September 1999

She had no idea what she was doing at Grace's apartment, sitting on the floor and pretending to enjoy the conversation with Rob and Ellen…well, if she had to be honest, she was not pretending very well. It had become very clear that none of them wanted to be there, much to Grace's dismay. She wished Jack were there, or even Will for that matter. At least one of them would be entertaining to her, but they were not invited. Grace was asserting some sort of independence from Will-which Karen didn't really understand, since the previous year her friends were so swept up in moving in together and taking on life as a team, Though if she had to think about it, she wasn't surprised at all that they got sick of being so close.

Karen sighed and leaned back on her hands, not wanting to look weak, but sitting on the floor was really hurting her back. Rob had been whining about it already, and she made fun of him, so she couldn't really admit to having the same problem at that point. The night seemed like it would never end…

"Psst…come here!" a whisper from Will's apartment caught her attention when she was walking toward the elevator; finally allowed to leave the most boring dinner party she had ever attended. She turned her head to see Will waving her towards him, holding a box of pizza that had apparently just been delivered. Rolling her eyes in annoyance, she walked his way, only to be roughly pulled into his apartment. The door closed quickly behind her, and she turned to face him with frustration in her eyes.

"Honey, what the hell is your problem?"

"How did it go?" She gave him an incredulous look, even more annoyed than she was before she entered his apartment.

"How do you think it went? It sucked. Grace has no idea how to entertain." She readjusted her purse on her shoulder and moved a strand of hair behind her ear. She vaguely wondered why Will was asking her and not his other friends, ones who actually liked him more specifically, but assumed he was expecting actual honesty. And honesty was not something that Karen Walker was afraid to give.

"How did she seem when you left?"

"Why don't you ask her yourself? You know I'm not that perceptive, honey…also, I really don't care." Just then there was a knock on the door, startling them.

"She can't know you're here, she'll think I'm spying on her." He began pushing her toward his bedroom, trying to hide her somewhere that Grace wouldn't need to go.

"No way, I have to go home. You two are exhausting me tonight." She tried to fight him, but he effectively pushed her toward his bedroom, finally meeting her eyes when she turned in frustration. "Wilma, let me go home."

"Please, stay for a second. I swear, I'll get her out of here as fast as I can." She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in defiance. "I'll make you a drink and let you insult me as long as you'd like once she's gone."

"I'll be going through your things, honey, so time is ticking." She gave a small smile before closing the door behind her. She turned to his room, placing her purse and wrap on the bed while she waited. The past year in particular had been very strange in terms of the friendships she was forging. She had unintentionally become very close to Grace, Jack, and even Will, sometimes, and it scared her a little bit. The fact that Will felt comfortable addressing her in the hallway and calling her over let her know she had stepped too far into the "friendship zone." They were getting too comfortable with her.

Even currently, Will had left her alone in his bedroom with full knowledge she was going to go through his things, and he didn't even care. She shrugged and opened the drawer of his bedside table, assuming that was where he would keep the possible embarrassing items she was likely to come across. He had a notebook (a journal?), a pair of glasses in a black case, some photographs from his childhood. She was expecting to find some sex toys or porn; something incriminating, she didn't care what. The raciest thing she found was a box of condoms and some lube. She rolled her eyes at how boring he was and picked up the notebook, sitting on the bed and flipping through to see what she could find.

It didn't take her long to find a page written in scribbled handwriting, her name dripping venom in every place it was written. She wasn't really surprised, but "heartless bitch" and "gold-digger" were only a couple of the terms he used to describe Grace's new assistant. She flipped forward, hoping to find a change of heart, as he certainly didn't dislike her that strongly anymore. It took her a moment to find her name again. He apparently didn't feel the need to trash-talk her with every entry, so that was at least comforting.

The next entry in which her name appeared was when Jack and Grace forced them to go to Champions on Ice for his birthday. He was mostly complaining about having to go and how they overtook his birthday plans. None of that surprised her, as he whined quite a bit that night, but his next words caught her off guard a bit. Karen was the only one who showed me any kindness on my birthday, which makes me feel confused even saying that. She was the only one who paid me any attention at all, and it kind of made me see a different side to her. She was of course rude and crass to everyone around her at all times, but when she spoke to me it was different. And she shared her champagne with me, so I consider that a huge compliment. I won't tell her because it would offend her, but she's starting to show signs of being an actual human. I like it.

She nodded her head, liking that he had redeemed himself just a bit after being so harsh toward her in his first entry. She looked at the clock on his bedside table and sighed in frustration. He was taking forever to get rid of Grace, so she decided to make herself comfortable. She kicked off her shoes, adjusted his pillow, and laid back with his journal in her hand, sifting through the pages for his next entry that mentioned her name. She could admit that she was vain; she didn't really care what else he was writing about unless it was herself.

She found her name once again a few pages later. He was writing about when they all took him to her cabin in Vermont last year to help him forget about Michael. I couldn't believe that Karen was so supportive. I mean, she was her usual, bitchy self, but after everyone else went to bed I found her sitting alone downstairs in front of the fire with a bottle of wine. I watched her for a minute without her knowing I was there, and for the first time since I met her I saw the real her. She didn't have her wall up, and she looked incredibly sad. I didn't want to invade on her privacy, so I made myself known and sat down. We talked for what felt like hours, about nothing really, but she let me vent about Michael, and that's really what I needed, whether I believed it at the time or not. She patted my shoulder when she went up to bed, and I felt cared for. I don't know why, but there was something about her touch that made me feel warm and safe. Not to mention, she looked breathtaking in front of the fire…and I'm gay, so I can only imagine what a straight man sees when he looks at her.

