Disclaimer: As always I own bugger all, no profit intended they al belong to ER.

Don't get two excited, I'm not into explicit writing, it's all very kosher on that front, and I believe in "less is more for the imagination"

Rating: PG

Pairing: Abby/NEela

AU: Having finally decided to give in to "Susan's persistence" and involving her, I find that 'the voice' doesn't sound right, some of it is more like Carter? Anyway FB would be well received if you so choose to make it, if not I hope it was enjoyable

First there was Abby Lockhart, outwardly kind and caring to everyone but herself, an enigma to many who encountered her and one Neela eventually set out to crack, succeeding far further than some of us who have known Abby for longer have managed. Abby can be closed off about herself…in fact if her sense of secrecy could be mapped out, the state government would be begging for it as a security measure…even to Carter, Luka and myself, that was, until Neela, and even then you're never quite sure how much they really know about each other. I think that if the four of us were to pool all our information, we'd still only have a part of the puzzle that is Abby Lockhart.

Then, then you had Neela Rasgotra. A wide-eyed, young woman, who exuded naivety and softness, yet is coated in a thin hard impenetrable outer shell, like an M & M, protecting her from some of the more negative aspects in her life and lending her a somewhat standoffish air. The hard working student, with a hit and miss bedside manner, whom only Abby was really able to pull out of her protective cocoon and encourage her to get more involved with the rest of us.

It used to be that Neela wandered the ER halls looking lost and alone, whilst Abby was harder, isolated in her own way even though they both readily interacted with the other staff. However, at some point this seemed to change. They realised that they could share their skills in order to benefit each other and become better Doctors because of that. So they spent time together, almost reluctantly at first, then finding excuses to get together outside of work. They both started to look like they belonged, if you wanted to find one, then more often than not you found both.

Later, when Neela left for her internship in Michigan, Abby remained here in Chicago, it was obvious that they remained in contact, for is asked, Abby could tell you how Neela was. Though in general Abby went back to her old ways, slightly hard and isolated, albeit a marginally softer version of the original, but it was obvious that she'd lost something.

Then one day I looked up from a stack of charts to see Neela trailing Abby around the ER, even though she should have been in a different State. Throughout the day, whenever there was a quite patch, I could see them in corners, standing close trying to work through whatever the problem was.

After that day, I didn't see them together for another two weeks or so, when Neela returned to the ER as a regular feature, having transferred her residency back to Chicago. Though I'd had a brief rundown on Neela's bout of delayed teenage rebellion from Abby, on those rare occasions when we actually talked these days, I didn't know any precise details, barring the surprise encounter of Neela working the cash register at the store nearby the hospital.

It was like they'd never been apart. When they were in a trauma, they worked like a well oiled machine, naturally in tune with one another and obviously comfortable manoeuvring through each others personal space with a practised ease, sharing glances over their patients and conveying, almost with only a look, what they needed.

Everyday, I see them arrive and leave their shifts together, unless they have their shifts apart and even them the first person they seek out is the other, standing close, heads bowed in concentration, trading notes on patients, asking how each others day has been, totally comfortable in their close proximity.

It was only via a passing resident that I heard about Neela living with Abby, though I didn't think much of it at the time. She'd never mentioned it, but then I guess there was never any need to…or opportunity. Though it was evident that they were back to the way things had been, prior to Neela's brief sojourn to Michigan, usually found together, and seemingly far happier that way.

I eventually found out why this was so, by accident as it happens. It was that limbo time when shifts are changing over, they were both on days and heading to the locked room, being in charge of shift, I was giving night's last bits of information before officially clocking off. By the time I'd finished giving Carter all the heads up, they were on their way out, one bundled into a parka and the other into a duffel coat in an attempt to ward off a bitter Chicago night. As they walked I could see that their hands were tightly intertwined, their heads bent close together, gentle laughter floating in their wake. Only then did I realise the extent of their friendship and their influence on each other's emotional state. Even though before, they'd both been loners of sorts, it seemed that they were now the loners together.