Oh, the Simon obsession is full on in this chapter ;-) And cheesy melodramatic music? Why, I'm never gonna walk again... that guilty feet... oh never mind... LOL  How can you possibly justify leaving the chapter with Pam standing outside Jim's door?  You are cruel. Very, very cruel.

Author's Response:

It's a sickness, I tell you.  :o)  And you know full well there are much worse places I could've cut off a chapter...heh. :o)

Thanks for everything!

Definately one of your best stories!  You do angst extremely well!  I'm eager for the next chapter.  Please continue!

Author's Response:

I just noticed that I neglected to respond to your review -- I'm so sorry!  ANyway, glad you're enjoying the angst; I so love writing it.... :o)

Thanks for the review!

I have suck a soft spot for Careless Whisper, its sad. The saxophone and the overly dramatic lyrics get me every time, quite like this fic (without the saxophone). This is great, keep writing!

Author's Response:

Heh - listen, I'm the queen of liking some seriously sappy 80's music, and...yeah, Careless Whisper's over the top and angsty, but I still think it's beautiful. :o) I mock it, so as to protect it...and in that way, I honor it. [/Dwight]  LOL

Thanks so much for the review!

i love this story, girl7! please let it have a happy ending for them!!!

Author's Response:

Er.... *crickets*

Hee, I'm joking - but we have to bear in mind: They're okay now!  They're going on an actual date, right?  So we can revel in the angst for a bit.... :o)

Thanks so much for reviewing!

When I saw you had updated, I did a Dwight fist pump and poured another cup of coffee.  Another awesome chapter, as usual.  Love Meredith in this, helping Pam with her wardrobe choices and pointing out the obvious.  Ah, I knew the night wouldn't be over when they returned to their respective rooms.  So when's the next chapter coming?  I need to know when I should start refreshing the page every five minutes.  Again.

I think the real story here is with Meredith and Abe Lincoln! Haha. Kidding! Another great installment. I love how you have portrayed Pam as being so conflicted over what she's feeling for Jim. Last chapter I was getting a little annoyed with her, but now I remember how tough it is for her as well. And the dream was pretty hot :-) Can't wait to find out what happens after he opens the door!

Author's Response:

Meredith and Abe!  I toyed with the idea of her bringing Creed back to their room, but I figured that would've probably traumatized Pam so much she'd have been unable to even move, heh.  I'm glad Pam's inner conflict came out here -- you'll likely be annoyed at her a few more times before this is all over (LOL), but...well, she was a long way from FNB/DCMP back then.  :o)

Thanks so much for reviewing - and so quickly!

Is it so wrong that I'm incredibly pleased with both Meredith and Angela for shoving Pam towards this?  Because I am, and I am so loving this story. The dance floor banter was hysterical.  Pam's dream, magical.  Oh if only...

Author's Response: Hee - no, it's not wrong at all!  Denial and repression are bad, bad things...so Angela & Meredith are doing them a big favor, LOL. Glad you liked the dance floor banter and Pam's dream, hee.  Thanks so much for reviewing!

Really love having them in this other environment.  It makes it all the more intimate(if that makes sense)and I can really see the surroundings as I read this.  Wonderful job and looking forward to more!

Author's Response:

Hey, thanks so much!  The idea of them being away from the office for an extended period of time (i.e. a retreat like this) and that sort of throwing them into a completely different realm emotionally was the basic concept around which the rest of the story sort of evolved.  (And that was, I'm sure, the most awkward sentence ever written.)

So glad you're enjoying it - and more's on its way (will be updating in about an hour or two) --

Thanks for reviewing!

10

I've recently realized somthing.  I don't leave you a lot of reviews.  Not because I don't love your stories but because I do.  I am hopelessly hooked on yet another girl7 story.  You get so many awesome reviews that I just don't think there's really anything useful I can add.  Anyway, you're awesome, for this story and all of your others and I will really try to review more as that is the only currency I have to offer here. 

PS. Jim in scrubs, yum!

Hooboy.  You sure know how to pack a punch in a two word phrase.  "Doesn't count."  "No running."  And I was very impressed with your description of Jim feeling the futility of his friendship with Pam and his longing for something tangible in the short flashback with Toby.  Yearning.  Poor Jim.  This would be so much more painful if we didn't have an accepted dinner date as canon!

Author's Response:

Wow, thanks so much for that thoughtful review; I keep saying it, I know, but I can't tell you how nice it is to hear exactly what people liked/didn't/found moving.  And I'm glad you said what you did at the end there (i.e. that it'd be so much more painful if we weren't post-The Job/official date coming up), because I love writing angst (why, I don't know!), and that happy ending in the finale (uh, TWSS) sort of made me feel a little better about torturing poor Jim in my fics.  :o)

Thanks again for that great review!

So much love for this story! And I can't wait for more. Oh, and this:

she doesn't say a word as she reaches without looking down to grasp at the open neck of her own shirt, pulling the fabric together to cover herself and clutching it tight.

"Don't do that." He whispers

Killed me.

I forgot to mention last chapter how amused I was by the idea of Meredith and Creed hooking up!  Also, last chapter I read nqllisi's comment about finally seeing why so many people find Pam to be at fault for leading him on.  You're making me see it, too.  Not that I hate her or anything now!  But it's an interesting peak into her psyche.  I knew something was going to happen when she accepted the drink from Meredith; they do always seem to end up...close when Pam's been drinking.  Her attraction to Jim's natural scent rang true for me because I definitely find Mr. b's normal body smell to be nice.  Chemistry, pheromones, all that scientific dissection of "true love".  You've got a lot going on but I think it's working well together!  And ooh, I see there's another new chapter so I'd better hop to it.

Author's Response:

Ha - in my perfect world, Creed and Meredith end up together (and he's the one she made the "secret sex pact" with, heh).  And yeah, while I am most definitely not a Pam hater -- sympathize with them both -- I do think she's guilty of leading him on, at least in as much as she relies on him to fill in the emotional blanks left by Roy.  I just can't believe -- given episodes like "Booze Cruise," "The Client," and "Drug Testing" (GUH) -- that she's oblivious to his feelings.

That said, her reaction on Casino Night (seriously -- how did Jenna Fischer manage to make herself actually go pale??) showed (IMHO) that she didn't realize just how much he felt for her.

And yeah, a lot of my Jim/Pam fics involve alcohol, and the reason for that is simple: It would lower their inhibitions, make them get closer to really saying/doing what they mean/feel.  ...Plus it's kinda fun to write them as all out of control, with wine as a pseudo get-out-of-jail-free card, LOL.

Thanks so much for the review!

No running.  No two words could sum up their relationship better. Balloon Bop was hilarious- I can totally see Michael planning somehting like that.  I can't wait for people to read what you have in store for Jim and Pam. (eeee!!!!)

Author's Response:

Amen to that, sister (the no running)!  I, too, can totally see Michael Scott being an enormous fan of balloons, LOL.  And yeah...it's gonna get hotter, heh.

Thanks for the review and the beta'ing!