Remy and Allison casually strolled through the streets, trying their best to stay on the now undistinguishable paths as best they could. The falling snow had become slightly heavier since leaving House and Cuddy's apartment almost five minutes ago, and most of the ground surface was now covered in a small layer of untouched white powder. Both women couldn't help but admire the beautiful sight around them. The first layer of snow was always a breathtaking sight, a sight of which not many people had the chance to admire properly. In a couple of hours the almost tranquil setting would almost inevitably vanish due to the footprints and tire tracks of people carrying on with their life as normal.
"Are you warm enough?" Remy asked as she tore her attention away from the falling snow and looked across to Allison, who was quietly walking beside her and obviously freezing cold. The older doctor turned and nodded, rubbing her hands up and down her arms as she did so as she tried to repress the chattering of her teeth.
"Right," the younger woman droned out as she laughed at Allison's feeble attempt to convince her. Realising that the other woman wasn't going to admit to being cold any time soon, Remy swiftly removed her coat and placed it over the blonde's shoulders.
"Remy, really I'm fine, I have a jumper on too, not to mention the fact that now you'll be cold as well." Allison protested as she slowly started to remove the item of clothing from her shoulders, making sure to relish in the extra warmth, and the smell of Remy's perfume, for as long as possible before handing it back.
Remy chuckled again before replying, "So you are cold!" she mockingly accused with a hint of triumph in her voice. Allison rolled her eyes playfully and held the jacket back out for Remy to take, smiling when the brunette eventually took it out of her possession.
Remy waited until Allison faced forward again before placing the coat back over her shoulders, holding it there with both her hands so that the blonde couldn't take it off again. Allison laughed as she struggled to remove the clothing again, eventually giving up when she realised that the brunette was too strong for her.
"Allison It's fine, really. I have a jumper on too," Remy smiled when she finally removed her hands from the blonde and folded them in front of her, trying her best to keep herself as warm as possible. Allison returned the smile gratefully as she put the coat on fully and wrapped her arms around herself too, realising just how cold she had been before.
Both carried on their trek through the streets without saying a single word to one another. Nether really knew what to say to the other, but both finding the silence they were in comfortable enough not to bother to start up a conversation.
"So tonight was... fun." The two of them had been walking for about ten minutes before Remy decided to break the silence between them, feeling the need to have some verbal interaction with Allison for some reason all of a sudden. It took her a while to think of a word that actually summed up their evening, and she paused for a moment before finally settling on using the word fun.
It had been somewhat strange night. Both spent another few moments in silence individually reflecting on the evening, trying to decide whether or not 'fun' was in fact the right word to use.
"I had a good time... I think," Allison replied slowly after thinking back to what exactly had happened, finding a lot of it slightly blurred, no doubt the cause of which being the amount of alcohol she had consumed throughout the evening. Both at the event itself and afterwards at House's.
Remy stopped and focused her attention on her companion.
"What do you mean, 'you think'?" she asked curiously as she tilted her head slightly to the side.
"Well the event was fun, I haven't laughed that much in a while," The blonde smiled heartily at Remy as she remembered their conversations at the bar, each one having ended up in the two of them being in complete stitches. As she thought about it more, Allison realised that she'd only ever laughed that hard since beginning her friendship with Remy, who had never once failed to brighten her mood.
"Yeah, me too," Remy agreed as she smiled back, also thinking back to their time at the bar. She was genuinely happy that her and Allison were friends once again. She'd really missed the blonde in the week they hadn't seen much of each other, and only after tonight did she fully understand how important Allison was to her. To think that she even negotiated with herself earlier on whether or not the two of them should or could in fact be friends was now an absolutely idiotic thought.
"I'm not entirely sure about the last bit of the evening though," Allison admitted as she motioned for the two of them to start walking again. "Not that I remember much of it," she laughed, still feeling the slight buzz of the alcohol that was washing throughout her body. The cold had somewhat sobered her up, but she was definitely still tipsy.
Remy joined in with the laugh, knowing full well that they both probably drank much more than absolutely necessary. Who could blame them though, it was a free bar after all.
