Agajda: I'm glad you like it and enjoyed the pillow fight. Thanks for reviewing!
Anonymousow: If /this/ gave you butterflies I can't wait till you get to chapter...Oh, wait, it's a secret. -wink-
Nameless: Baha. Don't go into shock! Tho...I could send Dr. Red Bandit Remy to save you. -grin- If you thought this chapter is cute then there's a much cuter one coming sometime in the future. T'was my favorite to write. -shiftyeyes-
Lilk: Glad you think so. =]
Wrongobsession: Haha. It's okay. It gave me something to think about. I'm taking a logic math class and reviewed all my skills trying to figure out what you were saying. Baha. Breakfast cereal pwns. And they'd be amazing together. 3
Focus Fire On Skull: I love mini-essay reviews! They make my whole day! =D 'Cause then I get to write mini-essays back and I like chatting with my reviewers. Heh. I'm glad it makes you laugh. I laughed a lot while writing it. My roommate probably thought I lost my mind. And I'm glad I'm not the only one who compulsively checks for updates! Thanks for wishing me luck. I guarantee they have nooo clue tho. I've been good at hiding it all these years. But my novel made it impossible to stop talking about Cadley...so the truth is gonna come out sometime. Better to tell them than to have it come out the wrong way somehow.
BattleKitten: Glad you liked it...especially the almost-snuggly end. =]
Amazon Life: Glad you enjoyed it...especially the almost-cuddling. And Alex totally has the best wisdom. They should listen to him. -pokes characters-
Wesley (Chpt 5): You still got to review...See! --- There'll be more possibilities for stuff to happen. Many more. =]
Wesley (Chpt 6): They sooo should marry each other...for reals. Hehe. I'm glad you like Alex. I wasn't sure how he was going to come across.
Ina: Glad you liked the end...and Alex's wisdom. =]
Finaldragon13: I'm glad you like it!

Huh. Begging for reviews by making Alex use puppy-eyes musta really worked! Woo! Thanks, guys!!!

I was gonna wait a few hours to update...but I was motivated by this huge clap of thunder that just shook my entire building. Needed something to remind me to breathe. Heh. That and I'm sick and going to bed before the time I usually post chapters.

The first thing Thirteen noticed the next morning was that Cameron's stomach was no longer providing a comfortable pillow for her head. The second came as a large clang of metal in her ear. "Jesus!" She sat straight up and nearly toppled off the bed. "What the hell was that for?!" With one hand against her chest, she faced Alex and House. Both were grinning and holding two pans which they apparently thought made for a good alarm clock.

"Rise and shine, Duckling," House said cheerfully. "I need to see you in my…" His voice trailed off as Cameron emerged from the bathroom. "Well, there's a sight for sore eyes," he commented as he looked her over. "And here I thought you'd know better than to hang around sick in a room where a patient's immune system probably shouldn't even count for an immune system."

Cameron avoided his eyes and rubbed at her pale face. "Sorry," she muttered hoarsely. "I'm gonna go now." She brushed past Remy and kept her head tilted downward as she left the room.

"Your office," Thirteen finished House's sentence for him. "I'll be there then." She followed Cameron from the room, not having to walk very fast to catch up with her. "Hey." She grabbed her arm and stopped walking. "What's wrong?"

"Huh?" Cameron looked up at her then shook her head. "Nothing," she answered. "I think I'm coming down with something. You should go so you don't catch it."

"You don't have a fever," Thirteen said as she pressed the back of her hand to Cameron's forehead. "Is it your head, your throat, your stomach?" She let her hand slide to Cameron's cheek, feeling genuinely concerned.

Cameron was about to speak when Thirteen moved her hand to her cheek and the sleeve of her shirt slid down. She caught a glimpse of a cut on her wrist. "What happened?" she asked, reaching to pull her shirt sleeve down more.

Noticing what Cameron was looking at, Thirteen lowered her arm so her shirt sleeve covered the cuts again. "Nothing," she answered. "I have to go clean up the mess we made last night. There are game pieces and bits of cereal all over the floor and the nurses are probably going to have our heads. Get some more sleep. Page me if you need anything." She walked away before Cameron could respond, self-consciously tugging both of her shirt sleeves down further.

