Nice to finally get going on unconvering some of the mysteries of everything Robert and Danny are up to. Shift buisness types like them who are only out to turn a profit. Makes sense they'd want to keep things under wraps.

Love how the connection between Jim and Pam keeps growing. They're clearly getting more and more comfortable just being around each other. Revisting their old hometown with all the memories I'm sure is helping that along nicely.

Big development for Pam. At least finally admitting to herself she doesn't want to be with Danny anymore. I'm sure there's still a bit to go down that path, but it's a big development. Rather than just poking her head out of her old cage, she's taken some figurative and literal steps out of it. Seems like she's also discovering there's a much better world outside of it for her too.

Love that Jim is just on her side. I've got a feeling that he's still committed to not writing the article he had planned. That is unless a certian someone tells him he should. Great job as usual.

Author's Response:

Thanks very much! And yeah, I slightly realised in writing this that I'm maybe not cunning enough to come up with a super sneaky/elaborate plot from Robert and Danny that's also vaguely believable...so I think a future as a shifty business type may not be in the cards for me, lol. But I'm hoping there is at least enough mystery to keep it interesting!

And Pam is getting there on the cage, haha. You may be right on your hunch about Jim and his article...

Thanks so much for reviewing :)  

I love the rental shop dialogue. Very easy to hear all their voices there, and I appreciate you acknowledging the pretty heavy burdens Pam and Angela might have faced as women investigators at this particular moment.

Anna Karenina *does* do a lot of almost fainting, doesn't she? But regardless: I liked their subtle physical reactions to each other here. I do think that sort of hyper-awareness of each other works for this story and at this juncture in their relationship. Their dynamic here is great - they're saying a lot without saying much, and they're able to pick up each other's signals in a way that makes sense with two people who used to be so close. AND you worked in her falling asleep on his shoulder!

The Dwangela here is deeply entertaining as always.

I think the idea of Danny not being on her side is important, in particular because it establishes that even if Danny isn't up to something nefarious, he's still just... not the partner Pam wants, and he's never going to be.

Author's Response:

Thank you! I really enjoyed writing the rental shop dialogue, I feel like we need more Dwangela + Jam scenes in general. 

(And I mean, she really does?! Don't even get me started on what happens every time she gets on a train in that book). I'm really glad you think their physical reactions worked here though - them being able to pick up each other's signals on the show is something I always love.

And yes, I sort of wanted some nefarious hijinks in the plot, but I also didn't want that to be the only reason she picked Jim...I wanted it to be a genuine partnership.    

Thanks so much, as ever, for your review! :)  

Not just a Karen cameo, but an Andy sighting! Wonderful.

Again, I love the way you're playing with the Pam dynamic with her fiancee with the ring - she's got a set of anxieties built up about it that are the total reverse of how (at least I imagine) she would have felt about her chintzy ring from Roy.

After your last adventure with Karen, I'm glad to see you've made her such a supportive figure for Pam this time around. I love the story of how she meets her Dan... and how she recontextualizes Danny's manipulations of Pam in a way that she can maybe start to recognize them as about something other than her inadequacies.

You did a good job in this chapter filling out the connection between them - the way Pam has never really replaced it, hasn't found a new confidante, and the way Jim still feels obliged to put his faith in her.

"Almost. But not quite. Because they’re grown up now, and what if this is earth-shattering for her? Because talking to Jim about any doubts that she might have about Danny feels both like betraying her fiancé, and like - well, there’s just something terrifying about it. Like if she tells Jim, he’ll know, and then it will be real." In addition to being a wonderful paragraph, this also feels a lot like something Pam would've had on her mind between Booze Cruise and Casino Night.

I have a growing sense Danny knows, either instinctively or through subtle inquiries to Mama Beesly, about the dynamic between the two of them. Also, look, I'm not saying Danny caused The Accident. But Danny caused The Accident.

Author's Response:

Thanks so much! And yes haha, Andy in small doses I can handle. I’m really glad you like the ring/reversal with Roy stuff, I agree it’s a different sort of dread to what she would have felt with Roy’s ring. I was interested in the idea of her getting on the surface everything she might want, but it still not being right because it’s still not the right person. 

I am obsessed with this story! You write the tension between them so well! Can’t wait for more

Author's Response: Ah, thank you so much! That's so lovely to hear, I'm really glad :) Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback, I really appreciate it! 

These two are going to be the death of me. Jim being so concerned for Pam and then Pam helping him with his fear of heights. And then their shower “together.” And then when they felt like how they used to out on the balcony. Jim pointing out that Pam didnt say “see you in the morning” has me concerned, I know theyre planning on sneaking out but I hope nothing happens. Ugh. I need 100 more chapters of this at least

Author's Response: Haha, sorry about that - thank you so much! It was very nearly a shower together, lol. My plan on writing this fic was not to make it quite as angsty/painful, but...I'm not sure I've succeeded so far. It was meant to be a fun oil story, whoops. I can promise that I'll try to resolve the 'see you in the morning' relatively quickly though :D Thanks so much for reviewing, I always love reading your feedback! 

