A/N: Um okay, um, hi! So I kinda gave this story up a year or so ago because I could no longer really get motivated or excited about anything "House" due to what the writers did to Cameron. I know that I am a terrible person, and it really bugs me as well when writers suddenly drop stories. But it's also impossible to write something and do it justice when you've completely lost your passion for it. However for some reason I was reading through my stories the other day and I thought that I really should at least try and finish this.

I know that all of the original readers will be gone, however I still felt like I wanted to finish it regardless...and who knows, maybe one or two new people will see it and decide to give it a read. I also haven't seen an episode of "House" since like early season 7. I mean I've heard a few things like Cuddy leaving and House being in prison, but that's about it. So as a result, this story will remain completely AU.

Sorry again (I know that I'm just terrible).

The Bet

Chapter 5.

D-Day had arrived.

Plans had been mapped. Strategies proposed. Contingencies drawn. Dinner reservations had been booked. Wilson's credit card had been stolen.

House was feeling oddly nostalgic. Wilson had come over to help him prepare for the date. However the diagnostician couldn't shake the feeling that they'd been here before. Déjà vu at its finest. It took him longer than necessary to realize that this was all striking a scary resemblance to the date he and Cameron had shared almost six years ago now. He cringed internally. That was not a good sign. That date had been a complete disaster. He didn't want this one to follow a similar path…because of the bet of course.

He grabbed his keys and left his condo, rolling his crystal blues as Wilson made some comment about "no glove, no love" on his way out. He got into his car and had to give himself a few moments to gather himself before driving off. He wasn't sure why he was so nervous. These kinds of dates, the ones that were all part of a plan, a game…they didn't make him nervous. In situations like this where no "feelings" were involved, this is where he shined.

So why the hell was his heart racing?

Ten or so minutes later he found himself waiting at Cameron's door. He was almost ready to yell at her for taking so long to open her damn door, but when she finally swung it open and he got sight of her, his breath caught in his throat.

She was a vision in red. Her dress stopped just above her knees, had small sleaves, and clung to her in all the right places. However it was the dress' color that caused the reaction that he was currently having.

Red. It reminded him so much of the red dress that he'd seen her in at the Hospital's Casino Night. Years had passed since that night, however he still hadn't been able to get that dress out of his head. That dress that ignited more fantasies than any of Cuddy's low-cut tops had been able to.

He opened his mouth to say something witty, but when Cameron tossed her long curls back, he couldn't seem to get his words out.

Not really caring what was wrong with him, she just rolled her eyes, and left him stunned at the doorway as she continued on her search for her shoes. She found a pair of black pumps and leant against the wall as she put them on.

"Okay." She said, grabbing her purse and coming back to his bewildered form. "Let's get this over with."

He blinked a few times, and swallowed. "Okay." He managed, and made way for her to go through the door. On her way past their bodies lightly grazed, causing a shiver to go through House's entire body. He could have sworn that he even felt it in his bad leg.

Jesus. He thought to himself. What the hell have you gotten yourself into?

He silently cursed himself for momentarily losing control when he needed to stay on his game. He walked behind her and smirked to himself as he watched her walk in that dress. This was easily going to be the funnest five hundred bucks he ever made.

He limped quickly to catch up with her, realizing once his initial shock at her appearance dissolved that she was still very much in a pissy mood. "You look good." He stated with a smirk as they reached his car. Ignoring his comment, she reached for the door handle. He quickly swatted her hand away though and opened the door for her. She watched him sceptically and he just smiled at her in return. Reluctantly she sighed and got into the car, and he quickly limped around to the driver's side and got in.

He watched her once they were both in the car. She didn't make eye contact with him, instead remained staring straight ahead, looking as if she wanted to yell at him.

A smirk danced across his lips. "Seatbelt."

"What?"

"Put your seatbelt on." He told her again. "I'm nothing if not careful."

She laughed humourlessly as what he said was the furthest thing from the truth. She reluctantly put her seatbelt on, and she saw him smile smugly out the corner of her eye. Asshole.

He turned on the ignition and music began to fill the car. It was some kind of angry gangsta music that she didn't recognize. "Figures." She said rolling her eyes slightly.

Just to annoy her even more, he turned up the volume.

"You're an ass."

A smirk danced across his lips. "Oh I love it when you talk dirty to me."

And all he got was an annoyed grumble in return.

...

Around fifteen minutes, and a very angry car ride later, they found themselves seated at a very fancy restaurant. Cameron had her face buried in her menu, attempting to avoid eye contact with him as he watched her.

This was not going well, not well at all House admitted to himself ruefully.

Small talk. Right! Small talk. That's what Wilson had told him to focus on. No deep "you only like me because I'm damaged" speeches which had inevitably ruined their first date all those years ago. Apparently trying to delve into your dinner companion's psyche was not an appropriate thing to do on a date. Instead, apparently talking about irrelevant crap was the right thing to do. House didn't get it, but hell, Wilson wrote the book on appealing to women; so he thought that he should probably take his friend's advice.

"So where did you go to medical school?"

