A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews, favorites, and follows!

Karen had just finished getting ready to go onstage for her first "Hit List" number and was now busy worrying about talking to her parents later. She was taking them to Table 46 since she was always mentioning the restaurant to them.

Her parents had arrived earlier in the day. Karen still hadn't told them that Jimmy was in prison. Obviously, they would have questions about why Jimmy wasn't performing. Karen knew that she should tell her parents the truth, but she was very tempted not to.

A knock on her dressing room door jarred her from her thoughts.

"Come in," Karen said.

"Hello, darling," Derek said. "I just wanted to let you know that I was here."

Karen smiled. "You remembered that my parents were going to be here."

"Yes, I did. I'm sure that they will love watching their daughter on Broadway."

"They were already here on opening night."

"Yes, but I'm sure they can't get enough of seeing what a star their daughter is."

"Well, I hope they enjoy the performance, because our conversation at Table 46 afterward might not go so well," Karen said. "I still haven't told my parents that Jimmy is in prison."

"Oh. Well, perhaps they won't take it that badly. He did it so that he can be a better person for you, didn't he?"

"Yes, but I never even told my parents about his drug problems."

"What are you planning to tell them tonight then?"

"I don't know," Karen said honestly. "I guess I'll decide after the show."

"Well, you need to get onstage, so I'll see you later," Derek said.

Karen focused on the show while she was performing, but the task of telling her parents the truth came right back to her afterward.

"I can't believe you didn't win the Tony," her dad said as he gave her a hug.

"You were fantastic, honey," her mom said.

"Thank you so much, Mom, Dad. Thanks for coming."

Derek came over to them. "She really is terrific, isn't she?"

"Mom, Dad, you remember Derek."

"Of course," Roger said, shaking Derek's hand. "It's nice to see you again."

"Likewise. And how are you, Caroline?"

"I'm good. How have you been, Derek?"

"I'm doing well."

Karen had introduced Derek to her mom on opening night for "Hit List." She had liked him right away.

"Did you want to go to the restaurant with us, Derek?" her mom asked.

Derek looked at Karen. She nodded.

"I'd love to," he said.

"So, where was Jimmy?" her dad asked as they walked.

"Um, why don't we talk about that when we get to Table 46?" Karen suggested.

Her dad frowned. "Alright. It isn't something serious, is it?"

Karen really wanted to lie, but she decided to tell her parents the truth and get it over with. Once they were seated in the restaurant, Karen took a deep breath.

"Jimmy…is in prison," Karen said.

Both of her parents' jaws dropped.

"What?" her dad said. "How on earth did he end up in prison?"

"You never said anything about Jimmy getting in any trouble," her mom said.

Karen looked at Derek. He gave her a sympathetic little smile.

"He had some problems with drugs," Karen said. "Five years ago, a girl he was doing drugs with overdosed. It turned out that she was okay, but Jimmy turned himself in recently for it. He did it for me. He's been trying to sober up and be a better person."

"You mean he was on drugs when he was seeing you?" Roger said.

"Yes, for awhile, but he cleaned up after Kyle died," Karen said.

Her parents still looked horrified. Karen didn't know what else to say.

"Jimmy did sober up after Kyle's death," Derek said. "He worked hard to bring the show to Broadway to honor his friend's memory. We wouldn't have the show or Karen's wonderful performance without him."

Karen smiled gratefully at Derek. She really appreciated his help, but she had a feeling her parents were going to continue to have problems with Jimmy.

"I can't believe you lied to us about this!" Roger said, his voice rising a bit. "And, that's not the first time you lied about him. We didn't even know about Jimmy at all until I visited you and saw him sneaking out your window. Of course, now I understand why you didn't want to tell us about him."

"Honey, he really doesn't sound like somebody you should be in a relationship with," her mother said. "And, yes, your father is right. We hate that you lied to us."

"I didn't lie to you," Karen argued quietly. "I just…didn't tell you everything."

There was a horrible, awkward silence after that. Derek attempted to start a conversation at one point.

"So, how was your trip from Iowa?"

"It was fine," her mother answered.

Karen eventually got up and went to the bathroom. Derek came up to her when she came out.

"I'm sorry, love, but I have to get going," Derek said. "Ivy wants me to come over."

"That's alright, Derek," Karen said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thank you so much for coming and for trying to help."

Derek smiled. "You're welcome, darling. I'm sorry that I couldn't help you out more. Good luck with your parents. Hopefully they'll come around."

"Thanks, Derek. Have a good night."

Karen's parents called as she was getting ready to go out for dinner and a movie with Derek.

"Hi, Dad," Karen said. "I can't talk long. I'm getting ready to go out for dinner."

"Who are you going to dinner with?" her dad asked.

"Derek," Karen said.

"Oh, is it work-related?" Roger asked. "I know he's not the director of your new show. Is it about a future project?"

Karen decided that it was best to tell her parents the truth about this. Although she had mentioned to her parents that she was friends with Derek, she hadn't really told them how close they were. Now that she was hoping to start a real relationship with Derek, she didn't want to start things off on the wrong foot by lying to her parents.

"We're going on a date," Karen said.

"A date?" her dad said. "You're dating Derek now?"

Karen couldn't tell from her dad's voice what he thought about it.

"Yes, this is our first date," Karen said. The buzzer rang. "Derek's here now. I need to get going, Dad. I'll tell you all about it later."

"Oh. Well, thank you for being honest with us," Roger said. "And, yes, we'll talk about this later."

Karen said goodbye to her dad and answered the door.

"Hello, darling," Derek said. "You look absolutely beautiful."

"Thank you," Karen said as she took Derek's arm. "Are you ready for our first official date?"

Derek smiled. "I definitely am. It feels like I've been waiting for this moment for a long time."

"I was just talking to my parents," Karen said as they were walking. "I told my dad that we were going on a date."

Derek's eyebrows raised. "Really? How did they react?"

"I'm not really sure yet," Karen said. "My dad did thank me for being honest with him."

Derek nodded. "Well, I will be happy to talk to them whenever you want me to. I like your parents. They just want what's best for you. I understand that now more than ever."

Karen smiled at Derek as they walked toward the restaurant. She had a good feeling about their first date.