This is... I'm not sure where to begin! I really like how gentle Roy is with Pam, and how sweet the Andersons are to her. I LOVE the incorporation of one of my favorite scenes in your flashback. It fits in so perfectly, and also makes this all the more heart breaking. I don't like Jim even talking to Karen... but I never do so, don't mind me lol I mean, this has to be killing him, going from being so close to Pam to not knowing where she is, that really has to hurt him. I feel so bad for both of them and I'm so anxiously awaiting the next chapter!

WOW! Yet another amazing chapter. I have to tell you, no story has touched me and ignited quite so many emotions at the same time in me in quite some time. I feel sad, angry, despair, concern, hope, thankful, worry, excited and curious. Not too many of the positive emotions at this point. Thankful comes from the fact that Pam and the baby are fine and also because she has someone, a whole family in fact, that are willing to step in and help her out. In return she doesn't seem to have to give up too much, just as long as no one tries to insist that she give the baby the last name of Anderson. (But here is where some of my emotions of curious, concern and hope come in. I don't know what side the coin landed on when you were flipping the coin trying to decide about if Jim would make it for the birth. I just think that if it landed on the bad side, to me that means him not being there, maybe she should flip the coin again and go for the best 2 ouf 3 or of needed 3 of 5, 5 of 7... you know, until you get to where I WANT you to be! )

The Andersons sound very kind and I hope that this will be what Pam needs right now as her heart heals from the pain and damage Jim caused with his accusations. It was absolutely heartbreaking to hear as she woke up her thinking she was in bed with Jim and he had the bkinds open. It had to send such fresh pain and agony through her as she faced her situation all over again.

I am hoping that, as awful as it sounds, Adele doesn't have long to live and that with her death Roy and Joe will allow Pam to give up the pretense that they have any hold on the baby. I just think that when you are playinh a real live game of make believe, sometimes you can get caught up in it and forget that it's not real and start believing the things you are pretending. (Kinda like what I feel Pam did on the actual show in seasons 1-2. She played a game of make believe that Jim was nothing but her best friend. She played it so well and so convincingly that she sorta believed it herself,she HAD to just like right now the Andersons NEED Adele to believe the baby is Kennys. But on the show, when it came down to it and she was shaken from her make believe world by Jim's confession and kiss, she tried hard to stay in the world she created for herself but in the end sje ust couldn't. Jim shook her out of it with what he did and she wasn't able to play that with Roy any more which is why she couldn't go through with the wedding.) Anyhow, I know that Pam won't truly get caught up in this game they are playing, I just can't believe that with a part of Jim growing and becoming so very real inside of her, it's probably going to become harder for her to continue pretending that the baby belongs to anyone but herself and Jim as it grows in her and becomes a real person. Because their love was so real and deep I think she will cling to it as all she has left of him and have a difficult time sometimes dealing with it when she has to pretend that the baby is someone else's. There is a lot to see as far as how things will play out with the Andersons at this point. I'm thinking that Adele is going to want Pam to move into their house and I'm not sure how I feel about that. Obviously it would be good for her to not need to pay rent and such but ultimately I think it's best for pam herself to know that she can stand on her own and doesn't have to have anyone support her and the baby so that when her and Jim's paths DO inevitably cross again, he will be able to see that she CAN do it alone, has been doing it alone. I don't know why but I just feel that it will be important to their dynamic when it all starts to fall into place. I think it's clear that Roy is going to begin having feelings for Pam and, yuck. I think it's logical for the story but I can't help but think ROY... step away from Pam and the hospital bed. Please put your flowers in the trash, remove your hand from Pam's and never ever forget that now rather than you and Kenny doing Pam a favor, she is doing a HUGE HUGE favor for your family. The thing is, like I said, this is just my general reaction to Roy (and the other person who should never be mentioned) but the fact is, it makes sense for the AU story that you are creating.

