B/K: Empty Nests 4/4
Title: Empty Nests 4/4
Fandom: 24
Characters: Bill/Karen
Prompt: #33- Make Me
Word Count: 754
Rating: General
Summary: “A surprise? What kind of surprise?”
Author's Note: SOOO..I can't believe I am FINALLY ending this. Sorry for the extreme delay. I just couldn't think of anything to write! And I have another series of fics started that I wanted to wait before I posted this so its just been a crazy pile of half-written fics and jotted down ideas. But the good news is-now that this is done and posted, I can get to posting the other stories I have finished. But not until
astrum_presulgives me the thumbs up! This is just a small incentive I am giving since I will be away for the weekend and won't be able to post. Anyway, enough rambling: enjoy :)
**********************************************************************************************
It had been one year since their retirement and permanent move to Vermont. Life had settled and for as long as she could remember, Karen felt as if things had never been better. Being away from the stresses of their jobs and the congestion of the city proved to be beneficial for their overall lifestyles.
Marriage counselling had continued long after their watershed moment. Having met later in life both had emotional bagging and behavioural patterns from previous relationships that neither wanted to taint their marriage.
Their last session ended one week before their third year wedding anniversary and given they had never real celebrated an anniversary before she wanted to do something special for him.
Leaving the building for the last time Bill reached for Karen’s hand and squeezed it gently. Turning to him she gave him a small smile.
“You know for the past year I kinda feel like there have been 3 people in this marriage,” he chuckled. “It feels odd now that we’re on ‘our own’. I wonder if this is what empty nest syndrome feels like.”
“Actually it does,” she reminisced. “Except I don’t feel so alone like I did last time.”
“Well that’s good,” he said quietly placing a gentle kiss on her lips.
Pulling away she grinned. “C’mon. I have a surprise for you.”
“A surprise? What kind of surprise?” He asked wearily-it was that glint in her eye that made him suspicious.
“Just relax, it’s a good surprise,” she reasoned, pulling him toward the car. “A gift.”
“A gift?! Ok, hang on,” he stopped in his tracks. “You have to at least tell me where we are going.”
“Why?”
“So I know where I’m driving,” he protested.
Karen lifted her hand and dangled the keys. “Nice try-I’m driving. Now get in.”
“You know what,” he huffed. “I don’t even want to know how you managed to steal those off me. C’mon hand over the keys.”
“Make me,” she teased before opening the driver’s door and getting in.
Rolling his eyes Bill conceded and got into the passenger seat.
Driving down the highway and out of town Karen decided to explain herself to appease him. And so he’d stop pouting.
“I was going to wait until next week on our anniversary to surprise you,” she hinted. “But I think today is a special day too.”
Thirty minutes later they pulled into a small harbour. Walking down the dock Karen stopped near the very end in front of a long, sleek sailboat and Bill immediately recognized it as the model he had expressed a love for not just two months earlier.
“Ta da!” Karen grinned triumphantly.
“This is the boat that I looked at,” he started.
“Yes it is.”
“The one that I really, really like…”
“Yes, you do.”
He eyed her. “I’m not following.”
“I bought the boat Bill.”
“You bought a boat?” He choked.
“Yes I bought a boat. I know how much you love sailing and you lost your first one in the divorce. You’ve been rambling about buying one for years-ever since we moved here- and if I left it to you, you’d still be looking at magazines and never buy one,” she let out a huge breath. “So I bought it.”
Bill continued to shift his gaze between his wife and the boat, his boat.
“When I called to inquire about it the owner told me that since it was a specially crafted boat there was only one. And there was already another couple interested-“
Bill climbed aboard and began inspecting the size and craft.
“-so I had to engage in a bit of a bidding war. Finally I told them I still had contacts with Homeland, the FBI, and the White House. I threatened to have them put on the no-fly list as well as under investigation for anti-American activities. So needless to say: they withdrew their bid, ha!”
She looked at him nervously as he admired the boat.
“Do you like it?”
He reached his hand out to her and pulled her aboard with him. Wrapping his arm around her shoulder he kissed her
temple.
“I love it. I’m speechless. I’m just wondering though…”
“Wondering what?”
“Does this mean my gift has to top a boat? Cause that’s a pretty high bar to set,” he joked.
Slapping his arm lightly she replied “Why don’t you take me somewhere on this boat?”
“Well that can definitely be arranged,” he said, looping his other arm around her. “Happy Anniversary honey.”
