Mike & Karen Ch. 10

Mike's eyes widened. "What?! I --"

"Mrs. DeBourne, he was protecting me," Lisa finally piped us, blushing but feeling the need to defend him. "I ... Karen's cousin ..."

She looked over at Karen, who nodded to her. She continued, forcing herself to speak loud enough to be heard. "Karen's cousin was trying ... he wouldn't let me be ... he was being forceful about taking me out. Mike told him to stop, and he didn't, so ... your son might've slapped him around until he agreed to stop."

"Oh," Anne said, considering. "Well, that's okay, obviously. Mike's always been very protective of women."

"He did the right thing, Anne," Karen agreed. "My cousin was out of line, being a bully, and your son stopped him. I am very thankful to him for it, since Lisa here is my roomie and best friend."

"Good on you, son. I'm proud of you," Ry said, holding up his glass of beer. "To Mike, who always does the right thing by the women in his life."

"Mike!" everyone chorused, raising their glasses and then drinking.

Mike stared across the table in bemusement at Karen, who hid her smile subtly behind her glass.

***

The DeBourne family had been shipped off in their cars to the hotel where they were staying. Mike and Karen watched as the cars peeled away, taking the clan with them. Mike was rubbing at the back of his head while Karen was smiling, her arms folded in satisfaction.

"What was all this about, anyway?" Mike asked as they turned and began walking back into the campus. It was dark now, and Karen drew her cashmere shawl around herself against the chill.

"Haven't we been over this?" she answered, not looking at him, but ahead toward the dark campus, illuminated by lamps. "They're lovely people, your family. I'm absolutely smitten with them."

"Well, you can't have them," Mike said sourly. "They're spoken for."

"Oh, you don't want to swap?" Karen teased, enjoying herself.

"Except for your mom, your family might need some tenderizing," he replied. "And yeah, I agree, my family is great. That's why I love them. But that doesn't explain anything about what's been happening the past two days."

"Is my thinking of them immediately for this really that bothersome to you?" she queried, looking up at him while they walked. "When I saw the need, I immediately thought of the requirement for good people. 'Good people' in the true sense. And they were the first people that came to mind. It got stuck in my head and I ran with it. Besides, I wanted to see them again; I like them."

"Isn't your own family a lot closer?" he pointed out.

Karen sighed. "Look, I am not going to cry poor little rich girl, DeBourne, because that's silly and self-indulgent. But I will admit to being slightly envious of you and your family. Think about it: what would my family be like if they had no money, but retained all their personalities?"

"Horrifying, except for your mom." Mike mused.

"But your family is what family should be, and I like being around it, even if I have to pay to import it," Karen explained. "No, the Scott Mission crisis wasn't just an excuse to see them; things just happened to work out that way."

She looked up at him, her expression serious. "They worship you, you know that, right?"

"Yeah, I know," Mike said, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice. "They're amazing people, but we're so different in so many ways."

"Because you're a genius and they're of decidedly average intelligence." Karen stated.

Mike bristled for a fraction of a second, but then shrugged. "That ... yeah, that's most of it."

She smiled: "You're much more alike than you've conditioned yourself to think, and it's rather backward, because most people don't want to be like their family. You spend time wishing you were."

"I doubt you feel the same," he observed. "Aside from your mom, that is."

"Perhaps," she allowed as they approached a large puddle on the sidewalk. Mike moved ahead slightly, turned, and put his huge shoe squarely in the puddle. He then held out his hand, which Karen took hold of to balance herself. She skipped daintily over the first half of the puddle, coming to rest on his foot, before skipping over the second half. They then continued walking normally.

"They all toasted you, for defending Lisa," she said quietly. "They do that a lot, don't they?"

"Well, not just me, but for anyone in the family who does things right. It's kind of our thing," Mike admitted. "Your family not like that at all?"

"My mother, I suppose." Karen replied.

"Not your dad?"

Karen stopped walking and looked at the ground, thinking about something. Mike paused and waited for her, wondering what was up. She opened her stylish little clutch and fished around inside it for a moment. She pulled out a pen, which was a delicate shade of purple, clearly visible under the street lamps they stood beneath.

