Title: Mistletoe
Pairing: House/Cameron
Rating: K
Spoilers: Only if you haven't seen any of season 4. Loosely based on "It's a wonderful lie" and then veers off into an AU of sorts.
Summary: "Since when do you hate Christmas decorations?"
Author's note: I know it's a few months late for a xmas themed story, but it's a ficlet that's been in my head for months and never had a chance to write it/was too lazy to write it. Please excuse the rushed pace, and this is only my second attempt at fic writing, so please be kind.
Disclaimer: I only own the DVD's and a book on the series, not any of the characters.
"Dr Kutner...who told you that it would be a good idea to put up superficial representations of a hypocritical season celebrating a mythical figure?" said House, using his cane to rip down the gold tinsel and tossing Santa in the garbage bin.
"Can we do a Secret Santa!?" replied Kutner with the excitement and glee of an eight year old.
"Oh go treat the patient would you?" said House to send his new team on their way, leaving him alone to clean up the rest of the ridiculous decorations.
"Do you spell "Homey" with a "Y"? I want to be respectful" said House as he busied himself with folding the little pieces of paper.
"You're actually going to let us do Secret Santa?" responded Kutner.
"Not just you guys...I like presents too!" replied House with a devious smirk. "By the way, how's the patient doing? Have you check out her house yet?...No? Well, go! And get me their computers."
"Wilson, buy me lunch?" shouted House from down the hallway.
"You know, you are capable of buying it yourself from time to time," said Wilson with a sigh.
"Yes, but where is the fun in that? By the way, you totally need to get yourself a team. Then you could get a bunch of presents from Secret Santa," said House.
"House, you only get one present in a Secret Santa exchange," said Wilson with a quirked eyebrow.
"Not the way I do it," replied House with a smile.
They returned to House's office with lunch in hand, and Wilson was surprised as he looked into the conference room. "Weren't there decorations up earlier today?"
"Yes."
"And where did they go?"
"Filed under "T" for Trash of course. I was hoping Kutner would cry as I tore down the tinsel but no such luck."
"Since when do you hate Christmas decorations? The conference room has always been decorated...no...wait...it only had decorations the last three years. Interesting," Wilson said with a smile before retreating to his own office in fear of being beaten with House's cane.
At the end of the day, House returned to his office after feeling rather down trodden. His patient was dying and there was nothing he could do about it, and he never liked losing a patient.
He noticed a box on his desk wrapped in red and green paper and finished off with a gold bow. As he approached the present, he couldn't help but be puzzled by its existence as he'd already suckered Taub, Kutner and Thirteen into getting him a watch, a vintage LP, and a second edition Conan Doyle. He lifted the box and gave it a shake before looking at the small tag attached to it. All it said was "To Greg" but there was no mistaking the familiar loopy "G".
He sat in his chair and moved the box around in his hands for hours thinking ... contemplating ... debating ...
He knew the hospital Christmas party would end by 10pm so he remained until almost 11 to give himself the reassurance that everyone would be gone by the time he left. He stood up, grabbed his coat and knapsack, and reached for something from the garbage bin beneath his desk, placing it gently into his coat pocket.
Despite the cold winds whipping around him, the ride on his bike made him feel better about not being able to solve the case. When he arrived at his destination, he turned off the engine, took off his helmet, and checked that his parcel was still intact. Limping to the front door, he had to stop and take a deep breath before using his cane as a knocker.
Only a few seconds passed, but to House they felt like hours. He was just about to leave when the door opened. Cameron stood there in sweatpants and a tank top, her wet hair pulled up in a pony tail, and she looked at him with pure bewilderment written all over her face.
"What are you doing here House?"
But being House, a man of so little words, he said nothing. He simply reached into his coat pocket and gently pulled out a piece of mistletoe, slowly raising it above his head.
Cameron couldn't withhold her smile as she took a hesitant step toward him. House stepped forward to close the gap between them and captured her lips in a delicate kiss. The kiss quickly did a 180, going from gentle to heated and passionate, filled with three and a half years of pent-up wants and desires.
Eventually, the two had to break apart due to the lack of oxygen to both of their brains. She stepped aside to allow House entrance into her apartment, but before doing so, House finally spoke in a very soft tone. "Merry Christmas, Allison."
The end.