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You continue to do well plumbing the dark depths of Michael's brain. Because clearly his first reaction to the thought of twin Pams would be the sexual implications, and of course he would think someone might mistake Katy for Pam's twin, and of course this would all, somehow, in his head, turn into a justification for rebellion against Captain Jack. That's Michael to a T.

So we already have one revelation - Roy's wandering eye. Feels like there's a lot Pam could witness tonight that would be a difference-maker.

You did well using the multiple Pams to set up the contrast between Pam and Roy with [ast!Pam's thought about not wanting to engage in their in-jokes in front of Roy and Katy and between Roy and Jim with present!Pam's presumption that obviously Jim was more likely to notice her clothing change than her actual fiancee.

I like that Pam is genre aware here... she's coming to this with a basic understanding of the risks of time travel and it shows, and she's also aware that both in general and in dealing with Michael the chances that this very important night for her will be knocked off course are high. I share her worry... you know, kind of.

I am increasingly desperate to know what's going on with Randall. Although given that he clearly knows something about time travel, maybe however that happened also explains how they were able to get the shot of Dwight...

Author's Response:

Thanks - Michael seems to come natural to me (a little scary, right) but maybe it's because I raised boys who are still not quite adults...or maybe it's that with him as long as its kind of ridiculous (or sex-related or inappropriate) it can work.

Remember the mention of the blue sweater (a little cheat for a loyal reader).

Yes, remember Pam does believe in ghosts and while up until now not time travel, she does have an interest in things slightly mystical (and love her some Harry Potter) so she would be somewhat versed in the rules.

More Randall is coming but really he is a step to - nahhh, I can't - sorry you're going to have to wait - you'll thank me. I hope it will be worth it. 

"her auburn hair seemed more brown than red" - this is a whole twist in the "what color is Pam's hair debate" I don't think we've discussed. Is Pam being accurately depicted on camera?

I think you did well digging into what a mindscrew this would be for Pam, living through this moment a second time. This is all too new to her still to not be bizarre and unsettling above all.

But I think the thing I like best about the chapter is that you've put Time Traveling Pam in the shoes of the audience. It all seems very obvious to us as observers, but we're seeing plenty that In Timeline Pam doesn't, including things she couldn't like what Jim looks like after she leaves and the look on her own face. Yes, she's still having trouble reaching the obvious conclusion, because she's Season 2 Pam, but you get the sense here that if she saw everything we saw, it'd be as obvious to her as it was to us. Same thing with Roy's speech - detached from the emotions of the moment, and her being too busy experiencing it to analyze it, maybe Pam will see it in a different light.

(This interests me in particular with Pam's discovery that Randall is filming and the growth of that relationship... she now knows she has indefinite opportunities to observe scenes like this, even once she's back in her own timeline.)

Pam being too blind to recognize her idea that Roy must put *the same* sparkle in her eyes as Jim does is telling, and VERY Pam. *sigh*

Pam getting some of Randall's guidance as she moves forward should be fun to see play out. And as an aficionado, I really appreciate you putting Pam explicitly in conversation with the time travel rules of various fictional universes. Be a natural enough thought for someone in her shoes, and we're all thinking it too. Delightfully meta.

Author's Response:

I knew if anyone was going to dig on the haircolor bit it would be you. Love that it was. I thought it would be a fun way to spark that debate some more (now if only a few more debaters read the chapter so they could weigh in.)

I was really nervous I was going to get a little push-back on the reaction Pam has here but I'm so glad that most are in agreement about Season 2 Pam's blinders. She does wear contacts after all.

as usual I love YOUR reviews- you always seem to flag the very things I was hoping someone would notice.

Are you time travel obsessed too? WHy have we not discussed this? 

Thanks as always for making my own eyes light up as I read your reviews. 

"It reminded her of the cockpit of an airplane, which she’d seen up close as child, back when it was a regular practice to visit the pilots in flight and be given a pin of metal wings." *sigh* I'm nostalgic for those days. No wonder Gen Z is angry all the time. It's a cute - and effective - metaphor for Pam losing her sense that the future is wide open as she grows up.

