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peterjakes · 2 years

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Frank x Karen - ‘never could be sweeter than with you’

Frank and Karen argue, but Frank can’t deny his feelings for Karen any longer and finally lets her in.

I’ve finally done it! After months of saying I would finish this fic and this little kastle series, it’s done. Not sure why I put it off for so long bc I actually enjoyed writing this one.

I will miss writing about frank and karen :( - maybe I’ll revisit them one day.

But for now, enjoy! Thank you to everyone that has read, commented or liked any of the pieces from this series <3

also posted on ao3; https://archiveofourown.org/works/41955771

“You’ve gotta be honest, Karen.”

Karen was standing a few feet away from Frank, fiddling with her coffee cup. There seemed to be some hostility between the two of them. The morning had started fine, started normal but had taken an odd turn. She didn’t want to argue, didn’t want to fight but she couldn’t help herself. She was just in that kind of mood.

Frank was leant up against the kitchen counter, both elbows lying across in front of him. He seemed agitated, not exactly at Karen but the situation. She wasn’t listening to him, seemed to want to argue and disagree with every single thing he said. This hadn’t put Frank in the best mood. It was frustrating when Karen was like this, like she wanted to argue, wanted to fight. Frank didn’t want to fight her. He never did.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Karen frowned; she may have exaggerated it a little more than she needed to. She knew exactly what Frank was talking about. Or at least she had some kind of idea. She just didn’t particularly want to have this conversation, not right now. She didn’t want to face it, especially if she couldn’t predict the outcome.

“Isn’t that what you want? Honesty?”

“Can’t answer a question with another question.” Karen answered. Hearing herself talk like that almost conjured up some embarrassment. She sounded like a child, a child who wasn’t getting what they wanted. She wasn’t even sure how this argument had started. It wasn’t as if her and Frank had never had a disagreement before. But something felt different this time. It was serious. It was true that Karen had made some mistakes, particularly recently. She understood Frank was worried about her, the same way Karen worried about him. And maybe she had been too risky.

“Can’t I?” Frank almost laughed as he shook his head. Karen seemed to be purposely argumentative, she just wasn’t listening. Karen knew exactly how to irritate Frank. It wasn’t something she did very regularly. But she still knew how to do it.

“That’s what I liked about you; you were always honest with me. Always. Even if you weren’t completely honest with yourself.” Sighing, Karen placed her coffee cup on the table. She started to move forward, closer towards Frank, trying to diffuse the tension. “I’m being honest, I’m being completely open, Frank.”

Frank opened his mouth to argue but decided against it, knowing there was no point hashing everything back up. Karen didn’t want that and neither did Frank. Maybe they were more alike than they thought. “Okay. Okay.”

“Look, it doesn’t have to be this way. It really doesn’t.” Karen sighed, wanting to get through to him. She never believed Frank could change completely, she knew there was a small part of him that didn’t want to or at least couldn’t bring himself to. But the past few months, something had clicked. Karen knew who Frank was, she wasn’t being naïve about this. But there had to be a breaking point, didn’t there?

“No?” Frank knew he was being hostile; he knew he wasn’t listening to Karen properly. He was angry at himself, angry at the situation. Things never seemed to go smoothly; nothing was easy in his life. Sometimes, in the early morning, when he had all the time in the world with himself and his thoughts, Frank wished things were different. He wished certain things hadn’t gone the way they had, or he wished he had acted differently, chosen a different path. But soon after these thoughts circled around his head, he’d look down to the women sleeping soundly beside him and couldn’t imagine a life without her, not now.

“Frank, just, just listen.”

“No, you listen to me, Karen. You can’t keep doin’ this. You can’t.” Frank hadn’t meant to interrupt Karen, and even she seemed taken aback by it. He wasn’t raising his voice, he seemed calmer than ever. This was serious for him; it wasn’t a joke.

“Doing what?” Karen turned her back to Frank, she could feel herself getting more annoyed. This seemed to be a discussion the two of them were having more frequently. It wasn’t always an argument, and Karen usually understood what Frank was trying to say. But they just never seemed to get anywhere. Karen knew she didn’t always do exactly what she should have, and it would have been stupid to believe Frank wouldn’t blame himself. That was just who he was. But it was hard for Karen to stop, as she knew it had been hard for Frank. Maybe, she should have been more understanding of that.

