WrongObsession: Haha. Math is totally overrated. You'd be confused if you were Allison in my story or in Remy's story? Lol. It makes me smile for some reason that you wanted to grow up to be Zorro. Haha. I refuse to even admit what I once upon a time wanted to grow up to be. It makes Zorro sound perfectly sane. xD
Focus Fire On Skull: Ew. Twilight. -gag- Haha. I know the feeling...I was dodging questions all day today. My family asked which boy I liked most here at school 6+ times in one hour. I was just like, "Ughhhhhh. None of them! Blech! Take the hint!" In my head anyway. I just kept changing the subject to weird things. Yay for essay reviews! I'm glad you like how I write her. I kept getting frustrated with her. She always wanted to do different things than what I was trying to write her doing. -facepalm- Apparently she didn't enjoy me making her vulnerable...at all. Haha.
BattleKitten: Glad you like the story and they make you laugh. x]
Bigblusky: Glad you like the relationship between Thirteen/Alex. She and Cameron will eventually sort things out. =]
Kirei28: Huzzah! I managed to melt at least one heart! Totally met my goal. xD Thanks.
Tortall101: Sorry for any confusion. The envelope was stating she was pregnant...which is what she hinted to with Wilson. I shoulda made that more clear.
Wesley: Sorry if I've managed to confuse you! Feel free to ask any questions and if I know they're not answered later on, I can answer them for you. The thing is...I wrote this for NaNoWriMo. So it was all about quantity and not quality. I didn't look back to see if I contradicted myself, if I was out of character, if I was confusing, ect ect. I just wrote straight thru until I hit 50,000 words then shipped it off to two betas bc I decided I liked it enough to post it. So, ask away if you have questions.
Nameless: I'll send Dr. Red Bandit Remy to revive you...but remember to send her back to the story bc she belongs to Princess Allison. -wink- I'm glad you liked the chapter...and that Alex made you tear up. I was all "awww" while writing him. And it won't be too bad. It's not like her and Chase have an actual relationship in this fic. Remy & Cam will be that close again...uh...eventually. Haha. And don't worry...I love long reviews. I get them and I run off to my friend Valerie all, "I just got this huge review! Eeeeeee!" She probably thinks I'm crazy. But that's okay!
Roronoa Robin: I'm glad you think it's well written! I wrote it for NaNoWriMo, which is all about quantity...so I never stopped to look at the quality of it. I guess nervous posting each chapter bc I wrote straight thru barely spending an hour on each chapter. I'm glad you like Alex. I don't use madeup characters very often...but he was such a joy to write. Yay for virtual hand motions! I do them all the time. x]
Ina: Well, I guess when you go thru stuff he went thru...wisdom comes along with it. I'm glad you like him. And Cam is indeed pregnant. =] The two of them will both eventually get used to each other and things will be okay...er...sorta. Baha.
Review! Review! Review! Lol.
It was the first time Thirteen had woken up to a girl that hadn't abandoned her before she got up. It wasn't the first time she woke up with an empty bottle of alcohol still in her hands. House had called her on the phone and managed to convince her to stay with Cameron the first night of taking the medicine (mainly by using Alex against her). It would also be a good way to figure out how to make Cameron interested in her. After that, she avoided snapping by hitting the bar and the girls. Clothes were still thrown across her bedroom floor and the blankets from the bed were down there too.
She hit her alarm to turn it off and squinted at the sunlight that was coming in through the windows. She was going to have to remind herself to buy a darker curtain to put up. Closing her eyes again, she silently congratulated herself for waking up on time. Sitting up, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed. The funny feeling she had didn't register until she got to her feet and stumbled a bit. It wasn't the first time she had woken up still drunk either.
The other woman had left sometime while Thirteen was in the shower. She was grateful because she really hadn't wanted to deal with waking her up and kicking her out before she had to leave for work. She actually debated whether or not she even planned on showing up for work the entire time she was in the shower. On one hand, it wasn't like she had any cases or paper work to deal with. On the other hand, spending time with Alex was supposed to straighten her out or something. She just hoped Cameron chose not to show up.
