mauraraydor: I haven't given up on this story. I've just been reallllly busy! It will be continued! It's one of the few stories that I actually know where I'm going with. Lol.
Shananigan: Thank you!
Protect My Lonely Heart: I've been trying to write chapts for them, but my muse is still hiding. I won't give up on my determination to find it. This game of hide-and-seek is definitely getting old though!
Athyna DaughterofPosiedon: Thanks! At this point, I'm hoping I can just fake being inspiring. If it gets chapters out, I'm good with pretending.
CheshireRyan: Thanks! Love your name and profile pic, btw!
Ang: ...I love you. Haha. You write just fine! If you didn't you would end up like P!Cam and N!Cam. xD
Crazy Rikku Fan: Thank you! You are very kind. Meeting Olivia has changed my life. I definitely urge you to go out of your comfort zone to achieve a dream. You realize that the possibilities for yourself are endless.
esuedros: Thank YOU for reading!
crazyheart101: Olivia is an AMAZING person. If you have a chance to meet her, I definitely recommend doing whatever you have to. Meeting her was a huge struggle for me and I would have never put myself out of my comfort zone for anyone else - but it was worth it. I'd do it all over again 50x if I could.
She's Hearing Voices: Thanks you so much!
Normal-is-Overratedx: Thank you, thank you, thank you!
sgiambra22: I have no idea how long this story is going to be. I know where I'm going with it, but I haven't really planned it out chapter by chapter, if you know what I mean. I imagine it will be a decent length though.
Nightlancer600: I have never been to Chicago. I researched other people's thoughts on it and twisted them into my own words. I'd love to visit there though to get a taste of what it's like for this story - but, unfortunately, it's rather far away. Also, I know exactly where I'm going with this story now!

So...yeah...it's been forever. Sorry, guys! I have to say that meeting Olivia Wilde changed my life even more than I could imagine. She showed me that nothing is beyond my reach. I'm relatively stable now, holding a job (that I'm at so much, I practically live there), and fighting tooth and nail to make something of myself. I haven't given up on writing. Olivia has just given me the courage to fight and open myself up to the idea that I am a capable person.

Anyway. This chapter has been beta'd by the amazing Vanamo - as usual. Someone needs to fix my terrible sentence structure and inform me that people can't read my mind. So, props to her! Remember to review after you're done reading!

Also - if any of you awesome photo editors want to take a shot at making photo covers for any of my fics, I'm willing to give you tons of credit and love you forever!

AFTER THE STORM
I won't die alone and be left there.
Well, I guess I'll just go home,
Oh, God knows where.
Because death is just so full and man so small.
Well, I'm scared of what's behind and what's before.

CHAPTER TWO
THREE'S A COMPANY

It occurred to Remy about a half of a second after Cameron opened the door how flawed these circumstances really were. Had she been on the other side of that door, she might have slammed it in her face. No, she would have slammed it in her face. Then she would have retreated back to bed with some Ambien to cool her hatred for PPTH, with no concern about the reason Cameron had shown up out of the blue. She tore her eyes away from the solid tan wall she found herself staring at just in time to see similar thoughts seemingly turning the gears in Cameron's head. Cameron didn't bother to mask the look of confusion or distrust on her face – maybe even a hint of disgust had etched its way into her features. They both knew that all people and events linked to Princeton Plainsboro led back to one thing and one thing only: House. Remy thought about lodging her foot between the door and the wall followed by some sort of outburst about how it wasn't about House, but the door wasn't moving and she had too much pride for a display of desperation. She wasn't desperate – only low on options. Silence echoed through the hallway and when Cameron suddenly arched her brows, Remy realized she was waiting for her to explain the reason she was standing outside her home, as if they were old friends.

Remy's throat felt as though it had been stuffed with cotton. She found it ironic that Cameron looked like the vulnerable one of the two, slouched against the door with all of her thoughts and feelings clearly written across her face while Remy, now standing straight up, struggled to put on a mask and come up with a few vague lines that would be enough to gain some trust and be let inside.

