Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters and/or songs in this story

" Karen do you ever get tired of getting people fired? I mean that poor waitress, she said she had three kids to support and..."

" Oh I know! Isn't it great!" Karen laughed breathlessly.

Will just laughed. "Come on we'd better get going." he put his hand on her shoulder and guided her to the car. Though the winter air was freezing, he didn't notice at all because he was so concentrated on Karen still laughing about getting their waitress fired.

In the car :

"Honey turn up the heat, it's freezing in here! And why isn't this car in front of us moving?" Karen whined

"Karen, I haven't even turned the car on yet, once I do then I'll turn the heat on, and we're still parked, that car in front of us is too. Just calm down." Will smiled at how childish Karen could be, but it was one of the things that made him love to be around her. Although he didn't fully understand why, since him and Karen had become closer he found that it was more fun being around her than Jack and even Grace. They always had such a good time together.

After about a half hour of casual talking a comfortable silence had set in. Will watched the road, and Karen was leaning against the passenger door and looking out the window as the cars and skyscrapers turned into trees and snow.

"Karen?" Will asked pulling Karen out of her daze.

"Yeah honey?"

"Can I ask you something"

"Yeah of course." Karen turned to face him and was a bit nervous as to what he was going to ask her. She knew that questions that started out with 'can I ask you something' were rarely the beginning of a good conversation.

"Okay, well this is going to sound kind of mean but I promise I don't mean it that way it going to sound."

"Just ask it already Wilma!" Karen just wanted to get this over with.

"Like I said this is going to sound bad but... do you have any other friends other than me, Jack, and Grace?" Will cringed at his own harsh words. He didn't mean for it to sound that way at all. He couldn't believe how hurtful he had just sounded.

"Wh... what? You know Will if you didn't want to come you could have just said so!" she raised her voice sounding very offended.

"No! No! I didn't mean it like that I swear. Of course I want to be here with you, you're one of my best friends and I love being around you. I was just wondering who you would have invited if I hadn't come with you. I'm so sorry if it sounded like I didn't want to be here because I truly honestly do." Will tried to sound as sincere as he could. Everything he had told her was completely true, and he would never do anything to purposely hurt her.

Karen was taken aback by his sudden apologetic outburst, but once she had time to process everything that Will had said she was touched. "' Am...am I really one of your best friends? Do you really love being around me?" she asked unsurely.

"Yes of course you are, and of course I love being around you. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings by asking you that, just forget I ever asked it okay." his eyes were focused on her. She was quiet and looking down at her hands that were placed delicately in her lap.

She looked up at him and smiled softly. "Thank you. I feel the same way about you. And honey don't worry about asking me that, it wasn't the question that hurt my feelings, it was that I thought you meant you didn't want to be here. And to answer your question, yes I have other 'friends', but none that I like very much or that I trust or that listen to me. And the listening part is even hard to get from Jack and Grace most of the time. I mean, I love them both with all my heart but they aren't the best at paying attention to other people." by the end of her little explanation her head was once again down staring at her hands that were in her lap.

"Oh Karen. I completely understand, trust me I know how Grace and Jack can be, I mean like you said I love them to death, but their combined attention span is about equal to a monkey's" they both laughed at Will's comparison to their best friends.

He continued, "To tell you the truth, lately you're the only one who I can really talk to." Will stared straight ahead at the road embarrassed at his confession.

"Oh honey, I feel the exact same way about you" she said reassuringly

"Really?"

"Really." she took his hand in hers and lightly squeezed it. He squeezed hers in response. They exchanged smiles and were silently holding hands for a few minutes when Will decided to break the silence between them.

"How about some music?" he asked and she nodded. He turned on the radio and the song 'The Real Thing' by Bo Bice came on.

"Oh I love this song." she said and he just smiled at her.

Every word I say, I mean it
Every single day, I feel it

But sometimes when you talk
It's obvious you want to show it
So don't blow it

Tell me what we got, tell me it's a lot tell me it's the real thing
Tell me not to change and always be the same, tell me that's a good thing
It's a good thing
Tell me not to lie, tell me not to wait
Tell me that you want the same things as me
Tell me that it's fate driving me insane
Tell me it's the real thing
That keeps me hangin on

I can read the signs between us
I feel it inside when you come nearer
There's a stillness in the air like no one else is there
And every moment stays in the moment
Yeah Tell me what we got, tell me it's a lot tell me it's the real thing
Tell me not to change and always be the same, tell me that's a good thing
It's a good thing
Tell me not to lie, tell me not to wait
Tell me that you want the same things as me
Tell me that it's fate, driving me insane
Tell me it's the real thing
That keeps me hangin on

Sometimes it hurts to watch you leave
It feels like you're taking a part of me with you
I never know how it'll be
I guess it's just a mystery
But is it the real thing (that keeps me hangin on)
Tell me what we got, tell me it's a lot, tell me it's the real thing Tell me not to change and always be the same, tell me that's a good thing
It's a good thing
Tell me not to lie, tell me not to wait
Tell me that you want the same things as me
Tell me that it's fate, driving me insane
Tell me it's the real thing
That keeps me hangin on

Tell me what we got, tell me it's a lot, tell me it's the real thing
Tell me not to change and always be the same, tell me that's a good thing
It's a good thing
Tell me not to lie, tell me not to wait
Tell me that you want the same things as me
Tell me that it's fate, driving me insane
Tell me it's the real thing
The real thing

They talked and listened to music hand in hand for the whole trip.