(see header in part one)

She smirked at Kerry's questioning look. "When I called County, I talked to Luka. He was worried, so I told him I stayed here last night." At Kerry's raised eyebrow, she added, "He wanted to ask, believe me, but he didn't. Anyway, I told him I'd kept you up talking half the night--that really had him itching to ask something, I could tell--and that I was gonna let you sleep another couple of hours. I told him I'd get you up in time to get there by eleven." She held up a hand to forestall the protest she knew was coming. "Don't worry, I asked him not to mention that I'd been here and to act like you'd called in yourself. Told him to make up some excuse. He'll probably tell 'em you were still puking your guts out from yesterday."

Kerry laughed. "Oh, Susan will probably love that..."

Abby smiled, glad that Kerry hadn't taken offense with what she'd done. Gratified to feel a stillchuckling Kerry settle in against her shoulder again, she took another chance to tease her boss, turned...what? It was too soon to be sure of that answer.

"Yeah, what was up with that? You give this big lecture on not eating the drug company's promogoodies and then you eat one yourself?" She kept her tone light, still not sure which line she might be crossing.

Kerry just shrugged, "Actually, I think it was some bad calamari from the night before, but it'll make Susan feel better to think I'm a hypocrite, so I'll let her have her fun."

"Kerry!" Abby was shocked.

Kerry just shrugged again as she looked back up at Abby. "It's this game we play. Or played, anyway. She was always so willing to resist me or believe the worst about me that I gave up trying early on and let her think whatever the hell she wanted. Hell, I even encouraged it a few times. Out of spite, I guess. Things don't seem quite as bad this time around, but we're still both a little stuck in that pattern, I guess."

Abby reached up to stroke along Kerry's cheek. "Wow."

"What?" Kerry canted her head to one side, curious.

"You. Just...you." She continued tenderly stroking Kerry's cheek and looking at her in wonder. "I swear, if I didn't think it would hurt like hell to move my facial muscles that much, I would kiss you senseless right now."

The emotions clearly visible in Kerry's eyes flickered from concern to smoldering desire, and back again. Abby suddenly wondered how she'd managed to miss noticing just how expressive those eyes could be-- until now.

Kerry reached up to brush a few wet strands of hair from Abby's face. "How are you feeling?"

Abby sighed. "My face hurts. It's manageable--not too bad, but just there. So, smiling, laughing, imitating Samantha Stephens--all roads to pain." She managed a small grin at her own joke, relieved to see a corresponding one form on Kerry's face. "My back is a little sore, too. From the impact against the floor, I guess. Oh, I stole some of your 600mg Ibuprofen. It's dulled things, a little, but I still feel it. The headache's pretty much gone, though. I'll be okay in a couple days."

"The pain--nothing out of the ordinary--given the circumstances? Nothing missed from yesterday?"

"Nope. I'm okay, Kerry, really."

"Good. So," Kerry snuggled back into their embrace. "two whole hours, huh? Any ideas as to how we should fill the time?"

"Oh, I have ideas..." Abby smirked. "Do you need to take a real shower, first, though?

"Um, I should probably wash my hair, at least. In case I don't have time...later, to take a real shower before I leave."

"Okay. Can I-- Will you let me do it? I could use some time under the hot water, anyway. My back."

"Okay." She ducked in and planted a kiss on Abby's collarbone, touched that she would even think to ask. She then backed away to grab the shampoo and hand it over. "Don't linger too long, though. I have much better plans for you."

"Oh, I can't wait..."

Abby did linger over her task a little, enjoying the feel of both the water pounding against her sore muscles and of Kerry's hair sifting through her fingers, but she didn't delay too long. She was just as eager as Kerry to move on to...other things. After Abby helped her rinse her hair, Kerry took a moment to scrub at her face and armpits.

"Abby, why don't you grab a couple towels for us while I rinse off. Unless you wanna wash up?"

Abby shook her head. "I can wait until after you leave for a real shower."

