chapter one: all new beginnings must require old endings.
authors note: hi!! this is my first jim halpert x reader fic :) i hope you enjoy this as much as i enjoyed writing it! also, thank you for the support on my previous writings. flashbacks/flash forwards will be in bold and talking heads will be in bold with italics!
Y/N clears her throat, crossing her legs as she sits in small, uncomfortable grey chair. In the background people are working at their desks, a man turns and glances at Y/N in the conference room with the crew. He turns back and makes eye contact with the camera, that was zoomed in on his reaction. He bites the inside of his cheek and goes back to his work, having a look on his face like he got caught doing something.
“What do I say?” Y/N asks, leaning forward towards the camera, then sitting back in the chair. “Oh, I started working at Dunder Mifflin about a year and a half ago? I’m the receptionist here. Boring, I know. I..sit in at meetings, uh, transfer clients. I also write stories! Sometimes, when I’m free. No-one has really seen them, except Jim.” Y/N looks down and fiddles with her bracelet. “Jim’s probably my best friend.” Y/N responds to the crew, the question of her relationship with the man coming up. She nods and smiles. “He’s the best salesmen I know. Everytime he makes a sale we air high five.” Y/N chuckles and smiles brightly at the camera.
“Caleb? He’s my boyfriend. He works in the warehouse. Helped me get this job.” Y/N nods, her smile faltering but a smirk staying on her face. “He’s great, we’ve been dating for...four years. He still has yet to pop the question but you know, we’re saving money, haha.” She smiles and chuckles. “Oh that’s it? Okay cool, uh, if you guys need anything don’t be afraid to come over to my desk and ask.” Y/N stands, and gives a small wave to the crew and camera before she exits the room.
“So, how was it?” Jim asks, leaning back in his chair, looking the woman up and down that was leaning up against his desk slowly, trying to find a trace of concern or outright disgust. Most of the employees at Dunder Mifflin, especially at the Scranton branch, were concerned with the idea of a documentary being filmed. Y/N seemed to like the idea. “It was fine, you just talk about yourself and your job.” She readjusted herself to now be sitting on Jim’s desk, legs dangling off. Y/N eyes the camera that was now standing near the two of them. This would take some getting used to. “So, Y/L/N, you want to go to Poor Richards tonight?” Jim asks, poking the top of her knee. Dwight perks his head up looking over at the two. “Shouldn’t you be working?” He asks, and Y/N rolls her eyes.
A ring was heard from reception, and Y/N hurried over to the phone after shrugging in Jim’s direction, picking it up. “Dunder Mifflin, this is Y/N. Yes, I’ll transfer you.” Y/N says into the phone, sitting back down in front of her computer monitor. “Dunder Mifflin, this Y/N.” She pressed the phone to her ear and her shoulder, writing on a sticky note ‘You mean, like a date?’ “Oh uhm,” The caller was asking to speak to Micheal, but he wasn’t in his office. “Where’d he go?” Y/N mouths to Jim, and he returns with a shrug. “Micheal isn’t here right now, may I take a message?” She asks, setting the separate sticky note to the side and grabbing another one to write down what the person on the other line needed. “Got it. Thank you!”
Y/N stood up and took both of the sticky notes, one to Micheal’s office, sticking it on his computer monitor, and walking over to Jim, placing the purple piece of paper on his shoulder. She would just joke with him out loud but didn’t want Dwight staring at them again. Jim looked over at Y/N, who was now back at her desk and lowered his eyes, a hand resting on his face. She let out a pretty peal of laughter, a pink tint on her cheeks. Their jokes is what got both of them through the day.
“Y/N?” The crew had asked him how he felt about Y/N and her affect since working here. “She’s a great friend. Very easy to talk to..warm, energetic and positive.” Jim comments, biting his lower lip gently. “Why do you ask?”
At the stroke of 5p.m., Y/N stood up and took her coat off of the coat rack, finding some ways to stall to talk to Jim by stacking the post-it notes, putting the scattered paper clips in their rightful container, making sure her computer was properly turned off. After what seemed like an hour of judgement from other employees as they left (it was only about two minutes), Jim approached her. “I’m assuming your in?” He asks and Y/N smiles. “Hell yes. I haven’t gone out to Poor Richards with you in forever.” She says, stuffing her hands nervously in her coat pockets. “Wait, were going to Poor Richards?” Kelly calls back to them and Y/N’s eyes widen, realizing how loud she was. “Guys were going to Poor Richards!” Kelly called down the hall, earning a few cheers from the other employees.
