Chapter 2: Headaches

Lucy didn't open her eyes. Her head was throbbing so hard she wanted to fall asleep again. She felt her head was on something firm and warm. It felt kind of... Nice. Then, she realized it was moving; rising slowly up and down in a rhythmic pace. She groaned in pain and her pillow stirred. She heard another groan, deeper than she own did. She knew who that groan belonged to and her eyes snapped open. She sat up abruptly and scrambled over to the other side of the couch she was on. She stared, shocked, at the man at the other end who was also backing away from Lucy. She realized her head had been resting on Carter's chest and her face took on a nauseating expression.
"Yuck!" They said together, trying to get farther away from each other but still staying on the couch. Lucy and Carter both became fully aware of their pounding headaches again and moaned again.
"Ah, awake?" they saw Abby walk in through the door to the kitchen, stepping over the limp form of Luka. She was carrying a plate of scrambled eggs.
"What am *I* doing *here* with *him?*" Lucy demanded. Abby chuckled.
"Do you really want to know?" she asked, handing Carter the plate of eggs and taking out a videotape, "Those are for you, Carter, yours are back in the kitchen, Lucy. It's the only thing I can make without burning it," she added. They heard another moan coming from beneath the table. The three turned in time to see Dave sit up, and the plastic pitcher that had been on his head tumbled to the floor.
"What day is it?" He asked, groggily.
"December 25!" Abby answered, "Christmas! You guys drank the night away last night!"
"What?!" Lucy, Dave and Carter said together. They saw Luka's limp form stir and finally, his eyes opened.
"What's going on?" he questioned, sleepily.
"Well, that's the beauty part! I thought you guys would want to know why you're laying under the table with a pitcher on your head or on the couch with a student or supervisor or even just laying on the floor in the door way of the kitchen and this room here!" she said. Dave and Luka looked at Lucy and Carter when Abby had said they had woken up on the couch together. Abby continued, "And so, I made a little souvenir you guys could watch when you wake up. Dave, I recommend that you don't take up a singing career, you too, Luka. And Carter, when you start kissing someone, let it be someone *else* instead of a student!" They all looked at each other and Carter knew he didn't want to see the tape.
"Gimme that!" He made a grab for the tape.
"Nope, sorry, I have to show you this!" Abby suppressed a smile as she inserted the tape in the VCR. They watched Carter and Lucy talk like drunken lovers. Lucy shook her head and laughed.
"I had to comfort you because you were sad you weren't gay? Now that's just sad, Carter!"
"Whatever, Nucy Light!" Carter shot back.
"Hey, why are we calling you Oscar, Abby?" Dave asked.
"Because I refused to drink. You thought I was a grouch and so Luka here came up with the idea."
"Oh!" they all said.
"Dave? Luka? You can't even do math right when you're drunk!" Carter laughed.
"Well, I have an excuse! You expect me to remember your currency when I can't remember how many drinks I had?" Luka asked.
"And... And... And *I* have more important things on my mind!" Dave tried to defend himself.
"Dave, you thought there were two quarters in a dollar," Lucy said, "That's pathetic!" she was looking at Dave who was looking at the TV and a grin broke out across his face.
"Not as pathetic as you!" he cried, pointing at the TV. Lucy whipped her head around and saw, briefly, a horrible image.
"My God, ewe! I can really gross myself out!" Lucy wrinkled her nose in disgust. Carter tossed her a look.
"What do you mean?"
"Me make out with you? How disgusting can you get?"
"Gee, thanks, Luce, love you too. Real esteem booster!" Carter said, sarcastically.
"No offence, it's just... well, you know. I'm your student, it's against the rules," Lucy said apologetically, a hint of something else in her voice Carter quickly picked up on.
"Did I hear some regret to that, Luce?" he asked.
"Well, maybe..." she smiled mischievously at him. Luckily, everyone else was too busy looking at the screen to notice. Carter tossed her a grin.
"Oh God make it stop!" Luka screamed, as the words to 'Yellow Submarine' continued to play. The notes were way off key.
"Ha ha! Justice!" Carter laughed, "What do you have to say now, Dave?"
"I still think you and Lucy on the couch is unbeatable!" Dave said. They continued to watch the tape of the stupid things Carter, Dave, Lucy and Luka were doing. Cleo soon entered the room and burst out laughing.
"I can't believe you're doing this, Abby!" she declared.
"I just thought they'd like to see what, uh, idiots they are when they're drunk!"
"Idiots?" Cleo laughed, "More like-"
"Careful, Cleo, we want to keep this fic as PG as possible!"
"OK, Ok, I won't say anything!" Cleo promised. Dave shot her a look.
"Look, we maybe stupid, but we aren't deaf! And Abby, what ever did happen to that, you know, 'problem' of yours?" Abby couldn't keep from laughing.
"I was the one that spiked the eggnog, Dave!" she chortled. Lucy, Carter and Luka tore their eyes away from the TV and stared at her.
"WHAT?" they all asked. Even Cleo looked shocked.
"That still doesn't explain why you didn't drink," Lucy pointed out.
"Yes it does," Abby smiled, "It was very, very strong alcohol. Experiment. A good scientist has to stay sober when observing!" at these words, the four 'test subjects' got up and lunged at Abby, pushing her to the floor. They were all laughing, despite their headaches and hangovers.
"Wait until I reach your throat!" Dave screamed.
"Nope, that's mine!" Carter shouted.
"I'll rip you apart piece by piece!" Lucy yelled.
"Not if I do it first!" Luka exclaimed. Cleo was on the couch now, laughing herself to death.
"So that's why you recorded them!" she shouted over the commotion, hoping Abby was still alive to hear her. She heard a muffled sound that sounded like 'sort of' from under the heap of flailing bodies. About fifteen to thirty minutes later, Lucy and Carter were lying on their backs on the floor, breathing hard and staring at the ceiling. Dave was looking for some aspirin and Luka was in the bathroom, most likely throwing up. Abby was nursing some bruises she had received and Cleo was helping.
"Wow..." Lucy moaned, "That took out a lot of energy!"
"Yeah..." Carter groaned back, "A lot! And that was not a video I wanted to see!"
"You think *that* was bad?" Cleo asked, "Wait until Abby shows it at *next* year's Christmas party!"
"OH NO!" Lucy and Carter wailed together, dreading the day.