Goosebumps At Benihana Christmas

Bella's Note: This is an alternate telling of the events of The Office Season 3 Episode 10, A Benihana Christmas, which originally aired on December 14th, 2006. This version deals with the possibilities that may have arisen if Jim, Dwight, Michael and Andy had returned to Dunder Mifflin from their misadventure at "Asian Hooters" a couple hours later than they do in the actual episode. Also in this one, Karen is very bisexual, because she always read that way to me in the real show anyway. Some liberties are also taken with the layout and floors of the Dunder Mifflin Scranton office building.

Pam and Karen were the first wlw couple I ever shipped in the infancy days of my own queer self-discovery, so they are an original OTP for me and I am excited be finally writing my long-thought-about-but-never-rendered-until-now version of how I wish they had gotten together after seen that they both deserved better than that goofy ass loser, Jim.

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"Are we taking this too far? No, I don't think we're taking this far enough..." Karen said emphatically, causing Pam to lean in and stare at her. "What?"

A charged look was shared between them that made Pam gulp. "I got goosebumps."

Standing in the nutcracker-decorated conference room and holding a popcorn star on a stick in her hand, Pam Beesly caught herself vividly remembering the exchange she had shared with Karen Fillipelli about an hour earlier. The spark she had felt was so distracting in her memory that she didn't even realize she was openly staring at Karen's confident gesticulations from across the room while the recently transferred saleswoman talked and laughed at the far end of the table. The Christmas party, now a merger between her and Karen's rebellious effort and the overly anal Angela's more dreary affair, was in full swing and the drinks and jolly vibes were flowing.

Pam's gaze lingered on Karen, who was animatedly sharing a story with an already drunk Meredith, her laughter ringing like music in the air. The contrast between their styles was palpable; Pam's cozy, oversized red sweater made her feel warm and cozy while its form-fitting style also helping her feel a little less frumpy than her usual office attire. Karen commanded attention with every move she made in her sharp gray vest with a crisp white shirt beneath and form-fitting suit pants on her impressive legs. The way Karen tilted her head back when she laughed sent a flutter through Pam's stomach that felt both thrilling and terrifying. She smiled as she watched Karen laugh, proud of what the two of them had accomplished tonight while the boys, Michael, Jim, Dwight and Andy were away at "Asian Hooters," whatever that meant.

Karen finished her story and made eye contact with Pam as Meredith shuffled back toward the bar for yet another drink. In that instant, Pam felt her stomach do a flip as Karen stared at her and smiled knowingly before moving toward her, their eyes remaining locked.

"So, if Michael and Jim just never come back, do you think anyone would object to me just becoming the new manager here or what?" she teased when she got close to Pam, her voice playfully conspiratorial.

Pam chuckled, shaking her head as she stepped closer, putting the popcorn star down. "They have been gone an awful long time, what is up with that?" she replied, trying to match Karen's playful tone while suppressing the butterflies that fluttered more wildly with each step she took toward her. "I think most of the office wouldn't care if you sat in Michael's seat, but I think you'd have a hard time selling that to Dwight now that I think about it.

"He's not here either!" Karen giggled.

"You're right!" Pam laughed as she realized. "Well then yeah. At the very least you'd have my support, Madame Manager."

They'd both had just enough overly sugary and heavily liquor-poured margaritas that they were a little more open and playful, at least with each other, than they would have been during a normal workday. The alcohol and anti-Angelea conspiring had helped them see that evening, that had Jim not come between them and caused such awkwardness from the start, they probably would have been great friends around the office. In the absence of Jim, Dwight and Michael, Pam was surprised how much she was enjoying connecting with Karen in ways that hadn't been possible under the usual working conditions, or at least when Jim was around.

"Madame Manager, huh?" Karen arched an eyebrow, a smirk curling at the corner of her lips. She too, was really happy with how open and playful she felt she could be with the pretty office receptionist in light of the lack of boys in the office at the moment. "I'll take it. And what would that mean for you then, Pam? I'd probably look to do some restructuring and elevate those most loyal...so... maybe you'd be Assistant Madame Manager?"

"To the!" Pam blurted out with a cute giggle, "Assistant TO THE Madame Manager."