Alex glanced up at her as she walked back in. "I threw the cereal away," he said. "Want to help me pick up the game?"

"That's what I'm here for." Thirteen smiled at him then knelt down and lifted up the game board. Her hand trembled and the game hit the ground again. She quickly crossed her arms, trying to hide it.

"Why's your hand doing that?" Alex's eyes were wide as he tried to look even after she tried to hide it. "It's shaking all funny."

"It's fine." Thirteen avoided his eyes and tried to patiently wait out the shaking. Her hand calmed and she stretched her fingers then knelt down and lifted the game board. Her hands started to quiver once more, but out of fear this time. She put the board in the box then took a seat on the edge of the bed.

"What's wrong?" Alex scooted so he was sitting beside her. He took the hand that had been trembling and held it in both of his hands. "Are you okay, Thirteen?" He leaned forward and looked up at her, trying to get her to look back at him.

"Want to know a secret?" Thirteen asked after a moment. Her voice was quiet and quivered at the same rate as the rest of her body was. She glanced down at him then eased him up onto her lap.

"I'm good at keeping secrets," Alex assured her. "I won't tell no one."

"I'm dying too." Thirteen's breath hitched in her throat as she said the words outside. She desperately wanted to take them back and deny them, but they were the truth.

"Are you scared?" Alex asked. He played with her fingers and stared at her as she nodded. "You shouldn't be." He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it then smiled. "Cause I'm gonna die. And so when you die, I'll be waiting in Heaven for you. And we'll have lots of fun together forever."

Tears stung Thirteen's eyes, but she vowed not to cry in front of him. She vowed not to cry at all. "That sounds wonderful." She hugged him then moved him back onto the bed. "I need to go get some stuff done, but Dr. Cameron and I will both be back later." She left the room, coming to terms with the fact she was dying and it was definitely not Heaven she was going to.

-----

Resting hadn't come as easy as Cameron thought it would. Once she lay down, she wasn't even tired anymore. Deciding to get paperwork from the ER done, she got up and rounded the corner of the room she had been resting in. She collided with Wilson and his cup of coffee, managing to spill it over both of them. "Sorry!" She jumped back and pulled her shirt away from her chest to avoid the hot liquid burning her. "I'm sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going. I was just…"

"It's okay." Wilson shook his head. "Apparently, I wasn't paying any attention either. You're not burned, are you?"

Looking down at the brown stain on the front of her shirt, Cameron shook her head. "No, you?"

"Just a little scalded." Wilson smiled and picked up the empty cup from the floor. The janitor could take care of the rest. "Well," he said slowly. "I guess that means a longer break for another trip to Starbucks. I think you owe me to at least ride along."

"I guess I do." She glanced up at him and smiled slightly. "I should probably get changed first though."

"I'm thinking the same thing." Wilson looked down at his shirt and sighed. "Good thing it wasn't one of my favorites."

"Wilson, I'm so sor-"

"Don't say it," Wilson said with a smile. "Go get changed then meet me at my office."

"Okay." Cameron nodded. "I'm sorry," she added quickly before turning and hurrying to the locker room. She walked past a few nurses and then past Thirteen, stopping at her locker.

"What's with the coffee stain?" Thirteen asked with a smirk. "I knew you were tired, but…"

"Wilson and I collided," Cameron explained. She smiled at Thirteen then pulled her shirt over her head. "I think he got the worst of it." She turned and opened her locker to find a new shirt. On top of all of her things was a letter. She grabbed it and unfolded it, quickly recognizing the writing as Chase's.

Glancing away, Thirteen didn't expect her to take so long to put a new shirt on. When she looked back over, Cameron was still in her bra and reading some paper. If had been any other girl, she would have stared without caring. With Cameron, she had a longing to stare but it felt like dangerous territory. Cameron wasn't into girls. She leaned forward and tapped her hands on her legs for a moment, trying to focus on something else. She tried to tell herself Cameron was too good for her. She really did believe that Cameron was too good for her. Cameron was going to Heaven, she was going to Hell. Her eyes wandered over again then snapped back to the floor. She was dying after all and before she died, things were going to go very downhill. She didn't want Cameron to deal with that. Who was she kidding; Cameron probably didn't even consider her a friend. She wasn't sure if she wanted to be Cameron's friend. That was a lie, because she did want to be Cameron's friend. Her eyes were looking at Cameron's breasts again. "Could you put some clothes on?!" she finally blurted out.

