A/N- Since the demise of Bill Buchanan *sniff* and disappearance of Karen Hayes and I suppose more importantly the ending of 24. I am writing my last Bill/Karen (and 24) fic in honour of the first couple I truly fell in love with. Bill and Karen developed so much as individual characters and this development ultimately ensured their close relationship.

I feel this is the perfect opportunity to finally bid my favourite ship farewell.

So here I present to you- my last Bill/Karen fic. (Unless some years in the near future, I have an amazing story idea, which I just have to write and post about Bill and Karen. However I find this highly unlikely.)

Disclaimer- I do not own Bill, Karen, 24 or Fox. If I did- 24 would still be running, Bill would not be sleeping in a box underground and Karen would have returned from her mysterious absence and revealed she was actually on a special top-secret mission helping Jack and Bill during the whole of Season 7. Also the song "Mystery"- which inspired this fic- belongs to Brooke Fraser.

This story is dedicated to my inspirations and B/K pals- take5 (as her Birthday gift), Huddyalways-BK-MA-24 and Palmer4President. Thanks guys, you have been the best. ;)

Enjoy :)

~Mak

Your Love Endures Forever

The silence irritates her. She never did used to mind it. She used to work side by side with it. It was her only companion, during the long hours in her office. Now it was foreign, almost suffocating.

She sat cross-legged on the couch with her left hand holding a glass of wine and her other placed on Bill's leg. Bill had assumed a more casual position on the couch, lying on his back with his legs hanging off the edge of it. He was telling Karen about his youthful days at college, where stress combined with part-time work and idiotic pranks made his years at Brown University one of his most memorable years.

They were peacefully rewinding after a difficult couple days of restless work, after chatter was picked up on a very probably terrorist threat involving the vice-president. The threat was found to be real and thankfully the CTU operatives managed to find and stop the terrorists from carrying out their plans.

Bill had invited Karen over for a 'movie night', as he had put it and Karen had arrived eagerly with a bottle of wine.

The movie, which Bill had put on a mere half hour ago - had been left playing, forgotten by the two as they reminisced. Their laughter filled the house.

The dark scenery surrounding her made her heart ache with sadness. She never knew that the pain of loss could intensify to this. She believed wrong. For the first time in years she was letting go. Letting go of a life. Her life. His life - cut short, too short. She always hated change. Still does. She hated embracing and adopting the unknown. He made her realise differently when they'd met. He'd pointed out her erroneous ways. She thanked him for that. He was the only person who ever had and not been met by her wrath.

Bill put down the menu he'd just been reading off and looked at Karen intently with his boyish grin, his eyes roaming appreciatively over her features. "You look gorgeous tonight, Karen."

She slightly ducked her head when she felt her cheeks begin reddening. "You told me that yesterday," Karen mumbled, looking back up to his blue eyes, her elbows now resting on the table they were sitting at. She'd never felt so beautiful until she'd met Bill. She never thought it'd be possible as she had never cared much about beauty; she was all for being, professional and presentable. However, Bill saw something else behind the layers that no one else had ever uncovered within her.

"I know. But you look especially gorgeous tonight," he told her with a slight sparkle in his eye. "The hair," he mentioned, gesturing a hand towards it - when he saw a look of confusion drawing on her face.

Her hair was down in contrast to her usual tight bun.

Karen blushed further. She was originally relatively unsure what to do with her hair for their first date, and only considered wearing it down last minute. From Bill's appreciative compliments, she was glad she did.

"You should keep it down more often." Bill added with a wink - picking his menu back up from where he placed it. She nodded wordlessly.

She noted there was too much black. Everything seemed to blur together while she stood amongst the dark nightmarish scene.

Since leaving the White House, she'd hardly worn an outfit of black. It reminded her too much of the past which she had been trying to clear from her mind since her departure from those many years- working for the government.

She was sure working for the Government had aged her more than she would have if she had worked at her father's Law firm, which in her younger years she had shown interest in pursuing- until that is, her father dissuaded to do so.

She thought she's seen it all, encountered the harsh reality that there are always innocent lives lost in the wars which play out across the country. This was a fact, which she had quickly discovered soon after joining the FBI, and one she encountered often as the National Security Advisor to the President.

But nothing she'd ever seen or experienced could even compare to the complete devastation which she felt as the final words of the day were spoken.

A hand from beside her passed her an object. Heavy, black handled, dulled metal edge. She gripped it. Feeling powerless to do little more, her hand was aided and she found herself depositing a dusty brown mixture onto the black box resting a metre below. She then returned the object.

She could feel the tears tracing down her face as she saw more dust piling upon the casket. The last memory she would have of him was this, a coffin laid deep in the soil- unspoken memories and secrets locked inside it, to never be released.

She found it ironic that all their lives, it had been full of sacrifices- making the big decisions, which could easily end disastrously- so others wouldn't have to. And it was this dedication and understanding of, 'sacrificing for the bigger picture', which had taken his life in the end.

She wished he wasn't such a hero. She didn't care if it was selfish for her to think such thoughtless thoughts. All she wanted was Bill back, her life back.

The last of the light dustings of soil formed on top of the box and with that, she should have seen the final chapter of the story she had promised with her soul mate to come to an end. However as Karen detangled herself from her grief and breathed in one last shaky breath, what she saw instead was a story of love, sacrifice and dedication, which would never end.

"Your love endures forever. Your love changes me. Your love makes me whole, makes me better. Your love endures…" ~ Mystery- Brooke Fraser

A/N Thanks for reading! :) Please don't feel shy to click that 'review' button!