AN: Okay part four is up, Thanks if you reviewed chapter three.

Drawn Uncontrollably To You

Chapter 4

Frustrated with himself he threw back the covers and climbed out of bed. He wandered to the window where he pulled back the drapes slightly so that he could look out onto the dark empty street. Like his life really dark and empty. He turned a little so that he could see the digits on his alarm clock that read a little after two am. At least he had had a couple of hours sleep he mused to himself. Tonight though his problems and disappointments weren't the only things keeping him awake. He just could not get the image of Abigail Lockhart out of his mind, standing there on the bottom step of the El right before she hugged him.

Ten days had gone by since their talk by the river and still she was haunting his thoughts at night. By day he saw her constantly at work and he was unable to get her out of his mind then too. What was it about her? She had entered his life like a whirlwind several years ago and there she had stayed, not always in the foreground of his mind but there somewhere in his subconscious.

She had changed so much since he had first met her, got to know her properly, he guessed he was one of the lucky few who really knew her. He wondered if he too could change. Change and be more like the man he used to be. The man he still was underneath all the hurt, pain and grief he had bottled up in his soul.

Abby although he didn't want to admit it was right, he had to want to fix himself and he did. He couldn't go on like in this hopeless pit of despair. To make matters worse she had started seeing this architect Ben. She still denied that Ben was her boyfriend but Carter knew that Ben was. He just hoped that Ben Norris wouldn't break Abby's heart.

Feeling like he had finally made an important decision he crawled back into his rumpled bed. Making a mental decision to take heed of Abby's advice and get some much-required help. Slumber soon claimed him again and he didn't awaken until the shrill tone of his alarm clock filled the silence of the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Abby slipped as quietly and as carefully as she could out of the bed she was sharing with Ben. She pulled on his dressing gown and stepped between the drapes, hiding herself. She stared out at the dark and empty street below her reflecting initially on the past few hours. She got on well with Ben and after dinner had wound up at his apartment and later his bed. It had been okay, sleeping with Ben, maybe she had expected too much. Maybe she had expected it to be like sleeping with Carter. Carter, even after all this time she still thought of him.

She wondered what he was doing right now. Her concern for him hadn't lessened. He looked like he badly needed a vacation yesterday at work, but she doubted that he would take one. He would prefer to work thinking that if he buried himself in his job, he would feel better, she just knew. She also knew that until he dealt with his grief and pain it would not go away in fact it would probably seem even bigger than it already was.

She stuck her head through the curtain and glanced at the clock. It was after two am. She ought to try and get some more sleep; she started work in four hours.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The ringing of the alarm woke him the digits read 6:30, he turned over expecting her warm body to be beside him in the bed, but it was cold. Then he remembered that she had said something about her shift starting at six. He got out of bed and hoped that he could see Abby again tonight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fleur woke exactly five minutes before her alarm went off. It didn't matter what time she started work she always woke exactly five minutes before the alarm. She had her morning routine planned to military precision even though she had never been in the armed forces in her life. Despite this her life was very regimental, probably something to with her childhood. Everyday was planned with the same methodical accurate approach whether she was working, exercising or grocery shopping.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today was momentous in the life of John Carter today he decided was the day he would begin the turn his life around. He went to the phone, took a deep breath and called and asked for help.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The first time he had called Abby was late one night when she was alone. He seemed desperate, desolate and she although she had planned an early night as she was so tired she got ready and went to see John Carter. Sitting with him as he poured out his heart to her, about how he was feeling as he worked through his pain and sorrow of losing Kem, and the baby. She at times wondered what the hell she was doing being here with him. Other times her heart almost broke with the pain of hearing how much he missed and loved Kem and each time she visited him late at night she swore it was the last. She was sure it hadn't been like this when he had split up with her, but then they had never had and lost a child together, and Kem was probably everything that she Abigail Lockhart was not. Abby had to keep reminding herself that this was not about her, it was about John Carter and because she would do anything for him if he asked, she kept visiting him when he needed her. Somehow in this entire crazy situation their roles had appeared to reverse. And maybe in an attempt to hang on to her sanity she continued dating Ben.