Chapter 16: Clean

A/N: Hey, everyone! Thank you for the reviews! You make my heart happy. :) This chapter picks up immediately where the last one left off.

Cameron gripped Thirteen's shoulders, intently guiding her to the wall. As the brunette slammed against it, an aroused laugh rolled off her lips. The noise was silenced, however, by Cameron's searing kiss. When Thirteen's hands reached up and cupped Cameron's face, the blonde ripped them away. Cameron curled her fingers around Thirteen's wrists and pinned her arms to the wall, eliciting a surprised and throaty moan from Thirteen. Cameron's sudden dominance was unbelievably hot.

But Thirteen wasn't going to stay submissive for long. The moment Cameron's grip on her wrists lessened, Thirteen pushed herself off the wall and flipped them around. With Cameron now against the wall, Thirteen could easily cup Cameron's cheeks. Thirteen felt the blonde smile into the kiss. Cameron smiled at their closeness and at Thirteen's delicate affection.

However, Cameron still wanted to be in control. The blonde held Thirteen's biceps and swiftly flipped them around again. But instead of hitting the wall, Thirteen knocked into something, which toppled over with a powerful crash!

Cameron slowly withdrew her lips from Thirteen's. The crash seemed to have vacuumed up all other noises, save their ragged breathing. As the two took in the shattered remnants of Thirteen's bedside lamp, they began to laugh. It was absurd and silly and they laughed. Cameron wrapped her arms around Thirteen in a warm hug, still laughing and smiling.

"I guess we should clean it up, huh?" Cameron asked after a while.

Thirteen nodded, still grinning. Together, they swept up the shards and collected the broken pieces. Bashful smiles were exchanged and stray laughs flitted through the air. Once all the pieces were cleaned up, the two returned to the bedroom and sat beside each other on the bed.

Cameron smiled and leaned in to kiss Thirteen, but the brunette help a hand to Cameron's chest, keeping her at bay.

"What's wrong?" Cameron asked, eyes searching Thirteen's face.

Thirteen tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and stared at Cameron.

"What?" Cameron laughed.

Drawing in a deep breath, Thirteen asked, "Why do you want me to stay?"

Cameron ran her hand through her hair and let out a breathless chuckle. "I'm pretty sure what we were just doing is proof enough."

"But why?" Thirteen insisted.

Staring at the crease between Thirteen's eyebrows, Cameron couldn't help but sigh. "Because I want to," Cameron smiled. Stars danced in her eyes as she grinned lopsidedly at the brunette.

"Is it really what you want, or is it because you want me to be happy?"

Cameron opened her mouth, but no words came out.

"You're the most selfless person I've ever met," Thirteen explained as a rueful smile played on her lips. "Are you doing this for you, or are you doing this for me?" she asked, glancing at Cameron. "If it's not for you, then… I can't."

"Oh, Thirteen," Cameron sighed, taking Thirteen's hands in her own. "It's for both of us."

"We were both in horrible, shitty places," Thirteen lamented. "Maybe you're just confused."

"Confused?" Cameron asked incredulously. "Things are more clear they they've been in my whole life! I know what I want," she grinned, "and what I want is you!"

Thirteen shook her head. "This all happened too fast. You don't know that, you don't—"

Cameron silenced Thirteen with a light kiss. Eyelids fluttering closed, Thirteen again felt Cameron draw out her anxiety. The brunette felt a sigh expanding in her chest, but before it could escape, Thirteen drew back.

Holding a hand to Thirteen's face, Cameron said, "Only I know what I feel. And I want you."

With a shake of her head, Thirteen pushed herself up and resorted to pacing around her bedroom.

"Don't start this again," Cameron sighed in exasperation. "Thirteen, will you just listen? I want to be with you! Why is that so difficult to comprehend?"

Thirteen squeezed her eyes shut and held a hand to her mouth. As Thirteen's breathing grew more erratic, Cameron couldn't contain herself any longer.

