Ok, so the first parts of this chapter. The whole, two kids destroying the house and dear-sweet-merciful=God-I-just-need-a-nap, divide and couquor, it's your turn with this kid now part. Did you put a camera in my bookshelf or something, because man can I relate. And yes, kids can and do feed off each other. But then they smile or giggle or do something cute and the devil horns get replaced with a halo.

Loved that Jim just plunks her down in the bath. Seemed very soothing for her. Good job Jim. Good Daddy points earlier and good husband points now.

Loved this little slice of their lives with the kids. Wonderful to envison.

Author's Response: Haha I'm glad it sounded accurate - thanks very much! And yeah, I know why we couldn't see more of their life with the kids in the show, but I would have loved to.

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AWWW I'm such a fan of fluff and smiled the whole time reading this. I really enjoy these one part stories. Keep up the awesome work and updates!

Author's Response: Ah thank you so much!! I'm really glad :) 

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“Also, how nice it feels having Jim on her side and indignant on her behalf, without having to worry that he’ll overreact or…smash mirrors. Because it’s Jim.” I loved this. Because you KNOW she would have those thoughts with Roy and subconsciously (or not) explain them away or normalize it, and now that she’s with Jim she loves that she doesn’t have to do that. And so do I. Haha

I just love all the little details and descriptions you sprinkle in that make their relationship shine. Little kisses or touches. I think I’ve said it in every review, but you absolutely nail the feel of their characters and their relationship.

Another great update! :)

Author's Response: Thank you! And yes haha, I always thought that must have been such a relief...that's really kind, thanks so much for continuing to review :)  

Ooooof. This is a classic early season near-miss - the worst thing you could do at any given point was allow Pam 0.5 seconds to think about what she was doing or having someone point out how close she was to Jim. You really captured the feel of that - and of the toll it takes on Jim.

This is again a solid picture of a Roy who just flat out doesn't put a particularly high premium on Pam's feelings or needs.

Some very good ensemble moments in this one - the truth or dare game was spot on, with game-for-anything Meredith and Kelly out to create drama if it's the last thing she does.

You've done well here with the touching foundation of friendship underlying it all - the way Pam is there to take care of Jim even after their awkward moment, the way he instinctively plays along with her on the phone and protects her from having to deal with Michael.

The bit about why Pam dresses the way she does is pretty insightful.

(And I liked the little hints of Dwight and Angela's attraction to each other long before they were a thing. Don't worry, you two - it's coming.)

Author's Response:

Thank you! Yeah, those were some of the most painful Pam/Jim elements of the early seasons. And I really liked the ensemble episodes with the women in the office, I wanted more of them. I’d not really written Meredith before, so glad she came out ok! And ha, I did enjoy adding some Angela/Dwight - I really want to know how’s they started... 

 Thanks so much for continuing to review!  

Picking up right where we left off. Seriously Roy is just an ass through all of this. He'd rather spend time with his buddies than Pam. Even kicks her out of bed. And then acts like its no big deal. Now granted Pam could have stood up for herself a bit more there, but still she shouldn't have to. However that's also very much in keeping with Pre-camera Pam. Trying to appease, not rock the boat to much.

The rest was very in keeping with early Office hijinks. Loved that Pam switched the names on her phone to Jim. She would be mortified if she had to call Micheal like that, but Jim can not only take the joke, but dish it all right back. Great banter there.

The pool part was also really well done. Grrr, Kevin, had to go and ruin things. However with that scene in mind it does also add a lot looking forward to the day in the dojo. No wonder Pam would freak out like she did there if that's the memory that was flashing through her mind.

Oh lonely heartbroken Jim. Trying to drown his troubles away. Really nice that Pam's there to take care of him. It's very sweet. Which of course makes it 100% believable that Micheal would then get them all banned due to his Michael-ness.

So both these last to chapters feel heartbreaking and sweet at the same time. Very much in the vein of S1 and S2. Nice job.

Author's Response: Thanks so much! Really glad you enjoyed it :) Hopefully not too heartbreaking haha. And yeah, I thought it was interesting in the dojo scene that Pam was fine until she thought Meredith was watching, so that’s what I was thinking about while I wrote this. 

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As usual, you nailed it. I think you especially did a great job with the internal tug-of-war Pam always has going on. I always figured since there were not many times Jim, Pam, AND Roy were all in the same place for an extended period of time, it was easy for Pam to separate her thoughts and feelings she had for each of them. But then suddenly they’re all together and she finds herself wanting to spend time with Jim but remembers she needs to be with Roy, and she’s unsure how to handle it all internally.

I’m looking forward to part 2! I’m sure if you keep it compliant with canon I will love it, but I’ll also love it if it steps into AU territory. Great work, again!

Author's Response: Thank you!! Yeah, I always felt like it would be easier for Pam while there was a clear separation of home life with Roy, work life with Jim, and I was always interested in those moments on the show where they ended up intertwining. I'm not a huge fan of writing AU unless it's a completely different setting, so it will be canon compliant (ish, to the extent that I've decided that the whole three years of Jim/Pam that we didn't get to see pre-pilot are fair game...)  But glad to hear it! 

This one hits right in the S1/S2 feels. Like someone else has said this works really good as canon correct, but I can't help but hope it would go AU. There would be so many places where that could happen.

Roy is in true form. There's only three things he wants to do. Drink, ski, and Pam. Seriously the guy is being a complete ass about everything. The fact he's talking about Pam like that and behaving the way he is, even with other people in the room! Damn man, there are things called boundaries or not being selfish.

