Author's Note: I'm so glad people are actually reading. :] Thanks for all the reviews! Here, have a cookie. And now, on with the fic...

Chapter 2: Reintroduction

With a final strum of an E chord, the song was over. Cameron stepped away from her ex-husband and looked up at him apologetically.

"I'm sorry Chase, but there's really nothing we can do. You know we both just have to move on," she told him sadly. "I guess we can still be friends, but that's all. Please understand..."

The Aussie had a pained expression on his face, but nodded slightly. It was tough, brutal even...but this was it and there's no changing the past no matter how much you pray or how hard you wish. He opened his mouth and was about to say something, when he felt a tap on his shoulder. The two of them turned as they heard a woman clear her throat.

"May I...?" asked a curious-looking Thirteen, staring at Chase, and then taking a brief glance at Cameron.

Both were a little bit stunned by the brunette's sudden appearance, and a even more stunned by her actions. Chase looked up at his colleague like she had something growing out of her head. He cleared his throat nervously and fiddled with the buttons of his suit.

"Ahm... I was just about to go get a drink... Sorry..." he sputtered, eyeing the bar behind her.

Remy rolled her eyes exasperatedly. "I meant..." She looked at Cameron and took a timid step towards her.

Chase's face turned red with embarrassment and a bit of rage as he shot a glare at the brunette and stalked off. His ex-wife however gladly took the hand that Remy offered, flashing her an appreciative smile. As the music began to play, Thirteen gently placed her newfound partner's hands on her shoulders and relocated her own on the blonde's waist. She made perfectly sure not to stand too close into her personal space.

"Thanks for getting me out of that," said Cameron. "I didn't think he'd leave me alone."

The shorter doctor was grateful for the interruption, but was equally surprised that it was Thirteen who came to the rescue. The fact that she was dancing with a woman, and a bisexual one at that, didn't seem to matter that much though. More than anything, she was intrigued by such boldness from the younger woman, and was wondering what had caused her to act so.

"No problem," replied Remy, her tone light and cordial. "You looked pretty miserable a while ago, and it would be despicable of me to watch you suffer."

Cameron laughed as they swayed and spun slowly to the soft rhythm. She was a bit self-conscious, but oddly, she felt a lot more comfortable with Thirteen than with her previous two dance partners. Having a casual conversation with the brunette was definitely a first, but she really wouldn't mind getting to know her better. To be honest, House's replacement duckling had always caught her attention. As much as Cameron hated to admit it, a part of her interest may have been a result of her Huntington's diagnosis (and the fact that she attempted to cope with the news in the form of one-night stands). But even before then, she had been curious about the reserved and stoic, mysterious number Thirteen. Perhaps this dance would let them learn more about each other and cross the line of being mere acquaintances and co-workers.

"So, how's your evening so far, Doctor Cameron?" asked Remy with a hint of a smirk.

"Well..." She thought for a while before responding. "I sat around most of the night in awkward tension because of my ex-husband. I was flirted with by random men who had heard about me having an ex-husband. The only persons I'd danced with were Wilson, who was being nice, Chase, who's probably not over me yet, and that...Chris guy who just wouldn't shut up."

Remy chuckled. "Chris from radiology?"

"Yeah! I have never met a guy who talked so much before."

"If you want, I can threaten him so that he wouldn't come bother you around the hospital," offered the brunette.

"Hmm... I'd like that." They both grinned at each other, continuing to dance to the downtempo beat.

"So...from what you've told me, I'm guessing that you're pretty much having a crappy time tonight," concluded Thirteen.

"Well... I wouldn't say that. It did start out awful, but...things are looking up," Cameron hinted with amusement, looking into her partner's cold blue eyes. "I know you have been having a good time. Every time I looked over to the dance floor you were with a different person."

Remy turned slightly pink from the embarrassment she tried to hide. "I only danced with them because I had nothing else better to do. Can't even remember half of their names."

For a first decent conversation, both of them were actually getting along fairly well. Nothing was forced. It was light and unexpectedly pleasant. They almost forgot that they were still dancing together.

"So, Thirteen... How did you spend your time off during the summer?" She tried to bring up a topic to talk about. Then she immediately remembered that Thirteen's personality didn't always allow for 'opening up' and conversing about oneself. "If you don't mind me asking, that is..." she added quickly.

Smiling at her adorableness, Thirteen began to do a recap. "Well... I travelled around Asia for about twenty days. Visited India, Malaysia, and the Philippines," she grinned as fond memories quickly flooded her mind. "It was incredible. The people were so nice and the food was amazing. I had such a great time experiencing the different cultures," she told her with a rare excitement in her voice.

"Wow. I am so jealous! I've never been to Asia before. What things did you do there?"