"What colour is my pen?" she asked.

"Purple." Mike said simply.

"No, it's African violet." Karen stared.

He nodded. "Purple."

"No, it's African violet," she said firmly. She now looked up at him. "When I was twelve, I took part in the Ontario science fair competition. I built a small replica of the Voyager 2 probe, complete with little circuit boards, blinking lights, a gorgeous backdrop of the outer solar system, detailed explanations of its findings and so on. It won awards and everything."

"Okay," Mike said, nodding. "Go on."

"But then my parents came by and saw it," she continued, her tone indicating she was getting to the crux of the matter. "My father looked at it thoroughly, taking it all in with those incredible observation skills I envied so. And after nearly two minutes, he looked at me and simply said: 'The font on the probe's panels is wrong,' and then he walked off to look at something else."

She paused in her narrative, and Mike looked down at her while she seemed to struggle with her emotions. "All that time and effort I put in, hoping to please him. Certain this would finally please him. And no matter how brilliant it was, he found the only flaw and pointed it out to me. That's what I was to take away from it..."

When she finally looked at him again, she smiled somewhat weakly, holding up the pen.

"So when I tell you that this pen is specifically African violet in colour, I promise you, it is African violet." Karen said in a trembling voice.

Mike smiled and shook his head. "No wonder my family likes you, Gordon. C'mon, let's get you back to the dorms."

They walked in silence, any disagreement about the events of the past two days behind them and resolved.

***

Alex was waiting in the basement bedroom, having been texted by his wife to let him know she'd be calling on Skype soon. So he sat on his bed, propped up on pillows with his laptop resting on his knees when the top right corner blinked at him, indicating an incoming call. He smiled as he hit the Accept button and Alexa's lovely face appeared.

"Well, there's the most beautiful aunt-wife in the world," he said casually, taking in the sight of her. She was clearly naked, but lying on her stomach, so that he could only see the swell of her breasts pressed into the plush mattress. She smiled angelically, kicking her feet back and forth slowly. "How're things there?"

"Fine, outside of missing you," she said, blushing. "Everything good on your end?"

"Peachy, except you're not here," he replied, shrugging. "Went out for paintball yesterday with dad after classes. Took Fre and Jeanie with us."

"Ooh, did you win?" she asked, her sapphire eyes sparkling, genuinely interested.

"Well, dad and I won, is the right way to phrase it," he said after some thought. "Fre and Jeanie were on our team. Jeanie took out two of our teammates by mistake, one of them less than a second into the game. Freja died when Jeanie used her as a meat shield, then she killed Jeanie in revenge. A lot."

"Yeah, that sounds like my bestie," Alexa giggled. He'd never get tired of that sound. "She's really competitive, so getting knocked out early, by accident, would not sit well with her."

He shrugged. "She offered to blow one of the refs if he'd overlook her elimination."

This received the raised eyebrow treatment from Alexa. "And he refused? A Freja Kjaer blowjob? Those are legendary. Was he gay?"

"Pretty sure he was, actually," Alex admitted, making her giggle. She tried to seduce the two other refs, including a woman, after that, but by then, dad and I were the only guys left on our team and we won the match on our own. Took out five guys by myself, I'll have you know."

"My mighty warrior," she cooed, smiling warmly. "Bet all the girls were throwing their panties at you after that match."

"Not so much, but there was an apology blowjob from Jeanie involved, for fucking everything up," he replied cheerfully. "So the first meeting is tomorrow?"

She nodded: "I gotta admit, I'm kinda scared."

"Don't be," he said casually, almost waving it off to give her confidence. "They're no match for you and mom. Are you two enjoying your sister bonding time?"

"You might say that," Alexa answered, trying to keep the sly smirk off her face and hoping she wasn't blushing.

Alex raised an eyebrow now. "Does that mean what I think it means?"

"Would it matter?" she asked.

"Nope, not one bit," he said simply, leaning back in his pillows. "I'm glad you two are in this together. You've got almost twenty years to make up for, where you weren't in one another's lives. And taking on the Blackwell empire'll show you just how strong that bond really is, Alexa. You'll be amazed."

