A.N.: I wrote this and I was wondering if it was any good.
It takes place around mid-season 6. Cameron had divorced Chase and Thirteen is on the team working alongside Chase, Foreman, and Taub. Cameron did not go away but went back to working at the ER. Chase is already in his 'man-whore phase' and just had been pranked by one of the woman he seduced (season 7 events). Thirteen is past her self-destructive period.
In the two years that she had been present at the Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, Remy Hadley never had a real conversation with Allison Cameron. In a certain way, Remy had been hired as the replacement of Allison in Dr. House's fellowship program. However, Remy had ended up being quite different from her blonde predecessor and they had never felt the need or the will to interact more than necessary. Allison was working in the ER and barely had enough time for a lunch break during the day, let alone an actual break to rest her body when her shifts were extending past their scheduled time. So it had been two years that they had cohabitated in the same hospital without having what regular people would count as a normal conversation, deprived of medical talk.
The first time Allison approached Remy for something else than exchanging patients' medical information was after her divorce with Robert Chase. Robert had also worked in the same program as her when she had started it. They had both left and then he had gone back to it. She could have said they had both gone back to the fellowship but she did not like to think about this brief period were they had worked together again, spending days and nights with each other, before their marriage had brutally crashed and she had to resign again from her position in the diagnostic department. Now, he was still working there, alongside Thirteen, and she was back running the ER. The job was challenging enough for her to be able to imagine her ex-husband was not working nearby in the same building. She hardly ever saw him and when she did, it was usually a glimpse from afar that she could imagine was not real. But lately she had heard many things about him from the staff. The ER was full of nurses and nurses talked a lot. Without trying to collect information, she had learned that her ex had now turned into a real player, sleeping with multiple women at the time and eliciting desire of revenge from them. At first she had been amused at the idea of some woman taking revenge on him, maybe wondering what she would have done if she had not been too full of principles and allowed herself this line of thinking. To be honest she had also felt a little jealous, imagining another woman taking a claim over the man who used to be hers. But now she was feeling more concerned. Was he really past redemption like she had accused him to be when she had left him? Sure she had been angry for what he had done and what he had became but she did not believed even in that moment that he was completely ruined. She just had to admit that she was not willing to forgive him and aspired to something different. Maybe she had never loved him for who he really was. But when had he become insensitive to women? She had to gather some accurate information on that matter, not gossip. She could have gone to Foreman but the man was Robert's friend and she knew he would tell him about her asking information. She did not want her ex knowing that she still worried about him. He would get false hopes and she would have to deal again with all the emotions of the divorce. Of course, she could not go to House after how they had left things. So she had a choice between talking to Taub or Thirteen. The opinion of a cheating man on this matter was not really what she was looking for.
Remy had never really thought about Cameron. From what she knew, the woman seemed uptight and judgmental. It was not really the type of people she mingled with. Frankly, she was not herself the friendly people type either. She liked to keep work separated from her personal life. It had not been a real success since she had ended up recently in a relationship with one of her co-workers but she had learned her lesson. No more relationship with people she had to see everyday and work alongside. She was still paying the price of this last mistake and it had nearly costed her the job that she loved.
When Remy saw Cameron walking up to her in the locker room, she figured she might want a consult about a patient. The other doctor had never made an intentional effort to talk to her before. But she wondered why she would come ask for a consult when she was obviously packing up her things to go home. Nonetheless, she smiled at the blonde and acknowledged her presence with a greeting. "Hello Dr. Cameron. Do you need something?"
Allison did not know a lot about Thirteen apart from her reputation. So when the brunette greeted her politely, she felt some relief. Through the rumor mill, she had heard quite a lot about the woman and her anti-social manners, sometimes being not too far off from her boss'. But she had always heard nice things from patients and her experience had made her learn to trust patients' opinion over staff's judgement. "Hello Thirt… Dr. Hadley"
Remy smiled at the blonde's confusion over her name. She realised she might not even know her first name.
"I was wondering if you would mind talking for a while over a drink, outside the hospital." Allison did not want someone to overhear their conversation and start a new rumour on how she was not over her ex. Talking about Robert would already be painful enough.
Remy's features showed authentic surprise at the blonde's proposition. Her eyes widened, letting the blonde admire their light greenish colour, and her mouth went agape for a split of a second. Being who she was, she regained composure quickly and plastered her customary smirk on her lips before answering, "Well, that's a straightforward date request". She knew it was unlikely the blonde was actually asking her out, as on a date, but making the other woman slightly uncomfortable would allow her some time to find out her real motive. Remy did not like being surprised and she always needed to know where to stand when interacting with people. Sarcasm had proven to be a fitting mechanism to keep this control on her side.
Despite having spent years working for House, Allison was still very reactive to teasing. Her cheeks flushed at the brunette's suggestion and she felt the need to explain herself. She had been so caught up in her personal agitation that she did not think about how her proposition would sound to someone unaware of her intentions. "I wasn't suggesting… I mean it was just to have a discussion, an actual conversation without nurses eavesdropping on us. And I don't mean us as in… you know."
