A/N: Yay, we've hit a milestone! Chapter 10! Well, I'm excited. My little one-shot is growing up! Yea, I'm lame, but that's ok. Sorry for the lack of updates. I blame it on a lack of inspiration. Enjoy!!

Chapter 10: Wilson's intervention

After Cameron raced out of the office, file clutched tightly in her hand, House leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up on his desk.

"Clever," he said out loud. And bold. He liked that. He liked that a lot. It showed that, although she knew her place in the hierarchy, she was prepared to overstep that to get what she wanted, to go any lengths she had to. Although, it still would have been nice if she'd flashed him. Just a quick little peek. He wasn't going to be picky at that point.

The act had earned her bonus points in his mind, if points were, in fact, what he was using to score her with. He wasn't even sure. Either way, it had been underhanded and was to be commended. He moved her up a notch towards the 'keep her around' end of the spectrum.

He looked at the clock on his computer screen. Not quite time to leave, but he didn't feel like sticking around in case she came back. He wasn't sure what he'd say to her anyhow. So, he got up and ambled to Wilson's office.

He walked in without knocking and sat down in the chair in front of Wilson's desk.

"Are you capable of knocking? You know, just in case I was with a patient, or in the middle of something important?"

"No, I'm not capable. And if I were, I still wouldn't. You need more of an open door policy. Makes you seem more open and accommodating."

"What's up?"

"Cameron. She almost flashed me and stole a case file."

"Would this be the already solved case that you were using to test her abilities?"

"How'd you know?"

"Your minions were in here earlier, killing time, and the subject came up."

"Remind me to give them 40 lashes…each."

"Why are you doing this to her? You know she's talented, and she knows her stuff, so why mess with her?"

"Because I can."

"You can, but there's more to it than that, isn't there?"

"Is there?"

"I think so."

"So let's hear your brilliant theory."

Wilson put down the pen he was using to update the chart in front of him, and folded his hands on the desk, looking at House.

"It is my firm belief that you have feelings for Alison that go beyond boss/employee, and you are lashing out at her because you don't have the slightest idea how to express those feelings and you're scared at what she's making you feel. It freaks you out that you care about her. You're like the little kid who pushes the girl down in the sand and pulls her pigtails because he likes her."

"My god, you know me so well!" House said snarkily, rolling his eyes as he leaned forward towards Wilson. "You are so wrong."

Wilson leaned forward as well, looking his friend in the eyes. "I'm so right. Admit it."

House broke eye contact first, getting up and leaving.

"You can't from it forever, House!" He called at his retreating friend's back.

Once the door shut, he put pen to paper again, but continued to think. After a while, he noticed how late it was, and that he hadn't yet finished the chart. He got back to work and that was when an idea came to him. He grinned evilly and picked up the phone.

Cameron arrived home, and immediately began running water in the bathtub. She just wanted to relax. She wondered briefly if she hadn't gone too far that afternoon. She did, after all, want to be taken seriously and respected as a doctor, and maybe almost flashing House wasn't the way to go about it. One the other hand, she'd gotten the file she'd wanted, and maybe sex was the only way to get through to him.

Still, she reminded herself; Chase and Foreman couldn't do such things to get their way. It wasn't quite fair. She debated this in her head, and concluded that it had been an isolated incident and that she would no longer stoop to such tactics to get what she wanted again.

She undressed and settled into the bath. She'd been waiting all day to relax, and it felt wonderful. She tried not to think of work, or the rest of the week, or House. The last, however, was the most difficult to banish from her mind, and she found his eyes boring into her soul every time she closed her own. In an effort to get him off her mind, she imagined the most unsexy thing she possibly could, namely the old guy she'd seen being sick outside the pharmacy that morning.

The thought had the desired effect, and she made a disgusted face at the memory. No matter how many times you saw something like that; it never stopped being kind of gross. Finishing her bath, she climbed out, dried, and put on her pajamas. She settled herself on her couch and turned the television to the local news.

She was just getting engrossed in the various reports when her phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Alison?"

"Dr. Wilson, is that you?"

"Yes."

"How did you get my phone number?"

"From your CV. Look, I'm sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you wanted to join me for dinner tomorrow night. Strictly a colleague thing. I took Chase and Foreman out for beers after they survived the first few days with House, and something told me you weren't the beer guzzling type."

"I like the occasional beer, but dinner sounds much better. I accept the invitation, as long as Jenn doesn't mind. Where were you thinking?"

"That new place on Elm. Jenn will be ok with it, trust me. It's semi formal."

"Not a problem. What time?"

"Seven sound good?"

"Sounds great. Thank you Dr. Wilson." She smiled.

"You're welcome. If anyone deserves congratulations for surviving House, it's you. I'll meet you there tomorrow then."

"Ok. Have a good night, Dr. Wilson."

"You too Alison. And you can call me James. Or just Wilson. Everyone does." He hung up, and Cameron replaced the phone in its cradle, thinking of what a good friend James Wilson had turned out to be.

Wilson hung up with Cameron. Now the hard sell. He dialed House's number.

"What?" came his usual cheerful greeting.

"I wanted to know if you were free tomorrow night?"

"Depends."

"Wanna go out to eat?"

"You buyin?"

"Naturally."

"All right, if you insist. Where and when? I'll meet you there, unless you wanna pick me up."

"You can get yourself there. That new place on Elm at seven. It's semi formal."

"Wilson, what's with the fancyish restaurant? You tryin to get in my pants?" Wilson could hear the sarcasm in his voice.

"Unless you're a woman named Jenn, no. Be there on time, or you can pay for your own."

"Geez. So testy all of a sudden. You do need to get laid."

Wilson sighed. "Tomorrow. Elm. Seven." He hung up, annoyed but satisfied that he'd gotten the ball rolling, so to speak.

A/N: Please R&R!! I'm addicted to reviews. They're like chocolate. Anyways, let me know if you liked it, what you liked about it, what should go down next, etc. Thanks!!