Title: She's Changed Her Mind
Spoilers: through the end of season 5. (This was written during the hiatus between seasons 5 and 6)
Summary: Karl has a terrible plan to free Bree from Orson. Sometimes it's too late to change your mind.
Rated R for language & violence.

"You know I'd do anything for you. Don't you?"

A cool breeze blew in the open window. The curtains rippled, and then she felt the breeze hit her bare skin. Goosebumps formed all over Bree's back and shoulders, except where Karl's hand softly caressed her. Her head rested on his chest, there in the motel bed, their lower halves covered by a thin white sheet.

She didn't answer. It hurt him to know she still didn't trust him. Not fully.

His eyes and his hands moved to her hair, the silky fire that framed her face so well. Karl tucked strands of it behind her ear, and she sighed.

She was tired. Tired of sneaking around, tired of hiding, tired of working so hard to please Orson when all she wanted to do was collapse into Karl's arms.

She still wanted a divorce, no matter how many dinners Orson cooked for her, no matter how many romantic dates he planned for her, no matter how many times he insisted she stay in for the night instead of going out with her friends. Because 'going out with her friends' had become a euphamism for 'going out to see Karl', and she suspected Orson knew.

Orson was fighting so hard to keep her. It only made her desire to leave him more intense. The more he tried, the more desperate and undesirable he became. It only served to drive her faster into Karl's waiting arms.

Karl was always there for her, always ready to help. He'd kissed her, fucked her, made love to her, and now he held her. He held her like this before, after, or instead of having sex with her. It was what she wanted, what kept her from going crazy when it seemed she'd never be rid of the husband she could no longer stand.

But Karl was tired too. He was tired of sharing her with a man she didn't love, tired of seeing her stare off into space and lament her lot in life, and tired of waiting for her to do something about it.

Orson threatened to expose her, threatened to turn her in, threatened to bring her business down to the ground, all to keep her from leaving him. He promised to make it up to her, promised to treat her like the queen she was to him, promised to change his ways if it meant she would give him another chance. He whined, he pressed, he demanded and he begged.

Karl simply held her.

The breeze blew again, and Bree shivered. Karl wrapped his arms around her, putting his cheek to the top of her head.

"Do you remember that joke you made? When you said...wouldn't it be easier to have him killed?"

Bree's long stare remained, but she felt herself smiling the tiniest of smiles. Karl didn't elaborate, and she realized he wasn't just reminiscing. The barely-there smile vanished, and her breathing became less even than it had been. His hand had stopped caressing her back, and it felt heavy on her.

"I remember."

Karl remained silent. Now he was the one staring, and thinking. Bree raised her head, the only sound in the room the rustling of the sheets as she moved. She looked straight into Karl's eyes, and he refocused on hers. They stayed that way for a long time, expressionless, until Karl finally spoke.

"He'll never let you go. Not while he's alive."

It scared Bree a little. Not Karl's suggestion, but the fact that she was even considering it a viable possibility. She thought about all the problems that would disappear with Orson gone. Her personal life, her business life, would be clear. Open. Free.

Karl told her how they'd do it. They'd buy plane tickets; they'd be going on a trip. Except they'd never get on the plane. Karl's 'friend', the associate that choked Orson outside of his own home, would sit in Karl's seat, and they'd find a woman to pose as Bree. While the ringers convinced the airline that they'd actually caught their flight, Karl and Bree would remain in Fairview. Bree would call Orson, saying she wanted to work things out. They would meet at a hotel, or a motel just like the one they were in. And then Karl would do it. He would do the deed for Bree, to free her from the prison that her current life had become. He would do it so they wouldn't have to sneak around, so they could finally spend a night together without the lingering presence of another man. So he could have her all to himself and make her smile like she used to.

The sick excitement Bree felt in her heart was mixed with dread. Only the dread reached her face.

"It'll never work." she whispered, and she felt as tired as ever. An overwhelming sadness filled her then, the feeling that her life would never be good again.

Karl saw the tears fill her eyes, and his determination grew. His fingers caressed the soft features on her face; her temple, her cheek, her jawline, her slightly parted lips. The strand of hair he'd so lovingly placed behind her ear came loose.

"I'll make it work." he said. His eyes had always been able to convince her, because he always believed what he said. This time was no different. She looked up at him like a lost child, asking him without speaking if he'd be able to help bring her home.

His eyes said yes.