Cameron's Differential
House shrugged on his jacket and took up his backpack and black helmet before exiting his apartment. Cameron waited patiently as he stepped out, closing the door behind him.
She kissed him softly as he turned toward her.
"Hey now, what did I say about all the buttons on that blouse." he said a frown developing.
"Aw come on! If they're all done up then I look like a frigid spinster."
"So, you want loads of doctors and patients ogling at you?"
"I want you looking at me." she said leaning closer to him.
"Don't worry I will." he said softly, kissing her on the lips. "Until Cuddy walks in, her fun-bags are just so hypnotic."
She smiled and smacked him playfully on the chest. "See you at work." she said stepping out onto the sidewalk and toward her car.
"Does my driving scare you that much?" he asked with a smirk.
She turned toward him a confused look on her face.
"Here." he mumbled tossing her the helmet.
She turned away from him and towards her car, helmet still in hand leaving a confused House in her wake.
His brow was knitted in concentration as he watched her open her car and disappear momentarily. She emerged from the car and, much his enjoyment, proceeded to lock it behind her and return to him.
"My purse." she said holding it up as evidence, then taking his bag from him and placing her purse in it. Then she then threw it over her own shoulder knowing he couldn't ride with it while she was with him.
"Come on then." He said sarcastically, tutting and shaking his head in an overly dramatic fashion.
Arriving at the hospital, the parking lot was almost a quarter full, but as a force of habit he sped past all of the cars to park his bike on the handicapped spot.
Cameron slid off the bike and removed the helmet, slightly mussing up her soft curls.
"I don't know what I was thinking asking you to ride with me." House said seriously shaking his head.
Cameron looked cross as she threw the helmet at him as he hopped off the bike.
He chuckled slightly as he caught the helmet, "Every time I ride with you I'm twice the road hazard I usually am."
She smiled and rolled her eyes, knowing he'd riled her on purpose.
"What are people going to think?" she asked a little apprehensively.
"Whatever they want." Then considering the nervous look in her eyes he added, "Tell them you had car trouble, and since I can be relied upon to be late you called me."
She smiled discreetly in thanks before taking out her purse and returning the backpack to its owner.
They walked towards the elevator doors and hit the call button.
"What are we...?" Cameron began.
"Let's just keep it between us for now." he said softly as the elevator dinged and the doors sprung open to reveal an empty carriage.
"Ok." she said smiling inwardly.
House hit the buttons for the ground and diagnostic floor.
"I'm going for a hearty breakfast." he said smirking, and turning to Cameron. "Need to keep my strength up after all that exercise." His eyebrows moving suggestively.
"You'd better eat a good lunch and dinner as well." she said in a low husky voice.
"Oh, don't worry I will." leaning toward her, he kissed her soundly and briefly on the lips as the lift began to slow. "Get you upstairs in five minutes?"
She nodded a reply as the doors opened.
"You look happy." Foreman said as he saw Cameron enter the conference room.
"Thanks." she said smiling softly and moving to her desk to drop her purse on it with a slight sigh.
"And exhausted." said Chase simply as Cameron shook off her jacket.
She gave him a look that clearly said 'If you had the night I did you would be too', before moving over to the coffeemaker.
"And what's with the jeans?" continued Chase.
She shook her head slightly, and making sure the machine was switched on she made her way to the whiteboard and wrote the following; Happy, Exhausted, Casual Dress. She was wrestling to hide her amusement as she turned to the colleagues expectantly.
"Is that a hickey?" asked Foreman, a small purple mark visible at the collar of her shirt.
She penned it quickly in her loopy scrawl, turning from them to hide her grin.
"Someone got lucky last night." House said entering the room and considering the symptoms on the whiteboard.
His gaze swept lazily over Cameron as Foreman and Chase made spluttering noises.
"You had sex last night?" Foreman asked shocked.
She didn't get a chance to answer.
