1

100% accurate. They did not spend this night alone. This banter feels very true to these characters.

1

Too cute!

1

"She doesn’t know if she’s ever seen two people be so connected to each other while trying to remain so far apart" is just a really insightful line.

1

"They'll say that they united over Dwight and Michael and the mysteries of Dunder Mifflin. That would be true. They'll claim that they stay together because of the pranks. That would not be true.

If he looks at their time spent together as a relationship of a hundred days, he would say that nineteen days are spent talking about Dwight. Eleven about the people at work, in general. Two days go to the time they spend with people they're romantically linked to. Sixteen about the people they aren't romantically linked to - family, friends. Seventeen days about small things, silly things. Twenty-seven about them, together or separate. Four about dreams. Four days would be spent silent.

They stay together because of those four days. And all the rest."

The calculator section haunts me.

1

"Ryan is fucking up the height on my chair I just know it" makes me laugh every time.

1

Hmmmm. Honestly, I feel like what strikes me most about this fic is the meta aspect of it - Pam's dreams about a better life are gone much as the fans' dreams about a better life for Pam seem much less vivid, and for the same reason - both of them were seeing that better life play out when Pam was very much awake. It's an absolute truth that happy couples whose stories are being fully told inspire less fanfic, and why would they? We don't have to imagine the things we want to see anymore.

A worthwhile button on the end of the peak years of MTT.

Author's Response:

It was a weird time. This huge rush of frantic creativity just...trickled. And I loved them just as much as ever, so what happened? But I think it was Tolstoy who said "Happy families are all alike," and I think there's something to be said for that. They HAD their happily-ever-after. It wasn't even a sad thing, it was a very happy thing, but it wasn't calling to me in the same way.

 I'm glad that comes through for you!  

1

As always, you've done some amazing work capturing the humanity of these comic relief characters and the epic tragedies that are both Kelly's love for Ryan and Toby's entire life. (It's a credit to you that it hurts so bad knowing that this is *Kelly* who is ignoring and then mocking Toby's horrific day, because she's supposed to be the person who cares about him.) You also really drive home how wildly outrageous Michael's actions are in this episode, and offer such perfectly Toby-esque context for why there is no follow-up to it. I love seeing how you allow things to get juuuuust a little easier for Toby thanks to Kelly's intervention.

1

This is adorable. I especially love the opening of Jim definitely not doing this to get laid but also hoping that's exactly what happens.

1

Okay. My heart soars with the eagle's nest on this one.

The well-crafted dual-purpose description aside, I particularly loved the detail of the kitchen table and how its place in his memory has completely changed now that it's being used by his new family.

Author's Response:

I tried to imagine what it would be like to be raising my kids in my childhood home (impossible, as the building has been razed, but a fun exercise nonetheless).

Also, I did have a bad habit of trying to be tricky. I think this one was justified, because it let Jim's love for his child just radiate out in a way that felt comfortable for fic readers...and then realize that it all comes from the same place, his love for Pam. Glad you liked it!

1

Man, this scenario desperately needed to be explored more. Thank you for taking it on.

1

This is charming - and this does seem like the sort of game they'd end up playing behind closed doors.

1

Oooof. Jim's frustration with being seen as a somewhat sexless figure is too real... and the note of ending with Pam being desperate for him to take action is, too.