Title: Paper Tiger
Author: Alice J. Foster (shipperfey)
Fandom: House M.D.
Summary: Series of ficlets that analyze House and Cameron's thoughts and actions throughout all episodes from Informed Consent until after Wilson's Heart. Each chapter is about one-page long and covers a single episode.
Spoilers: Everything up to Wilson's Heart is game.
Category/Warnings: fanfic50 challenge, sexual content, dark themes.
Pairing/Characters: House/Cameron, Cameron/Chase
Rating: R/NC-17
Started: 05/21/2008
Finished: tbd
Author's Note: this is going to get dark; it'll follow canon, so don't expect fluff or happy endings. If you can't see House and Cameron in a no-strings-attached relationship, or Cameron sleeping with House in Season 4 (essentially cheating on Chase), this isn't for you. There'll be passing mentions of House/Cuddy at points (not a relationship, but the prospect of one), so be warned. Also, this isn't necessarily the way I see them as characters, but more like how they have to see themselves in order to get through the end of the day.
The title is a reference to Beck's song Paper Tiger, off his Sea Change album. Part of the lyrics below:
Looking through a broken diamond
To make the past what it should be
Through the ruins and the weather
Capsized boats in the sea
Title: Paper Tiger – Ch.1: Fragile
Summary: Maybe he is right, and maybe she does like him better when he's a cripple. Post-ep for Informed Consent.
Spoilers: Cane & Able, Informed Consent
Word Count (approx.): 280
Category/Warnings: fanfic50 challenge, sexual content.
Pairing/Characters: House/Cameron
Rating: R/NC-17
1. Fragile
"I was right, wasn't I? Less than one week after my cane makes a reappearance, you're suddenly interested again," he inquires cockily as his head rolls over the back of the couch.
She makes a non-committal grunt as she rides him faster, because he could be right.
Then again, there are a lot of factors that could explain why they're on his couch and she's on top of him, doing most of the work. After all, his leg hurts again, and she can't help but care.
Maybe he is right, and maybe she does like him better when he's a cripple—or she's just attracted to the way he trusts his medical prowess, and ability to trust his own diagnosis was apparently pathognomonic for his leg pain.
Or perhaps the idea of joining him for drinks was so appealing because they'd knocked heads during the whole diagnostic process; if he passively agrees with her, she's all smiles and warmth, but if he acts like the usual asshole, she wants to push him against his stupid whiteboard and show him just how many positions she's thought up to keep pressure off his right thigh.
Another option is that her jell-o shots and wild sex comment, and lusting over a patient's teenage daughter finally broke the proverbial straw, and he was too cheap to spend money on a decent hooker.
Either of the ideas is better than believing she's doing this because she's emotionally fragile after euthanizing a patient—not because she puts it above him or her, but because this is so good she's afraid that she would consider going through that traumatic experience in the future just to make this happen again.
Title: Paper Tiger – Ch.2: Secret
Summary: He had no idea his power play with Cuddy about his goddamn carpet would've resulted in mind-blowing sex with Cameron. Missing scene from Lines in the Sand.
Spoilers: Lines in the Sand, between the "your hair is pretty" scene and the scene with the ducklings in Wilson's office, when House pats Wilson's desk and tell her to make herself at home.
Word Count (approx.): 249
Category/Warnings: fanfic50 challenge, sexual content.
Pairing/Characters: House/Cameron
Rating: R/NC-17
2. Secret
He had no idea his power play with Cuddy about his goddamn carpet would've resulted in mind-blowing sex with Cameron; he's probably a bigger genius than he gives himself credit for.
He should definitely compliment her hair more often – yeah, he was high when he did it, but he's pretty sure she liked it.
The hair was even prettier when she sucked him off while he sat in Wilson's office chair. And right now, it's cascading down her back nicely as she's bent over Wilson's desk.
Sure, it might be considered disrespectful to have sex on your best friend's office furniture, but if Wilson was going to be a dick about sharing his office, House was going to make the best out of it.
And thinking of it, if Cuddy is going to be a bitch about allowing him access to his eye candy patient-slash-stalker whose name starts with an A or a C, he might consider defiling her office too.
He's not so sure he wants to test Cameron that far yet, though; she's been surprisingly quiet when it comes to asking him annoying questions about their secret casual affair like 'where is this going?' or her previous favorite 'do you like me?' and he doesn't want to push his luck.
She actually doesn't talk much during sex—or before it, when he goes to her and gropes her lithe body like he's on death row and she's his last conjugal visit. Her silence almost worries him sometimes.
Title: Paper Tiger – Ch.3: Slip
Summary: He plays with his cane as he wonders if Foreman was right, and he only dates emotionally stunted bigots—well, Cameron is not a bigot. And they're not dating. Missing scene from Fools for Love.
