Sometimes Jim doesn't get Roy.
A version of Booze Cruise where Jim rocks the boat.
1 I’m still trying to coherently process my thoughts on this story, so I’m sure I’ll be back later with a more well-thought our review but like, how did you do it? How did you give us all of the feels of Booze Cruise, Casino Night, and Cocktails in just one chapter? Also how do cameras work?
It would be cruel to not give us a second chapter. And I know you’re not a cruel person, so I’m confident you won’t let us down.
Author's Response: I don’t know? Also, I don’t know how cameras work? There is definitely a second chapter and it will be posted in the not too distant future. Although (spoiler alert) I peaked with this chapter so there’s that. I love it so hard when you review. Thank you!
1 So. I love Jim speaking up and saying he doesn't get Roy either. I love it even more because it brought us to this part: "ime has taught him that Pam can offer a criticism of Roy, but his honesty will only bring trouble. In the past, when he’s agreed too enthusiastically with critiques on Roy’s behavior Pam crosses her arms across her chest like she’s holding herself together and glares at him. She’s an injured, cornered animal, quick to bite back and seek an exit." and that is such a real, harsh thing that so many of us default to and I love how well it fits the Pam/Roy/Jim dynamic.
"Even if she wanted something different, she can’t." This is fine. I'm not needing to drown my feelings in a vat of ice cream or anything after this.
"Roy’s tone is curious, and maybe a little puzzled. It’s like he expects Jim to placate him as normal." and "He lets them fill in their own blanks." Oh. I LIKE this Jim. I like him a lot.
"The axis of Roy’s world isn’t balanced on her very presence like his is." Seriously, how are you so good at this? That line is PERFECT.
So, I remember one of the first stories you wrote on this site, (maybe even the first one?) and in it, Jim saved the receptionist, and I died a thousand fanfic deaths over how great it was. But this? Jim and Pam BOTH knowing they'd save each other without a single thought toward Roy?
It's too good, Jenna. It's all too good.
Author's Response: Coley, bless you and your seriously wonderful reviews. I love that axis line - it may be one of favorite things I have ever written so thank you for mentioning it here. They so would save each other without a single thought of Roy. I stand by it. I think Pam probably actively pushes Roy to that little corner of her non-work life mind every day in that office with Jim... I know I would...
1 Roy misinterpreting Pam's "I think we should call off the wedding" is just such a very Roy thing to do. And Pam's fleeting thought that maybe she shouldn't even correct him and just continue status quo is so very Pam.
"The ache of feeling like she doesn’t matter to him is so very raw. Any patron would send it back to the kitchen if it arrived on their plate." I quit. You can write all of the things from now on because how do we even compete with lines like this?
Of course Jim is there to save her when Roy gets loud and handsy, and I love that Darryl and Captain Jack are with him but you KNOW I love that Michael and Dwight are hovering just out of the line of danger but still close enough to have Pam's back -- figuratively, if not physically. That's such an in-character moment and you know your Michael and Dwight are my favorite - even apparently when they don't even speak.
"He knows he’s not being the best version of himself. He knows that he will become the villain she tipsily bemoans about with her girlfriends." Jenna. jenna. JENNA. Why do I love Filterless Jim so damn much?
Pam's fake "I'm sorry" and Jim's honest "I'm not" and the hidden smiles and the little looks - I'm dying a little bit at how adorable they are.
"She’s nervous. She knows exactly how this ends and yet she’s still shaking." Oh cute, I'm Pam in this moment reading this. Again, I'm fine.
"Dwight?" JENNA.
Hey, remember when you were all "I wrote the second chapter but it's not nearly as good as the first one?" You're such a lying liar who lies.
Author's Response:
I can picture Roy being like, “oh, you don’t want a wedding? Sweet” so clearly. He’s so only getting married because it’s what he’s supposed to do - not what he wants to do.
Hahaha. Oh dear. That raw/kitchen line - I love it, but like I also debated taking it out because it seemed way over the top. I’m so glad I kept in it now. But also, that’s a no to the whole you quitting thing. You can’t quit. Who’s going to write about Flag Day?! Obviously not me because I still don’t know anything about it... (How’s that for subtle)
You know how it is, the first chapter was all, I’m inspired to write and words just happened. The second chapter was like, I must finish the thing, what are words... Peaked I tell you, peaked...
