The Allure of Karen Walker [Will & Grace; Jack/Karen]
TITLE: The Allure of Karen Walker
PART 1
FANDOM: Will & Grace
PAIRING: Jack/Karen
SPOILERS: Takes place around season 7, though there are no real spoilers
RATING: PG-13
SUMMARY:
*****
Karen Walker was a charismatic woman. Sexy, strong, confident... and smart, though she never wanted to let on to it. She had a magnetism strong enough to bend anyone's sexuality. She'd even said it herself: "Oh, Jackie boy, trust me. I've got the power to turn a straight woman gay or a gay man straight for just one night."
He still remembered the way she'd smiled after she'd said it, like a girl with a secret. She had then added, "Well... some of 'em never switch back. Oops."
And Jack always took these claims with a grain of salt. He'd grin, he'd giggle, he'd play along, and every time, she would tell him to watch out... because one day it was going to hit him.
But Jack McFarland wasn't easily swayed. Not when it came to his sexuality. The thought of making love to a woman repulsed him; it made him both giggle at the absurdity and want to vomit at the exact same time. And though he felt an inexplicable pull around Karen, and the occasional bout of butterflies when she was near, he knew he could never be swayed by her. Yes, her allure was powerful. But his willpower was much too strong.
Then he got to know her. He got to see beyond the sex appeal and the catty, unapologetic bitchiness. He was the only one that got to see her golden heart, her true self. He was the only one to see her show any kind of emotion, to exhibit compassion... and he felt that iron-clad willpower slip just a little bit. Her natural beauty was magnified by every new facet of her he got to see. The butterflies became even more frequent. Karen was starting to get to him.
But he was so certain he could resist her. Even though after every ex-lover of hers they'd run into (gay, straight, man, woman), Karen would once again remind him that he would one day fall prey to her charm.
So one afternoon while she was laying out dress choices on her bed, wondering what to wear to yet another formal event, Jack just watched her. She wasn't wearing her velcro-on hair piece and instead it fell naturally just past her chin in spirals. And she hadn't yet cemented on all of her makeup -- a bit of eyeliner and shadow and that was it. Her alabaster skin, peeking out slightly through her red silk robe, seemed to glow in the early afternoon sun. The butterflies were going berserk and he had not a clue where his willpower was.
So as she turned her back to pick up her diamond-tennis bracelet from the bedside table, Jack stood up, wiping his palms on his jeans. He hadn't been this nervous and fluttery since he first asked a boy to dance. He felt faint, and slightly sick to his stomach though he didn't necessarily know if it was a bad thing or not. "Hey Kare?"
"Yeah, honey?" she chirped back without turning around, busy clasping her bracelet into place.
"Y'remember how you said you have the power to turn straight girls gay and gay guys straight for just a night? And that one day, eventually, you'd get to me?"
"Uh-huh..."
She still hadn't turned around, so Jack stared at the back of her head, swallowing hard. "I think, um... I think today might be that day."
He watched as Karen's spine straightened, as she slowly turned to look at him with a furrowed brow. Or rather, as furrowed as her brow could get with all the botox injections she'd had over the years. "What are you saying, honey?"
Jack didn't know how to say it; he had no idea how to put into words what he was feeling and what he wanted, because it was nothing he'd ever felt or wanted before. So he just stepped forward and bent to kiss her -- just once, just long enough to tell her everything he needed to say.
When he broke from her lips with an audible smooch, she just stared at him a moment, her voice coming out as barely more than a whisper. "Oh."
And then they were kissing heatedly. Karen's hands were on his face and she was teetering precariously on tiptoe, trying to get closer. Jack's hands closed around her waist, holding her steady, as he tilted his head and deepened the kiss. This... kind of made sense, in a way. He and Karen had showered together, slept in the same bed together, made out, been to nearly every base on that sexual baseball diamond one of Grace's boyfriends tried to tell him about forever ago. Guess the last step was this.
But this was where he never wanted to go with her. His love for Karen went way beyond sex, though he'd always been inexplicably attracted to her sexually. And... well... the whole 'sex-with-a-woman' thing completely repulsed him up until now.
He pulled Karen more tightly to him and slid his hands around her waist, reveling in the feel of her Chinese silk robe. He adored this robe on her. The deep red was a perfect contrast to her flawless, alabaster skin, and the black cuffs, black lapels and black Chinese lettering just added to the appeal.
