JB: I can give you more Cam/Chase. And make Cam wig out if that's what you really want. xD Yup. Another visit to Rebecca.
Shan (1): Thanks very much. Keep scrolling and looking for your name since you reviewed to multiple chapters. -smile-
Dark: Hiya! Thank you so much for the compliments!
Eva: House has to intervene. He's only allowed to slack off on clinic duty...not interrupting.
Bigblusky: Ooh. You got me. It's totally Foreman! (Joking!). She'll get there eventually. I feel like I'm warning people not to be threatened by Kutner over and over and over. x-X
Shan (5): Thank you again. Glad you like the 2nd person POV. I'm beginning to learn it gets in the way...but it's enjoyable to write.
Wonderous: Bah. I know...I know. Major difference between writing House and writing LOST...I didn't feel rushed writing LOST. Plus...you tell me to write for me. I like angst...and keeping things at a slow pace. If people start dropping off...I'll live.
Roronoa: A thesaurus might work better than a dictionary. People have used malevolent. That one's my favorite. I love people who like Kutner! Yay! Happy you're not mad at either. No one is getting hit by trucks or buses. Lol. and Batman will totally fix it all. -wink-
Melissa: Wow! Long review! -celebrates!- Haven't you figured out I'm a major tease yet? Teehee. I love getting everyone all worked up over nothing...or making everything think things are calm right before an explosion. Here's a little bit of Chase/Remy to make you happy. Neither Kutner nor Wilson are to be feared. ...How could they even be scary? Batman is in this chapter!
Dominus: I do not think Chase/Rebecca will cancel each other out. Lol. They're not a math equation. Wilson is not to be feared.
YDPP: Glad you like the angst. And glad you like my squiggly line rant. Lol. House has to meddle. It's just...necessary. Aw. Stupid weather! We have high winds here. It's kinda funny bc somehow we're getting this draft. There's a vent above the middle of the living room...and I was standing there drooling over Cam and got blasted by cold air.
Ina: Well, I need her for this chapter anyway. Gotta describe her more. I keep flipping back and forth with the plot. Both directions have their ups and downs.
Setyourself: Don't die too much. I kinda need them here to put them in my story.
Greeen: I'm glad you decided to review! And honored you have it saved on your phone. Hehe. Glad you like all the angst. Bore me by picking out everything you love? Haha! Long ramble-y reviews that boost my ego are the best!
D: Aw. They'll get back together sooner or later. I'm so glad there's not a fanfics anonymous group. I have a feeling I'd lose all my readers. x-X And thanks!
Ilive: Ahhh...the phone thing. -subject change- Bahaha. Thanks. Hopefully I'll find a place to add in Cam/Wilson talking, cause I want to.
Shan (9): Late to the party? Phft. It's never-ending. We add people all the time. -confetti-
Lessthan13: The spacebar and I dislike each other...so! Bunnyyy!!!!! -squee- Cute! Heyheyhey. No limiting my angsty-ness! I can't make fluff right now. I have no where to put it. I figure if y'all get tired of the angst, you'll lose interest in the fic and drop away anyway. Totally not saying who stalker guy is!
Twampy: Don't have a heart attack. If you die, you can't read. Heh. Fortunately, we're in my world...with my reality. Bahahaha. More weird robin-like things? I'll get on that. -wink-
Shan (18): I try to be evil. Happy to succeed! And thank you...er...again! Here's the next chapt! -smile-
Amazon: Glad Kutner makes you laugh. He's supposed to be lowering the angst a bit. You might redirect more anger at Rebecca after this chapter. -shiftyeyes-
Ilessthree: Yay, you remembered! I was semi-waiting for you to review before updating. Glad you're enjoying it!
Thirteen's POV:
Rebecca is not breathtakingly beautiful, nor is she pathetically plain, but roaming the pleasant acres between the two. Her thin body could never match the models on the posters plastered across her wall in cheap frames, but a healthy weight is more attractive anyway. Being a fashion photographer, she's the one behind the camera and has to worry more about how the models look than how she herself looks. Her fire red ringlets cover her face but she stares past them, her deep brown eyes boring into you as you slide your shirt on. "Leaving so soon?" she questions, holding the blanket of her bed to her bare chest as she sits. "We could always do it again."
