No foreplay/chit-chat this time. At almost 6k words, here's the chapter some of you've been waiting for. Thank to all my reviewers.

Thirteen sat perched at the counter of her favorite diner. After an interview, she had stopped in for a leisurely lunch. Her trip had been wonderful, but now that she was home, all the issues she had tried to escape were staring her in the face again. She was still looking for a new job and, strangely, House had begun dropping into her life as well. And of course there was Rachel. It was becoming more and more difficult for Thirteen to resist calling her. She had listened to her last message nearly a dozen times. It wasn't that she didn't believe Rachel or even that she didn't want to forgive her. She had simply made herself too vulnerable and gotten nothing in return for too long.

For the time being, she was trying to unwind. All thoughts of lost love or job hunting were banished as she tried to let everything go. She scribbled intently in a scrapbook, making notes about her trip while they were still fresh in her mind. Things were going according to plan until a voice from behind interrupted.

"Looks like quite a trip," Foreman said.

Thirteen turned and glared at him crossly as she looked him over. He carried himself with his usual air of smugness and it did nothing for her mood. She quickly turned back to her project and hoped his visit would be brief.

"It was," she replied, trying to move things along. "Did House send you to talk to me?"

"No," Foreman said.

"Then there's nothing to talk about. I don't want to work for him."

Foreman stepped closer and leaned towards her, "You're a great doctor. House is right to want you in the mix."

Thirteen looked back at him. He was usually blunt and direct, but now he was sidestepping the point. "Are you saying this because you still have feelings for me and you want me back?"

"I'm saying that shouldn't be an issue."

"Do you have feelings for me or not?" Thirteen asked. It was the last thing she wanted, but she had to know. Just once she wanted him to drop the pretense. She needed at least one person in her life to be honest.

Foreman hesitated. "I don't want our work life to have anything to do with our personal life," he hedged.

"You couldn't keep them separate," Thirteen smirked. "And that's why our personal life doesn't exist." She looked away from him again. She shouldn't have been surprised. Foreman could barely tell her the truth when they were together. He had never been the type to admit to making mistakes, or having feelings, or really anything that might indicate that he was actually human.

He sat down next to her and continued his appeal, "None of that has to–"

"I can't work with you," she said sharply.

"Actually, you can," Foreman replied calmly. "I was the one who had the problem. I don't anymore." He quickly stood and left while Thirteen considered his words.

Before she had a chance to recover, Thirteen turned to see Rachel walking towards her from the door on the other side of the diner. Discerning the look on Rachel's face, Thirteen assumed she had been there long enough to see her talking to Foreman.

"He was–"

"Don't tell me. I want to say this without losing my nerve," Rachel started. "I'm sorry about what I said before you left. I get scared sometimes when I don't know how to handle things and I have no idea how to handle relationships. I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to confuse you for problems in myself, or take things out on you. I want to make things good for you. I want to be good for you. I want to be with you."

Thirteen looked at Rachel dumbly for a moment before slapping a few bills on the counter and gathering her things. "This really isn't the place for this."

Rachel nodded sadly, "I'm sorry. I'll go."

She quickly turned to leave but Thirteen caught her by the wrist. "Don't. I just meant we should talk about this privately."

Thirteen and Rachel slipped out of the diner and made their way back to Thirteen's apartment. They each had their hands stuffed awkwardly in their pockets as they tried to find a way to talk to each other.

"I'm sorry," Rachel said again. "For everything. I thought I was doing the right thing."

"You said that in your letter."

"You read it?"

Thirteen nodded, "I did. It was beautiful. I got your messages, too. Sorry I didn't call you back."

"You don't have to apologize. I understand. I'm sure you're more than a little upset with me."

"I'm not actually," Thirteen said, shaking her head quickly. "I mean, I was when you rejected me at the hospital and stood me up at the airport, but I let it go. I guess all that Buddhism rubbed off on me." Thirteen let out a small laugh and looked over at Rachel. "You know what's weird? The first time you called me I had been back for about two minutes. How'd you know I was home?"

"Oh," Rachel cleared her throat nervously. "I, uh… bribed your landlord." Thirteen laughed again and Rachel felt at ease.