Earing the beginning of her justifications, Remy had been smiling broadly, proud of herself for unsettling the doctor. By the end of Cameron's monologue she was lightly chuckling. "Relax", she told her, before the blonde could continue her embarrassed explanations. "I was just teasing you", she added with a sympathetic smile. "But I really wonder what you would like to talk to me about". It was true. They had no apparent reason to start a conversation that would most likely consist of many silences.
Allison smiled back at the brunette, relaxing at the warmth of her smile and playful grey stare. "It's about Robert", she said with a meaningful look.
Remy understood her look and nodded, giving her a knowing look herself. "Do you have a place in mind?", she replied as a form of acceptance to the invitation.
Allison's features softened. She smiled a little more genuinely and said, "We can meet in two hours at Sullivan's." It was a classy bar, well-known in Princeton.
"Works for me", Remy replied with a lopsided smile. She was intrigued by the nature of Cameron's interest in the life of her ex-husband.
Allison got out of work less than an hour after Thirteen had left the hospital. She had time to go back to her place and take a long shower, her best way to overcome the fatigue in her muscles after a long day at work running between emergencies and dealing with administrative tasks. However, she did not find time for anything more than her shower before meeting the other doctor at the bar.
On the other hand, Remy had more time to pounder the meaning of Cameron's invitation and ready herself for the meeting. Of course, she knew the basics about Chase and Cameron's relationship but nothing more than that. She knew they had worked together, slept together, and eventually married each other. But she had never worked in the team with the both of them and had barely made it on the wedding invitation list. She knew Chase a little more than she knew Cameron but it was only because she was sharing an office with him since over two months. They never talked about anything personal and it suited her. So she wondered why Cameron had chosen to talk to her. Could not she have talk to Foreman or some other common friend? She was pretty sure the late couple had more than one shared acquaintance. The woman was the definition of a people person and the man was easy going with somewhat of a foreigner charm. It did not make sense that Cameron would chose to talk to an outsider about her divorce. But the blonde had picked her curiosity, so she stood by her decision and got ready to go out meet Allison. Plus, the older woman had seemed anxious about her request. It appeared like whatever she needed to talk about was a serious matter for her.
Allison had arrived early. Since as far as she could remember, she had always been early to her appointments and every kind of social engagement she had attended, even parties. As a teenager it made her be more part of the organizations of the parties than a part of the parties themselves, but she did not mind. She could not stand the anxiety that came to her with being unfit to a task. And being late was being unfit. Fortunately, Thirteen was not late. She was just on time. The thought pleased Allison and she smiled at her watch before greeting Thirteen, "I'm glad you made it".
"Why wouldn't I?", Remy replied with her playful smirk.
Allison did not answer and just relaxed and smiled back at the brunette.
"Did you already order something?", Remy asked to the blonde who still had the same halo of anxiety as when she talked to her in the locker room.
"No, I was waiting for you", the older woman admitted, twisting her fingers around each other.
"Hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long", the brunette said with a look at her watch, while taking off her jacket and placing it on the stool's backrest.
"Don't worry. You didn't. Besides, it's the perk of always being early", the blonde replied with a little shook of the head and a soft smile.
Still standing, Remy observed the other woman intently before fishing for her wallet in her handbag. "So, what do you drink?"
"A coffee would be fine", Allison answered dismissively. She was already trying to think of the best way to ask what she needed to ask.
Remy raised one of her eyebrow sardonically. "You're asking me out for a drink and you won't drink", she teased. "You're no fun."
Allison cracked a smile and obliged the brunette. "Fine, I'll have a vodka soda". She took hold of her handbag to retrieve her wallet but Remy covered her arm with her hand. The blonde felt a jolt of electricity coming from the brunette and gasped quietly. She looked at the foreign hand before meeting Remy's eyes.
"It's on me", the brunette told the blonde with a genuine smile. "It seems like you need it", she added, tilting her head and giving her a captivating glance before heading for the bar counter.
Allison stared at her, motionless for a few seconds. She had heard about the brunette's famous charm but it was the first time that she was getting a taste of it. Or maybe fatigue was making her jumpy and hallucinating perceptions.
The blonde had barely moved when Remy came back with a glass in each hand, her flawless smile still plastered on her lips. She placed a glass in front of Allison before sitting down with her own in her hand.
"Thank you", Allison said while accepting the offering. She was detailing the woman in front of her and going back to her original train of thoughts.
As form of an answer Remy nodded silently, inviting her to start the discussion that she so obviously wanted to have.
Allison took the cue and began talking. "I wanted to talk to you because you work with Chase but you're neutral. And I know you won't repeat my words to House", she said in a manner that also asked for a confirmation.
Remy understood and nodded her validation so Allison could continue.
"I've heard about his 'conquests'", she said contorting her mouth with disgust.
This did not stay unseen by Remy who wondered if she was trying to get him back.
"I'm not jealous but I'm worried", Allison explained. It was not the complete truth but it was close enough and the other woman did not question her on that. "I'm afraid I broke him", she admitted not without some shame, casting her eyes on her lap where she had rested her hands. "Is he truly behaving like the all hospital says he is?", she asked refocus her eyes on the brunette. She was anxious of the answer but she needed to be able to see if Thirteen would give her a white lie.
