Disclaimer: I don't own 'em. Don't get your panties all in a bunch about borrowing the characters and messing around with them either. I'll put them back when I'm done. Honest.

Title: Warm and Fuzzy

Author: DragonChaos

Feedback: Sure! Love to hear your thoughts.

Author's Note: Oh. My. God. You guys RAWK! I couldn't believe the feedback I was getting for this, especially since it's my first attempt at writing a House fic. I'm glad some of you who have worked and/or had animals like this before were able to associate with the story. I'm also happy that you think I'm doing a good job with the characterizations, because House is tough to write and I wasn't so sure about him in this situation.

And for those who didn't want this to go the House/Cameron route, I'm sorry. Icouldn't help myself. P

Anyway, this chapter's a little shorter and a little more serious, but it's got some good moments (at least I hope they're good). Enjoy!

Chapter Summary: House gets infected with a new disease…Damn that heartburn!

Chapter Two: Playing House

They were almost to the front steps of House's apartment when Cameron stopped. He looked back at her questioningly.

"Will you hurry up?" He said shortly. "Mick's getting cold!" Cameron looked down to see if his statement was true, but she found that the kitten was once again seemingly content as he rested against her chest inside her coat.

"Riiight," she responded sarcastically as she gave him a knowing look. She glanced around the area. "Where did you find him?" Her voice had gone soft with the question, and House had to strain a little bit to hear her. He tilted his head a fraction as he looked at her, a very subtle movement that usually implied he was intrigued by something. At this point in time, it was Cameron's sudden interest in his act of kindness the night before that piqued his interest.

"Over there," House answered simply, raising his arm briefly to point in the general direction of the bushes that were apart of the landscaping for the apartment building. She squinted as she let her gaze sweep over that area, as though trying to imagine House looking through the bushes, his uncharacteristic act of selflessness playing through her mind like a movie. He shook his head and turned to unlock the door. Maybe if they got inside she wouldn't…

"That was a really nice thing you did, you know," she said, her voice coming from directly behind him. He didn't turn around to face her.

"You know me, I'm all about niceness," he replied as he scowled at the door, the venom in his voice evident, silently willing her to drop it. The last thing he needed was Cameron putting together evidence that was, deep down, a nice person.

He had an image to maintain.

He opened the door and walked inside before she could say anything more, and they rode the elevator up together in silence. Cameron seemed to have gotten the hint, and remained wisely quiet.

Ping!

They reached the seventh floor and House limped off ahead of her, leading the way. It was only a short distance from the lift, and when he reached his flat he opened the door quickly and moved inside, leaving it open for Cameron. It was his way of silently inviting her into his abode without having to make a big deal about it.

Because he knew, of course, that this would be something of a big deal to Cameron.

"His litter box is over there in the corner," he told her before heading down the hallway, leaving her alone in his apartment. He wasn't so sure if that was necessarily wise, but at the moment he needed some space.

"'Kay." She took the kitten out of her coat and set him in the cat box, leaving him for the moment to sniff around whilst she looked around the apartment for a washcloth. She had read something about rubbing a kitten's belly in order to stimulate bladder usage, so she let her gaze wander the inner workings of House's sanctuary.

He had beautiful polished wood flooring everywhere in the apartment, a couple of off-white couches that looked very comfortable, a green armchair that looked so worn she figured it must be his favorite place to sit, a bookshelf brimming with all kinds of different books, and a small dining room table that only had two chairs placed with it. The large television set was placed in front of the couches and was accompanied by large speakers and several game consoles. She noted the XBox, a Gamecube, and a Playstation 2.

Of course he would have all three. When House got into something, he got into it one-hundred percent. Cameron let a small smile play across her face as she shook her head in quiet amusement. She also noted the magazines that were spread out all over his coffee table were game magazines, with of course the obligatory Playboy and Maxim magazine thrown in the mix.

