A bit shorter this time, but you guys can live with it. It gets different from here on out... Maybe. And, thanks to Elly for voice of ridiculousness and Katy for beta' ing. You're both fantastic. :)

Review Replies:

Literati- I'm glad you liked it! And nice word :)
Country Cutie- I'm afraid that completely happy JAM isn't possible. However, if you stick through the bumpy ride in the next few chapters, it will get happier, I promise. :)
Madi- I'm glad you enjoyed the car metaphor! I was hoping you guys would "get it".
KT- Thanks! And yes, I love Juno... I didn't really love it until the end though--I've always wanted to be Jennifer Garner, haha. And thank you! I was hoping you all would get where I was going about the cars :)
Alison- JC girl! You have three thumbs? haha. And by the way, it actually is my doing that J is #10. Just, so you know. ;) Oh, and the cars, maybe my most brilliant part yet. Hah. I loved writing that part.
Meg- Thanks!! The money beets are out on top!
HanBanan- Thanks so much! And yay for a new reviewer! And about the ending of the chapter-- I had NO idea it was going to end that way. Actually, I wasn't even planning on Roy being in the chapter at all, but when I started writing, well, that's what happened. So, thanks!
PamBeesly- Thank you.
Dancer- I'm glad you liked the flashback idea--I wasn't sure how everyone would like it, but it just seemed to work. It's hard coming up with creative ways to START every chapter, hah.
DizZy- Thanks so much!
Dean-yes, they're moving closer, but do they have many hurdles? of course they do. and pam will not be the only hurdle in their relationship.
Bravery- Thanks! Dwight cracks me up. Gosh, I wish I knew him.
Kerber- Thanks so much! I love when Pam goes deep in her mind and analyzes her life... I just plain love it! It's much harder to write though. I try and get to know Pam as well as I can and to really capture her thoughts and feelings as best I can, and the best way to do that is to put myself in her shoes. So, often times, as I did last chapter, I end up upset and crying too. Oh well. :)
Kathryn- Thanks so much. And I love those biblical names too. Rahab the prostitute. muahaha.
Eaglechic- I'm glad you enjoyed it. Enjoy your sandwich.
Absolution- I did see Juno, and it was fantastic!
Christine- Thanks so much!! K is here. I hope you're not too dissapointed!
SmallTuna- I've had Allie (Pam's car), and Jewdy. And thanks so much--that's such a high compliment. Wow!
Henantz- Thanks so much! Updating NOW.
RachSprags- I'm glad you liked the format, I wasn't so sure if it would be well-receieved. And yes, i love 13 going on 30 :)
Ruli- I'm glad you loved the memory! It was hard, trying to pick out the date and using only what Pam would remember, from her point of view, but I think it worked well. Jelly makes me sick too. :)
Katy- Thank youuuu. You were awesome. Pam will become whole. She will; she will.
Anon- yes, she did. Thank you!
Maddi- Juno was great, and thanks so much!! I try to get as into Pam's character as I can, and sometimes that's way painful, but I think it makes for realistic reading.
Froody- Oh God, it was horrible to write because I feel Pam's pain... As a writer, you want to get in your character's shoes, and that's a hard one. But it was wonderful too, because I got to work through her problems with her, and that's just great. I love it. The climb towards optimism will start these next few chapters, hopefully.
NakedLight- Thanks so much! I'm a geek for them too.
Yabberli- You're awesome. Thanks so much about the formats--I'm never sure how to do that!
Amanda- Thanks so much! And I'll tell you right now, there is no way they'll be M is for marriage. M is for something much cheaper.


She got out of the car, quickly pushing the red cart out of the parking space so he could park, her arms folded against her chest as she watched him. He laughed at her, accelerating just enough to make her scurry away quickly, a smile on her face. He grinned, getting out of the car, and grabbed his wallet, stuffing it in his back pocket.

He made his way toward her, and she frowned, her arms still crossed over her chest. "What?" he asked her.

"I hate the K," she replied bitingly, and he nearly chuckled until he realized she was serious. "It reminds me of clogged toilets and cockroaches and Roy."

