1 [Report This]Date: November 22, 2025 05:51 pm Title: Chapter 65 - You Make Me Feel Like Dancing
I’m so glad for this AU how everything is finally falling into place for the both of them. With everybody’s support she’s able to finally find a safe space and freedom to rediscover her joys and passions, to be herself, and to be free, and most of all to know that she’s going to be ok. I love that she’s able to find meaning and purpose from her experience and would love to help others. I can’t wait to see the happy ending you have planned for everyone
Author's Response: Yay! Yes, I really wanted it to be rough, but also show how support and acceptance can help ease the bad.
1 [Report This]Date: November 10, 2025 05:28 am Title: Chapter 1 - It begins with Jim
I absolutely love this story. You do such a good job of portraying real emotions and the very real process it takes to get true healing in situations like this one. I also appreciate that you did not make Jim a knight in shining armor who comes in a fixes things. In real life it doesn’t work that way. To see him step up to the plate and walk through the emotional roller coaster with her, that shows so much more love. I look forward to seeing how you bring this story to a close. Also, I really want to be able to sit and pet Gizmo :)
Author's Response:
What absolutely marvelous and pleasant timing! I am actually working on the final chapter and got your review!
I absolutely wanted to covet the DESIRE to white knight out, but constantly be pulled back by uncertainty in how and family supporting he shouldn’t. I wanted to write a much more emotionally-mature version of the characters that live in my head. I know, it was a 30 minute sitcom… not much room for emotional maturity or true character development, and we love it! But, my therapist brain couldn’t do anything less than a deeper look at an AU.
Gizmo is DEFINITELY the softest and sweetest dog ;)
Date: August 19, 2025 05:27 pm Title: Chapter 1 - It begins with Jim
I meant to post under this username
I’ve been quietly reading and waiting for this to come to a resolve. It was beautiful and I loved every moment. I think about you often. If you ever want to talk, please reach out. I miss you
Date: August 19, 2025 05:25 pm Title: Chapter 65 - You Make Me Feel Like Dancing
I’ve been quietly reading and waiting for this to come to a resolve. It was beautiful and I loved every moment. I think about you often. If you ever want to talk, please reach out. I miss you.
1 [Report This]Date: August 10, 2025 11:02 pm Title: Chapter 65 - You Make Me Feel Like Dancing
Wow, this chapter just all around made me have good feelings. I hope Sharon achieves integrated grief, in the way that JAM are starting to. While a person may have done bad things, it’s still ok to grieve their loss, as no matter what they’ve been a big part of people’s lives. I’m so excited to see where this ends (hopefully with a mention of Cece and Philip). I can’t wait to see how Pam flourishes after languishing for so long, and I am excited that they (JAM) have each other to help achieve this flourishing. (Is it obvious I just finished a course on positive psychology)
Author's Response:
100% true. Grief is about time and so even the grief over someone as terrible as my fictional Roy would be missed for the time a parent hoped for a different future, a changed behavior, time spent trying to get them help.
You will definitely have to wait and see what comes next. I think I have one chapter and then an epilogue. I certainly hope I bring it all around to some good vibes.
I have certainly walked a fine line with positive psychology, avoiding any of the toxic side of it and not allowing any glossing over of things with 'but you have this going well' because it can be too easy to slip into that. This has firmly had both feet planted in the 'we can't find fulfillment and feel life is worth it' without basic needs and safety being met. The support from Jim was okay... at first... and then it wasn't enough so the full picture of friends and family rounds it out and then actual healing could begin. Because community is part of the healing!
Date: August 10, 2025 07:36 pm Title: Chapter 65 - You Make Me Feel Like Dancing
When we started this story there was nothing but fear, panic, and darkness. So many things had been hidden for so long. Horrors both physical and emotional with more than one person guilty of adding to the chaos. Then in one terrible moment the whole truth came to light. And as it often does, the light scours away the darkness. Yet with that much grime to clear away it took effort, and more than a few more tears.
