A/N: A few things;

Firstly, I'm sorry everyone that I've been updating this story so slowly. I've just been responding to everything "House" related with a "meh" response lately (I'm sure most of my fellow House/Cam shippers can relate), and I'm finding it so, so hard to get motived enough to write for the fandom. Please bare with me though, as I do have pretty big plans for this story...and that's not like Katie Jacob's idea of "big plans", who's "big plans" for Cameron and Chase was apparently to just push them further into the background *facepalm* Yes, I'm bitter if you hadn't worked it out heh.

Secondly, I apologize if there are spelling/grammar issues with this chapter. Woody has been kind enough to offer me her beta services, however due to some of the PMs I'm getting to hurry up and update, I've had to skip the beta-ing step for this chapter as it took me so long to do. I can't blame you guys for pushing me to update though...I need it!

Lastly to Kylie, I wrote your stinkin' Edward/Bella drabble ;) (I appreciate what you did for me so much I wrote you a drabble for a pairing I don't even have an interest in.)

I hope you all enjoy the next installment :)

The Bet

Chapter Four

James Wilson for all intents and purposes was a simple man. He realized a long time ago that the traditional dream...a family, a big house with a white picket fence were probably beyond him. However, he was intent with his life. He loved his job, and the sense of joy he experienced when he helped people.

So it came as no real surprise how happy he was to help his friend win this bet…even if it was against himself. There was a reason that he had selected Cameron when House had pitched the bet after all…

He pulled his front door open when he finally arrived home that evening. He instinctively quirked a brow when he found House already lounging on his couch watching television, Chinese food spread out on the coffee table in front of him.

"How did you get in?" He asked his friend, studying the door for any signs of forced entry.

"Your landlord." House told him casually, never removing his gaze from the television screen in front of him. "He thinks I still live here. I told him I lost my key and you couldn't let me in because you were at your necrophiliac's anonymous meeting."

"Oh." Wilson responded as he closed the door behind him. "I've just got to move now…that's all."

House rolled his eyes, silently mouthing the words "drama queen". He turned to his friend, gesturing to the TV with the remote. "You had the naked channel scrambled?"

"Sam had it scrambled." The oncologist corrected.

House quirked a brow. "But you and Sam broke up."

"Yes, and I'm sorry that my first action after the breakup wasn't to have the naked channel put back on for you." Wilson said sarcastically as he slumped down onto the couch and selected a box of food. "How inconsiderate of me."

House ignored his friend, returning his attention back to the screen, so the oncologist spoke again. "I'm surprised you're even here."

"I told you that I'd be coming by tonight. I'm sorry if that statement somehow confused you." The diagnostician responded sarcastically, using his chopsticks to search for a piece of chicken within his food.

Wilson resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "I meant that despite the fact that you're the most stubborn person I've ever met, I'm surprised how much effort you're going to just to win a bet…" He trailed off as a thought hit him. "Wait a minute..." He gasped. "This isn't just about a bet to you is it? You want her to fall for you don't you?"

"You're an idiot Wilson." House grumbled, quickly turning his gaze back to the television.

A smirk danced across the oncologist's lips when he realized that he'd hit a nerve. Feeling rather proud of himself, he took the remote from his friend and switched off the TV. "Well idiot or not, you came to me for help." House looked back at him in annoyance as the screen went blank, but he continued. "And considering getting a woman to fall for you is not going to be an easy feat, I think we should get started."

"Oh goodie." House tossed back, his words dripping in sarcasm. "This ought to be fun."

Wilson smiled, clearly unfazed by his friend's sarcasm. "Where would you like to start?"

"How about you start by telling me how to get her into bed." House grumbled. "That's a lesson I'd be willing to listen to."

"How about we start with how to give compliments." The oncologist smiled, disregarding House's suggestion. "Women love them, and they're easy to give…"

"Giving compliments is easy?"

