The sound of the door swinging open wakes you up. Groggily, you lift your head, briefly wondering whether you should call the police. The thoughts pass quickly as you hear Remy's muffled voice in the hall and you remember that she had gone out quite a while ago. Another voice reaches you ears and though you can't tell what their saying, it's obviously another woman. Part of you is intrigued - you'd heard rumours of the internist's late night habits and the girl she'd brought into the ER that time fed the hospitals gossip pool for a generous amount of time - but the other part of you is irritated that she'd bring someone home with her knowing you'd be here. I mean, wasn't she the one who's offered her home up on the internet, looking for a roommate? It's not like you're dating and it is her house, you reason, trying to convince yourself that she has every right to bring whoever she wants home. It doesn't work and honestly your a little confused as to why you're suddenly so annoyed at her. You're about to lay back down after deciding, quite bitterly, that if she wants to waste her life on one night stands, she can be your guest, but something catches your attention. You're almost one-hundred percent sure you heard your name.
Curiosity gets the better of you and quietly you tiptoe out of bed and into the hall. Remy's… company, has her back to you and you feel your cheeks heat up as she drags her mouth down Remy's neck. The heat then turns to that unnecessary anger you can't help feeling and it takes everything in you to tell the woman to get the hell out.
'Stop it…' Remy murmurs and you can tell she'd drunk. She pulls away way from the woman, falling against the wall with a thud. The woman approaches her, pushing Remy's wrists to the wall.
'That's not what you were saying the other month babe.' You question what she meant by the other month before it occurs to you that this isn't the first time Remy has taken her home. You watch as the woman starts another attack of kisses across her pale neck. Remy turns her head to the side and you see her fists clench against the other girls grip. Her protest is weak and ignored. Another figure enters the room and shivers of fear tiptoe up you spine. The second person is taller with a stocky structure and you realise he's a man.
'You said this one was up for anything.' his voice is deep and gruff, with a slight accent you can't quite place. The woman takes her attention off Remy for a moment and turns her head to face him. You can see she's blonde and probably has a few inches in height on Remy. She's pretty but you know the other doctor could do better.
'Trust me, she is. Just help me get her boots off.' The man bends down and begins to unfasten Remy's shoes. He gets them off surprisingly quickly before standing up to look at her. You avert your eyes as he pushes his mouth forcefully against hers, feeling like you shouldn't be watching this. You were so sure you'd head your name being mentioned, but by the looks of things, you must of imagined it. You can't help but frown, annoyed that she hadn't rang to call you. If she'd wanted the house to herself you could have made plans but to turn up with two strangers at - you glance at the clock - nearly two in the morning, isn't something you signed up for.
'Stop.' she says again and you wonder if you should intervene. She's saying no, but the two figures aren't listen. Then again, the blonde woman has obviously done this before and she did invite the two back to her apartment. What else would she expect to happen? 'You'd wake up Allison.' You snap your head up, not sure if you heard her right. The man mirrors your actions and turns to glare at the woman.
'Who the fuck is Allison?' he whispers angrily. The woman takes her hands of Remy and the brunette pulls her hands to her chest.
'You have to go, she has a double shift tomorrow.' she gasps, and you nearly smile at how sweet it is that she remembered your shifts. The urge passes quickly as the woman grabs Remy's shirt, pulling her off the wall.
'Allison? Are you fucking kidding me? You lead me on this whole night after not calling me for months and you have a fucking girlfriend?' her voice is seething with anger and it hurts you to watch Remy stare back at her blankly. It hurts a bit to think that they'd been talking this whole night and Remy hadn't once mentioned that she was staying in her house. The woman drags Remy in closer and for a minute you think she'd going to kiss her again but then there's a series of claps. One as a hand comes into contact with Remy's face, another she fell to the floor and a final one as you storm into the room, slamming the door behind you.
'I think you should leave now.' Your voice is quiet and you're surprised at how menacing you sound. House would be proud if he could see you. The woman looks up at you, shock plastered across her features and suddenly you realise that she's anything but pretty. The man is looking at you with a similar expression and you can see he's already backed up a few paces nearer to the doors.
'And who are you?' she woman retaliates, and fight the urge to shout that you live here.
'I said, I think you should go.' You repeat, emphasising the word 'go'. The man grabs her arm and mutters something to her.
'Fuck you.' she spits at you, then looks down at Remy, 'And fuck you too.' Then the door opens and closes with a slam and the two strangers are gone. You stand in silence for a moment, mentally recovering what just happened before it hits you that you need to see Remy. You internally groan, and all of a sudden the annoyance is back. You do have a double shift tomorrow and the last thing you need is to take care of a drunk friend. You look over at her, cringing as your eyes spot the blood running from her nose. She's sitting on the floor, staring dumbly into space. You turn away as you see her look at you. You know you'll yell if you make eye contact and you really don't want to yell. Instead you walk into the kitchen and grab a wad of kitchen roll. Sighing you place rest your elbows on the counter, taking a deep breath. You're angry at her. You're angry that she woke you up; angry that she's drunk and angry that she's throwing her life away. But you're Allison Cameron and you're not supposed to be angry. You're supposed to be kind, caring and compassionate but you can't be bothered right now and the image of that other woman with her hands all over Remy is still burning in your mind fuelling your irritation even further. But honestly, you're angry that you're so annoyed by this. It's irrational - the kind of thing House would make fun of you for. He's also probably make some sort of ridiculous sex joke.
