Part 16
"Abby. A-a-a-bby." Carter sang in a quiet voice as he tried to wake Abby up. She stirred a little and turned over onto her side, presenting her back to him. He knelt down on the bed beside her and lightly kissed her cheek. She smiled a little but kept her eyes tight shut and mumbled something incoherent.
"Good Morning Sleepyhead! Rise and Shine!" he smiled at her as she turned to face him, squinting at the early morning sunshine coming through the window.
"I'll rise but I refuse to shine." she said groggily and she pushed herself upright to a sitting position. She took the cup of coffee that Carter was holding out to her and took a sip. The heat shocked her and burnt her tongue, which caused her to let slip a few choice swear words.
"Yet another of the things I love about you," he grinned. "Your sparkling early morning demeanour!" She poked her tongue out at him and continued to sip of her coffee. Carter continued to smile and stare at her for a few seconds before shaking himself out of his reverie. He slapped to the duvet covers and jumped off the bed.
"Come on," he said, "we promised Gamma we'd be there at noon. You'd better get a move on if you want to have a shower before we go."
"Ugh, I forgot about that," she groaned. "Couldn't you go without me? Tell her I'm sick!" She put down the coffee cup on the bedside cabinet and threw the covers over her head. Carter pulled the covers back and gave her a disapproving look.
"It's not that bad! Gamma loves you. And you know you like her too so what's the problem?"
"I just don't want to go anywhere today. Why can't we just stay here where it's cosy?"
"Listen, if you can spend an evening with your ex-in-laws then you can spend the afternoon with your new ones. It's just lunch, I promise you we won't be there long. Then we can come back here and talk some more about little Carter Junior!" He smiled at her, and she couldn't stop herself from laughing at the lecherous look on his face. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and was about to stand up when a thought hit her and she sat back down again. She opened her mouth to speak but before she could Carter put up his hand to stop her: "And before you ask, no, my mother will not be there. She had to go some last-minute function thing in Boston. Its just you, me and Gamma. And besides, I'm gonna need an extra pair of hands to help pack up my stuff and bring it back here!"
"Ooh, you talked me into it!" She stood up on tiptoe and gave him a quick kiss. "But only because the only alternative is for me to pack up my stuff and move into the Carter Mansion!"
She walked into the bathroom and stepped into the shower, emerging after 10 minutes to find the bed made and their discarded clothing from the night before put away. She dressed quickly in a pair of black trousers and a burgundy turtleneck, pulled her hair back into a loose twist, checked her make-up quickly in the mirror , then walked into the living room to find Carter spread out on the couch and flipping through the channels on the television.
"Are we ready to go then?" she asked
"Wow, that was quick! I thought you'd be at least another half-hour."
"Well thank-you for your faith in my time-keeping ability. You said we were in a rush, so I rushed."
"And you look as beautiful as if you'd spent all morning. How do you do it?" He stood up and walked over to her. He knew she was tired after the last few days and was probably ready to jump on the slightest thing he said, so he hoped that he had sufficiently covered to save himself from one of her bad moods!
"No need to sweet-talk me, Carter. I forgive you." She picked up her coat and keys from the hall table and pulled the chain and bolts back off the door. She held the door open and looked back at Carter who was shrugging himself into his coat. "So are we going or what?"
"Yes Ma'am!" he clicked his heels in mock salute and joined her by the door. They both stepped out into the hallway and Abby pulled the door shut behind them, making sure that all the locks were set. They walked down the stairs and out of the apartment building in silence. They had been so close just minutes ago; Abby couldn't bear that there was this silence between them now. As Carter handed her into the passenger's side of his car and walked around to the driver's side she resolved to tell him what was bugging her so much about visiting his Gamma this morning. The car pulled away from the kerb, and Abby decided now was the time:
"John, I'm sorry I snapped at you. It's just…I mean did you…does your Gamma know about us? I mean obviously she knows about "us", but does she know about "US"? 'Cause your family may tolerate me as a girlfriend but what if they don't think I'm good enough to be your wife? Maybe they only thought I was temporary until they managed to find the perfect little society clone who would bring you back into the fold. I don't think I could cope with their disappointment on top of everything else."
"Don't be stupid, Abby," he put a hand on her leg to reassure her, and gave her a brief look before turning his attention back to the road. "No, I haven't told Gamma that we're married, but she knows how I feel about you. That day we met in Docs, after I got back from rehab, I went home and told my grandparents that I had met the girl I was going to marry. My family love you for who you are, just like I do, and neither one of us wants you to change to fit some outmoded stereotype. You just wait and see, Gamma will be thrilled!"
As their conversation finished they pulled up in front of the carter mansion. Carter reached out and cupped her face with his hand and gently stroked her cheek with his thumb. He stared at her intently. "You believe me, right? You're not worried anymore?" She shook her head and smiled at him, and they simultaneously moved together for a kiss…
As the kiss ended Carter smiled at her and opened his door. He walked around the car to the passenger side, opened the door, and held out his hand to Abby. "Come on then, Mrs Carter, we've got some good news to break."
(That's it for now. Didn't want to write anything else in case this lot didn't go down well. Hope you enjoyed them. Anyway, I have to go to work now so bye-bye!)
