Susan raised a fist to knock on Abby's door, then let it drop back down to her side and paced the length of the hallway. Carter had called her early that morning, informed her he'd seen Abby, it hadn't gone well and warned her that he might have accidentally let slip about Susan's plans to wreck the wedding. It was that phone call that had made Susan leave the comfort and safety of her own apartment and hop an El Train over to Abby's. She had considered spending the day in hiding but the thought of the scene tomorrow, Abby stabbing her to death in front of all those guests had convinced her otherwise. She made it back to the door and this time went through with knocking.

Abby opened the door and Susan was glad it wasn't Dave who answered. She started to speak but didn't even have time to say hello before the door was slammed in her face. It wasn't unexpected.

She waited a moment, then steeling herself, knocked again. She wasn't sure she'd get an answer this time but the door opened again, though Abby still didn't say anything, just fixed her with a cold stare.

Susan sighed and decided to start with an apology. "So you're mad at me. I can't blame you and I'm sorry for telling Carter about the wedding, okay?"

"Is that it? That's all I get after what I was subjected to last night?"

"What else can I do?"

"Watch Ryan for a couple of hours. I need to get out of here for a while."

"I'm gonna regret this, aren't I?" Susan asked, then walked inside, heading straight for the kitchen. "If you don't have a ready supply of ice cream or cheese cake then the deal's off."

"Top shelf, help yourself," Abby shouted as she disappeared into Ryan's room.

Susan was pleased to find several tubs to chose from, grabbed the first Ben and Jerry's she came too, raided the cutlery drawer for a spoon and then settled down on the sofa without even bothering to remove her coat. "Ryan asleep already?" she asked when Abby returned.

"Yeah. I'll be back in a few hours."

"Don't suppose you're gonna tell me where you're going?"

"I'll let you know soon as I do."

Susan watched her leave, sighed then returned to eating.


She shouldn't have been here, shouldn't have been doing this. Abby knew that, she just wasn't sure she cared anymore. She hadn't intended to end up here at the Plaza, but she was here all the same. She had spent the past twenty minutes pacing the lobby and was starting to get suspicious glances from the desk clerk who was probably close to calling security on her. She made a decision and headed for the staircase. The elevator would have been quicker but she found herself wanting to delay the inevitable for as long as she could. However it didn't take her anywhere near as long as she'd have liked to make it up to his floor and she wondered why he couldn't have rented the penthouse suite. Taking a deep breath, she walked the remaining distance to his door and knocked before she had time to change her mind again.

She waited a minute and wondered if she should run while she still could, but before she could decide she heard movement inside the room. The door opened and he stared at her blankly, the same way she had done upon finding him on her doorstep the previous night. He was wearing a T-shirt and boxers, had that bed-hair she remembered oh too well, and she knew she wouldn't be able to resist him tonight. "Abby." He rubbed at his eyes and moved aside to let her in. She stalked past him, giving her speech one last rehearsal but he spoke before she could deliver it. "What are you doing here?"

That threw her off balance and she was forced to disregard her script. "I don't know."

"Okay." He was looking at her like he was trying to decide whether she was drunk or had just gone completely mad so she decided to help him out. "Before you ask, I haven't been drinking."

"Okay." He pushed the door closed and crossed over to the sofa, sinking down onto it.

She stayed standing, pacing circles around the room. "I did have a speech but it doesn't sound right anymore. I'm actually not even sure it made any sense." Though it might still have been an improvement on the rambling she was currently inflicting on him.

He was watching her as she moved and the frown on his face told her he was struggling to follow what she was talking about. "Will you sit down, or at least stand still, you're starting to make me dizzy."

She stopped, deliberately completed her circle and then perched on the opposite end of the sofa. They sat staring at the wall, neither of them looking at the other. She had lost her train of thought completely now and no longer knew why she was even here. Unfortunately, Carter seemed determined to have an answer to that very question. "What's showing up here all about, Abby?"

"Wish I knew."

"So do I." He ran a hand through his hair, trying to flatten down a few stray tufts.

She turned her head to look at him. "You look cute when you've just woke up."

"Don't. Don't do this." It was a warning and he stood up, moving through into the bathroom.

She went after him, stopping in the doorway. "Don't do what?"

He ran some water and splashed it on his face, rubbing at his eyes again. He was watching her reflection in the mirror above the sink. "We've been here once already. You made your choice."

"You're the one made sure I knew where you were staying, made a point of telling me your room number. What did you want me to do if not show up here?" She folded her arms and scowled at him. This was all going about as well as she had expected.

He turned to face her, glaring back. "I wanted you to make a decision. Guess I forgot Abby Lockhart isn't capable of that."

"I made a decision."

"Yeah, to marry Dave. So why are you in my hotel room exactly?" He grabbed a towel and dried his hands. "Right, you don't know."

She turned and made to leave, heading straight for the door. She'd tried and at least she now knew for sure it had been a mistake to come here. She was pulling the door open when he was behind her, slamming it closed again.

"God, Carter. You don't want me here, now you don't want me to leave. And I'm the one who's indecisive?" She moved back to the sofa, throwing herself down on it.

It was his turn to stay standing. "I didn't say I don't want you here. I just need to know that you want to be here."

"Would I be here if I didn't?"

"You tell me." He joined her on the sofa and sighed. "Abby, do you even know what you do want?"

Seeing as things had gone exactly as she had predicted, she changed tactics and tried some honesty. "No, Carter, I don't know what I want. I can't even remember the last time I did know." She was trying to avoid having to look at him but unfortunately that meant her eyes found the mini-bar instead. "I do know I'd kill for a drink right now. Does that count for anything?"

"Seeing as that's probably the cause of half your problems, no, not really."

"Only half?"

"Yeah, I want my credit for the rest."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure Susan's somehow to blame for at least ten percent."