The pair had soon reached their destination and Thirteen unlocked her door and lead Rachel in. She suddenly felt nervous as Rachel stared at her strangely. "What?"

Rachel shook her head, "Nothing, I just–God, I missed you. I missed talking to you and seeing you. I even missed your jack-in-the-box visits."

Thirteen smiled but it quickly faded, "How long until you run away from me again?"

"I'm not going anywhere," Rachel said certainly.

Thirteen stepped closer but kept her distance. "So, we're stuffing ourselves with turkey next week. Are you running yet?"

Rachel shook her head, "No."

"Six months down the line, we're so cute together it's disgusting. You still here?"

"Yes."

Thirteen stepped a little closer, "Your dad comes to visit, says you're exactly like him and you'll ruin my life. Are you going to push me away?"

"No," Rachel said. "But my father would never visit me."

Thirteen smirked and closed the rest of the distance between herself and Rachel. She trailed her hands up Rachel's neck and pulled her in until their lips met softly. Without letting go she pulled back slightly and searched Rachel's eyes for any sign of hesitation. Rachel quickly resumed the kiss, bringing Thirteen even closer. She slowly moved from Thirteen's lips to her neck to her collarbone with her fingertips delicately tracing the way. Thirteen let out a breathy sigh and before long she had Rachel pressed against a wall. She ran her hand over Rachel's taut stomach before quickly pulling her shirt free of her body.

Rachel peeled off Thirteen's pants, following the gentle curves of her hips and thighs along the way. Her hands wasted no time in burning a path up Thirteen's shirt, before it too was stripped. She felt her own jeans fall by the wayside, and Thirteen was suddenly tugging at her bra.

Before long, all clothing had fallen away and Thirteen was leading Rachel to her bed. Still preoccupied with Rachel's mouth, she knocked into the mattress, crashing down on her back with Rachel on top of her. Without delay, Rachel was gently repositioning them. She kissed her way down Thirteen's chest while caressing one of her breasts. Rachel ran her warm tongue over the nipple, then rolled it lightly with her full lips.

Her long fingers ghosted over a soft patch of skin covering Thirteen's ribs. Thirteen bit her lip sharply and swallowed a groan. Smiling, Rachel made a note to remember the spot and nipped at it playfully with her teeth. The sensation made Thirteen gasp as Rachel continued placing kisses down her body. She trailed her tongue over the crest of Thirteen's hip while her hands made soft patterns on the insides of her thighs.

Rachel suddenly returned to Thirteen's lips. She leaned against Thirteen's forehead until she looked into her eyes eagerly. With Thirteen writhing in her grasp, Rachel slowly pressed two fingers into her. Thirteen's breath hitched and she slammed her head back before her own fingers slid deeply into Rachel's center.

As they gained momentum, Rachel recaptured Thirteen's lips. They gasped and moaned into each other's mouths in between kisses. One pulling ragged breaths from the other, they panted in unison as they drew closer. Thirteen arched her back as her hips began to snake. Her body began to shudder and she felt Rachel's do the same. She pulled Rachel closer as their bodies tensed and went rigid before spasming together wildly. With their trembling slowly subsiding they lay there, intoxicated, in each other's arms. They poured into each other's bodies. Something ethereal surrounded them both and pulled them together. They seemed to float.

When the world reassembled around them, Rachel and Thirteen were still laying tangled in each other. Curled on her side, Rachel was tracing small circles on Thirteen's back while she lay on her stomach with her arms wrapped around a pillow. Thirteen furrowed her brow unconsciously as she gazed at Rachel.

"Why do you look upset?" Rachel asked.

"I'm not," Thirteen said quietly.

"You look it."

"You're still here."

"I said I would be."

"You've said that before. The funny thing is I believed you then, but now…"

"You don't believe me?"

"No," Thirteen replied shaking her head. "I want to, but I just don't see what's different now."

"I'm done running."

"But why?" Thirteen pressed. "When people get too close you push them away. You did it to me over and over again. So, why are you suddenly done pushing me away?"

