A/N: Ok, I'm back!! I'm busy, busy, busy, but this needs to get wrapped up. I don't like having so many in progress fics. One has to go, and this one's the closest to being done, so it's getting my exclusive attention right now. R&R please, and enjoy!

Chapter 17: gas station gifts

Cameron never wanted to wake up. She just wanted to sleep, for a month, maybe longer, so long as she could stay wrapped in House's arms. She was right where she wanted to be; everything was perfect. At some point during the bliss that was sleeping and dreaming about him, she was faintly aware of a buzzing noise. This was immediately pushed out of her mind, and eventually it faded away and disappeared altogether.

She was in the middle of another wonderful dream, when it was invaded by the sound of Don't Worry, Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin playing. This triggered a signal in her brain, which made her think:

"Where is that coming from?"

Another thought followed the first initial one, reminding her that this was her cell phone ringtone.

"But why is my phone ringing in my dream?"

At this point, her sleep-addled mind made the connection, and she sat bolt upright in bed, instantly awake, throwing House's head from her chest in the process. She grabbed the phone.

"Hello? What?! No, it's…" She glanced quickly at the clock. "Oh, my god!! No, it's fine. We'll be on time, don't worry! Thanks, Foreman." She hung up, practically flinging the phone away from her in her haste. Then she hurtled from the bed like a rocket, racing for the bathroom and yelling at House to get up on the way.

"I'm already awake, thank you very much. I think you gave me whiplash when you sat up."

He got up and waited for her to finish her shower. She finished in record time, came out, still dripping wet, and shoved him into the bathroom.

"We're so late, so late, my god! Hurry, hurry!"

"Yea, yea, we'll be fine, don't worry about it."

"Stop talking and shower!!" She raced into the kitchen, her wet feet slipping on the tile, where she put on a pot of coffee, and went back to the bedroom to get dressed.

House came out of the bathroom, and found her putting on her shoes, dyed light yellow to match the color of the dress.

"Ugh!!"

"Shut up and get dressed. I know it's ugly, but it's what Mary Ann picked."

"That is beyond ugly. You look like Little Bo Peep. You just need a lamb and a shepherd's crook. The bows are frightening."

"You're wasting time again!! Clothes. On. Now." She went to the closet and pulled out the tux hanging up in the back. She laid it carefully on the bed so it wouldn't wrinkle, and headed back to the kitchen.

"Coffee's on when you're done."

She collapsed in a chair with her coffee cup and took a deep breath. She looked at the clock. They were going to be ok; they were going to make it. She took a sip and looked up as he came out. Her breath caught in her throat. From the polished black shoes to the light blue tie, he looked perfect. Absolutely perfect.

"Did you…comb your hair?"

"Yes, but don't get used to it. I didn't want to give Wilson, or you, anything to bitch about."

"What did you comb it with? I didn't find a comb when I looked last time." She hoped he hadn't pulled the evil Stacey comb out of the trash.

"I just used my fingers. They can comb hair, ya know."

"You look perfect."

"So do you…if the dress wasn't in the equation."

"Never mind the damn dress. Have a cup of coffee, and brush your teeth. We gotta leave soon." She retreated back into the bathroom to brush her own teeth, and called over her shoulder as she went.

"Get the present ready, and put it by my purse so we don't forget it."

She had just started brushing when he appeared behind her. She watched his reflection in the mirror as he said,

"What present?"

She spit the toothpaste in the sink, and replied in a 'well, duh' tone, "The wedding present, of course."

"I never got one."

"Well, I didn't." Her eyes grew wide in the mirror.

"We don't have a gift!!" She looked at the time again.

"And there's no time to go shopping for one!"

She began breathing heavily, and he walked her into the bedroom and made her sit on the bed.

"Calm down. I'll just find something around here we can give them. It's not a big deal."

"No!! What are you thinking? We can't give them something used! That's so…tacky."

"Better tacky then show up empty-handed, don't you think?"

Cameron considered.

"No, think of something else. I won't do that…Scratch that, there's no time to think! We gotta go!"

She stood up again, and headed out the door without her purse. House followed her, calmly, and picked up her purse on the way, slinging it over his shoulder without thinking. She arrived at her car, and automatically reached for her purse at her side, only to find that it wasn't there. She groaned in exasperation, and turned around to go get it, only to bump into House, who was coming up behind her.

"Forget something?"

"Yea, my- …" She cut herself off as she noticed her purse dangling at his side. She sighed and let a soft laugh escape her.

"Fashion statement?"

He rolled his eyes, removed the purse, and held it out to her.

She got in, and began driving to the park where the wedding was to take place. It was a beautiful day, at least, a soft breeze blowing occasionally, and not a cloud in the sky.

"Pull in there," House said suddenly.

"Where?"

"There." He pointed.

She looked at him quizzically, but obeyed. She waited while he went into the gas station, banging her head on the steering wheel as he came out again with a large paper sack.

"Problem solved," he said, climbing back into the car.

"You got the wedding present from a gas station?!"

"Correction: wedding presents. Nothing but the best for Wilson and Mary Ann."

Cameron banged her head several more times, resigned herself to the fact that Wilson and Mary Ann were getting gas station gifts, and pulled out.

"This is unbelievable."

"What? Everything's fine. We have a gift, 7 to be exact, we're going to be on time, and it's actually a nice day. Wilson's last wedding, it poured rain, and his first wedding was in January for some reason, and there was a ton of snow and ice on the ground."

Cameron allowed herself to relax at that point. Things could be a lot worse. As soon as that thought crossed her mind, traffic came to a standstill. House rolled down his window and peeked out.

"Accident up ahead."

"No, no, no, no."

"You thought that things could be a lot worse, didn't you?"

Her brow furrowed. "Yes, actually, I did."

"Shouldn't have done that."

Cameron sighed, and reached for the radio dial. No news about the traffic, just some happy, peppy, pop song. She shut the radio off, not in the mood for anything peppy at the moment.

Don't Worry, Be Happy began playing, and Cameron put her phone to her ear.

"We're about 5 minutes away, stuck in traffic. Ok, thank you."

She hung up the phone. "Foreman's going to tell them what's going on. Most of the guests have already arrived."

"We could get out and walk the rest of the way."

"And leave my car? Are you crazy?"

"Not as crazy as you are about the idea of being late. Get out. You walk. I'll stay with the car. That way, at least you won't be late. And I don't have to chance you having some kind of cardiac episode either."

"I'm fine, really. I just wanted everything to be perfect today for them."

"It will be, perfect enough for Wilson anyway. It can't be totally perfect unless Doris isn't there."

"Not if you're late. It won't be perfect without you."

"Sure it will, and if I am late, I'll get to make a grand entrance. Just go, and quit arguing."

She got out of the car, and they switched places.

"Thank you," she said, kissing him before beginning the short walk to the park.

"Don't mention it. Really. Never again."

A/N: I despise this chapter with all my heart and soul. Let me know what you thought of it. Thank you so much in advance!!