(no subject)
Title: Responsible
Rating: NC- 17
Pairing: Bree Van De Kamp/ Karl Mayer - DH
Disclaimer: Disney
Spoilers: Season two
Karl Mayer noticed instantly that something was wrong, after thirteen years of marriage he could read his ex- wife like a book. “Hey, what´s up? You don´t look exactly happy.” Susan sighed. “I´m worried about Bree.” “Why, what´s wrong with her?” “We think she´s drinking- but she won´t admit it. I saw her this morning, it was barely ten and she was already smelling of wine.” “At ten? Wow, that´s pretty early for a drink.” “Yeah, well, I can sort of understand her of course, it´s been a tough year and the trouble with her kids doesn´t make it any better but she won´t let us help her- you know her, she wants to keep up appearances at all costs.” Karl nodded absentmindedly. He didn´t like what he heard and he was already thinking of what to do about it. “I think I´ll go over there and try if she listens to me- do you know if she´s at home right now?” Susan stared at him. “You want to talk to her? Why?” Karl shrugged. “I somehow have the feeling I owe it to Rex- I mean, he was my best mate, how would he feel about me if I simply stood aside and watched her ruin herself?” “Uh- ok, that makes sense. I can´t see how she would open up to you of all people but if you want to try- good luck and yeah, she´s at home.”
When Bree opened the door Karl wasn´t surprised to see the full glass of wine in her hand, he had been sure that Susan and her friends weren´t just gossiping about Bree for the fun of it. When she spoke however her voice was firm and Karl thought that her drinking habit wasn´t something she had developed only recently. “Karl, what a nice surprise- would you like to come in?” “Yes, actually I would- I need to talk to you.” “To me?” She sounded surprised when she closed the door behind him. “Yes- I heard that you gave up on coffee and started on wine and seeing the glass in your hand at four in the afternoon proves that story to be right.” For a moment she just looked at him incredulously, then her eyes narrowed dangerously. “What gives you the right to judge me?” Karl stepped closer to her and took the wine glass out of her hand. “I´m not judging you- I can understand you very well. But your husband was my best friend and I feel responsible for you and your happiness and that´s why I will look after you from now on.” “Karl, I´m not a child-“ “But you´re acting like it. Bree, you can´t cope with everything all by yourself, you need help- everyone has been offering you their help, why don´t you accept it?” He didn´t wait for her answer but instead walked over into the kitchen and drained the glass into the sink. When he turned around again, Bree was standing in the door frame with her arms crossed, her whole body expressing her disapproval of his actions. “Now I´ll make coffee and then we´ll sit down and talk about it- and don´t try to throw me out or something because it won´t work.” “This is still my house-“ “Yes, but I´m not going to leave before we have talked all the same.” He could see her giving in, her expression softened and she relaxed visibly but he wasn´t fooled- that was about her feeling any better about him invading her space like that, it was about admitting defeat. “Hey-“ He walked over to her and when he got near enough he noticed tears clinging to her long eyelashes and he pulled her into his arms without thinking. She stiffened in his arms, then relaxed and began to sob and Karl held her to him, gently stroking her back to calm her down again. “Look, it´s ok to admit that you need help, you´re so strong Bree but that would be too much for anyone.” Her arms wrapped around his waist, her face buried in his neck and Karl felt his heartbeat speed up a bit, maybe this hadn´t been such a good idea after all, he had always been attracted to Bree Van De Kamp and if it hadn´t been for the fact that her husband quickly had become his best friend he would surely have tried to do something about it. And now he had her in his arms he somehow wished it could stay that way a little while longer, just because it felt so good to hold her, she was warm and soft and he felt touched that she allowed him to witness her final breakdown, allowed him to be the one who kept her from shattering into a million pieces. Eventually her tears subsided and when she looked up Karl gently brushed the tears away from her cheeks. “Better?” He asked and Bree nodded, avoiding his gaze. “Yes- thank you.” “Anytime, Bree- I mean it. Let me help you a little, there´s a lot I could do for you.” She smiled involuntarily. “Really? Like what…” “For a start I could take you out for dinner- then you wouldn´t have to sit around here all night and- well, you know what I`m talking about.” “Karl, you can´t take me out, you´re with Edie and it just- wouldn´t be right.” “Come on, it´s just dinner, see me as a kind of moral institution who wants to make sure you´re not spending the night in mortal sin.” Bree laughed. “Which would be what?” “Well, if I remember it right in your case it would be Chardonnay- and now say yes.” “What about Edie-“ “She´s visiting her sister.” Bree looked suspicious. “Will you tell her about this?” “Yes, of course- now can I pick you up at seven?” “I- ok.” “Great- will you be ok until then?” “Karl, that´ll only be-“ “Two hours. A lot can happen in that time- I want you to keep your fingers off your wine bottles.” She nervously wet her lip. “I´m not sure I´ll manage.” “Bree, you just have to really want it- you do want it, don´t you?” Her voice was barley more than a whisper. “Yes, of course.”
