Hello all! Well, here is my contribution to the 1000-Post Celebration Challenge on the Bill/ Karen forum. I hope you like it, and please just drop me a review at the end and tell me what you thought.
Disclaimer: No, I don't own 24, Bill, Karen, Wayne Palmer, or the Oath of Office for the President of the United States.
It was a day that neither of them would forget for a long time.
The day that Wayne Palmer was to be inaugurated as President of the United States, Bill Buchanan flew out to Washington DC. He wasn't able to meet his wife until the actual inauguration ceremony.
"Hey sweetheart," Bill whispered softly in his wife's ear from behind her. Karen whipped around and her face lit up.
"Hey," she replied, placing a gentle kiss on his lips. "I'm so glad you made it."
"Believe me, I am too," Bill said, exasperation hidden among his voice. "Of all the flights to be delayed." Karen nodded.
"Well, you're here now, and that's all that matters," she said, smiling and smoothing out his collar as they prepared to enter the ceremony.
For many months, the Buchanans had been put through the stress of a close campaign leading up to this day. When Karen had been called nearly a year ago to advise Wayne's campaign on his foreign policy stance, neither she nor Bill had ever imagined that she would end up here as the soon-to-be President Palmer's National Security Advisor. A simple consulting job had turned into an once-in-a-lifetime career opportunity that Karen couldn't refuse.
"I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of the President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States."
The crowd erupted in applause as Wayne Palmer finished taking the Oath of Office. The Buchanans clapped with the rest of them; however, Bill clapped slightly less enthusiastically than those around him. He couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness upon this occasion.
Ever since it had become apparent that Karen's role in Wayne's campaign could lead to something more down the line, Bill had secretly started hoping that Wayne would do something to lose the election. He had started rejoicing every time he heard Wayne's opponent verbally attack him. He started counting every percentage point that Wayne lost in the national popularity polls. He didn't even vote for him when election time came in November, despite assuring Karen repeatedly that he would vote for Wayne no matter what. Bill wasn't sure whether the reason was jealousy, greed, or simply love. However, he was not about to voice any of this hesitation to Karen. He knew that this was the kind of job she had always dreamed of, and looking at the way her face was lit up as Wayne Palmer was inaugurated only confirmed this in his mind.
As everyone left the Capitol steps and began the parade to the White House, Bill walked next to Karen, taking her hand in his and squeezing it gently.
"I've missed you," he said simply, smiling at Karen. She looked back up at him somewhat forlornly.
"I've missed you, too," she said. She had been in Washington for the week helping to prepare everything for the inauguration. "I'm so glad you're here."
"I won't be for very long," Bill confessed. Brad Hammond at Division had almost had a fit when Bill told him that he was going to take the day of Wayne's inauguration off. It was to be a high probability day for an attack, and Bill had promised Hammond that he would be back in Los Angeles by the following afternoon.
"I know," Karen said sadly. Bill wrapped an arm around Karen's shoulders as they continued to walk.
"Do we have to go to the ball tonight?" Bill asked.
"Unfortunately, yes," Karen replied. "But I don't think we have to go for very long if you don't want to." She looked up at him with an almost mischievous glint in her eye. Bill couldn't help but grin.
"I think that sounds like a good idea to me," he replied.
The night passed far too quickly for both Bill and Karen. By the time they finally collapsed in an exhausted heap late at night, it was almost time for them to get up again. Bill was the first to get out of bed when the alarm blared at 6:00 that morning. He leaned over and placed a kiss on Karen's bare shoulder, stirring her from her sleep.
"It's time to get up, sweetheart," he whispered into her ear. Karen groaned and rolled away from him, pulling a sheet up over her head.
"Don't wanna get up," Bill heard her mumble from beneath the blanket. He chuckled at her stubbornness.
"You know I would rather stay in bed all day, too, but we just can't today," Bill told her.
"I don't care," replied a muffled voice.
"Would you like me to call President Palmer, then?" Bill asked. "I'll tell him that you can't advise him on his first day in office because you are too tired. I'm sure he'll understand." Karen rolled back over to face him.
"You are a cruel man," she said, pouting. Bill grinned and leaned down to place a soft kiss on her cheek.
"Will you forgive me?" he whispered as he pulled back to look at her.
"Hmm," Karen said, considering her answer. She reached up and briefly ran her fingers through the silver strands at the base of his neck before pulling him down so that his lips met hers in a heated kiss. A groan escaped from Bill as the kiss deepened and his hands started roaming over his wife's body. At that moment, however, Karen pulled away and was able to wiggle her way out from underneath a speechless Bill.
"I think I'll forgive you," she said grinning before disappearing into the closet.
"Now look who's cruel," Bill called after Karen. She reappeared moments later clothed in a robe and sat down next to Bill on the bed.
"I win," she proclaimed.
"I didn't realize it was a contest," Bill said.
"And I thought everything was a contest," Karen said smiling. Bill returned her grin.
"With you, maybe," he said before kissing her lightly.
An hour and several distractions later, the couple prepared to part. Bill was heading to the airport, and Karen had to leave to go to the White House. They stood facing each other in the entryway of the condo they had bought Karen to live in while she was in DC. At that moment, neither knew exactly what to say and a heavy silence hung in the air.
"I'll call you tonight," Bill said, breaking the silence. Karen nodded and bit her lower lip, trying to control her emotions.
"Yeah."
"And I'll see you in two weeks," Bill continued. Again, Karen nodded.
"I can't wait," she whispered, a tear gleaming in the corner of her eye. Bill closed the gap between them and cupped her face in his hands, wiping away the tear as it fell.
"Hey," he murmured. "It's going to be okay. We're going to be fine."
"I know, I know," Karen replied through continued tears. Bill pulled her close to him and wrapped his arms around her small frame. "I know," she continued into his jacket. "I just don't want to do this."
"Yes, you do. I know you want this job," Bill said soothingly, kissing the top of her head. "We're going to give it a try for a few months. I'll fly out here again in two weeks, and two weeks after that you'll fly out to Los Angeles. Then two weeks later, I'm back here. And you can call me any time at all. It'll be okay."
Several minutes later, Karen's tears had subsided. She looked up at Bill sadly.
"I miss you already," she told him. A shadow of a smile flickered across his face.
"I miss you too already," he said. With that, a cab that was waiting to take Bill to the airport honked outside and Bill looked at his watch. It was time to go.
"I'll call you every day," Karen told him.
"You better," Bill said slightly jokingly. Karen smiled.
"Don't worry, I will." Bill pulled Karen in for one last, passionate kiss, kissing her like it was their last. They pulled away breathless, and Bill smiled at Karen.
"I love you," he said simply.
"I love you too," Karen replied. "I'll see you in two weeks." With that, Bill picked up his suitcase, placed the briefest of kisses on Karen's lips, and departed to meet the cab. Karen stood in her doorway and watched his cab pull away. Sighing, she prepared to leave for her first day at the White House, unaware that she wouldn't see Bill again for three months.
It was all part of the job.
The End
A/N: I would like to take this chance to announce that I think this will be my last Bill/ Karen story. It makes me very sad, but in writing this story, I realized that it just isn't flowing like it used to. I couldn't get this story right, and it just feels very uninspired. If inspiration strikes me, I will certainly write, and I will always be around to read whatever anyone else writes. I just don't think I have any more Bill/ Karen stories in me to tell. Thanks to everyone who has supported me in everything I've written. It has meant the world to me.
-Palmer4President