Both Pam and Karen collapsed in a fit of laughter at the invocation of Dwight's meaningless title. Karen grabbed at Pam's upper arm and squeezed it through the sweater as they laughed together. Even through the thick material, the warmth of Karen's touch sent a prickling sensation up Pam's arm, leaving her breathless and a little disoriented. She fought to suppress a blush creeping into her cheeks, heart racing in a way that felt both foreign and exciting. It was as if the laughter had transformed the air around them into something electric, and Pam couldn't help but lean a little closer.

"Assistant to the Madame Manager," Karen repeated playfully, her gaze never leaving Pam's face, those deep brown eyes sparkling under the twinkly lights strung haphazardly across the break room. "Yes, my first official act as Madame Manager would then be to bestow that title upon you, and make you assistant...to me"

Pam grinned, feeling bold as she nudged Karen's shoulder with hers. The idea of being something, anything to Karen thrilled her in a surprising way. "Well good. It's not like you coulda pulled off this party rebellion without me!"

"Absolutely not," Karen replied, a playful glint in her eyes as she tilted her head, letting loose a low chuckle. "It was honestly impressive. You knew JUST how to get under Angela's skin with your brightly colored flyer."

"I have a lot of experience getting under her skin," Pam said proudly. She felt a flush of warmth course through her at Karen's compliment. They were standing so close now that Pam could smell the faintest trace of Karen's perfume--something floral and warm that seemed to anchor her in place. "We make quite the team then," Pam said softly, allowing herself to bask in the moment.

"Quite the dynamic duo," Karen echoed, leaning a little closer still. The air between them shimmered with unspoken possibilities, and Pam's heart raced again as she took in the slight crinkle on Karen's freckled nose above those confident lips curved into a playful smile.

Standing so close to her like this, Pam could see why Jim liked Karen. With her smooth, caramel-colored skin, luxurious dark hair, deep soulful eyes, and impressive curves, Karen was a stone-cold fox, as Michael might have said. Attraction to another woman was not something Pam Beesly ever even considered, but here in her intoxicating presence, she could acknowledge with no hesitation that Karen was beautiful, hot even.

"Dynamic duo, huh?" Pam felt a shiver run down her spine as Karen's breath brushed against her skin, the warmth drawing her in. The laughter faded into a comfortable silence that stretched between them, charged with something deeper. Pam could feel the fluttering of anticipation mixed with uncertainty.

Karen tilted her head slightly, eyes glinting with mischief and curiosity. "Sounds intriguing, Pammy," the darker-skinned woman said playfully. Pam's heart skipped a beat at the affectionate nickname. Normally she hated being called that, but from Karen, it sounded warm, encouraging, right.

Pam replied with a teasing roll of her eyes, trying to maintain a semblance of levity even as the tension between them simmered. "Intriguing," she repeated, feeling heat on her cheeks. What was this reaction she was having to the woman Jim was now dating?! Yes, absent of him, it turned out she was really cool and they clearly got along, but this was something more than just a friendly connection. It was probably just the margaritas, right? Meredith had poured essentially a whole handle into the slushee machine...

But even as she questioned it, her heart whispered that she wanted to explore whatever this might be, despite being completely unable to define it. "Better keep it on the downlow when Dwight gets back," she finally quipped back. "He's big into tracking the alliances in the office."

"Well then," Karen said, stepping in front of Pam so they faced each other close together, "I guess it's a good thing he's not back yet."

There was that spark again, igniting Pam's curiosity and excitement as the world around them faded. The air grew thick with an uncharted tension, and Pam dared not look away from Karen's gaze, the bold confidence radiating from her in waves. "Yeah, a good thing," Pam echoed, her voice quieter now, barely more than a whisper.

The receptionist's heart raced, she didn't understand what was happening to her, or between them. Karen was a woman, and Pam had only ever been straight, so why was she reacting like she was in the presence of the hottest guy in the room?

What Pam, nor anyone in the Scranton office including Jim, didn't know was that back in Stamford, Karen had largely only dated women before Big Tuna showed up. She'd considered herself bisexual since college and, ironically, had decided that her standards for the types of guys she would date were much higher than those for women, with whom she tended to fall much harder and faster when she got hooked on one. A guy had to be hot and have just the right verve for Karen to even consider letting him in. A woman on the other hand, just had to be cute and show her the slightest bit of attention and Karen Fillipelli would be imagining how they'd be decorating their house in seconds. Attention not unlike the kind that the cute, innocent receptionist of Dunder Mifflin Scranton had started showing her for the first time tonight.