“Putting yourself in these situations. Getting yourself into trouble.” It wasn’t just once or twice, wasn’t even three times. In a way, Frank couldn’t blame Karen. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t done things worse or just as bad. It wasn’t that he knew what he was doing, and Karen was a complete amateur. But he knew they couldn’t keep going along like this, they weren’t always going to be so lucky.

“Where you need to save me, you mean?” Karen scoffed. They’d had this conversation before, they just went around and around. It was getting tedious. It wasn’t that she didn’t understand why, she knew what Frank was saying. But she didn’t need protection, not completely. She’d done stupid things in the past, but it was different know. She knew the risks. “You don’t need to. I can take care of myself.”

“I never said that. I know you can.” It would be stupid of Frank to deny this. Never had he met someone with such resilience or vigour. Karen knew exactly who she was, she was curious, kind-hearted and would stop at nothing to help those less fortunate. These qualities among so many others was why he couldn’t let her go, why he couldn’t let her get hurt. He wouldn’t be able to forgive himself, never.

Karen closed her eyes for a moment, breathing in deeply. She knew she couldn’t be angry with Frank; her heart didn’t break when she looked at him, not anymore. She didn’t want to argue, it hurt her soul when they did, even in these rare moments. But she just wanted to know what he was thinking. “Then what?” This question had come out more harshly than intended, but she knew it would get her the answer she wanted.

Frank waited a moment before answering, choosing his words very carefully. He knew he couldn’t slip up, not when Karen would be clinging onto to every single world that escaped his mouth.

“There’s people who care about you.” Frank spoke quietly now, the anger or frustration he felt only moments ago had disappeared. He wasn’t looking at Karen, his eyes were trying to find anything but her disappointed face.

Karen sighed, almost scoffing at that comment. People who care… Is that all he wanted to say? Is that all he could say? This argument, it was pointless, what were either of them even trying to say? Karen didn’t know, not really. Everything just seemed too exhausting.

“People who love you.” Frank’s eyes found Karen this time, he made sure of it. He knew he couldn’t say it, not quite. He thought maybe he didn’t need to. There was so much unspoken between the two of them. Karen understood Frank, better than anyone. But maybe she couldn’t let this one slide.

“Do they, these…people?” Karen raised her eyebrow, as if to signal to Frank. She knew exactly what he was saying, knew exactly who he was talking about. But she knew he wasn’t going to say it, wasn’t going to admit it. Not even after everything It wasn’t that Karen wanted him to, needed him to or even expected him to. Those words were heavy, they carried so much. And that just wasn’t Frank. He never said the words, about anything. Only showed his feelings by his touch. Showed his love by those touches. The touches, the looks, the eyes, the smiles, the ones he only allowed Karen to see. The ones he only wanted Karen to see.

Frank didn’t answer Karen. What could he say? What Karen wanted to hear, what she longed to hear. He wasn’t sure it was possible.

“What are you saying?”

“Karen.” Frank whispered this; it was almost too quiet for Karen to hear. His mouth was dry, almost too dry for any other words to form. Frank said this with such a softness, a calmness, something Karen hadn’t heard before. It surprised her, but that didn’t change anything. Not one thing.

“Yes?” Karen wasn’t going to let it go, she wasn’t going to let it slide. Not this time.

“I…” Frank faltered, not being able to carry on. It was as if his mouth couldn’t form the words. What were the words he even wanted to say? Looking up Karen’s soft eyes, waiting patiently, it was like he’d lost his voice. Lost his mind. Lost that ability. All because of her. Ashamed. That was how Frank felt. Karen seemed to give him everything, and yet Frank couldn’t do this small thing for her. Frank moved to lean more towards the tabletop, needing something to hold himself up. Why couldn’t he do it? Why was he such a coward?

Realising she may have taken it too far, Karen moved closer to Frank. She laid her hand on his, moving his fingers to interlock with his. Her eyes were firmly on him, whilst Frank had focused on her hands, the way she moved closer, the way she had touched him. Karen knew exactly how to touch him, how to bring him back, every single time.

“I know, I know.” Karen whispered this, only for Frank to hear. Her right hand moved up towards his cheek, stroking it slowly, as if to calm him.

“I…”

“You don’t need to. You don’t need to say it.” She shook her head, quickly, wanting to rid of the anguish she could see on Frank’s face. She knew how he felt, she knew how she felt and that was enough. Never had she’d imagined this was where they would end up. But they had, and it was enough.