I've often comparted broken heartedness to a broken bone. The initial injury is often quite severe and painful. to fix a broken bone often means to reset it. A process that is also painful. People who are hurting often do everything they can to avoid more pain or to numb what pain they do have. So the prospect of additional pain is daunting and they reject it. Inso doing a broken bone that is not reset will heal, but it won't heal correctly and the affected limb won't be able to have the same function as it did prior to the break. If that happens now in order to fix the incorrectly healed bone, it must be re-broken in order to be reset and then it can heal properly. However once the re-break to reset is complete, and is done properly, full function can return, though there will be scars left as a reminder of it all.
I feel like many of the characters have been through this process. They were broken, didn't allow themselves to heal correctly, and thus had to have a larger re-break to re-heal process. However we have arrived at the re-healing portion now. The scars of the past may remain, but they'll fade more and more over time.
Seeing Pam, Jim, and all their friends and family pull together has been wonderful to see. Where once their was despair, there is now hope for a future. Where once there was darkness, now there is light. Where once there was fear, now there is love.
Also I would be remiss if I didn't mention this next part. I love Jinx. She feels like the cherry on top of all of this so far. A being of truly unconditional love and support. Dogs are really amazing in that regard. Though that last line also makes me think there might be something or more specifically someone else about to come into their lives as well. I'm sure we'll find out soon.
Have a virtual jellybean since I ran out long long ago. Wonderful to see Pam, Jim, and everyone get to this point.
Author's Response:
OH YES!!!! I use a very similar analog with clients - broken bones, lacerations, burns etc and share that there is a physically visible need to wait out the healing... but emotions are different. And sometimes it takes many different tries at healing, medicines were wrong or maybe there is a re-injury during the process. But, in the end, we heal.
I am very much trying to bring the same kind of feelings we all had with the finale. Jim & Pam going off on a new adventure (Dwight giving them a months salary for every year they worked) and getting the 'fairytale' kind of wrap up to the story. I even wanted Sharon to have a little of that. All the other parents get to finally see their children become whole, find new amazing friendships with one another and have their family work together. I gave Sharon a small nod of kindness too.
Jinx was a special little gift. I wasn't quite sure where to put that in and then it naturally came.
I cannot wait to get the finale of my own written. I can see it all play out in my mind, but have yet to write it out. I hope everyone loves it as much as I do when I play it in my head. You may very well be right at your guess.
Virtual jelly bean gladly accepted!! (I *almost* named Jinx Jelly or Bean, but then I let bean go with the dog that didn't work out. Because candy fixes fade, but in-jokes are forever.)
Date: August 06, 2025 06:16 am Title: Chapter 64 - A Change of Tone part 2
Growth breeds growth. Really good to see Jim starting to open up in his own therapy. Then the call from David. I always felt David had a bit of a soft spot for Jim. It's great to see that Jim is being offered this. It doesn't come with all the pressure of a formal promotion, but it's still a step up. It's a challenge than can lead to more. Feels like a much better way for professional development instead of throw them in the deep end and hope they swim. I liked it a lot.
Author's Response:
Yes, I wholeheartedly agree! I genuinely think David would have given Jim the job, had always really liked him and would have invested in Athlead … I hated they didn’t have him do that. This is a step toward the future, but a small step rather than a huge leap :)
Date: July 28, 2025 09:09 am Title: Chapter 63 - A Change of Tone
At first I thought it was going to odd to say I enjoyed the dressing down Michael and Toby received. Then I thought about it and no, I don't feel odd about it. It was long overdue. Michael behaving like an overgrown child who's is always saying, "look at me, look at me, look at me," needs to stop. I also thought it was very realistic that he wouldn't quite, "get it," right away. He throws up his internal guards and tries to deny that anything was his fault. Same for Toby. Toby let far to many things slide and it was well past time for him to be called to account. Personally he might be a nice enough guy, but professionally he has no backbone. Good on David for finally dealing with that.
Nice little break with Pam and Jim by themselves before they head back to work. Then when they do get back it's great to see all the changes. Feels like everyone was told that what Pam needs is support, not for people to walk on eggshells around her. Feels like Oscar led the charge on that and good on him for doing so.
