wouldn't be so bad if we stopped by for dinner. He said some of Savannah's family would be there. I would hate to deny her any of that." Jim played with the handle of his coffee cup and stared at Pam. She still never failed to amaze him. She was gentle and sweet and caring. All the things he had already known but that were coming out even more with Savannah. Her pajamas white with little red hearts and the sweatshirt she wore was too big. And when he leaned over to brush some hair away from her neck he could tell it was his. Under any other circumstance he wouldn't let Savannah near Richard again. But with Pam's completely logical views it was hard not to agree.

The baby monitor on the coffee table started to pick up on some chatter in the bedroom. Savannah was awake and making baby talk with herself. Pam grinned and listened. Savannah was quite the chatterbox in the morning. She was becoming more content with being by herself. She could play quietly for almost 40 minutes at a time now. Which was beneficial when the two needed a break or if the house needed to be cleaned. Which was most of the time.

Tony hopped up on the coffee table and sniffed at the monitor, his tail swishing in its normal agitated way. He arched his back and hopped off once Savannah started to whimper and then cry, indicating it was time to get up.

"I'll get her," both Jim and Pam said at the same time. They smiled and Pam giggled.

"You can go get her…I'll get our presents together."

Jim smiled.

"Thank you," he teased and set his cup on the table. Once in the bedroom Jim saw Savannah was standing up in her crib, awaiting his arrival. He had to laugh a little at how cute she looked in her red and green Christmas pajamas.

"Well…Merry Christmas Littles!" he said smiling when she gave him a sleepy sort of half grin, stretching her arms out. Jim lifted her and gave her a kiss on the side of her head as she moaned a little in an attempt to wake up. When he brought her into the living room, Pam had stacked their gifts in three neat piles near the coffee table.

"Merry Christmas Savannah," Pam took Savannah from Jim and got a baby yawn in return. Savannah rubbed at her eyes, slightly irritated from the dull light flooding into the living room. Pam sat with her on the floor next to her pile and Jim sat on a chair across from them next to their tree.

"Look at all these presents for you Littles!" Tony hopped on to the back of Jim's chair as he pushed a present towards Pam. "I think we should open that one first. It's from Dwight and Angela."

"I can only imagine," Pam smiled as Savannah grabbed the bow from the top of the brightly wrapped box. Pam unwrapped it and laughed when she pulled out little footsie pajamas printed with green and gray camouflage. In the card it said 'so Savannah can prepare for recruitment into Dwight's army' and also included a 25 dollar gift certificate to 'Babies R Us'. Pam tossed Jim the card and he smirked, setting it up on the coffee table.

Other presents that morning included a wagon full of mega blocks from Toby and Sasha, a Little Mermaid tea set from Phyllis, tons of clothes and a few brightly colored pacifiers from Jan, and Elmo sippy cups with a set of Sesame Street plates from Karen. All her new toys came from Pam's grandfather. Jim and Pam got a gift card for Marie Calendars and few other little gifts from family.

"Well…all done! You made out pretty well Littles," Jim said down to Savannah. She sucked contently on one of her new pacifiers from Jan and held on to Pam's shoulder for balance. "Hey Pam? What's that package?"

Pam followed the path of Jim's finger and noticed a last box hiding behind a few low branches. There wasn't any wrapping on it and was pretty light when Pam lifted it. A note was attached. She noticed her grandfather's messy scrawl almost immediately. She could feel the pace of her heart quicken.

Pam

Make sure you're alone when you open this.

--Grandpa

The window just above the sink in the kitchen rattled around noisily as the wind picked up and the sun sank lazily along the horizon. The extra heater had kicked in around noon as the snowfall ceased outside and left an impressive blanket of white over the ground.

"Saaaaaavaaaaaaanaaaaah," Pam sang down to the little girl. She was banging the pink plastic cups from her new tea set together and bouncing back and forth, all the while humming something only she understood, obviously content in her own little world. But once she heard Pam's voice near her ear she was anxious to stretch her arms out to her and give out a little shriek as she was lifted off the ground. The day had been comfortable and lazy and Pam couldn't believe it was already 5:30. Jim was snoozing on the couch. A Christmas Story, still on its 24 hour repeat, was playing quietly and splashing dull colors against the darkened walls of the living room.

"Da da," Pam whispered, nuzzling gently into Jim's ear. Jim's eyelids lifted slowly and he smiled lazily once he saw Pam leaning over him, Savannah in her arms.

"Hi baby," he whispered, his voice groggy from sleep. He brought Savannah against his chest and stretched out, still sleepy.