He reached for the black sash on her robe as she murmured in his ear, "Jack, is this really happening?"
Jack nodded against her neck and snuck his hand inside her now-open robe, his palm gliding across her soft, bare stomach. It occurred to him that one of the two of them was going to get hurt today, emotionally (and maybe physically if his assumptions about Karen being a hellcat in the sack were at all correct). He had an inkling that person who'd get their feelings hurt would be Karen.
It wasn't easy to miss how she looked at him, how she treated him. Karen had had a thing for him all along. And if he was a straight man, he would've proposed to her years ago. Hell, he figured they'd probably even have seven kids by now like a more-talented VonTrapp family.
She was always buying him things, letting him kiss her, touch her pretty much anywhere he pleased. She let him see all those vulnerable, sad, kind sides of her that she never let anyone else see. Karen was in love with him. And as in love with her as he was, he knew he'd never be able to 'go straight' for her forever. So if they went through with this, she would get hurt. He would never want to hurt her.
And just as he was thinking of ways, of excuses, to stop this... the French doors to the master bedroom opened and in came Rosario. "Miss Karen, you--"
She stopped dead in the doorway and Karen spun away to belt her robe shut while Jack tried to hide the shock on his face. "Oh! Uh, Rosie!" he grinned at her. "Come on in, we weren't doing anything!"
Rosario just stared at them blankly through her dark glasses, either not believing him or not caring. "Uh-huh." She turned and went out the way she came in, calling over her shoulder, "You're late, Drunko. Pick it up."
When the door slammed behind her, Karen and Jack were left to look at each other. Karen's cheeks had grown slightly pink, and she toyed with her hair. "Well! Uh, that was... that was--"
"Right," Jack chuckled nervously.
"Y'know, it's a darn good thing Rosario burst in here, Jackie, or you and I would be--"
"Yeah! Yeah." His chuckle got even more high-pitched and nervous as the seconds ticked by.
"Yeah," she smiled, still toying with her curls. Jack had an urge to reach out and play with one of the tendrils himself. "And you wouldn't want--"
"No. No, of course not. Ick!" He giggled. When he saw the crestfallen look on her face, he scrambled to cover. "I mean not you ick, I mean... girls in general. Ick."
Karen just tweaked out a slight smile, and the two of them stood awkwardly together near her bed. After a moment, Jack sighed. "Look, Kare." He took her hands and guided her down onto the bed. He dropped to one knee in front of her and held her hands in her lap. "You know I love you. I'm more in love with you than I am with myself, and that's saying something."
Karen smiled. "I know, honey. And I love you too. Almost as much as I love myself."
Jack tilted his head and grinned back. "Thanks!" Turning more serious, he looked down at their linked hands and gave a little squeeze. Hers squeezed back. "But... I gave this some thought while we were kissing. If we did this, it would change everything, and I just... I don't wanna hurt you."
"Aw honey, that's sweet." She cupped one side of his face. "But the only man that's ever hurt me in the sack is Stan." Laughing, she said, "Damn near suffocated me once!"
"Karen..." Jack tried to steer her back on track. "I just mean that..." He sighed. "If we sleep together, stuff will change. And I don't know that one of us could handle that change. And I know, I started this, but I just... I just can't..." he trailed off, shaking his head as his eyes pleaded with her to understand.
She furrowed her brow as her hand left his face. "What are you saying, Poodle?"
"I don't think we should do this."
"Oh." That crestfallen look returned to her face, and Jack wanted to kiss it away. But she recovered quickly, plastering on a smile. "Well good, then we're on the same page! Because y'know, when you fall prey to Karen Walker, sometimes there's no coming back from it. I'd hate to see that happen to you, Jackie."
"Right. So, should I help you get dressed?"
She smiled, though to Jack it seemed a little strained. "No, I got it honey. But thank you." She gestured out the door. "Your suit's in my closet if you wanna go change. That is, if you would still like to be my date to this thing."
He smiled and leaned down to kiss her cheek. "Of course, Karen." And he ran out of her bedroom, confident that he had come through their little brush with heterosexual sex unscathed. Maybe he could still withstand the allure of Karen Walker.
At least for now.
