Title: Aquatic Mischief
Disclaimer: If I owned Carter and Abby, they would have quit doing The Dance They Do already, and Thy Will have Been Done long ago. But I don't, so I'm relying on spoilers and speculation - and Carby fuzz.
Notes: Real good chance this one is spoiler-ish, through S9-1. Mostly speculation, though - and it takes place after Lockdown. Carby fluff, Carby smut . . . very little plot. ;)
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The man in the butler's uniform looked at Abby closely. "Dr. Carter has long since retired, I'm afraid," he told her, starting to shut the door. "I will leave a message that you called on him."
"Yeah," Abby began, catching the door before it shut. "Except I think he'd want you to wake him up."
"Is there an emergency of some sort?" the butler asked her warily.
Abby scowled. "Not exactly."
"Then you can call him in the morning," the butler reminded her, and he shut the door in her face.
She took an indignant step back, and sighed. "I just want to *talk* to him!" she hollered at the door, and in the silent distance of the wealthy neighborhood, she heard a dog barking.
It wasn't until she was halfway to the sidewalk that Abby realized that a cab driver was only as good as his word - and this one was awful. He'd driven away long before she'd noticed, probably sometime during her hike up the Carter Family Driveway.
"*Fuck,*" she groaned, running a hand through her hair. She'd spent all day administering vaccines, cleaning up the paperwork from the lockdown, and with only a short shower break at her apartment, hunting down Carter - and now this. She was stranded at the Carter mansion and his butler/bulldog wasn't going to let her through anytime soon.
Of course, the day hadn't started badly. She'd woken up in Carter's arms, after all.
Abby stormed back to the door and pounded on it angrily. "Hey, I need to use the phone!" she yelled through the door. "Come on, I just need to call a cab, I'll be like two seconds-"
The door suddenly opened, and Abby was ready to plead her case once more when she noticed that the butler hadn't opened the door this time - and she stared, open mouthed, at a rather sleepy looking Carter.
Oh, Christ. "Hey . . . I . . ." she began,
He was mid-yawn before he fully realized who she was. "Abby?" he asked incredulously, opening the door further.
"Yep," Abby admitted meekly, and was too embarrassed to laugh at his ruffled appearance - his hair looked like he'd rolled right out of bed. And by the look of his silk pajamas and bathrobe, he most likely had.
He stared at her for a good thirty seconds before speaking again - or before his tired mind could comprehend what to say next. "What are you doing here?" he questioned, scratching the back of his head.
"Trying to call a cab," she answered promptly, and only allowed herself a slight smile. "Mind if I use your phone?"
Carter blinked a few times before responding. "Oh, yeah, sure," he offered, and opened the door the rest of the way. "Come on in."
Abby graciously stepped through the doorway, and managed not to make eye contact with him as he shut the door behind her. "Phone?"
"Right through there," he instructed, and she didn't look up at him as she passed him in the hallway.
She tried to ignore him as she made the call; she could practically feel him behind her even though she knew he was all the way down the hall. "Address?" she asked him softly, her voice jumping slightly when she realized he was, in fact, right behind her.
"20 Harrison," he told her, and she nervously repeated the information into the receiver.
"I can get Algier to take you instead, if you want," he offered as she hung up the phone. "I think he may still be up . . ."
Abby shook her head as she headed back down the hall. "It's fine, they'll be here in a half hour or so, I can wait."
"A half hour?"
"Yeah." She turned around and looked at him indicatively. "It's like 2 am, after all."
He nodded and leaned against the wall. "True. Not many people are out and about at this time of the night."
"Nope. Just me and the cabbies." Abby glanced at the front door, then flashed him a quick smile. "I'll just . . . go wait outside, then."
"I'll wait with you," he offered quickly, and Abby found herself letting out a deep breath.
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"So this is the Family Pool," Abby observed as they crossed through the gardens.
"Hey, you wanted the grand tour," Carter reminded her. "The pool happens to be the highlight of the grounds."
"The grounds," Abby repeated amusedly, strolling next to him as they approached the pool. "You're such a preppy."
"I am not!" he defended. "The grounds . . . what's wrong with that?"
"It's a *house*," she informed him. "And a *yard.*"
"Bah, uncultured swine," he chuckled, and nudged her flirtatiously.