"It's time to get ready to go," Pam said softly. She was fighting the urge to call Richard and tell him that they would have to pass for tonight. The wind rattled the window pane again. It wasn't like she wanted to take Savannah out into the cold. She wanted to keep her comfy on Jim's chest while Pam herself made her a warm bottle and let the sound of their even breathing lull her to sleep. Even Tony was lying comfortably atop the warm cable box, licking his paw only half-heartedly. Jim set pleading eyes on her.

"Do we have to?" he whispered softly. He took Pam's hand and pulled her down on the couch, gently pushing her head so it was resting against his shoulder. He was so warm and Savannah curling her tiny body into her arms and letting out a content sigh pretty much sealed the deal.

"No," Pam answered softly back. Savannah picked her head up, still sucking on her pacifier. Her big blue eyes were alive and tinted with the promise of sleep. One of her tiny hands was tangled in Pam's curls and she couldn't resist pressing a wet kiss to her tiny nose. Savannah giggled and hunched her shoulders a little, lying back against Jim.

"I'm glad you came around," Jim whispered, his voice coming out half-way husky when it met her ear. Pam felt her spine tingly pleasantly. She didn't remember much else about their Christmas night.

It was all a blur of gentle kisses and sneaky touches as Savannah fell into a dream filled sleep on top of Jim's chest.

New Years came and went and Pam had decided to enter the new year with a new positive attitude about being a mother and about her and Jim's relationship. Two teeth were now poking out of Savannah's bottom gums. Words were still limited to 'ma ma', 'da da', and 'ba ba' and the walking hadn't quite come yet either. The long bouts of unassisted standing were about all she would do. Jim had joked that she was just teasing them. She could walk if she wanted to. Pam still hadn't gotten up the courage to open the package from her grandfather. It was laying patiently for her on the bottom of the closet. Richard never called after they hadn't shown up on Christmas. Pam hadn't made too much of an attempt to get back to him either.

"Up, up, and awaaaaaay!" Jim sang, lifting Savannah up off his chest and soaking in the scream-y giggles that left her mouth. They hadn't played that game in a long time. Pam was turning down the comforter on her side for bed, fretting a little and feeling extremely anxious. Tomorrow she and Jim would return to Dunder Mifflin for the first time in almost 6 months. Under their circumstances Jan and Michael had both graciously allowed them to take their positions back at the paper company, having employed temporary fill-ins while they were gone. Pam knew she couldn't stand up the offer. She was tired of letting her grandfather support them. And she missed being there. But all this had one very big downfall.

"Are you excited for day care tomorrow Littles?" Jim asked, growling near Savannah's ear and laughing as she contracted a little, continuing to giggle helplessly.

"Are you sure she can breathe?" Pam laughed as Jim gave Savannah a second to catch her breath before nuzzling under her little Nike shirt and laying kisses across her belly. Fully riled up now, she gave out an almost breathless laugh, kicking her little chubby legs every which way. Jim laughed and unpinned her, watching as she rolled over on to her stomach and stared at the both of them, cooing happily.

"She's fiiiiine," Jim grinned. Pam reached over and tried straightening out the hair that curtained above his eyes. Jim caught the worry behind hers. "Are you okay?"

"I'm nervous about day care Jim," Pam let out a long breath. Savannah crawled into her lap and reached for the warmed bottle on the nightstand. Pam cradled her and gave her the bottle. Another thing the little girl had mastered. Feeding herself a bottle. Jim sighed and pat Savannah's curly head.

"She'll be okay Pam. I promise. It was rated one of the best nursery schools out here. And Savannah…she has so much instinct in her. She loves people, I'm sure she'll be amazed by all these other little beings that are just like her."

Pam sighed unhappily as Savannah's eyelids slipped shut and big blue eyes were no longer gazing up at her.

"It's like we're abandoning her."

"We aren't abandoning her."

Pam felt a little light headed.

"Why don't you sound like your even a little upset about this?" she felt a lump growing in her throat. "We aren't abandoning her but how is she going to know that? 9 to 5 is a long work day Jim." Tears were splayed across her cheeks now and Pam was mad for letting herself cry. Savannah crinkled her forehead a little as one of her tears managed to slip onto her cheek. The sucking on her bottle had ceased. Jim gently eased it out of her mouth and took her carefully from Pam's arms, setting her into her crib across the room.

"Please don't cry Pam…everything is going to be okay. We knew this day would come." Jim crawled into bed and collected her into his arms, resting his chin a top her head. Just laying in his arms was making her feel immensely better. But she was still scared. No matter how much Jim insisted things would be alright.

Because come morning, they'd still be dropping her Littles off at daycare and venturing back into the world of the office.