Par-tay in da house!

Looking at his watch, Jim noticed he had just thirty minutes before guests started arriving. Setting a diapered Ellie down on the floor of her bedroom, he opened her overflowing closet. "You have far too many clothes for such a tiny person," he smirked as he rifled through the dozens of dresses and onsies in front of him. Ever since his mom found out he was having a little girl, she began stocking up on "the essentials," which included endless amounts of clothes in an endless array of colours.

"So, which will it be, Peanut? The white dress with the birthday cake on the front, which is pretty fitting seeing as it iis/iyourbirthday," he grinned, "or this little… aqua number?" He asked, holding both dresses up in front of her. Ellie looked up and bounced on her bottom as she clapped her hands, earning him one of his favourite gummy smiles.

Crouching down beside her, he nodded his head, "Hmm, I agree. The white one will just get dirty, and this dress is much… snazzier." He laughed at himself, what was he even talking about? Ellie stared at him enraptured, she enjoyed hearing his voice, the way his tone rose and fell. She may not be able to understand what he was saying, or even hear the words clearly, but the sound of his voice and his inflection was quite obviously soothing to her.

"Let's get you dressed then, Sweet Pea, before Grandma gets here and yells at me for not having you ready in time." Pulling Ellie towards him, Jim sat on the floor, crossing his legs beneath him. "Arms up," he instructed, tickling her sides so that she'd raise her chubby arms in the air. With the expediency of long practise it wasn't long before Jim had the birthday girl ready and was able to announce to her, "There we go, all done." Turning her around in his arms, he smothered her in kisses, inhaling deeply, delighting in the familiar and oh-so special scent of his baby girl. A delicious mix of Johnson's shampoo and baby powder, a scent he knows will live with him for the rest of his life. "Good thing Pam's getting here first, huh? She'll make your hair look extra pretty. Do you remember the last time Grandma tried to do it for you?" he asked, running his fingers through the wisps of soft curly hair. "You looked like one of those little troll dolls, and we don't want that today, do we?"

XxXxXxX

While Jim was putting the finishing touches to the party room, Pam called, and let him know she'd be a little late, which thankfully gave him enough time to finish setting things up in the living room. He placed a bowl of chips on the coffee table, and hung a 'Happy Birthday' banner on the wall. "You excited about seeing everyone, boogerbear?" he asked, turning around, chuckling at the guilty expression written across his daughter's face. "I think somebody has been stealing food while daddy wasn't looking, huh?" Kneeling down, he pulled a tissue out of his pocket and wiped the smooshed Cheeto from her around mouth.

Ellie grinned as she pushed her soggy half eaten Cheeto in to Jim's mouth. "Daaaaaa."

"Mmm, yummy and look at that, Daddy doesn't even have to chew it himself."

Just as he pulled the excited little girl into his arms, the doorbell rang. Ellie clapped her hands and kicked her feet excitedly against his stomach. Jim cherished the face she made whenever the doorbell rang; it was one of the first sounds she ever reacted to after her hearing aid was fitted. Her mouth would pop open in surprise, as if the most exciting thing in the world had just happened.

Opening the door, they were greeted by his brother Tom, his wife Marci and their daughter Vanessa.

As soon as Tom walked in, he took Ellie from Jim's arms, smothering her in kisses.

"Cute dress, who are you wearing?"

Jim pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and brought it up to his mouth, using it as a microphone. "Well, Tom. Thanks for asking. She's rocking a selection from Gymboree's, spring/summer collection."

Shaking his head, Tom let out a chuckle as he made his way in to the living room. "Big day today, huh?" He asked, flopping himself onto the couch. It always fascinated Jim to watch his brothers interact with his daughter. They could be such assholes to him sometimes, but the way they doted on Ellie… it confirmed what he already knew. That coming home to Scranton was one of the best things he could have done for his daughter… and for himself.

"So, where's iPam/i?" Marci asked as she took a seat next to Tom.

Jim could feel his face beginning to grow warmer. This was great. He hadn't even introduced her to his family yet, and already he was acting like a nervous teen bringing home his prom-date.

"She'll be here soon, just… Tom, promise me you wont be a jerk?"

"Hey!"

"iPromise/ime."

Tom laughed and thumped his fist against his heart, "I'm wounded, Jimmy. That really hurt man."

"Don't worry, hun. I won't let him say anything to embarrass you."

"Thanks, Marci."

"Not in front of the girl you iloooove/i."

Tom snorted. "Oh, BOOM! Good one, babe," he grinned, high fiving his wife.

He looked down, asking his niece, who had curled her arms around him in a big bear hug. "I hope at least you're on my side, Nessa?"

"Uh, huh," she grinned looking up at him, the adoration for her uncle evidently clear in the way she looks up at him.

Before they could say anything more the doorbell rang again. Ellie climbed out of her uncle's lap and crawled after Jim.

