**********************************

As they walked in, a very nervous Abby slipped her hand inside his, and he squeezed it tight.

Gamma bustled up to them, and barely seemed to notice Abby. "John! I honestly thought you'd forgotten!" She registered Abby, and looked her up and down.

"Who's this, John?"

"This, Gamma, is Abby Lockheart. Abby, this is my grandmother."

Abby held out her ever so slightly shaking hand.

"Pleased to meet you, ma'am."

Gamma took it and smiled, though not with her eyes.

"I have to go and greet Miss Allen, from the Dirsanté foundation." And she bustled away again.

"Is she always that…brief?" Abby was pretty sure Gamma didn't like her.

"She organised this. She's just being a good hostess." Carter didn't let on, but he didn't think Gamma liked Abby either.

**********************************

"Care to dance?" Carter held out his hand to Abby, and she took it.

He led her onto the dance floor, and placed his other hand on her waist as she put her hand on his shoulder.

For a while they danced in silence, at arms length away, each afraid to pull the other closer, afraid of what they might ruin.

Abby was the first to break the silence. She could stand it no longer.

"What are we doing?"

Carter looked at her with those big brown eyes and frowned.

"I believe they call it dancing."

"No, I mean us. What are we doing?"

The corner of Carter's mouth twitched, but he held her gaze. He slid his hand to the small of her back, pulling her closer. Close enough to whisper in her ear, so his warm breath tickled her.

"I have no idea."

Her head was resting on the front of his shoulder, her hand somewhere by the nape of his neck.

She whispered back.

"I guess we're just dancing, then."

**********************************

They stood outside, waiting for the car to come around.

Abby was mentally cursing herself. They'd barely spoken since that dance.

Why'd she have to go and ask that? What are we doing?!

Carter was confused. She had been so quiet, since that dance, and he was beginning to think he'd done something to anger her.

"Are you ok?" He asked, tentatively.

"I'm fine."

"Ok. Are you angry with me?"

Abby was taken aback. Angry with him?

"God no, Carter! Why-"

"Because you've barely spoken since we were dancing."

Maybe the silence was one-sided. Great, Abby, make it better by ignoring him.

"I'm sorry. I just…"

"Shall we walk home? It's a wonderful night."

"Yeah."

He took her hand, and they walked off into the darkness.

**********************************

"What did you mean, when you asked 'what are we doing?'?" Carter said, after rehearsing it in his head for the past three blocks. He said it without looking at Abby, afraid that this conversation could go very badly.

"I just meant, you know, us." She stammered. Why was this making her so damned nervous?

"Us?"

"I missed you when you were at work." It was the best she could manage.

Carter gave her a sly sideways glance. She looked so nervous.

"You did?"

She nodded.

Ok. Here goes nothing… She inhaled, turned to face him, and exhaled just as quickly.

"Carter, I have to say something, right now, before we take another step down this road."

Carter turned to her, surprised by the sudden outburst. "Oh-Kay…" Oh god, was this where she told him that they could never be anything more than friends?

"I have to tell you this right now, and I am so scared about what you could say."

She held out her hand. "Look at me. I'm shaking."

Carter wrapped both her hands in his, and smiled.

She took a deep breath.

"I broke up with Luka, just a few days ago."

"I remember."

"This is so unlike me." She muttered, almost to herself.

"Uh huh…"

She laughed a nervous laugh. "I think that…" She swallowed hard. "I think that I'm beginning to fall…" She paused.

Carter's heart caught in his throat, and he realised that he wasn't breathing. He looked at her with his big dark eyes, and her own eyes began to burn.

"I think I'm beginning to fall in love with you, John Carter." The words came easy, and they felt right as they rolled off her tongue.

Carter blinked. And then he blinked again, as if he thought he was in the middle of a strange dream.

"Pardon?" He spluttered.

Abby suddenly became very embarrassed. She clapped a hand to her mouth and spoke quickly through her fingers.

"Oh my god. I am so sorry. I should never have said that. I am sorry." She turned from him, and walked as fast as she could, away.

He tried to chase after her, but his feet were rooted to the spot in shock. All he could do was watch her disappear into the darkness.

**********************************

She crashed through the door to her apartment in floods of tears, cursing.

Slamming the door behind her, she leant against it, and sunk to the floor, head in her hands.

What the hell did she just do? Why? Why?!?

Had she just thrown away her best friend?

Her answer machine was beeping, and she reached up and hit the button.

Carter's voice came on.

"So you've not gotten home yet. Ok. Abby, when you do, don't move. I'm coming right over."

The machine clicked off.

She sniffed, and tried to wipe her eyes. She didn't want him to see she had been crying about it.

There was a light tapping on the door.

"Abby?"

She didn't answer, but stood up and moved to the mirror. Her mascara had left dark smudges beneath her lashes, and long trails ran down her cheeks.

"Abby, are you there? Open up, we have to talk. I didn't mean to… It was just a shock, that's all."

She rummaged for a tissue, and managed to clean off most of it. She didn't look like some weird gothic clown, anyway.

"I mean, I never, ever thought I'd hear you say that to me."

Abby stopped dead, frozen. "What?" She words were shaking, like her body.

"Do you want to open the door?"

She did as he suggested, and they stood at the door for a moment, just staring at each other.

Carter raised a hand to her face, but she pulled away. "Have you been crying?"

"No."

Liar, Carter thought. "Can I come in?"

"I guess." She turned her back on him, and walked a few steps, and stopped, with her back to him.

He closed the door behind him, walked up to her, and put his hands on her bare shoulders, but she shrugged him off.

"Abby…"

"I should never have said anything." She blurted, eyes filling up once more.

"You remember the day we met? You ran into me outside the ER. I remember it like it was yesterday. You know why?"

She turned round, slowly, and shook her head.

"Because, ever since, I have dreamed of hearing you say what you said tonight."