A/N: Thank you for all the wonderful reviews, I'm so pleased you guys are liking this, I'm sorry I've taken a while to update. I've just put myself up for Beta services, if anyone is interested, please PM me.

Chapter 6

She stopped midway along the corridor, her hands sliding along the wooden railings. She tapped her fingers on the wide dark window panes; watching the lights and movement of the ambulance bay below; watching as the figures became blurry as her breath steamed the glass.

She thought about how much of her life she had walked through, dreaming. She thought about the handful of times when she'd known she was alive. She knew they were there, familiar, in her past: the day she was married, the moment her husband died, the day she'd made her first mistake in medicine that had cost a life. There were others too, lost almost as quickly as they had arrived. Most were forgotten. But no one person had made her feel alive the way she felt now, as if the world was cruel and heartbreaking and made no sense, but it was worth it anyway. As if every moment was as full and saturated with loss and loneliness, but that she wasn't alone. What she'd never found in God perhaps she had found in another person, and it was ironic, she thought, but maybe that was what it was all about.

She surprised herself; she actually wanted to do this. It felt a little like a release. The harsh lighting made her feel naked, exposed, determined; as if she couldn't hide from herself any longer. There was little truth in the life she'd been living recently, little reality. Thirteen was a reality.

"Allison?"

She turned away from the window, an ache beginning in her as she felt the call away from dreamland.

"One of the nurses said you wanted to meet me here." he said, a little confusion evident in his voice.

She didn't dare smile at him. Her voice was soft and hesitant. "Chase." she said tenderly. "Robert."

"Is everything okay?" he asked, his brow furrowing with concern.

"Yeah." she shook a little as she spoke, as she wondered if he had suspected that this was coming. "We. . . need to talk."

"Okay." he replied, still sounding confused and hesitant. As she looked into his eyes she thought she saw something there, a knowing, a silent hoping despite the inevitable.

She took a deep breath. "Robert, over the past few months I've been thinking that this isn't working. You're a great guy and I value your friendship more than anything, and I don't want to hurt you." The determined look in his face broke her heart a little, and she laid a hand on his arm.

"This has been a difficult decision for me," she continued, "mainly because I care about you so much, but I think you know as well as I do that we're not meant to be together."

He looked away from her, his eyes gazing out of the windows opposite. He was still and silent for a moment.

"Allison," he said quietly, "I know you haven't been happy recently, and I would do anything to make you happy. I love you and I wanted to make you happy, but that clearly hasn't happened. I would fight for you if I thought it would do any good." He paused, breathing slowly. "I know you don't love me. It was selfish of me, but I think I knew even before you did. I just wanted to hold onto you for a bit longer. And as much as it kills me to say this, if someone else can make you complete the way I haven't, I want that for you. I want that for myself; I want someone who can't go a day without seeing me and someone that I make complete. I wanted that to be you, but. . ."

He glanced up at her, his eyes sad and longing, in such a reluctant goodbye. She wanted to reach out and touch him but she knew she shouldn't, that he wouldn't want her to. She was reminded of how proud men are, and she didn't think she'd loved him more than in that moment.

"Maybe we can be friends?" she asked quietly.

He smiled sadly, "Maybe."

And without another word, he turned around and walked slowly down the corridor, his feet barely lifted above the ground, his stethoscope in hand.

Cameron's heart felt heavy. She didn't even feel a great deal of guilt for ending her relationship with him, she just felt a regret that she hadn't really appreciated how good a person he was when she was with him. He was warm and generous and a good friend, and she realised she would miss him. But she wasn't in love with him. She was in love with someone else.

"Boring, boring, boring."

"House, if you actually listened to any of the symptoms you might not find this case boring." Foreman suggested.

"No, if I actually listened to any of the symptoms, I might miss General Hospital." House replied, his eyes on the television.

"Well, she's not going to get better by herself." Foreman said, glaring at the other fellows.

