A/N: Hello! I apologize to those still interested in this fic, I really lost motivation with it, however the recent dose of Carter scenes have tempted me into updating; along with the lovely aliettes on twitter;-)

After reading back through it, I've noticed a few mistakes; some auto-correct, some my own. Due to me leaving it so long between updates though, I did make a major mistake in my last update. A few of you probably noticed that I had written the last chapter as if Peter didn't have an alcohol problem, though in previous chapters I'd mentioned that he did. Just for this fic, I've decided to continue on as if he isn't an alcoholic. So apologies to those who it may have confused, but on the plus side: it's made me come to the realisation that maybe I shouldn't leave it so long between updates in the future;-)

I'm going to try my best on this update, however apologies in advance if it disappoints a lot of you. I haven't written anything in a very long time and it'll probably take me a while to get back into it. As always, Reviews and Constructive criticism are very much appreciated!

Peter and Carla were both awoken by the frantic buzzing of the intercom to their temporarily shared flat.

'Morning you' Peter smiled, looking down at the half-asleep beauty resting on his chest.

'Morning' Carla yawned, stretching out her limbs as Peter removed himself from underneath her and stumbled over to the door.

'Alright, Alright,' he shouted out, picking up the phone 'Oh, it's you' Peter spoke before buzzing the person on the other end up. 'It's Ciaran'

'My, my, my, this date must be good if he's this keen..' Carla bit down on her lip, ruffling her hands through her hair in an attempt to neaten it up.

'Top of the morning to ya..' Ciaran chirped, entering the flat. His glance quickly caught the two wine glasses on the table, followed by the duvet and pillows sprawled across the sofa. 'Ahhh..' He stood grinning.

'No' Carla said, quickly realising the assumption that Ciaran had made.

'Ya'know, If you've already got yourself a date, then I'm sure the one I've got lined up for ya can wait..' he pressed on.

'It's nothing like that!' Peter shook his head, busying himself making cups of tea.

'Good, 'cause I'm telling ya, this waitress is a cracker'

'Oh, and I'm not?' Carla laughed

'You're much better than a cracker darlin'' Ciaran winked, his flirtatious nature was now something that everyone was used to, especially Carla.

'So come on then, fill us in on this 'cracker'' Carla grinned, eager to find out as much as possible about this woman.

Ciaran sat himself down in the armchair, 'Right, well her name's Sarah. She works as a waitress in the italian restaurant in town'

'Okay..' Peter replied, putting the tray of cups down on the table.

'Never been married, no kids, no baggage..'

'What is she, 13?!' Carla chuckled, finding it hard to believe that anyone could have 'no baggage'.

'No, actually, she's 29'

'29?!' Carla laughed, 'You sure you haven't got the local nursery and the local Italian mixed up?'

Peter couldn't help but laugh at her remarks, 'that is a bit young for me mate..'

'Leanne was that age' Ciaran tried to reason

'Yeah, and look how that one worked out' Peter replied, a hint of sadness to his tone

'Oh come on, it's worth a shot i'nt it? And trust me mate, she's gorgeous'

Carla glanced over at Peter, despite her worries from last night, she knew it'd do Peter good to have a relationship in his life; a distraction. 'I agree with Ciaran, anyway ya know what they say 'try it before you buy it'
you can try it out and see what it's like, it doesn't mean it has to develope into anything else..' She winked, receiving a smile off Peter.

'Alright, but if she starts treating me like some pensioner, I'm out of there and straight back home to me hot chocolate' Peter quipped, causing them all to laugh.

'Ahh fantastic! She said that she'll pick you up at 7 o'clock on the dot' Ciaran beamed, getting up to go.

'Not so fast' Peter stopped him, 'Seeming's I've agreed to it; you can do me a favour. You can have Simon for the day and I'll pick him up when the 'date's' over'

'I'll pick him up whilst you're on the date? You never know, you might strike lucky and not come back until tomorrow morning' Carla winked

'I'm fine to look after him for the day but I'll have to drop him off with Carla, I've got to be in the bistro at 7:30..'

