Disclaimer: Characters etiam pulvis mei. Quod EGO TOLD vos Latin eram tunc!

A/N: Thanks for all of the comments on where the fic should go! lol! I was glad to read them, and I promise that you'll all get your wishes. We're going to the wedding, people! Well ... not yet, but... Oh, you get the jist of it. ;)

Chapter Sixteen

When House awoke the next morning, he rubbed his face and let out a small sigh. He'd done it. He'd bought her a ring. Was he completely insane? She wouldn't marry him. No matter how much she might try, she could never get him to completely believe that she wanted to stay with him. He didn't even want to stay with himself; why would she want to stay with him?

He tossed back the covers to get out of bed when he felt a hand on his chest. "Don't get up yet," Cameron requested tiredly. "I want to lay with you."

"I didn't mean to wake you," he apologized, smiling when she threw his covers back over him.

"I always wake up when you get out of bed," she said with a yawn. "I hate it when you leave."

He could tell she was still half asleep. For one, she was being completely candid. Besides that, she was snuggling into his chest. Maybe buying the ring had been a good decision, after all. They were living together, he swayed himself. And she had that overwhelming urge to clean his apartment, which never ceased to make him laugh.

But could he spend the rest of his life with her? Could he really? He supposed that having a few doubts was what made it right. Nothing should be perfect in life. If it was, it was bound to end badly. One of the reasons he wanted to marry Cameron was simple: he didn't want a Stacy repeat. He had never regretted not asking her to marry him. Marriage with Stacy just didn't seem like something feasible. But he knew that if he didn't ask Cameron, he would very much regret it.

"I can practically hear your mind working," the woman on his mind groused with her eyes closed. "I'd distract you, but I'm just too tired."

He grinned and caressed her side. "You can distract me later," he promised. "Maybe I'll even let you distract me at work."

"Promises, promises." She yawned again and finally looked over at him. "What're you thinking about this early, anyway? The alarm won't go off for another hour."

"No matters of life and death," he replied honestly. "Don't worry about it."

Her brow furrowed and she rested her chin on his shoulder. "Don't make me tickle it out of you…"

"You tickle me and I'll push you out of the bed," he warned seriously. "And you'll get rug burn on that hot little ass, and then where would we be?"

She stuck her tongue out at him. "I'd be on the floor and you'd be laughing at me. Bastard."

"Yeah…" He tilted her chin so that he could give her a kiss. "How old are your parents?" he asked curiously.

"My mom's fifty three and my dad's sixty."

House snorted. "So do all of the women in your family have a thing for older men?" he teased. "Maybe I could get your sister, too. I'm known for my charm."

"Everybody lies," she replied dryly. "Besides, you're … not exactly Angie's type," she said with a small smile. "Anyway… If you wanted to get something for Adam, I have a list of things he wants."

"Bring it to work and I'll look at it there," he answered, glancing at the clock with a small frown. "It's all your fault that I get to work on time every day now. I'm going to start deducting hours from your paycheck."

"Fine by me," she replied nonchalantly. "I'll just steal your wallet when I want to shop."

"I'll cancel my credit card," he threatened. "What now?"

"I'll refuse to have sex with you until you get it back."

He glared at her. "I used to think you were sweet. Now, I know the truth. You're ruthless."

"You weren't complaining about me being ruthless last night…"

He pinched her hip. "Enough. I have to shower. You need to dress. We have to go save lives and stuff."

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At work, they discussed their new case as usual. Differential diagnosis, run some tests and blood work, look for a cause. By now, Chase and Foreman had become semi-comfortable with the fact that House and Cameron were together. The couple was very good about being discreet, and Foreman even forgot that they were a couple most of the time. Chase had settled into making gagging noises whenever the two of them bantered. Cuddy and Wilson did their best to stay out of House's path and use Cameron as a shield.

All in all, things were back to normal at PPTH. House had even started refusing to do his clinic hours again. Things broke apart again that afternoon, as the team stood in the diagnostics room discussing their current patient.