"Why are you putting up walls again?" Cameron shouted. "I'm here! Now we can be together, but you're fucking terrified!"

Thirteen stopped pacing. "Aren't you?" she whispered, voice cracking and fragile.

"No," Cameron replied delicately. "I'm not." Cameron's answer seemed to come as a surprise even to herself. "Don't you want this? Want me?"

Thirteen felt her throat constricting. "More than anything," she breathed.

"Then why can't we just be?" Cameron asked urgently, moving her hands to cup Thirteen's face. As she stared intently up into Thirteen's eyes, she whispered, "Why can't we just be?"

Holding Cameron's gaze, Thirteen lamented, "I'll be dead before you have a midlife crisis."

Cameron couldn't help it. She laughed. It was broken and small, but she laughed. "Thirteen, if you think that will stop me from being with you—"

"And your husband—" Thirteen interrupted.

Cameron cut in gently, "I chose to marry him. I wanted to help him."

"To help him," Thirteen murmured.

"Because I loved him," Cameron smiled, drawing back slightly to look at Thirteen. She insisted, "It's what I wanted. So give me what I want and let me help you."

Thirteen took hold of Cameron's hands and guided them away from her face, intertwining their fingers by their sides. "I have so much trouble trusting people, depending on them," Thirteen sighed, staring down at their hands. "I don't know how."

Untangling one hand from one of Thirteen's, Cameron lifted the brunette's chin and waited until Thirteen held her gaze. "Let me help you."

Thirteen's eyebrows knit together. "What if you leave again?"

"I won't," Cameron promised.

"But I don't know that," Thirteen said, voice breaking. She whispered, "You don't know that."

"Thirteen, what more do you want from me?" Cameron asked as gently as possible. "I will give you anything and everything."

"I believe you."

"Then why—?"

"People always let me down," Thirteen breathed. "I have no security that people will really stay."

Laughing lightly, Cameron replied, "That's what trust is, Thirteen. That's what love is."

"I don't think I'm ready for it," Thirteen admitted.

"Then let's start slowly," Cameron decided. "Okay?"

A smile tugged at Thirteen's lips as she said, "You know you're talking to the girl who sleeps with strangers while on copious amounts of drugs, right? I don't know anything about slowly."

"It's pretty easy, actually," Cameron grinned, giving Thirteen's hands a squeeze.

Thirteen narrowed her eyes skeptically. "Really?"

"Yeah, it goes a little something like this…" Cameron said, scurrying out of the room.

Thirteen couldn't contain a laugh. "What are you doing?"

After a moment, Cameron rushed back into the room. At the sight of Thirteen, Cameron gave a small gasp of surprise. "Oh, Thirteen! Fancy seeing you here!"

"This is my bedroom," Thirteen deadpanned.

"Ah, that it is," Cameron conceded.

A full-blown grin spread across Thirteen's face. "Cameron, what are you doing?"

Leaning in close to the brunette, Cameron whispered, "I come bearing a vital question, Thirteen."

"And what would that be?"

"Will you have dinner with me tomorrow night?" Cameron asked, eyes sparkling.

Thirteen bit her lip. "You're asking me on a date?"

"I hear that's how relationships tend to start," Cameron shrugged.

"Ha ha," Thirteen muttered, but her brilliant smile betrayed her.

Cameron wiggled her eyebrows. "So? How about it?"

"Will there be wine?" Thirteen asked very seriously.

"You betcha," Cameron replied with a wink.

Thirteen tapped her chin, pretending to mull it over. With a laugh, Cameron shoved her in the arm.

"Okay, okay," Thirteen chuckled. "Yes."

With a mirthful squeal, Cameron jumped around in delight, and it was the most beautiful thing Thirteen had seen in her entire life. The vice constricting Thirteen's lungs loosened its grip. As she drew in a breath, the air felt crisp. Thirteen didn't try to fight the contented smile that curled her lips, because she and Cameron were starting fresh, starting anew, starting… Clean.