Cringing as Thirteen snapped at her, Cameron's cheeks went bright red. She shoved the note back in her locker and grabbed a shirt and pulled it over her head. Closing the door, she muttered a few apologies and avoided the stares from the girls around them as she left.

"Damn it. Good job, Remy," Thirteen whispered to herself. She smacked herself in the forehead wondering why she hadn't been the one to get up and leave.

-----

If there had been a time Cameron had done anything not work related with Wilson, she didn't remember it. He ordered a mocha and she ordered a chai tea and the two of them settled down at a table in one of the corners.

"So, how have things been going for you?" Wilson questioned. "I know House put you on case with Thirteen. He's being all secretive about it though."

"Yeah," Cameron replied. "We're pretty much playing parents to a kid, Dr Hadley and I." She blushed at Thirteen's name, feeling rather awkward. "It's…nice."

"Huh." Wilson took a sip of his drink. "The tone of your voice doesn't make it sound very nice."

"It is," Cameron assured him. "I just don't think I'm doing a very good job getting along with Dr. Hadley. I do one thing and she likes me and I do another and she's acting like the world will end if I don't go away."

"And it kind of bothers you what she's thinking about you," Wilson stated.

"It kinda bothers me what everyone thinks about me," Cameron reminded him. She traced the edge of her cup with her finger. "It bothers me a lot what she's thinking about me."

"I've seen the way you look at her," Wilson said. "House talks about it all the time. He thinks you have some sort of secret relationship going on behind his back."

Cameron's eyes widened. "It's not like that," she said quickly. "Definitely not like that. I don't…I don't know what it is. There's just a lot happening and I just…don't know."

"A lot happening?" Wilson asked. "You don't have to tell me. I just haven't had a chance to talk to you in awhile."

"Don't tell House, okay?" Cameron asked. Even though Wilson was closest to House, she trusted him most to keep secrets from him.

"I try not to tell anything to House." Wilson raised his eyebrows.

She sighed. "I had sex with Chase." She didn't want to say what she was really trying to say.

"You had sex with Chase…" He repeated slowly.

Cameron stared at him. "Wilson."

"Oh," Wilson paused. Realization sparked in his eyes. "Oh! And now you're…are you okay?"

Cameron ran her fingers through her hair. "I don't know."

-----

"Hey!" Thirteen was sitting outside the hospital when Cameron returned. She didn't want to look like she had been waiting for her, but she had been. Even though it was around twenty degrees, she sat outside in a short-sleeved shirt, trying to get her thoughts in a straight line. It was useless. Her mind was absolutely everywhere.

"You're going to catch a cold out here." Cameron stopped beside the bench she was sitting on but faced forward. She rubbed her hands together and rocked back on her heels. "You didn't have to yell at me earlier."

Leaning forward on her knees, Thirteen rubbed her face for a moment. "I know," she replied, speaking mainly into her hands. She sniffled from the cold and lifted her head. "I'm sorry, I just…" She got to her feet and walked so she was in front of Cameron. The other doctor refused to look her in the eye. She swallowed and chewed on her lower lip. "I find you beautiful, okay? I look at you and I just…I don't - I can't…" Her voice trailed off. What was she supposed to say? She couldn't keep her eyes off of her? She knew she didn't like girls and didn't want the scared her away.

"Dr. Hadley, I don't think…" Cameron's voice also came to a stop when she realized what Thirteen had said. She blinked a few times. "You think I'm beautiful?" Her voice got quiet and she glanced up at her.

"Yeah." Thirteen let her hands fall to her side in exasperation. "You're gorgeous and I just - I…" She stopped talking and clenched her jaw, wrapping her arms tightly around herself. She let out a breath and met Cameron's eyes. The feel of Cameron's warm breath so close to her face drew her closer. She swallowed and glanced from her eyes to her lips.

Cameron let her own eyes wander to Thirteen's lips. She leaned forward a bit then wondered what she was doing. "We're going to turn into icicles out here," she stammered. She forced a smile at Thirteen then turned and hurried inside.

