Hey everyone! I appreciate everyone who has been taking the time to read this. I'm having a hard time getting my formatting to transfer over here, so everything just comes out in one big blob and doesn't make sense during transitions- if anybody has any advice on how I can fix this I would appreciate it! Please leave reviews, comments, suggestions- it definitely keeps me motivated to write! Much appreciation! ~finallyfree2b


"So do you think Andy's going to get the diamond?" Pam asked me a few days later as she brought more newspaper into the living room.

I was back in Scranton helping Jim and Pam pack up their house. After the big Bernard family weekend, I decided to go back home. Andy was going on a job related trip to Michigan and wouldn't be back until Friday night. To be honest, I was a little glad to be by myself. It's not that I didn't love Andy and spending time with him, but we were together a lot recently, and we needed some time apart.

I bit my lip in thought as I grabbed a section of newspaper and began wrapping it around a picture frame.

"I don't know Pam, we've only been together a few weeks. I know that he and I have been moving a little fast, but there's a lot that we would have to discuss before going down that road."

"Like what?" She wrapped a framed photo of her and Jim's wedding day before putting it a cardboard box labeled 'Fragile- Living Room'.

"Well, clearly between us I would have to be the one to transfer. He has such a negative stigma about Scranton that there's no way he is going to leave Cornell. So, I would have to put my house up for sale, get a license to teach in New York as well as find a job."

We could both hear the lilt of frustration in my voice, and decided to take our topic of conversation a different route.

"I can't believe you guys are leaving in two days. I feel so gypped that I've lived here for nine years and never got the chance to know you guys until now." I sighed as I looked at a framed picture of Jim and Pam at a Dunder Mifflin company picnic. They looked adorable in their matching t-shirts and bright, happy smiles.

"Jim and I were just talking about that the other night! It would've been so nice to have another girlfriend to vent to when I was dealing with Roy and all the drama with Jim and Karen."

"That must have been a crappy time, especially having it filmed."

"I tried watching the doc, I got about four episodes in and stopped. I wasted a lot of time pining over Jim and not doing anything about it. I've never had a more bigger regret."

I stopped what I was doing and looked at her, immediately finding the double meaning in her words.

"What are you trying to tell me, Pam?" I asked cutely, with a shit eating grin.

Her smile was warm as she said, "All I'm saying is that life isn't long, and if this is what your heart is saying is the right thing, then you shouldn't let anything stop you. You obviously haven't let Andy's dad stopped you, and I've met that man- he's intense."

"That he is. But I was blessed with a mouth that sometimes can't stop."

"That's what she said!" Jim, who popped his head into the living room, and Pam said at the same time- almost excitedly.

I looked at them incredulously before busting up laughing, "What the hell was that?"

"That was Michael's big catchphrase at work. It became engrained in our brains over the years. It's more endearing now than it was then." Jim explained as he gave a wink to Pam and sat on the couch.

"How come Kate and I are doing all this packing?" Pam accused teasingly.

"Well I figured since the kids are with my parents for the night, we could take a break and go to Poor Richard's or something."

"That sounds alright to me, but I'm buying the first round." I said, giving them a good teacher look.

"Well, I'm not going to say no to that!" Jim nodded.

"Should we see if Dwight and Angela want to come?" Pam asked him, wrapping one more picture frame.

"I can text him," He agreed, slipping his phone from his pocket and typing quickly on the screen.

I heard my own phone chirp from the coffee table and grabbed it, knowing it would be Andy. It was going on six o'clock in the Central time zone, seven our time.

Hi sweetheart. Missing you a lot. Michigan is too far away. What are you up to?

I smiled and quickly typed a response:

It is too far away, I miss you too. I'm helping Pam and Jim pack up their house. We're going to Poor Richard's now, and they're trying to get Dwight and Angela to come with us.

Wow! I wish I were there, a drink and relaxing with the gang sounds amazing right now. It's kind of sexy that you're getting along with my friends so well.

I'm just kind of sexy no matter what, Mr. Bernard. And you'd do right to remember that!

Believe me, I count my lucky stars every day love.

Color rose in my cheeks at his response and I bit my lip habitually.

"Andy?" Pam asked me teasingly.

"Am I that transparent?" I replied, looking at her.

"Cling wrap transparent." Jim teased for his wife. "Dwight and Angela will meet us in an hour."

"So what is it that you see in Andy?" Angela asked me as she sipped on her tonic water and lime. We were snuggled together in a corner at the pub.

"What did you see in Andy?" I questioned back boldly with a grin. I was two gin and tonics in, and feeling more comfortable with the group than ever before.