"Hey, mom."

"Hi, sweetheart. Dad will be here soon, he's stuck in traffic" his mom grinned, patting him on the cheek as she walked past him, scooping Ellie into one arm and wrapping her other around Vanessa. "My two favourite girls."

"Hi to you too, mom."

"Sorry, hello, darling," giving him a quick kiss, she continued, "but it's not iyour/i birthday today, is it? It's little Miss Ellie's," she cooed. Are you excited to be spending the night with Grandma? We're going to have lots of fun, aren't we? We know Daddy is going to be having lots of fun tonight too, aren't you darling?"

"Mom. Stop…" He warned.

"Oh, come on. I'm just teasing you," she said, smiling sheepishly.

He followed everyone back in to the living room, and just as he was about to sit down, the doorbell chimed again.

"This has to be Pam," Jim grinned, spotting her car parked outside and made his way towards the door.

"What? She doesn't have her own key yet?" teased Tom, clearly enjoying how uncomfortable he made Jim.

Leaning over Marci, Larissa slapped her son's hand. "Tom, stop it."

As he opened the door, Jim was assaulted by a ridiculously large bunch of pink and yellow balloons.

"Pam?"

"Hey." He could hear her but couldn't see her.

"Uh, would you like some help?" he laughed, gesturing to the handful of balloons and presents that she was currently balancing precariously in her arms. Without waiting for an answer, he took the gifts from her. "Come on, come in. People are already here." He could tell she was just as anxious as he was about her meeting his family; the lip biting was kind of giving her away.

He placed the presents on the hall table, and led her in to the living room to meet everyone. As soon as Ellie saw who it was, she practically catapulted herself out of Larissa's grasp and crawled across to Pam at lightening speed, babbling loudly with excitement. Larissa's eyes widened in surprise; Ellie was normally a grandmother's girl.

Pam handed the balloons to Jim and knelt down, ready to catch Ellie as she threw herself in to her arms. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see everybody watching them closely. His mom's expression worried him; he couldn't tell if it was surprise or offence. Pam managed a smile looking as though she felt incredibly out-of-place. Seeing her hesitation, an emotion Jim couldn't describe washed over him.

Ellie reached up and touched her hand to Pam's curls, interrupting the self-conscious look upon her face.

"Hi Birthday girl," she whispered, standing up with Ellie snuggled in her arms. "Um, hey...everyone." Pam waved timidly to the room full of people.

"Daaaaaa! Ooooooh!" squealed Ellie, pointing to the balloons in Jim's hand.

He cupped his hands in front of his mouth, moving them in an outward circular motion, with his palms facing in. "You like the balloons?" He asked, letting them go, so they floated up towards the ceiling.

She reached out, opening and closing her hand.

Reaching up, Jim pulled one of the balloons down and tapped it gently against Ellie's head, causing her to giggle.

"Is that funny?" he asked.

Ellie raised her hands and pointed her fingertips against each other.

"More? That means more, right?" Pam asked, excitedly. She was slowly picking up some of the signs Ellie used, and it always thrilled her when she got one right.

"Yep. You're right. She wants me to do it again." Jim smiled proudly, as he rubbed the balloon over Ellie's hair, causing the static to make it stand on end.

Clearing his throat, Tom stood up and made his way over to shake Pam's hand.

"Seeing as Jim seems to have lost his manners and isn't doing it, I'll introduce myself. Hi. I'm Tom," he grinned. "The funnier and better looking Halpert brother. That's my wife Marci, and this little squirt is our daughter Vanessa."

"Hi, guys."

"And I'm Larissa," his mom added.

Jim's eyes bulged, warning his mom to not embarrass him. It's a look he'd not needed to do for a while, but he knew that she'd remember what it meant.

"It's lovely to ifinally/imeet you," she said, smiling sweetly at Pam.

He groaned inwardly knowing his mom had decided to play dumb for a while.

Watching her shift Ellie on her hip, he could sense, even from here, that Pam had started to relax a little. "You too."

Out of habit, Jim moved his hand towards his lips as if he was holding a glass and taking a sip. "So, uh, can I get anybody a drink?" he asked, trying desperately to move the conversation on to something less awkward.

XxXxXxX

It didn't take Pam long to settle in and feel comfortable. She sat herself down next to his mom, with Ellie nestled in her arms. Tom was doing a good job of not embarrassing him. His mom however was a different story. He should have known better, she always enjoyed tormenting them when they bought girls home as teenagers, she did it with both his brother and their wives, and when he first introduced her to Chloe. True to form, she wasted no time in asking about his and Pam's plans for the evening, which would have been perfectly fine, if she hadn't accompanied the question with a pantomime sized wink.

Over the next half an hour, the rest of the guests arrived. His dad, his brother, Pete and his wife, Ashley, along with their four year old son, Alex.

