Dreams In The Mist by Cathy Roberts
Summary: A slash story featuring Peter Benton, John Carter, Mark Greene, Luka Kovac, Dave Malucci and Robert Romano, rated NC-17. This story was written in honor of the one year Birthday for the ERROS list at yahoogroups. Thank all of you for joining and staying with the group during this first year. I hope all of you continue to enjoy the stories that are posted and wish you sweet "ER" dreams.
Categories: Regular Characters: Dave Malucci, John Carter, Luka Kovac, Mark Greene, Peter Benton, Robert Romano
Genres: General
Warnings: None
Challenges: None
Series: None
Chapters: 2 Completed: Yes Word count: 8078 Read: 18446 Published: September 22, 2004 Updated: September 22, 2004

1. Chapter One by Cathy Roberts

2. Chapter Two by Cathy Roberts

Chapter One by Cathy Roberts
"You're lonely."

John Carter looked up briefly from where he was suturing a nasty hand lac and he smiled at his patient. "I wouldn't say that."

The woman smiled sadly at him. "The loneliness has colored your aura, Dr. Carter. You're lonely. And yet...and yet I sense that the one who would make you complete is nearby. If only you would open your eyes and heart."

John chuckled, but he avoided looking to his side at Abby. If only Mrs. Tabarek knew just how close to the truth her words were. He finished with a flourish. "There you are, Mrs. Tabarek. Ms. Lockhart will bandage the area for you. You should see your regular physician in ten days to have the stitches removed. Keep the area dry and replace the bandage daily and if it should become wet. Ms. Lockhart will give you a list of instructions." He pushed back on the stool and got to his feet, carefully stretching his back.

"Thank you, Dr. Carter. As you had promised, it hardly hurt at all," Mrs. Tabarek said a sly grin on her face. "I'd like to do something for you. Something to help you end this loneliness that threatens to consume you."

John's eyebrows raised. Sure, he felt lonely from time to time. He had felt even lonelier since he had told Abby that he could no longer be her friend. But it wasn't anything threatening to consume him. Still...he could humor his patient. "If you wish. But it isn't necessary. I'm quite happy with my life."

John could feel two sets of eyes upon him then, Abby's and the patients. Mrs. Tabarek nodded. "When the mist rolls in off the lake, shrouding the city, then that night you will have a vision of your true love, Dr. Carter. Find that love and your loneliness will end."

From behind him John could hear the sound of mocking laughter and he turned to see Dave Malucci standing just a few feet behind him. "Don't you have anything better to do than to eavesdrop?" John icily asked.

Dave's face flushed slightly, but he shook his head. "Not really."

"Then maybe Dr. Weaver can find something to keep you occupied," John suggested.

"You don't believe, Dr. Malucci, but it's true. The mist will show you a truth as well. Watch for it."

Dave gazed intently at Mrs. Tabarek, wondering how she had known his name. Then he remembered that he had his hospital ID on, so she obviously had read it from his badge. "I've got a patient in exam one." Dave hurried away, finding himself amazed at the things some people would believe. True loves and the truth in the mist? Sounded like something out of some grade "B" movie portraying gypsies or other mysterious personages.

John looked back at his patient, expecting her to be upset, but instead she was looking at Dave's retreating back, the same sly grin on her face. "Well, I'll leave you in the capable hands of Ms. Lockhart. Take care, Mrs. Tabarek."

"The same to you, Dr. Carter." The woman replied. As soon as he was out of earshot of the curtained area, she looked up at Abby. "It's not you."

"I beg your pardon?" Abby had been preparing the bandage and wasn't quite sure what the woman was talking about.

"His true love. It's not you, dear. He thinks that you're the one, and you are starting to believe that yourself, but it's not you. You're not meant for him."

"You are you not meant for?" Luka asked as he stepped up beside Abby, a chart in his hand. He had been looking for her so they could talk about their dinner plans. And in case Kerry or someone else came upon them while they were talking, he had a patient that he needed help with, hence the chart.

Mrs. Tabarek looked Luka up and down, then smiled. "She's not meant for you, either, nor you for her."

"Excuse me?" Luka looked from Abby to the woman seated on the gurney, then back to Abby.

"Mrs. Tabarek is playing matchmaker and truth seer today. She's already told Carter that he'll find his one true love in a dream brought to him when the mist rolls in off the lake, and she told Malucci that he'd learn the truth the same night." Abby looked at Mrs. Tabarek. "Did I get that right?"

The woman's smile widened. "Close enough, my dear. I didn't say 'dream' though, I said vision." She looked at Luka and he found himself unable to pull away from her stare. Then she nodded. "You will also learn a truth that night, Dr. Kovac. And maybe find your true love as well. You came close to it once, but as good as that was, she wasn't your true love."