And then there was his piano. It was beautiful; the wood sleek and black, the ivory of the keys looked well-played, and everything about it screamed, "House!" It almost looked like an extension of him, his way of expressing himself when he was incapable of using any other outlet.

She turned her attention back to the kitten because she heard a scratching noise, and she saw Mick was instinctively pawing at the litter. The little kitten was still somewhat awkward about it, but he seemed to know what he was doing. When he concluded his business, he jumped down clumsily and ended up almost falling onto his face, causing Cameron to giggle at his klutziness. She crouched down and petted him, still somewhat surprised at how small he was.

"You're very lucky, Mick," she said in a hushed voice. "House doesn't normally like anyone, but he seems to like you." Her voice contained a hint of regret.

House watched the whole scene from the hallway. He'd actually been spying on her for a few minutes now, wanting to see how she would react to his apartment without him there to influence her.

He kept telling himself it had absolutely nothing to do with wanting her approval; he just wanted to make sure she didn't touch anything. Why should he care what she thinks? Why had he invited her over in the first place? Was he ill? He raised his hand and pressed the back of it against his forehead, checking for fever. Nope, temperature normal.

Now, as he watched her gently pet his new kitten (yes his kitten, he'd decided on the way home that judging by the way Cameron reacted to him Mick would be a real chick magnet), he felt a twinge in his stomach.

Damn heartburn.

He limped his way into the room, making quite a bit of noise so she would know he was there.

He scooped up the kitten, and stood up to his full height.

"Now you listen here, Mick Jagger," he told the kitten as he held it rather close to his face. "You have a reputation to live up to, and there will be none of this cuddling…" He trailed off when the kitten reached out and put a paw on his chin, and from there proceeded to lick House's thumb with his rough, pink tongue. He grinned briefly before he remembered he wasn't alone in the room. "Take him," he said gruffly as he handed Mick back to Cameron. "It seems I was too late in my intervention and you've already poisoned him with your niceness. You need to have a warning label about how contagious you are." She took the kitten from him once again and merely smiled at him in response, once again proving his point. He gave her a faux scowl and turned away to walk into the living room before he also was infected with Cameronitis.

"Are you hungry?" The source of the disease he'd just named asked. "It's almost lunchtime."

"The kitchen's right over there," he informed her without looking at her.

"Mick already seems to know how to use the litter box," she commented over her shoulder as she walked towards the kitchen.

"Yes, we had a talk about that last night when he peed in my lap," he said as he moved to sit on the couch. "And you know how much I love getting peed on. I had to make him sit in the box for hours in order to get my point across." She grinned at him over the counter she was standing behind in the kitchen and he realized he was showing symptoms of Cameronitis. "Damn cat is a nuisance." There, that should do it.

Ah, crap. She's still smiling.

House sighed as he plopped down on the couch and turned on the television. He devoted his full attention to the characters that played over the screen so as not to be distracted or exposed to any more niceness. At least for now.

Cameron, meanwhile, bustled around in the kitchen while the kitten followed her around curiously. Mick watched her every move and tried to get into the cupboards whenever she opened one to look for food or cooking utensils and she had to constantly make sure she didn't accidentally shut him in one of them. Finally, she found some soup, some bread, lunch meat (turkey breast and salami), and condiments to make sandwiches with so she set to work.

"What's going on in there?" House called out loudly, sounding annoyed. "It sounds like a baby gorilla's banging around in my kitchen!"

"Sorry!" She said in-between chuckles. "Didn't mean to disturb you!" She put the soup on the stove and made the sandwiches, all the while with Mick wandering around by her feet.

This was strange, being in House's domain. In his kitchen, nonetheless, acting all domesticated and making him lunch. She couldn't be sure if he'd had this planned all along and knew that she would offer to do something like this or if he was just as weirded out by the situation as she was. She wouldn't put it past him to have thought about it and somehow manipulated her into being 'helpful in the kitchen'.

