Pushing past Cameron, Thirteen gritted her teeth and wrenched open the door to the small and unconventional office.
"Foreman!" She called to the retreating doctor, swearing under her breath and quickening her pace. "Eric!"
At the uncommon use of his first name, the other doctor turned around. Thirteen recoiled, expecting to get an earful, but instead she was met with the feeling of all the guilt she'd ever had in her life combined. The hurt in Foremans eyes was unmistakable, even though he tried not to show it with the rest of his stern features.
"I have nothing to say to you, Doctor Hadley." His words were calm, but a close observer could hear the edge behind them, almost warning her not to get to close to him right at this exact second. The brunette swallowed, nodding her head. She felt Camerons presence behind her, calming her slightly. She continued watching Foreman walk away for a moment before rubbing her forehead with the heel of her hand, feeling a migraine settle in. How did this day go from being amazing to horrifying in a matter of split seconds?
"Are you okay?" Cameron took a cautious step forward, not wanting to unintentionally pressure the younger woman; the blonde was always considering others that way. She wanted to take Thirteens hand or rub a caring hand up and down her back, opting to cross her arms and hug herself instead to help resist the urge.
Thirteen squared her jaw into what she hoped was a smile. "Yeah," she mentally shook off the awkward moment and noted several of the nurses were chatting quietly and flicking glances at her and the vacant spot that was formerly Foreman. "I'm fine."
"Are you sure? If you don't want to..." Cameron looked around, noticing for the first time how many ears were listening, and decided to choose her words carefully. "If you don't want to carve pumpkins later, I understand. I know pumpkins can be...complicated. And you just finished carving one." She smiled sadly at her lame attempt to the disguise the issue.
"Allison," Thirteen sighed, smiling a little herself. "Carving pumpkins is complicated. But I've been waiting all year to carve my pumpkin and I'd really like to do it with you. Tonight, if you're still available. For pumpkin carving, that is." Her smile became playful when she locked eyes with the blonde in the most meaningful and smouldering look she had.
"Okay then," Cameron nearly whispered back. "The show starts at eight. Should I bring anything?"
Thirteen held back a snort of laughter at how ridiculous she felt all the sudden. Two adults dancing around the issue because a sea of other adults couldn't stop staring. Was she in high school? "Just your pumpkin."
Cameron nodded and rolled her eyes, turning to head back into her office.
Foreman paced up and down the locker room, smoke practically curling out and up from his nostrils. He shook his head furiously and punched an innocent locker. He hated himself for how he'd treated Thirteen, and he hated himself even more for how he was reacting. He should be happy for both doctors, if he was to be either of their friends in the first place, but he just couldn't. He had wanted Remy back, sure. He had sat by while she casually dated other men and women here and there; this seemed more serious. He saw it when they were kissing and how the brunette looked at Cameron when she pulled back from the kiss. Even though he couldn't see Camerons face, he knew how sentimental she was and would wager a month salary on how smitten her big blue eyes had been. The thought made him sick to his stomach. Flexing his hand to try and rid it of some of the pain, he decided to switch out of his scrubs and head home.
"Where's Foreman?" Chase had tracked down Taub and Thirteen who were in the clinic trying to find a case. "I haven't seen him in ages."
Taub shrugged and Thirteen stared at charts, expertly pretending to be deaf, once again. Chase picked up some charts and began to leaf through them, looking up when Cameron walked in. He still loved the blonde, but he knew it was over. He had even started dating and trying to move on. Smiling and nodding at her as she disappeared into a patients room (it was her shift on clinic duty), he went back to perusing the files.
"Seriously," Taub spoke up after a short time. "This is ridiculous."
"Tell me about it. We haven't had a decent case in at least a week," Chase agreed, exhaling. "Thirteen, find anything interesting in the E.R.?"
"No," Thirteen flicked her eyes up at him, looking like she had been caught at something. "No, uh, everything was pretty normal." Bowing her head back down, she kicked herself internally.
"I reckon we should head out. It's nearly five...what's the loss of an hour when you have nothing to do anyways?" Chase tossed the file he'd half heartedly been browsing back on the counter. "Have a good night. I'm gone." He nodded and ducked out, missing House by seconds."
"Have we found anything?" House limped up to them, leaning on the counter.
"A resounding no," Taub responded, also giving up on the file he was looking through.
"Thirteen," House turned his head, his nose not far from hers. "Word on the street is you're carving Camerons pumpkin." He cocked his head in Taubs direction, smiling. "Yeah, I like how that sounds, too. I also hear that Foreman doesn't like Cameron spending time in his...hood." Mentally patting himself on the back for his epic choice of words, House waiting patiently for the rise he knew he'd get. Sadly, it did not come.