Luka swallowed uncomfortably as he realized that this woman was talking about his marriage. "Abby, I need to speak with you as soon as you're done here."

"Okay," Abby slowly replied. She watched Luka walk away, then returned her attention to Mrs. Tabarek, applying antibiotic cream and then the bandage. "Take this paperwork up to the desk and they'll discharge you."

The woman got to her feet and picked up her purse before taking the papers from Abby. "Thank you. And don't worry, dear. You're time will come. It just won't be this time."

Abby frowned as she watched the woman walk away, then she shook her head and went in search of Luka, dismissing Mrs. Tabarek as yet another kooky patient.


John was erasing Mrs. Tabarek's name from the board when he heard her voice. He turned around and saw her at the desk, trying to get someone's attention so she could be discharged. "Randi, I think you've got a customer," he said, directing Randi's attention to the woman.

Randi glared at him, then walked over to take care of discharging the woman. John smiled at his now former patient and glanced back at the board for a new patient. He heard Peter Benton and Mark Greene walking his way and he greeted both men.

"Morning, Carter," Benton replied, his mind clearly elsewhere.

"I swear, Peter, you'd think that no one had ever had a baby before. Elizabeth just gets so caught up in everything," Mark complained.

"Well, you *do* have an edge on her, Mark, with Rachel. Give Elizabeth some time and she'll calm down." Peter replied with a smile, but it quickly faltered as his eyes saw Cleo across the room.

Mrs. Tabarek followed Peter's gaze, and then she reached over the counter to gently touch him on his forearm, making him jump. "She's fine. You don't need to worry about her."

"Listen to her, Dr. Benton, she knows what she's talking about," John said as he stepped around the older man to reach a chart on the counter.

"Right," Peter scoffed. Even Mark smiled in a condescendingly way, making the woman shake her head.

"So many unbelievers here. It's no wonder so many of you are unhappy." She looked to her left, where Dave was approaching and her eyes then searched out Luka who was standing about twenty feet away, deep in conversation with Abby. But she didn't speak again until Luka looked in her direction. She broke off her stare as a new person entered the admit area, and her gaze then fell upon Robert Romano. While looking directly at him she said, "Mark my words, doctors. There are things in this world that science can't explain. Things that you can only believe in if you're willing to open up your hearts and minds. When the mist comes in off the lake, some of you will have a vision of true love, some will have a vision of the truth, and some will see what might have been while some of you will see what might yet be. And some of you will be given a second chance. But none of it will matter if you keep your hearts and minds closed." She took her completed paperwork from Randi, then nodded at them all and left.

"Why do you always get the weird patients?" Mark asked John.

John shrugged. "Just lucky, I guess. Just lucky. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a hypochondriac waiting for me in exam two."

The words of Mrs. Tabarek were quickly forgotten as the men returned to work. And then a few nights later the land temperature sharply fell while the water temperature remained warm. As darkness descended upon Chicago, a thick mist slowly enveloped the city.

********************

"I am out of here," John said as he slammed his locker door closed. "I'm going to go straight home and directly to bed."

"Rough day?" Mark asked as he, too, closed his locker door.

"Double shift," John replied. "And I am beat. What about you?"

Mark shrugged. "Normal enough day. Now I get to go home to my wife and darling baby girl." He grinned. "I can't think of anything better."

"Me, either. You're lucky, Mark. Very lucky."

Mark thought back to when he thought he was going to die from his brain tumor and he nodded. "You're right about that. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Right."

They walked out of the lounge and past the admit desk where Dave was just beginning his shift. "Don't be late," he called out to John. "I've got plans for the morning."

John laughed. "Right, Malucci. Don't worry, I'll be in on time."

Dave watched John and Mark leave, and then he started to search through the charts until he found a case that he wanted to work with. Turning around to head to Curtain Three, he stopped in his tracks as he saw Kerry Weaver looking at him, a small smile on her face. "Good evening, Chief."

"Good evening, Dr. Malucci. Thanks for finding a case for me," Kerry said. She held out her hand for the chart.

"My pleasure." Dave handed her the chart, then reached back and blindly selected one out of the rack. "Oh, boy, a boil. Just what I like," he blandly said. "I had better get to work."

He walked toward Curtain Three, passing Peter and Romano as they were making their way toward the admit desk.

"Goodnight, Kerry," Robert cheerfully said as he paused long enough to rest his elbows on the counter. "Anything I should know about before I go home? Any dead mass murderers or residents being sent to rehab?"