Then there is Jim. I can't help but feel for the poor heartbroken guy who made his own bed, not on purpose but he did, and now he had no choice but to lay in it. It sounds to me like no matter what is happening, Oam is going to continue to live in his heart which shows just how true their love is. I'm wondering just how his mom is going to play into this. Clearly it seems that she isn't as controling and manipulative as his dad. He seems to be somewhat open to having some type of a relationship with her. I'm thnking that as I said before, I firmly believe that while Pam believe that she has run away from the Halperts and especially with the help of the Andersons she will be able to easily hide, O just don't believe it's easy to hide from people with that kind of money who are able to follow you. I'm even wondering if there will come a point where Jim's dad, or someone representing him, will approach Pam and offer her money to stay away from him. (I hope you aren't sick and tired of all my thoughts and theories on this story. It's just all SO very unique and intriquing.) So I'm tjinking, Jim keeps a tenuous relationship with his mom, not wanting any part of their world any longer, especially knowing now that his dad, through his manipulations that I'm sure Jim has lived with all his life and was no doubt a large part of what Jim was running from, his dad cost him the only woman he has ever and will ever truly love. The person he was certain was his soul mate. I think Jim's mom is probably controlled by his dad and Jim knows this and it has everything to do with why he feels he has no choice but to keep her at arms length. At the same time, she IS his mom and I've always imagined our Jim to have a special bond with his mom and maybe this Jim has that bond but it's just different than what has been pictured before because I just think money changes everything, even how sons bond with their moms and how much they trust them. So I'm thinking that Jim's mom is going to know about Pam and come to realize just how much Jim loves her and that from what she hears from Jim, Pam loves him as well and it had nothing to do with the money. I think like we know, Jim realized that Pam knew nothing about who he is (whoever that is, still a mystery) and I think his mom will come to see in her heart that Jim is right, Pam didn't know. I think Jim's mom is going to find out that his dad knowa exaxtly where Pam is and she will either go there herself, maybe to wherever it is that Joe Anderson gives her a job, and make it seem like an accidental meeting. I just think that Jim's mom is going to want to se and get a feel for Pam herself. Maybe she won't even know about the baby. Or maybe she'll get the information and just pass it along to Jim. Either way I think his mom will be the instrument that gives Jim the information about Pam. I think she'll do that to show her son just how much she really loves him and prove to him that she is different than his dad. Of course I KNOW the complications that are going to arise when Jim finds Pam again, however that happens. Jim is certainly going to be tangled in Karen's web and probably for some reason have a hard time getting free of her. Maybe it will be that he's tried to convince himself that Pam left him and he owes whatever to Karen. Maybe Karen will have him convinced that she is pregnant and he won't have any idea about Pam's baby or if he does maybe he'll have been told that the father is Kanny Anderson, wondering if he'll think she was cheating on him.

The sad thing is that the core of all the heartache and despair that we are seeing and will continue to see our wonderful duo go through is completely rooted in Jim's life, his upbringing anf the fact that he has just learned, the hard way I'm sure, that you just can't trust anyone, especially a pretty girl. I think it's pretty darn hard to shake your core values whether they are good or bad. I think that when the cross between Jim's life he's made for himself in Stamford and the reality of what he and Pam had back in Scranton before he ruined it, when that comes I think it'll almost come down to a choice for Jim of continuing on with Karen and her representing his life as he grew up which is obviously the easiest thing in that he KNOWS that life. It's what he had all his life and it's not something he'll have to fight for. Ot there will be Pam which represents him running away and being his own man. Living a life that is unfamiliar which makes it scary, but it's a;; completely his own. It's a choice between Karen who wants him for what he can be, what he can represent and what that will give her, and Pam who simply love *though at this point I'm sure he'll have to do uite a lot for there to be trust from her) but she simply loves Jim, period. She needed, and needs, nothing more than him. She sees the core of him, the trappings all fall away. She loves the Jim in rumpled clothing and with bedhead who shares a house to make it financially and works a 9-5 job he soesn't particularly like, to pay the bills and maybe eek out a little extra for some fun but that's it. She doesn't need a lot of money or fancy trappings, I would even venture to say she wouldn't want them. I think when it comes sown to it, both Jim and Pam will want the same things. Each other. A family and to simply stand on their own two feet.