"Because I'm in love with you," Rachel answered. She watched Thirteen's eyes light up with surprise. "All the running and the worries and fears, I'm done with that. I love you, and I want to be with you."

"And you realized all of this in a month?"

"Sort of. I thought it would be easier with you gone, but I was more distracted. So much so that I had to take some time off from work," Rachel said, sliding closer to Thirteen. "But I had a lot of time to think while you were away. I had a lot of long conversations with my brother and he helped me see that I couldn't keep hiding from what I felt for you. It was either step up or lose you."

"And all your fears about hurting me or being close to me, they're gone?"

"God, no. I'm terrified. But I promise you I will do everything in my power to keep that from happening."

"You'll work to keep me safe?"

Rachel nodded, "I will."

"Didn't I say something like that a few months ago?" Thirteen chuckled.

Rachel looked away sheepishly, "Not that I can recall."

"Uh-huh," Thirteen mumbled. Her expression turned serious for a moment, "I should probably tell you that I'm not in love with you–at least not yet. There's definitely a falling sensation."

Rachel smiled broadly, "That's okay. I didn't say it to have you say it back, I said it because I felt it."

"So, tell me, what happened to make you so afraid that you'd hurt me?"

Rachel looked away for a moment. For a while she said nothing, but when she met Thirteen's eyes again, she seemed resolved to answer. "I was married once," she said softly. "The summer after undergrad I eloped with my boyfriend. I brought him home to meet my family and my father was the most contemptible asshole he could possibly be. He said something–blamed me for something I still can't forgive him for. After that, things fell apart. I pulled away from everyone. I accepted a spot at Hopkins, which was not at all what I'd decided with my husband. I just packed my things and left for med school. I didn't tell anyone. I didn't even return his phone calls. He came to visit me and all I could do was scream at him. He spent months trying to work things out. All he did was love me and worry about me, and I just ignored him. After a while, he filed for annulment."

"What did your dad–"

"Father," Rachel corrected.

"What did your father blame you for? What could make you act like that?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Rachel shook her head as she blinked back tears, "I swear I'll tell you one day, but not now."

Thirteen nodded and tenderly kissed the bridge of Rachel's nose. She pulled her into a tight hug and Rachel released a heavy sigh. Thirteen glanced at the clock, "Do you have to get back to work soon?"

"Nope. I'm on suspension."

Thirteen's jaw dropped, "What happened?"

"You distracted me."

"No, no, no," Thirteen replied. "I wasn't even here."

"But I was thinking about you constantly. I couldn't focus and I gave one of my patients a muscle relaxant before a massage. He misperceived how much pressure the therapist was using and there was some minor tissue damage."

"How much trouble are you in?"

"A lot. I'm out for ten days, then I can't see patients directly for a month."

"Wow," Thirteen gasped.

"I also may have mouthed off to Cuddy a little," Rachel started. "But she tried to send me to the psych department. I never should have told her I was depressed."

"You can't tell Cuddy something like that. She'll use against you every time."

"She's not malicious, she's just doing her job."

"Of course, but still. What were you thinking?"

Rachel laced her fingers between Thirteen's, "I was thinking 'I'm completely in love with this amazing girl and I may have fucked it up for good.'"

"You didn't," Thirteen replied quickly. She tried to hide the blush spreading rapidly across her cheeks. "So what will you do with all this free time?"

Rachel shrugged, "Spend some time with you. Relax at home, I guess."

"I think you should stay here," Thirteen said, arching an eyebrow. "It's obvious you don't do so well on your own." Thirteen's explanation was thinly veiled and she smiled coyly.

"Okay," Rachel said after a moment. "But only to convince you that I'm not going anywhere."

Thirteen nodded, "I should lay down some ground rules then."

"Such as?"

"You can come and go as you please as long as you're in by eight."

"You're giving me a curfew?"

"Yes. And I think you should cook for me."

"Now you're just taking advantage."

"So," Thirteen giggled. "You've got to do something for wasting my generously offered airline ticket."

"You said you bought it with your miles. That doesn't count."

"It does."

"Fine," Rachel conceded. She thought to herself for a moment, "I think I should start courting you as well. Real old-fashioned like."

