The day drug on, as usual. Jim sat at his assigned post across from Dwight, frequently looking to his right to catch the eye of the receptionist. Though he'd never tell her, his feelings for her seemed to multiply daily and his "crush" was unfortunately evolving into much more. She was an amazing girl; smart, adorable, funny. Jim never failed to enjoy the little moments he had with her and he found himself replaying every smile and eye-roll over and over in his mind much more often than he was used to. He snapped back to reality, realizing he had been staring at her and thanking God she hadn't noticed. She'd never leave Roy for Jim...would she?

Dwight: Hey, idiot.

Jim: Dwight.

Dwight: What are you doing? You may think that because you're "second in command" you can slack off, but I will report you to Michael.

Jim: You'll report me for...looking at Pam?

Dwight: (Realizing it's stupid) We- ...Yes.

Jim: Okay, Dwight. I'll be sure to only look around on my break.

[Five minutes later.]

Jim: Hey, Dwight?

(He looks up to Jim.)

Dwight: Yes, J-

Jim: Don't look at me!! Jeez, Dwight. That is a sickening waste of company time. (Smirks at camera) ...Despicable.

-----------------------------------------

Receptionitis15: Hey!

JIM334: Hi, how's it going at reception?

Receptionitis15: It's riveting. :-P How's your day?

JIM334: Great, so far.

Receptionitis15: Really?

JIM334: Nope. As terrible as the rest

Receptionitis15: I'm right there with you, babe!

Jim read this message again. And again. And again. He imagined what it would be like if she'd actually meant it. He thought about what it'd be like if he could openly grin after seeing her screen name appear on his lonely desktop. He was going to tell her. He was going to march up to reception right now and spill his heart out. And, before she'd even have the time to respond, he'd kiss her. And sweep her off her feet. And-

Receptionitis15: You still there?

JIM334: Yeah. Just checking email. Sorry.

Receptionitis15: No problem. Get back to work, Halpert. :-)

JIM334: Look who's talking, Beesley!

Receptionitis15: :-D

-----------------------------------------

Michael: Okay, troops. Conference room, please. Toby has something stupid to tell us about "sexual harrassment" or...I don't know. Bologna that corporate comes up with, right?

Snickers could be heard echoing around the room. They all hated these meetings and for multiple reasons. But Jim looked at is as less time working and more time away from Dwight.

Pam: Wait up!

Jim: Come on, Beesley. You don't wanna miss this one.

Pam: Please...I'm just worried about being uncomfortable in my chair when I drift off.

Jim: Nice.

The employees trudged into the small room and, one by one, filed into the rows of standard office chairs. As luck would have it, Jim and Pam were the last two to arrive, earning two seats in the back row, which they had all to themselves.

Toby stood up in front of the group and began to spout off the generic bull that corporate fed them every quarter. As if they couldn't all recite this crap in their sleep anymore. The meeting crawled on for 15 minutes. 20. 45. By the time the hour mark was reached, Pam had in fact dozed off, her head leaning ever so slightly against Jim's comforting shoulder. He savored this type of closeness they were able to share. He watched her sleep, determined not to wake her from her peaceful state. Until he felt an all too familiar tickle in the back of his nose. He slowly reached up and rubbed it away, but to no avail. Within seconds, the itch returned. Jim tried his hardest to relieve his nose of the tickle, but his rubbing was doing nothing but egging it on. He fought back against his body's better judgement, trying to hold in his quietly hitching breaths. His nostrils were quivering with the need to be relieved, but he couldn't bring himself to wake her. He slowly brought his hand up to his burning nose and clamped his thumb and forefinger over it. He looked up at the glaring flourescent bulbs and coaxed out the tiny segment that was still holding on. He tried his hardest to hold back, but his body gave a tiny jerk forward, accompanied by the muffled noises of a determined sneeze: "Nnnggtsh." He let go and exhaled, alleviating the pressure that he'd built in his sinuses. He gave a tiny tilt of his head to check on Pam who, to his delight, had remained asleep. He was thrilled and celebrated this tiny victory with a smile, but was interrupted by another need to sneeze. Speeding up his procedure, Jim grasped his nose once again, his eyes fluttering with irritation. His chest gave one more jerk forward and he let out another: "Nnggxxktshhhh."