Then the meetings. Makes sense that Michael would try his best to keep things status quo, but they're all past that. Good on everyone for calling him out on it too. Oscar, Dwight, Jim letting him know that they're not going to tolerate his old behaviors.
But big progress from Pam there in Michael's office. She's firm, direct, but still kind. She has the courage to tell him exactly what he's done wrong so he can't weasel his way out of things he did. Yet she also knows how to bring out the best in him. Giving him the example of how he supported her in court was the big one. Michael needs examples to follow and that was the perfect one. Same for Jim for telling him how he can be a boss that people would actually look up to, not just tolerate. They've both found their voice and they're not afraid to use it. Love seeing that out of them.
The rest of the week is building on those foundations. Grace is extended where it can be, like letting Michael keep, "that's what she said." New habits are grown such as a longer in and out party or corney but safe Dad jokes.
It's been a hard path to hack out of the wilderness of the past. But now that the weeds and brush are gone it's a lot easier to see the way forward.
Author's Response:
I reworked that first section several times. I wanted there to be an appropriate response from Corporate and not one of their canon 'let Michael do whatever he wants' kind of responses. It was always infuriating to me that Toby, Jan and then David simply continued to roll their eyes every time Michael's incompetence and vanity was blatant and causing impacts to other staff. So that section took me a few rounds to get it to a place I felt balanced canon with my AU.
I was hoping this all does not feel 'shocking' or 'too fast' to have Pam get to this place of being able to re-parent Michael (the way we essentially saw Jim and Pam all along, as Michael's handlers and parents) within a week after the initial incident with Roy. Trying to really show that it was not sudden for her, these were things she had been thinking on for a very long time. Now, she has accepted supports and even has therapy and a bit of anxiety med to help calm down the system, which allows her to boldly make such statements to Michael. Plus, she witnessed Dwight and Oscar stand up to him in the meeting. Really, I was trying to get to the responses Dwight and Jim had when Michael actually departed in Season 7... that they like him, but do not have blind loyalty to him.
I am very much looking forward to bringing this to a close, have some really fun and heartfelt things to add in to wrap this up and send my lovelies off to their future selves.
Date: June 19, 2025 07:04 pm Title: Chapter 62 - It's been such hell I wish you well
Glorious to see how much has changed in one "short" week. Short for the characters that is. I really love how Jim and Pam are feeling so much more at ease now. It really feels like the crusade is over. Obviously there will be things that linger for quite a while, but clearly everyone is ready to move on and heal. New settings, new outlook, reconnecting with friends and family, feels like the perfect set up to allow for that healing too.
Kind of surprised to see Pam get that money. I'm sure Roy would have only used it someone to maintain further control of her. A never ending bribe or some other way to gaslight her. However that's not what's going to happen. Any nefarious plans he might have had will never come to pass. Feels like Pam's going to use that money to get her life back on track as well as do some good. The thought of donating to the shelter was a great touch. Also really liked that when she heard the news it didn't send her into a full blown panic. Confusion and lots of wheels turning to be sure, but she was able to work through it really well and quickly too. Loved that.
Can't wait to see what Jim is planning next.
Author's Response:
It has been one ‘short’ week indeed. Trying not to make it feel rushed, but feel this is actually what would be happening. We didn’t start from the beginning of trying to help convince Pam Roy was a horrible person. She had already been figuring this out for a few years with Jim’s help. With all the support and right mental health help, that can now continue.
i had been playing with the thought of finances for a while. And rewatching the episodes, i heard that little nugget that Corporate was worried Jim might sue. For what, who knows, but it was an illogical Dunder Mifflin Corporate statement that gave me the opening. If they can make terrible financial decisions in canon, they can do them in my story too! And, sadly, the rest of ‘I will leave one final F you that will hurt you’ is something I have heard played out many times over. So I went with that. But the only ‘crisis’ I would let Pam feel about it was if it was okay because they weren’t together anymore. And with the help of others she made the decision.
