:*:*:*:*:*:*:
CHAPTER FOUR
A/N: Once again, for my own good, Carter is living in an apartment by himself. And, contrary to popular belief, I would like to point out that this story is NOT in season seven. I set it between seasons six and seven (Regardless of the time that season seven started.) so I wouldn't have to worry about the seventh season. So, now that everything is cleared out of the way, on with the story.
:*:*:*:*:*:*:
The voices on the television blended together as Mark clicked the down-channel button on the remote.
"There is nothing on television on a Friday night in Chicago, is there, Carter?" Mark inquired.
"Mark, it's midnight, and you've only made it through thirty channels. Just keep going......... STOP!" Carter said as a man in back of a microphone on a stage stood in front of a laughing crowd on the television screen.
"What's this?" Marked asked, tilting his head at the screen like some sort of mystified puppy.
"Stand-up comedy," Carter answered, laying down on his couch and putting his head on his arm.
Mark set the remote on the arm of the recliner he had seated himself in and lay back to enjoy the show. There was a high-pitched bell sound from the "kitchen" as they heard a slight muffle that was Jing-Mei rummaging through a cupboard.
"Who wants popcorn?" she asked as she walked in front of the now laughing Mark and Carter.
"Ooh, me me!" Carter shouted childishly through his own hysteric laughter as he reached into the warm, plastic bowl of buttery popcorn.
He followed the bowl with his hand, somehow managing to remain lying down as Jing-Mei sat on the floor with a comforter between Mark's recliner and Carter's place on the couch.
"Get off the floor," Carter ordered Jing-Mei.
"No, I'm fine," she insisted, grimacing as she hit the back of her head on the arm of the couch.
"No, you're not. Come here. And I won't shut up until you do," Carter said as he smiled and moved his feet, curling himself in a ball on the couch. Jing-Mei laughed at the childish position.
"You sure? You don't look very comfortable," she insisted.
"I sleep like this all the time, now sit!" Carter said with a smile.
Jing-Mei smiled and rolled her eyes as she brought the blue popcorn bowl (which was now half-empty thanks to Carter and Mark's naturally big hands) and the comforter with her to the space Carter had made.
"Now," Carter yawned, "isn't that more comfortable than my floor?" he asked, then yawned loudly again.
"You look beat," Mark pointed out.
"You look like a real genius," Carter said sarcastically in reply.
Jing-Mei laughed and agreed whole-heartedly at this comment, even in all its sarcasm.
For another hour, the three of them watched and laughed at the stand- up comics. As the hour droned on endlessly, the three genuine laughs turned into two insanely tired giggles. Any person in their fully alert and right frame of mind who would have walked into the apartment at the time most likely would have warranted a drug search by simply listening to the laughter. However, exhaustion was the only present drug.
Struggling to keep her eyes open, Jing-Mei looked over to Mark, who was having the same problem. He looked back at her.
"I'm so tired, but I don't want to miss a joke," she admitted.
Mark smiled in reply. "Damn comedy networks," he said, making the two of them laugh.
In the blink of an eye, Jing-Mei seemed to be more awake, and so did Mark.
"Say, is Carter still awake over there?" Mark asked, craning his neck to see for himself.
"No, he zonked out a long time ago." She and Mark looked at the peaceful figure of Carter, breathing silently in the midst of his deep sleep. He had tuned onto his right side to face the back of the couch by now, his face buried in his pillow. "You think maybe we should......... oh, I don't know......... put him to bed?" she asked.
"But I don't want to wake him up," Mark said. "And plus, he wooks so cute when he's sweeping!" he then added sarcastically as if he were speaking to a puppy.
"We don't have to," Jing-Mei said with a conniving smile.
Mark groaned. He was too tired to do any physical work. "Oh, fine. But only if you take the feet."
Mark and Jing-Mei forced themselves from their comfortable positions and stood themselves on either end of the couch. Mark ruffled Carter's hair, causing him to turned to his back and swat at the air. When he stopped his mid-sleep attack, Mark curled his arms under Carter's as Jing- Mei curled her arms around his ankles.
"Okay, on my count........." Mark whispered over the hum of the television, then stopped to yawn. "One, two, three."
They hoisted Carter off the couch, his head slumping to one side, and carried him across the apartment to his bed. They placed him gently in the middle of the monstrosity of sheets and blankets, then Jing-Mei pulled a lump of blanket on top of him. As they stood back to see the work they had done, Mark put his hands on his hips, thinking.
He walked over to Carter's bedside and knelt down.
"What are you doing?" Jing-Mei asked confusedly.
"Well, I've heard that you can talk to people in their sleep," Mark said, turning to look her in the eye, as she crossed her arms. "What? You don't like the idea?" Jing-Mei shook her head.
"Dreams are the only part of him we can't disturb, why do you want to try?"
"Oh come on, you know you want to see it. Besides, it'd probably be good to hear a familiar voice."
