Okay the next chapter is finally up. I had a great Christmas and I hope everyone else did too! I was so shocked when I came back on fanfiction.net a minute ago and discovered that the first page of fics were ALL carbies... so I thought I had better update this NON-CARBY fic quick and try and balance it out a little bit at least! Oh and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

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Chapter 21: On a Normal Day...

Carter pulled his shirt over his head, throwing it to the ground and heading towards the shower. He flipped on the switch, gently outstretching his hand to feel the temperature. He flinched as the freezing water hit him, stepping back slightly.

Taking his cell phone he sat on the bed, still able to hear the water gushing in the shower. Pressing his voicemail button he lay back, rubbing his head, trying to soothe the aching headache he had.

Hey Carter, It's Abby. Uh, I can't make dinner tonight. Something serious has happened. Meet me at Doc's? Give me a ring when you get this. It's urgent.

Carter shook his head, he knew what Abby's kind of urgent was. She either broke a nail, looked at a bottle of tequila or her mom was on the rampage again. He didn't have time for any of those melodramas right now.

On a normal day, with the normal John Carter, he would have rushed to her side- he always liked to rescue a maiden in distress, but today wasn't a normal day and he wasn't feeling like John Carter. So instead he headed towards the bathroom.

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Carefully he took her hand, guiding her up the stairs of his apartment. He looked back at her every few seconds, checking she was still following closely behind him. He winced at her injuries. Although many were covered with dressings, many others were uncovered, horrific even in the dim lighting of the staircase. Her eyes were wide, still glossy with tears simply waiting to fall. He sighed, willing himself to be strong, willing himself to not retrace the footsteps he took whilst with Abby, with Brian. He was going to do this properly. The police were the people who were going to deal with this, if she let them.

Finally they reached the door and Luka poked the key into the hole, still keeping a tight grip of Susan's hand. He pushed inside, slowly leading her in. He looked back again and she smiled at him, trying to gently reassure him.

I'm okay Luka.

The words echoed in his head and he shook them away, trying to destroy the pictures hammering themselves into his brain, imprinting their vile images into his thoughts. He squeezed her hand more tightly, wanting desperately for her to know that he couldn't hurt her anymore, that no-one could.

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Susan shivered as she lay down onto the bed. Luka sat, perched on he end on it, stroking her left foot gently. She closed her eyes for a few seconds, images and sounds running through her mind the second her eyelids dropped.

She could still picture everything about the events of the previous few hours. How he had smelt, the feeling of his hands running over her body, the sound of his voice, the pain as his foot had ploughed into her sides, over and over... She could remember it all as if she was still going through it. Firstly he kissed her, suffocating her, so hard her lips had bled. He had thrown her to the floor, his foot crashing into her sides, bruising her and snapping her ribs as though they were twigs. Next thing she knew he was on her, squashing her almost flat. His touch, his voice, his smell, his mouth, his hands...

Luka jumped as Susan screamed loudly, running from the sofa to be at her side, she was sobbing loudly and shaking violently, her body rocking backwards and forwards. Luka cradled her in his arms, hushing her quietly. He sat with her, rocking her quietly in his arms until she eventually calmed down, leaning to kiss him gently.

He smiled for the first time that night, softly kissing her back. He pulled away, kissing her forehead gently and easing his grip slightly. She looked up at him, smiling too.

Can you stay with me? He nodded, glad she had finally asked. Abby had warned him Susan might not be ready for him yet, for their relationship, for another man to... touch her.

If that's what you want. She nodded also, letting her hands glide slowly around his waist and pulling him even closer towards her.

Luka leaned backwards, softly pulling Susan's body towards him, being careful not to touch her ribs. Her head fit snugly against his chest and he wrapped his arm around her. Gently, he kissed her head once again, stroking her hair softly and lulling her into peaceful sleep.

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Abby paced backwards and forwards across her apartment, staring at her cell phone every two seconds. She stopped by her coffee table, tapping her foot against the ground impatiently.

She was suffering with insomnia. Too scared to sleep right at this moment. Susan's attack had brought back all the memories she thought she had forgotten, all the fears she had hoped she had left behind. The apartment reminded her of Brian, she traced her bare foot over the spot where she had lay after he had beaten her up. She ran her fingers over the spot where her head had collided with as she had fallen to the ground.

She shivered, unable to think of anything but the pain, of the fear, of the fact he was still out there somewhere, ready to pounce on her again. Holding both shoulders with her hands she rocked herself, wondering who she could turn to. Susan was out of the question after tonight, Luka was too busy with Susan to give her a second thought and Carter... she had no idea where Carter was.

He was supposed to love her. Want her. Need her. Be there for her. Carter wasn't any of those things- at least not anymore. When they had started he was her all, her everything, well she thought he was. Or he could have just as easily have been her rebound. Luka was still the one who made her spine tingle. The one she wanted more than anything in the world. Luka was also the one she couldn't have.

Luka was so different these days. Perhaps everything he had been through had really made him stronger- perhaps Susan had. He was so different with her than he had been with Abby. He was kinder, softly, gentler, he had also managed to control his anger. When Brian had attacked her Luka had gone mad, it had shown he cared but with Susan Abby knew he was showing he cared far more. He was controlled, angry, deeply angry, but controlling that anger for her. Instead being strong, being the one who held her close and told her everything was going to be okay. That he never gave to Abby.

Just then her cell phone began to ring, pouring out the familiar ring. She walked over to the coffee table, picking it up reluctantly.