Chapter 2 - Thoughts

DR. ALLISON CAMERON, DEPARTMENT OF IMMUNOLOGY

Twenty-eight years-old and she's already an assistant department head … I'm proud of her …

House knocked, waited five seconds and then walked away.
Cameron opened her door to an empty corridor.
Is someone playing games with me?

She glanced to her left and saw House limping down the hall. "House?"
"You took so long to answer; I didn't think you were in." Cameron smiled at his snark.
"I'm not disturbing you, am I?"
"No, not at all. Please, come in."

"Welcome back. Nice office."
That's brilliant …
"Thank you, it is a nice office. How have you been?"

"No complaints. Good view."
I'm getting worse by the minute … why did I listen to Wilson …
"It's lovely. Have you hired your new fellows yet?"

"Yes, I have. Well actually, Wilson chose and Cuddy hired. They start tomorrow."
"That's good." encouraged Cameron. Ever mindful of House's leg, she motioned to the two chairs in front of her desk and said, "Why don't we have a seat?"

"Thanks, that feels better." House positioned his leg carefully, then continued. "Yea … it will be good to have a team again. You know how I like to bounce ideas off people."

"I remember." she said, laughing softly as she remembered House's DDX marathons.
"One day, I persuaded the janitor to sit with me, just so I could have someone to talk to."

House thought about what he had just said. "Does that sound as pathetic as I think it does?"
He gave Cameron a wry smile as he studied her face.
"No House, it's not pathetic. I know what you mean."

"Well actually he was every bit as helpful as Chase … sorry, no offense." he quipped.

"None taken. We're not together anymore."

Cameron watched House carefully as she spoke. I have to know …

"Was he as helpful as me?"
"Who?"
"The janitor."
"No … no, he wasn't."
"No one could ever take your place ..."

Their eyes met with a look of unspoken love and devotion.

Oh God, I was afraid of this … I'm not over him at all …
"House …" Cameron was interrupted by the ringing of her phone.
"Dr. Cameron … yes … thank you for reminding me. He's quite early. I'll buzz when I'm ready to see him."

"Sorry about that … I have an appointment at eleven."
"I should go."
"No …we still have some time. You were saying that no one could take my place?"
"I only meant that I haven't had a decent cup of coffee since you left and my mail …"

Cameron knew the moment was lost … for the time being.

"Now the truth comes out." she laughed continuing,
"Was there a special reason you came to see me?"

"Yes, there was."

His mind went blank.
House said the first thing that popped into his head.

"I like your hair."
"Thank you … I was tired of colouring it, so I decided to go blonde."
Cameron could tell by the puzzled expression on House's face that he didn't have a clue what she was talking about.
"This is my natural colour House … I'm not really a brunette."
"But … why …"

"Why did I darken my hair?" Cameron asked.
"I'd like to know, if you don't mind telling me?" replied House.

"Well, when I was in med school, everyone treated me like a stereotypical "dumb blonde"; my professors, my colleagues and sometimes, even my patients. I wanted to be taken seriously, so I marched down to my local drugstore and bought a box of L'OREAL. You wouldn't believe what a difference it made to my life."

"But now that you're blonde again, aren't you afraid the same thing will happen?"

"I thought about it, but you know what? I don't care.
I'm older and more confident now, so bring it on!
It's my new look for my new life!"

Cameron's smile faded when she saw the sadness in House's eyes.

"I'm happy for you … but the past … our past … it wasn't all bad, was it?"
"No House … there were some good moments." she said, touching his arm gently.
"For me too."
He rested his hand on top of hers.

"I was wondering if maybe … no, never mind."
House stared at the floor.
"If maybe …"
"I was just wondering if you'd like to have dinner with me tonight."

He couldn't look at her.
"You mean you'd like us to go on a date?" Cameron tilted his chin up gently with one finger.
"Yea, something like that …" he responded hopefully, smiling at her touch.

House followed her every move as she rose from her chair and walked over to the window. It was fall … a time of year for new beginnings. Cameron watched as a colourful tapestry of leaves swirled gently to the ground. And while she'd expected the myriad of changes that accompanied her new position, the possibility of House coming to see her, let alone asking her out to dinner was more than Cameron had ever dreamed possible.

"I don't know House … I'm afraid. I don't think my heart could bear another date like our last one."

House knew that she'd never forgotten their horrible date. "I'm sorry for the way I behaved that night. Couldn't we just pretend that tonight's our first date?"

Cameron smiled at his naiveté.

"Are you familiar with the saying, you never get a second chance to make a first impression?"
"Yes."
"Well, I don't think that you get a second chance to have a first date either."
"Who says?" grinned House.

"We'd only be fooling ourselves …"
"Maybe so, but there's no iron-clad rule forbidding two first dates, is there?"
"No, not that I know of …" said Cameron thoughtfully.
"And besides, even if there was, you know I don't play by the rules."
"That's true."

"What would we do? I mean tonight … on our first date …" she asked cautiously, as House walked over to join her by the window.

"Well first I'd give you a corsage, because I know how much you like them."
Cameron smiled, remembering the corsage she had tucked away in her memory box.

"After dinner, I'm thinking French, and a delightful bottle of wine, we could go back to my place and play Parcheesi. How does that sound?" House waggled his eyebrows playfully.

"Parcheesi? Wow! You sure know how to show a girl a good time."

House slipped his arms around Cameron's waist.
His blue eyes twinkled with anticipation.
"And then … if you'll let me … I'm hoping to end our evening with a kiss."

"Do you kiss on the first date?" Cameron asked flirtatiously.
"I do."

She raised an eyebrow in mock surprise.

"Really … I didn't know you were that kind of boy …"
"I am."

"Are you that kind of girl?"

"I'm a good girl, House."

"Then we're made for each other …
Because I'm a very good boy, Cameron … at everything I do."