"No, Robert," Kerry tiredly replied. "Just go home."

Robert grinned at having scored a hit. "With pleasure, Kerry, with pleasure." He pushed himself away from the desk. "So, Peter, what are your plans for the evening? Dinner with Miss Pinprick?"

Peter simply glared at Robert, then walked out of the building.

"Keep working on those people skills, Robert. I think you're starting to improve," Kerry commented as she went to find her patient.

Robert made a face at her retreating back, and then he left for the evening.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Kerry," Luka said as he and Abby passed the Chief in the hallway.

"Have a good evening," Kerry said. "Oh, Abby, the patient in curtain one, did you give her any Tylenol?"

Abby shook her head. "Check with Lydia, I'm pretty sure the woman was her patient."

Kerry nodded. "Got it. Now get out of here before you two get caught here."

Luka laughed. "You don't have to tell me twice. Goodbye."

He and Abby walked through the gathering mist to his car. "Hey," Abby said, "this is the night, isn't it? The one Mrs. Tabarek predicted."

Luka put the keys in the ignition and looked through the windshield at the mist that had even managed to penetrate the parking garage. "You're talking about that woman who was making those wild and mysterious predictions, right?"

Abby nodded. "Yep. What was it all that she said? Stuff about true love and second chances. It should be interesting tomorrow morning to see what all of you guys will dream about tonight."

Luka leaned over and kissed Abby, then grinned. "I can tell you right now what I'm going to be dreaming about tonight."

Abby giggled. "Oh, really? And what will that be? Your *true* love? Mrs. Tabarek said I wasn't her, so I'm not so sure I want you dreaming about *that* tonight."

"Maybe mine will be about second chances. Or seeing the truth." Luka started the car, and then he shook his head, laughing. "It's all just a bunch of nonsense, Abby."

"Yes, well, let's see if you're still saying that in the morning."

************************

John drew open the drapes of his window and looked out into the mist-shrouded night. Mrs. Tabarek's words echoed in his ears, but he dismissed them. John knew he wasn't being consumed by loneliness, even if the woman he loved was in love with another man. Leaving the drapes open, John walked across the room and climbed into bed. Even though it was summer, just looking at the mist made him feel cold. Of course, having the house air conditioner set at sixty-five didn't help matters any, but that was the price of aging, he supposed. His grandparents just didn't seem to be able to tolerate the heat the way they used to. Or the cold, either, he thought, remembering back to how toasty the house had been that past winter. And that was the last thing John thought about as sleep quickly overcame him.

*************************

Robert checked his alarm, then turned off the light and snuggled under his sheets. It had been a long day and he was tired. His eyes closed and it wasn't long before he reached REM sleep. As usual, his dream began with a blonde. Tall, leggy, great breasts. She smiled at him and he reached out to take her hand. And that's when she changed, another thing that was usual in his dreams. The blonde shrank, turning petite and bubbly and when Robert looked into her eyes he found himself looking into the eyes of Lucy Knight. She smiled at him the same way she had smiled at him the Christmas Eve she had convinced him to do a procedure on a heart failure patient. Lucy had such a beautiful smile and he told her so. Lucy nodded her thanks. "But it's not me that you want, Robert." Her hand slipped out of his. *This * was NOT a usual part of his dreams and he turned restlessly in his bed. Usually he and Lucy would walk and talk until he awoke to the jarring sound of his alarm. Why was tonight different? He tried to change his dream, to make Lucy behave as normal, but she kept walking away. Robert had no choice but to follow her, even when he suddenly found himself walking down a corridor in the hospital. Lucy paused at a door and looked back at him, laughing. Then she stepped through. Robert had to run to catch up to her, at least he hoped he was catching up, but when he opened the door he didn't see Lucy. Instead he saw a patient on a bed in a room he recognized. The patient rolled over and just as Robert's eyes registered the fact that he was looking at John Carter the scene changed and he was in his own bedroom, looking at John Carter as he lay in his bed. Carter stretched out an arm to him, beckoning Robert to come to bed. And Robert found himself obeying that request as he lifted the covers aside and slipped between the sheets, his now naked body touching the equally naked body of Carter.

Once again, a part of his brain tried to change the direction of the dream, but a woman's voice whispered 'open your heart and mind' and Robert ceased that effort. What the Hell, he thought, it's just a dream and doesn't mean anything.

Goosebumps erupted all over his body as Carter's hand lightly skimmed over his belly, descending to cup his balls and fondle his now rampant cock. "The rocket," Carter whispered.

"That's right," Robert replied with a grin. "And it's on a pre-set course, Carter...John." Robert felt his heart swell when he saw the look of love and desire shining out of John's eyes.