I absolutely think you will love the last couple chapters… they are the big payoff I have been very much looking forward to writing.
Date: June 16, 2025 08:48 am Title: Chapter 62 - It's been such hell I wish you well
This is all coming together and I love it! It’s so good to see Jam being able to take a deep breath, play what if, and have some more positive moments. I was a little worried that Pam might be rattled by Jim telling Ed that they were together for 5 years but I’m
pleased that she saw it for the white lie it was in getting them the apartment (fingers crossed)! Lots of emotions in using “Roy’s money” but I think Pam needs to take it for what it is and use it to help build her new life. I do love that Jim understands his place and understands his bias in the decision as to whether or not to take the pay out. In another way of looking at it, it’s not actually Roy’s money— it’s simply what he paid into that the company would give him. I hope it would give Pam some closure. You know she’s feeling good though from her display of affection at the basketball game!!! Love some happy Jam and can’t wait to see what Jim has planned for her and them!!
Author's Response: Nailed it! That is all the things I hoped to convey in a more abbreviated timeline.
1 [Report This]Date: June 15, 2025 11:19 pm Title: Chapter 62 - It's been such hell I wish you well
omg where do I begin
Thoroughly enjoyed reading this chapter. I love that Pam is slowly rediscovering herself again, finding out who she is after almost a decade of being abused is a hard task, since the abuse has left her with a diminished sense of self. I’m so relieved for her that she has such a strong support system that doesn’t judge or force her to do or be anything. Finally, I also loved her thought process re the money, it shows just how far she has in her state of mind, and general psychological healing, even if it’s just a week after the incident. Gives me hope for Pam that she’ll be recovering nicely and relatively quickly. The road to healing is of course still very long but with everyone being there for her, it should be a bit easier.
Jim as usual is perfect, and of course he will play amazing basketball every time Pam’s watching. I’m so excited and can’t wait to see where his plan (and this story!) is going.
As a final point, I was thinking about Roy and Sharon, how controlling and manipulative he must’ve been, not only to Pam but also his immediate family. Sometimes it’s easy to get sucked into wondering why a person is the way they are (insert Michael speech to Toby), but sometimes (or most of the time) it’s a situation that just happens, and digging through whys may not help in healing, especially for Sharon.
All in all, I love love love your work on this story and I would like to pick your therapist mind for some insights
Author's Response:
Thank you! I am so glad you are appreciating and loving the story as I do.
Pam has been on her path towards trying to heal from it all throughout her friendship with Jim, despite its ups and downs and so that hope for change has been there a long time. She has something to build on now.
Jim and his basketball game was absolutely the sweet nod to how much he love watching Pam in the art supply store and then she got to see him be unbridled in happiness. I thought we all needed some levity and to have something ‘just go well’.
I am in the Discord group - feel free to dm me and pick my brain!
Date: April 09, 2025 09:04 pm Title: Chapter 61 - Finding Stable Ground
Ok, now that I've read that epic chapter, let's see if I can get my thoughts in order. First off, loved that the ladies whisked Pam off for some pampering. She's needed it. Some time to just bond and connect with people who are simply there for her. No other agenda, just there for her. Meanwhile Jim is off being all mischievous at Target and the jewelry store. When Jim gets an idea in his head, it's going to happen come hell or highwater. Very much felt like the kind of excitement we saw from him in Office Olympics. Great fun to see.
The therapy session and intro to therapy was a nice interlude to all the lovey dovey JAM. Especially considering the reasons for said therapy. Yes it's still early in the process, but there are clear signs of growth or sowing the seeds where growth can occur. Great to see.
Then back to Jim's place. They're really starting to come together as a couple now. Not just being close together, but bringing their lives together. Love seeing that. They're sharing the important things as well as still having fun. Feels like the foundation of their relationship has been set and now it's on to really build it strong. Strong enough to last anything that comes and I'm 100% here for it. Great chapter.
Author's Response: Thank you so much!
