AN: Well here we go wedding No. 2. Thanks for your reviews also for your reviews to chapter 16, sorry forgot to mention that in my haste to update last time.

Drawn Uncontrollably To You

Chapter 18

November 2005

It was a crisp cold day, but on the plus side the sun had filtered through the grey clouds, which had dispersed due to the breeze and now no longer filled the sky. Carter looked up and then down again, before straightening his tie, running his hand over his freshly shaved face as he waited for the car.

'You okay?' asked Jack

'Yeah' Carter answered

'Nervous?'

'Not about me and Abby. But everything else'

'Your Mother?'

'For one and Maggie and Eric'

'Abby's mother and brother'

'Yeah'

'They seemed okay yesterday when I saw them'

'Mmmm, well they might seem okay one day and then the next...' Carter shrugged

'I'm sure they will be fine' Jack said encouragingly

'I hope so' Carter muttered under his breath.

o0o

Abby sat quietly on a chair from the kitchen looking out the window of her apartment, seeming to those in the room with her that whatever what happening on the street below was of great interest. That however was not the case as her mind was on other things. Today. She wanted it to go well, but Maggie and Eric were here and she worried that the day would be a disaster.

If she had had it her way today would have been a quiet affair but Eleanor had gotten wind of it and then that was that. As far as Eleanor was concerned it was bad enough that her son was marrying a woman she didn't wholly approve of being good enough for him. So because of this, because Abby wanted it to go well and to be honest at the end of the day they would be married she let Eleanor have her way with a couple more things than she, Abby would have liked. Including the size of the guest list, which although Carter had informed her that by his mother's standards was still small, she couldn't help but disagree. Especially in the short space of time that they had arranged everything.

'Nervous?' Maggie asked putting her hand on her daughter's shoulder

'Nope'

'You seem like something's bothering you'

'I don't want anything to go wrong'

'Nothing's going to go wrong' Maggie said encouragingly

Abby looked up at her with a 'yeah right' expression on her face.

'Oh Abby, everything's going to be fine'

Abby however still couldn't get the image of Eric falling into Millicent Carter's grave out of her head. Having thought that though Eric now seemed much better and was as far as she could tell on his medication and seemed to have his life back on track.

o0o

After all the worry and stress the first part of the day, the most important part of the day went well. Without any problems or upsetting occurrences, which pleased everybody, especially Abby and Carter. They were very much relieved when it was announced that they were husband and wife. Then they both savoured the moment where they got to share a brief but satisfying kiss. Now they had to get through the reception.

Carter and Abby agreed however that given the choice they would much rather be able to slip away and not have to face everyone again at least not all together anyway.

o0o

The meal was over, the cake was cut and several people had already had too much to drink. Abby was off someplace chatting to Susan who had arrived all flustered about something and Carter was standing surveying the people around him when Jack approached.

'It's been a good day' Jack commented

'So far' Carter responded

'What do you expect to happen?'

'The unexpected'

'If you're worrying about Eric, he's been fine'

'Yeah, I know'

'Who's that?' Jack asked pointing to a tall blonde woman, who reminded him of someone he knew a long time ago, a lifetime ago.

'What?' asked Carter 'Who?'

'Her' said Jack indicating the passing woman with the bottom of his wineglass.

'Oh, well that's Fleur. She's a surgeon, I don't know what to make of her she's a bit distant. Abby gets on alright with her, says she thinks Fleur is lonely. To be honest I probably wouldn't have invited her. Not that I dislike her, it's just..... I don't know'

'What's her last name?' Jack asked curiously

'Buchannan' Carter replied

'Where's your wife?' asked Eleanor coming up to join them 'You've been married five minutes and already you are apart'

'She had to go talk to a mutual friend' Carter told her. The silence was heavy as the three of them stood together until Carter said 'There she is' indicating Abby and went off to see her, relieved to be away from them as the tension was unbearable.

Jack and Eleanor stood there in silence for a few minutes and then both made the effort to make small talk for appearances sake, but that soon dried up and they stood there feeling rather uncomfortable with each other. They were still standing there together when Fleur walked past again.

'That woman' said Eleanor

''Who?' asked Jack playing innocent but knowing exactly what his ex-wife was talking about

'Her' said Eleanor subtlety pointing to Fleur 'She reminds me of that woman who used to work for the foundation. If it hadn't been what? Thirty or so years ago I would have sworn in was her. What was her name Jack? You must remember?'

Jack did but tried not to let it show. 'You sure?' he said

'Of course I'm sure, oh what was her name ummm....' she paused thinking and then added 'Yes that's it Julia. Julia what? Can't you remember Jack?'

Jack not wanting to prolong the conversation too much responded by saying 'Buchannan. Julia Buchannan'

'Yes' Eleanor answered 'That's it Julia Buchannan'

o0o

'Hey' said Carter as he reached Abby and kissed her on the cheek. 'Susan?'

'She's gone back to County'

'Already?'

'Yeah, her Dad had a MI last night'

'Oh, he okay?'

'Stable now but still in ICU'

'Did she work this morning, with her Dad ill upstairs?'

'No she's been up in the ICU with him' Abby replied worried about her friend

'Hey' said Carter pulling her into his arms 'He'll be okay'

'I was thinking about Susan' she told him quietly sighing and snuggling into him as he rested his chin on her head.

They stood there for some moments in a comfortable silence.

'We could stay' he finally offered

'What?' she replied

'Not go away, stay here, instead of having a honeymoon'

'Oh'

'What do you think? Then if something happens we'd be here for her'

Abby pulled out of his arms and looked at him. 'She wouldn't want that, she'd be mad at us'

'Mmmm, probably. But if it'll stop you worrying, maybe we should'

Abby sighed and said 'I thought the day was going well, too well. Maybe I'll ring her talk it through with her'

'Okay, we'll do that' he agreed and added 'Watch out my mother is heading this way'

Abby looked up to where Carter indicated and sure enough there strode Eleanor Carter, who stopped when she reached them.

'When I told you to find your wife I didn't mean that you should stand talking together, I meant you should socialise' she told her son.

Who as she looked away shared a look with his wife of exasperation.

'I think' he said to Abby in a effort to make an escape 'We ought to have a dance'

He offered Abby his hand and she took it and Eleanor said 'Well that's a good idea, in fact I was just about to suggest it myself'

Carter and Abby smiled as they walked up to the dance floor.

'You know' he said 'This is becoming quite a habit'

'What?'

'This, you and me dancing'

'Mmmm, make the most of it I don't know when you'll manage to get me up on the dance floor again' she replied and he just grinned.

o0o

Abby walked up to Carter and he put his hand on the small of her back and led her away so that they could talk in private.

'Well? What did she say?' he asked

'No' Abby said 'She said no. Go enjoy yourselves she said. She said thank you but she'd be okay. Chuck was supportive and she had Megan and Weaver had been surprisingly sympathetic'

'You were right'

'Of course, I know Susan well. As you do, but in a different way, I guess'

'A girlie way huh?'

'Well you've known her a very long time and you know she values your friendship'

'Yeah' he answered. 'So we're going then, to the Cayman islands?'

She nodded and smiled and said 'Your mother's looking at us wondering what we're doing here in the corner together'

'Maybe we should give her something to wonder about' he replied

'Such as' she asked

Carter didn't give Abby a verbal reply instead he held her close and kissed her in a manner that he had wanted to since he had first seen her that morning and Abby responded as he knew she would.

o0o