'You sure you're okay with that?' Peter asked, absentmindedly stroking Carla's leg.

'Course! It'll be nice to 'ave the company!'

'Great, well he's at my Dad's so if you pick him up from there in the next hour, and I'll give him a call to let him know that you're collecting him'

'Righty ho' Ciaran said, 'You make the most of tonight, I'm telling ya', you'll love her' Ciaran winked, giving Peter a pat on the back.

'Yeah, cheers buddy' Peter smiled, as Ciaran made his way out of the flat.

'Well, she sounds... fun?' Carla smirked

'She sounds like another Leanne'

'He said 'no baggage, no marriage' remember' Carla winked

'True..'

'Well, I best get ready for work but once I come back, your dating lesson will begin' Carla grinned, going into the bedroom to get ready.

'Honey, I'm home!' Carla joked, entering the flat after she'd finished work at the factory.

'In 'ere!' Peter called out from the bedroom

'Well, you certainly like to move fast' she quipped, making her way in.
'You decent in there Barlow?'

'Yes!' Peter chuckled, as Carla entered, giving him a kiss on the cheek and placing her arm over his shoulder.

'Ohh, these all look very smart, I am impressed' Carla said, looking down at the suits on the bed.

'I don't know which one to wear, I don't want to look like I'm trying to impress her, and I don't want to look too 'poncy', I don't even know if a suit's the best idea..'

'Barlow, you could never look 'too poncy', you run a backstreet betting shop'

'You make me sound like a right catch!' Peter laughed, turning his head to look at Carla, their faces inches away from each other due to her arm still being slung over his shoulder.

'Of course you're a catch. You'll make someone a great Nemo' Carla smirked '
Anyway, there's only one way to make this decision; we're 'avin a fashion show'

'Seriously? I still don't think you've registered that I'm not gay..'

'Oh come on, it'll be a laugh; besides how long 'as is been since you wore some of them? I don't expect catwalks and poses, don't worry..' Carla chuckled..''Ere, Go put this one on first, It's a demand now, not a question'
Carla instructed, bundling the suit into his hands.

'Only 'cause it's you' Peter replied, taking the suit and going to put it on.

Carla slumped down on the bed, rubbing Peter's aftershave on her wrists and putting it to her nose 'mmm, I like the smell of this aftershave Barlow' She Called out, Grinning as a dapper looking Peter entered the bedroom. 'Very nice' She beamed 'Give us a twirl then'

'I dunno.. it's a bit tight' he said, spinning around

'Good, that way it shows off your muscles..amongst other things..' Carla smirked, looking his body up and down causing Peter to laugh. 'I don't think there's much point in you trying on these other ones, I think we found our winner'

'Thank God for that..' Peter laughed, leaving the room to change out of his suit.

Carla looked down at the two remaining suits on the bed, she could tell Peter was feeling nervous and she wanted to do something to take his mind off any worries he had.

'Hi Sarah, Nice to meet you, I'm Peter Barlow, though I sometimes go under the name Noel, or occasionally I'm Gordon, Sometimes it's Cupid though, and on special occasions it's Superman, But you can just call me 'Nemo'' Carla spoke in a smooth tone, putting on a mans voice as she entered the living room.

Peter laughed, turning round from his position on the sofa to see Carla wearing one of his suits, it practically swallowing her up with it being so big on her.

'Wow Nemo, you look gorgeous, where've you been all my life?' Peter kept up the act. Carla laughed, making her way over to the sofa where Peter was sat, making sure she held up the suit.

'Please tell me you're not going to use that line tonight..' she teased.

'Oh no, I was planning on 'did it hurt when you feel from heaven?' Peter joked. 'Seriously though, that suit look's good on you. It really shows off your assets he laughed, pulling her into his side and putting his arm around her. 'Seriously though, I can't remember the last time I went on a date. I don't have a clue what we'll actually talk about..'

