Disclaimer: I don't own House, or anything else recognizable in this story, like the song "Jingle Bells" and turkey sandwiches.

A/N: Another chapter, and a long one too. Thank my French research paper, which I was supposed to be editing instead of writing this. Oh well… Anyway, please read and review, and thank you to everyone who reviewed already.

The next day, it turned out, came all too soon for Cameron. It had taken her ages to fall asleep the night before, what with the restlessness that had settled over her after she had returned from her walk. She woke up the next morning at six to the sound of her blaring alarm clock, arms encircling her comforter as if it were a lover.

She could almost hear House's mocking as she carefully chose black dress pants and a nice blouse from her closet. Yes, she was just going to have to change into scrubs when she arrived at work, but there was no harm in looking nice when she walked in and out.

Especially if a certain brunette diagnostician is around…

That though made Cameron paused, as she wondered if the other doctor had made it home safely. She blushed as her overactive imagination started laying out its opinions of exactly what the two women had been up to the night before. That is, until said imagination inserted Cameron herself in the place of the nameless blonde.

Oh God. I really do like her, don't I?

Like many a college girl, the blonde doctor had experimented with women before she met her husband, and a few more times in Med school, after his death. But she thought she had left that all behind when she moved to Princeton and met House, and then Chase.

But it's not even that she's a woman. Look at the way she's treating herself. What she's doing at night.

Shaking her head, Cameron resumed her preparations for the day, resolving to work it all out after her shift.

The ER, while busy as usual, was not so busy as to deny Cameron her lunch hour. Smiling at what was becoming a rare treat, she carried her cafeteria tray over to seat by the window, planning to enjoy the sunlight while she was a position to see it. Biting into her turkey sandwich, she absorbed herself in watching the way the sunlight hit the bare branches of the trees outside.

"Mind if I join you?"

Cameron tried to swallow the bite of food in her mouth too fast, which resulted in her coughing. After a sip of water, she finally turned to the inquiring woman, face red.

"No, go ahead."

Thirteen gave a little smile as she slid into the empty chair.

"So what's up with you?" the brunette asked, taking a bite of her own sandwich.

"Oh, you know, the usual." Cameron hoped her friend didn't notice the slight strain in her voice.

"Are you sure? You sound stressed."

Crap. "What, and that's unusual? I work in the ER." Cameron hoped the attempt at humor would diffuse the other doctor's questions "What about you? How has your day been?"

"Well, House and Cuddy are having another power play."

"Really?" Cameron chuckled, most of her awkwardness evaporating. Thirteen's eyes lit up.

"Well, it all started this morning, when House came in with a stack of Christmas-elf porn magazines…"

The rest of Cameron's day was fairly mundane. The highlight, besides lunch with Thirteen, was harboring a fugitive House, who hid from Cuddy behind one of the exam curtains after what was apparently a rather convincing use of Photo Shop. The look on their faces when the Dean finally tracked him down was worth an extra week's worth of clinic duty. Which was apparently what House would be doing, times four.

Grinning at the memory, Cameron left the locker room to walk back to her car. Dressed once again in the nice outfit she had worn to work, she hummed the refrain to "Jingle Bells" as she made her way through the halls, her mind floating to a picture of brown hair and blue eyes.

"Hey! Heading out?"

Cameron couldn't believe her luck. This was the second time that day that the other doctor had flagged her down.

"Yep, and on time for once!" she smiled.

"It's a good feeling, isn't it?"

The women continued chatting on the way to the parking lot. Cameron was happy, having mostly forgotten her concerns from last night in the presence of the woman in question. That is, until Thirteen moved one of her hands fiddling with her bag, and Cameron's eyes found a fading club stamp on her hand.

Clubbing? But I saw her at a bar. Exactly how many places did she go last night?

"Thirteen?"

"Yes?" Cameron's breath caught in her throat as blue eyes glanced up at hers through dark lashes.

"Remember when you asked me before if there was something wrong? Well…"