"I'm not surprised. I'm pretty sure that our joint effort managed to wipe out half of that free bar Miss. Cameron," Remy nudged the blonde playfully, staggering slightly as if meaning to back up her point. The two balanced themselves with a chuckle before pressing on, linking arms to make sure it didn't happen again, neither able to get rid of the smile spread across their faces at the contact between them.
After a few steps forward, Allison suddenly came to a complete halt, causing Remy to stumble yet again. The brunette turned around and gave Allison a questioning glance, noticing straight away that her eyes were wide with what looked like panic.
"Ally..?" Remy asked slowly, concern starting to make its way across her features.
"Oh my god. House." Allison suddenly breathed out, still in a look of complete shock.
"What?" Remy asked, completely confused by her friends murmurs.
"House." Allison stated again, as if that clarified it somehow.
"What about House?" Remy pressed, completely at a loss to whatever it was that Allison was talking about.
Allison scrunched up her eyes with a low groan as she threw her head back. "House's phone..." she trailed as she began cursing at herself in her head.
It took a few moments before Remy connected the two and finally understand what Allison was now panicking about, unable to hold back the small chuckle that escaped her lips.
"It's not funny!" Allison glared at the brunette. "I can't believe I forgot to delete that footage. I am never drinking again." Allison stated into her hands, completely mortified.
"Ally, don't worry about it-"
"Don't worry!?" She snapped straight away as she looked up to face the other doctor eye to eye. "God knows what he's going to do with that footage! What If he black mails me? What If he shows it to everyone at the hospital? What if-" Allison began to ramble, pacing up and down the road as her mind raced through every possible outcome of this situation – none of them ending well.
Remy placed a soft hand on the blondes shoulders and waited until she had her full attention.
"Breath," Remy teased with a small smile. "If you'd let me finish before, you would know that I already deleted the files."
Allison blinked dumbly, mouth opening and closing every few seconds as she tried to speak. Remy grinned at the reaction, exaggerating a slow nod to prove she was telling the truth.
"How..?" Allison managed to ask.
Remy grinned again. "When everyone was getting up to leave, he left his phone on the side," she started to explain. "I saw an opportunity and figured that you wouldn't appreciate whatever he had planned-"
Remy was once again cut off mid sentence by the blonde, this time by a giant hug.
"Thank you thank you thank you!" Allison practically shouted as she pulled the brunette closer and wrapped her arms around her neck. To say she was relieved was an understatement.
Remy chuckled lightly as she returned the hug, unable to ignore the smell of Allison's perfume and hair as their bodies remained merged for a good couple of seconds. Eventually she pulled away and offered a small smile, motioning her head so that the two of them started walking again.
"You know she winked at me before she left," Allison's expression was one of both embarrassment and confusion as she referred back to the woman from earlier that evening. She had been caught completely caught off guard by the action and had only awkwardly flashed a small smile as a response.
"Maybe you should ask her out," Remy teased with a small nudge, trying desperately to refrain from letting her jealousy seep into her voice.
Allison shook her head furiously. "No way," she rejected with a small blush, the idea of being with another woman like that completely implausible. Unless of course, it just so happened to be Remy.
"Maybe you should ask Katie out. You two seemed to hit it off tonight," Allison retorted as she looked up at the brunette, hoping that she would deny the other woman as quickly as she had done the other one previously.
"Hmm, I don't think so. She's not my type."
Allison couldn't help but smile at the rejection and decided to carry on the conversation, Remy's comment of a 'type' making her a little bit more interested.
"You have a type?" They had stopped walking again at this point and both noticed a small fluster of white snow illuminated by the street lamp on the other side of the road.
"I guess. I think most people do. Take Cuddy for example; her type is a cynical, insensitive, manipulative and sarcastic cripple." Remy grinned at her description, deciding that she'd summed her boss up perfectly.
Allison chuckled slightly before becoming serious again, deciding that she wanted to carry on with the subject until she got a straight answer from the brunette.
