Summary: Jim tries to drown his sorrows after Pam discovers the truth. Clumsiness abounds, and Pam does something she never thought she would.


One Mistake After Another

She knew. There was nothing he could do about it now; he just needed to accept it. But it was so hard. He had no idea how he was going to face her on Monday.

But that would have to wait until Monday. What's done is done, and he just had to make the best of the situation. Which is why he had decided tonight to get plastered. He needed to forget everything. Normally Jim wasn't much of a drinker, but tonight was different. He had this intense pressure in his chest, like someone was standing on it. And he couldn't stand the feeling.

As he drank, he thought about Pam. He thought about when they had been on the booze cruise, and had stood out there on the deck. He had wished that she hadn't been wearing a coat so he could take off his own and give it to her. He imagined how adorable she'd look in it; how small and delicate she'd appear. He had wanted to tell her then and there how he felt, but she had shivered and the moment had passed. He sat down at the table and buried his head in his hands. It seemed as though the harder he tried not to think of her, the more he did. In elementary school, one of his friends had said to him, "If you think of what I tell you not to think of, I win. Now, whatever you do, don't think of purple elephants." Of course purple elephants had been all he could think of.

She was adorable. That was true. But she was so much more than that. It was her sense of humor. She always laughed at his jokes, but not in an obnoxious way, like some girls. She was sincere about it. And any time he cooked up one of his schemes, she was always quick to join in. It was like they were the same person. Then there was how caring she was. Even with someone as obnoxious and annoying as Michael, she couldn't help it. That's what was so wonderful about her. At the Dundies, when Michael had been so defeated and ready to give up, she had cheered him on and encouraged him to continue. She couldn't stand him, but she also couldn't stand the thought of him being upset.

He wanted to be with her so badly. It was killing him. He wanted to lie next to her at night and just sleep. He wanted to go out for dinners, and take walks in the evenings, and dance. He hated to dance. He wanted to stay up late and hold her while they watched Saturday Night Live. He imagined her with him, and it seemed so right.

And now she knew.

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Pam sat in her living room alone. She had taken a nap in the afternoon, and when she had awoken, she had discovered a note from Roy saying he'd gone out with his friends and wouldn't be back until late. She crossed her arms and glared angrily at the blank T.V. screen. Roy could be so irritating sometimes. Actually, lately he seemed to be getting even more irritating with each passing day. She didn't like to think about it, but when she did, she supposed it had something to do with the wedding date being set. As it approached, she started noticing more and more things about him that bothered her. And this was just the icing on the cake.

This morning she had told him that she thought it would be nice if they went out for dinner and a movie in the evening. He had agreed, reluctantly, and she had really been looking forward to it. It wasn't often that they went out anywhere and did anything. In fact, she couldn't even remember the last time they had had a date. Sometimes, he could just be so insensitive.

As she sat there on the couch, she thought about yesterday, and the whole fiasco with Jim. She had been so shocked when Phyllis had said her name, and even more shocked when it seemed everyone else agreed. She had looked at Jim, but he had refused to meet her gaze. When he had left, she had called after him, but he had just ignored her. She didn't want to make a big deal out of it, but this was something they needed to sort out. She didn't want things to be awkward between them, but at the same time she knew things could never be the same.

She thought that maybe she should call him. Apologize (though for what, she didn't know) or just assure him it wasn't a big deal. She was sure he was probably beating himself up about it. She reached for the phone, but hesitated. She hadn't ever really called him before. She realized she didn't even know his number. It wasn't programmed in her cell phone. It wasn't listed on the message board in the kitchen. She went into the kitchen and into her purse. Digging through it, she found her address book. Under H she saw Halpert, Jim- Dunder Mifflin. Under it she saw his number listed. She hesitated again. Maybe he would think it was weird that she was calling. Then again, things probably couldn't get any weirder between them. She punched the numbers in the phone and listened to the ring. She was about to hang up when she heard,

"He—hello? Hello?"

"Jim? Its Pam."

"Oh Pam! I was just, literally, just thinking of you! To what do I owe this immense pleasure?"

There was something strange about his voice. It was loud and boisterous, and very un-like Jim. She realized suddenly that he was drunk, and she suppressed a giggle.

"Jim—Jim are you okay? Are you—" she tried to ask him if he was drunk but he cut her off.

"You know, I am fiiiiiine. Just great. Couldn't be better. Feeling pretty fantastic as a matter of fact. Yup couldn't be—whoa!" Pam heard a loud crash, and some shattering glass. He must have dropped the phone because when he spoke he sounded far away. "Pam! Pam! Hang on. Are you there? I can't find the phone. I just had it but—oh there it is, hang on, I'm coming!" She heard him fumbling with the phone and couldn't help laughing. She had never seen Jim drunk, and it was hilarious.