"I quit," Remy quickly spilled the first thing that came to her mind. It wasn't entirely true and it didn't even come close to summing up the reason she was currently in Chicago, Illinois, dragging Allison Cameron into her mess. But it only took uttering those two words for Cameron's brows to lower and her features to soften – and Remy couldn't say she was surprised. Allison Cameron had always come across as that type of person – disgustingly forgiving of everything as long as it didn't compromise her morals. It was suddenly hard to tell whether the warmth she was now feeling was coming from the woman's apartment or radiating off Cameron herself. If the truth came out, it would probably have been a lot colder. She had to look away before confusion turned into pity and she made a few ambiguous hand gestures, searching for a deeper explanation that wouldn't end in a call to the police.

Cameron pursed her lips together and Remy could see the internal argument she seemed to be having with herself out of the corner of her eye. The silence was rather unnerving and Remy began to wonder if she was ever going to reply. "Does he know you're here?" Her voice was rough from sleep, edgy with concern. The words caused Remy to snap her head back in that direction.

"Who? House?" Or maybe she meant Chase. Either way, she was taken aback by the question.

There was no way Cameron could have known she had started talking to Chase after she left, but judging by the sudden silence she didn't know which one she was talking about any more than Remy did. Remy shook her head and the answer was true for both of them. "No one knows." They weren't about to track her down either. If House hadn't found her by the time she left West Virginia, he wasn't going to find her in Chicago – especially not with Cameron. "Look," she tried to assert herself. She took a moment to breathe and search for words. "I know I'm not…"

"You must be freezing," Cameron cut her off as if it were a sudden realization, "I'm sorry." Remy wasn't sure whether she was apologizing for interrupting her or for keeping her out in the cold but she forgave her and let it go the moment the door opened wider and she had enough room to step inside. "You know you're not what?" she urged her to continue.

"…someone you'd expect to show up at your door in the middle of the night," Remy filled in and took a few small steps inside. She rubbed her hands up and down her arms and swore she felt Cameron's fingertips on her back, guiding her in before she shut the door behind her. It had been a sense that Cameron's apartment would be cozy and a place to collect her thoughts that had drawn her there as opposed to a lonely hotel room (along with the lack of room fee), but her expectations being met sent a flash of panic straight through her chest. Her breath caught and she turned on instinct, ready to make a beeline back to the flashy lights and self-destructive ways of comfort that she was used to. Why had she come here? She knew what to do with herself in those situations. Cameron was blocking her exit though – standing in front of the door, obliviously rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.

"No," she agreed, "but I'd rather you than someone else."

"Touché," Remy responded and looked up again as Cameron stepped away from the door. They didn't know each other very well – or at all really, but Remy could honestly say she'd have preferred if Cameron showed up at her place as opposed to House. She eyed the doorknob for a moment before looking down at the light grey carpet with specks of blue that covered the living room floor. The choice of floor color coupled with the white furniture made the place look almost too clean and she gave the door one last look before slipping off her sneakers, feeling as though she was already overstaying her welcome in a place where she didn't belong. Cameron was overly welcoming though for someone whose apartment was being invaded by someone she had probably hoped to never see again. She looked curious and only mildly annoyed to have been woken up. Of course, all doctors were used to being woken up in the middle of the night. Remy tried to sniffle and scrub at her aching eyes as subtly as possible. The internal dialogue was doing nothing for. The silence was deafening and the seconds were beginning to feel like hours. She tried to focus on the subtle chattering of her teeth as she pressed her toes into the carpet and hooked her thumbs through her belt loops. Cameron seemed to be taking her in and Remy cleared her throat, grasping for a reason to take the attention off of herself. "Your wallpaper is nice." She mentally facepalmed.

Cameron quirked a brow then cracked a smile and breathed a light laugh that cracked the tension.

The corners of Remy's lips turned upward and she diverted her eyes back to the floor, shaking her head at herself. "That was pathetic." She looked up again, fighting back a smile.

"Yeah," Cameron agreed. She glanced around the room for a moment before taking a step toward an archway that led to the kitchen. "Come on. I'll make you some tea to warm you up."

