*That though the words had not yet been said officially, for richer or for poorer was how he loved her, and he would have Creed marry them in the Dunder Mifflin parking lot if need be. Jim was sure he had some kind of ordination and license to perform weddings.*

Okay. I would have loved to see this, haha

I like how you tackled the strain on their sex life that could have been going on at this time. And I see we also agree Cece was conceived after Michael sold the company ;)

Author's Response:

Jim is what we call a mensch - well not quite always but with Pam he is, but as for Creed - well remember DJC (never know if I should write it as JDC or DJC) wrote a piece A Real Mensch - that was in part born out of this idea (and his talking head from the Fun Fun episode).

But yeah, me too.

As far as stress and sex goes, yeah I feel like this would be the time one would kind wreak havoc on the other - but resolve itself in the most beautiful way - Cece.

Thanks for binging through these but now that you have only one more I'm feeling the pressure to get another chapter written. 

Anyway, big thanks for reading and reviewing. 

Oh, Max. This is my favorite chapter so far. You took me right back to those early days with a newborn (particularly the first). Some of it was so spot-on it made me relive how wonderfully awful it all was.

*It wasn’t until she met Jim that she got a proper education in the subject of chemistry*

Oh my god, I adore this.

*Jim tested out his swaddling skills, which had improved slightly since the hospital, but then again so had Cece's ability to wiggle and squirm so his bindings were more?snack wrap?than?burrito.*

This is a great way to work in Jim's canon swaddling prowess and how, when presented with a real infant, all of that completely goes to shit.

*breast mangling device*

so true and so funny!

*Cece carried on with unrelenting cries as he switched her to the other shoulder. Knowing the further risk he posed by asking, he made a follow-up inquiry all the same.
“Could she be hungry?”
If he could grab the words back from the air, he would have.*

Okay I can SEE this scene. You wrote it so perfectly. Also I remember wanting to throttle my husband for similar stupid questions, hahaha

*It didn’t matter she knew she was with her father who would do everything in his power to soothe her and was perfectly capable of watching her while she took a short walk down the block. All she could think was how out-of-body she felt as her nostrils filled with the scent of the night air instead of Desitin and baby shampoo and Cece.*

This separation anxiety is so real and so well portrayed here. This entire chapter was wonderfully visual but I can see Pam's increasing panic as she attempts to make it around a single block without breaking down.

*There on the couch was Jim, now down to his bare chest.? Cece lay sprawled across it, strapped in by the large hands that even when layered atop each other, covered the span of her whole body. They both were fast asleep.
Smiling as she gazed upon the two people she loved most in the world, immediately she felt whole again.
Another time she might have grabbed her pencil and sketchpad to capture the moment in graphite but in this instance settled for picking up her camera to preserve the memory. Fortunately, it was only Jim she woke with the sound of the shutter and the spark of the flash.*

This is so soft and perfect, I adored it. They deserve all the happiness in the world.

The first night out was great, I love how Beth taught Pam about pumping and dumping (essential) and her anxiousness about wanting to go home and Jim's desperation to get her to relax were both so well done.

Glad they got some at the end, too. Good for them.

Brava, amazing job!

Author's Response:

Aww this review was the best. Really made me feel like I connected with you as someone who knows what the experience is like. I'm a little more removed from it but as you can see the memories don't fade and in fact become a little more vivid as the little birdies fly the nest.

Thanks you so much for all the words and validation and for loving it so much, especially the Cece asleep on the chest scene - one of my favorite moments to write.   

Thanks again from one mom to another. 

1

“But Jim’s life is not a romantic comedy. He is not Hugh Grant or Colin Firth or whatever stammering, awkward English dude women find charming these days. There is no music swelling to tell him the moment is right. The lighting is the same harsh fluorescent it always is. There’s not even the camera crew there, trying so desperately to not attract attention to themselves he can tell they think something big is happening.

And perhaps most importantly, if he’s wrong, there will be no cut to black. Jim will have to live with the fallout.”

Wow, wow, wow. I loved all of this.

I really like your insights into Jim during this timeframe. Acknowledging complaining to Toby was actually mean (it was!) but he understands he’s running out of time.

Love the use of holidays in this story!

Author's Response: I'm glad you liked it! I'm always a little bit leery of fictional characters talking about how they're not fictional characters, but I think with them it kind of works because they are very much supposed to be real people living a small, real sort of life.

I think Jim is in a genuine tailspin in the late stages of Season 2, torn between taking a risk and accepting that everything is already over, and I'm glad you feel like I captured that.

Thank you! And thank you for reviewing!

1

Okay. Many thoughts.

I haven't really had an opportunity (or desire) to think about these character's political affiliations but I'm upset and slightly disturbed by the very obvious fact now in my head that Angela and Dwight both certainly voted for Trump. Ick.

Pam not knowing what the VP does is actually a brilliant move because Pam is sort of all of us, I think? In the show? And you're right, most Americans don't know the answer.

Your Kelly headcanon is interesting, I don't buy it, but I still like it. (For the record it makes a lot of your Kelly notes for me make more sense, ha!)

A few days ago I'd have agreed with you that Meredith hasn't voted a day in her life but after seeing that "Justice For Caylee" sign in her van I think she's more tapped into current events than I've giver her credit for.

This was fun and I can tell you had fun with it!

Author's Response: I by contrast have put immense thought into the political histories of pretty much all of our principals. *shrugs* But yeah, Angela for sure. I like to think Dwight's love of order and rules and hierarchies would have made him a little more hesitant... this is not a guy for whom "The Deep State is against me!" is going to be a rallying cry.