"But he's been hearing us for the past how many hours," she protested quietly.
"So? He's been having nightmares anyway."
"Oh, fine. But don't do it for too long," Jing-Mei agreed. Mark looked at her, then she ran to the bedside, eager to hear what was going to happen. Mark laughed at her contradiction of her own self.
"Hey, Carter," Mark whispered. "Hey, whatcha doing?"
Carter only moved onto his side in reaction to Mark's voice, but now he was facing Mark.
"Whatcha doing?" he asked again.
Carter groaned and put his face half in his pillow.
"No," he protested slowly and quietly in his sleep.
Mark smiled to Jing-Mei, then turned his attention back to Carter.
"Time to get an idea of who he's with," he whispered to Jing-Mei, almost mutely. "Who's that?" he asked Carter.
"Hi," Carter said again in the sleep-speaking tone.
"To who?" Mark asked.
"Hi Abby," Carter said. Mark and Jing-Mei smiled in a childish excitement at the thought that they were now in their friend's head.
Mark changed his role. "Hi Carter," he said as Abby.
Carter smiled, his face still half hidden by the pillow.
"What are we doing here?" Mark asked.
"Nothin' " Carter replied.
"Why am I here?" Mark asked again.
Carter mumbled. "My friend," he said. That was all that they could understand.
"I'm your friend?" Mark asked.
"Mm-hmm," Carter replied.
"Are you my friend?" Mark asked as they both started to snicker.
"Mm-hmm," Carter said once again.
"Okay," Mark concluded. Nothing more came from Carter. Jing-Mei and Mark suppressed their laughter as best they could until they reached the end of the room. They turned as they heard another muffled voice from Carter.
"What?" Jing-Mei said softly in his direction.
Carter repeated himself. "I love you," he said, then put his face in his pillow.
The two looked at each other and exchanged completely and utterly surprised expressions, then laughed and went back to the television to discuss.
"Do you think he meant that?" Jing-Mei asked in awe.
"Sounded like it to me," Mark said. "I know Carter, and he sounded pretty sure," he added.
"Then I'm not the only one," Jing-Mei said, turning to look at Carter's bedroom door.
:*:*:*:*:*:*:
When Carter was sure he heard the door click and saw all light drain from the room save for the moonlight, he rolled onto his back and smiled. He had done himself some good. He had done himself a lot of good.
"Now they know," he whispered to himself. "Now they finally know." He went back to his side and quickly fell asleep. But there was something different this time......... this time, he dreamt.
CHAPTER FOUR
A/N: Once again, for my own good, Carter is living in an apartment by himself. And, contrary to popular belief, I would like to point out that this story is NOT in season seven. I set it between seasons six and seven (Regardless of the time that season seven started.) so I wouldn't have to worry about the seventh season. So, now that everything is cleared out of the way, on with the story.
:*:*:*:*:*:*:
The voices on the television blended together as Mark clicked the down-channel button on the remote.
"There is nothing on television on a Friday night in Chicago, is there, Carter?" Mark inquired.
"Mark, it's midnight, and you've only made it through thirty channels. Just keep going......... STOP!" Carter said as a man in back of a microphone on a stage stood in front of a laughing crowd on the television screen.
"What's this?" Marked asked, tilting his head at the screen like some sort of mystified puppy.
"Stand-up comedy," Carter answered, laying down on his couch and putting his head on his arm.
Mark set the remote on the arm of the recliner he had seated himself in and lay back to enjoy the show. There was a high-pitched bell sound from the "kitchen" as they heard a slight muffle that was Jing-Mei rummaging through a cupboard.
"Who wants popcorn?" she asked as she walked in front of the now laughing Mark and Carter.
"Ooh, me me!" Carter shouted childishly through his own hysteric laughter as he reached into the warm, plastic bowl of buttery popcorn.
He followed the bowl with his hand, somehow managing to remain lying down as Jing-Mei sat on the floor with a comforter between Mark's recliner and Carter's place on the couch.
"Get off the floor," Carter ordered Jing-Mei.
"No, I'm fine," she insisted, grimacing as she hit the back of her head on the arm of the couch.
"No, you're not. Come here. And I won't shut up until you do," Carter said as he smiled and moved his feet, curling himself in a ball on the couch. Jing-Mei laughed at the childish position.
"You sure? You don't look very comfortable," she insisted.
"I sleep like this all the time, now sit!" Carter said with a smile.
Jing-Mei smiled and rolled her eyes as she brought the blue popcorn bowl (which was now half-empty thanks to Carter and Mark's naturally big hands) and the comforter with her to the space Carter had made.
"Now," Carter yawned, "isn't that more comfortable than my floor?" he asked, then yawned loudly again.
"You look beat," Mark pointed out.
"You look like a real genius," Carter said sarcastically in reply.
Jing-Mei laughed and agreed whole-heartedly at this comment, even in all its sarcasm.
