Thanks to MissingCanceledShows for betaing. There are some time jumps here, and I hope they make sense.
Jess
Chapter 4: Time
They had been going to Alice's for coffee for almost three months when it happened.
As per usual Wednesday night traditions, the jukebox was blasting Marvin Gaye's Ain't No Mountain High Enough, and later on other sixties music, letting Allison and Jimmy dance around like fools as they helped clean up the restaurant.
Alice had taken to closing at about ten on the weekdays. If people were there Monday through Thursday she would usually stay open for another hour.
The bell jangled, but neither looked up as Wilson spun Cameron in a circle, allowing her to pause and catch her breath as they laughed.
The other patrons were used to the dancing, singing and laughter and often called out song requests to the two or every once and a while got up and joined in a dance or two. Two weeks ago an older woman and her husband had taught them the jitterbug.
"Looking to quit the hospital and start a dance group?"
Dr. Cuddy's voice was dry and both immediately straightened.
"Yes, they are." Alice stepped out of the kitchen. "Do you have a problem with that?"
The song changed, and Allison chanced a glance at Jimmy. He was staring at House and Cuddy, slightly shocked, angry, and maybe even a little disgusted.
Walk Like a Man was blaring and Wilson shook his head once before grabbing her hand.
"Coffee?" Alice asked the two of them and they nodded, disappearing back into their both.
House was watching them and it was freaking Cameron out.
He did it enough at the hospital.
He wasn't part of her life anymore, and she really wished he would stop staring at her.
It had been Cuddy's idea to go out and get some coffee. And since he was fucking her, and the hospital coffee sucked, he had agreed.
Plus, he didn't want to publicly break up at the hospital. Even he wasn't that cruel.
They had walked into some little diner that he had never seen or heard of to find Cameron and Wilson dancing around and laughing like it was normal for them.
The woman who had asked about the dance group walked over to where they were sitting.
"What can I get you?" She didn't look happy to see them and House wondered if that had something to do with the fact that she had called Cameron and Wilson by their first names when she went over to give them coffee.
"Two coffees, one black and one with sugar."
"Lots of sugar." House repeated, his eyes never leaving the other table.
"Leave them alone. They already have enough to deal with." Alice commented quietly, following his gaze.
"And who are you to tell me what I should and shouldn't do?"
"I'm the one who spent three months talking to Jimmy and almost twenty years with Allison. I'm the one who watches them sew each other back together after they break. Leave them in their peace. The coffees will be up in a minute."
"Ignore them."
"Because that's easy to do." Wilson grumbled.
Cameron sighed and stood up. She grabbed Wilson's hand and pulled him up and into her side of the booth.
"There. Now you can't see them watching us."
"I can feel them watching us."
It was true. House was practically drilling holes into the back of their heads, while Cuddy was just casually staring at them.
"So can I. But we were here first and I'm not leaving Alice's because they decided they wanted coffee. Hell, if we feel like it we can even go back to our dancing."
"You would?"
"Why not? It's not like either of them will come up to me tomorrow and tell me I should try out for So You Think You Can Dance? What's Cuddy going to do? Or House?" she dropped the pitch of her voice to imitate Houses'.
"Cameron, I saw your dance moves last night. Were you ever a stripper?"
It had the desired effect and Wilson laughed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and giving her a brief hug.
"And what would you say to that?"
Cameron laughed. "That's for me to know. And you to never find out."
The coffee had been good and House wondered where Alice got her secrets. If Jimmy and Cameron weren't there he would have had more.
As it was, he couldn't break up with Cuddy there. It felt too weird.
It would have been like he was breaking up with Cuddles for Wilson and Cameron. And he wasn't. He was just sick of having sex with her. It was boring.
He didn't break up with her though, and they continued to have no-strings-attached-sex for another two months. It was around that time that she had dropped a bombshell on him though. One he hadn't been expecting.
"I'm breaking up with you House."
"Can you break up with me if we're not in a real relationship?"
"I met this guy and he's really sweet."
"That's great." House's tone was deadpan. He couldn't help but not feel any emotion. Because, really, he didn't care. He was just there for the sex. Lisa and him had partially grown up together, but he only thought of her as a friend, nothing more. And here he was helping a friend – so what if he had reaped in the benefits a little?
Cuddy had told Beth that she wanted Houses' baby, and it wasn't until a week later when she met Daryl at a bar after a fight with House that she had a realization.
She didn't want House. She wanted the idea of House.
For most people the idea of House was a bad one, but to her the idea of a man like him – the one she remembered from college – was a perfect candidate for the father of her baby. Now though, she thought that she had found someone else. Someone that she might even possible eventually love.
"So, are we done then?"
"Yes." Cuddy hesitated and then placed a hand on his arm. "I'm really sor-"
"No. Stop. It was fun while it lasted, but we're done."
Without another word House had walked away leaving Cuddy slightly startled. She thought that House would have at the least wanted to stay for some alcohol.
Cuddy shook her head and pulled out her cell phone to call Daryl. She could talk to House tomorrow.
"I have a favor to ask you."
"Spill."
"My cousin Christina is in town for the week."
"And-?"
"Would it be okay if she came out with us on Wednesday for coffee?"
After four and a half months the two tried to keep with a Wednesday coffee date after work every night, including various nights of hanging out and goofing around.
"Of course. Is she just visiting?"
"Job interview with Princeton. She's a literature professor."
"That's cool."
"Yeah. I really hope she gets it. She's three years older then me and was one of the first people that I was introduced to when the Cameron's started fostering me. We hit it off right away. She's a bit of a free spirit. It's great."
