Right, this is the final part to Seasons out of Time. Sorry it took so long to post, I guess I just forgot it was on here too.
There is a sequel - This Little Star, because everyone at ERHQ refused to accept this as the end. Persistant bunch. lol.

Thanks to everyone for their reviews and feedback.
Ash x x x

Chapter 9

Jake stood at the middle of the table with Carter to his right and Abby to his left. He noticed the tension mounting between his fiancé and his ex-co worker. He stared at Abby waiting for her to notice his presence. Jake continued to stand for what felt like hours waiting on a reaction. He watched as Abby continued to stare at Carter, he knew he had interrupted something as both seemed very upset. He even considered leaving without speaking to Abby but was instead finally greeted by her.

"uhh…Hey Jake, what's…what's uhh going on?" she asked.

Jake smiled. "I was gonna ask you the same thing. You've been gone for the better part of 30 minutes." he stated. "Is everything okay?"

Abby turned her head away from Carter and faced Jake directly and as she opened her mouth to answer his question Jake interrupted her.
"Are you crying?" He asked noticing her blood-shot eyes. Carter turned his head and faced Jake.
"uhh no, Jake could you…" she trailed off.

Jake noticed this appearance on Carter's face and also asked him if he had been crying. Carter dodged this question.

Jake once again noticed the discomfort.
"Am I interrupting something?" he asked.
Abby rolled her eyes at Jakes oblivious statement.
"Yeah, actually we we're talking about A Walk to Remember, and getting quite emotional" She added sarcastically.

Jake rolled his eyes at this statement. "Ok, ok…I get it…"

Abby smiled at him. "Just give us ten minutes ok?"

Jake smiled back at her. "Sure…It's just uhh Kem is going crazy wanting to know where you are" Jake said to Carter.
Carter, who had been contently sitting watching Abby, turned his head at the mention of Kem's name. He shot Jake a questioning look.
Jake noticed this. "Yeah, uhh something about you being the groom and a speech…and I dunno, dinner plates? She was talking really fast."

Carter laughed. "Okay, could you just tell her that I won't be long, I have something important to finish?"

"Sure thing…I uhh…I'm gonna go" Jake spluttered

"…kay…" Abby smiled

"I'll…we'll talk later" Jake said to Abby. She looked at him and smiled.

"Sure, I'll only be like 10 more minutes, I'll come find you"
"Okay" Jake said as he leaned down and kissed the top if her head.

Jake walked away from the table with an over-whelming feeling of guilt, knowing he had most definitely interrupted something. He could have cut the tension between them with a knife. Jake began to speculate as to what they had been talking about, putting aside his worst fears, and no doubt Kem's worst fears. Jake never knew much about Abby's relationship with Carter but from what he had heard he knew it was pretty serious which seemed to be at the front of his mind. Jakes head flooded with worries, worries of Abby and the wedding. It's not that he didn't trust her, he didn't trust Carter. He was well aware that Carter and Abby had a history and that they were friends now, but from the deepest part of his brain, and his heart he knew there was still something, no matter how obsolete, between them, but what was it? And how big or significant was it? Jake didn't even know if he had reason to be jealous. Carter was making him out to be an awful boyfriend since he paid little attention to Abby's disappearance whilst her hero, John Carter, rushed to the rescue. Maybe they had been saying their final goodbyes, coming to terms with the end of their relationship and preparing to move on without one-another. Jake continued in his speculations safe in the knowledge that Abby would never tell him what had been going on no matter how hard he pushed it, she would however tell him that they talked, and that it was either good or nice, never anything more than that. He guessed she just wasn't one to talk about stuff like that, even though he wished she would. Something wasn't right with her, Jake was convinced Abby had been a little "off" since they got to Paris and he was determined to find out what was wrong.

Abby and Carter found themselves one again sitting in silence, staring at one-another, both awaiting movement from the other. Both had forgotten where their conversation had reached prior to their interruption, each trying to work their way back to that point. Abby, more so than Carter, needed to get back on track, convinced that know was the time to tell him how exactly she was feeling before she could chicken out. John Carter also felt the need to "spill" his thoughts onto his former lover. Now was as good a time as any.

Abby smiled at Carter. "So? Where were we?"
Carter responded "I think you were shouting at me" He smiled.

Abby let out a brief laugh. "That's right, I was"
"You're not going to start shouting again are you?" Carter joked.

"Hah..." Abby laughed. "Well…maybe later"

"I'm sorry…"Carter started with a solemn tone in his voice.

Abby looked confused. "For what?"
"For everything you said. For leaving, for coming back, for leaving again…for making you feel like you hated me…"
"I never hated you" Abby interrupted.

Carter smiled at her and continued. "I am really sorry."

"I know."

Carter and Abby smiled at one another – locking eyes. It was a look that lasted longer than it should have.
"I just wanna…I uhh…can I just say…that…Thank you." Abby spluttered.

Carter looked at her inquisitively.

"…for everything…everything you ever did, or said or meant. Everything." She said calmly.