You turn to face her, curling one leg under you and stretching the other one out. "Three times wasn't enough?" you ask with a smirk, running your fingers through your hair to push it out of your face. "I need to get going."
"Of course you do." She shakes her head so her hair flies wildly then tucks a curl behind her ear. Her hair is always all over the place when it's curly and you prefer it straight, but she rarely puts the effort into straightening it. "You're not even going to stay for a cup of coffee after using me?"
"I didn't use you." You both know it's a lie. The buttons on your shirt make for a good reason not to look her in the eye so you focus on buttoning them up one by one. The only reason you're there is to forget about Cameron. Unlike Rebecca, Cameron is beautiful. The first moment you saw her, you knew there must be a catch. She's like an apple so lovely it has to be poisoned. Now you can't get her off your mind or out of your heart. If you had known feelings could be this strong, you would have never let her out of your sight. "I was just in the mood for sex."
Rebecca snorts. "You've been over here enough that I can tell the difference between when you're using me and when you're just horny." Shaking her hair away from her face again, she leans back against her elbows. "You like it when I'm a bitch when you're using me."
"You're always a bitch," you remind her, leaving the top two buttons of your shirt undone. Narrowing your eyes, you glance around for your underwear. Clothes are strewn across her floor and you consider yourself lucky for even finding the correct shirt. "I just don't care that you enjoy being rough."
"No, you don't care," she agrees. "Because when you're using me, you encourage it." She points toward her closet. "Your panties are over there."
"Thanks." Crawling off the bed, you trip on a lamp cord and hop your way over to your underwear. "I don't encourage anything," you inform her, pulling on your panties then grabbing your pants and putting those on too.
"Whatever you say, Remy," she replies with a shrug. "I can tell when you like being in pain though. You look for reasons to scream more. This is about that girl that was staying with you, isn't it?"
"Shut up," you snap as soon as she mentions Cameron. "This has nothing to do with anything." For a split second, you wonder what things would be like with Cameron. It's not in Cameron's nature to inflict pain, even if you begged her to hurt you. She'd be gentle and careful with you, something you've never really experienced. Throat constricting, you attempt to swallow.
"Just think of it this way," she continues with a nonchalant attitude, sounding bored with the conversation. "If she stayed with you, I'd eventually have to up your rent. Life is cheaper without her." It's not like she needs the money which would give her a reason to encourage you to bring Cameron back. The apartments are 'co-owned' by her and her father. Her father has enough money, he could buy all the apartments in New Jersey if he wanted to.
Giving her a blank stare, you suddenly feel empty. In a way, her words are right. Life doesn't feel worth as much knowing that no one needs or probably even wants you around. "I have to feed the damn dog." Adjusting your clothes, you walk out of the bedroom.
"Remy!" she calls after you. "Just let her go like you do all the other ones!"
You're going to have to find a new sex partner and that's all there is to it. Rebecca is beginning to know you to well and you don't like it. Leaving her apartment, you make plans to go to the bar tomorrow night and find someone else who lives conveniently close to you.
As you walk into the hall, you notice the wall where someone had written the word 'slut'. It was washed off for the most part, but you can still make out the outline of the 's' and 'u'. Even if the person had directed it toward Cameron, you know the word fits you better than it ever will her. Clenching your jaw, you unlock your door then let yourself inside.
Batman glances up at you from his spot on the floor. He found a sweater you recognize as Cameron's and dragged it into your living room. Pouting, he puts his head down on his paws and swishes his tail back and forth a few times.
"Give me that," you mutter, advancing on him to take the sweater and throw it out. He bares his teeth and growls, protecting his find. Not about to get bit, you take a step back and just glare. "Fine. You can take it with you when I ship you back to the shelter, Dog." Keeping him seems pointless. He obviously doesn't like you and taking care of him is nothing but a hassle.
You walk around him and into the kitchen. You're about to go for the cupboard containing the liquor when there's a knock on the door. "Damn it, Rebecca, I'm not going back to your apartment!" The person knocks again and you drag yourself to the door. Turning the knob, you yank it open. "What do you-" Your voice comes to a halt as you face House.
