Title: The Touch of Love

Author: Lanie (mksid@shaw.ca)

Category: Duh… Carby.

Disclaimer: The characters do not belong to me. And I sense that my borrowing privileges are about to be revoked. Gotta make the best of what little time I've got.

Spoilers: Umm… I'm gonna cover my bases here and say everything up to and including "Lockdown". Some know that I've decided to go spoiler-free until September. Humour me. Please.

Notes: Just a fuzzy Carby vignette to help control my cravings. A shout out to Pix for her "Carby's happening and oh-boy-is-it" line. Your enlightenment is doing my overactive imagination a world of wonders. Special props to Fishy for the use of her beta powers.

P.S. My name is Lanie, and I'm a hopeless romantic.

Abby stood in front of her bathroom mirror and grimaced at her reflection. She sighed loudly at the image before her and tossed her hairbrush down into the sink. Moving her head from side to side, she examined her hair from all angles. She'd spent the last hour trying to get it just right. She'd washed it, dried it, curled it and brushed it. She had put it up, down and then up again. She'd spent more time on her hair in one day than she normally did in a week. Still, she wasn't completely satisfied. Giving her hair one more glance in the mirror, she bit her lip and shrugged before giving up and moving into her bedroom.

John Carter climbed the steps outside of Abby's building and stopped in front of the tall, green doors. He looked upwards to the second floor, and then peeked inside the front door. Noticing his reflection in the window, he ran his free hand over the back of his head to smooth down any potential stray hairs. He looked down and straightened his favorite tie. Well, it wasn't his favorite, but it was hers, so he wore it tonight. The bouquet of dried flowers shifted from his right hand to his left as he moved to press the buzzer to her apartment. He waited for a few moments, swaying back and forth on his heels.

"John?" Her voice came over the intercom.

He smiled at her response. "Hey. Are you ready?"

There was a pause. "Uh, yeah. In a couple of minutes. Come on up."

John grabbed the door as he heard the buzz of it unlocking. He yanked to pull it open and was surprised when it didn't budge. He rattled it a few times, laughed and shook his head. Reaching over, he buzzed Abby again.

"….Yeah?"

"Aren't you going to let me in?"

"What? I just did. Didn't I?"

"I heard the door, but it didn't unlock."

John could hear Abby groan in frustration. "Damn….. Hang on. I'll be right down."

"Okay."

Upstairs, Abby dove into rush mode, trying to get herself together. She flew into her room and snatched her shoes up off her bed. She checked herself in her full-length mirror as she put them on, righted herself, straightened her dress and pursed her lips together to even out her lipstick. She frowned. Something wasn't right. The dress, the shoes, her make-up…. Her hair. In one fell swoop, Abby bent over and pulled the clip out, allowing it all to come cascading down in front of her. She ran her fingers through it a few times, and flipped it behind her as she straightened herself again to look in the mirror. She shrugged at the image peering back at her.

"Well, at least you tried."

She made her way back into her living room just as the buzzer sounded again. Shaking her head, she grabbed her purse and jacket off the couch. She walked over and pressed the talk button as she unlocked her door. "I'm coming!"

John shook his head at her harried response and looked at his watch. Their reservations weren't until 8, anyway, but he liked the idea of keeping her on her toes.

Abby flung open her door as she shrugged into her jacket. Dangling her purse off her shoulder, she took one last look at herself in the mirror before heading out the door, doubling back only to snatch her keys off the table before she disappeared into the hallway.

John was leaning against the stairs, looking up at the sky, when Abby finally emerged in the building foyer. He noticed her immediately out of the corner of his eye and smiled. She returned his smile as she pushed open the door and stepped out into the evening.

"Hey. I'm sorry about that. It's been stuck for a while now."

John nodded. "It's ok. I didn't mind waiting." He took a moment to observe the woman standing before him. He loved the way her hair was resting on her shoulders. Her eyes sparkled and her lips shone under the dim light glowing above their heads. He could smell the faintest hint of her perfume, a scent he'd grown to recognize instantly whenever she was near him. John mentally reminded himself to tell her how much he liked it later.

Abby noticed the way he was watching her and gave him a look. What is it?

John laughed a little. "It's… you." He bent down and kissed her lightly on the lips. "Hi."

Abby could feel her cheeks blush as his lips touched hers. She sighed a little as he pulled away. "Hi."

He handed her the flowers. "For you."

She beamed as she took them. "They're lovely." She looked back at him, grinning. "Thank-you."

John cocked his head. "The pleasure is all mine. Are you ready to go?"

Abby nodded. "Ready."

John grabbed her free hand and led her down the steps to his waiting Jeep. "I know this is a special night, but I didn't have the nerve to ask Gamma for something a little… Nicer."

Abby waited as he opened the door for her. "Are you kidding? Anything different and it just wouldn't have been you." She turned and leaned into him, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "I like this one." She slipped past him and into the passenger seat.

John smiled as he rounded the car to the other side. Climbing in and starting the ignition, he looked over at her, knowing what she was about to say before she said it.

She returned his glance. "So…. Where are we going?"

"Ahh, I knew it." He ignored the look she gave him and shifted the Jeep into gear. "You'll find out soon enough."

***