Yay! I was happy to see your update and an amazing one!
I don't know where to start, but it was nice to witness Pam and Karen's interaction. I guess Karen already guessed who Pam really was... and Pam's choice of pseudo is lovely :)
Also, I like that girls took everything into their hands. Curious to see what they will find out!
(I can't get rid of the impression that Danny is trying to put Pam into Jim's bed to distract him from the article and California's; that makes him even more disgusting).
Thank you for sharing this story with us!

Author's Response: Ah, thanks so much! :) So I think Karen is astute enough to maybe recognise someone else that's caught up with Danny...and hehe, I am all about the girls taking things into their own hands. (I will also say that Danny's motivations will eventually be revealed). Thanks so much for reviewing, I'm really glad you liked this one! 

You’re back!!!

So it’s nearly midnight here, but I saw that this story was posted and had to write a review.

Firstly, I am glad that Pam decided to go through with her investigation. I think it’s really important that she found out what was going on behind her back or what Danny was shielding her from. I love Karen here, which is rare, but she was so blunt and simultaneously comforting at the same time.

And, of course, she was very informative. Pam needed to hear that Danny is indeed an asshole; I think that the information coming from someone who dated him is really important, especially since he seems to have a track record of treating his SOs poorly. It definitely sucks to hear your fiancé is using you for your land to help his screwed-up boss, but I’m glad she heard it before they tied the knot. I can honestly say now that I don’t think Pam really loves him anymore, or if she does, it’s not showing at all.

Now I’m a little confused as to why she didn’t want to tell Angela what she knew about Danny and instead was very vague, but I’m sure that will be sorted later.

I was happy to see that Pam does want to totally destroy Danny now. It’s good to know that Jim was committed to not writing the story, but I’m glad that Pam wants him to. Time for Danny to receive his comeuppance.

Lastly, I think it’s so cute that Jim would say out loud that Pam flirting with him leaves him helpless. He obviously was just thinking it and then accidentally let it slip, and it’s even better when Pam doesn’t pull away. I’m glad that their story isn’t over yet and that Jim isn’t just leaving.

Sleep deprived,

BlindManCassidy

Author's Response:

Ahh, thank you so much! (And sorry, haha). I'm really glad to hear you liked this one :) And Karen lol - I felt like I owed her a fic where I didn't write her as awful. And yeah, I thought Pam did need to hear from someone else who could relate to what Danny was like.

So the Pam not telling Angela everything was more because she doesn't know 100% at this stage whether Danny is using her - she just suspects. But wants to find out for definite...

Really glad you liked Jim's accidental slip too :D Thanks so much, as ever, for your feedback!   

Hmmmm. I'm wondering when we're going to get a better sense of what Jim thinks Danny and the Californias are up to. I'm very curious now. And I increasingly suspect Bill Beesly was set up. (That was a very nice way to work in Danny not calling her back, by the way.)

Again, I'm struck by Dwight's suspicion here. Obviously we know this is 150% wrong and very much about Dwight and Michael insisting that Jim is following a seduction strategy he's told them repeatedly he's not using... but again, I do appreciate that you're giving Jim a chance to reflect on whether maybe he is in fact a changed man just as Pam starts to consider whether he's changed as much as she thinks.

You just did a lot of really good, subtle work here, especially with how Pam doesn't really realize how much she's been manipulated about the house.

"Jim would say the guy has a pretty good read on her, only he doesn’t mention her sense of humour. He doesn’t once say that she’s funny" is a classic Jam line in any universe.

Looking forward to seeing how Ms. Filippelli gets herself involved in all this...

Author's Response: Thank you so much! I'm really glad you liked the Danny not calling her back mention, hehe. I sort of got that he was doing it to preserve her feelings/avoid awkwardness on the show, but the trying to make someone question their own recollection of something also struck me a bit shitty and manipulative. And yeah, I did write this with the idea that Dwight's suspicion wasn't wholly unfounded based on past experience...even if Jim wasn't fully aware of it at the time. Thanks so much for reviewing!  

Oh my... there're so many moments I adore, and each of them is so powerful that they felt like gunshots. Jim doubting himself? Bam! Pam's dream about a house with a terrace, that almost came true and felt so wrong? Bam! The rain scene? Bam, bam, bam! I'm dead (but in the best possible way!)
Without a doubt, I'm going to re-read this story many times.
And I like how you added those tiny moments to the other layer of the story — the oil one. So many things intertwined here, I'm not even going to try to guess what's going on. Only one thing — is Pam going to meet (talk to) Karen? I'm already thrilled about this interaction :)
Thank you so much for your story (and for the regular updates!)

Author's Response:

Ahaha thanks so much! That's really lovely to read :) And yep - Pam is going to talk to Karen...

 Thank you so much for reviewing! (And sorry lol, realise I've not been as regular with my latest update). I'm so glad you're enjoying it though! 

First thing I'll say is that Jim REALLY needs to pull a good prank on Dwight. Dwight is just overbearing here and needs to be taken down several pegs.

