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Your description of Jim’s thought process around pouring his heart out is so very lovely. “I looked at you and begged you to take this sinking boat and point it home” This. It’s so good.

“You taste so good. You must know that, he must tell you all the time.” Why does this completely break my heart?! Because I feel like Pam would have no idea, because Roy would never tell her & I just...

“The clock on the wall is ticking the seconds away heavily, lazily, too far apart from each other. Perhaps the batteries are dying, these can’t be seconds. They’re too damn long.”
This is fantastic writing. I’m struggling to find the right words to convey just how lovely it is. I love this so, so much.

“And now you’re in the freezing waters with me, you’re grabbing my hand and I don’t know what to think. You’re the one that pushed me into the ocean, are you back to finish your job?”
Oh Jim. These jumbled thoughts are everything.

“It’s a smile that starts inside me before it even reaches my lips, as if the sun somehow topples down from the sky and makes a home right here in my heart.”
Perfect line is perfect. I adore this.

This whole story is absolutely wonderful and I’m so very glad that you shared it with us.

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This was just lovely. I read it all in a sitting and while I’ve read many CN fix-it fics, I don’t think I’ve read one quite like this. The way you completely delved into Pam’s emotions was completely unique. You did a great job of stretching those moments out into the time-stopping, heart-wrenching stretches that they are in real life. And in Jim’s chapter, while I was at first thrown off by the change in perspective I think it really really works. It fits their characters so well—Pam has kind of seemed like an outsider, observing herself from a distance and not really connecting with what’s happening because she’s scared or comfortable, while Jim has taken each moment for what it means to him and likely dissected it and explained it away or asked Pam what it meant in his mind for years. I really enjoyed this a lot, and I can’t wait to see what you do next. Amazing start at MTT!

Author's Response: I know exactly what you mean by the change of perspective - and I guess it threw you off just like it threw ME off at the beginning - but I had to get a grip at that point because as soon as I started writing the second chapter in 3rd person I realized I was sounding like Pam. Or rather, I was writing in the same tone and sense that I was before, when in reality Jim has no idea what Pam's is thinking right now, he has no idea that she's gone through this whole journey of realization in the ten minutes that they've been apart. And I had to make a drastic change in order to put myself in the right mindset to portray that. And what you said makes perfect sense - It felt more real to Jim that this pivotal moment of his life, a moment that he's been waiting for years now, was written in the most personal way possible, sort of like a love letter to this girl who doesn't even know that the only fingerprints on his heart are her own. And on the other hand, Pam's out of her head at that moment, she's panicking, the carpet is pulled from under her feet and she feels like she's sort of in an alternate reality, that this cannot possibly be happening to her, this is not how it goes in her safe, boring and comfort-zone-limited life. But in reality... well, I didn't give it that much thought at all, to be honest :P  It just felt right this way, and it helped me get into Jim's characters, which was pivotal for the 2nd chapter of this. And it's something I generally do when acting, thinking as the chracter in first person, so it was my safe-place, something I was familiar with. Well! In any case I'm so glad that it seems to have worked for you eventually, because I know that the switch of perspective was pretty random, but I couldn't bring myself to change it after it was written, so I tried to play with it instead :P. Thank you so much for this lovely, lovely review, it was so eye-opening for me!!

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And now Jim's turn. Everything I said last chapter about Pam? Yeah, same applies here. They're both finally in sync with each other. The mental trips down memory lane, the near sheer panic in their thoughts, the feeling of time standing still and this one moment dragging out so much longer than any 27 seconds on a boat.

And then thank you! We go AU! Pam realizes what her true feelings are and Jim is willing to give her the time to deal with this huge upheaval. Just lovely.

Again your ability for introspection was phenomenal. You really captured all the feelings Jim was having.

To end it with a someone return to their normal bantering friendship was a great way to take this. Likewise with Pam finally eating the chips.

The road ahead may have looked hard, but after all this, it feels like it won't be quite as bumpy till they are finally and truly together.

Outstanding job for your first story. Welcome to MTT. You knocked on out of the park with this one.

Author's Response: I can't thank you enough, honestly! And that bit about the 27 seconds? Poetry. Who's reviewing who here, omg, I'm in the wrong end of this. Thank you so much for your time and effort - you're amazing!

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I really enjoyed this chapter – you’ve just done a really good job exploring Jim’s emotions and describing them.

I love the note of him having planned a bunch of speeches and not actually using any of them – it just feels like a very real thing. I also appreciate you having the guts to write one, which is quite good!

The “love makes you blind” paragraph is just terrific.

Doing this in first-person was a great choice that you did a lot with – in particular I like the touch that his inner monologue is addressed to HER, showing what a defining influence she is in his life. (It allows for some really great individual lines, too – “You pulled me to you, you know that, right?” “Sorry for comparing you to a drug.”, his begging her to realize what’s going on.)

You did some strong work with the parallels to the Pam chapter – taking a deeply poetic journey through Jim’s senses and letting him run through their history, too.

This is a very solid job at capturing what a monumental, perspective-shifting experience this is for both of them.

Her kissing the palm of his hand is adorable and lovely and pretty sexy and very much a thing Pam would do all at once.

Their banter at the end is fantastic.

Quick beta note – it should be “crush” instead of “crash.”

So. Yeah. On the whole, this was fabulous, and I can’t wait to read more from you.

Author's Response: I don't even have words - both of your reviews alone can feed me emotionally for a year. I don't think I can explain how giddy I just got. You seem to have gone on a deep dive on this and that's the greatest compliment you could have given me. Seriously, you missed absolutely nothing, your comments have officially killed me, and I am so thankful to you for taking the time to read and review. Thank you so much!!