A/N: A considerably longer chapter than my last one, I am so proud of my self. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Enough said…

"House? Cameron?" Came Chase's annoying voice. Pushing himself from her and catching her arms as her legs hit the ground he rasped out a response.

"What!"

"It's Scott." Foreman replied as Cameron grabbed the x-ray and House opened the door. "He's gone into a coma."

'Vicodin! Vicodin! Vicodin!' His leg screamed as he and Cameron exited the room behind Chase and Foreman. Limping close behind he stepped towards the back of the empty elevator, pulling a bottle from his pocket he downed two pills, the bitter sweet taste already offering a sense of relief on his leg. Glancing towards Cameron he was surprised to see her blatantly staring at him, her head shaking in response to his pills as if to say I told you so. He reminded himself to have a talk with her about that later.

His thoughts swiftly ended however as the elevator came to a halt on their floor, the doors opening and allowing them to step off, House already limping ahead of his ducklings. Stepping into the patients room the first thing he did was sigh before picking up the kid's chart and reading his stats.

"Pain induced coma." He stated, shaking his head he threw the clipboard on the food tray beside him. Turning he walked through Chase and Foreman and ignored a tearing Cameron in the corner.

"How long does he stay on life support?" Chase called to him as he was halfway out the door.

"He won't make it through the night." House stopped, dropping his head for a moment before proceeding out the door and back to the elevator. The three ducklings stood in silence for a moment, their gazes weighing intensely on the dying man.

"Out of all the things we've seen…" Cameron started. "There has never been a person we couldn't treat in some way. There has to be something."

"You know as well as us all that there is no treatment for this type of brain degeneration." Foreman stated.

"We could have prevented this coma though, we should've seen the signs." She argued.

"We couldn't have known!" Chase exclaimed. "There was no way of knowing that a pain as small as a broken pinky toe would shut his body down."

"With the cases we've seen we should've at least known that this could happen."

"Did you not hear House?" Foreman snapped. "This kid was one in every three million Cameron. We have never had a patient like this and more than likely never will again. He lived a longer life than most people with his condition."

"A considerably longer life." Chase added, not to outdone by his colleague. Shaking his head at a still watery eyed Cameron, Foreman finally sighed.

"I'm on clinic." He stated, moving towards the door, leaving Chase and Cameron alone with the comatose patient.

"You ok Cam?" Chase asked, moving slightly closer to her as her shoulders slumped.

"I'm fine." She replied, her shoulders sagging as she willed herself to quit crying.

"You sure?"

"I think I know how I feel."

"Again are you sure?"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" She fumed as her head snapped up to glare at him.

"It is what it is." He replied, shrugging his shoulders and turning on his heels towards the door.

"You wait just a minute." She demanded as he turned once again to face her. "Don't start something and not finish it."

"I just- It meant nothing Cameron."

"No, if you've got the balls to start it, finish it."

"I'm just thinking that you may be thinking that this was somehow your fault."

"And you would think that because…" She trailed, anger fueling inside of her with every word out of his mouth.

"You're crying Cameron, arguing about reading the signs, trying to fix something that's said and done. We lost one Cameron and its not your fault."

"He's not dead yet." She snapped, looking down at the ground before adding. "And I never said that it was anyone's fault."

"Just – Cameron," He started, fumbling for the right words to say. "Don't feel guilty for the fact that he will die. He lived a good life for someone in his condition."

"What good life? Hospital treatments since the age of two months? Losing his parents, no family to grieve with, make memories with? Living in the streets because no one wants a sick damaged kid? Dying alone? That's not a life."

"And who are you to say?" Chase spat back. "You need to learn Allison that just because you have a rough life doesn't mean that you can't enjoy it. You can live to be a hundred years old and have accomplished nothing in life. This kid lived to be twenty and was bragging this morning on his childhood which despite his bad medical history he loved. Little league, first dance, first kiss, first fuck, he got to enjoy life in the short time he spent here. People make their lives what they want it to be Allison, he enjoyed it for as long as he could, staying as healthy as he could, you should take a lesson from him." He turned and again headed towards the door, calling over his shoulder. "Everyone has to die Cameron, whether or not its fair is not for us to decide."

