"Will, I don't want to go. I hate the way they look at me. It'll be even worse now." She placed Emily in the car-seat and strapped her in. Will smiled at her rant and brought her coat to her. They were expected at his parents' house for a family get together. His parents had been out of the country on vacation for a while and they hadn't had a chance to meet their new grandchild.

"You love my mom."

"Yeah, well, moms freak out when a woman steals their son."

"That happens when they get married."

"We have a child together. You're pretty much attached to me for life, whether you like it or not, honey." He rolled his eyes and lifted the baby seat from the center of the table. Karen grabbed the diaper bag and they began to walk out to his car. However, she stopped before they could make it through the door. "You know, they really only want to meet Emily. Maybe I should just…"

"Don't make me force you into the car." Her eyes narrowed at him in a slightly amused fashion.

"Fine." Her answer was short and they were soon on their way to his parents' house.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

She anticipated the harsh looks, the comments, the judgment, but none of her anticipations mattered. Not one of his family members said or did anything that could have been considered harsh. They welcomed her with hugs and her child was soon taken from her arms to be passed around to whoever wanted to hold her. She kept a close eye on what was happening, but was put at ease when she saw how gentle everyone was with her.

"Karen, come help me in the kitchen." Marilyn's voice called for her and she soon found herself in the kitchen, trying to peel potatoes. She had maybe peeled potatoes only twice in her life, and it never turned out right. It was frustrating that something that was supposed to be so simple was so difficult for her. She had given up on the idea of cooking a long time ago. "You're doing it wrong."

"I know." She tried again to cut the peel, but the knife slipped and sliced her finger, deep. "Ouch, fuck." She dropped the potato and knife into the sink and grabbed a paper towel, wetting it and covering her small injury.

"No need for language, dear. It's not very ladylike." She pulled a small first-aide kit out of a drawer and put some spray on Karen's cut.

"Well, to be honest, I'm not much of a lady. Ouch." The spray burned and she tried to pull her hand away. Marilyn smiled and placed a bandage over her thumb.

"That's probably why Will likes you so much. You're real." The words were odd, and they made her feel awkward. She made eye contact with the woman, but remained speechless. "I know about you, Karen. I know how you and Will came to be a couple, and I must tell you that it's very surprising."

"Mrs. Truman…"

"Don't interrupt me. The bottom line is, after all is said and done, I think you are good for my son."

"What are you trying to say?" Marilyn rolled her eyes and grabbed Karen's shoulders in her hands. She was obviously frustrated at the speed of Karen's mind.

"Let me put it in words you'll understand. I like you, so don't fuck it up." She released her with a small push before walking from the room to hold her granddaughter. Karen's shocked expression faded, and she began to laugh to herself.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Slowly the baby began sleeping longer each night. After a couple more weeks she was only getting up twice a night, and Karen was very thankful. She enjoyed being able to bathe Emily, feed her a bottle, and put her in bed by eight thirty.

"She's asleep." Karen walked into her bedroom and joined Will on her bed. He hadn't spent one night at his apartment since the birth of their child, and she liked it. He smiled and placed his paperwork on the bedside table. "Why are you in bed so early?"

"Its comfortable, and my feet hurt." She placed her head on his shoulder, and he rested his head atop hers.

"Did you go running after work?"

"Yeah, but I didn't realize how out of shape I am." She giggled and met his eyes.

"I'm still carrying all this baby-weight. Believe me, honey, I understand." He smiled and pecked her lips. They sat in silence for a moment, enjoying the bliss that was so rarely experienced.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you earlier, your mom sent a congratulations card." She scoffed and moved from his arms to get under the blankets.

"I wonder where she's living now. The last time I heard, she was thinking about moving to Tokyo or something." He got to his knees and rolled her onto her stomach. "Honey, the doctor said…"

"I'm not trying to have sex with you; I'm giving you a massage." She sighed as his hands began to add pressure to her back muscles. "You'd think my foreplay would be better than just flipping you over."

"Don't worry, honey, it is."

"Good." He rubbed the back of her neck and she sighed again. She didn't realize how much tension had been building in her muscles until it was suddenly being released. "Do you ever wonder what Emily will be like when she's a teenager?" She began to laugh at his inquiry.

"She's four weeks old, honey. I'm just wondering when she'll sleep all night."

"What do you think she'll say when we tell her how we got together? Or, will she have good values? What if she doesn't listen to us?" Karen rolled over onto her back and looked into his eyes as he hovered over her.

"Honey, its way too early to be stressing about all of that, don't you think? I mean, if we raise her the best way we can, then I think she'll be just fine." He nodded and pecked her lips before moving to lie on his side, facing her. "Are you worried about something, Will?" He shrugged, and she rolled on her side to face him, pulling the blanket closer to her face for comfort.

"What did you want to be when you were a kid? What was your dream career?"

"I wanted to be a Forensic Scientist until I realized I am horrible at science. Then I changed my major to English Literature, and that's what my degree is in. What did you want to be?"

"I wanted to be a writer. Then my parents decided that I should go to law school, and that's how I became a lawyer."

"You're not happy with your job, are you, honey?" She reached up to caress his cheek with her fingers. He shook his head and frowned. "Why don't you just quit?"

"What would I do if I just quit my job? I have bills to pay and a child to support."

"Move in with me, and I'll support you. I have more money than I know what to do with."

"No, I wouldn't feel right about that." He sighed and rested his head on the pillow. "I'm sorry, Kare. I don't mean to bother you with this. I just get this way sometimes."

"Don't apologize, honey, I'm glad you're telling me. Nobody likes their life all the time. But if you keep feeling this way you should do something about it. You deserve to be happy." She leaned closer and placed her arm around his middle, hugging him tight to her. "Move in with me."

"Do we really want to take that step? You and Jack are both living here and…"

"Then Jack can move into your apartment and you can live here. Either way, we're going to pay his rent." He laughed and held her in his arms, more assuring than before.

"Okay, I'll move in."

"And you'll quit your job?" Their eyes met and he shook his head.

"It wouldn't be right."

"If you quit your job, which you hate, then you can start writing again. Honey, why not write if it's something you like to do?"

"It's not realistic, Kare. It's like you suddenly deciding that you wanted to study Forensics." She groaned and rolled on top of him, pressing her lips against his.

"We can make it realistic. Just think about it." And he agreed that he would.