If reviews are like chocolate cake...then this story deserves multiple slices ;-) Smut that's just about the mechanics of boinking doesn't do much for me - but smut that's about some emotional truth, like this...well, that's a whole 'nother thing. This was deliciously chocolatey and touching too. And this line is one of the sexiest Smut!Jim has ever uttered: “I want it together.” Well done, and calorie-free!

Author's Response: Thanks, as always, Colette. Your opinion means tons to me. I\'m glad it rang the bells of emotional truth (and gave you a calorie-free dessert!). I agree with you that smut about mechanics (and smut with too many technical or naughty body part words) doesn\'t do much for me either. There\'s something to be said for subtlety, right? Anyway, thanks so much for your review!

May this start a trend of post-DP fics! This line was hot as fresh-baked smutcake: Take off those stockings, hmm? In fact, this whole story was scrumptious...Jim for dessert? Worth every damn calorie, babe (sorry,  had to do it ;-)

Author's Response: Well, colette, I was just trying to jump start the fanfic engine with this, so if I succeeded, that's great.  Glad you enjoyed my admittedly, mild form of smutcake.  I usually struggle trying to write fic, but this one flowed pretty easily from my brain to the laptop, so I posted it quickly before I could have second thoughts.  Glad it worked!

I'll say what I always say when writers ask if they should continue: if you think you should, for the story you want to tell. (How's that for an annoying answer?) Having said that, do I want to know more about Jim's...uh, college education? Damn right I do. God is in the details, and the one about the dryer buzzer going off, in the gf's parents' basement, is so perfectly high school (and the Maytag line is great - so Jim.) This is - as usual - delicious and believable. Yay you!

Author's Response: You are a wise, wise woman, Colette! Diplomatic and yet not afraid to share your own needs or desires ;-) Glad you liked the buzzer and the Maytag. That line just seemed very Jim to me. Thanks as always for your awesome reviews. Seriously.

Not sure this was intentional, but I loved that Pam used manganese blue as the hue of the lost period (cheap, synthetic, without real vibrance) and cobalt (the real stuff) to represent the depth of her love/joy at being with him. Very appropriate. Okay, will stop my pigment geeking now.

This line is all kinds of gorgeous and erotic and full of  palpable emotion: I press my tongue to him, thinking, stay.  And this was such a lovely resonant detail too (love how you subtly worked in the ref to CN via color, without 'explaining' it): This is no temporary sky blue that can shift and turn gray, no periwinkle blue that can fade and vanish into the night.

What a quietly magical scene. Glad to see you back ;-) 

For me, a brief moment like this that evokes something big and complex can be more powerful than a multi-chapter involved plot. You captured Pam's limbo at that point  - starting to realize she felt more than she should for a friend, yet having no idea what to do with that. I also like how you made it clear that whatever she was doing with Jim (they talked about nothing – like usual) was no more exciting than with Roy - it just felt right. It was a great day just cause he was there, even doing ordinary things like going to Duane Reade. Nice small bittersweet touches like him waiting to make sure she's safe (lots to think about there) and ending with her nighttime rituals - that's really what scared her, isn't it? Letting go of the known. Very nicely done, as usual!

Author's Response: thank you colette! i saw this as a small, quiet moment, meant to speak volumes about the hurricane in pam's mind - and i'm glad you agree.  i think her precarious situation is so interesting because of what you talk about here, that she has to figure out how to proceed with what she feels and understands.  in this moment and for many after she stays still - until casino night.  thanks for your feedback!

Ha! Emily, this was like the proverbial happy pill. It totally read like a great little scene from a movie - I didn't so much read it as see it happening in my head. Especially loved when Jim and Pam try to sneak out and Larissa heads them off at the pass - perfect. As were the sib's reactions and finally Larissa's final line. (I like your Halpert clan a lot more than the one we've seen on the show, btw.) Happy Pesach indeed, Pam you lucky shiksa goddess, you ;-)


Author's Response: i must say - i am kind of surprised that folks are digging this fic!  i really wrote it for NanReg, but i'm happy that i am spreading some holiday cheer.  i don't think i am going to use ben and tate any longer (even though i abhor the creation of jim's annoying brothers), since i try to stay canon if at all possible, but i will miss them.  

Greg Daniels...saint or sinner? You know, given the importance of the rooftop of lurve in fanfic, I think in the last episode of the show, it's bound to be the scene of Jim and Pam's abduction by aliens in the final episode (so they can populate a planet in a galaxy far away. Yes, I'm Dwight.) Glad you finished this - it left me smiling, and I'm not in a particularly good mood. ;-)

Author's Response:

funny you should mention that.... I do have a fanfic crossover brewing that involves Doctor Who showing up and offering (nearly) that very same option...

Thanks for reviewing!!

First, I'm so impressed that you even attempted poetry here (you're braver than I, lol!) And even more so that what you made is so delicate and true.

...and no matter what that beautiful boy says or
promises, the threat of losing him presses like blades
through her insides.

So evocative. Referring to him as 'that beautiful boy' is especially poignant for some reason...and apt for her bittersweet awareness of how he feels about her. I also really liked the analogy of her inability to 'draw'  the negative space around him.

And yes, that last line is lovely and better yet - just enough. 

Aw, so sweet. Love the the potty convo with the little girl at the Playplace. Too funny. And in a 'great minds coincidence' - I just wrote a scene last night that involves a spontaneous proposal and one in a boat - totally different than yours (not even Pam/Jim), but still...what were the odds, lol? Anyway - thanks for this. It was a lovely thing to wake up to.

Author's Response: Hehe, thank you Colette. You know, I totally loved your proposal fic more than mine, but I'm glad you seemed to enjoy mine. :)

You know, I remember reading the first chapter of this and being intrigued, then somehow losing track of it. (My bad.) So, I just caught up...and it really is infectious. I love London, so am loving the London-ness of it all and this last chapter hit such a heartfelt, sleepy, sexy, satisfying note. Looking forward to the concluding chapters. (I've sometimes thought of setting a fic in Paris, so this is inspiring too ;-)

Author's Response: Hi there, Colette . Thanks so much for your review; I’m chuffed you liked this chapter. Now, about that Paris idea of yours... que les sons merveilleux!

This has a really lovely natural feel to it. I also like the 2nd person voice - always makes a story feel so immediate, but it's hard to do well, and I think you pull it off with finesse here. Love him thinking he's a 'polite idiot,' his deliciously awkward impromptu proposal, and of course racing back with the ring. Also like the bit about him looking up artists on Wiki - very sweet and believable Jim-ish detail. 

Author's Response: Thanks! I was worried about the 2nd person view, so I\'m relieved you think I managed to pull it off! I figured looking up artists on Wikipedia would be something Jim would do. Both to impress Pam, and to waste time at work. I\'m so glad you liked it!

Oh my, kells...I love how you've taken this single moment and made it so full and powerful. Jim's urgency to do it NOW (forever change the landscape of their relationship - perfect.) Also, ignoring people yelling when he double parks is such a great detail.  And like how quiet, but utterly resolved the ending is. Hooray for understatement and hooray for this lovely piece!

Author's Response:

Colette I love how you notice the little details...and being a New Yorker yourself I bet you're no stranger to the frustration that is the double parker, lol.  It's been a while since I've lived in Manhattan, but some things stick with you.  

I really was going for urgency here.  Like, Jim decided it HAD to be now and he couldn't wait until he did it.  Sort of like The Job.  He made up his mind, and that was it.  I was nervous that I didn't really convey that since it was a pretty short little number, so I'm glad to read that it came across that way for you.  Thanks for the wonderful review!!