Girls' Night

A/N: This is a stand alone one shot, but they could be the same House/Cameron from my earlier story "Allies", if you want them to be.

Disclaimer: I don't own House, Cameron or any other fictional doctors.

"Give it up, Cameron. You're not getting home tonight. You may as well sit down." House said from the sofa, eyes not moving from the hockey game on the television. The Devils were winning four-one in the third.

Cameron only glared at him as she paced back and forth across his living room, cell phone glued to her ear. "They have to answer eventually."

"No, actually they don't," he said, finally looking up. "Take a look outside. There's a foot of snow on the ground and you can't even see the buildings on the other side of the street. I doubt there are any taxis running and even if there are, they wouldn't be able to get here."

She ignored him and continued with her redial, listen, redial pattern.

After the third time she'd paced in front of him and cut off his view of the game, he'd had enough. Rolling his eyes dramatically, he stood up and advanced on her. Before she even realized what he was up to, he had grabbed the phone out of her hand, walked over to the front door, opened it, and thrown the phone into a snow bank where it immediately disappeared from view.

"Now sit down, would you," he growled as he limped back over to the sofa and sprawled back onto it. "You're annoying the hell out of me."

She puffed out a breath of frustration and plopped down onto the other end of the couch. "You owe me a phone," she muttered.

"Yeah, yeah. And what are you doing way over there? Get over here," he said, holding a hand out to her.

Sighing she grasped his hand and allowed him to pull her across the leather sofa and next to him. He wrapped his arms around her and, mouth only inches from her ear, asked, "Is it really so bad being stuck here with me for the night?"

"No, I suppose not," she sighed.

"You suppose not?" he said, releasing her and putting on an exaggerated hurt face. "Well there's a ringing endorsement."

"Sorry," she said, smiling in spite of herself. "It's just that I was really looking forward to tonight. I haven't had a night with the girls in months. I miss them."

"Months...so like since before we started doing the nasty,"

"There may be a connection," Cameron allowed, grinning. "But must you put it like that?"

"Sorry, since we started making love," he said, clasping his hands in front of his heart and sighing loudly.

Cameron swatted him on the knee before leaning back against his chest. "Why would I ever want to hang out with my girlfriends when I can stay here and be made fun of?"

"Exactly," he said, nuzzling her neck and ear. "That's what I'm saying. What can you do with them that you can't do with me?" He paused as something occurred to him. "Oh! Unless..."

"You can drop that line of thought right now," she said, elbowing him. "There's a 'What not to Wear' marathon on TV tonight. We were going to drink wine and watch the fashion police."

He shrugged. "I could do that."

She sat up and turned to look at him. "Really? You'd watch 'What not to Wear'?"

"Sure," he said, trying to sound enthusiastic. "Stacy London is hot...-ish. And sometimes they show bra fittings. That's always fun. Wonder what Stacy and Clinton think of pink scrubs?" he said giving her the once over, even though she wasn't currently wearing the outfit in question.

She snorted. "Probably not much. Some days I'm tempted to go back to work for you just so I can burn the damned things."

"You can come back anytime you want. You know that."

"I know," she said, smiling. She glanced at the clock on the DVD player. "Oh oh! It's time! Change the channel!"

With a last longing look at the Devils, House changed the channel to TLC, dropped a kiss on the top of her head and stood. "Back in a sec," he said as he limped, caneless, toward the kitchen.

Cameron tucked her legs up under her and began watching, while wondering idly how he knew so much about the show to begin with. She decided she probably didn't want to know.

When he returned he was carrying an open bottle of wine in one hand and two upside down glasses in the other. "Wine was the other requirement for girls' night, right?"

"Yes," she answered. "But since when do you keep wine in the house?"

"Found it in the back of the pantry. I think it's leftover from the last time Wilson surfed my couch. Don't know if it's any good, but if I know Wilson, it's expensive." He sat back down and poured them each a glass. "So, what did I miss?"

"Well, Stacy and Clinton just ambushed that girl..."

...Four hours later

Cameron was sitting on the couch with her feet up on the coffee table next to the empty wine bottle and House's head in her lap. She'd had a fun evening and even he had seemed to enjoy the first two and a half episodes, as the two of the made fun of the fashion victims and the hosts alike. But she could tell he was losing interest as the third episode came to a close, and he was yawning more than he was laughing. At that point, she'd encouraged him to lie down, knowing that with him, boredom could quickly turn nasty. He protested that he'd fall asleep if he did that, and he was having fun, really! She just smiled and patted her lap, her eyes letting him know that he'd done his duty and she was happy and not at all disappointed in the way her evening had turned out. He'd lain down with his head in her lap and she'd run her fingers through his hair until he fell asleep, and even for awhile after. She spent more of the next hour watching him than she did watching the television. She knew he still sometimes struggled to understand how she could love him like she did but, times like tonight, she knew she was the lucky one.

As the fourth episode came to a close and she finished the last of her glass of the wine, she poked House in the shoulder. "Hey you, wake up. At least long enough to get off the couch. Girls' night's over. Time for bed."

"Don't girls' nights usually end with pillow fights in your underwear?" he asked sleepily.

"Oh, but of course," she replied, playing along. "Should we move on to that portion of the evening?"

Suddenly, House was wide awake. "Far be it from me to break with a girls' night tradition." He struggled to his feet, grabbed Cameron's hand and pulled her up. Snaking an arm around her waist he pulled her to him abruptly and kissed her with an intensity that stole her breath and clouded her mind.

"I've never done that on a girls' night," she said breathlessly, when at last he released her.

"Well, a cripple's got to take whatever advantage he has if he wants to win a pillow fight," he replied, before bopping her lightly on the head with the pillow he'd picked up off the couch while her eyes were still closed.

"Hey! No fair!" she yelped, but he had already disappeared into the bedroom. She was quick to follow. He was in for it now.

The End.