"The veil of complacency that she had worn for a decade had fallen from her eyes and she now saw everything anew."
A series of episode related oneshots taking a look at what was going on in Pam Beesly's mind.
1 Hey, way to break my heart right off the bat. It's fine. I'm fine. It's a good thing I love reading angst so much, because this is so very angsty and I'm here for every bit of it.
It's almost magically, how you're sketching out this story in words and not shapes. I can't choose one favorite to rule them all, but 2 of my favorite lines in this chapter are "She loosened the grip of her hands, bringing them forward to look at them; angry pink lines against pale white skin as the circulation once again flowed." and " His gray t-shirt revealing to her the planes and surfaces of his body that she now allowed herself to notice."
Runners up include: “I was afraid. I still am, but I’m here.” because it's not often we get Pam admitting to Jim that she was scared that quickly; and I really like the honesty between these two happening so immediately after CN.
Well, I liked it right up until the part where Pam tells Jim he was made for more than her. That one stings a little. *shrugs*
I am so looking forward to seeing what you have planned for the rest of this story.
Author's Response:
I'm beginning to think I love the angst a little too much! Thank you so much for your beautiful words, they mean so much.
1 "She sank down in her chair, resigning herself to the backward progress and allowing his voice to fill her the way it always had. She knew the way he held the receiver and the way his long hair would flip out slightly at the ends behind his ears. She knew by the tone of his voice whether he was leaning back or sitting forward and the way his tie would be looser by this time of the day, revealing the top of the white shirt beneath it. She glanced up at his former chair and for a brief moment they weren’t separated by states and telephone wire and he was five feet from her desk. Again."
This is it. This is the best damn interpretation of That Scene I've ever read. It only hurts a little.
"If this was a message, she heard it loud and clear." Cool, cool, cool. This one hurts a lot.
I could well and truly copy and paste the last 10 paragraphs of this chapter, and picking a favorite line is nearly impossible, but I think it has to be "She reached for the bottle, tipping it and watching as the berry flavored numbness filled her glass again. For the first time in her life, she felt truly alone. There was always a flip side to every coin and this was hers. She was free but lonely. The resigned feeling fell heavy over her and she saw the darkness of it vignette the edges of her mind bleakly. Her one room apartment felt suddenly large and the sounds of her neighborhood suddenly quiet."
Now *I* need a glass of wine.
Author's Response: Oh, Coley. I always enjoy your reviews because you often just GET what I am trying to convey. You picked out two of my favorite parts and I will happily join you with glass. ;) Thanks so much!
Man, this story. I love everything you write more than I could say but this one... this one is special.
"He had only been back a little over a week, and there were a thousand little cracks in the façade she rebuilt every day on her drive to work." My heart really breaks for Pam here.
And here... "Their conversation was brief, but when Karen met her eyes confidently as he walked away, there was an implicit declaration in the language of women, a meaningful statement on the symbolism of a baby...and him." I maybe whispered a "Oh, you bitch" to this sentence (okay, to Karen) and then I laughed at myself for letting myself get so involved in the lives of fictional characters.
"Square footage does not lie, and despite his efforts, eventually, their paths crossed." Jesus. This entire paragraph. They haven't even done anything and I'm beside myself and needing one of them to reach out to the other. And when Pam does, with the whole coffee mug thing? Yeah, it's good.
"and as he turned slowly to smirk triumphantly in her direction, shades of him returned to her, vibrant and elusive. Their secret language, understood only by them, was exchanged once more, and she couldn't stop the smile that spread from somewhere deep in reply." This right here is one of my favorite moments in the entire series and I love seeing it play out in this story.
Listen. Listen. Pam may be the painter, but the way you use these words to tell this story? You're the real artist here.
Author's Response:
I say "Oh you bitch" when reading quite often, or is that just me? ;) I really, really love that you picked up on the baby line. I know that was a deleted scene but Pam's face said it all.