"Bourgeois pig," she teased, and nudged him back - but in his sleepy stupor he lost his balance over a pool chair, and before Abby could realize what was going on, he was stumbling over his feet and landing headfirst in the pool with a clumsy splash.
"Oh my God!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide open with shock.
He squinted up at her and scrubbed a hand over his face; in spite of herself, Abby began to laugh. She glanced down at him once more, saw him scowling up at her, and put her hand to her mouth to hide her laughter. "It's not funny," he informed her, treading water in the pool.
"Oh no, I disagree," she giggled, taking a step closer. "I think it's very funny."
Carter shook his head and waded through the water to the side of the pool. "No, see, if the shoe were on the other foot," he explained, making a grab for her ankle, "it would be funny."
Abby shrieked in terror and pulled her foot away quickly. "Don't you dare," she warned, taking another step back.
"Why not?" Carter asked politely. He folded his arms on the side of the pool and gazed up at her, his chin set on his forearm. "What are you going to do, throw me in the pool?"
"No," Abby replied, taking another step towards the bench and sitting down. "But you'd live to regret it."
Carter frowned slightly and tilted his head. "Don't you want to come swimming with me?" he asked innocently.
"No, actually, I don't." Abby crossed her legs and shook her head. "Now quit harassing me or I'm calling your grandmother."
"She'd be on my side," Carter reasoned. "She thinks I need to have my friends over more often."
Abby flashed him a simpering smile. "I'm over, aren't I?"
"She thinks I should have friends over to *swim* more often," Carter remedied. "Abbyyyy . . ."
"Ugh, don't whine," she sighed. "You sound like a little boy."
He grinned. "Don't make me sink to third grade," he warned, drawing his hand back indicatively.
"You wouldn't dare!"
"Just watch me," he teased, and patted the water playfully. "You're going to get wet either way . . ."
"Carter, I swear . . ."
"You wake me up, push me in the pool . . ."
". . . to God, Carter, if you splash me . . ."
" . . . I'm just trying to set everything right here . . ."
" . . . you will never - shit!" Abby cried as he splashed her lightly. Standing up quickly, she held up her arms - and stared at him in horror. "You bastard!"
Carter merely grinned gleefully and drifted back in the water. "Whatcha going to do from all the way over there?"
Abby was too busy trying to smooth the drops of water from the shorts she'd worn - and in light of very recent events, she wished she hadn't worn it. For some reason an evening with Carter by the pool hadn't entered her mind . . . and she wasn't sure why it hadn't. "You're going to die," she informed him mildly.
"You're scaring me," Carter chuckled, splashing the water in front of his distractedly. "Honestly."
"I know I am," she replied, trying not to feel completely helpless. Usually when they regressed to this level of flirting, whether it be with a dead fish in a net or letting the air out of Richard's tires, she was the one to initiate it - and he had given in eventually. But now was different. Now she felt like the mature one . . . and she didn't like it. "And to think, I was going to let you kiss me good night," she sighed, sitting down on the bench once again.
It was the first time they had ever broached the topic, the subject of *them* as anything besides friends - especially since last night - and Carter looked intrigued. "Who says I wanted to?" he questioned, gliding back to her side of the pool.
"Nobody," she commented, patting the top of her head frivolously to ensure that her hair was still up and in place. "But now you lost your chance."
"Did I?" Carter asked. He balled his fists and placed one on top of the other on the side of the pool, and rested his chin on top of them. "Too bad for me."
"Yup." She surveyed him with something like boredom. "Those clothes aren't bugging you?"
"You trying to get my clothes off?" he asked, raising a mischievous eyebrow.
Abby shrugged and pretended to study her fingernails. "I'm just saying that I wouldn't want to be in a freezing cold pool at 2 am in silk pajamas," she informed him, "is all."
"It's not freezing, it's nice," Carter told her. "Just come put your feet in, relieve your stress from the day . . ."
All right, it was too much. Carter, the man she'd been thinking about all day - no, screw that, she may as well face it . . . 2 years now - was begging her to come swimming with him. And even though the sight of a soaking wet Carter, his blue pajama top sticking to his chest flatteringly and beads of water spilling from his hair down his cheeks, was nice to watch . . . "Fine," she sighed, kicking off her shoes as if it involved a lot of effort. "But you splash me again . . ."
"I'll be good," he promised, holding up his hands.
"All right." Abby cautiously sat on a dry spot next to the pool, and dangled her feet over the edge. The water reached to halfway up her shins. "Happy?"