Remy sensed that the older woman was looking for honesty. "I won't say he had not been depressed."
The brunette's admission made Allison fidget with embarrassment and look at her lap again.
"Ending a marriage is not easy. But he will get better", Remy offered, trying to put the blonde at ease.
"I heard he had a threesome and a girl plotted a revenge on him", Allison said, expecting to get more details.
Remy chuckled at the memory of her colleague's naked picture and the teasing it occasioned. "Don't worry, I think he learned his lesson." She read on the face of the blonde that it was not the answer that she was looking for, so she added, "I don't thing he found his latest lifestyle fulfilling anyway".
"Well, that I'm not sure I want to know", Allison said with a grimace, before laughing lightly at the brunette's choice of words.
Remy joined blonde's the laughter. "I mean, I believe he is more of the boyfriend type than the player type. At least, he seemed happier when he was with you." The younger woman was not very talented at walking on eggshells.
Allison cringed at the statement of the brunette. She knew she had hurt him but reminders were always difficult to handle. She hated being someone who had hurt somebody else so badly. Especially when she had known from the beginning that it was bound to happen. "I'm so sorry I hurt him", she said truthfully.
"He will get over it. Give him time", Remy said reassuringly. "And you, how are you handling the divorce?", she asked with some concern.
"I'm okay", Allison replied. She did not regret her decision and felt like it was the right thing to do. However, it was still difficult to process. "I'm relying on work to go through it".
"Any new love interest or is it your first date since then?", Remy asked playfully to make the conversation lighter. She had never talked to Allison before today and she did not know how to navigate through emotional discussions.
Allison looked at her puzzled, then chuckled, before getting slightly flustered by the implication of her colleague's banter. "Well, you happen to be my first", she said on a tone that wanted to be bouncy but sounded a little off.
"I'm honoured", Remy joked back at her. She was less uncomfortable making inappropriate jokes with the blonde than addressing her obvious shaken appearance.
"You might not say that when you'll have realized how bad I am at dating", Allison snickered, slowly calming down and taking her mind off of her ex.
"Are you fishing compliments?", Remy answered her. The blonde should already be aware she was a catch. She certainly did not need a random co-worker to tell her that. Remy's grey eyes turned green and widened while she leaned on the table to observe the blonde more intently.
Allison blushed briefly. She was not trying to get compliments. She had not have a date in years now and truthfully thought she would have an awkward moment when she would finally be ready to get out there again. Her last date had been with House and it had been a tremendous disaster. And before that, it was in college. She guessed that the rules and protocols had changed from her college days to now. Plus, she was not planning on dating college students anymore. So, she really had no idea how a date would work. She realized that she had zoned out and that the brunette, with twinkling teal eyes, was still waiting for an answer. "I honestly don't remember how dating works", she admitted with a nervous chuckle. "I didn't have time to think about it yet", she admitted.
Aqua green eyes were boring into deep blue ones. Remy did not imagine that such an attractive woman, with developed social skills and a medical degree, as proof of her wits, could be frightened of dating. She narrowed her eyes at her and tilted her head. "You're sweet", she deadpanned.
The blonde looked at the brunette quizzically. "I'm sweet?", she asked confused.
"If you imagine that men will need anything else than your looks, and the bonus of your brain, to be pleased of scoring a date with you, you're cute", she said teasing her gently.
"I guess my last date left me kind of insecure", Allison said, a little uncomfortable.
"Who was this moron that left you feel inadequate?", Remy inquired, wondering who would reject her so blatantly.
"Well, if you must know, it was House", Allison admitted, wincing at the memory.
"You're kidding?", the brunette exclaimed. She had not pinged the blonde as the kind of girl who would go out with her boss, much less her antisocial, acrimonious boss. She had not pinged her as the kind of person that would attract House either.
"I've never been that much insulted before. Can't forget", Allison replied.
"I always thought the rumours of your crush on House were unfounded", Remy said pensively. "I guess I should take more seriously the rumour mill from now on."
"If I take it seriously, you date a different girl every day of the week", the blonde countered.
Remy smiled seductively at her. She enjoyed the mystery that was surrounding her. "Are there enough women in Princeton for me to do so? I've been here for nearly three years."
Allison laughed while still doing the maths. Princeton was not as near big as a city. Removing all the married, straight or not age appropriate women, not enough would be left for the rumour to be perfectly accurate. But there were not living in a small town either and more than a few gay bars existed.
"You're doing the maths, aren't you?", Remy asked chuckling. "I'm offended", she said feigning vexation.
"I'm sorry", Allison hurried to say. "I never really trusted the gossips".
"The very reason we are here right now", Remy said with a soft smile.
The brunette smile put Allison at ease. She had an aura that she never took the time to appreciate before. But now that she was finally talking to the younger doctor, she could understand what she had heard about her drowning attention effortlessly.
A.N.:
I don't have time to continue it right now but if enough people are interested, I could plan on doing so later.
I'm looking for constructive feedbacks on this work. Please describe me what you think and feel when reading it. I would like to know if I'm wasting my time and, if so, how to improve my writing.
Thank you
