Title: Chances
Author: Ritaann
Summary: sometimes things happen, and without a warning you wonder why you'd even said yes.
Rating: Well, its got a few swear words but other than implied sex, makes it …. For mature readers I guess… mature snickers.
Pairing: Chase/Cameron
Category: romance.
This is a work in progress
xXx
"You are so gone on her, you do realise that don't you?"
Chase and Foreman had been sent to the labs yet again to run even more gels on their latest patient, a very large and very ill Mr Sambuca. Or rather, Chase was doing all the work and Foreman was standing there with his arms crossed like some body guard in a white lab coat, giving Chase an amused glare as he planned on dissecting his colleague's recent actions.
"I am not gone on her. Can't I be friendly with a co worker?"
"Oh ho! So she's a friend now is she?" Foreman was almost rife with amusement, not content with Chase's explanation.
"Isn't she your friend too?"
"Come on! Getting her coffee?" as he began firing, Chase stepped away from the equipment he was using, not backing down from the challenge.
"I was just getting some for myself-"
"Buying her lunch?"
"She picked up mine the other day I was returning the favour."
"Bringing her flowers?"
"I didn't bring her flowers." He looked confused, then smirked at Foreman's reply.
"Yeah well, that's next on your list of 'Ways to get Cameron to like me'."
Chase shakes his head, "whatever." And keeps his head down and eyes focused on the microscope waiting until the neurologist had left the labs before letting out a frustrated sigh.
xXx
Rain pattered on the sidewalk, turning into full pelt as Cameron was about to make the trek between the hospital entrance and her parking space. It had been grey and dismal all week. The wind whipped at her hair; pulling out wisps from the neat pony tail she had tied bare minuets ago. Thinking it was only sprinkling, she ducked her head and made a run for it.
"Shit," grabbing her bag to pull out her dingy, navy blue umbrella realising that she had underestimated the force of the weather and would be soaked in a matter of seconds if she didn't find some cover soon, halfway between the hospital and her destination. The wind had decided to wreak havoc on it's weakening metal frame just as she got her key into the lock of her car door.
"You all right there?" called voice from behind, strongly accented and holding a much larger, sturdier form of shelter, Chase smiled and offered her to share his umbrella.
"Thanks," Allison muttered, giving up on the metal and plastic wreck to huddle near Chase in an effort to stay dry whilst she jammed the key the rest of the way into the lock and made it into the car.
"I'd have thought you yanks would have better brollies with all the rain you guys get,"
"So is that what you Aussies say for umbrella?" critiquing
"Suppose," he stood by whilst Cameron threw her bag and umbrella into the passenger seat before turning towards him.
"Awww don't be shy, I think it's cute."
"I'm just trying to tone it down,"
"Seem less weird in front of patients?" she sat in the drivers seat with the key at the ready to start the engine. She gave him a small smile before starting to close the door.
"One of the reasons. Anyhow- I'll see you tomorrow," and with that he walked off.
Winding the window back up to block the sheeting rain that had begin to spray now that Chase had left, she jammed the key into the ignition hoping to get home in time for a pure hour of Grey's Anatomy. With the first turn of the key, the engine spluttered. As it did this often, she wasn't worried- adding some gas she tried again, foot gently on the accelerator, hand brake off, she tried again. Whilst it had sounded promising for the first few seconds, those blissful moments of engine humming had died down to a weakened whine and it was then she realised that something was wrong.
"Damnit!" Allison hit her head on the steering wheel, willing the car to start as she tried again only to receive rusty sounding mechanics in return. The rain pelted faster, mocking her predicament. Legs almost numbed, Cameron reached into her purse for her phone to dial for triple A, and with a sinking feeling in her stomach she realised that she had made one fundamental mistake last night.
The phone was dead- her battery not been recharged after the weekend, as she rarely used it on weekdays.
"Shit, shit, shit,"
xXx
Chase felt homesick, missing the blue skies that were abundant back home in Sydney. Though drought wasn't good for anybody and the water restrictions which were in place when he'd last visited home were becoming seemingly more desperate, they at least always had some good beaching weather, even if it was in the months of autumn or early spring.
"Bloody El Nino," Chase pulled out of his space, and about to change the radio to something a little more bearable than the Kelly Clarkson currently playing. He smirked at the thought that Cameron probably liked her stuff.
Head bent over the steering wheel, hair frazzled, Chase had almost passed Cameron's car until he noticed her repeatedly failed attempts to start the machine. Double parking, he pulled on the hand brake and pulled out the keys before reaching once again for his umbrella and braving the storm- didn't want some nasty teens stealing his baby. He walked towards Cameron's car shaking his head at her bad luck.
xXx
The knock on her window came as a surprise as Cameron looked up, eyes wide and softening as she saw Chase's familiar face and blonde locks looking down at her. Once again she rolled down the window and poked her head out sheepishly.
"Car trouble?" he asked jovially.
"You don't happen to be a mechanic as well as a doctor are you?" she retorted with a sigh, "My phone doesn't work either." She explained, pointing to the dead device in her hand.