"Yes," he grinned, and drifted to the middle of the pool again. "You've completed me."
"Ah, well, it was easier than I thought." She was silent for a moment, kicking the wall of the pool underwater with her heels, before she looked over at Carter again. "Why did you leave so early today?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Me?"
"Yeah, you." She shifted uncomfortably in her spot next to the pool. "I wanted to talk to you, and you just . . . left."
"I didn't leave," he defended, drifting a little closer to her. "I was talking to that Immunization Center woman all morning and dealing with patients all afternoon. The last I heard, *you* left."
"I went home when I was done and you were gone," she informed him, skimming her fingers along the water. "I took a shower, went back to County to look for you . . . finally came here."
She had been avoiding his eyes with her head bent, but he drifted close enough to her to catch her eye. "Why *did* you come here?" he asked softly.
"I told you," she mused, catching his eye. "I wanted to talk."
Carter gently folded his arms and propped them on her bare knees; Abby hardly noticed the drops of water spilling down her legs. "Let's talk, then," he told her softly.
Abby gazed down at him, and carefully placed her hands on his arms. "All right," she answered, and before she said another word, she pushed his arms off her legs and dunked him below the water.
"Hey!" he cried, fighting for air as she pushed him farther down with her feet. Abby wrinkled her nose with glee as he finally broke free and sputtered to the surface.
"I told you you'd pay," Abby reminded him smugly, splashing him with her feet.
But instead of looking at her with indignation, or even an admission of her success, Carter merely flashed her a devilish grin. "Oh it's *on* now," he informed her, and grabbing her arms with one hand, he splashed her thoroughly.
Abby squealed in defense and attempted to struggle free, but instead only managed to get herself wetter as Carter brought waves upon waves of chlorinated water with one strong hand.
"All right!" she cried, prying one arm free and shielding her face with it. "You win, you win!"
"Damn right I win," Carter exclaimed, and before Abby knew what was happening, he'd grabbed her other wrist and pulled her into the pool with him.
And before Abby fully realized that she was in the pool, she realized she was in Carter's arms. It was about the same second he realized it, too - and there was a full second where the world actually stopped.
They stared at each other for a moment, their wide grins fading as droplets of water ran down each of their faces. Carter gently released one of her wrists and wrapped his arm protectively around her waist, holding her up, even though they were only in five feet of water. "I win," he mumured, and Abby could only nod breathlessly as he leaned in to kiss her.
It was a somewhat flimsy kiss, seeing how both of them were floating in the pool and it being, after all, only their third kiss. A quarantine kiss may not be so romantic, yet there was a definite benefit to it being on solid ground.
But Abby soon brought her arms up and wrapped them around his neck, and from then on, the kiss was . . . God, there were no words for it. Amazing didn't do it justice. Incredible sounded lame. Perfect sounded almost sterile to this kiss.
Truth be told, Abby had felt a little tentative about the kisses in quarantine. That was what she had wanted to talk about - that was why she'd felt the need to come to Carter's door so late at night. They'd left her feeling uneasy, unfinished somehow. Part of her wanted to believe that they had just been relieving sexual tension, an elephant in the room that had made its presence known with every passing over the last two years. Every time she'd dreamed of Carter while sleeping in Luka's arms, every time she'd met Carter's eyes over a trauma gurney, every time there had been a knock at the door or the phone would ring and she would think maybe, maybe, this was the moment when Carter would make a move and let her know how he felt . . .
And now, as the kiss broke and they held each other in the water, staring at each other as if each were convincing themselves that this finally wasn't a dream, Abby could finally feel finished.
"I'm glad you came swimming with me," he grinned, leaning his forehead to hers.
Abby smiled and pulled herself up slightly in the water. "Never really liked swimming before," she admitted softly.
It occurred to her that Carter's hands were clasped along her back, and she felt his fingers gently trace the skin below her shirt - the hem of which was floating up in the water. "Swimming's fun," he offered.
It also occurred to Abby that she was now completely, profoundly, and ridiculously soaking wet. "You know I have to get you back for this," she reminded him.
"I'm planning on it," Carter grinned, and again she was reminded of his touch on her back.
This was too much for her. Before she knew what she was doing she grabbed his pajama shirt collar and attempted to pull it over his head - though physics seemed to fail her, and the water indeed made the cloth heavier. "Oops, hold on," she giggled, and through some miracle of science, she managed to pull the sopping shirt off.