With one last glance at the door, Remy followed a few steps behind her into the kitchen. The tiled floor was an unwelcome, cold change compared to the carpet in the living room. She pulled out one of two chairs at the kitchen table then took a seat and pulled one of her feet up so she could wrap her arms around her leg. Cameron's kitchen was even smaller than her own, but it had more of a homey feel. There were jars of spices on the counter, a candle in the middle of the stove, and pictures of landscapes taking up what would be empty spaces on the walls. Maybe too homey, Remy thought. She lowered her head and rested her chin on her knee, staring at the back of Cameron's head as she opened a cabinet and began digging through it. "Do you need help?" she asked.

Cameron pushed herself up onto her tiptoes and knocked a closed salt shaker onto the counter. "No," she grunted and gathered several boxes of teabags before lowering herself down to flat feet again. She laid the boxes out on the counter then turned back to Remy. "Which flavor?" she asked with an exhale.

Remy read the boxes from where she was sitting, wondering who kept anything other than regular or chamomile tea in their cupboard – neither of which she saw. Better yet, she wondered who kept ginger peach flavored tea. "As tempting as a few of those look, I'll go with cinnamon," she deadpanned and nodded in the direction of the cinnamon tea. As Cameron grabbed a cinnamon teabag and a vanilla one, which Remy supposed was for herself, Remy absently picked at the fabric of her jeans and continued to absently observe the kitchen. There were multiple appliances, a few of which looked useless, and a sunflower theme that made her feel like she was in the middle of a field rather than in the heart of Chicago. Cold, windy Chicago. Her eyelids felt heavy and she lifted her arms higher so she could bury the lower half of her face against them as Cameron began to heat water in a kettle.

Cameron pulled two white mugs off the wall rack above the sink then placed them on the counter and turned around to face Remy as the water continued to heat up. "Did you bring a bag with you?" she inquired.

Remy lifted her head and looked at the floor then back in toward the living room. "It's in my car," she answered, just now realizing she had been so focused on what she was going to say to Cameron and so sure she was going to be turned away that she had simply left her things in the parking garage. "I parked it a few blocks away." She considered getting up and going to get her things at that very moment, but she knew if she left, the chances of her returning were slim. "If you let me stay, I can just crash in this for the night." She motioned at the clothes she was wearing. Her t-shirt and jeans weren't comfortable to sleep in, but they were better than venturing back out into the cold.

"You can't sleep in your clothes," Cameron admonished. "Look at the goosebumps on your arms. You need something warm."

Remy was about to argue that a blanket would suffice, but Cameron had already pushed herself away from the counter and was on her way back through the living room like a woman on a mission. She was lucky she was cute because her determination to be caring was irritating. Remy considered meeting it with a teasing 'yes, mother' but the kettle began whistling before she had the chance to open her mouth. She leaned back on the chair and watched Cameron disappear down the hall then climbed to her feet and walked over to the stove. After a fraction of a second studying the dials, she turned off the burner then set to work on removing the teabags from the packets and pouring the water into the mugs. The combination of cinnamon and vanilla wafting through the air was heavenly. As she waited for the tea to brew, she picked up one of Cameron's useless appliances and turned it over in her hands, trying to figure out its purpose. Her only clue was the Phillips Avent logo, which sounded vaguely familiar, probably from a commercial. Heaving a sigh, she pursed her lips together and put the thing back down on the counter then picked up her mug to warm her hands before turning and venturing back into the living room. She lifted her mug to her lips and swallows a small sip of the tea, suddenly paying a bit more attention to her surroundings when a folded blanket with teddy bear print on the back of the couch caught her attention. Her eyes landed in a small swing in the corner only seconds after. She held the mug with both hands, trying to process the information, then slowly lowered it to the coffee table as she realized Cameron might have more than just a baby sleeping in the next room.

Cameron walked back into the room with a nightgown folded in her arms. She stopped a few feet from Remy and followed her gaze, a smile playing on her lips. "Do you want to see her?"