Thirteen frowned, "So, you'll share a malt with me after the sock hop?"

"Small gifts, sweet gestures."

Thirteen smiled, "Why couldn't you be this romantic before I left? I had very high hopes for you to come with me. I kept daydreaming about Rachel and Remy's Wild Thai Adventure."

"You have quite the imagination," Rachel said, letting out a deep laugh. "It is a shame I wasn't ready then. But now, the door is wide open for other seriously sexy adventures."

Rachel pressed her body into Thirteen's and kissed her deeply. She let her hands roam down Thirteen's stomach and towards her hips. Before she could finish her seductive journey, Rachel's stomach growled forcefully. She threw her head back and scoffed in frustration as Thirteen collapsed in a fit of laughter.

"I don't think any of those adventures start with an empty stomach," Thirteen said, still laughing. She pulled herself from Rachel's arms and bounded to the kitchen. After a few minutes she returned with a tray filled with take-out boxes. She set the tray on the bed and crawled back under the sheets. She handed Rachel a pair of chopsticks and offered her one of the boxes.

"You spend a month in Thailand, then come home and order Thai food?" Rachel asked, tucking into the food.

"I'm researching," Thirteen mumbled through a mouthful of noodles. "I got food from every Thai place in the area. I'm trying to find the most authentic."

"I think this is pretty spot on. And I see your chopstick skills have really improved."

"Absolutely," Thirteen said smiling. To prove herself, she scooped up a mess of noodles and offered them to Rachel, who very happily took them. Thirteen grinned so hard her jaw began to hurt, "I'm really glad you came here today."

Rachel felt the warmth of Thirteen's smile settle on her. As she returned the silly grin she leaned over and kissed Thirteen with all she had. "Me too."

That following morning, Thirteen woke with a start. As she reached over to the opposite side of the bed, she found it empty and cold. Rachel had long since left. But her worries were quickly put to rest. The air was thick with a heady blend of coffee and flowers and she could hear the clanking of cookware coming from the kitchen. She leapt out of bed and quickly headed to the kitchen. The minute she left her bedroom, Thirteen was overwhelmed by flowers. They were everywhere and in every color. In every available glass, bottle, or jar there was a bouquet of flowers. Her desk, her coffee table–even the windowsills were lined with flowers. Thirteen stood with her mouth agape as Rachel buzzed around the kitchen, obviously pleased by her response. Rachel casually sipped a cup of coffee before handing Thirteen her own. "Sleep well?" she asked.

"What's with–"

"I didn't know what kind of flowers you liked so I got a few different varieties."

"How did you get a florist to do all of this so early?"

"When you tell a florist you want a gross of flowers they tend to move pretty quickly," Rachel smiled.

Thirteen's eyes widened, "There are twelve dozen flowers here?"

Rachel nodded, "Roses, tulips, lilies, daisies, irises, carnations, poms, snapdragons, lisianthus, chrysanthemums, dahlias–and my favorites–sunflowers."

"Wow," Thirteen said breathily. "For the record, it's daisies, sunflowers, lilies."

"Top three?" Rachel asked.

"Usually," Thirteen said. She picked up a bouquet from her desk and inhaled deeply. "These dahlias are kind of blowing everything else away."

"Can I make you something?"

"I'm kind of bare except for the take-out. I really need to get groceries."

"Did it," Rachel said. "I also picked up some things from place."

"How did you have a whole day before ten a.m.?"

Rachel shrugged, "Too much free time only seems to get me into trouble."

"Come to the gym with me then? I'd love to watch you work out for a change."

Rachel nodded and graced Thirteen with a peck on the cheek, "I'll go get ready."

Half an hour later, Thirteen found herself mesmerized by a bead of sweat making its way down Rachel's chest as she ran. She had stumbled on her treadmill more than a few times and was dangerously close to falling this time.

"If you don't keep your eyes forward you'll fly off that thing," Rachel said.

"I can't help it, you look sexy," Thirteen said, between breaths.

Just as Rachel had warned, Thirteen stumbled and fell from the treadmill. Jumping from her own machine, Rachel grabbed Thirteen by the arm before she could lose her balance completely.