Okay, I'm sorry, I just get so caught up in this that I can't help but come up with all kinds of scenerios on how it's going to play out. I REALLY hope that you don't mind. I really do love your story and the way you are keeping us on the proverbial edge of our seats. I just need it faster. I'd appreciate if you could maybe, ummmm... uit your job, or take a leave and forget about your friends and family and anything other than this story until it's done because the wait between each chapter is KILLING me and you don't want to be responsible for my death, do you? Seriously, I wanted to say, I obviously have no idea where you intend to end this. Most stories tend to get to where Pam and Jim are finally happy and that's the end. That's great but I always hope for more. If there is any way you could find it in your heart to take us a bit beyond the happy ending (I'm assuming a happy ending based on our 'review talk over the past two reviews') I would just love to see a little bit more of where they go with their loves even before an epilogue if you choose to do an epilouge. Just a plea from me and something that you can maybe consider.

Lastly *and I know this one is crazy long, SO sorry to you and everyone that reads the reviews though I suspect most get sick and tired of my long ramblings and simply skip them, I don't blame them. I just hope I don't make people angry.) I want to say how impressed I was by the way tou handled I would say the negative review but it wasn't negative, it was rude, insulting and just plain wrong. Tis is YOUR story to tell. It's one thing for someone to give a negative review based on not thinking you are making sense or things that are constructive and helpful. I feel it's wrong to leave a review in that manner using words that are offensive (to me and I know to you as well) and not really helping you in any way just trying to force you to make the story go the way the reviewer wants. I sincerely hope that my long rambles never come across that way. You are a fantastic writer and an awesome story teller. You obviously have a wonderful imagination and all of us here are tuly blessed that you choose to use your imagination to write the stories that you share with us. I really want to thank you for that. I cannot begin to imagine the time you put into your writing (Okay, I CAN begin to, I have started 3-4 Pam and Jim ficx but I just don't think I have the nerve to put myself out there to be judged. Plus, I probably suck!!!) but to put that time into something just to share with us, I feel honored. To insult you when you are doing this is wrong, not to mention, your story is fantastic and even the elements that we wish weren;t there, work and really it simply wouldn't be a very interesting story without those elements. Thank you and really any writer that reads this, for all the time and effort you put in just to share with and entertain us. It has to be a bit scary to put your personal works out there to be judged.

Back to just you. not all writers, you're so clearly awesome! (That's in the words of Pam Beesly of course. Now you need to apply to Pratt or whatever the writing equivolent of it is!!! I'll be the one to tell you that they'll love those stories!!!

Onto the next chapter. I can't wait to get through this icky stuff and be onto the good stuff!!! Keep up the fantastic work!

Author's Response: DUUUUUUUDEEEEEEE! I don't even know where to begin to respond to this one! YOU ARE SOOOOOO INSIGHTFUL!! I LOVE YOU CRAZY LONG REVIEWS! It's almost like I'm reading an in depth analysis of my work! I ABSO-FREAKING-LUTELY love it! But I will say this.. it was very scary to post this one (As I'm with all my fics... I usually but JIm and Pam through hell). But in most of my fics I keep Jim and Pam mostly in character.. ALWAYS. And this one... They don't seem like the JIm and Pam we know and love. I was scared I was going to be judged and all the point you brought up on your review. But, I'm glad I did it! It's not a "popular" fic, but I like the feed back that I get. It's different? Yes. Is it evoking different emotions from readers? Yes. So, I'm going to stick with it. By far this is the most scared I've been before posting a fic. So lady, don't be scared to put yourself our there. There are many of us in this AMAZING website that would be willing to help you. And once you do it... You'll see that it's not so bad... You might even like it! Thank you for being a wonderful supporter of this fic. You have no idea on the impact you've had on me. -D

