Anyways.. just ONE more chapter before the party, and here it is. I thought poor Cammy's bad day could perhaps be used for her to expand her friendship with Cuddy, just because I can. But yeah, so review this one and then you get to read about the party! smiles evilly over her bribary

Chapter fifteen- Tears.

Slacking was, as usual, good fun. And despite herself, Cameron even smiled once or twice House really must have known something was wrong, because he even did his own clinic hours. All he asked her to do was some charting. Cameron's day didn't get any better, and it turned out that for once House was the one stopping her from going insane, rather than pushing her further towards the brink. He wasn't nice, and she hadn't expected him to be, but he certainly made her feel better. Even just a little bit.

House left the hospital at two thirty. He told Cameron and Wilson separately to make an excuse if Cuddy came 'swooping'.

Cameron reached Cuddy's office at three thirty four exactly. It was already dark outside, she noticed. She made her way inside quietly as she saw that Cuddy was on the phone. Luckily, Cuddy's tones were lower, calmer, and slower than usual. As had been the general rule for behaviour and speech alike in the hospital today. She had come to tell Cuddy that her stress migraine seemed to have made a visit, and she had taken something, but if it was still bad tomorrow it perhaps would be best if she came in later, or not at all.

"How's your day been Cameron?"

"Ha!" Cameron laughed out loud "Not great" The sarcastic smile that had been on her face moments before disappeared, and Cuddy automatically pushed a box of Kleenex in front of the young woman.

"What did he do this time?" Asked Cuddy.

"It wasn't House" Cameron's voice was shaking now and it was clear to the older doctor that in about ten seconds, her young friend would burst into tears. Cuddy had, on many occasions, been the one in Cameron's place, but with no friendly face handing her tissues.

"Bad day?"

"You have no idea" Cameron was trying to keep from crying because, it wasn't that bad. Just a few unfortunate occurrences on a day where Cameron would preferably have just shut off from the world and thought about his last birthday.

"Want to talk about it?"

Cameron , despite feeling like she was about to break down, kept her voice as steady as possible when she told Cuddy about the migraine, and Cuddy agreed to her idea of the day of if one returned in the morning. Cameron stopped after that, and went quiet. Cuddy could tell that she was walling up, and it must have been some kind of maternal instinct which made her get up from her seat, perch on the desk directly next to Cameron, touch her arm and say:

"But that's not all, is it."

"I was a total b1tch to House!" And, predicted by Cuddy, the tears began to fall. "And he'd not even done anything wrong!" Cameron clamped a hand over her mouth to stop sounding so pathetic in front of her boss, but one look at Cuddy showed that her boss really didn't mind, so she carried on: "I got-up-late-this-morning-and-"

In one movement Cuddy practically lifted Cameron out of her seat, and mentally told professionalism to go to he11. She had never seen Cameron really upset like this, and she pulled her into a hug like they had been friends for years:

"Go on"

"I fell on ice, like a moron." Cameron half laughed half sobbed this out "And my ankle's killing me. And House knows about it and he was so nice even though I was unbearably snappy." She took a deep breath, and realised for the first time how Cuddy was hugging her. It made Cameron want to cry more because she had so missed being able to cry on someone's shoulder.

"And I have a hole in this sweater. I love this sweater."

Cuddy couldn't help but laugh as the list got longer, and before long they were both laughing as the list went on "And I spilt the milk. AND I'm having a bad hair day."

She took another deep breath, half laughing but still shaky from the crying fit she had just had.

"Better?" Cuddy giggled as she released Cameron from her embrace.

"Much." Cameron wiped her eyes with her hand "Thank you"

"You're welcome. We all have bad days."

"Well next time you have one, come up to the pathology lab and you can sob all over me and ruin my shirt."

"It's a date."

Cameron went back to the differential diagnosis room and placed two small gifts on the conference table. She was too good to those guys, but she couldn't help it. Cuddy and Cameron had bought one another small gifts when they were out shopping together on Saturday. It ruined the element of surprise, but also guaranteed the other person would like what they received. Before she left the hospital, she left Wilson's gift on his office desk. She would give House his gift tomorrow night.

Wednesday morning came, and with it a new fall of snow and an impossibility to get out of Cameron's building. She spent twenty minutes explaining to Cuddy over the phone. It probably took this long because for half that time Cuddy was asking Cameron's advice about Houses current behaviour. It turned out that Foreman couldn't make it in either, nor could Wilson, and Cuddy was stressed beyond belief.

The passing of the day went much quicker than Cameron would have predicted. She didn't hear from any of her colleagues at the hospital, and so she enjoyed her time alone. She was both nervous and excited about her upcoming date with House.

Over at PPTH, House was irritated. He had one duckling. ONE. And it was CHASE. Not his first choice. And then, Cuddy had to come into his office.

"House."

"Oh, do come in! Sorry I didn't hear you knock." He said sarcastically.

"Because I didn't. I'm letting you off clinic."

House did a double take, and actually smiled:

"What?"

"Consider it a Christmas gift."

"I'm not sleeping with you."

"Thank God"

"You want something"

"Come to think of it-"

"Oh, here we go." He contorted his face in anticipation.

"Cameron. Be good to her." He stared at her silently "It's not in your nature and you probably won't listen to me, but just try with her."

"O-kay"

"I'm guessing you're going to be cruel now. But she likes you. And she doesn't deserve to be treated like crap, ok?"

"I know." He said, quietly.

Cuddy made it five feet from his office before bursting into a smile that illuminated the whole corridor, and upon reaching her office she clicked in speed dial 5 to her phone:

"It's on."

"Well done Lisa."

"Your idea, James"