A/N: I'm on an updating roll today!! I have nothing else to say except thank you all for the wonderful responses. I'm so happy you're all enjoying this. If you've never played Life before, I apologize. Enjoy!

Chapter 6: The game of Life

The day passed on, with Cameron not leaving the conference room. She stayed in a corner working on charts.

"Are you ok?" Foreman asked. He began gathering up his things to leave.

"I'm fine, I just can't leave this room until it's absolutely necessary. I tried to leave earlier to do some clinic hours, and I was bombarded by people asking me about me and Greg."

"News travels fast."

"This isn't a hospital; it's a gossip mill," she sulked.

Foreman grinned. "Well, it is pretty juicy information, I mean, that whole thing in the caf…"

"You know?!"

"Of course. Like I said, news travels fast."

Cameron groaned, and hung her head. When it came to House, nothing could ever be simple. She should've known this would get out of control.

"On the other hand, though, it was a nice kiss," she thought to herself.

"By the way, I promised some of the nurses I'd ask you; is House a good kisser?"

"Ugh…this is the longest day ever!"

"Answer the question, please, or they won't leave me alone."

"Yes, yes he is good. Great even. The best. There, that should keep them at bay for a few minutes anyway."

"Or seconds," Foreman chuckled. "Chase already left for the day. I'm going to leave if I can get through the hall."

Cameron glanced through the glass. A flock of nurses stood in the hallway, talking amongst themselves. Every now and then, one would look inside, then quickly turn back to the others.

Foreman said good-bye, and opened the door. He was attacked by the pack of nurses, who followed him down the hall and out of sight.

Cameron heard the door open and shut again, and looked up. It was House.

"Those nurses work fast," he commented, looking at her curled up with charts in a corner. "Are you staying at my place again?"

"Your couch is terrible. But, since it was my idea to stay at your place, I'm going to see it through. I just need to get some clothes and things from my apartment. Is it safe to leave?"

"What do you mean?"

"The nurses were stalking Foreman, they've been all over me…"

"They haven't said anything to me. They just giggle and whisper when I pass them. I feel left out."

"Don't. You're lucky." She got up, put the charts away, and grabbed her purse.

"I'll be there in about an hour or so."

"Whatever. Take-out ok for tonite?"

"To echo your words, whatever. As long as it's food. I didn't actually eat anything at lunch. Todd and I got to talking and then you came into it."

"What's up with him anyway?"

"Who, Todd?"

"No, the other guy you were going to have lunch with…of course him."

"I've known him for awhile. He asked me out."

"And you said…?"

"I said I couldn't right now, but I'd take him up on it if something happened. The something meaning Wilson's wedding, unless I get a better offer."

Silence reigned.

Then House shrugged his shoulders and headed out. "See ya."

"Did I just say that?" Cameron thought. She rubbed her forehead, and left. A young nurse saw her leaving and caught up with her.

"Are you Dr. Cameron?"

"Yes," Cameron said warily, instantly regretting her response.

"I'm Sheila. I just started a few months ago. I've seen Dr. House around. He's kinda dreamy...those eyes of his, and…he's amazing." She blushed and looked down as she said this. "Anyway, some of the other nurses were saying you two are involved. Is that true?"

Cameron sighed. She had a mental image of herself digging a pit, deeper and deeper. No way out.

"Yes, it's true. We are…involved."

"That's so cool. I bet you guys are so cute together. By the way, you're my new idol. You get to work with him, sleep with him, kiss him…wow!"

"Thank you… now if you'll excuse me, I need to get out of here. It's been a long day."

"Oh, oh right, I'm sorry to keep you. I just saw you and…"

"It's all right." Cameron smiled and left the young girl behind and went out the doors into the late spring evening.

She spent well over her predicted hour deciding what to bring, and ended up shoving things into 3 suitcases and hauling them out to her car before driving back to House's

"Food's cold," was his greeting as he opened the door to her knocks.

"That's ok. I took longer than I thought."

"Are you going on vacation?"

"It was easier this way. Where can I put these?"

"Leave them where they fall. Doesn't matter." He sat on the couch and began flipping through channels.

She deposited both suitcases next to the couch, and went in the kitchen to get her dinner.

She plopped back on the couch and ate, watching him flip.

"Is this whole arrangement…I don't know…weird to you?" She asked.

"No, all part of the ruse. Like you said, realism is important. I can go along with that. Even the shower thing this morning wasn't so bad."

"Yea, cause you looked." She crammed her mouth full of noodles.

"Exactly. And you did, too."

"Yea, and I'd look again."

"Too bad for you…no more sharing showers."

"Why?"

"My place, my rules."

"That's a stupid reason."

"But a reason nonetheless. I'm turning in. You can have the TV."

"You're going to bed now?"

"Sure, nothing's on. Got nothing else to do."

"It's early yet. Come on. I brought a board game."

"You what?"

"I brought a board game. Life. Let's play."

"Now, you come on. A board game?"

"It'll be fun, and then you can go to bed, I promise." She looked at him with wide eyes, her lower lip sticking out.

"Stop that. You look deranged. Fine, we'll play."

Cameron triumphantly got the game out, and spread it out on the table.

"What color car do you want?"

"Do I look like I care?"

"Your mouth says no, but your eyes say you want yellow." She held up the car.

"Gimme green."

"Ok, do you want to go to college or just straight to a career?"

"Career."

"Ok, me too. You can go first."

House spun and picked his career. "Sweet, a cop!" He actually grinned.

Cameron took hers and ended up a salesperson. "Huh, that's what I did while I was an undergrad."

"Victoria's Secret?"

"No, Gap."

"Too bad."

