Author's Notes: Sorry it took me a while to get this out. I was swamped by three art history papers… all of which are done now Now I just have to survive my Latin and Mythology finals… but they're not too bad.
Thanks to those who gave me their opinion on when House and Cameron should be found out by the others. I now know when and how it's going to occur ;) Now, I gotta work out the rest of the outline (or at least more of it) and fit in the new changes.
Chapter Seven
Episode: Mix of Three Stories and Love Hurts
Cameron tossed her keys on the table by the door as she entered her apartment. A quick glance at the clock told her that she had almost an hour until House showed up to get ready. Not much time. She quickly made her way to the closet in her bedroom and threw the doors open. She rummaged through the outfits desperately trying to find something to wear.
Café Spiletto was one of the more expensive restaurants in town and a tie was most certainly mandatory. Which meant that she had to dress the part as well. Cameron began to grow more frustrated as she shoved aside hanger after hanger. Surely she had something to wear. She had bugged House for this very reason. If she had the time, she would have gone out and bought something to wear, but no, he had to keep quiet.
"Does Greg even own a tie?" she asked herself, annoyance entering her voice. She knew she shouldn't blame it on House. He obviously put a lot of thought into tonight but she couldn't help it.
Finally, reaching the back of the closet, she discovered a dress she had almost forgotten she had. She pulled it out of the closet and examined the black silk, making sure it was still in good shape. Once she was satisfied about the condition of the dress, she quickly gathered it up and made her way to the bathroom.
Cameron turned the water on, making sure the temperature was just right. She quickly removed her work clothing and stepped into the shower. She made quick work of washing her body, not wanting to waste too much time. After she finished shampooing and conditioning her hair, she climbed out of the tub and set about getting dressed for her date with House.
Twenty minutes later, Cameron had finished blow-drying her hair and styled it into loose curls. She lightly applied her makeup, not feeling the need to use more than she normally did, except a bit more shine on her lips. Satisfied with her makeup, she stepped into her dress and zipped up the fasten in the back. Once more, Cameron examined the mirror, making sure everything was perfect, before stepping out and back to the bedroom.
She went to the closet and slipped on a pair of matching pumps before making her way to her jewelry box. She wasn't one to wear much jewelry as the chance she might loose them at the hospital was too high but tonight called for it. She scanned over her collection of earrings before settling on a pair of pearl drop earrings; her mother's. They would work perfectly tonight.
Once everything was in place and Cameron was satisfied with her reflection in the mirror, she allowed a glance at the clock. It had just turned ten after seven. House would be there in about twenty minutes, give or take. He was never good with time. She had plenty of time before he arrived.
Who said women took hours to get ready?
Meanwhile…
"Hi, Greg," Stacy said, a small smile on her face.
House couldn't repress his shock at her appearance. Five years and not a peep. Now, she was standing before him, a hesitant smile on her face, waiting for him to acknowledge her. House let his gaze wander over her. She looked happy, much more than when she was with him. Clearly, the past five years had been good to her.
Stacy had let her own gaze wander over House, scrutinizing him. "You look good," she said, breaking the silence that taken over the room for the last several seconds.
Her voice snapped House out of his trance. He brought his eyes to hers, letting the mask slip into place. "What are you doing here?"
Stacy drew in a deep breath as though she had been expecting this. "I need your help," she stated simply, stepping towards him, a file folder in her hand. House stole a glance towards the clock, taking note of the time before he reached out and took the file from her. Turning back, he splayed open the file across his desk and briefly glanced over it.
"Who am I looking at?" he asked, studying the symptoms, his brilliant mind already trying to peace together the puzzle.
"My husband," she replied quietly.
"Who is suffering abdominal pain and fainting spells. No sign of tumors, no vasculitis. Could be indigestion, or maybe a kidney stone. A little one can pack a lot of wallop." Try as he may, he could not contain his surprise at her statement. He didn't know why he was surprised. Five years had passed; she had to have moved on. He had, but he couldn't help the stunned feeling that had risen up inside him.
She had noticed his surprise and commented on it. "Did you think I wasn't going to get married?"
"Not to someone so poorly endowed," he replied, recovering from his initial shock. "This guy's pancreas is pathetic."