'Well, just talk to her like you talk to me and you'll have no worries'

'It's easy with you though, I'm comfortable around you'

'And eventually after time, you'll be comfortable around her too. Besides if she's a waitress, then I assume she'll probably have good people skills anyway.. If not, then you can do the 'I'm just popping to the bathroom' line and then you can give me a ring'

'If it comes to that, I think I'll just not bother returning from the bathroom' he laughed, running his fingers through her hair.

'So, you hoping for a kiss tonight then?'

'I'm worrying about striking up conversation with her, let alone shoving my tongue down her throat'

'Or you could just spend the whole time making out, that way conversation won't be a worry' she chuckled

'I wouldn't even know how to go about kissing her'

'Practice on me then..'

'What?' Peter laughed, 'you do like to take your lessons seriously don't ya..'

'Not actually kiss me obviously, but how you'd lead up to it..' she smirked

'No way'

'Why not?!'

'It's embarrassing' Peter chuckled, looking over at Carla who had now sat up

'Fine, I'll go first then..' Carla laughed. 'If it goes well and you want a kiss off her, then this is the right way to go about it.. First, you give her a kiss on the cheek like this..' Carla said, moving her head forwards and placing a kiss on his cheek. 'Then as you pull out, you let your nose brush against hers, before making brief eye contact' Carla continued, demonstrating the instructions on Peter. 'Then you slowly move in for the kiss' Carla moved her head forward, leaning in towards Peter's lips. Suddenly Peter's palms became sweaty and he got a sudden rush of butterflies in his stomach at the thought of Carla kissing him. 'And that's it! she'll be putty in your hands' Carla grinned, pulling back just before her lips touched Peter's.

'But our lips didn't touch..' Peter teased

'Sarah can continue the rest later on tonight' she chuckled 'trust me, after that technique, you'll be trying to fight her off. It's always worked for me ..'

'Yeah, well of course it'd work for you..'

'Oh you'd be surprised at how many rejections I've received in my life Barlow'

'Well, they must've been insane. You were lucky to escape them..'

'You're a sweetie.. I do love you ya'know' Carla smiled

'I love you n'all, and you make a very good cupid too'

'Oh I know, shame you couldn't have brought her back to the secret garden' Carla winked, referring to the date they'd set up for Ciaran and Michelle. 'If you do want to bring her back though, give me a ring for a heads up and I'll go bunk in with Simon'

'I won't be bringing her back, I wouldn't do that to Simon' he replied, causing Carla to smile. 'Or you..'

'Me?'

'Yeah. This is your temporary home; the last thing I want you to feel is uncomfortable'

'Are you sure you don't just want to cancel this date and take me out instead?!' Carla joked

'mmm, I'd love to take you out, especially in that outfit.. There's something missing though' Peter smirked, reaching over and grabbing Simon's pack of colouring pens off the table. 'You need the facial hair..' he said, pulling Carla's face towards him and drawing a beard, gaining giggles from Carla whenever the pen tickled her. 'It's like looking in the mirror'

'Or you could just switch on 'Deal or No Deal' for that' she teased

'Oh really?' Peter smiled, taking the lid off the pen and going to draw more on Carla's face, struggling as she fought back in between laughter

'I'm sorry, I'm sorry!' Carla screeched, as Peter gave in, putting the lid back on the pen.

'I best go get ready' Peter said regaining his composure, looking down at his watch. 'She'll be here soon'

'Don't forget to mouthwash' Carla winked.

15 minutes later and Peter was stepping out of the shower as the buzzer went.

'Carla? Can you just get that for me, I've got to put my suit on'

'Alright' Carla replied, buzzing her up. Carla opened the door to the flat to see a tall woman stood there, dressed in a tight red dress that showed off her immaculate figure perfectly. Her long blonde hair tumbled down her back, and her olive skin shone in the light of the flat. Suddenly Carla remembered what she was wearing, and what was all over her face. 'Oh hi, I'm erm Peter's flat mate.. come in a moment, he's just got to finish getting ready'

'Right..' The woman replied, a little taken aback by the scene before her.

'I was just playing dress up with Simon' Carla explained, knowing she couldn't reveal the truth.