I always adore hearing your thoughts and they mean more to me than you know.
Jim returns to Scranton from Stamford in a world where Karen doesn't exist. Pam wants to pick up where they left off on Casino Night but Jim tells her he's done all the pursuing so far, and he'd like be pursued (read: seduced). "Give me a reason to come back."
Inspired by the Taylor Swift song "I Think He Knows".
In which Jim and Pam find their unicorn...and then find another.1 BT, you son of a bitch - you’re just going to leave us hanging off the cliff like that? Rude.
What’s even more rude is how freaking good you are at this whole writing thing. Like, I BELIEVE this plot. It makes sense. I can see Jim and Pam playing “maybe they can be our third” and getting gin drunk and asking each other the important questions, and just... all of it.
The texts were perfect - innocent but only if you wanted them to be.
And then dinner. Ugh. It’s all so good. I love the accidental foot brush. Touchy-feely Jim and Pam. Danny checking Jim our.
But listen. Jim and the drop of water? Bury me next to Pam because I died too.
I really hope your sense of soon isn’t my sense of soon and you need to know I already love chapter 2 of this without having seen any of it.
Author's Response: I know I know! It was so mean of me to cut it short. It just got longer than I like my chapters to be and I didn’t want to rush anything, you know? I’m so glad it felt realistic! I worried if it would feel too OOC, so I’m glad that it didn’t. Thank you so much, Coley!
1 “I don’t know how to write smut!” is my favorite lie people tell. I’m here to tell you that you sure as heck can.
And listen. There are so many things I could say about how perfect and sexy and hot and funny and fun this fic was to read but you went and did that thing where you not only mentioned “the V” but had Pam trade it with her lips and THAT, my friend, is not a rookie move. You’re practically an expert at smut writing now.
I’m so proud.
Author's Response: Awww Coley! I was hoping you would review. Thank you so much!!! I'm glad I made you proud.
172 
7 authors. 21 songs. The most shameless smut this site has ever seen.
1 I love this story so much!
"He hoped she was happy. Nope, that was bullshit. He hoped she was pining away for him, and thinking about what might have been. He hoped Kelly had talked her into trying online dating and she was realizing just how many assholes were out there, and good she could have had it with him.
No, that wasn’t true. He really did hope she was happy. " The 'nope, that was bullshit' kills me because I 100% believe Jim would think that and then instantly feel guilty for thinking it and you described it perfectly.
And Jim's rules! And those rules immediately being tested as soon as he was back in the office.
"For the rest of the afternoon, he can feel Pam’s eyes resting on him. It takes all he’s got to keep his own eyes on his desk." Jim, buddy. Just look at her!
Oh, and the phone call? It's cool. I'm just already dead and we're not even halfway through but it's fine.
Who needs to talk? Honestly, they've done enough talking through the years so I'm super excited to see Jim just go for it as soon as he gets to Pam's place. Those rules are really working out for him, huh?
But then we get to my favorite part, my absolute favorite exchange in a chapter filled with amazing conversation between these two.
“I hope the walls are thick,” he murmured. “They aren’t,” she answered with a wicked smile, “I’ve had to listen to the girl next door with her boyfriend all summer. Keep going.”
KEEP. GOING. Keep going, she says, and Coley dies another death from the Pam Sass.
Sprinkles! I can't stop smiling. What a great start to this collab!
Author's Response: You are so incredibly kind! I'm excited and inspired to collaborate with such an amazing group.
Hi... I just... I hate you? In the best possible way, of course. And with a lot of love thrown on top of the hate.
I'm so ashamed to admit that it never once would have occurred to me to use That Cardigan in a song about cardigans. It seems so obvious now, but believe me when I say I started reading this and went, "ohhh, so she's a *real* genius."
"That night, as she tossed and turned and punched her pillow so that she didn’t go to work the next morning and punch someone’s stupid big nose," HA! I love slightly petty Pam. This little bit made me laugh a lot. And it was good to have that laugh, because you then immediately killed me with back to back killer lines from Jim.
"Will you put it on for me?" BT. I've read this four times now and I still don't know why it hits me so hard. And I barely recover from it when he comes back with "I was always going to come back to you."