“Wow- you look- I don´t even know what to say.” Bree had opened the door in a dream of grey sating and Karl looked at her, enthralled. She blushed and nervously tugged a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “It´s nothing special, I just bought it a few weeks ago and I didn´t get a chance to wear it yet.” Karl didn´t share her opinion about the dress being nothing special but he didn´t want to embarrass her any further, he knew that she was feeling awkward about going out with him anyway. He led her over to his car and opened the passenger door for her before getting into the driver´s seat. “So normally I´d suggest we´d go to Fredo´s `course it happens to be your favourite restaurant as well as mine but- well, I know that you and Rex used to go there very often.” “Oh, that´s ok- I just don´t like to go there alone.” “All right then.” Karl started the engine, he had actually wanted to find out how she reacted when he mentioned Rex and he was relieved that she seemed to be ok with it, the evening would have been extremely tense if he had to think twice about anything he said to her.
He was aware of the looks they were attracting as they crossed the restaurant, Fairview wasn´t exactly a large town so most people who where there knew either him or Bree or both of them and he was sure that this would make for some juicy gossip. He didn´t care of course but he wasn´t so sure Bree didn´t either- but then she must have known this too and still she had agreed to come here with him.
They sat down at a table in the back corner of the restaurant, and Karl was fascinated with the way her hair was gleaming in the candle- light. “So tell me, Bree- apart from all that trouble, is there anything positive in your life right now?” “You´ve got to be kidding me.” “No, really- I mean, what do you do all day long? I know, you´re baking and cooking and your house is as spotless as ever but that can´t fill your day.” “To be honest, in addition to fighting with my son and lecturing my daughter it does.” Karl reached for her hand and held it and Bree sighed. “It´s ok, Karl, I´ll survive.” “It´s not about surviving, Bree, it´s about living. You need to find a way to go on with your life, you can´t just be there for you kids all the time, you need to do something for youself.” Bree laughed bitterly, avoiding his gaze. “Don´t bother, Karl, there´s nothing left anyway- all he left me are his children, what else shall I do but try to make sure they´ll find their way in life, even without him being there to teach them how.” “They should be grateful to have you as a mother, you know that?” Bree looked up. “That´s not how it is supposed to work, I´m their mother, I should love them and hug them and cook for them and wash their clothes and they should have a father to teach them and to guide them, I´m just not strong enough.” Karl knew how she felt, he often wondered what would have happened if Julie hadn´t been such an easy child, if Susan would have been up to raise her all by herself- but then Susan was chaotic, in a sweet, charming sort of way maybe, but chaotic all the same. Bree on the other hand was perfect- but Karl was getting the feeling that it was a kind of armour, to protect the fragile soul inside. He remained silent, barely stroking her hand with his thumb until Bree finally drew a deep, calming breath. “I´m sorry, I shouldn´t have bothered you with it.” Karl knew that she was trying to hide again behind her perfect façade and he was not about to let her. “I wanted to be bothered by it, this was the whole point of that conversation, remember?” “Karl?” “Yes?” “Why do you care so much about this, is it just because of Rex?” Karl saw the suspicion in her eyes and pondered his answer for a moment. “If I say yes you won´t believe me, will you?” There was a trace of the old flame in her eyes when she said “ If I say I won´t, then will you tell me the truth?” Karl sensed the mood between them change, it was more tense but in a mocking, humorous way, he had always enjoyed playing word games with her when they had been younger and met on a party or somewhere and he was glad that it still worked between them, even though they hadn´t really talked to each other ever since he had moved away from Wisteria Lane. “That depends- if I tell you that you´re the most beautiful and glamorous and fascinating woman I´ve ever met in my life would you demand that I take you home that instant?” Bree raised her eyebrows. “Well, if you said that it would mean you have been lying to me about your intensions all along and I would have no choice than to do so, would I?” “You´re absolutely right of course. So I won´t tell you that but if I tell you that it´s really only about Rex you won´t believe me- so what am I going to do now?” “Maybe you could tell me something else, how about you´ve just realized you have a soft spot for helpless woman with unmanageable teenage kids?” “You would go for that?” “No, of course I wouldn´t- I was just showing you your options.” “Well, if this is my only option I´m in trouble now.” “Looks like it.” Bree´s smile told him that she was charmed by his honesty and he decided to risk a bit more. “So I´ll stick to the very first version and tell you that I´ve only taken you out because I owe it to my best friend.” “As I said, I don´t believe you.” “Yes, but since there is a tiny chance that it´s actually true you can´t tell me so because if it was true you would really hurt me and you wouldn´t want that of course, so you will just say how very touched you are and leave it.” Bree nodded slowly. “I have to admit, that was brilliant- my father would have enjoyed your argumentation.” “He would have enjoyed your´s too- did you never consider studying law yourself?” “No, I didn´t, my mission in life was to mess with my parents and to not study law therefore was the perfect solution.” “I see- what a pity, I would have enjoyed working with you.” “With me or opposite me?” “With you, Bree, always with you.” They were looking into each other´s eyes, lost in the moment and Karl realized that there was nothing that he would have rather done than kiss her right now, he felt drawn towards her so powerfully it was a physical ache.
