Title: "Hopelessly Addicted"

Series: 'Two Years On - Part V'

Author: Anna Rousseau <annadelamico@yahoo.co.uk>

Genre: JC/AD Romance/Drama

Rating: PG-15

Previous Parts: 'Someone Old, Something New'; 'I Won't Leave You Lonely'; 'Welcome Back, Dr Carters'; 'This Year's Love'

Summary: Basically a happy ever after story for Carter and Anna set in series 7. Story so far: they got married, Anna's about 2 months pregnant and Dr. Weaver is sending them to Haiwaii for a trauma conference. We continue on an angst free plot - or is this too good to be true?

Notes: Song used is 'Hopelessly Addicted' by the Corrs, make of it what you will. I'm not sure what Carter's sister's name is...but lots of other fics had her down as Barbara- sorry if I plagarised in that sense, it is unintentional!

"TWO YEARS ON V - HOPELESSLY ADDICTED"

======================================

Dave Malucci sat at admit with a grin plastered across his face that could only be described as stupid. He was staring at something on the other side of the room with an obsessive intensity.

"What's wrong with Dave?" Anna asked as she and Carter approached the desk and scrutinised the state of the ER. Very loud rock music was echoing through the corridors and the surface that was usually cluttered by stacks of T-Sheets was adorned with chips, dips, pizza and pastries not to mention a few bottles of beer.

Chuni waved a hand in front of the younger resident, but he kept focus on his object of desire, "Dr. Chen gave him a kiss at midnight and he's acting as if they're gonna get hitched."

Anna rolled her eyes and looked over the board, "Why's it so slow? I was expecting half of Chicago to be in here vomiting all over the place!"

"Well I'm enjoying the calm before the storm," Dave said, finally moving to open a bottle of Budweiser. "Where have you two been anyway?"

"In the suture room," Carter replied.

"Doing Q and A," Anna added quickly, her face flushing at the question.

Dave grunted, "Right. I'd do Q and A if it meant getting some serious necking." He pointed to Carter's neck which was coated with smeared red marks.

Carter placed a hand over his neck and stuttered, "I-uh, I'm going to...left some charts, I'll be back."

Anna watched as he rushed down the corridor to the Men's Room before she turned back to her collegues, both of them were facing her with innocent smiles on their faces, "What?"

Chuni grinned and whispered so only the three of them could hear her, "So did you and Carter-"

"What?" Anna exclaimed as she bent her neck to hide her red cheeks, "In the suture room, please!"

Dave sighed, "So you're just as boring as I thought you were."

Anna pushed past him and headed towards the lounge for coffee, "I see what you're doing, Dave, and it isn't going to work."

"Worth a try!"

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

Elizabeth Corday moaned loudly as she collapsed onto the worn sofa, closing her eyes with every intention of falling asleep right there in the lounge. She was startled by the sound of a door opening across the room. Elizabeth forced one eyelid open and a slight smile played on her exhausted face.

"Anna?" She inquired as she identified the cascade of golden hair that concealed the resident's face. Anna closed the door of the freezer compartment, placing some ice cubes in a plastic bag.

"Hey, Elizabeth," Anna replied sinking into the sofa next to the surgeon and placing the bag of ice on her forehead. "You look wasted!"

"Why thank you," Elizabeth said as she gave a weak smile. "We both work long shifts, you glow, but I look knackered. Maybe I should consider getting pregnant."

Anna laughed, "Believe me, it comes at a price. You wouldn't believe the morning sickness I've been having."

The British doctor lent forwards and drank down the last drops of her milky tea, "So, how are you?"

Anna rolled her head from side to side, pressing the ice against her cheeks, "To tell you the truth - fantastic. Really, it's too good to be true!"

"Don't say that you'll jinx it!" Corday replied as she felt her spirts lifting by the presence of the first friend she had made in the US.

She laughed, "Carter, John...he's just brilliant...oh Elizabeth, I really do love him. I'm so in love with him I just can't think about anything else." Anna stopped and smiled, "I must sound-"

"Like an incredibly lucky woman," Corday finished.

"I was thinking 'adolesent'," Anna admitted as she placed the ice bag on the table.