"Jim are you there?" she called.

"Yep, sure am. I just dropped it, and then couldn't find it, you know. Hey Pam, does that ever happen to you? Have you ever lost the phone? I always lose mine when the battery's dead so then I can't call it to find it or anything!" he was yelling, and reminded her of a little kid. How adorable.

"Jim listen I was just calling—" she heard another loud crash. "Is Mark there?" she asked. She hoped he was because Jim seemed really drunk, and probably shouldn't be left to his own devices.

"Nope," he laughed, "No I'm here all by myself. He's out of town for a wedding. Or a meeting. Or something, you know, I can't remember what for."

It was against her better judgment, but all of a sudden she decided to go over there. He was too drunk to be alone; she could just imagine what had already been broken. He needed someone to look after him.

"Jim, listen I'm coming over, okay? I'll be right there." He didn't respond, and she heard another crash, followed by the dial tone. She didn't bother calling back, just grabbed her coat and went out the door. She didn't leave a note for Roy either, because frankly, she could care less.

As she drove, she thought about what she would say when she got to his door. It probably wouldn't matter what she said because from the way things sounded, he would be too drunk to notice. Still, she felt her stomach all in knots, and her palms were clammy. She scolded herself mentally for getting so worked up about nothing. It was only Jim. She had never been nervous around Jim. But she knew it was different. The fact that he was drunk didn't just erase all that had occurred yesterday. Hopefully though, it would make things a bit less awkward.

She pulled into his driveway and took a deep breath before heading up to the house. She knocked sharply on the door, and from behind it she heard a loud crash and some curses. After a few moments, the door was flung open to reveal a red-faced Jim.

"Pam!" he exclaimed and wrapped his arms around her in a tight bear hug.

"My goodness!" she exclaimed in a singsong voice, "Look at you! You are very…" her voice trailed off as she looked around the room. The place was trashed. Tables knocked over, papers everywhere. She couldn't believe that the entire mess was from him. It looked a band of wild toddlers had been left to their own devices.

"I kind of knocked some stuff over," he said sheepishly. He stumbled into the living room and collapsed on the couch. She followed him in and took off her coat. She set it on a chair and walked over to where he sat.

"I think I'm a little drunk," he said suddenly. She laughed and sat down next to him.

"I would agree," she replied with a smirk.

"You know, I don't drink much, but tonight was different because I was just so—" he stopped talking abruptly, as though he had suddenly remembered something. He let out a small "Oh…"

She coughed awkwardly, before saying in a cheery voice,

"You know what Jim? I think maybe we should get you into bed!" He shook his head and stood, stumbling across the room.

"But I'm not tired!" he whined. He crossed his arms like a petulant child and she couldn't help laughing. He might be a loud, clumsy drunk, but he was also the cutest drunk she had ever seen. When Roy was drunk, he was mean, ranting and raving about everything. Jim, on the other hand, was charming and funny. Someone she would like be drunk with.

She stood and crossed to him. She placed her hand on his back to guide him, and he threw his arm around her shoulders, leaning against her. She noticed how even when he was drunk he was careful not to put too much of his weight on her. It was one of those subtle, caring things Jim did that she liked so much about him.

Pam was laughing hysterically as they struggled up the stairs. Jim was telling some long-winded story about a time in high school when his friends had spiked his punch and he had gotten drunk out of his mind and jumped off the shed roof, breaking his leg. After much difficulty, they reached his room and she flicked on the light. Everything looked exactly as it had the last time she had been there.

She led him to his bed, and as he lay down and pulled the covers around him, he smiled broadly at her. She returned his smile, and said,

"Now you just go to sleep, and you'll feel better in a while."

"Oh Pam! You silly Pam!" He exclaimed. He paused, staring at her for a moment. "Thank you." He said quietly and his eyes fluttered shut. She smiled and turned off the light as she left the room. She went downstairs to the living room and placed her hands on her hips as she surveyed the disaster area. She thought about the drunken Jim, and smiled to herself. She figured she had nothing better to do so she began cleaning. She turned the tables back over, put the pillows back on the couch, and made stacks of the all the papers that littered the floor.

When the living room looked decent, she headed into the kitchen. The chairs were tipped over, and there was broken glass on the floor. On closer inspection she saw that the glass was from a picture frame. The picture was facedown, and she bent to pick it up. Her stomach flipped as she turned it over. It was a picture of the two of them and her teapot. It must have been taken at the Christmas party. Funny. She couldn't remember the picture being taken. She was slightly hurt as she cleaned up the broken glass. She hoped it had been an accident. She didn't want to think that perhaps he had broken it because he was angry with her.

