"Mama! Mama! Water!"
Karen smiled as Vivienne tugged on her hand. "Yeah, honey! That's the ocean!" she told her.
"Oh-shun?" Vivienne questioned, light blue innocent eyes peering up at her mother in wonderment. She looked exactly like her daddy when she did that and Karen couldn't help but giggle.
"Yup! It's where all the fishies are."
"Fishies!" Vivienne exclaimed, hopping up and down.
Jack came walking up to the pair, adjusting his sunglasses on his head as Will and Grace trailed behind. He leaned down and grabbed Vivienne, hoisting her on his hip. "Okay, V, time to get your floaties on!"
The little girl squealed and wrapped her arms around her daddy's neck, grinning happily at her mother over his shoulder. Karen pulled off her cover up, revealing her black bikini and toned body, and jogged over to where Will and Grace were setting their stuff down under an umbrella. Her body bounced right back after having Vivienne with the help of her trainer and Jack who was constantly at the gym himself. She kicked off her shoes and ran back to where Jack was putting a floatie on Vivienne's arm. She leaned down and adjusted the little girl's sun hat on her head, brushing the baby curls out of her eyes.
"You ready?" Karen asked.
"Yeah!" Vivienne shrieked and grabbed both Jack and Karen's hands in hers, tugging them to the water. When the wet sand and water rushed up to her, brushing against her ankles, she screamed and latched on to Karen's leg in freight.
"Baby, its okay," she cooed, crouching down so she was eye-level with the two year old.
Vivienne shook her head and latched on to Karen's neck, burying her face in her shoulder. "Mama..."
Karen stared up at Jack, who was smirking down at her, watching the little interaction between mother and daughter. She kissed Vivienne's hair and lifted her off the ground, holding her in her arms. "You want mama to carry you in?" she asked to which the little girl nodded her head vigorously.
"And daddy!"
Jack grinned and placed his hand on Karen's lower back, guiding her into the water. They walked in until the water was up to their waists, just enough to reach Vivienne's little feet. She shrieked, but then giggled, looking at the water as it lapped around them. "Blue!" she pointed and Jack reached a hand over to rub her back.
"Good job, Viv! It is blue!" He floated around behind Karen's back and wrapped his arms around her waist, one hand on his daughter's back and the other on Karen's stomach. Karen rest her head on his shoulder and gazed up at him through her large sunglasses. Jack placed his lips on hers sweetly, but they parted when Vivienne squealed.
"Kiss! Kiss!" she bounced in Karen's arms and puckered her lips, waiting for her kisses.
Karen beamed and peck her daughter's lips, smiling in adoration as Jack did the same.
Vivienne giggled and then lay her head on Karen's shoulder, closing her eyes.
"You wanna go lay with Auntie Grace and Aunt Will?" Jack asked her softly. The little girl nodded and Karen moved to begin hearing back to shore, but Jack stopped her. "Stay here, I'll take her back," he instructed.
Karen watched them swim back to shore, Jack making Vivienne laugh the entire way and her heart fluttered in her chest. After setting her down in the sand, Grace immediately grabbed a shovel and pale and began making sandcastles with her niece. Jack made his way back to Karen and put his arms around her. Karen brought her legs up and wrapped them around his waist her arms coming around his neck. Jack placed his hands on her lower back and brought his lips to her ear, humming softly. Karen closed her eyes and together they just floated, enjoying their alone time. They hadn't been on vacation since their Hawaii trip when Karen was pregnant and it was nice to finally be away from the city for a little bit. So they packed their things and traveled to the Caimen Islands to Karen's house that she bought after her divorce from Stan. She luckily was able to keep the manse, but he got the other properties so she bought a beach house for Jack, Viv, and herself. Will and Grace were only staying a week with them, but Jack and Karen were planning on staying the entire summer. They heard excited sounds coming from the shore and they each looked over to see Will chasing Vivienne around in the shallow water as it washed against their legs. Vivienne tripped slightly and fell and Jack felt Karen stiffen in his arms. They waited to see if she cried, but she sprung right back up and Will scooped her off the ground, tossing her in the air playfully.
Karen immediately relaxed and Jack chuckled against her. She fixed him with a glare. "Shut up," she mumbled. "I worry."
"She's fine," he shook his head and then nuzzled his nose against her chin. "She didn't even react and Will and Grace were right there to make sure she was okay." He placed a series of tiny kisses along her jaw and up to her mouth. He felt Karen open her mouth and then she bit down on his bottom lip, hard. Jack reared back in shock. "Ow!"
Karen threw her head back and cackled, but it was cut short when Jack bit down on her neck and she shrieked. "Jack!" she yelled. "That's gonna leave a mark!"
"Well you hurt me!"
