Cameron was the first to awaken, finding herself face to face with Chase, his arm draped protectively over her side. She loved his touch, regretting every moment of not being in his arms. Never had he held her, she wouldn't let him, but now- now she wasn't sure if she could ever live without this.
She walks into the locker room, needing to get in and out fast. It's been a stressful day, and all she wants to do is curl up in bed and sleep away the memories of her husband. Having to relive his death, having House mock her for playing the 'dead husband card', having almost drastically altering the entire life of a six-year-old; she needs a break. Then she sees it: a stunning bouquet of flowers with a note attached. 'Not stolen', she reads with a small smile. She turns around, forgetting that he's in here, watching, waiting."They're beautiful," she says simply, hoping to give away the least amount of emotion as possible in this statement.
She steps closer, wanting her words to be clear to him, hoping she'll be more convincing if he sees the them clearly fall from her lips. "I thought about what you said, and..."she looks to his eyes, not seeing hope, not seeing much of anything; he's hiding.
"I really don't want a relationship with you." she says this firmly, needing to convince herself as much as him.
"I know." He looks okay, not like the lonely, rejected man that she knows he is. "I also know you like flowers." He smiles sadly at her and walks out. Maybe it's to give her privacy, maybe he can't hide the sting of her words any longer.
She looks at the flowers, wishing everything could be different. Wishing she didn't have to be so cold, so hurt, so alone.
Cameron brushed a lock of blonde hair away from Chase's face in order to study him better. He seemed so peaceful when he was sleeping. He no longer looked so contemplative or worried. Her deep gaze seemed to wake him, and he smiled to find her only inches away, despite the fact that the bed was rather large.
"Good morning Rob," Cameron whispered to him. He smiled warmly; the sound of his first name spilling from her sweet lips caused the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end. "So what are we going to do today? Look for jobs? Call Cuddy? I should go home and feed the cat…" Her voice trailed off.
"Relax, we won't go bankrupt in 24 hours. Let's just never leave these spots." He leaned forward and kissed her softly. He loved how she would hold to him, and let him hold her. Before it had been a tangle of hands removing clothes, his tie and her shirt. Now it was something deeper, she needed him. And after all these years of trying to ignore his feelings for Cameron and let her go, holding her was the only thing he could do.
"We can't just disappear from the world, Rob. We need to talk to Cuddy, see what she had to say about all this." She stood up, abruptly ending their embrace before they wouldn't be able to, and began dressing herself.
"C'mon. One day together doing nothing. Or something. Whatever we want. Give it some time to blow over. Tomorrow we'll go back." He sounded too desperate, but he wanted time alone with her while they still had it. Don't lose her echoed in his head. "Please?" He stuck out his bottom lip in a mock pout, trying to hide the look of need in his eyes.
A laugh escaped her unintentionally as Chase sat up in bed, waiting for an answer. "Fine." She gave in. "One day. And that's it." It amazed him how she could be so vulnerable and stern all in a matter of minutes.
"And that's all I want." He stood up, ran around the bed, and scooped Cameron up into his arms. "What do you want to do?"
She scanned the room with her eyes, searching for how to spend their 24 hours together. Her eyes rested on the bed for several moments, then she pulled herself closer to Chase, never wanting to leave his arms.
Both lay on the bed, somewhat short of breath. Cameron rolled lethargically on top of Chase, running her fingers through his hair, and then placing her head on his heart. He sort of wanted her to notice the quickening pace.
"Okay, pre-breakfast sex. I could get used to that." She laughed softly and briefly sucked his neck lovingly.
"You ready for breakfast? What do you want? I'll make it."
'You're making me dread tomorrow," he said sincerely, his blue-gray eyes gazing deeply into her brilliant green ones.
She frowned and looked away; the thought of returning to work did pale in comparison to never leaving Chase's apartment. She lifted herself up then looked down to Chase, whose hands were still on her hips. "We have each other this time." She couldn't face the thought of working at the hospital without Chase.
"Yes we do," he replied proudly as they got up to face the day.
"Where did you learn how to cook like this?" asked Chase between mouthfuls.
"My grandma taught me some things. But really, it's only an omelet."
"Well it's the best thing I've ever tasted."
Cameron threw her head back in laughter. "Rob, I've already said yes to you, you don't need to suck up to me."
He swallowed, flashed her a grin, and then kissed her sweetly. Cameron stood up and started heading back to the bedroom.
"I should get dressed, go home…shower and stuff."
"But Ally, it's our day together. You can't leave me. I'll get lonely." He fought hard to keep his smile back. "What's wrong with my shower?"
"I'd like to change my clothes after," she replied from the bedroom.
"Why bother? They'll just come off anyway." He smiled devilishly. Somehow the screaming of not too strong in his head never clearly processed.
She sighed. "How about you come back with me? I don't want you to die from separation anxiety or anything."
"Hey, I very well might." He smiled and returned to the room with her to finish dressing.
"Would you mind feeding the cat? The food is right next to her bowl in the kitchen. Just give her a scoop. I'm getting in the shower really fast."
"Okay," replied Chase. "I'll miss you."
He heard her giggle from her bedroom and smirked to himself.
The door creaked slightly as he opened it, quietly undressing himself. He could smell sweet strawberries, a scent he immediately recognized as her shampoo. He recalled trying to catch a whiff of it whenever she walked by, and how, here he was, mere feet away from her applying it. He couldn't help but feel proud at how far he'd come. It didn't matter how fast or slow things went now. He knew she wouldn't turn him away anymore. They'd grown too close for that.
Slowly, he pulled back the shower curtain and stepped inside. Much to his surprise, Cameron stood under the steaming water with a grin on her face as if she were waiting for him.
"I- I guess I didn't surprise you," Chase stuttered as he entered the shower.
"I heard you come in. Besides, I've been expecting you. What took so long?" She reached out and pulled him under the hot water that was shooting down from the shower head.
While pinning Cameron to the wall and gently biting her lip, Chase couldn't help but wonder if this whole relationship was right. You have to tell her sometime, and soon, he scolded himself. You need to tell her how you feel. You can't keep this up without letting her know. It's not fair to her. He pulled back, and she took this moment to pin him against the tile roughly, surprising him with her strength.
"Is something wrong?" she asked between kisses, questioning his momentary weakness.
"No," he said softly. "Everything's perfect." The wet hair that hung in front of his face dripped down across his line of vision. "Want to go out to dinner tonight?" he waked, pushing his golden lock back. "I know the perfect place."
"Why? You sick of my cooking already?" she joked.
"No, I think we should get out once. I want to show you off to everyone." He hoped this sounded reasonable, but found himself nervous with her all over again.
She smiled. "Okay, I just hope I'll be able to keep my hands off of you for that long." She winked at him before moving her lips down his body in a firm, intense manner.
AN: All reviews welcome. Chapter 3 coming soon...