"Okay."

Abby slipped out, grabbed one oversized towel, ran it over her hair and then wrapped it around herself before grabbing another and holding it out for Kerry just in time to wrap her in it. She dried the redhead off quickly but thoroughly, before making an elaborate show of tossing it away, out of reach. She took the opportunity to really look at Kerry for the first time. Kerry looked embarrassed, but mutely allowed the inspection for several minutes before finally declaring, "All right. Enough of that. My turn, now."

Kerry stepped forward and pulled the towel away. She gently gave Abby's body another pass with the towel, ensuring that she was reasonably dry all over before tossing the towel on top of the one already lying there. She slowly led Abby into the bedroom and back to the bed. Her gaze was intense as she directed Abby to, "Lie down." She watched every movement as Abby climbed onto and lay on her back in the middle of the bed.

"Are you comfortable on your back? No pain?"

"I'm fine," Abby squeaked. As much as she'd wanted to be the focus of Kerry's intensity, it was more than a little intimidating.

Kerry slowly climbed over her, still watching her reactions, before gently lowering herself and settling her weight into Abby.

"Still okay?"

"Oh, yeah," Abby breathed, reveling in the softness and warmth of the woman above her. Her arms encircled Kerry almost automatically. "Better than okay."

"Good."

Kerry shifted her weight and braced her left arm against the mattress, then reached up with her right hand and began lightly tracing patterns across Abby's face. Her touch was soft, so gentle that she could barely feel the pressure, even with the bruises.

"I don't want to hurt you."

Abby knew that Kerry wouldn't--couldn't--but didn't trust her voice to speak, so she just shook her head once, hoping Kerry would understand.

"If I do, or if you want me to stop for any reason..."

Abby nodded mutely, wondering at her sudden lack of language skills. She could only stare into Kerry's eyes, lost in the sensations caused by the fingers crawling across her skin. The touch wasn't exactly sexual, but there was something powerfully erotic about it and her desire for Kerry grew and seemed to fill something within her.

"Abby."

Yes. Oh, God, whatever the question is, the answer's yes. That's what she wanted to say--she even opened her mouth to try--but again she couldn't seem to vocalize. She just lay there, hoping Kerry could read the consent, the need, in her eyes.

She couldn't have imagined anything better than having Kerry's fingertips paint an invisible landscape on her skin. Until Kerry replaced them with her lips. Her kisses were impossibly tender as she rediscovered the terrain of Abby's forehead, temples, cheeks, nose, and chin with her lips, finally coming up to plant a series of soft kisses against Abby's lips.

Abby's voice broke free then and she groaned low in her throat. She began to kiss back, trying to draw Kerry in deeper, only to have the other woman pull back from her. She whimpered her frustration.

"Sshhh," Kerry soothed. "Easy. Or kissing may wind up being a road to pain, too."

She wanted to declare it worth the risk, but Kerry cut her off before she could.

"I may not be able to take away the pain you're already feeling, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna add to it."

The concern in Kerry's tone touched her as much as the declaration disappointed her.

Kerry must have read that much in her expression. "If it'll make you feel better, I'll offer you a rain-check for a good and proper--or maybe 'improper' is the better term--make-out session, if and when you're up for it."

"Uh-huh."

It was the last coherent thing Abby uttered for quite some time as Kerry then proceeded to worship--there was no other word for it--her with fingers and lips and teeth and tongue. She made all manner of sounds, of course--some she was later convinced could not have possibly come from her own throat--but nothing that could be credited as language, really. Unless the multiple variations of 'oh' counted. She had said that a lot. But it wasn't until her second orgasm--she had come almost immediately when Kerry's tongue made contact with her clit the first time--broke over her, her clit enveloped in the heat of Kerry's mouth and Kerry's fingers curled within her, that she managed one word, one name.

"Kerrryyyy!"

