Disclaimer: I'm running out of creative ways to tell you that they aren't mine. Latin's coming up next, okay?
A/N: As usual, thanks much to my betas! I hope everyone's enjoying the story so far. ;)
Chapter Fifteen
The weeks passed by slowly for House and Cameron. And, slowly, Cameron found her things seeming to move themselves into House's apartment. At first, it had been an extra change of clothes to be sure that she wouldn't have to run back to her place every time she stayed with him. It soon evolved into a few books at his place. Then she'd gone shopping to stock his fridge. When it got to the point where over half of her clothing was at his place, she finally just suggested that they move in together.
Her apartment went on the market the next day.
Once they were officially living together, Cameron had discovered that living with House full-time was quite a bit different than staying over every other night. He still refused to let her clean the place, and the clutter was getting on her nerves. The only places he allowed her to clean were the kitchen and the bedroom. He kept the bathroom immaculate, which she couldn't be happier for. But the clutter in the living room just had to go.
"Greg, could I at least clean off the coffee table?" she begged one day as they sat on the couch watching television. "I can't concentrate on anything but the mess."
He smirked and closed his eyes. "Nope. I like it that way. You know, I'm pretty sure they make medication for obsessive compulsive disorder…"
"I'm not OCD!" she exclaimed, offended. "The clutter gets in the way, and it really-"
"Upsets you. I know." He rolled his eyes and gave her an exasperated look. "I'm still technically a bachelor," he reminded her. "What did I tell you about my bachelor pad?"
She frowned and sat at the other end of the couch, extending her foot and pushing a book off of the table. House laughed and prodded her side with his cane. "Stop pouting. Christ. I'll tidy it up later. Now come back here and keep my side warm. You make a great blanket."
She snorted and went back to his side. "And my breasts make great pillows, right?"
"Not so much," he responded, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Every time I get near them, you're always writhing around."
She laughed and poked his side. "My mom called me earlier today," she informed him. "She…" She bit her lip, not sure if she wanted to go on with her statement. But she trudged forward hesitantly. "She wanted to know about Christmas."
"It's in a couple of weeks," he responded matter-of-factly. "And now she knows. She can be happy."
"She wanted to know if I'd be going to our usual family function."
"Are you asking permission?" House asked, awestruck. "That's just damn weird, Allison…"
"I wanted to know if you might … want to … come along," she said slowly, her voice getting softer as the sentence ended. Originally, she wasn't going to ask. She was just going to tell him that she was going to her parents' place for Christmas Eve and that she'd be back Christmas day. But she wanted him there … if he'd come with her.
The correct answer would be no, he didn't want to go. Of course, that would get him chewed out and she'd be pissed with him for weeks. Holidays meant a lot to her, though he still couldn't figure out why. He thought they were greeting card hacks. She genuinely loved them. "Do you want me to go along?" he asked her.
She was quiet for a moment, studying him. "I would like it if you did," she responded. It was funny how they managed to do things without ever giving the other a solid answer.
"I'll go," he conceded. "But I'm not buying gifts for anyone except Adam."
She laughed and gave him a kiss. "Thank you."
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That evening, Cameron had made plans with Foreman and Chase. Once she was gone, House called Wilson to come over. He wasn't going to spend the time alone, and he needed Wilson's help with something anyway. When Wilson arrived, House grabbed his coat. He answered the door and got a confused look from Wilson.
"We're going to the best jewelry store you know. You're driving."
"Jewelry store?" Wilson asked, bemused. "Isn't it early for you to being getting Cameron's Christmas present? You're notorious for waiting until the last minute."
"It's not for Christmas," House replied, grabbing his keys off of the table that Cameron had placed next to the door. "I need a ring." He led the way out of the apartment, locking the door behind him.
"Oh, my God…" the oncologist whispered. "You're going to propose."
"You're so observant… Must be why you're a cancer doctor. Now get your ass out to your car. I only have two hours. Unless she went out drinking with the other ducklings and not just out for fun. Then I have four."
There wasn't a chance in hell that Wilson would miss out on something this big, and he all but jogged to his car to unlock it in order to let House in. "There's a great family-owned place about twenty minutes from here. But it's on the more expensive end."
"That's fine."
Wilson let out a low whistle as he drove to the store. "You're really serious about this, aren't you?"
"Jimmy, I wouldn't be proposing if I wasn't serious about it." He shifted uncomfortably and looked out the window. "Did you know that I'm down to three Vicodin per day?" he asked with a small shake of his head. "I don't know how she did it, Jimmy. She just … she sideswiped me."
"Have you told her you love her yet?"
"No," he said honestly. "I'm saving it. I like dramatic effect. She knows I do."
"Like dramatic effect or love her?" Wilson asked with a grin.
"Both." He paused and blew out a breath. "Shit. She's going to clean my apartment now."