1 [Report This]Date: April 06, 2025 10:02 am Title: Chapter 61 - Finding Stable Ground
What a great chapter! Been waiting for an update
As therapist in training I loved Maureen’s be kind to yourself. Fundamental and sounds easy but difficult especially with anxiety. Art and music therapy for JAM is absolutely perfect you nailed it!
Btw, Pam drinking sprite bit was that from the OL pod? Because if so *chefs kiss*
Author's Response:
OMG OMG OMG - SOMEONE CAUGHT MY SPRITE REFERENCE!!!! WOOO HOOOO!!!! Yes! Very much from that Office Ladies nod!
Thank you for the kind review, it is certainly appreciated :)
Welcome fellow therapist (in training or not, you are welcome)! I came at the therapy space from social work during the pandemic and would never look back. This story is so much a love letter to all the different 'hats' I have worn and all the amazing clients I have been privileged to work with over the years. And there was NO way I was going to give Pam an art therapist and NOT give Jim someone for his love of music.
1 [Report This]Date: October 31, 2024 12:49 pm Title: Chapter 60 - Family Comfort
Your tone is so very different between stories and I love that! I can tell with your gentle, simple, language in this chapter that it’s definitely trying to get these simple messages of safety and love through to Pam. It’s interesting to see how the other characters are processing what Pam’s going through too! I’m glad Jim is open to getting some of his feelings worked through as well. Looking forward to seeing how Pam feels after her salon day! There’s nothing better than a fresh cut and blonde highlights and it will make her feel like a new person! Thanks for posting this important story and safe space!
Author's Response: It is sometimes hard to switch back and forth between the stories and the different tones that each have. But this one was to be a bit more non-Pam focused ahead of the next chapter which will be in her voice.
Date: October 30, 2024 08:56 pm Title: Chapter 60 - Family Comfort
Nice to see their families still playing big parts in all of this. I really do hope Jim gets the help he needs. I'm also glad there are people asking him how he's doing with all of this too. He's got his own issues to deal with as well.
Otherwise it also felt very good to see Pam getting to do some normal activities. Enjoy a normal breakfast. Get invited to a day out with her sisters. She gets to experience the goodness of life without anything hovering over her. Loved that.
Author's Response: This felt like a small, but needed chapter. The ‘quiet lull’ feeling that can come after a shock. And I wanted it to feel as wholesome as possible, just family coming together to be FAMILY.
Date: June 14, 2024 08:18 pm Title: Chapter 59 - All The Kings Horses
My apologies that it's taken me so long to get to this review. Great to see the family circle up around Pam and Jim here. That they can absorb the news about Roy's death all in one go. Great to see that they're still all on Pam's side.
I also love the idea that Larissa is thinking of trying to get Pam in as an illustrator. I always felt she would thrive more with artwork like that as opposed to graphic design.
There's still a lot they need to work through, but clearly there's lots of people around to help out. After so many years of being essentially cut off, the idea that people are now ready to be there is amazing. Great job as always.
Author's Response: Completely! Lots of work still to be done, and plenty of story still to tell before the conclusion :)
1 [Report This]Date: June 08, 2024 07:52 am Title: Chapter 59 - All The Kings Horses
Wow. A heavy chapter, but you always handle it beautifully and with such care. I love your commentary about grief. I knew about the stages of grief but never knew until a therapist told me that it’s not a straight path and you can experience many emotions in a jumble of ways. It was cathartic to see Pam’s family experience a bunch of different emotions of grief too, because they’re all grieving a different Roy and their different relationships with him…. It’s a good reminder that we’re all in different places when grieving the loss of someone in our lives and we need to respect all emotions and experiences and treat everyone gently.
My heart broke for Jim when he admitted to feeling somehow a little responsible thinking it would be easier without Roy because that’s such a valid feeling and yet, you feel terrible like your thoughts caused it even though it’s absolutely not the case. I think it’s great how you reminded Jim (and us) that violent thoughts don’t make you a violent person, but violent actions DO. That’s an important distinction.
