Sam, steaming over Luka's actions of the past few days, wasn't aware of the world around her. Walking in circles around the front door of her new apartment block thoughts flew across her mind, too quick for her to grab onto - except, absurdly, one:

Was someone feeding his fish?

Her armpits were moist with sweat, her hair beginning to stick to the nape of her neck in loose, sweaty curls: So much for the poker straight hair she spent hours on that morning. She could feel the sweat of her upper lip, greasing her nose and droplets standing to attention at the base of her hairline.

Goddamit but it was warm.

Why she didn't just climb the steps up to her apartment, she didn't know. Perhaps because of the memories that had seeped back into her mind as she opened her eyes and realised that she was not alone in her apartment. As she realised that she was not in her own bed. As she realised that there was a heavy weight pressing down onto the bottom of her legs.

Her head had pounded when she opened her eyes and was met with the stabbing pain of a millions shards of lighting piercing her eyes: the pounding of her head reminding her of the slip she'd had in the bathroom: the long cotton trousers and over sized t-shirt that she had yet to return to Luka's middle drawer reassuring her that she had not participated in any sort of improper behaviour.

But then she heard a voice that sent slivers of ice down her back, causing her heart rate to double. Her fingers froze and she didn't know whether to stay or flee.

"I didn't think you were going to wake up, thought I was going to have to run you to the ER," the thickly accented voice joked and Sam instantly melted, remembering that he was her friend and not her enemy.

"Hey…" She half grinned, half whined and subconsciously pulled her arms about her waist.

Snapping back to the present, she rolled her eyes back until she was sure they would pop out. Nothing justified her allowing him to spend the night, whether innocently or not. What if word seeped out into the ER? It wouldn't take long before Luka found out, and she already knew the source, if that were to be the case.

Berating herself for allowing herself to think such demeaning thoughts about one of her closest friends, she swallowed her pride and began walking up the steps to her apartment.

--

"Carter, wait up!"

Carter stopped as he heard the familiar voice call to him as he slung his backpack over his shoulder as he exited the ER through the ambulance bay. Turning, he saw Abby dodge past a few meandering patients and make her way over to him. He smiled as she reached him and motioned his head towards the receding light from what had been a sweltering, beautiful day.

Walking through the double doors, he breathed in the heavy, humid air. Above him, clouds were beginning to gather on the horizon, dark, grey and ominous. He knew from experience that a storm would be brewing in the deep cauldron of the sky and he silently thanked whoever was listening for the release that would come with each heart-trembling rumble later on in the night.

Turning back to Abby from the breath taking view, he shuffled his feet and couldn't ignore the uncomfortable, awkward tension between them both. Ever since their little i tête-à-tête /i things between them had been strained, awkward uncomfortable and the friendly chemistry that existed between them had been banished for good. In a way, he regretted his actions, regretted knowing that they would never have worked. But, at the same time, he also knew that it was for the best, instead of them both living in limbo around one another, forever wondering of what-could-be. Now they knew.

She cleared her throat and looked briefly into his eyes before concentrating on his neck.

"Have you spoken to Sam since Luka left yesterday?"

John felt his back automatically stiffen and he straightened up, anger beginning to bubble in his veins, instantly drawing his hands into a fist. He had been surprised when Luka had told him he was leaving but when he had found Sam unconscious on the floor of her bathroom, her shattered cell phone lying next to her, he had been angry and when she told him how she had come to be unconscious on the floor, he had been fuming with Luka.

He scratched the back of his neck. He knew how inappropriate it would seem if he told Abby that he had spent the night with a blubbering, confused Sam. He knew how uncomfortable it would make the already uncomfortably lieu that they were all already in.

"Uh… I spoke to her for a while last night, why?"

It wasn't strictly a lie, was it?

"How did she seem to you?"

How do you think she seemed?

"She's… upset to say the least. He called her last night and told her, when he was already in London. She wasn't happy."

He saw Abby nod and raise a finger to her lips, worrying her nail with her teeth.

He could feel moisture in the air and turned his head skywards for an instant before glancing back to Abby. A strand of light had broken through the gathering clouds and cast a gold haze across her features. The light brightened her eyes, the flecks of gold in her deep, dark eyes glimmered, her blonde hair shining, the wispy, float-away's from her ponytail reflecting the light, creating an angelic look about her and he breathed deeply, remembering how beautiful she was. And then it was gone, the evanescent glimmer swallowed up by the clouds and she was restored back to the way she always was, although more tired and worn looking than ever.

"She snapped at me today, because Luka told me he was leaving."

John nodded and looked away, the uncomfortable silence that followed showing just how far apart they had grown.

"Anyway…" she began and smiled slightly, shaking her head. "I had better get back." She pointed back to the cluttered admit desk and John nodded, ushering her back in with his hand.

He walked to his car and drove to the 'T' junction at the end of the parking lot, flipped on the indicator for turning left and, in a flash, flipped it to right and drove to the place that he was slowly beginning to wish was home.

TBC