A/N: Thank you to ItsNotRightButItsOkay for your very kind review. I very
much appreciate your support!
A/N #2: As this chapter is pretty long, I would really love a long review from you readers, so I know if you liked it or not.
A/N #3: Now I guess I should address the lovely (being sarcstic there) review from heliotrope or whatever that reviewer's name is. I was very much annoyed by the review for a couple of reasons. 1. I think that I have mentioned MANY TIMES that Jack and Karen were going to get together in this story and 2. I
even said in my summary for this story that they were going to get together. So helio... whatever your name is, I really don't know what your problem is, I warned you about Jack and Karen and yet, you still read this story. So next time this happens, I will go to whatever stories you have written and flame you mercilessly, so you'll know how it feels to have a piece of work you've worked hard on, be insulted.
Disclaimer: I don't own Jack and Karen or its characters. A few things are
mentioned here that are also not mine. The chapter title comes from a song
with the same name by Paul McCartney.
Chapter Twelve Beautiful Night
Katherine was in the kitchen of her apartment at six the morning of Christmas Eve. She was busily cooking dinner for later that night.
At nine, Amber came out of her room, Essex following. "Good morning Mummy," she said, rubbing her eyes.
"Morning," Katherine answered. "I made oatmeal for you."
"Thank you," Amber said. She walked over to the table and sat down.
"Merry Christmas Eve!" Will called, walking through the front door of the apartment.
"Hi Uncle Will!" Amber said, she got up from the table and went over to
him.
"Ready to open presents tonight?" Will asked, lifting the little girl up.
"I thought we were going to open the gifts tomorrow," Katherine said, looking over at them.
"Yeah, well Grace thinks we should go and visit my mom tomorrow," Will said, putting Amber down. "Try and give her some holiday cheer."
Katherine nodded and then turned back to the stove.
"I'm going to put the presents under the tree," Will then said, picking
up one of two paper bags he had brought with him off the floor. "So no peaking Amb."
"I won't Uncle Will," Amber said, giggling.
Will quickly emptied the paper bag, placing the presents under the five
foot Douglas fir tree placed near the fireplace. When he was done, he picked up the second bag and walked into the kitchen.
"Here, give this a try," Katherine said, holding a spoon with some pale
liquid in it out to him.
Taking the spoon and sipping the soup carefully, Will nodded. "What is
this?" he asked.
"Secret recipe for broth from York," Katherine answered. "Rich in flavor, but not too filling. What's in the other bag?"
Will was quiet for a moment and then said, "Yes Karen, I think that a secret recipe for soup is very interesting too."
Katherine laughed softly and then resumed stirring the broth.
"Anyway, Karen let me know that you still had some things left to buy for dinner tonight," Will said. "And I went to the store and bought them for you."
"Oh Will, you are a lifesaver!" Katherine said, hugging him tightly.
"And if you want, I could help you cook," Will suggested.
Katherine kissed his cheek and said, "Of course you can help!"
Will laughed and then put the paper bag on top of the counter. He rolled up the sleeves of his sweater and was put to work immediately.
~~~
Jack washed his face in the immaculate sink of his and Karen's bedroom.
He wiped his face dry with a towel and stared at his reflection. "Damn," he muttered. "I still look nervous." He sighed and then grabbed a bottle of eye drops.
"Poodle, I need your opinion on this outfit," Karen said, walking into the bathroom.
"Come here," Jack said, holding a hand out to her. When she reached him and took his hand, he made her turn around slowly. "It's perfect Kare."
Karen smiled and then looked up into his eyes. "Are you feeling any better after that nap?" she asked worriedly.
"Loads Kare," Jack said, kissing her forehead. "I'm all set to go. What about you?"
"Ready," Karen answered smiling. "I got Driver to put the presents for
Will and Grace in the limo."
"Okay, then let's go," Jack said. He grabbed Karen's hand and they walked out of their room and down to the limo.
Forty five minutes later, Katherine let Jack and Karen into her apartment. "Happy Christmas Eve you guys," she said, hugging them both.
"Hullo Auntie Karen, Uncle Jack," Amber said, peering out at them from behind Katherine.