You walk back into the hall, and she's in the same position. You take a few steps nearer so you can hand her the kitchen roll.
'I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come back with her,' she starts, but you cut her off.
'It's fine. I shouldn't have expected anything different.' It's harsh and hurt dances across her features. It ends quickly and she takes the kitchen roll of you. You feel bad, but you can't bring yourself to say sorry. Instead you hold out your hand to help her up. She grabs it and gets shakily to her feet. You see her wince as she brings the kitchen roll to her face and you realise there's a lot of blood. You move her hand and lean closer to get a better look - doctor mode activated.
'It's not broken, but you'll probably have a black eye.' you tell her, knowing all too well that your voice is colder than usual.
'Great.' She mutters, frowning slightly, 'I'm getting a shower.'
You cross your arms as she stumbles towards the bathroom, unsure of what to do know. You debate on going back to bed but you know you won't sleep knowing that she's hurt, drunk and alone in the next room. Instead you switch on the TV, flicking through the channels mindlessly. You watch two episodes of something too outrageously rude to be on during the day but you can't bring yourself to laugh at any of the jokes. You made a mental note that the water stopped running quite a while ago but you haven't heard the bathroom door open. The night replays in your mind and your begin to feel bad for treating Remy so coldly. You don't think you've ever really wanted to hurt someone but the thought of that woman with her hands all over your roommate makes you want to pull her blonde hair out from the roots.
You turn the TV off and start towards your bedroom but as you pass the bathroom door you end up knocking softly. The doors slightly ajar and you push it gently, not really waiting for an answer. Remy is sitting on the floor with her back against the wall and one knee pulled up to her chest. Her hair is still damp and you note that she's only wearing a shirt and underwear. You walk over, kneeling down infront of her - you hate seeing her look so broken. She looks up at you, and smiles weakly. You're not really sure what to say, so you pick up the white towel beside you and start rubbing her hair dry. Neither of you speaks but you can see she is grateful.
'Oh Remy.' you say eventually. It's quiet and hardly counts as two words but you know she understands. She gulps and looks away.
'My leg hurts. I couldn't get my trousers on.' she says, meekly. You don't know why she needed to explain that until you see the leg she has straightened out. A ladder of aggressive bruises were trailed all the way up the side of her leg and a wave of guilt flood through you. The two strangers from before had treated her horribly and yet you had blamed her. It dawned on you, suddenly and painfully, that she hadn't brought them home; the blonde woman had been here before and going on the deep dark bruises across Remy's thigh and calves, she'd obviously not been as welcomed this time.
'These are bad Rem.' you murmur, looking intently to make sure nothing looked like it could be broken. She gulps again and you raise you head to see tears in her eyes. You wrap your arms around her, wanting her to realise that you're there, and you'll carry on being there. You wish she'd come to you rather than drowning in a bottle of vodka at the bar, and you think back to the past few days wondering what you missed. She leans against you and as you hold her thin frame even tighter, you think she understands.
'I'm sorry for waking you up.' she says quietly, 'I told them, but they..' she trails off you see her glance at her blackened skin, 'they wouldn't listen.'
As she finishes, you both know it's a fraction of the truth and you bite back your own tears as you dread to think about what just happened to her.
'It's okay Rem.' You reply, not really sure where the nick-name came from, but enjoying the feeling as it rolls off your tongue.
'I didn't mean to make you mad.' she turns her head to look at you and her sincerity is almost adorable. Except it's not adorable because it wasn't her fault you were irrationally angry.
'I'm not mad.' You say, really wanting her to believe you. She sighs and starts to rub the end of your shirt with her finger and thumb.
'You were.' You wince, knowing it's the truth. But the bathroom floor is cold and uncomfortable and you'd rather talk somewhere warmer - preferably with a cup of coffee. You know you are both going to have to move sooner or later so you go to get up. Remy's fingers curl around the bottom of your t-shirt and you see panic flash across her face. She lets go almost immediately and looks away embarrassed.
'Sorry.' she mumbles, running her fingers through her hair.
'Don't be.' you say, trying to lighten your voice. 'Let's go into the living room; it's freezing in here.'
You grab her hands and pull her to her feet, careful not to hurt her leg. She staggers slightly and ends up clinging onto you for support. You wrap you arms round her waist, giggling slightly. Her face splits into a grin and she nestles her head in your neck.
'You smell nice.' her breath tickles your neck, and you find the warmth of her body oddly nice.
'I could eat you.' say whispers into your ear and more giggles escape your lips.
'You're so drunk.' you whisper back. You want to stay there for a bit longer but you're also craving caffeine so you gently pull away from her. 'Come one, you need to get some pants on.'
'Says you.' she retorts, crossing her arms over her chest and raising an eyebrow at you.
