Okay, the first time I read this, I'd had two glasses of wine and was afraid to review, lest I sound like a rambling, drunken idiot.  :o) I'm relieved to say, though, that I'm totally sober at the moment and fully intend to say exactly what I was going to say the first time I read it: Your stuff is like my favorite restaurant; I know that whenever I go there, I'm just guaranteed to love whatever I order, even if it may be something completely different than I expected.  Your work is exactly the same way for me; it just never, ever disappoints.  This is no exception.  While I'm definitely in the camp that says Pam's going to say yes, I still appreciate the beauty of your prose -- spare and lovely and just breathtaking. 

So in a nutshell: Well done!

Okay, I'm forcing myself to stop reading and comment, lest I forget what I want to say!

(1): You do an excellent job here of capturing the voice of a girl Pam's age -- which ought to be easy to do but most decidedly is not (seriously -- good for you). 

(2): I may or may not have grinned a little wider at David Wallace being Jim's boss.... (Oh, and one thing I forgot to mention about the previous chapter -- LOVE it that all the Office mates live in the same community; love it even more that they're protective of Dwight, even as they acknowledge his weirdness.  ...So that was two things -- sorry 'bout that.)  :o)

(3): Love the prank!  And it's intriguing to see Jim portrayed this way -- just a hair too immature to deal with his feelings for Pam, so they manifest themselves in playground-esque pigtail pulling and such.  :o) 

(4) This is the English teacher in me talking, but you might want to go back and double check that you've punctuated all of your dialogue, because there are lines with no punctuation, which is a bit distracting.  Watch out, too, for fused/run-on sentences and comma splices. (Again -- the English teacher in me talking.  Be glad I didn't ask you to further explicate the symbolism in Larissa needing validation for her potato salad or something lame like that. :oD)

(5) It is so Jim that he calls her "bees" -- short for "bees' knees."  Seriously.  :o)

(6) It's hilarious (and very real) the way Pam vacillates between spewing venom about what a gigantic ass Jim is to completely giving herself away (i.e. "I wonder if he's good in bed" - hee). Again, that utter lack of self-awareness is so quintessentially a teenager.  (I say this from the vantage point of a 34 year-old who remembers all too well what it was like....)

(7) I said it earlier, but it bears repeating: You just own the point of view here; by that I mean that the voice you present here is so consistent and spot-on.  The analogy that comes to mind is Juno, but less hyper aware of her own quirkiness and thus a bit more believable.  (No offense to Diablo Cody, of course.)  ;o)

(8) I have to agree with Pam: the way you write Jim here is definitely as a smooth, charming son of a bitch.  :o)

Nice job!

I can tell this is going to be one of those times when writing a review is utterly frustrating, because honestly, there are no words to articulate how lovely this is that aren't overdone or cliched.  (Case in point: the previous sentence.) :o)

Still...this is just gorgeous prose: flowing, visceral, incredibly unique.  I love it, both what you're expressing here and how you're expressing it.  It was difficult to pick a favorite passage to mention, but I think this was my favorite (of many): So long, I was blinded by the manners of a gentle man, a devilish twinkle, a schoolboy sweetness in unbuttoned collars and loosened ties.  Without knots and buttons and pleats, he’s leather-hard and masculine in the most elemental way.

Guh.  I've never seen that articulated so well before...love it.  Thanks for this!

First of all: Love the way you reflect Jim's thoughts here; it's hard to articulate, but it's as if you've really captured the direction his mind would've gone that night (somethign like stream of consciousness, only much less jarring and confusing, lol). 

The Booze Cruise analogy was really apt (and heartbreaking, guh). 

And this paragraph really struck me as very real; we've all been there in some way or another: "

So he was driving home now, his nervousness transferred to self pity as he turned down the street heading towards his apartment. They were doing this thing where one of them would glance over and look away at the moment the other looks at them. This is what devastation feels like? Oh I remember this feeling before, Jim thought. How many times has that fucking parking lot doomed my ass?"

And that last line...guh.  Amen, Pam.  :o)

Thanks for a lovely read!

I've forced myself to stop reading and quote/comment on the most amazing bits (for which I deserve an award or something, because seriously...do you have any idea how much I want to just tear through this thing!?!?):

1) "the artsy fartsy quiet girl in the turtleneck who had somehow won the boyfriend lottery ":  WOW.  Love the lottery analogy -- so apropos.  I really think that notion lingered somewhere in the back of Pam's mind for a long time (well past high school), maybe contributing to her willingness to overlook Roy's behavior....

