The next morning, Cameron woke up with Tom curled up against her side, and
she could hear the rain slamming on the windows outside. Staying under the
covers had never been more tempting, especially since she was sleepy after
tossing and turning for an hour before finally falling asleep.

When the snooze went off, Cameron finally dragged herself out of bed and
peeped out the door. Wilson's door was still almost but not quite closed,
and the apartment was dark and still.

She made her way to the kitchen, refilling the cat food and starting the
coffee before getting her clothes out of the dryer and then slipping into
the bathroom for a shower.

James Wilson was like most men and usually woke up with a hard-on. Waking
up to the soothing noise of the shower wasn't helping when he couldn't help
imagining Cameron, in the shower. His shower. Soapy hands roaming...shit.

His erection was now almost painful, and he cursed under his breath.

Jerking off would feel weird with her in the apartment, and she would
probably freak out if she saw him like this.

House's mother ... Al Pacino in "Scarface" ... The score of the last New
Jersey Nets game ...

OK, almost gone. Wilson got out of bed, pulling a T-shirt over his head

before he followed the scent of coffee to the kitchen.

"Cameron, you want breakfast?" He called. The shower had stopped so she

should be able to hear him.

"No thanks, I usually just get yogurt at the hospital."

He was sitting at the table, still enjoying his coffee, when Cameron came
in. She was dressed in black pants and a crisp blue shirt, but her feet
were bare and her hair was hanging in damp tendrils around her makeup-free
face.

Wilson thought she had never looked more desirable.

"I got out a cup for you." He said, trying to cover up how he had looked
her up and down.

"Thanks." Cameron smiled at him.

"I'll just jump in the shower, then." Wilson hoped his smile looked relaxed
as he left her in the kitchen.

By the time he emerged from the bathroom, shirt and tie firmly in place,

Cameron had applied her usual light layer of makeup and put her hair up,

and they were ready to go.

It was almost noon by the time Cameron saw Wilson since they'd arrived at

the hospital together. Diagnostics had received a new patient that morning,
and they were wrapping up the differential before lunch.

"Hey, guys. Going down to lunch?" Wilson asked House.

"Yeah. And you better be buying, or I'll get upset that you're cheating on
me with Cameron." House's tone was light, but his eyes studied them,

looking for telltale signs that something had happened the night before.

"Don't worry, you can have your boyfriend back," Cameron said, rising from
the table. "I don't have time for lunch, anyway. Gonna get started on the
lab work."

Foreman and Chase followed her out, heading down to the cafeteria, leaving
House and Wilson.

"So. How's having Miss Niceness around?" House asked.

"Fine. She's a good houseguest, made coffee this morning."

"So she doesn't walk around in revealing undergarments?"

"What? No, of course not."

"Shame. Should have told her that was one of your house rules." House

wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, getting an eye roll from Wilson in

return.

"Not all guys are pigs, House."

"Says the panty peeler."

"Shut up, House."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was almost 2 in the afternoon when Cameron returned with the first

results of the tests she had been running in the lab. Most of them were
inconclusive, and she had a feeling this was going to be a long day.

She was reading the reports she was holding in her hand and almost missed

the Caesar salad sitting on her desk next to a bottle of water.

Smiling despite herself, she sank down in her chair and decided to eat
before House noticed she was back and wanted to see the results. She just
knew this was Wilson's doing.

House had noticed her as soon as she stepped into the room. He was
irrationally annoyed with Wilson for insisting on buying lunch for her so
she would eat when she got the chance. Why he was so irritated he didn't
know, but the thought that Wilson was finally putting the moves on Cameron
didn't sit right with him at all. Wilson would just cheat on her after a
few months, and then he'd have to watch Cameron mope around, House
rationalized. Nothing else.

That afternoon, House took his now foul mood out on his ducklings,

especially Cameron.

Cameron's cheeks were still flushed with anger when Wilson found her in the
lab late that afternoon.

"Hey, do you want a ride to my place or do you need to hang around here?"

"Thanks, Wilson, but it looks like I'll be stuck here for a while. House
demanded I redo all the lab work." Cameron said with a frustrated sigh.

"Anything I can do to help?"

Cameron looked up at Wilson, and smiled at him. "No, that's OK. And thank

you for lunch today; that was a very nice of you."

"Well, uh, it was nothing, really. So I'll just see you at the house
later?"

Wilson hurried out the door, and Cameron went back to work. The faster she

did this, the faster she could get out of here.

It was after 7 when Cameron finally pulled up to Wilson's townhouse in her
Volkswagen. Closing the door behind her with a sigh of relief that the

workday was over, she put her jacket and shoes away in the closet. She
headed toward the kitchen, where the smell of garlic and chicken made her

stomach rumble.

As she had done the night before, she found herself stopping in the doorway
and observing Wilson. Her question of how he fit into a little shirt like

the one he had let her borrow was answered. This shirt was charcoal gray
and fit him snugly, showing off his muscled torso, which was usually hidden

beneath his shirts and lab coat.

"Cooking, Dr. Wilson?"

"Yes, Dr. Cameron. I'll even feed you, on one condition."

"And that would be?"

"Call me James? When you call me Wilson here, I almost feel like I'm back
at work."

