Back again. :) As usual, I don't own any of them. Just playing with them for a while.

House sat in his office Monday morning, brooding over the weekend's events. His mind kept replaying that kiss over and over. Dammit, why did he let her go? No, he didn't just let her go. He pushed her away, like he always did. Of course, it was illogical for him to ask Cameron to stay, but did that mean he shouldn't have even tried?

It didn't matter now. What was done was done, and Cameron was back in Chicago now, back to her life, and House was certain she had already let the weekend's events go. Hell, it probably hadn't meant nearly as much to her as it had meant to House. He was probably sitting in here obsessing for nothing.

He heaved himself out of his chair and into the conference room. With Foreman off on his honeymoon, his team would require a little extra direction and supervision. It was just as well, he supposed. House needed the extra work to keep his mind off Cameron, anyway.

Cameron sat out on the balcony of her condo, enjoying a late morning cup of coffee. She was grateful that she had asked for a vacation day to rest and recover from her weekend. It had been a full, busy weekend, especially Saturday night. That kiss with House had nearly brought her to her knees with its intensity. It had felt so good, so right, like they belonged together in that moment. Then House had pushed her away, like he always did. Cameron understood the logic behind the move, but it didn't help any. She had boarded the plane yesterday with a heavy heart. Wilson and Cuddy had both come to see her off, but not House. Just as well, she supposed. She and House had already said their goodbyes the night before.

Her mind replayed what Cuddy had said to her just before she left to catch her plane. Cuddy had pulled her into a close hug and whispered, "You know, there's always a place for you here, if you ever want to come back. Just give me a call. We'll arrange something."

She appreciated Cuddy's kindness, but Cameron knew there was more behind the statement than a simple job offer. Wilson had spotted House and Cameron out on the patio and had immediately relayed the information to Cuddy, spurring Cuddy to extend the offer to Cameron.

They were both crazy, Cameron decided. There was nothing that would make her return to Princeton now. House would surely make her life hell, holding her actions over her head forever. She couldn't, wouldn't give him that satisfaction. The man was insufferable when he was proved right, and she had no desire to feed that enormous ego of his.

That kiss sure had been something, though. The way he had wrapped himself around her, the blend of scents that were uniquely House, the feel of his surprisingly soft lips on hers…it wasn't something she would soon forget. Whether that could be the basis for pulling up stakes and returning to Princeton…that was another story. She needed time to think, time to sort this whole thing out in her mind before she made another move she'd regret.

House heard Wilson before he saw him. He was turned toward the sliding door that led to his office balcony when Wilson walked in and stood in front of his desk, hands on his hips.

"You're an idiot."

"Thank you, and a fine good morning to you, too." House turned in his chair, facing Wilson. "I assume you have a point buried somewhere in that statement?"

Wilson fixed House with an exasperated look. "You danced with her…you practically made out with her on the patio…then pushed her away. What the hell is wrong with you?!"

House rolled his eyes. "What the hell was I supposed to do? 'I love you, I miss you, please stay'? Yeah, like that was going to happen." He snorted and turned back to the sliding door. "She's got a life that has nothing to do with me. I don't have the right to ask her to give it all up for someone like me."

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Wilson's tone softened as he saw his friend's pain. "Who are you to decide that for her? Cameron's a big girl. She can make up her own mind, you know."

"I can't tell." House's voice was so quiet that Wilson could barely hear him. "If she was capable of that…she never would have left in the first place."

"Right. Because you were just so open with her before she left." Wilson leaned forward, palms on House's desk. "You had a great chance right there that night, to open up a little, tell her what you were feeling. The decision to stay or leave would have been on her, not you."

"She would have left anyway."

"You don't know that."

"I know Cameron." House turned and hit Wilson with an intense stare. "It wouldn't have mattered what I said. Trust me. She doesn't feel the way I do. Let it go. It's…easier this way."

"Easier, maybe. Not necessarily better." Wilson turned to leave the office. "I'll catch up with you later."

House nodded in silent response. His thoughts were churning, and he suddenly found himself considering picking up the phone, then put the thought aside and picked up the giant ball on his desk. No sense rushing things. He'd learned that the hard way the last time, when he'd called her from the airport. No way in hell was he opening himself to that again.

For some reason Cameron kept staring at her phone, as if she were willing it to ring. Who was she expecting to call, anyway? If she wanted to call House, she could just call him. No big deal, really. So what was the problem?

The problem was the way she left the other night. Talk about a hit-and-run. Although, in this case, it was more like a kiss-and-run. Really, she didn't blame House for being hurt. If it were her, she'd feel the same. It wasn't as if she tried to hurt him on purpose. She just got caught up in the moment, just like he did. House would be fine, she was sure of that. It probably didn't mean much of anything, anyway. Get over yourself, Cameron.

Maybe, just maybe she'd call House later. Cameron felt like she owed him some sort of explanation for her behavior, even if it wasn't that important to him. She would feel better knowing she'd done her part to clear up any misunderstanding between them. Maybe then they could at least be friends, right? No harm in that.

Cameron didn't know if she could approach House that way after all that had transpired between them. She sighed in frustration and poured herself another cup of coffee. There was really only one way to figure this out. She picked up the phone and chose a number from her contacts.

"Wilson."

"Hi, Wilson. It's Cameron."

Wilson laughed on the other end. "You again? You just left yesterday. Surely you don't miss Princeton already?"

"Well…it's not Princeton." Cameron took a deep breath. "I was thinking about giving House a call."

Wilson sucked in his breath, then exhaled heavily. "It depends on your purpose." He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck before continuing. "He was pretty hurt when you left again."

"I know."

"Whatever you do…be honest with him. That's all he really wants from you. Well…I can't say that's all he wants from you…"

"What do you mean, Wilson?" As if she didn't already suspect.

Please, Cameron. Don't be dense. "I mean…the other night meant more to him than you think."

"I had no idea." Cameron spoke quietly. "If I'd known…"

"Yeah, he's not exactly The Great Communicator, I know that. Just…whatever you decide to do, be kind to him. He won't ever admit it, but he's kind of fragile."

"I know that." Cameron smiled a little at the idea. "Thanks, Wilson."

"Anytime, Cameron."

She closed her phone, staring at it for the longest time. Cameron decided to wait until later that night before she tried to call House. Chances are she'd just get his voice mail, and she couldn't see him returning her call. She was done running away. If nothing else, she wanted to clear things up between herself and House. Whatever happened after, happened.

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