"Clogged toilets, cockroaches, and Roy," he repeated, shrugging. "All of which are pretty unpleasant." He looked down to see her smiling up at him, and he returned her smile, before changing the subject. "So, I saw When Harry Met Sally last night."

"So did I!" she bounced a little next to him, and he chuckled. "TBS at 10, right?" He rolled his eyes, and she blushed slightly. "God, I love that movie."

"You just like the orgasm scene," he teased, and she giggled, nodding slightly. "So, do you agree with it?"

"Orgasming in restaurants?" she asked, and he burst out laughing. "Whatever floats your boat, I guess."

He laughed, looking at her, and her face turned red as she realized that wasn't what he'd meant. "I mean, what do you think of the whole premise of the movie?"

"That men and women can't be friends?" she asked, her eyebrows wrinkling. He nodded, and she chuckled, stopping for a moment in the middle of the road. "Do you really think there's underlying sexual tension with me and Stanley?" she asked, laughing.

"Stanley's married."

"Okay, Kevin."

"Kevin's engaged."

"Okay, Michael."

"Is… doing something with Jan."

"Okay, Dwight."

He stopped, looking at her, then brought his finger up to his chin. "Now that I think about it, you two did look pretty comfortable the other day at the beet farm…" She swatted him lightly and he laughed. "No, but really, in a close friendship between a man and a woman, do you think it's possible to have the absence of sexual tension?"

She thought for a moment as he opened the door to the store, and she walked in front of him through the doors, looking back at him, "Nope, not possible." He smiled, opened his mouth to inquire further and push the issue of their friendship, when a pimple-faced kid appeared in front of them.

"Hi, I'm Kramer. Welcome to K-mart, if I can be of any assistance to you today, please just let me know," he said, and Jim silently wanted to kick him in the face for being so obnoxious as to jump in front of them like that.

Instead, he only nodded, and led her down the random aisles of the store. "I have no idea where anything is," he laughed, and she smiled.

"I really don't think they sell kites here, Jimbo."

"Please don't call me that," he smiled.

"Especially not the care bears ones that you like," she laughed loudly, and he was sure that all of Scranton could hear her.

"Oh, God…" he muttered to himself. "Didn't you have a CD you needed to get or something?"

She laughed, her face lighting up. "Oh! Yeah! I'll go find it. Why don't you go find your kindergarten class a kite?" He rolled his eyes, nodding, and she skipped off in the direction of the CDs, leaving him to browse through the store to find the kites section. After ruling out Health & Beauty, Home & Garden, and Appliances, he settled on Sporting Goods, wandering through the aisles with the baseball gloves and bats before stopping in his tracks in front of the hockey pucks. His face contorted in disgust as he saw the image in front of him.

There he was, browsing through hockey pucks, two cases of beer, a pack of boysenberry flavored condoms, a set of lingerie, ketchup, and the latest copy of Maxim in his cart. Jim grunted in disgust, causing Roy to turn around and stare him down. "Hey, Halpert, what's shakin?"

Jim stuffed his hands in his pocket. "Not much, Roy," he said, looking around. God, boysenberry? Gross. He took a look at the cart again and puffed, and when he looked up, Roy was staring at him. "I didn't know you liked to dress up in lady lingerie? Might want to get a bigger size, buddy."

Roy gave him a look. "Actually, it's for my new girl, Candi. She's hot, man. I mean, Pam had nice boobs, but god... Talk about an upgrade, huh?" Jim whistled, giving a slight shake of his head before Roy leaned in and half-whispered, "Plus, I don't have to force her to do anything nasty."

Jim could feel himself shudder, the anger rising in him a bit quickly as he stepped away from Roy. "Well, it was good seeing you man." He said, walking away quickly. He grabbed the first kite he saw, heading to the electronics section to find Pam.

He wandered through the sections, knowing she'd said she wanted the new John Mayer CD. He finally spotted her in front of the DVD rack, and he smiled to himself, heading over to where she was quickly and placing his hands over her eyes.

She squealed lightly, the squeal turning into a series of giggles. "Guess Who?" he asked in a high falsetto voice.

She snaked her hand back and touched his thigh, "Sexy Stanley?" she asked and he jumped back, letting go of his hold over her eyes and she laughed, turning around, CD in hand. "So, what does our kite look like?"

