AN: Thank you for your continuing reviews. Now here is the truth about Fleur and Jack. Which I have put off writing for a while but it's needed before the end of the story so here goes.

Drawn Uncontrollably To You

Chapter 24

Jack and Fleur looked at each other uncertainly, Carter was still looking confused and Abby who had not heard any of the conversation felt really out of the whole thing.

Jack finally said 'Fleur was going to tell John about....'

'Julia' supplied Carter

'Julia?' said Abby 'Who's Julia?'

Carter shrugged and looked to Fleur and Jack for some answers.

'I can't tell what I don't know' Fleur said to Jack 'I don't remember my mother really'

'Just tell me what you do know' said Jack forgetting that Carter and Abby were with him and Fleur again.

Fleur took a deep breath and started her tale 'My mother was called Julia Buchannan, she died when I was three in an MVA. I was born here in Chicago and we moved to New York state when I was a few months old to be nearer my maternal grandmother, who helped out a lot. After my Mom died I went to live with her, my grandmother that is. She was really old well I thought so at the time I guess she was in her seventies, my Mom had been about thirty six or so when I was born and my grandmother had had my mom when she was about forty. My grandmother had had two older children one son who died in Vietnam and a daughter who had died young from meningitis. So by the time my mother died I was the only close living relation she had. I don't know when my grandfather died when my Mom was growing up I think.

I liked living with her, she was strict but fair. However she suffered a minor stroke when I was seven, and although she came home and it was decided that she was fit to care for me I found that I was doing more and more about the home and ended up taking care of her. She suffered another stroke the following year and died. That's when my father's family stepped in. I didn't even know I had a Dad until then, not that I met him or anything' she stopped talking and looked Jack in the eye before continuing ' I did however meet my paternal grandfather, he had discussed my future with his wife my paternal grandmother and it was decided to put me in boarding school. I don't think they wanted to cause a family scandal, of course I wasn't aware of that at the time.

So, I went to school and I studied, I guess I was bright, but I didn't really have many friends. I had to leave all the friends I did have when I was sent away. At the time I felt like I was being punished. I know that's not how it was but I was a small child. Most the girls went to each other's homes in the holidays and well I couldn't do that, I didn't have a home. During the holidays to start with I stayed with some sort of distant cousin but when I got older, I stayed with a couple of teachers who were looking for extra income, so I became a bit of a loner and I studied. Eventually when I was about twelve I jumped a year, because I was so far ahead of the other girls my age. I don't know why I wanted to become a doctor, I suppose I wanted to do something useful with my life.

I found out who my father was I became of age, and yes it was a shock, and yes that's when it began to fall into place, when I realised that my father couldn't have had me go live with him when my mother died. I came to the conclusion that he certainly didn't love me and definitely didn't care, although I remained curious to find out what my father and his family were like. The fleeting meeting with my grandfather was all I had and now it's a hazy, sketchy memory. I often wondered. Was I like them? I have discovered since I have been back in Chicago that the answer is yes'

The room was filled with silence Carter and Abby were still rather confused as to what this had to do with them but Jack soon clarified that.

Jack said 'I didn't handle it well any of it when your mother died or Christmas before last when you were here for dinner'

'It must have been a shock' Fleur said

'It was, but the biggest shock was when I saw you at the wedding and I asked John your name, but deep inside I already knew. You look too much like your mother to be anyone else, even Eleanor, my ex-wife saw the resemblance between you and Julia, and she didn't know half of it. She didn't know I had an affair'

'I didn't want to cause trouble when I came back to Chicago, I wanted to find my roots, maybe see you. Then I discovered Dr Carter, John worked in the hospital where I had been appointed and as much as I wanted to get to know him, part of me was afraid'

'What were you afraid of?' Carter asked still frantically trying to figure out what was going on, he was beginning to form a picture but until someone actually said the words or words that led him to a concrete picture he couldn't really believe it.

'I wanted you to like me, not in the way it is with you and Abby obviously, but as a friend, as a sister. I always wanted to be a sister'

'Well you are a sister, right?' said Abby joining the conversation and getting the gist of it much sooner than Carter had. Possibly because she was more of a bystander in the situation than he was.

'My sister' Carter said slowly, wondering what his other sister was going to make of this strange turn of events. But it did explain some things, things which he couldn't understand about Fleur were slowly becoming clearer. 'So Dad, tell us about Julia'

'Julia' Jack felt like a rabbit caught in the headlights of a car and knew that this was the point of no return. 'Julia, worked at the foundation, and as I've already said looked like her daughter, our daughter, my daughter'. He stumbled rather over the words as they tumbled out of his mouth. 'I don't know I guess your mother and I were going through a bad patch. Julia was there for me, talked with me, listened to me, one thing led to another. I slept with her, and somewhere along the line Fleur happened'

Then Jack directed his words to Carter 'You were only little at the time, about two years old. Then somehow Millicent got wind of it, don't ask me how, but she did. Kept tabs on Julia, made it difficult for Julia to stay with the foundation, but found her a position in New York State as Fleur said. I'm not sure but I think Millicent had some sort of contact with Julia's mother. I think that she wanted to know what her granddaughter was doing even if she wasn't welcome into the family fold as such. It was Millicent who insisted that we take financial care of Fleur and came up with the idea of boarding school. You're right Fleur, she didn't want the story to get out and I am ashamed to say I agreed with her and so in a way you were hidden from the Carter family of which you were, still are really a part of'

The three of them sat there and all fixed their gaze on Jack. Firstly, Carter knew that until he had slept on it, it wouldn't all fall into place. Secondly, Fleur was worried as she had never spoken about her past like this before to anyone. Thirdly, Abby who understood fully but was fighting hard to stay awake, due to the difficult day she had experienced, which had started about twenty eight hours previously.