2) Buckle in; apparently this'll be a long review!  "It was funny, now, for Pam to think of Roy – the warehouse worker, the guy whose high school years were the best of his life – as being “better” than her in some way, instead of them just being “different.” Why one person in a couple had to be seen as having any sort of upper hand seemed ridiculous now."  Again -- spot-on analysis here, and I think you're absolutely right.  I also loved the zinger at the end re: Pam not being a girl who'd drop Roy for another guy.  Hrmmm....

3) "But Jim seemed to love her for who she was, not who he was to her. "  Jesus, woman, at this rate, I'll never finish reviewing this fic!  Again -- such a spot-on insight into why Jim & Pam work and why Pam & Roy just didn't.  I've never seen it articulated so well before, actually.  Wow.

4) "Like the way Jim handled that whole weird thing with Toby."  Yes, absolutely.  I've read criticisms of Jim here and there (not necessarily on MTT), asserting that he's too laid-back or even written as almost feminine, but I've always disagreed.  Having dated a guy who picked a fight with other guys if they so much as looked at me (this was in high school, I'm happy to report, and both times the jackass did it, I totally let him have it), it's absolutely ridiculous.  When Mr. Girl7 & I started dating, there was a guy who was behaving toward me much like Toby to Pam, and Mr. Girl7 was totally cool about it -- was irritated but didn't give in to that hyper-masculine urge to mark his territory, so to speak, because he knew a) he had nothing to worry about and b) I could handle it myself. 

That's what I see in Jim -- a smart guy who knows he's got nothing to worry about.  Very sexy.  :o)

5) Okay, the whole conversation about the first date was awesome, from her not recognizing the back of his head to her suspecting it was a prank between him and Karen.  "You peed too fast."  Hee!

6) "God, he was like . . . delicious sexy business guy. " You're toally describing Convention!Jim here, aren't you?  Or is it just Stamford!Jim?  Either way...I'm on board, sister.  :o)

7) Yay for elevator sex & the ass-kicking conversation!

Seriously...such an awesome, awesome fic.  Believe me when I tell you I kept my comments to a minimum, for fear of leaving you a review as long as your fic.  :o)

There were just too many lines here that made me think, I'll have to mention that in the review, so I'm just going to do a bulleted list, if you don't mind.  :o)

• "I haven’t decided on the honeymoon yet. Angela doesn’t like the heat [beat] or the cold." Bwah --poor Andy...

• (Sorry about the formatting here; can't get this to stop centering everything....)

• PHYLLIS

  (while picking up a bag of chips from the vending machine, and looking at the camera)

  Well maybe she can decide. -- Hah, this is vintage Phyllis.  Just perfect!

• Okay, Michael's whole Ryan-related speech was brilliant, right down to the pauses (which you write so incredibly well).

• "Strap yourselves on, here we go!"  You know, I find Michael-isms really difficult to write, because his slips are usually so subtle (and it's easy to write them in a way that comes off as forced).  But this?  Quintessential Michael slip.  Well done. :o)

• Of course Andy's the first one to ask how one goes about accumulating stars!  And I loved Holly's comment that everyone there seems really sad.  :o)  (Also like the very subtle tension you're building with the whole Jim & Pam thing.)

• (voice can be heard from Reception throughout the duration of the conversation, nevertheless they both remain on the phone)  Tee hee -- love that little detail

• Again, the formatting is all screwy here (in my review), but I can't tell you enough how much I'm enjoying this!  It really is like reading a script from the show; you have yet to hit a false note.  Well done! 

I just want to throw confetti or something; this is so damn good!  Loved the confusion about Jim & Pam getting engaged, and Andy's lowered voice, "Is there a Little Tuna on the way?" literally made me laugh right out loud. 

I loved the callback to "Hot Girl," with the whole, "We're just dating" comment, and that Jim bristled at that.  (Also, everyone's excitement/confusion over the Jim/Pam pregnancy reminded me of the Afghanastannanies bit from CN -- hilarious.)

Your Creed is gold -- just gold.  :o)

While I am so sorry to see that this was the last chapter, I'll definitely be waiting for updates to this one -- I feel like I've just watched an episode!  Just outstanding work, dundiefromgod!

So here's what I've decided: I think you should post either a fic a week or a chapter a week, at the same time: 9:00 on Thursday evenings.  Because I swear, your stuff is like the show in that it never disappoints (only yours never has even the slightest little hiccup -- *cough* proposal interruptus). 