Pam: Bless you.

She whispered to him softly, just waking up from her nap. His eyes fell, disappointed.

Jim: Thanks. I tried not to wake you but-

Pam: It's okay. Not your fault.

And with that, she leaned her head back against him, closed her eyes, and continued on in the comfort of her friend.
--------------------------------------------

After the meeting, the conference room slowly emptied, Jim and Pam again being the last to return to their work space.

Jim: So, you kinda fell asleep there, huh?

Pam: Haha, yeah, sorry about that.

She looked away and blushed. He loved it when she blushed.

Jim: No, don't worry about it. It was my own little game...not waking you.

Pam: Well, I'm glad I was able to help you stay amused for the-what was it, 8 hours we were in there?

They both laughed and parted to sit at their own desks. Jim's mind was still reeling over what has just happened. She had fallen asleep on him. It wasn't much, but to Jim, moments that "weren't much" with Pam were moments that meant the most.

He got to his work, shocking even himself by being so diligent. Clients were called, emails were sent. His day went on as usual. The only variable was Jim's uncharacteristically itchy nose today. He had to rub at it several times an hour just to prevent an irritating tickle. Right after lunch, though, Jim could hardly fend off these episodes anymore. He needed to let his nose feel the relief it wanted or else he might implode. He felt a tickle right at the tip of his nose and let it go. It went nowhere, but left Jim unsatisfied. Over the next hour, the tickly sensations in his nose amounted to nothing that he'd expected: in fact, they'd amounted to nothing at all. He finally felt an itch much deeper than the rest, starting in his sinuses and working it's way ito the back of his nose where it teased him. He took slow breaths in and out of his nose, staring at the light. It came and went, came and went. Finally, he'd had it. He closed his eyes and focused on that sneeze. He felt the tickle buld and build and he was dying for the relief to follow. His eyes watered and he took a final deep breath in. He bent his elbow and buried his face into the crook of his arm: "HAAII-TSCHOOO! TSSHOOOOO!"

Receptionitis15: Bless you!!

JIM334: Thanks Beesley.

Receptionitis15: You okay?

JIM334: Of course.

Receptionitis15: I have tissues.

JIM334: I'm good thanks.

Receptionitis15: Alright. I'm going to keep an eye on you, James. :-)

JIM334: I'm fine. Promise.

------------------------------------------

Jim: I know, so stupid.

Pam: Haha, you've never even seen it!

Jim: I don't need to. I can just tell.

Pam: You're so full of it.

Jim: I'm not! ....hold o-on. HARR-TSHHHOEEI. HAAH-KHIIIOOO.

Pam: Bless you!

Jim: Thanks.

Pam: Why so sneezy today, Halpert?

Jim: I'm not.

Pam: You are! This is like the tenth time you've sneezed today!

Jim: Oh, please. Sometimes I listen to you up here all day; (Jokingly imitating her) 'Ha-tchi! Atchiiew!'

Pam: (Laughing) Shut up, I don't sound like that.

Jim: You certainly do.

Pam: Okay, I do. (They both laugh.) Well, I have allergies. You don't. What's up?

Jim: I don't know, Pam. I'm fine, honest.

Pam: You're getting sick, I can tell.

Jim: I'm not! And even if I am, don't worry about me, okay?

Pam: Fine. You're so stubborn. (She turns to her computer, giggling.)

Jim: Be- Bees...

(She quickly grabs the box of tissues in front of her computer and offers one to Jim.)

Jim: AHHHT-MMPHHHCHOOO. CHMPHHH-HOOO. AhhhAHTSHIIOOO.

Pam: Bles- No. (Smiling.) You don't get one.

Jim: Thank you, Pam.

Pam: I didn't say it!

Jim: You wanted to.

Pam: Whatever, Jim. What are you up to tonight?

Jim: Umm..oh! Going out with Katy. We're going bowling.

Pam: Sounds like a blast.

Jim: What about you, Beesley?

Pam: Probably nothing. Roy's out of town visiting his sister, so...

Jim: Oh, well...I mean you can come with us.

Pam: Oh, no. I can't, it's your date-

Jim: No, I insist. Katy really likes you anyway. It'll be fun.

