A/N: Hey everyone, thanks so much for reading, I appreciate so much that you guys are enjoying the story. Here's the last chapter of day 3, day 4 will be back in Jim's POV. Happy Holidays!

If someone had asked me ten years ago where I'd be today, I would have told them I'd have a nice simple life, married to Roy, maybe a couple of kids. I always figured I would have been content with just that. I never expected that that perfect picture was less than ideal and that I would eventually pull away from my dream of mediocrity. I never thought my life would turn in a completely new and uncharted direction. I never thought I'd be pacing around this fountain waiting for a man that in only a few days had helped me see that there was so much more to life than I ever thought.

It had been only a few minutes since I had made my speech but if felt like hours while waiting for Jim. My anxiety rose as I made each circle around the fountain. But then the water streaming up and down so elegantly caught my attention and I stopped, mesmerized, watching the beauty.

It was a real possibility that Jim wouldn't show up, I told myself as I watched the water. But the important part was that I was able to move forward with my life, to push through even if I didn't know what the outcome would be. If someone asked me now where I'd be in ten years, I wouldn't know what to tell them. I didn't know what the future held but I was optimistic about it. Maybe Jim and I weren't ever supposed to be together but at least I took the chance and I won't ever regret that. And if nothing else, I was comforted by the fact that things were going to be just fine. Everything would be totally-

"Hey, Pam." My heart leapt into my throat as I turned my head to see Jim walking towards me. I don't know who I was kidding; I was absolutely thrilled to see him here and could hardly contain the giddy grin on my face to prove it. Jim came to my side, his hands in his pocket, his face placid. "I heard your speech," he said simply. "It was nice."

"Thank you." I grinned broader. "I, uh, meant everything I said," I continued, wanting to be as honest as possible. "I'm just sorry it took me three days to summon the courage to say it all."

Jim gave a half smile but his eyes remained on the fountain. His eye was still swollen and purple and I wasn't sure if I could ever apologize enough for that. He looked as though he had something to say and took a deep breath before he spoke again. "I wasn't going to come back today," he said contemplating his words carefully. "I mean, after last night, I just--but I thought then maybe if I came back today we could start over. Start fresh. And even though today hasn't exactly been stellar, I figured maybe if I pretended yesterday didn't happen it wouldn't be so bad."

I gave him a hard look. "Well, I don't want to forget yesterday happened."

He looked over at me with a mix of surprise and wonderment.

"Jim, I'm so sorry for today and about Roy. Especially about Roy," I said as I turned around to sit on the edge of the fountain. He did the same. "We had been together for ten years. A decade of my life was spent on that relationship and while I've been so much happier after my divorce, I pushed that whole relationship away and never really dealt with it. And I think Roy and I needed to just reach our ending, which is why I went after him tonight. I felt I owed him that. I am sorry that he hit you. You were being so sweet and I should have stepped in earlier."

He gave me a kind smile. "It's alright," he assured me. "I think I was just looking…waiting for something to happen that would make me think I was fooling myself for thinking you were…" He let the sentence die.

"You had nothing to worry about," I said, daringly reaching out to grab his hand and squeeze it. "And about last night…I have been on my own for six months and am still trying to figure out who I am. I mean, with the exception of a few times Roy and I actually got along, it wasn't that great, I never got to be myself, and I used to think that all relationships were just like that. But then I met you and--you made me realize what a relationship could be. I was scared of that last night but I don't think I am now. I'm still unsure about a lot of things. And while I know I can work them out on my own, I'd rather have you around to help me."

Jim squeezed my hand tightly. "I'm not going anywhere." I gave him a grateful smile, which he returned. "So, man, what a crazy day this has been," he commented.

"I know," I replied, still a little in awe of today's events. "I mean, it was bizarre, but I don't know, it's probably cliché to say it but—"

"You do know that just by saying something is cliché, it's a cliché," he teased.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I am what I am."

"No, I think that's Popeye." We both laughed. "I can't believe your friend set you up with such a strange guy."

"Yeah, Kelly's just--I don't know what she was thinking," I said rolling my eyes. "So, are you going to tell me why he calls you Big Tuna?"

"Um...no," he answered. "I think that one I'm taking to my grave."

I laughed. "I can't believe Michael tried to commit suicide…over Jan."

Jim's eyes widened. "Yeah, that was…" he thought about it a moment. "And your boss actually got a boob job for him?"

"Oh, you know what the sad thing is," I said thinking about it. "No one even noticed. You'd think if you were going to get a boob job, you'd make them noticeably bigger. Like out to here," I said demonstrating.

Jim laughed. "Actually, I'd go bigger than that," he said holding his hands out in front of his chest.

I sighed, thinking about work. "I think the museum is going to get sued," I confided. "And we lost our financial backer. Literally. He died today. I don't know how long we'll be able to stay afloat or even if we'll be able to finish out the festival."

"Oh, Pam, I'm so sorry," Jim said sincerely.

"Yeah, it's alright," I replied. "I wish it wasn't an issue though. Just adds more stress to my life, you know?"

"Yeah," he agreed. "Well, hey, you have my article coming out tomorrow, so at least you know you'll get some good publicity."

"Will it be?" I asked curiously. "I mean, Karen's writing the article and—"

"Oh, crap, Karen," he said looking as though he had completely forgotten about her.

"I mean," I continued, "she probably thinks I'm the biggest bitch..."

"No," Jim said assuringly. "She's probably more upset with me right now. But I know she's professional enough to do her job. It will be a good article despite how she feels about it."

"Oh, good."

"So, um, did you really feel her up?" he asked with a grin.

"What?" I said, my cheeks flushing at my poor attempt to flirt earlier.

"She just said she knew you were into me when you accidentally touched her leg," I could tell he was amused by this. "Or, maybe we both misread that gesture."

"I'm not gay," I said with a smirk. "Actually, I was trying to do this…" And although my heart rate speed up in that moment, I reached my foot out and playfully patted at the end of his pant leg before slipping it under and gently running my foot partially up his calf.

Jim looked at me deeply, the playfulness replaced by a new, more sensual energy. "Um, Pam." His voice was all seriousness. "Are you free for dinner tomorrow night?"

I gave a wicked smile before I leaned in, gently brushing my lips against his. I could feel him smile back as he returned the kiss, tender and sweet. As if it were the most natural thing to do, I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him in for a deeper, lingering kiss, one to savor, one to revel in the pure enjoyment of his lips against mine. His arms were quickly around me, squeezing me tighter, letting his warmth encompass me. I ran my fingers through his hair, loving the soft touch. Desire took over as the kiss continued, hungrily quickening as if we couldn't get enough of each other. My tongue soon traced his lips, exploring, tasting and when it entwined with his, I moaned out of sheer pleasure. I pulled him tighter, wanting to be as close as possible, wanting to remain lost in this moment as long as I could hold on to it.

Finally, we broke apart, each panting slightly, still clinging to one another. Jim let out a small laugh. "So you, uh, never answered my question," he said with a grin.

"Yeah, yeah," I replied playfully, snuggling closer to him, unable to contain my own blissful smile. "It's a date."