“Karl?”
“Yeah?”
“What are we doing?”
He felt startled at her question but didn’t break eye contact as he answered. “You tell me.” “I´m not sure but I have the feeling we shouldn´t be doing this.”
“We aren´t doing anything, Bree.”
“Would you like to do anything?”
“Would you?”
“You didn´t answer my question.”
“You didn´t either.”
“Good point- so why don´t you answer first?”
“Why don´t you?”
“You like this game, don’t you?”
Karl smiled coolly at her. “Don´t you?”
“If I said yes, what would you say?”
“I would most certainly agree.”
“And if I didn´t?”
“I would agree as well.”
“That would be a lie- the second one this evening.”
“After telling you I´ve only taken you out because of Rex?”
“Yes.”
“We agreed that it wasn´t a lie.”
An amused smile played around Bree´s lips as she shook her head. “No, actually I agreed that I couldn´t possibly accuse you of lying because of the minimal chance that you were telling the truth.”
“Well, that´s as good as agreeing I was telling the truth, isn´t it?”
“No, not exactly- it would influence my point of view.”
“So what is your point of view?”
“Concerning you? You´re a shark- you´re charming beyond any other man I know but you´re also the most dangerous.”
“Thank you for the compliment, Bree.”
“You shouldn´t have listened to that- the second part was the important one.”
“Not to me- but go on, why am I dangerous?”
“You have no morals- you´re greedy and you´re selfish and you also have second thoughts about anything you do, even in taking out your best friend´s widow.”
“But you had to admit that you not only could not prove it but you couldn´t even say it out loud- so technically I´ve won the case.”
“We´re not in court, Carl.”
“Aren´t we all in court all the time?”
“You mean because life isn´t about truth but about making people believe your version of it?” “Yes, exactly.” Karl thought why it had never before occurred to him that being married to a really intelligent woman might be much more interesting than to a sweet one.
“Well, you´re not much better than me, Bree.”
“Am I not?”
“No- you are hiding everything underneath your prim and proper façade and then when one gets a small view of the fire burning underneath they can´t wait to see more of it and they are helplessly drawn to you and even though they know they can´t have you they can´t stop thinking about you again.”
“I think that´s someone else you´re talking about.”
“No- you have no idea how incredible attractive you are.”
“You´ve just lost your case.”
Her statement took him completely off guard.
“What?”
“You´ve just admitted that you havn´t taken me out to comfort me but because you´re attracted to me. That was the point, remember?” She smiled lightly, then picked up the menu again, leaving him to work out at which point the conversation had turned against him.
He ignored Bree´s piercing stare as he ordered water instead of wine, he would have to work out how seriously her drinking problem actually was and before he had he most certainly wouldn´t order anything alcoholic for her.
She didn´t say anything though, perhaps she was aware how serious her problem was even though of course she wouldn´t admit it to him.
They ordered pasta and crema catalana for dessert and Karl watched Bree fascinated, wondering how anyone could be allowed to look so adorable.
“You actually eat?”
She looked up, surprised. “What do you mean?”
“Well, every other woman I know- Susan, Edie, my ex- girlfriend- never eat more than a few bites and you´re the one who´s looking most perfect by far, so I was just surprised.”
Bree laughed before taking another spoonful of her delicious dessert. “I´m sorry to disappoint you but I guess I just got lucky when it came to that particular gene.”
“Not just with that one…”
Karl watched in amusement as she blushed, he had finally managed to catch her off guard.
After a moment she looked up and the way she looked at him made Karl feel sure he would pay for what he had just said.
“So, I´m curious- when you talk to Edie about this evening, what exactly are you going to tell her?”
Karl leaned back in his chair, pondering his answer.
“I`ll tell you I took you out for dinner.”
“And?”
“Because you were, well- upset.”
“Nice start but she won´t go for it- what else?”
“That I thought it was my duty towards your husband.”