Oooof. Pam always has to learn her lessons the hard way, doesn't she? Her fear here yet again holds her back from getting what she really wanted. And you did well letting us feel her frustration - if she's not getting to see hre re-engagement, what the heck is all this FOR? (Patience, Pam - the purpose of the evening is coming if you're willing to see it.)

I kind of love having Ryan spotting the two Michaels - he's definitely not open-minded enough to believe in something magical or curious enough to investigate, and also it's more or less his worst nightmare.

Lovely grace note with Michael's humanity - and well placed, too. He really is a kind soul, buried well underneath at all and when his ego is no longer at risk. Just because he can't ADMIT it's his fault and that people got hurt, doesn't mean he doesn't know it is and want to change it. And as always, Pam being able to work with the childlike elements of Michael is sweet. I bet she makes Cece and Phil pink swear all the time.

Props to working in the reference to Jenna's Star Wars skepticism - and of course this is one of those rare things Dwight and Jim totally agree on. (They definitely have secretly watched AT LEAST one piece of geek culture together. Firefly maybe?)

Okay, GAME-CHANGER. So Pam is going to get the answers here she was denied at the end of The Secret, hearing at least some of it from the horse's mouth... and getting time to consider what it all means before having to respond. Very much looking forward to how all this plays out, and seeing the road forward in this story a little more clearly: much like the time-turner, they're going to keep having adventures right up until the moment they rejoin the present day!

P.S. I *may* have missed my shout-out but I'm gonna keep reading for it.

Author's Response:

Hey- it was just a shout out in the sense I wanted to acknowledge your support for this story and the help with weighing in on the lines - I don't think I slipped anything into the story. I'll try to in a future chapter if I can find a way that's organic. But I do appreciate your excitement for this story so wanted to let you know.

Pam's romantic problems are not all her problems, when we meet her in season 1 and get to know her more in season 2 she seems a little broken like she's lost her way - I wanted to bring that out too, in a subtle way. Remind the reader and her too - and you know I like my symbolism and circularity. Glad you are noticing these mentions.

Still not sure exactly how time travel works and i'm still making it up as I go along -taking all my movie references into account- but I'm having fun with all the ways having a second set of M and P affect the original timeline and well as the other way around, case in point, this one with Ryan.

To me Michael never means to be awful and with his childlike behavior has trouble taking blame ( I believe he was internally devastated in Scott's Tots) but something about Pam allows him to peel away some of that armor and get out what he truly feels. and Pam knows exactly how to deal with her first child even if he was not her *firstborn*. #MammaPam

Star Wars bit was more about getting in the lines about understanding the past/future with the knowledge of the other - but had secondary to it was the whole JF & Star Wars idea and the idea that Dwight and Jim also have a bond even if they too can't admit it.

I would have liked to have her come to her senses right there - but where would be the fun in that - and what would we do for two more weeks (and 16 or so more chapters?) 

As always  - big Thank you! 

"telegraph, telephone, tell-a-Michael." I lol'd.

You know what? I understand why it's frustrating Pam, but I think Michael deserves a little credit here. For once, he has actually learned from his mistakes and he is not digging the hole any deeper. I'm proud of him. Maybe time travel really is helping him grow?

"looked back at her husband who locked eyes with her in a silent communication that reminded Pam of the way she sometimes passed messages to Jim without ever saying a word." Ugh. OPEN YOUR EYES, PAM. Come on. You can't tell that's meaningful? *grumbles* But seriously - very true to them, and feels like something she'd be thinking about here.

That's actually kind of an interesting relationship test. Could you tell them you think you're stuck in a time warp? Would they believe you? And it's a good note working in Pam's canonical belief in ghosts here.

Oh, Michael. I half expected him to ask Pam for another drink of water here. Pam's lucky to have Gabby there - maybe between a surrogate Mom and a surrogate teacher they can get him to behave.

His point about the grill is kind of smart in a round-about way! Surely regular timeline Michael would notice that his grill was gone, it would be chaos. A whole episode on its own. Wondering if his note idea is going to end up having repercussions.

"only his birthing process was the trip through time and what he forgot was what a baby he himself had been that whole day." LOL. He really is a little boy in this chapter, in a very enjoyable way. I love his spy caper.

