A/N: Hi again! I found this on my computer; something I started weeks ago and forgot about. So, I finished it and here it is! It's definitely AU; and set during sometime after season 6, definitely. I'm debating on starting a story that starts the relationship that leads up to this…what do you guys think? As always everything goes to its rightful owners!

"What are you still doing here?" A surprised dean of medicine asked, walking into the blonde ER head's office. It was late, very late, and Lisa Cuddy had sent Dr. Cameron home hours ago after finding out she had worked three twelve hour shifts without going home. The blonde woman's hair was sticking up in all directions, her pick scrubs extremely wrinkled, and when she finally glanced up from the patient files she was filling out, she had bags under her eyes that not even the rim of her glasses could hide.

"I was just filling out these last few files," Cameron answered in a tired voice, lowering her eyes to stare at the file.

Lisa Cuddy let her gaze trail around the office. Tissues littered the desk and the floor, there was a blanket draped over the back of the couch. "You've been sleeping here," she concluded disapprovingly, turning back to the other woman.

Cameron didn't meet her boss' gaze. Instead she quickly finished filling out the file before answering, "I fell asleep here last night, yes."

"The numerous hospital to-go containers in your trash can say otherwise."

The blonde's head snapped up at her words. "Just because I have to-go containers doesn't mean-"

"If you liked the hospital food you would eat at least some of it in the cafeteria. Not eating it where you normally do if you eat it, not going home, are you avoiding someone?" Cuddy pried, cutting her off. She noted the way the younger doctor's jaw tightened and how pain flashed across her face briefly. "Go home," she added softly.

"No," Cameron responded quietly.

"I can't have it going around that my doctor's are spending the night at the hospital when they're not on call. Go home," she repeated firmly. "You're overworking yourself, probably running down your immune system as well."

The blonde's shoulders sagged in defeat as she stood up slowly. "Fine. But I'm not going home, I can't," she added as she saw Cuddy open her mouth about to protest, "but I won't stay here, don't worry." She started gathering up her things, grabbing her purse from a desk drawer and the blanket from the back of her couch before walking towards the door. "Goodnight, Lisa," she mumbled quickly before walking out.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Remy Hadley let a groan escape her lips as her tired muscles contracted when she pushed open the door to the apartment. A frown formed on her lips as she took in the dark rooms. Various objects were out of their normal place.

"Allison?" the brunette doctor called out, throwing her keys and cell phone onto the kitchen counter. When she didn't receive an answer from her girlfriend, her frown deepened and she walked quietly down the hallway to the bedroom. Cautiously, she peeked around the door frame to find the bedroom empty.

Where could she- the thought ended as she saw a piece of paper move slightly on her pillow. She quickly walked over to the bed and picked it up, eyes already scanning across the familiar handwriting. 'Rem,' it read, 'text me or whatever to tell me when you're working, I can come get the rest of my things then so you can have the time away from me that you said you needed'. –Allison.' The brunette furrowed her eyebrows. Allison left? Sure, they had gotten into a fight, and her temper had gotten the better of her, but Allison always gave her the space to cool down before they made up. She had never left.

Thirteen wondered how long her partner had been 'moved out.' She herself hadn't been to the apartment in three days, due to a new case. Where has she been staying? Remy quickly searched around the apartment for any other messages her blonde might have left her but she found none. Her head snapped towards the bedroom door as she heard her phone start to go off. Sprinting out of the room, the brunette ran for her phone and practically slammed into the counter in her haste to answer it in time. "Hello?" she said breathlessly.

"Doctor Hadley," a voice greeted formally.

Remy frowned upon not hearing the voice she wanted. She pulled her phone away from her ear to check the caller ID: Lisa Cuddy. Suppressing a sigh, she put the phone back up to her ear. "Doctor Cuddy," she returned.

"I know it's none of my business," she started. "But since I know you and Cameron are…friends, I wanted to let you know-"

"You don't happen to know where she is, do you?" Remy asked, cutting her off.

"That's what I'm calling about actually. I last saw her in her office, she seemed upset. I sent her home and she left, but when I came out of the hospital her car was still there. Whether or not she actually left the hospital, I don't know. But I was concerned so I thought you might have come to pick her up…"

Remy let her eyes fall and swallowed thickly. "No…I didn't. I should go check at the hospital…to make sure she's alright. Thanks for letting me know."

"Good luck," her boss replied before hanging up. The young doctor reached to grab her keys before going over to the door and walking out.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Allison turned onto her side, pulling the blanket tighter around her body. The backseat of her car was definitely not meant for sleeping comfortably on, that was for sure. But still, she certainly wasn't going back to the apartment, it wasn't worth checking into a hotel for the night, and she could start another work shift in a few hours anyway. Lucky for her it was a nice night and not burning hot or freezing cold.

She rolled onto her back before finally giving up on sleep. It was no use; she hadn't been able to sleep since the night before leaving. Her body had grown accustomed to having the same pair of slender arms holding her close every night. She squeezed her eyes closed tight as she tried to block out memories of her. When somebody knocked on her car window, she shot up into a sitting position so fast she banged her head on the window. Cursing, she peeked through her pain-squinted eyes to see a blank faced Remy standing outside.

