Are You Happy Now?
Rating: PG-13
Summary: This is the story of what happened in the short time leading up to the ultimate demise of Karen's and, Stan's marriage. 1/1
"I have great news, baby. I talked with Stan. I told him I thought that I was a better man for you than he is and, he said 'OK'," Malcolm told his girlfriend, Karen, as he entered the room.
Karen looked at him, slightly confused. She put her hand to her mouth in shock. "He did?"
"I promise you I'll never fake my death. When I kill myself, it's gonna be for real and, I'm gonna take you with me," Malcolm said to her.
Karen felt sick to her stomach but, she would never let it show. She plastered her typical smile on her face and, kissed Malcolm.
"That's so romantic," she lied. She turned to her best friend for confirmation of what Malcolm had just told her. "Is that true, Jackie?"
"He did," he answered. "I remember 'cause, right after he said it, we discovered an Asian man trapped underneath him."
Karen could tell Jack was as unhappy about this as she was, she was just better at hiding it than he was. Who did Stan think he was giving her up without any fight at all? Karen bit down on her tongue to keep from saying anything that might give up her true feelings.
"So, you're okay now with me and Mama," Malcolm asked Jack.
Karen inwardly sighed. She wished he would stop giving her stupid nicknames.
"Sure, if Stan wants you to have her, then you can have her." Jack shrugged. "Oh, listen to us talking like she's a thing. I'm sorry. It's yours. Take it. You have my blessing."
Karen knew Jack was only saying that for her sake. She knew that at one point, Stan had just as much influence on his life as Karen did. Stan was more of a father to Jack than Jack's actual father or, stepfather.
"Baby, now there's nothing standing in our way," Malcolm said happily.
With every sentence that came out of his mouth, Karen found herself growing angrier and angrier. It wasn't supposed to be this easy. Stan was supposed to go down fighting, damnit. How dare he just give her up like she was some fling? How dare he pretend that they had no history? How could he forget that she had fallen in love with the man when she was still in her twenties and, had waited patiently for him untill they were finally able to marry ten years later. Sure, their actual marriage wasn't the smoothest of marriages but, she thought that after all he put her through, he would be unselfish enough to give her this one thing: A fight. Anything. Something to show her that he still loved and, wanted her.
"Oh, I'm so happy, darling," she lied though her teeth. She got off the seat she was on. "So. Stanley just let me go without even a fight. Well, I guess everything is just peaches and herb. Alright, now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna run to the Bronx and set something on fire. You know, because I'm so happy!"
Karen walked out of the room.
/No, don't just walk away
Pretending everything's ok
And you don't care about me/
Karen stormed into the fitness club she knew Stan was staying at. She walked determined to the steam room. She walked in angrily, not even bothering to take off her heavy coat or, purse. Stan froze when he saw Karen. It was the first time they had been face-to-face in nearly two-and-a-half years. She was as amazing as the day he met her. The only things tarnishing this moment was the scowl on her face and, the fact that he knew she had someone new in her life. Someone new who would kiss her lips, touch her body, hold her in their arms and, make love to her.
"Hello, Stanley," she said briskly.
"Kare-" Stan began.
"Don't talk! I have something to say," Karen interrupted.
Stan closed his mouth. He knew she was ready for a good rant. He didn't mind, he dreamed of hearing her voice one last time during his years in hiding. He just wished she was saying something more cheerful like 'I love you', 'That suit looks great', or 'Damnit, Stanley, what did I say about eating chicken in bed?'
"I have something to say. Oh, Stanley. How could you? Wasn't it enough that you left me? Wasn't it enough that I was the last one to know that you weren't dead," she asked him, bitterly.
He felt his heart shattering into a million pieces at her words.
"But no. No, you have the gall to just let me go without even a fight. You fleshy bastard. You're ready to toss me aside like some meaningless fling, or unattractive baby. How dare you," she spat at him. Her words flowed like lava and, caused just as much damage. He stared at her pitifully, unable to say anything as she spilled her heart out onto the porcelain tile floor. "Goodbye, Stanley. After what you've done, there is nothing you could say that would ever win me back," She said.
Stan panicked. He couldn't let her leave like that. "If I had known that it was me you wanted, I would've never let you go without a fight. I don't want you to be with that sleazy prick. I'd rather it be me that kisses your lips, makes love to you and, gets to have that killer rack all to myself," he confessed quickly before she walked out of his life forever.
Oh, that got her. She could never turn down a compliment on her breasts. His words sunk in. He thought she didn't want him. The same fear she had, he was feeling too.
"Oh, Stanley," she said sadly.
Stan gazed up at her praying that somehow his words had worked. He was quickly rewarded when his wife's mouth turned up into a bright smile and, she ran into his arms.
"Oh, Stanley," she giggled, giddy.
She sat down on his lap, not realizing that's where he was holding his dinner.
"Ow, turkey leg," she said.
/And I know there's just no use
When all your lies become your truth and I don't care/
But things didn't stay good for long. Things soon became awkward and, forced between Karen and, Stan. For weeks after their reunion, Karen continued seeing Malcolm. Stan knew she was still seeing him and, Karen knew Stan knew. She simply didn't care anymore.
