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Thanks you so much for the quick update !!
And I really love that you write long chapters and that's just one of many things I like about your work.
I loved the cow talk. Never heard cow being used in a romantic exchange so that was a first.
Michael was so sweet with Pam. He was still Michael but yet in an Alternate Universe, several decades back he was still amongst the first to acknowledge and cheer her art. He is great.
Dwight and Angela are..well them..can't help it but just an amazing duo who makes me forget that office was not set in your era.
Final verdict - This was awesome :)

Reading each of these chapters is like drinking a fine wine - the more you read, the more you want. There is so much actual story going on here and yet you still manage to cram in so much JAM goodness. I am savouring every word.

Author's Response: Ahaha thank you so much - that's so kind! :) I'm so thrilled you're enjoying it (also, my aim for this story was to have slightly more JAM goodness and less JAM angst, so I'm glad that's worked). Thanks so much! 

"Actually, he looks like he barely remembers that they’re on a plane at all. So that's a plus." YOU SLAY ME.

THE APARTMENT SCENE. I don't know what to say.  You do good steam, my friend. And the cow-milk banter was perfect.

Lot of fun parallels with Jim's first visit to Pam's office

The Pam-Michael dialogue was lovely and felt very them - you captured Pam's in spite of herself patience and affection for him well. AND this might be the beginning of the Discovery of Pam, which would be a nice way to end things after a not-so-fun journey for her.

And I'm glad you worked in the little touch of how... lost Jim is at the end. He could use Pam in Austin...

Author's Response:

Ah, thank you so much!! And hehe, I'm glad you liked the cow-milk banter. I think I'd originally meant for that to be a serious moment about Pam sleeping with Jim before they were married at that time, but...cow-milk was where it ended up. 

I'm really glad you enjoyed the parallels between the two office visits too (although this time slightly less fraught/minus a Pam trying to hate Jim...)

And yes! to the Discovery of Pam. Which may or may not end up coinciding with Jim finding himself.  

Thanks so much for the review! :)  

The flashbacks of their time in the cabana worked nicely through this chapter. Great way to show that scene and some internal thoughts while still keeping the plot going.

Easy to see where Angela gets everything from. Clearly she's still upset with her father, but there's a ton of family resemblance going on.

Kinda firgured Danny wouldn't just sit around doing nothing while Jim and Pam go running off. Though the line about how they were wrong about thinking he couldn't get any worse seems ominous. However they also have Karen on their side so I'm sure that's going to help too.

Looking forward to getting to Austin and seeing what kind of plan they've come up with.

Author's Response:

Thanks so much! I'm really glad you thought the flashbacks worked - I did slightly debate just doing an entire chapter about their time on the beach, but I figured they needed a bit of movement on the plot... 

And nope, Danny is definitely not a sit around and do nothing guy. Or at least, not here. Next chapter on Austin is coming! Thanks so much for reviewing :) 

You know, I knew you were going to get another chapter up before I finally finished reviewing this one. Whoops.

Very cute scene here at the beginning, and I love the digging into the canon reality for Pam that she's a lot more capable of taking risks with Jim around, that he makes her feel her feel a little braver. That contrast between the comfortable place to land with Jim and the feeling of shame that always surrounded her with Danny is illustrated quite well.

Dwight helping Angela work through her stress with ranted complaints was very in character and amusing without taking away from the tension of the scene.

"She'd take a lot more than eight hours of this." The pillow banter literally reshaped my pupils into hearts.

Felt like you captured the vibe of small towners confronting the broader world of the 60s well. And hey, Pete and Clark and Erin! Didn't expect to see them here.

The confrontation with Angela's father was *very* well done, and I thought paid due respect to the complexities of the relationships involved. An interesting twist that Robert and Danny aren't *intentionally* murderers, just completely soulless about taking responsibility when one of their dastardly schemes goes wrong.

This beach scene! The canon parallels! You slay me.