She bit her lip and her eyes were dewy. He could tell she was worried. "I ... I don't feel ready."

"You don't have to," Alex said, leaning in now and speaking quietly but earnestly. "Stick to whatever the plan is and trust your instincts. Mom trusts them, right?"

Alexa nodded.

"Alexa, I can't tell you how badly I want to be there with you," Alex confessed, still speaking in a low voice. "But you two've got this. You guys need to win this without dad and I being there. The Blackwells need to understand that he and I are not the real threat. It's you and mom."

She smiled: "You're a Blackwell too, y'know."

"Partially," he allowed, shrugging. "But they don't think of me as one, probably to get at mom. I've had dreams some nights about inheriting the controlling interest from her, and then brutalizing the family into submission."

"God, I'd love to see that," Alexa breathed, fanning herself for effect. "Maybe you and I'll do that one day, Alex. With you by my side, I could possibly do that."

"We'll talk," he chuckled. "I can think of more pleasant things than dealing with my Blackwell family on a regular basis."

"Oh? Such as?"

"Getting my eyeballs sucked out my ass, masturbating with a cheese-grater..." Alex replied, counting on his fingers.

"Alex, gross!" she protested, giggling and squirming. "I don't want those images in my head."

"Then don't bring up the Blackwells, I guess," he retorted, smirking. "But seriously, Alexa, I've got complete confidence in you. And you can call me any time you feel like it. I'll leave class in a heartbeat if you're calling."

"Thank you, Alex," she said quietly. "I might just take you up on that. I guess I'd better get ready to turn in; tomorrow feels like it's gonna be here too soon."

Alex nodded: "I know. Text me in the morning, okay? And take lots of pictures, just ... not of you and mom ... y'know ..."

"I'll try to restrain myself, Romeo," his wife replied, rolling her eyes. "I love you, Alex. You know that, right?"

"Know it? I'm counting on it, it's the best part of my life," he replied, grinning. "I love you too, Alexa. Marry me?"

"Every single day, my love ..." she purred, her voice sending a blossom of warmth through him that he'd never tire of.

***

Mike was sitting in the study at his desk when Karen called, and their greetings were every bit as warm and loving. Her looked at his wife, curled up on the couch in the hotel room they both knew so well, wearing a plush robe, with her legs resting beneath her.

"So, will the plan we worked out suit your needs, do you think?" he queried, trying not to stare at the abundant cleavage the robe was creating. He knew she didn't care. She enjoyed it, in fact. He missed her softness, and her devotion.

She nodded, her lovely eyes glinting, her radiant bronze hair swaying around her face. "The plan is sound, and can be adapted as needed. Alli's quick on her feet, so she'll know what to do at any given moment."

"Does she believe that?" Mike asked. He trusted Karen completely, and with good reason. And it wasn't that he distrusted his sister-in-law, but she was a bit of an unknown factor here.

"She's willing to trust to my belief in her, which is good enough," his wife remarked. "Sometimes, you just have to follow your orders, and wait for things to pan out. There's no downside to what we devised, it's simply a question of planning for everything that might happen."

"We've planned for just about every possible attendee, no matter how unlikely, and how they would affect the dynamic," Mike mused. One good thing about having a grip on advanced mathematics like he and Karen had was their ability to account for variables. "You're even better at improvising and adapting than I am."

"Oh, there's no need to lie, you big dumb," his wife stated, shaking her head and smiling at him. "But I truly think we're about as ready as is possible to be, with every contingency planned for."

"Given that we talked about accidental fire alarms interrupting the proceedings and allowing people time to adjust, you may be right," he reasoned. "Look at it this way: You're introducing them a long-lost Blackwell, one of them. It's not like you're trying to convince them to give you their blessing about marrying some Norman peasant. Remember that kerfuffle?"

"Vividly," she sighed, shaking her head and smirking. "How many of them did you threaten with immense personal impact trauma?"

"More than a few," Mike laughed. "But you always get your way in the end, princess, and this time will be no different. I guarantee it."

She smiled at his statement, but he could see the tears at the corner of her eyes and the faint crack in her voice. "But without my giant champion."