Once the kitchen was cleaned up, she crept quietly upstairs to his room. She pushed the door open and peered inside. He was sound asleep, lying on his back with an arm flung above his head. She watched him for a few moments. His chest rose with every breath he took, and she suddenly felt very guilty staring at him. She turned and left the room, pausing outside the door to shake her head before returning downstairs.

She glanced at the clock. It was barely eleven. She figured she should probably go home, but she really didn't feel like it. She convinced herself that she needed to stay here, in case Jim needed something. She collapsed on the couch, falling asleep in minutes.

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When Jim awoke, his head was pounding. He opened his eyes and blinked rapidly. It was still dark out. He mumbled groggily and sat up, rubbing his eyes. He tried to think back to earlier that evening, but it was all very foggy. His stomach lurched suddenly, as he remembered Pam had been there. He groaned inwardly as he realized he must have made a fool of himself. He leapt out of bed and rushed downstairs. When he reached the living room, he saw she was asleep on the couch. He looked around. The living room was spotless, which was surprising because he knew he had left it trashed. He went into the kitchen and noticed that it too had been cleaned. He flicked on the light and squinted as his eyes adjusted. He glanced over to the table, and saw the picture of him and Pam. He had been staring at it when Pam called, and somehow he accidentally dropped it when he was talking to her. The picture frame had smashed, but he hadn't bothered to clean it up. She must have picked up the broken glass and seen the picture. As if the situation could get any worse. She must have thought he was obsessed with her.

What a mess he was in. Was it really only yesterday that Pam had realized he was in love with her and he had made a fool of himself? And now she was in his house, asleep on his couch. He looked at his watch and saw it was around 5:30. He should probably wake her up and give her a ride home. Roy was most likely worried about her.

He went into the living room, and stood over her for a moment, just watching her sleep. She looked so beautiful, with her cheeks flushed, and her hair falling in her face. He knelt down beside her and placed a hand on her arm.

"Hey. Pam," he whispered, "Hey, wake up." She sat up abruptly and gave a quiet yelp. "Hey its okay. You're okay. Its just me." She turned to look at him, and he thought it both sad and wonderful that her sleepy eyes were the best thing he had seen in some time. She smiled sleepily at him and yawned.

"Hey. How're you feeling?"

"Oh not so bad. Uh, it feels like someone tried to drive a nail through my skull, but you know, other than that I couldn't be better. A bit embarrassed, but…"

"Oh don't be. You are the cutest drunk I have ever seen." He was glad it was dark, because he felt his cheeks flush. He cleared his throat and stood as he spoke again.

"Listen, its around 5:30, do you need a ride home or anything?" She stood and shook her head.

"No, no, um I drove here." Of course she had. He was so stupid. How else would she have gotten here? As if Roy would have dropped her off.

He grabbed her coat and they stepped outside. Handing it to her, he said quietly,

"Hey can I ask you something?" She nodded, and he shifted uncomfortably before saying, "Why did you come over? I mean, not that I don't appreciate it, but you really didn't have to." She smiled at him.

"You took care of me when I was drunk. I had to return the favor, right?" She laughed, recalling the night at the Dundies.

"Well thanks. I really appreciate it. I'm sorry you had to clean up after me. I get really clumsy when I'm drunk."

"I noticed." She replied. She slipped her coat on and stood facing him. In the quiet hours of the morning, everything was still. His heart was beating so loud, he was sure she could hear it. He was sure everyone down the block could hear it. He tried looking at anything besides her. Eventually, though, his gaze fell on her. Everything was silent. He tried to look away, but couldn't. He couldn't take his eyes off her. And the way she was looking at him didn't help either.

It's strange how in the dark, stillness of the morning, things happen that wouldn't ordinarily happen in the brightness of the day. It was strange how Pam was stepping closer. Stranger still how it wasn't him moving forward; how it wasn't him that was reaching out. It was strange that she was so close to him he could count all the freckles on her nose.

And for the second time in his life, Jim kissed Pam. Their lips had barely touched though, when the strangest thing of all happened. Jim pulled away.

"Pam. No," he whispered. She was so close to him, he could feel her warm breath on his face.

He didn't get a chance to say anything else, however, because she backed away. The next thing he knew, she was driving down the street, away from his house.

Jim sighed and turned to go inside. There was definitely no way he could face her on Monday now.