"You didn't go back to the prissy Brit did you?" asked House with a smirk as he dropped his helmet, jacket and bag just inside his office.
"No!" she cried in a slightly disgusted tone. "No offence Chase."
"S'alright." Chase answered not even caring that he was called British once again, only filled with relief as he was safe from the jealous wrath of House.
"Who then?" House asked, with more than a glimmer of mischief in his eyes.
She sighed a little closing her eyes, a bolt of pure fear and nervousness shot through him and he though his name would come from her lips.
"A stripper doing overtime to pay for his college tuition." she said evenly, the only hint of anything amiss in her shinning eyes.
My, my he'd taught her well.
By the look of Foreman and Chase neither was sure if she was telling the truth or not.
It was rather a shame that she'd just given him enough ammo to tease her for a year.
He was looking forward to showing off his stripper skills later that evening. Perhaps she'd do the same.
"I might have known." House said smirking. "A nice person like you would only put out for a good cause."
He swept past her, so close she could smell the scent of the shower gel he'd used that morning, causing other flashes of images and sensations associated with the smell coursing through her.
"College tuition. Save the Wombat fund." he said taking up a red mug, peering over the rim to make sure it was clean then turning back to his female duckling. "Maybe I should start a 'Help the ex-cripples charity'?"
She blushed vividly under his furious stare. A normal reaction from Chase and Foreman's point of view. Though neither knew the true reason she blushed was not because of his comment but for the fact that his stare quite clearly said 'I'm picturing you naked right now'.
"You know," House said continuing as if he did not see her blush, "if it had been her college tuition I would have been far more interested in whatever wild hot kinky sex you had but right now ... Mutt n' Jeff." he said turning to an aghast Chase and Foreman. "Get to the clinic and Miss Thang over there can catch up on charting."
"My charts are ..." she started, her cheeks still pink in color.
"Mine." he said pointing to his office and his messy paper strewn desk.
She sighed and made her way into his office, six eyes following her.
"Go!" he shouted at the male members of his team who were staring at Cameron. His Cameron.
They jumped at the sound of his voice and stood slowly still trying to shake their shock.
After ensuring they were gone he took a second mug in hand.
2 minutes later he walked into his office setting a mug on his desk before lying lengthways on the office couch watching Cameron work over the rim of his coffee mug.
She could feel his staring boring through her as she attempted to work. And after reading the same sentence six times she decided she'd had enough.
"Stop it." she said without looking up from the second chart of forty. How the hell could he see this many patients in three days anyway?
"What?" he said chuckling slightly.
"I can tell what you're thinking." she said flatly.
"Really? Is this a 'What men want' thing? Guess that explains why you were so good last night." he said in a dreamy sort of fashion, "And this morning." A grin spreading from ear to ear.
She blushed and smirked at the paperwork.
"So, can I continue with my thoughts, oh mighty mind reader?"
"After that compliment you can do just about anything."
"Anything?" he asked suggestively before sipping at his coffee.
"We'll discuss it later. Now go and talk to Wilson or something, or I'll never get these charts done." she said her gaze finding his for the first time in the exchange.
"Yes, mistress." he said standing with a slight bow making her giggle.
He passed into the conference room placing his almost empty coffee on the table before moving back to the threshold of his office as if he'd forgotten something.
Cameron's gaze was once again focused on the charts.
"You know if I talk to Wilson..."
"Tell him whatever you want, Greg. I'd suggest you be honest because he'll find out eventually." she stated simply, then continued with a smile in her voice. "But it doesn't mean you can't have a little fun with him first."
He regarded the beautiful woman at his desk with pride shinning in his eyes as he watched her continue her work.
"I love you." he said simply.
By the time the words registered and she looked up from an accidental scribble derived from her shock there was not a sign of him in the office, conference room or hallway.
She smiled noticing the hot cup of coffee on the edge of the table and subsequently his thoughtfulness.
Maybe this time it was real.
See "State of Play" for the sequel.