"Oh, you've got to visit sometime, Cameron. You'd love it. I saw the Taj Mahal, rode an elephant, went bungee jumping, went snorkeling, hiked a volcano, went parasailing...and basically did a lot of shopping and eating." She smiled sheepishly. It felt a little weird to be talking so much about her personal travels with somebody she wasn't exactly close to. Perhaps it was just the alcohol loosening her up, or perhaps it was the way her dancing partner showed such sincere interest in her. "Maybe I should take you with me the next time I go on a trip."

"Yeah, I think you should." The attending's eyes brightened. Although they might have been kidding around at the moment, the thought of it sounded delightful.

"What about you? Did you do any traveling over the break?" Remy didn't want the conversation to be all about her.

Allison smiled and began to summarize to her newfound friend what she'd been up to since she the day she left PPTH. Amused by the blonde's animated gestures, Thirteen listened eagerly, nodding at the right times and urging her to continue. It took a while for them to realize that they've stopped dancing altogether, that they were simply standing there, chatting. Their conversation had eventually been interrupted by a man bumping into the taller doctor accidentally. Mumbling an apology, Remy looked at her partner and the both of them blushed.

"Forgot we were supposed to be dancing..." She began swaying to the music again, her hands on Cameron's waist gently pushing her to do the same. They couldn't help but laugh at each other. But when Remy looked up, she saw something that made her smile drop instantly.

"Thirteen? What is it?" The shorter woman followed her companion's gaze and was shocked to find Chase glaring daggers at the two of them, but mostly towards Thirteen. The two women quickly looked away.

"He looks like he wants to shoot me or something..." muttered the brunette nervously.

"Oh my god..." Cameron was clearly embarrassed. "He can't possibly be jealous even when we're not together anymore. I don't think this 'moving on' plan is working very well for him." She sighed out of frustration.

"Wanna piss him off even more?" suggested the intern, a mischievous expression on her face. She was never the one to cause any trouble with her co-workers, (and she and Chase had been on somewhat good terms since he had joined their team), but such an opportunity was just too good to miss. Besides...this was all in good fun. She waited until Cameron grinned and nodded in acquiescence to her request.

Shooting a look of indifference at Chase, Remy took a step towards her partner and pulled her even closer. "Lean your head against my shoulder," she whispered. Cameron's heart skipped a beat when she sensed their intimacy, but followed her friend's instruction and did as she was told, wrapping her arms around the taller doctor's neck. Sneakily, she took a glance at Chase's direction. She barely stifled a laugh.

"It's working! God, he looks furious!" she giggled into Remy's shoulder, tickling her a little. "You better watch out Thirteen. He might kill you in your sleep."

"What? Cameron, I really hope I'm not the next one on your ex-husband's list of evil people to murder."

Despite the bringing up of Dibala's death, Thirteen's tone made them both laugh. Putting the topic of Chase behind them, they continued to dance to the soft strumming of the guitars and the steady beat of the hi-hat and the bass drum. The blonde woman found it increasingly comfortable as she snuggled into Thirteen's neck, hugging her even closer. The glasses of red wine she drank a while ago were catching up to her now. Her face was red and she felt a light buzz clouding up her brain.

Remy hadn't had so much fun with somebody in a while. Yet her rationality kept telling her that she would regret letting Cameron get close to her once she sobered up. Things could get out of hand... Let's not kid ourselves – she was dying for god's sake. But...to tell you the truth, Remy was tired of avoiding people and shooting down friendships and relationships before they even began to form. The least she could do was allow herself a moment of carefreeness without having to worry about her impending death sentence. There's nothing wrong with making a new friend. It gave her a distraction from any self-destructing thoughts, and it was helpful to have a somewhat constant figure in her life for once. Maybe she could allow herself a chance to be in good spirits, however short-lived it may be.

'Let's just think about now and worry about tomorrow when it comes.'

They danced to the rest of the song in silence. When it was over they stepped away from each other's arms with slight reluctance, exchanging shy smiles.

"Drinks?"

"Sure."

When the two of them found an empty spot at the bar, they sat down and ordered their alcoholic beverages. As soon as their drinks came, Remy held up her glass as a sign of a toast. "Welcome back Doctor Cameron." Despite the lateness of the salutation, it sounded unusually right and fitting. The ER head smiled as they clinked their glasses together. The brunette's company was definitely something she could get used to.

- end of chapter -

Oh boy, Chase is just too much. I apologize to any possible Chase fans out there. I forgot to mention that I made him particularly clingy in this story. (Because nobody likes a clingy kangaroo!)

And is it me, or are Thirteen and Cameron becoming...friends? [gasp] Let me know what you think about this chapter. :)