"Abby. A-a-a-bby." Carter sang in a quiet voice as he tried to wake Abby up. She stirred a little and turned over onto her side, presenting her back to him. He knelt down on the bed beside her and lightly kissed her cheek. She smiled a little but kept her eyes tight shut and mumbled something incoherent.
"Good Morning Sleepyhead! Rise and Shine!" he smiled at her as she turned to face him, squinting at the early morning sunshine coming through the window.
"I'll rise but I refuse to shine." she said groggily and she pushed herself upright to a sitting position. She took the cup of coffee that Carter was holding out to her and took a sip. The heat shocked her and burnt her tongue, which caused her to let slip a few choice swear words.
"Yet another of the things I love about you," he grinned. "Your sparkling early morning demeanour!" She poked her tongue out at him and continued to sip of her coffee. Carter continued to smile and stare at her for a few seconds before shaking himself out of his reverie. He slapped to the duvet covers and jumped off the bed.
"Come on," he said, "we promised Gamma we'd be there at noon. You'd better get a move on if you want to have a shower before we go."
"Ugh, I forgot about that," she groaned. "Couldn't you go without me? Tell her I'm sick!" She put down the coffee cup on the bedside cabinet and threw the covers over her head. Carter pulled the covers back and gave her a disapproving look.
"It's not that bad! Gamma loves you. And you know you like her too so what's the problem?"
"I just don't want to go anywhere today. Why can't we just stay here where it's cosy?"
"Listen, if you can spend an evening with your ex-in-laws then you can spend the afternoon with your new ones. It's just lunch, I promise you we won't be there long. Then we can come back here and talk some more about little Carter Junior!" He smiled at her, and she couldn't stop herself from laughing at the lecherous look on his face. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and was about to stand up when a thought hit her and she sat back down again. She opened her mouth to speak but before she could Carter put up his hand to stop her: "And before you ask, no, my mother will not be there. She had to go some last-minute function thing in Boston. Its just you, me and Gamma. And besides, I'm gonna need an extra pair of hands to help pack up my stuff and bring it back here!"
"Ooh, you talked me into it!" She stood up on tiptoe and gave him a quick kiss. "But only because the only alternative is for me to pack up my stuff and move into the Carter Mansion!"
She walked into the bathroom and stepped into the shower, emerging after 10 minutes to find the bed made and their discarded clothing from the night before put away. She dressed quickly in a pair of black trousers and a burgundy turtleneck, pulled her hair back into a loose twist, checked her make-up quickly in the mirror , then walked into the living room to find Carter spread out on the couch and flipping through the channels on the television.
"Are we ready to go then?" she asked
"Wow, that was quick! I thought you'd be at least another half-hour."
"Well thank-you for your faith in my time-keeping ability. You said we were in a rush, so I rushed."
"And you look as beautiful as if you'd spent all morning. How do you do it?" He stood up and walked over to her. He knew she was tired after the last few days and was probably ready to jump on the slightest thing he said, so he hoped that he had sufficiently covered to save himself from one of her bad moods!
"No need to sweet-talk me, Carter. I forgive you." She picked up her coat and keys from the hall table and pulled the chain and bolts back off the door. She held the door open and looked back at Carter who was shrugging himself into his coat. "So are we going or what?"
"Yes Ma'am!" he clicked his heels in mock salute and joined her by the door. They both stepped out into the hallway and Abby pulled the door shut behind them, making sure that all the locks were set. They walked down the stairs and out of the apartment building in silence. They had been so close just minutes ago; Abby couldn't bear that there was this silence between them now. As Carter handed her into the passenger's side of his car and walked around to the driver's side she resolved to tell him what was bugging her so much about visiting his Gamma this morning. The car pulled away from the kerb, and Abby decided now was the time:
"John, I'm sorry I snapped at you. It's just…I mean did you…does your Gamma know about us? I mean obviously she knows about "us", but does she know about "US"? 'Cause your family may tolerate me as a girlfriend but what if they don't think I'm good enough to be your wife? Maybe they only thought I was temporary until they managed to find the perfect little society clone who would bring you back into the fold. I don't think I could cope with their disappointment on top of everything else."
"Don't be stupid, Abby," he put a hand on her leg to reassure her, and gave her a brief look before turning his attention back to the road. "No, I haven't told Gamma that we're married, but she knows how I feel about you. That day we met in Docs, after I got back from rehab, I went home and told my grandparents that I had met the girl I was going to marry. My family love you for who you are, just like I do, and neither one of us wants you to change to fit some outmoded stereotype. You just wait and see, Gamma will be thrilled!"
As their conversation finished they pulled up in front of the carter mansion. Carter reached out and cupped her face with his hand and gently stroked her cheek with his thumb. He stared at her intently. "You believe me, right? You're not worried anymore?" She shook her head and smiled at him, and they simultaneously moved together for a kiss…
As the kiss ended Carter smiled at her and opened his door. He walked around the car to the passenger side, opened the door, and held out his hand to Abby. "Come on then, Mrs Carter, we've got some good news to break."
(That's it for now. Didn't want to write anything else in case this lot didn't go down well. Hope you enjoyed them. Anyway, I have to go to work now so bye-bye!)