He laughed, showing her the kite and for the first time seeing Dora The Explorer plastered all over the pink-based kite. She laughed, leaning in against him a bit, before rolling her eyes. "You are such a little kid!"

"She was the hottest cartoon they had!" he protested, making a face at his own remark.

"Should it scare me that a four year old illegal immigrant is hot to you?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Yes," he replied, as they walked toward the checkout. They checked out their items and walked out to the car. As they were walking out, Jim noticed Roy out of the corner of his eye, and he stepped in front of Pam, blocking her line of vision until they passed. She kept chatting, her happy demeanor not falling and he smiled, knowing he'd just saved her from a moment that would have weighed on her for days.

As they drove to the park, Pam talked happily about her new CD, detailing for him how excited she'd been to hear each of the new songs. He listened intently the eighth time she mentioned track nine, although his interest in what she was saying waned with each recount, and he ended up just dazing out the window.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked suddenly, jolting him out of his daze. He looked over at her, quickly realizing that any effort he made to divert the focus of the conversation would be wasted on her. She looked concerned.

He pulled the car over and turned to her, and her face suddenly looked more confused and serious than it had before. "Did Roy ever hit you?" he asked, and her eyes went wide with shock.

"No," she said, too quickly.

He sighed, studying her before laying his head down on the steering wheel. He could feel her watching him, and when he looked up, he was surprised to see that her eyes were fixated on his back shoulder. "Pam."

"What?" she asked quickly, jolting out of whatever dreamlike state she'd visited.

"Did Roy ever hit you?" he asked again, and she looked away. Out the window, at the dashboard, down at her shoes, anywhere but at him. He sighed, but she didn't flinch. His anger at Roy was boiling up inside of him, and finally, when he couldn't take anymore, he snapped at her. "Answer me, damn it."

She turned to him, an angry look on her face. "Yes, okay? Why does it matter?" she crossed her arms over her chest, looking down. He was having a hard time breathing; his anger at Roy was quickly making steam come out of his ears.

"When? How? God, Pam, why didn't you tell anyone?" he asked, his voice turning from serious to soft as he realized how it must have sounded to her.

"I.. I don't know," she was flustered, and he felt bad, but the overwhelming part of him needed to know. "I guess like last summer? Right after you started dating Katy," she said, and he could hear the disdain on her voice. He ran his fingers through his hair, "I was hoping either you'd figure it or nobody would." Her voice was softer, and he looked up at her. She wasn't crying, but there was something there he couldn't quite place.

"I'm sorry I didn't notice," he said, and she shook it off, muttering under her breath something about him forgetting to notice her when Katy was around. Her words pierced him, but he knew she was hurt, and he wasn't going to downplay that by mentioning his own feelings. "I just wish you would have told me," he said softly.

She nodded. "It wasn't very often… and he always apologized right after," she rationalized, and he looked over at her.

"It's still not okay."

He stared at her for a moment, until she nodded, her voice quiet. "I guess I just thought maybe I deserved it." Her eyes immediately returned to the window, and she stared out of it for a long time. He watched her, unsure what to do before he put his hand over hers on the seat, his voice strong and sure.

"You didn't deserve it," he replied, and he saw her head bob, and he knew she understood. He swallowed and started the car again, driving toward the lake. They were both silently lost in their own thoughts for most of the ride. "We can talk about it, if you want to," he said softly, sure that his words would be lost in the air.

They were for a moment, and he could hear her lips part a few times before she shakily said, "Okay." He sighed and looked over at her, but she wasn't looking at him, she was just looking at her hands, playing nervously with her fingers. "It started like a week after you started dating Katy. I don't know why he picked then, but I guess I came home from the office that night and I was tired and I didn't want to…" She trailed off, looking at him and then at the glove box, "You know… and he did, obviously." He smiled lightly, before realizing that a smile in this case wouldn't help her open up, at which he abruptly stopped.

