-- Pretty Boys --

By Kelly )

Disclaimer: ER and all that goes with it belongs to NBC, Warner Brothers, etc.. I own nothing, but Christmas is coming!

Notes: Set during Season 7ish. A short, some what sappy Luka/Abby fic. Feedback is always appreciated.

The sea breathes, or broods, or loudens,

Is bright or is mist and the end of the world;

And the sea is constant to change.

I shall not wonder more, then,

But I shall know.

--- Raymond Knister, Change

His feet were slowly burning as he ran across the hardwood floors, and his lungs filled with the thick black smoke that had quickly encased the apartment. He could hear her cries in the bedroom, cries pleading for her life, that she couldn't get out. He could barely see his hand in front of him, and he searched for the doorknob with hands as he yelled back to her, coughing violently. They could both hear the sirens of the approaching fire trucks, and she again called to him, pleading with him to open the door and help her from her place on the floor where she'd fallen after twisting her ankle. He couldn't find the knob, he couldn't breathe, even with his nose and mouth covered with his t-shirt. She was screaming now, calling his name, using a tone he had never heard from her before. He couldn't find the knob.

"Luka!!" she cried again, pleading for him to help.

He couldn't find the knob.

His eyes opened quickly and he sat up, tossing the comforter from his body as his eyes focused on the clock on the opposite side of the bed. His body had broken into a cold sweat as he slept, and his heart was now pounding as he replayed the dreams images and sounds in his head. Wiping his face with his hands as he waited for his heartbeat to return to normal, he noticed the empty spot next to him. Her robe was gone from the chair near the window where she always left it, and he could see a light on through the crack at the bottom of the door.

"Isus." he quickly cursed to himself as he pulled his white tee over his head and tossled his dark hair. This hadn't been the first time he'd had this dream, infact it had been reoccuring now for weeks. It was most definetly a dream, but to Luka it was nearly real. He swore to himself he could smell the smoke even after he'd woken up, and Abby's cries to him sent chills up his spine. Dreams weren't suppose to be that real, were they?

"Abby?" he called quietly as he slipped through the bedroom door, spotting her across the apartment in her kitchen. In one hand she held a dark blue mug filled with coffee, and in her other, a lit cigarette that slowly burned. "Why are you awake?"

"Couldn't sleep." she shrugged, making what Luka secretly called her Abby face. Taking a slow drag of the cigarette and a sip of her coffee, she set the mug down on the counter and pulled a green mug from the cabinet. She filled it quickly with coffee and handed it to Luka at the fridge. "Why are you up?" she asked, sipping again from the mug. "You're not on til 7, right?" she asked.

Nodding, he brought his mug to his lips and took a mouthful of coffee before responding. He watched her face as she waited for his answer, watched as she took another longer drag of the cigarette, and exhaled through her nose. He didn't like the smoking, he hated it infact. But inside he knew that between the two there were an innumerable amount of issues, not all of which had been dealt with or even discussed. Abby's smoking was one of the least problematic issues, and for that he tried to keep from worrying.

"The bed's too big for just me." he replied with a small smile, choosing to forget again about the dream.

Hands wrapped around the coffee mug, Abby laughed, and pushed her short brown hair behind her ear. Taking the cigarette from the ash tray, she took one final drag before crushing it out and pushing the tray to side. Looking up, she saw Luka staring at her like he often did, and she set her mug down, folding her arms in front of her. "What?" she asked softly as he smiled and moved towards her.

"You're pretty when you smile." he replied, leaning forward and brushing her lips with his own. "You're pretty when you don't smile too." he added with a grin.

To this, Abby couldn't help but laugh. Her laugh was one of minor embarrasment, not of humor. They had been together for nearly 9 months now, but every time she saw the goofy grin on Luka's face, a grin that she hadn't seen for some months early on, she had to laugh. She loved that grin and everything that went with it. At times, she didn't think she was worthy of the delight that caused that grin, but at the same time, the entire basis of the grin made her thankful that he was happy.

"You're pretty when you smile too." she whispered playfully as he laughed aloud.

"I'm pretty?" he replied with a smile, taking her hands into his own as he leaned down again, kissing her with a passion that had been very much lacking before.

Pulling away, she laughed quickly and nodded, holding onto his hands tightly. "Yea. You're pretty." she replied. "I've grown to like pretty boys." she continued.

Smiling as she joked, Luka again remembered the dream he'd had earlier, and pulled her closer to him, resting his chin atop her head. Slowly running his left hand down her back, he swallowed loudly and kissed her head. "Thank you Abby." he murmured softly.

"For what?" she replied, gazing up at him.

"Being here with me." he replied, kissing her forehead before wrapping his arms around her.

He wasn't sure what the dream had meant, or if it had any significance, but for the first night in many, he slept soundly. Things weren't perfect, or anywhere near, but for the time being, things were ok. Ok was good for now.

11/29/04