"Yeah, well, if I had a nickel for everything that put Foreman in a bad mood and so on and so forth," was all he received from Thirteen, as she too finally gave up on the files and jerked up her head. "I'm leaving."
"Huh. No sever denial. Interesting," House finally managed, watching the brunette disappear down the hall to hit the locker room.
"Fuck," Thirteen hissed as a knock at the door made her jump and spill bubbling pasta sauce onto her hand. "Just a second!" She ran the limb under some cool water and dried it off, run-walking to the door to open it. "Hi!" She beamed at the blue eyes at greeted her, smiling themselves.
"Hi," Cameron responded, holding out her offering of medium sized pumpkins. "I come bearing gifts."
Thirteen laughed at that, wondering if Cameron had torn a page out of her book. The gesture was too charming for words and Thirteen accepted them, holding the door open and stepping to the side so the other woman could get in. "I know I'm early. Traffic was light," Cameron apologised.
"It's fine. Make yourself comfortable. Dinner is nearly ready," Thirteen assured her, taking her jacket and throwing it gently over the back of the plush couch.
"Great!" Cameron replied, genuinely enthused. She sat down at the kitchen table, which was set for two, and traced the lip of a wine glass with her finger. "How was the rest of your day?"
Thirteen looked up at the ceiling, thinking about her words, as she stirred the pasta sauce and went in for another taste. "Non challenging and uneventful. You?"
"Hard and chaotic," Cameron smiled at the contrast. "You know, we have room for E.R. doctors if the life of a reputable and highly respected diagnostic team doesn't suit you."
"Ah, but when would I have time to brush up on my video game skills?" Thirteen asked, half joking. She flicked off some burners and began heaping spaghetti onto plates. It wasn't gourmet, but it would have to do. She brought the plates over and returned the kitchen to fetch the wine, pouring it in silence and offering Cameron a small smile as she stood over her. "Dig in!"
Cameron twirled the pasta on her fork and took a bite, eyes watering slightly from the heat. "This is delicious. Where'd you get the recipe?"
"Oh it's just something I picked up from my whirlwind trip to Safeway. I believe they call it Ragu," Thirteen winked, taking a bite herself. Cameron grinned back at her, eager to finish the meal and get to the pumpkin carving. She brought the orange spheres as a romantic gesture, but she quite honestly loved the task and always had.
As Thirteen spoke, Cameron admittedly lost track of the conversation and resorted to nodding her head and smiling at the times she knew were appropriate, throwing a laugh in for variety. She found herself staring at the brunette. The way her lips curled around her words, her eyes lighting up in excitement when she was saying something funny. The way her frame sat inside the blue plaid shirt, the collar framing an elegant neck. Thirteen tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, the rest of her locks held up in a somewhat messy bun. Cameron started regretting not having the chance to go home and change, still wearing her scrub bottoms and a v-neck white t-shirt.
"Allison?" Thirteen raised an eyebrow at the blonde, smirking slightly. "You okay?"
"Sorry. Must be the wine," Cameron blushed. Thirteen smirked harder, noticing Cameron had barely had three sips. By the time the table had been cleared and the dishwasher loaded, Cameron had gotten somewhat of a grip on herself. Thirteen grabbed some day old newspaper and laid it out on the coffee table, placing the pumpkins on top of those. Smiling, she patted the floor next to her, indicating Cameron should sit. Finding the appropriate channel to watch the show this entire night had been about, she began to cut the top off her pumpkin while Cameron did the same.
"So," the brunette started. "I'm glad you came over to...carve pumpkins." Thirteen grinned at how silly she felt still going with the cover up.
"Me too," Cameron smiled at her. "It's been a while since I've wanted to carve pumpkins with anybody."
"Same. For the last half of our, and I laughingly use the word, relationship, I didn't even want to carve pumpkins with Foreman anymore." There was that sly smile that drove most people insane with lust. Cameron noted how much she liked that smile.
They sat in silence as they watched Linus explain about the mythical creature he so revered and scooped the guts out from inside the pumpkins. When a commercial came on, Thirteen got up to get a glass of water. Cameron, who had been smiling virtually since they sat down, blushed before she even spoke. "Did you mean what you said earlier?" She asked, hesitation in her voice.
"About not wanting to carve Foremans pumpkin?" She rolled her eyes, nodding. "He's about as exciting in bed as he is at work. Why?"
"No," Cameron blushed harder. "No, I meant...you said that you wanted to...for a year. Is that true?" She looked up, but kept her head down, making it possible to lower her gaze if the response was a negative one.