Ugh. Poor Pam. She really gets hope dangled right in front of her and then yanked away here. I'm always interested in her relationship with Roy's family, particularly post-Superfan episodes now that we know she's pretty comfortable with Roy's mom. Casts some of her decisions in a different light knowing how intertwined their lives were.

Author's Response:

I truly appreciate your enthusiasm for this story - so much.

That seems to be the line for this chapter - all three review mentioned it. Glad you liked it.

Michael tries to do the right thing, sometime however when he tries too hard that's when things go off the rails...not saying it's going to happen here but certainly what happened in a particular episode that had an Elvis impersonation.

Open your now with perfect vision eyes, but that's the fun of this whole experiment - to bring up all the things she hasn't been able to see.

A test yes, but there might be more to it than that and that's all I'm saying.

Hope you like Gabby, she's kind of the Beth of this story. Every story needs a good OC.

NOw I am a little behind in those superfans, in truth I half avoided if only to not uncanonize things I'd written for this... then I went and watched Booze cruise  and used a tiny bit of it (Ryan in bathroom). But I'm rectifying that now. JUst hope it doesn't bite me.

Thanks again for always leaving such detailed and enthusiastic reviews. 

Ha! I thought that missed call might end up being a complicating factor, but my thoughts were much more like the issues caused at the beginning rather than the... side-flash?... at the end. Red flag city, Roy. Interested to see how this plays out... timetravel!Pam seeing how Jim feels, and her actions maybe butteryfly effecting how OriginalFlavor!Pam sees Roy and Jim as opposed to making OriginalFlavor!Pam suspicious of the strangeness in her own life. VERY cool.

Michael in stereo is a *horrifying* concept. Kudos for introducing it and then doubling down with the concept of three Michael Scotts. Good call, Pam - not sure the world could survive that. But Michael trying to unwind the consequences of time travel is hilarious. I was genuinely concerned for a minute that he actually remembered the winning lottery numbers for sometime in the next two weeks and we were about to enter time paradox hell, but this is hilarious, and a very Michael mistake to make. Hard to imagine a more frustrating companion for this sort of trip.

Oh, Pam. Your lottery fantasy... this is really a much lovelier take on this than the thoroughly depressing Jim-Pam fight in Lotto, but come on, lady. You win the lottery and your third thought is "BUT WHAT ABOUT JIM?" Season 2 Pam is frustrating.

I don't remember It's A Wonderful Life as well as I should, but I've got a sneaking suspicion Pam is misremembering the context of the quote that reminds her of Jim. And the idea that this is really an It's A Wonderful Life story rather than a time travel story is GREATLY intriguing, even if you don't keep going with it.

Fun seeing a time travel story wrestle with all of the practical challenges of suddenly being thrown backwards into a different moment in the modern world, even for a short period. Feels like this is a thing a lot of time travel protagonists must go through offscreen.

And kudos working Jenna's strong feelings on pockets in here, too.

Author's Response:

As challenging as writing time travel is - it is quite exhilarating and with all the little things it can introduce I am having so much fun. Nice to see that you are noticing much of the nuances that I've put into play. 

And yeah - two, no three Michaels - I guess you can say I watched me some Back to the Future to research. Fun what you can do with time travel - wait I already said that.  

Okay, I will also admit I got a little confused myself when it came to how traveling back in time could possibly benefit them lottery wise. Still am - but I thought this worked well...let me have Pam think about how becoming rich could mean losing her friendship with Jim - but yeah season 2 Pam is frustrating. Why do you think I'm writing this?

Oh and IAWL - awesome movie and one more theme of which is having the right partner makes all the difference in your life. I mean without Mary - he would have been pretty depressed at never being able to do all the things in life he wanted but with her - his life was rich. Ahem maybe that's what she should have been thinking about instead of the "friendship" with Jim. But like you said season 2 Pam is frustrating.

So often in time travel movies/stories they seem to have everything they need to survive in their new timeline and I often call foul. Wanted to address the things like that so others couldn't call foul on me.

And work in- JF's stand about pockets, too. Glad you "read" the podcast to be able to pick up on that.

THANKS for reviewing! Eating them up. 