"All right ... James. If you call me Allison, or Ally." Cameron grinned.

"Ally it is." Wilson smiled at her.

"Anything I can help you with?"

"Just get yourself a glass of wine and relax."

Cameron poured each of them a glass, sat down at the kitchen table and

watched him prepare the rice and salad to go with the chicken.

Tom chose that moment to jump up in Cameron's lap and meow at her
pitifully.

"Aw, poor Tom. I know it smells good, but you can't have chicken. If you
keep eating chicken you'll turn into one. See, your cat food is right
there."

"So ... you talk to your cat a lot? I think I may have to reconsider this
roommate thing." Wilson teased her.

Cameron just stuck her tongue at out him. "Caring and talking to a pet
decreases blood pressure and increases life expectancy." She said in a
professional tone before ruining the effect by giggling.

"Sure ... freak show." He laughed at her.

It was the first time Cameron had ever seen Wilson really laugh, and she

was struck by how handsome he was. He had the beginnings of dimples when he

really smiled, and Cameron just wanted to lean forward and kiss them.

This is Wilson! Get a grip!

Cameron quickly dropped her head and pretended to be engrossed in stroking
her cat to avoid eye contact.

Tom, however, decided enough was enough and went over to wind himself

around Wilson's leg, purring loudly.

"He's decided he likes you."

"I think he's hungry." Wilson said, pretending to be nervous. "This thing

is 18 pounds at the very least, and I think he's going to eat me if I don't

give him the chicken soon enough."

Cameron laughed, and stood up to help him carry the food to the table.
"Don't worry, James; I won't let the big bad kitty eat you."

"Best. Chicken. Ever." Cameron told him with her mouth full when they
started eating.

It wasn't until half the food on her plate had been devoured that she
noticed Wilson's hand going every once and while down by his side.

"James? What are you doing?"

"Nothing." His face was the picture of innocence.

"I know you're feeding my cat."

"Dude, stay cool." He stage whispered to the cat that was sitting hopefully
by his side. "She's figured us out, buddy; no more chicken for you."

Cameron laughed out loud at him then. Wilson's exaggerated expression of
guilt was priceless.

"You'll never get rid of him now, you know. You're the chicken fairy from
now on."

"As long as he eats the chicken and not me."

Cameron just rolled her eyes at him and started to clear off the plates.

The phone in the hall rang, and Wilson stood up to get it. After Cameron

finished cleaning the kitchen, she went into her room to change into yoga
pants and a T-shirt before going into the living room.

"That was House." Wilson said.

"What did he want?"

"Nothing, really. Just wanted to be annoying," he said, his tone almost
frigid.

Cameron decided to just change the subject, since House had obviously
managed to piss Wilson off. "Anything good on TV?"

"Depends on what you call good."

Cameron reached over him to snag the remote, and started channel surfing.
They settled on a rerun of '"Two and a Half Men."

Wilson seemed to have let go of whatever House had said to annoy him and
was sitting comfortably with his legs crossed at the knee, tie off and

laughing occasionally at the show.

Tom jumped in Cameron's lap and promptly started purring after lying on his

back for a belly rub. Cameron absently stroked his belly while they watched
TV.

During a commercial break, she turned to Wilson, and said, "Tomorrow's
Friday."

"Looking forward to it already?"

"No. Well, yes but that's not what I meant. Listen, if you have a date or
something, you can tell me, and I'll get out of your hair."

"Why do you think I have a date?"

"Besides the fact that all the nurses get stars in their eyes when they
hear 'Dr. Wilson'?"

Wilson scoffed. "They do not. And anyway, I'm barely divorced, so no, I
definitely don't have a date. You don't have to go anywhere."

The show came back on, and they turned their attention back to the TV. At
the next commercial break, Wilson glanced at Cameron out of the corner of

his eye.

"You have a date?" He asked, continuing their talk from earlier.

"Me? No. I haven't had a date in almost a year."

"Ok, now I know you're lying. A year?"

"I never lie!" Cameron playfully shoved Wilson and laughed.

"All right, all right. So we're both pathetic and dateless," Wilson said,

chuckling.

"But seriously. You have to promise me if you want a little privacy or
something, don't hesitate to throw me out. You've been so nice letting me
stay here, and I don't want to crowd you or anything."

"It hasn't been any trouble, having you here." Wilson said, smiling warmly.

His hand held hers lightly, in what was meant as a friendly gesture, but an

unexpected jolt of electricity sparked between them.

Cameron watched, fascinated, as Wilson's eyes turned a deeper shade of
brown. They looked at each other for a moment, and Cameron could swear

Wilson started leaning toward her, when the doorbell rang, startling them

both.

"Two guesses on who that is," Wilson said, rolling his eyes.

"House would just drop by like that?"

"When he called earlier, he asked me to go out for a drink. I told him I
didn't feel like it and I'd see him tomorrow. Guess he decided to just come
by."

Wilson went to answer the door, and Cameron opted to stay where she was.

As she listened to Wilson open the door, and their voices too low for her
to hear, Cameron was surprised to feel disappointment that House had

interrupted them.

Was it her imagination, or was Wilson really going to kiss her?