Karen Delaney sat at the bar dressed in a black satin floor length dress. Her dark hair swept up, with the loose strands that had fallen curled slightly; framing parts of her face. She was in the crowd of people, being told how wonderful her interview went, how touching they thought her story was; a million things she had already heard. It never got old for her though. She enjoyed the attention, despite the fact it wasn't the attention she wanted at the particular moment, she enjoyed it.

The music that filled the air was capable of putting anyone to sleep. It was soft, light, and at the perfect tempo. She wanted to dance. She needed to dance, but her partner was nowhere to be seen. Feeling suddenly claustrophobic, she excused herself from the crowd and began to walk the room. She began to admire the design in the carpet, the tessellations in the wall, anything to keep her mind of wanting to cry. It was a necessity she didn't cry.

She felt a soft thumb against her wrist, causing her to jump. She turned and was looking into a pair of blue eyes, which caused her to smile. It was Jack. He offered her his arm which she gladly took. As she looked around the room, everyone seemed so happy. There was nothing wrong with being happy, it was just the smiles that it brought to everyone, for some reason unnerved her.

"He would have loved this party," Karen said, as they approached the opposite side of the room. She stopped and took a look around, as if she had forgotten what she looked at before. "He kept telling me he knew I'd make it. He knew before I knew. And it was months before anyone knew what Christopher was going to do." She paused at the realization at the speed she was talking and the fact that she pretty much rhymed the whole thing.

"He loves you. He will always love you. And this is what's best for you," Jack said, joining her gaze around the room. "He'd want you to be happy Kare-"

"But since when is happiness so damn sad?"

"The same day love became painful." Jack informed her. She looked up at him and he gave her half a smile. "Come on." He said tugging at her arm a little. "You'll be fine," He whispered in her ear.

As Karen continued to mingle with people around the room, smiling at people, putting on her big smile, as if she wasn't in pain, Jack stood off to the side watching her. She had this act down to a tee. He could tell when she wasn't fully into the conversation. Her body was relaxed, she was leaning at the bar staring at the glass of champagne that they had brought her, and when someone had directed a question at her or about her, it would take a moment to process.

It was three months ago when he had gotten the call that Will was no longer in Karen's life. She was in tears. She was screaming 'He left me,' repeatedly. He could tell she had been crying for a good amount of time before actually calling her, just by the way her voice sounded; small and needy. Grace had been in the room with him, and was on the couch with him, when Karen came bursting through the door. Her eyes were red and puffy, her cheeks drenched with tears, her clothes not the typical Karen outfit; but it didn't matter in that moment.

She had never worked a day in her life, where she actually enjoyed it. Her mission was to take over a business of some sort. It was the day she had gotten a call from a magazine editor, asking her to come in. Karen got the job as an assistant to the editor, not one of those who fetch coffee, she actually sat in meetings and worked on spreads, things an editor normally did and overlooked. It had been a month since she started and already she was being promoted. She was the editor of the magazine due to the unannounced departure of her boss. And here she was, being praised only two months of being editor, about how great her magazine was.

Jack noticed Karen slip out of the room and onto the balcony. In the years that he had known her, there was something about balconies that mesmerized her. He was getting ready to go after her, not particularly wanted her to be alone, when he saw a familiar face head to the balcony. She would be in good hands then.

She loved being warm. The cut of her dress and the slight wind wasn't helping. He could keep her warm. He always did. Even if he was cold, he was able to keep her warm. It was his thing he could do well. She was able to pick up his presence. Maybe it was the loud tip toeing he tried to do. Or the softness of his breathing sounded loud to her. Whatever it was, she was able to pick it up. "I didn't think you were coming," She told him.

"I didn't know if I was able to." Karen turned around and looked at Will. His dark coat, his dark pants; he looked good. "But I'm glad I did." He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to him. She placed her cheek on his chest, and was content in that position.

"I've missed you,"

"I've missed you too." Will leaned back just enough to kiss her. It wasn't full of need, it wasn't full of lust. It was sweet and caring. Something Will had got her to become. She wanted more from him and she was sure he knew it. After all that they had been through, a month was a lifetime apart. She couldn't handle it anymore. Not knowing how he was or where he was. In her opinion it wasn't fair. Nothing was fair.

Her body against his began to shake. She was crying. She hardly ever cried. Karen felt herself wakeup; her body sitting up in bed, her eyes opening. Everything in her room was dark. She took a glance at her clock 6:44. She felt the space next to her and realized it was empty. Damn her and her hopeful dreams.

She smiled at the memory of the night. It was just her and Will, nothing in the world was able to bother them. After a year of being a lone, a person hopes they finally get used to it. But it never happened. It never works. All this hoping and crossing the fingers, it never works.

Karen lay in bed, wondering about her day. Wondering what he would be doing if he was there with her then. There was so many things they could be doing, but they weren't capable. She stared at her wedding and engagement rings, loving them even more every day. Through sickness and health they stayed together. Through richer and for poor they stayed together. But the damn line, till death to us part, is the one she couldn't bring herself to say. She didn't want to believe death could separate them. She knew she was going to be living forever. But it was Will, she couldn't keep hold of. And she hated that.