FYI: I considering titling this chapter "Thirteen's Crib," but for some reason, I went for the more sophisticated title. ;)

Against her better judgment, Cameron followed House's advice and drove past Thirteen's house to see how she was coping. Then she drove by it again. And again.

I'm officially a stalker! She thought. Anxiety crept through her veins. Here she was, about to knock on her door to check on her, but she wanted to do it without informing Thirteen of her true intentions for visiting. She'd felt so proud when she told Thirteen that she'd stood up to House and refused to listen to him blurt out Thirteen's secret. To tell her the truth now would be hypocritical, and she figured she would probably lose her respect.

So how am I going to explain this? Hey Thirteen, what's up? I know we don't know each other very well-hell, I don't even know your first name, but could you please let me in and notify me if you have any intentions of self infliction. Thanks.

Somehow, Cameron made her way to the front steps of Thirteen's house. The house itself was pretty and jovial. Pastel yellow walls contrasted greatly with the mood generated by the objects on her front porch. She noticed an unkempt yard, a few flower pots with withering plants, and decaying vines that had grown and entwined themselves on one of her windows, and the absence of a welcome mat. An ominous sensation tiptoed inside of her. But before she could rid herself of it, or even take a moment to collect her thoughts, Thirteen opened the door.

"Hi," Cameron gasped in surprise, slightly startled by the abruptness of Thirteen's action.

"Can I help you?" Thirteen replied. She appeared anxious, as though expecting an important delivery or was excessively busy.

"Did I catch you at a bad time?"

"No actually. Well that depends. I was just about to get inordinately drunk and watch reruns. If you have something you need me to do that would interrupt this priority plan, I might have to get back you later."

"Well…" Cameron hesitated, trying to explain her visit. She thought she'd just be honest, just withhold a detail or so, without giving everything away. "You were really upset today, and I was wondering if you were ready to talk about it now."

Thirteen's eyes briefly widened and her face became serious as the surprise took ahold of her.

"You came by…to check on me?"

"I guess so." Cameron said, her voice full of sincerity. That same sympathetic voice that had comforted Thirteen earlier when she was sobbing hysterically in the bathroom. The voice that filled her with serenity for a few moments when the world seemed so daunting and insane. Realization set in. Someone had noticed that her world was crashing down.

"You came by to check on me," Thirteen said mostly to herself, accepting the idea as she spoke it out loud." She looked so lost in her own thoughts that Cameron felt slightly awkward and began to blush. As she waited for Thirteen to say something else, Cameron had the opportunity to study her features up close. Her dark hair made her pale skin more noticeable, but her complexion was flawless, like a model flawless. Her eyes that Cameron had noticed before and again and again looked even more beautiful up close. It was easier to get lost in her eyes when they weren't talking about medicine or passing each other in a hospital hallway. They were so iridescent, especially as the fading sunlight reflected on them.

Finally after much introspective deliberation she merely asked Cameron, "Why?"

"Because," she said, thinking about why House had selected her to watch out for Thirteen. Thinking about why she had been the only one he told. And why he had been so persistent.

"Because I care" Cameron said, "It's what I do. I care about people. That's why I became a doctor too."

Thirteen smiled. "Oh, surely there must be more to it than that," she teased, sarcastically imitating the way Cameron had pestered her to open up and reveal the real reason she became a doctor.

"Well, I can't exactly elaborate while I'm standing out here. Aren't you going to invite me inside?"

"Sure. Come in. By the way, I saw you drive by my house a couple times. It was kind've creepy."

"Yeah, well, I was sort of nervous. Sorry about that."

Thirteen shrugged. "I was just glad when you came out of the car that you weren't a group of teenage boys about to raid the place or my creepy neighbor."

Cameron smiled. "Thanks. I guess that's a compliment."

Thirteen stepped aside so Cameron could enter. The inside of the house wasn't quite as dreary as the porch, with sentimental photographs and knickknacks that lightened the atmosphere, but the house was very messy. Things were scattered everywhere, dust was thick on may of the tables, and the place appeared overall very uncared for.

"You live in this?" Cameron said, stepping over a pile of medical journals and clothes that were next to the couch.

"Yeah, I've been meaning to clean the place up. I've been kind of a slob lately. Want something to drink? And I wasn't kidding about the alcohol; I've got winecoolers and stuff to make mixed drinks with."

"When did you become an alcoholic? I bet it was after you started working for House!" Cameron joked.

"Actually, yeah. But I'm not an alcoholic. Not really. It's just lately, I figure why not?" She said.

Cameron poked around, taking this opportunity to try to get Thirteen to reveal more information about herself.

"Why do you say that?" Cameron asked.

"I just mean, well, I mean why not? Life's too short to not do something you want to do. I mean…Amber," she replied, as though that single word explained everything. They made eye contact as she said this, and in a way, it explained everything that Thirteen was thinking, and adequately conveyed this meaning to Cameron as well.

"Anyway, you want a drink?" Thirteen asked.

"Just a coke if you have one."

"Sure," she said. She zigzagged to the kitchen, carefully avoiding knocking stuff over or steeping on anything. She opened the door and retrieved a coke and the several alcoholic drinks.

"I said I didn't want any-"

"They're for me," Thirteen replied. She put them on a nearby table and handed the soda to Cameron.

"Amber's death really affected you, huh?"Cameron said.

"Yeah, I guess. I didn't know her that well." Thirteen admitted. She looked at Cameron. "How do you feel about it?"

"I don't know. I didn't really know her that well either. I guess it was like hearing about someone dying on the news. It's shocking, but that's about it."

"Yeah," Thirteen agreed, taking a drink. And another.

"So why did you become a doctor?" Thirteen asked.

"I told you, because I care about people. The same reason you become one."

"I didn't tell you I became a doctor because I care about patients. I do, but that's not why."

"You said you liked helping people," Cameron responded, then hesitated. She looked at the photos of Thirteen as a child with an older looking woman that looked so much like her, it must have been her mother. Cameron looked around. In all of the photos, Thirteen couldn't have been older that seven of eight. There wasn't a recent photo of them anywhere.

"Was there one person you couldn't help?" Cameron asked gently, making eye contact with the photo of the young little girl Thirteen had been.

"Two, actually," Thirteen said, "Not that it's any of your business." Her tone had abruptly changed, becoming harsher and less consenting to divulge into the past.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry," Cameron admitted. She noticed Thirteen's hand tremble ever so slightly. If it hadn't been for the drink in her hand, tilting the jar ever so slightly as to cause the alcohol to stir back and forth, Cameron may not have noticed.

"Did House switch your coffee to regular again?" Cameron asked.

"You noticed the trembling too?" she asked, concern expressed in the way her eyes widened and the way her eyebrows inclined slightly. She stared at her hand as though it was an entity separate from her, and she was merely an outside observer monitoring its movement. At last she said, "I'm sure it's nothing."

"Yeah," Cameron agreed too quickly, her head bobbing up and down in confirmation. They were both playing a game with lies and deceit, each humoring each other's best effort to hide the truth. Thirteen considered asking Cameron again if House had revealed her secret, but she was too uncomfortable with the answer she might have received. Cameron wanted to meddle in Thirteen's secrets, the result of her unyielding character traits of curiosity and concern. But she didn't want to push her away. She changed the subject to something casual.

"Do you have anything to eat? I'm starving."

"Um, no," Thirteen said, a guilty smile emerging on her lips. "I wasn't expecting guests."

"To be honest, after a good look at this place, I could have predicted that. Why don't we go get something to eat? My treat."

"Okay," Thirteen agreed, stumbling over the arm of the couch as she did so. "But I think you should drive."