Sadly, once Pete arrived, Tom's behaviour deteriorated. The thing with his brothers was; they were ialmost/inormal when they were alone, but put them together and they behaved like hyperactive eleven year olds.

"So, Pam," Pete began during a lull in activity. "Jim tells me you're into art and stuff."

"Oh, yeah, I am." She smiled brightly.

Jim grinned watching her; one of the things he loved most about Pam was her sincere love of art. She was an artist through and through.

"Seriously?" Tom interjected. "Lizzy's into that crap too. Hope to God that Vanessa doesn't buy into all that creativity mumbo jumbo." He scoffed. "Can you believe parents actually pay for their kids to go to, like, art school or something? What a waste of money."

That emotion was back, that feeling Jim couldn't really describe, but it felt almost...protective.

"Pam has been taking art classes," he interrupted, teeth clenched. "She even went to Pratt's summer program last year..."

Pete laughed. "Well, I guess you might want to be a little concerned there, Jimmy."

"Yep," Tom nodded. "Now, I ain't sayin' she a gold digger..." he began to sing, Pete joining in with background noises.

"Alright, that's enough," Jim demanded, absolutely livid.

"No, Jim, its okay-" Pam shook her head, her eyes without the luster he saw earlier. "It's really no big deal," she continued quietly, smiling bravely. "I mean, I probably won't make any money with my art..."

"Pam." Jim stared at her intensely, trying to assure her somehow with his eyes.

"But, um, I'm not a..." Pam lowered her voice. "Gold digger, or whatever."

"Pam, you don't have to-" Jim lashed out at his brothers. "You guys need to stop. Right. Now."

"We were just joking around, geez," Tom noted, rolling his eyes. "Tough crowd."

"Sense of humor, people," Pete agreed, the two elbowing each other.

"Except it wasn't even remotely funny," Jim noted, reaching for Pam, placing his arm around her in a show of solidarity. "You're both assholes."

"It's okay, really," Pam promised, her eyes telling a different story.

"See, Jimmy? Pam can take it."

Pete gestured to Jim. "He never could take a joke."

Tom shook his head. "Alright, I'm getting some food. Leaving the lameo with no humero with his high-paying artist girlfriend."

"Lame," Pete agreed, the two walking off toward the kitchen.

"Pam," Jim turned to her, desperately. "I am iso/i sorry. They're like that, that's just how they are-"

"No, it's okay." Pam shrugged. "So, they don't like me, that's...fine." She bit her lip. "I think I might go."

"What?" Today was not supposed to go this way. "No, no, they like you. I promise. They've told me. They just pull this crap when they're together, please, you have to stay. Ellie's so excited."

"I just...I don't know..."

"Pam." He looked into her eyes. So beautiful. "I am iso/isorry. You're an amazing artist. They're just… well, assholes. Really. Please stay. We both really want you to stay."

"Hey, Pam," Pete interrupted the two of them, re-entering the living room with a young, studious looking woman. "This is the baby sis, Lizzy. She spends her money on paint and crayons too. It's a match made in heaven."

Pam smiled a little, and Jim felt himself relax. Perhaps his brother had actually realized the jerkiness of his ways.

"See?" he whispered to her. "Now you have to stay," and then louder, "This is my little sister, Lizzy. Lizzy, this is Pam."

"Hi," Lizzy said, shaking Pam's hand eagerly. "By the way, you can call me Liz," she laughed, looking up at her brothers and rolling her eyes.

Pam smiled warmly at Liz. Jim knew that she had spent years trying to convince people to stop calling her Pammy, so this sudden aversion to being called Lizzy gave the two women a simple yet heartfelt bond.

"Yeah, no one really calls me Lizzy anymore apart from these guys… Anyway, it's so great to meet you! Jim talks about you all the time."

He could feel the colour rising in his cheeks again. His sister meant well, but…

Pam's eyebrows shot up, "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. He told me you're a really talented artist, which is socool, because I love painting and stuff. I'd love to see some of your drawings some day." She told Pam earnestly.

Jim was watching them closely. Seeing Pam and Lizzy get along was a weight off his shoulders as her opinion meant a lot to him. Some people may think that that seemed strange, seeing as there are seven years between them, but they'd always been close and he always took her thoughts and views into account in many areas of his life. He should have been embarrassed that he'd been caught blatantly talking about Pam outside of the office, but he wasn't. Before he could think too much about it, his nephew tugged on his jeans.

"Uncle Jiiiiim! When is Ellie going to open the presents we gotted her?" Alex sing-songed, bouncing up to Jim as only a four-year old can.

"That's a good idea, buddy. Why don't we open them now?" Jim said, getting up and bringing all the gifts in to the living room.

