Oh I’m so glad this finally came together for them! It’s so lovely to see Jim have his revelation and it drive him to action. It makes all the sense in the world that once he thinks about it, it’s clear that Pam marrying him says all that needs to be said. I love the idea of him speaking with her parents and buying a ring.
Huge congrats on finishing your first fic before the end of 2019 - a wonderful accomplishment! I hope you’ll share more with us this year.

Author's Response: Many thanks for all your encouraging reviews, Jenna; it's much appreciated, and it's really helped me keep going when I've been struggling to pin down the words and ideas. Great to be able to concentrate on reading other people's stuff again, and I've really enjoyed your recent stories! Thanks again.

Ugh. Roy is just the worst. The absolute worst. But also, this version of him is great - in that he’s interesting to read & adds a whole layer of angst to the whole thing. I can see this version of Roy playing out, with all the emotional manipulation, etc. I’m kind of glad they went with a softer version in the show, but this version of his reaction is so damn believable all the same...
Penny and Mark need to have a chat & then lock these two knuckleheads in a room & force then to talk... I’m really looking forward to seeing how you resolve things when we emerge from the angst...

Author's Response:

Thanks Jenna! I also wouldn't have liked them to paint this picture of Roy in the show, but there were definitely warning lights flashing for me. But, ultimately it's comedy, and an an openly abusive Roy would have been too heavy for it, I think. Something that does stand out for me about show Roy is that he's possessive and jealous without actually having much interest in or consideration for Pam, what she wants or who she really is. I can actually see him cheating, and also fiercely defending his 'property', without actually caring very much for her. 

Or I could be entirely wrong  80)

I've spent the best part of a week agonising about Roy's role in this...I'm off to do something fluffy now, before I fix the next chapter, which is also angsty. In the one after that there should be signs of how things might resolve, and the one after that should be the epilogue.

Much appreciation for taking your time to review! 

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I was kind of hoping this was where we were headed with the whole bride & groom didn’t show for their wedding thing... I was a little sad when the chapter started with Mark, but at the same time I loved the inclusion of Mark. I was worried that you’d skip over what happened, but I’m glad the flashback was there. I am going to need to flashback to the honeymoon suite also though - fingers crossed that makes it into the next chapter!

Author's Response:

I wrote this straight and I wrote it with the Mark and flashback sandwich. Other people being able to see what they can't or won't is a bit of a theme, so I decided to go with that - hope I didn't completely ruin the moment!

Thanks for your feedback - it's really useful. 

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Welcome to MTT! This is great! I always love a different take on the booze cruise & this is certainly unique. I like that you’ve changed up the boat, the lake, etc. I’m looking forward to seeing what other change this could bring... It’s nice to see where Pam is at here, it seems far less likely to end in the mess that was setting the date which I am very excited about. Can’t wait to see where you take this.

Author's Response: Thank you for the welcome and for reading. Hope it lives up to your expectations!  :o)

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Me, before reading this: I don’t really get Halloween... I’m not into it at all...

Me, after reading this: Halloween is the superior holiday. Wow, I love Halloween!

Author's Response:

Oh, this review delighted me! :) I wonder what other American holidays I can make you a fan of. Flag Day, perhaps?

Thank you for reading! 

Megadesk! Such fun! I honestly like to see Dwight try and get his own. It’s nice to see how the turntables.

I feel you, Jim. It’s always a little rough to return to work after time off. Dwight, Andy and Jo certainly don’t help...

“It was good to get back to work, he mused. But even better to be back home.” This is definitely the perfect line to end this. Lovely way to wrap it all up!

Author's Response: Yeah, I couldn't not include Megadesk. It's just a fun moment in canon. Thank you as always for the support and reviews. It was a lot of fun to bring it all together. 

“You do realize you’re a walking talking Hallmark movie from time to time, right?” This line sums up this fic so well! It’s all so sweet and fluffy, like a warm blanket or a Hallmark Christmas movie. Nice to use the visit from Rachel to prompt a discussion about Jim sticking at Dunder Mifflin. And a throwback to the Halloween episode to boot. Lovely update!

