Derek dragged himself off the plane. It was a lot warmer than New York at this time of year, and he was exhausted from the uncomfortable heat of the flight. Derek went in search of a café where he could gather his thoughts and refuel before checked into his hotel.

"See you later guys! Get some rest, alright Marlena?" Karen waved goodbye to her friends as they left the café. Karen had returned home for her friend's baby shower, and decided to stay a while. Things were not picking up for her in New York, and she was lucky to get a callback, if anything. Her parents were missing her too. Karen managed to pick up a few shifts at her old waitressing job, complete with the pale pink uniforms and apron around her waist. Not the glamorous life, but she felt happy to be away from the chaos of New York for a while. All she wanted was the chance to prove that she was good enough, but no one even gave her the time of day.

"Karen, table 12 is waiting for coffee!" Karen snapped out of her train of thought and headed over to the table before she was stopped dead in her tracks.

"Derek?" Derek smirked as he looked at her unflattering uniform and Karen felt herself start to blush.
"What are you doing here?"

"Oh you know, just in the neighbourhood." he smiled.

Karen stood there for several moments, before realising she was still standing a few feet from the table. She quickly slid into the booth across from him. "Did you come to see me?" Karen said in a low voice.

"Do you have a minute to talk?" Karen looked over to her boss who nodded at her.

"Yeah sure." They sat comfortably and exchanged small talk for several minutes. Karen still wasn't quite sure why he had come all this way just to see her.

"How's the Marilyn musical coming along?" she asked.

"Well that's the reason I came to see you. You remember the actress who was playing Marilyn?"

"Yeah, Ivy. How could I forget." Karen replied sarcastically.

"Well she was having some issues and long story short, we couldn't keep her in the show." Karen eyes widened and waited for him to continue. "And..?"

"And if you are still interested. The role of Marilyn is yours."

Karen sat there for a moment trying to process the information he had just told her. "You want me to play Marilyn? Don't you have a whole lot of actresses in New York that you could have asked?"

"Well if you don't want it-"

"Of course I do!" Karen paused. "I've just kind of moved back home."

"Let me know what you decide. Rehearsals start up again next week. And for the record, you looked much better in a Marilyn wig."

Dinner in the Cartwright house was quite that evening. Karen picked at her spaghetti bolognese for most of the evening. "So honey, how was work today?" Roger asked, trying to break the silence.

"The girls came in, that was pretty fun I guess." Karen smiled.

"You just seem…preoccupied."

"And Derek came to see me."

"Derek?" It was a name unfamiliar to the couple.

"Derek is directing that musical based on Marilyn Monroe that I had those callbacks for a few weeks ago," Karen informed them.

"And what was he doing here?" Roger asked sternly.

"He wanted to let me know that the actress they had playing Marilyn dropped out or something, so they want me to play Marilyn instead."

Her parents looked at her in shock for a moment. "Are you going to do it?" Elizabeth asked her daughter.

"I would like to, but I've just moved back here. It would be so much of a hassle to go back now. And I missed you guys."

"Honey, do whatever makes you happy. We won't mind either way."

Karen rushed up the stairs of the subway and across the street. She was already running late to rehearsals. Great, she thought. Just what I need on my first day. Karen had moved back in her roommate Ana, and they lived a fair distance from the rehearsal studios. Ana was happy to have her back seeing as she hadn't found another roommate yet, and they missed their late night movies and gossip sessions. Karen quickly moved back into the fast pace of the city, not even realising how much she missed it.

Rehearsals moved just as fast. There were new faces, new routines and new lyrics that seemed to just be thrown at her. Derek had noticed her struggle for the first few days, but figured she would settle into it soon enough.

"Do we have a problem Miss Cartwright?" he asked as she stumbled over the same step for the third time.

"No, sorry. Just need to get my head around the routine."

"Well do it quickly, alright? From the top." Karen nodded and took her place at the centre of the stage. They were working on 'The 20th Century Fox Mambo' and Karen once again missed the step.

"Alright everyone, let's take 10." Derek's voice bellowed in the studio as the cast rushed to their bags. "Karen, a word."

"Is everything okay?" he asked her as she made her way over to the table where he was sitting.

"Yes, I'm sorry it's taking me a bit longer to learn the routines. I'm just not used to such a fast-paced rehearsal. I've got it now."

"As long as you've got it. You know I'll push you until it's perfect."

"Oh, I know. I'll be fine, Derek." He nodded and turned back to his notes.

She knew he would push, he always got what he wanted. Karen thought back to that night of her first audition- her casting couch moment. Karen had thought she would never have to see him again after she didn't get the role, but the idea of what that night could have turned into never left her.