"Don't be silly," Elizabeth replied as she placed a hand around Anna's shoulders, "I am so happy for you, happy for you and Carter. It couldn't have happened to two nicer people."

"Thank you."

"That's my blessing done and dusted, now time for gossip," the red-head said excitedly as she leant over and nudged Anna. "So?"

Anna looked at her bemusedly, "So..."

Elizabeth grinned at her, "You know what I mean!"

"Oh that!" Anna replied, putting the bag of ice down whilst she pushed back a stray strand of golden hair.

"Come on, Anna...I've heard Carter-"

Anna grinned as she thought back to her honeymoon. She turned to her friend and confessed something in a low tone, "The sex is incredible."

Elizabeth leant back in the couch and smiled back, "Tell me more!"

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

Dave ambled along the corridor still phased by the kiss Jing-Mei had given him earlier, it was to be expected really, the woman could *really* kiss. Sighing at the thought still fresh in his mind her pushed open the door and was startled to hear Elizabeth Corday.

"You did it in the Suture Room?"

***********

Anna blushed at Elizabeth's exclamation.

"Excuse me," she heard Dave say from the doorway. "I guess I shouldn't have presumed you and Carter were boring...but the *suture room*...geez."

The blonde resident raised a finger at him, "You tell anyone Malucci and you are dead."

"Don't worry," Dave replied as he grabbed his coat from a chair. "I'm sure everyone heard Dr. Corday the first time."

The women laughed as Dave left the lounge, muttering to himself with raised eyebrows.

*********

"John!"

The enormous front door of the Carter's mansion opened to reveal Millicent Carter, dressed in some expensive fashion bought on a recent trip to Europe.

"Hi, Gamma," Carter replied as he stepped into the hallway, which was festively decked out for the New Year.

Anna slipped in behind him, "Hello Mrs. Carter."

Millicent gave her a strange look, "Oh please, you're making me feel really old, Anna!" The older lady pulled her granddaughter-in-law in for a peck on the cheek.

Anna blushed and held out a box, "We just wanted to say thank you for our honeymoon, it's not much but we just wanted to show you how much we enjoyed it."

She glanced at Carter as his grandmother led them to one of the reception rooms and delicately sat on one of the luxurious sofas. Millicent carefully opened the box and let out a chuckle.

"Thank God it isn't one of those beef jerky makers!" Carter smiled as she held up the blown glass bowl to the liht. "Very beautiful, thank you dear."

Carter leant on the mantle piece, "Anna chose it."

"We got lost on Saturday and we stumbled across this couple who made really great ornaments- well, we couldn't resist it!"

"You sure you can afford that on a resident's salary?" Came a joking voice from across the room.

"Barbara!" Carter exlaimed as his sister rushed across to where he was standing. They embraced briefly and exchanged a few brotherly and sisterly remarks.

Barbara came over to Anna and gave her a kiss on the cheek, "How are you?"

"Fine!" Anna smiled at Carter's sister who had the same thick, gold-tinted hair and mahogany eyes as well as the Carter family's captivating smile.

"Well, John. You did very well for yourself," Barbara said over her shoulder. She grinned at Anna evilly, "But I cannot see what you saw in my idiot excuse for a brother! I mean, he doesn't invite me to your wedding-"

"Barb! I did invite you, and Gamma, but you were both too busy-"

She held up a hand, "Kidding! I was in Europe, I'm sorry! So here's your gift-" Barbara handed Anna an envelope, "I haven't got the best taste in the world, so I'm gonna leave you two to pick out the crockery. Is that OK?"

"Perfect!" Anna rolled her eyes, "I mean the amount of dishes Dave manages to break!"

Barbara blinked, "Who's Dave?"

"Room-mate, ER doc, long story, I'll tell you later," Carter grinned at Anna.

"He's your general High School jock who never grew up," Anna explained as she awkwardly accepted a glass of champagne from the butler.

"So," Millicent said as she got up from where she was sitting. "You kids've got half an hour to play before the meal's served."

Barbara jumped up, "I have to make some calls, so I'll see you at lunch. John, why don't you give Anna a tour of the house?"

Carter looked at Anna, "Sound interesting?"