'What?' you're confused for a moment before looking into the mirror to see yourself in nothing but a pair of underwear and a t-shirt. You look up at her, your mouth open slightly, the previous events playing through your mind in a whole different light. 'I paraded out there and told those two loons to get out… in my underwear?'
She's smirking now and you suddenly feel ridiculous. They didn't leave because you were scary, they left because they thought you were in a relationship with Remy. 'Oh my god.'
Remy's shoulders are shaking with silent laughter and before you know it, you start giggling again. The whole situation suddenly seems overly funny and in a few minutes you're in hysterics with Remy laughing uncontrollably by your side.
'My knight in shining panties.' she teased after the laughter had died down and you nudge her shoulders playfully.
'Shut up and come get some coffee.' you walk out the bathroom and you can feel her close behind you. 'You can wait in the living room, two creams, one sugar right?' she nods at you before flopping down on the sofa. Even from the kitchen, you can see she's watching you. You wonder if she's trying to reassure herself that she's not alone or if maybe she's just genuinely interested in your coffee making skills. You decide the former is most likely but it doesn't matter because you're walking back now, a mug in each hand.
'Be careful, it's hot.' You warn, noting how her shoulders relaxed as you came back. You hand her the mug and she takes a cautious sip. You take her small smile and licking her lips as a compliment and join her on the sofa. 'That should sober you up.'
'You'd think being punched in the face would do the trick, wouldn't you?' she gives a short laugh, it's bitter though.
'How is your eye and nose?' you ask, leaning closer to inspect the new bruises forming under her eye. They look like bruises should, but it doesn't shake your concern.
'Um...they're okay.' Her voice sounds off and when you catch her eye's you see how uncomfortable she looks. It's only then that you realise how close you are to her face and pull back.
'Sorry.' You offer, suddenly very conscious that you might be invading her personal space. I mean, you just saw her nearly get raped and then went on to cuddled her in the bathroom after she had a shower.
'No, I'm sorry, I just...I…' she seems flustered and her hands have begun writhing together.
'You don't have to explain.' You say, placing your own hand over hers in attempt to tame her digits. She gives you a shaky smile and laces her fingers through yours. Your surprised but you don't say anything; you can feel her hands trembling beneath your own.
'Can you believe I slept with her?' she says after a moment, a smirk ghosting her features before taking another gulp out of her cup. You shrug and smirk back at her.
'Well, she did have a nice ass, I'll give her that.' It takes everything in you to keep a straight face as Remy snorts into her coffee before shooting you an incredulous look.
'I never thought I'd see the day Allison Cameron said a woman has a nice ass.' she splutters, exaggerating 'nice ass' with finger quotations.
'Hey you're the one who slept with her - was it that or the wife-beating trait that caught your attention?' It's a joke but her unreadable expression is making you wonder whether you took it too far. You're about to apologize when she bursts into laughter. Her fingers loosen themselves from your grip as she tries not to spill her drink.
'If House could hear you now Allie.' she gasps, between laughter and you can't help but grin. Although you're not sure whether it's the image of the brilliant but perverted man's reaction to his sweet little duckling commenting on someone's behind or the fact that she called you Allie. The blush creeping up your cheeks should confirm the answer but you choose to ignore it. You enjoy hearing her laugh but you also want to know why she was at the bar in the first place. Honestly you thought she'd stopped self destructing; she had taken part in the drug trials after all and House had mentioned her 'working those hot abs' which she assumed meant improving her core strength. You run your finger round the rim of your mug, worried she'll shut you out if you ask. She's stopped laughing, so you take the opportunity before you think yourself out of it.
'Remy, why were you out drinking?' you ask slowly, not taking your eye's off your cup. When your question is met with silence you're forced to look up though. A smile flickers across your face and the site before you warms your heart a little; the young doctor had set her mug down and slipped into sleep with her head in her arms.
'Hey, Rem.' you shake her shoulder lightly, deciding your questions can wait until morning. She half opens one of her eyes, gazing sleepily at you.
'Sorry, did you say something?' she mumbles, stifling a yawn.
'No, we should probably go to bed now, though.' You say quietly, picking up both cups and taking them back to the kitchen. She's off the couch when you come back so you start to make your way to your bedroom. When her footsteps stop and you turn round to see her standing still in the hallway, fiddling with the bottom of her shirt.
'You alright?' you ask, before understanding. You can't make her sleep on her own after a night like this and to be honest, you'd prefer if she was near you tonight.
'I… I just…' her sentences begin and never end as you watch her inner battle between asking for company or suffering alone. It doesn't surprise you that the latter wins.
'It doesn't matter.' Her voice is hoarse and you hear it waver slightly. You resist the urge to roll your eyes at how House-like she is and beckon for her to come over.
'Come on,' you whisper into the darkness, opening your door wider to make sure she couldn't misread what you were saying.
'It's alright Allison, you don't have to.' she replies and it's the most unconvincing thing you might have ever heard.
'I want to,' you insist, 'Now, come one.' She follows you without any further hesitation and you the comfort of your bed brings on a wave of exhaustion you hadn't noticed before. It doesn't take long before you're on the brink of sleep and just as your eyes slip closed, you feel her cool fingers intertwine with you own.