A/N: Thanks to SpreadtheLove and AbbyLockhart2 for helping me out with the scenery of Lincoln Park. And a big, big, massive, huge, mega, super THANK YOU to Lily, for helping me get this chapter together! I'll repay you with some Carby and D/C icons when I get my new PSP. Also, thanks to Jordan_Cavanaugh for helping me with the title. :) As you can see, it took a lot of people to throw this chapter together. Some more people helped, but it was minor stuff that I've forgotten over the past couple of weeks. Sorries. But thanks to them, too! Ohh yeah… shout out to Noah fans. See if you can catch it. ;)
Disclaimer: Nothing's mine. The song belongs to Sarah McLachlan. :)
*~LTDan~*
Heaven
bent to take my hand
And lead me through the fire
Be the long awaited answer
To a long and painful fight
Truth be told I've tried my best
But somewhere along the way
I got caught up in all there was to offer
And the cost was so much more than I could bear
Though I've tried, I've fallen...
I have sunk so low
I have messed up
Better I should know
So don't come round here
And tell me I told you so...
We all begin with good intent
Love was raw and young
We believed that we could change ourselves
The past could be undone
But we carry on our backs the burden
Time always reveals
The lonely light of morning
The wound that would not heal
It's the bitter taste of losing everything
That I have held so dear.
I've fallen...
I have sunk so low
I have messed up
Better I should know
So don't come round here
And tell me I told you so...
Heaven bent to take my hand
Nowhere left to turn
I'm lost to those I thought were friends
To everyone I know
Oh they turned their heads embarrassed
Pretend that they don't see
But it's one missed step
You'll slip before you know it
And there doesn't seem a way to be redeemed
Though I've tried, I've fallen...
I have sunk so low
I have messed up
Better I should know
So don't come round here
And tell me I told you so...
~Fallen by Sarah McLachlan
"Don't! Want! PINK!"
"It's all I have, Jays!"
"DON'T WANT IT!"
"You've got to get dressed!"
"WON'T!"
Carter dropped his shoulders, defeated. "Yellow?"
Jayleigh seemed to be contemplating this. She licked her lips in thought. "Uhh… okies!"
Sighing, Carter reached into the pocket of his cargos and pulled out a silver colored cell phone. He dialed Anne's number, which he had memorized over the past month.
"Hey – Anne?"
"Yeah. Who is this?" she asked from the other end of the line.
"John…" responded Carter uncertainly.
"Oh, yeah, sorry. You sound different; do you have the flu or something?"
Carter raised an eyebrow that no one but his daughter saw. "No. But are you busy?"
"No. Why? Are you leaving for the park early?"
"Nah, but do you think you could get Jays a yellow outfit of some sort? She refuses to wear the pink Abby packed for her."
"Yeah, sure, of course. Where from?"
"Anywhere." She'll get spoiled enough anyway. One cheap set of clothes won't change much, he admitted silently.
"Sure. I'll pick it up, and be on over! 'Bye John." Click.
Carter flipped his cell shut and put it in his pocket once again. He turned to face Jayleigh, smiling slightly.
"Anne's brining you some yellow clothes. 'Kay?" he said, picking her up and walked to the front room to watch television.
"Yich. Don't like her." She wrinkled up her nose in obvious dislike.
Carter frowned, surprised. "Why not?"
Jayleigh shrugged. "Dunno." She paused. "Can I watch Big Bird?"
"Sure can." Carter sat down on the leather couch, repositioning her on his lap. He scoured the in table, couch, and coffee table for the remote, and eventually found it and turned on the TV.
Anne came round an hour or so later. Carter had his neck stretched out on the top of the couch so he was staring at the ceiling; Jayleigh sat in his lap, still watching Sesame Street. A doctor was examining Big Bird and smiling, something that Jayleigh seemed to find very amusing.
Carter heard the knock on the front door, and jumped up to open it. "Hey." His eyes moved to hers, and he gave her a quick peck on the lips. "Sorry I had to get you out. I couldn't go out without her – "
"Don't worry about it, John," she interrupted. Anne smiled sweetly and handed him a bag labeled "Toddlers-R-Us".
He took it from her and peered inside. "You knew what size?"
Anne nodded, still beaming.
"I see." He pulled out a light yellow sweat suit with small pink elephants patterned across the bottom and top. Holding it out at arms length, he examined it.
"It's cute," he decided. He smiled gratefully. "Thanks."
Anne wrapped her arms around Carter's neck. "Are we ready to go, Dr. Carter?"
His smile softened. "I need to change Jayleigh," he said, "and we are."
******
Jayleigh attempted to wriggle out of her stroller.
"Ah – sit still," scolded Carter.
"Be-air…" she said in an awed voice.
"What? …Bear?"
"Yuh." She pointed upward to the front gate, where an ice sculpture of a polar bear stood.
"Canna touch it?" Jayleigh asked sweetly, looking directly at Carter's eyes.
"I don't know…" Carter answered, unwilling to let her roam.
"Of course," said Anne, on his left. She smiled at Carter, as if she knew something he did not, and unbuckled the straps on Jayleigh's stroller.
Carter raised his eyebrows. "What are you doing?" he whispered.
"I'm helping… Can't I help?" she said, beaming.
Carter watched as she lifted Jayleigh. "I… yeah. Yeah, sure."
Anne picked up Carter's daughter. Jayleigh attempted to squirm out of her arms, obviously not wanting to be held. Anne did not let her go, however.
"Come on, Jayleigh, want to touch the bear?" she said, walking up to it.
"No!" she pouted loudly.
Carter saw Anne frown. "I thought you – "
"Not with you! You ain't my mommy!" She proceeded to wail deafeningly.
Anne's face remained determined. She reached into her purse and pulled out a sucker.
"Bribery?" Carter muttered, an amused smile playing on his face.
Jayleigh stopped screaming, and took the sucker from her. "Pop?"
Anne looked to Carter, apparently confused.
"She calls suckers pop. Like lollipop, I guess," he responded, shrugging.
"Yes… pop. You can have the pop if you do one thing for me."
Carter continued to smile.
"You have to be good and let me carry you a bit, okay?"
Jayleigh nodded slowly, and reached for the sucker. Carter watched Jayleigh slowly warm up to Anne, unsure how he felt about his new life. His new girlfriend, his new daughter… his new sense of friendship with Abby. How did it all come together? Where did everything fit? That was still something he was trying to figure out.
Response to Reviews
CARBYforever: Carby, Carby, Carby. We all love Carby. :) One of the best, eh? Hehe – thank you.
CamilaC: Talk to me on MSN, and I'll tell you everything I know. But I can't here because some readers are spoiler-free.
Carbylobsterandavrilfan: Thank ya much. Yes, Owen is adorable. XD
MrsWyle: Ohh you'll see why Abby's not said anything. And you'll see whether or not Susan knows. It's really not what you might think.
Starbright: Ick – sorry about the formatting. I don't know what happened there. Hopefully, it won't happen again, but I can't promise anything. Thanks for reviewing!
Kattybaby2318: I know "I Melt" is very Carby. I love it. ;) I mean, AbbyLockhart2 said that you recommended this story to her, so I thanked you. :) As always, thanks for reviewing!
A/N: Where were the reviews, people? Eh? Six total reviews for this chapter… that's depressing. Did you know? *Sniff* Anyway – please review.
*~LTDan~*