"Come here honey," Karen said. "Let me see what you're wearing."
Amber stepped away from her mother, revealing the blue and gold plaid skirt and black sweater she was wearing.
"Oh, you look pretty Amber," Karen said, giving the little girl a hug.
"Thank you Auntie Karen," Amber said, blushing slightly.
"She think's it's too fancy," Katherine said.
"Hey everyone," Grace said, walking into the apartment, Will behind her.
"Sorry we're late," Will said. "Grace was having trouble with her hair."
"Don't worry," Katherine said as she hung up everyone's coats. "I just
finished with the cooking when Jack and Karen got here."
"So are we eating first or opening presents?" Jack asked. He had picked up Amber when Will and Grace had arrived and was holding her.
"Let's open presents first Mummy, please!" Amber cried.
"We need to eat first you guys," Katherine said, walking over to the kitchen.
"And you need to put the presents under the tree poodle," Karen said, pointing to the box next to the door.
"Alright," Jack said, sighing. He put Amber down and then got the box,
taking it over to the tree. He began putting the presents under the tree with Amber's help.
A few moments later, everyone sat down at the dinning table and dinner began.
An hour after dinner, Will lit a fire in the fireplace, and everyone else gathered in front of the tree to start opening presents.
"So how will we do this?" Grace asked, sitting on the shorter couch. "Are we going to go in order of age or what?"
"I think we should do it by name," Jack said.
"Good idea," Katherine said from where she was sitting. "So it's Amber's turn first."
"Here Amb, open this one," Will said, picking up a gift from under the tree and handing it to the girl. He then went over to the couch where Grace was and sat down next to her.
Amber quickly tore the paper off the gift, revealing a book. "What is this?" she asked, looking at the old-fashioned hardcover book in her hands.
"It's a copy of Charlotte's Web," Grace said. "We weren't sure if she would be able to read it though Kat."
"Mummy can read it to me," Amber said. She got up off the floor and went over to Will and Grace, hugging them and kissing their cheeks. "Thank you."
"Here Grace," Katherine said, walking to the couch from the tree, a gift in her hand. "Open this from me and Amber."
It took the six of them an hour to open all the presents that had been under the tree. After the wrapping paper had been thrown away, Katherine wandered over to the piano and started to play Christmas songs.
Noticing that Karen would be distracted for a while, Jack went to Will and Grace and asked, "Can you guys come out on the balcony with me for a sec?"
"Sure Jack," Will said. He glanced over at Grace, seeing his own confused expression mirrored her face.
Once they were outside, Jack said to them, "I'm planning on doing something later on tonight and I wanted to get your approval."
"What's that Jack?" Grace asked, rubbing her arms.
Looking at Will, Jack said, "I want to ask Karen to marry me."
"Oh Jack, on Christmas Eve?" Grace gushed. "That so romantic!"
"So you're okay with it Grace?" Jack asked, looking over at her.
"Of course!" she answered, smiling. "I think it's wonderful."
"Don't you think it's kind of soon to ask her to marry you?" Will asked.
"We've known each other for six years now Will," Jack said. "We know one another much better than we know ourselves."
Will sighed and said, "All right Jack, I give you my blessing for this as well."
"Are you sure?" Grace said, looking at him. "Because I would hate for there to be another fight between you and Kat."
"Yeah, I'm sure," Will said. "Just as long as you're happy Jack."
Karen opened the balcony door and said, "What's going on you guys, why are you out here in the cold?"
"I needed some fresh air," Jack said, walking over to her and putting and arm around her.
"You're freezing poodle!" Karen said. "Come inside before you get sick! Oh and you guys should come back inside too."
"In a sec," Grace said. She closed the door behind Karen and Jack and looked at Will.
"You think she'll say yes?" he asked.
"Look at them," Grace said simply, nodding her head towards the inside of the apartment.
Will walked over from the railing and peered inside.
Jack and Karen where playing a game of Life with Amber on the coffee table in front of the fire. As Will and Grace watched, Karen clapped her hands and turned to Jack, kissing him on the cheek. They could see, even from where they were standing, the way Jack looked at Karen lovingly as she turned back to the game.
"I've never really seen him look at anyone like that before," Will said.