Dead. D E A D.
"Today was for the way Jim’s hands spanned Pam’s waist so that he could center her on the bed. Today was for the way he pushed her thighs apart with his knees so he could settle himself between them. Today was for how he helped her when she reached for the hem of his shirt, then the drawstring of his sweatpants, then the elastic of his boxer briefs. Today was for how he wasted no time in firmly and fully sheathing himself inside of her with one swift stroke." Today was a pretty damn great day, indeed.
The rest -- well, you know how hot it is, but one of my favorite tiny little details you threw in was the scratchy wool of the cardigan against Pam's skin... It's so subtle but it's so good.
And I'm still laughing at wanting to punch someone's big stupid nose.
Author's Response: I love you. I love this review. I love that you loved the nose line!
Honestly, how dare you manage to fit all of my favorite things into one chapter like this? It's a little bit unfair and I really do love you for it!
"The lethal kind, darling." RIP Bill.
"They slipped away across the dark lawn, moving toward the lights of the huge house. Pam took off her heels to walk across the cool grass barefoot. When Jim reached over and took the shoes from her to carry them, she pushed down the ping the gesture gave her heart. Whatever he was, it was just for tonight." Girl. The way you effortlessly slide between the sexy and the sweet in this chapter is killing me as dead as Bill. I LOVE this visual.
"He was a long drink of water in ever way." I didn't even have time to recover from this line before you hit us with "Do you want more, or do you just wanna fuck?" and damn it Sprinkles, I want to live in this universe and be at this party, even if it means I'm just hanging out by the pool with Izzy.
"And not only was Jim doing it, he was doing it like a man who knew how, a man who enjoyed doing it." Oh hey, so far, this is my favorite folklore version of Jim. Congratulations!
The night was young, but the party was over for her. When I say I want and need more of this story.
1 I don't even know where to begin. If I was to start a list of all of my favorite things in this, it would just be an outline of the entire chapter.
You really are the best at taking this show and molding the characters and events and dialogue into something completely new and totally your own and I just need you to keep doing that. Forever, if you could.
Kelly's birthday party. I want to be at Kelly's birthday party. The decorations, the karaoke, the games...it's all just so good.
Every time I read this, this makes me laugh the hardest: "And Katy--oof, Katy" It just says so much in the least amount of words, and it's my favorite.
Well, one of my favorites, because there's also Snobby Oscar and Teacher Appreciation Karen, and god, I love how even though she doesn't really like her all that much, Pam can't help but ask Karen what she did to get kicked out of her sorority.
"And once Ryan just because she was curious what he tasted like after he took a shot of Fireball." Shut it down. This might be my favorite part of the whole thing. For reasons.
Jesus, I haven't even talked about Jim and Pam yet. Here we go: I hate you. That's about it. "But they've never done this in a bed." How dare you. Honestly, it's unfair how you can create this entire world - like, months, if not years of tortured romance between these too, and you somehow shape it into 7,000 words and it's perfect? I mean, I want more. But if you didn't give us more - we know everything we need to know here.
"Like whoever can kiss harder and deeper will win the title of caring more." I can't even.
"It’s different than when Danny does this. Danny’s dominance always makes her a little scared that he could hurt her. That he maybe wants to. Jim’s touch feels like he just can't stand the thought of letting her go again." It's fine, I'm not crying or anything over how perfectly gorgeous every word you string together is.
Oh. Oh Jim. He just wants to cuddle, but she's leaving because she came with Danny, and now I really might be crying but whatever right? At least they'll always be friends.
Well, this version of Isabel is great and I love that she's not putting up with any of Pam's excuses and dragging her to a party.
Listen. Usually I consider myself to be pretty perceptive. I figure out the ends to movies, books, all of that.. pretty quickly. So, to not have ANY idea that this was THAT Marcie until the exact same time Pam figured it out? Your mind, I swear. So sneaky. And I love it a whole lot.
"That’s what she’s doing now. Staying in place so the pain doesn’t get worse. Lesson learned." Oh cool, because I needed a side of tears with my smut reading. It's fine.