"I don't think everyone has a type. I think we grow as people and change our minds. I know I don't have a definitive type of person I'm attracted to." She made sure to choose her words very carefully, consciously placing the word 'person' in instead of 'man'. "But if you're so sure, who's your ideal partner?" Allison added after a few moments of silence.
Remy looked up to face Allison, making sure that their eyes were fully connected before she replied.
"Well, to start off with, my perfect partner wouldn't be a man. Men are great, don't get me wrong... but I think I connect to women a lot more." She noticed a small smile threaten to creep up on Allison's features but decided to dismiss it and carry on.
"I like someone who's smart, sincere and idealistic. Someone who's not afraid of expressing who they are and aren't afraid to hide. Someone who Is the complete opposite of me." Remy looked away with a sad smile and continued walking again, stopping quickly and looking over her shoulder; "Oh, and if they're blonde too that wouldn't be the worst thing in the world." Her sad expression was replaced quickly with a charming smile and subtle wink as she waded further into the snow; making sure to walk slowly so that Allison could catch up with her.
Allison walked quietly as she pondered over what Remy had just told her. Before she could think about it too much, she felt a freezing cold snowball hit her on the side of the arm, followed by the unmistakeable chuckle of a certain brunette.
"Remy! What was-" She was in the middle of a protest when another fast clump of snow hit her directly on the mouth, causing her to splutter. Two can play at his game she thought as she doubled over, continuing to cough whilst discretely piling up some fresh snow between her fingers, trying to compact it as quickly as possible.
"Oh my god, Ally, I'm so sorry!" Remy rushed over to her in a slight panic. "Are you okay!?" The brunette was now stood beside her, tentatively rubbing her back. What she didn't expect was for Cameron to suddenly turn around, push her over and plant a snowball right where she had hit her previously.
Now it was the blonde's turn to run away laughing. Remy sat up and smirked at the playful behaviour whilst gathering up a massive pile of snow. She picked up the white mass and chased the blond, who ended up being cornered, eyes wide.
"Remy, okay stop, you win!" She let out a small squeal as the snow that was once comfortably gathered in the other woman's arms was now all over her face and down the back of Remy's coat and her jumper. Remy bent over laughing hysterically at the other woman.
"Hey! It's not f-funny, now I'm f-f-freezing." Cameron scolded as she stood still visibly shivering, trying to warm herself up again with her hands.
"Okay, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have gone that far." Remy's serious expression didn't last long as she cracked into another fit of laughter. Allison desperately tried to stare the brunette down but ended up giving into temptation and reciprocating the laughter.
Remy edged closer to the blonde, throwing her arms up in protest when Allison's eyes watched her suspiciously, clearly afraid she had other motives.
"I come in peace," Remy joked with a smile as she carried on moving towards Allison, still keeping her hands where the other woman could see them.
Allison watched as Remy slowly got closer, still eyeing her cautiously but making no attempt to move away from the approaching brunette. As soon as she was close enough, Remy lowered her arms and instead, used them to gently pull Allison closer until they were in a tight embrace.
"Is this better?" Remy breathed out as she moved her arms up and down the other woman's back, trying to warm her up as best as she possibly could. She felt Allison slowly relax into her and hug back, nodding slightly as she did so.
Remy couldn't help but feel slightly guilty as Allison stood shivering in her arms, almost regretting her earlier actions. Almost. The happiness felt as she held Allison easily outdid the guilt and she planned to hold her like this for as long as possible.
Remy didn't exactly know how long the two of them were in fact stood like that, but she was taken out of her trance when she finally realised the significantly heavier snowfall around them.
"I think we should get you home before we both get snowed out," Remy commented as she watched the flakes fall harder and faster with each passing second. She felt Allison nod into her shoulder again, unable to hold back a smile when the other woman didn't budge from her grasp.
"Come on," Remy rolled her eyes as she brushed the layer of snow off Allison's head and tugged at her hand, pulling her in the right direction once again.
It took the two women another twenty minutes of walking until they finally reached Allison's house, longer than either of them had anticipated. The snowfall had become so bad that the two of them struggled to find their way thorough the many streets, both of them letting out a simultaneous sigh of relief as soon as they had finally managed to reach the blonde's door.
