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What a great way of linking these vignettes (and oddly, I actually just saw Dreamgirls, for the first time, the other day.) The Jim/Pam and Karen parts are lovely and funny and subtle and touching and very, very believable. And great detail in the Wallace one -  perfect that he'd have cd's his kid made him and then switch to NPR (to be honest, that scenario hits a bit close to home here, lol.) This was completely delightful.

Author's Response: thanks! the linking started with just a vignette for karen. then i thought of the idea of pairing karen\'s unhappiness with pam\'s off the wall joy... and then i thought, what the heck, throw david wallace in too. i\'m glad you liked!!

Well, look at you, Ms. Sneaky I've Got Writer's Block. And with a surprise ending to boot. Just delectable. Rocking out Jim, half a Twizzler, Kelly Hilton...and my favorite: Jim as Pam's own personal Disney World (if I wasn't so prim and proper, I'd make a crack about the rides ;-) Welcome back, darlin'.

Author's Response:

Oh geez Colette.   Jim as Pam's own personal Disney World.  Now look where my minds gone.  Let's just think of your latest chapter as illustration of that fact now - shall we?   LOL!

Thank you.  I appreciate it.

Once again, you break my heart with surgical precision. Those final three lines were aimed right at my aorta. And since I've now worked this heart metaphor to the ground, I'll end here - just so good. It hurts.

Author's Response: Thanks, Colette!  I hear that happy Jim/Pam is good for a broken heart...

Ah, but their sleepless nights are only just beginning, lol. I loved 'Light' - how they talked until they were parched (precisely how I think their early days/weeks together went) - and there was actually something quite romantic about him bringing her a glass of water. Then this chapter...well, cozy, intimate, such deep connection...sigh. His voice calming the tyke down was a lovely touch. Enjoyed this start to finish.

Author's Response: Thank you so much. It was a pleasure to write- I don't think I've felt this engaged with my characters for a long time (and I love Pam, I truly do). It's been lovely getting all of your feedback, as well. You give me new insight into my own work, which is so much fun I can hardly stand it. Thank you again!

This was great...each part was really apt, but I especially liked the Brenda one (I liked that he was self-aware enough to be embarrassed by his motives and how half-assed he was) and the Karen break-up scene was pretty much exactly how I imagined it happening. Lovely epilogue too...very clever.

Such a clear portrait of his state of mind then - love how being 'okay' is used as a recurrent refrain -  kind of damned by faint affirmation. And the 2nd person makes it all so direct and present. This line especially got to me: This isn’t to say you aren’t still incessantly haunted by the thought of her mouth, her hands, her. Wow, so good, so achey. Need to read this again. (Coincidentally, I also once wrote a fic called 'Okay', triggered by that same hug in Gay Witch Hunt. What a loaded moment that was.)

Very nice. The show makes much of being set in a specific location, with 'native' characters, so I like the idea of going beyond simply using the real name of a local pizza joint or bar. Also - the idea of Pam speaking fluent 'Jim' is perfectly put - she knows the code - long explications are unnecessary. Something else I liked about this idea - by confiding his family history, and letting her comfort him about its legacy, he's in a (positive) way making her part of it. And that's a connection beyond dates and rings and private jokes. 

Author's Response: Thank you for putting into words that connection with Jim's family. Yes, I was trying to get at that, in a not very effective way. As you say, by letting her in on a family tragedy, he lets her further into his life. That's the kind of intimacy that I see between Pam and Jim. Colette, as always, you bring so much to a review! Thank you so very much.

Holy frijoles...was not expecting that this morning. Need a moment to collect myself. Phew.

Okay. That was hot as a very hot thing. Jim has absolutely been thinking about this stuff for years and he may be a gent, but he's most definitely a BOY first (you know the end of Bridget Jones where she's all ferklempt from kissing him and says something like: Nice boys don't kiss that way and Darcy replies: oh yes they freaking do?)

Love that FNB rises to the challenges - and that just the thought of her dropping her inhibitions/being more self confident, is so uh, stimulating to him. Especially loved the apron one, because it was such an everyday/benign scene that became so erotic. But in the bright light of the kitchen, you know you're stretching the boundaries of her comfort zone...is deeply arousing.Now, that's what I'm talking about.

What makes this so sexy is that the characters don't get obscured by the steam. Nor does the affection (so often when I read really smutty stuff, I think - besides wanting to bump nasties, do these two have any feelings for each other? Their feelings here are implicit, without needing 12 fancy paragraphs to explain them - another scene killer for me. But I digress. ;-)

Will stop before I write another chapter here; but...you know this little gem begs for a sequel with Pam in charge, right? Have to admit, the idea of Jim being on the submissive/helpless side of the equation does have a certain allure. Just saying.... (Okay, so I'm greedy ;-)

Love how you've played with the language here - all the meanings and nuances of naming, 'calling'...it's not just facile - it's a truly fresh filter to view so many aspects of their relationship.

This perfectly encapsulates the desperation that drove Jim to finally confess: She was still Pam, still Beesly but not. There was an expiration date on his heart now, like one of her yoghurt lids. She was a Bride now. A wife soon. An Anderson forever.

So clear and insightful and wonderfully written. 

How fitting that they'd be detoured by Michael - seriously, forget baby fic, these two are already parents ;-)  Love when Jim realizes he can kiss her - their first date must have had that sense of being a little hard to wrap their brains around. What can I say? Another delicately written, quietly lovely, character-driven scene. I could read these all day.

Author's Response:

Thank you so much. I have found that "plot" is not my strength; I do better with snapshots of the characters. I appreciate so much that you find them worthwhile. And they really are Michael's parents in too many ways to count. Thank you again!

Really liking the tart, snappy dialogue - definitely has the flavor of the screwball comedies you mentioned at the start. And Ryan is almost scarily - well, Ryan here. Love how he says Jim Fucking Halpert...aptly sums up his attitude about him: he'd never say just Jim or Halpert, it would always (at least in his mind) be one word: JimfuckingHalpert.

Author's Response: Oh man, thanks so much! That's really nice to hear. :)

This was so many flavors of excellent. Just the right balance of funny, awkward, sweet, poignant, tentative...great build-up of tension too.  The emotional connection between them is all the more vivid for not being overwrought. And writing a sex scene that hot, while keeping it in character and that realistic, ain't easy. Really well done.

Author's Response: Thank you! I admit, when I've thought about trying to write post-S3 first-time fic, I was tempted to make it Epic and Dramatic, but when I got down to it, it really did seem more in-character to be sweet, awkward... and then just kind of letting go. The difficult conversations can come later. :)

From deep in the heart of the land of If Only. I love the tentativeness - I have a soft spot for fics about moments that are almost...and this captures the ache of that episode so well, then wrings some hope out of it. Just lovely. (And now can you stop with this prolific jag? Making me feel lazy here, lol.)

Author's Response:

Not my fault you're a slacker. ;)   It's been a long time since I visited this place.  I'm all S4 and fastforward to happily ever after.  I was struggling to get this to sound just right and then changed the whole thing to second person and it clicked.  At least I hope it did. 

In any case - I'm very glad you liked it.   Have had a rough few days here and it means a lot that you took the time to tell me so.