THREE'S A CROWD

AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is an old story I found in my back-up files and that was never finished and never uploaded - I'm correcting that now.

It starts right after "Secrets and Lies" (8x16), strays into its own universe but follows most major canon events.

DISCLAIMERS: ER is the intellectual property of Constant C Productions, Amblin Entertainment, and Warner Brothers Television. No copyright infringement is intended.

It wasn't how Susan had intended to spend her day off, but it ended up going better than she'd expected. While they'd waited for their sexual harassment lecture, she'd had the chance to get to know the others better. Even if it was hard to see herself as a newbie, the truth was that they weren't that many familiar faces left at County.

She could feel Elizabeth's eyes flying daggers her way every time she talked to Mark, so it only made sense that she'd spend more time with Carter, the former clumsy med student who had turned into a rather charming chief resident. It was comfortable, more than anything.

The biggest surprise of the day was how much she'd enjoyed talking to Abby. Since she'd started at County, the nurse had been almost hostile towards her, openly rolling her eyes at Susan's every request.

They had talked a little about their families, their middle-class upbringings and Susan took a liking to her. She ended up suggesting they'd get drinks sometime. Abby had accepted, mildly embarrassed of the harsh treatment she'd been giving her the last few weeks, but also excited at the prospect of having a social life with someone who made her laugh and wasn't immersed in a bubble of depression.

As Carter walked her back home, Susan mused about Abby's dissertation on chemistry. They had been going out for over two months and they hadn't slept together yet. Susan knew she hadn't really made an effort, sending him home when things got steamy, leaving him frustrated. She knew she was acting on an old crush and she knew their chance had passed. They weren't in love.

She knew he was in love with Abby and earlier, she had asked her directly what their problem was. Abby had shrugged her shoulders and gave her best guess "Timing".

Still, Susan wanted to scratch that itch and so she had lured him into beers and take away at her apartment. Carter liked her place, it was cozy and welcoming, everything the Carter mansion was not. After she took the chinese take away boxes to the kitchen, Susan almost downed a beer with only one sip and started undressing her clothes.

Carter was sprawled on her couch watching ESPN and he did a double take when he noticed her in her underwear "What are you doing?", he stammered, his voice lower than usual.

She crawled towards him, a smirk dancing on her lips "Second date rule".

He had no idea what she was talking about, but he could ask her later. Susan was unzipping him unceremoniously and he felt himself throbbing at the prospect of what was going to happen.

He had fantasized about this moment for years, as he'd had a crush on her since the first day he started his ER rotation as a third year medical student. She wasn't his assigned resident, but she had spent time talking him through differentials and showing him procedures.

It was inevitable, Carter always fell for women who showed a glimpse of compassion. Plus, she had a beautiful smile, so his younger self was hook, line and sinker.

They were both older now and he enjoyed their dates. They went out for meals, spent time together, but he felt Susan wasn't really invested in deepening their relationship. She picked up on the undefined nature of his own relationship with Abby really quickly and Carter believed it was one of the reasons she kept pulling back when their making out sessions got more intense.

He couldn't deny what he felt for the nurse but he was a man, after all. If a woman he found attractive fumbled with his fly, he wasn't going to say no. Carter groaned when she took him in her mouth, his hand curling instinctively around the back of her neck, afraid that she'd pull away.

She didn't. In fact, she kept alternating between languid strokes on his length and little nips that drove him crazy. It had been a long time since he'd had sex and he didn't want to embarrass himself, so he stroked her shoulder and whispered "Hey... come here...".

She smiled as she noticed perspiration on his temple and his labored breath, her hand now stroking him in a rhythm that soon would be too dangerous. Carter felt like an unprepared teenager and asked eagerly "Do you have condoms?".

Susan stood up gracefully from between his legs and disappeared into her room. She came back in seconds and ripped the condom wrapper with her teeth, her green eyes on him. Carter held his breath in as Susan rolled the condom swiftly on his hard on, he liked confident women. Susan was now straddling him without hesitation, he unhooked her bra and looked at her breasts for the first time. They were naturally full and his hands followed the terrain his eyes had mapped, making her sigh a little at the contact.

Susan moaned when his lips tasted her and his stubble rubbed against the sensitive skin of her nipples. She grabbed him by his hair- she'd always loved his hair -, and kept him close. Carter tried to get her panties out of the way as she was starting to rub her hips in a way that was making him crazy with lust, so he just grabbed them roughly, the elastic breaking around his fingers.

She half winced and half moaned at that and he backed her against the side of the couch and eased into her in a deliberate thrust that drew groans from both of them. Carter kissed her throat, her neck and reveled at how hot and tight she felt around him. Susan's thighs curled around his hips, her hands digging at his lower back, encouraging him to pick up a faster pace.

She sensed that he would come quickly in this position, so she rolled them again, as much as one can on a pull-out couch, until she was straddling him once more, her hands gripping the couch's arm behind his head for support. She started to move her hips in circles, controlling the depth of his penetration and Carter's voice creaked before he cleared his throat "I don't know what got into you... but I like it...".

She deadpanned "You did", she cupped his chin and pulled him into a kiss that was more like a dare than anything else. Carter's vision became blurred and he grabbed her hips in a tight grip, trying to bury himself as deep as he could. Susan moved her hips in an even more frantic rhythm and threw her head back in abandon, her breasts bouncing in front of his eyes and Carter felt himself jerk at the vision, his body spasming violently and his voice abandoning his throat in raw groans.

They collapsed against the cushions and only the sound of their ragged respiration broke the silence. Susan patted his arm and gave him a little smile "Not bad".

Carter kept trying to get his breathing to normal levels and watched her as she padded naked across the living room. He had to close his eyes for a moment because he felt dizzy.

When she returned, she brought him a cold soda and sat next to him cross-legged "Are we on for the 7 am class, tomorrow?".

Susan had coaxed him into becoming her yoga partner. It didn't do much for his back pain but it was always fun to hang out with her. He shrugged, still feeling boneless "Sure...".

She looked closely at the little gash on his face from the fencing incident with Luka "You really made a fool of yourself today...".

He shook his head, like he didn't know what she meant "How so?".

She threw him a pointed glare and took a sip at her drink"If you're worried about Abby living with Luka, don't be. Nothing's going on".

Susan looked at him with fondness in her eyes "You should tell her". Carter looked startled, like a deer caught in the headlights "Who? Tell her what?".

She shook her head at him and deadpanned "That you're in love with her and can't live a moment without her".

Carter gave her a little smirk "Really? What about us?".

Susan gave him a sympathetic smile "There's hardly an us... you know that".

He nodded and returned his gaze to her green eyes "This isn't because Mark Greene suddenly became available?".

Susan sighed and finished her soda"You know when I said you were making a fool of yourself? You're doing it again".

Carter ended up staying the night, as it didn't make much sense going back to return in just a few hours for their yoga class. But when Susan was changing into her sports gear, Carter felt the urge to have her again and they ended up skipping yoga in favor of other aerobic activities.

He couldn't really define their relationship, but it was easy and uncomplicated unlike the majority of his relationships with women. Carter decided that he could live with that.

He saw how Abby was still hung up on Luka and as Susan had put it, he didn't want to be the rebound guy. He'd told Susan about the stabbing, the drugs and even though he could see the surprise in her face, Susan didn't try to pretend that she knew what to say to him.

She'd given him a heartfelt hug and Carter had clung to it - he had always craved affection more than anything else.