Cameron shook her head. If he was manipulating her, she wasn't going to let him scare her away. Besides, she was the one who volunteered to come here in the first place…

She put the sandwiches onto a couple of plates and poured the soup into a couple of bowls. She was about to take everything out to the living room when House startled her.

"Are you done yet?" He asked impatiently as he reached past her and grabbed the sandwich closest to him; his nearness made her jump and sent shivers down her spine. "I'm starving, and you're taking forever," he growled as he gave her a look before taking a huge bite out of his turkey and salami sandwich.

"For your information, yes, I was done," she said calmly. "I was just about to bring it out to you." She looked down and saw Mick staring up at House. She watched in supreme amusement as he batted at House's cane.

"Picking on a cripple, eh?" House grumbled when he saw what Cameron was looking at. "Well, I guess there's hope for you yet, Mr. Jagger, as I see you're not all sugar and spice." Cameron snickered and he shot her a warning look that she promptly ignored; her giggling didn't even subside a little. Irritated, he took another large bite and stalked back into the living room wordlessly, Mick close on his heels. Cameron followed with the bowls of soup and her own sandwich in hand.

He sat heavily on the couch, his concentration immediately on the television screen again. She set his bowl of soup near him on the coffee table before placing herself on the other end of the couch that he was sitting on. Mick ran (more like stumbled) back and forth between them. Cameron delighted in playing with him, and House only begrudgingly so, as they both scratched at the couch with their fingernails to alternatively get Mick's attention and cause him to scamper back and forth between them. Cameron saw House glancing at her sideways several times, but she pretended not to notice.

House, MD

The finished eating in relative silence, with only a few snide comments from House about something on the TV and a few giggles elicited from Cameron because of either his jokes or Mick's antics.

The kitten soon wore himself out though, and flopped himself down on the couch, cuddled up next to House. He looked at the small cat with a certain level of irritation before deciding to ignore it. However, the hand that came up to rest on the kitten in a comforting manner belied his intentions of acting put out. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Cameron smiling at him guardedly.

"What are you so happy about?" He asked sharply. She quickly looked away and didn't say anything. Her smile was still there, though.

He had to do something about that.

"If you think coming over here and being all motherly with Mick is gonna get you into my pants, you can forget it." She stiffened in her seat, and he could tell he'd struck a nerve. Oh, too easy, Dr. Cameron. "Sorry to burst your bubble…Oh wait, no I'm not."

That was House for you. He just couldn't leave well enough alone. Instead of arguing with him, which of course would only lead to more verbal bashing, she stood up from the couch and gathered the dishes. House narrowed his eyes and watched her move closer to him to pick up his bowl and spoon. She refused to meet his gaze, but all the same there was no hesitation in her body language.

She went silently into the kitchen, and Mick had woken up in time to watch her go. He wiggled out from underneath House's hand to follow her, but he stopped at the edge of the couch, suddenly aware of what a long drop it was. He was saved from his indecision, however, by a large, warm hand that helped him down to the floor so he could continue after Cameron.

Why hadn't he gotten a rise out of her? Normally she would have been all over him…Not in the good sense. He puffed out a breath, wondering what his next move should be. He felt another twinge in his gut, but this was most definitely not heartburn.

It felt suspiciously like guilt.

He furiously grabbed his cane and stalked after her, with all the intention of making her pay for making him feel guilty.

Damn woman.

He turned to make his way to the kitchen but was halted in his tracks when he saw her getting her stuff together and putting on her coat.

Oh, hell no. She's not going to get away that easily.

"Where do you think you're going?" He demanded, his voice dangerously low. She still wouldn't look at him.

"I'm going home," she said simply.

"What, you're pouting?"

"No, it's my day off, and I don't have to put up with verbal bashings if I don't want to."

"So you're pouting."

"Whatever you say, House," she replied tightly as she slung her duffel over her shoulder and headed for the door. He limped forward, advancing on her swiftly. Just as her hand twisted the doorknob, he shot his cane out in front of her and effectively jamming the door shut. She glared up at him as he loomed over her with a smirk on his face.

