"Erin may I speak with you for a moment?" Andy approached the front desk.

"Of course. You know I always have time for you," she smiled sweetly.

"About what you said in the conference room...did you really mean that? That you did that to yourself?"

She rolled up her sleeve, revealing a trail of scars that each one told a story. Andy was shocked. He'd never suspected anything like that about Erin.

"Well I wanted to let you know that I'm here for you if you ever...need someone to talk to. In Cornell I was told I was a pretty good listener."

She wasn't sure how much of herself that she wanted to reveal, especially when her best friend was in crisis.

"Andy, I went through a lot as a kid. I grew up feeling unloved and unwanted. I mean, who gives up their kid and doesn't even try to look for them? I just wanted to feel better and cutting myself was the only way I knew how. I'm not proud of it but it's something I did. I am so worried about Kelly and then I think I'm selfish.."

"How could you ever think you're selfish? You're the least selfish person I know!"

"Yes but my best friend was in crisis and I had no idea. I mean I knew she loved Ryan but who knew she didn't love herself? I should have seen the signs, I should have been there for her." She started to cry, and Andy walked around the desk to embrace her.

"You know, I always knew that Howard was a little punk. You want me to kick his ass? I will you know."

"No Andy. That's not what she needs. When she wakes up she's still going to love him and I wouldn't want to do anything that would hurt her even more. I think Michael's the right person to get through to him."

"Michael? Michael Scott? Are we talking about the same person who glued himself to the toilet seat once and made Dwight help him off of it?"

"You don't know Michael the way I do. I see a sweet side to him. He cares a lot about people and I know he loves Ryan. You see the way he loves Holly even though she loves another man. He believes in true love and happy endings and I think that maybe he can get Ryan to see his point of view," Erin replied, sniffling.

"You don't know Michael the way I do. He blunders everything he does. He says the wrong things to the wrong people at the wrong time," Andy protested.

"Yes, but he speaks from the heart, and that's what will help Kelly pull through."

"Erin, you're so sweet. You're so good and kind and everything I wish I was,"Andy sighed.

"What do you mean?" she smiled.

"Where I see a jerky jerk face you see the soul of a poet. You see red and pink where I see grey and black. You have the best heart of anyone I know. It's no wonder I..."

He quickly retreated back to his desk, leaving Erin to wonder what he was going to say. If she didn't know any better, she could have sworn he was going to tell her he loved her. But he didn't, so she guessed that was the end of it.

She loved Andy Bernard. There was no doubt in her mind that he was the one for her. But he wouldn't ask her out, and she didn't know why. She tried to be as nice to him as possible. She laughed at all of his jokes, even the bad ones. And she loved him so much she didn't realize they were bad jokes. She saw a good person, where everyone else saw a dork. That was okay. She knew she was kind of dorky too, so that didn't matter to her. What mattered was she was living for the day Andy would gather up his courage and say the three little words that meant the most to a girl. Those were the same three little words Kelly tried to kill herself over because Ryan wouldn't say them to her. Erin couldn't think of a more powerful statement in the world. Wars could be solved if someone would reach out and say I love you to their enemy, she was sure. One of these days, if she ever gathered the strength, she would tell Andy Bernard just how she felt about him.

0000

Andy knew what he had almost said to Erin. He was so scared of rejection after the whole Angela affair that he knew that he couldn't afford to wear his heart on his sleeve the way he once had. If Erin rejected him, he would once again be the office fool, the idiot whom women hated. And he was terrified of that. If Erin would give him a sign, any sign, then he would proclaim with arms wide open how he felt, but so far she hadn't. And until that day he would just keep his feelings to himself.

000000

"Yes, I was in love once. Maybe twice," Creed told the camera. "Chicks love me. It's all about confidence. When you got it you flaunt it. I ain't afraid to flaunt anything, including this tattoo I got of a buddy of mine's name on my derriere. Want to see it?" He started to pull down his pants when the cameras turned to Jim.

Jim wouldn't look at anyone, not even Pam. She was doing everything in her power to get her husband's attention, including pulling pranks on Dwight, but he wasn't having any of it. He looked down at his desk, trying to pay attention to his work but finding it nearly impossible. It was his fault. Michael was right. He was the one to set up Kelly and Ryan, and now this had happened. If he had just refused to gety involved none of this would have ever happened. What kind of person was he? He liked to please people, and often resorted to pranks and jokes to make it happen. But he had ignored Kelly for the longest time. He should have known something was wrong. He prided himself on being the most intelligent person at the branch (and that wasn't saying much) but he let down one of his team members. A girl got her heart broke and now wants to die. If Pam knew his role in it she would hate him forever.

