A/N: We're back! With the second installment of our trilogy :D Enjoy, and thanks for reading!

Chapter One

"So, about that drink…" House said as they entered the chaos of the ER. It was near the end of the day but it was a Friday, and the triage was standing room only.

"How about we just meet there? At six? I have some paperwork I need to finish up and then I need to figure out who's going to run the ER."

"I'm sure you'll find somebody more than capable. Don't stress about it."

"Easier said than done. Go see if you can clear triage for awhile until you're off."

"Yes, Mistress," he said in a deep voice that made her shiver. She wasn't sure what brought that reaction but she liked it. House was turning her on, and it had been too long since anyone had done that.

She watched him go to triage and take over with admitting before heading into the fray where patients awaited.

At six, it was time to go home but Cameron was knee-deep in the middle of dealing with a screaming kid who didn't want stitches.

"I'll meet you at the jazz lounge down the block," he whispered in her ear, which made her blush as the boys' parents watched them with interest. "You do like jazz, don't you?"

House then looked at the kid and pointed at Cameron. "She's the best doctor in the ER. Want red stitches to match your Deadpool shirt?"

The boy eagerly nodded and smiled at House. "Yeah!"

"I'll go get the red thread," Cameron said and excused herself while House followed. "You know, despite what you say, you're really good with kids."

"I talk to them like anyone else," he said with a shrug as he watched her get the supplies. "They don't like being talked down to. They're smarter than that."

Cameron nodded. "I'll head over once I finish up here."

"Sounds good."

Half an hour later, she still hadn't shown up and House was getting annoyed. Finally, he gave in and called her cell.

She answered on the second ring. "I'm sorry, House. I can't leave. Two doctors called in sick and there's nobody else here."

"You're by yourself?"

"Pretty much, other than some nurses. But they can only do so much."

The pleading tone in her voice was more than he could stand so House ended the call, paid for his single beer and headed back to the hospital.

"If you didn't want to go out with me, all you had to do was say so," he told her as he entered the ER, shedding his jacket. His teasing tone was lost on her, however, and she scowled at him.

"Not now, House. If you're going to help me, great, grab some scrubs and dive in. I have some more people coming in but it'll be awhile before they get here."

Not seeming to have any choice, House grabbed a clean set of scrubs and went to change.

Three hours later, help finally arrived and after briefing the doctors on what there was to do, Cameron beat a hasty retreat to the locker rooms and all but collapsed onto one of the benches. She couldn't remember the last time she was so tired and the bench suddenly seemed very comfortable. Stretching out on it, she was asleep in minutes.

When House came in ten minutes later, he found her asleep and didn't want to wake her but he didn't want her sleeping there all night, either. With the tip of his cane, he tapped her foot and she woke up so fast she lost her balance and rolled off the bench onto the floor.

"Oww! Shit!" she hissed as she rubbed her elbow. "What the hell, House?"

"Sorry, but I didn't think you wanted to spend the night on that bench. Not that the floor is any better."

She was still rubbing the elbow she landed on when she fell and he stepped forward to help her to her feet. "Let me see it."

"It's fine."

"I insist," he said and gently took her elbow, examining it. It was then she noticed just how soft his hands were. She knew he played piano and guitar and his fingers were certainly that of a musician. Long and thin.

"You'll want to get ice on that or you're going to have a hell of a bruise."

"I'm going to have a bruise anyway," she said between yawns.

"You're also not driving home. Get your stuff. I'll take you."

"On your bike?"

"Yep. Which means you'll have to hold on tight and try not to fall asleep so we don't get killed."

He handed her his helmet and she looked strangely at him. "Don't you need it?"

"Ladies first," he said and they headed outside. He climbed on first, and she got on behind him.

"Where do you want my hands?" she asked.

He took her wrists and securely wrapped them around his waist. "Not too tight," he chuckled. "And lean into the turns with me."

"Got it."

House turned the key in the ignition and the engine roared to life. "Ready?" he asked her.

"Yeah, let's go."

He took her home and she climbed off before handing him back his helmet. "Did you want to come in?"

House shrugged and nodded. "Sure."

Once inside, Cameron hung up her jacket and dropped her bag on the floor. "What can I get for you?"

"Got a beer?"

"Yep."

She returned a couple of minutes later with a glass of wine for herself and she handed him a bottle of beer.

"So," he said as he twisted the cap off the bottle. "Why don't we just cut the small talk and get into it?"

"Get into what?" she asked as she sat down beside him and sighed as she sank into the couch cushions.

"We like each other."

"I didn't realize that was an issue. We've been working together for months. And if I didn't like you, I wouldn't have agreed to run the department with you."

"You're still a horrible liar. It's one thing to lie to a patient, but you can't lie to me."

"Oh, is that right?" she asked as she kicked off her shoes and put her feet on the coffee table.

"Yeah. And for the record, there's nothing wrong with it."

"With what?"

"Liking each other and doing something about it."

He looked so intensely at her that she started to feel warm all over. It was so predatory. She felt like a mouse being stalked by a very determined cat.

"Stop it, House," she said as she took a long sip of her wine, hoping it would fan the flames that seemed to be heating things up. Suddenly it felt very warm in the room.

"Why?"

"Because I said so! It's just...a bad idea. When two people work as closely as we have, it's only natural for feelings to emerge, and that's all fine and dandy. But to try and make a relationship out of it? It rarely works. You've heard about all the pairings at work that have quickly gone south. I don't want to be another statistic. And then we're stuck working together which would just be even more awkward."

"We can work together and be adults, you know. It happens all the time. Look at Wilson and Amber."

"They don't work together," Cameron pointed out. "You can't use them as an example."

"So you don't even want to try?"

"What, House? Having a personal relationship as well as a working one? I already told you I think it's a bad idea."

"And I don't."

"Well that's your opinion."

"It's the only one that matters when one of us is talking total nonsense."

"Oh, I'm the one talking nonsense? You just got your own department handed to you on a silver fucking platter! You've got me helping you, like you wanted, and you're willing to piss it all away because you've got a hard on for me. Un-fucking-believable!" She slammed her wine glass on the table and stood up, just as House did the same and they stood toe to toe staring at each other.

He wanted to grab her and kiss some sense into her. That would certainly take a lot of kissing, he thought to himself.

"Sit down, Cameron."

"Don't tell me what to do in my house, House," she said defiantly as she folded her arms.

House smirked and rolled his eyes. "Okay fine, please sit down, Cameron."

"I'm done talking about this because there's nothing to talk about."

"Fine," he said as he picked up the beer bottle and guzzled the last little bit. "I'll go then."

"Fine."

"But just so you know, we're not done talking about this."

Once he left, Cameron closed the door behind him and locked it. Then she threw herself against it and fanned herself. "What the fuck was that?"