She stood in silence for a good long while, completely dumbstruck at his outburst, every word of it true nonetheless. Covering her mouth with her hands new waves of tears begin to pour down her face as she looked down at a man who even House could not save.

Plunk. Plunk. Plunk. Plunk. Plu-"Hey you could put an eye out with this thing!" Wilson chided as he caught the ball House was throwing against the glass wall. House only shrugged in response, no smart remarks forming in retaliation. "Are you dying?" Wilson asked seriously as he sat to examine his friend closely.

"No you smart ass." He replied, swiping the ball from Wilson's hand before resuming the activity he had so rudely interrupted.

"Out of comebacks? Never thought I'd see the day."

"We lost one." House sighed, catching the ball and then throwing it across the room before resting his elbows on his knees, hands covering his face.

"Who?"

"The only patient I have." House replied.

"Why didn't I hear about it?"

"He's not dead yet, he went into a coma about fifteen minutes ago."

"From the broken toe." Wilson stated after a moment, eyeing House questioningly.

"Yeah. I didn't see it coming."

"You didn't?" He asked, his gaze now becoming one of concern.

"No, my mind was elsewhere." He admitted, looking up to his friend's curious stare. "Cameron and I…" He trailed. He smiled slightly as Wilson's eyes widened before present circumstances dawned once again on him. "I wasn't thinking about the kid, just the fact that she was alone in the dark room."

"Because the machine is broken." Wilson finally replied as if to say, ah.

"And I lost a patient because of it."

"You can't look at it that way House, the kid was going to die."

"We're all going to die." House spat. "If I wasn't so busy thinking with my dick then I could have kept him from going into a coma."

"What could you have done House? Keep him from a coma and watch him suffer through experimental treatments for the next few months? He has no family, no wife, no kids, and no health. Even with the treatment he wouldn't have lived much longer."

"He still could have lived." He replied, standing to his feet and limping out onto the balcony without his cane. Wilson only sighed and looked out at his friend how was leaned over the terrace, staring out into the night. Standing he contemplated leaving an obviously distressed House to his thoughts but curiosity won him over and he soon found himself leaning against the terrace facing the doors, his arms folded across his chest. They stood in silence for what seemed like an eternity before House answered the question Wilson was too reluctant to ask. "We haven't done anything serious yet."

"Who?"

"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about." House replied, turning to mimic Wilson's stance against the terrace.

"But you've…" He trailed. "Talked about how you feel?" He felt House's smirk before seeing it and could only smile as he looked down to the ground. "What do you want of it?"

"I wanted to bend her over and have my way with her in the dark room today." He replied honestly.

"Cameron's going to want more than just sex." Wilson informed him.

"She doesn't want anything as of right now." House countered to which Wilson only arched an eyebrow to in response. "We're going to take it slow."

"She suggested that after she's threw herself at you for so long?"

"Actually I was the one to suggest it."

"Bullshit." Wilson retorted, staring quizzically at him.

"I shit you not." He replied. "Our little Cameron has trust issues." His gaze snapped to his office doors as he detected movement in front of him. A moment later a slightly composed Cameron was staring at the two of them. "Were your ears burning?" House smirked as Wilson looked uncomfortably at the ground, knowing that she wished to speak with House.

"I'm going home early." He stated simply before passing Cameron and heading towards his office. She watched his retreating figure until he disappeared out the door and down the hallway. Looking up at a still smirking House she slowly moved towards him, taking Wilson's spot next to him on the terrace.

"You ok?" They asked simultaneously, House looking at her tear-stained face, Cameron eyeing his leg.

"I asked you first." House replied, turning to stand directly in front of her. She smiled slightly at his comment before slowly bringing her eyes up to his intense stare.

