S3 AU. She twists the gold band on her finger around and around. She waits to feel regret or guilt or something else besides this buzzing excitement.You again. Just when I’m feeling a little over fanfic, you go and do this. This is gorgeous, but not just gorgeous for gorgeous sake. Even though it’s AU, reading it adds another facet to what I know about the hearts and minds of these very specific characters. And your final paragraph is particularly fine- so sad, vaguely hopeful, but promising nothing (just like S3.)
Aw. So this happened. Had to.
Love the intimacy of it - Jim drinking from her cup is a lovely detail. And also like how she's so happy to be home, getting debriefed on the office insanity and just being who she is. With him. Nice. (I've been playing around with a story and can't seem to get into gear...would you cyber-rub against me so I can catch your motivation?;-)
The whole thing started when I went hunting for chai tea while at my meeting last week. (Found it on the coffee break). No one lanky snagged my mug and stole a sip...unfortunately. I imagined the whole kitchen scene - then just needed a place to put it. I'm so very glad you liked it.
Anything I can do to motivate you my dear? I've totally been there and it sucks.
So romantic...this captures the giddy, besotted (and soggy, lol) mood of their proposal perfectly. Babies with Jim's hairdo and jumpshot - sounds like a plan to me. Reading this was a lovely way to start an Office-less Thursday morning!
Author's Response: Oh YAY!! I'm so glad to see your review. Most times - something doesn't seem real to me until I get the "Colette seal of approval." LOL! ;) Anyway - you're welcome for the romantic and giddy. Glad I could make your day better. I'm still mad there's no Office today. :(
Your devilish plot has succeeded - update momentarily. And coincidentally, in mine, Pam also calls Jim impressive. (Though in a very different context. Ahem.) And in part 5, they're also talking home improvements...sorta. So, great minds, yadda yadda.
This was - as usual - a great little, perfectly in-character, slice of their life. I especially loved when Pam had no clue about leaders, gutters, etc. (little architect humor;-) And as for her admiring him playing b-ball? Girl after my own true heart. Such fun...wee!!! Thanks for this.
Awesome. :) Jim it seems is impressive is many ways. ;) I'm glad you liked the leaders and gutters part. Having never owned a home it was tough for me to think of something! And what is not to love about b-ball Jim. Nothing - that's what. And you - my dear - are most welcome.
I knew you were fly, but you're so on the wall these days! I love how in the midst of this heavy convo, Pam digresses to insist he tape around the trim - SO something I would do (oh, wait...I mean, PAM would do ;-) Your Jim is, as usual, possibly the most loving/tender Jim of the Jims in Jimtown (my kind of town, btw.)
Oh, one tiny thing - in this line: he knows now when she simply wants to be alone... I think you mean he now knew (since this is written past tense.)
How are the rents in Jimtown? They can't be much steeper than NYC can they?? :)
My tenses were all jacked up at the end too. It happens when I get tired - or maybe every single time I write. :) Thank you for making me fix the beginning so I could fix the end as well.
I love when a story makes this scene fresh all over again. Love how he's simply compelled to go to her, how vividly not only the lust, but the love comes across. This feels carefully written, and I appreciate that. Your last sentence is so beautiful and strikes just the right note - with such lovely delicacy.
Author's Response: I\'m not even going to lie; seeing that you reviewed gave me a bit of a geek-out moment. It was a wonderful surprise =) And thank you so much for the sweet review, it made my night!
See? This proves you're the Scholar Emeritus of the Laundry Genre ;-) I like how you tied in the bit about Jim telling her to send those drawings to Pratt a la GT.This is cozy as a very cozy thing...love Jim being so familiar with her girl things and protective without going neanderthal. Warm and fuzzy and I think you should work for P&G, developing fabric softener commercials starring these two. I'd buy whatever they're selling - even without a coupon.
Author's Response:
I've been approached to be the Downy spokesperson and I'm totally considering it. ;) The protective thing was a toughie. Morning Angel kept me in check. At first the crazy guy was actually well...just crazy. Or maybe just someone Dwight would have gotten along fine with. ;) Anyway - I love that you loved it. Thank you.
