1

Oh this is so poignant and sweet d84;a039;

1

This is absolutely exquisite and incredibly honest and real!

10

Coming back to review this story after reading it for the gazillionth time.

Like everything you have written, this is so beautiful, romantic, and believable. I love it all, but here are a few favorites:

--When Jim stares at his hand and finds the intimacy in the moment. Sigh. I truly love the way you write Jim. The way you highlight the silly nature of his character, but also address his maturity--just wonderful.

--The way they struggle with the newness and familiarity of a burgeoning relationship. Very realistic.

--And a big thank you for presenting Pam as being upfront and honest, rather than being so meek. She's finding herself and testing the waters of a very different relationship than she had with Roy. Yes she still has insecurities, but she's finding her voice and her strength. You can see that in this story. LOVE IT!

--And finally, your dialogue. As it has been pointed out by Morning Angel, you have such ab ability to capture the way Jim and Pam talk (and think). It feels so natural rather than forced--the way you incorporate pauses, inflections, and minimal but purposefully dialogue. You have such a talent for this. Are you sure you don't secretly write for the show?

Author's Response: Hey - sorry for the delay - I hadn't logged in for a few days. Thanks so much for your detailed review, Waste. And, as I said in another review for Inside Jokes, I'm secretly B.J. Novak. Don't tell anyone, 'kay? :)

10

Wow!  I love that you went the road-less-travelled route and let them dodge the bullet... at least for now.  Wonderful transition from the lighter tone of the first half to the introspective second half.

And I laughed out loud at the stripper's cleavage exchange.  Not in a cliched internet kind of way; I actually laughed audibly, and I don't do that.

8

I loved Jim's openess and honesty here. I know you said he was hard to write, but your words again seemed to flow so effortlesly from one sentence to the next. I liked the callback to all those nights of talking with Karen, actually telling Pam what he'd said.  And this was the hottest thing I've read in quite a while:

I won't let her look away when she comes and her eyes are a pretty mess of worry and pleasure. I want to see it. "I want her to know that I see it and that it's okay. I rest my forehead against hers and hold still while she catches her breath, tilting my head to kiss her cheeks. I'm too keyed-up and anxious, so, once the first teasing hint of my orgasm gets its hooks in me, I can't stop it. I pull her up to sit in my lap again, and come with my face buried in her shoulder."

*sigh* Nicely done.

9

Sigh...that was beautiful. I like how you get the "lateness" in without hitting us over the head with it. Very skillful.

Interesting that it takes a pregnancy scare to get these two really talking about things, but that was really wonderful to read, so whatever it takes is good. I'm really taken in by your writing style, the descriptions and the dialogue are very well done. I don't know how you do it, but you manage to be both romantic and un-romantic at the same time. It's really refreshing.

Author's Response: Doesn't it seem likely that they'd need some sort of push, something they wouldn't really have control over? Thanks so much for your kind words, Blanca. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

That was exquisite.  I wasn't expecting that ending and normally I would have been sad about that ending, but honestly it was just such a well crafted journey that I can't say I was disappointed at all that Pam wasn't pregnant. There were moments of such honesty and intimacy that it felt like I was peaking in the blinds. Gorgeous.

Author's Response: Thanks, LoveFool. I was pretty sure that what I was doing here was completely transparent (namely, that Pam wasn't going to be pregnant), so I'm glad I surprised some people. There's something deliciously private about Pam and Jim's relationship, so, yeah, I do like playing with that intimacy. I'm pleased that you enjoyed it.

10

This was decidedly not the outcome I expected based on your title.  But you knew that, you devious thing.

This story is beautiful.  I really like the quiet and intimate tone it has.  I like the way Pam and Jim explore their rocky history.  Really nice touch that Jim discovers that she's got her period by noticing the blood on his fingers.

I think the semi-communicative way you have them deal with the stress of the unknown all week is really true to character.  Well done all around!

I like them being honest and talking about uncomfortable things. Very interesting.

Author's Response: Thank you, Bayjb. Glad to hear you liked it.

Oh Talkative, you make me happy! There’s just a lot of honesty in this piece and I think you’ve done such a great job capturing how complicated and painful Jim’s and Pam’s history has been for both of them.

I really like that you can show Jim and Pam, each, as flawed individuals - neither is really better than the other when it comes to their past. I like when Pam says to Jim:
____
"I just -" she pauses, regroups, "watching you with Karen made me angry sometimes." She lets her arms hang at her sides. I'm standing a foot or two behind her, wanting to touch her. "Okay, this is really awful, but I was pissed off at you because I thought you were using Karen to, like, hide from me? And I thought that was really mean. I didn't get why you couldn't be honest." She turns, sits down, and looks up at me.
____

As I read this, I was thinking “um, pot calling kettle black?” But, that’s so right on about what happens in a real relationship - we get caught up in our own perspective of things, and often, it’s hard to stop and watch what we’ve been doing. And I can totally relate - a lot of times when I fight/argue with my husband, I’ll be so caught up in my anger about something he’s done, and he’ll bring something up that I have done that isn’t any better, and it almost always stops me in my tracks. (I’m not sure, but I hope this makes sense)

I also really loved this:
_____
I don't -" she cuts herself off and sits silently for a moment. I wait. "I guess there's no point in wondering, is there? This is how it happened."
"It is." But I disagree. If there's no point in wondering, I've wasted countless hours of my life. But that's my problem, not hers, and it illustrates one of the ways in which we're very, very different people, one of the ways in which I hope we'll annoy the hell out of each other for the rest of our lives.
______

I love that realization that he has. I think Pam is just more of a pragmatist - which is why she was able to let Jim go off to NY at the end of S3 without more and why she could say “we’ll always be friends” in her talking head. It isn’t that she loved him less - it’s just that she is somehow able to let go. And Jim, I think, is just more of the romantic. And maybe that is okay and in order to move forward they have to just accept that about each other.

Finally, I really loved this "And, in our own stupid, emotionally stunted way, we did manage to give you some time. A whole year."

Also loved the twist that it was Karen’s false alarm that got them talking.

And I could go on and on - there is so much to love about this. Their banter and intimacy with each other is just captured perfectly.

So great! Thank you, thank you for writing this!

Author's Response: You know, zee, the more I worked on this, the more I realized that there wasn't a huge difference between the basics of how Pam and Jim behaved in S2/S3. Pam kidded herself with Roy, Jim kidded himself with Karen, they both did a lot of lying (or at least omitting), and they didn't speak up when they should/could have. I'm glad that this line of thinking came through in my story. Also, I think Pam could let Jim go more easily because, well, she's more comfortable with disappointment than he is. I also think she's better at talking herself out of things. I think that's actually a really important part of her character and something that she's working on getting past. Thank you so much for your wonderful, thorough review!

Wow! *the* lemonade? I didn’t know I was “the something guy”. That’s kind of cool. Did not expect that. But yes, I am lemoñadé from Northern Attack and I virtual handshake you back, especially for writing this incredible story that isn’t one sided. I just emailed a friend yesterday about how I needed a good JAM fic and here it is!