〔𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 ; 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯〕
〔𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘦𝘭.〕

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THE EMPLOYEES OF DUNDER MIFFLIN silently worked as Michael rushed out of his office in a panic.

"Alright everybody, lock the doors, turn off the lights. Pretend you're not here." Michael scurried to the door and quickly slammed and locked it.

"Are we in danger?" Jim asked.

"Michael, what's going on?" Willow felt anxiety flow through her body and started bouncing her leg up and down.

"There's no time to think about it, this is real. Just, shh, everybody." Michael hissed as he shut the lights off. Michael bent down in front of reception as a knock was heard. Willow saw Dwight dip under his desk in fear. 

"Michael should I call the-" Kevin was quickly cut off by Michael gesturing toward him to be quiet. The sound of another knock rang through the silence in the office.

"Hello? I'm here from I.T." a muffled male voice said. Michael rose, dumbfounded.

"Shh, crap. I thought he was a terrorist!" Michael whispered. Many of the employees groaned at their boss' ignorance. 

"Let him in, Michael!" Willow scolded. Michael embarrassingly stalked over to the door, turning on the lights and letting the I.T guy into the office.

♡

Willow opened up her e-mail and saw a memo from the I.T department. Intrigued, she opened it up, reading that Michael will now have access to everyone's e-mail.

"Psst, Jim! Did you see this memo?" Jim looked up from his computer and moved his chair over to Willow and read the memo on her computer screen. 

"Are you kidding?" Jim asked, exasperated. 

"I guess not. Do you think he knows about the party?" Willow whispered, looking over at Michael's office. She sighed in relief, seeing as he was working with the I.T guy on the computer.

"I hope not." 

After a bit, Michael exited his office as if nothing has changed. A lot of the employees looked over to him, aware of his newfound power.

"Hey, what's the deal Michael? Why are you spying on our computers?" Oscar asked.

"Oh no, everybody, Oscar's gone crazy! What other ghost stories do you have for us? That I'm a robot?" Michael began to impersonate a robot, cutting Oscar off when he'd try to speak. "Oil can, oil can!" 

"Tin Man. Actually, we just got a memo from I.T. saying you're doing e-mail surveillance." Oscar continued.

"Oh, what? No, that defeats the whole purpose."

"So it's true? You have access to our e-mails?" Dwight asked.

"You know what the problem is?" Michael asked, ignoring Dwight.

"I think I do." Stanley grumbled.

"The problem is that when people hear the term 'big brother,' they immediately think it's scary or bad, but I don't. I think, wow, I love my big brother." Michael said.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Willow asked. Michael turned to her, about to say something, before turning on his heel and marching back to his office.

♡

"I really don't like the idea of Michael looking at my e-mails. I mean, I don't usually use my work e-mail much for personal reasons but... come on. It's snooping." Willow sighed.

♡

"Psst, Jim, Willow!" Pam motioned for the siblings to go over to reception.

"What's up?" Willow asked.

"Something just happened. Dwight just told Angela that she has to deleted all of her sensitive e-mails immediately." 

"What?" Jim said, dumbfounded. 

"I know!"

"Oh, wow." Willow muttered.

"Do you think they're..." Pam made a gesture, insinuating something possibly sexual or romantic.

"No." Jim and Willow both said.

"Yeah, you're probably right."

"Hmm..."

"Ugh, ew, ew! Maybe?" 

"I don't know." Willow looked down at the floor. She felt a pang in her stomach, not really knowing why. She silently stalked back over to her desk, making slight eye contact with Dwight before starting to play Solitaire on the computer. 

♡

It was lunch time, and Willow, Jim, Pam, Kevin and Oscar made their way into the kitchen to have lunch together. They sat together and began to make conversation as they ate their lunches. As their chatter continued, Kevin noticed Michael come inside and sit between him and Willow.

"Are you gonna eat with us?" Kevin asked.

"Of course. Hanging with my crew, crew that I am one of. Hanging with my 'Cup of Noodles.' This is a meal in a cup." Michael gestured to the small Styrofoam cup in front of him as he began to eat.

"Okay." Willow looked down at her food, slightly scooting in Jim's direction.

