A familiar sound woke him that early September morning. He fluttered his eyes various times to bring into focus the dim lilted room. He sighed as he placed his hands over his eyes. The "On a Slow Boat to China" tune kept playing in a loop as he lay stretching. He reached over for his phone and saw two new text messages on it. His eyes widen as he saw they were from Karen. He sat up and walked over to the window to get a better look at the messages. "Meet me at the tree?" he read. The "tree" he thought back for a second.

"Oh…" it was the tree where Malcolm had proposed to her when they were dating. How well he remembered that day. It was the day after Valentines and he'd just gotten back from a business trip in Chicago. He'd asked her to wait for him under a great big oak in Central Park at 5:00 p.m. When he arrived right off the plane he drove to Central Park and rushed over to meet with her. There she stood behind the tree shaking out of her wits. "Malcolm! Darling I missed you!" she ran to him and wrapped her arms around his neck as he lifted her up into his arms. "Did you really miss me?" he asked into her scarf. "Yes desperately!" she shivered. "Well I missed you too…I have something for you." He looked into her eyes; she gasped in excitement. "Do you really? What is it? I want it!" she giggled. "Alright." He set her down and opened his coat. "Get it. It's inside my pocket." He smiled. "Malcolm! Don't me obscene." She blushed as an elderly couple strolled by them. "I'm not…seriously it's in my pocket. Come on I don't bite…that hard." He laughed at the lame joke. "Well alright. If you say so…" she eyed him as she got closer to him and slipped her hand into his front pocket. She felt around for a bit until she got a hold of something round. "A Keychain Malcolm…" she scoffed. He pouted as she didn't notice what hung from it. "Oh my God! Malcolm!" she covered her mouth. "Karen, I know we've never talked about marriage, but I've been thinking and I can't see my life with out you. You're the one I want to wake up to every morning. The one I want to grow old with. Please say yes." He said going down on one knee. He took hold of the Keychain and unclipped the ring. Her hand dropped into his and she nod her head repeatedly. "Yes, Malcolm. Of course!" he slipped the ring on her finger and rose to embrace her. "I love you. You've made my life complete." He said holding her face before lowering his lips to kiss her deeply. They were interrupted when they heard clapping from behind Karen. They both blushed and laughed as they noticed a small crowd of people who were passing by. Karen blushed as she noticed people were watching her cry. They looked at each other smiling. "Ready to go home?" Malcolm asked. Karen gave him her devilish smirk and nod her head.

Malcolm smiled to himself as he walked through the park seeing the large oak tree in the distance. His stomach swarmed with nervous butterflies as he saw Karen's figure sitting in the bench facing the other way. He fixed his long sleeve shirt and stood next to the bench. She became startled and dropped the papers she held in hand. "Malcolm…" she gave a sly smile.

"You wanted to talk to me?" he asked handing her the papers.

"Yes." She handed him back the papers.

"What is this?" he asked looking at the folded papers.

"They're from the doctor." She confirmed.

"Is the baby alright?" he asked unfolding the papers.

"Oh "she's" fine." She smiled.

"Oh she is? Wait "she"? It's a girl?" he smiled widely.

"Mhm…"

"Wait you also said that last week…you already knew?" he asked a bit hurt.

"It's a mother's gut feeling, Malcolm." She said standing up from the bench.

"Karen, I don't know what to say…I'm so happy for…" he paused.

"Us…Mal, don't do this." She said looking at the lost look in his eyes.

"Oh no don't worry, Kare. I was just remembering when I proposed." He said looking at her worried expression.

"Oh…well, Mal, I had an idea that may just work for us."

"What is it?" he gave her a questioning look.

"That we start dating."

"Other people?" his expression was priceless.

"Oh Mal, for a lawyer your not very bright…I meant us…for us to start dating each other. I think it will bring us closer again. Unless you just want to move back in." she said suggestively crossing her arms making her chest more exposed. He looked down at her and her chest and swallowed hard.

"Sure that would be a start. I do wish to be back at home, you know that right?"