"Why don't you move on to core work and I'll go get a smoothie or something so you can concentrate."

Thirteen nodded as she watched Rachel walk away. She quickly found another distraction as a strange sight caught her eye. A few treadmills down, House was limping along, cane and all. As she approached him, he was making an undoubtedly sarcastic comment to the person next to him.

"What are you doing here?" Thirteen asked.

"Waiting for to take a nap so I can surge into the lead," House said nonchalantly. Thirteen quickly walked away from him and headed for the sit-up machine. Not surprisingly, House followed her. "What's the best way to restore the liver in someone with sclerosing cholangitis?"

"I'm not getting drawn into this," Thirteen said quickly.

"You already are," House countered.

"Because you crashed my workout?" Thirteen asked. She carried on with her workout and tried to ignore her former boss.

"Because you're doing core training, which improves balance, which staves off the most debilitating symptoms of Huntington's." To Thirteen's displeasure, House sat down at an empty machine nearby and continued analyzing her. "You've ended your self-destructive streak and want to do something significant, something that'll last longer than the few years you have left. My team is your first best choice."

"And my first choice is the community health clinic I interviewed with yesterday."

House nodded, "Absolutely, you should do that–three hours a week. Every doctor should, because every doctor can. But you don't want to be every doctor. Plus, on my team, you get to screw with Foreman. Every way but literally."

"Why are you doing it this way," Thirteen asked, taking a break to catch her breath. "You're pretending to assume we're all coming back without actually asking us. Why?"

House smiled, "See, this is why you'd be miserable wiping noses in a clinic."

Thirteen rolled her eyes and removed herself from the machine. "You can't ask because you can't face the rejection. Why not? What's going on?"

"Are you asking me to ask you?"

Thirteen shook her head, "I'm saying you shouldn't. For your sake as well as mine."

Thirteen quickly left the gym, leaving House to his own devices. She met up with Rachel in the locker room and started to pace anxiously.

"House is here," she mumbled in annoyance.

"I know. He's sort of hard to miss."

"He's offering me my old job back. I can't let him drag me back there."

"Would you breathe for a second?" Rachel muttered. She grabbed Thirteen before she could double back and continue pacing. "If you don't want to work for him just say no."

"I've said no. To him, to Foreman. They just keep popping up in my life."

"Come on, let's get out of here."

Rachel took Thirteen by the hand and started from the locker room. When they reached the car, Rachel confiscated Thirteen's keys. With her frustration growing she was in no shape to drive.

"Don't let them get to you. Figure out what you want and do it," Rachel said reassuringly. "What are your options?"

"There's this clinic in Pennsauken. I think it's my best option."

Rachel raised an eyebrow at Thirteen, "You want to work in Pennsauken? Pennsauken is dull. It's a comatose little town. It's–"

"A shithole?"

"I was going to say ordinary, but shithole works."

"I think I'll get bored," Thirteen said, rubbing her temple. "In fact, I know I'll get bored. But it would be easy and normal. Things would be so much simpler."

"But you wouldn't be happy."

"You think I should go back to House?"

Rachel shook her head, "I think you should find something that really fulfills you. Don't settle for a job you'll hate just because you're running from the alternative."

When they returned home, the couple quickly showered, dressed, and tended to business. As Rachel grabbed a notepad from Thirteen's desk she noticed the papers piled in the tray of her fax machine.

"Rem, you've got half a dozen case files here from House."

Thirteen groaned loudly, "Just leave them. He'll give up eventually."

"Are we talking about the same House?"

Rachel left the desk for Thirteen and settled on the couch with her laptop. After a while she felt a gentle rapping from the back of the couch. She glanced behind her, a huge smile already teasing her face. Thirteen was sitting on the floor behind the couch, playfully intent on bugging Rachel.

"What are you doing?" Thirteen asked.

Rachel glanced back to the list on her computer before setting it aside. "I have to see a shrink before I can go back to work," she sighed. "I've really had enough couch time in my life."

"You could go see my doctor."

"You see a psychiatrist?"