'Are you mad John?' Jack asked

'It's a bit late to be mad over something that happened over thirty years ago. I feel numb'

'I'm sorry' he said to Carter then turned to Fleur 'I guess I owe you an apology too, sorry'

'It's okay' said Fleur nodding 'I've had all my life to comes to terms with it, if you reject me what have I lost. I had no family to start with. I did what I set out to do, I met my family'

'I think maybe you should go' Carter said

Fleur assuming he meant her said 'Sure. I've probably been here too long anyway'

'No Fleur' Carter said shaking his head 'I meant Dad. I need some space Dad. I've got to think about this, work it all through my mind'

Jack nodded wondering if they were ever going to sort out this mess he had got them into. He stood after looking at his children and let himself out.

'I really should be going' Fleur said some time later after sitting in a brooding silence with Carter.

'No, it's not your fault. If I were you I would have wanted to know, meet my family too' he told her 'Stay, I'll order take out, please?'

'Okay' she finally nodded 'But I think only two of us will be eating' she said pointing to Abby who was sleeping propped up on his shoulder.

He turned, looked and planted a kiss on Abby's temple then said I'll put her to bed, then order pizza, we've a lot of catching up to do' he smiled reassuringly at Fleur and she smiled back.

o0o

Carter switched off the downstairs lights and sat on the bottom stair reflecting on his day. So much had happened and he was still struggling to get his head around it all. It amazed him that Fleur wasn't bitter, he certainly felt betrayed by his father, all through his childhood, all the time he was growing into the man he was today, his little sister lived several states away and he never even knew she existed. He remembered when she had first started at County, there was something about her that he couldn't put his finger on, well now he knew what that was. He couldn't help but wonder why she had never said anything although he knew that wasn't her way of dealing with things. The fact that she had known ever since the first day they met, who he really was to her, hurt him more than he cared to admit.

Maybe she was a little odd but that was nothing new in his family and given her upbringing she turned out pretty good. Funny he thought that Abby should befriend her first, when nobody else made the effort, they just brushed Fleur off.

He wondered if she knew about Bobby, probably not he decided, they had mainly talked about their grandparents as Fleur wanted to know about them having met John Carter Sr.

Suddenly he heard movements above and ran up the stairs to see what was happening. As it was dark he half collided with Abby in the middle of their bedroom.

'John! she said surprised and still half asleep 'What are you doing?'

'I was about to ask you the same question'

'I had to go pee' she told him

'Oh right' he said feeling foolish 'Sorry'

'Are you coming to bed?'

'Yeah, now' he said stripping off his clothes and laying down beside her and she snuggled up to him, surprisingly enough he fell asleep almost immediately.

o0o

Carter awoke the next morning with a headache and it didn't take him long to remember why. He turned to see if Abby was still in bed and he met her gaze.

'You okay?' she asked 'You were mumbling in your sleep'

'Was I? What did I say?'

'Nothing recognisable'

'Did you know?'

'Know what?'

'About Fleur. I mean did she tell you anything before yesterday?'

'No, not really. She told me once she went to boarding school and that her Mom died when she was little but that was about it. She never really talked about her past, not that far back anyway. Sometimes if we went for a coffee we'd swap silly med student stories and stuff. How do you feel in the light of day?'

'I don't know, I've got a headache already'

'Maybe you should take the day off, go talk with Jack. You know you need to'

'Maybe you should take the day off after yesterday'

'I'm not on 'til lunchtime'

'Until?'

'Ten tonight'

'That's Okay.' he said referring to Abby's shift then added 'but I think I'll work I need a few more days to think about everything before I talk to him'

o0o

Carter finally caught up with Jack the morning before he departed for Boston.

'John' Jack said as he joined his son at a cafe.

'Dad'

'I'm glad you agreed to see me. Thank you'

'Don't thank me it was Abby's idea'

Jack nodded 'I'm really sorry, about everything'

'So you said'

'I want to get to know Fleur better, have you any objections?'

'No, she's your daughter but it wouldn't really matter if I did'

'Are you going for forgive me?'

Carter sighed 'It's not that easy, you've betrayed the trust we've built up especially over the past couple of years. It's going to take me some time to work through this'

'My flight, I have to get to the airport' Jack said standing and Carter did the same.

They stood they facing each other and Jack moved and gave Carter a brief hug.

'Take care of yourself and Abby'

'And Fleur?'

Jack paused and said 'Yes and Fleur'

0o0