"Well it doesn't seem like it Malcolm. Last week you said you needed time, so time is what you'll get." She said fiercely. For once she felt strong and independent.

"Do you want to go have dinner?" he asked.

"Malcolm, its 9:00 a.m." she laughed.

"Ha-ha right…breakfast then?"

"That would be nice. Manhattan Diner?"

"You wan to a go to a diner?" he asked.

"Sure why not…we'll sit in a booth away from everyone else and just talk."

He extended his hand and she grabbed hold of it as they walked back to his car.

"Karen? Karen! Where are you?" Jack and Grace searched high and low for the where abouts of their friend.

"Jack, have you found her?" Grace yelled from the library.

"No!" he said feeling panicked.

"Have you tried her phone?"

"No I thought you did?" he said poking his head into the library.

"Damn it then I'll try that." She carefully dialed Karen's cell phone number. She brought it to her ear and heard as it rung several time before someone picked up. "Karen"

"Hey Gracie." She smiled into the phone.

"Where in heavens names are you? Jack and I have been looking for you like idiots!" she said in a hectic motherly voice.

"I'm at breakfast with Malcolm, sweetie."

Will sat at the table alone looking at the wall in front of him holding his mug of coffee. He looked at the frames holding pictures of all of them as they once were. Grace looking like a sweet innocent child while on the other end Karen looked completely the opposite. It had been one of their Halloween pictures. Grace was Raggedy Ann and Karen was a sexy Vampire Slayer. He laughed to himself as he remembered how drunk they'd all been that night. No one knew who fell asleep first or why they'd all ended up half nude under Karen's sheets.

He was in a daze as he stared into all the frames and vision blurred. The door burst open revealing Grace with a stroller and Jack with a diaper bag. They smiled brightly as they walked in and set everything down. Will stood unsurely. "What are you all doing here?"

"Is that how you greet your friends William?" Grace said aggressively.

"I can't have you guys here right now." He said looking over at the front door.

"Why not?" Jack crossed his arms and stared him up and down.

"Because…"

"Morning, se…oh dear I didn't know you had company." The dark haired woman said as she walked into the living room. "I'll just go back into the room…" she said walking back tracing her own steps.

"No, no, no come here…now that's its out in the open." Will said holding his temples.

"Will whose this?" Grace asked raising an eyebrow.

"This is… Katharine." Will said studying the faces of his two friends.

"Oh how very nice to meet you Kat." Grace said with a smile.

"Katharine, please." She smiled bitterly.

Jack and Grace looked at each other in repulsion. They looked over at Will raised their eyebrow and began to turn towards the door.

"By the looks of it we are interrupting something so I guess we'll see you some other time, Will." Grace said pushing the stroller out with Jack dragging along.

"Ew… I don't like her…was I the only one that noticed she was trying hard to look like Kare?" Jack asked as they waited on the elevator.

"What I noticed was the charm necklace with a "K" that Will had given Karen their second Christmas together and the Tennis bracelet." She said with a disgusted look.

"We can't tell Karen…." Jack said plainly.

They sat in silence for a while after returning back to the oak tree. The wind blew lightly over and between them as the evening began to settle in. They sat fairly apart from one another and the awkwardness retuned. She looked over at him like a shy little school girl while he looked straight into the mist of night. She did the same and looked straight ahead when she felt him turn and give her a glance. She turned again stealing a glance and catching his eyes doing so. They stared at each other with uncertainty.

"Can I feel it?" Malcolm's voice broke the silence.

"Excuse me?' Karen asked a little too shocked.

"Your stomach Karen!" he rolled his eyes as they laughed.

"Ohhh…I knew that." She smiled widely. "Sure go right ahead."

She watched as his hand slowly moved from his lap and reached up to her stomach. He shifted his body as he finally let his left palm lay on her semi-swelling belly. She grabbed hold his hand and lowered it under the bump. "You'll feel her better down here." She said sounding like an expert. And just as they placed the hands the baby began moving in a dancing motion within her.

"Whoa…I didn't know she moved that much." Malcolm said surprised.

"She doesn't normally do that…she must know it's you." She smiled; he smiled.