I love the foreshadowing of the collaboration of Pam and Larissa! What a great team for a great cause! I can’t wait to read more about their plans!! Hopefully after a good nights sleep for all things will seem less daunting in the morning.
Looking forward to a peaceful hopeful conclusion for Jam— they deserve it!! Thanks for sharing your beautiful, thoughtful, and passionate work as always!!
Author's Response: This story has, 100,000%, been a love letter to each and every client, coworker, friend and family I have cared for and with in my life. Every piece is a little aspect of things that I have witnessed and experienced. For this particular moment, it is myself in Jim’s place and wonderful counselors who helped me through my grief and guilt spiral. I am both Jim early in my life and Rose now in my life.
Date: April 10, 2024 09:39 am Title: Chapter 58 - A Shock to the System
Very glad I could help workshop this one out with you.
Big moment here for sure. One would think it would be an instant relief on hearing this news. However you made it seem so much more real. There are years of emotions and memories tied up in all of this. Years of mental knots that have only just started to unravel. When thinking like that it makes a lot more sense that everyone's emotions would be all over the place.
Dwight's really come a long way. However he's still Dwight. He sees a problem, knows a solution, and implements it. Giving Pam some from of tangible outlet seemed just like the thing to do right then. She was about to burst and he gave her a way to let that energy out in a great way. Or at least it feels like it.
Then the ranks close in once more. Really glad to see that everyone is still ready and waiting for her. I get why she'd be terse with Roy's mom. She's not sure how she feels so talking to her about it all would 100% be hard.
Through it all Jim's right there. Still being with her, cracking a joke or two, getting her to laugh. Also caught the "Princess Bride" line of As you wish, in there too. Look at Jim still being a romantic.
Great job with this one.
Author's Response:
Precisely! From the outside you would assume ‘relief’ but that is not the case for many many people and I wanted Pam to give voice to that. To have a spiraling mix of emotions about it. She is so very still tied to a lot of mental spaces that she is working through, but will take time to put behind her.
Dwight…. Oh, my Dwight. Always a soft spot to in me for him and his pragmatic plans. He always had a soft spot for Pam, she was his friend. And I believe Dwight works out a lot of frustration on the farm, so he would have put together a snippet of Angela telling him about her frustration and take. Pam where he goes.
And, my Jim… he will of course be there with his kind and focused care. Canon Jim wasn’t always written too well for me, but I see reasons why and we get to correct some things in our fictions!
So very very glad you enjoyed.
Date: April 10, 2024 07:43 am Title: Chapter 58 - A Shock to the System
I was so excited when it said Roy was dead! So I thought Pam would be too, but then the whole explanation of how she'd been robbed of the justice moving forward was so well explained, so thank you for that and helping me understand more about how this would have played out.
Hopefully on to happier times for everyone!
Great job with this chapter
Author's Response: I am glad it worked for you!!!!
Date: January 06, 2024 07:51 pm Title: Chapter 57 - A First Date
So we're approaching the end of this epic. And I do mean epic story. To think it's all happened over the course of just a few days. Just wow.
Really love that Jim's idea of a date is to get Pam painting and involved with art again. The spend all this money in this time frame was a great idea. Kinda funny that he underestimated how much art supplies cost. C'mon Jim, remember the difference between men and boys is the price of their toys. Same goes with women too. But it opens the door for future dates and gifts as well.
Pam's recollections during the drive showed her growth really well. She has names for her feelings and experiences now which help her to make sense of it all. If you can name something, you can deal with that thing. So even though it's recalling some brutal times, those times are also still tinged with hope and I love that she's leaning into that.
Likewise that she trusts Jim so much. First with the whole date idea, and then when telling him everything she's figured out. Open honest communication really seems to be the way forward for them and it's great to see Pam leaning into that as well.
Author's Response:
Yes, I think that I have about 4 or 5 more chapters as things begin to wrap up and move toward the future. They will be long… haha, but worth it.
As always you pick up on everything so well. The way Jim so easily has the date idea in his head and the manner Pam is now beginning to be able to accept it. Once the barriers of ‘everyone knows’ have dropped and she has found her voice she can start to relax into life.