“She won´t go for that…”
“She will.”
“I didn´t.”
“She´s a blonde.”
“She´s not.”
“Technically she is.”
“Now what´s that supposed to mean?”
Karl shrugged. “Well, you know how it is with dying your hair blonde.”
“No, I don´t-“
“Of course you wouldn´t, you never attempted to do it.”
“Right, I didn´t.”
“Why, though? I thought every woman wants to be a blonde at one point in her life, you know what they say, blondes have more fun.”
Bree´s voice was velvety smooth as she replied “But red´s are the ones that are remembered.”
“Too true- so now after I´ve told you what I´ll say to Edie, what exactly do you think should be said about this dinner?”
Bree leaned back in her chair as well. “That depends on the seriousness of this relationship.”
“Edie´s and mine or your´s and mine?”
“Is there one?”
“Between Edie and me?”
“No.”
“So between you and me?”
“Obviously.”
“Obviously what you are talking about or obviously there is a relationship between us?”
“Between you and whom?”
“You´re driving me insane, do you know that?”
“In a good way or in a bad?”
“Would you really want to know?”
“Wouldn´t I?”
“That depends…”
“On what?”
“On our relationship.”
“Weren´t we just discussing whether or not it even exists?”
“Don´t you want it to exist?”
“Does that matter?”
“It does.”
She smiled and Karl waited for her reply, he was fascinated with her ability to twist everything he said. He had known of course that she was smart and he had also known that she probably was smarter than any other woman he knew but tonight she was surprising him, keeping up with her was a real challenge. For a moment he envied Rex, being married to her must have been incredible exciting- on the other hand the marriage hadn´t worked out all the same.
“So if I said I´d do, what would you make of it?”
“I´d be delighted.”
“Why? It could have a totally harmless meaning.”
“It wouldn´t have.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“As you said- I´m the most charming man you know.”
“I also said you´re the most dangerous one.”
“You´re not afraid of that.”
“Why do you think that?”
“You have a gun.”
“I have five.”
“One would be enough.”
“Maybe none would be enough too.”
“You really think that low of me?”
“Would that surprise you?”
“It would hurt me.”
“Men like you don´t tend to be vulnerable.”
“Maybe you don´t have me entirely right after all.”
“I´m sure I do.”
“I could prove you wrong.”
“You couldn´t, you´ve already tried that.”
“I wasn´t in it with my heart.”
“You won´t be this time, either.”
“What makes you say that?” Karl actually felt hurt by her statement and Bree chuckled.
“Karl, I have seen you with several women over the past few years and they all had to share you, so why would I even dream that it could be different with me?”
“Perhaps because you´re the right one for me.”
“I don´t believe in the there´s only one person for everyone theory.”
“What a shame- but then you could try to believe that I´m the next right person for you.”
“That would be a complete waste of time.”
“Why are you always so damn sure of yourself?”
“I know that line, Rex used to ask me that, all I can say is, I just am.”
“Fascinating- but then what do you really know about me, all you do know is Susan´s point of view and that´s not entirely reliable.”
“It´s not? You left her for your secretary, what´s not reliable about that?”
Karl sighed. “Ok, that part is reliable but then- Bree, it´s Susan, you know her, she´s- she´s…”
“Chaotic?”
“Yes.”
“Charming?”
“Yes, that too but-“
“So you don´t like charming?”
“Of course, it´s just- it wasn´t working.”
“You mean you were working to much and too late into the night.”
“Bree, that wasn´t nice.”
“No, I didn´t intend to be nice- you broke Susan´s heart and you´re not even properly ashamed of it, quite the contrary, now you´re spending most of your time with the only woman on our street Susan can´t stand- not to mention that you staying there alone would be a challenge for her.”
“Bree, how come we´re talking about Susan now?”
“Because you let me stray off topic.”
“So actually this isn´t about Susan but about proving that you´re better at using rhetoric than I am?”
“Maybe- maybe not. You should try and work that out.”
“There are certain things I´d rather work out.”
“Like what?”
“Like where there´s a zipper on that dress- or how many pins you have in your hair- or how your skin feels underneath my hands.”
“Left side.”
“What?”
“The zipper- it´s on the left side. And there are precisely eleven pins in my hair- and I think I´ll keep the last answer to myself.”
“Soft.”
“Hm?”
“Soft- and creamy. A bit like silk- but warmer.”
“Karl.” There was something like warning in her voice and now it was Karls´s turn to chuckle.
“So shall I order anything else for you? A coffee perhaps?”
“Thank you but no.”
“All right- so shall I take you home or take you for a walk in the moonlight?”
“Second or third thoughts?”
“Second.”
“All right then- I think I can deal with that.”
