Author's Note: Yes, I know I have multi-chapter fics waiting to be finished, but this idea hit me a few days ago, and I had to write it. It's just kind of an idea I had for the season 3 finale, just for a cute Cameron/Chase moment that would give us shippers some hope for next season. It's just a short little one-shot. NO, there will NOT by more chapters. Enjoy. : )
Disclaimer: I do not own House, MD. If I did, things would have turned out MUCH differently between Cameron and Chase.
"It's Tuesday."
Chase glanced up from his mountain of paperwork, bewildered, and stared blankly across the table at Cameron. His brain was fried from a hellish week, and he decided to await an elaboration before replying.
"You haven't said anything all day," she continued, glancing at him, then back at her laptop, a small smile playing on her lips. "I was starting to worry...thought you might be sick. After all, short-term memory loss can be a symptom of some very serious conditions." She chanced a look at him once more, smirking smugly.
Chase mused over her words. Tuesday...? What was Tuesday? What hadn't he said all day...? Oh. That. "Oh," Chase replied, throwing the paperwork aside and leaning back in his chair. "It's been a chaotic day. It must have slipped my mind."
"Well, as long as you remember now. I just wanted to make sure you were feeling all right."
Chase nodded along, then gave her a smirk of his own. "You missed me reminding you," he accused playfully.
"For a minute I thought it was only Monday, and that kind of depressed me. I've come to judge how far into the work week we are by your little reminders."
"No, not that." Chase kept his eyes on her, while Cameron stubbornly tried to keep hers on the computer screen. "You like the attention."
Unable to stand his stare any longer, Cameron stood abruptly and crossed the room to the coffee machine. "Doesn't everyone like attention?"
But Chase wouldn't let her off so easily. "You like that I like you. Because you like me, too."
"I do not," she scoffed in reply. "How many times do I have to say it?"
Chase leaned farther back in his chair, counting the dots in the ceiling. "Just because you say the sky is green one hundred times doesn't make it true."
Cameron turned finally, glaring at his triumphant smile. "You're acting like a child; grow up."
"You first."
She made a face, but he merely chuckled at her in return as she took her seat once more and pretended to go back to work. After twenty minutes, she slammed the laptop shut and sighed wearily. "You want to go get something to eat?"
Chase looked up again and shoved the papers aside, smirking. "You mean, like a date?"
"I mean, like getting the hell out of here for an hour or two." Cameron watched him turn back to another medical file, hating that damn smug look on his face. "Do you want to or not?"
He slapped the file shut and stood, peeling off his lab coat and shrugging on his coat, grinning. "Love to."
"Fine." Cameron stood, too, and mimicked his actions, then strode out of the office.
Chase followed, catching up with her and glancing at his watch. "It's late."
"Well, look whose playing junior detective." Cameron smiled slightly to herself.
"I mean, I hadn't realized how much time had passed," Chase shot back. "It's almost midnight. Is anything still open?" He watched Cameron nod, then reached an arm out casually to drape across her shoulders. "So...where did you have in mind?"
"Don't touch me," she said in response to action, sounding bored rather than upset. Chase dropped his arm back to his side, then shoved his hands in his coat pockets as they came to a step at the elevator bank. "There's a diner, not too far from here. A few blocks."
"Sounds good." Chase nodded as an elevator dinged, watching the doors slide open. He allowed Cameron to get on before him, then followed her on, hitting the button for the ground floor. They stood, staring straight ahead, and Chase finally turned to her and smiled. "And where to afterwards?"
The line was playful and suggestive, the kind of thing Cameron would normally scoff at, or bite his head off about if he caught her in a bad mood. But as the doors began to slide shut, she merely turned to him. And then gave him a smile in return. It wasn't much, but with that small smile, she gave him more than she'd given him in a long time. She gave him hope for the future.
Thank God for Tuesdays.