Author's Note(s): Well, here we go! I called this fiction, "A Perfect Match" because…well I'll tell ya next chapter. Anyways, as I'm posting this, I already have up to chapter 33 completed, and I started writing this around May 2004. Only because, if you've read any of my other work, you know how long it takes me to update, so this gives me a a many chapter head start. Well this is going to be a long fan fiction, I'm warning you now. Also, this is unlike a lot of long romance fictions, this starts out at a very slow pace, and doesn't get really really exciting until well chapter seventeen. (Please hang in there.) But, with this fiction, you're following this couple through everything. Through dates, and stupid little fights, to just cute stuff that couples do. And I'm rating it M because of language and some sexual context and also because I have no idea what's to come out of my sleeve in later chapters. But I'm not a porn writter...sorry. :( Well, like most of my fictions, it involves an extreme tragedy. But this one also has, a whole hunk of romance, angst because isn't that the most fun to write, oh and drama…because it is ER. Oh, and one more thing: to really see this fan fiction, imagine Tessa Allen playing Bridget (With just one little change). And not only because of her extreme adorableness in Enough, but also because I think she looks just like the daughter of these two characters. Ok I lied, now one more thing: Now, it would make sense for the first flashback (next chapter) to occur during the summer between season six and seven. But if that were the case, Susan wouldn't be there (and don't we all just LOVE her?). So, it doesn't really take place during any season. I just throw my favorite characters in whenever I need them, because this is my fanfiction.

Credits: Parts of this fiction were basically co-written by my best friend Jules, we role-played this so long ago. And my editor, and beta, Mini (Anti-social-Turtle.) I can't thank either of you enough for helping me write this. I love you two!

Disclaimer: I don't own ER; I don't own Tessa Allen, any of the characters from ER, or any of the songs mentioned in these chapters.

A Perfect Match—

The story of true love.—

Ch 1. Starting It All Over Again

Bridget walked out of the living room and into the kitchen. She stood there for a little while watching as her dad scribbled and signed over his checks and checkbooks, she rested her head against the wall and took a deep breath before she continued her voyage to her father.

As Carter was simply doing the monthly duty of checks and balances, he felt a tap on his shoulder and he turned around,

"Hey Bridg, your TV show over already?"

She shrugged and squeezed between her father's chair and the table and sat on his lap. Flipping through the checkbook and the letters she asked, "Whatcha' doin?'"

"Bills," he grunted and added some numbers on a calculator.

"Well is it fun?" She asked, her startling eyes sparkled.

"No," he laughed and kissed the top of her head, "You hungry?"

Again, she shrugged.

Carter watched her daughter's reaction. She was always hungry for a snack around this time, and she just didn't seem like herself, "Bridg, honey are you okay?"

"I dunno," her mind was distracted as she fiddled with the button on Carter's shirt.

Carter picked her up and put her on the table in front of him. Her legs were hanging off and her face not even looking at his. "Bridget, what are you thinking about?" He took his girl's soft, small hands in his and searched her face for a reaction.

She cleared her throat and looked into her dad's eyes, "Since Sunday is Mother's Day, we're supposed to bring our mothers to school on Friday." Her eyes began to glisten with tears.

A shot of pain slammed through Carter's heart as he saw his daughter hurt like this, "Oh Bridg…" He kissed her hand and then pulled her back down onto his lap.

"My teacher said I could bring a picture of mommy in…and talk about her," her fingers were again, playing with Carter's button.

The widower stroked his daughter's hair and picked her up, "The let's go find a great picture of mommy, okay?" He walked up the stairs and into his bedroom, where Bridget was laid on the bed while her father walked over to his nightstand and picked up pictures.

"This one," he started, as he handed the precious picture carefully outlined in a gold frame down to Bridget, "This was your mother and I a few days after our engagement was announced."

"What's an engagement?" she asked confused as she looked at the picture.

"It's uh, like when people say they are going to get married."

She smiled and studied the picture, "You guys look really, really, happy."

Carter cleared his throat and laid another one on the bed, "This is our wedding day."

