Three months later

Pam was on her way to the kitchen late one evening at the condo when she stopped dead in her tracks and couldn't help but smile. Ryan was in jeans and a T-shirt and bathing Ginger at the sink. He was leaning down gently putting water on the baby and cooing to her. Pam stood there for a moment watching them and for some odd reason her heart suddenly filled with so much love she couldn't seem to even stand it.

The last three months had been exhausting, and somewhat terrifying for Ryan and her. Being new parents meant the two of them often paced back and forth trying their hardest to get the baby to sleep during the early hours of the morning. Pam seemed to always be calling her mother up in complete panic asking a million questions and begging her to come over and see if she was doing everything right. Somehow all the books and reading she did on the internet didn't prepare her for half of the things Ginger pulled on them. Pam at first got scared to death whenever the baby cried or had a fever. The doctor began making jokes telling Pam if she visited his office any more they might as well set up a cot for her out back. Taking time off from work, Pam didn't think she would ever be ready to fully get back into the swing of things and still have Ginger. Being a mother was terrifying. There were a million things to think and worry about and it seemed as though every minute Pam was up either changing or feeding her. It wasn't until just a week ago that Pam began sleeping halfway through the night again. Once or twice when Ryan was at work Pam would cry silently alone on the back deck wondering how she really would be able to handle this.

Finally as Ginger adjusted to her schedule things slowly began to seem somewhat easier.

Pam spent most of her days over her mother's or having her mother visiting. They did laundry together and often watched Pam's mother's soaps while Ginger was having her morning nap. Pam's mother gave her plenty of advice and kept telling her that as hard as it was…you couldn't capture the feeling when your own baby looks up at you and giggles.

Pam began slowly having more fun with the baby and looked at her as her own little doll. Her hair seemed to be coming in her own color, but her eyes were all Ryan's. Almost twice a day Pam would dress her up in what seemed to be the millions of outfits she received when she was pregnant. Using her camera she snapped away at almost any little cute thing Ginger did. Ryan joked that they would need to buy twelve albums just the fit in the first three month's of Ginger's life.

Pam took her out of walks on the stroller and couldn't help but feel extremely proud whenever someone commented on how beautiful and good the baby was.

Pam still couldn't believe that she was finally a mother.

Ryan meanwhile was working non-stop and trying his hardest to get the promotion that was coming up. Pam could tell this meant a lot to him, but deep down inside hoped he wouldn't get it. As dull as her life was here…she still liked it and it was still home. The thought of moving to New York with Ginger and being miles away from the help of her mother scared her to death.

Ryan was very overworked, yet couldn't seem to get enough of Ginger. Once he got home in the evening he would lay on the carpet with her playing or simply have her lay on him whenever he laid on the sofa. Pam thought it was cute about how much he went on and on about the baby, and what a help he had been. Most of the time whenever Ginger woke in the middle of the night, Ryan would be the one getting up and letting Pam sleep. He slowly got into the swing of things and seemed really good about everything. He changed Ginger, gave her morning and night bottle, and often couldn't seem to get enough of holding her and walked around the nursery with her in her arms whenever she got restless or cranky. Pam once even had to tell him that Ginger needed her sleep to and that picking the baby up all the time and fussing over her wasn't the best thing. But Pam could see, Ryan loved his daughter and was all ready turning into an amazing father.

Pam remembered just last month when she had read some article about cribs deaths. Ryan demanded Ginger's crib should be moved to their room for a while and Pam caught Ryan waking up almost every half an hour to see if the baby was breathing. It made her feel so lucky and loved, yet it still felt so odd. Here she was three months later and she was a mother. Almost every time she looked down at Ginger she seemed amazed. When Ginger was nearly a month Pam visited the office with the baby in which everyone gushed over how beautiful she was. Ryan stood looking proud until Michael slapped him on the shoulder.

"Thank god the dad has good sperm! Huh Pam!"

Ryan blushed as Kelly raved on and on about how much the baby looked like Pam. Creed meanwhile walked over and stared down at Ginger who was sleeping in her car seat.

"Yep…that's a baby."

Finally Dwight and Angela went over in which Dwight leaned in close, looking at the baby which made Ryan somewhat nervous.