"without Pam to keep an eye on him the likelihood he might get caught or do something that could wreak havoc on the future was as high as the probability of him kicking Toby out of any given meeting." Lol. Also, that's high. I share her concern. Randall's got his work cut out for him here.

Oh, Pam. Have you noticed that every time you consider a potential change in your life, you go *directly* to how it will impact your time with Jim? Or how as soon as Gabby suggests you're missing someone, you assume it *must* be Jim? Or how you literally have nothing nice to say about Roy? No, of course you don't. Because you're Season 2 Pam, and this has to be difficult for everyone. *grumbles at Season 2 Pam*

The near miss with concussed Dwight is a nice touch. Makes you wonder what else just got by him that day. And of course the no toilet paper issue ended up coming back to haunt Michael. Lol.

Delight with just a touch of sinister is a good way to describe Jim's messing with Dwight face.

"That got her thinking, she’d taken this challenge before so shouldn’t she have been able to get a better time this go around and now she wondered why she hadn’t. Weren’t you supposed to learn from your earlier mistakes?" Hmmmmmm. Interesting, Pam. Maybe something to ruminate on.

Mildly alarmed to see that Pam is now actively changing the past, even as she and Michael fail to change the things that they'd *like* to change. I guess Matt going to the hospital instead of Randall still falls within a relatively immutable timeline, but it's something to keep an eye on.

(Not going to lie, I was expecting Pitbull and not Huey Lewis in that link, in spite of the fact that it was clearly set up to be Huey Lewis.)

Author's Response:

You and Pam aren't wrong about Michael's impact but it also really all depends which time travel model we are in - right? Randall can only do so much - get him out of the office on time and hope he can stay out of trouble the rest - remember there's only one Randall running around.

Yes, season 2 Pam is, well we want to shake her a lot of the time - and this is season 2 Pam on steroids (is that okay to say Ryan?). She seems to be having trouble adjusting to her new vision.

Glad you enjoyed the Dwight stuff and hope it wasn't too much to read as much as Pam heard about his BMs.

Thanks - and how'd you like the prank? Always a challenge to come up with something we haven't seen before (or maybe we saw that and I forgot). 

The more things change, the more things stay the same - or maybe not. Once more, time will tell.

Ha- I used the Pitbull version in my son's Bar Mitzvah Montage. But remember 1) Pitbull version is from Men in Black not BTTF and 2) Randall's age makes him more Huey Lewis than Pitbull (in fact more a fan of even older musical artists) - stay tuned.

Thanks as always for the review. 

"And if she never asked him to go with her, she never had to be disappointed when he wouldn’t and that’s why she never made the request." And that, friends, is how you end up with Roy for 10 years. Oh, Pam. The idea of her starting to use this time not just to reflect on her relationship with Jim and Roy, but also to start using her time in a way that she easily *could* in her regular life if not for Roy's presence is, I think, a nice way of getting how limited she is in this relationship.

This image of Pam and Gabby singing together in the car is very sweet. She needs friends, dammit. Also seemed appropriate to move up some of this discussion of Pam's art - symbolically, it does feel like she's getting a chance to go through some of her Season 3 evolution in this story.

"She didn’t even know she liked him, not until when during a study session he leaned in for an unexpected kiss. Even then, she was more shocked than smitten, but who turned down the star football player when he whispered how much he was into you and so they began dating." Yep. That's how Pam started dating Roy all right. 100% him taking the lead and her kind of assuming things would come together. And ugh. The realization that they just don't enjoy being around each other much... this just feels very real, the sort of thing you won't think about when you're in it.

This story of how Gabby and Randall got together is ADORABLE, if a little painful. Please oh please let Pam get the message...

Undercover Angel was new to me! And I will freely confess I will always be partial to the Ingrid Michaelson version of Can't Help Falling in Love.

Author's Response:

Working backwards...I promised you a Ingrid Michaelson song but it's not this one and it's not for a while yet. But it's a good one.

Didn't think the Alan O'Day tune would be known by many but likewise neither would Pam - but seems like it was a big hit around the time the Gabby story takes place so it hit all the buttons (one-hit wonder but obscure in present day, about love or finding love, etc.)