"And is it set for any planet in particular?" John asked as his lips found a sensitive spot on Robert's neck.

"Ahhhh, yes." Robert replied his own hands now seeking out parts of John's body and making him moan. "I do believe that it's heading for Planet Carter." Robert slipped a finger into a tight and hot opening and was rewarded with another moan from John's throat. Even though he had never before thought about being with another man, Robert seemed to know exactly what to do, and he was surprised at how right it felt as his cock was slowly enveloped by John Carter's body. They fucked...no, they made love. Slowly and deeply, they kissed and fondled while hips thrust to meet each other. They came together, their orgasms forcing screams out of their throats, strangled yells that attested to just how good it had felt.

Robert awoke with a start and he stared up at his ceiling. His eyes were drawn to the window and through the partially closed blinds he could see the mist of the night swirling around his house. "Just nonsense," he muttered and then he realized that he had come in his sleep and all because of a dream he had had where he screwed out the brains of John Carter.

****************************

John mumbled something in his sleep and then his body arched upward as his orgasm rocked his entire being. His eyes fluttered open, but he was still suspended in that area halfway between the dream world and the world of the awake. He gazed at the window as a face started to form in the mist. Before it could fully take shape his eyelids lowered and he returned to the land of Nod.

*****************************

"Ella asleep?" Mark lazily asked as he felt Elizabeth settle onto the mattress beside him.

"Yes, she's fed, changed and asleep. Finally." Elizabeth placed a quick kiss on the back of Mark's neck, then curled up behind him. "Goodnight."

"Night," Mark yawned. The quiet of the house combined with the tiring day soon lulled Mark to sleep. When his dreams began they were of happy times. His little Rachel playing happily with an older Ella while a smiling Elizabeth looked on. They were in the backyard of the house, playing croquet and Mark was on the deck, grilling burgers for them all as they basked in the sunshine. And then they all looked up as dark clouds gathered overhead -- lightning flashed and thunder rolled and they all ran for cover inside the house as the rain poured down. From the door Mark watched as the rain bloated the hamburgers into large rafts and then they were all seated on one of them, floating down the street and into the Chicago River. Other families were afloat, and they waved at each other as they passed. Then Elizabeth screamed and Mark followed her pointing finger to see that the river dropped off right before them. He tried to reach for his daughters as the hamburger raft tipped over the top of the waterfall. The water roaring in his ears, Mark called out for his family, but there were no answers as he was pulled under the water.

He awoke, sputtering, dimly aware that someone had been performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on him. Opening his eyes he looked up into the expressive orbs of Carter. Carter smiled down at him and Mark felt warm and tingly all over from that simple expression. "You're alive," Carter said, clearly happy over that prospect.

"Yes," Mark replied as he sat up. He was now on a beach and the sun was out, warming his naked body. Carter was also naked, but that didn't seem to bother Mark. As he looked at Carter he found that he quite liked what he was looking at. "I've always found myself attracted to you." The words seemed oddly familiar, but Mark didn't quite know why, nor did he care. The only thing that mattered was that Carter needed to say the same words back to him.

Carter laughed. "I like you, too, Mark. Come and dance with me." Carter helped Mark to his feet and they wrapped their arms around each other while a band played a slow song.

None of the band members seemed to care that two men were naked and dancing on the sand...no, pavement outside of the ER. They were in the ambulance bay, near the basketball hoop and Carter's hands were slowly caressing Mark's buttocks. Mark's cock was hard and pressing against Carter's equally hard cock. Mark found that if he pulled Carter tightly against him and moved his body up and down that an exquisite friction was created.

"God, Mark, don't stop." Carter begged and Mark could see by the look on Carter's face that he was about to come. Mark knew he was close to the edge as well, and he wanted them to come at the same time. He began to writhe against Carter, thrilled when the resident ground his hips. They both cried out as they came, their come hitting their bellies and acting like glue to hold them together.

"Don't leave me," Mark said, but then he found himself holding empty air as Carter's body disappeared and the rain once more began to fall. Mark dropped to his knees on the pavement, crying over his loss. He then felt warm arms holding him and he heard a voice telling him to wake up, that it was just a dream and everything was okay. As Mark slowly drifted back to the real world, he wondered why he would dream of John Carter when he had someone like Elizabeth Corday in his bed and in love with him. But even as Elizabeth's kisses warmed him, Mark found himself missing the way it had felt to hold Carter.