Kind of heartbreaking that Pam lets Roy walk all over her like that. That she lets him get away with being that handsy when she's clearly not comfortable with it. It fits where she is in her life but it's still rough to read.

Then there's Jim. Trying to salvage anything nice for her. He's clearly just as uncomfortable. Though there are some bright spots. The times he and Pam are by themselves show their great friendship. It's no wonder they depend on each other so much considering what they have to deal with.

Lots of emotions with this one due to the great writing.

Author's Response: Thank you so much! Yeah, I do find the Pam/Roy relationship quite depressing (even without Jim). It did occur to me once I'd finished writing that this could probably be standalone (I'm mainly being lazy by just adding it here). But I don't really like writing AU unless it's very AU, i.e. a completely different setting (otherwise if I like a show, I don't really like writing anything that changes the overall storyline). So I wouldn't choose to make this one AU myself, but that's just me!  

This is a really interesting and pretty unusual take on Jim's relationship with his mom, and one that I think works like gangbusters.

It's always struck me that given their somewhat tortured history, some of the other people in Jim and Pam's lives might not be fans, but the idea that that might extend to the point where they're decisively settled and happy with each other is a new one - and an appropriate one. Jim *has* stagnated, in a lot of ways, and his relationship with Pam is part of the reason why, albeit not in the way that Betsy has identified. I do think it's totally reasonable that his mom would be concerned about it, and concerned that the way he's going about things with Pam is a part of it. I think it's a great touch that in the end it's not really about *Pam* so much as it's about what she symbolizes to Betsy.

And I love a good Protective!Pam, especially one who can tell from the get-go that Jim is upset and trying to hide it and is able to be the support he won't asking for - and *especially* in conjunction with a Jim whose being defensive of her. Coming in a collection of one-shots that includes a lot of time from the era where they can't quite tell what each other is thinking or don't have confidence to know they're right when they do, it's a nice salve.

Great work as always!

Author's Response:

Thank you so much! V glad to hear you think that take on Betsy worked. I could completely see Pam's parents loving Jim instantly, but I did wonder how on board Jim's parents would be from the get-go given the tortured history, the turning down a promotion for her...but yeah, agreed on it not actually being Pam as a person who's caused him to stagnate.  I also think there are different ways to stagnate, i.e. being able to admit his feelings, being in a healthy relationship, are different kinds of growth. 

Protective!Pam is one of my favourite Pams. 

It is nice writing stuff where they're for once in sync and not afraid of being there for each other! Although I think my next chapter might be a return to form...  

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This was such a great, almost spot on, something I hadn't considered representation of Betsy. Awesome!

Author's Response: Thank you so much! 

This premise is completely delightful. I love that you’ve taken Jim’s comment from Email Surveillance and built this whole wonderful backstory behind it.

“Doing your mom was not a joke, Pam,” Well, this is absolutely perfect pre-canon line.

Oh. This is all so incredibly sweet. This is the very best of Jim, both in terms of how he treats Michael and how he supports Pam.

I love your writing. Truly. I’ve been terrible with reviewing lately, but I’m so glad to be catching up on this. This chapter was gorgeous. I love that they both have their moments of freaking out and their moments of supporting one another, because it is terrifying - especially a first pregnancy - and there is just so much to think about. You capture it all so well.

Author's Response: Thank you! I really appreciate you taking the time to leave reviews on these - seriously, it means a lot :) And yeah, I really enjoyed those moments in The Delivery, I would've loved to see even more of them. 

Be still my Season 9 well written angst heart. I love this. It’s heart wrenching and real and keeps so very well with the tone of the episodes.

Author's Response: Sorry for ridiculously slow reply to this review (just catching up...) - but thank you so much!! I'm really glad you liked it. 

As usual, you've included some really strong details here - Michael's alternating-color text and Pam's musing on how long it must have taken him to put together is classic for both of them. And ooof, Roy not noticing Pam was giving him the silent treatment... that's definitely a thing that happened. Probably more than once.

Oh, poor Pam. Little does she know how right Jim was about doing your mom not being a joke.

I'm interested in your take on the Roy-Jim dynamic through Pam's eyes, especially at this moment when their postponed wedding is a serious festering wound in their relationship. I'd love to see you expand on that even more. (I'm especially curious about Pam's sense that Roy is at his worst when Jim's around - and whether that's Pam's perception or more or less objectively true.)

You've hit Michael perfectly here - he's striving and his need to be liked and his frustrated power moves and his tendency to immediately back down when challenged by someone he finds physically intimidating. Not easy, and good on you for doing it so well. Very solid Dwight and Angela as well.

I love the sense of Jim and Pam here - the banter and the sense of protectiveness they have for each other and the way Jim makes her feel brave.

Author's Response:

Thank you so much! Writing this did make me think that I’d like to dig into the Jim/Roy and Pam dynamic a bit more. I do think it’s likely that Jim probably misses Roy at his ‘best’ (whatever that is), in as much as he can’t be 100% awful all the time. But I don’t think Roy is consciously his worst around Jim (I don’t think he cares enough about Jim tbh) - so my thoughts were more that it was Pam’s perception, i.e. she becomes more aware of Roy’s flaws when they’re around Jim. Both because of the obvious comparison, but also because she cares what Jim thinks. Like, Roy comes out with stuff on the show that she would definitely roll her eyes at with Jim if Michael said it, so I wondered how she squared that circle with Roy. And that it must be particularly hard to do when it happens in front of Jim.