Love Pam feeling the intimacy of being alone in his room, unsupervised. In fact, this whole piece has a lovely warm, intimate, domestic feel. I like that they're a bit awkward, a little silly, little sexy - but just so happy to be there, together, finally. This was very nice to wake up to - so, thanks!
Author's Response: Thank you so much, Colette! I\'m glad you enjoyed it!\r\n\r\n(I\'ll never forget the first time I spent the day alone in my boyfriend\'s apartment. It\'s like, \"here. You have access to all my secrets, but I trust you to not barge into them.\" So nice. :) )
Festive...and full of fiber.
The same could be said for this story ;-)
Love Angela being so annoyed by Andy's deference and digging Dwight in his element. Only thing that could make reading this more fun would be if I had a beet dacquiri in my hand.
While some of us blathered on the board this morning about this situation, you went and artfully summed it up in a neat little fic. Very clever ;-) I like Pam catching Jim with the Meredith Grey line. And hooray for being an artist in West Nowhere Texas. Damn right.
Author's Response: Hi Colette! I had my own thoughts on this all along. And four hours of free time at work yesterday with the network down. Nothing against New York, of course, but I think our girl has a pretty good life waiting for her in podunk Scranton. Thanks for reviewing! :)
Just a little something that the lighting in that last beautiful scene of Business Trip inspired. Some nice, flufftastic jaminess for you to munch on. ;-)
Spoilers through Business Trip obviously.
No copyright infringement is intended.
Ah...as one who has ventured into the metaphoric world of teen-Jim and his basketball herself, this spoke to my heart. Very nice parallels between then/now and all kinds of subtle sexiness. And this: Even if she never asked. That there is l-o-v-e. (How'd you do this so fast? I'm having a hell of a time getting anything written!)
Author's Response: Yes, we both have a deep love for Jim playing basketball, my friend. In terms of getting things out quickly...all comes down to a fantastic beta in my case. This little diddy was not exactly ribbon material before Sweetpea got her hands on it. :-)
My goodness you have a way with these ensemble pieces. And you know what a sucker I am for situations that tap into the Jim/Michael sympatico - such a lovely poignant moment amidst all the craziness. This read like an actual episode, and that's impressive ;-)
Author's Response: Ensemble pieces are fun every once and a while. And yes - I am aware of your sucker-ness ;). Very happy to hear it all rang true with you. That's always my intention. Now stop reading my fic and go back to writing!!!
5 Oh, Emily - I love these little moments where absolutely nothing happens on the surface, but the subtext/inner dialogue is so complex. You've captured this moment in time when everything was repressed and latent and so painfully present in its absence. And in a great minds moment, I'm working on something and just wrote the S3 part that takes place just at this moment too. So this was not only a good read, but inspiring too ;-) Thanks!
Author's Response: oh, colette -- thank you thank you thank you. i cannot WAIT to see what you've crafted.
A collection of moments in Jim and Pam's new life together. Because even though we rarely get to see it outside the office, it has to be amazing. (Even if there are some not-so-amazing times.)
General spoilers for S2-S5.
Oh, so sweet. I especially liked when Jim comes upstairs after her meltdown, how he simply closes the door and lies down next to her. So intimate and connected. Also, I'm glad you didn't say what was in the card - I like the idea of that staying private, even from us. Lovely.
Author's Response: Awww, thank you so much, Colette. I always appreciate so much hearing from you, it just makes my day. And yeah, I don't think I would like finding out what was written in the card either.. it belongs to Jim.. and maybe now, Pam. :)
Man, S3 is a fic-writers goldmine, isn't it? This captures that particular moment really well - I love the idea of Pam recognizing 'the man she loves' in that BC scene. I think that's partly what gave her the faith to deliver her big BG speech - seeing those subtle glimmers of the guy she used to know. Anyway, lovely, touching and a great final line too. Thanks for this ;-)
Author's Response: Yeah, there really is something about s3 that makes fic writing so irresistible. Thanks so much for this Colette :)
How many times has he called her an angel? Christmas in the Halpert home.