"Yes, House." Wilson tossed back, annoyed at his friend for interrupting. "All you have to do is think of things that you like about someone and comment on that...just disregard the bad that I'm sure you'd be able to find." He rolled his eyes slightly. "Here, give it a try with Cameron."

"Okay." The diagnostician agreed, thinking for a moment. "Cameron, your body makes me want to cover you in whipped cream and have my wicked way with you." He finished and turned to Wilson. "How was that?"

Wilson had to try very hard to resist the urge to laugh. "That…wasn't too bad for a first try…" he trailed off.

"But?"

"Well maybe we could tune down the sleaze a bit?" Wilson suggested. "For some strange reason, women don't tend to respond to it very well."

"I wonder why?" House pondered, and Wilson smirked when he realized that his friend really had no idea.

"Here, I'll help you." The oncologist smirked. "What do you like about Cameron? And I swear to God House if you say her ass I'm going to just give up and kick you out."

"Spoilsport." House muttered, looking down, suddenly feeling rather embarrassed when asked to respond to Wilson's question. "…I guess, she has nice eyes…" he trailed off, struggling with the weight of what he was saying. "…And I like the way her mouth looks when she's happy."

A smirk danced across Wilson's lips. "So you like her smile?"

"I didn't say that." House huffed.

"Yeah, you did." The oncologist continued to smirk. "That was good though. Those things you picked can be easily turned into compliments."

House rolled his crystal blues, however was grateful that his friend hadn't forced him to say out loud the other things he liked about Cameron. "Well, what now Casanova?"

"Hhmm." Wilson mumbled in thought, speaking more to himself than House. "I don't think we can really do much more until you get her to agree to go on a date with you." House looked at him in confusion, so he clarified, "just so we know what setting we'll be dealing with, and how to best take advantage of the situation."

House didn't know whether he felt more of disgust or admiration towards his friend. Wilson certainly knew his stuff, despite how manipulative it seemed. That didn't bother him though. Manipulative was good in House's book.

"Well that's kind of the problem." House pointed out, and Wilson was sure that he heard a hint of depression behind his friend's words. "She won't go out with me."

"Well you know what they say." Another smirk danced across the oncologist's lips. "If first you don't succeed…" He trailed off, grabbing his keys and waving them in front of House's face mischievously. "Try, try again."

...

Cameron paced through her living room quickly, towards the loud knocking sound at her front door that had woken her from her slumber.

Who on Earth would be at her place at this hour?

She pulled the front door open in one swift movement, and her gaze became ensnarled by a sight that she hadn't been expecting.

"House?" She asked him in alarm.

He examined her with his eyes, a small smirk appearing on his lips as he took in her butterfly decorated pyjama pants and blue tank top. "Figures."

She looked down to what he was referring to and rolled her eyes. "Shut up House. This is what people look like when you wake them up at 1am."

House considered her statement for a moment. "They look like an overgrown preschooler?" He asked her teasingly, as he comfortably limped past her and into the apartment.

"Better than acting like one." Cameron mumbled under her breath as she closed the door behind them. She watched him looking around her apartment, and she crossed her arms in annoyance. "What are you doing here?"

He turned his attention back to her eventually, leaning forward slightly on his cane. "Well you see Cameron, we have a problem."

"We do?" She asked him, and he could still clearly hear the frustrated edge to her voice.

He nodded, unfazed by her annoyance. "I'm suffering from a medical condition, and it's your duty as a doctor to help me."

Cameron quirked a brow at him, honestly curious to see where he was going with this. "Oh really? And what medical condition are you suffering from?"

"Broken heart."

Cameron couldn't resist the urge to laugh.

"I can't believe it." He gasped in mock-surprise. "You break my heart and then laugh about it. Gee, you think you know a person."

"Me?" She laughed in disbelief. "How did I break your heart?"

"Because you won't go out with me."

The immunologist immediately rolled her eyes. "Don't start this again House. Please, I'm tired."

