Cameron saw Cuddy resting her head in her hands and knocked tentatively on the office door. Cameron looked up tiredly, gesturing her in. "Hi."

"Hi" Dr. Cameron hesitated. "You wanted to see me?" she questioned.

"Yeah…" she looked up at the younger woman. "Sit down" she welcomed. Cameron sat. "I just wanted to talk to you about doing House's clinic hours." She paused, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Are you alright?" Lisa Cuddy looked up into concerned blue-grey eyes and blinked.

"I'm just exhausted." She commented, still looking into Dr. Cameron's eyes. Dr. Cameron sat back down across from her and smiled.

"The holidays are always busy. Still though, it is eight at night. Why don't you go home?" she suggested. "Or better yet, I'm off now. Come for a drink with me." Cuddy must have looked surprised, because Cameron blushed prettily and tried to backtrack. "Or…is that inappropriate…." She muttered.

"No, not at all. Just not an invite I get all that often." Cuddy smiled at her. "But it sounds wonderful."

"Good." Cameron said shyly. "I'll grab my stuff and come back and get you?"

"Sure."

A few minutes later they were both climbing into Cameron's car, shaking snow from their hair.

"Where are we going, Dr. Cameron?"

"Just a little place near here that I like. And you might as well call me Allison if we're going drinking together." She pointed out.

Cuddy grinned. "Then you had better call me Lisa."

Allison laughed as she started up her car. "Alright then."

Lisa followed Alison into the cozy but classy looking bar. "Hey Allison!" the bartender called. She waved in return. "The usual?"

"Yeah!" she called back. "And…" she turned to Lisa "what would you like?"

"Glass of red wine, please."

"And a glass of red wine!" Allison called to the bartender, who gave her a thumbs-up. She led Lisa to a small booth in a corner. "This is my favourite booth." She informed her.

"I take it you're a regular here?" Lisa quirked an eyebrow.

"Sort of." Allison explained. "They make good food, and the staff are friendly. Sometimes it's nice to have a glass of wine and relax after work, you know?"

"Yeah"

At that point the bartender wandered over and presented them each with a glass of wine. White for Allison, red for Lisa. "Good day at work?" he asked kindly.

"It was!" Allison agreed. Lisa grinned inwardly at the young woman's enthusiasm. "Busy, but interesting. You?"

"Good so far" he replied, and turned to Lisa. "And who might you be?"

"I'm Lisa Cuddy." Lisa smiled at the friendly young man.

"A co-worker of Allison's, perhaps?" he questioned.

"She's my boss." Allison recaptured the man's attention. Lisa laughed. The girl had a naughty streak.

"Allison!" she protested.

"Well, you are!" The young woman giggled along with her.

The bartender raised his eyebrows. "Hungry, ladies?"

"I'm okay, thanks. Lisa?" she asked. The older woman shook her head, in the middle of a sip of wine.

"Let me know if you need anything else" the man walked away, leaving the two to their conversation.

"You wanted to talk to me about House's clinic hours?" Allison asked, sipping her wine.

Lisa shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I know you enjoy it and it won't help anyway."

"I do enjoy working in the clinic. House isn't a people person. The arrangement makes both our lives better." Allison shrugged at her boss.

"I know. And it would make mine easier if I just stopped bothering him about it." Lisa admitted. "I just worry sometimes he doesn't recognise that I'm in charge."

"He does. He likes his fun."

Lisa nodded slowly. "It just makes my life difficult. Often"

"I'd consider it the price you pay for getting House."

"Yeah"

Alison reached out and put her hand on the other woman's. "He makes all of our lives difficult, Lisa, it's who he is. It doesn't mean he doesn't respect you or your authority, and it doesn't mean he doesn't care. I mean look at Wilson…" Lisa smiled.

"You're right." She drained her glass of wine. "Anyway, we didn't come here to talk about work. Tell me about yourself."

Alison looked up at her, surprised. "About me? What do you want to know?"

"Tell me anything."

Allison laughed nervously. "I don't think there's a lot to tell unless you get a lot more wine into me."

"Then let's do that. My house? Are you working tomorrow?"

"Uhhh…." Allison didn't really know what to say. "I'm not, but….Is that a good idea?" she asked desperately.

"Sure. Why not? We'll get a bottle of wine, some food…" she eyed the younger woman. "Does that make you uncomfortable?'

"Well…You are my boss."

"We could be friends too."

"True." Allison considered it for a moment. "Well, if you're okay with it, I don't see why I shouldn't be."

Lisa grinned. "Great!"

They paid the bill and left, stopping to pick up a bottle of wine on the way.

"What do you feel like eating?" Lisa presented Alison with a wide variety of flyers. Apparently she ordered in a lot.

Allison was busy fiddling with the corkscrew "Something relatively healthy."

"Sushi?"

"Sure."

"Great." Lisa dialled the number into the phone while Allison poured the wine and then they both settled back on the couch.

"So…What can you tell me without being drunker?"

Allison looked uncomfortable. "There isn't a lot to me outside of work these days to be honest."

"What do you like doing in your spare time?"

Allison thought for a minute "I spend a lot of time exercising…Listening to music I guess…Being out of doors…." She paused. "How about you?"

"Entertaining friends, mostly. Apart from that I also exercise a lot. I guess none of us have a lot of time." Allison shook her head in agreement. "To be honest, there aren't a lot of people at work I consider friends."

"Well, you are our boss" Allison pointed out shyly. "But as long as work and private life are kept separate, you and I could be friends."

"House would hate it." Lisa chuckled. Allison grinned at her.

"It would drive him nuts." They were still enjoying the idea when the sushi arrived.

By the time they had finished that bottle of wine, the sushi, and another bottle of wine Lisa found in her fridge, they had come to a number of conclusions.

"I can't drive like this" Allison announced from her end of the couch.

"That's okay. You can stay over."

"I could take a cab."

"Why? I have an extra room" Lisa protested. "Stay here."

"Yes, boss" Allison giggled.

"You laugh a lot when you're drunk" Lisa pointed out to her new friend. Allison nodded vehemently.

"The world just seems that much more entertaining, what can I say?"

"Fair enough" Lisa agreed, and then cocked an eyebrow at Allison. "So, Allison…Are we drunk enough for you to answer some questions?"

Allison groaned. "Oh, I suppose. If you really want to know the answers."

"So why won't you date Chase?"

Allison laughed at that. "I don't love him."

"You only date men you love?"

"Yes. And I've only loved one man."

"Who?" Lisa was confused.

"My late husband" Allison informed her, looking down at her lap.

"Your late…" Lisa trailed off. "Allison, I'm so sorry."

Allison looked at her calmly "Thank you."

"How long ago?"

"Six years" she replied. "We married young. He died six months later of cancer." Lisa didn't know what to say, so she moved forward and held Allison's hand in hers, gently. "He's what makes me work so hard" Allison continued. "He's why I love working in the clinic. I never want to forget that our patients are people with lives and others who love them." She smiled at Lisa.

"Are you lonely, without him?"

"I'm lonely, but not because of him. He would have wanted me to go on with life. I build a barrier between myself and others because I'm afraid of being hurt like that again. Aren't you lonely?" Lisa nodded. "Why?"

"Because my life is the hospital, and everyone there is divided from me by my title."

"Not anymore" Allison squeezed her hand. "Now we have each other."

Lisa squeezed back. "We do."