"Does it answer your question?" Grace asked.
"Yeah," he answered slowly. "Let's go inside Gracie, I can't feel my lips."
~~~
At eleven thirty, Grace and Will gathered their gifts together and said
their good-byes to the others.
"Thank you so much for those boots," Grace said as she hugged Katherine. "I'm going to wear them tomorrow."
"I'm glad that you like them," Katherine said. "And thank you both for
your gifts. I really love the copy of The Divine Comedy."
"Good," Will said as he gave her a quick hug. "I looked at the first part of it, and it seems like something you would like."
Will and Grace then said good-bye to Karen and Jack, thanking them for their gifts. A few minutes later, they left, walking over to their apartment.
"I'm exhausted," Karen said, yawning. "Ready to go home Jackie?"
"Yep, why don't you go on and I'll get the presents together and then follow you," Jack said.
"Alright," Karen said, pulling on her fur coat. "Kath, I want you and Amber at the penthouse at three." She hugged her sister quickly. "And we'll be opening presents before we eat." She then hugged Amber and left the apartment.
When Karen had gone into the elevator, Katherine said to Amber, "Go on and put your bedclothes on love."
"You must be psychic," Jack said, placing his and Karen's gifts into the box they had brought with them. "You always know when a want to talk."
"So what did they say when you told them?" Katherine asked, kneeling down and helping Jack.
"Grace said okay first thing," Jack answered. "But Will took a little longer to give his okay."
"I thought so," Katherine said, standing up when the gifts were in the box. "I was thinking... mayhap we should keep the fact that I know about this already a secret."
Jack nodded. "Well I better go," he said, gripping the box tightly.
"Don't worry Jackie-boy," Katherine said, putting a hand on his arm. "Just remember that she loves you."
"Thanks for everything Kat," Jack said.
"You're welcome Jack. Now go on before Kare wonders what happened to you!" Katherine said, laughing. When Jack had left the apartment, Katherine walked to the tree, unplugging the lights. 'Looks like I'm going to have a
brother-in-law by this time next year,' she thought to herself happily.
~~~
When they got back to the penthouse, Jack talked to a servant quickly while Karen went up to their room. After grabbing a bottle of champagne and two glasses, he went up to the room.
"What's all this Jackie?" Karen asked when he stepped up to her.
"A Christmas present," Jack answered, putting the champagne and glasses
down on a table. He had instructed the help to place white and blue Christmas lights in all the windows of the room. A fire had been lit and was crackling cheerfully in the fireplace. And a small stereo was on a table next to the
fireplace.
"It's so beautiful," Karen said, looking around, amazed.
Jack walked over to the stereo and played the cd that was inside. When
the slow music started to play, he turned to Karen and said, "Dance with me?"
Karen went over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Jack then
put his arms around her and they started to sway slowly to the music. After a few minutes, Karen buried her face into Jack's neck.
Eventually, the song ended and as the next one started, Jack pushing Karen back a little so he could look at her. Taking a deep breath to try and calm down, he knelt down on one knee and took one of Karen's hands in his. "You
know that I love you very much Kare," he began. "And you know that I love you very much as my best friend. I... I want to ask you something very important."
Looking a little teary-eyed, Karen nodded for Jack to continue.
"You've always been there for me when I needed a friend Kare," Jack said. "And now that we're together, I want to make sure that I can help you when
you need it... I'm not making any sense am I?"
Karen laughed and said, "No honey, you're making perfect sense."
"Okay, I guess what I'm trying to say, is that I want to be with you forever," Jack said, feeling more nervous. "I want you to be the first thing I see when I wake up and I want you to be the last thing I see at night. Karen, will you marry me?" He took the jewelry box out of his jacket pocket and opened it, showing Karen the ring inside.
"Oh..." Karen whispered, staring down at the sapphire flashing in the light of the fire.
Jack stood up slowly and said, "You can keep the ring even if you don't
want-"
Karen cut him off when she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "Oh Jack, of course I want to marry you!" she cried.
Letting go of her, Jack took the ring out of the box and slipped it on Karen's left ring finger.
As soon as the ring was on, Karen hugged him again and kissed him deeply. There were tears falling down her cheeks, but they were from feeling extreme happiness.
