Carter's eyes slowly opened to greet a seemingly blinding light seeping from the hallway into her bedroom, door quite ajar. A hand drew instinctively to his face to shield his eyes. He frowned, pondering the new existence of the illumination.
A sigh stirred from the bathroom across the hall, bringing him to a realization. He barely smiled, exhausted, and fell back to the pillow. He attempted to go back to sleep until she entered the room. He left his eyes open just enough to see her grace the room, pulling up her hair into a lazy ponytail.
She yawned and slid into the covers next to him. Carter closed his eyes as she began to turn his way. Leaning toward him so close that he could feel her breathe, she kissed him three times: Once between the eyes, once on his nose, and then a slightly longer one on his lips.
He could feel her staring at him. Or watching him. Her fingers touched his cheeks, running downward along his face. Then she put her hand on his neck and kissed his top lip one more time before turning around again, sliding nicely into his shelter.
"Home late," he whispered, making her jump slightly. She shifted her head slightly and faced him.
"Yeah, we got a little carried away." She laughed quietly and nestled deeper into the pillow, and further into his warm body.
"Carried away?"
She shook her head, moving against him again. "Just wanted to let off some steam. Long day, you know. It really did something for Chen - "
"Did you have fun?" he asked, more insisting. Insisting in a way as demanding an answer.
She sensed the odd feeling between them. "Um, yeah. It was packed in there though. I tell you, Susan picks the weirdest places. Lava Lounge and this time some chamber decorated with glowsticks."
She laughed a little.
"What did you do?"
She turned a little more, directly facing him. "Is there something wrong?" She held her head with her hand elevated by her elbow. "You were kind of weird before I left, too. I shrugged it off, but - "
"Nothing's wrong," he replied with a quick smile, clearly fake, and lifted himself to turn the other way. He closed his eyes immediately, hoping he'd fall asleep before she had another question.
"Something's wrong," she said, putting her hand on his shoulder to pull him her way. "What is it?"
He snatched his shoulder from her grasp and shook his head. "I'm tired."
"God, Carter," she sighed, falling back harshly to her pillow. "Just tell me what the problem is. No one should have to guess like this."
"Did you drink?"
"Oh, my God," she said, throwing a hand over her eyes. "I swear to God, Carter - "
"Answer it then," he answered. "Did you drink?"
"I drank a little," she spoke, almost quiet. "Then I stopped."
He shook his head roughly and stood from the bed, in shirt and his shorts. He scrambled around the room to find his clothes, already still shaking his head.
"What are you doing?" she asked, standing. "Carter, stop."
"I told you, Abby," he said, grabbing his shirt and pants and pulling them on. His hands fumbled on the buckle stupidly. He groaned as he continued. "This is going to get difficult if - "
"Its going to get difficult?" she questioned, stepping away from the bed and following him on his run around the room. "I told you, Carter. I stopped. I knew when to stop - "
"I don't mean to get in the way," Carter interrupted oddly, "but you're an alcoholic, Abby. You aren't allowed to stop, because you're never supposed to start."
"You're not in charge of me Carter," she said reasonably. "I told you, I knew what I was doing."
"No," he said, picking up his final product. "You didn't, Abby. You know that... you're smarter than that. You know you can't do things like this in your condition. It won't justify - "
"My condition?"
"Wake up, Abby!"
Abby watched Carter walk out of the room angrily. Carter was halfway through the living room when she finally found her legs and began toward him.
"Stop," she said, her voice quieter as he opened the door and brought them to the hallway. She was aware that she was still in flannel pants and a shirt, but she didn't mind. "Stop, Carter."
He didn't. He kept walking. Down the stairs and through the doors at the bottom.
"Carter!"
"Aren't you finished yet?" he asked, walking away from her coming through the doors. "You don't ever have any shoes on! What are you doing?"
She didn't take the time to look down at her feet, cased in slippers. "I'm not finished until you listen to me."
"I'm listening, go ahead," he said, still angrily gaining pace.
"No you're not."
"Talk!"
She picked up her speed as well. "I appreciate that you care, John, but you have to let me deal with my own problems. I'm not impossible, I'm not handicap - "
"That's not what this is about," he said.
"Would you care to tell me what it is about, then?" she asked, sneering. "Because from what I picked up back there, that's *exactly* what it was about."
"Forget it," he stammered, shivering in slight cold. A sudden zephyr. That hardly worked now. "Forget it. Go back. I'll see you at work tomorrow."
They'd reached the stairs, now.
"So you want to continue this dispute at the admit desk, the lounge, a trama room," she said sarcastically.
He kept going. Up the stairs. "See you tomorrow, Abby."
"No," she shot. "You're just going to jump on that train and ignore this all tonight?"
"You're in your pajamas," he said without turning around.