“Karen…”

“I know, me too. I do too.” Karen smiled at Frank, that small, sweet smile she had reserved only for him. She didn’t need him to say it, no, she knew it and she felt it.

Karen went to move towards Frank, but he had beaten her to it. Their lips touched, small kisses were formed on their lips, slowly, delicately, calmly. Karen allowed Frank to kiss her for a moment before she took control, her hand was still firmly pressed on her cheek, her fingers dragged along his chiselled jawline. Karen kissed Frank as she had never kissed him before. It was different now, with the confirmation, with the realisation, Karen knew she had Frank and he had her. There was no need to be afraid. Not anymore. They had each other and that was it.

Frank did love Karen, in a way that only he could. He loved her, even if those words couldn’t quite form on his lips and from his mouth. He’d loved her for longer than he had realised. He hadn’t realised he could allow himself to love again, to let someone in. But Karen had helped him to understand that now, to realise that now. He loved the way she smiled at the silly things in life. Loved the way she passionately cared about the injustices in the world. He loved her goofy laugh whenever she found something funny. Loved her kindness, her softness, with him in particular. He loved Karen Page. Frank Castle loved her. And she loved him. Frank Castle loved Karen Page. Karen Page loved Frank Castle.

#frank x karen #kastle #karen x frank #kastle fic #frank x karen fic #kastle fanfic #frank x karen fanfic #the punisher #daredevil #frank castle #karen page #frank x karen fanfiction #never could be sweeter than with you #marvel #mine #my writing

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whatever-just-another-fangirl · 2 years

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HEY!

FANFIC WRITERS

KASTLE LOVERS

ARISE, and pls, PLS! Write a fanfic where some how Frank and Karen are """forced"" to play 7 minutes in heaven, and they are not going anywhere 'till they kiss!

Forgive my bad english♡

#frank x karen #kastle #kastleedit #fanfic kastle #kastlenetwork #frank castle x karen page #karen page #frank castle #kastle fanfic #fanfic #fanfic prompt #fic writing #writing inspiration #the punisher #daredevil

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annabelle1901 · 3 months

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Lost Frank Castle x Karen Page fic

Hi! So I don't really interact with anyone on Tumblr but I don't really know what else to do, so here we go. I'm back on my Kastle bullshit <3 and I've been trying to find this old fan fiction on AO3 that I started reading years ago. Stopped reading after a certain point but had the tab open on my phone and I thought I'd continue reading eventually.. And then my phone got stolen, and I forgot the title & author name. Not great. I've dedicated the past few days to looking for it and so far I got nothing.

So what I'm gonna do is write down everything I remember like a mad woman in the hope that this jogs someones memory. Please help me this fic haunts me. ANY sort of reference or whatever could potentially help (Tumblr posts, links, screenshots, Google history, etc)

Fandom: Daredevil/ the Punisher obv

Pairing: Frank Castle/ Karen Page

Rating: probably explicit (canon typical violence and eventual smut)

Published: 2016-2017 (started post s2 Daredevil but pre The Punisher s1 because I don't remember any of the plot or characters from that show showing up) might have been deleted in 2020ish

Length: has to be +10 chapters (long chapters as well, don't know if it was finished)

Characters: Matt Murdock/ Daredevil, Foggy Nelson, Claire Temple, Elektra Natchios (I vividly remember them making some sort of appearance)

now let's get really unhinged...

Plot:

Pretty sure the story starts on Karen's birthday but her mood is meh.. She's on her way home or something, gets in her car and Shining Star starts playing which let's her know that Frank was recently there. Something else must have alarmed her because she goes looking for him and finds him in like an alley around her building. He's in really bad shape, bloody practically dying. She carries him to her apartment and either helps him herself or calls Claire Temple.*

*Don't think it was in this part of the story but she helps Frank and makes a joke about him not being healthy enough to be sleeping with Karen anytime soon which makes them blush. Don't think they were intimate yet but tensions were rising.

For the next couple of chapters I remember it was mainly beautifully written angst between them in this contained space while he's healing. Karen doesn't want Frank to get killed while being the Punisher, he resists her care and tries to hurt her by saying "You aren't Maria and could never be" or something.

I also vividly remember a scene where he's grieving and keeps like tugging on this necklace Karen has on while he cries in her arms. She leaves her necklace at his family's graves and the groundskeeper or something tells her not to do that because it'll get stolen but she knows that but does it anyway as a sign of respect.

