Author's Notes: I want more kick-ass Karen fic (anyone wanna make me happy?) because even if Karen loves her husband she doesn't miss him every single second!

Five Times Karen doesn't miss Bill
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1.

She's at formal dinner party in DC and she's dancing. Noah Daniels is spinning her around, playing the big friendly teddy bear to her Goldilocks. (Yeah, she still remembers the old nicknames.) But he knows she's more at home with the bears than people think and now he wants to be on her good side.

"You're still the most beautiful woman in the room," he mumbles in her ear and she laughs.

"Does that include your wife and your young assistant?" He pushes her back, in time with the music, grins and pulls her back against him again.

"You haven't changed" she says smiling.

2.

Bill had offered to take her to the airport but she didn't want him to be late for work. This is better. Karen checks her watch in the backseat of the cab. She's anxious to get back to DC. The weekend at home was nice and quiet, probably what she needed – what they both needed – but not being in the loop is what she hates the most.

She hates to think about what goes on when she's not there and if there's one thing she'd change about herself it would be her inability to delegate. Her aides are all capable of taking care of what needs to be done – and she keeps her cell phone on at all times – but not physically being in the oval office during a crisis is excruciating.

3.

Press conference at the White House and reporters have been hunting her all day. Camera flashes and a cacophony of voices accompany her as she is escorted into the room. She gets up on the podium and puts her notes in front of her. It's not likely she'll need them but it's it's reassuring to have them there. She looks calmly into the crowd, listens to her introduction, waits until silence settles in the room and then she clears her throat.

"The new security measures are part of our counterterrorism strategy…"

This is where she belongs.

4.

The situation room.

"Our latest intel tells us that they are…" Karen uses a remote control to switch image on the big screen and a new map is shown. "…here. We don't know how much more to go on we can get from our sources, because they haven't been able to contact us in the last few days, but I think it's time to contact the affected embassies."

She sits down and watches the President.

They all watch the President as he leans back in his chair and looks at Tom who nods, and when Palmer turns to the Secretary of Defence Karen's assistant whispers in her ear that her husband is on the phone.

"Not now… " She quickly brushes him off and keeps listening with growing agitation to the VP as he starts proclaiming pre-emption.

5.

"God dammit, Bill" She's frustrated and angry.

"Karen, stop right there… this is not…"

"Don't tell me to stop, Bill… don't you dare…" Her voice is a low whisper.

He is quiet now and she takes a deep breath. "It's my job to give you the order… now do yours!"

"There has to be another way…"

She leaves the corridor, with too many ears and eyes, and goes into an empty briefing room and closes the door.

"My job is to assess the risks to this country… The life of one man weighs lightly in comparison to the chance to save thousands."

"I'm not sure I can do it, Karen… not after what he has done, what he's been through… We both know…"

She sighs, takes the phone away from her ear and waits for him to finish talking. She can't listen to this right now.

She wishes this didn't have to get personal. She wishes he'd just follow her orders and not question her because he can - because she's his wife.
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