You know, you made me a bit ferklempt with this. I don't care if that makes me tragically uncool... Jim+bambina=puddle of Colette. As usual, you cooked up a whole world in a few hundred words. Love that ;-)
Author's Response: It's OK, Colette, it's hip to be square. Or something. Heh. You consistently make me feel OK with the fact that I apparently can only generate fic a smidgeon at a time, so thank you very much! And yeah, Jim and a little girl- *sigh*
An AU look at what might have happened, had Pam really thought about Jim's decision to go to Australia.I like this premise - telling her he was going to Australia is the perfect jumping off point for a believable 'what if' fic. Nicely and tautly written too - their late night phone call feels so real - Jim's semi-drunk, not quite saying what he needs to tension/hope, that hazy semi-drunk fog...all very palpable here - how I'd imagine a scene like this would sound. I also like the title - and the related bit at the beginning - where he wants anything: a sign, a hint, a glimpse, just something to tell him it's not all in his own head. Very - painfully - true to Jim at that point. More please.
Author's Response: Thanks Colette! I always wanted to see something come of this whole scenario... it always seemed weird to me that she wouldn\'t see it for what it was. I don\'t normally delve into the AU scene but I would\'ve loved to see something happen here. Glad you\'re along for the ride! As always, it\'s good to hear from you! :)
What a cathartic chapter...I like how Jim's thoughts/emotions are right there, so raw. (Writing something in a tricky complicated way doesn't necessarily mean it's complicated - and vice versa...and that's a very poorly phrased compliment, btw ;-) For instance this line: I felt suddenly light, like something huge and heavy had dropped away from me at the aknowledgment of its existence. Followed by: And just like that, I fell back to earth with a thud. That just perfectly captures Jim's rollercoaster of emotions during that night. And then again, your last line also suggests so much relief/realease, in such simple clear terms. Very nicely done ;-) (And maybe it's the season, but resolving the angst felt like a little gift, so thanks.)
Author's Response: Ooh, I\'m glad you liked that particular bit of the rollercoaster--that\'s exactly what I was going for in that whole exchange. Yay! Part of me really feels like I shouldn\'t have ended it the way I did, and maybe it is the season, but I just couldn\'t leave it unresolved. And all of my AU ideas are really designed to just hurry up the process and get them to figure things out sooner, so there\'s my justification. :) And I appreciate that about the last line--I wasn\'t really sure about it, frankly, so that makes me feel much better. Thanks so much for the review Colette! Glad to have you along for this one.
A response to Grape Soda's mistletoe challenge. Set during S2.This is one of those stories where if I started quoting lines/moments I loved, I'd practically have to copy/paste the entire thing. Such a vividly rendered portrait of that very particular, almost fragile moment - with these very specific characters. The writing is emotionally consuming yet so delicate - not an easy combo to pull off. I especially liked the metaphor of tossing the mistletoe ball back and forth - really captures that thing they did: using playfulness to mask subtext...until in CN, like what you've drawn here, Jim dropped that pretext. And your ending hits the perfect forlorn, bittersweet note - that cab ride hurt very, very good. (Especially liked your final line - I'm a big fan of single lines that convey more than entire paragraphs ;-) Anyway, I could go on, but my point is this was all kinds of subtle and melancholy and just right.
Author's Response: God, Colette, I think you should be paid to follow people around and boost their egos - you always write the best reviews. Of course, I think it helps that you are one of the best writers here, so feedback from you means a. lot. As I\'m sure you know, it\'s really difficult to keep things on an even keel when putting these two through the paces, so I\'m glad you think my take on it worked. \"Delicate\" is quite a compliment - thank you. And, as I\'ve written and rewritten this and other stories, I\'ve discovered that their entire relationship comes down to pretext and, very specifically, Jim\'s willingness to maintain it. Pam won\'t let it go for love or money, so it\'s all on him. I\'ve come to appreciate how emotionally draining Jim\'s experience must have been and I\'m frankly, astonished, that he was able to maintain his \"friendship\" with Pam for as long as he did. Again, thank you so much for your generous review.
"It takes eight hours to escape her, seven hours to come back, and two steps to reach her."10 I really enjoyed this - I love when someone takes a much written about episode like CN and makes it fresh all over again, as you did here. Wonderful writing - simple and succinct, yet so full of the despair and disorientation that Jim must have felt. The detail about him folding the save the date card is so symbolic, but in such a natural understated way - and then the perfect heartbreak of him handing it to the ticket woman. Well...I could go on, but, I'll leave it at saying this was achingly heartfelt and lovely - and very true to character.