They sort admit their feelings eventually but don't sleep together yet because they know they can't go back after that. For some reason Frank needs to leave the city for a little while to re-home a dog I believe he found while on a "mission" and the idea is that the time apart will help them decide whether or not they want to be together. They reunite on a sunny, lovely day in the city and go back to her apartment and lots of smut ensues. Daredevil shows up at midnight/ morning to get Frank. Something's going down he needs his help. It doesn't end well somehow Karen gets involved and they both go to the same hospital. Frank is in a coma and Karen visits him when she's allowed and urges him to live sort of mirroring when he first got shot in the head at the carousel. He wakes up but needs to go back to prison. Everything is really bad. The press somehow knows about their relationship as well. Last scene I remember is Karen and Foggy talking about all this and a newspaper printing a picture of Karen's legs with the caption Keys to the Castle? or something. Gross everything sucks and that's where I stopped reading.

So that's about all I can remember, feels like a fever dream. If anyone could help me out I'd really appreciate it. Thx!!

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heidiamalia · 5 days

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20 questions for fic writers

thanks @ninzied <3!!

How many works do you have on ao3? 12

What's your total ao3 word count? 77,624

What fandoms do you write for? Kastle

Top five fics by kudos: Hidden Treasure - amy sets kastle on a road trip to florida Canvassed - frank gets some news /pre-tps2 theory Like The Wind - karen runs [right into frank]/daredevil s3 au The Blood In The Blue - the mermaid au Split Sutures - karen in hospital /pre-tps2 theory

Do you respond to comments? I do! always!

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? ooh i dont think ive done one myself. closest i can think is the merm fic.

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? pffff... all of them? maybe Hidden Treasure or Like The Wind.

Do you get hate on fics? immmmm not popular enough, i dont think. i've not encountered any, so i take that as luck.

Do you write smut? lolno. i am not that skilled sorryyy

Craziest crossover: ive not done a crossover, technically! its all within the nmcu between daredevil and punisher characters.

Have you ever had a fic stolen? i'm not aware if i ever did, no.

Have you ever had a fic translated? no, but i would never be opposed!

Have you ever co-written a fic before? i would not be brave enough haha.

All time favorite ship? on ao3 to write? bit limited there lolol kastle

What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will? - frank takes a holiday and dismantles a dogfighting ring. - parker as a cyborg!au with hardison&eliot as college roommates [leverage ot3] - caroline's life into the future before klaus is inevitably returned [tvd/to klaroline]

What are your writing strengths? ooph. character studies. building a moment.

What are your writing weaknesses? dialogue, probably? someone else tell me.

Thoughts on dialogue in another language? if i were to involve another language its gotta be clear the reader understands i only speak one and i have done everything in my power to not JUST utilize google translate. but also to read other fics with another language involved, it helps if theres a footnote for clarity.

First fandom you wrote in? on ao3!!!! kastle. daredevil/the punisher NMCU sky high was the first fandom i wrote for.

Favorite fic you've written? Hidden Treasure! i'm still not sure how i managed some of those lines or where they came from.

#ao3 #kastle #tag game #writer asks #fanfic ask game

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pearlypairings · 2 months

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🔁 and 📆 for the fic rec asks

2. 🔁 A fic you’ve re-read several times:

Girl, you already know this answer probably lol. Trading Burdens by pseudostitch truly has me in a chokehold for solving the mystery. Rereading it with you and occasionally going back for funsies to see how far hellcheer've come in their murder investigation/relationship.

5. 📆 A fic you’d re-read 10 years from now:

ooooh! In ten years, I think I'd love to re-read my breath is for holding by therestlessbrook which is a DD/Punisher prison au fic for Karen x Frank. The layers of the plot and the action were done so well! After the series of new Daredevil and Punisher content coming out over the next few years, it would be great to come back to that fic and appreciate how lovely it is in that era of DD/Punisher<3

send me a fic rec ask:)

#thanks for the ask losty!#fic rec ask game #fic recs #hellcheer #murder mystery #hellcheer fanfic #kastle #the punisher #karen x frank #pearly answers

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dani2001dogs · 2 months

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New Fanfic ☺️

New Kastel fanfic I wrote! Kastel reunites and post blip

#kastle #frank x karen #fanfic #the punisher #daredevil

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skullsandwhiteroses · 1 year