"How does it feel?" he asked feeling its kick right on his palm.

"Like if I was a drum being played from the inside." She winced.

"Are you ok?" he asked noticing her face become pale.

"Yes…the doctor said I'd be fine. I've been getting cramp like pains, but Dr. Allen said it was due to the baby's growth." She squeezed his knee as another cramp hit her lower stomach.

"Kare, are you sure you're ok?" he said kneeling in front of her.

"I'm fine really…" she placed a hand on his cool cheek. He covered her hand with his. She parted her fingers to let his entwine with her own. He knelt up to meet her face to face and let his lips trace over hers. Her staggered breath filled his mouth as to be surprised. They untwined their hands and she grabbed full force on his face deepening the kiss. He did the same in grabbing on to her face brining her as close as her belly allowed her to. As their stomachs touched Malcolm could feel the baby kick. On the other side Karen could feel everything spin and the baby moving uncontrollably within her. They parted for air, but kept their foreheads connected. "Let's go home…" she smiled against his lips.

"Wow putting out on a first date…" he laughed.

"Who said anything about putting out?' she teased. Malcolm tensed up at her comment. How could he jump to that conclusion? "I'm kidding!" she laughed at his uneasiness.

They lay in bed staring at the ceiling in the same awkward silence as before. She turned various time to look at him but he only gazed at the ceiling. She wanted so much to speak but something stopped her. Two months apart had really done a number on them. She always believed that if you loved someone unconditionally there wouldn't be any awkwardness yet she may have been wrong on this one. She sat up slightly and leaned over to him. His eyes moved to her face and smiled.

"Malcolm... Do you still love me?"

"Of course I do. Why do you ask?"

"Oh nothing just asking..." She kissed him.

She crossed over to straddle him but alas she couldn't lean all so very well. He pulled down on her, but she refused to move and instead pulled on him to sit up. "Mal you have to work with me here honey." She giggled.

He sat up and backed himself up against the antique headboard. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him slowly. Their lips lingered in a magical entangling kiss. His hands ran up and down her back slowly as her lips moved down to his neck. They hadn't been in each other's arms for two months and it felt like ages had gone by. His hands went up her night shirt and moved to her back. There was an instant reaction to her body. He slowly lifted the shirt up her body and over her head. She stopped him various times feeling uncomfortable. "Turn off the lights first." She said. He paused any movement that he had been making.

"Why?" he looked at her in question.

"A lot has changed since you last saw me. I don't want you to be disgusted." She said lightly.

"You'd never disgust me, Kare." he said removing the gown from her grasp.

"Please do it for me. Leave the lamp on but not the bedroom light."

He got hold of the remote on the night stand and lowered the light from the room. It dimmed and dimmed until the only light came from the lamp opposite the bed. She sighed and let her night shirt go. "Thank you." She whispered in his ear as she followed it by teasing it. She tugged at his pajama pants and brought them down his legs and he shook them down the rest of the way. She felt his hands grab hold of her waist and lift her as she lifted herself. She dug her nails into his shoulders as she lowered her self and felt him enter her with a slight roughness. They both silently sighed as she let him enter her entirely. They caught each others eyes in the dim light before allowing him to lift her up. "I missed you." He said catching the uneasiness in her eyes. She half smiled and recited the same. She steadied her self before lifting her hips once again only this time sensually and slow as if wanting that moment never to cease. She kept her eyes on him wanting to remember him in that moment forever.

They lay asleep in each others arms when the bedroom door opened slightly. Grace poked her head through and saw darkness. She walked over to the bed knowing her way after being there for two months. She turned the tiny knob and the dim light illuminated the small section of the room. She jumped back in surprise as she saw Karen wasn't alone and they were indeed both in the nude. She lightly smiled at the sight of the reunited couple and shut the light off and walked back to the room neighboring Karen's.

Karen opened her eyes slightly after hearing the door shut. She smiled as she felt Malcolm's arm around her. She kissed his arms that she rested her head on and closed her eyes once again. She lay wrapped in the arms of her husband again.