**********************************

"No," John softly cried out and this time he awoke a bit more. His legs were tangled in the bedclothes and his body was sweaty, as were his pajamas. But by the time John had untangled the sheets and comforter, he was too tired to bother with changing. As the mist continued to form a distinct shape, John drifted back to sleep.
Chapter Two by Cathy Roberts
"Hey, Frank, if anyone's looking for me, I'll be crashed out in Exam One," Dave called as he ducked into the room. The ER had been hopping since shortly after his shift had begun and he hadn't been able to get the nap he had so desperately needed during the day. First there had been the meeting with Amy's teacher, then Amy had reminded him about his promise to take her to the Children's Museum and that had eaten up a good portion of their day off. Not that he really could have slept long with her home all day anyway. But spending time with his daughter, even if it meant giving up sleep was worth the world to Dave. It had taken a lot of extra working hours at walk-in clinics for Dave to get them into a two-room apartment. It was nice to not have to sleep on the couch all the time, and now Dave was faced with a bit more funds in savings than he was used to, so he had thought of getting a car. Not a sports car like he had been talking up in the ER, but something practical and sensible. If his co-workers later ribbed him about his choice of vehicle he would say he couldn't afford the insurance on a sporty model. He wouldn't tell them that he needed a safe and reliable car in which to transport his kid to her little league games or cheerleading. He grinned as he thought about how adaptable his little girl had become. Amy was growing up to look just like her mother, a real looker. And she was also a real slugger when up to bat. No one in the league had her hitting average, no one. And last year Amy had won a trophy at the cheerleading competition. Not bad for a ten year old.

But even if Dave wasn't going to buy a sports car, that didn't mean he couldn't dream of one, did it? He closed his eyes and called up a vision of a car -- a cherry red Mazda convertible. Sleek and fast. As he drifted off to sleep, Dave could see himself behind the wheel of that car, tooling off down Route 66 without a care in the world. Just him and...Carter? Okay, that was cool. Yeah, him and Carter, racing down the road, not another car in site; both of them looking cool in dark shades and both of them equally naked. Naked? Where had *that* come from? But, looking at himself in the mirror, Dave had to concede that he looked very hot. All that work at the gym paid off and he flexed his muscles. Which wasn't an easy thing to do with Carter's hands wrapped around his bicep as he admired Dave's definition.

"Like what you see there, Hoss?" Dave asked with a smirk.

"Oh, yeah. I like it." Carter replied and then he was on Dave's lap. Dave closed his eyes and groaned as he felt his hard cock squeezed as Carter slowly impaled himself upon it. Dave's hands left the wheel and he grabbed Carter's ass, guiding him down and into place. "Like what you've got there, Malucci?" Carter asked with a grin.

"Oh, yeah," Dave moaned. "I like it, I like it."

The smooth road suddenly became bumpy, full of speed bumps and potholes. Dave's hands frantically groped for the steering wheel, but Carter grabbed one of them and placed it on his own hard cock. "Forget about the road, Malucci. Make me come."

One benefit of the pitted blacktop was that neither man needed to do much work in order for them to fuck. Dave wouldn't candy-coat things by calling it making love. He made love to women, not men. If he was having sex with Carter then they were fucking, pure and simple. With every pothole hit, Dave's cock went deeper into Carter's body, and every speed bump made Carter move upward. Dave's hand slowly worked up and down Carter's cock, and he grinned as he made Carter moan just as much as he was moaning.

"Ever been with another guy?" Carter asked, his entire body shining with perspiration.

"No."

"Really? You do this so well. So perfectly. You're good at it."

"I'm good at a lot of things," Dave replied and he bucked his hips, silencing Carter.

"Has anyone ever wanted you?" Carter asked.

And then they weren't in the car; they were seated on a chair in an exam room, while another version of Dave tended to a patient. It wasn't County, it was a different hospital and Dave vaguely remembered it. The door opened and a distinguished looking man walked in, his lab coat pressed and dazzling white. He walked over and examined the sutures that Dave was placing in the head of a drunk.

"Excellent work, Dr Malucci. Are you sure you won't reconsider my offer? I'd love to have you working with me."

Dave smiled, but he shook his head. "Sorry, Dr. Ingram, but plastics just isn't for me."

"Not enough excitement?"

"Not nearly enough. Money's good though, tempting. But..." Dave liked the adrenaline rush of the ER. Plastics was dull.

"You've got the talent and the patience for reconstructive surgery, Dr. Malucci. I really do wish you'd reconsider. You'd be amazed at the good you can do with a talented pair of hands such as yours."

And then they were back in the car. "You're good, Dr. Dave, too good to stay in the ER," Carter said.

"I like the ER. It suits me," Dave gasped as his orgasm neared. "It suits me just fine."

