Chapter 10

Grace came home, after her confrontation with Jack, to find Karen asleep on Will on the sofa.

"Is this the right house?" She jokingly whispered as she entered, trying her best not to wake Karen.

Will smiled. "Hey, Grace."

"She told you?"

He nodded. "She told me everything. I can't believe Jack." He lovingly stroked Karen's head. Something inside him had changed since he found out about the baby. Suddenly Karen seemed human to him. He saw that she was, in the end, just a lonely human being who needed her friends, like essentially, they all were.

"I know." Grace responded, perching on the edge of the coffee table. "But I've been to talk to him. Hopefully I got through to him, but I don't know. It's up to him now. He's got to decide which he values more. His friends or his pride."

Will nodded in agreement. Just at that moment, Karen woke up from her sleep. At first she looked confused, not understanding where she was, but quickly she remember and upon seeing Grace proceeded in quizzing her about Jack.

"Did you talk to him? What did he say? Has he forgiven me?"

Grace hesitated. She didn't know what to say. "I talked to him and I told him everything. I told him all about Stan and stuff so at least now he knows what you're going through."

"Yeah, so, what did he say?"

"Well…he didn't really respond because I left at that point. I thought I'd give him some time to think about it. It's a lot for him to deal with, Karen. Up until now the most important thought he's ever had to deal with is 'Should I get highlights?', I think he just needs some time alone for a while. He'll come round when he's ready."

Karen nodded her head. Of course she was upset that Jack hadn't forgiven her, but she knew that what Grace said was right. He needed his own space for while.

"Thanks Grace, for trying."

She smiled back, "It's fine. Now, are you both hungry? I picked up Chinese on the way home, I'm starving!"

Will laughed, "When are you not, Grace?"

"Well…" she began but was interrupted by a knock at the door.

Will got up and opened the door.

"Jack?"

Both Grace and Karen gasped.

"Can I come in? I need to talk to Karen."

Will nodded. "Sure. Come on Grace, we'll go out and grab something to eat."

"Oh…ok, sure. I hear there's a new guy working in Starbucks. Supposed to be very cute…" She shut the door behind them and Jack and Karen were left alone together.

"So…" Karen began.

"So…" Jack repeated. They both smiled at each other. "I'm sorry, Kare."

"No, I'm sorry, Jackie. I should have told you from the beginning. I just needed to…"

"I know. You don't need to explain. But I'm really sorry, I was so insensitive, I just thought about myself. I thought you'd replaced me with Grace." He looked down at his shoes.

"Oh, honey! You're one of a kind; I've only got one poodle!"

"Really? So…friends?"

"Of course!"

They hugged each other, finally feeling that everything was alright again. Karen, for the first time since she found out she was pregnant, was looking forward to what was going to come these next few months. She was nervous but excited about the growing life inside of her.

Meanwhile, In Starbucks….

"So, what do you think is going to happen?" Grace asked, whilst gorging on a huge piece of chocolate cake.

"Grace…who ever told you that what you are currently doing is attractive, please shoot them."

"Wha?" she paused, not quite being able to talk properly due to the excessive amount of cake she had just eaten.

"Put the chocolate cake down…slowly…"

She swallowed. "Very funny, Will! Seriously, do you think Jack's forgiven Karen?"

Will turned serious. "Well, I don't think he would have come round to the apartment if he was just going to ignore her but who knows what goes through his mind sometimes so…I don't know."

Grace nodded but got distracted as her eyes followed something round the room. "I do know one thing though"

"What's that?" Will asked.

"That is one cute waiter!"

"Where?" Will's eyes shot up.

A few hours later…

"I can't believe he was gay!" Grace complained as her and Will re-entered their apartment, causing Karen and Jack to look up.

"Sorry, but that's the way the cookie crumbles! Or should I say, my cookie crumbles!"

Jack heard this and flew over to the door. "What's this? Our young Will has a date?"

Will grinned coyly, "I may have…"

"Wonders will never cease!" Jack said with a smile. "So tell me, who, what, where, why and most important of all, HOW?"

"Jack! Ok, his name is Greg and he works in the Starbucks on 74th, and we started talking because Gracie here was checking out his ass…" he gave her a disapproving, but loveable look and continued, "…and she managed to fall actually off her chair, so he came over to help her up off the floor and that's it…we're going out tomorrow. But enough about me, how are you two?"

Jack looked over at Karen with a smile. "We're good."

"Really?" Grace asked.

"Yeah, he's still my poodle." Karen said.

"Oh, that's so great!" Grace ran over to where she was sitting and threw her arms around her.

"Erm…Grace…we talked about this…I know you're in love with me but this…" she indicated to them both, "…isn't going to happen."

They all laughed. Grace sighed with happiness; she couldn't believe everything had worked out. Sure there were going to be hard times in the next couple of months, but she knew that they would get through them together.

Yey, it's all happy again...but for how long? He he! I know, and you don't! R&R!