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Chapters: 4/4 Fandom: The Punisher (TV 2017), Daredevil (TV) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Frank Castle/Karen Page Characters: Frank Castle, Karen Page, David "Micro" Lieberman, Sarah Lieberman, Zach Lieberman, Leo Lieberman Additional Tags: Smut, Miscommunication, Food, Insecurity, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Post Punisher S1, Holidays, Made-Up Holidays, Alcohol, Oral Sex, Fellatio, Cunnilingus, Blow Jobs, Fingering, Tongue Fucking, Penis In Vagina Sex, Porn with Feelings, safe sex, Kinda, also some less safe sex technically, Punisher season 2 non-compliant, Varying POV, Pi Day, Steak and a Blow Job Day, no betas we die like men, dumb excuse for smut, brief discussions of loss, Innuendo, Suggestive Dialogue, background David Lieberman/Sarah Lieberman - Freeform Summary:

For the longest time lunch had felt like a push, something she’d guilted him into, practically blackmailed him into with threats of outing him in the paper, or even hunting him down in the middle of whatever he got himself into if he couldn’t agree to a weekly lunch like civil acquaintances. Friends? No word really covered all of what they were to each other…or, at least, what he was to her. What she was to him, she could only guess at, especially now. And that was the problem, wasn’t it? She was tired of guessing. She wanted to know.

Karen hatches a plan to determine how Frank feels about her, once and for all - if they're only friends, or something more. Frank is a little slow on the uptake.

#kastle #fanfic #fic rec #smut #frank castle #karen page #oh god i wrote a thing

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sausagesquirrel · 1 year

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Gods walk the Earth in this AU where Frank goes in search of coffee and finds more than he bargained for; a waitress with too much sunshine in her hair, and too many stars in her eyes.

At Her Feet, The Sun (click to read on AO3)

by captainkilly @captainkilly (hope this is ok)

"I was right," she breathes. Her mouth curves into a most incredulous smile for a moment as she gazes at him. There's a giddiness in her eyes that sparkles when they catch the light. He's dismayed to find that she's just as tall as he is. "You're perfect. One of my own.. It's been forever."

Her skin is so warm to the touch it's almost as if she's running on fever or an inner fire he dares not name. There's more light in the room now. Too much of it. The flare of the overhead lights turns almost blinding. He squints against the glare. Feels that damn fork bend away from her. He closes his eyes against the brightness. Curses everything under the sun in the privacy of his own mind.

He releases her.

Abruptly, the brightness that threatened to overwhelm him seems to dim and fade. When he next opens his eyes, the room around him is even darker. But she.. she isn't.

He's aware that he's staring. He can't seem to help that. She's luminous in the space before him. It's like the night sky opened up before him and all he can see in her hair and her eyes are countless, numerous stars. Golden light swivels and ripples through the stars haphazardly. The midnight blue of her dress becomes a canvas upon which the universe is painted.

He can't look away. Counts to three.

One batch. Cloudless climes.

Two batch. Starry skies.

Penny and dime. And all that's best of dark and bright..

"God." He swears. "Shit."

"It's been a while since anyone's been this irreverent toward me," she hums softly. There is a smile to her that's like the savage first light of morning after a night of liquor. He recognises it as fighter's relish a split second later. Recategorises the purr in her voice and the small tilt of her head. Weapons. "I quite like it. Now, come, Frank Castle," she breathes into the space between them, "eat and drink and hear me. Don't make me force my hand."

"Yes ma'am."

#kastle #american gods #american gods vibe #AU #AO3 #fanfic recs #frank castle

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shippingerror1091 · 1 year

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More Kastle fanfic. Not mine, I’m not this talented. I just love it.

#kastle #karen x frank #karen page #frank x karen #frank castle #daredevil #the punisher #marvel #fanfiction #ao3 fanfic #kastle fic

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kastlequill · 1 year

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wishing i had the power to write very fast because i have so many ideas for so many vastly different ships but so little time and speed. and thats how i end up with lots of half-written first drafts :<

#writing #fanfic #fic writing #like how do i have a wonderbat oneshot i need to revise to death then finish from years ago #and a half written oneshot for a chinese drama that ended like 2 years ago #and 4k written for a love between fairy and devil 3shot thats still in the drafts #and im 10k deep into a new ghost x reader multific im trying to prewrite a bit before posting #like i genuinely just have so much written yet unposted amongst several diff things #sigh #going to make writing a more consistent hobby and fix this a little i hope!#i forgot i have like 6k into a kastle oneshot from years ago that i need to revise and finish too wtf #rambles

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onebatch2batch · 1 year

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Hello! I have a fun lil NYE Kastle fic that is a few days late, and I’m hoping to be posting a couple Christmas-y ones over the next week or so too. Hopefully people will still be in enough of the holiday spirit to enjoy. :)

sneak peek:

“Might need one or two. Was gonna do it myself but, uh—the angle.”