"Well, you could sit her waiting for prince charming to come and give you a ride on his pumpkin or allow me to drive you home- I'll even pick you up tomorrow morning and you can get triple A to help you out then."
"Oh, would you?"
Chase chuckled at her surprise, "Come on, we don't want to wait around to get drowned now do we?" and with that, Cameron followed Chase into his car with bag, sans broken umbrella and wondered how warped Chase's childhood must have been to have his fairy tales mixed up in such an odd manner.
xXx
"Okay… since you're so fond of this game- worst injury." Chase laid out his question on the table for them to discuss.
Cameron thought for a moment before putting her hand to her mouth, "Your bringing back painful memories you know that?"
"Come on! It can't be that bad. Besides, you made me answer your questions."
"When I was thirteen, I was walking around with a fork in my mouth- don't ask why- and my brother who was fifteen and much bigger than I was, decided that he needed to race my smaller brother of, uh… about four at the time to the back door and-" Chase winced.
"The spoon had gone right into the gum- but not the sinuses thankfully. I had to have surgery and braces to fix the damage. He was always ultra nice to me after that incident."
"I could never guess you had brothers." She simply shrugged and smiled.
"So what kind of fairy tales do you have Down Under?"
Denny's wasn't a bar they had frequented often, yet as neither quite wanted to go home to empty apartments just yet and it had undercover parking available, Chase had stopped and they were now seated around a table whose layers of bar polish had made it possible to view one's reflection. They'd both had a few drinks, Cameron almost putting the Aussie to shame with her drinking almost twice as much as he had. The low lighting made for an intimate atmosphere and on their second beers, the popular subject of Chase's cultural differences had become, once again a hot topic.
"Oh you know, Kangaroo princesses who fall in love with a Koala and are forbidden by their species to marry and it is at the fate of the Aboriginal witch doctor that the Koala places his life so that he can become a Kangaroo like his love-"
"Are you serious?"
"However, it comes at a price. He must lose his voice and be mute if he is to go through with it. A storm rages that night, and the Koala is unable to let the Kangaroo know of his plans. Yet he makes the decision, becomes a mute Kangaroo and returns to his love only to find that she can no longer recognise him, especially since his voice is taken. Both die a long and lonely death in their self created hell holes, each searching for their true love." Chase deadpans, fingers stroking the condensation that as gathering on the sides of the beer glass.
Looking up at Cameron's serious expression and her wide eyes in acceptance of his tale he began to chuckle, a deep laugh that made her cross her arms and turn away, face pink with the realisation of her naivety.
"What were you thinking I'd say? No bloke who can't rattle off a decent story when needed can't call himself a fair dinkum Aussie."
Cameron blinked in annoyance at her inability to understand Chases' broadening accent due to the alcohol in both their systems. She ignored his statement and took a sip of her own drink.
"Besides I can do an awesome American accent when the occasion calls for it," said Chase whose a's were not quite right but close enough.
Cameron giggled at his attempt, "but your accent is cute, if not completely understandable at all times." Chase scowled.
"I hate it when people call me cute." Cameron only giggled louder, "I'm not cute!"
"Okay, okay," she said getting her laugher under control with a few deep breaths, "I'll stop teasing you if you'll teach me an Aussie swear word."
"What do you mean? We swear the same as you- fuck, shit, crap. We're not that different," Chase shook his head in refusal, and if possible scowled even more.
"I'm just trying to broaden my vocabulary."
"With words that 90 of this country do not understand?" Cameron shrugged. Her brown hair was doing that thing he liked when she let it out as she had once they had been seated and Chase had to remind himself not to stare.
"Fine. Bugger is pretty popular and widely used."
"What?" She leaned closer and Chase could smell her perfume, light and floral it was always the same, predictable and he liked that about her.
"Bugger. Just uh, replace the word crap with Bugger and that's how you'd use it."
"Bug-ger"
"Now you're getting the hang of it," Cameron had started to giggle again but stopped herself before it got out of hand.
"I think you've had enough to drink, let me take you home." At her nod, Chase threw some bills down on the table before she could protest about the splitting the check and ushered her out of the increasingly smoky atmosphere and out into the wet night, air filled with static from the rain of days past, air now cleared, the rain having decided to take a break. Cameron glanced over at Chase and felt a soft flush come over her cheeks, and forcing her to attribute it to the alcohol she had just consumed and not the niggling crush she had felt upon their first meeting.
xXx
He pulled up in front of Cameron's neat little apartment block, the hedges surrounding it at night resembling in a medieval feel, warning against those whose intentions were not good. They sat for a moment in silence, before Allison pulled her bag over her shoulder and smiled a sweet smile at him.
"I had a great time, Chase."
"Me too," he replied, running one hand through his hair in a nervous fashion before watching as she opened the door and stepped out into the darkness. Waiting for her to reach the doorway no more than twenty or so steps before driving away, Chase could hear a gasp and muffled scream through the half opened passenger window.
"Cameron?" Chase jumped down from the driver's seat, rushing to the passenger side to see her sitting on the wet ground in a twisted angle, her face hidden by the darkness he crouched down beside her. "What the hell did you do?"
"Ankle… pothole…" Chase turned to his left to see a jagged edge of a large, uneven depression in the ground barely visible in the dark.
