A/N And here's the next chapter… hope it was satisfactorily quick enough… I'm really enjoying writing this story so thank you all for coming on the ride with me…. So this was supposed to be a half page tag on to the last chapter but it kinda exploded into its own thing…but since you guys get an extra chapter out of it, I figured you wouldn't complain….
It had truely been a rather trying day on all accounts and the only thing Cameron really wanted to do was to go home, take a long hot bubble bath with a glass of wine and keep her date with F. Scott Fitzgerald and her well worn copy of Tender is the Night. Unfortunately, there were still a few things left on the agenda before she could get started on her plans for the evening.
After her ill advised decision to go along with House's crazy scheme, the two of them had spent well over an hour brainstorming ideas and creating a number of plans to further confuse, annoy, and/or shock their coworkers. It was all to be very Hitchcockian, with lots of misdirection and suggestion on their part; sharing lunch in House's office, the use of first names, a little bit of physical contact here and there, perhaps a peck or two. Everything that they would actually be doing would be just tiptoeing the line of innocent on Cameron's insistence for agreeing to cooperate, but to everyone else, it would imply anything but innocence, as their avid imaginations would quickly fill in the blanks.
Sore from being hunched over a variety of lab equipment for the past couple of hours, she stretched lightly before looking down at her watch. Seeing that it was twelve minutes to six she quickly turned off the microscope she was using, tidied up her work station, and made her way to the elevator. After their afternoon of not so very evil plotting, Cameron had disappeared down to the labs, helping the immunology department with their backed up work, while House holed himself away in one of his many corners of the hospital that he used to avoid Cuddy until they could reconvene to commence phase one of their plan at 1800 hours.
Or is it phase two? She wondered idly as she watched the lit up numbers advance above the door. Since this morning should probably count as a phase. Actually it might be phase three if you count the- oh why am I even wondering about this?
As the elevator came to a stop, the double doors sliding open to let her off on her floor, she made her way to her destination noticing that they would be playing to a full audience since Wilson had joined Chase and Forman in the conference room once again. Most likely to gossip about her and House, she realized.
Doesn't he have any of his own patients to deal with? she grumbled to herself as she anxiously played with the ring that was now conspicuously back on her left hand. Oh well, it will probably be better to hit all three of them at once anyways. She then took a deep breath, straightened her shoulders and walked causally into the conference room.
The fact that all three men stopped talking upon her entrance confirmed her earlier suspicions as to the topic of their conversation. She made a point of ignoring their watchful stares as she pulled out a stack of House's charts that he was behind on and sat down at her usual spot at the table. Glancing at her watch again, she saw it was now three till and silently prayed that House would show up soon, before the three musketeers could start asking questions.
She gave an imperceptible sigh of relief when at exactly six she heard House's distinctive gait coming down the hallway. She didn't have to look up to know that he went into his office to gather his things to go home, this was all part of phase…whichever it was, as was planned by them earlier that day. He was then going to come into the conference room and ask her if she was ready to go home, implying they were going to the same place. She would then reply that she was going to finish up the paper work and she would follow him in a bit, she would then give him a chaste - after all they were in the office - kiss goodbye. He would then go home leaving her with a stunned trio, where she was to reply, 'none of your business' to any questions. Simple, right?
"Are you ready to go home, Allison?" House asked walking in from his office as he shrugged on his jacket, using her first name as they had agreed to earlier.
"Not yet Greg, I want to finish up your charting before I leave for the night," she replied, not having to fake the irritation in her tone.
"Actually, according to the state of New Jersey half of everything I own now belongs to you as well," he pointed up, zipping up his leather jacket, "and that includes my charting."
"I knew I should have thought this whole marriage thing through," she retorted playfully, tossing her pen down on the table.
So far so good, she coached herself as she watched her boss cross the room and stop in front of her. Now here comes the hard part.
"Well, too late to escape now," he said, placing a hand under her elbow to draw her up to her feet.
Cameron gave a large mock sigh, trying not to show her nervousness at their close proximity. "I suppose you're right, which means I'll see you at home," she joked, closing the space between them even more as she raised her face to give him a goodbye kiss.
As lips brushed lips she scolded herself for being so worried about something so small as a little kiss. She was thinking that his lips were soft and she wouldn't mind doing this again in the future, when the future presented itself. She had barely begun to pull away when a large warm hand at the nape of her neck prevented her from doing so.
Alarm bells went off in her mind as his tongue ran along her bottom lip clearly asking for entrance. What is he doing? she cried mentally as his hand settled on her lower back closed any space that was left between them. This was not part of plan!
However her arms, somehow unbenounced to her, made their way around his waist and her lips parted of their own volition, allowing him to deepen the kiss. Screw the plan. Plans are overrated, was her last coherent thought before stopped thinking all together and allowed herself to be lost in the man in front of her, forgetting completely about their audience. It wasn't until their need for air took precedence that they broke apart. Their eyes met in an intense gaze with emotions guarded and concealed in both party's eyes, but only barely so. It wasn't until they simultaneously felt the stares of their coworkers that they as one turned as one towards the other doctors.