Author's Response: I blame the chat last night and all the talk about tropes for that line. However I was also going for sweet and fluffy so that works too. Thanks as always for your review.

Dwight was the shining star of this chapter is something I don’t say often, but the Dwight content on offer here was wonderful! I can’t say I particularly enjoy reading about mucus, but when Dwight puts it like that, it’s too funny not to appreciate.
Lovely to see Jim stop in at work, I could feel Pam’s pleased surprise - definitely a nice way to go into the rest of her work day.

Author's Response: It was fun adding in a good Dwight scene. As much fun as it is to prank him, he and Pam also have a fun non-pranking friendship that's fun to explore. Thanks as always for your review.

I’m still only part way through “This Thing Called Life” (I’m terrible with reading lengthy, complete fics, so it’s taking me forever & then some...) I know this is partially based on your own experiences, as well as your existing fic universe, so I may have missed something here, but I don’t picture Pam and Jim as canonically regularly church-going folks. It seemed during Cece’s baptism that they were more the special occasion church types. So, for me that felt a little out of character. But, at the same time it doesn’t detract anything from the story - I just don’t see them spending their Sundays at church.
On another note, knowing that Jim has another prank in mind for Dwight is always fun... It adds some incentive to return to work.

Author's Response: I think it's easy to come to that conclusion based on what we see in the show. There area really only a few references to Jim or Pam going to church and they're pretty brief. I think that's mainly due to the fact that it's rare for a network TV show, especially a comedy, in America to have very overt references to religion. Angela being the exception on The Office, but then again they portray her as a rather bad stereotype of Christianity for laughs. However what we do see, leads me to believe it's at least plausible. Pam says she's Presbyterian, they get married in a church, Jim's brother reads from the Bible during the ceremony and Pam remembers the quote years later in S9, Cece is christened which in my experience isn't really something parents do if they just go to church on Christmas and Easter, things like that.

Thanks as always for your comments.

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Oh Pam, her reflections on being at the office alone harking back to Jim being in Stamford still sting... Again, this was all very adorable. I love that you’re including a lot about Pam’s day at work, & not just the goings on at home.

Author's Response: The scars of those days will always be there. They may have healed, but they're there. However both Jim and Pam have grown past those time to much more pleasant days. We'll probably see a good mix of Pam at work and Jim at home going forward. Thanks as always for the review.

Pam is very calm for someone (family or not) showing up at her house for a visit unexpectedly! I would be panicking about how clean my house was (or wasn’t). That said, the inclusion of Johnathan was fun! And as a cousin was a bit of a twist. It seems the fanon thing that Jim has a brother of that name...
Pam pranking Dwight is always delightful. I liked the nod to the Michael Scott Paper Company too.

Author's Response: Johnathan as Jim's brother seemed to be a thing before the canon characters of Tom and Pete were introduced. In homage to those early brother Johnathan fics I recast him as a cousin. I can see why Pam might panic, however now she has a couple days of reinforcements to help with Cece and house work since Jim still has the cast on. Glad you're still liking this story.

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Was the mint chocolate chip a reference to the Office Ladies Podcast and Jenna’s inability to touch ice cream cake after filming The Alliance? If it was, color me impressed with your ability to include all those little details...
Also, what the heck kind of ice cream is Moose Tracks? That’s definitely not a thing here.
This was lovely, as per usual. We really didn’t get to see many of the little family moments in canon, so it’s nice to have them here in fic!

Author's Response: Double reference with Mint Chocolate chip actually. First in universe, Pam is probably grossed out with it by now because it's the only kind of ice cream Micheal will ever order. Second, yes Jenna's podcast comments were an inspiration as well. Moose Tracks is vanilla ice cream with swirls of chocolate fudge and mini-peanut butter cups mixed throughout and it's delightful. If you ever get the opportunity, you should try it.

Thanks as always for your review. I'm glad you're enjoying this so much.