Alex was sitting on his bed when Thirteen finally showed up. He had crayons, glitter glue, and construction paper spread out all over. "Thirteen!" he exclaimed when she appeared in the doorway. "Dr. Cameron got me lots of stuff and I'm making a bandit mask! You should make one too!"
"A bandit mask, huh?" She held herself steady against the wall for a moment then walked in and sat down on the side of the bed. "You want me to make one too?" She picked up a piece of red construction paper and a black crayon.
"I made one like the blue bandit," Alex said. He finished tying a piece of string on the ends and slipped the blue, construction paper mask over his head. "I'm going to make a pretty princess one for Dr. Cameron." He grabbed a piece of white paper and pulled the glitter glue closer. "Oh! I made you a picture!" He picked it up just as Thirteen was putting on her own mask and handed it to her.
Thirteen looked the picture over as Alex finished a mask for Cameron. He had drawn himself, her, and Cameron all standing in what she assumed was his version of her castle on the lake. "It's beautiful," she told him, gently running her fingers over it. "I'll keep it forever."
"I hope I don't die but that I don't get better," Alex said. He put Cameron's finished mask on the bed to dry.
"Why is that?" Thirteen asked. "You don't want to get better?"
He shook his head. "Then I'll have to leave. I want to stay here with you and Dr. Cameron as long as I can."
Thirteen was sure part of her heart melted. "That's sweet," she said. "But you know that it's impossible. You're going to have to be brave like a bandit when it comes to leaving."
He slowly slid off his mask. "I don't want to be a bandit then."
"Huh." Thirteen tilted her head to the side. "That's too bad."
The bandits headed toward Governor House's castle for their final encounter. His castle was in the middle of a big, blue city that had guards on top of almost every building.
"This is the best part of the whole story," Thirteen told him. "It would be a shame for you to have to spend your whole life just wondering how it turns out and never knowing."
He hesitated and looked at his mask. "If I promise to be brave, will you tell me the story now?"
She nodded.
Allison and Remy stood outside of the castle on the lake. They had begun to tell each other the secrets in their lives. Remy had told Allison she had Huntington's and was on another quest to get the most out of her life before it ended. She finally admitted that she had done some things she regretted and told Allison she thought she should leave. "You've captivated my heart, Allison. That's why I can no longer keep you in captivity. I've fallen in love with you. But I'm consumed with grief. I'm not a woman who can be loved. I'm sorry."
"Why?" Cameron appeared in the doorway. She crossed her arms and leaned sideways against the frame.
Thirteen glanced at her then looked down at the bed.
Remy and Allison knelt outside the castle. "I don't want you to see me like this," Remy said.
"You think you took me captive?" Cameron took a few steps inside.
"You didn't take me captive," Allison said as the two of them stood again.
"Make them kiss," Alex said with a grin.
"No, I don't want to make them kiss," Thirteen replied.
"Why?" he groaned.
"Because."
Awhile later, the bandits stood on top of the castle in the lake. Allison was resting on a beautiful couch with an umbrella to block out the sun.
"She shouldn't go with us," Foreman told Remy as he cast a glance at the princess.
"Why?" Remy asked. She shook her head in disbelief.
"It's too dangerous of a mission for someone like her," Foreman answered. "She'll get hurt. Governor House will kill her."
Allison sat up straighter. "Governor House?" she questioned.
Remy turned to face her. "He's my sworn enemy."
"I know him," Allison said. "I don't think he's that bad. He has to be nice deep down."
"I made you a mask too," Alex said, holding up the one he made for Cameron. "The glitter isn't all the way dry yet, but here."
"Thank you." Cameron smiled and walked in. She took the mask from him and looked it over. "It's gorgeous."
"Can I talk to you in the hall?" Thirteen glanced up at Cameron. She didn't wait to get an answer before getting to her feet and walking from the room. She glanced back to make sure Cameron was following.
"What's up?" Cameron asked, still holding the mask Alex had given her. She glanced around almost nervously then looked up at Thirteen and smiled.
"Could you just leave?" Thirteen asked. "House isn't checking up on us. He'll never notice. Just go, okay? You obviously have work to do in the ER or something."