"Didn't your mothers ever teach you it's not polite to stare?" House asked sneaking a hand inside Cameron's lab coat, making her eyes grow wide.
As his fingers inched around her waist, Cameron looked up at House's amused expression then back to Wilson, Chase and Forman, who looked disbelieving, shocked, and smug respectively.
"Perhaps these charts can wait until tomorrow after all," she said pulling away and quickly gathering her things up, she'd be damned before she let herself be left alone with the guys now, knowing that a simple 'it's none of your business' would never satisfy them now.
"What can I say," House shrugged, responding to a question no one asked, "she just can't resist my devilish good looks."
"And here I thought it was your irresistible charm," Cameron retorted sarcastically as she slipped her laptop into her bag.
"That too," he confirmed. "Well are you ready to go?"
Cameron nodded as she slipped into her jacket and slung her bag over her shoulder. "Night guys," she called as House replaced his hand on her lower back to guide her from the room.
She took strength from the warm pressure that propelled her towards the elevator bank, all too aware of the glances the nurses were giving them. They both remained silent as they stood next to each other in closer proximity than they ever would be in under normal circumstances while they waited for the elevator to come whisk them away to safer territory.
As soon as the elevator doors closed behind them, and they had some semblance of privacy, Cameron took a large step away from him, practically smacking his hand away from her as she went.
"What was that for?" she demanded with an anger that didn't ring true to either of them.
"What?" he replied easily. "I told you this would be fun."
"That kind of fun was not part of the plan," she retorted indignantly, both of them picking up on the fact that she didn't deny her enjoyment of the kiss.
"That kind of fun wasn't part of your plan," he corrected. "My plan, on the other hand, is much more enjoyable. You were the one who said if we were going to do this, we should do it right."
Cameron was about to respond to this, but the elevator stopped and let them out in front of the Clinic, and subsequently Cuddy's office. Apparently the dean had been keeping an eye out for them because they had only made it halfway to the front doors when she practically flew through the clinic doors.
"I need to talk to you two," Cuddy called, the shock apparently having worn off.
"I'm afraid we cant do that right now," House replied throwing his arm back around Cameron and leading her towards the exit. "I've got to get the little missus home, you know, newlyweds and all. The scratch marks on my back are starting to fade and-"
House didn't get to continue what would undoubtably be an incredibly crass remark, as a small manicured hand flew up to his face and covered his mouth. He wasn't surprised she had attempted to stop him considering where he was going with the comment, especially since it was barely past six and the hospital lobby still had a full staff at the nurses station as well as a number of employees, patients and family on their way in and out of the hospital. A hand clasped over his jaw wasn't going to stop him, but when he looked down at Cameron and saw the look in her eyes, he let her take hold of the situation.
"How about I come and see you first thing in the morning Dr. Cuddy," Cameron said still covering House's mouth with one hand "And you and I can go over everything together without this one," she said, referring to House with an inclination of her head, "being his usual grating self. I would agree to talk now, but I don't think he's going to be able to sit down long enough right now to do anything productive. After all, you know men, God gave them both a penis and a brain, but not enough blood supply to use them both at the same time. And I think we all know where is blood is rushing right now, but I'm sure I can remedy that before tomorrow."
House gave a helpless sort of shrug as if to say 'what can I say?' as Cameron released the cover on his mouth only to use that hand to grab his wrist and practically drag him from the hospital, leaving a positively stunned silent lobby in their wake. She didn't release him until she had reached the safety of her car.
"I cannot believe I told my boss…your boss…our boss that we couldn't talk now because were about to go have sex. And in front of all the nurses too," she groaned, ignoring his gibes as she practically collapsed against the trunk of her car. "I think I'm possessed or something, these things keep coming out of my mouth and I'm powerless to stop them."
"That," House said teasingly, "was not part of the plan either. But it was definitely fun." He didn't know where these things were coming from either, but he wasn't about to stop her. In fact he would much rather encourage it. "I think you deserve an award for shocking Cuddy twice in one day, and bonus points for the nurses because although they are infinitely easier to shock, they cant keep their mouths shut insuring that they entire hospital will know about your little speech by tomorrow morning."
Cameron groaned again and covered her face with her hands. "How am I supposed to face Cuddy in the morning?"
"You know," he began, thinking back to what she said, "I like it when you get all assertive like that. So are you going to take me home and take care the whole, not enough blood going to my head problem now?"
At this Cameron gave a half hearted laugh as she rolled her eyes, his sexual intimations actually making her more comfortable as it was at least familiar playing ground.
"Good night House," she said signaling the end of the conversation as she took out her car keys and moved to unlock her door.
"Are you sure? I did say you deserve an award after all," he continued not making any indictions that he was kidding.
"I'll see you in the morning," she said shutting the door behind her and turning on the engine.
House stood there smirking and watching as she drove away, waiting until she was out of sight before laughing lightly and limping off towards his motorcycle.
A/N And there we have it… And while I know what the next chapter is going to be about, I haven't actually started writing it…. however I can be persuaded fairly easily to do so and I think you all know what to do…
REVISED 12/16/10
