(Untitled)

[jim_halpert]

There was news he never wanted to hear. Disappearances were always hard in general, but a sort of fact of life. All relationships came with that looming overhead, but it wasn't like death wasn't the same way. Still, there were core people who he never expected to ever leave - people who had been there for so long it was an almost staple they were

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[this_is_pam]

Pam had Sam in her arms, already dead asleep, when she got back to the hut, just calling out a greeting as she walked in, carrying Sam right into her room to lay her down. It wasn't like she could have known anything was wrong yet. The smile on her face quickly faded, though, when she went into the other room and saw the look on Jim's face. She didn't know for sure, but around here, it wasn't too hard to tell what that meant.

"What's wrong?" she asked quietly, crossing to come sit beside him and resting one hand on his leg. Part of her dreaded hearing the news, but it had to happen one way or another, and she figured there was no sense in not just being up front about it. "Are you okay?"

[jim_halpert]

Jim was actually grateful for the few moments after Pam went in, and even more grateful that Sam was awake. He needed to talk to her privately first, to get his head straight, and Sam asking dozens of questions on why she had to play only in her room wasn't anything he could really handle right now.

"John's gone," he said, bluntly, because he could think of no other way to say it. "He's just...everything's gone, I heard, so..."

So he was gone gone. He didn't really want to say that outloud, though.

[this_is_pam]

Though she'd been prepared for something of that sort, the news hit harder than Pam could have expected. Stomach lurching a little, her mouth fell slightly open, and she let out a long sigh, trying to brace herself. She didn't need to make this any harder on Jim. He'd known John for years; that had to make it worse.

"Oh, my god," she murmured, shaking her head a little. Easing closer, she slid an arm around his shoulders, pulling him closer. "That's... oh my god, Jim." Some part of her always felt guilty, probably irrationally so, seeing him after a disappearance when she knew she'd put him through worse when she had left before. Still, she tried not to think about that, or the possibility that either one of them could easily be next. "Are - are they sure?"

[jim_halpert]

"Sounds it," he replied, dully. He leaned into her embrace, since it was about the only thing close to comfort he had. The shock had dulled into an almost numbing feeling. It was almost a welcome one, after what he was feeling earlier. "I...he's not supposed to be someone who can disappear. He's been here longer than I have, Pam."