Then his world exploded as Dave came, over and over again. The last thing he heard as Carter disappeared from the car was a whisper on the wind; "You're so talented. Don't waste it."

*******************************

John whispered in his sleep, "...waste it." A face neared the glass of his window, but John didn't open his eyes to see it.

*********************************

Usually Luka fell right to sleep after making love with Abby, but not tonight. For some reason her reminder about what that crazy woman had said kept echoing in his mind. It was all nonsense, Luka thought. Stupid ramblings that meant nothing. But...there was a heavy mist outside, one that reminded him more of horror movies and not of true love or second chances. As he fell asleep, thoughts of the woman Luka knew to be his true love ran through his head. His Danijela: friend, lover, wife, mother of his children. To say that she had not been his true love was a lie; a cold lie and Luka didn't want to believe that.

His dreams took him back to Croatia, to the life he led before he descended into Hell. Jasna was a happy little toddler, well, a bit past the toddler stage, but still little. Marko was a wriggling bundle inside of Danijela and the three of them were very happy.

Luka was on the floor of his apartment, a horsy for his daughter, her laughter ringing through the room while Danijela warned them to be quiet or else they'd wake the neighbors. And then they were on the coast, walking through the sand, stopping to build giant castles while Danijela lounged in the sun. Next they were on a boat, bobbing on the water, fishing. Always Luka and his Jasna, with Danijela in the background watching, never participating.

The dream turned ugly as the bombs rained upon them in Vukovar. The boat gave way to the shambles of Luka's apartment where he struggled for hours to keep his Jasna alive. He could have saved Danijela, but he knew that if he stopped compressions on Jasna, then her heart would stop for good and she'd be dead. And so he worked on Jasna while Danijela bled out, his tears washing away the blood on his hands. "No," he cried out when he relived the death of his daughter and he knew then that if Danijela had been the true love of his life then he wouldn't have let her die while he pushed on the chest of a dead child.

The apartment faded away and Luka found himself standing on the deck of his sailboat as it sat at anchor in Lake Michigan. He had come to America to make a new life for himself and had done very well. He missed his boat, though, and the freedom of being on the water.

"I miss it, too."

Luka didn't turn at the voice, he just stood there while John Carter wrapped his arms around Luka's waist and rested his chin on Luka's shoulder, looking out at the lake from where he stood behind him.

"I love you, Luka Kovac."

Luka turned within John's arms and he smiled down at his lover. "I love you, too, John Carter. I wish I hadn't been so blinded by Carol Hathaway when I first started at County. When I think of all the time we could have had together..."

"Shh," John placed his fingers against Luka's lips to silence him. "It's no good to get lost in wishes."

Luka's answer was to slowly suck those fingers into his mouth, showing John just what he planned to do with John's body once he had him below deck. Their eyes locked, and Luka was once more rocked to his very core as he saw the love and devotion in John's brown eyes. He could only hope that John could see the same looking back at him. "Come, we need to go below deck now."

"The sun's setting, Luka." John pointed out. "And it's warm out here."

Luka grinned. "You want to do it out here on the deck?"

Blushing, John nodded. "Yes."

They were both naked as Luka lowered both of their bodies to the deck. Moving silently, Luka kissed and nipped his way down John's body, making his lover squirm and cry out for Luka's touch. When Luka's mouth engulfed John's hard cock, John moaned and the sound went to Luka's brain, impelling him to do all he could to please the man beneath him. Luka sucked and licked and played until John finally came, shouting out Luka's name. And then Luka was inside of John, thrusting madly as he knew he had to come inside of John or he would die for the lack of him. And he also shouted out when he came, a shout that jolted him awake.

Sitting up, Luka looked beside him and seeing Abby moving restlessly in her sleep. She hadn't heard him call out Carter's name -- God, that had been so sweet, Luka remembered with a smile. And he felt strangely disappointed that it was Abby in bed beside him and not John Carter. Luka stifled a chuckle as he got out of bed and headed into the bathroom to clean himself. To think that he would have a wet dream centered on the man who was the biggest threat to his relationship with Abby. But as Luka looked at his reflection in the mirror he found himself questioning just how it was that Carter threatened that relationship. Was it because Luka was afraid that Abby loved Carter more than she loved him, or was it because Luka was actually afraid that, if given the chance, he would love Carter more than he had ever loved anyone else?

