DISCLAIMER: I don't own HOUSE MD

AN. I love this chapter

Chapter Eleven

House was in the midst of something he very rarely did- panicking. It had been three weeks since he had received Isobel and Jack's blessing to ask Cameron to marry him, but he still had no idea when, or how, to do so. Cameron spoke to her parents at least twice a week, and he knew they were waiting for the call to say that she was getting married, but that added pressure did nothing to motivate him to actually plan a proposal.

Wilson knew, although House had promised himself that this would be one aspect of his life Wilson was not a part of. But when Wilson had found his friend readily completing his clinic hours, he knew something was up and cornered him in an exam room.

"There's nothing wrong," House insisted.

Wilson stubbornly crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Right. The last time you saw this many patients without complaining, Foreman was dying. What gives?"

House opened his mouth to retort, couldn't think of one, and sighed in defeat. "I don't know how to propose to Allison," he admitted.

Wilson's jaw practically hit the floor, he was so shocked. "Wait... you're going to propose to Cameron? When did you decide this?" he demanded.

House shrugged. "Over Christmas."

Wilson was flabbergasted. "And you don't know how to do it? Why do you have to do it right now? Whoa, she's not pregnant, is she?"

House rolled his eyes. "No, you moron. But I asked her parents when we were in Chicago, and that was three weeks ago now."

His friend stared at House for a moment and then a grin spread over his face. "You're going to ask her to marry you."

"Isn't that what I said?" House replied.

Wilson sat on the chair, shaking his head slightly. "I just can't get used to the idea. House, you do remember I've proposed before, right?"

House smirked. "Only to anything that moves."

Wilson rolled his eyes and House sighed. "I'm not you. I don't do big romantic gestures, or make heartfelt speeches. I'm not going to propose like it's a scene from a cheesy Hollywood romance film."

"Good, because Cameron might think you've had a stroke if you did," Wilson smiled. "Do you even have a ring?"

"No," House snorted.

Wilson rolled his eyes, as though marvelling at his friend's daring to even think about proposing before he had a ring, and stood up.

"Come on, we're going ring shopping."

"Well, you're not really my type," House began but obediently followed.

Twenty minutes later, the two stood in a jeweller's, House awkwardly and Wilson, well practiced at the art.

"How am I supposed to know what ring she wants?" House demanded impatiently.

Wilson sighed slightly, showing his incredible patience as he turned to House. "Because you love her. You actually have an advantage, because you're you and you know everything. Do you know what kind of engagement ring Will gave her?"

House hesitated, thinking. Not only did he know what kind of ring Will had given her, but he had seen it. Cameron kept it, along with both their wedding rings in a small box in the back of their closet, next to letters he had written her and some mementos. House had seen it when Cameron was moving in with him, although she didn't know that.

"It was gold," he offered finally. "Probably only two carats. Just a round stone."

Wilson looked surprised, but pressed on. "Ok, then. Well, it might be better to get something different then. Silver, maybe, or white gold?" he suggested.

House nodded. "Sure, white gold. I don't want a huge rock though. Something she can wear at work."

Wilson smiled. "Good, see, you're getting involved. Come look at these, do you think she'd like any of these?"

House dutifully scanned the case before him, still unsure with what he was looking for. And then he saw it. A white gold band, with a princess cut stone, with shoulder diamonds either side of the stone.

"That one," he announced to Wilson, pointing to it through the glass.

"Very good choice, sir," said the sales assistant that neither doctor had seen approach and henceforth made them jump. She unlocked the case and pulled the ring out so House could examine it.

"It's a beautiful cut. 18 carats. It's elegant, but not showy."

'Allison all over,' House thought to himself and nodded. "Great. I'll take it."

"Nice choice," Wilson said in genuine appreciation as the woman rang up the sale.

When she finally handed the box to House, it seemed to weigh a ton as he placed it in his jacket pocket.

"What are you staring at?" House demanded, as they headed back to the car, feeling Wilson's gaze upon him.

Wilson smiled softly, shaking his head. "I just can't get over it. Greg House is all grown up, and getting married."

"Shut up," House rolled his eyes, but his stomach clenched apprehensively.

That night when he and Cameron got home, he waited until she was starting dinner before hiding the little box carefully in the only place he knew Cameron would never look- the top of the closet where she couldn't reach under a pile of beach towels. As it was the middle of winter, he was fairly sure she would have no need for a beach towel, until he worked up the nerve to propose, plus, the fact she was incapable of reaching the shelf assured him.

"Greg?" Cameron called from the kitchen and House jumped, as though she had caught him in the act. "Dinner's ready!"

"Coming!" he called back, his heart in his throat. As he headed into the kitchen, his only thought was that he'd better figure out a way to propose soon, before he had a nervous breakdown.

Now, in addition to the pressure he felt, knowing that Jack and Isobel were awaiting a proposal; House now had to deal with an inquisitive look from Wilson every morning as he arrived at work.

"You're not helping!" he scowled to him on the third morning after buying the ring as Wilson bought their lunch.

"Sorry," Wilson apologised. "But hurry up, will you? Every time I see Cameron I'm worried I'll let something slip. I do not want to be that guy!"

Two days later, House had still not made a move to retrieve the ring from his hiding spot. It was a Sunday night, and House went to bed early with a Vicodin, his leg aching, leaving Cameron on the couch watching a movie. What seemed only minutes later, House awoke with a start, his leg drifting over to Cameron's side of the bed and finding it empty.

Rolling over in confusion, he blearily made out the shape in the darkness of Cameron moving silently about the darkened room.

