Ch. 14 – Decisions and Heartache

Chase, Cameron, and House had been called in for a new case the next morning. By 5 o'clock that evening, their patient was stable, but still needed to be watched for a few more hours. House, being House, was not going to stay late just to look over a patient. Chase volunteered, knowing that Cameron was going out with Wilson tonight. He was hoping that it would keep his mind off of that particular subject.

With that decision made, House packed up his stuff, and limped off to the elevators. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, the elevator arrived. To House's dismay, or maybe it was actually pleasure, Cuddy was inside, on her way up to see him. He did not know it, but she had spent all day thinking of how to approach her. She still could not figure out if he meant what he said in the clinic all that time ago. It just nagged at her until she finally decided to confront him.

"Dr. Cuddy, to what do I owe this awful surprise?" House asked, studying her face. "House," Cuddy started. Her voice was soft, and that made him curious. "House, I – I wa-need to talk to you." House knew what this was about from the tone of her voice and her body language.

After she drew a shaky breath, she continued, "Did you – Did you really mean what – what you said that day…" Cuddy was silenced by House, who raised his hand to quiet her. Their eyes locked, and they slowly leaned into each other, their heads tilting as they went in for a kiss. Right before their lips could meet, they were met with a "ding," and the doors opened on the main floor.

They immediately jumped apart, and rushed out of the elevator, as if nothing happened.

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Meanwhile, back in the conference room, things were quiet. Cameron was sorting through House's mail before she left, while Chase finished a crossword puzzle while waiting to check in on the patient. Finally, Cameron finished. She stretched, stood up, grabbed her things, and said goodbye to Chase.

As she was stepping into an empty elevator, Wilson appeared, and joined her. They smiled at each other before Cameron spoke. "What should I wear tonight?" "Oh, umm, we're going to a restaurant, so something semi-formal." Cameron replied, "Oh, okay. Pick me up at 6:30?" "Right." Wilson was about to say something else, but they arrived on the main floor, so they went their separate ways.

At 6:10, Wilson studied himself in the mirror. He always wanted to look good, that's why he spends so much time getting ready. He had showered and blow-dried his hair. He was wearing a formal, green button-down shirt, black pants, black dress shoes, and a black formal jacket. He quickly put on some musky aftershave, and decided that he was ready. So he jumped into his car, and took off for Cameron.

Wilson arrived at Cameron's in 15 minutes. He stood outside her door, with a bouquet of red roses that he picked up for her. Less than a minute after he knocked, the door opened, and Cameron stepped out. She was wearing a beautiful red strapless dress that went down to her knees, red heels, and a red wrap. The first thing Cameron noticed was the flowers that Wilson was holding. "Oh, my. Those are beautiful! Let me put them in water." She then grabbed the flowers, and hurriedly put them in water.

When she returned, they left. Wilson took her to one of the fanciest restaurants in town, and they sat outside. Normally, Cameron would have thought that he broke his promise to keep things simple, but she knew that for Wilson, this was simple. After a waitress left with their orders, they started to talk. Well, Wilson did most of the talking. Cameron would tune in once in a while, but Wilson knew better.

They were both thankful when their meals arrived. They were so hungry that most of the meal was spent without any conversation. When they had finally finished, and Wilson had paid, they went out to his car. This was Wilson's style, a fancy dinner and then home, and Cameron knew it. They started talking again, but when Cameron noticed how the leaves in the trees were swaying out the window, her mind went back to last night's date with Chase, and she spaced out.

Wilson took note of this. With a deep sigh, he returned his eyes to the road. After a few minutes, they arrived at Cameron's place. Wilson got out first, helped Cameron out, and walked her to her door. Cameron turned to face Wilson, knowing that what she was about to say could change their relationship forever. Before she could even open her mouth, Wilson grabbed her shoulders, and pulled her into a passionate kiss. When he finally let go, he looked into her eyes and sighed.

"I hope you and Chase will be very happy together." Cameron nodded, and replied quietly, "Thank you." She hugged him quickly, then went inside to make a very important call. Wilson turned back to his car, and whispered to himself, "No, thank you." With that, he got into the car and drove home.

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About the same time that Wilson left Cameron's, House had made an important decision of his own. He was going to call Cuddy to tell her how he really feels, and to ask her out. Just as he reached out to grab the phone, it started to ring. Surprised, House pulled his hand back with wide eyes. After a second, he realized it was Wilson calling, and he answered, "What?!" "House," Wilson sounded down, "you got any beer?"

TBC

A/N – I believe this is my longest chapter yet. Chase won after all. Please R&R!