**************************

Luka's voice calling out his name rang in John's ears as he jerked upright in bed. Sitting there in the darkness he could hear his own heart beating wildly within his chest and he was suddenly aware that he had come while dreaming. John stumbled out of bed and into his bathroom where he stripped and washed up, then he crawled back into bed, not even bothering with dry nightclothes. No one ever bothered him in the morning, so he didn't have to worry about shocking his grandparents with his nudity. Rolling over in bed, John's eyes fell upon the window and the mist outside. If he looked at the mist just right, he thought he could make out a face...but he wasn't quite sure. Still, the idea intrigued him as he concentrated on that instead of on the wet dream he had just had about Abby's boyfriend. The increasingly cohesive image was the last thing John saw as he fell back asleep.

**************************

Peter's apartment was empty without Reese or Cleo about. If asked about it, Peter would have been the first to say that the silence of being alone was a good thing because it enabled him to go over his surgical notes in peace. The silence gave him plenty of uninterrupted time to read the journals and catch up on what was going on in the medical world. Heck, it even gave him time to read all the issues of 'People' magazine that collected on his nightstand. It wasn't a magazine he would have normally reached for, but ever since Carter had saved the day ages ago with a procedure he had read about in 'People', Peter had subscribed to it. Of course, even if Reese and Cleo had been there with him, Peter would have still been sitting in his living room in the quiet. Cleo wasn't much for staying up and reading and Reese couldn't help being quiet.

The journal was boring and the quiet unnerving, so Peter gave up on reading and headed for bed. Years of working odd shifts in the hospital had taught him how to fall asleep immediately, and this time was no exception. But falling asleep in a hospital meant a light sleep, one that could easily be interrupted for an emergency. It took longer for REM sleep to find Peter, but when it did, it took him for a long and strange ride.

He found himself in Jackie's house -- no, it was his mother's house and Peter could see her through the doorway of the kitchen, moving back and forth as she prepared a meal. From the smells Peter knew it was their Thanksgiving dinner she was making and it made his mouth water. His mother stepped into the doorway and looked at him, smiling. "Aren't you going to go and get your friend? I invited him here, Petey, and I meant what I said."

"Yes, ma'am." Peter walked out of the house and down the street, not knowing whom his mother meant. He didn't have many friends, mostly because the guys in the neighborhood who were his age were more into girls and running around, or getting high. They felt he was trying to 'be white' by studying and laughed at him when he told them he was going to be a doctor someday. Still, his mother wanted his friend to come for dinner and he would find a friend to eat with them.

The sidewalk turned into the hallway in front of the elevators at County General and Peter saw Carter sitting nearby, looking dazed. "Come on, man," Peter told him. "My mother's waiting for you."

Carter looked up at him; uncertainty mixed with hope in his eyes. "You want me to come to your house, Dr. Benton?"

"My mother invited you, didn't she?"

Carter quickly nodded.

"Then get your things and come on."

Carter grabbed his coat and notebook and, like a puppy, followed Peter all the way back to the house. Peter's mother hugged Carter and beamed at her son. "I'm so glad you came for dinner. You're always welcome in my house, John Carter."

The scene faded away and Peter stood on a slightly wet pavement, his jaw stinging from the blow that Carter had just planted on him. He looked at Carter in disbelief, wondering something so terrible could have happened to someone so good in such a short amount of time. And then Carter was in his arms, crying and Peter held him, stroking his back, kissing the top of his head, comforting him all he could. In his dream Peter could say the things he had only thought back then. "It'll be okay, Carter, trust me. They'll help you there and you'll come back to me alive. I can't lose you, not now."

The body within his arms stiffened and then Carter looked up at him, his brown eyes shimmering with more tears. "I won't leave you."

"Good." Peter lowered his head to taste the lips that were so tantalizingly close to his own and then he and Carter were seated in a club, jazz music playing all around them.

Carter grinned at him. "We all know what happens after the jazz club, don't we?"

Peter grinned back and patted his knee. Carter moved from his chair to the proffered seat. "Yes," Peter said as he began to nuzzle Carter's neck. "We most certainly do know what happens after the jazz club, and after journal club and any other club you can think of."

"That feels so good, don't stop," Carter purred, arching his back while Peter's hand rubbed circles over it. Peter's other hand was slowly skimming over Carter's chest, turning his nipples erect and making them his own personal toys.

"You're mine, Carter. You've always been mine," Peter said as he turned Carter's head toward his own so they could kiss.

When they broke apart, Carter gasped a yes and then he was bent over the table, waiting for Peter to enter him. And Peter eagerly did so, but he reined in his enthusiasm, wanting to pleasure Carter as much as possible. His slow lovemaking was almost agonizing for them both, but it was Carter who gave in first as he started to babble and beg for Peter to take him fully. It was a request that Peter was more than happy to fulfill.

They came together and Peter collapsed upon Carter's back, then found himself in bed with Carter, curled up next to each other. "I love you," Peter said as he once again kissed him.

