Ooh this is a long LONG chapter. And decidedly luby. Fasten your seatbelts!

Chapter 5

By the time he got home it was 4am. He was exhausted. What with all the work, and the jetlag, and having to deal with Abby, he'd had a rough couple of days. With a sigh her threw his stuff down on the hallway floor and walked into the apartment. A tired face poked its head out of the spare room.

"You're home". He nodded glumly and sat down, the events of the last 48 hours finally catching up with him. "Is she okay?" his sister-in-law asked. He gave another nod.

"Yeah, she um, she was discharged this morning"

"That's good". Luka nodded, his eyes distant, as if he were somewhere else.

"Luka? That's good isn't it?" She asked. He snapped back to reality.

"Yeah, of course, it's just, you don't know Abby Maria, she'll just keep on saying she's fine until she collapses".

"You think she's not fine?" She asked, sitting opposite him. He shrugged.

"I don't know, I never know whats going on in her head, she's a mystery to me". He rubbed his face tiredly. "I'm going to bed, before I fall asleep right here". Maria nodded.

"Sleep well, when are you next working?"

"Friday morning" he told her as he disappeared into the bedroom. He didn't even have the energy to change, so he just flopped onto the bed and fell asleep.

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Abby reached the apartment door and glanced up at the number, debating whether to turn back. This was a stupid idea, why would Luka want her there? She took a deep breath and knocked lightly, hoping he wouldn't hear it. Just as she was about to give up and go home the door swung open. Abby's jaw dropped slightly, before she managed to regain her composure.

"Um.sorry." she began, flushing. She immediately cursed herself. This eventuality hadn't even occurred to her. She didn't have a clue what to say, how to explain who she was or what she was doing here.

"Are you looking for Luka?" Maria asked her, her accent clear. Abby took a step back from the doorway.

"No um.wrong apartment, sorry". The woman frowned slightly as Abby took off down the corridor. She could have sworn she recognised her from somewhere.

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"Good morning" Maria said brightly as Luka stumbled into the kitchen, his hair all over the place. He looked at her, bleary-eyed.

"What time is it?"

"Almost 6" she told him "You slept for ages". He rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"Mmm, where's Dmitri?"

"Gone to get Chinese" she told him "We ordered you some too". He smiled at that.

"Great"

"Oh.someone came to the apartment today, said she had the wrong apartment, but I swear I had seen her face before". Luka looked up.

"What?"

"It was about four, I opened the door and asked if she was looking for you, and she took off"

"What did she look like?" Luka demanded.

"Dark, she had a sling on her arm". Luka groaned and stood up immediately

"Did you tell her who you were?"

"She didn't give me the chance, she just ran off" Maria shrugged "do you know her?"

"That was Abby" Luka told her, disappearing into his room. "I'll go see her, something must be wrong".

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"Abby?! Abby open up, it's me" he yelled for about the fifth time. There was no noise in the apartment. He looked at the door worriedly, wondering whether she was ignoring him, or whether something was wrong and she couldn't get to the door, or maybe she was just out. He pulled out his cellphone and dialled her apartment. No answer, and the answer machine picked it up.

"You've reached Abby, but I can't take your call right now, leave a message and I'll get back to you". The familiar message made him smile.

"Abby, it's me, Luka, if you're in pick up, I'm worried, I just want to know you're safe". He hung on for a few more seconds and then gave up. He dialled another number. And got another recorded Abby. "Damn it!" He shouted "Turn your damn phone on!" Then with a long stride he leapt back down the stairs and into the night.

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It was hours later and Luka was about to give up when he hit on an idea. He drove in silence, praying she'd be there, because it was the last place he could think of. As he pulled the jeep up he walked cautiously and slowly down the stone steps and onto the waterfront. He breathed a sigh of relief as he spotted her, sitting on a bench with her knees drawn up in front of her. He approached her silently and sat down next to her. She didn't even turn to look at him.

"Your phone's not turned on" he told her. She nodded slightly.

"I know" she said simply. He nodded.

"I've been calling all night". She nodded again.

"I know. Turn your phone on. Abby where are you? Phone me Abby" she recited.

"Why didn't you phone me?!" He cried exasperatedly. "I've been looking for you ALL night, I was worried sick!"

"Why? Did you think I was going to go and top myself or something just because you have another girlfriend?" She asked bitterly. "Get over yourself Luka". He shook his head in disbelief.

"You are unbelievable, you know that?!" He said angrily. "You let me search for you all night as punishment for something that isn't even any of your business, and I didn't even do anyway!" She ignored him. "What? Was it like some kind of ego boost for you? Knowing I was out freezing my ass off and driving myself crazy looking for you? Do you like that feeling Abby? Does it make you feel special?" She snapped her head round to look at him, and the pain in her eyes was immense.

"No, we all know I'm not that, you told me that already remember? Well thanks for the information Luka, but it's something I could have done without". He dropped his head in shame.

"Abby."

"Save it Luka" she told him, standing up. "I don't wanna stand here and listen to you apologize and say how you didn't mean it, that you were angry, that you never meant to hurt me."

"Abby I didn't!" He said earnestly, standing up and facing her. She looked up at him, her face blazing with anger and hurt.

"Well you did okay?! Is that what you want to hear?! You hurt me, Abby Lockhart, the person that can get through anything and still come out fighting, you hurt me more than anyone else, more than my mum, more than Richard, you topped them all, congratulations!" she was screaming into the wind now. Luka reached out and tried to take her shoulder but she pulled away from him.

"Abby please, just listen to me".

"I don't want to hear your sorry excuses!" She cried, trying hard to keep her composure. "You wanna know why what you said hurt so much Luka, do you?"

"Yes"

"Because I thought that despite what everyone else thought, what even I thought, I always felt pretty when I was with you, you were the first person that made me feel special, and then you told me it was all an act, and I realised that no matter how hard I try, nobody will ever love me that much, as much as I loved you". His eyes widened in surprise, and by now she was crying.

"Abby, I'm sorry, it wasn't an act, you were pretty, you were beautiful to me, and you should be to yourself, and you were the most special person in my life".

"You know what?" She asked him, her face defiant despite tears rolling down her cheeks. He shook his head. "This is too little, too late". She turned around and walked off. He stood watching her for a few minutes and then ran after her. As he reached her she whirled around.

"Abby, she's not my girlfriend, she's my sister in law" he said desperately.

"Leave me alone!" she yelled "You don't get it do you? It's not even about that!"

"Then what is it about? A few angry lines I yelled at you 6 months ago? You said some pretty mean things yourself Abby!"

"But you didn't love me!" She cried, her anger disintegrating as tears overcame her and made her blind. "You didn't even particularly like me, I loved you Luka, you won't ever realise what you did to me that night". He gently took her shoulder.

"I did Abby, I did love you, I still do". She shook her head, refusing to believe it.

"No you don't" she sobbed, the wind buffeting her.

"Why else would I spend all night out here looking for you?" He said softly. She shrugged.

"Maybe you just need to help people". He shook his head.

"It's not that Abby, you're right, I like helping people, maybe it's even become a way of life for me, but that's why I know I love you, and not all those other people, because you won't LET me help you, and I still want to be with you, every second we're not together I wish we were, it's like being half a person when I'm not with you". His own voice failed him and he just looked down at his hands. Abby bit her lip for a second, chewing on his words, and then slowly stepped closer, tipping her head up towards his face. He looked at her, and knew exactly what she saying, what she wanted, so he leaned in and kissed her with every feeling in him.