"I'll be fine." She replied as truthfully as she could. "And you?"

"I'm doing…ok." He replied, hunting for the correct word to say.

"And your leg?"

"Same pain as always." He replied, looking down to said leg.

"You shouldn't have lifted me in the dark room."

"You shouldn't have planted your feet, I had to lift harder."

"House you know damn well that an extra hundred plus pounds is not good for that leg."

"That's why I used my other leg."

"That's a ball-faced lie. You were popping Vicodin as soon as we were out of there."

"And your point…"

"I don't expect you to change because we're…" She trailed.

"Prospectively starting something?" She nodded and noticed that his eyes were beginning to darken. "I want you to know something from here on out, I plan to change nothing about myself and I expect you to do the same. I know what I am capable of, bum leg or not. The way we were going at it…I needed to…" He trailed, this time allowing her to finish his thought.

"Feel me?" She offered, smiling at the power she held over him.

"If that's what you want to call it. If we keep up like that I'm not sure how long I can take it slow."

"I wasn't the one to initiate it!" She exclaimed.

"But you reacted…quite enthusiastically if memory serves me right."

"It happened not half an hour ago." She smiled as he took a step towards her.

"I know." He replied, dipping in to plant his lips softly to hers. "You wanna go back to my place?" He asked after pulling away.

"What happened to taking it slow?"

"I never said that we'd do anything, we could just talk."

"Talk?" She asked rhetorically. "What about Scott?"

"Chase and Foreman can cover it, if they need us they'll call."

"What do we tell them?"

"About what?"

"Where we're going, what we're doing…"

"I didn't know you were part of a package deal…I don't know that I like the idea of sharing." She playfully swatted at his arm as he turned and they walked towards the door.

"You know what I meant."

"Well I'm not sure that it's any of their business where we're going or what we're going to do when we get there."

"I agree." She smiled as they exited his office. "Foreman is on clinic and I have no idea where Chase is." She informed him as they neared the elevator.

"I'll talk to Chase then, he and Foreman will work in shifts."

"And where are you going to tell them I will be?" She asked as the doors opened and they stepped onto a semi-occupied elevator.

"In my bed." House replied simply, drawing a raised eyebrow from the pedestrian next to them. House only smiled as Cameron looked bashfully down to the floor.

"I'll be waiting…" She told him as they stepped off the elevator and House limped slowly towards the clinic.

"I'm leaving." House announced as he opened the door to exam room number two.

"And I care because…" Foreman replied, looking up from his clipboard.

"You don't. Cameron is going home as well, you and Chase decide what shifts to take tonight."

"Why doesn't Cameron have to pull a shift?"

"Did you see her today?" House replied, a knowing look appearing on Foreman's features.

"It shouldn't be an excuse to get out of work." He sighed.

"She's a woman, what do you expect?" He replied, turning and heading out the door.

"Why so lenient?" He called after his mentor.

"It's not leniency." He replied, his back still to him.

"Then what else would you call it?"

"It's called I'm your damn boss and I say who stays and who doesn't." He barked. "But if you must know it's because she's better to look at after a good nights rest, you and hair boy look the same even on an hours sleep." And with that House was limping out the door leaving a glaring Foreman in his wake.

She stood in the car park next to both their vehicles, her mind obviously contemplating what driving arrangement he would suggest. "I'll follow you to your place." He offered, mounting his bike. She offered no response other than to get into her car where she followed him out. The traffic was only mild for six o'clock and she was parked in less than fifteen minutes, jumping out as House handed her a helmet. "Ready?" He asked, and with a pat on the stomach as a reply they were speeding to his place.

It was something she would never tire of doing, she told herself as they stopped in front of his town house some few minutes later. The feel of his body in front of her, the wind whipping at her clothes, the sharp winding curves, and the motor beneath them, she would never tired of the exhilaration. Slowly jumping off the bike she hesitated slightly when she heard him limping towards the door. 'What exactly was he planning to happen?' She asked herself as he looked back and gave her a questioning look. Her legs were advancing towards his door before her brain could tell her to do so and it was only a moment before she was seated on his couch, staring at the piano she had tainted.