"What about a brain tumor? It would account for the twitches," Foreman suggested with a shrug. "As well as the shooting pains in her feet."

"What about chronic pain disorder?" Cameron asked, her brow furrowed as she studied the symptoms. "She's been complaining about pain all over her body. It just started in her feet. Chronic pain can spread to any part of the body."

Foreman thought for a moment before nodding slowly in agreement. "It could even explain the twitching."

"You want me to give a patient a highly controversial diagnosis?" House asked. "Awesome. Start her on some low-dose oxcarbazepine and see if it helps. The most dangerous thing it'll do is make her vomit a bit."

"Oxcarbazepine?" Chase asked with a frown. "That's too strong of a medication to start her on, even low-dose. She's never been on anything like it before. Chances are extremely high that she'll have an adverse reaction."

"Lamotrigine, then," House responded, grabbing his cane off of the board and going to his office. "In the meantime, someone go get me lunch." He made a point to look at Cameron, who rolled her eyes.

"Get your own lunch," she told him, tossing a ten down on the table. "And get me something, too." After the statement, she walked out of the diagnostics room to give the patient her medication.

House glared at the money and pocketed it, making his way to the door when Chase stopped him.

"You're actually going to get lunch?" Chase asked, a laughing lilt to his voice.

"Yes," House responded simply. "Because if I do something nice, I get laid. You do something nice, and you just get a pat on the head. The reward definitely outweighs the deed for me. Gotta love it."

Foreman choked back laughter as House left the room. Chase's mouth had dropped open in either disgust or anger; Foreman wasn't quite sure. But once House was out of the room, Foreman patted Chase on the back and laughed out loud. "He just keeps winning whenever you try to confront him."

Chase scowled and shoved Foreman away. "It's not like…" He looked out the glass wall and his eyes widened. "Stacy," he whispered.

"What?"

"Stacy!" he exclaimed, pointing. "Stacy's out there!"

Foreman looked out and his jaw dropped. Sure enough, Stacy Warner stood outside with a few files under her arm, talking to one of the doctors from nephrology. "What's she doing back?" Foreman asked with a frown.

"Law, apparently," Chase snorted. He sobered, though, and frowned. "Someone needs to tell House and Cameron."

"I've got House," Foreman volunteered, going toward the door to find his boss.

Chase let out a slow breath. "I'll take care of Cameron."

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Chase found Cameron as she was coming out of the patient's room. "Cameron!" he called, pulling her aside. "You need to know… Stacy's back." He kept his voice low when he told her for two reasons. The first was to be sure that no one overheard him giving her the news. The second was to keep his voice gentle.

Cameron frowned. "What do you mean?" she asked slowly. "She's back here? For good?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "Foreman and I saw her outside the diagnostics room talking to another doctor. She had some legal files with her. Maybe she's just here on temp work."

"Maybe… Does Greg know?"

"Foreman went to tell him."

"Well… As long as he knows," she said with a small sigh. "I'm not going to get involved so long as I don't have to."

Chase smiled as they walked back to the diagnostics room. "And when would you have to?" he asked curiously.

Cameron smiled sweetly, opening the door. "If she tries to get him back."

"I smell a cat fight."

"Get your sniffer checked. There won't be one." She dropped the patient file on the table and went to pour herself a cup of coffee. "She could beat my ass. I'll just … mark my territory, so to say."

Foreman came back into the office at that moment with House close on his heels. He grabbed up the patient file and left the room, nodding to Chase to come with him. House went to Cameron and handed her a box with her lunch in it, then went to the table to eat his own. "I take it Chase relayed the news to you?"

"Yeah," she replied, sitting next to him to eat her own lunch. "Does it bother you?"

"Not unless she comes in here to talk to me," he responded honestly. "Then it might bother me." He popped a chip into his mouth and looked at Cameron. "Does it bother you?"

"Not really. I trust you not to run off to her." She stabbed a piece of her salad with her plastic fork repeatedly before finally picking it up and eating it. "You don't think she'll come in here to talk to you… Do you?"

