A Winter's Night

Author: Mrs. Ronald Weasley

Rating: PG or K+

Pairing/s: Chase/Cameron/Foreman friendship

Category: General

Spoilers: None

Warnings: None

Summary: Chase, Cameron, and Foreman spend Christmas Eve together in the hospital.

A/N: My first shot at a duckling story. Hope you enjoy.

Allison Cameron sat alone in her office. The darkness surrounded her, the only light coming from the brightly lit computer screen that sat on the desk in front of her. It was Christmas Eve but she had no where to be, her family was on the other side of the world and she had no boyfriend.

Absentmindedly she reached down and slid open the bottom drawer of her desk. In the dim light that managed to reach down from the screen, she saw the two neatly wrapped packages that lay there.

Reaching down Cameron grabbed the top one: To Chase, from Cameron it read in her careful handwriting.

Smiling she put it down on the desk and reached down for the other one, this one addressed to her other coworker and friend, Foreman.

Sighing, Cameron got up and went over to the window behind her desk. She opened the blinds and looked out to see the lightly falling snow. The scene was almost like that of a dream or a fantasy she thought as her eyes fixed upon a tree whose branches were covered in the snow.

Setting the patient's chart down at the nurse's station, Robert Chase walked along the empty hallway. Thinking that he would just grab a cup of hot chocolate from the Conference room before heading home, Chase pushed the button to call the elevator. It opened immediately and he stepped into it.

The humming came to a stop and the doors opened. He got out and rounded around the corner towards the Conference room.

Chase wouldn't have noticed that she was still there if she hadn't had the computer on. "Allison."

Cameron was pulled from her reverie by the sound of her name. "I didn't think you'd still be here," he continued as she turned around.

She shrugged, "I don't have anywhere else to be." She paused and hung her head for a moment before finishing, "my parents recently moved to England. They asked me to go with them, but…" She trailed off and shook her head.

Chase nodded; he knew she didn't want to leave New Jersey. "Anyway," he continued in his Aussie accent. "I was just going to get some hot chocolate before going home, would you like to join me? Since you don't have anything better to do."

"Sure," she glanced at the presents sitting on her desk, "um do you know if Foreman is still here?"

Chase shook his head, "I haven't seen him."

He turned to go, "I'll be there in a minute," she called after him.

As soon as her office door swung shut and Chase disappeared down the hall, she reached under her desk and grabbed her bag. Stuffing the two presents into the bag, she grabbed her coat and headed off in the direction of the Conference room.

Eric Foreman looked up from the file that he had been reading when the door to the Conference room opened. "Hey, I thought you went home," Foreman remarked as Chase walked into the room.

"I went to check in on the patient before I left, on my back here to grab my stuff I noticed that Cameron was still here and invited her for a cup of hot chocolate." Chase stuck a mug filled with water into the microwave. "Oh, speaking of Cameron, she's looking for you."

"What for?"

"I have no idea, but she'll be here in a few minutes." Chase waited for the microwave to stop and then pulled the mug out and poured the powdered hot chocolate into it.

"Oh hey, Foreman," Cameron's voice rang out as she entered the room. She set her coat and bag down on the floor by a chair. "Is that one for me?" she asked Chase as she walked over to the counter.

He smiled and handed it to her before grabbing two other mugs from the cupboard, one for himself and one for Foreman. "So, what did you want to see me for Cameron?" Foreman asked as she settled down in a chair.

An evident blush appeared on her cheeks, "well um…" Cameron bent over and began to rummage through her bag. Finally she pulled the two brightly wrapped presents from her bag. "This one is for you." She placed Foreman's in front of him. "And this one is for Chase." She set the other one at the empty spot at the table.

"Oh, Cameron you didn't need to do this," Chase said as he turned back towards the table, carrying two cups of steaming hot chocolate.

"Please as if I actually have anyone to buy Christmas gifts for," Cameron waved his comment off.

"And as if we need any," said Foreman as he accepted the chocolate from Chase.

"Just open them already!" Cameron was getting redder by the minute.

"Alright, Foreman you go first," Chase said, indicting Foreman's gift with a wave of his hand.

Foreman glanced sideways at Cameron before picking up the package. Carefully he ripped open the paper. Tossing it aside, his attention was drawn toward what looked like a square jewelry box. He set down on the table and lifted the lid; inside he saw a black pen with gold trimming along the edges and the words E. Foreman engraved in the same gold lettering.

Speechless Foreman turned his gaze toward her. "Thank you," he muttered before replacing the lid.

"You're welcome," Cameron returned. "Now you Chase."

Smirking Chase pulled this gift towards himself and began removing the paper. His eyes met a box very similar to Foreman's and his suspicions were confirmed when he opened that box and discovered the same pen, only with the words R. Chase written across it instead of E. Foreman.

"It's beautiful, thank you Allison." He smiled and walked over to his bag that sat on a chair near the door. Cameron and Foreman watched him curiously. "What? Did you think I'd forgotten about you two? Not a chance."

Chase picked up the bag and brought over to the table, "for you Cameron," he said and pulled a box from the bag. She pulled the top off and moved the purple tissue paper to the side. Inside she found a pair of gloves, a scarf, and a headband that were all black; the gloves had leopard print fur around the wrists.

"Wow, I've been eyeing these in the mall! How'd you know?" She asked excitedly.

Chase shrugged, "I just thought they matched your coat."

Cameron smiled and jumped up from her seat to give him a hug, which he gladly received.

"Here Foreman." Chase handed over his present.

Foreman tore the paper off his to find a Christmas Jazz CD. "Thanks Chase."

"No problem," Chase replied as Foreman began to study the tracks on the back.

Cameron and Chase looked to Foreman, he glanced up. "What? Okay so maybe I was going to wait until tomorrow before I gave you these."

"You were going to wait until Boxing Day to give us our presents?" Cameron asked.

"No," Foreman said, digging through his personal belongings. "Tonight is Christmas Eve, tomorrow is Christmas Day."

Chase motioned towards the clock on the wall behind them; it read 2:20 am.

Foreman emerged from under the table and handed Cameron another box, similar to one that Chase had used. She opened it and pulled out a red cashmere sweater. She shrugged off her suit jacket and pulled it over her head. "It's warm and soft, thank you Foreman."

"I couldn't really think of anything, so I asked the woman in the shop and she said that women love these sweaters."

"We do," Cameron replied running her hands over the soft fabric on her stomach.

Foreman reached back down into his bag and pulled out a large box of assorted chocolates. He handed it to Chase. "I don't do the wrapping thing; Cameron's sweater came in a box."

Chase shrugged, "I got the women at the mall to wrap up mine. Mm, chocolate is always the best present!" Cameron and Foreman just laughed.