Her smile faded. "Why is it that one moment you want me around and then the next you don't want me within one-hundred feet of you?" she asked. "You're sending me mixed signals. And now I'm in your story and…it makes it seem like you like me, but…"
"It's just a story," Thirteen stated. "Almost everyone is in it. It doesn't mean anything. It wouldn't even matter if I liked you or not." Seeing this conversation was ending up hopeless, she turned and walked back into the room.
Cameron defiantly stood in the doorway.
There was only one way to deal with Allison after the bandits decided on not taking her with them. She knew too much.
Allison was tied to a pole outside the castle. Remy stood a few feet away from her as all the other bandits started to pace back and forth. Foreman approached her with a blindfold and offered to put it on her, but she turned him down.
"No," she said and shook her head. She looked at Remy as she raised her gun. "I want to look at her until I die."
Remy groaned and lowered her weapon. "What a mystery, this world. One day you love them, then the next you want to kill them a thousand times over."
"God, forgive her," Chase whispered. He and the rest of the bandits turned so their backs were to Remy and Allison.
Remy raised the gun once more. "I'm glad I never kissed you." She pulled the trigger and shot Allison in the chest.
"She can't die!" Alex clutched the blanket in panic. He looked over at Cameron who was staring at the ground. "Look, Thirteen, you're making her sad! Don't be such a meanie!" He pointed a finger at her and glared.
Allison started coughing.
"She's alive!" Foreman exclaimed. He rushed over to her and looked for any signs of blood. There was none. He noticed the bullet in the middle of a solid, gold locket she was wearing around her neck. He pulled the locket off her and opened it. "My dearest daughter," he read. "Never marry for money, fame, power, or security. Always follow your heart. Your ever-loving father…"
"It says all that on that little locket?" Remy asked.
Foreman nodded.
"I never knew what it said," Allison told them, glancing at Remy. "No one has ever been able to open it before. You're the first."
Remy knew then that she loved Allison.
They decided to have a wedding inside the castle in the middle of the lake. The bandits stood in a circle around Allison, Remy, and the priest. Women in thick, white and blue twirling skirts spun in circles around the group.
As the priest was speaking, Cuddy walked into the castle and over to the ground. She stopped beside Remy and took her hand, tracing invisible lines across her palm.
After the bandits got over staring at her in shock, Chase began to translate for her. "She says she spies danger in your palm," he said. "You're becoming too far gone and death is near."
"Danger?" Remy asked, looking away from Cuddy and over at Chase.
"She says self-destruction is not the answer," Chase translated. "She also says there's a secret chant to make the scary things go away. Something about googly googly." Everyone around them began to chant, "Googly, googly, googly, googly…"
The priest chuckled. "That will never work. I have betrayed you." Guards snuck up behind the bandits and hit them over the head.
The bandits woke up in the middle of a desert. They were sitting on the sand with their hands tied to poles behind them. Two guards stood by them to make sure they didn't escape. Not long later, two other guards arrived on horses. They looked at the bandits and laughed at their dry skin and chapped lips.
One of the guards hit the mystic. The other guard poured water into his helmet then held it a few inches away from Wilson, just far enough away that he couldn't lean his head forward to drink any. They placed a giant ice cube on the ground in front of Remy and began to scrape it with a knife. The guard with the helmet dumped the water on the ground.
"Does someone come to save them now?" Alex asked.
"No." Thirteen shook her head. "There was no one left to save them."
One of the guards took a sword from his belt and held it up to Wilson's neck.
Chase's bag was lying behind him. It began to shift and the top finally opened. Alexander crawled from the bag and began to untie the bandits.
"Wallace? Is that you?" Chase mumbled, struggling to keep his eyes open.
"No," Alexander whispered in his ear. "It's me."
"No wonder the bag was so heavy," Foreman commented.
Alexander ran around the circle until he got to Remy. He carefully untied the ropes that were binding her to the pole then placed a pistol in her hand.
She gasped then slowly climbed to her feet. A guard was still holding a sword up to Wilson's neck and she pointed the gun at him. With a groan, she slowly stumbled forward.