So sorry for not staying caught up on reading fic while I was on vacation! Catching up now, and right from the beginning of this chapter I'm nodding. I can absolutely see why Pam felt she had to lie about the baby and leave town. The snippets of things Jim and Pam had done on the show mixed in - love that! I can understand how these tragic things (Jim's downright nasty attitude toward Pam the second he found out about the baby... the car accident and what follows) I can definitely see how all of these situations would lead to irrational spur of the moment actions. On to the next chapter!

Author's Response: Don't you know that fanfic always comes first? Before midterms, tests, homework.... Before boyfriends and girlfriends... vacations?!? Haha! I hope you had a wonderful vacation. I'm glad you can see why Pam acted the way she did. That was my only worry while writing this fic because I would be taking Jim and Pam out of their element. I was scared people would be put off by it, but I'm soo glad you were "nodding" while reading the chapter! whew! Thanks for reading!

This is sooo frustrating, but in the best way. I can't wait to see what you have planned. Can't believe Pam agreed to lie, but then what other choice does she have? Jim needs to come save her :)

Author's Response: I know this is frustrating. I know... Writing this part was very draining for me. I literally had to read very fluffy fics while writing. Stick with me, there are other twists and turns coming in future chapters. And Jim definitely needs to come and save her! Thanks for reading!

7

Really enjoying the story, you have a much firmer grasp on characterisation and dialogue than most which is often the real selling point for stories to me.

I must confess I have some concerns with the plot direction as I see it perhaps going, particularly with the Roy angle. Unlike most I don't actually mind Roy all that much (at least until he went full on crazy trashing bars) but if Pam goes along with this little plan of his I think it'll become a chore to read. It's just stupid in so many ways, and it wouldn't make any sense for Pam, who has already been shown to be incredibly protective of her child, go along with something so emotionally manipulative and downright retarded.

But maybe I'm wrong and Pam will just tell Roy to get fucked. I certainly hope so.

Author's Response: I'm glad you enjoyed the story thus far.That being said, I don't want this story to be a chore to you. So, I would advise you to not read any further because as you so aptly noted, this story will progress in a direction in which you'll find to be... stupid. I don't mind your input, I just think your words choices were 'uncool.' The awesome Mindy Kaling explained it better when she said, "It is just so totally uncool to use the word “retarded” anymore to describe something you think is stupid. It is barely acceptable when uninformed small children say it (and reflects so poorly on parent-ing), and is completely offensive for adults. How inarticulate are you if you have to use this word? How confident are you that no one you talk to would be offended by it, or worse, have someone in his orher life that has a mental disability."

This is not an attack towards you. I hope you see this as an eye opener and nothing more.

-D

Ssaaaddd!!! This was even angstier! Twists and turns. It sucks that she's not pregnant but now she doesn't want to forgive him. And now he's up shit creek. Damn, I bet he'll meet Karen at Stamford, and here we go again.

Author's Response: It is sad! It's a dreary world where Pam doesn't want to forgive Jim. "Up shit creek" - best line ever! There's a bit of the season 3 feeling... but I promise not to drag it for too long. Thanks for reading.