"What are you doing?" he demanded, and she visibly jumped.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" she asked apologetically, as House sat up slightly and switched on the lamp.

"Obviously. It's two in the morning, so I repeat, what are you doing?"

Cameron was wearing the sweats and long sleeved top she wore to bed, but with boots. She pointed over her shoulder outside the window.

"It's snowing," she said simply.

House could never understand her obsession with falling snow at the best of times, but at two in the morning, he understood it even less.

"So?"

She rolled her eyes. "Greg, it's snowing!"

House's eyes narrowed as he took in her boots. "You're not seriously going outside, are you?"

Cameron grinned and nodded. "Yeah, I am. You coming?"

He snorted. "No."

Cameron simply shrugged. "Ok."

With that, she left the bedroom. House sat in silence, listening to the sounds of her pulling on her coat, and the sound of the door opening and shutting. He rolled his eyes, switched off the light and closed his eyes, trying to go back to sleep.

'I can't believe you want to marry her,' a small voice in his head said, and House mentally snorted in agreement. Abruptly, his eyes opened and he found himself sitting up and swallowing a Vicodin.

"I cannot believe I'm going outside in the snow at two in the morning," he muttered to himself, but got up and headed outside, grabbing his sneakers and coat on his way.

As he stood on the stoop, he had to look around at the silent street for a moment, slowly being covered in white. Then he saw Cameron, jumping up and down on the balls of her feet, gazing up at the snow as it fell.

"You're insane," he said, to announce his presence.

She merely whirled around to face him, smiling. "Isn't it pretty? Aren't you glad you got up?"

"Yes, I'm so glad I've experienced the freezing cold at two am," House retorted and she laughed.

"You're such a baby! Snow makes everything perfect," she said softly, tilting her face up to the sky to watch the swirling snow.

House stepped onto the street, watching Cameron intently. She hadn't brushed her hair before coming out, so it was still in wild sleep-tangled curls, but now covered in snow. Her face was lit by a nearby streetlight, and to House, she had never looked more beautiful.

"Marry me," he said clearly, and Cameron whipped around to face him, startled.

"What?"

"Marry me," he repeated, taking a step closer to her.

"Are you crazy?" she demanded, mouth slightly agape.

That was not what House had imagined her reaction to be, and he froze in the motion of taking yet another step towards her.

"Is that a trick question?" he asked cautiously and she shook her head in bewilderment.

"No... I don't know. I mean... it's you. You make fun of every marriage you come across. It doesn't make any sense."

She was staring at House as though worried he had brain damage and House didn't know where to go from there, so he did the first thing that came to mind. He awkwardly, painfully, laboriously, excruciatingly, agonizingly, got down on one knee, dropping his cane to the ground.

"Allison, three months ago I told you that you were the exception to the rule. To my rule. And I love you for that. For not giving up on us, even when I gave you no hope at all that there could even be the notion of us. And I'm probably not going to remember anniversaries, or birthdays, or how you take your coffee, and I'll never know why you get so besotted by falling snow. But I'm always going to remember that you have a birthmark in shape of a crescent moon on your left hip; and that you chew the end of your pen when you're stressed; and that your favourite word is 'masquerade'. And that for some bizarre reason, you fell in love with me. So, I am asking you to be my wife."

Cameron took a shaky breath and ran a hand through her tangled, wet hair, and nodded, a smile spreading over her face. "Yes," she said, half a sob and half a laugh.

House exhaled deeply and reached for her. She got down on her knees to meet his level and he kissed her deeply.

"I love you," he told her sincerely, pulling away and cupping her face in his hands.

"I love you," she replied quietly, crying and smiling at the same time.

House smiled back at her and then realised how damp the ground was. "Ok, time to help the cripple up."

Transported by the moment into this magical land of snow and wonder, Cameron suddenly realised how painful it must be for him to be on the cold damp ground on one knee, and jumped up, helping him stand.

"Are you over the snow now?" House asked her, wrapping an arm around her.

Cameron grinned, and shook her head. "No, but it'll still be there in the morning."

Together, they walked inside and took off their coats, shivering slightly.

"Coffee?" she asked him.

House raised an eyebrow. "Coffee? At two am?"

She laughed. "It's cold. Besides, there's no way I can sleep now. Too much adrenaline."

"Fine, coffee," he agreed.

As she made it, she danced around the kitchen on her tiptoes. House rolled his eyes, and headed into the bedroom.

"Trust you to propose in the middle of the night when I can't call anyone!" she complained, laughing as she made the coffee. "You have to do everything different. How much thought did you put into it?"

"Very little," House said truthfully, from behind her and she jumped, not having heard him return.

She turned with a smile to see him standing there, holding a small velvet box. Cameron drew her breath in sharply, and he opened it to reveal the gorgeous sparkling ring inside.

"I got as far as asking your dad, and picking the ring. And it took me three weeks to get from A to B."

Cameron tore her gaze away from the perfect solitaire to frown at him in amazement.

"You asked my dad?"

"Of course," he replied, as though it was a stupid question. "Over Christmas. Your mom's probably been waiting by the phone every day for you to call with the big news."

Cameron's eyes widened in realisation. "That's why she was weird when we left?"

House nodded. "Probably." He waved the box around before her face. "Do you want the rock or not?"

Cameron grinned and extended her left hand. "I'm not putting it on myself."

"Typical," he teased her, but obediently removed the ring from the box and slid it onto her waiting finger.

"No backing out now," he told her, examining her hand.

Cameron grinned at him in mock disappointment. "Bummer," she teased and then he bent his head and kissed her.