Chapter 11

"Enjoy the show?" She quipped, grabbing the towel from him and wrapping it around herself protectively. She slowly got out of the tub and pulled her hair back from her face. Tears of shame filled her eyes as he stood close by to make sure she didn't slip getting out. "Thanks House, I can take it from here." She turned her back to him and leaned against the porcelain sink, trying to regain her composure. She lifted her head when she felt two warm hands against her wet shoulders pulling her around to face him.

"What?" She started to protest but was quickly and deliciously silenced when he slowly lowered his lips to hers.

His kiss was surprisingly soft and gentle and she felt her lips melt under his and she kissed him back. The tears that were threatening to spill only seconds ago, silently slipped down her cheeks as she opened her mouth to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He broke the kiss and moved his lips to her nose, then her forehead and he let them linger there for a second before resting his forehead against hers.

Eyes closed, they stood there for a few seconds before Cameron pulled back to search his face. "House, what..." she trailed off when he descended on her mouth again, this time with more force. Biting back a moan, she kissed him back with equal force, a shiver making its way through her body and settling in her middle. He pulled away and locked his deep blue eyes with hers, searching the windows to her souls with such intensity it made tremble.

"You should never be ashamed of your scars Allison."

The use of her first name shocked Cameron and made her stomach flip-flop in desire. She had never seen House so calm and focused on another person, without the biting sarcasm that usually followed. The overhead light in the bathroom flickered on and she realized the power had been restored, breaking the connection they had made in the candlelight. She suddenly felt exposed.

"You need to get warmed up." House stepped away from her and left the bathroom, causing her to instantly crave his body pressed up against hers again. He returned a second later with her robe and a pair of pajamas she had left on the dresser. "Can you get dressed by yourself?" His eyes weren't teasing as he regarded her bruised body with concern.

"Yes. Thank you." Cameron's head was still reeling with what had just transpired that she barely noticed when House nodded and shut the bathroom door, leaving her alone with her thoughts. She loosened the towel from her body and began the painful task of drying the water off her skin. After several minutes and several gasps of pain later, she carefully pulled her pajamas and socks on, amused by the fact House had chosen the pink socks to match her pajamas. She had always loved the grey and pink plaid pajama pants and long-sleeved shirt. It was nearly two sizes too big for her but she had always liked feeling of being swallowed in her warm pajamas while being wrapped in her robe. Now completely dressed and warm, Cameron started the long process of brushing out and drying her hair.

House sat on the bed, mulling over what had just happened between him and Cameron. He couldn't help but kiss her when he saw the tears in her eyes as she regarded herself in the mirror. She was strikingly beautiful, and the heartbreaking vulnerability in her eyes only added to her beauty. She made him a whole person and he was increasingly aware of the fact that he needed her to keep him grounded. The soft curve of her lips when she smiled, the way her soft eyes pleaded with him whenever she disagreed with him and they way she quietly and single-handedly kept him organized without ever uttering a complaint was only the tip of the ice-berg when it came to his feelings about Allison Cameron. Quietly, House cursed. He knew he was falling hard for her.

Twenty minutes later Cameron opened the bathroom door with a cloud of steam floating out around her into the colder air of the motel room. When she emerged, the first thing she noticed was the strong aroma of coffee and hot maple syrup that invaded her nose and made her stomach growl.

"Hungry?" House was sitting on the edge of the bed, a large TV tray loaded with two plates of french toast with whip cream and berries, fruit salad, bacon and scrambled eggs, spread out before him. He was sipping hot coffee from a mug and offered her one as she sat down beside him, her mouth open in shock.

"Where did you get all this stuff?"

"Oh. I paid the desk clerk last night to go to that restaurant down the street this morning and pick us up a feast." House was proud of himself when he saw the sparkle in her eye.

"That is so nice House! It looks wonderful." Cameron hadn't realized how hungry she actually was and the audible rumble in her stomach confirmed that.

"Here." House handed her a plate scooped with a large amount of fruit, a piece of french toast, eggs and three slices of bacon. "Eat up!"

"Good god, I can't eat all this." Cameron was mentally trying to figure out exactly how much fat was in this breakfast and concluded it was much more than her usual bowl of hot oatmeal and raisins. The savory-laced steam floated up to her nose and made her forget all her reservations as she took a small bite of the eggs. "Oh my.." she trailed off and swallowed them appreciatively, they were wonderful.

"Wait stop! Before you take another bite..." House poured her a glass of fresh orange juice and handed her a vicodin. "Take this first, you are way past due for your dose."

"Thanks." Cameron gulped the pill down with the sweet juice and got back to work on the heaping plate in front of her. House did the same. She motioned to his pills, "We are quite the pair eh?" she laughed, a soft giggle that made him smile.

He chewed his toast thoughtfully, wondering if this was the first time she had eaten since the attack. She was already so thin and he knew she rarely indulged in a great meal like this, if ever. House suddenly realized that she had no one to watch over her and he knew first-hand how lonely it was to try and deal with things alone. He decided then and there that Cameron would come and live with him until they caught this guy and she was back on her feet.

After they had finished breakfast, nearly an hour later, House watched as Cameron yawned and struggled to keep her eyes from drooping. She must be tired from the Vicodin and the stress. House frequently forgot that he was so used to the meds that they rarely effected him anymore. Cameron on the other hand weighed way less than he did and had only been taking them for thirty-six hours, she was bound to feel the effects. He also realized that it was only 8am and that they had been up since 6:30, Cameron probably earlier. "Hey, do you want to go back to bed? You look like you still need to catch up on some sleep." House scooted back against the headboard and propped a few pillows under his back so he was sitting up comfortably.

"Oh no. That wouldn't be any fun for you."

"Ya well I can amuse myself quite well thank you." House smiled suggestively at her, "They have Tivo here, I checked. Don't let me stop you from getting a good rest."

Cameron knew she would be kidding herself by saying she wasn't tired so she shed her robe and crawled under the covers beside him, fluffing the stiff pillow up the best she could.

"Don't bother, it isn't going to get any softer. Here, lift your head for a minute.." House pulled the pillow out from under her and put it on his lap, shocking Cameron with his request. "Lay sideways and put your head on it here, it will support your neck take the pressure off your bruises a little."

He saw Cameron gaping at him, an expression of shock and trepiditon on her face. "Oh come on! I'm not going to bite you!"

She hesitated for only a second before turning on her side and laying her head down gently on the pillow in his lap. He was right, this position was much more comfortable. The bed was a king size so her feet didn't hang off the end and having her head elevated helped balance the weight of her body better so she wasn't laying directly on her broken ribs and bruises.

House spread her robe and a blanket over her body and gently stroked her soft, strawberry-scented hair, careful to avoid the bandaged cut on her forehead and absently as he turned the TV on low and found the soap-opera channel. After only a few minutes, he saw that her breathing had even out and she was asleep in his lap. Shaking his head in disbelief he muttered to himself, "Damn, Greg. You are starting to go soft."

T.B.C...