“I love my coworkers.” Jim says, sighing, and clicking his tongue to his cheek. “But Y/N is the only one who understands the pain of group outings. It’s mainly one of the reasons why we do things with eachother, without the rest of the Scranton branch.”
Y/N and Jim laugh at the same time, the camera zooming in on Caleb as he enters the office right when the two of them were about to leave. “Hey, baby.” Y/N says, pressing a kiss to Calebs lips, his hands resting on her waist. Jim looks into the camera with a frown as he fiddled with his car keys. “So Jim and I were going to go to Poor Richards, if that’s okay with you?” Y/N asks, keeping her arms wrapped around his neck. “Oh, babe..I kinda wanted you to come home tonight, you know..the reasons why.” He grumbles and Y/N looks at the camera, Jim looking visibly flustered and uncomfortable in the background. “Uhh..I just- haven’t gone out with them in awhile.” Y/N separates from Caleb and he frowns. “Fine. You can. Love you.” Caleb says before placing a kiss on her forehead. “Take care of her, Halpert.” Caleb says and Jim nods. “Will do.” He says awkwardly, chuckling afterwards.
“Guess I’m all yours tonight.” Y/N giggles, walking down the stairwell, Jim not far behind her. “Haha, yeah..” He trails off and Y/N stops and looks up at him. It was tremendously cold in the stairwell, but it was their safe space. “Somethings wrong.” Y/N says and Jim shakes his head. “I know that face.” She retorts. “What face?” His eyebrows furrow as he looked in her direction. “The face were you think really hard about something, were your concerned.” She points out and Jim smirks. They really had memorized each other, like a book they had read multiple times. Other miscellaneous things they knew about eachother: Jim’s favorite pen color is blue. Y/N’s favorite yogurt flavor is strawberry. 
“I’m just thinking about Caleb. Why didn’t he want to let you leave, besides..you know.” Jim mocked Caleb’s grumble, this made Y/N laugh. “I don’t know.” She says, continuing down the stairs but she frowns. “Sometimes I just don’t get him.” She confessed, and Jim’s face softened. The camera crew slips into a corner so it is out of view. Jim rolls his eyes and pushes the door open with his back. “Boys! Amirite?” He jokes, which made Y/N smile. Jim rushes over and opens Y/N’s door, to which she thanks him. The camera crew watches as the car drives away. “Do you think everyone else is already there?” Y/N asks and Jim shrugs, focusing on the road. “Thanks for taking me, by the way.” Y/N comments and Jim smiles. “No problem.”
After a couple of hours of hanging around the bar and Y/N getting hammered, the crew filming most of the experience, Jim decides it’s best if he takes Y/N home. He had successfully put her in his car and buckled her, and once he was in the car, Y/N wrapped her arms around his arm while giggling. “Wow. You are SO drunk!” He exclaims and eyes the girl, a gentle, caring smile on his face. The camera zooms in on the two, the view being from another car. “I’m perfectly sober!” Y/N cheers and Jim shakes his head as he pulled up to a red light, the camera filming them in the next car over. “Would I do this if I wasn’t sober?” “Do what-” And just like that, time stopped.
Y/N’s lips were on Jim’s, and Jim’s eyes widened, but he relunctly placed a hand on the back of her head, cradling softly as he closed his eyes. It was so pure, so delicate. The light had turned green, and a car honked behind them. Jim immediately pulled away, stepping on the gas, the camera getting a shot of them as they veered off. Y/N giggled and covered her mouth, then threw up in a bag that Jim had given to her just incase of an incident like this. He didn’t really have time to process what had just happened, and he rolled his eyes as he placed a hand on her back, rubbing it gently. He pulled up to his house, seeing his roommate was home. Jim was going to take her back to her house, but he was scared that she wouldn’t be able to articulate without some sort of assistance, and Jim presumed Caleb was already asleep.
Jim helped Y/N out of the car and walked into the small house and his roommate smiled. “So this is her?” He asked and Jim glared at him and sat Y/N down. “Just get me a glass of water, asshole.” He comments and takes his flip phone out, texting Caleb.