Open and honest communication are absolutely key, even when it is about difficult topics.
Date: October 19, 2023 10:48 am Title: Chapter 13 - Pam & Ella
Just giggling over here about how pepper spray is always an average day at my work :P
Author's Response: HAHAHA!!!!!!! Yes!!!!! lol!!!
Date: October 19, 2023 10:45 am Title: Chapter 12 - Jim's confusion
Mmm I have felt the very real feeling of not feeling safe in a hospital and it can be scary. Sometimes it feels like a prison, and that's even worse.
Author's Response: So true. I truly wanted that ‘just go to the hospital’ ‘just call the cops’ myth to be dispelled a bit. These places aren’t the bastion of safety many imagine them to be.
1 [Report This]Date: October 19, 2023 08:17 am Title: Chapter 6 - Her fear
I like the callback here to "grabbing for balance" I don't know if it was an intentional call to Company Picnic but I like that it was a phrase used so different for her at that time, then it would be in that moment. :)
Author's Response: Because I am FULLY deviating from canon beyond this moment, there are a LOT of call backs to silly things for later!
Date: October 13, 2023 10:16 am Title: Chapter 56 - Morning After
The opening bit with Jim worrying so much about Pam. Yeah I get why he needs to work out some things too. Reasonable worry over someone is good. Unreasonable worry feels like it can lead to dark places that we don't want to go to. But to his credit he's doing his best to try and think about the best way to respond for both him and her. Telling himself to slow down and be patient. Despite the length of this story, it's still early in the working out of all of this and there's still a lot to learn.
Wonderful JAM banter in the car. The sausage and meatballs line had me cracking up. Lovely to see Jim and Pam being Jim and Pam like this.
I think just the fact that Gizmo is there is the big selling point for Pam. Feels like just by his wonderful canine presence he's able to keep a lot of the anxious ticks and nervousness at bay. Wonderful how animals can do that for us. Even though it was a get-to-know-you type session it feels like Pam connected well with Maureen. It very much came across that she's in a safe space which is drawing out feelings of her wanting to be an active part of therapy. Not just a person who was told, "go there, it'll be good for you." She wants to unload and process everything and it feels like she finally has the professional help to do so. Friends and family can love and support and that's a huge thing. But the formal training and guidance of a therapist, also being a neutral 3rd party, helps a lot too. Great chapter.
Author's Response:
YES! Air high five for this chapter hitting well. It can be hard to try and navigate the space of ‘things are good but calm waters on the surface don’t always belie what is below’
Gizmo is a blend of all the dogs I have owned and the therapy dogs I have worked with in abuse centers. He is my love and I want to pet him myself!
Maureen is me… 100% she is going to be who I am as a therapist. Pam is going to stick with her :)
Date: September 27, 2023 02:02 pm Title: Chapter 55 - Love & Trust
To think all this has happened all within the space of a few days for them. To go from the sheer panic of the last time they were in the office. Separated from each other, scared for a host of reasons, still closed off. And now there is life, laughter, joy, and love flowing in abundance.
I liked that they had time to relax first. At the apartment to get scrubbed up, then at dinner. The slow walk through at the office felt cathartic. A quiet time to process what happened and be grateful at how things have changed. Re-doing Casio Night was a nice touch as well.
Then they are finally and fully together. It's new territory for both of them so it makes sense there's some fear. But they overcome the fear by being open with each other. It's great to see. Of course it was all very sensual to read as well.
Really glad they've made it to this point. The scars of the past will still take time to heal and fade, but there's a much brighter future ready a d waiting for them.
Author's Response: I very much wanted to bring them back to exactly what we saw when season 3-4 happened. They weren’t together and then BAM, it was like they had always been together. My AU headcanon is that Pam was absolutely holding herself together all these months, she was making the best of it all and not complaining. The sheer high panic was because of the attack, because now all secrets were out. Now that everyone knows, there is nothing left to contain and so all her energy and mental space can go towards hope, life and love with Jim.