“Happy Anniversary Bill.”
Fandom: 24
Characters: Bill/Karen
Prompt: #33- Make Me
Word Count: 754
Rating: General
Summary: “A surprise? What kind of surprise?”
Author's Note: SOOO..I can't believe I am FINALLY ending this. Sorry for the extreme delay. I just couldn't think of anything to write! And I have another series of fics started that I wanted to wait before I posted this so its just been a crazy pile of half-written fics and jotted down ideas. But the good news is-now that this is done and posted, I can get to posting the other stories I have finished. But not until
astrum_presulgives me the thumbs up! This is just a small incentive I am giving since I will be away for the weekend and won't be able to post. Anyway, enough rambling: enjoy :)
**********************************************************************************************
It had been one year since their retirement and permanent move to Vermont. Life had settled and for as long as she could remember, Karen felt as if things had never been better. Being away from the stresses of their jobs and the congestion of the city proved to be beneficial for their overall lifestyles.
Marriage counselling had continued long after their watershed moment. Having met later in life both had emotional bagging and behavioural patterns from previous relationships that neither wanted to taint their marriage.
Their last session ended one week before their third year wedding anniversary and given they had never real celebrated an anniversary before she wanted to do something special for him.
Leaving the building for the last time Bill reached for Karen’s hand and squeezed it gently. Turning to him she gave him a small smile.
“You know for the past year I kinda feel like there have been 3 people in this marriage,” he chuckled. “It feels odd now that we’re on ‘our own’. I wonder if this is what empty nest syndrome feels like.”
“Actually it does,” she reminisced. “Except I don’t feel so alone like I did last time.”
“Well that’s good,” he said quietly placing a gentle kiss on her lips.
Pulling away she grinned. “C’mon. I have a surprise for you.”
“A surprise? What kind of surprise?” He asked wearily-it was that glint in her eye that made him suspicious.
“Just relax, it’s a good surprise,” she reasoned, pulling him toward the car. “A gift.”
“A gift?! Ok, hang on,” he stopped in his tracks. “You have to at least tell me where we are going.”
“Why?”
“So I know where I’m driving,” he protested.
Karen lifted her hand and dangled the keys. “Nice try-I’m driving. Now get in.”
“You know what,” he huffed. “I don’t even want to know how you managed to steal those off me. C’mon hand over the keys.”
“Make me,” she teased before opening the driver’s door and getting in.
Rolling his eyes Bill conceded and got into the passenger seat.
Driving down the highway and out of town Karen decided to explain herself to appease him. And so he’d stop pouting.
“I was going to wait until next week on our anniversary to surprise you,” she hinted. “But I think today is a special day too.”
Thirty minutes later they pulled into a small harbour. Walking down the dock Karen stopped near the very end in front of a long, sleek sailboat and Bill immediately recognized it as the model he had expressed a love for not just two months earlier.
“Ta da!” Karen grinned triumphantly.
“This is the boat that I looked at,” he started.
“Yes it is.”
“The one that I really, really like…”
“Yes, you do.”
He eyed her. “I’m not following.”
“I bought the boat Bill.”
“You bought a boat?” He choked.
“Yes I bought a boat. I know how much you love sailing and you lost your first one in the divorce. You’ve been rambling about buying one for years-ever since we moved here- and if I left it to you, you’d still be looking at magazines and never buy one,” she let out a huge breath. “So I bought it.”
Bill continued to shift his gaze between his wife and the boat, his boat.
“When I called to inquire about it the owner told me that since it was a specially crafted boat there was only one. And there was already another couple interested-“
Bill climbed aboard and began inspecting the size and craft.
“-so I had to engage in a bit of a bidding war. Finally I told them I still had contacts with Homeland, the FBI, and the White House. I threatened to have them put on the no-fly list as well as under investigation for anti-American activities. So needless to say: they withdrew their bid, ha!”
She looked at him nervously as he admired the boat.
“Do you like it?”
He reached his hand out to her and pulled her aboard with him. Wrapping his arm around her shoulder he kissed her
temple.
“I love it. I’m speechless. I’m just wondering though…”
“Wondering what?”
“Does this mean my gift has to top a boat? Cause that’s a pretty high bar to set,” he joked.
Slapping his arm lightly she replied “Why don’t you take me somewhere on this boat?”
“Well that can definitely be arranged,” he said, looping his other arm around her. “Happy Anniversary honey.”
“Happy Anniversary Bill.”