Now, I may be a closet Carby… but I'm trying to stay true to the show, and in canon. So to not string along the Carby's or infuriate the non-Carby's I offer this disclaimer: I think John and Abby will always still love each other, but until the show puts them back together I won't be doing so in this story.

A/N: I can't remember the name of the Carter family maid, and tried to find the info to no avail. Sorry if this bugs anyone… but we'll call her Mary.

Part V

Carter was content to hold Abby close and watch her sleep. It had only been five hours since she reappeared in the ER; she had been gone for four. He still had no idea what had happened in those four hours. She'd shared bits and pieces, he knew she was in an SUV, but he also knew there was so much more to the story. How many people had she been forced to treat? Where did they take her? His imagination was running wild as he pictured her trapped in some house, surrounded by gang members, being forced to do whatever they asked. He shook his head, trying to remove the images. He needed to hear from her what actually happened to remove the horror of the unknown for him.

She started to move, and looking down, he could tell she was trapped in a nightmare. She wasn't struggling, but the tears were silently sliding down her cheek. Not knowing the full story, he was still learning very quickly that the terror she had faced was not physical. She had very little opportunity to fight back, and had been ruled by fear. Her nightmares were proving that the more he watched her. He began rubbing his hand up and down her arm; try to remind her he was there. He whispered, "Abby, it's over. It's John, I've got you, and you're safe."

'It's John?' Abby thought. 'No, why is he here?' She was in the back of the SUV trying to help CJ when they hit something. Little C got out and moved to the front to study the figure on the ground. Abby looked out the window, and realized it was John. Loose had a gun, and quickly shot him. The sound made her jump.

Abby jumped and her eyes shot open. Carter was unprepared for the suddenness of her actions. There was a new fear in her eyes. "Abby, are you ok?" She wasn't focusing on anything. "Abby, talk to me, are you ok?"

His voice finally penetrated her post nightmare haze. She looked up at his face, he was safe, it wasn't him in the middle of the road; it was a cat. She reminded herself of what really happened, and relaxed.

John sensed the change, "Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head, 'Talk about it? She never wanted to think about that dream again.'

He was frustrated, he wanted to help her, but had no idea how. "Can I get you anything?"

Abby thought, "Coffee."

"That won't help you sleep," he commented.

Abby looked up at him, "That's the point." She didn't want an argument and changed the subject quickly, "Can you help me up?"

The last thing he wanted was to argue with her, and he wanted to get her talking so he agreed. Helping her sit up, she was able to swing her legs around. He walked around to her side of the bed. Bending down he supported her at the waist and helped her stand.

"Once we're downstairs can we maybe talk about why I can't use my arms. I mean, I know I have a stress fracture in my wrist, but…"

John nodded, "I brought your file home with me."

Once downstairs he helped her settle into the couch, he had strategically picked the one he could see from the kitchen door. He started searching through cupboards when he heard a voice behind him.

"Mr. Carter?" He turned and saw his maid smirking at him.

He closed the cupboard door he had opened, and hung his head, "Mary, if I wanted to make coffee…?"

She chuckled softly, "If you wanted to make coffee you would go out to one of those shops. If I wanted to make coffee, I would start by kicking you out."

He nodded, and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek, "Thank you Mary." She had been more of a mom to him then his own mother, and now that his grandmother was gone she occupied a special place in his heart.

"Go take care of your friend." Mary knew Abby, she had spent several nights at the mansion when they were together, but John never really talked about what had happened between them. She could tell that something had happened to the young brunette, and Mary was glad that John was taking care of her.

John almost ran back to Abby, making her smile, "I wasn't going to escape."

John smiled back, "Mary's making coffee."

"That's a relief, I wasn't ever sure you knew where the coffee was." It felt good to Abby to be sitting in the Carter family living room. They had spent many relaxing evenings there together. She even enjoyed Millicent's company from time to time. The thought of Carter's grandmother reminded her of the regret she had felt when she thought she was about to die, "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you." She blurted out.

Carter was confused. "Mary's got it covered," he joked.

She couldn't help but let a laugh slip out, but then she turned serious again, "No, when your grandma died… I'm sorry I wasn't there for you."

"Abby, that's ancient history. You don't need to worry about it." He had no idea why she was bringing the topic up.

"They always say you never regret the things you've done, just the things you didn't do… When I was in the backseat… certain they were about to shoot me… that's what I regretted…. Not being there for you." She was near tears now.

Carter leaned in to hug her gently, there was so much left unsaid between the two of them. "It's ok, Abby, I understand. Your brother needed you."

She pulled away, "Yeah but so did you. You had been there for me through so much. You traveled through a blizzard to come to Nebraska to be with me, you left your vacation for me… you were always there… and when you needed me, I wasn't… I'm sorry, I'm really very sorry."

He hugged her again, touched by her concern. "It's ok Abby, I'm ok. I was never mad at you… just hurt." He wanted to be honest. "But I still love, I always will."

When she heard that she hurt him, that was really more painful then thinking he was mad at her. She would always love him too, no matter where their lives took them. "I love you to." She whispered.

It felt so good for him to hear those words. Even if their romantic relationship was over, he was grateful for her friendship. It had been awkward since he got back from Africa, a lot had happened, and to be honest he had been a jerk. "I'm sorry it ended the way it did."

A voice interrupted the conversation, "Here we go." Mary walked in with the coffee, but hesitated, "Oh dear, I'm sorry. I just barged right in here." She could sense the conversation they were having was intense.

Abby was relieved for the distraction. Neither one of them was ready for where the conversation was headed. "Mary, don't worry, I'm a little emotional right now." She confessed and stole a glance at Carter. He squeezed her knee to encourage her. "It's good to see you again Mary, and it was good to hear that you were making the coffee and not John."

Mary offered a knowing smile, and set the tray down in front of the two. She patted Abby on the head on her way past them, "It's good to see you again dear." With that she slipped off to her room, leaving the door opened slightly to hear of they needed anything. God forbid John try to cook for them.

TBC…