I know, it's been a while, and I'm sorry. I knew what I wanted for this chapter, I just had trouble getting it underway, for a couple reasons, mainly because real life gets in the way of writing. Anyhoo...I hope you enjoy this part. :)

Oh yeah, the results of that poll were...dead even. lol So I'm going to stick to my original plan for House and Mandy. What was my original plan you ask? Well, you're gonna have to keep reading to find out!

Three weeks later Cameron and Chase were falling into a nice, normal relationship. They went out on typical dates, to the movies or to dinner, tried to sneak off together at work, and spent a ridiculous amount of time on the phone when they were apart. For about the first week and a half Cameron kept pinching herself to make sure it was all real. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been in this good a place with a guy; it was a feeling she'd missed. Chase was equally grateful to be with her. He had even cut-back on his trash talking about the patients (much to Foreman's amazement).

Cameron was walking down the hall on her way to file some of House's paperwork (which, of course, she had been the one to complete), when she felt a hand reach out and grab her around the middle, yanking her into a secluded cove just off the hall.

She let out a yelp and struggled to regain her footing, when she looked up and saw the face of her kidnapper, securely holding onto her so she wouldn't fall.

Chase leaned in and kissed her. "Hello."

She smiled back. "Hey."

"So, I was thinking, I haven't seen enough of you lately."

She laughed. "You see me like five times every day."

"Well, fine then, I don't see you enough outside of that lab coat."

Cameron considered this for a moment. "You know, I was gonna have lunch with Mandy in about a half hour, but you can come if you want. I really want you guys to get to know each other."

"I'd love to," Chase replied. He leaned in and kissed her again, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.

Mandy wandered into the hospital cafeteria at twenty past twelve, and looked around for her sister. That of course wasn't easy in the sea of white, until she spotted the oddball in the group. She couldn't stop herself from heading in that direction.

House looked up from his Reuben and rolled his eyes. "You again."

"Careful Mouse," Mandy said. "You're gonna make me think you don't like me."

House feigned an expression of shock. "No! Where would you get an idea like that!"

Mandy didn't answer him, just took the empty seat across from him and leaned back.

"You gonna sit there and watch me eat?"

It was her turn to roll her eyes. "I'm waiting for Allie, and I didn't want to keep standing."

House went back to his Reuben and silence fell over the table. Mandy glanced around the room, trying to find something to entertain herself. After a few minutes, House spoke.

"I thought you were heading back to New York."

She brought her attention back to him. "Yeah, I've actually decided I'm done with that."

He raised his eyebrows. "Done with what?"

"All the partying, and the jumping from one place to another at lightening speed. Allie's right, I need to get my act together, and I want to spend more time with her."

"So that's it then," House said with an air of skepticism in his voice. "You just turned over a new leaf, just like that."

"Well, I'm not going totally Mary Sue, if that's what you mean. I still like to have fun, it's just I'm going to tone it down a bit."

House nodded, as if approving of her decision, not that she needed it.

Just then, Cameron and Chase approached the table. Cameron was wearing a look of apprehension on her face, kind of like the one she'd had the first time House and Mandy had met. She wasn't sure why she had a problem with her sister and her boss hanging out together, but she wasn't particularly interested in finding out, because that would mean questioning her own feelings for House; feelings that she had tried very hard to push away.

House noticed them and plastered the biggest fake smile he could muster on his face. But before he could get a word in, Mandy spoke up.

"Hey Allie, Mouse was just keeping me company while I waited for you. Hey Chase."

Cameron had long ago given up trying to get her sister to start calling her boss by his real name. It had actually become kind of amusing. Instead, she turned to House and said, "Since when do you voluntarily associate with people?"

"Oh you know me," he responded. "I'm full of surprises."

"Well, we'd better go find a table," Cameron addressed her sister. "It's getting kinda crowded."

Mandy nodded. "Sure." She moved her hands to the arms of her chair, as if about to stand up, but then stopped and looked at House. "Unless you'd like to join us."

House looked slightly startled, and Cameron and Chase looked weary. When House saw their reactions to Mandy's proposal, there was only one thing he could say.

"Sounds great. Pull up some chairs, you two."

Cameron, ever the people pleaser, couldn't say no, and regretfully pulled up a chair, with Chase following close behind, equally as unimpressed.

Mandy had shuffled a little to the left to make some room for the couple. In doing so, she put herself in a closer proximity to House.

There was silence as the four just stared at each other, unsure of what to say. Mandy hadn't expected the awkwardness, and so, like her typical self, felt she had to do something about it.