Author's Response:

Ah, thank you so much! And lol, it was a very long chapter to struggle through to be fair. So I was trying to work out how you'd help Angela through stress in a way that didn't involve sleeping with Dwight...and ranted complaints felt like a close second.  

Haha, that is so great to hear on the pillow banter - thanks very much! I'm always a bit worried the slipping between nice Jam moments and Danny/Robert drama might result in this being tonally all over the place (but also, I sort of need the nice Jam moments). And I'm really glad you enjoyed the confrontation with Angela's father! I would say murder's not totally off the table for Robert given his threat to Angela's father...but yeah, he didn't intentionally murder *those* people. It's a step up. 

So let me just say that this chapter is a tour de force of tasteful sexual activity between 2 consenting adults interspersed with actual plot. But happily heavy on the sexual activity. And more than that (see what I did there) this is a totally believable way that 1960s Jim and Pam would have got it on with the sexytiemz.

More viscerally than that though, I actually cheered when I saw you were not pulling any punches on the Jim and Pam love scene, I love that they FINALLY did it and you have them together.

As ever, this story is a delight to read and review and it just keeps getting better and better. It took me a few chapters to get invested in the characters as the time era was different, but it didn’t take me long to become gripped with the plot and it’s one of my very favourite stories. I really do care about Robert and Danny (he is such an enabler) getting their comeuppance!

Finally, with you on “genitals” - not a sexy word.

Author's Response:

Thank you so much! Haha, I'm always a bit nervous about writing the sexytiemz as I'm definitely not a good smut writer - I think I've established that tasteful/vague and/or awkward are my go-tos - so I'm relieved you thought this worked! But yeah, I did think it was about time in this fic. There's only so many times they can be interrupted. 

And ah thank you, that's really lovely to hear! I'm sort of with you on not always being sure about different time eras - but I *think* I've basically got round it here by, um, not making it all that different from now (except they don't have mobile phones).  

And it's really not!

Thanks so much for the review :)  

One part of me is shrieking with delight, the second - writing down all the little references (Erin and season 9 boys' cameos were especially cute!) and unknown words, and the third is currently musing over the question of how much Mr. Martin could actually help.
Oh, there's also the fourth part. And this part is in need of a shower and cold drinks.
Please, please, please, say that the next chapter is halfway written, and you're going to publish it soon!
P.S. Also, this is my 500th review here! Happy that it went to your story :)

Author's Response:

Haha, thank you very much! Glad you enjoyed Erin and season 9 boys too, they were fun to include. More will be revealed on Mr Martin and his helpfulness or not... 

I've had a bit more time to write this week, so can confirm the next chapter will be up very soon :D  

(And that's amazing on the 500 reviews!)  

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Stellar chapter.

Even when Texans have trained themselves out of their accents, y'all slips out sometimes, most often when we're tired or hungover. Y'all is such a convenient word for a group.

The analogy of Angela and Penny's barn cat is so apropos. Barn cats can be affectionate at a time of their choosing but always keep a feral streak. Angela's utter control is only surrendered when absolutely necessary.

Nice usage of Clark and Pete. Pete's girlfriend with the feather in her hair immediately snapped an album cover image to mind. You didn't name her, but in my head she was Janis or Pearl.

Good onya

Author's Response:

Thank you so much! I'm really pleased you enjoyed it :) And ha yeah to be fair, y'all does seem like a pretty convenient word. Glad you liked the Angela/cat comparison too! I do feel like it's the animal she'd be (as well as the animal she loves). I did have a lot of fun including hippy Clari and Pete here, and that's amazing on Pete's girlfriend, lol.

Thanks very much for reading and taking the time to review!  

This chapter - so good.

My absolute favourite paragraph that stood out to me on both times I read through it this morning (once when I should have been working, it was that good) and stands the test of Pam and Jim in any era:

"She knows she’s always been more cautious than him. When they were kids, he was always the one pushing her to take risks, to take a chance, to come out of her shell. She wanted to do those things, when she was around him. She’d wanted to, in a way that she never had with Danny, because with Jim she’d always felt like she had a safe place to land. He’d never judge her if she failed or made a fool of herself. He’d help her get up again, if she fell. She’d always used to know that without question."