He saw the annoyance on her face increase, but she didn't answer so he spoke again. "Oh really Cameron? That's really interesting." He said sarcastically, ignoring the fact that she didn't respond. "I went to Johns Hopkins myself."

She glared at him over her menu. "You know where I went to school."

He grumbled internally. She really wasn't making this easy with her pissy attitude. What the hell was her problem anyway? PMSing probably he thought to himself. He was so lucky that he was a guy. Although it would be cool to have breasts he thought to himself. Being able to play with them all he liked without the potential for a sexual harassment claim.

Snapping himself out of his musings, he tried to remember what else Wilson had told him. Being a gentleman, right. He watched her studying the menu so he spoke again. "I hope this place is okay. I was going to take you to one of my favourite places, but then I remembered that there are a lot of shirtless women there and I thought that might not be your thing."

"Maybe you should have." She smiled. "We could have just put everything on your tab."

A small grin played at his lips. "You don't get nearly enough credit for your wit."

She shrugged nonchalantly, never removing her gaze from the menu. He sighed, not really knowing what else to say.

"Excuse me." He told her as he got to his feet, and her face suggested that she'd barely registered that he'd excused himself.

He headed towards the men's room. Once surveying that he was alone, he took out his iPhone and dialled Wilson's number.

"Calling for another extension on the bet?" His friend asked in amusement, not even bothering to say hello.

House grumbled. He was not in the mood for Wilson's smugness. "This isn't working." He paused to run his free hand through his hair in frustration. "She's barely said two words to me. She's angry for some reason."

"House…" The oncologist laughed at his friend's oblivion. "Maybe you just need to admit that I was right. That she's over you."

"No she isn't." The diagnostician tossed back spitefully.

"Well then maybe you need to think of something else because this obviously isn't working."

A light suddenly went off in his head the way it often did when he finally discovered the answer to a difficult case. "Got it."

"What, House? Wait. What are you…"

He hung up on his friend's questioning and headed back out towards their table. In the distance however he'd realized that a tall man with dark features was standing by his and Cameron's table. They were both smiling and laughing, and he was leaning over her chair in a flirtatious manner.

House stalked over to them and looked the stranger up and down. "Oh good you're here!" He said happily, reaching down to collect his and Cameron's empty glasses and handing them to the man. "We were just about to put a complaint in about the terrible service, but you're here now so it's okay. I'll have the steak please. Medium rare." He turned to look at Cameron who had a horrified look on her face. "What about you honey?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm not a waiter." The man said in confusion, watching House in alarm.

"Oh sorry, you're actually an actor aren't you?" House winked at him. "Aren't all you waiters really out-of-work actors? Well this is great. One day when you become famous I'll be able to tell everyone that you made my steak. Now run along and get it please. I'm starving."

The man looked back and forth between House and Cameron (who was now dying of embarrassment) in absolute bewilderment, before deciding that he should just give up and bolt from whatever strange situation that he had just walked into.

Once he had left, Cameron screamed at House. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." He said innocently.

"Are you crazy?" She exclaimed. "Wait, don't answer that."

"I don't know what you're so angry about. I was just saving you from that guy who was clearly into you."

"And why on Earth would I want saving from that?"

"Because you're on a date with me." He pointed out.

"But the difference is House," she paused trying to keep her anger at bay so as not to disturb nearby patrons, "is that he actually seemed to like me. He may have actually wanted to take me on a date."

"What are you getting at?" He asked her seriously. "I wanted to take you on a date."

"No you didn't!" She almost yelled. "I know that all of this," she paused to gesture to the nice restaurant and his uncharacteristically ironed shirt and shaved face, "is just part of some twisted game to you."

It all suddenly clicked for House. "Is that why you've been so angry?"

"Yes! I cannot believe that for someone who never misses anything, you missed that." She said in disbelief. "You screwed with me and my feelings for you for so long House. Of course I'd be pissed."

He brought his hands to his face for a moment, letting her words run through him. It all made sense now. She was angry because she thought that this was all just a part of some game to him. But is was, wasn't it? It was all part of a bet.

Wasn't it?

Feelings of guilt suddenly flooded his veins. In all of his planning, that was one variable that he hadn't considered. Cameron's feelings. He sighed, knowing that he needed to say something, however not knowing what would come out of his lips.

"It's not a game Cameron." He told her sincerely.

Her eyes were searching his bluer ones for answers. Answers that may tell her whether he was telling the truth or not. He wasn't sure what she saw, but it must have been good, because she began to smile slightly.

"Well, on the plus side, this has actually made our first date seem very lovely in comparison."

A grin inhabited his features. "Wanna get out of here?"

He offered her his hand, and she took it smiling. "Sure. I'm beginning to think that fancy restaurants aren't our thing."

He laughed as he led her towards the doors. "I think you're right."

A/N: So yeah, sorry, I know that wasn't the best chapter, but I felt like I needed to write something simple to get me back into this story. I totally also get if you thought Cameron was annoying in this one (hell, I was annoyed writing her). However I think after all that House has put her through, she would get very angry if she thought that he was using her feelings for him as some sort of game. I promise that she'll "loosen up" a lot next chapter :)