'I see' Carla didn't really know what to think of the woman. She was beautiful, there was no denying that..But she just seemed off. Carla could hardly blame her though, it wasn't exactly the most normal situation to begin a date with.

'Did you want a drink?' Carla asked, hoping that Peter would hurry up

'I'm okay thanks' There was an awkward silence before Peter came out of the bedroom.

'Hi, Sarah isn't it? You look fantastic' Peter smiled, walking up to the woman and giving her a kiss on the cheek 'Sorry about the wait' Peter was quite surprised actually, he hadn't expected the woman to look the way she did and he wasn't sure if he was surprised in a good way or a bad way. She didn't really look like Peter's usual type, but then again, his usual type had never been right for him.

'It's fine.. should we get going?'

'Erm yeah, let's go' He smiled, following her lead out of the flat. 'Bye Carla' he laughed, realising she still had the suit on.

Ciaran had dropped Simon off shortly after Peter had left and Carla had made them both a hot chocolate before sticking a film on

'What did the lady look like?' Simon asked, curious as to what the woman his dad was now dating was like

'She was very pretty. She was tanned and she had nice long blonde hair, with blue eyes.. I think you're dad liked her lots'

'You're prettier' he smiled 'and dad likes you lots too'

'That's a different type of like though Si' Carla laughed

'Why can't he take you out on a date instead? You make him laugh more than he ever did with Leanne, and I like you too'

'Thanks Si, I like you n'all. Me and your dad are just very good friends though, if we dated then we probably wouldn't get on as much as we do now'

'It sounds complicated being an adult'

It was about an hour into the date, they'd both decided on going to a little restaurant in town. The conversation had flowed and they'd found out a lot about each other. He hadn't really figured her personality out yet, but he didn't really expect to on the first date.

'So then, tell me about your flat mate'

'Flat mate? Oh Carla'

'Oh, so it was a woman then! Wasn't quite sure what with the outfit.. She's a very pretty woman isn't she?'

'Erm yeah, you could say that..'

'Anything ever happened between you two then?'

'No, she's just staying with me whilst her flat gets sorted out. She's a close mate'

'Oh, I've heard that one before' She laughed sarcastically.

'Well, it's the truth. It's not a problem is it?'

'Not at the moment, no'

'What do you mean?'

'Well, if this were to develop onto a second date, it's not going to be helpful having her lurking around, is it?'

Peter didn't really know how to respond. He knew this would probably pose a problem, but he didn't expect it to come up on the first date.

'I'm back'

'Oh, hey' Carla said, sitting up on the sofa. 'So come on then, tell me all about it!' She smiled, patting the space next to her.

'It were alright' Peter explained, sitting down next to Carla, pulling her into his chest.

'Just 'alright'?' Carla pressed

'Yeah, the first hour went okay, we talked and laughed and got to know each other a bit..'

'What about the second hour then?'

'Yeah, let's just say there won't be a second date..'

'Oh Peter, I'm sorry. What went wrong?'

'She made her feelings very clear on this arrangement..regardless of it being temporary'

'Just as I expected then.. Peter, I can just find somewhere else to stay for the time being if it's going to get in the way of you having a life'

'No way. It's not like anything was ever going to happen between me and her'

'You said the first hour went well though..'

'Yeah, not well enough for me to lose you over'

'Ciaran was right though, she was gorgeous'

'She were okay. I couldn't get the whole 'barbie' title out me head though, She wasn't exactly my type. I prefer my women to wear suits and draw their facial hair on'

'Good luck finding one of them' she winked

'I know, they're one of a kind. Anyway, it was never going to be easy Finding my Nemo, was it?' Peter chuckled, hugging Carla closer. 'Si in bed?'

'Yeah, he wanted to wait up for you but my special hot chocolate knocked him out'

'Thanks for looking after him, he loves you ya'know'

'Who doesn't?' Carla smirked, pulling away from Peter. 'You owe me though'

'Yeah?'

'Mhm, I think a nice hot bubble bath will do'

'Right then madamme, One bubble bath coming up' he smiled, planting a kiss on top of her head.