Never could buy into the Roy worked at her parents appliance store so it became science class - look for that to crossover into another of mine (my headcanon gets pretty ingrained).

As I was writing this I really struggled to find commonality between Pam and Roy. It was really hard. TWSS. It made me even more frustrated with Season 2 Pam but also helped me to justify why it's "taking her so long to see the light!"

And yes, time travel has a way of both slowing things down and speeding things up simultaneously, plus bounce the events into different seasons and episodic timelines. More to come on that.   

Always thrilled to get your take on these chapters. Thanks for always sharing and being a fan and a friend.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO(deep breath)OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Come ON, Pam!

On the other hand, I 100% buy this of her as a character. She's uncomfortable with change, so naturally she's looking for signs that things should stay the same, and interpreting what happens to her accordingly - even when she could easily interpret the same set of facts as demanding the need for change. And her recognition that some of the issue is her not standing up for herself and letting him make the decisions still feels like progress if you really want to see progress. It feels like you're making a case for the necessity of Pam's growth in Season 3 to allow them to move forward, that it has to more than just her running to Jim, that it has to be also her learning to trust herself. The line about how she couldn't or wouldn't leave Roy feels very telling.

"Even just the little nibble of doing things she loved was an overindulgence she couldn't digest properly after years of being starved." Good line, but also, oh, Pam...

Feels sad that we're losing out on some of these moments in canon... certainly the ice skating's going to be a different feel for Pam now after this moment. But then who knows how things will be by Michael's birthday?

How did I know there was going to be a real Sandals Grenada?

"Between the kitchen, the ladies’ room that became his temporary bedroom, the warehouse playground and the means to wash up, he had all the luxuries of home, but with none of the rules set upon him when he was a guest in someone else’s place." PLEASE tell me we're going to get to see the aftermath of one of Michael's nights at the office at some point.

Also, I'd like to see the Jim-as-proto-Elvis/Michael as the Colonel AU now. And also a Michael staying with Pam AU, which feels like a full story on its own.

Author's Response:

Yeah, that was my reaction too as I wrote it, but that's what I saw as her response to finding that, plus it was good for the story.

Hmm growth, are you on to something?

Because it's me  - plus I wanted to be bombarded with ads for Sandals all over my social media. 

Well let's just say we can't leave this story without some scenes at Dunder Mifflin.

Yeah, those could be fun...but I was picturing the pompadour like hairstyle Jim sports in later seasons when he finally discovers a comb. Could that be what Pam was drawing? when he starts using a bit of product and gets that lift to the front. 

But an Elvis-inspired rejected cold open - I'd like to see that! 

As always thank you for the animated and in depth review. 

This is an interesting hint of possible things to come at the beginning here, a twist on the formula - this isn't just about Pam learning things via time travel she otherwise wouldn't know but also about her strategies for shoving down her unhappiness and confusion failing under the excess burdens of living a double(d) life. And you quickly see it all piling up - the symbolic blue earring going missing again, the extra Michael time.

"If life were a movie, it would be time for the fairy godmother or guardian angel or mysterious stranger to show up to tell her what to do." This is a very Pam line.

For the record, I don't think Gabby or anyone associated with the camera crew in any way is as unbiased as Pam thinks they are with regards to the J sitch.

"She never thought about it before but if they failed, she might find herself in a permanent loop, stuck on a M?bius strip of time, just like Bill Murray, but instead of repeating February 2nd, she’d be forced into reliving a full two weeks over and over and it wouldn’t be with Andie MacDowell, who she had a bit of a girl crush on once upon a time, but Michael Scott she’d be trapped with for all eternity." That. Is. HORRIFYING. Although again... not much different than her current life.

Jim's note summarizing the major events that happened in her absence is a sweet and very realistic detail.

WAIT. PLOT TWIST. PAM IS OFFICIALLY IMPACTING HER OWN LIFE. (And in multiple ways, too! I caught the reference to the missing cash.) OKAY. THIS IS NOT A DRILL, PEOPLE.

Author's Response:

It's getting harder to respond to your reviews without giving away details to those who are maybe not as clued in but you are getting warmer - and that's a hint about next chapter - coming out today (i hope).

