Three little facts about me:
1) I'm a work-from-home mom from Kyiv, Ukraine.
2) I'm super late to the party, but I do my best to turn my excitement with the show into the content (hopefully, qualitative).
3) I care about Pam Beesly more than about any other fictional character in all the existent fandoms.
An AU version of Season 3's "Beach Games." What if Karen wasn't there for beach day? What would that mean for Pam and Jim? A little romance with a touch of mild angst.
1 Both chapters are beautiful and heartwrenching at the same time; you caught that feeling of shattered friendship so well that it hurts. I hope they'll mend the things, though.
Oh, and I'm definitely 'team Pam.' Buuut, it will be fun if something unexpected happens and the fight interrupts ;)
P.S. And I feel sorry for Karen. She didn't deserve all of these :(
Author's Response: Thank you! It is always so rewarding when my story makes a reader feel something. And thanks for voting! You'll have to read the next chapter to find out who wins :)
AU from “Negotiations”; Roy isn’t in the mood for closure. Pam suffers the consequences and rises from the ashes, while Jim tries to find his way back to her.
1 There is a fascinating and cruel beauty in Jim's despair, poetry mixed with pain. I really feel how Pam's presence filled his life and how hollow he feels with her exile. Amazing work.
I had a vague idea of writing an AU there Pam left, and Jim looked for her, but I think that I can't make it better than you do it now. Once again — amazing.
I hate how much I love this story! And though it hurts that Pam and Jim are still apart and with no sight of reunion, I love how freely Pam feels now. She'd been held back for years, tied to this or that, and now it's so awesome to see how she spreads her wings.
But I won't lie, this line 'Turns out, giving up on Jim is exactly what she needed to truly become Fancy New Beesly,' brought tears to my eyes and a lump in my throat.
Wonderfully written, and I'm looking forward to the next part!
Thank you!
1 I love it, and I hate it and everything in between. Especially Jim's attempts to reach Pam and his uninventable failure. Amazing work!
I need to look at some happy Jam gifs to recover after this chapter, but that emotional vortex totally worth it!
1 That was so powerful. This chapter left me with heartache, but it was really, really well-written.
My heart is with Pam. Oh, poor girl... I feel for her so much. And that little detail, that she flinched from Toby's touch, was especially realistic and painful.
As for Jim... I understand his motivations, but somehow it doesn't make me feel sympathy for him. Hope that will change.
I'd like to see how this situation will be resolved so much!
Author's Response: Thank you so much! Hopefully I haven't made Jim too unlikable--I have a harder time with him than Pam.
1 'Years later, when Pam looks back, she knows this was the moment that she gave up on Jim Halpert.'
That line hurts so much, and yet, it's a great starting! Can't wait to see what happens next.
And I keep my fingers crossed and hope for better.
Author's Response: Thank you! I'm really excited to be writing fanfic here. I'm hoping things get better too!
1 The only thing that keeps me sane is your promise that it gets better.
Poor Pam, I can feel and relate with her every emotion, thought, and worry. Gosh, I admire her intention to become stronger, but I worry that she has to pay a big price for that...
Oh, and these two lines:
'Who is she without Roy? Without Jim? A receptionist who likes to draw doodles no one would see. She’d been a ball-and-chain fiancé to one and an easily discarded crush to the other. It’s humiliating.'
and
'Fancy New Beesly refuses to be defined by only the men around her anymore.'
Excuse me, I need to have some good cry.
Well done with setting the right emotional background and I'm dying to know what happens next!
1 I love it! And, due to lockdown, I'm a sucker for stories with traveling (especially by metro), so I'm excited to see that happens next (and what places they'll visit).
Author's Response: Yes! I was actually inspired by your story Dernhelm, I love a travel story! They’ll come back to the beloved metro soon, so it won’t be forgotten :) Thank you!
1 I enjoyed both journeys - the rainy one and the one through Jim's thoughts. Poor Jim... though his suffering didn't last long. Yay for that!
I have to say, things between them went fast, probably even too fast. But, come on, that's Pam and Jim... I don't even know why I'm complaining :)
Author's Response: I reckon young Jim and Pam are a little spontaneous, so things are fast, and as they say it’s strange, but they’re willing to take chances :) thank you
1 Awww, it's an unbelievably sweet story! I was kinda envying Pam while reading it :)
Author's Response: Thank you. Jim absolutely knows how to treat her on special days. It's fun to bring out.
Sequel to Pam 6.0
Pam broke up with Roy after his comments in S01E06 – Hot Girl, and after a summer of simmering tensions Jim and Pam have finally admitted their feelings for each other.
I like weird mashups, and I'm thrilled to see a JAM Schrute Farms wedding! That has to be something pleasantly odd and yummy :)
Roy's the worst, but that's not news... but I feel a little bad for Toby. But I kinda always feel bad for him so...
That was a lovely chapter, and I'm looking forward to the next one!