He reached over and touched her hand, and she recoiled a bit before letting him touch her. "I mean, he's always been kind of verbally abusive, though he thinks it's just joking," she said, "but he never hit me or anything before, and I really didn't think he'd do it. I used to think that if he didn't do it drunk he wouldn't do it sober." Jim nodded, and she let out a breath, shakily, and continued, "And so we started fighting because he wanted that and I just wanted to sit there and watch a movie and fall asleep, and then our fight escalated into more and we stared yelling about the dishwasher and the trash and my art and… our friends," Jim winced. She stopped for a moment, before looking up at him again, "are you sure you want to hear this?"

He nodded, "yes."

She bit her lip. "It might be a little painful?"

"It already is, but I want to know," he replied, and she nodded.

"Well, he started asking me all of these penetrating questions about me and you, and if we'd ever done anything… or you know… And he asked me what I thought about you and I told him…" She looked down at her kneecaps, "that you were my best friend and that I was really thankful to have you and… you know… and he…" Her face scrunched in anger, "he grabbed my arm and then he slapped me across the face and… well, then he apologized…"

Jim let out a steady breath, squeezing her hand. "I… I'm really sorry," he said, and she looked up at him, nodding, as they reached a red light. He looked over at her, "Thank you for telling me," he said softly. "I know it was difficult for you."

She nodded. "I wanted you to know… I just didn't know how…"

"I know," he said, and she smiled softly.

"I think it was maybe nine or ten times after that… Really sporadic, at first. More so in the last few weeks," she said, and her voice had changed, almost to an apathetic tone. "I guess once you start it's hard to stop… Like Pringles."

He laughed lightly, and she smiled, letting a comfortable silence surround them for a few moments. "Hey, thanks for listening," she said, smiling up at him.

He nodded. "I'm sorry I wasn't listening earlier."

She laughed, "Well, I couldn't blame you. Katy's hot."

"She's alright," he smiled, pulling up next to a tree and parking. He started whistling, before singing in a soft voice, Let's go fly a kite…Up to the highest height… She joined in, laughing, Let's go fly a kite, and send it soaring… He stopped singing, letting her belt out the next phrase in her soft, beautiful voice, Up through the atmosphere, up where the air is clear before joining with her for the final parts, Oh, let's go fly a kite! Let's go fly a kite!

She giggled next to him, "Mary? Mary Poppins?" she asked in an English voice, and he laughed, as they both got out of the car. She carried the kite out to the fields, and he followed her. "I've never flown a kite before," she said, "is it hard?"

"That's what she said," he replied, and she giggled into her hand. "It can be a little tricky, but luckily you have an expert with you to help." She smiled, rolling her eyes. "You've got to hang on to this part really tight, okay?" he asked, playing with string of the kite. "If you don't the kite will fly away and that will make for a very boring date."

She smiled. "Okay, hold on to that thingy, got it."

"Then you just run fast. The hardest part is to get it off the ground, once you do that, you can just kinda walk around a bit or whatever."

She nodded. "How do I get it off the ground?"

"You run real fast," he repeated, and she turned red, laughing.

"Oh, okay…" She said, as he unwrapped the plastic around the kite.

"You're all set. Just start running as fast as you can," he said, patting her lightly. She grinned, taking off down the stretch of grass. The kite bounced behind her, barely getting up off the ground. "Move your arm up!" he yelled at her, and she stopped running and turned around.

"What?" she asked, and he covered his face and laughed. Oh man.

"Well, first of all, you need to start running again," he said, and she laughed, biting her lip and taking off again, "Now, keep running, but lift your arm up in the air a little more," he said, and she did so, making the kite fly off the ground and into the air. She looked above her and saw it, and automatically stopped running, and he laughed, running over to her, trying to catch her before the kite hit the ground again.

It was faltering up in the air, coming down slowly, and he could see she was confused as he grabbed her hand and pushed her forward, running with her and watching the kite soar back up into the sky. She stopped for a second, but he kept pulling her, "you can't stop until it's all the way in the sky," he said, and she nodded, running again.

"I'm not a good kite flyer," she said when they'd stopped, as she watched the kite in the clouds.

"Sure you are," he replied, "I'm just not a very good teacher."

"Well, that is true," she replied, and he laughed. They were silent for a moment, before she started chuckling next to him.

"What's so funny?" he asked, staring at her, laughing.

"I never told you how your dare went!" her eyes were wide, and he stared at her for a moment before his jaw dropped.