"Let me see," and prodding her ankle gently, whilst trying to ignore her gasps of pain Chase sighed.
"Well, it's not broken. Should be all right in a few days- after we get you up off this road that is. Can you walk?" he stepped back, allowing her some space to move. Handing her his hand, Chase helped her up and watched as she tried her weight upon the twisted ankle, only to crumble in pain and lean heavily against Chase.
"Not, not on my own, no," came back her breathy reply.
"That's okay- I'll take you upstairs. Your building does have a lift right?" Cameron nodded and Chase sighed in relief. Her arm around his neck and his around her waist the two of them made the slow and painful trek to Cameron's third floor apartment.
xXx
"Boy, today sure isn't your day!" Chase exclaimed, shaking his head. "Bed or couch?" he asked, eying the hallway and the living room equally, noting the large bookshelf and plush rugs.
"Bed, I guess- I don't really want to sleep all night on that thing," slowly the two of them made it down the hallway and into the first door on the right. Spotting the bed, Chase helped her lower onto it, Cameron thanking her lucky stars that she hadn't left any underwear or dirty clothing lying around. Walking out of the room, he was out of her line of sight and she strained to see where he had gone. Hearing him open the fridge she guessed he was looking for ice.
"Where do you keep the dishtowels?" came his yell from the kitchen.
"Second drawer on the left of the fridge," she yelled back, trying to not to sound as pained as she was whilst taking off her shoes. Home made icepack in hand, Chase walked back to where Cameron sat, legs stretched out in front of her.
"This should help, it looks like its swelling up a bit," placing it gently on her ankle, "It's those damned high heels you wear to work."
"I need to get a new pair of flat shoes- the cat threw up on them the other day."
"You have a cat?" Chase wrinkled his nose at the thought as he checked her ankle for anymore damage.
"Her name's Elizabeth. She's probably sleeping in the laundry or something," Cameron winced as he prodded it some more before leaving it alone,
"It's fine, I'll just have to stay off it a bit."
"You probably won't be into work tomorrow," he sat on the edge of her bed and warned himself off the urge to tuck the strands of hair that littered her face behind her ears. 'Just like a pixie' he thought to himself, then wondered where he'd ever seen pixie ears before, and thus shouldn't have a clue as to what they looked like.
"No, I guess not." She leaned back against the pillows, starting to get comfortable, placing her hand upon his when he looked set to leave, "Stay a while- It's really late you might as well spend the night. I, I have a spare room down the hallway on the left if you like." He nodded in acceptance and moved to the other side of the bed to sit as she turned on the television to a wheel-of-fortune megaton.
"Good thing you have a television in here." Moving over so he could sit more comfortably on the bed their hips were now touching. She shivered at their proximity.
"Put it in about a month ago when the hospital was getting rid of their old televisions for new…. flat screens." Chase had leaned closer and before she could say something his lips had touched hers and there seemed no going back.
xXx
The room was dark when she woke, thin slivers of light poked through the blinds that had not been drawn the night before. The bed felt different, as though unaccustomed to some extra weight that had….
'Oh no,' Cameron thought, lifting and turning her head to the right to see a blonde head propped up on the pillow next to hers. Squeezing her eyes shut for a few seconds whilst trying to calm her breath, she opened her eyes once more to realise that this was not a dream. Looking up at the ceiling, she wiggled the toes on her injured foot and tried to roll her ankle. Noting it was less painful than the night before, she sat up to find a pulsating headache which had begun behind her left temple and to see that the makeshift ice pack had fallen, as thrown somewhere near the door where a puddle of water was slowly forming.
"Bugger," she whispered, remembering the night previous. It had been fun, she had to admit but that sinking feeling that she had felt only a day previous in relation to her car was beginning to return, only this time it sat lower in her gut. Moving to sit on the edge of the bed and pull on her bathrobe over her naked body, she turned quickly at a moan from the other side of the bed. 'Bad idea.' Realising that sharp movements made the pain in her head feel worse, she winced and began to roll her fingers at the site of the pulse, bringing small measure of comfort.
"What time is it?" rasped Chase, shaking his head like a dog to clear his mind from the fog of sleep.
"I don't know," Cameron moved to stand only to sit back again quickly with a hiss.
"Still sore?"
"It's eight and if you don't leave soon you're going to be late." She changed the subject, and turned the television on using the remote she kept beside the bed. Her cold response clued him into her feelings of the situation at hand, and his mood darkened.
"I suppose your not coming in today?"
"And have matching limps with House, no defiantly not." Chase smirked at the visual.
"I'll give Cuddy a ring in a minute if you'd hand me the phone," she motioned to the cordless on the bedside table next to Chase. Handing the phone to her wordlessly he got up and found his clothing, and dressed whilst listening to the one sided conversation taking place, Cameron's professional tones recounted her situation.
Nodding his head in her direction, and catching her eye as she smiled softly back, not a grin no, but a turning of the corners of her mouth and with that he left, letting himself out of her apartment.
"Bugger."
xXx
T.B.C… btw I'm in need of a beta, specifically someone who can criticise whilst also adding suggestions.