Chapter 8: Survival of the Fittest

Synopsis: in order to get House to finally attend a hospital team-building event, Cuddy arranges for them to go camping!

Characters: Cuddy, House, Cameron, Chase, Foreman, Thirteen, Wilson, Taub, and Amber

Ships: Huddy, Chameron, Amber/Wilson, and Thirteen/Foreman.

Rules: if you review, I'll keep posting. Sound good?*

Chapter Eight: Sparks

It got dark so quickly after they ate dinner. Hardly a minute passed from fork's rise to sunset. Not that anyone minded the darkness or the quiet munching. It was just... awkward. Too quiet for much of anyone's taste.

"So, Thirteen," Cuddy started, breaking the silence once she finished her chicken ramen. "How long were you into scouting?"

"Through high school." She repeated, just as she had before dinner. But this time she clarified. "Thirteen years."

House laughed at that, his pot falling off the bench as he did so. "That's ironic." He finished with a chuckle, a Cuddy and a Cameron glare flying towards him. "Thirteen was a... girl scout for... 13 years?" Thirteen rolled her eyes at this attempt of a joke. "No wonder you like the number."

"My number was better than my name." Thirteen said, nearly shuddering at the idea of House calling her by her name. She had been Thirteen so long she could hardly imagine being Remy Hadley again. At least, that is, in the eyes of House and his new ducklings.

"So what did you do with the girl scouts?" Cameron asked, changing the subject. Over her large sweatshirt were Chase's arms, probably warming her more than the jacket itself.

"Oh, several different things. Camping, mostly. Lots of it, too. We went in scorching heat, or freezing cold, even during a huge windstorm once." Thirteen smiled at the memories. "We pitched our own tents, cooked our own soup, built the fires... made s'mores and sang around the campfire."

Everyone seemed to enjoy that pleasant thought. "What do you remember singing?" Foreman asked, interested in the passionate woman with the heart of a scout. He sat near her, but not too close. They had a wall of Taub between them; Wilson and Amber to their right, Cameron and Chase to their left and House and Cuddy across from them.

"We sang This Little Light of Mine every opening night." She smiled, Foreman followed her lead of the action. "My troop leader believed that the song kinda jinxed our fire into working for the rest of camp. They were superstitious, when it came to camp at least."

"This little light of mine

I'm gonna let it shine" House started, his baritone voice ringing loudly over the chirping birds and crickets.

"This little light of mine

I'm gonna let it shine." Chase continued the song, seeming to suck up to his previous boss again.

"This little light of mine

I'm gonna let it shine." Foreman joined, as did Wilson. The ladies watched the quartet in awe.

"Let it shine

Let it shine

Let it shine." And Taub crushed the beauty of the music.

"Hide it under a bush, oh no." Thirteen restarted the song, hoping for it to be made beautiful again.

"I'm gonna let it shine." The boys joined back in.

"Hide it under a bush, oh no.

I'm gonna let it shine." Cuddy united with Thirteen, Wilson, Foreman, Chase and House (Taub quit quite quickly) in their musical endeavors.

"Hide it under a bush oh no

I'm gonna let it shine." Cameron made it to where only two weren't singing (Amber and Taub) with her singing the high soprano accompaniment.

"Let it shine

let it shine

Let it shine."

And the singing went on with perfect harmony.