Thirteen nodded and hopped over the couch's back. "I started seeing her a few months after my diagnosis." She cocked her head to the side as Rachel pouted, "What?"

"Well, I'm just a little offended. You could have told me you were seeing another therapist."

Thirteen rolled her eyes before wrapping her arms around Rachel's waist and placing small kisses along her jaw. "You're the only therapist I get physical with."

"I should hope so. A psychiatrist is not qualified to perform physiotherapy."

"Rachel," Thirteen groaned, rolling her eyes again.

Rachel smiled cheekily, "Oh, you meant sex."

Thirteen nodded and straddled Rachel. She leaned down and kissed Rachel's neck. Her hands played under Rachel's shirt, searching and exploring all the sensitive areas there were to find. She moved down to Rachel's stomach, alternating between soft kisses and errant nips. Rachel was panting softly as Thirteen unzipped her jeans. Still kissing, Thirteen gently inhaled the scent of Rachel's skin. She was deeply satisfied by the musk that rose from the junction of Rachel's thighs. She smiled mischievously as she pulled away from Rachel, somehow overcoming all the urges running through her mind.

"I've got to get back to work," Thirteen said with a smug smile.

Rachel narrowed her eyes, "Are you serious?"

"I'm afraid so," Thirteen got up from the couch and retreated to her desk, still smiling to herself.

"But you're out of work and waffling between jobs," Rachel whined. "That should afford you plenty of time for sex."

"If that's your idea of pillow talk, it needs work," Thirteen giggled.

When she was through teasing, Thirteen pulled out her laptop and got focused. She set to work, looking for new positions and better opportunities. They all seemed like dead ends. After working for House nothing seemed good enough. She could do so much more than these positions were asking. She was better than this.

As if to remind her, Thirteen's fax fired up and began printing a message. She glanced back at it briefly–it was from House, of course–feeling even more frustrated as the paper fell to the floor. With a sigh she jumped up and headed for the door.

"I'm going to get some air," she mumbled to Rachel.

The brisk fall air hit Thirteen with a bracing edge. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she paced the sidewalk. Crisp leaves, fireplace smoke, the scent of coming rain. The smells seemed to ground Thirteen in the moment, keeping her frustration from overcoming her. She took one last deep breath before heading back inside. She grabbed her mail and ducked inside her apartment where her phone was ringing.

"Do you want me to get that?" Rachel asked.

"Let it ring," Thirteen replied. She flipped through the letters in her hands as the answering machine picked up.

"Hi. Remy, this is Dr. Turner from the Pennsauken free clinic. We all loved meeting you, and well, the job's yours. Call me back. Let's pick a start date."

Thirteen walked to her fax machine and picked up the most recent file from House. She sat on her desk absentmindedly while she looked it over.

"I got the job," Thirteen called to Rachel. "They loved me."

Rachel rose from the couch and walked to Thirteen. "Congratulations. And also, who wouldn't?"

"They're going to ablate the patient's marrow. I don't get what's going on. This guy's been all over the place, DIC, sclerosing cholangitis liver failure, strongyloides, fluid in his lungs…"

"Are you trying to run a differential with me?" Rachel asked. "I'm a little out of practice."

"Sorry," Thirteen mumbled. "I can't get House's stupid whiteboard technique out of my head."

Rachel nodded, "Continue."

"Now he's bleeding out again, he went into arrest, and all his blood counts are down."

"When did the second set of symptoms start?"

Thirteen flipped through the files eagerly, "A few hours after they administered mebendazole."

"After they got rid of the worms," Rachel considered.

"Why the worms?" Thirteen asked aloud. "I've got to call Taub."

Rachel watched fixedly as Thirteen carried on another differential with Taub. As they tossed ideas back and forth, she seemed exhilarated. All the frustration she had been carrying earlier in the day was gone. Now she was animated, passionate, and completely engaged.

