'And you stood at your door with your hands on my waist and you kissed me like you meant it.'

Hands Down – Dashboard Confessional

The soft click of her door stirred Cameron from her sleep. She opened her eyes, yawning as she sat up; her sheets still a tangle around her body. She gave a quick glance at the spot next to her in the bed, even though she already knew it would be empty.

A trickle of doubt sank through her, but she shook it back, looking at the clock on her beside table. 8:00 Am. They had their lecture at 9am. Wrapping the sheets around her completely, Cameron sat up and got out of bed, padding into the bathroom so she could shower before she had to go downstairs.

10 minutes later Cameron emerged from her bathroom, dressed in a skirt and blouse, and sat on her bed, grabbing her shoes from the floor.

She had always had a sneaking suspicion that this would happen. It wasn't entirely like House to stay around for the morning after of anything. Yet she still couldn't help but feel abandoned. The thought of what was going to happen next made her uncertain more than anything.

Cameron gave her hair a quick brush, opting to leave it out today, and picked up her bag, heading out her door. She walked into the corridor, closing her door behind her and locking it. When she turned the key, she felt someone come up behind her. She knew who it was without even turning around.

'Morning,' Cameron said softly, feeling slightly dazed that House had his chest pressed against her back in the open corridor.

'Morning,' House replied roughly, his warm breathe hitting the back of Cameron's neck. He felt her shiver. He smirked.

Cameron turned around to face him, and realized just how close he was. She leant against her door and looked up at him. 'You left,' She stated, biting her lip.

'I had to take a shower. Wouldn't want to turn up at the lecture looking all rumpled, would I? What kind of an impression would that put on the hospital?' House replied, staring into her face.

Cameron smiled slightly, looking down the corridor. Things were changing. And they were changing fast. She couldn't quite grasp the concept.

'Um – we should go,' Cameron gestured down the hall.

House's forehead creased. 'You ok?' He asked, leaning on his cane as he backed up.

Cameron nodded, a smile creeping onto her mouth as she began to walk down the corridor to the elevator. Cameron shook her head and mentally kicked herself as she pressed the button to the elevator. She didn't know why she was acting so weird, but she just felt like she needed some space to grasp what had happened.

House stepped up beside her and brushed against her side, staring at the metal doors.

Cameron sighed. Space was something she knew she probably wouldn't get.

Sitting at the back of the lecture hall, Cameron was becoming increasingly aware of House's presence beside her.

Every few minutes he would cock his head and look at her. A casual brush of his knee against her thigh would make her take a breath, yet Cameron was determined to keep her eyes at the front. She didn't want this to affect anything, yet she knew that as soon as she had let him into her room things would be affected. Things would change. Things have changed.

The woman at the front of the hall wrapped up her speech in more than a few pages and the hall scattered in applause as people rose from their seats. Cameron was still seated, her hands firmly holding her book and bag, noticing that House had turned to look at her again.

'Let's get out of here,' He said, standing up and looking down at her.

Cameron looked up at him as she rose. 'Can you just –'

'You want to talk,' House interrupted, annoyance creased into his face. 'I know that. I know you. And we should. Not here.'

Cameron stared at him. This was the first time she had ever heard him willingly offer to talk. To her. To anybody.

She nodded, leading the way out of the lecture hall and out to the hallway of the hotel. Luckily for House and herself, they had reserved the hotel which the conference was held at, so they never really had far to go. From each other, Cameron thought, walking to the elevators and hearing House's cane click on the marble behind her.

The doors dinged open and they walked in. The doors clicked shut before anyone else had the time to enter and Cameron breathed a sigh of relief. She smirked, waiting for the impending question.

'So are you going to explain why you've been so weirded out all day?' House asked looking at her.

'I just needed to think,' Cameron replied, looking ahead at the metal doors.

'Do you always get this way after sex?' House asked, cocking his head.

Cameron looked up at him. 'No, I always get this was after screwing my boss though.'

House smirked. 'Huh. I knew there were more before me.'

Cameron let a small smile creep onto her features as the doors dinged open and she walked down the corridor to her room. She stiffened as she turned the key in the lock, feeling his shoulder brush against hers as he stepped up next to her. She hadn't quite gotten used to it yet. It would take awhile.

Opening the door and walking in, Cameron waited for House to close the door behind her. The door clicked and she dropped her keys on her beside table, turning around to face him.

'Ok. So talk,' House said, leaning on his cane near the door.

Cameron took a deep breath. He wasn't going to make this easy. 'This is … what's happening … I'm not quite sure how to react. It's a huge change. You must understand that more than I do. This could … things could happen. And I don't want to get myself into something that … I need something. From you.' She finished her speech, looking up at him.

'I'm not making any promises,' House shifted uncomfortably.

'I don't expect you to. I just need … something. Something to let me know that this isn't just a hug mistake and that you aren't just messing with me,' Cameron replied, taking a step towards him.

House took a step towards her and placed his hand on her hip, gently rubbing it through the thin material. 'I don't know if this is a huge mistake. Maybe it is. But I don't want to stop,' He said softly, his breath tickling her cheek.

Cameron stared at him. Before she could reply, House closed the distance between them, pulling her flush against him as his lips explored hers. Cameron loosened somewhat, placing her hands on his forearms before she broke away abruptly, breathing heavily.

'Stop,' She said softly, closing her eyes. 'We need to have a proper discussion. I don't want to just – '

'Cameron.' House took a step towards her, cutting her off mid sentence.

'What?' Cameron asked, her breath shaking as she looked up at him.

'Shut up,' House stated, before leaning down and pressing his lips on hers again. Cameron gave up, leaning into him as she opened her mouth and allowed his tongue to clash with hers. She whimpered, grasping his forearm as his hands moved up her top to brush his fingers against her skin.

It wasn't a beginning. It wasn't anything. It was just them. And strangely enough, that appealed to them more than anything else.