Holy crap. This certainly took some turns I did not expect. Angela's dad?? Robert knows that they were at Pam's farm? They're going to Panama? I hate Gabe and I hate Robert and I hate Danny and can they all just vanish please. I cannot wait for the next chapter. Thank you for blessing us with this story.

Author's Response:

Thanks so much! (And oops, sorry for the delay, next chapter is on the way!) Really glad you're enjoying it :) And hehe, I can promise Robert, Danny and Gabe will at least not be in Panama...thanks so much for reviewing!  

Once again, you left me speechless and craving for more. I love this aura of bittersweetness and long night phone calls and Pam's boldness at the party. The idea of Dwight writing the article for Jim is fantastic (could we bug you to write the said article as a postscript to this story? please?), and it's touching to witness Dwight's connection with Angela (too soon to speak about love? I don't think so).
And, of course, the ending. Honestly, I'm disgusted with Danny and his boss so much that I can't even think of what punishment would be enough to remedy everything they've done and mean to do. And I do want Pam and Jim to be a part of this... or, at least, to be a pebble that causes an avalanche.
Thank you so much for your frequent and excellent updates! And good luck with moving house and the rest :)

Author's Response: Ah, thank you so much! That’s really lovely of you to say :) hahaha I am not sure I’d be able to match Dwight’s dizzying heights/writing ability...but I will think about it. It would probably be quite fun to write. I do love some Dwangela 😍 Pam and Jim will have a role to play in the avalanche...

This chapter was quite a bit calmer than the rest, which I can actually appreciate. There's been quite a bit of turmoil lately and a smooth filler chapter is the perfect way to offset it.

I think that’s it definitely important to flush out both the Angela/Dwight and Jim/Pam relationships, especially the latter. Although Angela and Dwight are entertaining - and god, they seem to be sleeping together every time they get a chance - Jim and Pam’s relationship is the focus of this story. I feel happy for Pam that she’s finally got someone who’s willing to drop everything just to call her, even if it’s just about a nightmare. After all, we can see now just how miserable she was about her engagement, even if she hadn’t recognized it herself.

It’s pretty clear that tempers are beginning to rise. Angela’s snappiness with Robert seems like it’s about to hit a peak, especially since Dwight is also upset with him.

I am a little confused about the conversation between Jim and Danny at the end. Was Danny upset about the article? Did Dwight write him out to be awful? And why would he want to keep Pam away from Robert?

Anyways, I hope all went well with moving. I hope you like your new home better than Pam likes hers.

BlindManCassidy

Author's Response: Thanks so much! And yeah, I did feel like they needed a bit of a break after all the drama lol. I’m really glad you enjoyed the Dwight/Angela and Jim/Pam - but yes, it was always going to focus on them more (much as I do also love Dwangela). 

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Well done on moving house, glad it’s at least out of lockdown now!

Awesome (and pleasantly long) chapter, sets things up for some big revelations in the next instalment, I sense?

Author's Response:

Thanks so much! (And yes haha, I am blithely ignoring news on the Indian variant/possibility of a 3rd lockdown...) 

There are some revelations in the next chapter 😃 thanks so much for reading and taking the time to review!  

The bookended scenes in bed in this chapter work really well, going from the awkwardness and intimacy and stillness of this moment at the beginning to the comfort of it at the end, the two of them able to admit their failings now that they've been through some things and have each other to confess to. Very well constructed.

You also did a great job throughout showing us the toughness of Pam. Jim's right, she really has proven to be the lead investigator here, in spite of all she had to lose.

I do enjoy Jam/Dwangela as a weird team, the peculiar honor of Dwight and the peculiar turn-ons of Angela. Lot of amusing stuff here, although I'm not sure I want to know exactly what Dwight and Angela were doing in the back of the truck.

Some deep cuts here - did not expect to see Devon in this story. And allow me to pause and do my "I was able to correctly interpret the foreshadowing" dance.

The dance sequences is very satisfying - does a good job of tying together the past they're nostalgic for and the longing they've maintained for each other over the years and the new possibilities ahead of them.

Author's Response:

Thanks so much! Yeah, I'd decided I wanted the two bed scenes to start off with, and then...took a while to actually figure out what went in the middle and how they got there, lol. And I did want some tough Pam! 

I do also really want a Jam/Dwangela team. I sort of wanted to find a way to incorporate the Angela/Dwight feet moment from the show into the back of the truck - but I wasn't sure logistically how Pam would only see their feet. Which maybe means I spent a bit too long thinking about it. But let's just say they were doing in the back of the truck whatever they were doing in that scene.