"Only if I get to see your room," Anna replied as he led her up the stairs.

********

"What are you laughing at?" Carter exlaimed as Anna leafed through a photograph album she had snatched off the bookcase.

She collapsed on a chaise lounge near the foot of his gigantic bed, "A mullet?"

"It was the eighties Anna," as if that explained it all. He sat next to her. "I'm sure you had a perm then."

She laughed, "Yeah, one of those one's that made me look like a poodle...but mullets, ugh!"

Carter looked into her eyes, "When do we tell them about the baby?"

"Today? Nah- bit to early probably," Anna replied as she patted her stomach which was was a hint larger than it used to be, but not noticable yet.

"Anna, I want to ask you a question."

"Yes," she replied seriously, snapping the album shut.

"Would you love me if I had a mullet?"

Anna's mouth twisted into a grin, "I'd love you, but I would hypnotise you and get it cut off."

She ruffled his hair and laughed to herself, "What's so funny now?"

Anna sighed as she leant across his chest, Cartar's arm draping across her shoulders, "I was imagining look on your grand-mother's face if she hear what we did in her holiday home."

Carter smiled as he played with her hair which was twisted in a chignon, a few tenrils hanging loose to frame her face, "In front of the fireplace?"

"On the bed..."

"In the hot-tub..."

"In the shower..."

Carter grinned, "The shower...not to mention the sauna."

Anna laughed softly, "Whoa, we were pretty hot then. I'm not even gonna mention the kitchen."

Carter drew her chin up with his fingers, "Why not?"

"OK, the kitchen," Anna continued as she trailed her fingers down his neck.

Carter kissed her neck softly, "The dining room..."

"We got around," Anna said widening her eyes.

"I think, Gamma would have a fit!"

She disentangled herself and knelt on the bed, "Hmm, bouncy..." She drew in a breath as she felt Carter kiss his way across the back of her neck. She tilted her head back and gave him a seductive look, "What'cha say we give her a coronary?"

"You *are* evil," Carter smiled at Anna as she pulled him over, somehow pinning him to the bed. "But only you would make homocide sound innocent."

"What if someone comes in?"

They shared a slow kiss before either spoke again, "I don't think they'd be too scandalised, after all - we are married."

******

Maggie Doyle groaned as she heard giggles come from the seats behind her. This was getting just too annoying, the last thing she needed was some bubbly hetro couple fawning over each other. She dropped the latest edition of 'Guns & Gals' on to the fold away table top in front of her. She turned in her seat and prepared to shout at someone for disturbing her reading.

"Carter?" Maggie exclaimed. "Anna?"

"Hey, Maggie!" The gorgeous blonde replied, her hand in some sort of permanent lock with the their mutual friend.

"Carter and Anna, together- too much free alchohol Doyle!" She said shaking her head. "Uh, so Anna how are you."

Anna beamed back at her former co-worker, "Pregnant."

"Geez, Carter, you do work fast!" She glanced at their entwined hands, "I see you did the decent thing and married her."

"I am capable of being a gentleman," Carter replied.

Maggie looked over Anna who was even more beautiful than she remembered, "Typical, how come all the great women are already taken."

Carter narrowed his eyes, "Hey, you can't look at her, Maggie, she's my wife."

"I didn't know the Thought Police had recruited you Carter," Maggie retorted as she passed Anna a booklet.

"Mercy sent you to the conference then?" Carter asked Maggie.

"Yeah, don't look so surprised," she replied fiddling with her hair clip. "I am Chief Resident."

"I heard, congratulations."

"To you too," Maggie replied. She lowered her tone, "How are you, John? I-uh...heard from Kerry about-"

"Atlanta?" Carter guessed. He was silent for a moment.

Maggie wondered if she had said something terribly tactless and tore her eyes away from the young man, diverting her attention to Anna.

Del Amico's face was drained of colour and her eyes were fixed on part of the the conference's schedule. Her hands looked clammy and they were beginning to tremble. Suddenly she dropped the booklet and rubbed her neck.

"Excuse me," Anna said quietly, as she got up and headed down the aisle.

TO BE CONTINUED

Feedback appreciated,

annadelamico@yahoo.co.uk