She turned to her sister and said, "I suppose we should go get some food then."

Cameron looked up, as if this fact was dawning on her for the first time. "Right." She grabbed Chase's hand and stood up, heading for the cafeteria line. Mandy got up to follow them, but not before turning back to House and saying, "We'll be back."

House smiled. "I'll be waiting."

He leaned back in his chair, still smiling. It looked like today wasn't going to be just another boring lunch.

The three made their way through the cafeteria line as swiftly as possible, all the while avoiding looking at each other. Finally, Mandy decided she couldn't take it.

"Okay, what did I do?"

Cameron turned around. "How could you invite House to eat lunch with us?"

Mandy was surprised. "Quite simply, actually. I just opened my mouth and the words came out."

Chase groaned, cutting her off. "The more time you spend with that man, the more like him you become."

She was taken aback, but opted not to say anything about it. Getting into an argument with her sister's boyfriend was not a way to impress Allison.

"Look, if you guys don't want to be around him, we can just sit somewhere else."

Cameron looked shocked and annoyed all in one. "We can't just leave him now! You've already committed us to it."

"I really don't think House cares about lunch etiquette." Mandy replied, although she knew that didn't matter to her sister. Once she was committed to something, she saw it through.

With full trays they headed back over to the table, where House was still sitting. They resumed their positions and the silence as well. The three picked at their food and House watched everyone, the forgotten leftover pieces of Reuben on the tray in front of him.

Of them all, Chase looked the most out of place, and House eagerly picked up on it. He turned to Cameron and said, "I think your boy toy is a bit uncomfortable."

Cameron set her fork down with a bit too much force. She had learned how to take House's snide comments about her over the years, but when he made snide comments about her new relationship with Chase, that, she was finding, she couldn't take.

"What is your problem, House? Why can't you just let people be happy? Just because you're miserable doesn't mean everyone else has to be."

Startled, Mandy stopped with her forkful of salad halfway to her mouth, and Chase choked on his soda, fearful of where this conversation would go.

"I didn't realize it mattered to you what I said, Cameron," House replied, the air of amusement still in his voice.

"It doesn't," she said, although even to her it didn't sound convincing.

"You know, cafeteria food has a bad rep. It's not all horrible, this is kinda tasty," Mandy cut in, trying to steer them away from a hostile conversation.

Both House and Cameron ignored her, and continued to stare each other down. Finally, Chase piped up.

"That's a good question." His girlfriend turned to face him, confused. "Why does it matter what House says?"

"I just said it doesn't."

"Yeah, and that sounded very believable."

Cameron's forehead crinkled up. "Chase, do we have to talk about this now? Here?"

"No, we don't. Let's go." He stood up and strode out of the room as fast and as purposefully as he could. Cameron followed him, glaring at her sister, who was turning a bright shade of pink.

As soon as Cameron exited the cafeteria she saw Chase, and he did not look happy.

"What was that about?" she asked, bewildered.

"Funny, I was just about to ask you the same question," he countered.

"Chase, what are you trying to say?"

"You still have feelings for House, don't you?"

Cameron's jaw dropped. "Where would you get an idea like that?!"

"Oh, I don't know, it's not like it's perfectly obvious from the way you act around him, the way his comments affect you, how much you care about what he thinks of us."

"You're getting the wrong idea here," she said, trying to defend herself. "I said what I said because I like you so much, and I don't want anything to ruin what we have."

"House can only ruin it if you let him."

She sighed. "What do you want me to say? It seems like you've already made your mind up about this."

"Oh, so this is all my fault then? Just a figment of my imagination?! All those moments where you can't stop staring at him, or are desperately trying to impress him, that all doesn't mean anything."

"He's my boss. I want to do a good job for him, that doesn't mean I like him."

"But you've already admitted you like him. How am I supposed to know that you're truly over him?"

Cameron was starting to get angry now. "Oh, I don't know, maybe you could trust me!"

They were starting to get attention from passers by, so they both tried to regain control of themselves.

"You know, maybe it would be best if we just took a break, so you can decide what you really want."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Cameron froze. Was he really breaking up with her? After everything they'd been through together, he could just end it, just like that?

She didn't have time to continue these thoughts, because Chase turned on his heel and stormed off, moving as far away from her as fast as possible.

"Chase!" she called after him. "Chase, come on, we can talk about this!"

It was no use. It was over between them.

It has come to my attention that 64 percent of the people that have added this story to their alerts list have never reviewed. I'm not the kind of author that bullies people for reviews, because then they're not true, and I just don't want to do it, but come on people, it's just a common courtesy.