A/N #2: As this chapter is pretty long, I would really love a long review from you readers, so I know if you liked it or not.
A/N #3: Now I guess I should address the lovely (being sarcstic there) review from heliotrope or whatever that reviewer's name is. I was very much annoyed by the review for a couple of reasons. 1. I think that I have mentioned MANY TIMES that Jack and Karen were going to get together in this story and 2. I
even said in my summary for this story that they were going to get together. So helio... whatever your name is, I really don't know what your problem is, I warned you about Jack and Karen and yet, you still read this story. So next time this happens, I will go to whatever stories you have written and flame you mercilessly, so you'll know how it feels to have a piece of work you've worked hard on, be insulted.
Disclaimer: I don't own Jack and Karen or its characters. A few things are
mentioned here that are also not mine. The chapter title comes from a song
with the same name by Paul McCartney.
Chapter Twelve Beautiful Night
Katherine was in the kitchen of her apartment at six the morning of Christmas Eve. She was busily cooking dinner for later that night.
At nine, Amber came out of her room, Essex following. "Good morning Mummy," she said, rubbing her eyes.
"Morning," Katherine answered. "I made oatmeal for you."
"Thank you," Amber said. She walked over to the table and sat down.
"Merry Christmas Eve!" Will called, walking through the front door of the apartment.
"Hi Uncle Will!" Amber said, she got up from the table and went over to
him.
"Ready to open presents tonight?" Will asked, lifting the little girl up.
"I thought we were going to open the gifts tomorrow," Katherine said, looking over at them.
"Yeah, well Grace thinks we should go and visit my mom tomorrow," Will said, putting Amber down. "Try and give her some holiday cheer."
Katherine nodded and then turned back to the stove.
"I'm going to put the presents under the tree," Will then said, picking
up one of two paper bags he had brought with him off the floor. "So no peaking Amb."
"I won't Uncle Will," Amber said, giggling.
Will quickly emptied the paper bag, placing the presents under the five
foot Douglas fir tree placed near the fireplace. When he was done, he picked up the second bag and walked into the kitchen.
"Here, give this a try," Katherine said, holding a spoon with some pale
liquid in it out to him.
Taking the spoon and sipping the soup carefully, Will nodded. "What is
this?" he asked.
"Secret recipe for broth from York," Katherine answered. "Rich in flavor, but not too filling. What's in the other bag?"
Will was quiet for a moment and then said, "Yes Karen, I think that a secret recipe for soup is very interesting too."
Katherine laughed softly and then resumed stirring the broth.
"Anyway, Karen let me know that you still had some things left to buy for dinner tonight," Will said. "And I went to the store and bought them for you."
"Oh Will, you are a lifesaver!" Katherine said, hugging him tightly.
"And if you want, I could help you cook," Will suggested.
Katherine kissed his cheek and said, "Of course you can help!"
Will laughed and then put the paper bag on top of the counter. He rolled up the sleeves of his sweater and was put to work immediately.
~~~
Jack washed his face in the immaculate sink of his and Karen's bedroom.
He wiped his face dry with a towel and stared at his reflection. "Damn," he muttered. "I still look nervous." He sighed and then grabbed a bottle of eye drops.
"Poodle, I need your opinion on this outfit," Karen said, walking into the bathroom.
"Come here," Jack said, holding a hand out to her. When she reached him and took his hand, he made her turn around slowly. "It's perfect Kare."
Karen smiled and then looked up into his eyes. "Are you feeling any better after that nap?" she asked worriedly.
"Loads Kare," Jack said, kissing her forehead. "I'm all set to go. What about you?"
"Ready," Karen answered smiling. "I got Driver to put the presents for
Will and Grace in the limo."
"Okay, then let's go," Jack said. He grabbed Karen's hand and they walked out of their room and down to the limo.
Forty five minutes later, Katherine let Jack and Karen into her apartment. "Happy Christmas Eve you guys," she said, hugging them both.
"Hullo Auntie Karen, Uncle Jack," Amber said, peering out at them from behind Katherine.
"Come here honey," Karen said. "Let me see what you're wearing."