Rating: NC- 17
Pairing: Bree Van De Kamp/ Karl Mayer - DH
Disclaimer: Disney
Spoilers: Season two
Karl Mayer noticed instantly that something was wrong, after thirteen years of marriage he could read his ex- wife like a book. “Hey, what´s up? You don´t look exactly happy.” Susan sighed. “I´m worried about Bree.” “Why, what´s wrong with her?” “We think she´s drinking- but she won´t admit it. I saw her this morning, it was barely ten and she was already smelling of wine.” “At ten? Wow, that´s pretty early for a drink.” “Yeah, well, I can sort of understand her of course, it´s been a tough year and the trouble with her kids doesn´t make it any better but she won´t let us help her- you know her, she wants to keep up appearances at all costs.” Karl nodded absentmindedly. He didn´t like what he heard and he was already thinking of what to do about it. “I think I´ll go over there and try if she listens to me- do you know if she´s at home right now?” Susan stared at him. “You want to talk to her? Why?” Karl shrugged. “I somehow have the feeling I owe it to Rex- I mean, he was my best mate, how would he feel about me if I simply stood aside and watched her ruin herself?” “Uh- ok, that makes sense. I can´t see how she would open up to you of all people but if you want to try- good luck and yeah, she´s at home.”
When Bree opened the door Karl wasn´t surprised to see the full glass of wine in her hand, he had been sure that Susan and her friends weren´t just gossiping about Bree for the fun of it. When she spoke however her voice was firm and Karl thought that her drinking habit wasn´t something she had developed only recently. “Karl, what a nice surprise- would you like to come in?” “Yes, actually I would- I need to talk to you.” “To me?” She sounded surprised when she closed the door behind him. “Yes- I heard that you gave up on coffee and started on wine and seeing the glass in your hand at four in the afternoon proves that story to be right.” For a moment she just looked at him incredulously, then her eyes narrowed dangerously. “What gives you the right to judge me?” Karl stepped closer to her and took the wine glass out of her hand. “I´m not judging you- I can understand you very well. But your husband was my best friend and I feel responsible for you and your happiness and that´s why I will look after you from now on.” “Karl, I´m not a child-“ “But you´re acting like it. Bree, you can´t cope with everything all by yourself, you need help- everyone has been offering you their help, why don´t you accept it?” He didn´t wait for her answer but instead walked over into the kitchen and drained the glass into the sink. When he turned around again, Bree was standing in the door frame with her arms crossed, her whole body expressing her disapproval of his actions. “Now I´ll make coffee and then we´ll sit down and talk about it- and don´t try to throw me out or something because it won´t work.” “This is still my house-“ “Yes, but I´m not going to leave before we have talked all the same.” He could see her giving in, her expression softened and she relaxed visibly but he wasn´t fooled- that was about her feeling any better about him invading her space like that, it was about admitting defeat. “Hey-“ He walked over to her and when he got near enough he noticed tears clinging to her long eyelashes and he pulled her into his arms without thinking. She stiffened in his arms, then relaxed and began to sob and Karl held her to him, gently stroking her back to calm her down again. “Look, it´s ok to admit that you need help, you´re so strong Bree but that would be too much for anyone.” Her arms wrapped around his waist, her face buried in his neck and Karl felt his heartbeat speed up a bit, maybe this hadn´t been such a good idea after all, he had always been attracted to Bree Van De Kamp and if it hadn´t been for the fact that her husband quickly had become his best friend he would surely have tried to do something about it. And now he had her in his arms he somehow wished it could stay that way a little while longer, just because it felt so good to hold her, she was warm and soft and he felt touched that she allowed him to witness her final breakdown, allowed him to be the one who kept her from shattering into a million pieces. Eventually her tears subsided and when she looked up Karl gently brushed the tears away from her cheeks. “Better?” He asked and Bree nodded, avoiding his gaze. “Yes- thank you.” “Anytime, Bree- I mean it. Let me help you a little, there´s a lot I could do for you.” She smiled involuntarily. “Really? Like what…” “For a start I could take you out for dinner- then you wouldn´t have to sit around here all night and- well, you know what I`m talking about.” “Karl, you can´t take me out, you´re with Edie and it just- wouldn´t be right.” “Come on, it´s just dinner, see me as a kind of moral institution who wants to make sure you´re not spending the night in mortal sin.” Bree laughed. “Which would be what?” “Well, if I remember it right in your case it would be Chardonnay- and now say yes.” “What about Edie-“ “She´s visiting her sister.” Bree looked suspicious. “Will you tell her about this?” “Yes, of course- now can I pick you up at seven?” “I- ok.” “Great- will you be ok until then?” “Karl, that´ll only be-“ “Two hours. A lot can happen in that time- I want you to keep your fingers off your wine bottles.” She nervously wet her lip. “I´m not sure I´ll manage.” “Bree, you just have to really want it- you do want it, don´t you?” Her voice was barley more than a whisper. “Yes, of course.”