10

Oh wow! First, I did really get what was going on with Pam both physically and in her thought process, didn't I? I guess we think alike on stuff like this! :o) I just really hope that maybe Jim, having a bit of distance and time will be able to think back over everything that happened, how she was happy with him, runpled and his hair, well, the way his hair is on the show I am sure (which I am betting is a far cry from the way his hair and clothes looked when he was living with or around his parents and their money.) How Pam was so happy to have as a first date him making her grilled cheese and dancing with him with his IPod playing, one earbud in each of their ears. I hope he'll be able to reflect on the fact that if she KNEW, if she really knew who he was (whover that even is) or about his money, and she was after that aspect of him, wouldn't she have pushed for a 'real' date? A nice restaurant? Dancing somewhere nice? Them dressed up, hair done nicely? She sounds like she accepted him and wanted him for HIM and I really REALLY hope that he will be able to think about this and think about if she is the person he thought she was, which we of course know that she in fact is, that the talk of her tricking him, his accusations and far more than that, the heavy handed talk about his family taking care of the baby, for a sweet and simple girl like Pam, that would be too much. Hopefully he'll be able to think about what it did to him growing up. I mean, there's enough damage that he bolted in the middle of the night just to get away and was happy to live the life he had found. Maybe he'll think about the fact that Pam IS like him and after seeing what he appeared to turn into because of the money, he should understand that she wouldn't want that for their baby any more than HE himself would want it for his flesh and blood.

Unfortunately, I have a feeling that you are going to have some fun pounding on my griefbone before we get anywhere with those two. I had a feeling before I posted my last review that the evil names (evil to me anyhow) of Roy and Karen were just bound to come up and really make this a complicated mess. It was interesting that if all had gone as planned, Pam would have simply stayed for a time, I have a feeling not even a long time, with Roy's brother Kenny and then I think she would have wanted very much to get farther away. (Interesting twist here. I kept wondering why it was that the dad could be SO sure that Kenny couldn't be the father. Totally didn't see the thing of Kenny being gay coming! I always think of him being basically a useless drunk or almost drunk and womanizer who treats people poorly just like Roy!) So, I have a feeling when Pam wakes up, Roy will talk to her and thus will begin her introduction into the Anderson family under completely false pretenses all for the mom's sake. In the process I have a feeling though I dread that Roy is going to develop feelings for Pam and Pam, who knows there is no one for her but Jim but feels that ship has sailed and sunk. She just doesn't know that HER Jim really IS the real Jim. He was panicked because his dad hit things dead on. He was wrong and he should have never treated her like that, but heck, if she could maybe try to learn a bit about him, what his life has been like until the point where he met her. I mean, exactly why he would run away and have no contact with his family.... anyhow, so I think Pam will feel friendly towards Roy, he helped her when she needed it. He just lost his brother and it sounds like the loss of his mom is imminent, I think she may work on talking herself into this is enough. The baby can have two parents and maybe, just maybe someday she can teach the baby about her or his real father and real love, the soul mates type it sounds like. As I said in the last review, as a bonus, she gets to always have a part of Jim with her even if it isn't Jim himself.

THEN, OTOH I think we are about to have the second dirty word in Office vocabulary (IMO of course) introduced to us. Over at Stamford I have a feeling that Jim is meeting Karen and trying hard to get over Pam will be sucked into her web. The thing is, here I go guessing again... Karen is more worldly and devious and cunning than Pam. I think pretty early on Karen is going to know EXACTLY who Jim is and what he's worth and I think she's going to work hard to make that hers. SHE may even be one to try to get pregnant to snare him but I would think that after what Jim just went through with Pam, hopefully he's going to be especially careful. I also have a feeling that daddy dearest is going to be keeping tabs on Jim and where he didn't approve of Pam, she probably wasn't up to the family standards. Not flashy enough and for goodness sakes, a receptionist?! Karen OTOH is sleek and she's ambitious. I could see daddy appreaching her and working with her to see if he can help things along before Pam somehow surfaces and Jim learns about the baby. Heck, the dad may even tell Karen about the baby as incentive. Can you just imagine Jim finding out Karen knew something like that.

Okay, I'm assuming an awful lot, I'm sorry! I will say, I hope they find each other and sort things out before the baby is born. I HATE HATE HATE a father missing the birth of his baby especially because of stupid stuff between the father and the mother. I hate it even more if it's because the mom didn't give him that oportunity because she has taken an experience and memories from him that he can never ever, no matter how good of a dad he is from that point on, he can never get the birth back.