"I had no idea your idea of getting me back involved *killing* me," Carter informed her slyly as she tossed the shirt on the side of the pool.
"Can you not talk, for like 2 seconds?" she questioned, and with increased relish she wrapped her arms around his newly bare shoulders and kissed him once again.
It was incredibly thrilling to feel the inhibition fading, the tentative tip-toeing blown into oblivion - to literally *feel* the tension melting away as they both sank into the kiss. Unfortunately they managed to almost sink in the water in the meantime, and since neither was willing to break the kiss, the water crept up high and higher until Carter finally pulled her completely under the water.
It wasn't like Abby was breathing, anyway, but the realization that the kiss was suddenly slower, heavier, and underwater was both confusing and exhilarating at the same time. With another pulse in the kiss to accentuate it, they pulled back up to the surface - and separated to gasp for breath.
His hands merely drifted apart, not leaving her waist, and even as Abby worked to steady her breathing against the side of the pool, she realized that his fixation with what was hidden was becoming a preoccupation. She met his eyes once more, and with a silent, solemn understanding, she lifted her arms slightly - and he gently slipped her blouse over them.
The feeling of skin on skin on water was beyond reason for Abby, and it was all she could do to clasp onto his neck and press herself into him - just to feel his skin against hers as closely as she could. Though he made no move to unclasp her bra he did tighten his grip around her waist, and as soon as his lips touched her bare shoulder, just barely breaking the surface of the water, Abby backed against the wall and thought she was going to die.
And she honestly didn't mind.
"Ever done this before?" she found herself asking as his lips blazed a trail across her chest, and found a particularly favorable area of skin above her breast bone. "In the pool, I mean. . ."
"Mmm, nope," he murmured, resuming his kisses on her neck. His voice rumbled right through her chest and suddenly Abby could feel herself actually melting in his arms.
"I . . . find that hard to believe," she managed to whisper. Her hands slid along his bare back, in and out of the lapping water, and finally rested together behind his neck.
"I don't take many girls swimming," Carter finally admitted, looking up to flash her a grin. "And even if I ask, they usually say no."
"I did say no," Abby reminded him. Her legs casually wrapped around his ankles and it delighted her to feel him brush his foot up and down her shin.
He smiled and shook his head. "You meant yes," he convinced her, brushing his nose against hers. "I could tell."
"No means no," Abby reminded him slyly.
"Except when it means yes." He grinned once more before leaning in to kiss her softly. "You would have left if my pool hadn't been so inviting."
Abby was, frankly, too preoccupied with his lips to respond. They quickly began another mind-blowing kiss, continuing the rhythm they'd spent two years planning but only twenty-four hours rehearsing, and they began to sink below the water once again . . .
"Dr. Carter?"
Carter resurfaced first, staring up in alarm at the prim-looking butler near the side of the pool. "Can I help you, Henry?" he questioned as Abby came up, looked around, and attempted to separate from Carter - which was damn near impossible at this moment, seeing how she was pinned against the wall.
"Miss Lockhart's taxi has arrived," he informed the couple, obviously amused by the goings-on but making no indication of such amusement. "Towel?"
Abby looked over at the butler, and then back at Carter. "I have to go," she reminded him softly.
"No," he murmured, and tightened his grasp around her waist. "You should stay."
She bit her lip and glanced up at the butler indicatively. "Your manservant is watching us," she whispered with a grin.
"He'll go away," Carter promised, and leaned his forehead against hers once again. "Please, stay?"
"I can't," she mused, but before she could make her case any further, he pressed his lips gently against hers. She closed her eyes and shook her head, but made no effort to pull away. "No, really . . ."
"Really?" he asked softly, staring intently into her eyes. "Stay."
Abby slowly began to smile. "You're trying to seduce me with your preppy pool," she murmured, clasping her hands behind his neck.
"It's working, isn't it?" Carter grinned.
She leaned in to kiss him once again, a slower, less casual kiss than before. "You didn't need the pool," she chuckled.
He smiled against her lips. "Uncultured swine."
Abby shook her head and pulled closer to him. "Bourgeois pig," she commented, before he pulled her into another deep, intoxicating kiss.
The butler rolled his eyes amusedly. "I'll let the taxi driver know his services are no longer required," he called out as he stepped away from the pool, and was answered only by a slight wave of Carter's hand as they disappeared under the water once again.
