Title: Easy Way Out
Summary: Based on a strange dream I had. Cameron loves Chase, but Chase loves Sarsha, or at least is convincing himself that he does. When rumours begin to fly about Chase and Cameron after an unfortunate day, they both have choices, do they take the easy way out, Cameron by denying any attraction to Chase who in turn can swear that he's only in love with Sarsha or could they take a more controversial route?
Note: Will mostly gloss over medical issues. I don't know enough about them to accurately write.
New Characters: Sarsha (Chase's fiancée) radiology tech, blonde, beautiful, smart and very rich.
Disclaimer: I do not own House, or the storylines and characters. Sarsha is my own creation though, thank goodness I own something!
Chapter One: Not Her Day
It all started when Allison Cameron had to excuse herself from the meeting. She had not slept well at all the night before, mind you no one else had either, the howling rain and wind had kept everyone in the room, and probably the hospital awake, and didn't feel up to House's usual sarcasm.
"Cameron…" Greg House's voice held a frustrated tone. The recent cold spell was making his leg hurt, and like Cameron didn't feel like contending with his co-workers' equally bad moods. Her only reply was to huff impatiently and spin on her heel, swinging the door wide as she met it.
Presumably the storm had also kept Robert Chase up all night too, as he hurried into the meeting late, a coffee in his hand. Unfortunately he met Cameron head-on as she swept out the door, leaving the papers he was carrying on the floor and his coffee all over her shirt.
"Great… I knew I should have gotten Cuddy to put in an extra order of bibs." House rolled his eyes, shuffling over to the scene where Chase and Cameron had just collided for the second time, this time their heads as they both bent to pick up the papers.
"I… oh…" Chase flicked his eyes quickly up. The bust line of Cameron's white shirt had taken the majority of the coffee, and had soaked in quickly, revealing not quite everything, but more than Chase, Foreman and House had ever thought – cancel that – hoped they'd see.
"Oh!" Hastily pulling her lab coat closed, Cameron cursed under her breath, and House saw the worn-out tears beading in her eyes.
"Get changed and I want to see you back in here soon, we do have a patient to tend to you know." His demeanour hadn't changed despite seeing that the young woman was truly on the verge of tears.
"I don't have…" Her voice wobbled suspiciously.
"I've got a spare in my bag." Chase hastily offered, cutting House off, as he mentioned something almost useful about a patient gown and then something less tasteful about seeing her 'cute little tush' poking out the back.
"Thanks," Cameron said, with a dirty glare at House. Despite Chase's thoughtful offer she had still heard House's comment.
"You can use my office." House grudgingly said at length. "Pointless for you to go all the way to the change rooms." Wordlessly, Cameron left the room and went next door to House's office, which was separated from the room by a glass wall and vertical blinds, thankfully on her side. However it wasn't until her hands reached the buttons on her shirt, that she realised they were open, and that House was sitting on the edge of the desk, watching.
As she glanced over, he popped a pill into his mouth as though it was popcorn. With an aggravated sigh, she pulled the blinds closed.
"Unless you want her to walk around naked from the waist up all day Chase, I suggest you give her that shirt." House said suddenly, breaking the silence that had settled.
"Right." Chase rummaged in his bag, and apparently from between the folds of paper pulled out a rumpled blue shirt.
"Ten says she's already got her shirt off." House said before the door had even swung closed.
"Double or nothing the bra's gone too." Foreman replied quickly.
"You're on." House figured Dr Cameron wouldn't let a few coffee stains stop her from wearing a bra. No sooner had he said this than Cameron's indignant squeak filled the hospital corridor.
"Cameron!" Chase turned his head away and held the shirt at arm's length as Cameron crossed her arms over her chest, "Sorry… I should have knocked." She was naked from the waist up, wiping coffee from her chest, shirt and bra on the back of a chair.
"And I should have waited till I had the shirt." She accepted said clothing and slipped it on. "You can turn around now." She added as she buttoned it and bundled her wet shirt into a ball.
"Ready to face the world?" Chase asked softly.
"No, but let's go." She sighed, preparing to leave the office, not noticing her bra, resting on the back of the chair, where she had missed it while picking up her shirt.
"Cameron… your… uh…?" Chase moved towards the bra and as she noticed what he was doing, Cameron hurriedly moved towards it too, resulting in their third collision, both of them falling this time, Cameron landing on top of Chase.
"It's not our day huh?" Chase laughed as Cameron pushed herself up, noticing the resistance from Chase's arms that had automatically come around her as she'd fallen.
"No, I guess not Dr Chase," She smoothed her hair, unnerved by the closeness of the bodies, and downright uncomfortable about Chase having seen her breasts.
"Let's go, House is waiting." Chase and Cameron left the room, once more forgetting her bra. They were met in the hall by House and Foreman.
"While you two were canoodling in my office, Foreman and I came to a decision." House informed them.
"Sorry Doctor." Cameron blushed.
"Never mind about that, I was hoping that Chase here could settle a little bet between Foreman and I, how much did you see?"
"What happened in there stays…" Chase began as Cameron huffed and headed off in the direction of the wards. "Everything!" He amended as Cameron left earshot. With good grace House paid Foreman, and then issued instructions.
"Chase, I want you researching anything that possibly causes stomach ulcers, Foreman, run that ultrasound." Both men left and Dr House limped away leaning heavily on his cane.
Chase's eyes flicked the pages of the textbook he was reading, absently taking notes but his mind was elsewhere, the too-comfortable feeling of Cameron's body resting on his own, the perfect symmetry of her breasts when he'd first walked in, and the positively adorable lock of hair that had fallen free and brushed against his face in that split second she'd been against him coming freely to and from his consciousness instead of the stomach ulcer related symptoms.
"Rob?" At the gentle female voice he turned sharply, and was almost disappointed to see his fiancée, Sarsha a radiology tech, whom he'd met in his first week at PPTH.
"Hey," He smiled automatically, pushing Cameron's face from his mind. Despite there being nothing wrong if you looked at Sarsha either, blonde hair and blue eyes, with a cute birthmark under the right one, and a perfect smile, he found it hard to stop thinking of the woman who not half an hour before had been so close to him.
"Lunch?" She asked simply, and getting up and kissing her, forced himself to appear on the same planet.
Cameron meanwhile knew she was in for it when House called her to his office. She'd walked off on him twice that day, and she realised she was more than likely to get a few clinic hours, ones that had probably been given to House himself by Cuddy, in response to the juvenile behaviour.
Instead however, he greeted her jovially from behind his desk, and motioned for her to sit down. Nervously, she obeyed.
"Imagine my surprise," He began, reaching into his desk drawer. "Returning to my office to find a little 'reminder' that you had been allowed to use my personal space as a dressing room." His hand emerged from his drawer. Cameron clapped her hand over her mouth, her bra, now a dried coffee brown dangled torturously from his fingertips.
"I'm so sorry Dr House…" Cameron reached for the offending item, but House clucked his tongue, pulling it away from her outstretched hand.
"Uh, uh." He mocked shaking his head, "If you want it back you have to put in two hours clinic time."
"That's blackmail…" Cameron protested.
"I can give this to Chase as a reminder of your little rendezvous if you prefer? Wouldn't Sarsha be impressed with that?" Of course, Sarsha, perfect, blonde Barbie-doll Sarsha. Cameron had never actually met Sarsha, and truth be told, didn't intend to until the wedding, but she disliked her all the same, it was so easy, what with her perfect blonde hair, shining blue eyes and rich father who catered to her every whim.
"Two hours clinic time, yes Dr." Cameron repeated dully, it really wasn't her day…
TBC?