Continuing to really enjoy the Roy-Pam side of this a lot! Roy's deeply half-assed but probably heartfelt efforts at being a good boyfriend, and Pam enjoying this intimate moment with him even amidst this big episode for her and Jim... I feel like I have a sense of what Pam sees in him.

I also thought the parallel-ing of the "platonic marriage proposal" and Roy's real proposal-ish worked well.

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I'm loving all of these! I think you've got such a great read on Pam and her thought processes, and these are some really insightful looks into moments from the show. I love the way you've written the moment where Jim picks her up in The Fight, and her just wanting to turn and melt into him 😍 And then her moment of realisation after their 'date', and her telling herself it's just a crush and it will go away - really heart-breaking, and really in character.

"It was hard not to slip back away though, with Jim on one side of her, Roy on the other, she felt almost cornered. The two most important people in her life, sitting like the angel and the devil on her shoulder. She just doesn’t know which one is which." I like this image, which is a new one by me for this fandom, and the idea that Pam doesn't know which is which. It's easy to imagine a version of this story where Jim is the villain, and the idea that he represents temptation/sin and Roy represents steadiness and commitment being in Pam's head is useful to shaping your perceptions here.

I continue to really like your take on Pam and Roy behind closed doors... that Roy is actually kind of trying with her, and how desperate Pam is for him to do that, how low the bar she's setting for him is.

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I've always wanted to be a little more in Pam's head in the Dundies... that moment in the parking lot with her and Roy feels like something we should have had some follow up on, and I'm glad you touched on how Pam justified that to herself. I also love the idea of Pam wishing she hadn't been quite so drunk so she can remember it better. Very cute.

Also loved this moment of Pam having to cajole Roy into dressing appropriately to see her mom - feels like that contrasted with how enthusiastic he is in person with Helene tells you a lot about their relationship. I'm really enjoying your Pam-Roy material.

Nice job getting into her head in a lot of these S1 episodes. One can tell that she's really starting to see Jim as more than a friend, but she knows she's still with Roy. Lots of back and forth type of tension in her thoughts here. She wants to be with Jim, but she's feeling more and more stuck with Roy. Nice work to bring that out.

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"Sometimes Pam thinks that Jim’s smile could end wars" is a good line. And I love the callback to their bet about the crew.

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This is great! I like the way you've drawn out the more positive aspects of Pam and Roy's relationship, which you never really saw on the show, and gives you a better sense of why she might have stayed with him for so long: but also tempered it with the idea that she is settling/stuck, and how the introduction of Jim is making he realise that (particularly with the final line here about Jim always understanding). Also, as a huge Arctic Monkeys fan...I *love* the second chapter title :D

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Again, I love that you're finding a realistic kind of sweetness in Pam's relationship with Roy - you can see where problems might come down the line, but you get why she stayed with this guy for a decade. The steadiness and predictability isn't just good because it's steady and predictable, there's also some genuine joy there. (The note of genuine enthusiasm for having her working with him, and that the idea came at a moment when Pam genuinely needed a break, is solid.)

And Jim's intro worked, I think - you can see this Pam really not SEEING these problems until he arrives in her life.

Nice way to bring us up to speed on how she's doing. I can see how she'd get into a routine like this with Roy. Right now it feels she likes the way her life is going. She has a steady job, a fiance. However now Jim is there. The first feeling of her ring being heavy seems telling. Almost as if she can already look ahead and see the engagement is going to drag on. But anyway a nice look at pre-camera Pam.

A couple writing tips quick. Might want to find someone to proofread for you. There's a few typos that popped up. Also one usually starts a new paragraph whenever a new character starts talking. A couple things to help make your writing better.

Author's Response: Thank you for the tips! I’m VERY new to all of this and appreciate all the help I can get. :)

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Welcome to writing! Always fun to have a new author on the site. Good look into teenage Pam and how her relationship with Roy started out. Considering they were together for around ten years, the start would probably have been good. In the show we really only saw the end as it was falling apart. It's good to get a reminder that at one time Pam and Roy were very much a thing.

Any chance for the next chapter you could make the text a bit bigger? It's a little hard to read when its that small. Should be interesting to see where this goes.

Author's Response: Thank you for the review! I’m also really excited to see where this fic goes, I have most of it mapped out but it’s still fun to get to bring it to life. And I’ll be sure to fix the problem with the text size next chapter. :)