My favorite bits:

• Love it that she's a little irritated because she'd wanted to get prettied up for him.  Who hasn't been there?  Somehow it always seems to happen that way -- you have the grandest plans for a killer outfit, perfect hair, perfume to bring him to his knees, and bam!  He shows up when you're in sweats and a ponytail.  :o)
• "Christ, he's a beautiful mess."  Wow -- that's one of those simply brilliant, understated lines you're so prone to interjecting (rather like "hot as a very hot thing" -- simple but freaking brilliant).
• Your description of their kiss -- from her feet being off the ground to the salt of his skin and the taste of beer -- absolutely visceral.  ...Which, of course, = hot.
• Absolutely love the metaphor of the title (and the way you work it so seamlessly into the story), that Jim is tantamount to air and water for her -- just essential for her to really live and breathe.  Lovely.
• Okay, first: Pam taking her shirt off -- playing her trump card, as it were?  Awesome.  (There are definite advantages to being female, I must say.  ;o))  Second: The revelation of her engagement ring just made me smile and smile.  And I love it that she wears it around her neck....
• I fear I'd venture into all-out skeevy territory if I went into all the reasons why that shower scene is so freaking hot; suffice it to say...right on the mark, my dear.  (P.S. I love reading scenes like that written by a woman who has a genuine appreciation for JK's many attributes, because...damn.)  :o)
• Also love it that even though she's presumably got drawers full of her own clothes, she still rifles in his bag and puts on his boxers and a tank.  I remember before Mr. Girl7 & I got married, I was thinking that one of the benefits of marriage would be that I could easily raid his closet, and I have to say, even after six years of marriage, I still prefer his tee-shirts to my own.  ;oD
• "Show me more" and the entire tableau you create to go with that capture the essence of what makes them Jim & Pam (which is something for which you have an uncanny knack, my friend).

Well...as usual you've left me satisfied and smiling.  :o)  I'm sort of breaking in my new "home office" tonight -- which is all decorated and girlie (lavender walls, dim lamps, candles everywhere), but it's definitely climate-control challenged, in spite of my two fans.  All this to say: Your fic seemed perfect for this atmosphere.  :o)

Thanks for doing what you do.  :o)  

Okay, first of all, this: "You deserve to have someone love you because of all that stuff and not in spite of it" -- totally encapsulates why Jim's right for her and Roy isn't.  Lovely.

All right, Pam had better wise up and take advantage of the situation here.  (That came out sounding very wrong, hee.)  I keep waiting for her to kiss him (or vice versa).  Don't go upstairs; I'm sure there's plenty of room on that couch for two....

Can't wait for the next chapter!

Okay, first of all: I love the "second" game that they play, and you describe it beautifully: "But after that, there was the other game, the one where we admitted all our secrets, laid ourselves bare and open. Things like “when did you first…?” and “do you remember…?” and “would you still love me if…?” Teasing confessions that mostly took place in bed, when all defenses were down and any and all subjects open to exploration."

That's something I really see them doing, because for such a long time all those things went unsaid.   

I also love their banter here; I found myself sitting here grinning from ear-to-ear as I read it.  (Dear god, is it September yet???)

This: “You are a cover hog. A blanket thief” made me laugh right out loud; I can so hear Jim saying this.  :o)

Your description of Pam's relationship with Roy rang so true to me; I can really see it dissolving in exactly the way you described. 

And finally, I thought this sentence was just brilliant in its insight (and beautifully articulated): "So when I met Jim, it was almost like I rediscovered my own existence."

This was just a lovely treat to read late on a Tuesday afternoon -- so terrific!  And how excited am I that there are more chapters to come?! 

Oh wow, kells; this totally took me back to that episode.  You really capture the nuances & the subtext of that entire exchange (and its repercussions).  I think your interpretation/version of both their points of view that night is spot-on, too.

Really intriguing start -- off to the next chapter!

I have to say, the beginning of this chapter was really fun to read, because Pam's excitement is palpable (in spite of her best efforts at talking herself out of it).

I thought this line was really fantastic: "If she is quiet enough she swears she can feel her world shift a little."

And oh wow, that final exchange between them in his room...really emotes that tension & sadness that marked so much of season2; it has echoes of those moments when there would be that spark of recognition between them, but them Pam would scramble back behind her walls, leaving Jim standing there looking shattered.  Sigh.

This is fantastic!  Next chapter....

Good lord, woman, you're taxing my breathing here!  I held my breath when she read his card (well done, very Jim-esque), then again when he called her at the end.  Also, this line: "It was like even though their friendship had been contained to the work environment, missing him had seeped into every corner and crevice of her life." It's an example of what you do so well; you have a real knack for really articulating the subtleties / straightforward truths but using really lovely prose.  (I hope that made at least a little sense -- sorry for the hideously awkward sentence.)

And you are evil like a hobbit for that cliffhanger!  Looking forward to an update!