"She'll be short…like her parents, at least 5'2."

Angela then looked down at the baby before looking at Pam, her eyes uncomfortable.

"She's…cute."

Pam looked over at Ryan and smiled.

Then Michael attempted to pick Ginger up and both felt their hearts leap into their throat

Now here she was, standing and looking at Ryan and their daughter.

She wanted to say something to Ryan, yet couldn't seem to find the words. Finally she cleared her throat as Ryan lifted Ginger up and wrapped a large towel around her before kissing her belly.

"That's a good girl!"

The baby seemed to giggle and smile as Ryan dried her off, holding her in his arms. Turning, he saw Pam.

"Hey."

Pam nervously smiled.

"Hey…getting her ready for bed?"

"Yeah, just as soon as we dry off, huh honey?"

Ryan lovely kissed Ginger's head before looking at Pam.

"What's wrong?"

Pam looked down at her feet and tried to find the words, she couldn't believe she was saying this.

"Umm…I've been meaning to ask you…but I've been doing a lot of thinking and I thought maybe I could be going back to work soon."

Ryan just stared at her, no emotion showed. Pam shuffled her feet, trying to find the next set of words.

"I know what we said and agreed on…and I know I've been complaining about how tried I've been and how busy with Ginger…but I talked with my mom and she thinks it might be good for me to go back. You know…get into the swing of things…"

"What about Ginger?"

"Well my mother offered to watch her during the day…maybe I can work something out with Michael and get out earlier."

Ryan just stared at her.

"Pam…we agreed. I would stay home if I could but I can't…"

"I know…it's just…I'm going stir crazy and the extra money would be nice…"

"It's because of him isn't it?"

Pam froze.

"What?"

"The merger…Stamford coming to our branch…Jim."

"W-What?

"Come on Pam…you said before you knew about the merger that you couldn't even see yourself working until Ginger was at least two…now all of a sudden you wanna come back?"

Pam had nothing to say, instead Ryan simply rolled his eyes and took Ginger out of the kitchen and down the hall. Standing there alone, Pam slowly rubbed her arms before looking down at her engagement ring.

Having Ginger had been hard, and while she was recovering in the hospital she made a deal with Ryan. On Ginger's first birthday she would marry him. Pam remembered the way Ryan looked down at her smiling before the two kissed.

In these past three months they had been so busy with Ginger, everything else seemed like a blur. Pam and Ryan were making love again, and Ryan seemed very overwhelming with his affection. It seemed as if every second he was always kissing or holding her.

Then one day he came home with news of the merger. Right away Pam's eyes lifted up.

But she had made it perfectly clear to Jim that she had made her choice and that she was happy with Jim.

Then why was she doing this?

Thinking of Jim's face, Pam sighed before doing down to their bedroom as Ryan changed Ginger on their bed and got her into the crib. Kissing his hand and putting through the bars of the crib, he touched the baby's foot before looking up and staring at her.

Pam just stood there.

"Ryan…"

He then looked away and went over on his side of the bed. Slowly he began taking his sneakers off before Pam went around to see him. Sitting beside him she placed one hand on his cheek.

"Ryan…I thought we've been through this…I love you."

Ryan looked at her with uneasy eyes as Ginger laid in the crib, slightly kicking and looking up at her mobile.

Ryan's eyes then got serious.

"Pam…I love you and our daughter. I want to give you the world and I'm trying. If I get this promotion…you can finally work on you're art. You can do anything you ever wanted to do."

"What I wanna do is get back to normal. I love being here with Ginger, but I need to get back into the swing of things. I wanna look up from my desk and see you."

Ryan just stared at her.

"If that's what you want…then fine. But I need to say something…"

Pam nodded.

"Okay."

"I love you Pam…but if I ever catch you with Jim, even once again…I'm taking our daughter and you'll never see her again."

Pam was speechless, she couldn't believe it.

Then…before she could say another word, Ryan's hands were on her and he began kissing her. Slowly being lowered onto the bed, Pam couldn't even think. Did he really just say that?

As the two made love, Pam stared up at the ceiling and thought about seeing Jim soon.