A NEW DAY:

Cameron sat at her dressing table, in front of the huge mirror as she watched her reflection. The clock said: 4:15 am. Everything was still dark, the light from the small lamp in the far corner of her bedroom illuminated her features in fuzzy, artificial light, making her skin paler than usual, her eyes more sunken and her hair darker. It was another two hours before she needed to get ready for work, so she just sat there patiently and waited for the sun to rise.

The conference room was full by the time she arrived. The board pens were out and ready, the coffee mugs already being made use of, House's feet already up on the conference table. The sound of her new shoes echoed along the hallways of Princeton Plainsborough Teaching Hospital, the heels clicking as she went. Everyone heard her coming before they even saw her.

The sight was better, in a knee length black pencil skirt, a white blouse and black stiletto heels, she was even more stunning than usual. Her blond hair was up and in a casual twist, her lips painted crimson. The first thing House noticed was that she looked like a dominatrix. That was the first thing that had House intrigued by her all day. Attracted him to her all day. The shoes made her legs look longer, more slender. And her face was more severe. Darker.

He passed by her in the lab, where she sat with her eye practically attached to the microscope. She didn't look up when he entered even though she heard his uneven steps. She didn't need to, she knew what he would do before he did it. He came to stand behind her yet didn't look over her shoulder. He caught her scent as it washed over him. It was a new scent. It was more musky then usual, more intoxicating, yet it made him want to trial the tip of his tongue down the line of her throat, to breathe her in more thoroughly. He left the lab before he could.

She gave him a case file before the end of the day. A message from Cuddy. She kept her eyes adverted from his as she passed it to him. A frown appeared across his brow as she let her fingers brush against his though she refused to meet his eyes. Her lips stayed in a firm straight line, even as she spoke. Her hair stayed perfect all day. He wanted to mess her up, see her lose her cool and see that calm, composed exterior crumble around her. It was infuriating that he knew she would never let it happen.

It was already dark and she was walking to her car when he caught up with her, grabbing her arm in an unconsciously gentle yet firm grip, keeping her in place. Turning her to face him. He could see the bags under her eyes, the slight patches that couldn't be covered with concealer and wanted to rub his thumb gently across one of them. He leant forward, just enough to press her into her car door, to trap her in. His hand disappeared under the back of her shirt to rest on the small of her back, he pulled her hips against his, yet only had to apply a little pressure, she did the rest. He let his fingers move up her back, playing her spine like he would a piano with his expert fingers that seemed to automatically know where to touch her, the right places that make her shiver slightly. It was a nice reminder that, even though she was cold today, she was distant; she'd feel the same for him every day. No one else was in the parking lot, they had the only kind of privacy that people like them would need. She noted how his hands were different from Chase's; they were rougher, yet they grazed along her skin like softened sandpaper as opposed to Chase's who's felt like he moisturised them more often then she did. She could feel every callous, every scar, every life-worn piece of skin that made up such fantastic hands.

Placing her hands on his shoulders, she pushed against him as she swiftly opened her car door. She needed to put distance between them, a barrier. She saw the surprise, the shock and the glint of amusement in his eye and she knew she couldn't do it. All it was would be another thing to throw back in her face, innuendoes to make her squirm and wonder who he'd told, just another way to get her to do what he wanted. She drove off and left him standing there in the middle of the parking lot.

Cameron sat at her dressing table as she watched herself move, watched her reflection. The clock said: 5:20 am. The surrounding world remained dark, she didn't bother with the lamp this morning, she just wanted to watch her eyes glow. A phone lay in one hand and her address book in the other, his number already punched into the keys, waiting for her to press "send". She wouldn't give in. she wouldn't give in to her selfish wants. She wouldn't call him. Her eyes stayed trained on each other as she released the phone back into its hook and sat back, and waited for the sun to rise. For another morning to come, and another House-based challenge to be faced.