Author's Response:
Well, that's certainly a unique way to put that, I'm glad you're on board with the Schrute Farms runaway train disaster though! I dislike Roy too, hence he got his requisite pepper spray. Toby does kinda get the short end of the stick, crushing on what seems to be the perpetually engaged Pam.
I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed the chapter, thank you for reviewing!
Is this the fluffiest version of Casino Night I've ever read? Yep, yep, yep!
One thing made me sigh sadly — Toby's complaint (poor, poor Toby...).
And three things made me grin — Pam's surprise, the whole Bond banter, and “Let’s go home.”
Thank you!
Author's Response:
I'm glad I could fulfill a seeming gap in our fanfiction archive for you.
I'll be honest, I put the Toby part in because some of your previous reviews, so you are partially to blame!
I'm happy to hear you liked those moments, they were my favourite too, although I guess I may be a little biased ;)
You're welcome! Thank you for your kind words!
I can't believe I missed this update...
I like this sweet sadness of parting, but I had so much joy reading about their jinx trick on Dwight! I'm looking forward to seeing how Pam deals with her internship and how Jim deals on his own.
Thanks :)
Author's Response:
You didn't miss anything, you were just saving it for later ;)
I'm glad the Jinx prank was sweet enough the cleanse the palate of the bittersweet that we started the chapter with. We'll definitely get to see some slice of life from both of them next chapter and how they're handling things.
You're welcome! Thank you for the kind words!
Finally, catching up with your story and awww, this is the sweetest thing! If I remember correctly, Jenna F. said that in that episode, Pam tried to imagine how it would be like - to be Jim's girlfriend. And you made it even greater because she's his fiancee here ;)
I love to watch them so happy and kind towards their coworkers.
Lovely as ever!
Author's Response:
I'm glad you liked it! I can't remember that particular podcast episode, it's been a while, but that sound right for the journey that Pam was on at that point.
Thanks as always for your kind words!
Your story makes me giddy and this time wasn't an exception :)
"They're just little people, talk to them, treat them with respect, learn their interests. And I guess bribing them with candy couldn't hurt either," I laughed aloud at his line!
And I giggled at the part about 'improving kids skills.' Oh, I'm sure they have to discuss that!
I don't quite remember that episode, but wasn't Abby that girl who gave Pam a hard time? If yes, I'd say it was a fantastic improvement of the canon!
And their mutual thoughts about future parenting... so sweet!
"Everything was going to work out, even if she had to get married in her tiny back yard with Nikita as the ring bearer," — not a bad scenario, actually :)
Thank you!
Author's Response:
I'm so glad you liked this chapter, and I'm happy to hear I got a laugh out of you with the bribery line. Yes, Jim and Pam likely will need to touch base on the kids thing, not sure if it'll happen "on screen" as it were though, I'll have to see if it fits somewhere.
Abby was indeed the on that was giving Pam a hard time, "You're already grown up" was the line that I chose to flip on it's head this time around.
Glad you liked their mutual observations.
I know right? It was actually kind of my original thought, but a backyard wedding has been done before, and thus in the game of absurdist one-upmanship, the Halpert-Beesly Schrute Farms wedding was born.
You're welcome, but thank YOU for reading and reviewing, I love hearing from you!
After writing so much angst, I was so excited to read your story! I love this chapter, it made me grin like an idiot and stomp my feet and even clap my hands (a little). I love to see them that happy and making their lives so much better together!
And the location for their wedding is just perfect, though as the (only one) fan of witchy Pam I wouldn't mind if they got married in a graveyard :)
Author's Response:
I'm so glad that I can be of service to you in de-angsting! I'm touched that you're so enthusiastic about my story, it means a lot to me. I may be a fan of witchy Pam, but I think it's for the best we skipped Dwight's cemetery, after all we all know what the kids get up to there...
Thank you for your kind words!
Though there were some sad moments, I read this chapter practically screaming and making a lot of 'awww' noises.
The way their secret was revealed! Such a nice nod to the canon here!
Their discussion about the wedding and the invitation — I love it. "We only need to invite the people who actually figure it out!" — yes, yes, please!
Michael is adorable (I wonder though if it okay to mix painkillers with caffeine?), and Concussion-Dwight is the sweetest creature in the whole world.
And then — June 10th. Uh-oh. Honestly, I'm both thrilled and concerned. It's great that they set the date, but this particular one seems a little like bad luck... but I cross my finger and hope for the best!
Thank you for the lovely update!
Author's Response:
There were sad moments!? I certainly didn't intend much of anything to be sad, so I'd be interested to hear what got you! I'm glad the 'aww's won out in the end though.
I'm glad you liked the interview, that was a fun bit to write.
Unfortunately, I think we'll find that it's hard to keep a secret in that office, especially since Pam isn't like wearing her ring on a chain or something. Also, the next episode chronologically is The Secret, so... yeah, expect a canon adjacent retelling of that too, or at the very least a nod.