"Oh please, you big baby-"
"You're the baby!"
Karen rolled her eyes, annoyed with the pointless argument and promptly ended it by capturing his lips between hers. Jack hummed into her mouth and went to deepen the kiss when they heard their daughter screeching for them. They parted and smiled at each other sweetly before swimming back to the shore.
Later that evening, after Vivienne was given her bath, Jack and Karen were tucking her in to her little toddler bed in her new room at the beach house. They had just finished reading her a book and were trying to get her to settle down to sleep, but she was still a bit riled up.
"Come on, V," Jack tried, trailing his fingers through her soft dark brown hair. She looked like the perfect mix of her parents - Jack's light blue eyes, Karen's dark hair, his jaw line, her nose and cheek bones, and the silliest attitude.
"Daddy!" she whined, pushing him away. "No tired!"
"Vivienne Rose," he warned.
"No!" She crawled out from under the covers and into Karen's lap, burying her face in her chest.
"Listen little girl," Karen began, lifting her up to look her in the eye. "It is bedtime. You do not tell your daddy no."
Vivienne pouted, giving Karen the same look Jack would give her if he wanted something, but Karen was an expert on these expressions now and she just raised her eyebrow. Seeing the look on her mother's face, Vivienne deflated and relented, crawling back onto the bed. She looked up at Jack and stood on the mattress, leaning up to plant a sloppy kiss on his cheek. Jack tickled her and she giggled, but settled down when he laid her back. Karen reached over and kissed her forehead as Jack covered her up with the soft blankets.
"Night night, baby girl," Karen whispered. "We love you."
"Love you," Vivienne whispered back.
Jack and Karen stood and turned out the light, glancing back to see their daughter's eyes drifting closed as she fell asleep. They walked hand in hand down to the kitchen to see Will and Grace sitting at the island, eating cheesecake.
"Are we in a Golden Girls rerun?" Jack asked sarcastically, pointing to the two friends.
"I'm not sure, Jackie," Karen replied. "But Blanche and Maude look exhausted."
The two snickered together while Will and Grace rolled their eyes.
"Maude was a completely different show," Will commented before shoving another bite into his mouth.
"Still works," Jack shrugged and sat down with them.
"Is Vivvy asleep?" Grace asked curiously.
"Yeah," Karen yawned, stretching her arms over her head. "I'm surprised she was so wound up. We had a long day."
"Well, she slept an extra hour for her afternoon nap," Jacked said.
Karen stared him down. "We're on vacation."
"You threw off her schedule."
"Are you seriously going to do this?"
"I'm not doing anything!"
"Guys!" Will exclaimed, causing the parents to turn their glares towards him. "You're both tired, like you said it's been a long day. Why don't you two just go to bed?" he suggested.
Jack sighed and nodded. "You're right," he said, glancing at Karen. He leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Night mama," he mumbled. He waved at Will and Grace and walked off down the hall towards his room, his shoulders slumped.
Karen frowned, watching him go in confusion. She looked back at Will and Grace who shrugged, unsure of Jack's easy relenting. She walked over to the cabinet and grabbed a bottle of wine, winking at her friends as she passed. "Night!" she waved over her shoulder.
Will and Grace just stared off towards the hall. "They're weird."
Jack had just finished changing into a loose pair of shorts and a tshirt for bed when he noticed a dim light coming from outside his screen door. He furrowed his brow and slid the door open, peering out to see Karen sitting in front of a campfire wearing one of his old tshirts. He stepped out and approached her slowly, bemused by her antics. "Kare?" he asked. "What are you doing?"
Karen smiled up at him and held out the bottle of wine. "Come relax with me, honey," she told him. She crossed her legs on the large blanket she had laid out and watched Jack as he sat down beside her, taking a sip from the wine bottle. "Are you okay, Jackie?"
Jack swallowed the wine and glanced over at the fire, keeping his face stoic. "I'm fine," he shrugged. "Why?"
Karen bit her lip with a sigh and tucked a piece of stray hair behind her ear before continuing. "You don't seem happy, Poodle. And I'm really worried." She watched a frown form on his face, his gaze never leaving the fire and her nerves intensified as he said nothing. She fiddled with the hem of the shirt that was resting at her hips. "Please talk to me."
"I can't," he told her, his voice barely above a whisper.
Karen felt tears gathering behind her eyes quickly and her throat tightened, fearing the worst. "Why not?"