Remy offered a small smile as she turned around and started walking back down the corridor.
"Where do you think you're going?" Came Allison's voice as soon as the brunette had taken a single step away from her.
Remy spun around and shot the blonde a confused look. "Home?" she answered as more of a question, unsure as to where else she would be going at nearly four in the morning.
Allison raised her eyebrows in a look of disbelief. "No way," she shook her head forcefully, denying Remy's answer. "There is no way I'm letting you walk back with weather like this. There's practically a blizzard out there now," she stated as she opened the door and stepped to the side, telling the brunette to get inside with a challenging glare.
"Allison," Remy backed away slowly as she shook her head. "Thank you for the offer, but I'll be fine, really. It's not even that bad-"
"Remy Beauregard Hadley, get your ass inside now," Allison demanded as she crossed her arms over her chest, voice raised slightly.
Remy was slightly taken back by the older woman's forceful tone and swiftly did as she was told. She couldn't remember the last time someone had middle named her like that. Allison grinned at Remy in triumph as she walked past in defeat and into the apartment. Her grin lingered as as she stood by the door watching Remy stood awkwardly in her apartment, fiddling with her hands, obviously having no idea what to do.
"Look, Allison.." Remy trailed off as she let her glance fall back towards the front door.
"Don't even think about it," Allison quipped straight away, knowing what the younger woman was thinking, slightly frustrated at her inability to accept a kind offer. "Go and sit down," she instructed as she locked the door, subsequently denying any more protests likely to come, and took off her numerous coats and jumpers. She headed towards her bedroom and threw the few items of shed clothing over one of the tables in the process.
Allison emerged from her bedroom a few minutes later in her nightwear, holding a small piles of clothes in one hand and a few toiletries in the other. She smiled in amusement to see Remy perched awkwardly at the very edge of her couch, absent-mindedly looking round the apartment as she twiddled her thumbs, still clad in what she was wearing outside.
"Here," Allison made her presence known as she walked towards the younger woman and handed her the items she was holding whilst offering a small smile.
Remy turned her head at the voice and couldn't stop her jaw from dropping slightly when she saw Allison stood in front of her. The blonde was wearing a silk nightgown that left very little to the imagination. The smooth expanse of her legs were even more on show than they had been whilst she was wearing her dress, and the thin straps showed off her shoulders and cleavage perfectly.
Forcing herself to look away, Remy took the clothes from Allison and cleared her throat as she stood up.
"Bathroom's down the hall, second on the left," Allison instructed from over her shoulder as she walked into her kitchen, clearly completely ignorant of the brunettes wandering eyes.
"Uh, thanks," Remy muttered before hastily making her way to said bathroom, trying desperately not to watch Allison's behind as she walked into another room.
As soon as she entered the bathroom, Remy rested her head on the door and scrunched her face up in frustration. She stood that way for a few minutes, trying to organise her thoughts as much as possible. It was below freezing outside, and that was Allison's first choice on clothing. Figures. At this point Remy was completely relieved that she was no longer drunk. If that had happened two hours ago, there would be a high probability she would currently have Allison pinned down to some surface.
"Remy, you okay in there?"
Allison's somewhat loud knock on the door Remy was currently rested against, and her sudden presence in general, startled the brunette so much that she violently jumped back and knocked off some of the various products placed on one of the shelves behind her.
"Shit," Remy scolded herself under her breath as she fumbled to pick up the numerous items now spread out on the floor. "I'm fine!" she called out as soon as she had the situation under control. She waited until she heard Allison's footsteps fade before throwing her head back and sighing.
After splashing several handfuls of cold water onto her face, Remy leant against the sink and looked at herself in the mirror, giving herself several reassuring nods. She could do this, she told herself repeatedly. She could get through the night without inadvertently checking Allison out or making a pass at her. Staring at her reflection a few moments longer, she eventually undressed and slipped on the comfortable, dry clothing that Allison had given her earlier. She wondered why Allison couldn't have worn what she'd given her; an old t-shirt and some shorts, instead of what she was wearing now.
