Out of the four chapters so far, this one is my favourite. I really hope you guys like it. :)

What is it about bars? When you see them in movies, they're all stuffy and filled with dirty drunks and the few pretty people there and sitting there staring into their drinks, feeling sorry for themselves about some major, in all actuality minor, problem that has become the center of their universe.

But when a certain man came up to Amanda Meyer, she couldn't figure out which category to place him in.

She'd just been sitting there, thinking. Doing nothing but thinking. And holding back tears. Thinking and holding back tears. Why is it she did so much of that whenever she and Allie saw each other? She hated that, but as much as she willed it not to happen, it somehow always did.

At first, she didn't hear him come up behind her.

"Scotch, on the rocks," he said to the bartender, who nodded and quickly disappeared.

He looked her up and down, while she continued to look at her tonic swirling around in her glass.

"Well, what's a pretty thing like you doing all the way out here?"

As if that didn't sound like a movie line.

Finally, she looked up and faced the owner of the cheesy greeting.

What she saw, she liked. He was older, but she liked older men. He wasn't clean-shaven, and she wasn't opposed to that either. And then there were those blue eyes that held her captive, threatening to never let her look away again.

"All the way out here?" she questioned.

"Well, you're definitely not from Jersey. I would have seen you here before."

"Jersey's a big place."

"It's the fourth smallest state in the country."

She couldn't help but crack a smile. "Okay then, Mr. Know-it-all, what's my story?"

"Well, I'd say you're from the Midwest, with a hint of New York."

Amanda gaped at him open mouthed and her drinking companion knew he was right.

"You're good."

"I make it my business to know other people's business."

"So you're a cop?"

He snorted. "No, but let's not talk about me. Have a fight with the boyfriend?"

She sighed and turned back to face the bar. "My sister," she confessed.

"Ah," the man said. "She steal your favourite sweater?"

Mandy threw her head back and gave an incredulous laugh. "God, why is it that all men think that girls can only fight about insignificant things; that we don't have feelings and thoughts beyond that?"

"Whoa, don't go getting all deep on me. I'm here to have fun, not to analyze."

"I'm sorry, I'm not mad at you. I'm just…mad at myself."

"Because you let her take the sweater?"

"GOD!" Mandy shrieked. "Would you shut up about the sweater?! There is no sweater! We fought about a guy!"

He snorted again. "And you expect me to believe that girls are not close-minded."

"Not over a guy, about a guy. She's dating this guy she works with, but she won't admit she really has feelings for him, and I was just trying to open up her eyes, and she freaked on me."

"So she must really like him."

"That's what I said! But Allie didn't care. And we got into it, and she brought up my less than spectacular track record with men, and…why am I telling you all this?"

"I don't know, why are you?"

Mandy sighed. "Allison and I…we have issues. I guess it's partly…okay, mostly my fault, but, I just really hate it when we fight."

The man just took a drink of his scotch, so Mandy continued.

"There was a time when we were close, you know. Me and Allie. When we were little, she was always there for me, protecting me, and I tried to be there for her. Which was kind of hard when I was five, but I can honestly say that our childhoods were nice. Then we had to go and grow up."

"And the shit hit the fan?"

She laughed again. "Yeah, that's putting it mildly."

"So, what's your plan? Stay here for a while and patch things up?"

"Probably not. We never do. In fact, I think I gave her permission to disown me tonight."

The man looked over to the bartender. "Hey Carl! Another round over here."

Mandy smirked at him. "Well," he said, "as long as we've both got nowhere to be…"

"Hey, don't have to ask me twice," she said, turning around as Carl came over.

"I didn't think so," he said as Mandy took another shot of her vodka tonic.

Gregory House smiled. It was going to be one interesting night.

HMDHMDHMD

Drown out the world, that was her plan. She had the sombre music playing, had poured nearly the whole bubble bath into the tub, and was lying back, eyes closed, breathing in the aroma of the scented candles set up all around her.

But it is extremely hard to drown out the world when it won't stop banging on your door.

"Cameron! Are you in there? I know you are. Open up." Chase was calling from out in the hallway.

He'd been there for about five minutes. At first, she thought it was just a neighbour who could come by again later, no reason to leave her sanctuary; but as time wore on, the pounding got more insistent, and then he started calling out.

And she knew if she didn't let it in, the world would just break the door down and roll right up to her.

So she got out of the tub and wrapped her robe around her, mumbling something about pneumonia, and headed toward the noise.

"Shut up, I'm coming!" She groaned. Finally the pounding stopped.

"Uh, hey," Chase said once she had opened the door.

"I thought I told you I didn't want to see you."

"I know, it's just you sounded so upset on the phone, I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Well, right now I'm wet. Can we do this in the morning?"

Chase looked at her for a long moment. "Can I come in?"

Cameron sighed. Why couldn't he just leave? She decided she might as well let him in.

