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Once Bitten, Twice Shy |
Chapter 1 |
Author's Note: This story takes place several months after the "Getting To Know You" episode in Season 5. It is in response to Evie's Challenge in the 'Carter and Lucy's Fanfic Lounge' newsletter.
Lucy Knight stood in front of the board and regarded it with tired eyes. The words seemed to blend together into some strange language that she couldn't decipher. Blinking rapidly, she gave a shake of her head and the words became meaningful again.
"Earth to Lucy, come in," a warm voice spoke beside her.
She turned to face John Carter's laughing eyes as he looked down at her.
"I am *so* glad that I have this entire weekend off. I'm going to sleep the entire time," she declared.
He chuckled. "Sounds like a great idea. I actually have the weekend off too, if you can believe it. That only happens once in a blue moon, so enjoy it."
"Lucy, phone call for you," Randi called, holding out the receiver.
"Thanks."
Lucy took the call and Carter perused the board. He decided on the stomach pain in Exam 2.
"No way! Really?" Lucy cried out in an excited tone. People turned to look at her, including Carter. She was grinning from ear to ear. Good news, obviously. "Wow, this is awesome! When? Oh, well, I have a pretty full work load, so it's hard to say...wait, I have this weekend free. Would that be ok? Great! Yeah, thanks. Sure, just fax it over. The number is..." She glanced at Randi. "What's the fax number here?"
Carter wondered what the heck was going on. Lucy had seemed ready to fall asleep on her feet when she'd been staring at the board, but now she looked ready to run circles around the room.
After hanging up, Lucy found many faces staring at her in curiosity. "Guess what, guys? I just won a weekend get-away! I can't believe it! I never win anything."
"That's cool!" Randi exclaimed enviously. "Where are you going?"
Lucy didn't even have an exact answer for that. It was on an island just off the coast of Florida. That's all she remembered from the contest entry form. But the cabin apparently had all the modern conveniences and was a popular spot for honeymooners.
"Congratulations, Luce." This came from Carter, and she smiled. "I'm sure you'll have a great time."
She was sure she would too. Now she only had to decide who would be coming with her, since this vacation was for two people.
***************
Lucy couldn't believe it. She'd called up all of her close friends and none of them would be able to make it. Granted, this was rather last minute. But still, she'd thought anyone would be jumping at the chance to relax on a beautiful island. Oh well, their loss. She really didn't mind going by herself, either. It would be nice to have some time alone for a change.
Getting off the elevator, she spotted Carter sitting on the stairs.
"Hey, what are you doing?" she asked, stopping in front of him.
"Just taking a break. So you must be excited about this trip."
"Yeah, I am. I don't remember the last time I was able to get away from Chicago."
"Just don't forget to come back," he joked.
She laughed and came to sit on the step beside him. She looked at him closely. "Are you ok, Carter? You seem kind of down."
"I'm fine. Just tired, I guess. I'm looking forward to a weekend of doing nothing."
Before she could stop herself, she found herself saying, "Why don't you come with me?"
He raised his eyebrows, glancing sideways at her. "On this trip?"
"Uh, yeah, why not? I've asked a few of my friends, but no one can go. It's supposed to be for two people, so no sense in wasting it." He continued to look skeptical, so she continued on. "We don't have to spend all the time together. You can do your thing and I'll do mine. I just thought it would be nice to get away from the city."
He nodded slowly, mulling it over. Sounded perfectly logical. In fact, it sounded downright appealing. He found himself agreeing to the plan. "Thanks. I think I'll accept your offer."
"Great! I'll give you a copy of the details they faxed over. It really sounds wonderful. You won't be sorry."
***************
Lucy took Carter's outstretched hand as she stepped off the boat onto the pier. She breathed in deeply, looking around her.
"It's so gorgeous! This is gonna be great," she declared happily.
The day was clear and sunny and the view surrounding her was so picturesque, it looked like a postcard. They had flown in to a small town on the coastline early this morning, where they'd been greeted by their host, Matthew. He was in charge of taking the guests to the island, making sure they were comfortable during their stay, and then returning them safely ashore. The island itself wasn't far from the mainland so if the guests were in need of something, he'd make the short trip back to try to accomodate their wishes.
Matthew brought out their luggage and rejected Carter's offer of help. "This is my job, sir, not yours. Your only concern is that you and this lovely lady have a wonderful time." He continued to talk as the three of them made their way down the dock. "Now then, there's a recreational facility, including a pool and tennis court. You'll find the fridge in your cabin well-stocked but if there's something you have a craving for that you'd like me to get, just let me know. I have my own little place over there." He pointed off to the left. "That's where I'll be most of the time. Give me a shout if there's anything I can do for you."
After dropping off the luggage by their cabin door, Matthew gave them a brief tour, pointing out the various facilities. They came back full circle to the door and Matthew left to take care of some maintenace work.
Grinning at each other, they entered the cabin and checked things out. It was spacious, but still cozy. There were two separate bedrooms and a small kitchen. Lucy was thankful for the separate beds. She hadn't even thought of the sleeping arrangements when she'd invited Carter along.
Carter sprawled out on the comfortable couch, feeling more relaxed than he had in a long while. He was grateful that Lucy had asked him to come and that he'd been impulsive enough to say yes.
"So what are you going to do first?" he asked, glancing over at Lucy as she came to sit on the reclining chair.
"Good question. Maybe the pool."
"Do you play tennis?"