"Shoot them! Shoot them!" Alexander grinned and bounced up and down, oblivious to the fact Remy was struggling just to stand. "Shoot them!"
The guards jumped on their horses and began to escape into the desert.
Remy collapsed to the ground, leaning back against the stick in the ground she had previously been tied to. She placed the pistol on the ground beside her.
"Do you recognize me?" Alexander asked. He jumped up and down a few more times then knelt down beside her.
She slowly turned her head to look at him. "Who are you?"
"It's me!" Alexander answered. "Your son!"
"Who?" Remy squinted her eyes at him.
"Me!" Alexander insisted.
"My son?" She asked slowly.
"Yes! You recognize me!" He leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek.
"I didn't recognize you because you aren't in a hospital gown," Remy defended herself. She smiled softly as he giggled. "You have to be strong now, okay?"
Cameron wasn't sure what direction this story was taking, but she didn't think it was moving in a good one. Letting the kid refer to himself as her son had to be crossing some sort of boundary. She walked in the room and took Thirteen by the elbow, gently pulling her from the room. "Dr. Hadley," she said, trying to sound professional. "We need to talk about this."
Thirteen followed rather reluctantly. "I'm in the middle of a story, Dr. Cameron." She leaned back against the wall outside the room and looked past the other doctor.
"I know, that's what I…" Cameron scrunched up her nose and took a small step closer to Thirteen. "Have you been drinking?"
This was the exact reason she had been hoping to avoid Cameron. It figured the second time Cameron ever got that close to her mouth was to smell her breath. "Not in the hospital," she replied. There was no use denying it altogether. It was obvious by the appalled look on Cameron's face that she already knew the truth. Thirteen was glad she had at least had enough not to feel any shame for now.
"You're drunk too, aren't you?" she asked, taking a step back. "That's why you're saying those things in your story."
"I am so sober right now!" Thirteen answered. She paused and quickly decided the choice of words and the emphasis on them didn't support her.
Clenching her jaw, Cameron stared at her. For the first time that day, she actually took in Thirteen's appearance. It looked like she had thrown on the first thing out of her hamper and there were dark circles under her eyes. "Were there drugs too?"
"You're being awful accusing today," Thirteen said. She narrowed her eyes. "I don't think any of this was any of your business. You were told to watch over me with Alex, not dig your way into my personal life."
"Your personal life is having and effect on you and Alex," Cameron defended herself. "I'm going to tell Dr. Cuddy."
A laugh escaped Thirteen before she could hold it back. "You won't tell." Honestly, she wasn't sure whether Cameron would tell on her or not. If she really thought it was for the well-being of a patient, she'd probably be in Cuddy's office within five seconds. She had already been trying over and over to convince herself it didn't matter if she screwed her job goodbye, so she told herself she didn't care if Cameron told Cuddy. "You won't." She turned and walked down the hall.
Cameron knew Thirteen was right. If she told, it would only backfire on Thirteen. "You need to find someone and talk to them." She followed her down the hall. "You're switching moods like you're bipolar. House told me about the Huntington's trial. I'd love if you stayed with me, but it's not going to work out if you're acting like this. How am I going to have you in my home if we're going to argue every five seconds? I want to help you. You're not alone in this."
Thirteen stopped and turned around to face her. She took a step back as Cameron came to a quick stop and nearly ran into her. "Not alone?" she repeated. "Are you dying?" she asked sarcastically.
"No," Cameron answered. "But turn around and walk back into Alex's room. He is. He's dying a lot faster than you are. He's only a kid and he's not acting like this."
"Yeah, he can't act like this," Thirteen replied. "He's a kid. What's he going to do? Steal codeine and seduce the nurses? Plus, House says there's a chance he might make it."
"Then be happy for him," Cameron said. "Pull yourself together." She smirked. "If you're not going to talk to someone then buck up and be a bandit."
Running a hand through her hair, Thirteen just nodded. "Easy for you to say. Your life is perfect."
"I wouldn't say it's perfect," Cameron replied, "Far from it. How about we go back to my house until I'm convinced you're sober? We can make lunch or something."
"Alright." She forced a smile.