She raises her brows, snapping on a pair of gloves. “Do you make it a habit to give yourself stitches instead of seeing a medical professional?”

“Couple times—had to learn when I was enlisted. Saves some money, too.” He chuckles. “Nice as it is to have the help, you ain’t cheap, Doc.”

Read here!

#kastle #kastle ff #my writing #kastle fanfic

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peterjakes · 2 years

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Frank x Karen - 'I look to you to see the truth’

A small argument occurs, but these two always find a way back to each other.

yeah this was definitely suppose to be posted before the previous fic but who cares really (apart from me)

hope you enjoy this one! x

also posted on ao3;

https://archiveofourown.org/works/38600268

Karen’s wounds had healed quicker than she’d expected, and she’d managed to cover up the bruise well enough with her foundation. Not that she could get away with not telling Foggy or Matt. She hadn’t wanted to particularly, there was a part of her that was still embarrassed about the whole thing. But if she hadn’t have gone, maybe things wouldn’t have gone the way they had. Maybe it would have gotten worse, and she had to do something. She knew that. She had a responsibility.

Spending the night at Frank’s always brought some sort of comfort to Karen. It was a strange feeling, being so comfortable and contented somewhere that wasn’t her own apartment, someone else’s space. She couldn’t remember a time she had felt like that. But it was a good feeling, a nice one. It was a feeling she didn’t want to let go of for a long time.

Karen awoke suddenly, realising how late it must be. She was alone in the bed, the covers engulfing her body. The afternoon light escaped through Frank’s small bedroom window, the curtains flowing ever so slightly along the breeze. Karen could hear the world moving on outside, although it wasn’t too loud, as if it feared waking her up. Her face still ached a little, but it was overall feeling much better. The cuts had healed, and the bruises were barely visible. Her body was still tired, as if she had to catch up with herself. She’d been told to take it easy, by almost everyone that knew, but she wasn’t very good at that. Frank had been an excellent caregiver the past few weeks, constantly checking up her, looking after her. It was nice to have that, to know he would always be there.

But Karen didn’t need that, not anymore. She was on the mend and ready to get back into everything. She still struggled to get out of Frank’s ridiculously comfy bed, but that was less to do with her aching and more to do with how nice it felt to be lying in it. Managing to prize herself up, Karen found herself wandering into the living room of Frank’s apartment. It was relatively tidy, only Karen’s wine glass from last night ruined the perfect scene. Karen thought back to the night before, it was calm, relaxed and had helped her in a way she didn’t think it would have.

Karen notice a newspaper clipping sitting on the edge of the kitchen counter. It was sitting along black duffel bag zipped up tightly and a few more newspapers, laid open on similar articles. Intrigued by the set-up, Karen walked over to closely read the articles out in the open. Frank wasn’t anywhere to be found, so in that moment Karen was alone. She hadn’t seen much about these people in the article, which was a surprise. They sounded dangerous, but no more dangerous that anything she’d heard of before. There could only be one reason Frank would have these articles spread out in his apartment. Of course, he was going to go after them. Karen didn’t always disagree with it, sometimes people deserved it, but it wasn’t always the right way. Someone always ended getting hurt. And that someone was usually Frank, just not in the way you’d expect. She couldn’t expect Frank to completely change, and she didn’t want him to, that was what made him who he was. But sometimes she wished he would just stop and think, stop, and listen. He couldn’t do it all by himself, not all the time.

Hearing footsteps coming from the bathroom, Karen quickly threw the newspaper down, trying to look as natural as possible. “Hey.”

“Uh, hey.” Frank came into the kitchen properly now, but he seemed to be somewhere else. He moved around the room obviously searching for something. Karen had never been in Frank’s presence when he was ‘preparing’. It was a strange sight. He was so focused, it seemed as if nothing could get in his way now. Karen watched his closely for a moment, it seemed like he was retracing his steps, trying to find whatever it was he had lost.

