They both must have rolled over in the night because Jim woke up with Pam lying right in front of him, facing him, and they had gone to sleep with their backs turned to each other. And, oh man, she was close. If Jim were to inch his head forward a bit, he could have kissed her.

She was deep asleep, and dreaming. He watched her eyelids flutter and listened to her breathing. Jim could have lay there for hours just counting her breaths.

The sight of Pam on the pillow next to him, illuminated by the early morning light that seeped in from under the curtains, was beautiful. He sighed.

After a while Jim silently lifted his head up to look at the digital clock sitting on the bedside table.

5:48 AM.

He wondered what had woken him up. Not that he minded being awake at this particular moment. Waking up with Pam right beside him, close enough to kiss, was something that he wished happened every night.

That thought brought back a memory …

It was sometime near noon when Pam had finally walked through the doors of Dunder Mifflin that day. Jim had been sitting at his desk all morning, itching to see her after the long weekend. He had a new prank to pull on Dwight and couldn't wait to run it by her.

She didn't show up at 9:10, the time she usually came in to work (Jim always noticed what time she arrived). And then she didn't come in at ten o'clock, or eleven, or 11:30 either.

At noon he finally heard the door open and she came trudging in. Pam had large bags under her eyes and she dragged her feet behind her exhaustedly. As Jim watched her set down her things she yawned widely.

He got up from his desk and walked over to reception, concerned.

"Are you okay?" Jim asked, leaning against the desk as usual.

"Um, yeah." She didn't look him in the eye as she sat down. Jim knew Pam, and he knew when she was upset.

"Right. I just wondered since you came in three ours late and it looks like you might pass out, right at your desk there, from lack of sleep." Jim popped a jellybean into his mouth and chewed it slowly.

"Ha ha, very funny." Pam sighed. "It's just that … Roy and I went up to the lake this weekend with this couple that we know. And in our cabin there's one king sized bed and another single bed. So our friends slept in the king-sized, Roy slept in the single and I slept on the floor." She yawned again. "And I got no sleep at all."

Jim frowned. The mention of Roy had this effect on him.

"Well, Beasley, I have something that will make you feel better …" he said, and turned just in time to see Dwight fall out of his desk chair. Jim had loosened the wheels on the chair during a morning meeting.

Pam's face cracked into a huge grin and she brought her hand up to her face as she tried to stifle a laugh. "Genius, Halpert."

Her eyes had locked with his, and Jim was happy for the whole day.

Ugh, just the thought of Roy making Pam sleep on the floor made his insides boil.

If Pam were Jim's girlfriend, he would have made a mattress out of blankets and spare pillows and slept with her on the floor, just so he could wake up next to her. He would have held her hand in his and lay close beside her to keep her warm. He would have kissed her on the cheek as she fell asleep. He would have …

"Jim."

Her voice was gentle, but he still nearly jumped out of the bed in alarm. How long had she been awake for? Oh no.

Jim stared at the woman next to him. Her eyes were closed, and her eyelids were still fluttering … dreaming. Wait, did Pam talk in her sleep?

"No, don't. Help Jim, not me … help him …" Pam murmured. She started to shiver, and Jim realized that she must be having a nightmare.

Part of him wanted to wake her up, and another wanted to wait and hear what she said. It did sound like she was dreaming of him … and he wondered if he often occupied Pam's dreams. He certainly dreamt of her often enough.

Pam whispered something in her sleep and rolled over. For a moment Jim was disappointed that he no longer could see her face, but then she scooted backwards a bit and pressed her back into his chest.

He couldn't help but notice how well she fit against him. She was still mumbling in her sleep. Jim was surprised that his heart hadn't woken her up by now, because it had moved up into his throat and was racing like crazy. He took a deep breath.

"I'm so cold, Jim … where is everyone? I can't see anything." Pam said, shivering. She scooted back even a bit more, trying to steal some of Jim's warmth. He smiled.

Jim very, very carefully wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. Her hair smelled like flowers.

"Shhh … it's okay." He whispered, and was the happiest person in the world, but also the saddest at the same time.

They lay like that for a while. Pam kept on mumbling in her sleep and Jim just held her tighter. It was something he had dreamed about for years. Her frame was so small against his, though they fit together perfectly; their legs entwined … his chin on her neck. It was almost perfect.

Jim's mouth was right next to Pam's ear. Slowly he took a breath in and whispered, very, very quietly, "Pam, I'm in love with you."

It felt good to say it, even though she couldn't hear it.

Just when he was about to doze off, he felt a change in her breathing and he knew she would wake up soon. The mumbling and shivering stopped. What would he say when she woke up and found him cuddling her?

Jim felt Pam shift in his arms, her hand moving around to cover his.

"Oh, Roy, thanks. You know how I hate those nightmares." Pam murmured, and moved out of Jim's arms and to the edge of the bed.