"Who's Rebecca?" he asks, smirking at you. "And if you do decide to go back to her apartment, can I join?"
"What are you doing here?" you ask in a harsh whisper. Putting your good arm out, you support yourself against the doorframe and stand so he can't let himself in.
"Cameron told me not to go to her house," he explains.
"So you came to mine?" you ask, frowning. You'd rather he harass you than Cameron, honestly. She had enough things to deal with.
"Actually, I went to Cameron's house," House tells you. "She wasn't home. I didn't feel like visiting Chase's house to look for her." He pushes your arm out of his way and limps inside. "Nice place."
"Get out." Moving suddenly seems like a good idea. Ever since you brought Cameron home, you've received visits from Cuddy, Kutner, and now House. Your privacy has been raked.
"Relax," he says calmly. "It's not like I'm going to break anything." He glances around then turns to face you. "What did you do to Cameron?" he asks.
"This is none of your business," you growl, crossing your arms. "I didn't do anything."
"This is interesting," he replies, leaning on his cane. "What did Cameron do to you?"
"Leave," you demand, pointing to the door. "Isn't it bad enough I have to deal with you asking me these questions at work?"
"I figured you might answer them if no one else is around." House shrugs. He makes his way toward the door and into the hall. "I thought-"
You shut the door and lock it then look through the peephole. "Go away. I already know you'll bother me tomorrow."
"And it'll be double now!" His voice sounds cheery. "You sure you don't want to take a trip to see this Rebecca girl? Maybe we should go see Cameron together."
Groaning, you turn your back to the door and slouch back against it. "Go home, House. Don't you have Soaps to watch or porn to look at?"
"They'll be there when I get back," he answers you then pauses. "You know, if you don't want to see this Rebecca girl, we could always go to Cuddy's."
"I'm ignoring you," you inform him. "You might as well stop talking and leave." Trying to really ignore him, you walk back into the kitchen and dig through your cupboard for vodka. Drinking a few sips from the bottle, you carry it back into the living room and curl up on the couch. The Christmas decorations are still up and you stare at them, debating whether or not you want to take them down.
"I thought you had a thing for female co-workers," House says, tapping the door.
Closing your eyes, you tilt the bottle to your lips again. The alcohol warms you from the inside out but it doesn't distract you from how much of an ass House is. It's easy for you be to be stubborn enough not to answer him though.
"Looks like you and Cameron won't be having sex now though," he says. "She's with Chase, after all. Why is she with Chase instead of with you again?"
Tears welling up in your eyes, you tilt your head back and take a longer drink. The liquid doesn't help you swallow the lump in the back of your throat. It hits you that you're sitting home alone and Chase had the person who should currently be sitting beside you. You know eventually he'll get bored, but you don't want to deal with him. Leaning across the couch, you turn off the light then get to your feet. Turning in early is better than listening to House and you walk back to your bedroom, stumbling a few times along the way.
-----
It just had to snow last night, didn't it? The white ground reflects sunlight and practically blinds you as you make your way from your car to the hospital. Squinting in attempt to block out the light doesn't make your head stop pounding and you resent your genetics for giving you blue eyes. Even though everyone seems to favor blue eyes, you hate how sensitive they are. You despise your genetics in general because somehow you got passed all the faulty genes from blue eyes to Huntington's. It's mornings like this that you regret drinking, yet for some reason you always go back to it and it's also mornings like this that remind you why.
"Morning!" Kutner exclaims cheerfully, meeting you by the door. "I brought your coffee to work instead of to your apartment."
"You didn't have to bring me coffee." Your voice is hoarse from half a night of vomiting up the copious amount of alcohol you consumed. "Thanks though." You take the cup from him and walk inside as he holds the door for you.
"You're hung over, aren't you?" Kutner asks, eyeing you carefully. "If Cuddy finds out, she'll be-"
"I'm not hung over," you lie, shooting him a look. Sighing, you glance down at the coffee cup you're holding and rub your thumb across the lid as you debate whether or not to drink it. It could be regular and you drink decaf, but last time he bought you coffee it was decaf. You're not sure whether to trust he remembered again. You finally give in and take a few sips, letting the hot liquid scald your tongue and the roof of your mouth. "I just have a cold or something."