Jim, Pam, Ellie and Alex all sat on the floor, while everyone else remained on the sofa. The fact that Pam hadn't thought twice about taking up a place on the floor was lost on no adult in the room, especially not the one who mattered most to him and his soft smile confirmed that.

First up, they, or rather, Jim, opened Tom and Marci's present.

Waving the box in front of her, he said, "Ohh, Ellie. What's this?"

"It's a Winnie the Pooh Sweet-dreams Lightshow." Marci explained. "It attaches to the side of the crib, and it reflects pictures of Pooh and his friends on to the ceiling."

"That's great guys. Thanks so much."

"It's also voice activated," Tom chipped in, "so when she wakes up in the morning and starts talking to herself, the pictures will start up again – could keep her entertained for hours."

Jim laughed, "Nice! Hopefully this will help me sleep in."

Next up was Pam's gift.

Sitting on her hands to stop herself from fidgeting, she laughed nervously, "I hope she likes it."

Ripping off the packaging, Jim grinned, "Wow, Pam. This… this is great!"

"Yeah?"

"Seriously!" He said, showing Ellie the little pink push wagon Pam had bought her.

"I thought it might help her start walking." Pam admitted.

Ellie bounced up and down eagerly as Jim sat her in the wagon; she placed her fists in front of her body and moved them around in circular motion as if she was driving a car.

Everyone laughed. "Yeah, it's kinda like a car." Jim explained, kissing her head tenderly as he pushed her back and forth between himself and Pam.

XxXxXxX

It was late, and Ellie was starting to get tired and the sugar rush from her birthday cake had begun to wear off. Most of the guests had already left- all that remained were his parents, and his brother Pete and his family.

Pam cradled a sleepy Ellie in her arms, while Jim checked she had everything she could possibly need in her overnight bag. "Pacifier – check, blankie – check, Rawr – check, spare batteries – check…"

Larissa smiled as she walked over and stopped Jim from rifling through the bag. "Sweetheart, I'll have her back home by lunchtime tomorrow. You've already packed everything she needs."

"I know. I guess I'm just nervous." He admitted, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"All right, I think this is our cue to leave." Pete chuckled; scooping a sleeping Alex in to his arms. "Little brother, great party, man. Ellie, you're adorable as always, and Pam – it really was nice to meet you."

Jim watched the exchange between his brother and his girlfriend – he knew that his brothers only made fun of people they liked, so as awkward and unnecessary as they were earlier, he felt comfortable in the knowledge that they'd accepted her.

"Thanks guys. It was great meeting you too," she beamed, already feeling as though she'd been accepted in to this close knit family.

Ashley stood up and walked over to Pam. "You guys need to drive up and see us one weekend," she smiled, running her hand gently over Ellie's back. "It's just… really great having Jim back, physically and, well... having our Jim back too." The genuine honesty Ashley conveyed shocked him. He knew his family had missed him living close by, but he'd been home for a while now, so to hear that they meant something more that just being present, well, it made a nice warm feeling settle someplace around his heart.

"That would be great."

"Mom, are you isure/iyou don't mind taking her?" Jim asked his mom nervously, as he handed the bag over to his dad.

"Jim. Do you realise how long I have been waiting for you to let this little one come and stay with me?" Larissa laughed, "It's my job as grandma to have my grandkids over – and to spoil them rotten. And until tonight, this is the first time you've let me take her."

"I know, but…she's never spent the night away before…" Jim explained worriedly as he bounced uneasily on the balls of his feet.

Walking over, she carefully lifted Ellie from Pam's arms. "She'll be fine." Larissa assured him, "Give her a kiss. We're leaving." She said, as she held the baby out in front of them both.

XxXxXxX

As soon as everybody had left, Jim and Pam stood in the hallway, facing each and smiling nervously. Why was he feeling so anxious about this evening? It's not like he's never had sex before… Wait…. Jesus, he was going to be having sex tonight… with Pam… correction, they were going to make love. Making love? Who was he? Carrie Bradshaw? He cringed inside himself. He had to get a grip and fast before this evening crashed and burned.

"Would you like a drink?" He offered.

Pam grinned as she closed the small distance between them and kissed him softly on the lips. "I'd absolutely love a drink."

"Take a seat in the living room; I'll be in, in a minute," he told her, as he all but ran in to the kitchen. He wiped his hands on his jeans, before pulling two beers from the refrigerator. He mentally head-slapped himself as he closed the door, realising he had just checked himself in the reflection. Unless he pulled himself together, and quickly, tonight was going to be a very long night. And not in the fun way...

To Be Continued...

I can't apologise enough for how long this has taken me to update. Thank you to all those wo have reviewed and got myass in to gear. I promise you it wont be that long until the next chapter. So-please do me a favour and leave a review. Let me know you're still reading, what you did or didn't like etc. Thanks :)And P.S - the next chapter gets steamy ;)