TBC
Like what you've read? Why don't you watch or join the community?
PART 1
FANDOM: Will & Grace
PAIRING: Jack/Karen
SPOILERS: Takes place around season 7, though there are no real spoilers
RATING: PG-13
SUMMARY:
*****
Karen Walker was a charismatic woman. Sexy, strong, confident... and smart, though she never wanted to let on to it. She had a magnetism strong enough to bend anyone's sexuality. She'd even said it herself: "Oh, Jackie boy, trust me. I've got the power to turn a straight woman gay or a gay man straight for just one night."
He still remembered the way she'd smiled after she'd said it, like a girl with a secret. She had then added, "Well... some of 'em never switch back. Oops."
And Jack always took these claims with a grain of salt. He'd grin, he'd giggle, he'd play along, and every time, she would tell him to watch out... because one day it was going to hit him.
But Jack McFarland wasn't easily swayed. Not when it came to his sexuality. The thought of making love to a woman repulsed him; it made him both giggle at the absurdity and want to vomit at the exact same time. And though he felt an inexplicable pull around Karen, and the occasional bout of butterflies when she was near, he knew he could never be swayed by her. Yes, her allure was powerful. But his willpower was much too strong.
Then he got to know her. He got to see beyond the sex appeal and the catty, unapologetic bitchiness. He was the only one that got to see her golden heart, her true self. He was the only one to see her show any kind of emotion, to exhibit compassion... and he felt that iron-clad willpower slip just a little bit. Her natural beauty was magnified by every new facet of her he got to see. The butterflies became even more frequent. Karen was starting to get to him.
But he was so certain he could resist her. Even though after every ex-lover of hers they'd run into (gay, straight, man, woman), Karen would once again remind him that he would one day fall prey to her charm.
So one afternoon while she was laying out dress choices on her bed, wondering what to wear to yet another formal event, Jack just watched her. She wasn't wearing her velcro-on hair piece and instead it fell naturally just past her chin in spirals. And she hadn't yet cemented on all of her makeup -- a bit of eyeliner and shadow and that was it. Her alabaster skin, peeking out slightly through her red silk robe, seemed to glow in the early afternoon sun. The butterflies were going berserk and he had not a clue where his willpower was.
So as she turned her back to pick up her diamond-tennis bracelet from the bedside table, Jack stood up, wiping his palms on his jeans. He hadn't been this nervous and fluttery since he first asked a boy to dance. He felt faint, and slightly sick to his stomach though he didn't necessarily know if it was a bad thing or not. "Hey Kare?"
"Yeah, honey?" she chirped back without turning around, busy clasping her bracelet into place.
"Y'remember how you said you have the power to turn straight girls gay and gay guys straight for just a night? And that one day, eventually, you'd get to me?"
"Uh-huh..."
She still hadn't turned around, so Jack stared at the back of her head, swallowing hard. "I think, um... I think today might be that day."
He watched as Karen's spine straightened, as she slowly turned to look at him with a furrowed brow. Or rather, as furrowed as her brow could get with all the botox injections she'd had over the years. "What are you saying, honey?"
Jack didn't know how to say it; he had no idea how to put into words what he was feeling and what he wanted, because it was nothing he'd ever felt or wanted before. So he just stepped forward and bent to kiss her -- just once, just long enough to tell her everything he needed to say.
When he broke from her lips with an audible smooch, she just stared at him a moment, her voice coming out as barely more than a whisper. "Oh."
And then they were kissing heatedly. Karen's hands were on his face and she was teetering precariously on tiptoe, trying to get closer. Jack's hands closed around her waist, holding her steady, as he tilted his head and deepened the kiss. This... kind of made sense, in a way. He and Karen had showered together, slept in the same bed together, made out, been to nearly every base on that sexual baseball diamond one of Grace's boyfriends tried to tell him about forever ago. Guess the last step was this.
But this was where he never wanted to go with her. His love for Karen went way beyond sex, though he'd always been inexplicably attracted to her sexually. And... well... the whole 'sex-with-a-woman' thing completely repulsed him up until now.
He pulled Karen more tightly to him and slid his hands around her waist, reveling in the feel of her Chinese silk robe. He adored this robe on her. The deep red was a perfect contrast to her flawless, alabaster skin, and the black cuffs, black lapels and black Chinese lettering just added to the appeal.
