"I didn't think I'd ever see you again." Cameron took in his face, the day old stubble she always found incredibly sexy yet beyond uncomfortable in bed, the hard stare, the blue eyes, and the accent, which seemed to be slightly fading each time she saw him. Every time she looked at him she was reminded of everything she both loved and had moved on from.
"I should have told you I was moving back." Cameron said, admitting fault without actually saying she was sorry. She knew if she apologized off the bat that she would be telling him that she thought what she was doing was wrong, and she did not think that (well, not that much).
"You should have." He said, not taking the empty seat in front of her. He towered over her small, seated frame.
"Does this seem okay with you? Just coming back like nothing happened. This isn't even your home, Allison. I've lived here longer than you at this point and I'm a fucking foreigner. You need to leave me with some semblance of a life." Chase began to rant.
"You have everything, Robert. The old job, our home, our friends." Cameron spat back, trying to stay civil.
"You didn't give that to me, Allison. You left it all behind when you left us." He said, referring to all the aspects of their married life she left behind. "And now House tells me you're back with kids and you're spending time with Thirteen and Wilson…"
Cameron stopped him. "I was wrong to leave, but I wasn't wrong to leave you. This isn't about us."
Chase shut up. They both knew she meant what she said, but it seemed to reopen a wound that they had both let scab over. Chase's glare crumpled.
"I missed you." He said, his voice going low. He gave Cameron a longing look and walked off, seemingly dejected. Cameron didn't feel victorious. She felt awful. She would leave him again if she had to do it all over. He wasn't the man she fell in love with, but she supposed she could have handled things differently. She could have not pretended to forgive him when she knew in her heart she could never. She didn't have to blame House first and she didn't have to get out of Princeton.
But that was all said and done and she felt like this time around she would do things the right way.
And anyhow, now, everything was better because Cameron was sitting across from Thirteen at Thirteen's table relaying the story and eating delicious take out Italian that Thirteen had pretended to cook.
Thirteen was wearing the same skintight jeans she had worn the night Cameron lusted after her in the club and a much classier silk top. It was, however, relatively sheer, which Cameron couldn't help but to enjoy.
Cameron had worn a pair of black pants and a light blue top, trying to be somewhere between casual and dressy because she wasn't quite sure what to wear to a dinner at an almost girlfriend's house. She was still kind of confused by today's dating scene after spending her last few months alone after an entirely unconventional build up with Chase which was followed by an entirely conventional marriage. She hadn't really dated properly in years.
However, Thirteen seemed like a pro. She had the food set out nicely on the table. Candles lit and wine glasses full. The apartment was warm and surprisingly neat for a doctor with two kids. In fact, it was more than neat. It seemed a bit empty…and there were a few boxes lying around in the corner of the living room
"Are you actually moving?" Cameron asked, ready to change the subject from Chase.
"Yeah, you still up for helping me?" Thirteen laughed.
"I was just stabbing in the dark when I mentioned that." Cameron said, wondering how it hadn't come up yet.
"I'm literally moving across the hall. That unit has three bedrooms and mine only has two. It made sense." Thirteen shrugged.
"Oh," Cameron nodded. "I guess it doesn't make sense to call a moving company to go across the hall."
"Nope," Thirteen shook her head, and poured Cameron more wine.
"Are you trying to get me drunk and talk me into helping you move?" Cameron asked, accepting the wine.
"I have more game than that." Thirteen rolled her eyes. "I have far worse intentions than talking you into helping me move."
Cameron nearly choked on her wine. Perhaps I have had enough, she thought, setting the glass down. "Well, I will help you move if you'd like."
"You really don't have to." Thirteen said, trying not to laugh at how flustered Cameron was.
"I don't mind." Cameron shrugged, wondering if Thirteen wasn't ready to have her really interact with Ben and Maya.
"Well, if you're offering." Thirteen smirked. God the woman did have game. But Cameron was glad that she was wrong about the Ben and Maya thing. "You all done?"
"Yeah, it was great. You're an amazing pretend cook." Cameron said, standing up to help Thirteen bring the plates to the sink.
"Why thank you." Thirteen smirked. She quickly rinsed the plates, and then turned to face Cameron with a wide grin. "I have a surprise for you."
"Dessert?" Cameron asked skeptically. Thirteen's smug grin made it look like she was up to something.
"This is better." Thirteen took Cameron's hand and pulled her towards the couch in the living room, wine glasses in tow.
Thirteen sat on the couch and Cameron sat next to her, wondering if the surprise was inappropriate lingerie or a nice hook up session on the couch. But then Thirteen grabbed the remote and turned the television on.
Cameron tried to hide her disappointment as Thirteen went on setting up the dvd she wanted to show her. Finally, smirk still in tact, Thirteen put the remote down and leaned back into the couch next to Cameron.
"Is this a surgical video?" Cameron asked, as the camera focused in on a naked torso. It certainly wasn't porn.
