Author's Note The writing in italics is again flashbacks. Hope there is more Carby in this chapter for you all. I thought this was going to be a short chapter but it's longer than I imagined. Hope this chapter also answers some of your questions.

Chapter 12

Carter put the finishing touches to the tree standing in the lounge and took at step back to admire his handiwork. The red and gold blended well with the green pine. Two weeks had gone by since he had seen Abby and Michael out with Ray. Since he, Carter had made a fool of himself, in front of them.

He recalled back to that afternoon, when suddenly she had looked up and caught him standing there watching them. She had looked anything but guilty as she stared back at him, long enough for Ray to look up and spot Carter too. He turned then and left, she hadn't come after him and why should she?

If anything he, Carter had pushed her away, kept his distance, not encouraged her to build a relationship with him despite their common bond of Michael. He had not really said or done anything that would make her think that they were more than friends.

He sat down on the sofa, remembering that day wandering aimlessly round the streets for a long time before arriving back home, cold, tired, hungry and angry, more with himself than anyone else.

He thought back to the phone call he had made.

"Hello" Abby said

He sat holding the phone to his ear not sure what to say.

"Hello?" she asked again her voice holding a measure of uncertainty

Sensing this he replied "It's me"

"John? Are you okay?" she asked concerned not only as he hadn't spoken at first but also for the way he had been outside the café.

"Um, yeah" he said hesitantly not sure what to say

"You know, he had a bad day"

"Who?"

"You know who, Ray"

"Ray"

"I was just helping, listening" she said after a particularly long pause in the conversation

"Really?" said Carter in a hurt tone

"What's with you? I can see whoever I want when I want; I wasn't doing anything wrong, what's wrong with you?" She answered annoyed and confused with his reaction

"Abby" he said changing his tone somewhat as he realised he had been overreacting. "I rang to say sorry"

"Oh" she said taken aback

"For rushing off, for not stopping to say hi"

"If you'd come in you could have joined us you know" she said less defensively

"Really?" he said sadly

"Really. We couldn't understand why you walked off, at least Ray didn't"

"You did?"

"Mmmm I have some theories"

"Tell"

"That you're not happy about Michael spending time with Ray, you're jealous of the time he and Michael have spent together, time you could have spent together if you had been here"

"Not exactly"

"Then what John?"

"Umm well you were along the right lines" he admitted not quite ready to tell her he wanted her back and knowing that it wasn't the right time anyway.

"Is there anything else? 'Cause I really need sleep"

"No, not right now, I'll catch you later, yeah?"

"Sure thing Carter, night"

And he waited until he heard her hang up the phone before he ended the call.

He jolted himself back to the present, but not before wishing that he had at least waved at them that day.

0o0

Christmas Eve 2006

"Okay have fun guys" said Abby kissing Michael and handing him to Carter as they stood on the threshold to Carters house.

Carter and Michael watched as she got in her car and disappeared from view, they were about to go in when a cab pulled up and none other than Jack Carter got out. It was then that Carter realised that he had not gotten round to talking to his father properly since he had been back, let alone tell him about Michael or ask him what had happened to the letter Abby had written.

0o0

"I don't know John, I'm sorry" Jack said

"You don't remember even receiving a letter like that?"

"No and it was months ago now. I don't know what happened to it, mail sometimes goes astray, it seems to me it would have been better if you had opened the ones that she sent you"

"Humph" grunted Carter in reply

"Well you can't say she didn't tell you" Jack stated while watching Michael stand at Carters feet and admiring his grandson from a distance.

"I'm not saying that I'm saying you should have forwarded the letter on to me"

"And you probably would have put it in the box with the others, at that time, so there wouldn't have been much point"

Carter digested this comment and had to agree what his father said was right at the time he wasn't ready to know.

"So you're staying for the holiday then?" he asked begrudgingly

"Thought I might" Jack said nodding

"You could have rung first, let me know you were coming"

"I thought that might give you the opportunity to make some excuse and dissuade me"

"Mmm you've got a point"

"I know that's why I thought a surprise would be better"

"Okay, well I've got Michael for the rest of the day; want to get to know him"

"I'd love to" said Jack thinking that was the best thing that Carter had said to him since he had arrived.

0o0

"That's it, I'm off" said Abby as she handed her remaining charts over to Neela

"Abby, Morris is late you couldn't stay and cover for a bit?" asked Luka who was the senior member of staff at that moment and wanted to make a quick exit himself.

Abby sighed and said "No, sorry, I've got to pick up Michael yet"

"Day care is open for another half hour" Luka added

"He's not in day care today" she replied pulling her scarf tight and slipping her hands into her gloves. "He's spending the day with his Dad"

"I didn't think he had a Dad" said Jerry

"Everyone has a dad somewhere" said Neela and the others gave her look for pointing out the obvious.

"Well…." said Abby turning round to face them

"Sorry I'm late" Morris said coming up to the desk, looking rather harassed.

"Good" said Abby then to Luka "So this lets me off the hook?"