The blonde's heart squeezed painfully; she stared silently through the window at the brunette. Remy was the first to move; motioning for her to unlock the car door. Allison reached across to pull the lock on the door, before quickly crawling back over to the other side until her back was pressed against the opposite door.

Remy crawled in quietly, pulling the door shut. She hesitantly looked up at the woman across from her, who was staring at the floor of the car. "What are you doing sitting out here?" she asked softly.

Allison took a deep breath, "Well, Cuddy made me leave and I didn't feel like checking into a hotel…"

"You were going to sleep here?" the brunette asked sharply.

The blonde bit into her lip as her eyes met Remy's gaze that was currently boring into her. She stared back hesitantly. "Yes, I was…"

"Are you insane?"

Allison scowled, her gaze turning into a glare. "Why the hell do you even care?"

Disbelief flashed across the younger woman's face. "Why do I care? What kind of idiotic question is that anyway?"

"Are you trying to insult me?"

"I just want to know why you're asking such stupid questions!"

"You're the one who said you thought we needed a break, Rem. So I'm trying to give you your damn break!"

The brunette's hands flew up, barely missing the car roof, in frustration. "And I've said that how many times before? I didn't mean it!"

"Then you shouldn't have said it," the blonde returned angrily, her voice starting to break.

"Why would you even…Allison," she paused, frantically trying to find the right words. "I would never want a break from you."

"That's kind of hard to believe when it's one of the first things that comes out of your mouth after we've had a fight," Allison said bitterly, trying to keep her lip from quivering like she knew it was about to do.

"I know," Remy said quietly, scooting closer but pausing when Allison stared at her warily. "And I'm sorry."

Allison squeezed her eyes shut with a stuttering sigh, willing the tears not to come for just this once. She was tired, and emotional, and having the one person she had been relying on the last six months so close but not being able, not wanting to seek comfort with her, was proving to be too much. "Why are you here? How'd you know I was here?" she asked tiredly.

"I got worried when you weren't home and then Cuddy called…" her eyes ran over the blonde's face, noting the red chapped nose and the dark bags under her eyes. "Come home with me," she said softly, eyes wide and earnest. When the blonde didn't respond she reached out and tenderly touched her arm. "I was stupid, I know. I always seem to be doing something stupid; always screwing up. Which is why I'm still surprised that you've stuck around this long. But Cam, if you leave, I won't be able to survive. I'll return on my self-destructing spiral that you managed to save me from. I know that sounds incredibly selfish, but I love you."

"I love you too," Allison responded quietly, staring at the brunette with glistening eyes. She moved her legs down onto the floor of the car and scooted closer to the other woman. Remy instantly opened her arms; a warm invite to the blonde after not having seen, talked to, or had any sort of physical contact with her in the past four days.

As soon as Thirteen's arms encircled her tightly and pulled her close, the ER head felt her eyes starting to drop as her body relaxed for the first time in days. She leaned her head heavily on Remy's shoulder with a contented sigh. She knew they still needed to talk about what happened, but for now, Allison was just content with just being near the brunette again.

"You ready to go home?" the younger doctor asked, rubbing soothing circles in her back.

"Who said I was going home?" Allison mumbled, fighting off sleep.

"I just assumed…" Thirteen said confused. "We're not fighting anymore, right?"

"I didn't mean it like that, just that, going home involves leaving my comfortable position."

Remy almost snorted. "I think being able to stretch out fully in a bed is more comfortable than sitting in my lap while being squished in your car."

"I beg to differ," she said with a yawn.

"Come on," Thirteen said, releasing her hold on the blonde to reach behind her and open the door.

"No," Cameron whined, wrapping her arms around the brunette tightly, burying her face in her slender neck.

"Guess we'll be doing this the hard way," Remy muttered, inching her way out of the car, with Allison attached to her like a koala. How she managed to get them both out of the car, she wasn't sure, but as she maneuvered them so she wouldn't bump Allison's head as she straightened up. She grunted slightly as all of the other woman's weight clung to her. The blonde wasn't making this easy.

Thirteen shifted her right arm so she was supporting most of the blonde under her thighs, so she could pull open the driver door and hit the lock button before shutting the doors and turning to walk the few parking spaces to her car. Pulling open her passenger door, she carefully set Allison down on the seat. "Hey, you can let go now," she said with a laugh when the blonde still didn't release her. She reached up and gently pried Cameron's hands from around her neck before setting them gently in the woman's lap. She smiled at her tenderly as she looked up at her with a pout. "Do you need me to buckle you in or can you be a big girl and do it yourself? she cooed.

"I can do it," Allison mumbled before Remy shut the door. The blonde's eyes followed the brunette as she walked around the car and pulled open the driver door before getting behind the wheel. After buckling, Allison reached over and grabbed one of Remy's hands, holding it between both of hers and nuzzling her face into it.

"You have a fever," Remy noted with a frown, felling the heat radiating off of the blonde's forehead on her hand. She leaned over and pressed a tender kiss to her forehead. "Let's get you home so I can take care of you," she whispered lovingly as she started the car with her free hand before driving away from the hospital.