“Wow- you look- I don´t even know what to say.” Bree had opened the door in a dream of grey sating and Karl looked at her, enthralled. She blushed and nervously tugged a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “It´s nothing special, I just bought it a few weeks ago and I didn´t get a chance to wear it yet.” Karl didn´t share her opinion about the dress being nothing special but he didn´t want to embarrass her any further, he knew that she was feeling awkward about going out with him anyway. He led her over to his car and opened the passenger door for her before getting into the driver´s seat. “So normally I´d suggest we´d go to Fredo´s `course it happens to be your favourite restaurant as well as mine but- well, I know that you and Rex used to go there very often.” “Oh, that´s ok- I just don´t like to go there alone.” “All right then.” Karl started the engine, he had actually wanted to find out how she reacted when he mentioned Rex and he was relieved that she seemed to be ok with it, the evening would have been extremely tense if he had to think twice about anything he said to her.
He was aware of the looks they were attracting as they crossed the restaurant, Fairview wasn´t exactly a large town so most people who where there knew either him or Bree or both of them and he was sure that this would make for some juicy gossip. He didn´t care of course but he wasn´t so sure Bree didn´t either- but then she must have known this too and still she had agreed to come here with him.
They sat down at a table in the back corner of the restaurant, and Karl was fascinated with the way her hair was gleaming in the candle- light. “So tell me, Bree- apart from all that trouble, is there anything positive in your life right now?” “You´ve got to be kidding me.” “No, really- I mean, what do you do all day long? I know, you´re baking and cooking and your house is as spotless as ever but that can´t fill your day.” “To be honest, in addition to fighting with my son and lecturing my daughter it does.” Karl reached for her hand and held it and Bree sighed. “It´s ok, Karl, I´ll survive.” “It´s not about surviving, Bree, it´s about living. You need to find a way to go on with your life, you can´t just be there for you kids all the time, you need to do something for youself.” Bree laughed bitterly, avoiding his gaze. “Don´t bother, Karl, there´s nothing left anyway- all he left me are his children, what else shall I do but try to make sure they´ll find their way in life, even without him being there to teach them how.” “They should be grateful to have you as a mother, you know that?” Bree looked up. “That´s not how it is supposed to work, I´m their mother, I should love them and hug them and cook for them and wash their clothes and they should have a father to teach them and to guide them, I´m just not strong enough.” Karl knew how she felt, he often wondered what would have happened if Julie hadn´t been such an easy child, if Susan would have been up to raise her all by herself- but then Susan was chaotic, in a sweet, charming sort of way maybe, but chaotic all the same. Bree on the other hand was perfect- but Karl was getting the feeling that it was a kind of armour, to protect the fragile soul inside. He remained silent, barely stroking her hand with his thumb until Bree finally drew a deep, calming breath. “I´m sorry, I shouldn´t have bothered you with it.” Karl knew that she was trying to hide again behind her perfect façade and he was not about to let her. “I wanted to be bothered by it, this was the whole point of that conversation, remember?” “Karl?” “Yes?” “Why do you care so much about this, is it just because of Rex?” Karl saw the suspicion in her eyes and pondered his answer for a moment. “If I say yes you won´t believe me, will you?” There was a trace of the old flame in her eyes when she said “ If I say I won´t, then will you tell me the truth?” Karl sensed the mood between them change, it was more tense but in a mocking, humorous way, he had always enjoyed playing word games with her when they had been younger and met on a party or somewhere and he was glad that it still worked between them, even though they hadn´t really talked to each other ever since he had moved away from Wisteria Lane. “That depends- if I tell you that you´re the most beautiful and glamorous and fascinating woman I´ve ever met in my life would you demand that I take you home that instant?” Bree raised her eyebrows. “Well, if you said that it would mean you have been lying to me about your intensions all along and I would have no choice than to do so, would I?” “You´re absolutely right of course. So I won´t tell you that but if I tell you that it´s really only about Rex you won´t believe me- so what am I going to do now?” “Maybe you could tell me something else, how about you´ve just realized you have a soft spot for helpless woman with unmanageable teenage kids?” “You would go for that?” “No, of course I wouldn´t- I was just showing you your options.” “Well, if this is my only option I´m in trouble now.” “Looks like it.” Bree´s smile told him that she was charmed by his honesty and he decided to risk a bit more. “So I´ll stick to the very first version and tell you that I´ve only taken you out because I owe it to my best friend.” “As I said, I don´t believe you.” “Yes, but since there is a tiny chance that it´s actually true you can´t tell me so because if it was true you would really hurt me and you wouldn´t want that of course, so you will just say how very touched you are and leave it.” Bree nodded slowly. “I have to admit, that was brilliant- my father would have enjoyed your argumentation.” “He would have enjoyed your´s too- did you never consider studying law yourself?” “No, I didn´t, my mission in life was to mess with my parents and to not study law therefore was the perfect solution.” “I see- what a pity, I would have enjoyed working with you.” “With me or opposite me?” “With you, Bree, always with you.” They were looking into each other´s eyes, lost in the moment and Karl realized that there was nothing that he would have rather done than kiss her right now, he felt drawn towards her so powerfully it was a physical ache.