Luka nodded and said "Yeah"

"You were about to tell us about Michael's Dad" prompted Jerry

"I was?" Abby asked

"Yeah you were" said Neela for despite having a close friendship with Abby, Abby had not disclosed these details.

"Oh" she said looking at Luka who raised his eyebrow at her as if to say 'well are you going to tell them?'

Fixing her eyes back on the group she took a deep breath and said "John" they all looked at none the wiser and she added "Carter" before turning and walking briskly out of there.

Everyone except Luka started questioning what she had just revealed. Luka smiled and it was then Sam said to him "You knew. Didn't you? About Carter and Abby"

"Knew what?" he said very calmly

"Did you, did you know?" asked Jerry

Luka looked round the desk at them and answered "Yes I knew"

"You could have told me" Sam said hurt

"No I couldn't. She told us in the strictest confidence"

"Us?" asked Jerry

"Susan and I" clarified Luka

"When did you find out?" asked Neela

Luka shook his head thinking about it. "About a year ago I guess"

"Wow" said Morris stunned "Are you sure it's his?" Luka glared at him and Morris continued saying "I must be getting started", and he picked up a few charts and tried to look as busy and be as far away from Luka as possible.

Luka grunted something in Croatian as he glared after Morris.

"So, his surname is Carter then?" asked Rupert

"No" said Luka shaking his head "Wyzcenski. Her maiden name"

"Oh right yeah" said Neela "Makes sense"

"Carter won't like that much" mused Jerry

"I don't know Abby gave him John as a middle name" informed Luka

"Michael John Wyzcenski" clarified Sam

And Luka nodded.

"I thought you said they weren't a couple now though?" asked Rupert

"They're not" Luka said

"But what I want to know…." Jerry started

"That's enough" said Luka in a commanding tone "Let them get on with their lives"

0o0

She rang the bell and was surprised when Jack answered it. "Abby, good to see you" he said and kissed her on the cheek which surprised her, even more.

"Jack" she managed to mumble as he took her coat and ushered in to the lounge

"Drink?" he asked

"Coffee. Where are they?" she asked and he smiled

"John's bathing him"

"Oh. I'll leave them to it then" she answered returning his smile.

In a few moments he was back and handed her the coffee he made, "Michael's special, you should be proud of him" Jack said

"I am" she replied and he could see the love she had for him in her expression. He just wished that they were more united as a family.

0o0

"We really must go, it's getting late" Abby said to Carter and Jack.

"Wait at least until we have exchanged gifts" Carter begged looking pleadingly at her with his puppy dog eyes. To which she could never refuse even if she was mad with him.

"Well….Okay" she said slowly not letting him know she had caved immediately.

"Come sit by the tree" He said and she took Michael and sat him between her legs as he automatically reached out to touch the shiny paper. "Dad you too" he added indicating to Jack to join them.

Jack studied them for a minute thinking that if you just saw them together round the tree you'd think they were a happy family, together, still he mused there was time as he sat on the floor beside Carter.

"For you" Carter said handing Abby an envelope, wanting to get this gift over with first.

Puzzled Abby took it from him, opened it and read it. She looked up at him and raised her eyebrows and sighed "Okay Carter you win" she said

"Really, you accept it"

"It would be rude to refuse, it's rather a large gift though don't you think"

"No. I wanted to give it to you and you said no but I thought wrapped up as a Christmas gift was different"

"Crafty, John Carter, not different, crafty" she told him and he looked sheepish and she read the card again which wrote off the debt she owed him.

"Now Michael" said Carter, trying to lighten the mood and placed a shiny wrapped gift on Michael's lap which Abby unwrapped for him. There was a box, Michael by this time was more interested in the paper scrunching it up in his small hands and laughing with glee.

Abby carefully opened the box and Carter looked from Jack to Abby and then to the box.

"Wow Carter" said Abby as she held the silver feeding set.

"Was that yours?" asked Jack

""Yes"

"Really?" Abby asked

"Yes" he said nodding, remembering when he had given it to Kem but how he had brought it back with him several months earlier.

"It's beautiful, thank you. Maybe he should keep it here"

"No you can take it home with you" he said to her smiling

"I got something for you too, from both of us" and she moved to retrieve it from her bag.

She handed Carter the gift and as he began to open it she swallowed hard and hoped that he would like it.

"Wow Abby" he said as he held the framed picture of Michael in his hands and studied it

"You like it?"

"Yeah"

"I got it done at that new photographer"

"Were there any more pictures?" asked Jack looking at the picture which had captured Michael to a T.

"Yeah I can get you some if you like" she offered "I got some done for my Mom, who's threatening to visit again"

"I'd like one on my desk" Jack told her smiling

"We'd really better go now" Abby said after a moment of awkward silence and started to get up picking Michael up as she stood, who was getting grouchy now but fighting to stay awake.

"Abby?" Carter said suddenly "Stay?"

"What?"

"The night, it's late, I've a couple of spare rooms, it's no trouble"

She looked from Jack to Carter to Michael weighing up the, for's and against's of this question and what it meant.

"Er… Carter…" she began

Carter cut her short saying "Please Abby, stay" looking straight at her biting his lip and waiting for her reply.