DISCLAIMER: I don't own The Office. It pains me to write that.
Hey, I said I'd update by today, and I keep my promises! Chapter 3 is now up! Enjoy, and thankyou muchly for all the reviews guys.
Sunlight streamed through the blinds, teasing Pam awake. Her eyelids flickered open, her auburn hair pooled around her head. She was still dressed and her face felt stiff and grimy and her eyes were sore from crying. Immediately she felt pangs of pain on her cheek and eye. She rolled over and groaned, hand pressed to her cheek. Her eyes widened as she saw the purple bruises on her arm. Flashes of the previous night came back to her. Oh….oh. She felt a tear roll down her cheek and she sat up straight, head throbbing. She turned and saw Jim asleep in her armchair, his long legs stretched out. Pam stared at him. He'd stayed with her. Another tear slid down her face and fell onto her comforter. His kindness was breaking her heart. She wanted nothing more then to hug him and just let him hold her. Instead, she combed her hair, dried her tears, washed her face and went downstairs.
To her surprise, Pam found the kitchen sparkling clean. A fresh vase of flowers graced the table on top of a red and white checked tablecloth. The dishes were cleared and cleaned and sat in a neat stack on a sparkling bench. Everything was immaculate.
"I hope you don't mind I cleaned up…I mean, I just didn't want you to wake up to a mess…" a shy voice came from the doorway. Pam spun around and saw Jim, his clothes rumpled from sleep. She shook her head, no she didn't mind.
"Pam." His voice cracked and he opened his arms, allowing her to fall into them. She cried for a little while then pulled back, wiping away stray tears.
"I'm sorry." She whispered.
"Pam…no, no. Why are you sorry? How long has Roy been….hurting you?" Jim said, close to tears himself.
"Last night was the first time." She mumbled.
"Pam….I'm really sorry." She looked at him, confused.
"I just…I don't know what to do. I can't believe this." He continued.
"Me neither." She agreed.
"Do you, I don't know, want to press charges? Can you do that? You should." Pam thought for a moment.
"No. It's over. I don't want to make this messier." She said finally. Jim frowned, thinking of Pam crying the night before, crumpled helplessly on the floor. He nodded slowly.
"Alright…alright." He said. It was, after all, he figured, her choice.
"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked after a moment of silence. Pam traced a pattern on the table top with her pinkie finger and shrugged.
"Not much to tell. I mean, you know how Roy treated me and you know what happened last night….wait…how did you know what happened last night?" Pam asked.
"The phone…you dropped it and I heard what was going on."
"Oh. Oh…lucky for me." She breathed out and smiled. "Seriously…Jim, I don't know how to thankyou." Jim held out his hand in a stop sign.
"Stop right there." He said firmly. "Don't thank me. Anyone would have done the same."
"But it meant so much to me…your just being too kind, Jim. I'm really glad y-you're here…" Pam's lip trembled and Jim pulled her into a hug.
"Hey now. Hey, don't worry. It's over." He murmured into her hair. "Let's just do something today. A picnic? Um…I don't know. A movie?" Jim offered.
"Oh, Jim, you don't have to stay."
"Movie it is!" He announced and pulled her up from the table, laughing.
"Okay, but lets just stay here. You pick the movie."
A few minutes later they were settled on the couch with buttered microwave popcorn and 27 Dresses in the DVD player.
"This is such a chick flick!" Jim complained.
"What?" Pam laughed. "You picked it!"
"I know, I know. It's a favourite of mine. But it's a chick flick and therefore I have to complain and pretend it's your choice. It's a law, Pam. Get with it." Pam laughed again. She couldn't remember laughing like this with Roy. And somehow, because it seemed right at this moment she leant back and rested her head on Jim's chest. She felt, rather then heard him take in a sharp breath. And then he tenderly stroked her hair once and wrapped his arms around her. It felt like the most natural thing in the world. They didn't move for the entire movie.
The rest of the weekend flowed smoothly. Jim had gone home after the movie to change clothes but assured Pam he'd be right back. While he was gone, Pam rang her mother and told her everything. After a good cry and a long talk, Pam and her mother had sorted everything out. The wedding was off and Mrs Beesly promised Pam that she would take care of sending out the notices and cancelling everything. Pam hung up with a smile on her face, feeling like her entire world was peaceful. She didn't feel embarrassed or regretful. Simply….happy. Happy. She sat back, savouring the feeling. When was the last time she'd been truly happy? Mrs Beesly was equally happy. She could read Pam like a book and she had seen the signs – the way Pam acted with Roy and the way she acted and talked about Jim. Finally, her youngest, sweetest, shyest daughter was coming out of her shell and getting the man she deserved. Things were working out.
On Sunday, Jim and Pam took a walk down to the beach and sat and talked on the white sand all day. Reliving their best pranks on Dwight and the funniest, most cringe-worthy 'Michael Scott moments'. They'd sat side by side until the sun went down and the sky was streaked with peaches, pinks, gold and burnt orange and the bottle green ocean turned a deep sapphire blue. As though it was planned they both looked up into the indigo sky, strewn with stars and saw a flash of a shooting star. Jim turned to Pam and took in her beauty.
"I love you." He said softly. She turned to him, surprisingly calm.
"I love you." She said, just as tenderly. He leant over until their lips met and kissed her the way he'd always wanted to.
It took the 45 minute walk home and another 10 minutes outside the house for Pam and Jim to talk it through. About Roy, about them. They had agreed to take it slow and not tell anyone but their closest friends and family for a little while.
"It's what I need right now." Pam had said. "I don't need drama." And Jim had simply nodded and smiled and kissed her again, taking her hand. His kisses were warm and meaningful and loving. His hand felt perfect in hers, their fingers slipping into each others perfectly, like a completed jigsaw puzzle. It felt right.
And now everything was falling in place. And finally, for the first time in 10 years, Pam felt that her life was good. All was well.
Not finished yet! I'm thinking next time, the rest of the office will find out. And I'm still planning. Anyway, please review, review, review and some cupcakes made of sunshine and rainbows will come your way! Thanks for reading!