"I don't care," she said. They reached the platform. "You're important to me. Don't do this - "
"You're important to me, too!" he shouted, whipping around to face her. She was taken aback by this, slightly stirred as she stood there. "That's why I give a damn, Abby. Okay?"
He started off, toward the man at the boarding area, fishing cents from his pockets.
"Wait," she repeated, causing him to turn one last time.
"Stay here and talk to me."
"I care about you," he said.
"I know you do," she said. "I know. I'm sorry. It had been a long day, you know."
"Please don't use that as an excuse."
"Carter - "
"No," he said, putting a hand up. "If you want to keep me right here, we're keeping it civil. All I ask is that you get some help. Listen to it. Please don't end up somewhere that you shouldn't be."
"That I shouldn't be?" She threw her hands in the air. "Where should I be?"
He sighed. Again. "With me. And I should be with you."
She looked at him oddly. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that," he began, but stopped shortly. Looking up at the sky, for advice or condolence from stars. "That I love you."
She watched him for a moment. She'd heard the words.
"And that's the reason I can't see you do this to yourself," he said, quietly now. "Because I don't want anything to happen to you. And don't fight it, because you know perfectly well the danger you get yourself into with this habit."
She nodded.
"What?"
"I didn't say anything."
"You said yes."
"I nodded."
They both looked at the other. Both frowning, neither wanting to look away.
"But okay," she said, coming toward him. "And, I love you." She stuttered on her words, barely believing what she finally said.
He nodded and bent down to meet her in a slow kiss, forgetting about the weight dragging on one of his arms. She put a steady hand against his cheek.
"Promise me you're going to - "
"Get help, I know," she said, carrying on with a gesture of her hands. "I will. I promise."
"Good."
Silence drifted near and sat between them. The wind whipped her hair around and stirred an uncomfortable chill about her arms.
"Now come home," she said smirking. "Because I'm freezing."
He hesitated, but smiled. They walked home without a word and slid back into bed, assuming a familiar position. Muttering three words to the other, sharing another kiss, they fell to sleep again in the other's arms.
--
I am so sure it will **not** go that way, (lol) But like I said before, I think this seems like a perfect episode for the two of them to share those three lovely words! I know this'll be the fourth ep that they've been dating, but come on! In ERLand, that's like a month or something. They usually stage each episode a week apart... and there was an extra two weeks in quarantine... that's more than a month! It's possible. ;) With Abby 'n Carter angst (mainly *Abby* angst) that could slow things down a bit. Ha.
Manda
A sigh stirred from the bathroom across the hall, bringing him to a realization. He barely smiled, exhausted, and fell back to the pillow. He attempted to go back to sleep until she entered the room. He left his eyes open just enough to see her grace the room, pulling up her hair into a lazy ponytail.
She yawned and slid into the covers next to him. Carter closed his eyes as she began to turn his way. Leaning toward him so close that he could feel her breathe, she kissed him three times: Once between the eyes, once on his nose, and then a slightly longer one on his lips.
He could feel her staring at him. Or watching him. Her fingers touched his cheeks, running downward along his face. Then she put her hand on his neck and kissed his top lip one more time before turning around again, sliding nicely into his shelter.
"Home late," he whispered, making her jump slightly. She shifted her head slightly and faced him.
"Yeah, we got a little carried away." She laughed quietly and nestled deeper into the pillow, and further into his warm body.
"Carried away?"
She shook her head, moving against him again. "Just wanted to let off some steam. Long day, you know. It really did something for Chen - "
"Did you have fun?" he asked, more insisting. Insisting in a way as demanding an answer.
She sensed the odd feeling between them. "Um, yeah. It was packed in there though. I tell you, Susan picks the weirdest places. Lava Lounge and this time some chamber decorated with glowsticks."
She laughed a little.
"What did you do?"
She turned a little more, directly facing him. "Is there something wrong?" She held her head with her hand elevated by her elbow. "You were kind of weird before I left, too. I shrugged it off, but - "
"Nothing's wrong," he replied with a quick smile, clearly fake, and lifted himself to turn the other way. He closed his eyes immediately, hoping he'd fall asleep before she had another question.
"Something's wrong," she said, putting her hand on his shoulder to pull him her way. "What is it?"
He snatched his shoulder from her grasp and shook his head. "I'm tired."
"God, Carter," she sighed, falling back harshly to her pillow. "Just tell me what the problem is. No one should have to guess like this."
"Did you drink?"
"Oh, my God," she said, throwing a hand over her eyes. "I swear to God, Carter - "
"Answer it then," he answered. "Did you drink?"
"I drank a little," she spoke, almost quiet. "Then I stopped."
He shook his head roughly and stood from the bed, in shirt and his shorts. He scrambled around the room to find his clothes, already still shaking his head.