"I love you, too," Carter sleepily replied.

There was a light knock on his bedroom door and it opened slightly, just enough for Peter's mother to stick her head into the room. She smiled at them. "Welcome to my house, John Carter."

"Thank you, Mrs. Benton."

"It's 'Mama', now, John," she gently corrected. "Now you two boys be good and quiet so I can get some sleep."

The door closed and Carter snuggled closer to Peter. "It's good to be home."

"It's good to have you home," Peter replied, his heart full of joy now that he had Carter by his side forever.

***************************
When John opened his eyes he saw that he was holding a pillow against his chest. It wasn't the warmth of Peter Benton's body, but just a down filled bag. John tossed it off of the bed and gazed up at the ceiling, taking in the fact that it was now morning. He glanced at his clock and saw that he had a few minutes before his alarm was set to go off. He felt as if he could roll over and go right back to sleep because he definitely didn't feel rested. Too many dreams in one night were not a good thing, he thought as he headed for the bathroom and his shower. What made it worse was that all of his dreams had been about men -- men he worked with, no less, and that bothered him. But at least they weren't anything he'd have to share, so there was some saving grace in all of it.

**************************

As John walked into the ER and saw Dave behind the admit desk, he felt embarrassed over the dream he had had about Dave. It didn't help matters any when Dave looked up at him and then quickly looked away, his own face slowly growing pink. John said a non-committal good morning, then escaped into the lounge where Mark was drinking coffee and Luka stood at his locker. Shit, this wasn't good, John thought as the memories of those dreams rushed back to him. It was odd that each of them looked away from him and John quickly looked down at his pants, hoping that he wasn't sporting a woody or something. Nope, everything was normal down below. It was just going to be a weird morning, John thought. A very weird morning.

And the day became even stranger for John. At one time he had to call for a surgical consult and Romano himself answered it. John was all prepared to deflect Romano's normal barbs, but none came his way. Instead Romano seemed to be watching him and John felt very self-conscious whenever he caught Romano looking at him. It was almost as if Romano knew about the dream John had about the two of them, but John knew that wasn't possible.

When it was time to go home, Kerry asked John to stay as Deb was ill. John agreed, not really caring about working another double shift. The day had been easy and it would be a relief to be at work without having to look at the men he had dreamt about the night before. Just as John was being thankful that he was spared having to look at Peter after *that* particular dream, the man appeared before him, looking intense, as usual. But John kept away from Peter, not trusting himself to speak to the man. Hell, he didn't really trust himself to speak to any of his co-workers, not Romano, Dave, Mark, Luka or Peter. And after a day of freedom from any of Dave's taunts, John was now faced with spending his second shift with the man.

"Since it's quiet, I'm going to get a nap while I can." John said and he quickly disappeared down the hallway.

Abby watched John walk away, then hitched her purse higher on her shoulder before turning her attention to the men gathered around the admit desk. "It was pretty misty outside last night, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Dave asked, looking suspicious.

Abby shrugged. "Nothing much. But didn't Mrs. Tabarek say something about all of you having dreams or something like that on the next misty night after she was here?"

Randi nodded. "I remember that. She said that some would find true love, some would find the truth, and some would see what might have been while some would see what might yet be. And some of you will be given a second chance." She blew a bubble and looked at Dave. "So what did you find last night, Dr. Dave?"

"We're not talking about that crazy prediction again are we?" Robert asked as he approached the desk. The truth was that all day he had been thinking about it, trying to figure out if his dream had been about John Carter and something that might yet be or about Lucy Knight and what might have been.

"We are," Randi said. "You were a part of that prediction, weren't you?"

"I was standing here, I doubt if that makes me a part of it all though." Romano replied.

Abby and Randi exchanged grins as the men fell into an amiable argument about whether or not Romano had been included in that prediction. It didn't miss their notice that none of them were saying just what they had dreamt about.

**************************

John was only half-asleep when he felt the weight of another body on the gurney beside him. He held his breath as he felt a hard chest press up against his back, a man's chest. An arm snaked over John's side and the hand slowly began to unbutton his shirt while warm lips barely touched the back of his neck. He tentatively moved one hand back and found a hardness under the material at the man's groin. As hot fingers touched his chest, John sighed and when those fingers brought his nipples to hardness, he moaned.

"Are you...?"

"Yes," a voice whispered into his ear. "If you want me, that is."

John nodded. "Yes. I'm so tired of being lonely." He rolled over and they kissed, their tongues roaming freely, as they tasted for real what they couldn't really taste in their dreams. They had opened their hearts and true love had walked in, making it certain that neither man would ever be alone again.


The End
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