Watching her go, Thirteen had already began to wonder what she had just done wrong. She ran her tongue over her lips and stood there shivering. Maybe Cameron hadn't even been about to just kiss her. She shook her head and ran a hand through her hair. Tears stung her eyes and she scrunched up her face to get them to stop. She wasn't even sure what she was crying over. Pulling herself together, she uncrossed her arms and walked inside.

-----

Seeing Cameron waiting outside Alex's room sent all of Thirteen's emotions numb. She dug her nails into her palms and clenched her jaw. It was almost like they were back to day one with Cameron standing outside. "I think I can handle things alone by now," she said coldly, stopping beside the door. "Go find a new way to suck up to House." The numbness turned into anger when Cameron didn't answer her, but the insult relieved a bit of it. "You know, maybe if you do enough of what he wants, he'll finally give a damn about you for a few minutes."

Cameron glanced up at her with a straight face. "Keep talking, Dr. Hadley," she said quietly. "What else do you have to say?"

Thirteen was about to speak again when Alex interrupted them.

"Thirteen!" His screamed pierced the hospital halls. "Dr. Cameron! No! No!"

Both doctors rushed into the room. "Hey." Thirteen knelt down by his bed and placed her hands on his arms. "What's wrong, Sweetie?"

Alex scrubbed at his eyes then whimpered. "I had a dream that…that…I don't remember, but it was scary." He sobbed a few times. "I had…I…I had a – a accident."

"Shhh." Thirteen ran her fingers through his hair. "It's okay. It happens sometimes. Dr. Cameron will get you dry clothes, okay?" She stripped the top blankets from the bed and dropped them beside the door.

"Let's get you changed, Sweetheart." Cameron helped him down off the bed. She glanced at Thirteen as she began taking off the bottom blankets then turned her attention back to Alex. "I'll get you cleaned up." She grabbed a clean hospital gown then gently led the boy into the bathroom.

Thirteen placed all the wet blankets by the door then checked to make sure it hadn't soaked through to the bed. Satisfied that she had found no wet spots, she grabbed new sheets and put them on the bed then sat down and waited for them to come out of the bathroom.

Alex was carried out by Cameron and placed on the bed. He stayed where she put him for a moment then crawled onto Thirteen's lap and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. "I got scared," he mumbled tearfully, hiding his face against her shirt.

"I know. I know." She slid her arms around him gently, trying not to look at Cameron sitting down at the bottom of the bed. "You know a good way to make scary things go away?"

"Nu uh." Alex shook his head and glanced up at her. "How?"

"You say the magic words," Thirteen replied. "Googly, googly, googly, be gone!" She wiggled her fingers in the air.

Alex was silent for a moment. "Googly, googly, googly…go away?" he asked and shook his hand in the air.

That made Thirteen crack a smile. "Yeah. Perfect." she nodded her head and leaned back against the bed. "So where were we?"

"The slaves," Alex reminded her with a hiccup.

"We have to free the slaves!" Wilson announced. The bandits rode down toward the slaves. Some of them pulled out their guns and began to shoot at the guards while the others took to cutting the slaves loose from the chains that held them to the moving home. The guards fell dead from their horses and the slaves ran free across the desert. The home came to a stop.

Remy shot the lock off the door while Foreman lit a bomb and placed it on the ground. "Come out, Governor House!"

The bandits pointed their guns toward the door. It opened and a small boy in a golden cloak stepped outside. The bandits took one look at him and lowered their guns. He was followed by a beautiful princess.

"Just like a butterfly," Chase compared her.

Remy turned and put her mask back over her face.

"Why the mask again?" Alex groaned.

"She doesn't want to scare her," Thirteen explained slowly. "This girl doesn't know anything about her. But Remy knew everything about this girl. The color of her eyes…"

"Blue or maybe green," Alex suggested. He tilted his head, trying to see the color of Cameron's eyes.

Thirteen smiled. "The way her voice gets soft when she's sad…or how her smile could light up an entire room."

Remy stared at the princess, mesmerized. The rest of the bandits took a step back.

"What about the bomb?" Alex asked quickly.

"What?" Thirteen looked down at him.

"The bomb!" He exclaimed.