Also, I think you ended it in the perfect way and place - just enough and so much more powerful than if you'd tied it all up. Very complete and with just the right note of hope.
Can I offer one review for all 5 chapters? I'm lazy today, but also I think you've hit something specific to each borough - and what these two characters' experiences might be as they take it all in. Manhattan - blah blah groovy cakes...I like that within all the smoke and mirror edginess each couple finds their own personal space/time on the dance floor, apart from the hey, Mom, look how cool I am! scene. Just as it should be. And that Jim is glad Pam has friends, even if totally different from his world. And Wave Hill - oh my, you couldn't possibly know this, but I used to love that place. Must go back sometime - maybe with my aspiring artist daughter (how old does that make me?!?) Now as for Staten Island...there's not a city girl alive who didn't do the romantic ferry ride date...only to arrive and realize there's no there there. And yet, my cute high school bf (with his endless supply of illicit substances and - not quite deserved - devotion) make it a sweet memory all the same ;-) TMI?WTH. In that kind of mood.
This was fun to read, because it nailed places I actually know, and I still recognized the characters. I had a similar feeling when I wrote my two (and only) fics that took place in NYC (August and One Down....) - almost a relief to be able to imagine the setting as I read/wrote. I'm a very visual girl, and really - what the hell do I know from Scranton? Now, about that proposal, missy....there's one more little known borough where it could happen. Cause, NYC is nothing if not a state of mind, right? In any case, this was sweet and satisfying and the perfect little distraction on this grey afternoon.
Finally had a chance to read this and glad I did - one of the best I've read here in a while. Don't have time to go into much detail at the moment, but I think you really captured that achey breaky S2 thing. Jim's whole resigned deal with Katy and he and Pam hiding out talking via cell...just so subtly melancholy. Really felt this one.
So, this is romance. You capture the sense of them being gloriously alone in the world, in their own quiet, snowy cocoon. So many lovely details, but a few especially grabbed me: Pam knows that, really, it wasn't the after-Christmas sale at the mall that put the idea in their heads, even though that's how she'll probably end up telling the story. That part of it can be made pat, cute, someone else's business. She practices: Ah, so apt. And the detritus of the previous night - her fancy shoes, his cufflinks and still knotted tie (clearly hastily removed ;-) Her being affected by the idea of Jim having a context in the house as they start this new existence there together, her feeling content, yet slightly at odds and ends about lots of things...until Jim comes back and it all seems so calm and right. Really love him climbing up the bed to her, how naturally they remove each others' clothes while continuing to chat. And this is perfect romance: Jim, her husband, she reminds herself and this is perfectly scorching, yet so joyfully intimate: She laughs into the soft skin below his navel.
Well, I could go on, but will close this rather incoherent review by saying love, love, love. Oh and apparently great minds think alike when it comes to cummings - that's the same poem I used to close my fic August, that also partly inspired it. ;-)
Ooh. You have me hooked. Like the flashback to explain her text message. Very believable. Like that it has him sleepless in Stamford. Intriguing....
(And in great minds moment - I've had a story idea for ages that departs from those last scenes in Diwali where Pam's driving Michael and Karen's driving Jim home...so, maybe this will inspire me to finally write the damn thing ;-) Anyway...nice sense of tension/anticipation without hitting us over the head with it. Really looking forward to seeing where this goes.
I realized that although I've told you privately how wonderful this is, I haven't left a proper review. I'm kind of on the fly here, but, in no particular order, I love: the pace, how that ache is slowly building; the perfectly modulated dialogue (e.g., his comment about Katy is funny and all boy and still - comes back to Pam); the lovely, well chosen and evocative details (this: She can smell ...deconstructed notes of the scent of his skin.You made me smell it too ;-)
And most of all I love how you've taken the 'theme' - words/communication - and truly made it integral to the story in both literal and figurative ways. How once again, you've made their increasingly intimate physicality a tacit part of their language too (how he keeps touching her in the car and gradually she's brave enough to reciprocate.)
And btw, in a great minds (or dang, beaten to the punch) moment, in the embryonic piece I mentioned I was toying with, there's also nap scene, just prior to, well...taking the plunge for the first time. (Different circumstances, but still..) Oh well, back to the drawing board, lol ;-)
Can't wait for more of this beautiful thing.