"Maybe even longer," Thirteen was very matter of fact when she spoke, sitting down again next to the blonde. With one bent up and one lying under the table, she began to draw a scary face on her pumpkin. Cameron was in a similar position, but facing Thirteen, also drawing on her pumpkin.
The response made Cameron feel like she was a teenager. She was so flustered she couldn't think of anything witty to say and was, much to her relief, saved by the television. The rest of the episode went on without much conversation, as both girls were into their carving. Occasionally they'd catch the other one sneaking glances at them and would smile shyly and blush. Cameron thought the way Thirteen screwed up her face in concentration was adorable, stifling laughter every time the younger doctor would stick out her tongue slightly on a particularly hard cut. For a lady who acted so non chalant and tough, she certainly had a lot of goofy mannerisms.
When the show ended and the pumpkins were carved, Camerons a complicated witch and Thirteens the traditional pointed eyes with jagged mouth, both girls sat up on the couch admiring their handy work.
"So," Thirteen spoke after losing herself in Camerons blue eyes for a split second. "Zombie movies. How do they make you feel?"
"Generally? Terrified," Cameron admitted, being a wuss when it came to the horror genre.
"If you watch this with me," Thirteen picked up her copy of Dawn of the Dead, "I promise to protect you from the living dead."
Cameron thought about it for a moment, considering how embarrassed she'd be if she happened to squeal too loudly. Vowing to herself to keep her cool, she nodded her agreement. "Okay, fine. But you have to promise not try and scare me during."
"Deal," Thirteen confirmed, opening the DVD player and popping it in. Cameron wondered what the brunette was up to when she disappeared into her bedroom, but soon found out the answer when Thirteen emerged in sweat pants and a pullover hoodie. Even in what Cameron assumed was her bed wear, she was beautiful. "Hmm...We need one more thing!" Thirteen went to the kitchen and popped a bag of popcorn, discreetly looking at Cameron with her peripheral vision. She smiled to herself when she realized how smitten she was with the blonde and vowed to have her snuggled into her side by the end of the movie. Dumping the popcorn into a bowl, she placed it on the coffee table and took her place on one end of the couch, not wanting to over step bounds.
Within the first ten minutes of the movie, Cameron had ripped the blanket off the back of the couch and wrapped herself in it, using the brown comforter to cover her eyes as Sarah Polley was attacked by her boyfriend. Thirteen chuckled lightly at the blondes fear.
"You said I couldn't scare you. Didn't say anything about laughing at you," the younger doctor raised her hands in defence at the glare she was getting. Twenty minutes in and Camerons knuckles were white from gripping the edges of the blanket so hard. "We don't have to watch this." Thirteens offer was genuine, but teasing.
"I'm fine," Cameron replied, eyes glued to the screen, her voice stiff with mock annoyance. "Ohmygod!" She exclaimed suddenly at a gory death, jumping a foot in the air. Thirteen didn't have to wait long to follow through on her vow. Cameron flung herself against the warm body, burying her face in the slender shoulder. Thirteen couldn't hold in her laughter as she put an arm around her date. "Protect me!" Camerons voice muffled into the fabric of the gray hoodie when she spoke.
As if she'd done it her entire life, Thirteen smiled into Camerons hair and placed a kiss on top of her head. She immediately became guarded, disbelief overcoming her at how bold a move she'd just made. "I'm sorry," she blushed.
"It's okay," Camerons voice was barely audible, her face tilting up so that their noses were lightly touching. She placed a tender kiss on Thirteens lips, putting an arm around her to cuddle her closer. Thirteen let her kisses wander to the corner of Camerons lips. Her chin, up her jaw line and to her ear. Each one softer than the last, but all of them with equal purpose. Grinning evilly, she let her mouth hover by Camerons ear. "Boo!"
Cameron jumped a foot into the air, flying back, a mixture of being highly amused and highly angry all over her face. "You promised!"
"I made no promises!" Thirteen laughed. She looked smug as she held her arms out, motioning for the blonde to come back into her arms. "I won't do it again." When Cameron gave her a look of suspicion, Thirteen smiled again. "I promise!"
Pretending at reluctance, Cameron moved forward, folding herself into the comfortable form of what felt like home.
AU NOTES: What do you think will happen when Chase finds out? STAY TUNED!
Iridescent Eyes: That is an amazing compliment, thank you
Burnt Toast: Thanks for reading and enjoying!
Little Petra: I too am a sucker for cuteness!
To my returning reviewers (and readers) thanks so much for your kind words and all the hits! It inspires me to write more! I work during the week, but I'll try to update every day. Every other day at the very least!