You know what's not fine? My heart, in that moment when Jim and Pam see each other and did I hold my breath until they hugged each other? Yes, yes I did.
"She’ll be living with this forever. He can at least live with her scratches in his back for a couple of days." JENNA. How? Why? How are you so good at this?
"She doesn’t have it in herself to finish this with grace.
It’s going to be messy. It’s going to be hell."
I absolutely adore that she stays the night. I love even more that not one person at the Halpert house tried to bother them.
I'm so happy you gave us two smut scenes here, because I really appreciate the contrast between Pam saying goodbye in the first one, and then ultimately, saying hello (and good morning. Damn.) in the second one.
I love this chapter so, so much and I just... you and your metaphors kill me every single time, in the best of ways. Never stop.
Author's Response: Coley! Your reviews give me life. I’m so, so glad you’re not sick of metaphors yet because I can’t seem to write anything without shoving an extended metaphor into it...
Thank god for Isabel and her gif-laden text messages.
Do I love that Pam takes 42 photos before finding one she likes well enough to send to Jim? Yes, obviously. Do I love that she sends it to him while he's still technically working? Yes, obviously. Do I love that she's fully prepared to give him a cam-show while he's sitting in the hotel lobby? YES. OBVIOUSLY. Almost as much as I love Pam's "The Uber will be here in 10 minutes but its cool because I only need 5" confidence.
Oof. That's a real rude shutdown though. But it's okay, because I really appreciate Pam's commitment to getting Jim un-excited with the Meredith story. She sounds a tiny bit gleeful and I'm here for that.
"And while she has no doubt that he believes her when, over the years, she has said they can live in their car as long as they’re together, she doesn’t doubt that he feels a very real obligation to the people who work for him." Quick note to just tell you that I really love your grown up Jim and Pam.
The Four Seasons. I see you. Don't think I don't see you.
She. Recreates. The. Third. Photo. Listen, there's nothing trashy about any of this - it's all amazing and fantastic and then there's this part: "She’s not certain he knows he is speaking out loud when he mumbles, “I’m not coming that way,” as he guides her to turn around. Just as quickly, he’s on his knees and roughly pulling her calves so that she inches toward the edge of the bed. He tosses, yes, tosses, her knees over his shoulders and then his mouth is on her again, his tongue and lips doing unspeakable things to her." and oh hi, Caveman Jim works his way into my top 5 versions of Jim.
Ugh, and the ending? As usual, how very fucking dare you.
1 Beach Games is one of my top 3 episodes so already, I'm invested in where this story is going.
"The whiskey burned a hole in her stomach to match the one in her soul, and she let herself pretend it was all okay, that none of this really mattered." Cool, cool, cool. It's fine. Just a hole in *my* stomach over the angst of it all. (god, I love angst.)
"She turned away, brushing her hand briefly over the hood of his car as she passed, making a trail with her fingers as the rain was redirected from its intention; as if touching his possessions could substitute for touching him." Listen, we use the same alphabet - how are your words so much prettier?
There are a lot of things I love - fights/confessions... rainstorms... these two idiots making out... when you combine all 3 together, my brain kind of explodes and I don't know how to handle it.
And while I really, really love this line: ""I don't want you to let me go and this was never over."" the one that I keep thinking about during random moments of my day is this one: "Time stretched and shimmered, and he tasted like shades of sapphire blue and burnt amber, of promises and secrets." That line has been haunting me for 3 days now and I'm not at all mad about it.
Bored. BORED. He kicked the door shut AFTER carrying her inside. This is a Jim I want to see more of. Which is great, because you promptly gave him to us in spades, what with his whole "I want to see it on my bedroom floor" and "Is all of your hair the same color" and "show not tell" and Jesus. Rainsoaked Jim is Super Sexy Jim.
"He was reaching places within her that were long forgotten song lyrics, her body answering his in a way that went beyond words." Again: we use the same alphabet and yet I need you to give a masterclass on how you do this.
"She was not the kind of woman who slept with someone's boyfriend, but as she looked back at Jim's long legs, sinewy and shifting like a contented panther underneath the covers, maybe she was exactly that kind of woman." Same, Pam. Same.