“Karl?”
“Yeah?”
“What are we doing?”
He felt startled at her question but didn’t break eye contact as he answered. “You tell me.” “I´m not sure but I have the feeling we shouldn´t be doing this.”
“We aren´t doing anything, Bree.”
“Would you like to do anything?”
“Would you?”
“You didn´t answer my question.”
“You didn´t either.”
“Good point- so why don´t you answer first?”
“Why don´t you?”
“You like this game, don’t you?”
Karl smiled coolly at her. “Don´t you?”
“If I said yes, what would you say?”
“I would most certainly agree.”
“And if I didn´t?”
“I would agree as well.”
“That would be a lie- the second one this evening.”
“After telling you I´ve only taken you out because of Rex?”
“Yes.”
“We agreed that it wasn´t a lie.”
An amused smile played around Bree´s lips as she shook her head. “No, actually I agreed that I couldn´t possibly accuse you of lying because of the minimal chance that you were telling the truth.”
“Well, that´s as good as agreeing I was telling the truth, isn´t it?”
“No, not exactly- it would influence my point of view.”
“So what is your point of view?”
“Concerning you? You´re a shark- you´re charming beyond any other man I know but you´re also the most dangerous.”
“Thank you for the compliment, Bree.”
“You shouldn´t have listened to that- the second part was the important one.”
“Not to me- but go on, why am I dangerous?”
“You have no morals- you´re greedy and you´re selfish and you also have second thoughts about anything you do, even in taking out your best friend´s widow.”
“But you had to admit that you not only could not prove it but you couldn´t even say it out loud- so technically I´ve won the case.”
“We´re not in court, Carl.”
“Aren´t we all in court all the time?”
“You mean because life isn´t about truth but about making people believe your version of it?” “Yes, exactly.” Karl thought why it had never before occurred to him that being married to a really intelligent woman might be much more interesting than to a sweet one.
“Well, you´re not much better than me, Bree.”
“Am I not?”
“No- you are hiding everything underneath your prim and proper façade and then when one gets a small view of the fire burning underneath they can´t wait to see more of it and they are helplessly drawn to you and even though they know they can´t have you they can´t stop thinking about you again.”
“I think that´s someone else you´re talking about.”
“No- you have no idea how incredible attractive you are.”
“You´ve just lost your case.”
Her statement took him completely off guard.
“What?”
“You´ve just admitted that you havn´t taken me out to comfort me but because you´re attracted to me. That was the point, remember?” She smiled lightly, then picked up the menu again, leaving him to work out at which point the conversation had turned against him.
He ignored Bree´s piercing stare as he ordered water instead of wine, he would have to work out how seriously her drinking problem actually was and before he had he most certainly wouldn´t order anything alcoholic for her.
She didn´t say anything though, perhaps she was aware how serious her problem was even though of course she wouldn´t admit it to him.
They ordered pasta and crema catalana for dessert and Karl watched Bree fascinated, wondering how anyone could be allowed to look so adorable.
“You actually eat?”
She looked up, surprised. “What do you mean?”
“Well, every other woman I know- Susan, Edie, my ex- girlfriend- never eat more than a few bites and you´re the one who´s looking most perfect by far, so I was just surprised.”
Bree laughed before taking another spoonful of her delicious dessert. “I´m sorry to disappoint you but I guess I just got lucky when it came to that particular gene.”
“Not just with that one…”
Karl watched in amusement as she blushed, he had finally managed to catch her off guard.
After a moment she looked up and the way she looked at him made Karl feel sure he would pay for what he had just said.
“So, I´m curious- when you talk to Edie about this evening, what exactly are you going to tell her?”
Karl leaned back in his chair, pondering his answer.
“I`ll tell you I took you out for dinner.”
“And?”
“Because you were, well- upset.”
“Nice start but she won´t go for it- what else?”
“That I thought it was my duty towards your husband.”