"Thank you, and you're welcome" Carter replied somewhat awkwardly. He quickly diverted his gaze from Abby to the table as he spoke.
"No, John. I really mean thank you – as if I've never said it before. You've been a driving force in my life, and I think you always will be. The things you did for me over the years will stay with me…forever and I'm very grateful for that." Abby cleared her throat "I'm very grateful for you." She spoke that last word reassuringly.

Carter felt embarrassed at Abby's latest outburst even though he was thankful she was finally opening up to him. "Anything…in the name of love." He spoke his last word quietly.
Abby noticed and smiled. She felt a pang in her heart as Carter spoke of love – of his love for her. She was overwhelmed with a feeling pain, like this final offering from John Carter was yet another pin in her heart.

Both sat looking in opposite directions. Slowly each was over-come with a feeling of remorse and Carter felt the need to voice it.

"Do you ever wonder…if we uhh…if we would have…"
"Everyday." Abby responded quickly.

They locked eyes and smiled once again. This was it, Abby finally had the chance to tell Carter and hopefully clear the air. Instead of dodging the bullet and running off from the conversation she decided to grab it with both hands.
"I guess that's what has been bothering me." Abby started

"What do you mean?" Carter asked with the knowledge that the conversation was going somewhere.

"Well, this is the end." Carter's eyes begged her to continue.
"…I guess I've always assumed, or…I dunno, hoped…that we would...you know?."
"Yeah, I know" Carter responded, fully understanding what she was saying. He looked back at her in the hope that she would continue.

"So I guess tomorrow is finally the end – like the lid is finally sealed on…on us."

Carter didn't know what to say. Abby however continued to speak.

"And when Jake and I get…uhh.." Abby stopped.
Carter noticed her discomfort. "…married" he added.

Ashamed, Abby smiled. "Right."
She continued. "That will be the final nail in the coffin. The end to any hopes I still have hidden or whatever. A goodbye to my "happy ending" and the shattering of Susan's ultimate dream." Abby spoke the last analogy with a rendering of candour.
Carter smiled as he felt his need to contribute.
"You know, tomorrow I start the rest of my life with uhh…with Kem. But even now, whenever I picture my happy ending – me sitting on a porch somewhere watching my kids in garden, my little girls…they always have curly brown hair and the biggest brown eyes, they are always the spitting image of…you."
Abby shifted in her seat. She smiled at Carter with a sense of desire. He continued.
"And for the better part of the last four years, my wife was always you…sitting beside me on a porch swing or something." He laughed as he looked at his hands resting on the table.
"But now, when I should see Kem's face, I see nothing. She has no face…yet the little girls still look like you." Carter spoke calmly.

Abby was memorised with Carter's story. It had been so long since he had opened up to her and she was glad that he had decided to do so.

For the moments that followed the end of his story, Carter sat contently staring at Abby – watching her eyes fill with water and glisten amidst the lights of the veranda. Abby was unable to comment on what she had just heard but she tried anyway.

"John…I uhh…what does that uhh…that's uhh…" She stumbled.

"Pretty crazy huh?" Carter spoke with a little laugh.

Abby smiled at him with a concerned look. Abby was still confused, she didn't know what to say to him – whether what he had just said was an admission to any feelings he was harbouring, or if it was just cold feet, or even if there was any logic behind his story.

"So…what does that mea…"
"I have no idea!" Carter cut her off before she could finish.

Abby exhaled as a way of responding. She rolled her eyes and smiled to herself. John watched her as she did this.
He let out a quiet laugh as he said "What?"

Abby continued to smile. "It's all just so…"
"Confusing?" Carter added.

"Hah…I was going to say screwed up" Abby smiled. "But I guess confusing works."
"I thought all of this would have been so straight forward" Carter smiled.

"All of what?" Abby asked.

"Here…coming here. I just thought that all I would have to do is show up and say 'I do'" He laughed towards the end.

Abby was even more confused. "What's changed?"
"I don't know, I don't know if anything has changed, I just…" Carter spoke

"Don't you want to get married?" Abby interrupted.

"Of course I do. I want to get married." He smiled. "But uhh…you know, never mind." He stopped.

"No, tell me" Abby asked.

"No really, it doesn't matter" Carter said frantically.
"John, I don't care if it matters or not. Tell me" Abby said sternly.

Carter laughed. "You're insufferable…"

Abby smiled. "I know I am" she nodded. "Don't you wanna marry Kem?" Abby asked.

Carter shook his head as he laughed. "I uhh…" Carter was lost for words.

"Do you love her?"
"Yes."

"Then that is all you need to know." Abby smiled.

Carter nodded his head. "Right…Do you love Jake?" He asked.

Abby wanted to say yes, she wanted to lie to him – not to confuse the situation even more. "He loves me" She said calmly.

Abby's words shot through Carter's head. "Abby, that's not enough. You'll never be happy if you don't love him" Carter looked concerned.

"You know, I hear what you're saying, and I know…but uhh, I am happy. I am as happy as I can be given the circumstances and you know what? That's good enough for me. I'll never get my happy ending, so whether I end up with Jake, or some other guy – it will never be you and I'll just have to live with second best."