Thanks always for all the excitement and reviews. 

The duality of Michael on full display all over this chapter. From wildly insensitive to wildly encouraging in two seconds flat. And I kind of wish we'd gotten to see him doing this improv act when he hung up the picture in the office in canon now.

The Michael-Trelawney connection is spectacular and not one I'd thought of before.

And there's something real interesting here about how Pam has shifted her view of Michael... because we *know* she goes through this evolution over time, it's all just been speeded up because of the time travel. Wonder if that's going to happen to certain other of her relationships...

OH CRAP. THEY BROKE THE TIME TURNER. THE TIMELINES ARE RECONNECTING. SHE FOUND OUT JIM SAVED HER DOODLES. PAM BEING FORCED TO COME TO GRIPS WITH HER FEELINGS FOR JIM. THERE IS A LOT HAPPENING HERE.

"Un-superglue Michael’s hand from the desk." Lol.

In fairness, Pam, you know what's kind of a sign? YOU BEING SENT BACK IN TIME TO DISCOVER A BUNCH OF STUFF ABOUT JIM AND ROY. Furiously frustrating woman.

And after all that time, they fail to change another major canon event. BUT. I am very excited to see what happens now that they're about to encounter a fresh new day.

Author's Response:

Isn't this just like him- he means well but sometimes he just says the wrong thing and yet sometimes he says just the right thing.

Exactly what I was going for - the Pam/Michael relationship to happen in a sped up timeline.

She had to find those doodles and for that to happen I needed her to need glue, and well s#*t happens (not on the carpet though) but seeing what's happening in her other existence is very important to her growth.

Thanks always for coming on to review- big stuff about to happen and I'm thrilled you are here for it and appreciate it.

AHHHHHHH THE TIMELINES ARE CROSSING. PAM IS NOTICING THE DIFFERENCE. SHE FOUND THE COAT. MICHAEL IS IN A STATE OF SHENANIGANS. HELP. (I thought Michael tiredly forgetting not to show up to The Office was a nice nod to the incident during the MSPC arc.)

Katy still being right at the forefront of Pam's mind and the subtle ways her jealousy and feelings for Jim are poking their way through into her conscious is really deftly done. That's our denialist Pam.

I thought this was a quite tasty amuse-bouche!

Author's Response:

Yes, time travel is messy and Doc Brown and Randall and any other characters who said not to toy with future events were absolutely right in that it creates results like these. But if it's Dumbledore we are looking to as our guide, he was well aware this is the intention of the time travel anyway.

Yes, still jealous of Katy but there was another reason that whole but was there. Another layer yet to come.

Always appreciative for your reviews and excitement.

THE SARA BAREILLES REFERENCE. HEART EYES.

You did well establishing the tension in the early going here... and Pam taking time out of this tense moment to worry about being rude to Hank very in character.

"A new version of Pam Beesly, one who had a chance to start over and rewrite her story with someone who made her feel important and smart and talented and loved... Herself." LOVE this line, and very much in keeping with the Sara Bareilles song referenced.

Pockets remain a time travel necessity.

Her knowing instinctively that of course Jim would recognize her wardrobe had changed is such a sweet moment. "Even if she wasn’t going to declare her love, she just wanted to be near him, make things right again and tell him what she had just done." That's so THEM.

EEEEEP. The documentary staff is definitely going to suspect SOMETHING is up after all this... I'm sure they've got some weird stuff.

The Vicky talk is one we don't see enough in Jam fanfic. It seems like that would be a fraught and interesting relationship, especially knowing from the superfan episodes that Vicky is definitely a "call Pam at work" kind of future mother-in-law. This characterization of her fits, I think.

THE RECONTEXTUALIZED I CAN'T.

Author's Response:

Well I know you are a fan and I love that song and have listened to it enough that it kind of took over as I wrote. And I kind of love that line too. I'd like to think that this journey was not just about finding the right partner but about finding herself again.

I'm really glad you mentioned the Vicky talk. To me that is real and something I wanted to bring into play in this piece. There's no way Pam did not have a hard time losing people that I'm sure had been so much a part of her life, no matter how that relationship was.

As always, I appreciate you and thank you.