Amber stepped away from her mother, revealing the blue and gold plaid skirt and black sweater she was wearing.
"Oh, you look pretty Amber," Karen said, giving the little girl a hug.
"Thank you Auntie Karen," Amber said, blushing slightly.
"She think's it's too fancy," Katherine said.
"Hey everyone," Grace said, walking into the apartment, Will behind her.
"Sorry we're late," Will said. "Grace was having trouble with her hair."
"Don't worry," Katherine said as she hung up everyone's coats. "I just
finished with the cooking when Jack and Karen got here."
"So are we eating first or opening presents?" Jack asked. He had picked up Amber when Will and Grace had arrived and was holding her.
"Let's open presents first Mummy, please!" Amber cried.
"We need to eat first you guys," Katherine said, walking over to the kitchen.
"And you need to put the presents under the tree poodle," Karen said, pointing to the box next to the door.
"Alright," Jack said, sighing. He put Amber down and then got the box,
taking it over to the tree. He began putting the presents under the tree with Amber's help.
A few moments later, everyone sat down at the dinning table and dinner began.
An hour after dinner, Will lit a fire in the fireplace, and everyone else gathered in front of the tree to start opening presents.
"So how will we do this?" Grace asked, sitting on the shorter couch. "Are we going to go in order of age or what?"
"I think we should do it by name," Jack said.
"Good idea," Katherine said from where she was sitting. "So it's Amber's turn first."
"Here Amb, open this one," Will said, picking up a gift from under the tree and handing it to the girl. He then went over to the couch where Grace was and sat down next to her.
Amber quickly tore the paper off the gift, revealing a book. "What is this?" she asked, looking at the old-fashioned hardcover book in her hands.
"It's a copy of Charlotte's Web," Grace said. "We weren't sure if she would be able to read it though Kat."
"Mummy can read it to me," Amber said. She got up off the floor and went over to Will and Grace, hugging them and kissing their cheeks. "Thank you."
"Here Grace," Katherine said, walking to the couch from the tree, a gift in her hand. "Open this from me and Amber."
It took the six of them an hour to open all the presents that had been under the tree. After the wrapping paper had been thrown away, Katherine wandered over to the piano and started to play Christmas songs.
Noticing that Karen would be distracted for a while, Jack went to Will and Grace and asked, "Can you guys come out on the balcony with me for a sec?"
"Sure Jack," Will said. He glanced over at Grace, seeing his own confused expression mirrored her face.
Once they were outside, Jack said to them, "I'm planning on doing something later on tonight and I wanted to get your approval."
"What's that Jack?" Grace asked, rubbing her arms.
Looking at Will, Jack said, "I want to ask Karen to marry me."
"Oh Jack, on Christmas Eve?" Grace gushed. "That so romantic!"
"So you're okay with it Grace?" Jack asked, looking over at her.
"Of course!" she answered, smiling. "I think it's wonderful."
"Don't you think it's kind of soon to ask her to marry you?" Will asked.
"We've known each other for six years now Will," Jack said. "We know one another much better than we know ourselves."
Will sighed and said, "All right Jack, I give you my blessing for this as well."
"Are you sure?" Grace said, looking at him. "Because I would hate for there to be another fight between you and Kat."
"Yeah, I'm sure," Will said. "Just as long as you're happy Jack."
Karen opened the balcony door and said, "What's going on you guys, why are you out here in the cold?"
"I needed some fresh air," Jack said, walking over to her and putting and arm around her.
"You're freezing poodle!" Karen said. "Come inside before you get sick! Oh and you guys should come back inside too."
"In a sec," Grace said. She closed the door behind Karen and Jack and looked at Will.
"You think she'll say yes?" he asked.
"Look at them," Grace said simply, nodding her head towards the inside of the apartment.
Will walked over from the railing and peered inside.
Jack and Karen where playing a game of Life with Amber on the coffee table in front of the fire. As Will and Grace watched, Karen clapped her hands and turned to Jack, kissing him on the cheek. They could see, even from where they were standing, the way Jack looked at Karen lovingly as she turned back to the game.
"I've never really seen him look at anyone like that before," Will said.
"Does it answer your question?" Grace asked.