Disclaimer: If I owned Carter and Abby, they would have quit doing The Dance They Do already, and Thy Will have Been Done long ago. But I don't, so I'm relying on spoilers and speculation - and Carby fuzz.
Notes: Real good chance this one is spoiler-ish, through S9-1. Mostly speculation, though - and it takes place after Lockdown. Carby fluff, Carby smut . . . very little plot. ;)
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The man in the butler's uniform looked at Abby closely. "Dr. Carter has long since retired, I'm afraid," he told her, starting to shut the door. "I will leave a message that you called on him."
"Yeah," Abby began, catching the door before it shut. "Except I think he'd want you to wake him up."
"Is there an emergency of some sort?" the butler asked her warily.
Abby scowled. "Not exactly."
"Then you can call him in the morning," the butler reminded her, and he shut the door in her face.
She took an indignant step back, and sighed. "I just want to *talk* to him!" she hollered at the door, and in the silent distance of the wealthy neighborhood, she heard a dog barking.
It wasn't until she was halfway to the sidewalk that Abby realized that a cab driver was only as good as his word - and this one was awful. He'd driven away long before she'd noticed, probably sometime during her hike up the Carter Family Driveway.
"*Fuck,*" she groaned, running a hand through her hair. She'd spent all day administering vaccines, cleaning up the paperwork from the lockdown, and with only a short shower break at her apartment, hunting down Carter - and now this. She was stranded at the Carter mansion and his butler/bulldog wasn't going to let her through anytime soon.
Of course, the day hadn't started badly. She'd woken up in Carter's arms, after all.
Abby stormed back to the door and pounded on it angrily. "Hey, I need to use the phone!" she yelled through the door. "Come on, I just need to call a cab, I'll be like two seconds-"
The door suddenly opened, and Abby was ready to plead her case once more when she noticed that the butler hadn't opened the door this time - and she stared, open mouthed, at a rather sleepy looking Carter.
Oh, Christ. "Hey . . . I . . ." she began,
He was mid-yawn before he fully realized who she was. "Abby?" he asked incredulously, opening the door further.
"Yep," Abby admitted meekly, and was too embarrassed to laugh at his ruffled appearance - his hair looked like he'd rolled right out of bed. And by the look of his silk pajamas and bathrobe, he most likely had.
He stared at her for a good thirty seconds before speaking again - or before his tired mind could comprehend what to say next. "What are you doing here?" he questioned, scratching the back of his head.
"Trying to call a cab," she answered promptly, and only allowed herself a slight smile. "Mind if I use your phone?"
Carter blinked a few times before responding. "Oh, yeah, sure," he offered, and opened the door the rest of the way. "Come on in."
Abby graciously stepped through the doorway, and managed not to make eye contact with him as he shut the door behind her. "Phone?"
"Right through there," he instructed, and she didn't look up at him as she passed him in the hallway.
She tried to ignore him as she made the call; she could practically feel him behind her even though she knew he was all the way down the hall. "Address?" she asked him softly, her voice jumping slightly when she realized he was, in fact, right behind her.
"20 Harrison," he told her, and she nervously repeated the information into the receiver.
"I can get Algier to take you instead, if you want," he offered as she hung up the phone. "I think he may still be up . . ."
Abby shook her head as she headed back down the hall. "It's fine, they'll be here in a half hour or so, I can wait."
"A half hour?"
"Yeah." She turned around and looked at him indicatively. "It's like 2 am, after all."
He nodded and leaned against the wall. "True. Not many people are out and about at this time of the night."
"Nope. Just me and the cabbies." Abby glanced at the front door, then flashed him a quick smile. "I'll just . . . go wait outside, then."
"I'll wait with you," he offered quickly, and Abby found herself letting out a deep breath.
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"So this is the Family Pool," Abby observed as they crossed through the gardens.
"Hey, you wanted the grand tour," Carter reminded her. "The pool happens to be the highlight of the grounds."
"The grounds," Abby repeated amusedly, strolling next to him as they approached the pool. "You're such a preppy."
"I am not!" he defended. "The grounds . . . what's wrong with that?"
"It's a *house*," she informed him. "And a *yard.*"
"Bah, uncultured swine," he chuckled, and nudged her flirtatiously.
"Bourgeois pig," she teased, and nudged him back - but in his sleepy stupor he lost his balance over a pool chair, and before Abby could realize what was going on, he was stumbling over his feet and landing headfirst in the pool with a clumsy splash.