Jack heard the emotion in her voice and he immediately realized that he wasn't being very forthcoming with his feelings and it was freaking her out. "Hey, hey, hey," he reached over and pulled her to him so her legs were tossed over his thighs, her butt on the blanket, and he grabbed her face in his hands, wiping the tear that escaped her eye. "Karebear, no, I'm... I am happy, okay?" he assured her as she sniffled, trying to get a handle on her emotions. "I just..." he looked back at the fire briefly and then into her hazel eyes. "Recently we've been fighting, a lot," he started. "And sometimes we even fight in front of Vivienne and I remember what it was like when my mom and stepfather got divorced-"
"Wait," Karen reached up and grabbed one of his hands off her cheek, holding it in her lap. "Divorce? Honey-"
"Kare," he interrupted. "Let me just get this out, okay?" He waited until she nodded so he could continue. "I was young when my parents divorced and I had to witness all the fights, the taking sides, everything. And it was horrible." He shook his head, reliving the memories in his head briefly. "And you and I... well, we're not together, even though we act like it, and it scares me so much when we fight because I do not want to do the same thing to Viv that my parent's did to me."
"So that's why you've been letting me get my way every time we argue?" Karen asked, squeezing his hand in hers. Jack nodded, his gaze dropping down her lap where their hands were. "Jackie," she whispered breathy. "We're not your mother and stepfather, you realize that, don't you?" When he didn't answer, she placed a finger under his chin and tilted his face up so she could look into his eyes. "People argue all the time," she told him. "I argued with Stanley about some stupid shit every day. And it doesn't matter if we're not together - we have a child, and we're bound to fight every now and again."
"But you and Stanley divorced..." he whispered, his eyes still full of concern.
"Because the fat bastard cheated on me," she reminded him with a comforting smile. "And then the fucking asshole he faked his death!"
Jack giggled with her, a slight relief to the heavy conversation they were having. He leaned forward and pecked her lips softly. They stared into each other's eyes, smiles slowly fading from their faces. He kissed her again, lingering this time, and moaned when he felt her tongue flick over his lips. Both their lips parted and their tongues twisted together outside their mouths before Jack pushed his way inside and connected their lips again. He moved his hand away from her faced and trailed it down her body to between her thighs, his two middle fingers rubbing her over the fabric of her panties. Karen gasped into his mouth and pulled away to stare into his eyes.
"Kare," he breathed against her lips. "When's the last time you had sex?" He moved his hand up to the waistband of her panties and then slid inside, his two fingers easily slipping inside of her to which she let out a long moan.
"Malcolm," she reminded him on a sigh as his fingers began to pump in and out of her. "A year and a half ago." She bucked against his hand, the motion causing the back of her calf to brush over his erection, trapped in his thin shorts. "You?"
Jack grunted, twisting his fingers inside of her to find that rough patch that made her scream. "Six months ago," he informed her. "That guy at the new gay club downtown."
Karen grabbed his wrist and pulled his hand out of her panties, bringing his fingers to her mouth and sucking them clean as she moved to straddle him, her eyes boring into his with mutual lust. She released his fingers and reached to pull his cock out of his shorts, pumping him slowly between their bodies. Jack moaned and nipped at her lips, his hands grabbing her ass under her shirt and massaging it roughly in his palms. Karen pulled her panties to the side and rubbed herself on his hard cock, coating him with her arousal. She raised up on her knees and then sunk down on him until he was fully seated inside of her, their hips pressed together. She wrapped her arms around his neck as his hands stayed on her rear and they sat still for quite a while, staring at each other.
Jack kissed her once more and used his hands on her butt cheeks to lift her up until he was almost completely out of her only to have Karen slam back down on him. They shared a gasp, their mouths parting. Karen tossed her head back, her long dark hair falling down her back in soft waves and closed her eyes as pleasure soared through her body. Jack placed his lips against her throat and moaned as he moved slowly in and out of her. They hadn't been together like this since the night they conceived Vivienne. They had their many moments where they would make out, but Jack hadn't touched her body since she was pregnant. As they moved at a steady pace together, they realized that this was the only time they actually felt complete. They felt their connection intensify in a way that no other person in their past relationships made them feel. Their bond strengthened and their hearts felt light with ease and familiarity.
"Oh my God," Karen sobbed, a tear falling from the corner of her eye. "I love you, Jack."
Jack kissed down her neck and rest his forehead on her chest as she bounced in his lap. "I love you, too." He squeezed her tighter to him and then came hard inside her, his entire body shaking uncontrollably.
Feeling him fill her up with is cum, Karen held her breath as she flew over the edge as well, her body stiff as pleasure wracked through her. She leaned down and their lips came back together, breathing into each other's mouths as she stilled atop him. When their heartbeats returned to normal, their lips parted and they shared a happy, fulfilled smile.
"This is going to change everything," Jack said honestly, his eyes flicking back and forth between hers, searching for any uncertainty.
Karen agreed with a nod. "Are you scared?"
Jack's eyes lit up and he shook his head. "Not at all."
With a gleeful grin, Karen kissed him again, mumbling into his lips, "Me neither."