And it was intoxicating.

Pam's breath caught in her throat as Karen leaned in just a fraction closer, their noses nearly touching. The festive atmosphere of the party faded into a distant buzz, leaving only the two of them ensnared in this electrifying moment. Pam could see the tiny flecks of gold in Karen's warm brown eyes, feeling as if they were drawing her in deeper. She wasn't sure she had ever felt so exposed and vulnerable, yet exhilarated all at once.

"Pammy," Karen said softly, the way she uttered Pam's name sending shivers tingling down her spine yet again. "Th-thank you for standing by me tonight. You didn't have to but you did, and that meant a lot."

The warmth in her chest bubbled up into an effervescent giggle, trying to diffuse the building tension but only deepening it instead. "Any...Any time, any chance to mess with Angela..." Pam stammered out.

Karen laughed softly, "Right, that's definitely what this is about," she mused, moving just slightly closer to Pam so there was virtually no space left for air between them.

Pam's heart pounded in her chest as she watched Karen's lips curl into a teasing smirk. The playful banter had wrapped them up in a cocoon of shared laughter and secret glances, but Pam could feel the moment transitioning, morphing from camaraderie to something more intimate.

Their eyes locked, and for a moment, it felt as if the floor beneath them had vanished altogether. Pam's mind raced, grappling with the realization that they were standing on the precipice of something she could hardly begin to comprehend. She felt alive, electric, like she was about to burst into vibrant colors.

"You know," Pam said softly, a mix of confidence and uncertainty threading her voice, "I-"

"What are you guys doing?" came the dull voice of Kevin Malone in the doorway to the conference room. Both women looked up to see that the room was empty save for them and Kevin who had arrived looking for more of Angela's home-baked sweets laid out on the table.

Pam and Karen sprang apart, their laughter echoing awkwardly in the sudden hush. Pam felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment as she fumbled for a response, trying desperately to reclaim the moment that had slipped between their fingers like sand. It was confounding how rapidly everything had shifted from playful banter to an uncharted realm of possibilities.

"Uh... we were just..." Pam began, but her words trailed off as she glanced at Karen, whose expression mirrored her own--both a mix of surprise and undeniable disappointment at the interruption.

"Discussing the secret surprise for the end of the party!" Karen improvised. They shared a quick knowing glance before checking Kevin's slack face to see if he bought it.

"Surprise?" said the underqualified accountant, his eyes lighting up. "What is it?"

"Can't tell you, that would ruin the surprise!" Pam said.

"Oh, right..." Kevin nodded. He shuffled into the room and filled a plate with sweets before taking his leave.

Alone again, Karen and Pam burst out laughing with relief. The shared laughter echoed in the conference room, dispelling the tension like sunlight breaking through clouds. Pam felt her heart still racing--partly from the thrill of their moment, and partly from the embarrassment of being caught, which made it all the more exhilarating. What could have happened had they not just been interrupted? The question began nagging at Pam.

"That Kevin has the worst sense of timing, I swear..." Pam said as she stared at the open doorway, still feeling the heat of their close proximity and very near kiss lingering in the air. She looked at Karen, whose laughter had easily swept away any remaining tension from Kevin's intrusion.

"Apparently," Karen nodded, giving Pam's upper arm another squeeze. "Maybe we should head to the break room where everyone else is so we aren't missed."

"Probably a good idea," said Pam with a noticeable twinge of disappointment in her voice.

And so the party continued with the receptionist and saleswoman rejoining the rest of their coworkers in the breakroom with the karaoke and margarita machines. It was all Pam could do not to grab for Karen's hand and hold it tight as they entered together, but to do so would be to expose...whatever was happening between them, and Pam was terrified that shedding light on it would either cause it to whither or force her to acknowledge the confusion brewing within.