Kerry rode through the waves with her, gentling her tongue-caresses more and more, until the bucking of Abby's hips subsided. She then pulled away from her task and nuzzled her face against the young woman's belly, breathing out a quiet, "Oh, Abby." She lay like that a few moments until she felt Abby's fingers begin stroking through her hair.

She took it for the invitation it was and hauled herself back across Abby's body and into her arms. They stayed like that, snuggling wordlessly, until they got their breathing and their hearts back under control.

"Kerry?" Despite the hoarseness, Abby was glad to discover that her voice actually worked again.

"Mhmm?" Kerry shifted to look up at her.

"Are you okay? Um, I mean... Do you need me to...?" she let the question trail off.

Kerry smiled contentedly at her. "No. I'm good."

Abby couldn't help but chuckle. "I can attest to that." She smiled even wider when Kerry ducked her head trying to hide a shy grin. She reached out to raise Kerry's chin and bring her eyes back into focus. "Do you have any idea how cute you are when you blush?"

That of course only made Kerry blush all the more. "I must be looking pretty adorable right about now, then..." she smirked.

Abby gently cupped Kerry's jaw, idly brushing her thumb along her cheek. "You are! What would the ER staff say? What would Susan Lewis say?" Abby teased.

"Who are you and what the hell have you done with Kerry Weaver?" Kerry managed a passable imitation of Dr. Lewis, actually--she had the delivery down, at least.

They shared a brief chuckle over that before Kerry settled back into her arms. "Oh, I don't want to leave. What time are we at?"

Abby looked over at the bedside clock and groaned. "Almost nine-thirty."

"Damn. Not much time, if I take the El in," Kerry said, almost to herself.

"Why can't you take your car?"

"I...was going to leave it. In case you might need it." Kerry propped herself up to peer intently into her eyes. "Stay here today, Abby. I don't want you going anywhere near your place today. Not with that bastard still there. If you want, I can go pick up some of your things for you and you can stay here a few days. In the basement, if you'd prefer. Or, I could take you to a hotel... I mean, whatever we decide about...this... I just want to make sure you'll be safe."

"Tell you what. I'll make you a deal. You take the car, come back here after your shift and we'll both go back to my place. I'll probably have to face Brian Westlake sooner or later, anyway, but it would be nice to have a little back-up. I'll stay awhile, and we'll see what happens. And, just for the record, I intend for it to be 'when,' not 'if.'"

"What?" Kerry looked confused by that last part.

"That rain check. You owe me some serious makeout time, and I plan to collect," Abby grinned. "Not to mention make up for a little something I owe you, now."

"That sounds... Like a plan."

"It does, doesn't it? Now, hold me awhile longer. We've got a little time."

Kerry took the request to heart and burrowed her face into Abby's neck.

"Abby?"

"Yeah?" she was already beginning to sound sleepy.

"What would you have done if I'd refused you again and thrown you out of the shower?"

"I'd have...gotten dressed, I suppose. And we'd have had one hell of an uncomfortable two hours to kill. Or one of us would've had to get the hell out, I guess. I'm very, very glad it didn't come to that."

"Me, too. I'm looking forward to figuring out what happens next with you."

Abby sighed and tightened her grip on Kerry. "So am I."

Kerry's lips curled into a smile against her throat. "Just do me one favor, okay?"

"Sure. What?"

"When you decide to collect on that rain check? Not in the middle of my ER, okay?"

Abby shook with laughter beneath her. "Deal. I trust I don't even have to ask the same of you?"

"Oh, no. Interesting as it might be to have you on your knees, 'servicing' me in, say, the drug lock-up, I think I can manage to control my urges."

"Are you sure? 'Cuz that sounds kinda good, actually. But not the drug lock-up. Everyone goes there to make-out." Abby's deadpan delivery worried Kerry enough that she had to check her eyes to verify the twinkle in them. Once she spotted it, she blew out a breath and relaxed again.

But she had to smile at the thought... "Tease."

The end (I think?)