"Hot, tasty. Reminds me of college. Lived on this stuff. Brain food. You know what I really, really miss about college? The parties. Everybody'd go. The athletes, the nerds, the professors." Michael prattled on.

"The professors would go to the parties?" Pam asked.

"Yeah! They were the most fun. We always invited them." Willow and Jim looked over at each other, aware that they were caught red-handed.

♡

"Yes, it's true, we're having a party at Jim's tonight." Willow admitted.

"I got three cases of imported beer, a karaoke machine, and we didn't invite Michael. So three ingredients for a great party." Jim and Willow smiled slightly.

"It's nothing personal to him, we just think that no one would relax and have fun."

"Also, my roommate wants to meet everybody. Because I'm pretty sure he thinks that I'm making Dwight up. He is very real."

"Very real indeed."

♡

After an awkward lunch with Michael, Jim and Willow returned back to their desk clump. As they got settled in, Dwight rolled his chair over to Jim.

"Question, on the Internet there are several different options to get to your house for the party tonight..." 

"Oh, um, could you keep it down?" Jim whispered.

"Why?"

"Not everyone knows about the party." Willow whispered, silently hoping she was out of earshot of Michael, who was slowly returning back to his office.

"Like who?" Dwight asked.

"Um, Michael."

"Why just Michael?"

"Um... because it's a surprise."

"Is it?"

"Totally." Willow said.

"That's perfect!"

"Yeah... don't tell him."

"I won't." Dwight gleefully went back to his desk and resumed his work.

"Nice save." Willow mouthed to her brother. He nodded as he resumed his work.

♡

"Hey, it's almost quitting time." 

Michael approached reception, where Jim, Pam and Willow were.

"Yep, it's four o'clock." Jim responded.

"One more hour. Take care of anything you forgot to do. Hey, you know, I don't know if you have any plans tonight, but if you don't, we could hang out."

"Oh, I can't. I've got plans."

"Do you?"

"Yeah."

"Willow?"

"Oh, I can't, I'm um, watching my friend's kids." the smaller woman replied.

"Oh, okay. I've actually, um, got plans too." Michael said softly.

"You do?" Jim asked.

"Totally."

"You did ask if we wanted to hang out, so..."

"Tonight, I can't do it tonight. Improv class, I have improv class, hanging out with my improv buds."

"Oh, sounds like fun."

"It will be." There was a moment of awkward silence before Michael left the three. 

♡

A couple hours later, Willow pulled into the driveway of her brother's home. She grabbed a grocery bag containing bags of chips and a bottle of wine and walked to the front. She rapped on the door a few times before being answered by Jim's roommate.

"Hey, Mark! Long time no see." 

"Nice to see you, Willow. Jim's in the kitchen." Willow nodded and followed Mark inside, and made her way inside the kitchen.

"Hey, I got a bottle of wine and some potato and tortilla chips." Jim looked up from what he was doing and took the grocery bag from her.

"Nice, thanks. Uh, do you mind putting the beer and the cooler outside?" 

"Of course." Willow picked up a cooler filled with beers and carried it out to the porch and placed it on a table. She went back inside to continue helping her brother set up for the party.

♡

At around 7:30, a lot of the guests started to arrive at the house. The Halpert siblings welcomed everyone with enthusiasm, turned on music and offered everyone drinks.

"Quick announcement everybody, if I could have everybody's attention. We do have wine in the kitchen, and, uh, there is beer available on the porch and despite what you might think, it's not all for Meredith and Kelly, so please enjoy." Jim motioned over to the porch, where Kelly and Meredith were chatting silently.

"Great idea, Jim! I'll go get one right now!" Willow giggled as she went to the porch. She said a quick hello to Meredith and Kelly before going back inside, only to see Dwight walking away from Jim and Mark. 

"So I see Mark met Dwight, huh?" 

"Uh huh." The look on Mark's face said it all. Willow giggled a little before taking a sip of her beer.

"Just wanna let you guys know that we will be taking the tour like I promised!" Jim called out. As a group of people made their way over to Jim for the tour, Pam entered the living room.

"Hey." 

"Hi Pam!" Willow exclaimed. The two hugged for a second before Pam went with Jim on his house tour. Willow gave a small wave before sitting next to Dwight on the couch.

"I never took you as a beer person." Dwight said. 

