A/N: Hey, there! So glad to be back! here it is, the sequel to State of Mind. This picks up right where that left off so you should definately read that first. I started to write this as just a 2 part series and it's develpoed into a 3 part! So, look out for that too. When it's more develpoed, I'll let you know. Ass you know, I don't own anyone. I wish I did, but I don't. Also, all of the opening quotes are Peace of Mind by Nonpoint. Thanx for all the reviews!

Cartergal131: Thanx! I'll be adding Lucy into a lot more of my fave eps so bear with me!

Chapter 7: Secrets, Lies and Mischeif Pt. 4

"Here's your share
And my share
You still need
More to fill
Its all or nothing at all
You take from me
You need to rest from me"

Still later that morning...

It was 9:40 and they'd already been waiting over an hour and a half. Carter looked out the window at the falling snow, obviously bored. He spotted a door near the front of the classroom again and decided he'd try to open it to see what was in there, but it was locked. So, determined to open it, he pulled out a credit card and tried to break in. Abby came in with snacks and sodas and everyone eagerly dug in except Carter, who continued to try to open the closet door. Lucy sat on the table again, only Indian style and dug in with everyone else as they stood around the table, Abby soon sitting next to Lucy.

"Mmm, caffenine." Lucy said after drinking some Coke since Abby said she couldn't find any coffee.

"Thought you hated caffenine?" Carter said grunting as he continued to fiddle with the door.

"That was when I didn't need it because I had Ritalin, remember, Carter?" She asked matter-of-factly.

"How could I forget?" He muttered forlornly so no one would hear him.

"You were on Ritalin?" Susan asked eating some chips.

"Yeah." Lucy said sadly opening a bag of chips. "Long story. Let's not get into it." She concluded forcefully and Susan nodded. Carter looked up at Lucy briefly before going back to work. He was the only one who knew about her previous addiction whereas everyone in the roombut Gallant knew about his.

"What's that play?" Susan asked randomly as she started to eat some chips.

""Waiting for Godot?"" Luka suggested. Susan told him that was it and admitted that she didn't understand it at all. "It's about the futility of life." Luka explained. "We're all waiting for-what? Fulfillment, love, validation, approval. It's a waste of time. Life is an empty, hollow exercise filled with pain, loss and grief and the only thing we can expect to achieve in our lives is our own inevitable death." Carter chuckled derisively.

"Wow. That is the most depressing thing I've ever heard."Susan commented, ignoring Carter and continuing her conversation with Luka.

"Aren't you glad you didn't grow up in the Balkans?" Carter asked bringing Luka to defend his homeland.

"Croatia is beautiful. Zagreb, Dubrovnik-you should go."

"Yeah, kind of a high chance of getting blown up, though. Always discourages me from adding a country to my travel itinerary." Carter replied sarcastically still working on the door.

"It's very safe now." Luka told Carter testily.

"Then why are you here?" Carter asked and everyone looked at Luka expectantly.

"Barbecue." Luka answered with a smile. "You just can't find good ribs in Zagreb, you know?"

"How'd you get into Kerry's locker?" Susan asked Luka, but he again denied putting the dildo there. Susan looked to Abby and then Gallant, who both denied doing the deed. Lucy, confused, choked on her Coke when she heard that and Abby proceded to explain why they were there. Before she could ask Lucy why she was there, Carter opened his mouth.

"You're very clever asking everyone else about the vibrator, when you're obviously the guilty party." Carter pointed out but Susan again said it wasn't her. Gallant commented about "I Sing the Body Electric," saying he minored in English Lit at Howard University. Abby said that she also was an English Lit major only at Penn State causing Susan to be surprised that Abby went to Penn State.

"Did you assume I went to community college because I'm a nurse?" Abby asked. Susan tried to protest that she didn't mean anything by it, but Abby said that it's a trait common with doctors-they all assume that they're smarter than nurses because they have an M.D.

"I don't assume that." Gallant claimed.

"You're still a Med student." Abby pointed out. "You'll learn how to become dismissive and condescending. It's a test you have to take before you graduate."

"I got an A." Carter put in jokingly.

"You got an A+." Abby corrected him and Lucy completely ageed through laughs. Susan didn't want to accept Abby's theory, but Abby insisted it was a class thing. "You all look down on Gallant's family because they're military." Abby told them. "Like there's something vaguely pathetic about volunteering to defend our liberties with their lives for crappy pay." Gallant agreed with Abby on this point. She then went on to explain that she was second in her Med school class when she quit. Carter corrected Abby saying that she was thrown out of school because her ex-husband didn't pay her tuition, but Abby said that she chose not to go back. Susan asked why and Abby explained that they'd, they being the 3 doctors in the room, never understand. "I realized I was proud of what I do. That I make a difference in my patient's lives."

"But you can do so much more as a doctor." Susan insisted pressing the subject.

