Chandler Canterbury-older son-picture Emily Blunt-Wife
Ty Panitz-Younger son-picture
Dylan Boyack-middle son-picture
Andrew Trischitta-older son-present
Travis Turner-middle son-present
"Oy! Dev! I thought I told you to stay away from Karen!" A British voice interrupted Karen's thoughts. Her eyes snapped open to see Derek standing a few feet away from her ex. Dev was furious although another emotion was passing over his face. Jealousy? Dev was jealous of Derek? Karen was confused.
"Oh my god. Darth Derek is defending you, Iowa. And Dev is jealous of him. I think I know what Dev suspects." Jessica whispered, letting Dennis, Bobby, Sue, Ivy and Karen know what was painfully obvious to the others.
"No, really, Jess?" Ivy whispered back sarcastically. Derek obviously heard something and glanced at them, scowling.
"Take five, guys. You deserve it." He said. Everyone started murmuring, but Karen ignored them. Yes, it was rare for Derek to compliment them, but that also meant something was up. Karen crept up behind the men in the lobby to watch the fight.
"I told you, Dev, to stay away from my star, She doesn't need you anymore and you definitely don't need her. So shove off before I get her a restraining order for you." Derek practically growled at Karen's ex-boyfriend.
"I told you to leave Karen alone. When you break her precious little heart, someone will need to pick up the pieces, and while you're sleeping with her, I'm going to keep on trying." Dev responded. Derek's face reddened and his fists clenched. Karen stepped out between the two of them.
"Derek, I appreciate you defending me. But I'm not a child, and I can take care of myself." She turns to face Dev and feels Derek step up right behind her and slightly to her left.
"Dev. I've broken up with you. You need to mind your own business, but if it pleases you, I'll tell you this much. I'm not sleeping with Derek. I got the part fair and square and I made up with Ivy. Because unlike some British fool, she isn't trying to stalk me and gave me some space to think, and backed off the part of Marilyn. I agree with Derek, however. If you don't back off, I will get a restraining order against you." Karen took a deep breath to calm herself and felt strong arms hug her lightly. With a small start, she realized it was Derek.
DEREK'S POV
"It's okay, love. He's gone, hopefully for good. You did well, really well. Thank you for stepping in. I would have beaten him to a pulp if you hadn't. I'm going to keep on rambling until I get an answer." He joked, hoping to cheer Karen up a bit.
"I'm scared." She said quietly. Derek held her tight, pulled her into him. She hugged him back, hoping to gain something by it. With Derek, she felt safe and at home.
"Have you called your parents yet to tell them?" Derek asked quietly, trying to help her. Karen shook her head softly. Derek slipped her cell phone out of his pocket and handed it to her. Karen stared at it, the question on her face plain.
"Wha-"
"I took it during the fight and blocked Dev's number. He can't contact you through your cell phone again." Derek smiled smugly at Karen, knowing that she'd try to thank him.
"And if you need a place to stay when we go back to New York, at least until you find a place, you can stay by me. I don't mind, and I promise no funny business." Derek said solemnly. Karen's jaw dropped. Derek laughed quietly at her expression.
"I'm serious, Karen. I'll go get your stuff from Dev's place, I have a guest room, and don't give me that face." For Karen's was giving him a weird look.
"Yes, I do have guests over who are not women that I'm sleeping with. I do have a life besides theater, you know. Actually, I can probably introduce you to my sister, you'd love her. She's a female me, really. Except has a bit bigger of a heart." Derek smiled and held out his hand.
"Now, love. Would you mind accompanying me back into the theater so we can run through Dig Deep again?" Karen smiled weakly and took his hand in her own.
Three hours later…
"Alright! That's it for today. Rehearsal tomorrow starts at noon, and I expect no one, and I mea no one, to come with hangovers. You hear me, Jessica, Dennis, Bobby, Sue? Good. I'll see you all. Have a good evening!" Derek said into the microphone. He shut down his laptop and shut the screen.
Karen waked up to his booth silently. Just as he closed the screen, she saw his screensaver. It was a picture of a woman and three young boys, looking to be between the ages of four and ten. The woman was gorgeous.
"Who're they?" Karen asked. Derek jumped and turned to face her. He had a few tears in his eyes.
"That was my wife and our sons. My wife left me when our younger one died of pneumonia. The second one is living with my father and his boyfriend in Brooklyn and the older one is in boarding school in London. I haven't seen him in six years. Only my sister has seen him, and he's supposedly flying into Boston with her tomorrow. I'm so nervous, Karen. I don't know what he likes, if he'll like me. I'm so nervous." Derek dropped his face into his hands. Karen reached out and stroked Derek's head. She knew that he wasn't the type to get all romantic and whatnot but she could try.
"He'll love you, Derek. You know it, and I know it. Just be yourself."
THE NEXT DAY AT NOON
"Alright, everybody. This is Duncan. He's my son, and he'll be watching your rehearsals. Karen, we're doing a full run through, 'kay? You ready? Let's do this, Marilyn!" Derek yelled as he walked into the theater. Duncan flinched and held his ears until his father stopped yelling.