"What are you doing?" she asked, standing. "Carter, stop."
"I told you, Abby," he said, grabbing his shirt and pants and pulling them on. His hands fumbled on the buckle stupidly. He groaned as he continued. "This is going to get difficult if - "
"Its going to get difficult?" she questioned, stepping away from the bed and following him on his run around the room. "I told you, Carter. I stopped. I knew when to stop - "
"I don't mean to get in the way," Carter interrupted oddly, "but you're an alcoholic, Abby. You aren't allowed to stop, because you're never supposed to start."
"You're not in charge of me Carter," she said reasonably. "I told you, I knew what I was doing."
"No," he said, picking up his final product. "You didn't, Abby. You know that... you're smarter than that. You know you can't do things like this in your condition. It won't justify - "
"My condition?"
"Wake up, Abby!"
Abby watched Carter walk out of the room angrily. Carter was halfway through the living room when she finally found her legs and began toward him.
"Stop," she said, her voice quieter as he opened the door and brought them to the hallway. She was aware that she was still in flannel pants and a shirt, but she didn't mind. "Stop, Carter."
He didn't. He kept walking. Down the stairs and through the doors at the bottom.
"Carter!"
"Aren't you finished yet?" he asked, walking away from her coming through the doors. "You don't ever have any shoes on! What are you doing?"
She didn't take the time to look down at her feet, cased in slippers. "I'm not finished until you listen to me."
"I'm listening, go ahead," he said, still angrily gaining pace.
"No you're not."
"Talk!"
She picked up her speed as well. "I appreciate that you care, John, but you have to let me deal with my own problems. I'm not impossible, I'm not handicap - "
"That's not what this is about," he said.
"Would you care to tell me what it is about, then?" she asked, sneering. "Because from what I picked up back there, that's *exactly* what it was about."
"Forget it," he stammered, shivering in slight cold. A sudden zephyr. That hardly worked now. "Forget it. Go back. I'll see you at work tomorrow."
They'd reached the stairs, now.
"So you want to continue this dispute at the admit desk, the lounge, a trama room," she said sarcastically.
He kept going. Up the stairs. "See you tomorrow, Abby."
"No," she shot. "You're just going to jump on that train and ignore this all tonight?"
"You're in your pajamas," he said without turning around.
"I don't care," she said. They reached the platform. "You're important to me. Don't do this - "
"You're important to me, too!" he shouted, whipping around to face her. She was taken aback by this, slightly stirred as she stood there. "That's why I give a damn, Abby. Okay?"
He started off, toward the man at the boarding area, fishing cents from his pockets.
"Wait," she repeated, causing him to turn one last time.
"Stay here and talk to me."
"I care about you," he said.
"I know you do," she said. "I know. I'm sorry. It had been a long day, you know."
"Please don't use that as an excuse."
"Carter - "
"No," he said, putting a hand up. "If you want to keep me right here, we're keeping it civil. All I ask is that you get some help. Listen to it. Please don't end up somewhere that you shouldn't be."
"That I shouldn't be?" She threw her hands in the air. "Where should I be?"
He sighed. Again. "With me. And I should be with you."
She looked at him oddly. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that," he began, but stopped shortly. Looking up at the sky, for advice or condolence from stars. "That I love you."
She watched him for a moment. She'd heard the words.
"And that's the reason I can't see you do this to yourself," he said, quietly now. "Because I don't want anything to happen to you. And don't fight it, because you know perfectly well the danger you get yourself into with this habit."
She nodded.
"What?"
"I didn't say anything."
"You said yes."
"I nodded."
They both looked at the other. Both frowning, neither wanting to look away.
"But okay," she said, coming toward him. "And, I love you." She stuttered on her words, barely believing what she finally said.
He nodded and bent down to meet her in a slow kiss, forgetting about the weight dragging on one of his arms. She put a steady hand against his cheek.
"Promise me you're going to - "
"Get help, I know," she said, carrying on with a gesture of her hands. "I will. I promise."
"Good."
Silence drifted near and sat between them. The wind whipped her hair around and stirred an uncomfortable chill about her arms.
"Now come home," she said smirking. "Because I'm freezing."
He hesitated, but smiled. They walked home without a word and slid back into bed, assuming a familiar position. Muttering three words to the other, sharing another kiss, they fell to sleep again in the other's arms.
--
I am so sure it will **not** go that way, (lol) But like I said before, I think this seems like a perfect episode for the two of them to share those three lovely words! I know this'll be the fourth ep that they've been dating, but come on! In ERLand, that's like a month or something. They usually stage each episode a week apart... and there was an extra two weeks in quarantine... that's more than a month! It's possible. ;) With Abby 'n Carter angst (mainly *Abby* angst) that could slow things down a bit. Ha.
Manda