She shook her head, remembering the time he was talking about. She didn't realize he had watched her before sitting down, and she certainly didn't think she looked very "breathtaking" at all that night. That was a moment she remembered well, as she had just gotten off the phone with Stan where they had a very delicate conversation about his feelings for another woman at the office. They had eventually worked past the issue, and as far as she knew he had never cheated on her, but she knew she was in an uncharacteristically vulnerable state when he found her that night. The conversation he took as her being supportive was really her way of distracting herself from her own problems.

She flipped thorough the book some more and put it back in the bedside table, a little afraid of what else she may find between the pages. Just as she closed her eyes and laid back against his pillow, she heard the door open and Will's footsteps enter the room. She opened her eyes and met his with a look of annoyance, also not wanting him to know she had been reading through his journal. It seemed a little more personal than she was wanting to find.

"I'm sorry that took forever. Here's a martini." He smiled and held her drink up as an apology. She stood from his bed, never one to turn down a drink, and gave him a quick smile.

"Your room is as boring as your personality, honey." She took a sip of the drink, noting it was particularly strong. "Where's the porn or the giant, double-sided gay sex toys?"

"I don't know what you have in your bedroom, but I'm sorry to disappoint." He chuckled, but didn't move from his spot. There was something about seeing her lounging on his bed, shoes off, and unguarded that made him unable to move. She handed the drink to him as she slipped her shoes on and picked up her purse, returning to him to take the drink back from his hands. It was really good, after all. She wasn't going to let it go to waste.

"Am I allowed to go home now, captor?" She took another long drink, meeting his eyes with her own.

"Yes, I'm sorry I pulled you in here like that. I was just trying to…" She waved her hand in understanding, beginning to walk toward his door.

"I understand, honey. It's disgusting, but for some reason you and Grace are starting to make sense to me." She patted his shoulder as she walked past him, wondering vaguely if he got the same feeling from her that he described in his journal. It wasn't that she was trying to seem attractive to him, but the words she read did leave a certain curiosity in her playful mind. He followed her to the living room, where the harsh light made her want to retreat back to his bedroom. It was getting late, and she was exhausted after her evening.

"Well she and I worked it out, so I guess you were right when you said I should just talk to her."

"I said that? Wow, I'm smart." Her sarcasm wasn't lost on him, and he rolled his eyes as she finished her martini with one final drink, handing the glass back to him. "That was the strongest drink I've had in a while. Are you trying to get me drunk so you can take advantage of me, honey?"

"You can get drunk?" He laughed, but her hazel eyes didn't move from his. If he didn't know any better, it felt like she was trying to flirt with him. Then he had to remind himself, Karen flirted with everyone she came across, so it shouldn't have come as much of a surprise to him.

"Only under special circumstances. I think I drank everything liquid in Grace's apartment, so I was primed already." He chuckled again, vaguely noticing that she was no longer trying to rush out the door like she had been. She had playfulness in her eyes that he usually only saw whenever she and Jack were being silly, so it was definitely new territory for him. "Oh, I forgot my wrap."

She broke their banter with the realization that her wrap was still laying on his bed, and she really did need to get home to Stan. He had been waiting to watch a movie until she got home, so they could watch it together, and she didn't want him to think she was taking her time on purpose. She returned to Will's room, grabbed her wrap, and turned around quickly, surprised to find that he had followed her. She placed a hand on her chest to calm herself, wondering why he felt the need to follow her for a simple task.

"Sorry…" She shook her head, annoyed again, and began to walk past him. She was stopped, however, by his hand on her shoulder. "Karen…I, um."

"What?" He didn't say anything, only stuttered for a moment longer. "Honey, I really do need to get home. What's wrong with you?" His lips pressed against hers in a swift motion, fear of her pushing him away giving him the motivation to move quickly. She was too shocked to move at first, not really expecting anything of the sort from him, but found herself giving in as he renewed the kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck, sighing into his mouth as he pulled her closer, his tongue teasing her lips before she opened her mouth to him.

She couldn't have said how long it lasted, it was likely only seconds, but it felt as if everything moved in slow motion. She felt the back of her legs touch his mattress as his hands roamed over her back, and she knew they needed to stop. Breathlessly, she pulled away and looked into his eyes. She had so many questions for him; she had a lot of questions for herself too, if she had to think about it.

"Wow, that was…" He couldn't finish, still holding her close. She didn't step out of his embrace, her hands still upon his shoulders firmly.

"What the hell was that? You do realize you're gay, right? And I'm a married woman." She heard herself speaking and was wondering if she was really speaking to him or reminding herself of her husband waiting at home.

"I know, I'm sorry." He pulled away slowly, not wanting to let go, but knowing he needed to. She straightened out her skirt, composing herself the best she could.

"Don't be sorry. Let's just not do that again, honey." He nodded in agreeance, knowing she was right. She headed toward the front door, feeling the need to get out of his apartment as quickly as possible. She turned toward him, giving a soft smile. "Will, we shouldn't tell anyone about this, okay?"

"I promise."