Good, he was finally getting results.

"Let. Go. Of. The door," Cameron ground out through clenched teeth. His piercing ice blue eyes narrowed and he continued to hold the door shut, daring her to make her move. She was so close to him he could feel her warm breath tickle his neck.

Cameron considered her options. She could knock the cane away, which would make it so that she could leave, but of course would unbalance House and leave him lying on the floor, in pain.

She and House both know she wouldn't do that.

Bastard.

She could also let go of the doorknob, pretending she'd relented, and then open the door quickly when he'd thought he'd won.

Hmm.

She let out a sigh and let go of the knob. She backed away slowly, eyeing House warily.

He didn't pull his cane away from the door.

Instead, he stared at her, and she could see the cogs working a hundred miles a minute behind his eyes.

She had a feeling her devious plan had been thwarted.

"What do you want, House?" She blew out a puff of breath and raised her arms in exasperation before folding them over her chest.

He was saved from answering.

Mew!

They both looked down to see Mick sitting directly in-between them, his grayish eyes watching them both very closely, looking back and forth at the two tall humans he had adopted.

House looked at Cameron and found that she was already staring back at him. She had a small smile on her face, and the tension he felt moments before was gone. He felt the corners of his mouth twitch up slightly before he got his facial muscles back under control.

He went back over to the couch and picked up the cordless phone sitting on the end table.

Cameron realized he was giving her the out that she had wanted not a few minutes ago. Now, she hesitated. Damn him. Damn him and his frustrating nature.

"Hi, I'd like to place a delivery order," House looked over at her deliberately. "Yes, this is Doctor House…Yeah, I'd like the usual, and…" He lifted his chin at her. "You want some Chinese takeout or not, Cameron?"

That was House-ese for, 'Are you staying? Shall we call a truce?' She quirked an eyebrow at him while considering her answer while he continued to stare at her unblinkingly. She sighed and nodded in resignation.

"I'll have broccoli beef and lo mein," she told him, dropping her bag by the door again and walking back over to the couch. She fell back into the couch, sinking deeply into and leaning her head back, not paying attention to the muted television.

She felt a light pressure on her foot and looked over the edge of the couch. Little Mick Jagger sat there, his big eyes staring her, waiting. She obliged him and lifted him onto her lap, absently petting his soft baby fur.

"If you're not here in thirty minutes, I'm not paying," House said bluntly into the phone just before he hung up. Cameron grinned a little, but quickly wiped that away and replaced it with a look of indifference when he turned back and sat down next to her on the couch. He was sitting closer than he had before, his arm brushing hers, but he kept his eyes trained on the television.

He startled her when he leant forward abruptly and snatched the remote from the coffee table.

"Here," he said as he sat back, his arm once again rubbing against hers. She looked at him in surprise and found he was holding out the remote to her. She reached out hesitantly, watching him wearily the whole time, waiting for him to take it away at the last second in an attempt to dupe her. His expression was unreadable and he once again refused to look at her.

To her great surprise, he just held it there, waiting patiently for her to finally take it from him. So she did.

"Thanks," she said in a small voice.

He did look at her then, and she saw the conflict in his eyes, and he said more to her in those few moments than he had said all day. He definitely said more than, 'You're welcome."

Cameron went wide-eyed when the realization hit her.

House had just apologized to her.

"You gonna change the channel, or what?" He asked gruffly as he turned his attention back to the television.

She smiled, aimed the remote, and clicked.

House nonchalantly reached over to Cameron's lap and started petting Mick, who almost instantly started purring. Cameron tilted her head over ever so slightly and rested it against House's shoulder, but just barely, silently asking if it was okay. His response was to lean into her side a little bit and a grin lit up her face as she settled more into his side and put her head fully onto his shoulder.

House felt another twinge in his stomach…And a twinge in his chest.

Goddamn heartburn.