Pam: Okay, Jim. Thanks.

Jim: No problem. (He turns to go back to his desk.)

Pam: Hey, Jim.

Jim: Yeah?

Pam: Bless you.

Jim: (Laughs.) Thanks.


---------------------------------------

What do we think? Continue?

I this story. The way that you did the dialogue and ims- that was great! It felt really true to the show. Plus Jim is Such a cutie! Oh... and your Jim/Pam dynamic- was Right on! I'd really enjoy seeing more.

A feellow Jim-torturer! I love it! And this is my favorite time period in which to torture Jim, so yay. Please continue

aw yay! So cute. I love this show, and I especially love Jim! Thanks for writing this, I'd love to see more!

This is great! and totally in character for the Office

Part II

For the entire rest of the day, all Jim could think about was what he had just agreed to. Not only was he going on a date with a girl who wasn't Pam, but he had just invited Pam along on that date. 'What the hell is wrong with me?' seemed to be his montra of the hour. He couldn't stop thinking about how on earth he was going to make it through the night. It wasn't that he didn't like Katy, or that he didn't have a good time with her. It wasn't even that Katy and Pam disliked each other, which they absolutely didn't. It was that, whenever he even thought about Pam, his heart ached and he longed for the day where he could finally be with her. And he knew he could hardly deal with anymore aches for the day. 

Jim: Het-CHISSSSHHH. Uhh. 

Dwight: Are you ill?

Jim: I don't know. Probably.

Dwight: Jim! As Health and Wellness officer of this office, I sternly suggest that you go home. 

Jim: And as a man who is old enough to take care of himself, I indifferently decline. Thanks, though. 

Angela: I agree with you, Dwight.

Dwight: Well thank you, Angela. 

(They share a loving look until they notice the camera is watching. They look away and walk in separate directions. Jim notices this and scoffs.)

Jim: Heht-ISHHahhh. 
 
Receptionitis15: Bless you.   

JIM334: Thanks...again.   

Receptionitis15: Haha, I know. I'm getting tired of typing it.  

JIM334: I'm tired of it too. 

Receptionitis15:  

JIM334: Ready for tonight Beesley?

Receptionitis15: Ready to kick your butt, you mean?

JIM334: You wish. How's it going?  

Receptionitis15: Alright. Jan just called for Michael and asked me to stay off the line.  

JIM334: Oh gross, Beesley. 

Jim: Her-TCHHOOO. Hahn-tshhnng.   

Receptionitis15: Bless you x2. 

JIM334: Thank you. I can't stop sneezing. >:(    

Receptionitis15: I'm sorry. I wish I could help. Or at least I were miserable with you. 

JIM334: Me too.  

Receptionitis15: Gee, thanks. Really though, anything I can do?

JIM334: You can help me finally get this sneeze to come out. I've been working on it for like 10 minutes. It's my top priority for the day. 

Receptionitis15: Okay. Care to make it interesting? 

JIM334: Always. What've you got Bees?   

Receptionitis15: First to sneeze wins. Loser pays for winner on our 3-way date tonight.  

He knew she was only joking, but the idea of her referring to it as a date, even 3-way, made his heart leap. 

JIM334: You're so on.  

For the next fifteen minutes, he did whatever he could to coax the tickling sneeze out. He rubbed at his nose, stared at the lights, even tried dusting his desk and nothing worked. He loved a little competition, especially with Pam, but this time, he simply wanted to win to put himself out of the torture of being on the verge of a sneeze for as long as he had. 

Receptionitis15: How you doing?
 
JIM334: Terribly. You?
 
Receptionitis15: Halpert! I even gave you a head start. Not worth it.  

JIM334: ??

Receptionitis15: Watch.

Jim had no problem doing that. He loved to watch her. He would stare at her for hours if he could get away with it. He liked to steal little glances at her every once in a while during the workday. And he loved it when she caught him looking and gave him a tiny smirk or a wink. If only she knew how willing he was to follow her order. 

Pam: Hey, Phyllis? Can you come here please? 

(She looks to Jim and winks. He looks confused, but intrigued.)

Phyllis: Sure, Pam. What can I do for you?