"Oh my god! Spill, Beesly! Now!" he said, laughing.

"Hey Dwight, whatcha doin'?" she asked, hoisting herself up on the edge of his desk..

"Just figuring out the coordinates to the time continuum mentioned in The Last Mimzy. Now, if you would please go back to whatever you were doing, I would be glad. Thank you." He replied.

She crossed one leg over the other, causing her skirt to hitch up slightly. "But Dwight, I…" she trailed off seductively, and he looked down, averting his eyes quickly, and then looked over to accounting quickly to make sure Angela wasn't looking. She ran her fingers over his desk lazily.

"What are you doing, Pam?" he asked, whispering in a low voice.

She stuttered lightly, moving her leg up farther, "I… It's been a long time, Dwight… I just…"

"Pam, I have a girlfriend… Oh my god." His face was half-terrified, half-delighted as he quickly looked down at her legs, then back up again.

She leaned into his ear and whispered, "I won't tell if you don't tell."

"What about Jim?"

"I'm not with Jim," she said, curtly. "I want to be with you, Dwight."

"But, I have a girlfriend and I love her," he said, shaking his head and putting it in his hands. "If only you had come to me with this information two years ago."

"I would give…" she said, running her hand over his arm and licking her lips, "anything." He quickly looked around, pale and sweaty as she bit her lip slightly, taking a look at Kelly and winking.

"Excuse me," he said, jumping out of his seat and running toward the bathroom, nearly knocking her off the desk. She giggled, watching as Kevin rose out of his seat, meeting Dwight outside of the bathroom.

"Niiiiiiiice," she heard him say, giving Dwight a fist-pound, "You should totally hit that. I bet it's awesome," and with that, she picked up her coat and purse and headed home.

"Oh my god, Beesly, you scored!" he said, a grin evident on his face. "Where was I?" He asked, his mind reeling with how perfect she was.

"It was that day everyone in sales, other than Dwight, had to go to that conference or whatever it was," she grinned. "Friday, I think." Oh God, worst day of my life.

"So, did he ever hit that?" he asked, laughing. She stuck out her tongue at him, lightly. "Next, I think you'll have to hit on Angela. Make it even." He gagged, and she chuckled, moving a bit so the kite could still fly.

"Well, I have heard the uptight Christian bitch is the one to chase," he said, and not even before it was completely out of his mouth he regretted it. She was silent next to him, watching the kite flying in the air with an intensity he hadn't seen on her face in a long time. "I'm sorry," he apologized, turning to her. She nodded, staring up at the kite, moving her hand in a pattern to keep it flying. He sighed, "look at me…"

He kept staring at her as she looked up in the sky, seemingly resolved to avoid his gaze. Finally, after he'd stared at her for what felt like hours, she turned toward him, glaring—a mix of anger and hurt in her eyes. It killed him to know that he'd put it there. "I really am sorry, Pam." He said, and she just nodded, looking down at her shoes. He groaned. He hated it when she did that.

"Look at me, not your shoes," he said softly, and after a moment of hesitation, she met his gaze. "I'd pick you over her any day."

She was staring at him, watching him with some sort of strange expression on her face, before her words came out monotonous and unfeeling, "But would you do me before you'd do her?"

He stared back at her, matching her even tone, "I'd do you before I did Kevin."

She clenched her teeth together, and he knew they'd just resolved it. She was trying to hold back her laughter, but he wasn't having any of it. He made his funny face and she cracked a smile, before letting little pieces of laughter flutter in the air. He smiled and winked at her as the kite came crashing down next to them.


"Okay, Pam, you have to promise to keep an open mind about where we're going," he said, and she looked at him funny.

"Oh, God, we're not going Banana Slings, are we?" she asked, her face white.

"Yeah. I'm going to take you to Banana Slings on our K date," he said, rolling his eyes. "Get real, Pam. Banana starts with B, or haven't you been talking to Kelly recently?"

She smiled, "This day is Bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S, I know… But it could have been k is for kinky or something?" she trailed off.

He laughed. "K is only for kinky if you want it to be," he replied and her eyes went wide as she brought her knees up to her chest. He smiled, "We're not going to a strip club."