And haha, I think that is your second correctly interpreting the foreshadowing dance! 

Thank you so much for reviewing :)  

Oh my, what a chapter! You painted the tension so very well, and I'm both anxious about the plan and can't wait to see how it's unfolded.
Also, I admire Pam here. She's so innocent (I love, love, love it about her!), and so, so brave. Please don't let anything bad happens to her!

Author's Response:

Thanks so much! I'm really glad you enjoyed it :) And don't worry - I feel Pam has already had her share of really bad things happening to her in this story... 

Thank you so much for reviewing!  

Looks like everything’s on track for a clear-cut ending. But I know your writing better than this. It won’t work out perfectly, will it?

I think it’s sweet that Pam is noticing all these tiny things about Jim as the day goes on, like how he kisses her differently and how he actually cares about her well-being, instead of trying to placate her like Danny. I can almost imagine how freeing it is to finally know that the person you love loves you back.

I’m glad that they’ve put out in the open how they feel about one another. Like Jim said in the wedding speech (cue tears), he would be willing to wait for her forever because he knew she would be his eventual wife.

As for Robert and their plan, it makes me sick to think that Danny would ‘swap’ wives with Pam, leaving her so uncomfortable that she won’t even go to dinner with him and his boss. It’s a good thing that Jim noticed how unhappy it made her and was repulsed, but it’s infuriating that Danny didn’t even think about it.

So I can say that I’m not looking forward to the awkwardness of the dinner, but I am pleased that Jim is so worried for her - I mean, that he cares for her that much that he needs to know for sure she’s okay with it. Pam in this chapter reminds me a lot of S3-S5 Pam (especially late S3) who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to take risks. Sweet Pam, I love her. And defiant, too. She’s proud of herself that she won’t let Danny poison her family any longer.

If what they’re suspecting to be true is actually true, then I hope Danny gets actual justice. I hope he’s torn apart in the newspaper and I hope Dwight writes it. I hope William Beesly gets some kind of closure and that the Beeslys aren’t strangers in their home anymore.

Hopeful,

BlindManCassidy

Author's Response:

Thanks so much! And haha, I can't guarantee that things will work out perfectly with their plan, but: I will say that after keeping Jim and Pam apart for so long in my other fic, I didn't want to do that here. So I'm not planning any more serious relationship curveballs or angst. (But maybe other curveballs....)

 And yeah - part of that is, I wanted them to at least have more of their feelings for each other out in the open! And the wedding speech 😍

I can also promise the dinner will be awkward, lol. Late season 3 Pam is the best.

There will be *some* kind of justice. Eventually.

Thank you so much for reviewing!  

I just swallowed all your three latest chapters (I regret I can't do that earlier), and I'm not able to express my feelings adequately. Wonderful writing (are you a professional writer? I bet you are!), and fantastic storytelling. I love how you weaved moments from the series into a completely different setting, and I love that every character here feels so, so real (I was crying reading this and previous chapters, the sweetness and nostalgia there were a little too much to me). Also, I enjoyed revealing what Danny was actually up to, and I wish him to be miserable (at least, miserable).
And there are so many great lines that hit right to the heart — I don't quote my favorite ones only because I have to fit here all three chapters. I'm grateful to you for writing this story and sharing it with us. I'm looking forward to the next chapter immensely!

Author's Response: Ah thank you so much, that's really kind of you to say! (And sadly not a professional writer haha, I find fanfic much easier than writing my own stories...) I'm really glad you enjoyed these chapters though :) I think I *possibly* went a bit overboard with Texas cliches/what I think Southern USA is like in my head - but it was a lot of fun to write. Especially in a JAM context. Thanks so much for your lovely review, I really appreciate it.  

All the hookups! Yes!!

So first off, we’ve learned that Pam no longer wants to wear the wedding ring. No doubt is she too embarrased and angry to be linked to Danny anymore, and Jim seems happy that she isn’t.

Then we find out that Angela and Dwight have slept together. I always loved their relationship because it’s so weird and complex and perfect; and Angela was clearly happier when she and Dwight were on good terms. I think this could have influenced Dwight’s claims to support Pam, and it’s a nice mention of Schrute Farms. Like I mentioned before, I’d be hell-bent on getting revenge if it was my house torn down, especially by my SO. I think it’s sweet of Dwight to be so completely loyal to this and be able to put himself in Pam’s place - and I think it’s adorable how proud of him Angela is.

We see Pam getting lost in the moment on the drive. She knows it’s not supposed to be fun, but she must be seeing how her life could be if she and Jim were married, like he says when they’re getting lemonade.