Pam: Well, I was wondering if you could maybe help me out. I know you emailed me last week, but I can't find it anywhere on my computer now. Can you give it a try?

Phyllis: Oh, yeah. Lemme see...

Jim watched as Pam inched her chair to the right just a tad, giving Phyllis enough room to bend over the computer and do as Pam asked. What wass she doing? He looked to Pam, ready to give her the "What the hell" face, but couldn't catch her eye in time. She turned her torso away from Phyllis just in time to catch her sneezes in the crook of her elbow. 

Pam: Hah-eshhooo! Ha..haahh...hah-ISHHOOO!

Phyllis: Bless you. Here's the email for you, Pam. 

Pam: Thanks a lot, Phyllis. I owe you.

JIM334: Wow. 

Receptionitis15: Hold on

Pam: Hah-eshiooo! Hah-eshhoooo! Hahhh...Haishhhh-ooo.

JIM334: Wow x2. 

Receptionitis15: Pardon me, Jim. I can't hear you over all the winning. 

JIM334: I can't hear you over all the painfully girly sneezing. 

Receptionitis15: Don't get jealous, Jim. I'm just smarter than you, I guess. 

JIM334: Seriously! How'd you do that?

Receptionitis15: Phyllis is wearing her old lady perfume today. Gets me everytime. 

JIM334: You evil genius. 
 
Receptionitis15: I may be evil, but I'm going out for free tonight. 
 
JIM334: That is true.  

Pam: Hahhh-aishhoooo!

JIM334: Bless you!
 
Receptionitis15: Grr. Thanks. Now I sound like you  

JIM334: You got cocky, Beesley. Karma.


------------------------------------------------------------

Okay, so I know Jim wasn't the main focus of this one, but I felt like I needed to get it a little off track or else the whole thing would get old. The next part will be mostly if not entirely Jim. 

Comments and reviews please?      

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG!

I like. I like very much

I'm actually quite happy that is was a little more of Pam this time! I'd love to read about the caretaking side of Jim...but I'm NOT asking you to do that! Your story is wonderful as it is. Thanks for sharing!

I love The Office!

This fic is wonderful, I love how it really sounds like an episode.
And I love Jim! But, who doesn't?

Oh my god! There's more! =D

I love it soooo much. Jim and Pam are adorable here, I love their little IM conversations.

I so cannot wait for more, you rock!

Ooooo... I'm so glad that you are continuing with this. The exchange with Dwight and Jim was TOO good. And I loved that little Jim and Pam bet. Very fun!!

oh yummy! jim and pam, I'm so glad you started this up again. It's lovely :-)

"Jim: I don't know. Probably."

I love this line (and the one of dwight's following it, for purely humorous reasons).

the idea of jim not even being sure if he's sick... I'm very much looking forward to his triple date tonight and can only hope he doesn't feel tooooo terrible (not too quickly at least).

:-)

For the next hour or so, the quiet dullness of the office was interrupted by a volley of sneezes from Jim to Pam and back again. No one seemed to notice much except the pair of them, and of course Dwight, who would chime in every ten minutes with an email to them saying only, "PLEASE GO HOME." They would laugh it off and then unwillingly go back to the jobs they were somehow being paid to do. It was now 4:00, and Jim's day had gotten considerably better since that morning. He was ready for whatever the night had in store for him and Pam...and Katy.  

Jim: HAtch-ishhhhoo. 

He heard the familiar ding of his computer, signifying a new message, and open up the window expecting to read yet another of Dwight's unnecessary emails. 

Katykat820: Hey babe!

It was Katy. His stomach did a lurch, and he felt uneasy when he couldn't tell if it was of delight or anxiety. 

JIM334: Hey Katy Whats up?

Katykat820: I'm excited for our date tonight. 

JIM334: Me too. Hey, would it be okay if Pam came with us? Roy's out of town and she's been really helping me out all day. I sort of owe her. 

He smiled when he typed the last words, thinking about their silly bet.

Katykat820: Sure! Pam's a sweetheart. It'll be fun.

He could hardly read those words. It felt to him that he was cheating on her with Pam and she had just given him permission to. Katy was a nice girl. She was pretty and smart enough. But she still wasn't Pam. And Jim always had a hard time accepting that. 