Chase wandered around her living room, just as Mandy had a few hours earlier, while Cameron went to change. Sure, he'd been to her place plenty of times, to have sex, but he'd never really looked at the place.

Just as he'd suspected, the apartment was neat and tidy. Cameron liked things in order. There wasn't a hair out of place. On the surrounding tables he saw photos, many of her and her sister, which he also didn't find surprising. Chase had pegged Cameron to be the "family values" type of girl, and he loved that about her. He loved her.

"So," Cameron said as she emerged again, now in an oversized t-shirt and a pair of pajama pants.

"So," Chase repeated. He looked around the room. "Where's Mandy?"

Cameron looked away. "Uh…she's out."

There was something about the way she said it, or maybe Cameron just wasn't that great a liar, that made Chase conclude Mandy was the source of whatever had caused Cameron's mood tonight.

"Something happen between you two?" He asked casually.

"We had a fight." Cameron had blurted it out before she had a chance to think.

"About what?"

"You."

"Me?" Chase asked disbelievingly. "What could you possibly have to fight about concerning me?"

Cameron sighed. "It wasn't really about you. It just started out about you. It's no big deal, it's just something we do, whenever she gets into trouble and comes to stay here."

"But then why do I get the feeling that it was more than that?"

Once again, Cameron didn't look at him. "Okay, fair enough, it was a bit worse than usual. I kind of said I was gonna disown her."

"You what?!"

"I didn't mean it, it just came out. I was really mad. We both were."

"Do you know where she went?"

"Probably some bar," Cameron said non-chalantly. Chase raised his eyebrows. "My sister can take care of herself."

"Well, listen, I'm sorry, but I'm sure you guys will make up."

"Yeah, maybe."

There was a pause, and then Chase couldn't help but ask, "So, what's the deal with her?"

Cameron turned her head. "Excuse me?"

"I mean, you guys are so different, and yet you're sisters. How come she didn't inherit that responsibility thing you've got going on?"

Cameron smiled for the first time that night. "Well, that depends on who you listen to. If you ask my parents, it's all my fault, if you ask Mandy, it's all our parents' fault."

"And if I ask you?"

"I…don't know. I think it was just bound to happen no matter what. Having a few of the same genes doesn't make us clones of each other. Besides, it's not always a bad thing, that Mandy likes to be different."

"True," Chase said.

"Listen, you didn't have to come all the way out here at this hour."

"Yes, I did."

Cameron gave him a questioning look, so he continued. "I care about you. A lot. I want you to know that. I'm not gonna stop caring if for whatever reason we don't continue with our…arrangement one day. Cameron, I'm not some heartless bastard, if you need me, I'm gonna be here for you."

What exactly was she supposed to say to that? She couldn't tell him she felt she same way, she couldn't even tell herself that. Or at least she couldn't acknowledge it to herself. Which one it was, she still wasn't sure. But she had to say something.

"Chase...I, I don't know how I feel, about any of this. All I do know is there's something between us that I can't put a name on, and I'm kind of scared to."

Chase nodded. "I won't push you. Just come to it at your own pace."

Cameron was taken aback. Chase was being so…gentlemanly. She wasn't aware this side of him existed. When she'd first suggested what she'd suggested, the reasoning behind it was no feelings would be involved. Chase, in her eyes, was a ladies man. He did things like this all the time. So why was it different with her?

There was a lingering moment, and Cameron suddenly felt the urge to kiss him. Not to have sex with him, to just kiss him. Chase wanted to do the same to her. They stared at each other in silence. If either of them made this move, it would mean something. It would change everything. It wouldn't be like any other kiss they'd ever shared.

And they were both scared to make the jump.

Slowly, Chase leaned forward. Cameron didn't pull back; she just sat there, frozen solid. But then, as he came closer, she found herself leaning in. And then, still at a snails pace, their lips met.

The kiss was soft, gentle. At first, it startled Cameron. She was so used to him ramming his tongue in her mouth like they were on a clock (and usually, they were). This had taken her by surprise. She started to ease up, and let him massage her tongue with his. It felt so good, it was like they were really connecting emotionally for the first time, and they both found themselves not wanting it to end.

But it did.

Suddenly, Cameron pulled away. They stared at each other, unmoving. There was another silence. Neither of them knew what to do. It was like they were seeing each other in a different light now. For Cameron, the old Chase was gone. Her eyes had been opened to a new person. And she liked it.

"I…uh…sorry," Chase stuttered out.

"No, don't be sorry." Cameron smiled at him, and he smiled back. "But, uh, I guess you should get going."

"Right, of course." Chase stood up and Cameron walked him to the door.

"Well, thanks for coming by. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see ya tomorrow."

Cameron shut the door and leaned her head against it. What had just happened? She and Chase, they had…whoa. She definitely didn't see that one coming.

On the other side of the door, Chase was stopped, pondering the same things Cameron was. That kiss…it had definitely been a sign of something. Something bigger than what they had planned on. But something he couldn't say he minded either.

And neither could Cameron.

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