Cameron would be lying completely if she didn't admit that she was at least a little bit nervous about Stacy being back. She did trust Greg not to run to her. But if Stacy came to him… What then?

"I don't know."

"And if she does?"

"I thought you said you trusted me."

Cameron sighed and poked at her food. "I do trust you," she affirmed. "I don't trust her."

House smirked and, after seeing that the blinds were still closed, wrapped an arm around Cameron's waist. "I don't, either. So just stay around if she comes in. I don't want her pushing me against the wall and doing naughty things to me."

Cameron blushed slightly and focused on her food instead of House's face. For some reason, she always blushed when he actually gave her attention at work. "What if I pushed you against the wall and did naughty things to you?"

"I'd be a very happy man. See? No worries."

They continued to eat their lunch in a comfortable silence, House being sure to keep close enough to Cameron to remain touching her. He realized that she needed to be reassured, and while it pissed him off, he couldn't blame her. He'd made mistakes with Stacy in the past. Not that he'd do it now, but he'd done it before. Cameron wasn't stupid; she knew that there would always be the possibility that he'd do something stupid again. It was once they'd settled back into comfort that they heard a woman's voice from the doorway.

"Greg."

House continued to eat his lunch, entwined his fingers with Cameron's under the table, and kept his back to Stacy. "Stacy."

They heard the sound of heels clicking on the floor as she came closer. "Dr. Cameron."

"Mrs. Warner," Cameron replied before taking a bite of her salad. "What brings you back to PPTH?" No reason to be cold to the woman. She hadn't done anything personal to Cameron… Yet.

"Dr. Blake called me in for some legal help. He doesn't like the lawyer that the hospital has right now." Stacy pulled out a seat away from the two of them and sat down, crossing her legs. "You two look comfy."

"You should see us when we're at home, in bed. It's even comfier," House responded rapidly. "If you're here to consult with Dr. Blake, why are you here in my diagnostics department?"

"I thought I'd stop by and say hello," she answered hesitantly. "See how you were doing." Her eyes looked between Cameron and House and she gave a small smile. "You seem … okay."

"I'm okay." He finished his lunch and closed his box before stealing a piece of Cameron's lettuce, which got a frown from her. "You could even say I was peachy."

Stacy changed her focus from House to the young doctor at his side. "And you, Dr. Cameron?"

"I'm great," she replied with a smile. "Never been better."

"Dr. Blake mentioned that the two of you seemed … cozy lately. Doctors around the hospital are speculating about a possible relationship. Cuddy's been heading them off."

House sat back in his chair and rested the hand that was under the table on Cameron's thigh, caressing it lightly. "So you're here to see if it's true." It wasn't a question; he knew Stacy well enough to know when she was trying to figure something out.

"I'm here to see if you're happy."

"How sweet… You cheat on your husband with me and then check to see if I'm happy." He looked a Cameron. "Isn't she a little ball of sunshine?"

"So it is true," Stacy said, not needing a clear response. "How long?"

"Long enough." He watched as Cameron sat calmly, eating her lunch. He couldn't let her just sit there without embarrassing her a little… "She's a lot better in bed than I remember you being."

Cameron coughed, almost choking on her salad. "I really don't think she needs the stats on our sex life," she said, grabbing her coffee and taking a drink to coat her throat.

"But it's so healthy… I just thought she ought to know," House said innocently. He smirked and squeezed her knee lightly before letting his gaze slide back to Stacy. "Hope you don't mind my bluntness."

"You're not being blunt," Stacy said with a knowing quirk of her eyebrow. "You're trying to embarrass me as well as your girlfriend."

"You know me so well. Almost makes me wonder why I didn't ask you to marry me… Oh, yeah! You did that thing… What was that?" He looked as though he were seriously pondering something. "Right! You left," he said flatly.

"Greg, that's enough," Cameron said softly. "Leave it be, already. She just wanted to check on you."

