No One Else Will Do

By: TracyCook

Disclaimer: I own nothing. These characters belong to the creator of One Tree Hill.

Couple: Deb/Karen

Rating: M

Chapter One

Don't Let Your Enemies Become Friends

Deb had witnessed Karen multiple times before, she had always felt this strange pull to the beautiful brunette, but she had always been capable of ignoring these feelings easily. She just ignored the other mother and put the thoughts out of her mind until she was out of sight, and then she focused on her marriage, son, and work. Lately though, it had been exceedingly difficult to ignore these feelings, now that Lucas was on the basketball team and she saw Karen at all of the games. She found herself making up excuses to talk to Karen, to look at her, to build a friendship with her.

Tonight for example, she did not need to go to the café that Karen worked at in order to get a coffee. Hell, she had never bothered to go there before in order to get her caffeine fix, and yet she found herself entering the café. Ignoring the sign in the door that said they were closed.

"We're closed." Karen announced, and as she turned a scowl formed on her lips. "What do you want?"

Deb hated being the cause of this reaction, she hated that they could not be closer, in fact she often found herself wishing to be closer to Karen than was morally acceptable. She did not understand her feelings but she wanted the other woman in a romantic way. So, tonight she was here to start a friendship for a multitude of reasons, romance being one of them.

"I was hoping to get a cup of coffee, to go." She added hoping that this would sway Karen to give her the cup of coffee despite her café being closed for the evening.

Chewing on her cheeks, she looked over the blonde with hesitant eyes as she headed to the coffee machine and filled one of the to-go cups. She did not trust Deb, nor did she have any reason to trust her. She was almost positive that she was only here in order to do something despicable for Dan, she had to be planning to deceive her in some way, and Karen was not going to allow her to get that close to her.

After filling the cup, Karen set it down on the counter and waited for Deb to pay. "Three fifty."

Deb sifted through her purse before finding three dollars and fifty cents, placing the money on the counter. She deliberately left her hand over the money in order to feel the brunette's hand against hers, if only for a moment, and then she forced a smile onto her lips taking the coffee and sipping it. Still not leaving the establishment.

"You got your coffee, now you can go." Karen told her. She was not usually someone who was spiteful or angry, but whenever Dan was involved she grew very upset. She just knew this was some trap of his.

"Karen, I actually wanted to speak with you about things."

"What things?"

"Well." Deb started, taking a seat at the counter and sipping her coffee before answering. "You see, I have been thinking about you a lot lately, and I realized that I never really got the chance to know you."

"What gave you the impression that I wanted to—"

"—Karen, please. I did not come here to fight with you." The blonde said as her brown eyes met Karen's and she smiled softly up at her. That was the last thing that she wanted to do with the brunette. The first thing being rather inappropriate and embarrassing.

"Then, why did you come here?"

"Well, the coffee is amazing—" When Karen gave her a look of disbelief and annoyance she laughed and shook her head, short blonde hair falling across her face as her eyes glimmered. "—and, I wanted to speak with you. I keep seeing you attending the basketball games and quite honestly Karen, I have always been curious about you. Lately, I have just been thinking about what kind of person you are, and what all we have in common, and I thought that maybe we could attempt a friendship."

The brunette actually laughed at this, amusement evident all over her face. "You want to start a friendship with me? And I am supposed to believe that Dan didn't send you here to start this in some plot to hurt me? I think I'll pass."

Deb let out a sigh and stood to her feet, heading toward the door and ignoring the way that her chest tightened knowing that Karen thought so little of her. "You can believe what you want Karen, I can't make you trust me, and I damn well know you have no reason to do so. But, Dan didn't send me here, he doesn't even know that I'm here, and I think I'm risking a lot telling you all of this. I do hope that you will reconsider my offer." With that Deb flashed her one last small smile and said. "Thanks for the coffee." Before leaving the café.

Karen watched as the blonde mother made her way out of the café and she bit down on her bottom lip, refocusing on cleaning up the café before she shut it down for the evening. Her mind now consumed with what Deb had said.

What if she was not simply trying to get under her skin? What if it wasn't just Dan's dirty work? Then why would she want to be her friend so badly? Why was she so interested in starting this conversation? These questions would remain unanswered for the time being, in all honesty, Karen wasn't even sure that she wanted the answers to the questions. Things were all so much simpler before Lucas joined the basketball team at the high school.

Still, she wondered, if things were different for the better or for the worse.

O

Authors Note:

Just testing out a new Deben fic, will be adding to the others too! :) In a One Tree Hill mood like crazy lately! If y'all enjoy this please leave me some reviews so I know to continue… otherwise I'll probably just delete…

-Tracy Cook