“You going somewhere?” Karen asked, still watching Frank closely, not taking her eyes off of him.

“Yeah.” Frank nodded, still looking, trying to do anything but look at Karen.

“It to do with this?” Karen motioned towards the newspapers, indicating she had read them. Frank had expected that, he had left them out for Karen to see and she wouldn’t be sleeping forever. There was a part of him that wished she would have, slept through it all so he wouldn’t have had to explain. But that was only a small part of him. It wouldn’t be fair on Karen to do that, not now at least. Things were different now, they had to be.

Frank looked Karen right in the eye, their eyes locked into each other, only seeing one another. He didn’t answer but nodded slowly, knowing he had to give Karen something.

“That sounds dangerous.”

Frank didn’t answer immediately, he sighed to himself, rifled through his bag in search of something. He didn’t find it, so moved away from Karen to search the living room. Karen didn’t follow him, she leant up against the kitchen counter, her elbow brushing against the opened newspapers. She didn’t want to follow him; she could see him clearly where she was standing. However, her eyes didn’t have any problems with following him, watching him move across the room almost frantically. Frank could clearly feel Karen’s eyes on him, he knew she was watching him closely. “We’ve been over this.”

“Have we? Because I don’t remember that conversation.” Karen wasn’t getting angry, but to say she was fine with what was unfolding would not be true at all. Karen never wanted to change the way Frank was, of course she didn’t. She knew who he was, what he did, and she understood that. She understood him and even accepted it. But that didn’t mean she had to accept everything that came with it. Understanding someone and the things they did, didn’t always mean they were right. Things that had happened in the past, with Frank, there were times when Karen had wished things hadn’t gone the way they had. Maybe she could have helped or stopped him. But there was no point going back to the past, she had to look forward, to the future. She could do something now.

“Karen…” Frank had stopped now, gripping his jacket tightly. He knew they hadn’t spoken about it, not really. After the last time, it had never properly been settled. They’d both just let it go, focusing on Karen’s injuries. They hadn’t spoken about what had happened much since that night, but they couldn’t ignore it forever. It would eventually come to pass.

“Frank.” Karen answered back sternly, putting her foot down. She wasn’t going to let this go, she wasn’t going to let this slide. Not today. She had to find a way to actually get through to Frank, to actually get him to listen.

“I don’t know what you want me to say.”

“I thought…” Karen wasn’t sure exactly what she had thought. Maybe things couldn’t change, maybe things were set in stone. You followed down one path and couldn’t change it halfway through, that was your lot forever. She didn’t want to believe that, though. She wanted to believe that people could get a second chance, people deserved that. Things could divert, you could go down that different path, if you wanted to. Maybe Frank didn’t want to, things had changed, but not everything had. And maybe Karen needed to realise that.

“What? That everything was different?” Frank almost laughed at how ridiculous it was. Maybe things could never really change, not truly. Not for him. Too much had happened, he had done too much. This was how it was, how it had to be. He had never expected Karen to accept it, but he did think he understood it, at least.

“Yes!”

“Maybe it isn’t.” Frank said this quietly, he sounded so different with that voice. It almost shocked Karen to see him like this. At least he was being honest, that was important. Maybe she had been fooling herself into thinking things had changed or things would be different. Maybe everything was exactly the same as it was before. But it couldn’t be, Karen thought. Something had to have switched. Frank came back, they’d found each other. That had to count for something.

“Okay, then why come back?” Karen raised her eyebrows, waiting for an answer she knew she wouldn’t get. The answer to that question was something Karen was sure of, but still hadn’t heard from Frank. She knew why he came back, maybe not entirely for her and that wasn’t what bothered her. What bothered Karen was how he just wouldn’t admit it, he couldn’t just tell her. It hurt to feel like Frank couldn’t be completely honest. That was what she liked about him.

“You can’t just..”

Frank shook his head in anger, in almost disappointment. Frank thought he had opened himself to it, opened himself to Karen. Karen thought things had changed, clearly, she was wrong. Clearly, she was mistaken. “I thought I could stop, but maybe I can’t.” Admitting that was hard, one of the hardest things Frank had said in a long time. He didn’t hate that part of him, but it was a part of him. It was natural, just like routine. He did those things because he had to, not necessarily because he wanted to. And stopping completely? That just wasn’t possible, not even for Karen.