"Just wait," Thirteen said, taking a sip of her wine. The camera panned out and a young man began making an incision into the chest cavity. A surgical mask covered most of his face, but Cameron would recognize those eyes anywhere.
"I can crack the fucking chest cavity myself on Mr. Alcoholic, who by the way, does not deserve this new heart. Cant you see this liver!" A young Dr. House ranted.
"We're not here to examine the liver, Dr. House….Leave the liver alone!" An unknown attending yelled.
"Oh my god! Where'd you get this!" Cameron squealed, grabbing Thirteen's arm.
"Foreman got a hold of it about a year ago. The hospital went into lockdown mode and he and Taub were stuck in the basement." Thirteen filled her in. Cameron remembered that night, but didn't feel the need to fill Thirteen in on her experience. "He still doesn't know we have it. It's his first solo surgery."
"He used to be very cute." Cameron grinned, half watching the video, where House was now working with the correct organ, and half watching Thirteen.
"House?" Thirteen teased. "Really?"
"What? Are you jealous?" Cameron asked.
"No, because he doesn't have you half drunk on his couch." Thirteen whispered seductively. She kicked off her shoes and turned sideways on the couch. Cameron pushed herself back towards the end of the couch so there would be enough room for the two of them to lie back.
"I'm not drunk." Cameron said, reaching out a hand to brush Thirteen's hair behind her ears.
"You…" Thirteen leaned in and kissed Cameron's neck. "So…" She moved her lips down to Cameron's collarbone, producing a ticklish giggle from the blond doctor, "Are."
Cameron laughed, "I don't make decisions half as good as this when I'm drunk." Cameron said, pulling at the hem of Thirteen's shirt. Thirteen stopped kissing down the exposed part of Cameron's neck and chest long enough to let Cameron pull of her top. Underneath was a lace bra that made Cameron shiver. She wasn't sure if she would rather have Thirteen in it or out of it, and while her top had been sheer, this was definitely a better view.
Thirteen let out a low throaty laugh as she began to pull of Cameron's shirt. She quickly unhooked the older doctor's bra as well before going back to kissing her chest, deciding to agree by not arguing that Cameron was still probably sober enough to drive.
"Stop breathing down my neck!"
Both doctors paused for a moment to laugh at the young House's voice emanating from the tape that neither were paying attention to anymore.
"This is so much better than dessert." Cameron said, before giving Thirteen's neck a few light kisses.
"I thought you'd like it." Thirteen mumbled back as she used one hand to unbutton Cameron's pants and the other to caress her exposed chest.
"Jane's mom decided she can't have sleepovers on a school night so – oh gross. What are you watching? Is that guy dead?"
Thirteen snapped her hand out of Cameron's pants and both doctor's pulled apart immediately.
"Ew, what are you doing?" Maya was standing in front of them within an instant. Cameron grabbed for her shirt and shot Thirteen a horrified look. Thirteen was too busy getting her top back on to notice. At least she had her bra on, Cameron lamented while pulling her shirt on deciding it was more important to be covered than to spend the time putting on her bra and then shirt with an eleven-year-old staring.
"Who the fuck are you?" Maya asked. "And what kind of sick freaks have sex with blood and guts on the T.V."
"Woah, slow down, Maya." Thirteen said, getting off the couch. "This is Allison Cameron. She's also a doctor."
"And this stuff turns you on?" Maya gestured towards the television.
"I should go," Cameron said, knowing her cheeks were as pink as the hot pink pajama bottoms Maya was wearing and her nipples had to be staring right at the girl from under her thin shirt.
"No, you should stay." Maya glared. "If I have to live here I should get to know what kind of creeps my aunt is letting in."
Before Cameron realized what she was doing, she had stood up and slapped the little girl across the face. Maya seemed stunned into silence. Thirteen was staring at her with an open jaw.
"I'm not some random woman from the street. I am seeing your Aunt and you should probably get used to having me around." Cameron said, wondering if she was jinxing it all, especially after hitting the girl. "You two need to have a serious talk." Cameron said to Maya and Thirteen.
"We do." Thirteen nodded. She grabbed the remote and shut the TV off. Cameron grabbed her bra from the floor and stuffed it into her nearby purse.
"I think I'm going to go." Cameron said, giving Thirteen a kiss on the cheek.
"Wait," Thirteen said, stopping her. Thirteen also grabbed Maya, who looked like she was about to go bolt into her room. "You two are both very important to me and I want both of you in my life. Maya we're going to have a serious talk and then later the three of us will spend some time together."
Maya groaned and Cameron found herself fighting not to do the same. She avoided eye contact with the girl. She seemed like such a drama queen and she had now managed to ruin two potentially great dates with Thirteen.
"I'll call you later." Thirteen said, giving Cameron a light smile. It conveyed both annoyance and forgiveness, but Cameron did not feel comforted as she let herself out of the apartment. They hadn't even had sex yet and she was already in the doghouse.