"Hooters?" she asked, recognizing the street they were on and groaning.

"Nope, too expensive for me," he said, and she laughed. "We'll play a game to see if you can guess it."

"Oh brother."

"I'm not your brother," he replied, "You have 20 yes or no questions to see if you can figure out where we're going."

"Is it a public place?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Do they serve food there?"

"Maybe if you paid for it." She rolled her eyes, laughing lightly.

"What kind of food?"

"Yes."

"What?"

"You only have 16 questions left." She pouted.

"Umm… Would Michael go there?"

"Absolutely." She grimaced.

"Are there…" she stopped, pondering her word choice. "Lady performers?"

"Yes." Her eyes went wide. Wow. That was a great setup.

"Do the performers dance?" One eyebrow arched in suspicion.

"Some do." She looked like she wanted to throw up. "You only have 12 questions left."

"Why would I ever want to go to a strip club?" she blurted out.

"No."

"Huh?"

"Yes or no answers only. 10 left."

"Is there alcohol?"

"Yes."

"Thank god," she replied. "Do you have to tip the performers?"

"Nope," he replied, and her face visibly relaxed.

"Are the performers wearing clothes?"

"Under most conditions."

"Would Angela condemn us to hell for going?"

Jim stopped, thinking about her question. "I'm not completely sure, but yes. Definitely. 5 left."

"Are there beets involved?"

"If not, wouldn't we just go home?" He laughed. She joined in, rolling her eyes.

"Does it start with K?"

"Yes."

"Kiss factory?"

"No."

"Karaoke?"

"Yes! That's it!" he said, grinning.

"Are you kidding me?" she asked, groaning slightly. He laughed, pulling into the parking lot. He took her hand, leading her inside as they sat at a circular table, somewhat near the front of the stage. She was looking at the ground the whole time, and he chuckled lightly as they sat down next to each other so they could both see the stage. There was a leggy blonde performing a teeny bopper song up at the front, but all he could hear was Pam whispering over and over again, "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you." He chuckled and raised a finger at the waiter.

She came over to them, her shorts close to riding up her butt, a halter top that barely kept anything in, and her hair done up in one of those fancy chopsticks. She was chewing gum, or rather, smacking her gum, and she had a slight accent. "What can I get ya?" She rolled her eyes.

He gestured toward Pam, "What would you like?"

"Umm, a water," she replied, "with Lemon."

"Nope," he said, shaking his head at her.

"What?"

"Get a drink. Nobody orders water at a bar," he replied. She sighed.

"I'll have a light beer." He grinned, before turning to the waitress and ordering a regular. She crossed her arms across her chest, obviously trying to show him how much of a bad time she intended on having at the karaoke bar.

"Okay, spoil sport, what's the problem?" he asked, looking at her.

"I just don't like bars…." She said, watching the performer above, "or karaoke, really."

"Well you've just never been to one with me, that's all," he said, and she rolled her eyes. "Okay, listen here, missy," she turned to look at him, her eyes daring him to go on. "You're going to drink your beers and quit the water charade," she raised her eyebrows and opened her mouth to protest, "you're going to smile like you actually want to be here with me," her face relaxed a bit, her eyes getting softer in expression, "and I promise, if you don't have any fun, we'll go and I'll never take you back here again."

She sighed as the beer landed in front of her. "Fine."

He grinned, "and by the way, what are you doing ordering Light?" She blushed, looking down at the table and took a sip of her beer. "So," he said, leaning in toward her, "Where do you think this girl got her clothes?" he pointed to a girl with a halter top made out of Winnie the Pooh fabric and a bright pink skirt.

"Um, grandma's closet," Pam replied, taking another sip of her beer and laughing. He grinned, "Oh, what about this contraption over here," she asked, pointing at a woman who was wearing knee high boots with a miniskirt and stockings, along with a sweatshirt from the Bahamas. "I guess she just wanted to dress up the bottom half?"

He laughed, rolling his eyes at her as they sipped on their beers. They'd each had two beers or so before she looked over at him, "Jim, can I ask you a question?"

"Yes?" he asked, smiling at her.

"Umm, nevermind," she said, quickly looking down and taking a gulp of her beer.

"No, what?" he asked.