The thumping bass of upbeat party music washed over them as Pam and Karen stepped into the breakroom, mingling directions like a twirling dance. The bright overhead lights cast a warm glow on fluorescent-colored streamers strung carelessly across the walls. Laughter erupted in sync with clinking glasses while their coworkers shared wild karaoke renditions that made even Michael's off-key singing sound mildly impressive.

Toby and Creed were attempting to outdo each other on "Total Eclipse of The Heart" when they entered. It didn't sound good but the women couldn't deny it was entertaining to watch from the back of the room as they refilled their margarita cups. They mingled throughout the party, seemingly joined at the hip, never getting far from the other's side. An outsider could have mistaken the two newly-found friends for being each other's dates to this office yuletide affair.

Some unknown time and a few margaritas later, Pam and Karen stood in front of the group with their arms around each other as they belted a terrible Karaoke rendition of Santa Claus Is Coming To Town as performed by Bruce Springsteen. Only Roy, Pam's ex-fiance, took note of the closeness apparent between his ex and the new, exotic saleswoman. He watched the interaction with a small, tight smile. Part of him was glad to see Pam having fun with someone in the office who wasn't Jim, and the other was just mad at himself for taking her for granted and letting her get away. With the joyful way she was expressing herself with her new friend though, it was now apparent to Roy that the ship of getting her back had truly sailed. The vivid chemistry between the two women would likely have registered as something more than just fast friendship to Roy, but the idea that Pam could be feeling anything not totally platonic towards another woman seemed an impossibility based on what he knew of her. Over the course of their relationship, he had attempted to proposition a threesome with her and another hot girl multiple times and she had shut every attempt down with a firm claim that she had zero attraction to another woman.

The song came to an end with Karen and Pam sing-screaming one last "Ho-ho-ho!" that was met with smattered applause. They moved away from the machine and Pam turned to face Karen, speaking softly to her now that they were not the focus of the attention in the room anymore.

"Hey, Karen. I wanted to tell you-" Pam began, only to be cut off by commotion at the entrance to the office.

Right then, Michael, Jim, Dwight and Andy stumbled back in full of energy and alcohol. Looking through the open door that led from the break room to the bullpen area, it was apparent that Michael and Andy were accompanied by two young Asian women in Benihana uniforms.

"WE'RE BACK! AND WE BROUGHT HOTTIES!" Michael announced.

Pam and Karen looked at each other, each with a look of dismay that their connection had been disrupted. Wordlessly they both agreed that being in the presence of Michael, and most certainly Jim, was the exact opposite of what they wanted in that moment.

"Wanna go talk somewhere more private?" Karen asked.

Pam bit her lip with a nod. "I know a place. C'mon."

She surprised Karen a little by grabbing her hand and leading her through the break room and to the back stairwell past the annex. Desperate to vacate the break room before Jim could register their presence, she moved with an urgency not usually shown.

"Pam Beesly taking me by the hand? Who knew?" Karen laughed as Pam pulled her almost frantically through the stairway door.

"I just...well, come on," Pam muttered, not looking back.

They worked their way two flights of stairs up to the unoccupied floor at the top of the building. The dimly lit, empty office was quiet, the air thick with the scent of stale left behind coffee and forgotten paperwork. As they stepped onto the deserted floor, Pam glanced back at Karen, her heart racing in response to their playful banter and newfound intimacy. "I promise it's not as sketchy as it looks," she quipped dramatically as she surveyed the empty cubicles bathed in shadows.

"Gee, I don't know it's pretty sketchy Beesly. If we hadn't have been having such a good time tonight I'd think you brought me up here to do god knows what to me..." Karen quipped. "Revenge of the scorned receptionist, huh?"

"Shut up!" Pam giggled, her hand still squeezing around Karen's. "Just a little further, c'mon."

And then they were on the move again. Karen couldn't figure out where they were going until they arrived at the heavy swinging door of the women's room in the same place as it was on the Dunder Mifflin floor.

Pam pushed the door open and they stepped inside to see a luxurious and clean women's room with lush furnishings including two couches and expensive soap and lotion dispensers. "Previous tenants left it completely untouched when they moved out, and no one else in the building seems to know about it." Pam said proudly, stepping into the room. "I found it one time when...well some of the other ladies gave Creed access to our bathroom and he rendered it unusable so I wound up up here."