Author's Note: Okay, so this is nothing but fluff, but I hope you all enjoy. The plot will advance a bit in the next chapter, but for now I just wanted some happy House/Cameron moments! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing.

And so it began. She began staying at his place regularly, retreating to hers occasionally when she thought he could use some "alone time" (Cameron had a tendency to speak in relationship clichés, a trait he found endearing and amusing.) On the evenings when they parted ways after work, he always anticipated a refreshing night of having his home to himself. He reveled at the thought of a quiet house, the toilet seat in the up position, ESPN blaring on the TV (she would patiently watch SportsCenter when he let the TV linger there, but the pained expression on her face made it impossible for him to enjoy it.)

But her absence led him to a slightly unsettling discovery. He found that those evenings when she "gave him some space" (another one of her clichés) seemed long and colorless. His apartment was too quiet, ESPN wasn't all that entertaining…even his precious stash of junk food (he allowed her to believe she had weaned him off of it) didn't taste as good.

This was one of those "Cameronless" days. They had gone their separate ways after work, where they were still keeping their relationship a secret. Her dirty, half-neglected apartment was driving her crazy, and she was headed home for a night of cleaning. She planned to reward herself with a glass of wine and a long bath in her clean tub when she had completed the work.

After several hours of dusting, vacuuming, polishing, and scrubbing, Cameron was finally satisfied with the state of her apartment. She had just slipped off her silky robe and lowered her tired body into the tub when she heard a knock at her door. She knew, from the distinct sound of wood on wood, exactly who would be standing on the other side. Half-annoyed, half-elated, she hoisted herself from the tub and threw on her robe. She made a dripping path to the door, her bare, wet feet leaving sodden footprints across the freshly-vacuumed carpet.

"What's up?" she asked, smiling slightly at the gruff presence in her doorway.

"Just in the neighborhood…"

"It's almost 11…a little late for 'just in the neighborhood'."

"There was nothing good on TV. I was bored."

"I thought you needed a night off," she said, flattered that he had chosen to come and see her.

"Well, yeah. I guess…" he fumbled. He lowered his head, eyes averted, and repeated gruffly, "I was bored."

"So you're saying…you missed me?" she asked with a gleam in her eyes, knowing full well that he did.

"Don't push it," he warned, glaring at her while at the same time trying to keep his lips from curling upward into a smile.

"Well, come on in," she said, opening her door wider to allow him entrance. He walked slowly into the apartment, taking in the décor. He'd only been here a couple of times, and he had never really gotten past the front door. It was decidedly feminine, but not overtly so. Very Allison Cameron.

"You look confused…" she said, rather confused herself. House was peering past her as if looking for something.

"I was just trying to figure out where you've stashed the collection of porcelain kitties."

"I do not collect porcelain kitties!" she protested, giving him a light smack on the arm.

"No unicorn figurines? No rainbows and moonbeams? This is so unexpected," he mocked.

"Please" she snorted. "I was the little girl who dissected frogs and memorized the periodic table. I've never been the kittens-and-unicorns type." He was mesmerized for a second as an image flashed before him—a dark haired little girl, face too serious, glasses slipping down her nose as she peered into a microscope.

"So, what do you want to do?" she continued. "I was just about to take a bath…"

"Sounds good to me." Cameron rolled her eyes, although the idea of him joining her was actually pretty tempting...

"You can watch TV, read something from my bookshelf, look through my drawers, try to find my diary…oh, please," she teased at the look of surprise that played across House's face. "Like you wouldn't do it anyway. I might as well give you permission." He smiled and nodded. She definitely had him there.

"I'll be in the bathroom if you need me. Have fun," she said over her shoulder as she intentionally let her robe drop before entering the bathroom. House whistled his appreciation.

When he heard the water running, he began circling the spotless apartment. He trailed a finger along the books on her shelf, pausing to thumb through a family photo album. Happy, dark-haired people smiled out from the pages, captured at a variety of milestone events—graduations, baby showers, weddings. He closed the book and tiptoed into the bathroom. She had generously left the door cracked, certain that he would want to join her.

When she heard the thump of his cane on the tile floor, she opened her eyes and gazed up at him from the tub.

"Hey," she said lazily, muscles loose and relaxed from the steaming water. House didn't respond immediately, too busy cataloging her dizzying array of beauty products. Delicate little bottles cluttered the shelves. Creams, lotions, sprays, gels…her bathroom was better stocked than a cosmetics counter.

"Hydro-surge facial moisturizer?" he read from one of the bottles. "Wrinkle-reducing serum? What do you do with all this crap?" he asked incredulously. "If you truly use all this, it's a wonder you have any skin left on your face. Some of this stuff looks harsh."

"I don't use it all at once," she laughed. "Don't pick on me. It's my one girly indulgence."

"You don't even need half of this stuff. You're too young to worry about wrinkles."

"Working with you is reason enough to start worrying about wrinkles," she chided. House took a seat on the edge of the tub and traced a finger along her cheek, wiping away a droplet of water.

"If that stuff is designed to keep you beautiful, it's definitely working," he said with uncharacteristic softness. Cameron flushed and let the rare compliment wash over her.

"That's sweet of you to say," she answered, and ducked her head under the surface. House's breath caught as she emerged, water streaming from her hair. The heat was serving to give her skin a delicate, pink flush. Her eye make-up hadn't been scrubbed entirely away. Her mascara had drifted downward, the smudges beneath her eyes creating a dark, smoky effect that House found intoxicating.

Cameron shifted and pushed herself up to exit the tub. "Hey, hand me my towel," she asked, and House reached for it. But instead of handing it to her, he held it out and motioned for her to step towards him. As she did, he wrapped the towel around her in an embrace and rubbed gently to dry her body. He reached for another towel and used it to dry her hair, rubbing a bit more vigorously. When he stopped, she grinned up at him and rewarded him with an affectionate kiss on the lips.

"You know, it just occurred to me…I haven't given you a tour of my place," Cameron said, the slyness of her voice indicating that she had something in mind.

"No, you haven't," he replied, his lips against her damp hair. "You've been a very bad hostess."

"Well, I'll have to correct that," she said with a wink. "Follow me. The tour starts in the bedroom." He followed her eagerly, thinking to himself that a night with Cameron beat pizza, beer, and sports on TV any day of the week.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

House woke up in the middle of the night in a sweat. It took him a moment to remember where he was. A small smile grazed his lips as he remembered that he was lying in Cameron's bed. And then he realized he was sweltering beneath her enormously fluffy down comforter.

He kicked frantically and batted the bedding away until he had finally freed himself. He sighed blissfully as the cool air hit his sweaty skin. He glanced over to make sure that Cameron hadn't been smothered by her gigantic blanket, and was alarmed when he didn't see her. Where was she?

House patted around the bed until he could faintly make out the outline of a skinny leg beneath the pile of fluff. He realized that she hadn't disappeared, she was simply buried underneath the comforter. He shoved the covers to the ground, and finally her sleeping form was revealed. She shivered slightly at the loss of warmth, still half asleep.

"I'm cold," she whimpered softly.

"I'll fix that," House replied, and pulled her body close to his. She smiled slightly, her eyes flickering for a moment and then closing again.

"Thanks," she whispered groggily as he wrapped his arms around her. She took hold of his hand, bringing it to her lips for a quick, sweet kiss. He smiled against the back of her head and felt his heavy eyelids begin to droop. Until she shivered again.

"Oh, fine," House grumbled. "Have it your way." He picked the comforter up from off of the floor and covered her with it again. He snuggled against the fluffy bundle of comforter plus Cameron and soon drifted into a peaceful sleep.