"Get House on the phone," Thirteen told Taub. There was a long pause as she waited to be connected with House. Rachel could hear bits of Taub's side of the conversation, but mostly there was a tense silence in the air. "Those threadworms, why would his body have gone to hell just hours after they were gone?" Thirteen paused while Taub filled in his end of the differential. "It's the hygiene hypothesis–why there's so much autoimmune disease in the developed world and almost none in the developing world," she offered. At this point, Thirteen was gesturing emphatically and a small twitch of excitement tugged at her lips. "Once you killed them, it started killing him." With a final nod, Thirteen hung up the phone and threw her hands in the air in victory.

Rachel smiled at her. "You got Crohn's from threadworms. That's damn good."

"I think I have to go back," Thirteen said.

Rachel nodded and kissed her quickly, "Welcome back, Thirteen."

That evening, Thirteen walked to House's office. Her eyes roamed the hallways. After being away, she had expected the hospital to seem small and confining. Instead it was still vast and a little daunting–she hadn't outgrown it.

She reached House's door as Taub was turning to leave. When it was her turn, Thirteen marched up to House's desk boldly. "I want my job back."

"And it sounds like you've worked out a tidy little list of conditions under which you'll return," House goaded. "I will give you none of them."

"No conditions," Thirteen replied. "I just want my job. If you'd like I can torture Foreman for you."

House smiled broadly, "Welcome back, Thirteen."

Thirteen smiled and rushed from the office. She wasted no time in grabbing a lab coat and tending to the patient. While she was filling him to the brim with parasites, Thirteen noticed Foreman watching her from the door. She returned her focus to her patient, and when she turned around again Foreman was gone.

When she had finished Thirteen returned to the office to collect her things. For a moment she relished how good it was to be back. There were so many little things she hadn't realized she had missed. The smell of stale coffee and dirty carpet, the annoying hum of florescent lights–it was all strangely pleasant.

As she grabbed her things and turned to leave Thirteen stopped short when saw Foreman standing by the door. She was hoping she'd be able to avoid this conversation a little longer, but her luck seemed to be running out.

"Hey," Foreman muttered.

"Hey."

"I just wanted to welcome you back on the team. I also wanted to make sure there wouldn't be any weirdness between us."

"No weirdness, Foreman. I'm not going to let anything personal get in the way of this job," Thirteen replied. "Are we good? I've got someone waiting for me."

Foreman simply nodded and stepped out of Thirteen's way.

When she returned home her apartment was filled with warmth, the smell of food, and the simple blanket like presence that comes from having another person around. It was incredibly heartening to come home to such a feeling.

Rachel greeted her with a kiss and whisked her away to the table. She served plates for them both before joining Thirteen for dinner.

"How'd it go?" she asked.

"Great. I did a little work tonight, but I officially start Monday."

"Did House give you a hard time?"

"No, it was a surprisingly stress-free night. A little awkward, but stress-free."

"What do you mean?"

"I had the post-breakup talk with Foreman," Thirteen replied. "He wanted to make sure things wouldn't be weird. I said they wouldn't be, but I don't think there's a way around it. Working with your ex is bound to be awkward."

"Well, if things get too uncomfortable I'll only be short trip away. Eventually."

Thirteen smirked, "I feel like I should celebrate. How do you celebrate a job you've already had?"

Rachel dashed to the kitchen and returned with two glasses and a chilled bottle of champagne. She shook the bottle slightly as she prepared to open it. "May I suggest a toast?"

"Rach, you really shouldn't shake–"

Before Thirteen could express her warning Rachel unwrapped the bottle and blown the cork. As the champagne began to erupt violently, Rachel quickly covered the mouth of the bottle with her thumb, causing it to spray overhead like rain. By the time the flow had staunched Rachel and Thirteen were covered in the sticky beverage and laughing hard. Rachel finally poured some into glasses and proposed her toast.

"To crazy bosses, weird exes, and starting over." Rachel clinked glasses with Thirteen and swooped in for a kiss. Covered in the beverage, the taste of champagne was just as strong on Thirteen's skin as it was from the glass. "You are incredibly tasty."

"Mmm," Thirteen purred, kissing Rachel again. "So are you. I only wish that House had waited a bit longer to decide he needed old recruits. This is seriously going to cut in on our time together. We haven't even been on a date yet."

Rachel shrugged, "That's easy enough to remedy. How do you feel about waterfront dining?"