She thought she'd be happy to have her husband back but, she just didn't know anymore. Stan wasn't the same man she had fallen in love with twenty years ago. He wasn't the same man she married. He hadn't been that man for a long, long time.
She simply had no strength to care anymore. She knew there was no use in pretending there was something there when, they knew there wasn't. They hadn't even shared a bed together in weeks. Stan hadn't touched her since the night they got back together. Karen still didn't care because, what she didn't get from Stan, she'd get from Malcolm.
/You took all there was to take,
And left me with an empty plate
And you don't care about it, yeah/
Karen and, Malcolm soon broke up. Karen grew alarmingly bitter after the break-up. Mentally and, now sexually frustrated, Karen took out all her anger on Stan. She had no qualms about venting her anger on him. Stan was surprised; Sure, Karen had her moment where she was angry with him before but, he had never seen her perpetually unhappy. He wondered if this is what her friends had to deal with after he left her. He wondered if he turned her this way. Was this the result of all that they had gone through in the past few years?
Karen knew the answers to all of Stan's questions: It was all his fault. He left her, twice! First, he chose that British skank over her and, then he faked his own death. Then, when she was finally beginning to move on with her life, he came back from the dead and, that became ruined, too. So, she buried her feelings in an affair. She openly dated and, loved another man while she knew her husband was back. Yes, she was falling in love with Malcolm and, Stan had to go and, screw that up, too!
Two years ago, Stan took her heart, her passion and, her livelihood when she found out he was dead. She was left with nothing but her pills and, her drink. If he cared about her, he wouldn't have done it. But he did do it. He didn't care.
/And I have given up this game
I'm leaving you with all the blame cause I don't care/
Karen sat in bed with the covers wrapped around her naked body. She sat stoic as Stan dressed himself. He kept glancing at her hoping and, praying that he had heard her wrong. He wanted to badly for it to have been one big misunderstanding. Did she really ask him to leave? Did she really ask, no, wait, beg, for a divorce? Why didn't she feel anything when they just made love? He sure as hell felt something. He felt young again touching her like that for the first time in years.
Karen showed no sign of emotion as he prepared to leave her life forever.
"Karen," he tried one last time.
Karen drew designs on the inside of her cheek with her tongue. She didn't want to say anything to him. Stan walked back to the bed and, sat down next to her. He reached out and, took her hand into his but, she snatched it back.
"Leave," she said simply.
"Karen, please," he pleaded. "Why are you doing this?"
She glared at him. "It's your fault."
"What do you mean? I tried Karen," he said. "I really did."
"No you didn't," Karen said. "It was all me! I was always the one holding up this damn relationship! You did nothing to help."
"I loved you," he said, his voice rising in defense.
"Bullshit," she yelled. "If you loved me, you wouldn't have done half the shit you did when we were still together!"
"I made mistakes, Karen," he snapped.
"No," Karen shook her head furiously. "No, not mistakes. A mistake is leaving the toilet seat up, finishing off the last bottle of Vodka, forgetting to pick up Olivia and, Mason from school and, having them call me at work two hours after school let out to go pick them up! Damnit, Stanley, those are mistakes! I can forgive you for those but, you know what I can never forgive you for."
Stan hung his head. Karen stared at him, furious that he was being so weak. He was pitiful. She scowled and, crossed her arms. Stan looked up and, glanced at the wall. There hung the beautiful portrait Karen had given him for his birthday soon after they were married. He spent countless hours staring at the painting his wife had spent hours posing for in secret. Karen clenched her jaw. She knew what he was staring at.
"Get out," she whispered.
Stanley didn't move.
"Stop looking at that stupid painting and, get out," Karen said, more forcefully this time.
Stan swallowed, feeling a large lump in his throat. Karen had finally had enough. She stood up; the sheet still wrapped around her, and grabbed the drink she set on the nightstand right before Stanley had made love to her. She whirled around to face the wall and, hurled the glass at the painting. The painting immediately soaked up the alcohol and, she knew she had ruined it forever. Shards of glass littered the floor and, Karen stared at them angrily.
"Out," she yelled, one last time.
/Could you look me in the eye?
And tell me that you're happy now
Come on tell it to my face or have I been erased
Are you happy now/
Stan got off the bed sadly. He walked to the side of the bed Karen stood next to. He wrapped his arms around her waist. She tried to shove him off but, he held on tighter. He placed a kiss on the spot where her neck and, shoulder met. Karen licked her lips and, closed her eyes sadly.
"Is this what you really want," Stan whispered in her ear.
Karen nodded sadly.
"Would you be happy if I left," Stan asked.
Karen paused momentarily but, soon nodded again.
"Goodbye Karen," he said.
Stan walked out of the room. Karen stood rooted in the same spot. She waited until she heard the door close before she looked up at the ruined painting that had begun to drip down onto her white carpet.
/I've had that all I can take
And I'm about to break
Cause I'm happy now/
A/N: Sorry if it's crap. Wrote it at like..4 in the morning cuz I'm bored. Pam, that's TOTALLY what Stan said to make Karen come back in the steam room, even if it's like 3939390 times longer than the time between the steam and Karen's reaction. XD At least I threw in the boob thing I suggested on mullallypops. XD
Song Belongs to Michelle Branch.