Authors notes: Okay... so I know I said this would be up in a few weeks, but real life came along in a big way and I didn't get chance to finish this. Here's part 2, I make no claims as to when the next part will come.

Part 2

"You want to get some coffee?" Carter eventually asked, breaking the tension.

"Coffee?"

"Yeah, you know it's brown liquid and has a tendency to keep you up all night."

"Funny." Abby smirked up at his humour. "I just didn't think…" Abby stuttered over her words. "Well I figured you'd want to get back to your date."

"My date?" Carters' eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Oh, you mean my couch. No, I'd much rather stay with you."

Abby bit down on her lip, she had convinced herself that he would be leaving soon and now he wanted to prolong the awkwardness. Talk about sadistic. All she wanted was a little time and breathing space.

"So, coffee?"

"Sure, one condition though."

"Oh?"

"Yeah I feel like staying out here tonight. Can you grab me my usual and meet me back here?"

"You don't want to come with me?" He asks conscious that he was leaving her, and not quite willing to trust that she would still be here when he returned.

"No. I don't feel like the walk."

"You'll be right here?"

"Yep, don't worry. I'm not going anywhere." Abby smiled at him, convincing him, her own small promise to him.

She took the time he ran the errand to compose her thoughts. The outcome was what she'd wanted, but things were still hanging in the air like the proverbial black cloud, ready at any moment to onslaught it's dark waves.

By the time he returned she'd made another decision. Reaching for the coffee in his out stretched hand she looked at him and smiled. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Leaning over the railings, her warm coffee grasped comfortably between her hands as she held it up to her lips to take a long sip. "Carter?"

"Hmm?" He answered between sips.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"You promise you wont lie to me."

"Abby, what's wrong?"

"If you hadn't have left. Where do you think we'd be?"

"Honestly? I don't know." She watched him over the top of her coffee. "The way we were heading we were spiralling dramatically out of control. At that rate we would have bottomed out and taken each other down too."

"So we were destined to fall apart?"

"I don't think that."

"No?" A small smile crept upon her lips. "Me either. I just wish we hadn't ended that way."

"I know."

"I just don't understand how we could go from what seemed our happy ever after, to you needing to put a continent between us." Knowing that she was putting the blame on him, she hastily continued. "I know I put up my own metaphorical barriers. It's just hard not to. Not that that's an excuse… You know you broke down a few of those."

He couldn't stop the tiny smirk developing on his face, but it was marred by her other words. "It didn't happen over night." He said not referring to anything specific.

"I know. But it happened. So it stands to reason it could happen again."

"You said you don't want anything to happen."

"I know what I said, I just don't know what I think." She snapped. "Look, Carter, John," her voice softened as she muddled over her choice of names to call him. "I don't know what to think, or how I should be feeling. A few hours ago I thought we were on one track and then I discover that things have taken on a whole new level."

"You discovered?" he mumbled to himself, cogs starting to turn, but Abby didn't hear him.

"We haven't even discussed what went wrong between us, it's like its all taboo and if even one of us mentioned our past everything around us would go up in smoke."

"You just said discovered." He said out loud having ignored her last musings. "Luka told you, didn't he?" He spat out angrily.

"What?" Abby's head shot round to look at him. "No, I already told you."

He shook his head at her blatant lie. "You just told me that you hadn't even contemplated my having feelings for you until you discovered it."

"He didn't tell me." Carter's eyebrows rose questioningly. "Well not directly, he was discussing our situation and I over heard him. He doesn't even know that I know."

"Well that makes it all better."

"Don't be so petulant Carter, it doesn't suit you." Abby responded. "Luka didn't know I was sat in the next booth, he was trying to figure out what to do for you… He wanted to try and work out how to help you. He only wants what's best for you. You should feel lucky to have someone like him to look out for you."

"Oh yes, Saint Luka strikes again."

"What the hell's wrong with you?"

"Bloody Luka." He mumbled and broke off.

"Bloody Luka, as you call him, has your best interests at heart."

"That's what he wants you to believe."

Then something twigged in Abby's head, something she never thought she'd see again in Carter was suddenly blindingly obvious. "You're jealous."

"What?" He denied, scoffing.

"You're jealous of Luka. He's now got the perfect life, a great girlfriend, he's happy in his job and with his life." Knowing she was about to step too far, she paused and changed tracks. Resting her hand on his arm, he first flinched then relaxed at her touch. "Carter you don't have the monopoly on tragic lives. Everyone has demons in their past, the odd skeleton and crazy family members. Everyone gets a chance at happiness and are affected by misery. At the moment it seems like the misery is about to swallow you whole, but I promise it will get better. Things will get better and I'll be here for you. As your friend."

Carter tried to pull away, tried to hide his anguish and hold back the tears that threatened to fall, but Abby refused to let him go. For once she was going to be strong for him, let him hold onto her for dear life. She owed it to him, to herself, but more importantly she owed it to them.

Some may have felt that enough time had passed for Carter, that he should be past this stage in the grieving process, Abby knew better she had observed him silently. Seen his anguish first hand and watched as he stored away his pain in order to carry on. She knew his past, knew him and wanted to help.

Turning him to face her, she pulled him close whispering soothing words as he finally let go.

A little PS Authors notes: Thank you to all who reviewed my last chapter and just for confirmation sakes abby/carter fan was right… Sceptical is the English way and since I'm English I'm kinda set in my ways :D.