Stacy rolled her eyes in response. "We've seen several specialists who can't figure it out. Mark doesn't want to waste another doctor's time. He doesn't think there's anything wrong with him."
"I'm not sure what you want me to do," House replied, his eyes glancing once more towards the clock. It was just about 6:30 pm. He had a little more than an hour to get dressed and over to Cameron's. That is, if he could get out of here. "If he doesn't think there's anything wrong with then there's nothing I can do for him."
"Cut the crap," Stacy said, forcefully. "I was around you long enough to know when something's wrong. He's lost his appetite, his mood fluctuates."
House let out an obvious sigh, aggravation in his demeanor, but Stacy pushed on. "I know you're not too busy. You avoid work like the plague. Unless it actually is the plague," she finished, allowing a small smile cross her features.
"I'm not too busy," House confirmed. "I just don't think I want him to live." House avoided looking at Stacy's shocked expression. Clearly, she hadn't expected this level of callousness, although House thought she should have known better. "But," House spoke again, reaching down and picking up the dry cleaning bag that held his suit for his date with Cameron. "I actually have somewhere I need to be."
House opened the office door and stepped through it, but not without one last statement. "Don't forget to lock the door on your way out."
Cameron was sitting on the couch, waiting for House to show up. It had just turned 7:25, but she knew that House was probably still at his place, not wanting to leave until absolutely necessary. Factoring in traffic and distance, it would probably take him an additional fifteen minutes to arrive. So, Cameron figured he would show up at her place around 7:45. Which gave her about twenty minutes of waiting.
Cameron couldn't quite quell the feelings of nervousness she had for tonight, even though she knew it was ridiculous. But despite the change in their relationship over the last month, they had never gone out for the evening. At least not on an actual date. Their 'dates' consisted of sitting at home, watching television while eating take-out. And that was perfectly fine with her. She had always been a bit of a homebody, just as House was. But that didn't mean that she didn't enjoy an occasional evening out.
Unconsciously, Cameron's hand moved to the container on the coffee table that held her favorite indulgence; Mms. She had a habit of eating the colors separately, even though they all tasted the same. First, the blue because it was her favorite color, then the red and so on. It was something she picked up as a kid and it stuck ever since. When House found out her hidden love of the little chocolate candies and her quirk when it came to eating them, he teased her relentlessly. She had thrown a bunch of them at him in retaliation, which only served to cause him to continue.
A knock on the door snapped Cameron out of her thoughts. She jumped in surprise, and succeeded in dropping not only the Mms in her hands, but also knocking the candy bowl over. The Mms scattered across the coffee table, bouncing off onto the floor. Cursing under her breath, Cameron leaned down and tried to quickly gather them up. House was earlier than she expected. Granted, he was technically on time, but she was still surprised.
An impatient knock sounded again. This time there was the unmistakable sound of wood against wood. Definitely House. "Use your damn key!" Cameron called out from her position on the floor. Ever since she had given him a key to her place, he had come and gone whenever he pleased, but now he chose to knock?
There was silence, an audible sigh, and then the sound of the lock disengaging. A second later, the door swung open and House sauntered in, closing the door behind him. "I was trying to do this properly."
"Do what properly?" Cameron asked as she pulled herself up off the floor. She smoothed out the skirt on her dress and brought her gaze to his for the first time since he walked inside the door. He looked nice. Like he actually spent the time getting ready, and if she wasn't mistaken, he had shaved slightly. He had on the sky blue shirt that she liked so much. It brought out his eyes, making them an even more brilliant shade of blue. And apparently, he did own a tie.
"I knock, you come to the door. I give you the flowers which I painstakingly picked out. Tell you that you look gorgeous, which you do by the way, and I give you a nice chaste kiss on the cheek and off we go," House explained, animatedly.
"You don't do flowers," Cameron responded.
House nodded. "Damn right, I don't, 'cause they're lame," he replied, matter-of-factly. Shrugging, he stepped towards her and reached into his jacket pocket. He pulled out a clear plastic container which contained a single white rose corsage. He opened it, pulled out the corsage and held it out to her, almost sheepishly. "But you like lame, right?"
"Yes. Yes, I do," she responded, a smile on her face.
"Good."