Pam's thoughts continue to roil around. Her thoughts about the house, the terrace, and memories from childhood all seem significant. The sight of her father's land in the ledger is all sort of interesting. Skipping a head a bit, the fact that Robert and Danny are both lying about it doesn't bode well for them from where I sit.

Yet more reasons to dislike Danny here. Not only is he lying to Pam, but he's also lying about her to Jim. I really like that Jim can so easily see through the charming veneer Danny puts on. He says seemingly all the right words about Pam, but with none of the heart of who she is. None of the soul of her character. Once more Pam is an object to be used by Danny, not a person.

Really great use of the storm here. It really feels like this has shaken things up a lot. The crash of the rain and thunder have snapped something in her. She knows Danny isn't right. Clearly she's been angry at Jim since she felt like he's just using her to get a story on Danny. So when Jim says he's not going to write the story, I think that more than anything is the thing that clicks that Jim is really trying to be the person she knew, even if his hands are somewhat tied. The cage she's been trapped in feels like the door has been burst open.

The call to the Chronicle there at the end feels like the first attempt of Pam sticking her head out of the cage. She knows the cage, she's comfortable in the cage. Until now I'm not sure she was aware she was in it. Venturing outside is new, scary, and different. However she is starting to peak out of the bars to explore things for herself and I love that.

Really looking forward to seeing where we go from here.

Author's Response:

Thanks so much! Haha, Dwight does need pranks to keep him normal. My thinking was that, in a job Jim actually likes, and with no Pam to make laugh, he might spend a bit less time pranking... 

I'm really glad you liked the storm! And yes to Pam coming out of her cage :) 

Thank you so much for reviewing, I'm really pleased to hear you're enjoying it! 

I am so hooked!!!

Author's Response: Thank you so much! That's so great to hear :D

This might be the best chapter you’ve ever written, Basscop69.

So, we must start with Jim and Helene - where it all begins. I think I love her the most - she sees Jim as he truly is, that same little boy who loved her daughter way back when. I also feel bad for her - she’s lost everything because of her husband. Friends, family.

Next, we’ve got the two daughters. I’ve always appreciated Penny as a neutral character, but in this story, she seems more replicant of the popularized version of Larissa, which I appreciate more.

I think it’s cute that Pam was so shy to show off her wedding dress, although I can understand her and Jim’s hesitance, after all that went down the day before. And of course it’s not a dress she wanted, but one that was expensive and fancy.

I thought it was adorable how much more invested Jim was in her painted butterflies (awesome story name right there) because *she* was so much more invested in them. And then you’ve got Danny’s hesitance and purchase of paper to draw on instead. News flash, fucko: if she wanted paper, she would’ve gotten paper.

Then, just as things are going alright, we get a call from William and learn he’s refused parole.

This was the scene for me. I mean - it’s just so relatable. Watching these characters break because the father is so stubborn and can’t do what’s right for his family, ruining his relationships with them despite their attempts. I’ve been there.

And, while Danny is god knows where, then there’s Jim, who takes out the fucking cake and frosts it so that these girls can comfort there mother. While Danny is god knows where, Jim is in the kitchen helping Pam frost the cake. While Danny is god knows where, Jim is making his family-in-law and fiancée laugh and smile in this devastating time.

So it’s all the more satisfying to see Jim and Pam finally reach a place of friendship. Pam is genuinely grateful for his help, while Jim is acknowledging the bubble they’re in - they won’t mention Danny or anything that occurred last night because they desperately want to get along again. They want to be kids again.

Which can only bring us to Pam considering her relationship with Danny in comparison to Jim; the ideal, ‘perfect’ man versus Jim. The known versus the unknown. It’s a damn difficult decision, which only makes “ She ends on he loves me not.
She tells herself she's not sure who she means” all the more impactful. On the one hand - she’s not sure if her fiancée loves her or not? On the second hand - she can’t just pursue Jim and give up everything she has for a life she doesn’t know or understand (yet). On the third hand - she’s picking flowers and repeating a childhood rhyme in hopes of rekindling her love for Danny - red flags! On the fourth hand, she’s picking flowers and repeating a childhood rhyme for Jim.

This one hit close to home, Basscop69. Fanfiction at its finest.

Tears in these soulless eyes,

BlindManCassidy

(Accidentally deleted my first review, this ones a bit messier)

Author's Response:

Ahh thank you so much - that's so unbelievably kind of you to say :) I'm really glad you liked this one!

I did enjoy writing Helene and Penny in this, and some of Pam's family dynamics - and yeah, I thought the difference with Penny in this fic is that she knew Jim from before, when she was also growing up, so might be a bit less neutral towards him than she is in canon.  And haha, painted butterflies would be a good story name! ('News flash, fucko' also really made me laugh. Very true though).  

And yes, I wanted to show that it was Jim doing the simple stuff and just being there that made a difference, and matters so much more to Pam than big gestures - so I'm really pleased that came across!

One thing I will say, on Pam's love for Danny...she's never actually said either way whether *she* loves *him*. She's definitely very unsure that he loves her though (/knows that he doesn't, deep down...)  

Thanks so much again for your lovely review :)