"No, I'd be doing less as a doctor." Abby replied telling them that she sees maybe ten to twelve patients per day, in contrast to the 20-30 that the doctors deal with, a shocking revelation to Susan, Luka and Lucy. "I made a choice you just can't understand..." she concluded. "...Because it's not one you would have chosen." Carter finally spoke in triumph as he finally got the closet door open.

"Great, now we're felons." Gallant deadpanned while Carter came out excited to find fencing gear in the closet.

"I used to fence in school." He told them holding up a sword.

"Of course you did." Susan said unimpressed.

"I fence." Luka announced as he got up and went to join Carter grabbing a sword. "I learned when I was acting."

"When were you an actor?" Abby asked.

"College." Luka replied. Luka and Carter cleared a place so they could fence while the others moved to watch them, Susan, Abby and Lucy sitting in teh front row.

"En garde." Carter said to Luka as they began fencing.

"They really say that?" Abby asked as she watched them fence. "You think they're trying to impress us?" Abby whispered to Susan while Lucy watched silently, clearly interested at the art.

"If they are, it's not working." Susan replied dryly causing Abby to laugh. In her opinion, both of them were acting like fools, but Carter had been acting like that the whole day. Carter and Luka traded parries, getting more intense as they went on.

"They really are a couple of freaks." Abby commented.

"And to think you slept with both of them." Susan said with a laugh.

"I never slept with Carter." Abby corrected her. "Did he tell you that?"

"I thought you had." Susan said.

"No, that was a rumor Carter started." Abby told Susan. Lucy heard this and though she watched the fight continue, she listened to the conversation with one ear, interest peeked.

"Oh God, he is low." Susan exclaimed softly as they watch the fencing for a moment. "I haven't slept with Carter either." She admitted and Abby was very surprised. She asked Susan how long she'd been going out with Carter and Susan told her a couple of months. They're dating? Lucy thought, shocked at the news. But she's so much more older than him. Then again, Carter's older than me.

"Wow, that definitely violates the second date rule." Abby told her going on to explain that her friend had a theory that you should sleep with a guy by the second date because if the sex isn't good, you shouldn't waste your time with somebody you don't have any chemistry with. They continued talking while the fencing action intensified. Susan admitted that she wasn't sure how much chemistry she had with Carter. Hearing this, Lucy grew a little smile.

"I think part of the problem with Carter and me is..uh, another party." She said pointing at Lucy with her eyes. Abby nodding understanding, but wasn't sure she bought Susan's theory though. "Why didn't you two happen?" Susan asked.

"Timing." Abby said with a shrug. Just then, Luka nicked Carter's arm with his Epee. He asked if Carter was okay and said if he was hurt they should stop. But Carter insisted he was fine and picked up his Epee again, going after Luka with a renewed intensity. "This is not going to end well." Abby said with a shake of her head. Carter striked Luka on his back and Luka responded by lashing out at Carter's Epee, striking Carter in his face, drawing blood. Carter was enraged and he charged at Luka, tackling him. Susan, Abby, Lucy and Gallant all rushed over to break up the fight. Susan pulled Carter to one side while Abby checked out Luka's injury.

"Maniac!" Luka shouted at Carter then muttered under his breath in Croatian. "Mali seronja je popizdijia!"

"He's a crazy bastard. He could have killed me!" Carter said to Susan looking at Luka with disbelief.

"It looked like it was mutual." Susan said unsympathetically.

"Am I going to need stitches?" Carter whined as he watched Abby tend to Luka.

"You barely need a Band-Aid." Susan told him with a chuckle. The two men glared at each other, Carter over the fact that Lucy was helping Luka with Abby. "I can ask Lucy to come over and check you out, it you prefer." Carter just gave Susan a funny look.

"That man is a menace. I could have lost my eye." Susan suddenly leaned over and kissed Carter hard onhis lips. Carter looks at her confused. "What was that for?"

"Just checking." Susan replied.

"For what?" He asked confused.

"Second date rule." Susan told him and left for her chair, leaving Carter even more confused but Susan didn't say anything else. She simply sat back and contemplated her chemistry, or lack thereof, with Carter.

"How much longer do you think this guy'll be?" Abby asked after sitting down again next to Susan.

"Who knows." Lucy replied boredly as she walked around the center of the room again with her hands wrapped around her neck. Carter watched her while Susan and Abby talked and noticed that Lucy was, once again, wearing black leather boots. His thoughts went straight back to the dominatrix woman and he laughed at the thought of Lucy having that job.

"What's so funny?" Gallant asked from a chair at the front table as Lucy pasted him again.

"Nothing." He lied with a smile and laughed again. Lucy stopped and walked up the stairs to Luka. She sat down in front of him and they started to have a private, hushed conversation. They were discussing something important, Carter could tell by all the nods she'd been giving and recieving with Luka, him doing the same.

"Lucy was Carter's Med student?" Susan asked Abby casually nodding toward Lucy and started to explain their "relationship" in the same manner Lucy and Luka talked-hushed and away from nearby ears-sure Lucy hadn't heard. But she was wrong, Lucy had heard.

Chapter 8: Secrets, Lies and Mischeif Pt. 5

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