I think that sums up how much he cares about her and how much he respects her. It made me actually say "awwww" out loud. Such a lovely sentiment about the fact Pam recognises that in Jim. Lovely writing.

Author's Response: Ah, thank you so much! I'm so thrilled to hear you liked that paragraph: it is also one of the things that I really love about their relationship. 

Love me a nice long chapter so don't worry about that. Tons of things to chew on here. Starting out with Jim and Pam waking up like that. Super cute. Same with all the pillow talk on the bus. Great banter between the two of them.

Clark and Pete showing up was fun too. Even better because it seems Erin is with Pete. I love that pairing and it's really cute here.

Dwight and Angela are perfectly in character. Angela is doing everything she can to hold it together but it's just to much. Pam going after her really feels like how Jim went after Dwight in the stairwell. Great job getting the feeling of a canon scene but with the other half of the pairing.

Mr. Martin confirms everything we've been suspecting of Robert and Danny. So the truth is out, but now how to prove it? Angela is right, unless there's some other hard evidence it's his word against theirs. No way that would stand up in court on its own. Still it's good to have that initial confermation of everything.

Getting to the new hotel the sexual tension is just ramping up. Pam in a towel and them being wonderfully awkward around each other was great fun to read.

A moonlit walk on the beach? Yes please and thank you. Pam being the one to declare her love first, and useing lines from canon? Yes please thank you very much again. Jim kissing her breathless and reciprocating his feelings? Yes please, thank you very very much. The two of them sneaking off to a cabana and pulling the curtains closed? Yes, yes, yes, all the yes.

Great job with this one. Hopefully I still have a jellybean to give it.

Author's Response:

Thank you so much! And haha that's good to hear, I slightly worry that I'll lose people l once I start pushing past 8,000 words...I'm really glad you enjoyed it! And the inclusion of Pete and Clark, I quite liked them on the show but I haven't seen them crop up in fic all that much. I sort of liked the idea of a hippy Pete and Clark though. I also love Pete with Erin! 

And yeah, I find Jim's relationship with Dwight and Pam's relationship with Angela really interesting, so I wanted to include a bit of it here. They will be working on getting some actual evidence though, don't worry 😏

Ha, I'm really pleased you liked the end too (it was a lot of fun to write) - thank you! 

I'm in love with your writing. Seriously. I haven't read your other two works yet, and that feels like my biggest omission so far (try to fix it asap!)
But this chapter!!! You know, it's very summerly, light, and carefree even in the most serious moments. And I love that even in the most... heated moments they're so innocent and tender and... *crying ugly overwhelmed with emotions*
Also, I want to highlight this line: "You're trying to fit in with the wrong people." Firstly, it's brilliant. Secondly, I have an impression that it was written about me too, and it's just... incredible.
And the way you sprinkled your story with reasonably modified canon moments is very, very cute!
Thank you so much for your writing; I can't wait to see Panama!

Author's Response:

Aw, thank you so much! That's so kind of you to say :)  (and thanks haha - tbf, my two other fics are pretty long 😱) 

I'm really pleased you liked this chapter! It was nice writing something a bit lighter for a change, I did fee like they needed a bit of a break.

And really glad to hear you enjoyed that line - I can definitely relate. And I do feel like it's a bit of a Jim problem sometimes.

Thanks so much for taking the time to leave such a lovely review: Panama is coming up next!   

Why must you tease us like this?? That pool scene was amazing. And the hot sauce and the “it felt far” ugh. Please always write forever because I cannot get enough of this. “That would be rather lame” excuse me while I go die now.

Author's Response:

Haha, thanks so much! I really enjoyed writing the pool scene, so glad you you liked it :) And I sort of can't get over how cute Jim's 'rather lame' line is on the show (I don't know if it's just JK's delivery, but I love it), so I had to borrow it...

Thanks so much for your review!