"Oh my God!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide open with shock.
He squinted up at her and scrubbed a hand over his face; in spite of herself, Abby began to laugh. She glanced down at him once more, saw him scowling up at her, and put her hand to her mouth to hide her laughter. "It's not funny," he informed her, treading water in the pool.
"Oh no, I disagree," she giggled, taking a step closer. "I think it's very funny."
Carter shook his head and waded through the water to the side of the pool. "No, see, if the shoe were on the other foot," he explained, making a grab for her ankle, "it would be funny."
Abby shrieked in terror and pulled her foot away quickly. "Don't you dare," she warned, taking another step back.
"Why not?" Carter asked politely. He folded his arms on the side of the pool and gazed up at her, his chin set on his forearm. "What are you going to do, throw me in the pool?"
"No," Abby replied, taking another step towards the bench and sitting down. "But you'd live to regret it."
Carter frowned slightly and tilted his head. "Don't you want to come swimming with me?" he asked innocently.
"No, actually, I don't." Abby crossed her legs and shook her head. "Now quit harassing me or I'm calling your grandmother."
"She'd be on my side," Carter reasoned. "She thinks I need to have my friends over more often."
Abby flashed him a simpering smile. "I'm over, aren't I?"
"She thinks I should have friends over to *swim* more often," Carter remedied. "Abbyyyy . . ."
"Ugh, don't whine," she sighed. "You sound like a little boy."
He grinned. "Don't make me sink to third grade," he warned, drawing his hand back indicatively.
"You wouldn't dare!"
"Just watch me," he teased, and patted the water playfully. "You're going to get wet either way . . ."
"Carter, I swear . . ."
"You wake me up, push me in the pool . . ."
". . . to God, Carter, if you splash me . . ."
" . . . I'm just trying to set everything right here . . ."
" . . . you will never - shit!" Abby cried as he splashed her lightly. Standing up quickly, she held up her arms - and stared at him in horror. "You bastard!"
Carter merely grinned gleefully and drifted back in the water. "Whatcha going to do from all the way over there?"
Abby was too busy trying to smooth the drops of water from the shorts she'd worn - and in light of very recent events, she wished she hadn't worn it. For some reason an evening with Carter by the pool hadn't entered her mind . . . and she wasn't sure why it hadn't. "You're going to die," she informed him mildly.
"You're scaring me," Carter chuckled, splashing the water in front of his distractedly. "Honestly."
"I know I am," she replied, trying not to feel completely helpless. Usually when they regressed to this level of flirting, whether it be with a dead fish in a net or letting the air out of Richard's tires, she was the one to initiate it - and he had given in eventually. But now was different. Now she felt like the mature one . . . and she didn't like it. "And to think, I was going to let you kiss me good night," she sighed, sitting down on the bench once again.
It was the first time they had ever broached the topic, the subject of *them* as anything besides friends - especially since last night - and Carter looked intrigued. "Who says I wanted to?" he questioned, gliding back to her side of the pool.
"Nobody," she commented, patting the top of her head frivolously to ensure that her hair was still up and in place. "But now you lost your chance."
"Did I?" Carter asked. He balled his fists and placed one on top of the other on the side of the pool, and rested his chin on top of them. "Too bad for me."
"Yup." She surveyed him with something like boredom. "Those clothes aren't bugging you?"
"You trying to get my clothes off?" he asked, raising a mischievous eyebrow.
Abby shrugged and pretended to study her fingernails. "I'm just saying that I wouldn't want to be in a freezing cold pool at 2 am in silk pajamas," she informed him, "is all."
"It's not freezing, it's nice," Carter told her. "Just come put your feet in, relieve your stress from the day . . ."
All right, it was too much. Carter, the man she'd been thinking about all day - no, screw that, she may as well face it . . . 2 years now - was begging her to come swimming with him. And even though the sight of a soaking wet Carter, his blue pajama top sticking to his chest flatteringly and beads of water spilling from his hair down his cheeks, was nice to watch . . . "Fine," she sighed, kicking off her shoes as if it involved a lot of effort. "But you splash me again . . ."
"I'll be good," he promised, holding up his hands.
"All right." Abby cautiously sat on a dry spot next to the pool, and dangled her feet over the edge. The water reached to halfway up her shins. "Happy?"