"Right." It's obvious he doesn't believe you, but he doesn't argue. He gives you a concerned look then glances down at the floor. "Well, the day is new and the sun is up!" He smiles at you.
"Someone slipped something into your coffee, didn't they?" You glance at your own coffee as if the cheerfulness might spread like a disease. Today is not a day you want to feel cheerful until you glance up and see Chase. He's leaning against the wall by the elevator, gulping down his own coffee.
"Late night?" you ask with calmly as you and Kutner approach him to take the elevator. "I must have forgotten to warn you Cameron would be keeping you up." It's wrong, but his exhausted appearance makes you feel smug and want to grin.
"She didn't keep me up all night," Chase says and stands up straight. "Thanks for your concern though," he states sarcastically.
"I'm guessing she cried all night," you continue then take a drink of your coffee. "Probably woke up screaming once or twice, right? It must have been really hard to comfort her while she was pushing you away." You keep a straight face, controlling yourself even though you want to mock him.
Chase stares at you seethingly. He practically punches the elevator button three times like it will make it faster. "We had a fine night. Both of us slept great."
"Huh." You nod your head and glance at the elevator doors as they open. "The circles under your eyes disagree." Grabbing Kutner's arm so he doesn't step on the elevator with Chase, you plan to take the next one. It's hard not to feel protective over Cameron and you try to bite back your words but they escape anyway. "If something happens to her because she's not sleeping or eating, I-"
Chase hits the button to close the elevator door.
"You're going to make him miserable, aren't you?" Kutner asks, smirking as he pushes the button for the elevator.
"Nope," you reply with a complacent smile before taking another drink of your coffee. "That's House's job."
"What about Cameron?" The elevator opens and the two of you step inside. Kutner pushes the floor button then leans against the wall as the doors close. "How are you going to make sure she's eating and sleeping?"
"We'll figure something out," you reply. The elevator doors open again and you look up.
"Oh, come on!" House whines as Cuddy steps on the elevator.
"No." Cuddy pushes the button to close to door then crosses her arms tightly across her chest.
"What do you mean we?" Kutner whispers, standing closer to you. He tilts his head to the side, staring at Cuddy's ass.
"Kutner!" you scold in a whisper, smacking his arm. You cringe when you realize how much pain hitting people with your sprained wrist causes. After a moment of narrowing your eyes at him, you glance over at Cuddy too and take a sip of your coffee. It's not your fault your boss is hot.
"I think someone stole her underwear again," Kutner whispers, grinning.
The coffee goes down the wrong pipe and you start coughing. You push your coffee cup into Kutner's hand then cover your mouth.
"Are you okay, Dr. Hadley?" Cuddy asks, spinning to face you. She tilts her head to the side and examines you carefully.
"She's just aspirating," Kutner explains, nudging your foot with his.
Your cheeks turn red and you cough for a few more moments before nodding your head. "I'm fine," you choke. Tears are stinging your eyes and you're not sure whether it's from coughing or trying not to laugh.
Cuddy nods slowly and glances over at Kutner. "House doesn't have a case today because he's making up clinic duty," she says slowly. "I want you, Taub, and Foreman helping him. Dr. Hadley, go help Dr. Cameron in the ER."
"What?" you sputter, your eyes going wide. You quickly compose yourself and nod. "Why aren't I helping in the clinic?"
"Because I want you in the ER. Do you have a problem with that?" Cuddy places a hand on her hip and raises an eyebrow at you.
"No." You shake your head and try to ignore the questioning look Kutner is giving you. The elevator door opens and you let out a subtle sigh of relief. "We'll go tell Taub and Foreman." You follow Kutner off the elevator and wait until the doors shut. "Aspirating?" you ask, trying to distract yourself, "Seriously?"
A grin spreads across his face. "I made you laugh." He pauses. "Good luck in the ER. Couldn't you have stayed on the elevator?"
You know nothing will ever happen between you and Kutner, but you appreciate how distracting his attempts to charm you are. "Have fun doing all of House's clinic work," you reply. You'd rather do a full day of clinic work than be wherever Cameron is. "And I needed to get off for a moment so the aspiration would stop getting to me." You grin with him despite the nervousness that's welling up inside of you.