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Is this the greatest opening line of a fanfic ever? I think yes.

Please continue this. I’m begging you.

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This is a really interesting take on their dynamic, I can’t even decide which is more heartbreaking, this version or the canon one. Looking forward to seeing where you take it!

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"She thinks about the look in her eyes, and the look Jim had on his face all summer. How quiet she’d gotten, and how Jim always seemed to go silent and distant after too many beers. And she realizes that he was telling the truth.

His leaving Scranton didn’t have a damn thing to do with Michael Scott."

oof, killer.

I'm so intrigued at Karen POV stories. Excited to see where you go with this. Are they all going to diverge from canon?

Author's Response: A not-in-love Karen is... perceptive.

Thanks! Yes, that's the plan at the moment... although this may end up culminating in a grand adventure for canon Karen. Then again it may not. I really shouldn't make promises about future fic with my track record.

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Really enjoying all the Pam insight in this story. Had to stop and point out the line “It’s like she is marrying herself.” because wow that slapped. It seems like exactly what Pam would need to realize to wake up and dump Roy. Nice work!

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“ Last but not least, Colin. The call was the shortest, basically telling him that there’s a “family emergency” and he needs to be home for Pam. Out of all of Athlead, Colin best understands, so he’s granted the time off.

“You didn’t have to lie to Colin,” Pam comforts.

Jim, nearing tears, simply says “I didn’t lie.””

Oof, this hit me in the feels.

I really like the Pam introspection in the last section so much. It makes total sense she would be thinking all of those things, regardless of what Jim really wants and the choice he made.

Very interested to see where you take this!

Author's Response:

Thank you!

To address your other point, yeah, this is a oneshot.  I never thought to add the call itself, but I could add some more material near the end, maybe later.  Glad you love the "I didn't lie" line, that was the bit I enjoyed writing the most.  

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This was so sweet! I mean… I’m a sucker for angst and drama but MAN this is how it should have happened for them.

Love Pam drawing the letters on his back, that gave me chills.

Very sweet story! 💗

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*He knows his job is to talk to clients about paper and prices and everything he never actually wants to talk about. He knows that his job is to make phone calls, reply to emails, fill out paperwork. But most days, he feels like the most important part of his job is getting Pam to smile at him like she is right now.

“Absolutely we do.”*

MY HEART

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This is just so sweet and comfortable and lovely. One of the most underrated Jam moments and you did it justice.

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oh, this made me smile. it’s what they deserve.

“multiple sexual activities in said shower, a double-width walk-in with jets pounding at them from several angles, just as they did the same to each other, she’d noted.”

this is amazing, haha

“Jim’s abiding memory of that first time was of his new wife riding him vigorously, still half dressed, her head thrown back in pleasure as he pushed into her over and over from below until she collapsed in a contented heap on top of him, allowing him to stroke one hand lovingly up and down her spine under her top, as the other just held her close.”

this is perfection… extremely hot but concise, and the visuals are *ahem* nice

great job!

Author's Response:

Thank you! Really pleased you enjoyed it. This was about giving them a bit of a break. No drama and lots of alone time. If one can't have that on a honeymoon, when can one have that.

I'm not terribly confident at writing full-on smut (my very reserved British manner tends to take over) so this is a compromise - a sort of peek through the curtain. 

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Hooray for an update to this!

Something I never knew I needed was Roy/ Andy interacting. I love the future potential of this relationship.

“as his guitar finished weeping” I am taking 100% as a shoutout to my love of George Harrison whether you intended it or not.

Pam remembering Jim banging sticks when they were kids is SO ADORABLE. I love the way you set up their history.

I was kind of hoping the dentist would be David Wallace 😆

Your song lyrics are fantastic! Love that you made this your own (and obviously love the Dunders!)

Keep it going! Loving it!

Author's Response:

A Roy and Andy interaction was needed in the show, honestly! I agree, I love the potential of their friendship!

Go ahead and take that as a shout-out! My dad is a HUGE Beatles fan, so I grew up listening to a lot of their music. Plus, with the Wonders essentially being a knock-off Beatles (the movie alludes to it, not me!), I had to make a quick little reference!

Just because Pam started dating Roy, doesn't mean she would up and forget about her friendship with Jim (wink, wink, nudge, nudge)!

Trust me, David Wallace will have an appearance!

Well, thank *you* for the idea of an original song!

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Ohh, this was so sweet. You really captured their S5 rhythms so nicely.

*'Let's look for a better place. This one doesn't look very romantic.'

'You know,' she said thoughtfully, 'I've always believed that it isn't roses and candlelights that make the romance. Right?'

He was about to argue when he spotted those sparks in her eyes he loved so much. She dared him. He wouldn't let it slide.

'You're absolutely right,' she raised her brow and smiled. 'Let's go inside and see what they have on the menu.'

He didn't let her win this round.

Besides… Jim's hand brushed the golden band on her finger as he helped her to the entrance. Their most romantic moments way too often failed to meet Hollywood standards.

It never diminished their significance.*

I absolutely loved this. SO very them. And the playfulness was a joy to read.

Loved the whale metaphor at the beginning, and the slight tonal shift at the end. Great job!

Author's Response: Aww, thank you! I worried a little that some of their exchanges might've been out of character a little, so I'm really glad they are not :)

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* The world around him didn’t suddenly become ten times brighter when she was near. He didn’t crave her smile and feel weak when she laughed. There wasn’t that feeling of giddiness and completeness around Karen, not like there had been from almost the minute he met Pam.*

This is beautiful.

I love that you’re working in Jim’s disillusionment with Josh, something they hinted at but didn’t really delve into on the show.

And Danny Cordray is a fun S3 (retcon?) wrinkle… really curious to see how you deal with those two!

Author's Response:

Never saw the appeal of Danny - he's so not my type. Not sure I really bought the retcon of them in the show but I figured Pam's state of mind combined with her state of drunkness could sell it a bit more.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts - always enjoy seeing what stood out for you. 

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Great chapter, ouch.

I might be alone on this but I feel like The Convention is actually where Jim learned she was single. Maybe I don't have as much faith in the self-absorbed and rather clueless Dunder Mifflinites, heh.

*Jim was never the type to stand on principle. She thought he’d have gotten in touch even just to see how she was doing because he was her friend. The fact that he hadn’t, told her that he might not even be that anymore.*

This is a great observation and a really nice reason for Pam's hesitancy to call him, actually.

*This raspy voice she heard had the kind of deep throaty tone she could only assume drove men wild, especially when it was calling out their names and even though it sounded a touch angry, it had an ownership behind it, as if she had full possession of him.*

WOW if this isn't a perfect description of Karen's voice!

(Also, this isn't aimed at you but just in general... does Pam ever call Jim "Halpert" in canon? I'm honestly trying to recall)

This is just a fantastic angst-fest, I'm really enjoying it!

Author's Response:

Worked very hard on getting Karen right so thanks for the vote of confidence in that.

I hit you offline with the reference to Pam and the use of Halpert - still can only find the one instance  in The Carpet when on one of the VM's she says Suck on That Halpert. But it's my head canon that she uses it more. SO more angsty that she hears the mystery voice using it.

Thanks as always for your reviews. Always great to get your thoughts.