They played for awhile and then House landed on the marriage space.

"Do I have to get married?"

"Rules say yes. Choose your woman." She held out a handful of identical pink pieces.

House chose one. "You really get into this, don't you?"

"I enjoy it. Have since I was younger. It's my favorite game. Doesn't require a whole lot of thought. Excellent choice. You've selected Doris Wilson." She giggled.

"Absolutely not!" He put the piece back and selected another.

"They're all Doris! There's no avoiding it. And here, she comes with a kid already." Cameron put a blue piece in the middle row of the car, laughing all the while.

House fought the urge to leave the game and put the pink piece in the very back seat of the car.

"That's no way to treat your wife," Cameron said.

"It is if my wife's Mrs. Wilson…Doris. Take your turn."

Cameron spun and stopped at the marriage space.

"You sped! Pay me!"

"Oh, that's right, you're a cop."

"Damn straight, now fork it over."

She handed him the money, and House handed her a pink piece. "Cuddy."

"No, no, no. Give me a blue one!"

"This would be more interesting."

"For you or for me? Just gimme a blue piece."

He handed her one, and she looked at it. "Brad Pitt. Thank you."

"I thought you said he was overrated?"

"He is, and I did, but that doesn't mean I'd mind being married to him."

"You get Brad Pitt, and I get Doris? Ain't happening!" He pulled the blue piece out of her car, and stuck another one in its place.

"Who's that?"

"Wouldn't you like to know."

"Come on, tell me."

"It's Tritter."

"Ugh!" She threw the extra cars in their baggie at him.

"Deal with it."

"Fine, your turn."

They continued play and in the end Cameron had the most money and House had the most kids, which Cameron found hysterical.

"That is impossible. Doris is ancient. There's no way she could pop out 7 kids at her age, let alone 2 sets of twins!"

"Stranger things have happened. Maybe your marriage invigorated her sexually, and-…"

"Enough!" House covered his ears.

Cameron just laughed harder.

"It isn't funny!"

"It is so. Look, if it makes you feel any better, I didn't get any kids, I'll take some of yours."

"You'll take all of them."

"I will take some."

House tossed her the sets of twins and Wilson.

"Nope, you keep Wilson. You're his daddy now. He loves you. Take him for ice cream."

House grabbed Wilson back and slammed him back in his place in the car. Cameron put House's twins in her own car. "Much better."

"You want kids?"

"Yea, that's why I took them."

"I mean for real?"

Cameron thought for a moment, caught off guard by the question.

"Yes, I do want them. With a man I fall in love with and stay with for the rest of my life. Do you?"

" Do I have to answer that?"

"Yes, please."

"Only after I'm married awhile…and only one, who is exactly like me in every way."

"That would be a clone, not a kid."

"Either way, a mini-me would be all right. He could help me conquer the earth."

"Oh, the horror." Cameron rolled her eyes, and glanced at the clock. "There, now it's late. I'll be right back. She got up and headed for the bathroom.

When she came back, he was asleep, his face on the game board.

"How can anyone fall asleep that fast?" She thought.

She shut off the light, sat on the couch, and switched on the TV, putting it on mute so as not to wake him. Despite the long day she'd had, she wasn't tired. Her mind was on overload with the day's events. The cafeteria fiasco, the kid-talk, the nurses, and even Todd, about his offer.

"It would just be dinner…no, wait, lunch would be better, but not in the hospital. And nothing would happen; I'd make sure of that. I'd love to hear his opinion on the new technologies in the cardiology department. I'll talk to him about it this week, and make it clear that this is strictly a lunch between colleagues."

She reached over into one suitcase and pulled out a copy of Jane Eyre. She opened it to the dog-eared page and began to read.

House woke up about an hour or so later to find himself still at the table, his head on the game board.

"Cameron?" Nothing.

"Cameron?" A little louder that time. Still nothing.

"Allie?"

"I'm in here." She leaned over and he saw her form eerily cast in the light from the TV.

"I didn't wanna wake you up so I didn't turn on any lights."

He lifted his head up and she stifled a laugh. The little car pieces, which he'd been laying on, were now stuck to his cheek. He brushed them off and went to the couch.

"You're reading by TV light? Bad for your eyes."

"Like I said, I didn't wanna wake you."

"What are you reading?"

"Jane Eyre. It's about a woman who goes to be a governess and she falls in love with her boss." She stopped there and averted her eyes.

"Sounds boring."

"It's a classic," she argued.

"Classics, by definition, are boring."

"Are not. Some of them aren't anyway."

"I'm going to bed. Good-night."

"Good-night." She turned her cheek to him. He turned her face back.

"I thought we had agreed that I would-…" He cut her off as his lips came into contact with hers. It was a short sweet kiss and she savored every second of it. When they broke apart, she asked, "What was that for?"

"I figured that, after today, you had moved past the cheek thing."

"I already apologized for that."

"I know, but you really didn't need to. You ok with that?"

"It's your ruse. You can kiss me how you want, as long as I get them in the morning and before bed."

"You'll never hear me complain," she thought.

He shrugged, then said, "There's an extra blanket I could bring you if you want."

"Yes, please. This room gets freezing at night."

She watched him retreat down the hallway and put her book away. Then she switched off the TV, and changed into her pajamas in the dark, then curled up on the cold couch. He came back with the blanket and draped it over her.

"Thank you."

"Stay warm, and make coffee in the morning, ok?"

She nodded and felt him lean over her and kiss her forehead.

"What was that one for?"

"No reason. I felt like it. Good-night."

"Good-night." She smiled as she heard his door shut and tried to fall asleep, her thoughts still whirling in her mind.

A/N: Another long one. I hope you all liked it.