And in Pam's defense, she does know! She's just not positive that she knows!

Oh, have I never shared my "Kelly is secretly playing everyone" headcanon with you? Because yeah, that definitely shapes my take on the character.

She may well be the "I don't vote, it only encourages them" kind of non-voter.

Thank you! And thanks for taking the time to review!

1

I don't necessarily buy Jim as Jewish, but I don't have anything against it either. He needed this, and so did we. Thanks for writing it.

*“You get so much more Jewish when there’s food to be eaten or work to be skipped, Halpert”*

Haha, THIS I can buy.

*Except… now he has his happy ending. Jim woke up this morning spooning Pam Beesly, just like he’d always dreamed. Her clothes are in the top drawer of his dresser and her ring is in a shoebox on the high shelf of his closet.*

swooooon

*Bread for his mom, and how sad he saw his own sadness made her. “A mother is only as happy as her least happy child,” she always says, and that’s been him for a long damn time.*

This really got me.

*For all the snippy comments when she wouldn’t give him what he wanted. For all the times she needed a friend and he was something other than one. For dropping a bomb on all her plans. For leaving her without saying goodbye. For how cold he was when he came back to Scranton. For taking the olive branch she offered him after the pepper spray incident and snapping it over his knee. For the week she had to wait for him to come back after her Beach Day speech.

He has more to make amends to Pam for than anyone.*

Eep. You right, though.

This was beautifully written, great job!

Author's Response: Jewish!Jim (and Jewish!Toby, another of my personal hobbyhorses) undeniably took multiple fatal blows in canon in Seasons 5 and 6. But as with Thanos, reality can be whatever I want, and you are very welcome. It's always fun to dig out that headcanon.

Pam has his number, for sure. Although I maintain this comes across a little meaner that she strictly speaking intended it and that leads her to her actions in the conclusion.

Season 4 is so light and happy. It's great.

I'm not sure where I first heard this phrase, but it's always stuck with me.

Truth hurts, Jimbo. Not as much as jumping on a bicycle with the seat removed, but it hurts.

Thank you so much! And thanks for taking the time to review!

*she’s MERIDA FROM BRAVE with shamefully straight hair.*

love this detail!

*JIM (snapping a black eyemask onto his face):
It’sssssssssssss showtime!*

It's a crime we did not get to see JK actually do this

*PETE (in talking head):
Oh, Erin adores The Incredibles. She says she really likes how they come together and fight evil as a family. (beat) She also roots for Simon in Die Hard With A Vengeance. (beat) Not sure the fighting evil thing is that big a part of it.*

OMG I can't believe you made a Die Hard 3 reference and worked it so seamlessly into a character's very believable library of knowledge. Bravo.

*This may be one of the top 10 most disappointing things to ever happen to ERIN. If you discount anything related to the orphanage. Or sex with ANDY. Or GABE.*

Stop being amazing. Just stop it. These are the best. (The absolute best.)

Author's Response: Truthfully? Erin should've put more work in here. A non-curly haired Merida? I mean, what's the point?

I think he would've enjoyed this scene.

This, the force field joke and Pam being excited she's gotten Jim to wear a costume were the foundations on which all the rest of it was built. But yeah, that worked out way too well.

I'll see what I can do for you there. Thanks for taking the time to review!

1

Ha! This was great. Nice work on the pacing, and I really like your Erin and Gabe! also, that mug is atrocious but I don’t need to tell you that :)

Author's Response: The tooth mug will rule us all one day. I'm glad you enjoyed it... and Erin and Gabe! Tough characters to write, just because they're so cartoony. Thanks for taking the time to read and review!

1

oh my god, my heart. this was perfectly painful.

“She’s not happy right now. She’s not happy that he’s in Philly more than he’s at home or that he’s breaking promises he swore he’d keep. She loves him, but she doesn’t love who he’s becoming.”

I love that you touched on the fact that Jim has changed because it’s not something Pam really expresses aloud in the series but is totally present.

Really nice work!

1

Oh my god you’re killing me with this.

(Also, I love that Cece has a crush on a Michael)

These were all so cute!

1

"What strikes her most, however, is that this isn't a new look. Jim has always looked at her this way. It's only now that she recognizes it for what it actually is."

This is so good.

Wow, this is so the way it should have happened. Excited to read more!

1

I really love what you did here, Pam's need for closure and Roy having actually learned something came across really well. Lovely story!

"Cece was born with a strong will, the trait intrinsic, in contrast to her mother, who had spent years working to gain the confidence to say what she felt and go after what she wanted."

Forgot to follow this up with my comment (I wish we could edit these) which was just that I really love that your Cece has this trait and that Jim would think of it this way.

Author's Response:

So I thought I had responded  so sorry for the delay.

Thank you Tinydundie for your review(s)...I loved glimpsing into the future on this one - thinking about who the kids would be (and decided Cece took on many traits of her dad, but would adore her mom much like her dad does - while still being a teenager).

As I watched a but of season 8 recently I felt I got the crying kind of right on - both Pam's and Jim's lack of in this instance, but Jim's empathy when she would. Of course Pam's dealing with hormones at the time but I can assure you hormones or not it is very emotional seeing your baby go off to school (and I'm tearing up again - personal story as know). It had to hit Jim eventually.

Glad you liked the silly parts too - I try to find that balance like the show did of silly and sentimental.

Thanks for your kind words.