Disclaimer: In first chapter.

AN: Thank you to everyone who followed and/or added to your favorites! Also, thank you to those that took time to review! I really appreciate it. :) I hope you like this next chapter!

Chapter 2: Calm

Derek looked down at Karen as they walked into the hotel and realized she was barely awake, only enough to keep her feet moving.

"Love, we're at the hotel. Do you want me to take you to your room?" Derek asks quietly as they wait for the elevator.

Karen shakes her head and shifts her head so it's closer to his neck. "No." She whispers. "Your room."

"Okay, love, on we go." He says leading her into the elevator. He pushes the button for his floor and leans against the sidewall. Karen takes that as her cue to maneuver her body into his until she's resting completely against him. Her head under his chin; their chests, stomachs, and hips aligned; and her legs between his.

"Karen?" He says quietly. "Karen?" A little louder. "Karen?" A normal tone of voice. "We need to get off the elevator, and as much as I enjoy the position you've got us in, it's not conducive for walking." He jokes.

She moves back to his side with a groan of disapproval. He silently laughs, because as much as he doesn't want to admit it, she's adorable like this.

"Stop laughing, you're making my pillow move." She pushes a fist into his chest to prove her point. With another groan, they walk out of the elevator and start down the hall.

"Come on, love. Just down the hall." Derek says quietly.

Derek pulls his key card out of his coat pocket and slides it into the card reader. He waits for the green light and opens the door. He directs Karen through the door, pauses to close and lock it, before moving both of them further into the room.

It's a simple room. There's a large king size bed with a bedside table on either side, a table with two chairs, a dresser with a TV, a closet, a kitchenette, and a bathroom.

"Do you want to change? You can borrow some of my clothes; yours don't look like they'd be too comfortable to sleep in." Derek says as he sits her on the edge of the bed.

She nods and it takes everything in her to remain in the seated position as he leaves her to gather the clothes.

He returns to her side with the clothes, and she just says, "Bathroom."

He steers her to the bathroom, places the clothes on the counter, and goes back to the main room to change for bed as well.

He hears the toilet flush, then the water in the sink running, and then he hears her call him. "Derek." It's quiet, but he was listening for it.

As he makes his way back into the bathroom, he's surprised to find her only in her bra and panties. She looks at him tiredly. "My arms feel like dead weight. I could barely get those off." Her point made as she kind of points to her clothes on the floor. "Can you please help me?" She asks warily.

"Of course darling." Derek says empathetically. He grabs the shirt he left for her and helps her pull it on, then helps her step into the boxers and pulls them up her legs.

"Alright, let's get you into bed." Derek says leading them out of the bathroom to the bed.

He pulls the covers back, helps her in, and starts to pull the covers over her.

"No. Stay. Please." She pleads in a whisper, while opening her eyes, red and puffy, to plead with them too.

"Okay." He knows he's not strong enough to say no to her, especially after what he bore witness to earlier.

He climbs over her to the other side of the bed, both under the covers, and she cuddles up next to him – her head and a hand on his chest and their legs intertwined.

She's asleep the instant her head rests on his chest. He lays there for a few minutes running his fingers through her hair, making sure she's actually asleep. Once he's certain, he falls asleep as well.

They both sleep like the dead, unmoving, for the next ten hours, and it's five pm when they wake up.

As Karen slowly wakes up, she's trying to figure out why it feels like a truck ran her over. Her eyes slowly and a little painfully peel open and she takes in her surroundings. It takes her at least a full minute to realize she's cuddled up to Derek. It takes another minute to remember most everything from last night.

"Ugh." She groans out, and then looks at Derek hoping that he's still asleep. Thankfully, he is and he looks extremely peaceful.

Karen takes a moment to see if she can extract herself from his embrace without waking him up. She twists her body a little in his embrace to see how tight his hold on her is, and hears him groan.

"Love, stop moving." Derek says slowly and huskily.

It takes him a minute to figure out what he just said, and he opens his eyes and looks down to see Karen looking up at him bashfully. When he sees her puffy red-rimmed eyes, he remembers last night.

"Hi." She whispers self-consciously.

"Morning love, are you feeling better?" Derek asks and kisses her forehead.

"I feel like a truck ran over me last night, but that's how I usually feel after a night like that." Karen shrugs as best she can before moving to sit up and stretch.

Derek does the same and asks, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No…yes…maybe…I don't know." Karen says quietly. "Yes, but I'd like to shower first if you don't mind?"

"No problem. Do you want to shower here or go back to your room?" Derek inquires.

"I should probably go get some stuff from my room. But I don't want to answer any of their questions, and I know they're going to have a ton because they were at that café for most of last night." She shakes her head. "I don't know."

"Do you want me to go get your stuff from your room?" Derek asks as if it would be a normal occurrence.

"Yes, but that would bring on even more questions." Karen says as she thinks. "Ugh. I don't even care right now." She shakes her head, deciding. "Yes. Will you please go get my stuff while I shower here?"

"No problem. Do you have your key?"

"Where's my jacket? It should be in one of the pockets." Karen says confused.

"On the bathroom floor, I believe." Derek answers lightly.

"Why would it be on the bathroom floor?" Karen asks perplexed.

"What is the last thing you remember from last night exactly?" Derek questions with one eyebrow raised.

"Umm...it all kind of blurs together after I found you and asked for a piano." Karen says with a shrug.

"Okay. I'll fill you in on everything after you shower and then you can tell me why." Derek says assuredly. "I'll just grab your key and I'll be back soon. Oh, what do you want me to grab?"

"Umm…my purse and…ugh…damn it! I have to go down there. I need to get my bathroom stuff and my clothes. It would take less time than explaining it." Karen said agitatedly.

"Okay. Let's go then." Derek says moving his hand to the small of her back.

"Thank you." Karen nods.

They make their way to the elevator and down to the seventh floor. Derek opens her door, 723, and she moves around the room quietly, hoping they won't wake her still sleeping roommate and friends. It seems as if they all wanted to be there when she came back after last night. She just grabs all of her stuff because that is the quickest and quietest way to get what she needs. Plus she wants to hold off all the questions for as long as possible.

Karen walks back to Derek's side and he takes her bags from her, and leads her back up to his room.