She shook her head. "I always thought it looked like fun but I've never tried."
"I could teach you how. It's not that hard."
"Sure."
They wandered over to the tennis court. Carter was impressed as he picked up a racket. "Wow, this is top of the line!"
"I guess you're a pretty good player, huh?" Lucy remarked.
"I can hold my own. Country club champion two years running." He gave her a lopsided smile. "'Course, that was quite a few years ago. I haven't played in a long time. Let me show you how to serve."
He demonstrated how to serve the ball and Lucy tried to copy his actions. After three tries, she still couldn't even get the ball over the net. In fact, it didn't come anywhere close to the net.
"I'm hopeless," she groaned. "I thought you said this wasn't hard!"
"You just need more practice," he said, chuckling. "Here, let me show you something."
Lucy almost blushed as Carter came to stand closely behind her, physically showing her how she should stand and balance herself. She had thought she'd managed to convince herself that he was only a friend but lately, those other feelings for him had started to resurface again. She suddenly realized that he'd asked her a question.
"What?" she said weakly, her heart thumping a litle erratically.
"I asked you how this feels."
"What?" she squeaked. She was starting to sound like a broken record. "How what feels?"
"This, your body position," he replied calmly.
"Oh, it's fine."
*Focus, Lucy, focus* she reprimanded herself. She was conscious of his nearness; the warmth of one hand on her waist and the other now encircling her wrist.
He tossed a ball in the air and showed her how to follow through on the downswing, his hold on her arm enabling her to connect solidly with the ball. She watched as it sailed effortlessly over the net.
He stepped back. "Ok, now try it on your own."
Determined, she squinted and wacked the ball with all her might. It landed squarely into the net.
"Hey, that was better! A little higher up and that would have been a perfect serve."
"Ok, Dr. Carter. Get ready to meet your match," she warned jokingly.
He was easy on her at first but after she started getting used to the game, he made things tougher. She found herself running all over the court to return the ball. More often than not, her shot went out of bounds or into the net. But she was having fun and enjoying herself.
Carter was enjoying himself too. He'd forgotten how much he liked the game. Lucy was a quick study and was soon returning the ball quite well. Her aim was rapidly improving and she landed a perfect shot into the corner. He dove for it but missed.
"Was it out?" she asked, not sure of exactly where the ball had landed.
"Nope, it was in. Score one for you."
"Yes!" She raised both arms in the air and did a little dance.
Carter laughed, finding her delightful.
"Ah, there you are." Matthew appeared by the fence and walked onto the court. "I'm afraid I have to go back to the mainland for a little while. I just got a call over the radio and there's something I have to take care of. I'll be back in a few hours, though. Do you need anything while I'm over there?"
"Not that I can think of," Lucy replied, glancing at Carter, but he had nothing to add.
"Ok then, I'll see you in a little while."
Playing tennis had given them both an appetite, so they decided to take a lunch break. As promised, the fridge and freezer were stocked with plenty of food but they just made simple sandwiches. After eating, Lucy suggested making use of the pool. She half expected Carter to decline and go off to do something else on his own. But he agreed it was a good idea and they changed into bathing suits.
Lucy had brought a modest, one-piece suit whose shade almost matched her blue eyes. Carter emerged from the bedroom in red, boxer-style swimming trunks. She found herself mildly disappointed that they weren't red Speedos.
*Get a grip, Lucy!* she thought. *And get your mind out of the gutter*
They spent the afternoon around the pool area; swimming, lounging on the deck, snacking on junk food and downing a couple of beers. Carter even found himself talking about his break up with Laura. That had been three weeks ago.
"I'm serious, it was like a bad scene from a soap opera," he stated.
Lucy winced, looking at him sympathetically. "You mean, you actually walked in on them while they were..."
He made a face. "God, no. At least it was after the fact."
"Still, that's pretty horrible."
Carter had just told her about finding his girlfriend in bed with another man. Well, his ex-girlfriend now.
"Maybe I jumped into things too fast with Laura after Roxanne," he mused, sipping his beer slowly. "I tell you, though. After those last two relationships, I'm taking a break from women. A long one."
Lucy didn't know what to say, so she chose to say nothing at all. She was rather touched that he would tell her something so private. Then again, maybe it was the beer that was talking.
The sky had grown cloudy by mid-afternoon. The wind had also picked up and the air seemed cooler. Lucy decided to go back to the cabin to change. Carter wanted to swim a few more laps around the pool.
As she walked, she kept looking up at the sky. Where had the beautiful day gone? The clouds looked dark and menacing. It looked like it would start raining soon. If it did, she at least hoped it would pass by quickly so they could enjoy the rest of their stay.
After changing into a t-shirt and shorts, she returned to the pool. Carter was sitting on one of the deck chairs.
"Hey, you ready to head back?" she asked. There was no response. "Carter?"
"A snake bit me."
"What!" Shocked, she stood completely still for a moment, then looked around her feet wildly. "Where is it?"
"It went over there somewhere." He nodded his head to the right. "I don't know if it's poisonous. Have you seen a first aid kit?"
"Yeah, I noticed one in the bathroom. I'll be right back." There was probably one around the pool somewhere but she didn't want to waste time hunting around for it. As she sprinted back to the cabin, she had to keep reminding herself that most snakes weren't poisonous. Chances were good that he'd be fine.
*He'll be fine. He'll be fine* she chanted in her head. She was worried but determined not to panic. Carter needed her right now. And she intended to be there for him.
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