"Drink?" He asked as he peeled off his button down and threw it on the piano's bench.

"No thanks." She replied politely as he walked off into the kitchen. Moments later he appeared with a bottle of water and sat next to her on the couch, chugging on the cold liquid. Finishing the bottle in one long drink he wasted no time in burping loudly and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Awful thirsty weren't we?"

"You have no clue." He smirked, looking over to her as he threw the bottle on the table in front of them and removed his shoes. "Might as well get comfortable." He offered, motioning at her shoes which she discarded soon after. The silence covered the room as he tapped his knee, his mouth twisting from left to right as he contemplated where to go now. "You know talking is over rated." He said, maneuvering quickly and pinning her against the couch, resting his weight semi-comfortably on his left leg as his hands landed on the arm of the sofa behind them. Before she could protest his mouth was covering hers, caressing unrelentlessly. Her hands came around his back, pressing him further against her as one of his hands came to her cheek.

His tongue slowly traced her teeth before she opened her mouth, allowing him full access. Now familiar territory he let his tongue trace and count her teeth before he let it graze hers to which she responded by swirling hers teasingly around his. He smiled at this playful game of cat and mouse and quickly dominated, bringing himself up on his left knee so that he was above her, her head forced upwards as their tongues gently collided in an ancient dance. She moaned at this movement and he felt himself harden at the feel of her against him.

He relaxed into her once again, abdicating his position above her and allowing them both to give and take. After a few long minutes they ceased their activity, and House slid down her body, moving her slightly with him before resting his cheek between her breasts, the rest of his body resting comfortably between her spread legs where he listened to her racing heart beat. Her hands came to rest on his head where she ran her fingers through his hair, a questioning stare fixed on an unknowing House at his position. 'A cuddler?'

His arms wrapped around her back as he sighed contentedly. "Your heart is racing." He stated roughly.

"You're sweating." She replied, showing him her damp hand before again running her fingers through his hair.

"Apparently having my perspiration on you isn't a problem…" He trailed, resting his chin between her breasts and looking up at her. "I'll remember that later." He winked. She only laughed, bringing her hands to the sides of his face and tracing his rough cheeks, her body tingling at the sensation. His eyes closed at her rhythmic touch and he soon felt her breath hitch in her stomach. "What's wrong?" He asked, his eyes shooting open to glance questioningly at her.

"Nothing's wrong." She replied, her movements stilling as she stared back at him. "I just like the feel of you."

"The stubble?"

"Yeah." She replied. "It's one of the first things that attracted me to you."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, actually to any man, I love the feel of it."

"Erotic?" He asked knowingly, feeling her breath coming in short gasps as he unbuttoned her shirt to reveal her stomach and slid slightly down her body.

"Yes." She gasped as she felt his chin softly scraping her small stomach. He looked up to her with a devilish grin before turning to place his cheek there, running it from the end of her bra to the waist of her jeans and then from hip to hip before moving upward, enjoying the heavy rise and fall of her stomach with each breath she took. "House?" She breathed, her hands coming to his head where she stilled his movements. He maneuvered his head to stare up at her and immediately did a double take at the lust her eyes held. Along with her still labored breathing House found the combination deadly and found himself growing hard again. "Screw slow." She whispered.

"Are you being literal or are you talking about our agreement?" He asked, lifting himself up on his elbows.

"Both." She replied before he swiftly covered her lips in a passionate kiss….

A/N: Review please. A lot of SMUT to come in the next chapter. The band was Switchfoot, which an anonymous reviewer knew, you're so smart! I don't know whether or not to use it, all I know is that it's playing right now and every time I sit down to write a new chapter. My muse if you will. Don't forget to press the purple button, you may have after this long as AN. Press the PURPLE BUTTON!