I'm glad you liked the characterization of Michael in this chapter, I'll be honest he's more of a background person in this one so I didn't put too much time into fleshing him out. Concussion-Dwight is indeed a magnificent human being, and I wish we got to see more of that side of him, though then we wouldn't have a good antagonist for Jim, so tough call.
I don't think you need to be concerned for June 10th, if you haven't noticed yet this story has pretty much turned all of those big canon moments on their head. Pam didn't forgive Roy in Hot Girl, Pam told Jim she loved him first, Jim proposed to Pam on the Booze Cruise... so you see? Nothing to worry about ;)
You're so welcome! And thank you for the lovely review!
1 'Ah yes, my ultimate fetish... a healthy, stable relationship.'
I love that openness and sincerely in Pam and Jim's communications so much that I can't even form a coherent review, so I'll just quote my favorite line and read this chapter once more. Or twice.
Thank you!
Author's Response: You're welcome, but thank you! It's really humbling to hear that you want to re-read this chapter, that means a lot to me. I'm really glad this tickled your fancy. Thanks for taking the time to review!
Oh, I feel Pam's nervousness about Jim's nervousness very well. But it's nice to see that she's confident enough not to put herself into a pit of doubts about her and Jim's relationship.
'She could always rely on Jim to encourage her, but when it came down to critiquing her work and helping her improve, he was pretty hopeless.' I giggled at that line, because it's so, so true! I can easily imagine how Pam asks for critique but receives only praise (sincere one, but still).
And then I just screamed with delight, because the scene was so, so great! Amazing fix of the infamous team building event. Fantastic work!
And
"You're a jerk," Pam mumbled into his jacket, "I thought your mom had cancer or something," and here I giggled again because it was so perfectly them!
Thank you!
Author's Response:
I'm glad the nerves all around rung true. Pam has grown a lot in a short time, so of course she did still have some insecurities to rear their heads, but she's able to reassure herself as the chapter progresses.
Jim is indeed not an art critic, he thinks Pam hangs the moon!
Thank you so much for your kind words on the proposal, writing that was really tough!
Im really happy you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks for reviewing, you folks make me smile.
1 I'm excited to see the sequel!
And the thing I like the most - the way that their new relationship status basically didn't change their communication.
Oh, and 'How dare you' moment! That's sweet :) I wonder how you're going to blend season 2 and 4 in the next chapters!
Author's Response: I'm happy to hear that you're looking forward to it! Thanks for reviewing!
1 Aww, it's a sign of a true happiness that even Todd Packer couldn't be able to ruin the mood! And I really like that Jim and Helene are so casual with each other (I'm sure Jim wouldn't dress up to impress Pam's mom!).
Lovely chapter and I'd like to see that happens next!
Author's Response: Just another day at work for Jim, no sweater hiding around or funny hair-do! Glad to hear you liked it, thanks for reviewing!
1 Ugh, the dinner with parents, especially curious ones, might be awkward and full of embarrassment (and I think Pam gained some of that), but it was a lovely chapter. The moment I like the most — Pam's considerations about Jim and her summer activities :)
Author's Response: Well, at least Will wasn't there to give the "What are your intentions with my daughter" speech. Instead we just got a wily Helene poking her nose in everyone's business. I'm glad you liked it, thanks for taking the time to drop a review!
Awww, this chapter is so sweet! I love that Pam saved the card, and it's nice that new items inside the teapot were added — I wonder what except the dog's toy it might be.
I'm waiting for the new chapter with excitement because I have some suspicions about it and dying to see if they're true ;)
P.S. There's nothing better than reading in sultry summer day about Christmas!
Author's Response: We'll just have to wait and see I suppose, glad you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks for reviewing!
It's 11:10 on the clock, and it's already 27°C outside, so it's a perfect time to read about Christmas!
The thing I adore the most about this chapter is the coziness. It's heartwarming to watch how smooth things are both between them and their families. Pam sleeping on the phone with Jim, made me 'aww' and 'Aunty Pam' made me giggle. Just lovely!
And, of course, I'm anticipation the time when he finally asks a question... and I do hope she doesn't say 'no!'
Author's Response:
It's been 27-32C these past couple of days, with humidex in the low 40s. Suffice it to say it's what I like to call "Stupid hot," and it just saps your energy. The other day I literally came home, went downstairs and just zoned out in the chill of the air conditioning. Thank goodness for modern amenities in temperatures like these. All that to say that I'm glad you enjoy reading about Christmas right now, because boy howdy was it an ordeal to get it written!
I'm really glad the closeness/coziness rang true for you, that's what I was shooting for.
The answer... that's for me to know and you to find out ;) That's the only part of next chapter I actually haven't drafted, so I guess I'll just see where it takes me.
Thanks for dropping by to review!
1 I quite like season 2, but it feels so much better with your improvement!
And... I'm really, really glad that they take things slow. I find it especially endearing.
Thank you for your writing!
Author's Response: You're welcome, and thank you for reading! I'm glad you like how things are playing out.