Okay, so Roy is changing here, but again it's for selfish reasons. Now of course I get the fact that he wants Pam back. That much is clear in canon. However for him to think Pam's change in wardrobe is for his benefit just shows how little he's really changed. Still like before I can see the path forward. Roy makes some changes, catches Pam at a moment of vulnerability at Phyllis' wedding, briefly gets back together with Pam, but due to the fact he's always been in the relationship for what he can get out of it, rather than what he can put into it, the path eventually leads to pepper spray. However it's an interesting ride to see thus far.

As far as balance between characters, for one there's still quite a few Season 3 Roy moments I can think of. Showing up at Diwalli, joking with Pam in the warehouse, the art show, and then of course the confrontations at Poor Richards and in the Office. However far be it from me to tell you how to write your story. There's a lot more Jim and Pam moments to choose from as well. As always I look forward to what comes next.

Author's Response:

Yeah Roy is...changing but not changing? Like, he's ready to change outwardly but I don't think he's inwardly bettering himself.

 And don't worry--S3 will still have a bunch of stuff, it's just not going to be quite as much as S2... 

Thanks for the shout out at the end there. Here I am sitting in my chair happily reading, while my wife and her best friend are talking about Oreo's and the pack of "Most Stuffing Ever" currently on our counter prior to starting their D&D game, and then they just look over at me like I'm crazy due to me laughing at my computer. Good times.

Anyway I digress. Yes, angsty here, but also you can see Jim's thought process. From his viewpoint, Pam hasn't reached out to him. She's going out on dates, not with him, even though she's free of Roy. She's moving on. So it makes sense that why shouldn't he as well. The Pokemon reference was a nice little spot of fun there to break things up too. Who would have thought when he said he was evolving he was thinking of Charizard?

Author's Response:

Sounds like a pretty good Saturday :). Glad to contribute with the laughing.

And I like taking the words from the show (like evolving) and trying to find new spins on how the characters might be imagining them... 

Why didn't she just come back? Well for the last time Roy she was your fiance! Not your girlfriend! That you've got him still not able to make that distinction shows just how clueless he is. He thinks he's trying, but he's really not. Dude still can't see the forest for the trees. Not that I'd expect anything else from him.

Great chapter as always.

Author's Response: Thank you warrior! I might give Roy a chance to remember the word "fiance" but not yet...

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Good take on Roy. He may oftentimes seem clueless when it comes to Pam, but I can totally see him looking over his shoulder at Jim if he feels Jim's trying to make a move on Pam. Roy thinking himself being the kind of Alpha male kind of guy that makes sense. Good introspection throughout. Nicely done.

Author's Response: Thanks! I like writing Roy in little bursts like this; it's easier to humanize him the less time I spend in his head...

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I like this perspective. We get a sense of why Pam was with Roy for so long, and where it started to come apart for them. I like that Pam's starting to grow and look at things more carefully here too. Granted at this point in the show she still has a lot of that to do, but it's nice to see where it started.

Author's Response: For me, I think, that is perhaps the most interesting central puzzle of the early seasons of the Office: why was Pam with Roy, and what is making that untenable now (not just in terms of her relationship with Jim)? So I'm enjoying teasing it out here, and I'm glad you're enjoying it too.

That one took attention to get through. With Jim trying to think about how Pam might be thinking given the context of their day and all. I don't blame him for having to go through all those mental gymnastics to try and figure out what happened at the dojo. I also liked how you brought his list back into his line of thinking. And it's just there as an offhand remark. He's grown so used to it by now that thinking about that list comes quickly and leaves almost as fleetingly since it's so ingrained by now. However Jim is also trying to find the deeper meanings to what Pam says and does, which is why he's better for her ultimately. Well done with this one.

Author's Response:

That is fair. I think Jim's thoughts are a bit windy here, so that probably showed up in the writing. Thanks for working through it!  

I can definitely see this going on in Pam's head after they got home from the Booze Cruise. Once all the excitement of Roy setting the date wears off, she realizes that Roy yes did something big here, but after that, he's still the same boorish guy he's always been.
However seeing as she's been engaged for 3 years at this point and with Roy for longer the fact you have her clinging to that relationship also makes total sense. Regardless of how she feels for Jim, which in this chapter she clearly has some albeit confused feelings for him, she's still not ready to ditch on such a long relationship.
However she's still thinking about it. So very good job on getting all of Pam's confused thoughts and feelings out with this chapter. It's a good peak into how her mind is at this point in her journey.

Author's Response: Thanks! It is good to know that this is still hanging together with the arcs of the characters in-canon since that is my goal here.

Was that another shout-out I spotted there? This time to AG's "Wake Me Up?" The "Roy left the toilet clogged and Jim came over to fix it," deal? If so nicely put in there.