Bridget's eyes widened and sparkled as a smile grew along her lips, "She looks soooo pretty, daddy."

"I know," he looked down into the picture and traced his finger across his wife's face, "She took my breath away that day you know? "

"I like her dress."

Carter smiled, "Me too." And again he went looking through the pictures on his bed stand, "This may be one of my favorites," he sat on the bed and placed Bridget in his lap as he held onto the picture.

"Is that me!" She asked as if she hadn't seen the picture a thousand times before.

"That is you, your mother, and I, the first day you were born."

"Wow…" she said still completely zoned into it, "Dad, she looks like she was crying!"

"She was," he said remembering when that picture was taken. "She was so happy to see you Bridget; so happy to be your mother. She really loved you."

The little girl's eyes welled up with tears; she always knew how bad it sucked that her mom was dead. Her best friend, Angela always had her hair braided her curled or really pretty…something that her mom did every morning, and Bridget couldn't have done. Bridget was six, and had to do her own hair. Sometimes her dad would try but it never looked right. Angela's mom always came to ballet class too. Her mom would even help her with steps. Her nails too, and even her clothes, everything was so great for her just because she had a mother. It wasn't fair.

"Oh this is another great picture," Carter's voice interrupted Bridget's thoughts. She wiped her eyes and saw another picture come into her vision.

"This is whenever you crawled all by yourself."

Little laughs came from Bridget's mouth.

The picture showed a little dark haired girl, lying on the floor and her mother lying next to her as they both smiled into the camera.

"I was still a baby!" Bridget exclaimed.

"Yeah you were," he set the last picture on the bed next to the others and looked at them all. "I have more if you don't like any of these but, these are my favorites."

Bridget pointed to the one of whenever she first crawled "I like that one."

John put the rest of the pictures away and smiled, "Me too. But try your very hardest to be careful with it. okay?"

"I swear," she laid on her stomach, placing her weight upon her elbows and stared at the photograph.

"You sure your not hungry babe?" He stood up and stretched.

Tears fell down from the little girl's eyes, traveled down her cheeks, onto her chin, and onto the bed, "No thanks dad."

He sighed and sat back in bed with her and rubbed her back, "I'm sorry Bridget. If I could have one wish it would be for your mom to come back." Bridget always talked or asked about her mommy. And Carter hated it. With each time the word "mom" was said, Carter could feel his eyes pain from tears and his heart ached to be with her again.

"Me too." She rolled on her back and looked at Carter, "You miss her daddy?"

"Everyday."

"No I mean," she sat up and looked at him, face still tearstained, "You still cry at night time."

"You hear me?"

"Sometimes…" she took her fathers hand and traced her finger over his wedding ring, "Did mommy give this to you?"

Carter smiled, "Yes she did, on our wedding day." He decided to let her go, ask questions, talk about her. Mother's day was coming up, and he didn't know what else to do.

"If you miss her so much…. Why don't you talk about her?"

Carter sighed. It was common for her…or any 6 year old to jump from topic to topic, but he didn't know she cracked his code, "I think about her, everyday. And I miss her, everyday. But because I miss her so much, it hurts to talk about her." His throat felt with a lump and his eyes pierced with tears.

"Will you tell me about her? So I have something to talk about at school…"

Carter rubbed his eyes to prevent the tears from becoming so obvious, "Yeah… what do you want to know?"

"Everything!" her eyes lit up and stood on the bed and questions began to blurt out, "Was it love at first sight!"

Carter laughed, "No, not every story is like Cinderella. We actually didn't like each other very much at first."

"Na uh," she smiled, not believing.

"Ya huh," he winked back at her.

"Well that's boring, when did you start to like her? I mean like like her."

Carter smiled and rested his head against the headboard of his bed, "I guess her graduation day… or maybe when she first came back to work after her summer off… I'm not really sure Bridg."

"Tell me both then!"

Carter laughed, "It's going to be a long night huh?"

She smiled and nodded as she rested comfortably next to her father.

And the story began.