"Why did you ask about Roy earlier?" she asked, and he took a deep breath. Crap, what do I tell her? I want to be honest with her, but I want to protect her too. I want to be honest with her.

"I ran into him this morning," he replied matter-of-factly, and she looked down at her drink, fingering the handle of the mug.

"What did he say?" she asked.

He sighed, rubbing her back lightly, "just that he used to have to force you to do things, sometimes…"

She nodded lightly, staring at her beer before she downed the entire mug. She looked at him, anger in her eyes, "He said that? Just broadcasted it to you?"

Jim winced. "Uhm, yeah…"

"Why did you even talk to him?" she asked angrily, and he sighed.

"I didn't mean to… I was looking at the kites, and I saw him, and he saw me and said hi before I could get away. I couldn't just run off down the aisle."

"Sure you could have," she replied, laughing bitterly. "Was he with her?"

"Pam," he warned. She looked up at him, her eyes hurt and angry. "I'm not answering all of these questions."

"Why not?" she asked, and he could tell she was pissed.

"Because! I don't want you to drive yourself crazy over him. He's an ass, and you deserve better than him." She shook her head lightly, as the waitress brought her another beer. "You do, Pam. I don't know why you can't see that," he said, his voice stern.

She was silent for a moment, before she looked up at him, weak and pale. "Why are you mad at me?" she asked softly, and he looked over at her, before sighing and shaking his head, running his fingers through his hair.

"I'm not mad. I'm just sick of you downplaying who you are and how amazing you are," he said, and she looked away, tears in the corner of her eyes.

"You don't have to try and fix me, you know," she said softly, staring at her drink.

"I'm not," he replied, and she took a sip next to him. "I'm just trying to show you that you're worth fixing." She sighed.

"I'm hungry," she said, and he knew whatever fight they'd just had was over, as quick as it had began.

"What do you want to eat?" he asked, handing her a menu. She smiled, taking it from him and looking it over.

"Um, can I just get loaded fries?" She asked, and he looked at her, laughing.

"Of course," he said, and she smiled, biting her lip softly. He reached over and squeezed her shoulder softly, "Hey."

She turned to look at him and nodded, "I'm sorry too." He smiled at her and she smiled back, before flagging down the waitress and ordering an order of fries. "Can I ask you one more question?" she asked, timidly, and he looked over at her, knowing that for some reason this was a question she desperately needed to ask. It calmed him somewhat, and he resolved to answer her as honestly as he possibly could. He knew it would be a tough question, whatever it was, and no matter how painful it might be, he promised himself he would tell her the truth exactly as he saw it, regardless of how it would hurt her. He knew she deserved that. He kicked himself for ever wanting to protect her over being honest with her. After all, wasn't that what Roy had always done? Protected her over being honest with her? Without honesty, it had meant nothing.

He nodded, "anything."

She concentrated on his shirt for a moment, and he could tell she was wondering how to phrase her question. She opened her mouth once, and then closed it, before finally asking, "Why do you think Roy cheated?"

His eyes went wide and his face moved back slightly at the question, not necessarily out of shock at the content of her question, but more that she'd even asked it. She was becoming more and more bold, and he wasn't sure if it was because she was becoming more comfortable with him, or if it was because of the alcohol, but he was glad she was letting her guard down. He looked over at her, blinking a few times, and she was looking back at him, waiting for his answer.

"I really, honestly have no idea," he replied, and her eyes clouded over lightly. "I'm not saying that to spare your feelings," he said quickly, and she looked at him, confused.

"You're not?" she asked.

"No, I'm saying that because I truly have no idea why anyone would ever cheat on you," he said, and she smiled lightly. "The best explanation I can come up with is that he's a prick." She giggled lightly, and he smiled.

"Promise?" she smiled, and he nodded.

"Promise." They both reached in for some fries and their hands collided as they laughed, pulling at the same fry. They both let go, laughing, before she finally picked it up and plopped it in her mouth.

"Mine," she said grinning. He laughed, and the music overhead faded as the drunk duo performing stepped off the stage. Her eyes twinkled she looked at the empty stage, then back to him, then back at the stage again. "Come on!" she said, grabbing his hand, and his eyes went wide as he trailed after her, trying hard to swallow the french fry that was in his mouth. Before he knew it, they were both on stage and she was staring at him with wide, fearful eyes. "It's not as exciting now…" she trailed off, and he laughed, looking at her.