‘Hey, it’s Jim. Y/N got really drunk and she puked in my car, so I took her back to my house. Don’t worry, I’ll sleep on the couch. Have a good night.’
“What am I going to do with you?” Jim asked and shook his head. Y/N made ‘grabby hands’ towards him and his obliged, sitting on the couch with her, her body shifting so her head was now on his lap. He smiled down at the girl and quickly turned on the TV. Jim could feel Y/N slip out of consciousness by her breathing and he smiled again, taking a moment to take this in. He stroked her hair and he swallowed harshly, remembering what had happened earlier. Jim bit his lower lip and sighed, then took the girl up in his arms, bridal style, and walked to his room, placing her on his bed, and covering her with the blanket.
The next morning, Jim cooked breakfast for her, gave her medicine, and let her know of what had happened last night. She was taken aback, wondering why she would do such actions. She apologized profusely, to which Jim just smiled and shook his head, replying with a ‘you’re fine.’ Classic boy-next-door Jim. Y/N went home, and didn’t tell Caleb. There was no reason to. She was drunk, and didn’t remember the events. The weekend flew by in a flash, and soon it was Monday again.
Y/N walked into work with a bright smile on her face. That smile quickly faltered as whisperings were made by her other coworkers, and she made eye contact with Jim. Had he told someone? No, surely he hadn’t. Y/N’a eyes faltered from Jim as she sat behind her desk and Jim tapped his pen on desk. Dwight taps his desk a single time and Jim looks over at him, raising his eyebrows. “Y/N has a boyfriend.” Dwight quickly says, and Jim nods. “Yes, I know. Why are you telling me this?” He asks, really not wanting any of Dwight’s antics at the moment. “Because you kissed her.” Jim’s heart sank into the bottom of his stomach. “..Who told you that?” He whispered, glancing at the camera, and Dwight points at the crew member holding the camera. Jim looked at the camera and clenched his jaw.
“How long does this documentary have to be?” Jim asks, his hands folded in his lap as he clenched his jaw.
Y/N wrote sloppily, she was jotting down ideas for her writings. Not that anyone would see them. “Y/N?!” Caleb calls and Y/N stands up. He sounded angry. “Caleb? What’s up?” She asks, walking from behind the reception desk. “You kissed Jim?!” He yelled and Jim turned away from the gaze of Caleb, spinning in his chair as he looked in the camera. The whole office knew by now. “I-I was drunk! And it’s not like it meant anything!” Caleb had a right to be upset, after all, she had kissed him even if she didn’t remember it. “I’m sorry..” She trailed off and Caleb clenched his fists. “Sorry isn’t gonna cut it! You hang out with Jim all the time, how will I know if you don’t do something like this again?! We’re over. I want you moved out of the apartment by tonight.” Caleb angerily says and Jim looked over at Caleb, standing up. “Hey, man, she didn’t mean-” “I don’t want to hear it, Halpert. You kissed back.” He spat. Y/N looked over at Jim before she watched Caleb storm out of the office. He was gone. The man she wanted to marry, spend the rest of her life with, was gone. He wanted her gone.
“Y/N.” Jim quickly said and Y/N tears up, looking up at him. She just threw away four years of her life she would never get back. “I can’t..” She said and rushed out into the hallway, and finally into the stairwell. Jim followed close behind. “Hey..” Jim soothed and wrapped his arms around her, her head now resting on his chest as she wept. He rubbed her back gently and pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head, looking over at the camera. “You’re going to be okay, Y/L/N.” He comforted, and Y/N sputtered. “I don’t have a place to live! He wants- me gone by tonight.” Y/N hiccups and Jim holds her tighter, thinking of ways he could help her. “Hey! Crazy idea, you can stay at my place until you find somewhere to stay.” Jim suggests. He hadn’t even talked to his roommate.
“Are you sure? I- that’s.” Y/N tries to the find words to show her appreciation, and wraps her arms around his neck, standing on her tippy toes to hold onto him. Jim wraps his arms around her waist and closes his eyes, holding her tightly once more.
And just like that, Jim knew this was the right thing to do. He took in her scent, the softness of her skin, and the many giggles coming from her.
“I’d do anything for her.” Jim says confidently, before his eyes fell from view of the camera. “She’s my best friend.”