"Yes," he grinned, and drifted to the middle of the pool again. "You've completed me."
"Ah, well, it was easier than I thought." She was silent for a moment, kicking the wall of the pool underwater with her heels, before she looked over at Carter again. "Why did you leave so early today?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Me?"
"Yeah, you." She shifted uncomfortably in her spot next to the pool. "I wanted to talk to you, and you just . . . left."
"I didn't leave," he defended, drifting a little closer to her. "I was talking to that Immunization Center woman all morning and dealing with patients all afternoon. The last I heard, *you* left."
"I went home when I was done and you were gone," she informed him, skimming her fingers along the water. "I took a shower, went back to County to look for you . . . finally came here."
She had been avoiding his eyes with her head bent, but he drifted close enough to her to catch her eye. "Why *did* you come here?" he asked softly.
"I told you," she mused, catching his eye. "I wanted to talk."
Carter gently folded his arms and propped them on her bare knees; Abby hardly noticed the drops of water spilling down her legs. "Let's talk, then," he told her softly.
Abby gazed down at him, and carefully placed her hands on his arms. "All right," she answered, and before she said another word, she pushed his arms off her legs and dunked him below the water.
"Hey!" he cried, fighting for air as she pushed him farther down with her feet. Abby wrinkled her nose with glee as he finally broke free and sputtered to the surface.
"I told you you'd pay," Abby reminded him smugly, splashing him with her feet.
But instead of looking at her with indignation, or even an admission of her success, Carter merely flashed her a devilish grin. "Oh it's *on* now," he informed her, and grabbing her arms with one hand, he splashed her thoroughly.
Abby squealed in defense and attempted to struggle free, but instead only managed to get herself wetter as Carter brought waves upon waves of chlorinated water with one strong hand.
"All right!" she cried, prying one arm free and shielding her face with it. "You win, you win!"
"Damn right I win," Carter exclaimed, and before Abby knew what was happening, he'd grabbed her other wrist and pulled her into the pool with him.
And before Abby fully realized that she was in the pool, she realized she was in Carter's arms. It was about the same second he realized it, too - and there was a full second where the world actually stopped.
They stared at each other for a moment, their wide grins fading as droplets of water ran down each of their faces. Carter gently released one of her wrists and wrapped his arm protectively around her waist, holding her up, even though they were only in five feet of water. "I win," he mumured, and Abby could only nod breathlessly as he leaned in to kiss her.
It was a somewhat flimsy kiss, seeing how both of them were floating in the pool and it being, after all, only their third kiss. A quarantine kiss may not be so romantic, yet there was a definite benefit to it being on solid ground.
But Abby soon brought her arms up and wrapped them around his neck, and from then on, the kiss was . . . God, there were no words for it. Amazing didn't do it justice. Incredible sounded lame. Perfect sounded almost sterile to this kiss.
Truth be told, Abby had felt a little tentative about the kisses in quarantine. That was what she had wanted to talk about - that was why she'd felt the need to come to Carter's door so late at night. They'd left her feeling uneasy, unfinished somehow. Part of her wanted to believe that they had just been relieving sexual tension, an elephant in the room that had made its presence known with every passing over the last two years. Every time she'd dreamed of Carter while sleeping in Luka's arms, every time she'd met Carter's eyes over a trauma gurney, every time there had been a knock at the door or the phone would ring and she would think maybe, maybe, this was the moment when Carter would make a move and let her know how he felt . . .
And now, as the kiss broke and they held each other in the water, staring at each other as if each were convincing themselves that this finally wasn't a dream, Abby could finally feel finished.
"I'm glad you came swimming with me," he grinned, leaning his forehead to hers.
Abby smiled and pulled herself up slightly in the water. "Never really liked swimming before," she admitted softly.
It occurred to her that Carter's hands were clasped along her back, and she felt his fingers gently trace the skin below her shirt - the hem of which was floating up in the water. "Swimming's fun," he offered.
It also occurred to Abby that she was now completely, profoundly, and ridiculously soaking wet. "You know I have to get you back for this," she reminded him.
"I'm planning on it," Carter grinned, and again she was reminded of his touch on her back.
This was too much for her. Before she knew what she was doing she grabbed his pajama shirt collar and attempted to pull it over his head - though physics seemed to fail her, and the water indeed made the cloth heavier. "Oops, hold on," she giggled, and through some miracle of science, she managed to pull the sopping shirt off.
