A few hours past, Beverly Leslie was just on his way out arm in arm with Benjie, when Jack appeared at the door, he had cleaned himself up, showered, put clean closes on, he still had stubble around his face but he looked a lot better. He walked in ignoring Beverly who spat some insult in his direction. There was silence in the room, all eyes were on him. No one said a word all silently in a panic about what was about to happen.

Jack scanned the room looking for Karen but she wasn't there neither was Grace. There whereabouts was answered when Grace came running off the terrace laughing "You're not going to believe this Karen has just made a woman cry from 9 floors up, it's a new record, she was wearing jogging pants with a fitted shirt and a denim jacket, now we all know what Karen thinks of denim, Silk for the poor and undesirables." She laughed mimicking Karen's voice. When no one joined in her laughter or chastised her for encouraging Karen she looked up and found the reason. Jack didn't look her in the eye. "Get out" she threatened.

"Grace" Will tried only to be pushed aside as she walked towards Jack.

"Get out, she is happy, she is sorting herself out, I don't want her upset yet, she still to vulnerable." But the warning was to late as jack looked over her shoulder at Karen who came bouncing through from the terrace.

"Why's everyone gone so quite, didn't Grace tell you I made a woman cry, I'm back!" She said brightly throwing her hands up in the air and looking at Will. "What?" she questioned. He moved his head to one side and she looked in that direction. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked at Jack, her poodle, he looked different she thought to herself, the sparkle in his eyes had gone, that youthful spirit was no longer present.

The silence seemed to last for ever. "I think we should go." Ellen said grabbing Rob's hand who was blankly starring between the two.

"Yeh we'll come with you." Joe uttered motioning Larry out the door.

"Thank for the evening." Someone shouted in the mass exit. Beverly Leslie and Benjie were caught in the rush for the door and within twenty seconds the room was empty besides the 4 friends, and Rosario. Still nobody spoke, Jack had his head down, Karen was starring at Jack, and Will, Grace and Rosario just felt caught up in the middle.

"Grace, perhaps we should all go over to Jacks, give them some time to talk." He started moving to the door when Grace started protesting.

"No, I'm not leave Karen here with him."

"Grace." Will reasoned pulling her out the door.

She pulled her arm out of his grasp and continued her protest. "No, I'm not leaving, if Jack's got something to say he can sat it in front of all of us." She folded her arms waiting for his first excuse.

"Grace, this doesn't concern us, now come with me, Karen will be fine won't you."

"Yeh honey." Karen replied not taking her eyes off Jack.

Grace approached Jack, she was right up close to his face, "If you upset her again I swear I'm going to kick your ass."

Will pushed Grace out the door and waited for Rosario to join him. "You ok miss Karen?" she asked looking closely at her boss.

"Yeh, Rosie, you go."

Rosario walked out the door muttering, "I'm with red on this one bozo," in Jacks direction.

Will put a hand on Jacks shoulder and closed the door.

Karen didn't know what to do, she kept reminding herself she had to breath, how on earth she had got herself this involved was a mystery, it wasn't until she was away from Jack that she realised what a huge part of her life he was, how deeply her love for him was, how much they were half of a hole to each other. Still she kept looking at him hoping he would say something first. When he moved his head up and there eyes locked she felt her stomach lurch.

He didn't know what to say either, when he looked at her he felt his heart beat quicken, she was so beautiful, so perfect to him, he envied the new found closeness she had with Grace and especially Will. He wanted to hold her, to comfort her, to protect her forever. Yet he didn't know what to say. The silence was becoming awkward.

"I'm sorry, I didn't visit you," he whispered.

"Why didn't you?" She asked politely trying to make her voice sound calm and collected.

"I was scared, scared of the fact that I had done that to you."

Karen started laughing causing him too step back startled. "Oh don't flatter yourself, I've had three people confessing at being the reason I over dosed and each time they've been wrong, I've always drunk and taken pills, these just obviously didn't agree with me, I've told pharmacist and he knows not to get anymore of them." She walked across the room, trying to act normal acting as though the whole thing had been a silly mistake.

"Kare don't" Jack asked quietly.

She spun round "Don't what?"

"Don't pretend that this never happen, don't act like the Karen who had no feeling, no emotions, don't make a joke out of this."