Wilson laughed and pulled into the parking lot of the jeweler's. "The infamous bachelor pad will be no more. You're sure about this?" he asked as they got out of the car.
"Yes," he confirmed confidently. "I've been thinking about it for at least a week. Saying she's the one would be cliché and I refuse to do that. However, I will admit that any other woman would have dropped me cold when I told her that her ass did look huge in those jeans."
With a snort, Wilson opened the door to the jeweler's. The two of them were greeted by the owner, who smiled and asked Wilson if he wanted to look at a selection. Wilson flushed in embarrassment. "No," he mumbled. "My friend here is looking for an engagement ring."
"Ah, forgive me," the proprietor said with a smile before turning to House. "I'm Dan Poneski, the owner. Do you know what sort of ring you'd like? We carry many styles and we offer financing."
"I can pay up front," House stated with a shrug. "I want something with a sapphire."
"Any particular band?"
"Band?"
Wilson snorted. "The think that holds the ring on her finger," he said sarcastically.
House smacked the back of Wilson's leg with his cane, causing his friend to laugh. "White gold."
"Right this way," Dan said with a smile, leading the two friends to a small display of rings. "We have plenty of options to choose from. The white gold range in prices from two hundred to fifteen hundred dollars, depending on the stone. If you want a sapphire, then you're looking at spending between seven hundred and one thousand dollars."
"Okay," he responded with a shrug. "So … are you going to show them to me?"
"Greg," Wilson warned.
Dan laughed. "It's quite all right," he told Wilson, unlocking a cabinet and bringing out a collection of twenty rings. "The choice is small, but beautiful." He set the rings down to show them to House.
House let out a low whistle. "Wow," he couldn't help muttering. He picked up a ring that had a small, sapphire heart in the centre of four smaller diamonds. He examined it closely before glancing at the other rings. "Do you do engraving?" he asked.
"For an additional fifty dollars," Dan answered with a smile.
"I want this one," he said, continuing to look at the ring. "And I'd like 'Always' engraved on the inside of the band."
Wilson gave House an incredulous look. He'd never seen his friend so sure about anything other than diagnosing patients. It made him glad, though. It definitely made him glad to see Greg so sure of something so big. And he hoped, sincerely hoped, that everything would work out between Greg and Allison.
"Your total comes to…" Dan punched in some numbers on his calculator. "Fourteen hundred, thirty one dollars."
House reached in his pocket and took out his checkbook, talking to Wilson as he wrote the check. "Her parents had better pay for the dress," he said, his tone joking as he ripped the check out of the book. "That or the reception. They'll probably run the same, right?"
Wilson laughed. "If the dress runs the same as the reception, Cameron has extremely expensive taste."
"You'd know," House said, not derisive, but more honest than anything. He handed the check to Dan. "When will that be ready?"
"Our engraver is in right now. I can have it done within thirty minutes."
"Thanks. We'll wait here and look at all of the pretties," he snarked.
Dan grinned and took the ring to the back, leaving Wilson and House to browse the rest of the jewelry. The silence that settled between them was comfortable, and House's eyes scanned the rest of the expensive things in the store.
"She really makes you happy, doesn't she?" Wilson asked softly.
"She… Somehow, she completes me," he answered just as softly. "And you will never hear me say that again."
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House and Wilson were back hours before Cameron returned, and when she finally came back, she was on her cell phone. She opened the door and dropped her purse on the table.
"We'll be there, Mom. When? I don't know when… When did you want to do dinner?" She looked over at the two men and smiled, giving Wilson a wave. "Four's too early. We're working Christmas Eve. Yes, you know this. Seven?" she asked looking at House.
House nodded and tossed a cashew into his mouth. "Is it BYOB?" he asked.
Cameron snorted. "Do you want us to bring anything?" She cradled her cell phone on one shoulder while removing her jacket from the other, then held it with her opposite hand as she got the coat off.
"That's talent," House told Wilson, pointing at Cameron. "Who else do you know that can do that?"
"Um… Me? Cuddy?" Wilson paused and stole a cashew. "You?"
"Buzz-kill."
"We should be able to make it out by seven if the roads aren't too bad. Will we be staying with you guys?" she asked, once again looking at House. This time her eyes were wide as she shook her head vigorously.
House laughed and threw a cashew at her. "Only if the weather's too rough to drive back," he muttered.
Cameron rolled her eyes. "We'll see. Depends on the weather. Yeah, Mom. You, too. Bye." She snapped her phone shut and sat on the couch next to House, stealing a few of the cashews that he had. "Were you two good boys while I was gone?"
"We went shopping," House answered. "I bought a toy."
"If you bought another bike, I'm taking it back," she warned.
"Calm yourself," he told her, sticking his tongue out. "I got a new phone."
"What did you need a new phone for?"