"You've never needed me, Kar; in your heart of hearts, you know that," Mike said gently but firmly. "You've always been the greater and more accomplished of the two of us."

"Another lie," she said, dabbing at the corner of her eye. "Feanor and Galadriel, you always said. Even if we became Beren and Luthien. And thank you for the lie, of course, but I'm not more accomplished than you, good sir. Your equal in all things, maybe -- except for dreadful humour and dad puns."

"No, you gave me a son to carry on that legacy," he chuckled. "Can't believe there's still five days to go until you're back. It already feels like a week's gone by."

"For me too," she said quietly, nodding. "I should go sleep; tomorrow promises to be the first of many long days."

He nodded, understanding the necessity of her statement. She'd need her strength, and all the sleep she could get. "Go on, princess. Call me whenever you can. Even if I'm in the middle of teaching, I'll take that call."

"I know you will, you naughty boy," she said, smiling and making a 'tut!' motion with her finger. "I love you more than anything, Michael. This is torture without you."

"I feel the same way, Gordon," he replied, his voice heavy with truth. "You give everything in my life meaning. I love you. Now go sleep."

She blew him a kiss before she ended the call. Mike watched the screen wink out and then sighed heavily, looking at his keyboard. The silence of the room was rather deafening, and he didn't like it. Just her absence made things feel wrong. Mike knew that his life, however great it might be otherwise, was deeply incomplete without her.

Aside from her mother, he'd never achieved a truly pleasant relationship with her family, at least on the Blackwell side. They considered him a bumpkin outsider, even though his personal genius rivaled or exceeded theirs, just as hers did. Karen, on the other hand, had the fanatical devotion of his entire family. Nobody among the DeBournes didn't worship her like a goddess, something Mike was perfectly happy with. He just wished for her sake that he could have won her family over the same way.

He took a small pen out of a holder on the desk and examined it. The pen seemed ridiculously small in his huge hand, but the object itself was of enormous significance to him, because it represented the first time he truly understood his wife's dynamic with her family.

African violet ...

Maybe he had no business being arrogant enough to assume that if he'd just tried a little harder, he might have won the Blackwells over. He knew full well that their innate nature was more akin to wolves, without the fierce bonding. That only seemed to show up in Karen, and possibly her father to some degree. Even his wife could only barely hold the family together, and that was because of her controlling interest in the companies they owned. It was her leverage, making sure that the family she loved so much, that she was so devoted to, didn't fracture.

They didn't deserve her, of course. They couldn't. She was his, now. She belonged to him, to his tribe. But she still loved her family, and he would fight them for their soul, just to make her happy. There was nothing he wouldn't dare to see her smile, to hear the appreciation in her voice. To hear how much she loved him.

That love was worth everything to him.

The pen went back into its holder, and he went to sleep, thinking of her. Always thinking of her.

***

Author's Notes: These three chapters of this arc should be interesting, because it varies the dynamic a little bit. Without Karen and Alexa in the picture, we get to see how the friendships between Mike, Alex, Freja and Jeanie play out, and who they are to one another without the Gordon-Blackwell sisters to pivot on.

The paintball was fun to write, of course, and while I might not use that particular idea again, certainly other ideas will continue to expand the stories between our players. Jeanie was delightfully ridiculous, and Freja gallantly deranged, as suits the two of them. I'm looking forward to their series, which will be full of depravity, wall-to-wall sex, and just endlessly hilarious shenanigans. Keep an eye out.

Since the three chapters in each story will cover this particular arc, I'm fitting seven days into those three chapters. They'll be long chapters, comparatively, and be very thick on plot. However, if you're still reading these stories at this point, I am certain that you won't mind one bit. You're in it for the same reason I am, because you love this crazy family.

And because I'm trying to finish this arc, which takes place in October, during the month of October and get published, my other stories are on a very brief hiatus while I tackle this. Don't worry, they'll be back soon; I just need to wade through this particular challenge, to keep myself from going crazy. Given that I have another new story waiting to be published that I'm really excited about, I'm not lollygagging.

Welp, on to Mike & Karen 11 and Karen & Alexa 2.

Keep your stick on the ice!

Management