He reached for the black sash on her robe as she murmured in his ear, "Jack, is this really happening?"
Jack nodded against her neck and snuck his hand inside her now-open robe, his palm gliding across her soft, bare stomach. It occurred to him that one of the two of them was going to get hurt today, emotionally (and maybe physically if his assumptions about Karen being a hellcat in the sack were at all correct). He had an inkling that person who'd get their feelings hurt would be Karen.
It wasn't easy to miss how she looked at him, how she treated him. Karen had had a thing for him all along. And if he was a straight man, he would've proposed to her years ago. Hell, he figured they'd probably even have seven kids by now like a more-talented VonTrapp family.
She was always buying him things, letting him kiss her, touch her pretty much anywhere he pleased. She let him see all those vulnerable, sad, kind sides of her that she never let anyone else see. Karen was in love with him. And as in love with her as he was, he knew he'd never be able to 'go straight' for her forever. So if they went through with this, she would get hurt. He would never want to hurt her.
And just as he was thinking of ways, of excuses, to stop this... the French doors to the master bedroom opened and in came Rosario. "Miss Karen, you--"
She stopped dead in the doorway and Karen spun away to belt her robe shut while Jack tried to hide the shock on his face. "Oh! Uh, Rosie!" he grinned at her. "Come on in, we weren't doing anything!"
Rosario just stared at them blankly through her dark glasses, either not believing him or not caring. "Uh-huh." She turned and went out the way she came in, calling over her shoulder, "You're late, Drunko. Pick it up."
When the door slammed behind her, Karen and Jack were left to look at each other. Karen's cheeks had grown slightly pink, and she toyed with her hair. "Well! Uh, that was... that was--"
"Right," Jack chuckled nervously.
"Y'know, it's a darn good thing Rosario burst in here, Jackie, or you and I would be--"
"Yeah! Yeah." His chuckle got even more high-pitched and nervous as the seconds ticked by.
"Yeah," she smiled, still toying with her curls. Jack had an urge to reach out and play with one of the tendrils himself. "And you wouldn't want--"
"No. No, of course not. Ick!" He giggled. When he saw the crestfallen look on her face, he scrambled to cover. "I mean not you ick, I mean... girls in general. Ick."
Karen just tweaked out a slight smile, and the two of them stood awkwardly together near her bed. After a moment, Jack sighed. "Look, Kare." He took her hands and guided her down onto the bed. He dropped to one knee in front of her and held her hands in her lap. "You know I love you. I'm more in love with you than I am with myself, and that's saying something."
Karen smiled. "I know, honey. And I love you too. Almost as much as I love myself."
Jack tilted his head and grinned back. "Thanks!" Turning more serious, he looked down at their linked hands and gave a little squeeze. Hers squeezed back. "But... I gave this some thought while we were kissing. If we did this, it would change everything, and I just... I don't wanna hurt you."
"Aw honey, that's sweet." She cupped one side of his face. "But the only man that's ever hurt me in the sack is Stan." Laughing, she said, "Damn near suffocated me once!"
"Karen..." Jack tried to steer her back on track. "I just mean that..." He sighed. "If we sleep together, stuff will change. And I don't know that one of us could handle that change. And I know, I started this, but I just... I just can't..." he trailed off, shaking his head as his eyes pleaded with her to understand.
She furrowed her brow as her hand left his face. "What are you saying, Poodle?"
"I don't think we should do this."
"Oh." That crestfallen look returned to her face, and Jack wanted to kiss it away. But she recovered quickly, plastering on a smile. "Well good, then we're on the same page! Because y'know, when you fall prey to Karen Walker, sometimes there's no coming back from it. I'd hate to see that happen to you, Jackie."
"Right. So, should I help you get dressed?"
She smiled, though to Jack it seemed a little strained. "No, I got it honey. But thank you." She gestured out the door. "Your suit's in my closet if you wanna go change. That is, if you would still like to be my date to this thing."
He smiled and leaned down to kiss her cheek. "Of course, Karen." And he ran out of her bedroom, confident that he had come through their little brush with heterosexual sex unscathed. Maybe he could still withstand the allure of Karen Walker.
At least for now.
TBC
Like what you've read? Why don't you watch or join the community?