"Yeah, we get it." Kutner responded, looking at House for confirmation.

"No need to stare." House said, still absorbed in the couple kissing on the television. "Okay, CBC, Chem 7, blood cultures, and start her on broad spectrum."

Cameron opened the door and entered the room. She laid a pile of folder on the table in front of House. "There are your backdated patient reports for the past two months." She paused, her eyes meeting Thirteen's momentarily, before looking back at House, "And you're welcome."

House smiled, a glint in his eye, "Well, I know how happy paperwork makes you Cameron."

Cameron looked down at him, clearly annoyed. She left the room quickly, glancing back for a second.

"Okay," Taub interjected, getting up out of his chair, "I'm going to do a Bronchoscopy." He opened the glass door and walked down the corridor in the direction of the patient's room.

"Won't tell you anything!" House shouted to Taub's disappearing labcoat. Thirteen walked by his chair, but was stopped when House blocked her with his cane. "You, stay."

Foreman rolled his eyes in exasperation at Kutner as they left the room.

"What do you want, House?" Thirteen asked, annoyance in her voice, "Another cosy chat?"

"Yah," he tilted his head, "I'm all about the tea and toasties."

Thirteen paused, reluctant to give a response.

"You're sleeping with Cameron." he stated, watching her response.

"No, I'm not." Thirteen exclaimed, her mouth dropping a little, "That's ridiculous."

"What, two extremely hot women sleeping together? No, that's logic."

She laughed quickly. "There's nothing going on. I don't even know why you'd think that."

"Well, you're happy even though you're dying, she smiles while doing paperwork, and you spent the week wearing her clothes. Doesn't take much but a genius to figure it out."

Thirteen just stared at him, knowing nothing she could say would prevent him knowing. He was already certain, and even if he hadn't been, her reaction had definitely given her away.

"She must be awesome in bed." he grinned.

She gave him a look of extreme annoyance, and moved his cane to get by his chair. As she left the room, she couldn't help but suppress a small smile.

Thirteen felt warm hands wrap around her coat. She smiled and turned around.

"Hi," she laughed, "are you ready to go?"

"Yeah," Cameron replied, kissing her. "and better than that. I am 100 excited about this movie."

"Yeah?" Thirteen asked, laughing again.

"Well, yeah." Cameron smiled, "But mainly I just want to get back row seats."

"Too bad." Thirteen mocked. "I bought first row tickets."

"You didn't?" Cameron exclaimed.

"No," Thirteen replied, "I bought back row tickets."

"Haha!" Cameron laughed. She held Thirteen's gloved hand in her own as they walked to the car.

As they sat in the cinema, Thirteen stole a piece of popcorn from Cameron's bag. Cameron gave her a mock serious look, then kissed her.

"I told Chase." she whispered.

"You did?" Thirteen asked, both concerned and a little relieved.

"Yeah." Cameron replied, thinking back to her earlier conversation.

"How did he take it?"

"Um, not as badly as I thought he would. He said he knew I wasn't in love with him and he wanted me to be happy, and he wanted me to find someone who would make me happy."

"He's a good guy." Thirteen said, thinking, feeling a little guilty.

"Yeah, I don't think I realised how good a guy he was until now. But he's right, he doesn't make me happy."

Thirteen looked up.

"You make me happy." Cameron said seriously.

Thirteen smiled, and Cameron felt her heart forget a beat, something she didn't think she would ever be able to get used to.

"You make me happy." Thirteen replied, quietly, her eyes looking deeply into Cameron's.

They spent a moment just gazing at each other, the movie forgotten, until they both realised and became embarrassed, looking back up at the screen.

Thirteen reached over for Cameron's hand as she had on their first date. Cameron held it tightly, grinning in such a way that she was glad that she was in a dark movie theatre, and she thanked God that House wasn't there to make any smart remarks.

House was wrong, Thirteen thought, almost dying changes everything.

Extra points to anyone who gets the title reference.