Thanls for reviewing guys. I really appreciate it.
As you might have noticed I've updated with quite a few chapters. I'm just getting this up-to-date with ERHQ. So the next update won't be for a while.

Thanks.
Ash x x x

btw. This chapter is just a filler chapter - bugger all happens.

Chapter 3

Abby stood as though she had just had the wind knocked out of her. Carter, who stood facing her waited for a reaction. The knocking behind them continued. After several moments of silence, Abby took a deep breath and as she exhaled she said:
"I better get that" motioning towards the door.

Carter quietly nodded his head in agreement. As Abby walked towards the door Carter stepped back to allow her access.
"It uhh…It'll be Susan, she said she was coming over." Abby spoke as she passed Carter.

"Right" He replied.

With that Abby opened to door to see a rather flustered looking Susan standing in the doorway. Abby laughed at her friend's appearance.

"What the hell happened to you?" She asked with a laugh.

Susan laughed sarcastically back at her.

"Do you know how long I have been standing out here?" Susan replied with a mock anger. "Do you know how windy it is out there?" She continued as she entered Abby's apartment.

Abby laughed. "Do you know what city you live in?" Abby spoke with a condescending tone.

Susan smiled at Abby's "joke" and turned around to meet Carter.

"Hey!" she said as she ran into a hug.

"Hey" Carter replied as he hugged her back. As they pulled apart Susan kept her hands on his shoulders.
"So where's the old 'ball and chain'" Susan joked.

Carter smiled. "She's in Paris…uhh with her mom…she's sick, so Kem…Kem's sticking around until she gets better." Carter said uneasily.

Susan threw him a sceptical look.
"Okay then." She said as she walked away towards the living room.

Susan walked towards the brown couch and sat beside Abby; she was closely followed by Carter. The three friends sat quietly on Abby's couch waiting for someone to speak. Susan sat in between Carter and Abby and could feel some tension, which was hardly out of the normal between those two. Susan had a funny feeling she had interrupted something when she finally arrived on Abby's doorstep but she had been too worried to ask about it, especially now that Carter had shown up without Kem. She was all too aware of what had happened in Paris, and how confused they both had gotten. In a way, Susan wished they had worked out whatever was going on, or is going on and finally done what they should have done years ago. She knew neither of them would confront the other just as well as she knew how much they both want too. Even now, after them having been separated for so long, Susan was convinced there was still something, no-matter how obsolete between them.

Abby, tired of the silence, leaned forwards towards her guests and spoke.
"You guys hungry?" She asked.

Both Carter and Susan lifted their heads from the back of the couch and smiled.

"Am I ever not hungry?" Carter replied with a smile.

"Ha…good point. Susan, you hungry?"
"Yeah, I guess I am…" Susan replied. "You're not going to cook are you?" She added.

As Carter started to laugh, Abby responded with an all too famous Abby eye-roll.

"You know, for that I might just cook" Abby smirked as she stood up off the sofa and headed towards the kitchen. As she opened a drawer she shouted across to her friends.

"What you guys want? We have Pizza, Chinese, more pizza, Mexican and…well more pizza."
Carter smiled at Abby. "Pizza is good for me"
"Yeah, fine for me too" Susan added.

"Okay" Abby said as she picked up the phone from the table by the couch. As she dialled she began to walk around the kitchen leaving Carter and Susan on the sofa.

"I thought you weren't coming out until Thurday…what happened?" Susan asked Carter.

Carter turned his head towards Susan, reverting his gaze from Abby. He smiled and took a deep breath.

"Nothing happened, it's just, flight problems. The dates weren't working out right, that's all." He smiled again.

"Because of Kem's mom?" Susan added.

Carter didn't exactly know how to respond. Flustered he said "Right, yeah…Kem's mom."

Susan gave him a concerned look. She knew something wasn't right.

"Is everything ok, John?"

Carter sighed in response.
"You know, it's ok if you guys are fighting. Chuck and I fight all the time. It's nothing to worry about. You'll both sort it all out." Susan said as she placed her hand over his and squeezed it.

Carter hung his head. "It's a little bit bigger than that…we've really hit the rocks this time" He spoke with a doubtful tone.

Susan looked confused. "What do you mean? What's going on Carter?" But before he could answer Susan butted in with another question.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

Carter looked un-easy and he began to shift is weight on the sofa. "Yeah, just uhh…later ok? You know, when Abby isn't around."

Susan was stumped. She couldn't understand why Abby wasn't to know or hear about it. She was his best friend and, well he told her everything. Something just weren't making sense.

"Okay…what about later tonight? You know, once we've left here?" Susan added.

"Well, I'm gonna be crashing here for a few days, just until my dad gets to Chicago…he has my keys" Carter responded.

Susan threw Carter a very sceptical look. "Ok, just come get me after my shift tomorrow. I'm off at six, okay?"
Carter nodded his head in agreement. Susan began to laugh to herself.

"Wait, so you're staying here, with your ex?" She asked.

"Well…yeah" Carter replied as he tried to formulate a proper response.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" She added.
Abby, who had since hung up the phone and was making her way to the couch over-heard her friends conversation.

"What's a good idea?"

Carter and Susan both shot her beady-eyed looks. Neither one able to fathom a response.

Bored of waiting for a reply Abby said: "You know what, I don't care…"

"Food will be here in like 30 minutes"
Both Carter and Susan nodded their heads in agreement until, once and again the room was enveloped in silence. After several minutes Susan remembered the reason she had came over to Abby's apartment.

"Hey, Abby? We have a party to plan" She said with a smile.

Abby turned her head and faced Susan.

"That's right!" She smiled. "Hey, Carter? Fancy organising my last night of freedom with us?" Abby added.

Carter smiled and nodded his head. He sat and watched the two girls rapidly fall into conversation over the arrangements as he thought of his own arrangements for a night with Abby…one's that wouldn't involve a party, or other people.

Thanks for reading.