"No, she wanted to pry." He kept his eyes on Stacy. "It's what she does when she's trying to get something. What are you trying to get, Stacy?"

"Greg…"

"Just information," Stacy cut Cameron off. "I wanted to see if the rumors were true. I see that they are. I'm happy for you."

When House opened his mouth to make another scathing comment, Cameron cut him off. "Thank you," she said quickly.

"I wasn't talking to-"

"I wasn't thanking you," Cameron put in coolly. "I was doing it for Greg. We both know he won't. And you ought to be thanked for coming all the way over to diagnostics just to wish him well."

"Ooh, bitchy," House stated giddily. "I can't even get her to do that," he told Stacy. "You're talented."

"So I've been told." Stacy took one last look at the couple. "I hope you two are happy. I mean that." She took her leave after her well-wishing, leaving House and Cameron to sit in awkward silence.

House reached into his pocket to pull out his Vicodin, and Cameron snatched it out of his hand. "You don't need this," she said sternly.

"Allison-" He reached for the pills, but she stood to move out of his reach.

"You don't. You aren't due to take one until three. You've been fine. You don't need one." She set them on the counter with the coffee and crossed her arms angrily over her chest. "Just because Stacy came back doesn't mean that you have to return to your old habits, Greg. That's ridiculous."

He was quiet and tapped his cane on the floor. She was right. He wanted one to take away his nerves and, he'd admit, the pain of seeing Stacy again. Pain always seemed to go along with Stacy. Healing went along with Cameron. Hmm…

"You didn't finish your lunch," he told her blandly.

"I've lost my appetite."

He frowned. "Don't be a bitch to me," he warned her. "I didn't do anything other than goad her. It's what I do around Stacy. I goad her. It's simple." When Cameron didn't unclench, he sighed irritably. "I'm sorry, okay? Now come eat your lunch."

"You just do such a great job of pissing people off, you know that?"

"I'm still the same person that I was before we started seeing each other, Allison," he reminded her harshly. "You've just gotten used to the side of me that hasn't had to see Stacy." He watched the emotions play on her face before she finally gave in and came back to finish her lunch.

"Are you still attracted to her?" Cameron asked, staring at her lunch. She dreaded the answer, but she had to have it. "I need to know…"

He was quiet, studying her intensely. "She's an attractive woman."

Cameron drew in a sharp breath and let it out slowly. Well, she had her answer…
She pushed her lunch away from her and started to stand in order to leave the room.

This was it. His opportunity; his perfect opportunity. He reached out and took her wrist, and then he reached into his pocket and placed a small, black box on the table in front of her. He'd been carrying it around with him, fearing that she'd find it if he left it in the apartment. "But I never wanted to marry her."

Cameron looked at the box, then back at House, her mouth forming a small 'o' of surprise. "Greg…" There was a ring in that box, and she knew it. She knew it was an engagement ring.

"Open it."

"I…"

"Open it, Allison."

She did so, with shaky hands, and her eyes welled with tears when she saw the ring. "Oh, my God…" She took it out of the box and read the inscription. "Always," she whispered. "Always?" she asked him.

His mouth twitched upward in a smile and he wiped a tear off of her cheek with the pad of his thumb. "Well, yeah. I'd rather not pull a Wilson."

Cameron let out a small laugh and put the ring on. "Cuddy's going to have a field day covering this up."

"Please. The doctors and nurses don't mind. They're just happy that I don't actively attempt to make them cry anymore… Now it's just a happy coincidence."

She leaned over to brush a kiss over his lips. "I can't believe I'm marrying you…"

"I can't believe I'm going to let you clean my apartment." He dodged the smack that was coming toward his shoulder and stood, nodding for her to come along. "Might as well break the news to mommy and daddy. They'll want to squeal and whatnot."

Cameron laughed and grabbed the final bites of her lunch before following House to Cuddy's office. This day had been nothing short of odd. And, she realized, odd was normal when one was in a relationship with Greg House.