Title: New York, New York
Author: Anna (tinfoiltiarasxx@aol.com)
Part: 4/?
Rating: PG13
Disclaimer: These characters aren't mine
Author's Notes: Following ff.net's new policy on NC17 fics, I'm soon to be moving all my stuff to a place where all of it can be archived together. Will leave a note on my profile about where it will be when I do so. More un-PC humour, craziness, etc. Please take this seriously, but not too seriously.
"What's the story?" Luka, clinging to the side of the rink - mainly populated by under-tens with their parents - asked Susan, who stood on the other side, as he attempted to regain his confidence, watching a still grumpy Carter talk on his cell phone.
"Something about a delayed flight, apparently," she replied, smiling suggestively. Luka grinned.
"Carter's pissed?"
"Oh yeah," Susan agreed, "I'm starting to get the feeling that Weaver's up to something."
"Like what?" She shrugged her shoulders.
"I don't know…" Carter eventually stormed over, producing a pack of cigarettes from his coat pocket and lighting up.
"Since when do you smoke?" Susan enquired, curiously.
"Since I was doing drugs, on and off," he replied deadpan, watching both her and Luka's eyebrows shoot up as they, torn between sympathy and amusement, pondered how the hell to reply to this. He smirked, exhaling smoke.
"What? You asked." Susan patted Carter's arm unnecessarily supportively and Luka smiled, feeling a new respect for the younger man. A dark sense of humour was definitely something that he drew a chord with.
"What's happening with Kerry?" he asked.
"Well, she kind of kept repeating the words 'my flight was delayed' over and over without actually telling me where the hell she was and when we were likely to see her, if ever…so basically, God only knows," Carter informed them, finally breaking into a genuine smile. The three of them laughed, taking in the magic of the New York winter scene – children wrapped up warm taking their first tentative steps on the ice, frosty pavements glittering in the sunlight that had persisted despite the cold…
"Oh, my God," Susan remarked abruptly, observing a group of four people, the only other group of those over twenty-five, take to the ice – Grace launching out confidently, a look of sheer delight on her face; Jack and Karen, skating more slowly, arm in arm; Will hanging onto the rail self-consciously, painfully aware that he would have to make the effort since it was Grace's birthday. Luka and Carter followed her gaze, amusedly recognizing Jack, who had broken free from Karen and was proceeding to do impressions of an ice dancer, while wearing one of those hats with the ear flaps which used to be favoured by Mark Greene.
"You met that guy too, huh?" Luka enquired.
"Uh-uh," Susan shook her head earnestly, "I met the one in all the fur in the airport bathroom - she was my saviour."
"So, she was the miracle worker?" Carter commented, smiling.
"Yep," Susan confirmed, "Seriously, I owe this woman my life… Put your skates on, Carter," she ordered him, turning to him suddenly, "Let's go over and say hi."
"Oh, my God!" Jack exclaimed excitedly, exiting a double toe loop to observe Luka tentatively making his way round the side of the rink. Turning round, Luka, friendly as ever, caught his eye and smiled.
"Hi. I take it you found your striking brunette…" Smiling, Jack nonchalantly indicated Karen. Luka's smile widened as he put two and two together.
"And you, your hungover blonde…" Jack continued flirtatiously.
"Oh yeah," Luka nodded, indicating Susan, who had just made her way onto the ice, holding a nervous-looking Carter's hand, obviously more for his benefit than hers. Frowning, Jack started to doubt the accuracy of his usually reliable gaydar.
"So, you and him aren't…you know, an item?" Luka's mouth gaped open by reflex. How anyone could get such an impression mystified him, the thought was almost laughable, but this man actually looked serious…
"Uh, no, he and I aren't…an item," he replied, with a stunned grin.
"Weird," Jack commented, shrugging, "Guess my gaydar must be overdue for it's yearly service." He sped off in sudden disinterest and moderate embarrassment, as Luka, still slightly bewildered, looked curiously all around himself, wondering at what had just taken place. Then his eyes settled on an attractive redhead who was coming his way…
"What was that about?" Grace, holding a smile as she made eyes at Luka, hissed to Jack as they passed each other by.
"Heterosexuality, the curse of the human race," Jack replied with disgust.
"I know!" Grace clapped her hands in delight, "I think he's looking at me!"