And then the bombshell is dropped, that the accident that killed people was not William’s fault. It was Robert California carrying through a plan to gain the land while creating a scapegoat out of Pam’s father, ruining his life.

But however heartbreaking this is, we finally see our Jim and Pam moment at the square dancing. JIM KISSES PAM!!! (Can’t do italics here, sorry!) I was terrified she was going to reject him, but she didn’t, and I can see why. She’s just aching with relief that someone cares about her - and, like she mentions later, Danny’s deceit on top of his constant dismissal of her gives her a good and final reason to end it with him and pursue who she really wants. I just hope she gets it. She deserves it, and so does he. So do Dwight and Angela.

I hope you're planning on tearing Danny and Robert apart, and I want to see Angela and Dwight participate. It’s time to destroy these bastards.

BlindManCassidt

Author's Response:

Haha, thank you! Yeah, I thought it was time for some hookups. And yes, same on Dwight and Angela! I also always enjoyed Dwight and Pam's brief stint into getting revenge on Frank the warehouse guy on the show, so I was thinking of that here...

I figured I'd done enough chapters of Pam rejecting Jim, lol. And I don't think she feels any loyalty to Danny any more, unlike she did with Roy on the show. I can confirm Dwight and Angela have destruction in mind...

Thanks so much for reviewing! :)   

I love Jim for actually kinda rooting for Danny not to be quite as dirty as he looks for Pam's sake. That's very Jim. As is him coming to grips with not having been there for her at these crucial moments.

Some really good casting here - Creed as the sketchy small-town bar owner is a given, but Meredith as the drunk angry townie is the role she was born to play in AUs. (And awwww. She stood up for Jim!)

I love the parallels with Jim and Pam here both realizing feelings that they've been pushing to the back of their minds and can't ignore anymore. Once again, this moment of realization about Danny feels like something that very much could have been about Roy, Pam not quite accepting how much of her unhappiness was about HIM and not just the situation they're in.

So they didn't want to drill near the house, then there was an explosion, and now they're drilling under the house. Hmmmm. Nothing suspicious there, DANNY.

Author's Response:

Thanks very much! I'm glad you enjoyed Creed and Meredith haha, I feel Meredith probably spent a lot of her time outside the office as a drunk angry townie too. And I do alway love Pam standing up for Jim. Yeah, I think that's really true about Roy! I think the blaming a situation instead of realising it's the person is one of those mistakes that's very easy to fall into. 

I don't want the spoil the next chapter, but...these accidents happen all the time. (in my made up oil rigs that I have very little understanding of the mechanics of). Nothing suspicious at all. 

Thanks so much for reviewing! :) 

...

That was a lot of emotion. There wasn’t a terrible amount of action, but a lot of emotion.

I’ve gone back to work last week, which means seeing someone who I know I can’t have. So Jim reminiscing on his thoughts of Pam, even as he desperately tried to forget her, is something I can really relate to. Moving on is hard, and sometimes it takes forever, especially when you see people you know living the life you want (like Pete.)

And now we finally have some info on the big accident that killed Meredith’s husband and isolated the Beeslys. Being an outsider in your own home must suck, especially when you’re being held accountable for things you didn’t do. (Of course, Meredith has to flirt with Jim while she’s at it.)

And then we see what Danny has done.

Recently, I drove by my childhood home. The playground has been torn down and replaced with a shed; I built that playground with my father. I have memories in that playground that were lost with the destruction. I could not imagine losing the house in its entirety.

And to have my soon-to-be-spouse contribute to that destruction while lying to my face, scheming behind my back... The betrayal would be equivalent to literally being stabbed in the back.

You portrayed that raw emotion excellently here, just as you did in the college story when Pam’s mother died. Grief and betrayal are often accomplices; both are a loss of something that used to be. Pam’s vulnerability matched with Jim’s silent comfort is just perfect. He knows what she needs.

I must say, I’m a little nervous to see the two of them spooning in a hotel bedroom. I can only imagine what will follow.

BlindManCassidy

Author's Response: Thank you so much :) Ah, I’m really sorry to hear about that on going back to work: I can really empathise, that is definitely a double edged sword of being back in that environment. And about the playground too - I really would struggle with something like that. 

Basscop, are you a fellow Brit? This was fab BTW, finally they are alone together for a cuddle! And the truth is out about Danny! Loving it!

Author's Response:

Haha, I am! Hope you also got (/will soon get) the joy of huddling in a pub garden in a group of 6 at slight freezing temperatures 😁

And thanks so much! Yeah, I thought it was about time...thank you so much for reading and taking the time to leave a review, I really appreciate it!