"Oh yeah? Well honestly, I do prefer wine. But beer's good." Willow replied.

"Really? I actually make beet wine, since I grow them at my farm."

"Oh wow, beet wine? I actually never heard of that."  

"If you do like wine you should try it. I could give you a bottle or something..." 

"I'd like that." Willow smiled warmly. Dwight smiled back a bit awkwardly as Willow looked down at her lap, unsure on what to say next. 

"Gah, I can't wait for Michael to come, he'll be so surprised!" Dwight said excitedly. 

"I bet." Willow cringed. Somehow she did feel a bit bad for lying to Dwight, but nevertheless, she felt she had to keep the joke going for Jim and Pam.

♡

The living room of Jim's house filled to the brim with various activity. Willow finished singing Africa by Toto on the karaoke machine and handed Kevin the microphone, not before grabbing a wine glass and filling it with the red alcoholic drink. Toby silently played video games as Willow plopped down on the couch next to her brother.

"Hey, nice song." Jim said, taking a sip of his beer. 

"Ha, thanks. Glad the party's going well." Willow responded. Jim nodded as Kevin started to sing I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor. Many of the guests slightly danced along to the song. Jim and Willow looked at the cameras, then at each other, in amusement. 

Suddenly, Kevin's singing was halted abruptly by Dwight standing up.

"Surprise!" Dwight shouted. Willow, Jim and the rest of the guests turned around and saw Michael enter the room. As soon as they saw their boss, conversations faltered into thin air and smiles disappeared. 

"Wow, who opened the morgue for this thing? I'm just driving by, thought I'd drop in." Michael broke the silence as Phyllis silently explained the reality of the situation. Dwight's delighted expression vanished like the rest of the co-workers.

"Hello temp, take my jacket!" Michael tossed his jacket at Ryan as he started to complain about the I.T guy from earlier, Sadiq, being invited. Willow put a hand over her eyes.

♡

"Honestly, I shouldn't be surprised at this. Of course we had to have this the week Michael starts to spy on our computers. God." Willow huffed.

♡

Michael quickly made his way over to the karaoke machine and selected Islands in the Stream by Kenny Rodgers and Dolly Parton.

"Okay, this is a duet, so I need somebody else. Pam? You wanna come and sing this one? I need somebody else. Willow?" No one would come up, but Michael began to sing anyway. 

"Baby when I met you there was peace unknown. Kelly? Tried to get you with a fine tooth comb. I was soft inside, there was something goin' on." Willow placed a palm on her cheek as she noticed both Dwight and Angela were absent from the horrendous karaoke performance. She felt a small bit of anger coil inside of her but brushed it off.

"This part goes to the, uh, girl. You do something to me that I can't explain. Hold me closer and I feel no pain. In every beat of my heart, we got something goin' on." Michael continued, in a quite high falsetto voice. Willow saw Jim stand to join Michael.

"It requires a dedication, all this love we feel needs no conversation. Divided, together, uh huh. Making love with each other, uh huh." the two sang in sync. Willow smiled as her brother shrugged in amusement to her and Pam.

As Michael and Jim continued to sing the song, Willow noticed she was done with her beer.

"Hey, I'm gonna get another drink. Do you want one?" she asked Pam.

"Yeah, sure." Pam replied, not breaking eye contact with Jim. Willow nodded and stood. She walked over to the sliding door of the porch, opening it. As she grabbed two bottles of beer, Willow looked over to the bushes and saw two people. A smaller figure laid atop a larger male, clearly in the middle of making out. Willow caught a flash of blonde hair and Dwight's shoes. 

Anger and hurt pulsating through her veins, Willow put one of the bottles back into the cooler. She went back inside, quickly handed Pam her beer and grabbed her coat. She looked over at Jim, who just finished the song. He made a shrugging motion toward her, puzzled as why she was about to leave.

"I don't feel well." Willow lied. Jim nodded quickly as Willow put her jacket on. 

"Bye Baby Halpert!" Michael called out as the brunette quickly left the house, rolling her eyes at the nickname. 

Willow got into her car and drove away from the party, anger boiling inside. 

"There you go Pam, your stupid little theory was right." the woman muttered out loud. She didn't think about the logic of being mad at what just transpired at the porch, she didn't even care. She just had to get out.