"You know, they can hear you without you bloody yelling at them, right?" Duncan said in an undertone to Derek. Derek acted as though he hadn't heard anything but muttered "Language" in response. Duncan scowled, a look that many people could say they had seen on Derek.
"Right. You can tell me not to say 'bloody' because you've been so present in my life," Duncan muttered.
"Fade in on a girl," Karen started, and Duncan immediately quieted down. He watched closely until the last note fell out of Karen's mouth. Duncan nodded thoughtfully.
"Tom, the music for Let's be bad needs re-writing, it's twenty years out of fashion. Julia, there needs to be a bit more tension during some of the DiMaggio/Marylin scenes, and Derek-"
"Dad."
"Derek, you need to rearrange some of the scenes, including wolf." Duncan said, ignoring Derek's curses behind from his left. Karen walked up to Derek and whispered something to him. Derek smirked and whispered something back, carefully hiding his face from Duncan. I guess he has heard I can read lips, Duncan thought. Karen laughed, a nice sound.
"Duncan, why don't you come to lunch with me and your father?" Karen asked, as Derek grabbed his bag from the side of the seat. Duncan silently stood, and saw the shutting down photo on Derek's laptop. He blinked back tears, but both Karen and Derek saw them.
"Duncan, I'm going out to lunch with Grandpa, Gramps and Jasper. Do you want to come?" Derek asked quietly, and held the boy in a hug until he nodded.
A few minutes after Karen flagged down a taxi after Derek's numerous attempts
"Grandpa!" Duncan yelled and flew into his grandfather arms. The older man held his grandson, his wrinkles crinkling as he smiled.
"Duncan, m'boy! I haven't seen you in quite a few years. What, five now? You're seventeen." William Wills said, laughing. His boyfriend, Thomas also smiled happily.
"Seventeen? Not for another several months." Duncan laughed.
"Dad." Jasper quietly muttered in an accent almost identical to his father's. Derek smiled and ruffled the eleven-year-old's curly brown hair.
"Jasper. Have you seen your mum recently?" Derek asked, a smile playing on his face. Jasper nodded.
"Last week. Said something about auditioning for a new musical called Hit List or something like that." Jasper's lips turned up slightly.
Karen's POV
Karen watched silently as Derek interacted with the other men/boys. He was so easy with them, nothing like he was for anyone else. But her. And occasionally Ivy, Tom, Julia and Eileen. But always for her. Then, they got onto the topic of Derek's ex-wife.
"I told you that girl was no good." William said with an easy smile and a cockney accent. Derek rolled his eyes.
"Duncan, Jasper. If I ever say anything like that to you, feel free to punch me." Derek said solemnly, and everyone laughed.
"Oh, you're talking about Theresa What's-her-last-name-again." Thomas said just as solemnly, making everyone laugh again.
"Theresa Davis?" Karen asked. Everyone turned to stare at her. Karen blushed.
"I was with Jimmy and Kyle at auditions, she was the only one who showed up on time for that part." Karen explained. Derek hugged Karen with one hand.
"Remind me to come to the callbacks, Karen." Derek lightly kissed her nose. Karen giggled and replied "Okay. Derek, go to the callbacks." Duncan smirked at his father. Jasper rolled his eyes and started to discuss something with the waiter in French.
"Excusez-moi, monsieur, mais ma famille doivent partir dans quelque minutes. Est-ce qu'on peut avoir notre billet?" Jasper asked, a slight English accent mixing with his mostly French one. The waiter smiled kindly and responded. He handed Karen the bill.
"Merci beaucoup, monsieur." Karen said, in an accent only slightly less French than Jasper's.
"Derek, can I talk to you?" William gestured towards the back of the room, and Derek followed him.
"Are you dating her?" William asked sharply, watching for his son's reaction to the question. Derek's expression changed from shocked to surprised to expressionless in a matter of seconds.
"No, I'm not, Dad." Derek responded quietly. He glanced at the floor, taking sudden interest in his shoes. William smiled kindly.
"Do you want me to hint anything to her, Der?" William asked. Derek's head snapped upwards.
"But Dad, you've never liked any girl I've liked!" Derek said wildly, staring at his father with new eyes. William surpressed a chuckle.
"Derek, this Karen girl is something special, she balances your negativity perfectly. I've never seen a more perfect girl for you. Theresa just depressed you. I'll mention something to her." William said, then turned on his heel and stalked back to his boyfriend. Derek followed, a mellow expression on his face.
A cramped car ride later
"Karen!" William pulled Karen to the side.
"Do you like Derek, as more than a friend?" William asked.
"Yeah. I always have. I've just been too scared to say anything." Karen said sadly.
"He likes you. You have to make the first move." William said. Karen looked at him for a second. William winked. Karen smiled and ran to Derek.
"Karen, wha-" Derek was cut off by Karen's lips crashing onto his. Both Jasper and Duncan made sounds of disgust and turned away to discuss soccer.