As they turned to look, Luka casually shifted his gaze to the other side of the rink, where Susan and Carter were meeting Karen and Will.
"Yeah, he's looking at you," Jack confirmed glumly, "God, sometimes I just wish I had the hoo-hoos and the hee-hee…" Realising what he had just said, he looked down at himself with revulsion. "Oh dear God, I cannot believe I even thought that!" he shuddered, "So gross! I feel contaminated; I need to go home and take some ipecac and have an hour-long shower, I feel…"
"Gotta go," Grace butted in calmly, raising a finger to Jack's lips to silence him, and heading not so subtly in Luka's direction. Sighing dramatically, Jack began to skate towards Karen to tell her of his woes. Luka watched entranced as Grace neared him, skating confidently, without a care in the world, in a grey three-quarter length coat and pale pink hat, scarf and gloves; her eyes sparkling; her hair in perfect cascades down her shoulders. Willingly herself not to whistle…or scream, for that matter, at the guy's sheer smouldering hotness, Grace nonchalantly swung in beside him as he stood by the side, watching all the skaters.
"It's beautiful, huh?" He commented wistfully, his eyes misting slightly, recalling memories of the Christmas he and Daniella had taught Jansa and Marko to skate. Looking at him in awe, Grace felt as if she could swim in those deep, dark pools of eyes.
"Yeah," she answered shyly, surveying the scene in a new light.
"Hi!" Susan greeted Karen enthusiastically. Having been dragged along against his will, Carter, still not in the best of form, forced what he hoped was a friendly smile onto his face. Nearby, Will, fumbling with his skates in an attempt to show evidence of a valid reason not to be skating, watched with mild interest as they approached Karen, who was leaning on the rail, swigging from a hip flask with a blank expression on her face.
"Hi, honey," she replied, with the smile she used for strangers, "Oh, shoot, I'm having the toughest time placing you, can't you just give me a teensy little hint?"
"Ladies room in JFK, you did the whole "Lord, honey, what happened to you thing", I admitted my mid-flight alcohol intake, you fixed my hair and make-up…okay, gave me the advice I've been looking for my whole life," Susan answered truthfully, hiding her disappointment at not being recognised well.
"Riiiiiiight," Karen responded, "And what was your name again?"
"Susan. You called me Sally," Susan informed her.
"Uh-huh," Karen replied distractedly, surveying her handiwork, "No need to flatter me though, sweetie, I think my work speaks for itself."
"Oh, yeah," Carter concurred, smirking. Turning back to him as if becoming suddenly aware of his presence, Susan flashed a fake smile.
"Thank you," she told him. Following her line of gaze, Will liked what he saw. But unlike Jack, he didn't tend to see the point of making moves on heterosexuals…
"You're welcome," Carter countered lovingly.
"Who the hell are you?" Karen enquired, smiling.
"John Carter," he answered, extending a hand clad in expensive glove. Karen caught his eye thoughtfully, raising her hand to her chin. That name definitely rang a bell somewhere. "Not one of *the* Carters are you?" Carter started to blush as Jack joined the group, subtly butting in between Karen and Will. "Oh, don't tell me, you're John Truman Carter the Third, Millicent's youngest grandson, Jack and Eleanor's son, the black sheep of the family who wanted to play doctors and nurses instead of getting the huge payback anyone who is born with or otherwise acquires your kind of breeding deserves? Huh?" She broke into a grin, prodding Carter in the chest with her finger. "Tell me I'm right!" Karen retreated, taking another sip of her vodka, to survey the victim she had made of Carter.
"Just shoot me now!" He, still blushing furiously, hissed into Susan's hair, Will now standing on his other side and overhearing every word with growing interest. "Who in the name of God is this woman?"
"Karen Walker, second wife of Stan Walker, who works at our friend Grace's office as a means of keeping her feet on the ground," Will injected quietly to Carter and Susan, as Jack, gesturing dramatically, recounted his disappointment at Luka's heterosexuality to Karen.
"And Grace would be…" Susan wondered, somewhat louder than she intended and five widening pairs of eyes turned to focus back on the rink where a glowing Grace and Luka were skating round, hand in hand. The ringing of Carter's cell phone shattered the silence.
"Hello?" he answered it, drawing back slightly from the group, "Dr Weaver? Where the hell are you?"