Paper Thin (Jim Halpert/The Office Fanfiction)

Chapter Nineteen

Fuck.

My breathing is loud and my heart pounds ominously in my ears.

I'm still holding on to Jim's arm, and my grip tightens even more, if possible. He gives me a quizzical look, but my eyes are trained on my husband's.

"H-How did you find me?" I ask. Jim's eyes widen as he puts it together. This isn't a new Dunder Mifflin client. This is Christian. The same Christian that beat me to a pulp, tried to throw me down a flight of stairs, threatened me with a gun as I laid in a hospital bed, and has been searching for me for months.

"You really thought New York was just a coincidence? You're just as naive as ever."

I knew it. Deep down, I knew it. When we came back from our romantic day in New York, our hotel room was trashed by a woman who was apparently a wanted criminal. I let myself think it wasn't him. I was wrong.

"After I found you in New York, it was easy. Using a different last name and dying your hair doesn't make you invisible, sweetheart," the pet name is like acid on his tongue,"Although I will admit, you were pretty tough to catch. I wasted a lot of resources searching the country for you....and who is this? Your new toy? Cheating on your husband is a sin, Rachel," he says menacingly, gesturing to Jim. Jim reacts by stepping in front of me, a barrier between me and this unexpected danger.

"What the fuck do you want?" asks Jim, hatred apparent in the growl of his voice.

Christian laughs. It's a hollow laugh, filled with insanity.

"You know..." he starts, reaching into his jacket and pulling out a handgun. He waves it in the air as he speaks. "What happens between a man and his wife really isn't any of your business."

Everything starts to happen fast, too fast. Christian lunges at Jim. In this instant, Jim shoves me away from him, giving me a fair distance between myself and Christian's incoming attack. Jim manages to plant a wicked right cross on his face, which must have hurt from the cracking sound, before Christian pistol whips him in the face, causing him to fall to the floor. I scream in agony, tears streaming down my face.

"Stop! Please don't hurt him!" I scream at the top of my lungs, my voice filled with desperation. I start to reach for Jim, but am met with a hard punch to my face, sending me staggering backwards. Blood spills out of my nose, blending in with the fabric on my crimson dress.

"Please, I'll do whatever you want! Just stop!" I say, sobbing. I witness more blows to Jim's face and keep lunging for him, each time getting met with a heartless blow. I won't stop though, no matter how many times I fall to the ground. I pound on Christian's back as Jim falls unconcious. He shoves me back and stands menacingly above Jim's defeated frame. It's a terrifying scene surrounded by the once safe atmosphere of the office.

"I told you what would happen if you left. I warned you. I never lose, Rachel," he says, still waving the pistol, now stained with blood. His green eyes are alight with... excitement? His tidy hair now falls in greasy tendrils across this forehead. He used to be a very  attractive man before alcohol ravaged his features. Dark circles surround his eyes and his pale skin looks sickly against his dark suit. He no longer resembles the man I fell in love with all those years ago.

"What do you want?!" I scream at him.

"I think it's pretty obvious," he says with a quizzical look. He points the gun at Jim's face and cocks it.

Just as a gutteral scream leaves my throat, Dwight runs in from the entryway. He wastes no time in pepper spraying Christian right in his eyes. The spray sputters through the air and I feel my eyes tingling but I ignore it completely. I start hyperventilating, trying desperately to stanch the flow of blood from my nose.