The ending. The. Ending. I love that Jim is still like, the same Jim we know and love who's asking about her feet and worried about her being at a sketchy bar, but now he gets to do even more delightfully naughty things to her while he does the perfect boyfriend thing.
This is me trying not to sound stalkerish about how much I loved this chapter, and probably failing a tiny bit. Oh well!
Author's Response: Oh Coley, I think you know how much it means to me to hear that you loved it. I am forever indebted to you for your endless encouragement, I hope you know that. Thank you! :)
Right away, I'm not mad that this kicks off with sexy "I'm a runner" Jim. Not mad at all.
"It could have been the beer, or the plans he’d made for his evening before finding them thwarted, or just the fact that he was right in the center sweet spot of a Venn diagram comprised of relaxed and buzzed and intrigued and horny...whatever it was, he spread his legs a little wider and let his eyes linger before dragging them up to her face." This made me laugh. Because even though I kind of already had an inkling of where this was going with the whole Anne thing -- I also really appreciate it when authors make Jim this normal adult man who isn't above checking out another woman. Do I condone cheating? Only in fics.
One of my favorite things about your part in this series is how consistently and beautifully you've woven lines from the songs into the story without it seeming forced or unusual. You just... get it right every single time and I really appreciate those little details.
"“And my car is in the back of the lot. Come find me. I have a lot more things I can tell you, and a few of them are even the truth.”" Sassy Anne is full of sass.
"he sound of a large party leaving the bar brought them back to reality. They were in public, essentially, his hand fisted in her hair and her leg wrapped around him like she was getting ready to climb him like a tree. In his current state he wasn’t too against getting a ticket for public indecency, not with the way the bare skin of her upper thigh and rounded globe of her ass felt beneath his hand. She was so soft, and she really wasn’t wearing anything under her dress, and he’d take her right now against the hood of her car. He brought his mouth back to her neck and gathered her dress around her hips, exposing her to the cool night only for a heartbeat, because he couldn’t stop the way his hips jerked forward. He was as hard as he’d ever been and the thin fabric of his shorts did fuck all to hide it, but that was okay because it mean he could press himself against her hard enough to feel how hot she was for him." I--- look. Perfect paragraph is perfect and I'm still so amazed with the way you write these moments between them.
"Yep. She’ll ruin him, make him a godforsaken mess that he’ll happily clean up over and over. A drug he’ll be addicted to for the rest of his life." This is what I mean about how you weave the song into the story.
So, full disclosure: I was pretty sure I knew where this was going the whole time and I just... your mind. Seriously. You continuously come up with something new and different from everything else we've seen and it's always this perfectly amazing moment that I'm immediately on board with. Jim and Pam role playing? Brilliant. Great. Maybe consider making this a whole series, I wouldn't be mad one bit. That said - even if you had betrayed us and given us Cheating Jim... I still think that weirdly, I would have found a way to support it, and I don't know what that says about me as a person, but I do know that it says you're a brilliant enough writer that I will blindly accept whatever scenario you throw our way.
I'm so sad we only get one more story from you, but I truly, truly cannot wait to see what you come up with next!
Author's Response: Coley. This review is full of such high compliments that I TREASURE. I don’t know how to express my thanks. You are the literal best.
Honestly, how dare you? Here are the moments of this chapter that kill me each and every time I read it.
"And I am so glad I came home to you."
The elevator scene. Just... the elevator scene.
""When I never think about this, you usually take it off.""
Pam noticing Jim's calendar while being bent over the desk.
"It had been weeks since they had done this, visited a place with less than fond memories and made it their own. Their rethreading making him realize that fate wove through every corner of their lives, some more pleasant than others but ends always found each other, the fibers of their past twisting together with the promise of what was always just the two of them." One day, let's talk about other places they've reclaimed. For science.
"Do you think anyone can see us?" "I hope so." Listen, I don't mind the sass.
Bored. This is so beautifully written and you captured one of my favorite songs from the album perfectly and I'm just really happy you wrote it.