“She won´t go for that…”
“She will.”
“I didn´t.”
“She´s a blonde.”
“She´s not.”
“Technically she is.”
“Now what´s that supposed to mean?”
Karl shrugged. “Well, you know how it is with dying your hair blonde.”
“No, I don´t-“
“Of course you wouldn´t, you never attempted to do it.”
“Right, I didn´t.”
“Why, though? I thought every woman wants to be a blonde at one point in her life, you know what they say, blondes have more fun.”
Bree´s voice was velvety smooth as she replied “But red´s are the ones that are remembered.”
“Too true- so now after I´ve told you what I´ll say to Edie, what exactly do you think should be said about this dinner?”
Bree leaned back in her chair as well. “That depends on the seriousness of this relationship.”
“Edie´s and mine or your´s and mine?”
“Is there one?”
“Between Edie and me?”
“No.”
“So between you and me?”
“Obviously.”
“Obviously what you are talking about or obviously there is a relationship between us?”
“Between you and whom?”
“You´re driving me insane, do you know that?”
“In a good way or in a bad?”
“Would you really want to know?”
“Wouldn´t I?”
“That depends…”
“On what?”
“On our relationship.”
“Weren´t we just discussing whether or not it even exists?”
“Don´t you want it to exist?”
“Does that matter?”
“It does.”
She smiled and Karl waited for her reply, he was fascinated with her ability to twist everything he said. He had known of course that she was smart and he had also known that she probably was smarter than any other woman he knew but tonight she was surprising him, keeping up with her was a real challenge. For a moment he envied Rex, being married to her must have been incredible exciting- on the other hand the marriage hadn´t worked out all the same.
“So if I said I´d do, what would you make of it?”
“I´d be delighted.”
“Why? It could have a totally harmless meaning.”
“It wouldn´t have.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“As you said- I´m the most charming man you know.”
“I also said you´re the most dangerous one.”
“You´re not afraid of that.”
“Why do you think that?”
“You have a gun.”
“I have five.”
“One would be enough.”
“Maybe none would be enough too.”
“You really think that low of me?”
“Would that surprise you?”
“It would hurt me.”
“Men like you don´t tend to be vulnerable.”
“Maybe you don´t have me entirely right after all.”
“I´m sure I do.”
“I could prove you wrong.”
“You couldn´t, you´ve already tried that.”
“I wasn´t in it with my heart.”
“You won´t be this time, either.”
“What makes you say that?” Karl actually felt hurt by her statement and Bree chuckled.
“Karl, I have seen you with several women over the past few years and they all had to share you, so why would I even dream that it could be different with me?”
“Perhaps because you´re the right one for me.”
“I don´t believe in the there´s only one person for everyone theory.”
“What a shame- but then you could try to believe that I´m the next right person for you.”
“That would be a complete waste of time.”
“Why are you always so damn sure of yourself?”
“I know that line, Rex used to ask me that, all I can say is, I just am.”
“Fascinating- but then what do you really know about me, all you do know is Susan´s point of view and that´s not entirely reliable.”
“It´s not? You left her for your secretary, what´s not reliable about that?”
Karl sighed. “Ok, that part is reliable but then- Bree, it´s Susan, you know her, she´s- she´s…”
“Chaotic?”
“Yes.”
“Charming?”
“Yes, that too but-“
“So you don´t like charming?”
“Of course, it´s just- it wasn´t working.”
“You mean you were working to much and too late into the night.”
“Bree, that wasn´t nice.”
“No, I didn´t intend to be nice- you broke Susan´s heart and you´re not even properly ashamed of it, quite the contrary, now you´re spending most of your time with the only woman on our street Susan can´t stand- not to mention that you staying there alone would be a challenge for her.”
“Bree, how come we´re talking about Susan now?”
“Because you let me stray off topic.”
“So actually this isn´t about Susan but about proving that you´re better at using rhetoric than I am?”
“Maybe- maybe not. You should try and work that out.”
“There are certain things I´d rather work out.”
“Like what?”
“Like where there´s a zipper on that dress- or how many pins you have in your hair- or how your skin feels underneath my hands.”
“Left side.”
“What?”
“The zipper- it´s on the left side. And there are precisely eleven pins in my hair- and I think I´ll keep the last answer to myself.”
“Soft.”
“Hm?”
“Soft- and creamy. A bit like silk- but warmer.”
“Karl.” There was something like warning in her voice and now it was Karls´s turn to chuckle.
“So shall I order anything else for you? A coffee perhaps?”
“Thank you but no.”
“All right- so shall I take you home or take you for a walk in the moonlight?”
“Second or third thoughts?”
“Second.”
“All right then- I think I can deal with that.”