Disclaimer: I don't own House.
Rating: M overall
Pairing: House/Cameron
Spoilers: Love Hurts.
This is it: the final chapter. Thanks for sticking with me the whole way through. I appreciate it greatly. Thank you for reading. :)
Addiction: Chapter Twelve
He placed his fingers delicately on the ivory keys, before closing his eyes and playing. The melody was rich and calming as it reverberated around the dark townhouse. Schubert's Serenade.
He finished the piece and picked up his conveniently positioned glass of whiskey from the top of the piano. Putting it back after taking a drink, he glanced at his watch. Ten o'clock.
Playing a couple of notes with his left hand, he thought of her. Of the four lonely days since she had been here.
He got to his feet and went over to get his cell phone from inside his jacket pocket. Holding the cool plastic in his fist, he sat down on the couch and flipped it open.
She answered after only a few rings, "Hi."
"Jazz club's got a special guest tonight," he said, wondering if she knew him well enough yet to understand.
She paused, before saying softly, "Oh, really?"
The corner of his mouth twitched slightly, "Yup. Thought you'd want to know."
She smiled. She wondered if he would actually ask her. "So, where is this jazz club? Is it the one on East Broad Street?"
"Never you mind. In fact, a crippled misanthrope in a 1965 'Vette will be ready to escort you there in twenty minutes time," he said, before snapping the phone shut.
He got up and moved to his bedroom, opening the closet to find something halfway decent to throw on. Emerging five minutes later in a navy blue dress shirt (Rolling Stones t-shirt hidden underneath), and a dark pair of jeans, he went over to the piano and took another gulp of his whiskey.
Getting into his Corvette, he cranked up the stereo with some Pink Floyd, speeding off down the streets to Cameron's apartment. He parked out the front and got out. Eying the building, he pulled his Vicodin from his pocket, remembering the killer stairs.
He slipped the small bottle into his pocket and looked up. His breath caught in his throat as he saw Cameron walking towards him. Her hair was loosely pulled up, a few of her silky tresses framing her face. She wore a knee-length emerald green number with thin straps, stilettos completing the outfit.
She smiled and reached up to kiss him. He responded hungrily, but she pulled back fairly quickly and smiled again before walking around to the passenger side of the car. He let out a frustrated breath and got into the car.
They reached the club within a few minutes and went inside the fairly crowded room.
A wizened old man waved enthusiastically at them from the bar and made his way over.
"House! Haven't seen you for aaaaaages!" he hollered.
"Yeah. I've been busy doing stuff," House said flatly.
"Who's the bird? She's a pretty little thing, isn't she?" the obnoxious man continued.
"Alison Cameron," she cut in, "Nice to meet you."
"And could we get a table any time soon, Artie?" said House impatiently.
Artie pointed a gnarled finger toward a table in the very corner, nudging House, and whispering, "There you go, a bit of privacy so you can put the moves on the pretty one."
House didn't reply and they both walked over to the table and sat down next to each other.
Cameron smirked and said, "Lovable guy."
House rolled his eyes and said, "I have to keep reminding myself that the musicians are well worth it. The few minutes listening to that old moron's crap are a small price to pay for some of the people that perform here."
They sat in silence for a few minutes, before Cameron turned to him and said cheekily, "So, are you going to 'put the moves on the pretty one'?"
House raised his eyebrows, before putting a hand on her knee under the table. She blinked and he slid his hand further up her thigh, watching her reaction. Cameron's held her breath as he pushed the hem of her dress up slightly and danced his fingers on her bare skin.
The guest musician arrived and House kept his hand on her knee as the man sat down on a chair in the centre of the stage and began to play his saxophone.
♥
Two hours later, they clapped along with the rest of the crowd as the saxophone guy bowed and left the stage. House drank his scotch and drummed his fingers on the table. Sneaking a glance at Cameron as she sipped her drink, he thought about how beautiful she really was.
He wondered what she was doing here with him. What she could possibly be getting out of this. It was one of the great mysteries of life, but he wasn't going to question it. Not like on their 'date'. (What I am is what you need. I'm damaged.)
She turned and caught his gaze, smiling softly. She moved a slender hand to place it on top of his. He looked at their hands and then up at her, before leaning towards her and kissing her tenderly.
They pulled apart and he said, "Do you feel like going, yet?"
She nodded and they got up to leave. House pulled her out with him quickly after he spotted Artie attempting to make his way over to them again.
He pulled up outside his townhouse and they got out. It was chillier outside now than it was before, and Cameron held her coat closely around her while House unlocked the door. The dark townhouse was flooded with light as House flipped the lights on.
"What do you want to drink?" he asked.
"Surprise me," she replied, as she took her coat and shoes off.
House went into the kitchen and Cameron scanned the room. Seeing the piano, she made her way over and sat in front of it. She smiled, imagining House's long, slender fingers playing complex pieces to vent his feelings.
She glanced in the direction of the kitchen, before playing a simple C-major scale.
Almost immediately, House emerged bearing two glasses and a bottle of whiskey. "What are you doing?!" he exclaimed.
She grinned and kept playing, beginning an F-major scale.
He set the glasses and the bottle down on the coffee table and moved quickly over to her. He picked up her fingers and held them away from the keys. "Don't you hurt my baby," he said.
She looked up at him innocently and said, "I used to take piano lessons. I won't break it or anything."
"Yeah, probably when you were seven or something," he replied, still holding her hands away from the piano.
She grinned evilly and said, "Will you teach me?"
He looked at her for a second, before murmuring, "Move over."
Cameron scooted down the piano seat as much as she could and House sat down next to her. Deciding that Für Elise was the easiest piece he could remember how to play, he began to play it so that she could listen and get an idea of how it went.
She smiled and watched him play, watched how his eyes were closed and how his fingers seemed to know exactly where to go without much instruction from him. When he finished the piece, she rested her head on his shoulder.
He looked down at her and raised his eyebrows. She smiled up at him and then lifted her head and kissed his jaw. He turned his head further towards her and she captured his lips softly.
They broke apart and he said, "Do you want to learn or not? You're not going to get very far if you keep trying to sex up your instructor."
She smirked and placed her fingers on the keys, trying to play the piece. She managed to stumble over the first few notes before he said that he would only teach her once she went and bought herself some beginner books.
They moved to the couch to drink the whiskey and Cameron turned on the television. As it was nearly one in the morning, there wasn't anything particularly riveting on, so they watched the news, and laughed at the presenter after House made a comment that the dumbass couldn't even put his toupee on straight.
House looked at Cameron sitting there by his side, her bare feet tucked under her, not caring that her fancy dress was getting crushed. Her lipstick was slightly smudged and more locks of hair were falling from their loose fastening. He felt a twang in his chest. Angina?
No. He knew what this was. He also knew that he was powerless to stop it.
He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her towards him. She rested her head on his shoulder. The news report finished, and House felt sure that Cameron had fallen asleep. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was slow and even.
He leant down and kissed the top of her head and whispered softly, "I love you."
Smiling, he rested his head back against the couch and closed his eyes, before drifting peacefully to sleep.
Fin.
Please review! Hopefully the ending wasn't too abrupt, unexpected, or fluffy (although I plead guilty on all charges of fluffiness).