Author's Response: I really love that enjoyed this chapter because it was so fun to write. Honestly, I would love to write about many, many reclaimed places. ;) Thank you, as always, friend!
1 So while I love a lot (everything) about this story; my absolute favorite moment is in this chapter and it has everything to do with Jim being all “oh I’m so manly, I don’t want to hurt/ruin you” and Pam literally digging her heels in and telling him to get on with it already.
That’s just... I love it, this whole story, and especially This Pam so much. Even if she’s probably maybe kind of definitely a murderer.
First of all, I do know what I did and I still can’t believe it worked but I’m so glad it did.
Second of all, settle down, Toby. Geeze, the littlest amount of power and he gets all smudge. I was kinda hoping the gun would go off once it was back in its holster.
Thirdly, break my heart with this wedge driven between Jim and Pam why don’t you? This hurts. I get why she’s feeling a little cold toward him (I mean, I also thought she was the killer, sorry Pam) but it still hurts. That “what am I supposed to say to that?” How dare you. (Never stop.)
The police station scene - look. I don’t know if this was an intentional choice of words or a happy coincidence but you can’t just throw around a new interpretation of the sentence “I can’t.” and expect me to just be okay. That’s really rude.
You know what else is rude? That last sentence. (Seriously. Never stop.)
Thank you so much for posting this tonight! It was the fix I needed and you didn’t disappoint at all!
1 So, I don’t want to be that girl but some of this dialogue feels a little familiar.
1 WW! Lord knows I love a great Christmas fic and this? This is a great Christmas fic.
I also love Christmas movies and you mentioned almost all of my faves. While I love the idea of Pam dressed as Jovie, this is the line where I genuinely laughed out loud:
"Kevin grinned and nodded. “Get it? Because he’s Kevin.” “Yep,” Jim nodded. “And I’m Kevin.” “Got it, Kev.”"
It's just... I could hear both of them having this conversation perfectly and it delights me.
Also delightful? Meredith dressed as the leg lamp, Phyllis' meatloaf, and Toby as the Bunny. A Christmas Story might be my favorite of them all. *shrugs*
The whole office party sounds like a great time, and I really do love how creative you were with the Cinema Christmas theme. I might steal that for my own workplace christmas party if we're ever allowed to have in-person parties again.
Oh. OH! How could I forget Pam asking Jim if he's dressed as every male lead in a Hallmark Christmas Movie. That was a solid moment of joy.
Oh, and Jim's christmas trees full of memories? Listen, the highest complement I can give a story is asking "how dare you" and honestly, WW, how dare you? It's such a cute and sweet moment and now I'm just going to pretend that Jim got the idea when he was watching Hallmark movies on his own.
"“Not how I saw that ending, if I’m being honest,” he said, his words muffled by the scarf." It can be hard to nail down Jim's tone in fics sometimes and I just want you to know that you nail it here. That line made me laugh in the best of ways.
Ugh, it was all just so good. Seriously, I'm going to read this a few more times before Christmas probably. Great job!
Author's Response: Girl, this review means SO much!! I’m so glad you liked it, because I consider you the queen of the holiday fic. So thank you!!
*takes your “how dare you” and displays it on my fridge with pride*
Also, Christmas Story is 100% my favorite. Always will be.
1 I’m not even done reading this but I had to take a moment to let you know that #CoverMeinJAM has made it into the top 10 random fic moments of 2020 for me. It’s so good.
Okay, I’m going to go finish reading now.
Author's Response: Yay! Coming up with hashtags/Twitter handles that sounded real but that I hadn't seen used somewhere was definitely the most fun I had writing this. Thanks for taking the time to read/review!
119 
We came back stronger than a 90's trend
Oh Bored. I’ve read this twice already today and I’m going to probably read it twice a day every day this week because I know I’m never going to get tired of this absolutely incredible world that you’ve built for our two favorite idiots.
I still don’t know how you do it. This entire thing feels like a movie. How do we make this a movie?
A list of things in this chapter that I’m never going to stop thinking about:
The immediate use of wildest dreams.
Passive-aggressive Pam leaving the bedroom door open after catching Roy and the blonde.