"My old one was two years old. That's, like, fifty in cell phone years. I cannot own a phone that's older than I am. That's lame."
Wilson snorted and set his feet on the coffee table, much to Cameron's chagrin. "So how are you two lovebirds holding up? I haven't even seen you two in the same room together since you shacked up."
"We don't like people to watch," House responded solemnly. "It makes her uncomfortable."
Cameron smacked House's arm and took the bowl of cashews out of his hand. "No more nuts for you."
"If I told you that, you'd pout all over the damn place."
Wilson laughed as he watched the couple. "Well aren't you two cute?" he teased. "When can we expect little Cameron-House's running all over the place?"
House snorted and Cameron laughed uncomfortably. "We haven't discussed kids, Jim," House said honestly. "Besides, can you see me with a baby?" He took the cashews back from Cameron.
"I can see you getting as fat as a pregnant woman if you don't stop eating like that," Cameron retorted, taking the cashews from him again and carrying them into the kitchen.
"Stealing things from cripples is one thing. Walking away with the stolen item is just rude, Allison."
Laughing, Wilson took his cell phone out of his pocket to check the time. He'd promised to meet Lisa at midnight, when she was done taking care of a few things. It was nearing that time now. "Much as I'd love to stay and observe you two, I've got places to go."
"Hot date?" Cameron asked.
"Sort of." He pulled on his coat and gave the two of them a smile. "But if I told you, I'd have to kill you. See you two at work."
House and Cameron called out their good-byes, and she returned to the couch to sit by him. "Have fun with the boys?" he asked her, wrapping an arm around her waist.
"We got Chase drunk and convinced him to hit on the bartender," Cameron said with a wide smile.
"Was she hot?" House asked with a smirk.
"He was nice-looking," she replied, laughing. "The poor guy was trying to let Chase down easy, because you can't tell when he's drunk. He doesn't slur or anything."
"Then how do you know he wasn't just hitting on the guy? I always suspected…"
"He had three Snakebites before we got him to do it."
"Nice." House's free hand nervously brushed the small box in his pocket. He wasn't sure when he wanted to ask her… Just that he did want to ask. And sometime soon. "Wilson mentioned something while we were out."
"I bet Wilson mentioned a lot of things while you were out," Cameron teased lightly, kissing House's neck.
He smirked and tickled her side. "He was talking about this woman he's seeing right now. Wouldn't give me her name, which makes me think it's either an ex-wife or Cuddy," he said with a snort. "Anyway… He said he doesn't want to marry her."
Cameron frowned in thought. "But … and don't take offense … doesn't Wilson always want to marry someone?"
House laughed and kissed the top of Cameron's head. "Yes, which is why his behavior was so suspicious. He said he didn't want to marry her because he didn't want to break her heart. Something about him always wanting to find something new once he's married. I don't know. I'm not his psychiatrist."
Cameron snorted. "I take it there's a reason you're relaying the story," she said with a smile. House always had a reason for something.
"Yes, but now that you've pointed it out, I'm not going to tell you," he sniffed, grabbing the remote to turn on the television. "Wanna watch a movie?"
"Hmmm… No." She grabbed the remote and turned the television off. "I had something else in mind." Her hand stroked the inside of his left thigh and she dropped small kisses on his neck.
"Watching Chase flirt with boys turned you on that much?" he asked with a smirk. He loved it when she took the lead.
"Not so much." She climbed into his lap and started unbuttoning his shirt. "I saw this couple on the dance floor…" his shirt was unbuttoned and off in a few seconds. "He had his hands on her hips, and she was grinding against him." Cameron began grinding slowly in House's lap. "And it made me think about how much I wanted to come back here and be with you."
House's eyes darkened and he licked his lips. "You tell Foreman and Chase that?" he asked with a devilish grin.
"Mmhmm," she answered, lowering her head to nip at his neck. Her hands went to fumble with the snap of his jeans. "I told them I was going to come home and screw you until you couldn't think. They weren't amused. I think I made Chase vomit."
"I think three Snakebites made Chase vomit," he responded, taking hold of her hands and pulling her so that he could take her lips for a slow, seductive kiss. "And I think we should stop talking about Chase and move this to the bedroom."
"How right you are." She stood and waited for him.
"Go on," he told her with a smile. "I'll be there in a minute."
She kissed him again and went to the bedroom, knowing that he needed to take a Vicodin. He waited for her to get into the bedroom before taking his pill and reaching into his pocket. He took the box out and set it on the coffee table, between two piles of books. He wanted to ask her, but he didn't want her to know it was coming. He wanted it to be … well … special.
A/N 2: Hope you guys like the chapter! I need your help, readers! I'm torn between ending this story with their engagement or going on and taking it through the wedding day. I want to know what you guys think. What would you like me to do? End it once they're engaged, or write to the big day? Lemme know what you think, and thanks for reading!