"I think you could find a way to blame her for everything if you tried."

"Well, this whole screwed up situation right here, that's all her fault, you know?"

He nodded a couple of times, then frowned. "How exactly?"

"Well, if she hadn't dumped you, we'd have never gone out, so we wouldn't be here now."

"You don't think it would have happened anyway? That we were kinda inevitable?"

"If the next word out of your mouth is soul-mates then I really will need a drink."

"You know I'm not sure you should be joking about drinking." She prepared herself for a lecture but he suddenly changed the subject. "Susan did not dump me."

"Not how she tells it."

"She should have dumped me, seeing as I was in love with you."

"Isn't that exactly what did happened?"

"In the world according to Susan maybe. I, however, am sticking to my story. I broke up with her, left her devastated and she's never really gotten over it."

"I like her version better."

"You would and we seem to have gotten a little off track here."

"That would be your fault."

"Technically that's Susan's fault too."

"Are we not finished blaming Susan for everything yet?"

"You started it."

"What's your point?"

"I...," he started then trailed off. "I have no idea if I even had one."

"I think it was either that I shouldn't drink or that I shouldn't be here. Maybe both."

"I don't think it matters anymore, does it?"

"No, guess not." She sighed and as he seemed to have nothing else to say, she stood up. "I should go." She hovered where she was, giving him the opportunity to stop her but she got no response.

After a few seconds, she started towards the door. She had stepped out into the hallway before he shouted her back. "Abby?"

She caught the door, holding it open. "Yeah?"

He stayed sitting down but was at least making eye contact with her now. "If I asked you to stay, would you?"

Part of her would, the same part that had told her to come here tonight. However the rest just wanted to run, not just from Carter but from Dave, make a break for Mexico and never look back. As she wasn't sure which part would win that fight, she gave him an honest answer. "I don't know."

When he went back to studying the floor, she turned to leave again but she didn't even make it out of the room before he spoke again. "Abby, don't go."

She allowed the two sides to battle it out and once it was over, she closed the door and returned to join him on the sofa.


"Do you think I should worry that I'm spending the night before my wedding in my ex-boyfriend's hotel room eating room service and watching some cheesy TV movie starring David Caruso?"

It was the first time she had spoken since the movie began forty minutes ago. "Could be worse. You could have succeeded in your plan to come over here and seduce me."

"Nice to know LA has managed to keep that ego of yours in check."

"What? Like that wasn't your plan." He offered a grin then turned back to the TV screen. "I'm just saying, there are worse ways to spend your wedding night."

"Yeah, I could have jumped on that bus to Mexico."

He nodded. "Yeah, that would have been worse."

There was silence, then she said, "I should get back. I wouldn't be surprised if Susan's sent out a search party by now."

He was about to agree with her, say maybe she should be going, but he's tired of being the good guy and quickly changed his mind. "Or you know, you could always just stay the night, worry about Susan tomorrow."

She stared at him, then leant towards him. "Are you trying to seduce me now?"

"Well, my plan didn't work, so I figured I might as well give Susan's plan B a try. At least this way, I get to have sex."

She smiled, an actual bona fide grin and in some strange way it was almost enough to make tonight worth it. "Nice to know that's all I am to you."

He shrugged. "I kinda wish you were." He cursed himself when he noticed her face fall. "I'm not going to jump you or anything, I just don't want you to go." He hoped that if he was honest, she might follow suit, though he didn't hold out much hope.

"I'll stay, as long as you promise to keep your hands to yourself."

He smiled and nodded. "Scout's honour."

She turned back to the TV screen and he heard her mutter, "Like you were ever a Boy Scout, Carter."


He kept his eyes closed, waiting for his brain to kick into gear. He was currently trying to work out what the scurrying sound accompanied by bouts of swearing was, then he'd start on why he appeared to have slept on the sofa, no doubt the cause of his neck being locked into one position. The return of his memory of last night provided answers to both those queries. He opened his eyes, lifted his head up and found himself watching Abby frantically tearing his room apart. "Good morning."

She stopped, scowled at him, then asked, "Have you seen my keys?"

"Not running out on me, are you?" He pulled himself into a sitting position, cursing himself for being a gentleman last night and insisting he took the sofa.

"Yeah, I am. I have eight messages from Susan on my cell and she doesn't seem all that happy in any of them."

He joined in her search, digging under the cushions and was successful. "Got them." She stopped throwing around the bedcovers and joined him on the sofa, taking the keys from him. "Just tell her you lost your phone," he suggested.

"Still have to explain where I was all night."

"Tell her the truth. I don't think she'd be mad."

"No, she'd probably rush to tell Dave, hoping he'd cancel the wedding."

He was quiet for a moment. "So you're still gonna marry him?"

"What do you want me to do, Carter? Leave him stood at the altar?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I do actually."

She stood up, shaking her head. "I can't do that to him." She walked towards the door, him following her.

"Is this how we're gonna leave things then? This is our closure?"

She was silent for a moment, then told him, "No. Ryan's your son. I'm not gonna keep you two apart anymore."

He almost said thank you, but then realised she wasn't exactly doing him a favour, he had every right to see Ryan. He held back on making demands on her though, knowing this probably wasn't the best time. "I hope things work out for you and Dave, that you're making the right decision." He didn't but once again he knew better than to share those thoughts.

"I am." She didn't believe that, he just knew she didn't believe that. She opened the door and was about to leave, then she ducked back inside to kiss him on the cheek. "We'll sort something out about Ryan."

He nodded and then she was walking away from him, disappearing down the stairwell. He was hit with a sudden impulse to chase after her but ignored it and went back inside his room, slamming the door closed. He knew he was making a mistake letting her go, that she was making a mistake marrying Dave, he just wished he knew what he could do about it.