For another hour, the three of them watched and laughed at the stand- up comics. As the hour droned on endlessly, the three genuine laughs turned into two insanely tired giggles. Any person in their fully alert and right frame of mind who would have walked into the apartment at the time most likely would have warranted a drug search by simply listening to the laughter. However, exhaustion was the only present drug.
Struggling to keep her eyes open, Jing-Mei looked over to Mark, who was having the same problem. He looked back at her.
"I'm so tired, but I don't want to miss a joke," she admitted.
Mark smiled in reply. "Damn comedy networks," he said, making the two of them laugh.
In the blink of an eye, Jing-Mei seemed to be more awake, and so did Mark.
"Say, is Carter still awake over there?" Mark asked, craning his neck to see for himself.
"No, he zonked out a long time ago." She and Mark looked at the peaceful figure of Carter, breathing silently in the midst of his deep sleep. He had tuned onto his right side to face the back of the couch by now, his face buried in his pillow. "You think maybe we should......... oh, I don't know......... put him to bed?" she asked.
"But I don't want to wake him up," Mark said. "And plus, he wooks so cute when he's sweeping!" he then added sarcastically as if he were speaking to a puppy.
"We don't have to," Jing-Mei said with a conniving smile.
Mark groaned. He was too tired to do any physical work. "Oh, fine. But only if you take the feet."
Mark and Jing-Mei forced themselves from their comfortable positions and stood themselves on either end of the couch. Mark ruffled Carter's hair, causing him to turned to his back and swat at the air. When he stopped his mid-sleep attack, Mark curled his arms under Carter's as Jing- Mei curled her arms around his ankles.
"Okay, on my count........." Mark whispered over the hum of the television, then stopped to yawn. "One, two, three."
They hoisted Carter off the couch, his head slumping to one side, and carried him across the apartment to his bed. They placed him gently in the middle of the monstrosity of sheets and blankets, then Jing-Mei pulled a lump of blanket on top of him. As they stood back to see the work they had done, Mark put his hands on his hips, thinking.
He walked over to Carter's bedside and knelt down.
"What are you doing?" Jing-Mei asked confusedly.
"Well, I've heard that you can talk to people in their sleep," Mark said, turning to look her in the eye, as she crossed her arms. "What? You don't like the idea?" Jing-Mei shook her head.
"Dreams are the only part of him we can't disturb, why do you want to try?"
"Oh come on, you know you want to see it. Besides, it'd probably be good to hear a familiar voice."
"But he's been hearing us for the past how many hours," she protested quietly.
"So? He's been having nightmares anyway."
"Oh, fine. But don't do it for too long," Jing-Mei agreed. Mark looked at her, then she ran to the bedside, eager to hear what was going to happen. Mark laughed at her contradiction of her own self.
"Hey, Carter," Mark whispered. "Hey, whatcha doing?"
Carter only moved onto his side in reaction to Mark's voice, but now he was facing Mark.
"Whatcha doing?" he asked again.
Carter groaned and put his face half in his pillow.
"No," he protested slowly and quietly in his sleep.
Mark smiled to Jing-Mei, then turned his attention back to Carter.
"Time to get an idea of who he's with," he whispered to Jing-Mei, almost mutely. "Who's that?" he asked Carter.
"Hi," Carter said again in the sleep-speaking tone.
"To who?" Mark asked.
"Hi Abby," Carter said. Mark and Jing-Mei smiled in a childish excitement at the thought that they were now in their friend's head.
Mark changed his role. "Hi Carter," he said as Abby.
Carter smiled, his face still half hidden by the pillow.
"What are we doing here?" Mark asked.
"Nothin' " Carter replied.
"Why am I here?" Mark asked again.
Carter mumbled. "My friend," he said. That was all that they could understand.
"I'm your friend?" Mark asked.
"Mm-hmm," Carter replied.
"Are you my friend?" Mark asked as they both started to snicker.
"Mm-hmm," Carter said once again.
"Okay," Mark concluded. Nothing more came from Carter. Jing-Mei and Mark suppressed their laughter as best they could until they reached the end of the room. They turned as they heard another muffled voice from Carter.
"What?" Jing-Mei said softly in his direction.
Carter repeated himself. "I love you," he said, then put his face in his pillow.
The two looked at each other and exchanged completely and utterly surprised expressions, then laughed and went back to the television to discuss.
"Do you think he meant that?" Jing-Mei asked in awe.
"Sounded like it to me," Mark said. "I know Carter, and he sounded pretty sure," he added.
"Then I'm not the only one," Jing-Mei said, turning to look at Carter's bedroom door.
:*:*:*:*:*:*:
When Carter was sure he heard the door click and saw all light drain from the room save for the moonlight, he rolled onto his back and smiled. He had done himself some good. He had done himself a lot of good.
"Now they know," he whispered to himself. "Now they finally know." He went back to his side and quickly fell asleep. But there was something different this time......... this time, he dreamt.