Jim's thought process here is interesting. First he's thinking about his lot, and how much he misses his normal interactions with Pam. Completely believable here that that's where his mind would go first. Then the fact seeing that Roy won't talk to Pam. Knowing what we do about how canon-Jim reacted after Casino Night, it makes a lot of sense. I mean that in the fact that he's been having all these thoughts and feelings. He sees Roy not paying close attention to Pam. He DOES pay close attention to Pam, as you've been showing here. He's seeing Pam act a lot more friendly and flirty with him that her own fiance. Then to be told all those feelings were wrong, twice, no wonder the guy leaves for Stamford.

Maybe I'm getting ahead of things here, but the way you've got things going it's almost as though I can see the train of events unfolding and more importantly, why they unfolded as they did. Even with that, still great writing to convey all those thoughts and feelings to make it possible. Looking forward to the next update as always.

Author's Response: Thank you very much for the detailed feedback! Nice catch--yes, that is a Wake Me Up shout-out. And I am trying to get the train of events flowing towards Casino Night (and beyond); it's important to me that this be at least vaguely canon-compliant, and I appreciate you keeping me honest on that track.

Wow, Roy actually got a few more of the pieces put together here. Not all of them mind you, but more. Of course he's still an insensitive jerk. I mean if he's noticed since high school that Pam's been interested in art, and now wants to pursue that it shows that he's only in the relationship for what he can get out of it, not what he can do for Pam.

Again he thinks he's noticing things, but he's not really. Pam's still his girlfriend, not fiance. He's more worried about how he is perceived and that he's getting a raw deal than what Pam thinks or wants. That the fact that he can't even fathom that Pam might leave him shows just how unobservant he truly is. Well done for again being able to get all that out.

Author's Response: Thank you! It's interesting (though disturbing) to occupy that Roy headspace each time: trying to weigh exactly what he'd notice versus what deeper subtleties he can't even realize he's not realizing. Thanks for reading!

Where was all this attention when you were together Roy? Oh that's right, you were to focused on yourself and just coasting to truly realize how great Pam was. Now all of a sudden that she's new and interesting but more importantly not with you, do yo finally notice.

Okay, now that's all out of the way. Roy's thought process is interesting here. Clearly he's not over her, and won't be for a long time. I like how you basically still have him in denial. All the lines that he's lying to himself that this is just a fight and she'll come back to him. I get the guy is hurting. However it looks like he's finally starting to see some of the why's of the breakup and that he had a much larger part to play than he might have first admitted. Always a pleasure reading this one.

Author's Response: As I mentioned a few updates ago, I think,  I am a little worried that my Roy seems so convincing, but I'm glad the thought processes here are sufficiently believable. Thanks!

Aww Jim. Yeah, that would be a weekend from Hell. Hoping she'd call or do anything. His last walk through the office triggering so many memories that now are just driving further spikes into his heart. Gotta feel for the guy at this point.

Author's Response: Definitely feel for the guy! Though hey, just a thought, maybe wait more than 72 hours before you leave? Just a thought. Thanks for the review!

For a short-ish chapter, you did all three of them justice.

We'll start with Pam. That there could have been more to the "I can't," was inspired. Her feeling of shock and only being able to choke out those words seems very appropriate based on what we saw in canon and in all the chapters leading up to this. She's beyond deer-in-the-headlights here. You really get the feelings she's in a fog and doesn't know how to get out of it.

Moving onto Jim. Such a wide range of things we see here. From frustration, to a small glimmer of hope, to defeat. All the barriers he's had trying to carefully separate his emotions are utterly destroyed here. That last line in his section summed it all up so great. "If she couldn't even talk to him, there was no reason to stay." So easy to see how he reaches this conclusion.

Then there's Roy. No he's not the most observant guy, but after all this time at least on thing has sunk in. He finally figured out that Jim is interested in Pam in more than a friendly way. Makes sense that Roy would notice competition first. It's clear he's still thinking that Pam would never leave him. Why would he think anything else? He's been focused on himself and outside threats that the idea of a threat to his relationship from Pam isn't anywhere near to being on his radar. Looks like he's in for a rather surprising revelation in that regard.

I wish I still had some jelly beans to give to this story, because this chapter most assuredly deserves them. Great job.

Author's Response: Thanks! For me this was a longish chapter ;) though yes, since I did 3 it was on average short per character. I'm glad the treatment of this night for each worked well for you. For me this is one of those moments where choices I'd made while writing the rest came home to roost a little. Pam is sufficiently done with Roy, for instance, that I definitely wanted the "I can't" to be more than sheer intransigent disbelief. That was the biggest risk I was worried about here, so thanks for touching on it.