Allison glanced up at Remy as she emerged in the kitchen, unable to stop herself from appreciating how beautiful she looked, even in an old top and shorts.
"Here," Allison handed Remy a steaming mug and motioned for the two of them to move back into the living room and onto the couch.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, both of them content just to sip at their hot drinks and warm up rather than starting a conversation. Allison broke the silence with a small gasp as she looked over towards the clock on the opposite side of the room.
Remy followed her gaze, widening her eyes in surprise when she saw what time it actually was.
"How is it already five in the morning?" She commented in disbelief. As If on cure, both of them let out a small yawn as they realised just how tired they both actually were.
"I think it's time for bed," Allison smiled sleepily as she set her empty mug down on the table and stood up, offering a hand for Remy to take. "You can take my room. It's the one right at the end," Allison motioned with her head as she went to a cupboard and pulled out several blankets.
Remy shook her head furiously. "No chance. I'll stay on the couch," Remy told her as she took the blankets from her arms and headed back over towards her bead for the night.
"Rem," Allison almost moaned out. "That couch is horrible to sleep on, please, take my bed." She pleaded with a small frown.
"Well I can hardly do that now that you've told me how uncomfortable the couch is," Remy grinned, sitting down onto said couch defiantly.
Allison sighed in frustration as she rubbed her temples. She was too tired to argue with the brunette, but she really didn't want her to sleep somewhere she knew from past experience wasn't very comfortable. An idea popped into her head, causing her stomach to flip slightly at the thought. She bit her lip slightly as she debated on whether or not to offer the obvious solution, desperately wanting to but not knowing quite how Remy would react.
"Well," Allison started hesitantly as she held one arm awkwardly with the other. "We could always both use my bed. It is a double, so there's plenty of room." She suggested, biting down on her bottom lip again as she watched Remy look uncertain over the proposition.
"It's either that or I'm on the couch," Allison offered the ultimatum, voice suddenly a lot more confident. She'd already missed out on a chance of kissing her friend tonight, there was no way she'd miss this opportunity as well. "Your choice."
Remy let out a sigh of defeat and eventually nodded. "Okay," she agreed, pulling herself up and putting the blankets away again as she followed Allison into her room and over towards the bed. "I'm gonna get a glass of water If that's okay?" Remy questioned as she pointed in the direction of the kitchen.
"Sure," Allison nodded as she made her way back into her room.
"Do you want one?" Remy called as as she pushed open the door and started looking through the cupboards in an attempt to find a glass of some sort.
"No thanks," came the reply.
Remy emerged around thirty seconds later with a glass in either hand. She stopped in the doorway for a moment as she watched Allison slip into the bed, wandering how she ever came to be in this situation. She bit her lip down and made her way further into the room, smiling softly as she walked round to Allison's side of the bed and placed one of the glasses on the table beside her.
"Just in case you do get thirsty later," Remy smiled sheepishly as she turned off the lights and made her way to the other side of the bed, hesitating for a moment before pulling back the covers and sliding in.
The two of them settled in and simultaneously rolled over to face each other, both trying to adjust to the sudden darkness. Allison was the first to smile, feeling completely giddy at the thought she was sharing a bed with Remy. The same thought went through Remy's mind too as she returned the smile and subtly traced her eyes over the blondes face.
"Goodnight Remy," Allison yawned as she let her eyes flutter closed.
"Night Allison," Remy replied, suddenly not as tired as she had been previously. She let her eyes trace over the outline of Allison's face a few times more before forcing them shut, not wanting the blonde to suddenly open her eyes and see Remy staring intently at her.
Allison was right about what she'd said earlier, there was plenty of room, so any accidental touching wouldn't be a problem. Well, at least that was the case for conscious Remy. There was a small chance they'd wake up tomorrow morning to find unconscious Remy draped all over Allison. Letting that unsettling thought linger in her mind for a few moments, Remy rolled over and gradually drifted into a deep sleep.