ISABEL. Just… Isabel. She’s so delightful from scene one. This may be my favorite version of her ever.
Jim in the boxing ring. Jim. In. The. Boxing. Ring.
“Reminiscent of all her plans, that second tall strong fizzy drink she had been working on spilled all down her glittering sequined blue dress in wasted potential.” – Cool cool cool. But also, how dare you? (Also also – I know this is likely a callback to her Casino Night dress but I keep picturing a version of the sequined dress Taylor wears at the end of the Reputation tour when singing This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things and it works just as well.)
-Isabel again. Whether she’s just making naughty insinuations about Jim or telling him Pam’s entire backstory – she’s a damn ray of sunshine in this story and I would go to a Halpert party with her anytime.
-“Embarrassment gave way to shock that turn burned down into righteous indignation. He tossed the keys up into his other hand and suddenly felt a lot less guilty.” This is one of those seemingly random visuals you add to your stories that I will inevitably spend way too much time thinking about.
-“In a wager against fate of perhaps because of it, she became acutely aware that his hand was at his side dangerously close to hers and she was drawn to the heat of it knowing it would burn her. She lifted her finger, so slight it was a small twitch of muscle until it brushed against his and she held her breath at the contact. His large, warm fingers didn’t hesitate as they wrapped around hers at the unspoken invitation and she swore his thumb stroked lightly against her heated skin.” Listen. You know what you did here and I know what you did here and I hope you’re pleased with yourself.
Honestly, how are you so good at this? It’s seriously not fair how easy you make this look. This entire set up is so perfectly done, and honestly, only you and Taylor could have me feeling so Gatsby right now and I’m not even a little bit mad about it.
Author's Response: Listen, your reviews always delight me in so many ways and I LOVE hearing about the parts you loved. It seriously makes my day. Thank you so so much, truly. But also I love that you’re feeling so Gatsby and I love that Taylor does that to us.
Oh Sprinkles, I am in love with this story from the very first sentence. To open with Dwight is genius and you wrote him so very well here!
For like, 2 seconds, you had me feeling a little guilty about being a super fan but then I remember that I've never actually thrown lingerie at Jim... I'm not saying I wouldn't have, if given the chance, but the point is, I haven't. So I don't feel so bad anymore.
Mark is such a dude here and I kind of love and hate him for it. I'd say poor Jim, but then I got to Pam's section and ugh.. poor Pam! I'm really sad that Jim didn't reach out to her through all of it.
"The camera zoomed in on his face, and Pam got lost in a well-worn fantasy of Jim’s arm around her shoulder as they walked somewhere by the ocean, him looking down at her with those eyes, and smiling…" Ooof, that line killed me.
"Jim hung up the phone and paced his apartment, his thoughts racing. Was she ok? Was she freaking out? What would Roy do when she told him?
He thought he should call her. Or at least text. Just to check in and make sure she was ok in all this insanity." Okay, I'm not quite so mad at Jim anymore.
Love Isabel here - you know how I feel about Pam's Wild Summer.
I don't know why, but knowing that Karen fast forwarded through the Scranton parts of the show and only watched the Stamford parts made me laugh - it's so perfectly in character.
"“Why did you break up with Roy if you weren’t interested in Jim? ‘Cause watching the show, it seemed to me like you were pretty into Jim all along.”" DANM KAREN. Okay. I love this.
Michael's "Family Dinner". You nailed every single personality at that table.
Ooh, the idea of a fan catching Jim and Pam having this fight? I'm sad we didn't get that on the show now, but this entire scene more than makes up for it.
You write angry, pining JAM so well and I never want you to stop because we're so lucky to read these gems you keep coming up with.
"It wasn’t long before they were in a dark room being shown footage of Pam on tiptoes kissing Jim on the cheek by the vending machine in the break room." One of my all-time favorite scenes of the show, I'm so glad you added it here.
"Ready?" No ma'am. No, I wasn't ready for this story to hit me in all the feels.
Author's Response: I was here to enjoy the reviews on your chapter and then I saw this. You are so kind and I'm happy that you loved my quirky take on this. Thank you for giving me the gift of a long review!