“I’m not asking you to stop, just to think for a minute.” Karen knew she could never ask that, and she didn’t want to. It wouldn’t be fair, but she did wish for some stillness, no haste. To think things through, to actually sit down and have a plan, a proper one, surely would be better than not.

“To think? ‘cos thinking solves everything, right?” Frank shook his head in almost disbelief. Throwing his jacket on the couch, he sat down, placing his head in-between his legs. Just to give himself a moment, a slight moment of peace. He needed that.

“I’m not saying that.” Walking over to where Frank sat, Karen carefully sat down next to him. She watched him for a minute before placing her hand on the back of his neck, caressing it slowly. “Look, I know, okay. I know… but you know I don’t care, just about you. Even if you don’t, I do.”

“Karen…” Frank looked back up, directly at Karen. He looked hurt, but it wasn’t directed at the woman beside him, more at himself. He’d been an idiot, that much was true. And there was only so much Karen would stay for. He couldn’t lose her, not again. He’d never let that happen. “’m sorry, I’m an asshole.”

“Maybe.” Karen gave him and quick smile, edging ever so slightly closer to him. “But you’ve just gotta talk to me. I can help, you don’t have to leave me in the dark.”

“I know.”

“You sure?”

“Can’t let go of that mind, eh?” Frank let himself smile at Karen, a smile that she’d cherish for a long time. Moving closer to Karen now, his hand found itself smoothing over the top of Karen’s head, her hair getting entangled with his fingers. She longed to be touched by Frank like this, she never wanted to stop. Closing her eyes, Karen found herself getting lost in the moment, not wanting to let go. Wanting to everything else to stop, but not Frank. Never Frank.

Snapping back into reality, Karen opened her eyes, looking directing into Frank’s. They no longer looked hurt or sad, almost contented. “No, you can’t. And that mind isn’t letting go.” Karen knew her worth, but so did Frank. “But it can stop, sometimes, even just for a moment.” This was the reassurance Karen knew Frank needed. This was the reassurance Frank wanted from Karen.

“Okay.”

Edging closer to Frank, Karen allowed his hands to let go of her and placed her right hand on the bottom of his chin, stroking it slowly, stroking it softly. She pressed her lips onto his, but didn’t rush, not wanting to rush or miss. She planted one kiss, two kisses, three before Frank’s own lips reciprocated the kisses. They kissed slowly, they kissed as if their lips had never met, they kissed without a care in the world. They were gentle, they were careful kisses. Sad kisses too. They were enough for the moment. They were enough for each other.

“Is this all you know about them?” She directed her eyes onto the newspaper sitting on the coffee table. This one had a small article on the front page concerning the people Frank wanted to go after. There wasn’t a photo or much information in the article, but Karen expected that was what they wanted.

“No, it’s not.” Shaking his head, Frank picked up the newspaper and seemed to be reading through the article. From what Karen could tell, this article left out some very heavy details. Details that she assumed Frank knew all about.

“You’ve got a location, then?” Karen knew Frank had, otherwise he wouldn’t have planned anything. He had to be sure about these things.

“Yeah, there’s a location.” Rubbing his face with his right hand, Frank leant back into the couch. He was clearly exhausted, maybe more than Karen.

“Anything else?”

“Bits and pieces.”

“Bits and pieces, right.” Karen turned away from Frank as her eyes focused on her wine glass from the night before. She wasn’t sure how to react, almost wishing she hadn’t said anything. But honesty was important, the most important thing to Karen. They had to be transparent with each other, they just had to.

“I won’t go.” Frank said this, and he had meant it. Things couldn’t change as quickly as anyone wanted. Not as quickly as Karen wanted. Not as quickly as Frank wanted. But that didn’t mean they couldn’t try, they had to try, make the effort. There was that small part of Frank that meant this, that didn’t want to go. Maybe that part needed to get bigger, for both Karen and Frank.

“I didn’t say that. Not that I could stop you anyway.” Karen couldn’t help but let a small smirk escape from the corner her mouth.

“But?”

“I can help.”

“Yeah, I know. You help, I go, I call the cops. Deal?”

“Sounds like a deal.” Karen thought for a moment before speaking again. “Better than the me cooking deal.”

“I don’t know, Karen. It’s coming along.”

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