A/N: Apologies for the long wait. I was out of town for the past few weeks and didn't have internet access. In payment of this great debt, I packed this chapter full of House/Cameron fun. Enjoy, and please don't hate me too much!

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Late afternoon brought a change in the formerly easygoing atmosphere of the Diagnostics Department. House sat in his chair, tossing his tennis ball and blasting his iPod as he stared off into space. Cameron sat at her own desk, sneaking glances at her colleague as she tried to figure out what was on his mind.

It couldn't be a case, she decided, since they didn't have one at the moment. It was unlikely that House's current mood had anything to do with medicine at all, which left only three possibilities; Wilson, Cuddy, or Cameron herself. Cuddy wasn't a very likely candidate, and Wilson had been more distant with House lately. The most likely contributor, she realized, was her. But why? Could House be worrying about the kiss (or rather kisses) they'd shared earlier? Cameron knew that was just a prank on Cuddy. Didn't House know she already knew?

Cameron was interrupted from her reverie as House abruptly rose from his chair.

"I'm going to talk to Wilson." He informed her. That settled it. She was definitely the problem. She smiled just a little. It was kind of cute the way that he was so worried about one little prank changing their relationship. She sighed as she watched him limp down the hallway. For all his intelligence, sometimes he could be downright stupid.

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James Wilson was just about to leave for the day when a very disgruntled House barged into his office and sat in one of the available chairs. The diagnostician played with his cane and stared off into space, as his friend sighed deeply before speaking.

"What happened?" Wilson began his analyzation.

"Nothing."

"If it was nothing, you wouldn't be here. Something happened that made you come here. Since you're bothering me instead of letting Cameron psycho-analyze you, it must have involved her. Either she told you that she's deathly ill or you hooked up."

"We didn't 'hook up', Jimmy. Only you do that."

"Then what did you do? It has to be something to have gotten you in this lovely mood." House was suddenly very quiet. "What?" Wilson grinned.

"We kissed." House admitted, albeit quietly.

"You kissed? You kissed Cameron?"

"Yes."

"You kissed Cameron and that's why you're all freaked out?" Wilson laughed and was silenced by a death glare from House. "Okay, but seriously, why is this a big deal? If I remember correctly, you've kissed her before." House remained silent. "Are you going to make me interrogate you?" More silence. "Fine. I'll bite. Who kissed who?"

"I kissed her."

"Why did you kiss her?"

"Cuddy came in and we were laughing about a fake case. I made a crack about how Cameron and I were laughing because we were dating, but Cuddy wouldn't believe me."

"So you felt like you had to prove that you were dating, even though you weren't." Wilson finished for him. "I don't see why that's a problem. Cameron would have known that was just a prank to set Cuddy off." House blushed a little. "There's more." Wilson realized. "Isn't there."

"I kissed her again. After Cuddy left."

"You're in trouble." Wilson cackled.

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Cameron looked up as House re-entered the Diagnostics Office. He didn't look much better, and Cameron's unfailing nice-ness kicked in immediately.

"I know it was just a joke." She told him quietly. "You don't need to worry about me getting all touchy-feely with you. I know you don't like me." She gathered up her coat and bag and slipped out of the office leaving House to himself. She'd learned to hide her feelings during her time away from PPTH, and didn't think House had heard the twinge of hurt in her voice as she'd reassured him about the kiss. She could deal with having him not want her.

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House had heard the tremble in her voice, though, small as it had been. He'd been hiding from the memory of that last, stolen kiss throughout the day, but hearing that tiny bit of emotion in Cameron's voice brought it right back. He had kissed her once for a prank, but the second kiss had been purely for his own benefit. He hadn't told Wilson how much he enjoyed the feel of Cameron's lips against his, her small frame wrapped in his arms.

He wasn't the type to suddenly realize how much he liked and needed someone. He'd known all along that he wanted Cameron. He'd pushed her away, out of protection, telling himself that she needed to find someone better than him. Cursing his stupidity, he grabbed his own coat and limped towards the door.

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Cameron was midway through a glass of her favorite red wine when she heard the knock at her door. Her hair was a mess, and her face was still red and damp from the tears she had shed. She was dressed in her favorite flannel pajamas, in the hope that they would comfort her, and her 'sad days' movie, "An Affair To Remember" played on the tv screen. She sighed to herself and went to answer the door, not bothering to fix her appearance. She knew she looked awful, but at the moment, she just didn't care.

The door swung open to reveal House. The cranky diagnostician took one look at her tear-streaked face before stepping through the door and wrapping his arms around her. She started crying again, unable to hold it in, and House mentally cursed himself for being such a bastard.

"I'm going to be a bastard, Cameron." He began at last. "It's something I can't change. I'm going to say the wrong things, and sometimes, I'm not going to know what to do. It's got nothing to do with you." Her eyes met his questioningly. He sighed. "I wasn't upset because of you, Cameron. I don't hate you. I was mad at myself for not knowing what to do, for not being strong enough to tell you that this is what I wanted. I do want this. All of this." He kissed her once more, this time so lightly that she could have sworn it was a dream. When he pulled away, she could see the question in his eyes, the fear that she didn't want him back. Smiling slightly, she raised her small hands to cup his face. Standing on her tip-toes, she kissed him back with every ounce of feeling she could muster. His arms wrapped around her waist and she could feel him relax as he pulled her closer.

"Get dressed." He told her gently, as the kiss ended. "We're going out."