As it was, he was going to hate himself forever. He blamed himself for the whole mess, and not even Pam could cheer him up. He had to live with this on his conscience, and how he would he didn't know. He loved Pam and CC with all of his heart, but was he really someone they could depend on? And what was worse, CeCe would grow up and get her heart broke by a boy one day. How would he know the signs that she was in trouble? Would this happen to his daughter? He banged his fist on his desk in frustration, scared that something could happen to his little girl.

Jim walked over to the bathroom, with the cameras trailing his every move.

"Not now!" He put his hand over the camera and then stormed into the restroom. Pam quickly followed, shocked to see her husband in tears.

"Jim? What's wrong?"

"Pam I really don't want to talk about it."

"It's Kelly, isn't it? She's going to be okay. You told us the doctors said so. So why are you so upset?:

\

"I should have known, Pam. I was just so grateful for Kelly's silence that I never stopped to ask her what was wrong. If I had maybe this wouldn't have happened."

Pam knew that she loved her husband more than ever. "It's not your fault. You couldn't have known. I didn't know. None of us did."

"You see I kind of did.\"

Pam looked at her husband curioiouslh,

"I knew. I set them up. I knew what Ryan was about but I still set them up. If I hadn't..." his voice trailed off.

"You can't stop love and you can't fight fate. Hasn't our love taught you anything by now?"

He looked at her.

"We had so many obstacles to climb and yet we found each other. It's a miracle, really if you think about it."

"So you're saying Ryan and Kelly are miracles?"

"I'm saying they would have found a way to each other even if you hadn't stepped in. You can't fight fate," she repeated. "it's up to Ryan to realize what his destiny is. You and I just got lucky that we both realized what our destiny is, and look what it's brought us? The most beautiful little girl in the world. We beat the odds, Jim, and so might Kelly and Ryan. He's definitely got a lot of growing up to do. You can't fight the world's battles."

"I don't know, Pam. You should have seen him in the hospital room. He didn't look like he had a care in the world. I don't know how you could not be affected by what we saw at Kelly's house..."

"You don't know what he's feeling. Maybe you should try to talk to him."

"Maybe I should kick his..."

"Everyone needs a friend, Jim," Pam calmly reassured him. "You loved me when I wasn't so loveable. I wasn't always nice to you but you loved me anyways. And look at what we have now!"

"I'm lucky to have you, Beesly," he smiled before pulling her in for a hug.

00000

At the hospital room Michael was waiting by Kelly's side when Jim walked in. "Where's Ryan?"

\

"I don't know. He left a few hours ago. I've been waiting for him to come back."

"You've been waiting here all this time? Maybe I've underestimated you."

"That's what she said," they both said simultaniously, laughing for the first time all day.

"Any change in her condition?" Jim asked.

"Nope. Nothing. But she's still in there. I've been telling her how much I love her...we love her, and I know she can hear me. She has to."

"You really think she's going to be okay?"

"She has to, because I ordered her to. And you all know how to take my orders."

Again they laughed, and finally Ryan walked in.

"Hey Ryan. What's up?" Jim asked.

"Nothing. Just went out to clear my head."

"You want to talk?"

"No but I appreciate the offer," Ryan declined.

"Give him time. He knows he can call me any time of the day or night when he feels like talking," Michael added.

"Thanks guys but I really don't see me talking about this any time soon. I just kind of want to be alone."

\"With Kelly?" Jim asked.

Ryan nodded. So Michael and Jim left for the night, with Michael patting Ryan on the shoulder on the way out. It was going to be a long night, the longest night of Ryan's life.

He loved her. He didn't love her. Who was he to decide what his heart wanted anyways? If he loved her before now he was obligated to stay with her, and what kind of relationship was that? He knew he was being selfish but he didn't care. The girl, despite the others, who had given him so much pleasure and escape from reality, truly loved him. The question was, how did he feel about her?He thought that he knew, but now everything had changed, definitely not for the better. She laid her life in his hands, and the thought was almost too much for him to bear.