Oh wow -- please believe me that I am *literally* catching my breath here.

All right, before I comment on the incredible way you've gotten into Jim's head here, let me say that as a lover of autumn, this story just blew me away.  I, too, get retrospective this time of year (and though thankfully, life has been kind these last few years, in the years when it was anything but, autumn was always the season when I felt that most acutely).  You've articulated here the things that make autumn so magical and haunting -- "It usually hits me on one of those days…a day like today…when you can smell people using their fireplaces for the first time. It’s dark before it’s time to go home from work and there’s a chill in air, a promise of frost, and the smell of leaves and smoke."

(Sorry, my font's screwy now.)

As for what you're doing with Jim here: I can definitely hear his voice in this; we know he's an introspective guy who also has the capacity to be incredibly expressive...and we also know that when he hurts, he really hurts.

The list of years is completely intriguing, as is the concept itself -- I've been so out of the loop with fanfic for the last several weeks (months, really) -- having time to either write it or read it, and most of the time I write it.  But I'm stealing the quiet tonight to catch up, and I'm so glad I did.  This looks like it's going to be spectacular -- looking forward to more!

10

Am in bed sick today, so I'm taking advantage of the downtime to catch up on all the fic I've missed (which is surprisingly excellent medicine, I must say!).

At the risk of TMI: We decided to start trying to conceive some time ago, and I have to tell you that you've articulated so beautifully all that comes with making that decision -- especially the anxiety that suddenly your life will become unrecognizable post-baby.  And for us, it's been a difficult road (which wasn't a surprise - I'm no spring chicken, LOL), going on two years now with all sorts of lovely hormonal implements and such.  My point to all this over-sharing (heh) is to say that this was really refreshing and cathartic to read -- because even though we've had plenty of time to think about it and know for sure that it's what we want...those little nagging fears don't go away.

Just lovely, as usual.  :o) (And best of all -- there's MORE!)    

Okay, my cheeks actually hurt because I grinned like an idiot throughout this entire chapter.  Seriously.  Wow.

The banter at the end was just perfect -- "Lose something down there?"  I can just hear him saying that! 

Once again, this just felt so real and so very them...just lovely. 

(And a side note: I feel like I'm leaving the most vague, unimaginative reviews in the world -- I blame cold meds, LOL.)

Oh wow.  It's a testament to how compelling this is that my breathing went shallow as I was reading it -- then stopped altogether when she actually alluded to CN.  This was just pitch perfect -- your Jim is so real, so painfully believable.  And I'll tell you what - the writers would've done us all a favor if they'd written the end of that episode this way. 

As usual, excellent work!

So I decided to take a break from cleaning the house for company, and BOY am I glad I did -- this was excellent, just excellent!  You probably know that I'm a fan of fics that render Karen dimensional, and this is definitely one of those.  I think the Karen you write here is spot-on, actually. 

And Jim...sigh.  You really have a knack for getting inside that boy's head; I could really see him rationalizing it all away like he does here.  I should also say that this line -- "He had a best friend once" -- made my breath catch. 

As usual, just impeccable stuff, my friend!

My god, this is just breathtakingly beautiful.  I absolutely adore the Jim you've written here -- that integrity that's so much a part of him is absolutely palpable here.  And his torture -- wanting her but knowing something's off -- heartbreaking. 

And as usual, the prose is lyrical, your images simply breathtaking.  Wow.

Oh wow.  I swear, I feel like these reviews are just nonsensical, but this story is so engrossing and captivating; it's really difficult to come out of it and think coherently.  (That's a good thing, BTW.) 

And this?  "He’d felt like a doormat until she’d made him feel like her oxygen. "

....Wow.  Just amazing. 

Okay, this chapter was just incredibly satisfying; I LOVE Jim's voice here!  Just love it.  So wish we could've seen this on the show (though it's not exactly comedy, I realize....).  Again: pitch perfect. Love it.

Sigh.  Reading this is making me seriously fall in love with Jim all over again; you just articulate his utter goodness so beautifully here.  It's amazing and real and just breathtaking.  That's the adjective that keeps coming to mind -- breathtaking. 

Okay, I swear to god I read this with this lovely flutter; it's such a gorgeous (and spot on) glimpse into what they could be like. 

As usual too many incredible lines to quote (which, BTW, is the only thing about your fic that frustrates me -- I'll think, "Ooh, totally gonna have to quote that in the review," only to change my mind a few lines down...and so on. :o))

In any case, a few of the lovely gems in this one:

He’s leaning calmly back against the pillows on the bed, already dressed save for a couple of open shirt buttons and the tie hanging unknotted around his neck. It’s obvious he’s in no hurry, as he watches her scurrying around the room. You’d think they had all the time in the world.

Gulp. I saw this image far more clearly than I probably should have.  :o) Seriously -- whoa.

...And this? "He frowns slightly, rubbing his thumb over his mouth as he takes her in, before getting up and coming over to her. He stands close enough that she can smell the herbal scent of his shampoo in his still damp hair. Close enough that she can hear him swallow hard as he tentatively runs one finger along the silky strap at her shoulder, hooking it underneath and giving it a gentle tug. She feels herself flush."

...I don't know what's sexier or more breathtaking: the image of him running his thumb across his bottom lip (such a simple little detail yet it conveys so much) or the way you so vividly describe him smelling of herbal shampoo after a shower, hair still damp.  I mean, seriously.

And of course, as usual, you sustain such a beautiful metaphor throughout here -- love the idea of the pretty barrette as evidence that she's had this in her all along; she just needed the right man to appreciate it, maybe unlock it. 

Just lovely.  Absolutely gorgeous.

I have to tell you, it's really difficult to write lengthy interior monologues that are compelling (says the woman whose very first fic ever was met with the sound of crickets because it was almost allllll interior monologue, hee).  But you really just do an excellent job with it here -- I love the glimpse you give into what Pam was thinking and feeling over season three (and I think you present a spot-on depiction of her, too). 

And their fight -- see, while I think it's easy to assume that once they finally got together, it'd be so incredibly amazing, with no bumps -- what you present here is a lot more realistic.  They left so much left unsaid - and for so long - that those old feelings are bound to re-surface every now and again.  Add to that some insecurity, and you've got yourself a fight that's totally irrational, but one in which we've all engaged at some point. 

Just terrific!

Ohhh...don't you love those chapters that make you their bitch?  The ones that -- as you said -- just kind of create themselves?  So much fun to write....  :o)

I love this chapter -- your detail with regard to Jim's frame of mind when he was with Karen is just so real, so heartbreaking. Of course it was probably easier for him to sleep alone than with Karen, because he was trying so hard to make himself feel things that he just didn't.  I'm definitely not a Karen hater -- actually really liked the character (well, before they made her all clingy) -- but I also think that relationship was doomed from the beginning because he was still in love with Pam. 

And Dwight...guh, your Dwight is just heartbreaking (and spot on! Loved the way he asked Jim to have lunch with him - ha!).  I really got the sense in "Money" that Dwight's pain over Angela is seriously resonating with Jim, taking him back to his own dark time a year before.  So sad.

Excellent chapter, once again!