"Yeah," he answered slowly. "Let's go inside Gracie, I can't feel my lips."
~~~
At eleven thirty, Grace and Will gathered their gifts together and said
their good-byes to the others.
"Thank you so much for those boots," Grace said as she hugged Katherine. "I'm going to wear them tomorrow."
"I'm glad that you like them," Katherine said. "And thank you both for
your gifts. I really love the copy of The Divine Comedy."
"Good," Will said as he gave her a quick hug. "I looked at the first part of it, and it seems like something you would like."
Will and Grace then said good-bye to Karen and Jack, thanking them for their gifts. A few minutes later, they left, walking over to their apartment.
"I'm exhausted," Karen said, yawning. "Ready to go home Jackie?"
"Yep, why don't you go on and I'll get the presents together and then follow you," Jack said.
"Alright," Karen said, pulling on her fur coat. "Kath, I want you and Amber at the penthouse at three." She hugged her sister quickly. "And we'll be opening presents before we eat." She then hugged Amber and left the apartment.
When Karen had gone into the elevator, Katherine said to Amber, "Go on and put your bedclothes on love."
"You must be psychic," Jack said, placing his and Karen's gifts into the box they had brought with them. "You always know when a want to talk."
"So what did they say when you told them?" Katherine asked, kneeling down and helping Jack.
"Grace said okay first thing," Jack answered. "But Will took a little longer to give his okay."
"I thought so," Katherine said, standing up when the gifts were in the box. "I was thinking... mayhap we should keep the fact that I know about this already a secret."
Jack nodded. "Well I better go," he said, gripping the box tightly.
"Don't worry Jackie-boy," Katherine said, putting a hand on his arm. "Just remember that she loves you."
"Thanks for everything Kat," Jack said.
"You're welcome Jack. Now go on before Kare wonders what happened to you!" Katherine said, laughing. When Jack had left the apartment, Katherine walked to the tree, unplugging the lights. 'Looks like I'm going to have a
brother-in-law by this time next year,' she thought to herself happily.
~~~
When they got back to the penthouse, Jack talked to a servant quickly while Karen went up to their room. After grabbing a bottle of champagne and two glasses, he went up to the room.
"What's all this Jackie?" Karen asked when he stepped up to her.
"A Christmas present," Jack answered, putting the champagne and glasses
down on a table. He had instructed the help to place white and blue Christmas lights in all the windows of the room. A fire had been lit and was crackling cheerfully in the fireplace. And a small stereo was on a table next to the
fireplace.
"It's so beautiful," Karen said, looking around, amazed.
Jack walked over to the stereo and played the cd that was inside. When
the slow music started to play, he turned to Karen and said, "Dance with me?"
Karen went over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Jack then
put his arms around her and they started to sway slowly to the music. After a few minutes, Karen buried her face into Jack's neck.
Eventually, the song ended and as the next one started, Jack pushing Karen back a little so he could look at her. Taking a deep breath to try and calm down, he knelt down on one knee and took one of Karen's hands in his. "You
know that I love you very much Kare," he began. "And you know that I love you very much as my best friend. I... I want to ask you something very important."
Looking a little teary-eyed, Karen nodded for Jack to continue.
"You've always been there for me when I needed a friend Kare," Jack said. "And now that we're together, I want to make sure that I can help you when
you need it... I'm not making any sense am I?"
Karen laughed and said, "No honey, you're making perfect sense."
"Okay, I guess what I'm trying to say, is that I want to be with you forever," Jack said, feeling more nervous. "I want you to be the first thing I see when I wake up and I want you to be the last thing I see at night. Karen, will you marry me?" He took the jewelry box out of his jacket pocket and opened it, showing Karen the ring inside.
"Oh..." Karen whispered, staring down at the sapphire flashing in the light of the fire.
Jack stood up slowly and said, "You can keep the ring even if you don't
want-"
Karen cut him off when she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "Oh Jack, of course I want to marry you!" she cried.
Letting go of her, Jack took the ring out of the box and slipped it on Karen's left ring finger.
As soon as the ring was on, Karen hugged him again and kissed him deeply. There were tears falling down her cheeks, but they were from feeling extreme happiness.