We all shared a laugh before she answered, "I admit, I was trying to make Dwight jealous. It obviously worked. It's not one of my finer moments, but we've all moved past it. Andy has good qualities, they're probably better now than they were when he worked for Dunder Mifflin."

I liked Angela a lot, and I enjoyed her candor.

"He really does. There's just this unspoken attraction between us. He's very sweet, he's passionate about what truly matters to him…he's everything I've been looking for." I couldn't help the grin that graced my face.

"You've got it bad," Dwight commented before taking a swig from his bottle.

"From what I watched of the doc, so did you." I replied.

"Still do," He shrugged and then planted a soft kiss in Angela's hair.

The next morning, I decided to give the kitchen floor a good mopping. I had good ol' Sinatra playing from the TV again (because it made me think of the first night I was with Andy) and sang along. I had to admit, I was in a great mood.

As I was ringing out the mop over the bucket, I saw a figure walking up the sidewalk from the sliding door on the left. Assuming it was the mailman, I continued to mop near the garage door. When the doorbell rang, I immediately knew my assumption was wrong.

Carefully walking through the kitchen, I stopped to lower the volume on the TV before answering the door.

A woman with a short blonde haircut stood on the other side. She was dressed in a smart looking matching teal pantsuit.

"Hi, can I help you?" I asked politely.

"Are you Kate?" She asked, looking a little nervous.

"Yes, I am."

"My name is Ellen Bernard."

My jaw dropped open a bit. Holy shit…

"I'm Andy's mother."

It took me a minute to find my voice, and I embarrassingly stuttered a bit, "Um, M-Ms. Bernard, what a surprise. Please, come in and have a seat."

I moved out of the way and showed her to the grading couch.

"Can I get you something to drink? Water, coffee, tea?"

"No, thank you. I don't want to take up much of your time. I just wanted to speak to you in person and finally meet the woman who is making my son so happy."

I parked in the recliner by the television so that I could face her and crossed my legs politely.

"Well it's wonderful to finally meet you as well, Ms. Bernard."

"Please, call me Ellen. I have to thank you first off, Kate."

"Thank me?" I was a little confused.

"Nobody has stood up to Walter like that in his whole life, except maybe his parents. I have to say, part of me is a little jealous." She uncomfortably played with one of her earrings as it looked like her mind was going somewhere else than my living room.

"Andy showed me an episode of the documentary when everything…fell apart…I'm so very sorry."

She straightened her posture a little more and smiled, "It was for the best, really. I don't tell Andy this enough, but I was so grateful for what he did for me. Taking care of that mess, on top of his brother's…episode. He really is a wonderful son. I hate that I allowed Walter to run him over so much. I saw how much Andy craved his acceptance. I'm his mother and I just stood idly by all those years and did nothing." Her eyes began to get misty, and my heart broke for this woman.

I stood up and grabbed a tissue from the coffee table, moving to sit beside her on the couch as I handed it to her. She murmured her thanks as she dabbed her eyes.

"Ellen I hate to seem callus, but shouldn't you be saying all this to Andy?"

She nodded as she spoke, "I know I do. It's a little embarrassing to admit that you're afraid of making such a speech to your own child." She let out a half hearted chuckle.

"Andy loves you very much, I'm sure he'd be more than happy to have this heart to heart with you. He gets back from Michigan Friday evening, maybe you could get together with him Saturday?" I suggested. I couldn't help but feel like the teacher mediator.

"I like that idea. I like it a lot. Thank you, Kate. I'm so relieved that Andy has found someone so poised and wonderful as you. It's refreshing to see. He's been like a new man this past year, I'm so proud of him."

"You didn't like any of his other girlfriends?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

"Angela always acted like she had a stick up her ass, I wasn't very happy about that engagement. Thank God she had that affair and it ended! That Erin girl that he worked with was just ridiculous, I'll be honest. He had another girlfriend between dating Erin, her name was Jessica I believe. I liked her, mostly because she was somewhat normal and respectful. They were pretty serious, I really thought he was going to propose to her. That's when I gave him Walter's mother's engagement ring, just without the diamond."

My heart sunk a little in my stomach- so the ring had actually been for someone else once upon a time.

"Why no diamond?" I wondered.

"Because I didn't trust her completely." She answered candidly.

"Walt mentioned last weekend that you asked for the diamond back."

Ellen smiled brightly, "Yes, I did."

"How come?" I was on pins and needles, holding my breath without even realizing it.

"Because this time Andy's made the right choice. I trust you completely."

"Even before meeting me?" I wondered, my eyes taking a turn and getting wet.

She shrugged, "I didn't have to. You sticking up for my son was all I needed to hear. And now that I've met you, I know my decision was right."