Karen's eyes narrowed in anger she starting shouting as she marched across the room to Jack. "What the way you made a joke out of me, poor Karen who fell in love with her gay best friend, poor Karen she actually thought Jack would go straight for her, poor Karen let Jack use her as an experiment for heterosexuality, poor Karen took an over dose cause Jack didn't feel the same. Jack everybody is laughing at me, so why not laugh along with them, I've pretended I haven't had feelings for years, being married to Stan having to act like the perfect little wife at social gathering and all the time I was in love with you. Why do you think I drank? To make myself happy, I wasn't happy Jack the only time I've ever been happy is the night you told me you loved me, but no that couldn't last for long could it?

The fact that you didn't visit me in hospital, I don't care about that.

The fact that you got confused and maybe needed some time, I didn't care about that.

The fact that you slept with Will just a few days before, we could have got over that,

but the fact that you could be so easily talked out of loving me, now that hurts Jack, that really hurts." She felt tears threaten and turned her face away from him trying to get them under control. Jack walked up behind her and put his hands on her arms.

"Let them out." He muttered referring to the tears; she turned in his embraced and cried hard into his shoulder. He brushed her hair with his hand trying to ease her pain.

"I was never talked out of loving you, I never could be, I was talked out of allowing myself to love you, I was stupid to think that I could save you pain by letting you go, stupid to think we could go back to being Jack and Karen after that night, but you have to know I could never stop loving you."

Karen pulled away from him and looked into his eyes, those deep blue pools that she knew so well, she looked hard and knew that he meant every word. "I love you to." She whispered sniffing as tears tickled her nose.

Jack felt tears burn his own eyes "come her" he said pulling her into a tight hug. "I'm so sorry for everything, when I saw you in the hospital the night they took you in I thought I'd lost you, never do anything like that again do you hear me? My god I thought you were going to die. I couldn't face you I just couldn't, I should have been there for you and I wasn't, I'll never forgive myself for that, never." He sobbed into her hair.

The two remained like that, tightly wrapped in each other arms for a while until Karen pulled away "where do we go from here?" she asked feeling the awkwardness build.

Jack looked at the floor nervously; he didn't know how far he could push his luck. "Well there is a lot we still need to talk about, I think we should be open and honest about everything." Karen nodded in agreement.

"I suppose I better ask the ultimate question" he stuttered not knowing where to look. "Do you want to give this another go, us I mean."?

Karen's eyes sort out Jacks, "no more secrets for me to discover?"

He shook his head silently saying no.

"No more listening to other people, because you know Grace is going to go insane and Rosario has been doing target practice with her gun."

"I'm never taking advise from anyone ever again." He replied.

Karen looked hard at Jack, feeling the butterflies in her stomach. "I love you," she whispered as Jack broke into a smile and hugged her tightly again. She smiled into his shoulder.

"We're going to do this properly this time, take things slow start with a first date and see how things go."

"Agreed" he replied happily sounding more like Jack.

"Now get out of here, pick me up at 7 tomorrow."

He went to open the door and turned to look at her. "Thank you." He said sincerely.

"Jack" she called him back. Slowly she walked up to him and kissed him lightly on the lips. Not knowing how to respond to her he let her movements dictate his. Softly she deepened the kiss pulling her self-close up against him. He wrapped his arms around her feeling so happy he thought he felt tears roll down his face. They parted after a while and she smiled up at him.

"I thought we were taking this slow." He joked.

"Oh, we are, you've got a lot of making up to do, I thought I'd torment you a bit then kick you out, plus I've always wanted to kiss a unshaven man, now thats over I suggest you go shave cause I don't like it and if you want to go on a first date tomorrow, my advise is get rid of it cause the first date is judged on looks you know the rules." She smiled at him feeling happy for the first time since this all happened. "See you tomorrow poodle" she waved as he let himself out.

Once the door closed he smiled just thinking to himself how amazing she was and how lucky he was to have Karen back, his and only his Karen. He walked across to his apartment and started to plan there first date, tomorrow couldn't come quick enough.

Karen felt the same, she had listened to grace shouting the facts at her, shouting all the reasons for her not to go out with Jack and she was right but Karen loved him she had to try again.

"I can't believe this." Grace screamed as she slammed the door to her bedroom leaving Will and Karen alone.

"Well I think your doing the right thing." Will assured her bringing her into a hug. "I know he loves you." He added.