He grumbled in annoyance. Wilson had somehow convinced him on the way over that the corny lines approach would work. Well it obviously wasn't working. What the hell was he supposed to do now?

"Why wont you?" He asked her seriously. It was a question that he had been desperate to ask.

"Gee House, maybe I'm still a little ticked off that you ruined my marriage to Chase." Cameron sighed ruefully, before adding the next part. "And maybe also because I'm over you. Did you ever consider that?"

"Oh please." He scoffed. "I did you a favour with Chase. He was never good enough for you." He paused for a moment, surprised at how easily those last words had come out of his mouth. "And you are not over me." He added, taking a step closer to her so that their bodies were merely inches apart.

"Yes, I am." She tossed back, unphased by their closeness.

"Am not."

She snapped her head up to him in annoyance. "Why do you always have to disagree with everything I say?"

"I do not."

Cameron rolled her eyes as he pretty much proved her point. "Why would I still like you House?" She sighed earnestly. "You used to be this brilliant person with an endless range of interests and skills. It was fascinating to be around you." She paused for a moment to let a small smile grace her lips. "But now all you care about is messing with people's relationships, and chasing after Cuddy…" He opened his mouth to object to that last part, but she cut him off. "…You don't seem to care about medicine anymore, or the puzzles, or finding answers. You're not the same interesting person that I fell in love with…So I'm over you."

House was taken back. He opened his mouth, and then closed it again…unsure of what to say. Finally, he mumbled, "Yeah, you just go on telling yourself that Princess."

Was he allowed to call her that he wondered for a moment? He and Wilson hadn't covered pet names yet. However at that point, he was too worked up to care.

He took a moment to regain his composure, and he noticed that she had barely changed her same annoyed stance since he had arrived. "Okay." He said finally, attempting to work back to the point that he was trying to make. "Let's give this another shot."

"Lets give what another shot?" Cameron almost hissed back at him. She had been trying her best not to let him get to her…But his harassing her in front of patients, the roses, the 1am wake up call, were all starting to have an affect on her patience.

"A date."

She watched him in complete disbelief. "No!" Was all she could manage to get out through her anger.

"Yes!" He snapped back, his own anger rising despite his attempts to control it.

Cameron shook her head in astonishment. "You can't just tie me up and force me to go you know."

"I know that." He told her, leaning forward and getting right in her face. "Unless you're into that type of thing?" He asked her slowly, raising a brow to her suggestively.

"Ugh!" She snapped, pushing herself away from him in a huff of indignation. She looked away from him for a few moments, her mind deep in thought. Finally, she turned back to him and sighed. "If I say yes…If agree to go on one date with you…" she trailed off, hoping that this was the right thing to do, "…will you stop it with all of this and this annoying game that you're playing?"

"That would certainly help, yes." He tried to make it sound as nice and even-tempered as possible, however inwardly he knew that he was just as angry as she was.

"Fine then." She almost yelled in defeat. "I'll go on a date with you."

"Good!"

"Fine!" Cameron repeated, her arms flying back to their crossed position over her chest.

"I'll pick you up tomorrow at seven!" House hissed angrily as he limped as fast as possible out of the apartment.

He paced in fury down to Wilson's car that was parked in the street next to Cameron's building. He slid into the passenger side next to his friend.

"That woman is infuriating!" He fumed heatedly.

"She said no?" Wilson asked him, feeling rather disappointed.

"She said yes." The words were dripping in anger.

Wilson was taken back. He quirked a brow at his friend in confusion. "Isn't that a good thing?"

House didn't speak for a few moments, he was too angry. "If we somehow manage to get through the date tomorrow without either of us getting an injury, it will be a miracle."

A small smirk danced across the oncologist's lips that he attempted to hide from his friend. "Don't worry, it will be fine." He assured. "We'll have the whole day tomorrow to prepare you."

"Your women manipulating skills had better be ready." House fumed, still seething in his anger. "That's all I'm saying."

"They will be." Wilson laughed, turning on the ignition and pulling away from the building.