Wilson laughed.
"Then she'll fit right in."
"We had matching hair."
In what Alice later called 'True Cameron Form' Christina skidded into Alice's with an arm around Allison; laughing hysterically.
Tina, as Allison affectionately called her, had dark brown eyes that danced with laughter and shoulder length wavy brown hair that Allison had run her fingers through her lips pulled down in a frown.
"I can't believe you cut it."
"Yes you can."
"Can not."
"Blondie, get over it. I think the good people of Princeton University would have been upset I dyed it blue."
"Shut up. Tina, this is James Wilson, Jimmy my cousin Christina Schwartz."
"Nice to meet you." Tina grinned and offered a hand to shake.
"Nice to meet you too. Al said that you were in town for an interview, staying long?"
"Nope. Just long enough to impose on Blondie for a few days, drive her crazy, eat all of her food and get in one good sized food fight or bitch off."
Wilson snorted. "Bitch off?"
Tina nodded and turned to look at Allison, completely straight faced. "Bitch."
Allison shook her head and sighed. "Whore."
"Brat."
"Spoiled."
"Princess."
"Daddy's Girl."
"And they continue from there." Alice commented, stopping both girls with a look. "It's good to see you again Tina."
"We need to get together more often Alice."
"I know babe."
"And you need to see Blondie more often. She needs to eat more." Tina poked a finger in her cousins' rib accusingly.
The nickname had been coined years ago, back when the Cameron's had started fostering her. Her blue hair grown out a few months with them, and they had been surprised that even at fifteen she kept the light blonde – almost platinum – wispy, soft baby locks. It wasn't until her twenties that Allison's hair had started thickening and turning darker.
"You're no fun."
"I know. But you love me anyway."
"What's love got to do with it?"
Tina shook her head and turned to Wilson, who was watching them with amusement.
"Do you see what I have to put up with? And the singing? And the mocking?" They seemed to be rhetorical questions because she continued without missing a beat. "You work with Blondie, right?"
Cameron shook her head at her cousin and began to eat the burger that Alice had set down in front of her, just the way she liked it.
Wilson and Tina were talking animatedly and it made her happy to see Wilson smiling at someone who wasn't her, Alice, or a patient.
"Go ask her for her number."
"No."
"James."
"It's too soon."
"It's been six months. And I'm going to pull an I'm wiser moment on you. The pain doesn't go away. Sometimes you don't think that it will ever get better. Ask her for her number and a cup of coffee at Alice's. Go home tonight and have nightmares, and call me at all hours in the morning because you forgot the way her eyes crinkled when she laughed and how much she enjoyed mocking people. It doesn't go away Jimmy, but it has to get better eventually."
"How long before you dated after Raymond?"
Her jaw jutted out and there was a bit of a frown in her eyes. "You know how long. I threw myself into school. And you know I didn't like people on a principle anyway. Alice was the one to get me to start dating again. To go out and have a little bit of fun."
"Alice went out with you?"
"No. She got Tina and Ian to take me out." Allison smiled at the memory. "Tina would point out a guy and Ian would immediately shoot her down because he didn't trust anyone with me. I got mad, stormed off and called Mom to come and get me because we all rode in together. She told me that I needed to enjoy myself. To forget about Ian and Tina and to put Raymond at the back of my mind, because I would never really forget him. So I went out dancing with some friends the next night. Some guy bought me a drink, and gave me his number. I never called him because I wasn't ready, but it was a step in the right direction. So, shoo fly."
Wilson sighed and sat back, looking her in the eye. "I thought that we were a couple Allison."
"A mock relationship to spread rumors and piss off your not so bestest buddy doesn't count as a relationship."
"And what do I get for going over there?"
"My ultimate respect and admiration." She paused to think. "Oh! And I'll stop harassing you about it."
"And you buy the drinks tonight."
Cameron and Wilson shook on it and Wilson went off to talk to the woman sitting at the bar.
Twenty minutes later he returned smiling, holding a napkin.
Cameron gave him a standing ovation as Wilson shook his head at her.
"It doesn't matter if you don't call her. Well - actually, it matters to her. But at least you know that you can still smile and talk to someone who isn't me."
"I talked to Tina when she was here."
"She doesn't count, because she's related to me."
"Really?"
"Those are the rules. You talked to Alice too and Alice doesn't count either."
"Okay Al. Now you owe me another round of drinks for listening to your insane ideas."
"Whatever you say."
"I need you to talk to House."
Cameron choked on the sip of water she had just taken and it took a good smack on the back from Chase to keep her breathing.
Seven months after Amber's death and Chase and her were on good terms – hence the lunch in the cafeteria. They were trying to be friends, and were doing okay. House however, she had not spoken to in seven months.
"Excuse me?"
Cuddy stared at Chase, clearly wanting him to leave. Chase got the signal, and stood, picking his tray up, but Cameron grabbed his sleeve and yanked him right back down.
"Dr. Cameron-"
"Does this relate to hospital business?"
"It relates to the well-being of the hospital, yes."
"But it's not a job requirement." Cameron finished. "And that means that Dr. Chase can stay. You don't need to speak to me privately."
Cuddy stared at her for a full moment before she sat down across from her.
"I need you to talk to Dr. House because he is absolutely miserable. He also thinks that you and Dr. Wilson are sleeping together."
"Can I ask why that might matter?"
"Because he needs the two of you."
"Why? He was doing just fine with you before. So, why would House need us now?" Cameron stood up. "Excuse me Dr. Cuddy, I have to go."