A/N: 20 points if you can figure out the chapter title relevancy! And sorry, I keep referring to their kiss as 'her action', or 'the mistake', I never actually call it a kiss, so...just so you know, that's what it is!

Chapter 2 – Sleeplessness

Days dragged on, holding plenty of tension between Chase and Cameron. Cameron suspected House could feel it too, because he told them to do many activities together, more than usual. It was House's way of telling them to sort it out. Well, that's what Cameron thought, anyway.

Cameron also believed that Foreman had figured out that something was up between them. He kept shooting Cameron meaningful glances, and jerking his head towards empty exam rooms, both gestures Cameron ignored.

It was unlike him, Cameron thought, to be so interested in her personal affairs, but she supposed it was to tell her not to get involved with a colleague. She suspected that this time would be more blunt than "Why would you want to be in a relationship with someone that's so obviously only going to lead to pain?".

She smiled at the memory. If she was House, she would've thought of a much better retort than "Shut up.".

Foreman gave up trying to weasel information out of her after a couple of hours, as he gained nothing from his subtle hints.

House, however, was having fun, Cameron could tell, torturing his ducklings.

Words passed between her and Chase were polite and formal. Cameron hoped the atmosphere would lighten up sooner rather than later.

Cameron didn't think it was her, Chase was acting oddly towards Foreman as well, and didn't react the same to House's remarks. Of course, he was this way because of what she said to him. And so his behaviour, her…unwillingness to talk to him, their avoidance of each other (which was minimal, as House squashed them in a patient's room together, more often than not), could really all be explained down to her mistake.

Cameron smiled guiltily. She called it a mistake, but it wasn't. She really did mean it, when she had done it. But Chase couldn't know, because it was just the aftermath that was trickier.

"What are you thinking?" Chase's question startled Cameron out of her thoughts. Quickly, she thought of a safe answer.

"I'm not thinking."

Safe, yet stupid.

"You're a bad liar," Chase grinned. "Besides, you're always thinking. And you're smiling."

Cameron was, at first, taken aback by Chase's sudden change of mood, but went along with it easily and comfortably.

"I can't smile unless I'm thinking?"

"You don't smile unless you're thinking," was Chase's casual reply. "Maybe you're thinking how pretty those flowers look today, maybe you're thinking how pretty I look today, I don't know. But you're definitely thinking."

Chase shrugged, his head tilted slightly. He smiled, and lowered his head to continue his crossword. He had been working on it for almost a week, now. It was a 6 monthly giant crossword, which Chase had told Cameron once that he subscribed to, written by a local medical journal. 'Giant' being an understatement, in Cameron's opinion. The font was so small on the A5 spread out, even Cameron's reading glasses didn't make it any easier to decipher.

It took a moment for Chase's words to sink in.

Cameron studied the back of his blonde head for a moment. She was interrupted by House, entering the office.

"Lunch time's over, back to work."

"It's 10:30," Cameron began. "We haven't-"

"Always so literal," House said deliberately. He cast a stern look at her. "I thought I taught you to think metaphorically."

Cameron shut her mouth, annoyed. Chase snorted softly. House stood still.

"You laughed," he stated. "What changed? Have you two made up?"

Cameron refrained from opening her mouth again. Chase didn't reply; he didn't even look up.

"Ok, I know you don't want to talk now, but if you ever need someone to listen-"

"They'd be more successful talking to a chipmunk." Wilson was leaning against the glass wall, his head around the doorway.

"Chipmunks are very good listeners," House countered. "In fact, they don't really talk much at all…"

"We need to talk," Wilson said, stepping away from the wall. House nodded once, and left Chase and Cameron to themselves.

"House is weird, isn't he?" Cameron remarked off-handedly. She moved to the sink to refill her mug. As she turned back around, swallowing the tepid coffee, she narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Chase's grin. His head was still bent over the paper, but he was smiling wide enough for Cameron to see.

"What are you thinking?" Cameron asked teasingly.

"I'm not thinking." His grin broadened. Cameron laughed in spite of herself as she repeated what she could remember of Chase's reply.

"You're always thinking" – though he wasn't – "and you're smiling. Maybe you're thinking how pretty those flowers" – what flowers? They never had flowers in the Diagnostics Office – "are today" – as if he would – "or maybe you're thinking how pretty I am today" – she forced herself to say it. Pretty. She hated that word. She hated people using it to describe her. She sympathised for Chase, though, who she supposed would hate it even more when people used it to describe him. – "I don't know. But you're thinking."

Chase stuck his tongue out slightly, resting between his teeth.

"Yeah, I am. I'm thinking something along those lines."

Cameron flushed faintly. Throughout their conversing, Chase hadn't lifted his head once, not to stretch his neck, not to look at her, nothing, and Cameron was getting annoyed at it. Cameron opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted again by another entrance.

Foreman walked in, blinked a greeting at Cameron, and sat down heavily.

"Where's House?"

"With Wilson," Cameron replied. She sat opposite Foreman. "We haven't had a case in almost three weeks."

"Maybe if Cuddy or Wilson approached one of us, we'd get more."

"Is that what's happening?" Cameron asked. She clutched her mug to keep her fingers warm. "House doesn't take the cases that are offered?"

"Used to be like that. Now they only ask him to take ones that they think will spark his interest. Which isn't many."

"I'm not ungrateful," Chase put in. "This is the first job I've had in which I've had time to get all the medical terms out of my head."

Cameron looked at him in surprise. She leaned over and scanned his crossword.

"13 letter word for the effects of insomnia," she read out, and Chase snatched up the crossword.

"Fine, I admit. Even I'm getting bored of sitting around with you guys. Not that there's anything wrong with sitting around with you guys," he added, looking at Cameron, who shot him a light-hearted sceptic look. He grinned back, and ducked his head again, returning to his medical crossword.

Cameron shook her head slightly, wondering why Chase had suddenly turned from casting shadowy glances at his colleagues, and exchanging little more than a few necessary words, to flirting shamelessly with her. Now she was confused and – Cameron blinked - hungry.

As she stood to visit the cafeteria, Cameron clamped her jaw decisively. Men should grow up.