The bandits took one look at the bomb and panicked. Foreman shot the wick on the bomb and the bandits hopped on their horses. Remy grabbed the princess and left the boy behind. They rode down from the high mountain deserts to a place that Remy loved. She had played there with her twin when they were children. They traveled by boat to a palace in the middle of a lake.

Once there, the bandits took time to rest. Chase painted some pictures of Wallace to add to his collection. Kutner stared out at the water. When the princess approached him, he placed a blindfold over his eyes.

"Why doesn't he want to look at me?" The princess asked as she approached Remy. "He put a blindfold over his eyes."

Remy explained about how he had been married to a beautiful squall and how Governor House ruined his life.

"But people can't show what's in their hearts when they hide their faces," The princess said. "Who are you, Masked Bandit?"

"To most, I'm just known as The Masked Bandit," Remy answered. "But you can call me Remy." She slowly removed the mask that covered her face. "And who are you?"

"It should be Dr. Cameron," Alex insisted. "Princesses are pretty. Dr. Cameron is very pretty." He smiled at Cameron, who was blushing and staring down at her hands.

"My name is Allison," The princess replied.

Alex sneezed. "You gotta make it Dr. Cameron," he insisted again.

"Bless you," Cameron commented on his sneeze. She smiled softly. "My first name is Allison," she explained. "Cameron is my last name."

Alex made his mouth in the shape of an 'o'.

"We should stop for awhile," Thirteen suggested. She shifted Alex off her lap and pulled back the blankets for him.

"No." Alex narrowed his eyes at her. "You can't stop there. She just met the princess!"

"I have to go see Dr. House," Thirteen replied. "It's important. I'll tell you more of the story tomorrow." She helped him lie back then tucked him in. After a moment of hesitating, she leaned forward and kissed his forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow." She stood and walked past Cameron and out of the room.

Cameron got up and followed her. "What was that all about?" she asked once they were outside the room.

Thirteen stopped and turned quickly to face her. "What was what all about?"

"That," Cameron answered, "You putting me in your story. I thought you'd be…"

"Mad at you?" Thirteen tried to finish for her.

"What?" Cameron asked. "You're mad at me?" Her heart dropped. "Thirteen, what's going on with you?"

She narrowed her eyes. "There's nothing going on with me. I have to go."

"Something's wrong," Cameron answered. "There is something wrong." She grabbed one of Thirteen's arms and turned it over. "What happened? Why are you going to see House?"

"I'm going to see him about a new Huntington's trial, okay?" Satisfied that Cameron didn't respond, she yanked her arm away and walked off.

-----

"Well, someone looks happy," House said sarcastically as his office door slammed behind Thirteen. "Could you keep my door on the hinges?"

"Can we just get this over with?" Thirteen walked to his desk and took a seat in one of the chairs. "Just tell me what I need to know." With that, she tuned him out. There was something about the trial being extremely promising and worrisome, but iffy side-effects. She didn't tune him back in until he mentioned the hospital was overcrowded and she'd need to find one of the doctors to stay with the first night of the medication.

"I figure since you're getting so close to Cameron that…"

"No." Thirteen cut him off. "That's the last person I want to stay with."

"Aw. Having lover's spats already?" House asked, faking as if he was concerned. "That's too bad, because you aren't getting a choice here." So, maybe she really didn't need to stay anywhere and be watched over. How else would he know if there was a potential relationship going on there though?

"Well, then, don't put me on the trial," Thirteen said simply.

House leaned back in his chair. "You know, it'd really be too bad if it worked and you never got a chance to find out," he commented. "Just found out that kid you're watching also has some hope. You might be giving him up to social services instead of death. Could have a chance to be part of his life."

"I don't want to deal with this." She stood. "I'll consider it, but it isn't because of the stupid kid. I'm not attached."

"Sure, you're not," House mumbled. "I have something else. About the band."

"There is no way in hell I am dealing with them again," Thirteen said. "We just landed ourselves in jail because of them!"

"So, even if I tell you I got you and someone else a pass into that new club twenty minutes from here, you wouldn't even consider it?" House asked. "Huh. That's too bad."

"What are you talking about?" Thirteen asked slowly.

"Turns out, that's where they'll be playing. Is it a big enough bribe to get you to check them out and do the trial?"