"I had no idea your idea of getting me back involved *killing* me," Carter informed her slyly as she tossed the shirt on the side of the pool.
"Can you not talk, for like 2 seconds?" she questioned, and with increased relish she wrapped her arms around his newly bare shoulders and kissed him once again.
It was incredibly thrilling to feel the inhibition fading, the tentative tip-toeing blown into oblivion - to literally *feel* the tension melting away as they both sank into the kiss. Unfortunately they managed to almost sink in the water in the meantime, and since neither was willing to break the kiss, the water crept up high and higher until Carter finally pulled her completely under the water.
It wasn't like Abby was breathing, anyway, but the realization that the kiss was suddenly slower, heavier, and underwater was both confusing and exhilarating at the same time. With another pulse in the kiss to accentuate it, they pulled back up to the surface - and separated to gasp for breath.
His hands merely drifted apart, not leaving her waist, and even as Abby worked to steady her breathing against the side of the pool, she realized that his fixation with what was hidden was becoming a preoccupation. She met his eyes once more, and with a silent, solemn understanding, she lifted her arms slightly - and he gently slipped her blouse over them.
The feeling of skin on skin on water was beyond reason for Abby, and it was all she could do to clasp onto his neck and press herself into him - just to feel his skin against hers as closely as she could. Though he made no move to unclasp her bra he did tighten his grip around her waist, and as soon as his lips touched her bare shoulder, just barely breaking the surface of the water, Abby backed against the wall and thought she was going to die.
And she honestly didn't mind.
"Ever done this before?" she found herself asking as his lips blazed a trail across her chest, and found a particularly favorable area of skin above her breast bone. "In the pool, I mean. . ."
"Mmm, nope," he murmured, resuming his kisses on her neck. His voice rumbled right through her chest and suddenly Abby could feel herself actually melting in his arms.
"I . . . find that hard to believe," she managed to whisper. Her hands slid along his bare back, in and out of the lapping water, and finally rested together behind his neck.
"I don't take many girls swimming," Carter finally admitted, looking up to flash her a grin. "And even if I ask, they usually say no."
"I did say no," Abby reminded him. Her legs casually wrapped around his ankles and it delighted her to feel him brush his foot up and down her shin.
He smiled and shook his head. "You meant yes," he convinced her, brushing his nose against hers. "I could tell."
"No means no," Abby reminded him slyly.
"Except when it means yes." He grinned once more before leaning in to kiss her softly. "You would have left if my pool hadn't been so inviting."
Abby was, frankly, too preoccupied with his lips to respond. They quickly began another mind-blowing kiss, continuing the rhythm they'd spent two years planning but only twenty-four hours rehearsing, and they began to sink below the water once again . . .
"Dr. Carter?"
Carter resurfaced first, staring up in alarm at the prim-looking butler near the side of the pool. "Can I help you, Henry?" he questioned as Abby came up, looked around, and attempted to separate from Carter - which was damn near impossible at this moment, seeing how she was pinned against the wall.
"Miss Lockhart's taxi has arrived," he informed the couple, obviously amused by the goings-on but making no indication of such amusement. "Towel?"
Abby looked over at the butler, and then back at Carter. "I have to go," she reminded him softly.
"No," he murmured, and tightened his grasp around her waist. "You should stay."
She bit her lip and glanced up at the butler indicatively. "Your manservant is watching us," she whispered with a grin.
"He'll go away," Carter promised, and leaned his forehead against hers once again. "Please, stay?"
"I can't," she mused, but before she could make her case any further, he pressed his lips gently against hers. She closed her eyes and shook her head, but made no effort to pull away. "No, really . . ."
"Really?" he asked softly, staring intently into her eyes. "Stay."
Abby slowly began to smile. "You're trying to seduce me with your preppy pool," she murmured, clasping her hands behind his neck.
"It's working, isn't it?" Carter grinned.
She leaned in to kiss him once again, a slower, less casual kiss than before. "You didn't need the pool," she chuckled.
He smiled against her lips. "Uncultured swine."
Abby shook her head and pulled closer to him. "Bourgeois pig," she commented, before he pulled her into another deep, intoxicating kiss.
The butler rolled his eyes amusedly. "I'll let the taxi driver know his services are no longer required," he called out as he stepped away from the pool, and was answered only by a slight wave of Carter's hand as they disappeared under the water once again.