"You can do it," he replied, grabbing a microphone. "You're pretty enough nobody will even care how you sound." She laughed, and he smiled, whispering to her softly, "so shut up and go with it."

She grinned, looking at the screen as the words popped up, and he groaned. "You've got to be kidding me!" he said, into the microphone as the place erupted with laugher. She just grinned, patting his back lightly as the first verse appeared on the screen. Hush, just stop… There's nothing you can do or say, baby. He sang, and she smiled, watching him, and he could tell she was nervous. She started singing a bit shakily I've had enough, I'm not your property as from today, baby. He joined in with her, You might think that I won't make in on my own, but now I'm stronger than yesterday, now it's nothing but my way. He stopped singing, letting her finish the chorus in a strong voice, My loneliness ain't killing me no more, I am stronger.

He laughed, and spoke into his microphone, "I can't believe she's making me sing Britney Spears."

She laughed, lightly, "I can't believe you know all the words!"

He turned red, singing into the microphone again, Than I ever thought I could be, baby, I used to go with the flow, didn't really care about me. He stopped singing to let her finish, and about half way into where the next line was supposed to start, she jumped, startled, "Oh! Whoops!" and began singing again. Cause now I'm stronger than yesterday, now it's nothing but my way… He joined in, putting on a fake falsetto voice, My loneliness ain't killing me no more, I am stronger…

He kept the falsetto voice through all of the ooh's and oh's, causing her to double over in laughter, unable to keep from giggling into the microphone. The whole bar was laughing at her, which only served to make her laugh harder. He read the next verse on the screen, a verse about being better off alone, but realized there was no way she'd be singing it, as her giggles had only escalated into the kind that came out of a three-year-old's mouth after thirty seconds of tickling. He rolled his eyes, laughing as she straightened up just in time to sing the last verse, giggles coming through until the only part you could really understand was stronger over and over again.

The music stopped and she laughed as everyone laughed with them, pulling his hand back to their seat. He stared at her, a lopsided grin. "You just had to pick Britney, didn't you?"

"I know you're a closet fan," she smiled, taking a few more bites of her fries. "I'm ready now."

He laughed and stood up, leading her out of the restaurant. She ran to the car, giggling and he unlocked it quickly. "Are you drunk?"

"Mmmm," she replied, opening the door and getting in with ease, "Just a little bit tipsy, is all."

He smiled, "Well, let's get you home."

"Let's," she said, turning on the CD player to listen to her CD some more. He laughed as she sang along quietly with the words. He noticed how beautiful her voice sounded, light and breathy. He drove down the dark streets, a little slower than he normally did, wanting to hang on to the moment forever, the sound of her voice nearly lulling him to sleep. He got back to her apartment, too soon in his opinion, and walked her up the stairs to her apartment. She smiled at him and opened the door.

"Oh! Wait!" he said, and she looked at him for a minute as he raced down the stairs. He came back up a moment later and handed her the Dora kite. She laughed softly.

"Thanks," she said, as he handed her a bag of Hershey's kisses. "Mmm yummy!" she said, smiling. He smiled back, winking at her as she opened the bag. "Kiss?"

"Yes, please." He said, taking one from her as she chewed hers. "Oh, I forgot to tell you. Next week our date's going to have to be a little short."

"What? Why?" she said, and he was at least somewhat happy to see she was genuinely upset about it.

"I'm going to Grandma's, remember?" She laughed, pouting.

"Jealousy overcomes me," she said, and he laughed. "No, but really, it does. I love Grandma."

"Well, maybe we'll go see her again, sometime," he said, and she smiled, grinning. "Anyway, I'm going to have to leave here by about 2. Is that okay with you?"

She bit her lip, pretending to scratch her head, as she shut the door. "I guess so, but you better woo the hell out of me, Halpert."


So, not as UMPH as the last chapter, but, still a bit more into Pam and her healing... The next chapter is happier, I promise. And written, so when you hit my review quota, I'll send it your way.