Author's note: firstly I'd like to say thank you for the reviews you have given, I am very grateful for them and I would love to read more! I wrote another short chapter for this story because I didn't want it to end the way it did, and I took into account the comments that I had written very little dialogue. I can only hope that I kept true to that characters and that you enjoy reading this!

Disclaimer: still don't own House, but it's on my Christmas list.

HOUSE MD

House sat on his chair behind the desk in his big glass office. If he had been in a better mood he would have made more of an effort to hide from the angry billionaire that was sure to have been looking for him all morning. But he didn't really care that much, which he thought odd. Yet his mind didn't have much time to mull this over since said angry billionaire strolled through his door and up to House's desk and waited for some kind of reaction from the rebellious doctor in front of him.

"Hi there, Ed." House said without lifting his head, and without much conviction.

"Edward."

"Fine Eddy, what can I do for you?"

"Resign." He was deadly serious, with a hint of hate in his voice.

"No thanks, I like it here."

"You have an extraordinary way of displaying it. You couldn't have expected to get away with that speech House. I'm giving you the opportunity to resign, I suggest you use it."

"For one critical speech? That's just plain mean." The sarcasm dropped from House's voice. "I've fired Cameron. We're even."

"You can either have the letter on my desk first thing Monday morning and leave with some dignity, or you can be fired from this hospital. Make your choice." And with that, the oversized bully exited the office and strolled away down the hall, leaving house to ponder his situation.

Vogler may not have believed him, but he was serious when he said he liked it here. Wilson was here, the one person he could stand to be around for long periods of time. He had a huge office, his own oddball team, and as much as Cuddy liked to banter with him, he pretty much had the run of the hospital. He was fully aware of how lucky he was, even if he failed to show it. He wasn't enjoying today very much at all, he had far too much to think about. The situation with Cameron, Vogler, and the case Forman had given him earlier; a pregnant woman, possible preeclampsia, but what actually turned out to be small cell lung cancer. He also had clinic duty, but he wasn't interested in dealing with that too, no matter what Cuddy said. He hated to admit the fact that he felt like something was missing. Cameron was good to have around, especially since she knew were the sugar was. He wished that the other night had gone better, he couldn't think of how they had got caught up like that, and how rationality and civil conversation were absent in both of them.

Hours later his mood was still no better. He had had to deal with Forman's accusations, his best friend losing his job, his patient dying, as well as his own imminent firing. He sat in his office silently with Wilson, waiting for the board meeting to end. But Wilson wasn't exactly one for long silences, and so decided to take his friends mind off the current problem to focus on another.

"Did you really fire Cameron?"

"What do you think?" Wilson made a face, so House continued. "She quit."

"Why?" Housed huffed at his friend's persistence.

"Coz' she had a crush on Cuddy." He said with an upbeat tone, rising from his seat and walking over to the window. "They had a night of crazy drunk sex, and Cameron just couldn't look at her in the same way again."

"If only that were true. The crush part I know is real, but it's not Cuddy. What did you say to her when she told you she was leaving?"

"Nothing. She said nothing, I said nothing, there was just a whole load of nothing."

"Okay, that just leaves the crazy drunk sex, which I'm guessing didn't happen?" House's unusual silent response intrigued Wilson, and he couldn't help but dig further.

"You didn't!" Wilson stated excitedly, waiting for a reaction.

"No, we didn't, you jackass."

"Then what?"

House sighed, and decided that it wouldn't do much harm to tell Wilson, especially since it was eating him alive thinking about it on his own.

"We, might of kissed. Briefly."

"Whoa! You did what?"

"It's not what you think."

"Really? Then what happened? You both fell onto each other's mouths?"

"No, it was, she…it doesn't matter because she's still leaving."

"Okay, she's only the second woman ever to show some genuine interest in you, and you're gonna let her leave, just like that, no fight, no nothing?"

Fortunately House was interrupted by the news that the board meeting had ended before he could reply. Wilson decided they should get a bottle of champagne, find cuddy and celebrate. House was grateful that he showed no sign of continuing their conversation, and so agreed. They headed off towards his office, and House decided that he would deal with the problem later, that Wilson was right; he would have to fight to convince Cameron to stay at the hospital.

She was alone in her apartment, reading. Or reading the same page of Pride & Prejudice over and over again. It was frustrating; she didn't like having nothing to do. She hadn't even spent much time at home before, there was always some tests or paperwork that needed to be done at the hospital. The quiet was going to drive her insane. At least it wouldn't last that long, she had a place at Jefferson, so she could soon dive into work and bury all her problems into the back of her mind, leave all thoughts of House behind. She'd miss foreman a lot, but they wouldn't be far apart. She could always visit.

Her ginger cat, which was currently curled up on the sofa opposite her, awoke suddenly and trotted off into the kitchen, breaking her thoughts. She didn't have to wait long to find out why when she heard a knocking at the door. She set down her book and walked over to the door, and looking through the peep hole, lowered her head and took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for the conversation that was about to happen.

"What do you want?" house stood motionless as she opened her door.

"Can I come in?" He tried to look into her apartment.

"No." she stands firm, not revealing any of her emotions, of how she would let him in if he asked her again, and silently cursing herself for that weakness she had around him.

"Come back to work."

"No."

"Why not? Vogler's gone; things can go back to normal. You can come back."

"I can't. I've told you that already. Besides, I've already accepted a place somewhere else."

"Where?"

"Jefferson, with Yule."

"Unaccepted it."

"Why?" her voice was stern, she wanted him to suffer a little.

"Because Yule is boring. He's pedantic and peachy. Because he's short. Because I want you to come back."

"Why?"

"Because you're a good doctor."

"There are plenty of good doctors. Why do you want me to come back?"

"I need you around." This talk was becoming more and more awkward for him, and she didn't miss this.

"Right, because I'm the artwork in your office. " House looks a little depleted as she answers. "You hurt me House." Her voice was quite.

"I know. I know the other night was less than great, but that doesn't mean you have to leave. Stay."

"What happened changes things, at least for me. Maybe it does for you too."

"It doesn't. I want you to come back to the hospital, Cameron, but I can't be with you."

"Can't or won't?" She was more confident having the upper hand of the conversation, and seeing as this might be the only chance she had, she wanted to press House.

"What do you want from me?"

"Honesty might be a start." She said flatly.

"Fine. You're attractive, you're smart and from what I could tell you're a good kisser." She cringed a little. "But you're also stubborn, naive and foolish. You came to my apartment to tell me you're leaving when you could have handed your resignation to Cuddy. You want me to want you and that's why you kissed me, and for a second I did what any sane man would do; I kissed you back. It was great, it was nice, but I didn't suddenly have an epiphany about my feelings for you and I didn't hear wedding bells. It doesn't change anything."

"Then why are you here? Just to tell me all this? If so, why don't you just replace me with some other attractive girl? I came over to your apartment because I thought you deserved to know why I was leaving. I'm left because I like you, and I kissed you for the same reason. You kissed me back because you like me. I didn't hold a gun to your head, and you knew exactly what I was doing but you didn't stop me. If you're too much of a coward to admit how you feel that's not my problem, but don't try to blame this all on me."

"If I'm the coward then why are you the one that's running away?"

"I'm not running away, I made a choice."

"The choice to run away? Doesn't sound very mature to me."

"And you're a spokesperson for maturity? How mature is it to belittle and insult everyone you know? To wall yourself off from people and hide your emotions?"

"You seem to find it an attractive quality!"

"Well perhaps I'm seeing things a little clearer now!"

"Fine, then just go to Jefferson!"

"Fine!" she slammed the door as House began to storm off down the hallway.