JIM334: Cool. Thanks babe. How are you?

Katykat820: I'm okay. I miss you. How are you?

JIM334: Alright. I think I'm getting a cold. 

Katykat820: Oh no! Whats wrong?

Just then, as if to answer her question, Jim's nose start to twitch. He was so tired of sneezing by now that he hardly put any effort into the whole process anymore. He rolled his chair back a bit from his desk just as his breath started to hitch. He tilted back in his chair and looked at the lights above, eager to speed it up. He couldn't keep his eyes open anymore and the tickle was building. He buried his nose into his elbow and waited for it to finally emerge. 

Jim: Hehhh-AAATCHUSHHHHH. HAH-Choooomph.

He sat for a moment, making sure he was done. He made a move to pull himself back into his desk, when he suddenly needed to sneeze again. He had no time to cover his quivering nose, so his tried his best to hold it back. 

Jim: Hahhhh. Ugh. Haaahsh-HASH-tchnggxx. 

He returned to his computer, wiping his nose on his sleeve, to find two new messages. 

Katykat820: You there? 

Receptionitis15: Ohmygodblessyou. Stop it!

He read them both several times and thought it ironic that they had both messaged him at the same time. He took care of Pam's first. After all, she would be able to see if he was ignoring her, right? It was only common courtesy. 

JIM334: I want to. You bailed on me Bees. Now I'm the only sneezy one in here. 

Katy was next. He opened hers up over Pam's, just in case she messaged him back. 
 
JIM334: Sorry. I was sneezing...again.

Katykat820: Bless you.  

JIM334: Thanks. 

Katykat820: You feel well enough for tonight?

JIM334: Of course. I'll be fine. I gotta go. See you later babe. 

Katykat820. Bye, baby. Feel better.

He closed the window out almost before he had time to read her last message. He had been watching Pam's IM window blink for the past 30 seconds and had waited patiently enough, he felt. 

Receptionitis15: Aw, I'm sorry. I could get Phyllis back up here if you want? 

JIM334: Haha. No don't do that to yourself. I'll just suffer alone. 

Receptionitis15: You're so brave. 

JIM334: I try. 

Jim sat and waited for Pam to reply for a couple minutes. It wasn't like her to just stop talking to him like that. He looked up to her at reception to figure out what was up, only to see her getting up and walking to the break room. He was confused, but thought maybe she had something urgent to do, so he didn't dwell on it. He went back to his work until he saw her walking back through with faxes in her hand. That must've been it, he thought. He continued to watch her. Even with her back to him, he couldn't help but think about her pretty face. He watched her smoothly load paper after paper into the tray and swiftly press the numbers on the keypad. She had it down to a science and moved with complete precision. Until he saw her suddenly stop. She put the papers down on the desk in front of her and brought her hands up to her face. He couldn't tell exactly what she was doing, until he saw her start to fan her face with her hands. He always made fun of her for doing that when she sneezed. She only did this for a few seconds and then he watched her waist bend just in time for her to catch her sneeze in cupped hands. 

Pam: Ehhh-tshhioooo! 

She straightened herself up and quickly hopped over to her desk to grab a tissue. He giggled as he watched her silly, girlish moves. She caught his eye and winked at him. He smiled back and mouthed 'Bless you'. She sat back down at her desk and started typing away. Jim was, again, confused at the sudden disconnect, but decided to continue on with his work as well. 

Receptionitis15: Looks like you're not alone anymore.

JIM334: Nice move, Beesley.  

 
Over the next hour, Jim's nose itched like never before. He must've sneezed 20 times in the last 30 minutes of work. His nose was running, his eyes were watering, and his sinuses were pounding with pressure. But when he thought about what the night had in store for him, he sucked it up and continued on. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all.



In case I haven't said this, Katy is played by Amy Adams.
And the date is next, I promise!! But I want reviews first.                

yummy! I'm excited for their date too! Are jim and katy serious at all? I was kinda hoping maybe she'd decide she couldn't get sick and give jim a wide berth. Meanwhile... of course Pam wouldn't leave Jim to suffer alone <sigh>

I'm excited about bowling! Sneezing while bowling sounds potentially dangerous :-P

I love it! So true to "Jam"'s old relationship!