Spoilers: Fools for Love – set sometime after Foreman and House's scene at the clinic.
Word Count (approx.): 249
Category/Warnings: fanfic50 challenge
Pairing/Characters: House/Cameron
Rating: R/NC-17 (PG-13 for this chapter)
3. Slip
"So, what causes twenty-year-olds to get married?" he asks when they're alone in the conference room. It's upsetting that this is the question that bugs him the most about this case.
"Why are you asking me?" She doesn't even look at him as she asks, eyes completely glued to the monitor.
"Because you are the only one in the team with first-hand experience," he replies as he observes her body language; eyes still glued to the monitor but he sees her thin fingers reaching for the backspace key a lot more often, which means she's distracted and making mistakes.
"We're not discussing my marriage, House," she states clearly.
He plays with his cane as he wonders if Foreman was right, and he only dates emotionally stunted bigots—well, Cameron is not a bigot. And they're not dating.
But as emotional stunts go, she could definitely give him a run for his money.
"I just don't understand why someone would enter a legal contract binding them to another human being before they're even able to drink—after all, everyone knows that booze and vows go together," he adds pointedly.
This actually gets her to stop typing, just long enough to turn to him and roll her eyes. "If that's what you think, then it's a good thing you have never gotten married," she points out.
He can't really argue with that, so he drops the conversation and returns his attention to the whiteboard in front of him.
Title: Paper Tiger – Ch.4: Enough
Summary: She's just found a new sexually transmitted disease: medical irresponsibility. Missing scene from Que Será, Será.
Spoilers: Que Será, Será – set sometime after Cameron reveals that she caused George's collapse.
Word Count (approx.): 206
Category/Warnings: fanfic50 challenge.
Pairing/Characters: House/Cameron
Rating: R/NC-17 (PG-13 for this chapter)
4. Enough
Screw syphilis, HIV, herpes and gonorrhea—she's just found a new sexually transmitted disease: medical irresponsibility. And this one is apparently contagious even through condoms, because she has it.
House's rubbing off on her, and not just in the right way. She should be completely upset because she just caused a very emotionally handicapped man to collapse, just so she could treat him-- but instead she's actually relieved.
Yeah, she gave the Munchausen patient antibiotics that one time, but the Rifampin was harmless; that patient didn't get hurt and she had ultimately made the decision to take the pills. This time it's different-- George made no such decision; George trusted her, and she broke his trust.
She wonders if she would've had to resort to the Phenytoin if House wasn't so distant; whatever is going on with that cop is definitely concerning him. He won't tell her what it is, so she's giving up on asking—asking him, that is. She'll probably grill Wilson for info later.
As she throws the one-use ice pack on the trash and flexes her elbow to relieve some of the stiffness, she wishes his mind returns to work soon, because she can't take many more falls through glass walls. Once was enough.
Title: Paper Tiger – Ch.5: Innocence
Summary: After her lovely talk with Tritter, Cameron goes to talk to House. Post-ep for Son of a Coma Guy.
Spoilers: Son of a Coma Guy, set after House returns from Atlantic City.
Word Count (approx.): 290
Category/Warnings: fanfic50 challenge.
Pairing/Characters: House/Cameron
Rating: R/NC-17 (PG-13 for this chapter)
5. Innocence
He isn't surprised to see her when he opens his door.
"Did you steal Wilson's prescription pad and forge his signature?" she asks as she enters the apartment.
That surprises him, because it usually takes a few months of casual sex to get to the point of entering each other's homes without being invited. "I don't want to discuss Tritter's investigation with you," he says plainly. "Any of it."
She places her hands on her hips as she glares at him. It's no use feigning innocence with her—not anymore.
"If I share any incriminating information with you, then you would be legally required to share that on the stand—should you be called as a witness to my trial," he explains.
"I've already lied to that cop," she informs him.
House slams his cane against the hardwood floor; he should've known this would happen. "About what?"
She takes a deep breath. "How many pills you take a day."
"Did he believe you?"
She shakes her head. "He was intrigued about my loyalty to you."
"Intrigued as in he's deduced we're sleeping together, or intrigued as in he knows you're lying but he doesn't know why?"
"The second one," she replies and she seems sure enough to calm him down some. Last thing he needs is Tritter getting a warrant to search her place because he thinks House might be hiding a stash there.
"Don't lie to him anymore," he orders. "Omissions are fine if they make you feel comfortable, but don't lie to him; I've already dragged Wilson into this mess, I don't need to drag you as well."
"Fine," she replies simply.
"Want a hoagie? Straight from Atlantic City."
She nods as she kicks her shoes off.
Maybe some intimacy during casual sex wasn't so bad.