With all of this said, can I just say that your comments to me in response to my last review absolutely made my day! That is saying something because I didn't expect there to be a response and I was having just a really awful day and I read what you wrote and WOW! Really made me feel good! I do feel that you are incredibly gifted and I love the different styles you choose to try out and they are ALWAYS successful IMO! One of the very first stories I read and bookmarked was on another site, I had just found fan fiction and I fell head over heals in love with it, even reading it out loud to my daughter who I think was probably 9 at the time. It was Learning to Live (or Love??? I get those two titles mixed up all the time) Again. My daughter would ask me every month or so to read it to her again. We BOTH fell in love with the names you gave the kids and were hoping so much for one of them when Pam had Cece. You NEVER disappoint me with your writing. Just, like I said, try not to pound me too heavily in the griefbone here. That bone is pretty fragile right now! Maybe throw us a bone here and there along the journey.

I was thrilled that you agreed that you do always do happy endings for our couple because at lease knowing that I think I can hopefully make it through! Thank you so much for sharing your talent with us. You really are gifted and I look forward to the coming chapters! :o)

Author's Response: You definitely got what was going on with Pam! 1,000,000 Schrute bucks to you! To say we think alike is an understatement. The points which you bring up about Jim having time to think are right on, but when Pam told him she wasn't pregnant he realized that his dad had "set him up." He knows that she wasn't after his money. He got that now. He wishes that he could tell her about his past and all, but she left. Pam definitely accepted him the way he was, that is a reason he fell in love with her. She didn't need anything, just him - that's for certain.

I'm sad to admit that those that we don't speak of will appear and will engage with our beloved characters. I know, I know... But they come to remind them what they really had in those few months they spent together. They are going to try to move on (as it happened on the show) but only yo realize that... they can't. I threw in Kenny being gay, just to tie the story together as to where I want to take it. Your description of him is actually how I see him right now... But I just needed his dad to know that Kenny wasn't into girls.

About Jim missing the birth...umm...Me and my beta had many, many emails back and forth discussing this topic. There were pros and cos on both sides... I couldn't decided which way I wanted to go... It came down to a coin toss! I kid you not... The decision whether Jim would find Pam (Or Pam finding Jim) before or after she was pregnant was decided on a coin toss. I guess you'll just have to see the results as the story progresses! wink, wink!

I'm glad you are still enjoying this fic, even though is poking your grief-bone a little bit. Thanks so much for your review (Once again my mouth was wide open after reading). I enjoy talking about my fic and my intentions in a deeper level. Everything I right has a reason and I feel I found someone who I can discuss it with. Thank you! D

This isn't a bad idea, but who are these people? They aren't anything like the Jim and Pam I know. :/

Author's Response: I know they don't seem like the Jim and Pam we know and love. I'm taking them out of their element. But hopefully you'll see as the story progress that these people are our beloved characters. Hopefully you'll start to see the reason behind their "uncharacteristic" actions as the story progresses. Thanks for reading.

You are killing me (in a good way) with this one. I don't blame Pam, but I am definitely worried this might be too much for me. LOVE IT!

Author's Response: PLEASE STAY WITH ME!! There will be a lot of twists and turns, but hopefully it won't be too much and you'll still like it. Thanks for reading!

Ahhhh this is so frustrating, but I mean that in a good way lol. I want to know all about Jim's past, then slap him lol

Author's Response: Oh man! No violence okay? lol! Jim's reaction will be explained little by little. You'll understand and maybe sympathise with him as well. Thanks so much for reading!

10

Oh, wow! Two chapters in and I'm already hooked. I have a feeling this one's going to be a heartbreaker. Can't wait to read more.

Author's Response: I'm glad you're liking this one. I've been very hesitant about posting it. There are going to be a few heartbreaks... but hang in there! Thanks for reading!

*Gasp* Wow, this is great, and really sad. And on the first chapter too! Right into the angst! Keep going please, I want a happy ending!

Author's Response: Yeah, I thought of beginning this one with a bang! Thanks for reading.